United Collegiate Hockey Conference commissioner Chuck Mitrano has been named chairperson of the NCAA Division III Championships Committee.
Mitrano, who has served on the championships committee since 2020, will begin his appointment as chair in January 2022 and will serve through January 2024.
The committee handles the oversight of Division III’s championships. The committee reports directly to management council on matters such as budgetary recommendations. The committee also supervises the Division III championships qualification and selection process, reviews recommendations from sports committees regarding the administration of those championship, and reviews other issues related to the administration of championships events among other duties.
“I am truly honored to be selected as chair of the NCAA Championships Committee,” said Mitrano in a statement. “I look forward to collaborating with fellow committee members, the dedicated NCAA office administrators, the many individuals who graciously volunteer their time on our ranking and selection committees and the DIII membership to enhance the experiences of the exceptional student-athletes.”
Mitrano, who has served as UCHC commissioner since its inception in 2017, is also commissioner of the Empire 8 Conference and United Volleyball Conference. He has served on several regional and national committees, most recently as the president of the NCAA Division III Commissioner’s Association.
Mitrano was also president of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) from 2015 to 2017.
St. Cloud State and St. Thomas play an Oct. 2, 2021 exhibition game at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Even before the puck dropped on the opening weekend of the 2021-22 season, college hockey felt the effects of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
The season-opening series between Alaska and Minnesota scheduled for Oct. 2-3 in Minneapolis was postponed to mid-January because of COVID protocols that involved Tier 1 individuals associated with the Alaska program.
Tier 1 individuals. COVID protocols. Phrases like these are now part of the lexicon of collegiate sports, and heading into a second college hockey season controlled in part by what turns the virus might take, every D-I conference has had more to consider than league standings and PairWise Rankings.
“Last year we had some very specific things that we as a conference were saying had to be done, especially related to testing,” said NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton. “This year, we’re requiring people to follow NCAA and local health authority guides.”
In August, the NCAA published its “2021 Fall Training and Competition” guidelines, which were developed by dozens of doctors from member institutions across the three NCAA divisions plus several administrators from Division I conferences. The guidelines also rely on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We’re following the NCAA guidance that’s coming out from Dr. Hainline as the head of that unit at the minimum,” said Steve Hagwell, ECAC commissioner. Brian Hainline oversees the NCAA Sports Science Institute and is the chief medical officer for the NCAA.
“All of our institutions are requiring that their student-athletes are vaccinated. There are exceptions on campuses for students in general – not big numbers – so student-athletes can fall under the medical and religious exemptions that are being granted, but it’s not across the board. It’s some institutions and it’s very few, so I think it’s very limited for the most part.”
The NCAA guidelines do not require vaccinations, even though many member institutions do. Tier 1 individuals – players and all who work directly with players – aren’t required to be tested for COVID-19 as long as they’re asymptomatic. Vaccinated athletes who come into contact with those who have tested positive for COVID-19 won’t be required to quarantine.
“We are, for the most part, deferring to our individual schools, local jurisdictions and states, because they’re all so different,” said CCHA commissioner Don Lucia. “Basically, where we’re at, is that we have very good vaccination rates from our players. We did mandate that officials have to be vaccinated for this upcoming season. We didn’t want to run into a situation where an official gets to a site and can’t officiate.”
Not every conference is requiring on-ice officials to be vaccinated, but Atlantic Hockey, the CCHA, and Hockey East are requiring vaccines for refs and linesmen. In the NCHC, while vaccines aren’t required, the league says that 90-95% of on-ice officials are vaccinated and those who choose not to get the vaccine must submit proof of a negative test to the league office in the weeks that they’re scheduled to work. The Big Ten has a similar policy where officials submit proof of vaccine or negative tests to a server.
In addition, at Michigan State and Minnesota, officials are required to mask up during stoppages of play and when approaching the benches.
In every conference, rules for attending hockey games vary from arena to arena. When member teams play on institution grounds, the institution sets its own attendance mandates. Most indoor arenas require spectators to wear masks, although some municipalities that control arenas where college hockey teams play may extend mask rules to players and coaches when not in the field of play.
Some institutions have even stricter attendance guidelines. Colorado College is requiring proof of vaccination or proof of negative test within the previous 72 hours for admission to the arena. Rensselaer announced early in August that only RPI students, faculty and staff who are compliant with the school’s COVID-19 protocols will be allowed to attend any athletic events on its campus.
Beyond the mandates of institutions and arenas, every conference navigates multiple municipalities that span counties and states. “Last year, we had 11 counties that we had to deal with,” said Atlantic Hockey commissioner Bob DiGregorio. “We were on the phone every Monday to see if there had been any changes. Last year was a long, long year. It’s amazing what one year has done.”
While there is still a lot to navigate, said Fenton, last year was far more difficult, including a 40-page document for health and safety protocols. “This year’s version is a 10 to 15 page document,” said Fenton, based on the NCAA guidelines.
Every conference is taking everything into account and keeping in mind that things may change without warning – but not without preparation. Last year’s 40-page NCHC document for health and safety protocols paved the way for this year’s document that’s less than half that length.
“We’re following any local health authority guidelines, restrictions, requirements,” said Fenton. “Whether it be a state restriction, a city restriction, a county restriction or maybe more specifically and probably more appropriately institutional requirements, and then obviously more specifically within the competition venue, whatever those requirements are.”
Should COVID derail conference play, each league has its own set of rules for how the games will be counted – or not.
The Big Ten, for example, has a strict across-the-board policy for all sports regarding COVID cancellations. They’re all forfeitures. The B1G website says, in part, that “if one of its member institutions is unable to play a conference due to COVID-19,” that’s a forfeit “and will not be rescheduled.” The game is a loss for “the team impacted by COVID-19 and a win for its opponent in the conference standings.
The ECAC will deal with cancellations on a case-by-case basis.
“If an institution has an issue, those administrators will get together and see if they can reschedule the game,” said Hagwell. “If it doesn’t work, we may find ourselves possibly in a scenario with an uneven number of games and we go to win percentage based on the available points.”
Because of the conference’s big footprint, Hagwell said that the ECAC did entertain the idea of forfeits.
“I don’t think a team or players should be penalized because they had an issue on a given day,” he said. “I’m not a fan of forfeits.”
“We will have no contest as opposed to a forfeiture,” added Lucia. “We’ve discussed both, but we will go with the no contest if that were to happen and then we’d have to switch our standings to a percentage rates.”
What the CCHA is doing is identical to the ECAC’s policies.
“We will have no contest as opposed to a forfeiture,” said Lucia. “We’ve discussed both, but we will go with the no contest if that were to happen and then we’d have to switch our standings to a percentage rates.”
Neither Atlantic Hockey nor the NCHC has made a firm decision about potential cancellations, with both leagues leaning toward switching to percentages to determine final conference standings, if absolutely necessary. DiGregorio is a little concerned about the logistics of rescheduling games between opponents separated by great distances.
“We’ve got a little bit of a hang-up with that,” DiGregorio said. “Teams can’t keep traveling during the week. They’ll be missing too much school. We’re limited there.”
