Denver’s Massimo Rizzo battles North Dakota’s Judd Caulfield and Riese Gaber for a loose puck during Saturday night’s game at Magness Arena (photo: Tyler Schank/Clarkson Creative Photography).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Feb. 6 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 10-11.
Wisconsin upset top-ranked Minnesota Saturday night on home ice (photo: Tom Lynn).
Wisconsin scored three straight goals in front of a season-high 11,075 fans at the Kohl Center to take down No. 1 Minnesota 3-1 in an upset win on Saturday.
Carson Bantle posted a goal and an assist and Jack Horbach notched a pair of helpers to lead Wisconsin to the victory.
Goaltender Kyle McClellan stood tall in net with 32 saves.
Minnesota struck first at 18:28 in the first period when Mike Koster fired off a wrist shot from the point that hit off a Badger and sailed into the top corner.
However, the Gophers’ lead was short lived. With 21 seconds remaining in the first period, Cruz Lucius beat goaltender Justen Close on his blocker side with a backhand wrist shot to tie the game at one.
Quinnipiac cruised to its sixth consecutive victory on Saturday night, defeating St. Lawrence by a 5-0 final at Appleton Arena.
The Bobcats were powered by both of its Hobey Baker Award nominees, as Collin Graf potted a pair of goals and Yaniv Perets recorded his eighth shutout of the campaign as Quinnipiac leaves the northern part of New York with all six available points.
Christophe Fillion, Anthony Cipollone, and Jayden Lee also scored for QU, while Iivari Räsänen chipped in two assists.
With his two-point night, Graf crossed over the 40-point plateau, becoming the first Bobcats player since Odeen Tufto in 2018-19 to record 40 points in a campaign.
Perets’ eighth shutout brings him into a tie for second with Michael Garteig’s 2015-16 total. The sophomore netminder owns the single-season record with 11 a year ago. His 19 career shutouts match Garteig’s career record.
This is the first time this season that the Bobcats have shut out opponents in back to back contests and it’s the first time since Dec. 11, 2021 and Jan. 14, 2022 when the squad blanked LIU and Harvard.
St. Lawrence goalie Emil Zetterquist finished with 24 saves.
No. 4 Denver 5, North Dakota 2
Denver scored a trio of power-play goals, all coming on a pair of major man advantages, to complete the weekend sweep over North Dakota with a 5-2 win on Saturday night from Magness Arena.
Massimo Rizzo collected a goal and an assist for DU, while Aidan Thompson, Shai Buium, Carter King and Tristan Broz also scored to back Magnus Chrona’s 21 saves between the pipes.
“It was good to win games in two different ways,” said Denver coach David Carle. “Like last night, our 5-on-5 play really excelled, and tonight, obviously special teams did. We were able to take advantage on the power play, and I thought the penalty kill was excellent.”
Sean Behrens tacked on two assists for the Pioneers.
Tristan Broz provided the pressure, Massimo Rizzo forced the turnover and Broz cleaned up at 11:10 of the 3rd. pic.twitter.com/b9wvTLErfE
For North Dakota, Jackson Blake and Mark Senden scored and Drew DeRidder made 32 saves in a losing effort for the Fighting Hawks.
No. 5 Michigan 4, No. 15 Michigan State 3 (OT)
Luke Hughes scored with seven-tenths of a second remaining in overtime Saturday night to propel No. 5 Michigan to a 4-3 victory over Michigan State in the “Duel in the D” game at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena in front of 18,325 fans.
With the win, the Wolverines claim their sixth straight Iron D Trophy.
Hughes’ goal was set up by freshman Frank Nazar III, who had a goal and an assist in his second collegiate game after missing much of the season with an injury.
Colton Young factored in all four Colgate goals, finding the back of the net twice. Colton’s brother, Alex, had two assists to extend his nation-leading point streak to 14 games. Nick Anderson chipped in a goal and an assist for the Raiders, who had a 27-save performance by Carter Gylander.
Niagara 4, No. 18 RIT 1
Niagara downed RIT 4-1 on home ice Saturday night at Dwyer Arena to secure the weekend sweep.
Jason Pineo and Olivier Gauthier each had a goal and an assist for the Purple Eagles, while Shane Ott and Glebs Prohorenkovs also scored.
Josef Mysak added three assists and Casey Carreau two assists to back Chad Veltri’s 28 saves in goal.
Stiven Sardarian and Jake Dunlap also scored for UNH and Tyler Muszelik made 23 saves in net.
Harrison Rees and Justin Pearson scored for UConn, while Arsenii Sergeev finished with 27 stops for the Huskies.
No. 12 Michigan Tech 4, Bowling Green 2
Michigan Tech earned a Winter Carnival split with a 4-2 victory over Bowling Green Saturday on Senior Night at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
The Falcons held a 1-0 lead before the Huskies scored three straight and then sealed the win with an empty-net tally.
“We had a lot of nervous energy last night, and I think we were more settled in and focused tonight,” MTU coach Joe Shawhan said. “We bounced back in a big way, and Kyle Kukkonen had a really big weekend for us.
“I’m really happy for the seniors. It’s always bittersweet on Senior Night. They’ve won a lot of games for Michigan Tech hockey.”
With the win, Michigan Tech matches last season’s win total as the Huskies improved to 21-8-4 overall. The Huskies also jumped Minnesota State for the top spot in the CCHA standings. The Huskies and Mavericks will play for the MacNaughton Cup as CCHA regular-season champions in the regular-season finale on February 24-25 in Mankato, Minn.
Kukkonen was named Winter Carnival MVP after scoring four goals on the weekend with a pair of tallies each night. Royal Majesty Josie Edick presented the award with Jerry, Scott, and Betty MacInnes also present on the ice.
In the game Saturday night, Kukkonen scored twice, Ryland Mosley and Tristan Ashbrook one each, and Brett Thorne had two assists as Blake Pietila made 21 saves to earn his 55th career win, which is three shy of tying the Michigan Tech record
Austen Swankler and Nathan Burke scored for BGSU and Christian Stoever stopped 24 shots for the Falcons.
Sean Farrell figured in on five of Harvard’s six goals Friday night against Dartmouth (photo: Harvard Athletics).
Sean Farrell (two goals, three assists) recorded a career-best five-point night to lead No. 10 Harvard to a 6-3 win over Dartmouth on Friday night at Thompson Arena.
Alex Laferriere (goal, assist) and Ian Moore (two assists) also recorded multiple-point nights for the Crimson.
Sean Farrell. (G, 3A). Another big time performance. Great play by Coronato to force the turnover. 5-3 Harvard. #GoCrimson
Bryce Brodzinski scored a pair of goals, while Jimmy Snuggerud and Logan Cooley added one apiece to lead No. 1 Minnesota past Wisconsin 4-1 Friday night at the Kohl Center.
Brock Caufield broke up Justen Close’s shutout bid eaerly in the third period.
For Wisconsin, Jared Moe started in goal and allowed three goals on seven shots before being pulled 8:35 into the second period. Kyle McClellan played the remaining 31:25 and stopped 20 shots.
No. 2 Quinnipiac 3, Clarkson 0
Yaniv Perets recorded his seventh shutout of the season and 18th of his career, stopping all 16 shots as No. 2 Quinnipiac extended its winning streak to five with a 3-0 victory at Clarkson’s Cheel Arena on Friday night.
Collin Graf’s 15th of the season proved to be the game winner in the second, while TJ Friedmann and Sam Lipkin each added third-period insurance to keep the streak going.
Ethan Haider made 30 saves for the Golden Knights.
No. 5 Michigan 4, No. 15 Michigan State 2
In a game marred by 105 penalty minutes, fifth-ranked Michigan rode a three-goal first period to a 4-2 win over No. 15 Michigan State in an in-state rivalry game on Friday night at Munn Ice Arena.
Erik Portillo earned the victory in net for the Wolverines by stopping 30 of 32 Spartan shots on goal.
Michigan’s Gavin Brindley led all scorers with two goals and one assist for a three-point night. Mackie Samoskevich and Adam Fantilli also scored for the Wolverines.
Tiernan Shoudy and Nicolas Müller netted MSU’s goals, and Dylan St. Cyr took the loss in goal for the Spartans making 27 saves.
