The University of North Dakota hockey team had a statement game Friday, winning 7-2 over Hockey East Powerhouse Boston University. UND came out of the gate like gangbusters. Ultimately, it wasn't even close in the end, as they scored five goals on 11 shots in the first period. For those who are mathematically challenged, that's a .454 save percentage. I said it last year, and I'll repeat it: Mathieu Caron has looked shaky every time he's played against UND.
I told someone this was one of my top-10 UND hockey games ever.
What a difference a week makes. After last weekend's split with the Minnesota State Mavericks, some fans were again suggested that UND fire Brad Berry. Three games into the season, and they want Berry gone already. So, after the first period, I tweeted this to X.
It’s 5-0, so do the fans on Sioux Sports still want to fire 🔥 the head coach? 😆🤣
Let's at least wait till the end of the season to start the Fire Berry thread. He's not going anywhere, anyway. I've already predicted that the Hawks are going to the Frozen Four this year.
I mean, seriously, I am kidding, not really. Last night's victory was a dismantling of the Boston University Terriers. It was a beatdown. UND came out determined and looked pissed off. They got in the shooting lanes and gave the Terriers nothing. When the Terriers got an odd-man rush, they recovered, breaking up the opportunities. UND forward Jake Schmaltz on the Hawks's quick start in the first period.
"After we got the lead, we didn't get too high, didn't get too low, just kind of machine-like mindset, and that kind of carried in the third but thought we we're ready to play, and we're going to have that same effort tomorrow," Schmaltz said.
Entering Friday’s game, the Terriers had the 62nd youngest team in college hockey. However, it wasn’t the younger players that Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo was upset with. His veteran players didn’t answer the call.
“We certainly have a young group,” Pandolfo said. “A lot of these guys are playing in this environment for the first time, but I’m not putting it on the young guys. We have guys who are veteran players for us, who have been in tough environments and have experience, and they did not lead the way for us. Getting some of our young guys the first opportunity to play in this type of game, so I’m not putting it on them, but we had some older guys that have been around that did not help our group.”
What else can you say when you lose 7-2 in the opening game of a series?
“It makes it tough when you don’t win battles and compete all over the ice,” Pandolfo said. “It makes it difficult. That was the issue all night.
On Tuesday night, another former UND hockey player scored his first NHL goal. Caroline Hurricanes forward Jackson Blakes's goal helped the Hurricanes defeat the New Jersey 4-2. At the 10:16 mark of the third period, Blake scored the game-winning goal. It didn't take Blake long to score his first NHL goal in his third career game, and 106:18 into his second season.
Here's what his former coach had to say about his first NHL goal.
"I gotta be honest; reading what was going on, I don't think they were giving him a great chance to make that Carolina hurricane team, UND head coach Brad Berry said. "I think he was pegged to be in the minors right away and work his way up. That tells you what Jackson Blake is as far as what he did for a body of work here, being relentless, being a guy that was one of our best, if not our best player, every day, coming on the ice and for me as a coach, then it's worth it.
"When you leave North Dakota, which has a lot of things going on here, you want to make sure they have an opportunity for themselves to make the big club instead of toiling in the minors for years. For Jackson Blake, he got there. He has to stay there. He has to continue to earn it to be that everyday NHL player; many of our guys have done that just because they know their humility and what it takes to earn it every day."
Here's what his teammates had to say.
"Every day I think I just get more comfortable," Blake said after the game during the post-game media scrum. "I'm realizing that I think I belong here in this league, and I've got to show it every night. I think every day is a tryout. I felt comfortable tonight and I think I'm just going to continue to feel that."
"It's awesome. Everyone's going to remember your first goal. Like Roddy said, we might not remember this game, but Blaker will for the rest of his life," Shayne Gostisbehere said. "For him and his family, it's all the hard work everyone put in to help get him to that point. Getting the game-winning goal is pretty cool, too."
Last week, the University of North Dakota hockey team picked up a commitment from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The recruit in question is Winkler Flyers' leading scorer, Dalton Andrew. The Brandon, Manitoba native, has committed to UND for the 2024-25 season. Looking back, there haven't been many UND players to come out of the MJHL; recently, Riese Gaber Dauphin Kings, the Steinbach Pistons, and Cole Smith Steinbach Pistons are two that come to mind. However, if you look at their All-Time Scoring Leaders, there are some familiar names.
