Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley. and Ed Trefzger review games of the weekend and news of the week.
Three more conferences – Big Ten, ECAC, and NCHC – decided their regular season champions over the weekend. Michigan State and Minnesota share the Big Ten regular season title, Quinnipiac wins the ECAC, and Western Michigan clinches its first-ever NCHC league title. They preview upcoming playoffs and analyze key matches, including potential upsets and standout performances.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and sponsorship
00:38 Big Ten conference championship drama
03:56 ECAC regular season finale
06:57 NCHC title race and playoff implications
13:43 Hockey East regular season showdown
18:23 Atlantic Hockey playoff action
26:00 Big Ten playoff preview
29:51 CCHA and ECAC playoff previews
36:04 Milestones and well wishes
39:43 Conclusion and sign-off
MCLA’s Matthew Gover stood tall between the pipes making 106 saves as MCLA defeated the top two seeds in the MASCAC tournament to advance to the conference championship game.(Photo by MCLA Athletics)
Since the regular season was not enough of a roller coaster ride for results, upsets and drama, enter the conference playoffs where form fell apart over the weekend in many areas including seven overtime games, top seeds bowing out in MASCAC (Plymouth State) and SUNYAC (Cortland), and No. 2 seeds exiting in the CNE (UNE), MASCAC (Anna Maria), NEHC (Babson) and NESCAC (Trinity). Add in the top seed loss in the NE-10 where St. Anselm fell at home to rival St. Michael’s and the plethora of surprise games is pretty astounding overall. Sure, Hobart, Utica, Geneseo, Curry, Wilkes, Stevenson, Oswego, and Hamilton took care of business but there is that sense still that any game’s outcome is up for grabs now when the stakes are highest. For many the season is now over and those on the NPI bubble are rooting for outcomes that are unlikely to change their fate for playing on the national stage. Crazy week for sure – so here is the recap of an extremely exciting week of playoff action in the east:
CNE
Thursday’s quarterfinals saw No. 3 Endicott eke past No. 6 Wentworth, 3-2 in overtime as the Gulls needed Michael Casey’s late third period goal and Cade Baker’s overtime winner to move past the Leopards and earn a date against UNE on Saturday. In a regular season finale re-match, Suffolk left no doubt scoring four goals with Nick Liatino assisting on three and getting forty-six saves from CJ Hapward in goal for a 4-0 win that advanced the Rams to face No. 1 Curry on Saturday.
Curry was ready from the opening puck drop against the Rams on Saturday as Karim Gayfullin scored twice in the first ten minutes of play to give the Colonels and early lead that they extended to 4-1 in the second period. Gayfullin completed his hat trick in the middle stanza and the Colonels cruised to their fifteenth straight win with a 4-2 decision over the Rams. Shane Soderwall stopped sixteen of eighteen shots to earn his twenty-second win of the season.
Endicott traveled to UNE on Saturday and the comeback Gulls did on the road what they had done at home on Thursday. Trailing the Nor’easters 3-1 in the third period, Jackson Sterrett quickly halved the deficit just over a minute after Cam Bergman had given the home team a two-goal advantage. Michael Casey then became the hero for the visitors as he netted the game-tying goal in the final seventy seconds of regulation before scoring the game-winning goal in the opening minute of overtime for a 4-3 Gulls victory.
No. 1 Curry will host No. 3 Endicott on Saturday, March 8 for the CNE championship.
MAC
The MAC playoff semifinals were played on Saturday, March 1 with No. 1 Wilkes hosting No. 4 Alvernia and No. 2 Stevenson playing No. 3 Neumann.
The Colonels were far from gracious hosts as they took advantage of two goals in each period to skate away with a 6-0 win over the Golden Wolves. It was the visitors who came out firing in the first period, peppering Colonels’ netminder Jack Perna with twenty-two first period shots but could not score. Perna finished the game with thirty-nine saves while Cam Lowe scored two goals and Carter Jordan assisted on three goals in the shutout win.
The Mustangs vs. Knights contest was far closer as expected with an overtime session needed to determine the team that would advance to the MAC title game against Wilkes. Blake Benson broke the scoreless deadlock in the final minute of the opening period with a goal for Stevenson and Luke Croucher tied the score for Neumann with a goal early in the third period. Goaltender Cole DeFazio was keeping the Mustangs at bay with Ford DeLoss fending off Neumann’s threats. In the extra session, it was Matt Yeager who solved DeFazio for a 2-1 OT win for Stevenson.
On Saturday, March 8, No. 1 Wilkes will host No. 2 Stevenson for the MAC championship and the conference’s first NCAA auto-bid.
MASCAC
The MASCAC tournament saw a one-through-eight tournament format for the first time and No. 1 Plymouth State looking to capture an eighth straight title in their final season in the league. MCLA had other plans for the Panthers as Thursday’s quarterfinal game saw the Trailblazers stun the top seed, 2-1 with goaltender Matthew Gover and his forty-three saves making goals from Luke Rhoss and Sam Zis stand up to upset the Panthers.
No. 2 seed Anna Maria had no such upset demons in their arena as the AmCats dispatched No. 7 Westfield State by a score of 8-2. Matthew Gilbert, Matthew Byrne and Brandon Della-Paolera each scored two goals with Della-Paolera providing the game’s highlight goal with a “Michigan” tally to help the AmCats to an early 3-0 advantage. Five unanswered goals in the final forty minutes helped put away the Owls and advance Anna Maria to a semifinal with MCLA.
Fitchburg State knocked off Worcester State, 4-1 on Thursday with Max Macchioni making thirty-three saves and Alexandre Bauvais scoring a pair of goals to advance the Falcons to a semifinal matchup with Salem State. The Vikings punched their ticket with a 3-1 win over Massachusetts-Dartmouth with goaltender Will Nepveu stopping thirty-seven Corsair attempts and Landyn Greatorex sealing the win with an empty-net goal just seconds after the Corsairs hit the post trying the tie the score in the final minute of regulation.
On Saturday, the Falcons were looking to end the Vikings’ month-long win streak and advance to the MASCAC championship game. The teams exchanged goals three times leaving the score tied at 3-3 at the end of regulation time. Overtime was required and neither team could score in the first two overtime periods. In the third overtime, Christian Halbig tallied an unassisted goal past Nepveu to give the Falcons a 4-3 3OT win over Salem State. Netminder Macchioni made a total of seventy-six games to help the Falcons advance to the championship game.
In the other semifinal, Anna Maria hosted the upset-minded Trailblazers with a spot in the title game on the line. No. 8 MCLA used the same formula from Thursday’s upset as Cade Herrera and Easton Moore goals in the first two periods helped the Trailblazers to a 2-0 lead. Matthew Byrne cut the lead to one goal for the host AmCats but exceptional shot blocking and sixty-three saves from Matthew Gover gave MCLA a second upset in the playoffs with a 2-1 win to stun Anna Maria.
No. 4 Fitchburg State will host No. 8 MCLA for the MASCAC title on Saturday, March 8.
NE-10
The championship game between St. Michael’s and St. Anselm saw the host Hawks trying to win their fifth game in a row this season against the Purple Knights with the NE-10 title on the line. Two goals and an assist on the game’s opening marker from defender David Ciancio helped pace the Purple Knights to a 3-0 advantage on the way to a 5-1 championship win for the Purple Knights over the No. 1 seeded Hawks which avenged their title game loss to the Hawks two seasons ago by the same 5-1 score. Goaltender Evan Plunkett stopped twenty-seven of twenty-eight shots to backstop St. Michael’s to their sixth NE-10 title.
NEHC
Hobart started their NEHC title defense hosting the team that handed them their only loss of the season, Albertus Magnus. Domenic Schimizzi and NEHC Player-of-the-Year, Tanner Daniels gave the Statesmen an early 2-0 lead in the first period. That was enough for goaltender Damon Beaver who stopped nineteen of twenty shots in a 3-1 win over the Falcons. Shane Shell provided the final margin with an empty-net goal as Hobart outshot AMC by a 43-20 margin.
New England College traveled to No. 2 Babson and first-year sensation Anthony Beaulieu backstopped the Pilgrims to a 2-0 upset win over the Beavers. Beaulieu made thirty-one saves while Gunnar Sibley scored what proved to be the game winner in the second period. Ike Tarazewski iced the game with an ENG late in the third period.
No. 3 Norwich hosted Elmira for the third time in three weeks and the Cadets skated off with a 3-2 win over the Soaring Eagles. Johnny Johnson and Clark Kerner staked the Cadets to a 2-1 lead in the first period with Bryan O’Mara extending the advantage to 3-1 in the middle period. Ryan Reifler scored in the final minute for the final score as goaltender Sami Molu was outstanding making twenty-seven saves and surrendering just two power play goals to Elmira.
No. 4 Skidmore played No. 5 Salve Regina in quarterfinal action and the see-saw affair needed overtime to determine a winner. The Thoroughbreds started fast taking a 2-0 lead only to see the Seahawks rally for a 2-2 tie. Cooper Rice’s second goal of the contest gave Skidmore a 3-2 lead in the third period, but Quinn Tavares tied the game in the final two minutes to send the game to sudden victory. Rice completed his stellar game by scoring the overtime goal that completed his hat trick and sent the Thoroughbreds on to the semifinals with a 4-3 OT win.
Next Saturday, Hobart will host the final four teams. No. 1 Hobart will face No. 7 New England College in one semifinal while No. 3 Norwich will play No. 4 Skidmore. The winners will advance to the title game on Sunday, March 9.
NESCAC
Hamilton played host to Connecticut College and red-hot goaltender Will McEvoy on Saturday in a No. 1 v. No. 8 match-up. The Continentals took advantage of two goals from Jackson Krock to race to a 3-0 lead on the way to a comfortable 5-2 win that means Hamilton will host the final four weekend on March 8-9. McEvoy finished with forty-three saves for the Camels while Charlie Archer stopped twenty-one shot attempts.
No. 2 Trinity played host to No. 7 Middlebury who had played the Bantams tough in their two prior meetings. In what proved to be a very defensive battle with few great offensive chances, the visiting Panthers made a single goal by captain Jin Lee and nineteen saves from Andrew Heinze be enough to take down the defending conference champions, 1-0 in Hartford.
