Week 4 Recap (Part 1): Sioux Split

Following their first road trip of the season North Dakota returned home to Engelstad Arena for a weekend pair with St. Cloud State, and the Sioux wound up with a split as SCSU rode a red-hot goaltender to a 4-0 victory Friday night and North Dakota produced its best defensive performance of the season to earn a 3-1 win on Saturday.

• Friday night saw North Dakota throw everything including the kitchen sink at Husky freshman goaltender Ryan Faragher, but he turned away each of the 44 shots he faced in place of the injured Mike Lee. It was the second consecutive game that saw UND offensively dominate yet come away without a conference point. As I was walking away from the Kohl Center following the Saturday night loss to Wisconsin I commented that I'd take that type of offensive performance every game because the Sioux would win 90% of those games. Apparently the hockey gods decided to test (and quickly debunk) my theory the very next game.
• The Sioux outshot SCSU 39-16 through two periods, and though SCSU led 1-0 it certainly felt like the second goal of the game was going to be the dagger. And it was. When the Huskies scored less than three minutes into the third, the arena and everything in it not draped in red & black seemed to instantly deflate. The building was ready to erupt with a NoDak goal, but that energy was sapped when they fell behind 2-0.
• As alluded to earlier, Husky goaltender Ryan Faragher was sensational Friday night. Saturday at Wisconsin Joel Rumpel played a great game that was aided quite a bit by his defense. Faragher's performance, on the other hand, was a case where a goaltender virtually stole a game all on his own as SCSU saddled him with a lot of shorthanded minutes and he responded beautifully.
• Defensive responsibility was much improved this weekend. The forwards did a much better job at getting back defensively and occupying SCSU in transition. One play that really comes to mind was an odd-man chance in the second period of Saturday's game. Mike Parks was leading the Sioux rush, and when SCSU was able to successfully defend and turn the play up-ice, Parks (who ended up behind the net) was the first forward back and helped break up a Husky chance.
• As it turns out, a doubtful Rocco Grimaldi is pretty dang good. He ended up with one assist on the weekend, and he's one of the rare, electric players that leaves you holding your breath whenever he possesses the puck. When he's fully healthy, watch out.
• Saturday night, there were a few cases where the team seemed to have some trouble passing out of the defensive zone, and the third line (MacMillan-Grimaldi-Gleason) got stuck on a couple extended shifts as a result. 
• The goaltending of Aaron Dell was solid and he's showing signs of returning to his sophomore form. However, I sit on the end that the visitors attack twice and at times it seemed as though he might've been struggling with tracking the puck.
• Look for Grimaldi to start seeing some time on the penalty kill as he works his way back into full health and game shape. He has a solid reputation of being a forechecking nuisance/point hound on the PK.
• I really liked the second line on Saturday night. Lamoureux-Rowney-Rodwell went up against the LeBlanc line much of the night and did a great job defensively.

The weekly recap of former Sioux in the pros and Sioux recruits, along with a few other items, will be on the docket for tomorrow. The steady stream of trick-or-treaters severely cut into the writing time tonight.  

Fighting Sioux vs. St. Cloud State Notes & Links

North Dakota vs. St. Cloud State - Series Notes & Links:

