THIS WEEK: For a WCHA-leading 10th straight year, North Dakota will host the first round of the playoffs and will meet Bemidji State.

The 12th-ranked and 4th-seeded Fighting Sioux will face the 9th-seeded Beavers on Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary) at Ralph Engelstad Arena, with a berth in the WCHA Final Five on the line.

The series marks the first-ever postseason meetings between the Sioux and the Beavers.

MEDIA COVERAGE: All UND men's hockey games, home and away, can be heard on 96.1 FM (The Fox) and on stations across the UND Radio Network. Veteran broadcaster Tim Hennessy is in his 33rd season as the voice of the men's hockey program. Free audio is available at www.fightingsioux.com.

Each game of this weekend's series can be seen live on the UND Sports Network, Fox College Sports Central, DirecTV 617 and MidcoSN3. Pat Sweeney calls the action with former UND assistant Jim Scanlan providing analysis.

Additionally, Friday's game will be shown by theScore in Canada on tape delay on Sunday at 3 p.m. Central.

Video webcasts of each game can be purchased at www.fightingsioux.com.

SOCIAL MEDIA: Receive real-time updates during all UND men's hockey games by following
@UNDMHockey. Additional coverage can be found at @UNDathletics and @UNDSID.

Fans can also follow the action via live chat at FightingSioux.com, hosted by Grand Forks Herald hockey writer Brad Schlossman and UND media relations director Jayson Hajdu during every home and road game.

TICKET INFORMATION: General admission tickets remain available for each game this weekend.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-745-3000, by visiting the UND Ticket Office at the Ralph Engelstad Arena, or via TicketMaster TicketExchange. TicketExchange is the official online source for UND men's hockey season ticket holders to post their tickets for re-sale. Tickets can be purchased from season ticket holders online by visiting Ticketmaster.com/TicketExchange, and then clicking on "North Dakota" under College Athletics.

The REA box office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

ABOUT THE BEAVERS: BSU finished ninth in the WCHA and ended a 4-game losing streak after earning a sweep last weekend at Alaska Anchorage to close out the regular season.

The Beavers are the league's least-penalized team (11.1 PIMs/game) and own the WCHA's top penalty killing unit at 84.4 percent (10th nationally).

BSU COACHING STAFF: Tom Serratore (BSU '87) is in his 11th year at BSU and owns an all-time record of 195-162-41 (.541). He will coach in his 400th career game on Saturday night.

Serratore's staff includes assistant coaches Bert Gilling (Minnesota Duluth '99) and Ted Belisle (Bemidji State '01), as well as graduate assistant coach Danny Mackinnon (Acadia '10).

SERIES HISTORY: UND leads the all-time series 22-2-1 (.900), including a 14-1-1 (.906) record in Grand Forks. UND's lone home loss to the Beavers occurred on Feb. 7, 1970.

The two teams split their only two regular season meetings earlier this year in Bemidji (Nov. 19-20). The Sioux took the opener 5-2 before falling 1-0 in the finale.

UND's loss at BSU ended a streak of five straight games in which the Sioux had scored five goals against the Beavers. It was also UND's first loss in Bemidji after winning the first eight.

Junior forward Corban Knight (High River, Alberta) leads all active Sioux with eight points (1g, 7a) in six career games against BSU.

Junior Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) is 4-1-0 with a 1.65 goals against average and a .922 save percentage against BSU, while senior Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) is 3-0-0 with a 2.66 GAA and an .864 SV%.

UND is 14-1-1 (.906) against BSU during head coach Dave Hakstol's tenure.

UND'S LAST ACTION: UND concluded the regular season with a home sweep of Minnesota State last weekend, winning 4-2 on Friday and 3-0 on Saturday to secure the fourth seed in the WCHA playoffs.

Junior forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) scored twice on Friday for the Sioux, who also got goals from freshmen Michael Parks (St. Louis, Mo.) and Stephane Pattyn (Ste. Anne, Manitoba).

Senior Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) recorded a 29-save shutout on Saturday, while freshmen Mark MacMillan (Penticton, British Columbia) and Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.) and sophomore Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) accounted for the scoring.

POLL POSITION: UND is ranked No. 12 in both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, and No. 10 in the Inside College Hockey Power Rankings. The Sioux are 13th in the PairWise Rankings and 12th in the KRACH Rankings.

