GRAND FORKS, N.D.-- It is common and expected that the best players on a hockey team will get the most applause or criticism for the success or failure of that team.

It is no different for the University of North Dakota hockey team. The names of seasoned and talented offensive players such as Riese Gaber, Jackson Blake, Cameron Berg, Hunter Johannes and Owen McLaughlin to name a few, often dot the scoresheets handed out to the media after games at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

Experienced defensemen such as Keaton Pehrson, Logan Britt and Garrett Pyke, all transfers into the program, and transfer goalie Ludvig Persson play pivotal roles in most games as well.

Yet a team is made up of 21 or 22 players come game night, and contributions can come from unexpected sources that help determine final results as much as the names mentioned previously here.

That's what happened last weekend when freshman goalie Hobie Hedquist and senior wing Griffin Ness played large roles last Saturday in a 3-1 National Collegiate Hockey Conference victory over Omaha in Grand Forks.

Hedquist, who had played just two other games this season, was called into action when Persson, coming off an injury and illness, had battled leg cramps the night before in backstopping the Fighting Hawks in an overtime loss to Omaha.

As a result, Hedquist got the first league start of his career in a crucial game as UND sought to stay in the running for another NCHC championship.

Heading into key games this weekend at league-leading St. Cloud State and next weekend in Grand Forks against a strong Denver University team, Hedquist delivered a very solid game in a 3-1 win over the Mavericks in the best showing he's had in his three overall starts (all wins) this season at UND.

And Ness, one of the seasoned leaders, delivered big, too.

He was in the game as the extra skater, pulling a shift now and then on the fourth line.

He got his first shift of the game in the second period of last Saturday's win. He responded with the first goal of the game on a nifty and patient move with the puck at the edge of the goal crease to put UND on top 1-0.

His second goal of the season, coming in his 16th game, jump-started the Fighting Hawks to a key split of the series. It broke a 0-0 tie in the second period, starting UND on its way to victory.

Ness has never been a prolific scorer at UND, this being just his ninth goal in 96 career games. His contributions have noted more for his strong defensive play and leadership.

But a combination of Ness stepping up as the extra skater that night, and Hedquist turning in a rock solid game when Persson needed a night off, will stand out as key contributions if UND indeed makes a run for the NCHC title with strong showings this weekend and next against St. Cloud State and Denver.

Those two contributions did more for this team than just show up as a win and three points in the league standings, and maintaining UND's national ranking.

It did much for team morale as well, and that isn't as easily measured as a win on the ledger or three points in the standings.

Players who don't always play in every game or make huge contributions in points or saves on a regular basis, are noticed by teammates for their hard work and effort in practices that lead to playing time when the occasion dictates it.

And when Hedquist and Ness delivered in noticeable ways in a key game, those contributions are cheered on and noticed by fellow teammates and coaches above all else. It is exactly that bonding, that teamwork, that can put a team, or keep a team, on the path to greater success.

Those contributions were noted by Coach Brad Berry and a few of their teammates in the comments in the post-game interviews last Saturday following the win.

Good for Griffin and Hobie. A feel-good night for them and their teammates, who were their biggest cheerleaders after that game. 

Come to think of it, it is exactly a result that makes sports so unexpected -- and fun.

Virg Foss is in his 54th season of writing about UND hockey. He was the beat writer for UND hockey for the Grand Forks Herald for 35 years prior to his retirement in 2005. He is currently in his 19th season of writing about Fighting Hawks hockey for UND Athletic Communications.