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Last weekend marked pair of impressive milestones for Quinnipiac.
Bobcats coach Rand Pecknold coached in his 1,000th career game Saturday, a 1-0 win against Rensselaer. That game was also Quinnipiac’s 13th shutout of the season, an NCAA men’s hockey Division I record.
Now the Bobcats head on the road this weekend looking for another milestone: the program’s fifth regular season title in eight years. QU won the Cleary Cup as ECAC Hockey’s top regular-season team outright in 2015, 2016, and 2021, and shared the title with Cornell in 2019.
“It’s nice to get that accomplishment,” junior forward Ethan Leyh said of Quinnipiac setting the shutout record on Saturday. “I think us as a group, we have bigger goals, and our biggest goals are championships. It’s nice to get that acknowledgement of breaking a record, but we’ve got to keep our eyes on bigger goals.”
The Bobcats play their next four games on the road, starting with Clarkson and St. Lawrence this weekend. Quinnipiac clinched a first-round bye in the league playoffs with a 4-1 win over Brown Tuesday, and it has a four-point lead and a game in hand over second-place Clarkson. There’s a chance the Bobcats could return home later this month with the regular season title wrapped up.
Quinnipiac is in position to capture the league title thanks a veteran defense and its depth in goal. The Bobcats have allowed just eight goals in 15 league games. Freshman Yaniv Perets has seen the majority of time in goal, but graduate transfer Dylan St. Cyr has been good when given the opportunity.
“Dylan and ‘Yani’ have been excellent,” Pecknold said. “[Goalie coach] Justin Eddy has done a phenomenal job with both of them. Guys love him in the locker room; he brings a little levity in that way, too.”
The shutout broke the Division I team record of 12, which was set by Niagara in the 1999-2000 season. Perets tied former Hobey Baker winner and Michigan State goalie Ryan Miller for second all-time in individual season shutouts; Niagara’s Greg Gardner holds the record with those 12 shutouts from the 1999-2000 season.
“I really don’t see it as a personal accomplishment; it’s more of a team one,” said Perets, who doesn’t look at his own statistics. “The guys, every single one, forwards, defense, backchecking, picking up sticks…the guys just work so hard in front of you, making my life easier.”
Saturday’s win gave Pecknold an all-time record of 572-328-100 at Quinnipiac.
It was another reminder of how far the program has come since Pecknold took over as head coach in 1994, when Quinnipiac was a Division II independent and played its games at the Northford Ice Pavilion, which has a capacity of 1,200 spectators.
“It’s an interesting milestone to hit because you’re excited about it, but it also makes you feel a little bit old,” Pecknold said, adding that he has been fortunate to have the support of his wife, Nikki, and the couple’s four children, along with the coaches and administration he’s worked with over his time at Quinnipiac.
“He’s meant a lot,” Leyh said of his coach. “I came in at 17 as just a kid. I didn’t really know how to play defense. He’s taught me a lot of those details that I hadn’t learned growing up. He really taught me how to play hockey the right way. He’s done a lot for not only me, but the program as a whole.”
The second annual Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off will return to Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum Dec. 28-29, 2022.
The field for the event consists of Clarkson, Lake Superior State, UMass and Wisconsin.
Semifinal play will take place on Wednesday, December 28 with the championship game and third-place game on Thursday, December 29. Matchups will be announced at a later date.
“The inaugural Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off this past December was an unqualified success,” said Gazelle Group president Rick Giles in a statement. “The feedback we received from the teams, the fans, and the media was tremendous, and we look forward to making the 2022 event even better.”
In December’s the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Wisconsin won the title with a pair of victories decided in extra time. In the semifinals, the Badgers defeated Yale 3-2 in overtime before winning the championship in a shootout with then-No. 16 Providence. Despite renewed COVID-19 concerns and snow, nearly 13,000 fans attended the inaugural event at the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
“We are proud to have college hockey return to Fiserv Forum for the second year in a row as we continue to offer a diverse list of events at the arena,” said Peter Feigin, Fiserv Forum and Bucks president. “Milwaukee has a rich history of college hockey tournaments, and we are excited to continue the tradition by hosting Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off again at Fiserv Forum.”
Milwaukee hosted the NCAA men’s Frozen Four on three occasions – 1993, 1997, and 2006. In 2006, Wisconsin won its most recent national championship on the Bradley Center ice.
Tickets for the 2022 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off will go on sale at a later date.
After an 0-2 start to the season, the Oswego State Lakers have gone 15-3-1 to move into the national rankings (No. 11) and contention in the highly competitive SUNYAC. There have been a lot of moving pieces with personnel this season, but Coach Ed Gosek and his staff feel the team is still finding the final pieces to playing their best hockey when it matters most down the stretch.
“Unfortunately, we graduated 15 seniors in 2020,” stated Gosek. That was a big class to replace and those players who are now our sophomore class never saw the ice in a college game. Add in the six new players and essentially, we had a brand new team taking the ice this season. We weren’t sure what we had until we actually started playing and moving players around to find the right combinations. It has been fun putting this puzzle together and credit to the players, they have been very adaptable.”
Not surprisingly, the Lakers have been led this year by senior captain Travis Broughman (10-15-25) who leads the team in points and has scored four game-winning goals this season while being an impressive +10 for the season when he has been on the ice. Coming into the season wasn’t easy for the veterans on the roster either but Broughman has led by example with his play on the ice and voice in the locker room for the Lakers.
“Travis has really raised his game to the highest level in this second half,” stated Gosek. “He has helped elevate other players games like Alex [DiCarlo], Connor [Sleeth] and Tyler [Flack] who are all part of that big sophomore class and finding their game and more and more as we progress through the season. I give Travis and the older guys credit for being flexible as we moved players around to find what worked. They had to re-find the focus and discipline again when we came back as a team and now, I think we have found our groove.”
Gosek and the Lakers have always had a defense first mindset and strong focus on taking care of their end of the ice first and the game flowing from there. Crucial in that mindset is the expected solid play from the man in the crease and Steven Kozikoski has been everything the coaches and his teammates could ask for from a consistency and dependability aspect.
He just gives us a chance to win every night,” noted Gosek. “That is what you need your goaltender to do, and Steven has done that for us this season. He is another great story this year since he came here as a third-string goaltender and just kept working hard every day – perfecting his craft. He got his opportunity and has really blossomed as the starter. I think he is among the top five goalies in the nation statistically (1.95 GAA; .931 SP and 3 shutouts) and that consistency certainly keeps us in every game he has played for us this season.”
The Lakers five losses have all come at the hands of nationally ranked teams in D-III including Hobart, Elmira, Geneseo and Augsburg. The coaching staff has noted that another piece of the puzzle is learning from those teams in what makes them successful and building that capability into their program to raise the level of their game and competitiveness.
“You play them and see what the Hobart’s do, what the Elmira’s and Geneseo’s do, and you want to take the good things and incorporate them into your game where you can,” said Gosek. “Those teams don’t beat themselves and one asset from other teams we have focused on copying this season has been staying out of the penalty box. Staying out of the box just takes away special teams opportunities for our opponent and we like our game playing 5-on-5 or with the man advantage. I really like how we are playing right now and believe our best is still in front of us.”
This past weekend saw the Lakers’ seven-game win streak come to an end. After downing Brockport 7-3 on Friday night where the senior class was celebrated and they clinched a playoff spot, Oswego dropped a 4-2 decision to Geneseo on Saturday leaving the two teams tied in points but with the Knights having a game in hand over the final two weeks of the regular season. The Lakers close out the regular season with games at Morrisville, and Fredonia and Buffalo State at home looking to have their playoff puzzle fully filled in and ready for the challenge of winning the SUNYAC title.
This weekend, Michigan Tech can accomplish something most CCHA teams haven’t able to do much of this season — gain on Minnesota State.
In fairness, it’s only because the top-ranked Mavericks are idle this weekend. But the Huskies (17-8-2) have a huge home series with Bowling Green this weekend, and thanks to their big 8-1 win over Northern Michigan on Tuesday night in Marquette, they can close the gap with the Mavericks to just four points if they can earn a sweep of the Falcons.
That, of course, is easier said than done.
Recent meetings between the teams have favored the Falcons, who are 10-3-2 against the Huskies since 2018. And the Huskies haven’t had much time to prepare for them yet this week because of their Tuesday rivalry game against NMU.
