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No. 10 Western Michigan edges No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, 4-3; Morrow scores as UMass blanks Providence, 1-0; North Dakota wins 3-1 over Denver; Wisconsin, Ferris State earn conference upsets

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Scott Morrow’s second career goal was also his second career game-winner. Morrow’s lone tally was enough for No. 12 UMass to down No. 7 Providence on Friday night (photo: UMass Athletics).

Ethan Frank’s second goal of the night with just 1:26 left in regulation gave No. 10 Western Michigan a 4-3 win over visiting No. 4 Minnesota Duluth in front of 3,569 at WMU’s Lawson Arena.

Drew Worrad chipped a pass across to Frank as they raced after a loose puck into the UMD zone. Frank put a backhander past Bulldogs goalie Ryan Fanti for the GWG.

Western Michigan took a 1-0 lead to the first intermission and scored early in the second increase the margin to two. Minnesota Duluth got two of its own in the period to tie the game.

Frank’s first goal of the night came 38 seconds into the third period to give the Broncos a 3-2 lead. Minnesota Duluth made it a tie game again on Tanner Laderoute’s goal at 5:45 of the third.

Fanti made 20 saves in the loss, while Brandon Bussi had 26 saves for Western Michigan in the win.

The two NCHC rivals wrap up the conference series tomorrow in Kalamazoo at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Scoreboard  |  USCHO.com Poll

No. 12 UMass 1, No. 7 Providence 0

In a game that saw just one goal and also just one penalty, it was UMass freshman Scott Morrow’s second career goal in as many games that was the difference.

Morrow found himself alone in the slot and took a perfect feed from the corner by Cam Donaldson at 6:25 of the third period for the game-winner.

Providence survived a penalty that came with 3:05 left in the game. Friars coach Nate Leaman pulled goaltender Jaxson Stauber during the last minute of play, but Providence was unable to solve UMass goalie Matt Murray.

The shutout was Murray’s first of the season and 12th of his career and came in front of 4,485 at Mullins Center during UMass homecoming weekend. Murray made 28 saves in the win, with half of those coming in the third period.

The two Hockey East rivals finish their weekend home-and-home series at Providence on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. ET.

No. 8 North Dakota 3, No. 11 Denver 1

Matteo Costantini and Louis Jamernik scored 49 seconds apart just midway through the second period, while Jamernik put home the empty-net goal with just over 28 seconds left, to give North Dakota a 3-1 NCHC win over visiting Denver in front of 11,058 at Ralph Engelstad arena.

Denver’s lone tally came late in the second period when Massimo Rizzo, fresh out of the penalty box, intercepted a clearing pass and fed Cameron Wright in the high slot.

Zach Driscoll made 22 saves in the win, while Magnus Chrona had 20 saves in the loss.

The weekend series continues at North Dakota on Saturday at 6:07 p.m. CT.

Wisconsin 4, No. 5 Minnesota 3, OT

Brock Caufield scored the tying goal early in the third period and the game-winner at 3:02 of overtime to help lead Wisconsin to a 4-3 Big Ten win over Minnesota in front of a home crowd of 9,813 at the Kohl Center.

Minnesota got the scoring going in the second period with goals by Sammy Walker and Blake McLaughlin, but the Badgers countered with a power-play goal by Corson Ceulemans at 13:36 and an even-strength tally by Jack Gorniak just 17 seconds later.

The Golden Gophers retook the lead at 3-2 late in the second period on a goal by Brock Faber.

Wisconsin goalie Jared Moe made 44 saves in the win against his former team, including five during a penalty kill late in the third period.

The weekend series wraps on Saturday at 8 p.m. CT.

Ferris State 2, No. 2 Minnesota State 1

Ferris State’s Bradley Marek scored twice in the second period before Minnesota State’s Nathan Smith got the Mavericks on the board en route to a 2-1 win for the Bulldogs in CCHA play.

Logan Stein made 31 saves for Ferris State in the win. Dryden McKay, who was pulled for the extra attacker with 2:38 left in regulation, made 28 saves in the loss.

The two teams complete their weekend conference series on Saturday at 6:07 p.m. ET.

Game Picks — D-III West

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Week No. 2 is here for teams in the west region of NCAA Division III hockey. Among the featured matchups are a two-game set between St. Norbert and Augsburg. MSOE and Saint John’s will square off as well in a key game as well while NCHA foes Lake Forest and Aurora face off in a battle of unbeaten teams.

Below are a few of the matchups on tap for the weekend.

Nov. 5

St. Norbert at Augsburg
This is a great non-conference matchup between two of the top teams in the region. The Green Knights earned a split with Wisconsin-Stevens Point last week and showed they are ready to roll after not playing last season.

The Auggies are playing for the first time this season and it will be interesting to see how they handle their opening series of the year.
St. Norbert, 4-2; Augsburg, 3-2

Nov. 6
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at Saint Mary’s

The Cardinals gear up for a key test against one of the WIAC’s best teams. They are eager to snap a three-game slide and will need to get their offense going to do it. Saint Mary’s has managed just four goals in its first three games.

The Blugolds have played just once and have yet to score. They were blanked 1-0 by Saint John’s. Look for that to change tonight.
UW-Eau Claire, 5-2

Wisconsin-Stevens Point at St. Scholastica
The Pointers are 1-1 and have scored seven goals and allowed eight in their first two games. Jordan Fader will be a key to success against the Saints. He leads the team with two goals and an assist.  St. Scholastica, which is also 1-1, has to be at its best defensively to win. The Saints have given up 11 goals in two games.
UW-Stevens Point, 5-2

 

Nov. 6-7

MSOE at Saint John’s
The Johnnies are riding high after a big opening win over UW-Eau Claire last week. With Mac Berglove in goal, Saint John’s will not be an easy team to score on. But MSOE is no pushover as it plays its first game of the regular season. It returns two of its best players in Jack Nickels and Garrett Gintoli.
Saint John’s, 2-1

Nov. 7

Lake Forest at Aurora
The Spartans have one of the top goal scorers in the game. Simon Boyko ranks first in the NCHA in goals (5) and second in total points (6). Aurora has won its first three games and wants to keep its momentum rolling in the right in the direction.

The Foresters haven’t lost yet either. They are 2-0 on the year and have outscored the opposition 7-3. Look for this one to be decided late in the game.
Aurora, 4-3

USCHO BETTOR’S EDGE: No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, No. 7 Providence and No. 8 North Dakota all favorites in matchups against nationally-ranked opponents

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Justin Cole leads AIC into this weekend’s home series with RIT (photo: RJB Sports).

We’re entering the fifth full weekend of men’s Division I play and second week with all teams, including the Ivies, active, and we’re seeing less and less upsets.

Of last week’s five games we handicapped, the favorite won four. The only underdog to have success was UMass Lowell, which actually swept Boston University. Still a $100 parlay with all five games correct yielded a nice $1160.92 payout, though a far cry from a week earlier where Western Michigan’s upset of then-No. 1 Michigan paid more than $7,000 on the parlay.

To date, we’ve talked only about the money lines on each game and this week will continue to do so. But in future weeks, I will look at some puck lines and over/unders (and explain exactly what that means for those less degenerate readers.

This week’s slate doesn’t have a heavy favorite (American International is the biggest at -185), but interestingly the USCHO writers have some interesting picks, including a majority selection of the road underdog, RIT, in that game against AIC.

As usual, a disclaimer:

Understand, this is for entertainment purposes only. USCHO.com is not a licensed gambling platform and no money may be wagered through this site or any subsidiary of USCHO.

Enjoy and, if you bet, may you be successful.

* Games marked with asterisks indicates odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

No. 15 Cornell (+120) at No. 13 Harvard (-145)

Harvard opened its season in impressive fashion, scoring 16 goals over two games against Dartmouth and Bentley. It’s difficult to tell how much of that is the Crimson’s potent offense and how much may have been their opponent’s weak defenses.

