Corson Ceulemans played a steady game on the Wisconsin blue line for two seasons (photo: Tom Lynn).
The Columbus Blue Jackets have signed Wisconsin sophomore defenseman Corson Ceulemans to an entry-level contract.
In signing the NHL deal, Ceulemans gives up his junior and senior seasons with the Badgers.
A 2021 first-round pick (25th overall) at the 2021 NHL Draft, Ceulemans also signed an AHL tryout contract with the Cleveland Monsters, the Blue Jackets’ AHL affiliate, for the rest of the 2022-23 campaign.
“Corson Ceulemans is an outstanding young defenseman who excels at both ends of the ice, and we are thrilled that he is beginning his professional career this spring,” said Columbus GM Jarmo Kekalainen in a statement. “He combines size and strength with excellent mobility and a knack to produce offensively and we are excited about his future with our organization.”
Ceulemans, a native of Beaumont, Alta., recorded eight goals and 15 assists for 23 points with 38 penalty minutes for Wisconsin in 2022-23.
Over two seasons and 67 games at Wisconsin from 2021 to 2023, Ceulemans totaled 15 goals and 30 assists for 45 points.
Jackson Blake has compiled 15 goals and 40 points this season for North Dakota (photo: Mark Kuhlmann).
With the regular season in the books, the NCHC unveiled its 2022-23 all-rookie team on Tuesday, with five different teams represented on the six-man squad.
North Dakota’s Jackson Blake was a unanimous selection to the All-Rookie Team, earning all 15 possible first-team votes for 45 points.
Voting was conducted by the eight head coaches at each school and eight media members, one covering each member school. Coaches and media voted for six forwards, four defensemen and two goaltenders, awarding first-team votes for six players (three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender) and second-team votes for the other six selections. Three points were awarded for a first-team vote while one point was awarded for a second-team vote, with the most points at each position earning the honors.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players, making 15 first-place votes (45 points) the maximum a player can receive.
The NCHC will announce its all-conference teams on Wednesday and its individual award finalists on Thursday. Individual award winners will be announced at the annual NCHC awards celebration in Saint Paul, Minn., on March 16 on the eve of the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
2022-23 NCHC All-Rookie Team
F: Jackson Blake, North Dakota – 45 points (15 first-team votes)
F: Ryan McAllister, Western Michigan – 43 (14)
F: Ben Steeves, Minnesota Duluth – 39 (12)
D: Joaquim Lemay, Omaha – 37 (11)
D: Jacob Guevin, Omaha – 35 (11)
G: Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College – 36 (10)
Alaska wrapped up its 2022-23 regular season last weekend sweeping Lindenwood (photo: Miles Jordan).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Paula: What a wild weekend of hockey, Dan, to give us much to discuss in this week’s TMQ.
Three-game quarterfinal series in two conferences, the last weekend of regulation for the NCHC, a new format for ECAC playoff hockey, overtime games, surprising heroes, Alaska looking decent in the PairWise – it’s even better than what early March usually offers us.
To no one’s surprise, I’ll start with the Big Ten, which told three really great stories in a weekend of quarterfinal play.
The first is No. 5 Michigan State upsetting No. 4 Notre Dame in three games to advance to face No. 1 Minnesota in single-elimination conference semifinal play this Saturday.
After losing 1-0 Friday, the Spartans beat the Irish 4-2 Saturday, their first Big Ten playoff win ever and their first conference playoff win since March 2013, in the final year of the old CCHA. Obviously, their win Sunday means that’s the Spartans’ first B1G playoff series win, too. Michigan State is one of two Big Ten teams that has yet to win a conference title since the league’s inception in 2013-14.
The second great story is Michigan defenseman Steven Holtz’s first-ever career goal, the OT game-winner for the Wolverines Friday against Wisconsin. In November, Holtz was in an induced coma for several days as adenovirus swept through the Michigan team. An incredible development.
The third story is Ohio State’s in in three games over visiting Penn State, a year after the Nittany Lions ended the Buckeyes’ season by winning two games to one in B1G quarterfinal play in Columbus. Ohio State is the other team looking for its first-ever Big Ten conference championship.
What stories, Dan, captured your fancy this past weekend?
Dan: My goodness, there were a ton of compelling stories that the postseason wove this weekend, even if the conference in question wasn’t technically in the playoffs.
The biggest story was the goal by Steven Holtz, which filled my hockey heart with joy given the aforementioned story about his health, and it was one of those moments that we celebrate in sports because they provide the organic feels that is impossible to recreate… you can’t script it. It’s that simple.
As for the postseason itself, ECAC saw what happened in its first-ever single-elimination first round when Yale and Princeton eliminated RPI and Union. I was admittedly not a fan of the shortening of the first round, but the elimination of the Capital District teams is the wild card that factored into the decision to cut the first-round games.
The Clarkson-Brown matchup and Colgate-Dartmouth result didn’t really provide much drama, but the fact that Yale, which started the season with a four-game scoreless streak, and didn’t record a second league win until Jan. 13, is now in the second round is the chaos that I think the postseason could have hoped for. The Bulldogs – or Elis, if you’re a big fan of the Ancient Eight in the Ivy League – now head to Quinnipiac, which is a strange matchup between rivals that seems, at a surface level, like a guaranteed win for the Bobcats in a best-of-three, but I’ve been around the block enough to know that things aren’t always that easy.
This was one of those weekends where underdogs really felt like they fit into the February and March movie plot. Holy Cross eliminated AIC in Atlantic Hockey, which means there is going to be a new champion for the league after the Yellow Jacket dynasty won the last four titles, and two of the top three seeds lost in the conference tournament’s best-of-three first round. In the CCHA, Ferris State swept into the semifinals by beating third-seeded Bowling Green, and in the NCHC and Hockey East, movers and shakers resulted in teams like Merrimack clinching the No. 2 seed in Hockey East and Omaha dropping to third after gaining a single point against North Dakota.
The most underrated story, to me, though was Alaska, which moved into 13th in the Pairwise after sweeping Lindenwood. It looks like, barring some massive weirdness where four low seeds win their conference, that the Nanooks are heading to the NCAA tournament. Given what happened with the overall Alaska hockey conversation, how much of a major storyline is it, now that Erik Largen’s bunch is apparently dancing in 2023?
Paula: The Alaska story is enormous. I’m just hoping that this helps to write a next season – a lot of next seasons – for the Nanooks.
Alaska finished the season with a six-game win streak and have lost only one game in their last 12, a 3-1 road decision against LIU (Feb. 11). The Nanooks have played themselves into this NCAA tournament position with solid wins over Omaha, Northern Michigan, Notre Dame and Denver, plus their 22-10-2 season.
The Nanooks are averaging 3.06 goals per game and have the fifth-stingiest defense in the country, allowing 2.18 per. Senior goaltender Matt Radomsky has the sixth-best (2.05) GAA in the nation and a respectable save percentage (.916). In single-elimination NCAA tournament play, the Nanooks may do some damage.
And they would be hungry to do so. Now is not the time to discuss the future of independent teams and rant (again) about the need for realignment to accommodate independents and grow the sport, but Alaska hockey has powerful motivation to draw attention to itself in positive ways. The Nanooks – a sentimental favorite of mine from covering the old CCHA – are the D-I sport with the potential to focus a national gaze on the University of Alaska’s flagship campus in Fairbanks.
Alaska is sitting in a good spot – as you say, barring several upsets by teams lower in the PWR – for the NCAA tournament, and now the Nanooks will wait out the next two weeks to see their fate. There are a few other bubble teams, though, whose immediate storylines are just as compelling.
Look at Cornell, the three seed in the ECAC with a really good conference record, tied for 14th in the PWR and taking on a tough Clarkson team this weekend in a best-of-three ECAC quarterfinal series. Clarkson beat Cornell twice already this season.
Then there’s Merrimack, the team tied with Cornell in the PWR. The Warriors are the No. 2 seed in Hockey East, and they won’t know who they’ll play in a Saturday until Wednesday night’s first round of Hockey East playoff games is complete. Seeds six through eight are hosting seeds nine through 11 Wednesday, and all games in the current playoff format are single elimination. Every one of those first-round teams is lower in the PWR than the Warriors, and a single loss would put Merrimack – a team that has had an outstanding season – out of the NCAA tournament.
I’m sure there will be upsets this weekend – there nearly always are in conference playoffs – but I can’t begin to predict how they’ll play out. What are you watching closely, Dan, both in the ECAC and outside of the conference you cover?
Dan: I think the NCHC is completely wide open. Denver is a true powerhouse, but the league’s foundation has several teams capable of jumping the line to win a conference champion. I’ve been very high on Western Michigan in particular, largely because that team bounced back from a midseason dip and never really seemed to look back.
Western Michigan winning the NCHC is hardly an upset, though, so I need to look more at the Omaha-North Dakota rematch. I don’t think anyone considered Omaha as an underdog as a second-place team, but the losses to North Dakota lit a candle of doubt towards the Mavs’ chances of winning the league, in my mind. North Dakota, meanwhile, hadn’t done anything this year to warrant my consideration as a conference champion, but as our colleague Jim Connelly pointed out on last week’s USCHO Edge podcast, the Fighting Hawks have a team that we could all see running the table. I know it’s incredibly hard to win a series in a rematch – Princeton lost to Union last week to wind up going back to the Capital District for the playoffs (even in a single game series), but I really like the winner of that series, which I think is going three games, to come out firing in the conference semifinals.
Out East, I had Maine penciled into that role, but the Black Bears losses to UMass pulled the rug out from some momentum that I thought would carry the Black Bears into Boston as returning heroes. There are seeds of doubt planted now, but on the flipside, UMass has officially beaten Northeastern and Maine on back-to-back weekends during which I said it had no chance of winning.
Shows you what I know.
Given all of that, I think someone is going to crash the party that we’re not expecting, but I also think it’s likely going to be one of those 18-win or 20-win teams that is hanging around the middle tier of the Pairwise. That means Merrimack, UMass Lowell, UConn, North Dakota, even Northern Michigan in the CCHA are all contenders in that regard.
One thing that is going to be a big tell is how a team won the first series while heading into a series against an idle team. In the Big Ten, I really like Michigan State at large, so I want to cycle back to that matchup in particular. After winning an emotional three-game series, which, as you mentioned earlier, is the first time Sparty both won a game and series in the Big Ten, what are the odds that the team returns from Minnesota with a win over the biggest, baddest team in the nation right now?
