Providence sophomore defenseman Cam McDonald is a candidate to play for Team USA at this year’s World Junior Championship in Edmonton (photo: Stew Milne).
USA Hockey today named 29 players to the preliminary roster of its 2021 U.S. National Junior Team.
The group, which includes 10 members of the 2020 U.S. National Junior Team, will gather for a training camp at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., starting Dec. 6.
Players are auditioning for a spot on the final 25-player roster that will represent the United States in the 2021 World Junior Championship set for Edmonton, Alberta, from Dec. 25, 2020 to Jan. 5, 2021. The final roster will be announced on Dec. 13, prior to the team’s departure from Plymouth to Edmonton that day.
“We have a talented group and we’ll have some tough decisions to make,” said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team and also the assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey, in a statement. “We continue to benefit from a deep player pool, and that’s credit to all of the organizations and volunteers developing the next wave of American talent.”
Of the 29 players named, 26 have NCAA connections.
GOALTENDERS
Drew Commesso, Boston University
Spencer Knight, Boston College
DEFENSEMEN
Brock Faber, Minnesota
Drew Helleson, Boston College
Ryan Johnson, Minnesota
Jackson LaCombe, Minnesota
Cam McDonald, Providence
Jake Sanderson, North Dakota
Henry Thrun, Harvard (2019-20)
Alex Vlasic, Boston University
Cam York, Michigan
FORWARDS
John Beecher, Michigan
Matthew Beniers, Michigan
Brett Berard, Providence
Matthew Boldy, Boston College
Thomas Bordeleau, Michigan
Bobby Brink, Denver
Brendan Brisson, Michigan
Cole Caufield, Wisconsin
Sam Colangelo, Northeastern
John Farinacci, Harvard (2019-20)
Robert Mastrosimone, Boston University
Patrick Moynihan, Providence
Landon Slaggert, Notre Dame
Alex Turcotte, Wisconsin (2019-20)
Trevor Zegras, Boston University (2019-20)
The other three players are Everett Silvertips (WHL) goalie Dustin Wolf, Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL) forward Arthur Kaliyev and Toronto Maple Leafs (NHL) forward Nick Robertson.
Three nonconference games involving Lake Superior State, Alabama Huntsville and Ferris State set for this weekend have been rescheduled.
The Alabama Huntsville-Ferris State game at Ferris State originally slated for Friday, Dec. 4 will now be played on Tuesday, Dec. 8, while the Alabama Huntsville-Lake Superior State series at Lake Superior State scheduled for Dec. 6-7 will now be played Dec. 5-6.
No reason was given for the schedule changes in a WCHA-issued press release.
The WCHA women’s conference announced Monday that the Dec. 4-5 league series between Bemidji State and Minnesota State in Bemidji, Minn., has been postponed.
Bemidji State is currently completing the WCHA return to competition protocols for COVID-19 and will not finish that process before Dec. 4, the date of the first game of the series with Minnesota State. As a result. the series will be postponed to later in the season.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the games of the past weekend, including Arizona State’s sweep of a depleted No. 14 Wisconsin, Notre Dame’s road sweep of No. 4 Michigan, No. 2 Boston College’s home-and-home wins over No. 7 UMass, and RIT’s come-from-behind win on Friday in a weekend split with No. 9 Clarkson.
We also discuss the large number of canceled or postponed games and whether playing makes sense (spoiler alert: it does) and how difficult it is to prevent the virus from impacting a team.
We take a look at the upcoming NCHC bubble in Omaha and ask whether that could be a preview of this year’s NCAA tournament protocol.
And we note that the pandemic can hit very, very close to home.
Sophie Jacques scored in the opening minutes and Madison Bizal extended the Buckeye lead to 2-0 around the midway mark of the first period on Friday. Daryl Watts quickly responded to cut the lead in half, but Jenna Buglioni’s goal just before the buzzer had Ohio State up 3-1 heading into the first period break. Brette Pettet scored 14 seconds into the second to once again bring Wisconsin within one, but the Buckeyes defense held strong and carried Ohio State to a 3-2 win. On Saturday, Maddi Wheeler scored her first career goal for Wisconsin 1:50 into the game and it would prove to be the game winner as the Badgers rebounded to earn a weekend split. Sophie Shirley scored two goals and Nicole LaMantia had three assists in the win. Britta Curl and Dara Greig also scored for Wisconsin.
(4) Minnesota at (6) Minnesota Duluth
Goals by Anna Klein and Kylie Hanley had Minnesota Duluth up 2-0 over their in-state rivals after the first period. Abigail Boreen scored early in the second period for the Gophers to cut the lead in half, but the Bulldogs held the advantage until the final eight minutes of the game. Minnesota’s stellar freshmen led a comeback as Abbey Murphy scored her first goal as a Gopher to tie the game at 2 and Anne Cherkowski got her first with less than three minutes left in the game to give Minnesota a 3-2 win. Catie Skaja scored on the empty net to secure the Gophers a 4-2 win. In game two, Emily Brown put Minnesota up 1-0 after the first and Emily Oden’s power play goal doubled the lead in the second. Ashton Bell got one back for the Bulldogs, but they were not able to complete a comeback and Minnesota earned a 2-1 win and weekend sweep.
(9) Colgate at (5) Clarkson
It took a period for these teams to feel each other out, but Colgate pulled away in the second. Freshman Kelty Kaltounkova made a highlight reel play, knocking the puck out of the air to tally her first career goal to put the Raiders on the board. Sammy Smigliani doubled the lead midway through the period and then Kaltounkova earned her first multi-goal game to make it 3-0 heading into the second intermission. Avery Mitchell potted one late for Clarkson, but it wasn’t enough as Colgate won 3-1. The two teams play again on Monday night at 5:00 pm Eastern.