We’ll likely learn more about Harvard with a top-15 bout against Ivy League rival Cornell at Bright-Landry on Friday. Cornell also earned two wins last weekend, but both required overtime at home against Alaska.

Interestingly, home has not been friendly for Harvard when it comes to facing Cornell. The Crimson has not beat the Big Red at home since November 5, 2016. Still, based on last weekend’s results, Harvard has to be marked as a slight-to-moderate favorite.

Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 7 Providence (-135) at No. 12 Massachusetts (+115)*

Since losing to Minnesota State twice to begin the season, Massachusetts has won four straight, including a 5-4 overtime victory over Merrimack last Saturday that completed a weekend sweep.

Providence has been rolling as well. It lost twice to Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State at the IceBreaker and then dropped a decision late in overtime against New Hampshire last Saturday. But even that game can be ignored when handicapping as it was the third straight against the Wildcats and the Friars handled business a night earlier with a 7-1 victory.

This is a rematch of last year’s Hockey East semifinal won on the Mullins Center ice by UMass, 5-2. And while the last 20 meeting between the two clubs is pretty even, UMass has owned the last 10 games, going 7-1-2, including 5-0-1 on the bigger sheet at home.

DraftKings lists Providence as a slight favorite in this one, but that’s likely more a nod to their higher national ranking than anything else.

Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 11 Denver (+145) at No. 8 North Dakota (-175)*

After falling to Penn State last Saturday in Nashville, North Dakota has now lost three of its last four games, including its last game at home, a 4-3 overtime loss to Bemidji State.

They’ll face a Denver team that is coming off a bye weekend. Previously, though, the Pioneers hit their first bump in the road this season, dropping road contests at Providence and Boston College.

Like PC and UMass, this battle will bring be a rematch of the NCHC Semifinals from a season ago, won 2-1 in overtime by the Fighting Hawks.

North Dakota has had the better of this series of late, winning four in a row and eight of the last 10. The two clubs met seven times last season with North Dakota holding a 5-2-0 record in those games.

Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

No. 4 Minnesota Duluth (-165) at No. 10 Western Michigan (+135)*

Western Michigan is listed as an underdog by DraftKings, but playing on home ice, this red-hot Broncos club might be the best underdog bet of these games this weekend.

The Broncos have just a single loss on their schedule, a 3-2 overtime decision against then-number 1 Michigan. Western twice rallied to victory at Colgate last weekend, including coming from 5-0 down to win 6-5 on Friday.

These two teams last met in the NCHC quarterfinals a season ago, a game won 5-4 in overtime by Minnesota Duluth. But the two clubs split the regular season series a season ago, each team winning twice on home ice.

Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

RIT (+150) at American International (-185) Saturday

For the first time this season, we handicap an Atlantic Hockey game against what many feel are two of the top teams in the league.

RIT is off to a 4-2-2 start, including an OT victory on the road against then-No. 13 Notre Dame. The Tigers lost the rematch a night later, 6-0, to go along with their only other blemish, a 5-2 season opener loss to Colgate.

AIC’s record of 1-5-1 isn’t very impressive, but the Yellow Jackets are considerably battle tested to this point in the season. Five of their seven games came against nationally-ranked opponents, including last weekend’s series against No. 5 Quinnipiac. AIC took the Bobcats to overtime on both occasions, earning a 2-2 tie on Friday before falling, 2-1 in overtime, on Saturday.

Because of Atlantic Hockey’s regionalized schedule due to COVID, RIT and AIC never met a season ago.

Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G

Game Picks: D-III East Hockey – November 5, 2021

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Last season’s UCHC champions from Elmira now face a new challenge in conquering the NEHC (Photo Courtesy of Stevenson Athletics)

Well last weekend was certainly one filled with great hockey so why not expect more this weekend with some premier teams facing each other in conference play. Last week my predictions finished at 7-4-1 (.625) which isn’t a horrible start but leaves room for improvement. Like my picks I think there are already a few teams needing their first win to settle things down a bit. Hard to believe there is already pressure in early November, but a slow start looks like it can really hurt teams trying to find their game. Here are the picks for this weekend:

Friday, November 5, 2021

Endicott v. Salve Regina

This weekend series should be a good barometer into two key CCC title contenders. Expect low-scoring in this game and hard to see Conor O’Brien surrendering more than just one goal for the visitors  – Endicott, 2-1

Elmira v. Babson

The new kids in the NEHC play one of the elite teams and especially elite on home ice. This one is highly entertaining but close until a late goal for the Beavers seals the win and a very valuable two points–  Babson, 3-2

St. Michael’s v. Post

The Purple Knights had their opening series with Potsdam canceled while Post has some real action on their record. It might take a period for St. Michael’s to get things going but they settle in for an opening night victory – St. Michael’s, 4-2

University of New England v. Nichols

The Bison already have a piece of hardware following the win in the Worcester Cup while UNE hasn’t played a real game yet. No worries for the experienced Nor’easters who start fast and hold on for the win – UNE, 4-2

Wilkes v. Manhattanville

The Colonels can beat you a lot of different ways but tonight is basic Flynn and Barrow putting up points in a decisive win on the road. Special teams will be key in this game  – Wilkes, 5-2

Saturday, November 6, 2021

Oswego v. Plattsburgh

Starting the season 0-2 against Hobart and Elmira was not the desired outcome for the Lakers who need this win to start strong in the SUNYAC standings and move to 2-2-0 overall – Oswego, 3-2

Stevenson v. Chatham

This is maybe a bit early to call out the TRAP GAME, but the Mustangs need to beware the Cougars and set the tone early. Too close at the end and an empty-net goal needed for some margin – Stevenson, 5-3

Franklin Pierce v. Stonehill

This game just screams tie to me but alas a winner I need to choose. Thinking the home team will find a way to win this one late in the third period or dare I say overtime  –  Stonehill, 4-3

Anna Maria v. Plymouth State

The AmCats almost found a way to win the Worcester Cup last week but face a Plymouth State team that is trying to build some consistency in their game that earns wins. Panther size wins out here  –   PSU, 4-1

Massachusetts-Boston v. New England College

The Beacons need to bounce back after a battle with Norwich but find a tough Pilgrim squad ready and waiting. Special teams are the difference for the visitors who eke out the win – UMB, 3-2

It is a week that conference play begins, and some intriguing matchups are on the docket. It’s not that I am saying the league games mean more, but they do – “Drop the Puck!”

Former Hockey East commissioner Bertagna reflects on hockey career in new book filled with memoirs

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Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna was in attendance. - The visiting Boston University Terriers defeated the Boston College Eagles 5-3 (EN) on Friday, November 7, 2014, at Kelley Rink in Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Then-Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna takes in the Boston University-Boston College game in November 2014 at Kelley Rink in Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (USCHO.com file photo).

By Joe Bertagna/Special to USCHO

Joe Bertagna has spent the better part of the last half century in hockey as a player, coach, college administrator and commissioner. The final role in that list – that as commissioner – was a position he held for a significant period of time and one he recalls in his new book, “Late in the Third.” You can order the book through the website www.lateinthethird.com.

The following is an extended excerpt from the book:

Of all the discipline-related situations I had to address, two stand out among all others. They were serious and more challenging than the rest.

When the 2002-03 Hockey East regular season came to an end, Boston College was tied for first with New Hampshire but, having failed to beat the Wildcats during the year, lost the tie-breaker and so the Eagles were the #2 seed for the tournament.

That meant BC would be hosting seventh-seeded Merrimack. The Eagles took two out of three from Merrimack during the year, and when all the games were played out, Boston College would be winners of twice as many games as Merrimack (24 for BC, 12 for MC).

