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TMQ: Is change a good thing or bad thing in the world of college hockey?

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Dominic Basse’s play in net helped St. Cloud State to a weekend road sweep over Colorado College (photo: St. Cloud State Athletics).

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.

Paula: Jimmy, it seems like every time I begin a TMQ column with a colleague, I’m starting with the Big Ten, but it also feels like B1G Hockey is attracting attention for solid play on the ice and developments adjacent to the game itself.

Minnesota’s sweep of Michigan comes with the side story of an outbreak of adenovirus on the Michigan campus that sickened many players on the team and hospitalized defenseman Steven Holtz.

Michigan State, picked in the coaches’ preseason poll to finish last, is one point behind Minnesota in the B1G standings after splitting with Penn State, and that is a story all on its own.

Today, though, Michigan State senior forward Jagger Joshua tweeted out a statement about repeatedly having been on the receiving end of a racial slur in the Spartans’ 4-3 home win over Ohio State Nov. 11. Incidentally, the Spartans swept that series in Columbus.

You know that I have difficulty separating the off-ice culture from the game itself, because I do believe that context affects everything.

What do you make of weeks like this, when teams full of young people are grappling with such big-picture, real-world issues that affect them so personally?

Jim: I think I have a difficult time judging anything for which I wasn’t present.

I will say that I, as should all involved in the game of hockey, condemn any type of racially motivated conduct. So I think what happened in the Michigan State-Ohio State wasn’t just inappropriate, it was reprehensible.

In other Big Ten completion, I think no matter what context, you almost have to tip your cap to Minnesota, which earned a two-game sweep on the road in what became a weird battle of attrition.

That said, this was a week of splits everywhere, particularly among ranked teams.

There was just one team that stood out to me and that was Quinnipiac, which swept Princeton in a two-game series against its ECAC travel partner.

I understand that doesn’t exactly ring bells around the college hockey world. In fact, the Bobcats move just one spot up in the USCHO poll, from fifth to fourth.

But given the fact you van only win the games on your schedule. Is Quinnipiac one of the best, considering how well they have played in the games they have been given?

Paula: Minnesota earns a huge hat tip for that sweep. Bob Motzko told me last week that Big Ten teams are going to each other alive this season — I’m paraphrasing — so the Gophers know that every point is important. Road sweeps are tough in any league.

As for Quinnipiac, any team with one loss a dozen games in deserves to turn some heads. The Bobcats’ offense is solid and their defense even more so. Neither 4-1 win over the Tigers was ever in doubt. Their tie against and win over North Dakota on the road was an impressive early nonconference feat, and they’re undefeated in ECAC play.

The short answer to your questions is yes, any team that takes care of the business it has at hand is formidable. The longer answer is that I’m looking forward to the Friendship Four to see the Bobcats tested, as well as Quinnipiac’s games against a very good Harvard team — to gauge both the Bobcats and the Crimson. I think they may be one of the best teams in the country — and I have them in my top five on my ballot — but I always need to see ECAC teams over a bit more time in part because the Ivies start late.

Ask me that question in January, Jimmy.

Speaking of North Dakota, the Fighting Hawks dropped out of the poll after their split with Miami. Looking at the NCHC standings, only the top three teams — Denver, Western Michigan, and St. Cloud — have conference and win percentages over .500. What is up (or down) with the NCHC this season?

Jim: First off, I’m not dodging the chance to speak of the Friendship Four, as my close friend Robert Fitzpatrick, the CEO of Odyssey Trust in Belfast, who runs the tournament, would be disappointed.

What a field they have assembled in Belfast for Friday with UMass Lowell, UMass, Quinnipiac and the only unranked team, Dartmouth. No one would be shocked if the Big Green won the Belpot.

Going back to the other green, North Dakota, the Fighting Hawks haven’t shown much and a loss to Miami on Saturday did little to sway me.

The NCHC in general isn’t the dominant conference they were the last few years, which is okay, Maybe not to the NCHC schools and its league office but to the world of college hockey. Change feels abound. And that’s a good thing to me.

Paula: Change is good for college hockey. Once upon a time, change felt like the only constant, but in the past few years, the dominance by a few programs and conferences has led to some boring overall hockey — and I mean no disrespect to the programs and conferences that have dominated. I know how difficult it is to win a championship, to remain consistently at the top of your conference, and to dominate across D-I hockey.

But new names in the mix and some fresh faces make things more interesting in a bigger way, helping to grow and sustain interest in the sport. Because of their 10-2-0 start to the season, I’m definitely paying attention to RIT, whose seven-game win streak technically remains intact after their 4-1 loss to the U.S. National Development Team Saturday. The Tigers are inching up in the PairWise (yes, I know it’s early), but after the near-complete dominance of AIC in Atlantic Hockey the past few seasons, it’s fun to watch.

Watching Minnesota State get some competition in the CCHA is also fun. The Mavericks had a four-game win streak snapped Friday at home in overtime by Northern Michigan. Northern is 4-2-0 in its last six and now four points separate first-place Bowling Green from fourth-place NMU at the top of the CCHA standings, with Minnesota State and Michigan Tech rounding out the top four and nothing but a single point between each team. Now that’s old time CCHA hockey.

Do you think, Jim, that the interesting hockey that we’ve seen before Thanksgiving promises an exciting second half, or is it simply too soon to tell?

Jim: Personally, I love upside-down (-ish?) standings.

Let’s see: RIT and Sacred Heart are above AIC in the AHA.

Minnesota might be the top of the B1G but Michigan State and Penn State are the two teams that are lurking.

Minnesota State is still atop of the CCHA despite trailing Bowling Green and barely leading Michigan Tech. Winning percentage heavily favors the Mavericks, but let’s not sleep on either the Falcons or the Huskies.

While Quinnipiac and Harvard seem poised to run away with the ECAC, check back in with me in March. No one runs away with that conference.

Hockey East is where my interests lie with Connecticut at the top and a decent gap even with games in hand. The second half will define this season for the Huskies.

And lastly there is the nacho – the NCHC. Flip a coin, honestly. I love Denver, but this season is long, and these teams will crush one another. Who knows which team finishes where, because it is a battle of cannibals. She drives me crazy, right?

D-III Women’s West Week 4 Recap: Teams continue to impress, the competition levels are growing, intriguing outlook ahead!

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#6 UW-River Falls defeats WIAC rival #8 UW-Eau Claire 3-2 (Photo by Olivia Zwiefelhofer)

Another week of D-III Women’s hockey out west is complete and we were met with a big #6 vs #8 matchup, along with some emerging teams stacking together some early wins. We also saw the current top west teams remain undefeated, handling their business as they have each and every week so far this season. 

UW-River Falls defeats their top WIAC Rival

#6 UW-River Falls defeated #8 UW-Eau Claire 3-2 at home on Saturday. UWRF’s Alex Hantge and Makenna Aure each tallied a goal and an assist in the win. The shot totals were heavily in favor of River Falls, outshooting Eau Claire 33-13, goaltender Sami Miller recorded 11 saves on 13 shots for the Falcons and Stephanie Martin, despite the loss, had a great performance, recording 30 saves on 33 shots for the Blugolds. UWRF Head Coach Joe Cranston discussed what elements of his team led to their success vs Eau-Claire:

“We outshot them 33 to 13. We had a very good team effort, and our level of competing was better than our previous games. We played very well defensively, holding them to 13 shots, and holding their top line to only 2 shots. We did a nice job taking away their time and space, and our neutral ice was pretty good. It was a good team effort for all 4 lines and 7 defensemen.” 

River Falls has a gauntlet of a schedule ahead, with games against (in order, with current rankings) #3 Plattsburgh, #1 Middlebury OR #4 Elmira, then a two game home-and-home vs #2 Gustavus… Coach Cranston in regard to this upcoming stretch of games said: “Now we have some really big games coming up, and we are a very young team, so we will learn a lot, and it should be fun for the players. The Eau Claire win really sets the stage of our trip to Plattsburgh. I think if we play like we did last night, we should have some great games out East.”

This next stretch of games can make-or-break UW-River Falls season as the winner of the WIAC doesn’t receive an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament due to having only five teams in the conference. Wins during this stretch will be vital for them, come the end of the season, win or lose their conference.

St. Norbert beginning to streak

St. Norbert is unbeaten in their last seven games (5-0-2), holding an overall record of 6-1-2, and a conference record of 4-0, putting them in a tie for 1st place in the NCHA with Adrian College and Concordia Wisconsin. The Green Knights Head Coach A.J. Aitken is pleased with his team’s current performance as they continue their success built last season. 

St. Norbert sweeps the weekend series with Finlandia, winning 6-0 & 8-0 (Photo by Patrick Ferron)

“The biggest reason is the upperclassmen in the lineup now. We have six seniors and five juniors, which have been growing in the program. We gained great experience last season and we continued to build off last year’s success. I think our leadership has been very good helping the freshman adjust to the college game! Getting big contributions from our sophomore class. Great balance in the line up.”

St. Norbert, coming off their best season in program history (20-9), is on pace to better it. As mentioned in my preseason article, look for St. Norbert to make a run at the NCHA title and a possible NCAA tournament berth. We saw it last year, making it to the NCHA title game and falling short vs Aurora, who is having a great season this year as well, but the potential for a conference championship is there. 

St. Norbert’s next game before the Thanksgiving break, is Tuesday, Nov. 22 (today) at home vs UW-Stevens Point at 7pm CT. 

St. Kate’s quietly making a move

A name that isn’t given a plethora of media attention, St. Kates hockey. St. Kates is currently sitting at 6-1-1, including a tie against previously ranked Augsburg. The Wildcats are on pace for their best season since 2009-2010 when they went 18-5-2. Now, even though they haven’t played an extremely tough schedule outside of Augsburg to start, the team is winning games and that’s all that matters. Head Coach Brad Marshall, entering his 17th year with the program, when asked about if he sees anything different about this team than others so far said: 

“What’s been different? Balanced scoring, above average goaltending and our ‘top players’ being our top players on a regular basis. We have two really good Defensemen in senior Kaitlyn Blair (All MIAC as junior) and sophomore Joslin Mumm. They each play about 28 minutes/game and they’re both smooth skating, high IQ, hard shooting and tough to play against D.” 

