UND-Western Michigan Match-Up For First Time Since NCHC Pod

16 UND players playing at Western for first time

GRAND FORKS, N.D — North Dakota hockey fans start blasting the Dropkick Murphy’s because the boys are back. After last weekend’s series with Omaha was postponed due to COVID those players who were out were cleared to take the ice again Monday.

It makes this weekend’s series against Western Michigan all systems go. Its the first time UND is matching up with the Broncos since beating them twice in the NCHC pod back in December of 2020.

Over half the roster has not even played in Kalamazoo. Its giving the team a fresh start to focus more on themselves after dropping three straight to begin the calendar year.

“What we did was we did power play. We did penalty kill. We did five on five play simulating like it was a scrimmage. Like it was a game. You have to get to some of the those things in practice but when you really think of it western michigan hasn’t played since the end of December either you try to play out what you can do in a game like atmosphere. Playing hockey in different scenarios.“

“Were more focused on ourselves. Were going to look at them and see what they’re doing but we just have to dial in and worry about our game against them and see how we can break them down and how they’ll break us down.”

“First you worry about yourself and your game as a team and then adjust for individual pieces that the other programs have and they way they play.”

Going to be a top 10 match-up. western is ranked 4th while und stays in that 9 spot in the uscho poll. Three other teams ahead of them with denver at 5 st cloud state at 6 and minnesota-duluth at 7. Omaha the only other from the conference in the top 20 at 16.

Und still holds the top spot in the conference with 24 points  in 21 games. That’s a three-point lead over d-u in second place and 6 points over duluth and western who are tied for third ahead of the huskies and mavericks.