St. Norbert earned a split with Wisconsin-Stevens Point this past weekend. Photo Credit: Patrick Ferron/St. Norbert Athletics
In a matchup fitting for the NCAA tournament, Wisconsin-Stevens Point and St. Norbert played twice over the weekend.
Both games proved to be competitive and the series ended in a split.
The Pointers won the opener 4-3 on Friday but were beaten 5-3 in the finale Saturday in a two-game set featuring the last two NCAA champions.
Playing on the road Friday, the Pointers racked up 32 shots compared to shot 24 for the Green Knights. Jordan Fader scored the game-winning goal in the win and also dished out an assist. David Hill tallied two assists as the reigning national champions opened the year with a win.
Nicholas Aromatario and Brett Humberstone each scored a goal as well.
Bryan Wagner came up with 21 saves in the victory.
It was a different story on Saturday, though, as the Green Knights, played their first game at home in more than a year.
St. Norbert scored four goals in the opening period and never looked back. Four players had at least one goal and an assist. Tim Nicksic, Adam Stacho, Michael McChesney and Peter Bates all accomplished that feat. Johnny Roberts made 23 saves.
St. Norbert did not play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The win on Saturday was its first since Feb. 29, 2020 when it beat Marian 2-0.
Superior showing for Yellow Jackets
Reigning WIAC champ Wisconsin-Superior got things rolling for the 2021-22 campaign in convincing fashion as it dominated St. Scholastica 7-0 on Saturday night.
The Yellow Jackets scored four goals in the opening period and never gave the Saints a chance to get on track.
Artur Terchiyev helped fuel the offensive attack as he scored two goals in the win. He was one of 13 players to record at least one point. Four players finished with two-point games while Myles Hektor racked up 26 saves to record the first shutout of his college career.
The Yellow Jackets finished with 41 shots and scored twice off the power play. MacGregor Sinclair came through with a goal and two assists while Dylan Johnson dished out three assists. Coltyn Bates added a goal and an assist.
Berglove steps up for the Johnnies
Mac Berglove brings a lot of experience to the table when it comes to goaltending. That showed through in Saint John’s 1-0 win over Wisconsin-Eau Claire Saturday.
A season-opening matchup featuring one of the best teams in the MIAC against one of the top teams in the WIAC ended up being owned by Berglove, who racked up 34 saves on his way to the fourth shutout of his career.
Nick Michel scored the lone goal for the Johnnies less than four minutes into the game. It was the first goal of his career with Saint John’s after transferring in from Alabama-Huntsville.
Saint John’s won despite being outshot 34-28.
Riley McVeigh took the loss for the Blugolds. He made 27 saves.
Big day for Posner
Luke Posner saved the best for last for Bethel as he led the Royals to a thrilling 3-2 win in overtime against Wisconsin-Stout Friday night.
Posner scored his final goal with less than a minute to play to lift Bethel to a win. It is the second time in three seasons the Royals have beaten the Blue Devils by a goal in an opener on the road.
Posner scored the game winner with 31 seconds remaining. Ridge Gerards helped the Royals’ cause by making 32 saves. Posner is already halfway to his 2019-20 goal total. He playedin 12 games that season.
Sweep success for Lake Forest
The Foresters capped a weekend sweep of Saint Mary’s Saturday with a 3-0 win. Things went much easier for Lake Forest on that night compared to the opener when it needed overtime to hold off the Cardinals by a 4-3 score.
Nick Wiencek helped make the win possible in the finale. He recorded a career-best 40 saves to earn his first win for the Foresters as well as his first shutout with the team. The 40 saves were the most in a shutout win at the school since 2009.
Jared Gerger, Will Lebel and Brendand Coughlin all scored goals for the Foresters.
One night earlier, the Foresters rallied from a 3-1 deficit to secure a win in their season opener. Noah Furman scored the game-winning goal in OT.
Bulldogs bounce back
After losing in overtime on Saturday by a 3-2 score, Adrian finished out its two-game road series against Utica with a big win.
The Bulldogs used a late-game goal by Chase Spencer to seal the deal in a battle of two of Division III hockey’s best teams.
Adrian seemed to be on its way to a second consecutive loss to the Pioneers after trailing 3-1 in the second but battled back to tie the score heading into the third.
Adrian salvaged a split despite missing 10 players due to COVID-19 protocol. The Bulldogs were outshot 38-19. The game markes the fifth consecutive between the two teams that has been decided by a goal.
Hockey East announced Monday that New Hampshire freshman forward Robert Cronin has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 1:20 of the first period on Saturday, October 30 against Providence.
Cronin will miss the game on Friday, November 5, against Northeastern and will be eligible to return to the Wildcats’ lineup on Saturday, November 6, when New Hampshire travels to Northeastern.
Jami Krannila celebrates a goal during St. Cloud State’s sweep over Wisconsin two weekends ago (photo: Luke Schmidt).
Coming off a bye week, St. Cloud State earned 29 first-place votes and stays No. 1 in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
Minnesota State moves up one spot to No. 2 and garnered 16 first-place votes, while Michigan falls one spot to No. 3, Minnesota Duluth gets three first-place votes and stays No. 4, and Minnesota is up one to No. 5, gaining one first-place vote.
Harvard, at No. 13, collected the last first-place vote.
Quinnipiac is down one to No. 6, Providence is up one to No. 7, North Dakota drops two to No. 8, Omaha is up one spot to No. 9, and Western Michigan vaults into the top 10, going to No. 10 this week, up three spots from last week.
The biggest drop this week is Boston College, going from No. 9 last week to No. 14 this week.
Two new teams enter the poll this week with Penn State at No. 16 and UMass Lowell at No. 19.
In addition, 14 other schools received votes outside of the top 20.
The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including coaches and beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.
Korbinian Lutz earned MVP honors in backstopping the Bison to win in the first-ever Worcester Cup Tournament (Photo by Foley-Photography)
If this past weekend is a true indicator for the level of play, we will see in D-II/III this season, then sign me up for the premium package please! The games were seriously beyond outstanding this weekend with big-time matchups, a shootout to determine a tournament title, overtime games galore, a first ever program win and many teams looking like they hadn’t had any time off beyond the usual off-season. It is already shaping up to be a terrific college hockey season so here are some of the highlights from the weekend.
CCC
Nichols took the inaugural Worcester Cup Tournament with a 6-5 win over Worcester State followed by a shootout victory over Anna Maria in the tournament final. Peter Miko led the way offensively for the Bison with two goals and an assist while Korbinian Lutz came off the bench to stop 14 of 15 shots in the seesaw battle with the Lancers. In the title game, the Bison rallied from a 2-0 deficit in the third period only to see the AmCats tie the score late and send the game to overtime. Nothing was settled in the extra session and in the shootout, Austan Bellefeuille scored the only goal to win the title. Lutz was named MVP for his efforts.
Curry and new coach Peter Roundy opened the season 2-0-0 with wins over Stonehill and Massachusetts-Boston to earn the Curry College Tournament title. In the game against Stonehill, both John Day and Reid Cooper were stellar in goal for their respective teams. It took until late in the third period for the Colonels’ Tarek Paranica to solve Day for the game’s only tally in the 1-0 win. In the title game, Curry trailed the Beacons by a 1-0 score after the first period but took control of the game with a four-goal second period on the way to a 5-3 win. Mark Zhukov scored twice and added an assist while Danny Eruzione and Timmy Kent chipped in with two points each.
Independents
A brand new Rivier College squad started their D-III existence with a win over Southern New Hampshire University by a 5-4 score on Friday night. The Penmen scored first and built a 4-1 lead midway through the second period before the Raiders rallied. Ryan Nolte scored with an assist from Jon Tavella at the 15-minute mark and Tavella scored twice over the final two minutes of the period to tie the game at 4-4 entering the third period. Milan Breczko scored the game-winner in the third period and Luke Newell made 40 saves to earn the victory for coach Matt Keating’s squad.
MASCAC
Despite being outshot 39-28 and falling behind 2-0 on the road, Plymouth State rallied on goals from Jeromey Rancourt, Myles Abbate and Marcus Seidl to upset Plattsburgh on Friday by a 3-2 score. Kalle Andersson was outstanding in goal making 37 saves including 16 in the third period to earn the win.
NE-10
St. Anselm opened their season against Rivier on Saturday and found the Raiders to be a tough out in a 4-1 win. Will Christensen and Andrew Andary gave the Hawks a 2-0 lead entering the third period, but Colby Audette cut the margin in half early in the third period. Two empty-net goals from Chris Lemay and Thomas Schwartz were needed for some breathing room for the Hawks who saw Nick Howard make 24 saves in the win.
NEHC
Hobart opened the season with a road trip to Oswego where a goal in each period, 22 saves from Liam Lascelle and a great penalty kill gave the Statesmen a 3-1 win. On Saturday back home against Manhattanville, Hobart used an eight-goal second period, including four power-play goals to cruise to a 9-2 win. Forward Wil Crane picked up a hat trick in the win.
Norwich opened their season with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win over visiting Salve Regina on Saturday night. After a scoreless first period, Phil Elgstam and Noah Williams gave the Cadets a 2-1 lead entering the third period. John McLean scored his second goal of the game to tie the score with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation, but Joe Nagle sent the Northfield faithful home happy with his goal in overtime.
Babson took on the high-flying Plymouth State squad fresh off their upset win over Plattsburgh on Saturday night. Mike McPherson gave the home team and early 1-0 lead that stood until the third period where Wyatt George and Thomas Kramer rallied the Beavers to a 2-1 win. Brad Arvanitis was outstanding in goal for Babson making 33 of 34 saves.
SUNYAC
The Geneseo Knights weren’t sure what to expect from their opening two games against Neumann and Nazareth, but the “new kids” picked up a pair of wins by 6-3 and 7-1 scores. Against Nazareth on Saturday Justin Cmunt scored twice in the first four minutes of play and Geneseo cruised from there to the 7-1 win.
