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:
UConn opens Toscano Family Ice Forum, Sacred Heart debuts Martire Family Arena to great atmospheres
Denver dominates Miami with back-to-back 7-0 wins
Michigan State gets back on track with four points at home vs. Penn State
Western Michigan’s potent offense explodes again at North Dakota
Minnesota State makes a statement sweep at Arizona State
St. Thomas gets its first win over a nationally-ranked opponent
Where does Colorado College fit in the NCHC playoff race?
At 13-1-0 overall and 11-0-0 in CCC action, the Endicott Gulls have lots to celebrate following their weekend sweep of the University of New England (Photo by Endicott Athletics)
It is mid-January and the good teams really start finding their game and getting results. Such was the case for Hobart, Norwich, Utica, Endicott and Plymouth State among others who realized weekend sweeps despite some close games. There were more than ten overtime games this past week and while not all were decided in the extra time, the tight nature of so many games points to some additional high drama coming at us over the remaining month of the regular season. Here are some of the major highlights from the weekend in the East:
CCC
Endicott faced the University of New England in a home-and-home series and took two key wins in CCC play to remain unbeaten in the conference at 11-0-0. On Friday night, the Gulls took a win on the road by taking advantage of four special teams goals in a 6-3 win. Ryan Willett, Garrett Devine, and Cassidy Bowes all scored on the power play while Connor Amsley added a shorthanded tally to pace the offense while Atticus Kelly stopped 20 of 23 shots. On Saturday, the Gulls completed the sweep with a 3-0 win on home ice. The game was scoreless for the first two periods as Billy Girard and Ryan Wilson were terrific in goal for the Nor’easters and Gulls respectively. In the final period, Matt Giroux broke the ice early for a 1-0 Gull lead and Zach Mazur and Amsley added late insurance for the final score. Wilson earned the shutout making 32 saves.
Curry looked to keep the Gulls in sight in the standings and took a weekend sweep over Nichols where they outscored the Bison by a 20-4 margin. In Friday’s 11-3 win, forward Mark Zhukov recorded a seven-point night picking up a pair of goals and adding five assists in the comfortable win for the Colonels. Zhukov and the Curry offense continued to put up numbers on Saturday as the forward added one goal and four assists to his weekend total and Curry scored six power play goals in the third period to complete a 9-1 rout.
Salve Regina also completed a weekend sweep with two one-goal wins over Western New England to stay among the top teams in the conference standings. On Friday, the Seahawks rallied from a 1-0 deficit late in the third period with goals from Walter Baumann and Logan Calder to take a 2-1 road win over the Golden Bears. On Saturday, the game couldn’t be decided in regulation time as the game went back and forth in a 3-3 tie through sixty minutes of play. Seth Benson wasted no time in giving Salve Regina the home win just 21 seconds into overtime.
Independents
After a 4-2 win over Potsdam on Wednesday night, Canton played a weekend series with Fredonia earning a split of the two games. On Friday night, the Kangaroos yielded an early goal to Ryan Bailey before reeling off five unanswered goals from five different players for a 5-1 win. Scott Cremen scored a goal and added two assists to pace the offense for Canton. On Saturday, the Blue Devils flipped the script coming back from a 2-1 deficit with four third period goals in a 5-2 win.
After losing to Wesleyan 5-2 on Tuesday night, Anna Maria traveled to face Rivier on Saturday in a battle of Independents. The AmCats moved to a 4-0 lead on goals from Patrick Peltola, Michael Padgeon, Aryan Batra and Cam Tobey and held off the Raiders in a 4-1 win. Goaltender Aidan Richardson was terrific, making 33 saves on 34 shots to earn the win.
MASCAC
Plymouth State eked out a 2-1 win at Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Thursday behind 39 saves from goaltender Brendahn Brawley. Jake Maynard scored on the power play to give the Corsairs an early lead but goals from Connor Tait and Payton Schaly to close out the first period was all the scoring the game would see. Daniel Davidson stopped 49 shots for the Corsairs but the offense could not solve Brawley again after Maynard’s first period tally. The win moved the Panthers to 9-0-0 in MASCAC play.
Worcester State extended their shutout streak to three games with two conference wins over Westfield State and Framingham State to move to 7-2-0 in conference play. On Thursday, Brian Clougherty scored a pair of goals and Jakub Kulik stopped all 24 shots he faced in a 4-0 win. On Saturday, second period goals from Brendan Ronan, Martin Dlugolinski and Brigham Neuhold were enough for goaltender Wyatt Friedlander who made 22 saves in the 3-0 shutout win.
Fitchburg State kept pace with a pair of MASCAC wins by just one goal over Framingham State on Thursday and Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Saturday. Against Framingham State, Joshua Miller, and Gene Bouthiette each recorded a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win over the Rams in head coach Dean Fuller’s 1000th game behind the bench. On Saturday, the Falcons eked out another one-goal decision in extra time as the Corsairs rallied from a two-goal deficit before Miller scored the game-winning goal just 26 seconds into overtime. The win moved the Falcons to 6-2-2 in MASCAC play.
NE-10
St. Michael’s moved to 5-4-1 in conference play and produced their first two-game win streak of the season in a sweep of Post. On Friday night, three power play goals from Brennan McFarland, Case Kantgias and Zach Taylor helped pace the offense in a 6-3 win. On Saturday, Jeremy Routh and Taylor gave the Purple Knights an early lead and goaltender Marshall Murphy stopped 34 of 35 shots on the way to a 4-1 win.
Southern New Hampshire hosted Assumption in a pair of games this weekend and the visitors came away with a big sweep. On Friday, the Greyhounds rallied in dramatic fashion with a five-goal third period for a 6-3 win over the Penmen. Ronny Paragallo, Shane Sullivan, William Smith and Alexan Mavrogiannis all scored in the first three minutes of play in the final period to rally Assumption to the road win. On Saturday, the game was much tighter as Camron Roberts finally broke the ice in the second period for the Greyhounds. That one goal was all that goaltender Drew Benedict would need in a 1-0 shutout win. Benedict stopped 34 shots including 17 in the third period alone.
St. Anselm downed Franklin Pierce on Friday by an 8-2 score. Andrew Andary and Will Christensen scored a pair of goals each and defenseman John Myers added three assists in win that moved the Hawks to 7-3-1 in NE-10 play.
NEHC
Hobart traveled to Southern Maine and Babson this weekend and picked up a pair of critical NEHC wins. On Friday night, goals from Tanner Daniels, Brenden Howell and Matthew Iasenza along with 21 saves from Damon Beaver were enough to down the Huskies, 3-0. On Saturday in a battle of ranked teams, the Statesmen downed the Beavers 4-1. Two goals from Ignat Belov and tallies from Iasenza and Austin Mourar paced the offense and Mavrick Goyer made 22 saves in the win that moved Hobart to 9-1-0 in conference play.
Norwich needed a little more drama in earning their weekend sweep as Friday night’s game against Massachusetts-Boston was scoreless for sixty minutes before Joe Nagle ended the game just 56 seconds into the extra session for a 1-0 win. Goaltender Sam Best stopped 32 shots for the Beacons while Drennen Atherton made 24 saves to earn the shutout win. On Saturday, the Cadets created a little more breathing room early in a 7-1 win over Johnson & Wales. Seven different players scored for Norwich and Johnny Johnson scored one goal and added three assists to move Norwich to 9-1-1 in NEHC play.
NESCAC
League-leading Amherst picked up a pair of one-goal wins over Tufts and Connecticut College to keep their hold on the top spot in the highly competitive NESCAC standings. On Friday night, the Mammoths raced to a 1-0 lead on a goal by Ryan Corcoran but the Jumbos responded with goals from Sam Miller and Mason Kohn for a 2-1 lead entering the third period. Power play goals in the third period Zachary Murray and Corcoran just 36 seconds apart led to the 3-2 road win. On Saturday, the Mammoths again trailed by a goal entering the third period before Ryan Tucker and Michael Pitts scored on the power play. Pitts added his second goal of the game to pad the lead and Amherst held on for a 4-3 win to move to 7-1-0 in NESCAC play.
Trinity continued their hot play in the second half and extended their NESCAC win streak to four games with a weekend sweep of Colby and Bowdoin. On Friday, the Bantams took an early two goal lead only to see the Mules rally to tie the game at 2-2 early in the third period. With less than five minutes remaining in regulation Gerrard Marretta scored the game winner in a 3-2 win. On Saturday, the game mirrored Friday’s as a two-goal lead evaporated when Bowdoin’s Jimmy Duffy tied the game early in the third period. Teddy Griffen scored on the power play to give Trinity a 3-2 lead and a pair of shorthanded goals in the final minute from Paul Selleck and Andrew Troy iced the 5-2 win.
