Grand Forks, ND — Last night, the University of North Dakota Hockey team shut out the Saint Cloud State Huskies 2-0 in a critical conference battle. It was a game Nodak needed to avoid getting buried at the bottom of the NCHC standings. It was also crucial for UND’s Pairwise rankings. Here are three things that I saw from last night’s game.
Are UND’s Fortunes Changing?
The Fighting Hawks’ season has certainly faced its challenges. With a non-conference record of 5-5-1, the team experienced a rough patch early on, losing three consecutive games. This problematic start continued as the Denver Pioneers swept them in their season-opening NCHC matchup.
Despite the injuries to key players expected to play major roles this season, none of that mattered. The mindset is “next man up.” While injuries have posed difficulties, they have also provided valuable opportunities for younger players vying for roles in the lineup. Currently, the defensive core features six underclassmen, consisting of three sophomores and three freshmen. Jake Livanavage (2 goals, 12 assists—14 points), good for second on the team in points, and Abram Wiebe (3 goals, 9 assists—12 points), tied for fourth in the team in points, have made significant strides this season. Both have contributed to the stability as the team has worked to regain respectability.
“I’m just proud of our guys (as we) continue to build,” T.J. Semptimphelter said. “It’s fun to come and compete with them every week and continue to get better. You have a lot of guys stepping up and playing big roles that maybe they stepped into. That’s the nature of college hockey now. The transfer portal, freshmen coming in. We’re doing a great job just continuing to get better.”
Since being swept, UND has improved its performance, posting a record of 5-1-1 over the last seven games. However, before getting too excited, UND fans will likely remind us that this statistic may not be as meaningful as it seems, as the Hawks have faced teams with a combined record of 27-32-7 (.462).
Players-Only Meeting
Last night, in the post-game press conference, UND forward Carter Wilkie revealed that the team recently had a player-only meeting.
“Coach brought up when we were in Miami after we came back in that game; it was a defining point for us,” Wilkie said. It’s just a culture and a realization we had. We had a player’s meeting a couple of weeks ago about what we needed to do and change for our group. Everyone took it to heart, and we are moving on the right path right now.”
It would appear that the meeting might have helped the UND hockey reset and focus on the games at hand. They look to close out the first half of the 2024-25 season, continuing their winning ways.
Dirty Play to End Game
At the 15:48 mark of the third period, Huskies forward Gavyn Thoreson cut across in front of the UND net and tried to dislodge the puck frozen in Semptimphelter’s glove. In the process, he blatantly ran over the UND goalie, making contact with his head. It was a dirty play; there is no justification for that play other than an intent to injure a goalie currently holding a shutout. There was no defending that play. Video by Brad E. Schlossman.
Here’s the hit on T.J. Semptimphelter that irked UND coach Brad Berry tonight. pic.twitter.com/sXhGpKKQag
— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) December 14, 2024
Looking at the play, Thoreson should’ve assessed a five-minute major and game misconduct for his troubles. It wasn’t an accident but a deliberate play.
In the post-game press conference, UND head coach Brad Berry was visibly upset with the play and exchanged pleasantries with SCSU head coach Brent Larson on the player’s bench at the end of the game.
“I’m not happy right now,” Berry said. “I’m not going to get myself into trouble here, but that wasn’t a great hockey play by them. For it to be a two-minute minor, that’s a five-minute major and a game misconduct.”
In the game’s waning seconds, UND defenseman Caleb MacDonald viciously cross-checked Thoreson in the back. We can only speculate about the move, but MacDonald was sticking up for his teammate.
Caleb MacDonald’s retaliation cross-checks on Gavyn Thoreson. Appears MacDonald also said something to Thoreson. pic.twitter.com/zgmhDsJw05
— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) December 14, 2024