No. 3 Colby was hosting an Amherst team that had discovered their scoring touch in recent games. The Mules took a 1-0 lead on a goal from Matthew MacDonald before the Mammoth answered with two third period goals from Oliver Flynn and Jacob Pohl to lead midway in the final period. Massimo Gentile tied the game at 2-2 for Colby and neither team could find the winning goal in regulation. Maz Abene proved to be the OT hero scoring just over two minutes into the extra session advance Colby to the NESCAC final four weekend.
In a re-match of the final game of the regular season, Bowdoin and Tufts faced off with the Polar Bears playing host this time. In what proved to be another overtime thriller, the Jumbos skated off with the big road win, 2-1. Harrison Bazianos and Luke Wheeler exchanged first period goals but that would be all the scoring in regulation as Gus Bylin (Tufts) and Jacob Osborne (Bowdoin) were stellar in net for their respective teams. In overtime, Trace Norwell with assists from Jon and Brennan Horn gave the Jumbos scored to send Tufts to the final four weekend.
Hamilton will face Middlebury in one semifinal on Saturday, March 8 while Colby and Tufts will play in the other semifinal game. The championship game will take place on Sunday, March 9.
SUNYAC
Thursday’s quarterfinals saw Buffalo State take advantage of three points each from Austin Micale and Vadim Kiriakov help the Bengals to a 6-4 win over Canton. In the other quarterfinal game, Potsdam jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and led 3-1 entering the third period. Four unanswered goals rallied the Cardinals to a 5-3 win with Lonan Bulger scoring two goals and adding two assists in the comeback victory.
No. 2 Oswego played host to Buffalo State on Saturday and after surrendering the opening goal to the Bengals’ Sutton Murray before reeling off four unanswered goals, including two from Brandon Cohen for a 4-1 lead on the way to a comfortable 5-2 win. Brandon Milberg picked up the win in goal making twenty-four saves.
The comeback kids from Plattsburgh traveled to face No. 1 seed Cortland and continued their playoff magic with a stunning 4-3 overtime win over the Red Dragons. Nate Berke scored early in the third period to give the host team a 3-0 lead before Plattsburgh rallied with three goals, including Aaron Catron’s game-tying goal with less than five seconds remaining in regulation. The Cardinals kept the momentum going in overtime taking just twenty seconds to score the game-winner off the stick of Jake Sacratini.
Oswego will host Plattsburgh for the SUNYAC championship on Saturday, March 8.
UCHC
Thursday quarterfinal action saw Manhattanville skate off with a 4-1 win over Brockport. Four different players scored, and goaltender William Billequey stopped twenty shots to advance the Valiants to a semifinal game with Geneseo. In the other quarterfinal game, Chatham hosted Nazareth and after forty scoreless minutes, the Cougars broke through with goals from Tyler Samodral, Nick Cyprian, and Evan Mitchell to post a 3-0 win over the Golden Flyers. Goaltender Geno Pichora was stellar in the crease stopping all forty-eight Nazareth attempts on goal.
Top seed Utica hosted Chatham on Saturday in semifinal action and the Pioneers exploded for nine goals in a 9-0 rout of the Cougars. Tio D’Addario paced the attack with one goal and three assists for Utica while Brian Scoville added three assists and Shane Murphy added two goals. Ryan Piros picked up the shutout making nineteen saves.
No. 2 seed Geneseo played Manhattanville and raced to an early 2-0 lead on goals from Zach Purcell and Peter Morgan. The Valiants answered with two goals of their own off the sticks of Artem Mateichenko and Parker Chadwell. The final three goals of the game belonged to the host team as Morgan added a second goal and Filip Wiberg iced the contest with an ENG in the final two minutes of regulation time for a 5-2 win.
Utica will host Geneseo on Saturday, March 8 for the UCHC championship in one of the most anticipated conference title games next week.
Three Biscuits
Matthew Gover – MCLA – stopped 106 of 108 shots as the Trailblazers eliminated the top two seeds in MASCAC with 2-1 victories over Plymouth State and Anna Maria to earn a spot in the championship game.
Cooper Rice – Skidmore – scored a hat trick including the game-winning goal in overtime as the Thoroughbreds downed Salve Regina, 4-3 in the NEHC quarterfinals.
Jake Sacratini – Plattsburgh – completed a three-goal comeback for the Cardinals with the overtime winning goal in a 4-3 OT victory over top seed Corland on Saturday.
Bonus Biscuits
David Ciancio – St. Michael’s – paced the Purple Knights to a fast start in the NE-10 championship game by assisting on the opening goal and then scoring two of his own in the 5-1 win over St. Anselm on Saturday.
Matt Yeager – Stevenson – scored the overtime winning goal as the Mustangs eked out a 2-1 win over Neumann in the MAC tournament semifinals.
Michael Casey – Endicott – netted the game-tying goal late in the third period before scoring the overtime winner in Endicott’s 4-3 comeback win over UNE on Saturday.
Incredible team effort, sensational goaltending, a never-say-die attitude were all on display across the conference playoff games this week sparking incredible upsets and drama through regulation and overtime sessions that created sudden victory and agonizing defeat. So much more at stake next weekend so look for next-level action and intensity. Seriously, does it get any better than this?
UW-Eau Claire upset UW-Stevens Point to advance to the WIAC championship game. (Photo Credit: Chico La Barbera)
Oh what a wild game it was between UW-Eau Claire and rival UW-Stevens Point in a decisive mini game of a WIAC semifinal series on Saturday night.
The Blugolds had lost 4-1 to the Pointers, ranked ninth in the USCHO.com poll, in Game 2, giving up four goals in the third as their dreams were dashed of closing out the series.
But they refused to fold in the mini game, surviving a three-overtime thriller that ended when Kyle Oleksiuk scored on a penalty shot to lift the Blugolds into the championship game with a 1-0 win.
Max Gutjahr stepped up in goal, stopping several shots late to help secure the win.
The Blugolds won Friday’s game over the Pointers by a 4-3 score, leading 3-0 before having to hold on for the win. Leo Bacallo scored twice in the victory.
Eau Claire will now play for the WIAC title, hoping to lock up its first NCAA tourney bid since 2020. The Blugolds didn’t get to play in the tourney that year, though, as the pandemic canceled it.
Eau Claire is 13-15-1 while Stevens Point is 19-6-2 and will miss the championship game of the conference tournament for the first time since 2014.
Falcons stun top-seeded Yellowjackets
Don’t ever underestimate UW-River Falls. The Falcons proved as much over the weekend, upsetting No. 10 UW-Superior with a 2-1 in a mini game that decided their semifinal series.
They had lost 4-1 on Friday in the opening game but bounced back Saturday with a 2-1 win in Game 2 to force a mini game.
Arsenii Smekhnov and Alex Atwill both scored in Game 2 while Brennan Boynton made 26 saves for his 17th win of the year.
Goals by Dylan Smith and Cole Telecki gave the Falcons the win in the mini game, with Telecki’s tally serving as the game winner.
River Falls is 17-11-1 and is headed to the WIAC final for the first time since 2016.
For Superior, it’s a gut-wrenching end to a stellar year. They were riding high after Friday thanks to a hat trick by Collin Pederdson in the opening game. But they weren’t able to close things out on Saturday.
Superior won only 11 games a year ago but ends this season with a 19-5-3 record.
MIAC
Gusties punch ticket
Gustavus is in the MIAC final for the first time since 2018 after knocking off Concordia 6-2 on Saturday in a semifinal game.
The regular season champion of the conference now takes aim at its first championship since 2012 when it faces reigning champ St. Olaf.
Gustavus scored twice in each period, leading 2-1 after one and 4-2 after two.
Joey Gimberlin and Jack Suchy led the charge for the Gusties, scoring two goals apiece while Colin Androlewicz racked up 32 saves.
The win marks the third time Gustavus has beaten Concordia this season, and the Gusties have scored four or more goals in each game. Gustavus improves to 15-9-2 with the victory and are hoping to add a sixth MIAC title this coming weekend as well as as secure an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
It’s been a turnaround year for Gustavus, which won only 11 games last year and is in the midst of its best season since winning 16 games during the 2013-14 season.
Concordia ends its year at 12-12-3. Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe scored his team-leading 10th goal of the year and he finishes his career with 38. Dane Couture made 24 saves.
Oles return to championship game
St. Olaf will have a chance to go back-to-back as MIAC tournament champs after beating Bethel 3-1 on the road in the semifinal round on Saturday.
The Oles scored all three of their goals in the final period to secure the comeback win and advance to the title game for the third time in four seasons. They’ve won three championships in program history.
They scored all three goals in a span of 10 minutes, getting them from Nicholas Sewecke, Ben Luscko and Jonathan Panisa.
St. Olaf improved to 14-9-3 on the year and is 8-1 in MIAC playoff games over the last four years. It has been road warriors during the stretch as all of those contests have been played on the road.
For Panisa, his goal was his 16th of the year and his ninth in the last seven games. Matthew Malin made 20 saves in the final two periods to earn the win.
Bethel got its lone goal from Tyler Braccini. The Royals finish the year at 13-10-3 after losing in a game that was a rematch of last year’s MIAC final.
NCHA
Green Knights roll into tourney final
A dominant performance propelled St. Norbert toa 6-1 win over Trine in an NCHA semifinal on Saturday.
The fifth-ranked Green Knights scored four goals in the first two periods and never looked back, improving to 22-5-1. Trine drops to 20-6-2.
Hunter Garvey came through with 26 saves while Braden Lindstrom helped lead the way offensively with two goals and an assist. Logan Dombrowsky dished out a pair of assists to go along with his goal while Carter Hottman put the puck in the back of the net twice against the seventh-ranked Thunder.
St. Norbert is unbeaten in its last nine games and finish 2-1 against Trine this season.
Jack Cooper scored the lone goal for the Thunder and now hope for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
Bulldogs bite Spartans
Adrian not only won its NCHA semifinal against Aurora, but the No. 14 Bulldogs held the second-ranked Spartans scoreless, which had not happened at all this season as Aurora features one of the top scoring offenses in the country.
Dershahn Stewart rose to the occasion with 34 saves in a 2-0 win for Adrian, which heads to the conference final. The Bulldogs were playing on the road in an NCHA semifinal tournament game for the first time.
Julien Jacob ended the scoreless tie with a goal in the second period and Ryan Pitoscia added an empty netter.
JaCob Mucitelli made 29 saves for Aurora, which is 23-4-1 and could still make the NCAA tournament.
