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TMQ: Talking Michigan-Michigan State rivalry, ’22-23 regular season conclusion approaching with question marks

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Luke Hughes celebrates his overtime winner for Michigan over Michigan State last Saturday night at Little Caesars Arena in downtown Detroit (photo: Michigan Photography).

Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.

Dan: Happy Tuesday, everyone.

Well, we’re back for another week, and it’s safe to say that the end of the season is getting wild. Incredibly wild. So wild that I don’t know that we can cover everything…but we’ll at least try to do what we can.

There’s the matter of the Beanpot on Monday between Northeastern and Harvard, but as we log this conversation on a Monday, we don’t know the outcome in the first-ever championship meeting between the two teams in the tournament’s long, storied history. Because we don’t know the outcome, I’m going to avoid the conversation… for now.

That’s because we have A LOT to unpack in the Big Ten, starting with Michigan-Michigan State, where the two teams received 91 penalty minutes largely due to a couple of altercations, largely in the second period.

NINETY-ONE.

There were literally two two-minute minors called in the first period, but the second period got real weird. Ethan Edwards got himself ejected, and Adam Fantilli and Nash Nienhuis got involved in a situation that you can’t have in college hockey. By the end of the third period, we had multiple game misconducts and an abuse of officials penalty. I’m not sure, but I’m guessing someone probably got charged with the Kennedy assassination.

Reading the game story in the Detroit News after the game, Michigan coach Brandon Naurato was quoted as saying, “They can’t play with us unless they goon it up.” His captain, Nolan Moyle, said, “We hate these guys, and we always say you can’t beat these guys good enough.”

Ed, you saw the video before I did. It was wild. What’s your take on it?

Ed: Well, with all due respect to Naurato, there seems to have been plenty of gooning it up to go around.

(And having been present at one of the mothers of all college hockey fights, with a combined 54 penalties and 251 minutes – and a bucket load of multi-game suspensions – it’s honestly not really up there too far on my list.)

It’s good to have a hated rival. What this does tell me is that the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is back. The Spartans have had a couple of down years which has put a little damper on things. With two new head coaches who are both alumni of their teams, and with both teams really competitive, I look forward to continued heated games, and perhaps even a Big Ten playoff series this year.

Even though the term “instant classic” is bandied about too much, Saturday’s last second overtime game-winner from Luke Hughes capped a game that will go down as one of the best between these two programs. That more than 18,000 fans were at Little Caesar’s Arena bodes well for college hockey in Detroit, perhaps even including a Frozen Four.

While we’re talking Big Ten, Notre Dame got itself right back into the mix by picking up five-of-six points at home against Ohio State, including a shootout win in a 2-2 tie that saw Ryan Bischel make 49 saves for the Fighting Irish.

Minnesota’s split with Wisconsin meant that the Golden Gophers have yet to clinch first place. In fact, no team has clinched any of the six conferences yet.

You’re on the ECAC beat this season for us, Dan. Only Quinnipiac and Cornell have locked up a first-round bye. What’s that playoff race looking like, especially with St. Lawrence and Colgate vying for that fourth bye?

Dan: I wish I could sit back and tell you that the standings are exactly what we thought they were, but with two weeks left in the season, it’s probably going to look more like the Atlantic Hockey postseason races that we grew accustomed to during the 2010s.

Look at Union. Two weekends ago, the Dutchmen went up to Colgate and Cornell and beat the Raiders on Friday night before giving up 10 goals to Cornell on Saturday. They then returned home and swept Yale and Brown. Just like that, a team that was on the road in the first round moved up to seventh with a one-point differential separating it from sixth. There’s a seven-point difference between Union and a first round bye, which seems like a lot, but this weekend is sending them to Harvard and Dartmouth before returning home for Quinnipiac and Princeton.

That’s the same Princeton team that was once in third but is now sitting in eighth, though I think it was in third because it played more league games than anyone else. There’s a three-point difference back to ninth and RPI, which is Union’s travel partner. All of those teams have seven league wins, meaning if they don’t hold a head-to-head tiebreaker, we could be looking at cumulative points against the top four as a tertiary tiebreaker.

Given that Quinnipiac, Harvard, and Cornell are sitting atop the league, the whole dynamic is going to change depending on which team gets into that fourth spot. St. Lawrence, for example, swept Union and RPI at the start of the year but lost to Union in regulation and RPI in overtime in January. Colgate beat Union but lost to RPI in January, then lost to both in February. Considering what happens this weekend with Harvard, these are all critical tiebreaker points.

There is literally no way to predict what’s going to happen. A couple of weeks ago, I would’ve sat back and had Brown penciled into one of those home games after the Bears beat Harvard. Then Mathieu Caron went out, and the Bruno gave up 12 goals to St. Lawrence and Clarkson. Then they beat RPI. Then they lost to Union.

Nothing really makes sense, which makes it feel like Atlantic Hockey’s typically-recognized postseason.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that not all of us can enjoy the view from the top like you, Ed.

Ed: Yes, but the view has gotten less lofty.

Atlantic Hockey is also coming down to the last two weekends, and despite the public statements of its commissioner and the private druthers of its coaches against it, the bottom two teams will be eliminated from the postseason. Every other conference includes every team. Any conference with an unbalanced schedule should include everyone. (Jot that one down on new commissioner Michelle Morgan’s to-do list. Next year’s schedule will be even more unbalanced with teams playing each other four, three, or two times.)

Rochester Institute of Technology, which came out sluggish on Thursday and which has been abysmal on the man advantage in 2023, got swept on the road at Niagara last weekend, precluding the Tigers from locking up the top seed. Meanwhile, Sacred Heart split with Air Force and American International, now precluded from higher than second place, salvaged two points at Bentley.

A surging Air Force and a hanging-on Bentley face the biggest risk of elimination – with Bentley needing help to finish eighth – while only Sacred Heart and RIT have clinched the first round. It’s down to a two-horse Tigers and Pioneers race. Both teams of Falcons have series at RIT, while Sacred Heart has a road pair at Canisius and home-and-home with AIC. Every team other than the top two can still finish out of the playoffs as of Monday.

Before we head back out west, there’s even more uncertainty in Hockey East. Nobody has secured a first-round bye. Providence can still win the league or finish in 10th; Maine can get the second overall seed or drop to last place. Who’s likely to prevail in that conference, Dan?

Dan: Hockey East, to me, is a two-team race at this point, with the popular assumption being that Boston University is going to win.

I think the Terriers are the more likely option, and removing the Beanpot loss to Northeastern, they haven’t lost a league game since that weird 9-6 game on Jerry York Night at Boston College. They dropped 14 goals on Maine – which included another weird 9-6 outing – and beat up BC pretty good in a home-and-home. The Beanpot loss didn’t count, and truthfully, as much as the tournament has its great storylines, that’s the key thing for a lot of teams at this point.

BU has a super manageable schedule over the rest of the season. It plays BC in the Beanpot consolation game, but a home-and-home with Merrimack comes against a team that hasn’t been playing its best hockey. Vermont is the last place team, and the race could be over by the time Providence rolls around, especially the Saturday road matchup.

It’s a one-point difference to Northeastern, but the Huskies have to go through UMass and UMass Lowell with a single game at Vermont. It’s a much different, much more difficult schedule, even though UMass is tied for ninth in the conference because it’s just been a bad year in Amherst.

That’s the one thing about Hockey East, though. Teams that we didn’t expect to compete are in the top half of the league, and BC and UMass are lurking at the bottom of the conference. Given their cumulative success, it’s hard to think someone won’t score a major upset along the way, no matter how poorly the perception is of those teams. To me, that’s probably the definition of wide open.

I’ll let you wrap up out west with the CCHA and NCHC, if you’ll indulge me, largely because I want to cycle back to one last thing that’s been pointed out multiple times over the course of the weekend.

Ed: While nothing is settled mathematically in the NCHC, the top four are pretty much set. Denver, Western Michigan, St. Cloud and Omaha all control their own destiny into home ice in the first round as we head into the last three weeks of the NCHC season. The jockeying will be for position in that round, but nobody is going to be an easy out. A 4-5 matchup between Omaha and either Minnesota Duluth or North Dakota would be a fun series.

Denver can lock up at least home ice on Friday with a win or overtime vs. UMD. No other team can clinch on Friday.

In the CCHA, despite a split with Bowling Green, Michigan Tech became the first team to clinch home ice. Minnesota State, idle last weekend, can move ahead of MTU with at least a split against Bemidji State this coming weekend while the Huskies have a late-season bye week. Don Lucia’s conference has brilliantly scheduled a pair of games between Michigan Tech and Minnesota State for the final weekend with the conference title in play. Bowling Green can catch Michigan Tech in its last weekend of play hosting Northern Michigan but would need to sweep the Wildcats in regulation and the Mavericks to sweep the Huskies without OT.

It’s great to see every league still in play this late.

Dan, you’ve got some “bonus” TMQ, I take it?

Dan: Just one last thing, and I know you mentioned it in the USCHO Monday 10 – and it’s been mentioned several times over – but Atlantic Hockey announced this weekend that its regular-season championship trophy would be renamed in honor of current commissioner Bobby DeGregorio.

I say this as someone who has been with Atlantic Hockey as a broadcaster, journalist, fan, and all of the above, but it’s been a real thrill seeing how the conference evolved over the past 20 years. That Holy Cross victory in the 2006 NCAA Tournament is considered the greatest upset in college hockey history, and it’s because the league was, at the time, a cost containment structure designed to allow teams to play into Division I without having to invest the same resources as the bigger programs. Wins by AHA teams are now more commonplace, and though the league is still fighting for respect, the wins by AIC, Air Force, and others – even the Frozen Four run by RIT – isn’t so much of an upset anymore.

Much of that is because of Bobby’s diligence and commitment to the league. He’s been a friend and colleague in college hockey for a number of years and talking to him about things not related to hockey made me really enjoy my affiliation with Bentley and the league. I’m very excited for the future, but it’s worth noting that none of this happens without his commitment to growing the product. He’s not done in hockey, and i refuse to believe that he’s going to quietly retire to Florida to play golf (even though that’s my retirement dream). I think we’ll see him again, very soon, with some other project, but I know that this is a very different viewpoint to Atlantic Hockey.

A lot of leagues have respect for their commissioner, but I truly felt like we all worked with Bobby to build the AHA. All of us who had a hand in covering the league worked with him, and that’s why it’s “our league.” He had a big hand in steering that ship, and even though I’m excited to see what Michelle Morgan brings to the table (I’m actually beyond excited for the future and what I’ve been told about what she’s bring to this conference), I’m also going to miss my occasional phone call to Bobby just to check in. This is a brilliant honor, and it’s a great parting gift from a conference that wouldn’t exist without him.

BEANPOT: Northeastern’s McDonough wins historic Beanpot in tournament’s first-ever shootout; fourth championship in five years for Huskies

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Northeastern’s Gunnarwolfe Fontaine celebrates one of his two goals in regulation as the Huskies captured their fourth Beanpot in five years over Harvard. It was the first tournament featuring NU and Harvard in the final and first that required 3-on-3 overtime and a shootout to determine the win (Photo: Jim Pierce/ NU Athletics)

BOSTON — It was an historic matchup in the 70th edition of the Beanpot Championship, so why not have an historic moment to end the tournament.

With Harvard and Northeastern facing off in the championship game for the first time in the 70-year history of the famous in-season tournament, it required 3-on-3 overtime and, eventually, the first-ever tournament shootout. Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough scored the only goal to propel the Huskies to the title, its four championship in five years and eighth all time.

Devon Levi, who made 32 saves through regulation and overtime, stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout to claim the title. Levi was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and also received the Eberly Award, presented annually to the goaltender who plays both games who has the highest save percentage. Levi finished with a .956 save percentage, the third-highest in tournament history.

To get to overtime and the shootout the teams played to a 2-2 tie. Northeastern jumped to a 1-0 in the second period on Gunnarwolfe Fontaine’s first of two goals of the game. Harvard’s Matthew Coronato answered before the end of the middle frame with his 17th and 18th goals of the season.

That, though, was all Levi would allow. He stopped 14 shots in the third and two more in overtime – including a point-blank bid by Coronato with less than a second left in the extra frame. Fontaine tied things with 15:03 remaining in regulation.

Monday’s final was the first Beanpot game to be decided in a shootout. The NCAA rules committee recently changed rules to prohibit all regular-season games, including in-season tournaments, to proceed beyond a five-minute overtime. Last Monday’s opening semifinal game between Harvard and Boston College was the first to be decided in 3-on-3 overtime as the Crimson scored with 1.5 remaining to prevent the shootout.

Previously, the NCAA required a five-minute overtime be played to determine the result of the game as a tie before proceeding to unlimited 20-minute overtimes that could determine a winner. And prior to that, unlimited 20-minute OTs began immediately after regulation ended.

For purposes of each team’s overall record, the game will be recorded as a tie.

THIRD PLACE GAME: Boston College 4, Boston University 2

Andre Gasseau scored with 11:17 remaining in regulation to break a 2-2 tie as Boston College earned a 4-2 victory in the Beanpot third-place game over Commonwealth Avenue rival, Boston University.

Gasseau’s goal came just 27 seconds after Jay O’Brien had tied the game for the Terriers at 8:16 of the third period. Trevor Juntar tacked on an empty-net goal with four second remaining.

Boston College jumped to a 2-0 lead early as Nikita Nesterenko scored his seventh goal of the season at 1:52 and Eamon Powell added a power play at 11:45 of the opening frame. Ryan Greene pulled BU within a goal before the end of the first.

Mitch Benson earned the victory for Boston College, making 21 saves.

The victory gives Boston College its 25th third-place finish in the event, while BU finishes fourth for just the eighth time, though its fifth in the last 12 tournaments.

Quinnipiac gets 26 first-place votes, Bobcats back on top of USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll

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Quinnipiac recorded two shutouts last weekend (photo: Rob Rasmussen).

With 26 first-place votes this week, Quinnipiac jumps one spot to become the new No. 1 team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.

Minnesota is down one to No. 2 and picked up 16 first-place votes.

Denver moves up one to No. 3 and collected seven first-place votes in this week’s rankings.

Michigan is up one to No. 4, while Boston University earned a first-place vote and falls two places to No. 5.

USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll – Feb. 13, 2023

St. Cloud State remains sixth, Penn State is up one to No. 7, Western Michigan is up one to No. 8, Harvard moves up one to No. 9, and Ohio State tumbles three to No. 10 in this week’s poll.

Just one previously unranked team enters the poll this week, with Notre Dame coming in at No. 19.

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

The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.

