UND Men’s Hockey will take on the undefeated No. 1 Denver Pioneers this weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The boys in green and black snapped their three-game losing streak this past weekend, sweeping Minnesota-Duluth at AMSOIL Arena and improving to 5-4.
The team continued to battle the injury bug with five players out this weekend. Forward Cody Croal, defenseman Bennett Zmolek, defenseman Andrew Strathmann, defenseman Tanner Komzak, and goaltender Kaleb Johnson.
UND won the first game 7-3. Senior forward Cameron Berg returned to the lineup, and seven different players scored. They won the second game 4-1, making it seven straight wins at AMSOIL Arena.
The Fighting Hawks will have their work cut out for them this weekend. They face the defending national champions and the top-ranked team in the country.
Denver has dominated college hockey recently, winning two of the last three national championships.
The Pioneers have won every game this season by two goals or more. They have the number one scoring offense in the country paired with the number one scoring defense. They have outscored opponents this season 49-13.
For UND, this will be just another NCHC game. UND matched up well with Denver last year, boasting a 3-1 record with the only loss on the road in overtime. The Hawks swept Denver at the Ralph last season winning 5-2 and 4-2.
The Fighting Hawks’ tough schedule this season has prepared them for games like this, and the Ralph will be ready too.
“I think we learned a lot on how those experienced teams play consistently to win games,” UND Head Coach Brad Berry told the Grand Forks Herald.
UND has won the NCHC’s Penrose Cup in four of the last five seasons. In 2023, Denver won the Penrose, and in 2022, the two teams shared the regular season title.
The Pioneers’ senior forward Jack Devine will be a player to watch as he leads the nation in assists. Devine and his teammate, junior forward Aidan Thompson, each have 17 points this season and are tied for most in the country.
Denver has three premier goal scorers. Sophomore standout Sam Harris has nine goals in just nine games this season, leading the nation.
Senior forward Carter King and Aidan Thompson have the third most goals in the country with seven goals each in 10 games played.
Their senior goaltender Matt Davis returns to the Ralph where he did not have much success last season. Davis gave up seven goals in two games last season, stopping 46 of 53 shots.
The Hawks’ senior goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter had a great weekend against Minnesota-Duluth. The ASU transfer did not allow an even-strength goal all weekend.
Semptimphelter and UND’s beat up defensive core will have to be on their A-game this weekend.
The Fighting Hawks special teams last season were the difference makers in both wins at the Ralph. UND scored four times in two games on the power play.
That will be a tough task this time around as Denver has only given up two powerplay goals this season and have the sixth best penalty-kill percentage in the nation.
UND’s powerplay has been rolling this season, as they are fourth in the nation in power play percentage. Denver’s powerplay is ranked just ahead of them at three.
UND’s forward depth will have to show up this weekend to match a stellar offensive and defensive juggernaut.
Both teams will have to bring their best with UND being the more battle-tested team and Denver getting their first road test of the season.
Elijah Andrews is the Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
