D-III Women’s West Week 16 Recap: UW-Eau Claire’s Strand makes history, Adrian’s Coykendall wins as a player & now coach, & more!

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February 21, 2023

Head Coach Erik Strand of UW-Eau Claire gets his 141st career victory, becoming the winningest coach of all time at UW-Eau Claire (Photo by Shane Opatz, UWEC)

The time has finally come, playoffs! This past weekend was the official end of the regular season even though we had some leagues begin their conference tournaments who finished the previous week. A lot happened out west, UW-Eau Claire has a new all-time winningest Head Coach, Adrian clinched the NCHA after a few wild weekends, and we take a look at the rest of the conference winners and seeding out west!

Erik Strand makes Blugold history!

UW-Eau Claire Head Coach Erik Strand entered this past weekend with 140 career wins, tied with former UWEC Head Coach Mike Collins (2000-2013). Strand also won the 2013 Men’s D-III National Title as an Assistant Coach of UWEC. His Blugolds had their regular-season home/away series finale with WIAC rival and #1 (USCHO) ranked UW-River Falls. Eau Claire entered the weekend with a stellar record of 19-3-1, ranked #9 (USCHO) and were in a can’t-lose situation in terms of their pairwise hopes.

Game one was wild… It was a back-and-forth game until the Blugolds throttled River Falls, scoring six of the last eight goals in the game, including four unanswered in the matter of a mere four minutes. The game featured 11 goals, oddly enough, none occurring until the 2nd period, but when the scoring started, it didn’t seem to end. It all began when UWRF’s Abigail Stow scored a quick 48 seconds into the 2nd period, UWEC’s Hallie Sheridan would answer shortly after at the 4:10 mark. Both teams added goals less than a minute apart of each other at 12:38 & 13:24 to stay tied 2-2. Then the Blugolds took over, scoring 4 goals from 13:24-17:50 to take the 6-2 lead. River Falls would get a few back, but whenever they answered, Eau Claire answered right back. Blugolds took game one 7-4 at home.

Game two was in River Falls, a less eventful game in terms of the scoreboard, ending in a 1-1 tie where River Falls won in the shootout 1-0 to clinch the WIAC regular-season title by a single point, but a regulation tie is recorded as per usual with shootouts. The goals came in the 1st & 2nd period, the lone goals of the game which eventually led to the regulation tie.

Point leaders on the weekend for UW-Eau Claire: Hallie Sheridan (2 goals, 3 assists), Sophie Rausch (2 goals, 1 assist), Sami Scherling (3 assists). Goaltender Stephanie Martin made 28 saves in the 7-4 win & 28 saves in the 1-1 tie.

Leaders for UW-River Falls: Abigail Stow (1 goal, 1 assist), Holly Eckers (1 goal, 1 assist), & Maddie McCollins (1 goal, 1 assist). Goaltender Sami Miller made 19 saves on 25 shots in the game one loss but recovered well and made 19/20 saves in the game two draw.

With Friday’s 7-4 win over WIAC rival UW-River Falls, HC Erik Strand earned his 141st victory at the helm of Eau Claire, taking over a previously struggling program and making them annual NCAA contenders (made last 4 NCAA tournaments, minus covid year).

UW-Eau Claire’s Coach Erik Strand (Photo by Bill Hoepner, UWEC)

Speaking to Coach Strand on the weekend and his career milestone, I asked him what his favorite part of his career at Eau Claire has been: “Being a part of the turnaround with the program. From day one since I arrived, our Blugolds have bought in and wanted to build something special. Every year the returners share our traditions and build on the culture making it stronger than the year prior. It’s just a lot of fun to be around and I’m grateful for each day I get to be around our Blugolds.”

Coach Strand also spoke about it being a must-win weekend and making personal history vs their WIAC rival: “This series is definitely a cat and mouse puzzle that is rarely the same game plan twice. Joe Cranston is an incredible coach and has built another phenomenal team. Going into the weekend we knew UWRF had a winning streak that was at 13 games, including big wins over Gustavus (twice), Plattsburgh, and Middlebury. So, we were excited to see how we stacked up. The win certainly felt incredible. It was one of those games where we had a lot going right for us. Every night we want each line to contribute on the scoresheet and to be able to achieve that against UWRF has given us a tremendous amount of confidence that we are trying to build on this weekend as we start our playoff push.”

There aren’t many better people in D-III hockey than Coach Strand, his players, and the people around him will attest to that. Congratulations Coach, there’s more records out there waiting for you to break.

Adrian wins the NCHA regular-season title!

Adrian swept St. Norbert this past weekend 1-0 & 3-2 to win the NCHA regular-season title (Photo from Adrian Head Coach Shawn Skelly)

#6 Adrian entered this past weekend needing to sweep #13 St. Norbert to clinch the NCHA regular-season title after splitting with Aurora the previous week. They did just that, but it wasn’t easy. Both games were in Norbert, Adrian winning game-one by a slim 1-0 & game-two by a slim 3-2 margin.

In game one, Adrian’s Gia Avalone scored the lone goal at the 0:47 mark of the 2nd period. Goaltender Sophie Goldberg recorded the 14-save shutout victory for Adrian and Brynn Waismann recorded 16 saves in the loss.

In game two, Adrian took the lead midway through the 1st period at the 10:28 mark, courtesy of Une Bjelland. There would then be no goals until a flurry in the 3rd period when Norbert’s Kelsey Ross answered back a quick 21 seconds into the period to tie it at 1. It would then go back and forth with Adrian scoring at the 3:36 mark, Norbert answering at 15:23, then Adrian’s Jocelin Hudanish scoring the winner in the last few minutes at the 17:10 mark of the game to secure the win and the NCHA regular-season title for the Bulldogs of Adrian. Sophie Goldberg made 27 saves in the victory and despite the loss, Brynn Waismann had a good night, making 30 saves.

Adrian Assistant Coach Trevor Coykendall as a player at Adrian during the 2021-2022 season (Photo by Mike Dickie)

Adrian Assistant Coach Trevor Coykendall, a member of last year’s 31-1-0 Men’s D-III National Champion Adrian Bulldogs, talked about his experience this year as a first-year assistant and winning the NCHA regular-season title as a player and now a coach: “I would say it’s hard to pick between the two because they’re both so different. Being a player, you put in so much work physically, but being a coach, you get to see progress in each player and watch them develop over the year not only as an athlete but as an individual as well. Seeing them celebrate after winning makes you happy in a way that’s very different from being a player, but still assures you that your hard work is paying off. It’s a very rewarding job and I’ve been blessed to be a part of another powerhouse program.”

Powerhouse program indeed, as Coykendall in the last 2 seasons as a player and coach (including this current season), has only lost a mere 4 games out of the 57 he’s been a part of. Also asked him about the game-winner vs Aurora with 0.1 left on the clock and what sweeping St. Norbert meant for the team: “The goal was incredible, I think the reaction was delayed a second because we didn’t actually realize it went in, but once that happened everyone went nuts, it was nice to see all the smiles after the game. Definitely one to remember. The sweep of St. Norbert was huge for our team. I don’t think we played our best during the Aurora series and that lit a fire in everyone to be better in all aspects this week. Going on the road and winning both games against a fast St. Norbert team shows how resilient our girls are and proves that when we play like we know we can, we’re one of the top teams in the country.”

West Regular-Season Conference Winners

MIAC

Gustavus 17-1-0 (22-3 overall)

NCHA

Adrian 14-2-2 (22-3 overall)

WIAC

UW-River Falls 10-1-1 (21-3-1 overall)

D-III West Hockey Weekend Wrap-up: St. Scholastica skates to program history

By Brian Lester

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February 20, 2023

St. Scholastica won the MIAC regular-season title over the weekend. (Photo Credit: St. Scholastica Athletics)

St. Scholastica has made program history in college hockey. The team to beat all year long in the conference, the Saints won their first regular-season MIAC crown with a shootout win over Augsburg Friday night.

It’s the program’s first conference title since 1975 and the title means St. Scholastica is the first team from the school to clinch the top seed in the MIAC tournament. The Saints became members of the league last season.

Carsen Richels played a pivotal role in the win, recording the first hat trick of his career. He also scored in the shootout after the two teams played to a 5-5 tie.

Arkhip Ledenkov came through with four points in the win, three off assists, and goaltender Jack Bostedt notched the win for the Saints with 22 saves.

The Saints closed out the series with a 4-1 win Saturday, finishing the regular season with an 8-1-1 mark over their last 10 games.

Four different players scored and Jack Branby, a senior, earned his first career win at the college level on senior night. He made 23 saves and has a bright future ahead as he plans to go to medical school.

St. Scholastica (16-6-3, 13-1-2) now shifts its attention to the conference tourney where it will play St. Olaf or Concordia in the semifinal round on Sunday. The Auggies (14-9-2, 10-5-1) will play Saint John’s in the semifinals.

Oles dominate defensively

St. Olaf closed out the regular season with a couple of shutout wins against Gustavus, winning the finale 3-0 on Saturday after picking up a 2-0 win Friday.

The Oles (13-10-2, 7-8-1) secured a spot in the conference tourney with the win. Thomas Lalonde stopped 25 shots in goal. Spencer Light, Ben Luscko and Noah Heisler all scored for the Oles, who came through with back-to-back shutout wins for the first time since 2010. Lalonde made 11 of his saves in the third period.

Cobbers cruise past Cardinals

Concordia kept momentum on its side as it rolled past Saint Mary’s in a key MIAC series. After rolling to a 7-1 win Friday, the Cobbers came back to finish the weekend with a 4-1 win, their seventh in their last 10 games.

Concordia (12-11-2, 9-6-1) is headed to the MIAC tournament as the fourth seed and got a solid effort from Matt Fitzgerald, who stopped 68 of the 70 shots he faced in the two games against Saint Mary’s, including 30 on Saturday.

Fitzgerald has started the last 10 games for the Cobbers, who are playing their best hockey at the right time of the year.

WIAC

Lumberjacks put up a fight

Northland didn’t make it easy on UW-Superior in the opening series of the WIAC tournament. The Lumberjacks won the opener 3-1 before falling 3-0 in Game 2. A mini game was used to decide who would advance and the Yellowjackets prevailed 1-0.

In Friday’s game, Northland (2-23-2 scored twice in the third period to seal the deal on their first win over the Yellowjackets since the 2018-19 season. It was also their first conference tournament win.

Jack Craycroft Brendan Charlton and Brock Weimer all scored for Northland.

But UW-Superior (15-10-2) bounced back the next day to move on in the series, scoring a pair of goals in the third period of Game 2 to take the win. C.J. Walker tallied a goal and assist.

Bradley Stonnell scored the lone goal of the mini game to help the Yellowjackets advance.

Blue Devils are moving on

UW-Stout didn’t go into the opening round of the WIAC tournament with a lot of momentum. In fact, the Blue Devils had dropped their last four games.

But things changed for them on Friday and Saturday as they skated to a pair of wins and advanced in the WIAC tournament.

UW-Stout won 4-1 on Friday and wrapped up the series with a 4-2 win.

In Saturday’s finale, Peyton Hart was the story of the night as he came through with a hat trick, the third of the season for Hart. He now has 18 goals on the season for the Blue Devils (17-9-1).

Tyler Masternak stopped 31 shots in the win. Dysen Skinner made 29 saves for UW-River Falls (11-15-1). Logan Severson scored both goals for the Falcons in the final game of the season for the Falcons, who came into the series riding a four-game winning streak.

As for the Blue Devils, they have more than doubled their win total from a year ago when they won just eight games.

Bulldog Power Hour

Adrian just didn’t win its final game of a quarterfinal series against Concordia Saturday. The Bulldogs dominated it.

And that might be an understatement. Adrian scored 10 times off the power play, setting an NCAA record. Adrian won the game 13-2.

The previous power-play goal record in a game was eight, which was set three times, the last in 2017. It also happened in 1996 and 2010.

The Bulldogs scored eight goals in the final period and Nic Tallarico made 15 saves for Adrian (21-4-2).

Ty Enns scored twice and also dished out two assists. Alessio Luciani tallied a goal and three assists. Jaden Shields had himself a night as well, dishing out five assists. Mathew Rehding added a goal and three assists.

Third-ranked Adrian won the opener over the Falcons (4-22-1) by an 11-1 score. The win was the 200th for head coach Adam Krug. He’s now 201-44-13 in his career at Adrian.

Green Knights sweep Sabres

Down 2-0 in the second game of a quarterfinal series against Marian on Saturday, the Green Knights scored eight unanswered goals to secure an 8-2 win and advance to the semifinals of the NCHA tournament.

St. Norbert (17-8-2) has now won 46 games in the quarterfinal round of the conference tournament. The Green Knights are ranked 12th in the nation in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.

Adam Stacho played a key role as he scored three goals and also dished out an assist. Brock Baker added two goals and an assist.

Liam Fraser scored a goal and tallied two assists while Michael McChesney came through with three assists as well as a goal. Colby Entz made 20 saves. St. Norbert, which won the opener 5-2, has won its last three games.

Spartans hold off Foresters

Aurora went the distance in its NCHA tourney series against Lake Forest, prevailing 4-0 in the mini game to punch a ticket to the semifinal round for the first time,

Playing the Foresters in Rockford, Illinois, the Spartans bounced back from a 3-2 loss earlier in the day to secure the win.

Aurora (18-7-2) got goals from Simon Boyko, Nate Keeley, Juliano Satalucia and Carson Riddle in the mini game win.

