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Jan. 9—COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Ellis Rickwood walked onto the plane Thursday at Grand Forks International Airport.
Cole Reschny wasn't far behind.
Ollie Josephson, Jack Kernan and David Klee joined them.
For the first time since Nov. 14, UND has all of its centers available for a series against Colorado College at 8 p.m. Central on Friday and 7 p.m. Central on Saturday.
"It's nice to have everybody around, getting that energy back and that continuity," UND coach Dane Jackson said. "We're looking forward to getting the group molded and playing the right way down the stretch here."
The Fighting Hawks have been missing key pieces for a while now.
Rickwood missed five games with a lower-body injury. Once he returned, Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff left to join Canada's World Junior Team.
E.J. Emery and Will Zellers played for Team USA at the World Juniors and junior defenders Abram Wiebe and Jake Livanavage were gone for a little more than a week at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
"It's been really nice to get our whole group together," Jackson said. "It's great to hear from the guys and the experiences they had. They're coming back with confidence and new experiences."
Only one UND player did not make the trip to Colorado Springs. Winger Cody Croal is dealing with an ailment and will miss the series.
Winger Josh Zakreski, who is recovering from surgery, made his first road trip since his injury. Jackson said his return still isn't close.
"He's walking around well, which is a good start," Jackson said. "I don't think he's too far away from skating. It's still going to be a fairly lengthy rehab from here. It's good to see him making progress. I know for him, mentally, it's been nice for him to be a little more active and getting some better rehab going.
"He wants to be on the road and around the guys. He's such a positive guy with a real fun personality. We'll enjoy having him."
UND (16-4) finished nonconference play in good shape, going 8-2 outside the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Now, the Fighting Hawks play at Colorado College, home against Denver and at Arizona State before their last bye week of the season.
UND, seeking its seventh Penrose Cup in 12 seasons, is sitting one point ahead of Denver.
UND CC
16-4 Rec 8-9-3
2 NPI 35
3.8 (5th) Off 2.8 (37th)
2.1 (4th) Def 2.7 (24th)
32.4 (1st) PP 15.5 (48th)
81.8 (29th) PK 75.4 (51st)
53.5 (9th) FO 54.8 (3rd)
.910 (16th) SP .904 (25th)
Note: National rank in parentheses. Categories are record, NPI ranking, offense (goals per game), defense (goals against per game), power play percentage, penalty kill percentage, faceoff percentage and team save percentage.
UND — F Josh Zakreski out (lower), F Cody Croal out (undisclosed)
Colorado College — F Owen Beckner questionable (undisclosed), D Max Burkholder out (lower)
Colorado College freshman forward Wilson Björck had quite the start to the week. He helped Sweden win a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in St. Paul's Grand Casino Arena.
Björck was scratched in early games, but played in the semifinals and finals.
"It's been a lot of up and downs," Björck said. "The team has played great through the whole tournament. It's such a hard tournament. It's such a great team. Amazing credit to the team."
Björck is one of Colorado College's most dynamic threats. The Vancouver Canucks fifth-round pick has five goals and eight points in 15 games. He said on Monday that he learned some things at the World Juniors that he can bring back to Colorado College.
"I've been focusing here, and my coach told me, to be more physical," Björck said. "I think if I can go back to college and bring my physical game, I can develop more."
Björck said he's enjoyed his time in the Springs so far.
"It's been really great, even though the team hasn't played the best hockey," Björck said. "I still feel like we have something going on."
We've long talked about the bump players get in the second half after experiencing the World Junior Championship. But how about the Spengler Cup Bump?
Abram Wiebe and Jake Livanavage spent a week playing games against professionals. Upon returning to NCAA hockey, both were excellent on Friday night against Mercyhurst.
Colorado College has often played a style that makes generating offense difficult. But Wiebe makes smart plays repeatedly, and that type of game can translate against an opponent like the Tigers.
UND hasn't been blowing teams out, but it has done a terrific job finding ways to win games. In six of UND's eight games during the current winning streak, it has been a one-goal game with under six minutes to go. At some point, a lot of close calls will catch up. But on the other hand, we haven't seen this UND team this close to full strength in a long time.
Friday: Colorado College 3, UND 2
Saturday: UND 4, Colorado College 2
Friday
TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD), SOCO CW, MTN TV, SportsNet Pittsburgh, NESN Plus.
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM). Darrin Looker play-by-play, Mike LaMoine analyst.
Stream: NCHChockey.com/tv.
Saturday
TV: None.
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM). Darrin Looker play-by-play, Mike LaMoine analyst.
Stream: NCHChockey.com/tv.
GFH:
CC has strong analytics. Will it translate to more wins?
GFH:
Will UND re-examine Christmas break scheduling?
GFH:
UND's Canadian medalists eager to apply lessons learned at WJC
GFH:
Will Zellers returns after brilliant World Juniors
Scoring
21 Ben Strinden (NSH), sr, f, 12-8—20
4 Jake Livanavage, jr, d, 3-15—18
17 Cole Reschny (CGY), fr, f, 2-16—18
9 Will Zellers (BOS), fr, f, 10-6—16
29 Ellis Rickwood, sr, f, 3-13—16
26 Dylan James (DET), sr, f, 11-4—15
7 Mac Swanson (PIT), so, f, 4-10—14
25 Abram Wiebe (VGK), jr, d, 2-11—13
18 Keaton Verhoeff (2026), fr, d, 4-7—11
8 Ollie Josephson (SEA), fr, f, 3-8—11
15 Jack Kernan, fr, f, 5-4—9
20 Cade Littler (CGY), so, f, 4-5—9
19 Cody Croal, so, f, 5-3—8
6 E.J. Emery (NYR), fr, d, 2-2—4
27 Anthony Menghini, jr, f, 2-2—4
22 David Klee (SJS), fr, f, 2-2—4
13 Sam Laurila (NYI), fr, d, 0-4—4
14 Tyler Young, sr, f, 1-2—3
24 Josh Zakreski, fr, f, 1-2—3
2 Bennett Zmolek, sr, d, 0-2—2
3 Jayden Jubenvill, so, d, 0-2—2
16 Andrew Strathmann (CBJ), so, d, 0-1—1
28 Dalton Andrew, so, f, 0-0—0
11 Ian Engel, fr, d, 0-0—0
31 Gibson Homer, sr, g, 0-0—0
35 Jan Špunar, fr, g, 0-0—0
1 Zach Sandy, sr, g, dnp
Goaltending
31 Gibson Homer, sr, 6-4, 2.43, .895
35 Jan Špunar, fr, 10-0, 1.50, .936
1 Zach Sandy, sr, dnp
Scoring
9 Owen Beckner (OTT), so, f, 6-10—16
20 Gavin Lindberg, so, f, 6-8—14
10 Bret Link, jr, f, 5-8—13
24 Klavs Veinbergs (TBL), jr, f, 6-5—11
8 Brandon Lisowsky (TOR), fr, f, 4-7—11
28 Brayden Schuurman, fr, f, 4-5—9
26 Wilson Björck (VAN), fr, f, 5-3—8
6 Colton Roberts (SJS), fr, d, 2-6—8
14 Connor Hvidston (ANA), fr, f, 2-6—8
25 Riley Stuart, jr, f, 4-3—7
21 Ryan Alexander, sr, f, 1-6—7
17 Tomas Mrsic (STL), fr, f, 2-4—6
18 Fisher Scott (DET), so, d, 1-5—6
7 Philippe Blais-Savoie, so, d, 4-1—5
29 Drew Montgomery, jr, f, 1-4—5
5 Ryan Koering, so, d, 1-4—5
3 Seth Constance, so, d, 1-4—5
33 Kaidan Mbereko, sr, g, 0-2—2
23 Mats Lindgren (BUF), so, d, 0-1—1
27 Matteo Mann (PHI), fr, d, 0-1—1
15 Nick Baer, so, d, 0-1—1
13 Merril Steenari, fr, f, 0-0—0
19 Mateo Mrsic, fr, f, 0-0—0
4 Max Burkholder, jr, d, 0-0—0
30 Jackson Unger, fr, g, 0-0—0
12 Shane Kozlina, fr, f, dnp
22 Jordan Brisson, so, f, dnp
1 Beckham Dempsey, fr, g, dnp
Goaltending
33 Kaidan Mbereko, sr, g, 8-8-3, 2.50, .910
30 Jackson Unger, fr, g, 0-1, 2.11, .926
1 Beckham Dempsey, fr, dnp
Continue reading...
