#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.
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.
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 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 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
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!