This past season, Andrew scored (43g-39a-82) points in 54 games. Yes, that led the MJHL. It will be interesting to see how he fits into the 2024-25 version of the Fighting Hawks.
Andrew's team, the Flyers, are currently playing in the Centennial Cup. According to the Flyers page, Andrew scored four goals against the Sioux Lookout Bombers to lead the Winkler Flyers to a 4-2 win.
“Dalton has shown a high level of growth not only this season but yearly throughout his entire three years in Winkler. He continually shows commitment to his off ice and on ice training during all parts of the year, especially during Christmas breaks to ensure his game would continue to rise throughout the season. He has been receptive to the coaching and teaching that would help develop his individual game and prepare him as a person and player for the high level of hockey coming next season. DA has worked extremely hard, and with the help and support of his teammates, family, billet family, trainers, and the rest of the coaching staff, is very deserving of this next opportunity at the University of North Dakota. Congratulations to Dalton and his family.” GM & Head Coach Justin Falk and the hockey operations staff could not be more thrilled for the Andrew family.
Andrew gave his thoughts on being a Winkler Flyer “I think being a Winkler Flyer showed me how to be a professional, every day is a chance to get better. Having three ex NHL coaches was awesome, they really showed me how to take my game to the next level, from the extra work at the end of practices to the different tools and knowledge they provided me with, along with my work ethic. This all helped me get better over my three years here which led me to success.” He added that his thoughts on the organization “I have nothing but great things to say about the Flyers organization. From the coaching staff to the trainers, our marketing guy all the people behind the scenes, Including board members and volunteers. They really make it easy on us as players and allow us to focus on just playing the game which I think helped a lot." (Link to story)
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.
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 is 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.
There's an old hockey cliche: It's very hard to end a team's season. On Saturday night, the UND hockey team looked like a determined team. They were determined not to play game three. It was pretty straightforward: Lose to the lowly RedHawks, and they'd be back on the ice on Sunday night. Mission accomplished: When the final horn sounded, the Hawks left no doubt as they crushed the Miami RedHawks 7-1 and sent them home looking for answers.
Seven different players scored goals for UND - at the 13:17 mark of the first period, Riese Gaber scored his 18th goal of the season to give UND a 1-0 lead. Gaber is two short of 20 goals, and if he can reach 20 goals, it will be the first time since the 2005-06 season that three UND players have had 20 or more goals: Drew Stafford, 24; Jonathan Towes, 22; and T.J. Oshie, 24.
The Hawks scored another in the second and five in the third period to blow the game open. It was an impressive win against a bad hockey team.
In one of the nice stories of the year, graduate forward Hunter Johannes scored the first UND goal of the season at Ralph and the last goal of the season at Ralph. This was a player that wanted to play at UND but didn't get the opportunity. After playing three seasons at AIC, he transferred to Lindenwood College. Due to COVID-19, he benefited from having a fifth year and transferred to UND—his dream school. He's made the most of his opportunity.
The three stars of the game were 1st star Jackson Blake (1g-2a-3pts), 2nd Star Jackson Kunz (1g-2a-3pts), and third star of the game Hobie Hedquist 28 saves. It was the second multipoint game of Kunz's career and the first three-point game of his career. Kunz has (5g-6a-11pts) in his last 13 games. When asked about having his first three-point game of his career, Kunz was pretty low-key.
"I don't like talking about myself too much," Kunz said. "You're playing with good players, making one pass, and you don't know what they will do with it. I'm lucky to be able to be out there with the guys we have."
It didn't matter what the RedHawks game plan was; the Fighting Hawks had an answer for everything they tried. When a shot got through, the defense either blocked it, or freshman goalie Hobie Hedquist saved it.
"We had the puck on our stick," Miami head coach Chris Bergeron said. "(We) don't do what we're asking them to do; we turn the puck over to the wrong guy, and it's one zero."
This past weekend, UND's starting goalie was out with an undisclosed issue (injury or illness). During Saturday's post-game press conference, Brad Schlossman asked UND head coach Brad Berry for an update on his starting goalie. It was Mum's the word.
"We're not going to divulge very much information because it's the playoffs," Berry said. "As the week progresses, we'll share more information, but right now, it's undisclosed."
