Miami, FL
Goalie Hobie Hedquist steps in and helps UND to 5-1 win over Miami in playoff opener
GRAND FORKS — UND coach Brad Berry wouldn’t divulge many details about what ailment kept starting goaltender Ludvig Persson out of Game 1 of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs Friday night.
“It presented itself that way,” Berry said, keeping vague as hockey coaches often do when it comes to ailments at playoff time. “That’s all I’m going to leave it at.”
Hobie Hedquist made sure it didn’t matter.
UND’s freshman goalie stopped 23 of 24 shots and helped the Fighting Hawks cruise to a 5-1 win over Miami University in the best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal series.
Hedquist, making his first start since Jan. 13, turned aside six shots in the first, six in the second and 12 in the third as he improved to 4-0 in his rookie season.
“I thought he was exceptional,” Berry said. “Coming to the rink this morning, finding out he was going to play and doing what a professional does, he dialed in and was prepared to have success at night. He’s done that the whole year. It’s not a surprise to me, because he was patient. He worked hard. He was team-first. He’s a humble guy — all of the things we want character-wise for players at North Dakota.”
He had some help, too.
Junior forward Jake Schmaltz snapped a 33-game goal drought by scoring the game’s opening goal with 1.1 seconds left in the first period. It was his first tally since last year’s NCHC quarterfinal series.
Hobey Baker Award contender Jackson Blake scored his 20th goal of the season and tallied two points, moving to 54 on the season. He’s just four points shy of becoming UND’s first player since Zach Parise to reach 100-career points as a sophomore.
Captain Riese Gaber also scored a goal and tallied two points. He now is tied with Drake Caggiula for the most career points of any UND player in the last decade (128). Twenty-four of them have come against Miami.
Sophomore forward Owen McLaughlin and freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage also scored goals and tallied two points.
“It was awesome,” Livanavage said of his first playoff game at UND. “You obviously battle for home ice throughout the entire year to be able to play in front of these fans. To get to do it night in and night out is something so special. I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”
Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
The Fighting Hawks will have a chance to close out the series at 6:07 p.m. Saturday and earn a trip to next week’s NCHC Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.
Miami’s season will be on the line.
Berry didn’t tip his hand on starting goaltender for Game 2.
“I do not know,” Berry said. “I’ll let you guys know tomorrow when you get to the rink.”
Hedquist is giving UND reason to be confident when he’s in net, though.
The Heron Lake, Minn., product filled in for Persson early in the second semester, winning back-to-back games against Alaska 6-4 and 6-2.
Hedquist has now started twice against NCHC opponents — Omaha on Jan. 13 and Miami on Friday — stopping 45 of 47 shots (.957 save percentage) in grabbing two wins.
“He’s just great,” Schmaltz said. “He’s a great guy. It’s not always easy when you don’t play for a bit, then you get the nod that you’re in — in a big game — then he comes in and he plays just unreal. It’s fun to root for a guy like that.”
Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
Hedquist said goalie coach Karl Goehring informed him before morning skate that he was getting the start.
“I was excited about it, but I was a little shocked,” Hedquist said. “You never want to see your starter going down at this time of year. He’s been the backbone of our team all year. It was good to get a playoff game and get the win.”
Hedquist became the first UND freshman goalie to start a playoff game since Zane McIntyre in 2012-13.
“I felt good,” Hedquist said. “I felt like the guys really helped me. There was an incredible amount of blocked shots that really helped. We played really well defensively. I felt like I made saves when I had to and I felt like the guys bailed me out.”
Notes: UND played without forward Carson Albrecht (illness). Defenseman Bennett Zmolek returned to the lineup after missing three games with a lower-body injury. . . Miami played without injured forwards William Hallen and Frankie Carogioiello, as well as injured defenseman Michael Feenstra.
Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald
Schlossman has covered college hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been recognized by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the top beat writer for the Herald’s circulation division four times and the North Dakota sportswriter of the year once. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.