The Foresters (11-12-4) got a pair of goals from Connor Scahill to take an early 2-0 lead. Colin Bella then made the score 3-0 five minutes into the third period before the Spartans attempted a rally. Aurora, tied with St. Norbert for the No. 12 spot in the nation, had won the series opener 4-1. Keeley scored twice in that game.

Trine survives and advances

The Thunder needed overtime in a mini game to secure a 1-0 win over MSOE and advance to the semifinal round of the conference tournament.

Trine lost the series opener Friday by a 2-1 score but bounced back to even things up Saturday with a 5-3 victory. It was their seventh win in their last eight games.

Thad Marcola scored twice for the Thunder in the victory. Trine is now 18-8-1 overall and learned Monday that it was nationally ranked for the first time in program history. Trine checks in at No. 15 in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll. MSOE finishes the year at 15-12. Christian Sabin scored the game winner in Friday’s win for the Raiders.

Postseason Notes

MIAC Tournament

While the Saints go into the tourney as the top seed, Augsburgs ends up as the No. 2 seed in the postseason. The Auggies will host third-seeded Saint John’s on Saturday in the other semifinal.

St. Olaf is the reigning champ and the fifth seed going into the tournament, a familiar position for the Oles, who were also the lowest seed a year ago going into the tourney and started their magical run with a win over Concordia.

St. Olaf was originally set to play at Concordia Thursday but will now play Friday instead due to a winter storm threat. The winner then plays St. Scholastica on Sunday.

The semifinal winners will square off March 4 for the title at the site of the highest remaining seed.

NCHA Tournament

The top four seeds held serve in the battle for the Harris Cup, with Adrian, Aurora, St. Norbert and Trine all advancing. Adrian and Trine will play in one semifinal game and Aurora and St. Norbert will play in the other semifinal matchup.

The winners play for the championship on March 4. An automatic berth to the NCAA tournament will be on the line. Adrian is the reigning national champion.

WIAC Tournament

UW-Superior advances to play at UW-Eau Claire in the semifinal round on Friday and Saturday. UW-Stout gets top-seeded UW-Stevens Point in the semifinals. The winners move on to play for the title on March 4.

And unlike in past years, the winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Minnesota overtakes Quinnipiac, just barely, to take back No. 1 ranking in USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

By USCHO Staff

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February 20, 2023

Minnesota’s Matthew Knies celebrates a goal last weekend at Penn State (photo: Minnesota Athletics).

Both Minnesota and Quinnipiac earned 25 first-place votes in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, but the Gophers leap up one notch to the top spot in the rankings with 975 voting points to the Bobcats’ 972 points.

Quinnipiac is down to No. 2 this week.

Denver is again No. 3, as is Michigan at No. 4, while Western Michigan is up three spots to No. 5 in this week’s poll.

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll – Feb. 20, 2023

St. Cloud State remains sixth, Harvard is up two to No. 7, Ohio State is up two to No. 8, Boston University tumbles four to No. 9, and Penn State falls three places to No. 10.

No new teams enter the rankings this week.

In addition to the top 20 teams, 11 other teams received votes.

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.

Three regular-season champs crowned, three to go, plus PairWise bubble buy-or-sell: Weekend Review Season 5 Episode 21

By Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger

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February 20, 2023

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:

• Three conference champions crowned over the weekend: Minnesota, Quinnipiac, RIT

• Three more to go, with only one likely next weekend

• Buy or sell on teams on the PairWise Rankings bubble to make the NCAAs

• Beanpot settled by a shootout: Awful or OK?

• Ohio State beats Michigan in the Faceoff on the Lake with great atmosphere and iffy ice

Subscribe to this college hockey podcast on Apple podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

Find our college hockey podcast archive at USCHO.com/podcasts

Continue

D-III East Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – February 20, 2023

By Tim Costello

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February 20, 2023

Skidmore earned a dramatic quarterfinal win over Elmira in overtime and celebrated a 4-3 come-from-behind victory on Saturday (Photo by Bill Jones)

What a crazy weekend with final regular season action presenting upsets like Wesleyan’s sweep of Trinity that earned them the NESCAC title and Curry ending Endicott’s CCC unbeaten streak in the final conference game on the schedule. Plymouth State completed a perfect regular season run at 18-0-0 and Oswego emerged at the top of the SUNYAC pack with a pair of wins to close out their schedule. Two familiar names in St. Anselm and St. Michael’s earned the top two spots in the NE-10 and, oh yeah, Utica cruised to yet another UCHC regular season title. All that action and the NEHC playoffs also commenced with quarterfinal action. Here is the wrap-up for an amazing weekend of college hockey:

CCC

While Endicott had already clinched the regular season title, the marque game of the weekend would determine whether they could finish the CCC schedule unbeaten in conference play as well as whether Curry could secure the second place position and the quarterfinal bye that comes with a top two finish. The two nationally ranked teams took care of business on Friday with the Colonels securing a 5-1 win over Suffolk while Endicott ran away with a 9-3 win over Nichols. On Saturday, Curry hosted the Gulls in a game that had the look and feel of a conference championship.

The Colonels started fast with a three-goal first period on tallies from Jacob Crespo, Matt Connor and Billy Roche to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. Goaltender Reid Cooper, who would finish with 33 saves on 35 shots, surrendered only Noah Strawn’s third period goal as the Colonels held on for a 3-2 win that was Endicott’s only loss in CCC play. Endicott held a 35-25 shot advantage for the game but finished 0-4 on the power play.

The CCC tournament sets up with No. 3 University of New England hosting No. 6 Wentworth and No. 4 Salve Regina facing No. 5 Western New England in mid-week quarterfinal action. The winners advance to the weekend and matchups with the top two seeds, Endicott, and Curry.

MASCAC

After goaltender Brendahn Brawley set the single season school record with his fourth shutout of the season in a 5-0 win over Framingham State on Thursday night, the Plymouth State Panthers needed a win over Salem State on Saturday to complete the regular season undefeated in MASCAC play. Myles Abbate scored a hat trick to help the Panthers to a 7-3 win to close out the regular season at 18-0-0 and positioned them as the top seed in the MASCAC playoffs beginning this week.

The second-place team which also receives a quarterfinal bye was determined with Saturday’s Worcester State v. Fitchburg State game. Each team won on Thursday night. The Lancers knocked off Salem State by a 5-2 margin with five different Worcester State players providing the offense while the Falcons dominated Westfield State, 9-3 with Anthony Ceolin scoring four goals. On Saturday, the Falcons needed a regulation win to take the second spot in the standings and rallied to a 3-3 tie in the third period on Rece Bergman’s goal with five minutes remaining in regulation. Seeking the outright win, the Falcons played with six skaters seeking the winning goal but surrendered empty-net tallies to Brendan Ronan and Kevin Drevitch in the final minute for a 5-3 Lancers’ victory.

This week’s quarterfinals setup with No. 3 Fitchburg State hosting No. 6 Salem State and No. 4 Westfield State hosting No. 5 Massachusetts-Dartmouth in a re-match of the season finale won by the Owls, 4-3. Plymouth State and Worcester State have byes and await the quarterfinal winners in semifinal action next weekend.

NE-10

Three teams had a realistic chance of securing the regular season title in the remaining games this past weekend but it was St. Anselm that emerged with the title on the strength of a sweep of Franklin Pierce on the road to secure the top spot. On Friday, the Hawks took a 5-3 win and followed that up with a 4-1 win on Saturday. Matt Hayes scored a goal and added an assist in Saturday’s season finale where the Hawks erased an early 1-0 deficit with four unanswered goals.

The all-important second place position came down to the outcomes of games for Assumption and St. Michael’s who were playing Southern New Hampshire and Post respectively. With a Greyhound loss on Friday and the Purple Knights win against Post, it all came down to the final games on Saturday.

Post raced out to a 2-0 lead against St. Michael’s before the Purple Knights rallied with four goals to take a 4-2 win. Brennan McFarland assisted on every St. Michael’s goal which helped secure the No. 2 seed for the NE-10 tournament for the Purple Knights. Assumption continued their difficult February results with a 3-2 overtime loss to SNHU, leaving them just 1-5-1 in the month of February and losers of five straight entering this week’s NE-10 quarterfinal round.

The conference tournament sets up with No. 3 Assumption looking to rebound in the playoffs against No. 6 Post while No. 4 Southern New Hampshire hosts No. 5 Franklin Pierce. St. Anselm and St. Michael’s receive byes to the semifinals and await the winners of the quarterfinal games this week.

NEHC

As the regular season had already concluded last weekend, the NEHC entered conference tournament mode on Saturday with four very entertaining games.

Top-seeded Hobart threw everything but the kitchen sink at Castleton goaltender Brandon Collett but found themselves trailing the Spartans by a 3-2 score after two periods of play. Collett had stopped 41 of 43 shots in the first 40 minutes of play to support goals by Zach Papapetros, Jackson Kobelka and Stone Stelzl that had the visitors thinking upset. In the third period, the Statesmen found their game and the back of the net as they scored five times, including two from Tanner Daniels to cruise to a 7-3 win. Hobart held a 67-17 shot advantage as Collett finished with 61 saves. Damon Beaver finished with four saves and picked up the win in relief of Mavrick Goyer.

Norwich hosted travel partner New England College in quarterfinal action and very early on the Pilgrims did something they were unable to do in the regular season by scoring a goal against the Cadets for 1-0 lead on the road. Graham Hassan scored first in the contest but the Cadets answered back on goals from Keegan Mantaro and Braedyn Aubin to close out the first period with a 2-1 lead. That would be all the scoring either goaltender would allow as Andrew Kormos and Drennen Atherton kept the game to a one-goal differential that saw Norwich prevail by the 2-1 score.

Babson faced Massachusetts-Boston in the quarterfinal round and took a 2-0 lead in the first period on goals from James Perullo and Brendan Kennedy. Kolye Bankauskas cut the deficit in half for the Beacons with the only goal of the second period setting up an exciting final twenty minutes. The Beavers extended their lead with goals from Max Torrez, Thomas Kramer and Danny Cavanaugh to earn a 5-1 win. Nolan Hildebrand earned the win stopping 21 of 22 shots for Babson.

The last quarterfinal game saw Skidmore facing Elmira and it is not surprising that the No. 4 v. No. 5 games always provides the most drama. The visitors secured an early 2-0 lead with goals from Will Dow-Kenny, in the first 30 seconds, and Thomas Finck before Elmira answered in the second period to tie the game at 2-2 with a first minute goal from Chance Gorman and a last-minute goal from Christian Abrams. The home team took the lead with just under four minutes remaining in regulation on a goal from Nicholas Domitrovic but that is when the drama really began. Skidmore pulled their goalie and used their timeout with just six seconds remaining on the clock. Everett Wardle won the offensive zone face-off back to the point where Devon Mussio passed it across to partner Matthew Monk for a one-time bomb that eluded Kyle Curtin and tied the game at 3-3 with just three seconds on the clock. Moving to overtime, the Thoroughbreds maintained their momentum with sustained pressure before Patrick Kaeden scored the game-winner to advance Skidmore to the semifinals with a 4-3 win.

This week’s semifinal games see No. 1 Hobart hosting No. 5 Skidmore while No. 2 Norwich faces No. 3 Babson. Both games will be played on Saturday, February 25.

NESCAC

Three teams all potentially could have won the regular season title entering the final weekend of conference play. Trinity, Amherst and Wesleyan were all mathematically in the equation with the Cardinals needing a difficult sweep of the Bantams to secure the top spot to earn the needed six points and secure the needed tie-breaker. Guess what, the Cardinals did exactly that in ending the Bantams 13-game unbeaten streak with 3-0 and 2-1 wins to take the regular season title.

On Friday night, Wiggle Kerbrat, Jake Lachance and Emmet Powell each had two assists in a 3-0 win backstopped by Erik Voloshin’s 34 saves. On Saturday, needing to complete the sweep to take first place, the Cardinals found themselves trailing at home 1-0 after the first period of play. Owen Sweet set up DJ Dixon to tie the game in the second period and in the final four minutes of the third period the combination struck again with Dixon setting up Sweet for the game-winner. Voloshin was outstanding again with 30 saves.

Amherst needed a sweep of Williams and Middlebury to leapfrog Trinity and take the second place spot but secured an overtime tie on Friday with the Ephs before cruising to a 5-0 win over Middlebury on Saturday leaving the Mammoths just one-half point in arrears of the Bantams.

Hamilton secured the final home-ice position with a 2-2 tie against Middlebury followed by a 1-0 win over Williams who finished in the eighth and final playoff position.

The quarterfinal round sets up with No. 1 Wesleyan hosting No. 8 Williams; No. 2 Trinity hosting No. 7 Bowdoin; No. 3 Amherst hosting No. 6 Tufts and No. 4 Hamilton playing No. 5 Colby.

SUNYAC

For the first time in many years the final positions amongst the top four teams were to be decided on the final weekend of conference play. Plattsburgh held serve with a mid-week 5-2 win over Morrisville in their final league contest that guaranteed the Cardinals a top-two seed but they needed help if they wanted to stay in the top spot by the end of the weekend.

Oswego controlled their own destiny needing wins over Buffalo State and Fredonia to take the regular season title. On Friday night, the Lakers broke open a 2-2 game with four unanswered goals to down the Bengals, 7-3. Shane Bull, Ryan Dickinson, and Rocco Andreacchi each recorded three points in the contest. Needing a win against Fredonia, the Lakers played maybe their most complete game of the season in a 9-0 shutout over the Blue Devils. Conor Smart scored a hat trick while Garrett Clegg and Tommy Cahill each picked up three points to pace the offense. Cal Schell finished the game with 20-saves to earn the shutout and the lakers the regular season title.

