GRAND FORKS, N.D. — Of the many rules to live by in this wonderful sport of ours, one of the really important ones is also very simple.
Beat whoever is put in front of you.
Yes, the home team was short a couple of standout players in this game, as Jake Sanderson and Matteo Costantini both sat out with illness (reported to be non-COVID related).
But North Dakota had 19 skaters dressed and ready to play, and if there was any inkling the Fighting Hawks were going to sit back and feel sorry for themselves, that was pretty quickly quashed. Grand Rapids native Gavin Hain opened the scoring just 2:30 in, and UMD had to shake off a so-so (at best) start on Friday.
The Bulldogs did just that, however, scoring the last four goals to win a penalty-laden series opener 4-1 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
And, yes, North Dakota was hampered by not having Sanderson and Costantini (especially, with all due respect, Sanderson) available. However, the bigger loss for UND might have come on an unforced error.
In the final seconds of the first period, with UMD leading 2-1, Louis Jamernik cross-checked UMD fifth year defenseman Louie Roehl in the face. After a short video review that felt longer than it was and longer than should have been needed, Jamernik was assessed a five-minute major for cross-checking and ejected from the game. Gone was UND’s third line center, forcing head coach Brad Berry to juggle lines with 11 forwards the rest of the game.
Replay… hope he's gone https://t.co/fUesZZ4ov5 pic.twitter.com/4ydekQHZMM
— UMD Hockey gifs (@UMDHockeygifs) November 20, 2021
(This is a no-brainer call, a direct cross-check to a dude’s face. Has to be a major, has to be an ejection, and the officials got it right. The stripes didn’t have the best night ever, but this was the most important decision they had to make, and they nailed it.)
That might have been a bigger blow than either of the goals UMD scored in the first period. Casey Gilling deposited a rebound from a blocked shot six seconds into a UMD power play to tie the game, and then Dominic James finished a beautiful rush 1:49 later to give the Bulldogs the lead for good. But Jamernik’s loss really seemed to affect the Hawks. It was a struggle for them to generate consistent pressure at even strength until the final minutes of the game, and that line with Jamernik, Hain, and Mark Senden was off to a very good start in the first period. It might have been UND’s best line in the early going.
All the talk will center around Sanderson not playing, but the Jamernik penalty was a huge moment in this one for both teams. No, UMD didn’t get anything home on the power play, but North Dakota didn’t get much of any momentum from the kill, either. Gilling would add his second of the night later in the period, and Kobe Roth capped the scoring late by hitting the empty net as UND was pushing hard for something that would not come.
Gilling’s goals were similar, as he found loose change in the slot and buried a shot by UND goalie Zach Driscoll. For the graduate transfer from Miami, it’s his first two-goal game since Jan. 17, 2020, for the RedHawks at home against, you guessed it, North Dakota (that game ended 4-4).
James, well let’s just show you the gif.
GOAL!! Dominic James gives UMD the lead 2-1 in the 1st! #UMDmHky pic.twitter.com/0kwVl7bWFS
— UMD Hockey gifs (@UMDHockeygifs) November 20, 2021
Gorgeous. Such skill on display there with Roth and James both. Driscoll had no chance.
******
The start was, well, suboptimal. Hain’s goal came on an odd-man rush where UMD got caught on a bad pinch. Senden generated a short-handed chance and drew a penalty when a puck bounced off Wyatt Kaiser, who made one move towards the puck and couldn’t get back in front of Senden, eventually pulling him down to nullify the power play, something UMD did three times on Friday (the Kaiser hold, then a too many men penalty with 22 seconds left in the major PP, and Blake Biondi took a weak slashing call poking at a loose puck near Driscoll to napalm another power play).
After that Kaiser penalty, however, UMD did a much better job limiting North Dakota in transition. The Bulldogs got pucks deep, worked hard down low, and were generally more responsible and cleaner on zone exits.
Fanti was good when he had to be, including a nice stop on Riese Gaber to end the second period during a UND power play. Fanti came out aggressively, made a glove stop, stared down Gaber, and casually flipped the puck into the faceoff circle as the horn went off to signal the end of the period.
Overall, the killers went 6-for-6, running their streak to 24 straight successful kills, dating back to Nov. 5 at Western Michigan. North Dakota was held to just six shots on goal in its four power plays.
UMD will almost assuredly look for a better start on Saturday in the rematch, but there was a lot to like about this performance. Sandelin talked pregame about wanting his team to be harder to play against, something he said was a problem last weekend.
“I didn’t feel like we were that hard to play against last weekend, and that’s not an M-O for this team,” he said. “We’ve got to be a team that’s hard to play against. That’s when we’re skating, getting in people’s way, time and space, pressuring pucks.”
He’ll want more, but this was a good start in that regard. UMD did a good job forechecking at times, made good decisions for the most part, and did make things difficult for the home team in all three zones.
******
Elsewhere in the NCHC on Friday, Ethen Frank scored four times in Western Michigan’s 6-2 home win over St. Cloud State. Frank how has 12 goals in 11 games this season.
In Denver, the Pioneers scored the last three goals to beat Miami 4-1. Massimo Rizzo and Carter Savoie tallied in the second period to break a 1-1 stalemate.
Friday’s results leave UMD one point back of North Dakota in the league standings heading into Saturday. St. Cloud State and Denver are each three points behind UND.
5:30pm pregame on KDAL for the Saturday game. Don’t forget the UMD football team is in Texas for a Division II playoff game against Angelo State. That kicks off on KDAL at 1pm. #ListenToTheRadio and cheer on the Bulldogs all day long!
Back with the line charts before faceoff.
