#16 North Dakota (12-10-1 overall, 5-4-2-1 NCHC) travels to St. Cloud this weekend to face the unranked Huskies (11-13-0 overall, 3-7-1-3 NCHC) in a key league matchup at the National Hockey Center.
UND – currently tied with Denver for fourth place in the NCHC – leads St. Cloud State by six points in the conference standings, with six points up for grabs in this series. When the teams battled in Grand Forks back on December 13th and 14th, the Fighting Hawks took five of six possible points with a 2-0 regulation win and a 4-3 overtime victory.
Since those two losses at North Dakota, SCSU has gone 1-6, with a 2-1 home victory over St. Thomas and six straight conference losses (two each at Duluth, vs. Arizona State, and at Omaha). In those six NCHC defeats, the Huskies were outscored 27-12.
What is going on in St. Cloud?
In a word: goaltending.
Over the first two months of the season, sophomore Isak Posch played every minute between the pipes and gave SCSU nearly flawless goaltending, helping the Huskies win nine games while posting a goals-against average of 1.68, a save percentage of .938, and two shutouts.
Since his injury during warmups back on December 6th, here are the stat lines for St. Cloud’s other two netminders:
Graduate Gavin Enright: 2-7-0, 3.27 GAA, .892 SV%
Freshman James Gray: 0-2-0, 2.98 GAA, .900 SV%
Enright played both games at North Dakota last month (both losses), allowing six goals while making 63 saves.
Two seasons ago, St. Cloud State got the better of the Fighting Hawks, winning four of five games and ending UND’s season in the semifinals of the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul.
During the 2022-23 regular season, SCSU embarrassed North Dakota in St. Cloud, winning both games on the wide sheet by comfortable margins (7-2, 6-3). On Friday night, a disastrous second period saw the Huskies score every which way: at even strength, shorthanded, with the extra attacker on a delayed penalty, and on the ensuing power play. Saturday’s game at the Herb Brooks Center was a different kind of disturbing for fans of the Green and White, as the visitors led 3-0 early in the second period. The Huskies would get on the board just 23 seconds after UND’s third tally, and then it was the Zach Okabe show, as the senior forward scored a natural hat trick in under nine minutes of game action (from the 18:12 mark of the middle frame through the 7:05 mark of the third period). SCSU would add two late goals – including an empty-netter – to make the score look lopsided.
In the rematch in Grand Forks, both games went to overtime, with UND scoring during 3-on-3 play on Friday night before losing in a shootout in Saturday’s finale.
Last season, the two teams tangled only twice, and North Dakota took four of six points on the road, winning Friday’s opener 5-3 before tying the homestanding Huskies 3-3 and losing in a shootout.
Turning our attention to this season…
A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Brett Larson’s squad has just four lineup regulars who meet that threshold through the team’s first 24 games: freshman forward Austin Burnevik (10-10-20), sophomore forward Barrett Hall (4-13-17), sophomore forward Tyson Gross (8-7-15), and sophomore forward Verner Miettinen (3-9-12).
North Dakota bench boss Brad Berry has a healthier lineup than he’s had virtually all season. Senior forward Cameron Berg (6-5-11 in eleven games) has played the last four games after missing five consecutive weekends of action. Berg’s return leaves just senior forward/defenseman Dane Montgomery (day-to-day), senior defenseman Bennett Zmolek (out for the season), and junior goaltender Kaleb Johnson (out long-term) on the sidelines.
North Dakota boasts impressive scoring depth, with nine players at a half-point per game or better. The aforementioned Cameron Berg leads the way in scoring average with his eleven points in eleven games. Other consistent contributors include freshman forward Sacha Boisvert (9-9-18), graduate forward Louis Jamernik V (4-5-9 in seventeen games), junior forward Owen McLaughlin (1-13-14), sophomore forward Jayden Perron (7-6-13), freshman forward Mac Swanson (2-10-12), junior forward Dylan James (7-6-13), sophomore defenseman Jake Livanavage (2-14-16), and sophomore defenseman Abram Wiebe (4-13-17).
Offensively, UND outpaces SCSU by a large margin. To this point of the season, North Dakota has scored 69 goals in 23 games (3.00 goals per game, 25th in the country), while St. Cloud State has managed just 54 in 24 games (2.25, 54th).
The Fighting Hawks are 27th in the nation in shooting percentage at 10.0%. SCSU clocks in at 7.9%, good for 58th in the country. Both teams do an adequate job of getting the puck to the net, with UND averaging 30.1 shots on goal per game (24th) and the Huskies at 28.5 shots on goal per contest (39th).
On the defensive side, UND has only allowed 624 shots on goal this season in 23 games (27.1/game, 17th), while St. Cloud State has allowed 704 in 24 games (29.3, 31st).
Despite being outshot to this point in the season, SCSU is only allowing 2.67 goals per game, a mark good for 30th in the country. UND? 2.87 (35th).
