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USCHO.com Decade In Review: Atlantic Hockey starts 2010s as afterthought, finishes as conference to be reckoned with

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Air Force players celebrate winning the Atlantic Hockey chamionship (2017 Omar Phillips)
Air Force players celebrate winning the 2017 Atlantic Hockey tournament championship (photo: Omar Phillips).

It’s hard to find a conference capable of reinventing itself as often as Atlantic Hockey.

The original “cost containment” league started the decade with a reputation for the have-nots of college hockey. It was for teams without their own rink or facility or, when the decade began, their own league.

Niagara and Robert Morris started the decade in the CHA but joined in 2011 after the league folded. Connecticut left for Hockey East. Bentley, Sacred Heart and AIC all played in municipal rinks, and message boards lit up with annual conversation about moving this team to a different league or contracting that team altogether.

That’s a stark contrast from the decade’s end and how Atlantic Hockey is a fearsome hockey conference. What began with RIT’s 2010 Frozen foreshadowed annual success at the national level. Niagara earned the league’s first, and to date only at-large bid to the 2013 NCAA tournament, but wins over the overall No. 1 seed marked a near-annual occurrence in the latter years.

That’s not to discredit the increased regular-season wins. Bentley beat Hockey East schools nearly annually, including Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern. Sacred Heart knocked off a No. 1-ranked UMass Lowell. AIC beat Penn State, as did Robert Morris. Canisius swept North Dakota. RIT beat both Ferris State and Lake Superior.

It all happened while becoming a viable home for its programs. There are no more municipal buildings, and eight teams are on campus. Of the three off-campus teams, one (Canisius) hosts the conference championship weekend, one is the defending league champion (AIC) and one ended the decade in first place (Sacred Heart).

The remaining teams all either announced or completed work to their homes. Bentley and RIT opened state-of-the-art facilities while every other team redesigned pieces of their physical home. The biggest improvement came away from all of that when the league voted to allow the maximum allowable scholarships in 2016.

What started as a cost-containment home ends the 2010s as college hockey’s growth league. There’s unprecedented stability in the last five seasons, especially after the first three seasons had three different playoff formats, including the failed divisional structure in 2011. It’s a home brimming with optimism as it stares down the future ahead, no matter how much that pavement likely changes.

Players of the Decade: Brady Ferguson, Robert Morris & Brett Gensler, Bentley

The number of truly great Atlantic Hockey players makes choosing one a near-impossibility, but both Ferguson and Gensler finished their careers with more consistent numbers.

The duo finished with an identical 167 points and a razor-thin margin of error between them.

Ferguson had a high-water mark of 58 points in 2016-17, but Gensler posted two 50-point seasons, each of which had 20 goals. Gensler averaged 1.15 points per game to Ferguson’s 1.10. Ferguson was better on special teams, and Gensler didn’t score any short-handed goals in his career, but Gensler was a better overall goal scorer. Ferguson won two regular-season conference championships and pushed to four straight semifinal game appearances, but Bentley only had one season finish over .500 before Gensler arrived.

Neither won player of the year, but Gensler finished with three First Team All-AHA selections to Ferguson’s two. Gensler won the scoring title twice; Ferguson once. Ferguson won two regular season championships, with four straight trips to the semifinals; Gensler never made it to the semifinals, but Bentley only had one season over .500 prior to his arrival.

I’ll be honest here: I didn’t want to pick Gensler for the obvious conflict of interest as Bentley’s radio announcer. The margin between the two just kept getting more and more razor-thin as I looked deeper.

Team of the Decade: Air Force

Atlantic Hockey loves to pride itself on chaos and parity, but the decade still belonged to two teams. Air Force and RIT combined for seven championship banners, winning a three-year span to begin the decade and a four-year span right before the end. It built a western dominance to the league unbroken until this past season’s championship by AIC.

But if the decade is defined by those two teams’ ability to churn out championships, the margin for error boils down to two years: 2011 and 2012. Air Force beat RIT in each of those seasons to remain perfect in championship game appearances. Had RIT won one of those matchups, it’s a very different conversation.

Honorable mention to Robert Morris, which went to four straight championship games, winning one. Including 2019, the Colonials ended the decade with six trips to the conference championship weekend in seven seasons in the league.

Penn State, Notre Dame split; Minnesota State’s streak snapped: Weekend Review podcast Season 2 Episode 11

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As college hockey heads into the semester break, hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the big games of December 13-15, 2019, starting with the Game of the Week, a 3-0 shutout of Penn State by Notre Dame, earning the Fighting Irish a weekend split and a win after six straight losses.

Also in this episode: Northern Michigan snaps Minnesota State’s 10-game winning streak, opening the door for North Dakota as a projected new No. 1; Denver sweeps Colorado College for the first half of the Battle for the Gold Pan; Army gets 5-of-6 points for first place in Atlantic Hockey; Northeastern survives Dartmouth; Clarkson takes 3-of-4 from Michigan Tech; Arizona State and Michigan State split.

Finally, we note the passing of legendary former Minnesota coach Doug Woog.

This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Frozen Four, April 9-11 in Detroit. Visit ncaa.com/frozenfour to get your tickets today.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

Sponsor this podcast: https://www.advertisecast.com/USCHOWeekendReview

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Monday 10: Light weekend action, but certainly no shortage of highlights

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14 Dec 19: Nebraska Omaha Overtime Win Celebration. The St. Cloud State University Huskies host the University of Nebraska Omaha Mavericks in a NCHC matchup at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, MN. (Jim Rosvold)
Omaha celebrates Zach Jordan’s overtime winner to beat St. Cloud State on Saturday night in St. Cloud, Minn. (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.

It may have been a quiet weekend for games this past weekend as many teams have already begun their semester break. But that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t plenty to talk about, including an upset of the nation’s top team.

That leads this week’s Monday 10.

1. Down goes No. 1

Top-ranked Minnesota State fell 4-1 on Saturday to Northern Michigan, ending a 10-game winning streak for the Mavericks. The game-winning goal came from the stick of Ben Newhouse on the power play late in the second period. From there, the hosts added two empty-net goals in the closing minutes.

Northern Michigan did a fantastic job limiting the Mavericks late, allowing just four third-period shots.

The loss for Minnesota State likely opens up the opportunity for North Dakota, which was idle this weekend, to jump into the top spot in the USCHO.com poll. The Fighting Hawks possess the nation’s longest unbeaten streak — 12-0-1 in their last 13.

2. Notre Dame bounces back for split, ends seven-game skid

Frustration continued to mount for Notre Dame this weekend as they let slip a 2-1 third period lead on Friday, falling 4-2 to Penn State.

But the Irish bounced back with a much-needed 3-0 shutout on Saturday night of the Nittany Lions to earn the series split. Cale Morris made 37 saves for the win and Max Ellis picked the perfect time to score his first collegiate goal. It turned out to be the game winner.

The win on Saturday snapped a six-game losing streak and a seven-game winless skid. More importantly, it puts Notre Dame just two games behind first-place Penn State.

3. Minnesota, college hockey loses legend in Doug Woog

It was announced on Saturday that legendary Minnesota head coach Doug Woog passed away at age 75.

Woog was synonymous with hockey in the Twin Cities. He grew up playing for South St. Paul High School before playing three seasons for the Gophers, serving as captain as a senior.

In 1985, he returned to the Gophers as their head coach, leading the team to 12 straight NCAA tournament appearances and six Frozen Fours.

Even after stepping aside, he was omnipresent around the Gophers program, serving as a TV analyst and ambassador for the team.