Paula: While anything can happen in a one-and-done situation, I do see the possibility of Michigan State beating Minnesota as a long shot. The Gophers swept the Spartans this season, winning two on the road and two at home. Minnesota shut out Michigan State twice and outscored the Spartans 25-6 in four games. At home at the end of January, Minnesota won 8-0 and 6-3.
Again, in a one-game situation, almost anything can happen and in all but twice of the few times that the Gophers were caught out of sorts this season, they falter on the first games of two-game sets. Minnesota had the bye this past weekend, but I doubt that cooled the Gophers as much as it allowed for some banged-up players to recover a bit.
Hey, since this is one of the last TMQs of the season, any speculation on who will be competing in Tampa? I’d wager on Minnesota, if I were a betting woman, but I’ll be honest: the odds of the Big Ten taking a national championship this year don’t look especially high to me, in spite of the number of B1G teams among the top 10 in the PWR and the way the conference has performed against nonleague foes.
I’m worried about the way B1G teams match up nationally in several categories. Minnesota and Michigan are the top two scoring teams in the nation, but Penn State is the next best-scoring team nationally among B1G teams at 15th. Minnesota’s seventh defensively and Ohio State is 12th. After that, Notre Dame – a team that won’t be in the tournament – is the next-best defensive team in the Big Ten (21st). Penn State, Michigan State and Michigan are among the bottom half of teams nationally in defense.
And special teams are not very special in B1G Hockey. The exceptions are Minnesota’s and Michigan’s power plays, which are pretty good, and Ohio State’s nation-leading penalty kill plus Minnesota’s (13th), which is solid.
In addition to Minnesota, I like Quinnipiac in Tampa – two very non-bold picks, I know – and for reasons that are squishier, my next five in no order are Cornell, Harvard, Western Michigan, Denver and Ohio State. I think both the ECAC and the NCHC are tougher than they appear. Also, I wouldn’t take anything I pick to the bank, as longtime readers know.
This season has been so strange in so many ways, Dan. Big Ten hockey has been really fantastic and really strong – and I didn’t see that coming – but I’ve loved how close Hockey East has been. Watching the NCHC split into a two-tier league has been fascinating after the conference’s outright dominance for its first nine seasons.
What have you enjoyed the most? What has taken you by surprise? How does this season end, my friend?
Dan: You know, maybe I’m being a bit cliche or touchy-feely, but I’ll never take the feeling of showing up at the rink for granted. This year has been especially strange for me, and I’ve missed more time this season than any other season I can remember between the birth of my second child in October and a self-imposed paternity leave prior to my whole house getting the flu in December. In my interim periods, the emotion of arriving at arenas never changed. Seeing the buildings crest over a horizon and knowing I’m getting closer – it’s always been something I’ve done for myself.
We analyze a lot about hockey and try to make sense of what we know or see on the ice, but at the end of the day, the sport itself offers some of the most exciting thrills of the year. To be able to celebrate those moments – and experience the requisite lows – as a community is something I treasured when we lost it and getting it back – even as things continue to remain uncertain in the world – is a gift and a privilege.
I cherish the time I talk to coaches, and I especially close my eyes and recall moments in vivid clarity on the insides of my eyelids. The sound of the horn, the team-based celebrations, everything about this game is, at its best, what we should strive for as we confront the sometimes-icky and uncomfortable realities of the sports world’s attitude towards diversity, race, religion, gender identity, and anything else to which we have to have conversations.
I don’t know how this season ends, but I know it ends with a team exulting in the ultimate prize. Brian Riley once told me that hockey is the ultimate team sport (in context, the Army is the ultimate team), so whichever team is the best – the most cohesive, together, family-oriented, committed, and holistic – is going to raise a trophy in Tampa. Over the next few weeks, we’ll experience and witness raw emotion with an unmatched anticipation.
Even if you’re taking it in from afar, you’re there. Hockey is our sport to grow and cultivate. I hope nobody ever discounts that, and I hope I can cross paths with it again in October when we reconvene to start it all over again.
In the meantime, I root for the best of hockey … with the subtle edge towards whichever Atlantic Hockey team is defending our league’s honor … and maybe a little extra love for ECAC this year.
The 2023 NCAA Women’s Division III Hockey Tournament Bracket (Photo by @NCAADIII on Twitter)
It’s officially tournament time! How did we get here you ask? Well, we’ll review that now with a recap of the conference championships a few days ago and also take a look at this week’s upcoming games that begin on Wednesday, March 8.
The 2023 Women’s D-III NCAA Bracket Overview
Auto-Bids:
Amherst (24-3-0) – NESCAC
Plattsburgh (25-2-0) – NEWHL
Gustavus (24-3-0) – MIAC
Adrian (26-3-0) – NCHA
Norwich (19-7-2) – NEHC
Nazareth (22-5-1) – UCHC
Suffolk (18-7-2) – CCC
At-Large Bids:
Hamilton (20-5-2) – NESCAC
UW-River Falls (24-3-1) – WIAC
Middlebury (16-7-3) – NESCAC
Colby (17-7-0) – NESCAC
First-Round Matchups: March 8, 2023 (Wednesday) – 7pm EST
Norwich at Colby
Nazareth at Hamilton
Suffolk at Middlebury
Quarterfinal Matchups: March 11, 2023 (Saturday) – 3pm EST
Amherst hosts winner of Norwich/Colby
Adrian hosts winner of Nazareth/Hamilton
Plattsburgh hosts winner of Suffolk/Middlebury
UW-River Falls at Gustavus
*Frozen Four is hosted by the highest-remaining seeded team (that meets hosting requirements) after the completion of the quarterfinal round*
How it all happened
I’ll be quite brief with the recaps as there were a ton of games taking place to determine the fate of the auto-bids and sort out the remaining at-large, but nothing too crazy occurred in terms of results.
CCC
Suffolk defeats Endicott 2-1 to win their first ever CCC title (Photo by Suffolk University Athletics: Mike Broglio)
Suffolk got the job done, defeating Endicott 2-1, and winning their first-ever conference tournament, also receiving their first-ever NCAA tournament bid. There was a goal in each period, Suffolk scoring in the 1st & 2nd period to go up 2-0, while Endicott scored just over halfway through the 3rd period, it wasn’t enough in the end. Head Coach Taylor Wasylk and her Rams are going dancing for the first time ever in program history.
MIAC
Gustavus wins the MIAC title, defeating Augsburg 4-2 (Photo by Jordan Modjeski)
Gustavus rolled to a 4-2 victory over Augsburg to clinch the lone MIAC bid of the tournament. The Gusties went up a quick 2-0 in the 1st period, scoring at the 6:30 & 7:59 marks. They would add another in the 2nd to take a 3-0 lead. However, Augsburg would fight back and score two goals in the 3rd, but in the end, it wasn’t enough as Gustavus scored the game-winning empty net goal at the 19:12 mark to end it and secure the victory.
NCHA
Adrian wins the NCHA, defeating St. Norbert 4-1 (Photo by Carly Costello)
After some power outage issues due to the severe winter storm rolling through the Midwest, Adrian and St. Norbert got to play their title game a day late on Sunday. Adrian defeated lake Forest on Friday 2-0, while St. Norbert and Aurora had to wait until the following day, Saturday, to play their game, in which SNC won convincingly 5-1. On Sunday, Adrian and SNC met for the title game, Adrian won 4-1 and the game was one-sided. Adrian scored 4 unanswered goals to start the game, 1 in the 1st, 2 in the 2nd, and 1 in the 3rd. SNC did score a goal in the 3rd period, but by then it was too late.
NEHC
Norwich wins the NEHC, defeating Elmira 2-0 (Photo by Ed Hockenbury)
Norwich defeated Elmira 2-0 to secure the auto-bid. The regular season games between these two went back-and-forth, very evenly matched entering the game. The lone non-empty net goal was scored at the 2:50 mark of the 2nd period, otherwise, no goals besides the last last-minute empty netter. Norwich goaltender Leocadia Clark had a great game, getting the 38-save shutout victory.
NESCAC
Amherst wins the NESCAC, defeating Hamilton 5-0 (Photo by Mike Orazzi)
Amherst and Hamilton faced off for the championship on Saturday night, in which Amherst won the game a commanding 5-0. Amherst simply dominated this game, showing us again what they’ve done this year, play defense and win games. Shockingly enough, Hamilton actually outshot Amherst 26-20, but couldn’t find the back of the net as yet once again freshman goaltender Natalie Stott had another great performance. The Mammoths scored once in the 1st period, then twice in both the 2nd & 3rd to win the NESCAC. Side note: this game had a listed attendance of 1,080, great to see in women’s hockey.
NEWHL
Plattsburgh wins the NEWHL, defeating Cortland 2-0 (Photo by Gabe Dickens)
Plattsburgh won its 5th consecutive NEWHL title in their 2-0 win over Cortland. Plattsburgh has won all five NEWHL regular season & postseason conference titles since the conference was established. Cortland always plays Plattsburgh close, and no game is ever a given, even this one. The Cardinals scored the winner at the 2:23 mark of the 2nd period and added another on the powerplay at the 4:02 mark of the 3rd. Plattsburgh led in shots 31-16.
UCHC
Nazareth wins the UCHC, defeating Utica 3-2 in double-overtime (Photo by Nazareth College Athletics)
In my opinion, these were the two most evenly matched teams in the country based on how their games went this regular season and postseason. In the regular-season series, game-one was a registered 2-2 tie, with Nazareth winning the extra conference point in the shootout. In game-two, Nazareth won 2-1 in OT to win the UCHC regular-season title. Most recently in the conference final, these teams took it to double overtime, with Nazareth getting the 3-2 win. The crazy part of this game was this: Nazareth’s Abby Flanagan scored the tying goal with a mere 7 seconds left in the game (19:53 mark of the 3rd period) to send it to overtime. Nazareth’s Julia Holmes would eventually score the winner at the 81:55 mark of the game (1:55 of the 2nd overtime period) to send Nazareth to their second-straight NCAA tournament. Say what you want about these two teams and their overall SOS’s etc., but the 3 games they played this season were the most entertaining trio of games played by any two teams in the country.
