Seven of final 10 to be played at the Ralph
COLORADO COLLEGE at #3 NORTH DAKOTA
Jan. 23-24, 2021
Ralph Engelstad Arena
6:07 PM CT Sat-Sun
All-time Series: 164-84-11 (.654)
RADIO
PxP: Tim Hennessy
Analyst: Steve Olson
Radio: Saturday 790 AM KFGO, Sunday 740 The Fan and Home of Economy Radio Network
Web: FightingHawks.com
NUMBERS YOU SHOULD KNOW
5 – School-record number of career OT goals for Jordan Kawaguchi
5 – UND win streak over CC (outscoring them 18-3)
+10 – Jacob Bernard-Docker plus/minus rating (leads NCHC)
15 – UND power play goals, leads NCHC
16 – J. Kawaguchi points (leads NCHC)
22 – Number of different players with a point
25.4% – UND’s NCHC-leading power play efficiency
.561 – North Dakota’s team faceoff win percentage, best in NCHC, second in NCAA
63.0 – Shane Pinto faceoff win percent (leads NCHC)
329 – Days since UND’s last home game (vs. WMU, Feb. 29, 2020)
ON TAP
The North Dakota Fighting Hawks will play at home in the Ralph Engelstad Arena for the first time in almost 11 months when they host the Colorado College Tigers Saturday and Sunday.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Longtime broadcaster Tim Hennessy, in his 41st season as the voice of UND men’s hockey, calls the action while Steve Olson provides color analysis.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow the action live by following @UNDmhockey and @UNDInsider on Twitter. Fans can also read the action via live chat at GrandForksHerald.com with beat writer Brad Schlossman.
MOMMA, I’M COMIN’ HOOOOOME
North Dakota finally gets a home game this season after its first 14 away from its home rink. UND was one of just five NCAA Division I teams yet to play a home game. North Dakota’s last game at Ralph Engelstad Arena was an NCHC Penrose Cup-clinching overtime win vs. Western Michigan on Feb. 29, 2020.
REMEMBER THE RALPH?
North Dakota is one of just five of the 51 NCAA Division I teams playing this season without a home game under its belt thus far. UND is the only team among that group to be nationally ranked.
Team Record. 1st home game
Arizona State 5-11-2 none
Long Island 3-5-0 Feb. 13
Maine 2-5-1 ?*
North Dakota 10-3-1 Jan. 23
Sacred Heart 2-3-0 Jan. 30
*Hockey East will be setting schedules on week-to-week basis
ABOUT LAST WEEK…
Denver used two goals in each of the first two periods to gain control and take a 4-1 win in the opener of the series Sunday at Magness Arena. The win snapped North Dakota’s six-game win streak. Monday, UND roared back with a convincing 5-1 win that was sparked by a goal just 18 seconds in and a pair of tallies just 3:20 into the game.
LAST SERIES WITH COLORADO COLLEGE
North Dakota swept the Tigers, 3-0 and 2-1, just two weeks ago in Colorado Springs, Colo. the one goal allowed marked the fewest UND had allowed in a series at Broadmoor World Arena.
REGGIE!
Senior defenseman Josh Rieger has made a nice little career at Denver’s Magness Arena. Last year, he was a late lineup addition and scored his first career goal, the GWG in a 4-1 win on Nov. 16, 2019. Monday, he scored a PPG in the closing minute to give him both of his career goals in that building.
SENDEN EVERYBODY UP
Junior Mark Senden piled up a career-high four assists in the 5-1 win at Denver Jan. 18. He became the first UND player to notch four assists since Jacob Bernard-Docker did so in the 8-1 win last year over Canisius (Oct. 12, 2019). Prior to that, no UND player had done it in eight seasons.
THE MATCHUP THAT NEVER WAS
UND’s last scheduled home games of last season was supposed to be an NCHC Quarterfinal series against Colorado College. The Coronavirus pandemic shut down the tournament and the college hockey season.
TAKE THREE
When the 2020-21 regular schedule was announced, North Dakota would’ve opened its home schedule on Oct. 10 against Bemidji State. The pandemic scrubbed all of the nonconference games and introduced the NCHC pod (in Omaha). In that re-worked scheduled, UND should have opened at home on Jan. 8-9 against Omaha, but COVID issues with the Mavericks pushed that series to Feb. 19-20.
PENALTY KILL
UND’s penalty kill has been elite in the last eight games. Since starting the season with kills in 18 of the first 25 opportunities (72.0%), UND has successfully killed off the penalty in 33 of the last 34 chances (97.1%). North Dakota’s season PK is at 86.4%, third-best in the NCHC and 15th in the NCAA.
T.K.’s O.
Freshman defenseman Tyler Kleven has been a nice contributor to the UND offense, chipping in three goals in his seven games thus far. All three of those goals have come in his last five games.
JAMMER TIME
Freshman Louis Jamernik, a new addition at the semester break from Okotoks in the AJHL, notched his first collegiate point, setting up Tyler Kleven’s goal late in the Jan. 17 game at Denver. He added a power-play assist in the Jan. 18 win at Denver and was lauded with the NCHC Rookie of the Week for his efforts.
THOME TIME
Senior Peter Thome got his first action in goal since Dec. 12 by playing the final period Sunday. The Blue Jackets prospect made the most of his time, stopping all 10 shots that came his way in the third period.
POLL POSITION
Five NCHC teams are nationally ranked in the newest USCHO.com poll release Monday with four of them in the top 10. North Dakota, after three weeks at No. 3 and a week at No. 2, slipped back to No. 3. St. Cloud State sits at sixth with Minnesota Duluth at seven and Omaha at 11. Denver is 19th in the USCHO.com poll.
WORLD BEATERS
North Dakota made its last scheduled trip to Colorado College’s Broadmoor World Arena a memorable one. UND allowed just one goal the entire weekend, marking the lowest goals allowed for a series at World Arena for North Dakota.
TAMING THE TIGERS
UND stretched its winning streak over Colorado College to five with the 2-1 Jan. 11 win. North Dakota has allowed just three goals in that span with a pair of shutouts and three one-goal games.
POWER PLAY PROFICIENCY
North Dakota’s power play has operated at an NCHC-best 25.4 percent (15/59) so far this season. UND has a power-play goal in 12 of 14 games this season.
SPREADING IT OUT
North Dakota’s 50 goals have come from 16 different players. Josh Rieger’s power play goal in the final minute of the 5-1 win at Denver Jan. 18 marked the 16th different player to score in UND’s first 14 games. Riese Gaber leads the team with eight goals, tied for the third-most in the NCHC.
QUICK DRAW
North Dakota’s centermen have been great in the faceoff dot, currently second in the NCAA in faceoff win percentage (.561). Shane Pinto’s .630 win percentage is among the leaders in the country and his 206 draws won are the third-most in NCAA D1.