(7) Boston College vs Providence
On Friday, Providence’s special teams corps was responsible for all three of their goals as they took down Boston College 3-2. Savannah Norcross put BC on the board first, but Lauren DeBlois’ power play goal just two minutes later tied the game at one. Claire Tyo scored on the player advantage just before the period break to give Providence the 2-1 lead. Annelise Rice scored short-handed midway through the third to put the Friars up 3-1. Maegan Beres narrowed the lead, but Boston College could not find the equalizer as Providence won the first game of the series. In game two, Lindsay Bochna put Providence up 1-0 in the first. Boston College dominated the second period, with goals from Hadley Harmentz and Norcross to make it 2-1 and give the Eagles their first lead of the weekend. But the lead wouldn’t last long. Sara Hjalmarsson tied the game just 48 seconds into the third and DeBlois potted the game winner to give Providence another 3-2 win and the weekend sweep.
Minnesota State at St. Cloud State
Rookie goalie Sanni Ahola stopped 37 shots in her debut to earn her first win and shutout as St. Cloud defeated the Mavericks 1-0. She’s the first goalie to earn a shutout in their debut in 16 years. The Huskies also blocked 22 shots in the win. Allie Cornelius’ second period goal was the game-winner. On Saturday, it was time for the Minnesota State freshmen to take the spotlight. Jamie Nelson had two goals and an assist and Sydney Langseth had a goal and two assists – their first points as Mavericks – to lead Minnesota State to a 4-2 win. It was a back and forth game through the first two periods. Nelson had MSU up 1-0 after one. Mackenzie Bourgerie tied it up for St. Cloud State early in the second. Langseth answered to put the Mavericks up 2-1, but it didn’t last long as Klara Hymlarova evened it up for the Huskies less than a minute later. Charlotte Akervik’s power play goal late in the second would prove to be the game-winner and Jamie Nelson’s third period goal helped secure the win and a weekend split.
Lindenwood at Penn State
The first game was all Nittany Lions as they out-shot Lindenwood 41-23 and cruised to a 3-0 win to open their season. Natalie Heising scored twice and Carrie Byrnes’ first career goal proved to be the game-winner. The two teams close their series Monday at 2:00 pm Eastern.
RIT at Syracuse
Six different Orange players scored on Saturday to lead Syracuse to a 7-1 win. Emma Polaski scored early in the first on the power play and then Lauren Bellfontaine, Victoria Klimek and Abby Moloughney each lit the lamp to give the Orange a 4-0 lead after the first period. Polaski extended it to 5-0 early in the second before Carrissa Hlywa scored her first career goal to get RIT on the board. Sarah Thompson and Marielle McHale scored in the third to close out the win. The second game in this series was cancelled by RIT due to Covid protocols.
No. 6 Minnesota State (1-0-0)
11/23/2020 – No. 6 Minnesota State at No. 19 Bemidji State (postponed)
11/27/2020 – No. 19 Bemidji State at No. 6 Minnesota State (postponed)
11/28/2020 – No. 19 Bemidji State at No. 6 Minnesota State (postponed)
No. 7 Massachusetts (1-2-1)
11/27/2020 – Vermont at No. 7 Massachusetts (postponed)
11/27/2020 – No. 7 Massachusetts 3 at No. 2 Boston College 4
11/28/2020 – Vermont at No. 7 Massachusetts (postponed)
11/28/2020 – No. 2 Boston College 6 at No. 7 Massachusetts 3
No. 8 Minnesota (4-0-0)
11/23/2020 – No. 10 Ohio State 1 at No. 8 Minnesota 4
11/24/2020 – No. 10 Ohio State 0 at No. 8 Minnesota 2
No. 9 Clarkson (2-1-0)
11/27/2020 – No. 9 Clarkson 5 at RV RIT 8
11/29/2020 – RV RIT 1 at No. 9 Clarkson 5
No. 10 Ohio State (1-3-0)
11/23/2020 – No. 10 Ohio State 1 at No. 8 Minnesota 4
11/24/2020 – No. 10 Ohio State 0 at No. 8 Minnesota 2
11/28/2020 – RV Michigan State 3 at No. 10 Ohio State 2 (OT)
11/29/2020 – RV Michigan State 2 at No. 10 Ohio State 4
No. 14 Wisconsin (4-4-0)
11/23/2020 – No. 15 Penn State 3 at No. 14 Wisconsin 6
11/24/2020 – No. 15 Penn State 3 at No. 14 Wisconsin 7
11/28/2020 – RV Arizona State 8 at No. 14 Wisconsin 5
11/29/2020 – RV Arizona State 3 at No. 14 Wisconsin 1
No. 15 Penn State (0-4-0)
11/23/2020 – No. 15 Penn State 3 at No. 14 Wisconsin 6
11/24/2020 – No. 15 Penn State 3 at No. 14 Wisconsin 7
No. 19 Bemidji State (0-1-0)
11/23/2020 – No. 6 Minnesota State at No. 19 Bemidji State (postponed)
11/27/2020 – No. 19 Bemidji State at No. 6 Minnesota State (postponed)
11/28/2020 – No. 19 Bemidji State at No. 6 Minnesota State (postponed)
Andrew Bellant carries the puck up the ice against Lake Superior State. (Photo by Mike Dickie)
Adrian played Lake Superior State tough in a two-game series over the weekend. The Bulldogs dropped the opener 5-3 on Friday and lost 2-1 in the finale Saturday.
Andrew Bellant came through with a goal and an assist in Friday’s game while Nic Tallarico recorded a career-best 34 saves.
Ryan Butler and Sam Ruffin also scored goals for the Bulldogs, who were outshot 39-24. Ruffin’s goal cut the Laker lead to 4-3 with under three minutes to play in the second period.
On Saturday, the Bulldogs played the Lakers even tougher, coming out of the first period tied at 1-1 before Lake Superior scored the game winner in the second.
Rex Moe scored the lone goal for the Bulldogs while Cameron Gray came through with 20 saves. The goal by Moe was his third of the year for Adrian, which is 2-4 on the season.
Adrian is now 1-4 against Division I competition and is not scheduled to play any games in December. The NCHA is aiming to play a modified conference slate starting in January of 2021.