No matter what the issue was, UND didn't need Persson. The rookie phenom stopped 51 of 53 shots (.962). During the first period of Saturday's game, Hedquist was tested early and made quite a few difficult stops.
Hedquist's play caught the eye of the Miami coach.
"For a guy who hasn't played much, he hasn't lost yet; he's 5-0 over 90 save percentage," Bergeron said. "They don't have bad players here. Whether he's played a bunch or not that much, he's proven he's a good player."
During the post-game press conference, I asked Coach Berry if he was tempted to ride a hot goalie and start him on Friday at the Frozen Faceoff.
"Yeah, everything's on the table, Berry said. "You've known us long enough that we will put a lineup together that gives us a chance to win. We have two very good goaltenders. Hobie proved himself now, and Ludvig proved himself in the past. We will go through the week here. We'll keep moving forward. It's nice to know guys get to come in and contribute."
The UND hockey team moved within one game of advancing to the 2024 NCHC Frozen Faceoff with an impressive 5-1 win over the last-place Miami RedHawks. After the first period, the game wasn't close. After taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, UND scored two in the second and two in the third to race past the hapless RedHawks.
Miami's season has been miserable. The RedHawks last won a game 63 days ago, on January 13, 2024. UND is looking to end Miami's season on Saturday at 6:07 p.m.
It was a night of surprises. UND senior goalie Ludvig Persson was a last-minute scratch, due to an unknown reason. Freshman goalie Hobie Hedquist took the net and stopped 23 of 24 shots for a .958 save percentage. Hedquist is 4-0-0, 2.28 GAA and .906 save percentage. In the post-game press conference, UND head coach Brad Berry was asked if Hedquist would be starting on Saturday.
"I don't know," Berry said. "I'll let you guys know tomorrow when you get to the rink."
On Friday night, UND junior forward Jake Schmaltz scored his first goal of the season—his first in 33 games. Schmaltz last scored on March 12, 2023. His goalless streak lasted one year and three days. Schmaltz was all smiles after the game.
"I figured I was due for one, and now we are just trying to keep building on it," Schmaltz said. "Hopefully, they keep falling for me.
With UND's win, UND improves to 25-10-2 and 15-8-1 NCHC. With the loss, Miami drops to 7-25-3 and 1-21-2 NCHC. The Hawks improve to 30-8-1 all-time against the RedHawks. UND is 14-3-2 against Miami in Grand Forks.
Another record was tied. With his goal and assist, freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage tied former defenseman Brian Lee for the most points by a rookie defenseman at UND since the 1999-00 season. When asked about tying Brian Lee's record, Livanavage brushed his accomplishment off.
"(I am) not focused on that right now," Livanavage said. "We've got a lot of season ahead of us. That's what I'm focused on. I don't care about the individual awards. I care about the team aspect."
UND's high-octane offense. UND now has two 20-goal scorers. On Friday, Jackson Blake scored his 20th goal of the season, becoming the second player to hit 20 goals. Blake and Cameron Berg are the first two players to score 20 goals since the 2015-16 season when Brock Boeser and Drake Caggiula accomplished that feat. Riese Gaber scored his 17th goal of the season, giving UND the possibility of having three players score 20 or more goals.
It was a weird night in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. All the home teams won, and not a single road team broke through. On Friday, the University of North Dakota hockey team appeared to suffer from the Penrose Cup hangover. UND came out a step slow and chased the game for 50 minutes.
The Hawks didn't play badly; Omaha just played better. They made a push in the third period, but it wasn't enough.
"We didn't start on time." head coach Brad Berry said. "That was a desperate team. They were sharper than we were in the first two periods. We played with some desperation in the third, but in this league, you got to play three periods."
"We knew they were going to be a hungry team, UND captain Riese Gaber said. "They came out hungry. That was a difference. We had a good third period, but we got outworked in the first half of the game. That ended up being the deciding factor."
"They were the hungrier team," Louis Jamernik V said. "It's such a mental game. We did a good job preparing all week and doing the right things. It just comes down to who wants it more. They won the puck battles and puck races, especially in that first half. We didn't give up. I thought our third period was pretty good. We were 14 and 4 for shots. It shows when we're playing desperate hockey, we can dominate."
"I thought our game, all three periods, was very good' Omaha head coach Mike Gabinet said, "Guys played extremely well."
