UMD Athletics

AS A BULLDOG: Emerged immediately as a key component in UMD's defensive scheme and earned plenty of ice time, points and respect during an encouraging debut season ... put the wraps on 2015-16 ranking second among all NCHC first-year defensemen in points (17) and assists (13) en route to receiving the Jerry Chumola Award as UMD's Rookie of the Year ... also hit the net on more of his shots (85) and racked up more penalty minutes (44) than any other league freshman point man ... attained a pair of NCHC weekly honors during the course of the 2015-16 regular season -- Rookie of the Week on March 7 (after turning in a three-point night against Miami at AMSOIL Arena) and Defenseman of the Week on Oct. 26 (versus Notre Dame ...  owned the Bulldogs fifth-best plus-minus rating (+11) ... was the lone UMD newcomer to partake in all 40 games last winter ... blocked five shots in a 6-3 Halloween loss to UMass-Lowell that matched a 2015-16 UMD single-game best ...  accompanied 17 of his teammates on the NCHC All-Academic Team ... took part in the Chicago Blackhawks Prospect Camp with two other Bulldogs this past summer.
BEFORE UMD: Was the 2014-15 United States Hockey League Defenseman of the Year Award recipient ... paced all USHL blueliners in regular season scoring last winter with 48 points (seven goals and 41 assists) -- the most by a Sioux City Musketeer pointman in the Tier 1 era (2002-present) -- in 53 outings ... picked up 20 of his points (four goals and 16 assists) with the man advantage while helping Sioux City post the USHL's best regular season power play conversion rate (25.2 percent) ... captained the 2014-15 Musketeers to a first-place finish in the Western Conference standings and a 38-17-5 overall record (Those 38 wins represented the highest harvest for a Musketeer club since the 2003-04) ... secured a spot on the 2014-15 All-USHL first team (along with another Bulldog recruit and his Musketeer teammate, Adam Johnson) ... competed for the U.S. Select Team which captured the 2013 World Junior A Challenge title in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia and was chosen to that event's All-Tournament Team ... finished with two goals and 21 assists for 23 points -- eight of which came on the power play -- as a USHL rookie during the 2013-14 regular season ... roamed the blueline for two seasons (2011-13) with the Hermantown High School varsity and made a pair of  Minnesota State Class A Tournament appearances before departing for the USHL following his junior year ... received All-Lake Superior Conference (second team) honors in 2012-13 in addition to being picked to the Minnesota Class A All-Tournament Team that March ...  also lettered twice in baseball for the Hawks and was a two-time All-Lake Superior Conference second baseman ... is a 2014 graduate of Bishop Heelan Catholic High School (Sioux City). BULLDOG MILESTONES: First Game - at Bemidji State (Oct. 10, 2015). First Goal - at Notre Dame (Oct. 24, 2015). First Assist - at Minnesota (Oct. 16, 2015). Most Goals, Game - 1 (Four Times). Most Points, Game - 3 vs. Miami (March 4, 2016). Most Shots, Game - 6 (Three Times). Longest Scoring Streak - 3 Games (Nov. 21-Dec. 5, 2015). PERSONAL: Born Neal Robert Pionk in Omaha, Neb. ... is the son of Scott and Karen Pionk ... his father served as the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawk head coach for two seasons (1997-99) and played collegiate baseball at the University of Wisconsin-Superior ... has four brothers -- Corbin, Nate, Joe and Aaron ... is majoring in business at UMD.