Top-10 Hockey Showdown This Weekend

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – This weekend’s National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) series between North Dakota and St. Cloud State will feature a pair of top-10 teams, according to the latest national polls released today.

UND gained one spot in both polls, going from sixth to fifth in the USCHO.com poll and improving from seventh to sixth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. St. Cloud State also jumped in both, ranking eighth in the USA Today rankings and ninth in the USCHO poll.

Minnesota remained the nation’s top-ranked team, receiving all of the first-place votes in both polls.

UND and SCSU will do battle on Friday (7:37 pm Central) and Saturday (7:07) at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

Rk.      School (1^st place)                      Record           Pts.         PR

1.         Minnesota (50)                                  5-0-1          1000            1

2.         Notre Dame                                       5-1-0            890            2

3.         Providence                                         4-0-1            844            8

4.         Michigan                                            4-1-1            810            4

5.         North Dakota                                2-1-1           777            6

6.         Miami                                                 3-2-1            743            3

7.         Quinnipiac                                          6-1-0            671            9

8.         Boston College                                 2-2-1            670            5

9.         St. Cloud State                                  3-0-1            643          10

10.       Rensselaer                                         4-1-0            529          12

11.       Yale                                                    1-1-0            457            7

12.       Lake Superior State                          4-0-0            383          15

13.       Wisconsin                                          2-2-0            380          11

14.       Cornell                                               2-0-0            285          19

15.       Massachusetts-Lowell                      3-3-0            262          18

16.       Minnesota State                                2-2-0            195          16

17.       Clarkson                                            6-1-1            184         NR

18.       Boston University                             3-3-0            168          13

19.       Northeastern                                     5-1-0            154          20

20.       Minnesota Duluth                              3-2-1            108         NR

 

Others receiving votes: New Hampshire 106, Brown 54, Denver 47, Alaska Anchorage 36, St. Lawrence 32, Air Force 16, Ferris State 15, Harvard 13, Alaska 12, Maine 4, Bowling Green 2.

 

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

 

Rk.      School (1^st place)                      Record           Pts.         PR

1.         Minnesota (34)                                  5-0-1            510            1

2.         Notre Dame                                       5-1-0            438            2

3.         Providence                                         4-0-1            391            8

4.         Michigan                                            4-1-1            388            4

5.         Miami                                                 3-2-1            355            3

6.         North Dakota                                2-1-1           335            7

7.         Boston College                                 2-2-1            312            5

8.         St. Cloud State                                  3-0-1            283          10

9.         Quinnipiac                                          6-1-0            275            9

10.       Rensselaer                                         4-1-0            166          12

11.       Yale                                                    1-1-0            160            6

12.       Wisconsin                                          2-2-0            137          11

13.       Lake Superior State                          4-0-0              81          15

14.       Massachusetts-Lowell                      3-3-0              65         NR

15.       Cornell                                               2-0-0              54         NR               

 

Others receiving votes: Northeastern 24, Boston University 23, Clarkson 19, New Hampshire 18, Minnesota State 12, Brown 8, Denver 7, Alaska 4, Minnesota Duluth 4, Union 2.

NDSU Players Named FCS Players of the Week

North Dakota State had two players recognized as Football Championship Subdivision national performers of the week by The Sports Network and the College Football Performance Awards on Monday, Oct. 28.

NDSU junior Christian Dudzik was named Sports Network Special Teams co-Player of the Week and CFPA National Punt Returner of the Week after scoring his first two career touchdowns on punt returns of 43 and 68 yards in Saturday's 56-10 win over Indiana State.  He shared the Sports Network award with Eastern Kentucky punter Jordan Berry, who punted three times for a 59.3 yard average and scored a 25-yard touchdown on a fake field goal.

Bison senior Ryan Smith was named FCS National Kickoff Returner of the Week by the CFPA. Smith returned a kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, answering Indiana State's kickoff return touchdown on the previous play.  He tied the NDSU kickoff return record of 100 yards set in 1923 by Elmer Parisien against South Dakota.

