Where were you last Halloween?
Many of us were in our seats at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 31st, witnessing North Dakota trailing Minnesota Duluth 3-1 late in the third period. Not only was the situation dire, but the first month of the season had been a mixed bag…
Yes, UND had put together a home-and-home sweep of St. Thomas (6-2, 5-2), but there were two splits to follow: a home series against Minnesota (5-2, 1-5) and a road series at Clarkson (2-5, 1-0).
First-year head coach Dane Jackson was about to see his team drop its conference opener at home and fall to 4-3 on the young season.
Enter Mac Swanson. The sophomore forward brought the home team within one with just under four minutes to go in the hockey game. And with just over 70 seconds remaining, senior captain Ben Strinden scored an extra attacker goal to send the game to overtime.
Yes, it is true that the Bulldogs picked up the extra league point with a fluky goal less than a minute into the extra session, but it is also true that UND’s comeback was a sign of things to come.
The following night, North Dakota put together a complete effort and dismantled Minnesota Duluth by a final score of 5-1.
Beginning with that game back on November 1st, the Fighting Hawks have gone 16-3-0 and find themselves in first place in the NCHC, three points clear of second-place Denver (with two games in hand) and seven points ahead of Western Michigan.
Minnesota Duluth was in the mix for the Penrose Cup as recently as a month ago but has lost four straight games (vs. Western Michigan and at Denver) and is now in a battle for the final home ice spot for the first round of the league playoffs.
This weekend, #3 North Dakota (20-6-0 overall, 12-2-0-2 NCHC) travels to take on #10 Minnesota Duluth (17-11-0 overall, 6-6-2-4 NCHC) at Amsoil Arena.
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.
In the NCHC preseason poll, UND was picked to finish in third place (behind Western Michigan and Denver), while the Bulldogs were tabbed to end up in sixth (ahead of Omaha, 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 Bulldogs will meet for four regular-season games each year.
After an impressive run of eight straight NCAA tournament appearances from 2015 to 2022 (including two national titles), UMD missed the NCAAs in each of the last three seasons and sputtered to a combined record of just 41-60-9 (.414). After 25 seasons behind the Bulldog bench, some were asking whether head coach Scott Sandelin was on the hot seat.
Back in October, those questions were largely answered, as Duluth got off to an 8-1 start (including a road sweep of the Golden Gophers). With nine losses in their last fifteen games, however, many are checking the temperature again.
Thankfully for fans of the Bulldogs, Scott Sandelin does still have his squad in line for an NCAA tournament appearance (currently NPI 8).
UMD also boasts one of the top two forward lines in the country, a trio of second-year players:
Sophomore Max Plante: 20-20-40 in 28 games played
Sophomore Zam Plante: 11-24-35 in 28 games played
Sophomore Jayson Shaugabay: 9-26-35 in 28 games played
These three forwards (jersey numbers 10, 17, and 27) have scored 40 of UMD’s 94 goals and collected well over half of the team’s points (110 of 161).
Of the three forwards, Max is the largest at 5-11 and 180 pounds. A key for North Dakota will be to win faceoffs in their own end, play a hard, physical game, and pay attention to line matchups – not just the defensive pair but all five skaters on the ice.
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 570-291-86 (.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 (62-29-2, .677) and has four teams (#3 North Dakota, #4 Western Michigan, #8 Denver, and #10 Minnesota Duluth) positioned in the top ten in the latest rankings.
Western Michigan did the entire league a favor by defeating both #11 Boston College and #13 Wisconsin at the Holiday Faceoff in late December Those results added to the league’s already-impressive results against the other five conferences in college hockey.
The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past twelve seasons. The nine teams in the league have gone 602-310-81 (.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.
After this weekend, North Dakota (3rd in the NPI used to seed the NCAA tournament) will host Miami (19th) and St. Cloud State (25th) before traveling to Kalamazoo to face the Western Michigan Broncos (4th) on the last weekend of the regular season. Duluth (8th) will be off next weekend before a road series at Miami and a home series against Colorado College (30th).
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 nineteen seasons after the war were played as an independent before joining the WCHA in 1965. It would take eighteen 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.
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.
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.
