(UND Athletics/Russell Hons)
GRAND FORKS, N.D. (UND Athletics)– No. 11/10 North Dakota showed very few signs of rust on Saturday night, cruising to a 7-0 exhibition win over Manitoba in front of a sellout crowd of 11,575 at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
UND potted multiple goals in each period and saw 13 players record at least a point to help the hosts capture its 25th straight win over Manitoba in exhibition play.
Due to exhibition rules, UND was allowed to dress all 26 of its healthy skaters, with only sophomore defenseman EJ Emery missing the contest due to injury. All three goaltenders saw action as well, as the trio of Gibson Homer, Jan Špunar and Zach Sandy combining for a 13-save shutout.
Four Fighting Hawks notched multiple points, led by sophomore forward Mac Swanson with a goal and two assists while junior defenseman Abram Wiebe and freshman defenseman Sam Laurila notching a pair of helpers. Freshman forward Jack Kernan got in on the action in the third period, potting a pair of goals for a multi-point contest.
Other goal scorers for NoDak included senior forward Dylan James, senior forward Ben Strinden, sophomore forward Dalton Andrew and freshman forward Josh Zakreski.
UND also got a long look at special teams during the contest, potting a trio of power play goals on seven attempts while also going a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
North Dakota opens the regular season on Friday night against St. Thomas at 7:07 p.m. from The Ralph. The contest will be carried live on Midco Sports, NCHC.tv and the Fighting Hawks Radio Network.
Postgame Notes
- Defenseman EJ Emery was the lone player to not dress for UND, as he was sidelined with an injury
- UND improves to 25-0-0 in exhibition action against Manitoba
- Mac Swanson led all skaters with three points, notching a goal and two assists
- Jack Kernan scored a pair of goals in the third period
- Abram Wiebe also notched two assists to have multiple points
- Sam Laurila dished out two helpers
- UND went 3-for-7 on the power play, while Manitoba was 0-for-6
- Josh Zakreski scored a shorthanded goal in the final minute of the third
- Gibson Homer finished with nine saves in 32:27 of action
- Shots were 48-13 in favor of UND
- 13 players recorded at least a point in the win for UND
- Faceoffs were 30-28 UND, with Ellis Rickwood pacing all skaters at 10-3
How It Happened
First Period
08:03 | UND – Dylan James (PP) from Abram Wiebe and Sam Laurila
10:04 | UND – Mac Swanson from Laurila
Second Period
00:54 | UND – Ben Strinden (PP) from Wiebe and Swanson
19:27 | UND – Dalton Andrew from David Klee and Keaton Verhoeff
Third Period
00:26 | UND – Jack Kernan from Cole Reschny and Swanson
10:02 | UND – Kernan (PP) from Ollie Josephson and Anthony Menghini
19:02 | UND – Josh Zakreski (SH)
Game Recap: Men’s Hockey | | Alec Stocker Johnson, FightingHawks.com
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