Providence took both games over the weekend from Merrimack (photo: Providence Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
It’s the last full month of the college hockey season, but if its first weekend was any indication, it will be an exciting one. Conference regular-season champions are being crowned and playoff seeding possibilities are endless.
All that and more in this week’s Monday 10…
1. Minnesota and Michigan State are B1G’s co-champs of the regular season
With a 5-2 win at Notre Dame on Saturday night, Michigan State claimed its second consecutive B1G regular-season championship. The Spartans, selected No. 1 in the preseason conference poll, won back-to-back regular-season titles for the first time since the start of the conference in 2013-14, and for the fourth time in program history.
Lest the forgoing needlessly depress Minnesota fans, fear not — the Gophers won a share of the regular-season title too! With a 5-3 win at sold-out Penn State, Minnesota claimed its record seventh B1G regular-season trophy.
The Spartans will be the official No. 1 seed and receive a bye to the tournament semifinals, and will host the lowest remaining seed on March 15 at Munn Ice Arena. The Gophers will host Notre Dame in a best-of-three quarterfinal series starting Friday.
2. Make that five straight for Quinnipiac
The No. 12 Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey program clinched its fifth straight Cleary Cup as ECAC Hockey’s regular-season champ, defeating St. Lawrence 4-0 on Saturday night at Appleton Arena.
It was the fourth Bobcat shutout of the season. Jeremy Wilmer matched his season best with a pair of goals, his third such performance this season. Wilmer, Andon Cerbone and Travis Treloar all extended their points streak to six games.
Quinnipiac is 10-1-1 in its last dozen games at St. Lawrence. For their efforts, the Bobcats earned a week off before hosting best-of-three series in the ECAC quarterfinals beginning March 14.
Clarkson, Union and Colgate are the other ECAC Hockey automatic quarerfinalists.
3. Western Michigan wins first-ever conference title
Western Michigan, having won at least a share of a regular-season conference championship for the first time in program history the previous night, won the NCHC’s Penrose Cup outright and the No. 1 seed in the upcoming tournament with a point in its series finale vs. North Dakota on Saturday. The Broncos fell 4-3 in overtime, but combined with a 6-4 win over the Fighting Hawks Friday night, the point was enough for a four-point weekend.
The Broncos finish the regular season at Miami on March 7-8 in Oxford, Ohio.
4. Puck drops on AHA playoffs with three opening-round games
For fans itching to see some playoff hockey already, Atlantic Hockey America provided a soothing balm with three preliminary games.
American International kept its season — and its existence as a Division I program — alive with a 2-1 overtime win over RIT Friday night in West Point, N.Y. Casey McDonald scored the game winner for the Yellow Jackets.
On Saturday, Canisius was a 2-0 winner over Mercyhurst, and Air Force needed double overtime to eliminate a tenacious Robert Morris team, 4-3. Anthony Yu got the game winner with a power-play goal at 13:30 of the second OT.
The quarterfinals will be a best-of-three affair, featuring the following matchups: No. 8 AIC at top-seeded Holy Cross, No. 7 Air Force at No. 2 Sacred Heart, No. 6 Canisius at No. 3 Bentley and No. 5 Army at No. 4 Niagara.
5. No. 1 BC takes five of six from New Hampshire
Boston College, No. 1 in the USCHO men’s D-I poll as of this writing, had a drama-free time with New Hampshire at home Friday night, a 4-1 win before a crowd of 7,007 at Silvio O. Conte Forum.
The next night was a different story. The Eagles had to rally for a 1-1 tie before earning a shootout win, taking five of six possible Hockey East points.
BC enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 4-point lead over Maine in the Hockey East standings with one game to play, vs. Merrimack Saturday. The Eagles will need to do anything other than lose in regulation to clinch the No. 1 seed in the tournament. For Maine to finish No. 1, it will need to earn at least five of six possible points in a two-game series at Massachusetts, and hope BC goes points-less vs. Merrimack. BC holds the tiebreaker vs. Maine, having swept their only two meetings way back in November.
6. Minnesota State closes out CCHA slate with a bang
After losing a shootout at home vs. rival Bemidji State on Friday, Minnesota State responded resoundingly the next night with a 5-1 win.
The Mavericks will host Lake Superior State in a best-of-three series beginning Friday. Luc Wilson led the Mavericks offense Saturday night with two goals and one assist. Evan Murr chipped in one goal and one assist. Goaltender Eli Pulver stopped 23 of 24 shots for his first career win in goal.
7. Denver, St. Cloud State split
St. Cloud State goalie Isak Posch made 38 saves for a 2-1 win at Denver on Saturday night in NCHC action. It was St. Cloud’s first win vs. Denver in its last seven tries.
For Denver, graduate student Connor Caponi played in his 175th career game on Saturday, becoming the 53rd player in NCAA history to reach that milestone. Kieran Cebrian appeared in his 70th game with Denver. Aidan Thompson stretched his point streak to nine games (four goals/10 assists). Jack Devine (three goals/four assists) and Zeev Buium (goal/four assists) are now both on four-game point streaks.
Denver, which was a 3-1 winner on Friday, closes out the regular season next weekend with a home-and-home series vs. rival Colorado College.
8. Providence sweeps Merrimack
Providence won a pair of nailbiters vs. Merrimack over the weekend — 3-2 at home on Friday and 2-1 the next night in North Andover, Mass. — to improve to 10-3 in one-goal games this season.
Goalie Philip Svedebäck stopped 29 of 31 shots in Friday’s win. net, while Zach Borgiel was in net for Providence on Saturday and made 12 saves vs. his former club.
9. Ohio State, Michigan split
No. 8 Ohio State and No. 11 Michigan split their regular-season-ending B1G series over the weekend, with the Buckeyes tipping the Wolverines 2-1 on Friday and Michigan returning the favor the next night with a 4-3 win.
The Buckeyes finish the regular season at 21-11-2 overall and have a 14-9-1 B1G record, good for No. 3 in both the final standings and the upcoming tournament. Michigan is 18-13-3 with a 12-10-2 B1G mark and a fourth-place finish. Each team had a regulation and an overtime win in the series this season.
Both teams will host a home-and-home quarterfinal series next weekend. Michigan welcomes No. 5 Penn State and Ohio State hosts No. 6 Wisconsin.
10. UConn continues hot streak in Hockey East
Is there a team hotter than Connecticut right now? The Huskies took care of Hockey East’s other Huskies over the weekend (wins of 5-2 and 7-1 over Northeastern) to continue their scintillating 2025, earning their fifth win in a row to extend their current streak to 11-2-2 since the new year.
Looking for their first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, UConn is now eighth in the PairWise. The Huskies are currently fourth in Hockey East, three points behind Boston University, and look to lock up a bye in the upcoming Hockey East tournament with one game left, at Vermont on Thursday.
In game one, the Beavers made 36 blocks and Kaitlin Groess made 42 saves to slow down Wisconsin, but the Badgers skated off with a 3-0 win. Kelly Gorbatenko scored with 39 seconds left in the first period to make it 1-0. Claire Enright scored late in the second and Lacey Eden added one a few minutes later to secure the win. On Saturday, the Badgers broke out for 11 goals and Casey O’Brien broke her own record for assists in a season and broke Hilary Knight’s record for career points at Wisconsin. Kirsten Simms scored 15 seconds into the game and that set the tone. She followed up with a second goal minutes later and completed a hat trick with a goal midway through the second. But the night belonged to O’Brien, who had three primary assists in the first five minutes of the game. It was a short-handed goal on a feed from KK Harvey that broke Knight’s record. O’Brien finished the game with a goal and five assists. Finley McCarthy added two goals while Kelly Gorbatenko, Hannah Halverson, Cassie Hall and Sarah Wozniewicz each lit the lamp to lead the Badgers to the weekend sweep. They advance to the WCHA Final Faceoff and will face Minnesota Duluth in the semifinal on Friday.
St. Thomas at (2) Ohio State
Joy Dunne set the tone early in both games for Ohio State as they swept their weekend series with St. Thomas. On Friday, she brought the puck from behind the net before turning and beating Dani Strom to make it 1-0 1:31 into the game. Emma Peschel scored on breakout with Dunne and Joceyln Amos to make it 2-0 at the first break. Defender Mira Jungåker scored from the faceoff circle in the second to extend the lead to 3-0. Amos scored on the power play just :29 into the third frame to make it 4-0. Cara Sajevic broke up the shutout for St. Thomas with a power play goal late in the third, but Jungåker’s short-hander secured the 4-1 win. On Saturday, Dunne scored with the extra attacker just 1:36 into the game. On the ensuing play, Josie St. Martin lit the lamp to extend the lead to 2-0 before two minutes had elapsed. Maddi Wheeler scored before the end of the third to make it 3-0. Makenna Webster found the back of the net in the final minute of the second to make it a 4-0 game. The Tommies were able to spoil the shutout late, this time with a goal from Maddie Jurgensen, but Ohio State took a second 4-1 win and advances to the WCHA Final Faceoff and will face Minnesota in the semifinal on Friday.
Union at (3) Cornell
The Big Red outshot the Garnet Chargers 42-14 and Karel Prefontaine scored twice to lead Cornell to a 3-0 win on Friday. Georgia Schiff scored the other goal while Lily Delianedis and Delaney Fleming each had two assists. On Saturday, the game was much more even. After a scoreless first period, the Big Red took a 1-0 lead thanks to a power play goal from Grace Dwyer. But that seemed to shake things up for Union, who quickly responded. Maddie Leaney scored with a pretty top shelf goal to tie the game and then in the final minute of the second, Maren Friday put the Garnet Chargers up 2-1. In the third, they were able to stifle the Big Red and Cornell had to pull their goalie for an extra attacker with nearly three minutes left on the clock. Sophie Matsoukas made some great saves for Union before Prefontaine took a rebound off the back boards and tied the game with just 1:09 left on the clock. Cornell was energized and with Bermann back in the net, put the pressure on Union. Gabby Rud scored from the slot with just 27.5 left on the clock to take a 3-2 lead and hand the Garnet Chargers a heartbreaking last season loss to end their season. Cornell advances to the ECAC semifinal on Saturday where they will face Clarkson.
