Roses and Thorns: A Hall of Fame Weekend in Smashville

The UND Fighting Hawks fell 6-4 to Penn State in Nashville, but the story of the weekend was the Green and White faithful supporting their team. Photo Credit: Russell Hons

As the seconds ticked down on Saturday night, DDC sat down in his seat at Bridgestone Arena and looked around the rink in silence. The Penn State Nittany Lions had just beaten our University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks 6-4 in front of 14,659 nearly-all green (add in white, black, pink, etc.) fans and DDC was, frankly, just bummed out. At the apex of a wild trip to Nashville where the UND faithful painted the Music City in our colors, the Green and White came up short.

While DDC was definitely disappointed with the loss, there were too many good things to come out of the weekend to call this road trip anything but an absolute blast. 

So, let's take a look at the weekend that was from Nashville, Tennessee and the 2021 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game. If you're looking for a lot of hockey analysis in this article, fair warning, this isn't DDC's focus on this one. But, if you're looking for a laugh and a good story or four, check it out.

Roses

1) Overall Experience in Nashville

It's really hard to quantify how this whole trip went down because, yes, it was about hockey, but in so many ways, the 6-4 loss became an afterthought. Yes, DDC understands, UND lost and that sucks, but this weekend was just another showcase of what this program is to the college hockey world. The little town of Grand Forks, North Dakota is the pivot point of the sport. Like it or not, no other college hockey fanbase brings the amount of fans to a neutral site like UND did. The sheer numbers of this experience was flat out insanity. 

Whether it was the Wildhorse Saloon, the pregame event in front of Bridgestone, or on every single rooftop bar in Nashville, the Green and White faithful turned out in massive droves. DDC was waiting in line at Hattie B's Hot Chicken on Saturday afternoon and three comments were consistent by passerbys in the nearly hour-long wait -- 1) "Wow, look at the line" (it was wild)... 2) "This line isn't worth it, the chicken isn't that good" (PROPOSTEROUS! BLASPHEMOUS! It was phenomenal and well worth the wait) ... 3) "Where the hell are all of these Sioux/North Dakota fans coming from?"

Personally, this weekend was such a blast for DDC. On Thursday, DDC rode on The Nashville Tractor and it was so damn fun. Partaking in a few adult beverages while chugging up and down the streets around Broadway, which hosts the party bars in Nashville (think third street in Grand Forks times 5.5 million), DDC was floored by the sheer amount of people walking around. Every time one of those clad in green and white saw us, an immediate cheer went up. What a blast. The ride then led to a five-hour, late-night convo with some of college hockey's premier minds (not kidding 😃) on the rooftop of Tootsie's. Just an all-timer night. 

Simply put, the trip to Nashville was incredible. What a terrific showcase of what UND means to the college hockey world and what the Fighting Hawk faithful mean to UND. So happy to have been there.

2) The Atmosphere at Bridgestone Arena

Sea of green. That actually feels like an understatement. An ocean? A galaxy? Whatever, DCC believes you get the picture -- the rink was LOADED with UND fans and my goodness did that place explode when we scored. Take a listen:

Other than Holy Cross knocking off Minnesota in the Ralph, this may be the loudest event DDC has ever experienced. Absolutely awesome -- chills. DDC was so ready for the Hawks to tie this game and this may be his biggest regret from this weekend -- we all missed a chance to hear that roar had we knotted it up late. C'est la vie. 

3) Dayn "Not Ed" Belfour

For comparison sake, Ed is on the left, Dayn the right.
Photo credit: Dallas Morning News

The funniest moment of the weekend for DDC came over two parts and from a non-UND alum. For those not at the arena, throughout the game, the media crew spotlighted on the big screen former UND greats for a quick cheer from the faithful. Dean Blais' waive was great. Evan Trupp's appearance, which saw the former forward chug his beer and pump up the crowd with a "let's f***** go!", was fantastic. Then, what was supposed to be Ed Belfour's moment actually showed Ed's son, former Omaha goaltender Dayn Belfour. 

