Justin Kelley is off to a good start in his first season with the Bethel Royals. (Photo Credit: Bethel Athletics)
Justin Kelley is back in the MIAC, where he spent the first two seasons of his collegiate career when St. Thomas was still a member of it before the program transitioned to Division I.
Now, he’s playing for the Bethel Royals and having success. Kelley is glad to to back.
“It’s been really cool,” Kelley said. “I have familiarity with the team and the coach, and other teammates I’ve played with in the past. It just felt like I fit right in. The guys have been great. It’s been awesome.”
Kelley has made an immediate impact. He ranks second on the team in goals (3) and points (6), and has also dished out six assists for a Bethel team that is off to a 4-2 start.
He credits his teammates for helping him become the best player he can be so far this season.
“We have such a good team and that has helped me play better,” Kelley said. “It pushes me every day because we have a lot of great players, and it makes me want to do better every time I go out there on the ice.”
For Kelley, the new environment has been a difference maker as well. Last year with St. Thomas during the Tommies’ first season in Division I, it presented challenges and added pressure.
“I’m not restricting myself this year. I’m playing more free,” Kelley said. “I almost felt like last year I was playing just to survive rather than going out there and having fun and playing free. This year, I’m doing that. I’m not worried about the next shift. I’m focused on the right now and having success.”
His familiarity with some of his teammates hasn’t hurt either. One of the senior forward’s teammates, Jarrett Cammarata, who leads the Royals with four goals and four assists, has been someone Kelley has known long before he ever stepped onto the ice at Bethel.
“I’ve played with Jarrett pretty much my whole life. It’s a lot of fun to play with him again,” Kelley said. “It’s pretty cool for us to be on the same team again.”
Growing up in Minnesota, Kelly started playing hockey when he was just 4 years old. Hockey has always kind of been a family affair for him.
“My dad played and my older brother played, so I watched him a lot, and now my younger brother players, too,” Kelley said.
His love for the game is unmatched.
“The game is awesome and has been my passion,” Kelley said. “No matter what is going on off the ice, when I step onto the ice I have no worries. All of the worries go away. And being around my teammates, some of my best memories are with them.”
More memories are still yet to be made.
Bethel is coming off a huge win over then No. 15 UW-Eau Claire, beating the Blugolds 4-3 in overtime, and the Royals gained a lot from that win.
“It was a big confidence boost. We didn’t play our best the night before against Superior, and had lost two in a row at home, and just weren’t playing our best game. But we found it against Eau Claire. To beat them at home was awesome. We can build on what we did well and keep moving forward.”
Kelley said the Royals have been able to play fast and physical, and that has been instrumental to their success in the early going of the season.
They understand nothing will come easy in the MIAC, though, night in and night out.
“Every team is good. You can’t overlook anyone,” Kelley said. “You have to earn everything you get every night.”
And when it’s all said and done this season, Bethel hopes to be in the hunt for a conference title.
“Our goal is to be right there at the end,” Kelley said. “What is helping us is our focus. We know every game is an opportunity to get better and we want to be playing our best at the end of the year, but what we do right now factors into that.”
Take a look at Providence’s last seven games and you’ll see something of a microcosm of the state of the game of women’s college hockey. After losing 4-1 to then #6 Northeastern, they came back to tie the Huskies the next day before losing the shootout. The next weekend Providence needed overtime to defeat Boston University, who only had three wins on the season before taking the second game 4-1. Last weekend, they were swept by Connecticut, who are currently tied with them in the Hockey East standings, though UConn has played one more game.
On Tuesday, the Friars proved that October’s tie was no fluke as they defeated Northeastern 3-0, holding the normally prolific Huskies offense to just 23 shots. Providence made 26 blocks in the win.
Providence coach Matt Kelly said the losses to Connecticut and the win over Northeastern weren’t what he’d consider highs and lows, but instead show the parity in the game right now.
“There’s so much competition. There’s a lot of teams that, on any given night, if you’re not dialed in and executing your game plan, anybody can knock anyone off,” he said.
When it came to the losses to UConn, he said they were able to capitalize on the bounces and his team didn’t execute their game plan. It was a tough, but probably necessary lesson for his team to learn. Consistency is a focal point of the Providence coaching staff in part, Kelly said, because his first year at the helm for the Friars, his team missed out on the NCAA tournament by a fraction of a percentage point. One goal bouncing in either direction could have been the difference in their season.
It may have not initially looked like it at the time the schedule was released, but Kelly said the Friars were lucky to have the game against Northeastern on Tuesday because it forced his team to put the losses behind them and move forward.
“You can’t dwell on those two games because they’re over. We had to focus and make sure we were putting our best foot down to win Tuesday’s hockey game. That was probably the best thing for our group, just to play right away. Sometimes, rather than dwelling on some losses, the best thing to do is get back out there and play,” said Kelly.
It worked. Providence took the ice on Tuesday and executed their game plan to perfection. Kelly said that for his team to be successful, they need to play a gritty, tough game. That means winning battles, forechecking hard and staying structured and organized. One of the big reasons they’re able to do all those things – particularly the forecheck – is the stalwart presence of goalie Sandra Abstreiter.
“She’s been a rock for us. Having her back there helps our team play a little free and they don’t have to think so much all the time about every little thing because they know they have her in the blue paint to help them out if anything does go off the tracks a little bit. It’s great to have her consistency, her maturity, her experience. At the end of the day, to make it far in the NCAA tournament, you have to have good goaltending. She’s been able to build her game over the past handful of years and she’s always trying to learn something new and get better at her craft,” said Kelly.
The sense of confidence and calmness that having Abstreiter backstopping the team instills is combined with the focus on possessing, moving and supporting the puck to make a really successful team that is getting offensive contributions up and down the line sheet. Kelly called it an offense by committee and it speaks to the depth of this Friars squad and the quality of hockey being played across the board in the NCAA right now.
One of the early standouts in Providence has been Reichen Kirchmair. She’s the second-line right wing and has quickly adapted to the college game. She leads the team with eight goals and seems to have an innate sense for where to place the puck. There are not a lot of wasted opportunities for Kirchmair, who right now is scoring on one of every four shots on goal she tallies. Even more impressive, she’s doing that while making incredibly fast decisions on when and where to release the puck.
“She gets her shot off really quick. It’s heavy, too. It gets on a goalie quick. She doesn’t need a lot of room to get it off, which I think at this level is crucial. She needs a split second. If the puck is on her tape, she can get it off and get it on the net quickly,” said Kelly.
There’s a strong leadership group of veteran Providence skaters like Lindsay Bochna, Sara Hjalmarsson and Caroline Peterson that have been joined by grad transfers Nemo Neubauerova (Colgate) and Ida Press (Maine) to create a core of experienced players. Combine them with Abstreiter and the newcomers who have made an immediate impact and found chemistry with their linemates early and you come up with a team that has already shown they are contending for the Hockey East title and another trip to the NCAA tournament.
They’ll need to focus on their consistency and winning those close games. Current projections have the Friars on the bubble – a few fractions of a point behind Connecticut, but with both on the outside looking in.
The opening game of the CHA series between Mercyhurst and Syracuse scheduled for Friday, Nov. 18 at the Mercyhurst Ice Center has been postponed due to inclement weather.
A make-up date is to be determined.
A decision regarding the second game of the series, set for Saturday, Nov. 19, will be made on Nov. 18.
Ferris State players celebrate a goal in their recent exhibition game against Mercyhurst (photo: Ferris State Athletics).
When the NCAA finally started letting Division I teams play against one another for in-season exhibition games last season, it was a big relief to coaches across the country.
Now, no longer at the whims of whatever Canadian team was able to cross the border during the first few weeks of the season, coaches have much more flexibility to schedule games whenever they can get them against whoever they want.
Count Bob Daniels as one of the coaches who is very glad to be able to schedule those games. His Ferris State team took on Mercyhurst in an exhibition last weekend, beating the Lakers 5-1 in between two weekends of CCHA play in which the Bulldogs normally would have sat idle.
“It gave us a week of practice that was meaningful,” Daniels said. “Instead of just practicing and taking the weekend off, we were able to focus and channel our energies towards Mercyhurst. Then playing the game, that really helped, when you’re not playing you forget how hard you need to compete just to be successful at this level.”
It sounds simple, but simply playing in a game against another team – as opposed to hitting one another in practice – does wonders for a team in the middle of its season. And Daniels said he prefers the Bulldogs to keep at it if at all possible this early in the season and have more breaks later.
But Ferris’ schedule is a bit strange this season.
Because the Bulldogs (3-5-2, 1-2-1 CCHA) are participating in the Great Lakes Invitational right after Christmas, that forced some other series to be moved around at the 11th hour. It’s why they played Michigan Tech in a single nonconference game at the beginning of October. It’s also why they’ve already had two off weekends and will have another over Thanksgiving.
“It’s the complete opposite of what I would have liked, and it’s no one’s fault… maybe a little bit my own,” he said, adding that after the GLI they have another off week, followed by nine straight weeks until the end of the season in January and February. “We’re thrilled to be in the GLI, and we wanted to be in it so bad, so we had to maneuver our schedule to make it work.”
Consequently, the Bulldogs’ first two months have been something of a mixed bag. Daniels said he likes how his team’s goaltending tandem of Logan Stein and Noah Giesbrecht has played, but thinks the Bulldogs’ even-strength, five-on-five play has been poor. The Bulldogs have scored 11 of their 24 goals on special teams.
“Our power play and penalty kill are going along at a pretty good clip, but I’m really concerned about our ability to generate offense five on five,” he said. “We’re just not generating enough chances. Part of the issue I think is, in the offensive zone, our forecheck hasn’t been as good as I’d like it to be. We seem to play a lot on our end of the rink, and I’d like to change that.”
Perhaps the victory over Mercyhurst can be considered a “sandbox” in that regard. All five of Ferris’ goals against the Lakers were at even-strength.
“It was good for us to score those five-on-five goals, and a lot of them we got in those greasy areas, got some greasy goals, so that’s a positive for us,” he said.
There have been some other bright sports offensively. Freshman Connor McGrath leads the team with four goals.
“He’s a talent. He’s been seeing a lot of ice and a lot of valuable minutes. He’s been a real positive addition,” Daniels said. “But for the most part, our scoring has been pretty spread out.”
