November 2025 – Sioux Sports Talk

Weekend Preview: North Dakota vs. Bemidji State

#6 North Dakota (8-4-0, 4-1-0-1 NCHC) and unranked Bemidji State (9-5-2, 4-0-5-1 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.

Last season, North Dakota was ranked 14th in the country headed into a similar post-Thanksgiving weekend series with the Beavers. The Fighting Hawks dropped the first game by a final score of 2-1 before settling for a 3-3 tie on home ice. Those non-conference results ultimately doomed UND, which missed the playoffs for the second time in three seasons and moved on from ten-year head coach Brad Berry.

Bemidji State has played the 49th-toughest schedule in the country, with North Dakota’s early-season slate of games ranked as the 15th-toughest in the nation.

UND performed well (3-4 OT, 5-1) against #5 Minnesota Duluth four weeks ago, and those results are buoying its current NCAA Percentage Index ranking (10th). Fans may remember that the NPI has replaced the PairWise as the system used to determine the 16-team field for the national tournament.

By comarison, Bemidji State lost both games of a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs by final scores of 7-3 and 5-1.

Twelve 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 (fifth season at the Division I level), and Augustana (third season at the Division I level).

Next season, St. Thomas will leave the CCHA to become the tenth member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past ten seasons. The nine teams in the league have gone 571-293-86 (.644) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent fifteen 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, Denver in 2022 and 2024, and Denver and Western Michigan in 2025 over that nine-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022, 2024), Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019), and Western Michigan (2025) have won seven of the last nine national titles.

So far this season, the NCHC has won nearly seventy percent of its non-conference games (39-18-1) and has four teams (#4 Denver, #5 Minnesota Duluth, #6 North Dakota, and #7 Western Michigan) positioned in the top ten in the latest rankings and the other five teams in the conference all receiving votes. With similar success in the second half of the season, the league could easily send four or even five teams to this year’s NCAA tournament in March.

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 basically played .500 hockey (77-76-14) since their most recent tournament run, with a third-place league finish in 2022 and a fifth-place finish a year later. Two seasons ago, BSU won the regular season title but lost to Michigan Tech in the CCHA tournament championship and failed to make the NCAA tournament. Last year, Tom Serratore’s squad sputtered to an overall record of 15-18-5, the fourth-worst season of his 25-year coaching career behind the Beaver bench.

UND is nine years removed from its eighth national championship but has made the national tournament in just four of the past eight seasons. That track record – and some early playoff exits – led to a coaching change, and Dane Jackson is now leading the charge.

As I mentioned earlier, North Dakota is in a good position to make the NCAA tournament but cannot afford a setback this weekend or against winless Mercyhurst (0-13-0) on January 2nd and 3rd, 2026.

Turning our attention to this weekend’s action…

A half point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and BSU head coach Tom Serratore will have eight players in the lineup who meet that mark: senior forward Adam Flammang (6-14-20), junior forward Oliver Peer (10-9-19), junior forward Kasper Magnussen (6-10-16), freshman forward Max Namestikov (4-7-11), graduate forward Relly Funk (5-5-10), junior forward Connor McClennon (7-2-9), senior forward Kirklan Irey (0-8-8), and freshman defenseman Hudson Thornton (2-8-10).

North Dakota will have TWELVE players in the lineup this weekend who have met same offensive threshold: senior forward Ben Strinden (7-8-15), freshman forward Will Zellers (7-4-11), senior forward Ellis Rickwood (1-7-8), sophomore forward Mac Swanson (4-6-10), freshman forward Cole Reschny (2-9-11), senior forward Dylan James (6-3-9), freshman forward Ollie Josephson (2-4-6), sophomore forward Cody Croal (3-3-6), senior forward Tyler Young (1-1-2 in four games played), junior defenseman Abram Wiebe (2-7-9), freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff (4-4-8), and junior defenseman Jake Livanavage (1-8-9).

UND freshman forward Josh Zakreski (1-2-3 in six games played) was having a promising start to his rookie campaign, but he suffered a lower body injury three weeks ago in practice, had surgery, and is expected to be out long-term.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. Through twelve games, the Fighting Hawks have won 52.8% of faceoffs, good for 12th in the country. Through their sixteen games, the Beavers are 38th in the nation (49.2%).

UND freshman phenom Cole Reschny has won 100 of his 174 draws (57.5%), while portal transfer Ellis Rickwood (who played the past three years at Clarkson) has won 62.6 percent (119 of 190). Arizona State will counter with junior Oliver Peer (135 of 257, 52.5%) and graduate Reilly Funk (161 of 331, 48.6%).

In the early part of the 2025-2025 campaign, the Fighting Hawks narrowly outpace the Beavers in two key puck possession statistics:

North Dakota: 11th in both Corsi (55.8%) and Fenwick (56.2%)

Bemidji State: 14th in both Corsi (53.2%) and Fenwick (54.3%)

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

To this point in the season, the Green and White have had slightly the better of the specialty teams play. North Dakota is a combined +2, with thirteen power play goals scored (13 for 50, 26.0%, 7th) and ten power play goals allowed (32 of 42, 76.2%, 46th). UND has scored two but allowed three shorthanded goals through the first twelve games of the season.

