UND set to challenge unbeaten Denver Pioneers in high-stakes NCHC showdown

GRAND FORKS — The best team in the country is coming to town.

Friday night, UND will face an unbeaten (10-0) Denver Pioneers squad. The Pioneers last lost on March 8th, falling 4-3 to Colorado College.

The USCHO.com No.1 ranked team is scoring more goals than anyone else in the country this season, averaging 4.9 a game. Denver also boasts the nation's two leading scorers Jack Devine and Aidan Thompson. Both have 17 points this season.

North Dakota is coming into the weekend after an impressive series at Duluth.

The Fighting Hawks defeated the Bulldogs on Friday, 7-3, and Saturday, 4-1. Duluth's only goals of the weekend came on the powerplay.

UND turned the page from last weekend’s wins and is prepared for a more challenging Pioneers team.

“Two very good teams are going to play a high brand of NCHC hockey this weekend,” UND coach Brad Berry said.

UND has received a lot of scoring from its upperclassmen. Louis Jamernik V currently leads the team in points with nine (four goals, five assists), closely followed by Cameron Berg, who has eight points (four goals and four assists).

The Fighting Hawks have also seen an increase in offensive output from senior forward Jake Schmaltz.

Schmaltz is already on pace to surpass his last year's point total of 11. The McFarland, Wis. native has one goal and four assists thus far and has also played a large role in the faceoff dot for North Dakota.

“(Schmaltz) is elevating his game in all different regards,’’ Berry said. “Powerplay, penalty kill, five on five. Just a stronger play this year, and obviously it benefited us as a program here having him step up like that.”

Schmaltz spoke briefly about how his role has changed since he came to campus in 2021.

“Each year it has kind of been different,” Schmaltz said. “I’m trying to just embrace each role. I like where my game’s at, and I’m excited to just keep going.”

A quick start

When scoring first this season, UND is 4-0. Denver has scored first in all but three games this season. In total, the Pioneers have only let up 13 goals.

“I think the biggest thing is getting off to a quick start,” Berry said. “The games that we’ve lost this year, we fell behind, and we had to try and chase. Against good teams, it’s tough to do, to come back and win those games. Trying to lead from the front and playing your games throughout the 60 minutes.”

UND’s depth has shined this season. The Fighting Hawks have received scoring from players up and down their lineup.

“It’s no mystery that we don’t have Jackson Blake and Riese Gaber,” Berry said. “Those are two very good offensive players that led the way a little bit last year. So we know that we have to do it by committee (scoring), and our guys are digging in and doing it, so that's a big deal. 

“There's going to be guys stepping ahead that are probably going to take the ball and run with it a little more here offensively. But until then, I’m glad the way it’s (scoring) spread out here because that tells you that we have a little bit of depth that can score on the offensive side.”

Freshman forward Mac Swanson is optimistic about this weekend's series. UND returned nine forwards from last season's team, many of which played minutes in the Fighting Hawks’s previous three wins against DU. 

“Some of the older guys have talked about the rivalry with Denver,” Swanson said. “Our coaching staff has done a great job of preparing us this week.”

UND will want to come out fast and not go down early. 

“We’re up for it and looking forward to this weekend,” Swanson said. “Obviously they are a really offensive team, which I think we’re too. But we just have to play a strong defensive game and score on our opportunities.”

Quick notes

• So far this season, 14 players have scored a goal for UND, marking the highest number through the first nine games since the 2020-21 season.

• UND is 1-4 this season when an opponent scores first.

• Fighting Hawks defenseman Abram Wiebe is off to a sneaky start this season. He has seven points in nine games (two goals, five assists).

• DU has made history by winning its first 10 games of the season. This is the first time the school has achieved this feat, beating the previous record of nine wins set by the 2001-02 team. (If you include exhibition games, that team won 11 games in a row.)

• Denver compiled a 9-1 record in its last 10 games of the 2023-24 season and is 25-2-1 since February 2024.

• Goaltender Matt Davis secured his third career NCHC Goaltender of the Week honor after stopping 41 of 43 shots during two victories against Lindenwood. His nine wins are the highest among NCAA goalies, and he ranks fourth nationally with a goals-against average of 1.34. Additionally, his save percentage of .942 places him 10th in the country.

• Denver’s Aidan Thompson is currently enjoying a career-high 10-game point streak with seven goals and 10 assists, while Carter King is also on a 10-game point streak, totaling seven goals and six assists, just one game away from tying his personal best.