UND Hockey: Thoughts on UND's Sweep of Bentley

 

This past weekend, the University of North Dakota swept their non-conference series against Bentley University. Coming into the series, I am not sure anyone knew what to expect. UND had never played Bentley, and despite the hype, everyone expected to come to Ralph Englestad Arena and battle UND for two games. That didn’t really materialize except for about 5 minutes of the first period in game one.

Head coach Dan Jackson mentioned that in Friday’s post-game press conference.

"Mentally, they were probably a little more ready to play than us," Jackson said. "We were not moving the puck very crisply or handling passes. We weren’t able to break out and come through the neutral zone. Once we got into the game, we were much better on our pass completion, and we started to play with some pace."

Once UND shook off their early-series jitters, they gave the Falcons nothing. UND was relentless, giving Bentley little time and space. UND held Bentley to 29 shots on net for the weekend and put 74 shots on the Falcons' net.

Obviously, this was an Atlantic Hockey opponent, and UND’s task will get a bit harder next weekend when they travel to Minnesota to play the winless Gophers 0-3-1. This past weekend was not good for Minnesota. The Gophers traveled to Amsoil Arena, were badly beaten 7-1 on Friday night, and then tied 2-2 with the Bulldogs in game two on Saturday. They’re off to a rough start after being swept by the Michigan Tech Huskies two weeks ago (3-2 L, 3-1 L). They’ll be a little angry, looking for redemption, and UND will face a hostile crowd at Mariucci in 3M Arena.

Zellers Held Scoreless

One thing that stood out this weekend was that UND’s top line of Will Zellers, Cole Reschny, and Jack Kernan played well, but UND’s top point-getter, Zellers, didn’t get on the score sheet. In two games against the Falcons, Zellers put seven shots on net and zero points on the scoreboard  (0g-0a—0pts) in 35 minutes of ice time. One thing that stood out to me on Saturday night was that 12 different UND players recorded at least one point in the win. That’s definitely the definition of balanced scoring.

UND Has Two Great Goalies

This past weekend, freshman goalie Caleb Heil got his first two collegiate starts and made the most of them. He capitalized on his opportunity, earning two wins and two shutouts. UND won both games 5-0. Sophomore goalie Jan Spunar wasn’t 100 percent healthy, so the coaching staff gave Spunar the weekend off.

“By the start of next week, he’ll be 100 percent,” Jackson said. “He was a little bit off, and we just wanted to be really careful. We wanted to get Caleb in there, but then when he played so well, it just gave us the luxury to, you know, get Jan really healthy.” 

According to the UND SID, Heil is believed to be the first freshman goaltender in North Dakota history to record back-to-back shutouts to begin his career. The stats line on Heil (2-0-0, 0.00 GAA, SV% 1,000): 2 shutouts.

Connor Davis Shines

This past weekend, freshman forward Connor Davis was very good; he’s going to make an immediate impact. I wonder if he flew under the radar. In the two-game series, he scored (1g-2--3pts). Friday, he was voted the second star of the game. My first impression: he goes hard to the net, gets in the dirty areas, and looks pretty good defensively. The Vaudreuil-Dorion, Quebec, native is 20 years old and a fifth-round draft pick by the Vancouver Canucks. 

There will be more this week. If you haven't seen the games, here are the highlights from Friday and Saturday. Here are some of my photos from Saturday’s game. 

UND Hockey; Return of the Bubble Part Two

Last year, it was mentioned that the last UND hockey team to win an NCAA title (2016) had at least one player who wore a bubble. Last season, we had two (Will Zellers and Ellis Rickwood); the team advanced to the Frozen Four before losing to Wisconsin in the Semifinals.  So, was that a coincidence, or does it need to happen to win an NCAA title? :) 

I asked Grok of X.com fame who from UND wore a bubble last season. This was the response given: According to reporting and commentary around the program, the 2025-26 season was the first in about 10 years that any UND players wore full visors/bubbles instead of cages. The two were senior transfer forward Ellis Rickwood (who wore one at Clarkson) and freshman forward Will Zellers. They experimented with them in practice and used them during the season.⁠ Everyone else on the skater roster stuck with cages.  

