Alex Campbell and Clarkson downed Brown and Yale over the weekend (photo: Gary Mikel).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Jan. 30 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 4-5.
No. 1 Minnesota State (27-5-0)
02/04/2022 – No. 1 Minnesota State 3 at RV Bowling Green 1
02/05/2022 – No. 1 Minnesota State 5 at RV Bowling Green 0
No. 2 Quinnipiac (23-2-3)
02/04/2022 – Union 1 at No. 2 Quinnipiac 2
02/05/2022 – Rensselaer 0 at No. 2 Quinnipiac 1
No. 3 Michigan (21-7-1)
02/02/2022 – U.S. Under-18 Team* 3 at No. 3 Michigan 4
No. 4 Denver (20-5-1)
02/04/2022 – No. 7 St. Cloud State 5 at No. 4 Denver 8
02/05/2022 – No. 7 St. Cloud State 0 at No. 4 Denver 2
No. 5 Western Michigan (19-6-0)
02/04/2022 – No. 5 Western Michigan 8 at Colorado College 2
02/05/2022 – No. 5 Western Michigan 5 at Colorado College 4
No. 6 Minnesota Duluth (14-10-2)
Did not play.
No. 7 St. Cloud State (14-9-1)
02/04/2022 – No. 7 St. Cloud State 5 at No. 4 Denver 8
02/05/2022 – No. 7 St. Cloud State 0 at No. 4 Denver 2
No. 8 Minnesota (17-11-0)
02/04/2022 – Michigan State 2 at No. 8 Minnesota 4
02/05/2022 – Michigan State 1 at No. 8 Minnesota 3
No. 9 Ohio State (21-7-2)
02/04/2022 – Wisconsin 3 at No. 9 Ohio State 4 (OT)
02/05/2022 – Wisconsin 2 at No. 9 Ohio State 6
No. 10 Massachusetts (15-8-2)
02/04/2022 – LIU 3 at No. 10 Massachusetts 6
02/05/2022 – LIU 1 at No. 10 Massachusetts 3
No. 11 Cornell (13-6-4)
02/01/2022 – No. 11 Cornell 1 at Brown 2
02/04/2022 – No. 11 Cornell 2 at Colgate 3
02/05/2022 – Colgate 2 at No. 11 Cornell 2 (OT)
No. 12 North Dakota (15-11-1)
02/04/2022 – No. 18 Omaha 1 at No. 12 North Dakota 4
02/05/2022 – No. 18 Omaha 3 at No. 12 North Dakota 2 (OT)
No. 13 Notre Dame (20-8-0)
02/04/2022 – Penn State 2 at No. 13 Notre Dame 7
02/05/2022 – Penn State 0 at No. 13 Notre Dame 3
No. 14 UMass Lowell (16-6-3)
02/04/2022 – No. 14 UMass Lowell 3 at Boston College 2
02/05/2022 – Dartmouth 3 at No. 14 UMass Lowell 6
No. 15 Michigan Tech (16-8-2)
02/01/2022 – RV Northern Michigan 1 at No. 15 Michigan Tech 5
02/04/2022 – No. 15 Michigan Tech 3 at St. Thomas 3 (OT)
02/05/2022 – No. 15 Michigan Tech 2 at St. Thomas 0
Quinnipiac freshman goaltender Yaniv Perets made 16 saves in a 1-0 shutout of Rensselaer as there Bobcats posted their 13th shutout of the season, a new men’s NCAA Division I record (File photo: Rob Rasmussen)
Ethan Leyh scored the only goal for No. 2 Quinnipiac and goaltender Yaniv Perets posted his 10th shutout of the season as the Bobcats edged Rensselaer, 1-0.
It was the 13th blank sheet of the season for Quinnipiac, a new men’s NCAA Division record, breaking the mark of 12 shutouts set in 1999-2000 by Niagara. Perets individually ties former Hobey Baker winner Ryan Miller with 10 shutouts in a season for second all time, trailing only Niagara’s Greg Gardiner (12) who set the mark in that ’99-’00 season.
Quick! Do the tweet where Yaniv makes another silly save.
Leyh’s goal at 12:10 of the first period was the only scoring on the night. It was the second consecutive night that Leyh tallied the game winner.
The win is the fifth straight for Quinnipiac, which improves to 15-1-1 in its last 17 games. It was also the 1,000th game for head coach Rand Pecknold behind the Quinnipiac bench.
Even with the loss, the Fighting Hawks took four-of-six points from the Mavericks on the weekend, following a 4-1 win for North Dakota on Friday.
The host Fighting Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a first period goal by Riese Gaber at 7:07 and a second period tally by Judd Caufield at 12:19.
A holding penalty to North Dakota’s Cooper Moore at 3:52 of the third put Omaha on the power play where Davis Pennington converted with as the man advantage was nearing an end.
Less than three minutes later, Kevin Conley evened the game, setting up the overtime and comeback victory.
No. 3 Denver 2, No. 7 St. Cloud State 0
After a wild Friday game featuring 13 goals in an 8-5 Denver victory, both offenses were tame in Saturday’s finally as the Pioneers completed the sweep of St. Cloud State, 2-0.
It is the eighth consecutive win for Denver and runs the Pioneers unbeaten streak to 10 game (9-0-1). Conversely, St. Cloud State in winless in four (0-3-1) and has earned just a single point in the NCHC standings over the last two weekends.
Denver picked up two points on second-place North Dakota over the weekend, extending its lead atop the NCHC standing to five points.
After a scoreless first period, Carter King opened the scoring with his first collegiate goal at 2:49 of the second.
Hockey East announced Saturday that Merrimack junior forward Filip Forsmark has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 16:00 of the second period on Friday, February 4 against New Hampshire.
On the play, Forsmark was assessed a major penalty for contact to the head and a game misconduct.
