Goon's Takeaways: UND Sweeps Miami with 4-1 Win

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. 

Goon's Takeaways: UND Rallies, Wins 5-4 in OT

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 Sweeps Pioneers, 4-2. UND Sits All Alone on Top of the NCHC Standings

After a successful weekend by the hometown team, NoDak Nation is all smiles. The UND hockey dominated all weekend, sweeping their arch-rival, the Denver Pioneers (5-2 W, 4-2W). I would classify this past weekend's series as an ice-bag series. UND was the first team in 2023-24 to beat Denver in back-to-back games. What's more impressive, UND held the Pioneers top line of Mckade Webster, Massimo Rizzo and Jack Devine to a single point all weekend long. 

For the second straight game in a row, UND held DU to less than three goals, the first time that has happened this season. 

I think sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin said best: "They're a really good team, we don't like them."

With UND sweeping DU and Boston College sweeping BU, UND vaults into second place in the all-important Pairwise Rankings. If UND can maintain a top-four spot, that's Huge. With the sweep and Omaha taking four of six points against SCSU, UND is four points ahead of the Huskies and nine points ahead of DU and CC. During the regular season, UND went 3-1-0 against DU and took 10-of-12 points against the Pioneers. UND swept the Pioneers for the first time since November 5-6, 2021 (3-1 W, 4-1 W) in Grand Forks. 

At the 8:35 mark of the third period, the game was tied 2-2 when Pioneers defenseman Sean Behrens was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct. The Hawks would go on the power play and cash in with goals from McLaughlin and Riese Gaber. 

"Let's get one early, and let's get another," Gaber said. 

"This has to be the nail in the coffin," UND head coach Brad Berry said in the post-game press conference after his team went on the game-changing five-minute power play. 

UND had the attack mentality all weekend long. 

"Having that attack mentality, whether you're up in a game, we want to continue to build our lead; whether you're down, you're never out of it, UND head coach Brad Berry said. "Each game presents a different scenario, and you must make the most of it."

 

UND extended its regulation unbeaten streak to 19 games, the third-longest in school history. They can add to that total against the Miami RedHawks in Oxford, OH.

UND's top pointgetter, Jackson Blake, had another great weekend; he recorded a pair of assists to extend his point streak to eight games. Blake now has (16g-18a-34pts). Blake has nine multi-point games and six three-point games. 

Sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin has caught fire and has multiple points in five of his last eight games. He had another three-point game on Saturday night, his fifth of the season. He's tied with Blake with nine multi-point games. McLaughlin now has (9g-19a-28pts). That's good for second on the team in points. McLaughlin has accomplished this impressive point total despite being held pointless in his first four games of the season and a three-game stretch in December where he was held pointless. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg remained hot, scoring a goal for the fifth straight game, giving him 10 points (7g-3a-10pts) in the last nine games.

Griffin Ness Shines in Limited Ice Time

 

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.”

Need a big goal? Griff has you covered. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/y2Iq7qKIov

— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) January 27, 2024

This was originally posted on Inside Hockey.

Goon's Takeaways: UND Races Past DU, 5-2

Walking into Ralph Engelstad Arena Friday night, you could feel the energy; there was a buzz. During the warmups, it got louder. The DU vs. UND series is one of the matchups the fans and players circle on their calendars. When the final horn sounded, UND fans would leave Ralph happy. Here are my takeaways from Friday's convincing 5-2 win. 

On Friday night, it was about the details. UND played a solid defensive game and held the Pioneers to two shots on goal during the first period. In the second period, UND was outshot 10-9 but outscored the Pioneers 3-1. 

After dominating Denver in the first period, halfway through the second, Dylan James and the little-used Griffin Ness gave UND a 2-0 lead. A minute and 37 seconds later, Pioneers Defenseman Zeev Buium got the Pioneers on the board. At the 17:10 mark of the second period, the Hawks got their first and only power play goal with a snipe from Jackson Blake. 

At the 14:42 mark of the third period, the Pioneers would cut UND's lead to one with a goal from junior forward Aidan Thompson. That was all the closer the Pioneers would get; UND would score two empty net goals (Cameron Berg and Ben Strinden) to give UND a 5-2 win. 

