Ryan Fanti pitched a 30-save shutout for UMD Friday night over Denver (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Minnesota Duluth’s postseason magic continued with 2-0 win over Denver in a hard-fought NCHC semifinal matchup Friday night.
The Bulldogs used there patented smothering defense to contain Denver’s potent offense. They missed out on numerous chances throughout game to extend lead to two goals until notching the second tally on an empty-net goal with 20 seconds remaining.
“I got my eyes on a couple early and that was really nice,” said UMD goalie Ryan Fanti, who pitched a 30-save shutout. “I made some saves. But I was very happy with the way we defended and the way we played. I thought it was more of a team shoutout than anything.”
“I thought defensively, we had one of our better games and again Ryan (Fanti) was good,” Duluth coach Scott Sandelin said. “I am happy for our guys to advance and play tomorrow night.”
Both teams were already in the NCAA tournament prior to the faceoff. The win by the Bulldogs likely insures Duluth as a two seed. Denver still has a strong chance of a No. 1 seed with 63 percent of the remaining scenarios with the result.
“It was a tight checking game like we expected,” added Pioneers coach David Carle. “For us to come here and play in a one-and-done situation is a good learning experience. Give them credit. They did a great job. I did not think we played our best game, but it was an opportunity to learn and get better and get ready for Loveland next week.”
The first period started sluggish with numerous play stoppages including two icings and an offsides in the first minute by Denver. Play opened up midway through the stanza with both teams missing grade “A” scoring chances.
Blake Biondi opened the scoring at 14:47 of the first transition goal. Jess Jacques led a three-on-two rush up the left side. Biondi skated up the middle lane and tap a perfect feed past Magnus Chrona.
“It looked like Jessie made a good play with it in the D-zone and we both just beat our guys to the net,” Biondi said. “He made a great pass and I just tapped it in.”
“They were just clogging up the neutral zone,” DU forward Ryan Barrow said. “You got to give them credit.”
The Bulldogs almost notched a two-goal lead as time expired on another transition play including failed wrap around point blank pad save and a backhand attempt form the top of the crease by Dominic James as time expired which Chrona also saved as the official called time.
During the second period both teams featured more extended time in the offensive zone, but the quality scoring chances were more limited.
Duluth had a second goal erased by official review in the second. The puck was loose in the crease, when a sprawling Noah Cates used his glove to push the puck under Chrona for a tap in by Koby Bender.
Denver will next play in Loveland, Colo., at the NCAA regional as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in that bracket. Duluth will try to extend its postseason dominance playing the winner of the North Dakota-Western Michigan NCHC semifinal.
Blake Bennett celebrates one of his three goals Friday night for AIC (photo: Dylan Bellinger).
Good things have come in threes lately for Blake Bennett, and American International hopes that continues.
Bennett’s hat trick, his second in as many games, led AIC to a 5-4 win over Mercyhurst. The Yellow Jackets (21-12-3) are a game away from their third consecutive Atlantic Hockey playoff title.
“It was an entertaining college hockey game,” said AIC coach Eric Lang. “It’s hard to get wins this time of year. We’re a resilient group. It felt like things weren’t necessarily going our way at times, but we stayed with it.”
“It was a really good hockey game,” echoed Mercyhurst coach Rick Gotkin. “Congratulations to Eric Lang and his players. They have a lot of seasoned guys that have been here, done that, and it showed.”
AIC dominated the early going, getting the first 10 shots on goal, but it was the Lakers who scored first. Dante Sheriff’s turnaround shot at 12:32 of the first eluded Yellow Jackets goaltender Alec Calvaruso and staked Mercyhurst to a 1-0 lead.
Things stayed that way until 2:28 of the second period when Bennett got AIC on the board. The junior was able to get behind the Mercyhurst defense and waited out Lakers goalie Kyle McClellan putting a backhand home to even the score.
Bennett stuck again at 8:34 to give the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game. He was able to create some space in traffic and lifted a backhander past McClellan.
Mercyhurst dug deep and re-established their lead with a pair of goals two minutes apart. Austin Heidemann’s 12th of the season evened the score at 11:29, and Rylee St. Onge got his first of the game, on the power play at 13:28 with a quick wrist shot.
But AIC took over the game in the third with three consecutive goals.
Zak Galambos tied the game at 3-3 3:38 into the period, and Bennett’s third of the game gave the Yellow Jackets back the lead. He broke down the right wing and fired a shot that went between the pads of McClellan.
Bennett became just the second player in Atlantic Hockey history to register consecutive postseason hat-tricks. RIT’s Matt Smith also did it in the 2008 quarterfinals.
“Surreal,” said Bennett when asked about his hot streak. “I’ve always been a postseason player. At least I’ve told myself that. I’m just feeling really confident right now, that on any shot I can score. I’m just trying to get shots on net. If it’s three (goals), that’s nice.”
The Yellow Jackets looked to put the game away on Elijah Barriga’s empty net goal with 2:19 left, but St. Onge cut the lead to one a minute later.
But Calvurso made a pair of key saves in the final minute to preserve the win for AIC.
“‘AC’ got really good as the game went on,” said Lang. “He made some big time saves for us down the stretch.
“He was skating off after the first (goal) and said, ‘That’s my bad’. We don’t apologize for that stuff here and I told him that. I said that the guys were going to pick him up and that he’s going to have to make a big save (later) and me made more than enough big saves for us.”
Mercyhurst came into the contest on a hot streak, winning seven games in a row including an upset of second-seeded Canisius last weekend.
“You feel like you’re going to keep winning,” said Gotkin. “We’re disappointed but proud of our group. This group started the year hoping we’d be good. Then in January we started to believe we were good. The last couple weeks knew we were good.”
AIC will go for a record-tying third straight Atlantic Hockey playoff title tomorrow. The Yellow Jackets have won four straight regular-season titles but were robbed of a chance to win a playoff crown in 2020.
“We played a really good hockey game,” said Lang. “Our last few games, and this game, we’re trending in the right direction.”
Quinnipiac defeated Colgate Friday night to open the ECAC Hockey semifinals (photo: Rob Rasmussen).
As it has for much of the season, Quinnipiac outshot its opponent in Friday’s 3-1 win against Colgate in the opening game of the ECAC Hockey quarterfinals at the Herb Brooks Arena.
But the numbers don’t always tell the whole story.
The Bobcats outshot the Raiders 33-26 in Friday’s game, although No. 5 Colgate hit three posts and had several other bounces that didn’t go its way, ending its season and sending top-seeded Quinnipiac to the league championship.
It’s the first time since the Bobcats made the league title game in a full conference tournament since 2016, when the Bobcats beat Harvard 4-1. QU lost to St. Lawrence in last year’s abbreviated league season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Colgate’s loss was a tough end to what had been a hot stretch for the Raiders, who entered the night with only three regulation losses in their last 15 games.
“The game plan played out the way we wanted,” Colgate coach Don Vaughan said. “It didn’t bounce for us tonight and that’s the game, really. You’d like to think if one of those bounced the other way and went [in] but it didn’t happen tonight. We judge our team and our play on the effort and sticking to our structure and we’ve done that for the last six weeks.”
Playing without leading scorer Colton Young, who was injured in the semifinals last weekend against Cornell, Colgate had several good chances in the first, including a shot by Alex Young that hit the post 4:16 in and a partial short-handed breakaway later in the period.
But Quinnipiac took a 1-0 lead on Joey Cipollone’s power-play goal at 9:23 in the first and then doubled that lead when Michael Lombardi redirected TJ Friedmann’s shot from the slot past Mitch Benson (30 saves) at 16:43.
Despite trailing early, Colgate kept it close and cut Quinnipiac’s lead to 2-1 in the second period on Griffin Lunn’s goal at 4:23.
“I think a big part of that is patience, especially in the ECAC,” Raiders captain Josh McKechney said of Colgate keeping it close. “You’re not going to win every game 5-4. Just being patient and capitalizing on your opportunities; we had a couple of unlucky bounces, but that’s just the way it goes sometimes.”
