Category: UND Athletics

#5 North Dakota (26-11-2) is set to battle #10 Michigan (21-14-3) in the opening round of the NCAA tournament at Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Missouri on Friday night.

UND has to be relieved to be playing someone from a different conference after they ended NCHC play with five losses in their last eleven league games (two at #15 Colorado College, two at #11 Omaha, and last Friday’s loss to Omaha in the league semifinals at Xcel Energy Center).

On the season, the Green and White went a combined 1-8-0 against the Tigers and Mavericks and 25-3-2 against everyone else.

Those other three losses were to #2 Boston University, #3 Denver, and #7 Minnesota.

UND avenged their only two non-conference losses of the season by defeating the Golden Gophers 2-1 on a Saturday night in Grand Forks and the BU Terriers 5-4 in overtime on a Saturday night at Agganis Arena.

North Dakota fared even better against the Denver Pioneers. After splitting the series at altitude back in December (7-5, 2-3 OT), UND swept the Pios on home ice in January (5-2, 4-2).

All this to say that Brad Berry’s squad has put together quite an impressive resume coming into the national tourney. And, as luck would have it, Colorado College did not make the NCAA tournament (the Tigers were the first team out according to the Pairwise), and Omaha is on the other side of the bracket, meaning that the two teams could not tangle until the national championship game.

There is some goaltending intrigue heading into Friday’s matchup for the Green and White. Two weekends ago, North Dakota swept last-place Miami at home (5-1, 7-1) in the league quarterfinals, but graduate netminder Ludvig Persson (21-10-2, 2.47 GAA, .906 SV%, 5 SO) was not between the pipes. That distinction belonged to freshman Hobie Hedquist, who secured both playoff victories with 23 saves on Friday and 28 saves on Saturday.

Coming into Friday’s NCHC semifinal in St. Paul, both goalies had practiced, but Hedquist got the nod. And there was reason for optimism. After all, when Persson was out of the lineup, the freshman had stepped in and performed admirably, winning all five of his starts while posting a goals-against average of 2.05 and a save percentage of .919.

It was a different story in the league playoffs.

Hedquist made just 29 of 34 saves and could not seem to make the timely stop, allowing two goals in the third period while UND was attempting to mount a comeback. The backbreaker came with just over nine minutes remaning in the hockey game, as Omaha’s Zach Urdahl scored his second of the night just 68 seconds after North Dakota had cut the deficit to 4-3. Urdahl would add an empty-netter for his hat trick at the 15:16 mark of the final frame to make the scoreboard read 6-3 at the final buzzer.

Turning our attention to this weekend’s NCAA regional action, UND finds itself in the Midwest Regional along with three teams from the state of Michigan: #4 Michigan State, #10 Michigan, and #14 Western Michigan. The winners of Michigan State/Western Michigan (4:00 p.m. Central Time on ESPNU) and North Dakota/Michigan (7:30 p.m. Central Time on ESPNU) will play on Sunday (5:30 p.m. Central Time on ESPN2) with a trip to the 2024 Frozen Four in St. Paul on the line.

The Midwest bracket lines up with the Providence regional, which contains top overall seed Boston College as well as #9 Wisconsin, #8 Quinnipiac, and #20 Michigan Tech.

Of course, UND fans are hoping that their favorite team can advance to the Frozen Four for the 23rd time in program history, but it won’t be an easy task. First up on the docket is a Michigan team that finished fourth in the B1G this season but proved they could score with anybody. The Wolverines went just 4-9-1 against the big three in their conference (#4 Michigan State, #7 Minnesota, and #9 Wisconsin) but scored 49 goals in those fourteen games (3.50 goals scored/game). The problem was that they gave up 53 goals in those same games (3.79 goals allowed/game).

The only other team in the NCAA tournament field that Michigan faced this season was Massachusetts (the last team in the tournament according to the Pairwise). The Wolverines squared off against UMass in Amherst back in October, winning the opener 7-2 before dropping the rematch 3-6.

In terms of common opponents, this year’s Michigan squad traveled to St. Cloud in November and managed a 2-0 Friday night victory and a tie on Saturday (3-3). Those results are very similar to what North Dakota did to the Huskies in January (a 5-3 win and a 3-3 tie).

Michigan’s 160 goals this season trail only Denver (194) and Boston College (168) as the top offensive team in the country. North Dakota ranks 7th with 148 goals scored.

The Wolverines are even more lethal with the man advantage. No team in college hockey is even close to the 35.3% success rate of the Michigan power play. UND clocks in 9th at 25.7 percent.

But that potent power play can be concerning for head coach Brandon Naurato, now in his second season behind the Michigan bench. The Wolverines have scored 49 power play goals this season, over 30 percent of their offensive production. What will happen in the playoffs, when fewer penalties are called?

That almost came back to bite the Maize and Blue in the B1G semifinals against Minnesota. Each team was only awarded one power play, and neither capitalized. Michigan escaped with a 2-1 victory.

In the B1G championship game, the Wolverines went 1-for-3 with the man advantage but fell in overtime.

Over the two postseason games, less than 17 percent of Michigan’s offensive output came on the power play. And this weekend’s games figure to offer a similarly low number of man advantage situations, which would favor North Dakota, a team with a more-than-capable power play but with better scoring depth than most teams in the country.

On the defensive side of the ledger, the Wolverines have struggled at times this season. Their 116 goals allowed this season (3.05 allowed per game) is second-worst among NCAA tournament teams (Denver is worst at 117 goals allowed, but they have scored 194 goals this season).

North Dakota has done a much better job keeping the puck out of their net, with only 101 goals allowed (2.59 allowed/game) compared to 148 goals scored (3.79).

This will be Michigan’s fifth straight tournament appearance, and the Wolverines have made the last two Frozen Fours, losing to eventual champion Denver 3-2 in overtime in 2022 and eventual champion Quinnipiac 5-2 last season. Michigan has nine national titles (seven by 1964); they last hoisted the ultimate trophy in 1998, a title drought stretching 25 seasons and counting.

More to the point, in the past 63 years, the Wolverines have three championships. During that same span (1957-2023), UND has won eight national titles, most recently in 2016. During that 2016 title run, North Dakota dispatched Michigan 5-2 to advance to the Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida.

Despite their combined 76 tournament appearances (Michigan 41, North Dakota 35), the two teams have only met five times in the NCAA playoffs. In 1998 and 2011, Michigan ended two of the most promising seasons in North Dakota men’s hockey history. The Wolverines hosted UND at the NCAA Midwest Regional at Yost Ice Arena (their home rink) on March 28, 1998 and took down a 30-7-1 Fighting Sioux team by the score of 4-3, ending North Dakota’s promising season one game short of the Frozen Four. The 2011 Matt Frattin-led UND squad outshot Michigan 40-20 but couldn’t light the lamp and fell 2-0 in front of a lively partisan crowd in St. Paul.

In addition to the above-mentioned 2016 regional final, UND also bested the Wolverines 8-5 in a 2007 opening-round matchup at Pepsi Center in Denver. One night later, North Dakota beat Minnesota 3-2 in overtime on Chris Porter‘s wraparound to advance to the Frozen Four, evening the score after Blake Wheeler scored in overtime in the WCHA Final Five Championship one week earlier in front of the largest crowd in league playoff history (19,463).

In 2006, UND also ended Michigan’s season, this time on home ice. Minutes after Holy Cross shocked the college world with an overtime victory over the Golden Gophers at Ralph Engelstad Arena, the North Dakota fans were ready to cheer for the Green and White, and the home team did not disappoint. That Dave Hakstol squad throttled Michigan 5-1 to advance to the second of four consecutive Frozen Fours in Hakstol’s first four years behind the North Dakota bench.

Fast forward to 2024, and UND returns to the national tournament after a one-year absence. The Fighting Hawks went just 18-15-6 last season after a remarkable three-year run that saw Brad Berry’s squad win a combined 72 games.

How has North Dakota gone from missing the tournament to title contender in just one season?

After last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system was identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks returned 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Chicago Steel (USHL) teammates Emerson (30) and Perron (24), North Dakota easily surpassed the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 39 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 132 goals. It is also encouraging that twelve North Dakota forwards have multiple goals this season, led by Blake (21), Berg (20), Gaber (18), McLaughlin (13), Perron (11), and Johannes (11 in 30 games). Those first five forwards have combined for 44 goals over the past ten weekends of game action.

Prior to UND’s early February series at Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season. And then, Logan Britt happened.

The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), a finalist for the NCHC Rookie of the Year, and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

Just over a month ago at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists. Then, North Dakota’s d-corps chipped in with seven assists in a weekend sweep of Duluth. One week later, UND defensemen notched four more assists (including three from Wiebe) in a home sweep of the Western Michigan Broncos.

Three weekends ago in Omaha, Livanavage picked up two assists while Britt added a goal with an assist from d-partner Wiebe. In an opening round shellacking of Miami, UND defensemen notched two goals and added six assists. And last Friday night at the X, Livanavage picked up his fifth goal of the season, while Logan Britt added yet another assist.

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 91 points (16 goals and 75 assists) in 222 games played (0.41 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (four goals and 22 assists in his last 27 games).

By comparison, the six Michigan defensemen expected in the lineup this weekend have scored 15 goals and added 88 assists for 103 points in 219 games played for an average of 0.47 points/game).

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Brandon Naurato’s squad has eight players who meet that threshold, including six averaging a point per game or better: sophomore forward Rutger McGroarty (16-36-52), sophomore forward Gavin Brindley (24-27-51), junior forward Dylan Duke (22-22-44), sophomore forward T.J. Hughes (18-26-44), sophomore forward Frank Nazar III (16-23-39), and sophomore defenseman Seamus Casey (7-38-45). Other offensive contributors include freshman forward Garrett Schifsky (16-14-30) and freshman forward Nick Moldenhauer (8-13-21).

By that same measure, North Dakota has eight players at a half point or better, including two – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (21-38-59) and sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (13-25-38) – averaging a point per game or better. Other offensive contributors include Cameron Berg (20-17-37), senior forward Riese Gaber (18-16-34), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (11-7-18 in 30 games), junior forward Jackson Kunz (8-10-18), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-22-25), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (5-24-29).

Jackson Blake is making a strong push for college hockey’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Blake has collected 37 points (ten goals and 27 assists) since the calendar year turned to 2024 (21 games).

Here is a quick peek at how North Dakota and Michigan stack up:

Goals per game: Michigan 4.21 (3rd of 64 teams); UND 3.79 (8th)

Goals allowed per game: Michigan 3.05 (38th); UND 2.59 (18th)

Shooting percentage: Michigan 12.0% (6th); UND 12.3% (3rd)

Save percentage: Michigan .899 (33rd); UND .902 (26th)

Shots on goal/game: Michigan 35.0 (6th); UND 30.9 (19th)

Shots on goal allowed/game: Michigan 30.3 (38th); UND 26.4 (11th)

Power play efficiency: Michigan 35.3% (1st); UND 25.7% (9th)

Penalty kill efficiency: Michigan 78.5% (40th); UND 81.6% (22nd)

Faceoff win percentage: Michigan 52.6% (13th); UND 51.1% (28th)

Corsi: Michigan 53.8% (14th); UND 52.5% (18th)

Fenwick: Michigan 54.5% (11th); UND 54.2% (12th)

It bears mentioning that Michigan’s strength of schedule ranks fifth in all of college hockey this season, while North Dakota’sd ranks eighth.

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but five games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 21-10-2 with a goals-against average of 2.47, a save percentage of .906, and five shutouts.

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Perrson’s and Hedquist’s combined save percentage from this year (.906) to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 91 goals, a difference of 91 goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

Michigan’s top netminder – Jake Barczewski – boasts similar numbers to Persson. The graduate student has a record of 18-13-3, a goals-against average of 2.83, a save percentage of .907, and two shutouts.

Barczewski – who grew up in O’Fallon, less than 20 miles from Friday’s regional site – spent his first four collegiate seasons at Canisius and is having the second-worst statistical season of his career. Only his freshman campaign – 8-10-6 with a 2.92 GAA and a .905 SV% – was worse.

Michigan Team Profile

Head Coach: Brandon Naurato (2nd season at Michigan, 47-26-6, .633)

National Rankings: #10/#10
Pairwise Ranking: 10th
KRACH Rating: 322.4 (10th)

This Season: 21-14-3 overall, 10-10-2-2 B1G (4th)
Last Season: 26-12-3 overall, 9-7-3-5 B1G (2nd)

Team Offense: 4.21 goals scored/game – 3rd of 64 teams
Team Defense: 3.05 goals allowed/game – 38th of 64 teams

Power Play: 35.3% (49 of 139) – 1st of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 78.5% (102 of 130) – 40th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Rutger McGroarty (16-36-52), Sophomore F Gavin Brindley (24-27-51), Junior F Dylan Duke (22-22-44), Sophomore F T.J. Hughes (18-26-44), Sophomore F Frank Nazar III (16-23-39), Sophomore D Seamus Casey (7-38-45), Graduate D Marshall Warren (3-14-17), Graduate G Jake Barczewski (18-13-3, 2.83 GAA, .907 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 206-103-33, .651)

National Rankings: #5/#5
Pairwise Ranking: 6th
KRACH Rating: 483.9 (5th)

This Season: 26-11-2 overall, 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams, Penrose Cup Champions)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.79 goals scored/game – 8th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.59 goals allowed/game – 18th of 64 teams

Power Play: 25.7% (35 of 136) – 9th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 81.6% (84 of 103) – 22nd of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (21-38-59), Senior F Riese Gaber (18-16-34), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (13-25-38), Junior F Cameron Berg (20-17-37), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (8-9-17), sophomore F Dylan James (9-10-19), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-22-25), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (5-24-29), Senior G Ludvig Persson (21-10-2, 2.47 GAA, .906 SV%, 5 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: March 26, 2016 (Cincinnati, Ohio). UND blitzed Michigan with 24 first period shots on goal, but the score was tied at 0-0 until late in the first frame, when Drake Caggiula got North Dakota started. The teams would trade goals from there, and the game was knotted at two goals apiece midway through the third period. In under 75 seconds, however, the Green and White would score twice, and when Paul LaDue added an empty-netter, the Fighting Hawks were on to Tampa.

Last Ten Games: North Dakota holds a record of 6-3-1 (.650) in the last ten meetings between the schools. The teams have not been a part of the same conference since Michigan left for the CCHA in 1981.

All-time Series: Michigan leads the series 46-41-4 (.527). UND has won three of the five NCAA tournament games between the schools. The teams first met on January 9, 1948, a 6-5 UND victory that put North Dakota hockey on the map. The Wolverines would win the next ten meetings between the schools by a combined score of 89-32.

Game News and Notes

This season, North Dakota is 22-6-1 (.776) when scoring first; Michigan, 17-10-2 (.621). UND has outscored opponents 50-28 in the first period of play this season, while the Wolverines have a 56-27 conbined scoring advantage over the opening twenty minutes of game action. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 541 shots this season (blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (89), Garrett Pyke (56), and Logan Britt (54). Michigan is the country’s 13th-most penalized team (12.8 penalty minutes/game); UND is 7th-best at just 7.7 penalty minutes per game.

The Prediction

North Dakota is just itching to play someone outside the NCHC, and unfortunately for the Wolverines, they are the target. In most years, I’m worried about how officials from a different league will officiate the game, as past versions of the Green and White have often relied on their physicality and have been – literally – penalized for it. Not so with this group, who can defend, skate, and score with skill. Brad Berry’s crew is also older, taller, and heavier, and those traits – along with last line change – will make the difference in a game in which both sides are hoping to survive the first ten minutes. Goaltending will be a factor in this one, and I’m giving the slight edge to the Fighting Hawks if Persson gets the start. If it’s the freshman, all bets are off. UND 4-3.

