Wisconsin’s Cole Caufield was the 2021 winner of the Hobey Baker Award (photo: HobeyBaker.com).
It’s Hobey Baker time.
Beginning at noon ET today, fan balloting opened for the 2022 Hobey Baker Award.
Awarded annually to college hockey’s top player, the Hobey Baker’s tremendously popular fan voting will run from now until Sunday, March 6 at midnight. College hockey fans can cast their vote by going to the voting website.
Follow the prompts to make your selection from this year’s crop of 77 college hockey players representing 42 NCAA Division I schools.
Phase two of fan balloting will come from the list of top 10 Hobey Baker finalists beginning March 17 and closing March 27. The fans’ vote accounts for a full one percent of the total ballot in each phase in selecting this year’s award recipient.
Award criteria include candidates exhibiting the exceptional character traits of the award’s namesake, Hobey Baker. A legendary American hero, Baker was a World War I fighter pilot and was known as America’s greatest amateur athlete in his day, excelling at hockey and football at Princeton University.
Award candidates must demonstrate strength of character both on and off the ice, contribute to the integrity of his team and display outstanding skills in all phases of the game. Consideration should be given to scholastic achievement and sportsmanship.
Key Hobey Baker announcement dates for 2022 include:
• Top 10 list of finalists: March 16
• Hobey Hat Trick of three finalists: March 31
• Hobey Baker Award announcement: April 8
The 2022 Hobey Baker Award winner will be announced from a field of three Hobey Hat Trick finalists on Friday, April 8, 2022 during the Frozen Four in Boston. The award ceremony will be broadcast nationally on NHL Network and streamed live at hobeybaker.com. For more info on the Hobey Baker Award, visit www.hobeybaker.com.
The candidates listed are based on nominations from their respective schools. Not all schools choose to participate in the Vote for Hobey campaign.
Tyler Spott has been a stalwart on the Northeastern blue line (photo: Rich Gagnon).
Overshadowed (in this space, at least) by defending NCAA champion UMass in recent weeks, the Northeastern men’s hockey team has quietly made its case as not only the best team in Hockey East, but as a national contender to boot.
Going into Tuesday night’s home game vs. independent Arizona State, the Huskies have won six straight and have not lost in regulation since a 5-3 setback at home vs. UConn (16-9-7, 6-4-0).
A weekend sweep of Long Island, plus UMass getting swept at No. 4 Michigan, has put Northeastern as the highest-ranked league team in the latest DCU/USCHO.com poll at No. 11.
First-year Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe, upset with what he saw as a lack of urgency despite a 1-0 win over LIU on Jan. 7, said he was pleased with how his team responded the next night, a 6-0 win.
“We challenged our guys pretty hard,” Keefe said. “We responded. I thought we came out and tried to play our identity right off the bat.”
Fast starts (or, at least getting on the board first) have been a hallmark for Northeastern during its recent winning streak, which has included only one come-from-behind win (2-1 at home vs. Rensselaer on Nov. 28).
And it doesn’t help to have what Keefe calls a “mature group” protecting said leads. Following the LIU series, Keefe had high praise for senior assistant captain Julian Kislin and junior left defenseman Tyler Spott.
“We like our ‘D’ corp. a lot,” Keefe said. “I just think they read off each other really well. We’ve got some size, toughness and skating ability back there. (They) all kind of bring different elements.”
It’s safe to say Northeastern is in better shape offensively with Sam Colangelo in the lineup. The sophomore forward had a goal and a pair of assists in Saturday’s win vs. LIU after being out since a 3-2 win at home against Maine on Oct. 30.
“He can finish,” Keefe said. “(He) was playing some pretty good hockey before he got banged up this year. (He’s) got a lot of ability, and when he’s playing at the top of his game, he can be a difference maker.”
Aiden McDonough, who scored twice in the rout of LIU, was tied for second in the nation in scoring going into Tuesday night (15 goals, 4 assists — 19 points).
“He works at his shot,” Keefe said. “He puts himself in really good spots to shoot the puck as well. He’s always ready for the puck. He can one-time it when the puck’s anywhere near his body and he’s hungry to score. He loves scoring goals and he works to score goals.”
Not enough can be said about Huskies’ goalie Devon Levi. With a pair of shutouts on the weekend vs. LIU (44 saves total), Levi now has eight on the season, already a school record, and four short of the NCAA single-season record of 12 set by Niagara’s Greg Gardner in 2000.
“He’s a talented goalie,” Keefe said. “He prepares better than anyone I’ve seen at this level. Mentally, I thought he was really sharp (in the first game vs. LIU). Those aren’t always easy games, because they’re tight games.”
Northeastern’s Saturday night visit to Vermont was postponed until Jan. 18 due to Covid issues. The following weekend a huge weekend home-and-home series looms vs. UMass (10-6-2, 7-2-2).
Hobart captain Aaron Maguyon and his teammates are ready for another top ten battle with Babson on Friday night (Photo by Kevin Colton)
A look at the standings in the NEHC finds Hobart leading the way with a 7-0-1 record and an overall record of 11-2-1. Heady numbers for those looking at the data but not so much for head coach Mark Taylor and his staff. The focus for all continues to be around improving the team game, capturing wins and increasing the pace.
“I didn’t even know what our record was before today, but I had to look it up for something. We are just really happy to be playing,” said head coach Mark Taylor. “It hasn’t been easy for anyone in college hockey but hard is what we do. I look at the job our captains did last year in keeping the continuity and culture and see how it has progressed with this group that includes freshman and sophomores that didn’t play a real game until this season. It is a big part of how we have been successful and continue to build on that foundation for Hobart hockey. We want you to play hard and with pace.”
A big piece of the leadership group is senior forward and captain, Aaron Maguyon. Through 14 games so far this season Maguyon leads the team in goals with 11 including three game winners for the Statesmen. His most recent big goal was an overtime winner against NEHC rival Norwich that snapped the Cadets six-game winning streak against Hobart.
Aaron is one of those guys who puts his leadership right out there on the ice,” noted Taylor. “He definitely leads by example and that overtime goal against Norwich was a big piece of staying in the game mentally and executing when it matters most. We are starting to see that level of contribution from many other players in games and as we continue to improve over the latter part of the season, we hope that we see a lot of other players producing plays in key moments on the ice.”
While the younger players are in the process of accumulating game experience, Taylor and his staff are managing expectations accordingly, particularly with the sophomore group.
“We have told the players that we are going to manage their development like we would for any sophomore that has come through our program,” stated Taylor. “We have expectations of what a sophomore should bring to the ice and focus on pushing their development to bring out the best in all of the players. It’s definitely hard and setting a high bar helps to keep the important things in focus as we continue to manage through these challenging times. While I am not a big technology guy, may captains have asked me to stay true to what I am with the young players. They didn’t see a lot of me on Zoom calls, but they continue to work on and off the ice and we are seeing the improvement in pace and performance. There is still a lot of hockey to go so hopefully their rate of improvement as a team will match that.”