WIAC
UW-River Falls wins the WIAC, defeating UW-Eau Claire 5-1 (Photo by Pat Deninger)
Although no auto-bid is given to the winner of the WIAC due to the conference only containing five teams, the conference usually receives 1-2 at-large bids annually. UW-River Falls defeated rival UW-Eau Claire 5-1 to win the conference title. UWEC, lacking their starting goaltender due to injury, was in for a tough task if they wanted to repeat their 7-4 win over the Falcons a few weeks ago. UWRF got off to a fast start and didn’t look back, scoring a quick 2:47 into the game and then adding another late in the 1st. They would then score once in the 2nd period and twice in the 3rd to cap off the victory. UW-River Falls luckily receives an at-large bid, the only non-NESCAC team to receive one. While UW-Eau Claire (22-4-2) is unfortunately left out of the tournament, falling one pairwise spot short to Colby (17-7-0) … Another side note, this game had an attendance of 1,024.
It’ll be an interesting tournament. Looking forward to seeing some of the matchups even though we’ll be seeing many familiar faces square up unlike the men’s side that tends to have a more diverse selection of teams, leading to more intriguing matchups. I’m sure we’ll still be plenty entertained nevertheless!
David Ciancio has been an impactful player at Saint Michael’s, both on and off the ice (photo: Jim Laskarzewski).
Saint Michael’s sophomore David Ciancio was introduced as the winner of the Northeast-10 Conference Elite 24 Award on Saturday following his team’s NE10 championship title game at Saint Anselm.
The Elite 24 Award honors the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at a finals site.
A business administration and accounting double major, Ciancio holds a 3.867 GPA. He is the second Saint Michael’s student-athlete to land Elite 24 since it was established for the 2018-19 school year.
In two seasons on the Purple Knight blue line, Ciancio has eight goals, 17 assists and 70 blocks in 46 games, going plus-9. He turned in career highs nearly across the board this season, with five goals, 12 helpers and a team-high 49 blocks. Ciancio finished plus-3.
He has landed on the NE10 academic honor roll each semester.
Tony Granato spent seven seasons behind the Wisconsin bench (USCHO file photo).
Wisconsin head coach Tony Granato will not return for the 2023-24 season.
Granato just completed his seventh season behind the Badgers’ bench.
“Coach Granato is a great Badger, and no one is more passionate about Wisconsin hockey or the University of Wisconsin than he is,” Wisconsin director of athletics Chris McIntosh said in a statement. “I have great appreciation for the heart and soul that he has poured into the program during his time as head coach.
“I believe our men’s hockey program can consistently compete at a championship level. My intention is to find a coach that will lead the effort to get us there.”
UW went 105-129-16 overall and 65-87-12 in Big Ten play during Granato’s seven seasons.
Granato led the Badgers to the 2021 Big Ten championship and the top seed for that season’s NCAA tournament to highlight a tenure that also included a pair of Big Ten tournament title game appearances in 2017 and 2021. He was named Big Ten coach of the year during those two winning seasons.
During his time as head coach, eight players who played for Granato went on to play in the NHL, while four Badgers earned All-America honors and one captured the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. He also directed the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team in PyeongChang, South Korea, during his time leading the UW program.
Granato ranks third in UW history with 100 goals and fourth with 220 points during his four-year career as a player at Wisconsin from 1983 to 1987, earning a pair of All-America honors and being named a 1987 Hobey Baker finalist.
A 2020 inductee into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and a member of the UW Athletic Hall of Fame, Granato represented his country at seven major international competitions as a player, including the 1988 Olympics, and spent 13 seasons as an NHL player and 13 years as either an NHL head or assistant coach.
Wisconsin will begin a national search for a replacement immediately.
Harvard slips down one to No. 6, Western Michigan is up one to No. 7, St. Cloud State is down two to No. 8, Ohio State stays ninth, and Michigan Tech jumps up one to No. 10.
Just one previously-unranked team is in the poll this week as RIT comes in at No. 20.
In addition to the top 20 teams, five others received votes in this week’s poll.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
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:
• Michigan State rallies to beat Notre Dame
• Holy Cross comes back from loss to oust American International
• Niagara downs Sacred Heart in three
• Ferris State completes a road sweep over Bowling Green
• Princeton and Yale both win ECAC first-round road games
• Boston University wins Hockey East regular season
• Alaska sweeps Lindenwood and stands an excellent chance at an at-large bid
• Who overachieved this season?
• What are the biggest potential upsets for this weekend?
The National College Women’s Bracket was announced on Sunday. The 11 team is set and play in the NCAA Tournament begins Thursday evening.
Ohio State, who lost the WCHA Tournament Championship game to Minnesota, retained their top spot thanks to their body of work over the course of the season and earned the top overall seed.
Yale losing their ECAC semifinal to Clarkson combined with the Gophers WCHA title elevated Minnesota to the second seed.
Colgate earned their third straight ECAC Tournament crown, which helped them take the third overall seed, while Yale ended up fourth.
Those four teams will each host a regional. OSU, Minnesota and Colgate will be host to regional semifinal contests on Thursday evening to determine the teams that will face the hosts in tournament quarterfinal matches on Saturday.
The bracket featured just one change from straight seeding based on the final Pairwise rankings. As a reminder, when the tournament field was expanded to 11 teams in December 2021, a line was added to the tournament field selection criteria that says “first-round conference matchups are avoided, unless it corrupts the integrity of the bracket.”
In this case, the first round game between the 8 and 9 seeds would have had Quinnipiac and Clarkson playing each other. To avoid that, this bracket switched 9 seed Clarkson with 10 seed Penn State.
There are no other changes needed and there isn’t another option for avoiding that conference matchup that fulfills the criteria and does not significantly affect bracket integrity.
So Quinnipiac and Penn State will play each other at 6 PM Eastern on Thursday for the right to face Ohio State in Columbus on Saturday at 5 PM Eastern on Saturday.
That puts Clarkson in the Minnesota region, facing Minnesota Duluth on Thursday at 7 PM Eastern. The winner will play Minnesota Saturday at 3 PM Eastern.
In the final region, Wisconsin will face Long Island University (LIU) at 6 PM Eastern. The winner will play Colgate on Saturday at 3 PM Eastern.
LIU won the NEWHA Tournament title and this is the first time that conference winner receives an autobid into the NCAA Tournament, so it’s a first-ever appearance for both. Penn State is also making its tournament debut.
Jason Brancheau popped the OT winner for Ferris State last Saturday night to eliminate Bowling Green from the CCHA postseason (photo: Ferris State Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Michigan State gets first-ever B1G playoff win
After dropping the first game of their quarterfinal series against Notre Dame, the Spartans beat the Fighting Irish in two 4-2 games to advance to the Big Ten conference semifinals.
Saturday’s win was the first-ever Big Ten playoff win for Michigan State. The last time that the Spartans won a conference playoff series was in 2013, when Michigan State beat Alaska in two of three road games in the CCHA tournament.
MSU takes its first lead of the night on this play right off the faceoff. What an assist by Müller. pic.twitter.com/UFyaZgBhKF
Freshman Tiernan Shoudy’s sixth goal of the season was the game-winner in Sunday’s contest. Dylan St. Cyr – who began his career with Notre Dame – made 108 saves in the three-game set.
The Spartans travel to take on top-seed Minnesota in a single-elimination B1G playoff game Saturday.
2. Ferris State upsets Bowling Green with two OT winners
For the first time since 2016, Ferris State advances to conference semifinal action, upsetting Bowling Green, 4-3 and 2-1.
The Bulldogs were the only lower-seed CCHA team to win on the road in quarterfinal play, winning each night in overtime after Bowling Green scored within the final two minutes of regulation each night to send the games to OT.
Nick Mardecchia had the Friday winner at 14:04 and Jason Brancheau had Saturday’s at 4:04, both even-strength goals. Goaltender Noah Giesbrecht made 71 saves in the series.
The Bulldogs will travel to face Minnesota State in a single-elimination semifinal match Saturday.
3. Connecticut prevails over Boston College for home ice
Connecticut’s 6-5 win over Boston College in the final game of the Hockey East regular season mirrored the conference’s season as a whole: wild, close and down to the wire.
Trailing 6-3, the Eagles scored two late third-period goals but couldn’t catch the Huskies, who will host UMass-Lowell in a single-elimination Hockey East quarterfinal game Saturday.
Justin Pearson had a hat trick for the Huskies and Jake Black had the eventual game-winner early in the third period.
4. Tigers in the hunt, in more ways than one
With 5-3 and 4-3 Atlantic Hockey quarterfinal wins over Mercyhurst, RIT is in the hunt for more than just an AHA title. To advance to the NCAA tournament, the Tigers need to win the Atlantic Hockey playoff championship for the tourney autobid that comes with it.
Trailing 3-1 in Saturday’s win, the Tigers began their comeback with Simon Isabelle’s goal at 18:13 in the second and tied the game at 3:46 in the third when Cody Laskosky netted his 13th of the season.
It was Gianfranco Cassaro from Laskosky who scored on the power play at 3:09 in OT to give the Tigers the win and the sweep. Cassaro also assisted on Laskosky’s game-tying goal.
The Tigers will host Holy Cross this weekend in a best-of-three semifinal AHA tourney series. Holy Cross, the seventh seed in the AHA playoffs, upset No. 2 AIC with a pair of 4-3 wins, with Sunday’s Game 3 decided in OT.
5. Alaska at-large
The Nanooks are truly a team in charge of their own destiny. Playing as an independent team without a conference home, Alaska finished the season 22-10-2 after sweeping Lindenwood, 4-1 and 8-0, to cap a six-game win streak and solidify a sweet, slightly precarious spot at No. 13 in the PairWise Rankings.
A few upsets by underdogs lower in the PWR may hurt the Nanooks’ chances to make the NCAA tournament, but the odds are in Alaska’s favor.
The last independent team to make the NCAA tournament was Arizona State, in 2019.
6. A comeback in more ways than one
In two close games, Michigan swept visiting Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals, 5-4 and 7-4.
Both games were back-and-forth affairs, with Michigan having to come from behind in Friday’s overtime win, a game in which Wisconsin’s Mathieu De St. Phalle earned a hat trick,
Trailing 5-4 with 23 seconds remaining in regulation Friday, Michigan tied the game when Rutger McGroarty scored from Mackie Samoskevich, sending the game to OT.
At 9:06 in overtime, Steven Holtz had the game-winning goal from McGroarty. It was Holtz’s first career goal and was remarkable in more ways than one. Holtz, a junior defenseman, was in a medically induced coma in November with a bout of adenovirus that went through the Michigan team.
Saturday’s game was tied 4-4 until Nolan Moyle’s game-winning goal at 17:40 in the third, the first of three markers the Wolverines registered in the final three minutes of regulation.
The Wolverines will host Ohio State in a single-elimination B1G semifinal game Saturday.