The goal came off a breakaway; Lunn’s linemate Ben Raymond, had the initial shot, which rebounded off QU goalie Yaniv Perets (25 saves) to a waiting Lunn. It was one of several breakaways that Quinnipiac allowed throughout the first two periods of the game, as the Bobcats had trouble containing the Raiders when they broke out of their zone.
“We did a lot of good things today,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. “All year long, we talk about [how] we don’t need to be perfect, but we need to compete. I thought some of the issues we had today, especially in the second, is that we lost our F3 a lot. We had three guys below the goal line and we don’t have that middle layer. We had three forwards, nothing and then the two ‘D’ and it was like a track meet.”
McKechney and Ross Mitton each hit a post late in the second, but then the Bobcats clamped down and cut back on the Colgate breakaways.
“They’re going to give everything they’ve got; their season is on the line,” Quinnipiac senior Wyatt Bongiovanni said. “We could feel that kind of pressure coming on and you’ve got to weather the storm and go back to their zone and attack.”
Bongiovanni sealed the win for Quinnipiac with a goal at 9:40 in the third period. Classmate Ethan de Jong assisted on the goal for his 100th career point.
“I think it changed the momentum for us,” Bongiovanni said of his goal. “They had a couple of shifts in our d-zone and guys kind of sensed them getting a little momentum. For that one to go in, it gave us a lot of confidence moving forward.”
For the Bobcats, it’s a chance to redeem last season’s overtime loss to St. Lawrence in the league championship last season. Quinnipiac will face either Clarkson or Harvard in the league championship Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
“We’ve moved on; that was 12 months ago,” Pecknold said. “I think our guys have done a really go job of grinding out wins. That’s how we do it every game; it wasn’t easy, I give Colgate a lot of credit. We just find ways to win games all year long.”
UConn players mob goalie Darion Hanson after the Huskies knocked off Northeastern Friday night (photo: Rich Gagnon).
Darion Hanson would like to remind you that his team plays in a pro hockey barn, thank you very much.
Unfazed by his first appearance at the TD Garden, the Connecticut graduate-student transfer netminder backstopped his Huskies past Northeastern’s Huskies to the tune of a 3-1 win in the semifinals of the Hockey East tournament before a feisty and energetic crowd Friday night.
“No matter what building we’re playing in, we want it,” Hanson said. “It’s helpful that we play at the XL Center in Hartford — it’s a pro building too. I feel like the storyline coming into it was, ‘Northeastern’s played Beanpot games, we haven’t.’ That didn’t bother us.”
The XL Center, of course, was the home of the NHL’s Hartford Whalers until 1997 and has hosted a number of minor-league franchises since.
Hanson made 24 saves and UConn never trailed, scoring in each of the three periods and adding an empty-net goal for good measure in the game’s closing minutes.
Fourth-seeded UConn (20-15-0, 16-10-0 Hockey East) will now face either the winner of Friday’s second semifinal between UMass Lowell and UMass in Saturday night’s final. It will be UConn’s first appearance in the Hockey East championship game.
Northeastern fell to 25-12-1 overall (16-9-1 Hockey East) and, despite winning the Hockey East regular-season title and earning the tourney’s top seed, will hold its breath to find out if it has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The field of 16 will be announced Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
“We’re hoping for the hockey gods to look after us here,” Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said. “And hope that the teams we need to win, at least one of them wins and helps us out.”
UConn opened the scoring at 11:39 of the first period on Vladislav Firstov’s 14th goal of the season. Roman Kinal scored at 13:47 of the middle frame to break a 1-1 tie, and Ryan Tverberg put the UConn Huskies up by a pair with his 14th goal of the season at 4:32 of the third.
Tverberg’s goal was particularly pretty. Taking advantage of a Northeastern turnover in its own zone, Tverberg winded his way through a maze of defenders, went behind the net to the left of Northeastern goalie Devon Levi, poked the puck over the end line and then scooped it into the net past Levi’s right pad.
“Just hopping in the zone, I saw a puck that I could get to,” Tverberg said. “Made a move, got by, and was able to put it in.”
Northeastern’s lone goal came at 14:13 of the first. Aiden McDonough, who finished third in the league in scoring this year, rocketed a one-timer from a wide angle past Hanson on a power play to tie the game 1-1.
Any chance Northeastern had of a third-period comeback was made that much harder as UConn’s defense clamped down, delivering a series of solid hits on Northeastern skaters that elicited loud cheers from the sizable UConn fan base in attendance.
“That’s (UConn) Husky hockey right there,” Hanson said. “To see us up 3-1 at the TD Garden with a few minutes left, playing our game — it was so much fun (to) watch.”
UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh said Hanson, who played 78 games for Union of the ECAC before coming to UConn is one of three core transfers — including Jarrod Gourley (Arizona State) and Kevin O’Neil (Yale) — UConn picked up in the offseason, and the experience they brought has paid dividends for his team all season.
“We’re really, really lucky,” Cavanaugh said. “Whether we like it or not, (the transfer portal) has become lay of the land. We were able to get three kids who are so mature in the way they go about things. (They) do everything the right way. They really do. They’ve brought such a calming presence to our locker room.”
Despite his stellar season, Hanson entered Friday in the shadow of Northeastern’s Levi, the Hockey East Rookie of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist.
“I get all the talk about Devon — he’s an amazing goalie and one of the best I’ve ever played against,” Hanson said. “(It) didn’t motivate me too much. I was just focused on doing my job and doing what I can to help the guys get a win.”
Denver’s Bobby Brink leads the NCAA in scoring with 55 points this season (photo: Nick Monaghan/DU Athletics).
The NCHC announced its individual player awards Thursday night.
After being named a Hobey Baker Award finalist on Wednesday, Denver junior forward Bobby Brink earned player of the year and forward of the year. Brink was the lone unanimous selection to the all-NCHC first team this season. The Philadelphia Flyers draft pick captured the NCHC scoring title with 35 points (nine goals, 26 assists) in conference play, 10 more than any other player, to help lead Denver to the Penrose Cup. The 35 points tied an NCHC single-season record in conference play, as well.
Overall, he leads the NCAA with 55 points (14 goals, 41 assists) this season in 36 games, seven more points than any other player. Brink also leads the country averaging 1.53 points per game, while his 41 assists this year are eight more than any other player nationally.
For the third straight season, North Dakota head coach Brad Berry was selected the recipient of the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. It’s his fourth time winning the award in seven seasons. Berry led UND to a third straight Penrose Cup as regular-season co-champions, despite adding 14 new players to the roster this year and being picked third in the NCHC preseason poll. The Fighting Hawks finished 17-6-1 in NCHC play and are 24-12-1 heading into this weekend’s Frozen Faceoff.
Western Michigan senior forward Drew Worrad garnered the senior scholar-athlete award, becoming the second straight Bronco to win the award (Kale Bennett). The WMU assistant captain collected second-team all-NCHC honors this season and was a finalist for NCHC defensive forward of the year. Worrad put up 25 points in NCHC play, tying for second in the conference, and has compiled a career-best 42 points this season. The accountancy major boasts a 3.90 GPA and is a four-time NCHC distinguished scholar-athlete and four-time member of the academic all-NCHC team.
The rookie of the year is Denver forward Carter Mazur, who led all freshmen in conference-only scoring with 24 points and 10 goals in 24 games and has 14 goals and 35 points overall this season, both in the top four nationally among rookies. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick was a two-time NCHC rookie of the month and two-time rookie of the week during the season, while earning near unanimous NCHC all-rookie team honors.
Goaltender of the Year honors go to Minnesota Duluth junior Ryan Fanti, who was named first-team all-NCHC, leading the NCHC in all games with both a .921 save percentage and a 1.99 GAA, including four shutouts. The Mike Richter Award semifinalist was second in conference-only save percentage at .918 and first with a 2.13 GAA in 23 starts. Fanti was a two-time goalie of the week this year and the national goaltender of the month for November.
