UND Athletics
MANKATO, Minn. (UND Athletics)– No. 5 North Dakota rallied from two goals down in the third period to stun No. 20 Minnesota State, 3-2, from the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center on Friday night in Mankato, Minn.
Trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes, UND (2-0-0) struck three times in the third to complete the comeback and win its first road debut since 2021-22 while also improving to 2-0-0 against ranked foes on the young season.
Following a major penalty call on Minnesota State (2-3-0) late in the second, UND jumped on the board just 40 seconds into the third when Cameron Berg potted his second of the year on a scramble in front before Louis Jamernik V evened the score just 18 seconds later by batting the puck out of the air to send the large contingent of NoDak fans into a frenzy.
Just prior to the midway point of the period, Carter Wilkie flew down the wing and blistered a shot through the legs of goaltender Alex Tracy to give UND the lead while T.J. Semptimphelter held down the fort in the closing minutes to close out the 3-2 victory.
Three Fighting Hawks recorded multiple points in the win, with Berg and Jamernik V each potting a goal and an assist. Freshman forward Sacha Boisvert made it back-to-back games with two points to begin his collegiate career, dishing out a pair of helpers to give him four points (1-3-4) over his first two games.
Semptimphelter was solid in his first road start for the green and white, stopping 23-of-25, including all seven in the final stanza, to improve to 2-0-0 on the season.
It was a back-and-forth affair to begin the game, with both teams trading chances and zone time. Minnesota State took advantage in the final minutes of the stanza, as Josh Groll poked a loose puck through the legs of Semptimphelter to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes.
Minnesota State gained control in the middle stanza, with Groll adding his second of the game early in the period to increase the advantage to 2-0. The hosts nearly took a 3-0 lead, but a successful challenge for a major penalty on the play by UND took away the goal and gave the Fighting Hawks a power play at the end of the second.
UND rallied in the third with three straight goals, capped off by Wilkie’s first as a Fighting Hawk at the midway point of the period, to storm back for the 3-2 win.
North Dakota will aim for the sweep tomorrow night at 6:07 p.m.
Postgame Notes
- UND improves to 41-13-9 all-time against Minnesota State and 16-6-5 in Mankato
- The victory was the first for NoDak in Mankato since Mar. 8, 2013 (0-2-1 since)
- The Hawks improve to 2-0-0 this season against ranked opponents
- UND also wins its road debut for the first time since 2021-22 (at Bemidji State)
- Cameron Berg has goals in back-to-back games to begin his season
- Louis Jamernik V recorded multiple points for the seventh time in his career and first since Jan. 12, 2024
- Sacha Boisvert has multiple points in each of his first two games in his collegiate career
- Carter Wilkie scored his 44th career goal and first with UND
- It marks the first two-goal comeback in the third period since Feb. 2, 2024 at Miami
- All four forward lines recorded at least a point for the second straight game
- Jayden Jubenvill made his collegiate debut on defense, as Bennett Zmolek was out (undisclosed)
- UND went 2-for-4 on the power play while Minnesota State went 0-for-1
- T.J. Semptimphelter finished with 23 saves, while Alex Tracy had 19 for MSU
- Wilkie, MSU’s Josh Groll and Berg were named the game’s three stars, in that order
- NoDak finished with a 27-22 advantage in the dot, with Jake Schmaltz pacing everyone at 8-3
How It Happened
First Period
14:34 | MSU – Josh Groll (1) from Adam Eisele (1) and Rhett Pitlick (1)
Second Period
02:20 | MSU – Groll (2) from Eisele (2) and Pitlick (2)
Third Period
00:40 | UND – Cameron Berg (2) from Sacha Boisvert (2) and Louis Jamernik V (1)
00:58 | UND – Jamernik V (1) from Boisvert (3) and Berg (2)
09:09 | UND – Carter Wilkie (1) from Jake Livanavage (1) and Owen McLaughlin (2)
Game Recap: Men’s Hockey | | Alec Stocker Johnson, FightingHawks.com
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