Due to a small cluster of recent COVID-19 cases that led to quarantining athletes on five varsity teams, Northeastern has canceled games and practices for all winter sports through Dec. 18.
Northeastern athletic director Jeff Konya said he is hopeful that the winter teams will resume practices in early December and launch abbreviated seasons after Dec. 18.
“When you’re making a decision of this magnitude, the No. 1 priority is the wellness and safety of the student-athletes,” Konya said in a news release. “Analyzing the facts as we know them right now, this decision gives us our best chance of conducting intercollegiate athletics in an appropriate way in mid-December.”
The postponements involve women’s and men’s hockey teams.
Konya said he does not expect the cancellations to affect the NCAA tournament hopes of the affected teams.
“It should not impact us because our pathway to those postseason tournaments is going to be dependent on how we do in conference play,” Konya said.
Konya said that “small outbreaks” of COVID-19 cases had been discovered on Northeastern teams in women’s basketball and (women’s) hockey, and men’s and women’s track and field.
The opening games for the men’s hockey team on Friday and Saturday against UMass Lowell have been postponed. No member of the hockey programs have tested positive for COVID-19, Konya said.
The Ivy League announced Nov. 12 the cancellation of its winter sports program, leading days later to the cancellation of the 2021 Beanpot men’s hockey tournament, which Northeastern had won for the past three seasons.
Minnesota State announced Tuesday it has paused all men’s hockey team activities due to positive COVID-19 test results within the program.
The positive results were detected during COVID-19 testing of the team, which is being conducted three times per week in accordance with state guidelines and WCHA return to competition protocols.
As a result of the pause, the Mavericks’ nonconference series with Bemidji State slated for Nov. 27-28 in Mankato, Minn., has been postponed. No makeup date has been announced.
The directors of the NEHC have come to the difficult decision to cancel the league’s regular-season schedule and 2021 NEHC championship tournament – for both the men and women – due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The conference had previously announced the postponement of the 2020 portion of this season’s schedule in July.
Member institutions – Babson, Castleton, Hobart, Johnson & Wales, UMass Boston, New England College, Norwich, Skidmore, Southern Maine, Suffolk (men) and Castleton, Johnson & Wales, UMass Boston, New England College, Norwich, Plymouth State, Salem State, Southern Maine, and Suffolk (women) – will have autonomy to schedule competition based on institutional policy coupled with local and state health guidelines.
“The NEHC had remained optimistic that a season could safely take place this winter,” reads a statement. “However, with a surge in cases both nationally and regionally, state-to-state travel amongst the membership has proved insurmountable. The NEHC membership hails from six different states that each have a variety of travel restrictions in place as it pertains to crossing state lines during the pandemic.”
Individual institutions may make announcements regarding competition for their hockey programs this winter.
The conference will continue to monitor the latest data and health guidelines as it pertains to COVID-19 and provide additional updates as appropriate.
North Dakota is hoping celebrations like this one from 2019-20 become the norm in 2020-21 (photo: Russell Hons).
With 30 first-place votes, North Dakota is again the No. 1 team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
Boston College earned three first-place nods and sits second this week, followed by Minnesota Duluth.
Fourth-ranked Michigan picked up six first-place votes, while Denver is fifth and Minnesota State sixth, with the Mavericks garnering the other first-place vote.
College Hockey America announced Monday that the six members will complete a first-half schedule of at least four league games, to be completed over the next three weekends.
Following RIT’s announcement that the Tigers were reinstating their hockey programs, the league and its members pulled together to build a first-half schedule that included all six teams and allowed for as many games as possible.
“Today’s announcement is a culmination of months of planning and discussion and we are thrilled that we can have our six members return to action over the next couple of weeks”, said AHA commissioner Robert DeGregorio in a statement. “We found a way to get some games in the first half while still focusing on player health and safety.”
To do this efficiently and to navigate testing requirements, the first two weekends of December will see the same teams play each other with two games at home and two games on the road.
The matchups for those two weekends are Mercyhurst vs. RIT, Lindenwood vs. Robert Morris, and Syracuse vs. Penn State. All games are subject to change and we encourage all fans to look at the respective schools’ websites to confirm the games are still going on as planned.
The CHA directors did open the weekend following Thanksgiving for league competition and we will see two series. Syracuse, who opened the 2020-21 season this past weekend against non-conference foe Colgate, will play two games against RIT. Lindenwood will also travel to Penn State for a two-game set before playing at Robert Morris next week.
The second-half schedule will be finalized in the coming weeks and announced at a later date.
St. Lawrence’s Appleton Arena will not see hockey for at least several weeks (photo: Tara Freeman).
The St. Lawrence men’s hockey season opener with Clarkson, originally scheduled for December 5, has been postponed.
The Saints’ games against Clarkson scheduled for December 12, 16 and 19, have also been postponed. It is uncertain if the games will be made up at this time.
The evolving COVID-19 situation on campus and locally may lead to further changes in the schedule, including the possibility of adding games to the schedule.
Details will be released as they become available.
Notre Dame, in accordance with campus health and safety protocols and with the guidance of local health officials, will limit attendance at the beginning of the winter seasons to only guests of student-athletes and coaches of competing teams at this year’s men’s and women’s basketball and hockey games.
Those in attendance will be required to adhere to campus policies to protect the local community (i.e. wearing a mask, practicing physical distancing, etc.).