The NCHC, in particular, is saying that a cancelled game would be considered “no contest” if it couldn’t be rescheduled.
Hockey East is a different animal altogether.
“New England is doing really well” with COVID, said HEA commissioner Steve Metcalf. “Our institutions are doing really well, too.”
Because of that, the league hasn’t instituted anything COVID-specific regarding potential cancellations and will follow existing rules. According to the Hockey East by-laws, if a game is cancelled, the team responsible for the cancellation needs to reschedule no later than 72 hours before the cancelled game. If the team that cancels doesn’t reschedule, that team forfeits. Metcalf doesn’t foresee rescheduling problems.
“We have very, very high vaccination rates,” said Metcalf. “All of our men’s and women’s teams, all of our officials are vaccinated. When you kind of put all those together, it gives you really strong reason for optimism that you’ll be playing uninterrupted mostly.”
New Hampshire is the only Hockey East school that doesn’t require vaccinations for students.
“All but one of our institutions has mandated vaccinations for their student populations and in some cases their staff,” said Metcalf. “In some cases, you can’t get on the campus unless you’re vaccinated. When all those things are happening in concert when you’re trying to play college hockey, it’s a really good situation.”
The vaccination rates vary widely from state to state, region to region, which is the chief reason why policies vary from conference to conference. In Minnesota, the percentage of the population that is fully vaccinated is 59.2%. In Colorado, it’s 60.7%. In North Dakota, it’s 45.4%. Indiana, Ohio and Michigan all have rates that hover around 50%.
“Vaccination rates are up, but so is COVID,” said Lucia. “It’s an endemic. It’s something we’re going to have to live with. It’s not going away anytime soon.
“I’m just happy to see people back in the buildings. Some people are more comfortable than others. I think we’re going to have to be respectful of everybody as we go through this. We’ve done everything we can do from a conference standpoint.”
“The game-changer and why we’re having a different conversation from the one we had last year is the vaccine,” noted Fenton. “If the vaccine wasn’t in place and the case counts were what they are now, we’d be talking about essentially what we did last year. That’s the saving grace. I’m not here to tell anybody that they should or shouldn’t [get vaccinated]. That’s not my place. But I can tell you the path to competing in collegiate sports that is a little bit [of an] easier path is being vaccinated. It just is.”
The vaccination rate for every state in New England is above 60%, which Metcalf thinks bodes well for Hockey East and for the Frozen Four that conference hosts in Boston next April.
“What a difference a year makes, for so many different reasons,” said Metcalf. “To be playing hockey as scheduled on the dates and times that we planned to play those games is so refreshing.”
Boston College players celebrate a goal during the Eagles’ 5-3 win over Northeastern last Friday night (photo: John Quackenbos).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Dan: Alright, here we go with another week of TMQ.
It feels great to be back in full swing with college hockey season – although not full FULL swing because we haven’t picked up the Ivies yet – but for me, it’s been one heck of a start of the year. Also very excited to be part of our national coverage and already pretty proud of what we’re going to accomplish with this endeavor.
Jimmy, you and I had an interesting weekend up here in the Northeast, but this felt like one of those weekends where some teams really asserted themselves.
For me, the game of the weekend was Bentley’s win over Boston College, largely because it was a seismic win for the Falcons, who have a history of knocking those teams off, but I know you were at Conte Forum the night before watching the Eagles take on Northeastern. That game already feels like a frontrunner for game of the year, but take me back to Friday night. You don’t know that BC is going to lose on Saturday night, what are your observations walking out of that building?
Jim: The atmosphere was excellent at Boston College – as it has been at a number of buildings thus far this season – on Friday night. For me, that was my first return to a packed arena and some sense of a return to normalcy, so that stood out in my head.
The game itself, as you said, was incredible. Northeastern used a strong second period to seemingly take control of the game. But BC scored a late goal in the middle stanza and then two in short order midway through the third to take the lead it wouldn’t relinquish.
I felt coming out of that game that BC deserved mention as one of the nation’s best teams.
And then Saturday happened.
I’m not taking an ounce away from Bentley, but BC had a letdown between Friday and Saturday and the Falcons pounced. You were in the building, but five goals in the third period tells me one thing — BC got run over by momentum.
And while those two games standout to us, it’s likely the biggest game of the weekend might have been played in front of almost no one as Michigan beat Minnesota State, 3-2, behind two third period goals. That gave the Wolverines the IceBreaker (the western version) title and helped them ascend to No. 1 in the USCHO poll.
Michigan is now 4-0-0 and boasts the best roster of talent in college hockey. My question to you is how high should be set the bar for Michigan?
Dan: I agree with you wholeheartedly about momentum. The crowd was a big part of Saturday night’s upset, especially in the third period, and while that building at Bentley is certainly smaller than Conte Forum, the 2,100-plus people in the arena returned the life to college hockey that we all missed.
So, welcome back everybody. It felt, if you’ll indulge me up here in Boston, so good, so good, so good (despite the fact that I notably loathe the eighth inning singing at Fenway Park).
I’m subject to hyperbole, but I believe Michigan is the best team in college hockey.
That was the hyped billing entering the season, and this weekend proved it with the way that team won the IceBreaker. Beating Minnesota Duluth decisively is one thing, but I thought Minnesota State outplayed the Wolverines for a long swath of that game and still lost. Dryden McKay, a goalie who recorded a shutout as I was typing this up, made less than 20 saves and lost. That’s one statistical sign, to me, how efficient Michigan was in their moments, but the Mavs were also much better in the faceoff circle.
We all know how staggering the talent levels are at Michigan, but it’s not easy to navigate those players into a single, cohesive unit. There’s a lot riding on each of those individuals when seven were first round draft picks and 13 of the 28 players on the roster are, in some capacity, selections by NHL franchises.
Four of the first five picks all play for Michigan, and a fifth player – Mackie Samoskevich – was the 24th overall pick. Brendan Brisson scored two goals on the weekend and was the only player to strike in both games, and he was on the U.S. World Junior team last year with Matty Beniers.
That pressure is compounded by the weight of expectations that we’re all placing on this team. When you have that talent, there’s an expectation to go out and beat every opponent, but Mel Pearson has clear buy-in to blend that talent beyond playing as an al-star team. They skated with flow and creativity. Michigan faced adversity against Minnesota State but overcame it after a huge win over Duluth.
At some point, a loss will be a teaching moment and another opportunity for us to see how the players’ elevate their game in response. One look at that team, though, and yes, this is the best team in college hockey right now, and if they stay on this trajectory, we’re all just living in Michigan’s world for the foreseeable future.
I want to switch gears altogether to something Ed Trefzger pointed out in his Monday 10 recap this week. During an interview with RIT this weekend, athletic director Jackie Nicholson remarked about RIT’s partnership with Union to apply for a full complement of scholarships for men’s and women’s hockey. Each of the six conferences are supporting those programs, and the vote is scheduled for the end of January.
That caught me by surprise, but it was, to me, a clear indicator of how college hockey continues to shift under the surface. How much of a game changer would this be in those leagues considering the track records of both Rick Bennett and Wayne Wilson in building their brands of success those two programs?