It was a crazy finish, but two goals by Notre Dame in the final three minutes helped lift the Irish, 2-1, over No. 4 Michigan, completing the weekend sweep of the Wolverines (photo: Jonathan Knight)
Notre Dame completed its weekend sweep of No. 4. Michigan in a very strange game where neither team scored for more than 57 minutes before Spencer Stansny broke a deadlock for the Irish with 2:14 remaining.
Alex Steeves added an empty-netter at 18:29 that became the game-winning goal after Michigan’s Jacob Truscott notched his first-career goal with 44 seconds remaining.
With a penalty also called on the play, Michigan finished the game with a power play but the Notre Dame defense stood tall when necessary.
Michigan allowed a season-high 31 shots on goal while Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel finished the game stopping 22-of-23 shots to earn his second win of the weekend.
The two-game sweep for the Irish brings them solidly back to form after being swept at home by Wisconsin to begin the season.
Michigan State 3, No. 10 Ohio State 2 (OT)
Nico Muller’s goal at 3:36 of 3-on-3 overtime lifted Michigan State to an upset victory over No. 10 Ohio State.
The goal finished off the victory for a Spartans team that outshot the Buckeyes, 45-22.
Ohio State opened the scoring at 7:37 of the second period. But Michigan State twice responded before the end of the middle frame on goals by Charlie Combs and Adam Goodsir.
Over the final two periods and overtime, Michigan State held a 37-14 shot advantage, but it was the Buckeyes who scored the only goal of the third, a Travis Treloar tally with 27 seconds remaining in regulation.
No. 2 Boston College 6, No. 7 Massachusetts 3
Boston College captain Marc McLaughlin scored twice and No. 2 Boston College never trailed as the Eagles earned a 6-3 road victory to complete a two-game sweep of seventh-ranked Massachusetts.
Drew Helleson and Mike Hardman for Boston College and Jake Gaudet for UMass each tallied a goal and an assist.
BC’s netminder Spencer Knight was busy, stopping 30 shots, including 16 in the third period.
Though considered non-conference games, these two contests could be used in the Hockey East standings should the league pair between these two teams not be able to be played later in the season due to COVID.
Arizona State 8, No. 14 Wisconsin 5
In four games entering Saturday night’s game against No. 14 Wisconsin, Arizona State had scored a grand total of two goals.
On Saturday, the Sun Devils offense had an overdue explosion scoring eight times, including three goals in each of the final two periods to upset Wisconsin, 8-5, and earn their first win of the season.
Arizona State built a 6-2 lead early in the third before Wisconsin rifled off three goals in 10:35 off the sticks of Jack Gorniak, Owen Lindmark and Linus Weissbach. A penalty called during the fifth Badgers goals gave them a power play with all the momentum.
But Willie Knierim scored shorthanded less than a minute into the power play and added an empty-net tally for the final.
Randy Hernandez scored with 1:31 remaining in regulation to break a 4-4 tie and give host Robert Morris a 5-4 victory and split of the weekend series with Canisius.
The late goal spoiled a comeback for the Griffs, which trailed 3-1 and 4-3 before Grant Meyer scored the game-tying goal with 7:00 remaining in the third.
Justin Adamo scored twice for the host Colonials while teammate Grant Hebery added a goal and two assists.
Jack McBain opened this scoring for No. 2 Boston College as the Eagles battled past No. 7 UMass, 4-3, to open the season on Friday (Photo: BC Athletics/John Quackenbos)
Matt Boldy’s goal 1:06 into the third period broke a 3-3 tie as second-ranked Boston College found a way past No. 7 Massachusetts, 4-3, in a back-and-forth heavyweight battle.
For an early-season game, albeit one delayed due to COVID postponements, Friday’s opening game of a two-game, home-and-home tilt between nationally-ranked powers lived up to its billing. Two of the nation’s top 10 teams finding ways to score, back-and-forth, including a five-goal second period.
Jack McBain’s goal with 4:40 left in the first was the only goal of the opening stanza, but also set up the wild 20 in the middle frame.
UMass sophomore Zac Jones sniped a shot on a shorthanded break at 1:52 of the second before Mike Hardman had the equalizer just 81 seconds later.
McBain gave the Eagles a 3-1 lead at 12:41 of the second. But UMass knotted the game at two when Josh Lopina scored twice on greasy goals – each deflections in front of the net – in a span of 73 seconds.
Both goaltenders were excellent, despite the final score. Each had to make grade ‘A’ saves, UMass’ Matt Murray finishing with 28 saves and BC’s Spencer Knight earning the win with 30 saves.
The two teams play Saturday in Amherst, Mass., at 4:30 p.m. ET.
A hungry Notre Dame team, sitting out last weekend after being swept by Wisconsin to begin the season, exacted a measure of revenge on Friday, making certain people don’t forget the Irish.
Notre Dame opened a 3-0 lead by the midway point of the game, then held on as fourth-ranked Michigan rallied before the Irish closed out the game, 3-2, to score the upset victory.
Nick Leivermann, Nate Clurman and Grant Sillanoff spotted the Irish the three-goal advantage by 7:41 in the second.
And while Luke Morgan pulled the Wolverines closer with 2:12 left in the second and Michael Pastujov within a goal at 2:25 of the third, Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel stopped 11 of 12 shots in the third period to earn the one-goal victory.
RIT 8, No. 9 Clarkson 5
RIT scored five goals in the third period, including two in the frame and a hat tirick in the game by Will Calverley, as the Tigers pulled off a non-league upset of ninth-ranked Clarkson, 8-5.
From a cancelled season, to season saved, to to a crazy 8-5 win for @RITMHKY over Clarkson..Will Calverley had 3 goals, 1 assist. pic.twitter.com/wZXB353IbY
After RIT jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first, Clarkson scored twice in the middle frame on goals by Alex Campbell, Anthony Romano sandwiching a goal by RIT Jake Joffe.
