Mar. 27—SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — UND had a bit more in-game rest than usual in
Thursday's game against Merrimack.
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The NCAA tournament has three 90-second media timeouts per period that begin at the first stoppage after the 15, 10 and five-minute marks.
There are two 90-second media timeouts per period in the NCHC regular season.
That extra rest didn't change how the Fighting Hawks deployed their lines.
"All four lines were playing well for us, so we kind of rolled lines," head coach Dane Jackson said. "Guys get a pretty good rest there at those (three) timeouts at three different periods. So you could probably get away with starting your top line a little bit more often. So we'll look at that possibility. But I just felt last night we didn't do that much because all our lines were playing well."
Sophomore forward Cody Croal scored on the power play in the first period and added an empty-netter with 19 seconds remaining.
The first line struck in the third period courtesy of senior forward Dylan James.
In a low-scoring game decided primarily by the
play of the goaltenders
, much of the strong line play was defined in the defensive zone.
That was especially true for UND's third and fourth lines.
"Those guys, at this point, take a little more pride in their defensive responsibilities," Jackson said. "They can still score and stuff, but they're really making sure that they're staying on top of guys, being in good defensive position, managing the puck well, and that's what makes them valuable. We talked about reliability at this time of year. It's such an important element. And guys that you can count on as a coach are going to be the guys that get out on the ice."
The bottom six saw some reshuffling ahead of the tournament opener.
Freshman forward Ollie Josephson, who had been centering the third line, was out due to a lower-body injury.
In stepped freshman forward Jack Kernan. Kernan, a natural center, has slotted in on the wing or down the middle this season.
Kernan looked at ease filling in for Josephson with senior Tyler Young and Croal on the wings.
"It's just a revolving door," Kernan said. "Everyone plays with everyone, and everyone has the same mindset to play their role to the best of their ability. So when a new guy comes in and steps into that role, it's easy for them to fill in and mesh with linemates."
Kernan isn't alone. A good portion of the bottom six has swapped roles this year, plugging in and playing when injuries, in-game situations and opponents necessitate a change.
"I think we all just want to help this team," freshman Josh Zakreski said. "If we get the chance to play, we're going to go play and (play) to the best of our abilities. If we get put in the lineup, we know we have a job to do, and we're going to play our role and we're just going to try to help this team win the game."
Zakreski is a relatively recent addition to the bottom six. The 6-foot, 197-pound forward was injured in late October and didn't come back until Feb. 20.
Zakreski has two goals since his return.
"I learned a lot about myself during that injury process," Zakreski said. "I've never been injured before in that way, missing months. So I just learned a lot about my mental aspect, and learning how to push through something like that."
Zakreski played on the right wing alongside sophomore Cade Littler and freshman David Klee on the fourth line against the Warriors.
"(Zakreski) has done outstanding," Jackson said. "People measure guys in points a lot, but he's been a reliable player for us even when he hasn't scored. He's a guy that finishes checks and covers a lot of ice defensively, so we've really liked his game."