7. Three AHA series take three games to decide
It took three games to decide three quarterfinal series in both Atlantic Hockey and the Big Ten.
In the AHA, No. 4 seed Canisius outlasted No. 5 seed Army, two games to one. After their 5-2 Friday win, the Golden Griffins lost 1-0 in overtime Saturday but shut out the Black Knights 3-0 Sunday, with Jacob Barczewski making 29 saves in his second shutout of the season.
Also in Atlantic Hockey, Holy Cross took AIC to three games, downing the Yellow Jackets 4-3 in OT on Sunday as Liam McLinskey netted the winner.
After dropping the opening game of their quarterfinal series 3-1, the sixth-seed Niagara Purple Eagles upset No. 3 Sacred Heart with wins Saturday and Sunday. The Purple Eagles went three-for-five on the power play in Sunday’s 7-3 win, in which they finished the game with five total unanswered goals.
Niagara will travel to Canisius for a best-of-three semifinal series this weekend.
8. Similar series, different results
In addition to Michigan State taking Notre Dame to the mat in the Big Ten, the series between No. 3 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State went to three games – a repeat of last year’s Big Ten quarterfinal series but with different results.
The Buckeyes will advance to the Big Ten quarterfinals with their 3-1 win over visiting Penn State Sunday. Six minutes after Kevin Wall gave the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead in the seconds and moments after Ohio State’s second goal of the game was disallowed, Cole McWard scored his seventh of the season on the power play to tie the game 1-1 at 12:08. At 15:38, Scooter Brickey netted the game-winner, his third of the season.
The Buckeyes beat the Nittany Lions 5-1 Friday, but Penn State won in overtime Saturday, 2-1.
Last year, Penn State ended Ohio State’s season by taking the final two games of the three-game quarterfinal series in Columbus. This season, the Buckeyes advance but the season isn’t over for the Nittany Lions, who are No. 8 in the PairWise Rankings and will play in the NCAA tournament.
Ohio State faces Michigan Saturday in Ann Arbor in a single-elimination playoff series.
9. The NCHC playoff field is set
Following the final weekend of regulation play, the NCHC quarterfinal field looks like this:
No. 8 Miami at No. 1 Denver
No. 7 Colorado College at No. 2 Western Michigan
No. 6 North Dakota at No. 3 Omaha
No. 5 Minnesota Duluth at No. 4 St. Cloud State
The series are best-of-three, and the winners advance to single-elimination semifinal games played Friday, March 17.
The seedings make for back-to-back series between the Fighting Hawks and the Mavericks. To end the regular season, North Dakota swept Omaha at home in two one-goal games, a 5-4 OT win Friday and 2-1 Saturday.
10. ECAC moves on to the quarterfinals, too
Following the first round of ECAC single-elimination playoff hockey, the league’s quarterfinal field is set for a weekend of best-of-three play.
This season, the league changed its playoff hockey to include a single game with seeds 5 through 8 hosting the seeds 9-12.
In that first round, two lower seeds advanced. No. 9 Princeton beat No. 7 Union, 6-4, and No. 10 Yale beat No. 8 Rensselaer 4-1.
Reseeded, the quarterfinals now look like this:
No. 8 Yale at No. 1 Quinnipiac
No. 7 Princeton at No. 2 Harvard
No. 6. Clarkston at No. 3 Cornell
No. 5 Colgate at No. 4 St. Lawrence
Darci Matson put up the offensive numbers this season for Aurora (photo: Steve Woltmann).
The NCHA women’s conference has announced its 2022-23 season award winners, including player of the year, coach of the year, freshman of the year, the all-conference team, and the all-freshman team.
The 2022-23 player of the year is Darci Matson, a sophomore forward at Aurora. The Wasilla, Alaska, native not only paced the conference in scoring from start to finish, but also leads the NCAA Division III level in total points (31 goals, 32 assists, 63 points), points-per-game (2.42; second is 1.81), and assists (32), while sitting second in goals (31; leader has 32) and tied for second in game-winning goals (seven; leader has eight).
“Darci is truly a one-of-a-kind player,” Aurora coach Jackie Kooistra said. “She can play in any position and in any situation. Her work ethic and compete level is contagious. Darci is also a team-first kind of athlete. Everything she does is for the betterment and advancement of this team. With her older sister being on the inaugural AU team, Darci strives to continue the legacy they have built.”
One year after earning NCHA freshman of the year accolades, Matson becomes the first sophomore to claim player of the year status in the NCHA since the 2018-19 season.
“The creativity she demonstrates, it’s absolutely amazing,” Kooistra said. “It would be a disservice of me to stifle that, so I encourage her and also give her and her teammates platforms to come up with plays. This really keeps the creativity flowing and keeps the game fun.”
Matson really left an impression in NCHA-only action, ending the regular season at the top of all of the offensive leaderboards. In league play, Matson put together an 19-20-39 statline that gave her the top point, goal, and assist numbers league-wide this winter.
“Darci is not the first Matson to skate in the AU blue,” Kooistra said. “Following in her big sister Olivia’s (17-59-76 in 109 games from 2017 to 2022 at Aurora) footsteps, Darci is continuing a legacy of creativity, playmaking, and scoring. When you think of the name Matson here at AU, you think of family first and then extreme talent. Coming from a big family, Darci is always crediting all of her achievements and success to her mom, dad, and brothers and sisters.”
Matson is the first Spartan to earn league player of the year honors since the program joined the NCHA for the 2017-18 campaign.
“As a person, Darci is extremely humble,” Kooistra said. “While topping the leaderboard in all of NCAA she still doubles as our team’s equipment manager and does the team laundry. You will not find a more deserving athlete for this amazing honor. Hockey is in her blood, and this young woman is an amazing athlete and an even better person. I cannot say enough good things about this extraordinary athlete. We are lucky to call her family.”
The league coaches also voted for freshman of the year, seeing Makayla Spejcher of Concordia Wisconsin earn the distinction. The newcomer put together an impressive campaign, finishing tied for eighth in overall points (15-12-27 in 27 games), while compiling 21 points (10-11-21) in league play to rank fifth in scoring in NCHA-only action. She was also named to the all-league squad – the only freshman to make that cut this season.
The 2022-23 coach of the year is St. Norbert’s A.J. Aitken, the first of his career. One year after leading his team to a school-record 20 victories, Aitken is one win away from tying that mark again, sitting at 19-5-3 overall including a 13-2-1 ledger in NCHA play that saw the team finish second and playing for the regular-season title until the final weekend. The team has been ranked for numerous weeks in the USCHO.com Division III Women’s Poll and currently sits at No. 14.
2022-23 Women’s NCHA All-Conference Team (alphabetical)
Forward: Une Bjelland, Sr., Adrian
Forward: Natalie Hogan, So., St. Norbert
Forward: Darci Matson, So., Aurora
Forward: Emily Reimche, Sr., Concordia Wisconsin
Forward: Kelsey Ross, So., St. Norbert
Forward: Makayla Spejcher, Fr., Concordia Wisconsin
Forward: Jessica VonRuden, Gr., Adrian
Defense: Ava Eid, Jr., Aurora
Defense: Ava Jaschke, Sr., St. Norbert
Defense: Maya Roy, Jr., Adrian
Defense: Kathryn Truban, Jr., Adrian
Goalie: Sophie Goldberg, Sr., Adrian
Goalie: Kayla Kolpitcke, Jr., Marian
Goalie: Hannah Turnage, Sr., Lake Forest
All-Freshman Team
F: Bailey Brunnhoelzl, St. Norbert
F: Tia Lascelle, Adrian
F: Makayla Spejcher, Concordia Wisconsin
D: Willow Poppleton, Lake Forest
D: Grace Wittkopf, St. Norbert
G: Casey Frank, Trine
Michigan players celebrate after Steven Holtz’s game-winning goal in overtime Friday night (photo: Michigan Photography).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Feb. 27 fared in games over the weekend of March 3-5.
No. 1 Minnesota (25-8-1)
Did not play.
No. 2 Quinnipiac (28-3-3)
Did not play.
No. 3 Denver (28-8-0)
03/03/2023 – Colorado College 1 at No. 3 Denver 2
03/04/2023 – No. 3 Denver 4 at Colorado College 2
No. 4 Michigan (22-11-3)
03/03/2023 – Wisconsin 5 at No. 4 Michigan 6 (OT, Big Ten quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – Wisconsin 4 at No. 4 Michigan 7 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 2
No. 5 Harvard (21-6-2)
Did not play.
No. 6 St. Cloud State (20-11-3)
03/03/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 4 at No. 6 St. Cloud State 3
03/04/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 3 at No. 6 St. Cloud State 4 (OT)
No. 7 Boston University (24-10-0)
03/03/2023 – RV Providence 4 at No. 7 Boston University 6
03/04/2023 – No. 7 Boston University 2 at RV Providence 0
No. 8 Western Michigan (23-12-1)
03/03/2023 – No. 8 Western Michigan 5 at Miami 0
03/04/2023 – No. 8 Western Michigan 5 at Miami 4 (OT)
No. 9 Ohio State (20-14-3)
03/03/2023 – No. 10 Penn State 1 at No. 9 Ohio State 5 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – No. 10 Penn State 2 at No. 9 Ohio State 1 (OT, Big Ten quarterfinal Game 2)
03/05/2023 – No. 10 Penn State 1 at No. 9 Ohio State 3 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 3)
No. 10 Penn State (21-15-1)
03/03/2023 – No. 10 Penn State 1 at No. 9 Ohio State 5 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – No. 10 Penn State 2 at No. 9 Ohio State 1 (OT, Big Ten quarterfinal Game 2)
03/05/2023 – No. 10 Penn State 1 at No. 9 Ohio State 3 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 3)
No. 11 Michigan Tech (24-9-4)
03/03/2023 – St. Thomas 0 at No. 11 Michigan Tech 1 (CCHA quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – St. Thomas 4 at No. 11 Michigan Tech 5 (CCHA quarterfinal Game 2)
No. 12 Cornell (18-9-2)
Did not play.
