UND making progress toward next destination hockey game
Dec. 28—GRAND FORKS — UND is in the midst of a short hiatus from its destination hockey games.
But administration officials are making notable progress toward setting up another one.
For starters, they now know when it's happening.
UND has the rights to the 2026 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. It will use that to play another showcase event away from Grand Forks.
Secondly, UND and Ralph Engelstad Arena officials have started to zero in on a location.
The current frontrunner is Austin, Texas, the Herald has learned from multiple sources.
No contracts have been signed yet, but there's been communication between UND, Ralph Engelstad Arena and multiple entities in Austin to explore the idea.
Austin is home to the Dallas Stars' top minor-league affiliate, the Texas Stars. They play at the H-E-B Center, which seats 6,778 for hockey.
This would return the showcase game to a smaller venue like 2018, when UND and Minnesota played at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas. That game was attended by a sold-out crowd of 7,412.
Since then, UND has played U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Games at NHL arenas.
In 2021, it played Penn State at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena (capacity 17,159). That game, which was delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, drew 14,659. In 2022, UND played Arizona State at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (capacity 17,500). That game drew 15,503.
UND has been lining up brand-name universities for its destination games — Boston College (2016, New York City), Minnesota (2018, Las Vegas), Penn State (2021, Nashville) and Arizona State (2022, Las Vegas).
The Fighting Hawks are planning to do that again in 2026.
They have not signed a contract for an opponent yet, but UND has communicated with Michigan State about the possibility. The Spartans are currently experiencing a revitalization under second-year coach Adam Nightingale.
UND has played a hockey game in 28 states, but it has never played one in Texas.
The program does have connections to the state, though.
Head coach Brad Berry played in the NHL for the Dallas Stars.
When the Stars won their lone Stanley Cup in 1999, four former UND players were on the team — forward Tony Hrkac, defenseman Craig Ludwig, goaltender Ed Belfour and assistant coach Rick Wilson.
Recently, several UND alums have played for the Texas Stars in Austin, including Jordan Kawaguchi, Adam Scheel and Rhett Gardner.
Austin is noted for being one of the best nightlife cities in America and a hub for live music.
Sixth Street is the most popular nightlife center with a wide variety of bars lining both sides of the street. Rainey Street also is a popular entertainment district.
The city also is known for its food trucks and for having some of the best barbecue joints in the country.
Austin is home of the University of Texas and is the state's capital city.
UND has held the rights to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in even-numbered years for more than a decade — 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020 (delayed to 2021), 2022, 2024 and 2026.
UND will play the 2024 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game in Grand Forks against Providence.