D-III West Weekend Hockey Wrap-Up: Pointers, Bulldogs clinch conference crowns

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Fletcher Anderson and the Pointers won the WIAC title over the weekend. (Photo Credit: Rachel McCulloch)

Two regular-season conference titles were secured over the weekend as UW-Stevens Point and Adrian both sealed the deal on a championship.

UW-Stevens Point won its 16th crown on Friday with a 2-1 road win over UW-Superior behind a pair of goals from Fletcher Anderson and will be the top seed in the upcoming WIAC tournament.

For Adrian, the reigning national champion and third-ranked team in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, it cliched its 14th title in 16 years with a 6-1 win on the road over rival St. Norbert Friday. The Bulldogs scored the first six goals of the game on their way to capturing the NCHA’s Peter’s Cup.

The MIAC title is now the last one to be decided as far as regular season play is concerned. And its setting up to be a thrilling finish as Augsburg will face league frontrunner St. Scholastica for the crown next weekend.

Here’s a closer look at those games and more in our weekly weekend recap.

Pointers sweep Yellowjackets

UW-Superior had an opportunity to win the title heading into this series. But the Pointers would not be denied.

Anderson put his team ahead 1-0 at the 7:29 mark of the opening period but the Yellowjackets tied the score at 1-1 near the midway of the third on a goal by Jordan Guiney. 

A minute later, Anderson scored again and the Pointers went on to take the win.

Ryan Wagner made 21 saves, including 11 in the second period. Dylan Meiulun stopped 27 shots for UW-Superior, which ends the regular season at 14-9-2 overall and 9-5-1 in the conference. 

The Pointers have won their last three games and are 16-5-4 overall and 12-2-1 in the WIAC. They won all three games against the Yellowjackets this season, including Saturday’s 4-0 victory to close out the series.

Matthias Smith recorded his first career shutout in goal while Andrew Poulias tallied two goals. Smith finished with 15 saves. Myles Hektor made 40 saves for UW-Superior.

Bulldogs on top again

Adrian was on top of its game in Friday’s win over 14th-ranked St. Norbert, clinching the NCHA regular-season title for the ninth consecutive season.

Sam Ruffin helped lead the way as he scored a pair of goals and also dished out two assists. Ty Enns pushed a couple of pucks into the net as well for the Bulldogs as they dominated the Green Knights. Zachary Heintz came through with three assists and Ryan Pitoscia tallied two assists. 

The Adrian Bulldogs won the regular-season NCHA title over the weekend. (Photo Credit: Adrian Athletics)

Adrian scored five goals over the final two periods on their way to their sixth consecutive win, including their third in a row over a nationally ranked opponent. Nic Tallarico recorded 28 saves in goal.

The lone goal for St. Norbert was scored with under five minutes to play in the game as Adam Stacho netted one to help the Green Knights avoid the shutout.

St. Norbert flipped the script on Saturday in a 6-1 victory.

Bradley Somers gave Adrian an early 1-0 lead but the Green Knights dominated the rest of the way, holding the Bulldogs to their lowest goal total of the season.

St. Norbert scored three times in the second period and three more in the third as it closed out the regular season on a high note and earned the third seed in the NCHA tournament.

Carter Hottmann, Curtis Hammond Ben Schmidling, Michael McChesney, Brock Baker and Stacho all scored for St. Norbert.

The Bulldogs end the regular season with a 19-4-2 overall record and a 13-4-1 mark in the conference. The Green Knights are now 15-8-2 overall and 12-5-1 in the NCHA.

Saints suffer first MIAC loss

St. Scholastica’s unbeaten run in the MIAC came to an end Friday with a 7-4 loss. The Saints had won six consecutive games prior to the loss to the Cardinals, who remain in the hunt for a conference tourney playoff berth.

Brady Lindauer picked a good time to have his first collegiate hat trick. He paved the way for an offense that scored seven goals for the second consecutive game. Lindauer scored the final three games in the win, including the go-ahead goal that put Saint Mary’s ahead 5-4 heading into the final period. AJ Rushowski made 21 saves for the Cardinals.

St. Scholastica remains atop the MIAC standings with a 15-6-2 overall record and 12-1-1 mark in the conference after closing out the weekend with a 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

Carsen Richels scored a goal for the fifth consecutive game and Filimon Ledenkov tallied a goal and an assist. Jack Bostedt made 31 saves.

The Cardinals go into the final weekend sitting in fifth place in the conference standings. They are 11-11-1 overall and 7-7 in the MIAC. 

Auggies surging at right time

Augsburg has positioned itself to potentially win the regular-season MIAC crown after sweeping Hamline this past weekend. The Auggies won 7-0 and 4-2 over the Pipers to move into second  place in the standings. 

They have won their last five games and go into their final series of the year against St. Scholastica with a chance to win the crown. They’ll finish no worse than second.

Three third-period goals allowed the Auggies to close out the series against the Pipers with a win. 

Jarod Blackowiak scored twice while Daniel Chladek added a goal and an assist. Samuel Vyletelka racked up 18 saves and won his 10th game of the year for the Auggies, who are MIAC-tourney bound for the 21st time in program history.

Augsburg (14-8-1, 10-4) dominated Hamline (11-11-1, 4-10) in Friday’s series opener, scoring a season-best seven goals in a shutout win.

Fourteen Auggies figured into the scoring and it marked the 10th time this season that Augsburg has scored four or more goals. Fritz Belisle helped pave the way as he scored twice, the fifth time he’s recorded a multi-goal game.

Nick Woodward and Erik Palmqvist both tallied a goal and an assist while Austin Dollimer dished out four assists, tying for the most in his career in a game. He leads the team with 15 on the season. Jack Robbel started in goal and made 26 saves for his first shutout of the season.

Johnnies clinch tourney berth

After playing St. Olaf to a 2-2 tie on Friday, Saint John’s came through with a 3-2 win over the Oles Saturday, punching a ticket to the MIAC tournament for the fifth consecutive year.

Jackson Sabo tallied a goal and an assist for the Johnnies (13-9-3, 9-5-2), who held off a rally attempt by the Oles (11-10-2, 5-8-1), who are currently on the outside looking in as far as the MIAC tournament is concerned.

The Oles got within one on a goal by Spencer Light early in the third and had a chance to tie with under a minute to go but had the opportunity taken away for having a player in the crease that led to Bailey Huber having his feet taken out from underneath him. Humber made 17 saves for his 11th win of the year.

Blugolds sweep Blue Devils

Quinn Green’s heroics in the series finale against UW-Stout sealed the deal on a second-place finish in the WIAC for UW-Eau Claire.

Green scored the game-winner just under a minute and a half into the overtime period, lifting the Blugolds toa  4-3 win.

UW-Eau Claire trailed 2-1 after two periods of play but tied the game less than two minutes into the third period on a goal by Ty Readman.

UW-Stout went back in front 3-1 on a goal by Peyton Hart, but Readman scored again with less than six minutes to play in regulation to tie the game and force OT.

Max Gutjahr stopped 20 shots for his 15th win of the year. The Blugolds improved to 16-8-1 overall and 9-5-1 in the WIAC.

UW-Eau Claire snapped a two-game losing streak on Friday with a 4-0 win. Green, Readman, Leo Bacallao and Willy Stauber all scored goals.

The Blue Devils are 15-9-1 and 6-8-1 in the WIAC and have dropped four consecutive games. Still, they end the regular season nearly doubling their win total from a year ago when they won only eight games.

