Michigan Ends North Dakota Season, 4-3. What Now?

 

Good morning from cloudy Grand Forks, ND. Another UND hockey season has come to an end, and the team has fallen short of the goal of winning an NCAA title. On Friday night, UND was on the wrong end of a 4-3 loss to the Michigan Wolverines. Another year, another first-round exit in the NCAA playoffs. 

What now? 

I am not a negative person; I am puzzled by some of the fans' burn-it-to-the-ground mentality. After missing the NCAA playoffs the year before, UND rebounded during the 2023-24 season, winning the Penrose Trophy and finishing the season with a 26-12-2 record. That tied for the most wins since the 2019-20 season. I know, I know. At UND, we only care about National Championships. 

I am checking in with X this morning; none of that matters. UND is about winning a natty. Winning the conference is nice, but that's not the standard. 

By the numbers 2-7 in the first round of the Frozen Faceoff. That's bound to change with the NCHC tourney going completely to campus during the 2025-26 season. UND has had one NCAA win since 2016, and the win was against AIC. Bruce Ciskie said it best, hockey is about getting the right bounce and having a little luck. Recently, luck has yet to be on UND's side. 

Yes, crazy ass "Fire Berry" bandwagoners, I'm talking to you.

This tournament is luck. Draws, matchups, travel, ice conditions, health, puck luck, officiating, you name it.

The job is to get there, then hope to hell the hockey gods smile on you enough to keep going. https://t.co/j6WLpCRdOs

— Bruce Ciskie (@BruceCiskie) March 30, 2024

UND entered this game with questions. One of their best defensemen, Garrett Pyke, was injured, and there are questions about UND's mental toughness. Last weekend, I told a friend that I thought UND's mental game was a bit soft this season. I saw it against CC and Omaha. They could have handled the adversity better. This season was also a bridge year to the future. But there's hope on the horizon. UND's defense corps will be bolstered next season by adding promising talents of incoming freshmen E.J. Emery and Andrew Strathmann. Add forwards Mac Swanson and Sacha Boisvert, and the future looks bright. 

Yes. There are some questions heading into the offseason. March was an up-and-down month for the green and white; they went 4-4-0 and finished the season losing in the St. Louis Regional.  

During the second half of the season, UND was 12-7-1. Six losses were to Omaha (4) and CC (2). Of course, Michigan was the final loss. 

"It's tough to think about that right now," a somber head coach Brad Berry said in the post-game press conference. Knowing our season has ended, it's spending time with the guys here. But once we get back, we'll have conversations to see what goes on. I know the majority of our guys will be coming back, and we'll carry on with another year."

It's more fun covering a team when they're winning. For me, I look for the silver lining. I've been covering the UND hockey team since the 2011-12 season—for the mathematically challenged like me, that's 12 years. I've seen many players come and go, and I've seen many seasons end in the NCHC playoffs, Frozen Faceoff, or the NCAA tourney. This season's team was a lot of fun to cover. UND replaced eight defensemen and a starting goalie. They added two new forwards and some exciting freshmen. This an excellent group of young men.

Finally, good luck to outgoing seniors/grad students: Carson Albrecht, Logan Britt, Riese Gaber, Hunter Johannes, Keaton Pehrson,  Ludvig Persson, Garrett Pyke, and Griffin Ness; you all left a mark on the program and wore the UND uniform proudly and smartly. 

UND Crushes Miami, 7-1. Advances to the Frozen Faceoff

There's an old hockey cliche: It's very hard to end a team's season. On Saturday night, the UND hockey team looked like a determined team. They were determined not to play game three. It was pretty straightforward: Lose to the lowly RedHawks, and they'd be back on the ice on Sunday night. Mission accomplished: When the final horn sounded, the Hawks left no doubt as they crushed the Miami RedHawks 7-1 and sent them home looking for answers. 

Seven different players scored goals for UND - at the 13:17 mark of the first period, Riese Gaber scored his 18th goal of the season to give UND a 1-0 lead. Gaber is two short of 20 goals, and if he can reach 20 goals, it will be the first time since the 2005-06 season that three UND players have had 20 or more goals: Drew Stafford, 24; Jonathan Towes, 22; and T.J. Oshie, 24.

The Hawks scored another in the second and five in the third period to blow the game open. It was an impressive win against a bad hockey team. 

In one of the nice stories of the year, graduate forward Hunter Johannes scored the first UND goal of the season at Ralph and the last goal of the season at Ralph. This was a player that wanted to play at UND but didn't get the opportunity. After playing three seasons at AIC, he transferred to Lindenwood College. Due to COVID-19, he benefited from having a fifth year and transferred to UND—his dream school. He's made the most of his opportunity. 