Three other players (sophomore scoring leader Bradley Marek, junior Stepan Pokorny and senior Jason Brancheau) have scored three goals apiece, while nine additional players have scored at least once.
One thing that has slightly made up for the lack of scoring is defense.
In addition to Stein and Giesbrecht’s play, the Bulldog defensive corps have generally done a good job keeping the puck out of the net. Ferris doesn’t have the ability at the moment to outgun opponents, but if they can keep them to two or fewer goals, they have a good chance at winning.
In their series against St. Thomas at the end of October the Bulldogs eked out a 3-2 overtime victory, but the Tommies scored five goals the next night and won 5-2. Aside from the OT winner, all four of FSU’s goals in that series were shorthanded.
“We’ve been pretty stingy defensively, and when we’ve made mistakes, our goaltenders have been there to mop it up,” Daniels said. “I think with the exception of the St. Thomas series we’ve done a pretty good job of staying out of the box and remaining disciplined… from a defensive standpoint, I’ve been really happy.
“It’s nice, because, for the most part, I can at least boil the issue down to five-on-five offense. We’re playing well on defense and special teams. We can figure this out, it’s just going to take a little hard work.”
The Bulldogs return to action this weekend against Bowling Green before taking another weekend off for Thanksgiving. They then have three more weekends of conference play before the GLI Dec. 27-28 in Grand Rapids, Mich.
“We’re at that point of the season where we’re still trying to figure out, do we have a good team? Is that team struggling? It’s really hard until you get maybe through the first half and then it really starts to separate,” Daniels said.
One of the most successful teams in D-III, Middlebury College will start their 100th Anniversary on the ice against Colby College on Friday night (Logo courtesy Middlebury College Athletics)
Finally, a few things to check the box on this season! NESCAC opening their season, check. Picking a Thursday slate of games correctly, check. Beating a 70% success rate on picks, check. It is after all, only week number four of the season but based on the regular upsets, weekend splits in series with no alignment to home or away, the picks aren’t going to get any easier as we head fully into Thanksgiving tournament action next week. Last week I finished a solid 8-1-1 (.850) to move to 18-11-3 (.609) on the season which is a marked improvement on the prior week for sure. The games aren’t getting easier but hopefully I can continue my positive trend this week. Her are the picks:
Thursday, November 17, 2022
Curry v. Western New England
The Colonels need to beware of the dreaded TRAP GAME here. No taking the Golden Bears lightly and a big third period from Timmy Kent & Company breaks open a very close contest for a big CCC road win – Curry, 6-3
Framingham State v. Worcester State
The Rams really shouldn’t be sneaking up on anyone anymore and please remember the name Blake Carlson as the goaltender has frustrated many opponents in his brief tenure at Framingham State. Add the Lancers to the list of frustrated MASCAC opposition – FSU, 3-1
Friday, November 18, 2022
(8) Oswego v. (3) Geneseo
This is likely the game of the week as both teams look to set the tone as to who is the favorite in the conference. The Knights have not been very hospitable hosts to the Lakers in recent years and the trend continues although this one may take overtime to decide – Geneseo, 3-2
(14) Salve Regina v. (9) University of New England
The Nor’easters know they have a target on them and will get everybody’s best game. The Seahawks want to show they can contend in the CCC with anyone but just cannot find enough offense to upset the home team in this one – UNE, 3-1
Elmira v. Massachusetts – Boston
The Soaring Eagles are very deep offensively and will pressure Sam Best and the Beacons from the opening puck drop. Special teams are decisive in this one with the visitors eking out a win in the final period – Elmira, 4-3
Colby v. Middlebury
Both programs have hit the historic 100 years playing hockey and the opener shows off great skill from both teams. The Mules have a little more firepower and Andy Beran is just one save better than Jake Horoho with an empty-net goal providing the final margin – Colby, 3-1
Saturday, November 19, 2022
(7) Babson v. Castleton
The Beavers are off to a solid start despite their youthful roster and goaltender Nolan Hildebrand has been solid goal giving his teammates a chance to win every night. Timely scoring and great team defense get it done – Babson, 4-2
Connecticut College v. (12) Trinity
The Bantams will be looking to start fast in NESCAC play and aren’t going to be generous to their opponents in puck possession or offensive chances. Home team starts fast on the way to a comfortable win – Trinity, 5-2
Potsdam v. Fredonia
Fredonia’s Logan Dyck has already proved himself a difference maker for the Blue Devils who need some big saves from him against a Potsdam team that pushes the home team right into overtime – Fredonia, 4-3
Wilkes v. (6) Utica
The contenders continue to show up at the The Aud taking their shot at the reigning champions. The Pioneers took out Chatham last weekend and now continue their strong play in front of the home fans downing the Colonels – Utica, 5-3
Morrisville v. Rivier
The Mustangs are going to find a challenge facing a Rivier squad that likes to play fast and physical. Milan Brezcko provides the game winner on the power play to send the home crowd away happy – Rivier, 3-2
Southern New Hampshire v. Franklin Pierce
The NE-10 is proving to be an incredibly competitive conference and Franklin Pierce has started better than SNHU. Conor Foley does Conor Foley things that helps the Ravens rally for a big conference win – FPU, 5-4
Every conference is officially on the ice now with NESCAC jumping into league play this weekend. The action will be intense again this weekend with several key battles that will have consequences in the standings as early season races start to heat up – “Drop the Puck!”
Jacon Barczewski has been as steady a goaltender as Canisius has ever seen in his career with the Golden Griffins (photo: tomwolf.smugmug.com).
For a league where sweeps have historically been hard to come by and splits are the norm, so far this season it’s been feast or famine in conference series in Atlantic Hockey.
There have been 15 conference series so far, with nine ending in sweeps. Another three series saw one team take five of six points. That means we’ve only had three series so far end in splits.
Canisius has seen those highs and lows so far in the early part of this season, illustrated over two recent series. The first weekend in November, the Golden Griffins, picked to finish third in the preseason coaches’ poll, came away with a single point in two games against Holy Cross, which was predicted to finish at the bottom of the AHA standings.
Last weekend, Trevor Large’s team faced off against the team picked to (again) win the regular-season title, American International. This time, Canisius came away with all six points and moved from ninth to sixth in the standings with 5-2 and 3-2 victories.
Large says that in that series, some elusive pieces fell into place for his team.
“We’ve been changing our lineup a fair amount, looking for some chemistry,” he said. “It’s like we’ve been missing a guy on each line. We’d have two guys clicking and one a little off, and we’d have one defenseman well involved in the play but his partner not as much.
“We realize that we need everybody on the team on the same page. It takes every single player to contribute. (Last week) we reset our details in terms of how we want to play. We were happy with the results last weekend.”
Canisius, with 11 seniors and five graduate students, is one of the oldest teams in college hockey. But 11 players, four freshmen and seven transfers, are playing their first season at Canisius.
“Despite (the older roster), there’s an influx of new,” said Large. “We don’t feel that old. We have a lot of players with experience but we’re still creating relationships. There’s a learning process. We can’t skip any bricks in what we’re building.”
Against AIC, Canisius got timely scoring from its experienced players. Seven of the Golden Griffins’ eight goals in the series were scored by seniors or graduate students. Canisius also got stellar goaltending from senior Jacob Barczweski, who made his 2,000th career save on Saturday.
Large has another senior goaltender, John Hawthorne, who transferred from Northern Michigan last year. He’s seen significant time this season, splitting several weekends with Barczewski.
“We have two capable senior goaltenders,” said Large. “John played in some critical games in the second half of last season. That was going to be the case again going into this season, especially in non-conference play. Also, sometimes there’s a quick turnaround from Friday night to a Saturday afternoon game and we’re looking to keep guys fresh.
“It’s about figuring out who gives us the best chance to win.”
The Golden Griffins have this weekend off before hosting Army West Point on Nov. 25 and 26.
Would Large like to play this weekend to gain some momentum from last week’s sweep?
“My thoughts go both ways on that,” he said. “In one way, it would be great to get right back after it. But the next moment of my day, I’m thinking that it’s probably a good thing to have guys get some rest.”
Plattsburgh’s Julia Masotta scored the game-winner for the Cardinals in their 5-4 OT win vs her former team, The Norwich Cadets (Photo by Gabe Dickens)
This week was arguably the best week of D-III east women’s hockey yet. Featuring an upset of #11 Endicott at the hands of Western New England, more recently, #3 Plattsburgh holding off #9 Norwich 5-4 in OT on Tuesday 11/15, and Elmira got their fourth straight shutout in a weekend sweep of William Smith. We also look ahead to this weekend as the NESCAC begins play, meaning we see the defending undefeated champions, #1 Middlebury makes an appearance for the first time this season with a two-game home series vs Trinity.
Plattsburgh holds off Norwich, Masotta wins it in OT vs her former team
The Plattsburgh Cardinals hosted the Norwich Cadets in a Tuesday evening ranked matchup, getting the 5-4 OT win. This was a great hockey game as Plattsburgh’s Mattie Norton tied the game at 4, scoring 19:41 into the 3rd period, a meager 19 seconds left in the game. Then at 3:23 into overtime, the former Cadet of three years, Julia Masotta,scored the winner.
“I feel like I was more excited coming into the game. I am still really good friends with a few of the girls on Norwich, so I was excited to see them. I think having it be a top ten match up, everyone came into the game with a sense of edge. These games are always circled on both sides of the calendar so I think I was pretty level headed. I tried to treat it like any other game.”
Plattsburgh heads to Norwich in a few weeks for their annual holiday tournament, where depending how the first games go, these two may face in game-two. When asked about returning to her old home, Massota said “I am very excited to play in the holiday tournament. It is a great rink and it is a bit closer to my hometown so a bunch of family plans on going, which is always fun and exciting. It also is going to be two great games regardless of who you play. That is what makes that tournament fun is that you get to play two great teams either way. Norwich is a great team and they have a great coaching staff and I am very grateful to have played there, nothing but positive experiences.”
Plattsburgh looks to remain undefeated as they host SUNY Morrisville & Buffalo State on Nov. 18/19 at 3pm ET both days.
