Ferris State players celebrate a goal earlier during the 2021-22 season (photo: Ferris State Athletics).
Don’t sleep on Ferris State.
Following a disastrous one-win 2020-21 season and a shaky start to this one, the Bulldogs are finally finding their stride. They’ve won five of their last 10 games and, aside from a rough weekend on the road at Minnesota State in which they gave up 14 goals, have managed to get points from every series they’ve played since the start of December.
That hard work has resulted in a much-deserved move up the standings. The Bulldogs (9-17-0, 7-11-0 CCHA) are currently tied for fifth place with 21 points and are only five points – or a series sweep – out of a top-four home ice spot for the CCHA playoffs.
Bulldogs head coach Bob Daniels is optimistic they can get it done.
“With the three-point standings, if you can string a couple wins together, all of a sudden that changes things pretty drastically. I think we’ve got time; we just have to get wins now.”
If the Bulldogs continue to have more series like the one they had in Bemidji last weekend, it would go a long way. Ferris State recorded its first series sweep since 2018 – and its first on the road since February 2016 – with a comprehensive pair of wins over the Beavers.
“I can see we’re close,” Daniels said. “I don’t think we’re there yet. But we’re close. And we’ve been knocking on the door. We’ve found a way to lose a lot of times. I can’t tell you the number of games this year, we’ve gone to the third with a lead only to throw up over ourselves in the last couple minutes. We didn’t do that this weekend.”
On Friday night, the Bulldogs went a goal down early before Dallas Tulik tied it up in the second period. Things appeared headed to overtime until Kaleb Ergang’s putback rebound made it past Bemidji netminder Mattias Sholl for a 2-1 lead. A video review for goaltender interference made for some nervousness behind the Ferris bench, but it was ruled a good goal. The Bulldogs held on to win and finished off the sweep on Saturday for a 5-2 win that didn’t seem that close.
“I like what I saw when we took the lead on Friday night,” Daniels said, contrasting that with the previous week, when the Bulldogs lost to St. Thomas in the final seconds on Saturday night after battling back to tie in the third period. “Our composure in the final minute was much better than it was the week before when guys were running all over the place. I just like the composure of the team with the lead on Friday and again on Saturday.”
Daniels has also noticed that his team seems to be getting tighter defensively as of late. Aside from that series in Mankato – the Mavericks score a lot of goals on everybody – the Bulldogs have done a decent job keeping the puck out of the net. They’ve been averaging just over three goals allowed a game since December, a vast improvement from the first three months of the year, when they were averaging over four.
“I thought defensively, we’re improving, and our puck management has improved greatly,” he said. “We were giving up lots of odd-man rushes at the beginning of the year. We slowly have gotten that under control. So, you know, if we continue to play good defensively, manage the puck well and show some composure, we will start winning even more.”
One big reason that the Bulldogs played so well against Bemidji was the emergence of new goaltender Noah Giesbrecht. Giesbrecht, a freshman, joined the team after Christmas. He started both games against the Beavers and made 61 saves on the weekend to earn the team two victories (and was himself named the CCHA’s goaltender of the week for his efforts). Daniels said that adding Giesbrecht has given him another solid option in the nets along with sophomore Logan Stein.
“We feel that we’ve got two good goaltenders now, and I think it’s good to just make the goaltending situation better,” Daniels said. “I think there’s going to be more competition for playing time and then when you have that it helps all the goalies, and it makes you work that much harder. So we’ve got a good healthy competition there. I feel really good about Logan and his future and obviously we like Noah quite a bit too.”
The Bulldogs have eight games remaining before the first round of the CCHA playoffs, and because positions two through seven in the standings are so tight, all eight games really matter for everyone involved. This has become par for the course – it was true in the WCHA in seasons past, and that hasn’t changed at all.
Ferris hosts Bowling Green this weekend before getting a bye weekend. After that, they have three more series until the playoffs.
“As high as we can get in the standings, we have to keep improving our defense and make sure that when we hit the postseason, we hit it on an uptick,” Daniels said. “If we can get those things in place we’ll be in good shape.”
The NCHC series between Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State, originally slated for January 7-8, has been rescheduled for a pair of Tuesday nights in February, the NCHC and St. Cloud State announced Wednesday.
UMD and SCSU will now square off on Tuesday, Feb. 8 and Tuesday, Feb. 22 with both games at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud. Start time for both Tuesday contests is 6 p.m. CT.
Both rescheduled games between UMD and SCSU will be available on NCHC.tv.
The original series between the Bulldogs and Huskies, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 7-8 in St. Cloud, had to be postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Minnesota Duluth hockey program at the time. The teams will still face off as scheduled to end the regular season, as well, on March 4-5 in Duluth.
All previously postponed NCHC games this season have now been rescheduled.
The American Hockey Coaches Association has announced the slate of recipients of its most prestigious awards for 2022.
The eight individuals being recognized will be honored at the 2022 AHCA Convention in Naples, Fla., scheduled for April 20-23.
THE JOHN MARIUCCI AWARD: John Mariucci, the former coach of the University of Minnesota, was not only an outstanding college coach, but also a driving force behind the growth of hockey in the United States. In 1987, the AHCA created this award to honor a secondary school association coach who best exemplifies the spirit, dedication and enthusiasm of the “GODFATHER OF U.S. HOCKEY,” John Mariucci.
WARD
Recipient: Tom Ward, Shattuck St. Mary’s
Tom Ward is a native of Richfield, Minn., where he was a three-sport athlete in football, baseball, and Ice Hockey. A ninth-round draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, Ward spent his collegiate years at the University of Minnesota, graduating in 1986. While at Minnesota, Ward played both hockey and baseball, lettering in both sports. Upon graduation, Ward remained in the hockey world, immediately getting into coaching. Between 1987-1994 Ward had stops in Minnesota high school hockey and the USHL, returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach in 1995, coaching football, hockey and baseball. In the USHL, he was an assistant coach, head coach and general manager of the St. Paul Vulcans. Ward spent four years as the assistant coach at the University of Minnesota before taking over head coaching duties at Shattuck St. Mary’s, a Minnesota prep school started by J.P Parise.
It was at Shattuck where Ward would spend much of his coaching career and leave his most significant mark on the hockey world. From 1999-2016, Ward led the boy’s prep team to nine national championships, including a dominant run of six in 10 years between 2005-2015. Under Ward’s leadership, Shattuck St. Mary’s has morphed into a youth hockey powerhouse with 21 national championships and it has sent over 500 student-athletes to NCAA D-I and D-III hockey. There are currently 30-plus NHL players who played under Ward’s tenure at Shattuck, including superstars Sidney Crosby, Johnathan Towers, and Zach Parise.
Ward also has experience on the international level representing the USA at the IIHF U-20 tournament as an assistant coach in 2010 and 2012, winning the second world junior gold medal in USA hockey history in 2010. In 2016, Ward left Shattuck for an opportunity to coach in the NHL, spending three seasons with the Buffalo Sabers from 2017-2019. In 2019 Ward returned to Shattuck, where he is now back behind the bench for the boy’s prep team.
THE JIM FULLERTON AWARD: Named in honor of the former Brown University hockey coach and AHCA spiritual leader, this award recognizes an individual who loves the purity of our sport. Whether a coach, administrator, trainer, official, journalist or simply a fan, the recipient exemplifies Jim Fullerton, who gave as much as he received and never stopped caring about the direction in which our game was heading.
SHEEHY
Recipient: Brendan Sheehy, Merrimack, Bauer, Hockey East
Brendan Sheehy created a unique hockey life combining, coaching, officiating and sales. A 1971 graduate of Merrimack College, where he played for Thom Lawler, Brendan returned to North Andover after a brief coaching stint at Matignon (MA) High School, where he also had played. Alongside Lawler, Sheehy and Merrimack won the 1978 NCAA Division II national championship. He also coached the golf team while at Merrimack.
A fixture in the Merrimack Valley, Sheehy devoted 10 years to serving on the board of Andover Youth Hockey, including a stint as the organization’s president.
An on-ice official for the ECAC as well, Sheehy started an administrative career in 1981 when he began a five-year term as commissioner of the Massachusetts Catholic High School Hockey Leagues, which overlapped with his being a board member for the Eastern Massachusetts Hockey Officials Association (EMHOA). He was EMHOA President in 1983-84.
Sheehy turned his love of officiating into his longest administrative post when he was named Hockey East Supervisor of Officials in 1994, a position he held until 2006. Even since leaving that post, Sheehy continues to be used by the NCAA as a replay official in its post-season tournaments.
Throughout the period of handling these positions, Sheehy’s fulltime job was as a manufacturer’s representative, working for Bauer for 33 years in New England. In that capacity, Sheehy won over countless members of the hockey community with his genial manner and efficiency.
THE JOHN “SNOOKS” KELLEY FOUNDERS AWARD: Named after the famed Boston College coach, this award honors those people in the coaching profession who have contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of ice hockey in the United States.
WRIGHT
Recipient: Gary Wright, AIC
For over three decades, Gary Wright was synonymous with the hockey program at American International College. He led the program through a number of challenges, most notably the transition from the Division II to Division I level in 1998, winning the MAAC’s first-ever Coach of the Year Award.
In the Division I era, his student-athletes were the beneficiaries of Wright’s care about developing the whole person, not just the athlete; from the 1998-99 campaign until his retirement in 2015-16, Wright’s charges collected 256 MAAC/AHA Academic All-Conference selections and 17 MAAC/AHA Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards.