PLAYOFF PROWESS: During head coach Dave Hakstol's first seven seasons, UND has gone 36-14 in the playoffs (WCHA and NCAA combined), 12 more wins than the next-closest WCHA school (see page 14 of this release for postseason records of every WCHA school during Hakstol's tenure).

Under Hakstol, the Sioux are 14-3 in the WCHA First Round and have yet to lose a WCHA First Round series.

Including WCHA Final Five games, UND is 25-8 in the WCHA Playoffs under Hakstol.

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS: UND will host the first round of the WCHA playoffs for the 10th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the WCHA.

This year's matchup with Bemidji State will mark the first time UND has faced an opponent with an overall winning record since the first year of that streak, 2002-03, when the Sioux defeated Denver in the opening round.

UND is seeking its 10th straight berth in the WCHA Final Five, which would also extended the longest active streak in the league.

The Sioux are trying to become just the second school in league history to earn 10 straight trips to the WCHA playoff tournament since it went to a championship tournament format in 1987. Minnesota advanced 11 straight years from 1999 to 2009, and 10 straight years from 1988 to 1997.

IT'S HOW YOU FINISH: With just four losses in 17 games since the Christmas break, UND has continued its trend of playing its best hockey after Christmas under eighth-year head coach Dave Hakstol:

Year Before After
2004-05 13-7-2 (.636) 12-8-3 (.587)
2005-06 12-7-1 (.625) 17-9-0 (.654)
2006-07 7-10-1 (.417) 17-4-4 (.760)
2007-08 8-6-1 (.567) 20-5-3 (.768)
2008-09 9-8-1 (.528) 15-7-3 (.660)
2009-10 9-6-3 (.583) 16-7-2 (.680)
2010-11 13-5-2 (.700) 19-4-1 (.813)
2011-12 9-8-1 (.528) 11-4-2 (.706)
Totals 80-57-12 (.577) 126-48-18 (.703)

IN LIKE A LION: UND has been particularly effective once the calendar turns to March. Over the previous two seasons, the Sioux have gone 17-2-0 (.895) in March, and 49-12-4 (.785) through Hakstol's eight seasons:

Year March Of Note
2004-05 7-1-1 (.833) NCAA runner-up
2005-06 8-1-0 (.889) NCAA semifinals
2006-07 6-1-1 (.813) NCAA semifinals
2007-08 7-3-2 (.667) NCAA semifinals
2008-09 4-4-0 (.500) WCHA champions
2009-10 7-2-0 (.778) WCHA playoff champs 2010-11 8-0-0 (1.000) NCAA semifinals
2011-12 2-0-0 (1.000) ---
Totals 49-12-4 (.785)

WE'RE GOING STREAKING!: Since suffering a 1-0 loss at Bemidji State on Nov. 20, UND has gone 16-5-2, a stretch that began with a Thanksgiving weekend sweep over then-No. 4 Colorado College.

ROARING TWENTIES: UND's sweep over Minnesota State last weekend enabled the Sioux to reach the 20-win plateau for the eighth time in as many seasons under Hakstol.

Only Gino Gasaprini, who won 20 games for 13 straight years from 1978 to 1991, had a longer streak of 20-plus wins at UND.

MARCH MISERS: Over the past two seasons, UND is allowing just 1.2 goals per game in the month of march, and 1.53 goals against over the past three seasons in March.

Over the past three seasons, senior goalie Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) is 9-2-0 in the month of March with a 1.64 goals against average and a .933 save percentage, while junior Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) is 8-1-0 with a 1.17 goals against average and a .948 save percentage.

EIDS OF MARCH: Senior Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) received the start on Senior Night in the regular season finale and responded with a 29-save shutout.

It was Eidsness' first shutout of the season and his first since the 2010 WCHA Final Five quarterfinals. He moved into a tie for fifth on UND's all-time shutout list:
It was also his 57th career win and 103rd career appearance, which rank third and fifth, respectively, all-time at UND:

Eidsness finished the conference season ranked second in the WCHA in both goals against average (2.19) and save percentage (.919), and finished third in winning percentage (.650).

BROCK 'N' ROLL: Sophomore forward Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) was the WCHA's only player to score 20 goals during league play this season, and was just the third in the last four years.

Nelson scored an empty netter in the regular season finale to hit the 20-goal mark and become the second straight Sioux (Matt Frattin) to lead the league in goals. He also moved into a tie with Minnesota's Nick Bjugstad for the WCHA's overall goal-scoring lead with 23.

Nelson is UND's youngest 20-goal scorer since Jonathan Toews scored 22 as a freshman in 2005-06.