Trailing by one heading to the third, Clarkson’s Grant Cooper and Noah Beck scored in the first 75 seconds to jump to a 4-3 lead.
But it was the final rally by host RIT, two goals coming from Calverley and all in the final 10:01, that changed the tenor and the outcome.
The two teams will play again at Clarkson on Sunday.
Yet again, COVID is making a bit of a mess of the Hockey East schedules. After just two men’s games were played last weekend, the league is expected to play just three this weekend.
Jim last week: 1-0-1 (similar to goaltender’s stats, we’ll be counting shootouts as ties in our head-to-head standings)
Marisa last week: 1-0-1
Boston College vs. UMass (at BC, Fri.; at UMass Sat.) Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27-28
It’s difficult to think of a sweep this early in the season, and though UMass should be hungry after a tie against UConn last Saturday, this highly touted Boston College team deserves all the accolades as they finally kick off their seasons. Will the Eagles prove they are worthy of a preseason top ranking by Hockey East coaches?
Jim’s picks: BC 3, UMass 2; BC 4, UMass 3 Marisa’s picks: UMass 4, BC 2; BC 3, UMass 1
Providence at UMass Lowell Saturday, Nov. 28
With neither team having an opponent because of COVID postponements this weekend, the two will square off in their respective openers. Lowell returns arguably a top tier crop of forwards and defensemen but very little experience in net. Providence also has a question between the pipes but also has one of the league’s best forwards in Tage Thompson.
Jim’s pick: UML 3, PC 2 Marisa’s pick: PC 2, UML 1
Friday Nov 27 and Saturday, Nov 28 Air Force at American International Chris: I’ve lost track of how many games have been cancelled at this point, but at least a couple involved AIC. Hopefully, these games stay on. I picked the Yellow Jackets to win the league,so I guess that starts with a couple of wins here. AIC sweeps. Dan: I’m with Chris here. The start of the season has been bumpy to say the least, but AIC is one of those teams equipped to handle the quick-moving changes. I think they come out strong and take this weekend, though Air Force will give them all they can handle.
Canisius vs. Robert Morris Chris: The Colonials looked impressive with a sweep of Alabama-Huntsville last weekend and I look for that to continue. RMU sweeps. Dan: Last weekend made me a little prophetic about RMU. I think they keep momentum this week. RMU sweeps.
Army West Point vs. Sacred Heart Chris: I think this will be the closest, most entertaining series of the weekend as point teams (finally, hopefully) kick off their seasons. I’m going with a split. Dan: I think these teams are probably chomping at the bit for a chance to get after one another on the ice. For that reason, I’m going with Chris again. Split them.
Friday, Nov 27 and Sunday Nov 29 Clarkson vs. RIT Chris: This series was hastily but together after each team’s scheduled opponents had to pull out. I’m picking the eighth-ranked Golden Knight to sweep this home and home series. Dan: All the bad juju surrounding ECAC headlines will just sort of melt away into a really solid home-and-home series. I like RIT to give Clarkson a run for its money, but I’m running with the Golden Knights here to make the most of two of their six currently-scheduled games. Clarkson sweeps.
Tuesday, Dec 1 Sacred Heart at AIC Chris: The top two teams from last year face off. Both lost key pieces to graduation, especially SHU. I’m going with an AIC win. Dan: I picked Sacred Heart to win the eastern pod, and this is one of the games the Pioneers will win to prove me right. I’m going with SHU to win on the road.
Defenseman Cam York has a goal and three assists in four games (photo: Michigan Photography).
With the first two weeks of Big Ten play producing some interesting results, already it looks as though the league may split into two tiers with Michigan State the single team of demarcation. Already, too, we’ve seen that Drew Claussen is better at this picks thing than I am.
Last week
Drew: 8-1-1 (.850)
Paula: 7-2-1 (.750)
This season
Drew: 10-3-1 (.750)
Paula: 8-5-1 (.607)
This week
There are two B1G series this week while Wisconsin hosts Arizona State in nonconference play. Games this week are Friday through Sunday. All times are local.
Michigan State at No. 9 Ohio State
Saturday and Sunday, 5:30 p.m.
The Spartans were 1-0-1 against Arizona State Nov. 19-20 to start their season while the Buckeyes dropped two games to Minnesota Nov. 23-24. Michigan State leads this all-time series 91-49-13, but Ohio State won all four times the teams met last season. The battle in net should be very interesting. Drew DeRidder looked really solid against ASU while Tommy Nappier looked a little rattled versus the Gophers. I think each team gets its first B1G win of the season. Drew disagrees.
Drew: Ohio State 3-2, 3-1 Paula: Ohio State 3-2, Michigan State 3-2
Notre Dame at No. 6 Michigan
Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
Michigan is off to its fastest start since the 2011-12 season, fueled by a deep and threatening offense and the stellar play in net of Strauss Mann. Worth a mention: In four games, 13 different Wolverines have accounted for the team’s 18 goals, so it’s not just the shiny new rookies (who are outstanding) doing all of the heavy lifting for the Wolverines. The Irish looked like they were struggling defensively in two losses against Wisconsin Nov. 13-14. The teams split their season series last year, with each sweeping on the road. Neither Drew nor I see Notre Dame getting past Michigan this weekend.
Drew: Michigan 4-1, 5-3 Paula: Michigan 4-1, 5-1
Arizona State at No. 14 Wisconsin
7:00 p.m. Saturday, 4:00 p.m. Sunday
I am all in on Wisconsin. (See what I did there? I can’t help myself sometimes.) The Badgers have looked solid from net out with the exception of one loss against Michigan. Robbie Beydoun seems to be playing the best hockey of his career, and the team in front of him is playing like many expected Wisconsin to play for all of last season. Wisconsin outscored Penn State 13-6 in a pair of wins Nov. 23-24. The Sun Devils lost two close games to Michigan State Nov. 19-20 and are still looking for their first win of the season. Drew thinks that will happen in this series. I do not.