Spartans survive wild finale against Raiders

A five-goal third period proved to be the difference for Aurora in a 7-6 come-from-behind win over MSOE on Saturday.

The No. 10 Spartans trailed 5-2 heading into the final period before heating up and closing out the regular season with a second-place finish in the NCHA.

Adam Keyes scored a pair of goals for the Spartans (17-6-2, 13-3-2) and also dished out two assists while Jack Jaunich tallied a goal and pair of assists.

Gio Procopio and Derrick Budz also scored goals while Procopio came through with a pair of assists. Budz had one assist.

A goal by Juliano Santalucia tied the game for the Spartans and Matt Weber delivered the game-winning goal.

Kolby Thornton made 36 saves in the win and Tanner Marshall tallied 10 for the Spartans, who won Friday’s opener by a 4-1 score.

Gramm McCormack tallied a goal and an assist for MSOE (14-11, 9-9) while Kevin Paganini and Christian Sabin came through with two assists apiece. Stuart Harley dished out two assists as well.

Thunder are on a roll

Trine heads into the NCHA tournament riding the high of a five-game winning streak. The Thunder (17-7-1, 12-6)  swept Lawrence 3-0 and 3-1 to keep momentum rolling in their direction. They have given up just four goals during their win streak.

In the finale on Saturday, Trine scored twice in the opening period and never looked back. Kyle Kozma racked up 20 saves, including 11 in the final period. Bobby Price, Garrett Hallford and Thad Marcola all scored for Trine in the win.

Falcons are in

On the final day of the regular season, Concordia secured an NCHA tournament berth with a shootout win over Finlandia.

The Falcons, who are winless in their last three games, are 4-18-2 overall and 3-14-1 in the conference heading into the tourney. 

Noah Roitman led the way with a goal and two assists. He also scored a goal in the shootout. In fact, it was the only goal scored by either team in shootout action. Gabe Rosek made 31 saves in goal.

Concordia will be the eighth seed in the tournament and face reigning national champion Adrian this weekend in the tournament.

Nothing clinched in any of the six conferences, Beanpot final is a first: Weekend Review Season 5 Episode 20

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Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at the games of the past weekend and the news of the week in this D-I college hockey podcast.

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

Topics include:

  • Minnesota falls to Wisconsin; Quinnipiac goes perfect in North Country
  • Michigan sweeps Michigan State but the two teams played an absolute instant classic on Saturday
  • Strange scheduling week – five of the top 20 teams were idle
  • Tonight’s Beanpot final is first ever meeting between Northeastern and Harvard in a final
  • A look at all six conference races
  • Does Alaska still have a shot after splitting with LIU?

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

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

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D-III East Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – February 13, 2023

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Hobart’s Luke Aquaro helped the Statesmen to the NEHC regular season title with wins over Norwich and New England College this weekend (Photo by Kevin Colton)

While Hobart added their name to the list of regular season winning teams with a big win over Norwich on Friday night and Endicott and Plymouth State also secured the top seeding for the upcoming CCC and MASCAC tournaments respectively, SUNYAC, NESCAC and the NE-10 are all going to see the races and final positions resolved in the final week of the regular season. It really doesn’t get much better than this heading into the “win-or-go-home” season on the horizon as this past weekend’s results continued to create chaos in several conferences with multiple teams getting statement wins. Here is the wrap-up for a most interesting weekend of hockey in the east:

CCC   

In a battle of ranked teams on Friday night, the University of New England tried to remove Endicott from the ranks of the unbeaten in CCC play. While the Nor’easters secured a shootout win, the 2-2 overtime tie kept the Gulls unbeaten at 16-0-2. In the game the Gulls took one-goal leads twice only to see UNE respond with Daniel Winslow’s shorthanded tally late in the third period proving to be the game-tying goal. Billy Girard IV stopped 46 of 48 shots for the visitors who dropped a point to Curry in the race for second place. On Saturday the Gulls dispatched Suffolk 9-2 behind two goals each from Noah Strawn and Jackson Sterrett. The Nor’easters also secured a lopsided win with a 7-0 shutout of Nichols. Joe Stanizzi made 15 saves in the shutout while Jayden Price led the offense with two goals.

Curry did what they needed to do to stay in the hunt for second place with a pair of wins over Wentworth and Western New England. On Friday night, Kevin Pitts scored twice while Eelis Laaksonen and Gage Dill each chipped in with a goal and an assist in a 6-0 shutout of the Leopards. Reid Cooper stopped all 23 shots he faced to pick up his 15th win of the season. On Saturday, Dill scored two goals, including an empty-net goal to provide the final margin in a 4-2 win over the Golden Bears. Curry has a slim one-point lead for the second spot over UNE with just two more games on the regular season schedule.

Independents

Rivier faced a pair of local rivals on the weekend starting with Southern New Hampshire on Friday night. The teams exchanged goals in both of the first and second periods before Jon Tavella and Cormac Hayes gave the Raiders a two-goal cushion that goaltender Andrew LoRusso made stand up for a 4-3 win over the Penmen. LoRusso stopped 37 shots of 40 shots. On Saturday, the Raiders faced another cross-state rival in a game against St. Anselm. The Raiders took a 2-0 lead into the third period only to see the Hawks answer with a pair of power play goals to tie the score at 2-2 at the end of regulation. In the extra session, Luke Mix gave the visitors a 3-2 overtime win.

MASCAC

Plymouth State remained unbeaten in MASCAC play by knocking off second place Worcester State, 5-1 on Saturday. The Panthers were paced by freshman Wil Redick’s hat trick and senior Myles Abbate’s three assists as PSU moved to 16-0-0 entering the final week of the regular season.

Salem State extended their win streak to three games with a pair of one-goal wins including an overtime thriller over Westfield State on Thursday night. Cooper Board’s goal in the third period gave the Owls a 4-1 lead before the Vikings rallied with three unanswered goals to force overtime. Erik Larsson took just 29 seconds to give the visitors a dramatic 5-4 win. On Saturday, Larsson again was the offensive star, scoring two goals including the game-winner early in the third period of a 3-2 win over Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

NE-10

St. Michael’s rebounded from last weekend’s sweep at the hands of St. Anselm with a pair of home-ice victories over Assumption. On Friday, the Purple Knights four different players found the back of the net while goaltender Marshall Murphy was outstanding with 41 saves in a 4-0 shutout win over the Greyhounds. On Saturday, Murphy was again terrific in goal making 41 saves on 44 shots and Zach Taylor’s shorthanded goal midway through the third period broke a 3-3 tie for the 4-3 win that moved St. Michael’s to 10-7-1 in NE-10 play.

NEHC

In the final weekend of conference play, the marque matchup was at The Cooler on Friday night where Hobart hosted Norwich, looking to clinch the regular season title in a battle of top-five ranked teams. Luke Aquaro, Brenden Howell, and Tanner Hartman got the Statesmen going with a three-goal first period and Damon Beaver made the offense stand up in a 3-2 win to secure the regular season title. On Saturday, Aquaro again got the Statesmen off to a fast 2-0 start over New England College on the way to a 4-1 win. The win over NEC moved Hobart to 23-2-0 on the season establishing a new season best for victories.

Norwich bounced back with a 3-2 overtime win over Elmira on Saturday with Joe Nagle’s goal providing the Cadets with a split of the weekend games in New York. The Elmira loss combined with Babson’s 6-2 win over Southern Maine helped decide the final seeding next week’s quarterfinal NEHC tournament games. The Beavers held the tiebreaker with Elmira and earned the No. 3 seed.