Numerous former players and assistants under Wright have gone on to successful coaching careers of their own in part because of what they were able to learn from Wright. Among these include AIC’s current head coach, Eric Lang, who was Wright’s captain in 1997-98, and Trevor Large, the current Canisius College head coach, whose team faced Lang’s in the most recent Atlantic Hockey Championship game. David Turco, another of Wright’s captains, has been the head coach at Manhattanville for a decade between their women’s and men’s programs, and former assistant Stephen Wiedler, now at the University of Vermont, has also been named an assistant coach for the Norway National U20 team.
Wright retired having coached for 32 years and 994 games. At the time of his retirement, he was the longest-tenured coach in Division I men’s ice hockey, and is one of a scant few to coach for over three decades at just one institution. Said current AIC coach Eric Lang, in nominating Wright, “Given his longevity, and the positive impact on the lives of so many over those years who played for him and coached alongside him, I am proud to nominate Gary Wright for the John ‘Snooks’ Kelley Founders Award.” Prior to AIC, Wright served as an assistant at the University of Maine, and as head coach at Rice Memorial HS in Burlington, VT.
A graduate of the University of Vermont, Wright was a member of the Catamounts hockey team. Wright has directed a YMCA Summer Camp and a National Youth Sports Program for inner-city youth, sponsored by the NCAA. He also ran his own hockey school, “Kids on Ice,” and authored a book titled, Pass The Biscuit: Spirited Practices for Youth Hockey Coaches and Players. He is a member of the Proctor Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. A resident of Vermont, his interests include golfing, music and hiking with his dog Hobey.
THE JOHN MACINNES AWARD: Established by the AHCA in 1982 to honor former Michigan Tech coach, John MacInnes, this award recognizes those people who have shown a great concern for amateur hockey and youth programs. The recipients have had high winning percentages, as well as outstanding graduating percentages among their former players. The winners of this award have helped young men grow not only as hockey players, but more importantly, as men.
GAUDET
Recipient: Bob Gaudet, Brown and Dartmouth
Bob Gaudet is a coaching veteran whose career spans more than three decades behind the benches of both Brown University and Dartmouth College. Prior to retiring in the spring of 2020, after his 37th season of Division I college coaching (32 as head coach and five as assistant coach), Gaudet became the winningest coach in the history of Dartmouth hockey with a decorated legacy of developing talented players. Gaudet began his head coaching career at Brown in 1988, where he remained through 1997 before returning to lead Dartmouth, his alma mater, for the next 23 seasons. As a goalie, and member of the Dartmouth Class of 1981, the Saugus, Massachusetts native helped lead his team to consecutive berths in the Frozen Four. After graduation, he briefly played professionally before entering the world of coaching.
During his time at Brown, Gaudet guided the Bears to their first NCAA tournament appearance in 17 years (1993), in addition to leading the program to a pair of Ivy League titles in 1991 and 1995. He earned his first ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year award in 1995 and was tabbed as a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award presented to the National Coach of the Year in both 1993 and 1995.
While at Dartmouth, in 2005-06, Gaudet was again honored as the ECAC Hockey Coach of the Year — just the second Dartmouth coach to earn the award and one of only two ECAC coaches to win this award coaching two different ECAC programs — and named a finalist for the Spencer Penrose Award. During that season he guided the Big Green to a share of the league’s regular-season crown and the postseason tournament’s No. 1 seed for the first time in program history. The following year, Gaudet led Dartmouth to its first Ivy League title since his junior year as a player (1980). Gaudet went on to become Dartmouth’s all-time leader in both wins (331) and games coached (752). He coached in his 1,000th career game as Dartmouth defeated Princeton on January 3, 2020. In doing so, he became just the seventh coach in NCAA hockey history to reach 1,000 games within one conference and the first in the long and storied ranks of ECAC Hockey.
In February 2018, Gaudet won his 300th game at Dartmouth by defeating No. 7 Clarkson, joining the legendary Eddie Jeremiah (Dartmouth ’30) as the only two coaches in program history to reach the milestone. The following November, Gaudet became the winningest coach in the history of the program with a defeat over No. 16 Cornell, passing Jeremiah, who had owned the record for more than half a century. Also in 2018, Gaudet became the 23rd Division I coach in history to win his 400th career game with a defeat over Quinnipiac. That year, he was inducted into the New Hampshire Legends of Hockey Hall of Fame.
Hockey and coaching have long been at the core of Gaudet’s life; a former player, assistant coach, and celebrated head coach. The Gaudets are a Dartmouth family as he met his wife and classmate, Lynne, as an undergrad and all three of their children – Joe ’10, Jim ’12, and Kelly ’17 – have also graduated from Dartmouth. Gaudet fondly recalls coaching his sons, Joe and Jim, both four-year letter winners with the men’s hockey team at Dartmouth. During his coaching career, Gaudet not only developed strong, winning programs and talented players, but also imparted on his players the importance of teamwork, integrity, dedication, gratitude, and humility…playing for something bigger than yourself. The coaching legacy he is most proud of is that of inspiring young men to grow and be successful both on and off the ice.
TERRY FLANAGAN AWARD: Named in honor of the former UNH player and Bowling Green Assistant, this award honors an assistant coach’s career body of work.
HEERES
Recipient: Kris Heeres, Geneseo
Kris Heeres is in his 16th season at Geneseo, working alongside head coach Chris Schultz. In that time, Heeres has helped lead the Knights to 14 postseason appearances, including four SUNYAC championships, five NCAA Tournament berths and three trips to the NCAA Frozen Four in 2014, 2016 and 2019. The Knights’ coaching staff have been named SUNYAC Coaching Staff of the Year five times, including the 2019-20 award. Their record in this time is 249-118-27 (.666). Coach Heeres has recruited hundreds of players to Geneseo, including 10 All-Americans (15 awards), seven First Team All-Americans and the 2019 USCHO Division III Player of the Year, Devin McDonald ‘19. He’s also helped many Knights continue their careers into professional hockey, both in North America and abroad.
Heeres has helped the Knights to a 13-1-1 record so far this season, guiding the team to the No. 1 ranking in the USCHO. com Division III poll for the first time since the 1990-91 season. Geneseo has ranked within the USCHO.com Division III top-10 for over 60-consecutive weeks, dating back to the 2018-19 season.
Coach Schultz is a big booster of Heeres. “Kris Heeres has been with me since my first day on the job. For the past sixteen years, Kris has been a loyal and industrious coach and recruiter for our program. Without his persistence on the recruiting trail and his passion for Geneseo hockey, we would not have the national prominence we have earned. Gaining admission to Geneseo is not an easy feat. We are annually the most difficult state university in New York, in terms of standards, to gain admission. The Division III landscape is not an even playing field either, but Kris has worked tirelessly to maintain our standard and shape excellent hockey teams in his career.”
With Heeres’ collaboration, Schultz was twice chosen by his peers as Edward Jeremiah National Coach of the Year (2014 and 2016). Heeres is just the third Division III coach to receive the Flanagan Award, the others being Kevin Houle in 2002 and Steve Mattson in 2014, both from SUNY Plattsburgh.
Kris’ passion for Geneseo hockey, as well as Division III hockey in general, is contagious for everyone involved in the program. Former captain and current professional player Conlan Keenan says, “Coach Heeres displays a passion for Geneseo and Geneseo hockey unlike anyone I have met since I arrived at campus. Each and every day, he comes to practice with a smile on his face and a passion that is 100% contagious. His recruitment efforts helped build great relationships even prior to all of us getting to Geneseo. By the time we all arrived, we felt like we were home on Day 1. I have never experienced a culture like we have here on any team I’ve previously played on. Coach Heeres and Coach Schultz have a chemistry that promotes our motto: Love, Serve, Care.”
THE JOE BURKE AWARD: Presented annually to the person who has given outstanding contribution, support, and dedication to women’s ice hockey.” It is named in honor of a girls’ and women’s hockey “superfan,” Joe Burke.
HEATLEY
Recipient: Caroline Heatley
Caroline Heatley’s hockey career started in Fairfield County where she played youth hockey for the Greater Bridgeport Junior Hockey Association. She spent her high school years at Proctor Academy and led her to team a Lake Region Championship in 1989. Heatley matriculated to Northeastern University where she had an illustrious hockey career, serving at the team’s captain her senior year. She earned a BA in communications from Northeastern in 1995 and an MA in sports management from the university in 2010.
Caroline’s connection to hockey is noteworthy, spanning several decades, levels, and programs. Following her graduation from Northeastern in 1995, She returned to Proctor for two years, where she launched her career in independent school athletics and served as the assistant athletic director and head coach of the girls’ ice hockey team. Caroline’s career carried her to Lawrence Academy in 1997 where her teams would go on to capture two ISL Championships and make five New England tournament appearances. In 2003, Caroline joined the Dexter Southfield Schools in Brookline, MA in the same role where she was instrumental in launching the new upper school interscholastic and girls’ hockey programs. In addition to Caroline’s experience at the high school level, she has also made an impact at the collegiate level, during her stints behind the bench as an assistant coach at Hockey East rivals Northeastern University and Boston College.
A revered leader in the sport of hockey, Caroline was elected to serve as the president of the New England Prep School Girls’ Hockey Association in 2001, a role she held for nine years. Over the last twenty years, Caroline has had extensive experience with USA Hockey. From her involvement as coach, evaluator, and director at the Girls Player Development Camps to her role as director of operations for the Women’s National and Olympic Teams, Caroline has had a significant impact on the U.S. women’s ice hockey program. Currently, Caroline serves as the director of athletic operations at Lawrence Academy and splits her time between Groton, MA and Hancock, NH.
