1986–87 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey season

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1986–87 North Dakota Fighting Hawks
men's ice hockey season
University of North Dakota logo - interlocking ND.svg
National champion
WCHA, champion
WCHA Tournament, champion
1987 NCAA Tournament, champion
Conference1st WCHA
Home iceWinter Sports Center
Record
Overall40–8–0
Conference29–6–0
Home26–2–0
Road12–6–0
Neutral2–0–0
Coaches and Captains
Head CoachJohn Gasparini
Assistant CoachesDean Blais

John Marks
Captain(s)Bob Joyce
Alternate captain(s)
Ian Kidd
North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey seasons
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The 1986–87 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team represented the University of North Dakota in college ice hockey. In its 9th year under head coach John Gasparini the team compiled a 40–8–0 record and reached the NCAA tournament for the eleventh time.[1] The Fighting Sioux defeated defending champion Michigan State 5–3 to win the championship game at the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan.

Season[]

Early Season[]

After a rather dismal season, North Dakota was expected to improve but not challenge for the WCHA title in 1987.[2] The team, however, received a major boon from two players that changed their fortune. The first was from freshman goaltender Ed Belfour, a 21-year old player who had spent the past three years in relative obscurity in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The second was from returning sophomore Tony Hrkac who had produced well in his first campaign but spent the entire 1985-86 season with the Canadian National Team.

The two players were instrumental in Gino Gasparini's team getting off to a fast start, winning its first 8 games and jumping out to a huge lead in the conference standings. While Belfour was establishing himself in net as one of the top players in the country, Hrkac was on an all-time scoring pace, flanked by Bob Joyce and Steve Johnson. The Fighting Sioux split a pair of weekends on the road but they used their indomitable home crowd to their advantage and finished the month of November with a 14–2 record (13–2 in conference).

December Slump[]

North Dakota began December with another road split and followed that with their first home loss of the year, losing to a middling US International squad. Though they recovered slightly in the second game of the weekend the team lost both games of its holiday weekend in New England. Having lost four of their previous five games and producing some of their worst performances of the season, it appeared that the Fighting Sioux might be sliding back to the pack but a 4-game stretch at home came at the perfect time.

Winning Streak[]

UND hosted the two Boston schools at the beginning of January and took both games, dispelling any doubts about their ability to compete with Eastern teams, then welcomed in WCHA powerhouse Minnesota. The defense returned in force, holding the Gophers to two goals in each game and allowing Hrkac to lead the Sioux to consecutive wins and seat North Dakota atop the conference standings.[3]

The Fighting Sioux continued their winning streak for another five weeks, taking 14 matches before their next loss which came on the final weekend of the regular season. UND finished with a record of 31–7 and won the WCHA handily, ending 7 points above Minnesota.

WCHA Tournament[]

As the top seed, North Dakota would be able to play each round of the conference tournament at home. They faced Minnesota–Duluth in the quarters, easily dispatching the Bulldogs in both games. Next up was Colorado College who had upset in-state rival Denver. The Tigers fell 6–2 in the first game and the 4-goal advantage allowed the Fighting Sioux to get away with a sloppy effort in the rematch; CC won the second game but only by a single goal and North Dakota advanced to the championship with a 7–4 series win.

North Dakota met Minnesota once more in the finals and again, despite possessing one of the top offenses in the country, couldn't get much past the Fighting Sioux defense. UND won both games by a 5–3 score and won the WCHA championship, their first in 7 years. The 36 wins they had at that point set a new program record while Tony Hrkac finished with 104 points, just 6 points away from a new NCAA record.

NCAA Tournament[]

North Dakota received the top western seed, and played another home series, this time against ECAC Hockey Runner-Up St. Lawrence. UND won both games to take the total-goal series 9–4 with Hrkac piling up the points (2 goals and 5 assists), breaking Bill Watson's record for points in a season with two games yet to play. Additionally, the Fighting Sioux tied the NCAA record for wins in a season with 38 (Michigan State, 1985).