St. Kates defeats Concordia Minnesota 4-2 in both their games this weekend, improving to a 6-1-1 record (Photo by Denise Collins)

In regard to his team’s chemistry and morale so far, Marshall added: “Each player enjoys having a role that contributes to our success, and they take pride in executing those personal roles to help have team success. We have kids who try to block shots in practice! That mindset hasn’t been around for a while. Our locker room is good, meaning my captains are doing a great job in their leadership roles, and people are starting to ‘buy into’ what we’re preaching at practice. We’re pleased with our start, but fully understand it’s not even December yet. We compete hard, and plan to keep improving each week.”

Keep St. Kates on your radar as the season moves on as they may be considered a “surprise” to many so far. Their next games are a home-and-away series vs St. Scholastica on Dec. 2nd & 3rd at 7pm/2pm CT.

Other Notable Results

#2 Gustavus continues to roll as they picked up a trio of wins this week to remain undefeated at 8-0. Getting a 7-0 shutout win over UW-Superior, 4-1 & 7-1 wins over Bethel. During these three games, Clara Billings tallied 4 goals and 3 assists and Lily Mortenson notched three goals and two assists.

#7 Adrian remains unbeaten at 8-0, another team projected to make a deep run in my preseason preview, picked up a pair of shutout wins vs Trine, winning 5-0 & 3-0. During the two game series, Kathryn Truban scored three goals and added an assist, while Karmen Anderson tallied three assists. 

#14 Aurora (6-1-1) defeated Lake Forest 3-0 and tied them 2-2 this past weekend. Aurora’s Darci Matson highlighted the series, recording three goals and one assist. 

Looking Ahead

As we look ahead out west, we’ve got some massive tournaments that will definitely grant the opportunity for teams to stand out from the rest. We’ve got the Cardinal/Panther Classic as mentioned, featuring #6 UW-River Falls, #3 Plattsburgh, #1 Middlebury, & #4 Elmira. We’ve also got the Norwich holiday tournament, featuring #7 Adrian, (Current #8) Norwich, #4 Elmira, & #3 Plattsburgh. Adrian and UW-River Falls will be given the opportunity to really stand out from the rest of the pack out west if they can grab some wins out east. #2 Gustavus will get to face their first real challenge of the year, facing River Falls Dec. 7 & 10 in a home-and-home series.

Another stellar week in the books and we’re only four weeks in. Pay attention to those tournaments as they’ll hold implications on the polls, pairwise, and end of the year tournament chances. Great things happening in the western region of D-III Women’s hockey right now, don’t expect that to change.

Michigan State’s Joshua accuses Ohio State player of racial slur; Big Ten, MSU issue statements

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Jagger Joshua is currently in his senior season at Michigan State (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

Michigan State senior forward Jagger Joshua posted Monday on Twitter that he was the target of a racial slur in the Spartans’ Nov. 11 game against Ohio State.

Monday, the Big Ten issued a statement:

“The Big Ten Conference is committed to providing our student-athletes inclusive environments free from acts of harassment or discrimination in any form. The safety and well-being of our campus communities remains our top priority.

“The conference office collected and evaluated information from the Big Ten Conference ice hockey officiating crew, The Ohio State University (OSU), Michigan State University (MSU), and available video footage stemming from an incident involving ice hockey student-athletes from both member institutions at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing on November 11, 2022. The conference supports the decision by the official to levy a game misconduct penalty on OSU. Due to the absence of indisputable evidence presented to the conference, the conference has not imposed further disciplinary action.

“The conference is dedicated to listening and learning from our student-athletes, and our Equality Coalition. We will continue to work together to constructively and collectively create inclusive, empowering and accountability resources for our member institutions.”

Michigan State also posted a statement Monday evening:

Idle Denver stays atop DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll with 41 first-place votes

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Denver heads into Thanksgiving weekend No. 1 in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll (photo: Justin Tafoya/Clarkson Creative Photography).

Denver, a team that did not play last weekend, remains No. 1 in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll after picking up 41 first-place votes this week.

Minnesota stays No. 2 and garnered seven first-place votes, while St. Cloud State moves up one to No. 3, getting two first-place votes in this week’s poll.

Quinnipiac is up one to No. 4, Michigan is down two to sit fifth, Connecticut moves up one to No. 6, Penn State falls one to No. 7, Providence is up one to No. 8, Harvard up one to No. 9, and Minnesota State rounds out the top 10, falling two spots this week to sit 10th.

DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll – Nov. 21, 2022

The lone new school entering the rankings this week is RIT at No. 20.

In addition to the top 20 teams, 11 other teams received votes in this week’s rankings.

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

DCU (DCU.org), a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by and operated for its members, is the sponsor of this poll. DCU serves more than 900,000 members and their families in all 50 states.

What did we learn from Minnesota-Michigan series given illness affecting both? Weekend Review Season 5 Episode 9

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

This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org

Topics include:

• Minnesota vs. Michigan should have been can’t miss hockey but illness depleted both squads. What did we learn?
• Quinnipiac keeps marching right through the ECAC
• Lots of splits this weekend
• Don’t sleep on Michigan Tech
• Talk of D-I hockey at San Diego State
• What did we learn from our homework assignments about protocol?

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

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

Continue

D-III East Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – November 21, 2022

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Cortland forward Domenic Settimo had himself a night with four goals in a 6-1 win over Brockport on Friday night (Photo by Dari Zehr Photography)

Ok, let’s officially declare the world of D-III hockey wide open in the east as we continue to see upsets and still just a few teams able to connect on the 2-0 weekend results. The big stories saw Oswego winning at Geneseo for the first time since 2018 and the Knights suffering back-to-back losses for the first time since, well it’s been a long time. Elsewhere, there were several crazy games including Babson rallying from a 3-0 deficit for a 3-3 OT tie against Skidmore, Salve Regina scoring five power play goals and a shortie to earn a split with the University of New England and Manhattanville sweeping a weekend series with Stevenson. Abundant surprises entering the Thanksgiving holiday week for sure. Here are the highlights from this weekend’s action in the east:

CCC

After dropping a 5-2 decision to UNE on Friday that featured a hat trick from Daniel Winslow, Salve Regina earned a split of the weekend series on Saturday in their Mental Awareness game against the Nor’easters where the Seahawks raised over $6500 for charity and sent the fans home happy with a 6-4 win. Mitch Walinski scored a pair of power play goals while Logan Calder did his teammate one better with a hat trick on the man-advantage. Johnny Mulera scored shorthanded to give the Seahawks six special teams goals accounting for all the scoring in the win that earned the weekend split.

After dropping a 5-2 decision to Curry on Friday that saw five different Colonels score, Western New England stunned Curry with a 3-2 come-from-behind victory on the road on Saturday. Eelis Laaksonen and Billy Roche scored early in the third period to erase a 1-0 deficit to the Golden Bears but the visitors had a lot when it mattered. Billy Hefferle scored on the power play to tie the game and John D’Aniello scored with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation for what proved to be the game winner. Goaltender Colten Lancaster stopped 36 of 38 shots and earned his first win in the 3-2 decision for WNE.

Independents

Rivier played another two-game series against a team from New York with Morrisville coming to town. Goals from Cameron Clark, Jame Farmer-Valente and Jonas Leas were enough for a 3-1 Mustang win over the Raiders on Friday. On Saturday, Rivier rallied from a 3-2 deficit in the third period for a 4-3 win that earned a weekend split. Just 27 seconds into the third period, Nicolas Paolucci  scored to tie the game at 3-3 before Jack Tos scored the game winner on the power play with just over five minutes remaining in the third period.

On Friday, Albertus Magnus tied their single game scoring mark with seven goals in a 7-1 win over King’s. Forward Tim Manning recorded a hat trick for the Falcons while teammate Sam Anderson chipped in with a pair of goals to support the runaway road win. On Sunday, the Falcons faced Hamilton and a pair of Goals from Alex Gagnon combined with 37 saves from Logan Bateman led the Falcons to a 3-0 win over the Continentals.

MASCAC

On Thursday night, one goal and two assists from Brendan Ronan led Worcester State to a 5-1 home-ice win over Framingham State. On Saturday, the Lancers did not get the jump on Plymouth State who raced out to a 5-0 lead that included Carson Lanceleve’s goal in the final second of the first period, Anton Jellvik’s goal at 23 seconds of the second period and a pair from Ethan Stuckless to close out the middle stanza on the way to a 7-3 win.

After surrendering a shorthanded goal by Fitchburg’s Rece Bergeman in the final half-minute of regulation and settling for a 3-3 overtime tie, Massachusetts-Dartmouth re-focused quickly and picked up a 5-2 win over Salem State. Jake Mynard led the way with a goal and two assists for the Corsairs who flipped a 1-0 first period deficit to a 3-1 lead in the second before closing out the scoring in the third on goals from Matthew Zdanowicz and Kevin Johnston.

NE-10

After a thrilling 1-1 tie at St. Michael’s on Friday, St. Anselm found themselves trailing the Purple Knights by a goal after two periods of play, 2-1. In the third period, Matt Hayes scored an unassisted goal just 19 seconds after the puck drop and then scored the game winner on the power play to give the Hawks a 3-2 win. Nick Howard made 30 saves to earn the win that moves St. Anselm to 5-2-1 on the season.

Southern New Hampshire and Franklin Pierce split a pair of games over the weekend. The Penmen broke open a 4-4 tie on Friday with a three-goal third period that included a pair of goals from Connor Ball and one from Andrew Ray in the 7-4 win. On Saturday, the Ravens needed overtime to take a 5-4 win and earn the weekend split. Conor Foley scored his second of the game in the third period to tie the score at 4-4 before Chris Stevenson scored just 46 seconds into the overtime session for the win that moved FPU to 5-3-0 overall and 3-3-0 in NE-10 play.

NEHC

Hobart remained unbeaten while extending a shutout streak with a pair of wins over Johnson & Wales and Massachusetts-Boston by 5-0 and 3-0 scores. On Friday, five different players scored for the Statesmen while Mavrick Goyer made 14 saves in the shutout win against the Wildcats. On Saturday, Hobart moved to 8-0 on the season when they downed the Beacons 3-0 behind two goals from Luke Aquaro and a goal and an assist from Jonah Alexander. Goaltender Damon Beaver made 26 saves in the shutout win that extended the opposition’s scoreless streak to three games.

Elmira returned to NEHC play and also picked up a pair of wins over UMB and JWU. After downing the Beacons 4-1 on Friday, the Soaring Eagles eked out a 4-3 win over the Wildcats on Saturday. Goals from Chance Gorman and Janis Vizbelis in the second period for a 4-2 lead was just enough to overcome an early third period goal by Brendan Doyle for JWU. Elmira’s defense and goaltender Kyle Curtin limited anymore Wildcat chances to take the weekend sweep and move to 4-3-0 on the season.