North Dakota grad student Connor Ford made an immediate impact in his first year with the Fighting Hawks, becoming the second straight UND player to win defensive forward of the year (Shane Pinto). Ford earned honorable mention all-NCHC this season after leading the conference with 537 faceoff wins overall in the regular season and 359 wins in conference play. His 62.4 win percentage in the center circle overall is tied for the NCHC lead among centers, as well. Offensively, Ford is second on UND with 27 points and leads the team with 23 assists.
For the second straight season, Western Michigan junior Ronnie Attard earned NCHC offensive defenseman of the year. A finalist for NCHC player of the year, Attard was named first-team all-NCHC for the second straight season this year after tallying 21 points in 24 NCHC games, with his eight goals tying for tops among defensemen. The Philadelphia Flyers prospect leads NCHC defensemen in all games with 35 points, which ranks second among all NCAA blue liners. Attard was a two-time defenseman of the week during the season and recorded two hat tricks in the year, the first NCHC blueliner to do so.
North Dakota junior Ethan Frisch became the third straight Fighting Hawk to win NCHC defensive defenseman of the year, following Jacob Bernard-Docker and Colton Poolman. Frisch helped guide UND to its third-straight Penrose Cup, logging nearly 30 minutes of ice time per game down the stretch as the Fighting Hawks were plagued by injuries. He posted a plus-3 plus/minus in 21 NCHC games, while blocking 37 shots, and blocked 58 shots overall on the season, seventh in the NCHC. Frisch also chipped in nine goals and 15 points in 34 games from the blue line.
Denver junior goaltender Magnus Chrona is the fourth netminder in seven seasons to win the three stars award. The Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick was named first star of the game five times in conference play, the most of any player this season. The honorable mention all-NCHC selection compiled 35 three Stars of the game points in NCHC action to earn the honor. Chrona started 22 NCHC games in net, posting a 16-6-0 record with a 2.16 GAA and a .907 save percentage, while helping DU win the Penrose Cup.
North Dakota senior forward Mark Senden serves as captain for UND this season after earning UND’s unsung hero award previously. He has never been called for a major penalty in his career and committed only eight minor penalties all season. In addition, Senden helped raise money through an auction for military families that have family members deployed over Christmas this year. He is a four-time member of the NCHC academic all-conference team and has 16 points overall this season.
The fifth annual NCHC media excellence award went to Alex Heinert of Midco Sports and CBS Sports Network, who also co-hosted the NCHC awards celebration Thursday night. Heinert has been the longtime television voice of North Dakota hockey, bringing great knowledge of the game and boundless enthusiasm to each broadcast. He played a prominent role in coverage of the NCHC pod in Omaha last season for Midco Sports and NCHC.tv, calling nearly 20 games over three weeks. Earlier this season, he transitioned into the role as the lead play-by-play voice of NCHC hockey on CBS Sports Network, bringing valuable experience and awareness of the NCHC to the national broadcasts. The media excellence award is voted on by the conference’s sports information directors (SIDs).
For most of the year-end awards, winners were determined based on voting by the conference’s head coaches and media covering each team. The senior scholar-athlete and postgraduate scholarship winners were determined in a vote by the conference’s faculty athletics representatives, while the NCHC staff selected the sportsmanship award. Athletic directors at each NCHC school had a vote on the Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well. The three stars award goes to the player who accumulates the most three stars points during conference play.
Chris Theodore was an offensive juggernaut this season for AIC (photo: AIC Athletic Communications).
Atlantic Hockey announced Thursday its 2021-22 regular-season awards.
Honorees this year include five from Atlantic Hockey regular-season champion AIC – Forward Chris Theodore (player of the year), defenseman Zak Galambos (best defenseman), forward Jake Stella (best defensive forward), goaltender Jake Kucharski (goaltending champion) and head coach Eric Lang (coach of the year).
They are joined by RIT’s Carter Wilkie (rookie of the year), Sacred Heart’s Neil Shea (scoring co-champion) and Army West Point’s Colin Bilek (scoring co-champion) and Daniel Haider (individual sportsmanship award). Sacred Heart was honored with the lone team award as the AHA’s team sportsmanship award recipient.
Theodore turned in his finest season yet in a Yellow Jackets uniform to earn player of the year honors and did it at the expense of his conference opposition, notching 24 of his 26 points in league play. Four of his seven goals in conference action opened the scoring in AIC’s favor, and he scored two game-winning goals and set up five others. Incredibly, each of those seven decisive plays came against a different conference opponent. He was the playmaker on the winners against Bentley (Nov. 18), Air Force (Jan. 1), Mercyhurst (Jan. 14), Sacred Heart (Jan. 21), and RIT (Feb. 2), and scored the deciding marker against Holy Cross (Jan. 8) and Army West Point (Feb. 10).
He was able to do that and still play strong defense, turning in a +12 rating that placed him near the top of the league in the category. To top it off, he also starred in AIC’s signature out-of-league showing, scoring the winning tally against Connecticut (Jan. 11) as part of AIC’s 11-game winning streak.
Wilkie quickly established himself as one of Atlantic Hockey’s top first-year players, winning five of the first seven Atlantic Hockey rookie of the week honors of the season as well as rookie of the month recognition for October and November. He finished the regular season ranked third in the conference with 27 points and second with 12 goals, including five of the game-winning variety – tied for the third-highest total in the country. He scored the deciding tally 30 seconds into overtime in a 3-2 upset at then-No. 12 Notre Dame on Oct. 21, and also notched the game-winner to seal RIT’s 3-2 overtime win at AIC (Nov. 7). Wilkie netted the deciding tally with 10.6 left in regulation to defeat host Niagara, 4-2 (Feb. 18) and recently won his seventh AHA rookie of the week honor after scoring the overtime game-winning goal to seal the Tigers’ 3-2 win at Air Force (Feb. 25). He entered the postseason tied for ninth among the nation’s freshmen in scoring and tied for fourth in goals.
Lang led the Yellow Jackets to an unprecedented fourth-straight Atlantic Hockey regular-season title with the Yellow Jackets taking the conference crown by 11 points over second-place Canisius. AIC led the league in every way, scoring the most goals and allowing the fewest and rattling off an 11-game win streak during the season. It was a total team effort at both ends of the ice, with six of the nine players in Atlantic Hockey to rate plus-10 or better coming from AIC, including the league’s only two players with plus-20 or more in Brian Kramer and Luis Lindner. Lang capped off an incredible regular season run with his 100th win as AIC’s head coach in the season finale against Niagara. This is his third coach of the year honor, which ranks second all-time in AHA history.
Galambos had the unenviable task of filling the role of the graduated AHA player of the year Brennan Kapcheck, and he delivered in a huge way to receive best defenseman accolades this season. Quarterbacking AIC’s power play to a 23.0 percent conversion rate, he led AIC at both ends of the rink, blocking 60 shots and notching 18 assists, a team high. He had an eight-game point streak (two goals, eight assists) from Jan. 15 against Mercyhurst through Feb. 10 against Army West Point. He was at his best against the best opposition as well – he had seven points in nine games played against Canisius, Army, and RIT, the teams that finished with AIC in the top four in the AHA. Five of his assists came on game-winning goals: Jan. 2 against Air Force, Jan. 15 against Mercyhurst, Jan. 22 against Sacred Heart, Jan. 27 against Holy Cross, and Feb. 10 against Army. He also hit the net himself for the winner Nov. 6 against RIT.
Stella may have been Atlantic Hockey’s most improved player in 2021-22. Centering the team’s top line meant he saw the best opposition everyone could throw at him, and yet he dazzled with a nine goals and 23 points line in 25 league games. He centered AIC’s top power play and penalty kill units as the Yellow Jackets iced one of the best special teams in the league. He scored AIC’s first hat trick of the season against Bentley (Nov. 18) and followed with another three-point showing against Canisius (Nov. 26) a week later, ultimately piling up six multi-point games against AHA opponents, including a three-assist night at RIT (Feb. 4). His sudden offensive flair was at no expense of his ability to deny the opposition, either, as evidenced by his plus-15 rating in league play, among the top five in the AHA.