Details: How good was UND's defense? Denver is the top offensive team in the country, and they're averaging 5.1 goals per game. For comparison sake, UND is the fifth ranked team in goals scored. Entering Friday's game, the Pioneers had scored at least three goals per game. UND's defense held the Pioneer's high-flying offense to two goals and Massimo Rizzo and Jack Devine without a point. 

"We know they're a good rush team," head coach Brad Berry said. "They jump four or five guys at that time. Puck management is one thing, and making sure that you close on guys quicker. When we give that team a little room, they can make plays, and our guys did a good job from start to finish, taking time and space away." 

Friday, against the Pioneers, UND played its best defensive game of the year. 

"I thought it was a really good 60 minutes, probably one of our better ones of the year," UND graduate defenseman Keaton Pehrson said.

   

With the 5-2 win, UND sits alone in first place in the NCHC standings with 29 points. With their 7-6 loss to the Omaha Mavericks, St. Cloud State is in second place, 2 points behind. Denver is third with 23 points. If UND could win the series finale, they would be nine points ahead of the Pioneers.

What else can we say about sophomore forward Jackson Blake? This week, UND announced he was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award candidate. He's the team's leading scorer (16g-16a-32pts) and a plus-three. Last night, he added a goal and an assist for his eighth multi-point game of the season, which leads UND. Blake extended his point streak to seven games and has scored in three straight. Finally, Blake has been very successful against the Pioneers. He has scored 11 points (3g-8a-11pts) in seven career games.

Junior forward Cameron Berg has been on a roll. He's scored (13g-12a-25pts) and is tied for second in points with Owen McLaughlin. With his two points (1g-1a-2pts), he now has seven multi-point games. Like his teammate Blake, Berg has had some success against the Pioneers; after last night's two-point game, he now has 10 points (5g-5a-10pts) in nine career games. Finally, West Fargo Native Berg has six goals and two assists in his last seven games. 

With the 5-2 win, UND improves to 158-135-16 (.547) all-time against Denver. UND holds a 93-46-10 advantage on home ice. In recent years, this series has been pretty even; UND is 8-7 in the last 15 games against the Pioneers. After losing four straight games last season, UND has won two of the previous three meetings between the two foes.

The UND hockey team has gone 18 straight games without losing in regulation. Their last regulation loss was on Nov 3, 2023, when UND lost to BU 3-2. 

Responding to Jim Rich’s Rant, the Students Weren’t the Problem

This past weekend, the University of North Dakota hockey team traveled to St. Cloud, Minnesota, to take on the St. Cloud State in a critical NCHC matchup. It was a fantastic weekend of hockey. The games were available on Midco Sports Net via Fox 9+ and NCHC.TV. 

For the most part, the video feed was pretty good; during the two broadcasts, there were a couple of kerfuffles. In the first period of Friday's game, the person running the camera missed Garrett Pyke's goal. Only after a replay were we able to watch the goal. The people doing the graphics also messed up a few of the UND players' schools by putting NDSU instead of UND. That's a big mistake, even for a student on the broadcast team.  

“Jackson Blake-NDSU”

Just when this broadcast couldn’t be more of a clown show pic.twitter.com/de1odfRedW

— UND Hockey Recruits (@UNDPuckCommits) January 20, 2024

Let's take a look at the men in the announcer's booth who had a tough weekend. Play-by-play announcer Jim Rich couldn't pronounce at least three of UND's players. Rich regularly screwed up Jake Livanavage, Carson Albrecht, and Riese Gaber. Rich is a veteran announcer and should be able to read a pronunciation guide from the game notes. His color guy, Geno Parrish, could pronounce all of the UND players' names. Try it; it's not complicated. I took this from the pronunciation guide from the UND hockey notes: LIVE-an-AH-vidge, gay-burr, ALL-breckt. 

Perusing X during the games, UND fans pointed out the broadcast's shortcomings all weekend. We're spoiled with who we have producing UND sports. It's no contest; they're the best in the business and have set the bar very high. 

SCSU broadcast crew has called Blake-Black and Gaber-Garber…maybe hire some professionals? My god it’s bad

— PT (@PThomas19) January 21, 2024

During one of the breaks in the first period, SCSU play-by-play announcer Jim Rich started a rant. 

