One could understand Brock Nelson and Derek Forbort being a little tired.
The two returned to Grand Forks Thursday around noon, tasked with getting back to their normal hockey schedule with UND after helping Team USA capture bronze at the 2011 World Junior Championships in Buffalo, N.Y.
The two didn’t miss a beat in their return to the ice as Sioux players.
Nelson had two goals and Forbort had a solid defensive performance in his return in UND’s 8-0 dismantling of non-conference opponent Robert Morris (12-6-2) Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
It was the biggest margin of victory for the Sioux (15-5-2) since a 10-1 victory over Harvard in 2008.
For Nelson, missing the series wasn’t really considered.
“I just wanted to get back here and get in whenever I could,” Nelson said.
“We had a game today, I said I was ready, and it worked out.”
UND was on the board before the 11,074 fans who came back early from winter break could settle into their seats. Corban Knight’s centering pass attempt hit the stick of Robert Morris forward Colin South and went right into the net.
“There’s nothing much you can say about that,” Knight said. “I’ll take it, but I’m pretty fortunate that it went in.”
It certainly wasn’t the last time UND would get a fortunate bounce. Later in the first, Knight found Nelson in the slot with the puck, which caromed off Nelson’s skate and into the net. It was ruled a goal since Nelson’s foot was planted and did not redirect the puck into the net purposefully.
Knight, who added his third point and second goal of the game at 16:12 of the first, admitted there were some lucky bounces but it was well deserved for the second-ranked Fighting Sioux.
“Once in a while you get those nights where everything seems to go in, but you have to credit our team. We’ve been working really hard since we got back from break, so I don’t think it’s pure fluke that those goals started coming.”
Nelson’s second goal of the night came in the third, off of a pass from Carter Rowney.
For Nelson, who doubled his goal total for the season with four, he seemed to bring something home with him from Buffalo.
“He seemed to have a lot of burst to his game and he seemed to have a new air of confidence to his game,” coach Dave Hakstol said.
Hakstol admitted he didn’t get to see all of the World Juniors, but from what he did see, Nelson had that extra gear going.
“That’s how I saw him play [at the World Juniors], so he seemed to be able to carry that over to his play here.”
Brett Hextall punctuated his return from an injury with a breakaway goal at 5:43 of the second, and just fifty seconds later, senior Jake Marto added another goal off of a rush to make it 5-0. Marto’s goal chased Robert Morris goaltender Brooks Ostergard from the game early. The backup, Eric Levine, played the final 33 minutes.
Matt Frattin added his NCAA-leading 19th goal of the season at 8:27 of the second. Frattin is now three goals ahead of anybody else in the nation.
Evan Trupp scored his eighth goal of the season to round out the scoring in the third. His goal was set up nicely by Danny Kristo, who had three assists Friday night.
UND outshot RMU 38-32.
Goaltender Aaron Dell stopped all 32 shots he faced for his third shutout this year. He stopped Colonial forward Nathan Longpre on a breakaway attempt and turned away Robert Morris’ every scoring chance.
Dell was happy to get his fourth career shutout in front of the home crowd. “It’s nice to do it in front of the home crowd, but I’ll take it any chance I get. “
It has been over eight periods – 164:51 of time to be precise—since Dell has given up a goal, which has dropped his goals-against average to 1.97.
“He’s something else right now. He’s playing like a madman,” Knight said.
“He’s playing his heart out for us and that’ll help us down the stretch.”
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