So, to many, this young man definitely shared a striking resemblance to his father, but when looking at the two side by side, this was clearly not Ed. Dayn rode the waive as the crowd went bananas, from what DDC perceived, as most of the crowd realizing it wasn't Ed, which made it funny, but more so because Dayn went nuts. This young man was waiving his arms, jumping up and down, laughing, pointing at the screen -- just having a ball. This would have been a funny story as is, but got way funnier later. That night at one of the Nashville establishments, DDC ran into the Belfours and he had to ask -- Dayn, what were you thinking when that happened. With a belly laugh that lasted several minutes, Dayn simply said... "I was four seats away and I was just dying laughing. It's as famous as I'll ever be." A heckuva former goaltender in his own right, Dayn Belfour became his father, for just a fleeting moment and soaked it up. It's been a long time since DDC laughed that hard for that long.

Thorns

1) The Game

The only thorn of the weekend (well, other than hangovers and horse throats) comes from, unfortunately, the most important part. After falling behind 2-0 early and giving up three power play goals, throughout the game, North Dakota just didn't get it done. DDC is not one who thought that UND got dominated in this one like many scattered throughout the internet, as that was absolutely not the case. The game on Saturday night was up and down, high-paced, and for the most part, fairly even. DDC would go as far to say that North Dakota controlled play in the second half the game (UND outshot PSU 32-23). But, as has been the case essentially all season, the Hawks lacked cohesion. The Green and White had turnovers, missed passes, and added silly mistakes that cost them goals. This team has really yet to gel and until that happens, UND will be an average team. On the plus, the power play was absolutely clutch in this game, going 3-for-6 overall and buried two massive, late goals in both the first and second period to keep the game close. However, the Green and White just couldn't overcome a the quick, first period hole and were never able to tie the game. Like DDC said earlier, the crowd at Bridgestone Arena was just begging for the tying goal, but North Dakota could not finish when it mattered most.

DDC believes this team is talented and that the pieces are there for this team to make a run at home ice in the NCHC playoffs and eventually at the national championship, but right now, this team just hasn't reached that level. With the NCHC schedule coming heavy, the Hawks need to right the ship. Will this team be a second-half, Hakstol-type squad that comes together down the stretch to make a run? We'll see. Work needs to be done and it frankly needs to happen soon.

Spinning back to a more positive note, this was a fantastic weekend and DDC is glad to have gotten a chance to share his experience with you. Thanks for the read and check back later this week as the hated Denver Pioneers travel to The Forks for UND's first NCHC action of the season.

QU Review to a Nashville Preview

UND's Connor Ford carries the puck up the ice during the Fighting Hawks'
5-2 loss on Friday in Conn.Photo Credit: Quinnipiac Athletics

DDC is going for the double dip, in this one. With departure for Music City on Thursday, DDC is wrapping up his review last week's split with Quinnipiac together with a nice, little Nashville-hot style sandwich preview of UND's Hall of Fame game with Penn State.

Let's giver a whirl, shall we?

It was a fun weekend of hockey and an un-shocking result. The Bobcats on Friday, paced by four-straight goals after UND took a 1-0 lead, took a 5-2 win. The next night, the Fighting Hawks used a solid defensive effort, paced by 17 blocked shots and a 34-save, 1 goal allowed performance by netminder Zach Driscoll to earn a 3-1 win and a series split.

There were definitely some standout pieces this weekend in Hamden, Conn., so let's take a condensed Roses and Thorns look at them. 

