North Dakota
Broncos won’t repeat as NCHC hockey champs, lose to N. Dakota: ‘We broke down’
Kalamazoo — There’ll be a new champion in the NCHC.
Will Zellers scored the game-winning goal in the third period as No. 3 North Dakota downed No. 4 Western Michigan, 5-3, Friday night at Lawson Arena. The Broncos never led and trailed all of the third period, though a late push nearly tied the game with the net empty.
“Overall in the game, I thought it was a pretty tightly contested effort. I thought they just scored too easy,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “You know, for us, we had a couple breakdowns, and they’re so talented, so good, they took advantage when we broke down.”
The teams finish the regular season Saturday night. Western Michigan came into Friday’s game tied with Denver in standings points and five points behind North Dakota, needing that many to get a share of the Penrose Cup it won last season en route to an NCAA championship, too.
As far as regular season results go, the Broncos will play for second seed in the NCHC Tournament, needing to outpace Denver, which plays Arizona State this weekend.
Western Michigan (23-9-1, 15-7-1 NCHC) goaltender Hampton Slukynsky made 16 saves on 20 shots in the loss while North Dakota’s Jan Spunar stopped 22 of 25 shots. It was a battle of two of the NCHC’s top netminders, and each made key stops in a tight-checking, physical game.
Zellers put North Dakota (25-7-1, 17-5-1) up 4-2 4:42 into the third period off an assist from Detroit Red Wings draft choice Dylan James.
“He kind of made a play out of nothing there,” said North Dakota coach Dane Jackson, who is in his first season as head coach after being on the coaching staff since 2006. “And that was a really nice kind of moment where you go OK, we got a little got a little leeway here, and we can just kind of play a little bit more free.”
North Dakota took a 3-2 lead into the third period with goals from defenseman Sam Laurila alongside forwards Ollie Josephson and Josh Zakreski. Defenseman Zach Bookman and forward Liam Valente scored for Western Michigan.
One too many times in the second frame, Western Michigan’s blue line let a North Dakota forward in all alone to face Slukynsky, who stopped a couple of rushes in the opening minutes of the period.
With four minutes until the intermission, the Broncos finally got burned. On a feed from linemate Anthony Menghini, Lakreski cut to the glove side of a sprawling Slukynsky and beat him with the backhand. The goal gave North Dakota the 3-2 lead, after a seeing-eye shot from Bookman along the right wall had tied it up two apiece 8:10 into the period.
“I actually thought the second period was our best period,” Ferschweiler said. “… We started to take over. We got the goal, tied 2-2, and are kind of just humming along. Four minutes left, we just hand them a goal. Blown coverage. That was inexcusable, honestly, with some of our better players on the ice.”
The opening period played out as a back and forth track meet through the neutral zone as each side settled in. Laurila put North Dakota up 1-0 with his first career goal. After Slukynsky denied him on a trio of tries earlier in the shift, he fired a shot to beat the Western Michigan netminder 4:40 into the game.
It took just a minute and 34 seconds after Laurila’s opener for Western Michigan’s top line to get it right back. A blue-collar shift from captain Owen Michaels fed linemate Will Whitelaw along the left boards, and he sprung Valente for a breakaway goal that evened up the score.
“I thought we gave it to them too easy a couple times tonight,” Whitelaw said. “And I think when you’re playing a team like that, obviously they’re gonna put it in your net. But I think it’ll be a big lesson for our group going forward.”
For the better part of the first period, the Lawson Lunatics peppered North Dakota defenseman Jake Livanavage with jeers, but he got his own licks in with 7:48 left in the first period as he fed Josephson right at the net for the 2-1 goal. That score held through the first period.
With 2:02 remaining and Slukynsky pulled, forward Zaccharya Wisdom pulled Western Michigan within one. He nearly had the equalizer with 40 seconds on the clock on a backdoor try, but he mistimed the shot. Mac Swanson scored an empty-netter with 20.7 seconds on the clock to clinch the win, and with it the Penrose Cup, presented to North Dakota in the locker room and then paraded around the ice.