This weekend the Statesmen face yet another nationally ranked team when No. 6 Babson comes to “The Cooler” on Friday night. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie back in early November and the Beavers have yet to take the ice in a game in 2022. Coach Taylor isn’t worried about any rust on Babson’s game.
“I am sure they have had some very intense practices and people tend to put way too much into who got on the ice first or played most recently,” said Taylor. “We know everyone in this league is good and Babson is one of those top teams that we better be ready to play whenever the game is. Doesn’t matter if it is Friday-Saturday or Saturday-Sunday, we will be ready to go whatever the game time turns out to be. Having taken the program on a number of European trips we found out quickly that game times were all relative and you needed to be adaptable. I think the pandemic has mandated that same mindset so whenever the puck drop is scheduled, we will be ready.”
The Statesmen finish their current four-game homestand with Southern Maine on Saturday before a big home-and-home series with travel partner Elmira on January 21-22.
Cornell players celebrate a home victory earlier in the 2021-22 season (photo: Matt Dewkett).
The journey is much shorter, and the crowd won’t be nearly as raucous, but Cornell hits the road looking for another successful weekend away from Lynah Rink.
The Big Red swept North Dakota last weekend at Ralph Engelstad Arena, in the process becoming the first ECAC Hockey team ever to accomplish that feat.
Cornell will look to keep that momentum going this weekend when it travels to Brown on Saturday after Friday’s game against Yale was postponed due to COVID-19 protocol in the Bulldogs program. There is a possibility the game will get rescheduled for a different point in the weekend.
But while the sweep at North Dakota was nice, the most important thing for Cornell is that it’s finally over a COVD-19 outbreak of its own. The Big Red were hit with a rash of cases in late December and had limited practices over the holiday break. It showed, as Cornell opened the second half by getting swept at Arizona State.
“We’re just slowly starting to get back into game shape,” Cornell coach Mike Schafer said.
While the Big Red have fourteen underclassmen on their roster, Schafer said that inexperience hasn’t been an issue.
“The new guys have been playing pretty solid,” Schaefer said. “It’s the fact that we didn’t get to practice a whole lot. We got a feel for what other teams went through last year.”
One of those younger players who has made an impact recently is freshman goalie Ian Shane, who started both games against the Fighting Hawks after not making an appearance in the first half of the season. Freshman Joe Howe and senior Nate McDonald handled the goaltending duties during that time, but the Big Red went with Shane in net last weekend after he was flawless in relief in a 3-2 loss at Arizona State on Jan. 2
“We’ve had some inconsistency from the other two guys,” Schafer said. “With Ian, he’s shown flashes in practice and has been really good. He came in and played with confidence and did a great job.”
Schafer said the goaltending situation is “week to week.”
Shane isn’t the only newcomer making an impact.
Freshman Ondrej Psenicka is second on the team with seven goals, while classmate Justin Ertel is riding a four-game point streak.
While the Big Red have gotten contributions from their younger players, a trio of veterans has been playing well for Cornell lately.
Captains Brenden Locke, Cody Haiskanen, and Kyle Betts all returned for a fifth year after the Ivy League cancelled last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The trio has continued to get stronger as the season has progressed.
Schafer said Betts has been great on the penalty kill and has been a leader on his line. Locke is “playing his best hockey,” while Haiskanen is playing stronger and with more pace.
“Those guys were struggling to get their game back a little more than in the past,” Schafer said, something that isn’t unexpected given that the trio went nearly a year and a half without playing in a competitive game.
The two wins at North Dakota bumped Cornell from 26th in the PairWise to 16th – right on the cusp of an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament. Part of the reason for that lower ranking despite the nation’s fourth best winning percentage is that the Big Red have three overtime wins, which only count for 55 percent of a win under the revised PairWise rules.
But Schafer isn’t concerned about Cornell’s position in the PairWise rankings, especially with so much time left in the season.
“The PairWise works its way out by the last game of the year; we were fortunate enough to get the two wins [last weekend]. “There’s lots of hockey to be played; we’ve just got to focus on playing the games in front of us.”
MADISON — Fourth-ranked Division III UW-Eau Claire got on a bus for a 350 mile round trip to play an exhibition game against the top-ranked Division I, two-time defending national champion University of Wisconsin women’s hockey team on Monday where they lost 15-1. The game was the third of four the Blugolds will play in seven days.
And UW-EC Coach Erik Strand said he and his team were excited for the opportunity.
Many folks saw the final score line and wondered why UW-Eau Claire would agree to play an exhibition in Madison against Wisconsin. Or what the Badgers could get out of playing against the Blugolds.
For Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson, whose team was coming off a bye week, playing a game against an opponent is always preferable to practice. No matter the opponent or the outcome, the team learns more about themselves and is more prepared by playing games.
“We can help them elevate their game and they can help us get better at what we’re trying to do,” Johnson said.
The Blugolds, who have made it to the NCAA tournament for the past three seasons, don’t often have to play from behind. It was a fun opportunity to play in a once-in-a-lifetime game and Strand confessed to daydreaming about the admittedly slim chance that his team could pull off an upset. But it was also the kind of learning opportunity that couldn’t be duplicated, in practice or in regular-season play.
“Our biggest challenge for our players (was) can we keep our heads about us? Can we continue to pursue and compete shift after shift until the end of the game regardless of what the score says? Could we deal with that adversity? How would we dig in? It was 7-0 before we got through the first half of a water bottle. It would have been really easy to fold up and call it a day… There’s so much for us to work on. It’s very valuable information for us for what we want to try to achieve before the year is over,” he said.
That kind of experience becomes invaluable in tough game situations – when the team is down late in a game, when a game goes to overtime and when they play tough opponents in the postseason. When Sami Scherling scored midway through the final frame, it wasn’t just about erasing the shut-out, it was proof that the Blugolds were still fighting and scrapping, despite the lopsided stat sheet.
“We will not see a tougher team – this isn’t disrespectful to anyone we’re going to see the rest of this year – we will not see a better team, period. If we can compete like that for 60 minutes, I like our chances most nights with the teams we’re going to face,” Strand said.
It’s unsurprising that when it comes to talking about women’s college hockey in Wisconsin, the Badgers dominate the conversation.
But there are actually nine other collegiate women’s hockey teams in Wisconsin – with another on the way.
Concordia (Mequon), Lawrence (Appleton), Northland (Ashland), Marian (Fond du Lac), St. Norbert (De Pere), UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior all field Division III women’s hockey teams. Milwaukee School of Engineering has hired a head coach for their new women’s team.
As the only DI school in the state, Wisconsin has never played a game against another school in Wisconsin. NCAA rules usually have teams looking to play exhibitions against Canadian schools or National Team squads. There has been an exemption in place during Covid that has allowed for teams to play one exhibition game against another NCAA school.
Both Johnson and Strand would like to see that exception become the rule. Johnson pointed out that other sports – notably men’s basketball – travel the state to play other Wisconsin-based schools early in their season schedule.
