Boston College leading scorer David Cotton is serving as captain this season for an Eagles team that has won nine straight games (photo: Rich Gagnon).
Legendary Boston College coach Jerry York doesn’t pull any punches in talking about the last two seasons for his club.
“We had a couple of struggling years,” admitted York.
The Eagles, though, enter the break having won nine straight games, including wins over Providence and Harvard and, most recently, a home-and-home series sweep of Notre Dame.
There are a number of factors that have helped this year’s Eagles team put together a solid first half. But for York, one of the biggest has been the leadership of his captain, David Cotton.
“The way the eight seniors have led us, led by the captain David Cotton [has been a pleasant surprise],” said York. “He’s become one of the best players in the country, but his leadership behind the scenes with us is great for me to watch.”
On the ice, Cotton has continued his consistent play of a year ago when he scored 23 goals. This season, his eight goals and 14 assists places him atop the scoring leaders for the Eagles.
But his actions away from the ice have been a big catalyst for York and his staff.
“He taken the captaincy to heart,” said York. “He’s been an inspiration to a lot of our players here, how hard he works and how important it is to get BC hockey back to where it’s been”
Returning to a national power isn’t always an easy task, even for the most legendary of programs. You can look at teams that have had great success in winning national championships like Michigan and Minnesota, see some of their struggles this season, and understand nothing is guaranteed.
But for York, his club ability this season to play dominant hockey at times, gives him the understand this team has the potential to be elite.
A major part of BC’s early success has not just been the upperclassmen (BC’s top four scorers are juniors and seniors), but also the contributions from a highly-touted freshman class.
Leading the way has been netminder Spencer Knight.
Knight was already well known for his play internationally representing Team USA. Last summer, Knight became one of the highest-drafted goaltenders in recent years, selected 13th overall by the Florida Panthers.
Since arriving on campus, his play has backed up everything people knew prior to his arrival at BC.
He’s had a remarkable start to his college career, but I don’t think that surprises any of us,” said York. “He’s been a great player at every one of the age levels.
“But this was a jump for him and he’s handling it very well. We have four senior defensemen in front of him which helps and two outstanding freshmen defensemen in Marshall [Warren] and Drew [Helleson]. But he’s made a real difference not just playing defense, but handling the puck starting the offense. He has puck savvy.”
There certainly is a lot of hockey left to play and one can’t predict what the second half will bring (York admits he wishes his team didn’t have to take a break right now). But this Eagles team has, over the last month or so, put itself in excellent position to make that return to greatness that York admits was absent.
“We’re getting contributions from all four lines,” said York. “We’re rolling all four lines. The minutes [for top players] are down, which benefits us.
“We’re playing at a high tempo. We haven’t had this depth in a long time. Now that we have it, we’ll use it to our advantage.”
Mid-term grades
Yes, Merrimack and Northeastern still each have a single game remaining to play before we can officially close the book on the first half for Hockey East schools. That won’t stop me from handing out my mid-term grades and also giving a little credit to those individuals who, at this point in the season, feel like they deserve a spot on an all-Hockey East team.
Boston College: A
Call it a “just what the doctor ordered” type of streak, but BC’s nine-game winning streak to close the first half certainly helped boost BC’s overall winning percentage. Now the challenge for the Eagles will be to carry all of that over into league play, where they have played just seven games to date (a 5-2-0 record). In fact, BC’s only non-league games remaining are the two Beanpot games, so the Hockey East slate will take full focus once the Eagles return.
Boston University: C
Consistently inconsistent is the best way to describe Boston University’s first half of the season. It was definitely nice to close out the semester with wins over two nationally-ranked opponents, Harvard and Northeastern. And even better to see the puck hop into the net consistently over those two game. BU dealt with a lot of injuries in the first half. But if healthy, this still is a dangerous club.
Connecticut: C+
It took a while for UConn to start playing its best hockey, but finishing with four straight wins and going 5-1-2 over its final eight games of the semester was a highlight for the Huskies. Home ice was kind to the Huskies, particularly down the stretch. That was the good news. The not-so-good news is that UConn has just six home games remaining this season. They must find a way to win games away from the XL Center if they want to make the Hockey East playoffs.
Maine: B-
I remember a high school English teacher once telling me that when a professor puts a minus at any grade besides an ‘A,’ that means that you need to improve. And Maine certainly still has a lot of room for improvement. The Black Bears felt like they were about to be the breakout team of 2019-20. But after a 7-3-2 start, Maine limped into the break going 1-5-1 over its last seven. You can only ride a goaltender so far, and Jeremy Swayman has done pretty much everything he can to carry this team. The Black Bears need to find offense.
Massachusetts: A
When you lose the Hobey Baker winner and arguably the league’s best defensive defenseman – we’re talking about Cale Makar and Mario Ferraro – it is excusable to not be all that competitive the season following. For UMass, though, everything has fallen back into place. The Minutemen have been more than competitive, posting 12 wins before the break. The biggest challenges, though, still lie ahead. Back to back weekend in January UMass will take on Denver and Boston College (three of those games are on the road). And there will still be games against Providence and UMass Lowell remaining. Those are the tilts that likely will define this season.
Merrimack: D
On back-to-back Saturdays recently, Merrimack beat Rensselaer and New Hampshire at home. That is basically where the highlights end for the Warriors from the first half of the season. The team won just four games in the first half and allowed opponents to score at an alarming rate at times (11 goals to Wisconsin, six to Lake Superior State, seven against Penn State). Certainly this is a young team with 17 new bodies on the roster, but at the end of the day, all teams are measured by wins and losses and right now this Merrimack team isn’t getting the job done.
New Hampshire: C+
Good and bad. No easier way to sum up New Hampshire’s first half. There were highlight wins against teams like Boston College and UMass, but then there was a frustrating sweep at rival Maine, a loss at Merrimack, a non-league loss to Bentley, just to name a few of the pitfalls. This team has plenty of potential, but they can’t rely solely on their goaltender Mike Robinson. Scoring goals was far too much of a challenge in the first half, but there is definitely potential for UNH to be the spoiler in the second half.
Northeastern: A-
Stop me if you’ve heard this before. Northeastern is a very entertaining team to watch. That’s the case yet again. They may not be winning with Hobey Baker finalists, but this Northeastern team is finding a way to get the job done. Yes, there was a three-game losing streak in the first half, but that was offset by a five-game winning streak that included the Belpot Trophy. Northeastern looks like they may have won the transfer goaltender award as Craig Pantano has been the best of the three, including BU’s Sam Tucker and Providence’s Michael Lackey.
Providence: B+
Who knew that Providence would be the team that, at the break, would have the leader for the Hobey Baker Award. Well, coach Nate Leaman likely did as he watched Jack Dugan as a rookie and knew the talent level on the nation’s top playmaker. Providence, though, is so much more than Dugan. They have an excellent complement in Tyce Thompson, who plays on the second line but is so productive alongside Dugan on the power play. And Michael Lackey in net has been a more-than-apt replacement for Hayden Hawkey.
UMass Lowell: B+
The River Hawks were one of the more surprising first-half teams, finding ways to win some big games against Minnesota Duluth, Penn State and Providence. But what kept Lowell from earning an ‘A’ was some lost weekends against Colgate and UConn, taking a loss and tie against each of those two opponents. Lowell’s freshman class has been excellent led by Matt Brown. But easily their best player is senior goaltender Tyler Wall, a five-time Hockey East defensive player of the week in the first half.
Vermont: D
If you’re a Catamounts fan, frustration is the only feeling you have headed to the break. Vermont hasn’t won since its second game of the season, a 2-0 win over St. Lawrence. There have been some good ties against Boston University and Arizona State, both on the road, but that’s all she wrote for this club. The sad thing is this is a much-improved club from last year. They play with more tempo and are exciting to watch. But in the simplest way of saying it, they can’t score. Vermont’s goaltender Stefanos Lekkas remains elite but he can’t be the only great player on this team. All that said, if pucks pop in the net, look for UVM to upset some very good teams in the second half.
Jim’s first-half All-Hockey East Team
F: Jack Dugan, Providence
F: David Cotton, Boston College
F: Tyce Thompson, Providence
D: David Farrance, Boston University
D: Jesper Mattila, Boston College
G: Tyler Wall, UMass Lowell
Mike Egan’s four-goal weekend helped Babson to a pair of 6-0 wins over the weekend to extend their unbeaten streak to six (Photo by Babson Athletics)
With all but ten games remaining on the docket this weekend, the first half of the season is all but in the books. So much has happened in the east over the last month and a half including big shifts in national rankings, dark horses asserting themselves in conference play and truly unbelievable individual performances from across the conferences and region. At this point of a very festive December, here is a look at just a few of the presents we have already received in the form of terrific hockey and a portent of things to come in the second half of the season.
The unbeatens, there are none
Yes, Virginia, there are no unbeaten teams! Following Wednesday night’s road loss to Hobart, Trinity enters the break with a 7-1-0 record and the last of the unbeatens to fall. The Bantams certainly had a difficult task this week in facing a Hobart team unaccustomed to a two-game losing streak and playing at home in sending their first half off on a positive note. For the first time this season with Tedy Loughborough in goal, the Bantams surrendered more than one goal.
Salve Regina, Stevenson and Anna Maria are the only other teams carrying a single loss to date so the adage of anyone beating any other team on any given night has certainly been prevalent in the first half.
Zero-Point-Zero
Quite the opposite of Blutarski-esque, Norwich’s Tom Aubrun is giving his team a chance to win every time he skates into the blue paint. Aubrun has a 0.90 goals-against average along with a .964 save percentage and four shutouts in his ten starts this season. He has surrendered two or less goals in all but one game this season for the 8-2-0 Cadets who have just a pair of 2-1 losses on their record including an overtime loss in the Primelink Tournament to Middlebury.
Goal a game
Through the first half of the season there are five players recording a goal per game or more for their teams and all five are playing in the east. Nikita Pintusov from New England College, Nick Gray from Stevenson, Donald Flynn from Wilkes, Nolan Redler from Massachusetts-Boston and Felix Brassard from Norwich all have greater than one goal per game averages for their teams with Pintusov leading the way at 16 goals in just 12 games played. Many think true goal scorers are far harder to find these days at any level of hockey but right now there are many on track for 20 goal seasons after a robust start in the first half.
It’s not how you start the season…
After starting the season 2-3-0, Babson has closed out the first half going 5-0-1 including a pair of 6-0 shutout wins to close out their first half of play. In the six game unbeaten streak goaltenders Aidan Murphy and Brad Arvanitis have surrendered just four goals while the offense has picked up their game scoring 23 goals in that span. Special teams have been a big contributing factor to the Beavers success with the power play clicking at 37% and the penalty kill better than 93%. Ten different players have scored on the power play with Mike Egan and Nick Rosa leading the way with three apiece. Moving to 4-2-0 in the NEHC has Babson right back in the race of the ultra-competitive conference and they will open the second half of the season playing in the Middlebury Classic with a January 3 date with Manhattanville in Vermont.
Continuity Play
After finishing 16-8-2 under then head coach Brett Riley last season, the Wilkes Colonels have continued their growth and success as a program under new head coach and former assistant, Tyler Hynes. Wilkes sits atop the UCHC standings with a perfect 7-0-0 record and are 9-2-0 overall entering the break. Led by a dynamic group of forwards including Donald Flynn, Nick Fea, Tyson Araujo Tyler Barrow and Phil Erickson, Wilkes is scoring just under five goals per game and have scored two or less only twice this season. Flynn and Araujo lead the team in goals with 11 and eight respectively, but 15 different players have chipped in offensively for the deep and balanced squad. Wilkes has one non-conference game remaining before the break with a game next Tuesday at home against Bryn Athyn. They conclude an elongated home-and-home series with the Lions on January 7 before a road game at Cortland on January 14 and back to UCHC play with important games against Utica and Nazareth mid-month.