Wesleyan kept pace with a win and a tie in Maine extending their current streak without a regulation loss this season. A three-goal second period spurred a 5-3 win over Bowdoin on Friday night and Saturday saw two goals in 27 seconds off the sticks of Jake Lachance and Liam Donelson tie the game in the third period for the Cardinals who finished with a 3-3 OT tie against Colby.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh took a 3-2 win over Middlebury and a 2-0 win over Williams to finish off their non-conference schedule. On Friday, the Cardinals took a 3-0 lead and held off the energetic Panthers. Luk Jirousek, Carson Gallagher, and Matt Araujo scored the goals and Jacob Hearne made 26 saves to earn the win. On Saturday, Bennett Stockdale provided all the scoring and Eli Shiller made 26 saves to earn the 2-0 shutout win.
After a 4-1 win over Manhattanville on Tuesday, Cortland continued their non-conference winning ways with a 4-2 win over King’s. Trailing midway through the second period, Geordan Buffoline tied the game at 2-2. In the third period, Nick Grupp and Trevor Veneklase scored to give the Red Dragons their tenth win of the season.
Following Tuesday’s non-conference game against SUNYAC opponent Fredonia (a 4-2 win), Brockport traveled to play Franklin Pierce on Saturday. Josh Grund, two goals and two assists, Chase Maxwell, two goals, and Andrew Hartley with two goals and one assist led the offense in an 8-4 win.
UCHC
Mic Curran scored two goals and added an assist in front of Bryan Landesberger’s 15 saves in route to a 5-0 win for Utica over Neumann on Friday night. On Saturday the Pioneers completed the weekend sweep with a 6-2 win that featured five unanswered goals to break a 1-1 tie with the Black Knights. John Moncovich scored two goals for the Pioneers in the win that moved them to 11-0-0 in UCHC play.
Nazareth hosted Manhattanville for a two-game series and Friday’s game was a seesaw affair that ended in a 4-4 OT tie (Nazareth won the shootout). Three times the Valiants held one-goal leads only to see the Golden Flyers rally to tie the score. Logan Tobias provided the tying goal in the third period as the hosts outshot the Valiants by a 41-22 margin. On Saturday, the teams exchanged special teams’ goals in the first period before Nazareth scored four straight goals, including a hat trick by Ethan Louisos, on the way to a 5-1 win.
On Friday night, Chatham needed three power play goals to rally for a 3-3 OT tie with Alvernia. The Golden Wolves won the shootout setting up an important re-match on Saturday. The Cougars again found themselves in a hole trailing 3-0 in the third period and rallied on goals by Andrew Warhoftig, Evan Mitchell and Matthew Doyle to send the game to overtime. This time the Cougars would find the golden goal off the stick of Zack Conner with an assist from Warhoftig for the 4-3 win.
Wilkes continued their win streak with a pair of wins over Arcadia this weekend. After a 4-1 win on Friday, the Colonels took advantage of four goals from Cam Lowe and five special team goals in a 6-2 win for the weekend sweep.
Three Biscuits
Ethan Louisos – Nazareth – scored a hat trick to pace Nazareth to a 5-1 win over Manhattanville on Saturday.
Mark Zhukov – Curry – recorded a seven-point game on Friday and a five-point game on Saturday in the Colonels’ two wins over Curry this weekend. Zhukov finished the weekend series with three goals and nine assists.
Joe Nagle – Norwich – scored the game-winning goal just 56 seconds into overtime to give the Cadets a 1-0 win over Massachusetts-Boston on Friday night.
The schedule now shifts to all conference play for virtually everyone over the next several weeks to close out the regular season. Expect the battles for points to heat up and scoreboard watching to start in earnest.
Sacred Heart opened its new Martire Family Arena Saturday night (photo: Meg Stokes).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. The Opening, Part I
We will start with Connecticut, which led the battle of Connecticut schools to open their brand-new arena by a single day as the Huskies hosted a women’s game at the brand new Toscano Family Ice Forum on Friday. A day later, it was a women’s/men’s doubleheader where more than 2,500 fans witness a heck of a game between Northeastern and UConn, the Boston-area Huskies coming away with a 4-3 victory.
Still, it’s a new era of having college hockey on campus for UConn, which still has the option to play select game in Hartford at the XL Center.
2. The Opening, Part II
On Saturday evening, the Martine Family Arena also hosted its first game, a men’s game between Sacred Heart and Boston College.
With a capacity of 3,600 listed online, the announced attendance that evening was 4,103, though the host Pioneers lost a heartbreaker to Boston College, 3-2 in overtime. Sacred Heart led and then fell behind only to rally on Kevin Lombardi’s goal midway through the third to tie it.
But Marshall Warren’s OT game winner game Boston College a road victory and improves the Eagles to 5-1-2 in their last eight games.
3. Joshua brings Michigan State out of a funk
It’s been a difficult few weeks for Michigan State, which entered a weekend series against No. 5 Penn State riding a five-game losing streak. Jagger Joshua, though, played a large part in changing the Spartans fate.
Joshua scored the tying goal in the third on Friday to help his team rally from 2-0 down before Cole Krygier won the game for Sparty in overtime. A night later, Jagger netted a hat trick, scoring each of the final three goals as Michigan State came back from 3-1 down to tie 4-4. The Spartans won the shootout for a five-point Big Ten weekend.
4. Gridlocked Big Ten standings
With this weekend’s results, the middle of the Big Ten standings is one big tie.
Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan State all have 24 points, though the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have two games in had on the Spartans.
That trio trails Minnesota by 10 points, and also has a seven-point advantage over Notre Dame.
Still, it feels like absolute gridlock in what is currently the top conference in Division 1 men’s hockey.
5. Western Michigan might have the most fun offense to watch
If you haven’t checked in lately, Western Michigan’s offense is on fire.
The Broncos scored 11 goals against North Dakota this weekend in wins of 4-0 and 7-6. The 7-6 victory included rallying from three goals down against the Fighting Hawks.
Add in the 16 goals that the Broncos netted in winning the Great Lakes Invitational two weekend ago, this Western Michigan team is as hot as any when it comes to scoring goals.
With 4.33 goals per game, Western Michigan is now tops in Division I, ahead of the 4.14 output of No. 1 Quinnipiac.
6. Harvard’s weekend brings Crimson back on track
Last Saturday’s 4-1 road loss at Quinnipiac was a difficult one for Harvard to stomach, given that the Crimson is the team in closest pursuit of the Bobcats.
But things feel back to normal after a 4-1 win over Clarkson and a 5-0 victory over St. Lawrence at home this weekend.
Harvard is now nine points behind the still perfect Quinnipiac team in the ECAC standings. But the Crimson also has a five-point lead on third-place Cornell, though the Big Red have two games in hand.
More importantly, the Crimson have moved to ninth in the PairWise Rankings, ahead a decent margin over 10th Western Michigan in the RPI.
7. Even with split, Colorado College more than relevant in NCHC
It’s fair to say that Colorado College’s 4-2 win over St. Cloud State on Friday was eye opening across the college hockey landscape.
Even after the Huskies responded with a 4-0 win to split the series on Saturday, it’s clear that second-year coach Kris Mayotte’s team is ready to contend in the NCHC.
CC is currently in the top four of the league as every school has played 12 games. There’s still plenty of hockey to be played, but the Tigers have to be considered a serious threat to take a home ice spot in the NCHC quarterfinals.
8. RIT takes four points, continues to roll in Atlantic Hockey
RIT may have let slip a third-period lead on Friday night against Mercyhurst, finishing in a 4-4 tie and losing the shootout with the Lakers. But a 1-0 victory on Saturday gave the Tigers a four-point weekend in Atlantic Hockey and a nine-point lead over second place Sacred Heart in the conference standings.
The Tigers remain the top AHA team in the PairWise Rankings, currently in the 22nd slot. It’s hard to imagine an at-large bid for the Tigers, but a crazy stretch run, that could begin with road success at Arizona State that weekend, could make RIT a dark horse for an NCAA at-large bid.
9. Minnesota State says, “Don’t count us out”
The defending national runner up hasn’t had smooth sailing all season, but Minnesota State has made a statement the last two weekends with four straight road victories.
The Mavericks swept a league series against Northern Michigan a week ago and then won two key nonconference games at Arizona State, 3-1 and 5-0, this past weekend.
Those victories brought Minnesota State above the PairWise bubble in a tie for 14th.
The Mavs return home this weekend for a two-game slate vs. Lake Superior, though everyone has likely circled their final two series – two games at Bemijdi State and two at home vs. Michigan Tech.
10. What can Brown do for you?
This hasn’t been the best season to date for Brown, but the last nine days have felt amazing for the Bears.
Brown ended a four-game winless skid last Saturday with a 6-2 win over nationally-ranked Merrimack. Then, home wins this weekend over Union (6-2) and Rensselaer (3-0) gave the Bears their longest winning streak since Mar. 8-19, 2019. That, by the way, was a four-game winning streak in the ECAC playoffs that brought Brown to the conference semifinals.
Team USA dropped a 5-2 decision to Slovakia for their first loss in Pool B play at the World University Games (Photo by Peter Lynch)
With both teams entering the game at 2-0-0, the match-up between Team USA and Slovakia figured to be a highly competitive game. After two periods of play with the score tied at 1-1, the third period saw the Slovaks with a 4-1 goal advantage on the way to a 5-2 win in Pool B.
Matus Zemko gave the Slovaks a 1-0 lead midway through the first period and the tempo for what would be a fast-paced and physical game was established by both teams. The Slovaks carried the play and shot advantage 14-9 with goaltender Dysen Skinner (Wisconsin – River Falls) surrendering the first goal against the USA from Zemko.
In the second period, Steven Szmul (Wisconsin – Eau Claire) evened the score at 1-1 in a period that saw the USA forced to kill off a major penalty against Luke Aquaro (Hobart). Team USA held the shot advantage for the period but couldn’t get anything else past Slovakia’s Samuel Vyletelka in goal.
In the third period, Olivr Giertl gave the Slovaks a 2-1 lead and just three minutes later, with the man advantage, defenseman Jan Marcinko extended the lead to 3-1. Two late goals extended the lead for Slovakia before Jack Ring (Plattsburgh) closed out the scoring for Team USA. The USA held a 46-34 shot advantage with Dysen Skinner finishing with 29 saves for the USA and Vyletelka stopping 44 of 46.
Team USA now stands at 2-1-0 in Pool B play and will face Kazakhstan on Wednesday, January 18.
No. 3 St. Cloud State (16-6-0)
01/13/2023 – RV Colorado College 4 at No. 3 St. Cloud State 2
01/14/2023 – RV Colorado College 0 at No. 3 St. Cloud State 4
No. 5 Penn State (17-6-1)
01/13/2023 – No. 5 Penn State 2 at No. 17 Michigan State 3 (OT)
01/14/2023 – No. 5 Penn State 4 at No. 17 Michigan State 4 (OT)
No. 6 Michigan (13-8-1)
01/13/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 7 at No. 6 Michigan 2
01/14/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 2 at No. 6 Michigan 4
No. 7 Boston University (15-6-0)
01/11/2023 – No. 19 Massachusetts 2 at No. 7 Boston University 6
01/14/2023 – No. 15 Cornell 3 at No. 7 Boston University 4
No. 8 Ohio State (15-8-1)
01/13/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 7 at No. 6 Michigan 2
01/14/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 2 at No. 6 Michigan 4
No. 9 Harvard (12-4-1)
01/13/2023 – Clarkson 1 at No. 9 Harvard 4
01/14/2023 – St. Lawrence 0 at No. 9 Harvard 5
No. 12 Western Michigan (14-9-1)
01/13/2023 – No. 12 Western Michigan 4 at RV North Dakota 0
01/14/2023 – No. 12 Western Michigan 7 at RV North Dakota 6
No. 13 Michigan Tech (15-7-3)
01/13/2023 – St. Thomas 0 at No. 13 Michigan Tech 2
01/14/2023 – St. Thomas 3 at No. 13 Michigan Tech 2
No. 15 Cornell (10-6-1)
01/14/2023 – No. 15 Cornell 3 at No. 7 Boston University 4
No. 16 UMass Lowell (12-9-1)
01/13/2023 – No. 16 UMass Lowell 2 at Maine 1
01/14/2023 – No. 16 UMass Lowell 3 at Maine 5
No. 17 Michigan State (13-11-2)
01/13/2023 – No. 5 Penn State 2 at No. 17 Michigan State 3 (OT)
01/14/2023 – No. 5 Penn State 4 at No. 17 Michigan State 4 (OT)
No. 17 Minnesota State (14-9-1)
01/13/2023 – No. 17 Minnesota State 3 at RV Arizona State 1
01/14/2023 – No. 17 Minnesota State 5 at RV Arizona State 0
No. 19 Massachusetts (9-10-3)
01/11/2023 – No. 19 Massachusetts 2 at No. 7 Boston University 6
01/15/2023 – New Hampshire 3 at No. 19 Massachusetts 1
No. 20 Boston College (9-6-4)
01/14/2023 – No. 20 Boston College 3 at RV Sacred Heart 2 (OT)
Team USA celebrates a goal by Peter Morgan (Geneseo) in an 8-0 win over the Republic of Korea on Saturday night (Photo by Peter Lynch – Team USA)
Team USA moved to 2-0 in Pool B play on Saturday night with an 8-0 win over the Republic of Korea. Ryan Kenny from Stevenson (14 saves) and Evan Ruschil from Williams (5 saves) combined for the shutout as the D-III-based US team has yet to surrender a goal through the first two games.
Offensively, Sam Ruffin (Adrian) again led the way with a three-point game on one goal and two assists while John Mulera (Salve Regina) chipped in with a pair of goals for the Americans.
A five-goal first period quickly put the game away for the Americans as Quinn Green gave the Americans a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the game. Peter Morgan (Geneseo) made it 2-0 just three minutes later and Jaden Shields (Adrian) added a power play goal just past five minutes into the game for a 3-0 lead. Mulera and Salve Regina teammate Mitch Walinski would close out the scoring for the 5-0 lead. Mulera added his second goal of the game in the second period along with a goal by Ruffin to extend the lead to 7-0 after two periods. Jack Jaunisch (Aurora) closed out the scoring in the third period. Team USA held a 61-19 shot advantage for the game.
“I really like the way the guys are playing selflessly and together at every position,” said head coach Mark Taylor. “I think our game today against Slovakia is set to be a good one.”
The Slovakia team is also 2-0 entering today’s game with shutout wins over Hungary (4-0) and Great Britain (14-0).
UConn was one of two Connecticut men’s programs to play their first game in a new building, though both the Huskies and Sacred Heart fell on Saturday night (photo: Hockey East).
In one of the craziest games of the year, No. 12 Western Michigan fell behind, 5-2, rallied to take the lead at 6-5 and then, after the Fighting Hawks evened the score, Carter Berger netted the game winning goal with 2:54 remaining to give the Broncos a 7-6 victory and a keep NCHC series sweep.
Luke Grainger put forth a massive effort for WMU, scoring twice and adding four assists for a six-point game.
North Dakota jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Connor Moore and Jackson Kunz. Western Michigan tied to the game on goals by Cole Gallant and Luke Grainger before Riese Gaber gave the Fighting Hawks the lead at 3-2 in the closing seconds of the first.
That lead was tripled in the middle frame before the Broncos began the comeback.
Grainger and Chad Hillebrand each tallied before the end of the second before Tim Washe and Hugh Larkin scored 17 seconds apart late in the third to give the Broncos a 6-5 lead.
In the opening men’s game at Toscano Family Ice Forum, Northeastern spoiled the party, rallying from 2-0 down with four straight goals, holding on for a 4-3 victory over No. 11 UConn.
It was one of two inaugural men’s games played at arenas on Saturday. Sacred Heart also opened the Martire Family Arena on Saturday, falling, 3-2, to Boston College.
UConn jumped to a 2-0 advantage on a first period goal by Chase Bradley and a goal at 8:42 of the second by Roman Kinal.
Jakov Novak closed the gap to 2-1 at 12:15 of the second, before Northeastern exploded for three goals in less than six minutes late in the third.
Aidan McDonough scored twice at 12:53 and 15:08 to give Northeastern the lead. Jack Hughes’ power play tally with 1:22 left appeared to be insurance.
UConn, though, continued to push and scored an extra-attacker power play goal late, but couldn’t find the equalizer as Devon Levi made 30 saves to earn the win.
No. 2 Minnesota 3, Notre Dame 0
Minnesota netminder Justen Close stopped all 38 shots he faced as the Gophers earned a 3-0 road victory over Notre Dame, taking four of six points in the Big Ten standings from the Irish.
Notre Dame was a shootout on Friday after the teams skated to a 2-2 tie.
Ryan Johnson, Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies all scored for the Gophers in the victory.
Minnesota maintains a 10 point lead over its closest contender in the Big Ten standings with six weekends remaining in regular-season play.
No. 17 Michigan State 4, No. Penn State 4 (MSU wins shootout)
Michigan State completed a five-point Big Ten weekend, rallying from 3-1 and 4-3 down behind a hat trick by Jagger Joshua. The Spartans scored three times in the shootout to earn the extra point in the standings.
Tyler Paquette broke a 1-1 tie at 4:45 of the second period on the power play for the Nittany Lions before Simon Mack doubled the lead at 7:58.
Joshua scored twice before the end of the period to tie the game before Danny Dzhaniyev regain the lead for Penn State at 3:43 of the third.
Joshua, though, needed just 11 seconds to score the equalizer before the Spartans won the shootout to take five-on-six points on the weekend.
St. Thomas 3, No. 13 Michigan Tech 2
Upstart St. Thomas ended Michigan Tech’s four-game winning streak, rallying form 2-1 down for a 3-2 victory on Saturday.
Luc Laylin scored the game-winning tally with 3:33 remaining, just 2:06 after Josh Eenisse evened the scored at 2.
Tommies notch their first ranked win in Division I history with this game-winner from Josh Eernisse and Luc Laylin 💥#RollTomspic.twitter.com/YccYChj9U4
The NCHC announced Saturday that it has issued a one-game suspension to North Dakota junior defenseman Tyler Kleven, in accordance with the conference’s supplemental discipline policy.
The suspension stems from an illegal hit during the Fighting Hawks game against Western Michigan last night at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
During Friday night’s game, Kleven was assessed a major penalty for cross-checking/direct contact to the head and given a game misconduct penalty at 19:15 of the second period.
Kleven will be required to serve the one-game suspension during UND’s series finale with Western Michigan tonight. Kleven is eligible to return for North Dakota’s series opener against Minnesota Duluth on Friday, Jan. 20.
No. 17 Michigan State got back to winning ways with a 3-2 overtime victory over No. 5 Penn State on Friday (Photo: Rey Del Rio/MSU Athletics)
No. 10 Merrimack’s slow start to the second half of the season continues to plague the Warriors as No. 14 Providence exploded offensively in an 8-3 road victory.
Merrimack is now winless in its last four games and twice in that span has allowed six or more goals to the Friars.
Parker Ford netted a goal and three assists while Taige Harding scored twice and added. helper to pace the Providence Offense. Philip Svedeback made 28 saves for the victory.
Valente with a great feed to Harding and he hammers it for his second of the night to make it a 6-1 game. Bennett Schimek earns the secondary assist.https://t.co/WaSlW7Zedipic.twitter.com/O9hSNiKlnw
Since Merrimack won 3-2 in overtime over Dartmouth in the Ledyard Bank Classic, in its first game out of break, the Warriors have struggled. Merrimack’s defense has allowed 23 goals those last four games after surrendering 33 goals in the first 18 games.
Cole Krygier’s goal at 3:36 of overtime gave host Michigan State a come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Penn State.
The Spartans never led in the game, falling behind on goals by Penn State’s Jarod Crespo at 6:11 of the second and a third-period tally by Ture Linden. Both of those game when Penn State had two-man advantages.
Erik Middendorf gave Michigan State live with 11:22 remaining, cutting to lead to 2-1. Jagger Joshua then found the equalizer with 6:49 left, setting up Krygier’s heroics.
The win snapped a five-game winless skid for the Spartans that included a fourth-place finish in the annual Great Lakes Invitational.
Colorado College 4, No. 3 St. Cloud State 2
After falling behind in the opening period, Colorado College scored four straight goals to grab control on the contest in a 4-2 road upset of No. 3 St. Cloud State.
The victory avenges two earlier losses to the Huskies in Colorado Spring in November.
Tyler Coffey scored twice on Friday for the Tigers, who jump into a tie for second place in the NCHC standings with St. Cloud State.
The two teams play the final of four games against one another in St. Cloud on Saturday.
No. 8 Ohio State 7, No. 6 Michigan 2
The visiting Buckeyes mustered 52 shots on goal, scoring on seven of them, silencing the Ann Arbor crowd for much of the night in a dominating 7-2 victory over host Michigan.
Ohio State scored four times on the power play, opened up a 5-1 lead late in the second and never looked back. Travis Treloar scored twice and added an assist.
The Wolverines, despite being ranked sixth in the country in the USCHO.com poll, fall to 4-6-1 in the Big Ten, just six points out of the basement. Ohio State, conversely, remains hot and moves past Penn State into second place, seven points behind first-place Minnesota.
Western Michigan and North Dakota played to a spirited 2-2 tie back on Dec. 9 in Kalamazoo, Mich. (photo: Ashley Huss).
I want to start this week by looking back at a prediction I made late in last week’s column. It was in regard to the college games being played at Fenway Park last weekend.
I was close to correct that no game would produce more than five goals. But what I failed to consider was the fact that as the day progressed, particularly for the men’s games on Saturday, the temperature got colder and the ice sped up. Because of that, the Boston College-UMass game ended up going over the 5.5 goals total, albeit on an empty-net goal.
Which is all proof that handicapping hockey games when factoring weather can be really difficult.
On to this week and we’re seeing something that hasn’t happened in this space in a while: North Dakota is a favorite against a nationally-ranked opponent, this time Western Michigan. At -125, the Fighting Hawks are still closer to a pick ’em with the Broncos (-105), but you can see North Dakota trending back in the right direction as we approach mid-January.
The underdogs this weekend aren’t very massive, though Ohio State at +135 at Michigan is pretty decent value. All that said, let’s try to break down a few of the key games.
All odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook:
Ohio State (+135) at Michigan (-165); o/u 6
It’s been a very long time – more than a month in fact – since Michigan played a game that counts (a 7-6 exhibition win on the USNTDP aside). So even with a game-night feel last weekend, you can still think that the Wolverines might feel some rust when they take the ice.
Ohio State, on the other hand, is playing solid hockey including a big sweep for the Buckeyes at home last weekend over Michigan State. OSU is riding a five-game win streak, but now must go on the road, which hasn’t been overly friendly this season (5-5-1 vs. 9-2-0 at home).
We should expect to see some goal scoring in this series, so the most attractive bet (particularly if you have any doubts about OSU) is likely over 6 goals.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Providence (-110) at Merrimack (-120); o/u 6
These are two teams licking wounds after last weekend. Merrimack took a tie against Yale and was run out of its building by Brown. Providence handed New Hampshire its first league win of the year before tying Army West Point. Both are looking for some bounce back here.
These two have already faced one another twice, a 3-2 win for the Warriors before break and then a 6-1 victory for Providence in the championship game of the Ledyard Bank Classic in Hanover. That was one of just two games that Merrimack has allowed six goals. The other? Last Saturday’s 6-2 loss to Brown.
It does give some pause about betting Merrimack, but given how strong this team was before the break, you have to believe there will be redemption at some point.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Minnesota (-150) at Notre Dame (+120); o/u 6
Minnesota is one of the heaviest favorites this weekend, and if you look at the USCHO staff picks, the books maybe don’t have the Gophers as a heavy enough pick.
All eight staffers like Minnesota, particularly after Notre Dame’s split a weekend ago with last-place Wisconsin. This is the second series for these two teams with Minnesota sweeping the first while allowing just a single goal in two games.
The over/under of 6 feels high given these two clubs only scored eight goals total (4-1, 3-0) in their first series.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Western Michigan (-105) at North Dakota (-125); o/u 6.5
Welcome back to the land of the favorites, North Dakota. Though it’s difficult to tell why the sudden change in hearts of bookmakers.
Sure, the Fighting Hawks are coming off a weekend sweep of Lindenwood, but that’s a team that’s 55th in the PairWise. The Fighting Hawks did take five-of-six league points against Western Michigan the last time they played in December, which must be just enough to sway the books.
But this is the same North Dakota team that went through a 2-5-1 stretch prior to that Western Michigan series, including 7-2 and 6-3 losses at the hands of St. Cloud State the first weekend of December.
Jim
Ed
John
Dan
Chris
Jack
Matt
Paula
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Minnesota Duluth (-110) at Omaha (-120); o/u 5.5
This is another critical NCHC series with both teams battling for home ice in the postseason and a rematch of what was an exciting two-game series in Duluth back in early November.
Neither team enters this series on fire. Omaha split its last series at home with St. Lawrence after being swept by Colorado College to end the first half. And Minnesota Duluth is coming off a tie and win against Bemidji State but isn’t far removed by a sweep at the hands of Denver.
The over/under seems perfectly set at 5.5. Both games between these two clubs ended with final scores of 3-2.
First-year Eli Shiller, along with Kyle Alaveardy and Jacob Hearne is among a troika of strong goaltenders supporting each other and Plattsburgh’s success on the ice (Photo by Gabe Pickens)
A quick look at the standings in the SUNYAC finds Plattsburgh in second place behind Oswego heading into the remaining conference games on the schedule. At 5-2-1, the Cardinals are only looking up at Oswego and still have a game remaining with the Lakers in the battle for the top which also includes defending champion Geneseo and a resurgent Cortland squad in the mix. This year’s edition of the roster has a great mix and balance of youth and experience and coach Steve Moffat is hopeful that the team’s best hockey is still coming in the second half.
“It’s terrible coach-speak and cliché for sure,” said head coach Steve Moffat. “It is one day at a time and Middlebury in front of us on Friday that we only need to worry about today. We had a pretty good first semester and in general, I think we played hard. We need to get better defensively as a team and continue the positive trending of a lower goals-against average and better save percentage so far this season. Without question if we want to end up playing for something at the end of the year our power play needs to be better as well.”
The Cardinals, like several other D-III teams, are managing through roster reductions with players representing the USA in the World University Games in upstate New York. Defenseman Jack Ring (7-6-13), who is second on the team in scoring behind Bennett Stockdale (7-7-14), is representing the USA and his absence creates both a challenge and an opportunity for the Cardinals over the next week or two.