DAN THE MAN: Junior forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) enjoyed a 4-point series against Minnesota State, enabling him to take over the team scoring lead with a career-high 40 points (17g, 23a).

Kristo leads the team with a career-best plus-13 rating and enters the playoffs on a 6-game point streak. He has three goals and six assists during that stretch.

JUNIOR MINT: This weekend's series boasts two of the highest-scoring junior classes in college hockey:

RK Team G-A-Pts.
1. Boston College 45-97-142
Maine 56-86-142
3. Northeastern 45-83-128
4. Bemidji State 55-68-123
5. North Dakota 47-73-120

UND's junior class includes: Danny Kristo (17-23-40), Corban Knight (12-22-34), Carter Rowney (16-9-25), Joe Gleason (0-14-14) and Andrew MacWilliam (2-4-6).

KNIGHTLINE'S WINNING RATINGS: UND's top line of Corban Knight (Jr., High River, Alberta), Danny Kristo (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Brock Nelson (So., Warroad, Minn.) has combined for 77 points (35 goals, 42 assists) in the 16 wins in which it has played together, an average of 4.8 points per game.

The line has just 14 points (8g, 6a) in eight losses, which equates to only 1.75 points per game.
Kristo (17-23-40), Nelson (23-16-39) and Knight (12-22-34) are UND's top three scorers and have scored 48.1 percent of the team's goals (52-108) this season.

FOLLOWING THE 'GENERAL': Freshman forward Stephane Pattyn (Ste. Anne, Manitoba) scored the game-winning goal last Friday against MSU, the third GWG among his four goals this season.

Only seven freshmen in the history of UND hockey have scored more GWG in a season:
Pattyn's first career goal was the game-winner with 1:54 remaining in the third period of a 5-3 win over Wisconsin on Jan. 27, and came on his 21st birthday.

LINEUP LIMITATIONS: With injured forwards Rocco Grimaldi (Fr., Rossmoor, Calif.), Brendan O'Donnell (Fr., Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Derek Rodwell (So., Taber, Alberta) all out for the season, UND will not have the luxury of playing with a healthy scratch (among skaters) for the remainder of the season.

Eight players have combined to miss 82 games due to injury so far this season:

Rocco Grimaldi, 31
Brendan O'Donnell, 18
Derek Rodwell, 16
Derek Forbort, 5
Taylor Dickin, 4
Corban Knight, 3
Mario Lamoureux, 3
Aaron Dell, 2

UND has played in eight games this season in which it was forced to suit up fewer than 18 skaters.
CARTER WOW-NEY: Junior forward Carter Rowney (Sexsmith, Alberta) ranks third on the team with a career-high 16 goals.

Rowney had eight goals in the month of February alone, matching the eight he scored from October through January. He entered the season with four goals in 67 career games in his first two seasons.

Rowney is also tied for the team lead (w/ Brock Nelson) with nine power-play goals after entering his junior season without ever having scored a power-play tally at UND.

CROWDED HOUSE: UND has played in front of capacity crowds in each of its last eight home games.

Last Saturday's announced attendance of 12,026 against Minnesota State was the fifth-largest crowd in program history:
UND is averaging 11,386 fans per game this season, down slightly from last season's school-record 11,756 average attendance, and has sold out 11 of 20 home games.

ON THE MARK: Freshman Mark MacMillan's (Penticton, British Columbia) goal last Saturday against MSU snapped a personal 13-game goal-scoring drought.

His breakaway goal in the first period also held up as the game-winner, the first GWG of his career.

NICK OF TIME: With two more points last weekend against MSU, freshman defenseman Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.) continues to lead all Sioux defensemen in scoring, having collected 18 points (6g, 12a) in 35 games.

He's also on the verge of becoming UND's first rookie rearguard to reach the 20-point plateau since current NHLer Brian Lee notched 27 points in 2005-06.

Mattson's six goals have been topped by only eight other first-year defensemen in school history:

Rk. Player G
1. John Noah (1947-48) 13
2. Nick Naumenko (1992-93) 10
Mike Stone (1977-78) 10
Rob Mihulka (1975-76) 10
5. Bob Dorsher (1946-47) 9
6. Jason Herter (1988-89) 8
7. Howard Walker (1978-79) 7
Dave Geving (1974-75) 7
9. Nick Mattson (2011-12) 6
3 others tied w/ 6

THERE WILL BE BLOOD: Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) enters the playoffs having appeared in 135 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team.

