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<\/a><\/p>\nJan \u0160punar\u2019s goalie career started on the pitch in Czechia, without a blocker, glove or skates.<\/p>\n
\u0160punar\u2019s first love came in front of a soccer net, blocking shots at a young age. He first remembers playing soccer at 4 and began playing hockey around 7, and he shifted his focus solely to the ice around 12.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started hockey as a forward and I liked it, but I was always a soccer goalie and I liked having to stop other people\u2019s shots,\u201d \u0160punar said. \u201cI just remember once I tried goalie, I loved it right away, and I\u2019ve always loved to compete and try to make more saves than the other goalie.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0160punar quipped that his father, Jiri, wasn\u2019t initially thrilled with the idea, especially with the cost of goalie equipment. However, he eventually gave him the green light, and the rest is history.<\/p>\n
The Olomouc, Czechia, native is halfway through his fourth North American season and his first at the NCAA level, and \u0160punar has been one of the nation\u2019s best goaltenders for North Dakota, having gone perfect through 10 games.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hockey here is much better and that\u2019s why I wanted to choose this path,\u201d \u0160punar said. \u201cI\u2019m enjoying every day with school and hockey, and it\u2019s keeping me busy, and the guys are awesome. It\u2019s a little different now living with teammates and some of the rules are a little different in college, like with the trapezoid. But I think it\u2019s helping my development and we spend a ton of time at the rink, and I like it. The fans here are great too and the rink is so nice, so I\u2019m just trying to enjoy every day.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0160punar spent two seasons (2022-24) with the WHL\u2019s Portland Winterhawks and planned to head back overseas before a last-minute opportunity opened with the USHL\u2019s Dubuque Fighting Saints \u2013 an opportunity he took full advantage of.<\/p>\n
\u0160punar went 24-15-0 for Dubuque last season with a 2.82 GAA and .907 save percentage, and was named a USHL Goaltender of the Year finalist. That opened yet another door, as\u00a0\u0160punar committed to North Dakota in late April.<\/p>\n
College hockey had never been on \u0160punar\u2019s radar, but he immediately became intrigued and liked what UND had to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never really thought about it until last year and I didn\u2019t know anything about college hockey,\u201d \u0160punar said. \u201cWhen I was with (Czechia\u2019s) national team, my agent told me I should consider the CHL, so I chose that path and went to Portland, and then last year I was with Dubuque and they changed the rules (allowing former Major Junior players in to college hockey).<\/p>\n
\u201cI was still thinking I was gonna go back to Europe and play pro somewhere, but then a few coaches called me and I talked to North Dakota, and I was interested. My coaches in Dubuque talked to me too and I saw some videos on YouTube, and it looked like a sick spot to play.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u0160punar enters the second half a perfect 10-0-0, and he owns a 1.50 GAA and .936 save percentage \u2013 which rank first\u00a0and tied for third\u00a0among NCAA goaltenders.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s stopped 220 of the 235 shots fired his way and has allowed two goals or less in eight of his 10 starts. \u0160punar\u2019s career started with a 17-save shutout at Clarkson and his resume includes wins over Minnesota Duluth, Arizona State and two at St. Cloud State.<\/p>\n
\u0160punar is the first goalie in UND program history to win his first nine career starts.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was definitely familiar with Jan last season and saw first-hand what he can do in the net, and it\u2019s been super impressive what he\u2019s done for us so far,\u201d North Dakota GM Bryn Chyzyk said.<\/p>\n
Chyzyk got the chance to see \u0160punar last season, as UND\u2019s first-year GM held the same title for the USHL\u2019s Waterloo Black Hawks \u2013 one of Dubuque\u2019s top rivals.<\/p>\n
Chyzyk quipped he\u2019s glad to have \u0160punar on his side now, as \u0160punar went 4-0-0 against Waterloo with a .907 save percentage, but he was always impressed by \u0160punar\u2019s big-save ability and calm demeanor. He\u2019s showing those same traits in Grand Forks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got such a calming presence back there and he and Gibson (Homer) have been the backbone of our team,\u201d Chyzyk said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t give up a ton of Grade-A’s and he makes the saves when we need him to, and he\u2019s really poised for a freshman goaltender.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo both for Jan individually and our group as a whole, we\u2019re excited about where we\u2019re at and we\u2019ve seen a lot of young guys step up, but all of our goals are still in front of us. We haven\u2019t achieved anything yet, and there\u2019s a lot of work to do and a heavy schedule in the second half.\u201d<\/p>\n
It has given UND a glimpse of a future that might include getting off the cycle of one-and-done goaltending transfers it’s been on the last five years.<\/p>\n
North Dakota (16-4-0) comes off two wins against Mercyhurst, and next heads to Colorado College for a pair. The Fighting Hawks have won eight straight and 12 of their past 13, and UND currently sits atop the NCHC standings with 25 points.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a gauntlet out of the break, with CC followed by Denver, then back-to-back series at Arizona State and Minnesota Duluth. Denver, UMD and ASU are currently second, third and fifth in the NCHC standings.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been quite the start, both individually and as a group, and \u0160punar wants to keep it going in 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re really excited and have a lot of great games coming up, and our goal is to win a championship,\u201d \u0160punar said. \u201cIt\u2019s been a teamwork so far and the boys have played really good in front of me. My job is to save the puck and I just want to do my job and help us win. So I just want to keep doing my job and stay the same person every game.\u201d<\/p>\n
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