Dec. 4-5, 2009 • 7:07 pm CT • Duluth Entertainment & Convention Center (5,294) • Duluth, Minn.
RADIO: 96.1 The Fox (KQHT-FM) • TV: Charter
WEBCAST: B2TV.com • LIVE STATS: UMDBulldogs.com

THIS WEEK: The third-ranked Fighting Sioux return to WCHA play this weekend when they travel to Minnesota Duluth to face the 12th-ranked Bulldogs on Friday and Saturday at the DECC.

UND enters the week in a three-way tie for fourth place in the WCHA with 11 points, two points behind third-place UMD and four points behind league co-leaders Colorado College and Denver.

It is UND's final road trip until after the Christmas break.

MEDIA INFORMATION: All Fighting Sioux men's hockey games, home and away, can be heard on 96.1 FM (The Fox) and on stations across the Fighting Sioux Hockey Network. Veteran broadcaster Tim Hennessy returns for his 30th season as the voice of the Fighting Sioux.

Both games this weekend will be televised locally in the Duluth area on Charter cable.

Video webcasts of both games are also available at B2TV.com. FREE audio is available at FightingSioux.com and FREE live stats are available at UMDBulldogs.com.

TICKET INFORMATION: Ticket information for this weekend's series can be found at UMDBulldogs.com/tickets.

ABOUT MINNESOTA DULUTH: The Bulldogs are off to their best start in 14 years and are 15-5-1 since the beginning of last year's playoffs ... UMD has been idle since sweeping Minnesota, 4-3 (ot) and 3-2, on Nov. 20-21 ... Sophomore C Jack Connolly continues to top the nation in scoring with 21 points and brings a four-game scoring streak into the series with UND ... Junior RW Justin Fontaine leads the WCHA in goals (11) and leads the nation in power-play goals (eight) ... Sixteen of Fontaine's 20 points and 16 of Connolly's 21 points this season have been registered at home. All but two of Mike Connolly's 14 points have also come at the DECC ... The Bulldogs are 31-0-3 when they've held a lead heading into the third period dating back to the 2007 WCHA playoffs ... UMD is averaging 37.6 shots per game, third-most in the NCAA ... The Bulldog power-play is clicking at 25.5 percent and ranks second in the WCHA in ninth in the NCAA.

UMD COACHING STAFF: Former UND All-America defenseman Scott Sandelin (UND ‘86) is in his 10th year as UMD head coach and is 153-177-46 (.468) overall.

Last season he led the Bulldogs to a Red Baron WCHA Final Five championship.

Sandelin is assisted by Steve Rohlik (Wisconsin ‘90) and Brett Larson (UMD ‘04).

SERIES HISTORY: The Sioux are 125-69-8 (.639) all-time against UMD, including a 52-37-5 (.580) mark in Duluth, but are winless (0-2-1) in the last three meetings.

The Bulldogs took three of four points in the lone regular season series last season, then blanked the Sioux 3-0 in the WCHA Final Five. UND scored just three goals in the three meetings last season.

Senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) is UND's active leading scorer against the Bulldogs with five points (3 G, 2A) in eight career games.

POLL POSITION: UND is ranked No. 3 in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine and USCHO.com/CBS College Sports polls, a climb of one spot in both. Minnesota Duluth is ranked No. 12 in both polls.

UND and UMD are ranked second and 13th, respectively, in this week's Inside College Hockey Power Rankings. Please refer to page three for complete national poll information.

UND'S LAST ACTION: The host Sioux skated to a win and a tie at last weekend's Subway Holiday Classic in Grand Forks and were the only team in the four-team field to not lose a game.

UND received goals from four different players in Friday's 4-1 win over Ohio State, while sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) made 22 saves.

The Sioux took a 5-3 lead into the third period on Saturday against top-ranked Miami before settling for a 5-5 overtime tie. Freshman F Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) had two goals and an assist while sophomore F Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and sophomore D Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) each had a goal and an assist.

UND went 4-for-11 on the power-play over the weekend and 7-for-8 on the penalty kill.

Kristo was named the tournament MVP and was joined on the all-tournament team by teammates Blood and Brad Malone (Jr., Miramichi, New Brunswick).