Jim: I realize that scholarships are a game-changer for any program, but my understanding is that schools that don’t offer scholarships can often gain an advantage.
Years ago, I was told by a coach at a non-scholarship school that there is ability to give what schools call “grant-in-aid,” in other words if a player can qualify for aid, there are ways to give that player a grant. Said grant wouldn’t count against an 18-scholarship limit that every school currently faces. So if you can find a large number of student athletes that qualify for some sort of grant-in-aid, there is the potential to have almost equal or more scholarship power.
Now this was in the days when Atlantic Hockey teams were limited to significantly less than 18 scholarships, so I understand that schools like RIT and Union would feel like they could get on equal footing to their opponents if they were allowed the full complement of 18.
Let’s be real. It’s not like RIT and Union were never successful without scholarships. RIT reached a Frozen Four and Union won a national title. There had to be creative ways for each school and many others – the Ivies come to mind – to entice students to enroll that made those programs successful. Would adding scholarships make the whole accounting a lot easier? Yes. And I think most coaches in the nation would prefer that approach.
Dan: I guess that’s my whole thing.
Programs without scholarships have a path towards success if they develop creative ways. That doesn’t mean we’re implying nefarious methods or anything like that, but the fact remains that those teams had to develop systems and workarounds to build winners. In Union’s case, it took over a decade since it wasn’t like the reclassified program enjoyed these massive layers of success. I remember when the Dutchmen routinely struggled to consistently break into the ECAC elite class, and none of those first coaches – Bruce Delventhal, Stan Moore and even Kevin Sneddon – were able to build consistent winners.
It wasn’t until Nate Leaman was able to sustain the build that Union earned a first round bye and then won a league regular season championship, and Rick Bennett took it to the next level with two Frozen Four appearances and the national championship.
RIT is more mercurial to me because the jump to Atlantic Hockey came against a conference that had three or four programs struggling to even stay afloat at the time. That team made the jump and immediately won the league regular season championship despite being ineligible for the postseason, and within four years, it won a league championship and advanced to the league’s only Frozen Four appearance.
As the years have marched on, RIT was able to rediscover its sustained success after it opened the Gene Polisseni Center. The rest of Atlantic Hockey hadn’t invested as firmly in facilities or advancements at that point, and in the five years since, RIT’s been a factor but not the same dominant team within the league. Granted there are other factors, but the elevation of scholarships in 2016 clearly had a dramatic effect on other teams that concurrently moved into new facilities.
I reiterate that there are other factors, but I do agree with one major, overlay here. A team without scholarships still has to get creative, and it requires a much different buy-in at the university level. We don’t know the intricacies or inner workings of those institutions, but we all have to think that the scholarships would make a much bigger deal and simplify a process that is often mysterious and misunderstood, especially, probably, by me.
As we look ahead for this week, I know it’s way too early to talk about the national tournament, but every coach tells us how league points are always important but you want to play your best hockey at the end of the season. Is the truth more in the middle?
Jim: I feel like my most dramatic cliché surrounding college hockey is that games in October matter just as much as games in March. It’s difficult, sometime, to become motivated for the early-season games, but I feel like this year is a bit different.
After last year’s disaster and the multiple cancelations due to COVID, it seems like upper-class players understand that each game is a moment that was and is never guaranteed. I have only been in attendance for five games thus far, but every time a team takes the ice, there feels like there is significantly more energy. Is that because so much hockey was lost to COVID? Maybe.
But I know as an observer, I enjoy it. I want to see teams play in October with the energy they would later in the season. Sure, the play can be sloppy, but you want to see desire and right now my experience says teams are playing with plenty of desire.
North Dakota is up one to No. 6, Quinnipiac is up one to No. 7, Denver moves up three to No. 8 and collected one first-place vote, while Massachusetts is again ninth and Boston College tumbles four places to go to 10th this week.
No new teams enter the rankings in this week’s poll.
In addition, 17 other teams received votes outside of the top 20.
The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including coaches and beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.
The Badger power play was working well on Friday as Makenna Webster scored in the opening seconds of the player advantage two different times in the game. She opened the scoring midway through the first. Maddi Wheeler doubled the lead and Webster made it a 3-0 win with seconds remaining in the second period. On Sunday, Minnesota Duluth jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one thanks to goals from Anna Klein. The Bulldogs dominated the period and had more goals than the Badgers had shots. But Wisconsin seemed to find their rhythm in the second as rookie Sarah Wozniewicz scored twice to tied the game headed into the third. The Badgers took their first lead of the game four minutes into the frame with a goal from Nicole LaMantia, but Giguere tied it up almost immediately. Wheeler put Wisconsin up 4-3 with under eight to go, but a too many player penalty late gave UMD the opportunity they needed to tie it up once more and force overtime. It was Giguere again for the Bulldogs. But just 23 seconds into overtime, Casey O’Brien won the game for the Badgers on a pass from Daryl Watts that gave Wisconsin the 5-4 win and weekend sweep.
Bemidji State at (2) Ohio State
The Buckeyes won coach Nadine Muzerall her 100th career win with a decisive 7-0 win over Bemidji on Friday. Gabby Rosenthal tallied a third-period natural hat trick, Jenn Gardiner added two goals and Liz Schepers and Lauren Bernard each lit the lamp. Ohio State ensured the best start in program history, winning their sixth in a row to open the season with a 3-1 win over the Beavers. Raygan Kirk got her first start in goal for OSU and made 13 saves. Jenna Buglioni, Sophie Jacques and Rosenthal scored for Ohio State and Taylor Nelson had the goal for Bemidji State.
(3) Colgate vs. Syracuse
On Thursday, Dara Grieg scored 40 seconds into the first and Sammy Smigliani scored with less than twenty seconds left in the period to give Colgate a 2-0 lead at the first intermission. Darcie Lappan extended the lead to 3-0 before Madison Primeau put Syracuse on the board to make it 3-1. Smigliani got a second before Danielle Serdachny added two in a row to make it 6-1 heading into the third. Noemi Neubauerova scored in the final frame to make it a 7-1 win. On Saturday, it was Kalty Kaltounkova who scored in the opening minute to get the Raiders on the board first. Primeau responded for Syracuse to make it 1-1 less than a minute later. Katie Chan gave Colgate the lead with a late power play goal in the first. Delani MacKay extended the lead to 3-1 late in the second, but Syracuse responded once again, as Anna Leschyshyn’s goal made it 3-2. Serdachny scored :34 seconds later to put the game out of reach and Neena Brick’s third period tally gave the Raiders a 5-2 win and weekend sweep.