• Gametime: Friday 7:37 CDT/Saturday 7:07 CDT
• The games will be broadcast on a variety of media outlets across the region. As always, here's the standard broadcast information.
• Series notes in PDF: North Dakota and St. Cloud State
• There are some family ties being renewed this weekend. Mark MacMillan will be playing against his big brother Mitch, a Husky sophomore. The St. Cloud Times has a take on the MacMillans, as does The Dakota Student. Meanwhile, Brock Nelson and Jordy Christian, a Husky senior, are cousins. Jordy's father, Ed, played for North Dakota from 1980-84.
• Rocco Grimaldi's status for the weekend is doubtful, while fellow freshman Brendan O'Donnell will not be available. Both players have lower body injuries. 
• The Fighting Sioux received word today that the NCAA has ruled Colten St. Clair ineligible to play this season. No specifics have been released as to why he did not make it through the NCAA Clearinghouse, but there have been rumblings that there is some online coursework that has come under scrutiny.
• Due to injury St. Cloud State's junior goaltender Mike Lee did not make the trip with the team this weekend. The Huskies will likely rely on freshman goaltender Ryan Faragher in net. Faragher spent the last two seasons playing just down I-94 West for the NAHL's Bismarck Bobcats.
• Danny Kristo is becoming a complete player as the team's top offensive threat. He was also named 2nd Star by Habs Future for his play last weekend at Wisconsin.
• St. Cloud State senior forward Drew LeBlanc is approaching 100 career points. Let's hope it doesn't happen this weekend.
• This is the first series of the season in which the Fighting Sioux will face a future NCHC foe.
• GF Herald's Ice Time
• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA
• USCHO's Weekend Picks 
• INCH's This Week in the WCHA

Jordan Schmaltz & Windsor, World Junior A Challenge, Schneekloth Video

The Windsor Star recently published an article outlining the Windsor Spitfire's unabashed public recruitment of Fighting Sioux defense recruit and potential 2012 NHL first round pick Jordan Schmaltz (Sioux City-USHL). Comments from the Windsor front office insinuated that the Canadian major junior system is a better development avenue for elite talents such as Schmaltz and that Schmaltz needs to further explore his options.

It's understood that it is very much in Windsor's best business interests to do all that they can to lure a prospect they took a flyer on in the OHL draft (a seventh round pick who at the time was deemed unlikely to go to the CHL) to make the unexpected jump to Canada. But when do ethics enter into the process? Apparently they do not. Because college hockey recruits do not typically sign their National Letters of Intent until they are about to arrive on campus, university staff is hogtied in regard to commenting on such transgressions, while CHL execs are free to spew forth their NCAA-bashing rhetoric. Numerous NCAA member schools have tremendous track records of producing top-end NHL talent, but due to bureaucratic limitations, institutions are unable to specifically defend their interests.

College Hockey Inc's Paul Kelly issued a rebuttal via a radio interview with Sportsnet 590 the Fan, which is analyzed by Buzzing the Net, and he has defended the ability of institutions such as North Dakota to produce elite NHL talent. But he is absolutely powerless to prevent Windsor from making continuous overtures to Schmaltz throughout the pre and post-draft processes. Schmaltz, meanwhile, remains firm in his commitment to North Dakota, a commitment that is strengthened by his family's NoDak roots, and Kelly states that he would be "stunned" if Schmaltz forgos his scholarship in lieu of the Windsor opportunity. My hunch, like that of Chris Peters at the United States of Hockey, is that Schmaltz will spurn the recruitment efforts of Windsor and attend North Dakota. If he were to jump to the CHL, the time to do it would have been this fall in order to help boost his draft stock, particularly after the rookie breakout season he provided last year as a first team All-USHL defenseman.

However, no matter what any of us think, Windsor has definitely drawn the line in the sand: the recruitment (retention?) battle is on.

Speaking of Jordan Schmaltz, he and fellow Sioux goaltending recruit Zane Gothberg (Fargo Force-USHL) have been named to Team USA's World Junior A Challenge roster. Both Schmaltz and Gothberg were on the 2010 gold medal winning team, and they will be looking to help Team USA defend their gold November 7-13 in Langley, BC. Last year's gold medal team posted an unblemished 5-0 record while outscoring their opponents 27-10.

