Preview: No. 4 UND at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth

Nov. 10—DULUTH, Minn. — Minnesota Duluth has started this season much like UND did last season.

Trying to figure out which goaltender is the go-to guy? Yes.

Zach Stejskal (.896 save percentage) has started six of Minnesota Duluth's nine games, but Matthew Thiessen (.891) got the call last Saturday and made 47 saves against Minnesota.

Allowing too many goals? Yes.

The usually stingy Bulldogs are giving up 3.4 goals per game, ranking 45th nationally.

Relying on a blistering power play for offense? Yes.

Minnesota Duluth is converting 36.8 percent of its power-play chances, ranking third in the nation. Nearly half of Minnesota Duluth's goals this season (14 of 29) have come on the power play.

UND will try to slow down that power play during their two-game series at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday in AmsOil Arena.

"First, it's discipline, right?" UND coach Brad Berry said. "It's trying not to take five or six penalties.

"If they're on the power play, it's making sure we have a focus of trying to pressure at the right times, trying to win the initial draw and get a clear, taking time and space away from some of their guys that are threats on the power play. They've been doing a good job. They've been capitalizing at a high rate. We have to make sure we have a focus when we get to that."

The player who will command the most attention is sophomore forward Ben Steeves, who has a history as an elite goal-scorer.

In 2021-22, he led the United States Hockey League in goals with 39. UND's Dylan James and Owen McLaughlin were his teammates, though they usually played on different lines.

Last season, Steeves scored 21 goals as a freshman at Minnesota Duluth. Only two freshmen in the nation had more goals — Hobey Baker winner Adam Fantilli (30) and Hobey Hat Trick finalist Logan Cooley (22). Both Fantilli and Cooley are now in the NHL.

This season, Steeves already has seven goals. Six of them have come with the man advantage.

Steeves, a left-hander, sits in the right circle on the power play with his one-timer open to the center of the ice. It's the same spot Boston University's Macklin Celebrini played last week.

"Steeves is in that spot, but they have other threats on their power play as well that you have to be aware of," Berry said.

UND is getting used to seeing some of college hockey's top goal-scorers.

Nine players returned to college hockey this season after scoring 20 a year ago. One is UND's Riese Gaber.

Two others are Wisconsin's David Silye and Minnesota's Jimmy Snuggerud. UND has faced both. Now, the Fighting Hawks will see another in Steeves — one week after defending Celebrini.

UND Stat DUL

3.3 (19th) Off 3.2 (25th)

2.3 (10th) Def 3.4 (45th)

15.2 (44th) PP 36.8 (3rd)

85.7 (18th) PK 76.5 (48th)

54.2 (10th) FO 51.2 (22nd)

.912 (19th) SP .891 (46th)

National rank in parenthesis. Categories are offense (goals per game), defense (goals against per game), power play percentage, penalty kill percentage, faceoff percentage and team save percentage.

UND: None

Minnesota Duluth: F Dominic James out (shoulder), D Will Francis out (cancer treatment)

Minnesota Duluth's top-line center Dominic James has been ruled out for the season after having shoulder surgery. Grand Forks native Cole Spicer, a Bulldog sophomore, has slid up into his spot and will likely play a large role against his hometown team this weekend.

Spicer has already surpassed his freshman totals in goals and points. He now has four goals and seven points in nine games. Spicer has scored in all different ways — once at five-on-five, once shorthanded, once on the power play and once three-on-three.

Cameron Berg has done a lot of things right for UND lately. In the faceoff circle, he's winning draws at a blistering pace. His 64.3 percent success rate ranks second in the nation among players who have taken at least 100 draws (Grand Forks native Mason Salquist of St. Cloud State is first at 65.6). Those types of things generally lead to offense. Berg enters this weekend on a seven-game goal drought, but don't be surprised if he gets rewarded for his work soon.

Minnesota Duluth has not lost at home yet this season in five games. The last time the Bulldogs lost in AmsOil was Feb. 25, 2023, when Ludvig Persson stopped 50 of 51 shots to give Miami a 4-1 win. Persson is now at UND and he should be able to get at least one more win in the building.

Friday: UND 3, Minnesota Duluth 3, tie

Saturday: UND 3, Minnesota Duluth 2

Scoring

9 Jackson Blake (CAR), so, f, 6-4—10

7 Garrett Pyke, 5th, d, 0-8—8

17 Riese Gaber, sr, f, 4-3—7

22 Owen McLaughlin (PHI), so, f, 2-5—7

28 Hunter Johannes, 5th, f, 5-0—5

14 Cameron Berg (NYI), jr, f, 1-4—5

18 Jayden Perron (CAR), fr, f, 4-0—4

8 Jake Schmaltz (BOS), jr, f, 0-4—4

21 Ben Strinden (NSH), so, f, 2-1—3

4 Jake Livanavage, fr, d, 1-2—3

6 Logan Britt, 5th, d, 1-2—3

26 Dylan James (DET), so, f, 0-3—3

27 Louis Jamernik V, sr, f, 0-3—3

25 Abram Wiebe (VGK), fr, d, 0-1—1

2 Bennett Zmolek, so, d, 0-1—1

29 Jackson Kunz (VAN), jr, f, 0-1—1

20 Keaton Pehrson, 5th, d, 0-1—1

11 Griffin Ness, sr, f, 0-1—1

13 Carson Albrecht, sr, f, 0-0—0

15 Nate Benoit (MIN), fr, d, 0-0—0

26 Michael Emerson (CAR), fr, f, 0-0—0

5 Dane Montgomery, jr, f-d, 0-0—0

10 Tanner Komzak, fr, d, 0-0—0

32 Ludvig Persson, sr, g, 0-0—0

30 Hobie Hedquist, fr, g, dnp

1 Kaleb Johnson, so, g, dnp

Goaltending

32 Ludvig Persson, sr, 5-2-1, 2.12, .916

30 Hobie Hedquist, fr, dnp

1 Kaleb Johnson, so, dnp

Scoring

6 Ben Steeves, so, f, 7-4—11

15 Quinn Olson (BOS), 5th, f, 1-8—9

20 Owen Gallatin, jr, d, 1-7—8

11 Cole Spicer (BOS), so, f, 4-3—7

8 Aaron Pionk (MIN), fr, d, 1-5—6

27 Blake Biondi (MTL), sr, f, 1-4—5

24 Kyle Bettens, so, f, 2-2—4

34 Matthew Perkins (VAN), fr, f, 1-3—4

16 Luke Loheit (OTT), 5th, f, 2-2—4

39 Connor McMenamin, 5th, f, 2-2—4

12 Jack Smith, so, f, 1-2—3

19 Riley Bodnarkchuk, so, d, 1-2—3

26 Anthony Menghini, fr, f, 2-0—2

38 Luke Bast, jr, d, 2-0—2

33 Carter Loney, jr, f, 1-1—2

28 Aiden Dubinsky, so, d, 0-1—1

17 Dominic James (CHI), jr, f, 0-1—1

2 Darian Gotz, sr, d, 0-0—0

18 Joey Pierce, so, d, 0-0—0

37 Luke Johnson, so, f, 0-0—0

22 Kyler Kleven, jr, f, 0-0—0

35 Zach Stejskal, sr, g, 0-0—0

36 Matthew Thiessen (VAN), 5th, g, 0-0—0

23 Will Francis (ANA), jr, d, dnp

21 Braden Fischer, fr, f, dnp

31 Zach Sandy, so, g, dnp

Goaltending

35 Zach Stejskal, sr, 2-2-2, 3.17, .896

36 Matthew Thiessen (VAN), 5th, 1-1-1, 3.44, .891

31 Zach Sandy, so, g, dnp