“We haven’t seen Bowling Green yet, and this is the first and only time we’re seeing them in the regular season,” Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan had said on his radio show Monday. “We haven’t been able to do any prep work on them to adjust around.”
BGSU is in the midst of a three-game losing streak after being swept at home by Minnesota State last weekend. The Falcons, currently in fourth place with 30 points, are attempting to fend off NMU (26 points), Lake Superior State (24 points) and Ferris State (23 points) for the final home ice spot in next month’s CCHA playoffs.
“We know Michigan Tech is a really good hockey team,” BGSU coach Ty Eigner said during his weekly news conference on Tuesday afternoon. “They’re chasing Minnesota State to win the league, and we’re trying to keep a hold of a home playoff spot. For us, we’ve said every weekend, this is the biggest weekend of the year, just because of the points that are in play. Every weekend there’s less and less points available.”
Eigner also said that this weekend being Tech’s annual Winter Carnival makes it the closest thing to a playoff atmosphere that the Falcons are going to experience before the playoffs actually begin.
“For us, this is going to be as much of a playoff series as we’ll be able to play leading up to the playoffs because the crowd is going to be crazy, it’s going to be sold out, and the atmosphere will be like the playoffs,” he said.
Tech’s Winter Carnival weekends are always raucous, sold-out affairs, but the road team has actually fared fairly well in Houghton in the recent past. Although the Huskies swept last season’s series against Ferris State, the seasons from 2016-2020 saw the teams split the Winter Carnival games.
“We know it’s going to be a difficult task. They’re really good, and they’re really good at home. They’re second place in our conference for a reason,” Eigner said.
On Tuesday, the Huskies showed why, putting eight goals past NMU goaltender Nolan Kent. Brian Halonen, Tristan Ashbrook and Logan Ganie had two goals each while Trenton Bliss added four assists. In all, 12 total Huskies recorded at least a point.
“Thirty-three shots, eight goals, that doesn’t happen very often, especially in this rink and in this rivalry,” Shawhan said after Tuesday’s game. “We had another great game out of Ganie’s line, but all our guys did well. We’ll take the win, get on the bus and head home to prepare for Bowling Green.”
It’s a natural instinct for a college hockey player to attempt not to get too amped up for any one game, especially when there’s still more than a month to go in the regular season.
Easier said than done, especially when that “one game” is a big part of the reason why said player returned for a fifth season.
“I’ve been in a few of these,” said Boston University super-senior Logan Cockerill on Monday night, after he scored the first goal for his team in a 4-3 win over Harvard in the first round of the 2022 Beanpot at TD Garden. “I didn’t want to get too caught up in it being my last one or (how) I’d feel if we lost. Just trying to treat it like another game, but this was one of the main reasons I came back to BU. I wanted to win a Beanpot, and I’m happy I get a chance to compete for it.”
For the third time in four years, Northeastern will be the Terriers’ opponent in the final Feb. 14 (the only year in that stretch the two clubs didn’t meet in the final was in 2019, when they met in the semifinals, the matchups of which are predetermined on a rotating basis). Northeastern, looking for its fourth straight tournament title, defeated Boston College 3-1 in the later semifinal Monday.
The championship game will feature a battle of backup goalies, as the aces of each staff are representing their home countries in the Beijing Olympics — Northeastern’s Devon Levi is representing Canada while BU’s Drew Commesso is on the roster for the United States. T.J. Semptimphelter and Vinny Duplessis got the nods for the Huskies and the Terriers, respectively. Semptimphelter, a freshman, made 41 saves against BC while Duplessis had 22 stops as BU held off a late Harvard rally.
“It’s really exciting playing in front of that crowd,” said Semptimphelter, who noted that he had scant experience playing in televised games before Monday. “I haven’t been able to play in front of fans for the past two years, (so) it was awesome coming here and seeing all the Northeastern people show up and show their support. It was unbelievable to play in front of that.”
Northeastern (18-8-1, 9-6-1) is ranked No. 15 in the latest DCU/USCHO.com poll, while BU (15-10-3, 10-6-3) is ranked 20th. This will be the third meeting of the season between the two clubs. A tight home-and-home series Nov. 19-20 saw Northeastern win 1-0 the first night at Matthews Arena and win an eight-round shootout at the Terriers’ home rink the next night.
“They’re a really good team,” Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said about BU. “They’re fast, they’re skilled, they’re big, they’re strong. In my opinion, they’re one of the top teams in the country when they’re healthy. So we’ll have our work cut out for us, but we’re excited about the challenge.”
The quirky nature of the tournament’s format, with the first and second rounds on consecutive Mondays, means the teams will have to wait a week until they can dream about hoisting the trophy on the Garden ice. In the meantime, it’s back to regular-season action with BU at No. 17 Providence Thursday and Northeastern at No. 13 UMass-Lowell on Friday.
“It means a lot,” Cockerill said about the chance to win his school’s first Beanpot title since 2015. “At the end of the day, we’ve got another game (Thursday) that we have to focus on, then we have a chance to compete for (the Beanpot title) again.”
The Notre Dame-Wisconsin men’s hockey series, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, Feb. 10-11 at the Kohl Center, is postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Badgers program.
These games will be postponed and the Big Ten will coordinate the rescheduling process.
The U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team dropped a 4-2 decision to Canada in its final preliminary round game of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games today at the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing.
Both teams were undefeated heading into the game, and the U.S. outshot Canada 53-27.
“I think we had a good start [and] we generated a bunch of offense, but that offense didn’t create enough high-quality scoring chances,” said Team USA coach Joel Johnson (St. Thomas) in a statement. “Shots on net don’t win hockey games. Goals do. So we have to find a way to use our offensive zone time to generate higher quality scoring chances and get the puck around them. They did a great job blocking shots. Canada has great goaltending and we’re on the short end of it. That’s the biggest takeaway.”
Dani Cameranesi (Minnesota) and Alex Carpenter (Boston College) scored for the Americans, while Maddie Rooney (Minnesota Duluth) made 23 saves in goal.
For Canada, Brianne Jenner (Cornell) scored twice, and Jamie Lee Rattray (Clarkson) and Marie-Philip Poulin (Boston University), on a penalty shot, added goals in the win.
Ann-Renée Desbiens (Wisconsin) stopped 51 shots in picking up the win for the Canadians.
The United States will now play Czechia in the quarterfinals on Friday at 12:10 p.m. local time, 11:10 p.m. (Thursday night).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Jim: Hello again, Paula.
Here we are in a week that I feel like takes place every single season. After week after week of upsets and parity in the college hockey world, we end up with a weekend where the top college hockey teams basically hold serve. Among the top 20 teams in last week’s poll, only St. Cloud State (swept by Denver), Omaha and North Dakota (two ranked teams that split) and Cornell dropped games.
The concern for me of that bunch is Cornell. The Big Red dominated before head coach Mike Schafer, a legend in the coaching ranks, fell ill first with COVID and then heart problems. Ben Syer, a long-time assistant at both Cornell and other schools, has been running the team. There is no doubt in my mind that Syer is qualified, but Cornell is now 1-3-3 in its last seven.
I wonder when a team has a personality as large as Mike Schafer, does his absence impact the locker room?
Paula: Jimmy, I have to think that what Schafer is going through has impacted his team, regardless of how well Syer is running things. Every coaching change for any team necessitates adjustments. Hypothetically, Syer could do everything that Schafer prescribes – down to shifts, plays, strategies – and it’s still not Schafer behind the bench. We all know that he’s a larger-than-life kind of guy, and the energy that he brings to the program is unique.
There’s no question that his absence has an impact in intangible ways in the locker room, in practice, in games.
Additionally, what Schafer is going through has an emotional impact on everyone in the Cornell hockey program and right now, emotional reserves are low for a lot of people.
But look at the stretch during which the Big Red have gone 1-3-3. They’re still 7-1-3 at home this season, with that single home loss coming in a one-goal decision against Princeton at the start of this span. Since Jan. 8, they beat Quinnipiac at home in OT, eked out three home ties (but gave up the extra point to the visitors in each game) and have a pair of one-goal road losses to Brown and Colgate.
Cornell looks to me like a team doing all it can to hold on during a rough spell and the remainder of their schedule is challenging. Four out of their six final games are on the road, where the Big Red have a .500 record, and one of those games is against Quinnipiac.
