Bowling Green’s Dalton Norris had one goal and eight points in 26 CCHA games this season (photo: Evan Procaccini).
The CCHA has announced the 2022-23 all-rookie team with six players from four different programs recognized.
Forwards Kyle Kukkonen (Michigan Tech), Joey Larson (Northern Michigan) and Lleyton Roed (Bemidji State) were joined by defensemen Dalton Norris (Bowling Green) and Josh Zinger (Northern Michigan), as well as goaltender Beni Halasz (Northern Michigan).
All year-end awards were voted on by the league’s eight head coaches.
More conference awards will be announced throughout the week, including the all-CCHA teams Tuesday.
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at the games of the past weekend and the news of the week in this D-I college hockey podcast.
This podcast is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 6th and 8th, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Secure your seats at NCAA.com/mfrozenfour
Topics include:
• Big Ten semis go according to plan
• Minnesota State advances but Northern Michigan pulls off CCHA upset
• Holy Cross upsets top seed RIT
• Hockey East’s single-elimination tournament saw UMass Lowell and Providence get upset wins
• All sweeps in the ECAC, but Colgate does it on the road
• NCHC saw a major upset in Colorado College’s sweep at Western Michigan
• PairWise is precarious for teams as high as 11th if upset wins happen in conference finals
NMU goalie Beni Halasz made 44 saves to lift the Wildcats over Michigan Tech last Saturday night (photo: Northern Michigan Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. ‘Cats top ‘Dogs
Northern Michigan’s recent record against Upper Peninsula archrivals Michigan Tech has not been great – especially in the playoffs.
Since conference realignment, Tech is 3-0 against the Wildcats in both of their postseason meetings (once in the conference finals and once in a quarterfinal series). But on Saturday, the Wildcats finally broke that curse. A strong opening 10 minutes in front of a hostile road crowd in Houghton, combined with another solid performance from freshman goaltender Beni Halasz, gave NMU a 4-0 win and a berth in Saturday’s CCHA Mason Cup title game in Mankato, Minn.
2. Mavericks muscle to Mason final
In the other CCHA semifinal, top-seeded Minnesota State fell behind Ferris State 1-0 early, but it turns out having home ice advantage in college hockey sometimes has its perks. The Mavericks scored four unanswered goals en route to a 7-2 victory and a spot in next week’s CCHA final. MSU is currently a bubble team at No. 13 so winning the Mason Cup is their only sure-fire way to return to the Frozen Four for the third-straight season.
3. All that glitters
We officially will have a Gold Pan rivalry game in next weekend’s NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
Top-seeded league champion Denver’s sweep of Miami wasn’t a surprise, but I don’t think many people would have had Colorado College upsetting Western Michigan on the road on their bingo cards.
The Tigers swept a first-round playoff series for the first time since 2008 in surprising fashion. In Friday’s game, they scored three third period goals in under a minute to win 3-1. On Saturday, Matthew Gleason’s overtime game-winner sent the Tigers to St. Paul, where they will play rivals Denver in the first round.
4. Three-game thrillers
The other two NCHC Frozen Faceoff participants needed three games to get to St. Paul.
St. Cloud State had gone 1-3 against Minnesota Duluth in the regular season but finally figured out how to dispatch the Bulldogs in the postseason. The Huskies took game one 3-1 thanks to a pair of goals from Micah Miller, but UMD hit them back on Saturday with a big 5-1 victory. Saturday was all Huskies, as SCSU won 3-1.
The other NCHC series that went the distance featured North Dakota and Omaha, and the Fighting Hawks dropped game one 2-1 before winning Saturday and Sunday to book their place in St. Paul against the Huskies. UND needs to win the Frozen Faceoff to return to the NCAA tournament.
5. Atlantic drama
Atlantic Hockey is only going to get one team in this year’s tournament, but nobody can say that the participant wouldn’t have earned it.
Both AHA semifinal series went three games this series, and in the end Holy Cross and Canisius will battle it out for the league title this weekend. The seventh-seeded Crusaders had one of the bigger upsets on the weekend, beating top-seeded RIT in three games. The first two went to overtime, with Holy Cross winning Friday’s game 1-0 and RIT victorious on Saturday 4-3. But Game 3 was decisive in more ways than one, as the Crusaders dominated the Tigers 5-1 to advance to the Atlantic Hockey championship game for the first time since 2005-06.
Meanwhile, rivals Canisius and Niagara also went three. The Purple Eagles won the opener 2-1 but the Golden Griffins won on Saturday and Sunday to advance to the final. Canisius will host the title game on Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. The Griffins last made it to this far in 2020-21 when they lost to AIC; they last won the thing in 2012-13.
6. Perets powers Bobcats
Quinnipiac rolled to a dominant two-game sweep of rivals Yale thanks in part to a Friday night defensive masterclass.
The Bobcats allowed just five shots on goal in Friday’s 3-0 victory, earning Perets his 20th career shutout in just his 68th career game. He’s now alone atop the ECAC all-time shutouts leaderboard; he has nine shutouts this season.
In Saturday’s game, the Bobcats showcased their offense to return to Lake Placid, winning 6-2 behind goals by six different players.
7. Colgate upsets St. Lawrence
The lone ECAC Hockey upset saw Colgate win a pair of one-goal games to win a quarterfinal series for the second straight season.
The Raiders had to rally from a 3-0 deficit on Friday night at St. Lawrence, but ultimately beat the Saints 4-3 in overtime thanks to Colton Young’s game-winner. In Saturday’s game it was the Raiders who went up 3-0 early and nearly allowed the Saints to rally from a similar deficit, but Carter Gylander stopped 31 shots to get the Raiders into the next round, where they will once again play Quinnipiac for the second straight season.
8. B1G time matchup
The top two teams will meet again in the Big Ten title game.
Both top-seeded Minnesota and second-seeded Michigan scored huge victories in their semifinals for a Big Ten championship game rematch in Minneapolis. The Wolverines beat the Golden Gophers 4-3 in the championship game last season.
This season, Minnesota scored a big 5-1 victory over Michigan State behind a pair of goals from Logan Cooley and one each from Jaxon Nelson, John Mittelstadt and Aaron Huglen. Michigan also scored a huge win with a 7-3 dismantling of Ohio State.
9. BU takes care of business
Hockey East’s new format – one featuring all-single-elimination the entire way to the Garden, featured a few upsets, but the top seed took care of business in a big way.
Boston University defeated upstart Vermont 7-3 behind a Nick Zabaneh hat trick as well as two more from Walter Skoog. The Terriers are sitting at No. 5 on the PairWise rankings and are a lock for the tournament.
10. Hockey East upsets
The rest of Hockey East is a little chaotic, as only one other higher seed survived.
Merrimack and Boston College skated in three scoreless regulation periods plus another overtime session before Mark Messner ended the game 8:20 into the second overtime.
The other two Hockey East games were upsets. UConn outshot UMass Lowell 41-17, but Blake Wells and Owen Cole scored a pair of first-period goals and Gustavs Davis Grigals made 40 saves to give UML the 2-1 win. The other quarterfinal saw Providence take down Northeastern 2-1 in overtime as freshman forward Brady Berard scored his first goal of the season to get the Friars into TD Garden.
St. Cloud State’s Grant Cruikshank celebrates a goal last weekend against Minnesota Duluth (photo: St. Cloud State Athletics).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of March 6 fared in games over the weekend of March 10-12.