Last season, North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth squared off four times…
On November 8th and 9th, 2024, UND traveled to Duluth and swept the homestanding Bulldogs 7-3 and 4-1. North Dakota chased highly-touted netminder Adam Gajan on two consecutive nights after scoring five goals on twenty shots in 34:18 of game action in the opener and besting that with two goals on eight shots in 5:38 on night two.
The Bulldogs made the return trip to Grand Forks on February 21st and 22nd, 2025. In Friday’s opener, North Dakota scored an empty-netter to escape with a 4-2 victory after UMD drew within one with two goals in the middle frame. Adam Gajan and UND’s T.J. Semptimphelter each made thirty saves.
In Saturday’s rematch, UND went 4-for-6 with the man advantage, including three second-period goals during the same five-minute power play after UMD’s Jack Smith was penalized and given a game misconduct for checking from behind. Gajan (nine saves, one goal allowed) and Klayton Knapp (thirteen saves, five goals allowed) each played in the rematch.
Gajan, a sophomore who competed in the 2023 and 2024 World Junior U-20 Championships for his native Slovakia, was a second-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2023 NHL Draft. He played in 21 games last season, with a 7-12-1 record, a goals-against average of 3.33, a save percentage of .885, and one shutout.
Fellow first-year goalie Klayton Knapp – from Sylvania, Ohio – split time with Gajan a season ago, appearing in sixteen contests, with a record of 6-6-2, a 2.67 GAA, a .907 SV%, and one shutout.
After last season, Knapp transferred to Lindenwood, and Gajan has played nearly every minute in net for Scott Sandelin’s squad, with a goals-against average of 2.29, a save percentage of .905, and two shutouts.
Unfortunately for the Bulldogs, Adam Gajan is competing in the Winter Olympics with his native Slovakia, and it’ll be sophomore Ethan Dahlmeir (2-0-0, 3.10 GAA, .894 SV% in 135 minutes of action) or untested freshman Cole Sheffield (no stats) this weekend.
One key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. To this point in the season, the Fighting Hawks have won 53.0% of faceoffs, good for 12th in the country. The Bulldogs are currently sitting at 49.7% (33rd).
For UND, senior transfer Ellis Rickwood (who spent his first three collegiate seasons with Clarkson) has been a huge addition up the middle, winning 225 of 370 (60.8%). Three freshmen – Cole Reschny (193 of 348, 55.5%), Ollie Josephson (164 of 314, 52.2%), and Jack Kernan (77 of 140, 55.0%) have performed admirably as well.
For the Bulldogs, graduate student Kyle Gaffney (229 of 400, 57.3%) has been the most effective, although sophomore center Zam Plante (306 of 639, 47.9%) has seen more action in the dot.
The Bulldogs (32.3% efficiency) and Fighting Hawks (28.6%) boast two of the nation’s top four power play units. Minnesota Duluth balances that with an equally-effective penalty kill (87.6%, 3rd), while North Dakota has struggled a bit (80.2%, 32nd).
Despite those numbers, UND leads in goals scored per game (3.92 – 3.36) and goals allowed per game (2.19 – 2.50). I attribute those numbers to North Dakota’s roster depth, puck possession metrics, and goaltending.
Nearly a third of Duluth’s goals this season (32 of 94) have been scored with the man advantage. For North Dakota, the numbers are more in balance (28 of 102).
With five points this weekend (or three points and some help), UND can clinch home ice for the first round of the NCHC playoffs. As a reminder, each NCHC regulation victory is worth three points, while an overtime win (3-on-3 or shootout) is worth two and any overtime loss worth one.