Cornell isn’t the only team dealing with crucial absences as the regular season winds down. I count nine NCAA teams have sent players to China with the U.S. Olympic team. Big Ten fans are talking about how this will affect Michigan and Minnesota, for obvious reasons.
How do you see the absences impacting the teams represented in Beijing?
Jim: As I write this, I’m sitting at the TD Garden in Boston watching the Beanpot where seven players are missing to various Olympic teams. Does it impact the games? Certainly. But isn’t this also where a “next-man-up” mentality has to creep into locker rooms? If teams sit there and think about a “woe is me” mentality, you’re going to be on the losing end when the day finishes.
I look at Northeastern, though, which lost Devon Levi to the Canadian Olympic team two weeks ago. TJ Semptimphelter registered 30 saves in a loss to UMass Lowell and then earned a 5-4 victory against Vermont making 29 saves on Friday. BU’s Drew Commesso, who will play for Team USA, was replaced by Vinny Duplessis, who earned a 27-save shutout against Maine on Friday.
It’s not impossible to believe that the next level of players can be as good – sometimes even better than they player who they replace. Isn’t that part of sports? Ask Tom Brady. Ask Cal Ripken. Sometimes the absence of one of the best can yield results one would never imagine.
Paula: Two Big Ten goaltenders come to mind when I think of players stepping rising to a particular occasion, although the circumstances of their ascensions couldn’t be more different.
When Jack LaFontaine made a sudden departure from Minnesota Jan. 9, the Golden Gophers had been riding his performance all season and were obvious contenders for the Big Ten conference title. Junior Justen Close spent two seasons as LaFontaine’s backup and one complete game to his credit – a win Jan. 2 against St. Thomas – when he became the Minnesota starter Jan. 14. Since then, he’s gone 5-3-0 and the Gophers are still in the hunt for a title with six games remaining. With a .914 save percentage and 2.01 goals-against average, Close is doing his part. The Gophers are five points behind first-place Ohio State, a team they play on the road this weekend.
The other goalie is Ohio State freshman Jakub Dobeš, who replaced three-year starter Tommy Nappier. The Buckeyes were picked in preseason to finish in last place, but the steady play of Dobeš has helped this surprising Ohio State team remain competitive all season long.
And while one player can make a difference, Dobeš isn’t the only player to make the most of a new opportunity in Columbus. Senior forward Jake Wise, who had three goals in 50 games in three seasons with Boston University, is second on the OSU squad in goals with 10. It doesn’t hurt that freshman forward Georgii Merkulov is making the most of his first year in college, leading all rookies nationally in goals per game with 18 in 29 contests.
To your bigger point, this is the time of the year when we expect programs as well as individuals to show what they’re made of. Last weekend, we saw nearly all of the top teams in the nation take care of business and control what they could. I’m not surprised to see this – as you pointed out, we tend to see it at about this time each year – and I won’t be surprised to hear a few unfamiliar players make some noise in the coming weeks.
It is a big part of sports that players succeed when given the opportunity. Additionally, what we’ll see as the regular season winds down are players who can thrive partly because of the culture in which they’re playing. Good coaching staffs know how to put players in positions to succeed.
Jim: I echo all of the sentiments about players playing in big games. As the season rolls longer, so often you see experience win out, mostly because the best players have played in difficult situations in the past. Sure, special teams and goaltending wins, but experience to me is often what puts a team over the top.
Then we go back to Ohio State. The Buckeyes were predicted to finish last in the Big Ten, but their young players have performed above expectations and right now the Buckeyes are a team that is about as close as possible to clinching an NCAA tournament berth.
Looking at the PairWise, what other teams can you look at that, at this point late in the season, surprise you on their position – good or bad?
Paula: There are some mighty good teams right below Ohio State in the PairWise that are not in control of their own NCAA berth destinies right now.
Tied at No. 12, both North Dakota and Notre Dame may be victims of the strength of their respective conferences rather than benefitting from them. The Fighting Hawks and the Fighting Irish are both strong, competitive, and mostly consistent teams, each playing in conferences that are very competitive nearly top to bottom.
The weirdness of North Dakota sitting in second place in the NCHC while St. Cloud is in sixth in that conference with a .452 league win percentage yet an RPI that gives the Huskies the PWR edge.
Look at the teams that are Nos. 14 through 20 in the PWR: UMass Lowell, Merrimack, Providence, Northeastern, Clarkson, BU and AIC. Five Hockey East teams, including Lowell, the league’s current leader. Boston University is 8-1-0 in the second half. Merrimack is 8-2-0 in the second half. That Massachusetts is the only Hockey East team in the NCAA tournament right now is stunning, quite frankly.
The drop-off after that has some really competitive teams as well, like No. 21 Omaha – with wins this season over North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth, Western Michigan and St. Cloud – and the two teams tied for different reasons at No. 24, Harvard and Cornell.
As we’ve seen some of the top teams rewarded for their consistency recently, I think we may see some of the teams on the PairWise bubble – and even teams much further down in the rankings – pull out a few upsets come conference playoff time.
Who knows? Maybe Northern Michigan will make some magic and send four teams from the Mitten to the tournament.
I love surprise endings.
The announced Tuesday a one-game suspension for Bemidji State junior defenseman Elias Rosén.
The infraction occurred 14 seconds into the third period on Feb. 5, 2022, in a game between Bemidji State and Northern Michigan. The on-ice call was a minor penalty for interference, but after further league review, the CCHA has determined that the penalty will result in supplemental discipline.
The suspension will be effective for the next game, Feb. 18, against Minnesota State. Rosén will be eligible to return to the Bemidji State lineup on Feb. 19.
“Now is the winter of our discontent,” wrote William Shakespeare in Richard III.
What he described, this feeble writer’s mind doesn’t know, despite studying Latin and the Classics throughout a high school education at Boston Latin School, located just miles from TD Garden.
But if Shakespeare was predicting a future, one in Boston could associate the well-quoted expression with the winter of 2021.
For 68 years, the first two Mondays in February made college hockey the royal sport in Boston. Super Bowls were concluded. Trucks for Spring Training had yet to depart. But for each of the first two Mondays in Boston, the Beanpot tournament – a battle of four local-area schools in Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern – got underway.
So when Monday, February 1, 2021, arrived, there was a great silence that wasn’t filled. The TD Garden on Causeway Street in Boston stood empty, much like it had aside from the players from local sport teams named Celtics and Bruins for much of the year.
The misery of COVID, which had raged its ugly head across the world, taking the lives of so many and interrupting the average life of everyone, had silenced the college hockey event that for 68 years – through wars, blizzards (who will forget 1978) and other world controversies – had been slowed but never stopped in its tracks. It was absent from Boston.
“It was empty,” said Steve Nazro, longtime organizer of the Beanpot for TD Garden. “You get used to doing this and it just felt empty.”
Nazro said that Monday, where the TD Garden staff also celebrated his 80th birthday, felt like a return to normalcy.
“It’s great to be back. The employees and the fans. It’s exciting. You can tell everyone really missed it.”
For the teams on the ice, the sentiment was identical.
“It was great to see the building full and back having the Beanpot,” said Boston University coach Albie O’Connell, whose Terrier square withstood a rally from Harvard to win the opening semifinal, 4-3. “The crowd was pretty lively. It was great to be back. And the pressure was real.
“It was fun, and it was nice to be on the right side of [the decision].”
Even in its return, this year’s Beanpot – the 69th edition – feels maybe like a shadow of itself. None of the four teams are battling for an NCAA spot for the first time in what seems like forever. All are missing players to the Olympics – seven in total including goaltenders Drew Commesso from Boston University and Devon Levi from Northeastern.
But the ability for fans to return to the seats of TD Garden felt cathartic – and at least a temporary reprieve from COVID – for many in attendance on Monday.
“We are all looking for the things that bring back normalcy,” said David Snow, a longtime Boston University fan who made his way to TD Garden for Monday’s games. “The Beanpot’s return is a big step in that direction. You could feel it in the stands people are just happy to be back.”
A lot has changed, believe it or not, since the last time the Beanpot landed at TD Garden. In 2020, right before COVID canceled the sports world, overtime rules were different than today. Prior to 2020, overtimes were unlimited, 20-minute periods until someone scored. During the 2020 Beanpot, the rules changed forcing teams to first play a five-minute overtime before the unlimited 20-minutes overtimes began (Boston University participated twice in overtime in that tournament).