"We have Midco Sports Net joining us again tonight, along with Fox Nine Plus," Rich said. "We'd like to remind all the viewers that this is a student production. All these kids are learning on the fly, just like the players. They make mistakes once in a while, but they all want to get to the next level. These guys want to get to the NHL. These kids are behind the camera and running graphics, TD, you name it. These guys are all going to be pros as well in this business." 

His Color guy, Geno Parrish, replied. 

"And they have they've done that," Parrish said. "I know Mark Parrish (NHL Analyst) and Kristen Kroll are there. A Katie Storm may also work in the National Hockey League and the NBA." 

Rich replied.

"Exactly," Rich replied. They may be a little green here, but they turn out to be dynamic just because this program does such a wonderful job." 

Look, there's no question that St. Cloud State puts out some great media people. Midco Sports has Taylor Budge, who reports for UND sports on Midco. She's a graduate of SCSU. Also, for the most part, the students weren't the problem this weekend despite a few minor mistakes that were cleaned up on Saturday night. During the Saturday night broadcast, no NDSU hockey players played for UND. The problem was the veteran TV guy in the announcer's booth. 

Finally, Jordan Schmaltz was not a member of the famed CBS Line. His brother Nick was. 

Goon’s Takeaways: UND Takes 4 of 6 Points From SCSU With 3-3 Tie

On Saturday, the University of North Dakota hockey team took four of six points against St. Cloud State to vault them to the top of the NCHC standings. In the upcoming weeks, UND has an excellent opportunity to solidify its spot at the top of the NCHC standings. It starts this weekend against the Denver Pioneers. 

UND is on an impressive run; this was another weekend without a regulation loss. UND hasn't lost in regulation since November 3, 2023, at Boston University. That's a 17-game streak. Yes, UND is 2-4-2 in overtime, but the team is working on getting better in the 3-on-3 overtime. Last night, UND possessed the puck for most of the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime. 

"We're the only NCHC team that hasn't lost in regulation," UND head coach Brad Berry said. "We haven't lost in regulation since early November. That tells me a lot." 

 It's still a work in progress, but UND is focused on closing out games in regulation. 

"We've got to do a better job of closing the game in 60 minutes to win games," Berry said. "When we're trailing in games, we find a way to get points. That's a huge deal, coming out of here with the series win, knowing we don't play them again until the playoffs. It's the resiliency of our group." 

A few weeks ago, I told Virg foss that freshman forward Jayden Perron is about to break out. After making this bold prediction, Perron went pointless in four games. Perron ended his four-game pointless streak on Saturday by recording two assists for his first-ever multi-point game. 

Saturday, SCSU outshot UND 35-27; this was the first time this season that UND has been outshot in both games in a series. Speaking of shots. Against the Huskies, UND goalie Ludvig Persson was on top of his game. In both games combined, he stopped 66 of 72 shots for a .916 save percentage. On Saturday, Persson finished with 32 saves and improved his record to 13-6-2 (2.40 GAA and a .905 save percentage).  

What can we say about sophomore forward Jackson Blake? He continued his magical season with another solid weekend and extended his point streak to six games with his goal in the first period. He's scored (4g-4a--8pts) during that six-game streak. Blake has (15g-15a--30pts) for the season, and he's a plus-four.

NCHC.TV Revisited: What Are We Going to Get When the Entire NCHC Playoffs Are on Campus?

Today, I read a comment from a reader that inspired me to post. It read like this: 

St. Cloud TV graphic people were terrible. They showed a graphic listing Blake as from NDSU and another spelling Persson's last name as Pehrson, as like our defenseman by that spelling. Rough.

This is a fear that I have when the NCHC playoffs go entirely to home sites. It's no mystery not every team has the infrastructure that UND has. I get it; we're lucky to have the media partners that we have. I also think the conference needs to find a way to hold on to CBS Sports Network. Their broadcasts are very professional and done the right way. 

Great game at Robson last night! A really enjoyable crew to work alongside at the rink in Colorado and in the control room in Connecticut. Thanks to everyone with @CCTigerHKY and @MiamiOH_Hockey for their help this week! Two college hockey programs moving in the right direction. pic.twitter.com/petcGQkZ3u

— Alex Heinert - Midco Sports (@AlexHeinert) January 20, 2024

On this subject, I am broken record, but Midco Sports outshines every other school's webcasts. It's not even close. The video feed for Saint Cloud State's webcasts is good, but their play-by-play team could be better. Frankly, last night, they were atrocious. 

