A hallway practice battle sums up UND's competitiveness as NCHC semifinals near

GRAND FORKS — Dane Jackson had a plan at practice this week. The UND coach wanted to get some work done while also keeping the players engaged and having fun with some games. On Wednesday, the coaching staff split the ice in half and played a game in the neutral zone. Gibson Homer was in one net, Jan Špunar in the other. One team had a two-on-one trying to score on Homer. The other team simultaneously had a two-on-one on Špunar. It was a race to score first. At one point, a puck deflected onto the visitor's bench and rolled down the hall. Dylan James and E.J. Emery did not hesitate. Both of them instantly jumped the boards, sprinted down the hallway, checked each other into the walls and...