Geneseo needed a win against Brockport to secure the No. 3 seed in the SUNYAC playoffs and a four-goal second period helped secure a 6-2 win over the Golden Eagles. Tyson Gilmour scored a pair of goals and added an assist for the Knights who will try to defend their four consecutive titles starting with a Wednesday quarterfinal game.

The tournament begins with No. 3 Geneseo hosting No. 6 Fredonia and No. 4 Cortland facing No. 5 Buffalo State on Wednesday, February 22.

UCHC

Utica finished UCHC play with a 20-0-0 record after a weekend sweep of Arcadia by identical 7-1 scores. The Pioneers scored three power play goals and three shorthanded goals in the two game sweep of the Knights who will face the Pioneers again in the conference quarterfinals on Wednesday.

The battle for second place came down to a tie-breaker on the basis of Nazareth finishing their campaign with a weekend sweep of Chatham. On Friday night, Logan Tobias led the way with two goals while goaltender Richard Provencher stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 4-1 win. The Golden Flyers completed the two-game sweep on Saturday by a 7-1 score over the Cougars. Tobias scored a hat trick and Joseph Schaeffer added two goals to help Nazareth secure second place and home ice in the upcoming playoffs.

Manhattanville took advantage of a two-game sweep of King’s to obtain the final home-ice berth for the UCHC conference tournament. On Friday, the Valiants saw goals by six different players in a 6-2 win over the Monarchs. On Saturday, balanced scoring again was key for the visitors but Mitchell Watson chipped in with one goal and two assists to help Manhattanville to a 5-2 win.

On Wednesday, the quarterfinal round shapes up like this: No. 1 Utica hosting No. 8 Arcadia; No. 2 Nazareth hosting No. 7 Alvernia; No. 3 Stevenson hosting No. 6 Chatham and No. 4 Manhattanville facing No. 5 Wilkes.

Three Biscuits

Anthony Ceolin – Fitchburg State – scored four goals and added an assist for a five-point night in the Falcons’ 9-3 win over Westfield State on Thursday night. Ceolin was one of three players with five points in the game for FSU.

Jake Fuss – University of New England – scored one goal and added three assists in the Nor’easters’ 5-2 win over Salve Regina on Thursday night.

Carter Breitenfeldt – Colby – recorded a natural hat trick in the second period and added a fourth goal to close out a 5-1 Mule win over Connecticut College on Friday.

Bonus Biscuits

Jason Finan – Alvernia – scored a hat trick and added an assist on Sawyer Senio’s overtime goal in a 6-5 win over Lebanon Valley on Friday night.

Patrick Kaeden – Skidmore – scored the overtime winning goal for the Thoroughbreds in their 4-3 win over Elmira in the NEHC quarterfinals on Saturday.

Ryan Pomposelli – Southern New Hampshire – scored the overtime winning goal in a 3-2 win to help the Penmen to a weekend sweep over Assumption and securing a home-ice seed in the NE-10 quarterfinals.

Connor Smart – Oswego – scored a hat trick in the Lakers’ 9-0 romp over Fredonia securing the regular season title and quarterfinal bye for the SUNYAC playoffs.

It has been absolutely the most competitive and amazing season at the DII/III level this season with exciting conference races right to the final games on the schedule and already dramatic playoff hockey to get the fan base even more enthusiastic for the battles all the way to the national championship. While playoffs begin in earnest for all the conferences this week, the teams which did not qualify for the post-season along with the teams not advancing in tournament play see their seasons come to an end. It is a tough time and to all the seniors and graduate students who will not lace them up again in a college game, please accept our thanks for your magnificent commitment to the game and your school. May you enjoy great success in whatever professional endeavor or ongoing academic challenge you take on next.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap February 20, 2023

By Nicole Haase

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February 20, 2023

(1) Ohio State at (6) Wisconsin

Wisconsin powered out to a 4-0 lead in the opening period thanks to two goals from Jesse Compher as well as tallies from Casey O’Brien and Britta Curl. After regrouping at the first intermission, Ohio State began their comeback. Jenn Gardiner lit the lamp in the first two minutes of the second to make it 4-1. In what would prove to be a pivotal moment, the Badgers looked like they extended the lead to 5-1, but the goal was called back for too many players. Emma Maltais scored later in the second to make it 4-2. In the third, Brooke Bink used a screen to make it a one-goal game early in the the period. Sophie Shirley broke a long scoreless streak to put the Badgers up 5-3 with about 13 to go. But Ohio State would not go quietly. Gardiner and Maltais each scored to tie the game at 5 and forceovertime. The Buckeyes held possession to start the frame, but on the Badgers’ first dangerous play in the extra frame, Gardiner was called for handling the puck and Wisconsin was awarded a penalty shot. Rookie Kirsten Simms flipped a backhander into the net to win the game for the Badgers in dramatic fashion, 6-5. Saturday’s game was a back and forth match where no one could break through until Laila Edwards crashed the net and slid the puck through Amanda Thiele and into the net to make it 1-0 Wisconsin with about 13 left in regulation. The Buckeyes were able to equalize on a power play with five minutes remaining. The game looked destined for overtime again when Madison Bizal found herself with enough open ice to pick her spot and put Ohio State up 2-1 with 55 seconds left in regulation. Wisconsin challenged the call for a hand pass, but the refs didn’t agree. The goal counted and UW was assessed a penalty for losing the challenge and having already used their timeout. On the ensuing power play, Bizal scored another wrister to earn Ohio State the 3-1 win, which also gave them the WCHA regular season championship. Wisconsin will host Minnesota State and Ohio State will host Bemidji State in the first round of the WCHA tournament next weekend.

Dartmouth at (2) Yale

Five different goal-scorers led the Bulldogs to a 6-1 win. Anna Bargman scored twice, Emma Seitz had a goal and two assists and Elle Hartje had three helpers to lead the team. Georgia Kraus was Dartmouth’s goal scorer.

Harvard at (2) Yale

Elle Hartje had a hat trick and two assists in the Bulldogs’ 11-1 blowout win over Harvard on Saturday. With the win, Yale took the ECAC regular season Championship. Anna Bargman and Claire Dalton each had a goal and three assists in the win. Unfortunately for Harvard, they head back to New Haven next weekend for a best-of-three series to open up the conference tournament.

(3) Colgate at Union

Danielle Serdachny padded her lead atop the national points leaderboard with a goal and two assists on Friday, bringing her season total to 61 points. Sammy Smigliani and Dara Greig each had a goal and an assist in Colgate’s 6-0 win.

(3) Colgate at RPI

Eight different Raiders collected two or more points and Elyssa Biederman tied the program record for points in a season by a freshman as Colgate closed their season with a 6-1 win. Marah Wagner netted a shorthanded goal for RPI in the loss. Colgate will host Princeton in the opening round of the ECAC tournament.

(4) Minnesota at St. Thomas

The Gophers out-shot St. Thomas 55-19, but the game was scoreless into the third period. Nicole Vallario scored her first of the season to give the Tommies the lead, but it lasted less than a minute as Taylor Heise scored her 24th of the season to even the score 1-1. Neither team could find the go-ahead goal in regulation, but Abbey Murphy ended it midway through the overtime period to give Minnesota the 2-1 win. In the second game, Abigail Boreen and Lotti Odnoga traded goals in the first to make it 1-1 at the first period break. Heise and Boreen added goals in the second to put Minnesota ahead 3-1. Anna Solheim cut the lead to 3-2 early in the third, but St. Thomas couldn’t find the equalizer and Murphy’s goal midway through put the game out of reach at 4-2. Over the weekend, St. Thomas goalies Saskia Maurer and Alexa Dobchuck combined to make 108 saves.

(5) Northeastern vs. Boston University (home and home)

Alina Müller had three goals and an assist and Maureen Murphy had a goal and three assists to lead Northeastern in a 5-1 win on Friday. Murphy recorded her 200th career point on an assist on Mueller’s first goal of the game. Kate Holmes scored her first goal of the season to ice the game in the third. Nadia Mattivi scored for BU in the loss. On Saturday, the Huskies earned the program’s third-ever 30-win season – and the first one that was reached during the regular season. Ten different Huskies tallied points as Mia Brown, Molly Griffin, Peyton Anderson and Katy Knoll each lit the lamp.

(7) Quinnipiac at St. Lawrence

The Saints took the lead in the second when Shailynn Snow put away the rebound on a Julia Gosling shot. But Quinnipiac responded quickly as Alexa Hoskin was stopped on her initial shot, but was able to put back her own rebound to make it a 1-1 game. Snow had the primary assist on the second goal, passing to Taylor Lum, who slid the puck into the net to make it 2-1. Not done yet, Snow tipped in Chloé Puddifant’s shot to dive St. Lawrence the 3-1 lead. The Bobcats pulled their goalie with more than three minutes left and Aly McLeod took advantage, solidifying the win with an empty-netter to make it 4-1.

(7) Quinnipiac at (9) Clarkson

The Golden Knights pulled an upset on their rival, earning a 2-1 win in the final regular season match for both teams. Jenna Goodwin and Gabrielle David scored less than two minutes apart in the first half of the opening frame and then the Golden Knights defense went to work. Quinnipiac pulled within one with a late power play goal from Lexie Adzija, but Clarkson held on to their lead to get the win.

(8) Minnesota Duluth at Bemidji State

UMD coach Maura Crowell earned her 150th career win as a head coach this weekend as her team swept the Beavers to lose out the regular season. On Friday, the Bulldogs tied a program record for most team shutouts in a season with 12 and Emma Soderberg set a new program record with her 21st career clean sheet. UMD held BSU to just 12 shots on the night. Naomi Rogge and Mary Kate O’Brien scored twice and Anneke Linser and Ashton Bell each lit the lamp once to lead UMD to the win. In the second game, Reece Hunt struck for the Beavers just 37 seconds into the game to give Bemidji a 1-0 lead. Mannon McMahon evened the game up to send the teams to the locker room tied 1-1. Then the Bulldogs began to pull away. Taylor Anderson scored twice and Gabbie Hughes also lit the lamp to make it a 4-1 game. Tova Henderson scored her first as a Bulldog to close out the 5-1 win. It was UMD coach Maura Crowell’s 150th win at the helm for Minnesota Duluth.

Princeton at (9) Clarkson

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to Sarah Fillier. But Clarkson was not ready to let the game out of their grasp. Stephanie Markowski scored midway through the second to make it 2-1. Princeton responded with a power play goal from Emerson O’Leary to make it 3-1, but Sarah Swiderski had an extra-attacker goal of her own minutes later to make it 3-2. Markowski scored her second of the game to tie it at 3 heading into the second intermission. Just :39 into the third, Maggie Connors scored a power play goal of her own to put Princeton ahead 4-3. Markowski completed her hat trick a few minutes later and a winner could not be found in regulation. Clarkson got possession on the opening faceoff in overtime and Haley Winn’s shot rebounded onto Cherkowski’s stick. Her goal just 22 seconds into overtime ended the game with a 5-4 win for Clarkson.

(10) Penn State at RIT

Eleri MacKay had two goals and an assist and Courtney Correia added three helpers to power Penn State to an 8-1 win on Friday. Jordyn Bear scored for RIT in the loss. The Nittany Lions won their 15th straight on Saturday thanks to goals from Lexi Bedier, Izzy Heminger and Kiara Zanon to lead the team to a 3-1 win. Jessie Burks was RIT’s goal-scorer. Penn State will face Lindenwood in a best of three series to open up the CHA playoffs.

(11) Vermont at New Hampshire

The Catamounts battled back from behind twice to earn a 3-3 tie on Friday and clinch home-ice in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament. Natalie Mlynkova scored the only goal in the opening frame to give UVM a 1-0 lead. But the Wildcats responded. They reeled off three straight goals to have a 3-1 lead by the opening minutes of the third period. Shea Verrier, Brianna Brooks and Lauren Martin each lit the lamp for UNH. Sini Karjalainen cut the lead in half midway through the third and Theresa Schafzahl’s power play goal late in the period forced overtime. There was still no game-winner, so it took Mlynkova’s bar down shot as the only score of the shootout to earn the extra point for Vermont. On Saturday, Vermont matched the regular season win record they set last season with a 3-1 win. Evelyne Blais-Savoie scored in the second and then Mlynkova added two more to put the Catamounts up 3-0. Emily Rickwood scored in the third to ruin the shutout.

(15) Boston College vs. (13) Providence (home and home)

In the first game, Boston College took an early 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Gabby Roy, Katie Pyne and Alexie Guay in the first. Noemi Neubauerova got one back in the second, but Abby Newhook scored two consecutive goals to put the game out of reach. Rachel Weiss added a late goal for Providence, but BC took the 5-2 win. Hannah Bilka racked up four assists for the Eagles in the win. The teams skated to a scoreless first on Saturday. But Lindsay Bocha scored in the second and third and Sara Hjalmarsson added a goal to make it a 3-0 win for the Friars.

(14) Cornell at RPI

The teams played a very even match through the first half of the game. McKenna Van Gelder scored on the power play late in the 1st to put Cornell up 1-0, but RPI’s Ellie Kaiser tied it just past the midpoint of the game to tie it at one. With Gabbie Rud’s goal a few minutes later, the Big Red started to pull away. She scored again 1:01 into the third to make it 4-1 and Gillis Frechette’s goal :59 later made it 4-1. RPI was able to cut the lead to two with a power play goal from Marah Wagner before four minutes had elapsed, but that’s as close as it would get. Lily Delianedis got the goal back in less than a minute to put the game away at 5-2 and Frechette’s late insurance goal solidified a 6-2 win.