The broadcast team (Fox 9 and or Huskies Productions) needed help identifying the right North Dakota school their favorite team was playing. NDSU doesn't have college hockey; from what I hear, they don't plan on having a hockey team. Ever. Do your prep; it's goalie Ludvig Persson and defenseman Keaton Pehrson. 

Jim Rich has been doing this for a long time, you'd think he'd be able to read a pronunciation guide and be able to pronounce Jake Livanavage's name. It's harder to spell it than it is to say it. The color guy, Geno Parrish, was an absolute cheerleader. It was hard to listen to these two call the game. Is it okay to be homers in the booth? Probably, but there's taking it too far. 

I've already discussed this in NCHC TV: The Conference Can Do Better. I've had people ask me if the conference going to push for a higher standard or if we are going to be stuck with good enough is good enough. How do we hold the other schools accountable? I am sure we will hear some excuse about how they can't afford to up their game and we are just lucky to have the games webcast. 

It's all about the Benjamins. The conference is making money off NCHC.TV, regardless of whether they hold the schools with the substandard webcasts accountable. My question to fans is, is the product we have seen this season worth paying $115 a year? I don't think so.   

Florida's William Lockwood Takes Out Wild Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, Lockwood has a hearing with the Department of Players Safety

Last night the Minnesota Wild took on the Florida Panthers in a non-conference game in South Florida. The game started out with a bang, literally. 

At the 2:15 mark of the first period, Wild goalie Mark Andre Fleury went behind the net to play a puck, at the same time, Panters forward William Lockwood interfered with Fleury knocking him to the ice. If you watch the video, you will see that Fleury absorbed a vicious hit. 

For those that are wondering, Lockwood isn't a skilled player and was probably on the ice to cause havoic. Look at his stats, he's not known for his skill, in 51 NHL games, he's scored (0g-2-a--2pts). What was his purpose for being on the ice? Yes, he's in the NHL, but I don't see a lot of teams trying to pick him up in free agency. 

Midway through the game Fleury would leave the game and no return. The Panthers are notorious for being a dirty team.

Wild start to this game 👀 pic.twitter.com/GvUoz4GLe3

— Bally Sports Florida: Panthers (@BallyPanthers) January 20, 2024

Lockwood will have a hearing with the NHL's Department of Player Safety. I won't even try to predict how they will rule, George Parros has natoriously been soft on offending players.

Florida’s William Lockwood will have a hearing today for goalie interference on Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury.

— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) January 20, 2024

At the 5:58 mark of the first period, Lockwood fought Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime. The proper response for attempting to decapitate the Wild's goalie Fleury.

Goon's Takeaways: UND Beats SCSU, 5-3

Last season, the University of North Dakota hockey team didn't do very well against the St. Cloud State Huskies. In five games against UND, the Huskies dominated the Hawks 3-1-1 and ended their season. UND looked to right the ship on Friday against SCSU. Revenge was on the UND player's minds. 

This week in practice, the UND players kept that in the back of their minds as they traveled to St. Cloud to take on the Huskies. 

"I didn't have to talk about it during the week," head coach Brad Berry said. "I mentioned it once, and it kept coming back in conversations as a group. That's always a tough pill to swallow; when your season gets ended by the team you're playing, there's a little revenge there. The biggest thing for us, we got to stay hungry. We won a game tonight. There can't be any complacency. We got to make sure we're hungry, and we come out hard, just like we did this evening." 

"The first period gave us momentum throughout the game," Blake said. "There will be ups and downs, but we stayed with it and played well tonight."

The players know the importance of this series. It's the only regular season series between the two teams, and the importance of getting a good start and winning in regulation wasn't lost on the UND players. UND would race to a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals from Jackson Blake and Garrett Pyke.

SCSU and UND would exchange goals in the second period. In the back of their minds, UND fans had to wonder if the Hawks could hang on to the lead. In the third period, UND and SCSU scored two more goals, and when the final horn sounded, UND ended the night on top, winning the game 5-3. 

