GRAND FORKS — UND beat Miami 1-0 in the series opener after
former coach Dave Hakstol gave the team a pregame message
about how to win tough, tournament-style games.
Tyler Young scored the lone goal with his father in attendance at Ralph Engelstad Arena for the first time.
Here are five other takeaways from the game.
Jan Špunar plays a lot of pucks
UND goaltender Jan Špunar didn’t have to make a lot of saves Friday night. Miami only put 12 pucks on net.
But that doesn’t mean Špunar was inactive.
Špunar served as a third defenseman much of the night, wandering out of his net to pick up loose pucks and begin breakouts. His activity made it even more difficult for the RedHawks to retrieve pucks dumped into the offensive zone and sustain any action.
“Having him back there is like having another defenseman for us,” UND rookie Keaton Verhoeff said. “He’s able to get out, stop the puck and play it. He can even bypass us and play it up to the forwards. Having him back there is super helpful, especially in a game like tonight, where hits are being laid and you’re going back for pucks and trying to rush to make a quick play. To have a goalie like him moving pucks up the ice is really helpful.”
Špunar ranks second nationally among starting goaltenders in outlet passes per game (4.71). Only Michigan Tech’s Owen Bartoszkiewicz (5.61) is higher.
Špunar ranks fourth nationally in total defensive zone pass attempts per game (that includes both outlet passes and goalie-to-defenseman touches). Špunar is averaging 17.4. Bartoszkiewicz (19.8), Arizona State’s Connor Hasley (19.2) and Augustana’s Josh Kotai (18.2) are higher.
“He’s so good at puck touches,” UND coach Dane Jackson said. “He made some really nice passes. It just helps you have clean breakouts. D-men are getting pucks with their eyes up ice versus going back with their eyes on the glass. That’s a huge difference. Jan is outstanding in that area.”
UND’s defensive corps was expected to be a strength this season, and they showed why on Friday night.
Miami generated almost nothing off the rush the entire game as UND’s defensemen — Jake Livanavage, E.J. Emery, Abram Wiebe, Bennett Zmolek, Andrew Strathmann, Sam Laurila and Verhoeff — were at their best, closing off rushes and retrieving dumped pucks.
“One thing I really liked about our defensive play was our track-and-stand,” Jackson said. “Our defensemen were assertive with our gaps and we had a real hard track. I go way back to Matt Shaw. He coached under Pete DeBoer there and that was when we really started buying into that — really staying up at the line and trying to hold lines and eliminate teams from a skate entry.
“But you need D-men who can skate, and you’ve got to play with a lot of courage. You’ve got to have a track with guys coming back extremely hard. I thought we did a great job of that tonight.”
Shaw was a UND assistant coach from 2015-19. The Fighting Hawks won the NCAA national championship during his first year on staff.
“It’s a not-as-much-talked-about defensive play,” Verhoeff said of shutting down opponent rushes. “You really saw it today in a game where our ‘D’ had good gaps and were able to get some good sticks and shorten that rush.”
Friday’s series opener was perhaps the most physical game UND has played this season.
Jack Kernan, Ben Strinden, Cody Croal and Young were among UND’s players who threw big hit after big hit.
“It was a football game,” Young said. “We kind of expected that with what they were saying in the media all week. I think we wanted to match it or even take it up a notch, protecting our barn. We knew that was coming. We’re going to have to do it again tomorrow night, so we’ll be ready for it.”
UND’s Jack Kernan checks Miami’s Shaun McEwen in the first period Friday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Even smaller, skilled forwards like Will Zellers and Mac Swanson threw hits.
“A lot of guys were (physical),” Jackson said. “Swanson was out there trying to hit guys. It was good to see. Guys were committed to it. It was a hard-fought game. Give (Miami) a lot of credit. They play a strong, hard brand of hockey.”
On Miami’s side, freshman defenseman Shaun McEwen threw big hit after big hit. McEwen also attempted seven shots — most on Miami’s team — though only one got through to Špunar.
“We watched a lot of video on how physical they were,” Jackson said. “So, it was a real challenge to our guys to match or exceed their physicality.”
UND’s Tyler Young is checked by Miami’s Shaun McEwen in the third period Friday.