Western New England Upsets #11 Endicott
Western New England, a second-year program, headed into game two of their home-and-home series with Endicott, falling 4-1 at home Friday, but pulled off a program-changing upset on Saturday, winning 3-2 on the road, scoring 3 unanswered goals (all in the 3rd period & overtime) after falling behind 2-0. WNE’s Alyssa Murphy buried the overtime winner 3:13 into the OT period, Murphy also assisted on the game-tying shorthanded goal scored at the 9:21 mark of the 3rd period.
WNE defeats #11 Endicott on the road. *Photo from a different game* (Photo by Mackenzie Jones)
Coach Katie Zimmerman, the first coach in program history as this is only the second year of the program’s existence, when asked about what a win of this magnitude does for a new program like this one said: “A win like this grows some confidence for the squad and gets us a couple big points for conference standings.” In regard to the difference in game two versus the loss in game one, Coach Zimmerman added: “I think we came out with great energy and urgency on day 2. We outshot them in the first period and I think the strong start fueled the finish.”
Western New England’s next endeavor is a home-and-home series with Curry on Nov. 18/20 at 7pm / 6pm ET.
Elmira increases their shutout streak to four
#4 Elmira swept William Smith this weekend, getting two more shutout wins 6-0 & 5-0. Goaltender Leonie Kuehberger recorded her third consecutive shutout victory in game two of the series. When asked about her success early on this season, Kuehberger said:
“I think it all started last season and not settling for the results of last season. It felt personal. That motivated me to get better over the summer. I always do a lot of skills work with my goalie coaches back home at MassCrease over the summer. This summer felt even more important. I strongly believe that there is always something to work on and that there is never a limit to getting better as a goalie and I think having that mindset creates a lot of opportunities for success. I am lucky enough to play behind a lot of skilled defensive players and a shutout is as much their achievement as it is mine. I think that having great communication with the D definitely also contributes to this. Combined with their skill, being able to talk effectively with the D while on the ice has definitely lessened the impact teams are able to make on our net.”
Elmira goaltender Leonie Kuehberger recorded her third straight shutout victory Saturday vs William Smith (Photo by Doug Paige – Elmira College Athletics)
In reference to her Coach Jake Bobrowski, she added: “I think Coach Jake’s approach to coaching has been so successful from the start of the season because he wants to build a more gritty, fast paced aggressive team. From day one he has put an emphasis on battling and driving the puck hard to the net at practice. I think that his goals complement our team’s natural speed and skill and I think we are only at the beginning of what we can do. I am so excited for this season.”
Speaking of Coach Bobrowski, he added glowing remarks about his goaltenders early success: “Leonie’s success started this past off season with her training. That has carried over into the season where Leonie and Alayna both work hard every day in practice and not only push each other, but cheer for one another. Leonie is extremely talented and I would expect her to just continue to get stronger. We have also made the defensive zone, and taking pride in it, a priority so I think as a team we are all really excited for Leonie and for each other. And again being picky as a coach it is still only a handful of games so we have to keep getting better with the next game in front of us.”
Elmira hosts UMass-Boston and Johnson & Wales University this weekend Nov. 18/19 at 6pm/3pm ET.
The Defending Champions Middlebury begin play
The long-awaited return to the ice for NESCAC teams comes to an end this weekend as all D-III women’s (and men’s) teams will have begun play. Middlebury hosts Trinity this weekend for a two-game home series and Coach Bill Mandigo says his team is ready for opening weekend. “Pre-season has gone well. The players have worked hard to get in hockey shape in preparation for the season. They are very excited to play this weekend.”
Middlebury hosts Trinity College for a pair of home games this weekend to open up their season as NESCAC begins play (Photo by Will Costello)
As NESCAC play begins, we will certainly see a shift in the weekly top-15 polls due to this conference being extremely strong, especially on the women’s side featuring multiple teams with high-ranking potential.
Denver players, from left, Casey Dornbach, Mike Benning, Carter Mazur and Justin Lee helped DU sweep North Dakota on the road last weekend (photo: Russell Hons).
Since Ralph Engelstad Arena opened in 2001, no North Dakota home series has ever been rescheduled due to weather.
Late last week, there was a threat of that changing.
Denver was originally scheduled to fly into Fargo, N.D., on Thursday afternoon, then take an 80-mile bus ride up to Grand Forks. Most of the state was being hit by a winter storm from a Colorado low, though, which left Wednesday’s last two flights from Denver to Fargo canceled.
The fun — by that, we mean added work for DU director of hockey operations Travis Culhane — was only beginning. On the morning of Denver’s Thursday practice, the two flights to Fargo prior to the Pioneers’ were canceled, but theirs was still good to go. Until it wasn’t. DU coach David Carle and his staff were notified midday, while the Pioneers were finishing up lunch at Denver International Airport, that their flight was off.
They stuck around until their rebooked 8:30 p.m. flight to Minneapolis-St. Paul. The Pioneers reached their hotel in the Twin Cities around midnight, and bussed to Grand Forks the following day, arriving around 4 p.m., three hours ahead of their series opener with UND.
College hockey’s version of “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” didn’t seem to have an adverse affect on Denver. Instead, the Pioneers beat UND 3-2 on Friday and then doubled up the Fighting Hawks 6-3 on Saturday to earn DU’s first sweep in Grand Forks since 2010.
“In those situations, a lot of mental strength comes through,” Carle said. “You hear from people who often have the best games of their careers when they’re sick or injured. It breaks the routine, and I think it heightens your attention to detail and focus on the task at hand.
“I think that’s what we saw out of our team on Friday night. At no point during the game was I like, ‘Gosh, I wish we were on that bus.’ That’s a credit to our leadership group and our players for their ability to reset and refocus themselves. It was a mental toughness exercise in handling adversity and showing up to play regardless of the circumstances that are out of your control.”
Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright scored their first collegiate goals in Denver’s win Friday, and in a game where the Pioneers led three times, Wright scored the winner 6:33 into the third period on assists from Thompson and Lucas Olvestad.
On Saturday, Denver scored four of the game’s last five goals and got two apiece from Wright and Carter Mazur. That helped clinch a third weekend sweep of the season for the Pioneers, who now haven’t lost in regulation in their last eight games.
“We felt like we were finding our identity and who we’re going to be, and did that in a building where we hadn’t won in regulation since 2014,” Carle said. “Only one player on our roster was on the team in 2018 when we last won there.
“It was a big weekend for our players and for the program, to go win in a building for a very good team that’s very well coached and has a lot of depth. To come out with two wins is a great accomplishment, and doing it the way we did, handling that adversity Friday and coming back Saturday to play a really complete game, we were very happy with that.”
Denver, which has since jumped one spot to No. 1 in the latest DCU/USCHO Division I Men’s Poll, is now in its first bye week of the season. Carle doesn’t want his team to lose any momentum ahead of next weekend’s home set against Omaha, but he knows there are ways for the Pioneers to take advantage of this break between games.
“It’s been a grind of a first six weeks, and probably on paper the hardest portion of our schedule logistically travel-wise, and with the teams we’re playing,” Carle said. “We’ll get some rest and recovery, and we’re in Week 10 of our quarter, so finals are coming up.
“We’re encouraging the guys to be really smart with how they approach the bye week and get extra reps in the weight room training room and classroom. We’re taking advantage of the time we have to recharge the battery, and we have four straight weeks again before our next break. We want to make sure our bodies and minds are in a position to end the first half on a really good note.”
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Michigan State college hockey head coach Adam Nightingale to discuss his Spartans’ fast start, key players, team culture, renovations to Munn Ice Arena, the Big Ten, and this weekend’s series at Penn State.
Freshman Logan Cooley has been consistent up front for the Gophers this season (photo: Molly Kaiser).
Minnesota’s Bob Motzko has an idea about the 2022-23 Big Ten hockey season: “We’re just going to beat the snot out of each other this year.”
Motzko’s Golden Gophers are in third place in B1G conference standings after splitting a home series against Penn State last weekend, losing 4-2 and winning 3-2. The three road points the Nittany Lions earned moved them into second place – a point ahead of Minnesota and a point behind first-place Michigan State.
In the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll, the Spartans were picked to finish last and the Nittany Lions right above them in sixth place. Who did the coaches think would finish on top of the standings? Minnesota.
“Look what our league’s doing,” said Motzko. “Michigan State’s in first place, Penn State’s in second place. You can’t get too low on low points and don’t get too high on high points. You just keep trudging through.”
Entering the weekend against Penn State, the Gophers sat atop the DCU/USCHO Men’s Division I Poll, and the loss to the Nittany Lions knocked them into the No. 2 spot. Right behind Minnesota is No. 3 Ohio State, and six of the Big Ten’s seven teams are currently ranked in the top 20, including No. 6 Penn State, No. 12 Ohio State, No. 17 Michigan State and No. 20 Notre Dame.
Minnesota will play three of its remaining first-half series on the road, starting with Michigan this weekend followed by Arizona State (Nov. 25-26) and Michigan State (Dec. 2-3). Motzko doesn’t want to think about three consecutive road weekends, focusing only on the Wolverines, a team he calls “dangerous.”
“This is when we have to play our style as best we can,” said Motzko. “They’re going to play their way. We have to be disciplined. All the cliches come out. We’ve got to block shots. We’ve got to get pucks deep. If you don’t do the little things, they’ve got enough firepower to hurt you.”
Junior defenseman and alternate captain Brock Faber said that he sees a lot of similarities between the Wolverines and the Golden Gophers.
“They’re a fast, skilled team,” said Faber. “They get up and down the sheet. Their ‘D’ are aggressive and I’d say that’s a lot like us. We’ll try to focus on work ethic and little details throughout the game, backchecking, getting to the net, things like that, making the game hard on them.”
The Wolverines get a lot of press for their offensive play, all of it well earned. Michigan leads the nation in scoring, averaging 4.42 goals per game with a power play clicking at 33.3 percent and two Wolverines – freshman Adam Fantilli (9-14—23) and sophomore Mackie Samoskevich (10-9—19) – the first- and third-leading scorers in the country.
When it comes to offense, though, the Gophers are hardly deficient. Minnesota is averaging 3.58 goals per game – ninth-best in the nation and on par with their fifth-best average of 3.54 last season. The Gophers’ five-goal output against Penn State was their lowest weekend total this season. Coming into the series against the Nittany Lions, the Gophers had netted four or more goals per game in seven of their first 10 contests.
