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D-III East Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – February 27, 2023

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Amherst’s Zachary Murray scored the overtime winning goal to lead the Mammoths to a 3-2 win over Tufts and opportunity to host NESCAC’s championship weekend (Photo by Amherst Athletics)

If we all thought something like, the regular season was crazy but the playoffs will show the true championship pedigree teams, then I say the list just got a lot bigger as there were upsets aplenty, thrilling overtime games and surprises across many conferences as the playoff action unfolded this weekend. The CCC, NE-10, SUNYAC, and UCHC all see the top two seeds playing for the championship next weekend while the NEHC, NESCAC and MASCAC saw lower seeds earn their shot at the title. There is just one more week to earn conference glory and a shot on the national stage. Here is a recap of the exciting action that has us all in anticipation of championship hockey:

CCC   

True to form, the top four teams played in the semifinals this weekend after the University of New England and Salve Regina won quarterfinal games earlier in the week. The Nor’easters needed a Jared Christy overtime goal to knock-off Wentworth, 3-2 while the Seahawks handled Western New England by a 5-2 score to set up the weekend’s semifinal round.

Salve Regina faced No. 1 seed Endicott who had been sitting for a week following their only conference loss in the season finale against Curry. It was the Gulls who took one-goal advantages first with a pair of goals from Cassidy “Cass” Bowes in the first period that were answered by Johnny Mulera and Logan Calder for a 2-2 tie after twenty minutes. Mulera gave the visitors a 3-2 lead after two periods of play and Mitch Walinski extended the advantage to 4-2 with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation. That is when the Gulls and Cass Bowes fired up the offense. Bowes scored his third and fourth goals of the game to tie the score at 4-4 with just two minutes remaining in regulation before Noah Strawn delivered the game-winning goal just 30 seconds after Bowes tied the game for an electric 5-4 come-from-behind win. Atticus Kelly made 21 saves to earn the victory while Anthony Del Tufo stopped 44 of 49 shots in a losing effort for Salve Regina.

The second semifinal saw Curry hosting the defending champions from UNE and the Colonels took advantage of two goals and an assist from Eelis Laaksonen and 30 saves from goaltender Reid Cooper to post a convincing 5-1 win over the Nor’easters. The penalty filled game saw Cooper at his best in helping the Colonels successfully kill all seven man advantages for the Nor’easters who had to settle for Alex Sheehy’s even-strength goal as the only puck to get behind Cooper.

The championship game will take place on Saturday, March 4 with Endicott hosting Curry.

MASCAC

Due to a mid-week snowstorm, Thursday’s scheduled quarterfinal games were re-scheduled for Saturday with the winners playing this upcoming Tuesday in the semifinals and the championship game still on the schedule for Saturday.

Fitchburg State hosted a resurgent Salem State team and jumped to an early lead on a goal from Toivo Kramer. Erik Larsson tied the score with just two seconds remaining on the clock for a 1-1 score at the first intermission. Jack Johansen gave the Falcons an early lead in the second period but the Vikings again scored late with Larsson setting up David Cicak to tie the game at 2-2 after forty minutes of play. The third period was all Salem State as they scored four unanswered goals on the way to a 6-2 win knocking off the No. 3 seeded Falcons who struggled offensively against goaltender Adam Mercer and his 23-save win.

The other quarterfinal game saw a re-match of the season finale between Westfield State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The Owls and Corsairs traded goals through the first 51 minutes of play for a 3-3 tie late into the third period. JoJo Carbone gave the Owls a 4-3 lead with a power play goal less than a minute after Sky Silverstein leveled the score for the visitors. An empty-net goal from Cory Morris provided the final cushion in a 5-3 win that was backstopped by Valtteri Valtonen who stopped 45 of 48 shots by the Corsairs.

The semifinal matchups find No. 1 seed Plymouth State hosting Westfield State on Tuesday night while Salem State travels to No. 2 Worcester State for an afternoon game on Tuesday, February 28.

NE-10

The quarterfinal round saw Assumption dispatch Post by a 7-2 score while Franklin Pierce downed Southern New Hampshire, 3-1 to earn their place in Saturday’s semifinal round.

The Ravens traveled to meet top-seed St. Anselm and ran into a hot goaltender and the offense of forward Matt Hayes. Hayes scored two goals and added two assists while goaltender Nick Howard stopped all 33 shots he faced in a convincing 5-0 shutout win for the Hawks. Andrew Andary also chipped in with a goal and two assists for St. Anselm.

Assumption traveled to Vermont and a semifinal matchup with St. Michael’s on Saturday. The Greyhounds took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission on a goal from Jimmy McDermott, but the second period was an offensive show for the Purple Knights who scored five times in the final nine minutes of the period to take a commanding lead with just one period of play remaining. Assumption would close the deficit to 5-3 midway through the third period but that is as close as they would get with Jack Bavis and Brennan McFarland adding empty-net goals just eight seconds apart in the final two minutes to seal a 7-3 win. Marshall Murphy stopped 34 of 37 shots for the Purple Knights.

St. Anselm will host St. Michael’s for the NE-10 championship on Saturday, March 4 at 1:00 PM at Sullivan Arena.

NEHC

Last week’s Cinderella team, Skidmore traveled Hobart for semifinal action in what was expected to be a disciplined low scoring contest which is exactly what took place on the ice with goaltenders Tate Brandon (Skidmore) and Damon Beaver (Hobart) making things difficult for anyone to score a goal. The Thoroughbreds did not score on Hobart in two games during the regular season and Beaver was able to continue that streak with a 26-save shutout in a 1-0 Hobart win. Captain Zach Tyson scored the game’s only goal in the second period and Beaver made the tally stand up for the win.

The other semifinal found familiar foes facing off with Babson visiting Norwich on Saturday. Goals from Thomas Kramer, Egan Schmitt and Will Holland in each period gave the Beavers a commanding 3-0 lead before Wyatt George sealed the 4-0 victory with a late empty-net tally for Babson. Nolan Hildebrand was outstanding in goal for Babson stopping all 34 Cadet shots he faced.

Hobart will host the NEHC championship game for the first time when Babson travels to The Cooler for a 7 PM face-off against the Statesmen on Saturday.

NESCAC

Welcome to the crazy portion of the program where anything could happen in the quarterfinal matchups and pretty much did with only the No. 3 seeded Amherst being able to earn a victory on home ice – and barely in overtime. No. 5 Colby, No. 7 Bowdoin and  No. 8 Williams all staged comeback wins against the host teams to set up a very interesting championship weekend hosted by the Mammoths.

Wesleyan took advantage of a weekend sweep of Trinity to earn the regular season title and a game against No. 8 Williams. Wiggle Kerbrat and Jake Lachance gave the Cardinals a 2-0 lead after forty minutes of play and Kerbrat added his second of the game to make it 3-0 just over a minute into the third period. The Ephs would not go away quietly as Owen Stadheim got Williams on the board and Mac Carso scored a pair of goals in a two minute span to tie the game at 3-3. With just 50 seconds remaining in regulation, Jonah Gold gave the Ephs a stunning 4-3 win to upset the No. 1 seed. Evan Ruschil made 30 saves for Williams in the come-from-behind victory.

Trinity hosted Bowdoin and came hot flying peppering Alex Kozic with 19 first period shots but could not get anything past the Polar Bears netminder. Riley Prattson gave the Bantams a 1-0 lead after two periods of play and the scene was set for more drama beyond sixty minutes. Gabe Shipper tied the game at 1-1 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation time but neither team could find the game winner. In overtime, Chris Brown, with an assist from Cam Berube beat Devon Bobak and the Polar Bears skated off with a  2-1 upset of the No. 2 Bantams.

Amherst hosted Tufts in the only evening game of the quarter final round and certainly was aware of the upsets and their opportunity to host the championship weekend with a win. Greg McGunigle and Zachary Murray each gave the Mammoths a one-goal lead only to see Cole Dubicki and Mason Kohn answer for the Jumbos to forge a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation. The overtime session saw a back and forth game with both teams finding chances that were kept off the board by the excellent goaltending of Peyton Durand for Tufts and Dan Dachille for Amherst. With just 32 seconds remaining in the first overtime period, Taylor notched his second goal of the game and the game-winner to give the Mammoths a 3-2 win.

Colby also tasted an overtime victory on the road when they rallied from a 2-0 deficit to beat Hamilton 3-2 on Dan Juzych’s goal just over nine minutes into the extra session. Ben Zimmerman and Sam MacBean had given the Continentals a 2-0 lead but the Mules responded with second period goals from Tyler Crist and Alex Bourhas to level the score. Neither team could score in the third period setting up Juzych’s overtime magic to advance the Mules to the semifinals.

On Saturday, No. 3 Amherst will play No. 8 Williams and No. 5 Colby will play No. 7 Bowdoin with the two winners playing for the championship on Sunday afternoon.

SUNYAC

The quarterfinal round saw Geneseo hosting Fredonia and Cortland hosting Buffalo State. The Knights used goals by Bryan Zurowski, Peter Morgan and Alex Wilkins and 21-saves from Matt Petizian to advance with a 3-0 win over the Blue Devils. In the other game, goaltender Emil Normann outdueled Luca Durante making 39 saves and helping the Bengals to a 3-2 upset over the Red Dragons.

On Saturday, the Knights traveled to face No. 2 seed Plattsburgh and the Cardinals jumped out to 2-0 lead on goals by Bennett Stockdale and Brendan Young. Dominic Garozzo would trim the deficit to one-goal setting up an exciting third period. In the final twenty minutes, Plattsburgh would score three unanswered goals from Luk Jirousek, Jake Lanyi, and Carson Gallagher to seal a 5-1 win and end Geneseo’s hopes of a fifth straight SUNYAC title. Eli Schiller stopped 41 shots for Plattsburgh in the win.

Top-seeded Oswego hosted Buffalo State and two goals by Tyler Flack and Alex DiCarlo just fifteen seconds apart in the first period helped the Lakers to a 2-0 lead. Connor Gatto extended the lead to 3-0 in the first minute of the second period and Cal Schell made 15 saves as the Lakers cruised to a 4-1 win and opportunity to host the SUNYAC title game on Saturday.

“I just thought we got off to a good start,” said head coach Ed Gosek. “The two goals in fifteen seconds, back-to-back there was a big momentum boost for us and put them back on their heels. It allowed us to maintain a lot of offensive zone time and then the penalty kill was huge with the five-minute major. Cal [Schell] played well and kept us in it with mistakes we made. They are a good team. There is a reason why their top three guys are leading the league in scoring. They are very creative, fast and their statistics back it up.”

Oswego will host Plattsburgh for the SUNYAC championship on Saturday, March 4 at 7 PM.

UCHC

The top four seeds all won their quarterfinal games on Wednesday with Utica taking a third game in five days from Arcadia, 5-2; Nazareth skating away from Alvernia, 5-1; Stevenson doubling up Chatham, 6-3 and Manhattanville downing Wilkes, 4-1 to advance to Saturday’s semifinal round.

The Pioneers, led by Lucas Herrmann, left no doubt in their game against Manhattanville as the hosts scored six goals in the first period including a hat trick by Herrmann on the way to a lopsided 11-0 win. Herrmann would finish with four goals including two on the power play and one shorthanded goal. The Pioneers scored five power play goals and six special team goals with Herrmann’s shorthanded tally.

In the other semifinal, Stevenson visited Nazareth and the two teams exchanged goals in both the first and second periods for a 2-2 tie after forty minutes of play. In the third period, Blake Frost gave the Golden Flyers a 3-2 lead and Henry McKinney iced the game with an unassisted goal in the final minute for a 4-2 win. Goaltender Richard Provencheur was outstanding, making 25 saves for Nazareth.

Utica will host Nazareth for the UCHC championship game at “The Aud” on Saturday night.

Three Biscuits  

Cassidy Bowes – Endicott –  scored four goals to spearhead a Gull comeback in a 5-4 win over Salve Regina in the CCC semifinals on Saturday.

Lucas Herrmann  – Utica – scored a first period hat trick on the way to a four-goal game in the Pioneers’ 11-0 shutout win over Manhattanville on Saturday.

Zachary Murray – Amherst – scored two goals including the overtime winner with less than thirty seconds remaining to give the Mammoths a 3-2 win over Tufts on Saturday.

The action was terrific this past week and there is still more to come with the MASCAC semifinal round and championship action slated for next weekend. It is what everyone has been playing for all season and now the focus comes down to just one week and for most one game.

Ed Gosek quotes supplied by Mr. SUNYAC, Russell Jaslow – many thanks for the continued support.

Monday 10: Denver repeats as NCHC Penrose Cup champs, Minnesota State collects MacNaughton Cup again, Alaska on brink of NCAA tournament berth

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Denver players celebrate with the Penrose Cup after defeating Western Michigan on home ice Saturday night (photo: Denver Athletics).

Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.