Tom Serratore’s squad is at a +1, with fourteen power play goals scored (14 for 60, 23.3%, 18th in the country) and thirteen power play goals allowed (50 of 63, 79.4%, 35th). BSU has both scored and allowed two shorthanded goals this season.

Through twelve games, the Green and White have blocked 149 shots (12.4 per game), led by Bennett Zmolek with 23 and Jake Livanavage with 15. Bemidji State has blocked 185 shots in its sixteen games (11.6/game), with senior Mitch Wolfe and freshman Hudson Thornton blocking 24 each.

North Dakota’s defensive corps has provided plenty of production from the back end, already notching nine goals and adding 27 assists in 85 combined games (0.42 points per game).

The nine Bemidji State blueliners to play this season have scored ten goals and added twenty assists in 111 conbined games (0.27 points/game). Aside from freshman Hudson Thornton (2-8-10 in sixteen games played), no Beaver defenseman has collected more than four points.

Senior Maxon Vig – son of Mitch Vig (UND 1994-98) has two goals and one assist in his first sixteen games this season.

For the Fighting Hawks, it’s been two juniors – Jake Livanavage (1-8-9) and Abram Wiebe (2-7-9) – and a freshman (Keaton Verhoeff, with four goals and four assists).

Verhoeff is widely expected to go in the top three of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, while Livanavage (4-24-28) and Wiebe (4-20-24) were two of UND’s top four point-getters a season ago.

Sophomore defenseman EJ Emery – a first round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – notched the first two goals of his collegiate career last month in a 5-2 win against Minnesota.

Not only have North Dakota’s defensemen been producing offensively, first-year head coach Dane Jackson has also put together an impressive mix of defenders he can trust in any situation. As a unit, UND’s defensemen have allowed just 22.7 shots on goal per game (3rd in the country).

Fighting Hawks’ graduate netminder Gibson Homer (4-4-0, 2.78 goals-against average, .882 save percentage) started each of the first four games of the season but has split each of the past four weekends with freshman Jan Spunar (4-0-0, 1.26 GAA, .939 SV%, one shutout). I would expect Spunar to get the start in Friday’s opener, and, depending on results, the freshman may earn back-to-back starts for the first time in his collegiate career.

Bemidji State Team Profile

Head Coach: Tom Serratore (25th season at BSU, 412-383-106, .516)

National Rankings: NR/NR
NPI Ranking: 24th
KRACH Rating: 102.0 (36th)

This Season: 9-5-2 overall, 4-0-5-1 CCHA (1st)
Last Season: 15-18-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-11-7-1 CCHA (t-6th)

Team Offense: 3.50 goals scored/game – 16th of 63 teams
Team Defense: 2.56 goals allowed/game – 19th of 63 teams

Power Play: 23.3% (14 of 60) – 18th of 63 teams
Penalty Kill: 79.4% (50 of 63) – 35th of 63 teams

Key Players: : Senior F Adam Flammang (6-14-20), Junior F Oliver Peer (10-9-19), Junior F Kasper Magnussen (6-10-16), Freshman F Max Namestikov (4-7-11), Graduate F Relly Funk (5-5-10), Junior F Connor McClennon (7-2-9), Senior F Kirklan Irey (0-8-8), Freshman D Hudson Thornton (2-8-10), Senior D Mitch Wolfe (2-2-4), Junior G Raythan Robbins (5-1-2, 2.08 GAA, .909 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season at North Dakota, 8-4-0, .667)

National Rankings: #6/#6
NPI Ranking: 10th
KRACH: 306.9 (9th)

This Season: 8-4-0 overall, 4-1-0-1 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 21-15-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 11-8-4-1 NCHC (5th)

2025-26 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.83 goals scored/game – 8th of 63 teams

Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game – 15th of 63 teams

Power Play: 26.0% (13 of 50) – 7th of 63 teams

Penalty Kill: 76.2% (32 of 42) – 46th of 63 teams

Key Players: Senior F Ben Strinden (7-8-15), Freshman F Cole Reschny (2-9-11), Freshman F Will Zellers (7-4-11), Senior F Dylan James (6-3-9), Sophomore F Mac Swanson (4-6-10), Freshman F Ollie Josephson (2-4-6), Senior F Ellis Rickwood (1-7-8), Junior D Jake Livanavage (1-8-9), Junior D Abram Wiebe (2-7-9), Freshman D Keaton Verhoeff (4-4-8), Freshman G Jan Spunar (4-0-0, 1.26 GAA, .929 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: November 30, 2024 (Grand Forks, ND). Hobie Hedquist allowed three goals on eight shots in just over one period of play before giving way to T.J. Semptimphelter. North Dakota tied the game at 3-3 early in the second period, but neither team could light the lamp after that point.