This season, two players are wearing a bubble again: Will Zellers and Ethan MacKenzie. We have visual evidence for those who demand proof. 

UND Sweeps BSU in Hard-Fought Series

 

The UND hockey team began its 2026-27 campaign with an impressive two-game sweep of the BSU Beavers (3-2 W, 4-3 W) in a non-conference series. As Hall of Fame radio announcer Tim Hennesy would say, "Those pesky Beavers gave UND all they could handle."

It was a hard-fought, entertaining series. Honestly, either game could’ve ended differently. 

Defensively, UND held BSU to 42 shots on the weekend. On special teams, UND went 3/8 (37.5) on the power play, and the PK didn’t give up a power-play goal on five opponent power plays. On Saturday night, BSU didn't have a shot on their two power-play opportunities. Not bad for a team that is playing with a lot of underclassmen. 

Much has been made of the youth of UND’s defensive corps. What did head coach Dan Jackson think of his team’s defensive effort after the first weekend of play? 

“Our details defensively have to get better,” Jackson said. “We’re still giving up too many rush chances. We’re still probably not defending hard enough from the inside out. We got to get harder at our net. We got to get better. We’re giving up too many rush chances, so I think those couple of things are going to be key.”

Leading UND on the weekend were forwards Will Zellers (2g-4a--6pts) and plus-three Mac Swanson (2g-2a--4pts), plus-one Cole Reschny (2g-1a--3pts), and plus-two. Jan Spunar was solid in net, picking up two wins (2-0-0, 2.51 GAA and an .881 save percentage).

This was the first time in 10 years that UND swept the Beavers in regulation, October 21-22, 2016 (3-2 W, 5-4 W). In the last five years, every game has been a one-goal game, with at least one game going to overtime. Grand Forks Herald UND beat writer Brad E. Schlossman even predicted that BSU would win game one in overtime. 

Hmm…. The call: snip— Friday: Bemidji State 4, UND 3, OT
Saturday: UND 4, Bemidji State 1 Via @SchlossmanGF

— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) October 9, 2026

Based on what we have seen in this series, that’s not a bad take. This weekend’s series was unusual because none of these games went to overtime. In the last five games of this series, at least one went to overtime; UND went 6-2-2 in those 10 games. 

Next weekend, UND entertains Bentley University of Atlantic Hockey. The Falcons beat the University of Vermont 3-0 and lost to Northeastern University 5-1. 

Here are a few images from Saturday's game taken during the first period. 

Is UND the Best Team in College Hockey?

This past weekend, you might have seen Miami head coach Anthony Noreen’s comments about the UND hockey team. On Saturday, during his post-game media availability, he was very complimentary of what he saw from UND in their two-game conference series. 

Coach Noreen’s statements may have caused a stir on X.com. If I had a vote, Noreen would be the coach of the year for what he’s done with his RedHawks team. This brings up the question: Is UND the best team in college hockey? Yes, I know the two Michigan teams will want to have a say in this discussion. Yes, they’re very good teams playing in a bad conference. UND isn’t playing in the Big Ten. The NCHC “could” legitimately have five teams in the NCAA Tournament if one of the lower teams advances from the NCHC playoffs. UND, WMU, and DU are probably already in. UMD looks like it could be a lock as well. 

First, UND isn’t a one-line team; they are getting balanced scoring from all four lines. They have eight players with 20 or more points; four of them have 25 or more. Three players have 14 or more goals, and senior forward Dylan James could be a 20-goal scorer. Defensively, UND is third nationally in shots against per game. 

Here are two of Coach Noreen’s quotes. 

“That’s the best team in the country, right there,” Noreen said. “Top to bottom, they play hard, they’re physical, they’re skilled. Up front, back end, goaltending. They’re as complete a team as we’ve seen. Honestly, a lot like what we felt when we played Western last year.”

“They’re a tremendous team, and I felt those were some of the best guys we have in the league,” Noreen said.

