Berry Out as North Dakota Head Coach

Brad Berry is out after 10 seasons as men's hockey head coach at the University of North Dakota.

Berry, 59, from Bashaw, Alberta, had guided the Fighting Hawks since 2015-16, the same season in which he led UND to its most recent NCAA title. In a decade in charge at his alma mater, he fashioned a 227-119-35 overall record (.642) that included five NCHC regular-season championships and five NCAA tournament berths, along with seven seasons of 20 or more wins. He had one year remaining on his contract.

A former UND defenseman from 1983 to 1986, Berry went on to play in 241 NHL regular-season games with the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota North Stars and Dallas Stars, and also skated for Moncton (AHL) and Kalamazoo/Michigan (IHL) before getting into coaching, where served as an assistant coach with Manitoba (AHL) and the Columbus Blue Jackets, and as an amateur scout with the Vancouver Canucks. He spent two separate stints as an assistant at UND, the first from 2000 to 2006 and the second from 2012 to 2015. 

The Fighting Hawks finished 21-15-2 overall this year, and were eliminated by eventual champion Western Michigan in the semifinal round of the NCHC Final Five.

ADDENDUM: UND has hired alumnus Dane Jackson to succeed Berry as head coach. Jackson, 54, from Castlegar, B.C., has served as an assistant/associate coach with the Fighting Hawks since 2006. He skated for UND from 1988 to 1992, recording 59 goals and 44 assists for 103 points to go with 249 penalty minutes, before embarking on an 11-year pro playing career in the AHL and NHL. He then spent three seasons coaching in the minor leagues before returning to his alma mater.

UND, MSU to Meet in 2026 HHOF Game

The 2026 U.S Hockey Hall of Fame Game will take place on Halloween that year in Texas. The University of North Dakota and Michigan State University will meet at the H-E-B Center in Austin, home of the AHL's Texas Stars. 

UND leads the all-time series with MSU, 64-37-3, dating back to the first meeting on Feb. 10, 1950. UND blanked the Spartans, 6-0, on Oct. 13, 2007 in the Hall of Fame Game that year in Grand Forks, N.D. The two schools last met on Nov. 26, 2016, a 2-2 tie in Grand Forks. UND also defeated MSU, 5-3, in the 1987 NCAA championship game in Detroit. The Fighting Hawks upended Penn State, 6-4, in the 2021 Hall of Fame Game in Nashville, in their last appearance to date in that contest. 

Next year's Hall of Fame game will occur in Nov. 2025 at Ball Arena in Denver, between the University of Denver and the University of Minnesota.

UND's Sanderson Signs Extension with Sens

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) will be staying in Canada's capital for the foreseeable future.

Sanderson, 21, recently signed an eight-year, $64.4-million contract extension with the Senators, who drafted him fifth overall in 2020 after he had played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan. He made his NHL debut last year, tallying four goals and 28 assists for 32 points with Ottawa, to go with 12 penalty minutes in 77 regular-season outings.

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Whitefish, Mont., Sanderson played two NCAA seasons at North Dakota (2020-2022), before signing with Ottawa last year. In 45 career appearances with the Fighting Hawks, he posted 10-31—41 points and 41 PIM. He also helped UND to two NCHC regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances, plus one NCHC tournament crown. While at UND, he also played in one game for the U.S. in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, recording one assist.

DU Tops North Dakota, Stays Atop NCHC

Defending NCAA champion Denver has solidified its hold on first place in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference.

The fourth-ranked Pioneers upended visiting North Dakota, 5-3, on Friday evening at Magness Arena to improve to 22-7-0 overall this season, and 13-4-0 in the NCHC. UND dropped to 12-12-4 overall (6-9-2 NCHC). 

Carter Mazur scored twice for DU, to break a personal five-game pointless string, while Mike Benning had two assists for the Pioneers and Magnus Chrona made 34 saves in net. Jackson Blake set up two goals for the Fighting Hawks, who finished 2-for-8 on the power play. Jakob Hellsten stopped 11 of 12 shots for UND after relieving starter Drew DeRidder, who took the loss after surrendering four goals on 11 shots against.