Last Meeting in Bemidji: November 29. 2024. BSU scored late in period two and added a second tally nearly halfway through the final frame. North Dakota’s Sacha Boisvert netted an extra attacker goal at 16:27 but could not draw even despite putting seventeen shots on goal in the third period. For the game, UND outshot the Beavers 35-22.

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 32-21 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, 37-6-8 (.804), including a record of 26-3-5 (.838) in games played in Grand Forks. Four of BSU’s six wins over North Dakota have come in the past eleven years (October 2014, October 2018, October 2021, and Novembr 2024). Bemidji’s other victories over UND came in 1970 and 2011.

Game News and Notes

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. Sixteen of the past 22 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. Saturday’s rematch will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. Puck drop is set for 7:37 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 thirteen years and have proudly raised over $43,000 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

Despite series history, this year’s North Dakota squad is built differently, with scoring depth, excellent goaltending, and a defensive corps capable of taking over games. Friday’s road test will be the tougher of the two, but I’ve got the Fighting Hawks earning two victories this weekend. UND 4-2, 5-1.

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: North Dakota vs. Arizona State

#6 North Dakota (7-3-0 overall, 3-0-0-1 NCHC) hosts unranked Arizona State (3-6-1 overall, 1-2-1-0 NCHC) at Ralph Engelstad Arena this weekend. This key league series will mark just the fourth and fifth times that the two teams have ever met on the ice.

Here is a look back at the other three game in series history…

The Fighting Hawks traveled to Tempe in January 2025 for a weekend series and dropped the opener by a final score of 4-1. Saturday’s rematch was a back-and-forth affair highlighted by specialty teams goals, including a shorthanded goal and three power play markers. North Dakota got the better of it by scoring an extra attacker goal with just 28 seconds remaining in regulation and a 3-on-3 tally midway through overtime. UND outshot the Sun Devils 64-55 in the two games.

On October 29th, 2022, UND and ASU battled at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, with the Sun Devils coming back from a 2-0 deficit and prevailing by a final score of 3-2. Former UND netminder T.J. Semptimphelter was the winning goaltender for Arizona State in that contest; he only had to make thirteen saves to secure the victory.

That loss was the second straight destination-game defeat for the Green and White, as they also lost 6-4 to Penn State at Bridgestone Arena (Nashville, Tennessee) on October 30th, 2021.

Prior to those two losses, North Dakota had won four straight showcase events:

2012: Bell MTS Place (Winnipeg, Manitoba)
North Dakota 3, Clarkson 1

2013: T.D. Ameritrade Park (Omaha, Nebraska)
North Dakota 5, Omaha 2

2016: Madison Square Garden (New York City)
North Dakota 4, Boston College 3

2018: Orleans Arena (Las Vegas, Nevada)
North Dakota 3, Minnesota 1

UND’s next destination game has been scheduled for Saturday, October 31st, 2026 in Austin, Texas; the opponent for the 2026 Hall Of Fame Game will be Michigan State.

North Dakota has righted the ship after an up-and-down to start the season:

St. Thomas (home and away): 6-2 win, 5-2 win

Minnesota (home): 5-2 win, 1-5 loss

Clarkson (away): 2-5 loss, 1-0 win

#3 Minnesota Duluth (home): 3-4 (OT) loss, 5-1 win

Omaha (away): 7-2 win, 4-1 win

Arizona State opened the season by dropping two home games to Penn State (3-5, 2-4). After hosting the Ice Breaker and winning two games (against Notre Dame and Alaska), the Sun Devils have gone just 1-4-1 over the past three weekends (at Augustana, at Miami, and vs. Colorado College).

Prior to last season, the Sun Devils competed at the Division I level in men’s ice hockey as an independent for nine seasons, with mixed results:

2015-2018 (three seasons): 21-62-8 (.275)

2018-2020 (two seasons): 43-24-4 (.634) and two NCAA tournament bids

2020-2023 (three seasons): 42-54-4 (.440)

2023-2024 (one season): 24-8-6 (.711)

In the fall of 2022, ASU moved from Oceanside Ice Arena to Mullett Arena, a beautiful 5,000 seat rink on the Arizona State University Campus. Mullett, also known as “The Party Barn”, served as a temporary home for the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes before that team’s hockey assets (players, staff, and draft picks) were transferred to the Utah Hockey Club, an expansion franchise based in Salt Lake City.

Last season – Arizona State’s first in the NCHC – the Sun Devils went 21-14 2 overall with a league mark of 12-4-3-5, good for second place. After dispatching the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs in the first round of the conference playoffs, ASU met up with Denver in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals (St. Paul, Minnesota). The Pioneers would defeat the Sun Devils 4-2 to put an end to an otherwise successful season.

In the NCHC preseason poll, UND was picked to finish in third place (behind Western Michigan and Denver), while the Sun Devils were tabbed to end up in fourth.