(4) Boston College at New Hampshire
Jillian Fey scored midway through the third to put Boston College on the board first. Brianna Brooks tied the game late in the third, but Kelly Browne’s response just :13 later proved to be the game-winner as BC took game one 2-1. Sidney Fess had two assists in the victory. On Saturday,
(5) Northeastern at Maine
Katie Pyne scored her first career goal on the power play to put Boston College up 1-0 midway through the first. Willow Corson extended the lead early in the second. Madison Oelkers got Merrimack on the board with an extra attacker goal early in the third, but the Warriors could not complete the comeback. BC won their only game of the weekend 2-1. In the second game, UNH jumped out to a two-goal lead thanks to a power play goal from Kira Juodikis in the first and an even strength goal from Brooks in the second. BC scored twice in :30 in at the end of the second period to tie the game up. Abby Newhook and Willow Corson made it a new game for the final frame and Newhook’s goal with less than four minutes left in the game gave BC the 3-2 win and weekend sweep.
(6) Minnesota at Minnesota State
The Gophers scored a power play goal in each period to take a 3-0 win over the Mavericks on Friday. Madeline Wethington scored in the first, Gracie Ostertag scored in the second and Taylor Heise lit the lamp in the third. Minnesota completed their first sweep of the season on Saturday with a 6-2 win. Ostertag, Savannah Norcross and Peyton Hemp all scored in the first period to get the Gophers ahead 3-0. Amy Potomak lengthened the lead to 4-0 early in the second. Sydney Langseth scored on the power play and Kennedy Bobyck lit the lamp at equal strength to cut the lead to 4-2, but that’s as close as it would get. Potomak scored once more before the second ended and Emily Oden added one in the third.
(9) Providence at (8) Quinnipiac
After two games between these two closely ranked teams, things are not much clearer as they tied both. On Friday, Caroline Peterson scored eight minutes into the game to give the Friars a 1-0 lead at the first intermission. Taylor House tied the game for Quinnipiac four minutes into the third. Brooke Becker lit the lamp on the player advantage to put Providence ahead once again. But 11 seconds later, Courtney Vorster brought it level for the Bobcats and overtime could not break the 2-2 tie. In the second game, Corinne Schroeder stopped a penalty shot by Becker just 22 seconds into the game. All the action in this game happened within 64 seconds into the second. Hayley Lunny scored for Providence at 6:21 and House tied it up at 7:25 and that would be the end of the scoring. Sandra Arbstreiter had a season high 37 saves for the Friars in the game.
Denver’s Sean Behrens and Air Force’s Bennett Norlin battle for the puck during the two team’s weekend series (photo: Denver Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Michigan stakes claim to this week’s No. 1 ranking with IceBreaker championship
Michigan won the first of what it hopes will be more championships this season by downing No. 1 Minnesota State, 3-2, on Saturday after a 5-1 victory over No. 5 Minnesota Duluth on Friday. Coach Mel Pearson’s Wolverines, stacked with NHL first-rounders, came from behind in both contests.
Brendan Brisson, selected 29th overall by Vegas in 2020, had a highlight-reel goal and an assist in the win over the Bulldogs and scored with 4:20 left in the contest on Saturday. Each goal was a game winner, giving Brisson three consecutive GWGs.
“A lot of the guys in the locker room call (Brisson) Ovi Jr., just because he has such a good one-timer,” Wolverines defenseman Nick Blankenburg told the Michigan Daily.
Michigan should be the favorite to be voted No. 1 in today’s USCHO Men’s Division I Poll, but probably not unanimously.
2. Minnesota State is nevertheless an outstanding team
Mike Hastings’ Mavericks battled Michigan to the end and handily outshot the Wolverines 29-19 on Saturday, while winning 40 of 68 faceoffs. But once Michigan took the lead, it was difficult for Minnesota State to score the equalizer.
“We learned we can play from behind and win,” Hastings told the Mankato Free Press. “We also learned that if you fall behind a team that defends very well, you can lose that one, too.”
The Mavericks are 4-2 in six games against ranked teams, with the only other loss coming to No. 2 St. Cloud State in a split the previous weekend. Minnesota State starts CCHA play next weekend at Northern Michigan.
3. Minnesota Duluth, Providence also very good teams
The Bulldogs came out of the gate strong on Friday night, taking an early 1-0 lead over Michigan and dominating the pace of the game. But a contact to the head major and a game misconduct to Noah Cates coupled with a surge by Michigan turned the momentum in the opposite direction.
Cates returned on Saturday and scored the game-winning goal at 3:20 of the third as UMD responded to a Providence power-play goal just 30 seconds into the final frame. Providence outshot Minnesota Duluth and won the battle on the faceoff dot, but couldn’t solve Bulldogs goalie Ryan Fanti late in the contest.
4. Bentley upends No. 6 Boston College in not-as-big-an-upset-as-it-used-to-be
We’re long past the era when every Atlantic Hockey non-conference win would instantly be labeled an “upset.” But any unranked team putting a 6-2 smackdown on No. 6 Boston College would undoubtedly have their win categorized that way. (Even though the last time they played, it was a Bentley 4-2 victory at Conte Forum.)
The Falcons never trailed in the game and scored five goals in the third period, leading by 5-1 with under 10 minutes left in regulation. Nicholas Grabko, who got a win against Ohio State in his last start, was stellar in net for Bentley with 38 saves.
5. Bemidji State shows it’s a top contender in split with North Dakota
Bemidji State’s upset of high-flying Wisconsin in last season’s NCAA tournament woke up a few casual fans to how good a team Tom Serratore had put together. Proof about how good the No. 20 Beavers are this season came this weekend in a split with North Dakota.
The Fighting Hawks prevailed on Friday night, 4-3, in a game that was statistically close but required a late, extra-attacker goal for the Beavers to make it a one-goal game. On Saturday, North Dakota needed its own 6-on-5 score with less than a minute remaining to force overtime, but BSU needed only :53 to score to win 4-3.
Does this make Bemidji a top-ten team? Probably not, but the Beavers certainly belong in the national rankings and the national conversation.
6. Minnesota and St. Cloud belong among the early logjam at the top
Voters in this week’s USCHO poll, due out later Monday, no doubt will have difficulty ranking the top five teams, and that was made more muddy by the split weekend between No. 2 St. Cloud and No. 4 Minnesota.
Following a pattern around college hockey over the weekend, visiting teams won both ends of the series. The Huskies won 2-1 on Friday, with David Hrenak stopping nine of 10 Gopher shots in the third.
Minnesota got the split on Saturday winning 4-3 in overtime in a game that ended in controversy as one or more penalties should have been called leading up to the game-winning goal, as the NCHC admitted Sunday night. The non-call led to fans throwing debris the stands and to criticism from St. Cloud coach Brett Larson.
Monday’s USCHO poll should again select four of the top five teams from the state of Minnesota, but overall, it’s not going to be easy for voters top-to-bottom after a few splits and a couple of upsets.
7. Notre Dame prevails in OT in an epic battle at Michigan Tech
It took the No. 16 Fighting Irish all but the last five seconds of overtime to down the No. 17 Huskies, 2-1, in a thriller in Houghton Friday night. MTU had forced the 3-on-3 OT with Ryland Moseley’s extra-attacker goal at 19:06. Cam Burke scored both goals for Notre Dame, including his fourth career game-winner.
Notre Dame remained perfect at 3-0 on the season with a 5-2 win Saturday at Northern Michigan. Jeff Jackson’s Irish host Rochester Institute of Technology for a pair of games Thursday and Friday before hosting Minnesota in Big Ten conference play Halloween weekend.
