North Dakota
Jaksen Panzer released from commitment to North Dakota, flips to Bemidji State
BEMIDJI — Jaksen Panzer wants to play college hockey close to home.
No school is closer than North Dakota, the institution he was previously committed to since April 2, 2019. Panzer, a Grand Forks, N.D., native, grew up at Ralph Engelstad Arena watching the Fighting Hawks in his backyard. It’s the program his father, Jeff, and uncle, Jay, played for, winning national championships in 2000 and 1997, respectively.
Panzer committed to North Dakota in eighth grade and was one of the youngest UND commits in program history.
Now, he’s set to play for Bemidji State. Panzer expressed his desire to decommit from UND, and North Dakota released him from his National Letter of Intent earlier this week. Panzer announced his new commitment on Instagram Thursday afternoon.
“It was nothing bad between me or North Dakota,” Panzer said. “I kind of wanted to look for something new, maybe get a different opportunity or a better opportunity. That’s where I stood. I informed UND of that, and they were very understanding of me. They worked very well with me, my family and my advisor to get that done as soon as possible.”
Panzer is in his second full season with the Sioux Falls Stampede in the USHL. The 5-foot-9, 185-pound forward has 15 goals and 17 assists in 53 games. He had 13 goals and 15 assists in his first full season and three goals and eight assists for the Stampede in 18 games following his junior season at East Grand Forks High School.
“The USHL, I’d say, is one of the hardest leagues to play in,” Panzer said. “My first year wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. I battled through a couple of months throughout the season where I was struggling. It’s helped me mature as a player and as a person. You have to get through those times mentally and physically.”
Panzer plans to attend Bemidji State next year, an opportunity he likely wouldn’t have had at North Dakota, according to Fighting Hawks beat writer Brad Schlossman on Twitter.
“When I was thinking about room (to play) next year, there were some other schools I also had in mind,” Panzer said. “Bemidji offered me what I liked and what I was looking for. It was a pretty easy decision.”
Wanting to stay relatively local, Panzer committed to play for the Beavers 110 miles from his hometown.
“I’ve always kind of wanted to be close to home to play college hockey,” Panzer said. “Even when I was committed to UND, Bemidji State was always in the back of my head. I’ve always thought it was a really good school. I’ve always heard stuff about the coaches, especially Tom Serratore. When they gave me a call, it was pretty easy to tell them, ‘I’m in.’
“I’ll be able to have my parents at pretty much every home game. Whether it’s my parents, my grandparents, my aunt and uncle, I’ll have somebody I’m pretty close with at every home game. That’s important to me, and it made the decision pretty easy when Bemidji gave me the call.”
Nick Nelson / Grand Forks Herald
Panzer noted the importance of East Grand Forks head coach Tyler Palmiscno and his guidance throughout the recruiting process.
“I have to give him a lot of credit,” Panzer said. “He did absolutely everything for me and gave me everything I needed. Most guys don’t get second chances to (choose) a different school, and he’s helped me a lot. If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if I’d get another chance like I did.”
Panzer is eager to finish the rest of his USHL stint with a clear vision of his future. He’s even more excited to build on a MacNaughton Cup-winning season for the Beavers starting in the fall of 2024.
“I want to get better every year,” Panzer said. “I want to be better as a sophomore than I was as a freshman, then continue that chain. I want to come in and help the team win. I don’t care if I score or get a point, I just want to win. (BSU) has had a lot of success this year, and I want to help keep that going.”
How to watch: No. 6 Alabama at North Dakota
After surviving the gauntlet stretch of its non-conference schedule, No. 6 Alabama will hope a chilly trip to the Great Plains won’t cool down its recent run. North Dakota native Grant Nelson will get a homecoming game as the Crimson Tide travels to face North Dakota on Wednesday night. The matchup will be the first leg of a two-for-one series with the Fighting Hawks traveling to Tuscaloosa, Alabama in 2025 and 2027.
Wednesday will mark the first matchup between Alabama and UND. Nelson, on the other hand, boasts a 6-1 record against the Fighting Hawks, dating back to his time at North Dakota State. The Devils Lake, North Dakota native averaged 16.8 points and 5.28 rebounds while shooting 56% from the floor, including 10 of 21 (47.6%) from beyond the arc in those seven games. That includes his last outing against UND when he dropped 36 points and seven boards while shooting 13 of 20 from the floor.
Here’s everything you need to know about Wednesday’s game.