“Jack will be missed both on and off the ice,” noted Moffat. “He is a key performer for us on the ice and eats a lot of minutes in all situations, but he has a great personality off the ice and lightens the locker room. He never takes himself too seriously and has a calming influence on the rest of the players. Those things will be missed for sure. The opportunity with Jack out is for other guys to get more minutes to step up and contribute in different situations including the power play. I have liked our zone time and momentum on the man advantage but we look for the pretty goal too much vs. the rebound and tough goals right in front of the net. I’d like to see us simplify things by getting more pucks to the net and more bodies in front to take away the goalie’s eyes and give us chances for rebounds in close.”
The Cardinals came back from an extended break to host a tournament last weekend where they lost to SUNYAC rival Oswego in the final by a 2-1 score. This weekend, the team plays two long-time rivals from NESCAC before the stretch run to finish out the regular season in conference play which includes match-ups with other contenders including Oswego, Geneseo and Cortland among the eight remaining league contests.
“We had a long break and I think last weekend we worked the rust off. Now is the time we really need to hit our stride and we will have two games this weekend where we better be ready to play. The records don’t matter when we play Middlebury or Williams and as we all have seen across D-III you can’t get in a hole against anyone and expect to come back and win – teams are too good now everywhere. As Coach Emery used to say, “you get to play a game 25 nights of 365 days in a year.” That is a really small sample size, so you better be motivated to go each and every time you get the opportunity to play. We are looking for that and our best hockey heading into the second half of the season.”
After traveling to Middlebury on Friday to face a Panther team they defeated 5-0 back in November, the Cardinals return home to close out their non-conference schedule at home against Williams College.
“It’s important to build some momentum this weekend for the remaining SUNYAC schedule with a strong finish to our out of league schedule,” stated Moffat. “We want to end one chapter on a good note and carry that into the final month of the regular season.”
Northeastern’s Devon Levi is presented the 2022 Mike Richter Award by the award’s namesake during Frozen Four festivities (photo: Jim Rosvold)
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced a watch list of 41 goalies who will compete for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.
The 41 goalies come from the United States (18), Canada (13), and Sweden (6), along with one each from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia and Russia.
Of the U.S. goalies, Michigan and Pennsylvania lead the way with four each. Of the goalies from Canada, the leading provinces were Alberta and Quebec with three each. There are five freshmen, 10 sophomores, eight juniors, 14 seniors and four graduate students among those recognized.
A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately 15 names within the next three weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four. A similar award to recognize the top female goalie in the NCAA is also presented by the HCA.
Past Richter Award recipients: 2014 – Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell; 2015 – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota; 2016 – Thatcher Demko, Boston College; 2017 – Tanner Jaillet, Denver; 2018 – Cale Morris, Notre Dame; 2019 – Cayden Primeau, Northeastern; 2020 – Jeremy Swayman, Maine; 2021 – Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota; 2022 – Devon Levi, Northeastern.
2022-23 Richter Award Watch List
Atlantic Hockey
Jarrett Fiske, AIC (SR – Erie, PA)
Tyler Harmon, Mercyhurst (GR – Ramsey, NJ)
Luke Lush, Sacred Heart (SR – Sherwood Park, AB)
Owen Say, Mercyhurst (FR – London, ON)
Tommy Scarfone, RIT (SO – Montreal, PQ)
Chad Veltri, Niagara (SR – Pittsburgh, PA)
Big Ten
Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame (SR — Medina, MN)
Justen Close, Minnesota (SR – Kindersley, SK)
Jakub Dobeš, Ohio State (SO- Ostrava, Czech Republic)
Jared Moe, Wisconsin (SR – New Prague, MN)
Erik Portillo, Michigan (SR — Gothenburg, Sweden)
Dylan St. Cyr, Michigan State (GR – Northville, MI)
Kiam Souliere, Penn State (JR – Brampton, ON)
CCHA
Noah Giesbrecht, Ferris State (SO – White Rock, BC)
Beni Halasz, Northern Michigan (FR – Budapest, Hungary)
Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech (SR – Howell, MI)
Mattias Sholl, Bemidji State (SO – Hermosa Beach, CA)
Christian Stoever, Bowling Green (SO – Northville, MI)
ECAC Hockey
Mitchell Gibson, Harvard (SR – Phoenixville, PA)
Carter Gylander, Colgate (JR – Beaumont, AB)
Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac (SO – Dollard Des Ormeaux, PQ)
Ian Shane, Cornell (SO — Manhattan Beach, CA)
Hockey East
Zach Borgiel, Merrimack (JR — Fort Gratiot, MI)
Drew Commesso, Boston University (JR – Norwell, MA)
Gustavs Davis Gringals, UMass Lowell (GR – Riga, Latvia)
Devon Levi, Northeastern (JR — Dollard Des Ormeaux, PQ)
Hugo Ollas, Merrimack (SO – Linkoping, Sweden)
Victor Ostman, Maine (JR – Danderyd, Sweden)
Arsenii Sergeev, UConn (FR (Yaroslavl, Russia)
Philip Svedeback, Providence (FR – Stockholm, Sweden)
Logan Terness, UConn (SO – Burnaby, BC)
NCHC
Dominic Basse, St. Cloud State (JR — Alexandria, VA)
Jaxon Castor, St. Cloud State (SR – Phoenix, AZ)
Magnus Chrona, Denver (SR — Stockholm, Sweden)
Jake Kucharski, Omaha (SR – Erie, PA)
Kaidan Mbereko, Colorado College (FR – Aspen, CO)
Ludvig Persson, Miami (JR – Hindas, Sweden)
Matthew Thiessen, Minnesota Duluth (SR – Steinbach, MB)
Independents
Nolan Kent, Alaska Anchorage (GR – Chestermere, AB)
Matt Radomsky, Alaska (SR – Winnipeg, MB)
T.J. Semptimphelter, Arizona State (SO – Marlton, NJ)
USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger analyze five games among top 20 D-I college hockey teams, looking at money lines and over/under as well as giving an in-depth look at the matchups. We also discuss getting information on injuries and lineups when betting.
This week’s games:
• Ohio State (+135) at Michigan (-165); o/u 6
• Providence (-110) at Merrimack (-120); o/u 6
• Minnesota (-150) at Notre Dame (+120); o/u 6
• Western Michigan (-105) at North Dakota (-125); o/u 6.5
• Minnesota Duluth (-110) at Omaha (-120); o/u 5.5
This college hockey podcast is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 6th and 8th, 2023 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Secure your seats at NCAA.com/mfrozenfour
Saint John’s has a big weekend ahead, taking on UW-Stout and UW-Stevens Point. (Photo Credit: Saint John’s Athletics)
A lot of non-conference action is going down this weekend between the MIAC and WIAC as we reach the midway point of January, though there is a big MIAC battle on tap with Augsburg and Bethel squaring off. In the NCHA, MSOE and Trine will battle in a key conference series.
Check out the picks below.
UW-Stout (10-4-1) at Saint John’s (8-5-2)
The Johnnies have won their last two games and playing two games at home this weekend is a big deal. Saint John’s is averaging 3.3 goals per outing and has been successful on the power lay this season, converting on nearly 30 percent of its opportunities.
The Blue Devils are in the midst of a turnaround season and come in unbeaten in their last three games. UW-Stout has been highly successful on penalty kill opportunities, finding success just over 89 percent of the time. The Johnnies are unbeaten in their last nine against the Blue Devils. Home ice could be the difference. Saint John’s, 4-3
UW-Stevens Point 9-2-3) at Concordia (5-7-1)
The Pointers have been a great team on the road and they’ll look to continue that success with a battle against the Cobbers. Their depth offensively has been tough to contend with this season as 23 different Pointers have tallied at least one point.
The Cobbers are trying to get back on track, having lost three in a row, after winning three of their last four in December. Ending the streak against UW-Stevens Point will be a tall order, though the Cobbers did get a win over nationally ranked Aurora last month. UW-Stevens Point, 4-1
UW-River Falls (6-8-1) at St. Scholastica (7-4-2)
The Falcons are playing with confidence as they hit the road for this non-conference gam. They are coming off a big win over nationally ranked Augsburg and have an attack that features Mike Gellatt, who is the reigning WIAC Player of the Week. He tallied three goals and four assists last weekend. Finding wins on the road has been tough, however, as UW-River Falls is just 1-4-1.