According to a Notre Dame news release, “as the seasons progress, the university, the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big Ten will continue to monitor the conditions and evaluate the possibility of welcoming additional audiences. If Notre Dame decides to extend invitations beyond the campus community, season ticket members will receive priority to purchase single game tickets.”
The WCHA announced Monday that the Dec. 2 WCHA season-opening game between Northern Michigan and Lake Superior State has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Northern Michigan hockey program.
Additionally, NMU announced Monday it is cancelling its first five non-conference games of the 2020-21 season due to the positive tests.
In addition to the Dec. 2 postponement, NMU’s home nonconference game versus Lake Superior State on Nov. 25, its home-and-home nonconference series with Michigan Tech on Nov. 27-28 and a home nonconference series with Bemidji State on Dec. 4-5 have been cancelled.
A decision on the new date for the WCHA game will be announced by the league office in the coming weeks.
Hockey East announced Monday the following schedule updates:
The men’s teams at Boston College and Massachusetts are now scheduled to play a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday, November 27-28. Friday’s game from Conte Forum will be shown live on NESN at 6:00 p.m. while Saturday’s contest will air on NESN+ beginning at 4:30 p.m.
The women’s programs at Boston College and Providence are now scheduled to play a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday, November 27-28. Friday’s game from Conte Forum will be shown live on NESN at 2:00 p.m.
The women’s game between Holy Cross and New Hampshire on Saturday, November 28 will now be played at 6:00 p.m. and shown on NESN.
The men’s series between Maine and UConn will now be played on Saturday, November 28 and Sunday, November 29. Times will be announced at a later date.
The men’s series between Boston College and New Hampshire remains scheduled for February 5-6.
The men’s series between Boston College and Providence remains scheduled for February 19-20.
The women’s series between Providence and Northeastern remains scheduled for February 19-20.
Rescheduled games for all contests involving Vermont men’s and women’s programs will be announced at a later date.
(5) Ohio State 0, (4) Minnesota 4 (5) Ohio State 2, (4) Minnesota 1
On Saturday, Grace Zumwinkle scored 28 seconds into the game and the Gophers did not look back en route to a 4-0 win to open the season. Josey Dunne scored her first goal at Minnesota in the second to double the lead. Zumwinkle potted her second of the game with about five minutes to go and Taylor Wente added an empty-netter to seal the game for the Gophers. Lauren Bench had 36 saves and earned the shutout in her first game at Minnesota.
In game two, all the game’s tallies came in the opening ten minutes. Once again, it was Zumwinkle early as she put the Gophers on the board 3:01 into the game. But Ohio State quickly responded with a goal from Liz Schepers just 21 seconds later to tie it up. Tatum Skaggs scored the game-winner a few minutes later and the Buckeyes held on to earn the win and a weekend split.
(8) Minnesota Duluth 5, Minnesota State 0 (8) Minnesota Duluth 7, Minnesota State 3
Five different Bulldogs scored to lead UMD to an opening night win to start the season. Taylor Anderson opened the scoring and Naomi Rogge, returning to the ice after missing last season to injury, doubled the score midway through the period. Anna Klein scored a short-handed tally with less than four minutes to go in the first to give Minnesota Duluth a 3-0 lead heading into the locker rooms. Ashton Bell and Clara Van Wieren scored power play goals to give UMD the 5-0 win. Emma Soderberg earned her first career shutout and stopped all six Maverick power plays in the win.
On Saturday, the game was close until midway through the second period, when UMD began to pull away. Anna Klein had the Bulldogs up 1-0 after the first period, but in the second, Kennedy Bobyck scored on the power play to tie the game for Minnesota State. Anneke Linser scored short-handed to put the Bulldogs ahead 2-1, but Madison Oelkers’ extra attacker goal tied it and a few minutes later, Kelsey King scored to put the Mavericks up 3-2. Fourteen seconds later, Kylie Hanley tied it at 3. Van Wieren potted the game-winner just before the second period break. In the third, Minnesota Duluth secured the win thanks to second goals from Hanley, Linser and Klein to earn the 7-3 win and weekend sweep.
Maine 2, Holy Cross 1 Maine 2, Holy Cross 3
Ida Kuoppala picked up where she left off, leading scoring for Maine to give them the lead midway through the first on Friday. Morgan Sadler doubled the Black Bears’ lead 17 seconds before the first buzzer and that would prove to be enough to earn the win. Bryn Saarela got Holy Cross on the board in the third, but it wasn’t enough as Maine won 2-1.
With a 3-2 sin on Saturday, Holy Cross women’s hockey team tallied the first victory for any athlete at the university in more than eight months. The Crusaders’ third line of Sommer Ross, Carly Beniek and Lilly Feeney notched six of the team’s seven points for the day. Ross opened the scoring before the first horn to put Holy Cross 1-0. Kuoppala scored a short-handed goal early in the second to tie it up. Beniek opened up a 2-1 lead :32 seconds into the third and Ross tallied her second with less than two minutes to go. Kuoppala scored on the empty net with seconds left, but Maine couldn’t mount the comeback and Holy Cross won to earn the weekend split.
Boston College 6, New Hampshire 2 New Hampshire 1, Boston College 4
Ten different Eagles tallied points on Friday’s win for Boston College. Freshman Gaby Roy scored four goals in her college hockey debut to pace BC and Savannah Norcross added three assists. Willow Corson, and Jillian Fey were the other goal scorers for the Eagles. Brianna Brooks and Jada Christian scored for New Hampshire in the 6-2 loss.