Forsmark will miss the game on Saturday, February 5 against Maine and will be eligible to return to the Warriors’ lineup on Tuesday, February 8, against UConn.
Team USA celebrates one of its five goals against the ROC on Saturday (photo: USA Hockey).
Five different players scored for Team USA to lift the U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team past the Russian Olympic Committee 5-0 in its preliminary round matchup Saturday at the Wukesong Sports Center.
“I felt that we played really well (and) it just looked differently than when we played two days ago,” said U.S. coach Joel Johnson (St. Thomas) in a statement. “We generated a lot of possession and generated a lot of shot opportunities, but a combination of good goaltending for Russia and their defensive style that they played limited our quality chances. We had to continue to make adjustments and we saw the difference it made in the third period.”
United States player of the game Savannah Harmon (Clarkson) had a goal and two assists, while Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) went for a goal and an assist to go along with single goals from Alex Carpenter (Boston College), Grace Zumwinkle (Minnesota) and Jesse Compher (Boston University).
In goal, Nicole Hensley (Lindenwood) stopped all 12 shots she faced for the shutout as the U.S. outshot the Russian Olympic Committee 62-12.
The U.S. is back in action on Sunday, Feb. 6 for a preliminary round matchup against Switzerland at 9:10 p.m. local time, 8:10 a.m. ET at the Wukesong Sports Center.
Atlantic Hockey announced Saturday a one-game suspension for Canisius defenseman Jack Lyons, effective for the Golden Griffins’ next game.
The suspension is a result of Lyons’ major penalty for boarding and game misconduct, which occurred at the 15:53 mark of the third period in Canisius’ home game on Friday, Feb. 4 against Air Force.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension.
Canisius’ next scheduled Division I game is tonight, Saturday, Feb. 5 at home against Air Force. Lyons would be eligible to return for the Golden Griffins’ Friday, Feb. 11, 2022 contest against Niagara.
Brett Stapley scored twice and added an assist as Denver rallied from three goals down to defeat St. Cloud State, 8-5, in a wild affair in the Mile High City (File photo: Bradley K. Olson)
No. 4 Denver fell behind 3-0 early in a heavyweight battle against No. 7 St. Cloud State but then rallied scoring four times in both the second and third periods to earn a crazy, 8-5 victory over No. 7 St. Cloud State on Friday.
Carter Savoie recorded a hat trick for the Pioneers, while Brett Stapley notched two goals and an assist and Bobby Brink led offensive production with a five-point night (goal, four assists).
The Denver offense, even after falling behind by three, was relentless, posting 50 shots on goaltender David Hrenak (43 saves). Amazingly, after allowing 15 shots in period on, the Pioneers defense stifled St. Cloud State, giving up just nine shots on goal the rest of the way.
One may have believed that a battle between second-ranked Quinnipiac and Union, a team near the bottom of the ECAC standings that just lost its head coach less than 10 days ago, might be a landslide for the Bobcats.
That was hardly the case.
The Bobcats rallied from an early deficit and relied on goaltender Yaniv Perets to make 26 saves, scoring twice in the middle frame for a 2-1 victory.
Wyatt Bongiovanni and Ethan Leyh tallied less than four minutes apart in the middle frame to secure the win. Josh Kosack’s unassisted goal at 13:02 of the first gave Union the 1-0 lead.
Quinnipiac is near perfect in the ECAC but still can’t steer clear of Clarkson, which shutout Brown on Friday and stands just one point out of first place in the league standings.
Colgate 3, No. 11 Cornell 2
Ethan Manderville’s power play goal with 7:30 remaining in regulation broke a 2-2 tie as Colgate upset No. 11 Cornell 3-2.
The Raiders never trailed in the game, getting an early goal from Alex Young and responding after Cornell tied the game on Ondrej Psenicka’s goal off the opening faceoff of the second period.
Colgate jumped ahead again when Griffin Lunn scored on the power play at 7:08 of the second. But Cornell found the equalizer just 54 seconds into the third when Kyle Penney scored unassisted.
Mitch Benson earned the victory for the Raiders, making 27 saves.
When an alumna donated a rumored $4 million dollars earmarked for expansion of women’s sports opportunities at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), it seemed natural that one of the first programs added was women’s hockey. The university already fields a men’s hockey team and has their own rink, so few structural changes were necessary.
One big missing piece at the Kern Center, the recreation facility on campus that houses the ice rink in the basement, was a need for women’s locker rooms and additional coaches offices in order to immediately add five new women’s teams – lacrosse, hockey, swim, golf and bowling – as well as expand their women’s track and field options.
The MSOE men’s team has had varsity status since the 1998-99 season and play in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA), where it is expected the women will play.
The announcement of the monetary gift and women’s sports expansion was made in late 2021 – not an ideal time to be searching for a hockey coach. According to Athletic Director Brian Miller, the university wanted to give the new head coach as long as possible to be in their role before the puck drops on their first game, but the coaching search committee also discussed the possible need for extending or delaying the search until the end of the 2021-22 collegiate hockey season, when coaches would be more likely to apply and be available.
It turned out to be serendipitous that Chad Davis was available. Davis spent two seasons coaching at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he was named 2019 CHA Coach of the Year. Before that, he spent seven years as the head coach at Division III Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan.
He carried a 150-37-10 record while there. His .787 winning percentage was second-best among all Division III coaches during that time and third best in Division III history. His teams won NCHA regular-season championship in four consecutive seasons (2015-18) and the conference tournament title three times (2016-18). The Bulldogs made three consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 2016-18 and finished as the national runners-up in 2017. Davis was named the AHCA/CCM Coach of the Year during the same season.
The combination of experience at a DIII school where he brought the team to national prominence and knowledge of how to recruit student-athletes to a STEM school that Davis garnered at RIT made him a near perfect fit for this role.