Weeks earlier, the two teams had played a regular-season game in which one of Merrimack’s best players, Marco Rosa, had been injured. Rosa took a hard hit from Boston College defenseman Andrew Alberts that knocked him out. As he fell to the ice, he broke his wrist and was lost for the season.

At 6´ 5´´, Alberts was a solid, physical defenseman who would go on to play in the NHL. While some on the Merrimack side thought it was a dirty hit, those on the BC side pointed out that it is difficult for someone with Alberts’ height to completely avoid head contact when lining up a shorter player for a clean hit. Alberts was not a dirty player.

Regardless of your position on that play, it certainly provided a tense background for the quarterfinal match-up between the two programs. Also factoring into the equation was the David and Goliath feel to MC vs. BC. Merrimack, a small (then) NCAA Division II school in suburban North Andover, MA, often felt disrespected and was now going up against the biggest and arguably most successful school in the conference.

Well aware of this background, I assigned myself to the MC-BC series as site director because I was afraid something might happen. For most of the opening game, my fears were unfounded as the game was without incident, BC leading 2-0 with just over six minutes remaining in the third period.

Then, as BC killed off the end of a penalty, there was a loose puck flipped toward the Merrimack end. Warriors goalie Joe Exter decided to race out to beat BC forward Patrick Eaves to the puck, Eaves coming with pretty good speed. They arrived at the puck at the same time, Exter going low, Eaves seemingly trying to vault over Exter.

When I saw the play live, my first reaction was that Exter was the aggressor and that he took Eaves out by going low. What happened is that as they collided, Exter’s helmet was knocked off and as he went down, his head hit the ice hard. He started convulsing and the sight of his distress set off a reaction on the already fragile Merrimack squad.

Merrimack players swarmed on Eaves and fights broke out all over the ice. Eaves, among others, had to defend himself and engaged in the

fisticuffs while referee Jeff Bunyon and his crew tried to control the situation. It was everything I had feared when I put myself on that game.

Exter was taken off the ice in a stretcher, was put in an induced coma for over a week, but made a full recovery. As I write, he is an assistant coach at Michigan State and just completed his term on the Board of Governors of the American Hockey Coaches Association. Eaves went on to a long NHL career after BC.

Eaves was heavily penalized that night but not, as was commonly reported, because Hockey East took action against him. Under NCAA rules, a game disqualification means you sit the next game. On your second DQ, you miss two games. On your third, three games and so forth. He had received a DQ for spearing in the fall and was given two for what happened in that Merrimack game. The first was for the collision with Exter and the second for the ensuing fight. Since these were DQ’s #2 and #3, he received, by the NCAA rule book, five games.

The following memories remain vivid all these years later:

• As conference commissioner, I worked for both BC and MC and had to be sensitive to what was happening on both campuses. The two teams had to return for Game #2 the next night, so I made sure to visit each school early on Saturday to speak to both teams about the importance of keeping their emotions in check.

• Game #2 was uneventful, thankfully. BC won 2-1, the game staying close long enough to keep both teams focused on playing hockey.

• Then there was the week between quarterfinals and the championships at the Garden. Boston College was concerned about the effect on Patrick Eaves and how he would be perceived if Exter did not recover from his ordeal. At that time, the NCAA rule book still used the term “intent to injure” and if Eaves was saddled with that term and Exter died, how would he be perceived? BC began an effort to vindicate, or at least protect, Eaves.

• Having lost Marco Rosa earlier and now seeing their goalie go down, emotions were particularly raw at Merrimack and they bristled at any talk of diluting the penalty to Eaves. They suggested that any attempt to make Eaves a priority while their goalie lay in a coma would be an insult to the Merrimack community and another example of BC having its way.

• When the tournament banquet took place the following Thursday night at the Royal Sonesta hotel, I noticed that Eddie Swift was there, sitting at the BC table. Swift, a former Princeton goalie of my vintage, was writing for Sports Illustrated at the time. The magazine assigned Swift to this story and the piece he would author was titled, “Two Victims.” It was welcomed at BC, a national story that portrayed Eaves as a victim alongside the injured Exter.

• As the article explained, Boston College and the Eaves family took issue with the calls made on the ice. Specifically, they wanted the officials and the conference to acknowledge that a mistake was made in the initial major called on Patrick Eaves. Suggesting as much, Swift wrote, “The referee, Jeff Bunyon, was 100 feet and two zones away, but he raised his arm to signal a penalty.”

• With this as background, I can recall how my work week went following the incident. First, I consulted with lawyers to understand any liability the conference could face. Next, I summoned the on-ice officials to my office. I wanted to understand their thought process in making the calls they did. A referee often has choices as to what can be called in a given situation. There is a matter of matching the right call to the offense committed. But there is also, in the midst of injury and multiple altercations, the matter of game management. There can be legitimate debate over the first major, which was initially called roughing and then changed, before the sheet was signed, to charging. Complicating the situation was the presence of a replacement scorekeeper at ice level that led to the game sheet having errors. This was unintentional but an element of sloppiness. I never considered criticizing the officials. They made a judgment call under duress. I was interested, however, in taking some burden off of Patrick Eaves. I asked if the second DQ, for fighting, could have been a roughing. They responded that Eaves and his opponent were trading punches and that refs had always been advised to call “fighting” when it was that obvious. Then I asked all three officials if they thought Eaves had intended to injure Exter. When all three said, “No,” I decided to issue a press release on our findings, emphasizing up front that we found no reason to believe that Patrick Eaves meant to injure Joe Exter.

• When both Boston College and Merrimack expressed displeasure with my statement, I figured we had gotten it right. BC didn’t think it went far enough. Merrimack didn’t understand why we would be so moved to give BC and Eaves this attention.

Berglove taking another trip around the block with Saint John’s

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Mac Berglove is back for another season with Saint John’s. Photo Credit: Bill Prout

Mac Berglove opted to use his extra year of eligibility that he was granted because the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on last season.

It has turned out to be a great thing for Saint John’s, which saw Berglove record the fourth shutout of his career last weekend against Wisconsin-Eau Claire in a 1-0 win.

“It’s always good to start off with a good game, especially as a goalie,” Berglove said. “With goalie being a very mental position, it’s good to start ahead.”

Berglove has been playing for the Johnnies since 2017 and has won four or more games three ties in his career while racking up 200 or more saves three times, including 244 last year.

It wasn’t until late this summer that he made the decision to return official. His competitiveness helped draw him back for another season.

“I really wanted to play a full season where everything was normal and we could have a chance to play for a championship,” Berglove said.

There was no MIAC tournament last season. The Johnnies won the regular season title two seasons ago but lost in the semifinal round of the conference tourney.

With last season being a shortened season that was full of uncertainty, it gave Berglove an even greater appreciation for the game and the opportunity to be an athlete.

“It showed me how much hockey really means to be,” Berglove said. “With us being in such limbo last year, I realized just how much I missed it. It’s great to have another season to play.”

His experience playing college hockey has proven valuable to the Johnnies, and as one of the team’s assistant captains, he’s made an effort to make sure there is a strong team bond in place.

“We have a lot of new faces and I’ve tried to help us build good team chemistry and make sure that everyone is on the same page,” Berglove said. “We all have the same end goal in mind and are playing for each other.”

On a personal level, Berglove believes he’s seen strides made from the standpoint of things that cannot be measured on a stat sheet.

“My hockey sense, game knowledge, maturity, however you want to phrase it, has improved,” Berglove said. “With playing as many games as I have and seeing as many shots as I have, that experience has made me a better hockey player.”

The Johnnies hope to contend for a conference championship this season and an NCAA tourney berth as well.

They’ll have a shot based on just the mentality of the program alone. That’s something Berglove loves about playing for Saint John’s.

“I love the winning mentality we have had here,” Berglove said. “We always have high expectations and that’s been a great thing.”