It wasn't all negatives for UND. Sophomore forward Jackson Blake set the NCHC's conference scoring record with an assist in the first period, his 36th conference point of the season. He broke the record held by former UND forward Brock Boeser (2015-16) and DU forward Bobby Brink (2021-22).
Junior forward Cameron Berg scored his 20th goal of the season, becoming the second player since Shane Gersich, 21 goals in 2016-17 to reach 20. Looking at the player stats for the UND hockey team, the Hawks could have three players with 20 or more goals.
Even with the loss, UND remains at No. 3 in the Pairwise Rankings.
Special teams play: UND went 1-for-4 on the power play. UND's penalty kill remained hot; the Hawks have now killed 14 straight penalties since Feb. 16, 2024.
When I walked into Ralph Engelstad Arena on hockey media day back in September, I could feel the energy and a buzz in the building. I picked up a vibe as I interviewed some new players. I had a feeling. As I started watching this team play, they started racking up wins. I told Virg Foss that this team had a chance to do good things. I even compared them to the 2016 team. As the final horn sounded on Saturday's game, UND won 3-0. The Hawks clinched the series against the Broncos and the Penrose Cup outright.
Even more impressive is that this is UND's fourth Penrose Cup in the last five seasons and UND's sixth in the previous 11 seasons. This is one goal on the list of things that UND wants to do. UND is looking to check more boxes.
"We have a winning culture," Hunter Johannes said. "We're going to get back to work; we want to bring this town, these fans, and our families what we deserve. We're going to come in and work every day for it."
Defensively, it was a solid team effort. UND goalie Ludvig Persson was solid in net, stopping 35 of 35 shots. When Persson wasn't making saves, the players in front of him blocked 26 shots. For the weekend, UND blocked 52 shots. Persson was named the game's number-one star. The Hindås, Sweden native, appears to have found another gear.
Before coming to UND, Persson had been on Miami teams that were cellar dwellers at the bottom of the NCHC standings. During Persson's prior three seasons, the RedHawks had never won more than eight games. If you add up all three season's wins, the RedHawks won 20 games; this season, UND is 24-8-2. Saturday, Persson recorded his fifth shutout of the season. In three previous seasons, he had a combined total of five shutouts. Persson is (21-8-2, 2.44 GAA and a .908 save percentage).
On February 16-17, 2024, the Colorado College Tigers swept UND by a combined score of 13-3. Since that weekend, UND has rebounded, going 4-0, outscoring the opposition 18-5, and recording two shutouts. UND goalie Ludvig Persson played a big part in that. This past weekend, Persson stopped 69-of-72 shots for the weekend. That's a .958 save percentage.
What went through Persson's mind as he was handed the Penrose Cup?
"Lots of thoughts going through your mind," Persson said. "It's been a journey to get there. A lot of emotions. It's a long journey to get here. I'm going to take it all in. Just enjoy the moment. I am just happy."
Jackson Blake is on a five-game point streak and scored (2g-9a-11pts) during that streak. Last night, he scored his 19th goal and 50th point of the season. He's now tied with Brock Boeser and Bobby Brink for the NCHC record for most conference points in a season. Blake is the first UND player since Brock Boeser to score 50 or more points.
Friday night's theme: "Our goalie really bailed us out."
Sometimes wins don't come easy. Friday, the University of North Dakota was badly outshot 37-17 but still prevailed with a hard-fought 5-3 win. Senior goalie Ludvig Persson was rock solid in net, stopping 33 of 37 shots (.918); many were grade-A shots. Fighting Hawks blocked 26 shots led by defenseman Bennett Zmolek and Dylan James with five blocked shots each. It was a gritty team effort.
"I gotta give a shout-out to Luddy (Ludvig Persson)," Carson Albrecht said. "He stood on his head, and I don't think we would have won without him."
UND received balanced scoring. Five players scored goals for UND: Owen McLaughlin, Jackson Kunz, Louis Jamernik V, Carson Albrecht, and Cameron Berg.
Last night, Blake continued his torrid pace with (0g-2a-2pts). Blake sits in fourth place in the national scoring race behind Boston College's Will Smith (17g-37a-54pts), Cutter Gauthier (31g-20a-51pts), Gabe Perreault (15g-35a-50pts), Blake (18g-31a-49pts), Boston University Macklin Celebrini (26g-22a-48pts), and Denver University's Jack Devine (22g-26-48pts). Can we say Hobey Baker? (Link to National Scoring Stats) According to Brad Schlossman, with Blake's two assists, he's within one point of the NCHC record for most league points in a season (35). The record is held by former UND forward Brock Boeser (2015-16) and former Denver Pioneer Bobby Brink (2021-22). (Yeah, that Brink.)