No. 1 Minnesota (26-8-1)
03/11/2023 – No. 18 Michigan State 1 at No. 1 Minnesota 5 (Big Ten semifinal)
No. 2 Quinnipiac (30-3-3)
03/10/2023 – Yale 0 at No. 2 Quinnipiac 3 (ECAC quarterfinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – Yale 2 at No. 2 Quinnipiac 6 (ECAC quarterfinal Game 2)
No. 3 Denver (30-8-0)
03/10/2023 – Miami 2 at No. 3 Denver 6 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 1
03/11/2023 – Miami 2 at No. 3 Denver 7 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 2
No. 4 Michigan (23-11-3)
03/11/2023 – No. 9 Ohio State 3 at No. 4 Michigan 7 (Big Ten semifinal)
No. 5 Boston University (25-10-0)
03/11/2023 – Vermont 3 at No. 5 Boston University 7 (Hockey East quarterfinal)
No. 6 Harvard (23-6-2)
03/10/2023 – Princeton 1 at No. 6 Harvard 6 (ECAC quarterfinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – Princeton 1 at No. 6 Harvard 6 (ECAC quarterfinal Game 2)
No. 7 Western Michigan (23-14-1)
03/10/2023 – Colorado College 3 at No. 7 Western Michigan 1 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – Colorado College 3 at No. 7 Western Michigan 2 (OT, NCHC quarterfinal Game 2)
No. 8 St. Cloud State (22-12-3)
03/10/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 1 at No. 8 St. Cloud State 3 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 5 at No. 8 St. Cloud State 1 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 2)
03/12/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 1 at No. 8 St. Cloud State 3 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 3)
No. 9 Ohio State (20-15-3)
03/11/2023 – No. 9 Ohio State 3 at No. 4 Michigan 7 (Big Ten semifinal)
No. 12 Cornell (20-9-2)
03/10/2023 – Clarkson 1 at No. 12 Cornell 2 (ECAC quarterfinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – Clarkson 1 at No. 12 Cornell 3 (ECAC quarterfinal Game 2)
No. 13 Minnesota State (24-12-1)
03/11/2023 – Ferris State 2 at No. 13 Minnesota State 7 (CCHA semifinal)
No. 14 Merrimack (22-12-1)
03/11/2023 – RV Boston College 0 at No. 14 Merrimack 1 (OT, Hockey East quarterfinal)
No. 15 Northeastern (17-13-5)
03/11/2023 – Providence 2 at No. 15 Northeastern 1 (OT, Hockey East quarterfinal)
No. 16 Alaska (22-10-2)
Did not play.
No. 17 Omaha (19-15-3)
03/10/2023 – RV North Dakota 1 at No. 17 Omaha 2 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – RV North Dakota 3 at No. 17 Omaha 1 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 2)
03/12/2023 – RV North Dakota 5 at No. 17 Omaha 2 (NCHC quarterfinal Game 3)
No. 18 Michigan State (18-18-2)
03/11/2023 – No. 18 Michigan State 1 at No. 1 Minnesota 5 (Big Ten semifinal)
No. 19 Connecticut (20-12-3)
03/11/2023 – RV UMass Lowell 2 at No. 19 Connecticut 1 (Hockey East quarterfinal)
No. 20 RIT (25-13-1)
03/10/2023 – Holy Cross 1 at No. 20 RIT 0 (OT, AHA semifinal Game 1)
03/11/2023 – Holy Cross 3 at No. 20 RIT 4 (OT, AHA semifinal Game 2)
03/12/2023 – Holy Cross 5 at No. 20 RIT 1 (AHA semifinal Game 3)
North Dakota’s offense exploded to score the final four goals of the game, rallying for a game 3 victory over Omaha to advance to the NCHC semifinals. The Fighting Hawks will face St. Cloud State, a winner over Minnesota Duluth on Sunday, in Friday’s semifinals (Photo: UND Athletics)
Holy Cross jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals 67 seconds apart late in the first period and never looked back, skating to a 5-1 victory over top seed RIT in the third and deciding game of the Atlantic Hockey tournament.
The Crusaders return to the Atlantic Hockey title game for the first time since 2006, when Holy Cross captured the title before going onto what is still concerned one of college hockey’s biggest upset, an overtime victory over Minnesota.
Jack Ricketts opened the scoring at 17:15 of the first before Grayson Constable scored his first of two goals on the afternoon at 12:22.
RIT pulled within a goal on Grady Hobbs’ tally at 9:09 of the second, but Holy Cross had a response. Constable’s goal with 1:26 left in the second period helped regain the two-goal advantage.
The Crusaders added two empty-net goals late, including one by Liam McLinskey, who finished the three-game series with four goals.
Holy Cross will face fourth-seed Canisius in Saturday’s Atlantic Hockey title game at HarborCenter in Buffalo. The Griffs beat Buffalo-area rival Niagara on Sunday in game 3 when J.D. Pogue broke a 2-2 deadlock with 15:21 remaining in regulation. Simon Gravel added an insurance tally on the power play at 10:33 giving Canisius a 4-2 victory.
NCHC Quarterfinals
North Dakota exploded for the game’s final four goals, including three in a span of less than two minutes late in the third period to blow open game 3 against host Omaha, taking the series, two-games-to-one.
The Fighting Hawks will face St. Cloud State in the NCHC semifinals next Friday.
St. Cloud State rallied from a 5-1 loss to Minnesota Duluth in Saturday’s game two with a 3-1 victory in Sunday’s third-and-deciding game.
North Dakota found itself trailing 2-1 after Cameron Berg gave the host Mavericks a lead in the second. Dylan James scored shorthanded with 29 seconds remaining in the second to even the game at 2.
That was when North Dakota’s offense exploded. Griffen Ness tallied the goal-ahead goal with 5:14 left before both Tyler Kleven and Gavin Hain added insurance tallies shortly thereafter.
The series win for North Dakota is its first to come on the road since 1995.
In St. Cloud, the Huskies scored the game’s final three goals after falling behind early on Luke Loheit’s goal for Minnesota Duluth.
The three-goal outburst for St. Cloud State came in the middle frame when Cooper Wylie, Adam Ingram and Grant Achan each scored in less than six minutes.
Both North Dakota and St. Cloud State will join top-seed Denver and seventh-seed Colorado College in St. Paul for the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, beginning Friday.
Goaltender Drennen Atherton and his teammates celebrate a thrilling 2-1 overtime win over Plattsburgh in first-round NCAA D-III tournament action (photo by Gabe Dickens)
Well, let me just say that if anyone thought they knew what was going to happen in the first round of the NCAA tournament, they were likely underestimating the drama that ensued on Saturday night across all four games. Three games went to overtime including a four-overtime marathon between Wisconsin – Stevens Point and Augsburg. Norwich downed Plattsburgh in overtime; Curry took down Bowdoin in overtime and the University of New England, who was the only team to win in regulation, needed a late empty-net goal for some breathing room in their road win over Plymouth State. Essentially they were all one-goal games! If that is what we are likely to see, and I believe it is, for the rest of the tournament then get ready for the greatest spectacle in D-III hockey ever! Here is a summary of the first-round action including a quick summary and thoughts on the game out west since I stayed up for the whole thing (sure my counterpart will cover this contest in more detail). Words probably won’t do the games justice but here we go:
NCAA First Round
(10) University of New England v. (8) Plymouth State
The rematch of the 2022 first round game between the two teams was very similar in style as opportunities were limited by both sides and the goaltending of Billy Girard IV (UNE) and Brendahn Brawley (PSU) came as advertised leaving the score tied at 0-0 after the first two periods of play. In the third period and just after a Panther opportunity, defenseman Alex Sheehy started a transition breakout for the Nor’easters and quickly sent Jake Fuss down the right wing shadowed by a Panther defender. Fuss was able to maintain puck possession as he was forced behind the net before making a perfect backdoor feed to Ryan Kuzmich who found some open ice at the right post to score the only goal UNE would need to hand the Panthers their only loss on home ice this season. Over the final ten minutes the Panthers turned up the heat and zone time but could not solve Girard who finished with a 28 save shutout. The Nor’easters also helped Girard by blocking 17 shots during the game. Chad Merrell iced the game with less than thirty seconds remaining on the clock with an empty-net goal, his first of the season for the final 2-0 score that advances UNE to the quarterfinals.
UNE will see another re-match next week where they travel to No.1 ranked Utica, the team they defeated last year to advance to the Frozen Four. Game is scheduled for Saturday, March 18 at 7 PM.
Bowdoin v. (7) Curry
The matchup between the Polar Bears and the Colonels was expected to be a tight low scoring game but the chances for both teams were abundant with a total of 86 shots between both teams. While Curry held the shot advantage in the contest with a 49-37 margin, neither team could find the back of the net due to the exceptional goaltending of Bowdoin’s Alex Kozic and Curry’s Reid Cooper. The tension continued to rise as each period finished without a goal leading to an overtime period where the home team finally solved Kozic with an even-strength goal to end the contest with a 1-0 win. Jesse Galassi moved the puck to Timmy Kent in the offensive zone for Curry. Kent drew the defenders’ attention creating an opening for Mark Zhukov, who was all alone in the slot and did not miss with a rising shot over Kozic’s blocker for the decisive goal in Curry’s first ever NCAA tournament win. Kozic finished the game with 48 saves in a heroic effort while Cooper stopped all 37 Polar Bear attempts to earn the shutout and the win.