Roses

1) Responding to adversity

To be blunt, the Green and White weren't very good on Friday night. Quinnipiac controlled every facet of the game and took it to UND. The Hawks looked slow, lacked creativity and cohesion, and there started to look like a bit of a lack of effort and that's not something DDC says about a UND game very often, win or lose. DDC expected a bounce back on Saturday and the Hawks bounced back, indeed. Right from puck drop, a noticeable level of hitting started and didn't stop until the final whistle and the Green and White essentially wore down QU with tenacious defense. DDC mentioned to a couple friends that he hadn't seen that level of hitting from UND for a long time and he believes this will likely need to be the way the team wins games for a while as they continue to gel offensively.

2) Jake Sanderson

Ok, so this probably wasn't needed because we're trying to condense, but DDC couldn't let this one go. Look at this frickin' wrister. Seriously. Just look at it. Three minutes into the clip. Goodness, gracious.

An NHL player playing college hockey -- the sophomore assistant captain had a three-point weekend (1g, 2a) and chipped in with a solid defensive performance. Again, enjoy him while he's here. Special, special player.

Thorns

1) General offensive flow, chemistry

We've spoken ad nauseum about the need for this team to gel. Adding 14 players to a squad is a daunting task for any team, and the Hawks showed that a bit on Friday night. Quinnipiac is a solid team with a lot of returners and they shut UND down for the most part in that game. It was a lot of one-and-done rushes, lots of dumps and chase, and not much for solid possession, passing in the zone. There was also a level of visual frustration from several players. Then on Saturday, North Dakota changed to a much more physical, energy-pushing style and generated success. This team needs to gel, still. Here's to hoping the team found a bit of its identity on Saturday.

Nashville, Here we Come

"So come and visit me in Music City. We'll drink all night and write songs no one will sing.
There's room for you and your cowboy boots. We'll even get you a rhinestone suit. 
You don't even have to sing on key. Producers with computers can fix it all. 
In Nashville, Tennessee."

After waiting for over a year because of the global bastard that is/was COVID-19, it's time for DDC and the UND faithful to strap on their boots and spurs, travel down to Tennessee, and show Music City, and the Penn State Nittany Lions what we're all about. Let's do a quick breakdown for this non-conference tussle in Tennessee.

Peeking at Penn State

Hailing from the Big 10, Penn State comes into this Saturday's tilt from Bridgestone Arena for the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game on a hot 5-1 start, but hasn't exactly faced much for top tier competition. The Nittany Lions have swept Long Island and Niagara (by the same scores UND swept the Purple Eagles, mind you) and split against Canisius. Not exactly murder's row, if you ask DDC. 

PSU has played solid team defense this year, allowing just 1.83 goals per game and boasts the nation's fourth-best penalty kill at 96.4% through six games. Junior forward Kevin Wall leads the Nittany Lions with 7 points and his 6 goals ties him for fourth-best in the NCAA. Between the pipes, PSU has seen a near even split of Oskar Autio and Liam Souliere, both sporting at least a .938 save percentage. 

Penn State had a down 2020-21 season going just 10-12 for the year and missing out on the NCAAs, but has been a solid program since their inception in 2013-14. In their nine-year existence, the Nittany Lions have made the national tournament in three of those seasons and accumulated 137 wins to just 119 losses and 23 ties.

The Pick

Is Penn State as good as their 5-1 start? DDC isn't saying the Nittany Lions aren't good, because that's likely not the case. PSU head coach Guy Gadowsky's legacy has been a strong one since he's coached in the NCAA ranks with Princeton and now the Nittany Lions and he's built PSU up as a contender in his eight seasons in Happy Valley. With that said, DDC doubts PSU has seen the talent level that UND will bring to the Music City on Saturday and that talent level will play a big factor. However, the Fighting Hawks have shown that they can be shut down by solid goaltending and team defense, which Penn State has shown they have this season. What will be the deciding factor?

DDC thinks you all know where he's going with this. The deciding factor is YOU.

What looks like the Penn State independent student newspaper had a line in their preview for this game that DDC will break out here:

"The Nittany Lions and Fighting Hawks will play for the first time ever with the game taking place in Nashville, Tennessee. This means the blue and white's first road game will most likely be in front of a neutral crowd, because of the the neutral site.