1. No. 1 Gophers end regular season with big sweep

Minnesota’s five unanswered goals Saturday saw the top-ranked Golden Gophers come from behind to beat visiting No. 8 Ohio State 5-2 to close out a series sweep.

Aaron Huglen and Matthew Knies’ goals 12 seconds apart in the second period set the table for Minnesota’s 11th win this season against a top-10 opponent. The Gophers won in a game where they gave up two power-play goals for just the fourth time this season, and for the first time since mid-November.

The Big Ten’s regular-season champions finished the Ohio State series in front of a packed 3M Arena at Mariucci, playing to a sell-out crowd for the eighth time this season.

2. Quinnipiac reaches 20 league wins

Second-ranked Quinnipiac on Saturday became the first ECAC Hockey team in 34 years to reach the 20-win mark in-conference, thanks to a 4-1 win at RPI.

The Bobcats won both their games last weekend by matching scores, also beating Union 4-1 Friday on the road. RPI got on the board first Saturday, but multiple-point showings from Collin Graf, Jayden Lee, Jacob Quillan and Sam Lipkin helped Quinnipiac end the regular season with eight consecutive victories by a combined 33-7.

Quinnipiac’s 28 overall wins this season match the Bobcats’ total from a year ago. The Bobcats are one win away from setting a new program record for victories in a single season.

3. Harvard finishes regular season unbeaten in seven

Seventh-ranked Harvard should also feel good about itself heading into the postseason, as two road wins last weekend saw the Crimson’s officially unbeaten streak reach seven games.

Two-point showings from both Alex Laferriere and John Farinacci helped Harvard to its 6-2 win Friday at St. Lawrence, in a game where five different Crimson players scored. On Saturday at Clarkson, Ian Moore scored the eventual game winner with .02 seconds left in the second period, and Harvard held on to beat the Golden Knights 3-2. That saw the Crimson reach 21 wins for the second consecutive season.

Harvard has won six of its last seven games, with the only blemish in that span being a tie and shootout loss Feb. 13 against Northeastern in the Beanpot championship game.

4. Denver repeats as Penrose champions

Third-ranked Denver on Saturday won the Pioneers’ second consecutive NCHC regular-season title, thanks to a 3-1 road win against No. 5 Western Michigan.

In front of Lawson Ice Arena’s biggest crowd in 11 years, Denver erased a first-period deficit and saw Carter Mazur’s goal 4:48 into the third stand up as the game-winner. Magnus Chrona made 30 saves for Denver, earning his 22nd win of the season.

Denver’s two previous Penrose Cup triumphs came in 2017 and 2022, when the Pioneers also won the national championship. No pressure, then.

5. Minnesota State claims McNaughton again

With apologies to the rest of the CCHA, it feels like the McNaughton Cup is Minnesota State’s to hold onto until proven otherwise.

The Mavericks on Saturday became conference regular-season champions for the sixth consecutive year, thanks to a 3-2 home win over Michigan Tech. MSU had dropped a 2-0 decision to the Huskies one night earlier, but three-power play goals Saturday put MSU over the top.

Lake Superior State comes to Mankato, Minn., later this week for a first-round CCHA playoffs series against a MSU team hoping to make a repeat trip to the Frozen Four.

6. BU stays on top of Hockey East

Ninth-ranked Boston University is one of many teams standing in MSU’s way, though, and the Terriers are riding high after a road sweep over Vermont saw BU hold onto first place in Hockey East.

Two Dylan Peterson goals lifted BU to its 5-3 series-opening win Friday at Gutterson Fieldhouse, before Drew Commesso stopped all 23 shots he faced Saturday in a 3-0 victory for the visitors. Domenick Fensore, Luke Tuch and Jay O’Brien supplied the goals.

BU seems to own Vermont on the Catamounts’ home rink, winning eight straight there and earning shutouts in three of them. The Terriers were particularly good on the penalty kill last weekend, going 7 for 7.

7. Michigan, Notre Dame go to OT twice

In one of the bigger series of the weekend, fourth-ranked Michigan was taken to overtime twice by No. 20 Notre Dame, and the visiting Fighting Irish got the best of the deal.

They skated to a 3-3 tie Friday with Michigan but took the extra Big Ten standings point in the shootout. Regulation didn’t decide anything on Saturday, either, but Drew Bavaro’s second goal of the game 1:30 into overtime meant that Notre Dame came away happiest with how the weekend went. Irish goaltender Ryan Bischel was fantastic, too, making 48 saves.

A 2-0-2 mark from its last four regular-season games helped Notre Dame sneak into a home-ice spot for the first round of the Big Ten playoffs. The Irish host Michigan State for a best-of-three series starting on Friday.

8. Alaska on verge of NCAA tourney spot

Alaska is nearly within touching distance of earning a huge win for Division I independent teams, as the Nanooks zero in what could be their first NCAA tournament berth since 2010.

Matching 4-2 wins last Friday and Saturday at Arizona State set Alaska up in 12th place in the PairWise Rankings. The Nanooks finished the weekend with a flourish, too, as four unanswered goals helped Alaska reach the 20-win mark for the season. This is the first time that Alaska has hit 20 wins in a single season since 2001-02, when the Guy Gadowsky-led Nanooks reached 22.

Now led by an obvious national coach of the year candidate in Erik Largen, Alaska could all but lock up a NCAA tourney berth this weekend with two home wins over Lindenwood.

9. Omaha pays tribute to late assistant Jerrard

Fourteenth-ranked Omaha last weekend played the Mavericks’ first two home games following the death of UNO assistant Paul Jerrard, who passed on Feb. 15 following a long cancer battle.

He was 57.

Jerrard’s funeral service Wednesday was live-streamed for public viewing at Baxter Arena, where a later celebration of his life was held. Before the Mavericks’ series opener Friday against St. Cloud State, a moment of silence was held before Jerrard’s wife and two daughters performed a ceremonial puck drop.

UNO split the series against No. 6 SCSU, dropping a 6-2 decision Friday before winning Saturday by the same score.

10. Andrew helps RIT finish regular season with home sweep

Atlantic Hockey regular-season champion RIT had lost four of its last five games heading into last weekend, but the Tigers finished the right way with two victories against last-place Air Force.

Sophomore forward Tanner Andrew’s career-high three-point night Friday helped RIT beat the Falcons 3-1, and Andrew’s first collegiate multi-point game saw him reach 20 career points. He had another big game Saturday, scoring twice in a 5-2 victory on RIT’s Senior Night.

The Tigers open Atlantic Hockey playoff action Friday at home to Mercyhurst.

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Feb. 24-25

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Omaha’s Matt Miller and St. Cloud State’s Chase Brand battle for the puck last Friday night at Baxter Arena (photo: Mark Kuhlmann).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Feb. 20 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 24-25.

No. 1 Minnesota (25-8-1)
02/24/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 0 at No. 1 Minnesota 4
02/25/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 2 at No. 1 Minnesota 5

No. 2 Quinnipiac (28-3-3)
02/24/2023 – No. 2 Quinnipiac 4 at Union 1
02/25/2023 – No. 2 Quinnipiac 4 at Rensselaer 1

No. 3 Denver (26-8-0)
02/24/2023 – No. 3 Denver 5 at No. 5 Western Michigan 2
02/25/2023 – No. 3 Denver 3 at No. 5 Western Michigan 1

No. 4 Michigan (20-11-3)
02/24/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 3 at No. 4 Michigan 3 (OT)
02/25/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 4 Michigan 1 (OT)

No. 5 Western Michigan (21-12-1)
02/24/2023 – No. 3 Denver 5 at No. 5 Western Michigan 2
02/25/2023 – No. 3 Denver 3 at No. 5 Western Michigan 1

No. 6 St. Cloud State (19-10-3)
02/24/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 6 at No. 14 Omaha 2
02/25/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 2 at No. 14 Omaha 6

No. 7 Harvard (21-6-2)
02/24/2023 – No. 7 Harvard 6 at St. Lawrence 2
02/25/2023 – No. 7 Harvard 3 at Clarkson 2

No. 8 Ohio State (18-13-3)
02/24/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 0 at No. 1 Minnesota 4
02/25/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 2 at No. 1 Minnesota 5

No. 9 Boston University (22-10-0)
02/24/2023 – No. 9 Boston University 5 at Vermont 3
02/25/2023 – No. 9 Boston University 3 at Vermont 0

No. 10 Penn State (20-13-1)
02/24/2023 – Wisconsin 1 at No. 10 Penn State 6
02/25/2023 – Wisconsin 2 at No. 10 Penn State 1

No. 11 Michigan Tech (22-9-4)
02/24/2023 – No. 11 Michigan Tech 2 at No. 12 Minnesota State 0
02/25/2023 – No. 11 Michigan Tech 2 at No. 12 Minnesota State 3

No. 12 Minnesota State (21-12-1)
02/24/2023 – No. 11 Michigan Tech 2 at No. 12 Minnesota State 0
02/25/2023 – No. 11 Michigan Tech 2 at No. 12 Minnesota State 3

No. 13 Cornell (18-9-2)
02/24/2023 – No. 13 Cornell 5 at Brown 0
02/25/2023 – No. 13 Cornell 5 at Yale 1

No. 14 Omaha (18-11-3)
02/24/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 6 at No. 14 Omaha 2
02/25/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 2 at No. 14 Omaha 6

No. 15 Northeastern (16-11-5)
02/24/2023 – No. 15 Northeastern 2 at Massachusetts 3
02/25/2023 – Massachusetts 0 at No. 15 Northeastern 4

No. 16 Connecticut (19-10-3)
02/23/2023 – Alaska Anchorage 3 at No. 16 Connecticut 4 (OT)
02/25/2023 – RV New Hampshire 1 at No. 16 Connecticut 6

No. 17 Merrimack (20-12-1)
02/24/2023 – No. 17 Merrimack 5 at No. 19 UMass Lowell 3
02/25/2023 – No. 19 UMass Lowell 0 at No. 17 Merrimack 2

No. 18 Michigan State (16-16-2)
Did not play.

No. 19 UMass Lowell (16-13-3)
02/24/2023 – No. 17 Merrimack 5 at No. 19 UMass Lowell 3
02/25/2023 – No. 19 UMass Lowell 0 at No. 17 Merrimack 2

No. 20 Notre Dame (15-14-5)
02/24/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 3 at No. 4 Michigan 3 (OT)
02/25/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 4 Michigan 1 (OT)

RV = Received votes

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap February 27, 2023

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Bemidji State at (1) Ohio State

In the first game, Sophie Jaques scored a hat trick to lead OSU to a 4-1 win. She put in a shot off the faceoff in the first, lit the lamp with .2 seconds left in the second and added a shot from the slot in the third to lead the Buckeyes. Emma Maltais added an empty-netter to finish off the Buckeyes’ scoring. Makenna Deering scored for Bemidji State in the loss. On Saturday, Sloane Matthews put Ohio State on the board two minutes into the game thanks to a set up from Kenzie Hauswirth from behind the net. That 1-0 score would hold for the next 54 minutes until Jenn Gardiner extended the lead to 2-0 with fewer than four minutes left in regulation. Claire Vekich scored a power play goal for the Beavers with under 2:30 to play, but there was not enough time left on the clock for Bemidji to complete a comeback. Ohio State advanced to the WCHA semifinals, where they’ll face UMD. 

Harvard at (2) Yale

Harvard jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first thanks to goals from Kristin Della Rovere and Anne Bloomer. It took the Bulldogs a little time to reset and settle in, but by late in the second, Jordan Ray had scored twice to tie the game and it was a whole new outing for the third. Grace Lee cleaned up a rebound to make it 3-2 and Charlotte Welch’s empty-netter secured the 4-2 win. In the second game, Elle Hartje broke her own single-season assists record (which she set last season, beating a 37-year-old record) with helpers on the first and last goals of the game. Lee scored twice and Carina DiAntonio and Anna Bargman also lit the lamp to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 win. They advance to the ECAC semifinals where they’ll face Clarkson. 

Princeton at (3) Colgate

After a scoreless first period on Friday, the special teams units of both squads took over. Kaitlyn O’Donohoe put Colgate up 1-0 before Emerson O’Leary tied it on the power play for Princeton. In the final minute of the second, Dara Greig scored on the power play to give Colgate a 2-1 lead heading into the third. Maggie Connors tied the game at 2 after some pretty passing and then Sarah Fillier scored the game-winner on a breakaway to give the Tigers the game one win. In the second game, Elyssa Biederman set a new program record for points by a freshman for Colgate. The Raiders got a power play in the opening minute of the game and O’Donohoe capitalized 91 seconds into the game to give them the 1-0 lead. Princeton found their footing in the second half of the frame as Issy Wunder tied it up and Connors scored with fewer than 10 seconds on the clock to send Princeton to the locker room up 2-1. Kalty Kaltounkova’s extra-attacker goal midway through the second tied the game 2-2. Wunder stole the puck in the neutral zone and scored her second of the game to give the Tigers a 3-2 lead, but Biederman responded just 10 seconds later to knot the score one more time. In the third, Danielle Serdachny cleaned up a loose puck to put Colgate ahead for good as they took a 4-3 win. In the rubber match, Sarah Fillier put Princeton up early, but Colgate replied and their defense stepped up to keep the Tigers off the board. Neena Brick’s power play goal tied it in the first and Kaltounkova’s game-winner came early in the third as Colgate took the 3-2 win and advanced to the ECAC quarterfinals to play Quinnipiac.