In spite of the relatively low-scoring games against the Nittany Lions, Motzko said that the Gophers “can start to see some things” progress, like sophomore Aaron Huglen’s first goal of the season in Friday’s loss.
“Huglen, I thought the week before, had half a dozen great chances to score and then it pops the next week,” said Motzko.
Another is the line of junior Mason Nevers and seniors Jaxon Nelson and Bryce Brodzinski, a trio that has scored 12 of Minnesota’s 43 goals through the first 12 games of the season.
“That whole line’s got confidence right now,” said Motzko. “They’re riding high in the saddle, feeling good. But that’s sports. Coaches wish we could bottle that thing up, confidence, and give it to players, but once they earn it, it’s awesome to see it happening. And it comes at a good time for us. We need those older guys to step up and they’re doing it in a big way right now.”
Brodzinski had two third-period goals in the come-from-behind 3-1 Saturday win, including the game winner. He also had the first Minnesota goal in Friday’s loss. Brodzinski, who had 12 goals in 39 games last season, has five on the year so far.
“That’s two weeks in a row now obviously Brodzinski and Nevers and Nelson have been going,” said Motzko. Nevers and Nelson each had a goal in Minnesota’s sweep of Notre Dame Nov. 4-5. “The [Logan] Cooley line has their moments now and they show their youth a little bit, but their confidence isn’t lacking.”
Logan Cooley, a freshman, centers a line flanked by classmate Jimmy Snuggerud on the right and sophomore left winger Matthew Knies. Snuggerud leads the Gophers with eight goals, Knies is right behind him with seven, and Cooley has three.
Motzko said that freshmen Brody Lamb and Connor Kurth and sophomore Rhett Pitlick are poised to contribute more.
“We’ve got another group of guys who are starting to join the party, and we think that’s what we need,” Motzko said. “Our ‘D’ core, all seven, are playing awful strong. Once we get that forward group cooking on the same page, we think that’s going to be a good recipe.”
Faber said that the offense is coming together in part because players are “understanding their roles” and beginning to play to their abilities.
“We have guys on our third and fourth line that grew up playing on first lines, too,” said Faber. “There’s a lot of diversity when it comes to our offense.”
The Golden Gophers are 147-131-19 all-time against the Wolverines, but their most recent meeting is Minnesota’s 4-3 loss at home to Michigan in last year’s Big Ten championship game. In the regular season last year, the teams split a pair of lopsided games in Ann Arbor (Dec. 3-4) and a pair of closer games in Minneapolis (Jan. 21-22), including a 2-1 OT Minnesota win.
“It’s fun going into places like that, where it’s most likely to be a sold-out crowd,” said Faber. “It’ll be a great experience for all of us older guys, but especially the younger guys who haven’t played at a place like that before. It’s going to be fun. We’re looking forward to it.”
Slava Demin has been a steady force on the back end as a graduate student this season for Merrimack (photo: Jim Stankiewicz).
Merrimack coach Scott Borek has been around Hockey East long enough to remember when it was a top-heavy league.
Traditionally dominated for the better part of its first two decades as a conference by the likes of Boston University, Boston College, New Hampshire and Maine, things have changed in the last decade — UMass Lowell has earned six NCAA tournament bids, including a Frozen Four appearance in 2013, Providence and Massachusetts have won NCAA championships, and Northeastern has established itself as a regional heavyweight.
Add Merrimack’s hot start this season as another chapter. The Warriors are 8-3-0, 6-1-0 in the conference, have won five straight and now sit at No. 15 in the latest DCU/USCHO.com D-I men’s poll.
“In the past, it was a four-team league,” said Borek, who served as an associate head coach at UNH and Providence for a combined 16 seasons before taking over at Merrimack in 2018. “Now it’s an 11-team league. You have to be ready to play every night, and that will make our team better. You just have to appreciate the grind and enjoy it. Everybody has a pretty good team.”
Borek said locker room cohesiveness has been key to the Warriors’ success this season, which he said is in large part thanks to the leadership of senior forward Ben Brar who, in addition to being the captain, is second on the team in scoring (5-6-11).
Also performing well so far this year for Merrimack are junior forward and leading scorer Alex Jeffries (4-9-13) and freshman defenseman Zach Bookman, who notched his first collegiate goal in a 5-3 win over Maine last Saturday.
“I just think we have a good group that’s really coming together,” Borek said.
The Warriors have gotten outstanding performances from a pair of netminders — junior Zachary Borgiel, who is undefeated in four starts with a 1.75 GAA and a .929 save percentage, and sophomore Hugo Ollas of Linköping, Sweden, who in seven starts sports a 1.88 GAA and a .922 save percentage. Each has pitched a shutout this season — Borgiel in a 5-0 win vs. Colgate on Oct. 23 and Ollas last Friday, 1-0 vs. Maine.
“We’re a really tight group in here, we just work together every day and trust each other out there,” Ollas said. “Every game is a really good game in this league — everybody can win every game. You just have to stay focused on every game. It’s very physical.”
The Warriors were dealt a tragic blow early in the season with sudden passing of their assistant coach Josh Ciocco, who died on Oct. 3 at the age of 38.
Borek said his team has been “resilient” in the wake of the tragedy.
“Josh was a lot more than a coach to me,” Borek said. “We deal with it as best we can and try to move forward and give these guys a good season.”
The Warriors are focused on what will certainly be a tough road ahead — four of Merrimack’s six opponents before the holiday break are ranked.
“Coach Borek’s huge on keeping it simple and playing hard,” Bookman said. “Pretty much just doing your job. We have to get it into the forwards’ hands, and the forwards will make plays.”
Princeton celebrates Mark Paolini’s overtime winner March 7, 2020, that lifted the Tigers past Dartmouth and into the second round of the ECAC Hockey playoffs (photo: Princeton Athletic Communications).
My most memorable college hockey game occurred when Brown hosted Princeton during the 2019 ECAC Hockey tournament’s first round.
It was the second game of a best-of-three series, but it was the third consecutive game between the two teams after they played the last game of the season and managed to land in a playoff series against one another. Princeton had won that regular season finale, but Brown won the first game of the playoff series.
A win in the second game – affectionately dubbed the third game of a four-game series – would have eliminated the Tigers, who were defending ECAC Hockey champions that year, and advanced Brown to the quarterfinals for the first time in six years.
A back-and-forth first two periods begat the Bears’ runaway train in the third period, and as they entered the late stages of the third period with a three-goal lead, an intrepid color analyst who must remain nameless (cough cough, it was me, cough cough) outright predicted their trip to the second round of the postseason.
A couple of hours later, my brother and I were still standing in the Meehan Auditorium press box, and we were broadcasting a game that was headed into its fourth intermission and third overtime. When Alex Brink finally scored to give Brown the win, the marathon had lasted over four hours, and scrapped dinner plans quickly converted into as much fast food as a McDonald’s on the Rhode Island-Massachusetts border allowed.
Aside from everything, though, the best part of that game was that the Tigers were simply playing to advance to Sunday. They were the defending league champions, but completing that comeback only meant the two teams would have come back to the rink for a third game the next afternoon.
I thought about that game this week when ECAC Hockey announced its new playoff format because under the new format, that game doesn’t happen, thanks to an announcement scrapping the first-round best-of-three format in favor of a single elimination game that would advance winners to a best-of-three quarterfinal format.
“It was the conclusion of a long review of our league structure, of our playoff structure,” said ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell this week. “We looked at everything…and you look at what other leagues have done with single-game [formats]. So we had a discussion, and it was a quite lengthy discussion that started in the spring and went through all summer before finally coming to this decision.”
ECAC Hockey last revamped its postseason at the turn of the century when it shifted from a “Final Five” to the more well-known three-round setup. Ten of the league’s 12 teams made the postseason at the time, and the five winners of best-of-three first round series advanced to a modified semifinal that included a single-elimination game between the remaining fourth-seeded and fifth-seeded teams. The winner advanced to play the top-remaining seed in the semifinals with those winners playing in the championship, a format that necessitated three wins in three days for one of those bottom two teams.
The revamp scrapped that “final five” and introduced two rounds of best-of-three series. Every team advanced to the postseason, and the programs seeded 5-12 paired up in the first round with the top four receiving byes to the quarterfinals. Winners of those best-of-three series then advanced to the final four, which remained single elimination.
That format produced significant amounts of chaos in the postseason, and the top five teams seldom advanced after it was introduced in 1998. The last year of the format included Vermont, which was the last team into the tournament as the No. 10 seed, and the first year saw No. 7 Princeton win the league championship after advancing past No. 8 Cornell in the quarterfinal, four-vs.-five game.
By 2007, though, those Cinderella stories had all but evaporated as the postseason became significantly more difficult, and since 2010, Harvard’s championship in 2015 and Princeton’s title in 2019 stand as the only two banners clinched by teams that started their postseason journey in the first round.
“We really went through a review,” said Hagwell, “and we looked at the history of the previous format and what teams won on opening night on Friday, and, depending on what seed you were or what your record was, if you came back and won the next two games after dropping the opening game. It was very thorough, and at the end of the day, we came up with the format that was announced.”
As a result, the modified structure now in place will utilize the 12-team format but determine its first round winners through a single-game structure. It’s unique to the league but remains similar to the majority of other conferences, which have less numbers but use a best-of-three format to determine the teams playing in the semifinal round, and as of this year, Atlantic Hockey is the only league that won’t include its entire membership in at least the first round of the playoffs.
That said, the response from the league’s membership was tepid at best. Hagwell acknowledged that the coaches were in favor of retaining the older format, and though a quick straw poll of coaches produced limited results in short order, it didn’t feel like too many people supported the new format.
One coach lamented the loss of two possible games for his players’ hockey careers, while another acknowledged the opportunity for the women’s game without saying much about the men’s side. Another coach declined comment, while several others pocket-vetoed their remarks and didn’t comment.
“I think it’s fair to say that the men’s coaches wanted to retain the format that’s been in existence for the previous 20 years,” Hagwell said. “There’s no question about that.
“I think the realities are that [cost savings] are the case,” he later explained. “If a North Country team is going to Princeton, for example, for three games and then they come home and win and have to go somewhere else – Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, wherever – versus a one game scenario, I won’t say it’s simple math, but it’s simple math.”