For his part, Davis is excited to be back behind the bench and relishes the idea of helping to build something from scratch. He and the players he recruits will create the work ethic and culture of what it means to be a women’s hockey player at MSOE.
“I’m super excited about the opportunity. MSOE is very student-athlete-friendly. They have a really good foundation. I can see that the institution is really investing in athletics. I think it’s a perfect storm. You can see they have the infrastructure and passion to do it. When you put that all together, you can have a very successful program… Everything is new and you’re able to create this vision and this path,” he said.
Vice President of Enrollment Management And Student Services Timothy A. Valley joked about needing to pinch himself to verify that the donation that has made this expansion possible is real and that things have gone so smoothly in exercising the plan to make expansion possible. He gave credit to the Athletic Department, coaching staffs, but also pointed out that support for student-athletes from their professors has been unwavering. Academics are still the primary focus at MSOE, but, he said, this process has been a big, university-wide initiative and commitment.
There were discussions about what women’s programs to add, but Valle said hockey was an obvious and easy choice.
“We have our own rink and this is a growing and expanding sport. So it just seemed like a natural fit that we would expand the hockey,” he said.
Davis has started recruiting for the new program and Miller said he’s seen women’s hockey players in the Kern Center and visiting campus. Over the past two decades, MSOE has expanded their academic offerings and extended their national profile. That means that while Davis has a hotbed of hockey to recruit from in Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota, Miller, who is also the men’s basketball coach, said the Engineer sports teams are made up of players from across the country.
There are nine other Division III women’s hockey programs in Wisconsin, but MSOE offers an urban campus in downtown Milwaukee with on-campus facilities, a highly-rated, specialized academic program and now a well-respected coach. There is one other program, Concordia (WI) located in the far North Milwaukee suburbs, but this puts MSOE in a pretty singular spot to recruit from not just local programs, but also from the greater hockey hotbed Chicago-area, long a large recruiting base for MSOE regardless of athletics.
“It’s about finding the right people to build that successful culture. You can create this environment that is going to be super successful, but enjoyable, too. That’s really appealing to me,” said Davis.
Davis said he expects to have a team to field next season, though recognizes they’ll likely compete as an independent. The Raiders will look for a conference to call home, but Davis is ready to start playing and showing what a program like this is capable of.
From left, Matty Beniers, Nick Perbix, Yaniv Perets, Jakub Dobeš and Ian Carpentier, the top performers in January.
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced its men’s players of the month for January 2022.
Michigan sophomore forward Matty Beniers and St. Cloud State senior defenseman Nick Perbix are the co-players of the month, while Quinnipiac freshman Yaniv Perets and Ohio State freshman Jakub Dobeš are co-goaltender of the months and Yale sophonore forward Ian Carpentier is the rookie of the month.
Beniers was a major reason the Wolverines went 7-1-0 against a tough schedule that included four games against nationally-ranked UMass and Minnesota. His line in those games was 5-9-14.
Perbix recorded 2-10-12 in just five games, eight of those points coming in a sweep of Miami, including a six-point night (1-5-6).
Perets allowed just three goals in five games, recording three shutouts as the Bobcats flirted with a No. 1 in the nation ranking. QU went 4-1 on the month, the one loss a tough 2-1 setback at Cornell’s Lynah Rink. Perets had a 0.59 GAA and a save percentage of .970.
Dobeš led the Buckeyes to a 5-1-2 record while averaging 39 saves per game. His numbers: 1.71 GAA and a save percentage of .957. He capped off the month with a 51-save shutout (6-0) at Penn State.
Carpentier averaged 1.33 PPG in the month of January, going 6-2-8 in the Bulldogs’ six contests. He was influential in Yale’s three-game unbeaten stretch in mid-month, going 5-1-6 in wins over RPI and Union and a tie with Colgate.
Theresa Schnafzahl, Jessie McPherson and Lily Delianedis are the top performers for January.
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced its women’s players of the month for January 2022.
Vermont senior forward Theresa Schafzahl is the player of the month, while teammate Jessie McPherson is the goaltender of the month and Cornell sophomore forward Lily Delianedis is the rookie of the month.
Schafzahl led the NCAA in goals and points as she went 9-8-17 in nine contests. She enjoyed six multi-point games as the Catamounts went 8-1 in January, punctuating the success with a 2-1 win over then #1 Northeastern, ending NU’s 20-game unbeaten streak.
McPherson went 6-0 in January, with a 1.00 GAA and a save percentage of .963. She allowed a single goal or less in five of the six outings with her highlights being a 20-save shutout at Holy Cross and a 35-save effort in knocking off then-No. 1 in the country Northeastern 2-1.
Delianedis registered eight points via a line of 5-3-8 in seven games, including four points in games against nationally ranked Yale (1-0-1) and Clarkson (1-2-3). She was a solid plus-8 on the month.
Penn State is back on the road this weekend as the Nittany Lions travel to South Bend for a Big Ten weekend series against Notre Dame on Friday and Saturday evening inside Compton Family Ice Arena (photo: Mark Selders).04
It shouldn’t be surprising as a bettor that as a season rolls along, there are less and less opportunities to find the edges in game lines that will net you a big payday.
The same is the case in most every sport.
This week, at least when I visited the app, DraftKings dropped all money lines. The only two bets you can make on its selected games are over/under (my advice: stay away) and puck line.
Puck line is interesting as it assigns a margin to the favorite and underdog. The favorite often receives a -1.5 goal margin. So if the favorite wins by more than a goal that bet pays. You typically get a much better line to bet the favorite, but that team also has to win by two to cover.
I’ve tried to never dabble in the puck line and prefer to look at the money line exclusively. Thus, everything below contains personally developed line instead of relying on a third-party site to set the numbers.
