University of Minnesota Athletics
Seventh-Ranked Bemidji State Visits Mariucci
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Minnesota (3-4-1) vs. Bemidji State (7-0-1)
Date: Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 14-15
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Sat.) / 6 p.m. (Sun.)
Location: Mariucci Arena (10,000)
Series History: Minnesota leads 6-0-0
Radio: WCCO 830 AM - Wally Shaver and Glen Sonmor
Television: Fox Sports North - Frank Mazzocco and Doug Woog
A Frozen Four squad from last season, Bemidji State brings the nation's longest unbeaten streak and a No. 7 national ranking into Mariucci Arena this weekend for a two-game series with the Gophers. Minnesota is playing its first non-conference games of the season after opening the year with eight straight conference games.
Last Time Out
Minnesota split a series at Wisconsin, dropping the opener 4-2 before posting a 5-2 win in the second game. Alex Kangas made a career-high 45 saves and Zach Budish notched two goals and an assist in Saturday's win. Tony Lucia added a goal and two assists in the victory, while Patrick White tallied a goal each night.
Series History
Minnesota has won all six previous meetings with Bemidji State, outscoring the Beavers 35-9. The past five matchups have been played at Mariucci Arena with the most recent series being Feb. 6-7, 2004. The teams first met on Oct. 14, 2000 in Bemidji. Aside from a 2-1 win on Feb. 6, 2004, the Gophers have won each of the other five matchups by at least four goals.
About the Beavers
Bemidji State is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the country along with Cornell, which has played just three games. The Beavers are the nation's top defensive team, having allowed just 10 goals in their eight games. Sophomore goaltender Dan Bakala has played seven games and has a 1.40 goals against average and .946 save percentage to rank fourth nationally in both categories.
The Beavers have posted sweeps of Air Force, Alabama Huntsville and Robert Morris while outscoring foes 30-10. They have a win and a tie against Northern Michigan and own a five-game winning streak, which is also the nation's longest. Bemidji State reached last year's Frozen Four and finished 20-16-1 overall. The Beavers beat Notre Dame and Cornell to win the Midwest Regional and lost to Miami in the national semifinals. They lost nine letterwinners and both goaltenders from last year's team. Bemidji State was 8-13 at one point last year and is now 19-3-2 over its last 24 games. Junior forward Matt Read ranks fourth in the country in points per game with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points. Read was the top scorer on last year's squad with 15 goals and 25 assists for 40 points. Sophomore defenseman Brad Hunt has a goal and nine assists for 10 points.
Out of This League
Minnesota plays its first games outside the WCHA this weekend after opening the year with eight straight league games. The Gophers hadn't opened the year with such a conference stretch since 1996-97. During that span, Minnesota played the three teams picked atop the league's preseason poll. Denver was the preseason favorite with North Dakota second and Wisconsin third. Minnesota was picked fourth.
Powering Down
The Gophers have killed off 19 straight opponent power plays since Alaska Anchorage's first period power play goal on Oct. 30. Minnesota had allowed seven power play goals in its opponents' first 22 chances this season. The Gophers have been successful shorthanded during those chances as well with two shorthanded goals during the current streak.
Playing Short
Oddly, Minnesota has scored more shorthanded goals than power play goals this season. The Gophers lead the country with three shorthanded goals, but they are just 2-for-35 on the power play. Army and Quinnipiac have also scored three times shorthanded. Minnesota's power play ranks 56th of 58 teams nationally.
Kangas Honored
Junior goaltender Alex Kangas was recognized as the WCHA Defensive Player of the Week for the third time in his career after posting a career-high 45 saves in Saturday's 5-2 win at Wisconsin. Kangas also made 28 saves in the Gophers' 4-2 loss on Friday to stop 73 of the Badgers' 79 shots during the series. He helped the Gophers hold Wisconsin scoreless on eight power play chances, stopping all 17 Badger shot attempts. Kangas currently ranks 11th in the country with a .933 save percentage.
Torrid Tony
Senior forward Tony Lucia has been the Gophers' hottest player over the past two weeks with nine points in the last four games. Lucia had a goal and three assists last weekend against Wisconsin. Following his five-point weekend against Alaska Anchorage, Lucia was named the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in his career. He also notched a three-point game for the first time in his career each weekend.
White Hot
Junior forward Patrick White has enjoyed one of the best two-week spans of his career with the Gophers, scoring goals in a career-high three straight games. White also has both of the team's power play goals this season. He posted a team-high plus-three rating in last weekend's series at Wisconsin and his six points for the season rank second on the team.
Schack Attack
Senior defenseman Brian Schack scored his second career goal in 55 career games in Saturday's win over Wisconsin. He also scored as a freshman at Wisconsin. Schack was injured for the first four games of this season and was a healthy scratch for the next three games before his debut Saturday. He also added an assist in Saturday's win for his second career two-point game. He scored one point all of last season.
Budish Shines
Freshman forward Zach Budish tallied two goals and an assist in Saturday's game at Wisconsin after scoring one point in his first seven games. Budish has also been the Gophers' best faceoff man, winning 18 of his 25 draws this season, including 11 out of 14 last weekend. Budish did not play hockey all of last season at Edina High School after suffering a knee injury during football season on a kickoff coverage.
Barriball Out
Senior forward Jay Barriball will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury suffered in practice on Tues., Nov. 3. Barriball played in five games and will be eligible for a medical redshirt. He underwent successful surgery on Fri., Nov. 6. Barriball has played in 124 career games with the Gophers and became the 78th player in school history to reach 100 career points earlier this season. Barriball has 102 career points, which was 43 more than any other current Gopher at the time of his injury.
Mixing it Up
With all of the Gophers' injuries and other circumstances already this season, Minnesota has used a different lineup of players in every game this season. Of the team's 25 players, only 11 have played in each of the first eight games. The lineup will likely get more consistent in upcoming weeks with just 13 available forwards and six defensemen until Leddy returns.