With the win, UND vaulted into first place in the NCHC standings. 

 "You want to be up there -- you don't want to be chasing," Jake Livanavage said. "Now we're in first place. We've earned it. We had a good first half. We just got to keep it rolling."

Embed below are the highlights from last night's game. It was one of the better games of the 2023-24 season. 

Here are some things that stuck out for me during Friday's game. 

UND goalie Ludvig Persson finished with a season-high 34 saves to improve to 13-6-1. After not being 100 percent a week prior, in game one against the Huskies, Persson was on top of his game, making 14 saves on 15 shots in the second period. In 20 games this season, Ludvig has a 2.38 GAA and a .904 save percentage. He also has three shutouts.

"Ludvig (Persson) was outstanding tonight," Berry said. "When he was called upon, he made some huge saves for us." 

Sophomore forward Jackson Blake had another multi-point game, his seventh of the season. That was also his sixth three-point game of the season. Blake has hit the 30-goal threshold for his career with his two-goal game. 

With his two-point game (two assists), sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin extended his point streak to five straight games. McLaughlin has scored four goals and six assists for 10 points in those five games. In 22 games, he's scored (8g-17a--25pts), and he's also plus-six. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg continued his torrid pace. He has points in 12 of his last 15 games, including 10 goals. Last night, Berg scored his 11th goal of the season, a career-high. In 23 games, Berg has scored (11g-11a--22pts), and he's also a plus-10.

Goon’s Takeaways: UND Sweeps Alaska With 6-2 Win

Entering the weekend, UND juggled their forward lines to spark offensive output. Head coach Brad Berry put Hunter Johannes, Cameron Berg, and Riese Gaber on the top line. That line got hot and sparked UND. When the weekend was over, the Hawks had scored 12 goals. 
For the weekend, the top line scored (7g-4a--11pts). 

Mission Accomplished.

UND swept the Nanooks in a convincing fashion (6-4 W and 6-2 W). UND finishes the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 9-2-1 record, its best mark since the 2019-20 season (9-1-1). 

UND captain Riese Gaber racked up (3g-3a--6pts); he also scored two of his three goals on the power play. After this weekend's play, Gaber now has six multi-point games and recorded back-to-back games with at least three points for the first time in his career. 

Junior forward Cameron Berg is getting hot at the right time. He has scored (8g-6a--14pts) in the last 12 games. Berg is fourth on the team in points with (9g-10a--19pts). 

Another player who had an outstanding weekend was sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin; he had a five-point weekend scoring (2g-3a--5pts). In 20 games, McLaughlin has scored (7g-13a--20pts), and he's a plus-six. 

Last night, grad student defenseman Garrett Pyke extended his point streak to seven games with an assist. This past weekend, he had three assists against his former team. Pyke has points in eight of the last nine games (2g-7a--9pts). In 20 games with UND, Pyke has (2g-15a--17pts). 

UND has now gone 13 straight games without a regulation loss, dating back to the 3-2 loss on November 3, 2023, at Boston University. 

 

Goon's Takeaways: UND beats, Alaska 6-4

Entering Friday's non-conference game against the University of Alaska, the University of North Dakota hockey changed their lines around to get more offense production out of their lineup. The new line combinations appeared to add a spark.

UND also started freshman goalie Hobie Hedquist after their starting goalie, Ludvig Persson, came down with an illness. Hedquist stopped 23 of 27 shots and recorded his first collegiate win. 

"I found out in our morning meetings that Luds (Ludvig Persson) was around the rink, and he ended up being too sick," Hedquist said. "Karl Goehring (KG) called me over and said that I'd be going in tonight."

UND didn't start out as quickly as they would've liked. The Hawks ended the first period down 1-0. UND took over in the second period, scoring five goals (Owen McLaughlin X2, Riese Gaber, Cameron Berg, and Louis Jamernik) and chased Nanooks goalie Pierce Charleson from the game. That was the most goals UND had scored in a single period since UND scored five goals in the third period on Oct. 12, 2019, vs. Canisius. 

"First period, not how we have to play," UND head coach Brad Berry said. "I got to commend the way they played. We knew through video and watching how they play. They are an older team. Everybody's over 20 years old; they look like it. They play like men. They played a hard, heavy game early, and our puck management wasn't the greatest. We didn't give ourselves a chance consistently to play in their end of the rink. We did a better job of that in the second period of playing more direct and more simple."