After a 3-2 win over King’s on Friday night, Brockport moved to 2-0-0 with a 6-0 win over Neumann on Saturday. Mitchell Parsons led the offense with a three-point game and Nolan Egbert and Zach Richards combined on the 29 save shutout.
UCHC
Wilkes won the Buffalo State Tournament with wins over Fredonia State and Buffalo State. On Friday, five different players scored even-strength goals in the 5-2 win over the Blue Devils. In Saturday’s title game against the host Bengals, the Colonels eked out a 2-1 win in a close checking game. Nick Swain and Tyler Vanuden exchanged goals in the first period and the score remained tied until Jay Gallagher scored for Wilkes just over midway in the third period. Michael Patterson-Jones stopped 19 of 20 shots to earn the win.
Utica and Adrian played a two-game series in what was probably the action of the weekend. On Saturday night the Pioneers rallied from a two-goal deficit on goals from John Moncovich and Regen Cavanaugh to tie the score at 2-2 in the third period. Buster Larsson scored just 95 seconds into overtime for the 3-2 win. On Sunday, the Bulldogs earned a series split with a 4-3 win that saw them rally from a 3-1 deficit and score late in regulation off the stick of Chase Spencer to earn the 4-3 win.
Three Biscuits
Wil Crane – Hobart – scored a hat trick in the Statesmen 9-2 victory over Manhattanville on Saturday.
Korbinian Lutz – Nichols – backstopped the Bison to the win in the inaugural Worcester Cup while earning MVP honors.
Mitchell Parsons – Brockport – scored one goal and assisted on two others in Brockport’s 6-0 win over Neumann on Saturday night.
It is only week one and therefore a very small sample size, but this writer expects that the great competitiveness seen in non-conference action this weekend will set the bar high for exciting action all season.
Makenna Webster scored on the power play five minutes into the game to give Wisconsin the lead. Brooke Bryant tied it up for Mankato midway through the frame to send the teams into the first intermission tied. Daryl Watts slotted one top shelf early in the third and that would prove to be the game-winner as Wisconsin took the 2-1 victory. On Saturday, Webster’s third-period natural hat-trick led the Badgers to a 6-2 win and weekend sweep. Alexis Paddington put the Mavericks on the board first with her first career goal early in the game. Katie Kotlowski’s power play goal tied the game up just before the end of the first. In the second, Casey O’Brien and Maddie Posick extended the Wisconsin lead to 3-1. Then Webster took over to put the game out of reach. Sydney Langseth scored late in the game for Mankato, but Wisconsin took a 6-2 win and weekend sweep. The Badgers are 12-0 on the year and Webster leads the country with 27 points and 15 assists.
St. Cloud State at (2) Ohio State
In the first game, Ohio State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first thanks to goals from Ramsey Parent, Paetyn Levis and Hadley Hartmetz. But St. Cloud State responded in the second with goals by Emma Gentry and Klara Hymlarova in the first five minutes to make it a 3-2 game. Levis made it a two-goal lead a few moments later. It was Sophie Jacques’ power play goal early in third that put the game out of reach and gave OSU the 5-2 win. On Saturday, the Buckeyes used a seven-goal second period to cruise to a 10-1 win and weekend sweep. Levis and Jenn Gardiner had Ohio State us 2-0 early. Jenniina Nylund closed the gap with a goal for the Huskies to make it 2-1 at the end of the first, but then it was all Buckeyes. Gabby Rosenthal, Lexi Templeman, Gardiner, Levis, Hartmetz, Brook Bink and Jacques each scored in the middle frame and Jacques added another in the third to make it a 10-1 win.
(3) Minnesota at Bemidji State
On Friday, it was a busy first period for the Beavers and Gophers. Amy Potomak opened the scoring and Paige Beebe responded for Bemidji State. But Potomak added a second goal and Audrey Wethington lit the lamp to put Minnesota up 3-1 heading into the first intermission. The teams fought back and forth in the second and then the Gophers were able to really pull away early in the third with goals from Abigail Boreen and Ella Huber. Lydia Passolt narrowed the lead in the third, but it was not enough as Minnesota took the 5-2 win. Skylar Vetter earned her first career win in net for the Gophers. On Saturday, Minnesota became the fastest program in NCAA women’s hockey history to reach 700 victories with a 3-2 win over Bemidji. Boreen set the tone for the game with a goal :49 into the game. Claire Vekich’s power play goal tied it up midway through the first, but Huber added an extra-attacker goal of her own to give the Gophers the 2-1 lead at the end of the first. Peyton Hemp extended the lead to 3-1 in the second. In the final frame, Graysen Myers made it a one-goal game, but the Beavers couldn’t complete the comeback and Minnesota took the weekend sweep.
(4) Boston College vs. (6) Northeastern
In the first game of this home and home series, Northeastern won their fourth straight game at BC’s Conte Arena. The Huskies jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to goals from Maddie Mills, Peyton Anderson, Brooke Hobson and Mia Brown. Boston College tried to mount a comeback with late goals from Hannah Bilka and Kelly Browne, but ran out of time and lost this one 4-2. On Saturday, Brooke Hobson and Skylar Fontaine each had two assists and Mills, Chloe Aurard and Lauren MacInnis each lit the lamp to make it a 3-0 win and weekend sweep for the Huskies.
(5) Colgate at Dartmouth
The Raiders earned their first ECAC victory with a 4-2 win over the Big Green on Friday. Dara Grieg led Colgate with two goals. The Raiders out-shot Dartmouth 30-11 in the game. The Big Green hung with the Raiders for the first two periods. Grieg opened the scoring and Laura Fuoco responded with a power play goal for Dartmouth. Danielle Serdachny scored a short-handed tally midway through the second, but CC Bowlby scored on the same power play to tie it at 2. Grieg put Colgate ahead heading into the second intermission with a goal just before the buzzer. In the third, Kalty Kaltounkova put the game out of reach to give Colgate the win.
(5) Colgate at (10) Harvard
This game was all about the third period. Kalty Kaltounkova had the only first-period tally and Katie Chen extended the lead to 2-0 early in the second. With just a minute left in the second, Keely Moy scored a short-handed goal to cut the lead in half. In the third, Noemi Neubauerova and Danielle Serdachny scored 19 seconds apart to put the Raiders up 4-2. But Harvard’s Dominique Petri scored :29 after that to close the gap. Krista Della Rovere’s goal tied it up and forced overtime. Serdachny’s power play goal 68 seconds into the extra frame gave Colgate the 5-4 win.
(8) Quinnipiac at Brown
The Bobcats rode a four-goal first period and held off a Brown comeback to take a 5-3 win. Lexie Adzija, Maddy Samoskevich, Kate Reilly and Nina Steigauf all scored for Quinnipiac in the opening frame. In the second, Anna Hurd and Anna Sheldon cut the lead in half for the Bears, making it 4-2, but Taylor House’s short-handed goal before the horn stopped the rally. Maddie Stockfish scored for Brown early in the third, but they couldn’t complete the comeback.
(8) Quinnipiac at Yale
Kate Reilly scored on the power play in the final minute of the first period to put the Bobcats up 1-0. Yale responded with a power play goal of their own from Vita Poniatovskaia to tie it up midway through the second. Nina Steigauf’s second of of the weekend proved to be the game-winner and Alexa Hoskin’s third-period goal ensured the 3-1 win.
(9) Cornell at (10) Harvard
The Crimson earned their first win over Cornell since January 2016 with a 4-1 victory on Friday. Anne Bloomer scored less than three minutes into the game to put Harvard up 1-0. A few minutes later, the Big Red tied the game thanks to a power play goal from Kaitlin Jockims. Dominique Petrie scored the game-winner in the second and then Becca Gilmore added two empty-netters in the waning minutes to make it a 4-1 win.
(9) Cornell at Dartmouth
The Big Green earned their first win of the season and first career head coaching win for Liz Keady Norton on Saturday with a 4-3 victory over Cornell. The last time Dartmouth beat Cornell was Valentine’s Day, 2014. The Big Red had a 10-game win streak heading into the game. Gillis Frechette scored exactly four minutes into the game to give Cornell a 1-0 lead, but Laura Fuoco responded three minutes later to tie the game at one. Currie Putrah put Dartmouth ahead early in the second, but it lasted less than a minute as Athena Song scored for Cornell to tie the game at 2. Kenzie Bachelor gave the Big Green a 3-2 lead heading into the final frame. In the third, Rory Guilday’s power play goal knotted the score once more, but Dartmouth had one more go-ahead goal in them as Gabby Billing scored with the extra attacker to give the Big Green the 4-3 win.
Dryden McKay gets mobbed by his teammates after becoming the NCAA’s career shutouts leader as Minnesota State downed Northern Michigan 7-0 Saturday night (photo: Mansoor Ahmad).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. McKay sets men’s NCAA shutout record
It took Dryden McKay three games this season to tie Ryan Miller’s NCAA men’s record of 26 shutouts. It took just five more for McKay to claim the record for his own.
McKay, the senior Minnesota State goaltender, stopped all 15 shots he faced in the Mavericks’ 7-0 home win over Northern Michigan Saturday night. McKay has twice been nominated for the Mike Richter Award, was a Hobey Baker Award Hat Trick finalist last season and was the WCHA Player of the Year and Goalie of the Year for 2020-21.
2. Broncos the new comeback kids
Trailing Colgate 5-0 at the 11:52 mark of the second period in, Western Michigan scored six unanswered goals to beat the Raiders 6-5. Jason Polin opened the scoring for the Broncos at 17:52 in the second and Ronnie Attard finished Western’s scoring run – and his first career hat trick – with 1:13 left in regulation.
Polin and Attard each scored in the second to cut Colgate’s lead to three, and Polin scored one early in the third to make it a 5-3 game. The Broncos scored their final three goals within a six-minute span late in the third to win the game. Between Polin’s goal early third-period goal and Attard’s second goal of the game, Paul Washe scored as well.
Washe scored both goals in Western Michigan’s come-from-behind 2-1 overtime win Saturday to complete the road sweep.
