#5 North Dakota (24-10-2 overall, 14-4-1-5 NCHC) hosts unranked Miami (7-24-3 overall, 1-19-0-4 NCHC) in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The winner of this best-of-three series will move on to the semifinals, which will be played next Friday, March 22nd at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota and also feature the winners of the other three playoff matchups:
#7 Minnesota Duluth at #2 Denver
#6 Western Michigan at #3 Colorado College
#5 Omaha at #4 St. Cloud State
It is also worth noting that next season (2024-25) will be the last season of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Back in December, the league announced plans to move the entire conference post-season tournament back to campus sites beginning in 2025-26. The 2026 NCHC Tournament (and beyond) will be played over three weeks and feature the addition of a 9th league foe, the Arizona State Sun Devils.
Here is the future format:
A play-in game (#8 vs. #9) will be held on the Wednesday following the conclusion of the regular season at the site of the #1-seed. The winner of that single-elimination game will move on to face the Penrose Cup champions in a best-of-three quarterfinal beginning two days later, one of four such series across the league. The two semifinal matchups will be played on the following Saturday in the home arenas of the two highest-remaining seeds, with the 2026 NCHC Playoff Championship decided one week later on the campus of the higher seed.
UND finds itself near the top of the national rankings (USCHO #5, USA Hockey #5) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (3rd) this season thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…
North Dakota blanked #9 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.
UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #6 Minnesota, at #2 Boston University) with wins the following night.
Remarkably, when North Dakota traveled to face to RedHawks back in January of 2023 (last season), the two teams were both at the bottom of the league standings. This time around, UND and Miami are at opposite ends of the spectrum: the Fighting Hawks are Penrose Cup champions, while the RedHawks won just ONE conference game all season (a 4-3 home victory over Western Michigan on January 13th, their last win of this campaign). Let me say that again: over the past seven weekends of hockey (one series each against every league foe), MU has not won a game (0-13-1, with a shootout loss at Denver the only bright spot). Over those fourteen games, Miami was outscored 58-26, an average margin of defeat of 4.14 – 1.86.
The problem with this year’s Miami squad is that it lacks everything. You name it, it lacks it. Take a quick look at some of these numbers, along with a comparison to the North Dakota side of the ledger:
Goals per game: MU 2.24 (60th of 64 teams); UND 3.69 (8th)
Goals allowed per game: MU 3.62 (56th); UND 2.58 (17th)
Shooting percentage: MU 8.2% (58th); UND 12.1% (5th)
Save percentage: MU .884 (59th); UND .901 (30th)
Shots on goal/game: MU 27.1 (54th); UND 30.6 (21st)
Shots on goal allowed/game: MU 31.2 (44th); UND 26.2 (11th)
Power play efficiency: MU 13.8% (57th); UND 25.4% (11th)
Penalty kill efficiency: MU 78.2% (43rd); UND 81.4% (23rd)
Faceoff win percentage: MU 46.6% (54th); UND 51.2% (26th)
Corsi: MU 47.0% (50th); UND 52.2% (21st)
Fenwick: MU 46.5% (53rd); UND 53.9% (14th)
Also, amazingly, North Dakota has put up these stellar numbers despite playing the 5th-most difficult schedule in all of college hockey (according to KRACH). Miami’s schedule ranks 26th.
So, all of this points to a UND sweep in blowout fashion, correct?
Not quite.
As I wrote earlier this week, in the NCHC playoffs, it’s difficult to sweep. The league playoffs take on a different level of compete, particularly on Saturday nights, when one team is playing to avoid a season-ending loss. And that would be true in this case. Miami – at 47th in the Pairwise – would need to win two games this weekend AND two games next weekend in St. Paul to continue playing.
North Dakota, currently 3rd in the Pairwise, is certainly headed to the NCAA tournament regardless of this weekend’s results. UND is motivated to win and advance, however, as a #1 seed in one of the four regionals is still an achievable goal. CHN’s Pairwise Probability Matrix currently gives the Fighting Hawks a combined 79% chance of accomplishing that task. Even with two losses, North Dakota would likely earn one of the top five spots in the tourney bracket.