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs
Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (26th season at UMD, 486-419-103, .533)
National Rankings: #10/#10
NPI Ranking: 8th
KRACH Rating: 304.4 (6th)
This Season: 17-11-0 overall, 6-6-2-4 NCHC (4th)
Last Season: 13-20-3 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-11-3-3 NCHC (7th of 9 teams)
2025-2026 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.36 goals scored/game – 17th of 63 teams
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game – 18th of 63 teams
Power Play: 32.3% (32 of 99) – 1st of 63 teams
Penalty Kill: 87.6% (78 of 89) – 3rd of 63 teams
Key players: Sophomore F Max Plante (20-20-40), Sophomore F Jayson Shaugabay (9-26-35), Sophomore F Zam Plante (11-24-35), Sophomore F Callum Arnott (10-14-24), Senior F Scout Truman (10-3-13), Sophomore D Ty Hanson (8-19-27), Sophomore D Adam Kleber (2-7-9), Freshman D Grayden Siepmann (5-6-11), Sophomore G Ethan Dahlmeir (2-0-0, 3.10 GAA, .894 SV%)
North Dakota Team Profile
Head Coach: Dane Jackson (1st season at North Dakota, 20-6-0, .769)
National Rankings: #3/#3
NPI Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 492.3 (3rd)
This Season: 20-6-0 overall, 12-2-0-2 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 21-15-2 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 11-8-4-1 NCHC (5th)
2025-26 Season Statistics:
Team Offense: 3.92 goals scored/game – 3rd of 63 teams
Team Defense: 2.19 goals allowed/game – 6th of 63 teams
Power Play: 28.6% (28 of 98) – 4th of 63 teams
Penalty Kill: 80.2% (69 of 86) – 32nd of 63 teams
Key Players: Freshman F Cole Reschny (4-21-25), Senior F Ben Strinden (14-12-26), Freshman F Will Zellers (13-8-21), Senior F Dylan James (15-7-22), Sophomore F Mac Swanson (4-13-17), Senior F Ellis Rickwood (6-18-24), Junior D Jake Livanavage (4-18-22), Junior D Abram Wiebe (3-12-15), Freshman D Keaton Verhoeff (6-11-17), Freshman G Jan Spunar (13-2-0, 1.73 GAA, .923 SV%, 3 SO)
By The Numbers
Last Meeting: November 1st, 2025 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after UND mounted a furious two-goal comeback in the final four minutes of regulation, it was all Green and White in the rematch. North Dakota senior captain Ben Strinden – who score an extra attacker goal to even the score in Friday’s opener – notched four assists in the 5-1 victory. UND outshot Minnesota Duluth 38-20, including 16-7 in the final frame.
Last Meeting in Duluth: November 9, 2024. The final score read UND 4, UMD 1, but it was much closer than that. North Dakota had a brilliant start to the game, scoring two goals on eight shots in the opening six minutes and chasing Adam Gajan from the contest. After that, the two teams played relatively even and traded power play tallies before an empty-netter from Jackson Kunz put the game away. In Friday’s opener, it took 35 minutes for the Fighting Hawks to chase Gajan from the net; he allowed five goals on twenty shots in a 7-3 North Dakota victory. Former UMD forward Anthony Menghini – now on the other side of the rivalry – scored three power play goals in the third period for the Bulldogs; all three were assisted by Jayson Shaughabay.
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, 162-90-11 (.637), including a 69-46-6 (.595) advantage in games played in Duluth. 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 9-1-0 (.900) in the last ten games between the teams, with last October’s overtime defeat the only blemish on the record. The combined score of the last ten contests is 45-16 in favor of the Fighting Hawks. North Dakota has won seven straight games in Duluth; Minnesota Duluth’s last home victory over UND was more than six years ago (January 24th, 2020). Six of the last ten games in this series were played in Grand Forks.
Game News and Notes
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. North Dakota junior forward Anthony Menghini played his first two seasons at Duluth, scoring twenty goals and adding nine assists in 72 games. UND’s 162 victories over the Bulldogs are the second-most against any opponent in program history.
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, specialty teams are always a factor, and the Fighting Hawks do not want to get into a power play contest with this Bulldogs squad. On the road and without last line change, Dane Jackson will need to leverage his three advantages in this series: forward depth, a more talented defensive corps, and proven goaltending. I can’t imagine North Dakota escaping with all six points, but UND has lost only twice on the road this season (10-2-0) and seem to be catching Duluth at the right time, so anything is possible.
I expect something similar to the series in Grand Forks, with a tight Friday contest and a runaway victory in the rematch. UMD 4-3 (OT), UND 5-1.
Broadcast Information
Both games this weekend will be broadcast on Midco Sports and also 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 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central on Saturday.
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 thoughts, comments, and suggestions.