Brad Dexter has been with the Princeton men’s team since the 2014-15 season (photo: Princeton Athletics).
Princeton announced Thursday that Brad Dexter has been promoted to the role of associate head coach with the Tigers men’s team.
“Brad is extremely deserving of this new role within our program,” said Princeton head coach Ron Fogarty in a statement. “He has been an instrumental piece in the growth and development of our student-athletes on the ice and off, and his work helped set our standard with our 2018 ECAC championship.
“He is a talented coach and tireless recruiter and Princeton is fortunate to have him as part of its men’s ice hockey program.”
Dexter joined the Tigers ahead of the 2014-15 season.
Ian Mitchell of Denver. The Pioneers renew their rivalry with Colorado College this weekend. (Candace Horgan)
It’s taken a little longer than usual, but I’m at the point I usually am now in our season picks race: building a bigger lead on Matthew. Last weekend, I added some distance by picking the North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth sweeps, as I went 7-2-1 (.750), while Matthew was 5-4-1 (.550). On the year, I am now 43-31-13 (.568), while Matthew is 40-34-13 (.534).
Let’s see how we do in these last two weekends of the first half.
Friday-Saturday, Dec. 13-14
No. 8 Denver versus Colorado College (home-and-home) Candace: Denver has only one win in its last eight games, while CC is 4-2-1 in its last seven. Denver will want to make up for losing the Gold Pan on the last weekend of the regular season last year, so I see a split. Denver 3-2, Colorado College 3-1 Matthew: My usual go-to with home-and-home series is to take the home teams. This time last week, I would’ve gone away from that for this series and taken Denver to sweep. The Pioneers struggled at Arizona State, though, while CC got a win and a tie last time out, admittedly against not the same caliber of opponent. Watch me be wrong here, but I’ll take a split and keep up appearances. Denver 3-1, Colorado College 3-2
Omaha at St. Cloud State Candace: Omaha seems to have come back to Earth in recent weeks, while St. Cloud is moving in the right direction, but is only 1-4-1 at home. I think this is a split. St. Cloud State 3-2, Omaha 4-2 Omaha: SCSU has done better in the last couple weeks after a troublesome start, and Omaha is winless in its last four games, going back nearly a month. Can they get a win or two in St. Cloud? The Huskies have won one of six at home this season, so…maybe. St. Cloud State 3-1, Omaha 3-1
Jake Bresser leads the Blugolds in scoring this season. (Photo provided by UW-Eau Claire athletics)
Jake Bresser was at a family Christmas when he first had an interest in hockey sparked inside of him. One of his cousins, then a player at Marian, put a pair of skates on him.
The rest is history.
“We were bored one day and he threw a pair of skates on me. I loved the skating aspect of it,” Bresser said. “My parents got me into some youth skates and I just picked it up. I loved the fast pace of it and the hitting and checking was appealing as a kid. I’ve loved the game since.”
That love for the game has led to a successful college career at Wisconsin-Eau Claire where Bresser is a key player for the topr-ranked team in the nation in NCAA Division III.
The Blugolds are unbeaten and have won their last 10 games.
“To sum it up, it’s been a lot of fun. We have a good group of guys this year and we’re a big family. Being a tight-knit group has really helped us.”
On a personal level, Bresser boasts a solid stat line during the team’s 10-0-1 start to the year, scoring six goals and dishing out five assists to lead the team in points.
“It’s going pretty good. There’s a little bit of balance between my goals and assists this year, which has been good,” Bresser said. I have a couple of good linemates I’m clicking with, too and that has really helped in the process.”
A two-time All-WIAC selection, including first-team honors last season, the senior forward said he didn’t really focus on anything in particular getting ready for the season.
“There wasn’t a lot I focused on. I feel I’m more well-rounded,” Bresser said. “It starts in the defensive zone and getting into the offensive zone. And every summer you have to get bigger, faster and stronger. I stayed focused on that and prepared myself mentally for the season.”
It has paid off.
A year ago, Bresser scored four goals and handed out 17 assists. He tallied nine goals and six assists as a sophomore after managing just a goal and two assists his rookie season.
“I’ve focused on the player that I am and haven’t tried to be something I’m not,” Bresser said. “I found my role and niche. I’m not the flashiest player and my hands aren’t the best, but I’m a good shooter. I get the puck to the net and good things happen from there.”
The fact that he’s thriving on the ice for his hometown team carries a little extra meaning for Bresser.