(14) Cornell at Union

Izzy Daniel scored twice during a five minute major power play for spearing and that would prove to be the difference for Cornell. Paige Greco’s goal late in the first put Union on the board first, but Kaitlin Jockims’ tip in early in the second tied it up and then Daniels went to work to earn the 3-1 win. The Big Red will travel to Clarkson for the first round of the ECAC tournament.

Monday 10: Top teams lose over weekend, Alaska still has shot to make NCAAs, Beanpot final debate

By Jim Connelly

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February 20, 2023

Steven Bellini and Minnesota State picked up their 20th win of the season Friday night at Bemidji State (photo: Mansoor Ahmad).

While No. 1 Quinnipiac escaped this weekend unscathed, it wasn’t easy being at the top of the USCHO.com poll.

That leads this list of the top 10 things from this weekend in our Monday 10 feature:

1. Quinnipiac is scored upon – which is the closest this team is coming to finding bad news these days

The breaking news for No. 1 Quinnipac is that the Bobcats allowed goals this weekend. After back-to-back shutouts of St. Lawrence and Clarkson – not to mention three shutouts in four games – when Quinnipiac fell behind 1-0 to Yale on Friday, it felt like breaking news. From that point in the game, though, Quinnipiac scored five straight to win 5-1 and coupled with a 5-2 win over Brown on Saturday, it was yet another sweep for the Bobcats. The Friday win clinched a third Cleary Cup – the ECAC regular-season title – for Quinnipiac, as this team continues to roll towards the finish line.

2. Ohio State impresses both indoors and out

It looked as if Michigan was positioned to take the second seed in the Big Ten tournament after Minnesota was ready to clinch things heading into this weekend (and did so convincingly over Penn State on Friday), but Ohio State certainly made a statement this weekend. The Buckeyes skated to a 3-3 tie in Columbus and won the shootout on Thursday and then, in front of more than 40,000 on Saturday outdoors at First Energy Stadium in Cleveland, defeated the Wolverines 4-2. The five-point weekend in the Big Ten pulled Ohio State into a tie with the Wolverines for the second spot heading to the last weekend.

3. And about those Gophers

As mentioned, Minnesota clinched the Big Ten regular-season title on Friday, scoring the first six goals of the game before the midway point of the second en route to a 7-2 victory over Penn State. While the Nittany Lions put forth a better fight on Saturday Matthew Knies spoiled the evening in Hockey Valley, scoring the tying goal with 41 seconds remaining and the game-winner at 2:49 of overtime. Minnesota seems almost locked into the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament, currently at 70 percent to land in the top spot.

4. Merrimack is back from the dead after a sweep of Boston University

Merrimack was the dark-horse darling of the first half of the season. But a 3-8-1 skid after the break, including three straight OT losses in Hockey East play heading into this weekend, had the Warriors reeling. Somehow, though, facing off against first-place Boston University gave Merrimack the life it needed. A 4-1 win at home on Friday was followed by a 4-3, come-from-behind victory with 0.1 seconds left in overtime on Saturday over the Terriers, producing a five-point Hockey East weekend. The weekend, which solidified Merrimack’s place in third in Hockey East and leaves them with a hope of a first-ever regular-season title, didn’t do much to help in the PairWise where Merrimack still remains in 19th.

5. Minnesota State moves to first in CCHA, but can’t put stranglehold on title

After Friday’s 4-1 victory for Minnesota State over Bemidji State, one might have felt that the Mavericks were ready to seize control of the CCHA standings as the season comes to a close. Minnesota State trailed Michigan Tech by a single point headed to the weekend while the Huskies were idle. The Mavericks moved two points ahead and could’ve extended that lead on Saturday before both Mankato and Tech faceoff next weekend to close the season. But a 2-1 loss to Bemidji State spoiled Minnesota State sweep and placed the Mavericks just two points ahead of Michigan Tech as the pair square off this weekend with a regular-season title on the line.

6. Cornell’s falters put NCAA bid at risk

While there were plenty of great stories from this weekend, for Cornell, Friday and Saturday may have felt like some lost opportunities. Facing Clarkson and St. Lawrence at home, the Big Red were looking for victories to further cement their position not just in the ECAC standings but, more importantly, in the PairWise. Instead, a 4-3 loss to Clarkson on Friday and a 1-0 loss to St. Lawrence a night later not only dropped Cornell to third place in the ECAC, but more importantly to the PairWise bubble. Cornell is in a three-way tie for 14th with Northeastern and Notre Dame. The tie breaker – RPI – places the Huskies higher than Cornell, but the Big Red still lead Notre Dame by .0019 percentage points in the RPI. Not a lot of room for error for the Big Red.

7. Alaska rallies for sweep of LIU to keep hope alive for NCAA bid

Independent Alaska rallied on back-to-back nights, including overcoming a 3-0 deficit on Saturday against LIU to earn a weekend sweep and keep alive the team’s hopes for an at-large NCAA tournament bid. The Nanooks, which improved to 18-10-2, have four games remaining – two on the road at Arizona State and two at home versus Lindenwood – with a legitimate hope of an NCAA bid. Currently, the odds of earning that bid are less than 20 percent, but a perfect finish and a 23-10-2 record makes things possible for the Nanooks, who currently sit 17th in the PairWise.

8. NCHC still has plenty of possibilities

For a while, it looked like Denver’s race to a regular-season title might be a foregone conclusion. But a 6-5 loss for the Pioneers on Saturday night to Minnesota Duluth places Western Michigan withing striking distance with two weekends remaining for each team. Moreover, the fact that the Pioneers and Broncos will face off against one another this weekend at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo brings in the fact that Western could actually take over the top spot in the league if they were to earn a regulation sweep. In essence, the entire NCHC standings feel up for grabs – at least the top four and spots 5-7 do. While Miami is cemented in last and it is unlikely that any of the current top four would lose home ice, nothing much feels secure in this league.

9. Will Northeastern be Hockey East’s second team?

To understand how volatile the bottom of the PairWise bubble is right now, look at the plight of Northeastern this past weekend. The Huskies began things inside the bubble on Friday morning, 15th in the PairWise. Idle on Friday, Northeastern fell all the way to 19th after Friday’s games were completed. But after a 3-0 win on the road at Vermont – a victory that maybe seems inconsequential in helping Northeastern’s RPI – the Huskies moved all the way back to a three-way tie for 14th in the RPI, holding that No. 14 spot based on the RPI tiebreaker. Why so much fluctuation? The fact that Northeastern at 14 and Merrimack at 19 are separated by .0067 in RPI has a ton to do with it. Every single game can change that number and there will be plenty of movement going forward.

10. The Beanpot overtime – and shootout – debate

It feels like it’s been weeks since Northeastern earned its fourth Beanpot title in five years over Harvard last Monday. But it was less than a week ago that much of the college hockey world exploded over social media because one of the legendary college hockey tournaments was decided by a shootout. The NCAA a few years back mandated that any in-season tournament use a five-minute overtime to decide a final score – the impetus being that teams who played lengthy overtime games during in-season tournaments didn’t want to the charged for a loss in the PairWise if they were to lose. Since that time, though, the overtime and shootout structure have overtaken the sport and the NCAA rules committee decided all in-season tournament games needed to be decided in either 3-on-3 OT or a shootout. It was less than ideal for the Beanpot, which has a legacy of great overtime battles – and heroes – that make the lore of the tournament more special. And while it is understandable that the NCAA likes uniformity, it is more important the governing body allow events such as the Beanpot, the GLI, or any other tournament the ability to find their own solution on how to crown a champion.

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Feb. 17-18

By USCHO Staff

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February 20, 2023

Merrimack’s Matt Copponi celebrates a goal last weekend in the Warriors’ sweep of Boston University (photo: Merrimack Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Feb. 13 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 17-18.

No. 1 Quinnipiac (26-3-3)
02/17/2023 – Yale 1 at No. 1 Quinnipiac 5
02/18/2023 – Brown 2 at No. 1 Quinnipiac 5

No. 2 Minnesota (23-8-1)
02/17/2023 – No. 2 Minnesota 7 at No. 7 Penn State 2
02/18/2023 – No. 2 Minnesota 3 at No. 7 Penn State 2 (OT)

No. 3 Denver (24-8-0)
02/17/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 2 at No. 3 Denver 6
02/18/2023 – Minnesota Duluth 6 at No. 3 Denver 5

No. 4 Michigan (20-10-2)
02/16/2023 – No. 4 Michigan 3 at No. 10 Ohio State 3 (OT)
02/18/2023 – No. 4 Michigan 2 at No. 10 Ohio State 4 (Cleveland, Ohio)

No. 5 Boston University (20-10-0)
02/13/2023 – RV Boston College 4 vs No. 5 Boston University 2 (Beanpot third place)
02/17/2023 – No. 5 Boston University 1 at No. 20 Merrimack 4
02/18/2023 – No. 20 Merrimack 4 at No. 5 Boston University 3 (OT)

No. 6 St. Cloud State (18-9-3)
02/17/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 3 at RV North Dakota 4 (OT)
02/18/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 2 at RV North Dakota 2 (OT)

No. 7 Penn State (19-12-1)
02/17/2023 – No. 2 Minnesota 7 at No. 7 Penn State 2
02/18/2023 – No. 2 Minnesota 3 at No. 7 Penn State 2 (OT)

No. 8 Western Michigan (21-10-1)
02/17/2023 – Colorado College 1 at No. 8 Western Michigan 4
02/18/2023 – Colorado College 1 at No. 8 Western Michigan 2

No. 9 Harvard (19-6-2)
02/13/2023 – No. 9 Harvard 2 vs No. 16 Northeastern 2 (OT, Beanpot championship)
02/17/2023 – Union 3 at No. 9 Harvard 5
02/18/2023 – Rensselaer 0 at No. 9 Harvard 4

No. 10 Ohio State (18-11-3)
02/16/2023 – No. 4 Michigan 3 at No. 10 Ohio State 3 (OT)
02/18/2023 – No. 4 Michigan 2 at No. 10 Ohio State 4 (Cleveland, Ohio)

No. 11 Cornell (16-9-2)
02/17/2023 – Clarkson 4 at No. 11 Cornell 3
02/18/2023 – St. Lawrence 1 at No. 11 Cornell 0

No. 12 Michigan Tech (21-8-4)
Did not play.

No. 13 Minnesota State (20-11-1)
02/17/2023 – No. 13 Minnesota State 4 at RV Bemidji State 1
02/18/2023 – No. 13 Minnesota State 1 at RV Bemidji State 2 (OT)

No. 14 Connecticut (17-10-3)
Did not play.

No. 15 Omaha (17-10-3)
02/17/2023 – No. 15 Omaha 3 at Miami 1
02/18/2023 – No. 15 Omaha 3 at Miami 2 (OT)

No. 16 Northeastern (15-10-5)
02/13/2023 – No. 9 Harvard 2 vs No. 16 Northeastern 2 (OT, Beanpot championship)
02/18/2023 – No. 16 Northeastern 3 at Vermont 0

No. 17 Michigan State (16-16-2)
02/17/2023 – No. 17 Michigan State 6 at Wisconsin 2
02/18/2023 – No. 17 Michigan State 2 at Wisconsin 6

No. 18 UMass Lowell (16-11-3)
02/17/2023 – No. 18 UMass Lowell 2 at RV Providence 3 (OT)
02/18/2023 – RV Providence 1 at No. 18 UMass Lowell 2

No. 19 Notre Dame (14-14-4)
Did not play.

No. 20 Merrimack (18-12-1)
02/17/2023 – No. 5 Boston University 1 at No. 20 Merrimack 4
02/18/2023 – No. 20 Merrimack 4 at No. 5 Boston University 3 (OT)

RV = Received votes

Women’s Division I College Hockey: No. 6 Wisconsin survives comeback bid by No. 1 Ohio State, wins 6-5 in OT

By Nicole Haase

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February 19, 2023

MADISON – The #1 Ohio State Buckeyes dug out of a 4-0 hole after the first period to force overtime, but #6 Wisconsin pulled out a 6-5 win thanks to a made penalty shot by freshman Kirsten Simms midway through the extra frame.

The penalty shot was called after an extended scrum in the Ohio State crease when Jenn Gardiner was called for handling the puck. Lacey Eden, Nicole LaMantia and Simms were on the ice and one had to take the shot. Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said he went with a gut feeling and called for Simms to take it, saying her performance in the teams’ shootout win over Minnesota last weekend in Minneapolis made him believe she’d be up to the challenge.

“[In Minnesota] the goalie made a nice poke check on her and she was not able to score because of it. I just felt, a young freshman had been through it once in front of a full house last weekend, let’s see what she can do with it.”

Grad student Jesse Compher said she was confident in Simms in that situation, despite her youth.

“We’ve seen those moves every day in practice. That kid works on her hands nonstop, so to see her hard work pay off, obviously we’re all super excited for her,” she said.

For her part, Simms said the fact that there was no time to think about the shot as there would be in a shootout following overtime made her rely on her instincts and just choose one of a handful of favored moves she has.

While the loss was obviously disappointing for the Buckeyes, coach Nadine Muzerall said she was incredibly proud of her team for staging a comeback and forcing the Badgers to overtime. In the short intermission between regulation and the extra frame, she said she made sure to let her team know that.

“I sat in front of them so that they could all see them and said, ‘I just want you to know, regardless of what happens here, that was unbelievable. I am proud of you.’”