St. Thomas at (4) Minnesota

Grace Zumwinkle had two goals and two assists and Taylor Heise had two goals and an assist to lead Minnesota to a 7-0 win in the first game of the quarterfinal series. On Saturday, Catie Skaja had a goal and two assists, Abigail Boreen had three assists and Heise scored twice more to give Minnesota a 6-2 win. Breja Parent tied the game at one for St. Thomas early in the second, but the Gophers responded in a big way with three goals in less than two minutes to make it a 4-1 game. Maija Almich cut into the lead to start the third and make it 4-2, but once again the Gophers shut the door as Heise scored to make it 5-2 and Skaja scored in the final minute. Minnesota will face Wisconsin in the WCHA semifinals next weekend. 

Merrimack at (5) Northeastern

Alina Müller had a hat trick and two assists to lead the Huskies to a 5-1 win over Merrimack. The showing helped her set a new career Hockey East Tournament record, with 30 points in the conference postseason. Müller also tied Kendall Coyne Schofield’s career record of 249 points at Northeastern. Chloe Aurard and Skylar Irving both also scored for the Huskies. Teghan Inglis was the goal scorer for Merrimack in the loss. 

Minnesota State at (6) Wisconsin

On Friday, Kirsten Simms, Caroline Harvey and Sarah Wozniewicz each lit the lamp to lead the Badgers to a 3-0 win. In the second game, Sydney Langseth scored for Mankato late in the first to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead at the break. Britta Curl’s midway through the second tied it up and Laila Edwards gave Wisconsin the lead less than two minutes later. Wozniewicz extended the lead to start the third and Lacey Eden went bar down to secure the 4-1 win. The Badgers advance to play Minnesota in the WCHA semifinals.

(12) St. Cloud State at (7) Minnesota Duluth

These two teams played a hard-fought, scoreless game for more than 57 minutes on Friday before Maggie Flaherty’s shot on the power play fluttered through traffic and into the back of the net. That’s all the Bulldogs needed to take the first game 1-0. In the second game, Minnesota Duluth had a 1-0 lead after the first thanks to Naomi Rogge. But it was the second period where the Bulldogs broke it open as Kylie Hanley, Mary Kate O’Brien and Taylor Anderson each found the back of the net to make it 4-0. Taylor Lind scored a power play goal for the Huskies midway through the third, but St. Cloud could not gather more steam and Rogge added an insurance goal later in the frame to give UMD the 5-1 win. They advance to play Ohio State in the WCHA semifinals. 

St. Lawrence at (8) Quinnipiac

Over the course of three games, just one goal separated these two teams. On Friday, Quinnipiac took the win despite Julia Gosling giving St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead heading into the first intermission. Alexa Hoskin tied it up for the Bobcats in the second and Sadie Peart scored the game winner in the third to make it a 2-1 victory for Quinnipiac. In the second game, Lexie Adzija took advantage of an early penalty by St. Lawrence, scoring a power play goal 40 seconds into the game. The Saints responded in the opening seconds of the second on a gorgeous pass from Shailynn Snow through traffic that Taylor Lum put in the back of the next to tie the game 1-1. Gosling gave St. Lawrence the lead on a rifle of a shot on the power play. Aly MacLeod scored three seconds after Quinnipiac pulled their goalie to make it 3-1. Adzija closed the gap to 3-2, but the Bobcats ran out of time and St. Lawrence took game two. On Sunday, Gosling continued her torrid pace, once again putting her team on the board first. That was the only tally for nearly 40 minutes before Kate Reilly took off on the penalty kill and beat Lucy Morgan to make it a 1-1 game. In overtime, Peart followed her own rebound to end the game and the series. Quinnipiac advanced to play Colgate in the ECAC semifinals.

(13) Cornell at (9) Clarkson

Game one started slow with neither team wanting to give the other the advantage, but in the second part of the first period, Clarkson scored three goals in about eight minutes to blow the contest open. Sara Swiderski, Brooke McQuigge and Nicole Gosling each lit the lamp and that pretty much put the game out of reach for Cornell. Kirstyn McQuigge extended the lead to 4-0 before Lily Delianedis was able to get one back for Cornell in the third. Gabrielle David’s late goal ensured the 5-1 win for the Golden Knights. On Saturday, it took 85 minutes to find a winner as Georgia Schiff ended the game in double overtime for Cornell. Stephanie Markowski’s second period power play goal had Clarkson up 1-0, but Kaitlin Jockims tied the game in the third. Deanna Fraser made 42 saves in the game for the Big Red and Michelle Pasiechnyk made 41. In the rubber match, after a scoreless first, Izzy Daniels put Cornell on the board early in the second. That was enough to shake Clarkson up and they responded with four unanswered goals to take the game and the series. David, Haley Winn, Anne Cherkowski and Sena Catterall each scored for the Golden Knights to secure the win. They advance to play Yale in the ECAC semifinals.

Lindenwood at (10) Penn State

On Friday, Penn State outshot Lindenwood 46-19 overall, including 22-7 in the third en route to a 4-1 win. Julie Gough, Olivia Wallin and Mya Vaslet each scored in the second to kick start the day for the Nittany Lions. Olivia Grabianowski scored late in the frame to get one back for Lindenwood, but Eleri MacKay scored in the first 65 seconds of the third to shut down any comeback and give PSU the win. In the second game of the series, Tessa Janecke earned her first career hat trick and added two assists to lead Penn State to a 7-1 win. Those points mean Janecke set new single-season records for goals, assists and points from a freshman. Penn State advances to the CHA finals, where they’ll face Mercyhurst. 

New Hampshire at (11) Vermont

After a scoreless first, Rae Breton put New Hampshire on the board first, but Vermont responded minutes later with a goal from Natalie Mlynkova to tie the game 1-1. That was all the action in regulation and nearly half of the overtime period before Theresa Schafzahl ended the game to send Vermont to the Hockey East semifinals, where they’ll face Providence on Wednesday. Ava Boutilier became the UNH program leader in career minutes played in the game. 

Maine at (14) Providence

Caroline Peterson and Grace Heiting scored in the second to make it 1-1 after one. Ida Kuoppala’s short-handed goal put Maine up 2-1 :33 into the second period and it looked like the Black Bears might be in control. But Providence picked things up at the end of the second and ran away with the game in the third. Ashley Clark and Delaney Couture scored in the waning minutes of the second to make it 3-2 Friars. Sara Hjalmarsson made it 4-2 in the opening minutes of the second and Peterson added a second goal late to secure the 5-2 win. Providence will play at Vermont on Wednesday for the Hockey East semifinal. 

Connecticut at (15) Boston College

UConn outshot the Eagles 36-32, but BC came from behind late in the third to force overtime where Katie Pyne scored her second of the game to advance Boston College to the Hockey East semifinals. Catherine Goffredo scored in the waning minutes of the first to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead at the first intermission. Brooke Campbell tied the game just after the midway mark, but Abby Newhook responded quickly to once again give BC the lead. Jada Habisch’s goal late in the second tied it at 2 heading into the third. The teams were careful over the course of the third and it took until the final few minutes before Campbell scored on a blown play that left most of BC’s defense behind the net and Campbell alone in front with a clear path to give the Huskies their first lead of the game 3-2. From there it was the Pyne show. She netted the goal that forced overtime with under four to go and then ended the game just 2:39 into the extra frame to give Boston College the 4-3 win .

 

D-III West Hockey Weekend Wrap-up: Spartans punch ticket to Harris Cup final

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The Aurora Spartans secured their spot in the Harris Cup final for the first time in program history. (Photo Credit: Steve Woltmann, Aurora Athletics)

There were potentially just 20 minutes left in the hockey season for Aurora. The Spartans trailed St. Norbert by a goal heading into the final period of an NCHA tournament semifinal showdown at home Saturday night.

It was in that third period that momentum began to swing in favor of the Spartans, who weren’t ready to this special year for the program end, and ultimately, they didn’t let it end, rallying for a 4-3 victory over the Green Knights.

The win sends the Spartans to the championship game of the conference tourney for the first time in program history.

Less than two minutes into the third, Lukas Sedlacek scored to tie the game at 2-2.

Then, nine seconds later, Simon Boyko put the Spartans in front 3-2. At the 11:26 mark of the third, Gio Procopio scored to extend the Aurora lead to 4-2.

Once down 2-0, the Spartans (19-7-2), ranked 12th in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, were now on the edge of a big-time postseason win.

It took two big saves in the final minute to seal the deal. Kolby Thornton made one of them and Nate Keeley then laid out his own body to stop a point-blank shot and keep the Spartans on top.

Jack Jaunich and Boyko both tallied a goal and an assist. Thornton played one of the best games of his life in goal, stopping 52 shots. Aurora managed only 24 shots.

The Green Knights (17-9-2), tied for 12th nationally, led 2-0 on first-period goals by Ben Schmidling and Adam Stacho but couldn’t hold on against the Spartans, who now face Adrian for the championship.

Bulldogs earn another berth in conference final

Reigning national champion Adrian is headed to another Harris Cup final after rolling past Trine 6-2 in a semifinal battle Saturday night between two nationally ranked teams.

The third-ranked Bulldogs won their third game in a row behind a four-point night from Matius Spodniak, who tallied three assists and a goal.

Mathew Rehding scored a goal and dished out two assists while Alessio Luciani punched in two goals.

Adrian (22-4-2) also got a solid effort from goaltender Nic Tallarico, who made 33 saves, with 12 of those coming in the third period.

No. 15 Trine (18-9-1) sees another successful year come to a close after playing in their third semifinal matchup in the last four seasons.

MIAC Tournament

Saints go marching into MIAC final

St. Scholastica has been the team to beat all season in the MIAC, winning the regular-season title. On Sunday night, the Saints moved one step closer to being the champions of the conference tourney as well.

St. Scholastica (17-6-3), eliminated in the first round a year ago, held on for a 3-2 win over reigning conference tourney champ St. Olaf.

The Ledenkov brothers gave the Saints a 2-0 lead after one period of play. Filimon scored first at the 6:47 mark and Arkhip punched in a goal two minutes later.

Connor Kaithoff pulled the Oles within one just past the midway point of the second period before Bryce Johnson answered a few minutes later to extend the Saints’ lead to 3-1.

Tyler Cooper’s goal with under three minutes to play in the second cut the St. Scholastica lead to 3-2.

Jack Bostedt stepped up in goal, racking up 21 saves, including seven in the third. Thomas Lalonde made 22 saves for St. Olaf, including nine in the third period. 

The Saints now take on Augsburg next weekend with an automatic spot in the NCAA tourney on the line.

Auggies back in a familiar place

Augsburg is no stranger to the MIAC championship game. And after topping Saint John’s 3-1 Saturday night in semifinal matchup, the Auggies are headed to the final for the eighth time in program history.

Augsburg (15-9-2), winners of six of its last eight games, also maintained its run of perfection against the Johnnies in the conference tourney, improving to 6-0 all-time,

The Auggies, who have now reached the championship game six time in its last eight trips to the MIAC tourney, are aiming for their fifth title and first since 2019.

Neither team scored in the opening period. But the Auggies scored twice in the second to take a 2-0 lead. 

Austin Dollimer led the way with a pair of goals. Vincent Weis also scored for the Auggies.

Max Borst tallied the lone goal for the Johnnies (13-10-3), who held a 35-26 advantage in shots.

Samuel Vyletelka made 24 saves for the Auggies. 

WIAC Tournament

Nine in a row

UW-Stevens Point is headed back to the WIAC title game. The Pointers punched their ticket after completing a sweep of its semifinal series with a 5-0 win over UW-Stout.

Fletcher Anderson came through with a goal and an assist while Ryan Wagner made 32 saves in the shutout victory.

The game was scoreless until near the midway point of the second period when Jordan Fader scored to put the Pointers (18-5-4) in front. UW-Stevens Point led 2-0 after the second and scored its final three goals in the third.

The Blue Devils (17-11-1) saw their turnaround season come to a close. They more than doubled their win total from a year ago despite ending the year with back-to-back losses. Tyler Masternak made 31 saves in Saturday’s game, which marked only the fourth time all year the Blue Devils have been held scoreless.

