GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- As I have written here in the past, I prefer to look at the progress of the UND hockey team on a week-by-week basis, not looking too far ahead or too far back.
 
The time has come this week to make a slight change in that approach. The college hockey season swings into the back half of the season with an important road series at Arizona State looming this weekend for the Fighting Hawks.
 
As it stands as of this writing, UND sits at No. 20 nationally in the important PairWise Rankings. Only the top 16 teams, including any upset winner in conference playoffs by a lower-ranked team, make the final 16.
 
With 10 of its next 16 games for UND against teams ranked in the top 15 in the PairWise, this stretch of games represents a golden opportunity for the Hawks to move themselves into better positioning for post-season play.
 
And to do that, it will require a few two-game series sweeps for UND. Spits, or worse, won't get the job done.
 
I have every reason to believe this team is poised to make such a run. With one of the youngest rosters in the country this season, UND has taken some lumps that may turn the other way as the experience gained by these youngsters pays some dividends the rest of the way.
 
This is a team that is 5-0-1 in its last six games, counting the exhibition blanking of the University of Manitoba. That is an encouraging sign.
 
Beginning with ASU this weekend, UND faces six games in a row against teams ranked ahead of it in the PairWise, with ASU at No. 15, Western Michigan at 7 and St. Cloud State at 9. 
 
That's a tough stretch for anyone, but also a golden opportunity for the Hawks to make a major move in the rankings in the coming weeks. With this team on a bit of a roll right now, I can see the recent strong play going on through this challenging part of the schedule.
 
Whie the big picture most definitely is where some of UND's focus has to be, there's the little matter of deciding a champion in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) that's in the more immediate spotlight.
 
There has not been a team yet, one-third of the way through the schedule. that has stepped up and taken control of the league race. With all teams having played eight games of the 24-game league schedule, UND trails first-place Western Michigan by just two points.
 
And the only league team UND has four games remaining with is Western Michigan, so if there's a showdown between the two for league winner, it'll shake out on the ice in two games in Grand Forks on Jan. 17-18 and two at WMU on Feb. 28-March 1.
 
Hang on fans, it'll be a wild ride to the top for someone.
 
For UND, there's eight league games remaining on the road, eight at home, so there's no scheduling advantage in play here. It'll be decided by which teams finish strong, and stay healthy, always key factors.
 
It looks like Cameron Berg will return to the Hawk lineup, maybe this weekend, and he'll add a valuable veteran presence and scoring punch that will be a great addition in this sprint to the finish. 
 
Berg is also a key player on faceoffs, and that phase of the game can be crucial in this battle.
 
I'll stay away from any prediction on how this upcoming run of games will shape up for UND.
 
I will say only that I like the way this team is coming together as a unit, with contributions throughout the lineup rather than a reliance of a superstar or two carrying the load.
 
Friday's game from Arizona is being carried live nationally on CBS Sports and I believe our own Alex Heinert is calling the action. He is the best, and a huge favorite among UND fans. His smile lights up Ralph Engelstad Arena when he comes on during home games to highlight other results of UND teams during his telecast. 
 
He will be joined by Dave Starman on Friday's telecast, and he knows the game as well as anyone I know, so he adds a special touch to any telecast.
 
And with this series at Arizona State, here's hoping we, like Heinert, are all smiling come later Saturday night.
 
Virg Foss covered UND hockey for the Grand Forks Herald from 1969 to 2005, before his retirement that year. He writes a weekly column exclusively for UND during the college hockey season. He can be reached at virgfoss@yahoo.com.