In the game of hockey, a good penalty kill affects more than just the scoreboard. A successful kill can demoralize opponents, shift momentum, and energize your team and crowd.
UND’s penalty kill is ranked 58th out of the 64 teams in Division I hockey. Its penalty kills cost UND the game last Friday against Western Michigan.
The game was tied 2-2, and the Ralph Engelstad Arena was rocking as UND got a power play with 2:02 left in the game. After not getting much set up for the first 24 seconds, senior forward Jackson Kunz took the team’s first penalty of the night.
Regulation would end, and Western Michigan would start overtime 4-on-3 for 22 seconds. That is all that Western Michigan’s sophomore forward Alex Bump needed for his second goal of the night.
“We had an opportunity to win the game with a two-minute power play,” UND Head Coach Brad Berry said. “We took a discipline penalty to go four-on-four, and then the only time we had to kill was 22 seconds. We didn’t get it done. Penalty kills got to be a lot better, and we got to have more discipline in our game in those situations when we have a chance to win.”
Western Michigan won the game 3-2 scoring on their first power play of the night in overtime.
“The other part for me is getting to spread out,” Berry said. “They got full possession, on a 4-on-3 especially, have to be tight, and you have to make sure that you take away shooting lanes. I thought we got extended a couple of times there right away, and they scored a goal off it.”
“I think the other thing is blocking shots. I thought Hobie [Hedquist] played a solid game,” Berry added. “We have to block shots, and you have to give up your body on the penalty.”
Western Michigan killed both UND penalties in game one and game two. Its 92.2% penalty kill percentage ranks first in the country.
The Fighting Hawks are killing penalties at a 73.7% rate this season going 56-for-76. Last season, they went 84-for-103 killing at an 81.5% rate.
Opponents have gone 7-for-15 over the last five games against UND on the power play.
UND is top ten in the country in power play goals allowed this season. It has given up 20 power play goals and has allowed the most power play goals in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
Bump’s overtime goal was a real momentum killer for a UND penalty kill that was finally gaining some momentum after a rough November. Prior to the series against Western Michigan, the Hawks had gone 24-for-30 (80%) on the kill over their last nine games.
Prior to those nine games UND had allowed a power play goal in five straight games. After losing on Friday in overtime, UND was swept by Western Michigan the following night, losing 5-1.
The penalty kill struggled once again giving up two goals on three kills.
“[We need to have] hard conversations, honest conversations and look at ourselves in the mirror,” UND captain Louis Jamernik V told the Grand Forks Herald. “We have the personnel. We have a great group. We’ve just got to want it every single shift. It doesn’t just happen showing up on a Friday night. It starts on a Monday. We talk about it all the time.”
The Fighting Hawks sit at 12-10-1 (7-5 NCHC) heading into the last 12 games of the season. They will be on the road for a two-game series at St. Cloud State on Jan. 31.
“Believe you and me, we’re going to have hard, productive practices to make sure we’re ready for St. Cloud,” Berry told the Grand Forks Herald.
Elijah Andrews is the Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].