From 2016 to Now: UND Sees Similarities in Another Championship Run
GRAND FORKS (KVRR) – A decade after one of the most memorable seasons in program history, North Dakota Hockey is chasing another title.
On April 9, 2016, North Dakota captured its eighth national championship, finishing the season with a dominant 34-6-4 record. Now, ten years later, the Fighting Hawks enter the NCAA Tournament with their highest win total since that run, sitting at 27-9-1 and eyeing championship number nine.
Current head coach Dane Jackson was part of that 2015-16 staff as the associate head coach, giving him a unique perspective on how this year’s team compares to the title-winning group.
“I think the first thing would be the consistency of it,” Jackson said. “Our team in 2016 was very consistent. You know, they played well throughout the year and didn’t have too many ups and downs. This team has been the same way.”
Jackson also sees another trait that reminds him of that championship roster — the bond within the locker room.
“I think the second thing that I would probably say is we have quite a few characters on the team, the guys that really enjoy playing together and really enjoy spending time away from the rink together,” Jackson said. “That ’16 team had strong camaraderie. I don’t know if it’s matched yet, but it’s real strong. The boys have real affinity for each other and really enjoy coming to the rink and battling and working together, but enjoy the camaraderie away from the rink as well.”
That chemistry, paired with a steady season, has North Dakota believing it can make another deep postseason run.
The road toward a potential ninth national title begins Thursday in Sioux Falls, where North Dakota will take on Merrimack in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. According to Jackson, the message to his team before taking the ice is simple: stay focused on what got them here.
“We just got to go play our best game,” Jackson said. “Not too worried about other things — just worried about doing your job, playing to our identity, and being confident in what we’re doing. You don’t want the moment to be too big. You can’t be worried about a one-game shot. Just trust our process and trust what we’ve done.
“We have a really good team. We’re a competitive group. We care about each other and we’re sacrificing for each other. So just believe in all the work that we’ve stacked up and let’s go play — play loose, play free, play confidently, play within ourselves. Be predictable to each other and we’ll be fine.”
Puck drop between North Dakota and Merrimack is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on Thursday at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center, with the game televised on ESPN2.