No. 13 Minnesota State (23-12-1)
03/03/2023 – Lake Superior State 1 at No. 13 Minnesota State 6 (CCHA quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – Lake Superior State 1 at No. 13 Minnesota State 2 (CCHA quarterfinal Game 2)
No. 14 Omaha (18-13-3)
03/03/2023 – No. 14 Omaha 4 at RV North Dakota 5 (OT)
03/04/2023 – No. 14 Omaha 1 at RV North Dakota 2
No. 19 Notre Dame (16-16-5)
03/03/2023 – No. 20 Michigan State 0 at No. 19 Notre Dame 1 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – No. 20 Michigan State 4 at No. 19 Notre Dame 2 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 2)
03/05/2023 – No. 20 Michigan State 4 at No. 19 Notre Dame 2 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 3)
No. 20 Michigan State (18-17-2)
03/03/2023 – No. 20 Michigan State 0 at No. 19 Notre Dame 1 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 1)
03/04/2023 – No. 20 Michigan State 4 at No. 19 Notre Dame 2 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 2)
03/05/2023 – No. 20 Michigan State 4 at No. 19 Notre Dame 2 (Big Ten quarterfinal Game 3)
Plattsburgh returned to the top of the SUNYAC with a 2-1 road win over Oswego on Saturday for their first conference championship since the 2016-17 season. (Photo by Angelo Lisuzzo)
What an amazing weekend of D-II/III college hockey as championships were decided across each of the conferences in the region. While NESCAC created the most drama with a No. 7 Bowdoin vs. a No. 8 Williams overtime title game, Plattsburgh returned to the top of the SUNYAC with a heart-stopping 2-1 win at Oswego and Utica found a way to get past a determined Nazareth squad to capture the UCHC again. Hobart, Endicott, Plymouth State and St. Anselm all won in far less dramatic fashion and several regional teams are now hoping to hear their name called as at-large bids for the NCAA tournament starting this week. Here is this week’s wrap-up of all the exciting playoff action:
Endicott celebrates their third CCC championship following a 6-0 win over Curry (Photo by Endicott Athletics)
CCC Championship
Endicott played host to Curry looking for their third CCC championship overall and first since the 2019-20 season. The Gulls quickly showed that they came to take the title as they started fast in the first period with constant pressure and were rewarded with goals from Zach Mazur and Jack Ring for a 2-0 lead after the first period. The same formula was in place in the second period as Eric Johansson extended the lead to 3-0 before Primo Self scored in the final minute of play for a comfortable 4-0 lead after forty minutes of play. The Colonels struggled to get any sustained offense against Ryan Wilson who was outstanding in the Endicott goal stopping each Curry foray to the goal. The third period saw two more Gull goals from Noah Strawn and Jackson Sterrett for the final 6-0 score which is the largest margin in a CCC title game. Wilson earned the shutout win making 24 saves as Endicott outshot Curry by a 43-24 margin.
Plymouth State took home their fourth consecutive MASCAC title with a 5-2 win over Worcester State (photo by Plymouth State Athletics)
MASCAC Championship
Due to weather in the northeast, the conference semifinals were postponed twice and finally played on Wednesday. Plymouth State hosted Massachusetts-Dartmouth and after a scoreless first period saw their offense break out behind a pair of goals from Will Redick and a goal and an assist from Myles Abbate. Three goals in each of the second and third periods saw the Panthers cruise to a 6-0 win. Goaltender Brendahn Brawley made 31 saves to earn the shutout win.
The second semifinal saw far more intrigue as Worcester state hosted Salem State in a seesaw affair. After Jason Lee gave the lancers a 1-0 lead through the first twenty minutes, the Vikings responded with three straight goals Kandyn Greatorex, Keagan O’Donoghue and Erik Larsson in the first five minutes of the second period to stun the Lancers. Kevin Drevitch cut the deficit to one goal before the end of the second period as the Vikings held a 3-2 lead after two periods of play. The Lancers took a page out of the Vikings playbook as Brendan Ronan scored just 26 seconds into the third period and Shane Prifrel gave the hosts a 4-3 lead just over two minutes later. That lead lasted until the final minute of regulation when Luke Pepin tied the game for the Vikings at 4-4 sending the contest to overtime. The Lancers wasted no time deciding the contest in the extra session as Max Roth found the back of the net just 39 seconds after the puck-drop to earn Worcester State a 5-4 win and spot in the title game.
In the championship game, both teams brought high intensity and exchanged goals just 47 seconds apart for a 1-1 tie after the first period. The Panthers brought their scoring game in the second period as Connor Tait, Niks Krollis and Dante Moretti scored to give the Panthers a comfortable 4-1 lead after two periods of play. Will Redick for PSU and Martin Dlugolinsky from Worcester State would exchange goals in the final period for a 5-2 final score and Plymouth State’s fourth consecutive MASCAC title. Brendahn Brawley stopped 20 of 22 shots in the championship game earning MVP honors.
Hobart knocked off the defending NEHC champions from Babson by a 5-1 score to secure their second conference title (Photo by Hobart Athletics)
NEHC Championship
Hobart hosted the defending NEHC champions from Babson and took advantage of a fast start and three first period goals to put the Beavers in a difficult position for a comeback. Jonah Alexander opened the scoring in the first three minutes of action and Luke Aquaro and Tanner Daniels extended the lead to 3-0 by the end of the first period. Babson’s Brendan Kennedy would score an unassisted goal as the only marker of the second period leaving the Beavers with a two-goal deficit entering the final period of play. Zach Tyson put a dagger in the visitors’ hopes with a shorthanded goal just over a minute into the third period and Aquaro’s second of the game provided the final margin in Hobart’s 5-1 win. Damon Beaver made 14 saves to earn the win as the Statesmen outshot the Beavers by a 43-15 margin.
Bowdoin as the No. 7 seed wins NESCAC title with 3-2 OT win over No. 8 Williams on Sunday afternoon – fifth overtime game of the conference tournament (Photo by Bowdoin Athletics)
NESCAC Championship
The quarterfinal round saw three upsets and three overtime games in the four games and the semifinals on Saturday continued the trend with both lower seeds advancing to the conference championship in big rivalry games that included yet another overtime game.
Bowdoin entered their contest with long-time rival Colby having lost 12 straight contests to the Mules. Neither team could score in the first period and it was Colby who broke the ice on a goal from Carter Breitenfeldt for a 1-0 lead. Midway through the second period, Bobby Murray answered for the Polar Bears, leaving the game tied at 1-1 after forty minutes of play. In the third period, Patrick Callahan with an assist from Chris Brown gave Bowdoin a 2-1 lead and Brown also assisted on Joe Alexander’s empty-net goal that iced the 3-1 win for the No. 7 seed. Alex Kozic was outstanding in goal stopping 33 of 34 shots for Bowdoin.
In the other semifinal, Amherst hosted their long-time rival Williams in a fast paced game that featured lots of chances but no goals for the first sixty minutes of play. William goaltender Evan Ruschil and Amherst netminder Dan Dachille matched each other save for save through sixty minutes of action leaving the game tied at 0-0 through the end of regulation. In the overtime session, the Ephs took advantage of a power play with forward Ziv Deener-Chodirker finding a loose puck in the crease to score on the rebound and send the No. 8 seed Ephs to Sunday’s title game.
The title game was a fast-paced game that saw four goals scored for a 2-2 tie after twenty minutes of action. Andy Stoneman provided both goals for the Polar Bears, including one just 14 seconds after the opening face-off. Bowdoin, who earned the home team designation as the No. 7 seed, wore their white jerseys that the team brought just in case they advanced. The pace continued throughout penalty-free game for the next two periods and both goalies were exceptional in keeping the game tied at 2-2 through regulation. Evan Ruschil from Williams finished the three periods with 50 saves while Bowdoin’s Alex Kozic held up his end with 36 stops.
The winner would be decided in overtime, which seemed quite apropos considering the competitiveness of the NESCAC tournament this season. Both teams continued their fast pace and taking quality shots on goal with the goaltenders keeping the opposition at bay. Bowdoin had several quality chances steered aside by Ruschil before an offensive zone face-off turned into some sustained pressure that led to Stoneman and Albert Waschco forcing play below the goal line before feeding Bobby Pearl coming off the left point who rifled a shot over Ruschil’s right shoulder to give the Polar Bears and first-year coach Ben Guite the NESCAC championship with a 3-2 OT win.
St. Anselm took the NE-10 title over rival St. Michael’s on Saturday by a 5-1 score (Photo by St. Anselm Athletics)
NE-10 Championship
The Hawks hosted the Purple Knights who had been a red-hot team for most of the second half of the season and into the playoffs. The Hawks earned home ice by winning the regular season title and took advantage of the friendly confines of Sullivan Arena with goals from five different players and 39 saves from goaltender Nick Howard on their way to a 5-1 win and their first NE-10 championship since the 2017-18 season. Garrett Alberti and Liam Lyons gave St. A’s a 2-0 lead after on period of play and Will Christensen extended the margin to 3-0 after two periods of play. Richie Colarusso and Luke Linart put the game out of reach with third period goals before Ashton Allain scored late for the Purple Knights to break Howard’s shutout bid. Max Burum and Luke Mix each picked up two assists in the Hawks’ record setting 23rd win of the season.
SUNYAC Championship
In a game featuring familiar rivals meeting for the fourth time this season, Plattsburgh captured their first SUNYAC title since the 2016-17 season with a 2-1 road win over Oswego on Saturday night. The Cardinals got exactly the start they needed with forward Adam Tretowicz scoring an unassisted goal in the opening two minutes of play to give Plattsburgh a 1-0 lead. The game stayed 1-0 until late in the third period when Carson Gallagher took a pass from Bennett Stockdale on a odd-man rush and put the puck past goaltender Cal Schell for a 2-0 lead. Oswego would not quit and kept the pressure on Eli Schiller in the Cardinals’ goal. Tommy Cahill scored in the final minute to close the gap to 2-1 but that is all Schiller would surrender as he registered 14 of his 26 saves in the final period.
“This year we were pretty dialed in since day one, said Plattsburgh head coach Steve Moffatt. “We have taken it day-by day. We have had incredible leadership – our leadership group Matt Araujo, Mitch Hale, Adam Tretowicz, Bran Hogg and Bennett Stockdale have been outstanding. They have been the rock for our team this year.”
“The first game when we came down here it was a 5-1 game, but I don’t think the score was indicative of the game,” noted Moffatt. “ We really haven’t changed much. I think we have just gotten better at what we are doing. These guys were blocking shots, left and right. That is what wins games – that and winning battles. If you do that consistently you will be successful.”