The three stars of the game were 1st star Jackson Blake (1g-2a-3pts), 2nd Star Jackson Kunz (1g-2a-3pts), and third star of the game Hobie Hedquist 28 saves. It was the second multipoint game of Kunz's career and the first three-point game of his career. Kunz has (5g-6a-11pts) in his last 13 games. When asked about having his first three-point game of his career, Kunz was pretty low-key.

"I don't like talking about myself too much," Kunz said. "You're playing with good players, making one pass, and you don't know what they will do with it. I'm lucky to be able to be out there with the guys we have."

It didn't matter what the RedHawks game plan was; the Fighting Hawks had an answer for everything they tried. When a shot got through, the defense either blocked it, or freshman goalie Hobie Hedquist saved it. 

"We had the puck on our stick," Miami head coach Chris Bergeron said. "(We) don't do what we're asking them to do; we turn the puck over to the wrong guy, and it's one zero." 

This past weekend, UND's starting goalie was out with an undisclosed issue (injury or illness). During Saturday's post-game press conference, Brad Schlossman asked UND head coach Brad Berry for an update on his starting goalie. It was Mum's the word. 

"We're not going to divulge very much information because it's the playoffs," Berry said. "As the week progresses, we'll share more information, but right now, it's undisclosed." 

No matter what the issue was, UND didn't need Persson. The rookie phenom stopped 51 of 53 shots (.962). During the first period of Saturday's game, Hedquist was tested early and made quite a few difficult stops. 

Hedquist's play caught the eye of the Miami coach.

"For a guy who hasn't played much, he hasn't lost yet; he's 5-0 over 90 save percentage," Bergeron said. "They don't have bad players here. Whether he's played a bunch or not that much, he's proven he's a good player."

During the post-game press conference, I asked Coach Berry if he was tempted to ride a hot goalie and start him on Friday at the Frozen Faceoff. 

"Yeah, everything's on the table, Berry said. "You've known us long enough that we will put a lineup together that gives us a chance to win. We have two very good goaltenders. Hobie proved himself now, and Ludvig proved himself in the past. We will go through the week here. We'll keep moving forward. It's nice to know guys get to come in and contribute."

Omaha Outworks North Dakota, 3-2

It was a weird night in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. All the home teams won, and not a single road team broke through. On Friday, the University of North Dakota hockey team appeared to suffer from the Penrose Cup hangover. UND came out a step slow and chased the game for 50 minutes. The Hawks didn't play badly; Omaha just played better. They made a push in the third period, but it wasn't enough. 

"We didn't start on time." head coach Brad Berry said. "That was a desperate team. They were sharper than we were in the first two periods. We played with some desperation in the third, but in this league, you got to play three periods." 

"We knew they were going to be a hungry team, UND captain Riese Gaber said. "They came out hungry. That was a difference. We had a good third period, but we got outworked in the first half of the game. That ended up being the deciding factor." 

"They were the hungrier team," Louis Jamernik V said. "It's such a mental game. We did a good job preparing all week and doing the right things. It just comes down to who wants it more. They won the puck battles and puck races, especially in that first half. We didn't give up. I thought our third period was pretty good. We were 14 and 4 for shots. It shows when we're playing desperate hockey, we can dominate."

"I thought our game, all three periods, was very good' Omaha head coach Mike Gabinet said, "Guys played extremely well." 

It wasn't all negatives for UND. Sophomore forward Jackson Blake set the NCHC's conference scoring record with an assist in the first period, his 36th conference point of the season. He broke the record held by former UND forward Brock Boeser (2015-16) and DU forward Bobby Brink (2021-22). 

Junior forward Cameron Berg scored his 20th goal of the season, becoming the second player since Shane Gersich, 21 goals in 2016-17 to reach 20. Looking at the player stats for the UND hockey team, the Hawks could have three players with 20 or more goals.

Even with the loss, UND remains at No. 3 in the Pairwise Rankings. 

Special teams play: UND went 1-for-4 on the power play. UND's penalty kill remained hot; the Hawks have now killed 14 straight penalties since Feb. 16, 2024. 

  

The Penrose Cup Returns to Grand Forks; UND sweeps WMU with a 3-0 Win

When I walked into Ralph Engelstad Arena on hockey media day back in September, I could feel the energy and a buzz in the building. I picked up a vibe as I interviewed some new players. I had a feeling. As I started watching this team play, they started racking up wins. I told Virg Foss that this team had a chance to do good things. I even compared them to the 2016 team. As the final horn sounded on Saturday's game, UND won 3-0. The Hawks clinched the series against the Broncos and the Penrose Cup outright. 

