GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- If the idea of an exhibition game is to allow a group of individuals and a team to fine-tune its team game, you may now consider University of North Dakota sophomore goalie Peter Thome to be running like a Mercedes.

Thome averaged more than a save a minute in 16 minutes, 16 seconds of work in the third period tonight in UND's 6-2 nonconference victory over a potent U.S. Under-18 team in front of an announced crowd of 10,364 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

At that pace for a full game, Thome, with the barrage of shots he faced, would have broken the school record for most saves in a game (56) set by Darren Jensen in 1981.

Thome was one of the many Fighting Hawks who had strong performances, coming off a three-week layoff for Christmas break, in turning up for second half push of the season.

Starting UND goalie Adam Scheel, a freshman, stopped 15 of the 16 shots he faced in two periods, including half a dozen Grade A chances. His strong start allowed his teammates to build a 6-2 lead over the Under-18s after two periods and turn the game over to Thome with a 4-1 cushion.

And Thome, who struggled to find his game before Christmas, with a 3.75 goals-against average and .838 goals-against average, allowed only a power-play goal on the 18 shots he faced to show he is poised to push Scheel for playing time down the stretch.

"Obviously, the first half (of the season) personally didn't go the way I had wanted it to,'' Thome said. "It left a little bad taste in my mouth. So having a good first outing is definitely a step forward. Hopefully there is more to come.''

It was giant step for UND as a team as well. Wearing replica Sioux jerseys of the 1959 UND national championship team, UND put on a winning performance, scoring two goals each period and picking up goals from six different players.

Rhett Gardner, Ludvig Hoff, Casey Johnson, Grant Mismash, Collin Adams and Gavin Hain scored for UND while Nick Jones led the way in points with a three-assist game.

The U.S. Under-18 team, coming off a victory at National College Hockey Conference leader St. Cloud State Thursday night, plays at a high tempo and skill level, a solid test for UND to shake off the Christmas rust.

"I think one of the keys tonight was our power play, getting one right away,'' coach Brad Berry said.

Gardner one-timed a Jacob Bernard-Docker pass to the faceoff dot past Under-18 goalie Cameron Rowe, a UND recruit who finished with 28 saves and allowed five goals. Gardner's goal at 3:14 of the first period came just 28 seconds into UND's first power play and set the tempo for a strong overall performance against a young team that is now 6-7 this season against NCAA Division I colleges.

"I think everybody looks at it as a team that is younger than us,'' Berry said. "Yeah, they are younger than us. But I think this is one of the most skilled and fast teams and offensive teams that we have ever played in the Under-18s.'' Berry said. "They knocked off the No. 1 team in the nation (St. Cloud State) just the other night.''

Instead, UND set itself up to resume second-half play next weekend with a nonconference series at Canisius of New York with a consistent and impressive performance.

"We'll take it, as far as trying to get better,'' Berry said. "Our last two nonconference games next weekend against Canisius, it counts, and we have to make sure we are ready for that.''

Based on this performance, it appears they are.

UND was solid on specialty teams, going 2-for-5 on the power play with 7 shots while holding the U.S. Under-18 to 1-5 with 7 shots. The U.S. team outshot UND 18-12 in the final period as both teams finished with 34 shots on goal.

Game notes: The only injured UND player not back in the lineup after the rest was defenseman Jonny Tychonick, who is close to returning . . . sophomore forward Jordan Kawaguchi missed the game to be with an ailing grandparent in Canada . . . Named three stars by the media, in order, were Jones, Mismash and Bernard-Docker (two assists) . . . Hain led UND in shots on goal with 5, followed by Mismash and defenseman Matt Kiersted with 4 . . . UND dominated the faceoffs 45-25, led by Gardner (17 of 24) and Mark Senden (8 of 9) . .  Besides Scheel and Thome, UND also used Ryan Anderson in goal the final 3:44 of the game, but he did not have to make a save . . . Former UND coach Dave Hakstol, recently let go by the NHL Philadelphia Flyers as head coach, was at the game . . .. Matthew Boldy had a goal and an assist and led the U.S. team with 5 shots on goal . . . Former Grand Forks Central player Judd Caulfield, a UND recruit playing for the Under-18 team, had one shot on goal and wasn't on the ice for any of UND's six goals against his team. . . UND has never lost to the U.S. Under-18 team, now 9-0 all-time . . . The 6 goals ties for the most UND has ever scored against the U.S. team, headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich. 

Virg Foss covered UND hockey for 35 seasons for the Grand Forks Herald, including 5 NCAA title teams, before his retirement. Since his retirement, he's reported on UND hockey games exclusively for FightingHawks.com. This marks his 50th season since he began covering UND hockey in 1969.