GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- When University of North Dakota senior
Chris Porter steps on the ice Friday afternoon, he will tie a
Western Collegiate Hockey Association record for consecutive games
played.
And, barring a game-sidelining injury that he has avoided
throughout his four-year career at UND, he will become the sole
record-holder on Saturday.
The Sioux meet St. Cloud State in St. Paul, Minn., on Friday in
the WCHA Final Five semifinals. It will be the 171st consecutive
game for Porter, tying him with Wisconsin's John Johannson
(1980-84) and Colorado College's Calvin Elfring (1994-98). Win or
lose, UND will play again Saturday, giving Porter the chance to
stand alone.
The Final Five begins Thursday with Michigan Tech meeting
Wisconsin. That winner plays top-seeded Minnesota in Friday's
semifinals.
"The record would mean a lot to me," Porter said. "I would
take the record with pride and keep moving on."
The wing from Thunder Bay, Ontario, said one explanation for his
record is that many players don't stay in college for four years,
opting to turn professional before their senior year. UND Coach
Dave Hakstol said there's no way to minimize what Porter has
accomplished.
"It's tough to do on a lot of levels," Hakstol said. "First
of all, it speaks to his ability to play right away as a freshman
and play at such a high level that he's stayed in the lineup.
"And it speaks to his durability, conditioning and toughness.
Just because he hasn't missed a game, it doesn't mean he hasn't
played in a lot of them at less than 100 percent, health-wise,'
Hakstol said.
It also speaks to UND's success in his four years. UND advanced
to the regional in Porter's freshman year, to the national
championship game when he was a sophomore and to the national
semifinals when he was a junior. The Sioux are a lock to reach the
16-team NCAA field again this year.
But Porter's yeoman effort extends beyond never missing a game
since he broke an arm as an eighth-grader. "I've never missed a
practice at UND either," he said.
"I think the key is my off-season conditioning to come into
camp in the best shape possible. That carries you through the first
half of the season," he said. "After that, it's just a matter of
surviving."
Porter has won the team's last three Iron Man Awards, given to
the player who scores the highest in the preseason dryland training
competition.
UND goalie Philippe Lamoureux was a teammate of Porter's with
the Lincoln (Neb.) Stars junior team. "It was the same thing there
never, missing a game or a practice," Lamoureux said. "It's a
testament to his work ethic. He's a heart-and-soul guy who brings
effort to the rink every day."
That dedication and effort is why his teammates voted him as
captain.
"He's the first to arrive at practice, the last to leave
practice and in between he leads on the ice," Lamoureux said.
Porter has seven goals and 15 assists for 22 points, ranking
eighth on the team in scoring. UND's scoring leader is Ryan Duncan
with 29 goals and 22 assists for 51 points, followed by linemates
Jonathan Toews (14-27-41) and T.J. Oshie (13-28-41).
The Sioux not only are playing to defend the Broadmoor Trophy,
given to the league playoff champion, but also for seeding in the
16-team national tournament. The better they fare in the Final
Five, the higher the seed they'll get in one of the four regionals
next week.
UND has gone 14-2-4 in its last 20 games, outscoring opponents
by an average of 3.80 to 2.05. The Sioux went 7-10-1 in their first
18 games, being outscored by an average of 3.17 to 3.00.
Lamoureux has been in the net for UND's last 20 games.
"Since Christmas, we've been in a lot of tight games and gotten
points out of most of them," Hakstol said. "But I hope we haven't
peaked yet."