Bilek, a two-time team captain, shared the Atlantic Hockey scoring championship with 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists in AHA play this season. He also led the conference in points over the full regular season with 31 (11g-20a) at the end of the regular season as well as contributing to a top-10 penalty kill in the country. A constant scoring threat, the Brighton, Mich., native led the Black Knights in goals with 11, in assists with a career-high 20, and points with 31; his 145 shots were second in the league. He finished with three multi-goal games, including a hat-trick against Yale on November 12. Bilek and teammate Daniel Haider are tied for the most hat-tricks in the league. Bilek was named the AHA Player of the Month in November after a seven-point month where he scored four times and recorded two assists in five games to lead the team in points and goals. He was also named AHA Player of the Week on November 15 and February 21. He was nominated for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award in January.
Shea has been the top point scorer for the Pioneers this season as he led the team in assists and points during the regular season. He accounted for 11 goals, and 18 assists on the year for a total of 29 points and shared Atlantic Hockey Scoring Champion honors after posting 25 points on 10 goals and 15 assists in AHA play. The Marshfield, Mass. native has recorded a total of six multi-point games with his most recent coming against Army West Point on February 25 in which he tallied two goals with an assist for a three-point night. He sits in second in Atlantic Hockey in points and third in assists. He’s garnered one AHA Player of the Week honor as well as one Player of the Month nod this season.
Kucharski aimed to prove his 5-0-0 record as a rookie a season ago was not a fluke. He accomplished that mission, turning in critical goalkeeping performances for the Yellow Jackets all season long to capture goaltending champion honors with the lowest goals-against average in conference play. He finished 11-3-2 in 16 starts in AHA action with a 2.17 GAA. Included in those numbers were seven games with one goal or less, including shutouts of Bentley (Nov. 11) and Holy Cross (Jan. 8) as well as AIC’s win over Connecticut (Jan. 11) where he stopped 24 shots and was the game’s first star. He cemented AIC’s AHA regular season title with a stretch run of 8-1-2 after January 1, and in the lone loss he suffered, AIC was beaten 1-0.
Haider had a career season as a senior for the Black Knights. In addition to only being whistled for three minor penalties all season, he finished the regular season fourth on the team in goals with seven, fifth in assists with 12, and third on the team in points with 19. His plus-6 rating led the team. Haider was named AHA player of the week on January 31 after a four-point weekend at Air Force. He scored his first career hat trick, including a pair of power-play goals, in the 8-3 win over the Falcons on January 28.
Sacred Heart coach C.J. Marottolo and the Pioneers ended the 2021-22 regular season as the least-penalized team in NCAA Division I. SHU averaged just 3.3 penalties and 7.41 penalty minutes a game this season. Sacred Heart was whistled for only 112 penalties totaling 252 minutes in 34 contests this season. The Pioneers have now won the last two AHA team sportsmanship awards that have been presented (2019-20 and 2021-22).
Dan Bosio hopes to celebrate more goals with his teammates in their pursuit of an NCAA title (Photo by Geneseo Athletics)
For Geneseo’s senior forward and captain Dan Bosio, this season has been one filled with a number of new accomplishments including a 20-goal season and being the first player in program history to win four SUNYAC titles in his career at Geneseo. With all that success Bosio and his teammates are now focused on the biggest accomplishment the program could obtain with a successful run in the NCAA tournament starting with heir quarterfinal matchup with Babson on Saturday night.
“I am the first player with four conference championships playing here,” said Bosio. “But that is only because guys like Keens [Conlan Keenan], [Andrew] Romano and Emps [Tyson Empey] didn’t get the opportunity after 2020 with the postponement of last season. They have been super supportive of this year’s team, and we are playing for them as we continue to play for a national championship.”
Bosio has made the most of his senior season posting his best statistical season since being part of the Knights roster starting in the 2017-2018 season where he recorded 12 points as a freshman. This season Bosio has scored 22 goals in 26 games which exceeds the goal total of his first three seasons at Geneseo combined. Bosio has produced four game-winning goals and has recorded six multi-goal games so far this season. He has scored nine times on the power play and been a leader by performance on the ice for the Knights this season.
“First, I would give a lot of credit to my linemates,” stated Bosio. “They have given me the puck in some good locations for sure this season. I also have had more opportunities this season with the power play and more ice time that comes with being a more experienced player here. It’s taken awhile but I have learned where to go to be in a good position to get chances and I have also had some puck luck with pucks finding holes and ways into the net.”
While the offensive success has been impressive on the ice, Bosio and the rest of the leadership group at Geneseo have helped a young team mature quickly which has led to success this season. He along with Henry Cleghorn, Andrew Miller and Chris Perna have quickly instilled the culture into a young group of players that have learned their roles and played at a high level from the start of the season.
“We didn’t have to do too much as a leadership group with the young players,” stated Bosio. “Once they got here, we really ingrained the culture with them, but a lot of credit needs to go to the new players who bought in early to our system and their roles. I think the locker room is a little lighter this season – a little looser – with some levity that breaks some of the tension vs. past years. It all has helped us get to where we are now and will be go to our success in advancing in the tournament. If we all stick to and focus on our job and role on the ice, we will be fine.”
“Dan’s a great leader,” stated head coach Chris Schultz. “He’s really calm and composed. He’s one of those guys that is “beyond his years”. He committed an extra year not just for himself but for his teammates as well. Can’t ask for better than that.”
On Saturday, the Knights play a Babson squad that plays a very similar style to their own. They have great speed, great team defense and goaltending and don’t make mistakes that beat themselves. Bosio expects a challenging game but is excited for the opportunity to play again in the NCAA tournament.
“It’s great to play at home and we are hoping that some of the students will come back early from spring break for the game,” said Bosio. “We know the town fans will be there to support us as they always do. The break has been good to rest up a little but at this time everyone is ready to go. We will try to not get too high coming out for the game and use the warm-up to take a breath, soak in the atmosphere and the crowd and be ready to play our game from the opening face-off. It would be amazing to get back to the Frozen Four and win a national championship, but we are just focused on playing a very good opponent on Saturday night.”
Dryden McKay has been one of the nation’s top goalies all season (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
The CCHA announced Thursday that Minnesota State goaltender Dryden McKay has been named the CCHA’s player of the year.
In addition, the Mavericks’ Mike Hastings is the conference’s coach of the year.
McKay led all CCHA players on the ballot, receiving four of a possible seven points, as voted on by the CCHA head coaches.
He played a key role in leading Minnesota State to a 23-3-0 overall record to finish as the top team in CCHA conference play for the 2021-22 campaign. Between the pipes, McKay was the league leader in the CCHA in both goals-against average (1.05) and save percentage (.942).
The senior started in 25 of 26 conference games, boasting an impressive record of 23-2-0, recording six shutouts on the campaign. He made 423 saves in 1,482:17 of playing time.
McKay earned CCHA goaltender of the week honors a record seven times and CCHA goaltender of the month three times. He was also named the Hockey Commissioners Association national goaltender of the month for both December and February.
Including nonconference play, McKay has now posted a 34-4-0 overall record with a .931 save percentage and a 1.28 goals-against average on the season. Currently, his 109 career wins ranks third on the NCAA’s all-time list and is also tied for third in single-season wins (34) in all of NCAA Division I hockey. Earlier this year, McKay established a NCAA record for career shutouts (33).
Hastings led Minnesota State to a 23-3-0 overall record to finish as the No. 1 team in CCHA conference play for the 2021-22 campaign. The Mavericks recorded an impressive 67 league points, 13 more than the next team in the conference standings, to capture the MacNaughton Cup as the CCHA’s best team in the regular season.