Before we dig into this weekend’s matchup, let’s take a quick look back at the past few games between the two teams…
Back in November, UND hosted Miami and throttled the visitors by scores of 6-4 and 5-1. On Friday night, the Fighting Hawks outshot their red counterparts 42-13 and allowed two late goals to make the final result appear closer than it actually was. MU played a better overall game on Saturday and matched North Dakota in the shot department (22 apiece), but four first-period goals were too much for Miami to overcome.
When UND traveled to Miami last month in Ludvig Persson’s homecoming, the homestanding RedHawks took Friday’s game to overtime before falling 84 seconds in on yet another Jackson Blake overtime tally. Persson, who struggled to feel comfortable in his return to Goggin Ice Center (four goals allowed on 31 shots), assisted on the game winner in overtime On Saturday, North Dakota took control in a 4-1 victory despite allowing 34 shots on goal.
The aggregate score in those four regular-season meetings? 20-10.
The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story, though. UND needed to mount a third-period comeback in order to get the game to overtime on Friday night. And in the rematch, Miami played well enough to win but could not solve Persson. Furthermore, MU was without two first-line forwards (Matthew Barbolini and Raimonds Vitolins.
Last season’s trip to Oxford (January 2023) saw North Dakota blitz the homestanding RedHawks 4-1 and 8-0. UND went 4-for-8 with the man advantage on Saturday night and also scored a shorthanded goal.
Back in November of 2022, the Fighting Hawks won Friday’s home opener vs. Miami in runaway fashion, boatracing the RedHawks by building a 5-0 lead over the first 31 minutes of the hockey game. In Saturdays’ rematch, UND spotted the visitors a 3-0 lead before making a late push, outshooting MU 27-6 over the final two periods but falling just short in a 4-3 loss. That RedHawks victory was the only blemish in North Dakota’s 9-1 head-to-head mark over the past ten games.
The Fighting Hawks traveled to Oxford, Ohio in November 2021 and earned a road sweep with 4-1 and 5-4 victories. UND outshot Miami 68-31 in the two-game series.
Almost one year earlier (December 2nd, 2020), the two teams met in Omaha in the first pod game for either side. North Dakota blanked Miami 2-0 and put 39 shots on goal.
And in the rematch on December 20th – the final game of the Omaha pod – the RedHawks managed to score twice but allowed six North Dakota goals on 39 shots.
Miami put a total of 42 shots on frame over the course of those six periods of hockey.
After those two December tilts, the teams were not scheduled to face each other in the second half of the 2021-2022 season. As fate would have it, however, top-seeded UND (18-5-1) drew last-place Miami (5-17-2) in the first round of the modified NCHC Frozen Faceoff. There was little drama in the contest, as the Fighting Hawks scored three goals in the first six minutes of the hockey game and cruised to a 6-2 victory, outshooting MU 46-28.
In the past thirteen games, North Dakota has outscored Miami 65-25 (5.0 – 1.9 per contest) while holding a 451-277 advantage in shots on goal (34.7 – 21.3).
Over the past three seasons, the RedHawks relied on goaltender Ludvig Persson to keep games close, as Miami only averaged 2.22 goals per game. Unfortunately, MU allowed 3.91 goals per game over those three campaigns and only won twenty total games (20-69-8, .247).
And now Ludvig Persson is wearing the green and white of North Dakota (more on that below).
Ten full seasons have come and gone since the college hockey landscape changed forever. With Minnesota and Wisconsin departing the Western Collegiate Hockey Association for the Big Ten after the 2012-13 season, several other conference schools and two members of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (Miami and Western Michigan) created the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and left Alaska Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, and Minnesota State behind in a watered-down WCHA. And now, the WCHA is no more, and the CCHA reformed beginning with the 2021-2022 campaign.
The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 434-223-72 (.645) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve teams to the Frozen Four (UND and Omaha in 2015, UND and Denver in 2016, Denver and Duluth in 2017, Duluth in 2018, Denver and Duluth in 2019, Duluth and St. Cloud State in 2021, and Denver in 2022) over that seven-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.
Over the first eleven completed regular seasons of the NCHC, Miami has averaged a seventh-place finish among the eight conference teams (8th, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, and 8th), with a combined league record of 63-168-33 (.301).
By comparison, North Dakota has finished 2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 4th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 1st, 5th, and 1st, for an average finish just under second place, with a combined league record of 154-81-29 (.638). No other league member has collected as many conference wins as UND.