“The kid in me was dreaming. How cool would it be to create this interstate rivalry?” said Strand.
Tickets were not sold to Monday’s exhibition. Instead, fans were only allowed entry if they donated a book. In all, 1152 books were collected and will be distributed to children in the Madison area. Strand was particularly impressed that Wisconsin was able to take the idea of a game and make it about something so much more.
“The way that this was put together. It was unbelievable. It started off as just an exhibition game and turned into the book drive and got the community involved. The support that was here tonight, it just goes to show how strong the women’s hockey fan base can be if it has the right kind of support and the right kind of people behind it. I think we have that in this state,” said Strand.
Nathan Smith has been an offensive catalyst this season for Minnesota State (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
In the midst of one of their most dominant seasons in recent memory, the Minnesota State Mavericks last week found out they were going to be without their head coach for a fortnight in February.
Under the circumstances, though, the Mavericks are just fine with this. MSU’s Mike Hastings was recently named an assistant coach for the U.S. men’s national Olympic hockey team under David Quinn. He’ll leave Jan. 31 to be with the team in Beijing and is set to return Feb. 23.
“We have nothing but respect for coach Hastings and what he’s done for this program and the hockey world. I think it’s a great opportunity for him and his family. He’s earned that moment, every bit of it,” Mavericks senior defenseman and captain Wyatt Aamodt said Friday night, following MSU’s 7-1 win over Ferris State. “Obviously you see the respect for him around the game of college hockey, and what he’s done for our program and all of us individually. We’re very happy for him and we look forward to hearing about his experiences there.”
Hastings, in his ninth year behind the Mavericks’ bench, is no stranger to international competitions. He’s been the head coach of the U.S. World Juniors team before, in 2019, helping Team USA take home a silver medal. Coaching in the Olympics, on a slightly bigger stage, will be a similar honor.
“I’m incredibly honored,” Hastings said last week. “Any time I’ve been able to have an opportunity to be part of a staff to represent our country, it’s been something that I’ve been excited about, and I look forward to it. Now we’re just trying to get through selecting a team and getting prepared so we can best represent our country at the Olympics.”
Hastings is joining a Team USA staff that, perhaps by design, has a very heavy college hockey flavor. Quinn, a former Boston University player, was the head coach for the Terriers from 2013 to 2018 before departing to coach the New York Rangers. He has also been an assistant at Northeastern and Omaha.
In addition to Quinn, the Americans will be staffed by Brett Larson, Scott Young, David Lassonde and Alex Dawes. All have significant college hockey experience: Larson is currently the head coach at St. Cloud State. Young, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ director of player development, played and coached at BU, Dawes played at Utica and is the director of operations at Penn State while Lassonde has 30-plus years of experience as a goaltending coach at Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Denver, Miami and Dartmouth.
Hastings said he has known Quinn since they were both in Omaha – Hastings as the head coach of the USHL’s Omaha Lancers and Quinn at UNO – so when Quinn called and asked him to join the staff, it was a no-brainer.
“I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for David, and obviously he’s been incredibly successful at every level he’s been at, and when he called and asked, it’s an honor to be able to represent your country at the Olympics,” Hastings said. “But I’m also really excited about the people I get to go and work with…. The group that we have, it’s an incredible honor.”
And Hastings might not be the only Maverick headed to China. Junior forward Nathan Smith, the CCHA’s current points leader, has also been extended an invitation to join Team USA. Of the 15 players who have reportedly been given invitations so far, eight are currently playing college hockey. The rest – all playing professionally in Europe – played college hockey in the past.
NEWS: Reporting with @chrismpeters, team and league sources tell @DailyFaceoff these 15 players have been invited to play for Team USA 🇺🇸 at #Beijing2022 Olympics.
Smith hasn’t formally accepted the offer yet, but Hastings said he thinks just being invited helped motivate the Hudson, Fla., native this past weekend, when the Mavericks swept Ferris State.
“I think Nathan is pretty humble,” Hastings said after Friday night’s game, in which Smith tallied a goal and two assists. “I talked to David Quinn a little bit about this, and he said it’s going to be interesting, the guys that have been talked to, to see how they play this weekend, hopefully they elevate, and I thought Nathan Smith elevated tonight.”
Smith added another goal and two more assists to his numbers in Saturday’s 7-0 victory.
The Mavericks, who travel to Northern Michigan this weekend, still have another couple weeks with their head coach. But when Hastings does leave, the rest of the team will be well-prepared. Associate head coach Todd Knott has taken the reins before, when Hastings went to the World Juniors. And with first-year assistant Paul Kirtland on board, the Mavs know they won’t miss a beat.
“I’m honored to have the opportunity, but I’m surrounded by phenomenal people. Todd is an acting head coach every day, so his feathers don’t get ruffled by the expectations of him sitting in that seat when I’m gone because he does a lot of the heavy lifting every day,” Hastings said. “Paul same thing, our guys are in good hands. I’m going to focus on our team as we go through this and find time throughout the day when I need to take care of the duties that Coach Quinn and USA Hockey would like me to be a part of.”
In addition to the Omaha at North Dakota series postponed earlier today, the NCHC has announced this weekend’s series between Western Michigan and Colorado College at CC’s Ed Robson Arena and the St. Cloud State at Denver series at DU’s Magness Arena, both slated for this Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14-15, have been postponed.
In an effort to make up all scheduled games and complete a 96-game NCHC slate, Omaha will now travel to Denver this weekend for a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 15-16. Puck drop for both of those games at Magness Arena is set for 6 p.m. MT.
The Pioneers and Mavericks series in Omaha, which was initially postponed last weekend until Feb. 4-5, will now take place on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26 at UNO’s Baxter Arena when the two sides were originally slated to play in Denver.
In order to make space on the calendar for the remaining postponed series, Western Michigan’s series at St. Cloud State and Colorado College’s series at North Dakota, currently slated for Feb. 4-5, will be pushed back one weekend to Friday and Saturday, Feb. 11-12.
In doing so, the Feb. 4-5 weekend becomes open, and the three series postponed this weekend will be rescheduled for those dates. Omaha at North Dakota, St. Cloud State at Denver and Western Michigan at Colorado College will all move to Friday and Saturday, Feb. 4-5.
Dates for the Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State series, which was postponed last weekend (Jan. 7-8), are still being finalized.
This Friday’s game between St. Cloud State and Denver was scheduled to be televised on CBS Sports Network. Any future game and television adjustments will be announced at a later date.
This weekend’s NCHC slate now has Miami visiting Minnesota Duluth as scheduled on Friday and Saturday, while Omaha heads to Denver Saturday and Sunday.
This weekend’s NCHC series between Omaha and North Dakota, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14-15, at UND’s Ralph Engelstad Arena, has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the North Dakota hockey program.
This series will attempt to be made up later this season. If the games are unable to be rescheduled, the games will be declared no contests.