Saturday evening will mark the rivalry’s annual “Duel in the D” contest at Little Caesars Arena for the Iron “D” Trophy. Michigan has hoisted the trophy in the Motor City five consecutive times, and the team will look for its sixth straight Motown crown. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m. EST.
Bowling Green 5, No. 12 Michigan Tech 2
No. 12 Michigan Tech had its six-game unbeaten streak snapped Friday as Bowling Green defeated the Huskies 5-2 in game one of the annual Winter Carnival series at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena.
The teams will wrap up the total goal series for the MacInnes Trophy Saturday on Senior Night.
“I thought we got beat by the better team tonight,” MTU coach Joe Shawhan said. “We had a great crowd and they deserved a better competitive effort from our group. I give full credit to Bowling Green. Blake (Pietila) didn’t have a chance on the goals they scored.”
Seth Fyten's first of the year is a big one for @BGFalconHockey!
Ryan Black had a goal and an assist for the Wildcats and Liam Devlin also scored to back David Fessenden’s 24 stops between the pipes.
For UConn, Hudson Schandor scored and Logan Terness turned aside 28 shots in suffering the loss.
Air Force 5, Sacred Heart 4
Air Force extended its winning streak to four games with a 5-4 win over Sacred Heart Friday night at the Martire Family Arena.
The four-game winning streak ties as the longest since early in the 2018-19 season.
“This was a great win for us,” Air Force coach Frank Serratore said. “They are an extremely talented team. We never trailed in the game and that is huge against a team like them. You don’t want to get behind against them and have to play their game. After that first period, we got our game back together. Our power play made a huge difference in the game. And give our sixth attacker defense some credit. That’s a tough team to deal with in an extra attacker situation for five minutes.
“We are playing winning hockey right now and we found a way to get it done tonight.”
Sam Brennan had two goals and an assist for the Falcons, Willie Reim a goal and an assist, and Chris Hedden and Austin Schwartz added single goals as Maiszon Balboa made 29 saves in goal.
Neil Shea went for two goals and an assist for SHU, Todd Goehring added a goal plus a helper, and Brandon Milberg and Luke Lush combined on a 23-save effort between the pipes.
No. 4 Denver 5, North Dakota 3
Carter Mazur scored twice and Sean Behrens added a goal and an assist to lift No. 4 Denver past North Dakota 5-3 at Magness Arena Friday night.
Aidan Thompson and Massimo Rizzo also scored to back Magnus Chrona’s 34 saves. Mike Benning posted two assists.
What a move & shot by Carter Mazur, as he scores his 19th of the season in impressive fashion. pic.twitter.com/qgD2CgmVkg
Curry forward Timmy Kent has been an offensive force for the Colonels as they battle at the top of the CCC standings for playoff position (Photo by Curry Athletics)
Sometimes it is not the player with the biggest stature that makes the largest impact on a team’s performance on the ice. Case in point, Timmy Kent at Curry College is only 5’6” tall but plays like a much larger player in driving his own performance and that of his teammates. So far this season, Kent has put up 33 points (15G – 18A) in just 19 games and is an incredible plus 30 to lead the Colonels in virtually every offensive category. After missing last weekend’s action, Kent returns to help the Colonels in their battle with the University of New England for the second spot in the CCC standings in weekend action against Wentworth and Western New England.
“Having watched Timmy grow through prep school at Lawrence and even club level hockey with the River Rats, there was always a big motor and competitive drive in him as a player,” said head coach Peter Roundy. “He is absolutely an awesome kid off the ice but a switch flips when he is inside the glass and the competitive side of him really comes out. He is on the small side, and he is not a real burner on the speed side but he plays the game with great intensity and smartness. He has an explosive first couple of steps and is not afraid to go to the tough areas on the ice to battle for the puck or rebounds against much larger defensemen. He definitely thrives on contact and is really driven to win and help take our program to the next level.”
So far this season the Colonels have been among the elite teams from the CCC carrying a national ranking (currently No. 6) and winning all their non-conference games including the Northfield Bank tournament hosted by Norwich to end the 2022 calendar year where they knocked off Trinity and Norwich to win the title. The focus after winning all their non-conference games has been to challenge for the top two spots in the conference standings to obtain a bye and advance to the semifinals without a midweek quarterfinal matchup.
“It looks like Endicott is going to clinch the top spot but we still have a ton to play for,” noted Roundy. “We are right there in a battle with UNE for the No. 2 spot that earns the bye and avoids the first round game in the tournament. We have four games left in the regular season that means everything to that positioning so we can’t look past anyone or scoreboard watch expecting someone else to help us. We have Wentworth tonight and that is what the team is focused on playing our best hockey to earn a win and then get ready for tomorrow. This may be the strongest the CCC has been in many years top to bottom as evidenced by our strong play in non-conference games. That just means we can not take any team for granted with so much on the line at this time of the season.”
While the conference has been very strong so too is this edition of Curry hockey even beyond the talents of Timmy Kent. The team has great balance in scoring, a young defensive group that has matured quickly and spectacular if under-rated goaltending. The combination has helped Curry to a 16-4-1 record overall with a 20-win season in sight.
“While Timmy has been our motor, Mark [Zhukov], Nick [Favaro], and Reid [Cooper] have been key leaders for their respective groups on the ice,” stated Roundy. “They have created a great environment for the younger players to learn and develop in our systems and we are seeing the benefits immediately in the productivity of our freshman D-corps as well as players upfront like Gage Dill. They come ready to work every day at practice and are always thinking about how we can be better. Just last night Reid texted to say we were going to be changing the communications on goalie touch breakouts to help us improve that aspect of the game. The attention to detail is what has this group connected and playing well with our best still in front of us over the next month.”
The Colonels finish the CCC regular season with a home game against Wentworth and a road game at Western New England before closing out next weekend at Suffolk and at home against Endicott.
Providence co-captain Max Crozier was named Hockey East co-defender of the week on Monday for the second time this season (photo: Lydia Vigneau).
The pain of finding value is a valiant effort of every sports gambler out there.
And then we look at Maine playing at Boston College on Friday night, a game where the odds send mixed messages.
The Black Bears are the second-best team in Hockey East since December 1. But they’re still an underdog against a struggling Boston College team. There has to be a reason.
Well, Maine is six games under .500 on the road this season as the Black Bears begin a four-game road trip in Hockey East play.
It’s a strange dichotomy of a betting line but proves that the longer the season goes on, the more the sports books seem to be paying attention to key aspects that influence the lines.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
Maine (+105) at Boston College (-135); o/u 6
Maine really needs to be a heavier favorite in this game. The Black Bears are 9-5-1 since December 1, a stark comparison to Boston College’s 4-6-3 record over the same stretch.
But, typically, the bookmakers look for a trend and Maine’s 3-9-1 road record influences this line. That said, The Black Bears have found plenty of great wins of late, including a weekend sweep of Providence.
Boston College probably feels “due” to many bettors, but that is typically the worst reason to pick a favorite. Best said, bet this one carefully.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Michigan (-175) at Michigan State (+140); o/u 6.5
A rivalry game where the home team is a +140 underdog. That’s often solid value.
But the Spartans, aside from last weekend’s home sweep of Notre Dame, have struggled. Michigan has been explosive offensively of late and deserve the -175 juice.
But value is value. And right now Michigan State could possibly be laying that value.
If you really want value, though, isn’t 6.5 as an over/under line where it is at? This feels like a 6-5 game no matter what. Though the higher scoring the game, the more it favors Michigan.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Northeastern (-110) at Providence (-120); o/u 5
You can bet against Northeastern, if you’d like. But the Huskies are probably the hottest team in the country with the way Devon Levi is playing.
So where. might you find a value for Providence? The Friars did beat Northeastern in October on the road. The score of that game was 2-1, which would be an expected possibility for this game.
But we can’t advocate against strong trends. Providence is 1-5-0 in it last six. Northeastern is an inverse, 1-5-0, over the same stretch.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
North Dakota (+165) at Denver (-205); o/u 6.5
the last few years, this was a rivalry game in the NCHC. And this probably feels that way, but North Dakota’s recent struggles make it difficult to favor the Fighting Hawks.
3-3-0 in the last six isn’t back for North Dakota, particularly 3-1-0 in the last four. But the wins have come against Miami and Minnesota Duluth, both teams in the league.
