Overview
- North Dakota, the NCAA tournament’s No. 2 overall seed, faces No. 4 regional seed Merrimack on Thursday night in Sioux Falls with TV coverage on ESPN2.
- UND ruled out third‑line center Ollie Josephson after a lower‑body injury, and freshman Jack Kernan is expected to center that line based on this week’s practices.
- Merrimack rides a seven‑game unbeaten run after winning the Hockey East tournament behind MVP goaltender Max Lundgren, who stopped 49 of 50 shots in the title game and has a .920 save percentage this season.
- Head coach Dane Jackson said an 11‑day break allowed UND to reset and sharpen special teams for the single‑elimination format, while his team leans on elite shot suppression and tournament experience.
- The Sioux Falls Regional also features Providence vs. Quinnipiac earlier Thursday, and UND enters its 36th NCAA appearance with a short trip that could boost fan turnout at Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.