This year’s tournament, because of NCAA rules, eliminated the extended overtimes, forcing teams to follow the protocols of a five-minute 3-on-3 overtime and then a shootout to determine the team that would advance.
When ESPN’s John Buccigross tweeted that out on Monday afternoon, it was a uniting social media moment as all four fans bases were irate.
NEWS if u weren’t aware: Beanpot will no longer have multiple OTs—treated like regular season game. If game tied after regulation, will be 3-on-3, 5-minute OT. If nobody scores, shootout determines winner/advancing team. Beanpot committee submitted waiver to NCAA but was denied pic.twitter.com/tvYMQKadpp
— House of Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) February 7, 2022
Still, once the puck dropped on the evening, it felt like hockey as usual. Sure, fans were required to show vaccine status and wear facemasks, but the ability to be back in a place that felt familiar was critical to the college hockey family that is almost accustomed to gathering for an event that, for years, was called the social event of the year in Boston.
Bemidji State at (1) Minnesota
Goalie Lauren Bench earned a shutout in her 100th career start and six different Gophers lit the lamp as Minnesota cruised a 7-0 win on Friday. Payton Hemp led the Gophers with two goals. Catie Skaja, Savannah Norcross, Audrey Wethington, Amy Potomak and Abigail Boreen each added a goal and an assist in the win. Saturday’s game was tough fought, with the teams trading goals through the first two periods. Emily Brown scored for Minnesota with about six minutes to go in the opening frame, but Taylor Nelson responded for Bemidji State and tied the game up just 32 seconds later. Taylor Heise scored the first of her two goals midway through the second to make it 2-1, but again, the Beavers responded quickly. Graysen Myers tied the game at two 15 seconds later. Less than 90 seconds after that, Norcross scored what would prove to be the game-winner to make it 3-2. Boreen made it 4-2 before the end of the second and Heise scored a short-handed tally late in the third to give Minnesota the 5-2 win and weekend sweep.
(2) Ohio State at Minnesota State
On Friday, Paetyn Levis had two goals and two assists, Liz Schepers had three assists and Jenna Buglioni lit the lamp twice to lead Ohio State to a 5-0 win. In the second game, Sophie Jaques had three assists to give her 47 points on the year, setting a new Ohio State record for points in a season by a blueliner. Lexi Templeman, Buglioni and Gabby Rosenthal had the Buckeyes up 3-0 early in the second before Jessica Kondas got the Mavericks on the board. In the third, Madison Bizal, Schepers, Jennifer Gardiner and Rosenthal all scored to make it a 7-1 win and weekend sweep for Ohio State.
(3) Northeastern at Merrimack
Skylar Fontaine scored 29 seconds into the game and the Huskies didn’t look back as they took a 5-0 win over the Warriors. Maureen Murphy led Northeastern with two goals and three assists. Katy Knoll and Maddie Mills also scored in the game.
(5) Minnesota Duluth at (4) Wisconsin
The Badgers out-shot the Bulldogs 45-16, but JoJo Chobak was stellar in net for UMD and Elizabeth Giguere scored twice in the final seven minutes to ensure the game was out of reach to give UMD a 3-0 win. Gabby Krause scored the game-winner just 3:42 into the game and then the Bulldogs smothered the Badgers, tallying 20 blocks and keeping them off the board. Giguere had a beauty of a goal to beat Kennedy Blair for the second goal, putting the game out of reach and added an empty-netter to close out the game. In the second game of the weekend, the Badgers responded with a 5-1 win on the back of a Daryl Watts hat trick. She is now fifth for all-time points in the NCAA with 284 and is one point away from moving into a tie for third place in NCAA history with Julie Chu and Jocelyn Lamoureaux. Watts opened the scoring on the power play midway through the first period. Makenna Webster doubled the lead 36 seconds into the second period and Watts got her second 36 seconds after that. She completed the hat trick with a short-handed goal halfway through the game. Kailee Skinner got Minnesota Duluth on the board a few minutes into the final frame, but Caitlin Schneider’s goal a few minutes later ended any momentum and gave Wisconsin the 5-1 win and weekend split.
(6) Harvard at (7) Colgate
Special teams were the difference maker in this game as Colgate used four power play goals to build up to a 6-2 win over the Crimson. After an even, scoreless first, Anne Bloomer put Harvard up 1-0 just 14 seconds into the second period. Colgate responded by rattling off three straight goals. Kalty Kaltounkova scored first on the player advantage and then at even strength to give Colgate a 2-1 lead. Katilyn O’Donohoe lit the lamp on the power play to make it 3-1 Raiders. Kristin Della Rovere had Harvard’s only extra-attacker goal to cut the lead to 3-2 just before the end of the period. In the third, Tanner Gates and Rosy Demers each scored on the advantage and Sammy Smigliani topped off the 6-2 win with a goal late in the game.
(6) Harvard at Cornell
The Crimson secured their 12th Ivy League title with a 6-3 win over Cornell on Saturday. In the first, Becca Gilmore opened the scoring, but Kaitlin Jockims responded for Cornell and the teams were tied at one at the first intermission. Kristi Della Rovere and Maryna Macdonald scored early in the second to give Harvard a 3-1 lead, but Cornell clawed their way back. Rory Guilday lit the lamp a minute before the second period break and Lily Delianedis scored in the first few minutes of the final frame to tie the game at three. But the Crimson showed the grit that has helped them become one of the top ranked teams in the country, capitalizing twice on the power play with goals from Gilmore and Kyla Willoughby before Emma Buckles scored a shorty in the waning minutes to give Harvard the win and championship.
(7) Colgate at Cornell
The Raiders took a 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Sammy Smigliani, but Gabbie Rud scored with just 13.7 left on the clock in the opening frame to tie it up. Gillis Frechette gave Cornell the lead in the second frame and Rory Guilday put the game out of reach early in the third. Dara Grieg scored her 17th of the season to narrow the lead, but Colgate couldn’t complete the comeback and Cornell took this one 3-2.
(8) Quinnipiac at Clarkson
Logan Angers made a season-high 33 saves and Courtney Vorster scored in overtime to lift Quinnipiac over Clarkson on Friday. Taylor House scored on the power play to give Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead in the first. That stood as the only tally until Jenna Goodwin tied the game for Clarkson early in the third. The game needed extra time to find a winner, where Vorster’s shot from the point deflected past Michelle Pasiechnyk to give the Bobcats the 2-1 win.
(8) Quinnipiac at St. Lawrence
In a rare occurrence, Quinnipiac played three games last weekend, including two in a row with the same opponent. The change in routine wasn’t kind to the Bobcats, who dropped both games to the Saints. On Saturday, Rachel Bjorgan took the puck nearly coast to coast to put St. Lawrence up 1-0 early. The Bobcats tied the game late in the third on a goal from Kate Reilly. Kristina Bahl scored her third of the season to put St. Lawrence back on top in the second and then the Saints held off Quinnipiac’s pressure for the rest of the game to come away with the 2-1 win. On Sunday, 12 of the 19 skaters St. Lawrence dressed earned a point in a solid 5-1 win. Abby Hustler and Kristen Guerriero led the Saints with a goal and an assist each. Melissa Jeffries, Suyeon Eom and Laura Cote also scored for St. Lawrence. Olivia Mobley was the goal scorer for Quinnipiac.
(9) Yale at RPI
Yale coach Mark Bolding earned his 300th career win as the Bulldogs defeated RPI 3-0 on Friday. Elle Hartje led the team with a goal and an assist. She scored on the power play in the second to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. Tess Dettling scored short-handed in the third to double the lead and Rebecca Foggia closed out the win.
(9) Yale at Union
The Bulldogs set a new program record for wins in a season, earning their 18th with a 7-0 win over Union. Tess Dettling lit the lamp three times, including her second shorty of the weekend. Charlotte Welch added a power play tally and a short-handed goal in the win.
(10) Connecticut at Boston University
It looked like the Huskies were going to take an overtime win on Friday, but a quick whistle nullified Natalie Snodgrass’ goal and UConn had to settle for a tie, with BU taking the shootout win and extra conference point. The only scoring in this game came in a four minute stretch of the second period. Viki Harkness put one over Callie Shanahan’s shoulder to put the Huskies up 1-0. But Mackenna Parker tied the game minutes later with a short-handed goal. She also scored the shootout-winner, as well.
