190 Miles, One Massive Tattoo, and a Front Row Seat to the Future Flames Lineup

Walk us through a game day, from the moment you leave home to when you are in your seat an hour before puck drop.

A typical game day at the Ralph Engelstad Arena starts with us leaving the house about 3 hours prior to puck drop, unless the weather is bad then we will leave earlier. For a Friday night game, we usually listen to the UND Hockey podcast from Brad Schlossman and Jason Feldman. Brad has been the UND hockey reporter for 25 years and provides a wealth of insight on the team, as well as prospects, as well as recaps from the last week’s game, and what to watch for during the coming games. When that podcast is over we will usually listen to the ND Ice podcast which is less “formal” but still worth a listen.

Upon arriving in Grand Forks we will usually stop for a quick bite to eat and then head to the Ralph. Unlike other sporting events I’ve been to, the structure and flow of the Ralph is unparalleled. Finding a parking spot is a breeze, entrance is hardly a slow-down, and everyone has a smile on their face. From there it’s time to get settled in our seats, watch the presentation of “Through these doors” and then warm-ups.

For a Saturday night game, we will usually listen to The Pipeline Show with Guy Flaming. Guy usually has a lot of insight on UND commits playing in the WHL.

Plenty of people follow UND from home. You drive 190 miles round trip, blizzards included. What hooked you, and was there a game or a moment when you knew you would keep coming back?

It would be easy (and a lot cheaper) to follow UND from home, but once you have been to a game, you will see the difference. From the very first game I attended, I knew I was hooked. The Ralph Engelstad Arena is known as “The palace on the prairie” for a reason. Arguably, it is the best arena in all of college hockey, and rivals quite a few NHL arenas. The facility is top-notch. There can be 2 feet of snow outside, but once you enter it’s easy to forget the weather.

From the marble floors, friendly staff, the smell of the roasted almonds, the UND “Pride of the North Band”, student section, and passionate fan base, that is just something that you have to experience in person to appreciate. UND has a proven history of developing high end NHL players, and those players leave it all on the ice every game. As fans, we appreciate that, and I think that the 10,000+ fans in the arena every game recognize that. It’s the least we can do to support them.

My tattoo. Random jealousy. Last year the Ralph Engelstad Arena offered a UND hockey themed tattoo to 3 fans. I had been debating getting another tattoo for about 20 years but couldn’t figure out what I wanted. Unfortunately I wasn’t one of the 3 chosen to get one during a game, so I contacted the artist that did them at the Ralph and began my arm piece. Part of it is the NCHC logo (Best league in NCAA, no matter what the Big10 losers say), the NODAK and sticks. That didn’t look complete, so I added a Sioux head (I assume you’re aware of the former UND logo drama), followed by a bunch of stuff from my military time, and all wrapped in an American Flag. Long story short, I ended up wrapping my entire forearm, just because I couldn’t get a free 1” x 1” tattoo.

Your wife got into hockey because of Abram Wiebe. What was it about him, and are the two of you following him with the Wranglers now?

My wife has never been a “sports” person, and didn’t really understand why I liked hockey. During Wiebe’s freshman year I was able to get her to watch a UND at Colorado College game on TV. She wasn’t really paying very much attention, but Wiebe took a roughing penalty where he pretty much laid out one of the CC players. She made me rewind the game a couple of times to replay the hit. From that point on, she was hooked.

Every time Wiebe was not on the ice, she was hollering “Unleash the Wiebe”. At the beginning of his sophomore year, at fan fest, she was able to get him to sign a team photo with “Unleash the Wiebe”. She was beyond thrilled. To see his progression from his freshman season to his last game in the Frozen Four, he has really upped his game. We will absolutely be fans of his throughout his professional career with both the Wranglers, and inevitably the Flames as well.

You watched Cole Reschny’s freshman year from your seat. What did you see in him that the stat sheet does not show?

With the change allowing CHL players in NCAA last season, I wasn’t familiar with Reschny. He was one of the first Canadian players to commit to NCAA (and UND), along with Keaton Verhoeff. I initially didn’t see what the big deal was about them….until I got to see him play. He didn’t look like the “typical” freshman hockey player. He seemed to be more seasoned than a lot of the others.

A lot of the times he was one of the last players off of the ice, whether it was after warmups, or after the game. Almost every game I would see him go and shake the hands of the referees after the game was over. Every interview I saw him do showed a lot of intelligent comments with well thought out answers. Everyone always mentions a “team first” mentality. I think that Cole Reschny portrays that both on and off the ice.

Recently named as Captain by his fellow players, he has an aura around him of leadership. Prior to the start of this season at the annual fan fest, a person in front of me asked him “Are you nervous about having big shoes to fill being named captain?” I think his response embodied why he is the captain. He chuckled and replied “Not really, it comes natural to me.” He has a confidence around him that exudes leadership.

Take us through the home opener from your seat. What’s the moment from 701 Night you’ll still be talking about next week?

The obvious answer to this question is the weekend sweep. The more in-depth answer is the potential of this team. Since head coach Dane Jackson was hired at the beginning of last season, he has repeated the phrase “We have to play the right way. We have to play to our identity.” From day one, I think he has accomplished that. This season there are 14 new players. To get everyone to buy-in to his fundamentals, beliefs and the “UND system” could be difficult, but it has been apparent that he is accomplishing his goals. From the outside looking in, it looks like individual egos have been set aside and everyone has the same goal, to play as a team and win the national championship. That is what fans should be talking about next week, and for many weeks to come.

It’s Carson Carels’ first regular-season game at the Ralph. You said those feet never stopped moving in the exhibitions. Now that it counts, what did you see from him in person that TV doesn’t show?

Watching Carson Carels on TV just doesn’t do him justice, nor does looking at the stat sheet. After the first 2 regular season games this weekend, he has 0 points, 2 shots and a +/- of -1 and 2 blocked shots. On the stat sheet, honestly, it’s not that impressive. But what is impressive is seeing him on the ice. He always seems to be in position to make a big play. He is relentless, fast, and provides continuous movement off the puck across all 200 feet of the ice.

Cole Reschny wears the C at home for the first time in a game that counts. What did you notice about how he carried it, and what should Flames fans in Calgary know about these two that you only learn from your seat?

Watching Cole Reschny wear the “C” for the first time in a regular-season game at the Ralph highlights why he was voted captain as only a sophomore. From my seat in the arena, I notice his leadership isn’t loud or performative; it is rooted in quiet composure and calculated micro-habits. On the ice, he actively orchestrates the pace of play, winning high-leverage faceoffs and absorbing physical contact after whistles to protect his teammates. He commands the room by example, playing a complete 200-foot game that sets the emotional temperature for the entire Fighting Hawks roster.

For Calgary Flames fans, seeing Reschny and freshman defenseman Carson Carels share the ice live reveals a foundational chemistry that television broadcasts completely miss. Carels can trigger a breakout pass off his backhand, finding Reschny in stride through a clogged neutral zone based on nothing more than a subtle stick tap or a pre-planned route. There is an elite, telepathic understanding between them during transitions and power plays. Furthermore, both players perform much heavier than their listed sizes; Carels uses his frame aggressively along the boards, while Reschny is consistently the first forward back to support the low slot. Calgary has two incredibly mature, pro-ready pillars developing in one of college hockey’s most demanding environments.