Twitter was filled with tributes to Woog on Saturday evening, few more enjoyable than from one of Woog’s longtime broadcast partners, Frank Mazzocco, whose original tweet of Woog’s passing had dozens of responses with people sharing great stories of the legendary coach.

4. Denver back on track, sweeps rival Colorado College

After a frustrating road weekend at Arizona State, where the Pioneers mustered only a tie in the second game thanks to a last-minute goal, Denver bounced back nicely with a two-game sweep of in-state rival Colorado College in the annual battle for the Gold Pan.

Goaltending was on full display for Denver as Devin Cooley earned a 24-save shutout on Friday night and Magnus Chrona stopped 20 of 21 shots on Saturday.

The two victories bring Denver back to .500 (3-3-2-1) in NCHC play. They still have a long road ahead if there is any hope to catch first-place North Dakota, which has played the same number of games but has an 11-point (3-plus game) lead at the break.

5. Northeastern wins a wild one over giant killer Dartmouth

If you love goal scoring, having a seat at Northeastern’s Matthews Arena on Saturday was a good thing.

In a battle of a strong Northeastern team against giant killer Dartmouth, one week after the Big Green ended Cornell’s undefeated season, goals weren’t only scored often, but also in bunches.

The host Huskies scored three times in the opening period. Piece of cake, right?

Maybe until Dartmouth tied the game with three goals before the nine-minute mark of the second.

But wait, there’s more.

Northeastern then had their own trio of goals, yet again, with these coming as a response in the seven minutes following Dartmouth’s explosion.

Somehow, the teams decided to play defense in the third and only Dartmouth’s Ryan Blankemeier struck, accounting for a 6-4 final.

“I liked how we responded after [giving up three goals],” said Northeastern coach Jim Madigan. “Our goal was to go into the break with a win here tonight. There’s a lot of work for us still to do, but you’re always happy with the win.”

6. Niagara, AIC play scoreless tie, Purple Eagles still celebrate

For 65 minutes of 5-on-5 play and five additional minutes of 3-on-3 overtime, Niagara and AIC couldn’t find a way to score a single goal.

Finally, after two scoreless rounds of a shootout, Niagara captain Noah Delmas scored in the third round and goaltender Brian Wilson kept his perfect slate for the after, stopping AIC’s final shooter, to end what was a rare occurrence in hockey.

“A lot of credit goes to [goaltender Brian] Wilson and the way he prepares,” Niagara coach Jason Lammers told the Niagara Gazette. “His mindset is elite. He’s devoted himself to physical training and made major strides that way. His technique is really good, so he’s ready.”

7. North Dakota reaches break atop the PairWise

Yes, technically, there are still two games to be played next week as Omaha hosts Arizona State in a two-game series. But the one result that series is highly unlikely to impact is the fact that North Dakota is currently the top team in the PairWise Rankings heading into the break.

The Fighting Hawks, ranked 18th in the opening USCHO.com poll this season, has been on the upswing since Day 1.

The season opened with a two-game sweep of Canisius, something symbolic to North Dakota. The Golden Griffs swept North Dakota last season in Buffalo, two losses that kept the Fighting Hawks from the NCAA tournament.

A weekend later, maybe fans weren’t as confident as North Dakota tied and lost to Minnesota State. Few understood at that time just how good the Mavericks time would be.

Since then, only a tie against Denver (in which North Dakota scored in 3-on-3 overtime to earn the extra NCHC point) is the only blemish on the Fighting Hawks schedule.

As of writing, North Dakota’s RPI is a nation’s best .6616, that while playing the second strongest schedule in the country in the first half.

If both North Dakota and Minnesota State remain hot, it would be a battle to the finish for which team takes the top seed in the NCAA tournament. Don’t forget, the Mavericks hold the season series win over the Fighting Hawks.

8. Jordan’s OT winner keeps it from being lost weekend for Omaha

The first half has been up and down for Omaha. Ranked in the USCHO.com poll for five weeks after a 4-1-1 start, the Mavericks dropped out of the top 20 and were 2-5-1 entering Saturday’s game against St. Cloud State.

Things were looking strong early in Saturday’s second game of the series with the Huskies as three first-period goals staked Omaha a 3-1 lead.

But St. Cloud crept back with a late second-period goal and another early in the third to tie the game.

Given recent results, this Omaha team easily could have folded and lost the game. Goaltender Isaiah Saville needed just six third-period saves, but that included a five-bell stop right before the buzzer, forcing overtime. There, Zach Jordan needed just 11 seconds to score the game-winning goal to end a four-game losing skid.

9. Clarkson holds serve in battle of engineers

Earlier last week, former college hockey scribe and always-sarcastic tweeter Mike Eidelbes proposed a hockey tournament featuring four well-known engineering schools – Clarkson, Rensselaer, RIT and Michigan Tech – where engineering students would be allowed to use their knowledge to change the game’s outcome.

Well, there was no funny play, but two of those teams faced off with No. 4 Clarkson earning a three points of four in a two-game road series at Michigan Tech to enter the break with a 12-3-2 mark. The 12 wins are tied for fourth most in the nation behind Minnesota State (15), North Dakota (14) and Penn State (13).

10. Four-goal weekend for Ferris State’s Moise paces sweep of Huntsville

Who was the top offensive performer this weekend? If you guessed Ferris State’s Marshall Moise, well, you probably took a look at the box scores.

Indeed, Moise scored four times, twice each on Friday and Saturday, to help his team earn a much-needed sweep of Alabama Huntsville.

Also impressive was the performance of goaltender Mark Sinclair, whose 67 saves over the two nights was second on the weekend only to Notre Dame’s Cale Morris (73).

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 teams fared, Dec. 13-15

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Devin Cooley (Denver-1) 2019 March 23 Denver and Colorado College meet in the 3rd place game of the NCHC Frozen Face Off at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN (Bradley K. Olson)
Devin Cooley pitched a 24-save shutout Friday night as No. 8 Denver blanked Colorado College 3-0 (photo: Bradley K. Olson).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. Dec. 9 fared in games over the Dec. 13-15 weekend.

No. 1 Minnesota State (15-2-1)
12/13/2019 – No. 1 Minnesota State 5 at RV Northern Michigan 2
12/14/2019 – No. 1 Minnesota State 1 at RV Northern Michigan 4

No. 2 North Dakota (14-1-2)
Did not play.

No. 3 Cornell (10-1-0)
Did not play.

No. 4 Clarkson (12-3-2)
12/13/2019 – No. 4 Clarkson 2 at RV Michigan Tech 2 (OT)
12/14/2019 – No. 4 Clarkson 4 at RV Michigan Tech 2

No. 5 Boston College (11-4-0)
Did not play.

No. 6 Ohio State (10-4-2)
Did not play.

No. 7 Penn State (13-6-0)
12/13/2019 – No. 7 Penn State 4 at No. 15 Notre Dame 2
12/14/2019 – No. 7 Penn State 0 at No. 15 Notre Dame 3

No. 8 Denver (11-4-3)
12/13/2019 – RV Colorado College 0 at No. 8 Denver 3
12/14/2019 – No. 8 Denver 3 at RV Colorado College 1

No. 9 Massachusetts (12-4-1)
12/10/2019 – No. 9 Massachusetts 4 at Brown 0

No. 10 Bowling Green (12-6-1)
12/13/2019 – No. 10 Bowling Green 2 at Lake Superior 0
12/14/2019 – No. 10 Bowling Green 2 at Lake Superior 3 (OT)

No. 11 Minnesota Duluth (9-6-1)
Did not play.

No. 12 Northeastern (11-5-2)
12/14/2019 – RV Dartmouth 4 at No. 12 Northeastern 6

No. 13 Providence (9-5-3)
Did not play.

