Re: Green Bay regional: NoDak vs RPI, Western Mich vs Denver
Can any of you fans provide a better summary for your teams?
One North Dakota fans take on his team...(sorry for the long post)
Offense: Ranked 2nd Nationally at 4.05 goals/game
North Dakota is very strong with the puck. We like to cycle, and wear teams down with physical play. We also have pretty good speed from our forwards and for the most part are a good passing team. Our d-men, for the most part, are surprisingly quick as well as big. Don't be surprised if MacWilliam or Blood carry the puck all the way into the zone. Genoway is obviously an offensive threat as well, but most people know about him already. Don't expect Forbort to shoot, but also don't be surprised if he makes an amazing pass. Our top line (Frattin, Malone, Trupp) is obviously our best line. They are nicknamed the "Pony Express" because they always deliver (also, Malone's nickname is 'Pony'). Frattin (35-22-57) is the best on the line, and perhaps in all of college hockey. He can score in a variety of different ways, but perhaps his best asset is his shot. It's a heavy wrister, and he has very good accuracy. Malone (13-23-36) is the muscle of that group (but don't be surprised if Frattin knocks you over), and can score some gritty goals. Trupp (16-21-37), as displayed at the Final Five on Friday, is VERY good with the puck. He has excellent hand-eye coordination. Our second line is normally Gregoire, Knight and Hextall. Gregoire (24-17-41) was out this past weekend, but according to the coaches should be back this weekend. That will be a big boost, as Gregoire is the 2nd leading goal scorer for the Sioux, and has been on fire of late. Knight (13-29-42) has had a very quiet but very productive sophomore campaign. He is a solid all-around player and has a knack for finding his teammates (leads the team in assists). Hextall (12-14-26) has had a mildly disappointing season, but has a very lethal shot. He has also come on strong towards the end of the year, scoring 20 of his points since the break (10g, 10a). It will be interesting to see who the Sioux put on their third line. It will almost assuradely be centered by Freshman Brock Nelson (7-12-19). Nelson has been a much different player since coming back from the World Junior's, scoring 14 of his 19 points since then (5g, 9a). My best guess is that Danny Kristo (7-18-25) will find himself on this line well. Kristo was playing amazing before his injury that kept him out most of the 2nd half. He scored 13 points in 12 games (4g, 9a). Kristo came back for this past weekend and put up 2 goals and an assist. For the other winger on that line, my best guess is it will be between Rodwell (5-4-9), Rowney (3-2-5) or Dickin (1-1-2). Rodwell and Rowney were out for this past weekend, while Dickin has only played in 8 games since joining the team midway through. If I had to pick, assuming he was healthy, I would say Rowney would get the spot. There is also the possibility that either Joe Gleason (1-3-4) or Jake Marto (7-11-18) could be put there. Both Gleason and Marto are defensemen, who have played at forward at different times during the stretch run. As for our 4th line, it will be centered by Mario Lamoureux (2-13-15). If Lammy scores a goal, the Sioux are nearly unbeatable (I forget our exact record, but I don't think we've ever lost when Lammy scores a goal). Senior Brent Davidson (5-2-7) has been playing the best hockey of his career at UND over the past month. He has proven to be an effective grinder, and has recently found his scoring touch. Davidson has 4 goals and 1 assist over the past 8 games. The other winger on that line will most likely be one of the previous forwards/defensemen that were mentioned. Overall, North Dakota is deep with talent. While our first two lines generally do the scoring, over the past month or so, the third and fourth lines have provided an extra boost. Also, with the return of Danny Kristo, the Sioux have perhaps the best third line in all of college hockey.
Defense: Ranked 5th Nationally at 2.22 goals/game
North Dakota is extremely deep at the blue line. We have arguably 8 top four defensemen. The top pairing this past weekend was Ben Blood and Derek Forbort. Blood (6'4", 235lbs) is a Junior, and led the nation in +/- (+34). Forbort (6'5", 200lbs) is a Freshman and was on the World Junior team as well this year. Both are solid in the defensive zone, strong on the puck, and don't take too many penalties. The second pairing was Andrew MacWilliam (6'2", 220lbs) and Chay Genoway (5'9", 177lbs). While Genoway gets most of the press, MacWilliam has developed into an animal you might say. Genoway, while not the biggest defensement ever, is very quick, solid with the puck, and transitions into the offense extremely well. He is our top scoring defensemen with 6 goals and 26 assists. The third pairing is Derrick Lapoint (6'3", 205lbs) and Dillon Simpson (6'2", 205lbs. Lapoint is a Senior and provides a tremendous amount of leadership, along with being very strong in his own zone. Simpson has been everything you could ask for from a Freshman blueliner. He has matured tremendously throughout the season and should be a very high draft pick this summer. He has been a strong presence on the blueline, and has started to pitch in offensively as well. Our other two d-men were mentioned as Forwards. If one of the two plays this weekend at defense, it would most likely be Jake Marto. Marto is a senior with a ton of experience at the blueline. He is somewhat similar to Chay Genoway, and has very good offensive skills. Overall, the Sioux are solid and strong at the blueline. One thing I will point out though, is that the Sioux are prone to some bonehead mistakes. While we haven't seen that very often in the second half of the season, it was something that we saw a few too many times the first half.
Goalie:
Aaron Dell has been everything you could ask for from the guy who started the season as the backup. He has stepped up and played tremendously well. He leads the nation in wins with 28, and is second in GAA at 1.88. He has a respectable .921 save percentage, and has been very solid. He also showed that he is capable of stealing a game for the Sioux, especially this past Saturday, stopping 40 shots in helping North Dakota win the Broadmoor trophy 3-2 in 2OT. He's tied for third in the nation with 5 shutouts, and has been positionally very sound.
Special Teams:
North Dakota has been solid in both aspects, as they are 7th in both Powerplay and PK percentage. Be very careful for Matt Frattin on the powerplay. He typically plays the point, and with Brad Malone in front of the net for the screen, is extremely lethal. He leads the Sioux with 10 powerplay goals. 13 different players have scored a powerplay goal for the Sioux, including 7 with 4 or more. On the PK, the Sioux are very aggressive. They have 9 SHG on the season, and are generally in your face. This does open them up to a team that can move the puck quickly and accurately (see first CC goal on Friday as evidence). Dell has been solid when he has needed to, and, more than anything, has been positionally sound.
The North Dakota Fighting Sioux are a very deep team. There are 10-12 players that are threats to score on any shift, and are capable of rolling 4 lines the entire game. The Pony Express line is the most lethal, but the Sioux have shown that they are still capable of winning even when that line doesn't score. They have a very strong Defense, and solid goaltending. There isn't much of a weakness on the team. As is the case in any tournament situation, the Sioux will need to play to their ability if they want to advance. At this point in the season, one bad game, even one bad period or shift can be the end of the season. Hopefully the Sioux are able to play to their abilities.
