The end of last season wasn't much fun for Chay Genoway.
"Lost a lot of sleep," he said. "I wanted to be out there with those guys."
Today, he finally gets to.
More than 10 months after suffering a concussion that ended his 2009-10 season, the UND captain will be back on the ice as the Sioux take on the University of Manitoba in the team's only exhibition game (6:07 p.m., Ralph Engelstad Arena).
"I feel like it's a blessing to get this chance," said Genoway, who returned with a medical redshirt. "I'm feeling good and I'm ready to get back into a game atmosphere. It has been a long summer. Our team has put in a lot of time. We're ready to get moving."
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The cobwebs started to clear for Genoway this summer as he worked out in Grand Forks. Gradually, he returned to normalcy and was able to practice with his teammates.
Conditioning has been the biggest hurdle for the dynamic defenseman. The exhibition will be a good opportunity to gauge where he's at.
When Genoway is on the top of his game, he's one of the best players in the country. As a junior, he was named the Western Collegiate Hockey Association's defensive player of the year. He also was UND's leading scorer when he was injured last season.
"I went through a lot," Genoway said. "I think you learn a lot. Hopefully, I can take a lot from it. I'm feeling healthy."
Quirky rule
for today only
The NCAA has made it mandatory for teams to experiment with a rule that doesn't allow a shorthanded team to ice the puck.
The NCAA had planned to put the rule in place for the regular season as well, but because of strong backlash from the coaches, the Rules Committee rescinded it and instead put it in on an experimental basis.
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That means the experiment will be conducted today.
Briefly
- There is no limit on how many players UND can dress today.
- The exhibition is a North Dakota Family Days game. Fans receive a free food voucher for the game by purchasing a Coca-Cola product (excluding 20 oz. bottles) at Walmart and bringing the receipt to Ralph Engelstad Arena while buying a ticket.
- The Sioux have played the Bisons in each of Dave Hakstol's six years as head coach. UND has won all of those meetings by a combined score of 41-12.
Reach Schlossman at (701) 780-1129; (800) 477-6572, ext. 129; or send e-mail to bschlossman@gfherald.com .