Skidmore scored twice in the opening two minutes of action raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first period over Babson on Friday and that is where the game got interesting. Second period power play goals from Colby Bailey and Ian Driscoll cut the deficit to one goal after two periods of play and James Perullo’s shorthanded tally tied the game at 3-3 sending the action to overtime. No one could win the game in extra time as it ended at 3-3. Nolan Hildebrand stopped 42 of 45 shots for the Beavers. On Saturday, Babson finished the weekend with a 4-1 win over Castleton while Skidmore downed Southern Maine    6-2 led by a goal and an assist from Jaden York.

NESCAC

Trinity, Bowdoin, Colby and Wesleyan all opened conference play with weekend sweeps to kick-off the season.

The Bantams opened on Friday with a 10-3 win over Tufts led by two-goal games from Devan Tongue and Gerard Maretta. On Saturday, Trinity spotted Connecticut College a 2-0 first period lead before firing back with five unanswered goals from five different plyers in a 5-2 win over the Camels.

Colby needed overtime to take a 3-2 win over Middlebury on Friday afternoon. Tyler Crist scored the game winning goal just over two minutes in the extra session for the Mules. On Saturday, Colby rallied from a 2-1 deficit to score two goals in the second period and two more in the third for a 5-2 win over Williams.

Bowdoin matched their Maine travel partner with a pair of wins over the Ephs and the Panthers to give new head coach Ben Guite his first wins for the Polar Bears. On Friday, five different players scored goals for Bowdoin in a 5-3 win over Williams. On Saturday, Gabe Shipper’s hat trick led the Polar Bears to a 4-3 win over Middlebury. Shipper’s third period goal proved to be the game winner as Bowdoin starts the season 2-0.

Wesleyan also had a 2-0 weekend with wins over Tufts and Connecticut College. On Friday, two goals from Go Uemura, three assists from Colin Cobb and 23 saves from goaltender Eric Voloshin were enough for a 3-0 Cardinal win over the Camels. On Saturday, it was Uemura and Cobb who set up Wiggle Kerbrat to tie the game at 1-1 before Owen Sweet proved the hero with a goal in the final 25 seconds of regulation giving Wesleyan a 2-1 win over the Jumbos.

SUNYAC

It has been a long time since Oswego tasted victory at Geneseo – 2018 to be exact. Friday night’s thriller didn’t disappoint any fans of hockey but may be the statement win the Lakers have been looking for. The visitors took one and two goal leads only to see the Knights respond and tie the game at 3-3 after two periods of play. Oswego’s Trent Grimshaw scored his second goal of the game and only goal of the third period to give the Lakers a 4-3 lead that netminder Cal Schell made stand up for the win. Schell finished with 40 saves in the big road win. On Saturday, Oswego finished the weekend sweep with a 4-1 win over Brockport. Goals by Thomas Rocco, Alex DiCarlo, Connor Sleeth and Ben Addison were enough to take the win and move the Lakers to 6-1-0 on the season.

Cortland also pulled off a weekend sweep of their two games starting with Domenic Settimo’s four goals in a 6-1 win over Brockport on Friday night. On Saturday, the Red Dragons handed Geneseo it’s second consecutive loss with a 2-1 win. Second period goals from Jona Hildreth and Devlin O’Kane were enough for Luca Durante and his 30-save effort to give Cortland a big SUNYAC win.

Plattsburgh continued their solid play in a pair of wins over Fredonia and Buffalo State. On Friday, Eli Shiller stopped all 23 shots he faced as the Cardinals downed the Blue Devils 3-0 with Joshua Belgrave, Adam Tretowicz and Jake Lanvi providing the scoring. On Saturday against Buffalo State things were a little tighter as it took a pair of third period goal from forward Brendan Young to eke out a 4-3 win and move to 5-12 on the season.

UCHC

Utica hosted Wilkes for two games and ran away from the Colonels in dramatic fashion. On Friday, six different players scored goals while Connor Fedorek added four assists in a 6-2 romp. On Saturday, Remy Parker scored two goals and Mic Curran and Lucas Herrmann each added three assists in a 6-1 win that moved Utica to 6-0 in the UCHC.

Manhattanville pulled the conference stunner this weekend with a pair of wins over Stevenson. On Friday, goals from Hayden Taylor and Raymond Speerbrecker were enough for goaltender Sebastien Woods who made 24 saves to earn the 2-0 shutout win. Saturday’s game had much more drama as the Valiants needed overtime to take a 5-4 win and weekend sweep of the Mustangs. The seesaw affair saw Stevenson rally to a 4-4 tie in the third period on a shorthanded goal off the stick of Liam McCanney. AJ Bella provided the game winner for Manhattanville just over a minute into the extra session that moved the Valiants record to 4-2-0 on the season.

Three Biscuits

Daniel Winslow – University of New England – the Nor’easters forward scored a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Salve Regina on Friday night. Winslow also added to assists to figure in all the scoring with his five-point night.

Tim Manning – Albertus Magnus – scored a hat trick for the Falcons in their 7-1 road win over King’s on Friday night.

Damon Beaver and Mavrick Goyer – Hobart – stopped all 40 shots they faced in back-to-back shutouts for Hobart over Johnson & Wales and Massachusetts-Boston on the road.

Bonus Biscuits

Domenic Settimo – Cortland – scored four goals in the Red Dragons 6-1 win over Brockport on Friday night.

Tyler Crist – Colby – scored the game winning goal for the Mules in a 3-2 win over Middlebury on Friday afternoon.

We saw some statement type wins this weekend along with the debut of NESCAC play to spice things up in week four of the season. The Oswego win was big, and Hobart continues to show why they are ranked atop the national standings. Turkey weekend tournaments on tap so expect some more savory action over the holiday weekend.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap November 21, 2022

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(1) Minnesota at (3) Wisconsin

The two teams battled to a 3-3 tie with the Gophers taking an extra point in the WCHA standings with their shootout win courtesy of Abbey Murphy. Vivian Jungels had the Badgers up 1-0 midway through the first and it looked like they’d double that, but the goal was overturned on a challenge for goaltender interference. Peyton Hemp’s shorthander off Murphy’s breakaway tied the game at 1. Laila Edwards scored early in the second, but Hemp responded by sneaking a puck in at a tight angle to tie the game at 2. Grace Zumwinkle beat Cami Kronish at the back door to put Minnesota up 3-2. The Badgers fought back but couldn’t get the equalizer until Britta Curl dove at a loose puck in a scrum and forced overtime with just 10.5 seconds left in regulation. The first five shooters missed in the shootout before Murphy scored to earn the point. On Sunday, Wisconsin starting goalie Jane Gervais left the game in the opening minutes due to injury, so Kronish stepped back in net. The teams were once again tied after the first thanks to goal from UW’s Nicole LaMantia and UM’s Taylor Heise. But the Badgers began to pull away in the final 25 minutes of the game. Sarah Wozniewicz scored from the slot on a pass from Casey O’Brien to put Wisconsin up 2-1. In the third, Kirsten Simms scored on a goal that was initially waved off, but clearly crossed the line and Jesse Compher sniped a shot through traffic to give Wisconsin the win and four of six points on the weekend.

Bemidji State at (2) Ohio State

Paetyn Levis scored twice – including a shorthander – and had an assist while Jenna Buglioni had a goal and two assists to lead Ohio State in a 5-0 win on Friday. Madison Bizal and Makenna Webster each also scored in the win. On Saturday, Sophie Jaques became the program record holder for career points by a defender with 130 after scoring a goal and adding an assist in the Buckeyes’ 7-1 win over Bemidji. Hadley Hartmetz led OSU with two goals and an assist. Jenn Gardiner had a goal and two assists. Sloane Matthews, Emma Peschel and Sydney Morrow also scored for Ohio State in the win. Calli Forsberg was the goal scorer for the Beavers.

St. Lawrence at (5) Quinnipiac

Maya Labad had Quinnipiac up 1-0 after one, but Shailynn Snow tied the game up 30 seconds into the second and Kiley Mastel put back a rebound early in the third to give St. Lawrence a 2-1 lead. The Bobcats regrouped and came back with four unanswered goals in less than seven minutes to put the game out of reach for the Saints. Kate Reilly, Olivia Mobley, Madison Chantler and Shay Maloney gave Quinnipiac the 5-2 win. Logan Angers made 27 saves on the night, including 15 in the second period alone.

(10) Clarkson at (5) Quinnipiac

The Bobcat defenders really stepped up in this game, scoring three of the team’s four goals in the 4-0 win over Clarkson. Kendall Cooper and Zoe Boyd each scored their first of the season. Kate Reilly and Shay Maloney also scored as Quinnipiac earned their fifth shutout of the season.

(10) Clarkson at (15) Princeton

Brooke McQuigge’s goal at the end of the first was enough to lift Clarkson over Princeton on Saturday. The Tigers outshot the Golden Knights 34-26, but Clarkson goalie Michelle Pasiechnyk made all 34 saves for her nation-leading sixth shutout of the season.

(11) Penn State at (6) Yale

In the first game, all three of Yale’s goals came from players being in the right place at the right time. Anna Bargman, Claire Dalton and Vita Poniatovskaia each lit the lamp for the Bulldogs to give them a 3-0 win. On Saturday, the teams fought a tough and even game with Yale coming up with a game-winner with just 29.5 seconds left in overtime thanks to Elle Hartje. After a scoreless first, Ray Jordan put the Bulldogs on the board with a power play goal in the second. But Penn State pushed back and found the equalizer from Eleri Mackay with under three left in regulation.

Harvard at (7) Minnesota Duluth

Anneke Linser scored twice, Gabbie Hughes had two assists and Ashton Bell reached the 100 point club on Friday as the Bulldogs took down Harvard 4-0. UMD outshot the Crimson 55-14 in the win. In the second game, Hughes continued her domination against Harvard. She led the Bulldogs with a goal and three assists. In the five games Hughes has played against Harvard in less than a year, she has compiled eight goals and seven assists for 15 points. Freshman goaltender Hailey Macleod tallied an assist and earned her first collegiate shutout. Maggie Flaherty scored twice in the first to put UMD up 2-0. In the second, Mary Kate O’Brien, Danielle Burgen and Hughes each scored. And in the final frame, Kylie Hanley, Naomi Rogge, Linser and Katie Davis all lit the lamp to give Minnesota Duluth a 9-0 win and weekend sweep.