When the National Collegiate Hockey Conference was formed, Miami appeared positioned to be a dominant program. Prior to the 2013-14 season (their inaugural campaign in the NCHC), the RedHawks had made eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, with consecutive Frozen Four bids in 2009 (2nd) and 2010 (3rd). Since joining the NCHC, Miami has just one NCAA tournament appearance (2015), and that ended quickly with a first-round loss to eventual national champion Providence.
Long-tenured head coach Enrico Blasi was fired after posting a fourth consecutive losing season in 2018-2019. Over that stretch of time, the RedHawks were 47-81-19 (.384). There is reason for optimism in Oxford, however, with new bench boss Chris Bergeron taking over the program after leading Bowling Green to six consecutive winning seasons, five consecutive years with twenty or more victories, and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2018-2019.
And turning our attention to this season…
Coming into its series against Colorado College a month ago, the Fighting Hawks had taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in its first sixteen league games (10-0-1-5). That streak came to an end in the Springs, as UND dropped two games to the Tigers, bringing their season mark against CC to 0-2-0-2 (two regulation losses; two 3-on-3 overtime losses). Prior to last weekend, North Dakota completed home sweeps over Minnesota Duluth (6-0, 4-2) and Western Michigan (5-3, 3-0) to earn the program’s fourth Penrose Cup (NCHC regular season championship trophy) in the past five seasons.
Last weekend on the road at Omaha, the Mavericks were clearly the better team out of the gate on Friday night. UND put together a fine third period but could not put a third goal past UNO goaltender Simon Latkoczy. North Dakota outshot Omaha 14-4 over the final twenty minutes of the hockey game but fell 3-2. In Saturday’s rematch, Latkoczy was a late scratch, and little known Seth Eisele – a graduate student from Lake Elmo, Minnesota – stopped 38 of 39 shots in a 4-1 Maverick win.
#2-ranked North Dakota has gone 24-10-2 against Army (one game), #9 Wisconsin (one game), #6 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #2 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth, Miami, Bemidji State, #3 Denver (four games), #10 Colorado College (four games), Alaska, #12 Omaha (four games), and #18 St. Cloud State, with a record of 17-4-1 at home and 7-6-1 on the road.
How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?
After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.
Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system is identical:
Freshmen:
Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)
Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)
One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)
Transfers:
Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)
Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)
One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)
Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.
These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks returned 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Chicago Steel (USHL) teammates Emerson (30) and Perron (24), North Dakota should easily surpass the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.
Over the first 36 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 120 goals. It is also encouraging that twelve North Dakota forwards have multiple goals this season, led by Berg (20), Blake (19), Gaber (16), McLaughlin (12), Perron (11, and Johannes (9 in 27 games). Those first five forwards have combined for 41 goals over the past nine weekends of game action.
Prior to UND’s early February series at Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season. And then, Logan Britt happened.
The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), a finalist for the NCHC Rookie of the Year, and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).
Four weekends ago at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists. Three weeks ago, North Dakota’s d-corps chipped in with seven assists in a weekend sweep of Duluth. One week later, UND defensemen notched four more assists (including three from Wiebe) in a home sweep of the Western Michigan Broncos.
And last weekend at Omaha, Livanavage picked up two assists while Britt added a goal with an assist from d-partner Wiebe.
The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 81 points (13 goals and 68 assists) in 204 games played (0.40 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (two goals and twenty assists in his last 24 games).
Bennett Zmolek was held out of the series finale two weeks ago with a lower body injury and has not returned to game action; he was seen on the ice for the post-game celebration using crutches. Zmolek leads the team with 83 blocked shots (2.86 blocks per game).
By comparison, the six blueliners expected in the lineup for Miami this weekend have produced a total of 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 191 games (0.24 points/game).
A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Chris Bergeron’s squad has just five lineup regulars who meet that threshold: senior forward Matthew Barbolini (11-14-25), sophomore forward John Waldron (9-13-22), senior forward PJ Fletcher (11-12-23), junior forward Raimonds Vitolins (6-11-17 in 26 games), and graduate forward Albin Nilsson (4-5-9 in 16 games, all since January 12th).