The school record for consecutive games played is 175 -- also an NCAA record -- and is shared by Ryan Duncan (2005-09) and Chris Porter (2003-07). Porter currently plays with the NHL's St. Louis Blues and Duncan with the AHL's Portland Pirates (Phoenix Coyotes).

Blood has a career-high 17 points this season and both of his goals have been game-winners. He is a +11 in his last nine games.

In 28 career games in the month of March, Blood owns a plus-21 rating. He is UND's active plus/minus leader with a plus-46 in 153 career games.

NOT YOUR AVERAGE JOE: Despite splitting time between forward and his natural defense position due to injuries, junior Joe Gleason (Edina, Minn.) ranks sixth on the team with a career-high 14 assists.
Gleason has played 22 games at forward and 12 on the blueline.

HEAD OF THE CLASS: Senior Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) and sophomores Taylor Dickin (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Dillon Simpson (Edmonton, Alberta) were named WCHA Scholar-Athletes in February.

It was the third straight year in which Eidsness was honored, while both Dickin and Simpson were first-time honorees.

SUPER DAVE: UND's 3-2 win at SCSU on Jan. 21 was the 200th victory for Dave Hakstol, enabling him to join John "Gino" Gasparini (392 wins, 1978-94) and Dean Blais (262 wins, 1994-2004) as the only UND coaches to reach that milestone.

Hakstol, Gasparini and Blais each won their 200th game in their eighth season. Hakstol played under Gasparini at UND, and was brought to the UND coaching staff as an assistant coach by Blais.

With 32 wins last season, UND has reached the 20-win plateau in each of Hakstol's first seven seasons behind the bench. It was also the 3rd-highest win total in program history.

Hakstol's streak of eight straight 20-win seasons is the second-longest in UND history, behind only Gasparini's 13 in a row (1978-79 to 1990-91).

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: UND's win over Clarkson at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg on Jan. 7 drew 7,075 fans, out-drawing all but three NCAA Division I men's hockey games that night.

Only New Hampshire vs. Maine (38,456 at Fenway Park), RIT at Wisconsin (12,453) and Notre Dame at Minnesota (10,242) drew more.

Dubbed the 'U.S. College Hockey Classic,' the game was UND's first on Canadian soil in 59 years. The last time UND played a men's hockey game in Canada was Dec. 29-30, 1953, when UND lost a pair of games to host Fort Frances (Ontario).

The last time UND played outside of the United States was Dec. 26-29, 1982, when the team competed in the Spengler Cup in Switzerland.

VOTE FOR HOBEY: Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) and junior forward Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) are among the 77 players on the ballot for the Hobey Baker Award 'Vote for Hobey' fan balloting.

Blood, who logs more minutes than any other UND player, has emerged as one of the top two-way defensemen in NCAA hockey.

He has played in all 35 games this season and has a career-high 17 points. Both of his goals have been game-winners, tying him for fifth-most by a UND defenseman in a single season.

Blood leads all active UND skaters with 153 games played and has appeared in 135 straight games. Last season, Blood led the nation with a +32 rating and was named to his second straight Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) All-Academic Team.

Kristo leads the team in scoring and has established career highs in points (40), goals (17), assists (23) and plus/minus (plus-13).

The 2009-10 WCHA Rookie of the Year, Kristo enters the playoffs on a 6-game point streak, matching his longest of the season.

This first phase of fan balloting runs through March 4, 2012. Phase two of fan balloting will begin on March 16 from the list of Top 10 Hobey Baker finalists. The fan vote accounts for a full 1 percent of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year's award recipient.

HELLO, MY NAME IS: UND head coach Dave Hakstol announced on Jan. 10 that forward Mitch MacMillan (So., Penticton, British Columbia) transferred to UND and will join the team immediately. MacMillan is eligible to begin practicing with the team, but will not be eligible to compete until January 2013.

MacMillan will have two years of NCAA eligibility remaining when he resumes competition next January.

MacMillan transferred to UND from St. Cloud State, where he had five assists in 14 games this season. In 28 games last season as a freshman, MacMillan had four goals and two assists.

MacMillan's younger brother, Mark, is currently a freshman forward at UND. The last time the two were teammates was in 2009-10 with Alberni Valley of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), when they were the team's top two scorers and combined for 173 points (87 goals, 86 assists) in 59 games.