8. No. 11 Denver is scoring in buckets
The 4-0 Pioneers are lighting the lamp like crazy so far this season, averaging six goals per game. Denver put up four goals at Air Force on Friday and blanked the Falcons 8-0 at Magness on Saturday.
Denver averaged fewer than three goals per game in last season’s COVID-shortened, NCHC-only campaign. A better scoring touch from David Carle’s squad should help Denver turn things around from last season, but the going will get tougher with a road trip to Providence and Boston College next weekend, and a weekend at North Dakota to start NCHC play following that.
9. Some other good wins besides BC for Atlantic Hockey, but the league needs to get over the hump
In addition to Bentley’s upset over BC on Saturday, other Atlantic Hockey action saw Canisius split at Rensselaer, Sacred Heart split at No. 12 Boston University, and RIT defeating St. Lawrence, 2-1, in front of nearly 7,000 at its annual Brick City weekend homecoming game at the AHL Blue Cross Arena in downtown Rochester, N.Y.
Yet these quality wins still fall short for the league. Atlantic Hockey stands at 7-23 out of conference and probably needs to be closer to .400 to earn an at-large NCAA bid in addition to the automatic qualifier. The conference has mostly closed the gap in talent and has the full complement of 18 scholarships for schools allowed to offer them. Somehow, Atlantic Hockey has to make the next step, and – adding another metaphor – get over the hump.
10. Speaking of scholarships …
During an interview on RIT’s radio network Saturday, new athletic director Jackie Nicholson said that RIT and Union have joined together to ask that they be allowed to offer a full complement of 18 athletic scholarships each for men’s and women’s hockey. Both schools moved their programs to Division I well after a 1983 NCAA Division III waiver that allowed existing D-III institutions with D-I programs to have their scholarships grandfathered. (That waiver withstood a challenge in 2004.)
Three D-III athletic conferences are supporting the move according to Nicholson: the Liberty League – of which both RIT and Union are members, along with Clarkson, St. Lawrence, and Rensselaer – as well as the nearby SUNYAC and Empire 8 conferences.
All six D-I hockey conferences have written letters of support to the NCAA on behalf of the two schools.
The vote is scheduled for January 22, 2022 at the NCAA national convention.
Michael Lombardi celebrates a goal last season. He also scored in Quinnipiac’s 2-0 win over Vermont last Saturday night (photo: Rob Rasmussen).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of October 11 fared in games over the weekend of Oct. 15-16.
No. 1 Minnesota State (4-2-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 10 Providence 2 vs No. 1 Minnesota State 5 (IceBreaker at UMD)
10/16/2021 – No. 1 Minnesota State 2 vs No. 3 Michigan 3 (IceBreaker championship at UMD)
No. 2 St. Cloud State (4-2-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 2 St. Cloud State 2 at No. 4 Minnesota 1
10/16/2021 – No. 4 Minnesota 4 at No. 2 St. Cloud State 3 (OT)
No. 3 Michigan (4-0-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 3 Michigan 5 at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 1 (IceBreaker at UMD)
10/16/2021 – No. 1 Minnesota State 2 vs No. 3 Michigan 3 (IceBreaker championship at UMD)
No. 4 Minnesota (3-1-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 2 St. Cloud State 2 at No. 4 Minnesota 1
10/16/2021 – No. 4 Minnesota 4 at No. 2 St. Cloud State 3 (OT)
No. 5 Minnesota Duluth (3-1-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 3 Michigan 5 at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 1 (IceBreaker at UMD)
10/16/2021 – No. 10 Providence 2 at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 3 (IceBreaker third place at UMD)
No. 6 Boston College (2-1-1)
10/16/2021 – No. 6 Boston College 2 at Bentley 6
10/15/2021 – No. 18 Northeastern 3 at No. 6 Boston College 5
No. 7 North Dakota (3-1-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 7 North Dakota 5 at No. 20 Bemidji State 3
10/16/2021 – No. 20 Bemidji State 4 at No. 7 North Dakota 3 (OT)
No. 18 Northeastern (2-2-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 18 Northeastern 3 at No. 6 Boston College 5
No. 19 Western Michigan (2-0-0)
Did not play.
No. 20 Bemidji State (1-3-0)
10/15/2021 – No. 7 North Dakota 5 at No. 20 Bemidji State 3
10/16/2021 – No. 20 Bemidji State 4 at No. 7 North Dakota 3 (OT)
RV = Received Votes * = Team not eligible for USCHO poll
Minnesota and St. Cloud State split their weekend home-and-home series (photo: Brad Rempel).
The NCHC issued a statement Sunday night, saying that the league has determined a minor penalty or penalties should have been issued on the sequence immediately leading up to the game-winning goal in overtime during the Minnesota-St. Cloud State game on Saturday, Oct. 16.
NCAA hockey rules and interpretations do not allow for judgment calls of minor penalties to be reviewed through the video replay criteria. Disciplinary action for any game officials will be handled internally by the conference office.
The NCHC also has a policy that outlines acceptable conduct and behavior for all parties taking part in a game. The actions by some fans within the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center at the conclusion of the contest were unacceptable under any circumstance and inconsistent with our mission, vision, and shared values. Endangering student-athletes, coaches, staff, officials, and other fans by projecting objects on the field of play will not be tolerated.
The conference will conduct a review of related policies with all member institutions to avoid these incidents in the future.
“Although it is not and will not become conference protocol to provide public comment on judgment calls made by game officials, this statement is being issued due to the significant impact on the game’s outcome, along with the dangerous aftermath,” NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton said in a statement.
Bentley goaltender Nicholas Grabko stopped 38 shots as Bentley pulled of the biggest upset of Saturday, a 6-2 win over No. 6 Boston College (photo: Bentley Athletics)
Saturday was a wild night in college hockey and nowhere could you find a bigger upset than at Bentley Arena.
A night after No. 6 Boston College handled No. 18 Northeastern on home ice with three third-period goals, the Eagles fell at the hands of Bentley, which tallied five times in the final frame to break open a tight contest with a 6-2 win.
Cole Kodsi scored twice for the host Falcons, while his teammate had great responses to Boston College goals in the victory. Trailing 3-0, Jack McBain scored for Boston College at the 4:54 point of the third. But Bentley responded with goals from Eric Linell at 6:15 and Drew Bavaro struck a crushing blow at 10:20.
Bentley netminder Nicholas Grabko stopped 38 of 40 shots for Bentley, which also defeated Power Five school Ohio State at home eight days ago.
No. 3 Michigan 3, No. 1 Minnesota State 2
It was billed as the battle of the best early in the season and the championship game of the IceBreaker was everything to live up to that billing.
Michigan scored twice in the third period to overcome a 2-1 deficit and knock off the nation’s top team, Minnesota State, 3-2, to capture the IceBreaker title.
The Wolverines improve to a perfect 4-0-0 on the young season and are likely to take over the top spot in the national rankings in Monday’s polls.
