LAS VEGAS, N.V. — Win or go home. North Dakota arrives in Las Vegas fresh from a week of rest and back-to-back shutout wins in Sioux Falls two weeks ago.
Undefeated in NCAA tournament play, UND is set to play a familiar opponent: the Wisconsin Badgers. The two sides share a long history dating back to their first meeting in 1968.
Last Time Out: North Dakota Wins Regional Final
For the first time since 2016, the Fighting Hawks earned their advance to the Frozen Four. North Dakota had not appeared in a regional final since 2021, when it bowed out of the tournament after a five-overtime loss to Minnesota Duluth.
Many felt the win was long overdue. Dane Jackson and his staff knew it, too.
“We know we get measured [by] these big games at the end of the year,” said Jackson after the regional championship. “We’ve won a lot of Penrose Cups and done a lot of good things, but we know at North Dakota you get measured by reaching the Frozen Four and the green banners that you put up.”
North Dakota’s performance in Sioux Falls was built off team depth, with three lines scoring in the regional final and a red-hot goaltender — himself a freshman — coming together to help UND advance.
Dane Jackson credited the players for the team’s success this season, one that he felt would come together at a much slower pace due to the new faces down the line chart.
“These guys have put in a lot of work all the way from summer training through July and August, a great training camp, then a consistent full season,” Jackson remarked yesterday. “The amount of buy-in, team-first kind of attitude from our players has been a real strength to our group.”
Jack Kernan (Fr.) and Cody Croal (So.) helped the Fighting Hawks rocket to a three-goal lead against Quinnipiac, becoming two of the most prolific underclassmen in the regional. With his goal in the regional championship, Cody Croal picked up his third goal of the weekend and tenth of the season — both career highs for the North Branch, Minn. native.
Jan Špunar posted back-to-back shutouts in the regional round, the first time that a UND goaltender has done so in NCAA tournament play. The Czech joins an all-freshman cadre of goaltenders in the Frozen Four. Špunar carries a save percentage of .917 and a GAA of 1.90 into Las Vegas.
More About Wisconsin
The Badgers arrive in Las Vegas fresh off a last-gasp comeback against Michigan State, scoring two goals to take themselves from the brink of elimination to all tied up with less than five minutes left in the game. Wisconsin went into overtime buoyed by the late push, winning the game just seconds into the extra period.
North Dakota should expect the same resilient opponent later today. Despite struggles throughout the season, Wisconsin has battled back and defied expectations, even surprising Mike Hastings at times.
“As early as four weeks ago, I didn’t know if we would be here, but we found a way to get here,” Hastings said. “We’ve had some peaks and valleys during this season…Throughout the season, when we have had that valley, [the] leadership group, [with] everybody behind them, has done a really good job of looking in the mirror and owning what we either didn’t do well, then being okay, being accountable to each other.”
As far as leaders go, Wisconsin has impactful ones. Wisconsin Captain Ben Dexheimer (Sr.) put in the goal to send his team to Las Vegas two weeks ago. Dexheimer has tallied 27 points (7-20—27) this season for the Badgers, coming in behind the team points leader Gavin Morrissey (So.) in assists. Morrissey, an alternate captain, leads the team with 36 points (9-27—36) in his sophomore season.
Wisconsin is backed in net by Daniel Hauser (Fr.), who has occupied the starting spot for the Badgers for most of the season. Hauser maintains a .899 save percentage and a GAA of 2.56 coming into the Frozen Four. In his last 5 appearances, the freshman has a GAA of 2.8, despite a save percentage of nearly .900 in four of the five games.
Rivaly Reignited
With Wisconsin being an old WCHA foe, North Dakota has faced the Badgers more than 170 times since 1968, when the two programs first met. Over the years, a few games stand out as more memorable than others, serving as reminders of the history between the two teams.
The Water Bottle Incident
In 1982, North Dakota travelled to Madison to take on the Badgers. At the time, the Sioux had a reputation in college hockey as an aggressive, physical opponent, which was only furthered in the eventual loss.
When North Dakota was already down 3-0, John Newberry squirted him with a water bottle, kicking off a huge scuffle. The melee that ensued after included referees, police officers, and even a UW Band member.
1982 National Championship
Later that year, North Dakota got its revenge, taking down the Badgers 5-2 to win its fourth NCAA title. Phil Sykes picked up a hat trick in the game, the first NCAA hat trick in program history, and his third against Wisconsin that season.
2008 Regional Final
Dane Jackson has been preparing his team for the latest edition of the rivalry over the past week, watching game highlights to help his players understand the gravity of the game ahead.
One that stuck out to Jackson was the 2008 Midwest Regional Final, which was played at the Kohl Center in Madison.
“We were down two going into the third period in that regional,” the North Dakota boss recounted. “I remember Oshie making a big play for us. Our captain, Rylan Kaip, scored. Oshie made a great play to pass to Duncan. Tied it up and won in overtime.”
Personnel Updates
- Ollie Josephson (Fr.) will be available for this afternoon’s game. The forward missed the regional round of the tournament due to a lower-body injury he sustained against Minnesota Duluth in the NCHC Semifinal. Josephson travelled to Sioux Falls but did not dress in either game, left out of the lineup to allow for a full recovery. Before the untimely injury, the Seattle Kraken pick had notched eight points in his last six games.
Today in Las Vegas
Puck-drop in the Frozen Four Semifinal is slated for 4:00 p.m. CT today. The game will be featured on ESPN2, with commentary from John Buccigross and Colby Cohen, as well as rinkside coverage from Quint Kessenich. Additionally, ESPN+ subscribers will be able to stream the game. Audio listeners can tune in to the Fighting Hawks Radio Network via iHeart Radio, the Fighting Hawks website, or on 96.1 FM (The Fox) for local listeners.
Anthony Dillett is a Dakota Student Sports Reporter. He can be reached at [email protected] and on X @adillettgf.