The Pointers, ranked eighth nationally, won Friday’s series opener 4-2. They have won their last five games and now have a chance to clinch the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

 

On to the title game

UW-Eau Claire grinded out an overtime win against UW-Superior Friday and then capped a semifinal series sweep with a shutout win over the Yellowjackets on Saturday.

Dawson Klein scored just under two minutes into the OT session on Friday to lift the Blugolds to a wild 6-5 win.

UW-Eau Claire seemed destined to win it regulation, leading 5-3 less than five minutes into the third period.

But UW-Superior scored twice in the final nine minutes of regulation to tie the game. Charles Martin and Gavin Rasmussen both came through with goals to help the Yellowjackets force an extra session of hockey.

The Blugolds led 3-2 going into the final period. Leo Bacallao paced the Blugolds with a goal and two assists. Readman added two assists, including one on the game winner.

Saturday’s game wasn’t nearly as crazy as the Blugolds (18-8-1) scored twice in the third to finish out the win. Sammy Martel tallied both goals in the final period. UW-Eau Claire heads to the championship game having won its last four games.

The Yellowjackets (15-12-2) end the year dropping five of their final six games.

Hockey East announces 2022-23 women’s all-star teams; Northeastern’s Mueller lone unanimous pick

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Northeastern graduate forward Alina Mueller was the lone player selected unanimously to the All-Hockey East First Team (photo: Jim Pierce).

Hockey East has announced its 2022-23 women’s all-star teams as voted by the women’s league’s 10 head coaches.

Northeastern graduate forward Alina Mueller was the lone player selected unanimously to the All-Hockey East First Team.

Joining Mueller on the first team are goaltender Gwyneth Philips (Northeastern), defenders Megan Carter (Northeastern) and Sini Karjalainen (Vermont) and forwards Sarah Hjalmarsson (Providence) and Theresa Schafzahl (Vermont). Philips was named goaltender of the year for her achievement, the fifth straight year a Huskies goaltender has been so honored.

Named second team are goaltenders Abigail Levy (Boston College), defenders Cayla Barnes (Boston College) and Lauren DeBlois (Providence) and forwards Chloé Aurard (Northeastern), Hannah Bilka (Northeastern) and Maureen Murphy (Northeastern).

Getting nods on the third team are goaltender Tia Chan (UConn) and Jessie McPherson (Vermont), defenders Abbey Marohn (Northeastern) and Maude Poulin-Labelle (Northeastern) and forwards Kira Juodikis (New Hampshire), Katy Knoll (Northeastern), Natalie Mlynkova (Vermont), and Abby Newhook (Boston College.)

Hockey East will announce finalists for the player, rookie, and coach of the year awards on Monday at 10 a.m. The winners of those awards will then be revealed prior to the conference semifinals on Wednesday.

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: Minnesota State clinches MacNaughton Cup; Colorado College, North Dakota skate to 0-0 tie; No. 1 Minnesota sweeps No. 8 Ohio State; Denver takes Penrose Cup

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Minnesota State celebrates its sixth straight MacNaughton Cup championship (photo: Kenzie Schmidt).

Minnesota State scored three power-play goals – the final coming off the stick of Cade Borchardt at 19:15 of the third period – en route to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Michigan Tech Saturday evening in the final regular-season game of the year at the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center.

With the victory, the Mavericks claimed its sixth consecutive MacNaughton Cup as CCHA regular-season champions.

The Mavericks cracked the scoreboard at first 17:34 of the second period as Andy Carroll faked a shot from the left point before sliding into the left circle. He found a seam through the slot and gave the puck to Lucas Sowder, who blasted a shot from the right circle over the glove of Huskies goalie Blake Pietila.

After Sowder’s goal, David Silye redirected a shot by Akito Hirose from the top of the slot, out of mid-air and between the post and Pietila’s stick side just 1:19 into the final period.

A penalty-shot goal less than two minutes later by MTU’s Tristan Ashbrook, as he cut in from the left side, ducked his shoulder and used a stutter step before reaching around Mavericks goalie Keenan Rancier and sliding the puck home, cutting the lead in half and set up a thrilling finish for the conference crown.

The Huskies pulled Pietila for an extra attacker and appeared to have scored the game-tying goal with 1:31 remaining, only to have the goal waved off due to goalie interference.

It mattered little as Kyle Kukkonen scored short-handed with Pietila pulled for an extra attacker just 25 seconds later.

Still on the power play, the Mavericks were able to set up in the Michigan Tech zone and with 45 seconds to play as Borchardt netted the winner.

Borchardt’s fourth goal of the season came when he caught the pass at the top of the right circle and quickly wristed a shot to the far side, giving his team its sixth consecutive title.

The 18th-largest crowd in the history of the Mayo Clinic Health Systems Event Center, 5,120 fans, saw the Mavericks hoist the McNaughton Cup, setting an NCAA Division I men’s record for consecutive outright league titles.

Goaltending also played a key role, not only in the game, but on the weekend, as Rancier stopped 22 shots for the game and 44 of 47 shots on the weekend. Pietila turned aside 68 of 71 shots for the weekend, including 33 in the loss, which saw MSU hold a 36-24 advantage in shots on goal.

The victory gives Minnesota State the top seed in the CCHA playoffs as the Mavericks will face Lake Superior State in a best-of-three series next weekend at home. Michigan Tech hosts St. Thomas.

SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | USCHO.COM POLL | PAIRWISE

Colorado College 0, North Dakota 0 (North Dakota wins shootout)

Colorado College and North Dakota battled to a 0-0 tie Saturday night at Robson Arena and Tyler Kleven scored the only goal in the shootout to give the Fighting Hawks the extra point in the standings.

CC’s Matt Vernon and UND’s Drew DeRidder each finished with 26 saves in the 65 minutes of regulation and overtime. This marks the second 0-0 game ever in Colorado College history and Vernon, who started tonight’s game in place of the injured Kaidan Mbereko, is responsible for both. The other came last year at Minnesota Duluth. This was Vernon’s third career shutout and second this season (8-0 over Air Force on Oct. 28).

North Dakota collected four of a possible six points this weekend and leads the Tigers by three points in the race for sixth place in the league standings with two games remaining.

Ryan Beck, Hunter McKown and Noah Serdachny each had his shootout attempt saved by DeRidder, while Vernon made a great save on Riese Gaber, then Jackson Blake did not get a shot off before Kleven scored.

No. 1 Minnesota 5, No. 8 Ohio State 2

Thanks to five unanswered goals, the top-ranked Golden Gophers closed the regular season with a 5-2 come-from-behind win against Ohio State Saturday inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.

Facing a rare two-goal deficit in the second period, Minnesota responded by scoring twice in a matter of 13 seconds before adding three more to complete the sweep over the Buckeyes.

Aaron Huglen and Matthew Knies provided the offensive spark for the Maroon and Gold that ignited the crowd and helped fuel the comeback as it ended the season as the only team in Big Ten conference history to win the league by double figures. The win also was the Gophers’ 11th over a team ranked inside the top 10.

Justen Close made 28 saves for his 22nd win of the year.

No. 3 Denver 3, No. 5 Western Michigan 1

Denver secured its second consecutive Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions on Saturday with a 3-1 victory against Western Michigan at Lawson Arena.

It is the third time that DU has won the Penrose Cup, with the school having also captured the hardware in 2017 and 2022 en route to national titles. Overall, Denver won its 15th conference regular-season championship, as the program won 12 such trophies in the old WCHA.

The victory gives the Pioneers the top seed for the upcoming NCHC tournament. DU will host No. 8-seed Miami in the best-of-three quarterfinal series at Magness Arena on March 10-12.

Denver erased a first-period deficit against WMU and never relinquished the lead in front of a crowd of 4,419, the highest-attended game at Lawson Arena since 2012.

Jack Devine tied the outing at 1-1 with a power-play marker midway through the middle frame, and Carter Mazur tallied the game-winner 4:48 into the third period after forcing a turnover in the neutral zone and scoring on his ensuing wrist shot at the left circle.

Massimo Rizzo sealed the victory with an empty-net goal with 91 seconds remaining.

Goaltender Magnus Chrona stopped 30 of 31 shots for his 22nd win of the season and 73rd of this career. He made 11 saves in the first period when Western Michigan had three power-play opportunities, which included a five-minute major man advantage that also included a full two-minute 5-on-3.

The Pioneers picked up their first sweep at Western Michigan since Feb. 26-27, 2016, and now have four series sweeps on the road this season — all against NCHC foes (Miami, North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth and Western Michigan).

No. 2 Quinnipiac 4, Rensselaer 1

For the first time since 1988-89, an ECAC Hockey team finished the regular season with 20 wins as Quinnipiac culminated its league slate 20-2-0 with a 4-1 victory over RPI on Saturday night at the Houston Field House.

The Bobcats won their final eight league contests by a combined 33-7 scoreline after sweeping the weekend with a pair of 4-1 victories.

Collin Graf, Jayden Lee, Jacob Quillan and Sam Lipkin all had multi-point nights to lead the Bobcat attack against the Engineers.

After RPI started the scoring with a redirection in front, the Bobcats potted two goals in the second and two in the third to seize control and earn their milestone win.

Quinnipiac’s 20 ECAC wins are the most since Harvard in 1988-89, a feat they hit twice in three seasons.

The Bobcats’ 28 regular-season wins match last season’s total, both of which are the most in a single campaign in program history.

After earning the bye in the first round of the ECAC postseason, the Bobcats will host the lowest seed remaining in a best-of-three series starting March 10 at M&T Bank Arena.

No. 9 Boston University 3, Vermont 0

Drew Commesso stopped all 23 shots he faced to backstop BU to a 3-0 win at Vermont on Saturday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse.

The Terriers maintained their perch atop the Hockey East standings thanks to a goal in each period and a sharp performance from Commesso, who made 12 saves in the final 20 minutes to earn his first shutout of the season.

Domenick Fensore lit the lamp and assisted on Jay O’Brien’s first-period strike that proved to be the winner. Luke Tuch tallied an insurance goal midway through the third period to put the contest out of reach.

The Terriers will enter the final weekend of the regular season with a one-point lead on second-place Merrimack and a two-point edge on third-place Northeastern.

No. 20 Notre Dame 2, No. 4 Michigan 1 (OT)

Sixty minutes of regulation time was not enough to determine a winner for the second straight night in front of a sellout crowd at Yost Ice Arena on Saturday, and Notre Dame downed Michigan 2-1 as Drew Bavaro scored his second goal of the game 1:30 into the extra session on a third shot attempt after creating a pair of rebounds off a rush to claim the extra point in the B1G standings.

With 32.2 seconds left in the first period, the officials chose to review a play in the Notre Dame zone near the left half wall. After review, U of M’s Adam Fantilli was assessed a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct to bring his active 12-game point streak to an end.

Rutger McGroarty scored for the Wolverines and Erik Portillo made 20 saves.

For Notre Dame, Ryan Bischel finished with 48 saves.

St. Norbert hockey star McChesney developing into player he hoped he’d be

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St. Norbert’s Michael McChesney has established himself as one of the top players in D-III hockey. (Photo provided by St. Norbert Athletics)

Michael McChesney was a multi-sport athlete in high school. And a pretty good one at that.

He was all-state in football, hockey and baseball, and even won a state championship in baseball during his high school career at Dickinson High in North Dakota.

But when it came to playing at the next level, hockey was it for the St. Norbert star.

“I felt there were more opportunities for me in hockey,” McChesney said. “I had some injuries in high school that pushed me away from football and baseball I had done my whole life, and really enjoyed playing it, but it wasn’t something I wanted to continue to do (in college). Hockey has been my favorite sport since I can remember.”

It proved to be a wise choice to go the hockey route.

McCheseny is one of the top scoring threats in NCAA Division III hockey, and he’s part of a Green Knights squad that takes on Aurora Saturday night in an NCHA semifinal battle of two teams both tied for 12th nationally in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.

He scored three goals and dished out nine assists in his first season but didn’t get a chance to build on that following season because of the pandemic.

Last year, however, he came back stronger than ever, scoring 12 goals and 12 assists, and this year he has best numbers yet, racking up 16 goals and 17 assists.

He always knew he could be this kind of player.

“It’s been a long time coming,” McChesney said.. “I think early in my career  wasn’t doing what I thought I was capable of doing, but the older I got and the more comfortable I became with the system, I’ve become the player that I’ve always wanted to be.”

Having a solid support system in place doesn’t hurt.

“Having great teammates who are also lifetime friends adds to my success,” McChesney said. “We support each other and push each other to be the best we can be.”

His love of the game has also fueled his success.

“I’ve always been in love with hockey and have always been willing to put in the work on the ice and off the ice,” McChesney said. “I’ve also had the right people around me to push me to be better every day, whether it’s coaches, teammates, family or friends. I feel blessed to have the opportunities to be in a position to be successful.”

McChesney’s 2022-23 season has been made extra special by the fact that he was selected to play in the World University Games in Lake Placid in January with other top players from D-III hockey. That group came away with a silver medal.