3. Welcome back, Ivies
It’s been nearly 18 months since the six Ivy League schools that are members of the ECAC played a game that counted.
Brown opened with a 2-0 win over Yale, the only game of the season so far for each team.
“It was a great start,” said Brown coach Brendan Whittet. “We haven’t played as a team in well over 600 days.”
Cornell swept Alaska with two overtime wins to open D-I play after an exhibition game vs. Princeton earlier this month. The Big Red hadn’t won in overtime in nearly five years before putting together these back-to-back victories.
Dartmouth played its second and third games of the season, a 9-3 loss to Harvard and 4-1 loss to Connecticut.
Harvard scored 16 goals in its first play in two seasons, that 9-3 win over Princeton and a 7-3 win over Bentley.
4. A chippy end to a welcome return
What do you do when you play a conference foe for the first time in quite literally two years?
Well, if you’re Yale and Brown, you fight.
A lot.
The Bulldogs and the Brown Bears compiled 81 penalty minutes in Brown’s 2-0 home win Saturday, the opening game of the season for both teams. There were plenty of penalties throughout the entire contest, but at 19:46 in the third, Yale’s William Dineen and Brown’s Michael Maloney and Nathan Plessis each were assessed two minutes for roughing.
Then at 19:51, here was even more animosity. In that brawl, Yale’s Kyle Johnson was given five for fighting and a misconduct, Brown’s Jackson Munro was given five for crosschecking and a misconduct, and Brown’s Tristan Crozier was given a 10-minute misconduct.
5. Three top-10 teams sweep the weekend
No. 3 Minnesota State, No. 7 Minnesota and No. 10 Omaha swept their weekend series, outscoring their opponents 29-6, collectively.
Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said that the home sweep of Notre Dame was a “huge weekend” for the Golden Gophers and said that the play of goaltender Jack LaFontaine was great.
Said Motzko, “Let’s hope that it’s another step forward for us in the right direction.”
Senior Taylor Ward recorded his second career hat trick in Omaha’s 7-1 win over Long Island University Saturday.
“I thought that was maybe one of our most complete games this season, said Mavericks coach Mike Gabinet. “We really played to our identity.”
6. Penn State wins Hall of Fame Game
In a game in which they never trailed and yet were never comfortably ahead, the Nittany Lions managed to stave off No. 6 North Dakota to win the Hall of Fame Game in Nashville by a 6-4 score.
Clayton Phillips and Connor MacEachern paced Penn State with two goals each. MacEachern’s second goal at 15:52 in the third held up as the game-winner. Erik Autio made 28 saves for his fourth win of the season.
The Nittany Lions improve to 6-1-0 in advance of their Big Ten opener against Ohio State next weekend.
7. No, the Wolverines are not invincible
After shutting out Wisconsin 3-0 Thursday, Michigan dropped the home rematch 4-2 Friday and the Wolverines are now 6-2-0 overall.
With a ton of talent and many first-round NHL draft picks, the Wolverines came out hot at the start of the season before running into Western Michigan Oct. 22 and Wisconsin last weekend.
“Any time you lose, it’s never a fun feeling,” said Michigan captain Jimmy Lambert. “It takes a little piece out of you.
“Everyone has such high expectations for us, and we have high expectations for ourselves. We just have to be better. Everyone’s giving us their best effort when they come into our building. We have to expect that and we have to give them our best as well.”
8. Boston University continues to seek consistency
After being picked second in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll, Boston University is struggling to find some consistency. The Terriers fell to 3-5-0 after being swept by UMass Lowell.
Following an opening exhibition win against Holy Cross, Boston University has yet to put together back-to-back wins in games for the record.
Not counting that exhibition game, the Terriers have scored more than two goals in a game twice so far this season, a 4-1 win over Sacred Heart and an 8-6 win over Merrimack. In their other six games, the Terriers have netted eight goals total.
9. Ferris State guts out road win over Canisius
At 10:02 in the second period of Ferris State’s 4-2 win over Canisius Saturday night, play was halted briefly so that an emergency medical service unit could arrive on site at the LECOM Harborcenter in Buffalo, N.Y.
The first medical unit left the building with Bulldog senior Jake Transit earlier in the period. Transit was apparently knocked unconscious after a hit by Golden Griffin Cory Thomas at 4:07 in the second. Thomas was assessed a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct for the hit. There is no update on Transit’s condition.
It took a few minutes after the hit to clarify that the game could not resume until another EMS unit was present.
With the game tied 2-2, at 6:50 in the third period Liam MacDougall scored to give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. Dallas Tulik added the empty-net goal for Ferris State at 18:52.
10. Big Ten, NCHC have strong start
After a month of play, the Big Ten (.662) and NCHC (.645) have the strongest records in interleague play. Among the other four conferences, only the ECAC (.541) has posted a winning record against nonleague foes.
Since its inception, the NCHC has had a consistently strong performance against teams from other conferences, while B1G Hockey has been less consistent. Surprisingly, Hockey East (.477) has struggled out of the gate against everyone except for Atlantic Hockey.
Something interesting of note: the Big Ten and the NCHC are even (6-6-0) against each other.
Freshman Scott Morrow netted his first career goal 1:59 into overtime to give Massachusetts a 5-4 win over Merrimack at the Mullins Center on Saturday night (photo: Thom Kendall/UMass Athletics).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of October 18 fared in games over the weekend of Oct. 29-30.
No. 19 Boston University (3-5-0)
10/29/2021 – RV UMass Lowell 3 at No. 19 Boston University 0
10/30/2021 – No. 19 Boston University 1 at RV UMass Lowell 2
No. 20 Northeastern (5-3-0)
10/26/2021 – Connecticut 5 at No. 20 Northeastern 3
10/29/2021 – Maine 0 at No. 20 Northeastern 5
10/30/2021 – Maine 2 at No. 20 Northeastern 3
The city of Las Vegas will host the 2022 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game (photo: theralph.com).
For the second time in program history, North Dakota hockey program will head to Las Vegas for the 2022 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
The contest will take place on Oct. 29, 2022 at T-Mobile Arena against Arizona State.
The 2022 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game has partnered with MGM Resorts in Las Vegas to provide a direct link for room reservations for fans at MGM Resort properties. The link is active and fans who want to reserve a hotel room for the event can do so at any of the five participating MGM Resort properties:
MGM Grand Hotel & Casino
Park MGM | NoMad Las Vegas
New York-New York Hotel & Casino
Luxor Las Vegas
Excalibur Hotel & Casino
Fans can begin purchasing hotel rooms here. The link is active until Oct. 28, 2022 and all rooms are subject to availability.
Detailed ticket information will be released on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022 with tickets going on sale to members of the North Dakota Champions Club on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022 and the general public on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022.
Further event information will be released on Wednesday, Jan. 5, 2022. For more information, visit www.theralph.com/vegas.
This will be the first all-time meeting between North Dakota and Arizona State and the sixth destination game in UND’s history.
Connor MacEachern celebrates his first of two goals as Penn State upset No. 6 North Dakota, 6-4, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville (Photo: Russell Hons/North Dakota Athletics)
It was quite possibly the least neutral “neutral-site” game you could imagine, but that didn’t bother Penn State.
Despite playing around a sea of green-clad North Dakota fans at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Penn State jumped to an early lead that it never relinquished, earning a hard-fought 6-4 victory over the Fighting Hawks in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game.
Connor MacEachern scored twice for the Nittany Lions including a back-breaking insurance goal with 4:08 remaining while goaltender Oskar Autio made 28 stops to earn the victory.
MacEachern’s second tally proved important as the Fighting Hawks pulled their goaltender and closed the gap to one with 2:01 left on a Riese Gaber goal. Ben Copeland’s empty-net goal with four seconds left provided the final tally.
The game was a wild, back-and-forth offensive affair, particularly over the first 40 minutes.
Penn State jumped to a 2-0 lead early on goals by Tyler Gratton at 4:02 of the first followed by a Clayton Phillips tally less than nine minutes later.
But North Dakota had an answer before the end of the frame. Judd Caufield scored on the power play with 1:50 remaining to bring the highly-partisan Fighting Hawks crowd to life.
The teams traded goals in the second with Penn State twice extending the lead to two goals only to have North Dakota respond. It again was a late-period power play goal, this one by Jake Schmaltz with just 10.7 seconds remaining that set up the exciting third period.
Prior to the game, it was announced that North Dakota will again participate in next year’s U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame game to be played Oct. 29, 2022 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The opponent in that game will be Arizona State.
A night after falling, 6-1, on the road to No. 8 Providence, New Hampshire exacted its revenge on home ice as Jackson Pierson’s unassisted goal with 19.5 second remaining in overtime gave the Wildcats a 2-1 victory.
Pierson anticipated a pass by a Providence player who was under pressure, picked off the puck and roofed a backhander over Friars netminder Jaxson Stauber to send the Wildcat faithful home happy.
UNH WINS!! Jackson Pierson scores the overtime game winner as the Wildcats defeat No. 8 Providence 2-1. The 'Cats return to action next Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 PM versus Northeastern at the Whitt!
UNH never trailed on the night, jumping to a 1-0 lead on Tyler Ward’s goal at 3:11 into the game. Providence evened the game on a Parker Ford tally at 7:21 of the middle frame.
David Fessenden, who came into the game on Friday night in relief of starter Mike Robinson, earned the victory in his first collegiate start making 31 saves.
Clarkson 2, No. 18 Michigan Tech 1
Another team able to avenge a tough Friday night loss, Clarkson scored twice in 64 seconds late in the second period to overcome a 1-0 deficit against No. 18 Michigan Tech, earning a 2-1 victory.
The Golden Knights were shutout on Friday, falling 3-0, and were struggling to solve the Huskies defense and goaltender for much of Saturday. But Anthony Romano’s shot on the rush with 1:46 left in the second followed by Chris Klack’s goal with 18 second remaining in the middle frame turned the game upside down.
Clarkson improves to 4-2-0 on the young season and will being ECAC play next weekend against Rensselaer and Union.