No. 14 UMass Lowell (10-4-4)
Did not play.

No. 15 Notre Dame (9-7-2)
12/13/2019 – No. 7 Penn State 4 at No. 15 Notre Dame 2
12/14/2019 – No. 7 Penn State 0 at No. 15 Notre Dame 3

No. 16 Arizona State (9-5-2)
12/14/2019 – No. 16 Arizona State 4 at No. 18 Michigan State 3
12/15/2019 – No. 16 Arizona State 0 at No. 18 Michigan State 1 (OT)

No. 17 Harvard (6-4-0)
Did not play.

No. 18 Michigan State (9-8-1)
12/14/2019 – No. 16 Arizona State 4 at No. 18 Michigan State 3
12/15/2019 – No. 16 Arizona State 0 at No. 18 Michigan State 1 (OT)

No. 19 Western Michigan (7-7-2)
Did not play.

No. 20 Sacred Heart (11-6-1)
Did not play.

RV = Received Votes

‘To many, he is Gopher hockey:’ Former Minnesota All-American, captain, coach Doug Woog dies at 75

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Doug Woog found success behind the Minnesota bench, just as he did skating for the Gophers during his playing days (photo: Minnesota Athletics).

The University of Minnesota lost a legend on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019, as former Gopher hockey All-American captain and head coach Doug Woog died.

Woog was 75.

An icon in the state of Minnesota and the sport of hockey, Woog starred on the ice for South St. Paul High School and the University of Minnesota before eventually returning to the school to become the program’s all-time coaching wins leader at the time.

“Coach Woog was one of a kind,” said Minnesota director of athletics Mark Coyle in a statement. “He had a huge heart, an engaging personality and everyone he encountered loved him. From playing to coaching to commenting, his impact on hockey, the Gophers and the state of Minnesota is immeasurable. To many, he is Gopher hockey. Our thoughts are with his family and loved ones at this time.”

“Doug Woog bled Maroon and Gold as both a player and as a coach, and his legacy is one of the greatest in the history of the University of Minnesota,” Gopher coach Bob Motzko added. “Wooger’s dedication and contributions to hockey in the state of Minnesota are immeasurable as are the number of people impacted by his lifetime of work. He will be remembered fondly by all and forgotten by none. We lost a true Minnesota treasure today.”

A native of South St. Paul, Minn., Woog was a first team all-state player in three of his four seasons at South St. Paul High School, leading the Packers to four state tournament appearances. He was also a three-time all-tournament team honoree and was the tournament’s leading scorer in 1962.

Woog’s No. 7 jersey was retired by South St. Paul High School in 2010.

Following high school, Woog was a three-year letter winner at Minnesota from 1964-66 (freshmen were not allowed to play at the time) under the legendary John Mariucci. The forward tallied 101 points (48 goals, 53 assists) in 80 career games for the Gophers. As a junior in 1964-65, Woog led the Gophers in scoring with 26 goals and 47 points, earning First Team All-American and All-WCHA First Team honors. As a senior in 1965-66, he served as captain as was named team most valuable player.

After graduating with honors in 1967 with a bachelor’s degree in education (Woog later added a master’s degree in guidance and counseling from St. Thomas), Woog earned a roster spot on the U.S. Men’s National Team, helping the team to a fifth-place finish at the 1967 IIHF Men’s World Championships in Vienna, Austria. Woog was also a candidate for the 1968 U.S. Olympic Team.

His playing days behind him, Woog joined the coaching ranks in 1971 and led the Minnesota Junior Stars (later the St. Paul Vulcans) to two national junior titles before returning to South St. Paul High School in 1977. As head coach of the boys hockey team for six years, Woog led the Packers to two conference titles and advanced to the state tournament four times.

In 1978, Woog was chosen to lead the West Team in the U.S. Olympic Festival, where his squad won gold. At the 1989 Olympic Festival, Woog duplicated the feat by winning the gold medal with his South squad. He was the assistant coach of the 1982 U.S. National Junior Team and then served as an assistant for the 1984 Olympic team that competed in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, as well.

Later in life, Woog coached the 1985 U.S. National Junior Team, served as the assistant coach for the U.S. in the 1987 Canada Cup and served as head coach of the 1989 U.S. Select-17 Team.

Woog returned to the Gophers as head coach in 1985 and led the program for 14 years, including 12 straight NCAA tournament appearances (an NCAA record at the time) and six trips to the NCAA Frozen Four. Behind his coaching, the Gophers also earned four MacNaughton Cups as WCHA regular-season champions and three Broadmoor Trophies as WCHA playoff champions. Woog guided his players to a total of 13 All-American honors while he also coached Robb Stauber (1988) and Brian Bonin (1996) to Hobey Baker Award honors as the nation’s top college hockey player.

The 1990 WCHA Coach of the Year, Woog’s 388 career wins at Minnesota were a program record at the end of his tenure. Woog’s successor, Don Lucia, later surpassed Woog’s wins record with 457 career victories with the Gophers.

After stepping down as head coach, Woog remained close to the program, working with Gopher Sports Properties and serving as on-air talent for FOX Sports North until the end of the 2013-14 season.

Woog was inducted into the University of Minnesota ‘M’ Club Hall of Fame in 2000 and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2002. He was awarded the John McInnes Award, which recognizes “great concern for amateur hockey and youth programs,” by the American Hockey Coaches Association in 2008. In March of 2015, Woog was honored by the Minnesota Hockey Coaches Association with the Cliff Thompson Award, given in recognition of outstanding, long-term contributions to the sport of hockey in Minnesota.

GOTW: Morris 37-save shutout paces No. 15 Notre Dame vs. No. 7 Penn State, ends Irish six-game losing skid

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during Big Ten action between University of Notre Dame vs Penn State at Compton Family Ice Arena on December 14, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Mike Miller/Fighting Irish Media)
 Max Ellis’ first collegiate goal turned out to be the game-winner as Notre Dame ended a six-game losing streak and earned a weekend split with Penn State, 3-0, on Saturday (Photo: Fighting Irish Media/(Mike Miller)

It certainly hasn’t been an easy few weeks for No. 15 Notre Dame. But their backbone, Cale Morris, helped put the team back on track with a 37-save shutout of No. 7 Penn State, 3-0, to give the Irish their first win in eight tries.

Max Ellis’ first collegiate goal at 7:35 of the opening period was all the offense Notre Dame needed.

Alex Steeves and Graham Slaggert each added goals in the second to help the Irish get back into the win column for the first time since November 16.

Northern Michigan 4, No. 1 Minnesota State 1

In the evening’s biggest upset, Northern Michigan snapped Minnesota State’s 10-game winning streak and knocked off the number one team in the nation, 4-1.

Michael Van Unen opened the scoring for the Wildcats in the second only to have the Mavericks Jake Jaremko respond midway through the frame with his sixth of the season.

Ben Newhouse struck late in the period on the power play to give Northern Michigan a lead it wouldn’t relinquish.

Andrew Ghantous and Griffin Loughran added third period goals into empty nets to seal the victory.

Nolan Kent earned the win for Northern Michigan making 30 saves.

No. 16 Arizona State 4, No. 18 Michigan State 3

Johnny Walker’s game-winning goal with 5:40 remaining in regulation broke a 3-3 tie and propelled Arizona State to a 4-3 road win over a red-hot Michigan State club.

The Spartans had clawed back from 3-1 down in the third on goals by Patrick Khodorenko and Nicolas Muller.

Jacob Wilson (goal, assist), and Tyler Busch (2a) paced the Arizona State offense.

The Sun Devils are now 4-0-2 in their last six after starting the season 5-4-0. The two teams complete their series on Sunday.