ASSISTANCE PLAN: Junior goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) has four career assists, a total topped by only one goalie in the history of the program: current volunteer assistant coach Karl Goehring.

Goehring amassed a school-record seven assists from 1997 to 2001.

MARIO'S MILESTONE: When senior captain Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) scored the game-winning goal on Nov. 19 at Bemidji State, he entered the UND history books by scoring the 10,000th goal in program history.
Perhaps it was fitting that Lamoureux would be the one to score the milestone goal, considering he is from Grand Forks, and his extensive family ties to UND hockey.

Lamoureux's sisters, Jocelyne and Monique, are junior forwards on UND's women's hockey team.

His father, Pierre, played goalie for UND from 1979-82 and was a member of two NCAA championship teams.

His brother, Jean-Philippe, was a goaltender at UND from 2004-08 and was an All-American as a senior.

Another brother, Pierre-Paul, is currently in his third season on UND's coaching staff as assistant video coordinator.

Finally, his uncle, Roger Lamoureux, was a four-year letterwinner at forward for UND from 1973 to 1977.

SUPER MARIO: In addition to the 10,000-goals milestone, Lamoureux's tally on Nov. 19 was significant for another reason.

With the goal, UND improved to 13-0-0 all-time when Lamoureux scores.

THE EAGLE SOARS INTO THE HALL: UND legend Ed Belfour made history on Nov. 14 when he became the first UND product to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Belfour parlayed a historic 1986-87 freshman season into a distinguished professional career that saw him become the third-winningest goalie in NHL history. Only Martin Brodeur (636 wins) and Patrick Roy (551) have won more games than Belfour, who won 484 from 1988 to 2007.

A native of Carman, Manitoba, Belfour won a UND-record 29 games (since broken) in 1986-87 and was named an NCAA All-American after leading UND to the 1987 national championship. He was the backbone of the famed "Hrkac Circus" team that won a then-NCAA-record 40 games.

Belfour twice won the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goalie and helped lead the Dallas Stars to a Stanley Cup championship in 1999.

A six-time all-star game participant, Belfour ranks third in NHL history in wins (484), fourth in games played (963) and saves (24,750), and ninth in shutouts (76). He finished his career with a 2.50 goals against average and a .906 save percentage.

Belfour also excelled on the international stage, winning a Canada Cup in 1991 and an Olympic gold medal in 2002 for Canada.
CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: Senior forward Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks, N.D.) was named team captain at UND's annual preseason media day luncheon.

In 43 games last season, Lamoureux established career highs in points (17) and assists (14) while earning his second straight WCHA All-Academic selection. In 109 career games, Lamoureux has amassed 13 goals and 22 assists.

Lamoureux's younger sister, Jocelyne, was named captain of UND's women's this season.

Mario Lamoureux joins Steve Johnson (1987-88), Jeff Panzer (2000-01) and Andy Schneider (2003-04) as the only Grand Forks natives to captain their hometown team.

Senior defenseman Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.), junior defenseman Andrew MacWilliam (Calgary, Alberta) and junior forward Corban Knight (High River, Alberta) were named assistant captains.

HELLO, MY NAME IS: UND welcomed 10 freshmen to the team this season, including forwards Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.), Connor Gaarder (Edina, Minn.), Mark MacMillan (Penticton, British Columbia), Brendan O'Donnell (Winnipeg, Manitoba), Michael Parks (St. Louis, Mo.), Stephane Pattyn (Ste. Anne, Manitoba) and Colten St. Clair (Gilbert, Ariz.), and defensemen Nick Mattson (Chanhassen, Minn.), Dan Senkbeil (Fremont, Calif.) and Andrew Panzarella (Washington, D.C.).

It is UND's largest freshman class since 2005-06, when UND brought in 13 freshmen.

That class included future NHLers Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Taylor Chorney, Brian Lee and Matt Watkins, as well as 2006-07 Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan.

FEELING A DRAFT: The 2011-12 UND roster boasts 15 National Hockey League draft picks, including 2011 selections Rocco Grimaldi (Fr., Rossmoor, Calif.) and Dillon Simpson (So., Edmonton, Alberta).

Grimaldi was taken in the second round (33rd overall) by Florida, while Simpson went in the fourth round (92nd overall) to Edmonton.

Simpson's father, Craig, won two Stanley Cups with Edmonton during his 10-year NHL career. He is now the lead color analyst on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) Hockey Night in Canada.