Even more impressive is that this is UND's fourth Penrose Cup in the last five seasons and UND's sixth in the previous 11 seasons. This is one goal on the list of things that UND wants to do. UND is looking to check more boxes. 

"We have a winning culture," Hunter Johannes said. "We're going to get back to work; we want to bring this town, these fans, and our families what we deserve. We're going to come in and work every day for it."

Defensively, it was a solid team effort. UND goalie Ludvig Persson was solid in net, stopping 35 of 35 shots. When Persson wasn't making saves, the players in front of him blocked 26 shots. For the weekend, UND blocked 52 shots. Persson was named the game's number-one star. The Hindås, Sweden native, appears to have found another gear. 

Before coming to UND, Persson had been on Miami teams that were cellar dwellers at the bottom of the NCHC standings. During Persson's prior three seasons, the RedHawks had never won more than eight games. If you add up all three season's wins, the RedHawks won 20 games; this season, UND is 24-8-2. Saturday, Persson recorded his fifth shutout of the season. In three previous seasons, he had a combined total of five shutouts. Persson is (21-8-2, 2.44 GAA and a .908 save percentage). 

On February 16-17, 2024, the Colorado College Tigers swept UND by a combined score of 13-3. Since that weekend, UND has rebounded, going 4-0, outscoring the opposition 18-5, and recording two shutouts. UND goalie Ludvig Persson played a big part in that. This past weekend, Persson stopped 69-of-72 shots for the weekend. That's a .958 save percentage.

What went through Persson's mind as he was handed the Penrose Cup? 

"Lots of thoughts going through your mind," Persson said. "It's been a journey to get there. A lot of emotions. It's a long journey to get here. I'm going to take it all in. Just enjoy the moment. I am just happy."

Jackson Blake is on a five-game point streak and scored (2g-9a-11pts) during that streak. Last night, he scored his 19th goal and 50th point of the season. He's now tied with Brock Boeser and Bobby Brink for the NCHC record for most conference points in a season. Blake is the first UND player since Brock Boeser to score 50 or more points. 

Currently, Blake is tied for third place in the national scoring race behind Boston College's Will Smith (17g-37a-54pts), Cutter Gauthier (31g-20a-51pts), Gabe Perreault (15g-35a-50pts), Blake (19g-31a-50pts), Boston University Macklin Celebrini (26g-22a-48pts), and Denver University's Jack Devine (24g-25-49pts).  (Link to National Scoring Stats) 

 

Goon's Takeaways: UND Sweeps Miami with 4-1 Win

Things don't always come easily for the University of North Dakota hockey team. Entering the weekend, this looked like a series in which UND would dominate from the drop of the first puck to the final whistle. It was Miami; they had won a single NCHC conference game and were 1-12-1 in conference play. Some in NoDak Nation wondered if this could be a trap series. 

When the final horn sounded, UND had completed the sweep of the RedHawks with a 4-1 win. While it wasn't a dominating series win, UND took 11 of 12 points in the season series. More importantly, it was the second series in a row where UND had closed out an opponent, winning the season series. 

It was a series in which UND graduate defenseman Logan Britt had a great weekend on the score sheet. On Saturday, he scored two goals to lead UND. Britt scored three goals on the weekend to push his goal total to five, a career-high. It was also the first time in his career that Britt had scored a pair of goals.  

Saturday was a bounce-back game for senior goalie Ludvig Persson. After letting in four goals the night before, Ludvig Persson was stellar between the pipes, stopping 33 of 34 shots (.970).

  

Earlier this week, I listened to the UND hockey podcast, and Brad, Eli, and Feldy talked about statistics. This season's UND hockey is a stats geek's dream. There are so many positive stories to run on. Below are some storylines from this weekend's series against the Miami RedHawks. 

Saturday's game against the RedHawks was a parade to the penalty box for UND. They played an undisciplined game and took an excessive amount of penalties; UND entered the game, averaging 6 minutes a game in penalties minutes. Saturday, UND was assessed eight minor penalties for 16 penalty minutes. After Saturday's game, UND is still ranked 4th least penalized team in the nation. I am sure UND will want to clean that up before the playoffs. 

Forward Jackson Blake extended his point streak to 10 straight games (6g-11a-17pts). Moreover, Blake has scored 13 points in his last six games (5g-8a-13pts). He also has 10 multi-point games. In 28 games, he's scored (17g-22a-39pts). 