Denver is not a bottom-tier team. Especially at home. The Pioneers are 14-3-0 at home this year, and while North Dakota will pose an awesome challenge, this game feels like Denver all the way.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Ohio State (-110) at Notre Dame (-120); o/u 5.5
Will Notre Dame’s desperation outshine Ohio State’s decent record?
Sure the Buckeyes lost three of their last five, but their six-game winning streak prior still has some level of credibility.
The question is whether the Irish, a team that has split almost every single series this season, can find a way to grab a win or two or if the two losses to Michigan State last weekend continue to trend.
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:
Maine (+105) at Boston College (-135); over/under 6
Michigan (-175) at Michigan State (+140); o/u 6.5
Northeastern (-110) at Providence (-120); o/u 5
North Dakota (+165) at Denver (-205); o/u 6.5
Ohio State (-110) at Notre Dame (-120); o/u 5.5
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
Colton Friesen and the UW-Superior Yellowjackets take aim at trying to clinch a WIAC regular-season title this weekend. (Photo Credit: Holden Law, UW-Superior Athletics)
February is rolling along and the action on the ice is heating up. Two big matchups loom this weekend as UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior battle in a series where the WIAC title will be on the line. Nationally ranked opponents Adrian and St. Norbert will do the same in the NCHA.
Check out the picks below and enjoy the weekend.
UW-Stevens Point (14-5-4, 10-2-1) at UW-Superior (14-7-2, 9-3-1)
The WIAC title will be decided this weekend when the Pointers and Yellowjackets square off.
The Pointers, ranked 10th in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, hit the road to try to seal the deal on the title. Few teams are hotter than the Yellowjackets at the moment. They’ve rattled off four consecutive wins.
When these two teams last played, the Pointers prevailed 3-2 in overtime. The games this weekend should be just as close and an exciting brand of hockey is expected to be played.
Six of the top 10 goal scorers in the conference will be in action in this series, including Conor Witherspoon (10) of UW-Stevens Point and Colton Friesen of UW-Superior. Both players have 10 goals apiece. UW-Stevens Point, 4-3; UW-Superior, 5-4
UW-Stout (15-7-1, 6-6-1) at UW-Eau Claire (14-8-1, 7-5-1)
The Blue Devils trail the Blugolds by four points in the standings and hope to close out the regular season on a high note. The Blugolds are hoping to solidify their hold on third place in the standings. Both teams come in looking to end a two-game losing streak.
UW-Stout has enjoyed a turnaround season up to this point and leads the league in goals scored with 81. Peyton Hart has led that charge with a WIAC-best 14 goals. Quinn Green is UW-Eau Claire’s top goal scoring threat with 11 goals on the season.
The Blugolds look to keep their success going against the Blue Devils after winning the Dec. 3 matchup by a 4-2 score. UW-Eau Claire, 3-2; UW-Stout, 6-4
St. Olaf (11-9-1, 5-7) vs. Saint John’s (12-9-2 8-5-1)
The Oles are on the outside looking in at the moment as far as the MIAC tournament is concerned. If they want a shot to defend their title, they need to be at their best this weekend.
Sitting just one point out of first, the Oles are certainly capable of getting the job done. But it won’t be easy against a Johnnies team that is currently in second and wants to maintain that position.
Bailey Huber has been solid in goal for the Johnnies, recording 393 saves while boasting a 2.12 goals against average. That’s a tall order for an Oles team that hasn’t scored more than two goals in each of its last three games. St. Olaf has lost its last four. Saint John’s, 5-2; St. Olaf, 3-2
Saint Mary’s (10-10-1, 6-6) vs. St. Scholastica (14-5-2, 11-0-1)
The Saints continue to look like one of the best teams in college hockey, rattling off six consecutive wins and maintaining their hold on first place in the MIAC. They lead Saint John’s by seven points in the standings.
This team features a balanced offense that has cranked out 88 goals and has a netminder in Jack Bostedt, averages nearly 31 saves a game. The Cardinals won’t be an easy out, though, capable of winning on any given night and capable of generating a lot of goals, as was the case in a 7-3 win over Saint John’s last week. I have to stick with the Saints here but it won’t surprise me if Saint Mary’s gets at least one game out of this series. St. Scholastica, 5-4 and 4-3
Augsburg (12-8-1, 8-4) vs. Hamline (11-9-1, 4-8)
The Auggies aren’t having one of their typical seasons but they are still a team that can’t be overlooked, especially having won their last three games. Hamline has won its last two games.
Augsburg has an offense that has produced 69 goals and thrives off a balanced attack that makes things tough on any opponent. The Pipers, though, have been fairly solid on defense and lead the conference in fewest goals allowed with 48. And they’ve won some big games this season. Hard to bet against Augsburg, however, at this time of the year. Then again, it is the MIAC, so you never know how things are going to go. Augsburg, 3-1 and 4-3
Adrian (18-3-2, 12-3-1) at St. Norbert (14-7-2, 11-4-1)
It’s one of the best matchups in college hockey year after year and a lot is riding on this series. For the reigning national champs, who are riding the high of a sweep of nationally ranked Aurora, they need three points to secure the title. The 14th-ranked Green Knights needs four points to win the crown, though they could end up as low as the fourth seed in the conference tourney.
The No. 3 Bulldogs lead the league in goals scored with 122 while the Green Knights have tallied 93 on the year. This series should be fun to watch. It always seems to be when these rivals square off in games that always seem to have something riding on them. Adrian, 4-3 and 3-2
Aurora (15-6-2, 11-3-2) vs. MSOE (14-9, 9-7)
This is a big series for both teams. Aurora is looking to clinch a home series in the conference tourney and needs just two points in this series to make that happen. The No. 10 Spartans are in a position, though, where they could be as as low as the fifth seed.
The Raiders could still end up with a home series if a few things go their way. The most important thing for MSOE is beating Aurora would give it a lot of momentum going into the playoffs. For the Spartans, while they are out of the regular-season title hunt, they can still make a postseason run. And they are hungry for a bounce-back series after how things went down against Adrian. Aurora, 5-2 and 6-5
Concordia (4-19, 4-12) at Finlandia (3-18-1, 2-14)
The Falcons are looking to seal the deal on being the eighth seed in the conference tournament. They just need to get six points out of this series. Finlandia needs a lot of help to get the eighth seed, starting with needing a sweep of the Falcons in regulation. Concordia has struggled on the road this year, losing all 12 of its games away from home. This could be the weekend that streak ends. The Lions have lost their last four games and are just 3-10 on home ice. Concordia, 5-2 and 4-1
Bob DeGregorio drops the ceremonial first puck Thursday night between RIT’s Spencer Berry and Niagara’s Ryan Cox (photo: Atlantic Hockey).
The Atlantic Hockey Board of Directors announced Thursday that the conference’s regular-season championship trophy will be renamed the Robert DeGregorio Trophy in honor of the retiring Atlantic Hockey commissioner.
The announcement was made Thursday evening as DeGregorio participated in a pre-game puck drop prior to the start of the Niagara-RIT game at Niagara’s Dwyer Arena.
“Bob DeGregorio has served Atlantic Hockey with distinction for two decades,” AHA board chairman and Mercyhurst assistant VP for athletics Bradley Davis said. “As a conference, we want to recognize that service in a lasting and meaningful way by naming our regular-season trophy in his honor.”
The only commissioner in Atlantic Hockey history, DeGregorio has guided the conference from its early beginnings when nine schools – American International, Army West Point, Bentley, Canisius, Connecticut, Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart – joined together to form Atlantic Hockey in 2003.
The Winthrop, Mass., native steered the AHA through several rounds of expansion and contraction over the years and led the AHA through one of its toughest periods during the COVID-related shutdown of the 2019-20 season and the subsequent abbreviated 2020-21 campaign.
Atlantic Hockey players have earned All-America honors 17 times during his tenure while nine players have been tabbed CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Additionally, the AHA has seen five of its players presented with the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award while two have been recognized as Hockey Humanitarian Award winners during his tenure.
Michigan State hopes scenes like this are in order this weekend against Michigan (photo: Michigan State Athletics).
With three weeks remaining in the regular season, everything in the Big Ten is a numbers game.
Last weekend’s results created the kind of scenario that many sports fans love and coaches hate, the possibility that nothing concrete will be resolved until the last game of the season.
Well, maybe not nothing. While results aren’t guaranteed, there’s very little wiggle room at the top and the bottom of the B1G standings. The rest is math, although there may be a little magic involved, too – magic numbers, that is.
