Michigan State ends UND's early season surge with 5-3 win

Michigan State defeated the University of North Dakota 5-3 on Saturday night at the H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas. The loss capped a weekend in Austin where the Fighting Hawks showed both offensive promise and defensive struggles. UND enters the next segment of its season with a mixed record and a new focus on even-strength play.

The program has a recent history of using this specific exhibition to test young goaltenders. In 2018, freshman Adam Scheel started for UND against Minnesota and secured the starting position for the long term. This year, head coach Dane Jackson named freshman Caleb Heil as the starter over sophomore Jan Spunar. Heil faced 32 shots and gave up four goals. Jackson said the decision was made to create internal competition because some top players had not performed well enough recently.

UND’s defense remains a work in progress. The team currently holds a .876 save percentage, which ranks 54th among 63 NCAA teams. Coach Jackson noted that the team lacks high-end ability in certain areas, though he praised forward Cooper Simpson for stepping up. Simpson started the game on the captain’s line and scored two power-play goals for his first collegiate career marks.

The offense is currently driven by special teams. UND has converted 33.3 percent of its power-play opportunities this season, ranking first in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Through seven games, 42.3 percent of UND’s total goals have come on the power play. This is the highest percentage among all NCHC teams. While the team ranks third in total goals per game, it sits sixth in even-strength goals and even-strength expected goals.

Logistical issues delayed the start of the contest. Security staff at the arena took longer than expected to process the sell-out crowd. UND administrators pushed the game back by 10 minutes to clear the lines. The team was prepared to extend the delay to 20 minutes if necessary, but the initial adjustment was sufficient to get fans into their seats.

Hockey Hall of Famer Ed Belfour dropped the ceremonial puck before the game. Belfour won a national championship with UND in 1987, defeating Michigan State in the final. He later won a Stanley Cup with the Dallas Stars and returned the trophy to Grand Forks. Belfour spent the weekend in Austin, participating in a Friday morning golf tournament and attending the NoDak Palooza event Friday night.

The Fighting Hawks will continue their season with a focus on improving their even-strength game. Coach Jackson stated the team must become more resilient and address the details of what they are missing. The next scheduled competition will serve as the immediate test for these adjustments.