University of Minnesota Athletics
New Year Opens With Dodge Holiday Hockey Classic
12/31/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Hockey
Dodge Holiday Classic Mariucci Arena
Friday, January 2
Northeastern vs. Western Michigan, 4 pm
Minnesota vs. Brown, 7 pm
Saturday, January 3
Brown vs. Northeastern/Western Mich., 4 pm
Minnesota vs. Northeastern/Western Mich., 7 pm
Weekend Overview
The second half of the Minnesota men's hockey season opens with the 18th annual Dodge Holiday Classic and features three incoming schools who have all previously participated in the tournament. Minnesota takes on Brown in its first game and faces a potential showdown with sixth-ranked Northeastern or Western Michigan in the second game.
Last Time Out
Minnesota allowed only two goals over the weekend, but split its final series before the holiday break with a 4-1 win and 1-0 loss to Colorado College on Dec. 13-14. The Gophers got the first career goals from Jake Hansen and Nico Sacchetti in the opening-night win with Mike Hoeffel and Cade Fairchild each posting a goal and an assist. Colorado College scored a first-period shorthanded goal that stood for the victory in the second game. Alex Kangas stopped 47 of 49 shots in the series.
Series History
Minnesota is 5-0 all-time against Brown with all five previous meetings being played in Minneapolis. The Gophers won the most recent encounter 3-1 on Jan. 23, 2001 and beat the Bears 6-3 in the 1997 Dodge Holiday Classic. The Gophers have outscored the Bears 35-8 in the five games.
Northeastern and Minnesota have played 11 previous times with Minnesota owning a 7-4 edge in the series. The teams last met in the 1997 Dodge Holiday Classic title game with Northeastern winning 4-2. The series with the Huskies dates to 1963 and all 11 previous games have been played in the first half of the season. The last seven meetings have been decided by two goals or less, including five one-goal games and three overtime contests.
Western Michigan and Minnesota have played once with the Broncos taking a 9-3 win in the Alaska Anchorage tournament in 1989. The Gophers have played all 11 other Central Collegiate Hockey Association teams since their most recent meeting with the Broncos. Western Michigan played in the Dodge Holiday Classic in 1994 and 2001, but did not face Minnesota either time.
Classic Notes
Minnesota is 26-8 all-time in the Dodge Holiday Classic and has won 11 of the 17 previous titles. The Gophers had a 16-game tournament winning streak snapped in last year’s first-round loss to Rochester Institute of Technology. No current Gopher player has previously been named to an all-tournament team at the event.
Been There, Done That
All three visiting teams in this year’s tournament have made at least one prior appearance in the classic. Northeastern and Brown both made their only previous appearance in 1997 with Northeastern winning the title and Brown losing both games (Notre Dame was the other participant). Western Michigan is making its third appearance, placing third in both 1994 and 2001. Northeastern’s current No. 6 ranking is the highest of any Dodge Holiday Classic visitor since Boston College was sixth in 2002.
Ranking Respect
Minnesota remains among the nation’s top-ranked teams at No. 4 in this week’s poll. The Gophers have been ranked in the top 10 every week this season and spent two weeks at No. 1 during November. Minnesota is one of eight teams in the country with three losses or less. Northeastern also has just three losses.
Taking on the World
Three of Minnesota’s top seven scorers will miss this weekend’s tournament after being selected to participate in the International Ice Hockey Federation under-20 World Junior tournament Dec. 26-Jan. 5 in Ottawa, Canada. Freshman Jordan Schroeder and sophomore Cade Fairchild are playing for Team USA for the second straight year, while sophomore Mike Hoeffel has been chosen for the first time. Minnesota’s three players are the most from any collegiate team. Schroeder is currently the top rookie scorer in Division I hockey with five goals and 11 assists.
Special Effects
The Gophers’ special teams units have been truly special through 16 games, leading the country in combined special teams. Minnesota ranks second nationally on the penalty kill and fourth on the power play, while also leading the WCHA in both categories. Overall, the Gophers have been successful on 59.0 percent of their special teams situations. Last season, Minnesota ranked 30th in the country at 50.0 percent.
Killer Instinct
The Gophers’ penalty kill has been working at school-record pace this season and ranks second in the country at 93.75 percent, which is just five-hundreths of a point behind Miami’s national-best 93.80 percent. Minnesota’s best penalty-killing season in school history was in 2000-01 when its killed off 88.5 percent of opponent power plays. The Gophers have allowed just two power play goals in their last 47 shorthanded situations and have killed off 13 straight penalties. They will be tested on Friday by Brown’s power play, which leads the ECAC and ranks sixth nationally at 21.1 percent.
Power Surge
Power plays have been one of the Gophers’ biggest strengths this season as Minnesota ranks fourth in the country and leads the WCHA at 22.8 percent (21-for-92). The Gophers have already scored 21 power play goals after totaling 25 all of last season. Minnesota has scored on five of its last 10 power play chances over the past four games and has scored power play goals in 13 of its 16 games. The Gophers ranked 50th in the country on the power play last season at 13.0 percent.
Super Stoa
Junior forward Ryan Stoa was named the WCHA Player of the Month for both October and November and currently ranks eighth in the country in scoring with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points. His 11 goals ranks sixth nationally. Stoa has scored points in 13 of the Gophers’ 16 games and has goals in 10 games. He leads the WCHA with nine goals and 18 points in league games. Stoa had two assists in the win over Colorado College for his eighth multiple-point game this season and 15th of his career. The Gophers are 6-0-2 this year when he scores multiple points and 15-1-2 for his career.