Bonus Prediction

In the first game, I expect a good showing from Western Michigan, but I’m not sure it’s enough to solve Trey Augustine, who has allowed two goals or fewer in six of his last nine starts while making a total of 350 saves (over 38 saves per game). I think that the Spartans have just enough to get past the Broncos, who have won just seven of their past eighteen games. MSU 4, WMU 2.

Broadcast Information

Both regional semifinals will be broadcast live on ESPNU, with the Michigan State/Western Michigan game scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Central Time and the North Dakota/Michigan nightcap set for 7:30 p.m. Central Time. 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!

#4 North Dakota (26-10-2) is set to battle #11 Omaha (22-11-4) in the semifinals of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center this afternoon.

Two weeks ago, UND traveled down I-29 to face the Mavericks on the last weekend of the regular season. The homestanding Mavs were clearly the hungrier team in Friday’s opener, as North Dakota was fresh off a Penrose Cup-clinching performance at home just six days earlier. The Fighting Hawks trailed 3-2 headed into the final twenty minutes of game one, and, despite a 14-4 advantage in shots on goal in the third period, could not find the equalizer.

In the rematch, little-used netminder Seth Eisele made 38 saves for Omaha in a 4-1 victory. Ludvig Perrsson was good but not great for UND (21 saves, three goals allowed).

There is some goaltending intrigue heading into today’s matchup for the Green and White. Last weekend, North Dakota swept last-place Miami at home (5-1, 7-1) in the league quarterfinals, but Persson was not between the pipes. That distinction belonged to freshman Hobie Hedquist, who secured both playoff victories with 23 saves on Friday and 28 saves on Saturday.

Both goalies have practiced this week, but UND head coach Brad Berry is keeping his cards close to the vest, refusing to disclose his netminder until he is obligated to turn in his lineup 90 minutes before puck drop.

Which team has more to play for at the X? If North Dakota advances to Saturday’s championship game (to face either Denver or St. Cloud State), it would almost assuredly earn one of the NCAA tournament’s four #1-seeds. Omaha seems locked in as a #3-seed (Pairwise 9-12) regardless of today’s result and will be placed in the Sioux Falls Regional as that venue’s host school.

A North Dakota win today would all but guarantee UND a spot in Sioux Falls as well. A loss would find the Fighting Hawks flying to one of the other three regional sites (Maryland Heights, MO; Providence, RI; Springfield, MA).

Omaha advanced to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff for the first time in program history by virtue of a quarterfinal series victory at Colorado College last weekend (3-4 OT, 3-1, 2-1).

It is worth noting that next season (2024-25) will be the last season of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Back in December, the league announced plans to move the entire conference post-season tournament back to campus sites beginning in 2025-26. The 2026 NCHC Tournament (and beyond) will be played over three weeks and feature the addition of a 9th league foe, the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Here is the future format:

A play-in game (#8 vs. #9) will be held on the Wednesday following the conclusion of the regular season at the site of the #1-seed. The winner of that single-elimination game will move on to face the Penrose Cup champions in a best-of-three quarterfinal beginning two days later, one of four such series across the league. The two semifinal matchups will be played on the following Saturday in the home arenas of the two highest-remaining seeds, with the 2026 NCHC Playoff Championship decided one week later on the campus of the higher seed.

UND finds itself near the top of the national rankings (USCHO #4, USA Hockey #4) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (3rd) this season thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…

North Dakota blanked #9 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.

UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #8 Minnesota, at #2 Boston University) with wins the following night.

UND hosted the Mavs for the last two games of the 2022-2023 regular season, sweeping the series 5-4 and 2-1. The following weekend, the Fighting Hawks traveled down I-29 for a first-round playoff series against Mike Gabinet’s crew. North Dakota lost the opener 2-1 before storming back and taking the best-of-three series with 3-1 and 5-2 victories.

That road series was just the second time that UND was on the road for the league quarterfinals since 2002. The Fighting Hawks also found themselves away from home back in 2019, dropping two straight at Denver (0-2, 2-4) despite outshooting the Pios 32-17 in game one and 42-18 in the rematch.

2002 and 2019 are also – not coincidentally – the only two times that North Dakota failed to make it to the WCHA Final Five/NCHC Frozen Faceoff since 1996. UND hosted the first round of the league playoffs 22 times between 1997 and 2022 and advanced all 22 times (there was no NCHC tournament in 2020, and the format was modified for the 2020-2021 season).

In the eleven-year history of the league, Omaha has finished 3rd, 3rd, 6th, 6th, 5th, 7th, 6th, 4th, 6th, 3rd, and 5th for an average finish of 4.91, sixth among the eight league teams. North Dakota leads the conference with an average finish of 2.55 (2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 4th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, 6th, and 1st).

Coming into its series against Colorado College a month ago, the Fighting Hawks had taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in its first sixteen league games (10-0-1-5). That streak came to an end in the Springs, as UND dropped two games to the Tigers, bringing their season mark against CC to 0-2-0-2 (two regulation losses; two 3-on-3 overtime losses). Over the next two weekends, North Dakota completed home sweeps over Minnesota Duluth (6-0, 4-2) and Western Michigan (5-3, 3-0) to earn the program’s fourth Penrose Cup (NCHC regular season championship trophy) in the past five seasons.

The other NCHC team that UND struggled with this season? Omaha…

vs. Denver: 7-5 win, 2-3 OT loss, 5-2 win, 4-2 win (10 of 12 league points)

vs. Miami: 6-4 win, 5-1 win, 5-4 OT win, 4-1 win (11 of 12 league points)

vs. Minnesota Duluth: 4-2 win, 2-0 win, 6-0 win, 4-2 win (12 of 12 league points)

vs. Omaha: 4-5 OT loss, 3-1 win, 2-3 loss, 1-4 loss (4 of 12 league points)

vs. St. Cloud State: 5-3 win, 3-3 tie/shootout loss (4 of 6 league points)

vs. Western Michigan: 5-3 win, 3-0 win (6 of 6 league points)

In the eleven seasons of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, only UND, Denver, and St. Cloud State have won the Penrose Cup.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has faced the nation’s eighth-toughest schedule to this point of the season, while the Mavericks’ schedule weighs in as the 14th-most difficult. Despite its tough slate of games, the Green and White have the fourth-best winning percentage in the country (.719).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 483-242-82 (.649) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve 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 2022) over that eight-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.

And turning our attention to this season…

Back in January, 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.

Overall, #4-ranked North Dakota has gone 26-10-2 against Army (one game), #9 Wisconsin (one game), #8 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #2 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth (four games), Miami (six games), Bemidji State, #3 Denver (four games), #12 Colorado College (four games), Alaska, #11 Omaha (four games), and #17 St. Cloud State, with a record of 19-4-1 at home and 7-6-1 on the road. Prior to last month in Colorado Springs (February 16th and 17th), UND had not lost in regulation since November 3rd.

As the #1 seed in the conference tournament, North Dakota will be designated the home team at the X this weekend and will enjoy last line change. This has proven beneficial to Brad Berry’s squad time and time again this year.

How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?

After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system was identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks returned 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Chicago Steel (USHL) teammates Emerson (30) and Perron (24), North Dakota easily surpassed the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 38 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 130 goals. It is also encouraging that twelve North Dakota forwards have multiple goals this season, led by Blake (21), Berg (20), Gaber (18), McLaughlin (13), Perron (11), and Johannes (10 in 29 games). Those first five forwards have combined for 44 goals over the past nine weekends of game action.

This weekend, Cameron Berg will square off against his old teammates.

Berg spent two seasons at Omaha, appearing in 74 games and collecting 18 goals and 29 assists. This year at UND, the center who grew up in West Fargo has 20 goals and 16 assists in 38 games, including 29 points in his last 28 games. Berg scored a goal against his former team back on January 13th and again on March 8th.

Prior to UND’s early February series at Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season. And then, Logan Britt happened.

The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), a finalist for the NCHC Rookie of the Year, and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

One month ago at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists. Four weeks ago, North Dakota’s d-corps chipped in with seven assists in a weekend sweep of Duluth. One week later, UND defensemen notched four more assists (including three from Wiebe) in a home sweep of the Western Michigan Broncos.

Two weekends ago in Omaha, Livanavage picked up two assists while Britt added a goal with an assist from d-partner Wiebe.

And in last weekend’s shellacking of Miami, UND defensemen notched two goals and added six assists.

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 89 points (15 goals and 74 assists) in 216 games played (0.41 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (three goals and 22 assists in his last 26 games).

By comparison, the six Omaha defensemen expected in the lineup this weekend have scored 24 goals and added 60 assists for 84 points in 219 games played for an average of 0.38 points/game).

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Mike Gabinet’s squad has just six players who meet that threshold: junior forward Tyler Mueller (10-15-25), junior forward Zach Urdahl (10-11-21 in 31 games), graduate forward Jack Randl (13-12-25), freshman forward Tanner Ludtke (11-17-28), senior forward Matt Miller (6-12-18), and sophomore defenseman Griffin Ludtke (4-20-24).

By that same measure, North Dakota has eight players at a half point or better, including two – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (21-36-57) and sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (13-24-37) – averaging a point per game or better. Other offensive contributors include Cameron Berg (20-16-36), senior forward Riese Gaber (18-16-34), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (10-7-17 in 29 games), sophomore forward Dylan James (9-10-19), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-22-25), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (4-24-28).

Jackson Blake is making a strong push for college hockey’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Blake has collected 35 points (ten goals and 25 assists) since the calendar year turned to 2024 (twenty games).

Here is a quick peek at home North Dakota and Omaha stack up:

Goals per game: Omaha 2.92 (31st of 64 teams); UND 3.82 (8th)

Goals allowed per game: Omaha 2.76 (25th); UND 2.50 (10th)

Shooting percentage: Omaha 10.5% (18th); UND 12.4% (3rd)

Save percentage: Omaha .910 (15th); UND .905 (22nd)

Shots on goal/game: Omaha 27.9 (47th); UND 30.7 (22nd)

Shots on goal allowed/game: Omaha 30.6 (42nd); UND 26.2 (11th)

Power play efficiency: Omaha 17.8% (44th); UND 25.8% (8th)

Penalty kill efficiency: Omaha 77.8% (44th); UND 82.4% (19th)

Faceoff win percentage: Omaha 53.7% (9th); UND 51.3% (24th)

Corsi: Omaha 49.9% (35th); UND 52.3% (20th)

Fenwick: Omaha 48.5% (42nd); UND 54.1% (14th)

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but five games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 21-10-2 with a goals-against average of 2.47, a save percentage of .906, and five shutouts.

When Persson has been out of the lineup, freshman Hobie Hedquist has stepped in and performed admirably, winning all five of his starts while posting a goals-against average of 2.05 and a save percentage of .919.

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Perrson’s and Hedquist’s combined save percentage from this year (.907) to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 89 goals, a difference of 21 goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

Omaha’s top netminder – sophomore Simon Latkoczy boasts similar numbers to Persson. Latkoczy has a record of 18-10-3, a goals-against average of 2.62, a save percentage of .913, and two shutouts.

With dismal specialty teams play and average defensive numbers, how has Omaha managed an overall record of 22-11-4? It boils down to two things:

1. Omaha has had the puck the majority of the time in most games. With stellar faceoff numbers and puck possession stats, the Mavs have been able to overcome their other deficiencies.

2. The Mavericks have won the close games. UNO is 16-2 in one-goal games (for comparison, UND is 4-5). Omaha has only three comfortable wins all season: an 8-1 shellacking of Niagara to open the season, a 5-2 victory at Augustana on November 25th, and a 5-1 win over Duluth on February 2nd. The Mavs also blanked CC 3-0 on February 23rd, but that was a one-goal game with fourteen minutes remaining.

In its eleven losses, the Mavs have been outscored 52-20.

After suffering three straight losses in mid-January, Omaha is 11-2-2 in its last fifteen games.

In the span of two weekends, Omaha has gone from a 22% chance of making the NCAA tournament to a stone cold lock. The Mavericks helped their cause by sweeping North Dakota and taking two of three games at Colorado College.

In team history, the Mavericks have made the national tournament four times (2006, 2011, 2015, 2021), with a Frozen Four appearance under head coach Dean Blais in 2015.

Omaha Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (7th season at UNO, 116-112-18, .508)

National Rankings: #11/#11
Pairwise Ranking: 11th
KRACH Rating: 280.7 (12th)

This Season: 22-11-4 overall, 8-8-8-0 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 19-15-3 overall, 11-7-3-3 NCHC (3rd)

Team Offense: 2.92 goals scored/game – 31st of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.76 goals allowed/game – 25th of 64 teams

Power Play: 17.8% (24 of 135) – 44th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 77.8% (91 of 117) – 34th of 64 teams

Key Players: Junior F Tyler Mueller (10-15-25), Junior F Zach Urdahl (10-11-21 in 31 games), Graduate F Jack Randl (13-12-25), Freshman F Tanner Ludtke (11-17-28), Senior F Matt Miller (6-12-18), Sophomore D Joaquim Lemay (4-12-16), Sophomore D Griffin Ludtke (4-20-24), Sophomore G Simon Latkoczy (18-10-3, 2.62 GAA, .913 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 206-102-33, .652)

National Rankings: #4/#4
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 520.5 (3rd)

This Season: 26-10-2 overall, 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams, Penrose Cup Champions)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.82 goals scored/game – 8th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.50 goals allowed/game – 10th of 64 teams

Power Play: 25.8% (34 of 132) – 8th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 82.4% (84 of 102) – 19th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (21-36-57), Senior F Riese Gaber (18-16-34), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (13-24-37), Junior F Cameron Berg (20-16-36), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (8-9-17), sophomore F Dylan James (9-10-19), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-22-25), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (4-24-28), Senior G Ludvig Persson (21-10-2, 2.47 GAA, .906 SV%, 5 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last Meeting: March 9, 2024 (Omaha, NE). Two weeks ago, UND traveled down I-29 to face the Mavericks on the last weekend of the regular season. Little-used netminder Seth Eisele made 38 saves for Omaha in a 4-1 Saturday night victory, while Ludvig Perrsson was good but not great for UND (21 saves, three goals allowed). The homestanding Mavs were clearly the hungrier team in Friday’s opener, as North Dakota was fresh off a Penrose Cup-clinching performance at home just six days earlier. The Fighting Hawks trailed 3-2 headed into the final twenty minutes of game one, and, despite a 14-4 advantage in shots on goal in the third period, could not find the equalizer.

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: North Dakota has won five of the last ten contests between the schools, going 5-4-1 (.550) and outscoring the Mavericks 29-26 over that stretch. Six of the last ten games in this series were played in Omaha.

All-time: UND leads the all-time series 36-21-2 (.627), including a record of 31-18-2 (.627) against the Mavericks since both teams joined the NCHC. The teams first met on November 19, 2010 but have never played a game at a neutral site (until today).

Game News and Notes

In 2015, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the 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. North Dakota’s Brad Berry is 27-15-1 (.640) in his head coaching career against Omaha. UND’s Riese Gaber has 18 points against Omaha in his collegiate career (7-11-18 in nineteen games), while netminder Ludvig Persson has squared off against the Mavs eleven times, posting a record of 4-7-0, a goals-against average of 2.99, and a save percentage of .902. In 28 of the past 32 contests in this series, the winning team is the one which scores the first goal. This season, North Dakota is 22-5-1 (.804) when scoring first; Omaha, 16-8-0 (.667). UND has outscored opponents 49-27 in the first period of play this season. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 533 shots this season (14.0 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (89), Garrett Pyke (55), and Abram Wiebe (52).

The Prediction

North Dakota is playing to avoid a flight next weekend, while Omaha is playing to… play at Xcel Energy Center for the first time? UND has so many advantages in this one – a virtual home crowd, last line change, the experience of playing in this tournament before, and more game-changing talent. Like so many games in this league, it’s a race to three goals, and I like North Dakota’s chances. UND 3-2.