If all NCHC teams do not play an equal number of conference games at the conclusion of the regular season, points-per-game (conference points/games played) will be used to re-order the final standings.
Additional schedule changes may be announced later today.
Due to COVID-19 concerns and safety protocols within the Yale men’s hockey program, Cornell’s game against the Bulldogs scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14 has been postponed.
ECAC Hockey and the two teams are continuing to explore alternative possibilities for contesting the game at a different point of the weekend.
Good riddance 2020 – yet thank goodness 2021 because fans were back in the stands. And Mr. Sports Travel, too!
Since my first opus here in 2013, I’ve been sharing my experiences and opinions as I quest to enjoy a game at every NCAA Division I men’s venue. Update: one left – Alaska Fairbanks! – but saving a trip to “The Last Frontier” for next season when Alaska Anchorage returns.
For those reading about me or my column for the first time, my road trips have a larger purpose. I drive my car across the U.S. in what I refer to as “The American Flag Mobile,” raising awareness of OperationFirstResponse.org, a nonprofit that helps veterans, service members, first responders, and their families. Prior to my 2018 and 2019 roadies, I decided to “wrap” my car in the American Flag. The message on the back window reads: “Thanked a Veteran, Service Member, First Responder, and their Families Today?” OperationFirstResponse.org.
My late father served in the U.S. Air Force, was a season-ticket holder for the-then World Hockey Association New England Whalers (later NHL Hartford Whalers), and a volunteer youth hockey coach. He introduced me to hockey and sports travel (I played from age eight through high school and always loved road tripping with him). My Dad often reminded me what it means to live in a free country.
My opinion: athletes are not “heroes,” they’re athletes. Operation First Response helps our real heroes with paying rent or utility bills so they can get treatment, like for PTSD. I’m honored to be partnered with this organization that has aided over 20,000 of our heroes since 2004. They have a four-star rating from Charity Navigator. I 100% self-fund my trips so no one pays me to endorse anything.
Now that you’ve learned the back story, here are highlights of my college pucks travels from the first half of this season – and “Awards Time!” returns too! Incidentally, I enjoyed games across 13 states, and took in more Division III pucks than ever before.
Long live Wisconsin! I’ve been sports road tripping for years, so when you’ve lost count of your visits to a particular town, that’s saying something – spectacular! And there’s simply no better overall college sports town in America than Madison – frankly, there’s not even a close second. Enjoyed the men’s Badgers rivalry against Minnesota – but was blown away by the atmosphere at the women’s game.
Seating nearly 2,800, LaBahn Arena was sold out on a Saturday afternoon. Can we name another women’s college hockey program that sells out games? No! The men’s Saturday night game was not sold out (important context: the Kohl Center seats just over 15,000!). Frankly, was just awesome to see Badger students – known as “The Crease Creatures” – fired up and back enjoying hockey. Long live Wisconsin!
Speaking of Dairyland! St. Norbert versus UW-Stevens Point Rivalry: Separated by 90 miles, these two accomplished Division III men’s hockey programs have this much in common – they both win a lot of games and don’t like each other. The UW-Stevens Point men have won six NCAA Division III titles, most recently in 2019; the St. Norbert men have won five times – and they like to show it, too.
Lucky me, I was able to catch a men’s game at each venue over Halloween weekend. Banners from the Golden Knights titles hang from end-to-end inside the cracker box Cornerstone Community Center which somehow manages to cram 2,000 in here. With seating on three sides, this gem has one of the lowest ceilings I’ve even experienced for an intense rivalry. Reminds me of Cornell’s Lynah Rink – what I refer to as the Fenway “Pahk” of NCAA Division I “Cawlidge Hawkey” because “if you like your space, it ain’t your place!” Well, the Division III Award goes to St. Norbert’s men’s team home venue!
And what of the rival Pointers barn? Their home digs are also an old-school beauty, only you don’t feel as claustrophobic! You also can’t miss the championship banners hanging from the rafters at K.B. Willett Ice Arena, also with seating on three sides.
The uniqueness of Norwich University: Kreitzberg Arena had been on my bucket list for years – and when I finally made the pilgrimage, it did not disappoint. Reminds me of a “mini-Ralph,” very similar to the crown jewel of men’s venues, North Dakota’s Ralph Engelstad Arena, only Norwich’s “upstairs” entry point has a different feel. But it only enhanced my excitement upon visiting this D-III rarity, which is located 50 miles south of the University of Vermont.
Not a bad seat in the house and enjoyed the plethora of photos along the main concourse noting the program’s history. It’s the oldest private military college in America – founded more than 200 years ago. And the campus and the surroundings? Stunning and gorgeous. Need write no more. Visit!
Give Me Liberty! Ahem, Give me Liberty Hockey! “Say what, Mr. Sports Travel?” So I’m at Liberty University for a football game in Lynchburg, Virginia on Sept. 18 and a fan I’m chatting with during a timeout asks, “going to the hockey game tonight?” “Hockey?” I replied shockingly (as if Liberty played hockey I thought). Well, by 10 p.m., I walked a short distance on campus and enjoyed the puck drop as the men’s team hosted North Carolina State in an ACHA Division I tilt at the 4,000-seat LaHaye Ice Center – and the place was packed and jumping!
Hockey is a club sport at the home of the Flames – but for how much longer? An outstanding venue, purely from a facility and fan base perspective, Liberty is NCAA Division I ready and making the leap would do wonders for growing hockey further in the South. The venue reminds me somewhat of Quinnipiac’s, with balcony seating on one end of the arena.
Now, on behalf of the “Mr. Sports Travel Arts and Sciences Academy,” it’s…Awards Time!”
“The Live Long and Prosper Award” goes to…Elmira College’s Murray Athletic Center. If the Starship Enterprise had a hockey rink onboard, it might resemble this other-worldly, off-campus venue. The world’s first geodesic dome, upon first impression, my senses felt like the roof might fall on me! This absolute marvel, seating 3,200, has been hosting the Soaring Eagles since 1973. Long Live and Prosper Soaring Eagles!
“The Steep – And Not So Cheap – Award!” goes to…Colorado College for its new, on-campus Ed Robson Arena. I won’t be subscribing to Architectural Digest anytime soon but if you’re looking to find the steepest seats in NCAA Division I hockey, welcome to Colorado Springs. The seating made for an exceptional game day experience as the Tigers welcomed Arizona State Dec. 18 – but, man, walk s-l-o-w-l-y back to your seat my friend after you visit “the facilities” or hit up the concessions carrying a cold one and nachos. Speaking of concessions – and tickets – watch your wallet!
“The Coming Soon Award?” goes to…Few givens in life but here’s one of them: if (and when) the University of Iowa takes the NCAA Division I plunge, their home arena is ready. The 5,000-seat Xtreme Arena is two miles from campus and is clad in yellow and black. It already hosts the schools’ volleyball program (hence, the colors) as well as an ECHL team (breaking news: the Iowa Heartlanders have yellow and black in their uniforms). With a solid amateur hockey fan base in nearby Cedar Rapids and Waterloo (both teams are rivals in the United States Hockey League), I’ve no doubt this place would rock if the Hawkeyes went D-I. Illinois, Nebraska, you in?