This week’s games containing an interesting pair on Monday at the 69th Beanpot Tournament. The rare in-season tournament that is played over two separate Mondays instead of being contested on back-to-back nights like most in-season tournaments, the Beanpot means everything to the four teams that participate: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern.
As a guy who grew up in Boston and has attended every Beanpot since 1989, it’s a pretty enjoyable social event. And if you can actually find lines on these games, this year is extremely wide open (more on that below.)
On to this week.
You can make your selections on the games listed below as well as others in USCHO Pick ‘Em. Go to social.uscho.com to join the fun!
As usual, a disclaimer:
Understand, this is for entertainment purposes only. USCHO.com is not a licensed gambling platform and no money may be wagered through this site or any subsidiary of USCHO.
All games are the first games when they occur in a two-game series, unless noted. Monday games are marked appropriately.
Enjoy and, if you bet, may you be successful.
Penn State (+190) at No. 13 Notre Dame (-220)
Here we go again with yet another game where the entire USCHO staff picks the same team, in this case Notre Dame.
If you’re a faithful reader of this column, though, you might tend to intentionally bet against the USCHO crew. By my count, unanimous picks on this season are just 1-2, not exactly a ringing endorsement for our pundits.
Notre Dame did sweep the two-game series these clubs played in January, but required overtime to take home the second game, a wild, 5-4 decision. The Irish are a dominating 6-2-1 in the last nine between the clubs, but the ever-present question for Notre Dame is whether they can play with the lead. That’s always helpful for this club.
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
No. 7 St. Cloud State (+150) at No. 4 Denver (-170)
It’s rare you see a No. 7 team this heavy of an underdog. But then again, any team that faces Denver right now almost has to be marked as a ‘Dog.
The Pioneers are 7-0-1 in their last eight, which included six straight wins. Since Nov. 6, Denver is 16-1-1, the best mark in the nation over that span. There seem to be very few holes in Denver’s game (top offense, 5th-ranked power play, 8th-ranked defense), but let’s look at St. Cloud State.
The Huskies struggled with North Dakota a week ago but had won five of six prior. During that stretch the annihilated Miami by a cumulative 19-1 score over two games. But nationally-ranked teams have been the struggle for the Huskies (4-7-1 against teams in DCU/USCHO poll when game is played)
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
No. 18 Omaha (-130) at No. 12 North Dakota (-110)
You can make this a pick ’em pretty much anywhere, but if I’m setting the line, this is a game where the house wants to win some money, hence the “co-favorite” line.
As just mentioned, North Dakota was strong against St. Cloud State a week ago, helping to boost their national ranking. But the PairWise still placed the Fighting Hawks on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
While North Dakota is on the right side of that puddle, Omaha is on the wrong and should be pretty hungry to find a way to pull out the majority of points this weekend. Sweeps have been impossible for the Mavericks in the NCHC – they are 0-for-7 in taking all of the available points in NCHC series this season. But the reality is, we’re only picking Friday, so maybe that makes them a decent pick?
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
69th Beanpot Tournament (at TD Garden, Boston – Monday, February 7) No. 19 Boston University (-120) vs. Harvard (-110) Boston College (+130) vs. Northeastern (-115)
When it comes to college hockey’s best-known in-season tournament, the biggest factor this year will be hockey occurring some 8,000 miles away.
The Olympic hockey tournament has taken key players from every single Beanpot lineup. Two teams will be without their starting goaltender in Northeastern (Devon Levi) and Boston University (Drew Commesso).
Boston College will be missing a trio (Jack McBain, Drew Helleson and Marc McLaughlin) and Harvard will have a pair of players absent (Nick Abruzzese and Sean Farrell).
So how do you handicap these games? For years, this would’ve been easier – just pick BU. The Terriers were the most dominant team this tournament saw under legendary coach Jack Parker. But over the last half-decade this has become Northeastern’s tournament.
Does that mean much this year? Probably not. So let’s just consider a crazy trend the Beanpot has delivered.
This is the greatest statistical anomaly that I can present: Northeastern and Harvard have NEVER met in the Championship Game. Not once in 68 years. There are only four teams playing and either BC or BU (and very often both teams) have been in the finals.
This does feel like a year that could end. On paper, NU and Harvard are the best teams and don’t face one another in the semis. But a HU-NU final feels like a moment that likely never happens.
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Pick records to date:
Jim Connelly – 40-31
Chris Lerch – 38-23
Matthew Semisch – 36-25
Drew Claussen – 36-25
Ed Trefzger – 37-24
Dan Rubin – 34-27
John Doyle – 34-27
Paula Weston – 32-29
Jack Hittinger – 31-30
Nate Owen – 27-34
Aurora takes on Adrian this weekend in a battle of nationally ranked teams. Steve Woltmann, Aurora Athletics
We enter the month of February, and as expected, the conference races are heating up.
The spotlight appears to be on the NCHA this weekend where two key matchups are set to take place. Adrian and Aurora will go at it in a battle of nationally ranked teams while MSOE is hoping to make a statement against one of the nation’s hottest teams in St. Norbert.
Check out the picks for those games and more below.
Adrian (20-1, 14-0) at Aurora (14-5, 9-4-0-1)
Top-ranked Adrian heads out on the road for a huge NCHA series against the Sparants, who are No. 12 in this week’s DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Winners of 20 consecutive games, the Bulldogs can take another step towards clinching the regular-season championship. Their offense has been nearly unstoppable, scoring 10 or more goals three times in the last seven outings. The Bulldogs haven’t scored less than five goals in a game since Dec. 9 when it edged Wilkes 3-2 in overtime.