Drew: Wisconsin 4-2, Arizona State 4-3 Paula: Wisconsin 4-2, 4-1
Say hello on the Twitter machine!
Follow both Drew (@drewclaussen) and me (@paulacweston) on Twitter. We’ll say hello if you do, and even though we are whole humans who tweet about a lot of things, we also say some stuff about hockey.
It’s only the second week of the season in ECAC Hockey, but already Quinnipiac and St. Lawrence have both delayed the start of their respective seasons due to COVID-19. St. Lawrence’s first four games of the season were supposed to be against Clarkson, leaving a gaping hole in the Golden Knights schedule.
It is unknown if those games will be made up, so Clarkson added a home-and-home series with RIT this weekend. The Golden Knights travel to RIT Friday, while the Tigers will head to Potsdam on Sunday. Both games start at 5 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ as well as B99.3 FM. This weekend opened up for the Tigers after their initial opponent, Niagara, postponed their games due to COVID-19 protocols.
The Golden Knights beat Colgate 2-1 in the program’s season opener last Sunday, while this is the opening weekend for RIT after the program initially announced that it was cancelling it season.
Clarkson is 7-0-2 in the all-time series against the Tigers. I think the Golden Knights continue last weekend’s strong defensive showing and sweep the Tigers this weekend.
Brendan Prappas and the Trine Thunder have played two games this fall, both against Adrian. (Photo credit: Trine Athletics).
While most NCAA Division III hockey teams have had their seasons put on ice for now because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a handful of teams in the west region have actually gotten onto the ice.
Though no official conference games have been played, schools were given the chance to schedule games at their own discretion.
Adrian has played four games already and will conclude its abbreviated fall slate this weekend with two games against Lake Superior State. The Bulldogs are 2-2 on the season.
Trine played twice, losing a pair of games to Adrian. Concordia (Wisconsin) was supposed to play against Trine and Adrian earlier this month. Those matchups were canceled over COVID-19 concerns.
All three west region conferences are expected to make a decision soon on the fate of the 2020-21 season.
The MIAC and WIAC are looking to make decisions in December. The NCHA is close to unveiling its potential plan for a 2021 start to the official season.
Meanwhile in the east, hockey won’t be played until January at the earliest.
The MASCAC, NESCAC, NEHC and SUNYAC have already canceled their seasons while the UCHC, NE-10 and CCC have yet to make decisions on how things will look this year.
Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech do battle during the 2019-20 season (photo: LSSU Athletics).
Even without a global pandemic, the 2020-21 WCHA season was already destined to be a weird one.
Seven of the league’s ten members had already announced way back in June of 2019 that they would be leaving the conference to reform the CCHA after the conclusion of this year. It was already going to be strange to be celebrating 70 years of one of the oldest college hockey conferences in existence knowing that its position post-2021 is in doubt.
Then the pandemic hit, just before the conclusion of the WCHA playoffs. College hockey shut down for six months. Seasons were delayed. Programs were suspended. Some were lost.
But, as if a miracle, the WCHA will indeed play out its 70th season.
“It felt like some days we would never get here,” Lake Superior State coach Damon Whitten said during the WCHA’s annual media day earlier this month. “To be opening our preseason media day in November, it feels strange. We should have been a month and a half into the season.”
Instead, the WCHA is going to have to make do with truncated schedules, playing conference teams as nonconference games and learning to deal with cancelations and postponements as they come thick and fast. The league had started its season this past weekend, with six teams in action. But positive COVID-tests from both Minnesota State and Northern Michigan. The Mavericks and the Wildcats have now canceled or postponed all of their games for the next two weeks.
“I think if we’re surprised by a cancelation and postponement, then shame on us,” Bowling Green coach Ty Eigner said. “We’ve tried to tell our guys to focus on the things they can control and hopefully with the procedures in place, and the fact that our sport is in the winter and kicking it off when students aren’t on campus and try to the best of our abilities to be as cautious and safe as possible, hopefully we get a chance to play all 18 league games, and the playoffs and it goes off without a hitch, but the reality is the chances of that happening are not too great.”
This adds to an already-shortened slate of games, as Alaska Anchorage announced on Nov. 13 — just two days after the league’s media day — that they were suspending all winter sports for the 2020-21 season, including hockey. The Seawolves had already announced they were cutting the hockey program after this campaign. There’s a good chance they will see their program end without playing another game.
“It certainly has been trying,” Seawolves coach Matt Curley told the Anchorage Daily News last week. “Our focus right now is to right this ship and make way for our survival because I think for a lot of the guys, their best opportunity is to continue to be here.”
The Seawolves are hoping for an outpouring of support and donations similar to that received by Alabama Huntsville this summer. The Chargers, too, had the plug pulled on their program by the UAH administrators, only to be given a last-minute reprieve by hitting a $750,000 funding goal, allowing them to survive for this season.
One more season of Charger hockey was great news, but it got even better earlier this month, when a group including Minnesota Wild goaltender (and UAH’s most successful hockey alumnus) Cam Talbot announced a sizable donation to the program to keep it afloat for even longer.
New coach Lance West — himself an alumnus — said the UAH community is lucky to have the support.
“We went through a lot of stuff this year, with folding and coming back, and the WCHA worked hard and allowed us to do that, and we’re very thankful for that opportunity this year,” he said. “We had such a huge amount of support from fans and even people who weren’t fans of ours; the general hockey community in North America…. I was humbled by the amount of people that supported us in our comeback bid so we hope this year we can make them proud.”
So how are all of these issues going to add up on the ice? It’s hard to say exactly, but the consensus again seems to be that Minnesota State is once again going to be very good. Both the media and coaches polls have overwhelmingly backed the Mavericks to four-peat the MacNaughton Cup. Beyond that, though, it’s wide open. There are a number of teams that should compete for home ice, including Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Northern Michigan and Alaska.
But due to the strange nature of this season, perhaps the standings won’t matter as much at the end when all is said and done.