Independent & Strong
In just their second full season as a program, coach Dave McCauley has the Anna Maria AmCats playing very competitive hockey going 6-1-3 in their first ten games and closing out the first half with games against NEHC opponents this weekend. At 4-0-2 in their last six games, Anna Maria has been led by the dynamic duo of sophomores Jack Sitzman (9-9-18) and Sam Cyr-Ledoux (6-11-17) offensively and the emergence of goaltender Julius Huset in goal. Huset is 4-0-2 on the season with a 1.94 goals-against average and .934 save percentage. After tying Plymouth State 3-3 on the road last week, the AmCats close out their first half against two quality opponents in Johnson & Wales and New England College on the road looking to keep their unbeaten streak going past the holidays.
Yes, there was a lot to take in during the first half of play and the standings in each of the conferences are close so expect some fabulous finishes as has been the case historically over the last several seasons. Coaches may be looking for the Jolly Old Elf to bring some holiday magic to their teams for play starting in January, but every team will be looking to come out flying and with a critical focus to their game in the aptly numbered 2020 portion of the campaign.
Yale senior defenseman Matt Foley has been steady on the back end for the Bulldogs and has racked up three assists so far this season (photo: Rich Gagnon).
What a difference a year makes.
After limping into last year’s holiday break with a myriad of injuries, Cornell roared through the first half en route to the program’s best start in 50 years.
But a 2-1 loss to Dartmouth last Saturday denied Cornell the chance to enter the break as the only unbeaten team in the country.
That blemish doesn’t dismiss a great first half for Cornell. The Big Red isn’t the only ECAC Hockey team playing well as the first half winds down. Travel partner Colgate enters the break on a 5-1 stretch, while Dartmouth (4-1) and Clarkson (4-0) are each on impressive streaks entering their final weekend of play before the break.
Here’s a look at each of the league’s teams and where they stand entering the break. The teams are listed with their league records and in order of the current standings.
Cornell (7-1-0)
Despite the loss to Dartmouth, Cornell enters the holiday break as one of the top teams in the country.
Junior Morgan Barron has established himself as one of the top forwards in the conference, while the Big Red have size and skill throughout the lineup.
Junior goalie Matthew Galajda (.941) is having the best season of his career, while the Big Red have largely avoided the injuries that plagued them at this point last year.
“Our guys remember that,” Big Red coach Mike Schafer said of last season’s injuries. “We always say it’s never easy. Last year was something I hope I never experience as a coach again.”
Last year’s bevy of injuries is unlikely to happen again, but the Big Red have the depth to withstand any bumps and bruises in the second half. This is a team that should push for a league title and a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament.
Clarkson (6-1-0)
Clarkson might not be on the same level of Cornell, but the Golden Knights aren’t far behind. Devin Brosseau, Haralds Egle, and Josh Dunne are one of the top lines in the league, while goalie Frank Marotte has been among the best in the country in the early going.
Clarkson will end the first half having played seven of its 17 games at home, but the Golden Knights play eight of their first ten games at Cheel Arena following the break. Clarkson also ends the regular season at Cornell, a game that could have major implications on the standings.
Even if the Golden Knights aren’t able to catch the Big Red, Clarkson should have a firm hold on a first-round bye for the conference tournament and will likely make a fourth straight NCAA tournament appearance in the spring.
Harvard (6-2-0)
For much of the first half, Harvard matched Ivy League counterpart Cornell stride for stride, starting the season 6-0. But the Crimson have lost four in a row heading into the holiday break, including a 4-3 overtime loss to Colgate Saturday.
Harvard might have the deepest group of forwards in the conference, but the Crimson have been held to two or fewer goals in three of the last four games.
The offense should pick back up, and the Crimson have a pair of solid goalies in Mitchell Gibson and Cameron Gornet. Depth issues on defense might be the only issue for this team down the stretch, but Harvard should finish near the top of the league and push for an NCAA tournament berth.
Colgate (5-2-0)
Cornell, Clarkson, and Harvard are clearly the top three teams in the league. There is some drop off after that, but the Raiders are looking more and more like a team that could push for the final top-four spot after finishing tenth last season.
Colgate’s recent surge has been fueled by two underclassmen. Freshman Colton Young leads the team with seven goals, while sophomore Andrew Farrier has started five straight games in goal and has a .943 save percentage this season.
The Raiders ended the first half by scoring nine goals in a 2-0 weekend at Dartmouth and Harvard. That’s a good sign for a team that has struggled to score for much of the season. If Colgate can improve on a power a play that is 4 for 69 this season, worst in the country, the Raiders should be in good position to finish with a first-round bye.
Dartmouth (4-2-1)
A three-game winless streak to start the season has turned into a solid first half for the Big Green, who beat previously undefeated Cornell on Saturday. Dartmouth ends its pre-holiday schedule with two non-conference games this week.
Saturday’s 2-1 win against the Big Red could serve as a blueprint for the rest of the season for Dartmouth. “We didn’t sacrifice on our offensive opportunities just because we played so well in our own end,” coach Bob Gaudet said.
Playing well defensively will be important for the Big Green. While sophomore Drew O’Connor is one of the league’s better forwards, Dartmouth doesn’t have the offensive depth outside of its top two lines to get into high-scoring shootouts.
Dartmouth could end the season with a first-round bye if everything falls right in the second half, but as worst the Big Green should be hosting a playoff series in March.
Yale (4-6-0)
The Bulldogs closed a dismal first half with three straight wins, allowing two goals during that stretch. Prior to that, Yale’s defense was giving up more than four goals a game. That’s an unfathomable number considering Yale’s talent on the back end, which includes NHL draft picks Phil Kemp and Jack St. Ivany.
The goaltending has been much better, as senior Corbin Kaczperski and junior Nicholas McNabb have combined for a .887 save percentage. But Kaczperski, who has played well in the past, was named the league’s goalie of the week after allowing one goal in two games over the weekend.
Generating offense might be a problem for the Bulldogs, but this team is too talented defensively to continue playing the way it did for much of the first half. The only thing hurting the Bulldogs is that they are tied with travel partner Brown for the most league games played, meaning Yale has little margin for error in the second half.
Rensselaer (3-5-1)
After finishing last season as one of the worst offensive teams in the country, the Engineers have been respectable offensively this season. Unfortunately, the defense and goaltending have taken a step backwards, as sophomore goalie Owen Savory (.887) has been unable to match his strong freshmen season thus far.
It’s been a rough stretch lately for the Engineers, who only had one win over their last seven games prior to beating Brown Saturday. If Savory and the defense can turn it around, RPI could host a playoff series come March.
If not, the Engineers will be on the road for the fourth straight season.
Union (3-5-0)
Once one of the league’s top teams, the Dutchmen have had a rough go of it this season.
Union has scored 26 goals in 16 games, a far cry from the Dutchmen’s relentless offensive teams of the past. Much of that has to do with opportunity; Union is only averaging 22 shots per game, second to last in the country.
Goalie Darion Hanson and the penalty kill have been decent this season, especially in conference play, but Union’s offensive struggles look to have the Dutchmen heading on the road for the playoffs.
Brown (3-7-0)
Like Union, Brown has had respectable goaltending and penalty killing this season, and virtually no offensive production.
“The margin between winning and losing becomes very hard when you score one goal,” Brown coach Brendan Whittet said.
Outside of Tommy Marchin, last year’s Brown team didn’t have a lot of big scorers throughout the lineup, instead relying on its depth. That was enough to help the Bears make it to the league’s championship weekend for the first time since 2013.
That hasn’t been the case this season, as leading scorer Justin Jallen has seven of the team’s 21 goals. Unless Brown can string together some more goals, it’s likely the Bears will be on the road for the playoffs.
Quinnipiac (2-3-1)
Like Union, it seems hard to believe that the Bobcats will end the first half among the bottom dwellers of the league.
After losing its starting goalie and several defensemen in the offseason, Quinnipiac looked like a team that would win based on the strength of its forwards. But the Bobcats are averaging just over two goals per game, despite averaging a respectable 30 shots on goal per game.
The good news is that junior goalie Keith Petruzzelli has been playing better lately. With an improved offensive performance, Quinnipiac should be able to improve upon its current position in the standings, but getting a first-round bye might be a challenge.
Princeton (0-4-2)
Princeton started out the season with a bang, scoring ten goals in two games at St. Cloud State. But the offense has dried up for the Tigers, who have scored 15 goals in 11 games since then.
Sophomore goalie Jeremie Forget, who came on strong at the end of last season, has played well over the last two games after seeing little action throughout the first half.
But regardless of who is in goal, it’s going to be hard for Princeton to move out of the bottom of the league if the offense doesn’t should drastic improvement.
St. Lawrence (1-6-0)
The Saints are on pace to finish in the bottom of the league again, but at least they’ve been competitive under first-year coach Brent Brekke.
Overall, St. Lawrence has lost nine games by two goals or less, not including extra-attacker goals. Sophomore Zach Risteau has emerged as an offensive threat that the Saints were lacking last season, while senior Daniel Mannella has played well in goal.
Despite that, St. Lawrence will likely be heading on the road for the playoffs again, but the program appears to be heading in the right direction after a rough couple of seasons.
AIC goaltender Zackarias Skog is 7-6-0 this season with a 1.98 GAA and a .923 save percentage (photo: RJB Sports).
Last season was one for the record books at American International, which won its first ever regular-season and playoff titles.
Plenty of individual records were set as well, and that trend has continued into this season.
Last Saturday, AIC senior Zackarias Skog became the winningest goaltender in school history. His 34th career victory came in overtime, 3-2 against Canisius.
Twenty of those 34 wins came last season, also a record. Skog’s final victory of 2018-19 was the biggest in AIC history, a 2-1 win over top-seeded St. Cloud in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
Skog’s road to AIC began in his hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden, and passed through Omaha, Neb., and the Lancers of the USHL.
That’s where American International coach Eric Lang began to recruit Skog.
“It started with ‘Langer,'”said Skog. “I didn’t know about the program at first, but it was great for me to hear what he thought of me and about what he wanted to build (at AIC).
“He said the goal was to win a championship in three years, and that’s what we did.”
Lang was able to convince Skog, as well as fellow Swedes Hugo Reinhardt and Martin Mellberg, to come to a program that hadn’t had a lot of success up until now.
“Part of the appeal to me was that I was going to play right away,” said Skog, who appeared in 24 games his rookie season.
And it helped having other Swedes on the roster.
“Me and Hugo (Reinhardt) are from the same town,” said Skog. “We were kind of a package deal. It’s helped, being so far away from home, and adjusting to a new culture and a new school.”
There are current five Swedes on the AIC roster, as well as players from the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Slovenia.
“It’s a great group,” said Skog. “We just work hard every day and try to get better every day.”
That shows in Skog’s numbers, which have gotten better every season. His GAA has gone from 3.05 his rookie year to 1.98 this season, while his save percentage has increased from .904 to .923.
“A big turning point for me was when (goaltending coach) Pat Tabb same in,” said Skog. “He’s been there for moral support and to help me with small things that lead to big improvements.”