THE WOMEN’S ICE HOCKEY FOUNDERS AWARD This award honors a member of the hockey community or college coaching profession who has contributed to the overall growth and development of the sport of women’s ice hockey in the United States through their enthusiasm, passion and selflessness.
DRISCOLL
Recipient: Bill Driscoll, NAHA
Bill Driscoll has made numerous contributions to the growth of amateur hockey, particularly for girls’ and women’s hockey, in the United States. Of his many undertakings, two stand out for female hockey: the founding of the North American Hockey Academy (NAHA) in 1998 and the co-founding (along with Kush Sidhu) of the Junior Women’s Hockey League (JWHL), the first junior league for girls, in 2011.
NAHA was the first female hockey academy in North America, with more than 250 girls placed in NCAA college hockey programs. This includes numerous USA Hockey and Hockey Canada U18 Team, U22 Team, National Teams players. USA Hockey and Czech Hockey Olympic Team players. Also established: the NAHA Showcase, first premiere scouting event for girls, and the NAHA Labor Day Tournament, which became the most popular early-season recruiting tournament and kick-off event for each years college recruiting.
A 1975 graduate of Colby College, Driscoll immersed himself into both youth hockey and skiing following graduation. Starting as youth coach with Stowe (VT) Youth Hockey in 1976, Driscoll began a two-decade relationship with the organization, serving on its Board of Directors from 1987-1996.
In the middle of this period, he served as Director of Multimedia and Video for Stowe Mountain Rsort, pioneering the use of video in ski instruction. He expanded this pursuit into the creation of Driscoll Communications, a film, video and multimedia production company specializing in sports and recreation industries.
In 1988, he teamed up with Middlebury College head men’s coach Bill Beaney to create the Vermont Player Development Program, a summer player development program. He served as an instructor and assistant to Coach Beaney with core programs based on small area games and skill development. He also partnered with Beaney to create the Foundation for Hockey Development, an organization providing consulting, support and instruction to youth hockey organizations internationally. Cutting edge use of small games and activities to enhance skill and player development prior to current popularity.
Bill has assisted in various capacities at USA Hockey Regional & National Girls Camps, both on the and as a talent evaluator. In 2020, he found- ed Driscoll Sports Consultants, consulting on start-ups and operations of sports academies internationally.
Said UVM head coach Jim Plumer upon nominating Driscoll, “Bill Driscoll has provided an incredible service to girls and women’s hockey over the past eight years. He has helped move the game forward with the development of the NAHA program and the affiliated Showcases and tournaments. Perhaps most importantly, he’s done it all with a smile, without getting rich, and with the best interests of kids and their families in mind. I think this is a great opportunity for the female hockey community to recognize the contributions of this extraordinary individual.”
ASSISTANT WOMEN’S COACH AWARD Established in 2011, this award honors an assistant coach’s career body of work.
BELLAMY
Recipient: Laura Bellamy, Harvard, Minnesota Duluth
Laura Bellamy is in her ninth season as an assistant and associate head coach at the Division I level. She is an alumna of Harvard University and began her coaching career with the Crimson immediately after graduation. She has been working for the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs since 2015, spending four seasons as an assistant coach and being elevated to associate head coach three seasons ago. She has helped guide the Bulldogs to two NCAA berths, an NCAA quarterfinal finish in 2016-17 and a Frozen Four finish in 2020-21.
Bellamy is in charge of the defensive corps and goaltenders and has coached several WCHA players of the year (4), All-Americans (5), and Olympians in her nine years as a D1 coach. Bellamy helped the Bulldogs make their first NCAA Frozen Four appearance since the 2010 season after defeating Colgate 1-0 in overtime on March 15, 2021, in Erie, PA, UMD’s first NCAA Quarterfinal victory in a decade. UMD finished the COVID-challenged season 12-7-0 with a .688 winning percentage, its highest since the 2016-17 NCAA tournament season. It also marks the third highest of the last decade.
In six previous seasons at UMD, Bellamy has help guide UMD to an overall record of 100-79-20, including a WCHA postseason record of 10-8 and two NCAA Tournament berths (2021, 2017). Bellamy has overseen a Patty Kazmaier Top-3 Finalist (Lara Stalder), as well as 58 WCHA Scholar Athletes and a total of 84 WCHA All-Academic Team members.
In addition to her UMD duties, Bellamy has been a regular staffer at the U.S. Women’s National Team Goaltending Development Camps which annually brings together the nation’s top female goaltenders from the U-18 to professional level, provides athletes with specialized training and mentoring, as well as critical resources to support their long-term development as elite goaltenders. She has coached 14 Olympians during her career, four at Harvard and10 at UMD.
A 2013 graduate of Harvard University, Bellamy enjoyed a rewarding four-year goaltending career with the Crimson, posting a 60-25-7 record, a 1.82 goals against average, a .915 saves percentage and 19 shutouts (the second most in program history) in 95 appearances. As a senior, she paced the nation in goals against with an average (0.92) and ranked second in saves percentage (.949) en route to landing All-Ivy League first team accolades.
Bellamy launched her coaching career with two seasons working at her alma mater. In 2014-15, Bellamy was an assistant to Katey Stone for a Harvard team that reached the NCAA national title game and finished 27-6-3 overall, after going 23-7-4 and securing an NCAA playoff berth the previous winter while Maura Crowell was Harvard’s interim head coach.
The WIAC men’s hockey series between UW-Superior and UW-Stevens Point scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 28-29, has been canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.
Per WIAC COVID-19 procedures, the games are deemed a “no contest.” The games will not count toward the overall record of either team or for NCAA Division III postseason selection purposes.
The teams have rescheduled the games for Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, both at K.B. Willett Arena beginning at 7 p.m. both evenings. The rescheduled games will be nonconference contests.
Saint Mary’s senior captain Delaney Wolf accepts the 2021 Hockey Humanitarian Award from Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation executive director Matt Patrick (photo: Deb Nahrgang/Saint Mary’s University).
The Hockey Humanitarian Award Foundation on Tuesday announced 11 nominees for the 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award.
The award, which is celebrating its 27th season, is presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen — a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community at large through leadership in volunteerism.
The following are this year’s nominees:
Wyatt Aamodt, Sr., D, Minnesota State
Brendan Budy, Jr., F, North Dakota
Kevin Fitzgerald, Gr., F, St. Cloud State *
Gabbie Hughes, Sr., F, Minnesota Duluth
Jordan Keeley, Sr., G, Saint Mary’s
Josh Kosack, Gr., F, Union * ^
Paetyn Levis, Sr., F, Ohio State
Ben Patt, Sr., G, Minnesota Duluth
Hannah Price, Jr., D, Rensselaer
Graham Slaggert, Sr., F, Notre Dame
Andrew Walker/Jacob Adkins, Jr., F, UMass Boston *^
* Repeat nominee ^ Repeat finalist
Finalists for the 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award will be announced in February. The 2022 recipient will be honored on Friday, April 8 during Frozen Four weekend in Boston.
Delaney Wolf of Saint Mary’s was honored as the 2021 Hockey Humanitarian Award recipient.
Denver captain Cole Guttman and the Pioneers sit No. 5 in this week’s DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll (photo: Russell Hons).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Paula: Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy! How can it be that this is the first time this season that you and I have had a chance to go back and forth about the state of college hockey? I’m taking us old school – so to speak – for our TMQ reunion, starting with the very interesting DCU/USCHO Division I Poll this week.
Before I get to the new No. 1 and what voters might have been thinking about that, I want to look at the fact that five teams received first-place votes, a first since Dec. 6. I expect to see that many teams earn first-place votes early in the season, before a lot of hockey has been played to make more informed decisions, but I think this week the number of teams gaining that kind of confidence among voters is an indication of how good – and how very different – so many top teams are this season.
One of the things that intrigues me is the top vote for Denver two weeks in a row and having watched the Pioneers against Colorado College this past weekend, I can see why someone would put them first. As a team, Denver looks pretty whole – so complete that it’s kind of disconcerting to see how mediocre the Pioneers’ special teams are. As I’ve mentioned here before, Denver is a blind spot team for me. It’s a deficiency on my part and no fault of theirs. I just always seem to need to be convinced about the Pioneers. Right now, I’m pretty convinced.
That split at the top of the poll is pretty even, with 20 votes for Minnesota and 18 for Quinnipiac, teams that switched places from a week ago – and when the vote count was much more lopsided for Quinnipiac. I’m one of the 18 voters who kept the Bobcats at the top of the ballot. To me, an OT loss to a top team didn’t move the proverbial needle enough. Having said that, Minnesota State’s near-total dominance of St. Thomas – allowing just 20 shots on goal in two games and outscoring the Tommies 12-2 – gave me pause.
What do you think the voters are thinking? And what are your thoughts?
Jim: Well, Paula, I’m going to address Denver first and foremost.
Whether the Pioneers have slipped under the radar or not, the fact that they have climbed to third in the PariWise, to me, says that voters are paying attention to the one metric that I believe means a lot as we head down the stretch. Denver is 12-1-1 in its last 14 games, something I believe to be significant given the overall difficulty of the Pioneers schedule.
I think that the PairWise is also what spaces Quinnipiac 18 points in the poll from Minnesota State. Neither team is at the top of the PairWise, Michigan holds that honor. But the fact that after Quinnipiac’s loss on Saturday they are now seventh in the PairWise may have influenced voters to lower the Bobcats. Think that QU has only two less first-place votes than Minnesota State but is 18 points behind. Translation is that a number of voters place Quinnipiac somewhere between 3 and 7 in the poll.
