Playoff hockey returned to the Ralph last night. North Dakota took the better result from game one of its Frozen Faceoff tournament, beating the visiting Omaha Mavericks with a solid effort through the final two periods of the game.
Despite unforeseen circumstances and early hurdles, the Fighting Hawks battled to start their postseason campaign on the right foot.
Flat First
UND found itself trailing after the first period. The energy in the building seemed muted as fans processed the two goals the visitors scored within minutes of each other.
Cade Littler had opened the scoring in the introductory frame with a power play goal, capping a dominant first few minutes for North Dakota, which looked in control of the game up to the opening goal.
The sophomore’s goal signaled the end of the Hawks’ early push, however, as Omaha quickly righted itself and established a lead.
Samuel Huo (Sr.) tied the sides at one, scoring his seventh goal of the season. Seemingly, all the momentum sat with his team, which felt it could get another. That goal came less than a minute and a half later — courtesy of Maxime Pellerin (So.) — six seconds into the Mavericks’ first power-play of the night.
Super Second
With all the work to be done in the final 40, North Dakota came out strong. Jack Kernan (Fr.) tied the game at two less than two minutes into the second frame, setting the Hawks up on even ground for the period ahead.
The forward has moved around the lineup throughout the season, showing his adaptability. Kernan was rewarded in the playoff opener, scoring a goal and tallying two assists, securing first star of the game in the wake of his collegiate-best points total.
“It’s pretty cool to get thrown into a big opportunity,” Kernan reflected. “I think it just speaks to the depth of this team.”
The Hawks would strike again, taking a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the night. Dalton Andrew scored the go-ahead goal, his first of the season.
“Dalton Andrew [has been] one of our best practice players all year,” said Dane Jackson after the game. “He hasn’t been in for a long time, but we knew he could go in and do a good job.”
Ollie Josephson, who also recorded three points (1-2—3) last night, picked up the game-winning goal. The center from Victoria, B.C., won five of his seven faceoffs, posting a 71.4% faceoff conversion rate. Josephson took home second star of the game.
Mac Swanson (So.) rounded out the scoring for the home side, extending his scoring streak to four games.
The Hawks failed to score in the final period, though the Mavericks recorded one after Myles Hilman (So.) found a superior angle on Jan Špunar.
Key Pieces Kept Out
When the team arrived at the rink yesterday, Will Zellers (Fr.) and Ben Strinden (Sr.) were ruled out due to illness. The forwards have 32 goals between them, a noticeable absence for the team.
“Strinds and Zells are top players for us,” Dane Jackson remarked. “Losing those guys is not easy, but you gotta have a mindset, and not be focused on that. You [have to] say ‘hey, we’ve got lots of good players, we have a good system, we play the right way, [and] we have a belief in what we’re doing.’”
David Klee (Fr.) was ruled out earlier in the week with a similar illness to Zellers and Strinden. Going into game two, the coaching staff will need to evaluate all three.
“I think we’ll see [about] their health — that’ll dictate a lot,” Jackson told the media. “We know they’re really good players when they’re healthy, but you’ve just had good performances by a lot of guys, so it doesn’t just automatically mean they’re back if they’re [at] 100% full health.”
Quick Words from the Winners
- Dane Jackson on the comeback: “I thought they played faster than us in the first period. [After the first,] we did a much better job of letting the puck do the work a little bit and just being more efficient, more determined, more direct in our game, and started to turn the tables. We played quite a bit of hockey below the dots and made them defend down low — that’s a strength for our group.”
- Jack Kernan on physical games against the Mavericks: “They kinda drag us into a little bit. Discipline’s always been a big thing for this team. I feel like we take a bit too many penalties, so it’s always been re-hammered [in] every video session.”
- Ollie Josephson on postseason play at the Ralph: “It was awesome. The rally towels were pretty cool to see…you could tell it was a playoff game…We’re gonna be ready to go again tomorrow.”
Tonight…
The Fighting Hawks will play their second game of the Frozen Faceoff at the Ralph Engelstad Arena tonight at 6:07 p.m. If UND wins, it advances to the semifinal stage of the tournament. The game will air on Midco Sports and be available to stream on NCHC.tv at a discounted playoff rate. Radio listeners can find the game on the Fighting Hawks Radio Network via iHeart Radio, the Fighting Hawks website, or on 96.1 FM for local listeners.
Anthony Dillett is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and on X @adillettgf.