No. 3 Minnesota State 7, Northern Michigan 0
Senior goaltender Dryden McKay is now officially the all-time Division I men’s shutout leader.
McKay needed to make just 15 shots on the evening, while his team provided plenty of offense in front as No. 3 Minnesota State completed a two-game sweep of Northern Michigan with a 7-0 victory.
HISTORY IS MADE! THERES A NEW NCAA CAREER SHUTOUTS LEADER AND HIS NAME IS DRYDEN MCKAY!! pic.twitter.com/1WC7hiOWtF
It was the 27th shootout of McKay’s career, one better than Michigan State’s Ryan Miller, who posted 26 from 1999-2002 at Michigan State.
The victory also moved McKay into a tie for first in all-time wins for a Minnesota State goaltender, matching Steve Carroll’s mark of 81 from 1977-1981.
A night after falling, 3-0, to No. 3 Michigan, Wisconsin jumped to a 2-0 lead and had an answer for every Wolverines tally as the Badgers earned the 4-2 upset (photo: Jonathan Knight/Michigan Athletics)
Wisconsin had a solid response on Friday, a night after falling, 3-0, to No. 2 Michigan.
The Badgers jumped to a 2-0 lead on goals by Caden Brown and Tarek Baker and then had an answer to every Michigan tally, leading to a 4-2 road upset of the Wolverines.
After Michigan’s Kent Johnson cut the deficit to 2-1 on the power play at 4:45 of the third, Wisconsin’s Max Johnson responded just 42 seconds later.
Mackie Samoskevich tallied with exactly 10 minutes remaining for Michigan to cut the lead again to one, but Brock Caufield’s unassisted empty-net goal with 2:00 left sealed the win.
Cameron Rowe earned the victory for Wisconsin making 32 saves.
Things looked very bleak for No. 13 Western Michigan late in the second period. But somehow, trailing 5-0 to Colgate with less than three minutes to go in the middle stanza, the Broncos found a way to mount one of the more remarkable comebacks to earn a 6-5 victory.
Jason Polin and Ronnie Attard scored just 28 seconds apart late in the second to make the comeback imaginable for Western Michigan. But few could have known at the point that both were beginning their roles as catalysts for this ultimate comeback.
Polin scored his second early in the third at 3:55. Then Paul Washe, assisted by Polin, made it a one-goal game with 7:04 left.
Then it became Ronnie Attard’s stage. He tied the game with 5:46 left then completed both the hat trick – and the comeback – with 1:13 remaining.
Western Michigan improves to 4-1-0 on the young season, it’s only loss an overtime defeat against Michigan. The two teams face one another again on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. ET.
UMass Lowell 3, No. 19 Boston University 0
Andre Lee scored twice and goaltender Owen Savory stopped all 29 shots he faced as UMass Lowell improved to 3-1-1 with a road victory against No. 19 Boston University, 3-0.
Lee scored at 7:49 of the first and against at 10:41 of the second to spot the River Hawks the 2-0 lead. Late in the second, Reid Stefanson added to the lead with an assist from Lee.
Wisconsin-Stevens Point opens its season with a two-game series against St. Norbert. Photo Credit: UW-Stevens Point Athletics
Here we go. A new NCAA Division III hockey season is underway and every team here in the west region is looking forward to a full slate of games.
The MIAC lost a team and gained a team, the WIAC still technically has the reigning national champion in it – that would be Wisconsin-Stevens Point – and St. Norbert is playing again after sitting out 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. That only makes the NCHA even tougher than it already is.
But we begin the season with a number of non-conference games. Here’s a handful to keep an eye on during the opening weekend.
Oct. 29
Wisconsin-Stevens Point vs. St. Norbert
It’s a game fitting for the NCAA tournament, and there might not be a better way to start off a year than having two national powers go at it.
The best part is they’ll play two in a home-and-home, starting Friday at St. Norbert.
The Pointers actually played hockey last season, which means they won’t have to shake the rust off as much as the Green Knights will.
But St. Norbert has plenty of experience back from its team two years ago and that will make things interesting. UW-Stevens Point, 3-1; St. Norbert 4-3
Saint Mary’s at Lake Forest
The Cardinals hit the road for a two-game set against the Foresters in one of the more interesting early-season crossover matchups.
The last time these two teams played back in 2019, they played to a tie in the opener before the Cardinals lost 4-3 in the finale.
Saint Mary’s opened last season with four consecutive wins. Another hot start would be something they would love to see.
The Foresters are looking for a quick start as well after a one-win season last year. They’ll be under the direction of a new coach and have a good mix of veterans and newcomers. Playing at home won’t hurt their cause either. Saint Mary’s, 4-2; Lake Forest, 3-2
Concordia (Wisconsin) at St. Scholastica
It’s a game pitting two former conference opponents. Concordia remains in the NCHA but St. Scholastica is now in the MIAC.
The Falcons won both games last year, including one in overtime and return their starting goaltender in Bo Didur. If he performs well, the Falcons have a shot.
But the Saints are no pushover. They return their top five point scorers from a year ago. It will be interesting to see if offense or defense wins out in this one. St. Scholastica, 5-3
Marian at Concordia
The Cobbers and Sabres play a two-game set over the weekend.
Concordia comes in looking to shake the rust off after playing just two games last season.
The good news is the Cobbers have two of their top players back in Tyler Bossert and Jacen Bracko. Those two will be counted on to jump start the offense early.
Marian, meanwhile, is coming off a season where it won the NCHA tournament. The Sabres have the offensive weapons to make life tough on any opponent and they also have a veteran goaltender who was the MVP of the league tourney. Marian, 4-1 and 5-4
Aurora at Arcadia
The Spartans have a lot of experience back, losing only one player from last season’s team. The returning group includes All-American goaltender Josh Boyko. Having a player like that gives Aurora a chance to win on any given night.
The Spartans face an Arcadia team that is brand new to the NCAA Division III hockey world. And while there will be excitement because of it, especially with the Knights playing this two-game series at home, the experience of the Spartans likely wins out this weekend. Aurora, 5-1 and 6-2
Oct. 30
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at Saint John’s
This game pits two of the better teams in the west region. The Blugolds are the favorite in the WIAC and the Johnnies could be the team to beat in the MIAC this season.
It’s a good early-season test for both teams. Saint John’s welcomes back several of its top players, including Mac Berglove, who won five games last season. The Johnnies also return one of their top scorers in Auggie Moore.
The Blugolds are always on top of things offensively and scored 29 goals in an eight-game season a year ago. That momentum should carry over into this season. UW-Eau Claire 3, Saint John’s 2
Adrian at Utica
This is a huge non-conference two-game series for both teams right out of the gate. The first game is set for Saturday and the series concludes Sunday.
The Bulldogs bring back a wealth of talent, including Alessio Luciani, who was the player of the year in the NCHA last season. They also welcome back Zachary Heintz, who was the freshman of the year in the conference two seasons ago before sitting out last year because of the pandemic.
The Pioneers played 10 games last season, winning eight, and outscored the opposition 56-13 during an eight-game win streak. They return 13 of their top 14 scorers from a team that led the country in scoring last year at 5.90 goals per game. Utica, 5-3; Adrian 6-5
Utica’s Brandon Osmundson looks to lift the Pioneer offense in a two-game battle with Adrian (Photo by Jeff Pexton)
Wow! It is really here! The return of DII-III hockey in New England is on tap for this weekend with a full slate of non-conference action to kickoff the 2021-2022 season. There is great excitement amongst the players, coaches, conferences, institutions and fans – and yes, even with the media covering this great sport. Conference previews, a Q&A with NEHC Katie Boldvich and the national poll will appear next week on the site. While the Potsdam/St. Michael’s games have been postponed due to COVID protocols, there will be plenty of action this weekend including some perennial national powers facing-off against each other as well as some early tournament action to get teams in the hardware hunt. It is going to be really challenging to know how to pick games with many teams not having played a real contest in over 600 days but intrepidly, I will try. Here are twelve games to watch this weekend along with the first picks of the season:
Friday, October 29, 2021
Endicott v. Salem State
This North Shore battle between CCC and MASCAC teams always produces and exciting game. Endicott has been favored in the pre-season coaches poll for their conference and it is hard to argue that based on Conor O’Brien returning in goal – Endicott, 4-1
Stonehill v. Curry
The Colonels return some serious offensive firepower including Alex Ochterbeck, Michael Snow and Salve Regina transfer Danny Eruzione. They get on the scoreboard early against a game Stonehill team – Curry, 5-3
Hobart v. Oswego
This is one of the premier games of the weekend between high-powered SUNYAC and NEHC teams. Oswego has re-tooled with a number of D-1 transfers and that experience carries the Lakers to a hard-fought victory – Oswego, 4-2
Plymouth State v. Plattsburgh
This is another game to open the season that features a past 2020 NCAA tournament participant in Plymouth State playing against a tough Cardinal team. Coach Moffat has recruited some high-end talent and gets a good benchmark on their pre-season development – Plattsburgh, 3-1
Stevenson v. Canton
The Mustangs were part of the only conference playing a competitive schedule last season where they advanced to the UCHC title game. That experience with a young roster helps Coach Dawes’ team to an opening night win – Stevenson, 5-2
Anna Maria v. Assumption
This game is part of the Worcester City Cup tournament with Nichols and Worcester State providing the other teams competing for early season hardware. The AmCats have a talented roster, but Assumption is just a little deeper and more experienced which helps garner the win – Assumption, 3-2
Saturday, October 30, 2021
Fitchburg State v. New England College
The Pilgrims return some key offensive leadership in Nikita Pintusov and Connor Inger who can turn a game in a single shift. The Falcons always play well for Coach Dean Fuller but this one goes the way of the home team on a late third period goal – NEC, 3-2
Adrian v. Utica
This is the first game in a two-game series and the home arena will be rocking for the Pioneers who are very experienced and big to compete against the always heavy game Adrian brings to the ice. Special teams are a big factor in the one goal win for the home team who sends the fans home happy – Utica, 5-4
Nazareth v. Geneseo
The Knights are really young but have some solid experience in all three phases of the game to help the young recruits develop. Home ice and special teams matter in this one where the crowd lifts the Knights to a win that needs an empty-net goal for the comfort margin – Geneseo, 5-3
Rivier v. St. Anselm
Rivier is brand new this season to the D-III ranks and open against an experienced Hawks roster. In this case experience trumps the adrenaline and youthful enthusiasm for the new team. A fast start helps the Hawks to the win – St. Anselm, 4-1
Salve Regina v. Norwich
The Seahawks have a re-tooled roster including some D-I transfers and they will be tested by a Cadet team that always creates pressure on opponents playing at Kreitzburg Arena. This one will be very close but home ice is worth the goal differential – Norwich, 3-2
Wentworth v. Skidmore
The Thoroughbreds always seem to be one of the teams that sneaks up on opponents, so the Leopards better be ready for a roster that contains several experienced and talented “super-seniors” that return to the line-up as graduate students and exercising their eligibility – Skidmore, 3-1
It is crazy that opening weekend includes games between teams that qualified for the last NCAA tournament seeded in 2020. That adds even more pressure and excitement to the start of the season as the results could influence a few things in March. It’s been a long time but there is still only one way to start the game – “Drop the Puck!”
