North Dakota

NCHC roundup: North Dakota gets back on track with sweep of Alaska

Published

2 years ago

January 8, 2024

NCHC roundup: North Dakota gets back on track with sweep of Alaska

GRAND FORKS — The University of North Dakota hockey team got what it was looking for in a nonconference sweep of Alaska over the weekend. The fourth-ranked Fighting Hawks beat the Nanooks 6-4 on Friday and 6-2 on Saturday at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Riese Gaber, a senior wing from Gilbert Plains, Manitoba, had six points in the series to lead the way. UND had lost three straight overtime games going into the series.

“Just domination from our leader,”

North Dakota graduate student left wing Hunter Johannes said after Saturday’s win.

“What more can you say about a guy? He just has that mentality when we get back to the bench that it never stops. We want the next one.”

Alaska (10-9-1) had its lone lead of the weekend when freshman defenseman Caleb MacDonald scored at 15:58 of the first period Friday for a 1-0 lead. The rest of the weekend, North Dakota outscored Alaska 12-5.

The Fighting Hawks (14-5-1) also picked up their first two wins of the season without senior Ludvig Persson in goal. Persson missed the series due to illness and Hobie Hedquist picked up his first two college wins. Hedquist, a freshman from Heron Lake, Minnesota, stopped 40 of 46 shots in the series.

“I was super happy for him,” Gaber said of Hedquist. “Growing up, he was a big UND fan. I can’t imagine how he felt getting these two wins. Obviously, we wanted to play really well for him. We’re super happy for him and obviously, it was huge for his confidence.”

In the opener Friday, North Dakota scored five goals in the second period to take control.

In the series, fifth-year senior defenseman Garrett Pyke had three assists against his former team. Pyke played the last four seasons for the Nanooks.

In the series, Gaber had three goals and three assists, sophomore center Owen McLaughlin had three goals and two assists and junior center Cameron Berg had two goals for UND.

Here’s a look at the other games involving NCHC teams over the weekend:

Simon Latkoczy made 21 saves and recorded his first NCAA shutout in a 2-0 win over Miami. Photo taken Jan. 21, 2023 at Baxter Arena.

Photo courtesy of Omaha Athletics.

Arizona State beats UNO for Classic title

Future NCHC member Arizona State (16-3-5) got a goal from freshman center Kyle Smolen at 1:43 of overtime and sophomore TJ Semptimphelter stopped 26 shots to beat Nebraska Omaha 2-1 in the championship game of the Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe, Arizona. For the Mavericks (10-6-2), freshman right wing Tanner Ludtke had the goal and sophomore Simon Latkoczy stopped 33 of 35 shots.

In the opener of the tournament, UNO got a goal from sophomore defenseman Griffin Ludtke with 18 seconds left in overtime to pick up a 4-3 win over UMass-Lowell (7-12-2). Senior center Jimmy Glynn had a goal and an assist and junior right wing Zach Urdahl and junior defenseman Victor Mancini added goals for the Mavericks. Latkoczy stopped 22 of 25 shots to pick up the win.

The No. 12/13-ranked Sun Devils improved to 4-2-2 against NCHC opponents this season.

Pioneers get Matt Davis back

Denver, ranked No. 5/6 in the two national polls, got Matt Davis back in goal and swept visiting Niagara with a 5-2 win Friday and a 6-1 win Saturday at Magness Arena.

Davis, a junior from Calgary, had not played in a game since Oct. 27 due to injury. He stopped 49 of 52 shots in the series to pick up his first wins since a 4-3 win on Oct. 21 at Boston College.

Denver (14-5-1) was playing without freshman defenseman Zeev Buium and head coach David Carle, who both helped Team USA win the gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championships in Sweden.

The Pioneers got points from 14 players in the series. On Friday, junior right wing Jack Devine scored two goals to lead Denver to the win. Devine, a Florida Panthers draft pick, leads the nation with 17 goals.

On Saturday, junior left wing Tristan Broz had two goals and two assists to lead the Pioneers to the win. Broz, a Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick, has nine goals and 19 points this season. Junior center Carter King added two goals and sophomore left wing Rieger Lorenz and sophomore center Aidan Thompson each added a goal and two assists in the series.

SCSU vs Western Michigan_0820.jpg — Western Michigan defenseman Zak Galambos (4) gets the puck put out of the corner against St. Cloud State in the third period Friday, Nov. 11, 2022, at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud.

Broncos sweep Lindenwood again

Western Michigan, ranked No. 11/12 in the national polls, swept Lindenwood (3-13-2) for the second time, though it was not easy on Friday.

