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1996–97 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season

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1996–97 North Dakota Fighting Sioux
men's ice hockey season
National champion
WCHA, co-champion
WCHA tournament, champion
NCAA tournament, champion
ConferenceT–1st WCHA
Home iceRalph Engelstad Arena
Record
Overall31–10–2
Conference21–10–1
Home16–2–2
Road10–8–0
Neutral5–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachDean Blais
Assistant coachesMark Osiecki
Scott Sandelin
Captain(s)Dane Litke
Alternate captain(s)Kevin Hoogsteen
Mark Pivetz
North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey seasons
« 1995–96 1997–98 »

The 1996–97 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team represented the University of North Dakota in college ice hockey during the 1996–97 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. In its 3rd year under head coach Dean Blais the team compiled a 31–10–2 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the thirteenth time.[1] The Fighting Sioux defeated Boston University 6–4 to win the championship game at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Season

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North Dakota entered the year with very few expectations. The team had only one winning season in the previous five years, had only two NHL draft picks on the roster and was seven years removed from their last NCAA tournament appearance. They had been improving under 3rd-year coach Dean Blais, but the team had yet to regain the prominence that the Fighting Sioux once possessed.[2]

Fast start

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While they were picked to finish 5th in the WCHA by the preseason coaches poll,[3] the Sioux open with a six-game winning streak, albeit against fairly weak competition. Their progress was stymied when they headed to Minneapolis and lost both games to the Golden Gophers. UND split the following two weekends before finally recovering with a pair of wins over Minnesota–Duluth.

Mid-season stumble

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The Fighting Sioux won most of their games around the winter break, but when they returned to their conference schedule they couldn't find any consistency. North Dakota split three consecutive weekends in January and headed into the final weekend of the month hoping they could recover their defensive game. League-leading Minnesota was hardly the ideal opponent for North Dakota but two wins over the Gophers tied the season series and set up the possibility that UND could win the WCHA title.

North Dakota went 5–1 over the next three weeks, extending their lead over Minnesota to 4 points.[4] All the Fighting Sioux had to do in the final weekend was earn a single point against Denver and they would guarantee the regular season title for themselves. The Pioneers, however, had other ideas. North Dakota lost both games while Minnesota won both of theirs, leaving the two teams tied with identical conference records. While North Dakota had to share the conference title with the Gophers, they won the tie-breaker between the two and were awarded with the top seed in the WCHA tournament.

Conference tournament

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North Dakota opened with two relatively easy home wins over Michigan Tech and advanced to the semifinal at the St. Paul Civic Center. After another comfortable win over Colorado College, North Dakota met Minnesota in the championship and the two teams fought a pitched battle for conference supremacy. The two teams fought back-and-forth all night, ending regulation knotted at 3–3. It's didn't take long to end the game once overtime began when 4th-liner Peter Armbrust fired a rebound into the net at 2:17 to win the championship.[5]

NCAA tournament

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The conference title gave North Dakota the second western seed, allowing them to bypass the first round and begin the tournament in the quarterfinal round. They promptly took out ECAC champion Cornell and advanced to the Frozen Four. In the national semifinal North Dakota swiftly built a 3–0 lead on Colorado College. The Tigers responded with two goals to get back into the game but a pair of Fighting Sioux markers 43 seconds apart ended CC's hopes and UND was heading to the championship game.[6]

In the final it was Boston University who got the jump early, scoring twice in the first. North Dakota was able to turn the game into a track meet in the second and tie the game by the mid-way point. In the 12th minute, Peter Donatelli drew a controversial penalty, giving BU a power play, but it was UND's Matt Henderson who was able to score on the disadvantage. The Terriers tied the game on a separate power play shortly thereafter. UND regained the lead with their own extra-man goal two minutes later and added a fifth goal just before the period ended.

With a two-goal lead, North Dakota played a much more defensive-minded game in the third period. They were able to hold the Terriers off of the scoresheet until the final minute but a goal by Jon Coleman cut the lead to one with less than a minute to play. BU attempted to get control of the puck inside the Sioux end for a chance to tie the game but UND was able to clear the zone and Adam Calder sent the puck into an empty net for the final goal of North Dakota's championship season.[7]

Awards and honors

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Matt Henderson's five points in the Frozen Four earned him the Tournament MOP as well as a place on the All-Tournament team with teammates David Hoogsteen, Curtis Murphy and Aaron Schweitzer.[8] Hoogsteen and Murphy were also named to the AHCA All-American West Second Team.[9] Both players were joined by Jason Blake on the All-WCHA First Team[10] while Dean Blais was awarded both the WCHA Coach of the Year[11] and the Spencer Penrose Award as the national coach of the year.[12]

The surprise win by North Dakota in 1997 began a nearly unbroken stretch of 20 years where the program reached the NCAA tournament. In that time they appeared in 10 Frozen Fours and won an additional two National championships.

