Three stars
First star: Collin Adams, 2 goals, 5 points.
Second star: Jordan Kawaguchi, 4 assists.
Third star: Jacob Bernard-Docker, 1 goal, 2 points.
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First period
UND 1, Miami 0 – Collin Adams (Jordan Kawaguchi, Jacob Bernard-Docker): 14. UND got the big start he was looking for, scoring just 14 seconds in the game. Bernard-Docker makes an excellent pass from his zone to Kawaguchi on the offensive blue line. Miami defender Derek Daschke was caught on ice and Kawaguchi started a two-on-one run with Adams. Kawaguchi made the pass and Adams made a beautiful backhand move to finish his tenth goal of the season. It is an important goal, considering that UND comes in the weekend 17-0-0 when it scores first.
UND 2, Miami 0 – Louis Jamernik (Mark Senden, Gavin Hain) 5:27. UND fights for the puck in the corner and it appears at the bottom of the right circle, where Jamernik shoots one into the net that passes through Miami goalkeeper Ludvig Persson. It is one that Persson will want back. For Jamernik, it is his first high school goal.
UND 3, Miami 0 – Collin Adams (Jordan Kawaguchi, Ethan Frisch) 5:36. UND scores again just nine seconds later. Frisch sends an upward pass which Kawaguchi tilts into the zone. Adams takes Gilling to the puck while defender Alec Capstick is caught on the ice. Adams wins the race, skates towards the net in a mini two against one and tries to pass to Bendan Budy, but his pass hits RedHawk defender Hampus Rydqvist and goes to the net.
UND 3, Miami 1 – Phil Knies (Casey Gilling, Rourke Russell) 11:14. Miami gets a nice Gilling move back over the final wall. The senior captain takes possession below the goal line, creates a passing line and sends the puck to Knies in the right circle. Knies scores his third goal of the season.
UND 4, Miami 1 – Riese Gaber (Jordan Kawaguchi, Collin Adams) 14:24. Moments after the end of UND’s first power play, Kawaguchi makes a great move to prepare Gaber, who has beaten his 12 goalless games. Kawaguchi skates on the puck in the zone, performs a give-and-go with Adams, pulls the defenders towards him in the corner and then makes a cross-ice pass to a wide open Gaber inside the right circle. Gaber’s first attempt is blocked by Russell, but he buries his second attempt. It is his first goal since January 11 at Colorado College and his first goal at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Second period
UND 5, Miami 1 – Jacob Bernard-Docker (Jake Sanderson, Collin Adams) 9:50 am Sanderson uses his speed to skate around the zone, then leaves a pass for Bernard-Docker at the point. The defender strikes Persson with a one-timer, which is not displayed in the play. It is the third of the Bernard-Docker season.
UND 5, Miami 2 – Rourke Russell (Joe Cassetti) 17:02. Russell sends a sharp shot into the net that UND goalkeeper Adam Scheel tries to send into the corner with his blocker, but he misses everything and the puck pops in the air and falls behind his right leg. Scheel then accidentally kicks him through the goal line.
Third period
UND 6, Miami 2 – Brendan Budy (Collin Adams, Jordan Kawaguchi) 5:10. Adams steals the disc from Miami defender Alec Mahalak and takes it to Kawaguchi in space. Kawaguchi returns it to Adams, who seems to hit the post, but Budy follows and scores. It is the fifth point of the game for Adams, scoring the first five-point game by an UND player since Mark MacMillan on October 18, 2014 at Colorado College. It is the fourth point for Kawaguchi.
UND lines
Foward
9 Brendan Budy – 18 Collin Adams – 29 Jordan Kawaguchi
17 Riese Gaber – 22 Shane Pinto – 28 Judd Caulfield
10 Gavin Hain – 14 Jasper Weatherby – 19 Mark Senden
8 Harrison Blaisdell – 27 Louis Jamernik – 21 Jackson Keane
Defenders
3 Matt Kiersted – 24 Jacob Bernard-Docker
26 Jake Sanderson – 15 Ethan Frisch
25 Tyler Kleven – 2 Gabe Bast
4 Cooper Moore
Goalkeepers
31 Adam Scheel
1 Peter Thome
35 Harrison Feeney
Out of line: Grant Mismash (inj), Josh Rieger, Griffin Ness and Carson Albrecht
Miami Lines
Foward
67 Phil Knies – 39 Casey Gilling – 10 Ben Lown
29 Matthew Barbolini – 26 Matt Barry – 9 Jack Olmstead
25 Scott Corbett – 22 Joe Cassetti – 21 Ryan Savage
28 Chase Pletzke – 18 Monte Graham – 12 John Sladic
Defenders
13 Derek Daschke – 5 Jack Clement
11 Rourke Russell – 7 Robby Drazner
34 Alec Capstick – 16 Hampus Rydqvist
6 Alec Mahalak
Goalkeepers
32 Ludvig Persson
36 Grant Valentine
33 Ben Kraws
Scratches: Bray Crowder, Andrew Sinard, Caleb Rule, Michael Holland, Brian Silver, Dylan Moulton
Referees – Dan Dreger and Nick Krebsbach
Flags – Dan Cohen and Troy Aronson
Pre-match notes
As expected, Grant Mismash is back at UND. He is missing his sixth consecutive game due to an injury. He hasn’t played since February 12 against Denver. . . UND did some light juggling, moving Brendan Budy to Mismash’s place on the top row and bringing Jordan Kawaguchi back to the right wing, which is where he played most of his university career. The move brings together Riese Gaber (who scored three goals in two games against Miami) with Shane Pinto and Judd Caulfield. . . Cooper Moore is the extra skater. . . The goalkeeper clash is NCHC goalkeeper Adam Scheel against second team goalkeeper Ludvig Persson. . . This is the first playoff match between the teams since March 21, 2014, when a Miami team with eighth place defeated an UND team with second place in the NCHC semifinals.
Pre-game reading
25 Frozen Faceoff Thoughts: Why are some NCHC teams having more problems with COVID-19 than others?
On the one-year anniversary of the end of college hockey, UND embarks on its ‘unfinished business’
Shane Pinto is NCHC’s first unanimous player of the year
Shane Pinto, Jacob Bernard-Docker and Adam Scheel grant UND the first defensive screening in NCHC history
Brad Berry equals his mentors, Gino Gasparini and Dean Blais, with the third coach of the year honored
From Missouri Valley football to NCHC hockey and Summit League hoops, Alex Heinert of Midco shows his versatility
UND will likely face a fully NCHC goalkeeper for the first time this season
Engelstad Foundation buys cardboard cutouts from Altru employees, pandemic workers for Frozen Faceoff