Despite opening the scoring just 54 seconds into the second period on Nick Blankenberg’s goal, Michigan trailed heading into the final period after Julian Napravnik and Ryan Sandelin tallied late in the middle frame to give the Mavericks the lead heading to the third.
Thomas Bourdeleau scored his second goal of the season to even the game at 4:20 of the third before Brendan Brisson netted his fifth of the year and second of the weekend with 4:20 remaining. That goal stood as the game-winner.
Brendan Brisson with the go-ahead goal from Thomas Bordeleau, Michigan 3, Minnesota State 2 pic.twitter.com/7vkV5Rv8mv
Goaltender Erik Portillo played a major role for the Wolverines, stopping 27 of 29 shots.
Host No. 5 Minnesota Duluth defeated No. 10 Providence, 3-2, in the consolation game.
No. 20 Bemidji State 4, No. 7 North Dakota 3 (OT)
Despite jumping to an early 3-1 lead, Bemidji State required a goal from Ross Armour 53 seconds into overtime to secure a 4-3 road victory over North Dakota to split the weekend series.
The game might have looked easy for the Beavers early as Kyle Looft and Tyler Kirkup each tallied in the opening 88 seconds of the games.
And while North Dakota struck back quickly on a Ashton Calder goal at 3:17 of the first, Bemidji State regained the two-goal advantage on Kirkup’s second of the night late in the first.
North Dakota chipped away, though cutting the lead to one in the second on Riese Gaber’s second of the year and then on Calder’s tying goal, his second of the night, with the extra attacker on the ice with 48 seconds left.
Atlantic Hockey announced Saturday a one-game suspension for Canisius junior forward Daniel DiGrande, effective for the Golden Griffins’ next game.
The suspension is a result of DiGrande’s five-minute major penalty and game misconduct for elbowing, which occurred at the 18:00 minute mark of the first period in Canisius’ game on Friday, Oct. 15 at Rensselaer.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension, according to an AHA news release.
Canisius’ next scheduled Division I game is tonight, Oct. 16, at RPI. DiGrande would be eligible to return for the Golden Griffins’ Tuesday, Oct. 19 game at Clarkson.
Hockey East announced Saturday that Boston College senior forward Casey Carreau has been suspended for two games stemming from an incident at 6:52 of the first period on Friday, October 15 against Northeastern.
On the play, Carreau was given a major penalty for slew footing and a game misconduct.
Carreau will miss the game tonight, October 16, at Bentley, and Friday, October 22 against Colorado College. He will be eligible to return to the Eagles’ lineup Saturday, October 23, when Boston College hosts Denver.
Courtney Kennedy, Brian Pothier and Steve Thompson will serve as assistants on the 2022 U.S. women’s Olympic team (photos: USA Hockey).
Courtney Kennedy, Brian Pothier and Steve Thompson will join head coach Joel Johnson’s staff as assistant coaches and goaltending coach, respectively, for the 2022 U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team.
“We’ve got a dynamic coaching staff with varied backgrounds,” said Katie Million, general manager of the 2022 U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team, in a statement. “It’s an experienced group that knows what it takes to win and we’re thrilled to have them lead our team in our quest to bring home the gold medal in February.”
Kennedy will be part of a U.S. Olympic coaching staff for the first time, but is no stranger to international competition.
On the coaching front, she helped lead the U.S. to three gold medals at the IIHF U18 Women’s World Championship as an assistant coach, including in 2014, 2017 and 2018. She was also an assistant coach for the silver medal-winning U.S. Women’s National Team at the 2021 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
As a player, Kennedy helped Team USA to a silver medal at the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and bronze at the 2006 Games, and was also a member of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2005 IIHF Women’s World Championship, the first-ever U.S. team to claim the top spot in the event.
Kennedy has been a part of the Boston College women’s hockey coaching staff for 15 seasons, helping shape one of the nation’s most successful programs. In her tenure, the Eagles have advanced to six Frozen Fours, including an appearance in the NCAA championship game in 2016. She started as an assistant coach with BC before being elevated to associate head coach prior to the 2012-13 season.
The Woburn, Mass., native played college hockey at Minnesota.
Pothier is serving as an assistant coach of a U.S. Olympic women’s hockey team for the first time after being part of Team USA’s coaching staff at both the 2021 and 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Under his tutelage, the U.S. earned a pair of medal finishes, taking gold in 2019 and silver in 2021.
He first joined the staff of the U.S. Women’s National Team in 2018 as an assistant coach for the 2018 Four Nations Cup in Saskatchewan, and served as a camp coach at both the 2018 USA Hockey Women’s National Festival and U.S. Women’s National Team Evaluation Camp.
A former NHL defenseman, Pothier spent time in the Atlanta Thrashers, Ottawa Senators, Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes organizations before retiring in 2012. On the international stage, he played for U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2007 IIHF Men’s World Championship.
The New Bedford, Mass., native played college hockey at Rensselaer.
Thompson is making his first appearance on an Olympic coaching staff and will bring his familiarity with the U.S. Women’s National Team to the table as the squad’s goaltending coach.
Thompson made his international coaching debut during the 2018-19 season, serving as a member of the U.S. Women’s National Team staff that helped lead Team USA to a gold-medal at the IIHF Women’s World Championship and to a Four Nations Cup championship. He also served as the goaltending coach for the 2021 U17 Men’s Select Team that took home the Five Nations Tournament title.
Thompson joined the USA Hockey staff in a full-time capacity in June 2019 as the ADM manager of goaltending, where he is responsible for the development and management of the American goaltending program.
For the last eight years, he’s also served as a goaltending coach and evaluator at USA Hockey’s district and select camps.
The Anchorage native began his professional career at Alaska Anchorage, serving in various capacities, including as director of hockey operations, strength and conditioning coach, and goaltending coach over three seasons.
He played four seasons of college hockey as a goaltender for Alaska.
The Knights won the last three SUNYAC championship titles and overall hold seven conference crowns. The Lakers finished the 2019-20 regular season No. 2 and advanced to the SUNYAC championship game where they fell to Geneseo 4-1. Oswego has won the SUNYAC title 10 times with the last crown captured in 2014.
Plattsburgh leads the league with 22 conference titles overall, winning its last trophy in 2017.
The 2021-22 season will kick off with nonconference games on October 29. Conference competition will begin on November 3. The first round of the SUNYAC championship is set for February 23.
The 2020-21 SUNYAC men’s hockey season was canceled due to COVID-19.
Michigan’s Matty Beniers scored twice as the No. 3 Wolverines advanced past No. 5 Minnesota Duluth in the semifinals of the IceBreaker tournament (File photo).
Many questioned whether No. 3 Michigan was as good as advertised. After meeting their toughest competition to date on Friday, it’s safe to say the Wolverines could be a dominant team.
Michigan got two goals from Matty Beniers and erased an early 1-0 deficit, scoring the game’s final five goals as the Wolverines advanced past tournament host and No. 5 Minnesota Duluth in the IceBreaker, 5-1.
Michigan will face No. 1 Minnesota State, a 5-2 winner over Providence on Friday, in Saturday’s championship game.