“It’s awesome,” Bresser said. “Eau Claire is really into hockey and getting support from friends and family who watched me growing up has been great. And the university treats us very well. We are grateful for what we have here.”
Bresser said one of the things that has helped the Blugolds succeed out of the gate this season has been the fact that he and his teammates push each other day in and day out.There’s a competitive feel to practice that translates to game day.
“We are highly competitive and deep at every position,” Bresser said. “That shows in practice with the high intensity and we push each other. No matter who is in the lineup we are comfortable with it.”
The Blugolds are playing with a target on their backs, though, being the No. 1 team in the nation. But it’s not something the players have run away from.
“We embrace it,” Bresser said. “I think for some of us, it helps us play better. We haven’t been ranked this high in awhile, so we have a lot to prove, but we’re a really solid team and we know we are going to get everyone’s best shot.”
That includes this weekend when the Blugolds take on rival Wisconsin-Stevens Point, the reigning national champions.
“We know them well and we have to focus on playing 60 minutes of good hockey both nights,” Bresser said. “When you play Point, it’s something special. We want to come out on top.”
The Blugolds are accustomed to success and were the national champions in 2013.
Bresser said if this team wants to get to where it hopes to come March, playing well in the second half is vital.
“My last couple of years we have started slow and ended hot or started hot and ended slow. We want to remain consistent and pick up where left off,” Bresser said. “We can’t have any letdowns. A lot of that is going to depend on what we do while we’re home for Christmas. It’s important to stay active and come back ready to go.”
Around the West Region
Augsburg ranks fourth in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 1.30 goals per game. Goalie Daniil Gerasimov has played a big role in that, saving 95 percent of the shots he has faced this season.
Kyle Meeh of Saint Mary’s has tallied five goals this year, the most on the team, and he has recorded at least one point in five of the six games he’s played in this season for the Cardinals.
St. Thomas standout John Peterson has already set a new career-best for goals, scoring six, tallying two in the last three games.
UW-Eau Claire head coach Matt Loen has 200 career wins. He reached the milestone in a 2-0 win over Wisconsin-River Falls last Friday. Loen in his 13th season with the Blugolds and is 200-117-28. He is the sixth coach in WIAC history to get to 200 wins.
Logan Nelson of Wisconsin-Stout leads his team in goals with four on the year, including one off the power play.
Christian Hausinger of UW-River Falls is the top scoring defensemen in the WIAC. He has come through with five goals and 10 assists so far this season for the Falcons.
Marcus Gloss of Finlandia recorded 88 saves last weekend in a pair of games. Gloss has started seven games for the Lions and has won twice. He has tallied 235 saves.
Peter Bates of St. Norbert leads the NCHA in assists with 12. He is one of four players in the league with at least 10 assists.
Josh Boyko of Aurora owns the best goals against average in the conference at 1.73. He has started 12 games for the Spartans and has come through with 311 saves.
In the Poll: In addition to UW-Eau Claire being ranked first, three other teams from the region are nationally ranked. Augsburg is fourth, Adrian is seventh and Lake Forest checks in at No. 13 this week.
The 1991-92 Alaska Anchorage team made waves in the 1992 NCAA postseason (photo: Alaska Anchorage Athletics).
The Alaska Sports Hall of Fame will induct the Alaska Anchorage hockey team’s win over Boston College in 1992 as its “moment” for the 2020 class.
The Seawolves were an independent team without a league at the time, while BC, led by Hobey Baker winner David Emma, was a perennial Hockey East powerhouse playing on its home ice in the second round of the NCAA tournament a year after reaching the national semifinals.
“I thought BC would blow them out of the building,” said Jack Parker, the coach of BC’s rival Boston University, in a 2019 USCHO.com feature article.
But the Seawolves, led by coach Brush Christiansen, showed no fear in the best-of-three series that pitted the West Region’s sixth-seeded team against the East Region’s third-ranked squad.
Alaska Anchorage beat the Eagles 3-2 in the opener, keyed by goals from Rob Conn and Brian Kraft. The next night, UAA clinched the series 3-1. Goalie Paul Krake was among the heroes, making 39 saves in the second game.
“This was huge news in Anchorage,” Doyle Woody, an Anchorage Daily News reporter who attended the series, told USCHO.com. “Both game stories were on the front page of the newspaper, which is, other than radio or TV, how a lot of people found out.”