Curry now travels to face No. 2 ranked Hobart on Saturday, March 18 at 7 PM at the Cooler.
(9) Norwich v. (5) Plattsburgh
The teams are more than familiar with each other, having played two times during the regular season and each earning a win at Norwich’s Kreitzberg Arena. This first round NCAA tournament game saw the action shift to Stafford Rink at Plattsburgh and as expected the game was fast paced but with very few goals due to the excellent play of Eli Schiller (PSU) and Drennen Atherton (Norwich) in the respective creases. There were several great scoring chances denied at either end in a game that was crisply played and penalty-free. Neither team could score in the opening period, but Jake Lanyi gave the Cardinals a 1-0 lead with assists from Trey Thomas and Joshua Belgrave just over three minutes from the end of the second period. The lead was short-lived as Philip Elgstam beat Schiller on a wrap-around goal just forty seconds into the final period and that was all either team would tally for the remainder of regulation due the stellar play of both netminders. In overtime, Callum Jones took advantage of a screen in front and fired the puck behind Schiller midway through the extra period to give the Cadets a thrilling 2-1 overtime win. Schiller finished the contest with 38 saves while Atherton stopped 29 of 30 shots to backstop the Cadets to the quarterfinal round.
Norwich will face No. 4 ranked Endicott on Saturday, March 18 at Raymond Bourque Rink – the time is yet to be announced.
(15) Augsburg v. (6) Wisconsin – Stevens Point
The Pointers and the Auggies provided a lot more drama and bonus hockey than the games in the east since it took a Pointer goal early in the fourth overtime session to give the home team an exhausting 2-1 win over goaltender Samuel Vyletelka and his resilient Augsburg teammates. The visitors broke the ice first on a power play goal from Eric Palmqvist to give the Auggies a 1-0 lead after the first period. In the second period, Cody Moline leveled the score at 1-1 midway through the second period and that was all the scoring the fans would see for another period and a whole game worth of overtime before David Hill ended the marathon event snapping home a rebound to give the Pointers a 2-1 win. Vyletelka made an amazing 72 saves in the losing effort while goaltender Ryan Wagner stopped 47 shots in the win.
Wisconsin – Stevens Point will now travel to No. 3 ranked Adrian for a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 18 at 7 PM.
Three Biscuits – Goaltender Edition
Drennen Atherton – Norwich – stopped 29 of 30 shots to backstop the Cadets in a2-1 overtime win over rival Plattsburgh on Saturday night.
Reid Cooper – Curry – stopped all 37 shots he faced in a 1-0 overtime win over Bowdoin on Saturday night. The win was Curry’s first in the NCAA tournament.
Billy Girard IV – University of New England – made 28 saves in recording a 2-0 shutout win over Plymouth State on Saturday night advancing the Nor’easters to a re-match with Utica.
Bonus Biscuit – Goaltender Edition
Alex Kozic – Bowdoin – stopped 48 of 49 shots in the Polar Bears’ 1-0 oertime loss at Curry on Saturday night.
Bonus West Biscuit – Goaltender edition
Samuel Vyletelka – Augsburg – made 72 saves in the second longest D-III game on record in a heartbreaking loss to Wisconsin – Stevens Point on Saturday night.
It was an absolutely brilliant night of college hockey that saw everything including incredible goaltending, clutch performances, overtime winning goals, very few penalties and action across every game that was worthy of a national tournament. Just throwing it out there but with all the excellence in D-III hockey, can you imagine if we had a 16-team field, and the fans were treated to regional brackets hosted by the highest ranked teams? Last night certainly showed how competitive the division is and bodes incredibly well for a dynamic quarterfinal round and Frozen Four over the next two weeks. Keep it coming boys – there is a big prize just down the road!
David Hill reacts after scoring the game-winner in an NCAA D-III tournament thriller against Augsburg Saturday night. (Photo Credit: Kylie Bridenhagen/UW-Stevens Point Athletics)
Wow.
That’s one way to describe the reaction to UW-Stevens Point’s marathon NCAA Division III opening around hockey tournament game Saturday night against Augsburg.
Unreal. Amazing. Thrilling. Insane. Those words fit as well. Especially when you consider some of the numbers that came out a four-overtime thriller for the ages between the Pointers and Auggies in a win-or-go-home scenario.
In a game that gave survive and advance a whole new meaning, the Pointers ultimately winning 2-1 on a goal by David Hill nearly 10 minutes into the fourth OT period, the stats jumped off the sheet screaming ‘look at me.’
More than 100 shots were taken on goal, including a school-record 74 by the Pointers. The Auggies took 48 shots.
Five hours and 13 minutes of real time is how long the game took to play, the action spilling over into a new day in both the Eastern and Central time zones. At one point, you had to wonder if the country would be setting its clocks ahead before the outcome was finally decided.
On the scoreboard clock, sixth-ranked UW-Stevens Point and 15th-ranked Augsburg played two full games and them some. For those scoring at home, it added up to a total of 129 minutes and 28 seconds of exhausting, back-and-forth, leave-it-all-on-the-ice hockey.
To say the more than 1,600 fans in attendance at a sold-out K.B. Willett Arena in Stevens Point, Wisconsin got their money’s worth would be a serious understatement.
The game started out looking as if it would tilt in Augsburg’s favor. The Auggies struck first on a goal by Eric Palmqvist at the 13:11 mark of the opening period. He scored that goal off the power play, only the sixth time the Pointers have allowed a power play goal all season.
Cody Moline answered for UW-Stevens Point at the 9:45 mark of the second period, tying the game at one. It was his fifth of the year. What no one knew at the time was that it was going to be a while before someone scored again.
There were no shortage of chances by either team. The shot totals tell you as much. The goaltenders were up to the task.
Ryan Wagner made a career-high 47 saves on the night. Samuel Vyletelka of Augsburg, meanwhile, was almost superhuman. He stopped 72 shots, a career-high, and the most saves ever by a Pointers’ opponent.
One OT period went by and then another. And then another. Wagner and Vyletelka both made 11 saves in the third OT to send the game to a fourth one.
Finally, at the 9:28 mark of a game that had been nothing short of wild and had the attention of the D-III hockey world captivated, Hill delivered the game winner.
He connected on a shot off a rebound to seal the deal on the longest game the Pointers have ever played in. It was only his sixth goal of the year, and no doubt the biggest.
Samuel Vyletelka stopped 72 shots in Augsburg’s loss to UW-Stevens Point in the NCAA D-III tournament Saturday night. (Photo Credit: Kevin Healy, Augsburg Athletics)
The game proved to be the second-longest ever in D-III hockey history. For the Auggies, long games aren’t anything new.
They’ve played in three of the longest games in D-III history, including the longest ever when they spent 138 minutes and 38 seconds on the ice in a 6-5, four-OT loss to Gustavus in the 2010 MIAC semifinal round. Their 2-1, four-OT win over Saint John’s in the 2019 MIAC championship game was the third-longest ever at 120 minutes and 54 seconds.
For Augsburg, Saturday’s gut-wrenching loss ends its season. The Auggies finish 16-9-2. They won a MIAC title this season and made the NCAA tournament for the eighth time.
For UW-Stevens Point, the journey continues. The Pointers now get a second-round date with reigning national champion Adrian next week on the road. The Pointers, in the tourney for the first time since winning it all in 2019, are 20-5-4 overall and have won seven consecutive games.
Who knows what is in store for that one. Another marathon game? Perhaps. Only time will tell.
What we do know is the Pointers and Auggies defined what postseason hockey is all about in one of those games where you hate to see someone lose. It was an instant classic, one of those games no one will soon forget.
RIT players celebrate Elijah Gonsalves’ OT winner Saturday night to push their series with Holy Cross to a deciding Game 3 (photo: Josh Boland).
Atlantic Hockey, ECAC Hockey, and NCHC are all playing best-of-three series this weekend, while the Big Ten, CCHA, and Hockey East all are playing single-elimination games.
The conferences with best-of-three series started Friday night.
Tigers goaltender Tommy Scarfone finished with 24 stops in the RIT net.
BIG TEN
The two games Saturday were each decided by four goals as No. 1 Minnesota bounced No. 18 Michigan State 5-1 and No. 4 Michigan defeated No. 9 Ohio State 7-3 as the two teams will play next week for the conference title.
Logan Cooley snipped a pair for the Gophers, who got a 29-save outing from goalie Justen Close at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
At Yost Ice Arena, Adam Fantilli scored two goals with two assists and Erik Portillo made 35 saves for the Wolverines.
