UND heads into the bye week still unbeaten in regulation since Nov. 3rd

It has been almost total domination for the Fighting Hawks since the start of the second half of the season.

The Hawks have pushed themselves up to No. 1 in the NCHC and No. 3 in the pairwise. UND is riding a 21-game unbeaten streak in regulation since November 3rd against Boston University.

 So what's been working for the Hawks?

 The Offense

North Dakota's offense has been phenomenal since the beginning of 2024; UND has scored an average of 4.6 goals per game.

The Fighting Hawks have been burying the puck this year; UND's shooting percentage as a team sits at 12.6%, which puts them fourth in the nation, only trailing The University of Michigan (12.9%), Boston College (13.1 %), and The University of Denver, who has an absurd 15.6%.

The top shooters for UND include Jackson Blake (19.5%), Cameron Berg (19.2%), and Riese Gaber (20 %). Similar players of the same caliber who are shooting around 20% include Gabe Perreult (Boston College 20%), Gavin Brindley (Michigan 21.7%), and Jack Devine (Denver 22.3%). 

While the big names from UND seem to be getting all the attention, North Dakota's depth this season has proven to be a massive factor for the team offensively. 

Players like Jackson Kunz and Griffin Ness, who have struggled to produce in years past, have been excellent this year. 

Kunz has been very noticeable on the power play as of late, and he is currently riding a three-game point streak, the longest of his career. Ness, additionally, has been getting on the board, scoring a key goal against Denver a few weeks back. Both players have seemingly embraced their role on this high-scoring Fighting Hawks squad, which head coach Brad Berry has attributed to their team's success.

The Defense

It is no secret that UND has been very sharp defensively. 

Since the second half began, North Dakota has allowed, on average, 2.7 goals per game. Over this stretch, UND played the top offensive team in the country, the Denver Pioneers, who had been averaging over five goals per game. UND held them to only four goals the weekend they played.

Fighting Hawks goaltender Ludvig Persson has been as good as advertised in the net for UND.

Following a tough first and second period last Friday night against his former team, the Miami RedHawks, Persson settled in and found his groove, saving the remaining ten shots in the game and even recording an assist on Jackson Blake's overtime goal.

The next night, it was all business for Persson; he saved 33/34 shots on net, helping lead North Dakota to their sixth consecutive victory against the RedHawks.

North Dakota has been blocking shots like no other team; UND leads the NCHC with 367 blocked shots. Fighting Hawks defenseman Bennett Zmolek tops the conference in total blocks with 61 in 24 games played. The next closest is his teammate Garrett Pyke, who has 42 blocks in 28 games.

 Hobey Blaker?

Like his father before him, Jackson Blake appears to be on track to be a Hobey Baker Finalist.

The sophomore forward has 39 points in 28 games played this season; he currently sits tied for the fourth most points in the country with the projected No. 1 overall pick, Macklin Celebrini (Boston University).

Blake is riding a 10-game point streak. He also has racked up an impressive 13 points in his last six games.

"He doesn't waste a shift," UND head coach Brad Berry said in a press conference on Wednesday morning. "He maximizes every shift he gets."

Berry also touched on Blake's leadership this season and its effect on the team.

"When the leadership takes over in the locker room, it's usually the older guys. You know, he's a sophomore, but he talks on the bench, and he's a guy that's starting to say the things leaders say on the bench to lead your team."

When asked if Blake looked like a Hobey Baker candidate, Berry expressed his belief that he is. 

"Absolutely, 100 %. We just practiced today, and we've been off for a couple of days, but he was sharp out there today," Berry said. "You know that what guys do when you talk about Hobey Baker candidates that are impactful every game, what about the practices? For me, your best players have to raise the bar where you have to be in order to win. He's one of the best guys in our group, but he raises the bar."

To have a shot at the Hobey Baker Award, Blake will need to continue to score and ensure that he plays a major role in helping propel UND into the playoffs.

 Re-energize and Regroup

North Dakota has no plans of slowing down after the bye week. UND will travel to Colorado College to face off against a red-hot Tigers team that swept UND at home in the first half of the season. 

"Just trying to stay with the momentum," Berry said. "Obviously, we're not playing this weekend, but I think you can replicate a lot of things with what we usually do in practice."

Berry was not too worried about any rust or problems a week off may bring. 

"We're going to be fresh. I think we're even going to be even more re-energized knowing there's only four weekends before playoffs. And you know what, we're chasing for a Penrose. Like we want that thing, and that's one of the things we put on our list every year, and we're extremely excited about trying to pursue that in the last four weeks."