(10) Connecticut at New Hampshire
Natalie Snodgrass opened the scoring just 16 seconds in before Danielle Fox rattled off a natural hat trick, scoring three times in about 16 minutes of game time. Snodgrass bookended things with a goal in the third to make it a 5-0 win for Connecticut.
(10) Vermont at Maine
Vermont won their eighth-straight game – a program record – on Friday. Theresa Schafzahl scored midway through the third period to put the Catamounts on the board. Ellice Murphy extended the lead to 2-0 in the third. Maine fought back with a goal from Ida Kuoppala, but Vermont held off the comeback and earned the 2-1 win. On Saturday, they extended their win streak and won a program-record 19th game on the season with a 3-1 win. Alyssa Holmes and Hailey Burns had the Catamounts up 2-0 after two. In the third, Maine pushed back, outshooting Vermont 11-6. Morgan Trimper cut the lead in half, but Corinne McCool scored again for UVM to ensure the win.
Rensselaer announced Monday the establishment of the C. Lloyd Bauer ’55 Endowed Men’s Varsity Ice Hockey Coach.
The $2 million gift will be funded by Rensselaer alum and former men’s varsity hockey player Lloyd Bauer, class of 1955.
“Rensselaer athletics are the cornerstone of community on our campus and at the heart of providing an all-encompassing experience for our students,” said Rensselaer president Shirley Ann Jackson in a statement. “The legacy of Rensselaer hockey is integral to keeping that tradition alive, not only for our students, alumni and alumnae, but our surrounding communities as well.
“I thank Dr. Bauer and his wife for their commitment to helping this legacy continue to thrive.”
Bauer was recruited by legendary coach Ned Harkness in 1951 and played varsity hockey for Rensselaer for all four years. He was a member of the NCAA Division I championship team in 1954 and graduated from Rensselaer in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical Engineering. He received a Master of Engineering in 1959, and a Doctor of Engineering in 1961, both from Yale University. In 1984, he received the degree of Docteur ès sciences honoris causa from l`École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne.
Bauer is currently professor emeritus at Carnegie Mellon University.
Bauer and his wife, Janet, have made several gifts to Rensselaer over the years to endow the Charles W. and Dorothy F. Bauer Scholarship in memory of Dr. Bauer’s parents, who always emphasized the value of education.
“Education is something that cannot be lost or stolen, and provides the gateway to a better life,” said Dr. Bauer. “You can be at the top of everything at one moment in time, but then it fades away. Education will never fade away, and this gift will make a lasting impact.”
This is the second endowed head coach position at Rensselaer, the women’s head soccer coach being the first.
The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston announced Monday the 25 semifinalists for the 70th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England.
The nation’s oldest nationally-recognized college hockey honor, the award was established in 1953 by the members of the 1933 Massachusetts Rangers, the first American team ever to win the World Championship Tournament. Brown coached the Rangers to the title in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where the team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the championship game.
Twelve teams are represented in the slate of candidates that includes 14 forwards, seven defensemen, and four goaltenders. Fourteen nominees are from teams in Hockey East, seven from ECAC Hockey and four are from Atlantic Hockey.
“With all of the teams back in action this season after an abbreviated campaign last year due to COVID, we have six more semifinalists than we had a year ago,” said Walter Brown Award selection committee chairman Tim Costello in a statement. “This field of candidates shows strong representation from all three conferences and a balanced blend of forwards, defensemen, and goalies.”
The Gridiron Club will announce the finalists and winner of the 70th Walter Brown Award in late March, before the start of NCAA tournament play.
Six of the 2022 nominees were semifinalists a year ago: Boston College forward Marc McLaughlin; Boston University forward Jay O’Brien, Northeastern defenseman Jordan Harris, Providence goalie Jaxson Stauber, New Hampshire forward Jackson Pierson, and UMass forward Bobby Trivigno, who was the 2021 Walter Brown Award winner.
American International:
Sophomore goaltender Jake Kucharski
Grad student forward Brian Rigali
Bentley:
Sophomore defenseman Drew Bavaro
Boston College:
Senior forward Marc McLaughlin *
Senior defenseman Jack St. Ivany
Boston University:
Sophomore goaltender Drew Commesso
Junior forward Jay O’Brien *
Harvard:
Junior forward Nick Abruzzese
Sophomore forward Sean Farrell
Sophomore forward Alex Laferriere
Junior defenseman Henry Thrun
Massachusetts:
Freshman defenseman Scott Morrow
Senior forward Bobby Trivigno *
Merrimack:
Junior defenseman Declan Carlisle
Junior forward Liam Walsh
New Hampshire:
Senior forward Jackson Pierson *
Northeastern:
Senior defenseman Jordan Harris *
Junior forward Aidan McDonough
Providence:
Sophomore forward Brett Berard
Junior forward Parker Ford
Junior goaltender Jaxson Stauber *
Quinnipiac:
Senior forward Wyatt Bongiovanni
Senior defenseman Zach Metsa
Grad student goaltender Dylan St. Cyr
Sacred Heart:
Senior forward Austin Magera
* = 2021 semifinalist
Minnesota State has retained the No. 1 ranking in this week’s DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, getting 30 first-place votes.
Quinnipiac stays No. 2, picking up 12 first-place votes, while Denver moves up one to No. 3 with four first-place votes and Michigan drops one spot to No. 4, also garnering four first-place votes this week.
Western Michigan rounds out the top five, holding steady from a week ago.
Minnesota Duluth is again sixth, followed by Minnesota, up one to No. 7, Ohio State, up one to No. 8, Massachusetts, up one to No. 9, and St. Cloud State, down three to No. 10.
DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll – Feb. 7, 2022
The biggest drop is Cornell, down five spots to No. 16 in this week’s rankings.
No new teams enter the rankings this week.
In addition to the top 20 teams, nine others also received votes.
The DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
DCU (DCU.org), a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by and operated for its members, is the sponsor of this poll. DCU serves more than 900,000 members and their families in all 50 states.
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at this past weekend’s games and news.
This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org
Topics include:
• It was a very stable week for the USCHO top 20
• Quinnipiac sweeps the Capital District in the ECAC including an NCAA record-setting 13th shutout
• Cornell during Mike Schafer’s absence
• An extended look at the PairWise: Which teams are NCAA locks or nearly so?
• Will there be an historic Beanpot final?
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.
Things are getting even tighter across most of the conferences with stunning upsets, overtime thrillers and great overall action with many teams finding their game at the right time of the year. Here’s this week’s wrap-up for all the great action:
CCC
Salve Regina has surged to the top of the standings picking up a pair of wins and a shootout win last week. On Monday, the Seahawks won a wild one over the University of New England rallying from a 6-5 deficit in the third period to earn an 8-6 win. George Sennott, Cayden Kraus and Mitch Walinski each scored two goals for the Seahawks. After a hard fought tie with Suffolk where goaltenders Nicholas Latinovich and Cal Wilcox were stellar, Kaiden Kanderka scored the only goal of the shootout for Salve Regina. On Saturday, Curtis Carlson gave Nichols an early 1-0 lead before the Seahawks reeled off six unanswered goals for the 6-1 win. Kraus and John McLean each scored twice while Sennott added a goal and assist in the win that moved Salve Regina to the top spot in the conference at 12-3-1.
UNE rallied back after Monday’s loss with wins over Wentworth and Western new England to close out the week. On Tuesday, Austin Morgan scored two goals and Jared Christy picked up three assists in a 5-0 win over the Leopards. Billy Girard IV made 19 saves in the shutout win. On Saturday, the Nor’easters were led by Ryan Kuzmich’s two goals in a 6-2 win over the Golden Bears.
In a battle amongst top four teams, Endicott eked out a 2-1 win over Curry on Saturday. Andrew Kurapov assisted on Noah Strawn’s first period goal before scoring the game winner just over a minute into the third period. Conor O’Brien stopped 25 of 26 shots for the Gulls to earn the win and outduel Reid Cooper who made 41 saves for the Colonels in the loss.
Independents
Anna Maria and Albertus Magnus played on Saturday night with the AmCats coming away with a 6-3 win over the Falcons. Cam Tobey and Guillaume Coulombe each scored twice to lead the offense for Anna Maria. Brenden Boncore stopped 40 of 43 shots to get his second win of the season in net for the AmCats.
Milan Breczko scored two goals and Andrew LoRusso stopped 37 of 38 shots in a 3-1 win for Rivier over Stonehill on Saturday. The win was the Raiders’ fifth on the season and first in calendar 2022.