Adrian heads into the new season as the favorite to win the NCHA title. Photo Credit: Adrian Athletics
A new season means another competitive year ahead in the NCHA. St. Norbert was the only team that didn’t play last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the Green Knights are back and ready to compete for a championship.
Adrian is poised to be a contender as well and won the title two years ago. And Marian enters the year as the reigning league tourney champ. The Sabres seem to have the talent in place for another run.
MSOE should be in the title hunt as well after finishing as the tournament runner-up last year.
The Bulldogs are the favorite going into the season and St. Norbert is picked as the runner-up. but in a league that is a grind night in and night out, anything is possible.
Adrian (16-6-1, 8-0 NCHA)
The Bulldogs are ready to contend for a title once again and have the talent to do it.
Several key players return, including Zachary Heintz, who is back this season after sitting out last year for medical reasons. He was the NCHA Freshman of the Year in 2019-20. He’ll add a lot ot the offense as he tallied 14 goals and 19 assists two seasons ago for the Bulldogs.
Alessio Luciani, Cam Gray, Jaden Shields and Sam Ruffin also return. Luciani was the top scoring threat on the team last season after racking up 14 goals and 22 assists.
Jaden Shields came through with four goals and finished second on the team in assists (17) while Sam Ruffin finished his season with 10 goals and nine assists.
Cam Gray will be counted on in goal after fashioning a 12-5-1 record last season and four shutouts. He made 466 saves.
Adrian has added several key newcomers, including Marion transfer Ty Enns, who tallied 47 points in 45 games. Hunter Wendt comes in from Ferris State and Aydo Adeniye is a transfer from Alabama Huntsville. Matus Spodniak is a transfer from AIC.
“We’re really excited to get going. The culture that is in place is the best it’s ever ben during my time at Adrian,” head coach Adam Krug said. “There is a ton of talent, too, but that doesn’t mean much unless we’re all bought into our roles, into our team identity.”
Aurora (5-4, 4-3 NCHA)
The roster for the Spartans is going to look familiar to last season as they lost only one player. Co-Captains Josh Boyko and LA Grissom will lead the way for Aurora as they both return for a fifth season.
Boyko finished with a 3-3 record last season and allowed 23 goals while tallying 232 saves.
The Spartans also return their top three scorers in Brayden Sampson, Jack Yaunich and Adam Keyes. Sampson finished last season with four goals and a team-best nine assists.
Jaunich tallied five goals and three assists and Keyes racked up four goals and four assists. The goal total for Jaunich was the highest on the team.
Riley Donyon was also productive on offense last season as he came through with three goals and three assists.
A cast of talented newcomers should help bolster the depth of the Spartans, including a pair of Division I transfers. . Simon Boyko transfers in from Vermont while Andrew Lane is a transfer from Alaska Anchorage.
“I’m very excited about this group,” head coach Jason Bloomingburg said. “They’re hungry and determined. It is a relentless group with a very high work ethic and skill set. We’ve set some lofty goals that we believe are realistic of achieving.”
Concordia (9-12, 6-2 NCHA)
The Falcons gear up for a new season knowing they will hae some experience on their side. Cory Dennis is among the key returning players. He’s coming off a season where he scored four goals and dished out 12 assists.
Thomas Dyball also returns for the Falcons. The standout defenseman tallied a goal and five assists last year.
Michael Makarenko also returns and played a key role offensively last season. He finished with four goals and three assists during the 2020-21 campaign.
The Falcons will also have experience in goal as Bo Didur returns for another year. The senior standout started 10 games last season and racked up 428 saves. He stopped nearly 90 percent of the shots he faced.
Finlandia (1-7, 1-7 NCHA)
The Lions hope to bounce back after a tough 2020-21 campaign in which the they won only one time and dropped their final four games of the season.
Second-leading scorer Tyler Perkins is among the returning players for the Lions. He scored a goal and dished out five assists.
Marcus Gloss is back as a goalie for the Lions. He started four games last season and made 105 saves.
Lake Forest (1-5, 1-5 NCHA)
The Foresters have a new head coach in Sean O’Malley, who spent the last seven years as an assistant coach.
Lake Forest has three of its top players back off a team that only played six games last season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Josh Giacomin scored 24 goals in his first two seasons with the Foresters, including 15 two years ago, and is looking to return to that form in a season with more normalcy.
Will Lebel tallied 10 goals and seven assists two years ago. Scotty Nicholson also returns and brings experience to the table and will be one of the team’s top playmakers. He came through with 10 assists last season.
O’Malley likes the way his team looks heading into a new season.
“We have a good mix of veteran leadership along with a solid group of young players who are meshing well,” O’Malley said.
Lawrence (4-5, 4-4 NCHA)
There isn’t a shortage of experience for the Vikings as they head into a new season. A total of 24 letterwinners return.
Davis Kirkendall is among the list of key returnees after tallying four goals and three assists. He was an all-conference pick last season.
Kyle Gierman also returns. He earned a spot on the league’s all-freshman team after coming through with eight assists last season.
Charles Stewart will provide a boost to the team as well. He was the Vikings’ leading scorer last year with four goals and five assists. Matt Meinger returns as well and is a fifth-year senior as well asa team captain.
Lawrence should be solid in goal as well with Brian Tallieu and Alex Mosquera both returning to the team. Tallieu started five games and went 2-2. He racked up 132 saves. Mosquera made four starts last season and tallied 129 saves.
This Vikings squad will be one of the largest in school history as 30 players are on the roster.
“Our team will compete every night and be a team that is difficult to play against,” head coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “Our core principles of pride, passion and purpose will be on display every time we play.”
Marian (12-7, 5-3 NCHA)
The Sabres won the Harris Cup last season to cap a challenging season on a high note. They are hoping to add another trophy to their collection this season.
Colby Muise is among the key returning players. He went 11-4 with a 2.31 goals against average while saving more than 92 percent of his shots. Muise was also the league tournament MVP.
Parker Colley is coming off a year where he finished with eight goals and 10 assists, with half of those goals and assists coming over the final six games.
Gianni Vitali racked up three goals and 12 assists last season. He led the team in assists.
Marion has added several newcomers to the roster as well, including BRady Lynn from the University of Ontario. He should be one of the better scorers on the team after managing 16 goals and 23 assists during the 2019-20 BCHL season.
Nick Cherkowski originally committed to Merrimack but is now with the Sabres while Alex Rondeau is a transfer from Alaska Fairbanks. First-year player Jordan Simoneau should also make an impact.
The Sabres enter this season with high hopes and look to repeat as Harris Cup champs for the first time since doing it in 2001 and 2002.
“My expectations for the team this year are very basic. I want the players to give their best effort daily on the ice, in the classroom and in their personal lives,” head coach Zach Gaynor said. “I want them to play with pride for each other and with honor for the crest in front of their jersey. I believe if they are willing to do those things they will have a chance to go 1-0 every night.”
MSOE (10-7-2, 3-4-1 NCHA)
The Raiders played for the NCHA title last season, finishing as the runner-up to Marion, and are ready to make another run at the championship this year.
Among the players set to help try to make that goal a reality are Jack Nickels and Garrett Gintoli. Nickels was an all-conference selection as a defenseman and Gintoli earned all-conference honors at forward.
Nickels scored two goals and dished out 10 assists while Gintoli paced the offense with eight goals and 13 assists.
Finding a goaltender will be key. All-conference pick Logan Halladay is gone but newcomers George McBey and Darius Bell will compete with returning player Nick Stofcheck for the starting job. McBey is a transfer from Alabama Huntsville.
The Raiders are looking forward to a more normal year and one of their schedule highlights will be an outdoor game against Adrian on Jan.2 at Fifth Third Field in Toledo.
“This season will provide us with a lot of great opportunities, something we know not to take for granted,” head coach Graham Johnson said. “We hope to build off some success we had last year with a veteran team, but this conference is grueling on a nightly basis.”
St. Norbert (17-10-2, 11-7-2 in 2019-20)
The Green Knights are always a contender both in the NCHA and nationally, and they are ready to return to the ice after they didn’t have a season last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 20 letterwinners return from the team that took the ice during the 2019-20 campaign. That group includes leading scoring threat Peter Bates, who finished that season with 19 goals and 25 assists.
Peyton Frantti also returns for the Green Knights. He was third on the team in scoring two seasons ago, tallying 15 goals and 19 assists for a team that was the league tourney runner-up.
Tim Nicksic will also play a key role offensively after coming through with six goals and 15 assists. Ben Schmidling is also back. He tallied 12 goals and eight assists in 2019-20.
St. Norbert is in good shape defensively heading into the new season as Colby Entz will be back in goal. He won 12 games two years ago and owned a 1.88 goals against average.
Trine (5-10-1, 3-4-1 NCHA)
Trine is coming off a year where it did reach the conference tournament and the Thunder is taking aim at having the kind of season it did two years ago when it won 13 games and made it to the semifinal round of the NCHA tourney.
