Dylan James Leads UND Past UMD, 4-2

What a difference a week makes. After dropping two games to the Colorado College Tigers, the University of North Dakota hockey team was looking to rebound against the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. After giving up 13 games last weekend, UND tightened up on defense and protected their goalie, Ludvig Perrson, who had a bounce-back weekend, stopping 43 of 45 shots for a .955 save percentage. UND swept the season series against UMD for the first time since the 2015-16 season. We all remember what happened that season. 

When the final horn sounded, and after the game-ending scrum had ended, UND had put 10 goals behind the UMD goaltenders and only gave up two goals against. Sophomore forward Dylan James led UND with two goals, his first two-goal game of the year and the second of his career. Jackson Blake finished the weekend with seven points (1g-6a-7pts). It was an impressive effort all the way around. 

UND also kept UMD's leading scorer, Ben Steeves, off of the score sheet. More impressive UND held Steeves to a single point, an assist in four games this season. 

"It was a very productive weekend," head coach Brad Berry said. "It's what we needed. It's what we had to have after losing two to CC. The guys did a good job. It was the tale of two different games. Last night was sharp, and special teams were a big part. We scored some power play goals, and tonight we scratched and clawed and found a way to win." 

 On defense, sophomore defenseman Bennett Zmolek blocked 10 shots on the weekend. What's impressive is that Zmolek spent 12 minutes in the penalty box after getting a two-minute roughing penalty and a 10-minute misconduct penalty in the second period. 

"When somebody enters the portal, there's not much time to pull the trigger," Berry said. "He didn't play last year. He was out with hip surgery, and his body of work was talked about through phone conversations. We didn't have a lot of current video to watch on him. We called former coaches and people in his circle to see what kind of player, what kind of person he is. The biggest thing for me was him playing against his brother in Bemidji for four years and his other brother in Mankato for four years. If he's anything like those two guys. I'll take him in a heartbeat."

Garrett Pyke transferred from the University of Alaska and has never played for a conference title or played in the NCAA tourney. In his senior season, finally, he's getting that chance.

"It was exciting last year; my team went on a run for hopefully the tournament, so I'm looking at it the same way," Pyke said. "We're looking at the Penrose and to make a deep run, so it's a lot of fun." 

 

Goon's Takeaways: UND Shuts Out UMD, 6-0

A week after getting swept in Colorado Springs, the University of North Dakota Hockey team was back at it; this time, the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs stood in the way. 

After scoring three goals the entire weekend against the CC Tigers, UND wasted no time getting on the board. Sixty-five seconds into the game, Jackson Blake scored his 18th goal of the season. UND never relinquished the lead; they scored three in the first period, two in the second, and one more in the third. When the final horn sounded, UND had blown the Bulldogs out 6-0. 

Blake would have a five-point night, a career-high. He was the first UND player to record five points since March 12, 2021, when Collin Adams scored (2g-3a-5pts) against the Miami RedHawks in the first round of the NCHC playoffs. 

Hobey Blaker: Blake should now be in the conversation for the Hobey Baker Memorial award with his (18g-27a-45pts) if he hasn't been previously. He sits in fourth place behind Boston College's Gabe Perreault (15g-35a-50pts), Will Smith (16g-33a-49pts), Boston University Macklin Celebrini (25g-22a-47pts), Denver University Jack Devine (21g-24a-45pts), Boston College Cutter Gauthier (28g-17a-45pts).

With the win, UND improves (21-8-2 and 12-6-1 NCHC). UND is 156-89-11(.617) all-time against the Bulldogs, including an 85-39-3 (.681) record against the Bulldogs in Grand Forks, ND. The Hawks have won six of the last eight games between the two teams, including three straight games. UND has also shutout UMD in two of the previous three games. 

Shortly, UND could have three players with 20 or more goals. Blake has 18 goals, Cameron Berg has 18 goals, and Riese Gaber has 16 goals. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg had his first three-point game of the season. Berg also has eight multi-point games on the season. Berg's two-goal game was the fourth time he had scored two goals. 

Top points getters for UND in game one: Jake Livanavage (0g-2a-2pts), Riese Gaber (1g-1a-2pts), Cameron Berg (2g-1a-3pts), Jackson Blake (1g-4a-5pts). 

UND finished the game with 16 blocked shots, including six by defenseman Bennett Zmolek, who led all players. 

According to UND SID, Alec Johnson, with his two points, UND freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage moved into a tie for second place with former UND defenseman Paul Ladue for most points by a rookie defenseman at UND since the 1999-00 season with 21.

Here are the updated standings after Friday's games. Four teams remain in the hunt for the Penrose Cup. 

UND Hockey: UND Sweeps UMD With 2-0 Win

The UND hockey team started the National Collegiate Hockey Conference schedule on the right foot by sweeping the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (4-2 W, 2-0 W) at Amsoil Arena. Saturday night, UND played disciplined hockey, taking two minor penalties and only giving the Bulldogs third-ranked power play one opportunity. 