MASCAC
The battle at the top took place on Tuesday afternoon as Fitchburg State visited Plymouth State in a game postponed from the weekend’s blizzard conditions across New England. The Panthers took advantage of first period goals from Jacob Laurin and Anton Nasstrom for an early 2-0 lead. Mike McPherson added a power play goal in the second period and Kalle Andersson stopped all 26 shots he faced in a 3-0 shutout. The win snapped the Falcons win streak while extending the Panthers run to four straight. That streak extended to six for the Panthers who added wins over Westfield State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth to solidify their spot at the top of the standings. After a 3-1 win over the Owls on Thursday, the Panthers took advantage of a four-goal first period to cruise past the Corsairs by a 7-3 score. Anton Nasstrom picked up a goal and added three assists in the win.
Fitchburg State rebounded after the loss to PSU with a 5-1 win over Salem State featuring two goals apiece from Zackery Diamont and Toivo Kramer and a new career save record established by goaltender Brian McGrath. On Saturday, McGrath posted a shutout and Gene Bouthiette scored a pair of goals to lead a 5-0 win over Framingham State.
In the non-conference battle for bragging rights in the City of Worcester, Worcester State pulled off a stunning overtime win over Assumption rallying from a three-goal deficit in the final two and a half minutes with their goalie pulled to tie the game at 6-6. In overtime, with a carry-over power play, Max Roth completed the incredible rally scoring the game winner less than one minute into overtime. Wyatt Friedlander picked up the win in goal, coming in relief and stopping 12 of 13 shots he faced for his first win of the season. Assumption’s Dante Maribito scored a hat trick for the Greyhounds who surrendered leads of 3-0, 4-1, 5-2 and 6-3 in the thriller.
NE-10
League leading Southern New Hampshire split a weekend series with St. Michael’s over the weekend. On Friday, the Purple Knights broke out the offense in a 9-1 win. Five first period goals and six on the power play powered the runaway win for St. Michael’s that featured a four-point game from Case Kantgias. On Saturday, the game was much closer and took an overtime session to decide the outcome for the Penmen. George Thurston with and assist from Jake Cox scored in overtime to give SNHU a 5-4 win.
Assumption and St. Anselm also split a weekend series in NE-10 play. On Friday, Assumption’s Ronny Paragallo scored in the second period to break a 1-1 tie and help the Greyhounds to a 2-1 win backed by David Altman’s 37 saves. On Saturday, the Hawks raced to a 3-0 lead and extended the advantage to 5-0 on the way to a 6-2 win to earn a split of the series. Andrew Andary scored two goals and Matt Hayes added a goal and two assists for the Hawks who scored three special teams goals.
NEHC
On Friday night, Norwich continued their overtime magic with a big road win over Babson. Having taken a 2-1 lead in the second period on goals from Scott Swanson and Clark Kerner, the Cadets were forced to overtime when Paul Boutoussov scored for the Beavers on the power play in the third period. The Cadets also had a man advantage in the extra session on a last minute major penalty called on the Beavers and Brett Ouderkirk took advantage for the game winner in the 3-2 win. On Saturday, Ouderkirk and Kerner again scored for the Cadets in a 5-1 win over Southern Maine.
Hobart picked up a pair of wins to stay atop the NEHC standings. On Friday, the offense exploded for six first period goals on the way to a 12-2 win over Castleton. Aaron Maguyon recorded four assists to lead the Statesmen who saw 17 players record a point in the win. On Saturday, it took a massive comeback for Hobart to down Skidmore in a 5-4 win. The Thoroughbreds raced out to a 4-0 lead early in the second period only to see Hobart respond with five unanswered goals. Jake Gresh broke the ice for the Statesmen who then received two goals each from PA Martineau and Austin Mourar to complete the comeback win.
Five different players scored for Massachusetts-Boston in a 5-0 win over Johnson & Wales. Sam Best recorded 17 saves to earn the shutout as the Beacons outshot the Wildcats 61-17 that moved the Beacons to 9-4-2 in NEHC play.
NESCAC
Wesleyan was the big mover in the standings as the Cardinals extended their win streak to four games with wins over Williams and Middlebury. On Friday, Marc Smith recorded 24 saves to earn the shutout and goals from Go Uemura, Jake Lachance and Tyler Levine provided all of the scoring in a 3-0 road win over the Ephs. On Saturday, the Cardinals jumped out to a 3-0 first period lead only to see the Panthers battle back to within one goal after two periods of play. Owen Sweet and Wiggle Kerbrat broke open the game in the final two minutes of regulation for the 5-2 win.
Amherst also picked up a pair of wins in Maine to help their push in the conference standings. Ben Kuzma scored two goals and Connor Leslie picked up the win in goal in a 5-3 win over Bowdoin. On Saturday, in a game that featured MacDonalds on both benches, the Amherst pulled off a “mammoth” upset in defeating No. 15 Colby, 1-0. Connor Merrill with an assist from Matt Toporowski scored the only goal in the game in the second period and goaltender Dan Dachille made 32 saves to earn the shutout.
Tufts picked up a win and an overtime tie in games with travel partner Connecticut College over the weekend. On Friday, Josh Sarlo made 27 saves to make an early 3-0 lead stand up for a 3-2 Jumbo win. On Saturday, neither team could score until the third period where the Camels took a 2-0 lead on goals from Paul Capozzi and Steven Senese. Tufts answered back with goals from Harrison Bazianos and Andrew Maynard to tie the game at 2-2. Overtime couldn’t change the outcome of the regulation tie.
SUNYAC
In the upset of the weekend, Cortland downed No. 2 Geneseo on Friday night by a 2-0 score backed by the brilliant goaltending of junior Luca Durante. After a scoreless first period, Michael Sciore gave the Red Dragons the only goal they would need to support Durante in goal. Ethan Homitz added a second tally in the third period where Durante was his best stopping all 21 Knight attempts in the final period and totaling 41 saves to earn the shutout win.
After downing Brockport 7-3 on Friday, Oswego was set to try an extend Geneseo’s losing streak, but the Knights bounced back with a big home win against the Lakers, 4-2. Greg Koutsomitis, Tommy Winn and Dan Bosio gave Geneseo a 3-0 lead in the final ten minutes of the first period and Alex Wilkins extended the lead to 4-0 in the second period. The Lakers would score twice on Matt Petizian who stopped 34 of 36 shots in the win that keeps the Knights atop the standings in the SUNYAC with just two weekends remaining in the regular season.
Unable to score many goals or win many games Potsdam had been struggling for most of the season but scored eleven goals over the weekend to earn wins over Fredonia and Buffalo State. On Friday, the Bears were led by Jack Loran and Ethan Clark who each picked up a goal and two assists in a 6-2 win over the Blue Devils. On Saturday, the Bears surrendered and early goal to Troy Button but then scored five unanswered for the 5-1 win. Loran added a goal and an assist to his weekend totals while Drew Rose added two goals as the Bears built their win streak to two and jumped up in the SUNYAC standings.
UCHC
Wilkes traveled to Stevenson for a mid-week matinee that finished with a dramatic overtime win for the Mustangs. Tied at 2-2 after forty minutes of action, Xavier Abdella gave the visiting Colonels a 3-2 lead, but Alex Rivet tied the game at 3-3 sending the game to overtime. Eric Olson scored for the Mustangs to knock off the No. 8 ranked team 4-3. Ryan Kenny played big in goal for Stevenson stopping 30 of 33 shots in the win. The Colonels rallied back for a pair of convincing wins over the weekend downing Arcadia 7-0 and Lebanon Valley, 8-1. Tyler Barrow and Phil Erickson each scored a pair of goals in the win over the Knights while Ben Stefanini scored two goals and added an assist in the win over the Flying Dutchmen.
Stevenson stayed hot adding two more wins for the week with an overtime victory against Neumann and a shutout win over Manhattanville. In the seesaw battle with Neumann, Mac Lowry tied the game in the third period at 4-4 and Chat Watt scored to win the game in overtime less than two minutes into the extra session for the 5-4 road win. On Saturday, the Mustangs completed their big week by knocking off Manhattanville by a 2-0 score. Frank Vitucci and Watt’s shorthanded tally were all the scoring that goaltender Ryan Kenny would need as he made 33 saves for the shutout win.