Skog was also especially prepared for his senior season thanks to time spent over the summer at the Chicago Blackhawks’ development camp.
“It was such a good summer,” he said. “It was nice to see how (the Blackhawks) do it, and to work with great people. It was great preparation for me coming into this season.”
A potential professional career awaits Skog after his AIC career is over, but right now he’s focused on the same goal as last season.
“I’m not looking out too far,” he said. “I’m interested to see what will happened next year, but for now, I’m leaving that to my game. I play every night like it’s my last game. I’m hungry for another (championship) and know how hard it was to get there.
“And how much fun it was to win it.”
Extra time
There have been 63 Atlantic Hockey conference games played to date, and just six have needed the new, extended tiebreakers to setting things.
So far:
– Nine games in all have been tied after 60 minutes.
– Three of those were settled in the five minute overtime, and went into the books as three point victories for the winners.
– Six games were still tied at the end of the first overtime and are recognized as ties by the NCAA.
– Of those six, four were settled in a three-on-three overtime, and two needed a shootout to award the extra point.
Additionally:
– Air Force hasn’t lost under the new format, winning twice in three-on-three scenarios (Nov. 23 vs. Robert Morris and Nov. 30 vs. Niagara) and once in a shootout (Holy Cross on Dec. 7). But the Falcons did lose a five-on-five overtime (to Niagara on Nov. 29).
– RIT is 0-2 using the new format, losing in the three-on-three (Niagara, Nov. 8) and shootout (Holy Cross, Nov. 2).
– Holy Cross has participated in the only two shootouts in the league to date, winning one (RIT on Nov. 2) and losing one (Air Force on Dec. 7).
– Sacred Heart and Army West Point are the only AHA teams to not need overtime of any kind in conference play to date.
Milestones
Friday’s 7-2 win by Air Force over Holy Cross was coach Frank Serratore’s 400th behind the Air Force bench and 449th overall, including his time at Denver (1990-94).
Serratore is among eight active Division I coaches with 400 wins or more, led by Boston College’s Jerry York (1078). Mercyhurst’s Rick Gotkin is also on the list, currently with 563 wins.
Rochester Institute of Technology head coach Wayne Wilson is the closest AHA coach to the 400 win threshold, currently at 373.
Looking ahead
There are just two series in Atlantic Hockey this weekend, but both are intriguing.
Niagara at American International – Niagara seems to have found its groove. After opening the season 0-8-1, the Purple Eagles are undefeated in their last five. AIC is also playing well, winners of four of its last five with a Tuesday game at Princeton setting the table for this weekend’s conference series.
Army West Point at Robert Morris – Neither of these teams were picked to finish near the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings, but going into the semester break the Black Knights and Colonials are in second and third place, respectively.
Robson Arena will be an on-campus arena for the Colorado College hockey team, set to open in the fall of 2021 (rendering: Colorado College Athletics).
Colorado College’s Robson Arena moved closer to reality Tuesday when the Colorado Springs City Council officially approved CC’s on-campus arena.
Following a presentation from the Robson Arena project team and comments from the public, the council voted unanimously to approve the arena, which will allow the Colorado College hockey team to play its games on campus for the first time in the 80-plus year history of the program.
“This is a transformational moment for CC Tiger hockey, Colorado College, downtown Colorado Springs, and economic development for the Pikes Peak region,” said Colorado College VP and director of athletics Lesley Irvine. “We are excited to finally be able to host our fans in a state-of-the-art, Colorado College Tigers-branded, home-ice facility with action close to the ice.”
The arena, named for Edward J. Robson, Colorado College class of 1954 and the building’s largest donor, is part of CC’s master plan that was approved by the college’s Board of Trustees in 2015.
The multi-purpose arena will offer a wealth of opportunities not only for Colorado College, but also for the Colorado Springs community and the larger Pikes Peak region.
Construction of the 3,400-seat Robson Arena is expected to begin with a groundbreaking ceremony on Feb. 15, 2020, and a projected opening date in the fall of 2021.
The arena is situated on the southeast side of the CC campus, bordered by Nevada Avenue and Cache La Poudre, Tejon, and Dale streets, and will provide opportunities for continued retail uses along Tejon Street.
In addition to the varsity hockey team, the new arena will serve intramurals, the college’s club teams, student life activities, academics and community hockey leagues.
Approximately $35.5 million has been raised to date, including $26.2 million in gifts and pledges and $9.2 million in City for Champions funding. This is the largest amount raised so far for a building on the Colorado College campus.
Alina Mueller has helped Northeastern into first place in Hockey East at the break, while Emma Wuthrich and Boston University look to make up ground in the second half. (Photo: Kevin R Young)
Arlan: While there are still a dozen games on the schedule for this coming weekend that involve teams that compete for the National Collegiate crown, most squads have started their holiday break. Being mindful that there are still those games on the horizon, including a high-profile series where Ohio State and Princeton clash in Las Vegas, let’s take a quick glance at all of our teams and conferences headed into the break.
Nicole: Though it’s not technically the halfway point, most everyone refers to before the winter break as the first half, so this is as good a time as any to take a big picture look at the teams and conferences and see how things are shaping up heading down the stretch. We start with NEWHA, the CHA and Hockey East today, and we’ll take on ECAC and WCHA in the next Wednesday Women column. Teams are listed in reverse order of the current conference standings.
Arlan: I’m particularly guilty of not paying enough attention to the New England Women’s Hockey Association. In the interest of full disclosure, I’ve never watched any of these teams play, even via an Internet stream.
Nicole: With few teams offering streams, it’s not easy to get in a lot of screen time with these teams. I try to follow along on Twitter and via recaps, but it’s obviously not the same thing as getting to watch the games. We didn’t theme this around the holidays, but I’ll go ahead and say my resolution is to watch more NEWHA games in the second half.
Post
Arlan: In order to offer an opinion on the Eagles, it is important to remember where they started. Heath Isaacson’s team only debuted in 2016-17, with an undersized roster where only 13 players saw game action, and three of those were goaltenders. Playing mostly Division III squads, the dearth of skaters likely played a big part in dooming Post to its 0-23 record that season while getting outscored 176 to 9. So while the Eagles sit at the bottom of the NEWHA with just one league win, there are positives to take away from a 5-2 mark out of conference and a roster that has seen 20 skaters compete for Post this campaign.
Nicole: You make some great points and in that context, it’s hard not to be excited about what can come next for Post. They’ve actually been better on the road then they are at home. Freshman Jenna Abeyta is leading the team in points while playing at both offense and defense. She’s showing a ton of potential early on and seems like the kind of player they can build around.
Saint Michael’s
Arlan: It’s a little harder to find a silver lining for the Purple Knights, a team that has been competing for a couple of decades. Saint Michael’s has two conference wins, but is 0-3-1 against its D-III opponents. I guess the tie with undefeated Colby would qualify as the bright spot.
Nicole: Every team needs somewhere to build from and that series could be a big turning point for this team. Goalie Veka Simons made 98 saves on the weekend against a very good team. We’re trying to look big picture here, but that’s not a great look for the Purple Knights, so I think it’s ok to find the small wins and hope those can be a springboard to something better this season.
Long Island University
Arlan: I’m not sure that we could ask a whole lot more of the Sharks. Yes, they’ve been slapped around a bit when they’ve ventured out of conference, but at least they’ve made the effort to take on D-I opponents. It will be interesting when LIU travels to RIT on Saturday and Sunday to see if there is evidence of improvement over the first couple of months. In league play, the Sharks are a very respectable 5-3, and are in the hunt for a finish in the top half of the NEWHA.
Nicole: I agree with that sentiment. On top of being a brand new program, they had school upheaval and shuffled campuses. it’s been a long and steep learning curve and LIU has handled it with aplomb. On a personal note, I’ve loved how enthusiastic and involved they are on social media and getting themselves out there. It’s not easy to carve out a spot in this landscape and I think they’re doing a great job.
Sacred Heart
Arlan: After a number of years of being perhaps the worst team in D-I, the Pioneers have strung together three straight winning seasons. They currently sit at .500, but with their toughest games behind them look well-positioned to extend that streak to four.
Nicole: I feel like Sacred Heart are the case study for why NEWHA is a necessary and good thing for collegiate women’s hockey. I admittedly was unsure and even skeptical about expansion, but teams like Sacred Heart needed a home. Competing in NEWHA gives them a chance to grow and improve and reframes their story from worst team in DI to contender for a conference title and an NCAA bid.
Franklin Pierce
Arlan: The Ravens are definitely in contention for the league title, but if they fall short, a couple of games could come back to haunt them, an overtime loss at Saint Anselm and falling behind by 6-0 in a 7-3 upset at the hands of LIU.
Nicole: It’s probably not a great sign when your leading scorer is a defender, but Haley Prentiss lead the league in blue liner scoring last year and she Haley Parker combined account for 42 of the team’s points. The Ravens are second in the nation, scoring 4.07 goals per game. They had their second-ever 20-win season last year and are decently aligned to repeat the feat. This team didn’t exist eight seasons ago and this year became a Division I program, which is pretty amazing. The look like they’ll be in the finals again and it would be cool to see them take that final step.
Saint Anselm
Arlan: The Hawks went undefeated in conquering the NEWHA a year ago. They lead again, but it hasn’t been a cakewalk. If they fall short, they’ll likely lament dropping consecutive 2-1 decisions on home ice to Sacred Heart.
Nicole: It sure seems like this is their conference to lose again this season. I really like – and impressed by – the coaching staff at Saint Anselm. Kerstin Matthews has been stellar in her time at the helm of the Hawks – she has 200 career victories and she led the program to their 300th win. In addition, adding Kayla Meneghin was a coup, in my opinion.
Arlan: Switching over to College Hockey America, where only 30 percent of the conference schedule has been played, Mercyhurst and Robert Morris share the lead with Syracuse a point back.
Nicole: I thought we’d see a bit more shake up in the CHA this year, but it looks like we’re back to status quo with Mercyhurst and Robert Morris. That being said, it can be difficult to see growth on a year to year basis, but there has been some big changes in this conference. When I first started covering women’s hockey as a national writer, it was Mercyhurst and no one else close. There was a time not long ago where we wondered if Robert Morris were a one and done program at the top and they’ve proven that’s not the case. Syracuse made their first foray to the top and likely won’t return this year, but three different conference winners in the past four years is pretty good in terms of growth and parity.
Lindenwood
Arlan: In her first season with the Lions, Shelley Looney likely didn’t expect to learn that three goaltenders weren’t sufficient to get through the first half of the season. Personally, I’d have been tempted to sneak assistant coach Nicole Hensley out there with junior Lauren Hennessey, and sophomores Annika Asplundh and Sophie Wolf unavailable. Looney has pursued more legal options, as forwards Cierra Paisley and Madilynn Hickey have each taken the goaltending position for a game, and senior Mackenzie Litterst has joined the roster. Unfortunately for Lindenwood, it is one of the teams that still has a couple of games remaining before the break.
Nicole: The Lions awful luck with injuries is so frustrating and heartbreaking to watch, so I can only imagine what it’s like in their locker room. Bless those players for stepping up and this team for continuing to head out and fight every game. At this point I assume we’ll chalk this up to a blown season, but I sincerely hope there aren’t lasting effects for this team. I really loved Looney’s attitude when I talked to her earlier in the year and I think she can make big things happen at Lindenwood.