“It’s the hardest regular season championship to win, in my opinion,” North Dakota forward Ben Strinden said. “So it’s awesome. Obviously, it’s not our end goal, but we’re going to enjoy it for sure.”
cearegood@detroitnews.com
@ConnorEaregood
BISMARCK — A West Fargo attorney has been appointed to the North Dakota Ethics Commission.
According to a release, Lisa Edison-Smith was appointed to the commission Tuesday, July 7, to fill the unexpired term of Commissioner Ronald Goodman, who will retire from the board.
Edison-Smith works for Vogel Law Firm, from which she plans to retire at the end of the year, the release said. She specializes in employment and labor law and is also the editor of the North Dakota Employment Law Letter, a monthly publication providing guidance to employers.
Edison-Smith graduated from North Dakota State University and Hamline University School of Law. She was a clerk for the Minnesota Supreme Court and worked in finance and accounting roles at GTE Corp., the release said.
“I am grateful for the opportunity to bring my legal experience and problem-solving skills to the important work of the Commission,” Edison-Smith said via release. “Together, I believe we can improve public trust and deepen the Commission’s commitment to accountability and transparency in North Dakota.”
Commissioners are appointed by consensus of the governor and majority and minority leader of the North Dakota Senate.
Our newsroom occasionally reports stories under a byline of “staff.” Often, the “staff” byline is used when rewriting basic news briefs that originate from official sources, such as a city press release about a road closure, and which require little or no reporting. At times, this byline is used when a news story includes numerous authors or when the story is formed by aggregating previously reported news from various sources. If outside sources are used, it is noted within the story.
North Dakota
Schulz to transition from ND Parks and Recreation to ND Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Gov. Kelly Armstrong today announced that North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department Director Cody Schulz is leaving the agency next month to assume the role of chief financial officer in the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, effective Aug. 17.
Schulz has led Parks and Recreation since being appointed director by then-Gov. Doug Burgum in October 2021. Armstrong reappointed Schulz to the position upon taking office in December 2024. Schulz previously served 13 years in the state Department of Emergency Services (DES), including as business manager and finance officer for seven years and as the state’s director of Homeland Security from 2018 to 2021. Prior to joining DES, he spent nearly 13 years in the private sector as a business owner, account specialist and government and public affairs analyst.
“Parks and Recreation has thrived under Cody’s leadership, opening a new state park at Pembina Gorge, expanding and improving existing parks, making major investments in infrastructure and enhancing visitor experiences,” Armstrong said. “While we will miss his leadership of the agency, we’re excited that he has decided to continue serving the citizens of North Dakota at DOCR, where his experience in finance and accounting will serve the department well.”
“This was an incredibly difficult decision, one driven primarily by the desire to travel less and spend more time with family, especially my aging parents. At the same time, my new role at DOCR allows me to work in finance and public safety – two passions that have shaped much of my career,” Schulz said. “I am filled with gratitude for the team at Parks and Recreation, and I leave with complete confidence in this organization. This is an exceptionally talented team filled with capable, dedicated people who care deeply about one another, our mission, and the citizens we serve.”
A native of New Salem, N.D., Schulz earned an associate’s degree from Bismarck State College, a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Dickinson State University and an MBA from the University of North Dakota. He also served on the Morton County Commission from 2012 to 2020, including as chairman in 2016, 2017 and 2020, and as a member of the Morton County Park Board for eight years.
Justin Fairbanks went to work! He created this incredible breakdown of Fargo participants and their college commitments. Email kyle.klingman@flosports.tv with updates.
Here’s the full Fargo schedule so you don’t miss any of the girls’ action.
2026 U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals
Junior Girls Freestyle
Thursday, July 16 at 2:00 p.m. ET – Session XI
Friday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET – Session XIII
Friday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m. ET – Session XIV
Saturday, July 18 at 11:00 a.m. ET – Session XV
Saturday, July 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET – Session XVI
Saturday, July 18 at 4:30 p.m. ET – Finals
16U Girls Freestyle
Thursday, July 16 at 6:00 p.m. ET – Session XII
Friday, July 17 at 10:00 a.m. ET – Session XIII
Friday, July 17 at 4:00 p.m. ET – Session XIV
Saturday, July 18 at 11:00 a.m. ET – Session XV
Saturday, July 18 at 3:00 p.m. ET – Session XVI
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