North Star Football Conference Players of the Week

(October 22, 2013) - The North Star Football Conference has announced the Players of the Week for the final week of regular season action.  Pine River-Backus won the East Division with a 6-2 record and Mahnomen finished first in the West Division with a perfect 8-0 mark.  Pillager and Prairie Valley finished second in the East with a 5-3 marks followed by Blackduck (3-5), Bagley (2-6), Cass Lake-Bena (2-6), Walker-Hackensack-Akeley (1-7).  In the West Division, Red Lake County was second (7-1), followed by Frazee (6-3), Lake Park-Audubon (5-3), Fertile-Beltrami (4-4), Fosston (2-6) and Red Lake (0-8).

 

East Division

Offensive Player of the Week – Skyler Meiners (Prairie Valley) was 9 of 11 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns.  He also rushed for one touchdown in a 48-14 win over Cass Lake-Bena.

 

Defensive Player of the Week – Cole Franzen (Pillager) had nine tackles and one sack in a win over Pine River-Backus.

 

West Division

Offensive Players of the Week – Wyat Casavan (Red Lake County) had 10 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown and was 3-4 passing for 83 yards and a touchdown pass in a 45-14 win at Blackduck.

 

Austin Reitan (Mahnomen) had 10 carries for 135 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Fertile-Beltrami.

 

Defensive Player of the Week – Hesston Bachmann was involved in 6 tackles and intercepted a pass that was returned for nearly 50 yards for a touchdown against Fosston.

 

Special Teams Player of the Week – Jacob Magnell (Red Lake County Central) had three punt returns for 77 yards including a 73 yard punt return for a touchdown in a 45-14 win at Blackduck.

 

Other outstanding performances were turned in by:  Zach Struss (Pine River-Backsu), Dezmond Berndt (Pillager), and Cory Wakoasch (Frazee).

UMC Men’s Basketball Preview

CROOKSTON, Minn.-  The University of Minnesota Crookston men’s basketball team officially got practice started Tues., Oct. 15 at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn. The Golden Eagles return five players from last year’s squad as Head Coach Jeff Oseth heads into his 12th year as the head men’s basketball coach for the Golden Eagles. He is the third-longest tenured head coach in the NSIC behind Kevin Schlagel at St. Cloud State University and Mike Leaf at Winona State University.

The Golden Eagles return five players from last year’s squad that went 4-23 (1-21 NSIC) but pulled off a huge upset with an 80-77 victory over No. 22 St. Cloud State University at Lysaker Gymnasium. UMC will look to improve with a solid core returning and 12 newcomers added into the fold.

Leading the way for UMC will be returning starters Brandon Burns (Sr., F, Baton Rouge, La./Sports and Rec Management) and Ashton Harrell (Sr., G, Houston, Texas/Sports and Rec Management) who will be senior leaders for the Golden Eagles. Harrell led the Golden Eagles last season with 10.0 points per game while shooting 31.5 percent from beyond the arc. Harrell’s top performance came with 29 points on 8-of-9 shooting and 4-of-5 shooting from three-point range in the major win over the Huskies. Burns was second on the team in scoring with 9.3 points per game and shot 29.8 percent from behind the arc.

Also returning are a pair of juniors in Tim Lubke (G, St. Paul, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) and Tomas Parker (F/C, Pequot Lakes, Minn./Management). Lubke, who has been a four-year member of the program, was a key player off the bench last season playing in 26 games while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc and averaging 4.0 points per game. Parker played in 25 games last season and averaged 2.3 points and 1.2 rebounds. Derrick Redd (So., G, Menifee, Calif./Sports and Rec Management) also returns for the Golden Eagles and averaged 2.2 points per game in 13 contests.

Joining the fray for the Golden Eagles will be 12 newcomers including six freshmen and six college transfers. At the guard position the Golden Eagles welcome in three transfers in Union University (Tenn.) transfer Giorgi Koguashvili (Jr., 6-5 190, Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia/Agricultural Business), Iowa Lakes C.C. transfer Kevin Larson (Jr., 6-2 180, New Ulm, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) and Napa Valley College transfer Sam Howell (Jr., 6-3 195, Seattle, Wash./Sports and Rec Management). Minnesota high school products Kashif Hayes (Fr., 5-10 170, Minneapolis, Minn./Undecided) and Cyrus Moore-Brown (Fr., 6-1 180, Golden Valley, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) also join the ranks at the guard spot.