Next week’s quarterfinals find No. 1 Hobart hosting Castleton; No. 2 Norwich hosting New England College; No. 3 Babson hosting Massachusetts-Boston and No. 4 Elmira hosting Skidmore.

NESCAC

The battle for the top spot and placements all down the standings is going to come down to the final weekend but Trinity helped themselves immensely with a pair of road wins over Colby and Bowdoin this past weekend to extend their unbeaten streak to 13 games and their point lead over rivals Amherst and Wesleyan. On Friday, second period goals from Paul Selleck and Kyle Tomaso broke a 2-2 tie and goaltender Devon Bobak made eleven third period saves in a 4-0 win over the Mules. On Saturday, a goal from Andrew Troy and two from Riley Prattson broke open a one-goal game en route to a 4-0 shutout win over the Polar Bears.

Tufts rebounded from last week’s losses against Connecticut College with a pair of wins over Amherst and Hamilton. On Friday, Tyler Sedlak and Clark Bolin provided all the scoring that goaltender Durand Peyton needed making 41 saves in a 2-0 shutout win. On Saturday, the Jumbos took a 2-1 win over the Continentals with Harrison Bazianos breaking a 1-1 tie in the third period. Peyton was terrific again between the pipes stopping 36 of 37 shots.

Travel partners Middlebury and Williams played a home-and home series and Friday’s game may have been the craziest finish of any game this season. With the score tied at 2-2, Bret Pastor fired a shot from the top of the left face-off circle that found its way through a crowd and past Evan Ruschil in goal for the winning tally with one-tenth of a second remaining on the clock. On Saturday there was much less drama as the visiting Ephs scored four unanswered goals to break open a 1-1 game in a 5-1 win to earn a split of the two game series.

SUNYAC

While Plattsburgh has clinched one of the two top spots, first place remains to be decided heading into the final weekend of the SUNYAC regular season. On Friday, the Cardinals earned their position with a  5-3 win over Potsdam. Mitchell Hale, Paul Bryer and Jake Lanyi’s second of the game broke a 2-2 deadlock to help down the Bears.

With Oswego’s 6-0 win over Morrisville earlier in the week, Geneseo was looking to take advantage of their game in hand with games against Buffalo State and Fredonia. On Friday, the Knights came out flying and surged to a 4-0 lead in the first period on the way to a big 6-0 win over the Bengals. Justin Cmunt was the offensive star scoring two goals and adding an assist. On Saturday. The Knights were looking to sweep the Westen New York trip but Fredonia had other ideas. Ryan Bailey, Brendan Dempsey and Jake Blackwell scored all the goals goaltender Logan Dyck would need in a 3-2 upset for the Blue Devils. Dyck made 34 saves including 24 over the final two periods to help Fredonia secure a playoff berth.

UCHC

Utica remained undefeated in conference play with a weekend sweep of Alvernia by 6-0 and 4-1 scores. A Lucas Herrmann hat trick led the way in the Friday night win over the Golden Wolves while late goals from Remy Parker and Buster Larsson helped break open a 2-1 game in Saturday’s 4-1 win.

Stevenson and Wilkes played an important weekend series with the Mustangs earning some valuable points. On Friday, Liam McCanney provided all the offense in a 2-1 overtime win. McCanney’s goals helped move Stevenson to 12-6-1 in UCHC play. The win also secured the 2022-2023 MAC title for Stevenson and earned head coach Dominick Dawes his 200th career victory. On Saturday, McCanney netted the game-tying goal that established a new season record for the Mustangs with his 21st of the season in a 3-3 deadlock with the Colonels. No winner was decided in overtime, but the Mustangs did take the shootout 1-0 for the extra point.

Three Biscuits  – overtime edition

Erik Larsson – Salem State – scored the overtime winner in a 5-4 come-from-behind win over Westfield State on Thursday night. Larsson also scored the game-winner in Saturday’s 3-2 win over Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Saturday.

Joe Nagle  – Norwich – scored the overtime winner for the Cadets in a 3-2 win over Elmira on Saturday afternoon.

Luke Mix – St. Anselm – scored the overtime winner for the Hawks in a 3-2 win over in-state rival Rivier on Saturday.

Overtime biscuit

Liam McCanney – Stevenson – scored both goals including the overtime game winner in a 2-1 win over UCHC rival Wilkes on Friday night.

It is almost playoff time and that means some probable overtime decisions coming soon that advance one team and send the other guys home for the season. Have to clutch with the biscuit on your stick in overtime and we are already seeing guys that want the puck in that setting. More great hockey ahead.

 

 

Monday 10: Another No. 1 falls, Notre Dame takes five of six, North Country teams fall to Quinnipiac, tight Atlantic Hockey race

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Notre Dame earned a win and a shootout win over the weekend on home ice over Ohio State (photo: Notre Dame Athletics).

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

1) Wisconsin earns a split with Minnesota

It seems we can’t go many weekends without the No. 1 in the USCHO Men’s Division I poll getting at least one loss. After a 4-1 loss to the visiting No. 1 Golden Gophers on Friday, the Badgers came back to split the series 3-1 on Saturday.

Minnesota scored first, but a late first-period goal by Cruz Lucius and goals by sophomore Daniel Laatsch and junior Carson Bantle four minutes apart in the second gave the Badgers the victory in front of a season-high 11,705 fans at the Kohl Center.

Minnesota still needs at least a point against Penn State next weekend to clinch the Big Ten.

2) Quinnipiac sweeps in ECAC hockey’s North Country

The longest road trip the Bobcats have in the ECAC each season is to northern New York to face Clarkson and St. Lawrence. No. 2 Quinnipiac not only swept the weekend, but didn’t give up a goal.

The Bobcats followed a 3-0 win at Clarkson on Friday with a 5-0 victory over St. Lawrence on Saturday.

It’s the first time the Bobcats have swept shut out opponents on a weekend this season. Yaniv Perets’ eighth shutout ties him for second with Michael Garteig’s 2015-16 total but the sophomore has Quinnipiac’s single-season record with 11 last season. But his 19 career shutouts now matches Garteig’s career record.

The Bobcats have clinched a first round bye in the ECAC playoffs and can cement first seed next weekend.

3) A thriller at Little Caesars

Michigan picked up five of six points against Michigan State in games at Munn on Friday and in downtown Detroit on Saturday, keeping the Wolverines still in the hunt for the top spot in the Big Ten.

After a 4-2 Michigan win on Friday, in a game in which the Spartans outshot the visitors 32-28 and the two teams combined for 105 penalty minutes, it would take 4:59 of overtime on Saturday for things to be settled in the “Duel in the D.”

The teams had returned to four-on-four after a pair of penalties had expired in OT before Luke Hughes buried a shot that went in and out of the net.

Michigan travels to Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center before the teams play outdoors on Saturday in Cleveland for the “Faceoff On The Lake.”

4) Nothing is mathematically settled in the NCHC

Despite 5-3 and 5-2 wins over North Dakota over the weekend, Denver still hasn’t clinched a top-four home-ice spot in the standings in the NCHC, though at least a point this coming Friday against Minnesota Duluth will guarantee at least fourth.

Denver opened up a 3-0 lead on Saturday with three consecutive powerplay goals.

“It was good to win games in two different ways,” said Denver coach David Carle after Saturday’s game. “Last night our five-on-five really excelled, and tonight, obviously, our special teams did.”

Western Michigan and St. Cloud were idle over the weekend.

5) Notre Dame takes five of six points

The Fighting Irish have been just outside the pile-up in the middle of the Big Ten standings and needed a strong weekend to get back into the mix for home ice. A 2-1 win over visiting Ohio State and a shootout win after a 2-2 tie Saturday have put Notre Dame into a three-way tie for third with Michigan State and the Buckeyes, though Ohio State and idle Penn State, a point behind, have a couple games in hand.

Nick Leivermann got the equalizer on Saturday while Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel made 49 saves.

6) After 70 years, finally Northeastern and Harvard

Northeastern and Harvard face each other for the first time in the Beanpot final tonight, and it only took until the 71st Beanpot final to get that matchup.

Northeastern comes into the game after a Friday 3-3 tie and shootout win over Providence in Hockey East, while Harvard picked up a 6-3 win at Dartmouth.

DraftKings has Harvard (-130) as a slight favorite over Northeastern (+100) with an over/under of 5.5 goals.

7) Elsewhere in Hockey East

Things are still not clinched for home ice in Hockey East, but three teams can get there next weekend, Boston University, Northeastern, and Merrimack.

BU and Merrimack, both idle over the weekend, face each other in a home-and-home series, while Northeastern has a single game at Vermont on Saturday.

UMass Lowell capped the weekend with a 1-1 tie and shootout win over visiting Maine, but it was a spectacular save by Maine’s Victor Ostman that preserved a tie.

8) First seed still up for grabs in the CCHA, but MTU clinches home ice

Michigan Tech’s weekend split with Bowling Green while Minnesota State was idle has clinched no lower than the second seed in the CCHA for the Huskies, while only Lake Superior State has been eliminated from a top-four spot.

9) Atlantic Hockey is a log jam

Rochester Institute of Technology came into its Thursday-Saturday weekend at Niagara with a chance to clinch the top seed, but fell short with a 4-3 loss in the first game and 4-1 on Saturday. The Tigers still need either two wins, a win and a Sacred Heart loss, or a pair of losses by the Pioneers to clinch first seed.

Sacred Heart came out of a three-game slide with a win over Air Force on Saturday, ending the Falcons’ four-game winning streak, while American International picked up two points with a shootout win in the backend of a home-and-home with Bentley, but can finish no higher than second in the conference.

RIT has Bentley and Air Force at home the next two weekends, while Sacred Heart travels to Canisius and AIC flies out to Air Force before the Pioneers and Yellow Jackets end the regular season with a home-and-home series.

With two weekends left, only Bentley has been eliminated from a top-four finish. Bentley and Air Force are battling against elimination, as only the top eight make the playoffs.

10) A trophy for Bob

Last Thursday, Atlantic Hockey announced that it was naming its regular-season trophy for retiring commissioner Robert DeGregorio.

I’ve known Bob for almost that whole tenure, and there’s something about him that critics who think the league hasn’t moved quickly enough probably don’t realize. DeGregorio has had to balance often differing interests between member institutions who wanted to stand pat – especially in the eastern part of the league – and those who wanted to move forward. A commissioner serves at the pleasure of the schools that make up the conference, and it’s no small task to navigate that.

Atlantic Hockey wouldn’t have 18 scholarships or several new or improved buildings were it not for the efforts of Bob DeGregorio. He leaves having seen the league grow from cost-containment to contender, and where Atlantic Hockey goes from here is only because a great foundation has been set.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap February 13, 2023

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St. Thomas at (1) Ohio State

On Friday, Makenna Webster, Emma Maltais, Paetyn Levis, Gabby Rosenthal, Emerson Jarvis and Emma Peschel each scored for the Buckeyes to lead them to a 6-1 win. Maija Almich was the goal-scorer for St. Thomas. On Saturday, Levis, Rosenthal, Jenn Gardiner, Webster and Teagan Grant each lit the lamp and gave OSU a 5-0 win. Gardiner also had two assists, to lead the Buckeyes with three points. 

(2) Yale at (4) Colgate

The Raiders swept their season series with Yale thanks to two goals by Dara Greig and three assists from Danielle Serdachny, who set a new single-season record for points in the game. Greig opened the scoring two minutes into the game with a top shelf snipe. Jordan Ray answered for the Bulldogs to tie the game at 1, but Greig struck again, cleaning up a rebound before the end of the first to give the Raiders a 2-1 lead at the break. The teams played back and forth for much of the season, but Katie Chan was in the right spot to nab a rebound that popped out to her with just three seconds left in the power play to increase Colgate’s lead to 3-1 heading into the third. Kaitlyn O’Donohoe took a pass across the crease from Serdachny on the 5 on 3 and one-timed it backdoor just 33 seconds to make it 4-1. Ray had her second of the game to cut the lead to 4-2 with a shot from the point. Sammy Smigliani scored coming out of the penalty box and extended the Raiders’ lead one more time to make it 5-2. Emma Seitz scored late for Yale, but the Bulldogs ran out of time to complete a comeback and Colgate handed Yale their second loss of the season.

(2) Yale at (14) Cornell

They needed an overtime five-hold goal from Claire Dalton to do it, but Yale clinched their program’s first-ever Ivy League championship with a 3-2 win on Sunday. Vita Poniatovskaia gathered a ricocheted puck and took it to the net to give Yale a 1-0 lead. But Cornell responded with two goals from Lily Delianedis to take a 2-1 lead midway through the second. Dalton scored on the power play late in regulation, tipping a long-distance shot to tie the game at 2. She ended the game :28 into the extra frame. 

(8) Wisconsin at (3) Minnesota

Britta Curl scored the only goal in the shootout to give Wisconsin the extra conference point on Friday after the teams skated to a 2-2 tie. Minnesota out-shot the Badgers 24-5 over the third period and overtime and 42-30 overall. UW goalie Cami Kronish made 40 saves and her teammates racked up 25 blocks to earn the tie. Katie Kotlowski scored her first of the season from deep to make it 1-0 Wisconsin midway through the first. Abbey Murphy tied it up for Minnesota to send the teams to the locker room tied. Jesse Compher tipped in a Chayla Edwards shot to give the Badgers a 2-1 lead in the second. Taylor Heise tied it up early in the third and the extra period was not enough to find a winner. Curl had the sixth attempt of the shootout round and was the only one to score. The second game of the weekend was a fast-paced, high scoring affair. It looked like Minnesota was out for revenge early on, as they staked an early lead thanks to a beauty of a shorthander from Heise in the first and a power play goal tipped in by Catie Skaja in the opening minute of the second. But the Badgers had an answer in the form of their rookies, who scored their first five goals and accounted for three of the primary assists. It started with Claire Enright, who picked up a turnover and sniped in the Badgers first goal to make it 2-1. Laila Edwards tipped in a shot from the point on the power play to tie the game at 2. In the final minute of the period, Kristen Simms gathered a puck that had rung around behind her own net and took off up the ice and cut in towards the slot to beat the Gopher defenders and have a wide open look at the net. UW took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission. Simms extended the lead early in the third with a toe drag to beat the defender and snipe to make it 4-2. But Minnesota was not out of it. Murphy cleaned up a puck that sat uncleared in the Badger crease to make it 4-3 about a minute later and two minutes after that Heise got just enough on a long distance shot from Crystalyn Hengler to redirect it between Kronish’s pads to tie the game at 4. As the game was winding down, KK Harvey snuck up from the blue line, turned her back to the net as she skated forward to receive a pass from Maddi Wheeler and quickly put it in the back of the net to make it 5-4. The upperclassmen got in on the action when Casey O’Brien gathered the puck in her zone and took off on an odd player rush. She kept the puck and beat Skylar Vetter stick side to extend the lead to 6-4. Curl looked like she was going to add an empty-netter, but she hit the post. She was able to gather the puck behind the net and found Jesse Compher, who hit the twine to make it 7-4 with 85 seconds left. Grace Zumwinkle picked off a Badger pass at the blue line and had an open lane to the net where she beat Kronish to make it 7-5 in the final minute, but the Gophers ran out of time and Wisconsin skated away with the 7-5 win and five of six points on the weekend. 

Brown at (4) Colgate

Danielle Serdachny set a new program record as her goal and assist gave her 165 career points. Kalty Kaltounková and Elyssa Biederman also scored for the Raiders in the 3-1 win. Olivia Williamson scored for Brown in the loss. 

(5) Northeastern at (15) Connecticut

UConn took the lead twice, but could not hold off the powerful Northeastern offense as NU came back to earn a 3-2 overtime win. Amy Landry redirected the puck on a breakaway to put Connecticut up 1-0 after the first. Chloé Aurard scored her fourth shorthanded goal of the season to tie the game early in the second. The teams went shot for shot through the first two periods, but Northeastern took control in the third, outshooting UConn 13-3. Even still, Kate Thurman got a lucky bounce off goalie Gwyn Phillips’ shoulder to put Connecticut up 2-l. Taze Thompson cleaned up a rebound to tie the game at two with under four minutes to play. Tory Mariano redirected a shot in overtime for her first goal of the season to give Northeastern the overtime win.

RPI at (6) Quinnipiac

Zoe Boyd and Maya Labad put Quinnipiac up 2-0 and the Engineers could not climb out of that hole. Meg Hildner cut the lead in half midway through the third, but the Bobcat defense shut down any chance of them completing the comeback and earned QU a 2-1 win. 

Union at (6) Quinnipiac

Nina Steingauf opened the scoring for the Bobcats, but Union’s Celeste Beaudoin responded to tie the game before intermission. Then Quinnipiac began to pull away. Alexa Hoskin, Madison Chantler, Shay Maloney and Sadie Peart all scored to give the Bobcats a 5-1 win.

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

UMD outshot St. Cloud 44-21 overall and 18-1 over the first period, but Jojo Chobak was once again stellar in net for the Huskies, making 43 saves. Gabbie Hughes scored late in the second on the power play with a shot from a sharp angle that deflected in off the back of Chobak’s helmet. SCSU tied it up late in the third when Addi Scribner forced a turnover behind the UMD net and found Emma Gentry at the point, who wristed a shot past Emma Soderberg to tie the game and force overtime. Soderberg blanked the Huskies in the shootout and Maggie Flaherty scored low blocker side to give Minnesota Duluth the extra point. On Saturday, Soderberg set a new program record, earning her 20th career shutout as she backstopped UMD to a 2-0 win. Ashton Bell’s power play goal in the second period was the only tally until Taylor Anderson added an empty-netter to put the game out of reach for St. Cloud. 

(9) Clarkson at Harvard

This game stayed close through the first two periods as the teams traded goals. Jaidan Fahrny scored minutes into the game to put Clarkson up 1-0 after the first. Ellie Bayard responded for Harvard in the first two minutes of the second period to tie the game at 1. That only lasted for three minutes before Gabrielle David put the Golden Knights ahead once again. Jenna MacDonald’s goal late in the second sent the teams to the locker room tied at 2. But in the third, Clarkson was able to create separation as Stephanie Markowski scored on the power play and Michelle Pasiechnyk made 11 of her 20 saves. Senna Catterall’s empty-netter secured the 4-2 win for the Golden Knights.

(9) Clarkson at Dartmouth

Brooke McQuigge, Kristen McQuigge and Stephanie Markowski scored in the final minutes of the first period to put Clarkson up 3-0 and that proved too big a deficit for Dartmouth to overcome. Anne Cherkowski’s goal in the second closed out Clarkson’s 4-0 win. 

New Hampshire at (11) Vermont

The Catamounts battled back from behind twice to earn a 3-3 tie on Friday and clinch home-ice in the opening round of the Hockey East tournament. In the first, Kyla Bent’s shot deflected into the air and bounced off the back of Vermont goalie Jessie McPherson to give UNH the 1-0 lead at the first intermission.  Theresa Schafzahl tied the game around the midway point with a wicked wrister in transition that went just under the crossbar to make it 1-1. UVM got their first lead on a shorthanded goal from Natálie Mlynková, who dangled her defender before cutting in and beating Ava Boutilier to make it 2-1. Jada Christian’s breakaway evened things at 2-2 heading into the third. Gabby Jones’ power play goal with under three to play looked like it might be the winner for New Hampshire, but Schafzahl scored from a near impossible angle on the ensuing play to tie the game once more just 14 seconds later. Vermont outshot the Wildcats 7-1 in overtime, but couldn’t light the lamp and UNH did not squander the opportunity left on the table. Brianna Brooks won the shootout for New Hampshire. 

Maine at (11) Vermont

Vemont’s top line seniors Theresa Schafzahl and Corinne McCool combined for two goals and three assists in their final regular season home game to lead their team to a 3-0. Their linemate,  Evelyne Blais-Savoie, also had a goal and an assist in the win.

Holy Cross at (13) Providence

Sara Hjalmarsson opened the scoring and closed the game with an empty netter to lead the Friars to a 3-1 win. Caroline Peterson gave Providence a 2-0 lead early in the third before Holy Cross responded with a tally from Bryn Saarela. But the Crusaders couldn’t find the equalizer and Hjalmarsson iced the win.

Brown at (14) Cornell

The Big Red snapped a four-game losing skid in style on Friday, scoring three goals in seven minutes in the first period to put the game out of reach quickly. Gillis Frechette, Georgia Schiff, and Caroline Chan all scored in the second half of the opening frame to give Cornell a 3-0 lead. Brown started to mount a comeback in the third as Jade Iginla scored her third short-hander of the season and Cameron Sikich scored from the blue line to cut the lead to 3-2. Frechette added a late insurance goal to put the game out of reach and give Cornell the 4-2 win

Holy Cross at (15) Connecticut

With their 2-1 win on Saturday, Holy Cross set a new program record for conference wins. Carly Beniak opened the scoring for the Crusaders early in the first. Connecticut’s Coryn Tormala tied the game late in the first to make it 1-1 at intermission. Charlotte Sontag scored her first career goal to give Holy Cross the win. 

 

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Feb. 10-11

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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.

No. 1 Minnesota (21-8-1)
02/10/2023 – No. 1 Minnesota 4 at Wisconsin 1
02/11/2023 – No. 1 Minnesota 1 at Wisconsin 3

No. 2 Quinnipiac (24-3-3)
02/10/2023 – No. 2 Quinnipiac 3 at Clarkson 0
02/11/2023 – No. 2 Quinnipiac 5 at St. Lawrence 0

No. 3 Boston University (20-7-0)
02/06/2023 – No. 20 Northeastern 3 vs No. 3 Boston University 1 (Beanpot)

No. 4 Denver (23-7-0)
02/10/2023 – RV North Dakota 3 at No. 4 Denver 5
02/11/2023 – RV North Dakota 2 at No. 4 Denver 5

No. 5 Michigan (20-9-1)
02/10/2023 – No. 5 Michigan 4 at No. 15 Michigan State 2
02/11/2023 – No. 15 Michigan State 3 vs No. 5 Michigan 4 (OT, Detroit)

No. 6 St. Cloud State (18-8-2)
Did not play.

No. 7 Ohio State (17-11-2)
02/10/2023 – No. 7 Ohio State 1 at RV Notre Dame 2
02/11/2023 – No. 7 Ohio State 2 at RV Notre Dame 2 (OT)

No. 8 Penn State (19-10-1)
Did not play.

No. 9 Western Michigan (19-10-1)
Did not play.

No. 10 Harvard (17-6-1)
02/06/2023 – RV Boston College 3 vs No. 10 Harvard 4 (OT, Beanpot)
02/10/2023 – No. 10 Harvard 6 at Dartmouth 3

No. 11 Cornell (16-7-2)
02/10/2023 – RV Colgate 2 at No. 11 Cornell 3
02/11/2023 – No. 11 Cornell 4 at RV Colgate 4 (OT)

No. 12 Michigan Tech (21-8-4)
02/10/2023 – Bowling Green 5 at No. 12 Michigan Tech 2
02/11/2023 – Bowling Green 2 at No. 12 Michigan Tech 4

No. 13 Connecticut (17-10-3)
02/10/2023 – No. 13 Connecticut 1 at New Hampshire 4
02/11/2023 – No. 13 Connecticut 2 at New Hampshire 3 (OT)

No. 14 Minnesota State (19-10-1)
Did not play.

No. 15 Michigan State (15-15-2)
02/10/2023 – No. 5 Michigan 4 at No. 15 Michigan State 2
02/11/2023 – No. 15 Michigan State 3 vs No. 5 Michigan 4 (OT, Detroit)

No. 16 Omaha (15-10-3)
02/10/2023 – Colorado College 2 at No. 16 Omaha 3 (OT)
02/11/2023 – Colorado College 2 at No. 16 Omaha 2 (OT)

No. 17 UMass Lowell (15-10-3)
02/12/2023 – Maine 1 at No. 17 UMass Lowell 1 (OT)

No. 18 RIT (19-10-1)
02/09/2023 – No. 18 RIT 3 at Niagara 4
02/11/2023 – No. 18 RIT 1 at Niagara 4

No. 19 Merrimack (16-12-1)
Did not play.

No. 20 Alaska (16-10-2)
02/10/2023 – No. 20 Alaska 5 at LIU 3
02/11/2023 – No. 20 Alaska 1 at LIU 3

No. 20 Northeastern (14-10-4)
02/06/2023 – No. 20 Northeastern 3 vs No. 3 Boston University 1 (Beanpot)
02/10/2023 – No. 20 Northeastern 3 at RV Providence 3 (OT)

RV = Received votes

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: Wisconsin knocks off No. 1 Minnesota, No. 5 Michigan gets by No. 15 Michigan State on last-second OT goal, No. 2 Quinnipiac blanks St. Lawrence, Niagara sweeps No. 19 RIT

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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.

Daniel Laatsch gave the Badgers the lead with his first goal of the season at 10:17 in the second period.

Bantle extended Wisconsin’s lead to 3-1 at 14:09 of the second period.

Minnesota pulled Close (26 saves) in the final three minutes, but the Badgers shut them down.

Wisconsin honored its 1973 and 1983 NCAA championship teams during the game on the 50th and 40th anniversary seasons of the championships.

The Badgers are also 4-2-0 in the last six meetings with Minnesota when the Gophers have been ranked No. 1.

SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | USCHO.COM POLL | PAIRWISE

No. 2 Quinnipiac 5, St. Lawrence 0

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.

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.

MSU sent the game to overtime with a goal by Michael Underwood with five minutes to go in regulation.

TJ Hughes and Dylan Duke also scored for Michigan. Erik Portillo stopped 30 shots in goal and Mackie Samoskevich posted three assists.

The Spartans also got goals from Miroslav Mucha and Jeremy Davidson and 26 saves from Dylan St. Cyr.

No. 11 Cornell 4, Colgate 4

Cornell played to a 4-4 tie with Colgate at the Class of 1965 Arena on Saturday night.

Colgate picked up the extra point for standings purposes in the shootout.

Jack Malone scored two goals, while Ben Berard, Gabriel Seger, and Nick DeSantis all had two-point nights for the Big Red.

Remington Keopple made 16 saves in 45 minutes of relief for starting netminder Ian Shane, who made six saves in the opening 20 minutes.

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.

For the Tigers, Tommy Scarfone finished with 20 stops and Elijah Gonsalves netted the lone goal.

New Hampshire 3, No. 13 Connecticut 2 (OT)

Damien Carfagna was the OT hero, scoring the winner 2:52 into the extra session to lift the Wildcats to a weekend sweep at the Whittemore Center.

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.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: Farrell’s five-point game lifts No. 10 Harvard over Dartmouth, top-ranked Minnesota downs Wisconsin, No. 2 Quinnipiac extends winning streak with shutout win over Clarkson, No. 5 Michigan doubles up No. 15 Michigan State

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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.

John Farinacci, Ryan Drkulec and Joe Miller added goals for Harvard, while Mitchell Gibson finished with 16 saves in goal.

Sean Chisholm went for a goal and an assist for Dartmouth, Braiden Dorfman and Luke Haymes also scored, and Cooper Black made 26 saves in the crease.

SCOREBOARD | USCHO.COM POLL | PAIRWISE

No. 1 Minnesota 4, Wisconsin 1

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.

Close finished with 36 saves in the Gophers net.

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.”

After the game was tied at one, the Falcons scored four straight goals to take a commanding lead. Kyle Kukkonen scored both goals for the Huskies.

Seth Fyten scored twice for BGSU and Nathan Burke, Ryan O’Hara and Alex Barber one each to back Christian Stoever’s 37 saves.

Pietila finished with 23 saves.

New Hampshire 4, No. 13 Connecticut 1

Chase Stevenson scored on a penalty shot and added another goal as UNH defeated No. 13 UConn Friday night at the Whittemore Center.

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.

For the Fighting Hawks, Judd Caulfield, Carson Albrecht, and Ethan Frisch scored and Jackson Blake chipped in two assists.

Jakob Hellsten and Drew DeRidder combined on an 18-save effort in net.

Kent leading Colonels to big success on ice

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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.

 

USCHO Edge: Late in the season, it seems sometimes the books are catching up with proper odds

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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.

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

Are some long odds opportunities for upsets in late-season rivalries? USCHO Edge podcast Season 1 Episode 14

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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:

  • 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

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

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

Continue

D-III West Weekend Hockey Picks — Feb. 10-11, 2023

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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

Atlantic Hockey renaming regular-season championship trophy Robert DeGregorio Trophy, recognizing retiring commissioner

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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.

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Taking a look at numbers, what they mean for seven conference teams entering stretch run

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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.

Hockey is universal for Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov

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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.”

Watch list of 27 standouts announced for 2023 Tim Taylor Award as national men’s college hockey rookie of the year

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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)

Women’s honorees for January HCA awards include Minnesota’s Zumwinkle, Yale’s Dalton, Colgate’s Biederman, Northeastern’s Phillips

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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.

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