While it’s probably a little early to predict who ends up on top of the college world at the end of the season, the UND hockey team is going to be in the mix at the end of the season. In 29 games, they’re 23-7-0 (.766) 15-5-0 NCHC. UND’s players have regained the UND identity and are playing a team-first game. No one appears to be above the program, and I haven’t heard much "me, me, me" this season. That goes a long way in having a winning team. I didn’t see that last season. 

“If you look up and down our forward group, our goalies, our defensive core, we’re at our best when every single line is playing, and there’s not one line on our team that can’t play against the top line on any other team in the nation, defenseman Abram Wiebe said. “That’s something that we have, we’re so deep.

“We got no quit in our game, as you saw tonight, not the greatest first two periods, but we just stuck with it, and there wasn’t any doubt in the room. We all had confidence that we were going to come back and win that game, and that’s exactly what we did. So this kind of shows what our identity is this year, and just being able to use that heading into next weekend and games for the rest of the season as well.”

One thing is for certain: the UND hockey team is sitting much better than it was at this time last year. They’ve solidified their NCAA tournament fate; it’s just a matter of where they end up seated. Since January of 2026, NoDak is 9-3-0, including three series sweeps. With the series sweep of Miami, they inched closer to another Penrose Cup. I would take a wait-and-see attitude. The NCAA tourney is a war, and there are a few teams that could come out on top, maybe even the 16th seed. I do think that UND could end up in Las Vegas in April. 

Looking at the Numbers

UND is ranked 3rd in the all-important NPI Rankings

UND is ranked 5th nationally in Goals Against.

UND is tied for 4th in Goals Against Per Game

UND is tied for 4th in Goals Per Game

UND is tied for 4th in Goal Scoring.

UND is 3rd nationally in Shots Against Per Game. 

UND is ranked 6th nationally in Power Play Efficiency 

UND is tied for 4th in Short Handed Goals 

UND is ranked 6th nationally in Face Off Percentage 

Stick Tap to College Hockey News for their fabulous stats section. 

If you look at the numbers, UND is much better off than it was last season. They’re going to be in the NCAA tourney, and there’s a good chance they could end up as a top-four seed. They've played a tough schedule and amassed an impressive 22-7-0 record. Only time will tell where they end up at the end of the season. 

pic.twitter.com/y4XtTtEpv0

— USCHO.com (@USCHO) February 16, 2026

UND Escapes with a Point in Overtime Loss Against UMD, 3-2

Some nights, a team just doesn't have it. On Friday night, the UND hockey team came out flat against the UMD Bulldogs. 

When you can chase a game for almost two and a half periods of hockey and still come out of the game with a crucial NCHC conference point, it might be a win. Yes, no one likes moral victories, especially in the UND fanbase. No, it wasn't their best effort, and when the UND coaching staff looks back at Friday's game against UMD, they're going to want to come out with a better effort in game two. Poor efforts like this won't win playoff games in March and April. 

 Friday's game, UND played undisciplined hockey, taking senseless penalties. In the first period, UND had to kill three consecutive Bulldog Power plays. NODAK can thank their goaltender Jan Špunar (13-3-0, GAA 1.81, and .922 SV%) for keeping UND in the game during the parade to the penalty box. He made some amazing saves. UND was lucky to escape the first period tied with UMD, 0-0. 

In the second period, UMD would take a 2-0 lead into the third period with goals from Hunter Anderson and Zam Plante. 

In the third period, UND showed up and took over the game. At the 10:08 mark of the third period, Ellis Rickwood scored shorthanded to get UND on the board. Eight minutes later, Jack Kernan scored the game-tying goal.

Besides playing undisciplined hockey, UND took the first two periods off before taking the game over in the third. Not their best effort, and they were lucky to escape with a point on Friday. 

"You don't very often get a point when you play two poor periods," head coach Dane Jackson said. 

Echoing his head coach's sentiment, freshman forward Jack Kernan said, "We were kind of sleeping through the first two periods. Maybe it had to do with the bye week, bus legs, I don't know what it was." 

