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Late-blooming North Dakota fighting to extend season at NCHC Frozen Faceoff

Next up for the Fighting Hawks is St. Cloud State, which was ranked No. 1 before sputtering late in the regular season.

By Randy Johnson

March 16, 2023 at 5:43PM

North Dakota defensemen Chris Jandric (7) and Brent Johnson (6) swarmed Gophers forward Connor Kurth (10) when the teams met Oct. 21 in Minneapolis. The Fighting Hawks are in the Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center this weekend. (Alex Kormann, Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

NCHC Frozen Faceoff

Friday-Saturday, Xcel Energy Center

Friday's semifinals

No. 7 seed Colorado College vs. No. 1 Denver, 4 p.m.

No. 6 North Dakota vs. No. 4 St. Cloud State, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday's championship, 7:30 p.m.

All games on CBS Sports Network

Colorado College at a glance: The Tigers (12-21-3) upset regular-season runner-up Western Michigan, sweeping the quarterfinal series 3-1 and 3-2 in overtime. The Tigers entered the NCHC playoffs on a 13-game winless streak. Forward Hunter McKown leads the Tigers in scoring with 20 goals and six assists. Goalie Kaidan Mbereko allowed three goals on 56 shots vs. WMU.

Denver at a glance: The defending NCAA champion Pioneers (30-8-0) advanced to St. Paul with a 6-2, 7-2 sweep of Miami (Ohio). The Pioneers have won 11 of their past 12. Forward Massimo Rizzo (17-29-46) and defenseman Mike Benning (13-21-34) are standouts. Goalie Magnus Chrona has missed the past four games because of an injury. Backup Matt Davis stopped 49 of 53 shots against Miami.

North Dakota at a glance: The Fighting Hawks (18-14-6) won Game 3 at Nebraska Omaha 5-2 on Sunday to reach the semifinals. UND, which needs to win the tournament to secure an NCAA berth, is 6-1-2 in its past nine games. Freshman Jackson Blake (16-25-41) leads UND in scoring. Goalie Drew DeRidder is 13-8-4 with a 2.52 GAA and .901 save percentage.

St. Cloud State at a glance: The Huskies (22-12-3) advanced to St. Paul with a 3-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth in Game 3 of the quarterfinals. The Huskies were ranked No. 1 in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll on Jan. 23 but went 2-5-3 to close the regular season. Jami Krannila (19-18-37) leads the Huskies offense. Goalie Jaxon Castor (11-7-1, 2.19, .918) won Game 3 against UMD.

about the writer

Randy Johnson

College football reporter

Randy Johnson covers University of Minnesota football and college football for the Minnesota Star Tribune, along with Gophers hockey and the Wild.