Look at Yale and Union there are not power houses in hockey yet they have won the last two national titles. Michigan has been playing D1 hockey longer then UND, but UND and other schools are closing that gap of national titles to Michigan. Could NDSU catch UND in hockey if they both had D1 hockey programs? Yes they could.
Look at Penn State 2nd year in the B1G and out playing Ohio State, Michigan State, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Who can say they saw that coming?