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Nolan Nenow (#17, left) and Grand Dardis (#3, right middle) have both committed to Augsburg University in Minneapolis (Photo credit: Portage Terriers/portageterriers.com)
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Nolan Nenow (#17, left) and Grand Dardis (#3, right middle) have both committed to Augsburg University in Minneapolis (Photo credit: Portage Terriers/portageterriers.com)
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Nolan Nenow (#17, left) and Grand Dardis (#3, right middle) have both committed to Augsburg University in Minneapolis (Photo credit: Portage Terriers/portageterriers.com)
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A pair of Portage Terriers have committed to play National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Hockey next fall at the same school.

Nolan Nenow and Grant Dardis both joined the Terriers in 2023 and became mainstays in the top half of the lineup. Nenow would win a pair of Team MVP awards, and Dardis won the Terrier's Rookie of the Year in 2024, Outstanding Team Player for 2025, and the inaugural Brady Grasdal Memorial Award. 

The two would also each win the Community Spirit Award, with Dardis winning in 2024, and Nenow in 2025.

This fall, the dynamic duo will take their talents to Augsburg University in Minneapolis, about 5 hours from Nenow's hometown of Jamestown, North Dakota, and minutes from Dardis' home in the Minneapolis suburb of Mahtomedi.

Nenow says that it's great to be going to the same place as someone he's known for a while.

"I'm super excited to have Grant come with me. He's a great player and an even better human off the ice, so we're going to get a place together, I believe.  It'll be nice having someone you know go to the same school as you, as well."

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Dardis comments that having known Nolan's decision beforehand was a part of the decision.

"That definitely factored in, as well. I did see that before I committed, and just having someone you already know there will definitely make the transition easier. So yeah, that definitely played a role in what school I was going to go to."

Nenow adds that he's grateful for the chance he had to spend two seasons in Portage, and the community that surrounded them.

"Thank you for bringing me in like family and treating me with nothing but respect and kindness. It was truly a blessing coming to Portage and being able to play in front of the community that supported us so well. It truly was the best two years of my life."

Dardis was also very complimentary of the community following his two years with the team.

"It's truly been unbelievable. I didn't know what to expect, coming up to a small town like that in Canada. I had never actually lived in Canada, so the first time experiencing that. I think the people there made me feel so welcome. I really noticed, especially in my second year that it felt like home, in a way. Like my home away from home. I was getting more and more comfortable and the support there was unbelievable."

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