Berglove is ready to keep that mentality in place and lead Saint John’s to another successful year.

“Being an older guy and someone who has been around the block a few times, I know you just have to take each game as it’s own thing and never get too high or too low,” Berglove said. “I’m going to go out every game and give it everything I’ve got.”

USCHO Pick ‘Em returns for 2021-22 Division I men’s college hockey season

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Michigan State’s Cole Krygier and UMass Lowell’s Connor Sodergren battle for position in the 2-2 tie October 22, 2021 at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. (photo: Rich Gagnon).

USCHO Pick ‘Em is back!

Each week, make your picks for 10 pre-selected Division I men’s college hockey games and compete against other fans for end-of-the-season prizes.

Go to http://social.uscho.com to sign in and make your picks.

Best of luck!

MASCAC Preview: Panthers building on past successes in championship pursuit

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Fitchburg State’s Brian McGrath will lead the Falcons in the hunt for the MASCAC title (Frank Poulin Photography)

Plymouth State has been the elite team in MASCAC the past few years and is poised to contend again among a host of challengers. Having won the title in 2019-20, the Panthers seek to repeat the feat post-COVID.

The conference boasts two long-time coaches combining for over 1150 wins at the D-III level. Bill O’Neill at Salem State (606 wins) and Dean Fuller at Fitchburg State (561 wins) both have the experience of developing teams to contend and along with Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Westfield State should be battling the Panthers for this year’s bragging rights in the conference.

The Favorites

The Panthers will rely heavily on their experience including forwards Myles Abbate and Peter Laviolette and goaltender Kalle Andersson. They have size across the roster and play a physical game that can wear down opponents. While having success recently in winning the conference, the Panthers are still in search of their first NCAA tournament win and this team would love to add that to their PSU legacy.

The 2019-20 MASCAC Player of the year was Fitchburg State goaltender Brian McGrath. He is back this season to backstop the Falcons in another run for the league title. McGrath can singularly steal a game for his team which will give the coaching staff the time to develop their game to contender level.

The Dark Horse

Eric Noack’s UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs have kept a group of graduate players that include Kai Kapossy, Dillon Radin and Melker Kroon as forwards that know how to put the puck in the net. Add in goaltending depth with Mike Stangarone and Parker Butler and the Corsairs can compete with any team in the conference.

Players to watch 

Fitchburg State:                             Bryan Canter – forward; Brian McGrath – goaltender

Framingham State:                        Bryan Whelan – forward; Brian Kozek – defenseman

UMass – Dartmouth:                    Dillon Radin – forward; Chris Stangarone – goaltender

Plymouth State:                             Myles Abbate – forward; Peter Laviolette – forward

Salem State:                                   Billy McGwin – forward; Matt Yianacopolus – defenseman

Westfield State:                             Jake Ratcliffe – forward; Jason Diamond – forward

Worcester State:                           Kevin Drevitch – forward; Henry Bruckner – defenseman

USCHO Predicted finish

  1. Plymouth State
  2. Fitchburg State
  3. UMass-Dartmouth
  4. Westfield State
  5. Salem State
  6. Worcester State
  7. Framingham State

As if the coaching ranks weren’t rich enough in the MASCAC add in Bob Deraney as the first-year coach of Worcester State. Deraney brings extensive experience from the D-I level from both the men’s and women’s games to the Lancers program.

 

This Week in ECAC Hockey: As all 12 teams get back to conference play, upcoming weekend features Cornell at Harvard

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Forward Casey Dornbach is back for his senior season at Harvard (photo: Harvard Athletics).

This weekend is the first time nearly a year and a half that all dozen ECAC Hockey teams will play a conference game on the same night.

And right away, there’s already a marquee matchup on the schedule.

Cornell and Harvard play Friday night in Cambridge, Mass., in the league opener for both teams. The Big Red allowed two combined goals in a pair of overtime wins against Alaska last weekend, while the Crimson scored 16 goals en route to steamrolling Dartmouth and Bentley.

The two wins for Cornell gave the Big Red the nation’s longest winning streak at nine games, although that stretch goes back to February 2020.

Friday will be a good test for Cornell’s goaltending. None of the Big Red’s three goalies had played in a game prior to last weekend, but freshman Joe Howe made 20 saves for the shutout in his first collegiate game Saturday.

“A lot of excitement,” Howe told Cornellbigred.com following the win. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous before the game – but then, puck drop, and hockey is hockey. … It’s more of a team shutout than just me, but it’s a great start.”

It was a great start for Harvard as well. It didn’t hurt that several of the Crimson underclassmen trained together and took classes remotely in Florida last winter, doing their best to stay in shape despite their season being canceled.

“It really speaks to the connection and the chemistry of the group that that were able to find a way in difficult circumstances to make the best of them,” Harvard coach Ted Donato said. “Lot of guys chose to come to summer school this summer so that they could be around each other and have the opportunity to train with each other.”

While training in Florida was a chance for Harvard’s returning players to stay sharp, a pair of newcomers carried their hot scoring from junior hockey into the opening weekend of the season.

Forwards Sean Farrell and Matt Coronato were the top scorers for the Chicago Steel in the USHL last season. The pair combined for six goals and seven assists for the Crimson last weekend.

All in the family

Saturday was a big day for Yale coach Keith Allain.

Not only did the Bulldogs return to action for the first time since March 2020, but Allain got to coach his son, Niklas, in his collegiate debut.

“I’m really excited,” Keith said earlier this season. “I’ve never coached him. I always felt like if he had a passion for hockey it was going to be his thing. I didn’t want to get in the way.”

But the Allains aren’t the only family connection in ECAC Hockey. Harvard coach Ted Donato’s son Jack is a senior on the Crimson, while Clarkson coach Casey Jones’ daughter Gabi is a sophomore on the St. Lawrence women’s hockey team.

Colgate (Alex and Colton Young) and Clarkson (Alex and Charlie Campbell) each have brothers on their roster, while Union goalie Garrett Nieto is the brother of former Brown goaltender Gavin Nieto.

There are several players throughout the league who have fathers who played in the NHL, including Kyle Aucoin (Harvard), William Dineen and Ryan Stevens (Yale), Jordan Tonelli (Brown), Thomas Richter (Union), Skyler Brind’Amour (Quinnipiac), Travis Mitchell and Matt Stienburg (Cornell), Ethan Manderville (Colgate), and Zach Dubinsky and Mason Klee (Rensselaer).

NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey: Coaches, teams organize on social media to demand expanded tournament field

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The NCAA Championship Oversight Committee will convene November 10th to immediately reconsider the petition to expand the women’s hockey tournament from 8 to 12 teams for this season.

According to UMD coach Maura Crowell, this comes as a response to the findings from the report published by Kaplan, Hecker and Fink (KHF) law offices last week detailing gender inequities in the NCAA. (Read more about what the report said about college hockey here.)

The report, published on October 25, detailed gender inequities across a number of NCAA sports, but the disparities in hockey were particularly bad. With the new meeting a week away, it was important to make sure the information in the report continues to be noticed, discussed, disseminated and taken seriously.

“Obviously the findings are pretty powerful. I think the numbers speak for themselves in the fact that our sport is one of the most egregious of all in terms of gender equity. We decided that it’s our responsibility, as stakeholders in the sport, to make sure that that information gets publicized,” said Crowell.

An organized effort to draw attention to the inequities launched on social media on Thursday morning. A graphic and message about expanding the women’s tournament to a 12-team field was sent out by official team sites, coaches and assistant coaches and players.

Harvard coach Katey Stone said it is not a coincidence that the committee has chosen to meet again two weeks after the release of the KHF report. The timing was perfect for the women’s college teams, coaches and players to express a united front in calling for change in their sport.

“What happened with women’s basketball was a great example, honestly, of how a community and a sport can can come together to affect positive change,” said Stone.

