Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Bowling Green joins the 1,000-win club
Before this weekend, 25 different NCAA programs had reached 1,000 victories. No. 8 Bowling Green became No. 26 on Saturday after their 6-2 victory over Northern Michigan. BGSU is just the third program that started play post-World War II to reach that milestone.
Cameron Wright and Will Cullen each had a goal and two assists in the contest for the Falcons, who also defeated the reeling Wildcats 5-1 on Friday. They are now 14-2-0.
2. Minnesota swept by Notre Dame
There will likely be a new No. 1 team this week as the Gophers lost both games this weekend against the Irish. On Friday, Graham and Landon Slaggart each scored as the Irish rallied for a 3-2 win. In Saturday’s game, Notre Dame never trailed and won 2-1, with Solag Bakich and Max Ellis scoring and Dylan St. Cyr making 25 saves to help seal the victory.
The sweep pushes Notre Dame back up above .500, as they are now 7-6-1 overall and 5-4-1 in Big Ten play. The Gophers, meanwhile, have lost three of their last four after splitting with rivals Wisconsin the week before.
3. BC sweeps Merrimack
One of the teams that could take the No. 1 slot from the Gophers? Boston College. The No. 3-ranked Eagles improved to 8-2 on the weekend with solid victories (2-1 and 5-3) over Merrimack.
On Saturday night, BC scored in the first and second periods then held on in the third despite Zach Vinell’s early goal. Spencer Knight made 34 saves for the Eagles, then followed it up the next night with a 30-save performance.
BC and Merrimack will return to the ice next weekend for yet another home-and-home series.
4. Western Michigan topples St. Cloud State
The Gophers weren’t the only top-five team to get swept this weekend. No. 4 St. Cloud State lost both of their games on the road to Western Michigan, seeing their three-game winning streak snapped. The Broncos won 6-2 on Friday and 3-1 on Saturday.
In Friday’s game, WMU led 3-1 going into the third period. St. Cloud’s Kevin’s Fitzgerald had cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third, but the Broncos scored three unanswered to seal the game. On Saturday, Ethen Frank scored twice and Cole Gallant added the third to lift the Broncos.
5. BU snaps UMass streak
No. 6 UMass came into the weekend riding a nation-high seven-game winning streak. On Sunday night, Boston University came into Amherst and managed to play spoiler. The Terriers scored three unanswered goals to win 4-2. Logan Cockerill scored the game-tying goal in the second period and then added another shorthanded tally early in the third to seal the game for BU, who was playing in just its third game of the season and is now 2-1.
Despite the loss, the Minutemen (9-4-1) still occupy the top place in the Hockey East. The teams return to the ice Monday night in Boston for the return trip of their home-and-home series.
6. Minnesota State keeps winning
After finding their series against Michigan Tech the weekend before was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols among the Tech program, No. 6 Minnesota State earned yet another sweep with 3-0 and 6-2 victories over No. 19 Lake Superior State.
The Mavericks again showcased their depth on the weekend, with eight different players scoring goals (including Sam Morton, who scored twice). Hobey Baker finalist Dryden McKay made 23 saves on Friday, for his fifth shutout of the season and the 19th of his career. MSU is now 7-1-1 while Lake Superior falls to 6-3-3.
7. 22 goals, two UConn wins
A wild home-and-home series between UConn and New Hampshire saw 11 goals in each of the two games, but just one team came away with all the points.
On Friday in Storrs, UNH rallied from a 5-3 deficit to score twice in the last five minutes but UConn’s Carter Turnbull saved the day with the game-winning goal less than a minute into overtime.
On Saturday in Durham, N.H., the Huskies’ win was much more decisive. Despite being tied after the first period, UConn scored four unanswered goals in the second and third periods en route to an 8-3 victory.
8. Riley vs. Riley
After seeing its series with Air Force postponed, Army found another opponent to play over the weekend. It just so happened to be one that was very familiar to head coach Brian Riley: Long Island University, coached by his nephew, Brett Riley. And this time, the Rileys won.
On Friday night, Mason Kruger’s hat trick gave Army a 5-2 victory while on Saturday night, LIU’s Jordan DiCicco scored the game-winning goal as the Sharks beat the Black Knights 3-2 in overtime. It was also the first-ever collegiate win for LIU goalie Vincent Purpura, who made 32 saves.
Oh, and get this: Brett Riley is now 1-1 all time against members of his family.
9. Quinnipiac opens gap in ECAC; SLU and Clarkson split
With just four teams in the mix for the ECAC this season, it’s likely the table is going to be even tighter than it normally would be in a 10-team conference.
Right now, No. 11 Quinnipiac sits at the top of the league table with 14 points thanks to a sweep of Colgate this weekend. Both games were 3-0 shutouts, with Keith Petruzelli making a combined 38 saves on the weekend to help the Bobcats take all the points.
Quinnipiac is only in sole possession of first because of the fact that rivals Clarkson and St. Lawrence split. The Saints won 2-1 in Potsdam on Friday, with Luc Salem’s overtime goal the difference. On Sunday the No. 13 Golden Knights snatched a 2-1 victory of their own behind goals from Zach Tsekos and Like Mobley.
Both the Saints and the Knights are tied in the ECAC standings with 11 points apiece; Clarkson has a chance to leapfrog Quinnipiac next weekend with a head-to-head three-game series while SLU takes on Colgate for a three-game series of their own.
10. AIC in striking distance
With its 1-0 victory over Holy Cross on Sunday, No. 20 American International moved to within two points of Atlantic Hockey leaders No. 17 Robert Morris.
The Yellowjackets (10-3-0) penalty kill unit did a lot of work against Holy Cross, killing all eight Holy Cross power plays. Goalie Jake Kucharski made 21 saves and Julius Jahonen scored the game’s lone goal.