Cameron Berg is having a career year. Saturday, he pushed his career-long point streak to seven, where he's scored (6g-4a-10pts). Berg has eight goals in the last 10 games. In 28 games, he's scored (15g-14a-29pts).

UND head coach Brad Berry recorded his 200 win behind the UND bench. Berry's team also improved to 20-6-1 and 11-4-1 NCHC.

"The guys gave me a puck today in the locker room," Berry said. It was pretty emotional. I've been here for a while and told them this isn't just me. It was the players in the locker room- the players that came before them - an amazing coaching and support staff. We have a great staff here. It's a team award, but I told them I'll hand this puck in right now and trade it for championships and banners."

With Saturday's win, UND tied the program record for the longest regulation unbeaten streak, reaching 21 games. UND has not lost a game in regulation since November 3, 2023 (against BU, 3-2 loss). In 2024, UND improved to 8-1-1 (.850).

Since moving to the NCHC, UND has owned the RedHawks. After Saturday's win, UND is 29-8-1 (.776) all-time against the RedHawks and 12-4-2 in Oxford, OH. 

Goon's Takeaways: UND Races Past DU, 5-2

Walking into Ralph Engelstad Arena Friday night, you could feel the energy; there was a buzz. During the warmups, it got louder. The DU vs. UND series is one of the matchups the fans and players circle on their calendars. When the final horn sounded, UND fans would leave Ralph happy. Here are my takeaways from Friday's convincing 5-2 win. 

On Friday night, it was about the details. UND played a solid defensive game and held the Pioneers to two shots on goal during the first period. In the second period, UND was outshot 10-9 but outscored the Pioneers 3-1. 

After dominating Denver in the first period, halfway through the second, Dylan James and the little-used Griffin Ness gave UND a 2-0 lead. A minute and 37 seconds later, Pioneers Defenseman Zeev Buium got the Pioneers on the board. At the 17:10 mark of the second period, the Hawks got their first and only power play goal with a snipe from Jackson Blake. 

At the 14:42 mark of the third period, the Pioneers would cut UND's lead to one with a goal from junior forward Aidan Thompson. That was all the closer the Pioneers would get; UND would score two empty net goals (Cameron Berg and Ben Strinden) to give UND a 5-2 win. 

Details: How good was UND's defense? Denver is the top offensive team in the country, and they're averaging 5.1 goals per game. For comparison sake, UND is the fifth ranked team in goals scored. Entering Friday's game, the Pioneers had scored at least three goals per game. UND's defense held the Pioneer's high-flying offense to two goals and Massimo Rizzo and Jack Devine without a point. 

"We know they're a good rush team," head coach Brad Berry said. "They jump four or five guys at that time. Puck management is one thing, and making sure that you close on guys quicker. When we give that team a little room, they can make plays, and our guys did a good job from start to finish, taking time and space away." 

Friday, against the Pioneers, UND played its best defensive game of the year. 

"I thought it was a really good 60 minutes, probably one of our better ones of the year," UND graduate defenseman Keaton Pehrson said.

   

With the 5-2 win, UND sits alone in first place in the NCHC standings with 29 points. With their 7-6 loss to the Omaha Mavericks, St. Cloud State is in second place, 2 points behind. Denver is third with 23 points. If UND could win the series finale, they would be nine points ahead of the Pioneers.

What else can we say about sophomore forward Jackson Blake? This week, UND announced he was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate. He's the team's leading scorer (16g-16a-32pts) and a plus-three. Last night, he added a goal and an assist for his eighth multi-point game of the season, which leads UND. Blake extended his point streak to seven games and has scored in three straight. Finally, Blake has been very successful against the Pioneers. He has scored 11 points (3g-8a-11pts) in seven career games.

Junior forward Cameron Berg has been on a roll. He's scored (13g-12a-25pts) and is tied for second in points with Owen McLaughlin. With his two points (1g-1a-2pts), he now has seven multi-point games. Like his teammate Blake, Berg has had some success against the Pioneers; after last night's two-point game, he now has 10 points (5g-5a-10pts) in nine career games. Finally, West Fargo Native Berg has six goals and two assists in his last seven games. 

With the 5-2 win, UND improves to 158-135-16 (.547) all-time against Denver. UND holds a 93-46-10 advantage on home ice. In recent years, this series has been pretty even; UND is 8-7 in the last 15 games against the Pioneers. After losing four straight games last season, UND has won two of the previous three meetings between the two foes.

The UND hockey team has gone 18 straight games without losing in regulation. Their last regulation loss was on Nov 3, 2023, when UND lost to BU 3-2. 