Cole Reschny wasn't far behind.
Ollie Josephson, Jack Kernan and David Klee joined them.
For the first time since Nov. 14, UND has all of its centers available for a series against Colorado College at 8 p.m. Central on Friday and 7 p.m. Central on Saturday.
"It's nice to have everybody around, getting that energy back and that continuity," UND coach Dane Jackson said. "We're looking forward to getting the group molded and playing the right way down the stretch here."
The Fighting Hawks have been missing key pieces for a while now.
Rickwood missed five games with a lower-body injury. Once he returned, Reschny and Keaton Verhoeff left to join Canada's World Junior Team.
E.J. Emery and Will Zellers played for Team USA at the World Juniors and junior defenders Abram Wiebe and Jake Livanavage were gone for a little more than a week at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
"It's been really nice to get our whole group together," Jackson said. "It's great to hear from the guys and the experiences they had. They're coming back with confidence and new experiences."
Only one UND player did not make the trip to Colorado Springs. Winger Cody Croal is dealing with an ailment and will miss the series.
Winger Josh Zakreski, who is recovering from surgery, made his first road trip since his injury. Jackson said his return still isn't close.
"He's walking around well, which is a good start," Jackson said. "I don't think he's too far away from skating. It's still going to be a fairly lengthy rehab from here. It's good to see him making progress. I know for him, mentally, it's been nice for him to be a little more active and getting some better rehab going.
"He wants to be on the road and around the guys. He's such a positive guy with a real fun personality. We'll enjoy having him."
UND (16-4) finished nonconference play in good shape, going 8-2 outside the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Now, the Fighting Hawks play at Colorado College, home against Denver and at Arizona State before their last bye week of the season.
UND, seeking its seventh Penrose Cup in 12 seasons, is sitting one point ahead of Denver.
UND CC
16-4 Rec 8-9-3
2 NPI 35
3.8 (5th) Off 2.8 (37th)
2.1 (4th) Def 2.7 (24th)
32.4 (1st) PP 15.5 (48th)
81.8 (29th) PK 75.4 (51st)
53.5 (9th) FO 54.8 (3rd)
.910 (16th) SP .904 (25th)
Note: National rank in parentheses. Categories are record, NPI ranking, offense (goals per game), defense (goals against per game), power play percentage, penalty kill percentage, faceoff percentage and team save percentage.
UND — F Josh Zakreski out (lower), F Cody Croal out (undisclosed)
Colorado College — F Owen Beckner questionable (undisclosed), D Max Burkholder out (lower)
Colorado College freshman forward Wilson Björck had quite the start to the week. He helped Sweden win a gold medal at the World Junior Championship in St. Paul's Grand Casino Arena.
Björck was scratched in early games, but played in the semifinals and finals.
"It's been a lot of up and downs," Björck said. "The team has played great through the whole tournament. It's such a hard tournament. It's such a great team. Amazing credit to the team."
Björck is one of Colorado College's most dynamic threats. The Vancouver Canucks fifth-round pick has five goals and eight points in 15 games. He said on Monday that he learned some things at the World Juniors that he can bring back to Colorado College.
"I've been focusing here, and my coach told me, to be more physical," Björck said. "I think if I can go back to college and bring my physical game, I can develop more."
Björck said he's enjoyed his time in the Springs so far.
"It's been really great, even though the team hasn't played the best hockey," Björck said. "I still feel like we have something going on."
We've long talked about the bump players get in the second half after experiencing the World Junior Championship. But how about the Spengler Cup Bump?
Abram Wiebe and Jake Livanavage spent a week playing games against professionals. Upon returning to NCAA hockey, both were excellent on Friday night against Mercyhurst.
Colorado College has often played a style that makes generating offense difficult. But Wiebe makes smart plays repeatedly, and that type of game can translate against an opponent like the Tigers.
UND hasn't been blowing teams out, but it has done a terrific job finding ways to win games. In six of UND's eight games during the current winning streak, it has been a one-goal game with under six minutes to go. At some point, a lot of close calls will catch up. But on the other hand, we haven't seen this UND team this close to full strength in a long time.
Friday: Colorado College 3, UND 2
Saturday: UND 4, Colorado College 2
Friday
TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD), SOCO CW, MTN TV, SportsNet Pittsburgh, NESN Plus.
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM). Darrin Looker play-by-play, Mike LaMoine analyst.
Stream: NCHChockey.com/tv.
Saturday
TV: None.
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM). Darrin Looker play-by-play, Mike LaMoine analyst.
Stream: NCHChockey.com/tv.
GFH:
CC has strong analytics. Will it translate to more wins?
GFH:
Will UND re-examine Christmas break scheduling?
GFH:
UND's Canadian medalists eager to apply lessons learned at WJC
GFH:
Will Zellers returns after brilliant World Juniors
Scoring
21 Ben Strinden (NSH), sr, f, 12-8—20
4 Jake Livanavage, jr, d, 3-15—18
17 Cole Reschny (CGY), fr, f, 2-16—18
9 Will Zellers (BOS), fr, f, 10-6—16
29 Ellis Rickwood, sr, f, 3-13—16
26 Dylan James (DET), sr, f, 11-4—15
7 Mac Swanson (PIT), so, f, 4-10—14
25 Abram Wiebe (VGK), jr, d, 2-11—13
18 Keaton Verhoeff (2026), fr, d, 4-7—11
8 Ollie Josephson (SEA), fr, f, 3-8—11
15 Jack Kernan, fr, f, 5-4—9
20 Cade Littler (CGY), so, f, 4-5—9
19 Cody Croal, so, f, 5-3—8
6 E.J. Emery (NYR), fr, d, 2-2—4
27 Anthony Menghini, jr, f, 2-2—4
22 David Klee (SJS), fr, f, 2-2—4
13 Sam Laurila (NYI), fr, d, 0-4—4
14 Tyler Young, sr, f, 1-2—3
24 Josh Zakreski, fr, f, 1-2—3
2 Bennett Zmolek, sr, d, 0-2—2
3 Jayden Jubenvill, so, d, 0-2—2
16 Andrew Strathmann (CBJ), so, d, 0-1—1
28 Dalton Andrew, so, f, 0-0—0
11 Ian Engel, fr, d, 0-0—0
31 Gibson Homer, sr, g, 0-0—0
35 Jan Špunar, fr, g, 0-0—0
1 Zach Sandy, sr, g, dnp
Goaltending
31 Gibson Homer, sr, 6-4, 2.43, .895
35 Jan Špunar, fr, 10-0, 1.50, .936
1 Zach Sandy, sr, dnp
Scoring
9 Owen Beckner (OTT), so, f, 6-10—16
20 Gavin Lindberg, so, f, 6-8—14
10 Bret Link, jr, f, 5-8—13
24 Klavs Veinbergs (TBL), jr, f, 6-5—11
8 Brandon Lisowsky (TOR), fr, f, 4-7—11
28 Brayden Schuurman, fr, f, 4-5—9
26 Wilson Björck (VAN), fr, f, 5-3—8
6 Colton Roberts (SJS), fr, d, 2-6—8
14 Connor Hvidston (ANA), fr, f, 2-6—8
25 Riley Stuart, jr, f, 4-3—7
21 Ryan Alexander, sr, f, 1-6—7
17 Tomas Mrsic (STL), fr, f, 2-4—6
18 Fisher Scott (DET), so, d, 1-5—6
7 Philippe Blais-Savoie, so, d, 4-1—5
29 Drew Montgomery, jr, f, 1-4—5
5 Ryan Koering, so, d, 1-4—5
3 Seth Constance, so, d, 1-4—5
33 Kaidan Mbereko, sr, g, 0-2—2
23 Mats Lindgren (BUF), so, d, 0-1—1
27 Matteo Mann (PHI), fr, d, 0-1—1
15 Nick Baer, so, d, 0-1—1
13 Merril Steenari, fr, f, 0-0—0
19 Mateo Mrsic, fr, f, 0-0—0
4 Max Burkholder, jr, d, 0-0—0
30 Jackson Unger, fr, g, 0-0—0
12 Shane Kozlina, fr, f, dnp
22 Jordan Brisson, so, f, dnp
1 Beckham Dempsey, fr, g, dnp
Goaltending
33 Kaidan Mbereko, sr, g, 8-8-3, 2.50, .910
30 Jackson Unger, fr, g, 0-1, 2.11, .926
1 Beckham Dempsey, fr, dnp
Continue reading...
