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.
— Bruce Ciskie (@BruceCiskie) March 30, 2024
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
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.