In game two, it was a busy first period as Norcross and Fry scored to make it 2-0 at the midway point before Tamara Thierus responded for the Wildcats. But Hannah Bilka’s short-handed tally just before intermission doubled the lead once again and Kelly Browne’s goal in the third ensure a 4-1 win and weekend sweep for Boston College.
Colgate 3, Syracuse 2 (OT) Syracuse 1, Colgate 3
On Friday, Syracuse carried a two-goal lead well into the third period thanks to two opening frame goals from Rayla Clemons. But Colgate responded with two goals after the midway mark with goals from Maggie MacEachern and Malia Schneider to force overtime where Sydney Bard ended it just 19 seconds in to give the Raiders a 3-2 win.
In the second game, Eleri MacKay put the Raiders up 1-0 in the opening two minutes. Kristen Siermachesky responded shortly thereafter to knot it up at 1. It stayed close until the later part of the third period, where once again Colgate found another level and was able to pot two to earn the 3-1 win and weekend sweep. MacKay and Rosalie Demers were the goal-scorers.
Connecticut 2, Providence 6 Providence 1, Connecticut 1 (UConn won the shootout 2-0)
UConn got on the board first thanks to a power play goal from Savannah Bouzide. Brooke Becker responded for Providence with her own extra attacker tally to tie the game at 1. Caroline Peterson scored just before the horn to give the Friars a 2-1 lead heading into the second. Lauren DeBlois’ power play goal extended the lead in the second and Annelise Rice and Sara Hjalmarsson made it 5-1 early in the third. Danika Pasqua got one back for the Huskies, but Hayley Lunny quickly responded to make it a 6-2 win for Providence.
On Saturday, Maddy Coene put Providence up 1-0 and Bouzide responded with a power play goal in the final minute of the first to tie. That would be all the scoring until the shootout. It was Bouzide again that put UConn ahead and Natalie Snodgrass the scored to seal the win while Tia Chan stopped both Friar attempts to give the Huskies the additional shootout point.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the games and news of the week, including Michigan’s strong start, the NCHC pod arrangements, and the large number of postponed games thus far.
Plus how will the cancellation of eight teams’ seasons affect ECAC Hockey in the future?
Miami and Minnesota Duluth battle during a 2019-20 series in Oxford, Ohio (photo: Jeff Sabo/Miami University).
It seems surreal.
The last time I sat down at my computer to do a story on the NCHC, I had interviewed Denver coach David Carle about the abrupt end to the college hockey season.
Carle, in a statement that seems prescient, said, “I think the lesson to be learned, or one of the many, is life’s a fragile thing. Our game is fragile, and it can be taken from you at any moment.”
It seems almost innocent, in a way. That story ran on March 23. According to the Centers for Disease Control reports, on March 21, 573 U.S. citizens had died of COVID-19. As I sit to type this preview, over 252,000 Americans have now died of COVID-19, and it’s only getting worse. The U.S. just reported its highest ever infections in a day, at 185,000.
So, all I can think is, are we really going to do this? Is hockey really that important? What will it take for people to realize what we are up against? Will it take the death of a player? A coach? A referee? A support person?
I’ve seen what COVID-19 can do, even to previously healthy people. I’ve been personally affected, as a family member died of it. I had a friend spend a month in the hospital due to COVID-19, with two weeks of that time spent in the ICU, intubated and on a ventilator.
Every now and then, I go online to a few sites to see the latest on how many healthcare workers have died of COVID-19.
And I read what we are up against in healthcare, the patients who refuse to believe what is happening to them, even as they are dying. I read about the nurses working to promote flattening the curve who are being stalked and threatened by people who refuse to believe that COVID-19 is lethal. Their families are also being threatened.
It’s interesting to think about the COVID-19 pandemic in the context of 1918 Spanish flu pandemic. Many people don’t realize that the disease didn’t originate in Spain, despite its name. That strain of H1N1 actually crossed into humans in the American Midwest, likely in Kansas. With the U.S. sending soldiers overseas, and those soldiers being in close quarters and experiencing malnourishment, the disease quickly spread. It got the name the Spanish flu because Spain wasn’t a participant in World War I, and as such its media wasn’t being censored to maintain morale, so the first consistent reports of death were published in Spain.
The deadliest time for that pandemic was October 1918. The second wave officially began in August. A parade held in Philadelphia on Sept. 28, 1918, became the biggest super-spreader event, with an estimated 12,000 people dying solely because of those who attended the parade.
Now we are seeing the spikes here for the novel coronavirus, and we are seeing COVID-19 mortality increasing at exponential rates. So, sitting down to write a preview for a college hockey season, even for a league I love, just seems off. The Ivies have canceled, as have a couple of other ECAC schools. Will someone get deathly ill as a result of hockey being played?
It’s entirely possible it will happen.
Colorado College has had to shut down hockey activities for 14 days as a player has tested positive for COVID-19. U.S. Women’s Soccer star Lindsey Horan just tested positive and had to leave the team ahead of its friendly with the Netherlands. Three New York Giants players just tested positive.
The city of Denver is currently at level red, which prohibits all indoor gatherings. If the school decides to go to virtual classes, they might cancel athletics. And last week, the state of North Dakota recorded the highest mortality rate from COVID-19 in the entire world.
