UND hockey newcomers get their number assignments
Jun. 29—GRAND FORKS — Ty Farmer wore No. 3 when he won a Clark Cup with the Fargo Force in the United States Hockey League.
The defenseman wore No. 3 when he helped UMass win an NCAA national championship.
Perhaps it's no surprise that UND will make sure he's wearing No. 3 again when he takes the ice this fall as a fifth-year senior for the Fighting Hawks.
UND's seven newcomers have received their number assignments for the 2022-23 season and Farmer is the only player who will wear the same one as last season.
Goalie Drew DeRidder, a fifth-year senior graduate transfer from Michigan State, will wear No. 34. Defenseman Ryan Sidorski, a fifth-year senior graduate transfer from Union, will wear No. 2.
The four rookie forwards will be wearing different numbers than they did in junior hockey. Jackson Blake will be No. 9, Ben Strinden No. 21, Owen McLaughlin No. 22 and Dylan James No. 26.
None of the returning players are expected to change numbers.
Here are a few other notes about UND hockey jersey numbers for the 2022-23 season:
* Two available skater numbers will remain blank — Nos. 14 and 16. It will be the second-straight season No. 14 has been blank. Jasper Weatherby last wore it during 2020-21. Ashton Calder, who transferred to Penn State this summer, wore No. 16 last season.
* DeRidder will be just the second UND player ever to take the ice wearing No. 34. The other was Jean-Philippe Lamoureux. Lamoureux wore No. 34 as a freshman and sophomore in 2004-05 and 2005-06 before changing to No. 1 for his final two seasons. Harrison Feeney, who arrived at UND midseason in January 2019, had No. 34 for a semester, but never played in it. He then changed to No. 35.
* Sidorski wore No. 10 at Union.
* McLaughlin grew up wearing No. 24, then changed to No. 23 the last two seasons. That number is retired at UND, so he's dropping one more digit to No. 22.
* Blake wore No. 9 as a youth player and will return to it. His father, Jason, wore No. 5 at UND.
* Strinden said he always wanted to wear a number in the 20s at UND. He wore No. 21 for a bit as a youth player. He was No. 12 last season for Muskegon.
* Defenseman Jake Sanderson wore No. 26 last season, but it will go back to a forward this year as James will fill it. Prior to Sanderson, three forwards in a row had No. 26 — Cole Smith, Coltyn Sanderson and Brett Hextall.
Next week, the NHL Draft will be held in Montreal. James and Strinden are candidates to be picked.
On July 11, most UND hockey players will arrive on campus in Grand Forks. They'll go through workouts and skate on their own.
The Fighting Hawks, who have won three-straight Penrose Cups as National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular-season champions, open competition with an exhibition game against the University of Manitoba on Oct. 1.
UND's regular-season opener is scheduled for Oct. 7 against Holy Cross in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
2 Ryan Sidorski, D, fifth year
3 Ty Farmer, D, fifth year
9 Jackson Blake, F, freshman
21 Ben Strinden, F, freshman
22 Owen McLaughlin, F, freshman
26 Dylan James, F, freshman
34 Drew DeRidder, G, fifth year