DDC's sorry to say, Mr. Jeremiah Hassel, but you haven't seen much of UND fans, have ya? 

Whether it's Omaha, Madison Square Garden, Vegas, Tampa Bay or Minneapolis -- the Green and White faithful, more than any other fanbase in college hockey, show up and show out for our team. 

If you, as a reader, don't think that the fanbase makes a difference in these neutral settings, take a look at our record in these games. Truth is, this fanbase is a difference maker, not only in the noise we make, but in the desire for the players to play well in front of a crowd that has traveled 1,000s of miles to see them play. It's a pride that our fanbase carries and that pride comes back from the players. They want to win and they want to win for US.

With that, the Green and White take this one.

UND SINGS LOUD IN THE MUSIC CITY WITH A 4-2 WIN

Thanks again for reading. DDC will check back in after Nashville, if he survives! 😅

Friday Gameday: A Petty Pick at Pecknold

North Dakota takes on Quinnipiac this weekend, the team the Green and White romped 5-1
en route to the 2016 National Championship. Photo Credit: Grand Forks Herald

DDC has built up a bit of disdain for the Quinnipiac Bobcats over the past decade or so. But, why?

There's not a big rivalry with UND. There's certainly no connection in terms of region. Connecticut is a beautiful state and it's super fun to say 'Connecticut.' The Green and White have never lost to the Bobcats, twice beating them in the NCAA tournament including, of course, the 2016 title game. 

So, what's the reason? Frankly, it's pretty simple.

Rand Pecknold.  

Whether it's whining about Scheels Arena not being a neutral site (he's right, but still, such a lame whine) and playing around with Sam Anas' injury status ("not even close to playing" -- he played) in the 2015 West Regional or downplaying how good the CBS line was before the 2016 National Championship game or his annoying feuds with coaches on eastern teams, DDC just doesn't like the Bobcats' head coach. While certainly petty, DDC is looking forward to this weekend as our No. 6 Fighting Hawks (3-1-0) take on the No. 7 Bobcats (2-0-1) in Hamden, Conn., with Pecknold behind the bench for QU.

Sorry for being out a couple weeks, but such is life for DDC. Let's take a deeper look at this important non-conference series. 

Who?

Players to Watch

Quinnipiac University Bobcats

Sr. F., Michael Lombardi, 2 goals, 2 assists -- 4 points; Jr. F., Skyler Brind'Amour, 1g, 2a -- 3 pts; So. F., Ty Smilanic, 1g, 1a -- 2 pts; So. G., Yaniv Perets, 1-0-1, .947 save percentage, .96 goals against average; Sr. G., Dylan St. Cyr, 1-0-0; 14-save shutout last weekend against Vermont.

University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks

Jr. F., Ashton Calder, 4g, 2a -- 6 pts; So. F., Riese Gaber, 2g, 4a -- 6 pts; Fr. F., Jake Schmaltz, 3g, 2a -- 5 pts; So. D., Jake Sanderson -- 2g, 2a -- 4 pts; Sr. G., Zach Driscoll, 3-1-0; 2.26 GAA, .898 SV%

What?

Standout Stats and Notes

Quinnipiac

The Bobcats have yet to score a power play goal this year, but have also not allowed a goal when on the penalty kill through their three games.

Their 54% faceoff win percentage slots the Bobcats at 15th nationally.

Quinnipiac is 0-4-0 all-time against UND including a 4-1 loss in the 2015 West Regional in Fargo and a 5-1 loss in the 2016 National Championship game.

UND

The Fighting Hawks penalty kill comes into the weekend at 93.3%, good for 11th in the NCAA.

North Dakota is third in the nation with a 14.7% shooting percentage.

Senior defenseman Chris Jandric's +7 rating is tied for fifth best in the nation.

How?

How'd they get here?

