Rink Report: Fighting Hawks Profess Love Despite Recent Rough Patch

UND Hockey has one win in the last seven games

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — UND Hockey is heading into a series with conference foe Omaha this weekend, a team the Fighting Hawks split with back in January.

UND is also in the midst of a tight NCHC race, currently tied for third with Western Michigan at 27 points. But despite how tough the rest of the season is going to be for the Hawks, the team says there is still plenty to love on this Valentine’s Day.

“I love this time of year cause everyone is in the same spot, everyone is battling for playoff points and PairWise rankings,” UND Forward Rhett Gardner said. “The games are obviously ramped up. It’s a lot more intense than games before Christmas, but those games are way more fun when they’re more intense and there’s a lot more on the line. I think we always strive at this point of year and no matter what kind of start we’ve had we always play our best hockey this time of year.”

“I love the fact that we’ve been coming around as a team, facing adversity just with the streak we went on with not necessarily winning games,” UND Defenseman Andrew Peski added. “We really bounced back against Colorado College. It was a really important game. It’s good to see. It’s a tough thing to do, especially when you’re in a rut like that. The mood around the rink is a little different, but Saturday we came back with a different mentality and you can see a result.”

“It’s Valentine’s Day. I really love this group that we have here,” Head Coach Brad Berry said. “We really believe in each other and in saying that it’s the push of the last six games starting with Omaha here. We’re looking forward to getting on the road.”

Puck drop on Friday night is at 6:38 p.m. in Omaha.