Utica cruised to a 7-1 win over Nazareth led by Buster Larsson’s four-point game on Friday night. In a non-conference game with Canton on Saturday, the Pioneers surrendered the first goal before scoring the next five goals by five different players in a 5-1 win. Dante Zapata scored one goal and added two assists to extend the Utica win streak to 12 games.
Three Biscuits
Blake Carlson – Framingham State – stopped 48 of 50 shots in the Rams’ 3-2 overtime win against Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Thursday.
Buster Larsson – Utica – scored one goal and added three assists in the Pioneer’s 7-1 win over Nazareth on Saturday.
Luca Durante – Cortland – made 41 saves including 21 in the final period to help Cortland knock off No. 2 Geneseo 2-0 on Friday night.
Bonus Biscuits
Brian McGrath – Fitchburg State – broke the school’s career save record in a win against Salem State and added a shutout in a win over Framingham State.
Dan Dachille – Amherst – made 32 saves in Amherst’s 1-0 win over No. 15 Colby on Saturday.
Aaron Maguyon – Hobart – picked up four assists in Hobart’s 12-2 win over Castleton on Friday night.
The weeks in the regular season are winding down but not so the intensity of play as teams are battling to finish strong and set themselves up for a great playoff run. Still a lot of re-scheduled games on the calendar as the available day wind down so teams are going to have to stay fresh and energized down the stretch.
Each week during the season, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Milestones for Bobcats
Quinnipiac set a record in a milestone game.
The second-ranked Bobcats (23-2-3) beat Union 1-0 behind 16 saves by Yaniv Perets to earn a shutout victory. That shutout was Quinnipiac’s 13th of the season, which set a men’s Division I single-season record in the process.
Perets has been in the net for 10 of those 13 shutouts, while Dylan St. Cyr has been responsible for the other three.
But the shutout wasn’t the only event of significance on Saturday night in Hamden. The game also happened to be the 1,000th of QU head coach Rand Pecknold’s career. Pecknold is 549–326–97 all-time behind the bench since 1994 – all with Quinnipiac. He’s the 19th head coach in men’s division 1 history to reach that number.
2. Colgate takes five points from Cornell
Cornell’s winless skid continued this weekend, as Colgate beat the Big Red 3-2 on Friday at home in Hamilton, N.Y., before rallying for a tie and a shootout win on Saturday in Ithaca.
The Raiders (10-14-3) never trailed in Friday’s game, and Ethan Manderville’s power-play goal with less than 10 minutes to go gave them the victory. On Saturday, Cornell (13-6-4) scored in the first and second periods but the Raiders’ Alex Young and Jeff Stewart each scored in the second period to tie it. Colgate’s Mitch Benson stopped 32 shots to send it to a shootout, then stopped both shots in the skills competition to help the Raiders earn five points in the series.
No. 11 Cornell hasn’t won a game since a 2-1 overtime win over Quinnipiac on Jan. 22, and is winless in regulation since their sweep of North Dakota at the beginning of January.
3. Denver sweeps St. Cloud in wild series
The No. 4-ranked Pioneers (20-5-1) took all six points against the seventh-ranked Huskies (14-9-1) to stake their claim atop the NCHC standings.
In Friday’s game, Denver fell behind 3-0 early but scored four times in both the second and third periods en route to a 8-5 victory. The Huskies had, at one point, taken a 4-2 lead in the second period on Kevin Fitzgerald’s second goal of the game. But Carter Savoie had a hat trick, Brett Stapley had two goals and an assist and Bobby Brink had five points assured the Pioneers won the wild game.
Saturday’s 2-0 victory was dramatic for different reasons. Carter King scored in the second period and Cole Guttman in the third while Magnus Chrona’s 22 save-shutout gave the Pios the victory.
4. Omaha rallies to split at North Dakota
Denver’s sweep gave them a five-point lead in the NCHC standings, but they were helped out by Omaha’s (17-11) comeback victory over North Dakota (15-11-1) on Saturday night in Grand Forks.
After the Fighting Hawks won 4-1 on Friday night, they looked poised for the sweep Saturday, with Riese Garber and Judd Caulfield’s goals giving them a 2-0 lead after two periods. But Pennington Davis and Kevin Conley’s goals in the first 10 minutes of the third period tied it before Brannon McManus scored the game-winner halfway into overtime.
5. Big Ten sweeps
All three of the Big Ten series on the weekend ended in sweeps for the home team.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota beat Michigan State 4-2 and 3-1. In South Bend, it was a similar story, with Notre Dame beating up on Penn State, 7-2 and 3-0. In Columbus, Ohio State needed overtime to beat Wisconsin 4-3 on Friday but had no such troubles on Saturday, as the Buckeyes beat the Badgers 6-2.
Because Michigan was idle, Ohio State leapfrogged them in the standings with their sweep. The Buckeyes are in first place with 42 points, but the second-place Wolverines are on 39 points and have two games-in-hand. Third-place Minnesota also has two games-in-hand on the Buckeyes; the Gophers have 37 points and are a series-sweep away from overtaking OSU as well.
6. Beanpot preparation
As Northeastern, Boston College, Boston University and Harvard get ready for the 69th Beanpot on Monday, three of the four got some positive momentum and earned a victory over the weekend.
Defending champions Northeastern tallied four goals in the third period to knock off Vermont 5-4. Sam Colangelo, who scored the game-winner, had a three-point night to lead the Huskies.
Boston University beat Maine 4-0 behind 27 saves by Vinny Duplessis and two goals and an assist from Robert Mastrosimone.
Harvard was also victorious, beating Dartmouth 3-1 on goals from Jack Donato, Matthew Coronato and Austin Wong.
The lone Beanpot team to lose on the weekend was Boston College. The Eagles, who haven’t won a game since New Years, lost at home to UMass Lowell 3-2. The Eagles failed to hold onto a 2-1 third period lead and lost their ninth consecutive game.
7. Mavericks continue streak
Despite missing head coach Mike Hastings and top scorer Nathan Smith – who are at the Olympics with Team USA – Minnesota State showed just how deep they are with 3-1 and 5-0 victories at Bowling Green.
The Mavericks, who have won 16 of their last 17 games, have opened up a 13-point lead on second-place Michigan Tech, who only took five of six points against St. Thomas this weekend.
8. AIC closes in on AHA title
American International took four points from RIT this weekend, meaning the Yellowjackets (15-10-2) need just seven points to clinch their fourth-consecutive Atlantic Hockey regular-season title.
AIC routed the Tigers 7-0 Friday behind Justin Young’s two goals and Jake Stella’s three assists. On Saturday, though, the teams battled to an entertaining, back-and-fourth 4-4 draw. Gianfranco Cassaro scored twice for the Tigers (13-11-4) and Luka Maver tallied two for the Yellowjackets. It was the Tigers who earned the extra point with a 2-1 shootout win.
The Yellowjackets are now 11 points ahead of second-place Canisius with six games left. They could hypothetically clinch the AHA hockey title this weekend if they can sweep Army West point and if other results go their way.
9. Beavers snap losing streak
Bemidji State snapped a six-game losing streak, beating Northern Michigan 5-3 on Saturday night to salvage a split and earn their first victory since Jan. 14.
The Beavers (14-16) went 4-for-4 on the power play, with Elias Rosén scoring the game-winning goal and adding three assists.
Meanwhile for NMU, AJ Vanderbeck added to his nation-leading 19 goals with a goal for the Wildcats (15-12-1), who beat the Beavers 2-1 on Friday.
Vanderbeck is one of five players in the country who have 19 goals. He’s joined by CCHA rival Ryan Sandelin of Minnesota State as well as Matthew Kopperud of Arizona State, Ethen Frank of Western Michigan and Cameron Wright of Denver.
10. Alaska stays hot
Despite being left in the cold by their former conference compatriots in the new CCHA, the now-independent Alaska Nanooks have stayed hot this January. The Nanooks are 5-3-1 since the calendar turned to 2022 and have won three in a row.
Their most recent series was a slightly-chippy series sweep against fellow independent Arizona State. The Nanooks won 5-3 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday, with Gustavs Davis Gringals stopping 38 and 39 saves, respectively, on each night. Saturday’s game featured a second-period donnybrook and 10-minute misconduct penalties for two players on each team.
The teams will be getting to know one another well next month, as the Sun Devils (15-16) make the return trip to Alaska in two weeks to complete their (very unusual) home-and-home series. The Nanooks actually have eight games remaining on their schedule – the series against ASU, two series against fellow independent Long Island (one home and one away), and a home series next week against St. Thomas.