Hastings has been the bench boss for the Mavericks team that was leaders in goals scored per game (4.42) and goals allowed per game (1.04). They posted impressive numbers in the special teams’ category, finishing second in power-play percentage (.284) and first in penalty-kill percentage (.892). Minnesota State was also the second-least penalized team in CCHA conference play.
The Mavericks have been nationally ranked No. 1 11 times this year and have been ranked in the top five in all 21 polls this season. Hastings helped guide the Mavericks to 11 consecutive victories to end the regular season.
Outside of conference play, Minnesota State finished 31-5-0 in the regular season, recording an impressive 165 goals and only allowing 50 against to head into the postseason as the No. 1 team in NCAA Division I Hockey. Hastings also served as an assistant coach for Team USA at 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
In his 10th season as the head coach at Minnesota State, where he has transformed the program into a national powerhouse, Hastings has led the Mavericks to more wins than any other team in the nation with a 267-94-24 mark after the conclusion of the 2021-22 regular season. His teams have advanced to the NCAA tournament on six occasions, including a trip to the Frozen Four in 2021.
Union senior Josh Kosack has had an impressive 2021-22 season, on and off the ice (photo: Amanda Lopez).
ECAC Hockey has announced that the 2022 student-athlete of the year is Union senior Josh Kosack.
He is the fourth Dutchmen player to receive this honor, and the first since the 2011 season.
Kosack is an Economics major that has been honored as an ECAC Hockey all-academic honoree in each of his first four seasons.
He is in the midst of the best season of his career, leading the Dutchmen to an ECAC Hockey quarterfinal series as team captain. His impact on the Schenectady, N.Y. community has been significant, as this year alone he’s raised more than $45,000 for the COCOA house to help the city’s youth. His “Kozi’s Kids” initiative has helped bring dozens of kids to Union hockey games, while his other charitable efforts have continued to assist the areas youth.
Kosack is also a finalist for the 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award, which will be announced on Friday, April 8 as part of the Frozen Four weekend.
Sam Ruffin has been waiting two years for the chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Photo provided by Adrian Athletics
Sam Ruffin has been waiting his entire college career for the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament.
His first year at Adrian after transferring in from Alaska ended with a tourney opportunity being taken away by the COVID-19 pandemic.
And last season there was no tournament because of the ongoing pandemic.
The wait is finally over.
Ruffin and the top-ranked Bulldogs begin their postseason run Saturday night against seventh-ranked Hobart (20-5-2) in the first NCAA Division III tournament since 2019.
“I’m excited. I’ve never experienced the NCAA tournament,” Ruffin said. “I’m ready for it, and hopefully we can succeed and keep it going.”
Interestingly enough, Adrian (28-1), winners of 28 consecutive games and the No. 1 team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, was supposed to play Hobart in the opening round in 2020.
The Bulldogs are seeking their first national title. They were the runner-up in 2011 and have long been a regular contender for the crown.
So, based on that, it was an easy decision for Ruffin to pick Adrian as his landing spot after appearing in 29 games with the Nanooks his freshman year. It also brought the Indiana native much closer to home.
“I talked with other schools, and coach (Adam) Krug reached out and i told him if I didn’t go Division I, I wanted to come play for him,” Ruffin said. “I know the success of the program and I’ve known coach a long time, “It was a good fit for me. I don’t wish I was anywhere else.”
Ruffin made himself right at home at Adrian as he led the NCHA in assists (27) in his first season there. He also scored 10 goals, giving him 37 points, the fourth-most in the conference.
Ruffin appeared in 20 games last year during a condensed and not-so normal season because of the pandemic. He tallied 10 goals and nine assists for the Bulldogs.
Ruffin earned first-team all-conference honors this season, scoring 15 goals and dishing out 26 assists, playing a pivotal role in helping Adrian skate to another NCHA title.
“The offensive side of the game has always been there for me, but I really feel I’ve developed playing on the defensive side of the puck, and that’s contributed to my success,” Ruffin said.
Ruffin is part of an Adrian team that features some of the top offensive threats in the game.
Alessio Luciani has scored 15 goals and tallied 29 assists to pace the Bulldogs. Ty Ens has come through with 20 goals and 20 assists.
Rex Moe and Matus Spodniak have also recorded more than 30 points on the season, with Moe tallying 16 goals and 18 assists and Spodniak racking up 15 goals and 19 assists.
Six other players have tallied 23 or more points.
“We have a lot of depth and that’s shown throughout the season,” Ruffin said. “If we keep playing the game that we have this season, we should be fine.”
Ruffin is more than a hockey player, though.
He’s also also set an example off the ice, getting involved in the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which is dedicated to finding a cure for pediatric cancer.
“I got involved when I was younger playing youth hockey in Indiana,” Ruffin said. “My whole team buzzed our heads to support kids and raise money to help find a cure for pediatric cancer. It’s a great honor to be apart of this and helping the community.”
As for this weekend, Ruffin said he can’t wait to take the ice as Adrian takes aim at a trip to the national semifinals in Lake Placid.
We’ve been chomping at the bit, and I think we’ve stayed focused waiting for the opportunity to play in the tournament,” Ruffin said. “To have the opportunity now, we have to go out play hard and play our game, and take advantage of the chances we get.”
Adrian has played for each other all season and open the NCAA tournament on home ice and riding a 28-game win streak. Will the No. 1 team advance against a stout Hobart team? (photo by Adrian Athletics)
Last week saw some great hockey including an overtime game at St. Norbert and a double-overtime thriller at the University of New England. All of the home teams won setting up a quarterfinal round with the top eight seeds remaining in the tournament. In the battle between the two USCHO writers, the east has a slim lead over the west with both writers falling short on the pick for an upset by St. Olaf and TC getting the Babson game right. So, after the first round it is Tim at 3-1 and Brian at 2-2. Another four games this weekend with the Frozen Four at stake. Here are this week’s analysis and picks:
Saturday, March 19, 2022
NCAA Quarterfinals
University of New England (8) v. Utica (2)
TC – Utica will have a home crowd on fire while UNE is going to have to figure out how to stop the Pioneers early and take the crowd out of the game. Big piece back playing for the Nor’easters in Chris Jones on the blueline, but the home team has four potent lines that will get to Billy Girard and add an empty-netter for the final margin. – Utica, 4-1
BL – University of New England (22-3-1) vs. Utica (25-2-1)
Ranked No. 2 in the country in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, Utica has its sights set on punching a ticket to the national semifinals. The Comets had an extra week to get ready for this game after a bye in the first round and are playing as well as anyone right now.
Utica has won its last five and its unbeaten streak stands at 19 games.
Yet, the eighth-ranked Nor’Easters are no pushover. They have won their last 12 games and have been impressive on the road, fashioning a 9-1-1 record. And their battle-tested, winning their last two games in overtime, including a victory over Plymouth State in last week’s NCAA tourney opener. This is a tough one to pick and really could go either way. Utica, 4-3
St. Norbert (6) v. Augsburg (4)
TC – Way back in November of last year, the Auggies swept a weekend series with the Green Knights. Both teams are very different now, but St. Norbert has not been as good on the road where they have suffered five of their six losses this season. Peter Bates and company will challenge the home team, but Augsburg wants to prove they belong in the dance after losing the MIAC championship game. Late goal for the home team sends them to Lake Placid – Augsburg, 3-2
BL – St. Norbert (24-6-0) v. Augsburg (24-4-0)
After losing in the MIAC final, the Auggies are eager to get back to play hockey again. Augsburg almost faced St. Olaf again this weekend before St. Norbert rallied to take down the Oles in overtime.
Both teams have high-powered offenses. The Auggies, ranked fourth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, have scored more than 100 goals and are led by MIAC Player of the Year Austin Martinsen. He has tallied 36 points, scoring 15 goals and dishing out 21 assists.