At forward, the Golden Eagles have two junior college transfers coming in with Contra Costa College transfer Tyler West, Jr. (Jr., F, 6-6 200, Portland, Ore./Communication) and former wildland firefighter and Grossmont College transfer John Hughes (So., F, 6-5 215, Tualatin, Ore./Management). Joining the pair of transfers will be Minnesota high school products Konner Goettsche (Fr., F, 6-6 205, Plymouth, Minn./Sports and Rec Management), Ibrahim Cisse (Fr., F, 6-6 195, Plymouth, Minn./Health Management), Alec Koepp (Fr., F/C, 6-7 205, Belle Plaine, Minn./Software Engineering) and Austin Dierks (Fr., F, 6-5 180, Chokio, Minn./Agricultural Systems Management).

Joining Oseth on staff will be David Jackson, who is in his fourth season at UMC and his second as the top assistant coach under Oseth. New to the staff will be former NCAA Division I basketball player Robbie Harman, who set the all-time three-point mark at Central Michigan University and led the nation as a senior in three-pointers made per game. Harman was a 1,000 point scorer at CMU and went on to play overseas for a year in the Netherlands.

The Golden Eagles will get their schedule under way Nov. 12 against Valley City State University at 8 p.m. in Crookston, Minn. Their NSIC slate will open up Nov. 30 at home at 4 p.m against Bemidji State University.

Summit League Men's Basketball Preview

ELMHURST, Ill. – North Dakota State is the favorite to win the 2013-14 Summit League men’s basketball title, according to the annual preseason poll of league coaches, sports information directors and media.

The Bison received 25-of-28 first-place votes after finishing as runner-up at the 2013 Summit League Tournament. Head coach Saul Phillips returns all five starters from last season’s squad that finished 24-10 overall and 12-4 in Summit League play.            

NDSU guard Taylor Braun, a two-time All-Summit League selection, was the preseason choice for Player of the Year. The senior averaged 15.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game and scored in double-figures in 21 of 24 games played during the 2012-13 season.

After missing 10 contests with a broken foot from mid-January to late February, Braun returned from injury to record a 27-point performance in The Summit League Tournament quarterfinals and 11 assists in the College Basketball Invitational first round game. He earned first team All-Summit League honors as a sophomore in 2011-12.

NDSU placed a league-high three players on the all-league team with Braun, guard Lawrence Alexander (10.8 ppg, 3.6 apg in ‘12-13) and forward Marshall Bjorklund (11.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, second in NCAA with 66.7 FG%) all receiving first-team nods. Bjorklund is the active career NCAA leader in field goal percentage.

Joining the Bison trio on the preseason All-Summit League first team are South Dakota State’s Jordan Dykstra (12.5 ppg, 7.9 rpg), Omaha’s Justin Simmons (16.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and Denver’s Chris Udofia (13.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg).

League newcomer Denver, which earned a share of the 2012-13 WAC regular season title and posted a first-round NIT victory last March, earned the remaining three first-place votes to finish second in the poll with 260 points. South Dakota State, the two-time defending Summit League Tournament champion, placed third with 233 points. Last season’s regular season co-champion, Western Illinois, was fourth in the voting. Omaha, Fort Wayne, South Dakota and IUPUI rounded out the poll.

NDSU hosts Concordia Moorhead in an exhibition game on Oct. 30 and opens the regular season against Viterbo in the Bison Sports Arena on Nov. 8. Season tickets, flex packs (10 tickets for $100), and single-game tickets are available online at GoBison.com/tickets or by calling 701-231-6378.

2013-14 Summit League Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll

Rk	Team (1st)	Pts.
1.	North Dakota State (25)	305
2.	Denver (3)	260
3.	South Dakota State	233
4.	Western Illinois	161
5.	Omaha	130
6.	Fort Wayne	120
7.	South Dakota	102
8.	IUPUI	81

 

Preseason Player of the Year: Taylor Braun, North Dakota State        

Preseason All-League

First Team

Name	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.
Lawrence Alexander	North Dakota State	G	6-3	Jr.
Marshall Bjorklund	North Dakota State	F	6-8	Sr.
Taylor Braun	North Dakota State	G	6-7	Sr.
Jordan Dykstra	South Dakota State	F	6-8	Sr.
Justin Simmons	Omaha	G	6-3	Sr.
Chris Udofia	Denver	F	6-6	Sr.

Second Team

Name	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.
Trevor Gruis	South Dakota	C	6-10	Sr.
Luis Jacobo	Fort Wayne	F	6-5	Sr.
Adam Link	Western Illinois	F	6-6	Sr.
Brett Olson	Denver	G	6-5	Jr.
Mitch Patton	IUPUI	C	6-9	Sr.