Minnesota State at (4) Minnesota
The Gophers’ second line put on a show on Friday as Emma Kreisz had two goals and three assists, Ava Linsday had two goals and an assist and Peyton Hemp had a goal and two assists to lead Minnesota to a 6-1 win over the Mavericks. Ella Huber also scored for Minnesota while Claire Vekich had the goal for Minnesota State in the loss. Things got much more chaotic on Saturday. The Mavericks jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to a goal from MacKenzie Bourgerie in the first and two goals in the first four minutes of the second as Claire Vekich scored on an early power play and Sydney Langseth finished off a play started by JuliAnna and Janessa Gazdik. But Abbey Murphy struck on a breakaway a minute later to get Minnesota on the board and cut the lead to 3-1. Ella Huber scored at the midpoint of the game to make it a one-goal game, but Minnesota State carried a 3-2 advantage into the third. Anyone coming back late from intermission missed out in this game. Alexis Paddington scored 15 seconds into the third to push the lead to 4-2, but the Gophers once again replied as both Murphy and Krista Parkkonen lit the lamp and it was suddenly 4-4 before five minutes had passed. Neither team could find an equalizer and the game went to double overtime. It looked like a third extra frame was on deck, but Madison Mashuga one-timed a shot with 4.7 seconds left on the clock to give Minnesota State the 5-4 win and force a game three. Hailey Hansen broke the MSU school record for saves in a game with 66 saves and her team made 31 blocks in front of her. Final shots were 70-44 in favor of the Gophers. In the deciding game three, Minnesota scored three unanswered goals in the first seven minutes of the second and that put the game out of reach for the Mavericks. Natálie Mlýnková scored on the team’s first power play to make it 1-0 in the first. Then Lindsay, Audrey Wethington and Murphy scored in quick succession to make it 4-0. Jamie Nelson pulled one back for Mankato to make it 4-1, but Murphy quickly grabbed the momentum back and Hemp scored one more before the second ended to make it 6-1. Nelson added one more for the Mavericks before the end of the third, but Minnesota took the 6-2 win and advance to the WCHA semifinals to face Ohio State.
(13) Princeton at (5) Colgate
Elyssa Biederman dominated on Friday, scoring three goals in 4:34 to start the game, giving Colgate a 3-0 lead before eight minutes had elapsed in the first period. Issy Wunder pulled one back for Princeton in the second to make it 3-1, but Kaia Malachino responded to give Colgate a three-goal lead once again. In the third, Brooklyn Nimegeers scored on the power play to cut the lead to 4-2, but the Tigers couldn’t get any closer and Neena Brick’s empty net goal secured the 5-2 win for the Raiders. In the second game, Hannah Murphy made 41 saves while Alexia Aubin and Emma Pais each scored to secure the sweep for Colgate. Rosie Klein ruined the shutout with a late goal, but Princeton ran out of time to complete a comeback. Colgate advances to the ECAC semifinal where they will face St. Lawrence next Friday.
(11) St. Cloud State at (6) Minnesota Duluth
UMD coach Lara Schuler used the coaches challenge impeccably this weekend and it helped propel her team to a weekend sweep and berth in the WCHA Final Faceoff. On Friday, her team scored first on an extended power play that came from Schuler’s challenge for a major penalty. Caitlin Kraemer delivered a one-timer to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. SCSU equalized in the second as Emma Gentry scored just after a penalty expired. Alice Sauriol’s power play goal a few minutes later gave St. Cloud the 2-1 advantage. The Huskies held onto the lead until the waning seconds of the game. The Bulldogs pulled their goalie and then called timeout to draw up a play. Kraemer buried a shot from the slot with under two to play to tie the game 2-2. It looked like overtime was on deck, but Olivia Wallin broke St. Cloud’s heart, turning on a shot with five seconds to go to win the game and give Minnesota Duluth the 3-2 win. On Saturday, Schuler challenged an early St. Cloud goal for offsides. The challenge was successful and instead of being down just three minutes into the game, her team was on even footing and eventually, the Bulldogs would score the opening goal late in the second. Grace Sadura scored from the slot to make it 1-0 UMD. Olivia Mobley’s low shot a few minutes later put Minnesota up 2-0. Despite outshooting their hosts 39-32, St. Cloud could not solve Eve Gascon and Laura Zimmerman’s late goal was not enough as time ran out and UMD took the 2-1 win and series sweep. UMD advances to the WCHA semifinals where they’ll face Wisconsin on Friday.
Yale at (7) St. Lawrence
Sarah Marchand put SLU on the board first just a few minutes into the game, carrying the puck through the zone and beating Pia Dukarich to make it 1-0. But Yale responded quickly as Naomi Boucher forced a turnover and went top shelf to make it a 1-1 game. Abby Hustler put St. Lawrence back on top in the second, picking up her own rebound, cycling behind the net and turning to find the back of the net to make it 2-1. With under four to play, Stephanie Stainton went coast to coast for Yale on the power play to tie the game once more and eventually force overtime. In the extra frame, Yale took a pair of penalties, including a game misconduct and the Saints capitalized on the 5-on-3 with Claire Tyo’s one-timer in the upper corner. In the second game, Abby Hustler scored with a backhander after a turnover midway through the second to put SLU up 1-0. Goalie Emma-Sofie Nordström earned an assist on the play. Yale pulled ahead early in the second with a pair of goals from Avery Peters and Carina DiAntonio before the midpoint. But St. Lawrence pushed back in the later part of the period. Kennedy Wilson scored from near the faceoff dot to tie the game 2-2 before Hustler scored her second to make it 3-2 Saints. Kristina Bahl tipped in a shot form Hillary Sterling early in the third to extend the lead to 4-2. Olivia Munn pulled one back for Yale on the PP, but St. Lawrence was able to tighten up on defense and the Bulldogs could not find an equalizer as the Saints took a 4-3 win and series sweep. St. Lawrence will face Colgate in the ECAC semifinals on Friday.
RIT at (8) Penn State
The Nittany Lions raced out to a 3-0 lead by the midpoint of the second period thanks to two goals by Tessa Janecke and another from Maddi Christian. But RIT started to push back as Athena Vasdani scored before the second intermission to make it a 3-1 game. Nicole Ness found the twine early in the third, but PSU held strong and withstood a push and the Tigers couldn’t find an equalizer as Penn State took a 3-2 win. In the second game, Christian, McKenna Welsh, Abby Stonehouse and Janecke each scored to carry PSU to a 4-0 win and weekend sweep. They advance to play Mercyhurst in the AHA championship game next Saturday.
(10) Quinnipiac at (9) Clarkson
Clarkson outshot the Bobcats 40-26 on Friday, but Quinnipiac skated away with a 3-1 win. Former Golden Knight Laurence Frenette scored twice to lead the Bobcats. Her first goal gave them a 1-0 lead near the end of the first as she tipped in a pass from Maddy Samoskevich on the power play. Just 1:17 into the second, she struck again on the PP, this time taking a pass from Maya Labad at the side of the net and tapping it in. Labad showed off her speed, taking off after loose puck and beating everyone to the zone and potting it to extend the lead to 3-0. Rhea Hicks scored later in the third for Clarkson, but they ran out of time to mount a comeback and Quinnipiac took game one. In game two, the Bobcats came out confident and fired 11 shots on goal, but only lit the lamp once as Zoe Uens sniped a goal in the final minute to make it a 1-0 game. Clarkson pushed back in the second, controlling the puck and tying the game on the power play with Nicole Gosling’s shot off the faceoff. Midway through the third, an odd-player rush didn’t immediately pay off, but Clarkson kept possession and Baylee Kirwan found Caroline Goffredo in the slot and the Golden Knights went up 2-1. Quinnipiac pulled their goalie but were unable to find an equalizer and Clarkson took the win and forced game three. On Sunday, the teams played discipline hockey and shots were limited as they searched for chances without giving up too much on defense. The Golden Knights scored on a forced turnover and breakout with Haley Winn finishing the play to make it 1-0 at the first intermission. Holly Gruber made a number of big saves, but maybe none more so than stopping a breakaway early in the second to maintain her team’s lead. Rhea Hicks added to her team’s lead with a power play goal deflection to make it 2-0 Clarkson. Quinnipiac broke through with a pass from Kahlen Lamarche that deflected in off a skate to make it 2-1. The Bobcats pulled their goalie, but Anne Cherkowski quickly found the empty net to extend the lead and Winn added another a few minutes later to secure the 4-1 win and send Clarkson to the ECAC semifinals where they’ll face Cornell.
Merrimack at (12) Connecticut
Sophie Robinson scored early in the first to put UConn up 1-0 and that lead would last for more than 40 minutes before Jada Habisch scored twice in the third to make it a 3-0 game. Livvy Dewar’s goal as time wound down closed out the 4-0 win for UConn. Tia Chan made 32 saves in the shutout win.
Vermont at (14) Boston University
It looked like the Catamounts might be on a roll, scoring early in the game thanks to Oona Havana, but every time Vermont lit the lamp, Boston University had an answer. Maeve Kelly scored just two minutes after Havana to tie the game 1-1. Rose-Marie Brochu put UVM up again midway through the first, but Lilli Welcke tied the game in the minute before intermission to make it 2-2. Neither team had an answer in the second frame, as they tried to find a goal but not make mistakes. In the third, Maddy Skelton struck on the power play for Vermont. Kelly’s shot from the point was tipped in by Sydney Healey to tie things again and eventually force overtime. The Terriers picked up steam and controlled the puck in the extra frame and were rewarded when Maggie Hanzel’s shot off the faceoff created a rebound that Riley Walsh cleaned up to send Boston University to the Hockey East semifinals on Wednesday, where they’ll face Boston College.
Maine at (15) Boston College
Maine opened the scoring in the first as Elise Morphy put the Black Bears up 1-0. Just two minutes later, Alanna Devlin put back a rebound to tie the game 1-1 and that’s how the teams headed to intermission. Things got crazy in the second as the teams combined for five goals in eight minutes. The Black Bears once again struck quickly, this time as Mikayla Boarder put Maine up 2-1 before a minute had elapsed. Julie Pellerin tied it a few minutes later and Keri Clougherty’s power play goal gave the Eagles their first lead of the game, making it 3-2 before six minutes had passed. Maine clawed back one more time as Jamie Grinder scored on the power play. But the tie lasted just 12 seconds as Pellerin took the next play to the net and gave Boston College a 4-3 lead that they’d hold until the final whistle. The Eagles advance to the Hockey East semifinals on Wednesday, where they’ll face their rivals at Boston University.