People still seem resistant to do what is necessary to stop the virus, or at least slow its spread. Last spring, a friend and I were talking about it during a break, and he encapsulated the resistance to masks and social distancing by saying, “The thing zombie movies got wrong is they didn’t realize there would be a substantial number of people demanding their constitutional right to be eaten by zombies.”
I truly hope that this doesn’t lead to someone dying, but the thing is, this disease seems to be unpredictable, and while it doesn’t hit most people that hard, there is still a large minority that experiences severe complications. Even with the vaccine news, it will take time to get things under control.
So let’s keep our fingers crossed that this goes well.
— Candace Horgan
League play starts in Omaha ‘pod’
The NCHC has won the last four national championships.
Prior to the end of the season due to COVID-19, three NCHC teams were among the favorites to capture the 2020 title, with North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth and Denver all in fine form. Whether the NCHC can continue its recent national championship run remains to be seen, but they certainly will be in the mix.
The season will begin with league play with a series of “pod” games on Dec. 1 in Omaha. The league is divided into an East pod (Miami, Western Michigan, Minnesota Duluth, and St. Cloud State) and a West pod (Colorado College, Denver, North Dakota, Omaha). This is a creative approach to try to keep the teams from contracting COVID-19.
Each team will play six games against their division opponents over the season. In pod play, each team will play a total of 10 games spaced over three weeks. The second half of the league will consist of home and away games against every team in the league, for a total of eight home games and eight away games. The season will have each team playing six games against pod opponents and two games against each cross-divisional pod team.
The schedule for the pod games was recently announced. Two games will take place on most weekdays Tuesday through Friday, with game times at 3:35 p.m. and 7:35 p.m. CDT, while weekends will consist of triple-headers with games starting at 12:05 p.m., 4:05 p.m. and 8:05 p.m.
When the concept was announced, NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton said, “Throughout the past eight months, we have learned to adjust and think creatively about how we live our personal and professional lives. I’m proud of our membership for their entrepreneurial spirit to build a concept grounded in health and safety that we believe gives a group of deserving student-athletes the best opportunity to conduct a successful season.”
Medical support and COVID-19 testing will be conducted by the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.
NCHC TEAM CAPSULES
Matt Vernon begins the 2020-21 season as Colorado College’s No. 1 goalie (photo: Casey B. Gibson).
COLORADO COLLEGE Head coach: Mike Haviland (seventh season) 2019-20 overall record: 11-20-3 (4-17-3 NCHC, eighth) Key returning players: Junior forward Ben Copeland (4-14-18), junior forward Grant Cruikshank (11-6-17), junior defenseman Bryan Yoon (1-16-17), sophomore goaltender Matt Vernon (8-16-3, 3.42 GAA, .901 SV%) Key losses: Chris Wilkie (23-8-31), Nick Halloran (12-18-30), Alex Berardinelli (4-13-17)
Key additions: Forward Ray Christy (Sioux City Musketeers), forward Jackson Jutting (Cedar Rapids Roughriders), defenseman Hugo Blixt (Boston University), forward Brian Hawkinson (Miami) 2020-21 predictions: You might look at CC’s record last year and think they were terrible, but until the midway point of the season, the Tigers were having a solid year. However, a sweep by Denver to close the first half of the season seemed to affect their confidence, and the Tigers only won five of their last 20 games.
CC’s biggest challenge this season will be replacing the scoring of Chris Wilkie and Nick Halloran. The Tigers scored 86 goals last year, and those two players figured in the lion’s share of the points.
The Tigers will look to get more scoring from Ben Copeland and captain Grant Cruikshank. Another bright spot is junior defenseman Bryan Yoon, who has been a stabilizing influence on the back line.
Sophomore goalie Matt Vernon will need to improve his play too if CC is to contend again and escape the NCHC cellar.
CC is a young team, with 12 freshmen on the roster. The Tigers also added two transfers, defenseman Hugo Blixt (Boston University) and forward Brian Hawkinson (Miami), who should see regular playing time.
Bobby Brink should be an offensive catalyst this season for Denver (photo: Nick Monaghan/DU Athletics).
DENVER Head coach: David Carle (third season) 2019-20 overall record: 21-9-6 (11-8-5 NCHC, third) Key returning players: Junior forward Cole Guttman (14-14-28), junior forward Brett Stapley (5-25-30), sophomore forward Bobby Brink (11-13-24), sophomore goaltender Magnus Chrona (16-6-4, 2.14 GAA, .920 SV%) Key losses: Emilio Pettersen (13-22-35), Ian Mitchell (10-22-32), Liam Finlay (5-23-28), goaltender Devin Cooley (4-3-2, 2.08 GAA, .908 SV%) Key additions: Defenseman Mike Benning (Sherwood Park, AJHL), forward Carter Savoie (Sherwood Park, AJHL), defenseman Bo Hanson (St. Lawrence), goaltender Corbin Kaczperski (Yale) 2020-21 predictions: Last season was an interesting one for the Pioneers, who started 8-0. The team could best be characterized as one that beat the teams they should, but usually fell to teams higher than them. They were 11-8-5 in league play, and the Pioneers went 0-6-2 against the league’s top two teams, North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth.
The off season saw Denver lose two of its best players, as forward Emilio Pettersen and defenseman (and captain) Ian Mitchell both signed NHL contracts. Those two were the team’s leading scorers last year. Also departing was goaltender Devin Cooley.
