Whether as teammates or opponents, Zach Urdahl and Sam Stange were always on the ice together.
They grew up immersed in the hockey scene in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, spending their time skating at rinks and on ponds during the winters.
“We’ve been playing together since we were eight or nine years old,” Stange said.
From travel teams to high school to two different colleges, they’ve reunited once again in Omaha.
“It’s a pretty cool story, how it worked out,” Urdahl said.
The Recruiting Pitch
When it came time to pick a college, Urdahl and Stange initially landed in Madison, Wisconsin, to play for the Badgers.
For Urdahl, ending up at the same school as Stange wasn’t by accident.
“With Sam going there, it helped me make my decision,” Urdahl said.
“I always thought it would be cool to get away from home and go do something unusual that someone from my hometown hadn’t done before, but once I was able to visit Wisconsin, met the coaches, saw the city, and knew Sam was going there, it was a no-brainer for me to go there, too,” Urdahl added.
After playing for the Badgers for a couple of years, they both hit the transfer portal, but not at the same time.
Urdahl made the move to Omaha first, but it didn’t take long for him to start recruiting his long-time friend and teammate to join him.
“I thought it was kind of cool how it flipped,” Urdahl said. “When I was in high school, Sam was going to Wisconsin, and that was a big pull for me. Then this past summer when I was already at Omaha, I was able to try to convince him to come here as well.”
Both friends are pleased with how everything turned out.
“I’m super happy he ended up coming here,” Urdahl said.
Urdahl and Stange were impressed with the coaches and community who embraced them in Omaha.
“It was an awesome surprise to see how tight knit of a community there is here,” Urdahl said.
Stange emphasized how much he appreciates the facilities and Baxter Arena.
“You can’t really ask for much more out of a training center and a place where you can get better,” Stange said.
A Unique Bond
Stange and Urdahl have a special connection on the ice, but it starts with their friendship off of it.
“It’s definitely an advantage,” Urdahl said about playing with Stange.
“I think this was our 10th season playing together, going back to when we were eight or nine, so over the years, you have to learn the tendencies of each other and know what we like and use that to our advantage.”
For Stange, he doesn’t take his chemistry with Urdahl for granted.
“We’ve talked about it before; one of the benefits of playing together and knowing each other so well is that we can always talk it out when we have issues on the ice,” Stange said.
“There’s some tough love at times, but it makes it a lot easier when we can let each other know how we’re feeling.”
The Memories
The teammates share many fond memories throughout their careers, including earning a state tournament berth in high school.
“We both had the chance to go play juniors, but we decided to stay home and play together for that final year,” Stange said.
“To be able to get the job done and get back to state was a really cool experience and super rewarding for both of us.”
Urdahl added, “That whole year of hockey was special. That’s definitely a memory I cherish a lot.”
As far as their favorite memories playing at Omaha, both Urdahl and Stange agree those memories are still yet to be made.
When asked about their favorite memories of playing together here at Omaha, Stange said, “We didn’t know if we’d get to play together again, so being able to have the success we’ve had this year and play on the same line has been really special.”
Regardless of where the future takes both Urdahl and Stange, the teammates get to look back on many fond memories on the ice together that will undoubtedly impact their future chapters as well.