Ryan Bottrill nets the OT winner Friday night, giving Clarkson a 4-3 win over Quinnipiac (photo: Clarkson Athletics).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll of Feb. 24 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 28-March 1.
No. 1 Boston College (25-6-2)
02/28/2025 – RV New Hampshire 1 at No. 1 Boston College 4
03/01/2025 – No. 1 Boston College 1 at RV New Hampshire 1 (OT)
No. 2 Minnesota (24-8-4)
02/28/2025 – No. 2 Minnesota 3 at No. 15 Penn State 4 (OT)
03/01/2025 – No. 2 Minnesota 5 at No. 15 Penn State 3
No. 3 Michigan State (24-6-4)
02/28/2025 – No. 3 Michigan State 5 at Notre Dame 2
03/01/2025 – No. 3 Michigan State 5 at Notre Dame 2
No. 4 Western Michigan (24-7-1)
02/28/2025 – No. 18 North Dakota 4 at No. 4 Western Michigan 6
03/01/2025 – No. 18 North Dakota 4 at No. 4 Western Michigan 3 (OT)
No. 5 Maine (21-6-5)
02/28/2025 – Vermont 1 at No. 5 Maine 4
03/01/2025 – Vermont 3 at No. 5 Maine 4
No. 6 Denver (24-9-1)
02/28/2025 – St. Cloud State 1 at No. 6 Denver 3
03/01/2025 – St. Cloud State 2 at No. 6 Denver 1
No. 18 North Dakota (18-13-2)
02/28/2025 – No. 18 North Dakota 4 at No. 4 Western Michigan 6
03/01/2025 – No. 18 North Dakota 4 at No. 4 Western Michigan 3 (OT)
Michigan earned a share of the B1G regular-season title with its win at Notre Dame on Saturday night. (Photo: Michigan State Athletics)
Mike Koster scored with 3:04 remaining in regulation to break a 3-3 tie and lift No. 2 Minnesota to a share of the B1G regular-season championship Saturday with a 5-3 road win at No. 16 Penn State in University Park, Pa.
“To our guys’ credit tonight, they had no quit in them,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said. “And we’ve been playing pretty darn well all year long. We’ve only got four losses in regulation, but we needed to find a way to win that because we have earned and deserved the right to be B1G champs. (We’re) awful proud of that.”
Oliver Moore’s 3-point night and a pair of goals from Matthew Wood drove Minnesota to a record-setting seventh B1G title. Liam Souliere had 30 saves for the Golden Gophers.
Moore’s two assists were his 18th and 19th of the year and extended his season-long point streak to five games, while he increased his point total to 30 with the empty-net goal. He is the fourth Gopher to reach the 30-point mark this year.
Simon Mack, Matt DiMarsico and Charlie Cerrato had the Penn State goals.
No. 1 Boston College 1, New Hampshire 1 (OT; BC wins shootout)
Top-ranked Boston College skated to a 1-1 tie against New Hampshire on Saturday night at the Whittemore Center. The Eagles won the ensuing shootout 3-2 to earn the extra point in the Hockey East standings with Lukas Gustafsson scoring the deciding goal in the fifth round.
Jacob Fowler made 41 saves in net, while Gabe Perreault scored BC’s lone goal in regulation. Eamon Powell and Ryan Leonard each tallied an assist. Powell recorded his 100th career point and Leonard extended a 14-game point streak.
BC is 11-3-2 on the road this season and has 52 points in the league standings with one game remaining.
No. 3 Michigan State 5, Notre Dame 2
Michigan State captured a share of the B1G’s regular-season championship following a 5-2 win at Notre Dame Saturday night.
Third-ranked Michigan State became just the second team since the start of the Big Ten conference to capture back-to-back regular-season titles — Minnesota won the first four titles (2014-17), and then won back-to-back again in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
Shane Vansaghi and Tiernan Shoudy had a pair of goals to lead the Spartan offense, sophomore Trey Augustine made 29 saves as the Spartans concluded the regular season with a 24-6-4 record (15-5-4 in league play).
No. 18 North Dakota 4, No. 4 Western Michigan 3 (OT)
Jake Livanavage scored the winner at 3:19 of overtime to give No. 18 North Dakota a 4-3 win over No. 4 Western Michigan on Saturday night in NCHC action in Kalamazoo, Mich.
UND (18-13-2, 13-8-1 NCHC) had to rally, tying the game at 3-3 in the final minute of the third period on a goal from Sacha Boisvert. T.J. Semptimphelter kept the Fighting Hawks in the game, finishing with 33 saves on 36 shots against to earn the victory.
Ben Strinden, Dylan James, and Boisvert all scored while Owen McLaughlin had two assists to give him eight points (goal, seven assists) in his last three games.
Ty Hendricks scored twice for Western Michigan (24-7-1, 17-4-1), while Robby Drazner also scored.
No. 5 Maine 4, Vermont 3
Four different players scored as No. 5 Maine picked up a 4-3 win over Vermont before a crowd of 5,043 at Alfond Arena in Hockey East action on Saturday night.
Josh Nadeau, Nicholas Niemo, Owen Fowler and Thomas Pichette were Maine’s goal scorers.
Maine had the 41-28 lead in shots on goal. Albin Boija made 25 saves to improve to 20-6-5 on the year. He became the first Maine goalie to reach 20 wins in their first 31 games of the year since Dan Dullivan in 2011-12.
The Black Bears are now 34-30-9 in the all-time series with the Catamounts.
St. Cloud State 2, No. 6 Denver 1
St. Cloud State grinded out a 2-1 win over No. 6 Denver on Saturday night at Magness Arena to earn a split of the NCHC weekend series.
St. Cloud goalie Isak Posch had 38 saves for the second consecutive night, while the Huskies got goals from Daimon Gardner and Verner Miettinen. Jack Devine scored for Denver.
Posch made 20 of his 38 saves in the third period. The win in regulation in Denver was the first for the Huskies since 2015.
No. 7 Providence 2, Merrimack 1
Chase Yoder and Tomas Machu scored while Zachary Borgiel stopped 12 shots against his former school as No. 7 Providence earned a weekend sweep over Merrimack with a 2-1 win at Lawler Arena on Saturday in Hockey East.
The teams combined for just eight shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, with the Friars holding a 5-3 advantage. Merrimack struck for the lone goal of the period on a power-play tally from Seamus Powell at the 17:57 mark. The Providence penalty kill went to work in the second period, successfully killing off all three Merrimack attempts.
No. 9 Connecticut 7, Northeastern 1
No. 9 UConn dominated Northeastern at Matthews Arena in Boston, taking six points on the weekend with an emphatic 7-1 Hockey East win Saturday night.
Ethan Whitcomb scored two goals for the UConn Huskies, while Viking Gustafsson Nyberg, John Spetz, Nick Carabin, Jake Richard and Kaden Shahan also scored.
Tyler Muszelik made 13 saves.
Omaha 4, No. 12 Arizona State 2
Omaha scored three unanswered goals in the third period to earn a 4-2 upset at home vs. No. 12 Arizona State on Saturday in NCHC action before a crowd of 7,808 at Baxter Arena.
Jimmy Glynn and Griffin Ludtke scored less than a minute apart in the third period to tie the game and give Omaha the lead. Brady Risk added an empty-netter. Kevin Reidler had 40 saves for the Mavericks.
Ryan Kirwan scored twice for the Sun Devils.
No. 13 Quinnipiac 4, St. Lawrence 0
The Cleary Cup will stay in Hamden, Conn., after No. 13 Quinnipiac beat St. Lawrence 4-0 on Saturday night to win the ECAC Hockey regular-season title.
Jeremy Wilmer scored twice for the Bobcats, who also got goals from Tyler Borgula and Andon Cerbone. Wilmer also added an assist to make it a 3-point night.
Matej Marinov earned the shutout with 19 saves.
No. 15 Minnesota State 5, Bemidji State 1
No. 15 Minnesota State celebrated a 5-1 win over Bemidji State Saturday to conclude the CCHA regular season. The Mavericks will host Lake Superior State in a best-two-of-three series beginning on Friday.
Luc Wilson led the Mankato offense with two goals and an assist. Evan Murr chipped in a goal and an assist. Goalie Eli Pulver stopped 23 of 24 shots for his first career win.
CCHA commissioner Don Lucia presented the MacNaughton Cup to captain Josh Groll following the game as the Mavericks celebrated their ninth regular season title.
No. 17 Massachusetts 5, No. 16 UMass Lowell 3
Five different players scored for No. 17 Massachusetts, which fended off a late rally by No. 16/15 UMass Lowell to earn a 5-3 win over at the Tsongas Center on Saturday night in Hockey East action.
Aydar Suniev, Cole O’Hara, Jack Musa, Kenny Connors and Owen Murray all scored for UMass while Michael Hrabal notched 30 saves.
Lee Parks, Libor Nemec and Owen Cole were the goal scorers for Lowell.
Princeton 4, No. 19 Clarkson 3 (OT)
Nick Marciano had a pair of power-play goals — including the game-winner 0:37 into overtime — to record his first career multi-goal game and lift Princeton to a 4-3 win at No. 19 Clarkson in ECAC Hockey action Saturday night.
The win secured Princeton’s first North Country sweep since 2011 and its fifth overall all-time. The win also snapped a 12-game regular season winless streak for the Tigers at Cheel Arena as Princeton had been 0-11-1 in road regular season games against Clarkson since that 2011 sweep.
Jake Manfre and Miles Gunty also lit the lamp for Princeton, and Ethan Pearson had 25 saves in net. Ellis Rickwood, Ray Fust and Tristan Sarsland scored for Clarkson.
Hockey East announced Saturday that Boston College junior forward Andre Gasseau has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at the 54-second mark of the third period on Friday, Feb. 28, against New Hampshire.
On the play, Gasseau was assessed a major penalty for slew footing and a game misconduct.
Gasseau is ineligible to play Saturday, March 1, at New Hampshire and is able to return to the Eagles lineup on Saturday, March 8, against Merrimack.
The Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College, as seen recently under a blanket of snow (photo: Boston College Communications).
The Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College and the NHL Players Association have reached an agreement that will enable current and former members of the NHLPA to complete their education at Boston College through NHLPA UNLMT, providing an invaluable resource for professional hockey players looking to earn college degrees.
The agreement was signed by Woods College Dean David Goodman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh, a Woods College graduate, to help association members complete the coursework needed to earn a college diploma or certificate.