Bonus Prediction

In the nightcap, I expect a good showing from St. Cloud State. The Huskies must win the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff to secure a bid to the national tournament, and that will provide the extra motivation. Denver is missing some key players up front and does not have the goaltending that the Pios faithful are used to. SCSU 4, DU 2.

Broadcast Information

All three games this weekend will be broadcast live on CBS Sports Network, with UND’s game set foir 4:07 p.m. CT and the second game scheduled for 7:07 p.m. 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!

#5 North Dakota (24-10-2 overall, 14-4-1-5 NCHC) hosts unranked Miami (7-24-3 overall, 1-19-0-4 NCHC) in the first round of the NCHC tournament. The winner of this best-of-three series will move on to the semifinals, which will be played next Friday, March 22nd at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota and also feature the winners of the other three playoff matchups:

#7 Minnesota Duluth at #2 Denver
#6 Western Michigan at #3 Colorado College
#5 Omaha at #4 St. Cloud State

It is also worth noting that next season (2024-25) will be the last season of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Back in December, the league announced plans to move the entire conference post-season tournament back to campus sites beginning in 2025-26. The 2026 NCHC Tournament (and beyond) will be played over three weeks and feature the addition of a 9th league foe, the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Here is the future format:

A play-in game (#8 vs. #9) will be held on the Wednesday following the conclusion of the regular season at the site of the #1-seed. The winner of that single-elimination game will move on to face the Penrose Cup champions in a best-of-three quarterfinal beginning two days later, one of four such series across the league. The two semifinal matchups will be played on the following Saturday in the home arenas of the two highest-remaining seeds, with the 2026 NCHC Playoff Championship decided one week later on the campus of the higher seed.

UND finds itself near the top of the national rankings (USCHO #5, USA Hockey #5) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (3rd) this season thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…

North Dakota blanked #9 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.

UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #6 Minnesota, at #2 Boston University) with wins the following night.

Remarkably, when North Dakota traveled to face to RedHawks back in January of 2023 (last season), the two teams were both at the bottom of the league standings. This time around, UND and Miami are at opposite ends of the spectrum: the Fighting Hawks are Penrose Cup champions, while the RedHawks won just ONE conference game all season (a 4-3 home victory over Western Michigan on January 13th, their last win of this campaign). Let me say that again: over the past seven weekends of hockey (one series each against every league foe), MU has not won a game (0-13-1, with a shootout loss at Denver the only bright spot). Over those fourteen games, Miami was outscored 58-26, an average margin of defeat of 4.14 – 1.86.

The problem with this year’s Miami squad is that it lacks everything. You name it, it lacks it. Take a quick look at some of these numbers, along with a comparison to the North Dakota side of the ledger:

Goals per game: MU 2.24 (60th of 64 teams); UND 3.69 (8th)

Goals allowed per game: MU 3.62 (56th); UND 2.58 (17th)

Shooting percentage: MU 8.2% (58th); UND 12.1% (5th)

Save percentage: MU .884 (59th); UND .901 (30th)

Shots on goal/game: MU 27.1 (54th); UND 30.6 (21st)

Shots on goal allowed/game: MU 31.2 (44th); UND 26.2 (11th)

Power play efficiency: MU 13.8% (57th); UND 25.4% (11th)

Penalty kill efficiency: MU 78.2% (43rd); UND 81.4% (23rd)

Faceoff win percentage: MU 46.6% (54th); UND 51.2% (26th)

Corsi: MU 47.0% (50th); UND 52.2% (21st)

Fenwick: MU 46.5% (53rd); UND 53.9% (14th)

Also, amazingly, North Dakota has put up these stellar numbers despite playing the 5th-most difficult schedule in all of college hockey (according to KRACH). Miami’s schedule ranks 26th.

So, all of this points to a UND sweep in blowout fashion, correct?

Not quite.

As I wrote earlier this week, in the NCHC playoffs, it’s difficult to sweep. The league playoffs take on a different level of compete, particularly on Saturday nights, when one team is playing to avoid a season-ending loss. And that would be true in this case. Miami – at 47th in the Pairwise – would need to win two games this weekend AND two games next weekend in St. Paul to continue playing.

North Dakota, currently 3rd in the Pairwise, is certainly headed to the NCAA tournament regardless of this weekend’s results. UND is motivated to win and advance, however, as a #1 seed in one of the four regionals is still an achievable goal. CHN’s Pairwise Probability Matrix currently gives the Fighting Hawks a combined 79% chance of accomplishing that task. Even with two losses, North Dakota would likely earn one of the top five spots in the tourney bracket.

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

Back in November, UND hosted Miami and throttled the visitors by scores of 6-4 and 5-1. On Friday night, the Fighting Hawks outshot their red counterparts 42-13 and allowed two late goals to make the final result appear closer than it actually was. MU played a better overall game on Saturday and matched North Dakota in the shot department (22 apiece), but four first-period goals were too much for Miami to overcome.

When UND traveled to Miami last month in Ludvig Persson’s homecoming, the homestanding RedHawks took Friday’s game to overtime before falling 84 seconds in on yet another Jackson Blake overtime tally. Persson, who struggled to feel comfortable in his return to Goggin Ice Center (four goals allowed on 31 shots), assisted on the game winner in overtime On Saturday, North Dakota took control in a 4-1 victory despite allowing 34 shots on goal.

The aggregate score in those four regular-season meetings? 20-10.

The scoreboard doesn’t tell the whole story, though. UND needed to mount a third-period comeback in order to get the game to overtime on Friday night. And in the rematch, Miami played well enough to win but could not solve Persson. Furthermore, MU was without two first-line forwards (Matthew Barbolini and Raimonds Vitolins.

Last season’s trip to Oxford (January 2023) saw North Dakota blitz the homestanding RedHawks 4-1 and 8-0. UND went 4-for-8 with the man advantage on Saturday night and also scored a shorthanded goal.

Back in November of 2022, the Fighting Hawks won Friday’s home opener vs. Miami in runaway fashion, boatracing the RedHawks by building a 5-0 lead over the first 31 minutes of the hockey game. In Saturdays’ rematch, UND spotted the visitors a 3-0 lead before making a late push, outshooting MU 27-6 over the final two periods but falling just short in a 4-3 loss. That RedHawks victory was the only blemish in North Dakota’s 9-1 head-to-head mark over the past ten games.

The Fighting Hawks traveled to Oxford, Ohio in November 2021 and earned a road sweep with 4-1 and 5-4 victories. UND outshot Miami 68-31 in the two-game series.

Almost one year earlier (December 2nd, 2020), the two teams met in Omaha in the first pod game for either side. North Dakota blanked Miami 2-0 and put 39 shots on goal.

And in the rematch on December 20th – the final game of the Omaha pod – the RedHawks managed to score twice but allowed six North Dakota goals on 39 shots.

Miami put a total of 42 shots on frame over the course of those six periods of hockey.

After those two December tilts, the teams were not scheduled to face each other in the second half of the 2021-2022 season. As fate would have it, however, top-seeded UND (18-5-1) drew last-place Miami (5-17-2) in the first round of the modified NCHC Frozen Faceoff. There was little drama in the contest, as the Fighting Hawks scored three goals in the first six minutes of the hockey game and cruised to a 6-2 victory, outshooting MU 46-28.

In the past thirteen games, North Dakota has outscored Miami 65-25 (5.0 – 1.9 per contest) while holding a 451-277 advantage in shots on goal (34.7 – 21.3).

Over the past three seasons, the RedHawks relied on goaltender Ludvig Persson to keep games close, as Miami only averaged 2.22 goals per game. Unfortunately, MU allowed 3.91 goals per game over those three campaigns and only won twenty total games (20-69-8, .247).

And now Ludvig Persson is wearing the green and white of North Dakota (more on that below).

Ten 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 Central Collegiate Hockey Association (Miami and Western Michigan) 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 the CCHA reformed beginning with the 2021-2022 campaign.

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 434-223-72 (.645) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve 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 2022) over that seven-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.

Over the first eleven completed regular seasons of the NCHC, Miami has averaged a seventh-place finish among the eight conference teams (8th, 2nd, 5th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, and 8th), with a combined league record of 63-168-33 (.301).

By comparison, North Dakota has finished 2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 4th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 1st, 5th, and 1st, for an average finish just under second place, with a combined league record of 154-81-29 (.638). No other league member has collected as many conference wins as UND.

When the National Collegiate Hockey Conference was formed, Miami appeared positioned to be a dominant program. Prior to the 2013-14 season (their inaugural campaign in the NCHC), the RedHawks had made eight consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, with consecutive Frozen Four bids in 2009 (2nd) and 2010 (3rd). Since joining the NCHC, Miami has just one NCAA tournament appearance (2015), and that ended quickly with a first-round loss to eventual national champion Providence.

Long-tenured head coach Enrico Blasi was fired after posting a fourth consecutive losing season in 2018-2019. Over that stretch of time, the RedHawks were 47-81-19 (.384). There is reason for optimism in Oxford, however, with new bench boss Chris Bergeron taking over the program after leading Bowling Green to six consecutive winning seasons, five consecutive years with twenty or more victories, and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2018-2019.

And turning our attention to this season…

Coming into its series against Colorado College a month ago, the Fighting Hawks had taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in its first sixteen league games (10-0-1-5). That streak came to an end in the Springs, as UND dropped two games to the Tigers, bringing their season mark against CC to 0-2-0-2 (two regulation losses; two 3-on-3 overtime losses). Prior to last weekend, North Dakota completed home sweeps over Minnesota Duluth (6-0, 4-2) and Western Michigan (5-3, 3-0) to earn the program’s fourth Penrose Cup (NCHC regular season championship trophy) in the past five seasons.

Last weekend on the road at Omaha, the Mavericks were clearly the better team out of the gate on Friday night. UND put together a fine third period but could not put a third goal past UNO goaltender Simon Latkoczy. North Dakota outshot Omaha 14-4 over the final twenty minutes of the hockey game but fell 3-2. In Saturday’s rematch, Latkoczy was a late scratch, and little known Seth Eisele – a graduate student from Lake Elmo, Minnesota – stopped 38 of 39 shots in a 4-1 Maverick win.

#2-ranked North Dakota has gone 24-10-2 against Army (one game), #9 Wisconsin (one game), #6 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #2 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth, Miami, Bemidji State, #3 Denver (four games), #10 Colorado College (four games), Alaska, #12 Omaha (four games), and #18 St. Cloud State, with a record of 17-4-1 at home and 7-6-1 on the road.

How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?

After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system is identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks returned 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Chicago Steel (USHL) teammates Emerson (30) and Perron (24), North Dakota should easily surpass the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 36 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 120 goals. It is also encouraging that twelve North Dakota forwards have multiple goals this season, led by Berg (20), Blake (19), Gaber (16), McLaughlin (12), Perron (11, and Johannes (9 in 27 games). Those first five forwards have combined for 41 goals over the past nine weekends of game action.

Prior to UND’s early February series at Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season. And then, Logan Britt happened.

The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), a finalist for the NCHC Rookie of the Year, and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

Four weekends ago at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists. Three weeks ago, North Dakota’s d-corps chipped in with seven assists in a weekend sweep of Duluth. One week later, UND defensemen notched four more assists (including three from Wiebe) in a home sweep of the Western Michigan Broncos.

And last weekend at Omaha, Livanavage picked up two assists while Britt added a goal with an assist from d-partner Wiebe.

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 81 points (13 goals and 68 assists) in 204 games played (0.40 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (two goals and twenty assists in his last 24 games).

Bennett Zmolek was held out of the series finale two weeks ago with a lower body injury and has not returned to game action; he was seen on the ice for the post-game celebration using crutches. Zmolek leads the team with 83 blocked shots (2.86 blocks per game).

By comparison, the six blueliners expected in the lineup for Miami this weekend have produced a total of 13 goals and 32 assists for 45 points in 191 games (0.24 points/game).

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Chris Bergeron’s squad has just five lineup regulars who meet that threshold: senior forward Matthew Barbolini (11-14-25), sophomore forward John Waldron (9-13-22), senior forward PJ Fletcher (11-12-23), junior forward Raimonds Vitolins (6-11-17 in 26 games), and graduate forward Albin Nilsson (4-5-9 in 16 games, all since January 12th).

By that same measure, North Dakota has seven players at a half point or better, including one – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (19-33-52) – averaging nearly a point and a half (1.44). Other offensive contributors include sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (12-22-34), Cameron Berg (20-15-35), senior forward Riese Gaber (16-15-31), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (9-7-16 in 27 games), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (3-22-25).

Jackson Blake is making a strong push for college hockey’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Blake picked up seven points three weekends ago against Minnesota Duluth and added two points (including a highlight-reel goal) against Western Michigan a week later to reach the 50-point plateau in just 34 games. A two-assist weekend at Omaha last weekend has Blake sitting at 52 points headed into the playoffs; he has collected 30 points (eight goals and 22 assists) since the calendar year turned to 2024 (eighteen games).

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but three games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 21-10-2 with a goals-against average of 2.47, a save percentage of .906, and five shutouts.

Persson was ill two months ago, and freshman Hobie Hedquist stepped in for him, winning both games while posting a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .870).

Persson returned to practice on a Wednesday and got the start on Friday, but he struggled, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Hedquist stepped in on Saturday, making 22 of 23 saves and earning his third victory of the season. Persson started both games in St. Cloud last and he shined, stopping 66 of 72 shots which came his way for a combined save percentage of .917. Persson wasn’t tested much in UND’s home sweep of Denver; he allowed two goals each night while making 17 saves on Friday night and 22 saves in the rematch. In a road sweep at Miami, Persson stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923). Over the last two home weekends, Perrson went 4-0 with a save percentage of .957 and two shutouts.

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Persson’s save percentage from this year to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 91 goals, a difference of 19 goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

Miami had been relying on graduate goaltender Logan Neaton (6-10-2, 3.06 GAA, .901 SV%, 1 SO) in the early part of the season, but he has only started two games since January 13th due to injury. Neaton is the lone NHL draft pick on the RedHawks roster (Winnipeg Jets Round 5 #144 overall in 2019). Neaton transferred from UMass-Lowell in the fall of 2021 and appeared in sixteen games over the past two seasons with Miami.

In his place, Chris Bergeron turned to freshman netminder Bruno Bruveris (stats), who has started twelve of the past fourteen games in net. On the season, Bruveris is 1-12-1 with a goals-against average of 4.15, a save percentage of .866, and one shutout (a 21-save performance in a 2-0 victory over Niagara back in December).

North Dakota fans hoping for UND tournament games in Sioux Falls, South Dakota can root for one of two things to happen regarding the Omaha Mavericks (this year’s tournament host in Sioux Falls):

1. A good NCHC tournament run from Omaha (currently 12th in the Pairwise) would certainly lock them into the Pairwise 9th-12th band (#3 seeds). This would allow both the Mavericks and North Dakota to be seeded in the same regional (the committee avoids first-round matchups between teams from the same conference).

Or…

2. Two losses this weekend to Colorado College could easily drop Omaha down to 14th in the Pairwise (or further), leaving them right on the dreaded Pairwise cutoff line.

North Dakota, currently 3rd in the Pairwise, is certainly headed to the NCAA tournament regardless of this weekend’s results. UND is motivated to win and advance, however, as a #1 seed in one of the four regionals is still an achievable goal. CHN’s Pairwise Probability Matrix currently gives the Fighting Hawks a combined 79% chance of accomplishing that task. Even with two losses, North Dakota would likely earn one of the top five spots in the tourney bracket.

Miami – at 47th in the Pairwise – would need to win two games this weekend AND two games next weekend in St. Paul to continue playing.