Holy Cross at (8) Northeastern

With Friday’s 2-1 win over Holy Cross, Northeastern head coach Dave Flint recorded his 300th career victory with the Huskies. This game was scoreless into the third period, with Northeastern holding a 35-13 lead in shots. Katy Knoll scored her nation-leading 13th goal of the year to open the scoring. Chloe Aurard scored a short-handed tally to make it a 2-0 game. The Crusaders scored on a power play late in the period with a goal by Casey Borgiel, but Northeastern held off the comeback and took the win. In the second game, Skylar Irving scored 1:40 into the game to put the Huskies up 1-0. In the second, Taze Thompson and Peyton Anderson extended the lead to 3-0. Kailey Langefels scored with the extra attacker late in the second to make it a 3-1 game and Bryn Saarela’s goal with seconds left in the period made it a one-goal game at the second break. In the third, Alina Müller and Aurard each scored to ensure a 5-2 win and weekend sweep.

(12) Connecticut vs. Boston University

Freshman Brooke Disher’s first collegiate goal was the game winner for the Terriers on Friday as they defeated UConn at home. Graduate student Andrea Brändli made 38 saves in the win. Jada Habisch’s goal in the first put the Huskies on the board, but BU responded. Catherine Vote tied the game before the first intermission and Disher’s goal in the second stood up. Catherine Foulem assisted on both BU goals. In the second game of the weekend, Connecticut came back twice to tie the game, but the Terriers pulled away with Haylee Blinkhorn’s first two goals of the season. Foulem scored first for BU, with Kathryn Stockdale answering shortly after. In the second, Nadia Mattivi scored on the power play to put Boston University ahead 2-1. Kate Thurman tied it up for Connecticut later in the period, but the first of Blinkhorn’s two goals came in the final two minutes of the frame and would prove to be the game winner. Julia Nearis added an insurance goal after Blinkhorn scored again in the third to give BU a 5-2 win. After losing seven of their last eight, the Terriers have won three straight – all against ranked teams.

Maine at (13) Providence

Sara Hjalmarsson scored once and Rachel Weiss scored twice to lead Providence to a 3-0 win on Friday. But it was the second game where Hjalmarsson really shone. She registered the Friars’ first four-goal game since 1996. She started with a natural hat trick, scoring twice in the first and once in the second. Ida Press added a power play goal in the second before Hjalmarsson scored again in the third. Lilli Welcke spoiled the shutout, scoring for Maine late to make it a 5-1 game.

(14) Vermont at Merrimack

Five different Vermont skaters tallied two points on Thursday, led by Theresa Schafzahl with two goals, as the Catamounts took down Merrimack 5-1. Corinne McCool, Evelyne Blais-Savoie and Ellice Murphy all scored for UVM in the win. Sam Lessick was the goal-scorer for Merrimack. On Friday, Laura Beecher scored 47 seconds into the game and the Catamounts were off from there. Maddy Skelton and Lily Humphrey also scored in the 3-0 win and Hailey Burns had two assists in the win.

St. Lawrence at (15) Princeton

Freshman Emerson O’Leary now leads the Tigers in goals, scoring her fourth to lift Princeton over St. Lawrence on Friday. The Tigers outshot the Saints 38-30 and Jennifer Olnowich set a new career high with 30 saves in the win.

 

 

 

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Nov. 17-19

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Harvard is off to a 7-0-0 start after downing New Hampshire last Tuesday on the road (photo: Harvard Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 14 fared in games over the weekend of Nov. 17-19.

No. 1 Denver (9-3-0)
Did not play.

No. 2 Minnesota (10-4-0)
11/17/2022 – No. 2 Minnesota 5 at No. 3 Michigan 2
11/18/2022 – No. 2 Minnesota 6 at No. 3 Michigan 3

No. 3 Michigan (9-5-0)
11/17/2022 – No. 2 Minnesota 5 at No. 3 Michigan 2
11/18/2022 – No. 2 Minnesota 6 at No. 3 Michigan 3

No. 4 St. Cloud State (11-3-0)
11/18/2022 – No. 4 St. Cloud State 3 at Colorado College 1
11/19/2022 – No. 4 St. Cloud State 5 at Colorado College 0

No. 5 Quinnipiac (9-1-2)
11/18/2022 – No. 5 Quinnipiac 4 at Princeton 1
11/19/2022 – Princeton 1 at No. 5 Quinnipiac 4

No. 6 Penn State (11-3-0)
11/18/2022 – No. 17 Michigan State 3 at No. 6 Penn State 4
11/19/2022 – No. 17 Michigan State 7 at No. 6 Penn State 3

No. 7 Connecticut (10-2-3)
11/18/2022 – No. 7 Connecticut 2 at No. 13 UMass Lowell 3 (OT)
11/19/2022 – No. 13 UMass Lowell 2 at No. 7 Connecticut 4

No. 8 Minnesota State (8-4-0)
11/18/2022 – RV Northern Michigan 3 at No. 8 Minnesota State 2 (OT)
11/19/2022 – RV Northern Michigan 1 at No. 8 Minnesota State 4

No. 9 Providence (8-2-3)
11/18/2022 – Vermont 0 at No. 9 Providence 4
11/19/2022 – Vermont 3 at No. 9 Providence 4 (OT)

No. 10 Harvard (7-0-0)
11/15/2022 – No. 10 Harvard 3 at New Hampshire 1

No. 11 Boston University (7-4-0)
11/18/2022 – No. 18 Northeastern 2 at No. 11 Boston University 0
11/19/2022 – No. 11 Boston University 4 at No. 18 Northeastern 3 (OT)

No. 12 Ohio State (8-5-1)
11/18/2022 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 12 Ohio State 5
11/19/2022 – No. 20 Notre Dame 1 at No. 12 Ohio State 0

No. 13 UMass Lowell (8-5-0)
11/15/2022 – No. 13 UMass Lowell 2 at RV Boston College 3
11/18/2022 – No. 7 Connecticut 2 at No. 13 UMass Lowell 3 (OT)
11/19/2022 – No. 13 UMass Lowell 2 at No. 7 Connecticut 4

No. 14 Western Michigan (9-6-0)
11/18/2022 – RV Minnesota Duluth 5 at No. 14 Western Michigan 4
11/19/2022 – RV Minnesota Duluth 3 at No. 14 Western Michigan 5

No. 15 Merrimack (9-3-0)
11/17/2022 – No. 15 Merrimack 3 at RV Sacred Heart 0

No. 16 Massachusetts (6-5-1)
11/18/2022 – No. 16 Massachusetts 4 at New Hampshire 2

No. 17 Michigan State (9-4-1)
11/18/2022 – No. 17 Michigan State 3 at No. 6 Penn State 4
11/19/2022 – No. 17 Michigan State 7 at No. 6 Penn State 3

No. 18 Northeastern (7-4-3)
11/18/2022 – No. 18 Northeastern 2 at No. 11 Boston University 0
11/19/2022 – No. 11 Boston University 4 at No. 18 Northeastern 3 *OT)

No. 19 North Dakota (5-6-2)
11/18/2022 – Miami 1 at No. 19 North Dakota 7
11/19/2022 – Miami 4 at No. 19 North Dakota 3

No. 20 Notre Dame (6-6-2)
11/18/2022 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 12 Ohio State 5
11/19/2022 – No. 20 Notre Dame 1 at No. 12 Ohio State 0

RV = Received votes

D-III West Weekend Hockey Wrap-up: Trine stuns Adrian

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Trine knocked off nationally ranked Adrian on Saturday night. (Photo Credit: Adrian Athletics)

Trine scored its biggest win of the season Saturday, upsetting second-ranked Adrian on the road. The Thunder used a dominating third period, punching the goal in the net three times, to finish off the Bulldogs in a 6-2 victory.

The win was historic for the Thunder, who beat Adrian for the first time in program history.

Jred Domin’s goal at the 11:03 mark of the opening period tied the score at 1-1 and Sam Antenucci’s tally a little over six minutes later put the Thunder in front for good. He scored on a 3-2 fastbreak. Drew Welsch made the score 3-1.

A pair of power play goals in the third by Bobby Price and Frank Trazzera pushed the Trine lead to 5-1. Sam Henry scored the Thunder’s final goal of the night. 

Christian Wong-Ramos made 28 saves in the win as the Thunder snapped a two-game losing streak. Trine improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the NCHA.

The win made up for Friday’s 3-2 loss in overtime. Matus Spodniak scored the game-winner for the Bulldogs. Ty Enns scored twice for Adrian. Antenucci and Thad Marcola had Trine’s goals.

Below is a look at some of the other action that unfolded over the weekend in the west region.

Memorable night for Coghlin

Fourth-ranked St. Norbert stretched its win streak to four games over the weekend, sweeping Finlandia 7-3 and 3-1.

But the main storyline of the night was head coach Tim Coughlin setting a record for most wins at the NCAA Division III level. Saturday’s victory marked the 625th of his career. He passes Plattsburgh State’s Bob Emery for the milestone win.

The win total is the third highest at any level of NCAA hockey for coaches who have won all of their games at one school. He has the 11th most wins all-time in college hockey.

Liam Fraser led the way on the historic night, scoring a goal and dishing out an assist. Michael McChesney came through with two assists. St. Norbert held a 42-13 advantage in shots and Johnny Roberts made 12 saves. St. Norbert is now 5-0-1 overall and 4-0 in the NCHA.

Tight battle between Spartans and Foresters

Both nights against Lake Forest ended in a tie for Aurora, ranked 11th in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll. Aurora and Lake Forest tied 3-3 on Friday night and played to a 5-5 tie on Saturday. But Lake Forest won the shootout 2-1 on both nights.

Matt Weber came through with a pair of goals for Aurora while Hassan Aki tallied two assists. Kolby Thornton made 42 saves for the Spartans.

Colin Bella scored twice for the Foresters in Saturday’s game. Andrew Nieusma tallied a goal and two assists.

Aurora is 6-1-2 on the year and 4-0-2 in the NCHA. Lake Forest is 3-3-3 and 0-2-2.

Saints, Johnnies cap series in tie

After winning 5-2 on Friday night against Saint John’s, St. Scholastica played the Johnnies to a 2-2 tie on Saturday. But Saint John’s did prevail in the shootout.

Jack Johnson scored the final goal in the fifth round of the shootout.

The Johnnies held a 47-29 advantage in shots in Saturday’s game and held a 47-31 advantage on Friday night.

Filimon Ledenkov tallied a goal and assist for the Saints. Nathan Adrian’s goal in the final minute of the third forced overtime.

Nick Michel and Joe Papa both scored for the Johnnies.