Unfortunately for SCSU, it’s been a whole lot worse since early December:
With Isak Posch: 24 goals allowed in thirteen games (1.85)
Without Isak Posch: 40 goals allowed in eleven games (3.63)
Posch is not expected in the lineup this weekend.
UND has also lost the services of one if its goaltenders for the foreseeable future: junior 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.
On the team side of things, I’m looking at a few important areas in this matchup…
UND far outpaces St. Cloud State in two key puck possession statistics:
North Dakota: 17th in Corsi (53.0%) and 21st in Fenwick (52.6%)
St. Cloud State: 34th in Corsi (49.8%) and 36th in Fenwick (49.0%)
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 seventh-best team on draws (54.5%), while the Huskies clock in at 54.8% (6th).
For UND, senior Jake Schmaltz has been the go-to guy in all key situations, winning 249 of 427 (58.3%). Graduate transfer Carter Wilkie (56.5%, 194 of 343) has been a solid second option, and Cameron Berg has won 56.3 percent of his draws (90 of 160) in his eleven games.
For SCSU, three centers have split the majority of the duties. Senior Mason Salquist (246 of 440, 58.6%) has won the most draws, while sophomore Verner Miettinen has had almost identical success (202 of 351, 57.5 percent) and sophomore Tyson Gross (228 of 399, 57.1%) has shown remarkable improvement.
To this point in the season, the two teams are nearly identical in terms of overall specialty teams production, although they have chosen vastly different paths to get there.
North Dakota continues to live and die by the power play, with seventeen man-advantage goals scored in 70 opportunities (24.3%, 11th-best in the country). On the other side of the coin, UND has allowed TWENTY power play goals to opponents (56 of 76, 73.7%, 58th in the country). Add in three shorthanded goals scored and three allowed, and the Fighting Hawks are sitting at minus-3.
The Huskies are sitting at minus-1, but their splits are a bit less extreme. SCSU has scored twelve power play goals this season (12 of 62, 19.4%, 38th) and allowed thirteen (62 of 75, 82.7%, 20th). St. Cloud State has scored two shorthanded goals and allowed two 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 thirteen goals and 21 assists in 66 games played this season, while Emery and Strathmann have totaled a goal and three assists while playing heavy minutes for the Hawks (Emery 20:03, Strathmann 12:06).
According to College Hockey News, North Dakota’s freshman class ranks #4 in the country.
By contrast, St. Cloud State boasts three drafted skaters among its eight-member freshman class, and they all bring quite a bit of size to the lineup:
6-3 200-pound defenseman Colin Ralph: 2024 Round 2 #48 overall to the St. Louis Blues
6-5 205-pound forward Daimon Gardner: 2022 Round 4 #112 overall to the Vancouver Canucks
6-4 200-pound forward Austin Burnevik: 2024 Round 6 #182 overall to the Anaheim Ducks
Burnevik leads the Huskies in scoring with a line of 10-10-20 in 23 games played. Gardner has scored four goals and added three assists in his first twenty collegiate games, while Ralph leads all SCSU blueliners with five assists.
This is a pivotal series, with both league points and Pairwise positioning at play. This weekend marks the first of six consecutive league series to end the regular season, alternating away and home along the way, with the much more difficult matchups away from Ralph Engelstad Arena:
at St. Cloud State (Pairwise 27)
vs. Colorado College (PWR 32)
at Denver (PWR 7)
vs. Minnesota Duluth (PWR 37)
at Western Michigan (PWR 6)
vs. Omaha (PWR 35)
UND is not scheduled to face league foes Arizona State (PWR 14) or Miami (PWR 62) again this season.