Miami Team Profile

Head Coach: Chris Bergeron (5th season at Miami, 35-114-16, .261)

National Rankings: NR/NR
Pairwise Ranking: 47th
KRACH Rating: 52.9 (44th)

This Season: 7-24-3 overall, 1-19-0-4 NCHC (8th)
Last Season: 8-24-4 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 3-16-0-5 NCHC (8th)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 2.24 goals scored/game – 60th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 3.62 goals allowed/game – 56th of 64 teams

Power Play: 13.8% (16 of 116) – 57th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 78.2% (93 of 119) – 43rd of 64 teams

Key players: Senior F Matthew Barbolini (11-14-25), Senior F PJ Fletcher (11-12-23), Sophomore F John Waldron (9-13-22), Sophomore F William Hallen (3-7-10), Junior F Raimonds Vitolins (6-11-17 in 26 games), Graduate D Jack Clement (1-7-8), Sophomore D Axel Kumlin (2-8-10), Graduate G Logan Neaton (6-12-2, 2.96 GAA, .903 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 204-102-33, .650)

National Rankings: #5/#5
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 505.3 (3rd)

This Season: 24-10-2 overall, 14-4-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams, Penrose Cup Champions)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.69 goals scored/game – 8th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.58 goals allowed/game – 17th of 64 teams

Power Play: 25.4% (32 of 126) – 11th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 81.4% (79 of 97) – 23rd of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (19-33-52), Senior F Riese Gaber (16-15-31), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (12-22-34), Junior F Cameron Berg (20-15-35), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (8-9-17), sophomore F Dylan James (8-9-17), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (3-22-25), Senior G Ludvig Persson (21-10-2, 2.47 GAA, .906 SV%, 5 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: February 3, 2024 (Oxford, Ohio). North Dakota cruised to a 4-1 win over the homestanding RedHawks to earn five of six league points on the weekend. UND defenseman Logan Britt scored twice in the victory to notch a three-goal weekend and nab NCHC Defenseman of the Week honors, Britt had two goals on the season coming into the road series at MU. In the opener, Miami took Friday’s game to overtime before falling 84 seconds in on yet another Jackson Blake overtime tally. UND netminder Ludvig Persson, who struggled to feel comfortable in his return to Goggin Ice Center (four goals allowed on 31 shots), assisted on the game winner in overtime.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: November 18, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). Miami matched North Dakota in the shot department (22 apiece), but four first-period goals were too much for Miami to overcome in a 5-1 victory for UND. One night earlier, the Fighting Hawks outshot their red counterparts 42-13 in a 6-4 win. Two late MU goals made the final result appear closer than it actually was.

Most Important Meeting: March 6, 2015 (Oxford, OH). North Dakota claimed the Penrose Cup with a 2-1 road victory over Miami. UND fell flat the following night, losing 6-3 in the final game of the regular season.

Last Ten: UND has picked up nine wins (9-1–0, .900) in the past ten contests between the teams, outscoring Miami 51-21 over that stretch of games.

All-time Series: North Dakota leads the all-time series 29-8-4 (.756), including a sparkling 13-3-2 (.778) record in games played in Grand Forks. Brad Berry is 22-4-3 (.810) in his coaching career against Miami. The teams first played in 1999 (Badger Showdown, Milwaukee, WI).

Game News and Notes

In thirteen career games against Miami, junior forward Riese Gaber has scored thirteen goals and added nine assists. MU has not made the national tournament since 2015, their second season in the NCHC. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 495 shots this season (13.8 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (83 in just 29 games), Garrett Pyke (51), and Abram Wiebe (50). Miami head coach Chris Bergeron has lost more games in his five seasons at Miami (35-114-16, .261) than North Dakota bench boss Brad Berry has in his nine seasons at UND (204-102-33, .650). UND’s Saturday night road victory over the RedHawks last month gave Berry his 200th head coaching win, a mark achieved by fewer than 100 coaches in NCAA Division I men’s college hockey history. North Dakota boasts three Hobey Baker nominees – Jackson Blake, Riese Gaber, and Ludvig Persson; Miami has one – Matthew Barbolini. MU has been outscored 45-22 in second periods this season. UND has posted a record of 17-4-1 in 22 home games this season, losing only once in regulation at Ralph Engelstad Arena (a 4-0 loss to Minnesota back in October). Green Hawks are preferable to RedHawks.

The Prediction

The Fighting Hawks are deeper, more talented, have better goaltending, and are playing in front of their home crowd. If Brad Berry’s squad can contain Miami’s top line of Barbolini, Vitolins, and Fletcher, it will be a long weekend for the RedHawks. As I’ve said so many times, fans should expect a tighter contest on Saturday night, but North Dakota will get things done in two games and advance to St. Paul. UND 6-2, 4-3.

Broadcast Information

All games this weekend (Friday at 7:07 p.m., Saturday at 6:07 p.m., and Sunday at 6.07 p.m. if necessary will be broadcast on Midco Sports Network and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the UND Sports Home of Economy Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app.

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!

#3 North Dakota (24-8-2 overall, 14-2-1-5 NCHC) travels to face #16 Omaha (18-10-4 overall, 6-8-8-0 NCHC) on the last weekend of the regular season.

UND finds itself near the top of the national rankings (USCHO #3, USA Hockey #3) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (3rd) this season thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…

North Dakota blanked #5 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.

UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #8 Minnesota, at #2 Boston University) with wins the following night.

UND hosted the Mavs for the last two games of the 2022-2023 regular season, sweeping the series 5-4 and 2-1. The following weekend, the Fighting Hawks traveled down I-29 for a first-round playoff series against Mike Gabinet’s crew. North Dakota lost the opener 2-1 before storming back and taking the best-of-three series with 3-1 and 5-2 victories.

That road series was just the second time that UND was on the road for the league quarterfinals since 2002. The Fighting Hawks also found themselves away from home back in 2019, dropping two straight at Denver (0-2, 2-4) despite outshooting the Pios 32-17 in game one and 42-18 in the rematch.

2002 and 2019 are also – not coincidentally – the only two times that North Dakota failed to make it to the WCHA Final Five/NCHC Frozen Faceoff since 1996. UND hosted the first round of the league playoffs 22 times between 1997 and 2022 and advanced all 22 times (there was no NCHC tournament in 2020, and the format was modified for the 2020-2021 season).

In the ten-year history of the league, Omaha has finished 3rd, 3rd, 6th, 6th, 5th, 7th, 6th, 4th, 6th, and 3rd for an average finish of 4.90, sixth among the eight league teams. North Dakota leads the conference with an average finish of 2.70 (2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 4th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 6th). The Mavericks have never advanced past the first round of the league playoffs.

Coming into its series against Colorado College three weekends ago, the Fighting Hawks had taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in its first sixteen league games (10-0-1-5). That streak came to an end in the Springs, as UND dropped two games to the Tigers, bringing their season mark against CC to 0-2-0-2 (two regulation losses; two 3-on-3 overtime losses). Over the past two weekeneds, North Dakota completed home sweeps over Minnesota Duluth (6-0, 4-2) and Western Michigan (5-3, 3-0), to earn the program’s fourth Penrose Cup (NCHC regular season championship trophy) in the past five seasons.

UND has earned the majority of points against every team in the conference not named Colorado College:

vs. Denver: 7-5 win, 2-3 OT loss, 5-2 win, 4-2 win (10 of 12 league points)
vs. Miami: 6-4 win, 5-1 win, 5-4 OT win, 4-1 win (11 of 12 league points)
vs. Minnesota Duluth: 4-2 win, 2-0 win, 6-0 win, 4-2 win (12 of 12 league points)
vs. Omaha: 4-5 OT loss, 3-1 win (4 of 6 league points)
vs. St. Cloud State: 5-3 win, 3-3 tie/shootout loss (4 of 6 league points)
vs. Western Michigan: 5-3 win, 3-0 win (6 of 6 league points)

In the eleven seasons of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, only UND, Denver, and St. Cloud State have won the Penrose Cup.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has faced the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule to this point of the season, while the Mavericks’ schedule weighs in as the 20th-most difficult. Despite its tough slate of games, the Green and White have the third-best winning percentage in the country (.745).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 483-242-82 (.649) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve 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 2022) over that eight-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.

And turning our attention to this season…

Back in January, 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.

Overall, #3-ranked North Dakota has gone 24-8-2 against Army (one game), #5 Wisconsin (one game), #8 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #2 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth (four games), Miami (four games), Bemidji State, #4 Denver (four games), #10 Colorado College (four games), Alaska, #16 Omaha, and #17 St. Cloud State, with a record of 17-4-1 at home and 7-4-1 on the road. Prior to three weeks ago in Colorado Springs (February 16th and 17th), UND had not lost in regulation since November 3rd.

How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?

After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system was identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks return 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Chicago Steel (USHL) teammates Emerson (30) and Perron (24), North Dakota should easily surpass the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 34 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 118 goals and are on pace for 125 goals in the regular season alone. It is also encouraging that twelve North Dakota forwards have multiple goals this season, led by Blake (19), Berg (19), Gaber (16), McLaughlin (12), Perron (10), and Johannes (9 in 25 games). Those first five forwards have combined for 39 goals over the past eight weekends of game action.

Hunter Johannes had been out of the lineup for nine games (lower-body injury) prior to his return last weekend against Western Michigan.

This weekend, Cameron Berg will square off against his old teammates.

Berg spent two seasons at Omaha, appearing in 74 games and collecting 18 goals and 29 assists. This year at UND, the center who grew up in West Fargo has 19 goals and 15 assists in 34 games, including 29 points in his last 26 games. Berg scored a goal against his former team back on January 13th.

Prior to UND’s series four weekends ago against Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season. And then, Logan Britt happened.

The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

Three weekends ago at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists. Two weeks ago, North Dakota’s d-corps chipped in with seven assists in a weekend sweep of Duluth.

And in last weekend’s sweep of the Western Michigan Broncos, UND defensemen notched four more assists, including three from Wiebe.

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 77 points (12 goals and 65 assists) in 194 games played (0.40 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (two goals and eighteen assists in his last 22 games).

Bennett Zmolek was held out of the series finale last Saturday night with a lower body injury; he was seen on the ice for the post-game celebration using crutches. Zmolek leads the team with 83 blocked shots (2.86 blocks per game).

By comparison, the six Omaha defensemen expected in the lineup this weekend have scored 21 goals and added 47 assists for 68 points in 189 games played for an average of 0.36 points/game).

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Mike Gabinet’s squad has just six players who meet that threshold: junior forward Tyler Mueller (9-15-24), junior forward Zach Urdahl (9-8-17 in 26 games), graduate forward Jack Randl (12-10-22), freshman forward Tanner Ludtke (9-15-24), senior forward Matt Miller (5-10-15), and sophomore defenseman Griffin Ludtke (4-15-19).

By that same measure, North Dakota has nine players at a half point or better, including three – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (19-31-50), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (12-22-34), and Cameron Berg (19-15-34) – averaging a point per game or better. Other offensive contributors include senior forward Riese Gaber (16-14-30), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (9-7-16 in 25 games), senior forward Louis Jamernik V (8-9-17), sophomore forward Dylan James (8-9-17), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (3-20-23).

Jackson Blake is making a strong push for college hockey’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Blake picked up seven points two weekends ago against Minnesota Duluth and added three points last weekend (including a highlight-reel goal) to reach the 50-point plateau in just 34 games. Blake has collected 28 points (eight goals and twenty assists) since the calendar year turned to 2024 (sixteen games).

Offensively, UND outpaces Omaha by a large margin. To this point of the season, North Dakota has scored 130 goals in 34 games (3.82 goals per game, 7th in the country), while Omaha has managed just 93 in 32 games (2.91, 33rd).

The Fighting Hawks are third in the nation in shooting percentage at 12.6%. Omaha clocks in at 10.1%, good for 27th in the country. UND also gets the puck to the net, averaging 30.3 shots on goal per game (25th). The Mavericks aren’t far behind, with 28.9 shots on goal per contest (38th).

On the defensive side, UND has only allowed 895 shots on goal this season in 34 games (26.3/game, 11th), while Omaha has allowed 938 in 32 games (29.3, 31st).

These two teams nearly identical in Corsi, but that is only one of two key puck possession statistics. Fenwick tells the rest of the story:

North Dakota: 21st in Corsi (52.1%) and 15th in Fenwick (53.7%)
Omaha: 23rd in Corsi (51.6%) and 31st in Fenwick (50.5%)

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.

In other words, UND is far better at capitalizing on opportunities and getting puck to the net (and on net).

As always, a key area to watch this weekend is the face-off circle. The Fighting Hawks are the nation’s 19th-best team on draws (51.7%), while the Mavericks clock in at 54.5% (8th).

For UND, junior Cameron Berg has been making a living on draws, winning 336 of 593 (56.7%). Senior Louis Jamernik V (203 of 354, 57.3%) has more than held his own, while sophomore Owen McLaughlin (174 of 380, 45.8%) has struggled of late.

For the Mavericks, graduate student Nolan Sullivan has been the best option (346 of 571, 60.6%). Head coach Mike Gabinet has also called on junior Ty Mueller (343 of 626, 54.8%) and senior Jimmy Glynn (170 of 327, 52.0%).

To this point in the season, North Dakota has had the better of the specialty teams play. UND has been a combined plus-15, with 30 power play goals scored (30 of 119, 25.2%, 10th in the country) and seventeen power play goals allowed (76 of 93, 81.7%, 24th), with three shorthanded goals scored and one allowed.

The Mavericks have posted a net-ZERO, with 21 power play goals scored (21 of 127, 16.5%, 48th), 21 power play goals allowed (81 of 102, 79.4%, 36th), two shorthanded goals scored, and two allowed.

It is also worth noting that UND has earned 26 more power plays than penalty kill situations (119-93), while Omaha has posted anemic specialty teams numbers despite an almost identical margin (127-102).

Omaha is 33rd in the country in scoring offense (2.91 goals scored/game) and 29th in the country in scoring defense (2.91 goals allowed/game), with an identical number of goals for (93) and against (93).

North Dakota is 7th in the country in scoring offense (3.82 goals scored/game) and a very impressive 14th in the country in scoring defense (2.35 goals allowed/game), with a 130-86 season-long scoring advantage.

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but three games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 21-8-2 with a goals-against average of 2.44, a save percentage of .908, and five shutouts.

Persson was ill two months ago, and freshman Hobie Hedquist stepped in for him, winning both games while posting a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .870).

Persson returned to practice on a Wednesday and got the start on Friday, but he struggled, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Hedquist stepped in on Saturday, making 22 of 23 saves and earning his third victory of the season. Persson started both games in St. Cloud last and he shined, stopping 66 of 72 shots which came his way for a combined save percentage of .917. Persson wasn’t tested much in UND’s home sweep of Denver; he allowed two goals each night while making 17 saves on Friday night and 22 saves in the rematch. In a road sweep at Miami, Persson stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923). Over the last two weekends, Perrson is 4-0 with a save percentage of .957 and two shutouts.

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Persson’s save percentage from this year to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 89 goals, a difference of 21 goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

Omaha’s top netminder – sophomore Simon Latkoczy boasts similar numbers to Persson. Latkoczy has a record of 15-9-3, a goals-against average of 2.73, a save percentage of .906, and two shutouts.

With dismal specialty teams play and average defensive numbers, how has Omaha managed an overall record of 18-10-4? It boils down to two things:

1. Omaha has had the puck the majority of the time in most games. With stellar faceoff numbers and puck possession stats, the Mavs have been able to overcome their other deficiencies.

2. The Mavericks have won the close games. UNO is 14-1 in one-goal games (for comparison, UND is 4-5). Omaha has only three comfortable wins all season: an 8-1 shellacking of Niagara to open the season, a 5-2 victory at Augustana on November 25th, and a 5-1 win over Duluth on February 2nd. The Mavs also blanked CC 3-0 on February 23rd, but that was a one-goal game with fourteen minutes remaining.

In its ten losses, the Mavs have been outscored 48-17.