RIT
Arlan: The Tigers won 12 games last year in their first season under Chad Davis, an increase of eight over the previous campaign and their best mark since reaching the NCAA Tournament in 2015. While RIT is lagging behind that pace with only four victories thus far, it has some winnable games on the horizon. The Tigers’ scoring is up a bit this year, but they’ll need to reign in the goals against in order to reach 12 wins again.
Nicole: We’ve seen teams be able to buckle down on defense, but not find a way to score goals, so in terms of being able to continue to build and improve, I think the improved offense from the Tigers is a good sign. Their two leading scorers are underclassmen with rookie Rachel Goff leading the way. They have two blue liners in the conference top 10 for scoring and Ellie Larson and Logan Land are second and third in the conference, respectively, in blocks. It looks like a lot of pieces are there for the Tigers and they just need some time for them to all click together.
Penn State
Arlan: A year ago, the Nittany Lions performed noticeably better outside of the CHA. This year, they’re a game under .500 both outside and inside the league and have had difficulty sustaining any momentum. One encouraging sign was active career goals leader Natalie Heising scoring three times to double her goal output for the season this past weekend. The team as a whole has won three of its last four games.
Nicole: This is one of those teams that I feel like I can’t get a handle on. They have flashes where they show they might be capable of more, but every time I think a tie or a close game means they’re on the precipice of more, they take a loss I didn’t expect. They really have a gem in Chantal Burke in goal – she’s allowing just 1.67 goals per game, which is good for 10th in the nation and her .932 save percentage is ninth in the country. Unfortunately for her, those numbers have only translated to a .577 win percentage. She needs some scoring support and the Nittany Lions have a roster that should be scoring more than they are.
Syracuse
Arlan: After breaking through with their first CHA Championship in March, the Orange find themselves in the all-too-familiar position of chasing Mercyhurst and/or Robert Morris in the standings. Their first two league series out of the break are versus the Lakers and Colonials, offering an opportunity to improve their chances of backing that crown with a season title.
Nicole: It’s been a rough go of it for the Orange thus far this season. They played a tough non-conference schedule, but were able to stay close to both Boston College and Northeastern, leading me to think they might be a team that could surprise folks, but that hasn’t been the case. In the progression of things, I think Syracuse is where Robert Morris was about four or five years ago and still has a couple of seasons before they can put things together on the regular.
Robert Morris
Arlan: Led by senior Jaycee Gebhard, the leading points getter in the CHA and one of the top five in the country, the offense figures to be sufficient to emerge on top. The key figures to be the team defense, that has allowed 30 goals in the Colonials’ six losses, but only 15 tallies in the other 12 games.
Nicole: The Colonials already had a pretty impressive and potent offense, and then they added Michaela Boyle and they’ll be bringing in Kyleigh Hanzlik, who’s transferring from Wisconsin. As you mentioned, they need to figure out how to improve on the blue line and in net, but time may be the only answer as they’re splitting time with a freshman and a sophomore in net. They’re hosting a tournament right after the New Year that’s bringing Wisconsin, Northeastern and Colgate to Pittsburgh and I’ll be interested to see how they fare.
Mercyhurst
Arlan: The Lakers are a veteran team up front, less so on the blue line, that ranks in the top 10 nationally in scoring offense and defense, power play, and penalty kill. While lacking the star power of its glory days, Mercyhurst figures to be a team that will be tough to put away come playoff time.
Nicole: You’ve often said you would never count Clarkson or Matt Desrosiers out come February and March and I feel that same way about Mercyhurst and Mike Sisti. I just don’t think you can ever overlook them, regardless of head to head results or their record. I find myself coming back to the Lakers because I think Emma Nuutinen is consistently one of the most interesting players to watch. I love her style and how she moves on the ice.
Arlan: Hockey East appears to be in the middle of late, outperforming the two leagues discussed above but trailing the ECAC and WCHA in producing contenders. HEA is still looking for its first NCAA Champion and hasn’t advanced a team to the previous two Frozen Fours. On the bright side, the bottom half of the league has improved considerably in recent seasons.
Nicole: The gap between teams is so much smaller here, but it does mean the teams at the top of the league take more losses. I’d like to see more consistency from the teams at the top. You’d think the shrinking gap between the teams would help prepare Hockey East teams for playing outside the conference and in the NCAA tournament, but thus far that hasn’t been the case. Until we see more depth – and the ability to play a full 60 against ECAC and WCHA teams (much of which has to do with fitness more than anything), I don’t think we’ll see a Hockey East national champion.
Merrimack
Arlan: As other new programs have discovered, a veteran roster in year four means a return to inexperience in a team’s fifth season. After achieving a program-best 16 wins last year, the young Warriors have triumphed only four times at the break. Merrimack outscored its opponents by 20 goals in aggregate last season, but is already 27 goals down this time.
Nicole: The reason they had a veteran roster in year four is because it was the team’s first DI class. There’s no avoiding that pitfall upon starting a program, but it’s a drop off the team shouldn’t have in the coming years as they stabilize and even out their recruiting classes. It was announced Tuesday the team will be hosting the Hockey East tournament, which should help bring some attention to the program. As hosts, it will be a shame if they don’t qualify, but there’s still time. Freshman Emma Gorski has been a great addition to the roster this year and shows that in the coming seasons, they’ll have a great base to build from.
Holy Cross
Arlan: The Crusaders are one of the teams profiting from Merrimack’s bevy of freshmen, sweeping all three of their head-to-head meetings by one-goal margins. If they want to move up another spot into a playoff position, they’ll need to identify other victims. A year ago, Holy Cross had but one win, but it was over league champion Northeastern. An optimist would say that proves a team can earn points anywhere. A pessimist takes the position that it will now be more difficult to surprise opponents that are forewarned, as evidenced by the Huskies thumping Holy Cross by scores of 6-0, 11-0 and 7-0 this year.
Nicole: It’s hard to gauge the growth since it’s at the expense of Merrimack, but I do think the wins are helpful in a ton of ways, from recruiting to the psychological boost the players get. I also really love the way the school went about their move to Division I. They needed veteran coach Peter Van Buskirk to guide them through the move, but he smartly had Katie Lachapelle in the wings, learning from his vast experience and ready to take over. She is, I think, going to do really great things.
Maine
Arlan: Do you know where the Black Bears are heading? I don’t, and I doubt that they do either. They earned a tie on the road at Boston College, and split a series with Northeastern, also on the road, where they matched the defending champs goal for goal. On the other hand, Maine was the losing team in Merrimack’s lone league win, and most recently, it was swept on home ice and passed in the standings by Vermont. Enough winnable games remain to allow the Black Bears to surge up the standings, provided that they can find a more consistent level.
Nicole: No, I have no idea and it’s one of the things that bothers me most week in and week out. I don’t know why I’m so hung up on them, particularly, but darn it, I want them to figure it out. It feels – and maybe has felt for a year or two – that they’ve been on the edge of taking the next big step and becoming more of a player in the top tier of the league, but there’s still a number of head-scratching losses that keep that from happening. It shouldn’t be as frustrating as it is considering I have no personal stake in the Black Bears.
Vermont
Arlan: Prior to their sweep of Maine mentioned in the preceding paragraph, the Catamounts had lost five straight and had only one once since October. Is Vermont now healthy, or just healthier than Maine? Overall, UVM has a .500 record and has scored the same number of goals as it has allowed. I could see the Catamounts finishing anywhere from fifth to eighth, depending on their finishing kick.
Nicole: When we talk about the gap closing in Hockey East, for me a lot of that centers on Vermont and Maine. I see so much potential in both teams and that’s probably why I get frustrated when it doesn’t come to fruition. I also really love the way Richard Reichenbach and Jim Plumer approach coaching and their programs, so I think I’m just really rooting for them. But that’s enough about Maine in Vermont’s entry. The Catamounts have five ties and four one-goal losses. They are leaving so many points on the ice and they have to figure out how to close out those games.
Providence
Arlan: On one hand, sitting sixth has to be a bit disappointing for a Friars team that finished fourth a year ago. Conversely, they have a winning record in conference play, despite being minus four in goal differential. Considering that career scoring leader Maureen Murphy has missed seven games and Clare Minnerath ranks near the bottom in save percentage, the situation could easily be worse.
Nicole: I’m not sure what else they could ask for in the situation they’re in. Despite a number of difficulties and setbacks, they’re within striking distance of BU in third place and have a game in hand. It has to be frustrating, but they seem to be handling it as well as they can given the situation. Here’s hoping for a healthier second half for them.
Connecticut
Arlan: The Huskies have two-game series remaining against each of the bottom four teams in the league, so they figure to have a shot at improving on their fifth-place standing. Of course, the fastest way to advance is to defeat the teams above you. While UConn ranks eighth in scoring, its defense is third, so at a minimum, it should wind up with a winnable quarterfinal matchup.
Nicole: UConn has been fun to watch so far this season, and as you mention, have a favorable second-half schedule. Morgan Fisher has a 2.07 goals against average and gives them a chance to be in most games, which seems to have given them more confidence on offense. I feel like the Huskies are playing the season I had expected from Syracuse – loose and easy and with no expectations that allows them to be a little more reckless and a lot more dangerous. Just writing this makes me realize I’ll have to write a column about the Huskies in the new year because I’m definitely interested in figuring out what changed and what’s going so right for them this year.
New Hampshire
Arlan: The Wildcats are tied with Boston University for third with 15 points. However, that is due in part to having played more games, as they are only sixth in Hockey East by winning percentage. The improvement over last year is thanks to goalie Ava Boutilier, who is third in both save percentage and goals against average.
Nicole: They’re also averaging a half-goal more per game in team offense, taking advantage of the cushion that Boutilier gives them in the back. Their scoring is spread out among a number of players and they seem to be getting more of a team contribution. It’s all the things you want to see as a coach or fan and I hope it means we continue to see growth – and winning – back at UNH.
Boston University
Arlan: The Terriers trail BC by six points, but they have four games in hand and momentum on their side after sweeping the Eagles. Corinne Schroeder gives BU an advantage in net, and with Jesse Compher back on the ice, it’s much better able to compete with its rival offensively.
Nicole: I’m so relieved to see Compher back on the ice for the Terriers. It’s amazing what a different she makes for the team, not just because of her knack for finding the goal. The team attitude and dynamic is different with her on the ice. They did a great job of holding things together while she was out and it’s left them in great position for the second half.
Boston College
Arlan: It’s rather impressive that the Eagles are able to hold onto second place despite being rather mediocre in scoring defense, penalty kill, and power play. The offense has managed to score more frequently than everyone in HEA except Northeastern, despite the drain of talent over the offseason. The challenge will be to maintain that as the schedule stiffens, because half of BC’s league wins are over Merrimack and Holy Cross.
Nicole: The Eagles have speed and there’s something of a controlled recklessness to their style of play. There’s something very freeing to being allowed to play like that. They’re going to take chances and they often pay off, but I worry that style isn’t one that can be sustained through the postseason or into the NCAA’s, especially now that Wisconsin and Minnesota has both seen it. They suffered some injuries in the late part of the first half and will happily use the break to heal up and get some depth back to the roster, but they also need to be able to figure out how to weather a player missing a game or two. One thing I’d like to see them improve on is holding their level of play for a full 60 minutes. They can run and gun, but they faded in the third in both games I saw them play in person.
Northeastern
Arlan: The Huskies’ lead over BC is just one point, but with three games in hand, they’re in good shape as long as dropping games to big underdogs doesn’t become a habit. Boasting the country’s top scoring defense, NU has been able to shut down the offenses of its closest pursuers. The Huskies are well positioned to hold onto the league and a home-ice berth in the NCAA quarterfinals.