With that, I want to go back to Michigan. The Wolverines earned four of six points against Minnesota over the weekend and, as mentioned above, are now tops in the PairWise. I’ve said it all season long that I believe this is college hockey’s best team. But they, as will Minnesota, will lose significant players to the Olympics. I know that has been talked about here in the past, but Mel Pearson told me last week that he felt urgency to get wins and points while he has a full team. Not every coach can be honest like that. But there is something to be said about where Michigan is when it loses its best players either this week or next.
I’ve never been around college hockey in such a tight Olympic cycle. It does feel rather strange.
Paula: That it does feel strange, Jim. It certainly feels a whole lot different from teams losing players midseason to the World Juniors, doesn’t it? It’s not just the number of NCAA players participating – there are 16 on the U.S. roster and as of this writing, we’re still waiting for the finalized roster for Team Canada – but the timing of the event.
We see teams impacted by the loss of elite players to international play every year, but the Olympic games are played as teams are chasing conference championships and trying to finish as high as possible in the PairWise. In his radio show last week before his team played Michigan, Bob Motzko said, “We’ve got to make some hay now.”
While I think that’s every coach’s mantra every day, it’s the timing that makes it feel so tight, as you put it. Motzko has said repeatedly that it’s a huge honor for the Golden Gophers to have three current and one former player chosen to represent the U.S. at the Olympics, and we know, too, that all coaches do feel that way when their players are chosen to compete internationally. During his radio show, Motzko also added that the “downside is that we lose them for six games in the middle of February.” It’s the timing.
The dynamic for international play changes, too, because of COVID, which is itself a factor that creates uncertainty for every team playing. Even programs without Olympians are beginning to feel a sense of urgency to make that hay, as Motzko said. And everyone is holding their breath about COVID.
Jim: I guess that timing is something we can’t all relate to as easily as we do the Olympics. Though sometimes not desirable as fans, to lose Olympic players with a few weeks’ notice can be planned for. Losing players to COVID can’t.
I don’t know how bad this will get in certain regions at certain times. Living in Boston, there is a belief that we are on the lower end of the COVID surge. Most programs got hit and had players unavailable, thought I haven’t surveyed every team. If teams get hit later, I wonder the impact and reaction.
Personally, I recall many calls with UMass coach Greg Carvel of his desire to keep his team COVID free. They survived much of the year, but as some will remember got hit in the NCAA tournament, forcing goaltender Filip Lindberg, among others, to miss the national semifinals. We also had teams like St. Lawrence, Notre Dame and Michigan that never were allowed to compete in the national tournament.
I’m not a doctor or a scientist, so I won’t make predictions, but I feel cautiously optimistic that the COVID curve will allow most teams to field competitive teams in the key portions – March and April – but we’ll never know.
Paula: I get the sense that you’re right about the overall COVID curve and how it will impact college hockey as a whole. With vaccines and a lot more smarts about how to deal with all of it, I don’t think we’ll be seeing entire teams dropping out of contention at any point because of COVID. I was thinking more along the lines of losing players down the stretch and how losing players unexpectedly – as opposed to having time to plan for losing guys to the Olympics – might color things as we look toward the final stretch here.
We talked about this last season, Jimmy, about how good teams persevere and do what they need to do, regardless of circumstances. As weird as this may sound, I think that’s an axiom that applies even now. Teams that can take care of business do take care of business, or at least as much of the business that is within their control, regardless of all other outside circumstances. We have seen that perennially when it comes to close conference races and in the single-elimination format of the NCAA tournament.
That’s one of the things that’s impressed me so much about Quinnipiac this season. Two total losses at this point is quite a feat for any team, but I’m sure that loss to Cornell is especially difficult to swallow, as both of Cornell’s goals came on the power play and that’s an area where the Bobcats have, indeed, taken care of business for the better part of this season.
Western Michigan sweeping North Dakota at home in the Broncos’ first games since Dec. 29 is impressive. Ohio State sweeping Michigan State while Minnesota and Michigan battled for points – and positioning themselves well at the top of the Big Ten – strikes me as a team taking care of business. American International increasing its win streak to 10 with a sweep of Sacred Heart and putting itself eight points ahead of second-place Bentley in Atlantic Hockey is evidence of a team that is doing all it can within its own power.
Then there is CCHA-leading Minnesota State, 16 points ahead of second-place Bemidji State and six conference games remaining. Sure, St. Thomas is in last place, but the Mavericks smothered the Tommies.
Heading into the last month or so of play, who do you see as completely in control of their own destiny – not just mathematically, but the teams that are capable of taking care of everything necessary?
Jim: Whoa, good question. I think this could be more easily answered without teams losing players to the Olympics. So I’ll give a shocking answer.
I say that AIC will win out or come very close. AIC has 10 games left and maybe goes 9-1-0 in my estimation, but I wouldn’t be surprised if AIC goes 10-0-0 and wins out this regular season. And that would boost their PairWise to a point of 11 or 12. Man could that create some fun scenarios come playoffs time.
I think there are other great teams and I think Denver, Minnesota State, UMass, Quinnipiac and Michigan (and maybe Ohio State) have runs in them, but the one team I want to see really go crazy is AIC. They’re ready for it.
Jake Lamberty had his second season at Northland cut short by cancer. Photo courtesy of Northland Athletics
It’s the second day of 2022 and Jake Lamberty has just wrapped up two hours of hitting golf balls on a driving range while back home in Arizona.
For the Northland hockey standout, it’s his way of taking his mind off the long road ahead. He has Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is in the midst of a treatment process that includes six rounds of chemo.
He’s staying positive because he knows negativity will get him nowhere.
“Too fast, too focused is what I’ve written in my journal I’m going to get through this as fast as I can and I’m focused on getting it done,” Lamberty said. “There’s nothing else I can do. I can’t live with it, so I have to beat it.”
When Lamberty found out he had cancer in November he was shocked, but he was more concerned about his parents and how they would handle the news.
Yet, after returning home ahead of the treatments, which started in early January, he stayed active. He played golf, he skated. He’s even played video games, something he usually doesn’t do.
“I’m not a big video game person, but I’ve been getting on there and playing with friends,” Lamberty said. I’ll also do Facetime and group Zoom calls with my teammates, and talk with my coach at least once a day. Those moments take my mind off everything for that brief time.”
Lamberty was supposed to be in the middle of his second season of college hockey by now, but his year was cut short after just a few weeks because of the diagnosis.
He scored a goal in the opening game but started having pain in his chest a couple of weeks later. A cyst was found. The diagnosis was cancer.
That isn’t an easy thing to digest for a young, athletic hockey player to digest, especially one who plays the sport with all-out effort, energy and with passion that cannot be measured.
But he isn’t about to back down from the fight.
“I just have to get through it. It’s something that for four months I’m going to absolutely grind through, but you know, it’s going to make me stronger in the end,” Lamberty said.
After three rounds of chemo, a re-scan will be done, and that will be the indicator if the treatment is working. If things look good, the treatment will continue as planned.
Then, after the sixth round, if all has gone well, Lamberty is expected to be able to move on with his life as normal.
“I want to get back to school by May because there is a sports medicine class that starts then. I want to be back for it,” Lamberty said. “And my goal is to be 100% ready to play hockey next season.”
Lamberty fell in love with hockey when his uncle took him to an Arizona Coyotes game. He has been skating since he was 4 and recalls how his punishment as a child would be having his stick or shooting pad taken away.
Lamberty continued to grow as a player and landed an opportunity to play junior hockey for the Soo Eagles of the NOJHL.
That’s how he learned of Northland and the opportunity to play hockey for the Lumberjacks.
“I got on campus (for a visit) and fell in love with it,” Lamberty said. “I love being close to the lake. I’m an outdoors guy. I felt at home there.”
He considers himself a grinder on the ice and that style of play has worked out well for him.
“I like causing havoc out there, getting under the opponent’s skin, blocking shots,” Lamberty said.
His style has allowed him to adapt to life in the WIAC and NCAA Division III hockey as a whole.
“Some of the teams we play, the competition we face, it’s insane,” Lamberty said. “There some guys who can be pros somewhere after college.”
And while Northland hasn’t had it easy, winning only three of its first 18 games, Lamberty loves that his team never stops battling.
“We all have that will to fight and we’ve taken some steps forward. It’s good to see us keep pushing forward,” Lamberty said.
Lamberty can’t wait to be back with his team and fight right alongside his teammates.
He knows that he’ll come away from the adversity he’s faced with a greater appreciation for the sport.
For now, he looks forward to putting cancer in his rear-view mirror.
“I’m counting the days right now,” Lamberty said. “The perspective I’ll have and the way I look at life after it is something I’m looking forward to. I’m an easily motivated person and I feel like I’ll have that want to do even more.”
Due to ongoing rescheduling hurdles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the NEHC has announced an expansion of its league postseason tournaments for the 2021-22 season.
Typically an eight-team field, the tournaments will expand for the 2021-22 postseason only to accommodate the qualification of all 10 programs.
A first-round game has been added for Wednesday, February 16. In this round, the No. 7 seed will host the No. 10 seed while the No. 8 seed will host No. 9. The winners of the first-round contests will advance to the quarterfinal round scheduled for Saturday, February 19. The postseason is re-seeded after each round of the tournament with the higher seeds being awarded the opportunity to host.
Conference standings via a point system will be used to seed the teams. Teams receive three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win and one point for an overtime loss. For games ending in a tie, each team will receive one point.
The regular season is scheduled to end on Saturday, February 12. Teams will be seeded following those contests. For any conference games unable to be made up before the end of the regular season, forfeit wins and losses will be added to league standings as appropriate due to COVID-19 postponements. Final seeds and pairings will be announced no later than Sunday, February 13.