The Colorado Eagles (ECHL) have a host of former Sioux currently on their roster, and defenseman Aaron Schneekloth was recently featured as part of their Player Profile series:

Week 3 Recap: Sioux Drop Two While Future & Former Sioux Have Big Weeks

The Fighting Sioux hit the road for the first time this season and found Madison to be a less than hospitable place. North Dakota dropped Friday night's WCHA opener against Wisconsin 5-3, and while they rebounded with a strong offensive showing Saturday, the Badgers completed the sweep by pulling out a 5-4 victory. Here's the recap:

• Costly mistakes were the name of the game Friday night. Sometimes you are able to get away with mistakes, but that certainly was not the case Friday as the Badgers proved to be quite the  opportunistic bunch. Untimely penalties led to a pair of 5-on-3 opportunities for the Badgers, while a bad turnover at the Sioux blueline, an unprotected goal mouth, and a lost one-on-one battle on the wing all directly led to goals for Wisconsin. 
• Saturday's contest was dominated offensively by the Sioux in virtually every category except the one that matters most: goals scored. The North Dakota offense peppered Wisconsin all night, generating a number of quality scoring opportunities throughout the game. The Badgers, meanwhile, countered by plugging up the ice between the faceoff dots, blocking shots, deflecting passes, and minimizing rebound opportunities. Combine that with a very well-played game by freshman goalie Joel Rumpel and Wisconsin came away with an early season sweep.
• The goaltending probably wasn't as bad as the scores would indicate, as there were a number of critical mistakes in front of the Sioux netminders that provided Wisconsin with most of its prime scoring opportunities. However, in order to be a MacNaughton Cup contending team the Sioux need Aaron Dell and Brad Eidsness to settle into the season and provide the consistently solid goaltending we've seen each of them deliver in the past.
• The play in the defensive zone, particularly defensive awareness and responsibility, was inconsistent from both the defensemen and the forwards. Players left unattended down low and unoccupied in transition led to several Badger goals this weekend.
• Offensively, the Sioux carried the play for significant stretches this weekend and generated a host of quality scoring chances. The offensive performance becomes even more impressive considering that two of their top nine forwards were out with injuries (Rocco Grimaldi and Brendan O'Donnell) and two-thirds of the fourth line consisted of defensmen (Joe Gleason and Dan Senkbeil) forced to play up front. 
• Danny Kristo was the best player on the ice all weekend, while Nick Mattson and Ben Blood did a nice job of jumping up from the blueline to generate offensive chances.
• Among the freshmen, Mattson, Mark MacMillan (who got his first collegiate goal Friday) and Mike Parks continue to look the most comfortable, while Dan Senkbeil played with a lot of jump Saturday in what was just his second career game.
• Having both Mattson and Kristo on the top power play unit is a big advantage due to their abilities to skate the puck into the zone. They were consistently able to get the power play setup quickly without having to dump and chase.
• So, what does all this mean? It seems odd to say after getting swept, but I am now even more confident that this team will evolve into a legitimate Frozen Four contender.Why? Because while I completely expect the goaltending situation to solidify and the defensive zone sloppiness to be cleaned up, I think the offense is going to come together sooner than originally expected, particularly once Grimaldi and O'Donnell are able to return to action. 
• This weekend the Sioux (2-3-1) return to Ralph Engelstad Arena to take on St. Cloud State (2-3-1) in what will be the WCHA opener for the Huskies.
• North Dakota is now ranked #12 in the USCHO poll and #13 in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll.

Sioux in the Pros:

• Jason Gregoire scored his first career professional goal Friday night and followed up Saturday with a two assist performance as the St. John's IceCaps (AHL) split their weekend pair with Bridgeport.
• Derrick LaPoint has signed a professional tryout contract with the Syracuse Crunch (AHL). He registered one assist in one game with the Reading Royals (ECHL) prior to making his Crunch debut Sunday.
• Corey Fienhage scored his first professional goal Friday night in Gwinnett's (ECHL) 6-1 blowout of Greenville. Brad Miller also scored for Gwinnett Friday night, and both Miller and Fienhage notched assists in Saturday's loss to Greenville.
• Jonathan Toews had four points (3G, 1A) in three games last week for the Chicago Blackhawks.
• A strong start with Portland (AHL) resulted in 2011 Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele being called up by the Phoenix Coyotes last week, and he gave some of the credit to his early season success to his Pirate linemates, Ryan Duncan and Brett Hextall.
• Matt Greene earned the LA Kings "Ice Pack Award" Thursday night after leading the team with six blocked shots during their 2-0 victory over Phoenix. Greene also had an assist and the Kings and goaltender Jonathan Quick have now posted three consecutive shutouts.