Minnesota’s magic number
Two. That’s the number of games that the Golden Gophers need to win to secure their second consecutive and sixth total regular-season Big Ten title.
Minnesota is the only B1G team in control of its own fate right now. Any two wins will work for the Gophers without any help from anyone else in the league.
The Gophers can clinch the season this weekend with two wins against Wisconsin or a single win if both Ohio State and Michigan each lose a game this weekend.
Not a magic number, but fun all the same
Four. That’s the number of teams knotted together behind Minnesota in the standings.
Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State have 30 points each. The four-way tie is a result of the Wolverines and Spartans sweeping their opponents and the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions splitting a series.
Because the Buckeyes, Wolverines and Gophers have two games in hand on the Spartans and Nittany Lions, Ohio State and Michigan are the only two teams in that standings clump mathematically capable of capturing part of the regular-season title. It’s a long longshot, but with some help from Minnesota losses, the Buckeyes need to win five of their six remaining games and the Wolverines need to win out to catch the Gophers.
National numbers that matter
Six. That’s the number of Big Ten teams currently in or near enough to the top 16 spots in the PairWise Rankings to hold out hope for an at-large NCAA tournament bid. At No. 18, the Irish are the team on the outside looking in, but Notre Dame’s remaining games against Ohio State (No. 8) and Michigan (No. 4) may help them gain some traction, depending very much on how other teams near them in the PWR end their seasons.
Minnesota remains at the top of the PairWise Rankings. With a bit of luck, the Big Ten could see two of its teams garner top seeds in NCAA regionals.
Interesting math
Six. That’s the number of games that Wisconsin would have to win in addition to Notre Dame losing its remaining four games for the Badgers to move out of last place in the final standings.
A simple formula
Three. That’s the number of games by which Michigan State has surpassed its season win total from 2021-22.
The Spartans added two of those wins last weekend with a home sweep of Notre Dame, limiting the Fighting Irish to two goals in the series a weekend after Michigan State allowed 14 goals to Minnesota on the road.
First-year coach Adam Nightingale said that he and his staff have been consistent in their approach all season and that some things aren’t measured in the number of wins the Spartans have earned.
“We’ve tried to focus the whole year on things we can control,” said Nightingale, things like practices and weight room sessions. Nightingale said that effort and attitude are key. “You focus on those versus the results or making something really bigger than it is at the end of the day. It’s the game of hockey. We work on it every day and I think we’ve got a good team. There’s no reason to panic. Our group’s done a good job of that throughout the year.”
Nightingale pointed to Michigan State’s first Big Ten game of the season, a 5-0 loss to Notre Dame Oct. 28. “We came back and won in the shootout.” Bouncing back after tough loss is a trademark for this team, he said.
“I look at the way we lost to Ohio State and came back and swept Penn State at home. The way it went for us at Minnesota. Every time before that weekend, people were saying, ‘it’s a big week, it’s a big week,’ and for us, we’re excited about playing any time we get to play. I think our guys have enjoyed that approach.
“I think that’s just how our staff’s wired, just not trying to get ahead of ourselves and understanding that every day’s an opportunity to get better. I do think that’s important for any team, just focus on the next game.”
This weekend, the Spartans host the Wolverines Friday before the teams face off inside the home of the Detroit Red Wings, Little Caesars Arena, on Saturday.
“Our guys are focused on Friday,” said Nightingale. “We’ve got enough guys that have played in those buildings that I don’t think we’ll be overwhelmed. We’ll be excited and appreciative of the opportunity, and we’ll take full advantage of it, but they’re not making it bigger than it is.”
Like the Wolverines – and the Buckeyes and the Nittany Lions – the Spartans are vying for home ice in the first round of the Big Ten playoffs. All seven B1G teams participate in the three-weekend conference playoffs, with the regular-season champs earning a first-round bye and the teams that finish second through fourth hosting best-of-three quarterfinal series March 3-5. If the Spartans finish fifth or lower, Friday’s game against Michigan will be their last at home this season. They finish up with Wisconsin on the road.
“We’re going to have to stay the course, just focus on the next game,” said Nightingale. “I think that stuff will take care of itself. Obviously, we’d love to have the chance for our fans to see us again, but we’ve got to take care of the games that are played in front of us, and that starts Friday.”
A rivalry by the numbers
One of the most exciting things about the reemergence of Michigan State hockey is what that does for the rivalry between the Spartans and Wolverines, arguably one of the best in college hockey.
The teams are even this season after splitting a pair of 2-1 games in home-and-home series Dec. 9-10, but the Wolverines owned the Spartans last year, taking all six games that the teams played including a two-game sweep during the first round of the Big Ten playoffs in which Michigan outscored Michigan State 12-1.
The teams first met Jan. 11, 1922, a 5-1 Michigan win.
Michigan is 177-139-24 all-time against Michigan State.
The Spartans are 70-54-12 all-time in the series in games played at Munn Ice Arena.
Michigan is 38-22-7 all-time against Michigan State at neutral sites.
Michigan has won The Iron D, a trophy at stake in the annual game played in Detroit, a total of five times since the introduction of the hardware in 2016. Michigan State has claimed it once.
The Wolverines and Spartans have been league foes in six different college hockey conferences dating back to the formation of the Midwestern Collegiate Hockey League in 1951. In those 71 years, the teams have faced off in a playoff championship game only three times, and all in CCHA play. Michigan won twice (1997, 2002) and Michigan State once (2001).
One final number, and it is magic in its own way
Sixteen. That’s the number of games that Michigan defenseman Steven Holtz missed after his brush with death earlier this season.
Having recovered physically and been declared academically eligible, Holtz played both games in Michigan’s sweep of Wisconsin last weekend.
Arkhip Lendekov is the leading goal scorer in the MIAC this season. (Photo Credit: St. Scholastica Athletics)
Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov had to adapt to a new language culture when they came to the United States from Belarus, but the one thing that has been forever universal for them is hockey.
Two of the top players in NCAA Division III, the twin brothers are playing a huge role in St. Scholastica’s pursuit of a MIAC championship and more.
Arkhip leads the conference in goals (18) and Filimon is the MIAC leader in assists (23). Arkhip is second in that category with 21 while Filimon is sixth in the conference in goals (10).
As brothers, they have always been competitive, but at the same time, they enjoy having the opportunity to set each other up for success.
“Knowing our roles, with me passing and him scoring, yeah, we competed with each other, but we work to help each other. I’m always trying to find him on the ice for a better opportunity to score.”
But as good as their stats are, team success means the most to both of them.
“Personal stats are second,” Arkhip said. “As long as the team succeeds, we are happy. That’s the most important thing. We watch a lot of film and work on what we can improve so we can help our team.”
Filimon Ledenkov is the MIAC leader in assists. (Photo Credit: St. Scholastica Athletics)
The Saints sit in first place, holding down a seven-point lead on second-place Saint John’s, as they are 14-5-2 overall and unbeaten in MIAC play with an 11-0-1 record.
Not bad for a team that won only 11 games a year earlier and lost in the opening round of the conference tournament.
The Saints have three of the top five goal scorers in the MIAC, with Nathan Adrian ranking second (15) and Carsen Richels checking in at No. 4 with 13 goals. Richels is third in assists with 17 while goalie Jack Bostedt has recorded 605 saves and is 11-4-2 on the year.
“We have a really good group of guys and we work well with each other,” Filimon said. “We’re friends outside the rink, too, and support each other even when things don’t go well. We’re always pushing each other.”
The Ledenkov brothers started playing hockey at a young age and moved to the United States shortly before they turned 18. They played junior hockey in the USPHL before coming to St. Scholastica.
“It took time to get used to being here. The language was a big adjustment, and the culture difference, but we accepted the challenges and went through it,” Filimon said.
They always knew they could play the game well at the college level.
“We felt strong and confident, and we felt ready for the season,” Arkhip said.
They have thrived throughout their careers and hope to one day play at the pro level. Having the opportunity to play college hockey has meant a great deal to them.
“I like the the connections we have built along the way and the people we’ve gotten to known, and at the same time, I love playing hockey,” Filimon said. “You have to enjoy it while you can because some day it will end.”
Arkhip had similar thoughts on the game.
“Being able to play this game is something I love. I’m thankful for the opportunity,” Arkhip said. “The game itself is so fast and creative, and not every game is the same. You have to show up ready to play every time.”