On Friday night, UND's power play cashed in twice on six power play chances. 

Sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin is heating up; he notched his fourth game with three points this season. McLaughlin now is tied for second in points with junior forward Cameron Berg. Finally, McLaughlin has five multi-point games. 

UND has gone 12 straight games without losing in regulation; their last regulation loss was on November 3, 2023, at Boston University. 

Tonight, senior forward Riese Gaber broke a three-game scoreless streak when he scored two goals against the Nanooks. It was the first time since November 18, 2023, Gaber had scored two goals in a game. Gaber now has five multi-point games. 

Sometimes I Have to Pinch Myself; My Sister’s Kid Plays in the NHL (Bobby Brink)

It's hard not to be a fanboy when my little sister's kid plays in the National Hockey League. Sometimes, I have to pinch myself and wonder if this is happening. It is. I wouldn't classify myself as a Flyers fan, but I've watched most of their games. 

The Flyers have a good young team, and they're starting to figure it out. The Flyers front office has drafted well and is developing a good team. This team is different from your father's favorite Broadstreet Bullies hockey team. They spend more time scoring goals than beating people up. 

How did we get here? Bobby Brink was the second-round pick (No. 34) of the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019 NHL Draft. 

During the 2021-22 season, Brink was the NCAA's leading points scorer with (14g-43a-57pts); he was also a plus 27. He wasn't the strongest in the faceoff dot going 2 for 6 or 33%. However, that wasn't his role. The Pioneers would win their 9th NCAA title, and Brink would sign with the Flyers after the championship game. Brink would finish his collegiate career with (27g-65a--92pts)in 84 games.  

Following his final collegiate season, Brink would play the Flyers last 10 games, recording four assists. In the offseason, Brink would have offseason hip surgery and miss the first half of the season. He'd play the entire 2022-23 season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League. In 41 games with the Phantoms, he scored (12g-16-28pts) in 41 games. He was also a minus-seven. 

So far this season, Brink has scored (6g-10a--16pts), and he's also a plus-five. He scored the first goal of his NHL career on October 26, 2023. Brink wasn't satisfied with one; he scored his second goal of the game. 

Here's Brink's latest goal.

Bobby Brink (6) gets us right back into the game
pic.twitter.com/s8F66eO0fe

— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) December 23, 2023

Here's his assist from Thursday night.

Bobby Brink's pass deflects off the leg of Morgan Frost, over the net, off the back of Saros, and in... insane!#LetsGoFlyers pic.twitter.com/3PecAiL3wQ

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 22, 2023

If I could give my nephew any advice, I would tell him to enjoy it as long as he can. You never know how long your playing career will last. Enjoy those charter flights and excellent hotels. Live the dream.

Hockey East Suspends BC Eagles D-Man Aram Minnetian One Game

It's not just the NHL's Department of Player Safety; now Hockey East appears to go lightly on a player. Why? I've been doing some digging. There are a few possible factors in this decision. 

Saturday, at the 1:35 mark of the second period, Boston College freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for cross-checking. Call it what you want; it was a dangerous play. 

Today, Minnetian was given a one-game suspension for his actions. Looking at the video, it would appear to be a light suspension. 

AMESBURY, Mass. – Hockey East announced today that Boston College freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 1:25 of the second period on Saturday, December 9 against Providence. Minnetian is ineligible to play Friday, January 12, against the Friars and is able to return to the Eagles' lineup on Saturday, January 13, at Providence.

Having seen the one angle that the broadcast showed, that might be light https://t.co/H3WVoLb2th pic.twitter.com/XbOk8Pd9yR

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) December 11, 2023

There's a twist to this: Minnetian has a chance to make Team USA and play in the World Junior Championship. Because of his suspension, he might have to sit a game if he makes the team. Did Hockey East go lightly on him because of the possibility that he might be on Team USA? From the sounds, he has a good chance of making the team. 