Arkhip Lendekov is the reigning MIAC Player of the Week and has been one of the better offensive players in the league this season. He has tallied nine goals on the season. He and the Saints will try to earn a big win against the Falcons. St. Scholastica has won two in a row and is unbeaten at home (4-0-1). St. Scholastica, 3-2
Saturday
Saint John’s (8-5-2) at UW-Stevens Point (9-2-3)
The Johnnies close out a huge non-conference weekend with a game against the nationally ranked Pointers. UW-Stevens Point comes in ranked 10th in the nation and has one of the more versatile offenses in the nation. The Pointers also have depth at the goalie position. They are 4-1-1 away from home this season. The Johnnies will hope for a little revenge after losing 4-2 to the Pointers last season. UW-Stevens Point, 5-3
Friday and Saturday
St. Mary’s (7-7-1, 3-3-) vs. St. Olaf (10-4-1, 4-2)
The Cardinals have been a team on the rise as of late, winning six of their last seven and now they try to keep that momentum going against one of the top teams in the league. Five times during that run they have scored four or more goals. They’ll need that kind of production against the Oles, who once again received votes in this week’s USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
St. Olaf has won two of its last three and owns a winning record at home and on the road, which bodes well for this home and home series. Getting on a roll early offensively is key. St. Olaf, 4-2 and 3-2
Augsburg (7-5-1, 3-1) vs. Bethel (8-6-1, 3-2-1)
The Auggies are 12th in the country this week as they play a key MIAC series against the Royals. A lot will be on the line in this one. Augsburg has dropped its last two games and four of its last five overall. But this is still a dangerous team that can get hot at any time, especially with the depth it has offensively Five players have at least nine points on the year.
For the Royals, it’s a chance to make a statement, though, like the Auggies, they are working to get back on track. Bethel comes in having lost its last three games. They also have a lot of balance on offense. Augsburg, 5-3; Bethel, 4-3
MSOE (10-5, 5-3) at Trine (11-5-1, 6-4)
The Raiders face a key road test in NCHA play with a weekend series against the Thunder. MSOE is coming off a sweep of Marian and hopes to keep things rolling in the right direction. Christian Sabin has played weel offensively, scoring 11 goals on the season.
Trine has been one of the better teams in the region as of late, winning seven consecutive games. They also have one of the top scorers in hockey in Garrett Hallford, who has come through with 13 goals on the season. These two teams split their series last season. Trine, 5-3; MSOE, 4-3
Lake Forest (6-6-3, 3-3-2) at St. Norbert (9-5-1, 6-2)
The Foresters come into this NCHA hoping to make a statement against the ninth-ranked Green Knights. Lake Forest has won its last two and has played well on the road, going 4-3-2. They are going to need one of their better all-around efforts of the year to hang with St. Norbert. Earlier this season, Lake Forest forged a pair of ties against nationally ranked Aurora.
St. Norbert is hoping to get things going again after dropping back-to-back games to Aurora. The Green Knights have played some tightly contested games this season, but being at home should help. And this is a team that has tallied 52 goals while allowing only 29. St. Norbert, 5-3 and 4-3
Ohio State’s Michael Gildon gets the puck past Michigan State goalie Dylan St. Cyr during last weekend’s series (photo: Jay LaPrete).
With all eyes on the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament last week and the young Big Ten talent that was on display there, it’s easy to see why Minnesota is the top team in the conference and why Michigan looks very much like it will be in the NCAA tournament mix yet again.
Both the Golden Gophers and the Wolverines have had highly touted recruiting classes for the past several seasons and are programs deserving of the attention they receive.
Penn State is another B1G team making noise that no one can ignore. The Nittany Lions have returned to their high-flying days of old, averaging 3.73 goals per game and with at least one win over every Big Ten opponent. Eight points behind league-leading Minnesota, the Nittany Lions look to finish this season far above their second-to-last place showing of 2021-22.
There’s another Big Ten team, though, that is playing itself into the end-of-season conversation. After a home sweep of Michigan State last weekend, Ohio State climbed ahead of the Spartans in conference standings and now sits in third place, one point behind Penn State. The Buckeyes may not get the chatter, but they’re getting the points – and that’s all that matters to coach Steve Rohlik.
After dropping two road games to the Spartans in November, the Buckeyes earned their second conference sweep of the season with 3-1 and 6-0 home wins.
Rohlik said that the earlier games at Michigan State “could’ve gone either way” and that Adam Nightingale “has done an incredible job with that program and obviously they’re as good as anybody, which they’ve already proven. If people haven’t watched them play, then they’re missing something because they’re good and can beat anybody in our league.”
While those losses in East Lansing were frustrating, Rohlik said all the Buckeyes were focused on in the rematch this past weekend was winning games.
“To me it’s about the process and it’s about the next game and right now for us it’s about Fridays – get a chance to win Friday, and then it’s about Saturday,” Rohlik said. “To me, it’s about getting two wins.”
With those wins, Ohio State joins Minnesota and Penn State as the three teams in the conference who have at least one win over every other Big Ten opponent.
“I say this, and I’ve said it for a long time — it’s so hard to win at this level, and you’ve got to applaud every time you win because you’ve definitely done something right,” said Rohlik. “If you are ever fortunate to be in a position to win on back-to-back nights, you kind of put that in your back pocket and then it’s back to work on Monday and prepare for the next week.”
That blue-collar work ethic is something that has helped Ohio State reach the NCAA tournament three times in the 10 years that Rohlik has been head coach, including a Frozen Four appearance in 2018. Since their last tourney appearance in 2019, the Buckeyes have worked to find the kind of consistency that will get them there again – and they may have found it this season.
Many coaches talk about chemistry and commitment and culture, but Rohlik’s language about this year’s eam is as pragmatic as it is enthusiastic. The Buckeyes, he said, function as a team first and foremost.
“I think it’s been from the start,” said Rohlik, “just our talk about how we’ve got to win together, we’ve got to win as 27, and it’s going to take all of us.”
Like most teams, though, the Buckeyes have found themselves without key players.
“Sure enough, you get five games into the year, you lose two guys for the year,” said Rohlik. “People forget Gustaf Westlund, who’s a pretty darned good player, is out for the season five games into it. Mark Cheremeta’s out for the season. We’ve had guys out six, seven weeks at a time.”
Westlund, a fifth-year player, had eight goals and eight assists last season. Cheremeta, a junior, had five last year. Without depth, said Rohlik, any team has difficulty putting itself in a position to succeed.
“I credit our guys for how hard they’ve worked and it’s a team thing,” said Rohlik. “The guys that have zero or one goals are just as happy for the guy that’s got nine or 10. That’s really the difference.”
The Buckeyes have a trio of forwards – Davis Burnside, Joe Dunlap, Cam Thiesing – who have 10 goals apiece, but not a single Ohio State player is among the top 20 scorers in the country for goals per game or points per game, and only sophomore Mason Lohrei is among the nation’s leaders in assists, tied for 17th (0-17—17). Yet Ohio State is seventh nationally in goals per game (3.64), a stat emblematic of the Buckeyes’ team-first approach.
No one embodies that more, said Rohlik, than team captain Jake Wise, a fifth-year player who spent his first three seasons with Boston University.
“First and foremost, he’s a better person than he is as a hockey player, and that to me is amazing,” said Rohlik. “When you’ve got a guy wearing a ‘C,’ you talk about leadership, it’s about how many guys want to follow him, how many guys are doing what he’s doing. That’s the thing that he brings.”
With seven goals – four on the power play – and 14 assists, Wise is tied with freshman Stephen Halliday (6-15—21) for team points leader. In addition to his leadership qualities, Rohlik said that Wise is easy to coach, a player always working on his game.
“He’s learning to be a 200-foot player,” said Rohlik. “He’s learning to be in all aspects. He’s learning how important draws are every night. He’s killing penalties. He’s on the power play. He’s four-on-four. He’s in the middle of everything, but he’s one of the biggest team guys that you can ever imagine.”
Another key to Ohio State’s steady climb this season is sophomore goaltender Jakub Dobes, whose goals-against average (2.12) is 13th best in the nation while his save percentage (.923) is 11th.
“He goes in there and he gives you a chance every night,” said Rohlik. “He gives you that little extra step that you need to maybe make that extra play. A mistake might happen, and he’s there for you. The best part about Jakub is his intent in trying to get better every day.”
This weekend, Ohio State travels to play Michigan, a rivalry as intense as any in collegiate sports. Rohlik doesn’t care what the standings say. He’s preparing for a team that’s “so talented, so dangerous” that it’s easy for people to forget how young Michigan’s team is.
“It takes time sometimes,” Rohlik said, “when you’re dealing with 18-year-old kids that are stepping into the college level that certainly are elite, but they’re dealing with school, they’re dealing with other pressures, they’re dealing with you name it. When all of that clicks, that’s when you see a team take off.
“We understand what they are. We understand how good they are and that we’ve got to be at our best. Any time we play that team up north, no matter what team’s what, it brings the best out of everybody. It’s competitive, and you just never know.”
This series will be the first non-exhibition action the Wolverines (12-7-1, 4-6-0-0 B1G) have seen since their 2-1 home win over Michigan State. Dec. 10. Michigan is 7-5-0 against Ohio State in the last three seasons, and the Buckeyes (14-7-1, 7-5-0-0 B1G) have dropped the last four meetings in Yost Ice Arena.
Jaroslav Chmelar has been an impact player this season for Providence (photo: Rich Gagnon).