Aurora is playing well heading into this series, winning four consecutive games, and it needs to take advantage of being at home, where it is 7-1 on the year. The Spartans have two players with double-digit goal totals, including Simon Boyko with 13, and it may take two high-scoring efforts by the Spartans to have a chance at the upset. Adrian, 5-2 and 6-3
MSOE (10-9-2, 8-5-1) vs. St. Norbert (18-3, 14-0)
Huge home-and-home series ahead for the Raiders, who face off against the fifth-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
MSOE is on a late-season surge, having won its last five, and it now puts that streak on the line against the Green Knights. In three of its last five, the Raiders have allowed two goals or less, and that kind of defensive effort is going to be needed this weekend.
St. Norbert has been as hot as any team out there, rattling off 17 consecutive wins, and is coming off two huge wins over Trine. Peter Bates has helped lead the way. He leads the league in points (44) and goals (23). Bates is also second in assists (21). St. Norbert, 7-5 and 5-2
Lake Forest (6-13-2, 4-8-2) at Trine (14-7, 8-5)
The Thunder are in need of a turnaround after dropping three consecutive games. The good news is Trine will play at home, where it boasts an 8-1 record. Currently sitting in fourth in the standings, the Thunder are in a spot where they could be up to third by the end of the weekend.
The Forresters are winless in their last seven and have to finish strong to keep pace for a playoff berth. They are currently seventh in the standings. The top eight make the NCHA tournament. Trine, 6-3 and 5-3
Saint John’s (11-6-2, 5-3-1) at Concordia (11-7-2, 8-2-1)
Concordia won the opener 4-1 the other night and now aims for a sweep as the Cobbers look to stay in contention for a MIAC crown. They have won their last five, giving up just five goals during that stretch, could still win the regular-season conference title.
The Johnnies have lost only once in their last five would love nothing more than to get a split out of this series. Finishing strong is key. Saint John’s only trailed 2-1 going into the third before allowing two goals. Concordia, 3-2
Gustavus (5-10-2, 0-5-1) vs. Augsburg (17-2, 9-1)
The Gusties face one of their biggest tests of the season taking on the nation’s fourth-ranked team. They are still looking for that first conference win of the year and an upset of the Auggies would be quite the statement.
Augsburg, meanwhile, comes into this home-and-home series still in first place in the standings. It has won its last eight games and has been solid on both ends of the ice, scoring 68 goals while allowing 29. Augsburg, 5-1 and 6-2
Saint Scholastica (7-9-2, 3-6-1) vs. Bethel (12-6-1, 5-4-1)
The Royals look to keep their successful season rolling with a big series against the Saints. They are in the midst of one of their best seasons, racking up the most wins they’ve had in more than a decade. They have won three in a row and still have an opportunity to finish in the top three in the standings.
Saint Scholastica has won only one game since 2022 began and could use some momentum in its favor as it heads down the stretch. A strong start is going to be key against the Royals. Bethel, 5-2 and 4-2
UW-Superior (12-6-2, 5-3-1) vs. UW-River Falls (11-9-1, 7-4)
The Yellowjackets begin this crucial WIAC series on the road. UW-Superior is in third place in the standings while UW-River Falls is in second.
The Yellowjackets have cranked out 67 goals on the year, the second-most among conference teas, and feature three of the top five scorers in the conference, including leader Dylan Johnson (11 goals and 11 assists).
Cayden Cahill has been an offensive leader for the Falcons. He has tallied five goals and 10 assists. He’s one of three Falcons ranked in the top 10 in scoring in the WIAC. UW-River Falls, 5-4; UW-Superior, 4-3
UW-Stout ( 7-13, 5-6) at UW-Stevens Point (13-5-1, 7-2)
Two big games are on tap for both teams. The Pointers, ranked 11th in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, are trying to keep their grip on first place. The Blue Devils go on the road seeking two wins that could propel them forward in the standings.
The Pointers have scored a league-best 70 goals on the season and have given up the fewest goals (40) as well. Their goaltender, Ryan Wagner, has made 315 saves and owns a 1.86 goals against average.
The Blue Devils have to be able to slow down the Pointers’ offense, but they’ll also need to capitalize opportunities early on. Dylan Rallis ranks eighth in the WIAC in points (15). He’ll be a key to success if UW-Stout is to pull off the upset.
Logan Bittle has played and coached at Robert Morris since 2004 (photo: Robert Morris Athletics).04
Robert Morris announced Thursday that Logan Bittle has been named head coach of the women’s hockey program.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Logan back to lead the relaunch of the women’s hockey program,” said RMU vice president and director of athletics Chris King said in a statement. “Logan’s Colonial pride and passion were evident to all who engaged with him during his prior tenure at RMU. I was impressed by his track record of success in both recruiting and player development in his previous role for the Colonials as an assistant coach. Logan has been passionate about his desire to lead the relaunch of the women’s hockey program.
“He knows how to build a winning culture and a winning program, and he was an obvious choice as our top target from day one of the women’s hockey head coach search.”
Bittle returns to RMU after spending the last year as head coach of the Pens Elite 19U girls prep and 16U girls teams.
Prior to joining Pens Elite, Bittle spent 10 years at RMU, the first four as an assistant coach and the last six as associate head coach.
“I’m extremely grateful to vice president and director of athletics Chris King for his belief in me for the opportunity to return to RMU and lead the women’s hockey program,” Bittle said. “I’m also thankful to everyone who had a hand in getting these teams back on the ice in 2023. RMU has been a very important part of my family’s life for the last 16 years, and I’m honored to be back to help guide this program to national prominence. It’s great to be a part of the RMU family again, and we’re very excited to hit the ice for the 2023-24 season to begin competing for a conference and national championship.”