Saturday's game was a typical NCHC conference matchup. It was a meat grinder. There was some heavy hitting and not a lot of room to roam. I thought UND's defense limited the Bulldogs offensive opportunities and they didn't get a lot of good looks. When the Bulldogs were able to get a shot on net, Ludvig Persson was solid in the net. 

Speaking of the Persson. In 10 games, Persson has a (7-2-1 record, 1.90 GAA, and a .925 save percentage). He also has two shutouts. He's also been the NCHC goalie of the week three times. He was also the NCHC goaltender of the month for October. 

Saturday, there wasn't a lot of scoring, but it was enough to send the Hawks back down Highway 2 with smiles on their faces. Love the Tweet from the UND SID Alec Johnson.  

Can't spell Bulldogs without two L's. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/0QpZl5Z0nC

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 12, 2023

Senior forward Louis Jamernik V had a pretty good weekend for UND. He scored his first and second goals of the season against the Bulldogs. Saturday, Jamernick scored his second goal of the year at the 7:38 mark of the first period. That was also his first power play marker of the year. Jamernik has now scored in three straight games against the Bulldogs. 

🎵 Louis, Louis! 🎵#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/d2YVYThTZA

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 12, 2023

Perusing social media and the message boards, some have said that Riese Gaber has taken a step back this year. Gaber put all of that to bed with his fifth goal of the season. His goal gave UND a 2-0 lead. On Saturday, Gaber had his third multi-point game of the season.

A thing of beauty!#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/MRBRrro6en

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 12, 2023

Controversial Call Late? 

With 4:06 remaining in the game, UMD Darian Gotz was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for contact to the head. Many in the Bulldog fanbase and the UMD hockey media disagreed with the call. You can watch the video below and decide for yourself. 

FINAL: North Dakota 2, Minnesota Duluth 0.

UMD winless in its last six games (0-5-1).

Bulldogs forced to kill a questionable major penalty for the final 4:06 after the "hit" went uncalled on the ice. I'll have more on that in my game story later.

— Matt Wellens (@mattwellens) November 12, 2023

The explanation given to the News Tribune by the NCHC was Gotz’s elbow extended and made contact with the chin of Johannes. Sandelin said he was told by the officials the review was “definitive.”

You can look at the video and decide for yourself. If your team is trying to get back into the game, don't make that play. It was unnecessary and ended up hurting the Bulldogs in the end. 

pic.twitter.com/bwJhi0X4VC

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) November 12, 2023

 

This team is a lot more confident than last season. There's a very different attitude in the UND locker room this season. To quote Brad Elliot Schlossman, "This team is pretty good." I would agree, defensively and offensively. 

"We're a confident group," Gaber told the media after the game. "We've got a lot of weapons. We showed that this weekend. We're just going to keep going and doing our thing."

All you have to do is look at the stats to see this team is doing a lot better on the ice.  It starts with the defense and goaltending. 

UND is ranked 7th nationally in save percentage .922, and 11th in goals against. Through ten games, UND is the top-ranked defensive team in the NCHC. Again, yes, it's early. 

They're playing more disciplined, they're 15th nationally in Penalty Minutes. They're ranked 3rd nationally in shorthanded goals scored.

Speaking of things that make me smile, I re-read Bruce Ciskie's pre-season predictions and it seems he underestimated the UND hockey team. I know it's early, but the eight D-men in question have performed pretty well against a really tough schedule. 

In four games against UND, Grand Forks native Cole Spicer has yet to record a point against the hometown team. Obviously, he's got a few more kicks at the can, but it's something that I noticed. 

UND has won five straight games at Amsoil Arena. That's a feat that hasn't been accomplished since November 29, 1968. 

UND Beats UMD 4-2 In Duluth (Highlights)

The fourth-ranked University of North Dakota hockey team began their NCHC conference schedule on the road at 18th-ranked Minnesota-Duluth. Entering Friday's game, the Hawks had a 4-2-0 in the last six games against the Bulldogs. Recently, UND has experienced some success at Amsoil Arena winning three straight games.  

At the 9:03 mark of the first period, Jayden Perron would give UND a 1-0 lead. Assists Cameron Berg and Hunter Johannes. That was Johannes's first assist of the season.

Can't leave him all alone in front and expect good things to happen. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/IZsphHccOc

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 11, 2023

At the 11:06 mark of the first period, UND would take a 2-0 lead with a goal from d-man Logan Britt forwards Owen McLaughlin and Bennett Zmolek picked up assists on the goal. That's goal number two for Britt.

Wheel, snipe, celly. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/gXRSvOeMDn

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 11, 2023

At the 18:03 mark of the first period, senior forward Louis Jamernik V would give UND a comfortable 3-0 lead with this beautiful goal. Jackson Kunz with the assist. The Bulldogs would challenge the goal for a high stick but were unsuccessful. 