Despite the loss in OT, here's an interesting stat: UND is 10-3-0 on the road this season, and two of those losses have come in OT. Even with the loss, UND still sits in first place of the NCHC standings, two points clear of DU, which has played two more games than UND. Looking down the standings, UND is seven points clear of Western Michigan, after losing 3-2 to Miami in OT. More importantly, UND remained in third in the NPI ratings.

Freshman forward Jack Kernan is on a bit of a heater. He scored his seventh goal of the season and has five goals over his last nine games. Kernan is tied for fourth on the team in goals and has scored (7g-5a—12pts), he's averaging .50 points a game. Two of his seven goals are game-winning goals. 

Senior forward Ellis Rickwood continued his torrid pace, with his shortened goal; he has seven points (2G, 5A) over his last three games. Despite missing five games due to injury, Rickwood is tied for second on the team in points with (7g-18a—25pts). Three of his seven goals are game-winning goals. 

 If you didn't see the game, here are the highlights from Friday's game. 

  

UND Hockey: Some Good, Some Bad

While UND celebrated a whiteout on Saturday night, the whole weekend was blizzard-like conditions. Yes, it's the dog days of winter. The final stretch run. There are 10 NCHC conference games remaining in the 2025-26 season, and the UND Hockey team is sitting in first place of the NCHC standings, five points clear of Denver.

How did we get here?

Friday night, NODAK took it to the Pioneers, shutting them out 5-0. The game wasn't as close as the scoreboard; UND manhandled the Pioneers. UND held DU to 18 shots on goal, and Jan Špunar recorded his third shutout of the season. It could've been 7-0 or 8-0, if not for the Denver goalie Quentin Miller.

Three players had multi-point games: Cole Reschny (1g-1a–2pts), Anthony Menghini (2g-0a–2pts),  Tyler Young (0g-2a–2pts). 

On Saturday night, it was a little different story. At the 14:09 mark of the first period, the Pioneers took an early 1-0 lead with a goal from Kristian Epperson. Three and a half minutes later, Dylan James tied the game with his 13th goal of the season. 

In the second period, Jake Livanavage scored his fourth goal of the season to give UND a brief 2-1 lead. Four minutes and 10 seconds later, Eric Pohlkamp scored a beautiful goal from the point. Spunar never had a chance because a Denver forward was screening him. After his goal, I tweeted this: The San Jose Sharks are drooling after seeing that goal by Denver D-Man Eric Pohlkamp, game tied. 2-2. 

At the 11:19 mark of the third period, Denver would score the game-winning goal on the power play with a goal from James Reeder. UND pushed late but couldn't get another shot past the DU goalie Miller. 

While fans will wonder what could've been if UND had gotten the series sweep, UND is 18-5-0, and last season, didn't win their 18th game till March 1, 2025. That team missed the NCAA playoffs; this season, UND sits at three in the NPI Rankings, barring a total nuclear meltdown, will be in the NCAA playoffs. 

On Friday night, there was a buzz in the arena. The place was hopping, and people seemed legitimately excited about this hockey team. Yes, I believe there is ground for optimism. I think this team could end up in Vegas. On a side note, I was shooting photos and got hit by a Keaton Verhoeff puck that was deflected into the stands. My first game puck.

 

Who’s Hot

Anthony Menghini is starting to heat up. He has seven points (3g-4a—7pts) in the last 10 games.

“We knew that he could score,” head coach Dane Jackson said. “He's got an elite shot, and we saw him score against other teams and us in the NCHC last year.”

Through 14 games, freshman goalie Jan Špunar is (12-2-0 1.64 GAA, .927 SV%) and has three shutouts.

Freshman Cole Reschny is now the UND team leader in points, in 20 games, he’s scored (4g-18a—22 pts). He missed four games while playing for Team Canada at the World Juniors. This past weekend against Denver, he scored (1g-3a—4pts).

Since missing five games due to an injury, senior forward Ellis Rickwood has scored (4g-8a—12pts) in the last nine games. He also has five multi-point games this season. Rickwood has been lights out in the faceoff dot; he's won 60.8 percent of his faceoffs. 