CCHA
No. 13 Minnesota State and Northern Michigan will play next weekend for the conference championship after the Mavericks dropped Ferris State 7-2 and the Wildcats blanked No. 10 Michigan Tech 4-0.
Jake Livingstone went for a goal and three assists and Keenan Rancier had 19 saves to lead Minnesota State to the win at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center.
Beni Halasz made 44 saves to guide the Wildcats past the Huskies at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
Andre Ghantous posted a goal and an assist for NMU.
ECAC HOCKEY
All four series wrapped Saturday night as Colgate beat St. Lawrence 3-2, No. 12 Cornell topped Clarkson 3-1, No. 6 Harvard downed Princeton 6-1, and No. 2 Quinnipiac collected a 6-2 win over Yale.
Colgate scored the game’s first three goals and held on for the win at Appleton Arena, Carter Gylander making 31 saves in goal.
At Lynah Rink, Ian Shane stopped 22 shots, losing his shutout in the final minute, as the Big Red eliminated Clarkson.
Alex Laferriere notched a pair of goals to pace Harvard over Princeton from the Bright-Landry Hockey Center. Mitchell Gibson made 34 saves, losing his shutout with 1:42 left in the third period.
Six different players scored and Yaniv Perets made 18 saves as the Bobcats took the victory over the Bulldogs at the Frank Perrotti, Jr. Arena.
HOCKEY EAST
The four games Saturday night saw UMass Lowell drop No. 19 UConn 2-1, Providence beat No. 15 Northeastern 2-1 in overtime, No. 14 Merrimack blank Boston College 1-0 in double overtime, and No. 5 Boston University defeat Vermont 7-3.
The semifinals will be next weekend.
Blake Wells and Owen Cole scored for UML and Gustavs Davis Grigals stopped 40 shots in the River Hawks’ win at the XL Center.
NOT DONE YET.
Brady Berard's buries the rebound off the end boards for his first NCAA goal to send us to the Hockey East Semifinals next Friday night!!#GoFriarspic.twitter.com/QyfcgPFaFb
Brady Berard’s OT winner four minutes into extra time won it for the Friars at Matthews Arena.
At Lawler Arena, Mick Messner’s goal at 8:20 of the second overtime won it for the Warriors in a goaltending battle. Hugo Ollas made 36 saves for Merrimack and Mitche Benson 35 for the Eagles.
Nick Zabaneh’s hat trick powered BU past Vermont from Agganis Arena. Drew Commesso needed to make just 19 saves for the Terriers.
NCHC
North Dakota beat No. 18 Omaha 3-1 to send their series to a Game 3, while Minnesota Duluth routed No. 8 St. Cloud State 5-1 to also send that series to a deciding Game 3 on Sunday.
Other games saw Colorado College complete the sweep over No. 7 Western Michigan with a 3-2 overtime win and No. 3 Denver do the same to Miami with a 7-2 victory.
From Baxter Arena, Tyler Kleven scored twice for the Fighting Hawks and Drew DeRidder finished with 24 saves.
Carter Loney netted a pair of goals for UMD as the Bulldogs staved off elimination at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Zach Stejskal made 34 saves in goal.
Tiger Fans!! Enjoy Matthew Gleason's game-winning overtime goal at 7th-ranked Western Michigan that sends CC to the Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, Minn.!!#CCTigerspic.twitter.com/zmgLfRFz1x
Matthew Gleason’s goal 3:08 into overtime at Lawson Arena gave CC the series win over the Broncos. Kaidan Mbereko turned aside 28 shots between the pipes.
Seven different players scored at Magness Arena and Matt Davis collected 19 saves for the defending national champion Pioneers.
The 2023 Frozen Four field was set on Saturday as Ohio State, Minnesota, Northeastern and Wisconsin punched their ticket to Duluth with quarterfinal wins.
Top seed Ohio State will face Northeastern at 2:30 pm CT on Friday. Minnesota will face Wisconsin for the sixth time this season in the second semifinal, scheduled for 6 PM CT on Friday. Both games will stream on ESPN+.
(1) Ohio State 5, (8) Quinnipiac 2
The Bobcats had a 12-10 advantage in shots and took a 1-0 lead into the locker room after the first period thanks to a late power play goal from Kendall Cooper and looked like their marathon 3 OT regional semifinal wasn’t a worry. Ohio State came out firing in the second, outshooting Quinnipiac 24-3, but it wasn’t until past the mid point that they were able to get one past Logan Angers. Gabby Rosenthal took it in unassisted to tie the game on the power play and a few minutes later, Lauren Bernard took it in alone and tucked it in the top corner to give OSU the lead. In the third, Emma Peschel put back a rebound to extend the lead to 3-1 and Sophie Jaques’ near post shut squeaked through to make it 4-1. Quinnipiac pulled their goalie and Maddie Samoskevich pulled one back for the Bobcats to make it 4-2 with under four to play. Jaques added an empty-net goal to secure the 5-2 win and set a new WCHA record for career goals by a blueliner with 61. The defending national champions return to the Frozen Four for the third straight year and fourth time in program history. They last played Northeastern in the 2006-2007 season and own a 7-3-2 all-time record against the Huskies.
(2) Minnesota 3, (7) Minnesota Duluth 0
After a back and forth first period, the Gophers started to edge away in the second. Madeline Wethington’s coast to coast goal midway through the frame broke the stalemate and would prove to be the game-winner. Early in the third, Abbey Murphy extended her nine-game scoring streak with a stunner from a near impossible angle to make it 2-0. Catie Skaja’s snipe midway through the third sealed the win for Minnesota, who advance to their first Frozen Four since 2019. It’s the 15th Frozen Four berth in Gopher program history.
(3) Colgate 2, (6) Wisconsin 4
The Badgers came out strong and pinned the Raiders back in the first, which set the tone for much of the game. They took the lead on a snipe from defender Nicole LaMantia, who carried the puck in down the boards and picked her spot in stride. The Raiders adjusted at the intermission and struck immediately thanks to Allyson Simpson’s stickhandling to make it 1-1. Colgate looked to be building some momentum, but Casey O’Brien’s power play goal late in the period put the Badgers up once again as the penalty kill unit did not allow a shot on two back to back late penalties in the second. Vivian Jungels find open ice between the two Colgate lines on a rush into the zone and one-timed the pass from O’Brien to give Wisconsin some breathing room. Laila Edwards chipped in a goal on the empty net to extend the lead to 4-1 with under two to play. Colgate fought for one more as Kalty Kaltounkova netted a snipe with 9.7 on the clock, but the Badgers took the 4-2 win. Wisconsin outshot Colgate 35-15 in the win and held the most prolific power play in the country (38 goals) off the board in five attempts. It’s the eighth Frozen Four in nine tournaments for the Badgers and 14th in the history of the program.
(4) Yale 1, (5) Northeastern 4
The Bulldogs looked like the might be the ones to end Northeastern’s long win streak early in this game, pinning the Huskies in the zone and sending goalie Gwyn Philips scrambling. But Northeastern pushed back and began to find their rhythm and broke through early in the second period with an unlikely source as rookie Lily Shannon scored her sixth goal of the season off a brilliant steal by Skylar Irving and a quick pass to Shannon, who deked and found the back of the net. In the third, the Huskies were cycling the puck when Megan Carter unleashed a shot from distance. Chloe Aurard redirected the puck in from her spot in front of the goalie. Midway through the final frame, Maureen Murphy picked up the puck along the boards in the defensive zone and hit Alina Mueller in stride as she raced out of the zone on a two-on-one with Aurard alongside. A tic-tac-toe passing sequence gave Mueller the wide open shot at the back post to make it 3-0. Yale broke the shutout when Elle Hartje picked up a busted clearance pass and fed it to Jordan Ray, who’s shot rebounded out to Anna Bargman. Her shot did not miss and it was 3-1. On a late 6-on-4 power play for Yale, Murphy poked the puck ahead and took off to earn a shorthanded empty net goal to close the game out 4-1. Philips made a career-high 38 saves in the game.
Atlantic Hockey announced Saturday a one-game suspension for Niagara defenseman Noah Carlin, effective for the Purple Eagles’ next game.
The suspension is a result of Carlin’s major penalty and game misconduct for kneeing, which occurred at the 6:46 mark of the third period in Niagara’s Atlantic Hockey semifinal game on March 10 at Canisius.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension.