Brenden Pappas will help in that cause as he is coming off a year where he tallied five gaols nine assists. He was the team leader in points.
Garrett Hallford was the top goal scorer last season for the Vikings as he racked up seven.
Shane Brancato played in 12 games last season, starting 10 of them, and he finished with 297 saves. He saved just over 88 percent of the shots he faced.
“We are looking to build on the success of our 2019-20 season and our ability to play last year,” head coach Alex Todd said. “Looking back on our last full season (two years ago), we posted a strong finish and made a splash in the NCHA Harris Cup tournament. Last season, just getting the opportunity to play throughout the year should be a great advantage going into this campaign.”
Will Colgate be celebrating goals this weekend when the Raiders host Western Michigan in a nonconference series? (photo: Olivia Hokanson).
Okay, show of hands: Who took Western Michigan (+400) last Friday over then No. 1 Michigan? If you did, good for you.
And if you hit a five-team parlay with last week’s five featured games, GREAT for you. A $100 bet on those games in a five-team parlay paid a whopping $7,075. That’s some real money, if you found someone to take that action.
But if you didn’t, I’ve got some good news for you. Thanks to an alert reader, we have found that in states in which DraftKings operates its sportsbook legally, you can place bets on certain college hockey games.
You won’t find a lot of them. This week, of the five games I am highlighting, only three of those are currently listed on DraftKings. And notably, I am handicapping the Friday night games when there are two-game Friday-Saturday series. This weekend, you’ll notice that the DraftKings odds I am providing for No. 19 Boston University vs. UMass Lowell are for Saturday’s game at UML.
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. 14 Notre Dame (+155) at No. 7 Minnesota (-190)*
At +155, Notre Dame is one of the best value plays around. Granted they are headed on the road to play a Minnesota team that has to be hungry after having lost three of its last four games. But simultaneously, Notre Dame has been excellent when jumping to the lead.
Look for the first goal to mean a lot in this game. Notre Dame isn’t unable to comeback, but chasing the game has never been the ideal game plan for Jeff Jackson’s squad.
Interesting thing to note, a season ago, the road team won all four games in the series between these two clubs.
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Bowling Green (+170) at No. 17 Bemidji State (-220)
As the CCHA teams continue to slowly ease into their league schedules, we may begin to see which teams are the haves and which are the have nots.
Bemidji State’s win against North Dakota gives the Beavers a ton of betting credibility, and a considerably high preference among the USCHO writers with nine of the 10 picking the Beavers (remember last week, though, when all 10 selected Michigan… oops).
The host Beavers are 5-1-1 versus Bowling Green since February 23, 2019, and is 5-0-1 in its last six against the Falcons at home.
Bemidji will have to slow a Bowling Green offense that scored six goals last time out against NCHC foe Miami.
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No. 15 Harvard (-175) at Dartmouth (+155)
For both Harvard and Dartmouth, Friday will be a milestone game. It will 600-plus days since each team has played an NCAA hockey game, both schools having laid dormant a year ago due to COVID-19.
Honestly, there are almost too many X-factors here to properly handicap the game. Both rosters look a little different, particularly Harvard which lost some players (Jack Drury, Jack Rathbone) to the NHL during the pandemic layoff. And Dartmouth will have a bench boss coaching his first year in Reid Cashman, who was hired during the pandemic and has waited almost 18 months to coach his first game.
The two clubs did square off against one another in an exhibition back on October 16, with the Crimson skating to a 4-0 win, which is the main reason to make the Crimson the somewhat-significant favorite.
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UMass Lowell (+130) at No. 19 Boston University (-160)* Note: DraftKings odds are for Saturday’s game at UML
While this is a rematch of last year’s Hockey East quarterfinal, won by the River Hawks at BU’s Walter Brown Arena, 2-1, that’s probably where the similarities end.
A lot of both teams’ lineups look a little bit different and both come into this weekend series in different places.
UMass Lowell is 2-1-1 in its four games, having 18 days off between its opening series against Arizona State and last weekend’s two games vs. Michigan State, while BU is 3-3-0 and has split all three weekend series thus far.
Fridays haven’t been friendly to BU of late having lost home games to Sacred Heart, 3-2, and Merrimack, 4-1. Home ice, though, has been an advantage for BU over the River Hawks at Agganis Arena. The Terriers are 5-1-1 in their last seven against Lowell in their proper home.
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No. 13 Western Michigan (-175) at Colgate (+145)*
Western Michigan was the biggest mover in last week’s USCHO.com poll, jumping four spots after beating then-No. 1 Michigan on the road and dropping a home contest to the Wolverines in overtime.
But Colgate is a plucky team and could be considered an early dark horse in the ECAC. Some think that Colgate benefit in their league by playing a season ago, just one of four teams to do so in the ECAC. But will that translate out of the conference?
Thus far, the start has been strong for the Raiders, going 5-2-0, but you can argue that they haven’t played a team as strong as Western Michigan.
Though just four games into the season, the Broncos are averaging nearly four goals a game.
Saint John’s will come into the 2021-22 season as one of the teams expected to contend for a league title. Photo Credit: Saint John’s Athletics
Things are going to look a little different in the MIAC this season.
For starters, St. Thomas is no longer in the league, moving up to Division I, and that in itself is a huge deal as the Tommies were a regular contender in the MIAC.
In fact, St. Thomas was the last team to win a conference tourney title as it claimed the 2020 crown but did not get to play in the NCAA tournament after it was canceled due to the pandemic.
There’s also a new team in the league in St. Scholastica, which moves over to the MIAC from the NCHA.
A full schedule is also set for the league after a 2020-21 season that was rocked by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Only two teams played at least 10 games last season, with Saint Mary’s leading the way with 11 games. Saint John’s played 10. Concordia and St. Olaf had the fewest games played with two apiece. There was also no MIAC tournament.
Saint John’s has finished on top of the regular season standings the last two years and they’ll be among the contenders again this season as the teams in the league get set to battle in what should be a highly competitive season.
Augsburg (4-1, 1-1 MIAC)
A new era begins for the Auggies, who will be the under the direction of alum Greg May. May played from 2003-07 for the Auggies.
Augsburg scored 24 goals during a shortened season last year while allowing only eight.
The Auggies should be productive offensively again this season, especially with Austin Martinsen back. He led the team in scoring last year with four goals and eight assists.
Gavin Holland and Austin Koss are also back. Holland finished second in scoring with five goals and three assists while Koss tallied three goals and three assists.
The Auggies return their other two scorers that finished in the top five on the team as well in Grant Reichenbacher (two goals, three assists) and Logan Kons (two goals, two assists).
Augsburg will be young in goal, however, as no one returns at that position. River Goodmanson and Samuel Vyletelka are listed at that position on the roster.
Bethel (2-6, 0-4 MIAC)
The Royals didn’t get a chance to play a lot of games last season and are hoping to put together a winning season. The last time they finished at least .500 was during the 2008-09 season.
Jarrett Cammarata will try to help lead the way. He’s the Royals’ top returning scoring threat, coming off a year where he tallied three goals and five assists.
Luke Posner also returns after finishing last season with three goals and three assists.
Finding others to step up on the offensive end will be key if Bethel is to take a step forward.
In goal, Ridge Gerads and Sam Metcalf have the most experience, with both playing in six games apiece.
“There is a lot of potential and youth,” Royals head coach Chris McKelvie said. “In order for us to make the jump this year, the team needs to find consistency.”
Concordia (1-1, 1-1 MIAC)
The Cobbers have been one of the more consistent teams in the league over the last decade, reaching the MIAC playoffs in eight consecutive seasons.
A year ago, though, because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they managed to play just two games.
But things are a little more normal this season and Concordia is ready for the season. Two of its top players are back in Tyler Bossert and Jacen Bracko.
Bossert was an All-American in 2019 and has 50 assists in his career. Bracko has tallied 15 goals and 11 assists in his career at Concordia. The senior was an all-conference pick in 2020.
Several newcomers are on the roster for the Cobbers, including Isaac Hinkermeyer and Braden Costello. Both played for the Bismarck Bobcats of the NAHL. Hunter Olson has also been added. He played junior hockey for the Northeast Generals of the NAHL.
“I am excited about this year’s team,” head coach Chris Howe said. “We have a lot of experienced players returning and our incoming class should be fun to watch as they develop throughout the year.”
Gustavus (0-5)
The Gusties played only five games last season because of the COVID-19 pandemic but are hoping to push for a winning season this year after narrowly missing one two seasons ago when they finished 11-12-3.
Connor Clemons scored nine goals and 14 assists two seasons ago while Nick Klishko is also back after tallying six goals and 13 assists during the 2019-20 campaign. Both players scored only one goal apiece last year.
Tyler Ebner returns as well and finished with seven goals and 19 assists last season. Among the key newcomers are Brandon McNamara and Grant Boldt.
This will be the 22nd season of hockey at Gustavus for head coach Brett Petersen.
Hamline (2-4, 1-2 MIAC)
Hamline begins its year under the direction of a new head coach in Shane Wagner. He’s looking forward to the opportunity. He played hockey at Hamline from 2002 through 2006.
“I couldn’t be more excited to get started at Hamline,” Wagner said. “The program has meant a lot to my family and I. Now being part of its coaching history is a special feeling.”
The Pipers return a handful of key players, including Joe Collins, who came through with three goals and two assists last season.
Brendan Sheehan is also back after tallying two goals and two assists while Tyler Nyman finished with two goals last season. Jeron Hirschfield is also back. He dished out a pair of assists last year.
A familiar face is among the newcomers. Jackson Bond is back at Hamline after playing for St. Thomas last year. He spent his freshman year at Hamline and scored four goals in four games last season for the Tommies.
The Pipers have added five other transfers, including Bronson Adams from Marian and Scott Moyer from Bethel.
Saint John’s (6-2-2, 4-0-1 MIAC)
The Johnnies are always one of the top teams in the conference and this year should be no different.