North Dakota currently finds itself in third place in the all-important Pairwise rankings, with victories over Boston University (PWR 2), Denver (PWR 4), Wisconsin (PWR 6), Minnesota (PWR 7), St. Cloud State (PWR 14), Western Michigan (PWR 15), and Omaha (PWR 16) certainly helping the cause. According to the CHN Pairwise Probability Matrix, UND is guaranteed a spot in the national tournament and will almost certainly be a #1 seed in one of the four regionals. The most likely final Pairwise results are #2-overall (47%) or #3-overall (35%). UND fans should be cheering for Boston University to lose to Vermont on Saturday night.

North Dakota fans hoping for UND tournament games in Sioux Falls, South Dakota should be actively rooting against Omaha (even beyond this weekend); if the Mavericks somehow make the tournament, they would automatically be placed in Sioux Falls, and, as the likely #4-seed at that regional, that placement would bounce UND to a different regional site (the committee avoids first-round matchups between teams from the same conference).

At #16 in the Pairwise, Omaha has some work to do to earn the program’s first NCAA tourney berth since 2021. The same Pairwise Probability Matrix gives the Mavericks a 22% chance of making the tournament. In team history, the Mavericks have made the national tournament four times (2006, 2011, 2015), with a Frozen Four appearance under head coach Dean Blais in 2015.

After suffering three straight losses in mid-January, Omaha is 7-1-2 in its last ten games, including sweeps of Duluth and Miami, a 3-0 victory over Colorado College, and two overtime wins.

Omaha Team Profile

Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (7th season at UNO, 112-111-18, .502)

National Rankings: #16/#17
Pairwise Ranking: 16th
KRACH Rating: 216.8 (16th)

This Season: 18-10-4 overall, 6-8-8-0 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 19-15-3 overall, 11-7-3-3 NCHC (3rd)

Team Offense: 2.91 goals scored/game – 33rd of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.91 goals allowed/game – 29th of 64 teams

Power Play: 16.5% (21 of 127) – 48th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 79.4% (81 of 102) – 36th of 64 teams

Key Players: Junior F Tyler Mueller (9-15-24), Junior F Zach Urdahl (9-8-17 in 26 games), Graduate F Jack Randl (12-10-22), Freshman F Tanner Ludtke (9-15-24), Senior F Matt Miller (5-10-15), Sophomore D Joaquim Lemay (4-9-13), Sophomore D Griffin Ludtke (4-15-19), Sophomore G Simon Latkoczy (15-9-3, 2.73 GAA, .906 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 204-100-33, .654)

National Rankings: #3/#3
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 615.7 (3rd)

This Season: 24-8-2 overall, 14-2-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams, Penrose Cup Champions)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.82 goals scored/game – 7th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.35 goals allowed/game – 14th of 64 teams

Power Play: 25.2% (30 of 119) – 10th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 81.7% (76 of 93) – 24th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (19-31-50), Senior F Riese Gaber (16-14-30), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (12-22-34), Junior F Cameron Berg (19-15-34), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (8-9-17), sophomore F Dylan James (8-9-17), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (3-20-23), Senior G Ludvig Persson (21-8-2, 2.44 GAA, .908 SV%, 5 SO)

By The Numbers:

Last Meeting: January 13, 2024 (Grand Forks, ND). In a tight defensive game, Omaha tied things 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. One night earlier, North Dakota fans saw a 3-1 first period lead evaporate in a disastrous middle frame that saw the Mavericks outscore the homestanding Hawks 3-1. Omaha scored just 34 seconds into the 3-on-3 overtime session to grab the extra league point. North Dakota outshot Omaha 69-47 on the weekend.

Last Meeting in Omaha: March 12, 2023. UND erupted for three goals in 102 seconds late in the third period to win the deciding game of the best-of-three playoff series by a score of 5-2. North Dakota freshman Dylan James scored a shorthanded goal with 29 seconds remaining in the middle frame to knot the game at 2-2. The Fighting Hawks held the Mavericks scoreless on six power play opportunities and went 1-for-8 with the man advantage. One night earlier, with their backs against the wall, UND scored once in each period – including an empty-net goal by James – to win 3-1 and even the series at one game apiece.

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: North Dakota has won six of the last ten contests between the schools, going 6-3-1 (.650) and outscoring the Mavericks 31-24 over that stretch. Six of the last ten games in this series were played in Omaha.

All-time: UND leads the all-time series 36-19-2 (.649), including an 18-9-1 (.661) record in games played in Omaha. North Dakota owns a record of 31-16-2 (.653) against the Mavericks since both teams joined the NCHC. The teams first met on November 19, 2010.

Game News and Notes

In 2015, both North Dakota and Omaha advanced to the 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. Since joining the WCHA in 2011 (and later the NCHC), the Mavs have never reached the Twin Cities for the second weekend of the conference tournament despite having home ice in four of those nine years. North Dakota’s Brad Berry is 27-13-1 (.671) in his head coaching career against Omaha. UND’s Riese Gaber has 17 points against Omaha in his collegiate career (7-10-17 in seventeen games, perfectly matching his jersey number), while netminder Ludvig Persson has squared off against the Mavs nine times, posting a record of 4-5-0, a goals-against average of 2.94, and a save percentage of .911. In 26 of the past 30 contests in this series, the winning team is the one which scores the first goal. This season, North Dakota is 20-5-1 (.788) when scoring first; Omaha, 13-7-0 (.650). UND has outscored opponents 46-24 in the first period of play this season. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 476 shots this season (14.0 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (83), Garrett Pyke (49), and Abram Wiebe (49).

The Prediction

If Ludvig Persson continues the roll that he has been on, I like North Dakota’s chances. I think that Omaha will keep one game close, but if the Fighting Hawks can roll four lines, they’ve got the scoring depth to outlast the Mavericks. UND 5-3, 3-2.

Broadcast Information

Both games this weekend will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Two and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. The games will start at 7:07 p.m. Central Time each 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!

#3 North Dakota (22-8-2 overall, 12-2-1-5 NCHC) hosts #12 Western Michigan (18-11-1 overall, 8-6-1-5 NCHC) in the first meeting between the two teams this season. Last year, UND managed to take five of six league points on the road (2-2 tie/shootout win; 3-0 win), but the Broncos swept the Fighting Hawks at Ralph Engelstad Arena (4-0, 7-6) to take the season series.

UND finds itself near the top of the national rankings (USCHO #3, USA Hockey #3) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (3rd) this season thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…

North Dakota blanked #4 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.

UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #8 Minnesota, at #2 Boston University) with wins the following night.

Last season, UND and WMU tangled at Lawson Ice Arena in December 2022 with the Fighting Hawks securing five of six possible league points with a 2-2 overtime tie (shootout win) and a 3-0 victory.

UND found success at Lawson Arena by limiting high-quality chances, winning the special teams battle (2 for 7 on the power play and a perfect eight-for-eight on the penalty kill), and getting excellent goaltending from Drew DeRidder, who made 51 of 53 saves (.962) and added three stops in the five-round shootout.

WMU’s Jamie Rome (from Aiden Fulp and Tim Washe) and Jack Perbix (from Dylan Wendt) were the only two goal scorers that weekend, which means that the Broncos’ Big Three of Jason Polin, Max Sasson, and Ryan McAllister – who combined for 58 goals and 138 points in 116 games played last season – were held off the scoresheet for the entire weekend. The frustration mounted for WMU’s top line, as Sasson and McAllister combined for eight minutes in penalties in the series.

In the rematch series in Grand Forks (January 2023), Western Michigan’s top line picked up six points in Friday’s opener, a 4-0 Broncos victory. In Saturday’s rematch, the same three potent forwards were held off the scoresheet, yet, somehow, WMU still won 7-6.

Thankfully for fans of the Green and White, Pollin, Sasson, and McAllister are not on Western’s roster this season.

Even without those three forwards driving the offense, third-year Broncos head coach Pat Ferschweiler (WMU ’93) has his team playing at an extremely high level, with Western Michigan exhibiting the nation’s 8th-best offense (3.70 goals scored/game) as well as the 7th-best defense (2.33 goals allowed/game).

UND is slightly better on the offensive side of the ledger (3.81 goals scored/game; 7th) but has allowed a few more goals against (2.59, 16th).

Ferschweiler, who had previously been the WMU associate head coach under Andy Murray, also spent four seasons as an assistant coach for the NHL’s Detroit Red Wings.

In his rookie campaign two seasons ago, Ferschweiler went 26-12-1 and brought his team within one game of the Frozen Four, falling to Minnesota in the regional final. In September of 2022, the Western Michigan bench boss was extended through the 2025-26 season. Last season, he led the Broncos to a 2nd-place finish in the NCHC, an overall record of 23-15-1, and another NCAA tournament appearance.

Coming into its series against Colorado College two weekends ago, the Fighting Hawks had taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in its first sixteen league games (10-0-1-5). That streak came to an end in the Springs, as UND dropped two games to the Tigers, bringing their season mark against CC to 0-2-0-2 (two regulation losses; two 3-on-3 overtime losses). Last weekend, North Dakota completed a home sweep against Minnesota Duluth to stay on top of the league standings.

UND has earned the majority of points against every team in the conference not named Colorado College:

vs. Denver: 7-5 win, 2-3 OT loss, 5-2 win, 4-2 win (10 of 12 league points)
vs. Miami: 6-4 win, 5-1 win, 5-4 OT win, 4-1 win (11 of 12 league points)
vs. Minnesota Duluth: 4-2 win, 2-0 win, 6-0 win, 4-2 win (12 of 12 league points)
vs. Omaha: 4-5 OT loss, 3-1 win (4 of 6 league points)
vs. St. Cloud State: 5-3 win, 3-3 tie/shootout loss (4 of 6 league points)

UND leads St. Cloud State by three conference points, Denver by seven points, and Colorado College by nine points with four games remaining for each team. Every regulation victory counts as three points.

Here are the matchups over the final two weekends of the regular season for the top four teams in the conference:

UND: vs. Western Michigan, at Omaha
St. Cloud State: vs. Denver, at Minnesota Duluth
Denver: at St. Cloud State, at/vs. Colorado College
Colorado College: vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs./at Denver

There is an outside chance that North Dakota could clinch the Penrose Cup (NCHC regular season championship) this weekend in Grand Forks.

In the ten completed seasons of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, only UND, Denver, and St. Cloud State have won the Penrose Cup.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has faced the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule to this point of the season, while the Broncos’ schedule weighs in as the 24th-most difficult. Despite its tough slate of games, the Green and White have the third-best winning percentage in the country (.729).

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 475-240-82 (.647) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve 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 2022) over that eight-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.

And turning our attention to this season…

#3-ranked North Dakota has gone 22-8-2 against Army (one game), #4 Wisconsin (one game), #8 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #2 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth (four games), Miami (four games), Bemidji State, #5 Denver (four games), #11 Colorado College (four games), Alaska, #18 Omaha, and #15 St. Cloud State, with a record of 15-4-1 at home and 7-4-1 on the road. Prior to two weeks ago in Colorado Springs (February 16th and 17th), UND had not lost in regulation since November 3rd.

How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?

After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system is identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks returned 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Perron (24 with the Chicago Steel of the USHL), North Dakota has already surpassed the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 32 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 110 goals and are on pace for 124 goals in the regular season alone. It is also encouraging that eleven North Dakota forwards already have multiple goals this season, led by Blake (18), Berg (18), Gaber (16), McLaughlin (10), Perron (10), and Johannes (9 in 23 games). Those first five forwards have combined for 35 goals over the past seven weekends of game action.

Hunter Johannes has been out of the lineup for the past nine games (lower-body injury); he is expected to be in the lineup this weekend against the Broncos.

Prior to UND’s series three weekends ago against Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season. And then, Logan Britt happened.

The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

Two weekends ago at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists. And last weekend, North Dakota’s d-corps chipped in with seven assists in a weekend sweep of Duluth.

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 73 points (12 goals and 61 assists) in 183 games played (0.40 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (two goals and seventeen assists in his last twenty games).

By comparison, the six Broncos defensemen expected in the lineup this weekend have scored twelve goals and added 46 assists for 58 points in 157 games played for an average of 0.37 points/game).

Senior blueliner Jacob Bauer (0-4-4 in 21 games played) will be out of the lineup this weekend with an injury. Fellow senior Daniel Hilsendanger (0-4-4 in 25 games played) – who hasn’t played in a month – will be inserted into the lineup in his place.

In the Division I era (since 1975), the Broncos have had fifteen twenty-win seasons, with nine of those coming between 1984 and 1996 under head coach Bill Wilkinson. WMU has made the national tournament five times since 1996.

Turning our attention to this weekend’s matchup, a half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Pat Ferschweiler’s squad has NINE lineup regulars who meet that threshold, including three players averaging over a point per game: senior forward Luke Grainger (12-30-42), junior forward Dylan Wendt (21-16-37), and graduate forward Sam Colangelo (19-17-36). Other solid offensive contributors include freshman forward Alex Bump (11-16-27), graduate forward Ethan Phillips (9-14-23), senior forward Matteo Costantini (7-17-24), senior forward Chad Hillebrand (5-18-23), graduate defenseman Zak Galambos (7-10-17), and graduate defenseman Carter Berger (3-13-16, no relation).

Matteo Costantini spent his first two seasons at North Dakota (10-14-24 in 60 games played) before transferring to Western Michigan. After amassing 21 points in a brilliant freshman campaign, the fifth-round draft pick of the Buffalo Sabres only managed three points in a disappointing sophomore season. Costantini was not in the UND lineup for the final six games of 2022-2023.

By that same measure, North Dakota has seven players at a half point or better, including three – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (18-29-47), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (10-21-31), and Cameron Berg (18-15-33) – averaging a point per game or better. Other offensive contributors include senior forward Riese Gaber (16-14-30), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (9-6-15 in 23 games), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (3-19-22).

Jackson Blake is making a strong push for college hockey’s Hobey Baker Memorial Award. Blake picked up seven points last weekend against Minnesota Duluth and has collected 25 points (seven goals and eighteen assists) since the calendar year turned to 2024 (fourteen games).

As mentioned above, these two teams are very similar on the offensive side. UND scores 3.81 goals per game (7th in the country), while Western Michigan scores 3.70 (8th).

If there is one difference, however, it is the fact that North Dakota has scored its 122 goals on only 986 shots on goal (a shooting percentage of 12.4%, 3rd in the country), while the Broncos have scored 111 goals on 1099 shots on goal (10.1%, 26th).

Clearly, WMU is getting pucks to the net (36.6 shots on goal per game; 2nd in the country) more than North Dakota (30.8; 20th) but isn’t burying as many of its chances.

On the defensive side, UND has only allowed 823 shots on goal this season in 32 games (25.7/game, 9th), while Western Michigan has allowed 777 in 30 games (25.9, 10th).

The Broncos are also superior in two key puck possession statistics:

North Dakota: 16th in Corsi (53.3%) and 9th in Fenwick (54.7%)
Western Michigan: 2nd in Corsi (60.6%) and Fenwick (60.4%)

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 16th-best team on draws (52.2%), while the Broncos clock in as the 10th-best face-off team in the country (53.6%).

For UND, junior Cameron Berg has been making a living on draws, winning 320 of 554 (57.8%). Senior Louis Jamernik V (192 of 336, 57.1%) has more than held his own, while sophomore Owen McLaughlin (169 of 364, 46.4%) has struggled of late.

For Western Michigan, senior Tim Washe (347 of 542, 64.0%) has had the most success, using his large frame (6-foot-3, 210 pounds) to dominate smaller centers. Senior Luke Grainger has taken the most draws (293 of 592, 49.5%), with classmate Matteo Costantini (169 of 375, 49.1%) chipping in as well.