By that same measure, North Dakota has seven players at a half point or better, including one – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (19-33-52) – averaging nearly a point and a half (1.44). Other offensive contributors include sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (12-22-34), Cameron Berg (20-15-35), senior forward Riese Gaber (16-15-31), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (9-7-16 in 27 games), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (3-22-25).
Jackson Blake is making a strong push for college hockey’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Blake picked up seven points three weekends ago against Minnesota Duluth and added two points (including a highlight-reel goal) against Western Michigan a week later to reach the 50-point plateau in just 34 games. A two-assist weekend at Omaha last weekend has Blake sitting at 52 points headed into the playoffs; he has collected 30 points (eight goals and 22 assists) since the calendar year turned to 2024 (eighteen games).
A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but three games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 21-10-2 with a goals-against average of 2.47, a save percentage of .906, and five shutouts.
Persson was ill two months ago, and freshman Hobie Hedquist stepped in for him, winning both games while posting a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .870).
Persson returned to practice on a Wednesday and got the start on Friday, but he struggled, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Hedquist stepped in on Saturday, making 22 of 23 saves and earning his third victory of the season. Persson started both games in St. Cloud last and he shined, stopping 66 of 72 shots which came his way for a combined save percentage of .917. Persson wasn’t tested much in UND’s home sweep of Denver; he allowed two goals each night while making 17 saves on Friday night and 22 saves in the rematch. In a road sweep at Miami, Persson stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923). Over the last two home weekends, Perrson went 4-0 with a save percentage of .957 and two shutouts.
Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Persson’s save percentage from this year to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 91 goals, a difference of 19 goals over the 39-game season.
And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:
Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)
Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)
Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)
All three of those games were tied in the third period.
Miami had been relying on graduate goaltender Logan Neaton (6-10-2, 3.06 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO) in the early part of the season, but he has only started two games since January 13th due to injury. Neaton is the lone NHL draft pick on the RedHawks roster (Winnipeg Jets Round 5 #144 overall in 2019). Neaton transferred from UMass-Lowell in the fall of 2021 and appeared in sixteen games over the past two seasons with Miami.
In his place, Chris Bergeron turned to freshman netminder Bruno Bruveris (stats), who has started twelve of the past fourteen games in net. On the season, Bruveris is 1-12-1 with a goals-against average of 4.15, a save percentage of .866, and one shutout (a 21-save performance in a 2-0 victory over Niagara back in December).
North Dakota fans hoping for UND tournament games in Sioux Falls, South Dakota can root for one of two things to happen regarding the Omaha Mavericks (this year’s tournament host in Sioux Falls):
1. A good NCHC tournament run from Omaha (currently 12th in the Pairwise) would certainly lock them into the Pairwise 9th-12th band (#3 seeds). This would allow both the Mavericks and North Dakota to be seeded in the same regional (the committee avoids first-round matchups between teams from the same conference).
Or…
2. Two losses this weekend to Colorado College could easily drop Omaha down to 14th in the Pairwise (or further), leaving them right on the dreaded Pairwise cutoff line.
North Dakota, currently 3rd in the Pairwise, is certainly headed to the NCAA tournament regardless of this weekend’s results. UND is motivated to win and advance, however, as a #1 seed in one of the four regionals is still an achievable goal. CHN’s Pairwise Probability Matrix currently gives the Fighting Hawks a combined 79% chance of accomplishing that task. Even with two losses, North Dakota would likely earn one of the top five spots in the tourney bracket.
Miami – at 47th in the Pairwise – would need to win two games this weekend AND two games next weekend in St. Paul to continue playing.
