BULLDOGS UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH MEN’S HOCKEY Communications Office • Bob Nygaard, Director • University of Minnesota Duluth • Duluth, MN 55812-2496 [email protected] • (218) 726-8191 • umdbulldogs.com • @umdbulldogs January 21, 2015 NO. 7 UMD AND BEMIDJI STATE TO COLLIDE IN OPENING ROUND OF NORTH STAR COLLEGE CUP FRIDAY THE GAMES: The University of Minnesota Duluth will engage in its final non-conference road activity of the 2014-15 UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA DULUTH ROSTER 2014-15 season this weekend beginning on Friday (Jan. 23) when the Bulldogs meet up with former No. Name Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Yr . Birthdate Hometown (Previous Team/League) Western Collegiate Hockey Association colleague 3 Dan Molenaar D 5-11 190 So. 5/7/93 Eden Prairie, Minn. (Sioux City/USHL) Bemidji State University in the opening round of the 5 Willie Corrin D 6-2 205 Jr. 8/1/91 International Falls, Minn. (Fargo/USHL) second annual North Star College Cup. The puck drops 6 Derik Johnson D 5-11 195 Sr. 2/1/90 Bloomington, Minn. (Penticton/BCHL) at 4:05 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center (18,568) in St. 7 Andy Welinski (A) D 6-2 200 Jr. 4/27/93 Duluth, Minn. (Green Bay/USHL) Paul, Minn., and will precede the other semifinal clash 8 Kyle Osterberg W 5-8 175 So. 9/5/94 Lakeville, Minn. (Omaha/USHL) between the University of Minnesota and Minnesota 10 Brenden Kotyk D 6-6 225 So. 8/27/91 Regina, Saskatchewan (St. Scholastica/NCHA) State University-Mankato. The North Star College Cup 11 Austin Farley W 5-8 170 Jr. 11/10/93 Niles, Ill. (Fargo/USHL) championship is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. the following 13 Tony Cameranesi C 5-10 190 Jr. 8/12/93 Plymouth, Minn. (Waterloo/USHL) evening with the third place game set to go at 4:05 p.m. 14 Alex Iafallo W 6-0 185 So. 12/21/93 Eden, N.Y. (Fargo/USHL) 15 Willie Raskob D 5-10 190 So. 3/14/95 Hastings, Minn. (Shattuck-St. Mary’s) THE RECORDS: UMD is 13-8-1 overall and 8-5-1-0 in the 17 Blake Young W 6-3 185 Fr. 11/2/94 Battleford, Saskatchewan (Battlefords/SJHL) National Collegiate Hockey Conference (second place) 18 Nick McCormack D 5-11 180 Fr. 9/3/93 Ramsey, Minn. (Brooks/AJHL) while Bemidji State owns 7-12-3 record in all games to 19 Dominic Toninato C 6-2 190 So. 3/9/94 Duluth, Minn. (Fargo/USHL) go with a 5-8-3 WCHA mark (seventh place). 20 Karson Kuhlman W 5-11 180 Fr. 9/26/95 Esko, Minn. (Dubuque/USHL) 21 Carson Soucy D 6-4 210 So. 7/24/94 Irma, Alberta (Spruce Grove/AJHL) HOW THEY RANK: Here is how UMD and the rest of the 22 Jared Thomas C 6-1 200 Fr. 2/21/94 Hermantown, Minn. (Sioux City/USHL) North Star College Cup field stacked up in the latest 23 Austyn Young W 5-11 195 Jr. 10/16/93 South St. Paul, Minn. (Sioux Falls/USHL) USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 24 Charlie Sampair W 6-1 200 Jr. 10/31/93 White Bear Lake, Minn. (Hill Murray H.S.) polls as well as the PairWise rankings (as of Jan. 22): 25 Justin Crandall (A) W 5-11 190 Sr. 4/5/92 Lakeville, Minn. (Omaha/USHL) 26 Adam Krause (C) W 6-3 210 Sr. 9/12/91 Hermantown, Minn. (Sioux City/USHL) USCHO.com USA Today PairWise 27 Cal Decowski C 5-8 180 Jr. 2/4/92 Andover, Minn. (Des Moines/USHL) UMD No. 7 No. 7 No. 5 28 Sammy Spurrell C 5-11 190 So. 10/5/92 Sherwood, Alberta (Spruce Grove/AJHL) BSU NR NR No. 38 30 Alex Fons G 6-1 190 Sr. 10/10/91 Minnetonka, Minn. (Fairbanks/NAHL) UM No. 17 RV No. 19 33 Kasimir Kaskisuo G 6-3 200 Fr. 10/2/93 Vantaa, Finland (Minnesota Wilderness/NAHL) 36 Matt McNeely G 6-3 200 Jr. 2/16/93 Burnsville, Minn. (Cedar Rapids/USHL) MSU No. 1 No. 1 No. 1 Head Coach: Scott Sandelin ON THE AIR: Both UMD clashes this weekend will be Assistant Coaches: Jason Herter, Derek Plante, Brant Nicklin carried on 94X (94.1/104.3 FM) with Bruce Ciskie Athletic Trainer: Dr. Susan Hoppe on the call. The broadcast can also be heard on KQ Strength and Conditioning Coach: Blake Palmer 105.5 FM in Grand Rapids/Hibbing; KQ 106.7 FM in Equipment Manager: Chris Garner Ely/Virginia; Red Zone Sports Radio 1350 AM in Pine Director of Hockey Operations: Christian Koelling City; and KKIN-AM 