UMC Women's Basketball opens practice for 2013-14 season

CROOKSTON, Minn.-  The University of Minnesota Crookston women’s basketball team officially opened up the 2013-14 season as they began practice Tuesday afternoon at Lysaker Gymnasium in Crookston, Minn. The Golden Eagles return 13 members from last season’s squad and welcome in just one newcomer as Mike Roysland enters his eighth year leading the Golden Eagle program.

The Golden Eagles are coming off an 8-19 (5-17 NSIC) record during the 2012-13 season as they finished eighth in the NSIC North last season and will look to improve after an overall disappointing year. UMC returns three starters from last season’s team, along with key reserve Jaya Perkins (So., G, Lakeville, Minn./Criminal Justice). Katrina Moenkedick (So., F, Perham, Minn./Early Childhood Education), an All-NSIC Freshman pick last season is the top scorer returning from last season after averaging 9.6 points. She is also the top returning rebounder after averaging 4.1 rebounds per contest. She is joined by returning starters Ashley Martell (Jr., G, Somerset, Wis./Health Science), who was third on the team averaging 8.9 points per game and shooting 35.0 percent from beyond the arc. Returning at the point guard position will be Alexa Thielman (So., G, Buffalo, Minn./Health Science), who averaged 6.2 points per game last season and shot 31.3 percent from behind the three-point line. Perkins averaged 4.6 points last season in her first with the team, coming mostly off the bench.

Also returning for the Golden Eagles are Ebony Livingston (Jr., G, Minneapolis, Minn./Sport and Rec Management), Erika McRoberts (So., F/C, Byron, Minn./Health Science), Christine Thorn (So., G, St. Michael, Minn./Elementary Education) and senior captain Jacy Christenson (Shoreview, Minn./Natural Resources) all of whom were key bench players for the Golden Eagles last season. Livingston averaged 4.0 points per game while McRoberts averaged 3.7 points per contest. Thorn tallied 3.0 points per contest and was an energy player off the bench while Christenson was a calming presence on the floor and averaged 2.1 points per contest as a junior. Also returning are Cienna Walker (Jr., G, Ajax, Ontario/Marketing), Lindsey Lahr (So., G, Isle, Minn./Health Management) and Avery Jackson (So., G, Wadena, Minn./Elementary Education), who played sparingly last season but will compete for playing time on the floor during the 2013-14 season. Kenzie Church (Jr., F, Fairmount, N.D./Management) also returns after missing most of last season with an injury.

Newcomer Selina Barnes (Fr., G, Colorado Springs, Colo./Health Science) and redshirt Megan Taylor (R-Fr., C, Estelline, S.D./Animal Science) also step into the fray this season. Barnes will compete for time at the point guard spot while Taylor will battle for time in the post along with McRoberts and Moenkedick.

The Golden Eagles will have to replace one of their fourth all-time leading scorer Brittani Wiese and their career rebounding leader Laurie Tyson along with energy player Carli Bunning. Wiese battled back from a knee injury her junior year and averaged 12.0 points a game to lead the team while Tyson averaged 5.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season. Bunning averaged 3.2 points and 2.4 rebounds in 25 games played last season.

Returning to Roysland’s staff is long-time assistant coach Nate Mahlen, who has been with Roysland during his full eight years at UMC. Joining the staff for the 2013-14 season is local Crookston High School basketball legend Kamille Wahlin, who was a 1,000 point scorer at the University of Iowa, connecting on 230 career three-pointers which ranked second all-time at the end of her career. She was also third all-time in assists for the Hawkeyes and was selected to the All-Big Ten Third Team as a sophomore and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention team as a junior. 

Tickets on sale now for Great Northwest Showcase

Burnaby, B.C. -- The Burnaby Mountain Hockey Society is pleased to announce that the 2014 Great Northwest Showcase will take place on January 3rd and 4th, 2014, and will feature the University of North Dakota (NCAA Division I), the Princeton University Tigers (NCAA Division I), Simon Fraser University Men’s Hockey (BCIHL), and the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds (CIS).