The Seawolves lost to eventual national champion Northern Michigan in the NCAA quarterfinals and finished the campaign 22-17-4, but their victory in the “David vs. Goliath” series against BC was never forgotten.
Inductees to the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame are chosen through a public vote and a selection panel. Upon enshrinement, inductee portraits are permanently displayed at the Alaska Sports Hall of Fame Gallery at the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
Well, last week was certainly interesting. As I was busy watching Michigan Tech prove me right with a sweep of Alaska Anchorage, I absolutely blew the Alaska/Bemidji State series, which went the opposite way from what I was thinking. Naturally, Jack picked it correctly, giving him the win for the week.
Daver last week: 5-2-1
Jack last week: 6-1-1
Daver this season: 43-24-6
Jack this season: 58-35-9
Alabama Huntsville at Ferris State
After a tough loss Friday on the road at Bowling Green, the Chargers are looking to continue to build off of a tie Saturday. The Bulldogs are fresh off a bye week after a tough road trip at Alaska Anchorage, where they captured five of a possible six points.
Daver: UAH wins Friday 2-1, FSU wins Saturday 4-1
Jack: FSU sweeps 4-2, 6-4
No. 10 Bowling Green at Lake Superior State
The Falcons head back out on the road after an interesting weekend at home against Alabama Huntsville. The Lakers bounced back from a 5-0 loss on Friday earlier this season against the Falcons and earned a 3-1. The Lakers look to use this weekend as a springboard as they head into the Catamount Cup in Vermont in late December.
The Mavericks carry a nine-game winning streak into this weekend’s road trip to Marquette. The Wildcats split on the road with the Chargers two weeks ago. With a week to prep, they look to be the team to break the Mavericks’ run.
Daver: MSU sweeps 4-1, 5-2
Jack: MSU sweeps 4-2, 5-3
No. 4 Clarkson at Michigan Tech
Michigan Tech has seven losses on the season, but only one outside of WCHA play. They come into this non-conference matchup with the Green Knights having won seven of their last eight. The Green Knights are also hot of late, having won eight of their last nine coming into this weekend after defeating Yale and St. Lawrence.
The unofficial first half of the ECAC Hockey season concludes with a smattering of non-conference games this weekend. All games start at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted.
Nate:
Last week: 7-7
Overall: 64-43-7
Mark
Last week: 3-11
Overall: 57-49-7
Thursday, Dec. 12
Bentley at Dartmouth
Nate: The Falcons have been playing well lately, but the Big Green are at home and coming off a win over previously unbeaten Cornell. Dartmouth 4-2
Mark: The Big Green have won five of six. Look for them to keep rolling. Dartmouth 4-3
Friday, Dec. 13
Merrimack at Union
Nate: Union has not only won three in a row against the Warriors, but has been playing better lately. Union 4-3
Mark: The Dutchmen have tightened up defensively, giving up just three goals in the last three games. Home ice gives them the edge. Union 3-2
Clarkson at Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m. Friday; 6:07 p.m. Saturday.
Nate: Both teams are strong defensively and have been playing well lately. I agree with Mark and think this will be a split. Friday: Clarkson 3-1; Saturday, Michigan Tech 2-1
Mark: Great matchup. Clarkson has won eight of nine. Michigan Tech has won seven of eight. Feels like a split. Friday: Clarkson 4-2; Saturday: Michigan Tech 3-1
Saturday, Dec. 14
Dartmouth at Northeastern, 4 p.m.
Nate: At the risk of running afoul of college hockey’s favorite Twitter account, I’m picking the Huskies, who are an impressive 5-1-1 at home this year. Northeastern 4-1
Mark: The Huskies have lost only once at Matthews Arena. Northeastern 5-2
On The Season:
Dan: 73-27-9 (.711)
Chris: 64-36-9 (.628)
This Week’s Picks
Thursday, December 12 Bentley at Dartmouth Chris: Both teams have won four of their last five games. I’m giving the slight edge to the Big Green at home. Dartmouth wins. Dan: I might’ve picked Bentley in this game before last weekend, but then Dartmouth beat Cornell and all bets are off. That said, I’m still going with the blatant Atlantic Hockey homerism pick. Bentley wins.
Friday, December 13 and Saturday, December 14 Niagara at American International Chris: I get the feeling that the Yellow Jackets are going to get on a roll soon, and despite Niagara playing very well recently, I’m picking AIC to sweep. Dan: I echo what Chris is saying here, and that’s going to be very scary because, quite frankly, the Yellow Jackets aren’t a team anyone can sleep on. Split this series.