I truthfully don’t know if the format is right or wrong, so I won’t speculate as to whether it’s a good idea or not; I’ve always taken wait-and-see approaches, so I’ll wait to pass judgment on what happens this year. I won’t readily accept this as being a great thing, but it may introduce more parity and place an emphasis on home ice, especially for that first round. One thing I will readily admit is that I think adopting a consistent format for the women’s game is a major step forward for a league that is quickly becoming significantly more competitive.
I will, though, miss memories of some crazy Game 2 nights in the first round. To this day, the memories from that Brown-Princeton game remain thicker than thick. Our replay technician on the broadcast missed a birthday party at her apartment…for her birthday. Our camera operator broke down in tears after the second overtime.
I developed the flu two days after the game and blamed it on the exhaustion of being at Brown that weekend, but it being a pre-COVID society where I did things like this, I was back in a broadcast booth for an overtime playoff series at Bentley the next weekend.
The best part of that game was how we could have done it again one day later. A decade earlier, I watched Brown win its way through RPI with a three-game series win in the first round, and I slogged into work on that Monday with virtually no sleep.
A year later, fourth-seeded RPI beat last place Colgate before the Raiders won two in a row, and the 2-1, double-overtime win in the third game sent them back to the Capital District one week later for a three-game series against Union (which they won to advance to the semifinals). One year after that, RPI beat Clarkson in triple overtime to force a third game that the Engineers won, 4-1, to advance to the quarterfinals.
Another year after THAT, last place Harvard won the first game at Dartmouth, 2-1, before the Big Green rallied to advance to Sunday, where they won the series with a 6-3 win, and another year after that, 12th-seeded Princeton beat Clarkson in the first game in overtime before the Golden Knights rallied to win the series in three.
That same year, seventh-seeded RPI beat Dartmouth in the first game but lost the series in three games before being pushed to three games the next year by Clarkson, which won the second game at home.
“We have three weekends,” Hagwell said. “We’re sticking with three weekends. We’re not altering team schedules by saying we’re going to two weekends, and we still have 12 teams in the postseason. It’s just that the first round is going to be different in terms of the number of games.”
Michigan State picked up a weekend sweep last weekend over then-No. 10 Ohio State (photo: Michigan 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: Hey Dan, it’s good to be talking college hockey with you again, as always. This past weekend was completely entertaining in some unexpected ways – unexpected, that is, if you’re not following the Big Ten.
Michigan State, the team predicted by coaches to finish last in the conference, is now the top team in B1G Hockey after sweeping a very good Ohio State team. The Spartans are a point ahead of Penn State, the team picked to finish second-to-last, after the Nittany Lions split a pair of games with the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis.
The Gophers entered the weekend at No. 1, just as Michigan had a week before when Penn State split a home set against the Wolverines.
The Gophers and the Wolverines are each 4-2-0 in their last six games and each still has the relative confidence of DCU/USCHO Division I Men’s Poll voters, as they are second and third, respectively.
For the first time in a month, then, we have a non-B1G team in the top spot. Denver is the new No. 1, having swept North Dakota and won five of its last six – the only loss in that span in OT to No. 4 St. Cloud State.
I’m looking at the records of the top-20 poll teams and the stories that they tell are fascinating – like North Dakota under .500 and still being given the benefit of the doubt and Boston University outside the top 10 even though the Terriers have wins over No. 3 Michigan and No. 7 Connecticut.
What do you make of all of this? And is it too early to say that we’re seeing some trends emerge?
Dan: I’m a big fan of Olympic-style sports, so indulge me in a metaphor, simple, parabola, hyperbole, and any other word I can come up with that absolutely doesn’t fit with comparisons to cycling and the Tour de France when I describe what I’m seeing in the polls.
We have definitive tiers that have emerged, and nothing is upsetting that apple cart. The same 10 teams exist with little to no movement, save for the occasional outside-the-box first place vote (see also: my UConn votes over the last two weeks and the voter who went with Penn State this week). Other than that, nobody is moving on which teams should join the breakaway at the top of the poll.
The No. 1 spot is just being ping-ponged between the same teams: Denver, Minnesota, Michigan. There’s a secondary tier down to St. Cloud that’s challenging enough for the first spot, but after that, Quinnipiac, Penn State, Connecticut, and now Minnesota State don’t have the chops to get into that grouping for this year. Call it a disrespect to their conference or disbelief in their performances, but it’s the reality that we live in that a 10-2 Penn State can’t get more than 8-4 Minnesota, and 9-1-3 Connecticut couldn’t move out of being ranked No. 7 or No. 8 despite receiving an intrepid first-place vote two weeks ago and a second first place vote last week.
The funny thing is that I voted for Denver this week because I thought the Pios won the head-to-head matchup against UConn, but further down, Quinnipiac and the Huskies just won’t receive that type of respect anywhere else in the poll. It’s almost as if a team has to go on a run just to join a list of teams that nobody really wants to put it ahead of. Harvard, for example, is 6-0 and moved from No. 13 to No. 10, but it took Ohio State dropping to No. 12. Otherwise, none of the top nine teams changed.
Are we destined to have a boring season in the polls where nobody is allowed to join the breakaway? Is the yellow jersey just going to change hands for the next four months between the same four to five teams? I’m inclined to vote yes, only because nothing has indicated that it’ll change, unless you count Merrimack’s jump from No. 19 to No. 15…and truthfully, even under my criteria, I don’t see that changing too wildly until some of these teams really start losing to unranked teams, and even by then, if Minnesota loses to Michigan State, I don’t think that’s going to drop the Gophers all that much.
What say you?
Paula: I think we are seeing voters who are reluctant to believe that the college hockey landscape may be changing.
I also think we are seeing some voters – like the intrepid pollster who voted for Penn State in the top spot – who are only moved when they see evidence with their own two eyes.
I can understand the general reluctance to believe that Michigan State is for real right now – and I mean no disrespect to the Spartans when I say that. For most of the existence of Big Ten Hockey, Michigan State hasn’t done much above last place, even when the entire conference including the Spartans has played very competitive hockey. I’m guessing that voters who don’t yet believe are in wait-and-see mode and may think that the Spartans are just getting that new-coach boost.
The tiers we’re seeing solidify in the poll are a reflection as much of a bias – and in some cases, snobbery – as they are of caution. Sooner or later, voters will start looking at the PairWise and realize that some of their perceptions are incorrect. Things will budge a little, but you are, I think, essentially correct.
Speaking of bias and perception, I don’t understand why more people aren’t talking about RIT. The Tigers are unbeaten in their last seven and through 12 games this season, RIT is averaging 3.75 goals per game, sixth nationally. They have the third-best power play in the nation (31.7). the sixth-best penalty kill (88.2) and are right behind Ohio State in the PWR.
The Tigers are six points ahead of second-place Sacred Heart in the AHA standings, and while it’s still relatively early in the season, both RIT and Sacred Heart have the potential to be on another level ahead of the rest of their conference.
What is it going to take for good teams in Atlantic Hockey to be given their due, even a little bit?
Dan: You know, over the years I‘ve grown accustomed to that question of how Atlantic hockey gets more respect and love, and the more I’ve covered the national picture, I’ve realized the answer isn’t simple.
AHA programs truthfully deal with inherent bias that the teams in its league don’t operate with a full deck. The league has never consistently won non-conference games, and the times it does win, it gets treated like it wasn’t supposed to happen.
When AIC beat St. Cloud in the tournament, I was told by a number of people how it constituted the greatest upset in tournament history. I pushed back that Holy Cross over Minnesota was a huge upset. AIC wasn’t because that team was super talented in a league that was simply better.
That doesn’t mean the league is on par with a CCHA, but it does warrant a bit more respect. RIT is a darn good hockey team, and Sacred Heart is lots of fun to watch. Bentley has beaten Ohio State and BC. Canisius has beaten North Dakota. Unfortunately, those are isolated cases and not consistent to any one team or group of teams.
So the bias is a little bit justified, a little bit unjustified. I do believe, though, that bias in general very much exists when we talk about certain teams. We expect blue bloods to be good. We expect others to lose.
Look at our expansion teams. None of them are truly winning games with regularity, but the concept of a new team is different with the advent of the transfer portal and fifth year guys. Lindenwood had four wins and split with both Air Force and Bentley. LIU tied Quinnipiac and took Northeastern to overtime, and both built their rosters with help from the transfer portal.
Arizona State is obviously unique, but I’m expecting great things from one of these other programs in the next few years. Conferences aside, we shouldn’t be surprised when Stonehill knocks off BU or something that probably sounds strange, should we?
Paula: That question is more complicated than it looks on its surface, too. My quick answer is, “Yes, I’d be surprised to see Stonehill dump BU,” but that answer requires qualification.
We’re still surprised to see AHA and CCHA teams when they become consistently competitive on the national stage – and we all know that beyond perceptions and biases, the college hockey playing field is distinctly unlevel, so I’m not knocking programs from those conferences.
You mention AIC’s win over St. Cloud in 2019. People were surprised because it really was an upset, but no one paying attention to Atlantic Hockey should have been completely shocked. What I have a hard time grappling with is how dismissive people were of AIC after that – even though the NCAA win came at the end of AIC’s dominance in AHA, something that continued through last season. That’s what I don’t get. When programs show that they’re competitive over a period of time, it’s still nearly impossible for them to earn respect.
Back to your question about Stonehill. Sure, I’d be surprised if the Skyhawks beat BU next season because it would be a genuine upset, but nearly anyone really can beat anyone else on a given night, so a one-off may be a head scratcher but says more about the defeated team than the victors. Now, if Stonehill continued to rack up wins against established teams after than one-off, we’d be having a conversation about the Skyhawks and not the losing clubs.
Pivoting slightly, one of my favorite outcomes from this past weekend was the pair of ties between UConn and Providence. Friday’s 1-1 game somehow led to Saturday’s 6-6 contest, and Connecticut never led in the series. I say that I’m pivoting slightly here because the Huskies and Friars are two of four teams in the Hockey East standings that have neither “Boston” nor “Massachusetts” in their school names – teams that may not get the traditional amount of attention that other HEA teams receive.