The frustration with the scoring woes was palpable in the media room after Wisconsin lost a 1-0 game to St. Cloud State two weeks ago. It was a starkly different mood on Saturday after back to back, high-scoring wins over their rivals.

The outing was another massive performance for a Wisconsin team that has struggled to find their rhythm this season, particularly with scoring. When these two met back in early January, the Badgers managed just one goal in the two game series. Now they’ve scored 13 goals in the past two games against the #1 and #3 teams in the country.

“I think that we’ve known all year on paper how good of a team we can be, but we haven’t shown that. I think that we’re just starting playing our best hockey and I think that we’re coming together as a group and we’re all buying into this and we all want the same thing. And that’s to walk out of here with the National Championship,” said Compher.

Wisconsin charged out to a four goal lead thanks to goals from Casey O’Brien, Britta Curl and two from Compher. Curl and Compher each scored power play goals. Wisconsin had scored two extra attacker goals just one other time this season – September 30 against Lindenwood. They now have 15 power play goals on the year.

In the locker room at intermission, Muzerall told her team the staff believed in them. She said she reminded them that the regular season conference title is on the line in this series and told her team that they need three points and by getting this far, they’d earned one of them. But she also made clear to them that if they let this opportunity slip away, they’d think about the lost opportunity for a long time to come.

“You had the conference title, which is the hardest because it shows your body of work, sitting on your lap, you didn’t take it, you’re gonna forever regret it. They’re not going to give it to you, you have to take it. You have to take it and work for it. Dictate your future,” Muzerall said she told her team.

The speech worked. Ohio State are the top team in the country and defending national champions for a reason and they immediately started chipping away. Gardiner put OSU on the board just 1:38 into the second period.

The Badgers looked like they might be able to slow the Buckeye momentum with a goal just a few minutes later, but the goal was overturned for too many players on the ice by the Badgers. Ohio State gathered momentum from there, dominating play in the second period and outshooting Wisconsin 11-5 in the frame. Former Badger Makenna Webster fed Emma Maltais in the slot on a breakaway later in the second to make it a 4-2 game.

Brooke Bink cut the lead to one in the opening minutes of the third and it looked like there was simply too much time left in the game for Wisconsin to hold on to their lead. But the Badgers kept fighting and Sophie Shirley extended the lead to 5-3 as she crashed the net and tipped in an O’Brien pass. It was Shirley’s first goal in 14 games.

Coach Mark Johnson said no one’s smile was bigger than Shirley’s after the game, noting that she’d been playing well, but wasn’t finding the back of the net.

A Curl body-checking penalty led to a power play goal from Gardiner that slid through traffic straight into the net to make it 5-4 and in the final three minutes, Maltais pounced on a rebound UW goalie Cami Kronish left sitting right in front of her crease to tie the game at 5 and force overtime.

For his part, Johnson said he sees his team’s confidence growing over the past few weeks and sees how that has affected how they take the ice.

“You can’t play going on the ice not wanting to lose. You have to go on the ice wanting to win and there is a big difference in that.”

The two teams face off again on Sunday at 2 pm central. The game will be streamed on BTN+. Ohio State needs two points to clinch the WCHA regular season title.

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: No. 3 Denver, No. 4 Michigan, No. 5 Boston University, No. 11 Cornell among top teams to fall on Saturday as standings, PairWise get late-season shakeup across the nation

By USCHO Staff

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February 18, 2023

Ohio State earned a 4-2 victory over Michigan in front of 45,523 fans at First Energy Stadium in Cleveland. It completed a five-point weekend for the Buckeyes over the Wolverines in Big Ten play (Photo: Ohio State Athletics)

It’s been a few years since Ohio State has earned a victory over rival Michigan on the football field. On Saturday, the Buckeyes hockey team corrected that.

In the first-ever college hockey game played at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, No. 10 Ohio State earned a 4-2 victory over the No. 4 Wolverines to cap a five-point week in the two-game Big Ten series for the Buckeyes.

The two clubs tied, 3-3, on Thursday in Columbus with Ohio State winning the shootout. The two teams are now deadlocked for second place in the Big Ten standings with two games remaining for each club.

Ohio State erupted for three goals in less than five minutes in the second period to take a 3-1 lead in the third. Despite Michigan’s Eric Ciccolini cutting the lead to a goal with 8:46 remaining, but Stephen Halliday’s response less than a minute later capped the scoring and the outcome.

MOOD. 😁 https://t.co/VqMtgmnGP6 pic.twitter.com/vO3c5nhfAy

— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) February 19, 2023

Jake Wise tallied a goal and two assists for Ohio State, while goaltender Jakob Dobes earned the victory making 35 saves.

SCOREBOARD | PAIRWISE RANKINGS | STANDINGS

No. 20 Merrimack 4, No. 5, Boston University 3 (OT)

Ben Brar scored his second goal of the game with 0.1 seconds remaining in overtime as Merrimack completed a weekend sweep of Boston University, earning five-of-six much needed points in the Hockey East standings.

Brar goal came with an extra attacker as a delayed penalty was upcoming on Boston University. Instead of allowing BU to touch the puck for a short power play as overtime expired, the Warriors kept forechecking, finally finding Brar in the slot before the final buzzer sounded.

Here's the end of the overtime in case you missed it!#GoMack x #MissionMerrimack pic.twitter.com/SPt1A3zDse

— Merrimack Men’s Hockey (@MerrimackMIH) February 19, 2023

The goal came seconds after goaltender Hugo Ollas stopped BU’s Jay O’Brien on a breakaway to extend the overtime session.

Merrimack jumped to an early 2-0 lead on goals by Matt Coppani and Mick Messner in the first. But after BU’s Matt Brown scored early in the second, a major penalty to Merrimack’s Liam Dennison translated to back-to-back power play tallies by Ryan Greene and Lane Hutson.

BU’s Sam Stevens took a penalty early in the third allowing Brar to score his first of the night and tie the game at 1:26 of the third, setting up to dramatic finish.

With Northeastern earning a 3-0 win at Vermont on Saturday, the Huskies move a point ahead of BU for first place in Hockey East with two weekends remaining.

Minnesota Duluth 6, No. 3 Denver 5

In a wild back-and-forth game, Wyatt Kaiser posted a four-point game as visiting Minnesota Duluth sweated out a 6-5 victory over Denver.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the game taking leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 5-2 before Ben Steeves scored his second goal of the night at 2:26 of the third to give Minnesota Duluth a 6-4 lead. Massimo Rizzo, who tallied two goals for the Pioneers, cut the deficit to 6-5 with 11:38 remaining, but goalie Matthew Thiessen shut things down from there, finishing the game with 29 saves.

Make that power play goal #11 for Steeves😤 https://t.co/M5v6M16IvB pic.twitter.com/eD9cZcGHgL

— UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) February 19, 2023

Combined with Western Michigan’s 2-1 victory over Colorado College, Denver’s lead atop the NCHC slips to five points with four games remaining for each club. The Pioneers and Broncos face off next weekend at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo.

St. Lawrence 1, No. 11 Cornell 0

Aleksi Peltonen scored the game’s only goal with 2:45 remaining in regulation as St. Lawrence upset No. 11 Cornell, 1-0.

One and done ✅ Aleksi Peltonen tallies the game's only goal to give the Saints a 1-0 win over Cornell!#ECACHockey x @SkatingSaints pic.twitter.com/E1wevGWHJb

— ECAC Hockey (@ecachockey) February 19, 2023

It was the second home loss in as many nights for Cornell, which fell to Clarkson, 4-3, on Friday. The lost weekend leaves the Big Red in a precarious position in the PairWise with just one weekend remaining in the regular season.

Cornell now sits squarely on the PairWise bubble, tied for 14th, though currently holding the tiebreaker of higher RPI over Notre Dame, which is one spot below the cut line.

The Big Red also dipped to third place in the ECAC standings with Harvard passing them after a 4-0 win over Rensselaer.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: No. 2 Minnesota dominates No. 7 Penn State, 7-2; No. 20 Merrimack takes down No. 5 Boston University; No. 1 Quinnipiac wins Cleary Cup; Clarkson upsets No. 11 Cornell, 4-3; No. 3 Denver comes from behind

By USCHO Staff

-

February 17, 2023

Justin Close made 35 saves as No. 2 Minnesota beat No. 7 Penn State, 7-2, in Pegula Ice Arena (Photo credit: Craig Houtz/Penn State Athletics)

One day after clinching the Big Ten regular season championship, No. 2 Minnesota delivered a statement performance with a 7-2 road win over No. 7 Penn State.

Matthew Knies had the game-winning goal 39 seconds into the second period, the first of four unanswered markers scored within a 10-minute span.

Floodgates: Opened pic.twitter.com/pSpijRKptJ

— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) February 18, 2023

Jimmy Snuggerud scored two for the Gophers and Logan Cooley had a five-point night with four assists and the final Minnesota goal of the game late in the second period.

Justen Close allowed one goal and stopped 35 in 50:06 minutes of play. Owen Bartoszkiewicz finished the game for Minnesota, allowing a goal and saving four in his first action since Dec. 31

The Gophers secured the regular season B1G title with No. 10 Ohio State’s shootout victory over second-place No. 4 Michigan in Columbus Thursday night. This is the second consecutive and sixth total Big Ten conference championship for Minnesota since 2014.

No. 20 Merrimack 4, No. 5 Boston University 1

The Hockey East standings tighten a bit after No. 20 Merrimack beat No. 5 Boston University, 5-1. The third-place Warriors entered the weekend five points behind the Terriers and are two points back after tonight’s win.

Zachary Borgiel made 38 saves for the Warriors and Jordan Seyfert had the game-winner at 14:35 in the second. Matt Copponi opened the scoring for Merrimack in the first, and Mick Messner had two third-period goals, including an empty-netter.

BU’s lone goal was scored by Jay O’Brien on the power play at 10:37 in the third. The loss is the third in a row for the Terriers, their longest skid of the season.

No. 1 Quinnipiac 5, Yale 1

Trailing by a goal after the first, the No. 1 Bobcats rolled onto a 5-1 win over Yale, earning Quinnipiac its third consecutive ECAC regular season championship.

David Chen gave the Bulldogs the 1-0 lead at 7:08 in the first, but two late second-period goals scored less than a minute apart by Sam Lipkin tied the game and put the Bobcats ahead for good. CJ McGee added another three minutes later to make it a 3-1 game after two.

One wasn't enough for Sam… so he went and scored again.#BobcatNation x #ECACHockey pic.twitter.com/GXxJT1R7S1

— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) February 18, 2023

Collin Graf and Cristophe Tellier added third-period goals for the Bobcats. Yaniv Perets stopped 15-of-16 in his 25th win of the season. Chase Clark faced no shots in the Quinnipiac net in the final five minutes of the game.

Clarkson 4, No. 11 Cornell 3

With two goals each from Alex Campbell and Ayrton Martino and a 24-save performance by Ethan Haider, the Golden Knights beat the Big Red in Lynah Arena, becoming the only ECAC team to sweep their season series against No. 11 Cornell in conference play.

The score was tied 1-1 after the first and Cornell briefly took the lead on Ben Berard’s first goal of the night at 6:10 in the second, but goals by Martino and Campbell put Clarkson ahead by the end of the period. Berard’s second goal midway through the third period briefly knotted the game again, but it was Ayrton’s second goal of the night that decided it at 11:54 in the third.

The Big Red outshot the Golden Knights 27-19.

No. 3 Denver 6, Minnesota Duluth 2

The Pioneers battled from behind twice against the Bulldogs as No. 3 Denver beat Minnesota Duluth 6-2.

Jesse Jacques opened the scoring for Minnesota Duluth late in the third but Denver’s Aidan Thompson answered two minutes later on the Denver power play to tie the game 1-1 after one.

Big stop by Magnus Chrona leads to a two-goal swing as Jack Devine doesn't miss on his marker. pic.twitter.com/eb0ZW4gXm4

— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) February 18, 2023

Luke Loheit put the Bulldogs up by one again early in the second period. Two Denver goals scored less than three minutes apart — the first by Mike Benning, the second from Jack Devine — put the Pioneers for good midway through the second period.

Devine scored another midway through the third. Jared Wright and McKade Webster added late goals for the Pioneers. Magnus Chrona made 31 saves and Jack Caruso stopped the only shot he faced as he played out the final 2:30 in Denver’s net.

D-III West Weekend Hockey Picks — Feb. 17-18, 2023

By Brian Lester

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February 17, 2023

St. Scholastica will try to capture the MIAC title this weekend. (Photo Credit: St. Scholastica Athletics)

It’s playoff time in the NCHA and WIAC this weekend. And meanwhile in the MIAC, the final weekend of the regular-season is here and a champion will be crowned.

Here’s at look at the big games ahead as hockey in the west region of NCAA Division III heats up to another level.

NCHA

Lake Forest (10-11-4) at Aurora (17-6-2)

These two teams get their series started Friday night and Aurora, the 10th-ranked team in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll is the home team. This could be an interesting series. During the regular season the Foresters handed Aurora a 7-0 loss. The two teams also played to a pair of ties, with Lake Forest prevailing in the shootout both times by a 2-1 score.

