Two top coaches have their programs neck-and-neck in the WCHA race.
No. 14 Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (16-10-2) vs. No. 7 University of North Dakota (14-8-6) -- 8:30 p.m. ET
The battle to earn the top spot in the WCHA is raging on and tonight’s game features two teams trying to keep pace with St. Cloud State to earn the crown. For homestanding Nebraska-Omaha, it’s been a good run of late. They’ve won five of their last eight and only have losses to Michigan Tech and Denver in that span.
We’ve seen UNO a couple times this season and we’ve seen all shades of what they can do. From steamrolling the likes of Army and Colorado College, losing a nailbiter to Notre Dame and getting blown away by Denver. They’ve been tough in conference but handling North Dakota presents one huge line of issues for coach Dean Blais’ team to contend with.
For the former Fighting Sioux, they have a dynamic duo of scorers in Danny Kristo and Corban Knight (pictured) for the UNO defense to contend with. They’ve been getting points aplenty over the last couple months, but lately wins have escaped them. In their past eight games, North Dakota is just 2-3-3. On the upside, they’re 1-0-2 in their last three. Hey, a tie is better than a loss... Right? By the way, North Dakota has 14 NHL-drafted players on their roster. Not a bad job of recruiting there by Dave Hakstol.
NHL prospects to watch
UND has a veritable army of players to keep an eye on. The big two are both seniors in Knight (Florida) and Kristo (Montreal). They’re supported by a few others that you may have heard of. Freshman forward and Team USA WJC gold medalist Rocco Grimaldi (Florida) and sophomore forward Mark MacMillan (Montreal) have provided them with a solid secondary attack. There’s a lot to work with here for North Dakota including undrafted guys like senior forward Carter Rowney and junior goalie Clarke Saunders.
Others: Dillon Simpson (JR - D - Edmonton), Joe Gleason (SR - D - Chicago), Derek Forbort (JR - D - Los Angeles), Nick Mattson (SO - D - Chicago), Jordan Schmaltz (FR - D - St. Louis), Michael Parks (SO - F - Philadelphia), Brendan O’Donnell (SO - F - Tampa Bay), Andrew MacWilliam (SR - D - Toronto), Derek Rodwell (JR - F - New Jersey), Zane Gothberg (G - FR - Boston)
UNO’s top players are more or less undrafted players. Senior forward Ryan Walters leads the team in points and is a likely free agent signing after his season is over. Sophomore forward Josh Archibald (Pittsburgh) is Walters’ go-to guy on the attack. Sophomore Dominic Zombo and junior Matt White follow up as other undrafted players leading the charge.
Others: Bryce Aneloski (SR - D - Ottawa), Brent Gwidt (SR - F - Washington), Nick Seeler (FR - D - Minnesota), Tanner Lane (FR - F - Winnipeg), Brian Cooper (FR - D - Anaheim)
(Picture: UND Sports)