November 2024 – Sioux Sports Talk

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Bemidji State

#14 North Dakota (7-6-0, 2-2-0 NCHC) and unranked Bemidji State (6-6-1, 4-3-1 CCHA) will play a home-and-home series this weekend, with Friday’s opener at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minnesota and the rematch at Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks on Saturday night.

Over the past eight seasons, UND and BSU have had a schedule agreement which alternates between a series in Grand Forks and the arrangement we have before us this year.

Bemidji State has played the 16th-toughest schedule in the country, with marquee matchups against #9 St. Cloud State (two losses), #17 Minnesota State (split), and #3 Minnesota (split).

By contrast, North Dakota has played the eighth-toughest schedule to this point of the season. Over the first thirteen games, UND has faced #10 Providence (home win), #17 Minnesota State (road split), #13 Boston University (home split), #11 Cornell (two road losses), unranked Minnesota Duluth (a road sweep), #2 Denver (two home losses), and unranked Robert Morris (home sweep).

Eleven 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 former Central Collegiate Hockey Association 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 Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, and Minnesota State find themselves as three of nine programs in the latest version of the CCHA along with Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Northern Michigan, St. Thomas (fourth season at the Division I level), and Augustana (second season at the Division I level).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past ten seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 536-275-85 (.646) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent thirteen 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 both 2022 and 2024) over that nine-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022, 2024), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won six of the last eight national titles.

Bemidji State had a very successful 2020-2021 season, going 16-5-3 overall, making the NCAA tourney, and shocking #4-overall Wisconsin 6-3 before being blanked 4-0 by eventual national champion Massachusetts. UMass also shut out St. Cloud State 5-0 in the title game and outscored their opponents 17-3 in their four tournament games.

The Beavers went 22-10-5 in 2020 and would have made the NCAA tournament. Tom Serratore’s head coaching mark of 38-20-8 (.636) from 2019-2021 was by far the best two-year for BSU since they made the jump from the CHA in 2010.

Since then, however, it has not been smooth sailing. The Beavers have played .500 hockey (59-59-8) since their most recent tournament run, with a third-place league finish in 2022 and a fifth-place finish two seasons ago. Last season, BSU won the regular season title but lost to Michigan Tech in the CCHA tournament championship and failed to make the NCAA tournament.

Through eight conference games this year, BSU sits in sixth place in the CCHA (by points percentage).

Non-conference games are crucial in the all-important Pairwise rankings, and this weekend is North Dakota’s last opportunity to build a resume. So far this season, UND has a record of 5-4-0 outside the NCHC.

The hard reality is that a loss this weekend would be devastating to North Dakota’s NCAA tournament aspirations, and bench boss Brad Berry will be without a handful of players as he tries to secure two victories:

Junior goaltender Kaleb Johnson looks to be sidelined for an extended period of time; the team brought in Aleksi Huson to be the third goaltender on the roster. Huson backstopped Shakopee High School last season, serving as team captain while posting a record of 20-5-1 with a goals-against average of 2.13 and a save percentage of .934.

Junior defenseman Bennett Zmolek remains out of the lineup; Zmolek has missed the last twelve games.

Two other players – freshman forward Cody Croal and freshman defenseman Andrew Strathmann – were injured in the opening game at Cornell on November 1st. Strathmann’s recovery has gone better than expected, and he may see game action before Christmas break. Croal returned to practice last week.

Forward Louis Jamernik V – the team’s captain – was injured last weekend and skated without contact in practice this week. His return to the lineup is questionable.

And finally, forward Cameron Berg, who had returned to the lineup at Duluth after missing both games against the Big Red, was injured in practice two weeks ago and has missed the last four games. Berg leads the team in points per game (4-4-8 in seven games played).

Even though UND has played a much tougher schedule to this point in the season, the Fighting Hawks still far outpace the Beavers in two key puck possession statistics:

Bemidji State: 45th in Corsi (47.1%) and 38th in Fenwick (48.1%)
North Dakota: 24th in Corsi (51.9%) and 29th in Fenwick (50.8)

Corsi measures the share of shot attempts for each team at even strength, while Fenwick measure the share of unblocked shot attempts for each team at even strength.

As always, a key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are the nation’s 7th-best team on draws (55.5%), while the Beavers clock in at 49.0% (39th).

North Dakota has five drafted skaters among its eight first-year players, including a pair of highly-touted recruits:

Forward Sacha Boisvert: 2024 Round 1 #18 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks

Boisvert last played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL).

Defenseman E.J. Emery: 2024 Round 1 #30 overall to the New York Rangers

Emery spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor.

Other North Dakota freshmen who were drafted by NHL teams over the past three years include:

Defenseman Andrew Strathmann: 2023 Round 4 #98 overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Forward Mac Swanson: 2024 Round 7 #207 to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Forward Cade Littler: 2022 Round 7 #219 overall to the Calgary Flames

The three freshman forwards listed above have combined for nine goals and eleven assists in 37 games played this season, while Emery and Strathmann have each picked up an assist while playing heavy minutes for the Hawks (Emery 21:20, Strathmann 11:05). Strathmann was averaging nearly thirteen minutes a game before being injured early in last Friday’s game at Cornell.

According to College Hockey News, North Dakota’s freshman class ranks #4 in the country.

During last season’s November series in Grand Forks, UND spotted Bemidji State the first two goals. North Dakota then rattled off the next eight, downing the Beavers 3-2 in overtime before blanking the visitors 5-0 on night two.

After this weekend’s series, UND (7-6-0) will battle two NCHC foes (at Miami, vs. #9 St. Cloud State) to close out the first half of the season. A record of 4-2 (or better) over the final six games of 2024 would put North Dakota in position to make a run to the NCAAs.

Bemidji State Team Profile

Head Coach: Tom Serratore (24th season at BSU, 394-366-100, .516)

National Rankings: NR/NR
Pairwise Ranking: 27th
KRACH Rating: 137.2 (24th)

This Season: 6-6-1 overall, 3-3-2-0 CCHA (6th)
Last Season: 20-16-12 overall, 13-6-4-1 CCHA (1st)

Team Offense: 2.38 goals scored/game – 39th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.54 goals allowed/game – 22nd of 64 teams

Power Play: 22.6% (7 of 31) – 19th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 80.0% (24 of 30) – 29th of 64 teams

Key Players: Graduate F Eric Martin (3-6-9), Junior F Kirklan Irey (5-4-9), Senior F Jere Vaisanen (4-4-8), Senior F Reilly Funk (4-3-7), Graduate F Carter Randklev (4-2-6), Freshman D Isa Parekh (2-3-5), Junior D Vince Corcoran (1-3-4), Senior G Mattias Sholl (5-6-1, 2.35 GAA, .915 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (10th season at UND, 213-110-33, .645)

National Rankings: #14/#15
Pairwise Ranking: 19th
KRACH: 228.6 (17th)

This Season: 7-6-0 overall, 2-2-0-0 NCHC (5th of 9 teams)
Last Season: 26-12-2 (NCAA tournament appearance), 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st)

Team Offense: 3.23 goals scored/game – 17th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.85 goals allowed/game – 28th of 64 teams

Power Play: 29.3% (12 of 41) – 4th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 76.1% (35 of 46) – 51st of 64 teams

Key Players: Graduate F Louis Jamernik V (4-5-9), Freshman F Sacha Boisvert (5-6-11), Junior F Owen McLaughlin (0-7-7), Junior F Dylan James (5-2-7), Sophomore F Jayden Perron (3-4-7), Freshman F Mac Swanson (2-4-6), Senior F Jake Schmaltz (1-6-7), Sophomore D Jake Livanavage (1-9-10), Sophomore D Abram Wiebe (2-6-8), Freshman D E.J. Emery (0-1-1), Graduate G T.J. Semptimphelter (6-4-0, 2.96 GAA, .898 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: November 25, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). It was all North Dakota in this one, as five Fighting Hawks lit the lamp in the 5-0 shutout. One night earlier, Bemidji State scored two first-period goals before seeing that lead evaporate late in regulation. UND’s Jackson Blake sent the home fans happy with a goal fifty seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime session.