So yes, the Spartans, winners of two in a row, are the favorite, but nothing is going to come easy. And it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if a mini game decided this series.
Aurora, 5-4; Lake Forest, 4-3, Aurora, 2-1 (mini game)

Concordia (4-20-1) at Adrian (19-4-2)

Talk about a tall order for the Falcons, who have their hands full against the reigning national champions. Adrian produced two of its highest scoring gams of the year against Concordia in the regular season, winning 8-2 and 12-1. It’s hard to imagine things will go any different this time around. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs simply have too much firepower, especially with conference points leader Matius Spodniak (44) heading things up. He also leads the league in goals (22).
Adrian, 8-1 and 7-0

Marian (11-12-2) at St. Norbert (15-8-2)

The Sabres were a thorn in the side of the Green Knights during the regular season, playing one game to a 4-4 tie and earning a 1-0 win in the other. But the No. 13 Green Knights come in having won three of their last four, closing out the regular season with a big 6-1 win over Adrian. Marian has won four of five and has to be feeling good about itself going into this series. Again, this is another series where a decisive mini game wouldn’t surprise anyone. But I think the Green Knights get it done in two.
St. Norbert, 4-3 and 6-4

MSOE (14-11) at Trine (17-7-1)

Trine comes into this series as hot as anyone, rattling off five consecutive wins. And the Thunder are at home for the opening series. The Raiders have lost four in a row. These two teams played a month ago and it turned out to be an interesting series. The Thunder lost the opener 2-1 but bounced back with a 5-2 win in the finale. Here’s the tithing about Trine that is worth nothing for this series. It has allowed only four goals during its win streak. If that defense stays on point, the Thunder will be tough to beat.
Trine, 4-1 and 5-2

WIAC

UW-River Falls (11-13-1) at UW-Stout (15-9-1)

The Blue Devils have had a turnaround season, nearly doubling their win total from a year ago, and now they hope to advance in the conference tournament. They don’t come into the tourney with a lot of momentum, having dropped four in a row, and offensively, they’ve struggled lately. The Falcons come in with nothing to lose and are playing well right now, rattling off four consecutive wins. Their just 2-9-1 away from home but maybe that trend changes this weekend. Let’s go with the upset here.
UW-River Falls, 3-2 and 4-3

Northland (1-22-2) at UW-Superior (14-9-2)

It’s a tall order for the Lumberjacks as they take on a UW-Superior team that nearly won the WIAC regular-season crown. Yes, the Yellowjackets have dropped their last two but they are at home and they have had success against Northland this year, winning the two regular-season meetings by a combined score of 10-0. The Lumberjacks will compete hard. They always do. But look for the Yellowjackets to get it done on the scoreboard.
UW-Superior, 5-1 and 4-0

MIAC

St. Scholastica (15-6-2) vs. Augsburg (14-8-1, 10-4)

A conference championship is on the line, and it wouldn’t be the MIAC if the title wasn’t decided until the final weekend of the season.

The Saints have been the frontrunner this season but the Auggies have used a late-season surge to put themselves in a position they are no stranger to as a program. Augsburg has won its last five games.

St. Scholastica has three of the top five goal scorers in the league and this is a team that always has a chance to win with Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov on the ice together making plays.

Augsburg’s Gavin Holland and Austin Dollimer are both ranked in the top 10 in goals scored as well in the conference. This should be a fun series to watch. Both teams are capable of winning this series. It won’t surprise me if Augsburg gets it done, but the Saints are chasing history and I have a feeling they catch it.
St. Scholastica, 5-4 and 4-3

Concordia (10-11-2, 7-6-1) vs. Saint Mary’s (11-11-1, 7-7)

Both teams have 20 points apiece and are tied for the fourth spot in the MIAC standings. The Cobbers and Cardinals are similar in some ways, with both teams scoring a little more than three goals a game and both teams allowing a little over three goals per game.

The Cobbers finished January on a four-game winning streak but have struggled this month, winning just once in five games. The Cardinals are 2-2 are in their last four but did get a win over St. Scholastica last weekend.
Concordia, 4-3; Saint Mary’s, 4-2

USCHO Edge: Is it possible to find value in one underdog to create a nice-paying parlay?

By Jim Connelly

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February 17, 2023

UMass Lowell captain Jon McDonald and the rest of the River Hawks play a home-and-home series this weekend with Providence (photo: UMass Lowell Athletics).

We’re getting towards the end of the regular season where, as we’ve discussed in previous column, sports books are getting much better at setting lines.

Thus, finding value on a single game can often be challenging. This Friday, though, you have three home underdogs (some may argue North Dakota at +100 isn’t much of a ‘dog).

So the key in finding a real value is whether or not you can maybe find one underdog and make a two-or-more team parlay where you can increase value of a bet to +300 or better.

If you don’t understand the parlay concept, take a quick Google to understand how it works.

All that said, yes there are some juicy underdogs this week. The over/under lines also feel like you could hit one or two (Minnesota/Penn State over 6.5 seems viable).

But most importantly, there is great action to enjoy in the final weekends of the regular season.

No. 2 Minnesota (-175) at No. 7 Penn State (+140); o/u 6.5

Penn State is at home and is playing a Minnesota team that lost on the road last Saturday to Wisconsin. Shade towards Penn State?

I’m not sure. I don’t mind the Nittany Lions at home, but Penn State is 3-5-0 in its last six and is .500 at home in Big Ten play this year. Add in the fact that Minnesota can clinch the Big Ten title with a win on Friday. It seems hard to believe that the Gophers will fail to clinch twice in a row.

That said, Penn State earned a 4-2 win and fell 3-1 in the Twin Cities earlier this year. It’s not impossible, but this time of year, the trends favor the Gophers.

Over/under of 6.5 feels manageable until you realize the first two games between these two teams went under. Bet that carefully.

Jim

Ed

John

Dan

Chris

Jack

Matt

Paula

Nat'l

HEA

ECAC

AHA

CCHA

NCHC

B1G

Yale (+300) at No. 1 Quinnipiac (-450); o/u 5.5

Wow, look at Yale. Highest value we’ve seen in some time at +300. That’s automatically worthy of a bet, right?

Well, not so fast. The history simply won’t support that wager. Yale hasn’t won in Hamden since 2011. The Bulldogs have lost the last nine games at the Bobcats.

Now add in the fact that Quinnipiac is one of the hottest in the nation AND they haven’t lost at home this year. Honestly, you’re better off trying to win a tiny bit betting the Bobcats than trying to chase what looks like empty money in Yale.

Jim

Ed

John

Dan

Chris

Jack

Matt

Paula

Nat'l

HEA

ECAC

AHA

CCHA

NCHC

B1G

No. 18 UMass Lowell (-110) at Providence (-120); o/u 5

UMass Lowell hasn’t had many teams that have felt like a kryptonite in the Norm Bazin era, but one team that has had the River Hawks number seems to be Providence. The two teams split the season series a year ago, each team winning at home.

So looking at the current trends, UMass Lowell is strong since January 1, while Providence is 2-6-2 over the same span. Home ice likely means a lot in this series.

The over/under seems near perfect at 5. These two teams play to a pair of 3-2 results last year. The under does seem more likely than the over, but it is more likely this pushes.

Jim

Ed

John

Dan

Chris

Jack

Matt

Paula

Nat'l

HEA

ECAC

AHA

CCHA

NCHC

B1G

No. 6 St. Cloud State (-130) at North Dakota (+100); o/u 6

This is a decent NCHC rivalry of late, but both teams are equally as far apart in the league standings this season. St. Cloud is in a three-way tie for second, while North Dakota is tied for sixth. A Huskies sweep could almost certainly align a rematch of these two teams in St. Cloud in a few weeks in the NCHC quarterfinals.

Home ice used to be a near guarantee for the Fighting Hawks, but a 7-8-1 mark at the Ralph this season is hardly a guarantee (their 5-5-3 mark on the road is a tad better). St. Cloud hasn’t been excellent on the road (7-6-0), but the -130 price is pretty attractive for a Huskies team that is trying to lock up an NCAA bid as much as anything.

Jim

Ed

John

Dan

Chris

Jack

Matt

Paula

Nat'l

HEA

ECAC

AHA

CCHA

NCHC

B1G

No. 13 Minnesota State (-150) at Bemidji State (+120); o/u 5

When fans of these two teams look at this series, it might be easiest to remember the two-game sweep by the Beavers when they traveled to Mankato in mid-December.

Since that time, these two teams have headed in opposite directions. The Mavericks are 9-1-0 since the exam break, while Bemidji State is 3-9-1 since that weekend series in Mankato.

The Beavers certainly should believe they could beat Minnesota State, and these are two true rivals – far prior to the days of the CCHA part II. But the Mavericks seem red hot and could really position themselves well to clinch the CCHA title next weekend by gaining the majority of the points this weekend.

Jim

Ed

John

Dan

Chris

Jack

Matt

Paula

Nat'l

HEA

ECAC

AHA

CCHA

NCHC

B1G

Petizian’s competitive fire fueling Geneseo’s drive for five

By Tim Costello

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February 17, 2023

Geneseo’s Matt Petizian looks to backstop the Knights through another SUNYAC playoff season (Photo by Ben Gajewski)

While many teams would be thrilled with a top 15 national ranking and a 16-6-2 record overall entering the final games of the regular season, that is not the rarified air the Geneseo Knights are accustomed to experiencing in the course of their four consecutive SUNYAC titles. Entering the final week of the regular season, the Knights are coming off a loss to Fredonia and with one game remaining against Brockport, will likely play a quarterfinal round playoff game for the first time in several years. And while all of this is different for a roster with a lot of winning experience, the competitive fire of their goaltender is what may push them hardest in pursuit of that fifth consecutive conference crown.

“It is always different being the hunted,” noted head coach Chris Schultz. “The expectations can create a different kind of burden for players but this year’s group has gone through a lot together and continues to work and play hard in what is the strongest version of our league in several years. We are a good hockey team. That said, I think it is likely that we will have to play a Wednesday game next week to get to a semifinal and that is fine. The road may be different, but we know where we want to get to.”

This year has been different for the Knights on many levels. They dealt with first half injuries, some inconsistent play and an offense that no longer routinely scores five goals per game as past versions of the roster produced in recent years. The winning has been done differently and at its core, has relied on the tremendous goaltending of senior Matt Petizian. The senior has been incredibly consistent in nineteen games played this season. Petizian has recorded three shutouts while posting a 1.89 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. He played the game of his Geneseo career on February 3 at Oswego where he stopped 53 of 56 shots in a 4-3 overtime win where the Lakers were the dominant team.

“Matt has evolved immensely as a player and leader since he first came to campus as a freshman,” stated Schultz. “I think as a coach I am most proud of his maturation as a player and how he has learned to handle the management of his being a player here on campus. We have had a lot of excellent goaltenders here and Matt is probably the most competitive of any of them. He is driven by the competition and focuses on outplaying the guy in the crease down the other end of the ice. His competitiveness is contagious, and it rubs off on his teammates who have great respect for his abilities and trust him immensely when he is in the crease. Sophomore Adam Harris has really pushed Matt this year with his high level of play and the two have proven to be a very solid goaltending duo for us this season where there has been more pressure on them to perform. They have seen more shots this year and there is naturally more pressure when the games are closer due to our finding the back of the net less often than prior seasons.”

Saturday’s regular season finale with Brockport could help the team hold down the No. 3 seed in the SUNYAC tournament but whether its No. 3 or 4, the Knights will be hosting a quarterfinal game next Wednesday as long-time rivals Oswego and Plattsburgh likely await the winners for weekend semifinal action.

“Our loss to Fredonia kind of ended Brockport’s season,” said Schultz. “ They have nothing and everything to play for in terms of knocking us off and down a peg in the standings so we have to be ready to play on Saturday night. I am delighted we are playing at home as we have been playing pretty well in our rink lately and everything helps at this time of year when you are looking for a win. This might be a different road for us in the playoffs but we will get focused for whomever we play and wherever we play after Brockport this weekend. Our team is confident in our goaltender, and he has already shown this year he can steal a game for us when we need it.”

The Knights host Brockport on Saturday, 2/18 at 7 PM at the Ira S Wilson rink.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Understanding the changes to the women’s NCAA tournament, selection process

By Nicole Haase

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February 17, 2023

A lot has changed in the landscape of the women’s NCAA ice hockey tournament over the past 18 or so months and it seemed prudent to try to have an explanation of everything all in one place.

In December 2021, it was announced that the field would expand from eight teams to 11 for the 2022 tournament. The additional teams created a “regional semifinal” round of games. The 4/5 quarterfinal was not affected, but teams 6-11 were matched up in a play-in game of sorts, with the winners playing the 1-3 seeds. Those games were played on Thursday, with the quarterfinal game on Saturday. (See last year’s bracket here).

As part of those changes, the selection criteria that focused on minimizing flights as the primary goal in quarterfinal matchups was removed and a requirement to avoid first-round intra-conference matchups was added. This changed the way the Selection Committee approaches the field using information other than data.

But for this season, the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee also made changes to the way it calculates the data of a team’s schedule, opponents and outcomes.

They approved the move away from RPI (Ratings Percentage Index) to NPI (NCAA Percentage Index) as one of the calculations that goes into tournament selection. The NPI was recommended as a simpler and cleaner way to show a team’s schedule strength.

RPI was calculated using a team’s winning percentage, opponents’ winning percentage and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage. NPI is calculated based on winning percentage and the opponent’s NPI rating itself, which is intended to provide a more accurate gauge of strength of schedule and much simpler and cleaner math.

The NCAA Competition Oversight Committee (COC) officially approved the change from RPI to NPI for the 2023 championship season at their summer meetings in August, 2022. The relevant part (also here, on page 3):

“The COC approved the sport committee’s request to use the NCAA Percentage Index (NPI) as a replacement for the Rating Percentage Index (RPI) in the selection criteria, effective with the 2023 championship. The sport committee had asked the COC to consider this in 2020 and was advised to use the NPI in conjunction with – instead of a replacement for – the RPI for two years to assess its impact on selections and return with a recommendation to the COC. In that time the sport committee has affirmed its belief that the NPI provides a better calculation that is based on winning percentage and the opponent’s rating itself (rather than the combination of opponents’ winning percentage and opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage) as the measure of schedule strength.”

