OXFORD, OHIO — For Brad Berry, his 200th career win with the Fighting Hawks is not something to reflect on or celebrate about while there is still hockey to be played.
“It’s not about me. We have three words that go out to the rink. Every day when we practice and we play, it’s we, us, and our,” Berry said. “I think at the end of the day, we, us, and our is going to get us to where we need to go, and I think once the dust settles after the season, after my career, whatever that is, then you have time to reflect that.”
UND swept the University of Miami, Ohio, over the weekend of Feb. 2 and 3, defeating them 5-4 in overtime on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday.
Friday night’s game was a bit of a shocking game for UND. Miami opened scoring in the first period, but luckily, Jake Livanvage was able to answer back on the power play to tie the game at one. UND’s power play continued its high success rate and is now ranked in the top ten power plays in the NCAA.
24 seconds into the second period, UND would gain the lead when Kunz, who kept his first-line promotion from game two against Denver, potted a net-front goal. However, the joy would not last long; less than a minute later, Miami would tie the game at two. Miami did not stop the scoring there; they went on to score two more goals in the second period against their former goaltender, Ludvig Persson, including one short-handed.
“We were a little bit loose in our play in the first two periods, and you know, they capitalized I got to commend them,” Berry said. “Miami played hard; they played fast; they were physical; they played a high-energy game tonight.”
UND was down 4-2 going into the third and on the verge of their first regulation loss since they lost to Boston University in early Nov. UND did not give up; Logan Britt scored his first goal of the weekend to bring the game within one, and Captain Riese Gaber tied the game with only a minute left in regulation.
Louis Jamernik V credited their resilience to team culture and belief in each other.
“It’s belief, man. It’s we got a great bench, and we got such a tight group. I think that’s what differentiates us from other teams,” Jamernik said. “I want to say is just that tightness and belief in that locker room like, hey, we can look to the left and to the right, and just, we’re going to get it done.”
Throughout this season, UND has struggled to win in overtime, but for the first time since they beat BU on Nov. 4. UND won a game of three on three. Jackson Blake scored the game-winner in overtime off the assist from former Miami Red Hawk Ludvig Persson to end Miami’s attempt at an upset.
“We’ve been working hard on it in practice,” Berry said of the three-on-three game-winner. “It was a situation where we finally got an odd-man rush, and that usually comes against us to end the game, and sure enough, the player made a great play to put it away.”
Going into Saturday’s game, Berry was just one win away from 200 career wins, and UND had something to prove against the last-place Red Hawks.
Berry said the night before that he wanted the team to play cleaner and “more north” while matching Miami’s intensity.
Britt opened the scoring for UND four minutes into the game, and ten minutes later, Cameron Berg would make it 2-0 for the Fighting Hawks. It was a solid first period by a team who talked post-game after Friday night’s win about making sure they started the game hot.
Miami would get one back on the power play in the second period, but UND responded with Britt scoring his second goal of the night and third of the weekend to make it 3-1 for UND.
Going into the third, all UND had to do was hold onto their two-goal lead, and they did. With three minutes left on the clock, Miami pulled their goaltender, and Dylan James buried the empty net goal to put the nail in Miami’s coffin. UND won with a commanding 4-1 victory after forcing overtime and a win the night before.
Berry said after Saturday night’s win, his 200th win, the players gave him the game puck. He credited the teams he had coached before and his coaching staff for his success. To Berry, his 200th win is more of a team award than an individual accomplishment, but it is still not the be-all and end-all for the coach.
After receiving the 200th win puck, he said to the team, “I’ll hand this puck in right now and trade it in for championships and banners.”
Maeve Hushman is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. She can be reached at [email protected].