Last Meeting in Bemidji: November 25, 2022. The Beavers held a 3-1 lead early in the second period but couldn’t make it hold up. North Dakota’s Jackson Blake and Judd Caulfield scored in the middle frame to knot the game at three goals apiece, and that’s the way it would end. UND outshot Bemidji State 31-21.

Most Important Meeting: October 15, 2010 (Bemidji, MN). In the first game played at the BREC, North Dakota spotted BSU the opening goal less than two minutes into the contest and then steamrolled the Beavers 5-2. The Fighting Sioux outshot their fellow Green-and-Whiters 38-14.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 6-2-2 (.700) in the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring the Beavers 30-19 over that stretch of games. Seven of the last ten tilts have been decided by a goal or less, with UND having slightly the better of it in the close games (3-2-2).

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 37-5-7 (.827), including a record of 26-3-4 (.848) in games played in Grand Forks. Three of BSU’s five wins over North Dakota have come in the past ten years (October 2014, October 2018, and October 2021). Bemidji’s other victories over UND came in 1970 and 2011.

Game News and Notes

UND head coach Brad Berry is 9-2-3 (.750) in his career against Bemidji State. BSU has competed at the Division I level since the 1999-00 season and has made the NCAA tournament five times (2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2021), with a Frozen Four appearance in 2009. Current Beaver forwards Carter Randklev and Jaksen Panzer were former North Dakota commits. Fourteen of the past twenty games between these two teams have been decided by one goal or less.

Broadcast Information

Friday’s opener will be available via webcast at CCHA.TV and also available on Midco Sports Plus. Saturday’s rematch will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday. 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.

On A Personal Note

I have participated in Movember for the past twelve years and have proudly raised over $35,000 to help change the face of men’s health. Will you join me and support the cause? Please visit my Movember fundraising page to learn more and to donate. Thank you!

The Prediction

If UND was at full strength, this would be an easier call. Bemidji State always seems to bring their best effort against UND, and this weekend will be no exception. I expect UND’s power play to stay hot this weekend, with multiple man-advantage goals possible each night. In the last seven series against the Beavers, North Dakota has only truly been held in check offensively over one weekend (two total goals scored in October 2018). In the other six series, the Fighting Hawks have managed 10, 7, 7, 6, 7, and 8 total goals. A hiccup is possible, but I’m calling another sweep. UND 5-3, 4-2.

Social Media

Keep up with the action live during all UND hockey games by following @UNDmhockey and @UNDInsider on Twitter. Fans can also read the action via Brad Schlossman’s live chat on the Grand Forks Herald website.

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!

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Robert Morris

Unranked Robert Morris (4-3-2 overall, 1-3-1 Atlantic Hockey) travels from Moon Township, Pennsylvania to Grand Forks this weekend to face #12 North Dakota (5-6-0, 2-2-0 NCHC); the two teams have squared off just twice in the entire history of history. Those games, played in January of 2011, went into the books as a UND sweep (8-0, 2-1).

If Robert Morris steals a game at Ralph Engelstad Arena this weekend, it will be a monumental upset. According to KRACH, RMU has played the 57th-toughest schedule in the country, one notch ahead of the University of Denver University in the rankings.

Last year, the Colonials posted the worst record (11-25-3) in the history of the program, which has competed at the Division I level since 2004-05. There is an excellent reason for last season’s dreadful results: RMU had to restart its hockey program after a two-year absence.

By contrast, North Dakota has played the 2nd-toughest schedule to this point of the season (behind only Boston College). Over the first eleven games, UND has faced #10 Providence (home win), #17 Minnesota State (road split), #13 Boston University (home split), #8 Cornell (two road losses), unranked Minnesota Duluth (a road sweep), and #1 Denver (two home losses).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past ten seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 534-275-85 (.645) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent thirteen 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 both 2022 and 2024) over that nine-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022, 2024), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won six of the last eight national titles.

Non-conference games are crucial in the all-important Pairwise rankings, and this weekend is North Dakota’s next opportunity to build a resume. So far this season, UND has a record of 3-4-0 outside the NCHC, with only this weekend’s games and next week’s action against Bemidji State remaining on the schedule.

Junior defenseman Bennett Zmolek remains out of the lineup; Zmolek has missed the last ten games.

Fellow blueliner Tanner Komzak, a sophomore, was injured in practice three weeks ago and had not suited up until he dressed and warmed up for Saturday’s finale against Denver. Komzak didn’t see any ice time last weekend but has had a full week of practice and should be good to go.

Without Zmolek, Komzak, and Strathmann, North Dakota’s defensive corps has consisted of two freshmen and three sophomores plus junior Dane Montgomery, whose position was changed from forward to defenseman on the team’s official roster earlier this month.

And finally, forward Cameron Berg, who had returned to the lineup at Duluth after missing both games against the Big Red, was injured in practice this week and did not play last weekend against Denver. Berg leads the team in points per game (4-4-8 in seven games played).

Even though UND has played a much tougher schedule to this point in the season, the Fighting Hawks still far outpace the Colonials in two key puck possession statistics:

Robert Morris: 49th in Corsi (46.0%) and 48th in Fenwick (46.5%)
North Dakota: 24th in Corsi (51.6%) and 32nd in Fenwick (49.9)

Corsi measures the share of shot attempts for each team at even strength, while Fenwick measure the share of unblocked shot attempts for each team at even strength.

As always, a key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are the nation’s 11th-best team on draws (53.8%), while the Colonials clock in at 46.9% (51st).

For UND, senior Jake Schmaltz has been making a living on draws, winning 112 of 184 (60.9%). Graduate forward Louis Jamernik V (53 of 101, 52.5%) and CLASS foward Carter Wilkie (77 of 150, 51.3%) have both been more than capable. Brad Berry will miss senior Cameron Berg’s presence this weekend; Berg has won 60 of 100 faceoffs to this point of the season.

For Robert Morris, freshman forward Trent Wilson (83 of 148, 56.1%) has had the most success, while sophomore forward Cameron Garvey (82 of 179, 45.8%) has had the most volume. Freshman forward Patrick Johnson (47 of 90, 52.5%) has been a solid third option.

North Dakota has five drafted skaters among its eight first-year players, including a pair of highly-touted recruits:

Forward Sacha Boisvert: 2024 Round 1 #18 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks

Boisvert last played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL).

Defenseman E.J. Emery: 2024 Round 1 #30 overall to the New York Rangers

Emery spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor.

Other North Dakota freshmen who were drafted by NHL teams over the past three years include:

Defenseman Andrew Strathmann: 2023 Round 4 #98 overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Forward Mac Swanson: 2024 Round 7 #207 to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Forward Cade Littler: 2022 Round 7 #219 overall to the Calgary Flames

The three freshman forwards listed above have combined for seven goals and ten assists in 31 games played this season, while Emery and Strathmann have each picked up an assist while playing heavy minutes for the Hawks (Emery 21:18, Strathmann 11:05). Strathmann was averaging nearly thirteen minutes a game before being injured early in last Friday’s game at Cornell.

According to College Hockey News, North Dakota’s freshman class ranks #4 in the country.

After this weekend’s series, UND (5-6-0) will play a home-and-home with Bemidji State (November 29th and 30th) before battling two NCHC foes (at Miami, vs. #11 St. Cloud State) to close out the first half of the season. A record of 6-2 (or better) over the final eight games of 2024 would put North Dakota in position to make a run to the NCAAs.