DU is now five points ahead of second-place Western Michigan in the NCHC standings, while UND remains tied for sixth place with Colorado College. DU and UND  meet again tonight in Denver to close out their regular-season series, with the Pioneers having won all three meetings so far this season. 

North Dakota's Pinto Named NHL Rookie of the Month

Shane Pinto (North Dakota) has been tabbed as the NHL Rookie of the Month for October 2022.

Pinto, 21, tallied six goals and an assist for seven points in a span of eight games last month. He led all NHL rookies in goals scored in October, and also led all NHL skaters in scoring percentage (42.9). The Franklin Square, N.Y. native has now recorded 7-8—15 points in 26 career NHL regular-season appearances, after playing just five games in all last year due to shoulder injuries. He was drafted 32nd overall by Ottawa in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, after playing for Tri-City (USHL) in 2018-19.

The 6-foot-2 center starred for UND in both the 2019-20 and 2020-21 NCAA campaigns, before turning pro just after the end of his second and final collegiate season. In 61 career outings with the Fighting Hawks, Pinto notched 31-29—60 points to go with 50 PIM. He also helped UND to two NCHC regular-season titles and one NCHC postseason crown, along with two NCAA tournament berths (the first was negated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020).

MSU Surprises Notre Dame in OT, 1-0

Mitchell Lewandowski connected just 33 seconds into overtime to break a scoreless tie and send Michigan State to a 1-0 win at Notre Dame in Big Ten play on Saturday night. 

Lewandowski snapped a shot home from the high slot off a rush for his seventh goal of the season and second game-winner, after the two teams had played 60 scoreless minutes at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind. Drew DeRidder made 30 saves for the Spartans to earn his fourth career NCAA shutout, while Ryan Bischel stopped 23 of 24 shots for the Fighting Irish in defeat. The win also salvaged a series split for MSU, which fell to UND by a 3-2 count on Friday, despite taking an early two-goal lead.

MSU (10-7-1 overall, 5-5-0 Big Ten) has now won six of its last eight outings overall, and will return to action on Dec. 29 against visiting Western Michigan in the first round of this season's Great Lakes Invitational. UND (12-5-0, 6-4-0) is now off until Jan. 1-2 when it will host Niagara.

UND's Bernard-Docker Wins Gold with Canada

Jacob Bernard-Docker (North Dakota) was the lone current collegian to win a gold medal with Team Canada at this year's IIHF World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic. Canada defeated Russia, 4-3, in the gold medal game on Sunday.

Bernard-Docker, 19, scored one goal in seven WJC games this year for the Canadians. A first-round NHL draft choice (26th overall) by the Ottawa Senators in 2018, the sophomore defenseman has tallied three goals and 14 points in 17 outings with North Dakota so far this season.

In 53 career games with UND, Bernard-Docker has posted eight goals and 23 assists for 31 points. The Fighting Hawks are currently ranked first overall in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Former UND Star Johnson Passes Away

Former college scoring star Greg Johnson (North Dakota) died on Tuesday in Detroit, of unknown causes, according to multiple published sources. He was 48 years old.

A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., Johnson remains the all-time leading scorer in University of North Dakota hockey history, having tallied 74 goals and 198 assists for 272 points in 155 appearances between 1989 and 1993. His best collegiate season came as a sophomore in 1990-91, when he collected career highs of 61 assists and 79 points, one year after he helped the then-Fighting Sioux
to the 1990 NCAA Tournament. He was also a three-time Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist.

After UND, Johnson played two seasons with the Canadian National Team. He then appeared in the only three AHL games of his professional tenure, with Adirondack, before embarking on a 12-year NHL career. Drafted by Philadelphia in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, he never skated for the Flyers but still accumulated 145-224—369 points in 785 NHL regular-season contests with Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Nashville.

Johnson's best NHL campaign came in 1998-99, when he registered a career-high 34 assists and 50 points for expansion Nashville. He also served as captain of the Predators for several seasons, before retiring following the 2005-06 season at the age of 35 due to a heart condition. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

UND's Zajac Skates in 900th NHL Game

Travis Zajac (North Dakota) played in his 900th career NHL regular-season game on Tuesday night as the New Jersey Devils fell to the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3.