Jesse Jacques gave the host Bulldogs a solid start, scoring at 10:04 of the first. But from there it was all Michigan.
Luke Hughes evened the score in the final minute of the first on the power play. Brendan Brisson and Beniers then spotted Michigan a two-goal lead with tallies in the middle frame.
TIC-TAC-TOE! Matty Beniers from Kent Johnson and Jacob Truscott and Michigan leads Duluth 3-1 pic.twitter.com/eS1uL6dQRH
A shorthanded goal by Garrett Van Whye before Beniers closed the scoring late in the game on the power play accounted for the final.
Minnesota State will be Michigan’s Saturday opponent in the title game after Nathan Smith broke open a 2-2 game at 11:10 of the second in the Mavericks’ 5-2 victory in the early semifinal. Reggie Lutz put the game away in the third, scoring twice.
Dryden McKay needed just 18 saves to earn the victory.
No. 6 Boston College 5, No. 18 Northeastern 3
Boston College trailed Northeastern, 2-1, late in the second period when the Eagles headed to the power play, understanding that plenty of momentum would rest on the outcome of that man advantage.
But senior captain Marc McLaughlin scored the clutch goal to tie the game with 1:39 left in the middle frame, the first of four straight the Eagles scored to seize control of the game from rival Northeastern and send the raucous crowd at Kelley Rink home happy.
Colby Ambrosio and Patrick Giles scored 45 seconds apart in the third before McLaughlin added an empty-net tally, his fourth goal of the young season, late.
Matt Choupani’s power play goal with seven second left was elementary, accounting for the final score.
The loss spoiled a fantastic outing for Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough, whose two second period goals off BC turnovers gave the Huskies a lead that lasted until late in the middle stanza.
Sacred Heart 3, No. 12 Boston University 2
In Friday’s biggest upset, Ryan Steele’s goal with 13 seconds remaining in regulation broke a 2-2 tie, giving visitors Sacred Heart a victory over No. 12 Boston University, 3-2.
The host Terriers never trailed in the game until Steele’s late tally. Dominic Fensore opened the scoring for BU at 4:30 of the second. After Braeden Tuck evened the score 75 seconds later, Robert Mastrosimone put BU back on top with 55 second remaining in the middle frame.
Austin Magera netted the equalizer with 7:01 remaining before Steele played the role of hero late.
Sacred Heart held a 34-25 advantage in shots on goal over the Terriers.
Bemidji State fifth-year senior Ethan Somoza is the first player from California to wear the ‘C’ for the Beavers, and is now in his second season as captain (photo: BSU Photo Services).
Well, if there was a desire to present to you some betting advice in this new USCHO Bettor’s Edge column, week one gave mixed results, depending on how you approach the mission.
If you wanted to find out what teams were heavy favorite, congratulations. USCHO Bettor’s Edge properly nailed all of the favorites last Friday night as Boston College (shootout), Northeastern, Minnesota State, Minnesota Duluth and Denver were all winners.
If you had the ability to bet a five-team parlay using the odds USCHO presented, you’d have made $956.93 for every $100 bet. Not bad if you can find the bookie!
But if you, like me and everyone else, wanted to find a random upset, you were out of luck. The closest you came was Quinnipiac’s comeback against Boston College where the Bobcats trailed by two, tied the game and nearly won in regulation. Eventually, though, the Eagles took the shootout earning an extra point that helped propel them to the IceBreaker (part I) Tournament championship.
This week, two of the five games come from the IceBreaker (part II) Tournament in Duluth, Minn., which features a field that could preview the Frozen Four.
As usual, a disclaimer:
Understand, this is for entertainment purposes only. USCHO.com is not a licensed gambling platform and no money may be wagered through this site or any subsidiary of USCHO.
Of the five games selected for this week’s column, this is the only one without a clear cup favorite. And that’s probably a large show of respect for Minnesota Duluth. Obviously the tournament host will be comfortable in its own building. But the first major opportunity for the USCHO writers to back a talent-heavy Michigan team leaves them unmoved.
Advantage Bulldogs?
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
No. 1 Minnesota State (-300) vs. No. 10 Providence (+210) IceBreaker Tournament
Minnesota State has certainly made a statement in the first two weekends with their sweep of then No. 1 Massachusetts and a split with No. 2 St. Cloud State. But can a squad like Providence give Minnesota State some headaches. They did a couple of regionals ago when the Mavericks jumped to a quick 3-0 lead only to get into penalty trouble and surrender the final six goals.
Stay out of the box for Minnesota State means they could return to the win column.
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
No. 18 Northeastern (+200) vs. No. 6 Boston College (-180)
Boston College looked strong in the IceBreaker (part I) tournament last weekend. Though it was actually Northeastern that controlled its destiny heading to the second day only to fall to Quinnipiac, 3-0. Goaltender Devon Levi has proved to be the strength of the NU team, but if BC’s guns get cranking, expect the Eagles to frustrate this NU team that needs to reign in its discipline.
BC is certainly the pick, but hard to find an overwhelming advantage.
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
No. 7 North Dakota (-370) vs. No. 20 Bemidji State (+500)
Somehow, this is the only unanimous pick for the USCHO staff, with the Fighting Hawks heading on the road to face a plucky Bemidji State squad. Can North Dakota be slowed? That’s the biggest question and with the question difficult to answer, you have to give a significant advantage to the road team.
What a wake up call Michigan Tech gave to college hockey with its impressive sweep of Big Ten member Wisconsin last weekend. The difficult question to answer is where that rolls over to this weekend. Notre Dame has plenty of talent but has to take the show on the road to what will be an amped up Houghton crowd.
If Notre Dame is motivated by the road trip, maybe this is the upset?
Jim
Dan
Ed
Paula
John
Nate
Chris
Jack
Matt
Drew
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
Nat'l
HEA
ECAC
AHA
CCHA
NCHC
B1G
Last week’s records:
Ed Trefzger (national columnist): 5-0
Chris Lerch (AHA columnist): 5-0
Jim Connelly (national columnist): 4-1
John Doyle (HE columnist): 4-1
Drew Claussen (B1G columnist): 4-1
Dan Rubin (national columnist): 3-2
Paula Weston (national columnist): 3-2
Nate Owen (ECAC columnist): 3-2
Jack Hittinger (CCHA columnist): 3-2
Matthew Semisch (NCHC columnist): 3-2
Julian Napravnik has collected two goals and five points over Minnesota State’s first four games this season (photo: Matt Dewkett).
During this season’s CCHA preseason conference call, Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings was asked about the fact that his team is set to play six consecutive games against top-ranked teams to start the new season.
Hastings joked that he wanted to throw former assistant coach Darren Blue under the bus but couldn’t because he also had a hand in creating the Mavericks’ tough schedule.
“I can’t completely throw him under the bus because I was driving right with him…. Four months ago this seemed like a really good idea,” Hastings said at the time. “As it gets closer, you know what, you wonder a little bit.”
As it turns out, Blue and Hastings had the exact right idea.
