no. 6 North Dakota Rallies to Defeat Arizona State,5-2,in Third-Period Surge
The University of North Dakota’s hockey team extended it’s winning streak to four games with a dominant 5-2 victory over Arizona State on Friday night,fueled by a decisive third-period performance in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,572 at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand forks.
The Fighting Hawks (8-3-0, 4-1-0 NCHC) now stand atop the NCHC standings with 13 points, showcasing a remarkable consistency this season. UND has secured seven of its eight victories by a margin of at least three goals and has limited opponents to two or fewer goals in eight contests, demonstrating their defensive prowess.
Freshman forward Will Zellers proved to be a key catalyst for the Hawks’ offense, scoring two goals – his second multi-goal game in the last three contests. Zellers’ game-winning goal came just 64 seconds into the final period, marking his team-leading seventh goal of the year and extending his point streak to five games.
“We knew we needed to come out strong in the third,” Zellers stated after the game. “we talked about it between periods, and we were steadfast to take control.”
Senior forward Tyler Young made a significant impact in his return to the lineup after a brief absence, delivering his best performance in a UND uniform with a goal and an assist – his first multi-point game since January 18, 2025, during his time at Merrimack. Fellow senior forward Ellis Rickwood contributed with two assists, as a total of 11 different UND skaters registered at least a point.
Rookie netminder jan Špunar continued his impressive start to his collegiate career, securing his fourth win of the season and improving to 4-0-0. Špunar faced 21 shots, stopping 19.
Key Stats:
- UND is 1-0-0 record at home.
- The Fighting Hawks have won four straight games and five of their last six.
- Will Zellers leads the team with seven goals this season.
- Ellis Rickwood dished out a pair of helpers for his third multi-point game of the year.
- UND has 17 different goal scorers this season.
- The Hawks hold a plus-11 goal differential in the third period this season, having scored 19 goals in the final 20 minutes.
- Jan Špunar‘s record improves to 4-0-0.
- Ben Strinden has nine points (4 goals, 5 assists) over his last five games.
- UND is 7-0-0 when scoring at least four goals.
- The Hawks outshot Arizona State 43-21, including a 16-5 margin in the third period.
- Faceoffs were won 31-28 by UND, with rickwood leading all skaters at 12-3.
How It Happened:
- First Period: 11:57 | UND – Ben Strinden (5) from Keaton Verhoeff (3) and Jake Livanavage (8)
- Second Period: 08:27 | UND – Will Zellers (6) from Cole Reschny (9); 12:16 | ASU – Kyle Smolen (2, PP) from Cullen Potter (6) and Bennett Schimek (10); 18:05 | ASU – Cruz Lucius (9) from Schimek (11) and Brasen Boser (2)
- Third Period: 01:04 | UND – Zellers (7) from Dylan James (3) and Abram Wiebe (7); 01:40 | UND – Tyler Young (1) from EJ Emery (2) and Ellis rickwood (6); 13:54 | UND – Cody Croal (3, PP) from Rickwood (7) and Young (1)
For more data on North Dakota hockey, visit FightingHawks.com or follow on social media @UNDmhockey.
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