“That was quite the experience. I was very honored to be selected,” McChesney said. “It’s an experience I’’ll never forget. I was able to meet a lot of great players and coaches and just had a lot of fun being a part of it.”

McChesney has also enjoyed his opportunity to play the game he loves. He loves the excitement, pace, physicality and lessons learned from the sport.

“I’m extremely lucky,” McChesney said. “I didn’t know how it would go, but to be here, and to be the player I am now, it’s pretty surreal. I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: No. 17 Merrimack clinches home ice with road with at No. 19 UML; UMass stuns No. 15 Northeastern; No. 3 Denver on brink of NCHC crown with win at No. 5 WMU; No. 11 Michigan Tech gets leg up headed to CCHA finale

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Merrimack never trailed and broke a 3-3 tie midway through the third earning a 5-3 road win at UMass Lowell, clinching home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals (Photo: Rich Gagnon)

The Hockey East playoff picture may have become more jumbled on Friday but No. 17 Merrimack posted its third-straight victory over a ranked opponent, edging past No. 19 UMass Lowell, 5-3.

The Warriors move up to second place in the Hockey East standings and have ensured themselves a first-round bye and home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Merrimack never trailed, jumping to a 2-0 lead on goals by Matt Copponi and Mike Brown early in the first. Lowell answered with tallies from TJ Schweighardt in the first and Carl Berglund in the second before Merrimack regained the lead on the power play on Ben Brar’s tally at 10:45 of the second.

The River Hawks again had a bounce back when Bergland netted his second, but a Mac Welsher goal with 11:09 remaining put the Warriors ahead for good. Will Calverley tallied in the final minute for the 5-3 final.

The win not only keeps Merrimack’s hopes alive to capture its first-ever Hockey East regular season title, but also advances their NCAA at-large hopes, elevating them towards the PairWise bubble with he victory.

SCOREBOARD  |  STANDINGS  |  PAIRWISE RANKINGS

Massachusetts 3, No. 15 Northeastern 2

UMass hasn’t exactly put together the season it hoped, but that won’t prevent the Minutemen from potentially playing the role of spoiler as they did on Friday night, knocking off No. 15 Northeastern, first place in Hockey East entering the game, 3-2, at the Mullins Center.

The Minutemen answered an early Justin Hryckowian goal with tallies by Elliott McDermott later in the first and Reed Lebster 41 seconds into the second.

After Liam Walsh tied the game for the Huskies at 8:57 of the middle frame, UMass had an answer on Scott Morrow’s goal less than three minutes later.

UMass held Northeastern to just six shots in the third as Cole Brady earned the win by making 22 saves.

The loss for Northeastern could be crippling to the Huskies at-large NCAA bid given then entered Friday in 14th, just inside the PairWise bubble.

No. 11 Michigan Tech 2, No. 12 Minnesota State 0 

Michigan Tech struck first-blood in the second ending series against Minnesota State that will decide the CCHA champion.

Trailing the Mavericks by two points entering the night, a 35-save shutout for Blake Pietila and third period goals by Kyle Kukkonen and Logan Pietila earned the win for the Huskies propelling them into first place in the CCHA by a single point with one game left between the two clubs on Saturday.

Minnesota State needs a regulation win to clinch the CCHA title outright or an overtime/shootout victory to earn a share of the crown with Michigan Tech. Anything besides a regulation loss for Michigan Tech and it will clinch its first regular-season league title since winning the WCHA in 1975-76.

No. 3 Denver 5, No. 5 Western Michigan 2

No. 3 Denver has brought itself to the brink of clinching the Penrose Cup for the third time with a convincing 5-2 road victory versus No. 5 Western Michigan.

Should the Pioneers earn one point in its final three games, it would minimally earn a share of the regular-season crown.

Mike Benning scored twice and added two assists for a career-high four points, while Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona made 17 saves to earn the win.

Chrona did leave the game late after a collision with Jason Polin with 1:07 remaining. Polin was whistled for goaltender interference while Matt Davis entered the game for the final 67 seconds.

Polin was also assessed a major penalty earlier in the third period with a Pioneers leading, 3-2. During the ensuing power play, Denver scored twice one from the stick of Bending and a second by Massimo Rizzo to put the game out of reach.

No. 20 Notre Dame 3, No. 5 Michigan 3 (F/OT, Notre Dame wins shootout)

Notre Dame and Michigan skated to a 3-3 tie on Friday but the Irish grabbed the extra Big Ten point with a shootout win, keeping alive Notre Dame’s hopes to earn a home ice spot in the Big Ten quarterfinals next weekend.

Though Notre Dame still remains in sixth place in the league standings, they are just a point behind both Michigan State, which is idle this weekend, and Penn State while trailing Ohio State by three points.

Penn State routed Wisconsin, 6-1, on Friday while Ohio State fell, 4-0, in Minnesota.

A regulation victory for combined with losses for Penn State and Ohio State on Saturday could give the Irish the fourth and final home ice spot in next weekend’s best-of-three quarterfinal.

Notre Dame was less than two minutes away from earning a regulation win and a third point on Friday. But Michigan’s Adam Fantilli scored on the power play with 1:57 remaining to force the overtime and shootout.

D-III East Hockey Game Picks – Part II – February 24, 2023

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Jared Christy’s overtime goal sent the University of New England on to the CCC semifinals with a game against Curry on Saturday (Photo by Tristan Durgin)

Well, if the early week’s action was not enough for all you D-III hockey fans out there in the east, then buckle up because the action this weekend is going to further reduce the number of teams competing for conference titles across the regions. While NESCAC, and now MASCAC, play their quarterfinal round, all other leagues are moving to the semifinal round where the teams can see the hardware on the horizon. With the postponement of the MASCAC quarterfinals until the weekend due to weather, my early week’s picks wound up at 7-3-0 (.700) which now brings my season total up to a really solid 130-53-12 (.697). It is definitely harder to pick with the caliber of teams still in the hunt and all bets are off if you are not ready to play sixty minutes or more to earn a win and path forward to the next round. Here are the Saturday picks (including previously selected MASCAC games for a very busy conference tournament slate in the region:

Saturday, February 25, 2023

CCC Semifinals

(9) University of New England v. (6) Curry

If there is a game where home ice matters a great deal it is this one and that is why both teams battled right to the end to earn it. Look for a fast-paced game that will see a lot of chances to test two of the region’s best goaltenders in Billy Girard IV and Reid Cooper. A late goal or maybe even overtime decides this one –  Curry, 3-2

Salve Regina v. (4) Endicott

The Gulls didn’t lose a regulation game to the final weekend of the season and re-set quickly in pursuit of the CCC title. Don’t be fooled by the final score which is padded by a couple of empty-net goals for the final count as the Gulls earn their spot in the final  – Endicott, 5-2

MASCAC Quarterfinals – Re-scheduled due to weather on 2/23

Salem State v. Fitchburg State

The Falcons have unleashed their offense with Hunter Fortin and Rece Bergman catching fire in recent games which bodes well for a playoff run. Erik Larsson has taken over games for the Vikings in the past month so look for more goals than usual in a playoff game as the home team steals one late – Fitchburg State, 5-4

Massachusetts-Dartmouth v. Westfield State

These two teams wrapped up the regular season on the final Saturday with the Owls eking out a one-goal victory. The stakes are higher this Saturday, but the outcome is the same with an overtime goal sealing the win for the home team – Westfield State, 4-3

*MASCAC Semifinals re-scheduled for Tuesday, 2/28 from Saturday, 2/25

NEHC Semifinals

Skidmore v. (2) Hobart

The Thoroughbreds advanced in dramatic fashion at Elmira last week and would love to keep their North Country momentum against the top-seeded Statesmen. Look for Hobart to get off to a far better start than last week’s game against Castleton but they will need the early advantage to hold off a determined visiting team – Hobart, 4-3

Babson v. (5) Norwich

These two teams know each other in this tournament and venue quite well and no one will be surprised to see a very disciplined, low-scoring affair based on the excellence of goaltenders Nolan Hildebrand and Drennen Atherton. The Cadets have been timely with goals and find the one they need in the final period – Norwich, 2-1

NESCAC Quarterfinals

Williams v. Wesleyan

The Cardinals swept Trinity in the final games of the regular season to take the top spot so do not look for any let down from Wiggle Kerbrat, Jake Lachance and Emmet Powell and company as they make sure they are hosting the final weekend to play for the NESCAC crown – Wesleyan, 3-2

Bowdoin v. Trinity

The Bantams must quickly move on from last weekend’s disappointment against Wesleyan and do in the new season that is the conference tournament looking to defend their title. The Polar Bears will be a tough out, but Trinity’s experience is the difference – Trinity, 3-1

Tufts v. Amherst

The Jumbos may be one of the surprise teams, but some would argue that the Mammoths too were among the surprise teams in the conference. Strong history of success in Orr Rink for the home team and special teams ultimately decide the game for the Mammoths – Amherst, 4-3

Colby v. Hamilton

The Mules must take the long bus ride to face the Continentals who have made a habit of winning one-goal games, especially in the second half. No difference here as the home team finds a way to get the winning goal past the excellent goaltending of Andy Beran – Hamilton, 3-2

NE-10 Semifinals

Assumption v. St. Michael’s

The playoffs seemed to be the switch the Greyhounds needed to turn on in February as they exploded in the quarterfinals for seven goals. This game is much tighter, but the result is the same with the visitors earning a spot in the conference final –         Assumption, 3-2

Franklin Pierce v. St. Anselm

The Hawks should not be taking the Ravens lightly and as Kyle Martin showed in the quarterfinal round, a hot goaltender can win a game for the team that isn’t supposed to. Nick Howard can do that too and does as the Hawks move on to host the title game next week  –  St. Anselm, 5-3

SUNYAC Semifinals

Buffalo State v. (14) Oswego

Emil Normann stymied Cortland on Wednesday night and the offense produced an early lead that held up against Cortland. The Lakers can’t get behind early against the Bengals and play with the lead adding a empty-net goal to host the conference championship game next week  –  Oswego, 3-1

(11) Geneseo v. (7) Plattsburgh

The Knights did enough to take out Fredonia on Wednesday and make the long trip to Plattsburgh in what should be an epic semifinal game. This one has overtime and maybe more than one written all over it as Eli Schiller and Matt Petizian keep things very close in goal. Upset pick here with the Knights winning on the road –  Geneseo, 3-2

UCHC Semifinals

Manhattanville v. (1) Utica

The Pioneers are laser focused on taking the UCHC title and now host the Valiants in what should be a very physical game. Physical also equals some power plays that equals goals for Utica on the way to a comfortable win by playoff standards –  Utica, 4-1

Stevenson v. Nazareth

The Mustangs and the Golden Flyers have been rolling in the second half and the series split way back in December is a distant memory for where the teams are today. Home ice is important but going with the big-game goaltending of Ryan Kenny who shines in net for the visitors –  Stevenson, 4-2

It is the chance to earn a spot playing for the conference championship which seemed so very far away back in October and November last year. It’s here now so time to leave it all on the ice – “Drop the Puck!”

Some mystifying spreads in rivalry games may be value propositions: USCHO Edge podcast Season 1 Episode 16

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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:

  • Notre Dame (+180) at Michigan (-220); o/u 6
  • Ohio State (+170) at Minnesota (-210); o/u 5.5
  • Denver (-115) at Western Michigan (-115); o/u 6.5
  • Michigan Tech (+180) at Minnesota State (-235); o/u 6
  • Northeastern (-115) at UMass (-115); 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.

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USCHO Edge: Is this a week that the bookmakers get a little lazy, leaving more value than normal for bettors?

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Jason Polin is serving as Western Michigan’s captain for the 2022-23 season and has been among the nation’s top scorers all season (photo: Ashley Huss).

It was just a week ago in this space that I was saying that bookmakers seem to be getting savvy when it comes to developing the lines across college hockey.

Well, throw that though out the window. If you are able to bet on DraftKings, there are two games that seem pretty far off when it comes to the money line.

Northeastern and Massachusetts are a pick ’em on Friday, despite the Huskies sitting in first place in Hockey East and the Minutemen in 10th. On the other end of that spectrum, Michigan Tech, second place in the CCHA, is a heavy +180 underdog at Minnesota State on Friday.

It feels like these two lines were accidentally juxtaposed.

As any sharp gambler will tell you, these are the times you have to make the wager. Ever if you think that UMass and Minnesota State will win, you’re getting much better value to bet the opponents. You won’t get Northeastern at -115 again this season and the same can likely be said for Michigan Tech at +180.

I’ve said it in this space that I give advice here, so nothing is set in stone. But I always try to look for value in the lines, and both examples here are the best value you will receive.

