UND set to play on one of the last remaining Olympic-sized ice sheets in college hockey
Jan. 19—ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Just 15 years ago, most of UND's league road trips involved a big adjustment — playing on an Olympic-sized ice sheet.
Two-thirds of UND's league opponents had an ice sheet that was roughly 100 feet wide.
UND, and the other third of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, played on an NHL-sized sheet, 85 feet wide.
That's why when Ralph Engelstad Arena was constructed in 2001, it built a secondary ice sheet at Olympic size so the team could practice on it before those road trips.
"We're only up there one time this year," UND coach Brad Berry said, "which doesn't break my heart."
College hockey teams have been purging their Olympic-sized sheets one-by-one over the last decade, either through summer construction projects or by building new facilities altogether.
But one still remains in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.
The Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud technically isn't a full 100 feet wide. It's 97 feet, 6 inches. But it's close enough that UND is making preparations for the differences ahead of this weekend's series against the Huskies (7:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday).
"We have to be a lot tighter in the middle, because it's easy to get spread out, especially against crafty teams," UND alternate captain Louis Jamernik V said. "On their power play, they'll try to spread us out. If we stay tight, we won't get taken advantage of."
Throughout the years, UND has managed trips to St. Cloud well.
It had a 16-year stretch without losing a series in St. Cloud from 2001-17. It also went 21 years without getting swept, but that run ended last December.
The Fighting Hawks blew a 2-1 lead Friday and a 3-0 Saturday in a pair of losses, giving up 13 goals on the weekend.
"There's more space, so you have to make sure you're in the right spot and covering the right things," UND forward Carson Albrecht said. "You have to try to reduce time and space. Obviously, there's a lot of that and everyone can use it to their advantage."
While Berry prefers to play on NHL-sized sheets, Jamernik said he doesn't mind the extra space.
"I love it," he said. "I prefer it. There's a lot more room to play and you can use your speed. I like to wheel around a little more. It gives you better angles when you're attacking wide or driving the net wide rather than getting cut off at the blue line a lot sooner and having to chip it in."
There aren't many opportunities left to play on big sheets.
In the old WCHA, Alaska Anchorage, Colorado College, Minnesota, Minnesota State-Mankato, Wisconsin and St. Cloud State all played on Olympic-sized sheets.
Anchorage and Colorado College play in different rinks now. Minnesota and MSU-Mankato have shrunk theirs. Wisconsin will do the same in the offseason.
Elsewhere in the country, New Hampshire recently shrunk its ice sheet and Northern Michigan announced it will do the same.
All that's left is St. Cloud State, Alaska (Fairbanks) and UMass, which isn't a full 100 feet wide but close (95).
St. Cloud State has done exploratory work on the potential if downsizing as well, but has not finalized any plans to do so yet.
"We're all here to win championships, but we're also here in a high-end, elite league to develop high-end, elite players to play in the National Hockey League," Berry said. "That's what the National Hockey League plays on — 200 by 85, not 200 by 100.
"You're seeing teams like Minnesota and Minnesota State-Mankato shrink their rink down to a more normal-sized rink, which allows player development for the next level."
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD).
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM).
Stream: NCHChockey.com.