Sioux Recruits:

• Luke Johnson continued the strong start to his USHL career by notching three assists as the Lincoln Stars split a pair of weekend games. The youngest member of the Stars leads the team in scoring with eight points (1G-7A) and he has at least one point in each of the team's six games.
• Keaton Thompson scored a pair of power play goals in the USNTDP U-17 team's victory over Youngstown Saturday.

Fighting Sioux vs. Wisconsin Links, Bochenski on Team USA

North Dakota vs. Wisconsin - Series Notes & Links

• Gametime: Friday and Saturday: 7:07 CDT
• The game audio is available across the region via the Fighting Sioux Radio Network. Friday's game will be televised on Fox Sports North Wisconsin and Fox College Sports Atlantic. A stream of Saturday's game will be available for purchase at http://www.uwbadgers.com/allaccess/ (Live Events).
• Series Notes in PDF: North Dakota and Wisconsin
• Series previews from Bucky's 5th Quarter and Madison.com
• With a young team, Wisconsin has some players performing new roles this season.
• North Dakota is looking for offense from the 2nd and 3rd lines.
• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA
• USCHO's Weekend Picks

Other Sioux News:

• Joe Finley is off to a solid start for the AHL's Rochester Americans. Here's some brief commentary on his play after they defeated the Syracuse Crunch earlier this week: 

Finley was terrific, really. He faced some speed and it was no problem. For 6-foot-8, he really didn’t get beat wide. Plus, he plays mean. He doesn’t just clear the front of the net, either. “He keeps everyone pretty much out of the zone, he’s so big,” (Americans goaltender David) Leggio said.

• Yesterday Brandon Bochenski was named to the Team USA roster for the Deutschland Cup, which takes place Nov 11-13 in Munich, Germany. Bochenski has spent the past two season playing for Barys Astana in the Kontinental Hockey League (Russia), where he has produced 53 points (23G, 30A) in 48 games. He has 68 points (28G, 40A) in 156 career NHL games, where he last played in 2009-10 with Tampa Bay.
• 2011 Hobey Baker Award winner Andy Miele credited his linemates Brett Hextall and Ryan Duncan for helping him get off to such a strong start for the AHL's Portland Pirates. The start was so solid that this morning the Phoenix Coyotes called Miele up to the NHL.

Recruit Rankings & Ryan Duncan, Matt Frattin Have Big Days

Inside College Hockey has released its annual recruiting class rankings, and the Fighting Sioux freshman are regarded as the second best group in the nation. Rocco Grimaldi, Nick Mattson, and Mark MacMillan are also included in the individual rankings. Check them out:
Top 15 Freshman Classes
Top 20 Forwards
Top 20 Defensemen
Top 10 Goaltenders

In terms of the 2012 Fighting Sioux recruiting class, Jordan Schmaltz is considered one of Kevin Allen's Top 5 US-born prospects for the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, while fellow recruit and current USNTDP Under-18 team leading scorer Stefan Matteau was a Tuesday guest on The Pipeline Show. The link to the interview can be found here, and the Matteau interview begins about five minutes into the clip.

Wednesday was a quiet day in terms of NHL and AHL action with just one game scheduled in each league, but some former Sioux had big nights. In the AHL, Ryan Duncan had a goal and two assists and Brett Hextall added an assist to help Portland defeat Manchester 5-3. Duncan (2G, 3A), Hextall (1G, 3A), and Matt Watkins (1G, 1A) are all among Portland's leading scorers through the first four games of the season, and Duncan (+1) and Hextall (+2) are two of only four Pirates on the positive side of the Plus/Minus ledger.

