North Dakota
Resurgent North Dakota aims to end Frozen Four drought with April trip to St. Paul
COLLEGE HOCKEY INSIDER RANDY JOHNSON
North Dakota won its eighth NCAA men’s hockey championship in 2016, beating Quinnipiac in Tampa, Fla., to cap a 34-6-4 season. Since then, the Fighting Hawks haven’t been able to add to their total of 22 NCAA Frozen Four berths, suffering NCAA tournament losses in one overtime (Notre Dame), two overtimes (Boston University) and five overtimes (Minnesota Duluth).
Throw in three years of no NCAA bids and a 2020 season that ended early because of COVID-19, and the stretch of no Frozen Fours in seven years is lengthy by North Dakota’s lofty standards.
That might change when college hockey’s premier event visits St. Paul in April.
As the season hits its homestretch, North Dakota sits atop the NCHC standings and sports a 20-6-2 record. The Fighting Hawks have won four straight and six of seven, and they’re on a 16-4-1 stretch in which they haven’t lost in regulation. They’re also No. 3 in the PairWise Ratings, so they’re in the mix to be a No. 1 regional seed in the NCAA tournament.
Last weekend, North Dakota swept Miami (Ohio) on the road. Saturday’s 4-1 win gave coach Brad Berry his 200th career victory, and when players presented him with the game puck for the milestone, he had other things in mind.
“I told them: ‘I’ll hand this puck in right now. I’ll trade it for championships and banners,’” he said.
North Dakota’s resurgence from a 18-15-6 campaign and no NCAA berth last season to a title contender this year can be traced to Berry’s decision to heavily mine the transfer portal last spring to help replace 13 outgoing players. Of the Fighting Hawks’ 14 newcomers, seven are transfers.
That includes forward Cameron Berg, formerly of Nebraska Omaha, who ranks second on the team with 29 points; and defenseman Garrett Pyke, formerly of Alaska, whose 19 assists are tied for third. Throw in blue-liners Logan Britt (Sacred Heart), Keaton Pehrson (Michigan) and Bennett Zmolek (Minnesota State Mankato), and the Fighting Hawks are flush with experience.
The most impactful transfer of all, though, is goalie Ludvig Persson, who spent the past three seasons as the starter at Miami. The Swede is 17-6-2 with a 2.38 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and three shutouts. Persson is ecstatic with his choice of transfer destination, and not just because his GAA is down 1.29 from last season’s 3.67 total with the RedHawks.
“We’re building something special,” he said. “… I came here to win games, and it’s been a lot of winning so far.”
Stick taps
Justen Close put together a big weekend for the Gophers, making 40 saves in a 2-1 overtime win at Wisconsin on Friday and following up with 22 saves in a 1-1 tie on Saturday. The Gophers had two goals overturned in the finale, and that likely cost Close his 15th win of the season. On Tuesday, he was named the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week.
Hockey East sent only two teams to the NCAA men’s tournament last year, but that should change in a big way in March. The conference has three of the top four teams in the PairWise – No. 1 Boston College, No. 2 Boston University and No. 4 Maine – plus No. 10 Providence and No. 13 Massachusetts that are in line for NCAA berths. If Hockey East lands five teams in the NCAA tournament, there could be a rare first-round intraconference matchup.
There is no name in college hockey better than Northeastern’s Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, and on Monday night the senior forward sent the Huskies into the Beanpot tournament final by scoring 33 seconds into overtime to beat Harvard 3-2. Northeastern will play Boston U., which edge Boston College 4-3, next Monday in the final of the all-Boston affair.
The road to St. Paul
We’re just less than seven weeks away from selection Sunday in men’s hockey, when the 16-team NCAA men’s tournament field will be revealed on March 24. The men’s Frozen Four will be April 11-13 at Xcel Energy Center. Here’s a projection of the field in the four regionals:
Providence, R.I.
1. Boston College vs. 4. RIT
2. Michigan State vs. 3. Providence
Maryland Heights, Mo.