UND's current collection of draft picks features two 1st-rounders (Derek Forbort, Brock Nelson), two 2nd-rounders (Rocco Grimaldi, Danny Kristo), three 4th-rounders (Ben Blood, Mark MacMillan, Dillon Simpson), four 5th-rounders (Brad Eidsness, Corban Knight, Michael Parks, Derek Rodwell), two 6th-rounders (Nick Mattson, Brendan O'Donnell) and two 7th-rounders (Joe Gleason, Andrew MacWilliam).

TRADITION NEVER GRADUATES: Fifteen former UND players have played in the NHL this season: Jason Blake (Anaheim), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton, St. Louis), Mike Commodore (Tampa Bay/Detroit), Joe Finley (Buffalo), Matt Frattin (Toronto), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), Brian Lee (Tampa Bay/Ottawa), Brad Malone (Colorado), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Chris Porter (St. Louis), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Matt Watkins (Phoenix) and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

With the exception of Blake, who played at UND from 1996-99, each of the above players was coached by Hakstol during his tenure as a head coach or assistant coach at UND.

Other UND products in the NHL include Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett, Columbus assistant Brad Berry, Buffalo assistant James Patrick, Minnesota assistant Rick Wilson, Phoenix video coach Steve Peters, Minnesota Wild Director of Player Development Brad Bombardir, and Chicago Blackhawks radio analyst Troy Murray. Additionally, former UND football letterwinner Mark Chipman is the chairman of the Winnipeg Jets.

Sixteen UND products played in the NHL last season, including: Jason Blake (Anaheim), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton), Mike Commodore (Columbus), Matt Frattin (Toronto), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), David Hale (Ottawa), Ryan Johnson (Chicago), Brian Lee (Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Chris Porter (St. Louis), Matt Smaby (Tampa Bay), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago), Chris Vande Velde (Edmonton), and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

CALLING ALL CAPTAINS: A pair of UND products currently serve as captains of their NHL clubs: Zach Parise (2002-04) of the New Jersey Devils and Jonathan Toews (2005-07) of the Chicago Blackhawks.

Additionally, defenseman Matt Greene (2002-05) serves as an assistant captain for the L.A. Kings and forward Drew Stafford (2003-06) holds the same title for the Buffalo Sabres.

FOREVER UND: Every member of UND's coaching staff is a graduate of the University of North Dakota.

Head coach Dave Hakstol (1989-92), associate head coach Cary Eades (1978-82), assistant coach Dane Jackson (1988-92) and volunteer assistant Karl Goehring (1998-2001) each played for UND.

Additionally, nearly every member of the support staff is also a graduate of UND, including director of hockey operations Pat Swanson (2002), athletic trainer and strength coach Mark Poolman (1992), team physician Dr. Greg Greek, media relations director Jayson Hajdu (2000) and administrative assistant Carmen Pester.

RANK AND FILE: UND was voted No. 2 (four first-place votes) in the 41st annual Grand Forks Herald WCHA Coaches Preseason Poll and No. 3 (two first-place votes) in the 93X (Duluth) WCHA Media Preseason Poll.

In both polls, UND freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi (Rossmoor, Calif.) was named the preseason WCHA Rookie of the Year.

2011-12 Grand Forks Herald
WCHA Coaches Preseason Poll

Rk Team (1st place votes) Points
1. Denver (7) 115
2. North Dakota (4) 110
3. Colorado College (1) 105
4. Nebraska Omaha 89
5. Minnesota Duluth 75
6. Minnesota 74
7. St. Cloud State 61
8. Wisconsin 54
9. Alaska Anchorage 36
10. Bemidji State 30
11. Minnesota State, Mankato 29
12. Michigan Tech 14

POY: Jaden Schwartz, So., F, Colorado College
ROY: Rocco Grimaldi, F, North Dakota

2011-12 93X Radio
WCHA Media Preseason Poll

Rk Team (1st place votes) Poll Avg.
1. Denver (16) 11.35
2. Colorado College (7) 10.54
3. North Dakota (2) 10.31
4. Nebraska Omaha (1) 8.31
5. Minnesota Duluth 8.12
6. Minnesota 7.73
7. Wisconsin 5.54
St. Cloud State 5.54
9. Alaska Anchorage 3.85
10. Bemidji State 2.92
11. Minnesota State 2.12
12. Michigan Tech 1.69

POY: Jason Zucker, So., F, Denver
ROY: Rocco Grimaldi, F, North Dakota
COY: Mel Pearson, Michigan Tech