In the opener, the Broncos (13-4-1) had to get third period goals from right wing Dylan Wendt and graduate student defenseman Zak Galambos to pick up a 3-2 win in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Galambos scored the game-winner with 2:17 left in regulation. Junior Trent Burnham stopped 43 of the 46 shots he faced for the Lions.

In Game 2, WMU’s top line of left wing Alex Bump, senior center Luke Grainger and Wendt led the way to a 6-1 win. Bump, a freshman from Prior Lake, had two goals and an assist, Grainger had three assists and Wendt had two goals. Wendt, an undrafted junior from Grand Haven, Michigan, moved into second in the nation in goals with 16.

Senior goalie Cameron Rowe

stopped 41 of the 44 shots he faced in the series to pick up two wins.

Introduction of starting lineups — Minnesota Duluth junior defenseman Will Francis (23) is introduced as part of the Bulldogs’ starting lineup alongside junior defenseman Luke Bast (38) on Saturday, Jan. 6, 2024, at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

St. Thomas knocks off UMD

St. Thomas (10-10-1) picked up its second win over an NCHC opponent this season with a 3-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth on Saturday at St. Thomas Ice Arena. The Tommies got goals from junior center Liam Malmquist, sophomore right wing Ryan O’Neill and graduate student center Luke Manning in the victory.

Center Braden Fischer, a freshman from Winnipeg, picked up his first college goal for the Bulldogs (6-10-4).

The win overshadowed the return of defenseman Will Francis. Francis, a 23-year-old junior from Shoreview, played in his first game of the season. He

took a leave from the UMD hockey team in early August after a post-recovery blood test showed his leukemia had returned.

He had previously been declared cancer-free on July 9, 2020.

Colorado College vs Minnesota — Colorado College goalie Kaidan Mbereko thwarted a first period shot on goal by Minnesota defenseman Sam Rinzel in a non-conference game between the Tigers and Gophers on Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024 at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.

CC picks up another big road win

Colorado College (10-6-1) picked up its third-straight road win over a top-10 ranked opponent when

it beat No. 9/10 Minnesota 6-4 on Sunday at 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Tigers, ranked 20th in both polls, got two goals from freshman right wing Bret Link, two assists from

senior center Logan Will

and a goal and an assist from sophomore center Noah Laba. Before the holiday break, Colorado College had swept North Dakota in a series in Grand Forks.

After a scoreless first period, the Tigers led 3-1 going into the third period. The Gophers (9-6-4) outshot the Tigers 18-10 in the third period, but CC held on for the win. Minnesota got two goals from sophomore right wing Jimmy Snuggerud, who was back in the lineup after helping Team USA win gold at the IIHF World Junior Championships. The Gophers dropped to 4-4-1 at home, while the Tigers improved to 6-1 on the road.

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North Dakota

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

Published

5 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Today in History, 1943: 2 North Dakota men die in separate Army plane crashes

On this day in 1943, two North Dakota army officers, Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz and First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson, were killed in separate medium bomber training crashes in Florida and Georgia.

Here is the complete story as it appeared in the paper that day:

Army Plane Crashes Kill Two N. D. Men

Two North Dakota officers in the army air forces were killed Sunday in bomber crashes during training flights, Associated Press dispatches revealed Monday.

Second Lieut. Arthur B. Kuntz of Harvey (Wells county) was killed with 10 others from the Avon Park, Fla., army bomber base when two medium bombers collided during a routine formation flight. Both planes crashed and there were no survivors.

First Lieut. Bernard A. Anderson of Warwick (Benson county) was one of six killed when a medium bomber from MacDill field, Tampa, Fla., crashed near Savannah, Ga. Lieutenant Anderson was co-pilot of the plane.

None of the other victims of either accident was from the Dakotas or Minnesota.

Lieutenant Kuntz, son of Mr. and Mrs. Roy Kuntz of Harvey, was graduated from the army air force navigation school at Hondo, Texas, as a second lieutenant last October, and received his wings as a navigator.

See more history at Newspapers.com

An ad featured in The Forum on March 2, 1943. Newspapers.com

Kate Almquist is the social media manager for InForum. After working as an intern, she joined The Forum full time starting in January 2022. Readers can reach her at kalmquist@forumcomm.com.

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North Dakota

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Presidential Searches at 3 North Dakota Colleges Narrowing

(Michael Achterling/North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) – Two North Dakotans are semifinalists for the Bismarck State College president’s job as North Dakota State University narrows its presidential candidate list.

Valley City State University also is searching for a new president, with an application period closing this month..