Quinnipiac is 2-0-1 on the season, winning last Saturday's game against Vermont 2-0. Notre Dame transfer goalie Dylan St. Cyr notched a shutout for the Bobcats in his fist action with his new squad.

The Fighting Hawks (3-1-0) split a home-and-home series with Bemidji State, winning 4-3 in Bemidji on Friday and dropping a 4-3 decision in overtime at home on Saturday. The loss was UND's first in a non-conference clash at home since 2018, a span of 17 games.

The Pick

The last time these two teams played, it ended up alright for UND. DDC believes
it won't be as fun this time, as a split is likely at hand. Photo credit: GF Herald

Ugh, it's tough to be a homer in this one because DDC really, really dislikes Mr. Pecker... sorry... Pecknold (See Ghostbusters reference). With that said, what UND has shown so far this season, much like DDC expected and predicted, has been a little bit of inconsistency. With 14 new faces, most understood this would take a little bit of time to grow into a fantastic hockey team. The new pieces have been great -- Jake Schmaltz has looked like a goal scorer as a freshman, Ashton Calder leads the team in goals, Zach Driscoll has been steady -- but the mesh just isn't fully there. UND is getting closer and closer to full health with forward Brendan Budy inching towards a comeback and defenseman Brady Ferner doing the same, but until then, the Hawks may still see some ups and downs as they look to gel. 

All of this said, DDC has seen some pretty great stretches in the first four games and he expects this to vault the team to a solid weekend against a solid opponent in a very important non-conference series. QU looks to be starting off strong, tying then No. 6 Boston College, beating No. 18 Northeastern and Vermont, and there's plenty of historical motivation for Mr. Pecknold to fire his team up with. 

Ugh... DDC just can't pick a sweep. 

DDC thinks the Green and White will come out hard on Friday and get a win, but the Bobcats even it up on Saturday.

UND TAKES THE 5-2 WIN ON FRIDAY, BUT MR. PECKNOLD'S BOYS EVEN IT UP WITH A 4-2 VICTORY ON SATURDAY

As always, thanks for the read and check back early next week to see what DDC thought of this series.

Friday Gameday: An October Must Have Series

Excuse the questionable source, but per Urban Dictionary, a "trap game" is defined as a game played against an opponent generally deemed to be easy to defeat. As a result, a person or team may not prepare as thoroughly as they would for a formidable opponent. Often, this attitude and its attendant lack of preparation, lead to a loss.

DDC dubs this weekend .. a trap series.

Kicking off the regular season, the No. 8/7 University of North Fighting Hawks take on the Niagara University Purple Eagles from the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, and as the 2018-19 UND squad can attest to, this weekend is an important one for the Green and White.

On January 5-6, 2019, UND faced off against Canisius College, got swept against a team that ultimately would finish 54 out of 60 teams in the Pairwise ranking, which determine the NCAA tournament field each season. These losses ultimately popped the Green and White's tournament bubble by season's end. While Niagara isn't necessarily as poor Canisius ended up being that season, with the Pairwise ranking determining everyone's fate, losing to the Purple Eagles would be a massive blow to a potential national tournament in the future. 

With all of that said ... trap series. 

And as he did for the Roses and Thorns column, DDC will re-introduce the Who? What? How? preview. Simply put, this is the people, the things and the situations that lead up to a particular weekend's tilt. The players, that standout stats, and the how they got here are going to give you all an idea of what to look for each weekend. And finally, it will end with DDC's weekend pick! Without further ado...

Who?

