Western Collegiate Hockey Association

North Dakota Hockey: 2007-08 Season Preview

The UND men's hockey team has advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four for three years in a row. North Dakota's seven NCAA tournament wins during that three-year stretch are tied with Boston College for the most in the nation. UND's 11 WCHA playoff wins the past three seasons are two more than any other WCHA team.

Now as the Fighting Sioux embark on the 2007-08 season, they do so with the knowledge that 15 of the players who suited up in last year's Frozen Four are back this season.

The North Dakota roster features four seniors and 10 juniors among its 25 players, making it the most upperclassmen on a Fighting Sioux team since 2004-05, when UND had nine seniors and three juniors on a team that advanced to the NCAA title game.

UND head coach Dave Hakstol looks at the team's experience as a good foundation from which to build.

"Experience doesn't guarantee us anything," Hakstol said, "but it does give us a base to work from. We have a good combination of skill and work ethic, and our experience level is something we need to take advantage of."

Following is a position-by-position look at the 2007-08 Fighting Sioux:

In the Nets: Back for his senior season is Philippe Lamoureux (Grand Forks, ND). Lamoureux was outstanding for UND in 2006-07, posting a 21-12-4 record along with a 2.42 goals-against average and .913 save percentage.

Lamoureux was a workhorse for the Sioux last season, tying Jon Casey's school single-season record with 37 games played. Lamoureux started UND's last 25 games in a row and seemed to relish the workload. In those 25 games, Lamoureux recorded a 17-4-4 record, 2.20 goals-against average and .923 save percentage.

Battling for the number two spot behind Lamoureux will be sophomore Anthony Grieco (Brampton, ON) and junior Aaron Walski (Fargo, ND). Grieco started seven games as a freshman last season and posted a 3-2-1 record with a 3.49 goals-against average and .884 save percentage. He was named WCHA Rookie of the Week on Nov. 7 after leading the Sioux to a 3-1 win and 2-2 tie in a series against St. Cloud State. Walski only saw action in two games last season, but he has shown continual improvement throughout his first two seasons at UND and is a solid goaltender, Hakstol said.

On the Blueline: Five of UND's six starting defensemen from last season are back. The group includes senior Robbie Bina (Grand Forks, ND), juniors Taylor Chorney (Hastings, MN), Joe Finley (Edina, MN) and Zach Jones (Lisle, IL) and sophomore Chay Genoway (Swan River, MB).

The only loss at defense is Brian Lee (2-24-26), who signed with Ottawa of the NHL over the summer after two seasons at UND.

Chorney continued to improve his strong overall game and offensively improved from three goals and 15 assists as a rookie to eight goals and 23 assists last season. He was named to the All-WCHA Second Team and was also named an AHCA second team All-American last season.

Bina came back after missing the previous season with a neck injury and became one of the nation's best two-way defensemen by season's end. He led all UND blueliners in scoring last season with 32 points, including 10 goals. Bina was particularly hot down the stretch, notching nine goals and 21 assists in the last 29 games.

Finley is one of the biggest players in college hockey at 6-7 and 245 pounds. He scored just one goal to go with his six assists last season, but the goal was the game-winner in a key road win at Colorado College.

Jones recorded three assists last season and is one of UND's most physical defensemen.

Genoway, whose puck-handling skills provide an added dimension to his game, shuttled between defense and forward early last season because of injuries to other players. He posted 19 points, including five goals, in 43 games. Hakstol said Genoway will have the opportunity to play exclusively at defense this season.

Two freshmen newcomers join the Sioux defensive corps this season - Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire, WI), and local product Jake Marto (Grand Forks, ND).

LaPoint, a two-time Wisconsin all-state player at Eau Claire North High School and the 2006 Wisconsin player of the year, played for Green Bay in the USHL last season. There he made an immediate impact, scoring 13 goals and adding 36 assists in 59 regular season games and earning All-USHL and USHL All-Rookie honors.

Marto, a 2005 graduate of Grand Forks Central High, was Mr. Hockey in North Dakota as a high school senior. He played the last two seasons for Omaha of the USHL. Last season Marto scored five goals and added 13 assists in 60 regular season games.