No. 12 Northeastern 6, Dartmouth 4

In a crazy offensive back-and-forth contest, the host Northeastern jumped out to a 3-0 lead, kissed that goodbye as Dartmouth scored three straight in the second period, retook the three-goal cushion late in the second and the hung on for a 6-4 victory.

Aidan McDonough was the offensive hero for the Huskies, scoring twice and adding two assists. His power play goal at 10:01 of the second game Northeastern a 4-3 lead, one they would never relinquish.

Special teams played an enormous role as Northeastern finished three-for-six on the power play and killed all three Dartmouth man-advantage opportunities.

 

Friday wrap-up: No. 7 Penn State rallies to take opener vs. No. 15 Notre Dame, 4-2

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during Big Ten action between University of Notre Dame vs Penn State at Compton Family Ice Arena on December 13, 2019 in South Bend, Indiana. (Mike Miller/Fighting Irish Media)
Penn State rallied from 2-1 down in the third to earn a 4-2 victory on Friday, a night that was mostly kind to higher-ranked teams (Photo: Fighting Irish Media/Mike Miller)

Penn State scored the game’s final three goal, including two in 1:55 to tie the game and take the lead, as the Nittany Lions took the opener of a two-game road series over Notre Dame, 4-2.

Notre Dame grabbed a lead 4:45 of the third when Alex Steeves scored his third goal of the season.

But Penn State responded with Paul DeNaples second goal of the season at 8:20. A penalty called on the play also gave the Nittany Lions a power play where Even Barrett fired a shot blocker side on Cale Morris (36 saves).

Peyton Jones was outstanding in net for Penn State, stopping 40 of the 42 shots he faced.

The loss for Notre Dame extends its losing streak to six games, the longest for the program in seven seasons.

No. 1 Minnesota State 5, Northern Michigan 2

The nation’s number one team continued to roll, extending its winning streak to 10 games with a road victory at Northern Michigan, 5-2.

Marc Michaelis scored his ninth and tenth goals of the season, while Julian Napravnik and Jared Spooner each struck 2:13 apart late in the second to blow open the game.

Dryden McKay remained hot stopping 23 shots to earn the victory.

No. 4 Clarkson 2, Michigan Tech 2 (OT)

Michigan Tech’s Greyson Reitmeier’s goal at 1:46 of the third period knotted the game at 2, the way things finished as host Michigan Tech battled to a 2-2 tie with fourth-ranked Clarkson.

Alex Smith opened the scoring for Tech on the power play in the first. Clarkson’s Haralds Egle had a response before the frame closed, scoring his sixth of the season.

Clarkson grabbed the lead early in the second on Grant Cooper’s goal before the Golden Knights couldn’t hold on when Reitmeier scored his first goal of the season early in the third.

No. 10 Bowling Green 2, Lake Superior 0

Max Johsnon’s power play goal near the midway mark of the second period was all the offense needed as Bowling Green skated to a 2-0 road victory over Lake Superior.

Eric Dop earned the shutout for the Falcons, which improve to 12-5-1 and 7-3-1-1 in the WCHA.

The two teams will meet again in Sault Ste. Marie in their final game before break tomorrow night.

Colorado College at No. 8 Denver (late)

 

Hockey East picks: Dec. 13-14

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(Tim Brule)

As the first half officially comes to an end, there are just two games left on top for Hockey East teams.

Jim last week: 7-6-0
Dave last week: 8-5-0
Jim to date: 68-42-16
Dave to date: 73-37-16

Friday, December 13

Merrimack at Union
Here are two teams that have struggled throughout the entire first half. It’s hard to imagine that one win can turn their season around, but nothing like going into break on a high note.

Jim’s pick: Union 4, MC 3
Dave’s pick: MC 3, Union 2

Saturday, December 14

Dartmouth at Northeastern
The Big Green had quite an upset victory last Saturday over Cornell. But that win is surrounded by a 5-1 loss to Colgate and a 2-2 home tie against Bentley. Maybe they are in position to pull off another upset, but this will have to occur away from the comforts of home.

Jim’s pick: NU 4, Dartmouth 1
Dave’s pick: NU 4, Dartmouth 2

Pickin’ the Big Ten: Dec. 13-15

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LOWELL, MA - NOVEMBER 30: Nate Sucese #14 of the Penn State Nittany Lions skates against the Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks during NCAA men's hockey at the Tsongas Center on November 30, 2019 in Lowell, Massachusetts. The River Hawks won 3-2 in overtime. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/USCHO) (Rich Gagnon)
It’s so strange that just last week, Drew Claussen was hoping that your Thanksgiving had been a good one. This week, I’m wishing you a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and a Happy Kwanzaa!

These are the last games for Big Ten teams until Ohio State hosts Colgate Dec. 27-28. Drew and I will have a picks blog in advance of that, which is also the same weekend as the Mariucci Classic, with the Great Lakes Invitational tournament on the following Monday and Tuesday.

Last week
Drew: 3-4-1 (.438)
Paula: 4-3-1 (.563)

This season
Drew: 53-26-6 (.659)
Paula: 46-33-6 (.576)

This week

There are three B1G teams in action this week, including an intriguing series between Penn State and Notre Dame (that Drew previews here), plus Arizona State’s tilt against Michigan State. All times are local.

No. 7 Penn State at No. 15 Notre Dame
Friday at 7:00 p.m., Saturday at 6:00 p.m.

After last week’s road split with Michigan, the Nittany Lions are facing a Notre Dame team that is 0-5-1 in its last six games. Last weekend, the Fighting Irish were swept by Boston College, outscored 10-1 on a home-and-home series. These teams last met when Notre Dame beat Penn State 3-2 in the 2019 Big Ten championship game. The Irish are 8-4-2 all-time against the Nittany Lions. If Notre Dame takes one this weekend, Drew and I are both betting that it comes on Friday night.

Drew: Notre Dame 3-2, Penn State 4-2
Paula: Notre Dame 2-1, Penn State 5-2

No. 16 Arizona State at No. 18 Michigan State
Saturday at 7:00 p.m., Sunday at 5:00 p.m.

The Sun Devils come into Munn Ice Arena with a record of 8-4-2, having defeated and tied Denver at home last weekend. The Spartans swept Wisconsin last weekend, needing overtime in the second game to do so. This will be the second time that these teams are meeting for a series; the Sun Devils swept the Spartans in Arizona Nov. 9-10, 2018. Arizona State is a formidable opponent, averaging 3.07 goals per game while allowing 2.29. This will be a marquee match between ASU sophomore goaltender Evan Debrouwer (2.10 GAA, .930 SV%) and MSU senior John Lethemon (.201 GAA, .941 SV%).

Drew: Michigan State 4-3, 3-2
Paula: Michigan State 3-2, Arizona State 3-2

The Twitterverse

Follow Drew (@drewclaussen) and me (@paulacweston) on Twitter. On Saturday night, I’ll get my first live look at the Sun Devils and I couldn’t be more excited. I’ll also be live from the Great Lakes Invitational, all four games.

USCHO GAME OF THE WEEK: Struggling Notre Dame looking to get back on track against Penn State

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Cale Morris (32 - Notre Dame) (2018 Omar Phillips)
Cale Morris saw his senior season at Notre Dame delayed due to injury, but is 5-5-2 in his 12 starts in 2019-20 (photo: Omar Phillips).

With one more opportunity to end a losing streak before the holiday break, Jeff Jackson doesn’t want his Notre Dame team to be fixated on results.

Notre Dame hosts Penn State this weekend for its finals Big Ten series of 2019. The Irish started the season hot, going 7-0-1, but have dropped their last five contests.

