Box Score GRAND FORKS, N.D. – Maybe there's something indeed about family traits being passed down the line in the family tree. Or as Grand Forks Herald reporter Brad Schlossman called it, "a family tradition.''
 
Like cousins Jordan and Nick Schmaltz did in their first games in a North Dakota hockey uniform in 2012 and 2014 respectively, cousin Jake Schmaltz scored in his first official game Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena, one of the highlights of No. 8 UND's 6-2 non-conference win over Niagara.
 
Schmaltz, a freshman center, said a few of his teammates told him he matched his cousins with that first goal. "Pretty cool,'' Schmaltz said.
 
Riese Gaber set up Schmaltz for the goal, finding him alone in front of the net at 7:36 of the opening period. That goal came almost five minutes after junior defenseman Ethan Frisch scored on UND's first shot on goal, a wrister from the right point at 2:56 of the first period.
 
Junior transfer Ashton Calder, who had scored his last 22 goals in a Lake Superior State jersey without one of them on the power play, broke that jinx on a rebound of a Gaber shot on the power play at 17:06 of the first period to build a 3-0 cushion after one period.
 
Calder scored 16 goals for the Lakers last season to tie for the league goal-scoring title, but none came on the power play. ''It was nice to get it going right at the season start,'' Calder said.
 
Calder said having 11,386 fans in the stands makes for a nice backdrop for the players. "It makes it easy to get right for a game,'' said Calder, who added a second goal and also an assist for a 3-point debut night. "Every time I come into the building, I get excited to play. Hockey players feed off the fans a lot.''
 
It was a special night for UND in general. The game marked the 20th anniversary of the opening of the rink, a gift from benefactor Ralph Engelstad, a former UND goalie. Members of his family were in attendance to be recognized by the school and the fans.
 
"We started well tonight,'' UND coach Brad Berry said. "One of the keys was getting off to a quick start.''
 
With a roster with 14 new players, Berry has emphasized taking every game, whether it be an exhibition contest a non-conference game that doesn't figure in the standings, with full attention.
 
"We talked about it right from the first of the year,'' Berry said. "We don't even look at this as a non-conference series. We look at them as NCHC (league) games, because they count just as much.''
 
They do indeed, as the season progresses, and non-conference records figure big in the PairWise Rankings used to determine the 16-team NCAA tournament field. "They're vital to make the national tournament,'' Berry said.
 
UND ran its lead to 6-0 at one point with goals from Calder and sophomore defenseman Jake Sanderson in the second period and from sophomore defenseman Tyler Kleven in the third period.
 
Niagara broke the shutout bid of UND goalie Zach Driscoll with two goals in the third period, 51 seconds apart. Shane Ott scored on a rebound at 11:31 as a penalty was being called on Kleven, and Ryan Naumovski scored on the ensuing power play at 12:28 on a goalmouth deflection.
 
Gaber matched Calder's 3-point game with his three assists, while Schmaltz and Sanderson had a goal and as assist each. Three of UND's six goals were scored by defensemen (Sanderson, Kleven and Frisch).
 
The teams meet again at 6:07 Saturday night to wrap up the series.
 
NOTES: Calder, Sanderson and Gaber were named three stars of the game by the media . . .  Driscoll finished with 18 saves while Chad Veltri has 22 for the Purple Eagles, now 0-8 all-time against UND . . . Calder led UND in shots on goal with 7 while Gaber had 4 . . . UND was 1-2 on the power play, Niagara 1-4.. . Grand Forks' Jackson Kunz has an assist in his first game in a UND jersey . . . It was a team effort in the win as 11 of the 18 skaters had at least one point, including 5 of the 6 defensemen … The six goals were the most scored by UND in a season opener since 2016-17 vs. Canisius … UND is now 28-2-0 at home since the beginning of 2019-20 season … North Dakota jumps to 42-3-2 since 2018-19 when scoring at least four goals … Gaber's three points matched a career-high … Gavin Hain missed Friday's game due to a lower-body injury.
 
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