Niagara’s next scheduled Division I game is tonight, March 11, against Canisius in Game 2 of their Atlantic Hockey semifinal series. Carlin would be eligible to return for the Purple Eagles’ semifinal series Game 3 on March 12 at Canisius or the Atlantic Hockey championship on March 18 if Sunday’s game is not necessary.
Ryan Wagner and the UW-Stevens Point men’s hockey team open NCAA tournament play tonight against Augsburg. (Photo Credit: (Kelcey Clark, UW-Stevens Point Athletics)
Ryan Wagner has been playing goalie most of his life. The position just always appealed to him, and the UW-Stevens Point hockey senior standout hasn’t looked back.
“I think as a kid, I enjoyed that you got to be on the ice all the time. And I thought the gear was really cool,” Wagner said. “I know the impact a goalie can have a on a game and my skill set as an athlete lines up well with playing goalie.”
Wagner has handled that role well and has played in nearly 50 games for the Pointers over the course of his career.
And it’s a career that isn’t over yet. The sixth-ranked Pointers are back in the NCAA Division III tournament for the first time since 2019 when they won the national championship.
“It’s a big moment for us,” Wagner said. It’s definitely a step we wanted to take this year, especially since the WIAC got an automatic bid.”
The Pointers (19-5-4) punched their ticket to the tourney with a win over UW-Eau Claire in the conference championship game, avenging last year’s loss to the rival Blugolds. That loss brought a 21-6-1 season to a close.
“From the beginning, we knew we had the potential to be here,” Wagner said. “Last year left a bad taste in our mouths, and we had to go through some ups and downs this year to grow as a team to be a team that could be in the tournament.”
Wagner is one of three captains on the team, sharing that honor with Jordan Fader and Wilson Northey.
He did not play during the national championship season and only played in three games the following season.
Wagner made six starts in 2020-21, winning four games, and won 16 games in 21 appearances last season. At one point last year, he won seven consecutive games.
This season, he has started in 14 games, winning 10, and has racked up 322 saves while fashioning a 1.68 goals against average for a Pointers team that has won its last six.
“I’d say this year the big thing for me is I’ve been really consistent,” Wagner said. “We out-shoot the other team a lot of the time, so I have to sit there and be this spectacular goalie every game. I just have to be pretty good, making saves, controlling the simple shots and not letting up the quote, unquote, soft goals that can change the momentum.”
With a solid defense in front of him, as well as an offense that features 11 players with 10 or more points, including leading scorer Fletcher Anderson (14 goals, 14 assists), Wagner goes into a game believing he can get the job done.
“It does give me a lot of confidence, and we can play with confidence as a team knowing if we stick to the game plan even if things don’t go our way right away,” Wagner said.
The Pointers open the NCAA tourney with No. 15 Augsburg (16-9-2), the champion of the MIAC. The two teams last played each other on Jan. 7, with the Pointers skating to a 4-0 victory.
“We have to stick to our game plan and play well at our game,” Wagner said. “We can’t deviate from that.”
For Wagner, the chance to be a part of a tournament team as a senior is a huge deal. This is one of the moments that is a reminder of why athletes play the game.
“Every college player wants to be in the tournament and play in big games like this,” Wagner said. “They are a lot of fun and a lot of great memories come from games like this.”
Western Michigan’s Hugh Larkin and Colorado College’s Matthew Gleason have their eyes on a loose puck Friday night (photo: Ashley Huss).
Atlantic Hockey, ECAC Hockey, and NCHC are all playing best-of-three series this weekend, while the Big Ten, CCHA, and Hockey East all are playing single-elimination games.
The conferences with best-of-three series started Friday night.
Jason Grande made 40 saves for the Crusaders and Tommy Scarfone 22 for the Tigers.
ECAC Hockey
Over in ECAC Hockey, No. 6 Harvard defeated Princeton 6-1, Colgate beat St. Lawrence 4-3 in overtime, No. 2 Quinnipiac blanked Yale 3-0, and No. 12 Cornell topped Clarkson 2-1.
Sean Farrell and Alex Laferriere each scored two goals to lead Harvard over Princeton at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
Alex Young, Reid Irwin and Daniel Panetta also scored for the Raiders, who got a 28-save effort from goalie Carter Gylander.
Mason Waite, Tucker McIntosh and Aleksi Peltonen all scored in the first period for St. Lawrence.
Emil Zetterquist made 33 saves in goal for the Saints.
At the Frank Perrotti, Jr. Arena, Yaniv Perets pitched a five-save shutout for the Bobcats. With his 20th career shutout, Perets has also broken the Quinnipiac team record and ECAC Hockey all-time record.
Then in NCHC circles, Colorado College upset No. 7 Western Michigan 3-1, No. 8 St. Cloud State beat Minnesota Duluth 3-1, No. 17 Omaha edged North Dakota 2-1, and No. 3 Denver bested Miami 6-2.
Colorado College scored three times within a span of 59 seconds in the third period to upset Western Michigan on the Broncos’ home ice at Lawson Arena.
The Tigers snapped a 13-game winless streak and posted just their third opening-game victory in the first round of the NCHC playoffs.
With Western Michigan holding a 1-0 lead in the final period after a Ryan McAllister goal 14:50 into the first period, Logan Will evened the score at the 13:36 mark. Just 40 seconds later, Tyler Coffey took a pass from Noah Laba and sent a one-timer past Cameron Rowe to take the lead.
Shortly thereafter, Aidan Fulp was called for a kneeing penalty at the 14:30 mark, and Hunter McKown scored his nation-leading 13th power-play goal with a blast from the point at 14:35.
Tiger goalie Kaidan Mbereko finished the game with 25 saves and Rowe made 22.
Micah Miller potted a pair of goals to lead St. Cloud State over in-state rival UMD at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Fletcher Anderson and the Pointers return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2019 and will host Augsburg on Saturday night (Photo by Rachel McCulloch)
It is time to go dancing at the national tournament and while the season saw its fair share of crazy results on a week in and week out basis, the 2022-23 NCAA tournament field is not surprising other than the NESCAC entrant from Bowdoin. Then again, that should not be too much of a surprise considering the parity across D-III hockey at-large and NESCAC specifically. The top four seeded teams (Utica, Hobart, Endicott and defending champion, Adrian) will wait for the outcome of first round games to identify their quarterfinal opponents with the hope of advancing and hosting this year’s Frozen Four. Last season in our writer competition for picking the national tournament games, Mr. Brian Lester came away the champion on the basis of his picking Adrian in the final against Geneseo. It is a new season and a clean slate for the rivalry to resume. First round games commence on Saturday evening, and these are the hauntingly similar picks independently produced from Brian (BL) and me (TC) to kick-off the NCAA tournament:
Saturday, March 11, 2023
NCAA First Round
(10) University of New England v. (8) Plymouth State
TC – Ah, what a difference a year makes! Last year saw these two teams meet in the opening round with UNE emerging victorious in overtime which springboarded their run to the Frozen Four. Plymouth State plays host this year and the change in venue should be enough for this year’s edition of the Panthers to pick up a dramatic overtime win over the Nor’easters for their first-ever NCAA tournament win. Myles Abbate and Will Redick figure prominently for the home team – PSU, 3-2
Plymouth State (23-3-1) vs. New England (19-6-2) BL – The No. 8 Panthers come in as champions of the MASCAC and are in the NCAA tournament for the sixth time. And they are as hot as any team in the nation right now, riding a 19-game winning streak into Saturday night.
The Nor’easters are in the tourney for the fourth time after getting an at-large bid. They are hoping to repeat history after beating the Panthers a year ago and going on to play in the national semifinals.
While Plymouth is the favorite on paper, do not discount New England, which is 3-1-1 all-time against the Panthers. All four meetings between the two schools have been decided by a goal, with the last two going to overtime. Could we see another OT thriller? Most definitely. And I feel like the historic season will continue for Plymouth. Though it will not be easy – Plymouth State, 4-3, OT
(15) Augsburg v. (6) Wisconsin – Stevens Point
TC – The Pointers return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since their magical unbeaten season of 2019 and have played solid hockey entering the post-season going 6-0-1 in their last seven games. The visiting Auggies are 5-1-1 in their last seven games but were just a .500 team on the road, including a loss to the Pointers, a squad that has only lost once on home ice this season. Look for some magic from Fletcher Anderson and Andrew Poulias to spearhead a win for the home team – Wisconsin – Stevens Point, 4-2
UW-Stevens Point (19-5-4) vs. Augsburg (16-9-2)BL – This is one of those matchups you would love to see in the final four or title game. Both programs have a lot of history.