Ledenkov came through with a hat trick for St. Scholastica in Friday’s win.  Lewis Crosby tallied two assists for the Johnnies. 

Saint John’s is now 4-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the MIAC. St. Scholastica is 4-3-1 overall and 3-0-1.

Augsburg keeps streak going

Augsburg has now won five consecutive games after rolling past Saint Mary’s 4-0 and 5-2 over the weekend.

The fifth-ranked Auggies are 5-1-1 overall and 3-0-1 in MIAC play.

Daniel Chladek scored twice and also tallied an assist while Erik Palmqvist came through with a goal and an assist in Saturday’s win.

Vincent Weis scored a pair of goals for the Auggies on Friday and Samuel Vyletelka made 32 saves to earn his sixth career shutout. 

Big night for UW-Stevens Point head coach

Pointers head coach Tyler Krueger notched his 100th career win Saturday as UW-Stevens Point knocked off Northland 5-4.

The Pointers held a 33-17 advantage in shots and Tyler German came through with a pair of goals. Jordan Fader added a goal and an assist. Nicholas Aromatario recorded two assists. Noah Finstrom scored as well, his third goal in the last four games.

The Pointers improved to 4-3-1 overall and are 2-0-0 in the WIAC. They have won two consecutive games after opening the weekend with a 3-2 win over UW-Stout.

Northland dropped to 0-7-1 overall and 0-2 in the conference. Brandon Holt and Thomas Harbour both scored for the Lumberjacks, who lost a heartbreaker 5-4 in overtime to UW-Eau Claire on Friday.

Blugolds sweep weekend

UW-Eau Claire came through with two wins in WIAC play over the weekend, edging Northland 5-4 in overtime and beating UW-River Falls 4-2.

The Blugolds are now 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the conference.

Nothing came easy in the win over Northland on Friday night. Kyler Grundy helped the Blugolds survive as he scored the game-winning goal with less than a minute left in OT. It was his second goal of the game.

The Lumberjacks had forced OT in the final minute thanks to a clutch goal by Cameron Coutre. Northland outshout UW-Eau Claire 11-4 in the third. 

Max Gutjahr made 22 saves for the Blugolds.

Blue Devils bounce back

After losing 3-2 to UW-Stevens Point on Friday night, UW-Stout closed out its weekend with a 4-1 win over UW-Superior in WIAC action.

Tyler Masternak made 29 saves in the win for his fourth victory of the year. Matt Dahlseide tallied a goal and an assist to pace the offense. UW-Stout scored twice in the second and third periods to take control. It’s the sixth time this year the Blue Devils have scored four or more goals in a game.

Monday 10: Minnesota sweeps Michigan, independents fare well versus non-Division I teams, Minnesota State’s CCHA streak ends

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Ethan Haider led Clarkson to a weekend sweep over Arizona State (photo: Gary Mikel).

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

1) Gophers sweep undermanned Michigan

At a surface level, the Minnesota-Michigan series was always going to capture headlines regardless of the outcome, but nobody could have foreseen or foreshadowed the layers and surreality of what occurred at Yost Ice Arena over the two-game sweep by the second-ranked Gophers, who moved into first place in the Big Ten by taking the six available points.

Minnesota outscored the No. 3 Wolverines by an 11-5 margin over the two nights, but Michigan gutted through the weekend without a full roster. Six skaters were down due to an illness that sapped the line chart on Thursday night, and while five remained out of the lineup on Friday, Eric Ciccolini was forced to miss the second game after suffering an injury the night before.

It didn’t stop the Wolverines from gutting out two tight periods on Thursday, but a protocol violation at the start of the third gifted Minnesota a 5-on-3 advantage that helped produce an insurance goal in a one-goal game. It ultimately wouldn’t matter after Luke Mittelstadt scored four minutes later in what became a 5-2 win.

Minnesota rode that wave into Friday’s second game, where a more decisive 6-3 game featured two three-goal leads in the second period before Michigan clawed to within two in the third period.

2) Northeastern gains signature win, BU gains two points

One of the biggest criticisms facing the early part of Northeastern’s season centered on the Huskies’ lack of a signature victory. They had swept New Hampshire at the start of the month, but poor results against Maine and Boston College kept them out of Hockey East’s top three spots with a weekend home-and-home against Boston University looming. The Terriers, meanwhile, unquestionably looked up at the rest of the conference but carried enough weight from splits against Connecticut and UMass-Lowell and a six-point weekend against UMass to draw favored status to start the series.

That assessment overlooked Northeastern’s skill, but despite gaining a signature win with a 2-0 shutout at Agganis Arena, not much else could be decided in the series split. The Huskies gained a fourth point by going to overtime on Saturday, but the Terriers trailed twice in that game before Ryan Greene scored halfway through the third period and Lane Hutson scored halfway through overtime to give BU a two-point weekend.

It was the kind of gritty performance that had people envisioning a future, elimination matchup between the two teams. Stellar goaltending, timely goals, and packed houses made for an incredible atmosphere, and both teams walked away with enough to justify success while simultaneously working through more areas of improvement.

3) North Dakota on the verge of falling out of rankings?

The herky-jerky start to North Dakota’s season continued this weekend when the 19th-ranked team in the nation, which had been clinging to the rankings despite a 4-5-2 record, found its position threatened with peril after Miami rallied to win, 4-3, on Saturday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena.

It was a night after North Dakota dominated the RedHawks with a 7-1 win, but after six different players scored on Friday, the Fighting Hawks watched Miami score twice in the first period and once in the second to stake a 3-0. North Dakota battled back with goals from Riese Gaber and Gavin Hain, but after Jackson Blake tied the score at 3-3 in the third period, Jack Clement scored for the first time this season to lift Miami to its first win in NCHC play.

The win over Miami might offer enough to buoy North Dakota in the national polls, but the home split kept the Fighting Hawks in the bottom three of the early NCHC standings. They’ll step out of league play for a home-and-home with Bemidji State this weekend, but a key stretch looms with road games at both St. Cloud and Western Michigan to close the first half of the season.

4) Minnesota State’s CCHA streak ends

It’s been common, custom practice to watch Minnesota State dominate and destroy parts of its conference over the past decade, which is why it’s still surprising to watch the Mavericks lose a game, even in overtime, against a league opponent. The seven-time regular season champions in the WCHA and CCHA over the last eight years, Minnesota State won its four games over Bowling Green and St. Thomas before hosting Northern Michigan this past weekend.

They still took four points, but the Wildcats’ 3-2 win in overtime on Friday was the first time the Mavericks felt themselves challenged. They took a 2-0 lead with help from Lucas Sowder’s power play goal in the second period, but dual goals from Artem Shlaine and AJ Vanderbeck tied the game at 2-2 before the middle frame ended. After a scoreless third, Vanderbeck scored past the three-minute mark of overtime to give NMU the extra point in a game played before 4,300-plus fans in Mankato.

The universe righted itself on Saturday, but the loss on Friday was the first conference defeat for Minnesota State since January 14 of last season, also to Northern Michigan. It was the first regular season home loss since a 3-1 defeat to St. Cloud in October, 2021, though the team hasn’t lost a regular season conference home game in regulation since Lake Superior defeated them by a 1-0 count on January 19, 2019.

5) The autumn wind is a Raider

Standing pat in ECAC play is sometimes good enough to sneak a team into the conversation for the top four spots, but Colgate did itself one better this weekend by sweeping Brown and Yale with a pair of resounding victories over the visiting travel partners from Southern New England.

The first came on Friday night when a comeback against the Bears spurred the Raiders to a 3-2 overtime victory. Matt Verboon started the game off with a 1-0 lead for the hosts, but Ryan Bottrill and Bradley Cocca tallied second period goals off assists from Jackson Munro to give Brown a 2-1 lead into the third period. Halfway through the frame, Ben Ryamond tied the game off an assist from Owen Neuharth, and Colton Young, a third goal scorer on the night, scored 3:30 into overtime to give Colgate an extra point in a comeback win over its ECAC counterparts from the Ivy League subset.

One night later, Colgate opened up an 8-0 lead over the first 54 minutes of game play with goals from six different scorers. Nic Belpedio bookended the team’s offensive output with a pair of goals, and Alex DiPaolo followed it up with two goals of his own, while Verboon added a second power play goal and Ethan Manderville, Alex Young, and Levi Glasman all scored once.

The five points amassed pushed the Raiders into fourth place of the young season, one point ahead of Union and a Clarkson team that swept Arizona State in non-conference play. They’ll step out of conference play this weekend with a road series at Niagara before returning to ECAC play with home games against Dartmouth and Harvard to start December.

6) Speaking of Clarkson…

It’s no secret that the start of the season wasn’t ideal for a preseason favorite in ECAC, but after losing five of seven games in October, the Golden Knights surged into their non-conference series against the Sun Devils by sweeping Colgate and Cornell with an offensive explosion last week. This past weekend, they beat Arizona State with a pair of tight victories highlighted by stingy defense and advanced goaltending from Ethan Haider.

The junior didn’t have to make 30 saves, but after his defense covered for him in the sweep one week ago, he contributed 56 saves across two games while allowing four goals in total in the two wins. It anchored the back end, which allowed the front end to take the 2-1 win on Friday after Alex Campbell scored twice, the latter coming with less than 20 seconds remaining in the third period. One night later, a gritty, bruising affair led to a 5-3 win that featured two ties and two one-goal spots in the second and third period. Four different Knights scored, led by two goals from Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup, and Anthony Callin, Ayrton Martino and Mathieu Gosselin all contributed multiple points for a team that’s now won five in a row.

It sets up a potentially explosive weekend in two weeks when the Knights head south to play Princeton, its longest road trip, and Quinnipiac, the prohibitive favorite in the early runnings of the conference after it remained undefeated in ECAC play this past week.

7) Independents batter non-Division I teams

Arizona State was one of two exceptions this week as the entire independent roster of Division I hockey stepped outside the D-I ranks for a number of games. The Sun Devils’ sweep loss aside, Lindenwood played out at Wisconsin and gave the Badgers fits in a one-goal loss on Friday before dropping a 5-1 decision on Saturday. Alaska, meanwhile, was the lone team to experience some success against a Division I opponent after the Nanooks beat ECAC’s Rensselaer, 3-1, before tying, 3-3, with RPI winning an otherwise-meaningless shootout.

The rest of the D-I independents played out their games against either lower division teams or high-level club hockey teams with a marked success rate. Stonehill and LIU continued their respective runs by playing Division II teams out of the Northeast-10 Conference, with the Skyhawks defeating Post University, 5-2, and the Sharks beating Assumption, 5-1.

