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Forwards Shane Pinto and Jordan Kawaguchi did not make the trip to Omaha for UND’s single game against the Mavericks at 7:07 pm tonight.
Senior forward Grant Mismash, who has missed the last three games with an undisclosed injury, has also stayed home, as planned, as he continues his recovery.
The Fighting Hawks are also without senior defenseman Gabe Bast, who is serving a one-game suspension for his combat major and game disqualification last Saturday against Omaha.
With the Penrose Cup as National Conference Champions in collegiate hockey already in hand and a place firmly carved out of the NCAA tournament, UND coach Brad Berry indicated earlier this week that he would consider resting for players who are not 100% healthy.
“At the end of the day, they would be available at this time of year in the playoffs,” Berry said. “It’s one of those things that we’re going to look at as our group and what is best for our group and what is best for the individual.
“I want to start by saying it all here by saying that we are here to win games and that we will do what we want to do as a group here to get the team on the ice to perform at a high level, but still at mind, be aware of the depth of the playoffs that we potentially have here. “
Kawaguchi, a senior, did not play in the third period of UND’s Penrose victory on Saturday against Omaha, although he did not appear to have suffered a significant injury during the game.
On his last shift in the second period, he created a scoring chance on a cross pass and nearly scored seconds later. He stayed on the bench in good spirits and accepted the Penrose Cup from NCHC Commissioner Josh Fenton on behalf of the team.
Pinto played the entire game and scored a goal on a clock in the third period, although he slowly came back to the bench at one point in the game.
Pinto is NCHC’s top scorer with 28 points in 22 games. Kawaguchi is the league’s second-leading scorer with 26 points in 22 games. Pinto leads the league in goals (15), while Kawaguchi leads NCHC in assists (20).
Mismash has nine goals and 18 points in 18 games for the Fighting Hawks.
UND will play its final regular season game next Friday at home against Omaha before focusing on the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, which takes place March 12-16 at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
NCAA regionals are scheduled for March 26-27 at Fargo’s Scheels Arena.
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