How to watch
Who: No. 6 Alabama (8-2) at North Dakota (4-8)
When: 8 p.m. CT, Saturday, Dec. 14
Where: Betty Engelstad Sioux Center, Grand Forks, North Dakota
Watch: CBS Sports Network (play-by-play: Alex Heinert, analyst: Shon Morris, sideline Missy Heidrick)
Listen: Crimson Tide Sports Network | SIRIUS/XM 134/201 (play-by-play: Roger Hoover, analyst: Bryan Passink)
Alabama’s projected starters
Mark Sears: 6-foot-1, 190 pounds, graduate
Stats: 17.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 4.0 apg, 39.0% FG, 31.8% 3-pt
Labaron Philon: 6-foot-4, 177 pounds, freshman
Stats: 11.5 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.8 apg, 53.5% FG, 24.0% 3-pt
Jarin Stevenson: 6-foot-11, 215 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 4.8 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 1.0 apg, 38.5% FG, 24.1% 3-pt
Grant Nelson: 6-foot-11, 230 pounds, graduate
Stats: 12.2 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.9 apg, 51.2% FG, 27.6% 3-pt
Clifford Omoruyi: 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, graduate
Stats: 8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 0.9 apg, 71.4% FG
North Dakota’s projected starters
Eli King: 6-foot-4, 190 pounds, junior
Stats: 6.3 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.7 apg, 33.8% FG, 34.3% 3-pt
Mier Panoam: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, sophomore
Stats: 11.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 1.8 apg, 38.6% FG, 24.0% 3-pt
Treyshen Eaglestaff: 6-foot-6, 190 pounds, junior
Stats: 18.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 2.2 apg, 42.4% FG, 37.1% 3-pt
Deng Mayar: 6-foot-8, 180 pounds, senior
Stats: 4.9 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 0.3 apg, 41.0% FG, 35.7% 3-pt
Amar Kulijuhov: 6-foot-8, 2225 pounds, senior
Stats: 11.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 1.4 apg, 53.4% FG
Focus for a full 40
Nate Oats knows he’ll have far more talent on the floor than his opposition on Wednesday night. The Alabama head coach even admitted as much during his Tuesday press conference. It’s hard to find a betting line for Wednesday’s matchup, but it’s safe to say the Tide is heavily favored.
While Alabama is confident about coming back from North Dakota with a win, Oats is hoping to see his team display better focus than it has at times this season. The Tide played with its food during non-conference wins against Arkansas State and McNeese State in November. Last week, it allowed Creighton to get back into the game twice before polishing off the Bluejays for an 83-75 victory. Regardless of the score Wednesday night, Oats said he wants to see his team play winning basketball for 40 minutes.
“We’ve got some guys that are really talented, want to be good, don’t quite realize the mental side of it, staying locked in on every possession to close the game,” Oats said. “We’ve got to play every possession. We can’t play the score. We’ve got to be locked in and try to get stops every possession.”
A name to know
North Dakota guard Treysen Eaglestaff leads the Summit League averaging 18.6 points per game and has recorded at least 12 points in all of his 12 starts this season. While the majority of that production has come against mid-major opposition, the 6-foot-6, 190-pound junior scored 13 points while shooting 3 of 6 from beyond the arc during a loss at Notre Dame in November.
“He’s a good shooter, can get to the rim, get to the free-throw line,” Oats said. “He’s good, and they know he’s good. They get him the ball all kinds of different ways.”
Oats said Alabama might treat Eaglestaff the way it did North Carolina guard R.J. Davis, by putting a bigger body on him. Davis scored 18 points during Alabama’s 94-79 win at North Carolina earlier this month. However, the Tide was able to hold the reigning ACC Player of the Year to 1 of 11 shooting from beyond the arc.
Game notes
— Wednesday’s matchup will feature two of the best rebounding teams in the nation. North Dakota ranks No. 8, averaging 15.08 rebounds per game. Meanwhile, Alabama ranks No. 8, averaging 30.4 defensive boards.
— Nelson currently ranks fifth in the SEC averaging 8.0 rebounds per game.
— Wednesday’s game will be a drop in competition for an Alabama team that has faced eight programs that currently rank inside KenPom’s top 100. Six of those rank inside the top 50.
— Paul Sather is in his sixth season at North Dakota. With 65 victories, he is one of eight coaches in program history to reach the 60-win mark.
— North Dakota was picked to finish sixth in the Summit League while Eaglestaff and Amar Kuljuhaovic earned First Team All-Summit League recognition.
FARGO — A Moorhead man faces multiple charges after a run in with a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper around 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
Oscar Lee Jr., a 44-year-old Moorhead resident, was in a vehicle with children when a North Dakota Highway Patrol trooper made contact with him in a parking lot at 2535 23rd Ave. S., in Fargo, according to a release from the North Dakota Highway Patrol.
The trooper arrested Lee Jr. for driving under the influence. When Lee Jr. was placed under arrest, he “resisted” and kicked at officers, the release said. A trooper was struck several times and went to a nearby hospital to be treated for minor injuries.
Cass County Jail
Lee Jr. was arrested for driving under the influence and driving under revocation, the release said. He was also arrested for felon resisting arrest, assault on a peace officer and terrorizing.
Lee Jr. is being held in Cass County Jail, according to the release. No charges have officially been filed, according to North Dakota Court Records.
Lee Jr. pleaded guilty to felony terrorizing and reckless endangerment in 2022 and two separate misdemeanor DUI incidents in 2024.
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.
FARGO — Reading test scores are declining across the U.S., but North Dakota is working to reverse that trend.
The National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” reported a significant decline in U.S. reading scores between 2019 and 2022.
A statewide plan in North Dakota is focusing on key areas of development: Phonics, vocabulary, comprehension and oral reading fluency, or reading aloud.
It’s called “The Science of Reading in North Dakota.”
“COVID played a big role in this. We certainly went backwards after COVID, and that’s unfortunate, but I think we’re taking the correct steps to move forward now,” Nick Archuleta, president of North Dakota United, said. North Dakota United is the union of the North Dakota Education Association and the North Dakota Public Employees Association.
A recent survey by the National Literacy institute shows 21% of adults in the U.S are illiterate and 54% have a literacy rate below a sixth-grade level.
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