“It started with the lack of five-on-five scoring, then it progressed into pressing a bit too much offensively, and that was what was getting us into trouble at the other end,” Jackson said. “We’ve got to try and work hard offensively, try to keep things the right way to score goals, and not get three guys caught low and give up odd-man rushes and breakaways. That just boils down to having a process mindset.”

Jackson said he hoped the team had “bottomed out” after last Sunday’s 6-1 loss to Boston College. The Irish were outscored 10-1 by the Eagles in the home-and-home series.

“Because of the pressure of where we are, it caused us to break down on Sunday,” he said. “That’s the first time that’s happened, and maybe that’s why I said we maybe bottomed out. We threw our execution of the system out trying to score goals and that certainly made things tougher on the other end of the ice.”

Though the results haven’t been there as of late, Jackson said he’s been impressed with the team’s attitude and effort.

“The one area that we have to be better and more committed to is simplifying our game and executing, and that’s been the focus in practice this week,” he said. “For us, it’s baby steps right now. We have to start doing the little things well before we can concern ourselves with the outcome or the result. It’s always about the next shift and staying focused on the details of the game.”

He also doesn’t want to team to forget that it was undefeated and near the top of the rankings not that long ago.

“You try to remind them of that,” Jackson said. “We’ve been playing high-quality teams, too, which has made it tougher. We just have to be able to break the game down to its simplest form. We know we have the ability, we just have to not try to win the game the first shift.”

Not to make excuses, but Notre Dame might be slightly road-weary. After the Irish swept Ohio State at home, they played consecutive road series at Wisconsin and Michigan State. Home-and-home series with Bowling Green and Boston College followed. The team was able to charter to Madison and Boston, but the miles racked up on land and in the air are hard to ignore.

“It’s not so much the travel as it is the drain that comes along with the travel from a mental perspective,” Jackson said. “Getting home at late hours, you’re getting less sleep Saturday or Sunday nights. You feel it personally. The week is shortened because you’re leaving early so you have three days to prepare both academically and personally as well as the hockey side of it. Then you magnify that by, the last two weeks prior to final exams, school amps up in a big way here.”

Jackson credited his leadership group for keeping the team even-keeled, even though many of those players are also going through tough times with their own game.

“I feel bad for them, just because some of our seniors are not producing the way they were the first month of the season, so you tack on the frustration,” he said, adding that he’d love to see players like Cal Burke, Mike O’Leary and Cam Morrison catch a break and knock in a goal soon. “I’m just grateful that we have some mature guys that can handle that. It’s not just the pressure of the leadership role, it’s the pressure of personal expectations.”

Goaltender Cale Morris has also struggled, to his own standards, after the start to his season was delayed by injury. The senior has a 5-5-2 record, .890 save percentage and 3.07 GAA but is 7-2-1 in his career against Penn State.

“It’s a little different with goaltenders, like a pitcher in baseball and the quarterback in football,” Jackson said of Morris. “He needs to get that swagger back that he has had in the past. He’s not a cocky kid, but he’s a confident kid. I expect he’ll recover and respond. He’s too good of goaltender not to.

“He knows how Penn State plays and how they get the puck to the net. He certainly has the maturity to be able to deal with it. For him right now, it’s just the confidence aspect of it.”

With classes having ended on Thursday and exams not starting until Monday, Jackson hopes that everyone can take advantage of a home series with fewer distractions this weekend.

“We’ve got to work on winning shifts and periods and not get so focused on the result,” Jackson said. “If we do that, then we can peck away and try to play the way that we have to play to have success against teams like Penn State.”

Jackson said he sees similarities between Penn State and Boston College. After the Irish failed their exam against the Eagles, they’ll gladly take a redo against the Nittany Lions.

“It’s always a challenge when you play them — they’re a good hockey team and they’ve got good depth,” he said. “They’re balanced across every position, in some ways they remind me of Boston College right now. We didn’t handle (Boston College) overly well, but it’s a new week and we haven’t had to get on a bus or a plane, so maybe that’s going to be a helpful thing.”

Princeton elevates assistant Dexter to associate head coach role

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Brad Dexter has been with the Princeton men’s team since the 2014-15 season (photo: Princeton Athletics).

Princeton announced Thursday that Brad Dexter has been promoted to the role of associate head coach with the Tigers men’s team.

“Brad is extremely deserving of this new role within our program,” said Princeton head coach Ron Fogarty in a statement. “He has been an instrumental piece in the growth and development of our student-athletes on the ice and off, and his work helped set our standard with our 2018 ECAC championship.

“He is a talented coach and tireless recruiter and Princeton is fortunate to have him as part of its men’s ice hockey program.”

Dexter joined the Tigers ahead of the 2014-15 season.

NCHC picks: Dec. 13

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Ian Mitchell of Denver. Denver vs. Lake Superior at Magness Arena, 10/20/2017. (Candace Horgan)
Ian Mitchell of Denver. The Pioneers renew their rivalry with Colorado College this weekend. (Candace Horgan)

It’s taken a little longer than usual, but I’m at the point I usually am now in our season picks race: building a bigger lead on Matthew. Last weekend, I added some distance by picking the North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth sweeps, as I went 7-2-1 (.750), while Matthew was 5-4-1 (.550). On the year, I am now 43-31-13 (.568), while Matthew is 40-34-13 (.534).

Let’s see how we do in these last two weekends of the first half.

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 13-14

No. 8 Denver versus Colorado College (home-and-home)
Candace: Denver has only one win in its last eight games, while CC is 4-2-1 in its last seven. Denver will want to make up for losing the Gold Pan on the last weekend of the regular season last year, so I see a split. Denver 3-2, Colorado College 3-1
Matthew: My usual go-to with home-and-home series is to take the home teams. This time last week, I would’ve gone away from that for this series and taken Denver to sweep. The Pioneers struggled at Arizona State, though, while CC got a win and a tie last time out, admittedly against not the same caliber of opponent. Watch me be wrong here, but I’ll take a split and keep up appearances. Denver 3-1, Colorado College 3-2

Omaha at St. Cloud State
Candace: Omaha seems to have come back to Earth in recent weeks, while St. Cloud is moving in the right direction, but is only 1-4-1 at home. I think this is a split. St. Cloud State 3-2, Omaha 4-2
Omaha: SCSU has done better in the last couple weeks after a troublesome start, and Omaha is winless in its last four games, going back nearly a month. Can they get a win or two in St. Cloud? The Huskies have won one of six at home this season, so…maybe. St. Cloud State 3-1, Omaha 3-1

Bresser playing at high level for top-ranked Blugolds

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Jake Bresser leads the Blugolds in scoring this season. (Photo provided by UW-Eau Claire athletics)

Jake Bresser was at a family Christmas when he first had an interest in hockey sparked inside of him. One of his cousins, then a player at Marian, put a pair of skates on him. 

The rest is history.

“We were bored one day and he threw a pair of skates on me. I loved the skating aspect of it,” Bresser said. “My parents got me into some youth skates and I just picked it up. I loved the fast pace of it and the hitting and checking was appealing as a kid. I’ve loved the game since.”

That love for the game has led to a successful college career at Wisconsin-Eau Claire where Bresser is a key player for the topr-ranked team in the nation in NCAA Division III.

The Blugolds are unbeaten and have won their last 10 games.

“To sum it up, it’s been a lot of fun. We have a good group of guys this year and we’re a big family. Being a tight-knit group has really helped us.”

On a personal level, Bresser boasts a solid stat line during the team’s 10-0-1 start to the year, scoring six goals and dishing out five assists to lead the team in points.