So far this season, the NCHC has won nearly seventy percent of its non-conference games (39-18-1) and has four teams (#3 Minnesota Duluth, #4 Denver, #6 North Dakota, and #9 Western Michigan) positioned in the top ten in the latest rankings, with Colorado College at #17 and the other four teams in the conference all receiving votes. With similar success in the second half of the season, the league could easily send four or even five teams to this year’s NCAA tournament in March.

North Dakota has four non-conference games remaining on the schedule:

November 28-29: at/vs. Bemidji State (CCHA)

January 2-3: vs. Mercyhurst (Atlantic Hockey)

The Fighting Hawks will also play a second exhibition game – against the U.S. Under-18 Team – next Friday, November 21st. UND opened the season with a 7-0 exhibition victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Turning our attention to this weekend’s action…

A half point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and ASU head coach Greg Powers boasts just six players who have contributed at that level: junior forward Bennett Schimek (4-9-13), freshman forward Jack Beck (3-2-5 in four games), senior forward Cruz Lucius (8-4-12), sophomore forward Cullen Potter (1-5-6), junior forward Sean McGurn (2-4-6), and junior forward Kyle Smolen (1-4-5).

Bennett Schimek (Mendota Heights, Minnesota) played his first two seasons at Providence before transferring to Tempe prior to the 2024-2025 campaign. He put up a line of 15-22-37 in 35 games with the Sun Devils last year.

Cruz Lucius (Grant, Minnesota) scored 68 points in 70 games over two seasons with the Badgers (2022-2024) before making the jump to the NCHC. Lucius missed the first half of last year with a torn labrum but has scored ten goals and 22 points in his 29 games with the Sun Devils.

North Dakota will have ELEVEN players in the lineup this weekend who have met same offensive threshold: senior forward Ben Strinden (4-8-12), freshman forward Will Zellers (5-4-9), senior forward Ellis Rickwood (1-5-6), sophomore forward Mac Swanson (4-6-10), freshman forward Cole Reschny (2-8-10), senior forward Dylan James (6-2-8), freshman forward Ollie Josephson (2-4-6), sophomore forward Cody Croal (2-3-5), junior defenseman Abram Wiebe (2-6-8), freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff (4-2-6), and junior defenseman Jake Livanavage (1-7-8).

UND freshman forward Josh Zakreski (1-2-3 in six games played) was having a promising start to his rookie campaign, but he suffered a lower body injury two weeks ago in practice, had surgery, and is expected to be out long-term.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. Through ten games, the Fighting Hawks have won 52.4% of faceoffs, good for 19th in the country. Through their ten games, the Sun Devils are 12th in the nation (53.5%).

UND freshman phenom Cole Reschny has won 81 of his 136 draws (59.6%), while portal transfer Ellis Rickwood (who played the past three years at Clarkson) has won 61.1 percent (107 of 175). Arizona State will counter with juniors Sean McGurn (94 of 152, 61.8%) and Logan Morrell (93 of 163, 57.1%).

In the early part of the 2025-2025 campaign, the Fighting Hawks have far outpaced the Sun Devils in two key puck possession statistics:

North Dakota: 13th in Corsi (54.2%) and 14th in Fenwick (53.8%)

Arizona State: 38th in Corsi (48.1%) and 37th in Fenwick (48.4%)

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

To this point in the season, the Green and White have had the better of the specialty teams play. North Dakota is a combined +4, with twelve power play goals scored (12 for 44, 27.3%, 11th) and eight power play goals allowed (31 of 39, 79.5%, 33rd). UND has both scored and allowed two shorthanded goals through the first ten games of the season.

Greg Powers’ squad is at a net zero, with twelve power play goals scored (12 for 56, 21.4%, 20th in the country) and eight power play goals allowed (34 of 42, 81.0%, 30th). ASU has not scored a shorthanded goal but has already given up FOUR to opponents.

Through ten games, the Green and White have blocked 120 shots, led by Bennett Zmolek with 20 and Jake Livanavage with 13. Arizona State has blocked an astounding 152 shots in its ten games, with Joel Kjellberg (23), Sam Court (20), and Justin Kipkie (18) leading the charge.

North Dakota’s defensive corps has provided plenty of production from the back end, already notching nine goals and adding 22 assists in 57 combined games (0.44 points per game).

Amazingly, the nine Arizona State blueliners to play this season have yet to score a goal in 66 combined games played, and they have collected just fifteen assists (0.23 points per game). Junior Anthony Dowd leads the way with four helpers, followed by freshman Justin Kipkie and sophomores Joel Kjellberg and Sam Court, who have three apiece.

For the Fighting Hawks, it’s been two juniors – Jake Livanavage (1-7-8) and Abram Wiebe (2-6-8) – and a freshman (Keaton Verhoeff, with four goals and two assists).

