Teams gear up for NCAA hockey Fargo Regional

FARGO — Scheels Arena began to buzz with activity Wednesday in preparation for the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Fargo Regional.

A capacity crowd is anticipated for Thursday’s regional semifinals, which commence with Minnesota State vs. Western Michigan at 4 p.m. followed by Massachusetts vs. Minnesota at 7:30.

A limited number of tickets went on sale to the general public at noon on Wednesday and quickly sold out. Resale tickets remain available through Ticketmaster both for Thursday’s semifinals and Saturday’s regional championship game.

The Gophers and Mavericks will more than likely have the largest fan presence given their proximity to Fargo. From arena to arena, the Minnesota faithful have the shortest trek to make at 242.3 miles. Further south, Minnesota State fans have a 277.7 mile hop up to Scheels Arena.

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Broncos fans making the drive from Kalamazoo will have to curve around the south shore of Lake Michigan through Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota before arriving in Fargo, with their trip clocking in at 789.5 miles.

Meanwhile, the Minutemen fan base far and away has the longest trek of them all, with many likely to opt for air travel. Drive time from Amherst is a little more than 23 hours, or 1,558.4 miles.

Fans unable to score a ticket will be able to watch from the comfort of their homes. The Minnesota State-Western Michigan game will be broadcast live on ESPNU followed by UMass-Minnesota on ESPN2. Both games will also be streamed on ESPN Plus.

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Head coach: Pat Ferschweiler (fourth season)

NCHC finish: Penrose Cup Champions and Frozen Faceoff Playoff Champions

NCAA tournament appearances: 10 (fourth consecutive)

National titles: 0

Record: 30-7-1

Ranking: No. 3/No. 3 (USCHO.com poll and USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll)

Distance from Lawson Ice Arena to Scheels Arena: 789.5 miles

Top Scorers:

Alex Bump, 23 goals, 23 assists, 46 points

Grant Slukynsky, 9 goals, 26 assists, 35 points

Tim Washe, 15 goals, 19 assists, 34 points

Goaltending:

Cameron Rowe, 15-2-0, .924 save percentage, 2.00 goals against average

Hampton Slukynsky, 15-5-1, .918 save percentage, 2.04 goals against average

“Obviously we’re excited coming off of the (NCHC) championship,” Western Michigan head coach Pat Ferschweiler said. “We’ve had a great week of practice, the boys have energy and belief, and we’re looking forward to playing a really good and well-organized Minnesota State team.”

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Head coach: Luke Strand (second season)

CCHA finish: MacNaughton Cup Champions and Mason Cup Playoff Champions

NCAA tournament appearances: 10 (first since 2023)

National titles: 0

Record: 27-8-3

Ranking: No. 14/No.14 (USCHO.com poll and USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll)

Distance from Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center to Scheels Arena: 277.7 miles

Top Scorers:

Rhett Pitlick, 13 goals, 27 assists, 40 points

Josh Groll, 14 goals, 18 assists, 32 points

Adam Eisele, 13 goals, 13 assists, 26 points

Evan Murr, 7 goals, 19 assists, 26 points

Goaltending:

Alex Tracy, 26-8-3, .958 save percentage, 1.43 goals against average

“It’s been a good journey,” Minnesota State head coach Luke Strand said.”Our guys are excited about season three. You go through the whole year, I think you turn back the page to June and the guys grind and work and earn, and they’ve done their part on that side. As fortune’s had it, we’ve put ourselves in this spot. We’re excited about the competition ahead of us. The region is tough and we just want to get going. It’s been a long one.”

David Samson/The Forum

Head coach: Bob Motzko (seventh season)

Big Ten finish: Fell to Notre Dame in Big Ten tournament quarterfinals

NCAA tournament appearances: 42 (fifth consecutive)

National titles: 5 (last in 2003)

Record: 25-10-4

Ranking: No. 5/No. 5 (USCHO.com poll and USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll)

Distance from 3M Arena at Mariucci to Scheels Arena: 242.3 miles

Top Scorers:

Jimmy Snuggerud, 22 goals, 27 assists, 49 points

Connor Kurth, 17 goals, 21 assists, 38 points

Matthew Wood, 17 goals, 21 assists, 38 points

Goaltending:

Liam Souliere, 13-7-2, .918 save percentage, 2.28 goals against average

Nathan Airey, 12-3-2, .902 save percentage, 2.42 goals against average

“When this whole thing started for us back in the fall with a trip to (Las Vegas), our goals were set on making the NCAA tournament and getting prepared to go on a run,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. “Like all teams this year, we’ve battled some adversity. Our guys, I couldn’t be more proud of what this group and what they did this season. We’ve earned the right to be here and I can tell you we’re excited to be here. We’re really excited to be in Fargo.”

