North Dakota vs. Omaha Hockey: Score & Recap – March 6, 2026
North Dakota Defeats Omaha 5-3 in NCHC Quarterfinal Opener
GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The No. 2/3 University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks defeated the Omaha Mavericks 5-3 Friday night in the opening game of the NCHC Quarterfinal series at Ralph Engelstad Arena. North Dakota now leads the best-of-three series 1-0.
The game saw a flurry of action, particularly in the second period, where North Dakota scored four goals to take control. Cade Littler opened the scoring for the Fighting Hawks with a power-play goal at 7:26 of the first period, assisted by Jack Kernan and Ollie Josephson. Omaha responded quickly with goals from Samuel Huo at 11:06, assisted by Ryan McCleary and Trevor Wong, and Maxime Pellerin at 12:37, on the power play, assisted by Luke Woodworth and Jeremy Loranger.
The second period belonged to North Dakota. Jack Kernan scored at 1:23, assisted by Bennett Zmolek and Cole Reschny, to regain the lead. Dalton Andrew followed at 3:10, assisted by Littler and Anthony Menghini, extending the lead. Josephson scored at 5:48, assisted by Tyler Young and EJ Emery, and Mac Swanson capped off the period with another power-play goal at 18:23, assisted by Kernan and Josephson.
Omaha managed to score one more goal in the third period, with Myles Hilman finding the back of the net at 16:00, assisted by Pellerin and Aidan de la Gorgendiere, but it wasn’t enough to overcome North Dakota’s offensive surge.
The Fighting Hawks outshot the Mavericks 28-20. North Dakota also capitalized on special teams, going 2-for-4 on the power play while Omaha was 1-for-2. North Dakota won 32 faceoffs to Omaha’s 17.
Jan Špunar secured the win for North Dakota, stopping 17 of 20 shots faced in 60 minutes of play. Omaha’s Simon Latkoczy made 23 saves on 28 shots in 57:27 of ice time.
Several penalties were called throughout the game. For Omaha, Myles Hilman received a tripping penalty in the first period, while Marcus Broberg was penalized for boarding in the second. Sean Tschigerl and Luke Woodworth both received tripping and cross-checking penalties, respectively, in the third period. For North Dakota, Cole Reschny was called for hooking in the first, and Andrew Strathmann received a holding penalty in the second.
Key performers for North Dakota included Jack Kernan, who recorded one goal and two assists, and Ollie Josephson, who had one goal and two assists. Cade Littler also contributed with one goal and one assist. For Omaha, Maxime Pellerin had one goal and one assist, while Luke Woodworth and Trevor Wong each had an assist.
The series continues with Game 2 on Saturday, March 7th, at Ralph Engelstad Arena.