Part of what drove change at the women’s basketball championship was the way the player video about the inadequate weight room was spread among first women’s basketball fans, then women’s sports fans and beyond. Crowell hopes people will see that this situation isn’t that different – and that’s not just a women’s ice hockey problem.

“I want to get eyes on this beyond women’s hockey fans, coaches ands players. It’s a women’s sport. It’s a sport issue. Gender Equity is a bigger issue than just women’s hockey,” she said.

“The long term impact (of expanding the tournament pool) is massive. You do that over the years and it’s changing lives of our female athletes for years and years to come.”

The group is hoping to bring similar attention to their situation and be able to force the necessary changes by making the Competition Oversight Committee (COC) and NCAA pay attention.

The proposal to expand the women’s tournament has been in the works for more than a year and in conversation ever since the proposed formation of the New England Women’s Hockey Association (NEWHA) in 2017.

A working group of coaches presented a proposal to the NCAA Division I  COC in September asking for the tournament to be expanded to 10 teams – two more than the current set-up. The COC tabled that proposal, citing limited funds for new initiatives after prioritizing rest days for championships in gymnastics, softball, volleyball and men’s ice hockey.

“While the committee supports the merits of the proposal to expand to 10 teams, it agreed to table the matter until the next opportunity to fund it,” was the official decision.

The whole thing was a tough pill to swallow, said Crowell. Beyond the disappointment was the ambiguity of it all – tabled until when? To add insult to injury, the KHF Equity Report noted “though their proposal was tabled, they were also told unofficially that they could have asked for an even larger bracket expansion.”

Stone said the pandemic gave the group the opportunity to hold online meetings and conversations about the state of the women’s college hockey game and really solidify that teams and coaches across the sport are united and organized in pushing for change in their sport.

Though the report breaks down a number of ways in which the NCAA has failed women’s hockey student-athletes, the group is focused on tournament expansion as their priority. They’ll be asking for the removal of the travel provision in bracket selection as well as a change in the way the men’s and women’s championships are supported and funded, but the focus of this push is to expand the tournament field.

“There’s a long laundry list of inequities, but the most important thing is for us right now is to give the opportunity for more student athletes to have a championship experience because the numbers warrant it,” said Stone.

She is referring to what the report called access ratios – or the number of championship slots available relative to the number of overall students playing a sport. Currently, that ratio is 19.5% for women’s hockey and 26.7% for men’s hockey. The proposed expansion to 10 teams would have brought the women’s participation ratio to 24.4%, which is still lower than the men’s.

While fans and media have focused on the entertainment aspect of what an expanded tournament would look like, Crowell said the working group looks at the fact that adding four teams would immediately provide a championship experience for 100 more student athletes – and the student-athletes are meant to be the point of the NCAA.

“You have to prioritize something or you will probably end up with nothing,” said Crowell.

Creating immediate positive impact for that many student athletes, especially in light of last year’s tournament selection which left talented teams sitting home in March, makes it clear that expansion is the right place to focus. It’s also the place the working group has been focused for years.

This is a fight for the women currently playing in the NCAA, said Stone, but also for future generations. The social media effort today is looking to capitalize on the attention being brought to the inequities thanks to the KHF report as well as galvanize support for these changes in a way the NCAA can’t ignore.

“We need to grow the game. And the only way you do that is by creating more and more opportunities with resources,” Stone said. “It has been a concerted effort to continue to shine a light on the inequities in the NCAA, but also that it’s time for change. It’s time to expand and give more opportunities to women’s hockey players to play in a championship.”

Crowell pointed out that while some are calling this a movement, all the tweet does is publicize the findings of a report the NCAA themselves commissioned.

These are the facts as compiled by a third party and if there is damning information contained in the report, there is no one to blame but the NCAA, who created situations that allowed these gaps to exist and flourish and who is responsible for fixing them now that there is no excuse to be made about not knowing.

 

This is breaking news and will continued to be updated.

 

 

 

 

UCHC Preview: Pioneers leveraging experience towards title chase

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Forward Tyler Barrow leads Wilkes into conference play after winning the Buffalo State Tournament (photo by Wilkes Athletics)

The UCHC brings something old (Utica – read more below) and something new (Arcadia joins the league) but expect the competition to be consistently tough among a growing list of challengers for the title.

“We are old and big,” said Utica coach Gary Heenan. “This leadership group including our super seniors has won four regular season titles, so they know our coaching style and expectations here. We know the league is going to be challenging  with teams like Stevenson who made it to the title game last season. Dominick [Dawes] is a great coach and he has built a talented roster. Wilkes is also very strong so there are going to be challenges every night we play.”

The Favorite

Utica has been tabbed as the favorite by just about anyone following the conference. They bring back a deep and talented roster and have added size with some key transfers like Brian Scoville (UAH) and goaltender Louis-Felix St. Jean(Salve Regina). Forwards are skilled and balanced lines can cause problems for teams trying to defend the speed and skill across four lines. There is still a feeling of something lost from the 2020 team that reached the NCAA tournament – this team is heavily motivated to get the job done this season.

The Dark Horses

Stevenson lost in the UCHC title game last spring to Elmira but return the bulk of what was then a very young roster. Ryan Kenny has proven to be a very consistent goaltender and Mac Lowry provides grit and skill upfront for the Mustangs. This team fell just short last year so expect the focus to be getting back to another shot at the UCHC title.

Wilkes returns two of the premier forwards in any conference in Donald Flynn and Tyler Barrow who despite the extra attention from opposing defenses, still find ways to produce goals for the Colonels. The roster is laden with many seniors looking to make the history books for Wilkes hockey. A favorable early schedule could have the Colonels flying high heading into a December game with Utica – early success against the contenders could see them near the top ion the March.

Players to watch 

Arcadia:                            Lucas Brine – goaltender; Justin Song – defenseman

Chatham:                         Aidan Girduckis – defenseman; Ricardo Gonzalez – goaltender

King’s:                               Tom Seravalli – coach; Michael Dischiavi – forward

Lebanon Valley:               Blake Tosto – forward; Riley Johnson – forward

Manhattanville:              Jamie Dorsey– goaltender; Niko Happo – forward

Nazareth:                         Ray Falso – forward; Mitch Culver – forward

Neumann:                        Kyle Pantalone – goaltender; Barry Kneedler – forward

Stevenson:                       Ryan Kenny – goaltender; Mac Lowry– forward

Utica:                                 Brandon Osmundson – forward; Regan Cavanaugh – forward

Wilkes:                              Donald Flynn – forward; Tyler Barrow – forward

USCHO predicted finish

  1. Utica
  2. Stevenson
  3. Wilkes
  4. Chatham
  5. Neumann
  6. Lebanon Valley
  7. Manhattanville
  8. Nazareth
  9. King’s
  10. Arcadia

There are some early match-ups of interest including Utica traveling to Stevenson in mid-November. While the top three may distance themselves from the field a bit, do not look past Chatham, Neumann, LVC, Nazareth and Manhattanville who can beat anyone, anywhere.

 

 

 

This Week in Hockey East: UConn wraps up seven-game road grind with weekend series at Maine

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Darion Hanson started his college career at Union and is now a graduate transfer at UConn for the 2021-22 season (photo: Stephen Slade).

A stretch of seven consecutive games played on enemy ice would be a challenge for any team, but goalie Darion Hanson of the Connecticut men’s hockey team chooses to focus on the positive.

Long bus rides together and hanging out in the hotel with teammates have been valuable bonding experiences for him and his teammates, he said. Also, having a schedule front-loaded with road games means more games at home later in the season.

“Being able to face a little adversity in the road barns early on, I think that’s important,” Hanson said. “Later on this year, down the home stretch, we’re at home. That’s always great. (We’re) doing OK on the road trip so far (and) we have two big tests this weekend.”