No. 20 Notre Dame (+180) at No. 4 Michigan (-220); o/u 6

There should be a level of motivation for Michigan this weekend as the Wolverines look to wrap up the second seed in the Big Ten tournament. But Notre Dame might have even more motivation as the Irish need wins just to keep their hopes alive of earning an NCAA at-large bid.

Two losses for the Irish would drop them two games below .500. Certainly, that would drop them below the bubble line in the PairWise, but more importantly, Notre Dame would have to earn two wins just to return to .500, a qualification requirement for an at-large NCAA bid.

Lose this weekend and the pressure is on the Irish in the Big Ten tournament. This team has been inside the NCAA picture all season, thus it would be tragic to fall apart down the stretch.

Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 8 Ohio State (+170) at No. 1 Minnesota (-210); o/u 5.5

Minnesota has the Big Ten regular season crown sewed up, so should we expect the Gophers to maybe lay back this weekend, possibly rest some players? That’s doubtful.

While every coach appreciates advancing in a tournament without playing (read: quarterfinal bye), in the Big Ten that also means a weekend off at a time of you year don’t really want time off. That’s what Minnesota will have next week, so expect the Gophers to be putting forth everything this weekend, particularly Friday’s series opener.

That said, Ohio State, like Michigan, is looking to wrap up the second seed in the Big Ten tournament, tied with the Wolverines heading towards the weekend. Expect both teams to have plenty of intensity in what could be a high-scoring game (read: bet the over).

Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 3 Denver (-115) at No. 5 Western Michigan (-115); o/u 6.5

Denver can lock up the NCHC title with a sweep of Western Michigan this weekend. Then again, the Pioneers could find themselves in second place should they get swept.

Credit to the schedule makers for placing this matchup this late in the season in what should be an explosive Lawson Arena.

Honestly, I have a difficult time finding an edge in this game. Even the over-under feels perfect. My instincts tell me to stay away from this one, though I’d be going with Denver if I had to bet.

Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 11 Michigan Tech (+180) at No. 12 Minnesota State (-235); o/u 6

Here is the first of the two games mentioned in the open where it feels like the oddsmakers took the day off.

Sure, Minnesota State is a good team and has historically been excellent at home (though only 9-6-0 this season). But Michigan Tech has been right around the Mavericks all season and enter this weekend knowing it can claim its first regular-season league title since John MacInnes’ team accomplished that feat in 1976.

Yes, Minnesota State needs to be a favorite here, but I’d rate it more like a -130/+100. Thus, betting Michigan Tech at +180, you’re getting 80% more value over expectations. This feels like a must bet.

Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 15 Northeastern (-115) at UMass (-115); o/u 5

See what I wrote above? Ditto.

There is no reason that Northeastern should only be a -115 pick ’em. This team should easily be -250 and UMass should be +190. The fact this line is so off, Northeastern is a must play. Add in the fact that the Huskies are 9-1-2 on the road in Hockey East this season and UMass has just a single Hockey East home win this season… well, you get the point.

The other aspect of this game that seems off is the over/under. UMass is 6-4-1 against an over/under of 5 in its last 11 games. Northeastern is 5-5-1 agains the same stat in its last 11. The edge is a lot more slight than the money line, but this also feels like a game that will go over 5 goals (or minimally push).

There’s a lot to consider here, but it seems like there is plenty of opportunity.

Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

 

D-III West Weekend Hockey Picks — Feb. 24-26, 2023

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The Adrian Bulldogs face Trine in a semifinal matchup this weekend. (Photo courtesy of Adrian Athletics)

Mother Nature did her best to play spoiler in the postseason, but fear not, hockey will be played in the wake of a winter storm.

MIAC tourney play kicks off this weekend while the second weekend of tournament action in the NCHA and WIAC will take place.

One thing worth noting about the NCHA playoffs, all four teams playing are nationally ranked in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.

One other ranked team is still playing out west as well, and that’s UW-Stevens Point. It should be another fun weekend of hockey as we get closer to seeing champions crowned in conference tourney play.

MIAC

St. Olaf at Concordia

If this matchup looks familiar, it’s because it happened last year in the MIAC tournament as well. The Oles won on the road against the Cobbers and went on to win the championship.

Does history repeat itself? Maybe. The Oles are certainly capable of another run, but then again, the Cobbers are hardly pushovers and have won their last three games. The Oles have won two in a row.

Concordia won both games against St. Olaf in the regular season by identical 5-2 scores and I could see that trend continuing. Then again, as we learned last year, never count out the Oles.
St. Olaf, 4-3

Saint John’s at Augsburg 

The Johnnies and Auggies are no stranger to each other, and this could be one of the more interesting matchups of the weekend.

Augsburg used a late-season surge to nearly win the regular-season title in the MIAC and the Auggies could very well be the team to beat in this postseason.

Both games in the regular season between these two teams were a lot of fun. The Johnnies prevailed 5-4 in overtime in one game but lost 6-5 in the other.

It wouldn’t be a surprise at all if we see another high-scoring affair this time around. Saint John’s Nick Michel ranks fourth in goals (15) in the conference. Gavin Holland of Augsburg ranks fifth (13).
Augsburg, 5-4

St. Scholastica vs. St. Olaf/Concordia winner

The Saints won the conference title for the first time in program history. Now they look to capture the tourney crown as well.

With Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov on the ice together, a win is possible on any given night. The duo has been tough to slow down. And here’s the other thing to consider. St. Scholastica has Carsen Richels and Nathan Adrian in the lineup as well.

They ranked second and third in goals scored with 19 and 16, respectively. Arkhip leads the league with 20 goals. Filimon is the league leader in assists (28). St. Scholastica swept Concordia and St. Olaf in the regular season. It’s hard to bet against the Saints in what has been a special year so far.
St. Scholastica, 5-2

NCHA

Trine at Adrian

The Thunder are ranked for the first time in program history, checking in at No. 15. The Bulldogs are used to being ranked. The reigning champs check in at No. 3 this week and received one first-place vote in the latest poll. 

Adrian has won its last two and is 12-2 at home. The Bulldogs had mixed results against the Thunder in the regular season, winning in overtime by a 3-2 score and then losing 6-2. Matius Spodniak is one of the nation’s best scorers, tallying 27 goals and racking up 51 total points. The Thunder have to be able to keep him in check. Garrett Hallford is a pretty good goal scorer in his own right, scoring 18 on the season.
Adrian, 5-3

St. Norbert at Aurora

The Green Knights and Spartans are tied for 12th in the nation in the latest poll. When these two teams played in the regular season, both games were close. But the Spartans pulled off the sweep, winning 3-1 and 3-2 in overtime.

Defense could be the difference in this one. Colby Entz sports a 1.89 goals against average. Tanner Marshall and Colby Thornton have both shown they can get the job done in goal for the Spartans, boasting save percentages of 90 percent or better. Look for this one to be tightly contested throughout.
St. Norbert, 3-2

WIAC

UW-Stout at UW-Stevens Point

The Blue Devils are having one of their best seasons in program history and now face the task of taking on the eighth-ranked Pointers.

The Pointers have won their last three games and are 8-1-3 at home heading into this playoff series. They won two of the three games against the Blue Devils in the regular season.

Between the two teams, five of the top 10 goal scorers in the conference will be on the ice, including league-leader Peyton Hart (18) of UW-Stout and Andrew Poulias of UW-Stevens Point. He has 12 goals on the year.

An upset here wouldn’t be a surprise but I’ll go with the Pointers at home.
UW-Stevens Point, 4-3 and 3-2

UW-Superior at UW-Eau Claire

Five of the top 10 scorers will be in action for this matchup against two of the best teams in the conference.

The good thing for the Yellowjackets is they have played well away from home, going 8-3-1 on the road this year. That bodes well for a team looking to move on to the conference final next weekend.

The Blugolds won in a shootout in their final meeting of the year after the two teams played to a 3-3 tie. They also won 4-2. UW-Superior’s lone win came in the form of a 2-0 shutout in December.

I expect both games of this series to go down to the wire and a mini game wouldn’t surprise me.
UW-Superior, 4-3; UW-Eau Claire, 3-2; UW-Superior, 2-1 (mini game)

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Iginla, freshman class spark Brown offense

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Freshman Jade Iginla was two years old the last time a Brown University skater scored as many goals as Iginla herself has put up this season. It has been 16 years since Haley Moore scored 20 goals in 2006-07. 

Iginla’s 17 goals are tied for seventh most in the ECAC among all skaters and first among rookies in the conference. She’s also third among all freshmen nationwide in goals scored despite having played five fewer games than those ahead of her thanks to the shortened Ivy League schedule. 

Her 23 points are the most in a season in 13 years for a Brown Bear. Iginla is responsible for 25% of her team’s goals (48 total) and 20% of her team’s points (113 total).

There was no way Jade was going to go unnoticed when she got to college. If you know hockey, you know the Iginla name. Jade’s father Jarome was first-ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2020 after an 21-year, 1500 game NHL career and two Olympic gold medals with Canada.

But Brown coach Mel Ruzzi said that opponents may have underestimated her. 

“I think everyone knew who she was, but I don’t think they knew how good she was. You see her play and you think ‘this young woman is the real deal,’” Ruzzi said. 

“Early in the season, I don’t think people gave her enough credit and respect. They focused on our top line, but not Jade specifically. I think what’s really cool is the second time around within the league, people were paying attention and even in that moment, she’s still skyrocketing with putting up points.” 

The showiest way Iginla has made an impact for Brown this season is on the penalty kill. Her three short-handed goals are tied for fourth in the country. What makes that even more impressive is that Ruzzi said Iginla was not even a part of the penalty kill unit until a third of the way through the season, as the coaching staff didn’t want to overwhelm her. But Iginla has thrived in the position. 

“Part of it is our style of play. We are an aggressive team. I feel like that’s how we can thrive. We want to showcase that in our play and that suits Jade really well. When it comes to the puck, we’re hunters. The second we have a beat on something we want to jump and Jade has the explosive skating and power to be able to jump super efficiently. Part of it is great teammates that kill really, really aggressively and can feed her the puck, part of it is making that read and jumping and using her gifts,” said Ruzzi. 

Iginla is a dynamic skater who anticipates the play, sees the ice and uses an explosive first couple of strides to create separation. Her comfort in stride helps her to play bigger than her small frame, holding off bigger defenders trailing her while trying to disrupt a breakaway. 

There was always going to be expectations and attention on Iginla thanks to her last name, but she has hit the ice at full speed in Providence. There was no easing in and Ruzzi said she was struck by the grit, determination and compete Iginla shows. 

“I don’t know if people can see how much of a competitor she is. There’s no question, she has confidence, but it’s confidence coupled with just being an absolute competitor,” Ruzzi said. 

That confidence has shown up in an important and underappreciated way, as well.

“Jade is really humble. Elite women athletes are pretty humble. I think there needs to be a little bit of swagger. Swagger is really important. She’s developing that,” said Ruzzi. 

Brown won two more games than last season (and six more than the season before Ruzzi took over), but still missed out on their goal of making the ECAC tournament, finishing ninth when the top eight teams advance. But things are brewing at Brown and Ruzzi said she wouldn’t have taken the coaching job with the program if she didn’t think they could win. They’ve started to do that thanks to Iginla and the freshman class. 

There’s not a player of the five in the freshman class that hasn’t contributed in big ways for Brown, Ruzzi said. While the lion’s share of the points belong to Jade, she and the three other skaters in her class account for 50% of the team’s goals and 40% of the team’s points. This class gives the team an offensive dynamic the program hasn’t had in a very long time.

While Iginla has started to garner more attention for the goals she’s scoring, Ruzzi pointed out that Iginla has been a difference-maker for the Bears since she joined the team. She plays in every situation on the ice for Brown and has proved herself again and again. 

“Going back to September, she stepped on campus and every minute of extra ice time, she was out there whether it was with a coach or by herself. She’s magnetic, so she also has other teammates that are out there with her,” said Ruzzi. 

“She’s a special player, but she’s a special player because she works at it. Relentlessly.”

 

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Last week of regular season here, teams looking to put their ‘best foot forward to make noise come playoff time’

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Clarkson’s Alex Campbell posted his second hat trick of the season on Feb. 4 at Brown (photo: Ben Moeller).

As ECAC Hockey began the final descent into its postseason tournament last weekend, the element of surprise didn’t totally exist like other conferences.

Quinnipiac cruised past Yale and Brown with its second and third consecutive five-goal games, and with Saturday’s 5-2 win over the Bears, the Bobcats clinched the Cleary Cup as the regular-season champions for the third consecutive season.

In second and third place, Harvard and Cornell continued a season-long duel to determine seeding for the second round of the tournament, and the Crimson grabbed the inside track by sweeping Union and RPI at home.

Colgate remained the pace-setting program behind those two, and St. Lawrence continued to nip on the Raiders’ heels in a statistical tie for 34 points.

The bottom of the league finally thinned out, and Brown’s losses to Quinnipiac and Princeton all but formally relegated the Bears into a first-round road trip with Yale, which beat Princeton, and Dartmouth.

