An unlikely hero has emerged for North Dakota hockey and its fans. “Ever since someone put this on our bus at Western Michigan in late January, we have taken him everywhere we go,” stated head coach Brad Berry. “Chucky is a perfect fit for Fighting Hawks hockey and our fans.”

“Since we have had a few of our fans in legal scuffles, we have loaned him out to cheer people up. For example, in Omaha we had Chucky visit one fan in the Douglas County jail – once authorities confiscated Chucky’s rubber knife.”

The Fighting Hawks even have Chucky behind their bench for added inspiration. “A 2-minute slashing penalty is nothing for this little guy,” said Tyler Kleven, the Fighting Hawks leader in penalty minutes (93).

#2 seed North Dakota tied with Denver for the Penrose Cup and following a sweep of Colorado College, will meet #3 seed Western Michigan in the Frozen Faceoff semifinals on Friday night. Top seed Denver faces #4 University of Minnesota Duluth.

The Pioneers take to the Xcel Energy Center ice in St. Paul Friday at 3:00 pm MT on CBS Sports Network against the Bulldogs.