Standings

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Conference Overall
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
North Dakota†* 32 21 10 1 43 137 105 43 31 10 2 190 130
Minnesota 32 21 10 1 43 129 94 42 28 13 1 179 128
St. Cloud State 32 18 10 4 40 127 105 40 23 13 4 152 130
Colorado College 32 17 11 4 38 121 107 44 25 15 4 169 141
Denver 32 17 11 4 38 127 99 41 24 13 4 163 122
Minnesota-Duluth 32 15 13 4 34 115 111 38 18 16 4 133 131
Wisconsin 32 15 15 2 32 115 115 38 15 21 2 132 151
Northern Michigan 32 9 21 2 20 78 127 40 13 24 3 108 152
Alaska-Anchorage 32 7 21 4 18 75 109 36 9 23 4 86 126
Michigan Tech 32 5 23 4 14 81 133 39 8 27 4 98 155
Championship: North Dakota
indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion
Final rankings: USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Coaches Poll Top 10 Poll

Schedule

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Date Opponent# Rank# Site Result Record
Exhibition
October 11 vs. Alberta* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota (Exhibition) L 1–2 
Regular Season
October 18 vs. Denver Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 3–2 OT 1–0 (1–0)
October 19 vs. Denver Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 6–2  2–0 (2–0)
October 25 at Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan W 7–3  3–0 (3–0)
October 26 at Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice ArenaHoughton, Michigan W 4–3  4–0 (4–0)
November 1 vs. Northern Michigan Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 3–2  5–0 (5–0)
November 2 vs. Northern Michigan Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 5–0  6–0 (6–0)
November 8 at Minnesota Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota L 2–3  6–1 (6–1)
November 9 at Minnesota Mariucci ArenaMinneapolis, Minnesota L 6–10  6–2 (6–2)
November 15 vs. St. Cloud State Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota L 2–5  6–3 (6–3)
November 16 vs. St. Cloud State Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 5–3  7–3 (7–3)
November 22 at Alaska–Anchorage Sullivan ArenaAnchorage, Alaska L 2–3  7–4 (7–4)
November 23 at Alaska–Anchorage Sullivan ArenaAnchorage, Alaska W 5–3  8–4 (8–4)
November 29 at Minnesota–Duluth Duluth Arena AuditoriumDuluth, Minnesota W 8–4  9–4 (9–4)
November 30 at Minnesota–Duluth Duluth Arena AuditoriumDuluth, Minnesota W 4–3  10–4 (10–4)
December 6 vs. Colorado College Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota T 5–5 OT 10–4–1 (10–4–1)
December 7 vs. Colorado College Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 7–3  11–4–1 (11–4–1)
December 27 vs. Boston University* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 6–4  12–4–1 (10–4–1)
December 28 vs. Boston University* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota T 2–2 OT 12–4–2 (11–4–1)
January 3 at Western Michigan* Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan W 6–3  13–4–2 (11–4–1)
January 4 at Western Michigan* Lawson ArenaKalamazoo, Michigan W 5–3  14–4–2 (11–4–1)
January 10 at St. Cloud State National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota L 3–5  14–5–2 (11–5–1)
January 11 at St. Cloud State National Hockey CenterSt. Cloud, Minnesota W 6–1  15–5–2 (12–5–1)
January 17 vs. Wisconsin Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota L 2–5  15–6–2 (12–6–1)
January 18 vs. Wisconsin Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 8–6  16–6–2 (13–6–1)
January 25 at Colorado College Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado W 3–0  17–6–2 (14–6–1)
January 26 at Colorado College Cadet Ice ArenaColorado Springs, Colorado L 3–8  17–7–2 (14–7–1)
January 31 vs. Minnesota Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 6–4  18–7–2 (15–7–1)
February 1 vs. Minnesota Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 6–2  19–7–2 (16–7–1)
February 7 vs. Michigan Tech Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 4–2  20–7–2 (17–7–1)
February 8 vs. Michigan Tech Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 7–2  21–7–2 (18–7–1)
February 14 at Northern Michigan Lakeview ArenaMarquette, Michigan L 1–2  21–8–2 (18–8–1)
February 15 at Northern Michigan Lakeview ArenaMarquette, Michigan W 5–3  22–8–2 (19–8–1)
February 21 vs. Alaska–Anchorage Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 2–0  23–8–2 (20–8–1)
February 22 vs. Alaska–Anchorage Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota W 4–0  24–8–2 (21–8–1)
February 28 at Denver DU ArenaDenver, Colorado L 3–6  24–9–2 (21–9–1)
March 1 at Denver DU ArenaDenver, Colorado L 0–5  24–10–2 (21–10–1)
WCHA tournament
March 7 vs. Michigan Tech* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA Quarterfinal Game 1) W 4–1  25–10–2 (21–10–1)
March 8 vs. Michigan Tech* Ralph Engelstad ArenaGrand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA Quarterfinal Game 2) W 3–0  26–10–2 (21–10–1)
North Dakota Won Series 2-0
March 14 vs. Colorado College* St. Paul Civic CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (WCHA Semifinal) W 5–1  27–10–2 (21–10–1)
March 15 vs. Minnesota* St. Paul Civic CenterSaint Paul, Minnesota (WCHA championship) W 4–3 OT 28–10–2 (21–10–1)
NCAA tournament
March 23 vs. Cornell* Van Andel ArenaGrand Rapids, Michigan (Regional semifinal) W 6–2  29–10–2 (21–10–1)
March 27 vs. Colorado College* Bradley CenterMilwaukee, Wisconsin (National semifinal) W 6–2  30–10–2 (21–10–1)
March 29 vs. Boston University* Bradley CenterMilwaukee, Wisconsin (National championship) W 6–4  31–10–2 (21–10–1)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll.
Source:

[2]

Roster

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No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Missouri Aaron Vickar Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1976-01-01 St. Louis, Missouri Omaha Lancers (USHL)
2 Saskatchewan Curtis Murphy Junior D 5' 8" (1.73 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1975-12-03 Kerrobert, Saskatchewan Nipawin Hawks (SJHL)
3 Alberta Mark Pivetz (A) Senior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1973-12-09 Edmonton, Alberta Saskatoon Titans (SJHL) QUE, 257 overall 1993
4 Manitoba Dane Litke (C) Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1972-08-11 Beausejour, Manitoba Winkler Flyers (MJHL)
5 Minnesota Jason Blake Sophomore C 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1973-09-02 Moorhead, Minnesota Ferris State Bulldogs (CCHA)
6 North Dakota Tim O'Connell Freshman D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1977-10-26 Grand Forks, North Dakota Fargo-Moorhead Bears (USHL)
7 North Dakota Mitch Vig Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1974-05-18 Bismarck, North Dakota Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL)
8 Ontario Kevin Hoogsteen (A) Senior RW 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1972-12-17 Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL)
9 Saskatchewan Jason Ulmer Freshman C/LW 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1978-12-20 Wilcox, Saskatchewan Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)
10 Alberta Ian Kallay Sophomore LW 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1974-03-21 Calgary, Alberta Langley Thunder (BCJHL)
11 Minnesota Peter Armbrust Freshman RW 5' 11" (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1977-12-03 Edina, Minnesota Edina High School (USHS-MN)
15 Alberta Jesse Bull Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1975-04-14 Faribault, Minnesota St. Paul Vulcans (USHL)
16 North Dakota Jay Panzer Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1975-12-29 Grand Forks, North Dakota Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
18 Ontario David Hoogsteen Sophomore LW 5' 7" (1.7 m) 140 lb (64 kg) 1974-11-10 Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL)
19 Saskatchewan Jeff Ulmer Sophomore RW 5' 11" (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1977-04-27 Regina, Saskatchewan Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)
20 Minnesota Brad DeFauw Freshman LW 6' 2" (1.88 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 1977-11-10 Edina, Minnesota Apple Valley High School (USHS-MN)
21 Ontario Brad Williamson Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1977-03-09 Thunder Bay, Ontario Thunder Bay Flyers (USHL)
22 Minnesota Matt Henderson Junior LW 6' 1" (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1974-03-01 White Bear Lake, Minnesota St. Paul Vulcans (USHL)
25 Manitoba Adam Calder Sophomore LW 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1976-03-28 Portage La Prairie, Manitoba Portage Terriers (MJHL)
26 North Dakota Tom Philion Sophomore C 5' 6" (1.68 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1974-12-11 Minot, North Dakota Rochester Mustangs (USHL)
27 Manitoba Tyler Rice Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1973-06-04 Winnipeg, Manitoba Notre Dame Hounds (SJHL)
28 Minnesota Joe Blake Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1976-12-03 Champlin, Minnesota Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
30 Saskatchewan Aaron Schweitzer Sophomore G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1978-12-01 Regina, Saskatchewan
35 Minnesota Toby Kvalevog Senior G 5' 11" (1.8 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1974-12-22 Bemidji, Minnesota Bemidji High School (USHS-MN) OTT, 209 overall 1993
36 Washington (state) Erin McAleer Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 198 lb (90 kg) 1979-08-26 Republic, Washington Surrey Eagles (BCJHL)

