MEN'S HOCKEY: Sioux get new Blood

He's a 6-foot-3, 212-pound defenseman with the last name "Blood."

And in a year or two, he'll be coming to UND.

Shattuck-St. Mary's standout Ben Blood verbally committed to UND on Monday night, picking the Sioux over Minnesota and St. Cloud State.

"The school and hockey program has been very successful in the past," said Blood, who visited campus over the weekend. "A lot of players turn pro out of North Dakota. The coaches are committed to giving you the best and getting you to the next level.

"I also loved the campus. It has a family feel to it, like Shattuck. And the facilities for athletics are unbelievable."

Blood said his biggest strength is his physical presence. But he's also showed a scoring touch. Last summer at the USA Hockey Select 17 Camp, which fields 12 teams of the best players in the country, Blood was the fourth-leading scorer overall as a defenseman.

This season, he has seven goals and seven assists in 21 games for Shattuck-St. Mary's, the prep school that produced six current Sioux players. Blood also leads the team with 70 penalty minutes.

Blood was just named an "A" player on the NHL Central Scouting's players to watch list, meaning he is projected to be a first- to third-round selection in next summer's NHL draft.

"I know a lot of players who are at UND and every one of them speaks so highly of it," Blood said. "They all love it and none of them would play anywhere else if they had the chance."

Oliver picks SCSU

Roseau (Minn.) High School sophomore forward Nick Oliver verbally committed to play college hockey at St. Cloud State on Monday.

Oliver, who said he plans to play his entire high school career at Roseau rather than jumping to a junior hockey league, will join the Huskies in 2009.

"I really like the program and the direction it's heading," Oliver said of St. Cloud State. "I thought it was the right fit for me. I could either commit now or wait to see if I get any other offers. But I didn't think there would be any school I would like more than St. Cloud, so I didn't see any problem in committing this early."

Oliver took an unofficial visit to St. Cloud State three weeks ago during its series against the University of Minnesota.

"I really like coach (Bob) Motzko," said Oliver, who is the son of Roseau High School coach Scott Oliver. "The university seemed very nice and another attraction was how the fans and people there support their team."