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<\/a><\/p>\nFour of college hockey\u2019s blue bloods will convene in Las Vegas this week and for the first time in 10 years, North Dakota is back in the Frozen Four.<\/p>\n
UND is making its first trip since its 2016 title in Tampa and will compete alongside Denver, Michigan and Wisconsin \u2013 a quartet that boasts 33 combined national championships.<\/p>\n
UND clinched its trip to Vegas with a pair of shutout wins in Sioux Falls, defeating Merrimack, 3-0, and Quinnipiac, 5-0.<\/p>\n
Both wins came in front of a sea of green, and now those passionate fans will head to Vegas to watch UND pursue its ninth national championship. That quest continues Thursday afternoon against Wisconsin.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s been a long history and we love playing against Wisconsin,\u201d said head coach Dane Jackson. \u201cI like to talk about our history and always talk about the guys that came before us and built our program, and some of the battles against Wisconsin are legendary. There\u2019s just been so many good games over the years and two really strong programs that are pretty close to each other and really enjoy playing each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo I think there\u2019s a little bit of extra fire and a rivalry to it. It\u2019s just kind of built in the DNA to know when you\u2019re playing the Denvers, Minnesotas and Wisconsins of the world, you better be ready. Because it\u2019s going to be a battle.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jackson\u2019s club has been among the nation\u2019s most consistent teams and finished second in the NPI, earning the top seed in Sioux Falls. UND finished the regular season 25-8-1 and won its seventh Penrose Cup, and the Fighting Hawks are 15-5-1 since the calendar flipped to 2026.<\/p>\n
UND\u2019s depth has been a strength all season, as has its goaltending. Their freshmen have made an immediate impact, too, and Jackson was named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award.<\/p>\n
Now UND will look to cap off its tremendous season with two more wins and a banner.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really happy with our team and I thought we played one of our best games at the biggest moment (last time out), so we\u2019re trying to prepare our guys to do that again,\u201d he said. \u201cIf we can really stay focused and dialed in on that and have a good process again, we\u2019ll let the chips fall where they may and be happy with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Spotlight On \u2026 Depth and a \u2018team-first mentality\u2019<\/p>\n
Jackson said it himself during last week\u2019s Frozen Four press conference \u2013 \u201cI really strongly believe our lineup is as strong as it’s ever been.\u201d<\/p>\n
UND can beat teams in many ways and there\u2019s no shortage of talent, and they\u2019ve gotten contributions from all over the lineup. Eleven different UND skaters have 20 or more points and 15 have five or more goals. They\u2019ve been sound defensively and between the pipes, too.<\/p>\n
However, there\u2019s one word constantly used to describe the strength of this year\u2019s club\u2026 Depth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the thing that separates us is how deep our team is,\u201d said sophomore defenseman EJ Emery. \u201cWe have four lines that are going all the time and you can throw any line out there and you know something good is going to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOur first two lines are immensely talented and then as you go to the bottom with the depth, it\u2019s just guys that know what they\u2019re doing out there and they\u2019re willing to play that role,\u201d added freshman forward Jack Kernan.<\/p>\n
That depth and willingness to accept roles have been key, and most nights it\u2019s been a team effort.<\/p>\n
UND\u2019s roster features 10 freshmen and 15 newcomers this season, along with a new-look coaching staff. But everyone has bought in.<\/p>\n
Jackson praised his group\u2019s ability to push each other and their attitude, and much of UND\u2019s success has depended on a \u2018team-first mentality.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a real commitment to put the team first and not worry about some of your ice time,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe have some good players that are playing less and don\u2019t get to play in some certain situations, but guys have focused on what they can do and what role they can bring, and do a good job with that. So I\u2019ve been really impressed with this group about how they\u2019ve accepted roles, bought into roles and perfected roles, and they\u2019ve been good teammates throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n
With so many new faces, there was plenty of trust put in UND\u2019s returners early, and that comfort has only grown since.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur captains and our seniors all stepped up and helped this team bond over the summer,\u201d Emery said. \u201cThey got us all together all the time, and I think that\u2019s a huge thing. Our freshmen are incredible people and I think they\u2019re big leaders on our team as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defining Moments<\/p>\n
Leadership Through Changes<\/p>\n
What a difference one year makes.<\/p>\n
UND fired Brad Berry last March after 10 seasons at the helm. Multiple players entered the transfer portal, including NCHC Rookie of the Year Sacha Boisvert, Jayden Perron and Owen McLaughlin, and rumors continued to swirl on others.<\/p>\n
While some expected or hoped for the change, uncertainty remained around the program. UND named Jackson head coach on March 29, Bryn Chyzyk GM on April 8 and added Matt Smaby to the staff in late May, and they got to work right away.<\/p>\n