Despite those losses, Denver returns a lot of power. Forwards Cole Guttman, Brett Stapley, and Bobby Brink will be looked to for a lot of firepower. Incoming freshman Carter Savoie, a fourth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2020 NHL draft, will also be looked to early for points.
Defensively, Denver will hope that incoming freshman Mike Benning, a fourth-round pick of the Florida Panthers in the 2020 NHL draft, will bring the same level of intensity and play of Mitchell. Denver also just announced that they have graduate transfer Corbin Kaczperski, a goaltender who posted a 2.77 GAA with Yale last season.
Denver was ranked fourth in the preseason USCHO.com poll, and the Pioneers should battle all season long with Minnesota Duluth for second place in the conference.
Candace’s prediction: second Matt’s prediction: third
Ryan Savage scored seven goals and dished out another seven assists during the 2019-20 season (photo: Miami Athletics).
MIAMI Head coach: Chris Bergeron, entering his second season at Miami 2019-20 overall record: 8-21-5 (5-16-3-2 NCHC, seventh) Key returning players: Senior forward Casey Gilling (9-22-31), sophomore forward Ryan Savage (7-7-14), junior defenseman Derek Daschke (10-13-23), sophomore goaltender Ben Kraws (1-7-2, 4.12 GAA, .871 SV%) Key losses: Forward Gordie Green (14-22-36), forward Karch Bachman (10-21-31), goaltender Ryan Larkin (7-12-2, 3.47 GAA, .901 SV%) Key additions: Forward Joe Cassetti (Merrimack and Waterloo, USHL), defenseman Hampus Rydqvist (Maryland, NAHL), goaltender Ludvig Persson (Lone Star, NAHL) 2020-21 predictions: With a first-year coach at the helm, Miami wasn’t expected to set the college hockey world alight last season. Some predictions turn out to be accurate; the RedHawks won one of their first five games and went on to finish seventh in the league, just like they did in 2019-20.
Miami still made a good decision in hiring Bergeron, though, a MU alum who helped Bowling Green snap a nearly three-decade NCAA tournament drought two years ago. This could be another tough season for the RedHawks, though, who graduated their top two point-producers from last year and a starting goaltender who made 120 appearances in net over his four seasons in Oxford, Ohio.
Gilling is Miami’s top returning scorer but is also a good setup man, and Cassetti’s background as a National Team Development Program product and former Merrimack player makes him another one to watch. Also, keep an eye on who’s between the pipes, as Kraws looks to stave off Persson, who was 22-4 last season in juniors with a .934 save percentage.
Minnesota Duluth’s Noah Cates celebrates one of his 14 goals last season (photo: Terry Cartie Norton).
MINNESOTA DULUTH Head coach: Scott Sandelin (21st season) 2019-20 overall record: 22-10-2 (17-5-2 NCHC, second) Key returning players: Junior forward Cole Koepke (16-17-33), junior forward Noah Cates (14-19-33), senior forward Nick Swaney (12-14-26), junior forward Jackson Cates (8-15-23) Key losses: Defenseman Scott Perunovich (6-34-40), defenseman Dylan Samberg (1-20-21), forward Justin Richards (14-11-25), goaltender Hunter Shepard (22-10-2, 2.18 GAA, .918 SV%) Key additions: Defenseman Wyatt Kaiser (Andover, USHS), defenseman Blake Biondi (Hermantown, USHS), defenseman Connor Kelly (U.S. National Development Team) 2020-21 predictions: While several other teams lost important players to early departure, perhaps none was hit harder than Minnesota Duluth, as defenseman Scott Perunovich, the team’s leading scorer the last few seasons and a dynamic presence on the blue line, signed an NHL contract. Also departing early was defenseman Dylan Samberg, a potent force on the back line. The Bulldogs also lost goaltender Hunter Shepard to graduation. Shepard was a force in the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national titles.
Given that Minnesota Duluth won its national championships with an impenetrable defense and timely scoring, the loss of the three players who were the key to that defense will be the most difficult part of Minnesota Duluth’s season this year. Also gone is defenseman Nick Wolff, who graduated.
However, coach Scott Sandelin is known for having a deep bench. Back are forwards Cole Koepke, Noah Cates, and Nick Swaney, who were among the top scorers on the team last year. Freshman Blake Biondi, a fourth-round selection of the Montreal Canadians in the June draft, will also bring some scoring power.
Louie Roehl will be looked to on the blue line at the start of the year. Freshman Wyatt Kaiser, who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the third round in June, will be looked to early to bring some of what was lost by Perunovich’s departure.
One thing we know about Sandelin is he knows how to get his team in playoff form. The Bulldogs will again be in the mix for the NCAA championship this season.
Candace’s prediction: third Matt’s prediction: second
Jordan Kawaguchi is back for his senior season with North Dakota (photo: Russell Hons).