THE COUNT OF HOCKEY KRISTO: Freshman F Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) was named WCHA Rookie of the Week on Monday after earning most valuable player honors at the Subway Holiday Classic.

Kristo amassed three goals and an assist in two games, including a two-goal, one-assist showing in a 5-5 tie with top-ranked Miami on Saturday. Three of Kristo's four points on the weekend came on the power-play.

The four-point weekend enabled Kristo to not only move into a three-way tie for the UND scoring lead (w/ Evan Trupp, Chris VandeVelde), but to also move into a tie atop the WCHA rookie scoring race (w/ CC's Rylan Schwartz). He enters the week on a three-game point streak, with four goals and two assists during that stretch.

GETTING ALL DEFENSIVE: The Sioux boast the best defensive team in the WCHA and rank tied for third nationally, allowing just 1.93 goals per game.

UND has allowed three goals or fewer in 13 of 14 games this season and two goals or fewer in all 10 of those games.

PUTTING THE ‘SPECIAL' IN SPECIAL TEAMS: UND enters the week ranking among the top-10 nationally in both power-play and penalty killing. The Sioux penalty kill (88.3 percent) ranks eighth nationally, while the power-play (24.1 percent) ranks 10th.

In two games last weekend at the Subway Holiday Classic, UND went 4-for-11 (36.4 percent) with the man advantage and 7-for-8 (87.5 percent) on the penalty kill.

GOOD LUCK CHARM: When senior F Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba) scored his third goal of the season in Friday's 4-1 win over Ohio State, the Sioux improved to 15-1-2 all-time when Zajac scores a goal.

WE'RE GOING STREAKING: Four different Sioux enter the week riding a three-game point streak: sophomore F Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba), freshman F Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and junior F's Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick) and Evan Trupp (Anchorage, Alaska).

Gregoire also has one assist in each of his last three games after failing to register a single helper in his first 11 games of the season.

FIRST BLOOD: Sophomore D Ben Blood (Plymouth, Minn.) scored his first collegiate goal in last Saturday's 5-5 tie with top-ranked Miami, his 45th career game.

Blood also added an assist for his second two-point game of the season, giving him four points in 14 games. Last season as a freshman, Blood had just one assist in 31 games.

SUPER DAVE: With a pair of assists last Saturday against No. 1 Miami, sophomore F David Toews (Winnipeg, Manitoba) now has 12 points (4g, 8a) in 13 games this season, surpassing the 11 points he scored in 23 games last season as a freshman.

Toews also ranks third in the WCHA with a team-leading +9 plus/minus rating.

AN ‘A' FOR THE 'D': The blueline duo of sophomore Corey Fienhage (Apple Valley, Minn.) and Joe Gleason (Edina, Minn.), listed as UND's third defensive pairing, combined to go +6 in Friday's win over Ohio State, with each posting a career-best +3.

Gleason ranks third among WCHA freshmen with a +7, while Fienhage has played in five straight games after sitting out the first nine games of the season.

EIDS WIDE SHUT: Ohio State's goal midway through the third period last Friday was the first even strength goal allowed by sophomore G Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta) in 229 minutes and 35 seconds.

In 13 games this season, Eidsness is 7-3-2 with a 1.89 goals against average and .920 save percentage while logging a WCHA-leading 762:53 of playing time.

Eidsness ranks fourth all-time at UND in career GAA (2.40), fifth in save percentage (.909) and ninth in winning percentage (.654).

Earlier this season, Eidsness had a streak of consecutive starts end at 38, the third-longest in Sioux history.

FINE AND VANDY: Senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.) was held without a point Saturday against Miami but has yet to go consecutive games without a point this season.

Tied for the team scoring lead with 13 points, VandeVelde has reached the scoresheet in 11 of 14 games this season and, with 89 career points, is on the verge of becoming the 78th member of UND's "Century Club."

BALANCING ACT: Freshman F Brett Bruneteau (Omaha, Neb.) collected his first career point with an assist last Friday against Ohio State. Nineteen of the 20 Sioux skaters who have seen game action this season have now scored at least one point. Only junior F Brent Davidson (Morden, Manitoba), who has played in two games, has yet to his the scoresheet.

UND and Colorado College are the only two WCHA teams to already boast six players with at least 10 points.