“Logan possesses a great appreciation for the history and tradition of women’s hockey and men’s hockey at RMU,” King added. “He is a terrific fit for RMU hockey as a former student-athlete and alumnus and has served as a key leader in the history of the competitive success for the women’s hockey program. Logan is a Colonial through and through and views the RMU head coach position as the opportunity of a lifetime. It’s not every day that you have the chance to hire an alum and former assistant coach whose passion for the sport and the institution are transcendent. We feel Logan is the perfect fit to restore RMU’s women’s hockey to prominence.”
Bittle is a 2008 graduate of RMU, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in sport management. He was a student-athlete for the first team in hockey history for the Colonials in 2004-05 and owns the distinction of recording an assist in the program’s first-ever game-winning goal. RMU earned a 3-1 victory at Canisius (Oct. 22, 2004) in the first hockey game in school history. He assisted on a Jeff Gilbert goal at 7:08 in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie with the Golden Griffins.
The native of Peoria, Ill., appeared in 126 games during the course of his four-year career with the Colonials, scoring 52 points on 20 goals and 32 helpers.
Upon completion of his collegiate career at RMU, Bittle played professionally for the ECHL’s Dayton Bombers and the New Jersey Rockhoppers of the Eastern Professional Hockey League before turning his attention to coaching.
Bittle and former RMU netminder Brianne McLaughlin, the first goalie in the history of the women’s program for the Colonials, were married in July of 2013. McLaughlin is a two-time Olympic medalist, and the couple has two children, Carter and Baker.
The Colonials women’s team will officially apply for reinstatement to College Hockey America and will provide an update on conference affiliation once a determination has been made.
Derek Schooley was first hired by Robert Morris in 2003 and will continue behind the bench in 2022-23 (photo: Robert Morris Athletics).
Robert Morris has announced that the school has signed men’s hockey coach Derek Schooley to a five-year contract.
The only head coach the program has ever known, Schooley is now signed through the 2026-27 season.
“I would like to thank vice president and athletic director Chris King and the entire Robert Morris community for their continued faith in me to lead the relaunch of Colonial hockey,” Schooley said in a statement. “I am very thankful for the support of our donors, season ticket holders, hockey community, and alumni, but we need to continue our positive momentum as we move towards October of 2023. We can’t help but be very excited about the next chapter of our program. Our goals will continue to be one of the top teams in our conference and a top 20 nationally ranked program. I can’t wait to get going.”
Schooley, 51, was named to lead the RMU men’s program August 21, 2003 and has guided the Colonials to six conference tournament championship games and a lifetime winning percentage of .556. he most recently guided the Colonials to a 2020-21 Atlantic Hockey West Division championship and helped RMU earn its first NCAA tournament berth in 2014.
A two-time Atlantic Hockey Coach of the Year, he led the Colonials to back-to-back Atlantic Hockey regular-season titles in 2014-15 and 2015-16 and a postseason AHA title/NCAA tournament berth in 2013-14. In the seven-season span from 2012-19, Schooley’s Colonials averaged 20 wins per season and consistently placed 20-plus student-athletes on the AHA All-Academic team.
The Colonials will officially apply for reinstatement to both Atlantic Hockey for the men and College Hockey America for the women and will provide an update on conference affiliation once a determination has been made.
Gavin Holland has played a pivotal role in Augsburg’s success this season. Photo by Kevin Healy for Augsburg University
Gavin Holland was a last-minute arrival to Augsburg, but it’s safe to say the Auggie standout has made every minute count as a key player for the fourth-ranked team in the latest DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
“I didn’t have a (junior hockey) spot my second year and a friend of mine said go check out Augsburg,” Holland said. “I went two weeks before school started for a visit and loved it. They took me in last-second and it’s been a dream. I couldn’t have asked for a better spot than this.”
Holland has emerged as one of the top players in the MIAC. In fact, he is top five in the league in points (20) and goals (11).
Two seasons ago, Holland earned honorable mention All-MIAC honors, scoring 12 goals and dishing out three assists.
He said he feels good about where his game is at this point in his career.
“My game hasn’t changed too much the last couple of years. But I feel like I have continued on an upward trend.”
He noted that one of his biggest improvements, though, has been his ability to cash in on opportunities.
“The biggest thing for me is being elusive in the offensive zone and finding the soft areas where I can get open and find spots to get pucks on net,” Holland said. “I like being a playmaker.”
The Auggies have thrived as a team offensively, scoring 68 goals, with eight players tallying four or more. Nine players have recorded at least 10 points on the season.
That balance has been instrumental in the team’s success. Augsburg is 17-2 overall, boasts a MIAC-leading 9-1 mark and has won eight consecutive games.
“There’s never a worry no matter what line is out there,” Holland said. “We expect that line to get shots on net and get Grade A opportunities. It’s electric to watch, and as a player, it’s fun to be a part of it. Up and down the lineup we have guys that can put the puck in the net.”
Holland is glad the Auggies have been able to get their games in this season after the COVID-19 pandemic limited them to just five games.
Holland said it’s also been fun playing under the direction of first-year head coach Greg May, an alum of the school.
“We weren’t sure how things would go, but we felt very confident when we met him,” Holland said. “He does a great job keeping us in shape and on track, and making sure we are professional about everything on and off the ice.”
Augsburg is hoping to win a MIAC championship for the first time since 2019 and take this season as far as it can.
“We have goals past just winning the MIAC,” Holland said. “We want to take it the whole way and we feel we have the ability to do it if we keep working hard.”
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Big Ten director of officials and former NCAA secretary–rules editor for men’s and women’s ice hockey Steve Piotrowski to talk about officiating and rules. This wide-ranging conversation includes recruiting and development of officials, the use of video for evaluation and replay, the challenges officials face as the speed and skill level of the game has increased, and an appraisal of recent rule changes.
Miami freshman Red Savage has been a bright spot this season for the RedHawks (photo: Miami Athletics).
There’s no getting around the fact that, to date, this hasn’t been a vintage Miami hockey season.