Robert Morris Team Profile

Head Coach: Derek Schooley (19th season at RMU, 290-303-73, .490)

National Rankings: NR/NR
Pairwise Ranking: 48th
KRACH: #51

This Season: 4-3-2 overall, 1-3-1 Atlantic Hockey (10th of 11 teams)
Last Season: 11-25-3 overall, 7-16-1-2 Atlantic Hockey (11th)

Team Offense: 3.44 goals scored/game (10th of 64 teams)
Team Defense: 3.00 goals allowed/game (37th of 64 teams)

Power Play: 21.7% (5 of 23) – 21st of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 83.9% (26 of 31) – 26th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Walter Zacher (7-2-9), Freshman F Trent Wilson (3-4-7), Freshman F Michael Felsing (2-4-6), Sophomore F Tanner Klimpke (1-5-6), Graduate F Mitch Deelstra (2-4-6), Sophomore F Cameron Garvey (1-5-6), Sophomore D Michael Craig (3-7-10), Freshman D Dominic Elliott (1-4-5), Freshman G Croix Kochendorfer (4-2-1, 2.42 GAA, .917 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (10th season at UND, 211-110-33, .643)

National Rankings: #12/#14
Pairwise Ranking: 23rd
KRACH: #14

This Season: 5-6-0 overall, 2-2-0-0 NCHC (3rd of 9 teams)
Last Season: 26-12-2 (NCAA tournament appearance), 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st)

Team Offense: 3.36 goals scored/game – 15th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 3.09 goals allowed/game – 45th of 64 teams

Power Play: 28.6% (10 of 35) – 4th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 74.4% (29 of 39) – 51st of 64 teams

Key Players: Graduate F Louis Jamernik V (4-5-9), Freshman F Sacha Boisvert (3-5-8), Junior F Owen McLaughlin (0-7-7), Junior F Dylan James (5-1-6), Sophomore F Jayden Perron (2-3-5), Freshman F Mac Swanson (2-4-6), Sophomore D Jake Livanavage (1-7-8), Sophomore D Abram Wiebe (2-6-8), Freshman D E.J. Emery (0-1-1), Graduate G T.J. Semptimphelter (5-4-0, 2.97 GAA, .897 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 8, 2011 (Grand Forks, ND). With just over four minutes remaining in the hockey game, North Dakota’s Matt Frattin potted his 20th goal of the season to break the scoreless tie. The home crowd was thankful for Danny Kristo‘s empty-netter three minutes later, as RMU would eventually get an extra-attacker goal (at the 19:40 mark) to pull within one. The last twenty seconds of the game passed without incident, and the sweep was secured. One night earlier, it was all Green and White, as six North Dakota players scored in the 8-0 victory.

Game News and Notes

Robert Morris plays its home games at Clearview Arena; the rink seats less than 1600 fans. There are 22 freshmen and sophomores on the Colonials’ roster; by comparison, North Dakota has fourteen. Despite all of the underclassmen, no Robet Morris player is under twenty years of age (six UND players are still teenagers). Current UND forward Carter Wilkie scored six goals and added six assists in six games against Robert Morris last season; at the time, Wilkie played for RIT. This weekend is the second of three weekends against NCHC teams for RMU. The Colonials swept Miami in a home-and-home in October (5-1, 4-1) and will head to Arizona State for the Desert Hockey Classic in January.

On A Personal Note

I have participated in Movember for the past twelve years and have proudly raised over $33,000 to help change the face of men’s health. Will you join me and support the cause? Please visit my Movember fundraising page to learn more and to donate. Thank you!

The Prediction

I feel like RMU will make one game close, and my instinct tells me it will be a battle on Saturday night after a Friday rout. UND 6-1, 3-2.

Broadcast Information

Both games will be broadcast live 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. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday.

Social Media

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!

Weekend Preview: UND vs. Denver

#9 North Dakota (5-4-0) hosts #1 Denver (10-0-0) this weekend in a battle of NCHC heavyweights.

To this point of the season, UND has faced #10 Providence (home win), #16 Minnesota State (road split), #11 Boston University (home split), #6 Cornell (two road losses), and unranked Minnesota Duluth (a road sweep).

Denver, on the other hand, has road sweeps at Alaska-Anchorage and Yale and home sweeps over Northeastern, Wisconsin, and Lindenwood. The defending national champions have not allowed more than two goals in any game this season and have outscored their opponents 49-13. It is worth mentioning, however, that of those five teams, only Northeastern is receiving votes in the most recent USCHO poll, and they would be considered #26 in the country.

In the NCHC preseason poll, Denver was picked to finish in first place, while North Dakota was tabbed for second place.

Before we dig into this weekend’s matchup, let’s take a quick look back at the past few games between the two teams…

UND swept the Pios at Ralph Engelstad Arena on January 26th and 27th, 2024. Eight different Fighting Hawks lit the lamp in the two victories (by final scores of 5-2 and 4-2), and North Dakota went 4-for-6 on the power play while holding DU powerless on four man-advantage situations. The final shot counter for the weekend showed 62-43 in favor of the home team.

On December 1st and 2nd, 2023, North Dakota traveled to Denver for a pair of NCHC contests. In Friday’s opener, UND’s Dylan James got the visitors on the board less than two minutes into the action. The Pioneers would storm back with four first-period goals of their own, and it looked like the rout was on. The Fighting Hawks pulled within one in the middle frame, but a late DU goal from Tristan Broz had the Pios up by two with just twenty minutes remaining. The third period was all Green and White, as Jackson Blake, Louis Jamernik V, Riese Gaber, and Cameron Berg all potted goals en route to a 7-5 North Dakota victory.

In Saturday’s finale, UND never trailed in regulation but also never extended a lead past a single goal. DU tied things up at two goals apiece with nine minutes remaining and scored the game-winner during 3-on-3 action to take the extra league point.

Given how things started out on Friday night, grabbing four out of six points in the conference standings was a good result for the Fighting Hawks.

UND looked overmatched against the visiting Pios back in November 2022, as David Carle’s squad managed a 3-2, 6-3 road sweep over a Fighting Hawks team that had taken five of six points at Omaha the week before. Friday’s opener ended up as a one-goal DU victory, but that was only because North Dakota held the Pioneers scoreless on six man-advantage opportunities.

And in the rematch at altitude in February 2023, it was more of the same. Denver scored five goals each night and held the Fighting Hawks to five total goals on the weekend in securing the rare four-game season sweep. In Friday’s opener, UND played well enough to win but were undone by poor goaltending, as Drew DeRidder allowed four goals on the eleven shots he faced before giving way to Jacob Hellsten just five minutes into the second period. The last two goals that DeRidder allowed came just fourteen seconds apart.

In the 2021 NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals (held at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks), North Dakota needed overtime to outlast a gutsy performance by a Pios squad that had been decimated by COVID-19. DU dressed only nine forwards for the contest but led 1-0 with under 90 seconds remaining. With the goalie pulled, the Fighting Hawks’ Shane Pinto blasted a shot on net that hit Jasper Weatherby on the way in to send the game to overtime. It took over eight minutes of extra time before Gavin Hain sent the home crowd into a frenzy with a blast of his own that advanced the Green and White into the championship game; Denver had just killed Antti Tuomisto’s boarding minor but could not clear the zone. UND outshot the weary Pioneers 20-4 in the third period and overtime.

With the playoff victory, North Dakota moved to 20-5-1 on the season; David Carle’s squad saw its season end at 10-13-1, the first time DU failed to advance to the NCAA tournament since 2007. The 2020-2021 season was the first losing campaign for DU since the 1999-2000 team went 16-23-2. UND won five of the seven meetings between the teams three years ago, outscoring the Pios 22-14. North Dakota allowed ten goals in the first three meetings with a record of 1-2; since their loss in game one at Denver on January 17th, the Fighting Hawks notched four consecutive victories over DU (15 goals for, 4 goals against). That mid-January defeat was definitely a wakeup call for Brady Berry’s squad; from that point until the end of the season, the Green and White went 13-3, outscoring opponents 69-28.