HOME SWEET HOME: After last weekend's win and tie at the Subway Holiday Classic, UND has lost just once in its last 20 home games, going 15-1-4 (.850) during that stretch.

UND is 29-5-6 record (.800) at Ralph Engelstad Arena since the beginning of January 2008.

CLIMBING THE COACHING LADDER: UND head coach Dave Hakstol enters this weekend with 138 career victories, fourth most in UND history and 11 shy of Rube Bjorkman (1968-78) for third all-time.

Only John "Gino" Gasparini (392 wins from 1978-94), Dean Blais (262 wins from 1994-04) and Bjorkman (149) won more games at UND than Hakstol.

BLINK AND YOU'LL MISS IT: Sophomore F Jason Gregoire's (Winnipeg, Manitoba) goal 39 seconds into UND's season opener was the second-fastest UND goal on record to open a season (UND's box score records are incomplete prior to the 1966-67 season).

The fastest Sioux goal to open a season is six seconds, scored by Lee Davidson on Oct. 13, 1989 against Alabama-Huntsville. That goal is also the fastest Sioux goal to open any period.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS: UND welcomes back 15 letterwinners from last year's team that captured the MacNaughton Cup and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

Highlighting the returnees are reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Year and AHCA All-America defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) and All-WCHA third-team goaltender Brad Eidsness (Chestermere, Alberta).

Senior F Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, Minn.), who scored a career-high 35 points last season, is the team's top returning scorer and is one of nine returning players who notched at least 10 points in 2009-10.

FAB FROSH: The Sioux roster also includes 10 freshmen in 2009-10, UND's largest incoming freshman class since 2005-06, when 13 rookies donned the Kelly Green and White.

That 2005-06 class included the likes of 2007 Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan and current NHLers Jonathan Toews (Chicago), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis) and Brian Lee (Ottawa).

In fact, 11 members of that 13-player 2005-06 freshman class, eight of whom graduated as seniors last season, are currently playing professional hockey.

GENOWAY, CICHY HONORED: A pair of Sioux were recognized when InsideCollegeHockey.com announced its 2009-10 preseason All-America and all-rookie teams.

Senior D Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) was named to the INCH preseason All-America third team. Last season, Genoway was named a second-team All-American and the WCHA Defensive Player of the Year after collecting a career-high 32 points. He was also named an ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American and a WCHA Scholar-Athlete.

Said INCH: "Genoway is college hockey's version of Illinois quarterback Juice Williams-it seems like he's been at North Dakota forever. Fighting Sioux fans wouldn't mind a few extra years of his production. The reigning WCHA Defensive Player of the Year is also a dangerous threat on offense; he's scored 80 points in three seasons, including a career-high 32 points last season."

Genoway, this year's team captain, enters the season with 80 career points and is aiming to become just the 11th defenseman in school history to reach the 100-point plateau for his career.

Freshman F Mike Cichy (New Hartford, Conn.) was named to INCH's preseason All-Rookie team. A seventh-round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Cichy led the Indiana Ice to a United States Hockey League championship and was named the league's playoff MVP with 25 points (including a USHL-record 16 assists) in 16 games. He totalled 76 points in 56 regular season games.

FEELING A DRAFT: UND enters the 2009-10 season with a roster that includes 15 players who have been drafted by National Hockey League teams. The group includes goalie Brad Eidsness (Buffalo), defensemen Andrew MacWilliam (Toronto), Derrick LaPoint (Florida), Corey Fienhage (Buffalo), Joe Gleason (Chicago) and Ben Blood (Ottawa) and forwards Danny Kristo (Montreal), Michael Cichy (Montreal), Corban Knight (Florida), Brett Bruneteau (Washington), Jason Gregoire (New York Islanders), David Toews (New York Islanders), Brad Malone (Colorado), Brett Hextall (Phoenix) and Chris VandeVelde (Edmonton).

A total of 24 Sioux have been drafted during the tenure of sixth-year head coach Dave Hakstol, including first-rounders Jonathan Toews (Chicago, 2006), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis, 2005), Brian Lee (Ottawa, 2005) and Joe Finley (Washington, 2005).