Verhoeff is widely expected to go in the top three of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, while Livanavage (4-24-28) and Wiebe (4-20-24) were two of UND’s top four point-getters a season ago.

Fighting Hawks’ graduate netminder Gibson Homer (4-3-0, 2.74 goals-against average, .890 save percentage) – who played his first three seasons at Arizona State – started each of the first four games of the season but has split each of the past three weekends with freshman Jan Spunar (3-0-0, 1.01 GAA, .951 SV%, one shutout). With 34 saves and only one goal allowed last Saturday night at Omaha, Gibson Homer delivered his finest performance of the season. I would expect each goaltender to start a game this weekend.

Here is a quick peek at how North Dakota and Arizona State stack up in various categories:

Goals per game: ASU 2.90 (34th of 63 teams); UND 3.90 (5th)

Goals allowed per game: ASU 3.60 (46th); UND 2.40 (17th)

Shooting percentage: ASU 8.9% (42nd); UND 14.2% (4th)

Save percentage: ASU .899 (34th); UND .898 (38th)

Shots on goal/game: ASU 32.7 (16th); UND 27.5 (45th)

Shots on goal allowed/game: ASU 35.5 (58th); UND 23.6 (6th)

The Sun Devils will host North Dakota on January 23rd and 24th, 2026.

Arizona State Team Profile

Head Coach: Greg Powers (11th season at ASU, 154-168-25, .480)

National Ranking: NR/NR
NPI Ranking: 44th
KRACH: 72.1 (42nd)

This Season: 3-6-1 overall, 1-2-1-0 NCHC (6th of 9 teams)
Last Season: 21-14-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament); 12-4-3-5 NCHC (2nd)

2025-26 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 2.90 goals scored/game – 34th of 63 teams

Team Defense: 3.60 goals allowed/game – 46th of 64 teams

Power Play: 21.4% (12 of 56) – 20th of 63 teams

Penalty Kill: 81.0% (34 of 42) – 30th of 63 teams

Key Players: Junior F Bennett Schimek (4-9-13), Senior F Cruz Lucius (8-4-12), Sophomore F Cullen Potter (1-5-6), Junior F Sean McGurn (2-4-6), Freshman F Jack Beck (3-2-5 in four games), Junior F Kyle Smolen (1-4-5), Sophomore D Joel Kjellberg (0-3-3), Junior D Anthony Dowd (0-4-4), Senior G Connor Hasley (2-4-0, 3.09 GAA, .910 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season at North Dakota, 7-3-0, .700)

National Rankings: #6/#6
NPI Ranking: 5th
KRACH: 513.5 (5th)

This Season: 7-3-0 overall, 3-0-0-1 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 21-15-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 11-8-4-1 NCHC (5th)

2025-26 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.90 goals scored/game – 5th of 63 teams

Team Defense: 2.40 goals allowed/game – 17th of 63 teams

Power Play: 27.3% (12 of 44) – 11th of 63 teams

Penalty Kill: 79.5% (31 of 39) – 33rd of 63 teams

Key Players: Senior F Ben Strinden (4-8-12), Freshman F Cole Reschny (2-8-10), Freshman F Will Zellers (5-4-9), Senior F Dylan James (6-2-8), Sophomore F Mac Swanson (4-6-10), Freshman F Ollie Josephson (2-4-6), Senior F Ellis Rickwood (1-5-6), Junior D Jake Livanavage (1-7-8), Junior D Abram Wiebe (2-6-8), Freshman D Keaton Verhoeff (4-2-6), Freshman G Jan Spunar (3-0-0, 1.01 GAA, .951 SV%, 1 SO)

Game News and Notes

Arizona State has been outscored 16-7 in third periods this season, while North Dakota has outscored opponents 16-8 in final frames. In 2023-24, Arizona State played its last season as an independent. Despite a record of 24-8-6, the Sun Devils finished in 20th in the Pairwise and missed the NCAA tournament. Greg Powers has been the only head coach in Arizona State Division I men’s hockey history. Powers, a former goaltender from the Sun Devils’ club level (WCHL/ACHA) days, graduated from ASU in 1999 and is a member of the Arizona State Athletic Hall of Fame.

Media Coverage

Both games will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and will also be available via webcast at NCHC.tv. Friday’s opener will also be on TSN5 in Canada. All UND men’s hockey games, home and away, 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 night and 6:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday night.

Social Media

The Prediction

Fans should expect Arizona State’s best effort as the Sun Devils visit the Ralph for the first time. ASU has some speed and top and skill not unlike what the Bulldogs put on display at REA two weeks ago. I forsee plenty of scoring opportunities for both sides this weekend, with North Dakota’s forward depth and experience on the blue line playing a major factor in securing two victories. UND 3-2, 5-2.

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

Weekend Preview: North Dakota at Omaha

#8 North Dakota (5-3-0 overall) travels down I-29 this weekend to face Omaha (4-2-0). This series will mark UND’s first conference road test and the league home opener for the Mavericks.

