The Most Penalized Team In The Country

The most penalized team in the country .... but what does that really mean?

UND has, over 29 games, taken 248 penalties for 645 PIM this year. That's 225 minors, 7 majors, and 16 other penalties (all 10 minute). But why?

UND's head-to-head opponents have taken 223 minors, 3 majors, and 13 other penalties for a summary of 239 penalties for 591 minutes.

So let's put some context around that ....

Penalty Minutes: Games PIM PIM/G
1 North Dakota 29 645 22.2
2 Canisius 31 681 22.0
( North Dakota's Opponents 29 591 20.4)
3 Bowling Green 30 589 19.6
4 RIT 30 574 19.1
5 Western Michigan 32 590 18.4
6 Nebraska-Omaha 32 589 18.4
7 Sacred Heart 30 552 18.4
8 Miami 32 574 17.9
9 Ferris State 30 538 17.9
10 Michigan 32 571 17.8

Now, tell me, are UND's penalties the chicken or the egg? To try to figure that out let's play "Run the Scenario":

Theory 1: UND is a bunch of dirty hacks: Those poor Opponent souls are just doing what they have to to stay alive.

Contradictory Indicators: If UND was a bunch of dirty hacks, how are they leading the WCHA, #2 in the polls, and holder of an NCAA region #1 seed as of today?

Theory 2: Opponents are a bunch of dirty hacks. UND is defending itself.

Contradictory Indicators: UND has more penalties and PIMs. Pure retaliation doesn't fit this notion.

Theory 3: UND comes out playing a "to the edge" physical game. They make some hits, take a couple penalties along the way, but drive the opponent to retaliate questionably.

Contradictory Indicators: In this theory, the opponent should be at par or higher as retaliatory may be more severe penalties. So we may be close.

Theory 3 Amended: UND comes out playing a "to the edge" physical game. They make some hits, take a couple penalties along the way, but drive the opponent to questionably retaliate. UND doesn't stand for the retaliation and deals with it.

Indicator: UND has more minors but otherwise reasonably comparable penalty numbers.

I think we've found our plausible solution. But can we do more to make it fit the numbers and reality of the situation?

Let stop looking at penalty numbers, but games, and see what that can show us. Wouldn't you expect the most heavily penalized team in the country to be playing net short-handed games far more often than they are playing net even or man-advantage games? You would, and you'd be wrong in this case.

In games in which UND has:
- more power plays than its opponents, the Sioux are 8-1-2.
- fewer power plays than its opponents, the Sioux are 8-5-0.
- the same number of power plays, the Sioux are 3-2-0.

Therefore, in the 29 games UND has played, the Sioux have had the the same or more power plays than their opponents 16 times and fewer power plays 13 times.

So there you have it folks, the most penalized team in the country is even or at a total powerplays advantage in more games than not.

A Game Day Observation Points To A Glaring Change In the WCHA

I'm looking at the PDF from UND Sports Information for UAA at UND, page 3, lower left, and I'm struggling to believe my eyes.

The top two career active point scorers in the WCHA are juniors? And there are only 2 guys in the whole league with 100 career points? And there are sophomores, *three* sophomores, in the top 11?

All it takes to be top 11 in active career scoring in the WCHA right now is a mere 73 career points. And 119 points is the active career points leader (UND junior TJ Oshie).

To understand my wonderment, let me put this to you from my perspective:

Tony Hrkac put up 116 points (46-70-116) in a season (1986-1987, 48 games).

If that single season was active today it would put him tied for second (UND junior and fellow Hobey Baker winner Ryan Duncan) in active career points and almost in the top 11 using only the assists total (70).

Brad Schlossman of the Grand Forks Herald has pointed to scoring being down, way down, in the WCHA. Brad is onto something.

Personally, I do not view scoring being down, this far down, as a good thing.

Here come your Fighting Sioux!

Anyone who's followed Fighting Sioux hockey since Dave Hakstol took over as head coach in 2004 knows that a second-half surge is becoming trademark of his teams. In his first three seasons, Hakstol's teams got off to slow starts before ending up in the NCAA Frozen Four. All indications are that this season's surge has begun.

With 2-1 and 5-3 road victories over Minnesota State-Mankato this weekend, the Sioux broke out of another trend for the second straight weekend. Last weekend's home sweep of Michigan Tech ended the trend of splitting at home. This weekend's sweep of the Mavericks ended the trend of splitting on the road.

UND now has a five-game winning streak going. Prior to the sweep of MTU, the Sioux hadn't won more than two games in a row all season. With the lowly Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves visiting Ralph Engelstad Arena next weekend, the Sioux should keep that streak going. In fact, the way Minnesota has been playing, the road series at Minneapolis the following week looks less daunting than it once did.

When the Denver Pioneers visit the Ralph Feb. 15-16, the two teams might very well be playing for control of second place in the WCHA. Currently, while UND's fortunes appear to be on the upswing, DU seems headed in the opposite direction. Still, there's a lot of talent on the Pioneers and nobody should take them for granted.

One trend the Sioux must end if they're going to be serious contenders for their eighth national championship is their inability to come from behind to win in the third period. It's been nearly three years since UND trailed at the start of he third period and rallied for a win. That was Feb. 18, 2005, at Anchorage. Since then, the Sioux are 0-23 when behind after two periods.

This team has the talent to win it all, but it would be a mistake to pencil in the Sioux for a Frozen Four slot just yet. The Sioux are in a good position to control their own destiny, and that's exactly how Hakstol likes it.

Have we hit an all-time low in the state of WCHA officiating?

Not that long ago I thought officiating in the WCHA had turned a corner. The league had just finished an experiment with cameras over the goals and was making the system league wide. The WCHA was calling obstruction and the game opened up for the top end players to showcase their skills. And more recently the league even experimented with a four official system on the ice.

But even with these positive factors showing the WCHA does care about the quality of the officiating we're left this season with not one but two controversial goals (DU at SCSU and UW at DU), technology or not, haunting the standings. Bruce McLeod and the league office are offering not much more than apologies.

Amidst this fiasco one (at least one) WCHA coach is calling for officiating to move to the NHL style of calls (strict enforcement). I do agree with this sentiment and believe it has to occur or the top end talent may stop coming to the WCHA, yet ....

I'm sorry Dave (and others): The WCHA office needs to figure out what is and isn't a goal before it can be credible in calling a style where a stick parallel to the ice and touching an opponent is a minor penalty.

I've stopped believing this WCHA administration is willing or capable of doing either any time soon.

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