Preview: Can UND keep it going in Minneapolis?

Oct. 22—MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota's record isn't fooling UND coach Dane Jackson.

After watching game video on the Gophers, Jackson concluded that special teams have gotten Minnesota in trouble at times, but overall, the Gophers are much better than their 0-3-1 record indicates.

"Their 5-on-5 play looks pretty darn good to me," Jackson said. "They've had some goals scored on them on their penalty kill, but overall, there's a lot of good play 5-on-5."

UND and Minnesota are set to renew their rivalry at 7 p.m. Thursday and 6 p.m. Friday in 3M Arena at Mariucci.

UND comes in with a perfect 4-0 record after sweeping Bemidji State and Bentley. Three of the four games were at home.

The Gophers are winless through four games for the first time since 2009-10, but have played the

in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (Michigan Tech) and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (Minnesota Duluth). All four games were on the road.

"I just hope we keep building," Minnesota first-year head coach Brett Larson said. "I thought our best game of the year was Saturday night and we want to build off that. I think it gave the guys some confidence that we're learning to play winning hockey, we're learning to play the right way."

Minnesota will now play nine consecutive games at home, beginning with the sold-out homecoming weekend series against UND.

"It's been an incredibly odd schedule in some ways," Larson said. "I think our players are excited to play in front of our fans finally. I think they can't wait to feed off their energy."

One area where UND holds a statistical edge is in the faceoff dot.

The Fighting Hawks have won 61.1% of their faceoffs, ranking No. 1 nationally. The Gophers are at 43%, ranking 54th of the 57 teams that have played.

Minnesota has made slight changes at center from game to game. Last Saturday, L.J. Mooney, Wyatt Cullen, Brooks Cullen and Tanner Ludtke lined up in the middle.

UND's usual centers are Cole Reschny, Ollie Josephson, Hudson Malinoski and Gavin Lindberg.

"We've got to play fast," UND forward Will Zellers said. "That Minnesota team is so highly skilled. They've got a bunch of the top players in the country. If we're turning pucks over and creating their offense for them and not playing too hard, they're going to feed off that."

On the back end, both teams look significantly different than last season.

Five of Minnesota's eight blue liners are new — All-American transfer Evan Murr, transfer Tanner Henricks, transfer Finn Loftus, freshman Axel Löfgren and freshman Tarin Smith, who is nearing a return from an injury he sustained last spring.

Five of UND's eight blue liners are new — transfer Brasen Boser, freshman Carson Carels, freshman Ethan MacKenzie, freshman Garrett Lindberg and freshman Bauer Dumanski.

"With a young group, you've got a lot to teach them details and also bring them together," UND assistant coach Dillon Simpson said. "I've been super proud of how all eight of them have worked and really come to the rink with the mindset to get better and learn. They're super coachable."

Both teams have been good on the power play — a carryover from last season.

UND (37.5%) and Minnesota (28.6%) both rank in the top 11 nationally in power play percentage. Last season, both finished in the top 10.

"You've got to be ready for anything," Jackson said. "There are a lot of emotional swings. It's important to be on the edge, be ready to compete but not go overboard."

Minnesota — D Tarin Smith questionable (upper body)

Minnesota trailed 2-0 last Saturday in Duluth when Ziemer, the captain, took over. He scored back-to-back goals, pulling the Gophers into a tie.

Ziemer, a third-round Buffalo Sabres pick, is coming off a 23-goal sophomore season. Ziemer plays right wing on a line with Mooney and Austin Burnevik, a 20-goal scorer last season at St. Cloud State.

"He's been unbelievable all year, to be honest," Larson said of Ziemer. "He practices like a pro. His detail, his preparation. . . everything is elite. I think we've got a great captain leading us through some tough times here early."

This is a big series for Twin Cities players returning home and UND has a bunch of them on this roster — Zellers (Maple Grove), Jack Kernan (Maple Grove), Cody Croal (North Branch), Ashton Schultz (Excelsior), Cooper Simpson (Shakopee) and Caleb Heil (Victoria).

Some of those players, especially the highly competitive ones, seem to thrive in homecomings. Think Danny Kristo and Jackson Blake. Zellers is a big-game player with a fiercely competitive streak. The last time he returned home — the 2026 World Junior Championship — he lit up the scoresheet.

"It's pretty special to be able to go back there and play only 20 minutes from my house and have a lot of family and friends in the stands," Zellers said.

Too much has been made of the records. It's a small sample size. The Gophers have been on the road playing teams who should make the NCAA tournament. UND has been mostly at home. This will be UND's biggest challenge to date.

There's only been one sweep in this series since November 2011. UND won a pair on Thanksgiving weekend in 2019. Outside of that, there have been a whole lot of splits, and this one has split written all over it.

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