The sixth-ranked Pointers won the WIAC and are back in the NCAA tournament for the first time since winning it all in 2019. The No. 15 Auggies won the MIAC and are hoping for another long postseason run. A year ago, they played in the final four.
These two teams met once already this year, with the Pointers dominating the Auggies 4-0 at home. That night, Alex Proctor recorded his first career shutout, making 27 saves.
The big thing for the Pointers is they are at home, where they own an 11-1-3 record this season. They also have a lot of momentum on their side, having won six consecutive games.
The Auggies, though, are hardly a pushover. They are a different team than they were since that Jan. 4 loss to the Pointers and come in having won seven of their last nine games.
This could go either way, but I give the Pointers the edge at home – UW-Stevens Point, 5-4
Bowdoin v. (7) Curry
TC – It is always an interesting match-up when the team that has been consistent all season but coming off a championship game loss faces-off against the hot team that just ran the table in their conference tournament playing their best hockey of the season. This game has all those elements with both teams playing on the national stage for the first time in many years. Curry was stung by Endicott in the CCC title game and now gets to reset for a bigger prize. They should not take the Polar Bears lightly and do not with the combination of Reid Cooper, Mark Zhukov and home ice factoring into a first-round win – Curry, 3-2
Curry (21-5-1) vs. Bowdoin (15-9-3) BL – Curry is in the tournament for the first time for the first time in more than a decade, with the Colonels getting here for the first time since 2011. It is the program’s fifth appearance all time.
Their opponent is the Polar Bears, who are unranked and taking on Curry for the first time since 2010.
While Curry received an at-large bid, Bowdoin comes in as the winner of the NESCAC. However, the Polar Bears are not your typical NCAA team. They were unranked all year and did not have a single player on the all-conference team. Bowdoin has won four in a row and has nine players who have reached double digits in points. Andy Stoneman leads the way with 10 goals and 15 assists.
The Colonels have a high scoring offense that puts up 4.2 goals per game, which is the top average in the nation, and that could make things tough on the Polar Bears. You never know what can happen in a one-game scenario, but Curry should be able to go out and get the job done – Curry, 5-2
(5) Plattsburgh v. (9) Norwich
TC – The teams have split two games from the regular season, and both were low scoring. The commitment to team defense and the outstanding goaltending of Norwich’s Drennen Atherton and Plattsburgh’s Eli Schiller may make this an “only” goal contest. The Cadets have struggled to score goals this season despite some great contributions from Clark Kerner and Joe Nagle. The Cardinals went into a hostile rink last week and took down Oswego to punch their ticket to the tournament so look for Bennett Stockdale and company to keep the season going – Plattsburgh, 1-0
Plattsburgh State (20-5-2) vs. Norwich (19-6-2)BL – It is a battle of top 10 teams when the Cardinals square off against the Cadets for the right to keep their season alive.
The fifth-ranked Cardinals won the SUNYAC and are up against the Cadets in the NCAA tourney for the first time since 2011. Plattsburgh State won that game 3-2 more than a decade ago. The two teams also played in the regular season, splitting the regular-season series. Plattsburgh State prevailed 3-1 on Nov. 26 and Norwich came through with a 2-1 win on Dec. 6.
Four players have tallied at least 20 points for the Cardinals, led by Bennett Stockdale, who has 15 goals and 11 assists. They are in the tourney for the first time since 2017 and hoping to begin a quest for their first title in 22 years. The ninth-ranked Cadets lead the all-time series 35-24-7 and have a balanced attack led by Clark Kerner, who has eight goals and 11 assists – Plattsburgh State, 3-2
So, both Brian and I are riding with each of the home teams in the first round which means there will not be any blood spilled in the first round of this year’s tournament. Game On. The four top seeds are waiting to see the outcome of the first-round games and the watch parties/scouting opponent activity will be seen at Adrian, Endicott, Hobart, and Utica alike in anticipation of next week’s quarterfinal matchups – “Drop the Puck!”
Augsburg is headed back to the NCAA tournament, facing UW-Stevens Point on Saturday night. (Photo Credit: Kevin Healy)
Augsburg went all the way to the national semifinals a season ago. And now the Auggies have an opportunity to make another run in the NCAA tournament.
Their quest begins Saturday night against UW-Stevens Point on the road in an opening-round game, with the winner advancing to play reigning champion Adrian.
Here are three things you need to know about the Auggies as they prepare for another tourney appearance.
No stranger to success
A year ago, Augsburg earned an at-large bid to the tournament after finishing as the MIAC tournament runner-up.
This year, the Auggies are in as the champion of the MIAC, the sixth time in program history they have claimed the title.
This will also mark the eighth time Augsburg has played in the NCAA tournament, including their third consecutive appearance overall. Their trip to the final four a year ago was their first since 1998 and their third overall.
The fact that a lot of these players have been to the tourney is a big deal. There is nothing that beats big-game experience. This is an Auggies team that is also battle-tested.
After all, they had to go on the road to St. Scholastica to win the MIAC crown. Yes, Augsburg is just 7-7 away from home this year, and yes, Augsburg lost 4-0 to UW-Stevens Point on Jan. 7 on the road.
But records and past outcomes against an opponent can be thrown out the window come tourney time. In a one-game scenario, anything is possible.
Augsburg hitting its stride at the right time
Augsburg ended the 2022 portion of its schedule with a 6-3-1 record. Things didn’t go well to start 2023, with the Auggies dropping three consecutive games. They gave up four goals in each of those losses, including to the Pointers, and scored a total of four goals.
The following week, they split with Gustavus, and it was after that series that the true turning point began for this team.
Augsburg rattled off five consecutive wins and has won seven of its last nine overall since that series with the Gusties. The late-season surge was enough to take them to a second-place finish in the MIAC.
To say Augsburg peaked at the right time would be true. Every team hopes to be playing its best when it matters most. The Auggies have done just that and they are poised to ride that momentum to a successful run in the NCAA tournament.
Auggies have a lot of options
Augsburg has scored 93 goals on the season and has been particularly tough in the third period of games, outsourcing the opposition 29-19 this season in the last 20 minutes of play.
A total of 13 players have 10 or more points and 19 players in all have at least one point on the season.
The leader is Austin Dollimer, who has racked up 12 goals to go along with a team-best 19 assists. Gavin Holland is the goal-scoring leader for the Auggies, punching in 14 on the year. He’s also dished out 12 assists.
One other player has hit double digits in goals. That’s Eric Palmqvist, who has come through with 10 goals as well as nine assists.
Jarod Blackowiak has racked up nine goals and 11 assists.
Defensively, Samuel Vyletelka has logged the most time between the pipes, appearing in 18 games on the year and winning 12 games. He has allowed 40 goals while boasting a save percentage of just over 91 percent.
He’s been at his best in his last five appearances, holding two opponents to just one goal while recording one shutout. When he’s on top of his game, he’s one of the best netminders in the game.
Augsburg has the ability to beat anyone when it’s clicking on all cylinders, and it certainly has the potential to put together a complete-game effort against the Pointers.
Curry and Reid Cooper look to rebound against Bowdoin in NCAA first round action on Saturday (Photo by Edward Jacobs)
This first round matchup reflects the age-old question of whether it is better to be the hot team that found their game at the right time of the season versus the team that has been consistent all season but slipped in their chance for a conference title. Bowdoin has been on fire in February and through the NESCAC tournament winning the title as the No. 7 seed on Sunday. Curry has been a top five team nationally but lost the CCC title game to Endicott by a 6-0 margin but secured an at-large bid based on their overall body of work that earned them home-ice.
“We are really excited to be here with this group,” said first-year Bowdoin head coach Ben Guite. “From the time I stepped on campus the senior group collectively has been very focused and driven about their legacy and Bowdoin hockey. I think they took a big step in winning the NESCAC title last week and now have a big opportunity on a national stage against a really strong opponent on Saturday.”
“It is great that we are in the tournament,” said Curry head coach Peter Roundy. “We have a chance to reset after a tough loss to a really good Endicott team where never played our game. It’s nice to be playing at home and having an opportunity this week to get back to our identity on the ice. It was disappointing to lose the championship game, but our team is young and has never played for a conference title before and in an electric atmosphere like that. Hopefully, it was good opportunity for us to learn from that experience and play our game in front of our crowd on Saturday.”