Alaska Anchorage rounded out the weekend by beating UNLV and Liberty in games played in Las Vegas with a combined 12-2 output. Playing a Wednesday-Thursday schedule, the Seawolves beat the host Rebels first by a 3-1 margin before decimating the Flames, 9-1, in a second exhibition game.

8) Ten-Hut!

Atlantic Hockey has long been the home of a parity race for seeding, but the switch to an eight-team playoff meant the conference playoff race placed even more premiums on early-season games that could now potentially decide a team’s playoff fate.

Such was the case at Army West POint, at least, where the Black Knights of the Hudson swept Bentley behind Justin Evenson’s hot goaltending. The senior firstie made 33 saves on Friday before shutting down the Falcons’ offense in the third period of Saturday’s game, and Army walked out of its home arena with six points after beating Bentley, 2-0 and 5-2. Joey Baez, meanwhile, carried the proverbial artillery on the offensive end with two goals on Saturday, the latter of which was the go-ahead goal in the third period of a 2-2 game, while Anthony Firriolo scored on Friday night in what essentially was a 1-0 game with an empty net goal.

The six points can’t be overstated for their impact on an Atlantic Hockey race where two teams are running away with the early season standings. Both RIT and Sacred Heart have a combined 46 points and 15 wins, and the five point gap between fourth place and fifth place Holy Cross separates the home ice quarterfinal teams from a grouping of six teams battling for four spots. Army’s six point weekend included its first league wins of the season and pushed the Black Knights right back into the playoff hunt, while Bentley fell into 10th.

Even if there’s a whole half-season left, the gap at the top of the conference makes it more likely that games in November will impact the second half race even more than simple math might feel.

9) Eddie the Eagle returns home

I grew up loving Ed Belfour in the early 1990s. I thought his eagle-themed mask was the coolest thing that didn’t involve Andy Moog, and the Chicago Blackhawks oozed cool thanks to a goaltender who was a little weird like me. I really came of age by watching both him and the New York Rangers, and it broke my heart when he was traded to San Jose, which felt like hockey’s equivalent of another planet to a 12-year old who couldn’t watch west coast games from his home in Boston, though the acquisition of Rhode Island’s Chris Terreri at least made the move noteworthy to a pre-teen hockey fan in New England.

Because I was born in the mid-1980s, I never knew Belfour played at North Dakota until I became more exposed to college hockey, but as I researched more into an era dominated mostly by western schools, it became clearer to me just how intricate he was to the then-Fighting Sioux’s national championship.

They were the only team to finish with 40 wins in 1986-1987, and their championship run in the WCHA Tournament included two series with double digit scores, including a 10-6 aggregate over second place Minnesota, which had earlier scored 17 goals in its two games against Michigan Tech. The hero, though, was Belfour, who earned dueling two-goal wins over the Gophers in the championship round while holding Colorado College to four goals in the semifinals.

In total, UND was the only team in the WCHA to avoid giving up 100 goals, and Belfour earned All-Tournament Team honors after the Sioux beat Michigan State in the national championship game after previously leading the team to a 3-1 win in the first game against St. Lawrence and a 5-2 win over Harvard in the semifinals.

Belfour returned to Grand Forks this weekend, and one night before Miami won the return bout of a two-game weekend, the former North Dakota goalie participated in a “one final skate” program while wearing the home jersey for the Ralph Engelstad Arena faithful. As he skated to the crease, Belfour pulled off his sweater to reveal the old school Fighting Sioux logo one more time, and the crowd, ever proud of its heroes, roared in delight as Eddie the Eagle gave them a lasting image from a former champion.

10) Can they just play every weekend?

Nothing beats a good sell-out crowd in a small, loud barn, and this weekend’s women’s hockey series between No. 1 Minnesota and No. 3 Wisconsin offered Exhibit A to the thrills and associated with two top-ranked teams stocked to the gills with incredible talent. More than 4,000 fans filed through turnstiles at the Badgers’ La Bahn Arena for the two WCHA conference games, and after watching the home side rally for a 3-3 tie on Saturday afternoon, the rabid, frothing fan base watched their team dominate the top-ranked Gophers for a 4-1 win on Sunday.

No Badger scored more than one goal, and after Britta Curl scored with 10.5 seconds in the third period, Nicole LaMantia, Sarah Wozniewicz, Kirsten Simms and Jesse Compher scored on Sunday to push Wisconsin to 11-2-1 on the season with an 8-1-1 record in conference play.

Minnesota lost for just the second time this season, and while Ohio State stood lodged between the two teams, all three drew first place votes in last week’s DCU/USCHO Division I Women’s Poll. It’s likely there will be a new No. 1, but whether the voters sway to the Buckeyes or the Badgers won’t be revealed until Monday afternoon.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: (3) Badgers down (1) Gophers 4-1

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MADISON – Goaltender Cammi Kronish called the Wisconsin women’s hockey team’s win over rival Minnesota on Sunday afternoon a complete team effort. The redshirt senior entered the game unexpectedly before four minutes had even elapsed, replacing redshirt sophomore Jane Gervais, who exited the game with an injury.

After settling for a tie on Saturday, with Minnesota taking an additional conference point by winning the shootout, the Badgers came out with renewed determination on Saturday that pushed the Gophers off their game. They outshot Minnesota 40-29, had 21 block to their 13 and dominated on faceoffs, winning of 31 of 49 chances.

Wisconsin was coming off two straight weekends without games, meaning there were about 20 days between puck drops for the Badgers. Freshman Kristin Simms said the team worked hard during that time with these games in mind, so this was the payoff. Coach Mark Johnson agreed.

“In the third, I liked that they we were able to get ourselves in position, we were able to execute do the things necessary to eliminate the other team from really getting quality chances,” he said. 

“I liked a lot of the little things we did today compared to what we did yesterday. They spent a lot of time working hard and competing and they got rewarded for their effort today.”

The teams traded power play goals in the opening frame. Nicole LaMantia placed a shot top shelf from the far faceoff circle to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead. Two minutes later, Taylor Heise tied the game on a beautiful display of vision on the ice and puck handling as she drove into the net before changing course and heading to the top of the circles where she quickly turned and let go of a shot to beat Kronish.

Late in the second, sophomore Sarah Wozniewicz had a great touch in the neutral zone to feed the puck to junior Casey O’Brien in stride. As O’Brien carried it in, Wozniewicz broke to the slot, where O’Brien fed her the puck. Wozniewicz put the puck in as she was hit by Heise coming in to defend.

Simms extended the lead to 3-1 early in the third when she put back a rebound off a Laila Edwards shot. The goal was waved off as it happened, but was reviewed at the next stoppage and called good.

Grad transfer Jesse Compher, who led all skaters on the weekend with 15 shots on goal and three points, capped the day off for the Badgers with a top shelf shot from the left faceoff dot to give Wisconsin a 4-1 win.

“We just had the energy all game and knew that our push was there. Why let our foot off the gas at all? Just keep going. We wanted to seal the win, but if we can keep putting them in, then keep putting them in,” said Simms.

“Overall, we got beat and they looked a little more hungry than we did in stretches of that game, which we need to get better on,” said Minnesota coach Brad Frost. 

It was an off game all around for the Gophers, who struggled to get pucks on net or turn transition rushes into scoring opportunities. They had 64 shot attempts, but put just 29 of them on net.

Kronish said coming in so quickly after the start of the game was a surprise, but not too difficult. She prepares for every game the same way, whether she’s named starter or not. They way she rebounded in the final two periods on Saturday and then handled the unusual situation Sunday gave her more confidence, she said.

“I showed that I’m capable of playing two games against one of the best teams in college hockey. I’m proud of myself and the effort and I’m proud of this team,” she said. 

“Seeing my teammates layout and block a shot like it’s just like the most unbelievable feeling as a goaltender that your teammates are willing to put their bodies in front of the puck and they don’t have half as much padding as I do. It was just a full team effort. Everybody wanted to win. They were willing to sacrifice.”

 

 

Women’s Division I College Hockey: First game of Wisconsin/Minnesota border battle ends in tie, Gophers take extra point with shootout win

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MADISON — Britta Curl’s goal with 10.5 seconds left in regulation tied the game at three for Wisconsin and forced overtime, but Abbey Murphy was the lone goal-scorer in the shootout round to give Minnesota the extra standings point.

“It was a classic right Gopher/Badger game. There were great chances both ways. You know going in that if you just lay off for a second, both teams have players that can put the puck in the net. Both teams are so good, so skilled,” said Minnesota coach Brad Frost.

The Badgers killed a penalty in the opening minutes of the game, but the Gophers maintained much of the early momentum. Midway through the first, Jesse Compher carried the puck in along the far boards and passed it back to Vivian Jungels, who wristed it into the back of the net.

It looked like Wisconsin had doubled their lead three minutes later, but a challenge from Frost saw the goal call overturned for goalie interference. The momentum shifted and Minnesota scored their first goal of the game on a short-handed play by Peyton Hemp. Abbey Murphy took off on a breakaway and her shot deflected off Hemp’s skate into the net.

Early in the second, Laila Edwards put the Badgers up 2-1 on a gorgeous play where she carried the puck around the top of the faceoff circle before releasing a shot from the slot that beat Gopher goalie Skylar Vetter.

Hemp scored her second from a tight angle, squeezing the puck between Wisconsin goalie Cami Kronish and the post. The Gophers took the lead on a puck that bounced off the boards behind Kronish to the back post, where it was tucked in by Grace Zumwinkle.

The Badgers pulled Kronish with 1:44 left in regulation and Compher won two faceoffs in the zone in the final minute to help the Badgers keep up the pressure. After a flurry right in front of Vetter, the puck fell in front of Curl who dove at it to tie the game at 3 and force overtime.

In the extra frame, Taylor Heise took a shot from the left side that rolled up over Kronish’s head and looked destined for the back of the net. A quick-thinking Kronish threw her arm behind her back and caught the puck in her glove. Minnesota had a 2-on-1 breakaway as the overtime period expired. The initial save left the puck sitting right on the goal line, but the run of play took everyone past the net and the puck was cleared away as the buzzer sounded.

Lacey Eden, Kirsten Simms and Nicole LaMantia each failed to score in the shootout for Wisconsin. Grace Zumwinkle and Taylor Heise were also each stopped. Murphy’s short-side chip won the extra point for the Gophers.

