UND’s only chance to make the NCAA Tournament lies ahead. It must win four of its next five games.
The National Collegiate Hockey Conference Tournament Quarterfinals take place this weekend with four series.
The top four seeds will host each series, which will be best-of-three games. Teams will be reseeded after the quarterfinals.
For the last time, the semifinals and finals will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. The semifinals and finals, also known as the Frozen Faceoff, are both single elimination.
UND will rematch Omaha, whom it just split with at home last weekend. Only this time it will have to win two games on the road to advance to the semifinals.
“Unfortunately, we’re going on the road,” UND Head Coach Brad Berry told the Grand Forks Herald. “The fortunate thing is everybody is at zero. It’s a blank slate right now. We’re going to go on the road, and we’re going to play with passion and conviction.”
The Fighting Hawks are 9-7-1 on the road while the Omaha Mavericks are 10-6-0 at home. UND looks to extend its season and avenge its loss to Omaha in the NCHC tournament semifinals 6-3 last year.
“We’re just focused on getting back for Monday,” UND forward Cameron Berg told the Grand Forks Herald. “It’s playoff time, so you can’t really dwell on this night. You have to get ready for playoffs.”
“Playoff hockey is the best time. You’ve got nothing to lose. You have to go out and play your best every single day,” he continued.
UND is the fifth seed, and Omaha is the fourth. The first seed Western Michigan will host the eighth seed St. Cloud State. The Broncos swept the Huskies at home in February, outscoring them 10-1.
The Broncos are 14-2-1 at home while the Huskies are 5-11-0 on the road. This will be a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal series where St. Cloud State hosted and beat Western Michigan 2-1.
The second seed Arizona State will host the seventh seed Minnesota Duluth. Arizona State led the regular season series 2-1-1, winning both games at home. Three of the four games went to overtime. The Sun Devils are 9-6-1 at home while the Bulldogs are 6-9-0 on the road.
Another rematch from a week ago will take place as third seed Denver hosts seventh seed Colorado College. The Pioneers just swept the Tigers last weekend. They are 3-1 against them and boast a 13-5-1 record at home this season. The Tigers are 6-10-1 on the road.
The last-place finisher, Miami Ohio went 3-28-3 (0-23-1 NCHC) in its season, which is over. If UND cannot pick up two wins in Omaha, it will join Miami Ohio.
“We have to work on some things early in practice to get us sharp,” Berry told the Grand Forks Herald. “To make the national tournament now, you’ve got to win two games in the quarterfinals. Get past that and you have to win two games in the Xcel Energy Center. You’ve got to win four games. You’ve got to get the first one right away and make sure you come out of the quarterfinals.”
Elijah Andrews is the Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected].