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
David Hoogsteen LW 43 27 27 54 16
Jason Blake C 43 19 30 49 44
Curtis Murphy D 43 12 30 42 36
Ian Kallay LW 43 16 23 39 20
Jay Panzer F 41 16 23 39 20
Kevin Hoogsteen RW 39 18 20 38 54
Adam Calder LW 42 10 22 32 48
Matt Henderson LW 42 14 17 31 71
Dane Litke D 39 3 27 30 14
Jesse Bull F 37 15 7 22 20
Brad Williamson D 43 4 15 19 38
Jeff Ulmer F 36 6 11 17 16
Peter Armbrust RW 40 10 6 16 26
Mark Pivetz D 42 2 13 15 53
Brad DeFauw LW 37 7 6 13 39
Tyler Rice F 24 6 5 11 107
Mitch Vig D 43 1 9 10 44
Jason Ulmer C/LW 32 3 5 8 12
Tom Philion C 17 1 3 4 14
Tim O'Connell D 24 0 1 1 31
Aaron Vickar G 7 0 0 0 0
Joe Blake D 25 0 0 0 4
Aaron Schweitzer G 24 0 0 0 0
Toby Kvalevog G 22 0 0 0 2
Erin McAleer F 31 0 0 0 14
Total

[13]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Aaron Schweitzer 23 1170 17 3 0 45 4 .908 2.31
Toby Kvalevog 22 1132 12 5 2 61 1 .866 3.23
Aaron Vickar 7 287 2 2 0 19 0 .824 3.97
Total 43 31 10 2 5

(W2) North Dakota vs. (E2) Boston University

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March 29 North Dakota 6 – 4 Boston University Bradley Center


Scoring summary[14]
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st BU Peter Donatelli Poti 8:44 1–0 BU
BU Chris DruryPP Poti and O'Connell 15:08 2–0 BU
2nd UND Curtis Murphy Panzer and Henderson 27:06 2–1 BU
UND David Hoogsteen unassisted 28:38 2–2
UND Matt HendersonSH unassisted 32:35 3–2 UND
BU Chris KelleherPP unassisted 33:56 3–3
UND Matt HendersonPP Calder and Litke 35:49 4–3 UND
UND David HoogsteenGW Murphy 39:54 5–3 UND
3rd BU Jon Coleman Kelleher and Sylvia 59:24 5–4 UND
UND Adam CalderEN unassisted 59:41 6–4 UND

Players drafted into the NHL

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= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star[15] = NHL All-Star[15] and NHL All-Star team = Did not play in the NHL
Round Pick Player NHL team
2 28 Brad DeFauw Carolina Hurricanes
3 63 Lee Goren Boston Bruins

[16]

References

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  1. ^ "North Dakota Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  2. ^ a b "North Dakota Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Unheralded 1997 North Dakota title team springboarded two-decade run". NCAA.org. October 14, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  4. ^ "Minnesota Men's Hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved April 2, 2019.
  5. ^ "1997 WCHA Final - Sioux vs. Gophers". YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "North Dakota 6, Colorado College 2". Associated Press. March 27, 1997. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  7. ^ "1997 NCAA Final - Sioux vs Terriers". YouTube. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  8. ^ "NCAA Frozen Four Records" (PDF). NCAA.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 17, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  9. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  10. ^ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  11. ^ "WCHA Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  12. ^ "NCAA Division I Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved June 11, 2013.
  13. ^ "Univ. of North Dakota 1996-97 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved May 8, 2020.
  14. ^ "2017-18 UND Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). UNDSports.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 28, 2018. Retrieved May 8, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  16. ^ "1997 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey DB. Retrieved August 18, 2019.