UND met 1986 Runner-Up Harvard in the semifinal at the Joe Louis Arena. Once again Hrkac was the story of the game, scoring a goal and adding three assists as the Fighting Sioux trounced the Crimson 5–2 to reach the championship. On defending National Champion Michigan State stood in their way but just as they had against Harvard, UND got off to a quick start; this time with was Ian Kidd who led the way with a goal and two assists in the first period. North Dakota built a 3–0 lead after 20 minutes while allowed only 2 shots from the Spartans to reach Ed Belfour. MSU woke up in the second period, scoring twice on 8 shots, but the Sioux added another goal of their own as well as a fifth goal in the third to hold off Michigan State. The Spartans eventually scored their third of the game but it came too late to mount a comeback and North Dakota won their fifth national championship.

Awards and Honors[]

Tony Hrkac scored 12 points in four tournament games, the second-highest total ever (behind the 13 points by both Aaron Broten (1981) and Tony Amonte (1990) as of 2019) and was awarded the tournament MOP despite scoring only once in the championship match. He was joined on the All-Tournament team by Ed Belfour, Ian Kidd and Bob Joyce. Just prior to the championship game Hrkac received the Hobey Baker Award as the top Division I athlete and finished the season as the first North Dakota player to lead the NCAA in scoring.[4] Hrkac's 116 points in an NCAA record for a single season and is 7 better than the next-highest total (as of 2019). Head coach Gino Gasparini, for leading his team to the first-ever 40-win season, was awarded the Spencer Penrose Award as the top Division I coach, also a first for North Dakota. Hrkac, Joyce and Kidd were also named to the AHCA All-American West First-Team,[5] while Belfour was a Second-Team All-American.

All four players were also on the All-WCHA First Team[6] with Hrkac being named as the conference Most Valuable Player[7] and Gasparini as the Coach of the Year for the third time.

Both Ed Belfour and Tony Hrkac left the program after the season to begin their professional careers. Hrkac played a long time in the NHL, amassing 371 over 758 games while Belfour finished his career with the then-3rd-most wins in NHL history (484) and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011.[8]

Standings[]

1986–87 Western Collegiate Hockey Association standings
Conference Overall
GP W L T PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
North Dakota†* 35 29 6 0 58 200 94 48 40 8 0 264 129
Minnesota 35 25 9 1 51 176 123 49 34 14 1 248 165
Denver 35 16 16 3 35 150 149 40 19 18 3 182 172
Wisconsin 35 17 17 1 35 127 134 42 23 18 1 160 155
Northern Michigan 35 16 18 1 33 131 144 40 18 21 1 151 164
Colorado College 35 12 22 1 25 143 151 42 17 24 1 171 176
Michigan Tech 35 11 23 1 23 118 182 40 11 28 1 130 218
Minnesota-Duluth 35 11 23 1 23 114 163 39 11 27 1 121 184
Championship: North Dakota
† indicates conference regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion

Schedule[]