“It’s going pretty good. There’s a little bit of balance between my goals and assists this year, which has been good,” Bresser said. I have a couple of good linemates I’m clicking with, too and that has really helped in the process.”

A two-time All-WIAC selection, including first-team honors last season, the senior forward said he didn’t really focus on anything in particular getting ready for the season. 

“There wasn’t a lot I focused on. I feel I’m more well-rounded,” Bresser said. “It starts in the defensive zone and getting into the offensive zone. And every summer you have to get bigger, faster and stronger. I stayed focused on that and prepared myself mentally for the season.”

It has paid off.

A year ago, Bresser scored four goals and handed out 17 assists. He tallied nine goals and six assists as a sophomore after managing just a goal and two assists his rookie season.

“I’ve focused on the player that I am and haven’t tried to be something I’m not,” Bresser said. “I found my role and niche. I’m not the flashiest player and my hands aren’t the best, but I’m a good shooter. I get the puck to the net and good things happen from there.”

The fact that he’s thriving on the ice for his hometown team carries a little extra meaning for Bresser.

“It’s awesome,” Bresser said. “Eau Claire is really into hockey and getting support from friends and family who watched me growing up has been great. And the university treats us very well. We are grateful for what we have here.”

Bresser said one of the things that has helped the Blugolds succeed out of the gate this season has been the fact that he and his teammates push each other day in and day out.There’s a competitive feel to practice that translates to game day.

“We are highly competitive and deep at every position,” Bresser said. “That shows in practice with the high intensity and we push each other. No matter who is in the lineup we are comfortable with it.”

The Blugolds are playing with a target on their backs, though, being the No. 1 team in the nation. But it’s not something the players have run away from.

“We embrace it,” Bresser said. “I think for some of us, it helps us play better. We haven’t been ranked this high in awhile, so we have a lot to prove, but we’re a really solid team and we know we are going to get everyone’s best shot.”

That includes this weekend when the Blugolds take on rival Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the reigning national champions.

“We know them well and we have to focus on playing 60 minutes of good hockey both nights,” Bresser said. “When you play Point, it’s something special. We want to come out on top.”

The Blugolds are accustomed to success and were the national champions in 2013.

Bresser said if this team wants to get to where it hopes to come March, playing well in the second half is vital.

“My last couple of years we have started slow and ended hot or started hot and ended slow. We want to remain consistent and pick up where left off,” Bresser said. “We can’t have any letdowns. A lot of that is going to depend on what we do while we’re home for Christmas. It’s important to stay active and come back ready to go.”

Around the West Region

Augsburg ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 1.30 goals per game. Goalie Daniil Gerasimov has played a big role in that, saving 95 percent of the shots he has faced this season.

Kyle Meeh of Saint Mary’s has tallied five goals this year, the most on the team, and he has recorded at least one point in five of the six games he’s played in this season for the Cardinals.

St. Thomas standout John Peterson has already set a new career-best for goals, scoring six, tallying two in the last three games.

UW-Eau Claire head coach Matt Loen has 200 career wins. He reached the milestone in a 2-0 win over Wisconsin-River Falls last Friday. Loen in his 13th season with the Blugolds and is 200-117-28. He is the sixth coach in WIAC history to get to 200 wins.

Logan Nelson of Wisconsin-Stout leads his team in goals with four on the year, including one off the power play.

Christian Hausinger of UW-River Falls is the top scoring defensemen in the WIAC. He has come through with five goals and 10 assists so far this season for the Falcons.

Marcus Gloss of Finlandia recorded 88 saves last weekend in a pair of games. Gloss has started seven games for the Lions and has won twice. He has tallied 235 saves.

Peter Bates of St. Norbert leads the NCHA in assists with 12. He is one of four players in the league with at least 10 assists.

Josh Boyko of Aurora owns the best goals against average in the conference at 1.73. He has started 12 games for the Spartans and has come through with 311 saves.

In the Poll: In addition to UW-Eau Claire being ranked first, three other teams from the region are nationally ranked. Augsburg is fourth, Adrian is seventh and Lake Forest checks in at No. 13 this week.

Alaska Anchorage’s win over Boston College in 1992 going in to Alaska Sports Hall of Fame as ‘moment’ for 2020 class

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The 1991-92 Alaska Anchorage team made waves in the 1992 NCAA postseason (photo: Alaska Anchorage Athletics).

The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame will induct the Alaska Anchorage hockey team’s win over Boston College in 1992 as its “moment” for the 2020 class.

The Seawolves were an independent team without a league at the time, while BC, led by Hobey Baker winner David Emma, was a perennial Hockey East powerhouse playing on its home ice in the second round of the NCAA tournament a year after reaching the national semifinals.

“I thought BC would blow them out of the building,” said Jack Parker, the coach of BC’s rival Boston University, in a 2019 USCHO.com feature article.

But the Seawolves, led by coach Brush Christiansen, showed no fear in the best-of-three series that pitted the West Region’s sixth-seeded team against the East Region’s third-ranked squad.

Alaska Anchorage beat the Eagles 3-2 in the opener, keyed by goals from Rob Conn and Brian Kraft. The next night, UAA clinched the series 3-1. Goalie Paul Krake was among the heroes, making 39 saves in the second game.

“This was huge news in Anchorage,” Doyle Woody, an Anchorage Daily News reporter who attended the series, told USCHO.com. “Both game stories were on the front page of the newspaper, which is, other than radio or TV, how a lot of people found out.”

The Seawolves lost to eventual national champion Northern Michigan in the NCAA quarterfinals and finished the campaign 22-17-4, but their victory in the “David vs. Goliath” series against BC was never forgotten.

Inductees to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame are chosen through a public vote and a selection panel. Upon enshrinement, inductee portraits are permanently displayed at the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Gallery at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.

Picking the WCHA: Dec. 13-14

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Well, last week was certainly interesting. As I was busy watching Michigan Tech prove me right with a sweep of Alaska Anchorage, I absolutely blew the Alaska/Bemidji State series, which went the opposite way from what I was thinking. Naturally, Jack picked it correctly, giving him the win for the week.

Daver last week: 5-2-1

Jack last week: 6-1-1

Daver this season: 43-24-6

Jack this season: 58-35-9

 

Alabama Huntsville at Ferris State

After a tough loss Friday on the road at Bowling Green, the Chargers are looking to continue to build off of a tie Saturday. The Bulldogs are fresh off a bye week after a tough road trip at Alaska Anchorage, where they captured five of a possible six points.

Daver: UAH wins Friday 2-1, FSU wins Saturday 4-1

Jack: FSU sweeps 4-2, 6-4

 

No. 10 Bowling Green at Lake Superior State

The Falcons head back out on the road after an interesting weekend at home against Alabama Huntsville. The Lakers bounced back from a 5-0 loss on Friday earlier this season against the Falcons and earned a 3-1. The Lakers look to use this weekend as a springboard as they head into the Catamount Cup in Vermont in late December.

Daver: BGSU wins Friday 4-1, LSSU wins Saturday, 2-1

Jack: BGSU sweeps 5-2, 5-4

 

No. 1 Minnesota State at Northern Michigan 

The Mavericks carry a nine-game winning streak into this weekend’s road trip to Marquette. The Wildcats split on the road with the Chargers two weeks ago. With a week to prep, they look to be the team to break the Mavericks’ run.

Daver: MSU sweeps 4-1, 5-2

Jack: MSU sweeps 4-2, 5-3

 

No. 4 Clarkson at Michigan Tech

Michigan Tech has seven losses on the season, but only one outside of WCHA play. They come into this non-conference matchup with the Green Knights having won seven of their last eight. The Green Knights are also hot of late, having won eight of their last nine coming into this weekend after defeating Yale and St. Lawrence. 

