North Dakota Hockey Highlights

1951-52:
North Dakota, a charter member of the Midwest Collegiate Hockey League (WCHA), finishes with a 13-11-1 record under third-year coach Cliff `Fido' Purpur by sweeping four games from Michigan Tech and splitting with Minnesota and Michigan.
1952-53:
The Sioux sprinted to a 13-0-0 start, the best ever by a UND team, but ended the season with two losses at Michigan to keep them from their first NCAA tournament bid.
Autumn, 1953:
artificial ice arrives in UND's Winter Sports Building - also `The Barn' as it was often called - as Sioux hockey grows in popularity.
Jan. 14-15 & 28-29, 1954:
Gerald `Spike' Schultz stones Michigan Tech with four consecutive shutouts - 5-0, 5-0 at Houghton and 4-0, 7-0 in Grand Forks.
March 15-16, 1958:
seven different Sioux score as UND routs Harvard, 9-1, in Minneapolis, in its first trip to the NCAA semifinals... but league foe Denver tops the Sioux 6-2 in the championship game.
March 12-14, 1959:
UND wins its first national championship with a pair of 4-3 (ot) thrillers at RPI in Troy, NY... Guy LaFrance's goal at 4:22 of sudden death, and two goals from Reg Morelli, eliminates St. Lawrence in the semifinals... Morelli then duplicates LaFrance's heroics when he scores over sprawling Michigan State goalie Joe Selinger at 4:18 (ot) in the championship game, giving the Sioux a 4-3 win... Morelli is tourney MVP.
Dec. 30, 1960:
UND drops a 4-3 decision to the touring USSR All-Star team (top players in the Soviet Union), when the Soviets score at 7:38 of the third... the game marks the first time UND has met a European team and is played before 3,000 spectators.
March 14-16, 1963:
UND tops host Boston College 8-2 in the NCAA semifinals... UND then races to a 5-2 first period lead - on goals by Don Stokaluk, Al McLean, Ernie Dyda, Stokaluk and Jack Mathesen - over Denver to win its second NCAA title... McLean, who is named tourney MVP, scores the winning goal at 5:01 of the second period to make the final score 6-5.
March 18-20, 1965:
UND loses to Boston College 4-3 in Providence in the first round of the NCAA tournament and then defeats host Brown 9-5 for third place.
March 16, 1967:
the Sioux win the WCHA title and top Minnesota, 7-2, and Denver, 3-2, in the playoffs to advance to the NCAAs... Cornell goalie Ken Dryden shuts out the Sioux 1-0 in the semifinals.
March 15-16, 1968:
UND topples Cornell 3-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament in Duluth, but falls to Denver 4-0 in the title game... UND had advanced to the NCAAs by beating Michigan Tech 3-2 on the road in a total-goals series...the first game is 0-0, the only scoreless tie in UND history.
Dec. 21, 1968:
UND edges Minnesota 5-4 in the final of the St. Paul Classic tourney on Buzz Christiansen's goal at 2:09 of the 5th ot... the game still ranks as one of the longest in collegiate history at 4:54.
Feb. 26, 1972:
in the last regular season game to be played in `The Barn', North Dakota lost to Minnesota, 5-1...the barn would later host two WCHA playoff games vs Michigan on Mar. 7-8, 1972...the Sioux won both games, 5-1 and 10-2.
Nov. 10, 1972:
UND dedicates its $2 million Winter Sports Center by topping Colorado College 5-4 before a capacity crowd... the first goal in the building was scored by the Tigers' Doug Palazzari.
March 7, 1978:
John `Gino' Gasparini, a UND assistant coach, is named head coach... he replaces Rube Bjorkman, who had announced his resignation in January.
March 3, 1979:
UND wins its first WCHA championship in 12 years by beating Minnesota on the road, 4-2, under new coach Gino Gasparini.
March 23-24, 1979:
UND defeats Dartmouth 4-2 in Detroit's Olympia Stadium in the NCAA semifinals... Minnesota then edges the Sioux 4-3 in the title game.
March 27-28, 1980:
the Sioux top Dartmouth 4-1 at Providence on four third period goals - including two by Phil Sykes... the Sioux then ride four goals by Doug Smail to a 5-2 win over Northern Michigan to win their third national title.
March 27, 1982:
the Sioux win their fourth NCAA crown, 5-2 over Wisconsin, after third period goals by Phil Sykes (2) and Cary Eades... the Sioux beat Northeastern 6-2 in the semifinals on goals by Glen White, Phil Sykes, Jim Archibald, Cary Eades, Troy Murray and Dusty Carroll.
Dec. 26, 1982-Jan. 2, 1983:
the Sioux make their first trip to Europe to play in the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland... UND registers a 1-4-1 record vs older teams from the USSR, Czechoslovakia, Switzerland and West Germany.
March 16-17 & 22-23, 1984:
the Sioux edge RPI at Troy, 5-4 and 4-2, to advance to the NCAA semifinals in Lake Placid, where they lose 2-1 (ot) to Minnesota Duluth and edge Michigan State 6-5 (ot) in the third place game on a goal by wing Dean Barsness.
Jan. 11, 1986:
in one of the most amazing comebacks in UND history, the Sioux defeat Minnesota Duluth 8-7 (ot) in Duluth... UND trails 7-3 with 2:56 left before scoring four goals in 2:
41... Ian Kidd's deflection of Glen Klotz's shot, :50 into OT, is the game-winner.
