Rink and Run blog: Sunday in the WCHA

One was the loneliest number in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Saturday night with the losing team scoring just one goal in four of six series.

The home team also won in four series — Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota State-Mankato, North Dakota and Bemidji State.

That left UMD in the WCHA lead with 19 points, North Dakota has 18 and Denver 17. The Bulldogs, 6-1 the last seven games in adding to their best start in program history, rank No. 1 in league offense for all games (3.94) and No. 2 in defense (2.56). Jack Connolly is No. 3 in scoring (23 points), Mike Connolly is No. 5 (22) and Justin Fontaine No. 8 (21). Freshman Justin Faulk has the second-most goals among defensemen (5).

No. 1-ranked UMD defeated No. 10 Denver 2-1 to close out the oldest rink in the league. The sequence of the game came in the final two minutes of the second period as winger Mike Connolly was thwarted on two shorthanded scoring attempts right in front of Denver goalie Sam Brittain. Connolly was hauled down, got up and backchecked, got a turnover initiated by Justin Fontaine, and came right back down the ice (running out of gas) on the same shorthanded shift and scored from the right circle with 64 seconds to go (his team-leading 11th goal). After the game, UMD hockey alumni were still marveling at the play.

At Mankato, Minn., the Mavericks won a fourth straight game in beating No. 17 Minnesota 2-1 on goals by Rylan Galiardi in the second and Kurt Davis in the third for a 2-0 lead. Cade Fairchild of Duluth scored for the Gophers midway through the third. Phil Cook was the star, making 49 saves for the win as Minnesota led in shots 50-32. Minnesota, home with UMD this weekend, is 1-3 the last four games. The Minneapolis Star Tribune has a recap here and the Mankato Free Press has a story here.

At Grand Forks, N.D., the No. 7 Fighting Sioux scored five first-period goals on the way to beating St. Cloud State 6-2. North Dakota had five scorers in the opening period including,  two with their first goals of the season in Derrick LaPoint and Brent Davidson, and three in 2:27, while Matt Frattin added No. 15. Mario Lamoureux later added his first. North Dakota, which limited St. Cloud State to 15 shots on goal, is 6-1-1 the last eight, and St. Cloud State is 1-5-1 the last seven. Mitch McMillan and Travis Novak scored for the Huskies. The St. Cloud Times has a story here and the Grand Forks Herald has a story here.

At Bemidji, Minn., the Beavers rallied to sweep No. 4 Nebraska-Omaha 3-1 in the first series between the WCHA’s newest members. The Mavericks led 1-0 after one on a Johnnie Searfoss goal, then Ian Lowe (8) tied it in the second period. Sophomore center Aaron McLeod’s first goal of the season at 3:14 of the third was the game winner and Jordan George added an insurance goal. Dan Bakala made 39 saves for the win as Omaha led 40-29 in shots. Bemdji State has won three straight, while Omaha is 1-3-1 the last five and has two goals total the previous three games. The Omaha World-Herald has a story here and the Bemidji Pioneer has a story here.

At Houghton, Mich., the Tigers scored four goals in the third period to pull away from Michigan Tech to win win 5-0. Archie Skalbeck and freshman sensation Jaden Schwartz each had two goals, while Stephen Schultz had a goal and two assists. Josh Thorimbert had 36 saves for the shutout. The Tigers led 49-36 in shots. Michigan Tech has lost eight straight and is 0-8-1 the last nine. The Colorado Springs Gazette has a story here.

In Anchorage, Alaska, the No. 15 Badgers scored all of their goals on power plays to beat Anchorage 3-1. Justin Schultz (10) had a pair of goals, including an empty-netter with one second to play. Craig Smith also scored. Tommy Grant scored for Anchorage. Scott Gudmandson earned the win with 17 saves as Wisconsin led in shots 29-18. The Anchorage Daily News has a story here.

WCHA Standings Courtesy of College Hockey Stats.net

 1 Minnesota Duluth  19  12  9- 2- 1 .792  42- 29   16 12- 2- 2 .812  63- 41
 2 North Dakota      18  12  9- 3- 0 .750  40- 26   18 11- 5- 2 .667  61- 48
 3 Denver            17  12  8- 3- 1 .708  40- 30   18 11- 5- 2 .667  57- 47
 4 Nebraska-Omaha    13  10  6- 3- 1 .650  33- 25   14  9- 4- 1 .679  51- 36
 5 Minnesota         11  12  5- 6- 1 .458  39- 39   16  8- 7- 1 .531  54- 52
 6 Colorado College  10  10  5- 5- 0 .500  37- 31   16  8- 7- 1 .531  53- 48
   Minnesota State   10  12  4- 6- 2 .417  28- 41   16  6- 6- 4 .500  45- 52
   Wisconsin         10  12  4- 6- 2 .417  35- 29   18  8- 7- 3 .528  64- 40
 9 Alaska Anchorage   9  12  4- 7- 1 .375  24- 37   16  5- 9- 2 .375  38- 52
   Bemidji State      9  12  4- 7- 1 .375  30- 35   14  5- 8- 1 .393  33- 39
11 St. Cloud State    7  10  3- 6- 1 .350  27- 32   16  5- 9- 2 .375  43- 52
12 Michigan Tech      3  10  1- 8- 1 .150  26- 47   13  3- 8- 2 .308  40- 56

Tags: daily updates, rink and run, sports, umd, hockey, blogs