UND has been up-and-down to start the season, with a home-and-home sweep of St. Thomas (6-2, 5-2), a home split with unranked Minnesota (5-2, 1-5), a road split at Clarkson (2-5, 1-0), and a four-point home weekend against #7 Minnesota Duluth (3-4 OT, 5-1).

Omaha has won three straight games, including a pair of NCHC victories at #20 Colorado College last weekend. The Mavericks completed the road sweep at altitude by final scores of 3-2 and 5-4 despite being outshot 91-50 in the series.

In the NCHC preseason poll, UND was picked to finish in third place (behind Western Michigan and Denver), while the Mavericks were tabbed to end up in seventh (ahead of only St. Cloud State and Miami). With the addition of St. Thomas to the NCHC (and a new schedule format) beginning in 2026-2027, the Fighting Hawks and Mavericks will no longer be guaranteed four regular-season games each year.

Omaha head coach Mike Gabinet is now in his ninth season behind the bench, and he has only led the Mavericks to two NCAA tournament appearances – once in the COVID-shortened 2020-2021 season and once two years ago. Both of those playoff bids came to an abrupt end at the hands of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who dispatched Omaha 7-2 in the 2021 West Regional semifinal (Loveland, Colorado) and edged the Mavericks 3-2 in the 2024 Midwest Regional semifinal (Sioux Falls, South Dakota).

Last season, Omaha finished in the top half of the NCHC but was done in by a less-than-stellar non-conference record of 4-6-0, including home losses to Augustana (twice), Lindenwood, and UMass-Lowell and a road sweep at the hands of Minnesota State.

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past ten seasons. The nine teams in the league have gone 571-292-86 (.647) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent fifteen 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, Denver in 2022 and 2024, and Denver and Western Michigan in 2025 over that nine-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022, 2024), Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019), and Western Michigan (2025) have won seven of the last nine national titles.

So far this season, the NCHC has won nearly seventy percent of its non-conference games (39-17-1) and has four teams (#4 Western Michigan, #7 Minnesota Duluth, #8 North Dakota, and #9 Denver) positioned in the top ten in the latest rankings, with the other five teams in the conference all receiving votes. With similar success in the second half of the season, the league could easily send four or even five teams to this year’s NCAA tournament in March.

North Dakota has four non-conference games remaining on the schedule:

November 28-29: at/vs. Bemidji State (CCHA)

January 2-3: vs. Mercyhurst (Atlantic Hockey)

The Fighting Hawks will also play a second exhibition game – against the U.S. Under-18 Team – on November 21st. UND opened the season with a 7-0 exhibition victory over the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Last season, the Fighting Hawks and Mavericks ended the regular season by splitting a pair of games at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The following weekend – with the season on the line for both teams – UND swept a pair of games at Omaha by identical 3-2 scores. North Dakota’s season would end six days later at the hands of eventual national champion Western Michigan at the last-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota, a 4-2 defeat that would cost former head coach Brad Berry his job.

On the final weekend of the 2022-2023 regular season, North Dakota swept Omaha (5-4 OT, 2-1). The Fighting Hawks dropped Game One of the playoff series in Omaha by a final score of 2-1 before winning two straight (3-1, 5-2) and advancing to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minnesota.

On January 12th and 13th, 2024, UND took four of six league points in a home series against Omaha, falling 5-4 in overtime on Friday night before rebounding for a 3-1 regulation win in Saturday’s rematch. The disappointing thing about the series opener is that North Dakota led 3-1 after the first period. The Mavericks won the middle frame decisively, however, outscoring the homestanding Hawks 3-1. Both teams scored twice with the man advantage. Omaha scored just 34 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime session to grab the extra league point.

Saturday’s finale was a bit more of a defensive struggle, with Omaha tying the game at one goal apiece just 49 seconds into the third period. UND’s Dylan James scored the game-winner three minutes later, and former Maverick Cameron Berg iced the game with an empty-net goal in the final thirty seconds. North Dakota outshot Omaha 30-23 on Saturday night and 69-47 on the weekend.

Turning our attention to this weekend…

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Mike Gabinet’s squad has eleven players who meet that threshold: sophomore forward Maxime Pellerin (5-3-8), freshman forward Luke Woodworth (3-4-7), freshman forward Marcus Nguyen (3-3-6), sophomore forward Sean Tschigerl (2-3-5), sophomore forward Brett Hyland (1-2-3), sophomore forward Trevor Wong (0-3-3), senior forward Tyler Rollwagen (3-0-3), freshman forward Jeremy Loranger (0-3-3), sophomore forward Chase LaPinta (0-1-1 in two games), senior defenseman Griffin Ludtke (0-7-7), and junior defenseman Aidan de la Gorgendiere (2-4-6).