Minnetian is a candidate for Team USA at the World Juniors. Notably, BC does not play any games between now and the WJC. If Minnetian makes USA, likely has to sit a game. An OHL suspension once cost Stefan Noesen a spot on Team USA, though that was a 10-gamer. https://t.co/Utd1tLcjWe pic.twitter.com/gxsfdNTcr4

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) December 11, 2023

Here's what happened through the eyes of a BC hockey blog.

From BC Interupted: The second period opened with BC taking a major penalty of their own, with Aram Minnetian getting five minutes and a game misconduct for a taking a pretty nasty looking swing at a Providence player after a whistle behind the Friars’s net.

I am open to hearing why he was only given a one-game suspension. 

Goon's Takeaways: CC Beat UND 3-2 in OT

Friday night in Grand Forks, the University of North Dakota hockey team opened their two-game conference series against the Colorado College Tigers. This is the last series before the new year. UND would take a two-goal lead with goals from Dylan James and Louis Jamernik V. Then the momentum swung in CC's favor. 

At the 18:10 mark of the second period, UND was the power play when graduate forward Hunter Johannes took an ill-advised, undisciplined penalty in the O-Zone to negate UND's power play. Head coach Brad Berry was unhappy with the undisciplined play in the post-game press conference. It was a bad penalty to take. 

"When you're on a power play trying to score a goal, that's not the time to take a penalty," Berry said. "That's not being team first." It was a bad night for the hometown team; they were a step slow and looked out of sorts. 

"We got away from our game, our identity at North Dakota, Louis Jamernick V said. "That's playing hard, fast, winning puck battles."

 "It kind of got away from us as far as our game," Berry said. "It crept into the second for sure. Not enough guys going tonight. The Jamernik, Schmaltz, and James line were very good for us; they were our top line tonight and played a simple north game. They played fast and played direct, and I didn't think enough of our guys did." 

The Tigers scored three unanswered goals by Noah Laba and Max Burkholder to win 3-2 in OT. It was UND's second straight 3-2 loss in overtime and the first time this season they've dropped back-to-back games. The frustrating thing for the UND players and their fans is that UND held CC to zero shots in the final 22 minutes of the contest (third period and OT) until CC's Laba scored the game-winning goal. 

The Tigers 3-2 OT win snapped a 15-game unbeaten streak for UND, who hadn't lost to the Tigers since Mar. 1, 2019. 

You can watch the highlights below if you haven't seen the game. 

             

NCHC TV: The Conference Can Do Better

Saturday night, during the UND and DU game, UofHockeyblog tweeted out: 

"Credit where it’s due; these DU announcers are pretty funny." 

UofHockeyblog was referring to the Denver Pioneers radio play-by-play announcer. Jay Stickney is funny. In some cases, he goes over the line. A few years back, he compared Sioux fans to ISIS during the pre-game radio broadcast, which was also the UND and DU NCHC audio for their webcast. He didn’t care that NoDak Nation might hear his comments during the break. 

During their broadcast, they now mute the mics during breaks. Later in the game, DU radio voice Jay Stickney and his broadcast partner took a shot at UND graduate forward Hunter Johannes because he had attended three schools in three years. The play-by-play host referred to his choices as a “Bastion of Academy.” 

I imagine Lindenwood and American International College would also take issue with those comments. Also, Johannes couldn't transfer without penalty if he hadn't graduated, but why destroy a good argument. It was all in good fun, right?

Was that petty quip really necessary? It was unprofessional and unnecessary. We get it; both teams hate each other, and it’s a heated rivalry. 

I interviewed Hunter Johannes during the UND Hockey Media Day, and he’s an impressive young man. He’s positive and seems well-grounded. When I asked him about attending UND, his eyes lit up. 

"It's a tradition for my family," Johannes said during an interview on UND hockey media day. "My family was raised in North Dakota. My grandparents went to UND. My uncle went here. I have cousins that currently go here. Now I'm here. It's tradition, and it's family for me. When I came here, it felt like a home for me." 

Johannes, on his decision to come to North Dakota, "Honestly, it wasn't hard for me. This is where I've always wanted to go. So, when you don't get the chance right away, you work your ass off until you do, and that's just what I did." 

This is where Johannes wanted to be, and hard work paid off for him in the end. 

During a recent post-game press conference, Johannes was asked what he liked about playing at UND. 