“Success has always been graded on wins and losses but in a year like this, I think success is being graded in a different way,” Ferris State coach Bob Daniels said. The idea that we’re going to be able to get on the ice and compete, that’s a success right there. I’m sure once the puck drops, if there’s two nets, a scoreboard, and a puck, winning is going to be important, but this whole situation has been a great lesson for everyone on collegiality. I’ve been excited to be a part of it.”
WCHA TEAM CAPSULES
Alabama Huntsville’s program was saved this past summer and will play during the upcoming 2020-21 season (photo: Doug Eagan).
ALABAMA HUNTSVILLE Head coach: Lance West, entering his first season at UAH 2019-20 overall record: 2-26-6 (2-20-6 WCHA, tenth) Key returning players: Junior forward Tyr Thompson (6-2-8), senior forward Connor Merkley (3-5-9), senior forward Connor Wood (4-3-7), junior defenseman Dayne Finnson (1-6-7), sophomore goaltender David Fessenden (0-4-0, .869 SV%, 4.44 GAA), junior forward Bauer Neudecker (0-6-6) Key losses: Goaltender Mark Sinclair (2-22-6, .869, 3.86), forward Josh Latta (7-11-18), forward Christian Rajic (6-9-15), forward Austin Beaulieu (6-7-13), forward Jack Jeffers (6-6-12), forward Liam Izyk (3-8-11), defenseman Tanner Hickey (3-7-10) Key additions: Defenseman Ayodele Adeniye (Carleton Place Canadians, CCHL), defenseman Brian Scoville (Langley Rivermen, BCHL), forward Tyrone Bronte (Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, NAHL), forward Frank Vittuci (Wellington Dukes, OJHL), forward Jonah Alexander (St. Michael’s Buzzers, OJHL), goaltender Derek Krall (Powell River Kings, BCHL) 2020-21 predictions: The Chargers program died this summer, only to be resuscitated by an outpouring of donations from around the hockey world to save them for at least a season. The university eventually announced an even greater commitment to the hockey program earlier this month, ensuring its survival for at least a few more years, but the damage had already been done. The Chargers lost nearly every significant contributor to their 2019-20 campaign, including goaltender Sinclair, who transferred to Michigan Tech, and leading scorer Latta, who went to UMass-Lowell. That leaves just two seniors and six juniors on the team, along with 13 freshmen. Head coach West said he knows the situation will be tough this year with so many newcomers to college hockey. It’s going to be tough for them to not finish last in the standings this year, but that’s not really important for UAH this year. Gaining valuable experience for all those newcomers is going to be the Chargers’ main focus, and any added victories will be a big bonus. Jack’s prediction: 9th
Daver’s prediction: 9th
Chris Jandric will be looked to as a leader on the Alaska blue line this season (photo: UAF Athletics).
ALASKA Head coach: Erik Largen, entering his third season at Alaska 2019-20 overall record: 15-15-5 (14-9-5 WCHA, fourth) Key returning players: Junior defenseman Chris Jandric (5-17-22), junior goaltender Gustavs Grigals (7-5-3, .906 SV%, 2.34 GAA), senior forward Max Newton (9-28-27), senior forward Justin Young (9-12-21) Key losses: Forward Steven Jandric (13-20-33), goaltender Anton Martinsson (9-10-2, .919 SV%, 2.51 GAA), forward Kylar Hope (10-10-20), forward Tyler Kline (8-11-19), forward Colton Leitner (6-10-16) Key additions: Forward Harrison Israels (Oakville Blades, OJHL), forward Jakob Breault (Aberdeen Wings, NAHL), Matt Koethe (Fairbanks Ice Dogs, NAHL), forward Brayden Nicholetts (Spruce Grove Saints, AJHL) 2020-21 predictions: The Nanooks surprised just about everybody last year, with their first winning record since 2014-15. They even got to host a home playoff series. Whether the Nanooks can improve on that and possibly win a playoff series this year depends largely on who steps up to replace goaltender Martinsson (who transferred to Providence) and leading scorer Jandric (who went to Denver). Those are two huge losses, but the good news is the Nanooks return plenty of scoring in Chris Jandric, Max Newtron and Justin Young. I don’t think they’re going to be battling for the title or anything, but expect Alaska to continue pushing for home ice in the playoffs. Jack’s prediction: 5th
Daver’s prediction: 6th
Zach Driscoll looks to be the No. 1 stopper in the Bemidji State net this season (photo: BSU Photo Services).
BEMIDJI STATE Head coach: Tom Serratore, entering his 20th season at BSU 2019-20 overall record: 22-10-5 (20-5-3 WCHA, second) Key returning players: Senior goaltender Zach Driscoll (21-8-4, .937 SV%, 1.63 GAA), junior forward Owen Sillinger (14-20-34), senior forward Aaron Miller (12-17-29), sophomore defensemen Elias Rosén (5-19-24), junior forward Alex Ierullo (7-14-21) Key losses: Forward Adam Brady (19-15-34), defenseman Tommy Muck (4-16-20), forward Charlie Combs (12-6-18), forward Hampus Sjödahl (3-9-12) Key additions: Forward Lukas Sillinger (Penticton Vees, BCHL), defenseman Jack Powell (Aberdeen Wings, NAHL), forward Austin Jouppi (Bismarck Bobcats, NAHL) 2020-21 predictions: Before the pandemic shut everything down, Beavers were so close to returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 10 years. This year, they return just about everybody from that team, including Driscoll, who was one of the best goaltenders and would have won the WCHA goaltending title in any season that Dryden McKay of MSU Mankato wasn’t playing. BSU will miss the scoring prowess of Adam Brady, who netted 19 last season, but do return a pair of double-digit scorers in Miller and Sillinger. It wouldn’t be surprising for them to be challenging for the MacNaughton Cup again and they will almost certainly be in the running for home ice in the WCHA playoffs. Jack’s prediction: 3rd
Daver’s prediction: 2nd
Senior Connor Ford will be an offensive catalyst this season for Bowling Green (photo: Isaiah Vazquez).
