UND practice journal: Fighting Hawks skate in Denny Sanford Premier Center
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Mar. 25—SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — UND skated onto the ice at Denny Sanford Premier Center at 2 p.m. Wednesday.
Only one player was missing.
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Rookie center Ollie Josephson, who suffered a lower-body injury in UND's National Collegiate Hockey Conference semifinal loss on March 14, has officially been ruled out for the NCAA regional semifinal game against Merrimack at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
Josephson, who had six goals and 20 points, played third-line center for most of the season.
UND is expected to slide freshman center Jack Kernan into that spot. Kernan missed the NCHC semifinal game due to illness but has been a full go at practice for more than a week now.
"The nice thing is we can play Jack at center or wing," UND coach Dane Jackson said. "I think there's a good chance he'll be up the middle with Ollie Josephson being out. He's consistently shown, wherever we've put him, he's been a real effective player. He's a big, powerful guy who can skate and his game has really elevated in the second half. We have a lot of trust in him to play center against any line. That's a nice guy to be able to plug and play with Ollie being out."
Josephson's injury occurred when he was checked low into the boards by Minnesota Duluth defenseman and captain Joey Pierce.
UND skated for an hour on Wednesday.
"It was nice to get out there," UND forward Mac Swanson said. "We've been waiting for a week or so to finally get here and get settled. So, it was good to get out there and it was a good practice."
UND ended practice with its traditional shootout.
Will Zellers went two-for-two to win it.
Andrew Strathmann, Cody Croal, Abram Wiebe, Dylan James, Tyler Young, Matt Smaby and Jean-Philippe Lamoureux also scored.
Young's goal drew the biggest reaction from the team. It hit the goaltender, popped way up in the air, then landed in the crease and rolled across the line.
"Practice was good today," Jackson said. "Guys were sharp, guys were in great spirits. It was fun, good energy. That's where you want the guys to be — in that sweet spot between being on edge and ready to go and not too overdone. They were at a good level, where they were sharp and making plays and executing well."
Several UND players played in the Denny Sanford Premier Center during their junior hockey careers.
The arena is home to the Sioux Falls Stampede. Although UND does not have any former Stampede players on the roster, 15 Fighting Hawks visited the rink as opponents.
They privately said the arena had a reputation for poor ice conditions.
Wednesday's practice did nothing to change their opinions.
UND players left the surface on Wednesday afternoon, saying it was not in great condition, and they were particularly worried about playing the second game on the sheet Thursday night.
The one bright spot: It was 77 degrees Wednesday afternoon in Sioux Falls. Thursday's high is 52.
UND has learned plenty about Merrimack in the last five days.
"They're a tough team, they're hot right now," UND defenseman Jake Livanavage said. "Their goalie has been unbelievable for them. I think it shows what they did in their conference tournament. We've got to be prepared. They're a strong team. They get north quickly. We've just got to be prepared for that puck drop tomorrow."
Merrimack is led by a prolific top-six forward group and an
outstanding goaltender in Max Lundgren.
"They're arguably one of the hottest teams in college right now," Swanson said.
Merrimack practiced after UND on Wednesday afternoon at Denny Sanford Premier Center.
Every player on Merrimack's roster participated in practice.
Afterward, Warriors coach Scott Borek shared his thoughts on UND and the matchup.
"I think they're an explosive team," Borek said. "The games we've watched, they've overwhelmed teams on the forecheck. The offensive zone is outstanding. So, we really have to be a simple team tomorrow, and we have to play faster than we've played recently. That's going to be our biggest challenge — to flip that switch.
"To be the team that can win that game tomorrow, we're going to have to play fast and be extremely simple. If we do that, it will be a great game. But if we complicate it, it will be a tough game."
* Denny Sanford Premier Center does not allow event re-entry for fans, so it is not possible to leave the arena between Thursday's games.
* UND will wear white home jerseys as the regional's highest seed. The only chance UND could wear a dark jersey again would be if it met Michigan in the NCAA national championship game.