Goon's Takeaways: UND Beats SCSU, 5-3

Last season, the University of North Dakota hockey team didn't do very well against the St. Cloud State Huskies. In five games against UND, the Huskies dominated the Hawks 3-1-1 and ended their season. UND looked to right the ship on Friday against SCSU. Revenge was on the UND player's minds. 

This week in practice, the UND players kept that in the back of their minds as they traveled to St. Cloud to take on the Huskies. 

"I didn't have to talk about it during the week," head coach Brad Berry said. "I mentioned it once, and it kept coming back in conversations as a group. That's always a tough pill to swallow; when your season gets ended by the team you're playing, there's a little revenge there. The biggest thing for us, we got to stay hungry. We won a game tonight. There can't be any complacency. We got to make sure we're hungry, and we come out hard, just like we did this evening." 

"The first period gave us momentum throughout the game," Blake said. "There will be ups and downs, but we stayed with it and played well tonight."

The players know the importance of this series. It's the only regular season series between the two teams, and the importance of getting a good start and winning in regulation wasn't lost on the UND players. UND would race to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Jackson Blake and Garrett Pyke.

SCSU and UND would exchange goals in the second period. In the back of their minds, UND fans had to wonder if the Hawks could hang on to the lead. In the third period, UND and SCSU scored two more goals, and when the final horn sounded, UND ended the night on top, winning the game 5-3. 

With the win, UND vaulted into first place in the NCHC standings. 

 "You want to be up there -- you don't want to be chasing," Jake Livanavage said. "Now we're in first place. We've earned it. We had a good first half. We just got to keep it rolling."

Embed below are the highlights from last night's game. It was one of the better games of the 2023-24 season. 

Here are some things that stuck out for me during Friday's game. 

UND goalie Ludvig Persson finished with a season-high 34 saves to improve to 13-6-1. After not being 100 percent a week prior, in game one against the Huskies, Persson was on top of his game, making 14 saves on 15 shots in the second period. In 20 games this season, Ludvig has a 2.38 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He also has three shutouts.

"Ludvig (Persson) was outstanding tonight," Berry said. "When he was called upon, he made some huge saves for us." 

Sophomore forward Jackson Blake had another multi-point game, his seventh of the season. That was also his sixth three-point game of the season. Blake has hit the 30-goal threshold for his career with his two-goal game. 

With his two-point game (two assists), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin extended his point streak to five straight games. McLaughlin has scored four goals and six assists for 10 points in those five games. In 22 games, he's scored (8g-17a--25pts), and he's also plus-six. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg continued his torrid pace. He has points in 12 of his last 15 games, including 10 goals. Last night, Berg scored his 11th goal of the season, a career-high. In 23 games, Berg has scored (11g-11a--22pts), and he's also a plus-10.

Goon's Takeaways: DU Beats UND 3-2 in OT to Get the Series Split

When the weekend started, many in NoDak would have agreed that a series split with Denver (7-5 W, 3-2 OT L) would've been an acceptable result. The Hawks hadn't swept in Denver for 20 years, and taking 4-of-6 points would be a great result, considering that point. 

Not so fast. The loss ended an eight-game winning streak by UND. In the post-game press conference, the UND players weren't satisfied with taking 4-of-6 points. 

 "They weren't too happy about last night, so we knew they were going to bring it and there were going to be some emotions out there tonight," UND defenseman Keaton Pehrson told the media following Saturday's game. "We expected that."

If you didn't see Saturday's game, no problem; the highlights are embedded in the YouTube video below.

 

Here are some of the things that stuck out for me this weekend. After watching both games,  I think it was a good hockey weekend for UND. Obviously, a much better for UND would have been a sweep, but that is a very tall task. You could see the guys were a little tired at the end of the second and third periods. 

The players UND acquired through the NCAA Transfer Portal have paid big dividends through the first half of the season. It's not an understatement to say that junior forward Cameron Berg had a big weekend for UND against the Pioneers. Berg scored three goals on the weekend and five goals in his last four games. That translates to seven points during those four games (4g-3a--7pts). He also has five multi-point games. In 16 games, Berg has scored (7g-9a--16-pts), he's also a plus-seven. Four of Berg's 7 goals have come on the power play. Berg is second in the NCHC in faceoff wins 169-101 (.626). 

Another NCAA Transfer Portal acquisition, Hunter Johannes, has scored (7g-5a--12pts) in 16 games. He is a plus-10. Until Saturday night, he hadn't scored a goal on the road. He finally broke through at the 3:08 mark of the third period.  

Sophomore forward Jackson Blake is on fire. He is on a seven-game scoring streak (5g-7a--12pts). In 16 games, Blake has scored (11g-11a--22pts), which leads UND. He is a plus-six. Blake is tied for fourth in the NCHC in points with 22.  