The Huskies (4-3-0, 2-1-0 Hockey East) will wrap up their seven-game road gauntlet with a pair of games this weekend at winless Maine (0-5-1, 0-2-0). The puck will drop at 7 p.m. Friday and 7:30 p.m. Saturday — both games are at Alfond Arena.

Hanson, a graduate transfer student, sat out last season as his previous school, Union (ECAC), opted out of playing due to the Covid-19 pandemic. This year he has played every available minute in goal for UConn, sporting a .925 save percentage and a 2.27 goals-against average.

UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh had high praise for Hanson’s work ethic, noting that the goalie was on the practice rink at 7:30 on a recent morning.

“He doesn’t get flustered very easily,” Cavanaugh said. “He’s very calm. I think he’s very efficient, too, in his movements. (He) smothers pucks and doesn’t allow rebounds (and) manages the game extremely well.”

Though Maine is struggling, Cavanaugh said his team cannot afford to overlook the hungry-for-their-first-win Black Bears — or any team for that matter. Cavanaugh pointed to a stretch during the 2018-19 season — when most of his upperclassmen were freshmen — where the Huskies won just twice in a 16-game stretch.

“I don’t think our team looks past anybody,” Cavanaugh said. “We’re certainly not a program that thinks we’re better than anybody. Our kids are an experienced group of guys — they were humbled quite a bit when they were freshmen. (In) college hockey, anybody can beat anybody on any given night.”

Maine coach Ben Barr, who took over the Black Bears following the untimely death of eight-year coach Red Gendron at age 63 on April 9 of this year, said his team is searching for a consistently well-played weekend. For instance, Maine was blown out 5-0 last Friday night at Northeastern only to play a much closer game the following night, taking a 2-1 lead into the final period of a 3-2 loss.

“It’s been bizarre,” Barr told USCHO.com. “I don’t really know what that’s all about. It’s confusing to me. But we have to get better. Just playing (close) games isn’t what we’re trying to do obviously. When we get that first win, I think it’s going to be ugly, a grind. That’s usually the nature of these types of things.”

Barr was the associate head coach last season at Massachusetts (currently 6-4-2, 2-0-0). He said going from a club that hoisted the NCAA Division I championship trophy to one in a rebuilding mode has not been without its ups and downs.

“When you get into the grind and you have some struggles, the emotions of it are different from when you’re an assistant,” he said. “That’s been my challenge. We’re only six games in here, but it’s definitely a different feeling as a person. I’m learning to deal with that. We’re honest with our players. We talk about these things.”

Barr said his team does not want to be complacent with close games and moral victories.

“We’re trying to get our program to new places,” Barr said. “Sometimes there’s going to be some pain as you go through that. That’s what we’re kind of going through a little bit. (It’s) new for all of us. But that’s part of the beauty of the game, and that’s part of coaching and building a team.”

Previewing No. 4 Minnesota Duluth at No. 10 Western Michigan with Broncos’ Pat Ferschweiler: Game of the Week college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 5

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger preview a heavyweight NCHC bout with first-year Western Michigan head coach Pat Ferschweiler as No. 4 Minnesota Duluth visits the No. 10 Broncos.

Jim and Ed also look at the other games to be featured in this week’s USCHO Bettor’s Edge column: No. 15 Cornell at No. 13 Harvard, No. 7 Providence home-and-home with No. 12 UMass, No. 11 Denver at No. 8 North Dakota, and two Atlantic Hockey teams receiving votes, Rochester Institute of Technology at American International.

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NCAA Division I Women’s Hockey: Early wins a product of character, spirit of RPI

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Rensselaer coach Bryan Vines and graduate student Lauren Severson say their team is focused on the present and enjoying the fact that their team is finally able to return to the ice after 19 months passed between their final game in February 2020 and when they dropped the puck in September this year.

But while the team isn’t spending much time thinking about their winless 19-20 season, it’s hard not to compare their much stronger start this time around to what happened the last time the played a season. The RPI women’s hockey program went 951 days (two years and seven months) between wins.

And then they broke their losing streak in convincing fashion, rattling off four wins in a row, something the program hadn’t done since December of 2012.

The wins are great, especially for team morale, but Vines isn’t trying to read too much into anything at this point in the season.

“It’s always great to get a couple of big wins against two really good teams in your own rink. But that really hasn’t been our focus. It’s so early in the season. We’ve been really focused on our process…“We always try to remain optimistic, but you try to live in the present in terms of what’s going on right now. We’ve got a lot of work to do. This is just the beginning of the season,” he said.

“We’re focused on the here and now and today and we’re not looking back two years ago. We’re not looking a day back. We’re looking at what’s in front of us right now and trying to do that to the best of our ability. And the team’s really bought into that. I think if we continue on that path, things are going to happen for us.”

Severson said that more than two years off the ice, not playing the game they love, has helped the 13 players on this team who were a part of the 2019-2020 squad put that season well in the rearview. The pandemic has made time move in weird ways and that season feels like a very long time ago. A lot has happened since then that has helped put their love of playing the game at the forefront and give everything else a lot more perspective.

“We all kind of had a tough ride with Covid and it taught us to be grateful and just take every opportunity as it comes. We don’t really pay attention to the team that we were before, not even yesterday, not before Covid. We’re a new team every day, we’re getting better,” she said.

Photo: Bre Nasypany-Cicero

“The whole idea of our team right now is to come to the rink every day grateful because we missed our season last year. It becomes that much more exciting. We’re really tough because of everything that happened last year and the year before.”

Severson is the only graduate student on the roster this season and returning to play one more year was important to her because she didn’t want the 2019-20 season to be the lasting memory she had of playing hockey at this level.

“I didn’t want to leave the team like that. It’s not how I wanted to look back at it, maybe decades from now, so I wanted to make sure that when I left the program it was as best as I could have made it before I left,” she said.

The Engineers have found success early on in part thanks to the goaltending of Amanda Rampado. She has made more saves (308) than any goaltender in the country at this point in the season and is carrying a 1.91 goals against average.

RPI is also scoring more. Their experienced older core of players is strong with the puck, able to hold possession more and has already scored more goals this season than they did in all of 2019-20. The addition of Marah Wagner, from Robert Morris, has been a boon as she’s the team’s leading scorer and Vines said she’s become a leader in the locker room in her short time with the program.

Photo: Keri Bugbee

But Vines said the team and the program are improving not because of the talents of individual players, but because of the way the team plays together.

“It’s about playing for your teammate, not with your teammate in our program. The gratitude, the humility, the willingness to put the work in and the commitment (are important),” he said. “(It’s) the energy that the team plays with and the togetherness and the connection that they play with on the ice. I think you see the love for each other and for the game.…We’ve got a really tight knit group that goes to battle together. I can see that in how they huddle around the net before the game or at the bench before each period.”

The Engineers have 15 upperclassmen on the roster. That strong group of older players has been crucial in guiding the team through the pandemic and back onto the ice this year, starting with captains practices, said Vines. The older players are modeling leadership, accountability and how to be resilient through adversity and that has made RPI ready to hit the ice as a better team each week this season.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for RPI, but the team has already created a solid foundation on which to build the rest of the season. They have proven they are a team no opponent can take lightly and they’ve started a new chapter for Rensselaer women’s hockey.

This Week in CCHA Hockey: With experienced lineup, Michigan Tech ‘can compete with most anybody in the country’

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Michigan Tech has been ranked No. 18 in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll the last three weeks (photo: Michigan Tech Athletics).

When members of the media were looking at the teams in the newly-reconstituted CCHA this fall as we started to do our preseason picks and previews, one team made it easiest on everybody.

And maybe it wasn’t the team you think.

Have your guesses in?

It might shock you to know that it was Michigan Tech.