Saturday, December 14 and Sunday, December 15 Army West Point at Robert Morris Chris: This is a battle of teams currently holding down second and third place in the standings. I think things will stay that way come Sunday night. Split. Dan: I think RMU is going to come out angry after what happened against Sacred Heart. 10 goals allowed is not an indication of things to come for that team, and this weekend, they run into an Army squad that just battled Bentley to an incredibly tough series. Split the series here too.
Amanda Conway of Norwich (Mark Collier/Norwich University)
Heading into the break, Norwich, behind rookie head coach Sophie Leclerc, is on a roll, going 10-1 through the first half and recording shutouts in their last six games. In fact, since losing to Plattsburgh on Nov. 6 in their season opener, Norwich has only given up four goals in 10 games.
“Honestly, being a first-year head coach, you kind of never know what’s really going to happen,” said Leclerc. “My perspective through all of this, and having nothing to compare it to, was just take it one game at a time. That’s our philosophy through this, is focusing really on us and no one else. It’s kind of transformed itself right from the start to focus on our back end defensively. Being really strong defensively will translate in any game. Every game, the focus has been on how we can be good in our own end, and that will allow us to play in the offensive zone, the fun zone, where everybody wants to be, where our players’ skill takes over.”
Leclerc, a 2010 graduate of Norwich, is happy to be back home. Her coach was Mark Bolding, who was the only coach in program history. Bolding left for Yale in the off season. LeClerc had been an assistant under Bolding for two seasons, 2013-14 and 2014-15, and spent four years after that as an assistant at Colgate, where she helped the Raiders to a runner-up finish in the 2017-18 season.
“It’s been absolutely incredible,” said Leclerc of her rookie season. “You have kind of a
Sophie Leclerc (photo: Colgate Athletics)
general idea of what it’s like based on your experience here as a player. I was here for a couple of years as an assistant coach as well. I think stepping away from it for four years made it that much sweeter to be back home. It’s a familiar setting in an unfamiliar role, but because it is so familiar and the values hold true to me throughout, it’s made it an easy transition as far as how I believe this team can play. Having been in their shoes before, I’m able to really challenge them in a number of ways.”
As a player, Leclerc ranks second all-time in scoring behind Julie Fortier, who graduated in 2012. Leclerc finished with 163 points in her career, while Fortier had 175. An interesting storyline has cropped up in Leclerc’s rookie coaching season, as Amanda Conway just broke Fortier’s program goal-scoring record in the final game of the first half. Conway is now third in career points at Norwich, trailing Leclerc by 16 points and Fortier by 28. With 14 games in the second half, plus playoffs, and Conway averaging 1.63 points per game, it is likely that Leclerc will see Conway surpass her in the records, and possibly also surpass Fortier.
“We talked about this as a group after Amanda hit the milestone.,” said Leclerc. “This is a testament to the growth of this program. She was the first after to say, hey, this is this isn’t just me, it’s everybody, and she means it. I think from my perspective, having been here on the inaugural team back in 2007, to see somebody surpass a record means that this program is growing, as it should be. I’m just grateful to have been a part of it and to help her succeed. That’s been my goal right from the minute I met her. Knowing the incredible talent that she is, I want to do everything I can for her to set her up for the biggest success and, ultimately, our team’s success.”
One contributor to Norwich’s success has been the play of its trio of goaltenders. Leclerc has rotated all three so far. Sophomore Alexa Berg has played give games, while junior Emily Lambert and sophomore Kate Winstanley have each played three. Their save percentages are incredible, with Berg posting a .951, Lambert a .986, and Winstanley a .971.
“They have made it amazingly difficult, and I tell each one of them that all the time,” said Leclerc of the goalies. “We couldn’t be more fortunate to have three goaltenders that I have absolute faith in no matter what the game is in the second half. Right now, there’s no doubt in my mind that all three of them give us an amazing opportunity to win. I give them all the credit in the world. They’re talented and they work well together, and it’s not an easy thing to do. It’s funny, because they ask what they can do to get better, and I tell them I don’t know, just keep going. It’s been insane; it really adds to my growth in my first year, I can tell you that much.”
Ironically, Norwich will open its second half with another game against Plattsburgh in the first game of the East/West Classic, where the Cadets will hope to flip the script from their season opener. They could face No. 8 Elmira on back-to-back weekends, depending on if Elmira beats No. 6 Adrian. They also have a game against No. 2 Middlebury on the docket in February.
