2006-07 Minnesota Duluth Men's Team Outlook
Nobody said it was going to be easy. Armed with a roster which featured a boatload of first-year collegians (some 11 in all), the University of Minnesota Duluth endured its share of growing pains in 2005-06. The Bulldogs, after bowing out in the opening round of the WCHA Final Five Tournament (their third trip to that event in four seasons), a claim only three other league schools can make), wrapped up their 62nd year of intercollegiate hockey with a 11-25-4 overall record and a ninth-place WCHA finish.
The nice thing about freshmen, of course, is they become sophomores and that fact alone, considering the enormous amount of talent and promise displayed by their rookie class one year ago, has got to make the Bulldogs feel mighty upbeat about their prospects this winter. After all, nearly 58% of UMD's entire point harvest and 63% of its goals last season were generated by freshmen. That group of newcomers also ranked third among all WCHA classes in regular season scoring output (trailing only the Colorado College seniors and North Dakota freshmen in that department).
Head Coach Scott Sandelin, now in his seventh season behind the Bulldog bench, retains the services of all but three full-timers (team scoring leader Tim Stapleton, captain Steve Czech and winger Justin Williams) and some 18 lettermen from his 2005-06 crew. But, that doesn't necessarily mean the Bulldogs will be overstocked with grizzled veterans this winter. Of the 25 players who make up the 2006-07 UMD roster, only seven have more than one full year of collegiate playing experience. Up Front: Offensive firepower, or lack thereof, was a major issue for the Bulldogs in 2005-06. Last season marked only the second time since 1968-69 the Bulldogs failed to eclipse the 100-goal plateau.
Stapleton's 30 points (14g,16a) were also the fewest by a Bulldog scoring champion in 37 years. To help resolve this goal-scoring shortage, UMD is counting on an upgrade in production from its 11 returning forwards this winter.
Headlining that list are sophomore left wings Mason Raymond, Andrew Carroll and Michael Gergen, along with junior center Matt McKnight. Raymond, a member of the 2005-06 WCHA All-Rookie Team, enjoyed a lengthy three-month stay atop the UMD scoring charts before giving way to Stapleton during the postseason. One of seven Bulldogs to skate in all 40 games, Raymond concluded his maiden Bulldog voyage with 11 goals and 17 assists and wound up third among all WCHA rookies in league points (23) and second in assists (15). McKnight, a third-year frontline fixture, established career bests for goals (9), assists (16) and power-play scores (5) while Carroll, a fellow 2006-07 co-captain and one of the best kept freshman secrets in the WCHA, is coming off a 23-point season (13g,10a) which was bolstered by a strong stretch-run performance. Gergen, who also made quite a splash in his initial go around with the Bulldogs, tied Stapleton for the team lead in goals with 14, including a team-leading four game-winners and added eight assists.
Sophomore center MacGregor Sharp (6-8-14), sophomore right wing Nick Kemp (7-6-13), junior right wing Mike Curry (2-3-5), sophomore left wing Matt Greer (2-3-5) and two of UMD's four seniors - center Jeff McFarland (0-5-5), a dependable penalty-killer, and right wing Bryan McGregor (2-0-2), who has played in more career games (88) than any other current Bulldog - are all proven entities and will also be looked at to carry a larger chunk of the scoring load this season.
On Defense
With the exception of ironman Steve Czech (he skated in 164 of a possible 165 games, including the last 118 in a row, during his Bulldog career), the UMD blueline cast remains intact from a year ago.
One of the elder statesmen of that group, junior Travis Gawryletz, is a reliable, no-nonsense defenseman who was credited with seven points (all assists) last season despite being sidelined for a fifth of the year with an illness.
He will be joined by the gifted sophomore quartet of Matt Niskanen, who became the first rookie to lead all UMD blueliners in scoring (1-13-14), Jason Garrison (3-9-12 in 40 games), Josh Meyers, who, because of a banged-up wrist, missed 13 games but still managed 10 points, and Jay Cascalenda (0-2-2). The return of senior Ryan Geris, who has sat out nearly all of the past two seasons due to concussion-related issues, should add depth, maturity, and stability to this somewhat young defensive corps.