NORTH DAKOTA Head coach: Brad Berry, entering his sixth season at North Dakota 2019-20 overall record: 26-5-4 (17-4-3-2 NCHC, first) Key returning players: Senior forward Jordan Kawaguchi (15-30-45), sophomore forward Shane Pinto (16-12-28), senior defenseman Matt Kiersted (6-23-29), junior defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker (7-18-25), junior goaltender Adam Scheel (19-4-2, 2.07 GAA, .904 SV%), senior goaltender Peter Thome (7-1-2, 1.37 GAA, .935 SV%) Key losses: Forward Westin Michaud (16-12-28), forward Cole Smith (11-7-18), defenseman Colton Poolman (4-13-17) Key additions: Forward Riese Gaber (Dubuque, USHL), forward Griffin Ness (Waterloo, USHL), defenseman Jake Sanderson (NDTP), defenseman Tyler Kleven (NDTP) 2020-21 predictions: Remember when North Dakota missed out on the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row in 2019? How long ago does that feel now?
Fresh off their best season since 2015-16, when the Fighting Hawks won the national title in Berry’s first season in charge, UND enters this season looking to win a ninth championship, which may have arrived last season if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
UND returns a Hobey Baker Award finalist in Kawaguchi, and six of the Hawks’ top seven point-producers from last season are back. Berry’s bunch is strong between the pipes, too. Scheel got most of the game time last season, but Thome’s goals-against average would’ve ranked second in the country if he hadn’t just fallen below the minimum for minutes played.
There’s also much to like about UND’s newcomers. Take a look at this year’s NHL draft, for instance: Ottawa took Sanderson fifth and then grabbed Kleven, a prep product of Fargo (N.D.) Davies, in the second round.
We had predicted UND to be in the middle of the NCHC pack last season. This time, not so much.
Candace’s prediction: first Matt’s prediction: first
Omaha goalie Isaiah Saville won 10 games as a freshman last season for the Mavericks (photo: Omaha Athletics).
OMAHA Head coach: Mike Gabinet (fourth season) 2019-20 overall record: 14-17-5 (8-13-3-0 NCHC, sixth) Key returning players: Junior forward Taylor Ward (16-11-27), senior forward Kevin Conley (12-15-27), sophomore defenseman Brandon Scanlin (3-11-14), sophomore goaltender Isaiah Saville (10-11-4, 2.85 GAA, .907 SV%) Key losses: Forward Teemu Pulkkinen (7-11-18), forward Zach Jordan (12-4-16), defenseman Dean Stewart (2-10-12) Key additions: Forward Brock Bremer (Lincoln, USHL), forward Jack Randl (Michigan and Omaha, USHL), defenseman Jonny Tychonick (North Dakota transfer) 2020-21 predictions: Omaha was five wins better last season than the Mavericks were in 2018-19, when they started 0-6-1 and struggled to recover.
Don’t be surprised if UNO is even better this time, as the Mavs return their top five scorers from last season plus a promising goaltender in Saville, taken by Vegas in the 2019 NHL Draft.
Ward will be a focal point again, UNO’s top scorer last season who is two years removed from his NCHC rookie-of-the-year season. Two newcomers with prior college hockey experience will help too, and Tychonick could provide an offensive boost at the blue line for a UNO team whose top 10 point-producers last season were all forwards.
Might this season’s Mavericks better the .500 mark that UNO set in Gabinet’s first campaign in charge? Absolutely, and getting their first dozen games at home ought to help.
Sam Hentges (19) went for seven goals and 24 points in 2019-20 for St. Cloud State (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
ST. CLOUD STATE Head coach: Brett Larson (third season) 2019-20 overall record: 13-15-6 (10-12-2 NCHC, fifth) Key returning players: Senior forward Easton Brodzinski (12-15-27), senior goaltender Dávid Hrenák (12-11-6, 2.76 GAA, .906 SV%), junior forward Sam Hentges (7-17-24), junior forward Micah Miller (7-11-18) Key losses: Forward Nick Poehling, defenseman Jack Ahcan, forward Jack Poehling Key additions: Forward Veeti Miettinen (Kiekko-Espoo, Finland), forward Jack Johnston (Fairbanks Ice Dogs, NAHL) 2020-21 predictions: If a team had cause to feel frustrated when COVID-19 ended the season in March, it might have been St. Cloud, as the Huskies had rebounded from a poor first half to play strong in the second half, including a home sweep of Minnesota Duluth, a win over then-No. 2 Minnesota State, and wins over North Dakota and Denver in the final weeks of the season. The Huskies looked to be a dangerous team to face in the playoffs.
Much of that team is back, including starting goaltender Dávid Hrenák, now a senior, who posted a .906 save percentage and 2.76 goals-against average. Also back is leading scorer Easton Brodzinski, who had 27 points last season.
The team did lose some important players, including forwards Nick and Jack Poehling, who were second and fifth on the team in scoring. Potentially making up for that scoring will be rookies Veeti Miettinen and Jack Johnston. Miettinen was drafted in the sixth round by the Toronto Maple Leafs; he had 73 points last year for the U20 team while nabbing second team honors. Johnston was team captain last year for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the NAHL and finished with 45 points.
The challenge will be replacing defenseman Jack Ahcan, a potent two-way player who was one of the anchors of the power play.
Senior Paul Washe will serve as Western Michigan’s captain for the 2020-21 season (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
WESTERN MICHIGAN Head coach: Andy Murray, entering his 10th season at Western Michigan 2019-20 overall record: 18-13-5 (12-9-3-2 NCHC, fourth) Key returning players: Senior forward Paul Washe (12-9-21), senior forward Ethen Frank (9-11-20), sophomore goaltender Brandon Bussi (18-12-4, 2.65 GAA, .910 SV%) Key losses: Forward Hugh McGing (13-22-35), forward Dawson DiPietro (12-17-29), forward Austin Rueschhoff (12-14-26) Key additions: Forward Ty Glover (Lincoln, USHL), defenseman Aidan Fulp (Dubuque, USHL), defenseman Cédric Fiedler (Fargo, USHL) 2020-21 predictions: Murray’s 10th season behind the bench in Kalamazoo starts with a team that is less proven out of the box than others.