There's a lot on the line on Saturday night.
"There's a ton of motivation tomorrow to know you can do it on the second last series of the year, at home, on senior night, which is always emotional, Berry said. "(In the past) our guys have done a good job on senior night, they know what's coming, but they block it out till the end of the game. They know the task at hand. That's going to be a salty team coming in tomorrow. They probably thought they deserved a better fate. At the end of the day, that's hockey."
With the 5-3 victory, the UND hockey team inched closer to winning their fourth Penrose Cup in the last five years and their sixth in the previous 11 years. With a win against Western Michigan on Saturday night, UND would clinch at least a share of the Penrose Cup. If UND wins and Denver sweeps SCSU, UND will win the Penrose outright. There are numerous other scenarios still out there.
"We control our destiny, Jamernik V said. "If we play the right way, everybody will bring it tomorrow because it's senior night. We have to stay focused on the task at hand."
Former UND forward Matteo Costantini returned to the Ralph Engelstad Arena and recorded (1g-1a-2pts). A change of scenery has done Costantini well; he now has (8g-18a-26pts) and is also a plus-20.
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."
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.
On Saturday, the UND hockey team looked to avenge their 7-1 loss from the previous night. UND came out, pushed the pace, and took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission with goals from Abram Wiebe and Cameron Berg. In the first period, UND played well, but Kaiden Mberko stood tall in the net and was almost impenetrable. UND also benefited from a five-minute major penalty and a 5-on-3 power play opportunity. In the end, the Hawks could only score once on the power play, failing to put the Tigers away when they had the chance. The Tigers tied the game in the second period with a goal from Evan Werner.
The game got away from the Hawks in the third period. They gave up four goals in eight minutes and 41 seconds with goals from Logan Will, Gleb Veremyev (X2), and Noah Laba. We all know the end result, a 6-2 loss.
Waking up on Sunday morning, some in the NoDak Nation hockey fanbase are unhappy. Some are questioning the coaching staff and player's efforts. Some appear to be in panic mode. While the wins were not there this past weekend, not all is lost. Despite two resounding defeats, UND is "still" sitting third in the Pairwise Rankings and leading the NCHC by one point. What they do from here on out is up to them.
When the ink dries on the UND hockey team's 2023-24 season, the final line and box scores will read. UND was swept (7-1 L, 6-2 L) by the Colorado College Tigers. Will this be a defining moment for UND's season? Will it be a blip on the radar? During the 2015-16 season, UND traveled to Denver on February 12-13, 2016, and was swept (4-1 L, 6-4 L). UND would return home, go 12-1-1, and win a national title. Looking at the schedule and the record, it's eerily similar. Is this the same kind of team as the 2015-16 team? I don't know. UND has a team to make a run. I wonder if they have the mental makeup to do it. They have the talent.
The goaltending has to be better, but it's not all Ludvig Persson's fault; I thought his d-corp left him out to dry a few times. He also needs a better save percentage than .899, which isn't good enough for the NCAA playoffs.
The post-game comments from the team are subdued, but they know what they have to do.
"There was a little desperation trying to get that next goal," Berry said. "We played a pretty good game. That kid at the other end made 43 saves and had a career-high in saves to win a game, and I thought he was the difference tonight."
The Players echoed their coach's sentiments.
"I thought we had breakdowns; honestly, when we had those breakdowns, it ended up in our net," Jake Schmaltz said. "We had a lot of looks -- we had a lot of shots, but they weren't going in. It's just frustrating. We got to protect Ludvig a little better."
"We got a few things to work on, Garrett Pyke said. "Friday night, we didn't come out, we didn't have our legs, and we didn't execute like we wanted to. Today was a better game, but we will watch the film and learn from a few things. We're going to keep on growing."
"Our program has high expectations," Berry said. "Our players expect a lot. Our fans expect a lot. We got to stay positive and work on the things we need to work on to get better, which we will do this week. There's no room for negativity in our group. We've done a lot of good things with a body of work together with positive attitudes, and the guys are working extremely hard. The main thing is the 25 guys in that locker room staying together and believing in each other."