To this point in the season, North Dakota has had the better of the specialty teams play. UND has been a combined plus-15, with 30 power play goals scored (30 of 115, 26.1%, 7th in the country) and seventeen power play goals allowed (71 of 88, 80.7%, 28th), with three shorthanded goals scored and one allowed.

WMU has posted a plus-7, with 24 power play goals scored (24 of 106, 22.6%, 19th), seventeen power play goals allowed (87 of 104, 83.7%, 15th), no shorthanded goals scored, and none allowed.

UND has a better specialty teams scoring margin due to the fact that North Dakota has earned 27 more power plays than penalty kill situations (115-88), while the Broncos have only had two “extra” power plays this season (106-104).

North Dakota is 7th in the country in scoring offense (3.81 goals scored/game) and a solid 16th in the country in scoring defense (2.59 goals allowed/game).

Western Michigan is 8th in the country in scoring offense (3.70 goals scored/game) and even better on the defensive side, allowing just 2.33 goals per game (7th).

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but three games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 19-8-2 with a goals-against average of 2.50, a save percentage of .903, and four shutouts.

Persson was ill two months ago, and freshman Hobie Hedquist stepped in for him, winning both games while posting a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .870).

Persson returned to practice on a Wednesday and got the start on Friday, but he struggled, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Hedquist stepped in on Saturday, making 22 of 23 saves and earning his third victory of the season. Persson started both games in St. Cloud last month and he shined, stopping 66 of 72 shots which came his way for a combined save percentage of .917. Persson wasn’t tested much in UND’s home sweep of Denver; he allowed two goals each night while making 17 saves on Friday night and 22 saves in the rematch. In a road sweep at Miami, Persson stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923).

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Persson’s save percentage from this year to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 94 goals, a difference of sixteen goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

Senior netminder Cameron Rowe has played every minute between the pipes for the Broncos, posting a record of 18-11-1 with a goals-against average of 2.26, a save percentage of .912, and two shutouts. Rowe played his first two seasons at Wisconsin before transferring to WMU in the fall of 2022.

North Dakota currently finds itself in 3rd place in the all-important Pairwise rankings, with victories over Boston University (PWR 2), Wisconsin (PWR 4), Denver (PWR 6), Minnesota (PWR 8), and St. Cloud State (PWR 11) certainly helping the cause. With four games remaining in the regular season, UND is a virtual lock for the national tournament and will likely be a #1-seed at one of the four regional sites. North Dakota fans hoping for UND tournament games in Sioux Falls, South Dakota should be actively rooting against Omaha; if the Mavericks somehow make the tournament, they would automatically be placed in Sioux Falls, and, as the likely #4-seed at that regional, that placement would bounce UND to a different regional site (the committee avoids first-round matchups between teams from the same conference).

Western Michigan Broncos

Head Coach: Pat Ferschweiler (3rd season at WMU, 67-38-3, .634)

National Rankings: #12/#11
Pairwise Ranking: 12th
KRACH Ranking: 272.4 (14th)

This Season: 18-11-1 overall, 8-6-1-5 NCHC (5th)
Last Season: 23-15-1 overall (NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinalist), 13-8-2-1 NCHC (2nd)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.70 goals scored/game – 8th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.33 goals allowed/game – 7th of 64 teams

Power Play: 22.6% (24 of 106) – 19th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 83.7% (87 of 104) – 15th of 64 teams

Key Players: Senior F Luke Grainger (12-30-42), Junior F Dylan Wendt (21-16-37), Graduate F Sam Colangelo (19-17-36). Freshman F Alex Bump (11-16-27), Graduate F Ethan Phillips (9-14-23), Senior F Matteo Costantini (7-17-24), Senior F Chad Hillebrand (5-18-23), Graduate D Zak Galambos (7-10-17), Graduate D Carter Berger (3-13-16), Senior G Cameron Rowe (18-11-1, 2.26 GAA, .912 SV%, 2 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 202-100-33, .652)

National Rankings: #3/#3
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 541.3 (3rd)

This Season: 22-8-2 overall, 12-2-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.81 goals scored/game – 7th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.59 goals allowed/game – 16th of 64 teams

Power Play: 26.1% (30 of 115) – 7th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 80.7% (71 of 88) – 28th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (18-29-47), Senior F Riese Gaber (16-14-30), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (10-21-31), Junior F Cameron Berg (18-15-33), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (6-9-15), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-21-24), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (3-19-22), Senior G Ludvig Persson (19-8-2, 2.50 GAA, .903 SV%, 4 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: January 14, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). In a wild back-and-forth game that saw thirteen goals and six lead changes, the visitors prevailed 7-6 by outscoring UND 5-1 over the last 25 minutes of the hockey game. Four of North Dakota’s six goals were scored with the man advantage. One night earlier, WMU blanked the homestanding Hawks 4-0 as UND’s Tyler Kleven was issued a five-minute major for contact to the head and a game misconduct.

Most Important Meeting: March 24, 2012 (St. Paul, MN). North Dakota upended Western Michigan 3-1 in the NCAA West Regional semifinal. Brock Nelson had two points, including an empty net goal with 25 seconds remaining that sent UND to the regional finals against Minnesota. Aaron Dell made 24 saves for the Green and White. The Broncos, who have played at the Division I level since 1975-76, have seven NCAA tournament appearances.

A Trip Down Memory Lane: Saturday, March 22, 2014 (Minneapolis, MN). North Dakota faced a must-win situation in the 3rd place game at the inaugural NCHC Frozen Faceoff, and did not disappoint the partisan crowd. The Green and White rolled to a 5-0 victory behind two first-period goals from Conner Gaarder. UND netminder Zane Gothberg made 25 saves for the shutout, and Dave Hakstol’s crew played the waiting game for several more hours before discovering that they had indeed made the NCAA tournament for the twelfth consecutive season.

All-Time Series: In the short history between the schools, UND has won 28 of the 41 games (28-12-1, .695), including twelve of the eighteen games played in Grand Forks. Before the 2016-17 season in which Western Michigan won three of the four meetings, WMU’s lone victory over North Dakota was a 2-1 road win on March 8th, 2014. The teams first met in 1997.

Last Ten: North Dakota has only won four of the last ten meetings between the two teams (4-5-1, .450), and the Broncos hold a 29-27 edge on the scoreboard in those games. Before the Broncos’ home sweep of North Dakota in January 2022, UND had swept the previous six with a scoring margin of 28-10.

Game News and Notes

Western Michigan moved up to the Division I ranks beginning with the 1975-76 season and has advanced to the NCAA tournament seven times. The Broncos have made the NCAA tourney twice (2017, 2022) in their first nine seasons in the NCHC after advancing to the national tournament twice (2011, 2012) in the last three seasons in the now-defunct CCHA. UND has outscored opponents 43-23 in the first period of play this season. WMU has outscored opponents 47-21 in third periods but has been outscored 5-1 in overtime sessions. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 424 shots this season (13.3 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (78), Garrett Pyke (46), and Abram Wiebe (43).

The Prediction

It’s always tough to make a prediction when two teams meet each other for the first time in March. Western Michigan has dropped seven of its last eleven games after starting the season 14-4-1, and that in and of itself can be taken one of two ways. Are the Broncos hitting a wall in NCHC action, or will they be scratching and clawing for home ice? I expect two exciting games, with Saturday’s finale a bit tighter checking than the opener. I’ve got the visitors in the opener, with the Fighting Hawks rebounding for a series split. WMU 6-4, UND 4-3.

Broadcast Information

Game times are set for 7:06 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday. Friday’s opener will be available exclusively on CBS Sports Network, with Saturday’s game broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the UND Sports Home of Economy Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on X-Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

#4 North Dakota (20-8-2 overall, 10-2-1-5 NCHC) hosts unranked Minnesota Duluth (10-15-4 overall, 4-8-3-3 NCHC) in a rematch of a November 2023 series played at Amsoil Arena. UND swept the homestanding Bulldogs that weekend (4-2, 2-0) to open league play.

UND finds near the top of the national rankings (USCHO #4, USA Hockey #5) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (3rd) thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…

North Dakota blanked #6 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.

UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #8 Minnesota, at #2 Boston University) with wins the following night.

Coming into last weekend at Colorado College, the Fighting Hawks had also taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in its first sixteen league games (10-0-1-5). That streak came to an end in the Springs, as UND dropped two games to the Tigers, bringing their season mark against CC to 0-2-0-2 (two regulation losses; two 3-on-3 overtime losses).

UND has earned the majority of points against every team in the conference not named Colorado College:

vs. Denver: 7-5 win, 2-3 OT loss, 5-2 win, 4-2 win (10 of 12 league points)
vs. Miami: 6-4 win, 5-1 win, 5-4 OT win, 4-1 win (11 of 12 league points)
vs. Minnesota Duluth: 4-2 win, 2-0 win (6 of 6 league points)
vs. Omaha: 4-5 OT loss, 3-1 win (4 of 6 league points)
vs. St. Cloud State: 5-3 win, 3-3 tie/shootout loss (4 of 6 league points)

The Fighting Hawks have not yet played Western Michigan; those two teams will tangle at the Ralph next weekend (March 1st and 2nd), the second-to-last weekend of the regular season.

UND leads St. Cloud State by one conference point, Colorado College by four points, and Denver by six points with six games remaining for each team. Every regulation victory counts as three points.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has faced the nation’s eighth-toughest schedule to this point of the season, while the Bulldogs’ schedule weighs in as the 18th-most difficult. Despite its tough slate of games, the Green and White have the sixth-best winning percentage in the country (.711).

During the November series at UMD, UND wore helmet stickers honoring former Duluth forward Adam Johnson, who died on October 28, 2023 when a skate blade cut his neck during a pro hockey game. The stickers featured the initials ‘AJ’ along with the number 47, which he was wearing for the Nottingham Panthers. Former UND forward Westin Michaud was Johnson’s teammate with the Panthers.

Last season, the teams only met two times, a January series in Grand Forks that ended in a split. North Dakota took the opener 4-2 before falling 2-1 in the rematch. In Saturday’s finale, senior Luke Loheit broke a 1-1 tie with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. The goal came just 33 seconds after freshman Ben Steeves departed from the penalty box; Steeves assisted on the game-winning goal. Fast forward one year, and Steeves leads his team in goals (7) and points (11).

Two seasons ago, the two rivals split a November series at Ralph Engelstad Arena, with the Bulldogs winning by a 4-1 margin on Friday night. UND came from behind in Saturday’s rematch, knotting the score at 1-1 with five seconds remaining in the second period before scoring the game-winner five minutes into the third. When the two teams tangled in Duluth in February 2022, the visitors managed a pair of one-goal victories (4-3, 3-2).

And turning back the clock to March 27th, 2021, 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.

Through the first 25 games of the season, UND had only won one game after allowing the first goal (1-5-1). But after coming back against both Denver and St. Cloud State to claim the program’s first NCHC Frozen Faceoff postseason title, Brad Berry’s squad had to feel like another comeback was possible.

And it was indeed possible. Collin Adams and Jordan Kawaguchi scored extra-attacker goals 44 seconds apart to send the partisan crowd into a frenzy and send the game to overtime. And overtime. And overtime. And overtime.

UMD’s Luke Mylymok scored the game-winner just over two minutes into the FIFTH overtime session; his second goal of the season ended the longest NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey tournament game in history.

One could argue that after over 140 minutes of game action, Duluth had a built-in advantage: the Bulldogs (14-10-2) were scheduled to face Michigan in the regional semifinal, but after the Wolverines withdrew due to a positive COVID-19 test in their hockey program, UMD advanced in a “no contest” and therefore had fresher legs than top overall seed North Dakota (22-5-1).

Adams and Kawaguchi were two of six North Dakota players to finish the season with double digit goal totals. Of those six, only Riese Gaber remains at North Dakota.

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 475-240-82 (.647) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve 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 2022) over that eight-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.

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

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

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

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

After that three-year splash on the national scene, Mike Sertich would manage just one more tournament appearance (1993) over the final fifteen years of his head coaching career before giving way to Scott Sandelin, who has guided the Bulldogs to the NCAAs eleven times in his 23 completed seasons behind the Bulldog bench.

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

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

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

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

And turning our attention to this season…

#4-ranked North Dakota has gone 20-8-2 against Army (one game), #6 Wisconsin (one game), #8 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #2 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth, Miami (four games), Bemidji State, #3 Denver (four games), #10 Colorado College (four games), Alaska, #19 Omaha, and #15 St. Cloud State, with a record of 13-4-1 at home and 7-4-1 on the road. Prior to last weekend, UND had not lost in regulation since November 3rd.

How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?

After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system is identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks returned 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Perron (24 with the Chicago Steel of the USHL), North Dakota will easily surpass the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 30 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 100 goals and are on pace for 120 goals in the regular season alone. It is also encouraging that eleven North Dakota forwards already have multiple goals this season, led by Blake (17), Berg (16), Gaber (15), McLaughlin (9), Johannes (9), and Perron (8). Those six forwards have combined for 30 goals over the past six weekends of game action.

Hunter Johannes has been out of the lineup for the past seven games (lower-body injury); it is possible that Johannes will be in the lineup this weekend against Duluth.

After a down season (16-20-1) a year ago, Scott Sandelin dipped his toe into the transfer portal, bringing in forward Connor McMenamin from Penn State (24-42-66 in 129 games over four seasons with the Nittany Lions) and defenseman Luke Bast from North Dakota (3-6-9 in 39 games over two seasons with the Fighting Hawks). Sandelin’s freshman class numbers just four players: forwards Anthony Menghini (7-2-9 in 29 games this season), Matthew Perkins (5-8-13 in 27), and Braden Fischer (1-2-3 in 14) along with defenseman Aaron Pionk (2-13-15 in 29).

Pionk, whose older brother Neal played for UMD from 2015-2017, is a fifth-round pick of the Minnesota Wild. Perkins is a fourth-round pick of the Vancouver Canucks.

Braden Fischer did not play a game in October or November but has been a lineup regular since the departure of sophomore forward Cole Spicer, who was declared academically ineligible on December 26th.

Prior to UND’s series two weekends ago against Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season.

And then, Logan Britt happened. The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

Last weekend at CC, freshman defenseman Abram Wiebe notched his first career collegiate goal, while fellow blueliners Garrett Pyke and Jake Livanavage added assists.

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 66 points (12 goals and 54 assists) in 171 games played (0.39 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (two goals and fourteen assists in his last eighteen games).

Graduate student blueliner Keaton Pehrson (0-5-5 in 25 games this season) is questionable to play this weekend with an upper-body injury. Pehrson,played four seasons at this Michigan (1-27-28 in 127 games as a Wolverine) before transferring to UND.

By comparison, the six Bulldog defensemen expected in the lineup this weekend have scored ten goals and added 57 assists in 172 games played for an identical 0.39 points/game).

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Scott Sandelin’s squad has eight players who meet that threshold: sophomore forward Ben Steeves (22-8-30), senior forward Blake Biondi (8-10-18), graduate forward Quinn Olson (4-14-18), graduate forward Connor McMenamin (4-13-17), graduate forward Luke Loheit (7-8-15), sophomore forward Kyle Bettens (4-10-14), junior defenseman Owen Gallatin (5-20-25), and freshman defenseman Aaron Pionk (2-13-15).

Connor McMenamin is probable to appear in the lineup this weekend (undisclosed injury).

By that same measure, North Dakota has eight players at a half point or better, including three – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (17-23-40), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (9-20-29), and Cameron Berg (16-14-30) – averaging a point per game or better. Other offensive contributors include senior forward Riese Gaber (15-13-28), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (9-6-15 in 23 games), senior forward Louis Jamernik V (6-9-15), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-20-23), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (3-16-19).

The Minnesota Duluth roster features a face familiar to North Dakota fans. Defenseman Luke Bast (2-6-8 in 29 games played) is a senior for the Bulldogs after playing his first two seasons at UND (3-6-9 in 39 games played).