The last transfer spot into a first-round home game settled nothing between RPI and Union, though it seemed increasingly likely that the Capital District teams would meet up in the postseason.

Nothing felt different, though there was one notable exception when Clarkson rocked the ECAC boat by taking four of a possible six road points from Cornell and Colgate.

A preseason favorite to compete for the Cleary Cup, the Golden Knights languished behind their own standards as a team placed well outside the league’s top-four, and while there is no mathematical route to a home series in the quarterfinals, a trip to Potsdam all but ensures someone from that bottom four is heading for a nightmare matchup against a team finally hitting some stride.

“We had to really make sure that we were in playoff mode [during the season],” said Clarkson coach Casey Jones. “We talked about it [a couple of weeks ago] that we had to be in that mode already. Every game has been so critical to us. We had some games that we probably deserved to win that we lost points on, and that put us in the situation that we’re in. So we’re in a situation where we have to find ways to win hockey games and get the job done and be effective and still trust the process to build trust because we still know what we need to do to be successful.”

ECAC’s last weekend is circling its postseason runway without too many surprising elements, but the number of storylines still hanging in the balance are all centered around the swing spots for either home ice or the first-round bye.

Colgate and St. Lawrence are tied for fourth in the spots directly ahead of Clarkson, and while the Raiders have the inside track to the first-round bye, they’re on the road at Brown and Yale while St. Lawrence plays at home in the North Country. That said, St. Lawrence and Clarkson are drawing Harvard and Dartmouth.

The Saints could lose the No. 4 slot as early as Friday with a regulation loss to the Crimson and a Colgate win in regulation over Yale, but that would eliminate Clarkson from its outside shot at fifth place. Any number of Colgate points would further that elimination, meaning the most likely scenario slots Clarkson into sixth with St. Lawrence sitting in fifth.

That would mean teams from further east would have to travel to the North Country for a single-elimination game in the first round. Princeton is only two points back of Clarkson for fifth, but the Tigers have to contend more with RPI and Union for a home game in New Jersey. In theory, it would take a single point to clinch at least home ice because the head-to-head matchups this week send Princeton into games with those two teams – along with its travel partner, Quinnipiac.

The road trips involved could then send a team like Yale or Brown to either Clarkson or Princeton, with Dartmouth heading to either Colgate or St. Lawrence, while the Capital District teams play one another in a rubber grudge match for the right to meet either Quinnipiac or Harvard in the quarterfinals.

“We have enough guys from a core group that have that experience, that have played in some key moments,” Jones said of his team. “Our freshmen aren’t young players anymore because we’re over 30 games into the season. So we just have to understand that we should be dialed into every team that we play, and we’re going to play down the stretch knowing that you just want to give yourself the best chance to advance in the playoffs. That’s the goal, to put your best foot forward to make noise come playoff time.”

Pairwise Watch

While the ECAC playoff race is obviously front and center, it’s worth taking stock of the teams currently in and around the NCAA Tournament picture. As it stands entering this weekend, Quinnipiac is the No. 2 overall seed in the national tournament and likely won’t catch Minnesota, though the RPI differences aren’t as far apart as the implied strength of the two conferences indicate. The Bobcats are a lock and will likely end up as the No. 1 seed in one of the regionals.

Harvard is also a near-lock to make the tournament as the No. 10 team in the Pairwise. The Crimson have an opportunity to push into a No. 2 seed if they can pass Boston University, though the strength of the Big Ten makes it difficult for them to catch Penn State or Ohio State without a deep postseason run.

Cornell is the team currently sitting in the most precarious position. The Big Red are tied for 14th with Northeastern and Notre Dame, and while the Fighting Irish are teetering on landing under .500, the Huskies are one of the hottest teams in the nation. Given that at least one bid is going to a team guaranteed to land outside the Top 16, the Big Red are then the last team into the tournament, assuming the Atlantic Hockey champion eliminates Notre Dame.

Six Hockey East teams are currently slotted between Nos. 19-30, and the likelihood of those teams making a run through the championship rounds means the Big Red have some huge games this weekend in New England. A loss to either Yale or Brown would prove disastrous, as would a potential series loss in the best-of-three quarterfinals.

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: After Minnesota crowned regular-season champs, rest of conference standings still in flux

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Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel is a finalist for the 2023 Mike Richter Award as the nation’s top goaltender (photo: Notre Dame Athletics).

Heading into the final weekend of regular-season Big Ten play, we know two things for sure about conference playoff seedings: Minnesota has the first-round bye and Wisconsin travels for that first week of playoff action.

Where the Badgers are going, though, remains a mystery for a few days more.

First things first. Congratulations to the Golden Gophers, who secured their second consecutive regular-season title when Ohio State took a shootout point from Michigan last Thursday.

While winning the title came on a night that they didn’t play, the Gophers put their own stamp on it with a road sweep of Penn State, a team that had previously lost just four home games this season.

Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said that he liked how the Gophers played in both games against the Nittany Lions, which included a resounding 7-2 Friday win and a 3-2 OT tilt Saturday.

“Man to man, shift to shift, I thought we were a pretty darn good hockey team this weekend,” said Motzko.

Maybe Man to Man, Shift to Shift will be the title of the book that someone writes someday about the last decade of Minnesota hockey. This is the sixth time that the Gophers have finished first in Big Ten play since the inception of the conference in 2013-14.

As for Wisconsin, the Badgers can finish no higher than last place regardless of how they fare this weekend on the road against Penn State. For the first-round, best-of-three playoff series, Wisconsin will play the team that finishes in second place.

Heading into this weekend, this is what the rest of the field looks like.

Michigan and Ohio State

Currently tied behind Minnesota with 36 points, the Wolverines and the Buckeyes can each finish as high as second place and as low as fifth. If they remain tied after this weekend – no matter where they are in the standings – Ohio State owns the first tiebreaker because of its 2-1-1 record against Michigan this weekend.

That means that if each team loses twice this weekend and Penn State wins two games (more on that in a moment), Ohio State will host a first-round series and Michigan will travel.

Michigan hosts Notre Dame this weekend. The teams split a pair of games in South Bend in November.

Ohio State travels to Minnesota this weekend. The teams split a pair of games in Columbus in October.

Any bets? I’ve got nothing.

Michigan State, Notre Dame, Penn State

Each of these teams is still technically in the hunt for home ice in the first round of the playoffs.

Having finished with their regular-season schedule, all the Spartans can do is wait. Right behind the Wolverines and Buckeyes with 34 points, the Spartans are mathematically in the hunt for a first-round home playoff series. Michigan State can finish as high as fourth place.

There are only a couple of scenarios in which that happens, including Wisconsin preventing Penn State from earning more than two points at home this weekend.

The Fighting Irish and Nittany Lions each have 31 points. If each team sweeps this weekend and Minnesota takes more than a point from Ohio State, Notre Dame and Penn State would end the season tied in second place.

If that were to happen – if both the Irish and the Nittany Lions sweep the weekend and the Buckeyes earn no more than a point against Minnesota – Notre Dame would be the top seed in the first round of the Big Ten playoffs.

How? Because the Irish would have two fewer conferences losses than the Nittany Lions, and that’s the fourth Big Ten tiebreaker – and that’s how close this season has been.

So there is a possibility that in the first round, Notre Dame hosts Wisconsin, Penn State hosts Michigan State, and Ohio State hosts Michigan.

I’m not wagering on any of that, either.

Season picks vs. this photo finish

In their preseason poll, the Big Ten coaches were confident that Minnesota would finish at the top of the standings and that Michigan State would finish last. They were not alone in those assumptions. Here’s their preseason poll:

1. Minnesota
2. Notre Dame
3. Michigan
4. Wisconsin
5. Ohio State
6. Penn State
7. Michigan State

With the exception of that fourth-place Wisconsin finish, nothing else is exceptionally glaring about that poll.

And how did I do? Surprisingly okay. Sort of. At the start of the season, here’s how I saw the Big Ten regular-season finish:

1. Notre Dame
2. Minnesota
3. Michigan
4. Ohio State
5. Wisconsin
6. Michigan State
7. Penn State

There are several scenarios this weekend – as unlikely as they may be – that make my preseason picks look a little better than they actually were. Heading into this weekend, there are five teams within a five-point span in the middle of the standings. That’s a prediction that I’m sure no one would have made back in September.

Next week, we’ll preview all the first-round matches.

D-III Women’s East Week 16 Recap: Conference tournament play begins!

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Manhattanville defeats Arcadia 3-2 in overtime to move on to the semifinals of the UCHC tournament vs Utica (Photo by Karin Rosario)

This week we’re taking a look at the tournaments that have begun thus far and also taking a look at this current week as some conferences began their tournaments yesterday (Wednesday 2/22). Exciting times as the playoffs are officially underway with more action coming this weekend! We also highlight the regular-season winners from each conference.

NEHC

The NEHC began conference tournament play this past weekend and three of the top four seeds moved onto the semifinals which take place this Saturday (2/25). This is a conference where the only team with a shot at an at-large bid is Elmira, but it’s not likely, so the winner of this conference will more than likely receive the lone bid.

Elmira (1) vs Salem State (8) 

Elmira shutout Salem State 7-0. The goals didn’t come early, but when they did, they didn’t stop. Leading only 1-0 after the 1st period, Elmira scored a trio of goals in both the 2nd and 3rd period to move on to the semifinals. Elmira was overwhelming in the shot totals, outshooting Salem St. 59-9. This game was filled with penalties, Elmira committing the fewer of the two teams with three, however Salem committing eight didn’t exactly help their chances which were somewhat slim to begin with.

Elmira shutout Salem State 7-0 to move on to the semifinals of the NEHC tournament (Photo by Doug Page)

It was noticeable in the game that Head Coach Jake Bobrowski of Elmira was extra careful in terms of his team’s pregame/intermission protocols as his team has been called for a few “protocol penalties” this season. Most recently vs Norwich, who seem to have an extra emphasis on stalking the other team’s actions while entering the ice as they’ve called out various teams for infractions during the game, granting themselves powerplays on various occasions. They got multiple powerplays from this advocacy in their regular-season weekend finale vs William Smith & Elmira. Expect Elmira to maintain their due diligence throughout the NEHC tournament and potentially the NCAA tournament.

Norwich (2) vs Johnson & Wales (7)

Norwich shutout Johnson & Wales 5-0 in a game where the stats were one-sided to Norwich, but not as overbearing as one may have predicted. Shots were 39-15 in favor of the Cadets and the penalty totals were low, three committed by J&W, two by Norwich. Highlighting the day for Norwich was Olivia Boyer who netted a pair of goals, while player of the year candidate Ann Frederique Guay added a goal of her own as well.

Southern Maine (3) vs UMass-Boston (6) 

Southern Maine defeated UMass-Boston 3-1 in a game that was very evenly matched. Shot totals were a close 28-25 in favor of UMB, while penalties were even at three apiece. Three of the four goals came in the 2nd period, with USM’s Madison Chagnon scoring first at 6:25 of the period and then her teammate Amanada Crowley scoring the eventual game-winner late in the 2nd period.

Castleton (4) vs William Smith (5)

William Smith shutout Castleton 5-0. This game was relatively even on the stat sheet as well, besides the goals category, with the shot total being 26-20 in favor of William Smith. The penalties actually were in Castleton’s favor as they committed one to WS’s five, so the opportunity was there, but WS’s PK-unit showed up, killing off all five penalties. Julianna Gong of the Heron’s led the scoring, netting a pair of goals, one in the 2nd period and the other in the 3rd.

The NEHC semifinals are set, it’ll be Elmira (1) hosting William Smith (5) & Norwich (2) hosting Southern Maine (3) this Saturday (2/25), both games at 3:00 pm EST.

UCHC

The UCHC tournament has begun, here’s a quick recap of the huge weekend series between Utica & Nazareth who sat atop the conference by a wide margin, in front of the next closest Manhattanville. The series was extremely close with Nazareth getting the best of Utica in the end. Nazareth won game one in a shootout which meant the winner of game two would be the regular-season champion. The game was tied 1-1 and headed to OT when Nazareth’s Julia Holmes scored 2:24 into overtime to win the game and most importantly the UCHC regular-season title to secure home-ice throughout the playoffs.

Moving on to the quarterfinals (Wednesday 2/22):

Nazareth (1) vs Stevenson (8)

Nazareth shutout Stevenson 6-0 to advance to the semifinals of the UCHC tournament vs Chatham (Photo by Nazareth Athletics)

Nazareth shutout Stevenson 6-0. This game was one-sided in favor of the Golden Flyers, outshooting the Mustangs by a wide-margin 64-8 and committing fewer penalties as they were charged with one compared to Stevenson’s five. Nazareth’s Nikolle Van Stralen scored two and added an assist, one goal coming on the powerplay. Overall, a dominant performance from Nazareth.