I’m not quite sure what’s happening in that conference this season, but if it leads to anything like the finish we saw in HEA last season, I’m all about it. The kind of parity that Hockey East is building conferencewide is very exciting. What’s the buzz about it in Boston?
Dan: I’d like to say that the Commonwealth is teeming with all of this competitive college hockey right now, but it truthfully feels a little bit dead. Coverage is still marching forward, but the advent of Connecticut and Providence is stealing some of the Massachusetts-based limelight.
UMass isn’t the same UMass that went on the national championship run, and UMass Lowell, while intriguing, is in that clear second tier that I mentioned earlier. Northeastern is kind of hanging around but is running well behind all of those teams, and Boston University isn’t jumping into the spotlight currently held by UConn.
Connecticut has really upset the apple cart here. A couple of months ago, I complained that new teams weren’t emerging. I didn’t like how things were gravitating towards the blue bloods to the degree that all of those teams were in clear separation from the pack, but, keeping with my cycling reference from earlier, UConn was the team that successfully chased down the leaders. The Huskies broke from the peloton and attacked the lead group, and here we are, now, with UConn definitively grabbing that spotlight.
That doesn’t mean Boston doesn’t exist, but the heat surrounding Connecticut is a supernova. I’ve watched the state for years because I felt the groundwork from Quinnipiac and UConn laid some serious foundations, and Sacred Heart’s arena announcement launched the program into some serious heights that it’ll occupy before the year is over (there are $75 million reasons people should be paying attention to the Pioneers’ journey).
I’d often talk about the history of college hockey at the state level with SHU head coach CJ Marottolo, and I think the start of this season means the New England region is on the verge of a power shift that’s similar to the one Providence grabbed when the Friars emerged onto the national scene.
There’s a challenge issued, and right now, the headliners from Connecticut and Rhode Island are clearly winning over the market share over the Boston-based and Massachusetts-based schools. If BU and Harvard can chase down UConn and Quinnipiac, things are going to get very interesting.
A hockey civil war in New England? It’d be fun to watch, and after all the posturing that’s taken place, the argument over which field is better – Connecticut Ice vs. Beanpot, Nutmeg State vs. Bay State, even State vs. Commonwealth! – is taking its turn around our carousel, at least for now.
Adrian’s Jessica VonRuden nets her second goal of the game vs Marian University and earns her 100th career point (Photo by Carly Costello)
Another week of excitement out west as we had a 100th career point earned, some previously overlooked programs on the rise continue to stack early wins. Other teams showing their success last season wasn’t a fluke, but serious improvements that are here to stay. There wasn’t much movement within the USCHO top-15 poll, but as always, it’s college hockey, every given weekend presents new opportunities for everyone involved.
VonRuden nets her 100th Career Point
Adrian’s Jessica VonRuden scored a pair of goals on Saturday vs Marian University to help the Bulldogs get the 9-1 win. Her second goal on the night earned her the 100th point of her career. The graduate student from Owatonna, Minnesota scored 3 goals and accounted for one assist this weekend in Adrian’s sweep of Marian, winning 9-1 & 3-2 in OT via a shorthanded goal from Une Bjelland to keep Adrian’s record a perfect 6-0.
Adrian faces Trine in a home/away series Nov. 18/19 at 7pm ET both days.
Aurora is here to stay
The Aurora University Spartans last season under (now 4th year) Head Coach Jackie Kooistra had their best season as a program by far, finishing with a record of 22-7, winning the NCHA title, and earning an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. So far, Aurora has begun 5-1 this year, most recently sweeping Finlandia over the weekend, winning 10-0 & 7-0. When Coach Kooistra was asked about what last year’s NCAA tournament bid & NCHA title did for her team’s confidence and momentum this season, she said:
“Coming off a season where we won the NCHA Title and made our first appearance in the NCAA Tournament has really kept a fire going in this young squad. With the bulk of the team returning from last year and the addition of some key new players, we have really stepped up in terms of team play and confidence. It will obviously be hard to replace those key 5th year players we had last season, but this team is hungry to stay on top and keep fighting. With the very talented freshmen class from last season becoming sophomores, we are expecting huge things from them in terms of confidence and experience. We also have an amazing leadership group that without a doubt takes more pride in this team than I have ever seen. When you have leadership like we do, the sky’s the limit.”
Aurora gets the weekend sweep of Finlandia, winning 10-0 & 7-0 as they begin their season 5-1 (Photo by Steve Woltmann Photography)
Coach Kooistra then added: “The absolute best thing about the AU Spartans is our work ethic. This team NEVER gives up. No matter the score, no matter the circumstances, the fight in this team is something that I can confidently say will always be unmatched. I have never been so proud to stand behind a group of student athletes such as these young women. They grind in practice daily, pushing each other to beat times and be the best. That grind and mental toughness translates over into our gameplay. Hard work and staying mentally tough is the name of the game for this group.”
Aurora visits Lake Forest College next for a pair of games Nov. 18/19 at 3pm CT both days.
Keep an eye on St. Olaf
The St. Olaf Oles are coming off a monumental program-improved season of 9-17 and are currently 4-1-1, coming off a weekend-series sweep of Bethel University, winning 4-0 & 4-3. St. Olaf had a combined record of 0-45-5 (yes, 0 wins) from 2018-2020 and hadn’t won 10+ games since 2012-2013. Head Coach Tracy Johnson, who enters her 3rd year with the program, has turned the landscape of the team around immensely in a very short period of time. When asked about the team’s progress in terms of their success last season, Johnson said:
“Can’t say enough about how special our group is. We have a team full of dedicated women who are committed to putting in the work necessary to compete each week. The upperclasswomen have done an amazing job at welcoming the new players and every member of our team has embraced the vision of contributing to the growth of our program. The care they have for each other is obvious to anyone who is around our program and it really shows on the ice.”
St. Olaf wins both games vs Bethel University this weekend 4-0 & 4-3 to begin their season 4-1-1 (Photo by Hannah Robb / St. Olaf Athletics)
In reference to St. Olaf’s big two-game home-and-home series vs Hamline University this upcoming weekend, she added: “A big emphasis for our team has been to focus on playing to the best of our ability regardless of the team lining up across from us. We continue to stress the importance of the little details that we can control and, no matter what, be the hardest working team on the ice.”
The job done by Coach Tracy Johnson with St. Olaf isn’t getting enough credit/recognition as it was a program that legitimately hadn’t won a game in two years (not that long ago). Now they’re 4-1-1, looking to fight for the MIAC conference title. Keep an eye on them the rest of the way.
Other Notable Results from Week 3
#2 Gustavus stays perfect (5-0), sweeping St. Scholastica 9-1 & 3-1.
#6 UW-River Falls shutout both UW-Stevens Point & Northland, 4-0 & 8-0.
#14 Augsburg tied St. Catherine’s 2-2 & shut them out 6-0.
Concordia (Wis.) swept Trine, winning 3-0 & 1-0.
St. Norbert swept Lawrence, winning 8-1 & 10-0.
That concludes another week on the western front of D-III women’s hockey, as talked about previously, these examples of teams coming out of the shadows and becoming highly competitive/successful teams is something we need to recognize. Women’s hockey, especially out west at this moment in time, has never been more competitive and had this number of teams at the same time possess the traits and/or all-around skill sets needed to win games and more importantly, conference championships.
Ohio State falls from No. 10 to No. 12, while Massachusetts goes from No. 11 to No. 16, and North Dakota tumbles from No. 12 to No. 19.
Merrimack is up four from No. 19 to No. 15 and UMass Lowell is up three from No. 16 to No. 13.
Entering the poll this week after being unranked last week is Michigan State sitting 17th.
In addition to the top 20, nine other teams received votes this week.
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.
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:
• Penn State splits with No. 1 Minnesota
• Some impressive sweeps this weekend
• Denver sweeps North Dakota
• Michigan State sweeps Ohio State
• Arizona State keeps on keeping on
• Boston University explodes over UMass
• Merrimack keeps rolling
• Quinnipiac keeps marching through ECAC
• Harvard 6-0
• RIT earns pair of 3-1 wins over Sacred Heart in top-two matchup in AHA
• Connecticut didn’t lose, but had an impressive weekend with two ties vs. Providence
• Protocol penalty talk as UMass-BU had one of the craziest
Captain Andrew Holland picked up his first hat trick including two goals shorthanded in Babson’s 6-3 win over Johnson & Wales on Saturday
The number of unbeaten teams continues to fall and it took a Herculean effort in the final minute of play and overtime for Hobart to stay that way on Friday against a determined Buffalo State squad. The University of New England and Norwich both suffered their first losses and overall, the level of play was fantastic. Here is some of the great action from this past weekend:
CCC
UNE and Curry played a home and home series this weekend with the visitors emerging victorious in each contest. On Friday, the teams were very evenly matched leading to a 1-1 regulation tie that would ultimately be decided in overtime by Anthony Sciucco to give the Nor’easters the come from behind win on the road. On Saturday Curry returned the favor as Timmy Kent, Nick Favaro and Leevi Selanne gave the visitors a 3-1 lead in the third period. Sciucco closed the gap with just under four minutes remaining, but the Nor’easters could not beat Reid Cooper and Curry took an exciting 3-2 win to knock UNE from the ranks of the unbeatens.
Nichols and Suffolk faced-off for two games this weekend and each team took a win on the road to break the ice in conference play. On Friday, six different goal scorers chipped in for the Rams in a 6-3 win that saw all of Nichols goals scored while playing shorthanded. On Saturday, the Bison emerged with a 4-3 win behind third period goals from Dylan McMahon and Quinn McCarthy that erased a 3-2 deficit.
Independents
Rivier played host to SUNY – Canton this weekend and consistent with a recurrent theme this weekend, the two teams split the two-game series. On Friday, Avery Arnold scored a pair of goals for the Raiders but Evan Pringle’s goal for the Kangaroos late in the third period tied the game at 3-3 and sent the game to overtime. The home fans left happy when Rivier’s Nicolas Paolucci scored in the final minute of overtime to give the Raiders a 4-3 win. On Saturday, the Roos rallied back with a solid 3-0 win with Pringle breaking the ice with the only goal that goaltender Kelson Hooper would need to earn his first win of the season with a 34-save shutout.