Nicole: While the Huskies certainly are no tortoise, I do feel like their motto is something akin to “slow and steady wins the race.” They just continue to do what they do well and what worked last year and it has successfully put them atop the conference and it appears, in control of their destiny. I feel like I haven’t talked about them much because they’ve done exactly what I’ve expected of them. Aerin Frankel is very good in net. Alina Mueller, Chloe Aurard and Skylar Fontaine are even better and seem to not have lost anything from last season. Freshman Katy Knoll is fourth on the team in scoring and slotting in nicely. Both their losses were eye-raising, but not alarming. They’ve just been steady and good, which doesn’t make for good headlines, but does make for good hockey.
Alaska Anchorage freshman Brayden Camrud was one of the survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash in April 2018 and is now seeing his game progress with the Seawolves (photo: Chase Burnett/Alaska Anchorage Athletics).
On April 6, 2018, the collective hockey world was shocked and saddened by an event that did not involve lacing up skates and knocking a little rubber disc around a sheet of ice.
Instead, it involved a semi-truck missing a stop sign and crashing into a junior team bus on their way to a playoff game.
When all was said and done, 16 people lost their lives and a further 13 suffered injuries from scrapes and bruises to life-threatening.
Alaska Anchorage freshman forward Brayden Camrud was among those who survived the harrowing experience. In the days that followed, Camrud attended funerals for teammates before trying to decide if hockey beyond the Humboldt Broncos would even be possible.
It took him about four months to figure out that he could still play the game at a high level. That ultimately led him back to Humboldt for another season.
As Camrud puts it, there was nowhere else he would rather have been.
“Well, after what happened, it had to be Humboldt,” said Camrud. “Going back to a community who supported me for three years, the billet family had consistently been there for me, basically went through the accident with me, who’s part of our organization, the billet family, all of the other parents, and my other teammate who came back with me, there’s lots of obvious indicators that I needed to go back to Humboldt.
“I had other offers, but it wasn’t a question.”
Taking over as an alternate captain for the 2018-19 team, Camrud and his new teammates hit the ice for their first home game, a 2-1 loss to Nipawin. The Broncos would not get their first win since the accident until the third game of the season, a 2-0 victory over Notre Dame. Camrud scored in the game.
Unfortunately, it is not a moment he remembers well.
“My memory has kind of taken a bit of a toll after the accident,” Camrud said. “I don’t even really remember the TSN game (the first game of the season). (My memory) is a blank for most of it. I went back and rewatched it with some of my teammates and I don’t even remember half the stuff that I did. I think that is just the way that it is. I probably can’t even remember what I did a month ago on this day.
“I just kind of take it one step at a time. I’m sure that whatever game I scored in was a feel-good moment.”
Camrud went on to score 27 goals and 55 points last season for the Broncos. He helped the team finish 35-19-3 overall, good for third in the Global Ag Risk Solutions Division of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, earning a return trip to the playoffs.
Camrud drew the attention of Seawolves coach Matt Curley’s staff during a showcase and in the latter stages of last season, they decided they needed a bit more speed and scoring touch in their incoming class.
“We’re looking for a guy to add late in our recruiting class and Brayden was someone that Mark Fallon had seen earlier in the year at a showcase,” said Curley. “We’d been tracking him, watching him, and he continued to do what he did.
“As we were looking around at our class, we’re looking for a little speed and skill up front and he checked a lot of those boxes. Doing a lot of the recruiting, and dealing with his coaching staff and his family, we thought this can be a great fit for our program. He was looking for an opportunity and I think we provided a nice a nice one for him. So it was a good fit for both parties involved. We’re really excited to have him.”
In the recruiting process, Curley learned about Camrud and found that he had a player on his hands who had been through more than the average player, but also one who had risen to the challenge that followed.
“Certainly not an ideal way to finish your junior career,” Curley said. “(It was) very unfair for him, but, you know, he handled it very well. He was really excited to be back playing that next season and having the opportunity to continue to play, especially back in Humboldt.
“He had a nice finish to his junior career and I’m sure he served as a mentor for those younger guys coming up through through his experiences. I think it’s something that served him well while making the transition to the college game.”
Camrud, a Saskatoon native, has seen action in 13 games already for the Seawolves. He picked up his first goal in his third career game, a 2-1 loss to Alaska.
“I just felt like all my hard work paid off,” Camrud said. “I was so happy because I’m one of the first in my family and a long time to play such a high level of hockey and all I kept thinking about when I scored that goal was my parents, especially my dad. He’s been the No. 1 guy in my life for hockey. He always pushed me. He kind of molded me into the player I am today.
“I got a text after the game that my mom had sent me and she said my dad jumped up and he was almost in tears. It made me really, really happy.”
He picked up three assists before picking up his second goal Nov. 22 at Minnesota State in a 7-1 loss.
“That’s why he was brought here,” said Curley. “We told him, ‘Hey, this is every bit of an opportunity for us to start moving forward as a program as it is for him to continue his collegiate career.’ He’s a heck of a player. He’s got a great skill set. He’s very smart. He plays with an edge, rides the rail. Sometimes he gets off track with his penalties, but it’s part of the learning process as part of how he is as a player.
“He has a great ability to finish, to make plays, and he has been an extremely welcome addition to our program. (He) has done a real nice job this first half and (we’re) hoping that he can use what he’s done for this first half to continue in that second.”
As one of the players able to continue his career after the tragedy, both the following season in juniors and now with the Seawolves, Curley and his staff have talked at length with Camrud about the burden the youngster carries into his college career.
“It’s very unfair to wear that burden,” said Curley. “We’ve talked with Brayden about this and he’s understanding of the responsibility that he has, as a survivor of that tragedy and wearing what happened on his sleeve.
“He’s very open about it. He he understands his role and what he means to the greater hockey community and what he carries. The weight of that is substantial. I find he does an excellent job with it, the way he represents himself and those that can no longer play. It’s every day, just continue to move forward, and I think he’s done a real good job with it.”
Bliss taking next step
When Michigan Tech landed Trenton Bliss prior to the 2018-19 season, a lot of eyes opened up as to how he could affect the offense.
With just six goals and 15 points during his freshman campaign, he struggled to find his way.
As a sophomore, Bliss is finding his game. With points in four straight games, he has jumped into a tie for tops on the Huskies in scoring with 11 points through 17 games.
Bliss scored the game-winning goal in Michigan Tech’s 4-1 win Saturday over Alaska Anchorage.
Charging back
After taking a 3-0 lead Friday night, Alabama Huntsville surrendered the game’s next nine goals in a 9-3 loss.
Bowling Green’s Alex Barber scored twice and added two assists for the Falcons to help lead the comeback.
Saturday, the Falcons took a 1-0 lead late in the first period before Jack Jeffers tied it up at the 19-minute mark. Christian Rajic then gave the Chargers their first lead of the night at 6:20 of the second period.
The Falcons battled back to even things on the power play late in the middle frame, before winning during the 3-on-3 overtime session.
Semester break in college hockey allows us to turn our eyes toward the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by the U.S. National Team’s head coach – and head coach of Minnesota Duluth – Scott Sandelin for a look at this year’s lineup, USA’s field, what preparation goes into getting the team ready, and what his experience as head coach, assistant coach, and player in 1984 brings to this assignment.
Notre Dame’s Matt Steeves gets tangled up with Minnesota’s Nathan Burke in a Big Ten matchup at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis on Nov. 2, 2019 (photo: Jim Rosvold).
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.
Jim: There are some decent story lines that I can begin with, Paula, including Dartmouth handing Cornell its first loss this weekend, but I need to turn towards the conference you see the most, the Big Ten.
Despite playing one of the longest home-and-home series I can remember, Boston College absolutely dominated Notre Dame, winning 4-0 at home and 6-1 in South Bend.
I understand that the Eagles are playing their best hockey, currently on a nine-game winning streak. But Notre Dame has to feel a little bit out of place at this point. This is a Fighting Irish team that not too long ago was 7-0-1. Since that time, though, Notre Dame has a single win, a 5-4 OT victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 16. Notre Dame has lost five straight and is 1-6-1 in its last eight.
I know not everything can be explained, but is this something that you can even tackle?
Paula: I had been scratching my head about Notre Dame’s slump prior to BC’s definitive sweep, thinking that maybe there were some injuries that factored in or even waves of a virus taking a toll on the team, but after this home-and-home series, it’s clear that there’s something else going on.
After Saturday’s loss, Jeff Jackson said that he hopes that the Irish have “bottomed out” and that they’re not “playing with that level of confidence” that they had earlier. He said, “It’s really hard to describe.” I guess that sums it up. It’s hard to describe. It doesn’t make a lot of sense from the outside.
And to answer your question, who knows? Jackson said that the players have a good attitude, but how do you turn this around in a program that has had such success in recent years? We’ve talked about how confidence breeds confidence, but a lack of success can feed on itself, too.
One thing that has puzzled me this season is the play of Cale Morris. The senior and 2018 Mike Richter recipient is beyond struggling, with a 3.07 GAA and .890 save percentage. Again, without direct knowledge we can only speculate, but Jackson talked about a lack of confidence and I can’t imagine that isn’t part of what’s going on with Morris.
Let me make it clear that I’m not laying Notre Dame’s slump at Morris’s skates; he’s a symptom, I think, rather than a cause.
If the Irish are going to turn things around in the second half, they’ll be doing so against an improved B1G conference, a conference that currently boasts two top-10 goalies and two more in the top 20. For a team that is struggling offensively as well, this will be problematic. And Notre Dame has dropped to 14th in the PairWise.
It’s a long road ahead for the Fighting Irish.
Jim: I think what concerns me the most about Notre Dame isn’t their lack of offensive production. Even some of the best Notre Dame teams won games 2-1 and 3-2. But as you mentioned, it is very concerning that the Irish are allowing so many goals. Over the past two weekends, they’ve given up 20 goals in four game.
Do the math and that’s five goals against per game.
The Irish still have two games this upcoming weekend against Penn State to push themselves to break on a high note. And possibly, the break might help this Irish team refocus.
A team that seems to be back playing their best hockey is Arizona State. The Sun Devils, themselves, already had an extensive break, a period of 19 days without a game in November, and that seems to certainly have suited them well. They are 2-0-2 since getting back on the ice and this past weekend earned a win and tie against No. 4 Denver. It was Arizona State’s first win over a top-five team in the USCHO.com poll, and more importantly, catapulted the Sun Devils up to ninth in the current PairWise.
I think a lot of people began to write off the Sun Devils after their 1-3 start. But just a single loss since then puts them right back in the middle of the national picture.
Paula: I am beyond excited to see the Sun Devils play at Munn Ice Arena this coming weekend. I’ve had them in my top-20 mix for most of the season because of their ability to play everyone competitively with the exception of that early Minnesota State series – and very few teams have fared well against Minnesota State this season.
It’s not just that Arizona State beat Denver. It’s how they did and then how they hung on for a tie the following night. The Sun Devils jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period of the 4-1 win, and then after allowing a third-period goal that pulled the Pioneers to within one, Arizona State scored a late power-play goal and capped the game with an empty-netter. In the tie, they were outshot 46-22 including 6-0 in overtime. Hats off to sophomore goaltender Evan DeBrouwer for his 77 saves on the weekend and to Johnny Walker, whose third-period power-play goal in the win gave him his second career hat trick.
