UND's Thompson nabs NCHC Defenseman of the Week accolades

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota sophomore Keaton Thompson has been named National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Defenseman of the Week for his role in UND’s conference sweep of Colorado College.

Thompson is the fifth different UND defenseman to win weekly conference honors this season. Paul LaDue (Oct. 20), Troy Stecher (Oct. 27) and Jordan Schmaltz (Dec. 8) were also named Defenseman of the Week while freshman Tucker Poolman was named NCHC Rookie of the Week on Dec. 8. It is the second career conference award for Thompson, who was named NCHC Rookie of the Week on Dec. 2, 2013.

Thompson set up Bryn Chyzyk’s game-winning goal in the third period while matching his career-best with a plus-3 rating in UND’s 5-3 win over the Tigers. The Devils Lake, N.D., native, who was on the ice for three UND go-ahead goals, also chipped in with a pair of blocked shots as UND moved into sole possession of second place in the NCHC.

A third-round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks in 2013, Thompson has six assists in 20 games this season and owns a plus-6 rating.

Miami senior forward Cody Murphy (Offensive), St. Cloud State sophomore goalie Charlie Lindgren (Goaltender) and SCSU freshman forward Patrick Russell (Rookie) were also recognized by the NCHC.

Top-ranked UND will travel to Omaha this week to face the fifth-ranked Mavericks, who hold a one-point edge on UND atop the NCHC standings.

UND’s NCHC Players of the Week
Oct. 20:     Mark MacMillan, Sr., D (Offensive)
                    Paul LaDue, So., D (Defenseman)
Oct. 27:     Troy Stecher, So., D (Defenseman)
Nov. 17:     Drake Caggiula, Jr., F (Offensive)

Dec. 1:       Zane McIntyre, Jr., G (Goaltender)

Dec. 8         Jordan Schmaltz, Jr., D (Defenseman)

                    Zane McIntyre, Jr., G (Goaltender)

                    Tucker Poolman, Fr., D (Rookie)

Jan. 12:     Zane McIntyre, Jr., G (Goaltender)

Jan. 26       Keaton Thompson, So., D (Defenseman)

NDSU's Klieman Accepts Two-YearContract Extension

FARGO, N.D. – North Dakota State athletic director Matt Larsen today announced head football coach Chris Klieman has accepted a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the Bison until January 2021.
 
Klieman's recently completed first season ended with a 15-1 record, a fourth straight Missouri Valley Football Conference championship and an unprecedented fourth straight NCAA Division I FCS national championship.
 
"Chris understands the culture of Bison football and what it takes to continue the program's high level of success," Larsen said.  "The excitement around the football program has never been greater and I look forward to having Chris and his family in Fargo for the long term."
 
Klieman, 47, came to NDSU in 2011 as the defensive backs coach and was the defensive coordinator in 2012 and 2013 before taking over as the Bison head coach in January 2014.  He was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented annually to the FCS National Coach of the Year.
 
"Chris is a man of high integrity and character, and his leadership of the young men in this program goes beyond the football field," Larsen said.  "He is developing successful students who will go on to great things after football.  I am impressed with his passion, energy, and the level of respect he's earned from his players, staff and the local community."
 
NDSU didn't skip a beat in Klieman's first year despite losing 23 seniors and welcoming seven new assistant coaches.  The Bison scored 34 unanswered points to beat Big 12 member Iowa State in the season opener as part of an FCS-record 33-game winning streak that extended into November.
 
North Dakota State went 9-1 against Top 25 competition and earned the No. 2 national seed for the FCS playoffs.  NDSU had nine players named All-America, including Buck Buchanan Award-winning defensive end Kyle Emanuel, and four Capital One Academic All-America® selections.
 
"Thank you to our president, Dean Bresciani, and our athletic director, Matt Larsen, for this opportunity," Klieman said.  "I'm excited to continue to build on the great tradition of Bison football.  My family enjoys being in Fargo and I am extremely thankful for how this community and Bison Nation have embraced my family and me."
 
NDSU led the nation in scoring defense each of Klieman's three years on the defensive staff.  He was named the 2012 Football Scoop FCS Coordinator of the Year and coached two-time Buck Buchanan Award finalist Marcus Williams.
 
A native of Waterloo, Iowa, he was a three-time All-Gateway Conference defensive back at Northern Iowa and a four-year letterman from 1986-90.  He graduated from UNI in 1990 with a bachelor's degree in health education and earned a master's degree in physical education from UNI in 1992.
 
Klieman was an assistant coach at UNI from 1991-93 and 2006-10 along with other assistant coaching stints at Western Illinois (1994-96), Kansas (1997), Missouri State (1999) and Loras College (2002-04).  He was the head coach at Loras in 2005.
 
He and his wife, Rhonda, are the parents of two sons, Devin and Colby, and one daughter, Haley.

Gophers to Retire Randy Breuer’s Jersey Saturday

​MINNEAPOLIS – Gopher great Randy Breuer will have his jersey retired at Saturday’s Minnesota-Illinois men’s basketball game, which begins at 1:15 p.m. at Williams Arena.

"We're extremely pleased to honor Randy in this way," said Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague. "Gopher fans love Randy and are so grateful to him for the passion and dedication he brought to the Gophers and the way he represented the University while he was here. This will be a day for all Gopher fans to celebrate Randy and all of his accomplishments."

The 7’3” Breuer, a member of the Gophers from 1979-1983, led the Maroon and Gold to a Big Ten Championship title in 1982. The Lake City, Minn., native was voted the team MVP in 1983 after leading the Gophers in scoring, rebounds and blocked shots for the third consecutive season. A two-time All-Big Ten first team selection, Breuer's name still reads in the Minnesota record books as he sits third on the All-Time Leading Scorers list with 1,777 points and second with 229 career blocks. He is one of only five Gophers all-time to record more than 1,000 points, 500 rebounds, and 150 blocks.

"Randy ended his career with the Gophers in nearly every category of the record books," said former Minnesota head coach Jim Dutcher. "He had a great career here and for three consecutive years he led the team in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots; to do that is pretty impressive. He was an incredible player and is very deserving of the honor of having his jersey retired with the best of Minnesota basketball players."

Following his collegiate career, Breuer played in the NBA for eleven seasons, including a three-year stint with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was selected 18th overall in the 1983 NBA Draft by the Milwaukee Bucks, and in his career totaled 4,599 points, 2,986 rebounds and 750 blocks.

The jersey retirement ceremony, along with the unveiling of a banner in the Williams Arena rafters, will take place at halftime of the Gophers-Illini game. 

UMC to Host Baseball Camps Sun., Feb. 8

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball program will hold a pair of high school camps Feb. 8 at the UMC Sports Center. The camps will focus on hitting and defense and pitching and catching.

The hitting and defense camp will begin Sun., Feb. 8 and run from 9-1 p.m., covering hitting and defense specifically but will touch on almost every facet of the game. The camp will teach proper hitting mechanics including stance, grip, proper bat path, hip rotation and strike zone recognition. The defensive portion will be broken down by each position where the proper fundamentals will be taught.

The second camp will begin Sun., Feb. 8 at 2 p.m. and run until 6 p.m and focus on pitching and catching. The camp will cover the entire realm of pitching including basic mechanics, grips, pelvic loading, pickoffs and the mental side of pitching. Catcher drills will include receiving, blocking, throwing, footwork and other basic fundamentals.

The cost for each camp is $75. All camps are staffed by all coaches and current players at UMC under the direction of Head Coach Steve Gust. Students should bring indoor shoes, glove, bat and pants or shorts.

If you are interested in attending the camp, contact Coach Gust at 218-281-8445.