1. Boston University vs. 4. Cornell
2. Wisconsin vs. 3. Western Michigan
Sioux Falls, S.D.
1. North Dakota vs. 4. Minnesota State
2. Denver vs. 3. Gophers
Springfield, Mass.
1. Maine vs. 4. Massachusetts
2. Quinnipiac vs. 3. Michigan
Submitted Photo
U.S. soldiers with the Nebraska and North Dakota National Guards, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, pose for a group photo at a hotel in Alexandria, Virginia, April 28. N.D. National Guard 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, front row, far left, served as the officer in charge of the mission when soldiers assigned to JTF-DC responded to the shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner April 25. About 2,500 National Guard members are supporting the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, providing critical assistance to the Metropolitan Police Department to help ensure the safety of residents, commuters and visitors throughout the District. U.S. Army National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Norris.
WASHINGTON – U.S. soldiers with the North Dakota, Arkansas and Nebraska Army National Guard, assigned to Joint Task Force-District of Columbia in support of the DC Safe and Beautiful mission, responded to a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner (WHCAD) at the Washington Hilton in Northwest Washington April 25.
The Guardsmen were at the WHCAD at the request of the U.S. Secret Service (USSS) as an additional patrol unit created specifically for the event, which celebrates the contribution of news organizations and independent journalists alike who provide notable coverage relating to the presidential administration.
“Our mission was to assist the U.S. Secret Service with crowd control,” said Capt. Kevin Peatrowsky, an operations officer with the Nebraska National Guard (NENG) assigned to JTF-DC.
As the Guardsmen were monitoring their area of operations, they saw USSS agents sprint toward the hotel entrance.
“They were running full speed with their weapons drawn,” said Sgt. 1st. Class Allen Haney, a team member with the Arkansas National Guard. “We immediately followed suit.”
Staff Sgt. Kirsten Confer, a NENG combat medic and battle captain, recalled her response to the incident: “We fell back on our basic training. You run toward danger and move in a way that makes sense for the situation.”
According to Confer, the Guardsmen entered the hotel and immediately began securing the scene and ensured that the guests evacuated safely. At the direction of a federal agent, Confer began a rapid trauma assessment on the suspect which resulted in finding knives and ammunition on the shooter. Simultaneously, the Arkansas soldiers moved outside to provide crowd control at a pedestrian barricade outside the hotel.
“From there, we assisted wherever we could,” said 2nd Lt. Caleb Hill, a National Guardsman from North Dakota who served as the officer in charge for the mission. “We were initially helping with crowd control. After that, we realized that the USSS had begun rerouting everyone in the hotel, so we moved to the doors. We were controlling entry into the venue, so we had moved a couple more people outside, so we had five inside, eight outside.” Both Arkansas and Nebraska worked well alongside one another and, alongside the federal agencies. Hill also noted that relying on his soldiers allowed him to move to different teams, which helped allow him to plan and coordinate with different agencies.
According to 1st Lt. Jonathan Goins, a platoon leader with the Arkansas National Guard, Arkansas soldiers also helped establish a security perimeter for the staging of the presidential motorcade. Later, the team assisted federal agencies and MPD with crowd control, which helped clear the way for the president and administration officials, he said.
“Guardsmen on this mission represent the very best of the nation,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Leland Blanchard II, the interim commanding general of the District of Columbia National Guard. “The world got a brief glimpse, but I see them each day serving and doing amazing things across the District.”
FARGO, N.D. (KELO) — The Sioux Falls Stampede staved off elimination with a 2-1 overtime win over the Fargo Force in game four of the USHL Western Conference Finals Saturday night.
Thomas Zocco scored the game-winner 12 minutes into the extra period. Arseni Marchenko put Fargo on the board first in the first period. Noah Mannausau tied the game for the Herd in the second period.
Sioux Falls outshot Fargo 53-49, including 9-5 in overtime. Linards Feldbergs made 48 saves.
Three of the four games of the series have gone to overtime. The winner-take-all game five is Tuesday at the Premier Center.
New ballot measure guide to be mailed to North Dakota voters ahead of election
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