“And the winner of best game day atmosphere on Mr. Sports Travel’s latest journey” goes to…Not a D-I program, my friends. Hands-down, the winner is…the Lakers of Oswego. Located on the shores of Lake Ontario in upstate New York about 40 miles north of Syracuse, 3,000 fans packed the on-campus Marano Center on Nov. 12 as the men rallied to beat Cortland 2-1. I was not only impressed by the passionate student section and alumni base, but also by the rich history of the program showcased on the main concourse. Simply an awesome game day experience not to be missed! Hockeytown = Oswego!
Ben Mirageas skated 149 games on the Providence back end over five seasons with the Friars (photo: Stew Milne).
Providence announced on Tuesday that fifth-year defenseman Ben Mirageas is no longer a member of the program.
“We are appreciative of Ben’s contributions to our program over the past four-plus seasons,” Friars coach Nate Leaman said in a statement. “We wish Ben all the best in his future endeavors.”
No reason was given for Mirageas’ departure.
In 149 career games at Providence, Mirageas posted 14 goals and 37 assists for 51 points to go along with 100 penalty minutes.
He was selected by the New York Islanders in the third round (77th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
Minnesota freshman and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Matthew Knies could be on Team USA for the upcoming Olympics (photo: Bjorn Franke).
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.
Dan: There are some weeks where I feel like this space is repetitive, like I’m rehashing points that either Jimmy or Ed made last week, and I know that there are weeks where we probably sound like broken records when we talk about the hockey or the off-ice conversations.
I like those weeks, largely because it gives us an opportunity to chart things more slowly over the course of the year.
This past week…was NOT that. I can’t remember a week where parts and news flew as quickly or as suddenly as things did in college hockey this week. The COVID postponements aside, this was a week where A LOT happened.
Where do we even start?
Well, in a twist, I’m going to kick this off at the end with the news that broke out of Minnesota after the Gophers swept Michigan State to take first place in the Big Ten. Their goalie, Jack LaFontaine, signed an entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes and left his college team right in the middle of the season.
I hardly fault any player for making a personal decision, and we’ll likely never know the intricacies of the conversations involved. But from a fallout perspective, this comes both at a strange time for Minnesota and for the rest of the college hockey season.
Paula, how did this impact the Midwest, the Big Ten, and, most importantly, the Gophers?
Paula: This is such a stunning development that I’m still processing it, Dan.
The first thing that people unfamiliar with the situation should understand is that the Hurricanes are hurting for goaltenders – really hurting. Their backup, Antti Raanta was scratched Saturday night with an upper-body injury, and two of their AHL goalies are also out. They don’t have anyone in reserve, really, and if the Hurricanes find themselves without both Raanta and starter Frederik Andersen at the same time, Carolina would be in a world of hurt.
I know that what NHL teams do to deliver their product typically doesn’t concern us until the college hockey season is over and many players leave to help bolster both AHL and NHL rosters making playoff runs, but this appears to be an usual situation during very unusual times.
COVID has taught us that anything can happen to disrupt our lives at any time, and that we ought to think twice about taking anything for granted. I can’t fault LaFontaine one bit for making the most of his time here on this planet. He doesn’t know what’s going to happen for the remainder of the NCAA season. No one does. He’s 24 years old. The Hurricanes tried to sign him last summer. I’m sure they sweetened the deal considerably. I wish him all the luck in the world. I don’t doubt that his name will one day be on the Stanley Cup.
Even though you asked about the Big Ten and Minnesota specifically, Dan, I think it’s important to get all of that out there.
First, the Gophers. LaFontaine has been a big part of their success this season as a steady presence in net and, as one of three team captains, a leader in the locker room. Minnesota has two remaining goalies, junior Justen Close and freshman Brennan Boynton. Close has seen action in three games this season with a .917 save percentage. Boynton has yet to play a game, but in 46 games with the Fargo Force (USHL) last year, he had a 2.43 GAA and .901 save percentage. I’m sure that each is chomping at the proverbial bit to prove himself in net.
Also, the success the Gophers have seen this season can’t be attributed to LaFontaine alone. LaFontaine has the fifth-best GAA and sixth-best SV% in B1G Hockey. The Gophers have the third-best B1G offense and fourth-best defense.
Now onto the Big Ten. It’s a complicated league and the hockey played there is better than most people realize. It’s cutthroat. It’s tight. The fifth-best team in the conference – Michigan State – has a goalie that can steal a game from anyone in Drew DeRidder. No one’s talking about the surprising season Ohio State is having. Two points behind Minnesota in the standings, the Buckeyes are bolstered by freshman goalie Jakub Dobeš.
Then there’s Notre Dame’s stifling goaltending duo of Ryan Bischel and Matthew Galajda, Nos. 1 and 2 for goals-against the in the league and both with saver percentages above LaFontaine – and the Fighting Irish are fourth in the league.
There’s very little that separates the top four teams in the Big Ten. Michigan’s tied with Ohio State in points and Notre Dame is three points behind Minnesota. Will LaFontaine’s departure prove to be the thing that opens the door for the three other teams vying for a conference title? I can’t say. His experienced will be missed in Minnesota, for certain.
We find all of this shocking, Dan, because LaFontaine’s departure comes in January and immediately following a fantastic performance in Minnesota’s first sweep of the season. It’s better that he leave now, though, than a month from now when and if the Hurricanes have reached desperation with their goaltending situation.
I know people are tired of hearing this, but this is where we are now because of COVID. Nothing is certain.
Dan: I tend to agree with all of this, and you actually lead me into several branching points from all of this.
One, Minnesota didn’t get this far with just goaltending, and the Gophers won’t win because of one single player.
Two, the Big Ten really is that good, and the complexity of the league is sometimes lost on its small roster size and association and branding with a bigger, all-sports conference. I think we tend to look at the NCHC as a more powerful league, but this is a conference full of major, big-time brands, and the talent pool (and budgets) reflect it.
Third, this is all caused, somehow, by the COVID pains that are still ongoing in the world, and even though I’m hopeful we’ll get to the other side relatively soon, I’m also very concerned about the ravaging damage it’ll leave in its wake.
And somehow, through all of this, those three points stand both independently and intertwined.
Let’s start with a continuation of the Gophers, who lose their goalie but are set to lose several other pieces because of the COVID-induced withdrawal of the NHL from the Olympics. Both Ben Meyers and Matthew Knies already have 20 points on their season, and Brock Faber, a sophomore defenseman, is coming into his own after scoring a goal and an assist against Michigan and after registering two assists this weekend against Michigan State.
All three could conceivably be lost to the American roster, which announced its coaching staff this past week with the additions of Minnesota State head coach Mike Hastings and St. Cloud head coach Brett Larson.