A watch list of 27 first-year NCAA men’s hockey players was announced today by the Hockey Commissioners Association.
According to a news release, “one of these talented rookies will likely receive the Tim Taylor Award” as national rookie of the year by the nation’s assistant coaches.
At season’s end, a ballot consisting of each Division I conference’s Rookie of the Year will be presented to the assistant coaches and they will vote, one vote per school, to identify the winner. This year’s national rookie of the year will be announced during the Frozen Four in Tampa in April.
The 2022 winner was Northeastern goalie Devon Levi.
Atlantic Hockey
Max Itagaki, Army West Point, F (24 GP, 2-18-20) (Glenview, IL)
Nicholas Niemo, Bentley, F (26 GP, 6-13-19) (Middlebury, VT)
Big Ten
Adam Fantilli, Michigan, F (24 GP, 17-28-45) (Nobleton, ON)
Karsen Dorwart, Michigan State, F (30 GP, 9-16-25) (Sherwood, OR)
Logan Cooley, Minnesota, F (27 GP, 13-23-36) (Pittsburgh, PA)
Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota, F (28 GP, 16-21-37) (Chaska, MN)
Stephen Halliday, OSU, F (28 GP, 7-23-30) (Glenwood, MD)
Cruz Lucius, WISC, F (28 GP, 9-19-28) (Grant, MN)
CCHA
Joey Larson, Northern Michigan, F (26 GP, 8-11-19) (Brighton, MI)
Lleyton Roed, Bemidji State, F (28 GP, 9-13-22) (White Bear Lake, MN)
ECAC Hockey
Ryan Bottrill, Brown, F (23 GP, 6-11-17) (Chandler, AZ)
Sam Lipkin, Quinnipiac, F (26 GP, 6-19-25) (Philadelphia, PA)
Dalton Bancroft, Cornell, F (22 GP, 8-10-18) (Madoc, ON)
John Prokop, Union, D (28 GP, 4-13-17) (Wausau, WI)
Joe Miller, Harvard, F (23 GP, 11-8-19) (Minneapolis, MN)
Sutter Muzzatti, RPI, F (18 GP, 6-11-17) (Okemos, MI)
Hockey East
Kenny Connors, UMass, F (23 GP, 7-13-20) (Glen Mills, PA)
Cutter Gauthier, Boston College, F (22 GP, 14-10-24) (Skelleftea, Sweden)
Lane Hutson, Boston University, D (26 GP, 9-27-36) (Chicago, IL)
Philip Svedeback, Providence, G (27 GP, 2.23, .905) (Stockholm, Sweden)
Matthew Wood, UConn, F (28 GP, 10-17-27) (Lethbridge, AB)
NCHC
Jackson Blake, North Dakota, F (27 GP, 12-18-30) (Eden Prairie, MN)
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha, G (11 GP, 1.82, .932) (Trencin, Slovakia)
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College, G (20 GP, 2.46, .920) (Aspen, CO)
Ryan McAllister, Western Michigan, F (30 GP, 11-29-40) (London, ON)
Ben Steeves, Minnesota Duluth, F (26 GP, 17-5-22) (Bedford, N.H.)
Aidan Thompson, Denver, F (20 GP, 5-14-19) (Fort Collins, CO)
From left, Grace Zumwinkle, Claire Dalton, Elyssa Biederman, Gwyneth Phillips.
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the women’s monthly award winners for January.
Co-players of the month are Minnesota graduate forward Grace Zumwinkle and Yale senior forward Claire Dalton, rookie of the month is Colgate forward Elyssa Biederman, and goaltender of the month is Northeastern senior Gwyneth Philips.
Zumwinkle became the sixth Gopher to reach the 100-point mark with a monster 16-point month in January. She led Minnesota to a perfect 8-0-0 mark with a line of eight goals and eight assists for 16 points. She had the game-winning goal in that one, one of three game winners on the month.
A major reason why Yale went 11-0-0 in January was Dalton scoring in 10 of 11 the games. She went 8-11-19, averaging 1.7 points per game and is now second in the NCAA in scoring.
Biederman helped Colgate to a 7-2-1 record in January with a personal line of 6-9-15 in 10 games.
Philips earns her second monthly honor of the season, going 6-0-0 on the month, with four shutouts, a GAA of 0.33, and a save percentage of .981.
RPI players celebrate a recent goal in ECAC Hockey action (photo: Haley Cole).
The conversations surrounding the ECAC postseason have always been divided into three distinct parts.
The first four teams, the ones that receive first-round byes, usually lead that discussion, but the next two groupings – the ones that play off in the first round – are just as important for the way they offer matchups and paths to the semifinals in Lake Placid.
That discussion is always a critical piece of the last month of the regular season, but this year’s February calendar took on a completely different tone when the conference adopted a new format. Losing the best-of-three format meant the toughest road trips could eliminate a team within a night, while a favorable matchup with a short bus trip could equally balance a road team’s ability to enter someone’s home and win.
Everything is under a white-hot spotlight, and with three weekends remaining, the race for home ice heated up in a big way last week when Rensselaer upset Colgate on the road to grab its seventh point in the last two weekends. Having initially dropped all but one result between the beginning of December and the end of January, it represented an inflection point for the Engineers, who moved into the No. 8 seed with a shot to shore up home ice and a postseason game at one of ECAC’s most dangerous venues.
“We got better as the game went on,” said RPI coach Dave Smith of Saturday’s win over the Raiders. “Colgate scored early in the third period, and it turned into a grind-it-out game that our guys had to scratch and claw to win.”
The win over Colgate was part of a weekend that saw the Engineers play some of their most complete hockey of the season. They lost on Friday to Cornell, but the 3-1 defeat offered grit and toughness on a level that lacked three weekends earlier during a sweep loss at Yale and Brown, when a combined 7-1 weekend loss included a 3-0 shutout to the Bears, RPI’s third such loss this season.
The team was gutted by injuries, but after taking four points at home from Clarkson and St. Lawrence, a resurgent roster boarded the bus for the Cornell-Colgate trip with more bullets in its respective chamber. A 6-0 loss to Union in the Mayor’s Cup game hurt, but it was technically a non-conference game that only carried ramifications around Albany and the Capital District. It didn’t hurt RPI in the league standings, so the impact was minimized to the table, where the Engineers led the Dutchmen by one point for ninth place.
“We had been dealing with inexperience,” Smith said. “We were leaning on juniors and seniors who missed a year due to the COVID season, and we had centers that were playing out of position. Some guys got hurt and couldn’t play center because they couldn’t take faceoffs, and the lines were being adjusted over the course of the year because we approached it with a ‘next man up’ mentality. But our guys like playing with each other, which made it easy when the [roster] started getting back into form.”
RPI entered the weekend one point behind Brown and two points behind Clarkson for the eighth and seventh spots that carried home ice advantage in the postseason, and when the Bears lost both ends of their weekend series against the North Country teams, the Engineers moved into eighth while the Ivy League team backslid into 10th..
Union, meanwhile, tied RPI for the final home spot, but the two teams’ head-to-head split in conference games meant the Engineers retained eighth place with one extra ECAC win. The Mayor’s Cup loss was again rendered moot, and the Dutchmen, with their 5-10-1 record in league games, instead sat behind the 6-10 Engineers who won two of their three overtime sessions without a trip to the shootout.
Brown and Yale head to the Capital District this weekend, and RPI hosts four of its final six games at Houston Field House, where the team holds a 10-3-1 record opposite a 1-12-0 road statistic. Wins this weekend would give the Engineers more of an inside track to hosting the first round game at their own building, potentially even against Union, while operating within a last month where seeding against Clarkson and Princeton is still very much in play.
RPI hosts the Tigers to kick off the final weekend, but with an additional game at Dartmouth on the road, the opportunity is right within reach for a team that travels with the team chasing it down. Union has to go through the same schedule, and with Brown, Dartmouth and Yale very much chasing the Engineers, those head-to-head wins could seal someone’s trip to Troy even before the extra two games against Harvard and Quinnipiac are counted.
“We’ve enjoyed great fan support,” Smith said. “There’s the weight and tradition of RPI hockey that brings the fans [to the arena]. They missed two years due to COVID because we sat out a year and still dealt with it last year. They’ve been coming out this year and supporting this team.”
