Saturday, November 18, 2023

Goon's Takeaways: UND Sweeps Miami with 5-1


The University of North Dakota Hockey team completed the weekend sweep of the Miami University RedHawks with a 5-1 victory. Here's my rundown from the two-game conference sweep. With the 4-0-0 start in conference play, UND is sitting in second place in the NCHC standings. UND is currently on a five-game winning streak outscoring their opponents 22-11. 

The captain Riese Gaber would get UND on the board first with this beautiful goal at the 8:27 mark of the first period. Assists Garrett Pyke and Louis Jamernik V. That was goal number six on the year for Gaber. In the post-game press conference, Riese Gaber could barely speak and it was later revealed by head coach Brad Berry that he was under the weather. His linemate, Owen McLaughlin sat out Saturday night's game with an illness.  Just a short 2:29 later, the RedHawks would answer the Hawks goal with a goal from PJ Fletcher. Miami forward Max Dukovac with the lone assist. That was all of the scoring for Miami, Ludvig Persson would stand strong in the net and lead UND to a 5-1 Victory. (This past weekend, Miami didn't post their goal videos on their X page.)

Miami evening the score didn't deter UND's scoring. The Hawks seemed to find another gear and went to work. At the 14:52 mark of the first period, UND forward Griffin Ness scored his first goal of the year with the help of RedHawks forward John Waldron who deflected Ness's shot into his own net. That would prove to be the game-winning goal. Jackson Kunz, and Dane Montgomery would get the assists. That was Montgomery's first point of the year. 

After Ness's goal, I tweeted this out: For some reason, I thought of the song, "I get by with a little help from my friends" seemed appropriate. Griffin Ness scores his first goal of the year. Gaber would score his second goal of the game with a beautiful breakaway goal to pad UND's lead. For those keeping track at home, that was goal number seven on the year. Gaber now has (7g-5a--12pts) on the season, with his two makers on Saturday, Gaber now has (53g-54a--107pts) for his career. Not to be outdone, Jackson Blake would score his 8th goal of the year 4.4 seconds remaining in the first period. Blake would also draw a penalty on the play. It was similar to Gaber's goal. Blake would pick up a loose puck off a RedHawk's turnover in the neutral zone and break in score on the RedHawks goalie Logan Neaton. There was not scoring in the second period and Miami would make a push. The RedHawks outshot the Hawks 8-3. UND goalie Ludvig Persson was stellar between the pipes stopping grade A chances. Exhibit A, Persson stones Matthew Barbolini to preserve UND's 4-1 lead. Persson's teammates might want to take him out for supper after the game. He was stellar. He's stopped 21-of-22 shots, and a few of them were tough saves. Jaden Perron would score the Hawks fifth goal of the game with a beautiful shot from the slot.  I know it's early, and I don't want to get ahead of myself, but I think Virg Foss is onto something. This team is very good, and has all the pieces to go deep into the NCAA playoffs. Yes, anything can happen in a one-and-done tourney. This team is significantly better than last year's team. Defense and goaltending are noticeably better. The forward group is better with the additions of Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes, and Jayden Perron. This "could' end up being a special year.  
Earlier today, I tweeted that senior forward Carson Albrecht had gone 37 games without being penalized. Looking at the stats, he hadn't been assessed a penalty since March 12, 2022. On Saturday, Albrecht was assessed two minor penalties. I may want to hold off praising players for individual efforts in the future.
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Location: One Ralph Engelstad Arena Dr, Grand Forks, ND 58203, USA

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