Denver definitely rebounded three seasons ago, going 31-9-1 and defeating Minnesota State 5-1 for the program’s ninth national title. That championship game was tied 1-1 until the 7:33 mark of the third period. The Pios would add two empty-net goals for the misleading final score.

Since Denver ended North Dakota’s season in 2019, UND has gone 11-7-1 against the Pios.

In the NCHC, it is clear that Denver/North Dakota is at the top of the league rivalries, with the two programs combining for nine NCHC regular season titles and averaging a top-three finish in the league standings each year (UND 2.4, DU 2.8).

The teams have played 49 times during the first eleven seasons of the new conference (with UND holding a slight 22-20-7 edge), but the feud goes all the way back to Geoff Paukovitch’ illegal check on Sioux forward Robbie Bina during the 2005 WCHA Final Five.

Since that 2005 Final Five contest (a Denver victory), the two teams have met thirteen times in tournament play. Denver won the 2005 NCAA title with a victory over North Dakota and claimed a 2008 WCHA Final Five win as well. UND has earned six victories and a tie in the last ten playoff games between the schools, including three consecutive victories in the WCHA Final Five (2010-2012), the 2011 NCAA Midwest Regional final which sent the Fighting Sioux to the Frozen Four, 2016’s thrilling Frozen Four semifinal (a 4-2 UND victory) in Tampa, Florida, and the 2017 NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Denver turned the tables by dispatching North Dakota in the first round of the league playoffs at Magness Arena to end the Fighting Hawks’ 2018-2019 campaign.

(It is impossible to bring up the Paukovitch/Bina incident without also writing that Brad Malone‘s check on Denver’s Jesse Martin during an October 2010 contest at Ralph Engelstad Arena fractured three of Martin’s vertebrae and ended the hockey career of the Atlanta Thrashers’ draft pick.)

The rivalry intensified four seasons ago, with the teams combining for 187 penalty minutes in six regular season games (the NCHC semifinal game featured just four minor penalties). The last contest between the squads in Denver saw a DU goaltender run over with nine minutes remaining, which ignited tempers further. That spilled over to the series in Grand Forks in February, with the Pioneers “winning” the penalty minute battle 54-29. North Dakota won the specialty teams battle, scoring two goals on ten man-advantage opportunities and blanking DU on its ten power play chances.

In Saturday’s series finale, North Dakota led on the scoreboard 5-2 thanks to two goals by Jasper Weatherby and 18 saves from Peter Thome, who started in place of injured netminder Adam Scheel. And how was Scheel injured, you might ask? Denver’s Kohen Olischefski ran Scheel from behind late in Friday’s 3-0 UND victory. Olischefski was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct for goaltender interference and was issued an additional one-game suspension by the league office.

And in the only series played between the teams three years ago, the two sides combined for 78 penalty minutes and ten power play opportunities. UND swept the series 3-1 and 4-1, thanks in no small part to a 1-for-5 effort on the power play and a perfect penalty kill.

Turning our attention to this season…

North Dakota bench boss Brad Berry will be without six players in this important NCHC series:

Junior defenseman Bennett Zmolek remains out of the lineup; Zmolek has missed the last eight games.

Fellow blueliner Tanner Komzak, a sophomore, was injured in practice two weeks ago and has not traveled with the team since.

Two other players – freshman forward Cody Croal and freshman defenseman Andrew Strathmann – were injured in the opening game at Cornell on November 1st.

Without Zmolek, Komzak, and Strathmann, North Dakota’s defensive corps consists of two freshmen and three sophomores plus junior Dane Montgomery, whose position was changed from forward to defenseman on the team’s official roster last week.

And finally, forward Cameron Berg, who had returned to the lineup at Duluth after missing both games against the Big Red, was injured in practice this week and will not compete this weekend against the Pios. Berg leads the team in points per game (4-4-8 in seven games played).

It is no surprise given the level of competition these two teams have faced to this point of the season, but Denver far outpaces UND in two key puck possession statistics:

Denver: 2nd in Corsi (60.7%) and 2nd in Fenwick (60.8%)
North Dakota: 23rd in Corsi (51.9%) and 30th in Fenwick (50.3%)

Corsi measures the share of shot attempts for each team at even strength, while Fenwick measure the share of unblocked shot attempts for each team at even strength.

As always, a key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are the nation’s 15th-best team on draws (54.5%), while the Pioneers clock in at 57.0% (3rd).

For UND, senior Jake Schmaltz has been making a living on draws, winning 91 of 148 (61.5%). Graduate forward Louis Jamernik V has been stellar as well (41 of 74; 55.4%). Brad Berry will miss senior Cameron Berg’s presence this weekend; Berg has won 60 of 100 faceoffs to this point of the season.

For Denver, it’s been senior Carter King (133 of 220, 61.9%) taking the majority of draws, with sophomore Kieran Cebrian (99 of 167, 59.3%) and junior Samu Salminen (69 of 122, 56.6%) contributing as well.

North Dakota has five drafted skaters among its eight first-year players, including a pair of highly-touted recruits:

Forward Sacha Boisvert: 2024 Round 1 #18 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks

Boisvert last played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL).

Defenseman E.J. Emery: 2024 Round 1 #30 overall to the New York Rangers

Emery spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor.

Other North Dakota freshmen who were drafted by NHL teams over the past three years include:

Defenseman Andrew Strathmann: 2023 Round 4 #98 overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Forward Mac Swanson: 2024 Round 7 #207 to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Forward Cade Littler: 2022 Round 7 #219 overall to the Calgary Flames

The three freshman forwards listed above have combined for six goals and ten assists in 25 games played this season, while Emery and Strathmann have each picked up an assist while playing heavy minutes for the Hawks (Emery 21:34, Strathmann 11:05). Strathmann was averaging nearly thirteen minutes a game before being injured early in last Friday’s game at Cornell.

According to College Hockey News, North Dakota’s freshman class ranks #4 in the country. Denver clocks in at #10, with four drafted players among five first-year skaters:

Forward Jake Fisher: 2024 Round 4 #121 overall to the Colorado Avalanche

Fisher, who spent the last two seasons with the Fargo Force (USHL), was a teammate of UND freshman forward Mac Swanson.

Forward Hagen Burrows: 2024 Round 4 #128 overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning

Burrows, a Mr. Hockey Award winner (19-40-59 in his final season at Minnetonka), spent last season with the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL.

Forward James Reeder: 2024 Round 7 #198 overall to the Los Angeles Kings

Last season, Reeder put up an eye-popping stat line of 20-40-60 in 53 games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL).

Defenseman Tory Pitner: 2024 Round 6 #185 overall to the Colorado Avalanche

Pitner spent the past two seasons with the Youngstown Phantoms (USHL), winning a Clark Cup title in 2023. The Avs draft pick turned up the offense last season, scoring 24 points (eight goals) in fifty games.

These same two teams will tangle in Denver on February 14th and 15th, 2025.

