UND looks to bounce back after a disappointing series against Denver

GRAND FORKS — Robert Morris has traveled to Grand Forks once.

North Dakota outscored the Colonials 10-1 in the last series between the two teams.

Neither team has had much experience playing each other except for one player.

UND senior forward Carter Wilkie has seen the Colonials many times. Wilkie, who transferred in from RIT, faced Robert Morris six times last season. Wilkie had 12 points in six games.

After playing for an Atlantic Hockey school, Wilkie understands the importance of this game for Robert Morris.

“Coming to games like this and playing in an atmosphere like the Ralph, they're obviously gonna be excited and tuned in to play their best game,” Wilkie said.

“They know how to play simple and play fast as well,” he said. “They move the puck really well north.”

At RIT, Wilkie credited its success against RMU to special teams play.

“It’s (powerplay) very simple hockey,” Wilkie said. You don’t have to play fancy around them if you play as a team.”

UND will need to be more efficient on special teams against Robert Morris.

Last weekend against the Pioneers, UND took too many penalties, and didn’t generate enough on the powerplay. Part of that can be attributed to the loss of Cameron Berg, who was injured in practice last week. The Fighting Hawks are 1-for-15 without Berg on the powerplay.

A “nifty, shifty” team

Robert Morris is heading into Grand Forks with a 4-3-2 record. The Colonials are led by sophomore defenseman Michael Craig, who has 10 points this season (three goals, seven assists).

UND coach Brad Berry discussed how Robert Morris has some solid young players. The Colonials' top three scorers are all underclassmen.

“It's a really good team that's worked extremely hard,” Berry said. “(They’ve) played some competitive games, and it's going to be a situation where we have to be at our best.”

Positive vibes

Even though UND has a losing record, spirits are still high for the Fighting Hawks. 

The UND coaching staff has to balance holding the team responsible after its losses and keeping them optimistic.

“It's tough,” Berry said. “At the end of the day, when you’re coaching, it’s tough. But you got to be accountable. You got to have real positivity.”

“That’s the beauty of our culture here. Nothing gets swept under the carpet, and there's hard days, but it's a meaningful hard day knowing that we have each other's back and we got to get better. We got to get more consistent.”

After a disappointing Friday night and a better overall performance Saturday, the UND coaching staff has greatly emphasized finishing games.

“The effort and a consistent 60 minutes,” UND defenseman Jake Livanavage said after being asked what he wants to see from UND this weekend. “Last weekend on Friday night, we didn't play how we wanted to play, and we came in Saturday morning, got challenged by Bubbs (Brad Berry).  If we play games like we did on Saturday night, we're going to win a lot of hockey games.”

UND will go into this series and expect to return to the win column. UND is 5-6 thus far. Puck drop is slated for 7:07 p.m. Friday.

Quick notes

• UND forward Ben Strinden is on a four-game point streak

• Robert Morris is coming off its most challenging weekend of the year, losing both games against Sacred Heart. In both matches, the Colonials were either tied or in the lead going into the third period but ultimately experienced their first sweep of the season.

• UND netminder T.J. Semptimphelter has won two games against the Colonials. Posting a .925 SV% and a 2.00 GAA

• RMU swept Miami in October