Miami Team Profile
Head Coach: Chris Bergeron (5th season at Miami, 35-114-16, .261)
National Rankings: NR/NR
Pairwise Ranking: 47th
KRACH Rating: 52.9 (44th)
This Season: 7-24-3 overall, 1-19-0-4 NCHC (8th)
Last Season: 8-24-4 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 3-16-0-5 NCHC (8th)
2023-2024 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.24 goals scored/game – 60th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 3.62 goals allowed/game – 56th of 64 teams
Power Play: 13.8% (16 of 116) – 57th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 78.2% (93 of 119) – 43rd of 64 teams
Key players: Senior F Matthew Barbolini (11-14-25), Senior F PJ Fletcher (11-12-23), Sophomore F John Waldron (9-13-22), Sophomore F William Hallen (3-7-10), Junior F Raimonds Vitolins (6-11-17 in 26 games), Graduate D Jack Clement (1-7-8), Sophomore D Axel Kumlin (2-8-10), Graduate G Logan Neaton (6-12-2, 2.96 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO)
North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 204-102-33, .650)
National Rankings: #5/#5
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 505.3 (3rd)
This Season: 24-10-2 overall, 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams, Penrose Cup Champions)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)
2023-2024 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.69 goals scored/game – 8th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.58 goals allowed/game – 17th of 64 teams
Power Play: 25.4% (32 of 126) – 11th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 81.4% (79 of 97) – 23rd of 64 teams
Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (19-33-52), Senior F Riese Gaber (16-15-31), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (12-22-34), Junior F Cameron Berg (20-15-35), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (8-9-17), sophomore F Dylan James (8-9-17), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (3-22-25), Senior G Ludvig Persson (21-10-2, 2.47 GAA, .906 SV%, 5 SO)
By The Numbers
Last Meeting: February 3, 2024 (Oxford, Ohio). North Dakota cruised to a 4-1 win over the homestanding RedHawks to earn five of six league points on the weekend. UND defenseman Logan Britt scored twice in the victory to notch a three-goal weekend and nab NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors, Britt had two goals on the season coming into the road series at MU. In the opener, Miami took Friday’s game to overtime before falling 84 seconds in on yet another Jackson Blake overtime tally. UND netminder Ludvig Persson, who struggled to feel comfortable in his return to Goggin Ice Center (four goals allowed on 31 shots), assisted on the game winner in overtime.
Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 18, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). Miami matched North Dakota in the shot department (22 apiece), but four first-period goals were too much for Miami to overcome in a 5-1 victory for UND. One night earlier, the Fighting Hawks outshot their red counterparts 42-13 in a 6-4 win. Two late MU goals made the final result appear closer than it actually was.
Most Important Meeting: March 6, 2015 (Oxford, OH). North Dakota claimed the Penrose Cup with a 2-1 road victory over Miami. UND fell flat the following night, losing 6-3 in the final game of the regular season.
Last Ten: UND has picked up nine wins (9-1–0, .900) in the past ten contests between the teams, outscoring Miami 51-21 over that stretch of games.
All-time Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series 29-8-4 (.756), including a sparkling 13-3-2 (.778) record in games played in Grand Forks. Brad Berry is 22-4-3 (.810) in his coaching career against Miami. The teams first played in 1999 (Badger Showdown, Milwaukee, WI).
Game News and Notes
In thirteen career games against Miami, junior forward Riese Gaber has scored thirteen goals and added nine assists. MU has not made the national tournament since 2015, their second season in the NCHC. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 495 shots this season (13.8 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (83 in just 29 games), Garrett Pyke (51), and Abram Wiebe (50). Miami head coach Chris Bergeron has lost more games in his five seasons at Miami (35-114-16, .261) than North Dakota bench boss Brad Berry has in his nine seasons at UND (204-102-33, .650). UND’s Saturday night road victory over the RedHawks last month gave Berry his 200th head coaching win, a mark achieved by fewer than 100 coaches in NCAA Division I men’s college hockey history. North Dakota boasts three Hobey Baker nominees – Jackson Blake, Riese Gaber, and Ludvig Persson; Miami has one – Matthew Barbolini. MU has been outscored 45-22 in second periods this season. UND has posted a record of 17-4-1 in 22 home games this season, losing only once in regulation at Ralph Engelstad Arena (a 4-0 loss to Minnesota back in October). Green Hawks are preferable to RedHawks.
The Prediction
The Fighting Hawks are deeper, more talented, have better goaltending, and are playing in front of their home crowd. If Brad Berry’s squad can contain Miami’s top line of Barbolini, Vitolins, and Fletcher, it will be a long weekend for the RedHawks. As I’ve said so many times, fans should expect a tighter contest on Saturday night, but North Dakota will get things done in two games and advance to St. Paul. UND 6-2, 4-3.
Broadcast Information
All games this weekend (Friday at 7:07 p.m., Saturday at 6:07 p.m., and Sunday at 6.07 p.m. if necessary will be broadcast on Midco Sports Network and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the UND Sports Home of Economy Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app.
As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!