In Goal
After skillfully handling the brunt of UMD's puckstopping duties the past four winters, two-time All-WCHA pick Isaac Reichmuth exited the Bulldog program last spring as its all-time goals-against average and saves percentage leader. Reichmuth's departure leaves the Bulldog goalie cupboard with two holdovers in senior Josh Johnson and junior Nate Ziegelmann.
Johnson is anxious to step center stage after spending the last three seasons as Reichmuth's trusty understudy and compiling a 14-13-2 record, a 3.08 goals-against average and a .893 saves percentage in 33 appearances. But to land more permanent employment patrolling the Bulldog goalmouth, Johnson will have to bounce back from a sub-par junior season in which he went 3-4-0 and mustered an .848 saves percentage and 4.19 GAA.
One of UMD's feel-good stories of 2005-06, Ziegelmann burst on to the Bulldog scene during the final two weekends of the regular season and proceeded to help oust two-time defending NCAA champion Denver in the opening round of the WCHA playoffs. Ziegelmann, who transferred to UMD the previous year from North Dakota (where he had received only 21:08 of work in 2003-04), posted an impressive 2.68 GAA and a .912 saves percentage in his final six appearances of the year (all on the road against nationally-ranked teams North Dakota, Minnesota, Denver and St. Cloud State).
Special Teams: Special teams were, for the most part, anything but special in 2005-06. UMD ranked last in the WCHA in overall penalty-killing efficiency (75.5%) and didn't fare much better on the power-play (eighth at 15.6%). Here is one statistic which vividly illustrates the importance of special teams play for the Bulldogs: In the 15 games it won or tied last winter, UMD connected at a 24.2% efficiency rate on the power-play but registered a mere 10.4% mark with the extra man in its 25 losses. In their defense, the Bulldogs regularly used as many as six freshmen (Raymond, Carroll, Meyers, Niskanen, Garrison, Gergen and Sharp) on their power-play and penalty-killing units and that extensive ice time should pay dividends this winter.
New Faces
Athough few schools have won WCHA championships relying primarily on freshmen, the Bulldogs proved in 2005-06 that collegiate novices can have a definite impact on a club. This year's group of Bulldog recruits, while a bit smaller in quantity, certainly have the capabilities to match their predecessor's achievements.
Among those making their UMD debuts this winter are goaltender Alex Stalock, one of the most talked-about Bulldog signees in recent memory who closed out a rewarding two-year United States Hockey League career in Cedar Rapids last spring by being named the USHL Goaltender of the Year.
He'll be joined by forwards Drew Akins (Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL), Jordan Fulton (The Breck School), who was selected by the Calgary Flames in the sixth round of last July's NHL draft, Logan Gorsalitz (Camrose Kodiaks of the Alberta Junior Hockey League), and Mitch Ryan (Waterloo Black Hawks/USHL) as well as defensemen Trent Palm, the Bulldogs' first U.S. National Under 18-Team product, and Chase Ryan (Des Moines Buccaneers/USHL).
2006-07 Minnesota Duluth Women's Team Outlook
After turning in another impressive season one year ago in which the University of Minnesota Duluth advanced to the NCAA quarter finals, the Bulldogs are looking to build on their already impressive post-season history and make another run towards the NCAA Frozen Four.
"Our goal is to reach our potential by stretching ourselves and reaching for greatness. We will spend eight months together becoming the best that we can be,"said head coach Shannon Miller.
Key Players: Unlike in 2005-06, when UMD only had two seniors on its roster, the Bulldogs will have a strong upper class this season as they will have up to seven seniors taking to the ice. The key returning players to watch this season will be seniors Jessica Koizumi, Noemie Marin, Riitta Schaublin and sophomore Michaela Lanzl.
Returning Offensive Firepower
Jessica Koizumi, Noemie Marin and Michaela Lanzl will make up the bulk of the offensive threat for the Bulldogs this season. Last season, these three players led the Bulldog offense with nearly 60 goals combined. Marin continued to gel into a top notch scorer by becoming the top goal getter on the team and second highest point getter on the team in 2005-06, as she recorded 22 goals and 17 assists for 39 total points. Marin was also awarded with All-WCHA second team honors.