RPI hosts Brown and Yale this weekend with both games slated for 7 p.m. starts. Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs is additionally the 45th Annual Big Red Freakout! Game.
Plattsburgh wins their 5th-straight NEWHL regular-season league title and eyes their 5th-straight NEWHL conference championship (Photo by Gabe Dickens)
This week in D-III women’s hockey out east we saw a team clinch the regular-season conference title to earn them home-ice for the playoffs. The #3 ranked team (USCHO poll) fell after a nine-goal affair. Meanwhile, we look at each conference to see how the teams may fare in regard to NCAA tournament bids.
Plattsburgh Clinches the NEWHL
Plattsburgh (20-2-0 overall, 14-1-0 in-conference) clinched the NEWHL league title for the 5th straight season and have remained atop the league they’ve dominated since it was established (league was established in the 2017-2018 season). The Cardinals have won all five regular-season league titles and have won all four postseason titles as well; this year would be their 5th straight automatic-bid into the dance if they were to win the NEWHL tournament.
This past weekend they swept Cortland, defeating them 3-1 & 2-1, getting revenge against Cortland who’s given Plattsburgh problems as of late, tying them last year and forcing OT in the league title game, and earlier this season giving them their only league loss this year, shutting them out 1-0. It will be intriguing to see if these two teams meet in the NEWHL finals because if so, anything can happen and Cortland is on the borderline of an at-large bid, so winning the league may be their only ticket into the tournament,
In the games this past weekend, the points for Plattsburgh were relatively spread out, multiple players tallying two points, five separate players scoring. Goaltender Ashley Davis got the two wins on the weekend, making 24 & 21 saves only allowing two goals. For Cortland, goaltender Molly Goergen made 42 & 41 saves, allowing 5 goals in the pair of losses, but still having great performances in both games.
Down goes #3
Colby upsets #3 Amherst 5-4 this past weekend to split the weekend series (Photo by Colby College Athletics)
#3 Amherst & #11 Colby had a two-game weekend series, Colby being the host team. In game one Amherst won 3-2 in OT, but in game two, Colby came out firing, getting out to a 3-0 lead, which eventually got to 5-1, and ended in a close 5-4 game in favor of the Mules. Recapping the win, Colby got off to a quick start as mentioned, scoring 43 seconds into the game and then again shortly after at the 3:07 mark of the first period. They would then add another just past midway through the first at 11:58. In the third period however, things got interesting when Colby came out of the locker room with a 5-1 lead and Amherst began the scoring. The Mammoths scored two powerplay goals, one coming at the 5:27 mark of the period and another at the 12:37 mark. They also added an even strength goal in-between the powerplay goals at 9:14. The third period flurry just wasn’t enough in the end as Amherst fell short by one goal in the 5-4 loss, but considering the hole they dug themselves to start, a one goal loss is nothing to hang your head on. It also helps when your overall record is 19-2-0 and your conference record is 12-2-0. Point leaders for the weekend for Colby were Courtney Schumacher (2 goals) & Meg Rittenhouse (2 goals). For Amherst, it was Avery Flynn (1 goal, 3 assists) & Rylee Glennon (4 assists). Goaltender Natalie Stott for Amherst made 41 saves in the 3-2 OT win and 20 in the 5-4 loss, while Paige Bolyard of Colby made 24 saves and 22 saves.
Looking Ahead
We now take a brief look at the conferences out east so far and see what the postseason picture is looking like as the regular season quickly comes to a close.
NEWHL
To get this out of the way, as mentioned before, Plattsburgh has won the NEWHL regular season title for the 5th-straight season. In terms of the NCAA tournament, Plattsburgh is a lock to get a bid whether it be an auto-bid or at-large. The only other team that will have an outside shot at an at-large bid is Cortland who currently sits at #13. The Red Dragons will most likely need to win out and make it to the championship game of the NEWHL if they want a chance at an at-large bid. At this point however, it’s probably too much of a climb this late in the season for them. If they wanted an at-large bid they would’ve needed to take at least one game from Plattsburgh this past weekend.
Plattsburgh is in the NCAA tournament either way, Cortland has an outside shot.
CCC
It’s pretty simple, the only team headed to the NCAA tournament from the CCC is whoever wins the league title. In my opinion, I think Head Coach Taylor Wasylk and her Suffolk Rams take this one and head dancing for the first time in program history. Suffolk is on their way to locking up first place and winning the regular season title, but Endicott is a team to watch out for as well, as they could always pull an upset and win the CCC title as well.
Whoever wins the conference championship is the only one going dancing. The two frontrunners are Suffolk (14-5-2 overall, 12-1-2 conference) and Endicott (12-7-2 overall, 10-4-0 conference).
NEHC
This conference is intriguing, at first it looked like Norwich was back and ready to win the title, but Elmira has cleaned things up as of late and hold a perfect 15-0-0 record in conference play while Norwich is 13-1-2. Elmira can lock up the top seed and home-ice with a win over New England College or Norwich this weekend. In terms of the NCAA’s, Elmira is in a pretty good spot in terms of an at-large bid at #9, but if Norwich were to win the league title, #9 doesn’t look very safe due to what could happen around them.
If I had to guess, we see one team come out of this conference, whether it be Elmira or Norwich and I believe it’ll come down to whoever wins the conference title and gets the automatic-bid because I don’t think Elmira is in a safe enough spot at #9 if Norwich were to be the team that occupies an auto-bid, but we’ll see.
NESCAC
Now we look at the NESCAC, or shall I say the SEC of D-III women’s hockey because apparently that’s how the pairwise and USCHO poll views it. Half the league could make the NCAA tournament, if we used this metric, let’s assume the top-seeded Amherst wins the league title and gets the auto-bid for the sake of this analysis. At-large bids would go to #6 Hamilton, #7 Middlebury, & #8 Colby.
My only caution here is that some of these teams don’t play the whole cap of 25 games like others, so for example, Colby only plays 22 regular season games, if they were to lose in the first round or second round of the NESCAC tournament (which is highly possible due to the strength of the league), they’d finish with an overall record of 16-7 or 17-7 (assuming they win their last four regular-season games). It’ll be a stretch by the committee if they let a team with that record and minimal games played in the tournament over a team such as UW-Eau Claire who is likely to finish around 22-4-1 after the league playoffs are set and done, but they’re behind in pairwise at #12. By stretch, I mean public perception and relations. The pairwise will determine who gets in down to the 0.0001, but it’s a hard sell to the public when they see the two records side-by-side.
The league will be interesting, pairwise will be fun due to some teams playing so few games compared to others, but it’s really up in the air and from what we’ve seen, anyone can win it and potentially 3/4 at-large bids will come from this conference, UW-River Falls being the lone non-NESCAC team getting an at-large.
UCHC
The UCHC will potentially have two teams in the NCAA tournament if anyone but Utica wins the conference championship, but it’s not very likely. Utica is the only team with an at-large chance and if they win the league then no one else can get in via pairwise. Nazareth is too far behind at #19 and Utica is borderline at-large currently at #10, so they need to plan on winning the league if they want to dance.
Devon Levi made 33 saves as Northeastern knocked off Boston University in their Beanpot game this past Monday (photo: Jim Pierce).
Since the Beanpot has featured the same four teams for its entire 70-year history and rotates the first-round matchups on a three-year cycle, the law of averages dictates that Harvard and Northeastern should have previously met in the final about a dozen times.
But it’s never happened before until this year, and Monday’s championship matchup between the two schools will mark the end of one of the Beanpot’s many delightful (depending on whom you ask) quirks.
“It is surprising that Harvard and Northeastern haven’t played yet (in the final),” said Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe after his team’s 3-1 first-round win over Boston University last Monday. “We’ve obviously excited to play a really good team.”
No. 10 Harvard (ECAC Hockey) earned its way into Monday’s final with a 4-3 overtime win over Boston College. It will be the Crimson’s first championship appearance since 2017, when they beat BU 6-3 for the title.
No. 20 Northeastern is in the Beanpot championship for the fifth straight time to the championship game, a streak that started with three straight championships (snapping a 30-year drought) from 2018 to 2020 and a 1-0 loss to BU last year.
Huskies senior forward Aidan McDonough feigned surprise when a reporter noted Northeastern’s dearth of success in the first 65 years of the Beanpot.