On Sunday, Albertus Magnus and Anna Maria completed the Independent schedule with a thrilling 5-4 decision for the Falcons. Ryan Colwell scored two goals, including one just 20 seconds into the game, and also added an assist as the visitors held on for the win behind 23 saves from goaltender Logan Bateman.
MASCAC
Massachusetts-Dartmouth played a Thursday thriller with Framingham State with the Corsairs emerging with a 6-5 win. Senior Sky Silverstein led the offense with a five-point game including four goals and an assist and a first period natural hat trick in the contest that saw several lead changes and comebacks. Justin Weinbrenner provided the game winner with just over two minutes remaining in regulation.
Fitchburg State showed off their offensive firepower in a 7-2 win over Salem State as forward Rece Bergeman scored a hat trick for the Falcons in the comfortable win over the Vikings on Thursday night. On Saturday, the Falcons had to settle for a 3-3 overtime tie with Framingham State. The Rams saw netminder Blake Carlson make 49 saves and Patrick Colgan scored the tying goal in the final 35 seconds of regulation.
Westfield State raced out to an early 3-0 lead against Plymouth State on Thursday but the Panthers regrouped and scored six unanswered goals for a 6-3 MASCAC win. Ryan O’Halloran scored a pir of goals for the Owls while Carson Lanceleve scored twice, including the game winner, for PSU. On Saturday, the Panthers played host to UMD and needed a third period rally to secure a 3-2 win over the Corsairs. Myles Abbate tied the game at 2-2 in the final seven minutes but Ethan Stuckless proved to be the hero netting the game-winner with just six seconds remaining in regulation.
NE-10
Assumption traveled to St. Anselm for a two-game series and found their offensive game in the third period to erase a 3-2 Hawks lead with five unanswered goals. Christopher Stalmok and Dara Conneely each scored twice in the 7-4 win for the Greyhounds. On Saturday, the Hawks earned a split with a 5-2 win led by Tommy Schwartz and his two goals.
After dropping Friday’s game against Southern New Hampshire by a score of 4-3, Post rebounded on Saturday with a 4-3 win that overcame three power play goals for the Penmen including two from freshman Ryan Pomposelli. Niko Grollman scored twice for the Eagles and Benjamin Cuneen made 47 saves to earn the NE-10 win.
NEHC
Hobart played a pair of non-conference games against SUNYAC foes and was on upset alert on Friday against a determined Buffalo State team. Trailing 3-2 in the third period, Zach Tyson rallied the Statesmen to a 3-3 tie with his goal in the final minute of regulation. Luke Aquaro won it for Hobart with power play goal in overtime to help the Statesmen escape with a 4-3 win. On Saturday, Aquaro opened and closed the scoring for Hobart in a convincing 5-0 win over Cortland to move to 6-0-0 on the season.
Norwich played their opening home games this weekend and may have been looking past in-state rival Castleton on Friday in anticipation of facing a hot Skidmore squad. The Spartans took advantage of 30 saves from Brandon Collett and two goals from Zach Boulet to upset the Cadets by a 4-3 score. On Saturday, the Cadets rebounded against a red-hot Skidmore squad with a 4-1 win. Clark Kerner and Johnny Johnson gave Norwich an early 2-0 lead and Paul Schmid scored the final two Cadet goals to secure the home-ice win.
Babson returned home and started fast in a 5-2 win over Massachusetts-Boston on Friday night. Freshman Egan Schmitt and Thomas Kramer each chipped in with a goal and an assist while Nolan Hildebrand stopped 27 Beacon shots to earn the win. On Saturday, senior Andrew Holland was the offensive star scoring his first collegiate hat trick in a 6-3 win over Johnson & Wales. All of Holland’s goals came on special teams with two shorthanded tallies and a power play goal for the Beavers.
SUNYAC
It may just be a three-team race in the SUNYAC this season as Plattsburgh has emerged as an early contender. On Friday night, the Cardinals knocked off Brockport in resounding fashion by a 9-2 score. Eight unanswered goals to open the game, including two apiece from Ryan Hogg and Bennett Stockdale, helped Plattsburgh cruise to the big SUNYAC win on home ice. On Saturday, Geneseo, fresh off a 7-1 win over Potsdam that featured a hat trick from Domenic Garozzo and four power play goals, traveled to face Plattsburgh. The Cardinals took an early lead on a goal from Cory Doney but Geneseo rallied for a 2-1 lead in the third period on goals from Matthew Doran and Peter Morgan. Plattsburgh wouldn’t quit and with just 25 seconds remaining in regulation time, Luk Jirousek scored to tie the game at 2-2 and send the crowd into a frenzy. Overtime couldn’t decide a winner and the two teams settled for an exciting tie.
Oswego also played a thrilling game on Friday night against Cortland and emerged with a 5-4 road win. Tommy Cahill scored two goals for the Lakers who built a 5-2 lead after two periods of play and held on to a one-goal victory as the Red Dragons rallied with two third period goals but couldn’t find the equalizer against netminder Cal Schell who made 23 saves in the win.
UCHC
Utica opened their home ice schedule with a pair of games against Chatham and were less than hospitable hosts in a pair of wins over the Cougars. On Friday, it took third period goals from Cameron Patton and Regen Cavanaugh to break open a 3-2 game for a 5-2 final. On Saturday, the Pioneers took advantage of two more goals from Patton in a four-goal second period on the way to a 6-3 win and weekend sweep moving Utica to 4-2-0 overall.
One of the great performances of the weekend was the goaltending of Ty Franchi for Lebanon Valley whose 50-save effort helped the Flying Dutchmen knock off Elmira 2-0 on Saturday night. Franchi made second period goals from Cade Freer and Brad Viola stand up for LVC’s first win of the season.
Stevenson took advantage of a pair of goals from Austin Master to earn a 4-3 win over Alvernia on Friday night on home ice. On Saturday, Alex Rivet scored a hat trick and the Mustangs kicked the offense into high gear with a 10-1 win to take the weekend series against the Golden Wolves and level their season record at 3-3-0.
Three Biscuits
Sky Silverstein – Massachusetts-Dartmouth – the Corsairs forward recorded five points including four goals and a first period natural hat trick in a 6-5 win over Framingham State on Thursday night.
Andrew Holland – Babson – scored his first collegiate hat trick in the Beavers 6-3 win over Johnson & Wales. Holland scored once on the power play and added a pair of shorthanded tallies.
Ty Franchi – Lebanon Valley – stopped all 50 shots he faced in the 2-0 upset win over Elmira for the Flying Dutchmen.
Week three saw still more attrition from the ranks of the unbeaten and battles in conference play heat up across each of the conferences. Some battles for the top of the standings are already heating up very early in the season but fans everywhere wouldn’t want it any other way.
Marian knocked off Adrian for its first win over top-ranked team in program history. (Photo Credit: Marian Athletics)
Until Friday, Marian had never beaten a top-ranked team in the country.
That drought ended when the Sabres stunned reigning national champion Adrian 5-2 in the opening game of a NCHA series on the road. They wrapped up the weekend skating to a 2-2 tie on Saturday.
In the upset win, the Sabres snapped the No. 1 Bulldogs’ 35-game unbeaten streak on the strength of a goal and assist from four different players as well as a 43-save effort by Colby Muise. He made 20 of those saves in the final period of play.
Jordan Simoneau, Jack Sampson, James Knee and Nick Cherkowski all came through with a goal and an assist in the victory.
Marian (2-2) led 2-0 after one period and 4-1 after two before closing things out in the third period for its second win of the season.
One of the keys to success for the Sabres was out-shooting the Bulldogs 45-27. They also limited the Bulldogs (3-1-2) to just one goal on eight power-play opportunities.
Here’s a look at more highlights from the weekend in hockey.
Royals stun Blugolds
One night after losing 1-0 to UW-Superior, Bethel bounced back in a big way as it knocked off nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire 4-3 in overtime on Saturday.
The Royals improved to 4-2 overall and Jack Brown came through with the game winner as he scored for the first time in his college career less than a minute into OT.
Bethel led 2-1 after one and was tied with No. 15 UW-Eau Claire at 2-2 after two periods of action.
Jarrett Cammarata seemed to give Bethel the lead for good less than six minutes into the third but the Blugolds tied it one more time to force OT.
Austin Ryman played a key role in the win as he stopped 25 shots. Three of those saves came in the final three minutes of regulation to ensure Bethel got to OT.
Auggies win battle of nationally ranked teams
Augsburg faced another early-season test and passed it, knocking off UW-Eau Claire 3-1 in a battle of two top 15 teams in the DCU/USCHO Division III men’s poll.
The Auggies scored twice in 57 seconds in the second period to take control. Gavin Holland tallied a goal and an assist to pave the way for the Auggies, who are 3-1-1 on the year.
Augsburg dominated the shots on goal category, tallying 47 compared to 24 for the Blugolds. Samuel Vyletelka ade 23 saves for his second win of the year. Max Gutjahr tallied 44 saves for the Blugolds.
Augsburg was playing its second nationally ranked opponent of the season. The Auggies have won three consecutive games.
Spartans sweep Lions
No. 12 Aurora rolled past Finlandia in a weekend NCHA series, winning 5-1 on Friday and closing things out with a 10-3 win on Saturday.
Aurora has won its last four games, improving to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference. Finlandia fell to 0-4-1 and is 0-2 in the league.
The Spartans scored five goals in the final period to complete the blowout win, which featured a combined 19 penalties between the two teams.
Adam Keyes recorded a hat trick in the win while Jack Jaunich scored twice. Giovanni Procopio tallied three assists and Jacob Brockman and Derrick Budtz dished out two assists apiece. Seven different players had at least one assist in the win while Kolby Thornton made 19 saves.
The game was much tighter on Friday, with Aurora leading 2-1 after two. The Spartans scored three times in the third to seal the deal.
Five players scored, including Hassan Aki, who tallied the first goal of his career. Tanner Marshall made 15 saves.
Falcons earn first win of year
After dropping its first five games of the season, Concordia found the win column Saturday night, topping Trine 5-2.
The Falcons turned the momentum with three goals in the first four minutes of play in the second period.
Gabe Rosek, only a freshman, was solid in goal. He stopped 43 shots to pick up the first win of his collegiate career. Concordia improved to 1-5 overall and 1-1 in the NCHA.