Chem-el-ar. That’s the way pronunciations seemingly make sense if you’re an American, even if it’s incorrect.
Hem-el-ash. Em-el-ash.
Ell-ash. Il-ash.
All of those pronunciations seem to have been used over the last few weeks for Jaroslav Chmelar (answer: the correct pronunciation is him-ELL-ahsh), a 6-foot-4 rookie at Providence who was one of the best players at the recent World Junior Championship as he helped captured the silver medal for Czechia.
For Providence coach Nate Leaman, he’s happy to make sure he knows exactly how Chmelar wants his name pronounced. But more than anything, he’s happy to have Chmelar in the program.
“I had his family over for Thanksgiving,” said Leaman. “I asked them, and they said ‘CHIM-lar.’
“I said, ‘Why does everyone say ‘him-ELL-ahsh?’ They said, ‘Nah, ‘CHIM-lar.’ You have to ask the kid himself and see what he tells you.”
Regardless of how you pronounce his name, Chmelar is poised to become one of the best forwards in Hockey East this season, having already scored 10 points (six goals, four assists) in 18 games as a rookie.
The oversized forward has one of those frames that makes him miserable to defend net front, as many teams learned during the recent World Junior Championship.
“Czechia had a really good team,” said Leaman. “I had not seen Jaroslav play until the World Junior tournament this past summer (the tournament was postponed from December to August because of COVID). In his first game, I called both of our assistants and said, ‘This kid’s a player.’”
So began the recruiting of Chmelar, who had played much of his junior career in Finland and, as a Czech player, had mastered the English language.
“We got a call that he was interested in coming over and playing college hockey,” said Leaman of how a very non-traditional process to acquire Chmelar began. “We all started watching video on him and we all liked him. He fit exactly what we needed.
“It was easy for us to make the decision to recruit him. His English was really good. Some schools it’s super easy to get him in. [Providence] is not one of those schools. Our Europeans have to be good students. I think Jara had above a 3.0 the first semester.”
With plenty still to learn, Chmelar has already impacted this Friars lineup that enters this weekend in fifth place in Hockey East and just below the NCAA bubble in the PairWise. Hoping that Chmelar can return from World Juniors and use his experience at that tournament for a second time is something Leaman understand could be a difference maker for the Friars down the stretch.
“He’s really good at being hard and heavy around the nets,” said Leaman. “He’s hard and heavy around the walls. He can skate on rushes, and he can score.
“I saw Riley Duran take a step [after the World Junior] tournament and I expect Jara to do the same. He had a really good start to the year with us but at the end [of the first semester], that first term for freshman, it’s hard. It’s coming down to exams and the intensity of the season can catch up with you. He had hit a minor wall there.”
Once Czechia won the silver medal in the team’s heart-breaking loss to Canada in the final, Leaman knew that the team intended to return all of its players home. And despite the fact that the Friars could have used Chmelar last weekend against New Hampshire and Army, Leaman understood that allowing his dynamic rookie to return to his homeland was critical as well to the player’s mental wellbeing. Thus, he told him to go home to Czechia with his team instead of boarding a flight from Halifax back to Providence.
“The reason we sent him home for four days is because he hasn’t seen his family in six or seven months, and that’s important,” Leaman said. “His family came over for Thanksgiving, but I think it’s different to be home. And I think it was important to give him four-to-five days without hockey. He went from the August World Juniors to campus to playing with us to World Juniors again. This kid needs a bit of a break.”
Leaman knows already that there is plenty of room for improvement for the silver medalist. He indicates that his ability to work on the rush can continue to improve as can his penalty killing given his frame and long reach. That all will come this season and is a reason that the Friars and its fanbase should feel highly enthusiastic about this young player, a 2021 fifth-round pick of the New York Rangers.
And make one thing clear: by the time Chmelar matriculates to the professional level, everyone in the hockey world should be able to pronounce his name.
The 31st edition of the Winter World University Games will conduct the Opening Ceremonies today in Lake Placid, NY while Team USA opened pool play in the hockey tournament last night with an 18-0 win over Great Britain (Logo from FISU – World University Games)
Team USA, represented by D-III players for the first time, opened the World University Games tournament in Pool B with an 18-0 win over Great Britain. Dysen Skinner (7 saves) and Evan Ruschil (1 Save) combined on the shutout out while forward Same Ruffin from Adrian recorded four points with a goal and three assists to lead the offense.
Jack Jaunich (Aurora), Quinn Green (Wisconsin – Eau Claire), Austin Master (Stevenson), John Mulera (Salve Regina), Luke Aquaro (Hobart) and Zachary Heintz (Adrian) all scored two goals in the runaway win that saw Team USA outshoot GBR by an 81-8 margin.
The team will play their next game on Saturday, January 14 against South Korea.
Abby Harris (December 30, 2002 – December 29, 2022) (Photo by George Harris [Father of Abby])We welcomed back with open arms our first full week of D-III Women’s hockey out east since the winter break. Much has occurred since, for the good and for the bad. Some teams are on winning streaks and players reaching personal/program milestones, but most importantly, many associated with the Manhattanville Hockey & Athletics program are mourning the tragic loss of a women’s hockey player who will always be a member of the Valiant Family.
We Mourn the Loss of Abigail “Abby” Harris (December 30, 2002 – December 29, 2022)
Some heartbreaking news, the Manhattanville Women’s Hockey program along with the entire D-III Hockey Community lost a beloved member on Thursday, December 29, 2022. Her name was Abigail Harris, known as Abby. Via Manhattanville Athletics, Abby joined the team during the 2020-2021 season, also known as the COVID year; she was then unfortunately diagnosed with brain cancer prior to the start of the 2021-2022 season. In a quote taken from Manhattanville Athletics, Head Coach Jennifer MacAskill said “Abby’s legacy within our program and our lives will never be forgotten. She was a selfless teammate, a fiercely loyal friend, and a light in the lives of everyone who had a chance to meet her. This loss is felt deeply by our players, alumni and staff and our hearts are with George and Lourdes Harris [Her Parents].”
It was also mentioned in the article how Abby, after being diagnosed, spent time traveling the world with her family and rooting for her favorite NHL team, the Boston Bruins. The full link to the article via Manhattanville Athletics can be found HERE and Abby’s Obituary can be found HERE.
Abby Harris (Photo by Manhattanville Athletics)
In other tributes to Abby, the Manhattanville Men’s hockey team had a moment of silence before their game vs Utica University during the pre-game intros and national anthem to honor her legacy. The Women’s team returns home this Friday and Saturday where they will collect donations to the Abby Harris Hockey Scholarship Fund.
Hamilton is on a tear
Hamilton College opened the year ranked #15 in the USCHO preseason poll are currently climbing their way up the ranks, now sitting at #6 after a 10-2-0 start. What’s crazy about Hamilton’s current record, 9 out of their 12 games have been against opponents who are either currently ranked or were ranked in the USCHO top-15 poll, to be exact, 75% of their games have been against ranked opponents. Hamilton has only lost two games, one being a 2-1 road loss to Oswego State and the other was in a two-game series vs (now #4) Amherst where the Continentals got shutout 4-0. Other than that, they’ve been perfect, the ranked opponents they’ve defeated so far (ranking at time of game) #11 Amherst, Oswego State (has floated in and out of the rankings), #15 Endicott *twice, #10 Elmira, #6 Colby *twice, & most recently they defeated #13 Nazareth 4-1 at home.
Hamilton is off to a 10-2-0 start on the year after a string of ranked wins, most recently vs #6 Colby *twice* and #13 Nazareth (Photo by Josh McKee – https://www.mckeephotoarts.com/)
Hamilton is currently way ahead of pace in terms of pursuing the best record in program history, sitting at 10-2-0, they’re looking to give the current favorites Amherst a run at the NESCAC title. Remember how I mentioned the NESCAC is the best conference in women’s D-III hockey? Well currently they have the #4, #6, #7, #9, #14, & #15 ranked teams in the USCHO poll. This conference could very well take up all but one at-large bid this year.
Hamilton’s next test is a two-game home slate vs Williams College (7-5-0) on Jan. 13/Jan. 14 at 7pm/3pm ET.
Two Red Dragons earn milestones!
The Cortland Red Dragons had some historical accolades take place in their 6-0 shutout win over the Morrisville Mustangs. Graduate-Senior Grace Schnorr had 1 goal and 3 assists in the win in which she also reached two accolades. She achieved her 100th career point which makes her the first player in Cortland Women’s Hockey history to reach this mark. By recording 3 assists, Schnorr now has 43 career assists which is most all time in Cortland Women’s Hockey history, breaking the tie she had at 40 with the previous leader Judy Ellis – (2003-2007).
Grace Schnorr & Molly Goergen both achieve personal milestones and break program records in the team’s 6-0 shutout win over SUNY Morrisville (Photo by Darl Zehr Photography)
The second player to earn a program record was goaltender Molly Goergen who recorded her 9th career shutout, the previous record was 8 by Chelsea Allain – (2017-2020). The most impressive feature of the record-setting shutout was the fact that Goergen broke the record in just one-and-a-half seasons of play. The future for the sophomore goaltender looks bright.