Start with the fact that Mac Berglove is back. He’s using his extra year of eligibility as a result of the pandemic and is coming off a year where he fashioned a 5-2-2 record and recorded 244 saves. He’s won a total of 17 games in his career.
Auggie Moore and Jack Johnson will pave the way offensively for the Johnnies. Moore led the team in scoring with five goals and eight assists while Johnson came through with five goals and six assists.
Cole Souto is also back after tallying three goals and an assist last season. Two of his goals came off the power play. Like Berglove, he’s using his bonus year of eligibility.
Returning players Dan Wieber (2 goals and seven assists) and Henry Enebak (three goals and two assists)., along with Peter Tabor (three assists) and will be key contributors as well.
The Johnnies have also added several transfers to the mix, including three from rival St. Thomas in Lewis Crosby, Josh Maucieri and Nick Michel.
Saint John’s will have the luxury of playing 13 games at home this season, including four consecutive to start the season, and that could help the tone for a successful year.
Saint Mary’s (5-6, 3-2 MIAC)
The Cardinals have their top four players in points back and could emerge as one of the contenders in the league.
Bud Winter is in that group. He led the team in scoring with six goals and six assists. Ryan Soynich came through with three goals and a team-best nine assists.
Brady Lindauer and Sam Hanson also return. Lindauer was second in assists (8) and Hanson finished tied for the second most goals on the team (5). Tyson Liverance (3 goals, 3 assists) and Trevor Wilhem (six assists) will be key contributors as well.
The Cardinals also picked up a couple of transfers that should make a difference. Matt Huton is in from Robert Morris and Kellen Theraldson arrives from Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
“We still consider this group to be on the younger side, but we expect this team to take the next step to becoming an annual contender in the MIAC,” head coach Ryan Egan said.
St. Olaf (1-1, 0-2 MIAC)
No team was maybe more impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic then St. Olaf, which got on the ice just twice last season.
The Oles are hoping to have a much more normal year this season and reach the MIAC tournament for the first time since 2014.
Jared Pedersen, Evan Shoemaker and Noah Heisler are the top returning players for the Oles. Pedersen scored two goals to pace the team and is being counted on to lead the team on and off the ice. He’ll be counted on to be one of the team’s top scorer.
Shoemaker should play a pivotal role on defense while Heisler has the skills to be an impact player as well.
The one thing about St. Olaf is that it will be young as there are 11 first-year players on the roster. Still, head coach Eddie Effinger believes there is plenty of talent on the roster.
We see tremendous talent and depth, especially in our collection of players in front,” Effinger said. “We know there will be successes and failures throughout the year and we want to to be a group that doesn’t shy away from either of those opportunities to learn.”
St. Scholastica (7-8, 4-4 NCHA)
The Saints begin their first season in the MIAC and also have a new coach in Dave Williams, an alum of the school who takes over after Kevin Moore resigned in August.
St. Scholastica has a roster featuring a host of young but talented players, including Arkhip Ledenkov. He was the NCHA Co-Freshman of the Year after tallying 12 goals and six assists in just 11 games.
His brother, Fillimon, earned a spot on the all-freshman squad after coming through with four goals and 14 assists.
Three other Saints finished in double figures in points, wth Michael Talbot racking up five goals and 11 assists.
Tyler Hinterser came through with six goals and nine assists and Sam Fuss led the team in points off the power play (nine). He finished with 14 in all, including 10 off assists. His brother, Sam, is among the team’s key newcomers.
Jack Bostedt went 3-1 in goal last season with an .894 save percentage.
After videos went viral last March detailing the inferior weight room setup provided to the women’s basketball championship, NCAA president Mark Emmert commissioned an external gender equity review across all sports.
Phase one of the report came out in early August and focused specifically on men’s and women’s basketball. Monday’s report was the second phase and detailed inequities across all other NCAA-sponsored sports.
The 154 page report can be found here and it should be required reading for anyone involved in sports. The majority of the report is a breakdown of inequities in individual sports, but the opening 60 pages do a stellar job of showing how the problems shown therein are systemic, problematic and fixable.
This report contained no information that was surprising or groundbreaking to anyone that has spent time around the NCAA and in particular, women’s college hockey. The inequities are not new. While helpful to have the information gathered and reported from an outside source and freely available to the general public, it also does not matter if the report does not incite major change.
Despite being a non-profit that is supposed to be focused on the student-athlete experience, the report found “woven into the fabric of the NCAA is a pressure to increase revenue to maximize funding distributions to the membership.”
“Phase II of our review has shown that this same pressure has led the NCAA to invest more—and in some instances considerably more—in those championships that it views as already or potentially revenue-producing, while minimizing spending for other championships. Because the mere handful of championships that the NCAA views as revenue-producing are exclusively men’s championships—Division I baseball, men’s basketball, men’s ice hockey, men’s lacrosse and wrestling—this has significant implications for efforts to achieve gender equity between the men’s and women’s championships in those sports. The NCAA’s simultaneous failure to put in place systems to identify, prevent, and address gender inequities across its championships has allowed gender disparities in these and other sports to persist for too long.”
The study looked at spending, marketing, fan engagement and corporate sponsorships both men’s and women’s championships within a single sport and found a number of issues. Achieving gender equity does not mean that the NCAA will spend the same amount of money on all players, but the report found that the NCAA has no process for monitoring if the difference in spending per athlete is equitable. In hockey, the report found, the NCAA spent $9,805 per student-athlete at the men’s hockey championship and $3,421 per student-athlete at the women’s in 2019.
“The NCAA’s continued investment in one gender’s championship over the other’s can perpetuate disparities by limiting the less-resourced championship’s capacity for growth and development,” the report said.
The hockey-specific case study section opens with this: “The Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship provides a markedly different experience for its student-athletes than its counterpart, the NC Women’s Ice Hockey Championship. The men’s championship, which is a much larger event involving twice as many teams and four-to-five times as many fans, benefits from greater promotion, more extensive television coverage, and a more professional ‘look and feel.’ One stakeholder with experience at both the men’s and women’s tournaments observed, ‘It’s really like they’re different sports.’”
“In this way, the ice hockey championships are a stark example of how the NCAA’s broader decision to provide greater support to more revenue-producing championships has a gender equity impact on the student-athlete experience. As one stakeholder put it, ‘[The NCAA] uses its decision-making and negotiating power to bolster men’s hockey events, while squandering opportunities to support women’s hockey in ways that would both help the sport and itself.'”
Some of the biggest takeaways:
One big point the case study found is that the NCAA also allows 27 players to dress for the men’s teams, but only 24 for the women, with no explanation. The study reports this has left women’s players who were part of the team all season off the tournament roster. It’s a cruel rule that doesn’t seem to even serve a monetary purpose.
In 2019, the NCAA spent $9,805 per student-athlete at the men’s championship and $3,421 per student-athlete at the women’s.
“In Division I ice hockey, for example, there are 11 NCAA staff members who contribute to the men’s tournament, including three Championships staff, a media coordinator, and seven External Operations staff members. The women’s tournament, however, has only two Championships staff members assisting with it.”
“Overall, the NCAA spends about $193,000 each year on promotional expenses related to the men’s tournament, compared to only $11,000 a year for the women’s,” it says in the ice hockey case study section.”
While the men’s ice hockey championship is a highly-marketed destination event, the women’s does not get the same treatment.
The NCAA puts on twice as many fan festivals for men’s championships as it does for women’s championships.
In hockey alone, the NCAA spent $65,000 more on signage for the men than the women.
In terms of “access ratios” – the number of championship participation opportunities relative to the number of total student-athletes in a sport, 26.7% of men’s teams are able to participate in the championship, while only 19.5% of women’s teams are.
A longtime major point of concern and contention in women’s college hockey is how limiting travel costs is one of the primary criteria used during tournament field selection. The words “bracket integrity” do not appear anywhere in the manual for selecting teams. (My Twitter thread on this is here).
It seems like a good time to remind you that the primary goal of the NCAA DI Women's Hockey Tournament Committee/Seeding is to not spend money. pic.twitter.com/AZtMoEFgJD
The men’s championship manual directs the selection committee to maximize “competitive equity, financial success and the likelihood of a playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site.” It makes no mention of cost and instead, specifies that “the integrity of the bracket will be protected.”
“As one coach observed, ‘On the men’s side it’s about putting together the best field. On the women’s it’s about saving money and avoiding flights.”’Stakeholders raised the concern that this difference in seeding impacts the competitiveness of the women’s tournament, making it less exciting, and potentially stunting the growth of the sport.”
This report specifically cites travel and accommodates as one of the main guiding principles the NCAA must apply in order to assure gender equity.
“The type and quality of transportation to championships should be substantially the same, as should the degree to which travel considerations are permitted to impact the brackets.”
The report goes into detail about the ways broadcasts, branding, signage, corporate sponsorships and fan festivals affect the watch-ability and popularity of a particular championship.
While the NCAA has recently created separate Twitter accounts for men’s and women’s volleyball, they continue to use a single account for both men’s and women’s hockey and the coverage there is heavily skewed towards the men’s game.
The split in coverage has improved in recent years, but as I detailed on my own Twitter, the @ncaaicehockey twitter handle has long treated the woman’s game as an afterthought.
“For example, in ice hockey, the NCAA Twitter account @NCAAIceHockey uses “#FrozenFour” on social media to market the men’s ice hockey championship, but “#WFrozenFour” to market the women’s championship.And the website linked on the Twitter account (ncaa.com/frozenfour) goes to the NCAA’s webpage for Division I men’s ice hockey only,” noted the report.
In response to the viral women’s basketball complaints, the NCAA conducted a self-review of gender equity among all Championship staff. A number of small changes were implemented in sports like lacrosse and softball, but in a sport like hockey, where the equivalent of two-thirds of one full-time employee was assigned and any NCAA presence at the women’s NCAA tournament was not immediately apparent to those of us who were there, it’s difficult to feel like that review would be at all beneficial.