To be considered for an at-large selection bid, a team must have an NPI of 50.00 or above.

When this move was proposed and then endorsed by the Championship Committee in 2020, the plan was to weigh components in proportion to what the RPI had used, so the NPI would be 30% winning percentage and 70% strength of schedule. (The RPI had been 30% winning percentage/24% opponents’ winning percentage/46% opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage).

Within this calculation “opponent’s NPI” is interchangeable with “strength of schedule.”

When the 2023 Championship Manual was released, that proportion had been changed. NPI weighs winning percentage at 25% of the calculation and strength of schedule at 75%.

The change to NPI has brought with it a change in how the quality win bonus (QWB) is calculated and awarded.

The QWB used to be set out as being “awarded for wins against the top 12 championship eligible teams.” Now, the QWB is awarded for all non-regulation-time losses against teams with an NPI greater than 51.50. Or, put another way, a team gets extra points toward its NPI for a victory or overtime loss against a team with an NPI of 51.5 or better.

To simplify it somewhat, think of each game a team plays as having its own NPI. A team’s season NPI is the average of all of those NPIs together. As with the RPI, “bad wins” (wins that would hurt a team’s ranking) are removed and QWBs from “bad wins” that have been removed are not added. Wins that would lower a team’s NPI are removed and the average is calculated using the remaining number of games as the denominator.

Your final NPI number is the calculation of 25% of the winning percentage and 75% of your opponents NPI plus your own QWB for each game. And that number is what’s divided by the number of counted games to get your NPI.

It should be noted, I think, that none of this is a perfect system. The Pairwise was created for the men’s game, which has 60 teams. There is less interconference play on the women’s side, so strength of schedule is much more impacted by the strength of a team’s conference.

But since it’s the system the NCAA uses to select the tournament field, it’s the framework we have.

This might not be the week to pick home underdogs: USCHO Edge podcast Season 1 Episode 15

By Jim Connelly Dan Rubin and Ed Trefzger

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February 17, 2023

USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger pick out five games among top 20 D-I college hockey teams, looking at money lines and over/under as well as a further analysis of the matchups.

This week’s games:

No. 2 Minnesota (-175) at No. 7 Penn State (+140); over/under 6.5
Yale (+300) at No. 1 Quinnipiac (-450); o/u 5.5
No. 18 UMass Lowell (-110) at Providence (-120); o/u 5
No. 6 St. Cloud State (-130) at North Dakota (+100); o/u 6
No. 13 Minnesota State (-150) at Bemidji State (+120); o/u 5

This college hockey podcast is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 6th and 8th, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Secure your seats at NCAA.com/mfrozenfour

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

Check out all of USCHO’s podcasts, including USCHO Weekend Review and USCHO Spotlight, plus our entire podcast archive.

Continue

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Fighting for position on the final weekend

By Nicole Haase

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February 16, 2023

It’s the final weekend of the regular season and while some things have been secured, there’s still a lot on the line with this weekend’s games.

Penn State has won the CHA, Northeastern has wrapped up Hockey East and LIU took their first NEWHA regular season title. Each has already secured the top seed in their respective conference tournaments. But in both conference seeding and the Pairwise, this final weekend of games carry a lot of weight.

I normally go alphabetically, but let’s talk about the two titles still up for grabs first.

ECAC

Yale has won their first Ivy League crown, but the ECAC title is still very much up for grabs. The Bulldogs are currently on top, with 51.5 points. Colgate is a point behind, with 50.5 and Quinnipiac is in striking distance with 50 points.

Both the Raiders and Bulldogs face off with teams in the bottom of the ECAC standings. Colgate will play Union and RPI on the road, while Yale gets Dartmouth and Harvard in New Haven. None of the games will be forgone conclusions and each of those squads will absolutely make Yale and Colgate work for those final six points.

Quinnipiac has to hit the road to play St. Lawrence and Clarkson. The Bobcats beat both teams handily in mid-November. Both the Saints and Golden Knights will make the ECAC tournament and for the most part are pretty set in their seeds. St. Lawrence could catch or pass Princeton, but Quinnipiac is the team in this foursome most desperate for conference points.

However, while Clarkson’s ECAC position might be settled, their place in the Pairwise is more precarious. They currently sit 10th – meaning they’d likely get an auto bid if all the top seeds or teams ranked above them in the Pairwise win their respective tournaments. But if there are any major upsets, they’d get bumped. The Golden Knights need to do everything to make their case to the selection committee and ending with two wins, including over #7 Quinnipiac, would strengthen their position.

The ECAC tournament takes the top eight seeds. The higher seed will host a best-of-three quarterfinal series next weekend. The semifinals and championship will be hosted by the top remaining seed the following weekend.

WCHA

Ohio State has a three point lead on Minnesota heading into the final weekend. Unfortunately for the Buckeyes, the Gophers have two games against St. Thomas, who have just three conference wins this season, while OSU has to travel to Madison and play the Badgers.

If Ohio State and Minnesota end up tied in points, they’ll share the regular season title, but the Gophers will take the top seed in the WCHA tournament because they won the head-to-head battle over the course of the season 2-1-1.

This one will come down to the last whistle and in the WCHA, that won’t come until early Sunday evening. Wisconsin and Ohio State play at 2 pm Central on Sunday (the only game on the slate that day), so the Gophers have to just do their best and wait to see what happens.

While the math says that Wisconsin could accumulate more points than Minnesota this weekend, it’s highly unlikely. They’d have to sweep Ohio State and the Gophers would have to be swept. The likelihood is that the Badgers finish third and Minnesota Duluth is set for the fourth spot.

One of the most fun series this weekend should be between St. Cloud State and Minnesota State. The teams are tied with 30 conference points and play each other in St. Cloud on Friday and Saturday. While the Huskies have been the upstarts of the league this season, with wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota, they couldn’t figure out the Mavericks when the teams played in Mankato a month ago.

The WCHA tournament features all eight teams. The quarterfinals are a best-of-three series hosted by the top four seeds. The semifinals and championship take place at the University of Minnesota March 3-4.

CHA

With just five teams this season, the CHA will have the top four teams play each other in best-of-three semifinal series, top seed hosting fourth seed and second seed hosting the third seed. Those four teams are set, with Penn State and Mercyhurst having clinched the top two seeds. The semifinals are next weekend, with a championship game slated for March 3 or 4 with the highest seed remaining hosting.

Syracuse is currently third, with 16 points, while Lindenwood is two points back, but the Orange have played all their conference games. The Lions have a big opportunity to overtake them and earn their highest-ever CHA finish. A win is worth two points in the CHA and Syracuse took three of four games in the season series, so the Lions need a win and to earn points in the other game. They face Mercyhurst in Erie.

Hockey East

While the top seed has been settled for a bit, the rest of the standings in Hockey East are absolutely up for grabs

Vermont currently sits second and Providence is five points back in third. The Catamounts will play two games at UNH, who they tied a few weeks ago. As with Clarkson, UVM’s eyes aren’t on the conference standings so much as they are the Pairwise. Vermont currently sits 11th, meaning they’d be the first team out. They have to win out the season and make a run in the conference tournament to give themselves a more secure position to receive their first ever bid to the NCAA tournament.

But while the Friars are focused on taking the two seed, they also have to focus on holding off Boston College, who are just two points behind them in the standings. Providence and BC will play a home and home series this weekend. The Eagles took the only meeting between the two teams with a 3-0 win two weeks ago.

BC also needs at least a point from the weekend to hold off UConn, who sit six points back and beat the Eagles three times this season, so they own the tiebreaker. The Huskies play a home and home series with Holy Cross, who they lost to 2-1 last weekend. The Crusaders will finish ninth or 10th, but never underestimate the team that can spoil someone’s season and has nothing to lose.

The 5-8 eight seeds are all up for grabs this weekend. Maine and Boston University sit four and five points behind Connecticut, respectively. Maine will play a home and home with Merrimack while BU pulls a tough draw of Northeastern for their final two games of the season. New Hampshire is another two points back of BU.

The top six teams in Hockey East get a first round bye, while the remaining four teams play a game on Wednesday, matching 7 vs 10 and 8 vs 9 to decide the final two teams for the conference quarterfinal. On Saturday, Northeastern draws the lowest remaining seed, the second seed gets the next lowest and then 3 hosts 6 and 4 hosts 5. The winners of those games advance to the semifinals on March 1 and the Hockey East Championship game will take place on March 4 and will air on ESPNU.

NEWHA

Just six points separate second place from fifth place, so there’s a lot at stake in this weekend’s games. Stonehill is in second, with 29 points, followed by Saint Anselm with 28, Franklin Pierce with 25 and Sacred Heart with 23.

Stonehill has completed their conference schedule, so they have to watch the other games and hope for a positive outcome for themselves. Saint Anselm hosts Post for two games. They beat them 4-0 and 4-2 earlier in the season. Franklin Pierce draws regular season champion LIU for two games at home. The Sharks took a win and tie in the previous two meetings. Sacred Heart hosts St. Michael’s for two. The Pioneers had a pair of 4-0 wins over them St. Michael’s earlier in the year. The Purple Knights are currently last in the standings, but are just four points behind Post and could catch them for a slightly better seed in the tournament.

This is the first year the winner of this conference tournament receives an auto bid to the NCAA Tournaments. All seven teams will play in the NEWHA tournament, LIU will have a bye to the semifinals, but everyone else will play a best-of-three quarterfinal series. The higher seed will host. The semifinals are scheduled for March 1 at the highest remaining seeds and the title game will be March 4, again at the highest seed.

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Minnesota aiming to clinch first place, first-round playoff bye, as Gophers looking to ‘play good hockey’

By Paula C. Weston

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February 16, 2023

Justen Close has emerged as Minnesota’s No. 1 goaltender this season (photo: Minnesota Athletics).

In advance of Minnesota’s series in Wisconsin last weekend and two wins away from securing the Big Ten regular-season title, Golden Gophers coach Bob Motzko was asked about how his team had handled a break in the schedule the week before.

“The best answer would be Saturday night late,” he said. “We’ll tell you.”

The Gophers beat the Badgers 4-1 Friday but fell short Saturday, as Wisconsin came from behind for a 3-1 win, delaying what feels like an inevitable outcome in the Big Ten final standings.

During a press conference a few days after the Saturday loss, Motzko credited the Badgers with a well-earned win and added that the Gophers have the opportunity to learn from the experience.

“There were things that we did in the game that we can’t do. but it had been coming,” said Motzko, “and maybe now Coach gets the room back a little bit.

“We haven’t lost a lot of games in conference since November in regulation, so it came at a good time for us. You’ll hear a coach say that once in a while. This one is right on because there are some tendencies that we had coming that we need to get cleaned up, and this is the weekend now to start cleaning that up.”

Mathematically speaking, Michigan is the only team that can catch first-place Minnesota, but that seems unlikely. The Gophers need to win one of their remaining four games to capture the regular-season championship and first-round Big Ten playoff bye, and if Michigan loses just one of its remaining games, the Gophers don’t even need their own single win.

Five teams are vying to finish no lower than fourth in the Big Ten standings, as the teams that place second through fourth host a first-round, best-of-three series. With 35 points, it’s unlikely that second-place Michigan will finish lower than fourth, but it’s still mathematically possible.

Three teams – Michigan State, Ohio State, Notre Dame – are tied with 31 points each, although the Buckeyes have two games in hand on the Spartans and Fighting Irish.

Then there’s Penn State currently in sixth place with 30 points. The Nittany Lions host the Golden Gophers this weekend. Penn State has lost just four home games this season.

“They shoot from everywhere,” said Motzko. “They’re very offensive, they stretch it out of the zone, they try to get you a long way away from the puck. The closer we stay, the better. Wisconsin does that, too, so two weeks now that we will have seen teams that play away from the puck, but they’re very good at it, Penn State.”

Minnesota is seeking its sixth regular-season Big Ten conference championship.

“We just got to get there and play good hockey,” said Motzko. “That’s it.”

More than wins and losses

No team wants to lose the home game that gives an arch-rival a championship. In denying Minnesota the regular-season B1G title last Saturday night in the Kohl Center, Wisconsin did more than win a game. The Badgers made a statement about their commitment to each other – a commitment that Wisconsin has maintained during a challenging season.

“The season has not gone as well in the win-loss columns as we would have liked,” said coach Tony Granato, “but the one thing you can talk about with our team is that each and every day we show up. We’re there for each other. We have fun with each other. We push each other and we stay in the right frame of mind.”

During his weekly press conference, Granato said that there was a chance of letting down after Friday’s 4-1 game because the Badgers might have questions how they could improve enough to beat a team like Minnesota after having played so well and lost.

“I was really proud of the guys and their mental approach to it, the way they attacked them the same way they did on Friday,” said Granato.

The Badgers got a boost from reunions celebrating Wisconsin’s 1973 and 1983 NCAA championship teams.

“There was that excitement that we’ve somewhat lacked in the last couple of months,” said Granato, adding that the weekend felt like a “typical Wisconsin-Minnesota” series.

“Doesn’t matter who’s in first place or last place,” said Granato. “Doesn’t matter. You put those two teams on the ice, special hockey’s going to happen. I thought both those games were great college hockey games.”