On Friday, the University of North Dakota hockey team had their record-tying regulation unbeaten streak end. It wasn't pretty; UND looked slow, rattle, and disjointed. The Hawks had no answer for the Tigers. Both UND goalies were left to fend for themselves as the Hawks players were pedestrian watching the Tigers make plays.
When the UND players got a shot on the Tigers net, the puck would hit the iron, or CC's All-Conference goalie Kaidan Mbereko (stopped 23-of-24 shots) was there to make the save. It wasn't a good night for UND. You'd have a hard time finding any positives from UND's 7-1 loss to the Tigers. Someone tweeted on X that it's better to get this out of the way now than have it happen in March or April. There's a lot of truth to that. There's no need to panic.
There is a positive; even with Friday's stumble, UND is still sitting at No. 2 in the all-important Pairwise rankings.
After being the conference doormat for many seasons, it was a historic night for the CC. Entering the 2023-24 season, the Tigers were 90-227-30 (.302) since the inception of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. This season, the resurgent Tigers (17-9-1, 11-6-0 NCHC) are suddenly in third place in the NCHC standings.
Friday's loss was a beating UND hadn't seen since the mid-1990s. The six-goal margin of victory was the biggest over UND since October 30, 1994. Moreover, the Tigers last won three straight games over UND in 1995. Granted, if you play a team long enough, you're going to lose. It's the law of averages. Nonetheless, the 7-1 loss still stings.
For comparison's sake, CC won the special teams play. The Tigers went 4-for-5 on the power play. UND was 1-for-4. UND will have to be better in game two if they want to bring home some points. Friday was the first time UND allowed four power play goals in a game since February 11, 2012, at Minnesota Duluth, when UND lost 5-4 to the Bulldogs.
"They're sour, and I'm sour," head coach Brad Berry said. "Not many times can I remember North Dakota giving up seven goals. There's pride in that locker room, and there's going to be a push tomorrow. It was a big wake-up call tonight that we got to be better. Everybody's got to bring it tomorrow, not just a few guys. Our PK has to be better."
"It starts with urgency," Captain Riese Gaber said. "We got outworked. It doesn't matter how good of a team you are. It all comes down to puck battles - puck races. In that department, we got beat pretty bad tonight."
"They just outworked us," Louis Jamernik said. "We got into trouble with the penalties. They did a great job on their power play and capitalized on our mistakes. It came down to will and they had more will than us. It's disappointing, but this is the same feeling we felt when we lost in OT. We want to win every single game. It doesn't matter whether it's regulation or not. We had a good chat with the leadership speaking out, and we know what we need to do tomorrow."
Friday night, a couple of point streaks ended. Sophomore forward Jackson Blake saw his 10-game point streak come to an end. That was the second-longest streak of his two-year career. Junior forward Cameron Berg was held without a point for the first time in seven games.
The highlight for the Tigers was freshman forward Zaccharya Wisdom, who scored (4g-1a-5pts), pushing his season point total to (10g-4a-14). On a positive note, Tigers forward Noah Laba was held goalless. The sophomore forward has scored seven goals in the last eight games.
Things don't always come easily for the University of North Dakota hockey team. Entering the weekend, this looked like a series in which UND would dominate from the drop of the first puck to the final whistle. It was Miami; they had won a single NCHC conference game and were 1-12-1 in conference play. Some in NoDak Nation wondered if this could be a trap series.
When the final horn sounded, UND had completed the sweep of the RedHawks with a 4-1 win. While it wasn't a dominating series win, UND took 11 of 12 points in the season series. More importantly, it was the second series in a row where UND had closed out an opponent, winning the season series.
It was a series in which UND graduate defenseman Logan Britt had a great weekend on the score sheet. On Saturday, he scored two goals to lead UND. Britt scored three goals on the weekend to push his goal total to five, a career-high. It was also the first time in his career that Britt had scored a pair of goals.
Saturday was a bounce-back game for senior goalie Ludvig Persson. After letting in four goals the night before, Ludvig Persson was stellar between the pipes, stopping 33 of 34 shots (.970).
Earlier this week, I listened to the UND hockey podcast, and Brad, Eli, and Feldy talked about statistics. This season's UND hockey is a stats geek's dream. There are so many positive stories to run on. Below are some storylines from this weekend's series against the Miami RedHawks.