The Great Northwest Showcase began in 2012 as a four game exhibition showcasing top level international University Men’s Hockey while promoting the importance of education during an athlete’s career. This year’s event will continue in the tradition of the GNS while building on the success of the inaugural event. The GNS not only provides a valuable competitive experience for the student-athletes involved, but also world-class entertainment and competition for sports fans of all ages who attend.

The four games of this year’s GNS are: SFU vs Princeton, UBC vs UND, UBC vs Princeton, and SFU vs UND. The games are scheduled to take place at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre in Burnaby, BC, home of the SFU Men’s Hockey team.

“We appreciate the invitation and are proud to be a part of this tournament,” says UND Head Coach Dave Hakstol. “It is a great opportunity to spread the footprint of NCAA Division I hockey and, at the same time, allows many of our players from Western Canada to return home for two exhibition games.”

“The UBC Hockey Team is excited to attend this year’s Great Northwest Showcase, it will be a great opportunity for the fans to see different levels of college hockey and two top NCAA programs.” says UBC Head Coach Milan Dragicevic. “Our players will be thrilled to play against top NCAA competition and raise the level of awareness of CIS hockey in the Lower Mainland.”

Tickets are now on sale at www.burnabymountainhockey.com

NDSU to Host Halloween, Hoops and More

The North Dakota State University Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) is sponsoring the annual Halloween, Hoops and More on Sunday, Oct. 27 from 4-6 p.m. at the Bison Sports Arena.

Designed as a family event, the party includes games, candy and prizes. New this year will be autographs from the men’s and women’s basketball and wrestling teams. There will also be inflatable games from Games Galore and food from Erbert and Gerbert’s, and participants will have the opportunity to meet their favorite Bison athletes. All attendees are encouraged to wear costumes.

The event is free and open to the public. The activities are appropriate for children ages two through 12.

Summit League Preseason Poll

ELMHURST, Ill. – The North Dakota State women's basketball team was tabbed eighth in The Summit League preseason poll released Tuesday, Oct. 15 by the league office.

The Bison received 74 points in the poll.

NDSU returns nine student-athletes from last season's team, including one starter in sophomore forward Marena Whittle. She started 26-of-29 games in 2012-13, averaging 6.7 points and 7.1 rebounds.

South Dakota State was picked to win the league after claiming its record fifth-consecutive Summit League tournament title and fourth regular season title in six years. The Jackrabbits collected 27-of-30 first-place votes and 319 points in the voting conducted by the league's head coaches, SIDs and media.

IUPUI was picked to finish runner-up in the poll, collecting three first-place votes and 276 points, after finishing second in the regular season a year ago. South Dakota was third with 224 points followed by Fort Wayne in fourth with 179. League newcomer Denver, Western Illinois, Omaha and the Bison rounded out the poll.

Fort Wayne's Amanda Hyde was voted as the league's preseason Player of the Year after garnering Player of the Year and first team All-Summit League honors last season.

Accompanying Hyde on the first team are IUPUI's DeAirra Goss, 2013 Newcomer of the Year Western Illinois' Ashley Luke, last season's Tournament MVP South Dakota's Nicole Seekamp, Denver's Morgan Van Riper-Rose and South Dakota State's Megan Waytashek.

The second team is composed of reigning Defensive Player of the Year in IUPUI's Dee-Dee Bellamy, South Dakota's Polly Harrington, Omaha's Ericka House, South Dakota State's Steph Paluch and Fort Wayne's Haley Seibert.

NDSU opens the 2013-14 season Oct. 30 at home with an exhibition game against Minnesota-Crookston. Tip-off from the Bison Sports Arena is set for 5 p.m.

2013-14 Summit League Women's Basketball Preseason Poll 

Place	Team	Points (1st)
1.	South Dakota State	319 (27)
2.	IUPUI	276 (3)
3.	South Dakota	224
4.	Fort Wayne	179
5.	Denver	169
6.	Western Illinois	146
7.	Omaha	77
8.	North Dakota State	74

 

 

 

 First Team

Name	School	Pos.	Yr.
DeAirra Gross	IUPUI	G	Sr.
Amanda Hyde	Fort Wayne	G/F	Sr.
Ashley Luke	Western Illinois	F	So.
Nicole Seekamp	South Dakota	G	Jr.
Morgan Van Riper-Rose	Denver	G	Jr.
Megan Waytashek	South Dakota State	G/F	Jr.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preseason Player of the Year: Amanda Hyde, Fort Wayne