Utica fought past a tough Nazareth squad to earn their second consecutive UCHC title on Saturday (Photo by Kayleigh Sturtev – Utica Athletics)
UCHC Championship
In a game that figured to be a close contest, Utica and Nazareth did not disappoint in the UCHC championship game on Saturday. Both teams came out flying and while the Pioneers carried the advantage on the shot counter, it was Michael DiSchiavi that gave the Golden Flyers a 1-0 lead midway through the first period. The second period was all Utica as Brandon Osmundson leveled the score at 1-1 just under two minutes into the middle frame. Dante Zapata scored shorthanded for a 2-1 Pioneer lead and Buster Larsson added a power play goal to extend the margin to two goals. Kimball Johnson added the fourth Utica goal of the period for a 4-1 lead before Blake Frost answered for Nazareth to close the gap to 4-2 after two periods of play.. The third period saw Nazareth rally back to a one-goal deficit on a goal from Logan Tobias but that is all goaltender Bryan Landsberger would surrender. Zapata would add an empty-net goal to provide some insurance in a 5-3 win that earned Utica their second straight UCHC championship.
Three Biscuits
Nick Howard – St. Anselm – stopped 39 of 40 shots and earned NE-10 Tournament Most Outstanding Player honors in the Hawks 5-1 championship game win over St. Michael’s on Saturday.
Luke Aquaro – Hobart – scored a pair of goals to lead the Statesmen to a 5-1 win over Babson and earn their second NEHC championship.
Eli Schiller – Plattsburgh – stopped 26 of 27 shots including 14 in the final period to backstop Plattsburgh to the SUNYAC championship in a 2-1 win at Oswego.
Bonus Biscuit
Bobby Pearl – Bowdoin – scored the game-winning goal in overtime to give the No. 7 seeded Polar Bears a 3-2 win over Williams College for the NESCAC championship.
Championship week absolutely did not disappoint as the action was great and continued the season-long trend of exciting contests and results that were far from predictable. Monday brings the NCAA selection show and with it I believe a 9-3 split in the East/West representation for this year’s national tournament. The auto-bids include: Bowdoin (NESCAC) Endicott (CCC), Hobart (NEHC), Plattsburgh (SUNYAC), Plymouth State (MASCAC), and Utica (UCHC). I believe the three at-large bids will include: Curry (CCC), University of New England (CCC) and Norwich (NEHC). We all find out on the NCAA selection show which can be seen live online on NCAA.com at 10 AM EST on Monday, March 6.
Thanks to Russell Jaslow, Mr. SUNYAC for his coverage and quotes from the Plattsburgh v. Oswego championship game on Saturday.
The Augsburg Auggies won the MIAC title Saturday and are headed back to the NCAA Tournament. (Photo Credit: Derek Montgomery, Augsburg Athletics)
There was a stretch in early in the season that made it seem as if Augsburg was a long way off from contending for a conference title.
The Auggies dropped five out of six games between the start of December and first half of January.
Since then, Augsburg has been one of the better teams in college hockey, and its late-season surge was punctuated by a MIAC tournament championship Saturday night on the road.
Up against conference front-runner St. Scholastica, the top seed in the tournament, the Auggies dominated from the start and skated to a 4-1 win over the Saints to wi the Ed Saugestad Cup and automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
The championship is their first since 2019 and the sixth in program history, and with the win, they are headed back to the tournament for the second consecutive year and the eighth time overall.
Three of their four goals came off special teams, with Nick Woodward getting things going on a power play goal less than three minutes into the action.
Gavin Holland then added a shorthanded goal for a 2-0 lead. The Saints cut the lead to 2-1 before the end of the opening period but the Auggies scored twice in the second to take control for good.
Goals by Erik Palmqvist and Vincent Weis capped the scoring for the Auggies, who also got a stellar performance from goaltender Samuel Vyletelka. He stopped 25 saves for his 12th win of the year. The Auggies held a 37-26 advantage in shots, including a 27-13 edge over the final two period of play.
Tyler Hinterser scored the lone goal for the Saints. Goalie Jack Bostedt made 33 saves as the Saints saw their special season, which included the first MIAC title in program history, come to an end. The Saints finish the year at 17-7-3.
Augsburg, the second seed in the tourney, improves to 16-9-2 and has won nine of its last 13 games.
Bulldogs dominate NCHA final
To say top-seeded Adrian dominated second-seeded Aurora in the NCHA tournament championship game Saturday night would be an understatement.
Three goals in the opening period of play. Four more in the second. And one for good measure in the third propelled the reigning national champions to an 8-1 win over the Spartans at the Arrington Ice Arena.
The Adrian Bulldogs won the NCHA title on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Adrian Athletics)
The third-ranked Bulldogs clinched their second consecutive Harris Cup title and their 10th overall in program history.
Ayodele Adeniye, Jaden Shields and Mathew Rehding all scored in the opening period as Adrian raced out to a 3-0 lead.
Eighth-ranked Aurora scored its lone goal of the game in the second thanks to Derrick Budz. That made the score 3-1.
Zachary Heintz, John Kaljian, Connor May, Alessio Luciani and Jacob Suede all scored goals as well for the Bulldogs while Ty Enns dished out three assists. May, Shields and Heintz all tallied assists to go along with their goals.
Nic Tallarico came through with 30 saves.
All six members of the all-tourney team were from Adrian. It’s the first time the entire squad has been from the same team. Rehding, Luciani, Shields, Chase Spencer and Tallarico all made the squad. For Luciani, his goal in Saturday’s win marked the 150th point of his career. He’s only the seventh in program history to get to that milestone.
Aurora’s season ends with a 19-8-2 record and proved to be the best in program history for the Spartans.
The Bulldogs are 23-4-2 and have won four consecutive games. They won all three of their games against Aurora this season, outscoring the Spartans 24-7 in the three meetings.
Next up is the NCAA tournament where the Bulldogs will take aim at a repeat for the first time in program history.
Pointers punch ticket to tournament
For the first time ever an automatic bid to the NCAA tourney was on the line in the WIAC championship game.
And the Pointers made sure to take advantage of that opportunity, winning its fourth conference tournament crown in program history with a 5-1 win over UW-Eau Claire inside a sold-out KB. Willett Arena.
The game paired the two top two seeds in the tourney against each other.
UW-Stevens Point won the WIAC crown on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Addison Young, UW-Stevens Point Athletics)
The Commissioner’s Cup championship is the first for UW-Stevens Point since 2019 when it went on to win the national title. It is now 19-5-4 on the year.
It didn’t take long for the Pointers to get on the board. They scored just one minute and 15 seconds into the action on a goal by Harrison Stewart.
The Pointers led 2-1 after Mick Heneghan scored a few minutes later.
The Blugolds cut their deficit to 2-1 in the second on a goal by Quinn Green, but the Pointers took control from there.
Dawson Sciarrino made it 3-1 at the 8:29 mark of the second and Brett Humberstone pushed the lead to 4-1 a minute into the third period. Jordan Fader scored the Pointers’ final goal.
Sciarrino came through with a pair of assists to go along with his goal. Humberstone dished out an assist as well. Heneghan and Andrew Poulias both dished out two assists apiece in the win.
Ryan Wagner made 24 saves, including 15 in the third, to help UW-Stevens Point seal the deal.
Max Gutjahr tallied 18 saves for the Blugolds, who see their season come to an end with an 18-9-1 record. They came into the game having won their last four.
Next Up: The 12-team NCAA tournament field will be announced Monday at 9 a.m. Central time on NCAA.com. First-round games will be held Saturday and the quarterfinals are scheduled for March 18th. The final four and championship are slated for March 24th and 26th.
CHA commissioner Robert DeGregorio drops the puck Saturday between Mercyhurst’s Liliane Perreault and Penn State’s Kiara Zanon (photo: College Hockey America).
College Hockey America announced Saturday that the conference’s postseason championship trophy will be renamed the Robert DeGregorio Cup in honor of retiring CHA commissioner Robert DeGregorio.
The announcement was made Saturday afternoon as DeGregorio participated in a pre-game puck drop prior to the start of the CHA championship game between Penn State and Mercyhurst at Pegula ice Arena in University Park, Pa.
“College Hockey America has seen considerable growth and change under Bob DeGregorio’s leadership,” CHA board chairman and Syracuse senior associate athletics director Jamie Mullin said in a news release. “We want to recognize his service and commitment to the conference in a lasting and meaningful way by naming our postseason trophy in his honor.”
DeGregorio has served as the CHA’s commissioner since the 2010-11 season. The Winthrop, Mass., native oversaw the addition of Lindenwood, Penn State and RIT to the league and the readmittance of Robert Morris for 2023-24 following the Colonials’ reinstatement of their program in December 2021. In 2020-21, he steered the CHA through a season truncated by COVID-19 mandates to deliver regular season and postseason competition for the league’s student-athletes and coaches.
Nationally, the CHA has appeared in a pair of Frozen Fours during his time at the league’s helm (Mercyhurst in 2013, 2014). Four CHA players have earned All-America honors during his tenure while a pair of league players earned national rookie of the year honors in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
MINNEAPOLIS – Putting together one of the most complete games for the program in years, the Minnesota Golden Gophers won the WCHA Tournament Championship on Saturday, defeating the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes 3-1.
The started off evenly matched, with the teams trading possessions and looking for an opening. The Gophers took a 1-0 lead late in the first period on a puck that popped up off OSU goalie Amanda Thiele and then fell back and trickled into the net.
On the closing play of the first, Ohio State’s Jenn Gardiner took umbrage to some contact from Minnesota’s Abbey Murphy. She pushed Murphy in the face mask and was given a penalty that upon review was upgraded to five minute major for contact to the head.
The Buckeyes were absolutely stellar on the ensuing penalty kill to start the second period. Minnesota never really got set up as Ohio State pressured them in the neutral zone and sent the Gophers back behind their net to regroup over and over again. While such a big kill would normally provide a boost to a team, OSU coach Nadine Muzerall said it left her team exhausted and they weren’t able to recapture what they had been building in the first period.
“I think in the second period, having a five-minute major, that hurt our momentum—even though I think it was a brilliant penalty kill,” Muzerall said.
The Gophers extended their lead in the second on the power play with a goal from Murphy to make it 2-0, but Minnesota coach Brad Frost said there was no point in the game where he thought his team’s lead was secure.
Ohio State narrowed the lead to 2-1 when Gabby Rosenthal buried the rebound after Makenna Webster’s shot on the breakaway was saved. That seemed like it might be a turning point for the Buckeyes, but it was not meant to be. Minnesota squashed any hope of building on that goal when Peyton Hemp’s shot got through Amanda Thiele 62 seconds later and made it a 3-1 game.
In last year’s WCHA Championship, these two teams were in the same situation heading into the final frame – Minnesota was up by two goals. In 2022, the Buckeyes staged a comeback and won in overtime.