BOWLING GREEN Head coach: Ty Eigner, entering his second season at BGSU 2019-20 overall record: 21-13-4 (14-10-4 WCHA, fifth) Key returning players: Senior forward Connor Ford (12-22-34), senior forward Brandon Kruse (9-25-34), senior forward Cameron Wright (20-7-27), senior goaltender Eric Dop (19-11-3, .902 SV%, 2.36 GAA), junior defenseman Will Cullen (7-9-16) Key losses: Defenseman Alec Rauhauser (11-24-35), forward Frédéric Létourneau (6-15-21), forward Casey Linkenheld (5-5-10) Key additions: Forward Gavin Gould (Michigan Tech, WCHA), forward Seth Fyten (Spruce Grove Saints, AJHL), forward Chrystopher Collin (Edmundston Blizzard, MJAHL), forward Ethan Scardina (Nanaimo Clippers, BCHL) 2020-21 predictions: Missing All-American Rauhauser is going to be a huge blow for BG, but perhaps the most surprising thing about the Falcons is who they didn’t lose this season. Highly-touted Vegas draft pick Kruse decided to return to school for his senior season, as did Ford and Wright. Dop remains a stalwart force in the nets for the Falcons, who still have a solid defensive corps returning despite the loss of Rauhauser. Expect this deep team to improve greatly on their fifth-place finish from a season ago and challenge Minnesota State for the title. Jack’s prediction: 2nd
Daver’s prediction: 3rd
Ferris State’s Liam MacDougall looks to improve on his 13-point season of a year ago as a senior in 2020-21 (photo: Ferris State Athletics).
FERRIS STATE Head coach: Bob Daniels, entering his 29th season at Ferris State 2019-20 overall record: 7-26-2 (5-21-2-0 WCHA) Key returning players: Sophomore defenseman Jake Willets (4-17-21), senior forward Marshall Moise (10-5-15), sophomore defenseman Blake Evennou (1-12-13), senior forward Liam MacDougall (2-11-13) Key losses: Defenseman Nate Kallen (6-10-16), forward Jason Tackett (4-9-13), defenseman Joe Rutkowski (1-9-10) Key additions: Goaltender Logan Stein (Waterloo, USHL), forward Antonio Venuto (Dubuque, USHL), forward Stepan Pokorny (Madison, USHL) 2020-21 predictions: The Bulldogs were picked to finish eighth in both the coaches and media polls this season. They suffered through a tough 2019-20 season with a bright spot being the growth of a pair of then-freshmen defenders in Willets and Evennou. Both are expected to continue to grow this season. The question remains where the offense will come from. The continued growth of Moise would certainly help as the Bulldogs look to climb into contention. Jack’s prediction: 8th
Daver’s prediction: 8th
Louis Boudon had a solid 2019-20 freshman season for Lake Superior State, collecting a team-best 21 assists among 27 points (photo: LSSU Athletics).
LAKE SUPERIOR STATE Head coach: Damon Whitten, entering his seventh season at Lake Superior 2019-20 overall record: 14-23-4 (11-13-4-4 WCHA) Key returning players: Senior goaltender Mareks Mitens (13-21-4, .911 SV%, 2.57 GAA), junior forward Ashton Calder (12-16-28), sophomore forward Louis Boudon (6-21-27) Key losses: Forward Max Humitz (22-13-35), defenseman Collin Saccoman (6-3-9), forward Braden Gelsinger (3-5-8) Key additions: Forward Joshua Wildauer (Coquitlam, BCHL), forward Benito Posa (Des Moines, USHL), defenseman Jeremy Gervais (Salmon Arm, BCHL) 2020-21 predictions: The Lakers will go as far as Mitens carries them. Staring down the barrel of a more forgiving schedule than they started with in 2019-20, the Lakers have a chance to build some confidence early and then work their way towards a home playoff berth. Add to Mitens’ strong play the continued development of Calder, and the Lakers have the makings of a better finish than the sixth-place predictions they have in the coaches’ and media polls. Jack’s prediction: 7th
Daver’s prediction: 7th
Sophomore blueliner Eric Gotz is a steady force on the back end for Michigan Tech (photo: Michigan Tech Athletics).
MICHIGAN TECH Head coach: Joe Shawhan, entering his fourth season at Michigan Tech 2019-20 overall record: 21-15-3 (14-12-2-0 WCHA) Key returning players: Junior forward Alec Broetzman (16-11-27), junior forward Trenton Bliss (12-15-27), junior forward Brian Halonen (12-10-22) Key losses: Forward Alex Smith (7-16-23), defenseman Seamus Donohue (3-14-17), goaltender Matt Jurusik (19-10-3, .924 SV%, 2.07 GAA) Key additions: Goaltender Matt Sinclair (Alabama Huntsville), forward Carson Bantle (Madison, USHL), defenseman Brett Thorne (Carleton Place, CCHL) 2020-21 predictions: The Huskies replaced one transfer goaltender, Jurusik, with another in Sinclair, and should not miss a beat in their own end as the senior has been strong for three seasons in Huntsville. Losing Donohue will hurt in the short term, as he had become a key piece of their blue line over the last few seasons. Up front, many eyes will be pulled to Bantle, the 6-foot-5 goal scorer who will likely draw a lot of attention from defenders. Alongside him, the trio of juniors (Broetzman, Halonen, and Bliss) are all one year older and wiser as they take over the leadership mantle. The Huskies are a dark horse to win the WCHA title, should they get hot in the second half. Jack’s prediction: 6th
Daver’s prediction: 4th
Minnesota State goaltender Dryden McKay put up video game-like numbers a season ago for the Mavericks (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
MINNESOTA STATE Head coach: Mike Hastings, entering his ninth season at MSU 2019-20 overall record: 31-5-2 (23-4-1 WCHA, first) Key returning players: Junior goaltender Dryden McKay (30-4-2, .942 SV%, 1.31 GAA), sophomore forward Lucas Sowder (6-25-31), sophomore forward Nathan Smith (9-18-27), senior forward Dallas Gerads (8-17-25) Key losses: Forward Marc Michaelis (20-24-44), defenseman Connor Mackey (7-17-24), forward Parker Tuomie (14-23-37), forward Charlie Gerard (13-17-30), defenseman Ian Scheid (3-19-22), forward Nick Rivera (10-3-13) Key additions: Forward Todd Burgess (RPI, ECAC), goaltender Ryan Edquist (Boston College, Hockey East), forward Brendan Furry (Tri-City/Omaha, USHL), defenseman Akito Hirose (Salmon Arm Silverbacks, BCHL), defenseman Jake Livingstone (Langley Rivermen, BCHL) 2020-21 predictions: It’s not very controversial to say that the Mavericks are still the team to beat in the WCHA. This is even true despite losing three of their four top scorers. But when you still have five 20-plus point-scorers coming back AND return arguably the top goaltender in the nation in McKay, the MacNaughton Cup is going to be yours to lose. The caveat here is for this season always that nobody knows what kind of effect COVD-19 is going to have on the roster, so it’s still possible for the Mavericks to lose some key players at inopportune times, but they have the best depth in the WCHA and should be able to fend off any challenges no matter what the pandemic throws at them. Jack’s prediction: 1st
Daver’s prediction: 1st
Northern Michigan junior forward Griffin Loughran compiled 23 goals and 39 points last season (photo: Northern Michigan Athletics).
