Penultimate Frozen Faceoff Promises Elite Action on Ice

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference Playoffs sliced the postseason field in half last weekend, leaving four teams checking into Saint Paul for the 2024 Frozen Faceoff.
 
Stepping onto the ice at Xcel Energy Center this weekend are Penrose Cup winner North Dakota, second-seeded Denver, third-place St. Cloud State, and first-time Frozen Faceoff qualifier Omaha.
 
The Fighting Hawks square off with the Mavericks in the first NCHC semifinal at 4:07 p.m. CT, with the Pioneers and Huskies clashing at 7:37 p.m. The winners square off in Saturday’s final at 7:38 p.m. All contests this weekend are televised nationally on CBS Sports Network.
 
Here’s a deeper look at each team comprising the Frozen Faceoff field.
 
No. 1 seed North Dakota Fighting Hawks
2023-24 Record: 26-10-2
NCAA PairWise: 3rd
National Polls: No. 4
NCHC Playoffs: Swept Miami, 2-0
 
After missing the NCAA Tournament a year ago, the Fighting Hawks rode a new-look defense and a deep attack to a conference-best 15-8-1 record and 49 points in NCHC play to capture their four Penrose Cup in five years. UND ranked in the national top-10 in both scoring offense (eighth) and defense (10th), with its attack paced by NCHC Player of the Year sophomore forward Jackson Blake’s NCHC-record 37 points in conference play and conference-leading 57 points (21 goals, 36 assists) overall.
 
The Fighting Hawks have scored four goals or more in 20 of their 38 contests. Six UND skaters with 10 or more goals (Blake; 21, Cameron Berg; 20, Riese Gaber; 18, Owen McLaughlin; 13; Jayden Perron; 11 and Hunter Johannes; 10).
 
Defensively, UND replaced every blueliner and goaltender from its roster a year ago and saw a stunning improvement from 29th in scoring defense to 10th this season. Freshman defenseman Jake Livanavage helped anchor North Dakota’s D core with 28 points and 51 blocked shots to earn NCHC All-Rookie Team recognition. In net, senior Ludvig Persson earned Second-Team All-NCHC honors after recording a 21-10-2 record with a 2.47 GAA, .906 SV% and five shutouts in 33 starts after transferring from Miami.
 
After dropping an overtime tilt on Jan….