UND Men’s Hockey Claims Four Major NCHC Awards

     The National Collegiate Hockey Conference announced the 2022 NCHC Awards that included the University of North Dakota being honored with four awards.

     Head coach Brad Berry headlined the awards ceremony, winning his third straight Herb Brooks NCHC Coach of the Year Award. In his seventh season leading North Dakota hockey, he is now a four time winner of the award and has the fourth-best winning percentage in the hockey programs history.

     Graduate transfer forward Connor Ford is the second straight Fighting Hawk to be named the NCHC’s top defensive forward. Appearing in 23 of 24 conference games this season, he finished second on the team with 20 points in conference play. Ford also finished tied for fourth in the conference with 17 assists in NCHC play. He was outstanding in the faceoff circle leading the league with 359 faceoff wins in NCHC play and 538 overall for a 62.6 winning percentage.

     Junior defenseman and Moorhead native Ethan Frisch has earned the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year honor. In conference play he logged over 23 minutes per game. He also tallied seven goals and 3 assists in 21 conference games. Frisch is willing to give up his body for the team on the ice, leading the Fighting Hawks with 37 blocked shots in NCHC play. This is the third straight year a UND blueliner has won the award.

     Senior captain Mark Senden has been honored as the recipient of the NCHC Sportsmanship Award. He is the second player from UND to win the award. Sended, a Medina, Minn., native was exceptional on and off the ice. He’s logged nearly 50 hours of community service during his career that include multiple Special Olympics outings, food drives, spreading awareness for suicide through TEARS (Together we Educate About the Realities of Suicide), promoting the “Vision Zero” campaign, and supporting local military families through the “Best Christmas Ever” foundation. Appearing in 129 games for UND, Senden has only been called for 30 minor penalties. He leads the nation among active players with a plus 32 rating.