“Whether it’s been Plattsburgh or Elmira or Middlebury, there’s been a team that’s been a thorn in our side,” said Leclerc. “Plattsburg has been consistent there. I said it when I was in front of the team in the first game, those are the games you want to play for. The rivalry that the two teams have created just makes it so much fun. You work so hard day in and day out, harping on our defensive zone play and seeing success in other games within our conference, here’s an opportunity to do it against one of the best teams in the country. That’s the way I frame it, and the outcome is the outcome. I think it’s all part of 60 minutes and the buzz surrounding it before we get to play, and then you ultimately learn from it either way when you’re done. You hope to tilt the scale a little bit more this time, but we’ll see.”
No. 7 Penn State travels to No. 15 Notre Dame for this week’s USCHO Game of the Week. Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Nittany Lions head coach Guy Gadowsky for a preview of the Big Ten series.
Also in this episode: In the NCHC, Colorado College and No. 8 Denver are home-and-home as part of this year’s Battle for the Gold Pan and Omaha is at St. Cloud State; In the WCHA, No. 1 Minnesota State is at Northern Michigan and No. 10 Bowling Green travels to Lake Superior; in Atlantic Hockey, Army and Robert Morris each can move back into first place; and in non-conference action, No. 4 Clarkson is at Michigan Tech and No. 16 Arizona State is at No. 18 Michigan State for two-game series, and Dartmouth, fresh off an upset of Cornell, visits No. 12 Northeastern for a single game.
John Lethemon is Michigan State’s No. 1 goalie and has been in net for all eight of the Spartans’ wins this season (photo: Andrew Knapik/MiHockeyNow).
As the holiday break looms, a quick look at the Big Ten standings reveals something out of the ordinary for the conference’s short history.
Michigan State is tied for second with 19 points and is only three points off the lead. The Spartans will put their conference run on pause this weekend and host Arizona State for a two-game series.
With a 6-3-1 record, it’s not like the Spartans are getting by on puck luck. They opened conference play by shutting out Penn State 2-0 and followed up the series split with the Nittany Lions by sweeping Michigan and taking four of six points from Notre Dame.
“The one thing we’ve done fairly well, [and] there’s always bumps and glitches along the way, but I’ve thought we’ve defended fairly well and that’s kept us in a lot of games,” Spartans coach Danton Cole said. “The other thing is that we’ve been pretty resilient. We’ve been able to come back in, I think, three of our wins.”
Recently, the Spartans swept Wisconsin at home, that came one week after they were swept themselves at Ohio State. The Buckeyes picked up 3-1 and 2-0 victories in that series, played the Saturday and Sunday after Thanksgiving.
Cole quipped during his press conference after one of the victories over Wisconsin last weekend that the Spartans must have tired out the Buckeyes, since Minnesota took them to overtime twice the following weekend.
“I didn’t think we played poorly down there, Ohio State’s a good hockey team and if you take the open-net goals out basically it’s a 2-1 and a 1-0 game,” he said. “We might have learned a few things there and just reinforce that if you don’t go through the right steps in your process and get more pucks to the net, it’s hard to score in the Big Ten.”
The Spartans shut out the Badgers 3-0 last Friday and came back to win 5-4 overtime on Saturday. Two different style of games, but Cole liked to see that his team could play both ways.
“You’re going to play all different types of games, with Wisconsin and their skill and offensive ability,” he said. “It’s just going to be hard to keep them off the board very long. They showed that on Saturday night, so you’ve got to figure out ways to win in different fashions.”
That said, he hopes that allowing four goals per contest doesn’t become a trend.
“If we hang our hat on (needing) to score five goals every night, that won’t be the way to long-term success,” Cole said. “Occasionally, you’re going to have to do that and it was nice to see our guys be able to play two different, at least scores of games, and get similar outcomes.”
If the Spartans can keep the goals allowed number down, and their run of good form going, it’ll be because of the continued good play of their senior goaltender. John Lethemon has posted an 8-4-1 record so far this season with a 2.01 GAA and three shutouts.
“One thing that he did that put himself in a position to have this type of senior year was the work he’s done the past couple years,” Cole said of his goaltender. “His sophomore year, he was better than his freshman year and he got better his junior year.
“He had a great offseason last year, he did a great job in the weight room and he gained some weight, I think that’s helped him out there,” he added. “His confidence and his positioning, he’s just seeing the puck really well right now, he’s done a lot of the stuff you need to do to get better and he’s a good example for the rest of our guys.”