Under the agreement, Woods College will review applications and transfer credits on a case-by-case basis, with the goal of mapping courses from prior institutions to its degree programs. The school will accept up to 90 transfer course credits of eligible students towards Boston College’s 120-credit degree requirement, facilitating degree completion for individuals whose college years were interrupted when they signed pro contracts.
Woods College also welcomes applications from NHLPA members with no college background who are interested in starting a degree program.
“The Woods College’s strength as a national leader in college degree completion and our successful, organic relationship with professional athletes over the years led us to pursue this agreement with the NHLPA,” said Goodman in a statement. “With a wide array of degree options, such as in-person, online and hybrid course offerings, and years of experience in helping non-traditional students–including former student-athletes–complete their degrees, the Woods College is well positioned to work with the NHLPA to offer this resource to its members.”
Walsh, the former mayor of Boston and secretary of labor during the Biden Administration, said he was pleased to work with BC given his own experience as a Woods College student who took evening classes at the school to earn his degree in 2009.
“The NHLPA is constantly encouraging its players to take advantage of opportunities, including personal development through continuing education,” said Walsh. “The Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College provides the needed flexibility in transferring existing college credits and the experience in providing degree completion for professional athletes. That is a big differentiator. A college diploma sets players up for success by preparing them for the next phase of their lives. To help our members earn a degree from a renowned university like Boston College is a win-win for all involved.”
According to the NHL, more than a third of its players played college hockey in the United States or Canada, with most leaving school early to play professionally. That reality led the NHLPA to seek degree completion cooperation agreements enabling players and association staff to take online courses during the season, or in-person, hybrid, or online courses during the summer.
“Our academic advisors build close, supportive relationships with each of our students to help them achieve their academic goals,” said Goodman. “We offer the flexibility and support that working professionals need to fulfill their aspirations and a successful track record in assisting professional athletes to complete their college degrees. We are proud to formally welcome NHLPA UNLMT to the Woods College family.”
Brooks Orpik, who left Boston College after his junior year and went on to win two NHL Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he retired from pro hockey in 2019, said the agreement will be helpful for players of all ages.
“I had promised a lot of people, including my parents and former BC hockey coach Jerry York, that I would finish college at some point,” said Orpik, who went back to Boston College in 2020 and completed his degree in 2022. “The Woods College faculty and staff made the process as easy as possible. The feeling of pride I had was just so different than anything, athletically, I have accomplished.”
Hassan Akl has played a key role in Aurora’s success this season. (Photo Credit: Steve Woltmann/Aurora Athletics)
Hassan Akl has played a huge role in Aurora’s rise to one of the nation’s best Division III hockey teams.
He’s top 10 in the NCHA in goals and assists, and actually leads D-III in assists.
And none of it should be a surprise considering the work the junior forward puts in, especially in the offseason.
“I’m really grateful I skate with a lot of really good players, a lot of pros, too, and they have personally helped me elevate my game,” Akl said. It’s important to work with players who are better than you, to help you see what it takes to get to the next level.”
Akl, who has racked up 39 helpers to go along with his 13 goals, said there were a lot of aspects of his game he focused on ahead of the 2024-25 season. And it’s paid off big time.
“I worked a lot on the little details,” Akl said. “I shot the puck more, did a better job of reading the ice in the offensive zone. My game has always been skill and skating. I’ve had those tools for awhile. It’s just been focusing on the little things.”
Akl and the Spartans won the regular season conference championship and are ranked No. 2 in the country in the USCHO.com poll. They are set to face No. 14 Adrian tonight in a semifinal conference tournament game.
“It’s been really fun going to the rink every day, and having everyone push each other,” Akl said. “We go into every game with confidence and that comes with working hard and doing the little things.”
On a personal level, it’s been a year to remember for Akl who has seen his production sky rocket in year three at Aurora.
He had seven total goals in his first two years. He’s nearly doubled that this season. And in the first two years, he accumulated 33 assists. He’s nearly 10 above that total this year.
Yes, a lot of it is Akl and what he’s done to put himself in a position to succeed. But the team around him has helped his cause big time as well.
“It’s going out there and not overthinking,” Akl said. “Everyone knows their role and we have four lines that can go out and play well. It makes things easier I can just go out there and play stress free, and do my thing. It’s working well. I give all the credit to my teammates.”
Akl grew up in Canada and has always had a passion for hockey.
“I started skating when I was 3 or 4 and started playing at age 5,” Akl said. “I’ve been around the game a long time.”
As he grew up, the idea of playing in college became more real. He found a home in Aurora.
“When I went the junior route, I had college in mind, and the opportunity came up to go to Aurora,” Akl said. “Everything has worked out really well. I’m happy with the cards I’ve been dealt.”
The Spartans, who have 23 wins, the most in program history, are hoping a few more cards are dealt in their favor as they take aim at their first conference championship. The one day at a time approach is key.
“Day by day,” Akl said. “We’re not focused on the rankings or anything. We’ve just stuck to taking it day by day and it’s been working. We know we have a good test coming up against Adrian.”
While the focus is on the present, Akl does hope to play pro hockey some day.
“It’s one of the reasons I chose Aurora. I know coach (Jason) Bloomingburg has a lot of connections. I knew if I came here, I’d have an opportunity to play pro one day if I do what I’m suppose to do. I hope playing pro is in my future.”
RIT and AIC played to a 1-1 tie through 60 minutes in the opening game of the Atlantic Hockey America playoffs until the Yellow Jackets advanced with a thrilling overtime win (photo: Elizabeth Robertson/RIT Athletics).
American International kept its season – and its NCAA Division I tenure – alive Friday night, knocking out RIT 2-1 in overtime to open the Atlantic Hockey America playoffs.
Due to a scheduling conflict on AIC’s home ice at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., the game was played at Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y.
In overtime, Oscar Geschwind blocked an RIT shot at the top of the Yellow Jackets zone and took a quick return pass from Brett Rylance headed the other way for an odd-man rush. Geschwind fed Casey McDonald trailing in the slot for a one-timer under the bar past Tigers goalie Ethan David for the deciding goal at 6:01 of extra time.
— Atlantic Hockey America (@Atlantic_Hockey) March 1, 2025
Following a scoreless first period, RIT got on the board at 6:21 of the second. Ty Whyte took a loose puck in the neutral zone and fed Grady Hobbs breaking the other way. Hobbs took a shot from the right faceoff circle that AIC netminder Chase Clark sticked aside, but Philippe Jacques was there to clean up the rebound inside an empty left post.
AIC tied the game 2:58 into the third as John Lundy redirected a long slap shot from the left point by Alexander Malinowski that found its way over David’s pads inside the left post.
Clark finished with 31 saves for AIC, while David turned aside 33 for RIT.
After Robert Cronin opened the scoring for New Hampshire at 18:15 of the first period, Boston College scored the next four to take a 4-1 win over the Wildcats from Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Connor Joyce fires home his second goal of the season to put the Eagles ahead by two!
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 1, 2025
Matt DiMarsico, JJ Wiebusch and Danny Dzhaniyev added goals for the Nittany Lions, while goalie Arsenii Sergeev made 31 saves.
For the Gophers, Mason Nevers, Connor Kurth and Jimmy Snuggerud scored and Liam Souliere stopped 28 shots in goal.
No. 3 Michigan State 5, Notre Dame 2
From the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind., five different players scored as Michigan State toppled Notre Dame 5-2.
Strbak with the little shimmy at the left point and a snipe to make it 4-1. His third goal of the season. Shoudy and Mannito get the helpers. pic.twitter.com/1Q9ySuzG0W
David Gucciardi, Matt Basgall, Karsen Dorwart, Maxim Strbak and Isaac Howard collected the Spartans goals, with Trey Augustine making 22 saves between the pipes.
Justin Janicke and Axel Kumlin scored for the Irish and goaltender Owen Say stopped 33 shots.
No. 4 Western Michigan 6, No. 18 North Dakota 4
Six different players found the net as Western Michigan beat North Dakota 6-4 from Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich., to claim the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions.
Matteo Costantini, Grant Slukynsky, Alex Bump, Iiro Hakkarainen, Tim Washe and Samuel Sjolund scored for the Broncos and netminder Hampton Slukynsky made 18 stops.
For the Fighting Hawks, Dylan James, Carter Wilkie, Sacha Boisvert and Jake Schmaltz scored and TJ Semptimphelter finished with 27 saves between the pipes.
No. 5 Maine 4, Vermont 1
Taylor Makar’s hat trick led Maine to a 4-1 win over Vermont at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.
Jack Devine also scored for the Pioneers and goalie Matt Davis finished with 20 saves.
Nick Ports scored for the Huskies and Isak Posch made 38 saves in goal.
No. 7 Providence 3, Merrimack 2
Tanner Adams’ goal at 1:52 of the third period proved to be the game winner as Providence came back from a 2-0 hole to beat Merrimack 3-2 at Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.
Ohio State’s goal scorers were Joe Dunlap, Brent Johnson and Max Montes.
Kristoffer Eberly tallied 28 stops in the Buckeyes crease.
No. 9 UConn 5, Northeastern 2
From the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn., Ryan Tattle scored two goals and Callum Tung made 28 saves in goal to lead UConn to a 5-2 win over Northeastern in a battle of two Huskies teams.
Ryan Kirwan and Artem Shlaine added goals for the Sun Devils and Gibson Homer stopped 32 shots in net.
Brock Bremer scored the lone Mavericks goal and goalie Simon Latkoczy made 35 saves.
No. 19 Clarkson 4, No. 13 Quinnipiac 3 (OT)
After Travis Treloar’s goal at 18:15 of the third period pulled Quinnipiac into a 3-3 tie at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, N.Y., Ryan Bottrill won it for Clarkson at 4:52 of overtime.
Ayrton Martino tallied twice and Trey Taylor also scored for the Golden Knights, while goalie Ethan Langenegger made 23 saves.
Jack Ricketts and Andon Cerbone also scored for the Bobcats and Dylan Silverstein finished with eight saves in net.
No. 14 Minnesota State 1, Bemidji State 1 (Bemidji State wins shootout)
Kaden Bohlsen scored for Minnesota State and Noah Quinn for Bemidji State as the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn.
Reichen Kirchmair has posted 19 goals and 37 points this season for Providence (photo: Brian Foley for Foley-Photograph).
Hockey East has announced its 2024-25 women’s all-star teams as voted by the women’s league’s 10 head coaches.