Miami (4-20-2, 1-14-1) sits eight points adrift at the bottom of the NCHC standings. The RedHawks are also winless in regulation in nine games (0-8-1) since Dec. 12, though they did take an overtime shootout Jan. 15 at Minnesota Duluth.
Still, there have been some silver linings during Miami coach Chris Bergeron’s third season at the helm. Injuries, mainly to the forward corps, have made the RedHawks’ campaign tougher, but that adversity has given Bergeron an enhanced read on the makeup of his team.
Freshman forward Red Savage has been a headliner, and his five goals in January helped net him the NCHC’s rookie of the month award. He isn’t the only RedHawk who has been helping his team’s cause, however. Several Miami players held up their end of the bargain last weekend despite their team being swept at home against Denver, ranked fourth in the latest DCU/USCHO Division I Men’s Poll.
“Every night in our league, we’re playing against teams with depth, so we obviously need to have the same type of depth, and with the injuries that we’ve had this year, it has given people opportunities,” Bergeron on Tuesday told reporters during a press conference.
“I would add Jack Olmstead and John Sladic, and (Brian) Silver was in the lineup both nights this weekend. Scott Corbett is starting to find his game a little bit more. Guys that aren’t all over the score sheet typically, what they brought for sure, for sure, was effort.
“Monte Graham is a guy who has given the same basic effort from the day I got here until today. He tries as hard as he can every day. Every faceoff, every drill, he’s as consistent as (anybody) we have, and he doesn’t get necessarily the accolades for it, because usually the guys that get the accolades are the point guys.”
Bergeron also heralded sophomore goaltender Ludvig Persson and Miami’s defense, embattled although not as hamstrung as what the RedHawks have up front.
“What depth allows you to do is hold people accountable for their play,” Bergeron said. “On the back end, we’ve stayed fairly healthy, knock on wood. That’s where the difference has been, because up front, we haven’t been.”
The RedHawks were also praised for how they’ve kept their noses to the grindstone. Last weekend provided good examples of this, as Miami gave Denver plenty of problems.
The Pioneers needed three unanswered goals Friday to win 5-4 in overtime, negating two earlier goals apiece from Savage and Hampus Rydqvist. The Pioneers won again Saturday, 4-2, as DU twice led by two. Second-period goals from Olmstead and Matthew Barbolini got Miami back into that game, before Denver did enough to bump its winning streak to six.
The RedHawks are off this weekend ahead of a home series Feb. 11-12 against No. 18. Omaha. Miami then visits Colorado College in a pair of games that could determine who holds the bottom seed for the upcoming NCHC tournament.
Miami will look to enter the postseason with the right mindset. Bergeron isn’t worried about that.
“The one thing this group has got is resiliency,” he said. “We’ve consistently found ways to lose games, unfortunately, but when we put ourselves in situations where we’re down, we typically dig in and we keep fighting.
“We’re talking about 13, 14, 15 games this season, in that range, where we’ve been tied or had the lead going into the third period, and everybody knows what our record is, so we’ve got to find a way to not lose in those situations so that we can hopefully learn how to win. That’s where we are, but it starts with being resilient, and keep coming even though the scoreboard says, ‘Well, maybe tonight’s not our night.’”
Hilary Knight battles for a loose puck in front of the Finland net during the United States’ 5-2 win Thursday (photo: USA Hockey).
The U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey Team opened the 2022 Winter Olympic Games with a 5-2 victory against Finland at the Wukesong Sports Centre in Beijing, China.
Kendall Coyne Schofield (Northeastern) and Alex Carpenter (Boston College) each posted two goals for the Americans to pace the offense.
“I thought we played well,” said Team USA coach Joel Johnson (St. Thomas) in a statement. “It’s always hard in the first game of any tournament, let alone the Olympics, but I was really impressed by our players. I give them a ton of credit. That second period was outstanding, and I thought we really controlled the game from that point on.”
Amanda Kessel (Minnesota) also scored for the United States, who outshot Finland 52-12. Coyne Schofield was named player of the game.
Maddie Rooney (Minnesota Duluth) made 10 saves in goal for the win.
The U.S. continues preliminary round play on Saturday, Feb. 5 against the Russian Olympic Committee. Puck drop is set for 9:10 p.m. local time, 8:10 a.m. ET at the Wukesong Sports Center.
Team USA forward Brianna Decker (Wisconsin) suffered a leg injury in the game and reports out of Beijing say she will miss the rest of the Olympics.