The defense being played in front of Lethemon has improved, too.
Cole credited the improvement that sophomore defensemen Dennis Cesana, Cole Krygier and Christian Krygier made over the offseason.
“They’ve done a nice job, not just defending, but moving the puck and a real good job breaking out through the neutral zone,” he said. “It just makes us more of an efficient team, they’ve been a huge part of it.
“They got more mature in a lot of areas, off ice and on ice. The training that we can do in the spring on and off the ice is tremendous. We can really focus on development and strength.”
On offense Michigan State was tasked with replacing 50-point scorer Taro Hirose this season. Patrick Khodorenko and Mitchell Lewandowski, who finished second and third behind Hirose in scoring last season, are currently placing the Spartans with 15 and 11 points.
“There’s times (Khodorenk has) been hot putting up points, but consistently he’s done a great job in terms of defending, playing physical and playing a great 200-foot-game,” Cole said. “(Lewandowski) got off to a little slow start goal-scoring wise, but he popped a couple the other night and he’s been getting a lot of chances, he attracts a lot of attention from the other team.
“It’s nice having them back and I think the guys look to them and, like the other night, when the game’s on the line they’re going to be on the ice and they’re able to make a difference at the end of those games.”
Behind Khodorenko and Lewandowski, the Spartans seem to be developing some scoring depth with nine players having five or more points.
“It’s decent, the depth of (scoring) has been a lot better than the last couple years,” Cole said “Hey, I wish we had 11 guys with 10 or more points, but it’s been spread out and it’s been timely. That’s an effective way to get some results, not just relying on a couple guys. Everyone’s done a really nice job of chipping in at different times and that enables you to win some games in different ways.”
Badgers bow out of rankings
After starting the season ranked No. 16, and jumping up to No. 6 after sweeping Minnesota Duluth, Wisconsin dropped out of the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll this week.
The Badgers are 4-9-1 since that sweep of the Bulldogs and their highly-touted offense has been silenced in those losses, averaging 1.67 goals.
Polls obviously don’t determine the NCAA tournament field, but Wisconsin has also taken a tumble in the PairWise Rankings to 32nd.
Mark your calendars
College hockey teams will take a break for the holidays, but there are a few games to be aware of that’ll take place before our next published column.
Minnesota will revive the Mariucci Classic on Dec. 28-29, and the tournament now has the vibe of the former North Star College Cup (RIP). Minnesota State and St. Cloud State will get the party started on Saturday afternoon followed by the Gophers and Bemidji State. Winners and losers play each other on Sunday.
Michigan and Michigan State will, once again, participate in the Great Lakes Invitational at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena Dec 30-31. The Spartans will play Michigan Tech and the Wolverines play Ferris State. The consolation and championship games on New Years Eve are part of a tripleheader that features the Detroit Red Wings and San Jose Sharks as the headliner.
In non-tournament action, Ohio State hosts Colgate for a two-game series the last weekend of 2019 and Wisconsin will play the U.S National Under-18 team on New Years Day.
Notre Dame and Penn State, who play each other this weekend, will wait until the first weekend of 2020 to get back to business.
Stonehill College announced that addition of women’s hockey as a varsity sport on Monday. (Photo: Stonehill Athletics)
On Monday, Division II Stonehill College announced that they were adding women’s hockey as a varsity sport. Stonehill was a natural fit for the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance (NEWHA), who’s member institutions Franklin Pierce, Post, Saint Anselm and St. Michael’s all have men’s teams that compete in the Northeast-10 conference against Stonehill’s men’s squad.
“Members of our league are not strangers to Stonehill and Stonehill is not strangers to them,” said NEWHA commissioner Bob DeGregorio.
Additionally, Stonehill Director of Athletics Dean O’Keefe was involved with the addition of women’s hockey as a varsity sport at Merrimack in 2015. That gives him a unique and useful background in what exactly is needed to be successful. All of that that, plus the existence of NEWHA, made this expansion about as serendipitous as is possible.
NEWHA has been a major driver in the expansion of the championships level of women’s collegiate hockey and was one of the major factors in Stonehill’s decision to sponsor a new women’s program.
According to Grant Salzano, writing for the Ice Garden, “O’Keefe noted that ‘Women’s hockey has long been part of the school’s 5-10 year plan to add compelling new academic and athletic programs to attract students.’”