Offensively, UND far outpaces Minnesota Duluth. To this point of the season, North Dakota has scored 112 goals (3.73 goals per game, 8th in the country), while the Bulldogs have managed just 86 (2.97, 31st).

The Fighting Hawks are 5th in the nation in shooting percentage at 12.0%. Minnesota Duluth clocks in at 9.7%, good for 39th in the country.

Not only does North Dakota score on a high percentage of its shots on goal, but it also gets the puck to the net. To this point in the season, the Green and White have 936 shots on goal. Minnesota Duluth? 885.

This averages out to 31.2 shots on goal per game for UND (17th) and 30.5 shots on goal per game for UMD (26th).

On the defensive side, UND has only allowed 778 shots on goal this season in 30 games (25.9/game, 10th), while Minnesota Duluth has allowed 929 in 29 games (32.0, 50th).

The Fighting Hawks are also vastly superior in two key puck possession statistics:

North Dakota: 16th in Corsi (53.4%) and 8th in Fenwick (54.9%)
Minnesota Duluth: 43rd in Corsi (48.4%); 48th in Fenwick (47.7%)

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 20th-best team on draws (51.9%), while the Bulldogs clock in as the second-worst face-off team in the country (43.4%, 63rd).

For UND, junior Cameron Berg has been making a living on draws, winning 303 of 524 (57.8%). Senior Louis Jamernik V (187 of 326, 57.4%) has more than held his own, while sophomore Owen McLaughlin (161 of 348, 46.3%) has struggled of late.

For Minnesota Duluth, sophomore Jack Smith (168 of 406, 41.4%) and freshman Matthew Perkins (133 of 313, 42.2%) have taken the most draws, while junior Carter Loney (126 of 293, 43.0%) has been the most successful.

Scott Sandelin certainly misses the presence of Grand Forks native Cole Spicer, who went 153 of 322 (47.5%) in the first half of the season before being declared academically ineligible. Spicer now plays for the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL.

The expected top center for Duluth -junior Dominic James – suffered a shoulder injury on October 13th vs. Northern Michigan and is not expected to return this season. James had a line of 16-30-46 in his first two seasons (74 games) at UMD.

To this point in the season, North Dakota has had slightly the better of the specialty teams play, even though the Bulldogs boast better numbers. UND has been a combined plus-12, with 27 power play goals scored (27 of 106, 25.5%, 9th in the country) and seventeen power play goals allowed (68 of 85, 80.0%, 35th), with three shorthanded goals scored and one allowed.

UMD has posted a plus-8, with 26 power play goals scored (26 of 92, 28.3%, 4th), nineteen power play goals allowed (101 of 120, 84.2%, 13th), two shorthanded goals scored, and one allowed.

As mentioned above, UND has a better specialty teams scoring margin despite posting inferior success rates to Duluth. This is due to the fact that North Dakota has earned 21 more power plays than penalty kill situations (106-85), while the Bulldogs have been shorthanded 28 more times than they have had the man advantage (92-120).

North Dakota is 8th in the country in scoring offense (3.73 goals scored/game) and a solid 19th in the country in scoring defense (2.70 goals allowed/game).

Minnesota Duluth is 31st in the country in scoring offense (2.97 goals scored/game) and even worse on the defensive side, allowing 3.21 goals per game (46th).

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but three games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 17-8-2 with a goals-against average of 2.61, a save percentage of .899, and three shutouts.

Persson was ill two months ago, and freshman Hobie Hedquist stepped in for him, winning both games while posting a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .870).

Persson returned to practice on a Wednesday and got the start on Friday, but he struggled, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Hedquist stepped in on Saturday, making 22 of 23 saves and earning his third victory of the season. Persson started both games in St. Cloud last month and he shined, stopping 66 of 72 shots which came his way for a combined save percentage of .917. Persson wasn’t tested much in UND’s home sweep of Denver; he allowed two goals each night while making 17 saves on Friday night and 22 saves in the rematch. In a road sweep at Miami, Persson stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923).

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Persson’s save percentage from this year to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 97 goals, a difference of 13 goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

Duluth’s defensive woes this season echo North Dakota’s from a year ago, although UMD’s goaltending has improved as the year has gone on. Senior Zach Stejskal (19 games, 2.83 GAA, .904 SV%) and graduate student Matthew Thiessen (12 games, 3.28 GAA, .906 SV%) have both performed well at times, although the team defense and puck possession struggles have doomed the Bulldogs for long stretches.

North Dakota currently finds itself in 3rd place in the all-important Pairwise rankings, with victories over Boston University (PWR 2), Denver (PWR 5), Wisconsin (PWR 6), Denver (PWR 7), Minnesota (PWR 9), and St. Cloud State (PWR 13) certainly helping the cause. With six games remaining in the regular season, UND is virtually a lock for the national tournament.

At 26th in the Pairwise, Minnesota Duluth has some work to do to return to the NCAAs after a one-year absence.

And one final note: Bulldog junior defenseman Will Francis took the fall semester off to undergo cancer treatments, and he has yet to return to the lineup. All of us at SiouxSports.com wish Will all the best in his journey to recovery. No one fights alone.

Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (23rd season at UMD, 454-383-99, .538)

National Ranking: NR/NR
Pairwise Ranking: 26th
KRACH Rating: 117.4 (24th)

This Season: 10-15-4 overall, 4-8-3-3 NCHC (7th of 8 teams)
Last Season: 16-20-1 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 9-10-1-4 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 2.97 goals scored/game – 31st of 64 teams
Team Defense: 3.21 goals allowed/game – 46th of 64 teams

Power Play: 28.3% (26 of 92) – 4th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 84.2% (101 of 120) – 13th of 64 teams

Key players: Sophomore F Ben Steeves (22-8-30), Graduate F Quinn Olson (4-14-18), Senior F Blake Biondi (8-10-18),Graduate F Connor McMenamin (4-13-17), Junior D Owen Gallatin (5-20-25), Freshman D Aaron Pionk (2-13-15), Senior G Zach Stejskal (8-8-3, 2.83 GAA, .904 SV%, 1 SO)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 200-100-33, .650)

National Rankings: #4/#5
Pairwise Ranking: 3rd
KRACH Rating: 502.3 (4th)

This Season: 20-8-2 overall, 10-2-1-5 NCHC (1st of 8 teams)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.73 goals scored/game – 8th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.70 goals allowed/game – 19th of 64 teams

Power Play: 25.5% (27 of 106) – 9th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 80.0% (68 of 85) – 35th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (17-23-40), Senior F Riese Gaber (15-13-28), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (9-20-29), Junior F Cameron Berg (16-14-30), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (6-9-15), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-20-23), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (3-16-19), Senior G Ludvig Persson (17-8-2, 2.61 GAA, .899 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: November 11, 2023 (Duluth, MN). North Dakota weathered an early first-period storm and went to the locker room leading 1-0 on Louis Jamernik V’s power play goal. A dominant middle frame saw UND outshoot the Bulldogs 18-5 and extend the lead to 2-0. That would be more than enough, as Ludvig Persson stopped all 30 shots he faced. One night earlier, the Fighting Hawks built a 3-0 lead in the opening twenty minutes but saw a UMD comeback bring the home team within one. North Dakota’s Cameron Berg iced the game with a power play tally with under forty seconds remaining.

Last Meeting in Grand Forks: January 21, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). One night after a 4-2 home victory, North Dakota saw a 1-1 tie turn into a regulation defeat. In Saturday’s finale, UMD senior Luke Loheit broke the 1-1 tie with just over two minutes left on the clock. The goal came just 33 seconds after freshman Ben Steeves departed from the penalty box.

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 2021 (Fargo, ND). Minnesota Duluth outlasted North Dakota 3-2 in five overtimes to advance to the NCAA Frozen Four. UND scored two extra-attacker goals in the final two minutes of regulation to send the game long into the night. 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, 155-89-11 (.629), including a sparkling 84-39-3 (.679) advantage in games played in Grand Forks. The teams first met in 1954, with North Dakota winning the first ten games between the schools by a combined score of 72-16. UMD’s first win over the Fighting Sioux (a 3-2 road victory on December 18th, 1959) did not sit well with the defending national champions. UND defeated Duluth 13-2 the following night.

Last Ten: North Dakota is 7-3-0 (.700) in the last ten games between the teams, outscoring the Bulldogs 25-20 over that stretch. Only four of the past ten UND-UMD games were played at Ralph Engelstad Arena (one was played in the Omaha pod, one in Fargo, and four in Duluth).

Game News and Notes

UND has outscored opponents 39-23 in the first period of play this season. Over thirty percent of Duluth’s goals this season (26 of 86) have come with the man advantage. As a team, North Dakota has blocked 391 shots this season (13.0 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (68), Garrett Pyke (46), and Abram Wiebe (41). 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.

The Prediction

The Fighting Hawks should have the puck the majority of the time, and that may lead to an extra power play or two. If UND can find success with the man advantage AND stay out of the penalty box, a sweep is the most likely result. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hobie Hedquist get one start in net for North Dakota this weekend. UND 4-2, 5-2.

Broadcast Information

Game times are set for 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 6:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday. Both games will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network and also available via webcast at NCHC.tv. All UND men’s hockey games can be heard on stations across the UND Sports Home of Economy Radio Network as well as through the iHeart Radio app.

As always, thank you for reading. I welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. Follow me on X-Twitter (@DBergerHockey) for more information and insight. Here’s to hockey!

#2 North Dakota (20-6-2, 10-0-1-5 NCHC) travels to face #15 Colorado College (16-9-1, 5-4-5-2 NCHC) this weekend in a rematch of a pivotal league series played back in early December at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

CC earned two overtime victories in Grand Forks that weekend (3-2, 3-2) and has followed that up by going 7-3-0 against Minnesota (road), Minnesota Duluth (road), Miami (home), Western Michigan (road), and St. Cloud State (home). Eight of the Tigers’ last fourteen games have gone to overtime, and the Tigers hold a 5-2-1 record in those extra sessions

Coming into this weekend, UND is on top of the league standings despite playing two fewer games than its closest competition:

North Dakota: 10-0-1-5 (37 league points) in 16 games
St. Cloud State: 9-3-3-3 (36 league points) in 18 games
Western Michigan: 8-5-0-5 (29 league points) in 18 games

Colorado College has earned 27 league points (5-4-5-2) in 16 games played.

UND finds near the top of the national rankings (#2 in both polls) and in the all-important Pairwise rankings (2nd) thanks in large part to its impressive non-conference victories…

North Dakota blanked #4 Wisconsin 2-0 at Ralph Engelstad Arena back on October 14th.

UND was also able to avenge its only two non-conference losses of the season (vs. #8 Minnesota, at #3 Boston University) with wins the following night.

The Fighting Hawks have also taken care of business in NCHC action, earning points in every league game this season. UND has earned the majority of points against every team in the conference not named Colorado College:

vs. Denver: 7-5 win, 2-3 OT loss, 5-2 win, 4-2 win (10 of 12 league points)
vs. Miami: 6-4 win, 5-1 win, 5-4 OT win, 4-1 win (11 of 12 league points)
vs. Minnesota Duluth: 4-2 win, 2-0 win (6 of 6 league points)
vs. Omaha: 4-5 OT loss, 3-1 win (4 of 6 league points)
vs. St. Cloud State: 5-3 win, 3-3 tie/shootout loss (4 of 6 league points)

The Fighting Hawks have not yet played Western Michigan; those two teams will tangle at the Ralph on March 1st and 2nd, the second-to-last weekend of the regular season.

According to KRACH, North Dakota has faced the nation’s sixth-toughest schedule to this point of the season, while the Tigers’ schedule weighs in as the 14th-most difficult. Despite its tough slate of games, the Green and White have the second-best winning percentage in the country (.762), trailing only Boston College (.772).

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

Back in December, unranked Colorado College shocked the college hockey world by not only taking then-#1 North Dakota to overtime in back-to-back games but also finishing the job each night during the five-minute 3-on-3 session.

On Friday night, UND outshot the Tigers 34-23 but were undone by sloppy specialty teams play. The Fighting Hawks went 0-for-1 on the power play and gave up a late second-period power play goal that tied the game at two goals apiece. North Dakota led 2-0 midway through the middle frame but could not extend or hold that lead.

Saturday night was a more even affair, with the teams trading chances and putting an identical 24 shots on goal apiece. CC shined in the faceoff circle, however, winning 42 of 64 draws (65.6%).

Last season, the teams only played two games, and, in a strange February series in the Springs, North Dakota earned a 2-1 overtime victory on Friday before the two teams skated to a 0-0 tie in the rematch, just the third scoreless game in UND hockey history.

North Dakota went 6-0 against CC two seasons ago, outscoring the Tigers 20-7. The two first-round playoff games in Grand Forks were tight affairs, with UND advancing to St. Paul by virtue of a pair of 2-1 victories. In that series, all six goals were scored in the second period.

When the teams squared off at brand-new Robson Arena for a December 2021 series in Colorado Springs, the Fighting Hawks secured the road sweep with 5-2 and 4-1 victories. Those games dropped the Tigers to 3-10-3 on the season.

UND held the advantage in all phases, outshooting the Tigers 62-54 and winning 72 of 119 faceoffs (60.5%). North Dakota scored three power play goals on nine attempts and held Colorado College to just a single power play goal in ten man-advantage opportunities.

After that weekend, the Tigers went 4-4-0 against Arizona State, Miami, Denver, and Omaha to close out January, much more respectable results for first-year head coach Kris Mayotte. Mayotte replaced Mike Haviland, who went just 74-177-28 (.315) in his seven seasons behind the Tiger bench, with no regular season or postseason titles and zero NCAA tournament appearances. Haviland had something brewing from 2017-2019, with his teams going 32-37-9 (.468). Things fell off over his last two seasons, however (15-37-5, .307), and it was time for a change.

February and March of 2022 were not kind to Mayotte’s squad, however, as the Tigers won just twice in their last twelve games. Both of those victories came in overtime against Miami (4-3, 3-2). In the other eight, CC was outscored 30-11.

Two of those losses came on February 11th and 12th at UND. Colorado College put up a good showing in Friday night’s 3-2 defeat, nearly overcoming a 3-0 first-period deficit and outshooting North Dakota 26-21 for the game. The Fighting Hawks turned the tables in Saturday’s 4-0 triumph, sweeping the regular season series between the two teams by a combined score of 16-5.

Prior to the last series in Grand Forks, North Dakota had only trailed for a total of eleven minutes and fifty seconds over the previous eight games.

Colorado College also traveled to Grand Forks to face UND in the first round of the playoffs in 2014, 2015, and 2016. As I’ve written about before, it is difficult to end a team’s season, and tight Saturday night elimination games are to be expected, even after relatively comfortable Friday night victories. In fact, UND’s 2016 sweep (7-1, 5-1) is one of only two playoff series in recent memory that did not feature at least one close contest.

Here are the results from the past four first-round playoff series between North Dakota and Colorado College:

2014: UND 4-2, CC 3-2 (OT), UND 4-3
2015: UND 5-1, UND 3-2
2016: UND 7-1, UND 5-1
2022: UND 2-1, UND 2-1

CC was also scheduled to face the Fighting Hawks in 2020 before the college hockey season was canceled due to COVID-19. And two seasons ago, the Tigers dressed just eleven forwards, five defensemen, and one goalie for their opening-round game against St. Cloud State at Ralph Engelstad Arena. Despite losing a blueliner to a major penalty in the second period, Colorado College took SCSU to the wire, surrendering the game-winning goal with less than four minutes remaining in the contest.

Ten 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 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 the CCHA reformed beginning with the 2021-2022 campaign.

The NCHC has been the premier hockey conference since its inception, and particularly over the past nine seasons. The eight teams in the league have gone 475-240-82 (.647) in non-conference action since the start of the 2014-15 season and sent twelve 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 2022) over that eight-year stretch (there was no national tournament in 2020). Conference members North Dakota (2016), Denver (2017, 2022), and Minnesota Duluth (2018, 2019) have won five of the last seven national titles.