Team USA’s Olympic leadership group includes captain Kendall Coyne Schofield, Brianna Decker, Hilary Knight, and Lee Stecklein (photos: USA Hockey).
Three-time Olympian Kendall Coyne Schofield (Northeastern) will serve as captain of the 2022 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, while Brianna Decker (Wisconsin), Hilary Knight (Wisconsin) and Lee Stecklein (Minnesota) were named as alternate captains.
“It is an honor to be named captain of Team USA alongside Brianna, Hilary and Lee,” Coyne Schofield said in a statement. “I’m thankful to have had so many accomplished leaders to look up to. This team is a resilient group, filled with amazing leaders and game changers. We are so ready for our journey in Beijing to begin.”
The four served in the same leadership roles for both the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship and the My Why Tour, presented by Toyota.
Team USA will look to win its second straight gold medal after topping the podium at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games. The U.S. opens competition on Feb. 3 against Finland. Puck drop is set for 9:10 p.m. in Beijing, 8:10 a.m. ET.
Minnesota State’s Jake Livingstone went into last weekend tied for third in the nation in scoring by defensemen with seven goals and 20 points in 26 games (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
With 20 first-place votes this week, Minnesota State regains the top spot in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
Former No. 1 Quinnipiac picked up 18 first-place votes and falls to No. 2 this week.
Western Michigan is up one to No. 3 and garnered eight first-place votes, while Michigan drops one to fourth, getting three first-place votes.
Denver earned the last first-place vote and retains the No. 5 ranking in this week’s poll.
St. Cloud State, Minnesota Duluth and Cornell remain Nos. 6-8, respectively, while Massachusetts jumps five to sit ninth and Minnesota is up one to No. 10.
North Dakota tumbles out of the top 10, going from ninth to 13th this week.
Just one new team enters the rankings this week, Merrimack at No. 19.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 10 other teams also received votes in the weekly poll.
The DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Ice Hockey 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.
Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech will play their postponed series from this past weekend next month (photo: Michigan Tech Athletics).
The CCHA announced Monday the makeup dates for the Michigan Tech-Northern Michigan home-and-home series, originally scheduled for Friday, Jan. 21 in Marquette, Mich., and Saturday, Jan. 22 in Houghton, Mich.
Michigan Tech will host Northern Michigan Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 6:07 p.m. EDT at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Mich., televised on NBC TV 6 (WLUC).
Northern Michigan will then host Michigan Tech Tuesday, Feb. 8 at 6:37 p.m. EDT at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich., televised on FOX UP (WLUC-2).
Both games will also be streamed live via CCHA TV on www.FloHockey.tv.
All tickets purchased for the Friday, Jan. 21, Saturday, Jan. 22 and Sunday, Jan. 23 games will transfer to the new dates. Refunds will be honored up to 24 hours prior to the start of the scheduled game.
For ticket information at Michigan Tech, call 906-487-2073 or email [email protected]. For ticket information at Northern Michigan, call 906-227-1032 or email [email protected].
After taking a regulation and shootout win from the Badgers earlier in the season, Minnesota completed a season sweep of Wisconsin with two wins this weekend – something they haven’t done since 2016. In the first game, Madeline Wethington’s goal midway through the second had the Gophers in control. Daryl Watts tied the game during a give minute power play in the third, but Amy Potomak’s late goal gave Minnesota the win. On Saturday, Wisconsin took the lead early with a goal from Brette Pettet four minutes in, but the Gophers had an answer for everything Wisconsin tried. Crystalyn Hengler scored 1:36 later. Caitlin Schneider used her speed to give UW a 2-1 lead with under three to go in the first, but Ella Huber tied the game just 14 seconds later and Catie Skaja made it 3-2 70 seconds later. Taylor Heise extended the Gopher lead to 4-2 in the second. Pettet scored again in the third, but the Badgers couldn’t complete a comeback and suffered their third loss of the season – all at the hands of the Gophers. Amy Potomak topped the 100 point plateau in the series.
(8) Minnesota Duluth at (2) Ohio State
Sophomore goalie JoJo Chobak had played the equivalent of about four periods worth of college hockey before taking over the starting position for UMD as Emma Soderberg heads to China to play with Team Sweden. Chobak earned a shutout for the Bulldogs, blanking the highest scoring offense in the country and made 27 saves. The game was scoreless until the final minute. Kylie Hanley scored for the Bulldogs with with 32.1 seconds on the clock. Ohio State looked to have scored as time expired, but the goal was waved off for having come after the buzzer and UMD took the 1-0 win. On Saturday, Jenna Buglioni scored midway through the first and Sophie Jacques doubled the Ohio State lead a few minutes later to make it 2-0 Buckeyes at the first intermission. Clair DeGeorge extended the lead late in the third. McKenzie Hewett replied a few seconds later, but UMD was not able to close the gap. Ohio State took a 3-1 and weekend split.
Boston University at (3) Northeastern
A major upset was brewing in Boston, but the Terriers let it slip through their grasp. BU jumped out to a 2-0 lead before 70 seconds had elapsed in this game. Courtney Correia scored 21 seconds in and Catherine Foulem doubled the lead at the 1:09 mark. Chloe Aurard scored on the PP with a few minutes left in the first to make it 2-1. But Kaleigh Donnelly got the goal back before the horn, making it 3-1 Terriers at the break. Brook Hobson scored the lone goal of the second at the game’s halfway mark to make it 3-2. BU held Northeastern at bay for 54 minutes of this game, but couldn’t hold out for the full 60. Maddie Mills scored on the PP with less than six to play to tie the game. A minute later, Katy Knoll gave Northeastern their first lead of the game. Maureen Murphy and Maddie Mills each scored on the empty net to make it a 6-3 Northeastern win.
(9) Harvard at (4) Quinnipiac
The Crimson earned their first win over a top-five team in five years on Saturday. They’ve now won eight straight ECAC games. Emma Buckles scored three minutes into the game and Anne Bloomer extended the lead for Harvard in the second. In the final frame, Sadie Peart made it 2-1 for Quinnipiac. Shannon Hollands power play goal put Harvard up by two once more. Zoe Boyd cut it to 3-2, but they could not find the equalizer and the Crimson earned the win.
(6) Colgate at (10) Yale
These teams played a close fought and scoreless first two periods of hockey. In the third, Rebecca Foggia scored for the Bulldogs to make it 1-0. Charlotte Welch added a shorthanded goal with about six minutes left in the game to make it 2-0. Elle Hartje added one more to secure the 3-0 win for Yale.
(6) Colgate at Brown
After being shut out on Friday, the Raiders scored four minutes into this game to take the 1-0 lead thanks to a goal from Maggie MacEachern. Megan Forrest tied the game for Brown midway through the first. That tied score held for the next 44 minutes. Dara Grieg broke the stalemate and gave Colgate the win with a power play goal late in the second.
RPI at (7) Clarkson
The Engineers were 5-31 in 36 meetings with Clarkson prior to Friday’s game. They earned their sixth win with a 2-1 overtime victory. It was their first win in Potsdam since 2010. Marah Wagner set the tone early, scoring on the power play to put RPI up 1-0. Stephanie Markowski tied the game in the second for the Golden Knights. It took less than a minute for the Engineers to end the game as Taylor Larsen scored 48 seconds into overtime. Amanda Rampando made 40 saves in the win for RPI.
Union at (7) Clarkson
Freshman walk on goalie Alexa Madrid made 28 saves and recorded a shutout in her first career start at Clarkson. The McQuigge sisters starred on offense – Brooke scored first, followed by Kirstyn in the opening frame. Brooke added a second goal early in the second. Caitrin Lonergan scored the fourth and final goal to give Clarkson the 4-0 win. She also had two assists on the day.
(9) Harvard at Princeton
The goalies were the stars in this 1-0 win by Harvard. Princeton’s Rachel McQuigge made 25 saves while Becky Dutton had 29. The only goal was scored by Brooke Jovanovich in the final minute of the second for the Crimson.
Cornell at (10) Yale
Yale outshot Cornell 32-16 and moved into fifth place in the Pairwise with a 4-1 win and weekend sweep of their games. Cornell actually scored first, with Lily Delianedis lighting the lamp to put them up 1-0. But from there, it was all Yale. Rebecca Vanstone and Claire Dalton scored in the second to put the Bulldogs ahead and Anna Bargman added two goals in the third to bookend the period and give the win.
Franklin Pierce’s Conor Foley scored four goals in a 7-5 win over NE-10 leading SNHU on Saturday (photo by Franklin Pierce Athletics)
Talk about a week that saw it all! There was the Great Whiteout. Overtime thrillers. A sprinkling of upsets and surprises and one of the rarest of hockey happenings, a goalie-goal! Here’s the weekend wrap-up:
CCC
Curry and the University of New England played the front end of what was supposed to be a two-game series and the Colonels took full advantage of home ice on Friday night. Led by Nicholas Favaro’s goal and two assists in the first period, Curry raced out to a 4-2 lead after the first 20 minutes and cruised to a 6-2 win making them a perfect 8-0-0 at home this season.
After cruising to an easy 7-0 win over Wentworth on Friday where Zach Mazur picked up two goals and two assists, Endicott found a much more competitive Leopards squad on Saturday. Connor Beatty gave the Gulls a 1-0 lead with a power play goal late in the first period and that score stood until the third period when Wentworth’s Joey O’Leary tied the game midway through the period. Neither team could solve the great goaltending at each end and overtime was needed to decide the game. Jake McKenelley beat Conor O’Brien at 2:41 of the extra session to give Wentworth the 2-1 win and split of the weekend series.