Additionally, “NCAA Championships staff explained that this review was not comprehensive and was done quickly during the championship season. The NCAA did not create any process to track issues that were identified but not resolved, or to maintain a list of specific changes that resulted from the review.”
This past summer, the NC Women’s Ice Hockey Committee requested a bracket expansion from eight to 10 teams. In September 2021, the Competition Oversight Committee noted that “[w]hile the committee supports the merits of the proposal . . . it agreed to table the matter until the next opportunity to fund it.”
The difference in how tournament selection takes place is focused on as part of this study.
“ESPN also broadcasts a one-hour selection show for the men’s tournament, but the selection show for the women’s tournament lasts only a few minutes on the NCAA website. One women’s ice hockey coach mused, ‘For our selection show, if you were cheering, you didn’t know who you were playing, it was over that quickly.’
This whole project was kicked off by women’s basketball players taking to social media to show the inequities they were experiencing at their national tournament. They were loud, gathered support and made it so the NCAA could not ignore what was happening.
Student-athletes have no choice but to play under the auspices of the NCAA and shouldn’t have had to be the ones that hold them accountable for providing an equitable experience. This report is a start at identifying the issues – especially since the report showed how badly the NCAA handled internal reviews of these same issues – but it’s time for the NCAA to make broad changes and a commitment to transparency in how and when those changes are coming.
The NCAA’s Board of Governor’s statement in response to the publishing of the study made broad statements in support of equity, but there has been little said about concrete plans or timelines as to how and when the recommendations from the report will be enacted. Until there is a clear outline of how the NCAA will close the gaps laid out in the report, players, fans, programs and the media have to continue to put pressure on them to not let this report and its contents be ignored.
Vermont hopes to have more scenes like this over the weekend against Boston College (photo: Vermont Athletics).
Vermont’s record (0-4-0) indicates a struggling men’s hockey team.
The game scores tell a different story — one of a club that has been competitive in every game.
Scan the Catamounts’ schedule so far and one will find a pair of one-goal losses and, perhaps more importantly, no blowouts or embarrassments.
The mentality of constant improvement will be what UVM takes into its weekend series with No. 9 Boston College (3-2-1, 1-0-0 Hockey East). The series (Friday at Vermont, 7:05 p.m., and Saturday at BC, 7 p.m.) will mark the conference opener for the Catamounts.
“This is going to be a long journey for us,” UVM coach Todd Woodcroft said. “The lessons we’re learning in these one-goal losses, they’re stinging today but they’re going to help us in five games, ten games, next year. The adversity we’re facing, (it’s) going to lend toward our story at the end. You need a little bit of drama. Nothing would be interesting if we weren’t in these one-goal games.”
Woodcroft said despite the Catamount’s lack of wins, his club has shown improvement in several categories from this point in last season (UVM finished 1-10-2 in the COVID-shortened campaign), citing a 40 percent improvement in shots on goal.
“We’re generating, now it’s capitalizing,” he said. “I hate the term ‘baby steps,’ but we’re taking incremental steps here.”
Close games against top-quality opponents such as No. 5 Quinnipiac (2-0 loss) and Colgate (2-1 loss) indicate the Catamounts don’t expect to roll over for the Eagles.
“I’m happy we’re playing these teams,” Woodcroft said. “Quinnipiac’s a great team — they went out and waxed (No. 6) North Dakota (5-2 win and 3-2 loss last week). Colgate’s on a great tear right now and we were right there with them. (We) feel we’re on the way.”
BC coach Jerry York said coaching 28 years in Hockey East has taught him no team should be taken lightly.
“I have a great feeling that there’s not much separation between the top team and the bottom team,” York said. “Evermore so this year — every time you play a Hockey East opponent, it’s going to be decided by who plays the best hockey that particular night.”
York said he likes what he’s seen so far from his Eagles through seven games (including one exhibition), but noted that they need improvement in what he called the “structure” of their game.
“Whether it’s forecheck or D-zone or special teams — it’s still early to gauge how successful a year we’re going to have,” York said. “But in the small sample, I like what I’ve seen.”
*****
Defending NCAA champion UMass (2-2) dips its toes into conference waters for the first time this season with a weekend series against Merrimack (3-3, 1-2). The Minutemen and Warriors will play Friday at Merrimack at 7 p.m. and Saturday in Amherst on NESN-plus at 7 p.m.
The start of league play hopefully will provide a spark for the Minutemen, according to coach Greg Carvel, who was disappointed with his club’s lack of urgency in a 3-2 exhibition loss to Dartmouth last weekend.
“League games bring a different level of desperation, and I think we really need that,” Carvel said. “I think our guys are a little guilty of not having enough desperation in the game, and you saw that the way we got scored upon — guys just not working hard enough to defend.”
Carvel said it will be to Merrimack’s advantage that they’ve thrice played Hockey East opponents so far this season.
“It’s probably helped push their team forward at a quicker pace than we have,” Carvel said. “(I) think our group, hopefully, finds that urgency and desperation. We need to keep getting better.”
Warriors coach Scott Borek said facing the 2020-21 national champs twice to close out October will be a good test for where his team stands.
“I think their sea legs are pretty good right now,” Borek said about UMass. “We’ve played a hard schedule thus far. Playing the teams in Hockey East makes us a better team. Even our out-of-conference — Sacred Heart’s off to a good start, as is Colgate. I feel good about the competition we’ve had, (but) I think UMass — they’re the best team we’ve faced so far.”
The Saint Michael’s men’s hockey team’s season-opening home-and-home weekend series with Potsdam will not be played as scheduled, per the established institutional and conference COVID-19 health protocols.
The teams plan to reschedule the games later in the season.
Brandon Puricelli collected 15 points a season ago for Lake Superior State and already has 11 points in 2021-22 (photo: LSSU Athletics).
It might have been reasonable to assume at the start of the 2021-22 season that Lake Superior State might have some issues scoring goals this year.
After all, the Lakers lost four of their top five scorers (Ashton Calder, Pete Veillette, Hampus Eriksson and Will Reidell) either to graduation or the NCAA transfer portal (in a few cases, to both).
Many members of the college hockey pundit class (this writer included) thought that losing all these players might make LSSU’s pursuit of a second consecutive NCAA tournament berth or conference tournament title a little more difficult.
How’s that working out for us? Well, so far the 5-3-0 Lakers are eight games into their season and have already scored 30 goals — tied for second in the country. Junior Brandon Puricelli has six goals and 11 points already, while junior Louis Boudon has three goals and 10 assists.
Oops.
As is usually the case, Lake Superior State’s coaching staff knew better.
“I think people who cover the league and around college hockey, that was a big question for a lot of people was how we were going to score, but maybe not so much on staff,” Lakers head coach Damon Whitten said Tuesday morning. “We knew that some of the people we lost and moved on would be big losses, but we’ve shown a history around here of having guys step up.”
Whitten mentioned the 2018-19 season, when Diego Cuglietta led the nation with 25 goals in 38 games. The next season, the Lakers’ Max Humitz ended up netting 22.
“Diego a few years ago leads the nation in goals, then he graduates and people ask ‘Who’s going to score?’ Then Humitz steps up and does it with a huge year,” Whitten said, saying he sees some similarities in his team this season. “I think we felt we had some pieces in place to replace the guys we lost and we’ve done that at a really high level so far, which is great. And we’ve had a few different guys step up.”
Aside from Boudon and Puricelli, who were known quantities, the Lakers have so far been getting a lot out of players who are either newcomers or aren’t household names to anyone outside the Soo. Whitten said that the Lakers are currently using six or seven freshmen along with two transfers in the lineup most nights.
Boston College transfer Harrison Roy has 11 points so far, while sophomore defender Jacob Bengtsson and senior forward Miroslav Mucha both have eight. And in last weekend’s sweep against Union, a pair of freshmen — Josh Nixon and Timo Bakos — each had multi-point games.
“Coming into the weekend we wanted to get some secondary scoring to go along with Boudon and Perch and Roy, and we did it with some young guys stepping up,” Whitten said. “We’ve certainly answered some of those questions so now sustaining that will be the big challenge as we move forward.”
One consequence, though, of the Lakers utilizing so many new players in the lineup is that the team still has to work on maintaining discipline. They’re currently the most-penalized team in the country, having taken 49 penalties for 131 minutes. Their penalty kill is 33 for 43 — just 76.7 percent.
“We’ve got to stay out of the penalty box,” Whitten said. “We did a little bit better job this weekend, but part of that inexperience we have is on the penalty kill. I think our top six penalty-kill guys moved on. So we have to clean that up in the future. It will help our goaltenders if we can stay out of the box and they can see even more even-strength situations.”
A trickle-down effect of the Lakers’ ill discipline is that their goaltending tandem of junior Seth Eisele and sophomore Ethan Langenegger have each given up 14 goals. The two goalies have been alternating games every weekend and Whitten said he plans to do the same for the Lakers’ upcoming home series against St. Lawrence. Nether has yet emerged to take over for stalwart Mareks Mitens, who went pro after graduating last season.
“We’re very comfortable with how both guys have gone so far. They’ve both done a good job, but those numbers are being inflated a little bit because of all the time we’ve spent on the penalty kill,” Whitten said. “But we’re very comfortable with both guys. We started with Seth playing the first night of a series and Lang the second night and we’ve flipped it the last two weekends. We’ve got to revisit that soon but I think we’re going to rotate for a little while and see if anyone emerges.”
This weekend’s series against the Saints represents the Lakers’ final nonconference games of the season. At least one win this weekend guarantees they’ll have at least a .500 record outside of CCHA play. Not bad, considering three of their four nonleague opponents were NCAA tournament teams last season.
“We went down and had some good games down in Ann Arbor against Michigan despite getting swept, and in Omaha we played very well. I think they still only have one loss and that was to us. We’ve had a really challenging schedule, and our young guys have been thrown right into it and they’ve done a really good job,” Whitten said. “You’re seeing some quick growth and building from them, and they’re just going to keep getting better and better.
“We’ll be very experienced when it’s all said and done, and we’ve had some really good things to build on.”