Eric Hylden / Grand Forks Herald
Injuries an issue for Miami
UND’s depth has caused problems for opponents all season.
Friday night was no different.
UND’s third and fourth lines outshot Miami’s third and fourth lines 11-2, while the game’s lone goal came from UND’s fourth line.
Depth is becoming an even bigger issue for the RedHawks, who are suddenly dealing with key injuries.
Defenseman Vladislav Lukashevich, who leads Miami in time on ice, did not play Friday after suffering an injury against Western Michigan a week ago. Miami’s co-leading scorer, Matteo Giampa, left the game with an apparent injury in the first period and did not return.
Miami moved
up to the line with Ilia Morozov and Ryan Smith.
On the other side, UND’s Cole Reschny played after leaving last Saturday’s game at Minnesota Duluth with a lower-body injury. Defenseman Bennett Zmolek also played the series opener. Zmolek missed last weekend’s series finale as the Fighting Hawks try to keep him healthy for the stretch run.
NHL scouts flood The Ralph
NHL scouts are flooding Ralph Engelstad Arena this weekend.
The main attractions: Miami’s Morozov and UND’s Verhoeff. Both players could go in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
The other attractions: UND’s Livanavage and Ellis Rickwood, who are undrafted free agents.
Twenty-two of the 32 NHL teams ordered tickets this weekend through Ralph Engelstad Arena’s ticket office. It’s likely that the number of teams in the building is even higher than that, though. Some purchase tickets on their own without going through The Ralph.
The list of NHL personnel watching Friday’s game included a couple of former UND players — Matt Greene and Brad Pascall.
Greene is a development coach for the Los Angeles Kings. Greene’s Walsh Hall roommate, Zach Parise, is skating “One More Shift” before Saturday’s series finale.
Pascall, who was Jackson’s roommate in the dorms, is the assistant general manager of the Calgary Flames, who have the rights to UND’s Reschny, Wiebe and Cade Littler.
Young on Miami goalie Matteo Drobac: “He played great. We knew he was a good goalie. I think tomorrow it’s going to be more pucks and bodies to the net. I think we can do a better job of getting in his eyes. I thought we were a little too off the cage today. But that’s something we’ll clean up tomorrow.”
Jackson on the game: “Loved our start. I thought we were sharp, we were crisp and we were really engaged in the game. I was really happy with that.”
Verhoeff on the close game: “These tight games are what it’s going to come down to at the end of the year here, so we have to get more comfortable playing them.”
Jackson on UND taking only two penalties: “I thought we did a really nice job of that. We showed some good discipline. It’s been a focal point for us. We talked a lot about it, but it still comes down to it. You get heated in battles and guys are cross-checking, and you’ve got to keep your sticks down and keep playing.”
Friday marked Miami’s lowest shots-on-goal total of the season (12). Miami has only been held under 20 two other times.UND’s 42-12 shots-on-goal advantage was the second highest of the season behind a 48-8 advantage against Mercyhurst. UND also outshot Mercyhurst by 30 in Game 2 of that series.Miami’s Anthony Noreen made his first trip to Grand Forks as Miami’s head coach.UND is wearing its dark jerseys at home this weekend. The Fighting Hawks wore green for Friday’s series opener.UND players wore special jerseys for warmups featuring their childhood nicknames on the back nameplate. The jerseys are being
to benefit UND’s Name, Image and Likeness program. The nicknames: Zach Sandy (Junior), Bennett Zmolek (Booter), Jayden Jubenvill (Jube), Jake Livanavage (Hollywood), E.J. Emery (Lil E), Mac Swanson (Macky), Ollie Josephson (OJ), Will Zellers (Bubba), Ian Engel (Spike), Sam Laurila (Sammy), Tyler Young (Younger), Jack Kernan (Boom Boom), Andrew Strathmann (Stratty), Cole Reschny (Resch), Keaton Verhoeff (Keats), Cody Croal (C-Dog), Cade Littler (Lits), Ben Strinden (Yindy), David Klee (Bugs), Josh Zakreski (Teegs), Abram Wiebe (Abe), Dylan James (DJ), Anthony Menghini (Geno), Dalton Andrew (Dewy), Ellis Rickwood (Bob), Gibson Homer (Gibby) and Jan Špunar (Špuny).