The Green Knights feature NCHA Player of the Year Peter Bates, who is one of the top scoring threats in the country and is the top player in the league for the second time in his career. He has come through with 28 goals and 30 assists.
These two teams played back in November. Augsburg won both times. A lot has changed since then, but I give the Auggies the edge in this one, especially at home. Then again, as we learned last week, never count out St. Norbert. Augsburg, 4-3
Babson (5) v. Geneseo (3)
TC – These two teams are mirror images of each other with speed and talented forwards, solid defense and great goaltending. That said we could be playing until Monday – not really but this one will be tight and low scoring. Ryan Black is among the best forwards in the nation, but Dan Bosio and Peter Morgan have been clutch, down the stretch for the Knights. Only going with the home team here because the crowd is going to keep the adrenaline flowing and Geneseo finds a way to win in overtime – Geneseo, 2-1
BL – Babson (20-5-2) vs. Geneseo (22-3-1)
Coming off a fourth consecutive SUNYAC championship and a first-round bye, the third-ranked Knights will play at home Saturday with a chance to move on to the national semifinals.
Dan Bosio was the conference tournament MVP and has scored 22 goals on the year to go along with seven assists. The Knights have scored 124 goals on the year in all.
Babson is fifth in the nation in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll and has won its last seven games. The Beavers are averaging four goals per game and have been impressive away from home, fashioning a 10-3 record on the road. A shutout win over Trinity in the opening round could serve as a confidence boost going into this one. SUNY Geneseo, 3-2
Hobart (7) v. Adrian (1)
TC – Size and speed and a physical game is on tap when Adrian hosts the Statesmen. Last week Hobart scored early to keep Elmira playing catch-up all 60 minutes and Adrian will be ready to match the intensity and pace of the game from the visitors from the first puck drop. Adrian hasn’t lost a game since the opening night of the season and special teams are the difference as the home team barely takes their No. 1 ranking to Lake Placid for the Frozen Four. – Adrian, 3-2
BL – Hobart (20-5-2) vs. Adrian (28-1-0)
It’s time for the No. 1 team in the nation to play hockey. The Bulldogs begin their quest for a title with a showdown against Hobart. Interestingly enough, these two teams were supposed to square off in the opening round in 2020 before the COVID-19 pandemic shut things down.
Adrian has won 28 consecutive game and is 14-0 at home. It has an offense and defense capable of getting the job done on any given night, and the bye week was a chance for the Bulldogs to rest up and gear up for a playoff run.
Hobart is coming off a big win over Elmira in the opening round and hopes to carry that momentum with it on the road. The Statesmen are 5-3-1 against nationally ranked opponents and this will be their biggest test of the year to date.
In the end, it’s hard to bet against the Bulldogs. Adrian, 5-2
So, both Brian and I are riding with the home teams in all four contests looking for a repeat of the first round results and more home-ice dominance. These picks are going to leave bragging rights on the line in the Frozen Four. The four top seeds have been patiently waiting to play in the tournament. They are rested and ready to go – “Drop the Puck!”
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Alex Heinert of Midco Sports and voice of the NCHC on CBS Sports Network to preview the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
We preview all six conference tournaments and look closely at the five games in this week’s USCHO Bettor’s Edge column:
• Bemidji State at No. 1 Minnesota State (CCHA final)
• No. 4 Michigan at No. 2 Minnesota (Big Ten final)
• No. 13 UMass Lowell vs. No. 11 Massachusetts (Hockey East semifinal)
Zach Driscoll has won nine straight games for North Dakota (photo: Russell Hons).
At the start of this season, North Dakota goaltender Zach Driscoll told USCHO.com about how playing pickleball has reminded him of the importance of pressing the reset button following a setback.
There haven’t been many of those lately for the graduate student netminder, or for his Fighting Hawks teammates. Driscoll has accounted for UND’s nine wins from its last 10 games, posting a .937 save percentage in that span.
“How he’s playing right now, it’s up there with the top guys that I’ve seen in our program,” said Karl Goehring, a former UND goaltender who led the program to a national championship in 2000. He now serves as an assistant under coach Brad Berry.
“(Driscoll) has found another level in his game, and it’s been fun to watch him elevate. He has had a fantastic collegiate career and has shown flashes of why he has been an elite goaltender, but for me, it’s his compete in this last little stretch. It’s his urgency on pucks and his ability to scramble and find saves where you feel like he might have been out of the play, but he finds his way back in.”
A Bemidji State transfer, Driscoll earned three consecutive NCHC goaltender of the week awards in February. He had helped UND out of a rut shortly after the holiday period, as the Fighting Hawks had lost four straight in January against Cornell and Western Michigan.
At the time, UND appeared to have work to do in order to earn a NCAA Tournament spot. Now, the Fighting Hawks (24-12-1) are a lock.
They’ll face Western Michigan again Friday in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinals in St. Paul, Minnesota, after Driscoll led UND to a pair of home wins last weekend against Colorado College. He came up big late in both 2-1 victories, and particularly in Saturday’s third period when CC forced him into 15 saves.
Driscoll had started all but one UND game during the team’s current hot streak, as he was rested in the Fighting Hawks’ regular-season finale March 12 at Omaha. There was no rust when seventh-seeded CC came to Grand Forks, and UND needed him to stay in top form.
“He has brought such a presence down the stretch for our group, and it has been great for our guys that way,” Goehring said. “Late in games, and in the third, he has been leaned on at times, but has responded so well.
“After Christmas there, not just him but the whole team kind of went through a rough patch, and one of the neater responses I’ve seen to adversity from a player was how Zach handled it. It’s always tough, and you never know how a guy is going to respond in those situations, but he attacked it head-on, addressed a few things and went to work.
“There was nothing really huge (to change), but just understanding positionally where he needs to be to be his best,” Goehring continued. “It was just some minor things and getting back to work there, so it was neat to see that and how he brought that whole attitude to the group.”
Driscoll, a second-team all-conference pick, is expected to have a big say in however far UND gets this weekend in St. Paul, and through the rest of the Fighting Hawks’ postseason push. Staying bought into the team’s current mindset will help.
“This is a fun time of year, so it’s about embracing these games and embracing playing in these big moments,” Goehring said. “We want every player on our team to bring their best and to do their part, and not get over-focused on doing too much but knowing those keys that you need to play well, and Zach has really honed in on his game, and that’s such an important piece.
“Our hope is that we see who he is as he shows up. If he’s playing his game, we feel we have a great chance as a group.”
One more thing, and another, and another…
Apparently, six months go by fast when you’re trying to remember what counts as normal life.
This is my last NCHC column of the season, my 15th at USCHO. It doesn’t feel like it was half a year ago that I was putting together our conference season preview, but here we are.
It has been a different season at USCHO, having moved to one columnist per conference. That’s a shame in my view, and particularly for fans of NCHC teams. With every column she filed, Candace Horgan put in fantastic work, and I hope her contribution to this website is never forgotten.
I’d also like to share my gratitude for our readers, my friends and my family. Thanks also go to all of the NCHC coaches and players that I’ve had the pleasure to speak with this season, and to my editor, Matt Mackinder, for putting up with me. (Editor’s Note: It’s all good!)
Additionally, to outgoing NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton, the conference could not have started off life under a better leader, and you will be sorely missed. I wish nothing but the best to you with the Summit League and all your future endeavors.
I won’t be in St. Paul for the Frozen Faceoff, but my to-do list isn’t complete. For my day job, I’m covering Dakota College at Bottineau’s men’s and women’s hockey teams’ runs at the ACHA Division 2 national tournament, and I recently wrapped up Paralympic sled hockey coverage. Team USA’s coaching staff is from the city whose weekly newspaper I work for, so I have been busy staying on top of what happened in Beijing. Here’s to returning to a regular sleep schedule.
