UND will battle for home ice this weekend against the Mavericks

GRAND FORKS — This could be the last weekend UND plays in the Ralph Engelstad Arena this season.

Omaha will travel to Grand Forks to finish out the regular season. Everything is at stake in this series.

Omaha currently sits third in the NCHC standings (41 points), followed by UND and Denver with 39 each. All three teams are fighting for home ice. As ND Ice predicted, it will come down to the final games of the regular season.

"Our fate is in our hands,” Senior Dane Montgomery said. “We've got to come out and get six points this weekend — or at least five. It starts on Friday night. We've been saying it all year. You can't win both games without winning the first one on Friday. We've got to be ready from the first drop of the puck, play our style of game, and take it to them for 120 minutes this weekend."

The Fighting Hawks ideally want to sweep Omaha. If that happens, they’ll play the first round of the NCHC playoffs at home. UND can finish as high as third in the league or as low as fifth.

“It is vital. It is important to us,” UND coach Brad Berry said when asked about securing home ice for the playoffs.

UND’s chances of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament will require them to advance past the NCHC quarterfinals and, most likely, semi-finals. Barring results outside of the conference, its only route is likely through an NCHC tournament championship.

This will be the first time since the NCHC was founded that UND and Omaha have only played each other once in the regular season.

"There’s a lot of familiarity; we know the way they play and their personnel,” Berry said. “And likewise, they know us. It’s going to be a very competitive weekend with a lot on the line for both teams. We consider this a playoff situation at home, with two playoff games here this weekend, even though we’re a week ahead of the actual playoffs. For us, this is our playoffs."

Goaltender of the Month

Senior netminder T.J. Semptimphelter has been on fire. Semptimphelter recently received honors as the February NCHC Goaltender of the Month.

Semptimphelter led all NCHC goaltenders with a goals-against average of 2.20 and a save percentage of .929 during his six starts. He ranked second in the league with four victories and a total of 170 saves.

Senior Night

UND will celebrate senior night on Saturday.

UND’s seven seniors include Jackson Kunz, Cameron Berg, Jake Schmaltz, Dane Montgomery, Kaleb Johnson, Louis Jamernik, Carter Wilkie and T.J. Semptimphelter.

“The four-year career they had went by fast — not only for them but for everybody,” Berry said. “Four years goes pretty quick when you think about them coming in as freshmen, growing exponentially year to year. But for those three guys — four, when you include Cam Berg — their connection to our program started long before they stepped on campus.

“Those kids lived and died trying to play at North Dakota. They fulfilled their dream by working hard, earning their way into our locker room, and making a huge impact within our group."

Grand Forks natives Kaleb Johnson, Jackson Kunz, and Dane Montgomery all knew each other since they were young.

“Growing up here, this is what you strive to be — this is the place you want to be,” Montgomery said. “You don't think of anything else. It's pretty special for the three of us who grew up here and experienced this from such a young age. It'll be crazy to think this could potentially be the last time we play here."

Injury report

Jayden Perron - In

Dane Montgomery - In

E.J. Emery - Out

Game notes

• UND has proven to be almost unbeatable when they score four or more goals, boasting a record of 105 wins, eight losses, and three ties since the 2018-19 season, including an impressive 13-2-0 this year.

• UND is 6-4-2 this season following a loss.

• UND is outscoring its opponents 8-7 when pulling its goalie.

ND Ice prediction

Friday: UND 5-2

Saturday: UND 3-2