“I wouldn't want to be in another arena,” Johannes said. “I wouldn’t want to be on another team. I wouldn't want to be next to another teammate. This place everything about is amazing. I love it here.”

I can't imagine a scenario where Midco Sports play-by-play and color hosts Alex Heinert and Jake Brandt would ever make those comments about an opposition player or their institutions. I’ve never heard them do that. 

The Midco hosts interview opposition players and give the other team props. Finally, I’ve never seen any of the NCHC schools conduct an interview of a player and accidentally show it again. I guess I'd expect more from one of the standard bearers in the NCHC. That’s a mistake a college television production might make, but probably not. Someone suggested bringing back the studio one. I know they did a better job than this. 

You would think if you’re going to produce a hockey broadcast that thousands of fans from the opposition schools listen to, you might not want to insult the players, fans, or other institutions. Maybe these players want to be here. Remember, not everyone in your audience is from the school you represent. 

 I know I’ve been hard on some of the member schools in our conference, but it’s year 11, and some of the schools are producing webcasts on NCHC.TV that aren’t up to standard. 

From an earlier post this week. I wrote about Ben Strinden checking at No. 3 in the NCHC Top-5 plays of the week. This was my rant about the quality of work that’s still showing up in year 11. This isn’t year one or two. True to form, in this week's NCHC Top 5 Plays of the Week, Miami University's goalie Logan Neaton's amazing save against Mercyhurst was in fifth place in the Top 5 Plays of the Week. It was hard to see to see his magnificent save because Miami’s highlight video was blurry. Miami University should be embarrassed for putting out this substandard product, but no one is going to hold them accountable.

Think about it. Many of us, including me, reupped our NCHC.TV subscription for $112.00. Is this video worthy of that price? Apparently, they didn't get the memo in Oxford, OH. I've talked about this subject extensively, and the webcast quality from some member schools hasn't improved in some instances. We didn’t have a play-by-play voice to start the second period, so I should’ve counted my blessings. 

I tweeted this out: 

Now, we don’t have any play by play. Which might not be a bad thing. Again, year 11 and we still haven’t figured it out. @TheNCHC

— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) December 3, 2023

Again, it's year 11, and we still haven’t figured it out. We still have blurry images, poor camera angles, no replays of opposition teams, only having one camera at center ice, standard definition instead of high definition. I could go on. You know that when CBS Sports Network does the broadcasts, the product will be awesome and well-produced. The next night, we went back to the same substandard webcast. Is it too much to ask to have a watchable webcast. NCHC hockey fans pay a lot of money to watch these webcasts, and one school has set the standard very high. None of the other schools in the NCHC have been able to meet these very high standards. 

Maybe the NCHC should contract Midco Sports to help them with webcasts. In August, the Summit League Conference made this announcement: 

"The Summit League is ecstatic to announce a new relationship with CBS Sports and an expanded partnership with Midco. This is a historic moment for the League, and these relationships will give fans a better experience to consume Summit League content, with more national exposure on CBS Sports Network and enhanced digital content through Midco," said Summit League Commissioner Josh Fenton. "In an ever-changing and complicated landscape of media rights, we believe the unique combination of CBS Sports and Midco helps the League and membership align with these established priorities." (Link to Release)

Midco Sports is top-notch and very professional. Yes, we're spoiled and lucky to have what we have in Grand Forks, ND. No one in the NCHC comes close to them. Is it fair to compare the other schools to UND? I think it is.

We are spoiled with @AHeinertMidco and @JakeBrandt30 and @TheREA media team. Was just watching the WMU Lindenwood game. It was the radio feed. Ooof.

— Zamboni (@zamboni81) December 3, 2023

As a major consumer of streaming services. I pay hundreds of dollars a year for streaming services: ESPN+ and NCHC.TV, Dirtvision, Flo Sports, AHL.TV, DirecTV. Just off the top of my head, I am also subscribed to other services not listed here. I can confidently say that outside two or three of these NCHC schools, none of them can compare to the productivity produced by Flo Sports and ESPN+. That’s unacceptable. 

 My question is, are fans just supposed to accept mediocrity while they’re paying a significant fee for this product? I am not the only one that is seeing this. I know, watching a lot of college football and basketball on ESPN+ haven’t seen any of these issues pop up.