Zach Brydges punched in the first goal of the night in the opening period and Ben Pizzimenti, Jason Tenezaca, Parker Williams and Jackson Clark also scored goals. Pizzimenti and Clark also tallied assists in the victory.
Trine won Friday’s game by a 3-2 score. The Thunder are 3-2 overall and 1-2 in the NCHA.
Brendan Prappas scored the game-winning goal in the seventh minute of the third period. It was one of two goals on the night for Prappas to help Trine snap a two-game losing streak.
Stout continues strong start
UW-Stout came away with a split over the weekend and sits at 5-1 on the season, three wins shy of matching last year’s win total. The Blue Devils went 0-6 in their first six games last season.
The Blue Devils used three second-period goals in Friday’s win over Lake Forest and Tyler Masternak won his third game of the season in goal, stopping 37 shots.
Dylan Rallis scored twice to pave the way for the Blue Devils while Matt Dahlseide added a goal and an assist. Jacob Halverson also scored a goal and dished out an assist. Caleb Serre tallied two assists. It marked the third time this year UW-Stout has scored five or more goals.
Lake Forest held on for a 5-4 win on Saturday, though, despite three goals in 37 seconds by the Blue Devils in the third period. That is a school record for the fastest three goals. Halvorson scored twice in the win.
The Forresters ended their three-game losing streak on Saturday with their win. Tyler Nielsen, Tyler Buoopane, Noah Furman, Justin Ross and Jared Gerger all scored goals as the Forresters built what seemed to be a commanding 5-1 lead. Scotty Nicholson had two assists and Bobby McCloskey made 22 saves.
Oles have a strong weekend
St. Olaf held its own against two opponents from the WIAC, beating UW-River Falls 3-0 on Friday and playing UW-Stevens Point to a 5-5 tie on Saturday.
The Oles utilized a pair of extra attackers in the final two minutes of action to forge a 5-5 tie with the Pointers, who had surged ahead 4-2 in the third period.
Goals by Jonathan Young and Tyler Cooper helped send the game into OT. The Pointers did win the shootout after the OT period by a 2-1 score.
Jonathan Panisa, Ethan Hersant and Noah Heisler also scored goals for the Oles. Lukas Haugen made 28 saves.
Sam Ayd, Jordan Roo, Nicholas Aromatario, Andrew Poulias and Noah Finstrom all scored for the Pointers, who are 2-1-3 on the year.
The Oles (3-1-1) got their first shutout win in nearly six years on Thursday thanks in part to a 27-save effort by Thomas Lalonde.
Saint John’s continues to power up
The Johnnies completed a sweep of Concordia in MIAC play on Saturday with a 5-1 win over the Cobbers.
Saint John’s scored four power play goals and tallied seven goals in all over the weekend with the man advantage. They have 12 power play goals total on the season and are now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the conference.
Nick Michel scored twice while Lewis Crosby dished out two assists to go along with his goal. Bailey Huber made a career-best 30 saves. Saint John’s held a 31-20 advantage in shots.
The Johnnies have won their last three games, including a 7-3 win over Concordia on Thursday.
Cally Dixon showed great vision early in this game as she picked off a Colgate pass in the zone and took it straight to the net to give Dartmouth an early 1-0 lead. Kalty Kaltounková returned the favor later in the period as Neena Brick was able to break up the attempted zone exit. Kaltounková quickly nabbed the loose puck and flicked a bullet past Dartmouth’s Maggie Emerson to tie the game. The Big Green nabbed a lead with 5.2 seconds left in the first when a shot from the point by Kenzie Bachelor rebounded right in front of Laura Fuoco. In the second, Tessa Folk carried the puck up the boards and cut in sharply at the bottom of the faceoff circle before beating Hannah Murphy with a short angle snipe to the corner. The Raiders were on a power play to close out regulation and Danielle Serdachny found a spot in the high slot to grab a pass and catch the defense out of position before wristing it home to give Colgate a 3-2 win.
(4) Colgate at Harvard
Goals from Katie Chan, Dara Greig and Danielle Serdachny in the first period had Colgate up 3-0. They carried the lead into the third frame before the Crimson came alive, scoring four unanswered in twelve minutes to take a 4-3 lead. Neena Brick tied the game back up with under five to go and Kalty Kaltounková became the hero with 4.4 seconds left on the clock to give the Raiders the 5-4 win.
(7) Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State
Patty Kazmaier top-three finalist Gabbie Hughes left the game in the first period and UMD struggled a bit to recalibrate in her absence, but Clara Van Wieren and Anneke Linser scored in the first period and that was enough to give UMD the win. Emma Soderberg made 14 saves. SCSU racked up 14 blocks in the loss. Hughes did not play on Saturday and defender Ashton Bell moved up to center the Bulldogs’ top line, but Minnesota Duluth was able to roll with the changes and take a 5-1 win and weekend sweep. Maggie Flaherty’s power play goal had UMD up 1-0 after the first. In the second, Naomi Rogge batted in a puck to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead and Rogge her 100th career point. Mannon McMahon pushed it to 3-0 before the end of the second. Just 36 seconds into the third, Bell made it 5-0 and Flaherty added another late in the game to make it 5-0. Grace Wolfe’s goal in the final minute ruined the shutout.
(8) Northeastern vs. Boston College
Alina Müller and Katy Knoll each scored twice and added an assist while Chloe Aurard collected three assists as Northeastern took a 4-0 win at home on Friday. The Huskies outshot BC 43-15 in the win. In the second game, the same two players were the stars of the show as Müller and Knoll each scored a goal to give Northeastern a 2-0 win. Gwyneth Philips earned the shutout in each game for the Huskies.
(9) Cornell at Harvard
The Crimson earned their third-straight win over the Big Red on Saturday thanks to goals from Kristin Della-Rovere and Jade Arnone. Goalie Alex Pellicci made 30 saves in the 2-0 win and the team tallied 15 blocks.
(9) Cornell at Dartmouth
The goals came in bunches on Friday in Hanover. Things started with Lily Delianedis scoring in the opening minutes of the game to put Cornell up 1-0. Dartmouth responded with a vengeance, reeling off four unanswered goals to give them a 4-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Currie Putrah scored twice and Carlie Primomo and Kenzie Bachelor each lit the lamp for the Big Green. Cornell reset during the period break and came out quickly in the second. Kaitlin Jockims made it a 4-2 game 70 seconds into the second. Alyssa Regalado narrowed the lead to one and then Georgia Schiff scored twice to give the Big Red a 5-4 lead. Marking their second-straight five goal second, McKenna pushed the lead to 6-4 in the final minute of the second. Laura Fuoco scored a power play goal in the third to bring it to 6-5, but Dartmouth couldn’t close the gap and Cornell eked out the 6-5 win.
(14) Connecticut at (10) Providence
All the scoring in Friday’s game happened over fewer than five minutes in the first. Rachel Weiss put Providence up 1-0 on an unassisted goal. But UConn quickly responded with two goals, one each from Amy Landry and Brooke Campbell. Tia Chan made 25 saves for the Huskies and the team made 21 blocks to keep the Friars off the board and earn Connecticut the win. On Saturday, Noemi Neubauerova scored for Providence to put them up 1-0 in the first. That score would hold for 34 minutes of game play before UConn was able to respond. Jada Habisch scored twice in four minutes to give the Huskies a lead they would not relinquish.
(11) Clarkson at St. Lawrence
Olivia Hanson’s goal in the first two minutes of the game had Clarkson up 1-0. But St. Lawrence responded in the second half of the opening period as Julia Gosling scored at even strength and on the power play. Darcie Lappan tied the game at two early in the second. Chloé Puddifant eked out a go-ahead power play goal with just 3.1 seconds left to send the Saints to the locker room up 3-2. Gabrielle David and Nicole Gosling helped spur a Golden Knights’ comeback with early goals in the third. Abby Hustler scored late for St. Lawrence to force overtime, but Gretchen Branton ended it in Clarkson’s favor in the extra frame to give them the 5-4 win. After the frenzy of the first game, Saturday’s meeting at St. Lawrence was a staid affair. Michelle Pasiechnyk made 27 saves, the Golden Knights had 15 blocks and Lappan scored her 10th of the season to lead Clarkson to a 1-0 win.
Brown at (12) Penn State
Olivia Wallin scored on the power play in the opening frame to put the Nittany Lions up 1-0. Alyssa Machado and Tessa Janecke each lit the lamp in the second to secure a 3-0 win for PSU. The two teams play again Monday afternoon.
Boston University at (13) Vermont
Special teams were on display Friday afternoon as 12 penalties were called and all three goals scored came on the power play. Natálie Mlýnková put the Catamounts on the board midway through the game, but Sydney Healey responded for Boston University a minute later. Mlýnková scored in the opening two minus of the second and that’s all Vermont needed to secure the 2-1 win. On Saturday, Lacey Martin scored 19 seconds into overtime, her third point of the day, to earn a split for the Terriers and secure a 4-3 win. Julia Nearis won the puck in her own zone and started up the boards. Martin took off and beat the defenders up the ice to be wide open for Nearis’ centering pass. Theresa Schafzahl scored first to give Vermont the 1-0 lead midway through the first. Nearis and Martin scored power play goals two minutes apart at the end of the opening frame to send Boston University to the locker rooms up 2-1. The Catamounts fought there way back with an extra attacked goal from Ellice Murphy in the second. Lily Humphrey added a power play goal of her own for Vermont to give them the lead with less than six to go in regulation. Before she capped off the evening with the game-winning assist, she set up the game-trying goal with a dangle and feed to Madison Cardaci to tie the game with less than five minutes on the clock.
Syracuse at (15) Princeton
Katherine Khramtsov scored her first career goal, Sarah Fillier had a three-point evening and four different Tigers lit the lamp to lead Princeton to a 4-2 win. Fillier, Cormier and Maggie Connors had Princeton up 3-0 after the first. Khramtsov pushed the lead to 4-0 just before the second intermission. Syracuse started to claw back in the second, with goals from Rhea Hicks and Sarah Thompson, but ran out of time as the Tigers took the win. On Saturday, Issy Wunder scored her first career goal on a one-timer in the slot and that’s all Princeton needed to take the win and weekend sweep.