WELCOME TO THE SHOW: Twelve former Sioux have seen action in the NHL this season: Jason Blake (Toronto), Taylor Chorney (Edmonton), Mike Commodore (Columbus), Matt Greene (Los Angeles), David Hale (Tampa Bay), Ryan Johnson (Vancouver), Brian Lee (Ottawa), T.J. Oshie (St. Louis), Zach Parise (New Jersey), Drew Stafford (Buffalo), Jonathan Toews (Chicago) and Travis Zajac (New Jersey).

Seventeen former Fighting Sioux played in the NHL last season, the most of any team in the WCHA and UND's most since sending 21 in 1993-94. Additionally, four former Sioux can be found in the NHL coaching ranks, including Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett, Tampa Bay assistant coach Rick Wilson, Buffalo assistant coach James Patrick and Phoenix video coach Steve Peters.

FOREVER SIOUX: Every member of UND's coaching staff and support 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 Scott Koberinski (1985-89) each played for the Fighting Sioux.

Additionally, hockey operations manager Pat Sawnson (2002), athletic trainer and strength coach Mark Poolman (1992), team physician Dr. Greg Greek and media relations director Jayson Hajdu (2000) are also UND graduates.

FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA: So much for the notion that hockey is a "regional sport." UND junior F Brad Malone (Miramichi, New Brunswick) is the first New Brunswick native to ever play for the Sioux while sophomore F Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) is the first Californian to suit up for the Sioux.

Freshman Michael Cichy (New Hartford, Conn.) is just the second native of Connecticut to ever play for the Sioux and the first since Frank Morgan way back in 1951-52.

Below is a geographical breakdown of the entire 2009-10 Sioux roster:

• Minnesota (6): Ben Blood (Plymouth), Corey Fienhage (Apple Valley), Joe Gleason (Edina), Ryan Hill (Hermantown), Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie), Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead)
  
• Alberta (5): Aaron Dell (Airdrie), Brad Eidsness (Chestermere), Corban Knight (High River), Andrew MacWilliam (Calgary), Carter Rowney (Sexsmith)
  
• Manitoba (5): Brent Davidson (Morden), Chay Genoway (Morden), Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg), David Toews (Winnipeg), Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg)
  
• North Dakota (2): Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks), Jake Marto (Grand Forks)
  
• Alaska (1): Evan Trupp (Anchorage)
  
• California (1): Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach)
  
• Colorado (1): Tate Maris (Denver)
• Connecticut (1): Michael Cichy (New Hartford)
  
• Nebraska (1): Brett Bruneteau (Omaha)
  
• New Brunswick (1): Brad Malone (Miramichi)
  
• Wisconsin (1): Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire)

ALL IN THE FAMILY: UND's 2009-10 roster features five players who have had family members previously play for the Fighting Sioux: defenseman Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba) and forwards Mario Lamoureux (Grand Forks), Brett Hextall (Manhattan Beach, Calif.), David Toews (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, Manitoba).

Genoway, Toews and Zajac each have older brothers who once played at UND, Lamoureux's father and brother played for the Sioux and Hextall has a great uncle who played for the Sioux.

• Genoway's brother, Colby, was a forward at UND from 2002-05 and scored 81 points in 115 career games. He most recently played for the Manitoba Moose of the AHL.
  
• Hextall's great uncle, Dennis, was a forward at UND from 1964-66 and scored 101 career points in 63 career games. Hextall's hockey bloodlines extend to his father (Ron), grandfather (Bryan Jr.) and great grandfather (Bryan Sr.), each of whom enjoyed lengthy NHL careers. His father, Ron, is currently the assistant general manager of the Los Angeles Kings.
  
• Lamoureux's brother, Jean-Philippe, was a goalie at UND from 2004-08 and is the school's all-time co-leader in goals against average (2.14). His father, Pierre, was a goalie for the Sioux from 1979-82 and was a member of UND's 1982 NCAA championship team. Another brother, Pierre-Paul, is in his first year as UND's student-assistant coach while twin sisters Jocelyne and Monique are sophomore forwards on the Fighting Sioux women's hockey team. Both are currently pursuing rosters spots on the U.S. Olympic team.
  
• Toews' brother, Jonathan, was a forward at UND from 2005-07, scoring 85 points in 76 career games and earning All-America honors in 2007. He is now the captain of the Chicago Blackhawks.
  
• Zajac's brother, Travis, scored 96 points in 91 games from 2004-06 and currently plays for the New Jersey Devils.