“One of the things I admire about [Muzerall] and her team is that they are never out of the fight—ever,” Frost said. “They keep coming at you, and so we knew they were going to have a good [third] period. We made it a point to say, if you want to try to knock off the defending champs, you have to raise your game to another level—and they did.”
The Gophers were relentless, putting pressure on Ohio State in every part of the ice. They blocked shots, they held onto the puck, they engineered a number of odd-skater rushes. Minnesota made pests of themselves to keep the Buckeyes from ever getting a chance to build anything or mount a comeback.
Frost said he thought his team needed the confidence of beating Wisconsin in the semifinal to remember what kind of team they’re capable of being. That win was a catalyst for the performance they put on Saturday afternoon.
“I’m super excited for our group. This team obviously has a lot of talent, but I think you saw this weekend, in particular tonight, the heart and the passion and the care that they play with. It was just so fun to watch and really fun to coach and be a part of. It was a group effort,” Frost said.
Despite the loss, Ohio State is the top seed heading into the NCAA tournament. Minnesota moved up to second in the Pairwise. Both teams will host a regional next weekend. They will find out their opponents Sunday at 12 pm Eastern during the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNews.
Connecticut bounced back from a Friday night loss to Boston College to defeat the Eagles, 6-5, and earn the final home ice spot in the Hockey East quarterfinals (Photo: Courtesy UConn athletics)
The Connecticut Huskies will enjoy the comforts of its newly-minted Toscano Family Ice Forum as they will host the UMass Lowell River Hawks in next weekend’s single-game Hockey East quarterfinals after the Huskies earned a wild 6-5 victory over Northeastern on Saturday.
SAVE THAT PUCK!!!!
Jake Black with a snipe for his first career goal 🎯🎯
Combined with UMass Lowell’s loss to Northeastern, 7-3, UConn moved into fourth place in the final Hockey East standings.
Both Lowell and UConn will earn first-round byes in the tournament.
Justin Pearson scored a hat trick for UConn in a game they Huskies grabbed leads of 5-2 and 6-3 then held on as the visiting Eagles rallied late but fell short.
North Dakota 2, No. 14 Omaha 1
North Dakota may be the team no one wants to face in the postseason after the Fighting Hawks completed a weekend sweep of Omaha, 2-1.
Now 4-0-2 in their last six, the Fighting Hawks will face Omaha again next weekend in a best-of-three quarterfinal series. This time, the games will be played in Omaha.
Chris Jandric scored the game-winning goal for North Dakota, breaking a 1-1 tie with 3:02 remaining in regulation.
The North Dakota win with other results set up the remaining NCHC quarterfinal series. Western Michigan will host Colorado College while St. Cloud State will host Minnesota Duluth. Denver entered the weekend already having clinched the tournament’s top seed and will host Miami.
Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals (Best of three)
Holy Cross 4, AIC 3 (Series tied, 1-1)
Holy Cross brought its season back from the brink on Saturday, rallying from 2-0 down with four straight goals before holding on for a 4-3 victory in game two of the best-of-three Atlantic Hockey quarterfinal series.
The victory ties the series a one game a piece after AIC won the series opener, 3-1. The winner-take-all game three will take place Sunday in Springfield, Mass., at 1:05 p.m. ET.
AIC jumped to a 2-0 lead with second period goals by Casey McDonald at 11:52 and Nicholas Cardelli at 17:01.
The Crusaders pulled within one on Liam McLinskey’s first of two goals at 18:27 of the second, before exploding in the third period. Matt Guerra tied the game at 2:03 of the third before Matt DeBoer and McLinskey tallied 58 seconds apart for a 4-2 advantage.
— Holy Cross M. Hockey (@HCrossMHockey) March 4, 2023
McDonald scored his second of the game for AIC with 2:39 remaining but the Holy Cross defense was stifling in the final frame, limiting AIC to just three shots in the period and 14 in the game.
In other AHA quarterfinal action:
RIT 5, Mercyhurst 4 (F/OT – RIT wins series, 2-0)
Niagara 4, Sacred Heart 1 (Series tied, 1-1)
Army West Point 1, Canisius 0 (F/OT – Series tied, 1-1)
Big Ten quarterfinals (Best of three)
No. 10 Penn State 2, No. 9 Ohio State 1 (F/OT – Series tied, 1-1)
Kevin Wall scored a four-on-four goal at 10:35 of overtime to keep Penn State’s hopes of a Big Ten championship alive, giving the Nittany Lions a 2-1 victory over Ohio State to force a game three.
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 5, 2023
Ohio State opened the series with a 5-1 victory on Friday. The two teams will play on Sunday in Columbus, Ohio, at 5:00 p.m. ET.
After what was nearly a scoreless regulation, Ryan Kirwan gave Penn State a 1-0 lead with 3:57 left in regulation. But Joe Dunlap needed just 23 seconds to find the equalizer to force overtime.
Liam Souliere put forth a fantastic 55-save performance for the Nittany Lions to earn the victory. Thanks included 17 third-period saves and an addition nine in overtime.
No. 11 Michigan Tech 5, St. Thomas 4 (MTU wins series, 2-0)
Michigan Tech may have been the first team to reach the CCHA quarterfinals, but facing St. Thomas in its first-ever league playoff series, it was hardly a cake walk.
After a 1-0 victory on Friday, the Huskies jumped to leads of 4-1 and 5-2 before holding of a Tommies rally late for a 5-4 win, advancing to next weekend’s CCHA semifinals.
After St. Thomas scored its first goal of the series at 8:25 of the first on Mack Byers tally, Michigan Tech exploded for four straight including three before the end of the first period. Tristan Ashbrook notched two of those goals and assisted on the third.
After Kyle Kukkonen gave Tech a 5-2 lead with 12:11 remaining, it seemed victory was in hand. But the Tommies struck twice on goals by Matthew Jennings and Byers second of the game.
Blake Pietila held things down late, though, stopping 12 shots in the third and 30 in the game.
In other CCHA quarterfinal action:
No. 13 Minnesota State 2, Lake Superior 1 (MSU wins series, 2-0)
Ferris State 2, Bowling Green 1 (FSU wins series, 2-0)
Northern Michigan 2, Bemidji State 1 (NMU wins series, 2-0)
ECAC first round (Single elimination)
Princeton 6, Union 4
Spencer Kersten broke a 4-4 tie with 3:03 remaining in regulation and then added an insurance goal with 1:20 left as ninth-seed Princeton knocked off eighth-seed Union, 6-4.
SPENCER KERSTEN FOR THE WIN! 🐯
The senior captain puts the Tigers ahead with four minutes to play in regulation and then adds a second to help Princeton down Union, 6-4, and advance to the quarterfinals!#ECACHockey x @princetonhockeypic.twitter.com/MOxz9xOoxS
The Tigers will face Harvard next weekend in a best-of-three quarterfinal series in Boston.
Princeton never trailed in the game, taking leads of 2-0 and 4-1 before Union scored three straight goals capped by Josh Nixon’s equalizer with 11:04 remaining.
Ian Murphy led the offense registering two goals and an assist for the Tigers. Aidan Porter earned the victory making 31 saves.
Utica’s Dante Zapata and the Pioneers have their sites set on completing an unbeaten season in the UCHC with a championship game win over No. 2 seed Nazareth on Saturday night (Photo by Jeff Pexton – Perfect Game Imaging)
The Utica Pioneers have been here before. Highly ranked and winners of the regular season in the UCHC. They have even gone on to win the league tournament and highly seeded in the NCAAs but have not translated all those things into a national championship for the school – Yet! This year Utica finished the regular season unbeaten in UCHC. They have been the No. 1 team in the nation and cruised through two rounds of the conference tournament. They host Nazareth on Saturday looking to complete the first hurdle in a season that finds the NCAA Frozen Four hosted by the highest seeded team with an approved arena. The stars are lining up for this year’s edition of the Pioneers to forge into uncharted territory that would delight the team, its coaches, institution, and local fans alike. That said, the Pioneers critical focus is only on the challenge of facing a big and determined Nazareth team and being No.1 with the UCHC championship in hand on Saturday night.
“It would be real easy to get distracted for things beyond Saturday,” said head coach Gary Heenan. “Just walking around town you hear the local towns people saying how great it would be to host the Frozen Four and win the title in our own rink in front of our fans. The passion is great, but we can’t be distracted when we have a very tough opponent facing us on Saturday and the UCHC title on the line.
Playing host to the title game on Saturday night, Utica is coming off an impressive semifinal outing where they routed Manhattanville by an 11-0 score that included five power play goals and one shorthanded tally for a team that was playing some of their best hockey this season.
“I don’t think we really played that well over the last month of the season,” noted Heenan. “We were getting the results but not the way we can play when we are really clicking. I thought the Manhattanville game really showcased our game and it was great to see some guys who had been struggling to score goals break out in an important playoff game and against a traditionally tough opponent. There is no way you can take Nazareth lightly in the title game. They have had a great season and are very well coached by George Roll. They are big and really clog the middle and take away a lot of quality chances. When you look at the statistics, both teams rank one or two in the conference in face-offs, fewest penalties taken, and the penalty kill. There is a big difference for us with the power play, but they are disciplined so when we get a chance, it will be important to cash it in. I think their captain [Nick Charron] is a special player and really sets the tone for them. They have earned their shot at the title and we need to be ready to play on Saturday.”
A strength for Utica on Saturday is the solid group of experienced defensemen that can turn defense into instant transition to the offensive zone and contribute on the scoresheet along with a deep and skilled forward group. Jason Dobay (5-32-37) leads the team in points from his blueline position while graduate student Justin Allen (4-16-20) has returned to the line-up providing a solid quarterback to the power play. The group is solid through all three pairings and have helped support sophomore Bryan Landsberger in his first full season as the No. 1 goaltender for the Pioneers.
“We have a very deep and talented group on the blueline,” stated Heenan. “They bring a lot to the offensive aspects of the game as part of our “press-press” approach to challenging the puck in all three zones. Sometimes that leads to some odd-man rushes and more Grade A scoring chances than we would like to see but “Lands” has really grown in the position this year and the team has confidence to play aggressively with him manning the crease. It should be a fun atmosphere on Saturday and we would love to skate off the ice at “The Aud” with the UCHC title again.”
Face-off is scheduled for 7 PM on Saturday, 3/4 at the Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
Boston University celebrates its Hockey East regular-season championship on home ice Friday night at Agganis Arena (photo: Matt Woolverton).