Developer Michael Stern teamed up with Italian investor and TikToker Gianluca Vacchi in 2024.
At the time, Stern said that Vacchi “understands new media and how to cut through the noise on social media in a way most real estate people don’t,” calling him an effective marketer and tastemaker. Online to his 22.1 million Instagram followers and 22.3 million TikTok followers, Vacchi has showcased his jetsetting lifestyle, workouts, cold plunges, and maybe most frequently, his dancing.
Two years ago, Stern and Vacchi said they were 50-50 partners on a $4 billion pipeline of JDS Development’s projects (Stern’s firm). That included Mercedes-Benz Places Miami, the Dolce & Gabbana-branded 888 Brickell and the planned 1250 West Avenue project in Miami Beach. It later also encompassed a proposed condo buyout of the Casablanca Miami Beach.
Since then, JDS and its partners have exited the 1250 West Avenue project. Both the Mercedes-Benz and Dolce & Gabbana condo projects are tied up in litigation, though sources previously told The Real Deal that JDS is in the process of securing new debt, and a new partner in developer Jeff Soffer for the stalled Mercedes-Benz Places, which would rescue the project.
Meanwhile, Stern’s relationship with Vacchi has imploded. Vacchi sued Stern months ago, but that lawsuit was on hold, and further details of their dispute remained behind closed doors.
Until recently.
Vacchi is accusing Stern of running a Ponzi scheme. In a new lawsuit, he alleges that Stern misrepresented the state of the projects, promising to use Vacchi’s investment in one development but instead diverting them to another. He also accuses Stern of violating a settlement agreement they reached this year. He wants Stern removed from the Mercedes-Benz project.
Stern called Vacchi’s original lawsuit an abuse of the legal system that was filed “for the sole purpose of maliciously creating reputational destruction” and to extract a settlement from Stern, according to a separate lawsuit obtained by TRD. It’s unclear whether that suit was filed. Stern alleges that Vacchi failed to meet his capital obligations (in other words, didn’t invest on time, or at all).
What we’re thinking about: What happens next with Stern? If the partnership with Soffer and the new financing closes, is all resolved? Send me a note at kk@therealdeal.com.
CLOSING TIME
Residential: A trust paid $41.6 million for the 9,100-square-foot mansion at 8565 Old Cutler Road. The seller was 8565 Old Cutler LLC, which purchased the property in 2022 for $38 million. The property, considered a teardown, has previously housed former presidents of the University of Miami, including former U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala.
Commercial: The industrial complex at 333 South West 12th Avenue in Deerfield Beach, the printing press for the Sun Sentinel newspaper, sold for $65 million. Gramercy Property Trust sold the property to 333 Deerfield Industrial LLC.
— Research by Mary Diduch
NEW TO THE MARKET
The waterfront mansion at 9720 West Broadview Drive in Bay Harbor Islands hit the market for $36.5 million. The 0.3-acre property, with 83 feet of waterfront, a dock, boat lift, pool, outdoor kitchen, cabana and 2,000-square-foot deck, was recently developed. It’s listed with Daniela Levtov of NG International LLC. The 10,450-square-foot house has seven en-suite bedrooms, a home theater, office and library, according to the listing. Property records show Shaul and Danielle Dina own the home through a trust.
A thing we’ve learned
Port Canaveral officials are backing a new federal bill that would make unauthorized drone flights over U.S. seaports a felony, after more than 500 drones flew over the port in 2025, raising concerns about the security of military, space and cruise operations.
Elsewhere in Florida
- West Palm Beach residents pushed back on the city’s rapid development and developer influence at a public meeting this week, WPTV reported. The proposed appointment of a Stephen Ross executive to the Downtown Development Authority fueled the protest.
- About 50 cases of cyclosporiasis, a parasite that’s been sickening people in several states, have been confirmed in Florida. That includes five cases in Miami-Dade and five cases in Broward, according to NBC Miami.