The Broncos’ four top point-producers from last season are gone, including an early departure in Rueschhoff, who signed in March with the New York Rangers. Washe, Frank and junior forward Cole Gallant will be relied upon again, although all three of them reached the 20-point plateau last season.
Bussi was very good last season in earning NCHC all-rookie team honors, and he beat out two seniors to grab the starting job. There’s another senior teammate to contend with this season in Austin Cain, but Bussi gained plenty of momentum as a freshman. No surprise; a year earlier, he won 33 games and had a .915 save percentage for Muskegon in the USHL.
Western might have a tough road to hoe if the Broncos are to return to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, but ending that hiatus this season certainly isn’t beyond comprehension.
North Dakota’s Matt Kiersted defends against Denver during a game in 2019-20 (photo: Russell Hons).
After hoisting the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions in 2019-20, North Dakota has been selected to do the same in 2020-21, as the Fighting Hawks topped the 2020 NCHC preseason media poll released Monday.
North Dakota received 27 of a possible 28 first-place votes, totaling 223 points to sit first in the poll.
NCHC PRESEASON MEDIA POLL
1. North Dakota – 223 points (27 first-place votes)
2. Denver – 185 (1)
3. Minnesota Duluth – 173
4. St. Cloud State – 126
5. Western Michigan -116
6. Omaha – 96
7. Colorado College – 45
8. Miami – 44
Monday’s scheduled Minnesota State-Bemidji State nonconference game has been postponed due to positive COVID-19 tests within the Minnesota State program.
No make-up date for today’s game has been announced.
Minnesota State released the following statement this morning regarding the postponement:
“Minnesota State Maverick Athletic Department officials have announced that COVID-19 testing of its men’s hockey personnel has resulted in positive results that will not allow the series with Bemidji State University to be completed this afternoon. A complement of tests guided by NCAA Sports Science Institute, Minnesota Department of Health, and Western Collegiate Hockey Association Return to Competition protocols that were administered prior to Sunday’s contest between the two teams had produced no positive results prior to game time.
Monday’s match-up is postponed indefinitely and immediate future competition involving the fourth-ranked Maverick men’s hockey team is pending outcomes related to full contact tracing yet to be completed. Data privacy precludes further comment on the issue and any additional updates or adjustments to the schedule will be made at a later time.”
The Quinnipiac men’s hockey has paused team activities due to two confirmed positive cases COVID-19 among the team’s student-athletes.
“The health and safety of the Quinnipiac community remains paramount as Quinnipiac Athletics continues to follow university, local, state and national guidelines in response to the global pandemic,” reads a school press release.
With that, the team has announced changes to its 2020-21 schedule.
The 2020-21 season opener against AIC at the People’s United Center scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 24, has been postponed and rescheduled for Saturday, December 26.
In addition, non-conference games for the Bobcats against LIU (Nov. 27) and Clarkson (Nov. 29) have been canceled.
It’s been a frantic past several weeks in ECAC Hockey, as eight of league’s twelve teams cancelled their seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there’s still a lot of uncertainty ahead, the league returning to play in even a limited capacity can hopefully provide a sense of normalcy over the coming months. Here’s a look at today’s opener and be sure to check back later this month for a full conference preview.
Clarkson at Colgate, 4 p.m. (non-conference)
The Golden Knights graduated starting goalie Frank Marotte and their top two scorers, but still have a steady defensive group and one of the league’s top two-way players in Josh Dunne. Colgate graduated its top two scorers as well, but returns goalies Andrew Ferrier and Mitch Benson. In a game that will likely be anything but crisp, I think Clarkson should be able to generate just enough offense to head home with a win. Clarkson 2, Colgate 1
Connecticut goaltender Tomas Vomacka stopped 34 of 36 shots and earned a 2-2 tie against No. 7 Massachusetts. The Huskies won a shootout that will only have impact if this game needs to be substituted for a league game canceled by COVID later this season (photo: UConn Athletic Communication)
Connecticut erased a 2-0 deficit with third-period goals by Vladislav Firstov and Brian Regali as the Huskies forced a 2-2 tie against the seventh-ranked Minutemen.
UConn won a shootout, which wouldn’t typically be conducted in a what is considered a non-league game, but could be used in the Hockey East standings if a game or games against UMass later in the season are compromised by COVID-19.
Here is Kale Howarth to win the very first #HEA shootout against UMass
The series itself this weekend, with the opening game won 5-1 by UMass on Friday, wasn’t scheduled until Thursday when Maine’s series against UMass and Vermont’s two-game slate against Connecticut were both canceled because of government regulations surrounding COVID-19.
UMass jumped to a quick 2-0 lead in the opening period on goals by Matthew Kessel and Philip Lagunov. Neither team scored in the middle stanza despite both placing 13 shots on goal.
Tomas Vomacka finished the game with 34 saves for UConn while Filip Lindberg made 35 saves for the Minutemen.