Boston University won the 2022-23 Hockey East regular-season title after a 6-4 victory over Providence on Friday night at Agganis Arena.
The seventh-ranked Terriers celebrated its Class of 2023 in the best possible way, as BU’s win over Providence, coupled with a Northeastern loss to UMass Lowell, clinched the program’s 11th Hockey East regular-season title and first since the 2016-17 season.
The Terriers battled back from an early 2-0 deficit, scoring three times in the first period and adding a fourth goal early in the second period to take a 4-2 lead. Providence cut the lead back to one, but Quinn Hutson’s second goal of the night gave the Terriers’ a 5-3 lead and proved to be the game winner.
Quinn and his brother Lane combined for four goals, as each Hutson lit the lamp twice. Wilmer Skoog and Matt Brown scored the other two Terrier goals and each added an assist to complete two-point nights. Sam Stevens and Jay O’Brien recorded two assists apiece.
Goaltender Drew Commesso made 22 saves to earn the win. Graduate student Patrick Schena made his Terriers debut, replacing Commesso for the final nine seconds of the contest.
For the Friars, Brett Berard, Nick Poisson, Liam Valente and Chase Yoder scored with Austin Roden and Philip Svedebäck combining for 27 saves.
Hunter McKown scored for the Tigers, who got a combined 21 saves from Kaidan Mbereko and Matt Vernon.
Denver’s Matt Davis made 21 saves for the win in goal.
No. 4 Michigan 6, Wisconsin 5
Steven Holtz scored his first career goal at 9:06 in overtime to lift Michigan to a 6-5 win over Wisconsin in Game 1 of the Big Ten quarterfinals on Friday at Yost Ice Arena.
Michigan dominated the overtime period. Just before the 10-minute mark, U of M continued to funnel shots and pressure toward the UW crease. Finally, the puck was cycled up to the blue line at 9:06, where Holtz was waiting to receive the pass at the right point where he picked the perfect time to send a shot on net that found its way through traffic and into the back of the net for his first career goal.
With Badgers goaltender Kyle McClellan pulled for an extra attacker, the Wolverines scored the game-tying goal with 1:15 left in regulation when Adam Fantilli appeared to finish off his hat trick from the left dot. After UW challenged the play, it was determined by the officials that Michigan had too many skaters on the ice and the goal was disallowed.
On the following shift, the Wolverines broke through and notched a fifth goal that tied the game at 5-5 with 15 seconds left in regulation. Mackie Samoskevich sent a shot toward the net to generate the chance before being deflected into the slot and propelled across the goal line by Gavin Brindley and Rutger McGroarty, who ended up being credited with the goal while assists were given to Brindley and Samoskevich.
Erik Portillo started in net for the Wolverines and turned aside 38 of 43 shots that he faced to earn the win.
Mathieu De St. Phalle had the hat trick for the Badgers and Sam Stange registered a goal and an assist. McClellan finished with 30 saves.
Minnesota Duluth 4, No. 6 St. Cloud State 3
Minnesota Duluth upset St. Cloud State with a 4-3 win Friday night at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
UMD has now won three games in a row against the Huskies this season.
Eight different Bulldogs recorded points. Quinn Olson netted two goals, along with Carter Loney and Cole Spicer each netting one. Wyatt Kaiser notched two assists and Zach Stejskal finished with 34 saves.
For the Huskies, Kyler Kupka scored a pair of goals and Jaxon Castor made 21 saves in goal.
No. 8 Western Michigan 5, Miami 0
Dylan Wendt and Jason Polin scored in the first period and Max Sasson scored the next three as the Broncos cruised to a 5-0 win at Steve “Coach” Cady Arena.
Ryan McAllister chipped in three assists and Sasson and Polin each had assists for multi-point games.
In net, Cameron Rowe stopped all 17 shots fired his way for the shutout.
For the RedHawks, Ludvig Persson made 26 saves between the pipes.
No. 9 Ohio State 5, No. 10 Penn State 1
Behind a four-point game from Stephen Halliday and 33 saves from Jakub Dobes, the Buckeyes defeated Penn State 5-1 in Game 1 of a Big Ten tournament quarterfinal best-of-three series at Value City Arena.
Ohio State scored the only goal of the first period less than five minutes into the game, with Davis Burnside notching his team-best 14th goal of the season. The Buckeyes took control in the second, with two goals in a 44-second span with the teams skating 4 on 4 and on the power play. Tyler Duke, Cam Thiesing and Cole McWard all tallied in the second.
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) March 4, 2023
Penn State’s Ture Linden broke up the shutout with a power-play goal 11 minutes into the third period.
Halliday, who had an assist on three of the first four Buckeye goals, lit the lamp himself at 12:02 for a 5-1 lead.
Dobes made 33 stops and Liam Souliere made 34 for the Nittany Lions.
No. 11 Michigan Tech 1, St. Thomas 0
Blake Pietila did what Blake Pietila does on Friday nights, as he backstopped Michigan Tech to a 1-0 shutout of St. Thomas to begin the CCHA playoffs at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
Pietila stopped all 30 shots he faced for his eighth Friday night shutout, 10th shutout of the season, and 20th shutout of his career.
“We knew it was going to be battle; there wasn’t anything pretty about the hockey game,” MTU coach Joe Shawhan said after winning his 118th game to tie for second in Michigan Tech history. “I can’t see anybody in the country being more valuable to their team than Blake. He had to make some really big saves. He was the difference, and he earned it.”
Pietila tied the CCHA record for shutouts in a season and broke his school records for shutouts in a season and career.
“They got a push after we scored,” Pietila said. “That happens when they’re trying to tie it up, and we were able to step up. My job is to stop the puck, especially when we weren’t able to score until late in the game.”
Brett Thorne scored the game’s only goal 11:28 into the third period.
Aaron Trotter made 31 saves for the Tommies.
RIT 5, Mercyhurst 3
Adam Jeffery scored his first two collegiate goals, including what proved to be the game-winning tally with under two minutes left in regulation, to clinch a 5-3 victory over visiting Mercyhurst in Game 1 of the Atlantic Hockey quarterfinals Friday at the Gene Polisseni Center.
RIT put a season-high 52 shots on goal – the most since a 53-shot barrage in a 6-3 win over Robert Morris on Oct. 7, 2016.
The Tigers also improved to 15-1-0 this season when leading after two periods.
In net, Tommy Scarfone made 20 saves for RIT and Tyler Harmon stopped 47 for the Lakers.
North Dakota 5, No. 14 Omaha 4 (OT)
Ethan Frisch struck 1:06 into overtime to pace North Dakota to a 5-4 victory over No. 14 Omaha on Friday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena.
The defenseman snuck down the slot and rocketed home a pass from Riese Gaber to give the Fighting Hawks their third straight OT victory on a Friday night and extends the unbeaten streak to a season-long five straight.
In a contest that saw three goals in the final 3:55 of regulation, Omaha rallied from a 3-1 deficit to knot the game at 3-3, but Dylan James answered back just 52 seconds later with his second tally of the night to quickly restore the NoDak lead.
With Omaha goaltender Simon Latkoczy pulled, UND goalie Drew DeRidder stopped a one-timer from the slot, but Matt Miller pounced on a rebound to tie the game at 4-4 with 32 seconds remaining to send UND into overtime for the fifth straight time, a first in program history before Frisch’s winner capped off the victory and gave the Fighting Hawks a big two points in the NCHC standings.
The third period saw a combined four goals before Frisch’s overtime winner sealed the victory for North Dakota.
MINNEAPOLIS – The Minnesota Golden Gophers advanced to the WCHA Tournament championship by exacting a little revenge on their border rivals Wisconsin in a 3-2 win Friday evening.
The Badgers had taken five of six points from Minnesota in the second-to-last series of the regular season at Ridder Arena, but the Gophers weren’t about to let that happen again on their home ice. They took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to a goal by Madison Kaiser that was the result of Peyton Hemp stealing the puck off Britta Curl’s stick and feeding it to the goal front, where Kaiser knocked it in.
The two teams that know each other so well seemed to have an answer for everything their opponent did.
But Wisconsin responded early in the second as Casey O’Brien put pressure on as Minnesota tried to build out from behind their net. Gopher Lizi Norton seemed to not know O’Brien was tailing her and she dropped the puck back to leave it for a teammate. O’Brien took it directly to the net and scored to tie the game 1-1.
The tie would only last a few minutes as Madeline Wethington crashed the net to put back a second-chance opportunity to make it 2-1.
“We definitely had to play on our toes. You have to be able to weather the storm in playoff hockey. You have to expect the best from each opponent, and I think today was a great learning lesson for us as we head into tomorrow and the tournament,” Wethington said.
The Badgers, who have struggled to score with the extra attacker, lit the lamp on the power play after Abbey Murphy was called for slashing. Nicole LaMantia’s shot from just beyond the circles through traffic evened the score at 2-2.
Murphy returned the favor early in the third when Curl went to the box for tripping. Grace Zumwinkle took a slap shot from the blue line that came out to Catie Skaja. Her put back went off the far post, but Murphy was right there to push it back into the net to give Minnesota the lead.
Skaja added an empty-netter almost as soon as the Badgers pulled their goalie to complete the 4-2 win.
Gopher coach Brad Frost was happy to see his team digging deep and not getting frustrated any time Wisconsin had an answer for them.
“I really liked our team’s resolve in the third period. A few weeks ago when we played Wisconsin, we had to come back in both third periods. We let both of those slip away, so it was really nice to be able to bear down and stick with it there,” he said.
The Badgers will await the NCAA Selection Show to learn their fate.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed. We felt we were in a good place as a team. We’ve been playing well the last several weekends. As you all know, it’s playoff time, and obviously little plays are going to make the difference. I thought coming into the third period, we were in a pretty good position. We came out in the second and got ourselves back in the game and had some opportunities but just came up a little bit short tonight,” said Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson.
Minnesota advances to play Ohio State. The Gophers were the most successful WCHA team against the Buckeyes this season with a 2-1-1 record. But Frost knows that even if his team does everything right, a win is not assured against an opponent like OSU.
“They’re tenacious. They’re relentless on the puck. They have great goaltending, and obviously Sophie Jaques is a difference-maker on the blue line as a fourth forward, and they’re fast and skilled. It’s been great. We’ve had some great matchups with them this year. With what’s on the line tomorrow, it should be another great one,” he said.
“We have to play our game—it’s a coin flip. I think they would say the same thing. Any time all four of our teams play each other, you could flip a coin over who’s going to get a break or a bounce.”