Their ability to maintain such a high level of play without the benefit of the familiarity of a conference is impressive. Aside from just the chance to see the Sun Devils play in person, I’m looking forward to this test for Michigan State, a team that is playing really good conference hockey right now.
Jim: Arizona State is a very exciting team to watch in person. They skate well and move the puck very well and with DeBrouwer playing well in net, this could be yet another Arizona State team that opens up a lot of eyes.
I want to totally change the subject here and tackle a subject longtime college hockey analyst and our good friend, Dave Starman, floated over the weekend while calling a game on Big Ten Network.
Starman suggested it is time to form a College Hockey Hall of Fame. With the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in Minnesota, sure this may seem like overkill, but I think this is something very much overdue.
The first few inductions would literally be a who’s who of the greats of college hockey: Mason, Berenson, York, Parker, Shawn Walsh just to name people I know or knew personally. There would also be the likes of Murray Armstrong, Cooney Weiland, Amo Bessone, John MacInnes and so many other who you and I never knew.
I think a hall of fame for college hockey is hardly gratuitous. There are so many individuals that need recognition if, for no other reason, to help many in the current game remember and understand what got us to this point.
What are your thoughts?
Paula: I think this as excellent idea that is long overdue. Yes, there are other hockey halls of fame, but something specifically dedicated to college hockey would be another step to help promote the sport while it honors those on whom the sport is built.
College football, basketball and baseball each has its own hall of fame. The National College Baseball Hall of Fame is run by the nonprofit College Baseball Foundation, which says that the purpose is to “preserve and recognize the history of college baseball.” That is exactly what the aim of a College Hockey Hall of Fame should do.
Jimmy, we both know that college hockey has had its fans for a century but that its fan base has grown steadily since the advent of the internet – something we can and should be proud of USCHO’s small part in that – and the base is growing because of NCAA hockey’s increasing importance as a developmental entity for professional players. Additionally, the growth of and interest in women’s hockey is a direct result of the flourishing of NCAA women’s hockey and the excellent game the women play. Youth hockey continues to flourish and the game grows – slower than we’d like, but it grows, and there’s a rich history there that should be preserved.
I saw Dave Starman’s tweet and responded immediately. Yes, there should be a College Hockey Hall of Fame. It should recount the history of the sport, honor and recognize those who have helped build it, and present the ongoing narrative of a sport that continues to grow and strives to adapt.
Now we need to figure out who will curate it and where it should be built.
Stonehill announced Monday it will add women’s hockey as its 23rd varsity program and will compete in the NEWHA starting in 2021-22. Pictured, from left to right, are Stonehill vice president for student affairs Pauline Dobrowski, Stonehill president Fr. John Denning, NEWHA commissioner Bob DeGregorio and Stonehill director of athletics Dean O’Keefe (photo: Stonehill Athletics).
Stonehill College will add women’s hockey as its 23rd varsity athletic program and has accepted an invitation to compete in the Division I New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) when it starts with the 2021-22 academic year.
The announcement was made Monday by Stonehill president Fr. John Denning, NEWHA commissioner Bob DeGregorio, Stonehill director of athletics Dean O’Keefe and Stonehill vice president for student affairs Pauline Dobrowski inside the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex.
“The addition of women’s ice hockey will provide another compelling opportunity for student-athletes to pursue their passion through athletics and scholarship at the College,” said Denning, who also serves on the NCAA Division II Presidents’ Council. “We are pleased to join the NEWHA and look forward to introducing Stonehill and our mission to a new audience.”
Stonehill will become the seventh member of the NEWHA, joining Franklin Pierce, Long Island, Post, Sacred Heart, St. Anselm and St. Michael’s.
The NEWHA will be eligible for a bid to the NCAA tournament starting in 2022.
“We were excited to hear Stonehill College was adding a women’s hockey program and happy that the Skyhawks had targeted the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance for conference membership,” said DeGregorio. “This is a great day for the NEWHA and for the sport of women’s ice hockey. Their launch of a women’s program will enhance the competition within our league and give a roadmap for other schools looking to offer women’s ice hockey.”
Stonehill will begin a search for the program’s first head coach immediately to start preparations for the program’s first season. The program will train and compete at the Bridgewater Ice Arena, a dual ice surface facility located in Bridgewater, Mass.
“This is an exciting day for Stonehill College as we officially begin preparing for the Skyhawks to take the ice in the fall of 2021, and we are eager to join our fellow NEWHA members and compete at the highest level of women’s collegiate ice hockey,” said O’Keefe. “The sport of ice hockey has a long and storied history in the Northeast, and we are thrilled to represent greater Boston and all of Massachusetts in the NEWHA as we look to help grow the sport of women’s ice hockey.”
Geneseo’s Conlan Keenan scored the game winner against Brockport on a penalty shot (Photo by Geneseo Athletics)
Upsets abounded again this weekend as Hobart lost a pair of games, Norwich lost to Castleton, Franklin Pierce downed St. Anselm and Stevenson took down Utica. And that’s a look at just a few of the games across the East this past weekend where many teams closed out the first half of their schedules – some on a very high note and others, well, not so much.
Here is this week’s recap of the outstanding action in the East:
CCC
Curry went into the weekend looking for a couple of statement performances against league contenders University of New England and Salve Regina on back-to-back nights. On Friday night, the game with the Nor’easters literally was won by period. UNE took the opening 20 minutes scoring twice for a 2-0 lead only to see Curry answer back with three power play goals in the second period for a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes of play. In the third period, UNE’s Ryans, Bloom and Burr, scored to give the home team a very hard-fought 4-3 win to move to 6-1-0 in CCC play.
Saturday’s matchup between the Colonels and Seahawks was also a playoff type game with a lot of back-and-forth scoring between the two teams. Erik Udahl’s shorthanded goal gave the visiting Seahawks a 2-1 lead after the first period but again the Colonels fought back in the second period with three goals to take a 4-3 lead into the final stanza. With just 61 ticks left on the clock and the goaltender pulled for the extra attacker, Cayden Kraus scored the game-tying goal that could not be solved in overtime for a 4-4 finish. Salve Regina moves to 8-1-1 in CCC play while Curry dropped to 5-2-1 after the 0-1-1 weekend.
Independents
Anna Maria went 1-0-1 on the week starting with a 3-3 tie against Plymouth State on the road on Thursday. On Saturday, the AmCats picked up a 6-3 win over Post with Jack Sitzman and Sam Cyr-Ledoux combining for eight points and Sitzman recording a hat trick for the visitors. After spotting the Eagles a 2-0 lead early in the second period, Anna Maria scored six unanswered goals, including four on the power play to open a big lead on the way to the win.
Despite being outshot 43-27, Canton emerged with a big 4-3 win at Plattsburgh on Friday night. Max Routledge scored twice, and Austin Washkurak made 40 saves in the win for the Kangaroos. Canton didn’t let down on Saturday against fellow independent Albertus Magnus as Noah Robinson scored a hat trick and Matthew Headland scored two more goals in a 9-0 rout for Canton who was again outshot by a 42-38 margin.
MASCAC
After Plymouth State’s non-conference tie with Anna Maria on Thursday, the Panthers took on the recently resurgent Salem State Vikings and skated away with a 7-1 win. After exchanging goals in the first six minutes of play, the Panthers scored six in a row including three points from Mike McPherson and two goals from Grant Dewitt. The win moved PSU to 5-1-0 in MASCAC play.
Westfield State picked up a 2-0 win on Thursday over Framingham State and then battled Massachusetts-Dartmouth to a 3-3 tie on Saturday. The game with the Corsairs was a thriller with Jake Ratcliffe and Justin Alves scoring just 27 seconds apart late in the third period to take a 3-2 lead. The Corsairs were not done and with just four seconds remaining and the goalie pulled for an extra forward, Josh Vertentes scored with an assist from Steven Leonard to tie the game. The Owls moved to 3-1-2 in MSCAC play while UMD stands at 2-3-1.
NE-10
Franklin Pierce has been on fire and picked up an important 5-3 win over St. Anselm on Saturday night. Tied at 3-3 entering the third period, Alex Lester completed his hat trick to give the Ravens a 4-3 lead less than a minute into the period and Matthew Toombs added an insurance goal for the 5-3 win.
St. Michael’s dropped the defending NE-10 champs from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 5-2 win on Friday night. Tim Decker made 27 saves for the Purple Knights and five different players scored goals in the win that saw the Penmen jump out to a 1-0 first period lead. On Saturday, St. Michael’s took on a Castleton team fresh off their upset at Norwich and the Purple Knights raced to a 7-0 win with two goals each coming from Matthew Schreiner and Paul McAuliffe. Alec Lindberg made 40 saves in the shutout win.
NEHC
Castleton did something it had not done since 2010 in beating Norwich at Kreitzberg Arena on Friday night. Calvin Moise and Nick Gravina gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead after two periods, but Felix Brassard cut the lead in half under four minutes into the third period. Brandon Collett made 24 of his 54 saves in the final period to hold off Norwich and earn a big upset win for Castleton.
Hobart was looking for a pair of road wins against New England College and Southern Maine to bolster their position in the conference only to drop both games and pick up zero points. On Friday, Trevor Momot scored the game-winning goals midway through the third period and Anthony Pupplo made 37 saves in a 4-3 win over the Statesmen. Saturday night it was the Huskies of Southern Maine’s turn to play the upset card as Adam Withers scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals for USM in a 3-2 overtime win over Hobart.
Babson literally held serve at home with a pair of 6-0 wins over Johnson & Wales and Suffolk over the weekend. Mike Egan led the scoring with a hat trick on Friday against the Wildcats and the opening goal on Saturday against the Rams. Goaltenders Aidan Murphy and Brad Arvanitis each picked up a shutout win.
NESCAC
Middlebury has had a great first half and capped off their NESCAC play in 2019 with a pair of wins over Amherst and Hamilton on the road. Goals from Tyler Capello, Zach Shapiro and Paddy Bogart in the second period gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead that Brian Ketchabaw made stand up in a 3-2 win over the Mammoths on Friday night. At Hamilton, Ketchabaw made 24 saves and earned the shutout in a 3-0 win over the Continentals to move Middlebury to 5-1-0 in conference play.
The Tufts Jumbos were the other NESCAC team to pick up a four-point weekend as they downed Colby and Bowdoin over the weekend. Justin Brandt scored at the 15-minute mark of the third period to break a scoreless tie and Jordan Haney added an empty-net goal to help goaltender Drew Hotte earn his first win and shutout on the season. Against Bowdoin the offense was a bit more prolific as the Jumbos got another goal at the 1- minute mark of the final period to break open a 4-4 deadlock and earn the 5-4 win over the Polar Bears. Angus Scott scored twice for Tufts and Brendan Skarda added three assists in the win that moved Tufts to 2-4-0 in NESCAC play.
SUNYAC
Oswego was looking to regain some of their swagger in SUNYAC play and did so in decisive fashion starting with Friday’s 5-0 road win against Buffalo State. Travis Broughman scored two goals and David Richer earned the shutout in goal making 24 saves for the Lakers. On Saturday, things were a little tougher for the Lakers at Fredonia. After falling behind 2-1 in the first period, Oswego used goals from Jody Sullivan, Joey Scorpio and Anthony Passero in the second period to take a 4-2 into the third period. The home team wouldn’t go away and battled to tie the game at 4-4 with less than three minutes remaining in regulation. Oswego’s Tyson Kirkby turned out to be the hero scoring the game winner with just 41 seconds remaining on the clock for a 5-4 win that moved Oswego to 6-1-0 in SUNYAC play.