930 in Atkin as part of the Bulldog Operations Assistant: Bill Watson Radio Network and at: 94xrocks.com. Manager: Dale Haagenson In addition, the two North Star College Cup semifi- nals will be televised live by Fox Sports North PLUS while the third place and championship games will be aired on Fox Sports North. Only Minnesota’s two games during the weekend are being videostreammed (BTN2Go. com). THE COACH: The runnerup for the 2010-11 Spencer Penrose Award (American Hockey Coaches Associa- tion NCAA Division I Coach of the Year) and recipient of that honor in 2003-04, Scott Sandelin is in his 15th season behind the UMD bench where he has compiled a 260-253-68 overall record -- including a 138-93-31 mark since the 2008-09 opener. Besides capturing the school’s first NCAA championship four years ago, his Bulldogs have won 22 or more games in four of the last six seasons while advancing to four NCAA tournaments (2004, 2009, 2011 and 2012), two Frozen Fours (2004 and 2011) and seven of 2010-11 NCAA Champions • Home of 5 Hobey Baker Memorial Award Winners 11 Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five playoff events between 2002-13. He has also helped produce a pair of Hobey Baker Memorial Award win- The Numbers on Sandelin ners (Jack Connolly in 2011-12 and Junior Lessard in (Overall) (NCHC/ WCHA) 2003-04), six NCAA All-Americans and 17 different YEAR W L T PCT W L T PCT PLACE 2000-01 7 28 4 .231 3 22 3 .161 10th All-WCHA selections. In addition, Sandelin has seen 2001-02 13 24 3 .363 6 19 3 .268 9th 16 of his UMD pupils go on to do time in the National 2002-03 22 15 5 .583 14 10 4 .571 5th Hockey League and one take part in the Winter Olympic 2003-04 28 13 4 .667 19 7 2 .714 2nd Games (Justin Faulk for Team USA in last winter). Dur- 2004-05 15 17 6 .473 11 13 4 .464 6th ing the course of the 2011-12 season, the Bulldogs 2005-06 11 25 4 .325 6 19 3 .268 9th set a team record by going unbeaten in 17 straight 2006-07 13 21 5 .397 8 16 4 .357 9th 2007-08 13 17 6 .444 9 14 5 .411 8th games and were ranked first in both major weekly polls 2008-09 22 13 8 .605 10 11 7 .482 7th (USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine 2009-10 22 17 1 .562 16 11 1 .589 4th(T) for a program-best nine consecutive weeks. In March 2010-11 26 10 6 .690 15 8 5 .625 4th 2009, UMD became the first play-in game participant 2011-12 25 10 6 .683 16 7 5 .661 2nd to ever claim the Final Five title and, later that spring, 2012-13 14 19 5 .434 10 13 5 .446 9th strung together a school-record six-game postseason 2013-14 16 16 4 .500 11 11 2 .500 4th(T) 2014-15 13 8 1 .613 8 5 1 .607 winning streak before it fell to Miami University 2-1 in Totals 260 253 68 .506 163 187 54 .470 the NCAA West Regional final. Nine years ago, Sandelin, 50, turned UMD into a NCAA Frozen Four participant Lifetime Record vs. Bemidji State: 15-12-2 for the first time in nearly a generation, marshaling Lifetime Record vs. Minnesota: 19-23-7 Lifetime Record vs. Minnesota State: 25-16-6 his troops to their most victories (they were 28-13-4 Lifetime Non-Conference: 68-38-14 overall) and highest WCHA finish (second place on a 19-7-2 mark) since 1992-93. For his efforts, the Hibbing, Minn., native was chosen the WCHA Coach the Junior Elite Hockey League’s Fargo-Moorhead ver’s Jim Montgomery is the other), was the Montreal of the Year as well as the national coach of the year Junior Kings after working in that same capacity (and Canadiens’ second-round pick in the 1982 NHL draft by both insidecollegehockey.com and uscho.com. In doubling as general manager) the previous winter with (40th choice overall). He served as Team USA’s head 2002-03, Sandelin’s charges went 22-15-5 overall and the Fargo-Moorhead Express of the American Hockey coach at the 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation captured fifth place in the WCHA with a 14-10-4 mark Association. He capped off his four-year playing career World Junior Championships, directing that club to a while experiencing the greatest one-season turnaround at North Dakota in 1985-86 by being named one of fourth-place finish, and was an assistant coach for the of any league member that winter.