Jan Špunar is UND's comically honest, uniquely insightful goaltender
Apr. 8—LAS VEGAS — After one of his NCAA-leading six shutouts this season, UND goaltender Jan Špunar was notified that he was named one of the game's stars. He tried to decline it.
Speaking with his Czech accent, he explained that the game was too easy for him to be a star. He pointed to the low number of shots he faced. He felt the honor should go to a teammate.
That's typical Špunar. UND's freshman goaltender isn't overly talkative, but he makes his words count. He's comically honest and uniquely insightful.
He draws laughs with clever one-liners. And his laid-back persona explains why he is unfazed by big moments. Špunar and UND are at the NCAA Frozen Four, where they'll play in front of more than 17,000 fans on the Las Vegas Strip on Thursday afternoon.
UND is searching for its ninth NCAA national championship and will have to go through some of college hockey's legendary programs to get there. The other Frozen Four participants are 10-time national champion Denver, nine-time national champion Michigan and six-time national champion Wisconsin, UND's semifinal opponent. That might not mean a whole lot to Špunar, who grew up just outside of Olomouc, Czechia, and did not even have college hockey on his radar until the second half of last season.
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