Analytics say to never bunt, but this has to be the exception. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/RLlrIi4ff5

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 11, 2023

UMD would finally get on the board at the 12:13 mark of the second period, Bulldog forward Luke Loheit would score a power play marker to cut into UND's lead.  That was goal number three for the graduate forward. Assists, Quinn Olson and Ben Steeves. Score 3-1 UND.

Let's take another look at Loheit's power play goal!

(and whatever happened after...🤷)

3-1 UND | #UMDvsUND | #BulldogCountry pic.twitter.com/XbVK6pGNLn

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) November 11, 2023

At the 14:54 mark of the third period, UND was on the power play, and UMD forward Cole Spicer had a chance to score shorthanded, but he was denied by senior UND goalie Ludvig Perrson. This would prove to be a big-time game-saving stop.

🚫🚫🚫#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/qZ0iciH4kj

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 11, 2023

The Bulldogs would make things interesting. At the 14:44 mark of the third period, Anthony Menghini scored his third goal of the year to cut UND's lead to 3-2. Assists, Joey Pierce, and Aaron Pionk.  It was definitely a lucky bounce, a UND defenseman blocked a shot and it ended up on the Bulldog player's stick, and ended up in the back of the UND net. Score 3-2 UND.

The Bulldogs have got some fight in them!

Freshman Anthony Menghini ceases the opportunity and scores his third of the season🤩

3-2 UND | #UMDvsUND | #BulldogCountry pic.twitter.com/bTcIIWsTh5

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) November 11, 2023

UND would get a power play in the waning seconds of the game, and UND would smartly cash in. At the 19:21 mark of the third period, UND forward Cameron Berg would ice the game with an unassisted power play goal. Final Score: UND 4 UMD 2. 

While UND might have let the Bulldogs back into the game, they were able to gut out the win. It wasn't pretty, but it's still a win and a great start to NCHC play. UND has now won four straight games at Amsoil Arena. 

Big three points to begin @TheNCHC play!#UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/ibIFo5Xit4

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 11, 2023

UMD Bulldog Luke Bast Faces Off Against His Former Team

On Thursday, I was listening to the UND hockey podcast and Brad Schlossman brought up an interesting fact: in the coming weeks, a few UND players will be playing against their former teams. There will also be a few former UND hockey players, playing with their new team against UND. 

Up first, Minnesota-Duluth d-man Luke Bast, who played at UND for two seasons. Bast entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after the 2022-23 season.  This is what Bast had to say during this week's UMD media day. 

“You have to outwork them,” Bast told the media in Duluth, who has two goals nine games into his career as a Bulldog. “At the end of the day, are we going to win with all our talent? Are we going to out-skill teams? Probably not, which is fine. The thing that we got is we got a group that's willing to win and do the little things that are going to win. You see it in the long run. Past teams here, you look at the roster, and you might not think that they're going to be great or whatever, but they come together as a group and they do what it takes to win."

Another Comment From Bast that caught my attention was this: 

"I was actually on the phone with my dad, a couple days ago, and he was talking to a fellow father from North Dakota," Bast said. The fellow UND hockey father said, hey, 'what would you rather do? Fly on a chartered plane and not play or get left behind? Or would you rather fly commercial and play every night?' 

Bast continued, "That was interesting. I think you take the commercial flight and you play every night. I think you'll have a lot more fun, and your college experience will be a hell of a lot better than staying home; rather than flying on a chartered plane."

Future Matchups 

As I mentioned, this week, it's Bast facing off against his former team, UND. Next week, Ludvig Persson and the Fighting Hawks will take on the Miami RedHawks in Oxford, OH. On January 12-13, 2023, Cameron Berg will take on his former team the Omaha Mavericks. The following week, on March 19-20, 2023, UND will take on former forward Nick Portz and the St Cloud State Huskies. Finally, UND will take on Matteo Costantini and the Western Michigan Broncos on March 1-2, 2023. 

The Transfers

 

Here's how the six former UND hockey players have faired this season. 

Luke Bast, UMD, nine games (2g—0a—2pts) even

Nick Potz, SCSU, seven games (1g-1a—2pts) even

Brent Johnson, OSU, five games (3g-1a—2pts) minus-one

Cooper Moore, QU nine games, (0g-3a—1pts) plus-five

Matteo Costantini, WMU, six games, (3g-3a—3pts) plus-six he has two multi-point games.

Jakob Hellsten, UNH, four games, (2-1-1, GAA 1.24, and a .939 save percentage)

This week, Bast was on the Bulldog Postcast with Matt Wellens. 

Bulldog Insider Podcast: UMD junior defenseman Luke Bast prepares for reunion with North Dakota, shares what he really thinks of the Red Pepper

Listen here or wherever you get podcasts: https://t.co/pgfopInjDj

— Matt Wellens (@mattwellens) November 9, 2023

Derik Johnson: Another Example of Diving

This is a dive that would make Olympic diver Greg Louganis blush, you can't defend this. UMD defenseman Derik Johnson would be ashamed of himself. Yes, I have seen  hockey players from other teams take a dive, it's bad sportsmanship.

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