Sure, Minnesota State had most of its big guns back, and so did Bemidji State, but only one team in the CCHA could boast that it returned all of its key contributors from the 2020-21 season. Nearly everyone who helped the Huskies to last season’s 17-12-1 overall record and fifth place WCHA finish have returned to Houghton for another year.

“The guys who drove it last year, we got all those guys back, so we have very much the same look as we did last year,” Huskies coach Joe Shawhan said in a phone interview Wednesday. “We picked up very similar to where we left off last year, too.”

The Huskies (3-2-0 overall) brought back nine of their top ten scorers from last season (forwards Trenton Bliss, Alec Broetzman, Arvid Caderoth, Brian Halonen, Tristan Ashbrook and Justin Misiak as well as defesemen Colin Swoyer, Eric Gotz and Chris Lipe). They also return goaltender Blake Pietila, a 2020-21 Mike Richter Award finalist.

That returning experience has so far helped the Huskies pick up a big road sweep at Wisconsin in the opening weekend of the season as well as a road split with Clarkson in Potsdam, N.Y. The wins over the Badgers — 5-1 and 5-2 — specifically turned some heads early. Wisconsin was one of the top seeds in the NCAA Tournament in 2021 but lost a lot of their best scorers.

“I think we were ready to play with a veteran lineup while they had a lot of changes in theirs, so that series may or may not be an anomaly in some ways,” Shawhan said. “But they have talent. They’re finding themselves. I think a lot of it was probably due to our experience, returning everybody at every position and Wisconsin not necessarily having that luxury.”

So far, those experienced players are leading the Huskies. Halonen leads the team with four goals and three assists through five games, while Broetzman (two goals), Logan Pietila (three goals) and Bliss (three points) are also atop the scoring charts.

Blake Pietila has, so far, started each game in the net for Tech and has a 1.39 GAA and a .945 save percentage.

Shawhan said the Huskies’ main issue has been consistent scoring. Since the 10-goal weekend against Wisconsin, Tech has only managed to score four times in their other three games.

“We still have to improve in the areas we needed to improve on last year, which is goal scoring, that’s the biggest issue right now,” Shawhan said. “We’ve played very well, and I think we can compete with most anybody in the country, but we need to get some separation with goal scoring.

“Everybody is playing hard. Everybody is executing. We’re just trying to find the differentiating factors, which are going to be the guys who make plays and who can generate offense. I think as a group we’re doing a pretty good job, but we have to gain that confidence offensively.”

One thing that should help the Huskies as they continue to gain confidence: Full houses at John Macinnes Student Ice Arena. Tech has only played one official home game this season (a 2-1 overtime loss to Notre Dame). And after last year’s pandemic-restricted season which saw Tech lose a significant home-ice advantage, the Huskies should be fired up as they get ready to play in front of crowds again.

The Huskies have seven home games between now and the end of the 2021 calendar year, starting with this weekend’s series against U.P. rivals Lake Superior State. It will be the inaugural CCHA series for Michigan Tech, and their first CCHA games since 1984. The Huskies were briefly members of the old CCHA from 1981-84 but rejoined the WCHA until its dissolution in 2021.

“We’ve got our whole conference schedule ahead of us, and I know there’s teams that have built up some wins already and some teams that have taken some losses. We have a clean slate, so we’re trying to do everything we can to take points every opportunity we have,” Shawhan said. “Lake Superior, I know their coaches are really excited about their team. They’re scoring a lot of goals, they’re defending well, so that’s going to be a big test right out of the gate for us.”

NEHC Preview: Nation’s deepest conference finds multiple title contenders

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Mike Egan leads the Babson offense looking for a NEHC title (Photo by Babson Athletics)

When the NCAA tournament was canceled in 2020 due to COVID, 25% of the 12 team field came from the NEHC. When the UCHC was the only conference contested during the 2020-21 season, it was Elmira that won the championship and now starts a new title chase as part of the NEHC this season. The conference has only become better and deeper and that will mean new challenges for new travel partner pairings heading into conference play in November.

“I am just pumped up,” said Hobart head coach Mark Taylor. “There is no rear view mirror and how can you not be excited about playing in a great conference with national caliber teams every week. It’s a little ironic traveling with Elmira but they just add more quality to an already great conference. You are going to have to beat really good teams every night to win this league, and that is why we came here.”

The Favorites

Norwich was on top when the league was last contested and while their new travel partner is now New England College, the program excellence has continued forward under coach Cam Ellsworth. Drennen Atherton is the latest in a string of Cadet goaltenders who will give the opposition fits behind a stingy and mobile defense. There is no big gun offensively that is obvious on the roster, but every line can score, and that balance is key to Norwich’s success.

Babson is always a contender in the conference and returns a solid nucleus including All-American goaltender Brad Arvanitis and forwards Mike Egan, Ryan Black and Salve Regina transfer Paul Boutoussov. Coach Jamie Rice’s team is very disciplined and won’t make mistakes to beat themselves. With a solid group and great depth, this team will be a contender come March.

The Dark Horse

In fairness Hobart could be among the favorites but only fall a little behind with two brand new classes playing and the absence of any super-seniors in the mix. That said Mark Taylor’s team has the longest current streak of NCAA tournament qualification and to do that you need to play great hockey. The Statesmen are deep in goal with Liam Lascelle and Joe Halstrom and have balance up front that can produce goals in bunches. Hobart like the favorites above tends to be in the mix when it matters so don’t count them out of the mix for the conference title.

Players to watch

 

Babson:                                           Mike Egan – forward; Brad Arvanitis – goaltender

Castleton:                                       Conner Rider – forward; Brandon Collett – goaltender

Elmira:                                             Bailey Krawczyk – forward; Adam Eby – defenseman

Hobart                                             Dan Sliney – forward; Liam Lascelle- goaltender

Johnson & Wales:                         Logan Orem – forward; Danny Allen – forward

UMass-Boston:                              Bailey Conger – forward; Chris Peters – forward

New England College:                   Connor Inger – forward; Spencer Kozlowski – goaltender

Norwich:                                         Cale List – defenseman; Brett Ouderkirk – forward

Skidmore:                                       Matt Muzyka – forward; Austin Rook – defenseman

Southern Maine:                           Brendan Dowler – forward; Oskar Bjurstrom – defenseman

USCHO predicted finish

  1. Norwich
  2. Babson
  3. Hobart
  4. Elmira
  5. UMass- Boston
  6. Skidmore
  7. New England College
  8. Castleton
  9. Southern Maine
  10. Johnson & Wales

With Elmira’s addition and Suffolk’s subtraction, the new travel partnerships change the traditional pairings somewhat including the separation of Massachusetts-Boston (now with Johnson & Wales) and Babson (now with Southern Maine). First weekend brings Babson and Hobart together for early season excitement.

Penn State’s Guy Gadowsky on this season’s Nittany Lions, Big Ten hockey, D-I expansion: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 4 Episode 6

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky. The conversation includes a review of this year’s team, the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game win over North Dakota last weekend in Nashville, getting fans back into Pegula Ice Arena, and expanding the Big Ten and D-I hockey in general.

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This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Rivalry weekend on tap as Michigan plays Michigan State, Minnesota battles Wisconsin

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Josh Nodler celebrates a goal for Michigan State last season against Michigan (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

Michigan State defeated Michigan in a – let’s just keep things simple and say entertaining – football game last weekend.

Spartans’ head coach Danton Cole was asked if his team could possibly feed off that energy and keep things rolling when the two schools meet in a home-and-home series on the ice this weekend.

“Well, we weren’t here,” Cole said with a laugh, referring to MSU’s road split at Ohio State last weekend. “It’s unfortunate. We’ve got two groups of young men, our freshmen class and our sophomore class, and then some of the older guys that came in this year, that haven’t really been around a football Saturday like that.”