North Dakota will also have eleven players in the lineup this weekend who have met that threshold: senior forward Ben Strinden (2-7-9), freshman forward Will Zellers (3-3-6), senior forward Ellis Rickwood (1-5-6), sophomore forward Mac Swanson (3-3-6), freshman forward Cole Reschny (1-4-5), senior forward Dylan James (3-2-5), freshman forward Ollie Josephson (2-3-5), sophomore forward Cade Littler (1-2-3), junior defenseman Abram Wiebe (2-4-6), freshman defenseman Keaton Verhoeff (4-1-5), and junior defenseman Jake Livanavage (1-3-4).

Ben Strinden was awarded the NCHC Forward of the Week after scoring the game-tying goal with 71 seconds remaining last Friday night and notching four assists in Saturday’s 5-1 victory.

Ollie Josephson was awarded the NCHC Rookie of the Week after tallying a goal and an assist each night in last weekend’s home series against Duluth.

UND freshman forward Josh Zakreski (1-2-3 in six games played) was having a promising start to his rookie campaign, but he suffered a lower body injury last week in practice, had surgery, and is expected to be out long-term.

One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. Through eight games, the Fighting Hawks have won 53.3% of faceoffs, good for 13th in the country. Through their six games, the Mavericks are 52nd in the nation (46.6%).

UND freshman phenom Cole Reschny has won 64 of his 105 draws (61.0%), while portal transfer Ellis Rickwood (who played the past three years at Clarkson) has won 62.6 percent (92 of 147). For the Mavericks, no one has been all that effective, with freshman Luke Woodworth (39 of 80, 48.8%), sophomore Sean Tschigerl (37 of 78, 47.4%), and senior Tyler Rollwagen (32 of 64, 50.0%) sharing the load.

Not only will North Dakota start with the puck more often than not in this series, they will also hold on to it. In the early part of the 2025-2025 campaign, the Fighting Hawks have far outpaced the Mavericks in two key puck possession statistics:

North Dakota: 11th in both Corsi (56.7%) and Fenwick (56.1%)

Omaha: 58th in Corsi (42.8%) and 54th in Fenwick (43.1%)

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

To this point in the season, the Green and White have had the better of the specialty teams play. North Dakota is a combined +2, with eight power play goals scored (8 for 34, 23.5%, 21st) and six power play goals allowed (26 of 32, 81.3%, 26th). UND has scored and allowed two shorthanded goals through the first eight games of the season.

Mike Gabinet’s squad is at a net zero, with six power play goals scored (6 for 22, 27.3%, 13th in the country) and seven power play goals allowed (18 of 25, 72.0%, 51st). Omaha has also scored one shorthanded goal while not allowing one to opponents.

Through eight games, the Green and White have blocked 101 shots (12.6 per game), led by Bennett Zmolek with 18. Omaha has blocked 65 shots in its six games (10.8/game), with Marc Ljoie (9), Jacob Guevin (8), and Marcus Broberg (8) leading the charge.

North Dakota’s defensive corps has provided plenty of production from the back end, already notching nine goals and adding fourteen assists in 57 combined games (0.40 points per game).

Not to be outdone, Omaha’s blueliners have scored five goals and fifteen assists in 39 combined games (0.51 points/game), led by senior Griffin Ludtke (0-7-7) and junior Aidan de la Gorgendiere (2-4-6). No other Maverick blueliner has more than two points this season.

For the Fighting Hawks, it’s been two juniors – Jake Livanavage (1-3-4) and Abram Wiebe (2-4-6) – and a freshman (Keaton Verhoeff, with four goals and an assist).

Verhoeff is widely expected to go in the top three of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, while Livanavage (4-24-28) and Wiebe (4-20-24) were two of UND’s top four point-getters a season ago.

Sophomore defenseman EJ Emery – a first round pick of the New York Rangers in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft – notched the first two goals of his collegiate career three weeks ago in a 5-2 win against Minnesota.

Fighting Hawks’ graduate netminder Gibson Homer (3-3-0, 3.03 goals-against average, .870 save percentage) started each of the first four games of the season but has split each of the past two weekends with freshman Jan Spunar (2-0-0, 0.50 GAA, .973 SV%, one shutout). I would expect Spunar to get the start in Friday’s opener against Omaha.

After this weekend, UND will host the unranked Arizona State Sun Devils (3-5-0) at Ralph Engelstad Arena on November 14th and 15th.