Providence junior forward Reichen Kirchmair was the lone player selected unanimously to the all-Hockey East first team. Joining Kirchmair on the first team are goaltender Tia Chan (UConn), defenders Tamara Giaquinto (Boston University) and Ava Rinker (UConn) and forwards Julia Pellerin (Boston College) and Audrey Knapp (Providence). Chan was named goaltender of the year for her achievement, the first Husky netminder so honored since 2017-18.
Named all-Hockey East second team are goaltender Abby Hornung (Holy Cross), defenders Molly Jordan (Boston College) and Brooke Becker (Providence) and forwards Sammy Taber (Boston College), Claire Murdoch (UConn) and Skylar Irving (Northeastern).
Getting nods on the third team are goaltender Hope Walinski (Providence), defenders Tuva Kandell (Northeastern) and Ashley Kokavec (Vermont) and forwards Sydney Healey (Boston University), Ashley Allard (UConn), Jada Habisch (UConn) and Kira Juodikis (New Hampshire).
Hockey East will announce finalists for the player, rookie, and coach of the year awards on March 3.
Julie Wysocki celebrates a goal for Post during the 2024-25 season (photo: Michael Vesci).
The NEWHA has announced its major end-of-season awards and also unveiled its all-NEWHA teams for the 2024-25 season.
Player of the Year: Julia Wysocki, Post
Wysocki became the first player in Post history to earn a year-end league honor. She led the NEWHA in goals (17) and total points (26), recording multiple multi-goal games, including a two-goal performance at LIU (Feb. 13, 2025). Her .236 shooting percentage was the highest in the league and she won 336 faceoffs, ranking among the league’s best.
Defensive Player of the Year: Maggie Korneta, Franklin Pierce
Korneta becomes the first Franklin Pierce defender to earn this accolade, leading all defensemen in points (20). She tied for the league lead in assists (15) and contributed offensively with key multi-point performances, including a one-goal, two-assist outing against St. Anselm (Nov. 2, 2024). Korneta also ranked second in plus/minus among defensemen (+15), showcasing her impact at both ends of the ice
Goalie of the Year: Hannah Saunders, Post
Saunders was the league’s top goaltender, posting a 1.92 goals-against average (GAA) and a .941 save percentage across 26 games. She recorded six shutouts, the most in the league, and made 777 saves (29.88 per game), including a 49-save shutout against Sacred Heart (Feb. 22, 2025).
Rookie of the Year: Rowyn Ringor, Post
Ringor had an outstanding first-year campaign, leading all rookies and tying for the league lead in assists (15). She added 10 goals for a total of 25 points, making her one of the top overall scorers in the league. Her 10 multi-point games led all players.
Coach of the Year: Kelly Nash, LIU
Nash, in her third season with LIU, earned her second straight Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Sharks to a 19-10-4 overall record (19-6-3 in NEWHA play) and their third straight regular season championship. LIU enters the NEWHA Tournament as the top seed.
First Team
Grace Babington, LIU, So., F
Jeannie Wallner, LIU, Sr., F
Julia Wysocki, Post, Sr., F
Anna Fairman, LIU, Gr., D
Maggie Korneta, Franklin Pierce, Jr., D
Hannah Saunders, Post, Jr., G
Second Team
Isabella Chaput, Sacred Heart, So., F
Bailey Feeney, Stonehill, Jr., F
Mikayla Kelley, Franklin Pierce, Sr., F
Tyra Turner, Saint Anselm, Sr., F
Rowyn Ringor, Post, Fr., F
Bri Eid, LIU, Sr., D
Sydney Russell, Stonehill, Jr., D
Abbie Thompson, LIU, Gr., G
All-Rookie Team
Alexsa Caron, Stonehill, G
Bo Dean, Franklin Pierce, F
Jordana DeMarinis, Saint Michael’s, G
Ella Holm, Sacred Heart, F
Brynn Levinson, Franklin Pierce, F
Rowyn Ringor, Post, F
All-Sportswomanship Team
Sam Mathe, LIU, So., D
Alicia McDonald, Saint Michael’s, Fr., F
Ava McGaffigan, Assumption, So., F
Kerryn O’Connell, Sacred Heart, Sr., F
Alexis Poppleton, Saint Anselm, So., F
Hannah Saunders, Post, Jr., G
Makenna Slocum, Stonehill, So., F
Julia Stevens, Franklin Pierce, Sr., D
Vanessa Upson has 13 goals and 37 points this season for Mercyhurst (photo: Ed Mailliard).
Atlantic Hockey America has announced its two women’s all-conference teams and all-rookie team for the 2024-25 season.
2024-25 ALL-AHA FIRST TEAM
Tessa Janecke, F, Jr., Penn State
Vanessa Upson, F, Sr., Mercyhurst
Katelyn Roberts, F, Jr., Penn State
Kendall Butze, D, Jr., Penn State
Emma Pickering, D, So., RIT
Katie DeSa, G, Jr., Penn State
2024-25 ALL-AHA SECOND TEAM
Bryn Saarela, F, Gr., Syracuse
Maddy Christian, F, Jr., Penn State
Morgan Neitzke, F, Sr., Lindenwood
Lyndie Lobdell, D, Gr., Penn State
Megan McKay, D, Jr., Mercyhurst
Allie Kelley, G, Gr., Syracuse
2024-25 AHA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Julia Schalin, F, Mercyhurst
Grace Outwater, F, Penn State
Brac Kelley, F, RIT
Grace Tullock, D, Penn State
Jessica Cheung, D, Syracuse
Magdalena Luggin, G, Mercyhurst
First Team All-ECAC
Issy Wunder, F, Princeton, Jr.
Kristýna Kaltounková, F, Colgate, Gr.
Anne Cherkowski, F, Clarkson, Gr.
Nicole Gosling, D, Clarkson, Gr.
Haley Winn,* D, Clarkson, Sr.
Annelies Bergmann, G, Cornell, So.
*Denotes unanimous selection
Second Team All-ECAC
Elyssa Biederman, F, Colgate, Jr.
Abby Hustler, F, St. Lawrence, Sr.
Sarah Paul, F, Princeton, Jr.
Ashley Messier, D, Cornell, Sr.
Kendall Cooper, D, Quinnipiac, Gr.
Hannah Murphy, G, Colgate, Sr.
Third Team All-ECAC
Avi Adam, F, Cornell, Jr.
Anna Segedi, F, St. Lawrence, Gr.
Emma Pais, F, Colgate, So.
Andrea Trnková, D, RPI, So.
Rory Guilday, D, Cornell, Sr.
Emma Sofie Nordström, G, St. Lawrence, Jr.
Hobert’s Austin Mourar will put aside personal recognitions in the NEHC as Hobart looks to claim the final NEHC conference title (Phot by Adam Farid)
Here is Part II of this week’s two-part game predictions with a smorgasbord of quarterfinals (NEHC & NESCAC); semifinal action (CNE, MAC, MASCAC, SUNYAC & UCHC) and one title game in the NE-10. The upset bug hit big with MCLA’s win as an No. 8 seed on Thursday and now the remaining teams are all one week closer to a big prize. Every team is putting it all on the ice trying to attain something that has been dreamed about since last October. Virtually all the favorites won earlier this week so will that trend continue as stakes get higher? Look for some exceptional hockey on Saturday that will crown one conference winner while determining final four or championship pairings across the remaining seven conferences in the east.