NORTHERN MICHIGAN Head coach: Grant Potulny, entering his fourth season at Northern Michigan 2019-20 overall record: 18-16-4 (16-11-1-1 WCHA) Key returning players: Junior forward Griffin Loughran (23-16-39), junior forward Vincent de Mey (15-13-28), senior forward Joseph Nardi (8-19-27) Key losses: Forward Darien Craighead (15-16-31), defenseman Philip Beaulieu (6-19-25), defenseman Ben Newhouse (3-12-15) Key additions: Forward Brett Willits (Chilliwack, BCHL), defenseman Noah Ganske (Green Bay, USHL), forward Connor Marritt (Vernon, BCHL) 2020-21 predictions: Junior goaltender Nolan Kent grew by leaps and bounds over the course of the 2019-20 season, earning the starting role in the process. He will be a big part of the Wildcats’ success this season as they lost two key defenders in Beaulieu and Newhouse to graduation. Fortunately, he has help in front of him thanks to the continued growth of Loughran, who fell just short of the 40-point mark courtesy of a hard-fought series with the Huskies in the WCHA playoffs. Loughran provides the spark the Wildcats need up front. He will drive the Wildcats again this season and have them in the hunt for a home playoff spot. Jack’s prediction: 4th
Daver’s prediction: 5th
NOT PLAYING IN 2020-21
Alex Frye was set to start his sophomore year at Alaska Anchorage in 2020-21 (photo: Chase Burnett/UAA Athletics).
ALASKA ANCHORAGE Head coach: Matt Curley, entering his third season at Alaska Anchorage 2019-20 overall record: 4-25-7 (4-18-6-3 WCHA) Key returning players: Sophomore forward Rylee St. Onge (8-9-17), sophomore forward Nick Wicks (7-9-16), sophomore forward Alex Frye (9-5-14) Key losses: Forward Luc Brown (8-12-20), defenseman Tommy Hiekkavirta (2-13-15) Key additions: Forward Daniel Rybarik (Salmon Arm, BCHL), forward Zach Krajnik (Kenai River, NAHL) 2020-21 predictions: The Seawolves have chosen to sit out the 2020-21 season, which was planned to be their final season competing at the NCAA Division I level, effectively ending the program before its final season could begin.
The NCHC announced changes to its 2020-21 schedule on Friday.
The changes were necessary due to a positive COVID-19 test and quarantine requirements for the entire Colorado College team, forcing the Tigers to delay the start of their season.
The pod will still begin on Tuesday, Dec. 1 as scheduled at Omaha’s Baxter Arena. Colorado College’s first four games have been adjusted, with two games being moved to later in the pod and two being postponed to the second portion of the season.
A summary of changes from the original NCHC pod schedule:
• Dec. 1 CC vs. Omaha – postponed to Monday, Dec. 21 at 12:05 p.m. CST
• Dec. 3 CC vs. SCSU – postponed to travel portion of season
• Dec. 4 UMD vs. Miami – moved to Sunday, Dec. 6 at 4:05 p.m. CST
• Dec. 5 WMU vs. CC – postponed to Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 11:35 a.m. CST
• Dec. 6 UMD vs. CC – postponed to travel portion of season
• Dec. 6 UND vs. WMU – time moved up to 12:05 p.m. CST (was 4:05 p.m., date remains the same)
• All times on Dec. 12 and Dec. 13 were adjusted, but no dates or matchups changed
• Dec. 20 UMD vs. Omaha – moved up to beginning of Pod on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 3:35 p.m. CST
A total of 38 games will now be played in the Pod between Dec. 1 and Dec. 21, with all games available on NCHC.tv and Midco Sports Network.
UMass Lowell has postponed its hockey season opener against Providence, originally scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 28, after learning that a member of the program tested positive for COVID-19 during routine surveillance testing on Friday.
The university has temporarily paused all team activities, and immediately initiated its isolation and quarantine protocols. Surveillance testing will continue for all team members.
“Delaying the start of our hockey season further is disheartening for the entire UMass Lowell community, but the safety of our student-athletes and staff is our utmost priority,” said UMass Lowell director of athletics Peter Casey in a statement. “This year will require flexibility on behalf of all those involved, as we work to follow the detailed protocols that have been established for these instances and look forward to returning to the ice when it is safe to do so.”
The university is still determining the impact on the timeline of any upcoming contests and will announce additional information as it becomes available.
Yet again, COVID is making a bit of a mess of the Hockey East schedules. After just two men’s games were played last weekend, the league is expected to play just three this weekend.
Last week: 1-0