Despite wanting to elevate their club program, there simply wasn’t an obvious conference home for the Skyhawks. They weren’t in a position to be play as an Independant. NEWHA was ideal, with a number of opponents they face in other sports and Stonehill, located just outside Boston, brings its own hockey culture, plus that of the city and its surrounding area, as the only member institution from Massachusetts.
“I’m excited to see another fellow Northeast-10 Conference member take the step of adding women’s ice hockey. One of our goals in forming the New England Women’s Hockey Alliance was to help to promote future expansion of one of the fastest-growing collegiate sports. It is encouraging to see that investment begin to pay off so quickly,” said Rachel Burleson, Franklin Pierce University Director of Athletics and NEWHA Executive Committee member.
And NEWHA isn’t done looking to expand. At a minimum, they will be looking to add at least one more program to even out their numbers and create a true quarterfinal in the conference tournament, which would bring the total to 43 teams. But it also wouldn’t have to stop there. Even numbers are ideal, but beyond that, there’s not a lot of limit to how big a conference could or should be. Hockey East is comprised of 10 teams while the ECAC has 12 member institutions. There has been serious interest from one or two schools to join NEWHA already, said DeGregorio.
“There could be some real good growth for this league in the next few years. The more opportunities that you create for women student athletes like this, the more it will grow. We’re hoping, not just for NEWHA, but for the game overall to keep growing,” he said. “Keep an eye on women’s ice hockey because, particularly in this area, it can continue to grow. The sooner the better. I just love to see the sport continue to grow. The ideal goal is to grow the league and women’s hockey. As long as I’m the commissioner, that will be the driving force of the league.”
The WCHA is also currently sitting at seven members and would likely prefer to even their ranks out, though it would likely need to be a Big Ten school adding women’s hockey to convince that conference to expand at this point.
DeGregorio figures the field will need to get up to 48 programs before the NCAA considers expanding the tournament. Not too long ago, the idea of that many schools supporting women’s Division I or II ice hockey seemed impossible.
Three seasons ago when North Dakota announced it was cutting it’s women’s hockey program, there were just 35 teams competing for the National Championship at this level and there were concerns about whether that would be a breaking point for the Division I/II game. Instead, 32 months on, when they hit the ice two seasons from now, Stonehill will be the 42nd team that competes for the National Championship at this level.
Though the NCAA has shown themselves unwilling to be particularly thoughtful or reasonable in considering changes to the National College Ice Hockey pre-championship manual, continued expansion and the addition of programs should be enough to force them to consider expanding the women’s tournament beyond eight teams.
In 2001, when the first NCAA tournament was held, there were 26 programs and the tournament invited just four teams. By 2005, the field had expanded to eight teams because there were now 30 programs competing. In the 15 years since, the number of programs has expanded by nearly half and yet, the tournament itself has not changed.
While it’s not necessary to once again double the tournament field, a natural next step could involve anywhere from nine to 12 teams and could have a play-in game or first-round byes for top seeds.
Whatever the new format, and with the pace at which major changes tend to happen at the NCAA level, this is a discussion that should be happening now.
St. Cloud State coach Brett Larson goes over strategy during the Huskies’ game against North Dakota on Nov. 22, 2019, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
Anyone close to the program knew that this season would be a rebuilding year for St. Cloud State.
After tearing through the regular season last year with a 30-6-3 record, then falling in the first round of the NCAA tournament to an upset from American International, St. Cloud lost five of its top six scorers to graduation or early departure, and also lost two of its best defensemen to graduation.
So far this season, St. Cloud is 4-6-4.
In the last two weekends, however, it seems the Huskies have started to come together. Though they were swept by North Dakota, both games were close, including an OT loss (St. Cloud’s sixth OT game this season). Last weekend, they went on the road and swept Miami, the type of series they might have split or lost in October. Part of the turnaround has been a newfound focus on defense, a defense that had struggled a lot in the early part of the season.
“We really thought that we focused on it a lot going to North Dakota,” said Huskies coach Brett Larson. “We knew if we had any chance, we were going to have to keep the games tight, and we couldn’t give them much. I think even though we lost both those games in North Dakota, it gave us the confidence that we can defend. It’s given us a focus on it. It’s a little bit of a work in progress because we still, for the most part, have ‘D’ playing above where they played last year.
“To be honest, most of them played against second-third-fourth lines last year. Now this year, everyone’s bumped up. They’re playing a little bit higher level of competition than they were used to the year before, and they’re growing into those roles.”