Wednesday and Thursday’s opening round picks finished at picks finished at an amazing 9-1-0 (.900) missing out on the huge MCLA upset win. Hopefully, that is a good sign entering a big weekend of playoff games on Saturday. My season numbers after yesterday now stand at 121-51-10 (.692) so maybe my strong early playoff showing will keep my success rate on the climb. With all the mid-week results in the books here are the picks in the east for the penultimate weekend:
Saturday, March 1, 2025
CNE
(15) Endicott v. (8) University of New England
These two teams are about as evenly matched as it gets anywhere in D-III. Check the boxes on goaltending, defense, forward group and special teams. The only significant intangible is the home-ice thing and that is something the Nor’easters will look to take advantage of with a raucous crowd. Overtime is mandatory – UNE, 3-2
Suffolk v. (4) Curry
The Rams are looking to pull a major upset and really have nothing to lose which could be dangerous for the Colonels. Goaltending of CJ Hapward will keep things close for a while, but third period and special team goals from assorted Colonels provide ample margin to advance Curry to the CNE title game – Curry, 4-1
MAC
Alvernia v. Wilkes
The Colonels best not look past the Golden Wolves expecting an easy path to the MAC title game. Everyone wants that first title that includes an NCAA auto-bid, so it is imperative the home team start fast and finish strong. They do give the home crowd much to cheer about, but it is still close – Wilkes, 3-2
Neumann v. Stevenson
This game actually has me really thinking about the UPSET ALERT as I firmly believe either team can “escape” with a win here. Will take the home team in overtime because this is the time of year that Liam McCanney & Company are built for – it is playoff hockey – Stevenson, 4-3
MASCAC
Fitchburg State v. Salem State
The Vikings and Falcons have a long history, and this game should be a lot of fun to watch with chances aplenty at both ends of the ice. Salem State won their first home playoff game this decade on Thursday and like the feeling so much they double down against the Falcons. Score is closer than final margin shows due to multiple ENGs – Salem State, 5-2
MCLA v. Anna Maria
The AmCats best not look past the Trailblazers who showed a couple of goals, great goaltending and disciplined defense is a good formula to spring an upset as they did against Plymouth State. Matthew Gover is red-hot but Brandon Della-Paolera and the “Matthews” (Byrne & Gilbert) score just enough to eke out a win and a spot in the title game – Anna Maria, 3-1
NE-10
St. Michael’s v. St. Anselm
The only championship game of the week will determine this year’s D-II level winner. The Hawks have beaten the Purple Knights four consecutive times this season but should not expect an easy time in Round five. Overtime was required in last year’s final and so it will be this year with the home team tasting victory in front of the home crowd – St. Anselm, 4-3
NEHC
Albertus Magnus v. (1) Hobart
The Statesmen always “fear no team and respect all teams” per coach Mark Taylor. Hobart’s only loss of the season was to the Falcons and the best way to pay back the favor is to send the visitors home to end their season. Too much playoff pedigree for the No. 1 team in the country starting their post-season journey – Hobart, 5-1
Elmira v. Norwich
The Cadets found their game in February and leveraged those strong results into the No. 2 seed. No intention in not taking advantage of home-ice against a team with lots of talent. Sami Molu is a difference maker as is the leadership and scoring of Clark Kerner and Joe Johnson who find the winning margin in regulation time – Norwich, 3-2
New England College v. Babson
The Beavers are built for playoff hockey with balanced scoring, disciplined defense, and a confident Nate Mueller in the crease. The Pilgrims will keep this one close but fall just short before an ENG provides the final margin of victory for the home team who advances to the semifinal round – Babson, 4-2
Salve Regina v. Skidmore
The Thoroughbreds have been strong contenders in recent NEHC tournaments and will take advantage of the big rink to take out a skilled Seahawks squad. The teams split the two-game series in Rhode Island in the regular season and the home team will be looking to replicate game two of that series with a strong win. Fast start leads to a comfortable win – Skidmore, 4-1
NESCAC
Conn College v. (11) Hamilton
The Continentals took the regular season title and now look to parlay that advantage in the conference tournament. Camels won’t be an easy out especially with Will McEvoy playing so well in goal. Tchor, Krock and DeVries pace the offense and a chance for the home team to host the semis and final in a week’s time – Hamilton, 4-2
Middlebury v. (13) Trinity
The Bantams and Panthers played two very close games in the regular season with Trinity taking both games with third period scoring. Bobak and Heinze will keep things low-scoring and Korona or Sedlak send the home team on to the next round in defense of their title from last season – Trinity, 2-1
Amherst v. Colby
The Mammoth suddenly started scoring last weekend as the road team where they moved up in the standings. Colby has a lot of talent, but this conference is known for upsets and a six-seed isn’t that big a stretch in the most balanced conference top to bottom. Late goal and ENG give the visitors more hockey next week – Amherst, 5-3
Tufts v. Bowdoin
The two teams played each other last weekend to close out the regular season and the Jumbos skated off with a 5-0 win. Completely different venue and stakes this week as the Polar Bears have short memories and take advantage of the friendly confines of “The Sid” – Bowdoin, 3-1
SUNYAC
Buffalo State v. Oswego
The Lakers were young to start the season but that seems like forever ago. The same can be said for the Bengals who have been strong all season as the road team. Seesaw affair finds a home team surge in the final period before an overtime winning goal as the Lakers advance, barely – Oswego, 4-3
Plattsburgh v. (12) Cortland
The Red Dragons were a far better road team this year than they played on home ice. That said no time like the present to take advantage of your rink, crowd and the rest of the comforts of being on campus. Cardinals had to push late for playoffs and a comeback win on Wednesday, but their season ends here with Seitz and Settimo lighting the red light enough to advance the home squad – Cortland, 3-2
UCHC
Manhattanville v. (6) Geneseo
The Knights lost out on the top seed but won’t give Manhattanville much time or space from the opening puck drop as Purcell, Dameski, Morgan and Fensterstock make things difficult for Sebastien Woods in the Valiants net – Geneseo, 4-1
Chatham v. (3) Utica
The Pioneers have already seen what the Cougars can do in a 7-6 regular season loss. Home ice is a very comfortable place for the No. 1 seed who need to win so hockey fans can enjoy the fifth installment of Geneseo and Utica for the UCHC title. Jakob Breault and Johnny Mulera spark the offense in the win – Utica, 5-3
There is just one weekend left to decide who skates with the trophies in all the D-III conferences. Don’t win this week, you don’t get to play for the big prize and more March hockey – “Drop the Puck!”
Beloit College has announced the addition of NCAA Division III men’s and women’s hockey teams to its athletic program.
Beloit has also extended an invitation to Northland College’s men’s and women’s hockey teams to join the Beloit community, following the news that Northland will close at the end of the semester.
The Northland coaches have accepted the offer, and Northland student-athletes met the news with great excitement.
“It’s wonderful to know that our history will continue,” said men’s coach Shane Buckley in a statement. “To know that we can offer our students an incredible experience at Beloit in the classroom, as well as on the ice, is amazing. We can build something truly special at Beloit.”
“I’m excited about the welcoming community at Beloit,” added women’s coach Jake Bobrowski. “Beloit College has the academics, the athletics, the Powerhouse, the student experience. By year two and three, we’re going to be very competitive. My goal is to get to the NCAA Division III tournament, and at some point get to a national championship. I can’t wait to welcome new students.”
Beloit College representatives will attend a Northland college transfer fair on March 13 and will host the hockey teams and all other interested students on Beloit’s campus March 22.
The men’s and women’s hockey teams will begin competing in the 2025-26 school year, with a full schedule already planned.
UConn’s Claire Murdoch is a unanimous Hockey East all-rookie team member for the 2024-25 season (photo: Clarus Multimedia Group).
Hockey East has announced the 2024-25 all-rookie team and five other season-long awards as voted by the women’s league’s 10 head coaches.
The all-rookie team consists of seven players, including three unanimous selections in UConn forward Claire Murdoch and Northeastern defender Tuva Kandell and her teammate, goaltender Lisa Jönsson. The team is rounded out by defender Olivia Maffeo (Boston College) and forwards Lauren Glaser (Boston College), Chloe Goofers (Merrimack), and Eloise Caron (Northeastern).
Also recognized for her efforts in the 2024-25 campaign is Boston University graduate student Tamara Giaquinto, who has been named defender of the year, the first Terrier to win the award since Kasey Boucher in 2011-12.
Two statistical awards have been formally announced, as Providence’s Reichen Kirchmair has captured the Hockey East scoring crown, netting 15 goals and adding 15 assists for 30 points. She is just the second Friar to ever claim the title and the first since Kelli Halcisak did so in the league’s inaugural 2002-03 campaign.
Boston College goaltender Grace Campbell has captured the Hockey East three stars award, given to the player who accrues the most points from being named the first, second, or third star of the game throughout the season.
Providence graduate Hannah Johnson has been honored as the best defensive forward during the regular season. She becomes just the second Friar to win the award after Sarah Hjalmarsson in 2022-23.
Merrimack graduate forward Raice Szott was awarded the conference’s sportsmanship award. Szott is a three-time nominee for the Hockey Humanitarian Award and has been a finalist each of the last two years.
Hockey East will announce the 2024-25 all-star teams on Friday and then the finalists for player, rookie, and coach of the year awards on Monday.
Joe Harguindeguy and the Cobbers take on Gustavus in the semifinal round of the MIAC tournament. (Photo provided by Concordia Athletics)
Are we ready for some playoff hockey?
There will be plenty of it this weekend as the MIAC, WIAC and NCHA tournaments take place. The MIAC is beginning postseason play while the WIAC and NCHA are continuing on with their tournaments.
Time to dive in with some picks and see who is going to advance to next weekend’s championship games.
MIAC
Gustavus (14-9-2) vs. Concordia (12-11-3)
The Gusties won the regular season title and are in the conference tournament for the first time since 2020. Concordia is in the semifinal round for the first time since 2018 after beating Saint John’s 4-2 on Wednesday.
These two squads haven’t played since November. Gustavus won both games, prevailing 4-0 and 4-3. Gustavus won just twice in its final seven games while the Cobbers are playing with house money in this one. Once out of playoff contention, the Cobbers got in and hope to make a run. They have won four of their last seven.
An upset wouldn’t surprise me, but I’ll go with the home team here. Gustavus, 4-2
Bethel (13-9-3) vs. St. Olaf (13-9-3)
No need for introductions here. The Royals and Oles are playing for the third time in the last eight days and the fourth time overall. They split their regular season series but St. Olaf also won an outdoor game in November.
For the Royals, it’s about revenge. They lost to the Oles in the championship game last season as St, Olaf won its second title in the last three seasons.
Bethel has been great at home, losing just once, and feature one of the top goal scorers in hockey in Tyler Braccini. St. Olaf has a pretty good scoring threat of its own in Jonathan Panisa. Expect this one to go right down to the wire. I like Bethel at home, but then, St. Olaf in the playoffs is a hard thing to bet against. It won’t be a surprise no matter who wins. Bethel, 3-2
NCHA
Aurora (23-3-1) vs. Adrian (17-9-1)
The Spartans are the top seed and have won their last five. They took two of three from the Bulldogs in the regular season and have the best offense in the league with 134 goals. They are also 13-0 at home.
Adrian ranks third in goals scored (103). But don’t overlook the goalie matchup between JaCob Mucitelli of Aurora and Dershahn Stewart of Adrian. Aurora, 5-3
St. Norbert (21-5-1) vs. Trine (20-5-2)
The Green Knights are unbeaten in their last eight games. They split with Trine in the regular season on their home ice. The Thunder have won two in a row and unbeaten their last five. This could end up being a shootout and should go down to the wire. St. Nobert has its sights set on a championship and hopes home ice proves to be an advantage.
St. Norbert, 4-3
WIAC
UW-Stevens Point (18-5-2) vs. UW-Eau Claire (12-14-1)
The Pointers won it all last season, beating the Blugolds for the crown. In the regular season, Stevens Point won two of three against Eau Claire and hope to continue that success this time around. The Pointers are unbeaten in their last five games and have lost only one game at home this season. They also have the top two goal scorers in the conference in Peyton Hart and Dawson Sciarrino. The goalie matchup will be one to watch as Max Gutjahr of Eau Claire and Alex Proctor of Stevens Point are two of the best in hockey. I could see this going to a mini game. Stevens Point, 4-2; Eau Claire, 3-2; Stevens Point, 2-1 (mini game)
UW-Superior (18-4-3) vs. UW-River Falls (16-10-1)
The Yellowjackets have had quite the year, winning the regular season crown, and sport a 9-2-3 record at home. But the Falcons are no pushover and all three meetings between these two teams were close throughout.
Superior has lost just once in its last 17 games and are led by Reed Stark and Justin Dauphinais.
The Falcons have two big threats in Dylan Smith and and Jonny Meiers. This should be a really fun series to watch. River Falls is hoping to win its first title since 2015. The power play could be key here for River Falls, which has at least one power play goal in six of its last seven games. Superior, 4-3; River Falls, 5-4; Superior, 1-0 (mini game)
Hockey East announced Saturday that Boston College junior forward Andre Gasseau has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at the 54-second mark of the third period on Friday, Feb. 28, against New Hampshire.
Beloit College has announced the addition of NCAA Division III men’s and women’s hockey teams to its athletic program.