Players to Watch

Niagara University Purple Eagles -- 2020-21 stats

Sr. F., Walker Sommer, 8 goals, 7 assists -- 15 points; Jr. F., Ryan Numovski, 3g, 10a -- 13pts; Sr. F., Ryan Cox, 7g, 4a -- 11pts; Sr. D., Chris Harpur, 0g, 8a -- 8 pts; Jr. G.,Chad Veltri, 5-7-2, 2.61 goals against average, .914 save percentage; Sr. G., Michael Corson, 2-4-1, 3.28 GAA, .903 SV%

University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks -- 2020-21 stats

So. F., Riese Gaber, 11g, 10a -- 21pts;  So. F., Jake Sanderson, 2g, 13a -- 15pts; Sr. F., Mark Senden, 3g, 11a -- 14pts; Jr. F., Judd Caulfield, 4g, 7a -- 11pts; Sr. G., Zach Driscoll (w/Bemidji State), 15-9-3; 2.32 GAA; .922 SV%

What?

Standout Stats and Notes

Niagara

So. F., Carter Randklev

Moorhead, Minn., native and former UND recruit Carter Randklev skates for the Purple Eagles. The now sophomore tallied 3 goals and 2 assists for Niagara last season.

Niagara returns 18 players from last year's team and adds 12 rookies.

Niagara is 0-7-0 all-time against North Dakota including a 2013 NCAA regional loss. The Purple Eagles' last visit to Grand Forks in 2015 was not a pleasant one with UND sweeping the series to the tune of a 12-1 margin in the two games. 

UND

This weekend marks 20 years since the REA opened it's doors. Cheers to the Palace on the Prairie. 

UND welcomes forward Connor Ford (Bowling Green) and Ashton Calder (Lake Superior State) to this year's squad and hopes the two continue their solid WCHA goal scoring in the NCHC. Ford and Calder finished last season tied with 16 goals each, good for fifth in the nation.

The Green and White hopes to find offensive consistency and goal scoring with a plethora of new faces. Last year, UND was 16-1-0 when they scored at least 4 goals.

How?

How'd they get here?

Niagara plays in its first game action of the year after missing out on the NCAA tournament last season. The Purple Eagles fell in the Atlantic Hockey semifinals to end their campaign. 

UND took down the Bemidji State Beavers 2-1 in an exhibition last weekend in Grand Forks. Sophomore winger Riese Gaber scored the Fighting Hawks' first goal and sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson notched the game winner.

The Pick

The Cathedral of College Hockey turns 20. DDC predicts UND will celebrate in style with a sweep.

DDC will be honest, here ... this needs to be a sweep. He gets it, yes, it's October... but come tournament time, if he has to hear about a loss or two to frickin' Niagara from October, he is gonna be sick. DDC believes talent wins out, here. While there are concerns with how this team will gel to start the year, DDC believes in the pieces that the Fighting Hawks will skate out onto the REA ice this weekend. Zach Driscoll looked so good in the exhibition and he will clean up with a solid defensive performance in front of him.

Jake Sanderson is so an NHL player playing college hockey and DDC predicts a big weekend from him as Atlantic Hockey just doesn't have this type of talent skating against its opponents on a nightly basis. The UND faithful got a whiff of this premise in the first round of the NCAA tournament as the Hawks rolled AIC. The Yellow Jackets just weren't in UND's league and DDC believes that will show again this weekend for the Purple Eagles.

It's time to pay homage to the Palace on the Prairie for its 20th birth, kick the season off right, and get two wins.

The Green and White pushes Niagara over the falls and sweeps, 4-1, 5-2

Check back early next week to see how it all went down! Thanks for the read!

Roses and Thorns: Doesn't Mean Much, But a Good Start

UND watches as it's 2021 NCHC championship banner was raised at the Ralph before
the Fighting Hawks' 2-1 exhibition win over BSU. Photo credit: Russel Hons.

Alright, folks, it's Roses and Thorns time! For those of who are new to the blog, and since it's been a bit since DDC has done one, let's explain how this little thing goes. So, DDC will recap this past weekend ... the things DDC believes went well, stood out, were solid, they get a rose. The things, events, situations that DDC believes went poorly get a thorn. Let's be honest, this is a game where everything is made up and the points don't matter.

Let's get after it!