Zajac, 33, has played his entire NHL career with New Jersey, which drafted him 20th overall in 2004. In 900 career outings, he has recorded 180 goals and 316 assists for 496 points, to go along with 304 penalty minutes.

Prior to Tuesday's game, in which he recorded an assist, Zajac had also won over 7,800 faceoffs in his NHL career. A Winnipeg native, he has also posted 11-17—28 points in 57 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, and helped the Devils to the 2012 Stanley Cup Final against eventual NHL champion Los Angeles.

In two seasons with North Dakota, Zajac recorded 38-48—86 points in 91 outings, including 18 power-play goals. He also helped UND to consecutive NCAA Frozen Fours.

Caggiula, Garrison Dealt to Blackhawks by Oilers

Drake Caggiula (North Dakota) is on the move. 

The former Fighting Hawk forward, who led UND to the 2016 NCAA title, was dealt by the Edmonton Oilers along with defenseman Jason Garrison (Minnesota-Duluth) to the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday. In return, Edmonton received defensemen Brandon Manning and Robin Norell, according to NHL.com.

Caggiula, 24, who signed with the Oilers as free agent in 2016, has 27 goals and 22 assists for 49 points in 156 career NHL contests, all with Edmonton. He has posted seven goals and 11 points in 29 games so far this season.

In 162 career NCAA appearances with North Dakota from 2012 to 2016, Caggiula amassed a total of 62-65—127 points, including a career-high line of 25-26—51 points as a senior when he earned NCAA Frozen Four MVP honors in spearheading UND's run to its first NCAA title in 16 years. He tallied four goals and an assist in the Fighting Hawks' two Frozen Four wins over Denver and Quinnipiac, and scored twice in the national title game in Tampa.

Garrison, 34, who helped the Tampa Bay Lightning to the 2015 Stanley Cup Final where it fell in six games to Chicago, has posted 49-111—160 points in 555 career NHL regular-season starts with Florida, Vancouver, Tampa Bay, Vegas and Edmonton. He has one goal in 17 NHL contests so far this season, and in three years (2005 to 2008) at UMD accumulated 9-20—29 points in 87 contests for the Bulldogs before he signed with Florida as a free agent in 2008.

It is not yet known if Caggiula and Garrison will skate for Chicago against the Boston Bruins in the 2019 NHL Winter Classic at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind. on Tuesday (1 p.m. ET, NBC TV).

Flyers Release Former UND Coach Hakstol

The Philadelphia Flyers relieved head coach Dave Hakstol of his duties on Monday. The Alberta native was in his fourth season with the club, having moved directly from the

University of North Dakota to the NHL three years ago. He finished with a record of 134-101-42 overall in Philadelphia, according to NHL.com, with two Stanley Cup Playoff berths.

Prior to joining the Flyers in 2015, Hakstol spent 11 seasons at UND, and led the then-Fighting Sioux to a 289-143-43 (.654) overall mark. UND advanced to the NCAA Tournament in all 11 campaigns, including seven Frozen Four appearances and a national runner-up finish in 2005. Prior to coaching UND, he spent four seasons as the head coach of the USHL's Sioux City Musketeers.

A former defenseman at UND (1989-1992), Hakstol, 50, played professionally with both Indianapolis and Minnesota of the now-defunct International Hockey League, prior to taking over the bench in Sioux City. He was succeeded in Philadelphia by former Lehigh Valley (AHL) head coach Scott Gordon (Boston College), who won his NHL debut Tuesday night with the Flyers' 3-2 victory over visiting Detroit.

Simon New Head Coach of Grand Rapids (AHL)

Ben Simon (Notre Dame) is the new head coach of the American Hockey League's Grand Rapids Griffins. Simon, 39, a native of Shaker Heights, Ohio, succeeds Todd Nelson, who left Michigan last month to join the NHL's Dallas Stars as an assistant.

Simon spent the last three seasons as Nelson's assistant in Grand Rapids, helping the Griffins to the 2017 Calder Cup trophy as AHL champions. He previously served as an assistant with Rockford and Toronto of the AHL, along with one year as head coach of Cincinnati (ECHL). He began his coaching career as head coach of the British League's Sheffield Steelers in 2010-11, the same season that he finished his playing career.