Denver Team Profile

Head Coach: David Carle (7th season at DU, 158-62-16, .703)

National Rankings: #1/#1

This Season: 10-0-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 32-9-3 overall (National Champions), 12-7-4-1 NCHC (2nd)

2024-2025 Team Statistics:

Team Offense: 4.90 goals scored/game – 1st of 64 teams
Team Defense: 1.30 goals allowed/game – 1st of 64 teams

Power Play: 34.8% (16 of 46) – 3rd of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 93.1% (27 of 29) – 6th of 64 teams

Key players: Senior F Jack Devine (1-16-17), Junior F Aiden Thompson (7-10-17), Senior F Carter King (7-6-13), Sophomore F Sam Harris (9-4-13), Sophomore D Eric Pohlkamp (4-9-13), Sophomore D Zeev Buium (0-10-10), Sophomore D Boston Buckberger (2-7-9), Senior G Matt Davis (9-0-0, 1.34 GAA, .955 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (10th season at UND, 211-108-33, .646)

National Rankings: #9/#10

This Season: 5-4-0 overall, 2-0-0-0 NCHC (1st of 9 teams)
Last Season: 26-12-2 (NCAA tournament appearance), 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st)

Team Offense: 3.67 goals scored/game – 9th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.89 goals allowed/game – 32nd of 64 teams

Power Play: 33.3% (9 of 27) – 4th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 75.8% (25 of 33) – 45th of 62 teams

Key Players: Graduate F Louis Jamernik V (4-5-9), Freshman F Sacha Boisvert (2-5-7), Junior F Owen McLaughlin (0-7-7), Junior F Dylan James (4-0-4), Sophomore F Jayden Perron (2-3-5), Freshman F Mac Swanson (2-4-6), Sophomore D Jake Livanavage (1-7-8), Sophomore D Abram Wiebe (2-5-7), Freshman D E.J. Emery (0-1-1), Graduate G T.J. Semptimphelter (5-2-0, 2.76 GAA, .901 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 27, 2024 (Grand Forks, ND). It was déjà vu all over again for the Pios, as they were blitzed for the second night in a row by the homestanding Hawks. North Dakota secured the weekend sweep with a 4-2 victory after winning by a final score of 5-2 in the opener. UND outshot, outscored, outpaced, and outdid their rivals on both special teams, going 4-for-6 with the man advantage on the weekend while holding Denver scoreless on four power plays.

Earlier Last Season: December 2, 2023 (Denver, Colorado). UND never trailed in regulation but also never extended a lead past a single goal. DU tied things up at two goals apiece with nine minutes remaining and scored the game-winner during 3-on-3 action to take the extra league point. One night earlier, UND’s Dylan James got the visitors on the board less than two minutes into the action. The Pioneers would storm back with four first-period goals of their own, and it looked like the rout was on. The Fighting Hawks pulled within one in the middle frame, but a late DU goal from Tristan Broz had the Pios up by two with just twenty minutes remaining. The third period was all Green and White, as Jackson Blake, Louis Jamernik V, Riese Gaber, and Cameron Berg all potted goals en route to a 7-5 North Dakota victory.

A Recent Memory: April 7, 2016 (Tampa, Florida). In the semifinals of the NCAA Frozen Four, the two league rivals squared off in a tightly-contested matchup. Senior forward Drake Caggiula scored twice early in the middle frame to stake UND to a 2-0 lead, but the Pioneers battled back with a pair of third-period goals. The CBS line came through when it mattered most, with Nick Schmaltz scoring the game winner off of a faceoff win with 57 seconds remaining in the hockey game. North Dakota blocked 27 Denver shot attempts and goaltender Cam Johnson made 21 saves for the Fighting Hawks, who won the program’s eighth national title on the same sheet of ice two nights later.

Most Important Meeting: It’s hard to pick just one game, as the two teams have played four times for the national title. Denver defeated UND for the national championship in 1958, 1968, and 2005, while the Sioux downed the Pioneers in 1963. But the game that stands out in recent memory as “the one that got away” was DU’s 1-0 victory over the Fighting Sioux in the 2004 NCAA West Regional final (Colorado Springs, CO). That North Dakota team went 30-8-4 on the season (Dean Blais’ last behind the UND bench) and featured one of the deepest rosters in the past twenty years: Brandon Bochenski, Zach Parise, Brady Murray, Colby Genoway, Drew Stafford and David Lundbohm up front; Nick Fuher, Matt Jones, Matt Greene, and Ryan Hale on defense; and a couple of goaltending stalwarts in Jordan Parise and Jake Brandt.

Last Ten Games: The two teams have each won five of the last ten games, with UND holding a 35-33 edge in goals scored over that stretch. Before North Dakota’s home sweep over the Pios in January of this year, the Pios had won five of the last six contests.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 159-135-16 (.539), including a strong 94-46-10 (.707) record in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1950, with North Dakota prevailing 18-3 in Denver. The 310 games played between the schools is the most among all of UND’s opponents.

Game News and Notes

Since Denver ended North Dakota’s season in 2019, UND has gone 13-7-1 against the Pios. Twelve of Denver head coach David Carle’s 62 head coaching losses have come against UND. Last season, the Fighting Hawks won the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular season champions for the sixth time in the eleven-year history of the league; the Pioneers have captured the Penrose only three times (2016-2017 and back-to-back in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023). Three Pios players hail from the state of Colorado, while five Fighting Hawks are from North Dakota. Since seven of Michigan’s nine titles were earned by 1964, I consider Denver (ten titles) and UND (eight titles) to be the top two men’s college hockey programs of all time.

On A Personal Note

I have participated in Movember for the past twelve years and have proudly raised over $32,000 to help change the face of men’s health. Will you join me and support the cause? Please visit my Movember fundraising page to learn more and to donate. Thank you!

The Prediction

If North Dakota was at full strength, I would feel much better about this matchup. DU’s defensemen are active and offensive-minded, so the recipe for success is to make them work in their own end by getting pucks in and forcing them to defend and work hard to break out pucks. After the first five weeks of the season, North Dakota is certainly more battle-tested than the Pios. As always. goaltending and special teams will be huge. The North Dakota fans and the Denver fan should enjoy two entertaining contests this weekend, with the home crowd doing just enough to help the Hawks earn a split. UND 4-3, DU 5-2.

Broadcast Information

Both games will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network, with Friday’s opener also available on TSN3. The series is 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. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday.

Social Media

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!

Weekend Preview: UND at Minnesota Duluth

#10 North Dakota (3-4-0) travels to Duluth this weekend to face the unranked UMD Bulldogs (3-4-0) in the NCHC opener for both teams.

To this point of the season, UND has faced only ranked opponents (#11 Providence, #16 Minnesota State, #9 Boston University, and #6 Cornell).

Minnesota-Duluth, on the other hand, has faced unranked Bemidji State, #17 UMass-Lowell, #3 Minnesota, and unranked Stonehill.

In the NCHC preseason poll, UND was picked to finish in second place (behind Denver), while the Bulldogs ended up in seventh place (ahead of only Arizona State and Miami).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past ten seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 532-275-85 (.644) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent thirteen 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 both 2022 and 2024) over that nine-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022, 2024), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won six of the last eight national titles.

The Bulldogs played ten games at the Division I level in the early 1930s but didn’t really get started until after World War II. Its first 19 seasons after the war were played as an independent before joining the WCHA in 1965. It would take 18 seasons – and a head coach named Mike Sertich – before UMD would make the NCAA tournament, and Sertich would take them there in three consecutive seasons:

1982-1983: National Quarterfinalist
1983-1984: 2nd Place (National Runner-Up)
1984-1985: 3rd Place (Consolation Champion)

In 1984, Duluth was tantalizingly close to winning its first title. The Bulldogs defeated North Dakota 2-1 in overtime (behind a goal by Bill Watson) to advance to the championship game, where they would face Bowling Green in the longest NCAA final in Division I men’s hockey history. Gino Cavallini scored for the Falcons in the fourth overtime session, ending a game that took over 97 minutes of game action to complete.

And, perhaps, fittingly, UMD would find themselves locked in overtime contests in 1985 as well. The Bulldogs took RPI to three overtimes in the national semis before falling 6-5. Back in those days, there was still a third-place game, and so Duluth faced Boston College (which had also played three overtimes in its semifinal) for no reason at all. Of course, that game also went to overtime, with UMD defeating the Eagles 7-6.

After that three-year splash on the national scene, Mike Sertich would manage just one more tournament appearance (1993) over the final fifteen years of his head coaching career before giving way to Scott Sandelin, who has guided the Bulldogs to the NCAAs eleven times in his 24 completed seasons behind the Bulldog bench. It is worth noting, however, that Duluth has had two consecutive losing seasons (28-40-6) overall and has missed the last two NCAA tourneys.

