Journey journal: UND hockey visits Clarkson and North Nation – Grand Forks Herald

POTSDAM, N.Y. — This is a journey journal designed to offer followers a behind-the-scenes have a look at the UND hockey crew’s journey to upstate New York for a sequence towards Clarkson.

For full protection of UND hockey, go to

grandforksherald.com/undhockey.

Update: 12:30 p.m. Friday

Last season, UND began a brand new pattern of training at house Thursdays earlier than touring, as an alternative of touring after which training on the street venue.

They’re conserving that routine this season.

“We like the fact that you get your work in early,” UND coach Dane Jackson mentioned. “We do like to skate in the other team’s building. But it just seemed like we were always under the gun time-wise. So, we get up, stay with our regular routine, get our work done. Then, it’s a little more relaxed the rest of the day, not worrying about whether there are going to be issues with our travel and if we’re going to be late for our ice time.”

The Fighting Hawks skated at 10 a.m. in Ralph Engelstad Arena on Thursday, then ate lunch and headed to the airport to start their longest journey of the season.

A couple of minutes after takeoff, the pilot shared a message from air visitors management: The hockey crew wants a sweep this weekend.

UND flew on a chartered airplane from Grand Forks to Plattsburgh, N.Y., the closest airport with lengthy sufficient runways to help UND’s airplane.

The flight was 2 hours, 28 minutes.

After touchdown, the UND-grad pilot threw on a Sioux jersey and greeted the gamers as they exited the airplane. The gamers took a gaggle photograph along with her on the tarmac.

Plattsburgh is positioned on the New York/Vermont border, so UND nonetheless had a two-hour drive to get to Potsdam, the location of this weekend’s UND-Clarkson sequence.

That drive took the crew inside 10 miles of the Quebec border. Most of the radio stations have been in French, and parts of the drive have been distant sufficient that cellular phone service dropped.

When the crew pulled into Potsdam, they have been greeted by Fright Night, a Halloween avenue get together. A few blocks downtown have been closed off and revelers in Halloween costumes have been celebrating.

UND pulled into Cheel Arena simply after 7 p.m. native time.

Once they completed dropping off their gear, they drove 10 minutes south to Jake’s on the Lake, a restaurant extremely really useful by UND ahead Ellis Rickwood,

who performed three seasons at Clarkson.

After dinner, the Fighting Hawks made their approach to Canton.

That’s proper, UND is just not really staying in Potsdam. The crew lodge is 10 miles away in Canton, which is the house of Clarkson’s greatest rival, St. Lawrence.

That’s the place most visiting groups keep, I’m advised.

UND did not examine into the lodge till simply after 9 p.m. It meant the gamers went straight to their rooms for some relaxation after the lengthy day.

The media members went to discover a legendary native place referred to as The Hoot Owl.

The place seems to have been an previous railroad station.

It’s positioned proper subsequent to coach tracks and is a well-liked place amongst St. Lawrence college students and locals. The partitions are crammed with memorabilia.

The late proprietor was a serious supporter of St. Lawrence and the group.

Schlossman has lined school hockey for the Grand Forks Herald since 2005. He has been acknowledged by the Associated Press Sports Editors as the highest beat author for the Herald’s circulation division 4 instances and the North Dakota sportswriter of the yr twice. He resides in Grand Forks. Reach him at bschlossman@gfherald.com.