Kevin Black, chair of the State Board of Higher Education and co-chair of the North Dakota State University Presidential Search Committee, said the committee reviewed over 60 applications. The committee is planning off-site interviews with candidates March 9-10 and campus visits with semifinal candidates March 23-27.

“We’re really excited about taking the next step and there’s some very quality people in there,” Black said.

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North Dakota

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

After falling short a year ago, West Fargo United wins ND girls hockey state title

FARGO — One season ago, a Cinderella run for the West Fargo United girls hockey team came up just short in the state championship game.

United, the No. 7 seed, fell to Legacy/Bismarck in the 2025 final.

This time around, the team had momentum swaying in its favor, riding nine consecutive wins into Saturday’s title game against Grand Forks at Scheels Arena.

Led by goals from a pair of senior captains, United capped its redemption season with a 10th straight victory, fending off the KnightRiders 2-1 to claim the North Dakota girls hockey state tournament championship.

“It just means everything,” said United’s Payton Stocker, whose goal at the 12:31 mark of the second period gave her team a 1-0 lead. “We’ve worked so hard and throughout the season, it’s just been such a battle. Winning and coming out on top is just such a great feeling.”

West Fargo United captains react as they are presented the team’s 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena in Fargo.

Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald

Stocker was followed up in scoring by United captain Rachel Spanier. The defenseman fired a slap shot from the left point that beat Grand Forks goaltender Kylie Schmaltz to make it 2-0 with 35 seconds remaining in the middle frame.

Reagan Wilson locked things down in net for United, finishing with 23 saves and picking up an all-tournament team nod.

“This is my first year of high school hockey,” the sophomore goaltender said. “I can’t believe coming in here and winning a state title with all of these girls. I just love them so much.”

While it was the senior duo of Stocker and Spanier finding the net for United on Saturday, contributions were seen across the board.

Sophomore Emma Hassler also put forth an all-tournament campaign with five goals and an assist for six points over the three-day stretch.

030226 WFGOUnited3.jpg — Grand Forks’ Dustee Balek’s shot is blocked by West Fargo United goalie Reagan Wilson in the North Dakota girls hockey state championship game on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Freshman Kaylee Augdahl finished the tournament with four points — including

a double-overtime winner

over Fargo North/South in Friday’s semifinals — and junior Liana Williamson added three assists.

“It wasn’t just us (seniors),” said Stocker, who joined Hassler and Wilson on the all-tourney team. “It was everyone collectively. Being seniors, it feels a lot better. It was a great feeling.”

United, the No. 5 seed this year, capped its season with a record of 17-9-0.

“These girls are awesome,” first-year United head coach Kennedy Blair said. “They’ve worked super, super hard since last April. Wake up early in the mornings, go into off-ice training, on-ice training and all that.

“This group of girls is really special. They’re a really close-knit group, and they trusted our coaching staff coming in as a first-year group.”

030226 WFGOUnited2.jpg — West Fargo United players pose for the camera as they wait for the 2026 state championship hockey trophy after defeating Grand Forks on Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026, at Scheels Arena.

Blair knows a thing or two about winning championships. She was a North Dakota state champion goaltender with the former Bismarck Blizzard co-op and also won an NCAA Division I national title with the Wisconsin women’s program in 2021.

Yet, she never imagined ending her first year as a high school varsity coach with a state championship.

“No, I didn’t,” said Blair, who also won North Dakota High School Coaches Association Coach of the Year honors. “But I had belief in these girls that we could get to the state championship again.”

It’s the United co-op’s first-ever state title — which consists of West Fargo, West Fargo Sheyenne and West Fargo Horace high schools.

Prior to Saturday, the last time a West Fargo girls program won the state title was in 2014 when it was still a standalone program competing as the Packers.

“It’s amazing considering United hockey has never won a championship game,” Wilson said.

Grand Forks, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, ended its campaign with a 21-5-0 record.

Ella Yahna’s fourth goal of the tournament — which came on a 2-on-1 rush with the assist from teammate Reese Meagher, put the KnightRiders within one shot with 8:17 remaining in the third.

Grand Forks, however, was unable to find the equalizer as its bid for a first state championship came up just short.

“I thought we came out in the first and we had a tough time,” Grand Forks head coach Kelly Kilgore said. “I felt we battled some nerves. I really liked our second period … We carried the play and tilted the ice a little bit back in our favor. The shots kind of started to really turn in our favor.”

Stocker said she wouldn’t have wanted to win a state title as a senior with any other group of teammates.

“(They mean) everything,” Stocker said. “We’re so tight and they’re all my friends. Leaving them is going to be hard. But they mean everything to me. We’re all so close and I love them a lot.”