The University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks had an exhibition this past Saturday that was not your normal exhibition. Normally, the Green and White takes on Canadian college team the Manitoba Bisons, but since everything is still kind of stupid, the NCAA allowed teams to schedule exhibitions against Division I opponents. Scheduling a game against the Bemidji State Beavers was an incredibly smart move for both teams. Instead of coasting through a match up against an inferior opponent just to get the legs warm, both of these squads were able to check out real, top-notch opposition. In fact, this game served as a scouting session for both teams as the two will play a home-and-home series in two weeks.

For the first two periods, this one looked like an exhibition -- sloppy play, turnovers, lack of offensive flow -- and the score was tied at 1. Then, like North Dakota fans are hoping to see all season, perhaps college hockey's premier defenseman (no, sorry Owen Power), did what he does. Sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson gathered a loose puck to the left of the UND goal, blazed coast-to-coast and fired a quick shot to beat BSU netminder Gavin Enright at 11:02 of the third to give the Hawks the 2-1 lead which they never relinquished.

Here's what stood out to DDC.

Roses:

1) The Ralph is Back

Take a listen to the building when Sanderson buried his goal. Starts at about 2:40 into the clip:

God, that was missed. Cheers to full buildings in 2021-22.

2) Transfers, Rookies Look Solid

UND Goalie Zach
Driscoll stopped
16 of 17 shots

With 14 new faces (9 freshmen, 5 transfer additions) on this year's squad, a lot of anticipation was built around how these players would fit into UND's mold. As was pointed out by the GF Herald's Brad Schlossman, the Fighting Hawks saw all of their transfer players look like they belonged, basically because, well, they've played college hockey before. Forwards Connor Ford and Ashton Calder played well with Calder showing great speed and quickness. Defensemen Chris Jandric and Brady Ferner both had solid showings. DDC was impressed by Jandric's vision and structure. Lastly, goaltender Zach Driscoll was incredibly steady against his former BSU brethren stopping 16 of 17 shots including a clutch save on a clean breakaway with seven minutes to go. As for the rookies, the Green and White faithful saw a consistent performance by Jake Schmaltz, wearing his cousin Nick's former No. 8 jersey and settling in to a second-line winger spot. Nick Portz played a tremendous defensive game, slotting in on the second penalty kill and center Mateo Constantini went 5-for-6 in the faceoff dot. Great starts all around for UND's new faces.

3) The Straw Stirs the Drink

As noted in his 2021-22 season preview, DDC believes Sanderson will be the key-est of all keys for UND this season and the alternate captain immediately started to stir that proverbial drink for his team. Sanderson looked every bit of his status, potting the game-winner and adding an assist in the exhibition. Going back to the clip of his goal, his speed is just flat out game changing. Watch as he sees the defenseman continue to give him space. He hits the blue line and just goes. Quick shot, boom. Goal. Enjoy him, boys and girls. He's a special, special player. 

It was also nice to see sophomore forward Riese Gaber didn't forget how to shoot. Going back to the highlights, check out this rocket at around 1:10 into the clip. No doubter. That top powerplay unit of Gaber, Sanderson, Calder, Ford and Judd Caulfield could end up being really fun to watch.

Thorns:

1) The Need to Gel

Pointing out all the good this game had to offer is important, but it'll be important to note that UND did not have a lot of grade A opportunities in this one. Facing a solid opponent in Bemidji State, which DDC thinks will fare very, very well in the reincarnated CCHA (RIP WCHA 😞), showed that the Green and White may take some time before they develop consistent offensive prowess. With last season's team, the Fighting Hawks had three solid lines that could chip in on any night, but simply put, they didn't have that on Saturday. With 14 new faces, this team will need to rely on structure, goaltending, and solid defense to get some of these rookies up to speed and for new lines to develop. The pieces however are, without a doubt, there. 

Thanks for reading! DDC will be back later this week as UND starts its regular season schedule with an important non-conference series with the Niagara University Purple Eagles Friday and Saturday at the Ralph.