Plenty of teams are going to be dealing with this, and we’re all assuming Michigan, with its NHL-ready talent already on the roster, is going to lose a ton of its personnel. The additions of college coaches only fueled that speculation, and while there are Americans playing abroad, the only thing close to an NHL roster would be, for both USA and Canada, a team stocked with NHL-caliber talent.
All of this, of course, ties back to the future schedule, which is dealing with some major potholes because of COVID. I have a bad feeling that some of the postponed games will be played in the middle of the week during February, at which point some of these teams will be missing coaches, players, teammates, and who knows what else. The postponements I thought would be more of a better-safe-than-sorry approach are now in full-blown outbreak status, and while I’m hopeful we’ll get to the other side, any postponement that is made up might be played under the cloud of missing players.
I’m admittedly not sure when the Olympics rosters are going to be released, but with the games starting on February 3, the speculation is going to turn to reality pretty, pretty quickly.
Paula: I’m still really apprehensive about the Olympics – not in how they’ll affect the teams losing players, but for the players and staff involved.
I know that many people see me as an alarmist, but I think global travel right now is foolhardy. I know that everyone involved is as vaccinated as possible, and that certainly mitigates the risk of catching a case of COVID that would manifest severe symptoms. With the omicron breakthrough cases and what we still don’t know about long-term COVID, I worry especially about young people and the lasting effects even a so-called “mild” case might have.
I’ve read all of the precautions that are being taken in Beijing and I’m confident that everything will be done to prevent COVID transmission. We’ve also seen studies that show that ice rink conditions provide particularly fertile ground for COVID transmission. I think the odds are good that anyone associated with hockey in Beijing may be infected, and given that the Olympics end Feb. 20, that may put returning players in COVID protocols as we approach the end of the regular season.
It feels like a potential double-whammy for many programs. That having been said, like everyone else, I will be pulling hard for these kids to defy the competition odds as well as the COVID odds in Beijing.
All of these more big-picture items – COVID, the Olympics – sometimes overshadow great stories this season, like the Buckeyes who were picked in preseason by B1G coaches to finish last. There’s Western Michigan’s fifth-year forward Ethen Frank and his 17 goals in 19 games. There’s St. Cloud State’s insane .359 power-play conversion rate – and Minnesota Duluth’s stunningly subpar 15.4% power play, their 2.60 goals scored per game and yet their seventh-place PairWise Ranking and No. 7 place in the DCU/USCHO Division I Men’s Poll.
What are the stories that you’re seeing that maybe deserve a little nudge?
Dan: I am really trying to make a concerted effort to appreciate some of the players who we won’t see beyond this year.
More specifically, I’m really rooting for Dryden McKay, who notched his 32nd career shutout this weekend when Minnesota State beat Ferris State 7-0. He somehow hasn’t won the Mike Richter Award, and while I think Minnesota State is one of those teams that benefits from being head and shoulders better than the rest of its conference, the confluence of events helping him constantly re-break his own record has me constantly in awe. It needs the right system and the right personnel playing in front of him, but he needs to stay both healthy and stop the shots to record those numbers. Even the best goalies occasionally have a bad game, but McKay might finish the year with 35 shutouts on his career. We’ll want to remember that long after he’s gone.
One other thing I’m watching is in my beloved Atlantic Hockey, where teams are logjammed at the top of the conference. Sacred Heart’s four points against Niagara made that a five-way race for first, but I can still see a sixth or seventh team jump into that race with an ease thanks to the three-point system in the standings. AIC is the three-time defending champions, but this league is probably at its deepest right now. Bentley led the entire first half but lost its perch because of what AIC did against Holy Cross this weekend, and Canisius and Army split to remain in third and fourth. Sacred Heart is now just two points behind that group, but RIT is three points behind the Pioneers.
Atlantic Hockey is notoriously even, and the race down the stretch of the season is always packed with nightly changes. Last year’s pod-based schedule and standings took this away from us, but the fact that some team can jump out of nowhere to go on a run is one of the things I love most about this league. I’m genuinely looking forward to when Robert Morris returns because I think inserting the Colonials into this mix is going to only deepen that bench…assuming RMU comes back to Atlantic Hockey because, quite frankly, that’s the only correct decision.
Paula: Yeah, every January I begin to think of the players we’ll have to say goodbye to at the end of the season. Dryden McKay tops the list of greats that college hockey will lose this year. He’s extradentary.
There are a bunch of seniors having career seasons. Boston College’s Jack McBain and Marc McLaughlin, who have a combined 27 goals. Michigan Tech’s Brian Halonen, whose 12 goals equal the totals he put up in each of his first two seasons. Bowling Green’s Nathan Burke, whose 13 goals are one shy of the total he scored in his first three seasons.
There are guys playing their hearts out on every team, in every conference, as their collegiate careers wind down and they push themselves to wring out every last possible drop before moving on. We should definitely say more about them in the coming months.
To end this week, we offer our condolences to the family and friends of Teddy Balkind, who died following an on-ice collision during a high school game in Connecticut between St. Luke’s of New Canaan and Brunswick School of Greenwish. The 16-year-old defenseman and 10th grader at St. Luke’s did not survive the surgery to treat the injury to his neck.
Words like “unthinkable,” “unimaginable,” and “tragic” are tossed around too casually in our culture, but this is an unthinkable, unimaginable tragedy. When something affects one player, one team, one family in our tightknit community, it affects us all. It reverberates and touches many lives. It stays with each of us.
Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with Teddy’s family and with all those who knew and loved him.
St. Cloud State drops one spot to No. 5, while Denver is up one to No. 7, Minnesota is up one to No. 8, Cornell leaps five to No. 9, and North Dakota tumbles five places to sit 10th in this week’s rankings.
No new teams enter the poll this week.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 11 other teams received votes.
The DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
DCU (DCU.org), a not-for-profit financial cooperative owned by and operated for its members, is the sponsor of this poll. DCU serves more than 900,000 members and their families in all 50 states.
Hockey East announced Monday schedule updates for men’s and women’s conference teams.
The men’s series between Northeastern and Vermont, previously scheduled for Jan. 14-15, has been postponed. The Huskies are now scheduled to travel to Vermont for a single game on Tuesday, Jan. 18 at 5:30 p.m.
The women’s series between Holy Cross and Vermont, previously scheduled for Jan. 13-14, has been postponed.
Hockey East and the member schools are currently working to reschedule the remaining three games to a later date.
Atlantic Hockey announced Monday a one-game suspension for Niagara graduate defenseman Chris Harpur, effective for the Purple Eagles’ next NCAA Division I game.
The suspension is a result of Harpur’s major penalty and game misconduct for high sticking, which occurred at the 15:28 mark of the third period in Niagara’s home game on Saturday, Jan. 8 against Sacred Heart.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension.
Niagara’s next scheduled Division I game is Friday, Jan. 14 at Air Force. Harpur would be eligible to return for the Purple Eagles’ Saturday, Jan. 15 game at Air Force.
