ÍáÍáÂþ»­

GRAND FORKS — UND coach Brad Berry could count on one thing when his team played Bemidji State during the last four seasons.

He'd see Will Zmolek — a lot.

Zmolek, a Beaver defenseman, was among the top five players in all of college hockey last season in average time on ice.

"He played 30 minutes a game," Berry said. "Him and (Elias) Rosen never came off the ice. That says a lot about how coaches trust players like that."

Berry is learning the same is true of Will's younger brother, Bennett.

Bennett Zmolek transferred from Minnesota State to UND in the offseason and is quickly becoming a go-to defender for Berry and the No. 1-ranked Fighting Hawks.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound sophomore has brought physicality, reliability and stability to a transformed UND defensive corps, which ranks third nationally in goals allowed per game.

Zmolek leads the National Collegiate Hockey Conference in blocked shots with 27 and is the league's reigning defenseman of the week after registering a plus-5 rating last weekend against Miami.

"You talk about the shot blocks and the breakouts and different things. . . that doesn't come by accident," Berry said. "It comes from a guy that's invested every day in knowing what's going on and being sharp. He's been a big part of our success.

"He can really stabilize things, calm things down and make things predictable for our team."

When UND plays Bemidji State at 7:07 p.m. Friday and 6:07 p.m. Saturday in Ralph Engelstad Arena, the roles will be reversed. Berry will have the Zmolek brother on his side this time, while Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore will be on the opposite bench.

"I just love the Zmolek family," Serratore said. "Bennett is a great kid. The Zmolek family is just a wonderful family. Willy was one of my favorites of all-time. What a warrior of a player he was. . . and a better kid. I'm sure it's the same with Bennett at North Dakota. They all compete so hard, work so hard and they're low-maintenance guys."

Clint Austin / Duluth News Tribune

Bennett grew up in Rochester, Minn., as the youngest of three hockey-playing brothers.

The oldest is Riese, age 27. He played at Minnesota State for four seasons, helping the Mavericks to the 2021 NCAA Frozen Four as a senior. He now plays for Florida in the ECHL.

Next is Will, 24. After finishing his college career last spring, he signed in the Philadelphia Flyers' organization and has split time between the American Hockey League and ECHL.

Then, it's Bennett, 21.

They also have a younger sister, Ella, who recently committed to play college volleyball at Winona State.

"I'd say, for the most part, we got along really well," Will said. "We got to compete against each other. We had to push each other to make sure we were always getting better."

Bennett said: "I always looked up to those guys. I try to follow in their footsteps."

Submitted photo

In terms of playing style, Bennett is similar to his brothers and father, Doug, who played at Minnesota.

"He defends hard," Will said. "He's got a little more of the offensive-minded game out of all of us. He's a little better skater, too. But he has the same work ethic. We all work hard to make sure we're good on the defensive side and taking care of the D-zone first."

Zmolek has made an impression on his teammates in a short time.

"He's a super hard worker," UND defenseman Keaton Pehrson said. "He does everything the right way. He plays gritty, defends hard, he has a long stick, he blocks a lot of shots. He's a super, ultra competitive player and it makes it hard for other teams to play against — which is awesome to have him on your team."

Forward Cameron Berg added: "He's tough to play against. He plays you hard. He gets in front of a lot of pucks."

After playing head-to-head against Riese and Will, Berry is happy to have Bennett on his side, bringing a physical style.

"He's following in the footsteps of his brothers and dad," Berry said. "I think that's in the family DNA. We're fortunate and grateful to have that in our group."

Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald

When: 7:07 p.m. Friday, 6:07 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Ralph Engelstad Arena.
TV: Midco Sports (GF Ch. 27/622 HD).
Radio: The Fox (96.1 FM).
Stream: NCHChockey.com.