I’ll have a few more pieces coming out for USCHO.com in the coming days, so it’s not quite time for me to put a bow on this season just yet. I hope you follow along. Thanks again, everyone,
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger take a look at the 10 players named Wednesday as 2022 Hobey Baker Award finalists: Matty Beniers, Bobby Brink, Brian Halonen, Luke Hughes, Devon Levi, Dryden McKay, Ben Meyers, Yaniv Perets, Nathan Smith, and Bobby Trivigno, plus some names that might have been overlooked.
Taylor Heise, Gabbie Hughes and Sophie Jaques – the three finalists for the 2022 Patty Kazmaier Award.
For just the third time in league history, the WCHA is home to the three finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.
The USA Hockey Foundation announced Thursday that Taylor Heise (Minnesota), Gabbie Hughes (Minnesota Duluth), and Sophie Jaques (Ohio State) have been named the three finalists for the 2022 award.
Through 39 games played, Heise recorded 66 points for Minnesota behind 29 goals and 37 assists. She ranked second in the NCAA in goals and was named both WCHA offensive player of the year and overall WCHA player of the Year. A three-time WCHA forward of the month selection, Heise earned national recognition for her November play by the Hockey Commissioners Association. An active volunteer, Heise has worked food donation drives, with Girls in Hockey Weekend with the Minnesota, and has made multiple Feed My Starving Children trips.
A forward from Minnesota Duluth, Hughes is currently tied for third in the nation with her 59 points by 22 goals and 37 assists in 38 games played. Hughes enters the Frozen Four ranked second in the NCAA with seven game-winning goals and was a first team all-WCHA member. Also a 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award finalist, Hughes is a founder and board member of Sophies Squad, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the mental health of athletes from the youth level to college.
Ranking first among all defenders and tied for third in NCAA points is Jaques, with 59 in 36 games. Jaques enters the Frozen Four with 21 goals and 38 assists and is second in the nation with her 11 power play goals. Named WCHA defensive player of the year and the WCHA Final Faceoff’s most outstanding player, Jaques was an eight-time defender of the week and four-time defender of the month. A WCHA scholar-athlete, Jaques excels as an undergraduate teaching assistant in the Ohio State College of Engineering and volunteers with local literacy programs.
The winner of the 2022 award will become the WCHA’s eighth Kazmaier honoree, while Hughes and Jaques each look to become the first Patty Kazmaier player from their respective schools. Heise would become the third Gopher all-time, joining Krissy Wendell (2005) and Amanda Kessel (2013), while this year marks the WCHA’s first Patty Kazmaier Award winner since Wisconsin’s Ann-Renee Desbiens won in 2017.
The honor, which began 25 years ago in 1998, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey. The WCHA has only ever had the top three finalists in 2005 and 2013.
The award winner will be announced March 26 during an hour-long special on the NHL Network beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT.
Elijiah Barriga has scored eight goals and 21 points this year for AIC (photo: Kelly Shea/AIC).
And then there were four.
The Atlantic Hockey tournament quarterfinal round had its fair share of drama and upsets, with two favorites and two underdogs advancing to Utica. Four of the nine games played last weekend went to overtime, including three of four on Friday.
– Air Force kept its streak of postseason wins against Army West Point alive with a pair of overtime victories. The Falcons have now won all five matchups between the schools in the Atlantic Hockey tournament.
– American International is still alive in its quest for a third straight tournament crown after a convincing 5-2, 6-2 sweep of Bentley.
– Mercyhurst stayed hot, winning its sixth and seventh games in a row with a sweep of Canisius that included a win in double overtime on Friday.
– The only series to go the distance was the one between Sacred Heart and Rochester Institute of Technology. RIT was able to break a scoreless tie in overtime on Friday for the win, but Sacred Heart limited the Tigers’ chances in a 3-1 victory on Saturday to even the series. The deciding Game 3 on Sunday saw RIT break open a 1-1 game with a pair of goals 38 seconds apart early in the third period for a 3-1 win.
Previewing the semifinals
No. 7 Mercyhurst vs. No. 1 American International
This series features a pair of teams that got to this point thanks to getting hot at the right time. The Yellow Jackets were in the middle of the pack at Thanksgiving, but went on an 11-game winning streak that vaulted them to their fourth straight regular-season title. The Lakers were 9-18-4 coming off a 5-1 loss to AIC on Feb. 18.
They haven’t lost since.
AIC is looking for a record-tying third consecutive playoff title, while Mercyhurst is trying to win its first title since 2005. There is a precedent for a seventh seed winning it all – Canisius did it in 2013.
AIC took three of the four meetings between the schools this season.
No. 6 Air Force vs. No. 4 RIT
This semifinal features two teams that between them have won 10 of the 17 Atlantic Hockey playoff titles to date. The Falcons are looking for their eighth crown, the Tigers their fourth.
This will be a classic matchup of youth vs. experience. The Tigers have four players who returned for a fifth season as well as six seniors, while the Falcons have just one senior and 18 underclassmen.
The teams squared off in Colorado Springs for their final series of the regular season, with each team winning in overtime.
Awards season, final edition
Here are our final set of award winners:
Player of the Year: Colin Bilek, Army West Point
There were several worthy candidates to choose from in this category, but I I think Bilek stood just a bit taller. His 31 points are tied for tops in the league. Bilek was injured in the first game of the Black Knights’ quarterfinal series with Air Force and was sorely missed.
Rookie of the Year: Carter Wilkie, RIT
Wilkie was a clear standout, amassing 28 points on 13 goals and 15 assists to date, tied for third in the league. He was the league’s Rookie of the Week seven times, as well as Rookie of the Month twice.
Coach of the Year: Frank Serratore, Air Force
As Serratore reminded me several times this season, he had the youngest team in the league and, along with Army West Point’s Brian Riley, could not take part in the transfer portal or grant players another year of eligibility.
The Falcons were picked to finish ninth in the preseason coach’s poll, but Serratore got them to Utica and possibly beyond.
Looking back, looking ahead
While “normal” means different things to different people after what we’ve been through these past two years, this season did feel like we were moving in the right direction. Atlantic Hockey was able to play every league game, albeit with some creative scheduling needed from time to time. Fans were able to attend games and players were granted extensions of their college careers. All good things.
This is my last column of the season, and I’d like to thank the coaches, players and Sports Information Directors who made time for me this season, as well as league SID Todd Bell, who did a fantastic job in his first season. Thanks also to Matt Mackinder at USCHO.com for the thankless job of editing me each week. (Editor’s Note: Thank YOU, Chris!)
And, of course, thanks to my family, who have stayed close and supported me during these two rollercoaster years.
I’ll be reporting from Utica this weekend and from Boston during the Frozen Four, so thank you, dear reader, for coming along so far, and for what’s to come.
Thomas Bordeleau has been part of an outstanding group of forwards at Michigan this season (photo: Jonathan Knight).
With back-to-back stellar recruiting classes and four of the top five picks in last year’s NHL Draft, there has been a lot of hype surrounding Michigan for a while now.
That hype, however, hasn’t led to anything worthy of hanging on a banner, yet. Michigan finished fourth in the Big Ten last year and bowed out of the conference tournament after the semifinals before positive COVID-19 tests ended the Wolverines’ NCAA tournament run before it started.
This year the Michigan surrendered the regular-season title to Minnesota on the final weekend, who it will get another crack at this weekend in the Big Ten tournament championship game.
“There’s been a lot said about this team starting last year and then through the draft and into this year, so (there’s) a lot of pressure on these guys and they have high expectations,” Michigan coach Mel Pearson said on Tuesday. “They’re built to succeed, (and) we have all the ingredients that we need to have success.
“Whether it’s a Big Ten banner or beyond that, there’s room for both. All you can ask is to do what you need to do and give yourself that opportunity. That’s why you come to Michigan, to win championships.”
Minnesota winning the Big Ten regular season means Saturday’s game will be played in Minneapolis, but that’s not concerning for sophomore forward Thomas Bordeleau.