UND closes out the 2023 part of the schedule this weekend against Colorado College. They play the next six games at home (seven if you count the exhibition game against the U18 team). UND has 20 regular season games, 12 at home and eight on the road. UND is 8-1-1 at home and 4-2 on the road. 

They Said what?

With Nick back at the helm at Let's Go DU. Much better. 

The Grand Forks Herald: UND Drops Series Finale in Overtime

UND head coach Brad Berry; 'Sweep or Workout'

The UND hockey team is a storied program, and a very high standard has been set. Fans expect conference and national championships. The UND coaching staff has set a very high standard for their players. Weekend home series are expected to end in sweeps, when they don’t sweep there’s a consequence.

“We have a thing here where we do post-game workouts, coach Berry said. “If we don’t sweep, you get swept, you only win one game – you have to do a workout. If you sweep you don’t have to do a workout. it. At the end of the day, I said to the guys, the standard is the standard, we’re going to get in the weight room, and we’re going to work out.”

While a win and a tie against a top opponent is a good weekend; however, it’s not the standard at UND. Following this weekend’s win and a tie, the Hawks were back in the weight room doing a workout.

“They’re in there right now,” Berry said. We didn’t lose this weekend. We won and we tied. We always talk about the standard is the standard and the standard is sweep. You don’t have to work out. I think there was disappointment. I asked the guys I opened it up to them. The guys said they’re teed off. They’re disappointed. That’s good. I think that’s great. It was a lost opportunity that we didn’t, didn’t get the closeout for a sweep this weekend. That tells you that the guys are thinking about the standard or want to get to that standard. I think that’s good to have that kind of teed-off mentality and know that we didn’t get two wins instead of a win and a tie.

 

UND Graduate Forward Hunter Johannes is Turning Heads

This season, if you have watched the UND hockey team play, you will have noticed number 28, Graduate Forward Hunter Johannes. After five games, Johannes is UND's leading goal scorer. He scored UND's first goal of the season, a shorthanded goal. Two of his four goals are shorthanded goals, that also leads UND.  Are you noticing a theme here? Johannes is finding ways to get it done. 

Friday night, entering the second period, UND held a comfortable 4-0 lead over Minnesota State.  At the 9:55 mark of the second period, Johannes would score his fourth goal of the year, to give UND an even more comfortable 5-0 lead. 

This guy just loves scoring goals! #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/nQ8qqYwjj5

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) October 28, 2023

                  

In the post-game press conference, I asked UND head coach Brad Berry if he expected Johannes to be leading the team in goals after five games? 

"Probably didn't think it early on, Berry said. "When he came in here (last January) ... he played at Lindenwood.  He scored against all of the good teams. He scored against us, Denver, Minnesota. He scored against a lot of good teams. So, it's not surprising. The other thing that's not surprising is his work ethic and how he plays so fast.  He makes other teams turn pucks over and he is powerful. When you put all that together, recipe for having a good start."

Johannes works hard in practice and in the weight room. His efforts have shown up in the box scores as goals. That's a good way to stay in the lineup. 

"He's a worker in the weight room," Berry said. "I think he was a guy growing up that never got a lot of accolades or a lot of attention. He's out to prove to people that he can play and that he's doing a good job."

Is Nodak Nation Trending?

Last night, before the UND's game against the BSU Beavers, the Nodak Nation flag made an appearance in the student section. I have to admit that nickname is kind of catchy and could be trending. Tomorrow, I am still voting for Fighting Hawks.

That being said, could this be UND's new nickname? Apparently, the head coach of the UND hockey team Brad Berry seems to like the nickname, too.

Congrats Matt Hrynkiw-1st Collegiate Win. To Brock Boeser-1st Career Hat Trick. And our loud and passionate Student Sections. #NoDak Nation

— Brad Berry (@BradBerry29) October 18, 2015

Three UND Men's Preseason Story Lines

With the first exhibition only 16 days away for the North Dakota Men's Hockey Team, it is time to take a look at three major story lines going into the 2015-2016 season.

Brad Berry's First Season as Head Coach
As summer was just starting to go into full force, the UND hockey world was given a surprise that many, myself included, were never thinking that we were going to hear, well at least this soon. Head Coach Dave Hakstol would resign as head coach and take a head job in the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers, ending his successful tenure as one of the top coaches in program history.

Who would be his replacement? Assistant coach Brad Berry was almost immediately announced as the new bench boss for UND, He was won over by the locker room right away as the appropriate choice to take over as head coach and the same can be said by the incoming freshman class as well.

