GRAND FORKS, N.D. – At Wednesday's press conference, University of North Dakota hockey coach Brad Berry said he would not treat Saturday's season-opening exhibition game against Bemidji State as just another exhibition game with nothing to prove.
 
He pointed to the 14 new players on the Fighting Hawks' roster this season, and the need to indoctrinate them into the winning program long established with its eight NCAA titles.
 
So, while No. 14 Bemidji State played three different goalies in a 2-1 loss to No. 8 North Dakota, BSU transfer goalie Zach Driscoll (16 saves on 17 shots) played the entire game for UND as the Fighting Hawks won in front of an exhibition-high 11,812 fans at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
Sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson carried the puck from deep in his own zone and threaded a wrist shot through the legs of BSU goalie Gavin Enright at 11:02 of the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and collect the game-winning goal. Sanderson had an earlier assist on Riese Gaber's second-period power play goal to win player of the game honors in media voting.
 
"That's a pretty hard and heavy team over there in Bemidji, with not a lot of time and space,'' said Berry, with the two teams combining for just 36 total shots on goal, 21 by UND.
 
"I thought it was pretty scrambly the first couple of periods, but I thought we got better as the game went on,'' Berry added. "In the third period, we made some plays. First couple of periods, a little rough.''
 
Normally, UND opens its season with an exhibition game against a Canadian team, but with travel restrictions because of COVID-19, the NCAA permitted U.S. college teams to play each other in an exhibition this season, hence the non-counting game with the Beavers, who came in with 22 returners to the roster.
 
"I am glad we got to play against a very, very good opponent,'' Berry said.
 
Driscoll, playing for his third program (St. Cloud State, Bemidji State and now UND) was sharp throughout, allowing only a goal to Alex Ierullo in the second period; 103 seconds after Gaber had opened the scoring.
 
Driscoll made his best save 13 minutes into the third period, stopping a clean breakaway by BSU senior center Owen Sillinger, who has a team-best 34 career goals.
 
"Zach Driscoll is going to be our No 1 guy going forward,'' Berry said of playing him the entire game. "We wanted to give him a body of work.''
 
That, and freshman goalie Jakob Hellsten was not available.
 
Sanderson, a first-round pick by the Ottawa Senators, blazed up the left side on a 4-on-4 rush to net the winner for the Hawks.
 
"He wants to be a difference-maker,'' Berry said. "He made a play that probably a lot of guys couldn't.''
 
As to what he saw on his rush, Sanderson said, "I think I just saw time and space,'' he said. "Their 'D' kind of backed off a little bit.''
 
As for Driscoll beating his old team with his strong game, Sanderson said: "He stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.''
 
Driscoll said he approached playing against his old teammates like any other game. ''I think you have to approach everyone the same,'' he said. "You start treating games different, it just kind of messes with your head''
 
UND officially opens the season next weekend when it hosts Niagara for a non-conference series on Friday and Saturday.
 
After that, it's back to the Beavers with a home-and-home series the following weekend, games that will count for the record.
 
NOTES: Former UND stars James Patrick and Jon Casey were inducted into the UND Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night. . . Sanderson led UND in shots on goal with four, while Will Zmolek had four to lead the Beavers . . . Connor Ford won 14 of 22 faceoffs to lead UND while rookie Matteo Costantini won five of six . . . UND was 1-for-2 on the power play, BSU 0-3 with just 1 shot on goal … Saturday's crowd of 11,812 was the highest to see an exhibition contest in Ralph Engelstad Arena history … Sanderson, Gaber and Driscoll were named the game's three stars.
 
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