Hamilton’s Sean Storr helped lead the Continentals past Williams this weekend in one of many outstanding goaltending performances across the region (Photo by Josh McKee)
As my fellow writer covering D-III men’s hockey, Brian Lester noted, the word of the season on the schedule has been and continues to be ”postponement.” Again, this weekend there were a host of games postponed, tournaments reconfigured, and adjustments made to new opponents based on changes in teams’ availability. If nothing else the teams and players have displayed amazing flexibility and resilience to continue to play meaningful games. Here’s hoping that continues in the second-half to when the games matter most. Here’s the weekend wrap-up:
CCC
Due to a host of postponements and cancellations including the Boston Landing Collegiate Invitational Tournament hosted by Nichols, only Curry saw action this weekend in a matchup of ranked teams at Utica. The No. 3 Pioneers and John Moncovich got off to a fast start scoring twice in the opening period to sandwich a shorthanded goal from Curry’s Mark Zhukov for a 2-1 lead at the break. Jamie Bucell and Brandon Osmundson scored for Utica in the second period and goals by Buster Larsson and former Colonel Mic Curran sandwiched Curry’s Timmy Kent’s marker for the 6-2 final. The Colonels were out-shot 28-17 and surrendered a pair of power play goals to Utica.
Independents
Albertus Magnus had their seven-game win streak snapped by Post earlier in the week but rebounded to capture two wins and the title in the WB Mason Winter Classic hosted by Plattsburgh over the weekend. On Friday, against the host Cardinals, the game built up in excitement. Following a scoreless first period, the teams exchanged a pair of goals in the second period setting up a dramatic final twenty minutes. Plattsburgh scored early in the third, but Alex Gagnon answered back on the power play quickly to tie the game at 3-3. Sam Anderson then scored twice within one minute on the man advantage to give the Falcons a 5-3 lead. Thomas Maia brought the Cardinals back to within one goal before Ryan Colwell sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final two minutes of regulation. Goaltender Logan Bateman was outstanding for the Falcons making 42 saves in the 6-4 win.
On Saturday, against King’s in the re-formatted tournament, the Falcons needed overtime to take down a determined King’s team, 4-3. The Falcons raced to a 3-0 lead on goals by Gagnon, Colt Corpse and Tyler Ignazzitto but the Lions roared back in the third period scoring three unanswered goals to send the game to overtime. At 2:16 of the extra session, Gagnon sealed the win and tournament title with his second goal of the game.
MASCAC
Due to a large number of postponements across MASCAC team schedules, the Westfield Owls were on of the few teams to play a game this past week. The Owls earned a tough non-conference win over Franklin Pierce by a 3-2 score on Thursday.
Westfield took a 2-1 lead in the first period on goals by John-Michael DeGregorio and Cory Morris. After a scoreless second period the Ravens drew even on a power play goal by Vito Carlo midway through the final period. Just under two minutes later, Tristan Theriot scored the decisive goal on a setup by Jason Diamond and Jake Ratcliffe. Valtteri Valtonen made 27 saves to pickup the win for Westfield who moved to 7-4-2 on the season.
NE-10
Assumption leveraged a late goal from Dante Maribito to break a 2-2 tie for a big 3-2 NE-10 win on Friday night. On Saturday, the Greyhounds left no doubt of the outcome with a six-goal first period on the way to an 8-2 win and weekend sweep over St. Michael’s. John Piggott scored two goals and added an assist in the opening stanza to set the pace for the Greyhounds in the runaway win that leveled their record in conference play at 3-3-0.
Post took advantage of three power play goals and five different players lighting the lamp in halting Albertus Magnus’ seven=game win streak. The 5-3 win on Tuesday saw goaltender Brandon Brown make 34 saves while Niko Grollman picked up three assists for the Eagles.
NEHC
Hobart and Elmira vaulted to the top of the NEHC standings with weekend sweeps of Norwich and New England College over the weekend. In Friday’s overtime thriller between Norwich and Hobart, the Cadets rallied from a two-goal deficit to tie the game on Clark Kerner’s goal with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation. Less than a minute into the extra session, Hobart’s Aaron Maguyon scored the game-winner to snap a six-game losing streak against the Cadets dating back to November 3, 2018.
Elmira also found a way to down Norwich on Saturday in a contest that wasn’t fully decided until the final horn. The Soaring Eagles took a 3-2 lead at the second intermission and expanded the lead to 4-2 on a goal from Jared Smith. Norwich answered back before Ryan Reifler’s second of the game gave the hosts a 5-3 lead in the final minute. Norwich kept coming back and Devon Becker cut the deficit to one goal with just 17 seconds remaining on the clock. Elmira held on for the 5-4 win that moved them into second place in the NEHC standings.
After winning the Codfish Bowl last weekend, Massachusetts-Boston continued their winning ways with a pair of shutout victories over Skidmore and Castleton. Goaltender Sam Best extended his shutout streak to three games making 59 saves in the back-to-back wins. Corey Clifton scored twice in the 5-0 win over Skidmore while ten different Beacons tallied in the 11-0 win over the Spartans on Saturday.
NESCAC
Trinity finally took to the ice in 2022 following a pair of postponed games against Babson and New England College last weekend. On Friday, the Bantams used two goals from Gerard Maretta in the first period and 29 saves from Patrick Pugliese in goal to earn a 5-0 shutout win over Middlebury.
On Saturday, the Bantams continued their solid defensive game with a 2-0 win over Williams. Riley Prattson’s first period power play goal proved to be all Pugliese would need as the goaltender made 22 saves to earn his second consecutive shutout. Casey Rhodes added an insurance goal in the third period for the Bantams.
After opening 2022 with a thrilling 2-0 win over nationally-ranked Endicott, Colby returned to NESCAC play and earned a road split with Hamilton and Amherst. On Friday against Hamilton, Alex Bourhas gave the Mules a 1-0 lead after two periods of play, but the Continentals would score a power play goal, a 5-on-5 goal and a shorthanded goal in the final period to take the 3-1 win. Sean Storr made 23 saves in the win while Nick Rutigliano’s shorthanded tally put the game in the Continentals’ win column.
On Saturday, the Mules rebounded with a 3-0 win at Amherst. Abdoul Diouf’s first collegiate goal and a goal by Quinn Doyle gave the Mules a 2-0 first period lead. Andy Beran made 36 saves for Colby to pickup his third shutout of the season and Carter Breitenfeldt provided the final score in the third period.
SUNYAC
Geneseo returned to the ice against a red-hot Stevenson squad on Friday with the Mustangs riding a 10-game unbeaten streak. True to form it was Stevenson who pressured early forcing goaltender Matt Petizian to make four quality stops early to keep the game scoreless. Justin Cmunt broke the ice for the Knights midway through the opening period and Petizian would have all he needed to earn a 3-0 shutout win. Stefan Miklakos and Dan Bosio would each score in the second and third periods respectively for the final margin of victory.