Simon tallied 38 goals and 71 points in 45 games with Cleveland (NAHL) in his final year of junior "A" hockey in 1995-96, and also earned NAHL Rookie of the Year accolades. A fifth-round draft choice by the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks in 1997 following his freshman campaign at Notre Dame, he registered 44 goals and 86 assists in four NCAA seasons with the Fighting Irish. He lead UND in both overall and league scoring as a junior, and helped the Irish to the CCHA semifinals as a senior.

Simon, who went on to play in 81 NHL contests with Atlanta and Columbus, spent the majority of his career in the AHL and now-defunct IHL, recording a total of 86 career goals while also helping the Chicago Wolves to the 2002 Calder Cup title. He also played one year in Germany and one in the ECHL before turning to coaching.

Grand Rapids went 42-25-2 overall during the 2017-18 AHL season, and finished second in the Central Division, before falling to Manitoba in five games in the first round of the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs.

North Dakota's Hoff to Skate for Norway at Olympics

Sophomore forward Ludvig Hoff (North Dakota) is going to the Olympics.

Hoff, who has two goals and six points in 19 games with the Fighting Hawks this season, will represent his native Norway at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea, beginning Feb. 14. He has put up 6-16—22 points in 55 career appearances with UND, after playing three seasons of junior hockey with Lincoln (USHL).

Hoff, from Oslo, is the son of former Michigan State forward Geir Hoff, who represented Norway at three previous Winter Olympics (1988, 1992, 1994).

UND's Stafford Signs with Devils

Veteran NHL right wing Drew Stafford (North Dakota) signed a one-year contract with the New Jersey Devils on Friday, according to NHL.com. The deal was reportedly for $800,000.

Stafford, 31, skated for both the Winnipeg Jets and Boston Bruins last season, notching eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 58 games. In 725 career NHL regular-season contests, including nine campaigns with the Buffalo Sabres, he has tallied 183-217—400 points.

A Milwaukee native who grew up in Minnesota, the 6-foot-2 Stafford was a first-round NHL selection (13th overall) of Buffalo in 2004. He played three collegiate seasons at UND from 2003 to 2006, where he tallied 48-67—115 points in 118 outings. He also helped the Fighting Sioux to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments, including two straight Frozen Four berths.

North Dakota Dropping Women's Hockey

Just after USA Hockey came to an agreement with members of its Women's National Team in time for them to play in this year's World Championship in Plymouth, Mich., the University of North Dakota announced that it will be eliminating women's ice hockey as a varsity sport, due to budget cuts.

In a state where hockey is revered, and less than a year removed from UND's latest men's hockey national championship, it's a shocking move. UND becomes the first NCAA Division I school to drop women’s hockey since Wayne State did likewise in 2011.

The Fighting Hawks began play on the women's side in 2002 as an independent, before joining the Western Collegiate Hockey Association in 2004. Their best outing was in 2012-13 when they finished 26-12-1 overall and earned the second of two consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, the only two such bids in program history.

The former Fighting Sioux also posted seven consecutive winning seasons, including the 2016-17 campaign. In addition, a total of eight players with UND ties participated in women’s hockey during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia.

According to the Grand Forks Herald, player scholarships will be honored if they choose to remain enrolled at UND. Transfers should be allowed to play immediately at other Division I schools, per NCAA rules, as the program is ceasing to exist.

This past season, the last one for UND as it turns out, saw the Fighting Hawks finish 16-16-6 overall, and fourth in the WCHA with an 11-12-5-3 mark before they fell to Wisconsin in a WCHA semifinal game.

UND Outlasts BC at MSG, 4-3

Boston College rebounded from a 2-0 deficit with two goals early in the third period, but couldn't pull out a victory against North Dakota on Saturday night in New York City. The Fighting Hawks held on for a 4-3 win, their first over the Eagles since 2005, in the inaugural College Hockey Showdown at Madison Square Garden.

Following a scoreless first period, Tyson Jost scored twice to put UND up, 2-0, the second goal coming on a power play, after 40 minutes. After a major penalty and game misconduct sustained by UND’s Rhett Gardner late in the second stanza, Colin White got the Eagles to within a goal on a 5-on-3 man advantage  just 49 seconds after the puck dropped to begin began the final frame. Christopher Brown then tied the game for the Eagles by putting home a rebound less than four minutes later.