The Mavericks kicked off the season with a sweep of defending national champion (and No. 1 at the time) UMass on the road before returning home to face instate rivals St. Cloud State, a series they split. The Huskies were No. 2 at the time. Now, for the third consecutive weekend, the top-ranked Mavericks head on the road again to play two more games against top-ten competition.
MSU takes on No. 10 Providence on Friday in the opening game of the IceBreaker Tournament in Duluth. The teams waiting for them on the other side of the bracket are either No. 3 Michigan or No. 5 Minnesota Duluth.
During a phone interview Wednesday, Hastings talked about the opening three weeks of the season being a “test” for his team.
So far, they’ve passed.
“Obviously you want to go out and be successful, but regardless of (the outcome of) these six games, we’re going to be better going through them,” Hastings said. “They force you to look in a mirror in a hurry. They expose weaknesses.”
Some of MSU’s nonconference series — such as against instate rivals St. Cloud, Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota — are scheduled on a fairly regular, rotating basis and are easier to coordinate because they’re all bus rides. The Mavericks play St. Cloud and Duluth (a New Years’ week home-and-home) this season but won’t play the Gophers this year.
Games against teams like UMass are a little more unique. Hastings said he tries to schedule a trip out east every three or four years. This is motivated, in part, by desiring an even stronger schedule but he also wants his players to have new experiences beyond the Midwestern bus rides of the CCHA.
In the past few seasons, the Mavericks have travelled to play the likes of Boston University (2017), Princeton (2016), Providence (2013) and Brown (2012). Adding defending champions UMass to the schedule was an easy call when Hastings and Minutemen coach Greg Carvel discussed it in the offseason.
“For us, it’s important to have us try and get our east, just so our young men can experience different cultures, different areas, different rinks, different leagues,” Hastings said. “So when (UMass head coach Greg Carvel) said, ‘What do you think about this?’ I thought it was a great opportunity for us to experience something like that.”
Although the Mavericks had to sit through a banner raising on opening night, they rallied to sweep the series away from the Minutemen and come home with two wins. UMass will look to get their revenge in the 2023-24 season, when they are scheduled to come back to Mankato.
This weekend’s IceBreaker Tournament — which itself was supposed to take place last season but was postponed due to the pandemic — is yet another opportunity for Minnesota State to add to its resume.
“When you start your nonconference, one, you want to get off to a good start, but two, you’re already starting to build your book of business for the NCAA tournament, so these games take on an importance that our guys know about,” Hastings said. “I’m hoping at the end of the day, our book of business is good enough to be in consideration for the tournament, and you’re hoping that schedule has prepared you.”
The UMass Lowell homecoming weekend series against LIU, originally scheduled for this Friday and Saturday, Oct. 15-16, has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols within the Sharks’ program.
The two-game set has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 3 and Friday, Feb. 25 at the Tsongas Center.
The River Hawks will still celebrate homecoming with a full slate of activities on Saturday, highlighted by a Blue/White scrimmage, where fans will be able to get a sneak peek at this year’s squad. That event will begin at 7 p.m. with doors set to open at 6 p.m.
“This obviously isn’t what we intended for this weekend, but it has been far too long since we’ve skated in front of River Hawk Nation and we couldn’t wait another week,” said UML coach Norm Bazin in a statement. “We hope that all of our River Hawk faithful still turn out, wearing their blue, to get excited for our home opener next weekend.”
The scrimmage will feature two 20-minute periods of action and a Hockey East five-minute 3v3 OT with a shootout. An intrasquad skills competition will follow. The graduates of the class of 2020 and the 2021 athletics hall of fame inductees will all be honored as well.
Tickets to the event will be complimentary to all River Hawk fans. All previously purchased tickets for the Friday or Saturday games against LIU will be exchangeable through their online account at www.GoRiverHawks.com/myaccount, through the Tsongas Center box office by phone at (978) 934-5738 or in person.
Devon Levi starts the year as Northeastern’s No. 1 goaltender (photo: Jim Pierce).
Such is the life of college hockey fans in October — wait all summer for the season to start, only to have to wait even longer for conference play to get going in earnest.
Ten of Hockey East’s 11 teams (all but Maine) will be in action this weekend, playing 16 total games, but only one contest — Northeastern (2-1) at Boston College (1-0-1) on Friday night (7 p.m.) — will count in the league standings.
Both teams took part in the IceBreaker Tournament in Worcester, Mass., last weekend.
“Hockey East is a whole different animal for us,” BC coach Jerry York said. “Of course, to start right at home with Northeastern, a good rival of ours, I think it’s the perfect setting for us.”
York had high praise for the Huskies’ defense, especially goaltender Devon Levi, who missed all of last season due to injury, and senior captain Jordan Harris.
“He’s certainly a barrier for the teams that play Northeastern,” York said of Levi. “In Harris, they have one of the best defensemen in the country. They pose, from the blue line back, some real strengths, something we’ll have to try to break down a little bit.”
Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said avoiding turnovers will be key.
“They’re a team that can turn a mistake into offense really quick,” Keefe said about BC. “That’s something we need to make sure that we’re smart with the puck and we’re good in transition on both sides of the puck.”
Levi has allowed just three goals in three games so far for the Huskies.
“He’s an elite goaltender,” Keefe said. “We’re thrilled to have him back. Our guys have a ton of confidence in him.”
BC plays at Bentley (Atlantic) at 7:05 p.m. Saturday, while Northeastern is idle.
*****
Four of the top 10 programs in the USCHO.com poll will all skate on the same sheet this weekend, including No. 10 Providence (3-0, 2-1). The Friars will take on No. 1 Minnesota State (NCHC) Friday (5 p.m. Eastern) in Duluth, Minn., in the first round of the IceBreaker Tournament (not to be confused with the aforementioned IceBreaker in Worcester, won by BC).
On Saturday, Providence will take on either No. 3 Michigan (Big Ten) or tourney host No. 5 Minnesota Duluth (NCHC).
“You love those opportunities with your team early in the season to see what they are about, see what they are made of,” Friars coach Nate Leaman told television station WPRI. “But for us, it’s about using our strengths and getting out and playing our strengths.”
*****
Two league teams will take their only scheduled trips out of New England this weekend. New Hampshire travels to Arizona State for a pair of games Friday (9 p.m. Eastern) and Saturday (6 p.m. Eastern), while UConn plays two at Ohio State of the Big Ten (7 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday).
Barring an NCAA tournament appearance by either team, the weekend trips will presumably be the only one the Wildcats take by airplane.
“The interesting thing about Hockey East is we don’t necessarily travel by plane very often,” UNH coach Mike Souza said. “Our operations director, Colin Shank, does such an incredible job. We’ll make sure we’re doing all the necessary things to prepare ourselves to be competitive when we go out there.”
Souza said traveling to a far-off locale is “kind of fun.”
“To take UNH out of New England is always something that I take with a lot of pride,” Souza said. “I’m certainly excited to take our team out to Arizona.”
UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh said the weekend venture to Columbus will be a good test for the Huskies.
“(Road trips) are always beneficial for your team to be able to go out and test yourself against great competition from the Big Ten, (or) whatever league you may be playing,” Cavanaugh said.