However, some of the most important moves have proved to be the players that stayed in Grand Forks.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this day and age, it\u2019s easy to look and say the grass is greener somewhere else or check which way the wind is blowing and go that way,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cBut when things weren\u2019t really looking that great for our program \u2013 Guys were leaving and we had the unknown of a new staff. Whether it was Dylan James, Jake Livanavage, Abram Wiebe, Bennett Zmolek, or a lot of other players. They stood up and said I believe in our staff that was here and believe in the program, and our university was going to support us and give us all the resources to build a great team. And it wasn\u2019t easy to do at that point in time, but that\u2019s something I\u2019ll always remember with those guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Not only have those four provided valuable leadership and experience, they\u2019ve also been among UND\u2019s top performers.<\/p>\n
In addition to the transfer portal, which yielded UND Ellis Rickwood, Anthony Menghini and Gibson Homer, UND has also benefitted from a talented freshmen class, four of which came from the CHL.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at our (CHL) players with (Keaton) Verhoeff and (Cole) Reschny, (Josh) Zakreski and (Ollie) Josephson \u2013 those guys have all played critical roles for us,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cThey were ready for big roles. They\u2019re mature players, they\u2019re sharp young guys. So to be able to find that level of players and be able to get them at that late date, I think that would normally be extremely hard to do. So that was a big advantage for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Early Bump In The Road<\/p>\n
Even with all of UND\u2019s success, it hasn\u2019t been a perfectly smooth ride. After a season-opening sweep of St. Thomas, UND earned a 5-2 win over Minnesota in Grand Forks. They out-scored the Tommies and Gophers 16-6 over those three contests and came out of the gates strong.<\/p>\n
UND dropped the finale to Minnesota, 5-2, and lost at Clarkson, 5-1, before clinging to a 1-0 win at Clarkson. Verhoeff scored UND\u2019s lone goal and Jan \u0160punar made 17 saves in his NCAA debut. Yet the Fighting Hawks dropped their next contest \u2013 an overtime loss to Minnesota Duluth on Halloween.<\/p>\n
However, UND has lost just six of its 32 games since, and those Minnesota and Clarkson games remain UND\u2019s lone set of back-to-back losses.<\/p>\n
Second-Half Success<\/p>\n
UND entered the Christmas break with a 10-1-0 stretch and sat atop the NCHC standings \u2014 the place they wanted to finish the season.<\/p>\n
UND played its first game out of the break without WJC participants Will Zellers, Reschny and Verhoeff, but earned a 2-0 win over Mercyhurst en route to another sweep, using that team-first and next-man-up mentality.<\/p>\n
They haven\u2019t slowed down either.<\/p>\n
UND defeated Denver in January, 5-0, earned four points in Duluth with a third-period comeback and a Saturday win, and swept a hot Miami team along the way. They closed out the regular season with four points in Kalamazoo, clinching the Penrose in the process.<\/p>\n
Jackson\u2019s club dealt with injury and illness throughout the stretch too, which carried into the postseason. They opened the playoffs without Zellers, Ben Strinden and David Klee, yet UND still swept Omaha with 5-1 and 5-3 wins.<\/p>\n
Even after an early exit in the NCHC Semifinals \u2014 a 5-1 loss to UMD \u2014 the group got back to work and came to play in Sioux Falls. They\u2019re heading to Vegas determined.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter a disappointing game against Duluth, we did a really good job of resetting and kind of refocusing, and getting back to the work,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cThat\u2019ll be no different here this stretch with us trying to get our feet on the ground, stay humble and stay focused on the task at hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Players To Watch<\/p>\n
Jack Kernan, Fr., Forward<\/p>\n
Kernan blossomed in Sioux Falls, scoring twice in the win over Quinnipiac. With freshman Oillie Josephson injured, Kernan took advantage of an elevated opportunity, centering Cody Croal and Tyler Young on UND\u2019s third line.<\/p>\n
Kernan has 21 points (11-10-21) through 35 games this season and has paired that with a dependable two-way game. He\u2019ll look to stay hot in Vegas.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been behind some good players and Jack had a bit of a start that was a little bit inconsistent I would say, but as the season\u2019s gone on he\u2019s just played better and better,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cHe skates so well, he\u2019s got a really strong stick. I think he has good sense, and he just plays fast, he plays hard and he plays direct. And I think at this time of year with playoff hockey, those are effective attributes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cole Reschny, Fr., Forward<\/p>\n
Reschny has shown why he was the 18th overall pick (Calgary) in last summer\u2019s NHL Draft and was recently named the NCHC Rookie of the Year.<\/p>\n
The freshman ranks second on UND with 35 points, owns a plus-13 rating and he\u2019s been one of UND\u2019s top faceoff options. He continues to round out his two-way game and remains a threat with the puck, as Reschny scored against Quinnipiac last time out. Reschny has points in nine of his last 10 games.<\/p>\n
Jan \u0160punar, Fr., Goaltender<\/p>\n
UND had \u0160punar penciled in as its No. 2 goaltender heading into the season, and the Czechia native didn\u2019t play in any of UND\u2019s first five games. However, he quickly made up for lost time, as \u0160punar opened his NCAA career with a torrid stretch and has been among the nation\u2019s top goaltenders.<\/p>\n
\u0160punar is 20-4-1 and carries a .917 save percentage and 1.90 GAA into Vegas. After two strong seasons with Portland (WHL) and a year in Dubuque (USHL), \u0160punar has continued to grow and impress with his preparation and professionalism, and certainly his play.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s taken a huge step,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe believed that he was a good goalie and he could definitely do the job, but the meteoric rise he\u2019s had and how well he\u2019s played this quickly is definitely surprising, but we feel very fortunate to have him.\u201d<\/p>\n