The two schools have only faced each other three times in their long hockey histories, but both coaches have a strong respect for their upcoming opponent as well as the style of play they expect see come puck-drop this weekend.
“I think this is a pretty good matchup for us,” noted Guite. “Playing on the road and a neutral site for the conference tournament has given us a lot of confidence so I don’t expect our group to be intimidated by the atmosphere. We earned our way here but if people want to apply the Cinderella label to us it just gives us license to play hard and loose.”
“I feel like I know what Bowdoin does and the NESCAC style from my time at Trinity,” stated Roundy. “They like to pressure in all three zones and really take care of the middle of the ice and transition quickly from turnovers. They don’t take penalties and are comfortable playing in one-goal games or from behind as they showed on the road against Trinity. We will need to focus on puck possession and making them work in the defensive zone.”
The Polar Bears have been led in the post-season by forward Andy Stoneman and goaltender Alex Kozic along with a cast of nine other seniors who have contributed in many ways to their current four game win streak.
“Andy along with the rest of the senior class have really carried us through the season and especially through the conference tournament. Alex has been rock solid in goal and really has given us a chance to win with some big saves to keep us in games like the quarterfinal against Trinity where we were outshot badly early, and he kept the puck out of the net to keep us close. Everyone is excited about our opportunity and these guys are focused and ready to play against Curry.”
For Curry, their strength on the backend has been Co-Player of the Year in the CCC, Reid Cooper in goal and defenseman Mark Favaro, while upfront the Colonels look for the return of forward Timmy Kent to bolster a dangerous line-up.
“Reid has been a wall in goal for us all season and will be a big part of any success we have in the NCAA tournament on Saturday,” noted Roundy. “Mark and the defensive group are going to need to be focused on cutting down on any turnovers against Bowdoin’s pressure. If Timmy can get back for the game, it would bolster the line-up and add another big piece for us, but we will have to wait and see about his availability closer to game time.”
Curry will host Bowdoin on Saturday at 7 PM at the Ice House in Canton, MA.
North Dakota’s Ethan Frisch gets a shot off on Omaha goalie Jake Kucharski in a game earlier this season (photo: Russell Hons).
The playoffs are officially in full swing with all six leagues in action this weekend. But formats are different from league to league this weekend.
Atlantic Hockey, ECAC Hockey, and NCHC are all playing best-of-three series this weekend, while the Big Ten, CCHA, and Hockey East all are playing single-elimination games.
If you read last week, feel free to fast forward to the game breakdowns themselves as I plan to review some of my notes from a week ago.
Best-of-three series require more strategy. In series where there seems to be a clear favorite, the lines in game one are skewed heavily towards that favorite, giving you a lot of value if you believe there can be an upset in game one. If you don’t, these are typically games to avoid. Waiting for game two lines often gives you better value on the home team.
Single elimination really is about making the correct pick. There’s no strategy besides seeking out the best lines. We’ll see it in the Big Ten games we preview that value is really difficult to find with some heavy home favorites.
DraftKings is a little thin on available lines this weekend, really focusing on the NCHC and Big Ten, so that’s what is previewed below.
Also, a welcome to bettors in Massachusetts, as online wagering in the Bay State is live as of this morning.
NCHC Playoff Game picks are designated for Friday; Big Ten playoff games are played on Saturday
North Dakota (-105) at Omaha (-125); o/u 6 (NCHC Quarterfinals, Game 1)
This is a sneaky good matchup with a good price on Omaha playing at home. But these two teams played a weekend ago in Grand Forks and North Dakota earned the sweep.
Does home ice make a difference for Omaha? Well maybe. The Mavericks are 10-6-2 at home vs. 8-7-1 on the road. North Dakota, conversely, is 6-5-4 on the road this season, still above .500.
Last weekend, these two teams played completely opposite games, a 5-4 tilt on Friday followed by a 2-1 defensive struggle on Saturday. We point that out only to note that the over/under of 6 is set dead in the middle of those two totals.
Jim
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Paula
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B1G
Minnesota Duluth (+170) at St. Cloud State (-210); o/u 6 (NCHC Quarterfinal – Game 1)
Another direct rematch of a weekend ago, and these games are at the same venue in St. Cloud. Minnesota Duluth is playing its best hockey of the year, closing the season 3-2-0 with one of those losses coming in overtime.
Last weekend taught us that this should be a very tight series, giving some credence to Minnesota Duluth, particularly at a +170 value.
There are likely to be a good number of goals scored in this one, but at an over/under of 6, we don’t like this one. 4-3 is a likely score (it was the score twice last weekend) but playoffs typically produce 1-2 goals less per game. We support betting unders, but this one feel dangerous.
Jim
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B1G
Colorado College (+290) at Western Michigan (-350) o/u 5.5 (NCHC Quarterfinal – Game 1)
Colorado College has put forth an admirable season under coach Kris Mayotte, but right now the Tigers are running into an absolute buzzsaw in Western Michigan.
It’s highly unlikely that the Broncos will take a night off and -350 is a horrendous (though appropriate) price for a favorite. Western won the season series, 4-0-0, and outscored CC 14-4 (three decisions by scored of 4-1.
We don’t mind the under here because it’s not likely you’re going to see a ton of goals from CC. The only danger is that Western Michigan explodes for 5 or 6 goals, but even that bucks the trend for the recent defensive efforts by the Tigers defense.
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B1G
Michigan State (+250) at Minnesota (-320); o/u 6 (Big Ten Semifinal)
There is one major question about this game between Michigan State and Minnesota: will the one-week bye have a negative impact on the Gophers?
No team wants a week off this time of year. So Bob Motzko will need to find a way to motivate his club to start fast. A slow start that, say, allows Michigan State to jump to an early lead could be problematic for the Gophers. Thus the value for Michigan State at +250 feels real.
The trend when these teams play is for a lot of goals, so even if you want to lay off the money line, the over might be an appropriate bet here.
Jim
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Paula
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HEA
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B1G
Ohio State (+135) at Michigan (-165); o/u 6 (Big Ten Semifinal)
There’s been a question of whether or not Michigan is real this season. Though top four in the PairWise, the Wolverines have the 10th-best winning percentage this season, carried by the strength of the Big Ten schedule.
Now, they’ll be tested by an Ohio State team that a weekend ago allowed just four goals in a three-game series against Penn State. Michigan leads this season series, 2-1-1, but Ohio State won and tied in the last two-game set. The totals for the four games were 9, 6, 6 and 4, which means taking the over, if so inclined, is likely the proper move.
Northeastern’s Devon Levi has been on top of his game this season for the Huskies (photo: Jim Pierce).
Hockey East has announced its 2022-23 men’s all-star teams as voted by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The first team is highlighted by two unanimous selections in Northeastern junior goaltender Devon Levi and Boston University freshman defenseman Lane Hutson. Joining the pair are defenseman Domenick Fensore (Boston University) and forwards Matt Brown (Boston University), Alex Jefferies (Merrimack) and Aidan McDonough (Northeastern).
Levi was also named goaltender of the year, the second straight year he has been so honored.
Named to the second team are goaltenders Victor Ostman (Maine), a pair of Massachusetts defensemen Scott Morrow and Ryan Ufko, and forwards Lynden Breen (Maine), Justin Hryckowian (Northeastern) and Ryan Tverberg (UConn).
Getting nods on the third team are goaltenders Gustavs Davis Grigals (UMass Lowell) and Hugo Ollas (Merrimack), defenders Max Crozier (Providence) and Jon McDonald (UMass Lowell), and forwards Cutter Gauthier (Boston College), Parker Ford (Providence), and Wilmer Skoog (Boston University).
Hockey East will announce finalists for the player, rookie, and coach of the year awards on Monday.
USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger pick out five games among top 20 D-I college hockey teams, looking at money lines and over/under as well as a further analysis of the matchups. We also discuss prop bets and futures.
This week’s Friday games:
North Dakota (-105) at Omaha (-125); over/under 6
Minnesota Duluth (+170) at St. Cloud State (-210); o/u 6
Colorado College (+290) at Western Michigan (-350) o/u 5.5
Saturday:
Michigan State (+250) at Minnesota (-320); o/u 6
Ohio State (+135) at Michigan (-165); o/u 6
This college hockey podcast is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 6th and 8th, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Secure your seats at NCAA.com/mfrozenfour
Hamilton defeats Nazareth 3-1 in the NCAA tournament first round game (Photo by Josh McKee)
The first round, or as I like to call it, the “play-in” round is complete. We move onto the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament. Here’s a quick recap of how Wednesday night’s trio of games went and also a look ahead at what’s to come Saturday.