In the NHL, Matt Frattin scored the shootout winning goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs edged the Winnipeg Jets. Below are videos of Frattin scoring the goal and discussing it afterwards:
Goal:

Interview:

UND To Play Outdoor Hockey? Pro Sioux News, Etc.

A rumor had been floating around the past couple weeks concerning Nebraska-Omaha potentially hosting North Dakota in an outdoor hockey game sometime during the 2012-13 season, but details were pretty sketchy. Today, Nebraska-Omaha head coach Dean Blais was on Omaha's 1620 The Zone and he confirmed that UNO is indeed trying to make it happen and that North Dakota would be the opponent, mentioning Feb 8 or 9 as the potential date. The USHL's Omaha Lancers would also host their in-state rival Lincoln Stars, coached by former Sioux Chad Johnson. The Stars, barring any unforeseen transactions, should also have Sioux recruit Luke Johnson on their roster. The outdoor games would take place at Omaha's brand new baseball field, TD Ameritrade Park (the new home to baseball's College World Series) and would be part of what Blais called Hockey Week in Omaha.

When asked if the rumors were realistic talk, Blais laughed and said UNO Athletic Director Trev Alberts "told me to shut my big mouth about this. But I think so, yeah." Blais finished the discussion by saying, "Omaha's a big event city, and this would certainly be a big event, playing North Dakota outside."

Hopefully all those involved will be able to make this happen. It really has the potential to be a showcase event for an area of the country that isn't considered a traditional hockey hotbed.

You can check out the audio for yourself at 1620 The Zone. It's Oct 18, Seg 10, and they begin discussing the outdoor event at about the 12:40 mark. Thanks to the folks at mavpuck.com for spreading the word on this.

In other Sioux hockey news:

• Toronto Maple Leaf Matt Frattin has yet to register a point in four games this season, but that doesn't mean his solid play has gone unnoticed. In fact, Maple Leaf head coach Ron Wilson bumped Frattin up from the third to second line in order to help the second unit generate more offensive chances. And Wilson says he won't hesitate to do it again, considering Frattin has probably created the most scoring chances on the team outside of Phil Kessel. Here's a Frattin interview following today's Maple Leaf practice: 

• Former Sioux and current Phoenix head coach Dave Tippett is confident his Coyotes will continue their early season success.
• Due to some early season injuries, TJ Oshie and the St. Louis Blues have been forced to make some adjustments to their lineup.
• It's been nearly a year since Denver University's Jesse Martin was critically injured while taking on North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The Denver Post recently published a three-part series detailing Martin's recovery: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
• And finally, I had heard several people expressing concern early this season as to the whereabouts of the Ralph's Beer Grandma. Through five home games, she hadn't made an appearance on the big screen and there was concern for her health. Well, today we found out just why we haven't seen her offer up a cheers this season. Evidently it's because she has turned the University of North Dakota into a binge drinking party school.

Week 2 Recap

Here's my Week 2 Recap of Fighting Sioux men's hockey:

North Dakota vs. Maine:
The Fighting Sioux came away from their non-conference match-up with Hockey East rival Maine with a win and a tie. The Sioux were able to escape with a 3-1 victory Friday night after Maine had been the better team most of the night. Backed by stellar goalkeeping from senior Brad Eidsness the Sioux were able to survive a slow start and a 1-0 deficit to earn the victory. Saturday also saw the Sioux fall behind early as the Black Bears went up 2-0 early in the second period, but North Dakota battled back and eventually settled for a 3-3 tie. Here are my thoughts on the Sioux-Maine weekend:

• Coming into the season, most assumed the backend would be the strength of this team, enabling a young roster to endure some growing pains as it navigates through the early portion of its schedule. That was very much the case Friday night when Brad Eidsness turned back 24 of 25 shots through the first two periods to keep the Sioux in the game despite a very slow start. He was rock solid all night, playing a great positional game, smothering shots and severely limiting opportunistic rebounds. Aaron Dell also had a strong start in net Saturday to help the team earn a tie.
• The defense, while still not playing at the level I think most of us expected, was much better this weekend. Sticks were more active, the shot blocking was better, and they did a much better job of occupying the Black Bears around the goal. 
• Andrew MacWilliam could very well be dubbed The Eraser. Anytime he's physically engaged in a one-on-one play, his strength and brute force almost always render his counterpart irrelevant. This is true both defensively and when he has the puck. And man, can he lay the wood when it comes to checking.
• Danny Kristo was an absolute blast to watch this weekend. His skating and stickhandling were scintillating, and he and Nick Mattson were outstanding on the point for the top power play unit. Not to be overlooked is the immense progress he's made defensively. He was very effective in using his speed and quickness to take away time and space. He's very quickly becoming a dominant player.
• Brock Nelson didn't fill up the stat sheet, but all weekend he was making great hockey plays that sometimes go unappreciated but often affect game outcomes.
• Corban Knight was ridiculous at the dots, winning 16 of 22 faceoffs Friday and 21 of 26 Saturday. How significant was Knight on the draw? Maine won 56% of the faceoffs Knight didn't take, but only 23% of those he did. That's crucial in terms of puck possession.
• Nick Mattson and Michael Parks were the most consistent freshman. Mattson is playing with a lot of confidence and there is no doubt he's going to be a difference maker all season. Parks continues to impress me with his motor and speed. He's always buzzing out there, usually making good things happen. Mark MacMillan also seems to be finding a bit of a comfort zone as he's been looking stronger and stronger as the young season has progressed.
• Freshman Rocco Grimaldi was out of the lineup both games. Hopefully the extra weekend will allow him to be ready to roll this coming weekend when the Sioux open conference play at Wisconsin. Colten St. Clair has yet to receive the go-ahead from the NCAA Clearinghouse.
• The Sioux moved up a spot to #5 in the USCHO poll and held steady at #6 in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll. 

Sioux in the Pros:

• The Portland Pirates lost once in regulation and once in a shootout, but all three former Sioux on their roster registered a point this weekend. Brett Hextall notched an assist in Saturday's loss to Manchester, while Ryan Duncan and Matt Watkins each scored a goal in yesterday's shoot out loss in Providence.
• On Friday night the Colorado Eagles won their first regular season game as a member of the ECHL, with Michael Forney leading the way with a goal and an assist. Aaron Schneekloth assisted on the only goal as the Eagles dropped the Saturday portion of the back-to-back. Jake Marto played in both games but did not register any points.
• Chris Vande Velde had a goal and two assists in Oklahoma City's 10-1 victory over the Texas Stars.
• Anaheim Duck Jason Blake suffered a lacerated tendon Friday night against the San Jose Sharks. He is expected to be out of the line-up for three months.
• Detroit Red Wing Mike Commodore took part in his first regular season practice today, and while he's hoping to be available by Friday, he and the Wings staff are taking the patient approach.
• Drew Stafford has picked up where he left off last season. He is tied for the team lead in goals (3) and has four points in four games for the Buffalo Sabres. Watch him snipe the game winner from the faceoff circle during last Friday's victory over Pittsburgh, with one of the best play-by-play guys of all time Rick Jeannerete on the call:

Sioux Recruits:

• Luke Johnson had an assist in Lincoln's 4-1 victory over Sioux City Saturday. Johnson has now registered at least one point in all four of Lincoln's games, and he is tied for the team lead in points (5) with one goal and four assists.
• Both the USNTDP Under-17 & Under-18 teams are led in scoring by Sioux recruits. Luke Voltin is tied for the U-17 team lead (7 points) with three goals and four assists in eight games, while Stefan Matteau leads the U-18ers (6 points) with two goals and four assists in nine games. Voltin scored the only goal for the U-17ers in their 4-1 loss to Indiana (USHL) Saturday night. Matteau scored a goal and Miles Koules had an assist in the U-18ers 2-1 victory over Vermont (NCAA). Koules continued his breakthrough weekend by recording a goal and an assist in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Plattsburgh State (NCAA Div. III).
• I asked Chris Peters of the outstanding United States of Hockey blog about the USNTDP's Sioux recruits, and here's what he had to offer: "I haven’t seen Matteau play this year, yet, but I did speak to someone at the NTDP who said he looks vastly improved this season. Apparently Matteau put in some serious work over the summer and has come back in terrific shape for this season. That could be a big factor in his improvement. I haven’t seen Thompson or Koules yet this season either, but Thompson got some fair reports from the person I talked to regarding the first U17 USHL game. With his previous USHL experience, he’ll need less time to adjust than his teammates. Koules is a very gifted offensive player and sees the ice very well. He got hurt last season, which may have slowed him down a bit, but I’d expect him to be a big factor this season for the u18s."
• Zane Gothberg stopped 42 of 43 shots in a 1-0 Fargo Force loss to Omaha Saturday night, and Slightly Chilled detailed the meaning of his goalie mask artwork.

Misc. News:

• The USHL features Nick Mattson as one of its alumni to watch throughout the college season.
• Brock Nelson is #12 on the list of New York Islanders Top 25 Prospects Under 25.

Fighting Sioux & Maine Links & Former Sioux News

North Dakota vs. Maine - Series Notes & Links:

• Gametime: Friday 7:37 CDT/Saturday 7:07 CDT
• The games will be broadcast on a variety of media outlets across the region. Here's the standard broadcast information.
• Series notes in PDF: Maine's Take and North Dakota's Take
• The Sioux have been looking forward to the rematch after last year's series in Orono.
• Maine is expecting a challenge this weekend.
• The Bangor Daily News offers a concise series capsule.
• INCH's Friday Four-Cast
• USCHO's This Week in the WCHA
• USCHO's Weekend Picks

Former Sioux News:

• Matt Greene's first unofficial assist of the season? Packing advice for the King's recent European vacation.
• A recent Brett Hextall feature also includes some old footage of his father Ron's AHL days.
• Hextall's Portland Pirates have a lot of new talent, including fellow former Sioux Ryan Duncan and Matt Watkins.
• Speaking of Ryan Duncan, he is the feature in the most recent Pirates Notebook.
• Kyle Radke and the Rio Grande Killer Bees are also adjusting to a lot of new faces.
• A trio of former Sioux are part of the Colorado Eagles move to the ECHL. The Sioux contingent is comprised of Michael Forney, Jake Marto and Aaron Schneekloth. Marto and Schneekloth have been defensive partners in the preseason, and Forney has been playing on the Eagles' top line.
• Adam Calder is off to a sizzling start in the UK.
• David Toews has been loaned from Rockford (AHL) to their ECHL affiliate, the Toledo Walleye. I don't know what it is, but something tells me there's something mighty fishy about that transaction...
• David Hale has opted to retire from professional hockey. 
• TJ Oshie and Jason Blake both made a recent list of the 15 Slickest Shootout Goals. Ya gotta love the ol' spin-o-rama.
• In addition to the Maine series, there's a ton of action involving former and future Sioux this weekend. Look for all the highlights and summaries in the Week 2 Recap.
• And we'll leave you with Zach Parise's shootout goal from New Jersey's victory over Los Angeles last night. His slick backhand made a goalie named Quick look anything but. Check it out:

Through These Doors

The media staff within UND's athletic department is producing a new series that will follow the Fighting Sioux men's hockey team throughout the season. The series, entitled Through These Doors, gets its name from a sign that hangs outside the UND locker room that reads "Through These Doors Walk Champions." The first episode, An Introduction, is available below and more info can be found on the UND athletics website. The series will also soon be available in HD on the UND athletics YouTube channel (it wasn't available in HD as of this morning though). It has an HBO Hard Knocks and 24/7 feel to it, and it's very well done. Check it out if you haven't already: