Denver’s Carter King is chased by Colorado College’s Bryan Yoon last Friday night in the teams’ game at Ball Arena (photo: Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative Photography).
Last Friday’s Gold Pan rivalry game between Denver and Colorado College at Ball Arena, home of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, didn’t mark the first time that Denver had played there.
But there was a huge difference between the in-state rivals’ latest meeting and DU’s last game downtown, back in 2012.
On Oct. 7 of that year, Denver and British Columbia skated to a 2-2 tie inside what was then known as the Pepsi Center. That came in the same week that the University of Denver hosted the first United States presidential debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.
When the Pioneers returned on Friday to face their big rivals from 70 miles down Interstate 25, Denver and Colorado College drew the nation’s biggest crowd for an indoor college hockey game since February 2018. A total of 17,952 fans — nearly twice the combined capacity of DU’s Magness Arena and CC’s Robson Arena — were on hand to watch goals from Jared Wright and Connor Caponi, and 23 saves from Magnus Chrona give the de facto host Pioneers a 2-0 win in their first of four meetings this season against CC.
The teams meet again this Saturday at CC, ahead of a home-and-home series March 3-4.
The venue for Friday’s game was announced Nov. 22, and Denver athletic director Josh Berlo recalls the process being similar to events he played a part in putting together earlier in his career. During stints at Notre Dame and then Minnesota Duluth, where he was UMD’s athletic director for nine years until last summer, Berlo helped organize Shamrock Series and Icebreaker Tournament games for those respective schools.
Friday’s showcase event against CC was different, though, in part because of how quickly it came together. Berlo contacted Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which owns Ball Arena, the Avalanche and the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, before his official start date at DU, allowing time to get the ball rolling on contracts and scheduling.
“It was about 65 days between the announcement and the game, and everything moved very quickly, but the Avalanche were exceptional hosts,” Berlo said. “Colorado College was excited about the prospects, so they were flexible, and it was really a great story of everybody pulling together to make a special event happen in a short period of time.”
Many entities pitched in. The light rail system that runs by DU’’s campus doubled its train capacity so that 3,000 students could get to Ball Arena without having to drive there, and the university’s alumni association held a sold-out pregame event next door to the arena.
“Ancillary events helped elevate a game like this into another status,” Berlo said, “and I couldn’t be prouder of the DU athletic staff and how they rallied around this event. They saw the potential for it, not just for hockey and the athletic department, but for the university.”
Former DU chancellor Daniel Ritchie dropped a ceremonial puck before the game, and Logan O’Connor, a 2017 national champion with the Pioneers who went on to win the Stanley Cup last season with the Avalanche, was also honored. Content produced for the evening highlighted non-athletic aspects of the DU campus on a night made that much more memorable by the bumper crowd.
DU and CC have played to one of those before in Denver. In 2016, over 35,000 fans attended an outdoor game between the teams at Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies.
Don’t be surprised if Denver hosts another such event.
“The energy of the atmosphere on Friday was palpable, and fun to be a part of,” Berlo said. “I’ve been a part of some really cool events in my career, but this one was definitely toward the top. We plan to do this again, and I’m not going to say it’s an every-year thing, but it’s something we want to do when it makes sense. We’ve got to have some things fall into place, like the right opponents and the dates of the events, but we’ll continue to work to do these every so often. I don’t want it to be too long before the next time.
“There’s clearly an appetite for this. Colorado is such a great sports state with incredible hockey success, and we’re looking to continue to be a part of that and continue to celebrate that.”
Nicholas Niemo has been a bright spot up front this season for Bentley (photo: Maddie Schroeder/Bentley Athletics).
Bentley coach Ryan Soderquist knew that his young team would need some time to gel.
With nine freshmen in the lineup, he expected growing pains, and the Falcons’ record though the first half of the season reflected that.
At Christmas, Bentley was 5-13-0 and had taken points in two of five conference series. But since then, Soderquist’s team is a respectable 3-4-1, including a non-conference win over Northeastern, and gained points in all three league series in January. Last weekend, the Falcons split with Mercyhurst, losing 4-3 on Friday before taking Saturday’s contest 5-3.
That made the long bus ride from Erie, Pa. to Waltham, Mass., a little more tolerable.
“It’s always better to end the weekend with a win,” said Soderquist, in his 21st season at Bentley. “Lose on Saturday and the whole week stinks.”
Things have been brighter in general thanks to an improved record over the past three weeks. A contributing factor has been the line of freshmen Nicholas Niemo, Stephen Castagna, and Arlo Merrit.
“We put them together after Christmas,” said Soderquist. “They’ve found some good chemistry with each other.”
The line has scored 10 goals since. Niemo leads the team in scoring (six goals and 12 assists) and has recorded a point in seven straight games, 13 in all over that span.
Soderquist also decided to platoon goalies Nicholas Grabko and Connor Hasley. Grabko, a junior, has posted wins over Northeastern, Niagara and Mercyhurst, while Hasley, a freshman, has a win over Niagara and a shootout victory over Canisius.
This may be a temporary solution for Soderquist, who says he hopes someone wins the job down the stretch.
“I think our guys are confident in both goaltenders,” he said. “To be honest I’d prefer it if we had one guy. Both are improving – their second half has been much stronger than their first half. There could be a situation where we continue to play both, especially if both are playing well.”
Next up for the Falcons is a home series with Holy Cross, which has also seen success recently. The Crusaders, who feature former Bentley goalie Jason Grande, are 3-2-2 in the new year and coming off a split with first-place Rochester Institute of Technology.
“They’re a natural rival with our campus’ fairly close,” said Soderquist. “And they’re playing really well, fast and physical. I expect two good college hockey games.”
Under the new playoff format, the two teams at the bottom of the Atlantic Hockey standings won’t make the conference tournament. Bentley currently sits in one of those spots. The Falcons are in ninth place, trailing eighth-place Canisius by three points with eight games to go.
It’s been tough for teams to move up recently as splits have become the norm in conference play. Last weekend, Rochester Institute of Technology took four points at Holy Cross and was able to gain a point on the rest of the league because the other three conference series all ended in splits.
Soderquist says his team is focused on what it can control.
“It’s been hard to gain traction due to all the splits,” he said. “We’re focused on ourselves. We’re not looking at the standings, just trying to win each series. We’ve broken the second half into individual series and what we can do to be successful.”
PairWise watch
After Atlantic Hockey went 2-13-4 in non-conference play the first two weeks of the season, some pundits, including me, speculated that the league’s chances of getting an at-large team in the NCAA tournament were already gone.
The assumption has been that the league needs a winning percentage of at least .400 in order to bolster the PairWise Ranking of one or more of its teams to 16th or higher.
While the conference is only .363 in non-league play, RIT (18-7-1) is currently sitting at 15th in the PairWise, moving up from 18th last week due to a win and overtime loss at Holy Cross. The current RPI/PWR formula gives teams 1/3 of a win for an overtime loss, with a factor of 1.2 for a road game, so the loss wasn’t as damaging as it might seem. RIT got almost 40% of a win…from a loss.
The Tigers will need a lot of things to break their way to stay in contention, but stranger things have happened.
Lake Superior State defenseman Jacob Bengtsson helped the Lakers to a series split last weekend with Bemidji State (photo: Lake Superior State Athletics).
By most measures, it’s been a tough winter in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
A team that was predicted to be in the mix for home ice advantage and potentially competing for a CCHA title before the season started, Lake Superior State has found itself in a place it never would have expected: In the basement. At 5-21-2, it’s a far cry from the team that won a conference tournament title and made an NCAA tournament appearance just two seasons ago.
Head coach Damon Whitten said it’s the opposite of what he expected at the start of the season, and the Lakers are just now starting to figure out the best lineup combinations to help the team get better results.
“It’s been disappointing that some guys didn’t have the years we expected them to have, so we’ve made some changes,” LSSU’s ninth-year head coach said Monday. “We’ve gone a little bit younger, giving some other guys an opportunity to fill in and step up and the good positive news is that those guys are doing it and giving us a chance to compete and win.”
The Lakers won just one game in regulation during the first two months of this season (a 5-1 victory over Clarkson). Since then, more victories have come, but it’s been slow.
It wasn’t until January that things seemed to have clicked – at least a little bit – for the Lakers, as they went 2-6 last month. They were also 2-6 in December, but the performances since the calendar turned to 2023 have been much stronger.
The Lakers split with Ferris State on Jan. 13-14 before going to Mankato to be swept by the Mavericks. However, in that series they earned a point by taking MSU to overtime on Friday before losing a close game Saturday 3-1 (the final goal was an empty-netter). And this past weekend, they split with Bemidji State by a pair of 3-2 decisions (they split with the Beavers back in December, too).
Whitten said the biggest difference he is seeing in this team is defensive consistency. In January, the Lakers had a 3.23 goals-against average. In the previous three months combined, it was 3.60.
“We’ve been better in even-strength situations in particular, and just giving ourselves a chance by cutting down our goals-against average and a better attention to detail defensively,” Whitten said, noting it was a small thing, but it at least means they are more competitive. “That’s giving us a chance to stay in games and win some games, and get to overtime, things like that.”
Beyond that, Whitten said he noticed some other locker room issues were happening affecting the mood of the squad. He didn’t elaborate but said refreshing the lineup and using different line combinations has paid off on the ice.
“I think as you sort through a challenging season you become aware of some other issues or things that are going on in the locker room,” he said. “I think we’ve made some changes to the lineup that strengthened our room. Even though we have some strong leadership at the top with guys like Louis Boudon and Jacob Bengtsson – they’ve done a good job, and they’re still contributing and a big part of our group – but as we’ve made some other changes and separations, it’s partly opportunity and partly getting the right people on board in the right place.
“It’s a combination of guys taking advantage of their opportunity and also getting the right guys in the right spots.”
Two of the youngsters who have seen the most key minutes and are taking advantage have been sophomores Timo Bakos and Dawson Tritt, who each have 13 points. Bakos has a point in each of Lake State’s last four games – including a goal against Bemidji State on Friday – while Tritt scored twice in the Lakers’ win over Ferris earlier in the month.
“They’ve stepped up and done a lot of good things for us and have played in a lot of situations,” Whitten said.
Going forward, the Lakers have six more games before the CCHA playoffs begin. They are currently in eighth place with 14 points – seven points behind both Northern Michigan and St. Thomas, who are tied for sixth place. Both the Wildcats and the Tommies have two games-in-hand, but there’s some reason for optimism, as the Lakers get to face both teams head-to-head in the final month of the season. The Lakers travel to Northern Michigan this weekend, then have a bye week before hosting the Tommies in the Sault. They will end their season at Ferris State.
Considering Lake State was just seconds from sweeping Bemidji State this weekend – the Beavers scored the game-winning goal with just 17 ticks left on the clock on Friday – Whitten has a reason to feel like the Lakers can go on a run in the last month of the regular season. (The Lakers, conversely, scored their own game-winner with 13 seconds left on Saturday.)
“We’re 17 seconds away from taking six points on the weekend,” Whitten said. “It’s progress, and we’re going to take it. We’ve got to keep growing and find a way to disrupt some things, see if we can make a push to change our standings and make a push going into the playoffs.
“Is our goal to win the playoffs? Absolutely, but before that, we need to focus on winning the first five minutes on Friday night. We’re just going to focus on practice this week, find the right pieces, continue to play better, more consistent, better defensively. We need to go into Marquette and win a game on Friday night. That starts with the first 20 minutes. It’s more the few inches in front of your face that you have to worry about now.”
Penn State’s Kevin Wall (21) and Connor MacEachern (29) celebrate a recent goal against Notre Dame (photo: Craig Houtz).
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! I don’t know if everywhere feels like Massachusetts, but I woke up this morning to spring skies and a 50-degree warmth that sent me right to the driving range with a group of trusty clubs. The good news? It felt like early March. The bad news? My mid-iron swing is as bad as ever.
Speaking of March, though, this past weekend felt like an early preview of some postseason action when a number of conference rivalries renewed their acquaintances. As things typically happen in college hockey, the chaos started there, and we open this week with Minnesota back in the No. 1 national ranking after St. Cloud pratfalled in Duluth.
Jimmy – you and I actually called this one in our weekly USCHO Edge podcast when we said Minnesota-Duluth, for reasons we couldn’t pinpoint, would beat the Huskies, straight up. The Bulldogs did better than that with their sweep, and after a weekend in which I think I picked every winner, that series really set the tone for A LOT of unpacking we really need to do around the weekend, don’t you think?
Jim: Aside from St. Cloud, the top of the poll impressed me. Minnesota handled Michigan State without a problem. Boston University swept their rival, Boston College, 6-3 and 3-1. And Quinnipiac was impressive enough to find a way to win the Connecticut Ice Tournament.
The Bobcats Saturday win in the title game over UConn was impressive, coming back from 3-2 down through two to find a game winner late in regulation.
The Connecticut Ice tournament is curious to me. Obviously it imitates the Beanpot, though is played on consecutive nights as opposed to over two weeks. But according to reports I read on social media, I felt like the spirit of the event might have been lost by what seems like a maneuver by this year’s host, Quinnipiac, which reportedly tried to keep other team’s fans out of the arena to skew the home-ice advantage. If this event hopes to become a sustainable event, you need a constant flow of fans from all of the schools to have an ability to attend, no matter the venue
In my opinion, it makes sense to move this event into a neutral site – either the XL Center in Hartford or the pro building in Bridgeport where Sacred Heart used to play – seems sensible.
What makes the Beanpot so sustainable (next Monday will be the 70th edition) is the support it’s gets from all four fan bases. The first night of the event is considered a true social event and that’s something the Connecticut Ice tournament could achieve IF tickets are easily attainable by all four fan bases
Do you have thoughts on this?
Dan: As someone who grew up in and around Boston, I realize it’s sacrilegious to say what I’m about to say, but for a number of years and a number of reasons, I always called the Beanpot the most overrated tournament of the year. I specifically remember how ECAC had to schedule around Harvard, which meant a certain number of teams couldn’t play the Crimson in February because of the travel component, and it drove me insane that people got hung up by a tournament that had been won by Boston University on an annual basis. Boston College’s rise tilted some of that, but the lack of championships surrounding Northeastern and Harvard made the tournament, to me, an overrated, nostalgic piece of an outdated era.
That was me in a younger era, but my hunt to prove my line of thinking back then got me squarely fixated on Connecticut as an alternative state for New England college hockey. I always thought the idea of a Connecticut-style Beanpot – much like the Connecticut lobster roll – was tailor made for the college hockey fan. The four teams each had their own tradition – even Sacred Heart, which played at the Milford Ice Pavilion in those days – and I felt like there was a real opportunity to showcase the state’s hockey tradition.
I had several conversations with Sacred Heart coach CJ Marottolo about the old days in and around the cities of the state, and the way he talked about the youth hockey culture made me wonder aloud if we were overlooking the state a little too much.
It felt natural that the Connecticut Ice could succeed, but you bring up a good point that, frankly, Quinnipiac should be skewered over. Tournaments are only as good as the buy-in, and if Quinnipiac wanted to make it a four-team invitational to its home building, it should have invited the teams for a travel weekend somewhere along the way. The tournament could have just been scheduled as non-conference games and not a special event because the UConn fan base deserved better than what it received, based on the reports trickling out of Hamden.
You think about what the state has to offer – Yale is one of the oldest programs in the country, Quinnipiac is a consistent powerhouse, UConn is a rising power in Hockey East, and Sacred Heart has the newest, shiniest building in college hockey. Instead of celebrating state culture, we were treated to a bunch of Quinnipiac home games. Cool.
The reason there’s even an argument over the Beanpot is because people care way too much about it. For what it’s worth, I’ve come back around on the tournament, and as someone who revisited his personal roots over the past 10 years, I’ve come to realize how much I love the neighborhood feel. The Nutmeggers deserve better.
Speaking of the Beanpot, you mentioned BU’s sweep from this past weekend and how the Terriers took six points from Boston College. I think BU is arguably the best team in the country right now, and it feels like the Beanpot is coming at a unique time for Jay Pandolfo’s first year at the helm.
Much of our attention is rightfully sent out west to Denver, Minnesota, St. Cloud and the like, but where do you stand on Pandolfo’s first year, and should we talking more and more about how we could be barreling towards the restoration of the original New England powerhouse?
Jim: Before I move past the Connecticut Ice, I want to go back to your comment. You talked about “what the state has to offer.” Well, really, it still isn’t much. None of the programs – even Yale – has some massive established blue blood tradition in college hockey. The Bulldogs won an incredible national title in 2013. Otherwise, Connecticut is still pretty much a newbie in the sport.
Don’t act like one if you want to be established. Bush League moves like keeping opposing fans out of a tournament is just stupid and childish. This event needs to be above it if it wants to succeed.
You asked about Boston University, and I’ll admit I was one of seven voters to give them my first-place vote. The Terriers have been consistent of late (eight straight wins and a 13-2-0 mark in their last 15). Goaltender Drew Commesso is suddenly playing his best hockey of the season and looks like an Olympic goaltender (interestingly his Canadian Olympic counterpart Devon Levi looks just as impressive for Northeastern). So barring any major injuries for the Terriers, I’d expect them to be the favorite heading into the Hockey East tournament.
That may be easier to pick than, say, Big Ten. Right now, it seems safe to slot Minnesota into the league’s top spot and Wisconsin in the bottom. The other five slots are open. Given that, I feel like Minnesota is an easy pick for favorite, but do you have one or two dark horses in that tournament?
Dan: First, I also voted BU as the No. 1 team in the nation for the same reasons you mention above. But to answer the burning question of the week, I did not sing “Go BU” when I did it.
As for the second question, I think a dark horse is hard to predict because it’s the team we can’t see coming. It’s too easy to look at a Penn State or a Michigan and expect a championship run, especially given the way that we’ve seen them both play this season. Michigan State is even a sexy choice in that regard because the Spartans have shown a propensity for picking off wins against teams like Penn State and Michigan.
So to go for a dark horse, I’m going to a team that I really don’t think will win the Big Ten championship: Notre Dame. Listeners to our Edge podcast know I have no love for this year’s Irish team, but that’s exactly why I think they have some potential in there. Let’s think back to a couple of weeks ago to when I said that Notre Dame felt like it couldn’t win on Friday nights. You corrected me by pointing out how the Irish were something like 4-6 on Fridays and had actually played better than it felt. So when we broke it down, it showed how the numbers were there, even if the good feels weren’t.
For that reason, I think we might see something out of Notre Dame. I think Wisconsin is better than advertised, but Notre Dame swept the Badgers and beat Penn State on a Friday two weeks ago. Few coaches are built for primetime like Jeff Jackson, so, yeah, I’d be hammering the Irish in those future bets right now.
Before we walk away this weekend, I want to throw it over to you. We’ve got about a month left. Is there a dark horse that we should be talking about in general, not just to win the league, but that could really ruin someone’s tournament chances the rest of the way? We both predicted Minnesota Duluth to win last week’s game over St. Cloud. Even if the team misses the tournament, if I’m a team angling for one of those final bubble spots in the Pairwise, which one really has to watch itself here in the last month?
Jim: Dark horses are difficult for me to predict as we all have different definitions. Are we talking about a team no one is thinking about reaching the Frozen Four (like RIT?) Are we looking for a team no one thinks can win their conference tournament (maybe Bowling Green). And are we maybe talking about a team way down the PairWise right now that can possibly win a national tournament?
I think both Harvard and Northeastern strangely each have certain components to win a national title (though both need to qualify). So if I had to look at a team that I almost guarantee will qualify and not enough people are talking about, I’m going with Penn State.
When the Nittany Lions were 50:1 to win the title, I was trying to tell friend to throw a few dollars on them as they felt like a great long shot. Now at 16:1, the value might not be there as much but if the goaltending and defense come together for Guy Gadowsky’s team, they’ll make a fun postseason run.
The Johnnies and Auggies played the first ever MIAC game at the Hockey Day in Minnesota event Friday. (Graham Miller/Saint John’s Athletics)
Cold weather. An outdoor rink. A game between two rivals in a key MIAC game under the lights in Minnesota’s Polar Lake Park.
The setting couldn’t have been any better for the Division III showdown featuring Saint John’s and Augsburg last Friday night.
The ending was even better, with Jackson Sabo of the Johnnies scoring a goal 2:16 into the overtime to lift Saint John’s to a 5-4 come-from-behind win.
The goal was his third of the year and lifted Saint John’s to a Hockey Day in Minnesota victory.
The Johnnies opened the weekend with a win over the Auggies in a Hockey Day in Minnesota game. (Graham Miller/Saint Johns Athletics)
Nick Michel had tied the game at 4-4 with 1:03 to go in regulation, forcing the OT.
Auggie Moore scored twice in the opening period for the Johnnies, who led 2-1 after those goals.
Gavin Holland, however, was equally impressive and would end his night with the first hat trick of his career. He scored twice off the power play and added a third goal in the final period to give the Auggies a 3-2 advantage.
Jack Johsnon tied the score at 3-3 before Eric Palmqvist put the Auggies back on top with under five minutes to play in the third.
It was fitting that the game played out the way it did considering it was the first MIAC game held on Hockey Day in Minnesota, which began in 2007. It was only the second ever Division III game held at the event. That game between St. Thomas and UW-Stout was played at the Xcel Energy Center in 2017.
Jack Robbel made 17 saves for Augsburg. Bailey Huber tallied 29 saves for Saint John’s.
The two teams played again on Saturday on Saturday in St. Cloud, and this time the Auggies got the win, holding on for a 6-5 victory to snap their two-game losing streak.
Jared Blackowiak scored twice and dished out three assist to place the Auggies, who improved to 10-8-1 overall and 6-4 in the MIAC. Saint John’s is now 11-8-2 overall and 7-4-1.
Blackowiak scored two of the Auggies’ final three goals. Austin Dollimer added a goal and an assist.
Samuel Vyletelka made 28 saves for his eighth win of the year.
Rob Christy and Matt DeRosa both tallied a goal and an assist for the Johnnies.
Saints still in first place
St. Scholastica earned a pair of wins against Hamline this past weekend to keep its hold on first place in the MIAC.
After winning 2-0 on Friday, the Saints edged the Pipers 4-3 on Saturday to complete the sweep. They improved to 12-5-2 overall and 9-0-1 in the conference and are four points ahead of the Johnnies in the standings. The Pipers are 9-9-1 overall and 2-8 in MIAC play.
Nathan Adrian came through with an unassisted goal in OT to give the Saints the win. Jack Boestedt made 38 saves. Kevin Lake tallied 26 saves for Hamline.
St. Scholastica led 2-1 after two periods. Brandon Bissett’s goal with 31 seconds to go in regulation helped Hamline tie the game at 3-3 and force OT. Hamline held a 41-30 edge in shots.
Cobbers are on a roll
Concordia is getting hot at just the right time. The Cobbers wrapped up their second series sweep over the weekend with a pair of 5-2 wins over St. Olaf.
Once down and out, the Cobbers have surged into the conference tourney picture, moving into fifth place and sitting just two points out of third. The Cobbers are 9-9-1 overall and 6-4 in the MIAC after beating the reigning conference tourney champs. They haven’t allowed more than two goals in any of their games during the current win streak.
On Saturday, Justin Fitzgerald made 16 saves for his fifth win of the year. Kevin Ness scored a pair of goals for the Cobbers. Lukas Haugen tallied 19 saves for the Oles, who are 11–9-1 overall and 5-7 in the MIAC. St. Olaf is in sixth place now but just one point behind the Cobbers for fifth.
Blue Devils earn split with Pointers
UW-Stout came away from the weekend with a hard-earned split over nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point.
The Blue Devils ended the weekend with a 3-1 win. The No. 10 Pointers won Friday’s game 4-1 and are still in first place in the WIAC standings with a 13-5-3 overall mark and 9-2 record in conference play. UW-Stout is 15-5-1 overall and 6-4-1 in the WIAC.
In Saturday’s showdown, the Blue Devils scored twice in the third to secure the win.
Matt Daehlside and Dylan Rallis gave the Blue Devils a 2-0 lead before Fletcher Anderson cut the advantage to 2-1. Caleb Serre finished off the scoring for UW-Stout. Tyler Masternak made 28 saves. Ryan Wagner tallied 25 for the Pointers.
On Friday, Sean Bunting scored his first career goal for the Pointers’ first goal of the game to highlight the win. Wagner made 28 saves. Dawson Green came up with 22 saves for the Blue Devils.
Ahern notches first win
It was a big night for Colin Ahren in Saturday’s game against Northland as the UW-Eau Claire goaltender notched the first victory of his college career.
He made 16 saves in a hard-fought 5-3 win against a Lumberjacks team that didn’t make things easy.
In fact, Northland (1-19-1, 1-10) scored the first goal of the game thanks to Jake Lamberty, who was sidelined last year by a battle with cancer.
The Blugolds would score the next two goals before Andrew Liwiski tied the game at 2-2 just near the midway point of the third period. Back-to-back goals by Ryan Green in a span of under five minutes put the Blugolds on top for good.
Colin Stein scored the final goal for UW-Eau Claire (14-6-1, 7-3-1), which has now won its last three games. Viktor Wennberg made 34 saves for the Lumberjacks.
The Blugolds needed OT to hold off the Lumberjacks on Friday night in a 4-3 win. Up 3-1, Taylor Ewing and Luke Harge scored a little over seven minutes apart in the third to tie the game. Quinn Green, though, would respond for the Blugolds in OT, scoring with less than a minute to play. It was his second goal of the game. He also tallied two assists.
OT is kind to the Yellowjackets this time
UW-Superior has played eight games since Dec. 2. Four have gone to overtime. In all four games, the Yellowjackets couldn’t pick up a win.
But that changed on Saturday as C.J. Walker scored 15 seconds into the extra session to lift UW-Superior to a 2-1 win.
The Yellowjackets improve to 12-7-2 overall and 7-3-1 in the WIAC. MacGregor Sinclair scored the other goal for UW-Superior. He also had an assist in the win. Charles Martin finished with two assists.
UW-River Falls is now 7-13-1 overall and 1-9-1 in the WIAC.
The Yellowjackets end a three-game winless streak on Friday with a 1-0 win over the Falcons. Martin’s power play goal in the third accounted for the only scoring of the game.
Trine Time
The Thunder faced an uphill climb in Saturday’s game against nationally ranked St. Norbert. They trailed 2-0 after one period but remained unfazed as they rallied for a 3-2 win in overtime over the Green Knights, who are currently ranked 14th in the USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Brendan Prappas was the hero. He tied the game at 3-3 with less than two minutes to play to force OT and then scored the game-winner just over a minute into the extra session as the Thunder improved to 13-7-1 overall and 6-6 in the NCHA.
Trine pulled off an upset of St. Norbert on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Trine Athletics)
Goals by Michael McChesney and Mark Brendan put the Green Knights up 2-0 after one. St. Norbert got off 13 shots in the opening period. The Thunder answered with two goals in the third, including one by Drew Welsch.
Johnny Roberts made 25 saves for the Green Knights. Cristian Wong-Ramos tallied 19 for the Thunder. Wong-Ramos was tough late as St. Norbert took six shots in the final 15 seconds of play. He made two saves during that stretch and Brett Tierney came up with a huge block.
On Friday, Trine fell 4-2 to St. Norbert.
The Thunder led 2-1 before the Green Knights scored the final three goals to seal the deal. Adam Stacho’s goal with less than four minutes to play proved to be the game winner.
Sabres shine against Spartans
Marian scored three goals in the final period of play to secure a 3-1 win over nationally ranked Aurora in NCHA action.
Mason Richey scored twice and Daunte Fortner scored his sixth goal of the year as the Sabres improved to 3-2-1 this season against ranked opponents.
The Sabres are 8-11-2 overall and 5-7-2 in the conference. Aurora is 15-4-2 overall and 11-1-2 in the league. Ty Mosimann tallied three assists in the win.
Aurora won 5-4 in OT on Friday thanks to a goal by Matt Weber a little over two minutes into the extra session. The goal by Weber was his second of the game.
Fortner had tied the game at 4-4 with less than two minutes to play to force OT.
Gustavus Senior Forward Tina Press scores vs St. Catherine’s to reach the 100 career point mark (Photo by Jordan Modjeski – Gustavus Athletics)
This week in the wild west, we saw another player join the 100-point club and a massive upset in the NCHA occur. Meanwhile, a team I highlighted earlier this season is in the process of having a program-best season with their 3rd year head coach at the helm. We also take a deep dive into the USCHO poll to analyze some of the recent movements, particularly involving a specific western team.
Tina Press Joins the 100 Point Club!
Gustavus’ Senior Forward from Cottage Grove, Minnesota Tina Press reached the 100-point milestone this past weekend in the 6-1 win over St. Catherine’s. Entering the game, Press had 99 points and needed only one to reach the milestone, she decided to get three, tallying two goals and one assist to end the game with 102 career points. She becomes the 13th player in Gusties program-history to reach this mark. Tina is also now 11th on the Gustavus women’s hockey history all-time points list.
#2 Gustavus (16-2-0) visits #1 UW-River Falls Tuesday January 31st (Today) at 7:05pm CT.
Lake Forest pulls off the massive NCHA upset
This past weekend Lake Forest (9-7-3) faced #5 Adrian (17-2-0) twice in a weekend home series. Adrian shutout the Foresters 4-0 in game one, however, in game two things were different as the Foresters pulled off the huge upset winning 3-2 in overtime. In this game, the 1st period was quiet, no scoring, but things turned up from the 2nd period-on. Adrian’s Une Bjelland scored the first goal on the powerplay at 9:06 of the 2nd period, while Lake Forest would tie it quickly after at the 10:22 mark (Samantha Shoebottom) and take the lead at the 15:00 mark on the powerplay (Abby Meyer). In the 3rd, Adrian tied it up early in the period as Jessica VonRuden scored a quick 1:35 into the period. We needed overtime, and it delivered us a winning goal scored by Danielle Selby at the 2:09 mark to win it and take down #5 Adrian.
Lake Forest shocks #5 Adrian, winning 3-2 in OT (Photo by Yanna Glaspy)
Something must be in the Lake Forest water; the women’s & men’s team have both pulled off their fair share of upsets this season. On the men’s side, the Foresters (ranking was at the time of game) defeated #14 Aurora 7-0, tied #11 Aurora 3-3 & 5-5, they then tied #3 Adrian 4-4 and defeated #3 Adrian 5-3. The women added to this total with a 1-1 tie vs #14 Aurora, a 3-3 tie vs #15 St. Norbert, and now a win over #5 Adrian… Yes, I’m considering a tie an upset due to the huge difference in records. Crazy stuff going on.
An appreciation for St. Olaf
I made sure to highlight early in the season St. Olaf’s great start and how they were on pace for a program-best season. In case you forgot, during the years 2013-2020, the Ole’s had a record of 21-137-17… going winless in the 2018-2019 & 2019-2020 seasons. Well, things have changed, the Ole’s currently sit at 12-5-2 and are on an eight-game unbeaten streak. I spoke to 3rd year Head Coach Tracy Johnson earlier this year and her words have stayed true to this day considering the success story she’s leading thus far.
St. Olaf is on pace for a program-best record, currently 12-5-2 on an eight-game unbeaten streak (Photo by Hannah Robb)
Not to go off topic of St. Olaf, but I think with recent controversies such as Adrian’s 19-0 & 11-0 wins over Finlandia (0-21-0) who have a record of 39-382-13 since the established year of 2004. We need to realize that these programs aren’t completely doomed but won’t improve just because you put new heads in helmets, and you begin each season undefeated at 0-0-0. It’s about investing in the program and getting the right people at the helm. St. Olaf went 0-55-5 from 2018-2020 and just two-three years later, they’re 12-5-2. The program seemed to really make an attempt at becoming competent and even more so, a winning program. I know there are currently other great coaches that are turning around programs such as St. Norbert’s A.J. Aitken or Suffolk’s Taylor Wasylk, but Coach Tracy Johnson should be in a conversation for some sort of most improved or coach of the year conversation considering the program is now at a .684-win percentage, taking over a historically bad (outside of a few years) team.
Analysis of the recent USCHO polls
I understand everyone involved here is qualified and competent to the degree that a very good poll can be created based on the current voters’ thoughts and/or opinions. However, this week’s poll (along with some others), has me confused and I’m not sure how to comprehend some aspects of it. I’m going to keep the focus mainly on a single west team here as it’s the most concise way to explain the thought process.
UW-Eau Claire is 17-3-1, ranked #9 in the USCHO poll (Photo by Shane Opatz – UWEC Photo)
Let’s talk about UW-Eau Claire, sitting at a pretty good record most would say of 17-3-1, holding one poor loss (statistically) to Concordia (Wis.), but other than that, they’ve won all their games and only lost to #1 UW-River Falls & #13 St. Norbert, with a tie to #15 Augsburg. Most recently this past week, winning three games (two vs UW-Stevens Point, and one vs St. Scholastica). After all this, they managed to fall a spot to #9 and sit behind #8 Middlebury (10-5-2) & #7 Norwich (14-5-1). UW-Eau Claire’s SOS (strength-of-schedule) is rated 25th, not bad, not great, Norwich is 32nd, also not exactly honorable. So, I simply ask how UWEC wins three games in a week and are tied with Norwich in the previous poll at #8, but now fall a spot and Norwich rises not one, but two spots for beating a team twice with a total record of 4-16-1 (New England College)?
We now move to Middlebury who sits at #8, this past week Middlebury tied 1-1 and lost 2-1 to Connecticut College (9-7-1). I understand they’re in the NESCAC and it’s arguably the best conference in women’s hockey, but at the same time, we can’t act as if this conference is the SEC of D-III women’s hockey where the mid-tier teams are automatically better than other conference’s top teams. There’s also something to be said for beating the teams on your schedule, by this logic, you’re asking UWEC to nearly go undefeated and not lose a game, nor tie, meanwhile, we have teams getting rewarded for losing and tying nearly double the number of games as another proven team who in case you forgot, has made the NCAA tournament four times in the past five years. Coach Erik Strand is 138-51-16 (.712), it’s not as if his Blugolds are a one-hit-wonder… I understand we’re talking about 2 spots here and not 10, but the poll should have credibility and principle, I don’t enjoy seeing it lose that by the week. Just a thought.
Minnesota celebrates Matthew Knies’ OT winner Jan. 20 against Michigan (photo: Matt Krohn).
Getting 38 first-place votes this week, Minnesota moves up one spot to become the new top-ranked team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
Quinnipiac earned four first-place votes and moves up one spot to No. 2, while Boston University jumps up one spot to No. 3, picking up seven first-place votes, and Denver is also up one to No. 4 and garnered the last first-place vote in this week’s rankings.
Michigan moves up one to No. 6, Ohio State is up one to sit seventh, Harvard jumps up two to No. 8, Penn State falls three to No. 9, and Western Michigan falls one spot to sit 10th this week.
Two previously unranked teams are in the poll this week as Omaha is No. 19 and Notre Dame is 20th.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 10 other teams received votes.
The USCHO.com Division I 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.
Katey Stone has spent 27 seasons behind Harvard’s bench (USCHO.com file photo).
In a Boston Globe report, Harvard women’s hockey coach Katey Stone is being accused of racist behavior and abusive behavior towards members of the Crimson team.
One incident in the report is how Stone allegedly berated two former players who are North Americans of Indigenous descent.
“I had learned to navigate a lot of her toxic environment,” defenseman Maryna Macdonald said in the report. “But now she was disrespecting me and my family and my heritage in front of everybody.”
According to the Globe report, Stone, now in her 27th season with Harvard, accused the players of showing her too little respect and turning into a collection of skaters “with too many chiefs and not enough Indians.”
Macdonald subsequently left the team and Sydney Daniels, an assistant coach who had captained the 2016-17 Harvard team, also left before suing Harvard for alleged racial and other forms of discrimination related to Stone and the athletic department. Harvard has until Feb. 8 to respond to the complaint.
The Globe report further states that Stone’s tirade led to a review by the university, which decided to retain her as head coach, and “triggered a backlash that continues to reverberate among former players who say Stone has emotionally damaged them, all while she has established herself as one of the most renowned coaches in the history of women’s ice hockey.”
Stone declined to comment to the Globe, as did Harvard athletic director Erin McDermott and the university.
Sixteen of Stone’s former players told the Globe they fault Harvard for keeping her on the job despite numerous complaints about her alleged abusive coaching practices, according to the Globe, while Macdonald and 2022 Ivy League rookie of the year Taze Thompson are among 14 recruited players who have left Stone’s program since 2016, including three this season.
Stone, in a letter emailed to her current team after being contacted by the Globe about this story, wrote, “This year, I have made it a priority to acknowledge and respond to direct feedback from the women in my program about my coaching style, and make a concerted effort to better support my players’ experiences.”
McDermott then forwarded Stone’s letter to hundreds of former Harvard women’s hockey players, about 45 of whom then sent the Globe a letter supporting her.
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:
• Down goes No. 1 again as St. Cloud State is swept by Minnesota Duluth
• Quinnipiac rebounds with Connecticut Ice win
• Michigan sweeps Penn State
• Maine sweeps Providence
• Notre Dame sweeps Wisconsin
• Minnesota State wins eighth straight
• Michigan Tech sweeps Northern Michigan
• Harvard bounces back
• PairWise peculiarities and a breakdown by league
Andrew Kurapov and Endicott celebrated a strong weekend against Curry including a 2-1 overtime win at home on Saturday (photo by Endicott Athletics)
There is no doubt things are heating up in all the conferences in the east. Plattsburgh now sits atop the SUNYAC while Trinity has taken over the top spot in NESCAC. Utica, Endicott and Plymouth State continue as unbeatens in conference play but the battles up and down the standings are even more contested in the final weeks of the regular season and heading into conference tournament play. Here is the wrap-up for action in the East last week:
CCC
Endicott and Curry played a critical home-and-home series for the battle at the top of the CCC standings. On Friday, the host Colonels took advantage of a Timmy Kent goal in the first period and Ben Beister’s shorthanded tally in the second period for a 2-1 lead entering the final 20 minutes of regulation. Andrew Kurapov tied the game with just 39 seconds remaining on the clock for a 2-2 tie. Overtime could not decide a winner but Kurapov scored the only goal in the shootout for the Gulls. Reid Cooper was outstanding in goal for Curry stopping 38 of 40 shots. On Saturday, the scene shifted to Endicott where the game was again tightly played in playoff fashion. Makem Demers gave the Colonels a 1-0 lead that stood until Jackson Sterrett tied the game with a power play goal midway through the third period. In overtime there was a winner, and it was Kurapov again scoring a big goal for the Gulls in a 2-1 win.
Independents
Canton hosted Anna Maria for a two-game series and took both games over the AmCats. On Friday, Sam Martin got the Kangaroos off to a fast start with a power play goal and a shorthanded goal for an early 2-0 lead. AMC would tie the game in the second period before Brendan Morrow and Zac Sirota gave the Kangaroos some breathing room in the final period of a 4-2 win. On Saturday, the Kangaroos held a 3-0 lead after two periods of action only to see the AmCats tie the game in the first eight minutes of play of the third period. Noah Robinson would score the game-winner just over a minute later in a 4-3 win for Canton – the team’s tenth win of the season.
MASCAC
Plymouth State got a major surprise from visiting Salem State on Thursday night as the Vikings raced to a 4-1 lead just over a minute into the second period. That is when the Panther offense kicked things into high gear scoring six unanswered goals in route to an 8-5 win. On Saturday, things were a little tighter on the ice at home against Fitchburg State. Gene Bouthiette scored both Falcon goals as the visitors held a 2-1 lead after two periods of play. With just under five minutes remaining in regulation time, Carson Lanceleve scored a power play goal to tie the game at 2-2. It took awhile but in overtime Niks Krollis gave PSU the 3-2 win with just three seconds remaining in the extra session to keep the Panthers undefeated in MASCAC play.
NE-10
Six different goal scorers and three power play goals helped Assumption to a 6-3 win over Franklin Pierce on Friday night. On Saturday, the Greyhounds couldn’t keep the Ravens down as the home team rallied from two-goal deficits three times to tie the game at 4-4 early in the third period on a goal from Cody Rumsen. William Smith provided the game-winning goal for Assumption to take a 5-4 win and weekend sweep of the Ravens. Assumption now stands at 10-4-0 in NE-10 play.
St. Michael’s continued their torrid play in January with a weekend sweep of Southern New Hampshire. On Friday, Jeremy Routh recorded a hat trick in a 6-1 win for the Purple Knights. On Saturday, it was SNHU that broke the ice before St. Michael’s scored five goals in a row for the 5-1 win. Brennan McFarland scored a pair of goals and Routh added three assists in the sweep that moved the Purple Knights to 8-5-1 in conference play.
NEHC
Castleton played the first of their travel partner games on Tuesday night with the Spartans adding to the growing list of upsets across D-III hockey. Carrying a 3-2 lead late into the third period, Castleton’s Andrew Stefura scored with just under two minutes remaining in regulation to tie the game at 3-3 before stunning the Thoroughbreds with the overtime winner. Goaltender Brandon Collett was outstanding with fifty saves for Castleton in the 4-3 OT win.
Hobart took a pair of games over Massachusetts-Boston and Johnson & Wales over the weekend to move to 19-2-0 on the season. Artem Buzoverya scored a pair of goals in Friday’s 6-1 win over the Beacons. On Saturday, the Wildcats scored first for a short lived lead as Jonah Alexander scored twice in a 5-1 win for the Statesmen.
Norwich played just a single NEHC game against travel partner new England College and skated away with a 6-0 win. Andrew Albano made thirty-three saves to earn the shutout while Patrick O’Neal scored a pair of goals for the Cadets who moved to 11-1-2 in NEHC play.
NESCAC
Trinity continued their strong play in January with a 1-1 tie with Hamilton on Friday night and a 4-0 win over Amherst on Saturday. The win moved the Bantams to the top of the NESCAC standings. On Friday, Trinity outshot Hamilton by a wide margin but the Continentals’ Jack Grant made 46 saves surrendering just Nicholas Siffringer’s second period goal in a 1-1 overtime tie. On Saturday, the battle for the top of the standings saw a scoreless first period before the Bantams broke out with four goals in the second period led by Gerrard Maretta’s hat trick. Devon Bobek made 13 saves for the Bantams in the shutout win.
After tying Trinity on Friday, Hamilton extended Wesleyan’s difficult week with a 2-1 overtime win on Saturday. Grant was again outstanding in goal for the Continentals making 24 saves while Grisha Gotovets scored the game-winner just 28 seconds into overtime. The win moved Hamilton to 9-8-1 overall and 7-4-1 in NESCAC play.
Colby extended an exceptional record in their long-time rivalry with Bowdoin on Saturday night with a 4-0 shutout win. Andy Beran backstopped the win while four different players scored for the Mules who are now 11-0-1 in their last 12 games against the Polar Bears.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh moved to the top of the SUNYAC standings with a pair of wins over Brockport and Geneseo. The Cardinals took advantage of two goals by Bennett Stockdale that broke a 1-1 tie in route to a 4-1 win over the Golden Eagles. Eli Shiller picked up the win making 25 saves. On Saturday, the Cardinals took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Adam Tretowicz and Jake Lanyi only to see the Knights answer back with two quick goals in the opening minutes of the second period. The score remained tied until Carson Gallagher broke the deadlock midway through the third period for the 3-2 road win. Jacob Hearne made twenty-two saves for the win.
Oswego started the weekend atop the standings but fell in overtime on Friday to Cortland. Evan Beaudry’s goal in the final minute of the period left the teams tied at 2-2 after 20 minutes of play. Cortland’s Nick Grupp gave the Red Dragons a one-goal lead after two periods of play. Alex DiCarlo tied the score at 3-3 early in the third period and the score remained that way to close out regulation time. In overtime, Domenic Settimo scored to give Cortland the upset win just over a minute into the extra session. Goaltender Luca Durante made thirty-nine saves for Cortland.
UCHC
Nazareth traveled to face Utica for two games over the weekend and was looking to benchmark their stature against the top team in the conference. The Pioneers were hardly hospitable hosts as they swept the weekend series by scores of 6-1 and 4-1 over the Golden Flyers. On Friday night, the Pioneers opened up a 2-1 game with two goals in each of the second and third periods to comfortably win. Six different players scored goals for Utica. On Saturday, Henry McKinney gave the visitors a 1-0 lead after the first period but four unanswered goals including two on the power play, provided all the offense Utica would need in the 4-1 win that moved them to 14-0-0 in UCHC play.
It was not easy, but Wilkes extended their win streak to seven games with a pair of 4-3 overtime wins over Lebanon Valley this past weekend. Wilkes took three different leads over LVC on Friday only to see the Flying Dutchmen rally to tie the game at 3-3 at the end of regulation. In overtime, Ben Stefanini scored the deciding goal for the Colonels in the win. On Saturday, it was Wilkes’ turn to rally as Cam Lowe’s third period goal sent the game to overtime, where Billy Berry was the hero with the game-winner to extend the Colonels win streak.
Three Biscuits
Andrew Stefura and Brandon Collett – Castleton – each contributed significantly in the Spartans 4-3 overtime win over Skidmore on Tuesday night. Collett stopped 50 of 53 shots while Stefura provided both the game tying and game-winning goals.
Gerrard Maretta – Trinity – scored a hat trick in the second period to spearhead a 4-0 Bantam win over Amherst on Saturday. The win moved Trinity into first place in the NESCAC standings.
Andrew Kurapov – Endicott – scored three goals including an overtime game winner for the Gulls in their weekend series with Curry where they earned a tie (shootout win) and an overtime win to remain unbeaten in CCC play.
There are going to be more and more ups and downs as we officially enter February and the final weeks of the regular season. Everyone looking for wins and points and the consistent game that will have the team playing for something meaningful come playoff time.
On Friday Jenn Gardiner and Paetyn Levis each scored twice and Madison Bizal added three assists to lead the Buckeyes to a 6-2 win. Sophie Jaques also added a goal and an assist. Madison Mashuga and Kelsey King each scored for the Mavericks in the loss. In the second game, Makenna Webster, Levis, Sofie Lundin and Riley Brengman scored for OSU in a 4-2 win. Emma Peschel added two assists. For Minnesota State, Charlotte Avervik and Claire Butorac scored in the loss.
St. Lawrence at (2) Yale
Carina DiAntonio had two goals and one assist, Claire Dalton had one goal and two assists and Charlotte Welch added three assists as the Bulldogs took a 6-1 win to earn their 20th victory of the season. Abby Hustler scored for St. Lawrence in the loss.
(9) Clarkson at (2) Yale
The Bulldogs used a goal in each period to defeat Clarkson on Saturday. Vita Poniatovskaia, Emma Seitz and Claire Dalton each lit the lamp for Yale to lead them to the 3-0 win.
(3) Minnesota at (6) Minnesota Duluth
On Friday, the two teams felt each other out in the first, with neither team coming out with an advantage. Catie Skaja redirected Madeline Wethington’s shot from the point to give the Gophers a 1-0 lead midway through the second. Taylor Stewart tied the game for UMD just 37 seconds in to the third. But the Bulldogs couldn’t hold off Minnesota as Abbey Murphy and Grace Zumwinkle combined for two goals to put the game out of reach and give the Gophers a 3-1 win. In the second game of the series, Minnesota jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Peyton Hemp and Josefin Bouveng, but UMD wouldn’t let the game get away from them. Gabby Krause scored on the power play to make it 2-1 before Hemp scored her second of the game to make it 3-1 at the second intermission. Mannon McMahon cut the lead once again early in the third to make it 3-2 before Abigail Boreen’s unassisted goal put Minnesota ahead 4-2. Taylor Anderson’s power play goal made it a one-goal game once again and the Bulldogs had momentum as they pulled the goal with about three minutes to go. They had a number of close calls, but Skylar Vetter and the Gophers stood tall on defense and held out to get the 4-3 win.
Princeton at (4) Quinnipiac
Maddy Samoskevich scored in the first few minutes on Saturday and the Bobcats did not look back as they earned their 11th shutout this season with a 3-0 win. Olivia Mobley and Kendall Cooper also lit the lamp in the win. Home cooking must have been the key for the Tigers, because the second half of this series moved to Princeton and the home team absolutely went off. Three different Princeton skaters – Maggie Connors, Sarah Fillier and Jane Kuehl – netted hat tricks. Kuehl started by scoring her first collegiate goal, but finished with a hat trick. This was the most the Tigers had scored in a game since a 11-1 win over St. Lawrence on Jan. 5, 1997. The 11 goals tied the most allowed by Quinnipiac in program history, since the Bobcats began play in 2000. Sadie Peart, Maya Labad and Olivia Mobley scored for Quinnipiac in the loss.
Dartmouth at (5) Colgate
Kalty Kaltounková led the Raiders to a 7-0 victory by scoring two goals and compiling three assists. Danielle Serdachny contributed a goal and two assists and Dara Greig had two goals in the win.
Harvard at (5) Colgate
The teams fought to a scoreless first, but Colgate started to pull away in the second. Kaitlyn O’Donohoe made it 1-0 in the opening minutes of the frame and Elyssa Biederman extended it to 2-0. But Kristin Della Rovere cut the lead to 2-1 with only 1.5 seconds left in the middle frame. Tessa Folk’s third period goal secured the 3-1 win for the Raiders.
Holy Cross at (7) Northeastern
Alina Müller’s goal 95 seconds into the game was her 168th career point in Hockey East play, which set a new league record. Peyton Anderson, Maude Poulin-Labelle and Megan Carter each scored for Northeastern to make it a 4-0 win.
(8) Wisconsin at St. Thomas
The Tommies opened the scoring on Friday as Maddy Clough took advantage of a turnover to get in on the net. But the Badgers responded with the first of Casey O’Brien’s two goals before intermission and then pulled away in the second two frames. Jesse Compher posted her 150th collegiate point while Nicole LaMantia and O’Brien collected their 100 points as Badgers. In the second game, Maddi Wheeler, Kirsten Simms and O’Brien each scored to give Wisconsin the 3-0 win.
(9) Clarkson at Brown
Madie Stockfish scored on a breakaway to put Brown up 1-0 early, but Clarkson responded with two goals from Anne Cherkowski and another from Jenna Godwin to earn a 3-1 win. Stephanie Markowski had two assists in the win.
Harvard at (10) Cornell
It was an offensive outburst on Friday as the two teams combined for 13 goals, but it was the Crimson who came out ahead in a back and forth 7-6 win. The teams let fans know the game would be crazy in the opening minute as Anne Bloomer scored 14 seconds in and Caroline Chan responded just 24 seconds later to make it 1-1 :36 into the game. Things calmed down for a bit before picking up in the final few minutes. Kaitlin Jockims scored on the power play to give Cornell a 2-1 lead. Bloomer scored her second of the period to tie it at 2 before Paige Lester added her own power play tally to give Harvard a 3-2 win at the end of the first period. In the second, McKenna VanGelder and Gillis Frechette scored for Cornell, but in the middle Bloomer Gabi Davidson Adams scored twice for Harvard. Jade Arnone made it 6-4 for Harvard late in the second, but Izzy Daniel’s goal in the final minute of the frame closed the game to 6-5. Shannon Hollands extended the Crimson’s lead once more late in the third. Cornell fought back once more with another goal from VanGelder, but they ran out of time and Harvard took the win.
Dartmouth at (10) Cornell
After a back and forth first frame, Dartmouth exploded for three goals in the second to go ahead 3-0. Jenna Donohue, Maura Fiorenza and Laura Fuoco each lit the lamp. In the third, Izzy Daniel ruined the shutout bid, but Dartmouth responded just 40 seconds later to extend the lead to 4-1 thanks to CC Bowlby, who also added a late tally to secure the 5-1 win. Elle Sullivan made 31 saves in the win.
(11) Vermont at Boston College
Katie Pyne and Abby Newhook scored in the second period to put Boston College up 2-0. But Vermont would claw their way back with goals from Corinne McCool and Natálie Mlýnková each scoring to make it 2-2 after the second intermission. Mlýnková added another goal in the third to give the Catamounts the 3-2 win.
(11) Vermont at Boston University
Catherine Foulem scored on a beauty of a shot from the bottom of the circle (her first goal since mid-November) to put BU up 1-0 early in the first. Evelyne Blais-Savoie tied it up before intermission and then Vermont put on the pressure in the second, outshooting the Terriers 14-5, but Andrea Brandli stood tall and kept the game tied. After a scoreless third, Julia Nearis scored just 19 seconds into overtime, taking a turnover straight to the net for the game-winner.
Lindenwood at (12) Penn State
The Nittany Lions set a new program record with their 19th win on Friday. Eleri MacKay led PSU with two goals and an assist. Olivia Wallin, Julie Gough and Katelyn Roberts also scored for Penn State in the 5-1 win. Morgan Neitzke scored for Lindenwood in the loss. On Saturday, Lindenwood was up 1-0 after the first thanks to Neitzke and doubled their lead early in the second thanks to Sydney Rarick. Courtney Correia and Wallin each scored in the second to tie the game before intermission. MacKay gave PSU the lead and then Kiara Zanon’s tally midway through the third broke the single-season program record for goals in a season with 21. MacKay and Alyssa Machado extended the lead to 6-2. Thea Jorgensen cut the lead to 6-3 late in the frame, but Lindenwood ran out of time and Penn State took the win and weekend sweep.
(13) Providence at New Hampshire
Sara Hjalmarsson’s hat trick and Noemi Neubauerova’s two goals led the Friars to a 7-4 win on Friday. Providence had a 3-1 lead heading into the third and extended it to 6-1 before New Hampshire started to fight their way back into the game. Brianna Brooks, Chavonne Truter and Tamara Therius each scored in a 90 second stretch to make it a 6-4 game, but Hjalmarsson’s empty-netter shut down the comeback and secured the 7-4 win.
(13) Providence at Maine
The Black Bears got into their second shootout of the weekend against Providence on Saturday. Alyssa Wruble put Maine up early before Lindsay Bochna tied it for the Friars later in the period. Lilli Welcke’s goal less than a minute after that would send Maine to the locker room up 2-1. Elise Morphy’s slapper from the point gave the Black Bears a 3-1 lead midway through the second and it looked like that’s how the period would end, but Maddy Coen’s goal with .2 seconds left in the frame closed the gap to 3-2. The goal spurred on Providence, who scored two more early in the third to give them their first lead of the game 4-3. Lauren DeBlos and Sara Hjalmarsson each lit the lamp. Lilli Welcke’s late power play goal forced overtime where a winner couldn’t be decided and the game ended 4-4. Providence won the shootout to earn the extra conference point.
(14) Connecticut at Maine
The Black Bears eked out an overtime win in a close, back and forth affair on Friday. The game got off to a quick start with Jada Habisch scoring for UConn just 25 seconds in and Ava Stevenson responding with her first collegiate goal to make it 1-1 before two minutes had elapsed. Anna Caumo continued the trend, scoring her first collegiate goal to put Maine up 2-1 midway through the period before Habisch scored her second just before intermission to send the teams to the locker rooms tied 2-2. The Black Bears looked like they might be pulling away when Ida Kuoppala forced a turnover and fed Ally Johnson to make it 3-2 and then the two switched roles, as Johnson won a faceoff to feed Kuoppala, who’s goal made it 4-2. But Connecticut responded in the final few minutes of the second with a power play goal from Claire Peterson and a goal from Coryn Tormala to tie the game at 4-4. After all that excitement, the third period was about fighting for any advantage, which could not be found in regulation. In overtime, Grace Heiting stole the puck at center ice and took off to score the game-winner and give Maine the 5-4 win.
New Hampshire at (14) Connecticut
Nicky Harnett made 12 of her 22 saves in the third period to keep the shutout in tact and help UNH to a 3-0 win. Kira Juodikis scored on a wrap around to put the Wildcats up 1-0 in the second. In the final frame, Emily Rickwood took advantage of a 5 on 3 to make it a 2-0 game and Annie Berry added an empty-netter to secure the victory.
Bemidji State at (15) St. Cloud State
Jojo Chobak earned her fourth shutout of the season, tying the program’s single-season record, with 32 saves in the game, including 17 in the third period. Not only did the defense kill three penalties, but they capitalized on special teams as Jenniina Nylund and Addi Scribner each scored on the player advantage to give SCSU the 2-0 win. On Saturday, Claire Vekich’s power play goal in the opening minutes of the second was the only tally until Scribner tied it up midway through the third. Courtney Hall collected a rebound and pulled up a quick wrap around to tuck the puck in and net the game-winner for St. Cloud to make it 2-1.
Quinnipiac celebrates its 2023 Connecticut Ice championship Saturday night (photo: Rob Rasmussen).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1) Here we go again
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
The No. 1 team in the nation was newly anointed last week as St. Cloud State. In their first weekend since gaining the honor, the Huskies lost. Without question, that means that Monday afternoon will bring a new top-ranked team after several challengers won their way into the serious stages of the conversation.
This time, it was Minnesota Duluth, the former national championship contender that looked like an NCAA tournament berth was far from reality after it pushed towards February with a sub-.500 record. The Bulldogs swept their rivals from Central Minnesota with their first weekend sweep since mid-October and their first six-point series of the NCHC season, but the way they won – scoring four unanswered goals on Friday before scoring two power-play goals and a short-handed strike in the first period of Saturday’s game, ensured the top-ranked Huskies never led at any point this weekend.
Friday night’s four-goal outburst exclusively used the power play and resulted in a Ben Steeves hat trick, while a fourth power-play goal on Saturday by the freshman from New Hampshire matched his output from a two-game swing in early December. It was his second hat trick after he scored three goals against Colorado College as part of a season where 10 of his 16 goals have come via the power play.
2) BU Rhett-y for No. 1
It feels like it’s been forever since Boston University held the top spot in the national polls. Hockey East’s dynamics changed significantly over the past decade, and the Terriers themselves underwent an overhaul in the years after David Quinn left the college ranks for an opportunity with the New York Rangers. The rise of other programs like UMass and Northeastern shuffled BU into the periphery, and even the Beanpot championships that felt inevitable moved to Northeastern and Harvard – an unthinkable thought after BU won its 30th championship in 2015.
Then came this past weekend and an absolute thumping that the No. 4 team in the nation put on its most hated rival with one weekend remaining until the Beanpot. BU took six points from Boston College and overall dominated the Eagles, beating them 6-3 on Friday night after opening up a 6-1 lead in the first two-plus periods. It preceded a 3-1 win on Saturday at Conte Forum that saw a scoreless first period before Wilmer Skoog and Case McCarthy posted an insurmountable 2-0 lead in the first half of the second period.
In each game, Boston College did what was expected by bringing the battle to its ancient enemy, but the six-point weekend rocketed BU into a four-point lead in Hockey East. Though Minnesota and Quinnipiac both swept their respective weekends, there stands a chance that the Terriers are ready to regain the spotlight that’s eluded the tradition and history now hanging in Agganis Arena.
3) Not so fast, my friend. -Minnesota, probably.
The only thing standing in BU’s way, though, is a Gopher-sized beatdown that Michigan State absorbed in its two-game swing at Mariucci Arena. Sure, the BU story would be great for the Massachusetts folks, but Minnesota dropped a snowman on its Big Ten rival with an 8-0 victory before rallying from two separate one-goal deficits in the second period on Saturday to claim a 6-3 win.
Minnesota actually scored five consecutive goals in that second game and used a 16-6 shot advantage in the second period to post three goals before the frame ended. Jimmy Snuggerud finished the Saturday game with two goals, but the goals from Garrett Pinoniemi and Bryce Brodzinski gave the Gophers a one-goal lead at the end of the second that never surrendered.
The Gophers exited the weekend at the top-ranked team in the Pairwise Rankings, and with a 14-3-1 record that features an overtime win, the 20-7-1 team now holds a 16-point lead in the Big Ten. It’s almost elementary to think it would take a collapse to dethrone Minnesota from the top spot in arguably the best conference in the country, and the dominance all but means the team should be No. 1 on Monday.
4) Or maybe it’s Quinnipiac?
BU and Minnesota are the biggest, baddest teams in the yard, but it wasn’t too long ago that Quinnipiac, the prohibitive favorite in ECAC, stood as the No. 1 team in the nation. It’s not the Bobcats fault that the two wins at the Connecticut Ice Tournament felt like they were under the radar when higher profile rivalries stole the spotlight, but the 5-0 win over Sacred Heart preceded a “neutral site” victory over Connecticut in a tournament hosted in Hamden.
Including Yale, which lost to UConn before dropping the consolation game against Sacred Heart, the tournament maintained its status as a Connecticut-based rival to the Boston-based Beanpot to its north, and the one-goal win over the Huskies cemented a wild atmosphere for the No. 2 team in the Pairwise Rankings. The teams simply traded leads and shots against one another before the Bobcats scored twice in the third period to overcome the Huskies, and two power play goals included one from Ethan de Jong, who had two goals in the championship game en route to tournament MVP honors.
Quinnipiac remained undefeated on home ice with the wins – even though they were technically neutral ice games – and the 20-3-3 Bobcats remained the best team in the nation by winning percentage, even though their overall RPI number and the combined strength of ECAC relegated them to the second spot behind the Gophers.
5) The Commonwealth is blue
The University of Massachusetts is more than just a single campus, but the name UMass itself belongs to the flagship campus in Amherst. Located in Western Massachusetts, it’s the only version of the state system that uses the mononym, and the Minutemen justified their lofty standing within the Commonwealth by winning the first national championship outside of the Boston Beanpot schools.
That’s always been ironic in Massachusetts because UMass-Lowell, the “other UMass” in Hockey East, was once regarded as one of Hockey East’s breakout programs after it advanced to the 2013 Frozen Four. The three-time conference champions always operated in the shadow of their larger system brother, but on Friday night, the rivalry’s renewal at Tsongas Arena ended with a 1-0 defensive duel for the ages.
The teams combined for 55 shots while being whistled for minimal penalties, and Dillan Bentley’s goal with just under 12 minutes remaining in the second period stood up against a barrage at both ends of the ice. The win snapped a 10-game winless streak in the Kennedy Cup series between the two schools and earned head coach Norm Bazin his 21st victory over the Minutemen since becoming the head coach of his alma mater.
6) …And so is the Last Frontier
The Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup had already been decided earlier this year when Alaska defeated Alaska-Anchorage on four separate occasions at the start of the year, but the Nanooks swept the returning series with wins at both the Seawolf Sports Complex and the Carlson Center over the weekend.
Saturday’s game had been Fairbanks’ first home game since last December’s win over UAA, but the comeback victory saw Brady Risk score in the first minute of overtime after Alaska scored twice across 30 seconds with under five minutes remaining in the game. Trailing 3-1, Chase Dubois’s second power play goal brought the Nanooks within one of Anchorage, and Anton Rubtsove scored 30 seconds later during the same five-minute major to tie the game at 3-3.
It was the 12th consecutive Governor’s Cup win for the Nanooks, who improved to 13-9-2 on the season and capped a six-game series between the two teams in the northernmost state in college hockey.
7) ECAC operates according to its chalkboard
ECAC Hockey’s lone travel weekend sent Cornell and Colgate to Dartmouth and Harvard, but any hope of seeing upsets upend the conference standings went by the wayside when the league went through the motions of a largely indistinct weekend. Cornell beat Dartmouth while Colgate stole a point against Havard, and the Crimson ended any threat from their rival Big Red by scoring four unanswered goals in a 6-2 win. Dartmouth, meanwhile, picked up a point from the Raiders before losing, 4-3, on Alex Young’s fourth period winner.
The lone exception to a weekend that wasn’t overly notable came in the North Country, where St. Lawrence took a pair of 4-2 victories from travel partner Clarkson. The preseason favorite to challenge Quinnipiac for the league championship, the Golden Knights instead sit in seventh with Brown breathing down its neck while the Saints jumped ahead of Princeton and into the conversation for the last first round bye spot occupied by Colgate.
8) Enemies on the ice, brothers in arms
The Army-Air Force series in Atlantic Hockey has long been one of the league’s more celebrated events, but the pageantry of the matchup between the two service academies reaches well beyond a final score and into the annals of games defined by big moments and memorable frenzies within the cadets who attend both institutions.
Both teams earned a victory this weekend, but the true meaning of the game occurred after the final whistle when both rosters stood around center ice at Tate Rink for a collective stick salute. The sight is a common once in a matchup steeped in tradition, but the vision is still jarring in the reminder that the players on the ice stand for something greater than just wins and losses. Every year, the graduates from Army West Point and Air Force move into defensive positions as members of the United States military, and it’s the only matchup where every player on the ice is willing to die for everyone watching in the stands.
9) The dreaded triple hat trick
Fourth-ranked Quinnipiac entered its matchup with travel partner Princeton on Sunday as the front-running challenger to second-ranked Yale in both the women’s hockey national polls and the ECAC’s women’s division. A 4-0 win over the Tigers on Saturday made sense given the six-game winning streak that ended only when Yale won a 4-2 game at the M&T Bank Arena.
It didn’t seem like Princeton, a team that was under .500 and coming off five straight losses, posed much of a threat, but that’s where hockey got weird.
Three different Tigers scored hat tricks against the Bobcats, and a 1-1 game turned into one of the biggest routs of the season in an 11-3 win for the home side. Four different players scored in the first period, and Jane Kuehl capped the extravaganza with her third goal with under two minutes remaining in the game. She joined Sarah Fillier and Maggie Connors as players receiving chapeaus on the ice, and it upended the national conversation in women’s hockey after Quinnipiac lost for just the third time in league play this year.
10) Colby beats Bowdoin in 218th meeting
The weekend itself was riddled with rivalries, but perhaps the most intense matchup belonged to the Division III ranks, where Bowdoin and Colby met for the 218th overall time. Colby’s 4-0 victory was the 12th consecutive game without a loss for the Mules, who were last defeated by the Polar Bears in Dec. 2015.
The sellout crowd of 2,400 fans were treated to a two-goal outburst by John McElany and Jake Macdonald in the second period before Griffin Grise and Ryan Doolin scored in the third, and Andy Beran posted 25 saves, including 12 in the first period, as the Mules won for the 10th time this season.
No. 4 Boston University (19-6-0)
01/27/2023 – RV Boston College 3 at No. 4 Boston University 6
01/28/2023 – No. 4 Boston University 3 at RV Boston College 1
No. 5 Denver (20-7-0)
01/27/2023 – Colorado College 0 at No. 5 Denver 2
No. 6 Penn State (18-9-1)
01/27/2023 – No. 6 Penn State 3 at No. 7 Michigan 7
01/28/2023 – No. 6 Penn State 4 at No. 7 Michigan 5
No. 7 Michigan (16-9-1)
01/27/2023 – No. 6 Penn State 3 at No. 7 Michigan 7
01/28/2023 – No. 6 Penn State 4 at No. 7 Michigan 5
No. 8 Ohio State (16-9-1)
Did not play.
No. 9 Western Michigan (17-10-0)
01/27/2023 – RV Omaha 1 at No. 9 Western Michigan 6
01/28/2023 – RV Omaha 2 at No. 9 Western Michigan 0
Minnesota got seven points from its top line in a 6-3 win over No. 15 Michigan State Saturday afternoon inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.
Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice as part of a three-point performance, Matthew Knies went for a goal and a helper, and Ryan Chesley picked up his first collegiate game-winning goal to secure the sweep. Five unanswered goals, including three in the second period, helped the Golden Gophers erase a one-goal deficit and earn their 13th straight victory against the Spartans.
“We responded,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said. “We tied it, got down, tied it again and then we kept responding. We got better as the game went on. It wasn’t an ‘A’ game, but we got better.”
With the win, the Gophers take the series and hit 20 wins for the third straight season.
Justen Close turned aside 26 shots for the win between the pipes.
Karsen Dorwart had a goal and an assist for MSU and Dylan St. Cyr finished with 24 saves in taking the loss.
No. 3 Quinnipiac 4, No. 12 Connecticut 3
For the second consecutive season, No. 3 Quinnipiac is the champion of Connecticut.
The Bobcats knocked off No. 12 UConn by a 4-3 count at M&T Bank Arena, scoring a pair of third-period goals to clinch the championship for the second consecutive season.
Ethan de Jong tied it with his second of the night and Jake Johnson won it with a top-corner shot from the point with 4:31 to go.
de Jong had a pair of goals on the night, helping earn him Most Outstanding Player accolades on the weekend.
Zach Metsa finished the night with three assists, while de Jong added an assist to match him with three points. Skyler Brind’Amour also had a multi-point contest, scoring the first goal and assisting on the game winner.
Yaniv Perets finished with 25 saves in goal.
For the Huskies, Arsenii Sergeev stopped 26 shots and Justin Pearson had a goal and an assist in the loss.
No. 4 Boston University 3, Boston College 1
Drew Commesso was outstanding in stopping 40 of the 41 shots he faced to backstop No. 4 Boston University to a 3-1 win and sweep over Boston College on Saturday night at Conte Forum.
BU scored twice in the second period to take a 2-0 lead and then added an insurance goal with 8:23 remaining in regulation to create the 3-1 final. Wilmer Skoog and Case McCarthy lit the lamp in the second while Jeremy Wilmer redirected a shot late in the third to put the game out of reach.
Willy with the sweet redirection to put us up by two!
Terriers freshman defenseman Lane Hutson posted his fourth straight two-assist game and became the first defenseman in the country to reach the 30-point mark.
Andre Gasseau netted BC’s lone goal and Mitch Benson posted 22 saves in goal for the Eagles.
No. 10 Harvard 6, No. 11 Cornell 2
Matthew Coronato scored a pair of goals, Sean Farrell notched a career-high four assists, and Mitchell Gibson made 31 saves to lead No. 10 Harvard to a 6-2 win over Cornell Saturday night at Bright-Landry Hockey Center.
Henry Thrun, John Farinacci, Ryan Siedem, and Alex Laferriere each had a goal and an assist to help the Crimson improve to 3-0-2 in its last five games against Cornell.
Lynden Breen had a goal and an assist and Didrik Henbrant and Donavan Villeneuve-Houle also scored for Maine.
Philip Svedeback stopped 32 shots between the pipes for Providence.
Holy Cross 4, No. 19 RIT 3 (OT)
Jack Ricketts stopped a rush by RIT’s Carter Wilkie, collected the puck and out-skated the Tigers’ defenseman that was on him, creating a breakaway opportunity and goal with 2:48 remaining in the extra frame for the win Saturday night at Hart Center Rink.
Ricketts also had an assist for a multi-point game, while Devin Phillips, Tyler Ghirardosi, and Nick Hale also scored.
Caleb Moretz went for a goal and a helper for the No. 19 Tigers, and Wilkie and Dimitri Mikrogiannakis added goals.
In goal, Jason Grande made 15 saves for Holy Cross while Tommy Scarfone stopped 23 for the Tigers.
No. 7 Michigan 5, No. 6 Penn State 4
Luke Hughes made history by notching four goals on Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena as seventh-ranked Michigan battled back from a three-goal deficit to knock off No. 6 Penn State by a 5-4 score.
U-M’s comeback win, after being down by three goals, was the first such victory for the Wolverines since Nov. 10, 2017, when the team battled back from a 3-0 deficit to beat Minnesota 5-4 in overtime.
Erik Portillo started in net for the Wolverines, earning his 50th career win as a Wolverine by turning aside 32 of the 36 Nittany Lions shots he faced.
Dylan Duke chipped in a goal for Michigan, while Adam Fantilli notched a pair of assists.
Xander Lamppa, Ture Linden, and Tyler Gratton scored for the Nittany Lions with Christian Berger adding two assists.
Liam Souliere made 22 stops in goal for Penn State.
No. 13 Michigan Tech 4, Northern Michigan 1
No. 13 Michigan Tech swept rival Northern Michigan with a 4-1 win Saturday night at the Berry Events Center.
“I thought our third period was very structured like last night,” Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan said on his 60th birthday. “Northern Michigan had some really good chances early but Blake (Pietila) was Blake. I think we got better and better as the game went on, and everyone in the lineup played well.”
Logan Pietila, Arvid Caderoth, Parker Saretsky, and Ryland Mosley scored MTU’s goals and Blake Pietila made 26 saves in goal.
“We have a big one at Bemidji and they have some games to make up, and then we have Bowling Green for Winter Carnival,” Saretsky said. “We need to come ready to work every day and the rest will take care of itself.”
Beni Halacz made 30 saves for the home team and Joey Larson scored for NMU.
Following video review and discussion with the on-ice and off-ice officials working the North Dakota at Miami game last night, the NCHC has determined that a game misconduct penalty was inadvertently not recorded on the official score sheet approved by game officials.
In consultation with the NCAA, the conference has corrected the penalty retroactively, which was the initial intent of the call on the ice.
The penalty not recorded was a game misconduct to North Dakota junior defenseman Tyler Kleven at 19:42 of the third period. Kleven was also assessed a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking at 19:42 of the third period, which was recorded in the original score sheet.
The game misconduct is Kleven’s third game misconduct penalty of the season, which by NCAA rule is an automatic one-game suspension. Kleven will serve the suspension tonight, Saturday, Jan. 28 in UND’s series finale with Miami. He is eligible to return for North Dakota’s series opener at Denver on Friday, Feb. 10.
DUKOVAC
Additionally, Miami freshman forward Max Dukovac was assessed a game disqualification penalty at 19:42 of the third period Friday night, which was recorded in the original score sheet. Per NCAA rules, a game disqualification penalty also carries an automatic one-game suspension. Dukovac will serve his suspension during Saturday’s series finale with North Dakota as well.
“The NCHC takes its responsibility to provide quality officiating and associated communication seriously,” the NCHC said in a statement. “Personnel matters involving on-ice officials and/or conference staff will be addressed internally.”
No. 4 BU scored six straight goals in a 6-3 victory over rival BC on Friday, doing so the Terriers take over first place in Hockey East (Photo: Kyle Prudhomme/BU athletics)
No. 4 Boston University proved how explosive its offense can be, scoring six straight goals to rally from a 1-0 deficit and win, 6-3 over Boston College in the Battle of Commonwealth Avenue, a legendary rivalry game in college hockey.
BU fell behind in the first, 1-0, when Trevor Kuntar registered a power play goal on a clearing pad that hit his body and bounced into the net.
It appeared that the Eagles would carry that lead into the first intermission, before Jay O’Brien tallied a goal with 0.4 second remaining.
Here's a look at OB's buzzer-beater that evened the score at 1-1:
The equalizer seemed to turn the tide. In the second, Jeremy Wilmer and Dylan Peterson added goals before defenseman Ty Gallagher scored twice to open the third and Luke Tuch extended the lead to 6-3 with 5:27 remaining. Gallagher finished the night with two goals and two assists to pace the BU offense.
Drew Commesso earned the victory for BU, making 24 saves.
The two favorites on Friday advanced with little resistance at the Connecticut Ice tournament at Quinnipiac, No. 12 UConn defeated Yale, 6-1, and No. 3 Quinnipiac shut out Sacred Heart, 5-0.
The duo will meet in Saturday’s title game while Yale and Sacred Heart will face-off in the consolation game.
Samu Salminen and and Justin Pearson each registered a goal and an assist and six different players cored goals for UConn in its 6-1 victory over Yale. Collin Graf scored twice for Quinnipiac in its 5-0 victory, while Yaniv Perets needed just 17 saves to earn the shutout victory.
The win for Quinnipiac was head coach Rand Pecknold’s 600th career victory.
Minnesota Duluth 5, No. 1 St. Cloud State 3
Ben Steeves scored three goals in less than 11 minutes to turn a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead as Minnesota Duluth rallied for a 5-3 victory over No. 1 St. Cloud State.
After Steeves completed the hat trick at 1:02 of the third, Kyle Bettens delivered the dagger at 4:03 extending the Bulldogs lead to three.
Adam Ingram netted his second goal of the night with 13:21 left, but Matthew Thiessen shut things down, finishing the game with 25 saves to earn the victory for Minnesota Duluth.
No. 10 Harvard 5, Colgate 4
Harvard scored the game’s final three goals, including Matthew Coronato’s game winner at 3:15 of overtime as the Crimson rallied for a 5-4 victory over Colgate.
Alex Young scored twice for Colgate, which jumped to a 4-2 advantage through two periods. But Zakary Karma and Henry Thrun scored in the third, Thurn’s equalizer coming with 40 seconds remaining.
After Harvard fell behind, 2-0, early Alex Leferriere scored twice late in the first to even the game.
UW-Stout looks to keep its streak going against UW-Stevens Point this weekend. (Photo Credit: Reese Kupsky, UW-Stout Athletics)
The final weekend of January is here and it’s all conference play across the schedule. Saint John’s and Augsburg play a big MIAC series, with Friday’s game being played outdoors, and nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point faces a big test against UW-Stout, the hottest team in the MIAC at the moment. In the NCHA, St. Norbert heads out on the road to take on Trine in a key conference series.
It should be a fun weekend ahead as every team is jockeying for position in the standings going into the final month of the regular season.
St. Scholastica (10-5-2, 7-0-1) vs. Hamline (9-7-1, 2-6)
The first-place Saints look to maintain their hold atop the standings. They have won their last two games and feature two of the best offensive players in the game in Arkhip Ledenkov and Filimo Ledenkov. The two have combined for 25 goals. Nathan Adrian has scored 12 goals on the year. Hamline is led by Sam Dabrowski (9 goals) and is coming off a big win over Saint John’s. St. Scholastica, 4-3 and 3-1
Saint John’s (10-7-2, 6-3-1) vs. Augsburg (9-7-1, 5-3)
The Johnnies face one of their toughest tests of the year as they take on the Auggies in a key MIAC series. There’s an added twist to the Friday night game as it will be played outdoors
Michael Nick is the second best goal scorer in the league, tallying 13 on the season for the Johnnies. Bailey Huber has been tough in goal and leads the league in goals against average (1.77). The Auggies also have a pretty good netminder in Samuel Vyletelka, who sports a 2.38 goals against average. Austin Dollimer has come through with nine goals. It won’t be a surprise if this one ends in a split. Saint John’s 5-3; Augsburg, 4-2
Saint Mary’s (8-8-1, 4-4) vs. Bethel (9-9-1, 4-5-1)
The Cardinals slit with the Oles last weekend and go into this series with a chance to gain some ground in the standings. They are currently sixth in the standings. Saint Mary’s has used a balanced attack this year, with no player scoring more than seven goals.
Bethel is led by Jarrett Cammarata, who has come through with nine goals on the year and he’ll try to help the Royals snap a three-game losing streak. Saint Mary’s, 3-1; Bethel 4-2
St. Olaf (11-7-1, 5-5) vs. Concordia (7-9-1, 4-4)
The Oles are just six points out of first place and could really position itself in a good place going into February with a strong series against the Cobbers. Tyler Cooper has scored the fourth-most goals in the league with 10. The Cobbers have shown they can compete with anyone and have won their last two games after losing their first four games of the month. They have an opportunity to go into February on a high note. St. Olaf, 3-1 and 5-3
UW-Stevens Point (12-4-3, 8-1) vs. UW-Stout (14-4-1, 5-3-1)
The Pointers are ranked ninth in the USCHO D-III men’ poll and face a big test against a hot UW-Stout team. The Blue Devils have won their last five games and are just six points out of first place.
An offensive show could be in store in this series. The top four goal scorers in the conference will be on the ice. Peyton Hart and Jacob Halvorson of UW-Stout have combined for 26 goals. Conor Witherspoon and Andrew Poulias have combined for 19 goals. UW-Stevens Point, 5-4; UW-Stout, 4-3
UW-River Falls (7-11-1, 1-7-1) vs. UW-Superior (10-7-2, 5-3-1)
The Falcons haven’t had an easy season and face a tall order on the road against the Yellowjackets, who feature two of the top goal scorers in the conference in C.J. Walker and Colton Friesen. Both have tallied nine goals apiece. The Falcons have taken nearly 30 shots per game on the season and Mike Gelatt has tallied six goals and seven assists. Yellowjackets should prevail but it wouldn’t surprise me if the Falcons get out of here with a split. UW-Superior, 4-3 and 3-2
St. Norbert (11-6-2, 8-3-1) at Trine (12-6-1, 7-5)
The Green Knights are eager to bounce back after falling in the final game of its series with Marian last weekend. Ben Schmidling will look to play a key role as he ranks second in the league in points with 27. He’s quite the playmaker as he has dished out 18 assists on the season. Trine has an opportunity to make a statement at home against the 12th-ranked team in the nation. Cristian Wong-Ramos ranks third in goals against average (2.28). Colby Entz of St. Norbert is second in that category (1.97). St. Norbert, 4-3; Trine, 3-2
Aurora (14-3-2, 10-0-2) at Marian (7-10-2, 4-6-2)
The Spartans hold down the top spot in the NCHA standings and come in ranked fifth in the country. Jack Jaunich ranks fifth in the league in points (26) while Kobly Thornton has been solid in goal, allowing 2.43 goals per game. Marian is riding the high of a win over St. Norbert last weekend and will need to duplicate that kind of effort to upset the Spartans. Aurora, 5-2 and 4-2
Concordia (3-16, 3-9) at Adrian (14-3-2, 8-3-1)
The Falcons won’t have it easy against the fourth-ranked Bulldogs, especially on the road. They are going to need a stellar defensive effort to get a win, having given up 95 goals on the season while scoring only 41. Adrian is on the cusp of clinching a conference tournament berth and are still one of the top scoring teams around, putting up 86 goals on the year. If that offense is clicking, Adrian will be in good shape. Adrian, 6-2 and 5-1
Jacob Guevin and his Omaha squad head to Western Michigan this weekend (photo: Bonnie Ryan).
It seems like twice every season, the college hockey schedule gods align to produce a handful or great rivalries.
This weekend alone will produce the following rivalry games, among others: BC-BU, UMass-UMass Lowell, Alaska-Alaska Anchorage, CC-Denver, Canisius-Niagara, Air Force at Army West Point, Rensselaer and Union, and Clarkson at St. Lawrence. Maybe not all register among the best games in the nation, but guarantee yourself that there will be plenty of intensity in these matchups.
When you’re looking to bet on these games, often times the underdog value line is best, given that more times than not the actual skill on the ice is surpassed by the passion in the locker rooms.
Thus, as you look at the lines, try to identify a game or two that has some potential value. We admit, we didn’t have lines on a lot of these games. But the few we do, there could be a little bit of hidden value when you contemplate the emotional component of the contest.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
Boston College (+185) at Boston University (-230); o/u 6.5
When these two teams faced one another just seven weeks ago, Boston College earned a 9-6 victory at home. So why is this line so lopsided?
Well BU has been elite since that time with just a single loss. But trust me that bookmakers are looking more a BC’s tie and loss to Vermont a weekend ago.
Bouncebacks are typically undervalued in gambling, which in this handicapper’s mind makes BC the better play. Though not a lot of people agree.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Massachusetts (+145) at UMass Lowell (-165); o/u 5.5
This has been a struggling season for UMass, which after a two-game sweep of Denver hasn’t had the victories this team expected.
Now they roll upon Lowell, a team that isn’t just a rival but one they’ve handled pretty well this season. There was a UMass win in Belfast and a 1-1 tie in Amherst. Now in Lowell, expect a good atmosphere for the River Hawks as they hope to defeat their rivals.
The River Hawks know they are fighting for their PairWise lives right now, needing wins like this one, while UMass needs every win, but more important a Hockey East playoff title, to earn an NCAA bid.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Penn State (+130) at Michigan (-160); o/u 6.5
Two teams have a great offense. Which wins?
That’s the questions with Penn State and Michigan. The football rivals have played tight in recent matchups, but Michigan has won is of the last seven. That said, the loss was this year in Happy Valley, a 3-0 Penn State win.
It’s difficult to handicap this other than to lean towards the obvious, Michigan. The over/under on the series has wavered above and below the 6.5 line set for this game, which makes that a difficult bet.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Omaha (+175) at Western Michigan (-215) ; o/u 6.5
The USCHO staff is unanimous with its choice of Western Michigan over Omaha. So let’s try to find a reason that the Mavericks could win.
For one, they’ve already swept Western Michigan, 7-6 and 3-1, at home. Isn’t that enough reason to sway the vote?
Omaha has won five straight games, allowing just four goals in that span. Have we made the case yet?
Maybe folks are favoring Western Michigan because of its six-game winning streak with an offense has produced almost six goals per game. And the Broncos have allowed less than two goals a game in that stretch.
OKay, good reasons to bet on either side.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
St. Cloud State (-175) at Minnesota Duluth (+140); o/u 5
Am I the only person who wonders when the real Minnesota Duluth will show up night in and night out?
This feels like a better than than we’re seeing on paper. And yes, there are always untold stories on why a team struggles. But how does this Bulldogs team consistently struggle?
It’s not the popular pick this weekend, but I like the Bulldogs on Friday. Maybe it’s the home ice advantage. Or just some je ne sais quoi. This team feels better than it’s record and seems due for a home ice upset.
(And don’t take my advice if you like your money. St. Cloud State should win this game easily).
Gustavus pulled off an upset of Augsburg last week for its first MIAC win. (Photo Credit: Gustavus Athletics)
Any given weekend. That’s the theme of D-III West Hockey this season.
A team can go into a big weekend series ranked in the top 15 in the USCHO D-III men’s national poll and seemingly the favorite only to come away feeling the sting of defeat.
The lesson here is that while rankings are great and they look good on resumes, in the end, they don’t guarantee you a whole lot.
Last weekend alone proved as much.
Reigning national champion Adrian took on Lake Forest in a key NCHA series and lost the finale 5-3. Its the second time this season the Foresters have beaten a ranked team. They beat then No. 14 Aurora in early November.
Marian took care of business against nationally ranked St. Norbert and if you are talking biggest upsets of the year. Gustavus might have come away with one of the most surprising results, picking up their first MIAC win of the year against then nationally ranked Augsburg, a final four team a season ago.
Here’s the thing about the Gusties. They had dropped six consecutive games and had lost 4-1 to Augsburg the night before. Not to mention the Gusties had lost 22 consecutive MIAC games prior to that win over an Augsburg team that has consistently been one of the nation’s best teams.
Just goes to show you that records often don’t matter, and if you catch the right breaks, victory is possible.
Perhaps we should have seen this madness coming just before the start of the new year as the Concordia Cobbers closed out 2022 with a win over a ranked Aurora Spartans team.
The upsets haven’t slowed down since.
We’ve seen Saint John’s stun UW-Stevens Point, a team that might just be good enough to make a run at the national title this year. Hamline has even come through an upset of the Pointers this year. It was their first win over the Pointers since 2017.
Bethel has also handed nationally Augsburg a loss when the Auggies were ranked. So has UW-River Falls, which has dealt with its share of up and down moments this year.
The hits the Auggies have taken in a highly competitive region certainly don’t mean they are doomed. They could easily end up as the team to beat when it’s all said and done and play deep into the NCAA tournament.
You just never know how things are going to shake out.
But what we do know is these upsets are great for college hockey. They give fans a reason to believe their team has a shot to win even if the news and notes on paper tell you otherwise.
As far as we all know, though, a game has yet to be won on paper. Hockey games are still settled on the ice and that’s what makes this sport so much fun.
One team dominating a sport isn’t any fun. Having parity and the belief that anything is possible is so much better for everyone involved.
Don’t expect anything to change over the next few weeks leading into conference tournament play. There are going to be more upsets along the way and it would be great to see that theme carry into the national tournament.
Any given weekend aren’t just three words that people like to say to give them hope. They are reality. At least when it comes to D-III hockey in the west region.
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:
• Boston College (+185) at Boston University (-230); o/u 6.5
• Massachusetts (+145) at UMass Lowell (-165); o/u 5.5
• Penn State (+130) at Michigan (-160); o/u 6.5
• Omaha (+175) at Western Michigan (-215) ; o/u 6.5
• St. Cloud State (-175) at Minnesota Duluth (+140); o/u 5
This college hockey podcast is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 6th and 8th, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Secure your seats at NCAA.com/mfrozenfour
