Fighting Sioux vs. St. Cloud State: Notes & Links

UND (12-9-2, 8-8-0 WCHA)  vs. St. Cloud State (9-11-4, 6-7-3 WCHA) - Series Notes & Links:

• Gametime: Friday 7:37 CST/Saturday 7:07 CST
• As always, the games will be broadcast over the radio airwaves via the UND Radio Network, but there will be no television coverage regionally. In the St. Cloud area the games will be broadcast on Charter channel 87, while in the Twin Cities Comcast will carry the series on channels 13 (St. Paul) and 23 (Minneapolis). The game is also available via webcast at B2Live for $8.00.
• Series notes in PDF: North Dakota and St. Cloud State
• Brad Schlossman's Friday Morning Reading
• The big news that came out Thursday afternoon was that much-heralded freshman Rocco Grimaldi will have season-ending knee surgery. Grimaldi's two month shutdown was not enough for the knee to heal on its own, leading to the decision to move forward with the surgery. He joins Derek Rodwell as Sioux who have had their seasons ended prematurely, and freshman Brendan O'Donnell (out against SCSU) will know more on the severity of his injury next week. Derek Forbort is also out this weekend, while Michael Parks is traveling with the team and will be a gameday decision.
• While St. Cloud State goaltender Mike Lee is close to returning from a lower-body injury, it won't happen against North Dakota. The Huskies will continue to rely on freshman Ryan Faragher in Lee's absence. Faragher, of course, played a gem of a game against the Sioux back in October, making 44 saves in a 4-0 SCSU win. Drew LeBlanc, SCSU's offensive leader, is also out this weekend.
• This is a mighty important series in the fight for first round home-ice. North Dakota currently sits in seventh place with 16 points while SCSU sits one spot behind with 15. Michigan Tech, currently in sixth place with 17 points, plays Saturday night in a non-conference game against Northern Michigan.
• Jordy Christian has taken on a blue-collar role for the Huskies. Christian is the son of former Sioux Ed Christian and is the cousin of Brock Nelson. 
• Fighting Sioux head coach Dave Hakstol will be looking to pick up career victory number 200 this weekend. If he does, he will join Gino Gasparini and Dean Blais as the only coaches in program history to achieve that mark.
• Danny Kristo is closing in on the Fighting Sioux Century Club. He currently has 89 career points.
• The St. Cloud Times chronicles what is most likely to be the final time the Fighting Sioux jersey will be worn on the ice at the National Hockey Center.
• From the For What It's Worth Department, UND is not the only school engaged in a nickname controversy. This story is almost too rich to make up.
• Inside College Hockey says emotions were running high around the WCHA last weekend.
• UND Athletic Dept. Travel Blog
• St. Cloud Times Series Preview
• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA
• USCHO's Weekend Picks
• CHN's Tale of the Tape
• CHN's WCHA Power Rankings
• INCH's First Shift
• INCH's Friday Four-Cast
• WCHA Weekly Press Release
• Inside Hockey Series Preview
• Sioux Sports Series Preview
• Lastly, here's Episode 11 of Through These Doors: