Ice Time: UND Hockey Team looking for Spark in Kalamazoo

GRAND FORKS, N.D. (Valley News Live) - North Dakota had a pretty tough time at St. Cloud State, where they fell to the Huskies in both games, their first time being swept at St. Cloud since the 2001 season. But they have pretty high hopes going into the next weekend matchup.

“We just know we can be playing better, and points aren’t easy to come by in the NCHC, so, getting two big wins this weekend would be huge for that.” said Forward Louis Jamernik.

“It’s all mental, I think we just let it... kinda let our minds slip, or just the little details that slip.” Forward Owen McLaughlin added. “Like, we’re really, really determined in the first period to get things done, and against St. Cloud again, that example, we were up 3-0 on them, we know we can do that. It’s just, to close out games it’s every little detail.”

And that matchup next weekend will come against the Western Michigan Broncos, a fellow NCHC team that has put up an incredible scoring clip, they have 75 goals in just their 18 matches played.

“So, we need to have that response of taking care of guys, identifying in the d-zone, coming back on the rush, taking one step or stride, one false stride back will cost us, and we found out the hard way.” said Jamernik.

These next few games against the Broncos will prove as chances to right some of the wrongs that North Dakota has had in their last two losses with the St. Cloud State series, as well as get their first two wins at Kalamazoo, Michigan since the 2019 season, all the way back in December 2019, after the 2020 pod and last season getting swept.

Jamernik summarized the team’s mindset heading into this series, saying: “Just give it everything you got, there’s nothing to save it for. We can grind through it and don’t take a single shift off, and if we finish the right way, that’ll kinda lead us into the break with a positive mindset, kinda a little better mood.”

These games mark the final two contests for North Dakota in their first half of the season, they’re going to be coming up puck drop at 6:05 pm on Friday, and 5:05 pm on Saturday before they come back to the Ralph all the way on New Years’ Eve against the United States’ Under-18 team.

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