One of the keys to the improved defense has been senior captain Jack Ahcan, who was the NCHC defenseman of the week for his play against Miami last weekend. Ahcan, who is third among NCHC defensemen with 13 points, was plus-3 in the series. Larson feels that Ahcan is starting to settle into his role as the team captain and the leader on the ice.
“I think that with him being a captain and with this team being young, he put so much on his shoulders early; I think he felt that he had to do everything,” Larson said. “I think what he’s done really well lately is just trust in his own game. He’s a warrior down low, and he defends hard and strong. He’s created jump up in the play as well. He’s really good on the power play. I think he’s just really, really focused on what makes him good and playing that way and not feeling like he’s got to do everything.
“At the same time, he’s found a good leadership balance of holding guys accountable and pushing them. I really feel like as the team has gotten better lately, he’s also grown into his leadership role.”
Last season, St. Cloud had one of the best offenses in the country, including three players above an average of a point a game.
This season, St. Cloud isn’t quite as deep offensively, but two players who have stepped up are junior Easton Brodzinski and sophomore Sam Hentges. Brodzinski has 13 points this year, while Hentges has blossomed and has 20 through 14 games, the same number of points he had in 37 games his rookie year.
Larson believes Hentges’ performance is all the more impressive since he is now the focus of opposing teams’ top lines.
“For me, a couple of the guys up front, Easton Brodzinski, Sam Hentges, I think those guys, whether it’s five-on-five or on the power play, they’ve raised their game to the next level and they’ve been able to contribute for us,” Larson said. “Sam, last year he was probably playing against third lines most of the time, and now this year we’ve thrust him into a top line role where he’s playing against other teams’ top line and top ‘D’ pair, and he’s still been able to get off to a good start. So, that’s huge for us, to have those returners taking steps.”
St. Cloud has also been working to improve its penalty kill, which heading into the Thanksgiving weekend was a woeful 69.77 percent. Over the last four games, the team has clamped down on the penalty kill and is slowly but surely improving there.
“Other than a five-minute major goal we gave up in North Dakota, we’ve been pretty solid the last four to five games,” said Larson. “Just like our team in a lot of ways, I just feel like we’re maturing in that area. We’re trying some new guys in that area that hadn’t done it before. Gone are the days of having Jimmy Schuldt and Jon Lizotte kill every penalty for you. A lot of guys are growing into roles that they didn’t have before.
“As you look at trends throughout the year, we were certainly disappointed with how the penalty kill started, but again, we definitely see some growth and development in the guys that are on the kill.”
This weekend, St. Cloud closes its first half by hosting a much-improved Omaha team, one that has been ranked for much of the first half of the season. St. Cloud will look to improve on its dismal home record so far, as the Huskies are 1-4-1 at home.
“The one thing we have to realize is that Omaha’s a really good hockey team,” said Larson. “I just watched the tape of their series against Duluth. They fought Duluth to two games that were at one point tied or a one-goal game in the third period. To me, that’s this league, right? Even though Omaha lost a couple of games, I think they look really good on tape. They’re very structured, they’re coached very well. They’ve got a combination of size and skill.
“For us, the first thing is to know that it’s a big challenge with a good UNO team coming in and being able to step up and meet that challenge.”
Denver, Colorado College renew Gold Pan rivalry
While four teams have finished their first half, the rivalry action will be fierce this weekend as Denver and Colorado College square off in the first game of the four-game Gold Pan series.
Last year, CC claimed the Gold Pan for the first time in the Mike Haviland era. CC secured the Gold Pan on the final weekend of the regular season and rode that momentum into the NCHC Frozen Faceoff, the first time the Tigers had qualified for the Frozen Faceoff in the history of the league.
This year will be the 27th year of the Gold Pan series. A team has to outright win it to take the trophy from the other team — a 2-2 season split sees the team possessing it retaining it. Denver and CC have played each other 320 times, second only to the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry in number of games played. Denver leads the series 180-120-20.
Colorado College has been the hotter team of late, going 4-2-1, including sweeping Princeton on the road last weekend. Denver, after starting 8-0, has only one win in its last eight games. The team’s offensive struggles continued last weekend in Arizona, where Denver lost 4-1 and then needed a late goal from Cole Guttman to eke out a tie in the rubber match.
Just like any rivalry, however, records often mean little. Denver hosts Friday, while the Tigers host Saturday.
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.