Oswego’s Travis Broughman has been a clutch performer for the Lakers this season and looks to lead Oswego past rival Geneseo this weekend (Photo by Oswego Athletics)
Welcome to February and the start of the final push of the regular season for position and seeding in the upcoming conference tournaments. There isn’t much room in any of the leagues, particularly at the top where home-ice is at stake. It’s time for everyone’s best brand of hockey as many of the games are already being played like it is the playoffs. This past week I finished at 8-3-1 (.708) which was the first week over the 70% threshold since the first-half of the season. The overall numbers of 66-37-7 (.632) are starting to approach playoff readiness. Key matchups abound and points matter just about everywhere. Here are this week’s picks:
Thursday, February 3, 2022
Westfield State v. Plymouth State
The Panthers are healthy and starting to play some really good hockey at the right time of the year. A dogged race for the top spot keeps them motivated against the Owls – PSU, 5-2
Friday, February 4, 2022
Endicott v. University of New England (10)
The CCC is a real dogfight with four teams separated by just two points. This is a critical matchup, and the home team gets it done in overtime – UNE, 3-2
Norwich v. Babson (7)
After a brief hiccup the Beavers have righted their game and have shown true grit in finding ways to win late in games. The Cadets are looking to keep their positive momentum going but come up short on the road – Babson, 3-1
Wesleyan v. Williams
The Cardinals are in the hunt for a home-ice playoff position, but Williams is equally motivated to stay near the top of the NESCAC standings. Ephs score late to win a close one – Williams, 2-1
Anna Maria v. Albertus Magnus
This battle of independents should be highly entertaining as both teams have been prolific in the goal scoring department lately. Falcons use home-ice to their advantage – Albertus Magnus, 6-5
Geneseo (2) v. Cortland
The Knights continue to roll while Cortland has dropped off a bit in conference play. The Red Dragons are not going to make this easy, but the visitors stay focused on the Friday opponent for the win – Geneseo, 4-3
Chatham v. Manhattanville
The Valiants could really use some buffer as they try to stay in the top four of the standings while the Cougars are looking to move up. Seesaw game that finally goes to the home team and maybe in overtime – Manhattanville, 4-3
Saturday, February 5, 2022
Nazareth v. Utica (3)
The Pioneers are rolling and that is not a good thing for the Golden Flyers. Too much depth and offense keep the win streak going – Utica, 6-2
Oswego (13) v. Geneseo (2)
This may be the GOTW as the Lakers have been red-hot while Geneseo just continues to pile up wins. This will be a playoff caliber game with an OT winner for the home team – Geneseo, 4-3
Hamilton v. Colby
The Mules have been very consistent and goaltender Andy Beran continues to make goals hard to come by for Colby’s opponents. Another close one goes to the home team – Colby, 3-2
Curry (14) v. Endicott
The Gulls will need Conor O’Brien to play like it is already the playoffs but so too will Curry be looking for a big game from Reid Cooper. Goalies will be great and special teams are the difference – Endicott, 3-1
Skidmore v. Hobart (6)
The Statesmen are in the driver’s seat on the top seed but face a Thoroughbred team that is in the thick of the battle for home ice. This one will be a one-goal game either way, but home team gets it done – Hobart, 2-1
Plymouth State v. Massachusetts-Dartmouth
The two teams played an overtime game in New Hampshire last week and don’t be surprised if a similar outcome happens in this key matchup. Abbate and Barone hard to stop – PSU, 5-4
Assumption v. St. Anselm
The Hawks played very well last week against St. Michael’s and forward Andrew Andary has been a one-man show offensively. Others contributing for the Hawks who take advantage of being healthy on the scoreboard – St. Anselm, 4-3
The races are great across the conferences and with some conferences changing playoff criteria to all teams being in, there is additional motivation for teams to try to improve position or even play spoiler – “Drop the Puck!”
Jakub Dobeš has been the top goalie this season for Ohio State (photo: Kirk Irwin Photography).
With first-place Michigan sitting idle this weekend, the Big Ten schedule is setup for some movement heading into the final month of the regular season.
Though games in hand for Minnesota and Notre Dame don’t make it a perfect storm, the docket for this weekend could see some shuffling in the standings with three teams from the top of the table playing three at the bottom. Second-place Ohio State hosts sixth-place Wisconsin, third-place Minnesota entertains seventh-place Michigan State and fourth-place Notre Dame welcomes fifth-place Penn State to town.
All three series are a rematch from the second weekend of January where Minnesota swept at Michigan State and both Ohio State and Notre Dame took five of six conference points at Wisconsin and Penn State.
Currently, Michigan leads the race with 39 points, Ohio State has 37, Minnesota has 31 and Notre Dame has 26. Though a nine-point gap between the Irish and Penn State make it seem like there’s going to be a four-team race, the teams at the bottom are also in a close race for conference tournament seeding. The Nittany Lions have 17 points, Wisconsin has 16 and Michigan State has 14 with two games in hand.
“We do have a dog fight going up top right now and our job is to try and stay in that thing,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said on his radio show this week. “I just want to keep playing how we’re playing; I just want our team to continue to do what we’re doing. The points in the standings will happen, but right now all our concentration is on Michigan State.”
This weekend also marks the first games Minnesota will lose its three Olympians: Ben Meyers, Matthew Knies and Brock Faber.
“There are guys now that are going to get added ice time, so there’s excitement there,” Motzko said. “Certain guys are going to get a little more special teams time. We’ve got good players here, so we’re just going to get after this thing and have a little fun with it.
“It’s a challenge and that’s how you have to approach it.”
The word “challenge” can also be used to describe how the season has turned for the Spartans after facing the Gophers. MSU has dropped the four games it’s played since, sweeps at the hands of Wisconsin and Ohio State. Michigan State was off last weekend.
The home teams this weekend coming off a weekend where they found various levels of success but also left room for improvement.
The Irish and Gophers played each other in South Bend with Minnesota winning convincingly on Friday, but Notre Dame managed to respond with a 3-2 overtime victory on Saturday. Ohio State lost at Penn State in a shootout on Friday but responded with a convincing 6-0 victory on Saturday.
In a series that had to be moved back a day because of COVID issues, the Ohio State dropped a point in the Sunday matinee against the Badgers after winning on Saturday in Madison. With Minnesota and Notre Dame having two games in hand, and a tough schedule that features a home series against the Gophers and a trip to Michigan to close out the regular season, a full six points this weekend could go a long way for the Buckeyes in their title hopes.
Michigan State goes Hollywood
The Spartans may have had last weekend off, but they, or more specifically one of their jerseys, still managed to grab a few headlines.
A green Michigan State jersey was sported by an actor in a minute-long Chevrolet ad that debuted during NFL conference championship games on Saturday. The ad follows the story of Walter, a cat that acts like a dog. The jersey shows up in a pond hockey scene where the cat is chasing a puck.
Head coach Danton Cole was asked at his media availability if he was watching football on Sunday. He said he wasn’t, but quickly added “but I did see the commercial.”
“My phone was blowing up last night, with family and friends and alums,” he said. “It was kind of cool.”