Lake Superior 0, Michigan Tech 0 (F/SHO)
In the rarest of occurrences, Michigan Tech’s Mark Sinclair stopped 21 shots and Lake Superior’s Marek Mitens made 28 saves as the two clubs skated to a scoreless tie on Saturday.
Lakers and Huskies Skate to a 0-0 Tie in the First Game of the 20-21 Season https://t.co/wc9yG87e9E
Lake Superior’s Ashton Calder’s goal in the third round of a shootout was the difference maker should the game be needed as a league game later in the season. That would only happen should a latter game between these two games be canceled due to COVID.
Robert Morris 5, Alabama Huntsville 2
Host Robert Morris scored five times in the third period to erase a 1-0 deficit through 40 and earns 5-2 non-conference win over Alabama Huntsville.
UAH’s Bauer Neudecker scored the only goal through the first two periods, burying a power play tally 2:25 into the game.
But Robert Morris scored early and often in the third, as Jordan Timmons tied the game at 2:48 and Nick Jenny have the Colonials the lead at 6:00. Timmons added a second goal with 3:29 left to finish the game with two goals and an assist.
Hockey East announced Saturday that the men’s game between New Hampshire and Boston College originally scheduled for today (Nov. 21) has been postponed to a later date.
A new date for the rescheduled series will be announced in the coming days.
Hey there WCHA hockey fans, we finally made it to another season. This will be a year like no other, and not just because of the global pandemic. This will be the final season of the WCHA as we know it, as seven schools have banded together to move on next season to a new iteration of the CCHA. That’s not all, Alaska-Anchorage, who had originally announced that 2020-21 would be their last season in NCAA hockey, announced recently that they would forgo the season.
Jack and I had a good competition a year ago once I came on board. We will see what this year holds as we go. For now, we are both 0-0-0, so let’s get after it.
Michigan Tech at Lake Superior State
Daver: Last season, the Lakers showed signs of improvement at points, but a rough start led to a tough finish for them in the overall standings. This season, they are not opening with giants of the hockey world, but are instead facing head coach Damon Whitten’s former squad, the Michigan Tech Huskies.
There is plenty of reason for optimism for head coach Joe Shawhan with a lineup that includes transfer goaltender Mark Sinclair and recent Arizona Coyotes draft pick Carson Bantle. The question for the Huskies isn’t can they get there, but rather how quickly can they get there.
Jack: This is a sneaky underrated series. It’s not technically a conference game due to the weird schedule, but these teams were close last season and I think this is a likely split.
Daver: New head coach Lance West had a tall task in front of him when he took over a Chargers squad that was coming off the brink of losing their hockey program. Losing a starting goalie like Sinclair does not help. Losing sophomore Josh Latta, who scored seven goals and 18 points to lead the team last year made things even worse.
The Colonials feature senior forward Nick Prkusic, who scored 28 points last year to lead the team. The Chargers will be one of two WCHA opponents the Colonials will face this season.
Jack: Like Lazarus, the Chargers’ program rose from the dead to come back this season. Hopefully they’re here to stay. I’d like to think their players are going to be fired-up to be back on the ice this winter, so I’ll call it a sweep
Daver: The Mavericks, who were picked to win the WCHA regular season title again this season, feature a strong crop of incoming talent including freshman defenseman Akito Hirose. However, they will only get as far as junior goaltender Dryden McKay can carry them, which will likely be deep, given that he remains among the top goaltenders in the country.
The Beavers were ranked second to the Mavericks in both the media and coaches’ polls this season, and that makes good sense given how much respect players and coaches have for junior forward Owen Sillinger who earned WCHA Offensive Player of the Week honors three times last season while racking up 14 goals and 34 points, both career highs. He also racked up two five-game point streaks along the way.
Jack: The two best teams in the league last season get to face one another right off the bat this season. The Mavs went 3-2 against the Beavers last season and the two had a sixth potential meeting wiped out by COVID. I expect this will be another hard-fought split.
Daver: While Adrian continues to be one of the top programs in Division III, I just do not think they are quite ready to take that next step against a very good Falcons squad that looks to compete for a WCHA title this season.
Jack: I’ll be honest: When these teams played last weekend in Bowling Green, I thought it was an exhibition game. As it turns out, I was wrong: The teams agreed to play a real, live home-and-home series that counts. No third-string goalies or untested freshmen here. I love that these teams are playing, though. Division III Adrian is only about an hour from BG and Adrian’s conference (the NCHA) decided not to play until 2021. The Bulldogs needed some opponents so the Falcons agreed to come and play them. BG won 6-2 last week, and although the Bulldogs have a strong squad, I expect another Falcon victory.
Daver: A strange mid-week game for both teams, but one thing is for certain, the Wildcats will be ready to go, no matter what day of the week it is. The Lakers will have little time to prepare for this one coming off a likely hard-fought series against Michigan Tech over the weekend.
Jack: One thing about these COVID-19 influenced schedules that are going to be weird for us in the Midwest: A lot more midweek games are on the schedule, and I am guessing cancelations will force a whole ton more. The Lakers have to play three rivalry games in a row, so they will have some momentum. I’m picking them for the win.
It’s been a frantic past several weeks in ECAC Hockey, as eight of league’s twelve teams cancelled their seasons due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While there’s still a lot of uncertainty ahead, the league returning to play in even a limited capacity can hopefully provide a sense of normalcy over the coming months. Here’s a look at today’s opener and be sure to check back later this month for a full conference preview.