Brockport added to the Mustang’s weekend misery with a 5-1 win on Saturday. The Golden Eagles opened up a 1-0 game with four goals in the second period including two by Jacob King and cruised to the easy victory.
After a blowout win over Rivier on Tuesday by an 11-2 score, Cortland found themselves in an early 3-1 hole against Nazareth on Friday. Six unanswered goals in the final 25 minutes of action, including a pair of shorthanded goals from Shane Beaulieu and Sutter Donegan in the final two minutes of regulation helped the Red Dragons cruise to a 7-3 win in advance of the newly scheduled game against Utica on Sunday (replacing Oswego due to COVID protocols).
UCHC
In what proved to be a goaltender duel between Utica’s Sean Dickson and Cortland’s Luca Durante, Utica eked out a 2-0 victory in a fast-paced Sunday matinee. Dickson, who finished with a 30-save effort in the shutout win, was just a hair better than Durante who stopped 44 of 45 shots against the Pioneers. After a scoreless first 40 minutes of play highlighted by stellar goaltending and physical play, Buster Larsson’s power play goal early in the third period proved to be the decisive goal with Brett Everson’s late empty-net goal sealing the win.
Arcadia split a two-game series with Canton over the weekend which included an overtime thriller on Friday. After the visitors took three different one goal leads, the host Knights rallied to tie the score with just 33 seconds remaining in regulation. Dustn Florit tied the game with an assist from Halen Cookston that setup Justin Song as the overtime here for Arcadia. His goal just 35 seconds into overtime was the difference in a 4-3 win.
On Saturday, the Kangaroos rebounded with a 4-0 win to earn a split of the weekend series. After taking an early 1-0 lead, the Kangaroos scored two goals just 22 seconds apart in the second period to create an insurmountable 3-0 lead over the Knights. Matthew Headland and Sam Martin scored the two quick goals to help Canton to their fourth win of the season.
Three Biscuits
John Moncovich – Utica – scored two goals and added a pair of assists in the Pioneers’ 6-2 win over No. 14 ranked Curry on Saturday.
Sam Best – Massachusetts-Boston – extended his shutout streak to three games (four including Codfish Bowl exhibition win over URI) with back-to-back shutouts over Skidmore and Castleton.
Alex Gagnon – Albertus Magnus – scored a pair of goals including the overtime winner in the Falcons 4-3 win over King’s on Saturday that earned the team the Cardinal Invitational title.
Bonus Biscuit
Patrick Pugliese – Trinity – recorded back-to-back shutouts in 5-0 and 2-0 wins over Middlebury and Williams this weekend.
The schedule for January has become professional league-like with many teams adding Tuesday makeup games to their regularly scheduled weekend events. Hoping that the COVID protocol impacts start lessening as the second semester action heats up.
Madison Bizal scored her first goal of the season and OSU’s first of the new year to get things rolling for the Buckeyes as the took an 8-2 win on Friday. Sophie Jaques added two goals and Jenn Gardiner, Paetyn Levis, Jenna Buglioni, Hadley Hartmetz and Liz Schepers all lit the lamp. Morgan Neitzke and Casey Adimey scored for Lindenwood in the loss. On Saturday, OSU tied a program record, scoring 10 times en route to a 10-0 win. Gabby Rosenthal scored the game-winning goal just 17 seconds into the game and Amanda Thiele earned a shutout.
Merrimack at (3) Northeastern
Chloe Aurard tallied a natural hat trick on Friday night in a four-point effort to lead Northeastern to an 8-0 win. Alina Mueller added two goals and two assists. In game two, Mueller and Maureen Murphy scored in the first to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. Merrimack closed the gap in the second with a goal from Katie Kaufman. Aurard extended the lead to 3-1 a few minutes later and that score would hold to give Northeastern the win and a weekend sweep.
(9) Clarkson at (4) Quinnipiac
Caitrin Lonergan tallied her 200th career point with the lone assist on Gabrielle David’s goal in the second period to put Clarkson up 1-0. Florence Lessard extended the Golden Knights’ lead just 90 seconds into the third. Nina Steingauf cut the lead in half less than a minute later to bring Quinnipiac within one at 2-1. It wouldn’t last long, as Nicole Gosling made it 3-1 just more than a minute after that. Lexie Adzija made it 3-2 for the Bobcats, but Quinnipiac could not complete the comeback.
Dartmouth at (6) Colgate
Dara Greig tallied a hat trick and Kalty Kaltounkova and Danielle Serdachny each added three assists to lead Colgate to a 4-2 win. Greig and Chan had the Raiders up 2-0 before Dartmouth responded with goals from Lotti Odnoga and Tiffany Hall. Greig put Colgate up for good with ticks left on the clock in the second. In the third, she scored her third to secure the 4-2 win for Colgate.
(5) Minnesota at St. Thomas
The Gophers used four first-period goals, including a short-hander from Peyton Hemp, to power an 8-0 win over St. Thomas in the teams’ first-ever meeting. Savannah Norcross led Minnesota with two goals and an assist. Skylar Vetter earned her first career shutout. On Sunday, Abigail Boreen’s hattrick led Minnesota to a 8-2 win. She scored twice in the first to put them up 2-0. Lucy Bianchi scored a short-handed goal for the Tommies to narrow the lead to 2-1, but Minnesota reeled off four second-period goals to make it 6-1. Boreen’s goal opened up the scoring in the third. The Tommies added another goal, this one by Lauren Stenslie, to make it a 7-2 game. Catie Skaja’s power play tally finished off the scoring for the Gophers.
(9) Clarkson at Princeton
With both teams missing players to Covid protocols, this was a hard-fought game that tested the teams’ depth. Princeton scored first, as Annie Kuehl made it 1-0 Tigers midway through the second. Haley Winn tied it up in the second. In the third, Gabrielle David scored with the player advantage and Brooke McQuigge scored just before the final horn to complete the Golden Knights’ comeback for a 3-1 win.
(10) Connecticut at Vermont
On Friday, Connecticut came out and scored the first three goals thanks to Danielle Fox, Viki Harkness and Jada Habisch. Theresa Schafzahl lit the lamp on the power play with 1.3 to play in the second to put Vermont on the board. In the third, the Morgan Wabick scored twice to ensure a 5-1 victory. Summer Rae Dobson’s assist on the final goal of the night was her 100th career point. But in the second game. Vermont responded. Summer Rae Dobson put UConn on the board first, but junior Cam Morrisey scored her first-career goal to tie the game at one. In the second, goals from Reagan Miller and Maude Poulin-Labelle put the Catamounts up 3-1. Wabick scored her third of the weekend in the final minute of the period to send the teams to intermission with Vermont up 3-2. Forward Natalie Mylnkova, who took shifts on defense during the game, scored a short-handed goal midway through the third to make it 4-2. Schafzahl scored twice in the final three minutes to cap off the 6-2 win for Vermont.