“There’s a lot of good that came out today. I think obviously we want all the points, but we try to look at the bright side. I thought we showed some grit at the end of that third period. So we just got to take that away for tomorrow and come with a little bit of fire after losing the shoot out,” Curl said.

Minnesota played forward Emily Oden at defense as Nelli Laitinen was out of the lineup. Vetter made 40 saves while Kronish notched 38.

“I’m very happy with how we played. We talked about how we don’t want huge peaks and valleys. There are going to be ups and downs, but we just don’t want them to be drastic one way or another,” said Frost. “I thought tonight was a perfect example of that. Even though we were down twice, they never panicked and they just kept with it.”

 

 

SATURDAY RECAP: Quinnipiac improves to perfect 6-0-0 in ECAC with 4-1 win over Princeton; series splits rule the night for nationally-ranked teams

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No. 5 Quinnipiac has plenty to celebrate after earning its sixth straight victory, a 4-1 win over Princeton to remain undefeated in ECAC play (File photo: Quinnipiac Athletics)

Quinnipiac remains among the hottest teams in the country, earning a 4-1 victory on Saturday to stretch its winning streak to six and moving to a perfect 6-0-0 in ECAC play.

Jack Johnson and Michael Lombardi each scored a goal and an assist and goaltender Yaniv Perets stopped 31 shots to improve to 9-1-2 on the season.

Quinnipiac never trailed, jumping to a 3-1 lead through two periods. After Princeton’s Nick Seitz scored unassisted to break the shutout with 2:23 remaining, Lombardi added the empty-net goal just 42 seconds later.

SCOREBOARD  |  USCHO.com POLL  |  STANDINGS

No. 14 Western Michigan 5, Minnesota Duluth 3

Visiting Minnesota Duluth was poised for a much-needed two game sweep at Western Michigan on Saturday, taking a 3-1 lead into the final seconds of the middle period.

But a Ryan McAllister goal with two seconds remaining in the second and then three more unanswered goals by the Broncos in the third flipped the game quickly giving the hosts a 5-3 victory and a split of the two-game series.

Luke Grainger scored twice in the final frame, sandwiching his two goals around Jamie Rome’s marker with 3:28 left that proved to be the game winner.

Somethings you need to see from Saturday’s action…

Max Crozier one-hands the overtime game winner for 4-3 victory over Vermont

Defenseman Lane Hutson jumps into the play to score in overtime for BU

Army’s Eric Huss has an impressive end-to-end rush in a 5-2 win over Bentley

Disappointing result (7-3 loss) but impressive set up by Penn State’s Ben Schoen 

Hockey East suspends Providence’s Duran for one game after incident vs. Vermont

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Hockey East announced today that Providence sophomore forward Riley Duran has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 13:09 of the second period on Friday, Nov. 18 against Vermont. Duran was assessed a five-minute major for contact to the head and a game misconduct.

Duran will miss the game on Saturday, Nov. 19 against Vermont and will be eligible to return to the Friars’ lineup on Friday, Nov. 25 against St. Lawrence.

FRIDAY RECAP: No. 18 Northeastern draws first blood in series with No. 11 BU; No. 2 Minnesota completes sweep of No. 3 Michigan in illness-riddled series; UMD upsets No. 14 Western Michigan on road

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Northeastern Devon Levi was perfect, stopping all 41 shots he faced as the Huskies defeated Boston University, 2-0 (Photo: Kyle Prudhomme/BU Athletics)

In a battle that featured the two goaltenders from last year’s Winter Olympics, it was Northeastern’s Devon Levi who out dueled Boston University’s Drew Commesso, posting a 41 saves shutout in a 2-0 Huskies victory.

For a while, it seemed as if neither team would be able to solve the highly-touted goaltenders. But Cam Lund finally broke through with 8:54 remaining in regulation for the only marker to beat Commesso (24 saves). Justin Hryckowian iced the victory with an empty-net goal with 44 seconds remaining.

The victory snaps a two-game winless skid for Northeastern, while Boston University’s three-game winning streak was snapped at three. The two teams will travel about two miles down the road for Saturday’s rematch at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena.

No. 2 Minnesota 6, No. 3 Michigan 3

It may have seemed like a battle of attrition, with both teams battling illness and neither able to dress a full complement of players.

But that battle, for the second straight night, was won by Minnesota, this time 6-3 as the Gophers sweep the two-game series.

Jaxon Nelson (two goals, assist) and Matthew Knies (one goal, two assists) paced the Gophers offense. They jumped ahead 3-0 by the 4:37 mark of the second period and despite pushback from the Wolverines, the lead never dropped below two goals as Minnesota netminder Owen Bartoszkiewicz (35 saves) earned the win to improve to 3-0-0 on the season.

Minnesota Duluth 5, No. 14 Western Michigan 4

Darian Gotz scored the game-winning goal with 1:05 left in regulation, breaking a 4-4 tie as Minnesota Duluth earned an upset road victory over Western Michigan, 5-4.

It was a wild, back-and-forth game as the Bulldogs jumped to a 2-0 lead, fell behind 3-2, took a 4-3 lead and needed Gotz’s late tally after Western Michigan tied the game late on a Jason Polin power play tally.

The victory for Minnesota Duluth was a solid response to poll voters who bumped the Bulldogs out of the top 20 for the first time since the 2015-16 season, a span of 154 consecutive polls.

Somethings you needed to see from Friday…

Colgate’s Colton Young was not to be denied in overtime

Niagara defenseman Josef Mysak has some nifty moves against the USNTDP

NESCAC Hockey Preview: Bantams look to extend recent conference dominance

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Colby All-American Andy Beran is back to help the Mules challenge for a NESCAC title (Photo by Colby Athletics)

While new coach Ben Guite takes over the helm at Bowdoin College this season, he and the rest of the coaches in the conference are all wondering how to beat Trinity for the conference title. The Bantams have appeared in the last six contested title games, winning four including last season. Nothing can be taken for granted in a conference where the competition is fierce top to bottom and points are always at a premium every weekend.

“Trinity is certainly going to be there again.” Said Amherst coach Jack Arena. “It is hard to argue with success Matt’s teams have had in recent years and he has good group back that figured some things out last season after a slow start. I think Williams is always in the mix and Colby has really contended in recent years. This league always has some surprises and is very balanced top to bottom so there seems to be a team that emerges every season that catches fire and contends for the title. Not sure who that is this year – would like it to be us – but it is always an interesting race right to the final weekend of the regular season.”

The Favorites

While Trinity took awhile to find their game last season, the end result found them winning the conference title and playing in the NCAA tournament again. The loss of Lucas Michaud to graduation will be felt but Jax Murray and Gerard Maretta return to lead the offense while Teddy Griffin will display his puck prowess from the blueline. The roster is talented and deep and should be where they want to be in contending for the NESCAC title again.

Blaise MacDonald has his Colby squad on the rise having lost last year’s title game to Trinity. Andy Beran is among the best goaltenders in the league while Jack Sullivan leads a mobile defensive group in support of a deep and talented set of forwards including Alex Bourhas, Carter Breitenfeldt and Henry Molson. Scoring depth and balance will help the Mules contend every night.

The Dark Horses

It is almost an assured fact that Williams is in the mix every season. Coach Bill Kangas always has a club that plays fast and competes in all three zones anchored by great goaltending and this year is no different with Evan Ruschil returning to roam the blue paint. Staying healthy will be key for one of the smallest rosters in D-III hockey but never count the Ephs out of the hunt.

The Continentals are loaded upfront with the likes of Nick Hawkins, Grisha Gotovets and Matt Gellerman and will need to find the #1 man in the crease to replace the graduated Sean Storr. If the backend can play well, Rob Haberbusch’s team will be a challenge to play for anyone in the conference.

Players to watch

Amherst:                                        Matt Toporowski – forward; Joey Verkerke – defense

Bowdoin:                                        Ben Guite – coach; Chris Brown – forward

Colby:                                              Andy Beran – goaltender; Jack Sullivan – defense

Connecticut College:                     Seth Stadheim – forward; Eric Fournier – defense

Hamilton:                                        Grisha Gotovets – forward; Matt Gellerman – forward

Middlebury:                                   Emack Bentley – forward; Jake Horoho – goaltender

Trinity:                                             Jax Murray – forward; Gerard Maretta – forward

Tufts:                                               Cam Newton  – defense; Tyler Sedlak – forward

Wesleyan:                                       Emmet Powell – defense; Go Uemura – forward

Williams:                                         Sean Clarke – forward; Evan Ruschil – goaltender

USCHO Predicted finish 

  1. Trinity
  2. Williams
  3. Colby
  4. Hamilton
  5. Wesleyan
  6. Amherst
  7. Bowdoin
  8. Connecticut College
  9. Middlebury
  10. Tufts

Always last to the party, NESCAC commences play right out of the gate with conference battles and points on the line after two plus weeks of practice and scrimmages against teammates. Different colored uniforms on the opponents raise the energy and adrenaline levels so look for some fast-paced play for the last conference to join the 2022-23 season. Colby* travels to Middlebury for opening night with the home team launching their 100th anniversary of hockey celebration this season joining fellow conference members Amherst and Bowdoin as programs that have already surpassed the century mark.

*YourHockey.com reflects Colby also beginning their hockey program in 1922 but at the time of this column there was no related information regarding the school’s recognition of their 100th anniversary.

Second game of Syracuse-Mercyhurst women’s college hockey series scheduled for Nov. 19 postponed due to inclement weather

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The second game of the CHA series between Syracuse and Mercyhurst scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 19 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center has been postponed due to inclement weather.

Today’s announcement follows Thursday’s decision to postpone the opening game of the series, which was originally scheduled to be played this evening.

Make-up dates for both contests are to be determined.

D-III West Weekend Hockey Picks — Nov. 17, 2022

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Garrett Smith and the Johnnies battle St. Scholastica in a two-game series this weekend. (Photo Credit: Saint John’s Athletics)

It’s straight up conference play this coming weekend throughout the west region of NCAA Division III hockey.

In the MIAC, one of the highlights is St. Scholastica’s series with Saint John’s. Both teams are unbeaten in WIAC play. UW-Stout is off to a hot start and faces two tough tests while Adrian hits the road to battle Trine.

On Thursday, hockey fans will be feasting on turkey as they celebrate Thanksgiving. This weekend, they feast on hockey in the west region. Check out the latest picks below.