Head coach: Greg Carvel (ninth season)

Hockey East finish: Fell to Boston University in Hockey East tournament quarterfinals

NCAA tournament appearances: 6 (second consecutive)

National titles: 1 (first in 2021)

Record: 20-13-5

Ranking: No. 13/No. 11 (USCHO.com poll and USA Hockey/The Rink Live poll)

Distance from Mullins Center to Scheels Arena: 242.3 miles

Top Scorers:

Cole O’Hara, 22 goals, 29 assists, 51 points

Aydar Suniev, 18 goals, 18 assists, 36 points

Jack Musa, 18 goals, 16 assists, 34 points

Goaltending:

Michael Hrabal, 18-11-5, .926 save percentage, 2.33 goals against average

“We’re very excited to be here,” UMass head coach Greg Carvel said. “I think our group is ready for this. This is a tough region to come out of, but we’re playing as well as we have all year, we’re healthy and we’re ready to go. I like this group. I think we learned a lot last year from our double-overtime game against Denver. This is a great setup here in Fargo and we’re rested and ready to go.”

Western Michigan

Alex Bump (F), Philadelphia, 2022 fifth round, 133rd overall

Matteo Costantini (F), Buffalo 2020 fifth round, 131st overall

Ty Henricks (F), New York Rangers, 2023 sixth round, 183rd overall

Zach Nehring (F), Winnipeg, 2023 third round, 82nd overall

Wyatt Schingoethe (F), Toronto, 2020 seventh round, 195th overall

Samuel Sjolund (D), Dallas, 2019 fourth round, 111th overall (rights expired)

Hampton Slukynsky (G), Los Angeles, 2023 fourth round, 118th overall

Joona Väisänen (D), Pittsburgh, 2024 sixth round, 175th overall

Minnesota State

Luke Ashton (D), Columbus, 2024 sixth round, 165th overall

Rhett Pitlick (F), Montreal, 2019 fifth round, 131st overall (rights expired)

Minnesota

Sam Rinzel (D), Chicago, 2022 first round, 25th overall

John Whipple (D), Detroit, 2024 fifth round, 144th overall

Michael Koster (D), Toronto, 2019 fifth round, 146th overall

Aaron Huglen (F), Buffalo, 2019 fourth round, 102nd overall (rights expired)

Connor Kurth (F), Tampa Bay, 2022 sixth round, 192nd overall

Oliver Moore (F), Chicago, 2023 first round, 19th overall

Beckett Hendrickson (F), Boston, 2023 fourth round, 124th overall

Brody Lamb (F), New York Rangers, 2021 fourth round, 104th overall

Luke Mittelstadt (D), Montreal, 2023 seventh round, 197th overall

Cal Thomas (D), Utah, 2021 sixth round, 171st overall

Jimmy Clark (F), Minnesota, 2023 seventh round, 213th overall

Ryan Chesley (D), Washington, 2022 second round, 37th overall

Erik Påhlsson (F), Nashville, 2024 seventh round, 213th overall

Brodie Ziemer (F), Buffalo, 2024 third round, 71st overall

Jimmy Snuggerud (F), St. Louis, 2022 first round, 23rd overall

Matthew Wood (F), Nashville, 2023 first round, 15th overall

UMass

Cam O’Neill (F), Ottawa, 2022 fifth round, 143rd overall

Dans Locmelis (F), Boston, 2022 fourth round, 119th overall

Lucas Mercuri (F), Carolina, 2020 sixth round, 159th overall

Aydar Suniev (F), Calgary, 2023 third round, 80th overall

Kenny Connors (F), Los Angeles, 2022 fourth round, 103rd overall

Larry Keenan (D), Detroit, 2023 fourth round, 117th overall

Cole O’Hara (F), Nashville, 2022 fourth round, 114th overall

Nick VanTassell (F), Ottawa, 2023 seventh round, 215th overall

Michael Hrabal (G), Utah, 2023 second round, 38th overall

Ten Fargo Force players will return to their former stomping grounds of Scheels Arena this week while partaking in the Fargo Regional. Three of those players — Western Michigan goaltender Hampton Slukynsky, Western Michigan forward Iiro Hakkarainen and Minnesota defenseman Leo Gruba — were members of the 2023-24 Anderson Cup and Clark Cup championship team .

Full list of Force alumni:

Brian Kramer (D), Western Michigan, 2019-20

Grant Slukynsky (F), Western Michigan, 2019-21

Ty Henricks (F), Western Michigan, 2022-23

Iiro Hakkarainen (F), Western Michigan, 2023-24

Hampton Slukynsky (G), Western Michigan, 2023-24

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Kaden Bohlsen (F), Minnesota State, 2019-20

Andrew Miller (G), Minnesota State, 2020-21

Jakob Stender (D), Minnesota State, 2021-23

Alyssa Goelzer/The Forum

Leo Gruba (D), Minnesota, 2022-24

Aaron Huglen (F), Minnesota, 2019-21

Check back to InForum.com for full game coverage from the Fargo Regional. The full NCAA Men's Ice Hockey tournament bracket may be viewed at NCAA.com.