“It kind of fires us up,” he said. “Obviously, Yost is super electric and is, I think, the best building to play in (but) when you go on the road and the home team gets cheered on and us getting booed it’s just extra motivation and an extra little push. It’s going to be insane; it’s going to be really a fun atmosphere to play in.”
Names like Bordeleau, Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Luke Hughes and Kent Johnson tend to steal the headlines, but Pearson highlighted another player on Tuesday, goaltender Erik Portillo.
“I wouldn’t trade him for another goalie in the country right now; he’s been our MVP,” he said of Portillo, who had 19 saves in Michigan’s 2-1 victory over Notre Dame last weekend, its first over the Irish this season. “I can’t vote for my own players, but he would have gotten my vote for Big Ten goalie of the year. I think he gets overlooked because of all the talent we have.”
Minnesota and Michigan went 2-2 against each other this season with each team winning once on the road, so Saturday will be a grudge match. Unlike the 2013 Robert De Niro and Sylvester Stallone movie of the same name, Saturday’s contest would probably garner more than a 31 percent rating if Rotten Tomatoes did college hockey games.
“I wish I could be a fan and just sit back and relax and watch the game because I think it’s going to be a heck of a hockey game,” Pearson said. “They’re good, they’re deep. The main difference is they’re older, they’ve got the experience and some of their best players are their older kids.”
Pearson added that he expects a close game, not only on Saturday but for as long as Michigan continues this season.
“These games are going to be tight,” he said. “It was good for us to play Notre Dame and paly in a game like that because from here on out that’s how games are going to go. Everybody’s knocked this Michigan team of being young, too young. ‘We’ve seen it before you can’t win with the young teams,’ so we’ve got a lot to prove.”
St. Cloud State fell 4-3 in overtime to Minnesota Duluth in the second game of the NCHC quarterfinals last Saturday night at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (photo: St. Cloud State Athletics).
Selection Sunday is just a few days away, which means the NCAA picture for most of the schools is getting quite clear.
We’ve mentioned it elsewhere this week, but we can say with full certainty that the top 10 teams in the PairWise have secured their spots: Minnesota State, Michigan, Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota, Western Michigan, Minnesota Duluth, Quinnipiac, Notre Dame and St. Cloud State.
Michigan tech is all but clinched as only .3 percent of the scenarios that can happen this weekend will knock them out. Add in the Atlantic Hockey champion ad we can comfortably define 12 of the 16 spots.
It would take a lot to keep Massachusetts out of the tournament at this point as they have odds of 92 percent. Them and UMass Lowell can each get into the tournament if Minnesota State wins the CCHA title over Bemidji State.
Then there is Northeastern. The Huskies continue to take care of business of late, sweeping the final weekend of the regular season and knocking off Boston College in the quarterfinals. One win for Northeastern gets them in, but a loss on Friday to Connecticut in the Hockey East semifinals could make Saturday a long night of waiting.
Then there’s Ohio State. The Buckeyes have just a nine percent chance of getting in but could secure a spot if Quinnipiac wins the ECAC, Minnesota State wins the CCHA and any team except UConn wins Hockey East. This is NOT absolute, as there are scenarios when all three of these things happen and Ohio State still misses the field, but ALL three have to happen to give Ohio State a chance.
All of that said, let’s get on to this weekend’s Bracektology:
Jayson’s approach and bracket
Once again, this week let me start out by putting everyone into bracket integrity.
I will start out right away this week telling you that I’m very focused on strengthening attendance as much as possible.
My biggest attendance concern is Allentown, so a major focus is to put a great fan base in that city. Who’s better than North Dakota.
As you’ll see below, though, that didn’t work out too well thus I settled to have both Minnesota Duluth and Notre Dame, two strong fanbases, in Allentown. North Dakota, though, needs access to lots of tickets so what better place than the DCU Center, which holds 12,135 for hockey.
Here’s my approach. Like Jayson, I’m seeding the field as expected, 1-16, and taking care of one conflict, which is, like Jayson to swap Northeastern and Ohio State top avoid No. 2 Michigan vs. No. 15 Ohio State.
• Region with Denver must be placed in Loveland
• Region with Quinnipiac and Northeastern can go to Albany
• Region with UMass Lowell goes to Worcester
• That leaves the fourth region for Loveland
Can I help the attendance in Allentown? I don’t think so. But I could help either Albany or Worcester. If we move the North Dakota-UMass first round game to either Albany or Worcester, you’ll increase attendance significantly in either. Personally, I’d choose Worcester as you’d be swapping out Western Michigan and Michigan Tech, to western teams, to send them to Allentown.
Nathan Smith has been an offensive catalyst this season for Minnesota State (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
The CCHA announced several individual awards Wednesday.
Ferris State forward Bradley Marek has been named rookie of the year, while Minnesota State sophomore Jake Livingstone is defenseman of the year, Mavericks junior Nathan Smith is forward of the year, and Minnesota State senior Dryden McKay is the goaltender of the year.
Marek led all CCHA rookies on the ballot, receiving four of a possible seven points, as voted on by the CCHA head coaches. The Big Rapids native is the first local player to win rookie of the year honors and just the second freshman to ever lead Ferris State in goal scoring.
Marek finished tied for second amongst all CCHA freshmen with 13 points in conference play, was third with five goals and second with eight assists. The forward also recorded the third most faceoff wins and third best faceoff percentage for a freshman in the nation. He is the only forward and only freshman in the top 20 in the CCHA in blocked shots (31).
Livingstone led all CCHA defensemen on the ballot, receiving four of a possible seven points.
The sophomore finished tied for second among all defensemen in CCHA conference play with 19 points, led CCHA defensemen in goals with seven and added 12 assists in 26 CCHA games played this campaign. The blueliner earned 0.73 points-per-game, tallied one game-winning goal, one short-handed goal and an impressive plus-22 rating on the ice.
On the Mavericks roster, Livingstone finished sixth in points and fourth in blocked shots with 22 in CCHA conference play this season.
Smith led all CCHA forwards on the ballot, receiving five of a possible seven points.
Despite missing four games while representing Team USA at the 2022 Winter Olympics this year, Smith finished second among all CCHA skaters in conference points-per-game (1.50), third in points (33), fifth in goals (13) and sixth in assists (20). Smith also recorded an impressive plus-20 rating on the campaign.
McKay finished as the leader in CCHA conference play in both goals-against average (1.05) and save percentage (.942) during the 2021-22 CCHA campaign. He earned CCHA goaltender of the week a record seven times and CCHA goaltender of the month three times. The senior started in 25 of 26 CCHA games, seeing 1,482:17 of playing time. McKay made 423 saves on the season, boasting an impressive record of 23-2-0 and six shutouts.
Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield was the 2021 winner of the Hobey Baker Award (photo: HobeyBaker.com).
The Hobey Baker Memorial Award Committee announced Wednesday the top 10 candidates for the 2022 award honoring college hockey’s top player.
Alphabetically, they are:
Matty Beniers, So., F, Michigan
Bobby Brink, Jr., F, Denver
Brian Halonen, Sr., F, Michigan Tech
Luke Hughes, Fr., D, Michigan
Devon Levi, So., G, Northeastern
Dryden McKay, Sr., G, Minnesota State
Ben Meyers, Jr., F, Minnesota
Yaniv Perets, So., G, Quinnipiac
Nathan Smith, Jr., F, Minnesota State
Bobby Trivigno, Sr., F, Massachusetts
The 10 finalists were selected by voting from all 59 Division I college hockey head coaches plus online fan balloting.
Next, the 30-member selection committee and an additional round of fan balloting through the Hobey website March 17-27 will determine this year’s Hobey Baker winner. Criteria for the award include displaying outstanding skills in all phases of the game, strength of character on and off the ice, sportsmanship and scholastic achievements.
The Hobey Hat Trick (three finalists) will be announced on March 31, and the Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced on Friday, April 8. The announcement will be televised live on the NHL Network and streamed on the Hobey Baker website at 6 p.m. EST.