Saturday's game against the RedHawks was a parade to the penalty box for UND. They played an undisciplined game and took an excessive amount of penalties; UND entered the game, averaging 6 minutes a game in penalties minutes. Saturday, UND was assessed eight minor penalties for 16 penalty minutes. After Saturday's game, UND is still ranked 4th least penalized team in the nation. I am sure UND will want to clean that up before the playoffs.
Forward Jackson Blake extended his point streak to 10 straight games (6g-11a-17pts). Moreover, Blake has scored 13 points in his last six games (5g-8a-13pts). He also has 10 multi-point games. In 28 games, he's scored (17g-22a-39pts).
Cameron Berg is having a career year. Saturday, he pushed his career-long point streak to seven, where he's scored (6g-4a-10pts). Berg has eight goals in the last 10 games. In 28 games, he's scored (15g-14a-29pts).
UND head coach Brad Berry recorded his 200 win behind the UND bench. Berry's team also improved to 20-6-1 and 11-4-1 NCHC.
"The guys gave me a puck today in the locker room," Berry said. It was pretty emotional. I've been here for a while and told them this isn't just me. It was the players in the locker room- the players that came before them - an amazing coaching and support staff. We have a great staff here. It's a team award, but I told them I'll hand this puck in right now and trade it for championships and banners."
With Saturday's win, UND tied the program record for the longest regulation unbeaten streak, reaching 21 games. UND has not lost a game in regulation since November 3, 2023 (against BU, 3-2 loss). In 2024, UND improved to 8-1-1 (.850).
Since moving to the NCHC, UND has owned the RedHawks. After Saturday's win, UND is 29-8-1 (.776) all-time against the RedHawks and 12-4-2 in Oxford, OH.
Good teams find ways to win games.
On Friday night, it was an adventure that didn't lack excitement. Entering this weekend's series against the RedHawks, some probably thought this series was an easy six points. As we've discovered over the years, you can't take any NCHC team for granted. Any team can win on any given night. That's why UND head coach Brad Berry has called this league the gauntlet. On Friday night, the UND Hockey team flirted with defeat.
The UND hockey team didn't have their A-game in the first period. They came out a step slow and let the opposition forwards roam in the UND D-zone. The two teams traded goals, by Miami's Thomas Daskas and UND's Jake Livanavage. Lucky for NoDak, the score was only 1-1 after one period of play.
In the second period, the RedHawks outscored the Fighting Hawks 3-1 and took a 4-2 lead into the third period.
In the final 20 minutes, UND went to work. They chipped away and fought back, scoring two goals by Logan Britt and Riese Gaber in the final 10.33 to tie the game with just under a minute remaining in regulation.
At the 1:24 mark of the 3-on-3 overtime, Jackson Blake completed the comeback with his third game-winning overtime goal of the season. That leads UND.
With the win, UND head coach Brad Berry is one win away from his 200th win and its 20th win of the season. Berry's teams have won 20 or more games five times in his nine seasons as the UND head coach. All-time, Berry is 199-98-33 (.653).
With the comeback win in overtime, UND extended its impressive run without a regulation loss in 20 games, one game shy of tying the program record.
When UND play-by-play announcer Tim Hennesy brought it up during the post-game radio interview, Berry played it off. Rightfully so, Berry is more focused on team goals than personal success.
With the win, UND improves to 28-8-1 all-time against Miami and 11-4-2 in Oxford, OH.
UND forward Griffin Ness is a team-first player. At the same time, he’s not always in the lineup. According to his head coach, he never complains. He’s played in 18 of 25 games and been a healthy scratch in seven of UND’s games.
“He has a team-first mentality,” Berry told the Grand Forks Herald. “He’s always doing whatever is asked of him in any situation. It’s not easy. It’s not easy to be called upon and be expected to come in and play well. But he’s responded every time. Teams that have depth have a chance to win down the road. He has another opportunity to do that.”
Last night in the second period, he scored his third goal of the season to give UND a 2-0 lead. Ness’s goal sent the hometown fans into a frenzy. His goals also gave his teammates on the bench a much-needed lift.
“Coach (Berry) talked about it before the game: how everyone is important,” Pehrson said. “Ness has been doing a great job over his time here and doesn’t complain. It shows how good he is, and he’s ready whenever his number gets called.”
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