“I had no idea that was the case,” said McDonough, tongue planted firmly in cheek. “Wow. (When) I was growing up (in Milton, Mass.) it seemed like everybody in the city was a BC or a BU fan. You go to our home games, you look around the Garden now, there’s a lot more Huskies sweatshirts and jerseys.
“And that’s the way we like it.”
Unlike McDonough, Northeastern freshman defenseman Hunter McDonald — who scored the game winner against BU with his first ever collegiate goal — said he was genuinely unaware of the Huskies’ history of futility over the Beanpot’s first six-and-a-half decades. During a recruiting visit one year ago, it was quickly made abundantly clear to McDonald how much the hockey program and its participation in the Beanpot means to the school.
“It’s pretty special,” McDonald said. “You see random students walking around with Beanpot hats. The whole school’s bought in, the community. It’s a pretty cool experience.”
The teams met previously on New Year’s Day, and it was a bloodbath for the Huskies as Harvard skated to an 8-4 win at The Bright-Landry Hockey Center. Since then, however, Northeastern (14-10-3) has been on a virtual tear, winning six of its next seven, all against teams ranked in the USCHO.com poll.
Keefe said his team needs to focus on what it’s done well since the loss to Harvard for it to have the best chance of success on Monday.
“We have to make a commitment to checking, being really good in the neutral zone,” he said. “We know that they’re dangerous. (When) you play in the Beanpot final, you know you’re playing a really good team.”
A large chunk of the Huskies’ success has been thanks to junior goalie Devon Levi, who hasn’t missed a step since winning the Mike Richter Award last season as the nation’s top goaltender. In 26 starts this season, Levi sports a 2.32 GAA and a .929 save percentage. In Hockey East, he’s currently tops in save percentage (.948 in league games) and second in GAA (1.57).
Against BU in the Beanpot semifinal, Levi made 33 saves, including 15 in the third period.
“He’s the best goalie in the country,” Keefe said. “We’ve got a lot of confidence in him. And you can see our guys want to play in front of him, too.”
Northeastern features three skaters among the top 10 in scoring in Hockey East. McDonough enters the weekend third (12-12-24 in league play) while sophomore forward Justin Hryckowian is fifth (12-10-22) and junior forward Gunnarwolfe Fontaine is 10th (5-12-17).
Both Beanpot finalists play Friday night in a lead-up to Monday’s title tilt. Northeastern travels to Providence while Harvard plays at Dartmouth.
From left, Adam Fantilli, Lane Hutson, Nicholas Niemo, Simon Latkoczy.
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the men’s monthly award winners for January.
Player of the month is Michigan freshman forward Adam Fantilli, co-rookies of the month are Boston University defenseman Lane Hutson and Bentley forward Nicholas Niemo, and goaltender of the month is Omaha freshman Simon Latkoczy.
Fantill collected five goals and 14 points in six games for the Wolverines, leading the NCAA with 2.33 points per game, all of them coming against ranked opponents Minnesota, Penn State and Ohio State.
Hutson led all Hockey East players with 13 points and 11 assists. He set up three game-winning goals and scored the game winner against nationally ranked Cornell. Led by Hutson, BU went 7-1-0 on the month and took over first place in Hockey East.
Niemo led Atlantic Hockey with 4-9-13 in January and took a seven-game point streak into February. He also led Bentley in plus/minus for the month.
Latkoczy went 3-0 in three starts and came in relief to stop 20 of 22 against nationally ranked Western Michigan in a fourth appearance. His numbers: 0.82 and .974 while averaging 28 saves per game.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by incoming Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America commissioner Michelle Morgan, discussing her goals for the leagues and her experience in hockey, NCAA sports, marketing, and administration.
This podcast is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 6th and 8th, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Secure your seats at NCAA.com/mfrozenfour
After four seasons at Holy Cross, Matt Slick is spending his graduate season with Ferris State (photo: Ferris State Athletics).
Matt Slick didn’t know a ton about the CCHA before he arrived at Ferris State this summer, but it didn’t take the Bulldogs long to school their new teammate about the ins and outs of their conference rivalries.
And now the defenseman has been in Big Rapids, Mich., for long enough to know exactly what to expect from this weekend’s series against Bemidji State.
“That was something I learned about when I got here,” said the graduate transfer, who spent his first four seasons of college hockey playing at Holy Cross. “I had never played a game against a CCHA team until I came here. But I would say in August, I learned about Bemidji and our battles with them. Guys really get up for this game. It’s always a low-scoring, tight game.
“There’s definitely a little bit more fire this week knowing it’s against Bemidji and what’s on the line.”
The Bulldogs (11-13-4, 8-9-3 CCHA) host the Beavers (11-12-5, 9-8-3) this weekend at Ewigleben Arena for a series that could very well determine which of the two teams gets home ice for the first round of the CCHA tournament. The Beavers, with 31 points, are just one ahead of the Bulldogs, who have 30.
Considering the Bulldogs’ inconsistent start and recent history, it might not have been obvious to outsiders how talented this team was, but Slick said he knew right away that his new teammates would be better than anyone gave them credit.
“Everyone’s hopeful in the spring, but when we came back in August, it was pretty obvious we had a lot of talent, a lot of guys who worked really hard, and two really good goalies, which I think is a blueprint for success,” he said. “We had a bit of a rollercoaster start to this season, but then we found some success around Thanksgiving, and it’s been contagious. It’s been a lot of fun. Obviously, we have a huge series this weekend, but playoffs have already started in our mind. It’s a lot of fun.”
Ferris State is just two seasons removed from the worst season in program history; last year the Bulldogs won just 11 games and wasn’t even in the conversation for home ice. So the fact that the team has the chance to host a playoff series for the first time since the 2015-16 season is a big deal – especially considering how much of an advantage the “friendly confines” of Ewigleben tends to give them.
“It can be like pinball in there,” Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore said of Ewigleben during his weekly media conference. “You’ve got the high glass, the low ceiling, the loud fans, the rounded boards, smaller rink, all that stuff. Games are always a lot of fun there.”
Slick chuckled when asked about how much teams seem to dislike playing at Ewigleben.
“We’re really comfortable in our own rink. We’ve played well here in the past, and we take a lot of pride in our home ice,” the Bulldogs captain said. “We’ve been drawing better crowds here as we’ve been stringing together wins, so hopsting a first-round playoff series is something we’ve been aiming for. The fact that it’s something that’s within reach is really motivating for us. It would be really awesome to get it but there’s a lot of work that needs to be done to make it happen over the next six games.”
The Bulldogs managed to make themselves a home ice contender again thanks to a five-point weekend in Bowling Green. Ferris swept the Falcons with a 2-1 win on Friday and a 4-4 tie (and shootout win) on Saturday. Most notably, the Bulldogs managed to shut down CCHA scoring leader Austen Swankler, holding him to just a single assist in Friday’s game.
“We kind of got our butts handed to us the week before against Mankato, and we just kind of had to look in the mirror and say, you can either slip and keep stumbling into the playoffs or we get up, so we got out there and played hard,” Slick said. “Guys were really motivated going into the Friday game (against BG). It’s a crazy atmosphere there, but once the game settled in we were playing with a lot of confidence. It’s a good feeling to set the stage for us the rest of the way.”
Since returning for the second half of the season in the second week of January, the Bulldogs haven’t had any weeks off, and they won’t have any more until the end of the season. Following this weekend’s series with the Beavers, they travel to Northern Michigan then host Lake Superior State for the final series of the regular season.
“We have a lot of belief in what we have in the room, and that’s kind of what we focus on,” Slick said. “Maybe there are teams out there who write us off a little bit, but that’s kind of motivation for us. We play hard-nosed, we try to dictate the play as much as possible. We don’t talk too much about the standings, but obviously this weekend everyone knows this one is a big one. We like the underdog mentality but at the same time, we don’t feel in the locker room that we’re ever out of any game.
“If we play our game, we know we have the ability to win games.”
