UND captain Louis Jamernik V talks about the community of Grand Forks and the team's goal of winning another championship

GRAND FORKS — The UND hockey team has been a staple of the Grand Forks community for over 78 years. 

Since 1946, The Fighting Hawks hockey team has played in three different arenas, won eight championships, and sent hundreds of players to professional hockey.

Every year, thousands of fans pack the Ralph Engelstad Arena to watch their favorite college hockey team go to battle, with the hope of them going on to win a national championship at the end of the year.

Current UND captain Louis Jamernik V knows better than anyone the pressure and responsibility of wearing the ‘C’ for such a storied program.

“It’s everything,” Jamernik said when asked about playing for UND and the team's support from the city of Grand Forks. “I am so lucky and blessed to be here. The community is insanely supportive; I’ve met so many great people.”

UND hockey fans are among some of the most passionate and loyal in college sports. It’s not unusual to see a lot of green in the crowd at an opposing team's stadium.

“Everywhere we travel as a team, there's green in the stands no matter what,” Jamernik said. “I don't know if there is a team that has a traveling fan base like we do.”

Jamernik has been with the UND hockey program for over four years now.

“In terms of the support I get from schoolteachers, instructors, fans, donors, and all that stuff. It's just what makes North Dakota so special,” Jamernik said.

But the notoriety of playing for the Fighting Hawks brings an added level of pressure. UND last won a national championship in 2016, and in recent years, many fans have been getting antsy about the program's lack of success in the postseason. 

“It’s time,” UND head coach Brad Berry said when asked about ending the current championship drought. “At the end of the day, we talked about what we want to do. To get to the end of the road, it’s a process and a journey.”

Winning a national championship at North Dakota is a big deal. When UND won in 2016, hundreds of students marched through the streets while many others celebrated downtown inside of packed sports bars. 

This year, teams will have as good of a chance of winning a championship as ever. UND is bringing in a very loaded freshman class upfront and adding some players through the transfer portal.

“When you look at the depth of our group, you really cannot say there is a line one, two, three or four,” Berry said. “It’s a situation where everybody brings a high level of skill to the table, and that’s good.”

UND will immediately jump into its demanding schedule, facing Providence College and Boston University, two top-10 teams.

“Iron sharpens iron,” Berry said. “We’ve had hard schedules here over the past few years, and you know what? I think it's a situation where it gets your ears up, it gets you in tune, and you have to be ready to play and go.”

Jamernik talked about the team's goal to win a national championship and that this team will be special.

“It just feels there’s just something different year,” Jamernik said. “We love each other. We work hard. We love to hang out together; that’s the biggest thing.”

 With the season less than a week away, the people of Grand Forks will have plenty to look forward to this year.

Puck drops against Augustana University on Oct. 5th at 6:07 PM CT