Other Notable Results
#3 Plattsburgh defeated #8 Middlebury 2-1 in OT on Tuesday 1/10/23.
#5 Amherst swept Trinity, winning 2-1 & 3-1 on 1/6/23-1/7/23.
#7 Norwich defeated William Smith 2-1 on 1/7/23.
#10 Elmira defeated #7 Norwich 3-2 on Friday 1/6/23.
#15 Utica shutout Oswego 5-0 on 1/10/23.
SUNY Canton & Oswego tied 0-0 on 1/7/23.
As we look ahead on another week of hockey, let’s take a minute and remember to be fortunate every day you wake up and that your version of a bad day is probably someones version of a good day. Don’t take life for granted.
Yaniv Perets picked up ECAC Hockey goaltender of the week honors on Monday (photo: Rob Rasmussen),
In 1994, Quinnipiac hired Rand Pecknold to replace Jim Armstrong as the head coach of its Division II hockey program.
The assistant coach at Connecticut College, Pecknold won the 1990 ECAC South championship as part of a career spent skating as both a forward and a defenseman. He had never been a head coach, but the university hired him to replace the head coach who won 140 games over the previous 14 years with the then-named Braves
Five years later, the program elevated to Division I as members of the newly-formed league under the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference’s banner, and Pecknold, who had won 19 games in the final year before the elevation, accelerated a process that culminated in 2016 when a 32-win program became No. 1 in the country as members of the highly-touted ECAC league. The renamed Bobcats were national runners-up that year for the second time, but the clear entrenchment of a top ranking offered a capstone for a program now routinely winning 20 games per season.
Six years later, Quinnipiac elevated to the No. 1 national ranking for a second time by beating Harvard and Dartmouth, but this week, the Bobcats offered arguably the greatest tribute to their head coach and the program he constructed when they became the top-ranked team in the nation. They once again defeated Harvard and Dartmouth, but they did so during a time when their head coach and a top scorer were absent from the team for the 2023 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championships.
“Our foundation’s been set for years and years,” said defenseman Zach Metsa. “And Rand’s done a great job getting every one of the coaches and players behind it. So when he stepped away, everyone kind of just understood what they had to do and what we needed to do as a team to get ready for the weekend. Some of the things we looked for and prepared for made it as smooth of a transition as we could have asked, and it was awesome seeing everyone step up [in practice].”
The World Juniors are always an interesting subplot to the college hockey season. They occur during the holiday season, and their impact is felt annually when top players and coaches depart several of the strongest NCAA programs. Pecknold had been tabbed back in April of last year to lead this year’s Team USA roster, but his departure meant Quinnipiac entered the game at Holy Cross without its head coach or forward Sam Lipkin, who was chosen to play on the American roster.
The Bobcats won that game handily with a 4-1 result, but the Crusaders held Quinnipiac to a scoreless draw after the first period and took a 1-0 lead in the early stages of the second before Jacob Quillan scored twice. Two power play goals in the third later salted away the team’s 15th win in 18 games, but as the team parted ways for Christmas, it offered a reflection on how to prepare for its return to league play at the start of January.
“[Assistant coaches Joe Dumais and Mike Corbett] were both more than capable of taking on that bigger role,” said forward Joey Cipollone. “They both do a great job with us, not only preparing us for practices but also with player development and making sure we had a really solid game plan going into the weekend. Not much changed in our day-to-day, and it was really exciting for us to see them work, knowing how much work they put into it for us. Going out and putting in a good effort for them was something that we took a lot of pride in doing.”
Quinnipiac had long been the established front runner of ECAC, but this past weekend’s series only added to the layers of perspective for the Bobcats’ upcoming road. The World Juniors didn’t end until Jan. 5, and the first game of the second half of the season was the next day against Dartmouth with Harvard expected to visit M&T Bank Arena the next day. That the two opponents were on opposite ends of college hockey’s statistical rankings didn’t matter, especially since Team USA expected to play for a medal on the tournament’s final day.
Dartmouth had played well against Quinnipiac during the team’s first meeting in Belfast, Northern Ireland as part of the Friendship Four, and Harvard had been the preeminent challenger to the Bobcats’ top status in the conference throughout the first half of the season.
Dartmouth head coach Reid Cashman had been on Pecknold’s staff in Canada, and Harvard ranked ninth in the country after pounding Northeastern with an 8-4 win – a clear threat to Quinnipiac’s No. 2 overall ranking.
None of that shook the Bobcats’ confidence, though, and if anything else, they were able to add layers of film preparation by watching some of the best skaters in the world execute their systems. They had one of the best teams in the country, but they chose to enhance their enjoyment of the World Juniors by simply watching their systems at work.
“There were a couple of times where we were watching it and almost critiquing [Team USA],” Metsa laughed. “We know it’s weird for a team to come together and unite and buy into a system so quickly, but I felt like they did a really good job with it. Even hearing their interviews, we heard some of the same terms that we use, things like buy-in, identity, all of that. The message got through.”
“Those guys did a great job with it in a short amount of time,” Cipollone agreed. “I know they had a summer camp with [Pecknold] where he had been pretty hard on them and really dialed into those details, but even with the camp before the tournament, they did a great job with [our system]. You can see where our sayings were there, and the small terms that we use as a group were on some of the shirts and throughout the locker room.
“It makes a big difference in a tournament where there isn’t that much time to prepare and really learn those systems, but the fact that they came together and bought into it was a big reason why they had a lot of success.”
All of this lined up for the weekend and another capstone moment for a team that’s done everything this season short of winning the national championship.
With Pecknold back behind the bench, the Bobcats raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first period on Friday night by scoring two goals in 16 seconds, and Ethan de Jong gave his team a 3-0 lead in the first 100 seconds of the second period, goalie Yaniv Perets recorded his fourth shutout of the season. One night later, another two-goal outburst in the first period paced another 3-0 lead in the second period en route to a 4-1 win that fizzled much of the hype surrounding the top-10 matchup.
Two days later, after Denver split the weekend with Alaska, the Bobcats earned 40 first place votes to become the top-ranked team in the nation.
“We have great leadership,” Cipollone said. “We have a great coaching staff, and we took a big step to know what’s expected. A team like ours sets a standard of making the Frozen Four or winning national championships, and we try to get better every day. We’re focused on the short term, but the day-to-day process has sight of the long term goal. Our culture is great because it’s not just about one coach or one player.
“Everyone’s buying in to it, so even if a guy’s absent, we can do a great job with having other people step up and take bigger roles.”
Now No. 1 in the USCHO poll, Quinnipiac heads to LIU for a single game on Saturday before traveling to Cornell and Colgate next weekend.
Troy Bowditch has played a key role for St. Olaf in his second season with the team. (Photo Credit: St. Olaf Athletics)
Troy Bowditch has a year of college hockey experience under his belt. And it’s been a difference maker.
Consider that in year two with St. Olaf, the sophomore forward out of Ontario is leading the Oles in scoring with five goals and 15 assists. Both totals have already topped what he did as a freshman.
“I’m settled more in with the school and the system,” Bowditch said. “I know what to expect day in and day out. It’s nice to settle in and know what to expect.”
Bowditch has tallied at least one point in all but two games, recording at least one point in eight consecutive games for the Oles, who are 10-4-1 overall and 4-2 in the MIAC.
Bowditch points to added confidence as a key to his success from an offensive standpoint. It’s something he honed in on in the offense.
“I wanted to work on having more confidence offensively,” Bowditch said. “My first year I was trying hard not to mess up, but as an offensive player, you have to take a risk sometimes. Sometimes it works out. Sometimes it doesn’t. But you have to be confident that it’s going to work out. And if it doesn’t, you work to make up for it.”
Bowditch and the Oles won the MIAC tournament title last season and played in the NCAA tournament.
But that was last year.
“We put a few good games together at the right time and performed when it mattered,” Bowditch said. “We were proud of what we accomplished, but the big thing is we weren’t satisfied. We want to prove last year wasn’t a fluke. We have a lot of confidence that we can compete with anyone.”
Bowditch could skate by the time he was three and said he’s played hockey for as long as he can remember. He dreamed of playing at the college level.
“My older brother plated hockey, and when he was 16, he went on a college visit and he told me I had to play college hockey. It’s kind of been a plan of mine for a long time.”
The MIAC has been a good fit for him, though he admits it took time to adjust.
“The big adjustment was the physicality of the league,” Bowditch said. “You go from playing three or four games a week in juniors to toning it down to two and dealing with more physicality. You have to be able to take care of your body so you are ready to play each week.”
And being ready to play is key in a conference that is tightly contested from top to bottom.
“You have to bring it every night,” Bowditch said. “It can be a grind at times, but you want to be at your best when all the chips are on the table and that you are playing your best hockey when the playoffs roll around.”