Salve Regina extended their winning streak to seven games with a pair of wins over Western New England. On Friday, Ethan DeStafani scored a pair of goals to pace the Seahawks to a 4-1 win. On Saturday, a three goal second period broke open a 1-1 game to help Salve Regina earn a decisive 5-2 win over the Golden Bears. Mitch Walinski scored a pair of goals and added an assist for Salve Regina who moved to 9-2-0 in CCC action.
Independents
Anna Maria finally got back into game action with three contests this week that saw them go 2-1-0 to start 2022. After a 6-4 win over Johnson & Wales on Tuesday that featured two goals each from Justin Taylor and Gavin Proeh, the AmCats scored six goals again in a 6-2 win over Rivier on Friday. Proeh again led Anna Maria off to a fast start with a pair of goals in the first period that staked the home team to an early 3-0 lead. Cam Tobey added a goal and two assists in the win over the Raiders. On Saturday, the six-spot came up for Stonehill in a 6-2 loss for the AmCats. Mike Seone scored one goal and setup two more for Stonehill while goaltender Chase McKay stopped 38 of 40 shots for the win over Anna Maria.
MASCAC
The first game in conference play on Tuesday featured league leading Plymouth State traveling to Fitchburg State. The Falcons took advantage of 51 saves from goaltender Brian McGrath and a pair of goals from Oliver Cookson to post a 4-0 win, knocking the Panthers from the unbeaten ranks in the conference. On Thursday, the Falcons posted another strong win with a 6-3 decision over Salem State. In a game where the Falcons couldn’t quite shake free from the Vikings through the first 56 minutes of play, goals from Anthony Ceolin and Cole Archambeault in the final three minutes of play gave some insurance to move to 6-2-0 in MASCAC play. The Falcons completed the week’s trifecta with another 6-3 decision on Saturday over Westfield State. After Westfield’s Spencer DeRidder tied the game at 2-2 in the first minute of the third period, the Falcons would score four goals over the final ten minutes for their third win of the week which moved them to 7-2-0 in conference play.
NE-10
Conference leading Southern New Hampshire finally got back into action this week but suffered their first loss on NE-10 play on Saturday after opening 2022 with a 6-2 win over Stonehill on Friday. Four power play goals and a three-point night for Jake Cox helped the Penmen to the win in their first game back in January. On Saturday, Franklin Pierce showed they could also play the special teams game in a seesaw affair the Ravens won by a 7-5 score. Matt Amante picked up two goals and two assists for the Penmen who scored two power play and two shorthanded goals, but it didn’t match the effort of Conor Foley who scored four times for the Ravens in knocking SNHU from the unbeaten ranks in the NE-10.
NEHC
This conference continues to show why it is the deepest in the country as the battle in the standings heats up entering the final weeks of the regular season. Perhaps the hottest team out there is Skidmore who extended their winning streak to five games with impressive wins over New England College and Norwich this weekend. After Alex LaPlante gave the red-hot Pilgrims a 1-0 lead, Mike Gelatt scored the game’s next two goals to give the Thoroughbreds a lead they would never relinquish on their way to a 5-2 win. On Saturday, goaltender Tate Brandon and a big second period helped Skidmore pick up a big road win against Norwich by a 3-0 score. Freddie Macciocchi and Reid Russell scored 47 seconds apart in the middle period and Gelatt provided the final margin with a late goal to support Brandon’s 28-save shutout effort.
In the home-and-home series between nationally ranked Hobart and Elmira, the two game series was split in dramatic fashion with the visiting teams earning wins on both nights. On Friday, Blake Coffey scored for the Statesmen in the first five minutes of play and Liam Lascelle outdueled Chris Janzen in goal in a 2-0 Hobart win. Artem Buzoverya scored an empty-net goal late for the final score and Lascelle made 35 saves to earn the shutout. On Saturday back at Hobart, the Soaring Eagles got off to a fast start and held a 4-2 lead at the end of the second period. Hobart rallied to tie the game at 4-4 on goals from Mark Benemerito and Matthieu Wuth, but Shawn Kennedy scored his second of the game and earned Elmira the 5-4 win with just 14 seconds remaining in the extra session.
Massachusetts-Boston surprised Babson with a 5-4 win on Friday led by Chris Peters who scored two goals including the game winner in the final minute of regulation. On Saturday, the Beacons fell 2-1 to Southern Maine in overtime as Tyler Gardiner produced the game-winning goal for the Huskies which moved them to 3-4-1 in NEHC play.
NESCAC
Colby continued their march up the standings as they extended their win streak to five games with victories over Williams and Middlebury this weekend. On Friday, the Mules broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period on a power play goal from Michael Morrissey. Andy Beran made 31 saves including 23 in the final two periods in the 2-1 win over the Ephs. On Saturday, the Panthers and Mules were scoreless after one period of play before Alex Bourhas and Griffin Grise scored for Colby in the second period. Quinn Doyle added one more goal in the third period before Middlebury’s Andrej Hromic broke Beran’s shutout bid in the final two minutes of regulation of the 3-1 Colby win. Colby is now 7-2-0 in NESCAC play.
After a 2-1 win at Hamilton on Tuesday, Conn College took on their Connecticut rivals on the weekend and extended their road win streak to three games with wins over Trinity and Wesleyan. On Friday, Sean Dynan made 39 saves and Lukas Uhler, Eric Fournier and Paul Capozzi all scored in the first 40 minutes of the 3-1 win over the Bantams. On Saturday against Wesleyan, the Camels’ Devan Newhook and Fournier provided all the scoring in the first period that Dynan would need to pickup a 2-1 win over the Cardinals.
The Bowdoin Polar Bears picked up two wins and a tie in three road games last week to move to 5-3-3 in NESCAC play. Playing on three consecutive days, Bowdoin downed Hamilton on Thursday by a 3-1 score where they rallied from a 1-0 deficit for the win. After a 2-2 tie at Middlebury on Friday where goaltender Alex Kozic was outstanding with 36 saves, Bowdoin took down Williams by a score of 3-2 with Andy Stoneman figuring in all of the Polar Bear’s scoring with two goals and one assist.
Another team extending an unbeaten streak was the Amherst Mammoths. After tying No. 15 Curry 1-1 on Tuesday in a game that featured 30 saves from goaltender Dan Dachille and the tying goal from Mitchell Shults, the Mammoths took a 2-1 NESCAC win over Hamilton on Sunday. Sean Wrenn’s shorthanded tally just 34 seconds into the third period proved to be the game winning goal as Dachille made 38 saves in the win extending Amherst’s unbeaten streak to six games.
SUNYAC
The Great Whiteout event was held on Saturday at Oswego against Plattsburgh but both teams wanted to build momentum in SUNYAC play with wins on Friday leading up to the annual event. Oswego downed Potsdam 3-0 while Plattsburgh beat a very good Cortland team on the road, 5-2 to setup the big rivalry game on Saturday. The crowd clearly had the Lakers going early as Tyler Flack and Conner Sleeth scored in the opening four minutes and the Cardinals could never catch up. Second period goals from Garrett Clegg and Conor Smart extended the lead to 4-1 as the Lakers cruised to a 5-2 win and have now won four games in a row while moving to 7-1-1 in SUNYAC play.
In what might be the performance of the weekend, Fredonia’s freshman goaltender Logan Dyck stopped 38 of 39 shots and added an unassisted empty-net goal in the Blue Devils’ 5-1 win over Buffalo State on Saturday night.
Brockport extended their win streak to four games with a pair of wins over Canton this weekend. After a 7-2 win on Friday where Andrew Harley paced the offense with a four-point night, the Golden Eagles needed more Harley magic on Saturday to complete the sweep. Harley figured in all three goals in the 3-1 win including scoring the final two goals in the third period to move Brockport to 12-5-0 on the season.
UCHC
Utica picked up a pair of 7-0 conference wins over the weekend by blanking Lebanon Valley and Arcadia by comfortable margins. On Friday, Dante Zapata scored a hat trick while Jayson Dobay added four assists in the easy win over the Flying Dutchmen. Sean Dickson earned the 14-save shutout win. On Saturday, the Pioneers scored three power play goals and Dobay picked up another three points with a goal and two assists in the second shutout of the weekend.
Wilkes won a pair of UCHC battles over the weekend starting with a 7-2 thrashing of Neumann. A five-goal second period rallied the Colonels back from a 1-0 deficit as Tyler Barrow scored twice in the win. On Saturday against Manhattanville, the Colonels started fast with four first period goals including two from Donald Flynn and cruised to a 6-3 win over the Valiants.
Three Biscuits
Brian McGrath – Fitchburg State – made 51 saves and picked up the shutout in a 4-0 win over Plymouth State on Tuesday night in MASCAC’s return to conference play. McGrath picked up three wins in five days for the Falcons.
Logan Dyck – Fredonia – the freshman netminder made 38 saves on 39 shots and added an empty-net goal for the Blue Devils in a 5-1 win over Buffalo State on Saturday.
Alex LaPlante – New England College – scored a hat trick in a 4-1 upset win over Babson on Tuesday night.
Bonus Biscuits
Conor Foley – Franklin Pierce – scored four goals in a wild 7-5 win over SNHU on Saturday. FPU’s win knocked SNHU from the unbeaten ranks in NE-10 play.
Dante Zapata – Utica – had a five-point game in the Knights’ 8-1 win over Lebanon Valley on Friday. Morgan scored a hat trick and added two assists in the win.
Schedules are filling up for make-up games and the standings are getting very congested across most of the conferences entering the final month of league play. Get ready for a great finish!!!