St. Cloud State Team Profile
Head Coach: Brett Larson (7th season at SCSU, 134-89-21, .592)
National Rankings: NR/NR
Pairwise Ranking: 27th
KRACH Rating: 116.4 (29th)
This Season: 11-13-0 overall, 3-7-1-3 NCHC (8th of 9 teams)
Last Season: 17-16-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 10-6-3-5 NCHC (tied for 3rd)
2024-25 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 2.25 goals scored/game – 54th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.67 goals allowed/game – 30th of 64 teams
Power Play: 19.4% (12 of 62) – 38th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 82.7% (62 of 75) – 20th of 64 teams
Key players: Freshman F Austin Burnevik (10-10-20), Sophomore F Barrett Hall (4-13-17), Sophomore F Tyson Gross (8-7-15), Sophomore F Verner Miettinen (3-9-12), Junior F Grant Ahcan (5-6-11), Freshman D Colin Ralph 1-5-6), Senior D Josh Luedtke (2-5-7), Junior D Cooper Wylie (0-3-3), Graduate G Gavin Enright (2-7-0, 3.27 GAA, .892 SV%)
North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Brad Berry (10th season at UND, 218-114-34, .642)
National Rankings: #16/#17
Pairwise Ranking: 26th
KRACH: 148.2 (22nd)
This Season: 12-10-1 overall, 5-4-2-1 NCHC (t-4th of 9 teams)
Last Season: 26-12-2 (NCAA tournament appearance), 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st)
Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game – 25th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.87 goals allowed/game – 35th of 64 teams
Power Play: 24.3% (17 of 70) – 11th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 73.7% (56 of 76) – 58th of 64 teams
Key Players: Freshman F Sacha Boisvert (9-9-18), Junior F Owen McLaughlin (1-13-14), Junior F Dylan James (7-6-13), Sophomore F Jayden Perron (7-6-13), Freshman F Mac Swanson (2-10-12), Senior F Jake Schmaltz (4-7-11), Senior F Cameron Berg (6-5-11 in eleven games), Sophomore D Jake Livanavage (2-14-16), Sophomore D Abram Wiebe (4-13-17), Junior D Caleb MacDonald (2-3-5), Graduate G T.J. Semptimphelter (10-7-1, 2.80 GAA, .899 SV%, 1 SO)
By The Numbers
Last Meeting: December 14, 2024 (Grand Forks, ND). North Dakota’s Jake Schmaltz was the overtime hero for the Green and White, potting the game-winner just over two minutes into the 3-on-3 portion of the contest. UND never led in regulation and needed a third-period tally by Sacha Boisvert knot the game at three and send the game to an extra session. One night earlier, UND won 2-0 behind a 24-save shutout from T.J. Semptimphelter.
Last Meeting in St. Cloud: Saturday, January 20, 2024. One night after Jackson Blake’s three-point night propelled the visitors to a 5-3 victory, it was Cameron Berg who saved the day for the Green and White, potting his twelfth of the season with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation to knot the game at three. After a scoreless five-minute three-on-three session, two of three SCSU shooters scored in the skills competition to give the Huskies a second league point. For the weekend, SCSU outshot UND 72-48 and had to feel like they left some points on the table. Had St. Cloud State swept the visitors, the two teams would have tied for the regular-season league title.
A Recent Memory: March 16, 2021 (Grand Forks, ND). One night before St. Patrick’s Day, North Dakota enjoyed playing for the NCHC playoff title in front of a whole bunch of green. St. Cloud State led 2-1 after two periods, but the Fighting Hawks stormed back with four third-period goals – including three in the span of 122 seconds early in the final frame and an empty-netter to seal the 5-3 victory and the program’s first Frozen Faceoff championship. UND senior Jordan Kawaguchi and freshman Riese Gaber each had two goals and an assist.
Most Important Meeting: NCAA West Regional Final in Fargo, ND (March 28, 2015). North Dakota scored three unassisted goals over the final two periods of the hockey game to defeat St. Cloud State 4-1 in the West Regional Final and advance to the NCAA Frozen Four. Jimmy Murray got the Huskies on the board less than 90 seconds in to the hockey game, but that did nothing to quiet the partisan crowd of 5,307 at SCHEELS Arena. Four different players scored for UND, while Zane McIntyre made 19 stops to earn his 29th and final victory of the season.
All-Time Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series, 83-49-18 (.613), including a slim edge (31-26-9,.538) in games played in St. Cloud. The teams have been squaring off regularly since the 1989-90 season but have only met once in the NCAA tournament (2015).
Last Ten: UND holds a slight 4-3-3 (.550) edge in the last ten games between the schools, although the Huskies hold a scoring advantage of 33-30 in those contests due to a pair of lopsided victories (7-2, 6-3) in St. Cloud in December 2022. North Dakota has only lost once in the last seven games in this series (4-1-2).
Game News and Notes
Since SCSU began competing in the WCHA in 1990, the Huskies have made the national tournament sixteen times, with Frozen Four appearances in 2013 and 2021 (zero titles). Over that same stretch, North Dakota has appeared in the NCAA tourney 24 times, with eleven Frozen Fours and three national championships (1997, 2000, 2016). UND head coach Brad Berry is 17-12-6 (.571) in his head coaching career against the Huskies. North Dakota (2015, 2016, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024) and St. Cloud State (2014, 2018, and 2019) have combined to win the regular season title in nine of the eleven seasons of the NCHC. The Huskies also won the last WCHA conference title in 2013.
The Prediction
There is no question that this season has been up and down for the Fighting Hawks so far, and Brad Berry’s squad has a tremendous opportunity this weekend to build a Pairwise resume. As was the case last month in Grand Forks, I think that North Dakota is catching the Huskies at the right time, with some question marks in the St. Cloud crease. Unlike past iterations, this year’s version of the Cardinal and Black will not want to run and gun with the Hawks, and I expect both games to be close, tightly-contested affairs. SCSU has been in a tailspin over the past couple of months, and the Fighting Hawks will be rested and ready for this weekend. UND 4-2, 3-2.
Broadcast Information
Both games this weekend will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Two and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Central Time on Friday, with a 6:00 p.m. start time on Saturday night. 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.
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!