- The FBI is investigating whether Aventura-based TourProdEnter LLC funneled more than $300 million in Argentine Football Association sponsorship payments through U.S. banks for the personal benefit of top AFA officials, the Miami Herald reported. The company moved into an office in Aventura at the start of the year but moved out in the spring.
The Oregon Ducks come off a chaotic recruiting period in the 2027 cycle, where they hosted official visitors and added to their list of commitments. Coach Dan Lanning and the Oregon staff are simultaneously looking ahead to future recruiting classes.
As the 2027 cycle starts to wind down and the 2028 cycle begins to pick up, the Ducks entered the recruiting sweepstakes for four-star edge rusher Elijah Tillman.
Oregon Ducks in the Mix for Four-Star EDGE Elijah Tillman
Tillman is a 6-7, 210-pound edge rusher from Loganville, Georgia. He’s listed as a consensus four-star recruit and is ranked as high as No. 152 in the class by Rivals.
In a recent interview with Rivals’ Chad Simmons, Tillman revealed that Oregon and the Miami Hurricanes are among the schools that he wants to visit. According to 247Sports, the Ducks offered him back on April 30, 2026, while the Hurricanes extended an offer all the way on January 25, 2025.
Tillman told Rivals that the different schools in the mix are even at the moment, but that Oregon and Miami were two of the schools that he wants to go out and see.
Four-Star Elijah Tillman’s Potential Oregon Ducks Fit
Sports Spring Football | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
With Tillman’s large frame, which still has the opportunity to grow, he would provide the Ducks with size on the edge right away.
The 2027 recruiting class currently features five-star edge rusher Rashad Streets, three-star Achilles Reyna and three-star Josh Christensen at the position. The program prepares for current starters Matayo Uiagelelei and Teitum Tuioti to head to the NFL Draft at the conclusion of the 2026 season, leaving opportunities for the next couple of recruiting classes.
Additionally, the Ducks haven’t earned any commitments from the state of Georgia in their 2027 recruiting class. The last commit Lanning landed from Georgia was Dayton Raiola in the 2026 class, who made his decision on February 4, 2026. Making a big push for Tillman could possibly reignite the program’s recruiting in the Peach State.
Miami Hurricanes vs. Oregon Ducks Recruiting Battle
Miami is the other program that appears to be making a big push early for Tillman. Oregon fans are very familiar with former Ducks coach Mario Cristobal, who took Oregon recruiting to a different level before leading the Hurricanes to the National Championship game last season.
Cristobal and the Hurricanes have battled Lanning and the Ducks for blue-chip recruits more and more over the recent recruiting cycles. Most notably, Miami flipped four-star cornerback Ai’King Hall’s commitment from Oregon earlier in the 2027 cycle.
The two rivals also emerged as finalists for linebacker recruit Jalaythan Mayfield, who ended up choosing the Indiana Hoosiers. Oregon got the best of the Hurricanes once in the 2027 cycle when four-star offensive lineman Gus Corsair committed to the Pacific Northwest program over the Vanderbilt Commodores and Miami.
While the Hurricanes aren’t a Big Ten rival that the Ducks commonly go toe-to-toe with on the field and in the recruiting realm, Cristobal’s role in the recruiting rivalry adds a little bit more fuel to battles for recruits like Tillman.
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The Miami Dolphins will have new starters at their cornerback positions since both Jack Jones and Rasul Douglas are not back with the team. The team drafted Chris Johnson in the first round and it’s pretty likely he’ll have a large role and should claim the one starting spot. The other starting spot should be up for grabs among the rest of the group. Jason Marshall is one of those players who has a better chance of claiming that starting spot after showing some flashes his rookie season. Jeff Hafley has already said he envision Marshall playing on the outside and the second-year corner should get plenty of chances to prove himself during the preseason.
You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.
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