March 26-28, 1987:
North Dakota wins its fifth NCAA title and third in just nine years with Gasparini behind the bench... UND gains entry into the title game by virtue of a 5-2 victory over Harvard in the semifinals at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena... freshman Ed Belfour makes 37 saves in goal... in the title contest, UND takes a 3-0 first period lead over Michigan State on goals by Ian Kidd, Murray Barron and Bob Joyce and go on to win 5-3 before an NCAA tournament record crowd of 17,644... Tony Hrkac wins the Hobey Baker Memorial Award and Gasparini is National Coach of the Year.
Nov. 27, 1992:
forward Greg Johnson records his 169th assist to become UND's all-time leader as the Sioux defeat St. Cloud State 4-3 in Grand Forks.
Feb. 26, 1993:
Greg Johnson assists on Brad Bombardir's goal at 0:19 of the third in a 5-1 win at MTU... the assist makes Johnson the WCHA's all-time assists co-leader (151) and UND's all-time leading scorer... Johnson ends his career at UND with 272 points.
March 31 to April 2, 1993:
Greg Johnson is named a first team All-American for the second time and finishes as runner-up to Maine's Paul Kariya for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award.
June 26, 1993:
incoming freshman Landon Wilson, son of former Sioux and UND Hall of Famer Rick Wilson, becomes UND's fifth first round NHL draft choice when Toronto selects him 19th overall.
April 9, 1994:
Gino Gasparini resigns as head coach of the Sioux hockey program after 16 years... he leaves with three NCAA titles and a 392-248-24 record.
May 21, 1994:
Dean Blais, a Sioux assistant coach from 1980-89, is named UND's 14th head coach.
March 10-11, 1995:
under rookie coach Dean Blais, the Sioux win their first playoff series in four years when they sweep host St. Cloud State 3-2 and 5-2 at the National Hockey Center... UND advances to the WCHA Final Five for the first time and drops a 3-2 decision to Minnesota.
1996-97:
the 1996-97 season marks the 50th anniversary of UND hockey.
Feb. 21-22, 1997:
the Sioux post back-to-back shutouts of UAA at Engelstad Arena to clinch the MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season co-champs.
March 14-15, 1997:
the Sioux top CC 5-1 in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five... North Dakota then tops Minnesota 4-3 (ot) on a goal by F Peter Armbrust to take home the Broadmoor Trophy.
March 27-29, 1997:
a 6-2 win over Cornell in the West Regional sends the Sioux to the championship for the first time in 10 years...i n the semifinals in Milwaukee, the Sioux meet a familiar opponent in CC and come up with a 6-2 win... in the title game, BU jumps out to a 2-0 lead after the first, but the Sioux storm back in the second to take a 3-2 lead on goals by Curtis Murphy, David Hoogsteen, and Matt Henderson... BU ties the game at 13:56 but Henderson's goal at 15:49 gives the Sioux the lead again... David Hoogsteen's goal at 19:54 then caps the Sioux's five-goal period... freshman G Aaron Schweitzer is named to the all-tournament team with Hoogsteen, Murphy and Henderson, who is also named Most Outstanding Player... Jason Blake becomes UND's 10th Hobey Baker Award finalist and Dean Blais is national coach of the year.
Feb. 27, 1998:
the Sioux clinch their second straight WCHA title with a 6-3 win over Minnesota Duluth.
March 28, 1998:
UND's season is cut short as Michigan defeats the Sioux 4-3 at the NCAA West Regional... the 30-8-1 season is the second straight 30-plus win season... Curtis Murphy, the WCHA's Player of the Year, is named a first team All-American and a Hobey Baker Finalist.
Feb. 20, 1999:
history is made as the Sioux clinch their third straight WCHA regular season title with a 4-3 win over Alaska Anchorage... UND is just the second team in history to win three straight WCHA regular season titles.
April 6, 2000:
North Dakota makes its fourth trip to Providence for the NCAAs... UND blanks Maine 2-0 in the semifinals and then upends BC 4-2 for their 7th national title... Lee Goren is named to the NCAA All-Tournament team and is the Most Outstanding Player... Jeff Panzer is a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award... Panzer and goalie Karl Goehring are first team All-Americans and Goren is a cecond team All-American.
March 11, 2001:
UND defeats UMD 4-0 in the final game held in the `old' Ralph Engelstad Arena... Karl Goehring posted his record 14th career shutout... the Sioux leave the old arena with a 400-171-22 record (.693) over 29 seasons.
March 17, 2001:
after winning its 11th MacNaughton Cup as WCHA regular season champions, the Sioux advanced to the Final Five championship game and lose in OT to St. Cloud State, 6-5... UND then rolls through the NCAA East Regional with a 4-1 win over Colorado College.
April 7, 2001:
in Albany, just two days earlier, UND met Michigan State and shut the Spartans out 2-0 in the semi-finals... the Sioux and BC meet for the second straight year in the Frozen Four championship... UND trails 2-0 with 3:42 left, but Tim Skarperud and Wes Dorey score after coach Dean Blais pulls G Karl Goehring to send the game into overtime... BC's Krys Kolanos then scores in OT to give the Eagles their first title since 1949... Jeff Panzer and Travis Roche are named First Team All-Americans and Bryan Lundbohm is named to the second team... Panzer is also a finalist for the second time for the Hobey Baker Award... Dean Blais receives the Spencer Penrose Award as Coach of the Year.
Oct. 5, 2001:
the Sioux move into the New Ralph Engelstad Arena donated in full by former UND goaltender Ralph Engelstad... the new arena is a state-of-the-art $100 million dollar structure that seats over 11,300 fans.