Nazareth at Hamilton
Hamilton (20-5-2) defeated Nazareth (22-5-1) by the score of 3-1 to move on to the next round of the NCAA tournament. Hamilton controlled most of the game, but it was tight in the 1st period as the Continentals got on the board first with a goal by Sami Quackenbush at the 6:51 mark. Nazareth then responded, scoring their lone goal of the game at 15:28 of the 1st, the goal scored by Ivey Lyden. Hamilton would then add a pair in the 2nd period, coming within 6 minutes of each other at the 9:46 & 15:25 marks of the period. The score would remain the same from there on, with Hamilton getting the win. The Continentals led in shots 27-14 and the penalties were 5 for 10 minutes against the Golden Flyers, while the Continentals had 4 for 8 minutes.
Suffolk at Middlebury
The defending champions Middlebury (16-7-3) defeated Suffolk (18-7-2) 4-0 to advance to the next round. The 1st period was tight and hectic as both teams created a fair number of chances, but Middlebury scored the lone goal of the period in the last minute at 19:25. Middlebury would then add two goals in the 2nd, the first coming on the powerplay, and then another in the 3rd period to cap off the 4-0 win. Middlebury outshot Suffolk 45-22, but excellent goaltending play from Suffolk’s Lily O’Neil who had 41 saves on the night, kept them in this game. Three players in particular were busy in this game for Middlebury, Jenna Letterie recorded a goal and 3 assists, Avery McInerny had 2 goals and 1 assist, & Britt Nawrocki scored once and assisted twice. The game was relatively clean, only 4 penalties total, 2 for each team for a total of 8 minutes.
Norwich at Colby
Colby (17-7-0) defeated Norwich (19-7-2) 5-2 to advance to the next round. The game was ever really in question for most of it, Colby scored 5 unanswered including a trio of goals in the first period, the first coming a quick 48 seconds into the game. Norwich didn’t get any back until a pair of late goals in the 3rd period to cut the deficit to three, but by then it was way too late for them to mount a comeback. Colby committed 3 penalties for 6 minutes while Norwich committed 1 for 2. The shot totals were near even, Colby led 27-24 and got the win.
Quarterfinal Matchups: Saturday March 11, 2023 – 3:00pm EST
Amherst (24-3) hosts Colby (18-7-0):
This one will be interesting, these two split the season series as Amherst won the first game 3-2 in OT and Colby won game-two 5-4. Being familiar faces to one another, ranking doesn’t mean a ton here, nor does record due to them being very familiar with each other’s play styles/gameplans. Amherst has been strong at home with a 14-1-0 record, their only loss coming to Hamilton on opening weekend, while Colby has a 7-3-0 record on the road. If Amherst wins this game, assuming they meet the hosting requirements, will be given the home-ice advantage via the campus site format for the frozen four next weekend.
Plattsburgh (25-2-0) hosts Middlebury (17-7-3)
These two faced off earlier this season once, Plattsburgh winning 2-1 in OT on the road. There was opportunity for these two to face off twice, but UW-River Falls defeated Plattsburgh in the Cardinal/Panther Classic, so they didn’t get to meet for the title game. The game should be fun, a stat I think is unique is Middlebury (including playoffs) has only scored 4 or more goals in 9 of their 27 games, meanwhile Plattsburgh has done it 17 times in their 27 games. With a powerplay running at 31% for Plattsburgh (3rd nationally), it’ll be interesting to see how that comes into effect in the game as they’ve been able to score a lot of goals on a regular basis this season. Another stat to think about is this, Plattsburgh is 13-1-0 at home, while Middlebury is 6-3-2 on the road…
Adrian (26-3) hosts Hamilton (21-5-2)
Adrian hosts Hamilton this Saturday in the NCAA Quarterfinal matchup (Photo by Mike Dickie)
I’m intrigued to see this matchup because it’s unique seeing the west/east crossover that we typically don’t see. It’ll be interesting to see how Hamilton adjusts and plays out west as Adrian gets home-ice. Adrian’s already had experience out east this season, winning two games at Oswego State and then defeating Norwich and falling to Plattsburgh in the Norwich Holiday Tournament. Adrian also hosted Suffolk for a two-game series at home and won both, so they’ve been exposed to more east than Hamilton has west. I’m not saying that’ll play a major role in this game, but I think it’s something to point out as it’s an interesting stat, plus Adrian played the most crossover games I believe this season in terms of east/west (6). Adrian is a perfect 18-0-0 at home this season while Hamilton is 8-2-2 on the road. Another stat to note, Adrian is averaging 5.14 GPG (goals-per-game), while Hamilton is averaging 2.68…Adrian also leads the country in team defense, allowing less than a goal per game at 0.79, Hamilton averages giving up 1.36.
Gustavus (24-3-0) hosts UW-River Falls (24-3-1)
Not third, but fourth times the charm? These teams have played a trio of games already this season, with UW-River Falls winning the series 2-1. It’ll be a fun matchup between these two teams who both have top statistical ratings in the country. *Stats via USCHO* Team offense: UWRF #1 & Gustavus #5, Team defense: Gustavus #2 & UWRF #10 and Powerplay: UWRF #1 (35%) & Gustavus #2 (32%). Being in Gustavus, obviously there’s a home edge, but interestingly enough during the regular season, both teams won a game on the road and UWRF took the final game on home-ice. This one will be fun as I’ve said, two of the best statistical teams in D3.
MASCAC’s Player of the Year, Myles Abbate leads the Panthers in pursuit of their first NCAA tournament win in a re-match with UNE on Saturday (Photo by Gabe Dickens)
Last March, the NCAA tournament field saw both these teams receiving bids as winners of their respective conferences and the seeding positioning them against each other in the first round, hosted by UNE. Fast forward to March of 2023 and the MASCAC champion Panthers get to play host in a return matchup with the Nor’easters who received an at-large bid to this year’s national tournament. The result last year was a 3-2 overtime win for UNE that catapulted them to the Frozen Four so the question is what will this year bring for the familiar foes?
“I think it is great recognition for our team that we have earned the opportunity to host an NCAA tournament game,” said Plymouth State head coach Craig Russell. “We would have been pleased with any matchup but know at this time of the year that we are happy to still be playing and know that we will be facing all good teams. Just happy to show results with this group which may be the best of the four consecutive teams to win the conference title here.”
“Losing to Curry in the CCC tournament was hard on the team,” stated UNE head coach Kevin Swallow. “All the games fell the right way for us in the balance of the conference tournaments for us to get in and we are excited to play again this weekend. The team is very motivated coming off a loss and we are very familiar with a very good PSU team.”
This year’s edition of the first-round contest sees a shift in the experience level of the respective benches in addition to the change in venue for Saturday’s contest. Both could have impacts in how the game ultimately plays out.
“We have a very experienced group of players on our roster,” stated Russell. ”We have great leadership and depth and guys that have been through this before. They know what it is going to take to break through and win their first national tournament game. They have remained focused and don’t get flustered even if we fall behind in games. They stick to our process and find ways to get it done with contributions from a lot of different players.”
“We had a very experienced roster last season when we made our run to the Frozen Four,” noted Swallow. “I think we set expectations a little too high with this roster that has a lot back but really needed some of the younger players to step up. Discipline will be a key for us as they are a very good offensive team that puts your mistakes in the back of the net.”
Both teams return some high-end talent to the ice for the re-match and both coaches appreciate and respect the talent level they will face-off against on Saturday night.
“They have some very talented players returning on that roster including their goalie, Billy Girard and guys like [Jake] Fuss, [Alex] Sheehy and [Jared] Christy,” noted Russell. They have the experience from last year, so we need to play our game and hopefully get a win to springboard us in this tournament like they did last year after they beat us.”
“They have a very experienced team,” said Swallow. “[Myles] Abbate is a very special and dangerous player for them and a big part of why they have had a special year – they haven’t lost on home ice this year! Their goaltender, [Brendahn] Brawley has also been very good replacing their starter that we saw last year. This should be a very good game and a big challenge for our team on the road.”
Puck drop between the Panthers and the Nor’easters is at 7 PM on Saturday at Hanaway Rink in Plymouth, NH.