Daver: CU wins Friday 3-2, MTU wins Saturday 3-1

Jack: MTU wins Friday, 3-1, CU wins 4-3

ECAC Hockey Picks: Dec. 12-14

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(Tim Brule)The unofficial first half of the ECAC Hockey season concludes with a smattering of non-conference games this weekend. All games start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

Nate:

Last week: 7-7

Overall:  64-43-7

Mark

Last week: 3-11

Overall: 57-49-7

Thursday, Dec. 12

Bentley at Dartmouth

Nate:  The Falcons have been playing well lately, but the Big Green are at home and coming off a win over previously unbeaten Cornell. Dartmouth 4-2

Mark: The Big Green have won five of six. Look for them to keep rolling. Dartmouth 4-3

Friday, Dec. 13

Merrimack at Union

Nate:  Union has not only won three in a row against the Warriors, but has been playing better lately. Union 4-3

Mark: The Dutchmen have tightened up defensively, giving up just three goals in the last three games. Home ice gives them the edge. Union 3-2

Clarkson at Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m. Friday; 6:07 p.m. Saturday.

Nate: Both teams are strong defensively and have been playing well lately. I agree with Mark and think this will be a split. Friday: Clarkson 3-1; Saturday, Michigan Tech 2-1

Mark: Great matchup. Clarkson has won eight of nine. Michigan Tech has won seven of eight. Feels like a split. Friday: Clarkson 4-2; Saturday: Michigan Tech 3-1

Saturday, Dec. 14

Dartmouth at Northeastern, 4 p.m.

Nate: At the risk of running afoul of college hockey’s favorite Twitter account, I’m picking the Huskies, who are an impressive 5-1-1 at home this year. Northeastern 4-1

Mark: The Huskies have lost only once at Matthews Arena. Northeastern 5-2

Atlantic Hockey Picks: December 12-15

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Last Week:

Dan: 9-1-1
Chris: 7-3-1

On The Season:
Dan: 73-27-9 (.711)
Chris: 64-36-9 (.628)

This Week’s Picks

Thursday, December 12
Bentley at Dartmouth
Chris: Both teams have won four of their last five games. I’m giving the slight edge to the Big Green at home. Dartmouth wins.
Dan: I might’ve picked Bentley in this game before last weekend, but then Dartmouth beat Cornell and all bets are off. That said, I’m still going with the blatant Atlantic Hockey homerism pick. Bentley wins.

Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14
Niagara at American International
Chris: I get the feeling that the Yellow Jackets are going to get on a roll soon, and despite Niagara playing very well recently, I’m picking AIC to sweep.
Dan: I echo what Chris is saying here, and that’s going to be very scary because, quite frankly, the Yellow Jackets aren’t a team anyone can sleep on. Split this series.

Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15
Army West Point at Robert Morris
Chris: This is a battle of teams currently holding down second and third place in the standings. I think things will stay that way come Sunday night. Split.
Dan: I think RMU is going to come out angry after what happened against Sacred Heart. 10 goals allowed is not an indication of things to come for that team, and this weekend, they run into an Army squad that just battled Bentley to an incredibly tough series. Split the series here too.

Women’s D-III: Norwich looks to flip script in second-half opener as Conway sets sight on records

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Amanda Conway of Norwich (Mark Collier/Norwich University)
Amanda Conway of Norwich (Mark Collier/Norwich University)

Heading into the break, Norwich, behind rookie head coach Sophie Leclerc, is on a roll, going 10-1 through the first half and recording shutouts in their last six games. In fact, since losing to Plattsburgh on Nov. 6 in their season opener, Norwich has only given up four goals in 10 games.

“Honestly, being a first-year head coach, you kind of never know what’s really going to happen,” said Leclerc. “My perspective through all of this, and having nothing to compare it to, was just take it one game at a time. That’s our philosophy through this, is focusing really on us and no one else. It’s kind of transformed itself right from the start to focus on our back end defensively. Being really strong defensively will translate in any game. Every game, the focus has been on how we can be good in our own end, and that will allow us to play in the offensive zone, the fun zone, where everybody wants to be, where our players’ skill takes over.”

Leclerc, a 2010 graduate of Norwich, is happy to be back home. Her coach was Mark Bolding, who was the only coach in program history. Bolding left for Yale in the off season. LeClerc had been an assistant under Bolding for two seasons, 2013-14 and 2014-15, and spent four years after that as an assistant at Colgate, where she helped the Raiders to a runner-up finish in the 2017-18 season.

“It’s been absolutely incredible,” said Leclerc of her rookie season. “You have kind of a

Sophie Leclerc (photo: Colgate Athletics)
Sophie Leclerc (photo: Colgate Athletics)

general idea of what it’s like based on your experience here as a player. I was here for a couple of years as an assistant coach as well. I think stepping away from it for four years made it that much sweeter to be back home. It’s a familiar setting in an unfamiliar role, but because it is so familiar and the values hold true to me throughout, it’s made it an easy transition as far as how I believe this team can play. Having been in their shoes before, I’m able to really challenge them in a number of ways.”

As a player, Leclerc ranks second all-time in scoring behind Julie Fortier, who graduated in 2012. Leclerc finished with 163 points in her career, while Fortier had 175. An interesting storyline has cropped up in Leclerc’s rookie coaching season, as Amanda Conway just broke Fortier’s program goal-scoring record in the final game of the first half. Conway is now third in career points at Norwich, trailing Leclerc by 16 points and Fortier by 28. With 14 games in the second half, plus playoffs, and Conway averaging 1.63 points per game, it is likely that Leclerc will see Conway surpass her in the records, and possibly also surpass Fortier.

“We talked about this as a group after Amanda hit the milestone.,” said Leclerc. “This is a testament to the growth of this program. She was the first after to say, hey, this is this isn’t just me, it’s everybody, and she means it. I think from my perspective, having been here on the inaugural team back in 2007, to see somebody surpass a record means that this program is growing, as it should be. I’m just grateful to have been a part of it and to help her succeed. That’s been my goal right from the minute I met her. Knowing the incredible talent that she is, I want to do everything I can for her to set her up for the biggest success and, ultimately, our team’s success.”

One contributor to Norwich’s success has been the play of its trio of goaltenders. Leclerc has rotated all three so far. Sophomore Alexa Berg has played give games, while junior Emily Lambert and sophomore Kate Winstanley have each played three. Their save percentages are incredible, with Berg posting a .951, Lambert a .986, and Winstanley a .971.

“They have made it amazingly difficult, and I tell each one of them that all the time,” said Leclerc of the goalies. “We couldn’t be more fortunate to have three goaltenders that I have absolute faith in no matter what the game is in the second half. Right now, there’s no doubt in my mind that all three of them give us an amazing opportunity to win. I give them all the credit in the world. They’re talented and they work well together, and it’s not an easy thing to do. It’s funny, because they ask what they can do to get better, and I tell them I don’t know, just keep going. It’s been insane; it really adds to my growth in my first year, I can tell you that much.”

Ironically, Norwich will open its second half with another game against Plattsburgh in the first game of the East/West Classic, where the Cadets will hope to flip the script from their season opener. They could face No. 8 Elmira on back-to-back weekends, depending on if Elmira beats No. 6 Adrian. They also have a game against No. 2 Middlebury on the docket in February.