And turning our attention to this season…

#2-ranked North Dakota has gone 20-6-2 against Army (one game), #4 Wisconsin (one game), #8 Minnesota, Minnesota State, #3 Boston University, Minnesota Duluth, Miami (four games), Bemidji State, #5 Denver (four games), #15 Colorado College, Alaska, #18 Omaha, and #16 St. Cloud State, with a record of 13-4-1 at home and 7-2-1 on the road. UND has not lost in regulation since November 3rd and has not lost a conference game in regulation all season.

How has North Dakota made such a dramatic turnaround in just one season?

After missing the national tournament last year, head coach Brad Berry and his staff brought in fourteen fresh faces, tied for the second-most in team history. More strikingly, all eight defensemen are new to the UND men’s hockey program, including four freshmen.

Coincidentally, the breakdown of first-year players and transfers into the North Dakota system is identical:

Freshmen:

Four defensemen (Nate Benoit, Tanner Komzak, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe)

Two forwards (Michael Emerson, Jayden Perron)

One goaltender (Hobie Hedquist)

Transfers:

Four defensemen (Logan Britt, Keaton Pehrson, Garrett Pyke, Bennett Zmolek)

Two forwards (Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes)

One goaltender (Ludvig Perrson)

Update: freshman forward Michael Emerson left the UND program at semester break; Emerson appeared in six games during the first half of the season.

These thirteen newcomers join eleven returning forwards and second-year netminder Kaleb Johnson to form UND’s 25-player roster. The Fighting Hawks return 70 goals up front, led by senior Riese Gaber (20 goals last season) and sophomore Jackson Blake (16). With the addition of Berg (10 goals last season at Omaha), Johannes (13 at Lindenwood), and Perron (24 with the Chicago Steel of the USHL), North Dakota should easily surpass the 102 goals scored all of last season by its forward group.

Over the first 28 games of the 2023-2024 season, UND forwards have scored 98 goals and are on pace for 126 goals in the regular season alone. It is also encouraging that eleven North Dakota forwards already have multiple goals this season, led by Blake (17), Berg (15), Gaber (14), McLaughlin (9), Johannes (9), and Perron (8). Those six forwards have combined for 28 goals over the past five weekends of game action.

Hunter Johannes has been out of the lineup for the past five games (lower-body injury) and will also miss this weekend’s action; it is possible that Johannes will be in the lineup next weekend against Duluth.

Prior to UND’s last series against Miami, Fighting Hawks defensemen had only scored seven goals all season.

And then, Logan Britt happened. The grad transfer from Sacred Heart scored three goals on the weekend and was named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week. Freshman Jake Livanavage added his third goal of the season to bring the d-corps total to eleven. Livanavage was recently named the NCHC Defenseman of the Week (January 29th), the NCHC Rookie of the Month (January), and a candidate for the Tim Taylor Award (National Rookie of the Year).

The six regular blueliners for North Dakota (Pyke, Livanavage, Britt, Wiebe, Zmolek, and Pehrson) have now collected a total of 63 points (11 goals and 52 assists) in 159 games played (0.40 points/game). As mentioned above, the offensive output from the blue line has been increasing lately, with Livanavage in particular chipping in more regularly (two goals and thirteen assists in his last sixteen games).

By comparison, the six Tiger defensemen expected in the lineup this weekend have scored eleven goals and added 40 assists in 151 games played (0.34 points/game).

A half-point per game or better is my benchmark for solid offensive production, and Kris Mayotte’s squad has just four players who meet that threshold: sophomore forward Noah Laba (15-9-24), sophomore forward Gleb Veremyev (9-9-18), senior forward Logan Will (6-11-17), and sophomore forward Ryan Beck (3-12-15).

By that same measure, North Dakota has eight players at a half point or better, including three – sophomore forward Jackson Blake (17-22-39), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin (9-20-29), and Cameron Berg (15-14-29) – averaging a point per game or better. Other offensive contributors include senior forward Riese Gaber (14-12-26), graduate forward Hunter Johannes (9-6-15 in 23 games), senior forward Louis Jamernik V (6-9-15), senior defenseman Garrett Pyke (3-19-22), and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage (3-15-18).

On the injury front, North Dakota graduate forward Hunter Johannes will miss this weekend’s series.

The Colorado College and North Dakota team rosters feature a family connection. Drew Montgomery (3-3-6 in 25 games) is a freshman forward for the Tigers, and he has played a number of different roles for CC this season. His brother Dane Montgomery is a junior forward for UND, and he has slowly worked his way into the lineup, appearing in nine of the past fourteen games while scoring a goal and adding an assist.

Offensively, UND far outpaces Colorado College. To this point of the season, North Dakota has scored 109 goals (3.89 goals per game, 7th in the country), while CC has managed just 78 (3.00, 28th).

The Fighting Hawks are 4th in the nation in shooting percentage at 12.6%. Colorado College clocks in at 10.1%, good for 31st in the country.

Even though both teams are scoring on a high percentage of their shots on goal, why is UND so much better offensively? Because North Dakota puts the puck on net. To this point in the season, the Green and White have 867 shots on goal. Colorado College? 776.

This averages out to nearly 31 shots on goal per game for UND (17th) and 29.8 shots on goal per game for CC (30th).

On the defensive side, UND has only allowed 715 shots on goal this season in 28 games (25.5/game, 9th), while Colorado College has allowed 770 in 26 games (29.6, 31st).

These two teams are both in the top half of all teams in the nation in two key puck possession statistics:

North Dakota: 15th in Corsi (53.5%) and 9th in Fenwick (54.9%)
Colorado College: 23rd in Corsi (51.4%); 26th in Fenwick (51.0%)

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 16th-best team on draws (52.4%), while the Tigers clock in at #1 (55.2%).

For UND, junior Cameron Berg has been making a living on draws, winning 281 of 483 (58.2%). Senior Louis Jamernik V (177 of 307, 57.7%) has more than held his own, while sophomore Owen McLaughlin (153 of 321, 47.7%) has struggled of late.

For the Tigers, senior Logan Will has been the best option (279 of 470, 59.4%). Kris Mayotte has also called on sophomore Noah Laba (244 of 422, 57.4%) and junior Stanley Cooley (214 of 413, 51.8%).

To this point in the season, North Dakota has had far the better of the specialty teams play. UND has been a combined plus-14, with 25 power play goals scored (25 of 97, 25.8%, 7th in the country) and thirteen power play goals allowed (63 of 76, 82.9%, 20th), with three shorthanded goals scored and one allowed.

The Tigers have posted a minus-9, with just twelve power play goals scored (12 of 104, 11.5%, 62nd), nineteen power play goals allowed (76 of 95, 80.0%, 38th), two shorthanded goals scored, and four allowed.

It is also worth noting that UND has earned 21 more power plays than penalty kill situations (97-76), while CC has had the advantage nine more times (104-95).

North Dakota is 7th in the country in scoring offense (3.89 goals scored/game) and an equally impressive 8th in the country in scoring defense (2.43 goals allowed/game).

Colorado College is 28th in the country in scoring offense (3.00 goals scored/game) but much better on the defensive side, allowing only 2.62 goals per game (15th).

A huge key to UND’s defensive turnaround this season has been the play of senior netminder Ludvig Persson. The transfer from Miami has played all but three games between the pipes for the Fighting Hawks, posting a record of 17-6-2 with a goals-against average of 2.38, a save percentage of .907, and three shutouts.

Persson was ill two months ago, and freshman Hobie Hedquist stepped in for him, winning both games while posting a goals-against average of 3.01 and a save percentage of .870).

Persson returned to practice on a Wednesday and got the start on Friday, but he struggled, allowing five goals on 24 shots. Hedquist stepped in on Saturday, making 22 of 23 saves and earning his third victory of the season. Persson started both games in St. Cloud last month and he shined, stopping 66 of 72 shots which came his way for a combined save percentage of .917. Persson wasn’t tested much in UND’s home sweep of Denver; he allowed two goals each night while making 17 saves on Friday night and 22 saves in the rematch. In a road sweep at Miami, Persson stopped 60 of 65 shots (.923).

Last year, UND’s team save percentage was .886, the fifth-worst mark among 62 teams. To put the difference in perspective, North Dakota allowed 110 goals on 962 shots last season. If we apply Persson’s save percentage from this year to that shot total, the Fighting Hawks would have allowed a total of only 89 goals, a difference of 21 goals over the 39-game season.

And what difference does one goal make? UND found itself in a Pairwise predicament last season due to three tough losses:

Arizona State 3, North Dakota 2 (October 29th, 2022)

Miami 4, North Dakota 3 (November 19th, 2022)

Minnesota Duluth 2, North Dakota 1 (January 21st, 2023)

All three of those games were tied in the third period.

If Persson has solidified things on the back end for UND, Kaiden Mbereko has certainly done that for the Tigers. The sophomore netminder from West Bloomfield, Michigan has played 26 games for CC this season, posting a record of 16-9-1 with a goals-against average of 2.51 and a save percentage of .914. Mbereko is the lone Mike Richter Award finalist (the nation’s best men’s Division I goaltender) in the NCHC.

North Dakota currently finds itself in second place in the all-important Pairwise rankings, with victories over Boston University (PWR 3), Wisconsin (PWR 4), Denver (PWR 7), and Minnesota (PWR 8) certainly helping the cause. With eight games remaining in the regular season, UND is already a lock for the national tournament.

At 17th in the Pairwise, Colorado College has some work to do to earn the program’s first NCAA tournament berth since 2011.

In the NCHC, Colorado College has finished 7th, 8th, 8th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 8th, 7th, 7th, and 7th for the worst average finish (7.3) among all eight league teams. North Dakota leads the conference with an average finish of 2.6 (2nd, 1st, 1st, 4th, 4th, 5th, 1st, 1st, 2nd, and 5th).

Colorado College Tigers

Head Coach: Kris Mayotte (3rd season at CC, 38-55-6, .414)

National Rankings: #15/#16
Pairwise Ranking: 17th
KRACH Rating: 254.2 (#16)

This Season: 16-9-1 overall, 5-4-5-2 NCHC (3rd)
Last Season: 13-22-3 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 6-13-2-3 NCHC (7th)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.00 goals scored/game – 28th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.62 goals allowed/game – 15th of 64 teams

Power Play: 11.5% (12 of 104) – 62nd of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 80.0% (76 of 95) – 38th of 64 teams

Key players: Sophomore F Gleb Veremyev (9-9-18), Sophomore F Noah Laba (15-9-24), Senior F Logan Will (6-11-17), Sophomore F Ryan Beck (3-12-15), Junior F Stanley Cooley (4-8-12), Senior D Jack Millar (3-7-10), Freshman D Max Burkholder (4-7-11), Senior D Nicklas Andrews (3-9-12), Sophomore G Kaidan Mbereko (16-9-1, 2.51 GAA, .914 SV%)

North Dakota Team Profile

Head Coach: Brad Berry (9th season at UND, 200-98-33, .654)

National Rankings: #2/#2
Pairwise Ranking: 2nd
KRACH Rating: 669.0 (2nd)

This Season: 20-6-2 overall, 10-0-1-5 NCHC (1st)
Last Season: 18-15-5 overall (missed NCAA tournament), 7-10-5-2 NCHC (t-5th of 8 teams)

2023-2024 Season Statistics:

Team Offense: 3.89 goals scored/game – 7th of 64 teams
Team Defense: 2.43 goals allowed/game – 8th of 64 teams

Power Play: 25.8% (25 of 97) – 7th of 64 teams
Penalty Kill: 82.9% (63 of 76) – 20th of 64 teams

Key Players: Sophomore F Jackson Blake (17-22-39), Senior F Riese Gaber (14-12-26), Sophomore F Owen McLaughlin (9-20-29), Junior F Cameron Berg (15-14-29), Senior F Louis Jamernik V (6-9-15), Senior D Garrett Pyke (3-19-22), Freshman D Jake Livanavage (3-15-18), Senior G Ludvig Persson (17-6-2, 2.38 GAA, .907 SV%, 3 SO)

By The Numbers

Last Meeting: December 9, 2023 (Grand Forks, ND). For the second night in a row, the teams skated to a 2-2 regulation tie. And for the second night in a row, it was the Tigers scoring in the 3-on-3 session for the extra league point. On Friday night, UND outshot the Tigers 34-23 but were undone by sloppy specialty teams play. The Fighting Hawks went 0-for-1 on the power play and gave up a late second-period power play goal that tied the game at two goals apiece. North Dakota led 2-0 midway through the middle frame but could not extend or hold that lead. Saturday night was a more even affair, with the teams trading chances and putting an identical 24 shots on goal apiece. CC shined in the faceoff circle, however, winning 42 of 64 draws (65.6%).

Last Meeting in Colorado Springs: February 25, 2023. The two league rivals skated to a 0-0 tie, just the third scoreless game in UND hockey history. One night earlier, North Dakota freshman Jackson Blake netted both goals – including the overtime winner 29 seconds into the extra session – in a 2-1 Fighting Hawks victory. UND outshot CC 34-18 in Friday’s opener; Riese Gaber had two assists.

Most Important Meeting: March 27, 1997. UND defeated Colorado College, 6-2, in the Frozen Four Semifinals in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two nights later, North Dakota downed Boston University, 6-4, to claim its sixth NCAA Championship. North Dakota and Colorado College also met in the 2001 East Regional (Worcester, Mass.), with UND prevailing, 4-1.

All-time Series: UND leads the all-time series, 173-86-12 (.661), although the teams have played to an absolute draw in games played in the Springs (59-59-5). The teams first met in 1948; North Dakota’s 173 wins over the Tigers are the most against any single opponent in program history.

Last Ten: North Dakota has seven victories and a scoreless tie in the last ten meetings between the teams, outscoring CC 26-14 over that span. In those ten tilts, the Tigers have been shut out twice, scored a single goal four times, and managed two goals twice. Colorado College is 2-0-1 in the last three games, scoring three goals in each of the last two.

Game News and Notes

North Dakota head coach Brad Berry is 24-6-2 (.781) in his head coaching career against Colorado College. CC has won two national titles (1950, 1957). Since 1957, the Tigers have appeared in the NCAA tournament thirteen times (most recently in 2011) and advanced to three Frozen Fours (1996, 1997, 2005). Head coaches Scott Owens (1999-2014) and Don Lucia (1993-1999) combined to lead CC to six regular-season titles, twelve NCAA tournament appearances, three Frozen Fours, and one national championship game appearance (1996). As a team, North Dakota has blocked 367 shots this season (13.1 blocks/game), led by Bennett Zmolek (61), Garrett Pyke (42), and Abram Wiebe (40). Only seven UND players expected to be in the lineup this weekend have scored goals in their careers against Colorado College. North Dakota netminder Ludvig Perrson has never beaten the Tigers (0-4-2 with Miami and 0-2-0 with UND). Colorado College is 7-3-1 when leading or tied after one period of play but 0-3-0 when trailing. The Tigers have scored a total of three goals in their last four games combined (0-3-1). UND’s 173 wins over CC are the most over a single opponent in the history of the program.

The Prediction

Everything points to two close, low-scoring games, although I have a feeling that UND could break one open with some power play success. CC netminder Kaidan Mbereko has given up more than two goals just once in his last seven starts, but North Dakota has scored three or more goals in all ten games in 2024, averaging 4.5 goals per game in the new year. I’ve got the Fighting Hawks in the opener, with an overtime tilt on Saturday night. UND 4-2, CC 2-1 (OT).

Broadcast Information

Game times are set for 8:07 p.m. Central Time on Friday and 7:07 p.m. Central Time on Saturday.

Friday’s opener will be broadcast live on Midco Sports Network. Both games will be 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.

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!