Even though UMD has been a more frequent participant over the past two decades than at any other point in team history, Duluth and North Dakota have only met twice in the national tournament (1984 and 2021). UND had a chance to meet the Bulldogs in the 2011 title game but fell to the Wolverines in the semifinals 2-0 (with an empty-net goal) despite outshooting Michigan 40-20.

Before the Wolverines were forced to withdraw from the 2021 tournament, UMD and Michigan were set to square off in the national tournament for the first time since that overtime thriller in St. Paul.

With three national titles in a nine-year stretch, the Bulldogs could certainly be considered the best team of the 2010s; North Dakota’s eight national titles have been spread out across the decades: 1959, 1963, 1980, 1982, 1987, 1997, 2000, and 2016.

The Wolverines have won nine NCAA titles but only two since 1964, those coming in 1996 and 1998. For that reason, I consider North Dakota (eight titles) and Denver (ten titles) the two best programs in NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey history.

And turning our attention to this season…

North Dakota bench boss Brad Berry will be without five players in this important NCHC series:

Junior defenseman Bennett Zmolek remains out of the lineup; Zmolek has missed the last six games.

Fellow blueliner Tanner Komzak, a sophomore, was injured in practice a week ago and did not travel to Cornell last weekend.

Two other players – freshman forward Cody Croal and freshman defenseman Andrew Strathmann – were injured during last Friday’s game at Cornell.

In the good news department, forward Cameron Berg returns to the lineup this weekend after missing both games a week ago. Berg, who has scored three goals and added three assists in five games this season, was injured late in Saturday’s home loss to Boston University on October 26th when he got tangled up with two other players in his own end. Berg was on the ice for the final fourteen seconds of the game and participated in portions of practice last week but was not cleared to play against Cornell a week ago.

Minnesota Duluth brought in eleven freshmen this season, including two defensemen and two goaltenders. Head coach Scott Sandelin is hoping to turn things around after a dreadful 12-20-5 season (5-11-5-3 in the NCHC) a year ago.

Through seven games this season, only five Bulldogs have more than two points, including two freshmen – forwards Jayson Shaugabay (4-1-5) and Zam Plante (1-3-4). The other leading point-getters for UMD will be more familiar names: senior forward Dominic James (6-4-10), sophomore defenseman Aaron Pionk (0-8-8), and senior defenseman Owen Gallatin (1-5-6).

By comparison, TEN North Dakota players have collected more than two points through the team’s first seven contests.

The injury bug has also struck the Bulldogs, although to a lesser extent. Two UMD forwards – freshman Max Plante and junior Max Smith are not expected in the lineup this weekend.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks and Bulldogs are tied for 13th in the nation at 54.6%. Although the numbers are identical, North Dakota does appear to have an edge in the experience department.

For UND, senior Jake Schmaltz has been making a living on draws, winning 81 of 121 (66.9%). Graduate forward Louis Jamernik V has been stellar as well (31 of 54; 57.4%). Brad Berry will welcome senior Cameron Berg’s return to the dot; Berg has won 37 of 69 faceoffs to this point of the season (53.6%).

Duluth will counter with a combination of senior Dominic James (96 of 153, 62.7%), freshman Zam Plante (20 of 42, 69.0%), and freshman Callum Arnott (24 of 54, 44.4%). Plante has a unique style on faceoffs that must be seen to be appreciated. Scott Sandelin certainly misses the presence of Jack Smith in the lineup, the junior has gone 40 of 79 (50.6%) in this number games this season.

North Dakota has five drafted skaters among its eight first-year players, including a pair of highly-touted recruits:

Forward Sacha Boisvert: 2024 Round 1 #18 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks

Boisvert last played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL).

Defenseman E.J. Emery: 2024 Round 1 #30 overall to the New York Rangers

Emery spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor.

Other North Dakota freshmen who were drafted by NHL teams over the past three years include:

Defenseman Andrew Strathmann: 2023 Round 4 #98 overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Forward Mac Swanson: 2024 Round 7 #207 to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Forward Cade Littler: 2022 Round 7 #219 overall to the Calgary Flames

The three freshman forwards listed above have combined for three goals and eight assists in nineteen games played this season, while Emery and Strathmann have each picked up an assist while playing heavy minutes for the Hawks (Emery 21:31, Strathmann 11:17). Strathmann was averaging nearly thirteen minutes a game before being injured early in last Friday’s game at Cornell.

Minnesota Duluth boasts five draft picks among its eleven-member freshman class:

Forward Max Plante: 2024 Round 2 #47 overall to the Detroit Red Wings

Plante spent the last two seasons as E.J. Emery’s teammate with the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor.

Forward Jayson Shaugabay: 2023 Round 4 #115 overall to the Tampa Bay Lightning

Shaugabay, a Warroad native, won the 2023 Minnesota Mr. Hockey award.

Forward Zam Plante: 2022 Round 5 #150 overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Zam, who at twenty years of age is the older brother of Max, is finally healthy after dealing with a shoulder injury. Last season, he was a Fargo Force teammate of current UND freshman Mac Swanson.

Defenseman Adam Kleber: 2024 Round 2 #42 overall to the Buffalo Sabres

Kleber is listed at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds.

Goaltender Adam Gajan: 2023 Round 2 #35 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks

Gajan competed in the 2023 and 2024 World Junior U-20 Championships for his native Slovakia and has been the UMD goaltender of record for all but one game this season (3-3-0, 3.19 GAA, .899 SV%).

Overall, Minnesota-Duluth’s recruiting class was ranked first in the nation by College Hockey News, while North Dakota’s crop of freshmen came in fourth. The two classes sandwiched in between belong to Boston College and Boston University. Incidentally, Western Michigan came in fifth, Denver was slotted in tenth, and Colorado College was picked eleventh.

It remains to be seen which North Dakota netminder gets the nod tonight. Graduate transfer T.J. Semptimphelter had earned the majority of the starts over the first few weekends of play, but he allowed three goals on four shots over the first thirteen minutes of Friday’s opener at Cornell and was pulled in favor of Hobie Hedquist. The sophomore shut the door the rest of the way, stopping all sixteen shots he faced. It was a different story in Saturday’s rematch, however, as Hedquist allowed four goals on 27 shots.

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (25th season at UMD, 459-392-100, .535)

National Ranking: NR/NR

This Season: 3-4-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 12-20-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 5-11-5-3 NCHC (7th of 8 teams)

2024-2025 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game – 24th of 62 teams
Team Defense: 3.43 goals allowed/game – 46th of 62 teams

Power Play: 20.7% (6 of 29) – 23rd of 62 teams
Penalty Kill: 78.9% (15 of 19) – 41st of 62 teams

Key players: Senior F Dominic James (6-4-10), Freshman F Jayson Shaugabay (4-1-5), Freshman F Zam Plante (1-3-4), Sophomore D Aaron Pionk (0-8-8), Senior D Owen Gallatin (1-5-6), Freshman G Adam Gajan (3-3-0, 3.19 GAA, .899 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (10th season at UND, 209-108-33, .644)

National Rankings: #10/#10

This Season: 3-4-0 overall, 0-0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 26-12-2 (NCAA tournament appearance), 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st)

Team Offense: 3.14 goals scored/game – 22nd of 62 teams
Team Defense: 3.14 goals allowed/game – 40th of 62 teams

Power Play: 30.0% (6 of 20) – 5th of 62 teams
Penalty Kill: 82.6% (19 of 23) – 32nd of 62 teams

Key Players: Senior F Cameron Berg (3-3-6 in five games), Freshman F Sacha Boisvert (2-5-7), Junior F Owen McLaughlin (0-5-5), Junior F Dylan James (4-0-4), Sophomore F Jayden Perron (1-3-4), Graduate F Louis Jamernik V (3-3-6), Freshman F Mac Swanson (1-2-3), Sophomore D Jake Livanavage (1-2-3), Sophomore D Abram Wiebe (1-5-6), Freshman D E.J. Emery (0-1-1), Junior G Hobie Hedquist (0-2-0, 2.25 GAA, .913 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 24, 2024 (Grand Forks, ND). UND gave our daughter Ashley a terrific birthday present, completing the weekend sweep with a 4-2 victory. Sophomore forward Dylan James broke a 2-2 third-period tie with a pair of goals. In Friday’s opener, North Dakota crushed UMD 6-0 behind a goal and four assists from sophomore forward Jackson Blake.