“Whether it’s been Plattsburgh or Elmira or Middlebury, there’s been a team that’s been a thorn in our side,” said Leclerc. “Plattsburg has been consistent there. I said it when I was in front of the team in the first game, those are the games you want to play for. The rivalry that the two teams have created just makes it so much fun. You work so hard day in and day out, harping on our defensive zone play and seeing success in other games within our conference, here’s an opportunity to do it against one of the best teams in the country. That’s the way I frame it, and the outcome is the outcome. I think it’s all part of 60 minutes and the buzz surrounding it before we get to play, and then you ultimately learn from it either way when you’re done. You hope to tilt the scale a little bit more this time, but we’ll see.”

No. 7 Penn State at No. 15 Notre Dame preview with Nittany Lions coach Guy Gadowsky: Game of the Week Podcast Season 2 Episode 11

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No. 7 Penn State travels to No. 15 Notre Dame for this week’s USCHO Game of the Week. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Nittany Lions head coach Guy Gadowsky for a preview of the Big Ten series.

Also in this episode: In the NCHC, Colorado College and No. 8 Denver are home-and-home as part of this year’s Battle for the Gold Pan and Omaha is at St. Cloud State; In the WCHA, No. 1 Minnesota State is at Northern Michigan and No. 10 Bowling Green travels to Lake Superior; in Atlantic Hockey, Army and Robert Morris each can move back into first place; and in non-conference action, No. 4 Clarkson is at Michigan Tech and No. 16 Arizona State is at No. 18 Michigan State for two-game series, and Dartmouth, fresh off an upset of Cornell, visits No. 12 Northeastern for a single game.

Subscribe to this podcast on iTunes, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

Sponsor this podcast! Visit https://www.advertisecast.com/USCHOGameoftheWeek for details.

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Resurgent, resilient Michigan State squad raising eyebrows in Big Ten play, finding ‘effective way to get some results’

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John Lethemon of Michigan State (Andrew Knapik/MiHockeyNow) ((Andrew Knapik/MiHockeyNow))
John Lethemon is Michigan State’s No. 1 goalie and has been in net for all eight of the Spartans’ wins this season (photo: Andrew Knapik/MiHockeyNow).

As the holiday break looms, a quick look at the Big Ten standings reveals something out of the ordinary for the conference’s short history.

Michigan State is tied for second with 19 points and is only three points off the lead. The Spartans will put their conference run on pause this weekend and host Arizona State for a two-game series.

With a 6-3-1 record, it’s not like the Spartans are getting by on puck luck. They opened conference play by shutting out Penn State 2-0 and followed up the series split with the Nittany Lions by sweeping Michigan and taking four of six points from Notre Dame.

“The one thing we’ve done fairly well, [and] there’s always bumps and glitches along the way, but I’ve thought we’ve defended fairly well and that’s kept us in a lot of games,” Spartans coach Danton Cole said. “The other thing is that we’ve been pretty resilient. We’ve been able to come back in, I think, three of our wins.”

Recently, the Spartans swept Wisconsin at home, that came one week after they were swept themselves at Ohio State. The Buckeyes picked up 3-1 and 2-0 victories in that series, played the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving.

Cole quipped during his press conference after one of the victories over Wisconsin last weekend that the Spartans must have tired out the Buckeyes, since Minnesota took them to overtime twice the following weekend.

“I didn’t think we played poorly down there, Ohio State’s a good hockey team and if you take the open-net goals out basically it’s a 2-1 and a 1-0 game,” he said. “We might have learned a few things there and just reinforce that if you don’t go through the right steps in your process and get more pucks to the net, it’s hard to score in the Big Ten.”

The Spartans shut out the Badgers 3-0 last Friday and came back to win 5-4 overtime on Saturday. Two different style of games, but Cole liked to see that his team could play both ways.

“You’re going to play all different types of games, with Wisconsin and their skill and offensive ability,” he said. “It’s just going to be hard to keep them off the board very long. They showed that on Saturday night, so you’ve got to figure out ways to win in different fashions.”

That said, he hopes that allowing four goals per contest doesn’t become a trend.

“If we hang our hat on (needing) to score five goals every night, that won’t be the way to long-term success,” Cole said. “Occasionally, you’re going to have to do that and it was nice to see our guys be able to play two different, at least scores of games, and get similar outcomes.”

If the Spartans can keep the goals allowed number down, and their run of good form going, it’ll be because of the continued good play of their senior goaltender. John Lethemon has posted an 8-4-1 record so far this season with a 2.01 GAA and three shutouts.

“One thing that he did that put himself in a position to have this type of senior year was the work he’s done the past couple years,” Cole said of his goaltender. “His sophomore year, he was better than his freshman year and he got better his junior year.

“He had a great offseason last year, he did a great job in the weight room and he gained some weight, I think that’s helped him out there,” he added. “His confidence and his positioning, he’s just seeing the puck really well right now, he’s done a lot of the stuff you need to do to get better and he’s a good example for the rest of our guys.”

The defense being played in front of Lethemon has improved, too.

Cole credited the improvement that sophomore defensemen Dennis Cesana, Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier made over the offseason.

“They’ve done a nice job, not just defending, but moving the puck and a real good job breaking out through the neutral zone,” he said. “It just makes us more of an efficient team, they’ve been a huge part of it.

“They got more mature in a lot of areas, off ice and on ice. The training that we can do in the spring on and off the ice is tremendous. We can really focus on development and strength.”

On offense Michigan State was tasked with replacing 50-point scorer Taro Hirose this season. Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski, who finished second and third behind Hirose in scoring last season, are currently placing the Spartans with 15 and 11 points.

“There’s times (Khodorenk has) been hot putting up points, but consistently he’s done a great job in terms of defending, playing physical and playing a great 200-foot-game,” Cole said. “(Lewandowski) got off to a little slow start goal-scoring wise, but he popped a couple the other night and he’s been getting a lot of chances, he attracts a lot of attention from the other team.

“It’s nice having them back and I think the guys look to them and, like the other night, when the game’s on the line they’re going to be on the ice and they’re able to make a difference at the end of those games.”

Behind Khodorenko and Lewandowski, the Spartans seem to be developing some scoring depth with nine players having five or more points.

“It’s decent, the depth of (scoring) has been a lot better than the last couple years,” Cole said “Hey, I wish we had 11 guys with 10 or more points, but it’s been spread out and it’s been timely. That’s an effective way to get some results, not just relying on a couple guys. Everyone’s done a really nice job of chipping in at different times and that enables you to win some games in different ways.”

Badgers bow out of rankings

After starting the season ranked No. 16, and jumping up to No. 6 after sweeping Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin dropped out of the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll this week.

The Badgers are 4-9-1 since that sweep of the Bulldogs and their highly-touted offense has been silenced in those losses, averaging 1.67 goals.

Polls obviously don’t determine the NCAA tournament field, but Wisconsin has also taken a tumble in the PairWise Rankings to 32nd.

Mark your calendars

College hockey teams will take a break for the holidays, but there are a few games to be aware of that’ll take place before our next published column.

Minnesota will revive the Mariucci Classic on Dec. 28-29, and the tournament now has the vibe of the former North Star College Cup (RIP). Minnesota State and St. Cloud State will get the party started on Saturday afternoon followed by the Gophers and Bemidji State. Winners and losers play each other on Sunday.

Michigan and Michigan State will, once again, participate in the Great Lakes Invitational at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena Dec 30-31. The Spartans will play Michigan Tech and the Wolverines play Ferris State. The consolation and championship games on New Years Eve are part of a tripleheader that features the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks as the headliner.

In non-tournament action, Ohio State hosts Colgate for a two-game series the last weekend of 2019 and Wisconsin will play the U.S National Under-18 team on New Years Day.

Notre Dame and Penn State, who play each other this weekend, will wait until the first weekend of 2020 to get back to business.

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