In a battle of travel partners, Geneseo downed Brockport on Friday night, 4-2. Jake Colosanti tied the game early in the third period for the visiting Golden Eagles before Conlan Keenan scored the game winning goal on a penalty shot just before the midway point of the period. Chris Perna added the insurance goal with an ENG in the final 23 seconds to move the Knights to 5-1-1 in conference play while Brockport drops to 5-4-0.
UCHC
Stevenson hosted a pair of teams looking to show why they deserve to be among the leaders in the UCHC. On Friday night the Mustangs earned a statement win over Utica in a game that you didn’t feel was over until the final horn stopped. Building a 4-2 lead, Stevenson saw Utica answer with a power play goal from Daniel Fritz before Nick Gray’s second goal of the night into an empty net gave the home crowd some breathing room at 5-3. Kasper Kjellkvist again answered for the Pioneers with just eleven seconds remaining on the clock and Stevenson picked up the win for goaltender Ryan Kenny who moved to 5-0-0 on the season. Saturday night the Mustangs earned the weekend sweep with a win over Nazareth, 2-0. Kenny made 23 saves to earn the shutout and Nick Gray picked up his tenth goal of the season to provide the only goal Kenny needed for the win.
Stevenson is still looking up at Wilkes who earned a 7-5 win over Manhattanville and a 2-1 win over Neumann to keep the Colonels unbeaten in UCHC play. Nick Godfrey scored two goals in the win over the Valiants and Danny Reidel and Nick Fea gave the home team just enough goals in the first period to carry Brandon Gordon in goal to the win over the Black Knights.
Three Biscuits
Brandon Collett – Castleton – recorded 54 saves including 24 in the third period to lead the Spartans to a 2-1 upset at Norwich.
Jack Sitzman – Anna Maria – scored a hat trick and added an assist for four points in the AmCats 6-3 win at Post. Linemate Sam Cyr-Ledoux also had four-points on a goal and three assists.
Alex Lester – Franklin Pierce – recorded a hat trick to lead the Ravens to big NE-10 win against St. Anselm on Saturday.
There are very few games left on the calendar across D-III this next weekend so no game picks coming to close out the week. Many teams are wishing the break didn’t come just yet while others look to enjoy the holidays and get back to work for the all important second half of the season.
Clarkson senior Haralds Egle is second in team scoring with five goals and 17 points through 15 games (photo: Clarkson Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will present its Plays of the Week via our YouTube channel.Each week, USCHO.com will present its Plays of the Week via our YouTube channel.
Dryden McKay was in net for both of Minnesota State’s wins over the weekend at home against Lake Superior State (photo: SPX Sports).
After sweeping Lake Superior State over the weekend, Minnesota State picked up 43 first-place votes to stay No. 1 in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
North Dakota swept Western Michigan and moves up one slot to sit No. 2 this week.
Dartmouth beat Cornell to hand the Big Red its first loss of the season, moving the Big Red down one notch to No. 3.
Clarkson is up one to No. 4, Boston College jumps up five to No. 5, Ohio State is up one to No. 6, Penn State is down one to sit seventh, Denver tumbles four spots to No. 8, Massachusetts is up two to No. 9, and Bowling Green rises three to round out the top 10 in this week’s rankings.
Highlights in spots 11-20 include Notre Dame falling six spots to No. 15, Arizona State moving up four to No. 16, Michigan State back in the rankings at No. 18, and Sacred Heart entering the poll at No. 20 – the first time the Pioneers have been ranked in school history.
In addition, 15 teams also received votes this week.
The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including coaches and beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.
Freshman Spencer Knight led Boston College to a pair of wins against Notre Dame over the weekend, allowing just one goal on 54 shots (photo: Rich Gagnon).
Each week during the season, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Cornell loses its first game of the season
After winning its first 10 games for the first time since its 29-0 season in 1969-70, Cornell finally lost one on Saturday night as Ivy League foe Dartmouth pulled out a 2-1 decision in Hanover.
The Big Green struck early in both the first and the second periods. Dartmouth took the lead on its only power play of the night just over two minutes in. After Cornell’s Morgan Barron tied the game, Matt Baker of Dartmouth netted what turned out to be the game-winner on a shot from a sharp angle 45 seconds into the second period.
The Big Red dominated possession, outshot Dartmouth 41 to 17 and hit three posts, but couldn’t get the tying goal past Adrian Clark in the Dartmouth net.
Next up for Cornell is a trip to Las Vegas to face Ohio State in the Fortress Invitational on Jan. 3.
2. North Dakota continues to tear up opponents
After missing out the last two seasons, North Dakota is well on its way to getting back to the NCAA tournament.
Since their only loss of the season at Minnesota State on Oct. 19, the Fighting Hawks have reeled off a 12-0-1 streak.
In Kalamazoo over the weekend, they edged Western Michigan 1-0 on an unassisted overtime goal by Gavin Hain, then scored early and often in an 8-2 victory the next night.
After Saturday’s game, the team vowed to keep the wins coming in the second half.
“When you look back at all the teams we’ve had at North Dakota, this probably ranks up there as one of the ones that’s really special,’’ coach Brad Berry told the Grand Forks Herald. “We made a pact to our guys in the locker room after here, saying, ‘Hey, we’re going to take a breath. We’re going to get healthy here.’ But we made a pact to each other to keep this going.’’
3. BC demolishes Notre Dame
In a meeting of two teams headed in opposite directions, Boston College crushed North Dame by a combined score of 10-1 in a home-and-home series.
BC stretched its winning streak to seven in a row, winning 4-0 at home on Saturday and 6-1 on the road on Sunday.
The Fighting Irish have lost five in a row.
BC freshman Spencer Knight, who stopped 55 of 56 shots, now has a .940 save percentage.
4. Arizona State and Denver butt heads
The two programs – or at least the people who run their Twitter accounts – had a spat heading into the series, with the Pios observing that “It looks like the Sun Devils will be debuting new jerseys for the 2,000th time in their three-minute history.’’
But good sportsmanship prevailed in the end, after Arizona State won the opener 4-1 and the two teams played to a 2-2 draw in the second game as Denver scored with 41 seconds left.
Afterward, Denver tweeted “Stick tap to @SunDevilHockey for the battle on the ice and in our mentions.” Arizona State replied with “Jerseys & jokes aside, @DU_Hockey sets the bar high for hockey in the west, and we aspire to attain that respect.’’
5. Colgate on the rise
In their preseason poll, the ECAC coaches picked Colgate to finish ninth.
After a weekend sweep at Dartmouth and Harvard, the Raiders are fourth, just one point behind Harvard and Clarkson and three points in back of first-place Cornell.
After routing Dartmouth on Friday, Colgate beat Harvard in overtime on Saturday. They killed a penalty in the extra session, then won it on Ben Sharf’s goal at 3:40.
“(Assistant coach) Brett Riley has done a great job preparing our guys on the penalty kill and we needed those guys to step up and they did. Having to kill a penalty to start overtime is a tall order but the guys really sacrificed and got the job done,’’ said coach Don Vaughan.
6. One to remember for Rensselaer
Brown came into Saturday night’s game with five straight wins against Rensselaer, including the last two in Troy.
With Brown up 1-0, the Engineers turned the tables on the Bears late. After pulling their goalie and tying the game on a goal by Mike Gornall with two seconds left, RPI won it on a goal by Tristan Ashbrook just 36 seconds into overtime.
On short notice, Alec Calvaruso made 25 saves for RPI in his first start after transferring from Colorado College last December. He didn’t find out he was starting until he arrived at the rink.
“We just kept playing, we didn’t over stress anything, we kept hearing on the bench, ‘Let’s not run out of time’ and we pushed that to the limit. We didn’t run out of time,” RPI coach Dave Smith told the Albany Times-Union.
7. Terriers awaken vs. Beanpot rivals
After a 2-3-2 stretch, Boston University came to life with a pair of home victories against Harvard and Northeastern.
Coach Albie O’Connell last week put together a line of former Avon Old Farms players — Jamie Armstrong, Trevor Zegras and Patrick Harper — and it paid off.
Harper’s goal and two assists led the way in a 5-2 win at Harvard on Tuesday, then the senior scored twice as BU beat Northeastern, 6-3, on Saturday.
8. Alabama Huntsville rebounds to earn tie at Bowling Green
It’s been a hard road so far for Alabama Huntsville, which is giving up over four goals a game and has only one win in its first 16 games.
And while Saturday’s 2-2 deadlock at Bowling Green obviously wasn’t a win in the standings, it was at least a moral victory.
On Friday, the Chargers jumped out to a 3-0 lead five minutes into the second period before Bowling Green hammered them with nine straight goals while running up a 55-11 edge in shots.
Instead of more of the same on Saturday, Alabama Huntsville earned a tie, which could be something to build on as they head to Ferris State next weekend.
9. Army on the march
After winning 12 games last year, Army already has 11 wins this season.
The Cadets are 8-3 in their last 11 games after splitting with Bentley.
Army is in second place in Atlantic Hockey heading into next weekend’s series at third-place Robert Morris.
10. Better later than never
All was well that ended well for New Hampshire.
The Wildcats were forced to postpone Friday night’s game against Merrimack to Sunday night because of problems with the compressor at the Whittemore Center.
With the compressor fixed, UNH scored three times in the first seven minutes on the way to a 5-2 victory.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the weekend of December 6-8, starting with the USCHO Game of the Week, which saw No. 15 Providence take the second half of a weekend split with No. 16 UMass Lowell, with both teams winning on the road.
Also in this episode: Boston University showed some offense in wins over No. 8 Northeastern and last Tuesday over No. 12 Harvard; No. 10 Boston College won both halves of a home-and-home with No. 9 Notre Dame, Dartmouth upset No. 2 Cornell for the Big Red’s first loss; No. 3 North Dakota extended its unbeaten streak to 13 with a weekend road sweep of No. 17 Western Michigan; No. 19 Wisconsin was swept at Michigan State; and No. 4 Denver lost 4-1 on Friday and scored late for a 2-2 tie on Saturday with No. 20 Arizona State.
We also take note of a high-scoring Sacred Heart team that has won eight of its last nine, and congratulate Air Force’s Frank Serratore for his 400th win behind the Falcons bench.
Sarah Fillier (L) had a goal and five assists in the Tigers 7-5 win over Colgate. (Photo: Princeton Athletics)
(10) Minnesota Duluth at (1) Wisconsin
This one got off to a hot start, with the teams trading goals over the first seven minutes of the game. Abby Roque put Wisconsin up 1-0 1:10 into the game on an assist from Daryl Watts, but Minnesota Duluth responded less than a minute later with a goal from McKenzie Hewett and they took the lead three minutes later thanks to Anna Klein finding the back of the net when she was left all alone in the slot. The Badgers tied it up quickly when Roque and Watts switched roles and Watts put home a backdoor rebound off a Roque shot. The teams could not break the stalemate in the second period. In the third, Roque and Watts teamed up again. Watts fed Roque who took the puck down low and was able to get one to trickle past UMD goalie Maddie Rooney from a tough angle. Anna Klein scored her second of the night late in the final frame and it looked like this one was headed for overtime. With 75 seconds left, Alexis Mauermann earned the win for the Badgers with a well-placed shot from above the circles that beat Rooney top shelf and gave Wisconsin the 4-3 win. On Saturday, Minnesota Duluth jumped out to an early lead thanks to a goal from Gabbie Hughes that held as the only score through the first period. The Badgers came out firing after the first period break, with Sophie Shirley tying the game 20 seconds in and Maddie Rowe giving Wisconsin a 2-1 lead before seven minutes had passed. UMD quickly responded with a goal from Sydney Brodt. Britta Curl’s power play goal midway through the second would prove to be the game winner. Wisconsin added two empty net goals late in the game to earn the 5-2 win and weekend sweep.