Last Meeting in Duluth: November 11, 2023. North Dakota weathered an early first-period storm and went to the locker room leading 1-0 on Louis Jamernik V’s power play goal. A dominant middle frame saw UND outshoot the Bulldogs 18-5 and extend the lead to 2-0. That would be more than enough, as Ludvig Persson stopped all 30 shots he faced. One night earlier, the Fighting Hawks built a 3-0 lead in the opening twenty minutes but saw a UMD comeback bring the home team within one. North Dakota’s Cameron Berg iced the game with a power play tally with under forty seconds remaining. During the series, UND wore helmet stickers honoring former Duluth forward Adam Johnson, who died on October 28, 2023 when a skate blade cut his neck during a pro hockey game. The stickers featured the initials ‘AJ’ along with the number 47, which he was wearing for the Nottingham Panthers. Former UND forward Westin Michaud was Johnson’s teammate with the Panthers.

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 2021 (Fargo, ND). North Dakota was down 2-0 to Minnesota Duluth with just 101 seconds remaining in the third period of the 2021 NCAA Midwest Regional final at Scheels Arena in Fargo, North Dakota. The Bulldogs had built their lead with two goals just 80 seconds apart early in the final frame on a pair of fluky plays. A partially blocked shot off the stick of Jackson Cates fluttered past Fighting Hawks’ netminder Adam Scheel, and a broken stick at the blue line sent Cole Koepke in alone on a breakaway. UND scored two extra-attacker goals in the final two minutes of regulation to send the game long into the night. Minnesota Duluth outlasted North Dakota 3-2 in five overtimes to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four. The three goaltenders involved in the contest combined to make 114 saves.

The Meeting That Never Was: Both teams advanced to the 2011 NCAA Frozen Four at Xcel Energy Center (St. Paul, Minnesota). UND could not get past Michigan, falling 2-0 despite outshooting the Wolverines 40-20. In the other national semifinal, Minnesota-Duluth defeated Notre Dame 4-3 and rode that momentum to the title game. The Bulldogs took the Wolverines to overtime before senior forward Kyle Schmidt scored the game winner and earned UMD their first national championship. North Dakota won two of the three games against Duluth that season, outscoring Scott Sandelin’s team 11-5.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 157-89-11 (.632), including a 67-46-6 (.588) advantage in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1954, with North Dakota winning the first ten games between the schools by a combined score of 72-16. UMD’s first win over the Fighting Sioux (a 3-2 road victory on December 18th, 1959) did not sit well with the defending national champions. UND defeated Duluth 13-2 the following night.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 8-2-0 (.800) in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Bulldogs 31-18 over that stretch. Only four of the past ten UND-UMD games were played in Duluth (all victories for the Fighting Hawks).

Game News and Notes

North Dakota has struggled with slow starts over the past two games, giving up early leads to Boston University (1-0) and Cornell (3-1 and 2-0). Duluth has been outshot and outscored in first periods and second periods this season. With Cameron Berg out of the lineup last weekend, UND went 0-for-7 on the power play against Cornell. Both head coaches this weekend are alumni of the University of North Dakota; Brad Berry (1983-86) and Scott Sandelin (1982-86) both played for UND under John “Gino” Gasparini.

On A Personal Note

I have participated in Movember for the past twelve years and have proudly raised over $30,000 to help change the face of men’s health. Will you join me and support the cause? Please visit my Movember fundraising page to learn more and to donate. Thank you!

The Prediction

I expect a fast, physical weekend of hockey out of this matchup, with plenty of talent on display. An early lead would be beneficial for UND, as they seem to play with much more purpose and poise when they aren’t chasing the game. Of course, goaltending is always a big factor, but even more so in this one, with a freshman netminder on one end and some uncertainty on the other. North Dakota’s grueling non-conference schedule will prove to be a benefit in this series, and I’ve got them finding a way to get two wins. UND 5-3, 4-2.

Broadcast Information

Both games this weekend will be available online at NCHC.tv, with Saturday’s contest also broadcast on Midco Sports Two. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the Fighting Hawks Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app. Puck drop is set for 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central on Saturday.

Social Media

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.

Weekend Preview: UND at Cornell

#6 North Dakota (3-2-0) travels to Ithaca, New York this weekend to face #9 Cornell. The Big Red have yet to play a game this season, and it will be interesting to see whether Mike Schafer’s squad can pick up where they left off a year ago (22-7-6 in 2023-24).

Cornell was impressive in the NCAA tournament last season, besting Maine 3-1 before meeting up with eventual champion Denver in the regional final. Denver scored a power play goal with four seconds remaining in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and made that lead hold up despite a furious third period that saw the Big Red outshoot the Pios 9-3.

Cornell returns all but one player from last year’s squad, which was the best defensive team in the country in 2023-24 (1.86 goals allowed/game).

That one player – center Gabriel Seger – is a big loss for Mike Schafer’s crew. Seger put up a line of 14-30-44 in 35 games last season and was the team’s leading scorer.

Two other Cornell players – sophomore forward Luke Devlin and sophomore defenseman George Fegaras – are expected to be out of the lineup this weekend. In the 2022 NHL Draft, Devlin was a sixth-round pick (#182 overall) of the Pittsburgh Penguins, while Fegaras was a third-round draft pick (#83 overall) of the Dallas Stars.

Remarkably, Cornell has THIRTY players on its hockey roster, with a breakdown of eleven defensemen, sixteen forwards, and three goaltenders. By comparison, UND has a far-more-normal roster of 26 players (8-15-3).

North Dakota bench boss Brad Berry will be without four of those 26 players in this important non-conference series:

Junior defenseman Bennett Zmolek remains out of the lineup; Zmolek has missed the last four games.

Fellow blueliner Tanner Komzak, a sophomore, was injured in practice this week and also did not travel.

Junior goaltender Kaleb Johnson remained in Grand Forks this week; the team is still determining how long Johnson might be sidelined.

And perhaps most importantly, senior forward Cameron Berg, the team’s leading scorer (3-3-6), was injured late in Saturday’s loss to Boston University when he got tangled up with two other players in his own end. Berg was on the ice for the final fourteen seconds of the game and participated in portions of practice this week but is unable to return to the lineup.

All four players are dealing with lower-body injuries.

Without Zmolek and Komzak, North Dakota’s defensive corps consists of three freshmen and three sophomores. Junior forward Dane Montgomery is another option on the blue line for Brad Berry this weekend.

UND has played Cornell just ten times in school history, with three of those meetings in the NCAA tournament. Before the January 2022 series in Grand Forks (a 4-3, 3-1 Big Red sweep), the two teams last squared off in January 2010 in the first two UND games ever played in Ithaca, New York. Cornell won the opener 1-0 before North Dakota evened the series with a 3-1 victory.

This season, #6 North Dakota followed up a 5-2 victory over #12 Providence in its home opener with a road split at #16 Minnesota State (3-2, 0-3). Curiously, UND actually played better in Saturday’s loss than in Friday’s victory; in the finale, the Fighting Hawks were done in by 34 blocked shots and a 27-save shutout performance from Mavericks junior netminder Alex Tracy.