Koizumi had another standout year as she finished the 2005-06 campaign finished first on the Bulldog roster in points. She scored 17 goals and a team-high 26 assists for 43 total points. On the national scene, Koizumi finished No. 12 on the assists per game charts with 0.76 assists per game.
Both Marin and Koizumi garnered the WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honor last season, Marin doing so twice and Koizumi one time.
The Bulldogs were also greatly aided by the play of Michaela Lanzl, as she totaled 29 points in her rookie season, scoring 18 goals and 11 assists on the season. Lanzl was named to both the 2005-06 All-WCHA Rookie Team and All-WCHA Third Team.
Returning Blueliners
With the graduation of Krista McArthur, the Bulldogs will look to their returners to help lead the team this season. UMD will look to returning players such as Suvi Vacker, Jill Sales and Ashley Waggoner to use their knowledge and experience to guide the Bulldogs in 2006-07.
The defense will be without some of their starters from seasons past, but look for a strong core of returners and newcomers alike to step up and carry the team this season.
Returning Goaltenders
Netminding has always been one of the Bulldogs strengths and this year is no different as UMD brings back one of the best goaltenders in the country, senior Riitta Schabulin. An All-WCHA First Team pick, Schaublin posted a 20-9-3 record. She was named a 2006 Patty Kazmaier Top-3 finalist and a first team All-American. This was her second straight 20-win season while posting the nations second-best save percentage (.943) and the seventh best goals-against average (1.57). Schaublin was also honored as the WCHA Student-Athlete of the Year and was an USCHO.com first team pick.
New Additions
UMD will have seven newcomers on its roster in 2006-07 and that group Includes forwards Emmanuelle Blais and Elin Holmlov, defenseman Heidi Pelttari and one of the top netminders in the world, Kim Martin. They join Saara Tuominen, Sarah Murray, and Jamie Rasmussen as the incoming Bulldog freshmen.
"I'm very excited about our recruiting class this year,"said Miller. "In seven years of signing recruits this is without question one of the strongest incoming classes we have ever had."
Blais, a native of Montreal, Quebec, comes to the Bulldogs after spending last season with Dawson College. She spent the previous two seasons with Notre-Dame College. In her first season with the Sabres, the Canadian Under-22 team player, tallied a team high 73 points in 24 games.
Holmlov, a forward from Knivsta, Sweden, earned a bronze with Team Sweden at the 2005 World Championships. She has been playing with AIK, in the Swedish league for the past 11 years, winning gold in 2003-2004 and silver in 2002-2003 and 2004-2005.
Adding to the defensive corps is Finnish standout Pelttari. A native of Tampere, Finland, she finished the 2006 Winter Olympics tied for fifth on the tournament defensive scoring charts with three points, including one goal. Pelttari was also a part of the Finnish National Championships team, Ilves. She has been on Ilves since 2001 and in 2005-2006 earned the All-Star defenders and Best Defender awards at the Finnish Championships.
The Bulldogs also bring in one of the best goaltenders in the world. Martin, a native of Stockholm, Sweden, is a 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist. She ended the tournament with a .927 saves percentage and 2.21 goals-against average. Martin has played on AIK in Sweden with Holmlov for the past 11 years. She was named the best female hockey player in Sweden for the 2003-2004 season, when AIK won gold at the Swedish Championships. Martin recently earned her second Euro SportStar Award for the best female hockey player in the world.
Tuominen, a forward from Tampere, Finland, skated for her native country at the 2006 Winter Olympics, one of 13 former, current, or future Bulldogs to compete in the Games.
To bolster the defensive corps UMD will add Fairbault, Minn. native Sarah Murray. She has played for Shattuck St. Mary's since 1999.
Able to play as a forward or a defenseman, Jaime Rasmussen, a native of Garden Grove, Calif., has played for the California Selects since the 2001 season. During that time she has been apart of two national championship teams, once in 2001 (Under-12) and again in 2005 (Under-16). A participant in the last two USA Women's Development Camp's in Lake Placid, NY, she was named the California-Selects Defense of the Year for the past four years (2001-2002 to 2004-2005). With the returning strength that the Bulldogs have this season and a strong group of newcomers added to the roster, UMD will be one of the toughest teams in the nation again this year. The Bulldogs will again challenge for a berth in the Frozen Four and will look to achieve their fourth national title.