Senior Myles Abbate recorded his career 100th point for Plymouth State and looks for another MASCAC title to add to the resume (Photo by Plymouth State Athletics)
It is the last week of the regular season in the NEHC with a critical matchup finding Norwich traveling to Hobart for the top spot. Elsewhere there are two weeks left and still a lot of movement possible including very tight races in the SUNYAC and NESCAC. Last week’s picks rebounded nicely at 9-3-0 (.750) which now brings my season total up to 99-48-11 (.661). It is time to finish strong going starting with a key game between Oswego and Morrisville on Wednesday. Here are the picks with some pivotal conference and ranked team battles on tap:
Wednesday, February 8, 2023
(13) Oswego v. Morrisville
The Lakers dominated the statistical battle against Geneseo but lost the game before rebounding against Brockport. Visitors can not look past a Mustang group that would love to cause problems for the teams at the top of the SUNYAC standings – Oswego, 4-3
Thursday, February 9, 2023
Salem State v. Westfield State
The Vikings have been a roller coaster all season but when the offense gets going, they can do some damage. Look for the visitors to start fast and then have to hang on against the Owls in a key MASCAC contest – Salem State, 5-4
Friday, February 10, 2023
(11) University of New England v. (4) Endicott
The Gulls have been dominant all season but face a resurgent Nor’easters squad that is both healthy and productive. One of the two win streaks ends on Friday night and the visitors may just be the team to end Endicott’s impressive CCC run in the regular season – UNE, 2-1
(5) Norwich v. (2) Hobart
Both teams need and want this one for a potential matchup down the road in the playoffs that would preferably be played on home ice. I think I might be a little generous here with five goals in the game but it will be a difference of only one for the home team regardless the total – Hobart, 3-2
Middlebury v. Williams
The Panthers have been playing well and pushed Trinity to the limit last weekend dropping an overtime thriller to the Bantams. This time the pendulum works in their favor as they take an overtime decision against their travel partner looking to move up in the standings at the Ephs expense – Middlebury, 3-2
Rivier v. Southern New Hampshire
The non-conference game won’t be treated that way by the Penmen who are trying to build momentum after last weekend’s sweep of Franklin Pierce. Thurston and Lynch have been lighting up score sheets and that is enough to take down the Raiders – SNHU, 4-2
Franklin Pierce v. Post
It’s a rebound night for one team in this NE-10 contest and the Ravens have a bit more firepower than the Eagles and score the game-winner, how else? On a rebound to set the tone for a good weekend in conference play – Franklin Pierce, 5-4
Buffalo State v. (8) Geneseo
The Knights need only look at what the Bengals did to Plattsburgh last week to know that they better be ready for a full sixty minutes and throwing a lot of rubber at the Buffalo State goal to eke out a win. Power play is the difference for the Knights who know they are in the hunt for the top spot in SUNYAC– Geneseo, 3-2
Stevenson v. Wilkes
Both teams started slow but built strong momentum in the second half while moving up the UCHC standings. No chance of catching Utica but still have a need to maintain a home-ice advantage up to the final if possible. This series means a lot on both sides but Ryan Kenny is the difference in a one-goal game – Stevenson, 3-2
Saturday, February 11, 2023
Worcester State v. (12) Plymouth State
This Panthers visit a Lancer team that has risen to second place but is still in need of a marque win and the Panthers are not looking to provide their first one at this point of the season. All the players on the home bench playing very well right now and scoring balance is the difference in this one – Plymouth State, 4-1
Chatham v. Manhattanville
The Cougars are in the playoffs but certainly would like to play better and better heading into the end of the regular season. The Valiants will give them a stern challenge where an empty-net goal is required to provide the final margin – Chatham, 5-3
(15) Trinity v. Bowdoin
The Polar Bears have played everyone tough and the Bantams know the last regular season road trip is always challenging but especially in Maine. One-goal wins have been part of the fiber of the Bantams’ current win streak. Add another one to close out the road trip – Trinity, 3-2
(6) Curry v. Western New England
The Colonels are in a battle for the No. 2 spot in the standings and can’t miss an opportunity to keep pace with UNE. Timmy Kent and company get an important road win the keeps the race going right to the final weekend of the regular season – Curry, 4-3
If the excitement of the final weeks of the regular season continues to ramp as we have seen in the second half, then what a glorious run to the conference tournaments and NCAA title run we are in store for this March. Lots can happen in next two weeks starting with some great games this week – “Drop the Puck!”
Omaha’s Matt Miller is excelling on and off the ice for the Mavericks (photo: Mark Kuhlmann).
Hockey players keep their heads on a swivel while out on the ice, and not just before their own benefit.
On Jan. 30, Omaha junior forward Matt Miller wasn’t just looking out for his own safety, but for that of around 50 five- and six-year-olds.
Since last summer, Miller has been involved with hockey training programs headed by UNO alums Billy Pugliese and Matt Smith. Every Monday and Tuesday this season, Miller joins Smith and several other coaches and volunteers to help put on initiation program practices at Grover Ice Rink, a privately-owned facility one mile south of UNO’s Baxter Arena.
Twenty minutes into what should’ve been a 45-minute session last Monday, Miller and the other coaches noticed water starting to drip down from a portion of the ceiling over where around 10 kids were practicing a station drill. A fire sprinkler line had broken, and it quickly started to look as though water was raining down from around a light fixture.
Quick thinking led to an evacuation of the rink, around a minute before that portion of the ceiling collapsed. No one was injured.
The damage caused by a burst pipe during a youth hockey practice recently at Omaha’s Grover Ice Rink (photo: Matt Miller).
“A lot of water was starting to come down, and we knew we needed to file everybody off the ice,” Miller said. “We gathered all the kids and directed them toward the benches and locker room area while we were trying to figure out what was going on.
“We started rushing kids off the ice, and eventually even the coaches were like, ‘Hey, let’s just leave (equipment) on the ice and get off. A coach or two made it off the ice, and then myself and a few other coaches and dads that were out there helping were just leaving the ice and making it to the bench surface as the ceiling came crashing down.
“We sent the kids to the locker room, and hopefully they weren’t too scared from it,” Miller continued. “Being that young and just starting out in hockey, that must be tough because I’d never seen anything like that. They definitely witnessed something there.”
Grover Ice Rink was up and running again inside of a week. Learn-to-skate and adult hockey groups were back out on the ice two days later, and on the Friday of that same week, the facility resumed its regular schedule.
Evan Schinasi, the Grover Ice Rink general manager, credited Omaha’s hockey community with the fast turnaround.
“We had the water shut off in less than 10 minutes, but that’s enough to do some damage,” Schinasi said. “I probably had 20 guys here that night within an hour to help us clean up, and I didn’t ask a single one of them.
“It was employees, friends, customers. By the time I shuffled the news people out, I turned around and there’s 20, 25 guys there going, ‘All right, what can I do?’ Omaha’s big, but it’s not that big.”
Gratitude was also shared by parents of the young players that Miller helped supervise that day and again early this week.
“I wasn’t the first one to see it start to rain down, because I was on the near side of the rink, but it was a really cold day that day, and so I instantly thought a pipe froze,” Miller said. “That’s when you’re like, ‘Oh, this is not good,’ and when we saw that massive amount of water start compiling in the ceiling, we knew we needed to get out of there.
“Those rinks have a lot of electrical stuff and water lines going through them, and in that case, it was a pretty big thing to break, so it was good that everybody knew to make sure the kids were safe first.
MILLER
“Most of the kids’ parents were there, and it’s most of these kids’ first year playing hockey,” Miller continued. “We got a lot of people thanking us, ‘Nobody really knew what was going on, but you guys stepped in and made the right call there.’ It was relieving to know that nobody really got hurt, because it all happened pretty fast. Everybody just jumped into action, and the parents were super grateful for that.”
Miller plans to keep working with youth hockey programs throughout and beyond his own playing career. He started by helping with kids’ hockey in his hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind., and his experience of helping to grow the game took on added significance last Monday.
“Matt Miller is a great person,” Schinasi said. “He’ll be successful at whatever he does in his future. He’s that type of person, and we’re thankful for him and the other coaches and everyone else who was out there.
“We work with all those guys and help facilitate everything they do, and they help us out. Our collective goals are to make sure people are having fun and to make sure the kids are getting better and help them achieve whatever goals they have out there, whether they want to play hockey and just have a good time, or become a great player and have a college or professional career. There’s a path for everybody, and we’re trying to help everyone have those options.”
Miller’s own experience has opened doors for him, and the efforts last Monday of himself and his fellow coaches gave him one more valuable thing to remember as his career continues.
“If there is an emergency, take action right away,” he said. “You’ve definitely got to get people out of harm’s way if you see something that’s potentially dangerous. Our first thought was to make sure everybody’s safe first, and to get the kids off of the ice. You never know what could happen if you wait too long, and it’s just important to flip that switch when things go into emergency mode.”