Friday and Saturday

Augsburg (3-1-1, 0-0) vs. Saint Mary’s (1-4-1, 1-1)

The Auggies, ranked fifth in the nation in the DCU/USCHO Division III poll, have won their last three games and play their first MIAC games of the year this weekend. Augsburg is tough to defend, scoring two or more goals in every game. Four players have at least four points, with Nick Woodward leading the way with two goals and five assists. The Cardinals will have their hands full. They have dropped two in a row, giving up 14 goals in that stretch.
Augsburg, 5-1 and 7-2

St. Scholastica (3-3, 2-0) vs. Saint John’s (4-1, 2-0)

A battle of unbeatens in MIAC play is on tap as the Saints and Johnnies both look to grab an early edge in the race for the title. St. Scholastica has won its last two and has shown how good it can be offensively, scoring 10 goals in a win over Gustavus last week. They’ll need to have the offense clicking against Saint John’s, which has won its last three games. The Johnnies have given up only five goals during the streak. They have allowed only 10 goals in all.
Saint John’s, 4-1 and 3-2

Bethel (4-2, 1-1) vs. Gustavus (0-3-1, 0-2)

The Royals are riding the high of a win over then No. 15 UW-Eau Claire last week. If they can play the same way against the Gusties, it should be a good weekend for Bethel. Scoring goals has been the toughest thing for Gustavus so far. The Gusties have just six goals on the year. That needs to change to have a chance against Bethel.
Bethel, 5-2 and 4-1

Hamline (3-2, 1-1) vs. St. Olaf (3-1-1, 1-1)

Big series for both teams as the Pipers and Oles are both hoping to get over the .500 mark in conference play. Hamline has found its stride as of late, winning its last two as it has gotten its offense on track. Sam Dabrowski leads the way with four goals. The Oles, who won the MIAC tourney last year, are unbeaten in their last three and have been competitive. Troy Bowditch has paced the team, dishing out five assists to go along with two goals. This should be a fun series to watch.
St. Olaf, 4-3; Hamline, 3-2

Adrian (4-1-1, 1-1) at Trine (3-3, 1-3)

The No. 2 team in the nation heads out on the road to battle a team looking to contend for its first NCHA title in program history. Adrian has just one loss on the season and features one of the best offenses in the country. Matus Spodniak leads the charge with 11 goals, and if he’s on, the Bulldogs will be in good shape. The Thunder have been up and down in the early going and have lost three of their last four. They’ll have to be on point offensively to keep pace with the Bulldogs.
Adrian, 5-3 and 4-2

Aurora (6-1, 4-0) vs. Lake Forest (3-3-1, 0-2)

The 11th-ranked Spartans are on a roll and have yet to lose in conference play. They have tallied four or more goals in every win this season. The big thing to watch is Aurora is hungry for revenge. Lake Forest handed the Spartans their only loss and did it in convincing fashion with a 7-0 victory. These two games should be much closer, especially with the Forresters eager to get back on track after dropping three of their last four games.
Aurora, 5-2; Lake Forest, 4-3

Concordia (1-5, 1-1) vs. Marian (2-2, 1-1)

The Falcons haven’t had an easy time early on this season but do have a little confidence heading into the weekend after getting a win over Trine last week. They need to keep things close out of the gate in this series. Marian has been up and down but did get a split with reigning champ Adrian last week. The Sabres have the ability to take control early with the way they play on both ends of the ice.
Marian, 4-1 and 5-1

Friday

UW-Stout (5-1) at UW-Stevens Point (2-1-3, 1-1-1)

The Blue Devils have been one of the early-season surprises and go into this game against the Pointers with a chance to get a jump start on contending for a WIAC title. They’ve made one statement already beating nationally Augsburg earlier this season. Winning this game would provide an added boost of confidence. The Pointers are off to an interesting start but can’t be overlooked. Especially at home. Let’s go with the upset here.
UW-Stout, 5-4

Saturday

UW-River Falls (3-3) at UW-Eau Claire (2-2)

The Falcons are trying to get back on track after dropping two in a row. A great defensive game is going to be a key to success. The good news is UW-River Falls has Dysen Skinner in goal. He has two shutouts already this year and has saved more than 92 percent of the shots he’s faced. Like the Falcons, the Blugolds are hungry for a win. They’ve lost their last two and will have a chance to close out the weekend on a high note. Goaltender Max Gutjahr has a save percentage above 90 percent (.923) and has allowed 10 goals.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-2

UW-Stout (5-1) at UW-Superior (3-2)

The Blue Devils will close out their weekend against the Yellowjackets, who seem to have found their groove as of late. They have won their last two games and have shown they can be a tough team to beat when things are clicking on both ends of the ice. This one could be a high-scoring affair, especially with the way UW-Stout is capable of scoring goals.
UW-Stout, 6-5

USCHO Edge: As we near midseason break, still some heavy favorites, underdogs available creating possible value bets

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Will Minnesota Duluth players be doing this over the weekend against Western Michigan? (photo: Terry Cartie Norton).

How would a $2,460 win sound to you? Not bad, especially if you perfectly picked all five games in last week’s USCHO Edge column and parlayed them on a $100 bet.

Certainly, we make it sound easy. It’s not.

None of our eight writers got all five correct. In fact, no one got all five right and, for that matter, not a single writer even picked four of five correct. These games might look easy to handicap, but it’s amazing how often a crazy upset might occur.

Last weekend it was Boston University over UMass, when all eight USCHO writers picked the Minutemen only to have the Terriers post a 7-2 win.

Keep an eye on those underdogs this week. While there are some pretty even matchups, we also are previewing three games with underdogs priced at +165 or higher. Picks these games correct and you could earn a nice payday.

All odds provided via DraftKings Sportsbook

No. 17 Michigan State (+165) at No. 6 Penn State (-205); o/u 5.5

Michigan State is red hot heading to Hockey Valley, but for the Spartans playing away from the newly-renovated Munn Ice Arena might be the biggest challenge.

But the Nittany Lions have been playing extremely well of late, splitting series in consecutive weekends against the nation’s number one teams (Michigan and Minnesota).

What is interesting here is the over/under of 5.5. Penn State has one of the best offenses in the nation and Michigan State is in the top third of the country in goals scored. Thus it seems more likely than not that this game will get to six or more goals.

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

No. 2 Minnesota (-120) at No. 3 Michigan (-110); o/u 6

The two most recent top teams in the USCHO poll meet in Ann Arbor for a series that began on Thursday night with a 5-2 Minnesota victory. What does that do for Friday’s rematch?

Well for one, DraftKings took the game off their book (the odds above are from Thursday’s game). Not sure that really tells us much other than the fact that the books don’t want high liability on Minnesota should they pull off the road sweep.

But road sweeps are hard to come by, so if you find Michigan somewhere out there, there may be good value (anything +110 or higher should be considered significant value for a home team).

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

No. 18 Northeastern (+130) at No. 11 Boston University (-160); o/u 5.5

Last weekend, Boston University played a higher ranked UMass team and was a +150 underdog. How quickly one weekend can change the minds of bookmakers.

BU suddenly is a significant -160 favorite at home over Northeastern, as the Huskies are coming off a loss and tie against Boston College. In both games, Northeastern rallied, including from three goals down last Friday to earn the tie and a shootout win.

But the Terriers should be the betting darling (just look at how our staff picked this game) and the -160 price doesn’t carry much value with it.

The 5.5 over/under also feels low but given the fact that two Olympic goaltender in NU’s Devon Levi and BU’s Drew Commesso are facing off. Does that translate to a 2-1 or 3-1 result? That’s for you to decide.

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

Minnesota Duluth (+165) at No. 14 Western Michigan (-205); o/u 5.5

It’s been quite some time since Minnesota Duluth has entered a weekend series unranked. That is what creates easily the best betting value we’ve seen on the Bulldogs in a long time.

At +165, Minnesota Duluth carries the second-best value in this week’s column and does so  having beat Western Michigan in three of the last four meetings.

This is a rematch of last year’s NCHC semifinal, won 3-0 by Duluth.

Have we given you enough reasons to take the Bulldogs? Well here’s some good things about the Broncos. Western has won three of its last four games, including a victory on the road last Friday night against St. Cloud State.

Is that enough reason to bet a -205 favorite? Again, that your call.

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

No. 4 St. Cloud State (-230) at Colorado College (+180); o/u 5.5

Colorado College still may not be among college hockey’s elite, but going 2-1-1 in the last four games shows some signs of momentum for the Tigers.

That’s still not a great reason to take the +180 underdog against heavy favorite St. Cloud State, which has struggled to sweep series of late but is still playing pretty consistent hockey.

Of all the over/unders this week, 5.5 seems to be a fair number for two good defenses and two teams that don’t always score a ton of goals.

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

Minnesota-Michigan is razor thin while other top 20 games have strong favorites: USCHO Edge podcast Season 1 Episode 6

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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 consider why college hockey is such a tough sport for oddsmakers.

This week’s games:

• No. 17 Michigan State at No. 6 Penn State

• No. 2 Minnesota at No. 3 Michigan

• No. 18 Northeastern at No. 11 Boston University

• Minnesota Duluth at No. 14 Western Michigan

• No. 4 St. Cloud State at Colorado College

This college hockey podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.

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

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

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Bowling Green assistant coach Paskaris leaves bench, named assistant athletics director for development with Falcons

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Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Offseason interview – A visit with 2-time defending NCAA championship coach Joe Cranston of UW-River Falls

Nicole Haase -

After 42 years coaching Amherst men’s hockey team, Arena retires as ‘heart and soul’ of Mammoths program

USCHO Staff -

Western New England men’s hockey coach Young announces resignation after four seasons with Golden Bears

USCHO Staff -

SUNYAC tabs Fredonia’s Sudbrink as conference men’s hockey scholar-athlete of the year for ’24-25 season

USCHO Staff -

‘A proud day’ as former Minnesota Duluth women’s hockey captain Brodt tabbed new head coach for St. Scholastica

USCHO Staff -

Denver sophomore blueliner, recent Wild signee Buium tabbed USCHO Player of the Year for ’24-25 season

USCHO Staff -

Western Michigan’s Ferschweiler leads Broncos to national championship, named unanimous USCHO Coach of the Year for 2024-25 campaign

USCHO Staff -

After 48-point freshman season with Boston University, Hutson adds to accolades with 2024-25 USCHO Rookie of the Year honor

USCHO Staff -

Wisconsin’s Simms, McNaughton, Minnesota’s Primerano take home final women’s hockey HCA monthly honors for ’24-25 season

USCHO Staff -

Final HCA men’s hockey monthly honors for ’24-25 season go to Western Michigan’s Washe, BU’s Hutson, Denver’s Davis, Bentley’s Hasley, Minnesota State’s Tracy

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