Make it 22 wins in a row now for the Adrian Bulldogs, the No. 1 team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Adrian won a huge series against fellow nationally ranked opponent Aurora over the weekend, completing the sweep with a 7-2 win Saturday. Adrian won the opener 4-2.
Zach Goberis came through with a pair of goals to pace the Bulldogs, who jumped on top 3-0 after one period of play in Saturday’s showdown and never looked back.
Ty Ens came through with a goal and an assist while Sam Ruffin recorded a pair of assists.
The Bulldogs took 70 shots, with 32 on goal, and Cameron Gray made 29 saves.
Gray stayed busy on Friday as he stopped 43 shots in Adrian’s first game against a ranked opponent since Dec. 30. The Spartans came into the weekend ranked 12th.
Gray made 24 of his saves in the third period alone. Rex Moe tallied a goal and an assist.
Adrian is 22-1 overall and 16-0 in the conference and face a huge battle with second-place St. Norbert this coming weekend. Home ice throughout the NCHA playoffs will be on the line.
Green Knights still in contention for regular-season crown
Two more wins are in the books for St. Norbert, which has now won 19 consecutive games and remains in the hunt for home ice throughout the NCHA playoffs.
The Green Knights completed a sweep of MSOE with a 5-2 win Saturday and are now 20-3 overall and 16-0 in the conference.
Ranked fifth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, St. Norbert has now won 20 games 22 times in 25 seasons. It’s win streak of 19 games is a school record.
Peter Bates scored his 24th goal of the year, putting him in second all-time on the single-season goal list. His goal also gave him 146 points in his career, which is good enough for third all time.
The Green Knights held a decisive 58-23 advantage in shots, including a 21-3 edge in the third and Johnny Roberts made 21 saves while also getting credit for an assist on an empty-net goal by Adam Stacho.
Bates and Stacho also each tallied an assist.
On Friday, the Green Knights skated to a 6-1 win behind a hat trick from Liam Fraser. They scored four goals in the third period to put the game away.
Thunder split with Forresters
Trine ended a four-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over Lake Forest Saturday.
After falling by the same score on Friday to the Foresters, the Thunder used a pair of goals from Frank Trazzera to propel it to a much-needed victory.
Trazzera scored both of his goals in the second period. Shane Brancato made 18 saves.
Trine, which owns a 15-7-1 overall mark and 9-6-1 record in the conference, is now assured of a spot in the NCHA tournament and could still finish in the top four in the standings.
Lake Forest will also get an opportunity to play in the conference tourney thanks to its win over Trine on Friday.
Goals by Josh Giacomin and Ben Perkins in the final five minutes of the game lifted the Foresters to the win. Giacomin also tallied two assists and Nick Wiencek made 21 saves.
Lake Forest is 7-14-2 overall and 5-9-2 in the NCHA.
Saints sweep Royals
Saint Scholastica earned two big wins a it swept Bethel to keep itself in the mix for a MIAC playoff berth.
The Saints completed the sweep with a 2-0 win Saturday and are now 9-9-2 overall and 5-6-1 in the conference, putting them in a three-way tie for fifth.
Saint Scholastica has won its last five against Bethel.
In Saturday’s win, the Saints nearly notched their third consecutive shutout. They held a 33-20 advantage in shots, marking the first time in six games they’ve outshot their opponent.
Arkhip Ledenkov and Michael Talbot both scored while Jack Bostedt recorded 19 saves for his third consecutive win.
On Friday, the Saints scored twice in the third to secure the victory. The shutout was the second in a row for Bostedt while Ledenkov scored in his first game back after being out three games. Fillimon Ledenkov also scored in the win.
Auggies stay atop standings
Augsburg strengthened its hold on first place in the MIAC with a sweep of Gustavus, which is still searching for its first league win of the year.
The Auggies beat the Guties 2-1 Friday and then wrapped up the series with a 6-0 win Saturday.
Samuel Vyletelka stopped 21 shots for his fourth shutout of the season while helping the fourth-ranked team in the DCU/UCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll to its 10th consecutive win.
Six players scored for Augsburg, including Austin Martinsen, who also dished out an assist. Jarod Blackowiak came through with two assists.
The Auggies have now outscored the opposition 76-30 and feature one of the best defenses in the nation.
In Friday’s win, Martinsen and Gavin Holland boht scored to pace the Auggies, who are 19-2 overall and 11-1 in the MIAC. Brandon McNamara punched in the lone goal for Augsburg.
Oles hold off Pipers
A pair of close wins carried St. Olaf to a sweep of Hamline. The Oles opened the series with a 2-1 win and finished things off Saturday with a 6-5 victory.
The wins pull them into a three-way tie for fifth place in the MIAC.
The Oles, who are 8-12-3 overall and 5-6-1 in the conference, led 6-3 early in the third before the Pipers put together a rally attempt.
But St. Olaf was ale to hold after the Pipers closed the gap to one with 33 seconds to play. The sweep is its first since beating Bethel in February of 2016.
Troy Bowditch struck for two goals, the first multi-goal effort of his college career, and Parker Casey tallied a goal and two assists.
Brendan Darby and Eric Brown both scored a goal and dished out an assist.
Erik Dahl scored a goal in the final minute to pull Hamline within one. Tyler Nyman came through with three assists for the Pipers.
Pointers complete another sweep
UW-Stevens Point stretched its win streak to four games with a 3-0 win over UW-Stout Saturday. That win completes a series sweep. The Pointers won Friday’s game 5-2.
Wilson Northey scored twice for UW-Stevens Point, the 11th-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, while Eli Billing stepped up with 28 saves for the shutout win.
Brandon McReynolds and Sam Ayd tallied two assists apiece.
The Pointers scored twice in the second period and added a final goal in the third as they improved to 15-5-1 overall and 10-2 in the WIAC.
Jordan Fader was the star in Friday’s win, scoring four times to help the Pointers overcome an early 2-0 deficit. Ryan Wagner stopped 22 shots.
Falcons take down Yellowjackets
Four players scored for UW-River Falls in its 4-3 win over UW-Superior Saturday. The Falcons won 4-3 on Friday as well and are now 13-9-1 overall and 9-4 in the WIAC. They now have as many points (26) in the standings as UW-Stevens Point.
Vilho Saariluoma scored a power play goal for the Falcons, who won despite being outshot 28-17. Dysen Skinner made 25 saves to secure his 10th win of the year. Saariluoma also tallied an assist in the victory.
A hat trick by Noah Ganske propelled the Falcons to a comeback win over the Yellowjackets Friday night.
UW-River Falls trailed 2-0 after one period of play and 2-1 heading into the third. Saariluoma dished out thee assists and Cayden Cahill tallied two assists. Skinner racked up 12 saves.
Blugolds continue late-season surge
UW-Eau Claire pushed its win streak to five games over the weekend with a WIAC sweep of Northland.
The Blugolds won both games by a 2-0 score and are now 11-11 overall and 7-6 in the conference, good enough for third place.
Ryan Oullette made 16 saves for his 10th win of the year. UW-Eau Claire has allowed just three goals during its win streak.
Sammy Martel and Connor Szmul both scored for UW-Eau Claire.
Ty Readman and Quinn Green scored for the Blugolds on Friday while Oullette came through with 18 saves.
Two goals apiece from Jesse Compher (Boston University), Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) and Kelly Pannek (Minnesota) helped the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team defeat Switzerland 8-0 in its third preliminary round matchup of the 2022 Olympic Winter Games Sunday at the Wukesong Sports Center in Beijing.
Pannek was named the U.S. player of the game.
“This was one of those games where before the game our whole coaching staff looked at each other and said, ‘I think we are ready to go,’” said Team USA coach Joel Johnson (St. Thomas) in a statement. “It had nothing to do with the opponent. It had everything to do with us. We just felt we were really ready to play well, and we certainly did that. We generated a lot of offense, kept a lot of puck possession and, more importantly, created some really good scoring chances that were tough to defend.”
Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) and Dani Cameranesi (Minnesota) also scored, and Alex Cavallini (Wisconsin) made 12 saves for the shutout as the Americans outshot Switzerland 66-12.
Team USA will close out the preliminary round play Tuesday against Canada. Puck drop is slated for 12:10 p.m. local time, 11:10 p.m. ET (Monday, Feb. 7).