There are 34 points separating first-place Minnesota from last-place Wisconsin. The Badgers’ 3-1 win Saturday broke a six-game losing streak against the Golden Gophers, a streak that began Nov. 6, 2021. In those six games, the Gophers outscored the Badgers 34-10.

With four games remaining, Wisconsin cannot play its way out of last place in the Big Ten standings.

So much more than hockey

The murder of three Michigan State students and the injuries to five other Spartans when a gunman began firing randomly on campus shortly after 8:00 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 have impacted far more than the eight young people who were shot. In the abstract, we know that families are shattered forever and that literally thousands of students, staff and faculty are traumatized.

This time, the horror of this senseless event ripples through the Big Ten and college hockey communities.

Since Michigan State was scheduled to play on the road in Wisconsin this weekend, Badgers coach Tony Granato asked MSU’s Adam Nightingale how his program wanted to handle things.

“We reached out to them right away and told them that we’d adjust and do whatever they needed or thought was appropriate,” said Granato. “When something like that happens, we’re all affected but when you realize that the team you’re going to play this weekend is dealing with it on a personal level because it happened to them, there’s a little bit more concern and awareness to the situation.

“Everything is going to go as scheduled, based on that [being] what they decided is best for them.”

Berkey Hall, the academic building where the first two students were killed, is a 15-minute walk from Munn Ice Arena. The Michigan State student union, where the third victim was shot, is a quick 11 minutes from Munn.

It’s not surprising, then, that the Spartans opted to leave for Madison ahead of schedule, arriving Wednesday instead of Thursday. Granato said that Michigan State will be given ice time to practice Thursday.

“Getting away from campus a day early,” said Granato, “is what they thought was right to do.”

Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation announces five finalists for 2023 honors as college hockey’s ‘finest citizen’

By USCHO Staff

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February 16, 2023

Saint Mary’s senior captain Delaney Wolf accepts the 2021 Hockey Humanitarian Award from Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation executive director Matt Patrick (photo: Deb Nahrgang/Saint Mary’s University).

The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation has announced the five finalists for the 2023 Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to college hockey’s “finest citizen” for leadership in community service.

Jacob Adkins (Centennial, Col.) and Andrew Walker (Mason, Mich.), Senior Forwards, UMass Boston
Jake Adkins and Andy Walker, aka “The Men in Blades,” have been a staple in the UMass Boston community for the last three years as they raise funds for cancer research for the American Cancer Society (ACS). A standout initial fundraiser involved them rollerblading from Massachusetts to Michigan in 2020. Jake and Andy subsequently organized the first annual Race II a Cure 5K this past fall and two Hockey Fights Cancer Nights (during the latter, toys were also collected for pediatric cancer patients at Massachusetts General Hospital). This year, a Chuck-A-Puck contest after the game helped raise additional funds. To date, these three-time HHA finalists have raised over $50,000 for ACS.

Ryan Herpy (Chagrin Falls, Ohio), Senior, Defense, Albertus Magnus
Herpy began his community leadership journey with the Falcons in 2019 when the team created a toy drive for Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital to ensure children who were receiving treatment had gifts during the holiday season. In 2020, Herpy and the Falcons started a Thanksgiving food drive to support local families impacted by the pandemic. During 2021, Herpy gathered his teammates to volunteer their time with FISH of Greater New Haven, packing groceries for those experiencing hardship and food insecurity. This season, he was instrumental in the establishment of a charity game for the Wounded Warrior Project. With the game and an accompanying auction, the men’s ice hockey team raised over $12,000 for Wounded Warrior Project and created the groundwork for future charity games. In addition to his volunteer work, Herpy is a member of the Student Government Association (SGA) and an Executive Board Member of the Honors Program. As a member of SGA, he has volunteered locally with various clean-up days around the college and at other school events.

Gabbie Hughes (Lino Lakes, Minn.) Graduate Student, Forward, Minnesota Duluth
Hughes, a two-time finalist, is an integral part of the Sophie’s Squad organization, a non-profit that she helped co-found to support mental health awareness. To date, the charity has raised nearly $278,000 for mental health resources and advocacy. Since its creation, Sophie’s Squad has hosted 39 events, including its first-ever DI women’s and men’s double header “Hockey Hits Back” event in December 2022. Gabbie has participated in every single Squad event either in person or via recording or social media posting. She is passionate about speaking to teenagers, using her own story of mental health struggles to encourage kids of all ages to talk about theirs, too. Gabbie’s activism has helped change the narrative about mental health awareness with teens and young adults.

Hannah Price (Pittsburgh, Pa.) Senior, Defense, Rensselaer
Price serves as RPI’s SAAC President for 2022-23, creating such initiatives as Fresh Check Mental Health Days, blood drives, Troy School 2 Reading Program and Special Olympics Basketball. She is also the RPI Food Recovery Network President, helping to save thousands of pounds of food from RPI’s dining halls for donation to a local food pantry for redistribution to the needy. And Price is her team’s Team Community Service Coordinator. She helped the team forge a partnership with Hope 7 Food Pantry & After School Program. Hannah has coordinated Skate with the Engineers and developed a new partnership with Clifton Park Youth Hockey. Finally, Hannah volunteers with Troy Street Soldiers and Catholic Charities Mass Food Distribution. She currently has an internship at the State Attorney’s Office in the Environmental Protection Bureau. She is also a two-time finalist for this award.

Will Rosen (Washington, D.C.) Freshman, Forward, Saint Anselm
Rosen founded a non-profit apparel company in 2021 named Every Shift Hockey™. The company aims to generate support for Washington’s Fort Dupont Ice Arena, the USA Hockey Membership Relief Fund, and those who are less fortunate in the ice hockey community. Rosen has been able to donate $10,000 through Every Shift Hockey ™ to the Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena. Half of the donation went to weekly Saturday programming at the rink called “Kids on Ice,” USA Hockey registrations, and new hockey equipment. Every Shift Hockey™ introduces children to all aspects of skating, including ice hockey, synchronized skating, figure skating and speed skating. The arena program impacts 3,500 children annually. The remainder of the donation was targeted to a new electric Zamboni and to arena upgrades.

Josh Kosack from Union was honored as the 2022 recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award.

The 28th recipient of the Hockey Humanitarian Award will be honored in a ceremony on Friday, April 7 as part of the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four weekend in Tampa, Fla.

Additionally, the Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation will make a donation to the charity most important to each of the five finalists. These donations are made possible with the generous support of the award’s partners and donors.

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Retiring commissioner Hagwell reflects on changes to college hockey landscape, helping ECAC move forward

By Dan Rubin

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February 16, 2023

ECAC Hockey was a very different league in the mid-2000s.

It was, for starters, an actual part of the ECAC, the sports federation that was founded in the early 1930s. It was initially like its parent organization, but college hockey’s realignment in the 1980s saw a division of teams break away to form Hockey East. The remaining 12 teams formally joined together to form the entire ECAC, and 20 years later, they, too, were separating from the New England-based organization.

Steve Hagwell was, at the time, the associate commissioner for men’s hockey, and after serving in the capacity for four years, he was named as the interim commissioner for the new league that retained the ECAC name. One year later, he was given the permanent role, and for the next two decades, he served as the steward for one of college hockey’s oldest continuous leagues.

This summer, after 17 years as commissioner of ECAC and 23 years as the man in charge of the men’s conference’s spiritual timeline, he will step aside and retire, effective at the conclusion of the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

“I haven’t given it a whole lot of stock, to be frank,” said the commissioner in an interview this week. “Because we’re in the midst of the season, my biggest thing coming down the stretch is to make sure that I don’t fall or tail off or let some of my duties fall by the wayside because I’m thinking about the future. From that standpoint, the stretch run is here. Once the season is over, I’ll definitely have nothing but time to think about what’s going to happen moving forward, but right now, I’m just trying to focus on doing what I need to do to help our league move forward.”

Three decades can introduce unprecedented change to any sport, but ECAC’s rise in the modern era of college hockey was almost as impossible to fathom as the changes that existed around it. When Hagwell became commissioner of ECAC Hockey, the national championship scene was dominated by a three-league arms race between the CCHA, the WCHA and Hockey East. St. Lawrence advanced to the Frozen Four in 2000 with Cornell qualifying in 2003, but they were the first ECAC teams to qualify for the national semifinal since Harvard’s 1994 loss to Lake Superior State.

There hadn’t been a league team playing for the national championship since Colgate’s loss to Wisconsin in 1990, and constant reminders echoed the Crimson’s 1989 championship as the league’s last title.

ECAC simply lost ground to the other three leagues, and Vermont’s departure after the 2004-2005 season left a hole in the conference’s New England-based footprint.

“When the league broke [from ECAC], there were signs that things weren’t going very well,” Hagwell said. “There was a separation on the men’s side with the CCHA, the WCHA, and with Hockey East, and the gap seemed to be growing, and there was a consensus among the coaches and administrators that something needed to be done. [The other leagues] were single-sport conferences with a person and staff dedicated to hockey, and that’s what this league wanted. I was in that role dealing with the day-to-day, getting to know the coaches and the administrators, and I had an opportunity to take the interim role.”

The move was immeasurable to the league’s success. ECAC replaced the Catamounts with Quinnipiac, which eventually became one of the nation’s preeminent powerhouses, and within a decade, the Frozen Four drought ended in dramatic style when Union won the East Regional. Two years later, Yale played Quinnipiac in the 2013 national championship, and after Union won its championship in 2014, the Bobcats returned to the national championship game in 2016 with Harvard advancing to the Frozen Four in 2017.

It was an apex of sorts for the league, and it occurred at a time when college hockey swirled through turbulent waters. It was the only league untouched by the realignment and expansion of the mid-2010s despite being the only conference largely represented by two distinct entities. College Hockey America didn’t survive, and the CCHA essentially merged into the WCHA after the Big Ten and NCHC gutted their mighty programs. Hockey East gained and lost Notre Dame, and Atlantic Hockey scooped two teams from the CHA’s collapse.

ECAC had six teams from the Ivy League and six teams that weren’t closely affiliated in any Division I league other than hockey, but it survived without incident because the 12 entities closed ranks. As that happened, they emerged victorious on the national stage, to which a higher profile as a power league finally formed around a conference once left behind.

“Over the years, a lot of people asked what would happen if the Ivy League schools broke off,” Hagwell said, “and I’ve never heard that. Within this league, everyone wants the same thing. They certainly want to win as individual programs, but they want this league to be successful. That’s been true from day one for me, and that’s been my experience. I don’t see the division that others thought existed. For me, these 12 schools are always trying to go in the same direction.”

That included an unprecedented equity that involved a women’s game that didn’t have NCAA Tournament sponsorship prior to 2001. It gained full membership from each of its 12 members right around the time that the league split away from the ECAC home office, and even as of this year, it’s the only conference that can claim equal membership on both the men’s and women’s sides.

In 2014, Clarkson became the first non-WCHA team to win the national championship, splitting Minnesota’s four championships into two, two-year reigns, before winning consecutive titles again in 2017 and 2018.

“It took a little bit of time,” Hagwell said. “Getting to 12 teams in the ‘mirror league’ was especially gratifying because our institutions and the administrators representing those institutions have been committed to 12 teams on both sides. It was never just men’s hockey or women’s hockey [for us]. That’s been tremendous, and the growth of the women’s game over that time has been mind boggling.”

That doesn’t mean everything in ECAC has ever been perfect, but the league’s infrastructure kept it pushing forward through decades of changes. This year marks the first time the postseason will include all 12 teams on the women’s side, and the men’s championship weekend returned to Lake Placid, New York in 2014 after it spent 12 years moving first to Albany and later to Atlantic City, New Jersey.

It was the first league to have teams shut down for COVID-19, and the 2020-2021 season featured four of its 12 teams after the six Ivy League schools opted out of athletics with RPI and Union.

It was also the first league to sign a broadcast agreement for the ESPN+ digital subscription service after its Ivy League affiliates joined the network as part of the Ivy League Digital Network’s move to the Ivy League on ESPN.

All of this is a legacy built by the independent ECAC’s only commissioner. The search for the next chapter is ongoing, but no matter what happens, when the next champion is awarded the Whitelaw Cup at Herb Brooks Arena, the trip to the national tournament will unquestionably produce a lasting memory for the steward who helped build a conference with a little help from his friends.

“It was tremendously gratifying during that 2013-2014 to see Yale and Quinnipiac in the men’s final,” Hagwell said. “Clarkson winning the women’s championship in 2014, and then two weeks later, Union winning it in Philadelphia was just surreal. I’ll never forget the fact that we were co-hosting [the Frozen Four] in 2014, and that made it a little more hectic. We hit the stretch where Union got into the Frozen Four in Tampa and broke the drought. Prior to that, it had been Cornell, and then a few years later, Colgate and Clarkson played for the women’s national championship [in 2018].

“It’s a different landscape. I’m not on social media for the good, bad, or indifferent. With [name, image, likeness], the transfer portal, it’s just a different landscape. I had some personal things that happened that caused me to consider [retirement], but it all ties together. I don’t ever want to be in a scenario where I hurt this league, and so a lot of different factors went into everything. This isn’t the NCAA that I grew up in, but I had the pleasure of working there for a number of years, and it’s just time for me.”

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FRIDAY ROUNDUP: No. 2 Minnesota dominates No. 7 Penn State, 7-2; No. 20 Merrimack takes down No. 5 Boston University; No. 1 Quinnipiac wins Cleary Cup; Clarkson upsets No. 11 Cornell, 4-3; No. 3 Denver comes from behind

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More than wins and losses

So much more than hockey

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