Last weekend, the Fighting Hawks put together a solid 120 minutes of hockey in a home split (7-2, 3-4) with #5 Boston University. If Brad Berry’s crew can put together efforts like that each and every weekend, this year’s version of the Green and White will win a LOT of hockey games.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are the nation’s ninth-best team on draws (55.8%). Last season, Cornell clocked in at 54.2% (7th).

For UND, senior Jake Schmaltz has been making a living on draws, winning 56 of 80 (70.0%). Graduate forward Louis Jamernik V has been stellar as well (21 of 32; 65.6%). Brad Berry will miss Cameron Berg’s presence in the dot; Berg has won 37 of 69 faceoffs to this point of the season (53.6%).

If UND will miss the presence of Berg this weekend, Cornell will CERTAINLY miss center Gabriel Seger. Seger took by far the most draws for the Big Red last season, winning 488 of 830 (58.8%). Left to do the heavy lifting inside the circle are sophomore Ryan Walsh (251 of 492, 51.0% last season) and classmate Jonathan Castagna (220 of 403, 54.6%).

North Dakota has five drafted skaters among its eight first-year players, including a pair of highly-touted recruits:

Forward Sacha Boisvert: 2024 Round 1 #18 overall to the Chicago Blackhawks

Boisvert last played with the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL).

Defenseman E.J. Emery: 2024 Round 1 #30 overall to the New York Rangers

Emery spent the last two seasons with the U.S. National Development Team in Ann Arbor.

Other North Dakota freshmen who were drafted by NHL teams over the past three years include:

Defenseman Andrew Strathmann: 2023 Round 4 #98 overall to the Columbus Blue Jackets

Forward Mac Swanson: 2024 Round 7 #207 to the Pittsburgh Penguins

Forward Cade Littler: 2022 Round 7 #219 overall to the Calgary Flames

The three freshman forwards listed above have combined for two goals and five assists in thirteen games played this season, while Emery and Strathmann have each picked up an assist while playing heavy minutes for the Hawks (Emery 22:24, Strathmann 12:49).

For North Dakota, the goal is simple: take another step in the national tournament. There is reason for optimism in Grand Forks, with an experienced d-corps, plenty of returning grit and skill, and a crop of freshmen with a tremendous amount of upside.

Non-conference games are critical in determining the sixteen teams for the NCAA tournament, and this weekend is North Dakota’s next opportunity to bolster their resume. After these two road games against Cornell (a member of the ECAC) UND has four non-conference games remaining this season:

November 22-23: vs. Robert Morris (AHA)
November 29-30: at/vs. Bemidji State (CCHA)

So far this season, UND is 2-1 against Hockey East and 1-1 against the CCHA. A split or better this weekend would be an excellent result for North Dakota, as they would then have an overall non-conference record of 4-3 with four winnable games remaining

Incidentally, the twelve teams in the ECAC have combined to win seven NCAA titles, with only two of those (Yale in 2013 and Union in 2014) coming in the last 35 years. Before the league’s two recent national championships, the last conference member to claim college hockey’s biggest prize was Harvard in 1989. Cornell lays claim to two of those seven crowns, with title game victories in 1967 and 1970. The 1967 championship came after a 1-0 triumph over North Dakota in the semifinals.

The Fighting Hawks will not play a non-conference game over the final four months of the season, with only a January 4th exhibition game against Manitoba on the schedule.

UND opens the NCHC portion of the schedule at Minnesota Duluth next weekend (November 8th and 9th).

Cornell Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Schafer (29th season at Cornell, 542-289-111, .634)

National Rankings: #9/#8

This Season: No games played
Last Season: 22-7-6 overall (NCAA Regional Finalist); 11-4-4-3 ECAC (2nd of 12)

2023-24 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.29 goals scored/game
Team Defense: 1.86 goals allowed/game

Power Play: 18.2% (22 of 121)
Penalty Kill: 79.0% (83 of 105)

Key Players (2023-24 Statistics): Junior F Dalton Bancroft (12-19-31), Senior F Kyle Penney (10-18-28), Sophomore F Jonathan Castagna (11-14-25), Sophomore F Ryan Walsh (12-10-22), Senior F Ondrej Psenicka (9-12-21), Sophomore D Ben Robertson (5-18-23), Senior D Tim Rego (2-8-10), Senior G Ian Shane (22-5-6, 1.69 GAA, .923 SV%, 3 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (10th season at UND, 209-106-33, .648)

National Rankings: #6/#7

This Season: 3-2-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHC
Last Season: 26-12-2 (NCAA tournament appearance), 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st)

Team Offense: 3.60 goals scored/game – 14th of 58 teams
Team Defense: 2.60 goals allowed/game – 21st of 58 teams

Power Play: 46.2% (6 of 13) – 1st of 58 teams
Penalty Kill: 75.0% (12 of 16) – 49th of 58 teams

Key Players: Junior F Owen McLaughlin (0-5-5), Junior F Dylan James (2-0-2), Sophomore F Jayden Perron (1-3-4), Graduate F Louis Jamernik V (2-3-5), Freshman F Sacha Boisvert (1-3-4), Freshman F Mac Swanson (1-1-2), Sophomore D Jake Livanavage (1-2-3), Sophomore D Abram Wiebe (1-4-5), Freshman D E.J. Emery (0-1-1), Freshman D Andrew Strathmann (0-1-1), Graduate G T.J. Semptimphelter (3-1-0. 2.53 GAA, .906 SV%)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 8, 2022 (Grand Forks, ND). Cornell erased an early Riese Gaber power play goal with two markers of their own and added an insurance goal midway through the final frame for a 3-1 road victory. UND outshot the Big Red 33-20 but could not put a second goal past CU netminder Ian Shane. One night earlier, the Fighting Hawks built a 3-1 lead over the first 46 minutes of the game but allowed THREE third-period goals in a span of under five minutes. Shane – who is a senior on this year’s Cornell squad – stopped 23 of 26 UND shots in the 4-3 victory.

Last Meeting in Ithaca: January 23, 2010. One night after dropping a 1-0 decision despite outshooting Cornell 28-15, North Dakota scored early (Brad Malone at 1:33 of the first period) late (Chris VandeVelde at 11:18 of the third period), and later (Jason Gregoire at 19:58 of the third period) to counteract an extra attacker goal by Cornell with ten seconds remaining. For the weekend, UND outshot the host team 54-31.

Most Important Meeting: The teams have met twice in the NCAA semifinals, with Cornell coming out on top 1-0 in 1967 and North Dakota returning the favor the following season, 3-1.

What Might Have Been: The Fighting Hawks (26-5-4) and Big Red (23-2-4) were poised for an epic showdown in the 2020 NCAA tournament before COVID took that possibility away from all of us. Cornell had outscored opponents 104-45 that season, while UND boasted a 135-68 advantage.

All-Time: The teams have each won five of the ten previous matchups, although UND has outscored Cornell 29-19. The Big Red lay claim to victories in four of the last five contests, outscoring North Dakota 12-8.

Game News and Notes

In his 28 previous seasons as the head coach at Cornell, Mike Schafer has won six regular-season titles and advanced to one Frozen Four (2003). His teams have only had losing records four times, and those teams were barely under .500 (15-16 in 1997-98, 12-15 in 1998-99, 15-16 in 2012-13, and 11-14 in 2014-15). The 2019-2020 version of the Big Red was 23-2-4 before the world shut down due to COVID-19.

The Prediction

I expect a methodical first period on Friday night, with both teams adjusting to the speed, skill, and game plan of the other. Keep an eye on which team works its way more crisply through the neutral zone; that will be a good early indicator of success. The biggest question mark for me is how quickly Mike Schafer can get his squad playing at the level and in the style that brought them so many victories last season. I like North Dakota’s chances in game one, with the Big Red rolling in the finale. UND 3-2, CU 3-1.

Broadcast Information

Both games this weekend will be available on ESPN+. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the Fighting Hawks Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app. Puck drop is set for 6:00 p.m. Central Time each night.

Social Media

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your thoughts, comments, and suggestions.