North Dakota heads to Western Michigan for a high stakes matchup

GRAND FORKS — UND has put a solid stretch of games together. After sweeping Minnesota Duluth last Saturday, UND extended its winning streak to three.

The Fighting Hawks will have their toughest challenge yet. They are headed to Kalamazoo to take on the best team in the NCHC, the Western Michigan Broncos.

Western Michigan sits alone in first place in the NCHC standings and will have a chance to win the Penrose Cup this weekend. This could be the first season that a team other than UND, DU, or SCSU has won the Penrose.  Western Michigan will be hungry to win its first-ever regular season title in program history.

The last time UND and WMU played, it did not go well for North Dakota. The Broncos swept the Fighting Hawks at home, winning 3-2 Friday in overtime and 5-1 Saturday. Broncos forward Alex Bump was the best player on the ice that weekend. Bump exploded with four goals and one assist.

Since getting swept, UND is 5-2-1. Led by outstanding goaltending from T.J. Semptimphelter, who in his last five starts has eight goals allowed and a .947 save percentage. UND has also received scoring across the board. Senior forward Carter Wilkie has had a productive few games, and junior forward Owen McLaughlin recorded a five-point night Saturday against Minnesota Duluth (one goal, four assists).

A key to North Dakota's success has been its fast start. In its last four wins, UND has scored first each time.

It is no secret that UND will want to score the first goal this weekend in Lawson Arena.

"I believe there can’t be any ambivalence on any of the plays we need to make,” UND coach Brad Berry said. “Pushing ourselves, matching and exceeding the pace of the game, as well as its competitiveness, the physicality of it. 

“It’s going to be a great college hockey environment in a great college hockey rink to showcase what we can do. In order to get where you need to go, we have to have consistency in our play. I feel that we're currently playing a pretty consistent game.”

On the road

Since being swept on the road earlier this season to Cornell, UND has certainly stepped things up, going 7-3-1.

“We went into Cornell, and we didn’t get the results we wanted,” Berry said. “But I’ll tell you, the team learned a lot about playing in a tough environment and handling high-pressure situations. These guys are continuing to grow, and we are at a critical point in our season. We’re 6-2-1 in our last eight games, and we want to keep pushing forward, playing good teams, and make a run here.”

Lawson Lunatics

The Lawson Ice Arena is known to have a rowdy atmosphere, particularly in the student section. It is tradition for students to heckle and chirp at whoever is wearing the number four on the visiting team. UND did not travel to Western Michigan last year, so sophomore Jake Livanavage will be experiencing the antics of the student section for the first time.

“I’m sure he’ll live off that,” Berry said when asked about Livanavage playing for the first time in Lawson. “He’s very competitive. If there’s ever a guy who can handle it, it’s him. He's playing some really good hockey right now, and he’s playing a lot of minutes too.”

Running out of time 

UND’s chances of earning an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament are low. For that to happen, they would likely need to win out and have some other teams around the country win or lose games.

The Fighting Hawks's best hopes lie in the NCHC tournament, where they are currently in a push to have home ice for the playoffs. UND sits in fourth place with 37 points. One point behind Omaha in third. Denver also closely trails UND with 36 points.

UND will take any win they can get this weekend. It should be noted that North Dakota and Omaha will play each other in the final weekend of the regular season. That series could determine who gets home ice for the first round of the NCHC playoffs.

Game notes 

• The Broncos enter the weekend with a 23-6-1 overall record and a 16-3-1 mark in NCHC play to sit on top of the league standings with 47 points.

• This season, WMU has relied on a duo in goal, with graduate student Cameron Rowe and freshman Hampton Slukynsky ranking among the best in the league across almost all goaltending statistics.

• Friday marks the 46th all-time matchup between North Dakota and Western Michigan, with UND leading the series 30 wins, 14 losses, and 1 tie.

• North Dakota has now achieved three consecutive regulation wins for the first time in more than two months after sweeping Minnesota Duluth.

Injury report

Jayden Perron - Out

Dane Montgomery - Out

E.J. Emery - Out

Louis Jamernik - Questionable

ND Ice prediction

WMU win 4-2 on Friday

UND win 4-2 on Saturday