A Gritty Win

Sometimes, the Sioux are able to put on a dazzling display of talent in their wins. Other times, they are feisty. And even more often, they grind it out, taking what the opponent gives them and taking advantage of it. That was the case last night.

The Sioux bounced back from a tough loss on Friday night, beating Minnesota 4-1, salvaging a split and ensuring they stay atop the WCHA standings.

After a fluky first period goal by Cretin-Derham Hall grad Mark Alt, Evan Trupp quickly ensured it would be the only lead the Gophers saw all night. Stealing the puck in the offensive zone, Trupp walked in with a clear shot at the net, beating Patterson and allowing the Sioux nation to breathe a collective sigh of relief. Another goal would follow after Minnesota decided to be dumb and got called for some penalties. A tic-tac-toe play from Frattin to Genoway to Malone gave the Sioux their 2nd goal of the night.

In the 3rd, a shot by Hextall deflected off of Corban Knight, hit the post, and bounced in, making it 3-1. Finally, some hard work by Danny Kristo gave the Sioux a 4-1 lead and capped off a good night for North Dakota.

Another interesting thing I noted was the penalties last night. The game seemed to be called fairly tight and most of the penalties were warranted and justified. What surprised me though was the ineptness of the Gophers powerplay, which went 0-6 on the night with just 6 shots. The Sioux seemed unafraid of the Gophers on special teams, which of course decided the game, as the Sioux scored 2 PP goals.

Last night, the Sioux did what they needed to do to win. It wasn't pretty or flashy, but they did it. Up next, they hope to get revenge on UNO, who is in a bit of a skid.