Oct. 28—GRAND FORKS — UND players did not get the weekend off.
After losing two games to rival Minnesota on Thursday and Friday, the Fighting Hawks held a rare Sunday practice at Ralph Engelstad Arena to prepare for the upcoming U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
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No. 8 UND plays No. 4 Michigan State at 7:07 p.m. Saturday in H-E-B Center in suburban Austin, Texas.
“Obviously, we were disappointed with how we played on the weekend,” UND coach Dane Jackson said. “We just kind of talked about trying to learn from it and trying to build and be process-based. Our guys have been really good being sharp, prepared, working and getting reset and refocused.”
UND (4-2) took Monday off. The Fighting Hawks practiced Tuesday and Wednesday in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
They’ll hold one more skate Thursday morning in Grand Forks before boarding a flight to Austin.
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“Real hard, physical practice Sunday,” Jackson said. “Now, we’ll try to really start tapering down and getting more flow-based, puck-handling and moving. It’s an exciting time, an exciting game, exciting to go down to Texas and play against a great opponent. I think our guys are in a good headspace and really excited for the challenge.”
UND is scheduled to practice at H-E-B Center in Cedar Park, Texas, at 11 a.m. Friday. Michigan State will skate at noon Friday.
Jackson said players will have time to explore the city Thursday evening upon arrival.
But he expects them to turn the page soon after that and focus on Saturday’s game.
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“The message to our players is that Friday we want to have a good practice and a good team meal,” Jackson said. “Enjoy it a little bit, but definitely be getting focused in on Friday, then obviously on game day, extremely focused. We’ll try to enjoy it Thursday night, then be pretty business-like after that.”
Losing twice on a weekend is new territory for UND under Jackson, who is in his second year as head coach.
Last season, the Fighting Hawks lost back-to-back games just once. In October, they fell 5-1 to Minnesota at home, then 5-2 at Clarkson the following week.
UND went 8-0 after losses the rest of the season.
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“We always try to have a positive joy at the rink, but this week, we’ve had a business-like mindset behind it,” Jackson said. “It doesn’t mean you have to walk around with a scowl on your face. But there’s definitely that balance. You’ve got to be sharp and in a good mindspace, but also make sure we’re business-like and ready to improve after a subpar performance.”
UND freshman defenseman Carson Carels said the Fighting Hawks learned a lesson about how hard every game is in college hockey.
“I think we got a little too high with starting 4-0,” Carels said. “Going into that series, we talked a lot about how we need to play and how hard we are, but we kind of underestimated them and they’re a hard team to play against, too.”
UND’s schedule doesn’t ease up.
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After playing No. 4 Michigan State on Saturday, the Fighting Hawks open National Collegiate Hockey Conference play against No. 6 Western Michigan.
“I think we’re still learning a lot about our group,” UND general manager Bryn Chyzyk said. “Obviously, leaving the rink last week in Minneapolis was a tough pill to swallow. You let it sting that night, then you wake up the next day and get back to work. That’s our culture here. For a young group to get punched in the mouth a little bit, it’s all about how we respond and how we get better day to day.”