The Rickwood Factor

 

One of the bigger moves of the off-season was the acquisition of Ellis Rickwood. The senior forward from Brantford, Ontario, has been a big factor in UND’s success. He plays big minutes (16:10 TOI/PG) and takes key draws in crucial moments of the game. In November, he was hurt and missed five games. Upon is return to the lineup, Rickwood has scored (2g-8a—10pts), and scored (1g-5a—6pts) against Mercyhurst.

What was it like for Rickwood to join a new team as one of the older guys?

“It was a hard decision for me, but I knew I was always a better player when I was comfortable in my spot, Rickwood said. “Right when I came in the summer, I didn’t hold back. I just started chirping guys, getting into guys, and that summer program really helped. Not only for me, but for the young guys, it felt like we had known each other for a long time by the start of the training camp.

“Yeah, that was a big thing for me. I didn’t want to hold back. I wanted to be myself. There’s nothing left out of this year. In my senior year, I got to leave it on the table. It was just that mentality to give it all I got. And yeah, that’s worked out so far.”

Coach Jackson was asked how he ended up recruiting Rickwood when he entered the portal.

“I remember when he was playing in Victoria, he was a big, strong, good player,” Jackson said. “He still had rough edges. He was a younger guy, but you kind of saw the hockey sense. I still had his number in my phone from when we talked to their coaches years ago. When we saw him go in there, we called on the first day.

“He’s a really good hockey player, but he’s also a really good teammate and a neat person. He’s a guy who just fits right into our room and has been a huge addition on the ice, but, as importantly, as a culture and a leader. He’s a well-liked teammate. He comes and competes every day, and he drives things with how he does things.”

One thing is certain: Rickwood has been a valuable addition to the UND hockey team.  

Check out Rickwood's goal on Saturday night to open the scoring for the UND hockey team.  

What a pass and what a finish! #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/K1qzGsaqgh

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) January 4, 2026

Merry Christmas from Goon's World

I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and thanks for reading. Recently, Goon's World went over seven million page views. So thank you to all the folks who clicked the link and read over the years. Recently, I bought a new lens for my camera, so you will see an improvement in the photos on the blog. You can check out my first photos with the new lens from the first game of the Omaha-UND series. 

I usually take pictures on the Friday night of a home series. You can look at those by clicking the pages listed above. 

What a difference a year makes. Since November first, UND is 10-1-0 in its last 11 games and 14-4-0 (.777) overall. Last year at this time, the UND hockey team was 11-7-1 (.605) and had already been swept twice in the first 19 games (Denver and Cornell). Yes, the schedule gets harder in the second half of the season, but I don't think anyone expected UND to be in first place in the NCHC standings after 10 games. 

I look forward to more coverage of the UND hockey team. You can also see my work on Inside Hockey. Here's hoping that the UND hockey team makes a run in the second half of the season and goes deep into the NCAA playoffs.  

It will be interesting to see how Jake Livanavage and Abram Wiebe do in the Spengler Cup during the holiday break.  

Jake Livanavage and Abram Wiebe are eager for an opportunity to compete against professionals at the Spengler Cup. Story and a rundown of some other players who will be in Davos: https://t.co/Ir8jQESIig

— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) December 25, 2025

 

Good luck to the two UND Hockey players, EJ Emery and Will Zellers, and goalie recruit Caleb Heil for making the USA U-20 WJC hockey team.      

Say hello to the 2026 #WorldJuniors roster 🇺🇸

Roster details: https://t.co/GZVa6amhMO pic.twitter.com/JKp0ztkTen

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) December 24, 2025

Finally, good luck to Keaton Verhoeff and Cole Reschny, and 2026-27 commit, Ethan Mackenzie, for making the Canadian U-20 WJC team.   Here's hoping that Team Canada and Team USA play in the World Junior Championship finals. Yes, that's four current and two future UND players in the 2026 World Junior Championship. 

Check out the 2⃣5⃣ to get us started on Boxing Day! 🇨🇦

Et voici les 2⃣5⃣ joueurs qui donneront le coup d’envoi pour le Canada au lendemain de Noël! 🇨🇦#WorldJuniors | #MondialJunior pic.twitter.com/XASYo43ODY

— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 25, 2025