UND traveled to Minneapolis, MN this past weekend, October 21st and October 22nd, to battle UMN on their home turf.  

Friday, October 21st  

UND scored the first goal of the period and the game. The first period started off with a bang for UND when Sophomore Forward Jake Schmaltz, assisted by Fifth-year Defender Ty Farmer, scored for the Hawks. For the rest of the period, there were no goals scored by either team.  

The second period ran for almost the entirety of the clock until Senior Defender Jackson LaCombe scored for the Gophers and was assisted by Senior Defender Ryan Johnson and Sophomore Forward Matthew Knies. UND retaliated quickly after. Junior Forward Riese Gaber, assisted by Graduate Defender Chirs Jandric and Schmaltz, scored the second goal for the Hawks ending the second period in excitement for the team and fans.  

The third period had the crowd on the edge of their seats. The period was a constant fight for the puck. Each team was holding on by a thread until UMN scored during the final moments of the period ending in a tie. Junior Forward Mason Nevers, assisted by Junior Defender Mike Koster and Freshman Forward Jimmy Snuggerud, scored the goal for the Gophers.  

The game went into overtime, and UMN scored within seconds. Fans went wild for the home team. The final score was 3-2, UMN won.  

Saturday, October 22nd  

UND fans were hopeful for a better night for their team. Although the previous night’s game was a nail biter, Saturday had a lot more in store for the hockey fanatics.  

The first period was intense to say the least. No goals were scored, which is evident that both teams were on their A-game for the night. With the period being so dull, fans were not expecting what was to come in the second period.  

Nearly right as the second period started, UMN Knies, assisted by LaCombe and Senior Forward Jaxon Nelson, scored. After several minutes had passed since the last goal, UMN Sophomore Forward Rhett Pitlick, assisted by LaCombe, scored again. UND, getting antsy, scored 2 minutes later by Freshman Forward Jackson Blake, assisted by Jandric. The Hawks scored again, tying the game, shortly after by Gaber, assisted by Jandric and Blake. The fierce battle of the second did not stop there. UND pulled ahead when Graduate Forward Mark Senden, assisted by Fifth-year Forward Gavin Hain and Junior Defender Cooper Moore, scored seconds after Gaber’s goals. Again, this time Sophomore Forward Jackson Kunz, assisted by Moore and Senior Defender Ethan Frisch, UND scored, and quite frankly, The Fighting Hawks fans were ecstatic. A buzzer beater by UMN’s Freshman Forward Connor Kurth, assisted by Junior Defender Mike Koster and Freshman Defender Luke Mittelstadt, finished the second period 4-3 with UND in the lead.  

The third period Snuggerud, assisted by Junior Defender Brock Faber, scored for UMN several minutes into the period. The score was tied 4-4 at the end of the third period resulting in a 5-minute overtime until the next goal was scored. After 2 minutes, UND pulled it off. Sender, assisted by Gaber and Frisch, scored the Hawks’ fifth goals of the night. It was one emotional roller-coaster of a weekend, but nonetheless, an exciting one.  

Kelsie Hildebrand is the Dakota Student Editor-in-Chief. She can be reached at [email protected].