The 2022–23 North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey season was the 82nd season of play for the program and 10th in the NCHC. The Fighting Hawks represented the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (UND) is a Public university, public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. It was established by the Dakota Territory, Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishm ...

in the

2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season The 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season began on October 1, 2022, and concluded with the NCAA championship on April 8, 2023. This was the 75th season in which an NCAA ice hockey championship was held, and was US college hockey's 12 ...

were coached by

Brad Berry Bradley L. Berry (born April 1, 1965) is a Canadian ice hockey coach and former player who played 241 games in the National Hockey League. He played for the Winnipeg Jets, Minnesota North Stars, and Dallas Stars. He was most recently the head coa ...

in his 8th season and played their home games at

Ralph Engelstad Arena Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA), commonly called the Ralph, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and serves as the home of UND men's ice hockey. The arena was built by controve ...

Season

Though the team lost its top prospect to the professional ranks, an impressive recruiting class and the return of most of last season's players had many believing that North Dakota would compete for a national championship in 2023. The Hawks began the year at #4 in both polls and started the year in good standings, easily handling

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast o ...

. The following week would be an early test for UND as they played host to another prospective championship contender in

Quinnipiac The Quinnipiac were a historical Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. They lived in present-day New Haven County, Connecticut, along the Quinnipiac River. Their primary village, also called Quinnipiac, was where New Haven, Connect ...

. A problem cropped up that would stick with the team for most of the season: poor goaltending. Drew DeRidder allowed 3 goals on just 7 shots in the first and, after North Dakota took a lead in the third, Jakob Hellsten surrendered a tying goal to only earn a tie. Playing the entire game the following night, Hellsten let 5 get past him on 21 shots. Suddenly, coach Berry had a quandary on his hands as Hellsten's performance was bad enough to end their attempted goaltending rotation but DeRidder was only marginally better. The inconsistency in goal caused the team to slowly slide down the polls until falling off entirely by

Thanksgiving Thanksgiving is a national holiday celebrated on various dates in October and November in the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, Liberia, and unofficially in countries like Brazil and Germany. It is also observed in the Australian territory ...

. The Hawks were able to score, averaging over 3 goals per game, but the offense was concentrated with three players: Jackson Blake, Riese Gaber and

Chris Jandric Chris Jandric (born October 3, 1998) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman for ERC Ingolstadt of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL). He is a former first team All-NCHC member as part of the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and won the Kel ...

. Collectively they accounted for nearly a third of the team's goals and points. North Dakota's offense did produce more than they had the year before, however, the subpar play in goal cancelled out any offense improvement and the lack of depth scoring also proved to be problematic. The defense held their own, allowing and average of less than 25 against per game but neither goaltender was able to take advantage. The team tried twice more to use Hellsten as the starter but he couldn't hold the job and the Hawks had to stick with DeRidder. Near the end of the season, however, DeRidder seemed to finally find his groove and began producing good efforts night after night. By going 4–0–2 over the final three weeks, including taking a weekend from

St. Cloud State St. Cloud State University (SCSU) is a public university in St. Cloud, Minnesota, United States. Founded in 1869, the university is one of the largest institutions in the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. In the fall of 2023, it ...

, the Fighting Hawks found themselves just outside the playoff picture. Entering the postseason, it was just possible, if unlikely, for North Dakota to earn an at-large bid without a conference championship. Those faint hopes were nearly extinguished when the UND offense could only muster a single goal against

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

despite getting 41 shots on goal. The team rallied in the rematch to set up a deciding third game to keep their season alive. The Hawks got down twice in the game but scored the final 4 goals to run away with a win and advance to the semifinal. Entering championship weekend, North Dakota had risen up to 18 in the PairWise rankings. While it was an impressive feat after a rocky season, it meant that it was mathematically impossible for UND to earn an at-large bid. Any bonus they got from making the final would be lost by losing the championship game. With the Hawks knowing that they had to win it all to make the tournament, they fought hard against St. Cloud State, who had already punched their ticket. The defense did its job by stifling the Huskies' attack, allowing just 15 shots against in regulation. Their offense gave the Hawks two separate 1-goal leads but they were unable to hold onto either and the two teams finished the first 60 minutes tied at 2-all. St. Cloud cranked up the pressure in overtime, trying to get the winning goal straight away. DeRidder stopped 6 shots in the first 5 minutes but he was unable to prevent the 6th and Zach Okabe's marker ended the Hawks' season.

Departures

Recruiting

Roster

As of August 24, 2022.

Standings

Schedule and results

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Scoring statistics

Goaltending statistics

Rankings

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.

Awards and honors

Players drafted into the NHL

2023 NHL Entry Draft

† incoming freshman

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:North Dakota Fighting Hawks men's ice hockey season 2022-23 2022–23 NCHC men's ice hockey season 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey by team 2022 in sports in North Dakota 2023 in sports in North Dakota