(2) Minnesota at Minnesota State
Taylor Heise put Minnesota on the board in the first period and goals from Madeline Wethington, Emily Oden and Amy Potomak in the second period put the game away for the Gophers, who won 4-0.
(4) Cornell at (6) Princeton
This game was close during the first two periods, but the Big Red pulled away in the third to earn a 5-1 win. Gillis Frechette scored on the power play in the opening frame and Paige Lewis doubled the lead in the second to give Cornell at 2-0 lead heading into the third. The Big Red found a new gear in the third, scoring three times in six minutes to really put the game out of reach for Princeton. Grace Graham scored three minutes into the third and again a few minutes later. In between, Micah Zandee-Hart found the back of the net and suddenly Cornell had a 5-0 lead before the midway point of the period. Maggie Connors scored a late goal for the Tigers, but this one was all Cornell as they cruised to a 5-1 win.
(4) Cornell at Quinnipiac
The Big Red had four different goal scorers and 11 different players tallying a point in a 4-1 win on Saturday. Paige Lewis scored the only goal in the first period, putting Cornell up 1-0. In the second, Finley Frechette doubled the lead midway through the period before Quinnipiac responded. Sarah Coutu-Godbout made it a one goal game just before the second period break. In the third, Cornell put the game away with goals from Kristin O’Neill and Gillis Frechette to give the Big Red a 4-1 win.
Colgate at (6) Princeton
Sarah Fillier had five assists in this game, giving her 50 for her young career as she helped lead Princeton a 7-5 win in a crazy game on Saturday afternoon. For the first two periods, these two teams traded goals. It was Fillier that opened the scoring, putting the Tigers up 1-0 after just 56 seconds had elapsed. Allyson Simpson scored twice for the Raiders and Sylvie Wallin put one away for Princeton to make it 2-2 after one. Noemi Neubaurova put Colgate ahead 3-2 before the teams traded power play goals, with Carly Bullock scoring for the Tigers and Sammy Smigliani getting the goal for Colgate to put them up 4-3 heading into the third period. Princeton pulled away in the early part of the final frame, with two goals from Maggie Connors and one from Shannon Griffin making it 6-4 Tigers. Smigliani scored again to cut the lead to one, but Claire Thompson’s late short-handed goal ensured the win for Princeton.
RPI at (7) Clarkson
The Golden Knights struggled to eke out a win over the Engineers earlier this season, but must have used that as motivation as they put together a solid 5-0 on Friday. Ella Shelton scored on the power play just 47 seconds into the game. She added a second goal later in the first and Brooke McQuigge’s extra-attacker goal 16 seconds before the end of the first put the game well and solidly in hand for Clarkson as they led 3-0. Elizabeth Giguere and Meaghan Hector each scored in the second to extend the lead and secure a 5-0 win for Clarkson.
Union at (7) Clarkson
Union’s Megan Ryan took advantage of an over-eager Clarkson power play to score a short-handed goal that put the Dutchwomen up 1-0. Gabrielle David responded a few minutes later, scoring on a long possession after a power play ended to make it 1-1 heading into the first period break. In the second, Union took the lead early on a 5-on-3 power play goal from Katelynn Russ, who beat Marie-Pier Coulombe five hole. The Golden Knights seemed to find their rhythm from there. Elizabeth Giguere scored once in the second and early in the third and Brook McQuigge added a tally of her own to make it 4-2 Clarkson less than two minutes into the second period. Taylor Sawka added another goal for Clarkson late in the third. Rachel de Perio put one more on the board for Union, but they couldn’t complete a comeback as Clarkson won 5-3. It was Matt Desrosiers’ 300th win.
(9) Boston University vs (8) Boston College
The Terriers outshot the Eagles 46-21 en route to a decisive 6-0 win at home on Friday. Boston College was without Hannah Bilka and Hadley Hartmetz due to injury and could not muster much in the way of offense. BU was dominant for most of the game and goalie Corinne Schroeder was stellar for them in net, stopping anything dangerous the Eagles mustered early on. It was a complete game for Boston University, with five different goal scorers contributing to the win. Emma Wuthrich and Mackenna Parker had BU up 2-0 after the first period. But the second was where the Terriers really put the game away. Sammy Davis scored a short-handed goal, Jesse Compher added a power play tally and Courtney Correia scored unassisted in a matter of eight minutes to put the game totally out of reach for Boston College. Parker would add a goal in the third to make it a 6-0 win for BU.
Johnny Walker’s hat trick Friday night led No. 20 Arizona State to a 4-1 upset win over visiting No. 4 Denver. The two teams tied 2-2 the following night (photo: Riley Trujillo/Sun Devil Athletics).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. Dec. 2 fared in games over the Dec. 6-8 weekend.
No. 1 Minnesota State (14-1-1)
12/06/2019 – Lake Superior State 1 at No. 1 Minnesota State 5
12/07/2019 – Lake Superior State 0 at No. 1 Minnesota State 2
No. 3 North Dakota (14-1-2)
12/06/2019 – No. 3 North Dakota 1 at No. 17 Western Michigan 0 (OT)
12/07/2019 – No. 3 North Dakota 8 at No. 17 Western Michigan 2
No. 4 Denver (9-4-3)
12/06/2019 – No. 4 Denver 1 at No. 20 Arizona State 4
12/07/2019 – No. 4 Denver 2 at No. 20 Arizona State 2 (OT)
No. 5 Clarkson (11-3-1)
12/07/2019 – St. Lawrence 1 at No. 5 Clarkson 3
No. 6 Penn State (12-5-0)
12/06/2019 – No. 6 Penn State 1 at Michigan 4
12/07/2019 – No. 6 Penn State 3 at Michigan 1
No. 7 Ohio State (10-4-2)
12/06/2019 – RV Minnesota 2 at No. 7 Ohio State 3 (OT)
12/07/2019 – RV Minnesota 1 at No. 7 Ohio State 1 (OT)
No. 8 Northeastern (10-5-2)
12/07/2019 – No. 8 Northeastern 3 at Boston University 6
No. 9 Notre Dame (8-6-2)
12/06/2019 – No. 9 Notre Dame 0 at No. 10 Boston College 4
12/08/2019 – No. 10 Boston College 6 at No. 9 Notre Dame 1
No. 10 Boston College (11-4-0)
12/06/2019 – No. 9 Notre Dame 0 at No. 10 Boston College 4
12/08/2019 – No. 10 Boston College 6 at No. 9 Notre Dame 1
No. 11 Massachusetts (11-4-1)
12/06/2019 – RV Maine 1 at No. 11 Massachusetts 5
12/07/2019 – RV Maine 1 at No. 11 Massachusetts 4
No. 12 Harvard (6-4-0)
12/03/2019 – No. 12 Harvard 2 at Boston University 5
12/06/2019 – No. 2 Cornell 3 at No. 12 Harvard 1
12/07/2019 – Colgate 4 at No. 12 Harvard 3 (OT)
No. 13 Bowling Green (11-5-1)
12/06/2019 – Alabama Huntsville 3 at No. 13 Bowling Green 9
12/07/2019 – Alabama Huntsville 2 at No. 13 Bowling Green 2 (OT)
No. 17 Western Michigan (7-7-2)
12/06/2019 – No. 3 North Dakota 1 at No. 17 Western Michigan 0 (OT)
12/07/2019 – No. 3 North Dakota 8 at No. 17 Western Michigan 2
In a battle filled with a number of big hits, Providence scored twice on the power play to skate past UMass Lowell, 4-1, and earn a weekend split with the River Hawks (Photo: Rich Gagnon)
In a game dominated by special teams plays as each team was whistled for eight minor penalties, it was the power play for No. 15 Providence that made the difference as the Friars earned a road victory, 4-1, over 16th-ranked UMass Lowell.
Tyce Thompson and Patrick Moynihan each tallied on the power play for the Friars. Sandwiched between was a 4-on-4 goal by Cam MacDonald.
Perfect stretch pass from Callahan onto the tape of Moynihan and he buries it for his seventh of the season to put us up 3-0!#GoFriarspic.twitter.com/daKcd7Te3H
From there, the star was goaltender Dartmouth’s Adrian Clark, who stopped 11 shots in the second and 21 more in the third to complete the upset.
Dartmouth never trailed, scoring first just 2:20 into the game off the stick of Jeffrey Losurdo. Morgan Barron evened the score with just 12 seconds remaining in the first, but that was the only offense Cornell could muster.
Colgate 4, No. 12 Harvard 3 (OT)
Ben Sharf’s goal at 3:40 of overtime lifted Colgate to a road victory over No. 12 Harvard, handing the Crimson its fourth straight loss.
The game was tied at two through 40 minutes before Colgate grabbed the lead with 9:52 left in regulation.
Less than two minutes later, Harvard evened the score on Reilly Walsh’s fourth goal of the season to force the overtime.
Andrew Farrier made 30 saves to earn the victory for Colgate.
Boston University 6, No. 8 Northeastern 3
The host Terriers scored the game’s final four goals to rally from 3-2 down and win going away, 6-3, over rival Northeastern.
Patrick Harper scored twice and Trevor Zegras tallied three assists to pace the offense for Boston University.
The game featured a wild stretch in the second period in which Northeastern scored three goals and Boston University two, all in the first 4 minutes, 17 seconds of the frame.
After that, though, the Terriers defense settled down and added two more goals before the period ended and then added a late empty-netter.
Sam Tucker stopped 37 shots, including 23 over the final two periods, to earn the victory.
No. 3 North Dakota 8, No. 17 Western Michigan 2
A night after a nail-biting 1-0 overtime victory, North Dakota’s offense came alive as Shane Pinto and Judd Caufield each scored two goals and an assist and Westin Michaud added a goal and two assists in a 8-2 victory over Western Michigan.
The victory extends North Dakota’s unbeaten streak to 13 games (12-0-1). The Fighting Hawks haven’t lost since October 19, their only loss thus far, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of current No. 1 Minnesota State.
Seven different players posted multi-point games for North Dakota and Adam Scheel made 27 saves and a total of 68 stops in this weekend’s two victories.
The WCHA announced Saturday a one-game suspension for Alaska Anchorage sophomore forward Tanner Schachle.
The suspension is a result of Schachle’s five-minute major penalty and game misconduct infraction for checking from behind, which occurred at the 19:15 mark of the third period in Alaska Anchorage’s game on Friday, Dec. 6, at Michigan Tech.
Upon review, the hit was delivered in a manner that warranted the suspension.
Alaska Anchorage’s next scheduled game is today, Saturday, Dec. 7, at Michigan Tech. Schachle is eligible to return for the Seawolves lineup on Saturday, Jan. 4 at home against Lake Superior State.
Schachle was previously suspended twice last season, on Jan. 5 and on March 2.
Friday night’s Merrimack-New Hampshire game at New Hampshire has been postponed to Sunday at 7 p.m. due to poor ice conditions at the Whittemore Center.
The Warriors and Wildcats meet up Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Lawler Rink in what is now the first game of a home-and-home series.