Jake Kucharski made 29 saves for AIC in the Yellow Jackets’ 4-2 win at Sacred Heart last Friday night (photo: Matthew Wiernasz).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Top-ranked Quinnipiac downs Colgate, falls in OT to Cornell
Quinnipiac’s new run at the top of the DCU/USCHO Division I Men’s Poll was thrown into jeopardy last weekend, when the Bobcats split the first two games of a five-game stretch away from home.
Goals from four different players, and two from Zach Metsa, helped Quinnipiac to a 5-1 win Friday at unranked Colgate, but the Bobcats weren’t as fortunate Saturday in their 2-1 overtime loss at No. 8 Cornell. Ben Berard scored the winner with 16 seconds left, as the Big Red skated on a power play and sent the Lynah Rink crowd into raptures.
Quinnipiac finishes its January slate this week, visiting Princeton on Wednesday ahead of two games at the Connecticut Ice Collegiate Hockey Tournament in Bridgeport. The Bobcats will be looking for bounce-back performances after Saturday’s defeat. As for who beat them…
2. Cornell maintains strong recent run
Look out for the Big Red. They split two games last weekend, just like Quinnipiac, but Cornell is 4-1 in its last five games.
It might have been 5-0, if Cornell’s comeback attempt would have been completed Friday in a 5-4 home loss to Princeton.
The Tigers led 3-0 midway through the second period before Cornell got on the board through Kyle Penney. The game ended in memorable fashion, as three goals were scored in the final minute. Cornell had two through Berard and Travis Mitchell, but those sandwiched Ian Murphy’s game-winner with 24.1 seconds left.
Cornell hosts Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend to wrap up a four-game homestand.
3. Merrimack takes pair from UMass Lowell
Unranked Merrimack gave No. 10 UMass-Lowell a couple of shocks last weekend, as the Warriors swept a home-and-home Hockey East series.
Two power-play goals and Hugo Ollas’ 23 saves helped Merrimack to a 3-1 home win Friday over UML. Three different Warriors scored in that game, and on Saturday in Lowell, two Liam Walsh goals lifted Merrimack to a 3-2 victory.
UML led 2-0 midway through the second period on goals from Reid Stefanson and Blake Wells. Walsh soon got Merrimack on the board, though, and Jake Durflinger tied the game around three minutes later at 11:49. That came on a power play and, wouldn’t you know it, so did Walsh’s winner at 7:28 of the third.
4. Western Michigan earns memorable sweep
After nearly a month off, fourth-ranked Western Michigan racked up a big home sweep last weekend against No. 9 North Dakota.
Ronnie Attard scored twice in Western’s 4-1 win Friday at Lawson Ice Arena, before Max Sasson and Michael Joyaux found joy in a 2-0 shutout Saturday. Brandon Bussi was perfect between the pipes, making 24 saves Saturday to finish the weekend with 58.
The undrafted Bussi is having an excellent season, boasting a .923 save percentage and 16-5 record. UND, on the other hand, appears stuck.
The Fighting Hawks were held scoreless Saturday for the first time in 88 games, and have now lost four straight for the first time since the 2013-14 season. They have also dropped nine spots in the PairWise rankings to 13th since UND’s current skid began.
5. Michigan, Minnesota share spoils
Preseason Big Ten favorites Michigan and Minnesota last weekend split a series that led up to the hype.
Ben Meyers scored 69 seconds into overtime Friday, burying a snapper to give No. 11 Minnesota a 2-1 home win over the third-ranked Wolverines. Meyers’ strike came on a lengthy power play, as Michigan’s Jacob Truscott got five minutes and a game misconduct with 2:09 left in regulation for checking from behind.
Getting to overtime gave Michigan a point in the Big Ten standings, though, and the Wolverines added to their total Saturday in a 4-1 win. Two goals 1:02 apart in the first period from Brendan Brisson and Matty Beniers canceled out Minnesota’s opener from Bryce Brodzinski
Michigan and Ohio State are now tied for first place in the Big Ten with 33 points, six ahead of Minnesota in third.
6. St. Cloud State returns with authority
After its last four games were postponed, sixth-ranked St. Cloud State came out firing last weekend in a pair of home blowout wins against Miami.
Ten St. Cloud skaters scored Friday in an 11-1 drubbing of the RedHawks, as only Zach Okabe found the back of the net twice. Nick Perbix had a school-record six points and five assists on a night when SCSU matched NCHC records for most goals in a conference game and largest margin of victory.
Saturday’s 8-0 win wasn’t a whole lot different. Veeti Miettinen and Kevin Fitzgerald both scored twice as St. Cloud set new program and NCHC records for goals in a single weekend series.
Miami, however, can’t seem to catch a break. Six points adrift in last place in the NCHC, with just one conference win so far, the RedHawks look likely to carry the bottom seed for the league tournament.
7. UMass sweeps No. 12 Northeastern
Defending national champion Massachusetts had a great weekend, winning both games of a home-and-home Hockey East set against 12th-ranked Northeastern.
A three-goal second period lifted No. 14 UMass to a 3-2 home win Friday, when eight different Minutemen hit the score sheet. Three different UMass skaters scored that day, before the Minutemen scored four in the first period of a 6-0 road blowout Saturday in Boston.
Bobby Trivigno scored twice in the rematch and helped set up UMass’ sixth goal, as the Minutemen clinched a sweep of their first games since losing twice Jan. 8-9 at Michigan.
8. Minnesota State takes it outside, throws haymakers
No. 2 Minnesota State rolled to two big wins last weekend, beating CCHA foe St. Thomas both indoors and outdoors.
Defensemen accounted for four Minnesota State goals Friday in a 5-1 road win, and five different Mavericks scored. Saturday saw MSU hammer the Tommies 7-1 in cold, snowy conditions at the Maverick football team’s Blakeslee Stadium.
David Silye’s hat trick was all the goal support MSU’s defense would need, as the Mavericks bumped their record on the season to 23-5. The game headlined Hockey Day Minnesota, an annual outdoor event that takes place in a different city each year.
9. Denver blanks CC twice in Gold Pan series
Playing against Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona doesn’t sound that fun right now.
The junior Swede is now riding a three-game shutout streak that sits at 183:16 after the fifth-ranked Pioneers blanked Colorado College twice last weekend in a home-and-home series.
Brett Stapley, Ryan Barrow and Carter Mazur each had a goal and an assist in Denver’s 5-0 home win Friday, and Cole Guttman scored twice in Saturday’s 4-0 win as the senior captain reached 100 career points with the Pioneers.
Denver is yet to trail in any game since the holiday break, and the Pioneers have killed off 18 consecutive penalties.
The Colorado rivals will play twice more at the end of the regular season, March 4-5.
10. AIC makes it 10 wins in row
Atlantic Hockey-leading American International held firm last weekend in a road sweep against Sacred Heart.
Four different AIC players scored in a 4-2 win Friday, before the Yellow Jackets spread their scoring around again in a 3-1 victory Saturday at Webster Bank Arena. Alec Calvaruso made 12 of his 26 saves in the third period, helping Chris Dodero’s power-play goal early in the second stand up as the game-winner.
AIC has now won 10 straight, dating back to Nov. 27.
Western Michigan’s Max Sasson gets off a shot on North Dakota goalie Jakob Hellsten during the teams’ weekend series at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo (photo: Ashley Huss).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of January 17 fared in games over the weekend of Jan. 21-22.
No. 2 Minnesota State (23-5-0)
01/20/2022 – No. 2 Minnesota State 5 at St. Thomas 1
01/22/2022 – St. Thomas 1 at No. 2 Minnesota State 7 (Hockey Day Minnesota)
No. 4 Western Michigan (16-5-0)
01/21/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 1 at No. 4 Western Michigan 4
01/22/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 0 at No. 4 Western Michigan 2
No. 5 Denver (16-5-1)
01/21/2022 – Colorado College 0 at No. 5 Denver 5
01/22/2022 – No. 5 Denver 4 at Colorado College 0
No. 6 St. Cloud State (14-6-0)
01/21/2022 – Miami 1 at No. 6 St. Cloud State 11
01/22/2022 – Miami 0 at No. 6 St. Cloud State 8
No. 9 North Dakota (13-10-0)
01/21/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 1 at No. 4 Western Michigan 4
01/22/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 0 at No. 4 Western Michigan 2
UW-Stevens and UW-River Falls split their weekend series. Photo courtesy of UW-Stevens Point Athletics.
After falling 3-2 to UW-River Falls on Friday, UW-Stevens Point returned to the top of the conference with a 4-1 win over the Falcons Saturday.
Fletcher Anderson scored twice to pave the way for the Pointers, the 13th-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
UW-Stevens Point improved to 12-5-1 overall and 7-2 in the WIAC on a night when Nicholas Aromatario and Carter Roo both dished out two assists apiece and Ryan Wagner picked up his 10th win of the season thanks to a 19-ave effort.
The Falcons opened the weekend with a 3-2 win over the Pointers on Friday, and despite Saturday’s loss, they remain in second place with a 6-3 record in conference play. UW-River Falls is 10-8-1 overall.
Down 2-1 in Friday’s game, the Falcons scored twice in the third period and earn a win that put them in a first-place tie with the Pointers in the standings.
Cory Schillo tied the game at 2-2 with eight minutes left in the third before Noah Roofe punched in a power-play goal to give the Falcons the lead for good. Roofe’s goal was his seventh of the season.
Dysen Skinner made 40 saves for the Falcons, who snapped a two-game losing streak.
Blugolds bounce back
A two-game losing streak for UW-Eau Claire came to an end Saturday as the Blugolds rolled past UW-Superior 4-1.
