UND Sweeps Omaha in Omaha, a Night of Firsts

How sweep it is. Here are my thoughts from this past weekend. UND traveled to Omaha for its first National Collegiate Hockey Conference road series of the season. 

Mission accomplished. UND returned home with six conference points. 

What a difference a year makes. On Saturday night, after Omaha scored the goal to make it 2-1, last year's team might have crumbled and lost the game. The 2025-26 UND hockey team has a much better mental makeup. They seem to thrive on adversity. Nodak would score two more goals to give UND the win and an impressive (7-2 W, 4-1 W) sweep of Omaha. 

Not that it matters, but UND is sitting atop the NCHC standings after two weekends of conference play. Obviously, it's early, and there are 22 more conference games to go. UND has improved, but still has a lot of work to do. 

I posted this on Sioux Sports: I don't know about y'all, but I never felt that UND was going to lose last night's game. Was it a tight game? Of course. UND frustrated the Mavericks throughout the weekend. There is definitely a difference in talent level between UND and Omaha. I saw many things this past weekend that gave me hope. This team is one of the younger ones in college hockey, and they're making great strides. I have been impressed with the CHL kids, as well as the freshmen, such as Kernan and Zellers. Are there things that need to be cleaned up? Yes, 100 percent. Mac Swanson is starting to excel and make plays. 

Two-Headed Goalie Rotation

If UND has a two-headed monster in the net, that would be a good thing, too. We should find out over the next month what UND has in net. Okay, I am guilty, after I saw the lineup was posted for Saturday's game, I tweeted this. Okay, maybe it didn't age well. 

I am a little puzzled that Gibson Homer gets the start tonight after Jan Spunar was awesome in net last night. pic.twitter.com/aON6lNSOlg

— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) November 9, 2025

Gibson Homer has appeared in seven games and is (4-3-0, 2.74 GAA, and a .890 save percentage). Looking at his career numbers, this is by far his worst in his three-year career. Counting this year, he has two years of eligibility left, but the word is that he's going to turn pro after the season is over. His victory on Saturday broke a three-game losing streak. 

Jan Spunar has appeared in three games (3-0-0, 1.01 GAA, and a .951 save percentage). Spunar has let in three goals in 178.09 minutes of play. That's impressive. 

Night of Firsts

Yes, it was a night of firsts. Freshman forward Jack Kernan scores the first goal of his collegiate career. It will be the first of many to come.   

Kernan gets his first and it's a big one! #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/8aRBOVzIF9

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 9, 2025

Entering the season, I expected more from Anthony Menghini, the junior forward from Baxter, Minnesota. I was also excited that he was signed by UND. First, he entered the season having scored 20 goals in 72 games. This year, my excitement had faded. Through the first eight games, he's been almost invisible until Saturday night, when he scored his first goal of his UND hockey career in his ninth game. That was also his first career point with UND. Hopefully, this is the first of many for Gino.  

First in a UND sweater for Menghini! #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/kY7TppPc1k

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 9, 2025

CHL Alumni Take Center Stage 

We've heard a lot about the CHL players being eligible to play in NCAA hockey. Now, all of a sudden, the NHL media has spent more time taking a look at NCAA hockey. Albeit, they have foamed and slobbered all over Penn State and Gavin McKenna. What the writers are discovering is that Division 1 college hockey is challenging. There are no nights off. 

When Friday’s game was over, he’d scored what would stand as Penn State’s lone goal of the weekend, finished plus-1, registered a game-high seven shots (nearly a third of the 25 his team registered) and played a game-high 23:57.

And yet the gathering collection of scouts and hockey folks weren’t kind to him leaving the rink, with multiple NHL scouts commenting to The Athletic over the course of the weekend on his work rate off the puck, a number of backchecks he appeared to give up on, pucks he didn’t stop on and an ongoing desire for more effort. (Link) 

With development of CHL players getting to play in college hockey, this has also changed how teams in the NCAA have recruited. This season, UND has four players who have come over from the WHL; these players are making an impact. After 10 games, forward Cole Reschny has scored (2g-8a--10pts), and he's also a minus-one. He's averaging 16:48 minutes a game.

It's hard to believe that Keaton Verhoeff is 17 years old. The freshman defenseman from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta has scored (4g-2a--6pts) and is plus-two. He's scored one goal on the power play and is probably going to be a top-five draft pick. 

While everyone is ranting and raving aobut Gavin McKenna, there are other players in college hockey that should be grabbing everyones attention. The aforementioned Reschny has 10 points in 10 games, McKenna has played two more games and is only four points ahead (4g-10a--14pts).  

Last weekend, Ollie Josephson (2g-4a--6pts), had a breakthrough weekend, scoring (2g-2a--4pts), Friday night, he added an assist to his points total. Unfortunatley, his three-game points streak came to an end on Saturday night.  Nodak has won four straight over Omaha and four straight at Baxter Arena, and they have won five of the last six games they've played against the Mavericks. Nodak is 6-4-0 in he last 10 games they've played against Omaha.  

Finally, freshman Josh Zakreski was having a good season, until he suffered a serious lower-body injury. Until his injury, the Portland Winterhawks Alum was playing a significant role.  In six games, the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native scored (1g-2a--3pts). He's listed as month-to-month. Hope he can return before the season is over.       

Senior Forward Dylan James 

During his collegiate career, senior forward Dylan James has scored 37 goals, nine (.243) of them have come against Omaha. Three of them were scored this past weekend.

Omaha goalie Simon Latkoczy has now played UND 14 times in his 5-9 and has lost four out of the last five games against UND. One final stat, as we mentioned earlier James has scored goals agianst Omaha, six of his nine goals have come against Latkoczy.