Cole did say that he thinks having excitement from other teams on campus is helping his squad.

“You do see it from afar and, you know what, when football’s playing well things are exciting around here,” he said. “Some of that has bled over to hockey, our student section has been outstanding and our crowds have been outstanding.”

Forget not experiencing a football game with a crowd, a lot of Michigan State’s players haven’t experienced the in-state rivalry that they play in with people watching live. That’ll change this weekend at both Munn Ice Arena and Yost Ice Arena.

“I think we do get some of that and the guys know it’ll be a big crowd,” Cole said. “The newer guys, and even again the second-year guys that haven’t been around a series with fans here at Munn or down at Yost, they should be looking forward to it.”

They’ll be looking forward to a heck of a challenge. Michigan has stumbled the past two weekends, splitting with Western Michigan and Wisconsin, but this will be a very tall task for the Spartans.

“As a team, you’ve got to look forward to challenges,” Cole said. “Playing Michigan is a special thing, as we know, for a lot of different reasons. They’re one of the best teams in the country and we’ve got a chance to match up and see where we’re at fairly early in the season.

“You should look forward to that, we want guys that want to compete and want to go out there and battle. You just have to be ready with matchups up and down the lineup.”

Cole alluded to the fact that he’d probably be happy with a split this weekend, but not strictly because the opponent is Michigan. More so because it’s a conference series.

“The Big Ten tends to be a conference in hockey that you get your splits as much as you can and try and sneak out some sweeps there, and make some ground that way,” he said.

**************

After starting its season by hosting a nonconference series, playing home-and-homes with two in-state rivals and hosting a conference series, Minnesota will finally leave Minnesota for the first time this season.

The Gophers won’t have to travel far, though, as their first road test of the season will be a border battle at Wisconsin.

“We are fired up to get on the road, it couldn’t come at a better time,” Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said on his radio show earlier this week. “Team building, spending a handful of days in a hotel, getting on the road. … we’re looking forward to this, especially with Wisconsin.”

Minnesota’s Scott Reedy and Wisconsin’s Tarek Baker face off during the 2020-21 season (photo: Tom Lynn).

The Gophers are coming off sweeping Notre Dame at home and the Badgers will look to build on their most impressive result of the season — downing Michigan at Yost last Friday.

“No team has lost more production and what led them and drove their program a year ago than Wisconsin,” Motzko said. “They’ve kind of got to reinvent this season and how they play. I think that win for them (Friday), I think that was a season-saving win. That was a trademark win that they can really staple to their group.”

The Badgers went 3-1 against Minnesota last year during the regular season, a record that helped them capture the conference title. The two teams met again in the conference tournament championship game with the Gophers winning that one 6-4.

“It’s always a great rivalry,” Motzko said. “The fans are there (and) we have fans that can get over to the building. We’re looking forward to it.”

HCA names Omaha’s Ward, Army West Point’s Abric, Ohio State’s Dobeš national men’s college hockey players of the month

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From left, Taylor Ward, Gavin Abric and Jakub Dobeš.

The Hockey Commissioners Association announced Wednesday it has selected Omaha forward Taylor Ward as the player of the month, Army West Point’s Gavin Abric as goaltender of the month and Ohio State netminder Jakub Dobeš rookie of the month for October 2021.

Ward scored 10 goals in October, leading the nation in that category. He registered a point in all eight games the Mavericks played during the first month of the season, tallying seven goals and four assists in his last three games, including a hat trick against Long Island.

The Kelowna, B.C., native posted consecutive four-point nights in Omaha’s final series of October. His eight power-play goals are also atop the national chart, and his 16 overall points rank second nationally.

Ward’s play during October helped the No. 9/7 Mavericks to a 7-1 start, one of the best in program history. Omaha has won seven straight games, one shy of the school record set in the 2001-02 season.

Abric allowed only 10 goals in six October outings and posted a 1.67 GAA. The Hayward, Wisc., native also stopped 198 of 208 shots for a save percentage of .952, topping Atlantic Hockey in all three categories. Abric’s save percentage and GAA were good for fourth and 11th nationally, respectively, for the month.

He made an immediate impact for the Black Knights in his first career start at RIT on Oct. 9, leading Army to a shootout win – which included three shootout saves – in the 2-2 tie. Abric recorded his first career win and shutout on Oct. 22 with a 36-save performance against AIC, one night after setting an AHA season high for saves with 43 stops against the Yellow Jackets.

Dobeš had compiled a 4-1-0 mark in five games along with a 0.86 GAA and .964 save percentage.

The native of Ostrava, Czech Republic also pitched a 32-save shutout Oct. 16 against UConn.

Overall, the Montreal Canadiens prospect has stopped 106 of 110 shots fired his way.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: RIT seeing marked improvement early in 2021-22 season, but ‘still evolving’

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Fifth-year senior Jake Hamacher tied for the 2020-21 RIT team lead with 14 assists while finishing third with 21 points and seven goals (photo: Ben Berkes).

At 4-2-2, Rochester Institute of Technology is off to a strong start.

The only Atlantic Hockey team currently over .500 overall, the Tigers sit atop the Atlantic Hockey standings, three points ahead of Mercyhurst. RIT took five of six points from the Lakers at home last weekend.

While head coach Wayne Wilson isn’t completely satisfied with the results so far, he likes what he’s seen in terms of growth.

“We liked our team coming into (this season),” he said. “Every year is different. We’re still evolving. I like the fact that we’re getting better every game. The freshmen are getting acclimated and starting to make an impact, which you like to see.”

While every season is indeed different, this one is especially so for most college hockey programs. In RIT’s case, the Tigers are benefiting from the return all but four players from last year’s squad.

Four of eight seniors from last season came back as graduate students: forwards Jake Hamacher (86 career points) and Nick Bruce (44 career points), defenseman Dan Willet (71 career points) and goaltender Ian Andriano (25 games played). They have played in a combined 382 games.

No RIT player entered the transfer portal last season.

“We made a blanket statement to our seniors,” said Wilson. “Anyone who wanted to come back, could come back.

“I wanted them to end their career on a more normal note. I wanted them to play at Blue Cross Arena, for their senior year to be a more normal year. Four came back to get their masters. And that was the most important thing. Hockey is important, but getting an MBA was more important.”

RIT also is benefiting from the emergence of two players: junior goaltender Kolby Matthews and rookie Carter Wilkie.

Matthews, who took over the starting role in RIT’s second game of the season, is 4-0-2 with a 1.94 GAA and a .938 save percentage.

Wilkie has been named Atlantic Hockey rookie of the week three times so far this season. He’s tied for first on the team in scoring with four goals and two assists.

Matthews played sparingly his first two seasons, but has come into his own this year.

“His freshman year, (Logan) Drackett was putting up really good numbers,” said Wilson. “(Matthews) didn’t play much but he played well. Last season, there was an illness in his family that caused him to miss a lot of the season.”

RIT travels to American International for a pair of games this weekend. The Yellow Jackets are just 1-4-2 so far but have faced some stiff competition.

“They’re battle tested,” said Wilson. “Obviously Eric (Lang) does a great job there. They’re the defending champions and that speaks volumes.”

One clear area for improvement is The Tigers’ power play, which is just 1 for 29. This year, it’s been the penalty kill (27 of 30) that’s shined.

“The power play’s been a negative for us,” said Wilson. “Penalty killing has been the opposite. We didn’t think we’d struggle (on the power play). We’ve been a top 10 or top 15 power play with the same personnel going on a third year.

“That will come. We know it will. It’s taking time to get more confidence.”

RIT will look to keep its early hold on first place at AIC and another road series the following week at Canisius.

“You want to win every time, but within our league, splits have been the norm.” said Wilson. “Everyone is so close. If you can take four out of six (points), you’ll be successful every weekend. Three and you stay right where you are. Two and you’re moving down.”

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