Four different players scored for the Blugolds. Willy Stauber, Ryan Green, Blake Kryska and Connor Szmul all punched in goals for UW-Eau Claire, which improved to 7-11 overall and 3-6 in the WIAC. Ryan Ouellette made 24 saves for his sixth win.
UW-Superior won Friday’s game 3-0, stretching its win streak to five games while also ending a stretch of eight consecutive losses to the Blugolds.
Artur Terchiyev scored a goal and an assist while Jordan Martin dished out two assists. Myles Hektor stopped 30 shots.
UW-Superior is 11-4-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the WIAC.
Pipers earn split with Cardinals
Hamline closed out the weekend with a 2-1 win over Saint Mary’s Saturday to salvage a split in their MIAC series and win their first conference game of the season.
Hamline scored twice in the second period to notch the win on Saturday. It’s the Pipers’ first victory since Nov. 23.
Brendan Sheehan scored at the 9:20 mark of the period and Jackson Bond cashed in on a power-play opportunity five minutes later.
Hamline held a 34-22 advantage in shots and Kevin Lake made 21 saves.
It was the Cardinals, though, that came away with a 4-2 win in the series opener. They used a balanced attack to get the job done as four different players scored. It marks the 16th consecutive game where Saint Mary’s hasn’t had a player score multiple goals.
Nathan Solis scored his first collegiate goal and Kellen Tharaldson tallied a goal and an assist while Callahan Nauss assisted on all four goals.
Thomas Magnavite and Gabe Potyk also scored goals and Connor Close notched the win with 25 saves.
The Cardinals are 6-10-1 overall and 4-4 in the MIAC. Hamline is 3-9-1 overall and 1-5 in the MIAC.
Crosby records hat trick
It was a big night for Lewis Crosby, who came through with his third hat trick of the season in Friday’s game against St. Scholastica.
His effort helped the Johnnies forge a 5–5 tie with the Saints, but St. Scholastica came away with the extra point in the standings with its 1-0 win in the shootout.
Crosby is the first from Saint John’s to have at least three hat tricks in a season since Craig Herr racked up six during the 1991-92 season.
Jack Olsen dished out three assists for the Johnnies and Peter Tabor finished his night with one goal and one assist.
Mac Berglove tallied 33 saves on a night when the Saints held a narrow 38-37 advantage in shots.
The Saints led 2-1 after one period and 4-3 after two. Fillimon Ledenkov tallied two goals and an assist. Tyler Hinterser and Nathan Adrian recorded two assists apiece.
The Johnnies improve to 9-5-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the MIAC. St. Scholastica is 6-6-2 overall and 3-4-1 in the conference.
Cobbers roll past Gusties
Concordia dominated its series against Gustavus, completing the sweep with a 5-1 win on Saturday. The Cobbers won the opener 7-1.
The Cobbers scored three goals in the opening period and never looked back as they notched their second series sweep of the season and catapulted themselves into second place in the league standings. They are 8-7-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the MIAC. The Cobbers have outscored their opponents 26-11 in the first period of games this season.
Parker Simonson scored twice and Jackson Nelson racked up 20 saves to secure his sixth win of the year.
Dylan Gast scored the lone goal for the Gusties, who are still searching for their first conference win. Gustavus is 4-10-2 overall and 0-5-1 in the MIAC
Bulldogs stay on a roll
Adrian continues to do what it has done all season – win games.
The top-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll swept Lake Forest, winning 7-4 and 8-3 to stretch its win streak to 18 games.
John Kalijan and Ty Enns both scored twice while Matt Couto dished out four assists as the Bulldogs improved to 18-1 overall and 12-0 in the NCHA. Cameron Gray made 27 saves.
Adrian scored four times in the opening period to set the tone for a win that marked the 167th for head coach Adam Krug at Adrian. He is now tied for the most wins in program history.
Adrian was on the brink of an upset early on Friday as Lake Forest jumped on top 2-0 in the opening period. Jared Gerger and David Cohen both scored for the Foresters to give them the early lead. Lake Forest fell to 6-12-1 overall and 4-5-1 in the conference.
Fifteen and counting for the Green Knights
Ranked seventh in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III Men’s poll, St. Norbert continues to play like one of the best teams in the nation.
The Green Knights won twice against Marian over the weekend and have now won their last 15 games, the longest win streak in a single season.
They defeated the Sabres 2-1 on Friday and 4-1 on Saturday.
Special teams play made all the difference. The Green Knights stopped all five of the Sabres’ power-play opportunities in Saturday’s win while also scoring a short-handed goal.
Liam Fraser scored twice while Carter Hottmann and Evan Cholak also scored for St. Norbert, which is now 16-3 overall and 12-0 in the conference. Johnny Roberts made 25 saves for the Green Knights.
Raiders sweep Falcons
MSOE used a four-goal first period to set the tone for a 5-1 win over Concordia Saturday and complete a weekend sweep of the Falcons.
The Raiders took 53 shots in Saturday’s win and five players tallied assists. Garrett Gintoli scored two goals to pace the offense.
MSOE opened the weekend with a 5-2 over the Falcons on Friday. The Raiders scored four goals in the final period to secure the win.
They had trailed 2-1 heading into the period after the Falcons scored twice to take the lead in the second. Justin Scwartzmiller and Sean Hofstetter both scored to give Concordia the lead.
But MSOE battled back, with Nigel Nelson scoring the game winner at the 7:20 mark of the third period.
The Raiders have now won seven consecutive games against the Falcons and are 7-9-2 overall and 5-5-1 in the conference. Concordia is 2-13-2 overall and 1-6-1 in the NCHA.
Minnesota State’s David Silye celebrates one of seven goals that the Mavericks scored outdoors in the snow at Blakeslee Stadium in Mankato, Minn., as part of annual Hockey Day in Minnesota celebrations (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Freshly-minted No. 1 Quinnipiac may have a short-lived tenure atop the DCU/USCHO poll as No. 8 Cornell rebounded from a loss to Princeton on Friday with a 2-1 overtime victory on Saturday.
Ben Berard’s power play goal with 16 seconds remaining in overtime sealed the victory after Quinnipiac’s TJ Friedmann forced overtime with a goal at 5:39 of the third.
Though much has been made of the unworldly statistics of Quinnipiac netminder Yaniv Perets (18 saves), it was Cornell netminder Ian Shane who stood out on Saturday, stopping 33 of the 34 shots he faced to earn the victory.
For Berard, it was a two-goal effort having originally given the Big Red the lead, also on the power play, at 5:51 of the middle frame.
A night after falling in overtime to host Minnesota, Michigan rebounded with a 4-1 victory on Saturday to take four-of-six points in the Big Ten standings.
With Ohio State sweeping Michigan State on the weekend, the two clubs now sit tied atop the Big Ten standings with 33 points, six points clear of third-place Minnesota.
The Wolverines fell behind early on Saturday as Bryce Brodzinski got the host Gophers on the board at 2:46 of the first. But Michigan answered twice in 62 seconds later in the frame on goals by Brendan Brisson and Matty Beniers.
Michael Pastujov and Nick Blanekburg added goals for the victory.
Goaltender Erik Portillo finishend the game with 39 saves for Michigan.
No. 2 Minnesota State 7, St. Thomas 1
With a picturesque backdrop of steady snow and packed stands, Minnesota State piled goals faster than Mother Nature could drop white flakes at Blakeslee Stadum in Mankato, Minn., defeating St. Thomas, 7-1, as part of Hockey Day in Minnesota festivities.
David Silye notched a hat trick for the Huskies, while goaltenders Dryden McKay and Kennen Rancier each saw time in the Mavericks net, McKay earning the victory making just five saves.
Trevor Kuntar and Ben Meehan have been suspended one game each by Hockey East.
Hockey East announced Saturday that Boston College sophomore forward Trevor Kuntar has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 16:34 of the third period on Friday, January 21 against Providence.
Kuntar was given a major penalty for contact to the head and a game misconduct on the play.
Kuntar will miss the game on Saturday, January 22 at Providence and will be eligible to return to the Eagles’ lineup on Friday, January 28, at Maine.
Additionally, UMass Lowell sophomore defenseman Ben Meehan has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 18:37 of the second period on Friday, January 21 at Merrimack.
On the play, Meehan was assessed a major penalty for cross checking and a game misconduct.
Meehan will miss the game on Saturday, January 22 against Merrimack and will be eligible to return to the River Hawks’ lineup on Friday, January 28, at Northeastern.
Dyck also put in another fine performance in goal, making 38 saves while allowing just a single score.
After a scoreless first, Kieran Furlonger and Ethan Kirbis staked the Devils to a 2-0 lead. With nine minutes left in the second, the Bengal’s Joel Frazee cut the lead in half, making it a 2-1 game.
The Devils would go on to dominate the third period. Craig McCabe made it 3-1 at the halfway mark of the final period.
The Devils would add a pair of empty-net scores in the final minutes to put the game on ice. Gregg Lee scored at the 18:40 mark, and the Bengals kept the skater advantage leaving Dyck with his goal-scoring opportunity just eight seconds later.
DYCK
Dyck’s goal was the first by a goaltender in NCAA hockey – and 12th overall – since Northern Michigan’s Atte Tolvanen accomplished the feat Dec. 7, 2018.
Matt Letmanski collected a pair of assists. He and McCabe both earned two points.
Emil Norrman made 27 saves for Buffalo State.
Fredonia was 0-2 on the power play, and the Bengals went 0-4.
Buffalo State drops to 4-12-0 on the season, and 2-6-0 in the conference.
Fredonia State also maintains its upper hand in the Battle by the Lake. The win gives them a 7-4 lead for the traveling trophy competition.