Date Opponent# Rank# Site Result Record
Regular Season
October 10 at Minnesota–Duluth Duluth Arena Auditorium • Duluth, Minnesota W 6–2  1–0 (1–0)
October 11 at Minnesota–Duluth Duluth Arena Auditorium • Duluth, Minnesota W 7–1  2–0 (2–0)
October 17 at Denver DU Arena • Denver, Colorado W 5–2  3–0 (3–0)
October 18 at Denver DU Arena • Denver, Colorado W 11–5  4–0 (4–0)
October 24 vs. Northern Michigan Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 8–4  5–0 (5–0)
October 25 vs. Northern Michigan Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 6–4  6–0 (6–0)
October 31 vs. Wisconsin Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 9–4  7–0 (7–0)
November 1 vs. Wisconsin Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 6–2  8–0 (8–0)
November 7 at Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan L 5–8  8–1 (8–1)
November 8 at Michigan Tech MacInnes Student Ice Arena • Houghton, Michigan W 4–2  9–1 (9–1)
November 14 at Minnesota Williams Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota W 4–1  10–1 (10–1)
November 15 at Minnesota Williams Arena • Minneapolis, Minnesota L 1–4  10–2 (10–2)
November 21 vs. Colorado College Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 7–3  11–2 (11–2)
November 22 vs. Colorado College Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 11–2  12–2 (12–2)
November 28 vs. New Hampshire† Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 10–0  13–2 (13–2)
November 30 vs. Yale* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 6–4  14–2 (13–2)
December 5 at Colorado College Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado W 4–3 OT 15–2 (14–2)
December 6 at Colorado College Broadmoor World Arena • Colorado Springs, Colorado L 2–3  15–3 (14–3)
December 12 vs. US International* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota L 3–5  15–4 (14–3)
December 13 vs. US International* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 6–3  16–4 (14–3)
December 27 at Maine† Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine L 4–5  16–5 (14–4)
December 28 at Lowell† Tully Forum • Billerica, Massachusetts L 1–4  16–6 (14–5)
January 2 vs. Boston College† Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 7–5  17–6 (15–5)
January 4 vs. Boston University† Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 4–3  18–6 (16–5)
January 9 vs. Minnesota Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 5–2  19–6 (17–5)
January 10 vs. Minnesota Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 4–2  20–6 (18–5)
January 16 at Providence† Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island W 5–1  21–6 (19–5)
January 18 at Northeastern† Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts W 4–1  22–6 (20–5)
January 23 vs. Michigan Tech Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 11–2  23–6 (21–5)
January 24 vs. Michigan Tech Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 11–2  24–6 (22–5)
January 30 at Wisconsin Dane County Coliseum • Madison, Wisconsin W 5–4  25–6 (23–5)
January 31 at Wisconsin Dane County Coliseum • Madison, Wisconsin W 2–1  26–6 (24–5)
February 6 vs. Minnesota–Duluth Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 5–0  27–6 (25–5)
February 7 vs. Minnesota–Duluth Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 9–3  28–6 (26–5)
February 13 vs. Denver Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 4–1  29–6 (27–5)
February 14 vs. Denver Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota W 5–2  30–6 (28–5)
February 20 at Northern Michigan Lakeview Arena • Marquette, Michigan L 3–6  30–7 (28–6)
February 21 at Northern Michigan Lakeview Arena • Marquette, Michigan W 5–0  31–7 (29–6)
WCHA Tournament
February 28 vs. Minnesota–Duluth* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA Quarterfinal game 1) W 5–3  32–7 (29–6)
March 1 vs. Minnesota–Duluth* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA Quarterfinal game 2) W 8–1  33–7 (29–6)
North Dakota Won Series 13-4
March 8 vs. Colorado College* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA Semifinal game 1) W 6–2  34–7 (29–6)
March 9 vs. Colorado College* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA Semifinal game 2) L 1–2  34–8 (29–6)
North Dakota Won Series 7-4
March 13 vs. Minnesota* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA championship game 1) W 5–3  35–8 (29–6)
March 14 vs. Minnesota* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (WCHA championship game 2) W 5–3  36–8 (29–6)
North Dakota Won Series 10-6
NCAA Tournament
March 20 vs. St. Lawrence* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (National Quarterfinal game 1) W 3–1  37–8 (29–6)
March 21 vs. St. Lawrence* Winter Sports Center • Grand Forks, North Dakota (National Quarterfinal game 2) W 6–3  38–8 (29–6)
North Dakota Won Series 7-2
March 26 vs. Harvard* Joe Louis Arena • Detroit, Michigan (National Semifinal) W 6–2  39–8 (29–6)
March 28 vs. Michigan State* Joe Louis Arena • Detroit, Michigan (National championship) W 5–3  40–8 (29–6)
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll.
Source:

† All scheduled games between WCHA and Hockey East teams in the regular season were counted in the standings for both conferences.

[9]

Roster and scoring statistics[]

