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UMD rolling behind highest scoring power play line in country

The Gophers' defense better be at its best against Minnesota Duluth because the Bulldogs have a dangerous power play.

November 17, 2009 at 4:32PM

The Gophers could be running into a buzzsaw when UMD visits this weekend.

The Bulldogs lost to lowly Michigan Tech 3-2 at the DECC on Friday, but routed the same Huskies 8-1 the next night.

UMD (7-4-1) has one the highest scoring power play line in the country.

Their first unit on the power play pairs these three players down low (coach Scott Sandelin splits them up when it is 5 on 5 hockey for scoring balance):

Junior right winger Justin Fontaine, 5-11, 175, Bonnyville, Alberta

* He has 11 goals, the most of any Division I player, and seven assists for 18 points, which ties him for first in scoring nationally ...He had four goals and one assist last Saturday in the 8-1 stomping of Tech. Fontaine leads naton with eight power play goals.

Sophomore center Jack Connolly, 5-8, 170, Duluth [Marshall]

* He has seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. He is the player tied with Fontaine for national lead in points. J. Connolly has two power play goals.

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Junior left winger Rob Bordon, 6-2, 195, Duluth [Marshall]

* He has 3 goals and 14 assists, most in Division I, and 17 points. He is tied for third in scoring. Twelve of his 17 points, including two goals, have come on the power play.

While those three cause havoc down low, Sandelin usually puts Mike Connolly, another forward but no relation to Jack, up high on the power play with a defenseman, either Brady Lamb, Mike Montgomery or Dylan Olsen.

Mike Connolly has three power play goals.

UMD is averaging 3.50 goals per game, tied for 11th best. Almost exactly half of the team's 42 goals, 22 to be exact, have come on the power play. It is clicking along at a 26.5 percent success rate, scoring on 22 of 83 chances. That's sixth best in D-I hockey. ... The 22 PP goals is three more than any other team has.

The Bulldogs are averaging 38.5 points, which would be a season high in some other years, said Bob Nygaard, UMD's sports information director for men's hockey.

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Bordson is a special story, he had no goals and no assists as a sophomore. But he dedicated himself to offseason conditioning. Sandelin correctly predicted in a season preview that Bordson would be much improved.

OTHER UMD NOTES

* The Bulldogs are second in D-I in most penalty minutes, averaging 22 per game. The U is 19th, averaging 16.8 minutes.

* UMD had 98 shots on net in two games against Michigan Tech.

* The U's PP is 45th, scoring on six of 48 chances, or 12.5 percent. ... The penalty kill is 32nd, killing off 41 of 50 power plays by opponents, or 82 percent.

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