The Alberta native has had a lot of experience surrounding the game, whether it be playing, coaching, or even as a scout for the Dallas Stars and Vancouver Canucks. Berry, who is a University of North Dakota alum and played for UND as a defenseman from 1983-1986 where he would collect 74 points in 112 games played.

The coach would then have two stints as an assistant coach at UND, first under Dean Blais, and then under Coach Hakstol. However, His time with Coach Hakstol would be split in to two parts as he would take job opportunities in the AHL with the Manitoba Moose, and then in the NHL with the Columbus Blue Jackets as assistant coach.

Coach Berry has a lot to prove to carry on the tradition of winning and NCAA tournament appearances as the 16th head coach in UND history, however, taking what he learned at the NHL level and from Coach Hakstol, he should be able to find success in a timely manor as the UND bench boss.

Who Starts in Goal?
With the early departure of Zane McIntyre to the NHL at the end of last season, it is now time to figure out who is going to be the new call to the net for UND. Right now the logical choice seems to be Cam Johnson, however he still has limited experience as McIntyre saw most of the playing time last season

Incoming freshman Matej Tomek could give Johnson a run for his money. The 2015 third round draft pick (90th overall) to the Philadelphia Flyers was named NAHL goaltender of the year last year posting a 24-7-2 record with a 1.83 GAA and .928 save percentage. If Tomek is able to avoid those freshman jitters, he very well could be the guy to call to the blue paint this season.

Finally, there is junior Matt Hrynkiw. Taking off where former third string Tate Maris left off, Hrynkiw has yet to see any action in regular season play and has only seen 3:32 of total ice time in UND's 7-2 exhibition victory over the USA under 18 team last January. He does not seem to be a huge factor in who will be the starting goaltender.

For now, you have to start the veteran Cam Johnson on opening night, but maybe a few weeks into the season, try a goalie by committee to see who you will ride down the stretch and into the conference and NCAA tournaments.

Drake Caggiula
After his best season at the collegiate level, senior Drake Caggiula is looking to lead the offensive charge once again this season and dazzle the crowd with his highlight reel goals and big hits when fighting for puck possession.

Caggiula enters this season as an assistant captain for UND and the NCAA active player games leader at 123 games played. He has earned 76 points in his three seasons with UND and including a career high 36 last season.

The three time letter winner has much to improve on this season after his career best season last year, but his niche to find the net, and leadership qualities will have him possibly pushing the 45 point and 20 goal mark by seasons end in April.

Where's all the antipathy coming from in regards to UND head coach Dave Hakstol

Game five and six on the season and the Fire Hakstol thread is already made it's first appearance of the season on Sioux Sports. I will be covering this topic more this week. This is a post that I originally Posted at the Hockey Writers Combine, a site that I used to write for that's no longer active. P.S Hak isn't going any where. UND isn't going to fire him. 

Recently, ESPN posted an article that was written by Craig Custance on their Internet site (subscription required) about possible future coaching candidates for NHL and AHL jobs. UND head coach Dave Hakstol was listed as the top college coach candidates by Custance. I mean, it makes sense to me.  I have always been a big advocate of coach Hakstol’s work and I think he’s a very good college hockey coach.

Naturally, UND Hockey beat writer Brad Schlossman posted a quote from the article on his media blog.  Why not? The head coach of the team you cover just made a major publication and he’s getting major props. Kind of blows up the Hakstol hater’s story line as well.

Almost on cue, the haters came out to post their displeasure and thoughts about coach Hakstol.  It’s funny how brave people become when they can hide behind the anonymity of a computer screen and a fake name. None of these people, would have the guts to say these things to Dave’s face.

Top college coach candidate

Dave Hakstol, North Dakota — He runs the powerhouse North Dakota college hockey program, one that continues to pump out NHL players such as Jonathan Toews, T.J. Oshie, Travis Zajac, Drew Stafford and Matt Greene.

“This guy is really intelligent,” said one NHL source. “I think he’s got a pro mind.”

Hakstol signed a six-year contract in 2012 that would keep him behind the bench in North Dakota through 2017-18 and said his focus is on sustaining his success there.

“I have a high level of respect for the guys who are able to produce successful and sustainable results at the NHL level. At some point in my career if I was able to earn an opportunity to work with a good organization, it would be a consideration,” Hakstol wrote in an email on Monday when asked whether he has NHL interest. “All that being said, I don’t spend much time thinking about hypotheticals. I feel like our entire staff has been around the game long enough to have a real appreciation for what we have here and has a commitment to producing that long-term success and sustainability at UND.”

