UND hockey rewind: Ludvig Persson off to a fast start
Oct. 31—GRAND FORKS — It took UND's last two transfer goaltenders a while to hit their stride.
Zach Driscoll had an .884 save percentage in January, when things clicked for him. Driscoll posted a .935 the final couple of months, earned all-National Collegiate Hockey Conference honors and led the Fighting Hawks to the 2022 Penrose Cup as NCHC champs.
Drew DeRidder didn't lock down his starting role until January, either. He posted a .913 down the stretch.
That has not been the case with Ludvig Persson.
The transfer from Miami has been exceptional in his first month at UND.
Persson posted a .933 save percentage in October, helping the Fighting Hawks to a 4-1-1 record.
He has won the NCHC's goalie of the week honor every single weekend he's played at UND. Persson was recognized for the third time Monday, and later this week, he'll be named the NCHC's goalie of the month.
This is just the fourth time in the 11-year history of the NCHC that someone has won goalie of the week honor three-straight times.
UND's Cam Johnson was the first to do it in 2015-16 — the same year he backstopped the Fighting Hawks to the NCAA national championship.
Driscoll did it during that second-half run in 2021-22 (his run was ended by Persson).
Persson has now done it twice.
Persson won it in Weeks 2, 3 and 4 in 2020-21 — a run that started his freshman season at Miami with two honors in the NCHC Pod in Omaha.
He just did it again to start his career in Grand Forks. Persson backstopped UND to the Ice Breaker Tournament title to open the season. Then, he helped UND split against Minnesota and a win and tie against Minnesota State-Mankato.
"He's so calm and composed and in control," UND coach Brad Berry said. "That's a big thing. For me, that's reassuring as a coach, but I know for our players, too, knowing if things go sideways or if they get an opportunity, he's there to shut the door."
During Friday's 6-2 win over the Mavericks, Berry noticed the players wanting to finish strong for Persson.
"Even in the last five minutes of the game, the comments on the bench were, 'Hey, we're playing for Luddy, let's make it easy for Luddy, let's go right to the end and play for him,'" Berry said. "That's a big deal."
With Keaton Pehrson and Bennett Zmolek sidelined due to injury, UND's top four defensemen logged major minutes against Minnesota State.
Rookie Jake Livanavage surpassed 25 minutes on back-to-back nights, playing 25:19 on Friday and a team-high 25:34 on Saturday. Logan Britt played 24:08 and 25:07. Abram Wiebe played 22:34 and a season-high 24:00. Garrett Pyke logged 24:24 on Saturday after missing the third period Friday due to an injury.
Pyke finished the series with five assists and was named the NCHC's defenseman of the week.
Pyke is UND's leading scorer with seven points in six games. He also has a team-best plus-5 rating.
Berry indicated Zmolek was close to playing this weekend — a promising sign he could be available for UND's trip to Boston University this week.
On the other side, Minnesota State rookie defenseman Evan Murr played a whopping 28:48 on Saturday.
Christian Wolanin, D, Abbotsford Canucks (AHL): Wolanin continues to pile up massive numbers in the AHL. He started this week tied as the league's leading scorer with 13 points in eight games. No other defenseman was even in the top 20 in scoring. Wolanin has tallied at least a point in all eight games this season. Last season, he had 55 points in 49 games for Abbotsford and earned a call-up to the Vancouver Canucks.
Jayden Jubenvill, D, Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL): The 2024 defenseman recruit has started producing offensively for Dubuque, which has won nine of 12 games and sits in first place in the Eastern Conference. Jubenvill is the seventh-leading defenseman scorer in the USHL with four goals and nine points in 12 games. Jubenvill scored twice in Saturday's 6-5 win over Waterloo.
Augustana: The first-year program got swept by Wisconsin 4-0 and 3-0 on opening weekend. The Vikings have not lost since then. They swept Bowling Green 3-2 and 4-1 in Sioux Falls. Then, last weekend, the Vikings went to Colorado and earned a 5-5 tie at Denver and a 4-3 win at Colorado College. Augustana heads to Michigan Tech this weekend with a four-game unbeaten streak.
1. Minnesota Duluth hurting at center: Minnesota Duluth lost first-line center Dominic James for the season due to injury. The Bulldogs moved Grand Forks native Cole Spicer up to the first line, but he sustained an injury late in Saturday's 3-0 loss at Cornell. The injury occurred on a hit by Cornell's Dalton Bancroft, who was assessed a five-minute major for interference. Bulldog coach Scott Sandelin has not yet commented on the extent of Spicer's injury.
2. Gavin Enright steps in for Bemidji State: Bemidji State starting goalie Mattias Sholl suffered an injury in the second period of the Beavers' 3-2 win against St. Thomas. Gavin Enright stepped in and closed out the win. Enright started Saturday night and turned in a 29-save shutout — the first shutout of the senior's college career. Beaver forward Lleyton Roed has been lighting it up offensively. He has six goals in six games.
3. Badgers keep winning: Wisconsin is off to a torrid start in the Mike Hastings era. The Badgers swept Minnesota 5-2 and 3-2 in 3M Arena at Mariucci on Thursday and Friday to run their record to 7-1. Wisconsin's only loss came to UND in the Ice Breaker in Grand Forks. The three transfers Hastings brought from Minnesota State — Christian Fitzgerald, Simon Tassy and David Silye — have combined for 20 points in eight games.