Utica (2) vs Lebanon Valley (7) 

Utica shutout Lebanon Valley 4-0, outshooting them 45-13 and scoring a shorthanded goal, the Pioneers handled business as per usual. Interestingly enough, the shorthanded goal came a quick 50 seconds into the 2nd period to give Utica a 2-0 lead. They would add one more in the 2nd and the final goal in the 3rd period at the 15:28 mark. Both teams committed three penalties each, no one scoring on the powerplay, but as mentioned Utica got the shorthanded goal to make up for the unsuccessful powerplays.

Manhattanville (3) vs Arcadia (6)

Manhattanville defeated Arcadia 3-2 in a tight overtime game. Shot totals were 33-19 in favor of the Valiants. Arcadia opened up the scoring, netting a powerplay goal 14:49 into the 1st and would then double the lead early in the 2nd period, scoring at the 1:16 mark. The Valiants then fought back, the comeback began with a shorthanded goal by Gabrielle Cox, she also assisted on the next goal scored at 11:43 of the period on the powerplay. The game went to OT, and it was ended by Virginia Birnie who scored the winner at the 5:52 mark in the Playland Ice Casino (once again, I just genuinely enjoy saying Ice Casino, even though there unfortunately isn’t a casino).

Alvernia (4) vs Chatham (5)

Chatham defeats Alvernia 3-1 to advance to the semifinals of the UCHC tournament (Photo by Chatham University Athletics)

Chatham defeated Alvernia 3-1 in a game where the penalty kill was key. Chatham committed seven penalties to Alvernia’s three, and the Cougars won the shooting battle 34-25. Chatham got out to a 2-0 lead before Alvernia got one back, but it wasn’t enough as Chatham’s Cameron Carmody sealed it, scoring a quick 12 seconds after at the 16:35 mark of the 3rd to put the game away.

The semifinals are set, Nazareth (1) hosts Chatham (5) & Utica (2) hosts Manhattanville (3) this Saturday (2/25), time(s): TBA.

Regular-Season Conference Winners!

CCC

Suffolk 14-2-2 (16-7-2 overall)

NEHC

Elmira 17-0-0 (19-5-0 overall)

NESCAC

Amherst 13-3-0 (21-3-0 overall)

NEWHL

Plattsburgh 17-1-0 (23-2 overall)

UCHC

Nazareth 18-1-1 (20-5-1 overall)

This Week in Hockey East: Conference teams readying to make third-period pushes for upcoming playoffs

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UConn captain Roman Kinal has been a leader this season for the Huskies (photo: Clarus Multimedia Group).

With just four games left in the regular season, Connecticut coach Mike Cavanaugh has no intention of his team taking its foot off the gas.

The Huskies — currently in fifth place in Hockey East with an 11-8-2 record (17-10-3 overall) and 16th in the latest USCHO.com men’s D-I poll — are very much in contention for a first-round bye in the conference tournament and could very well make a deep run. One thing UConn won’t be doing — which Cavanaugh made abundantly clear during a recent press availability — is taking it easy in order to rest for the postseason.

“We’re going to play every game to win them — no one’s going to be getting any rest,” Cavanaugh said. “I don’t approach it, really, by where our seeding is. You’d like to get the bye, that’s for sure, and not have to play in the play-in game, but then it doesn’t really matter.”

The Huskies’ seeding for the single-elimination Hockey East tournament will come down to its performance in its final three league games, starting Saturday night at home against New Hampshire. If it has any NCAA tournament ambitions, however, UConn cannot afford to look past Thursday’s non-conference home contest vs. Alaska Anchorage. A 19th-place ranking in the current PairWise rankings puts the Huskies firmly on the bubble for an at-large bid.

“Every game is really important,” Cavanaugh said. “When you have 34 games (the) non-conference games, sometimes, are more important than the conference games. You look at Penn State (Big Ten) right now, (they’re) 10-0 in non-conference games, and that’s why they’re a top-10 team in the country.”

The Hockey East tournament begins March 8 with seeds 6-11 facing off at the home of the higher seed. The remaining teams will be re-seeded and travel to seeds 1, 2 and 3 with the No. 4 seed hosting No 5 in the quarterfinals on March 11. The four quarterfinal winners will be re-seeded again and meet in the semifinals on St. Patrick’s Day at TD Garden, with the championship game the following night.

Northeastern (currently in first place at 12-5-3), Boston University (second, 14-6-0) and Merrimack (13-8-0) have clinched byes to the quarterfinals. UMass-Lowell, UConn, Providence, Boston College and Maine are all mathematically alive for a bye, while UNH, UMass and Vermont can all potentially finish as high as eighth, which would guarantee a first-round home game.

BU had been ranked as high as No. 3 in the national poll but has since lost four straight and now sits at No. 9 (eighth in PairWise). Coach Jay Pandolfo said his team is focused on getting back on a winning track and isn’t all that concerned about Hockey East tournament seedings entering a two-game set at Vermont this weekend.

“We’re trying to get better every day in practice and worry about our next game. Right now, that’s our focus. We have to get back to finding a way to win again. (We’re) not really not thinking about anything else other than that.”

Last season, the Huskies fell just short of a NCAA tournament bid after losing 2-1 to UMass in the Hockey East championship game. Cavanaugh said a strong showing at the end of the regular season could very well lead to postseason success.

“It gets to a point where it’s one and done,” Cavanaugh said. “You really want to focus on playing your best hockey this time of year, and not so much what’s happened in the past, or what could’ve or what should’ve or what would happen if this team does this, or scoreboard watching. We just have to focus on playing the best hockey we can play.”

Former Clarkson, Bowling Green, Boston College coach York named 2023 Hobey Baker ‘Legend of College Hockey’ recipient

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Jerry York coaches Boston College in the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. (USCHO file photo).

The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Foundation has announced its 2023 “Legend of College Hockey’ recipient as Jerry York.

York began his coaching career at Clarkson where he spent seven years and led the Golden Knights to an ECAC championship in 1977. While at Clarkson, he had a 125-87-3 record.

In 1979, York took over the Bowling Green program where he would be at the helm for 15 years (1979-94) and finish with a 342-248-31 record. He led the Falcons to four regular-season CCHA championships (1982, 1983,1984, 1987), a postseason CCHA championship in 1988, and a national championship in 1984.

York later returned to Boston College, his alma mater, and coached from 1994 to 2022, leading the Eagles to four national championships (2001, 2008, 2010, 2012) along with runner-up finishes in 1998, 2000, 2006, and 2007. In Hockey East, York’s Eagles captured nine Beanpot titles, made 18 NCAA tournament appearances, 12 Frozen Four appearances, and won 12 Hockey East regular-season titles, nine postseason crowns, and four national titles.

In his 50-year coaching career, the Watertown, Mass., native went 1,123-682-128 (.614), making him the winningest coach in college hockey and only collegiate coach to have more than 1,000 wins.

York was named the Hockey East Coach of the Year five times (2004, 2011, 2014, 2018, 2021) and received the American Hockey Coaches Association’s Spencer Penrose Award in 1977. In 2004 and 2014, he was named the New England Coach of the Year, and in 2010 was awarded the Lester Patrick Award.

On Nov. 18, 2019, York was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, making him only the fifth coach in NCAA history to be inducted and the first to exclusively coach at the collegiate level. On Dec. 9, 2021, he was officially inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.

As a player, York was a three-year letterman with the Eagles from 1964 to 1967 and had 134 points (64 goals, 70 assists) in 81 games. His points total also ranks him among the school’s all-time leaders in career points, goals and assists, and single-season points and assists. In 1967, York was named to the All-America First Team, All-New England Team, and won the Walter Brown Award given to the best American collegiate player in New England. The Eagles went 60-26 while York was on the squad, won the Beanpot in 1965, and finished second at the 1965 NCAA tournament. His Boston College jersey was retired April 12, 2010.

York has coached four Hobey Baker Award winners – George McPhee (1980), Brian Holzinger (1992), Mike Mottau (1997), and Johnny Gaudreau (2012). In addition to the award winners, York coached 39 top-10 finalists and 13 Hobey Hat Trick finalists.

York will be honored along with this year’s Hobey Baker Award winner at the annual Hobey Baker Award banquet and golf outing this summer in St. Paul, Minn. Banquet and golf information will be available soon by visiting the Hobey website.

Key Hobey Baker announcement dates for 2023 include:
• Top Ten list of candidates: March 15
• Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists: March 30
• Hobey Baker Award announcement: April 7

The 2023 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on April 7 during the NCAA Frozen Four championship in Tampa. The award ceremony will be broadcast nationally on NHL Network and streamed live at hobeybaker.com.

BRACKETOLOGY: First edition proves that there might be some extreme difficulties in seeding this season

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Denver celebrates the 2022 national championship last April 9 at TD Garden in Boston (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Welcome back to Bracketology, where we try to simulate the process that the NCAA Men’s Division I Hockey Championship committee will go through on Sunday, March 19.

We’ve discussed the selection criteria enough in the past, so if you need a refresher on what the PairWise Rankings are, head to this link.

All that said, the PairWise creates the field (minus the six conference champions). Thus, for purposes of this exercise, we will use the top 16 teams in the PairWise and, when necessary, insert each conference’s top teams to occupy that spot. Thus, we get a top 16 of:

  1. Minnesota*
  2. Quinnipiac*
  3. Michigan
  4. Denver*
  5. St. Cloud State
  6. Western Michigan
  7. Penn State
  8. Ohio State
  9. Boston University*
  10. Harvard
  11. Michigan Tech
  12. Minnesota State*
  13. Omaha
  14. Northeastern
  15. Cornell
  16. RIT*

* Indicates conference champion

What is required of the committee is to seed the brackets with the natural selection process – 1 should play 16, 2 should play 15, etc.

That said, there are exceptions that need to be made. The highest seeds should stay as close to home as possible. Also, teams within their bands (1-4, 5-8, 9-12 and 13-16) need to say within their bands.

Host teams must stay at home, which is an issue with just one team currently, Penn State, which is hosting the Allentown, Penn., regional. Otherwise, teams can travel without much restriction.

So here it the bracket, without regional assignments, that would be created based on the seedings alone:

  1. Minnesota
  2. Ohio State
  3. Boston University
  4. RIT

1. Quinnipiac
2. Penn State
3. Harvard
4. Cornell

  1. Michigan
  2. Western Michigan
  3. Michigan Tech
  4. Northeastern

1. Denver
2. St. Cloud State
3. Minnesota State
4. Omaha

When you look at these brackets, we have problems. The first is the first-round matchup between Cornell and Quinnipiac. It may seem wrong, but the easiest swap would be the take RIT away from #1 Minnesota and swap them with Cornell.

But the reality is the top seed earns the opportunity to play the lowest seed. So let’s think about seeding the top seeds into regions.

Let’s place the four regions: Minnesota makes sense in Fargo. Someone has to go to Manchester, which makes sense for the lowest top seed, Denver.

But what about Quinnipiac. They would make sense in Bridgeport, but Yale and Sacred Heart are the hosts. Thus, you technically can move Quinnipiac to Allentown, which when you consider attendance might make more sense. We’ll get back to that. If you do send Quinnipiac to Allentown, you can place Michigan in Bridgeport.

Then we can make some sensible swaps. The third seed makes the most sense. Boston University could move from Fargo to Bridgeport, much closer to help attendance. Harvard could move from Allentown to Manchester (and for all that, you could have BU in Manchester and Harvard in Bridgeport).

Once you do that, there are a lot of options to handle the lowest seeds.

RIT needs to stay in Fargo to maintain the 1 vs. 16 matchup. Omaha could move from Manchester to Allentown, a tiny bit closer to their campus, though not something that moves tickets (that said, Penn State sells out this region).

Cornell heads to Bridgeport with Boston University to give that region some shot at a decent attendance. And Northeastern makes sense in Manchester.

But I’m still left with the mental controversy of putting Quinnipiac in Allentown. When I think about it, even thought it maintains second-round bracket integrity, I can’t do it.

Thus, you have to flip Michigan (No. 3 overall) with Quinnipiac (No. 2 overall). Get a big attendance in Bridgeport and place Michigan in Allentown.

So the final brackets are:

Fargo

  1. Minnesota
  2. Ohio State
  3. Michigan Tech
  4. RIT

Allentown

  1. Michigan
  2. Penn State
  3. Minnesota State
  4. Omaha

Bridgeport

  1. Quinnipiac
  2. Western Michigan
  3. Boston University
  4. Cornell

Manchester

  1. Denver
  2. St. Cloud State
  3. Harvard
  4. Northeastern

That’s what we have for this week. Plenty of time for these regions to shift, not to mention the teams inside the bubble.

Last four in: Omaha, Northeastern, Cornell and Atlantic Hockey champion (RIT)
Last four out: Notre Dame, Alaska, Michigan State, Merrimack

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