UND plans hockey pregame party... at Josh Rieger's wing joint
Feb. 2—GRAND FORKS — The UND Alumni Association will host a pair of pregame parties before UND's contests at the University of Denver on Feb. 10-11.
The events will be held at the Cherry Cricket in the Cherry Creek neighborhood.
On Friday, Feb. 10, it will go from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. local (8:30 p.m. Central) at Magness Arena. It will be televised by CBS Sports Network.
On Saturday, Feb. 11, it will go from 3-5 p.m. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. local (7 p.m. Central). It will be carried on NCHC TV.
Fans who want to attend the event can
register online here
or email events@undalumni.org for more information.
The restaurant's name may ring a bell for UND fans.
In November 2019, UND defenseman Jonny Tychonick fell ill before a game and the Fighting Hawks had to insert Josh Rieger at the last minute.
UND staff members called Rieger to tell him he needed to get to the locker room, change and play that night. There was one problem — Rieger wasn't at the arena.
He was at the Cherry Cricket eating a pound of wings with UND's other scratch that night, Zach Yon.
Upon hearing the news, Rieger ordered an Uber and arrived at Magness Arena as the team was hitting the ice for warmups.
Rieger, then a junior, played that night, scored his first collegiate goal and UND won 4-1. His goal stood as the game-winner.
His story
was featured on ESPN that week.
Rieger ended up scoring two goals in 48 career games at UND. Both came in Magness Arena. His second goal came during his senior season.
Although Rieger was eating wings, the Cherry Cricket is famous for its burgers. It has been featured on Food Network.
UND has not played at Magness Arena with fans allowed since Rieger's famous wing weekend.
In 2020-21, the game was played behind closed doors.
Last season, UND did not travel to Denver.