Here is a quick peek at how North Dakota and Omaha stack up in various categories:

Goals per game: Omaha 4.00 (7th of 63 teams); UND 3.50 (17th)

Goals allowed per game: Omaha 3.17 (41st); UND 2.63 (21st)

Shooting percentage: Omaha 14.7% (3rd); UND 12.5% (12th)

Save percentage: Omaha .916 (19th); UND .881 (51st)

Shots on goal/game: Omaha 27.2 (46th); UND 28.0 (38th)

Shots on goal allowed/game: Omaha 37.8 (59th); UND 22.1 (4th)

Power play efficiency: Omaha 27.3% (13th); UND 23.5% (21st)

Penalty kill efficiency: Omaha 72.0% (51st); UND 81.3% (26th)

Faceoff win percentage: Omaha 46.6% (52nd); UND 53.3% (13th)

Corsi: Omaha 42.8% (58th); UND 56.7% (11th)

Fenwick: Omaha 43.1% (54th); UND 56.1% (11th)

Omaha Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (9th season at UNO, 139-133-19, .510)

National Rankings: #NR/NR

This Season: 4-2-0 overall, 2-0-0-0 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 18-17-1 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 13-8-2-1 NCHC (4th)

Team Offense: 4.00 goals scored/game – 7th of 63 teams
Team Defense: 3.17 goals allowed/game – 41st of 63 teams

Power Play: 27.3% (6 of 22)– 13th of 63 teams
Penalty Kill: 72.0% (18 of 25)– 51st of 63 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Maxime Pellerin (5-3-8), Freshman F Luke Woodworth (3-4-7), Freshman F Marcus Nguyen (3-3-6), Sophomore F Sean Tschigerl (2-3-5), Senior F Tyler Rollwagen (3-0-3), Senior D Griffin Ludtke (0-7-7), Junior D Aidan de la Gorgendiere (2-4-6), Senior G Simon Latkoczy (3-2-0, 2.82 GAA, .925 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season at North Dakota, 5-3-0, .625)

National Rankings: #8/#8

This Season: 5-3-0 overall, 1-0-0-1 NCHC (2nd)
Last Season: 21-15-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 11-8-4-1 NCHC (5th)

2025-26 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.50 goals scored/game – 17th of 63 teams

Team Defense: 2.63 goals allowed/game – 21st of 63 teams

Power Play: 23.5% (8 of 34) – 21st of 63 teams

Penalty Kill: 81.3% (26 of 32) – 26th of 63 teams

Key Players: Senior F Dylan James (3-2-5), Senior F Ellis Rickwood (1-5-6), Sophomore F Mac Swanson (3-3-6), Senior F Ben Strinden (2-7-9), Freshman F Ollie Josephson (2-3-5), Freshman F Cole Reschny (1-4-5), Freshman F Will Zellers (3-3-6), Junior D Jake Livanavage (1-3-4), Junior D Abram Wiebe (2-4-6), Freshman D Keaton Verhoeff (4-1-5), Freshman G Jan Spunar (2-0-0, 0.50 GAA, .973 SV%, 1 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 15th, 2025 (Omaha, Nebraska). For the second night in a row, the visiting Hawks narrowly edged their hosts by a final score of 3-2. On this night, it was a furious third-period comeback after Omaha had built a 2-0 lead. North Dakota defenseman Jayden Jubenvill netted the game-winner with just 96 seconds remaining in the hockey game to propel the Green and White to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. UND scored its three goals on just five shots in the final frame.

Most Memorable Meeting: The game that UND fans will long remember is the outdoor game played at TD Ameritrade Park (Omaha, Nebraska) on February 9th, 2013. One day after winning a tight 2-1 contest indoors, North Dakota throttled UNO 5-2 on a sunny, melty afternoon. Mavericks netminder John Faulkner was pulled after allowing three goals on five shots in just ten minutes of game action. In my opinion, this hockey weekend solidified the notion that for UND hockey, it’s always a home game.

Last Ten: Each side has won five of the last ten contests, with North Dakota winning three of the four games played last season. Omaha has outscored North Dakota 33-30 over the past ten games.

All-Time: UND leads the all-time series 39-23-2 (.625), including a record of 20-11-1 (.641) in Omaha. The teams first met on November 19, 2010.

Game News and Notes

Eleven seasons ago, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four but neither team made the championship game. UND fell to Boston University 5-3, while the Mavericks were upended 4-1 by eventual national champion Providence. In team history, the Mavericks have made the national tournament five times (2006, 2011, 2015, 2021, 2024), with a Frozen Four appearance under head coach Dean Blais in 2015. North Dakota’s Brad Berry is 28-17-1 (.620) in his head coaching career against Omaha. In 30 of the past 37 contests in this series, the winning team is the one which scores the first goal. This season, North Dakota is 3-1-0 (.750) when scoring first; Omaha, 2-1-0 (.667). UND’s Dylan James has six goals and nine points in his sixteen career games against the Mavericks.

The Prediction

Despite Omaha’s sweep at Colorado College last weekend, the underlying metrics seem to favor North Dakota. UND’s third-period comeback against Duluth last Friday night – coupled with a workmanlike 5-1 victory in the rematch – has Dane Jackson’s squad trending in the right direction. The Fighting Hawks are deeper on the blueline and more talented up front, and that bodes well for the Green and White. Expect one close contest in this one, but I’ve got North Dakota emerging from the weekend with two league wins. UND 3-2, 5-3.

Broadcast Information

Both games this weekend will be available online at NCHC.tv. 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 7:00 p.m. Central Time each night.

Social Media

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