UND (8-5-3 overall) regained the lead at 9:04 when Joel Janatuinen snapped home a loose puck in the slot, and then Trevor Olsen took advantage of a defensive miscue by BC (12-5-1) to make it 4-2 for the Fighting Hawks with 2:01 left. Matthew Gaudreau’s long-range goal for the Eagles with nine seconds remaining in regulation provided the final margin. Scott Savage assisted on all three BC goals.

UND outshot BC, 34-31, before 11,348 on-lookers at MSG.  Joseph Woll finished with 30 saves for the Eagles, while Cam Johnson had 28 stops for the Fighting Hawks, who went 1-for-6 on the power play compared to BC’s 1-for-2 success rate. UND now leads the all-time series, 12-11-1, after BC had gone 4-0-1 against UND in the previous meetings between the two schools. 

New North Dakota Logo Revealed

The University of North Dakota unveiled its new Fighting Hawks logo, shown above, this week. I have to say—that's the best they could do?

It's simple and easily duplicated, and, as UND probably wanted, non-controversial, following the saga of the historic Fighting Sioux nickame and logo that were dropped four years ago after the NCAA got involved.

After featuring such an iconic mark as the Sioux, with its myriad of colors and sharp design, though, this new, playing-it-safe avian logo leaves a lot to be desired for one of the premiere college hockey programs in the nation.

North Dakota 2015-16 National Champs

The University of North Dakota has won the 2016 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national championship. The Fighting Hawks (34-6-4 overall) scored three times in the third period to break open a one-goal game, and bested top-ranked Quinnipiac University, 5-1, on Saturday night before 19,358 fans at Amalie Arena in Tampa.

UND senior forward Drake Caggiula scored two goals, both in the final frame, for the former Fighting Sioux, and earned NCAA Frozen Four MVP honors with four goals in two games, including a pair in Thursday's 4-2 semifinal win over Denver. Cam Johnson stopped 32 shots for the Fighting Hawks, who won their eighth national title overall, first since 2000, and first as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Head coach Brad Berry, a former UND player and assistant coach, becomes the first NCAA hockey head coach to win a national title in his first season as the top man behind the bench.

Tim Clifton scored the only goal for Quinnipiac (32-4-7), on a first-period 5-on-3 power play after UND had taken a 2-0 lead. The Bobcats, who were attempting to become the third Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) school to win the Division I men's hockey national title in the last four years, were appearing in their second NCAA title game and were seeking their first national crown.

Next year's men's Frozen Four will be held at the United Center in Chicago.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks

It was announced on Wednesday  that the University of North Dakota's athletic teams will hereafter be known as the Fighting Hawks. The name emerged from a third round of recent voting, edging the second-place choice of Roughriders.

UND was formerly known as the Fighting Sioux until 2012, the last holdout as the NCAA cracked down on Native American nicknames. The university is in the process of developing a new athletics logo, although the interlocking UND will likely also remain in use.

Hakstol Leaving UND for NHL

University of North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol is taking the reins of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers, according to ESPN.

Hakstol, an Alberta native who went 289-143-43 in 11 seasons in Grand Forks, and led UND to seven NCAA Frozen Fours and four WCHA Tournament titles in that span, accepted the Flyers job Monday after resigning from North Dakota. UND went 29-10-3 this past season, falling to Boston University in an NCAA semifinal matchup in Boston.

A former UND lettermen on defense, Hakstol also played five professional seasons in the International Hockey League, according to his profile at hockeydb.com.His hiring was announced by Flyers general manager and former goaltender Ron Hextall, whose son, Brett, played for Hakstol at UND, and is now in the Flyers' system.

Hakstol, 46, replaces former Philadelphia Flyers player Craig Berube, who was dismissed after two seasons at his old team's helm. Philadelphia finished 33-31-18 this past season, and outside the Stanley Cup playoff picture for the second time in three campaigns.

UND assistant coach Brad Berry was expected to be named head coach of the former Fighting Sioux later on Monday.