Up Front: UND is deep up front, returning its top two scorers and five of its top seven scorers from a year ago.

The leading returning scorer is 2007 Hobey Baker Memorial Award-winner Ryan Duncan (Jr., Calgary, AB). Duncan had a sensational sophomore campaign, scoring 31 goals and adding 26 assists enroute to becoming the second Hobey Baker Award winner in UND school history.

Duncan also won the WCHA scoring title and was named the WCHA Player of the Year in addition to earning first team All-American and first team All-WCHA honors.

Duncan became the first Sioux player to score 30 or more goals in a season since Brandon Bochenski scored 35 in 2002-03.

Also back is one of Duncan's linemates, junior forward T.J. Oshie (Warroad, MN). Oshie is a dynamic player with an all-out style of play who scored 17 goals and 35 assists last season. A third team All-WCHA forward last season, Oshie plays on all of UND's specialty teams and has the capability of making highlight-reel plays.

Three forwards departed after last season, seniors Chris Porter (13-17-30) and Erik Fabian (5-6-11) and sophomore Jonathan Toews (18-28-46), who signed with the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks.

Toews combined with Duncan and Oshie last season to play on what some described as college hockey's best line. Fans can expect to see Duncan and Oshie get the chance to play on the same line once again this season.

Two senior forwards - Rylan Kaip (Radville, SK) and Kyle Radke (Bashaw, AB) will be among the team's key leaders.

Kaip was an assistant captain last season who can play center or wing. He scored five goals and had seven assists in 38 games a year ago.

Radke (two goals, three assists last season) spent most of his first three years at UND playing defense, but he was shifted to forward last season when the Sioux were looking for an added physical presence up front.

In addition to its two senior forwards, North Dakota has six junior forwards that bring a wealth of skills. Joining Duncan and Oshie among UND's junior forwards are Matt Watkins (Aylesbury, SK), Brad Miller (Alpharetta, GA), Andrew Kozek (Sicamous, BC) and Ryan Martens (Winnipeg, MB). Watkins scored six goals and had 11 assists last season, while Kozek had five goals and six assists. Miller was one of UND's most improved players last season, scoring 10 goals and adding 14 assists last season after being held without a point in 15 games as a rookie. Martens had three goals and six assists in 20 games, and he will push for a regular lineup spot this season, Hakstol said.

Three sophomores - Chris VandeVelde (Moorhead, MN), Darcy Zajac (Winnipeg, MB) and Michael Forney (Thief River Falls, MN) - bring their own sets of impressive skills to UND's forward contingent. VandeVelde scored three goals and had six assists in 38 games as a rookie, and his role and ice time increased over the course of last season. By season's end he was centering UND's second line. Zajac had eight goals and two assists in 41 games, highlighted by an overtime game-winning goal early in the season at Wisconsin and two goals in the regular-season finale at St. Cloud State. Forney saw limited action in 16 games and tallied two assists while being slowed by injuries last season. Forney will be expected to battle for increased playing time this season.

Four freshmen forwards join the Sioux this season, and they will be expected to make immediate contributions. This year's group of rookie forwards includes Brent Davidson (Morden, MB), Matt Frattin (Edmonton, AB), Brad Malone (Miramichi, NB) and Evan Trupp (Anchorage, AK). Davidson is a 6-4, 225-pound forward who played last season for Neepawa in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. He led his team in overall scoring with 79 points (36g, 43a) in 59 games last season and appeared in the MJHL All-Star Game. Frattin is a 5-11, 193-pound forward who played last season for Fort Saskatchewan in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. He had 49 goals and 34 assists in 58 games for the Traders and was named the AJHL Rookie of the Year after leading all rookies and finishing second overall in league scoring. Malone is a 6-1, 197-pound forward who played last season for Sioux Falls in the USHL. Malone scored 14 goals and had 19 assists in 57 regular season games. Trupp is a 5-8, 154-pound forward who played the last two seasons for Penticton in the British Columbia Hockey League. Trupp scored 20 goals and had 30 assists in 35 regular season games last season and in 2005-06 was the BCHL Interior Conference Rookie of the Year. He scored 29 goals and had 50 assists in 59 games as a league rookie.