No. Name Year Position Hometown S/P/C Games Goals Assists Pts PIM
21 Tony Hrkac Sophomore C Thunder Bay, ON Ontario 48 46 70 116 48
20 Bob Joyce Junior LW Winnipeg, MB Manitoba 48 52 37 89 42
7 Steve Johnson Junior W Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 48 26 44 70 38
4 Ian Kidd Sophomore D Gresham, OR Oregon 47 13 47 60 58
8 Mickey Krampotich Senior LW Hibbing, MN Minnesota 47 27 27 54 18
15 Scott Koberinski Sophomore C North Battleford, SK Saskatchewan 48 19 27 46 34
11 Malcom Parks Senior W Edmonton, AB Alberta 48 18 21 39 50
14 Lee Davidson Freshman C Winnipeg, MB Manitoba 41 16 12 28 65
10 Perry Nakonechny Senior W Dauphin, MB Manitoba 43 6 14 20 42
6 Tom Benson Junior D Victoria, BC British Columbia 47 0 20 20 80
19 Scott Dub Sophomore LW Park River, ND North Dakota 46 11 8 19 81
25 Brett Bobyck Freshman C Regina, SK Saskatchewan 46 8 11 19 16
17 Russ Parent Freshman D Winnipeg, MB Manitoba 47 2 17 19 50
27 Mike LaMoine Sophomore D Grand Forks, ND North Dakota 47 2 17 19 36
22 Grant Paranica Sophomore RW Winnipeg, MB Manitoba 42 5 10 15 38
3 Murray Baron Freshman D Kamloops, BC British Columbia 41 4 10 14 62
9 Jeff Bowen Senior LW East Grand Forks, MN Minnesota 45 5 8 13 42
16 Tarek Howard Senior D Olds, AB Alberta 32 1 9 10 38
18 Bill Claviter Senior F Virginia, MN Minnesota 20 2 2 4 10
5 Darryn Fossand Freshman D Bemidji, MN Minnesota 16 1 2 3 8
29 Ed Belfour Freshman G Carman, MB Manitoba 34 0 2 2 6
23 Gary Kaiser Freshman F Fargo, ND North Dakota 9 0 1 1 18
35 Scott Brower Junior G Viking, AB Alberta 15 0 1 1 4
24 Scott Brickey Freshman W Port Huron, MI Michigan 5 0 1 1 4
13 Rick Forst Junior LW Esterhazy, SK Saskatchewan 1 0 0 0 0
1 Greg Strome Senior G Muenster, SK Saskatchewan 1 0 0 0 0
Total 264 418 682 888

[10]

Goaltending statistics[]

No. Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
29 Ed Belfour 34 2049 29 4 0 81 876 3 .915 2.43
35 Scott Brower 15 803 11 4 0 44 282 0 .865 3.09
1 Greg Strome 1 40 0 0 0 3 21 0 .875 4.48
Total 48 – 40 8 0 129 – 3 .902 2.69

1987 championship game[]

(W1) North Dakota vs. (W2) Michigan State[]

March 28[11] North Dakota 5 – 3 Michigan State Joe Louis Arena


Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st UND Ian Kidd – PP Joyce 15:07 1–0 UND
UND Murray Baron Bowen and Kidd 16:44 2–0 UND
UND Bob Joyce Kidd and Hrkac 17:02 3–0 UND
2nd MSU McReynolds and Messier 28:30 3–1 UND
UND – GW Koberinski 35:05 4–1 UND
MSU Kevin Miller unassisted 36:56 4–2 UND
3rd UND Brent Bobyck Parent 47:54 5–2 UND
MSU Kip Miller Miller 58:34 5–3 UND

Players drafted into the NHL[]

1987 NHL Entry Draft[]

[12]

= NHL All-Star Team = NHL All-Star[13] = NHL All-Star[13] and NHL All-Star Team = Did not play in the NHL
Round Pick Player NHL Team
3 63 Geoff Smith† Edmonton Oilers
6 108 Garry Valk† Vancouver Canucks
6 113 † Chicago Blackhawks
10 201 † St. Louis Blues
12 233 Neil Eisenhut† Vancouver Canucks

† incoming freshman

1987 NHL Supplemental Draft[]

[14]

= Did not play in the NHL
Pick Player NHL Team
5 Detroit Red Wings
18 Steve Johnson Vancouver Canucks

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "North Dakota Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  2. ^ "THE SIOUX CAME THROUGH". Sports Illustrated. April 7, 1987. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  3. ^ "Minnesota men's ice hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Minnesota Golden Gophers. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  4. ^ "NCAA - All-time season". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  5. ^ "Men's Ice Hockey Award Winners" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  6. ^ "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  7. ^ "WCHA Awards". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved October 23, 2019.
  8. ^ "Class of 2011 announced for Hall of Fame". The Sports Network. 2011-11-02. Archived from the original on 2011-09-04. Retrieved 2011-11-02.
  9. ^ "North Dakota Hockey 2018-19 Hockey Media Guide" (PDF). North Dakota Fighting Hawks. Retrieved January 14, 2019.
  10. ^ "North Dakota Fighting Sioux 1981-82 roster and statistics". EliteProspects. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  11. ^ "North Dakota Hockey 2015-16 Media Guide" (PDF). North Dakota. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-09-18. Retrieved 2017-02-19.
  12. ^ "1987 NHL Entry Draft". Hockey DB. Retrieved July 25, 2019.
  13. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  14. ^ "1987 NHL Supplemental Draft". Hockey DB. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
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