So if you look at Coach Hakstol’s impressive resume, he’s lacking “one thing” an NCAA title. My question is; does this impressive resume deserve this much scrutiny, angst and antipathy? I don’t know, I don’t believe it does.

Years at UND: 9
235-119-37 (.648)
NCAA Appearances: 9
NCAA Frozen Four Appearances: 5
NCAA Championship Appearances: 1
WCHA Final Five Appearances: 9
WCHA Final Five Championships: 4
WCHA Final Five Championship Appearances: 5
WCHA MacNaughton Cup Championships: 2

I guess I don’t understand where the flames of discontent are coming from? The coaching staff at the University of North Dakota is second to none. All three coaches played hockey at UND. All three coaches have played professionally in the NHL, AHL or IHL, so they have the experience necessary to play at the next level. Dane Jackson (AHL) and Brad Berry (NHL) have coach in the professional ranks. Not a lot of Division I hockey programs can make that claim.

Jordan Schmaltz committed to UND

Brad Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald has a great pre-draft piece on incoming freshman Jordan Schmaltz – again Schmaltz has re-iterated that he is committed to being a member of the Fighting Sioux hockey team and not going to the CHL.

Brad Elliott Schlossman, Grand Forks Herald ---[Jordan] Schmaltz interviewed with 24 of 30 NHL teams at the NHL Combine last month. He said almost all of the teams asked if he would be attending UND or if he would bolt to the Ontario Hockey League after the draft, like UND recruit J.T. Miller did a year ago.

“I just told them honestly that I am 100 percent to UND,” Schmaltz said. “They were fine with that. They’re happy I’m sticking with my commitment.”

Schmaltz said he’s looking forward to working with new UND assistant coach Brad Berry and arriving on the campus where his father and two uncles played college football.
“It’s an unbelievable atmosphere,” he said.

This past week I have gotten a few questions about Schmaltz’s status – from everything that I have read and heard is that he is going to be here – you read where he told Brad Schlossman that he is committed to coming to UND. Personally, I am not worried.

Brad Berry returns to UND

~Official Press Release~

GRAND FORKS, N.D. – University of North Dakota head men’s hockey coach Dave Hakstol announced today that Brad Berry has been hired as an assistant coach. Berry’s primary responsibilities will include coaching and developing the team’s defensemen.

It will be the second stint on the UND coaching staff for Berry, who previously served as the program’s associate head coach from 2004-06 and assistant coach from 2000-04. He was also a defenseman at UND from 1983-86. Berry returns to Grand Forks from the National Hockey League’s Columbus Blue Jackets, with whom he spent the past two seasons as an assistant coach.

“I’m very happy to bring Brad aboard as part of our coaching staff. He’s an outstanding coach and person, and will be a tremendous resource for the development of our players,” said Hakstol.

While with the Blue Jackets, Berry coached the team’s defensemen and managed both the power-play and penalty kill. Prior to joining the Blue Jackets, Berry doubled as the director of The Hockey Academy in Grand Forks and as a part-time scout with the NHL’s Vancouver Canucks. He was an assistant coach with the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose from 2006-08.

Before embarking on his professional coaching career, Berry spent six seasons on the UND coaching staff, including his last two as associate head coach under Hakstol. Overseeing the team’s defensemen and penalty kill, Berry helped guide UND to NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 2001, 2005 and 2008, Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season titles in 2001 and 2004 and a WCHA playoff championship in 2006.

“I’m excited to come back and work with Dave and (assistant coach) Dane (Jackson), and once again be a part of UND Athletics,” said Berry.

Berry was a standout defenseman at UND from 1983-86, collecting 74 points (12 goals, 62 assists) in 112 collegiate games. He also represented Canada at the 1985 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey Championship. A second-round draft pick (29^th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in 1983, Berry went on to play in 241 NHL games over eight years, including stints with Winnipeg, Minnesota and Dallas. His professional playing career also included stints in the Swedish Elite League and the International Hockey League. While with the IHL’s Michigan K-Wings, Berry was a three-time IHL All-Star and was named the K-Wings’ Defenseman of the Year three times.

After his playing career ended, Berry was a professional scout with the 1999-00 Dallas Stars team that won the Stanley Cup.

A native of Bashaw, Alberta, Berry’s family includes his wife, Suzanne, daughters, Brianna and Brooke, and son, Bauer.

Berry to UND? Kind of looks that way

 Looking at these tweets from one of the beat writers of the Columbus Blue Jackets Aaron Portzline, it would appear that former assistant coach Brad Berry is on his way back to the UND Fighting Sioux Hockey team to be one of Coach Hakstol's assistant coaches.