Mercyhurst sophomore forward Ethan Johnson has been suspended by Atlantic Hockey for one game following a review of his major penalty at the end of the Nov. 23 game against Niagara.
Johnson was whistled for kneeing as time expired in Saturday’s 3-1 loss to the Purple Eagles. The referees assessed a major penalty and game misconduct on the play which prompted the review by the league office.
Johnson will be unavailable for Mercyhurst when the Lakers next play Friday, Nov. 29, against Robert Morris.
Clarkson captain Devin Brosseau leads the Golden Knights in scoring with 18 points through a dozen games (photo: Clarkson Athletics).
Seven different teams have won the ECAC Hockey playoff championship over the last ten years, but remaining competitive year in and year out is a feat that fewer teams have accomplished.
After a stretch of lean years and middle of the pack finishes, Clarkson has established itself as one of ECAC Hockey’s perennial contenders.
The Golden Knights are on pace to make the NCAA tournament for the third straight year, which is the longest streak for the program since it made five straight appearances from 1994 to 1999. Prior to 2017, Clarkson hadn’t made the national tournament or finished in the top four of the league since 2008.
The Golden Knights are having another strong season despite losing Hobey Baker finalist Nico Sturm and Mike Richter finalist Jake Kielly.
“We didn’t lose a ton but we had some key pieces that we lost, some heavyweights there. We’re trying to replace them with strength in numbers,” Clarkson coach Casey Jones said.
Two transfer students have helped fill the vacancies left by Sturm and Kielly. Zach Tsekos (Sacred Heart) centers Clarkson’s second line, while Frank Marotte (Robert Morris) has seamlessly replaced Kielly in net.
Marotte has a .938 save percentage and has played every minute in goal so far for Clarkson. That performance through the first half of the season has continued a trend of above average goaltending for Clarkson over recent seasons.
“We had good goaltending [in previous years], but we’ve had guys playing at the great level lately, which is the separating factor,” Jones said. “When you have that, then you win some games when maybe your team is not playing their ‘A’ game. Those are valuable. Two or three wins can flip a season big time.”
But competitive programs don’t remain that way just by adding newcomers from outside the program. Internal development is an important component as well.
“I think sometimes the answer is always thought about in recruiting, and recruiting is absolutely paramount, but you need to have a development model that continues to trend in moving guys forward,” Jones said. “Guys keep getting better and you see a little pull from within and you’re not just looking for answers coming through the door.
“You’ve got a lot of answers that you can work with internally and hopefully, guys are buying in and being coachable to move their game forward.”
One player who has continued to develop is sophomore Josh Dunne, who dealt with an injury last year but still finished with 14 goals. He’s been ever better this season, leading the Golden Knights with seven goals while centering Clarkson’s top line with Devin Brosseau and Haralds Egle.
“They’re our go-to line,” Jones said. “They’ve all got elements in their games that are difficult to defend, and cumulatively, they’ve been pretty special for us.”
The Golden Knights’ only conference loss came to undefeated Cornell at Lynah Rink two weeks ago. Clarkson ends its 2019 portion of the schedule by hosting St. Lawrence on Dec. 7 and then traveling to Michigan Tech on Dec. 13-14.
Bearing down
On Saturday, Brown scored more than one goal for the first time in three games, ending a three-game losing streak in the process with a 3-1 win over St. Lawrence.
“We’ve got to be able to bury our chances,” Bears coach Brendan Whittet said. “[Friday] we had two two-on-ones with wide open nets and I think we missed the net on both of them. That’s where we’ve just got to have a little bit of poise and the ability to bear down and put those pucks in. The margin between winning and losing becomes very hard when you score one goal.”
Brown was 3-5 entering Tuesday’s game at Bentley, its first non-conference game of the year. The Bears’ eight league games are tied with travel partner Yale for the most in ECAC Hockey. Whittet knows that Brown, who made the league’s championship weekend as a No. 8 seed last year, can ill afford to let crucial conference points slip away.
“Our aspiration is to be a home playoff team and our aspirations are also higher than that, to be a bye team and win championships,” Whittet said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. We’ve got to continue to focus and work.”
Saints stalled
St. Lawrence will have to wait a little longer to play at Appleton Arena this season. The rink, which is in the midst of a major renovation, won’t be ready to use until after the holiday break, the athletics department last announced last week on its Facebook page.
The Saints were set to play their first home games at Appleton at the end of November, but that is now pushed back to January. The women’s team will host Clarkson on Jan. 18, while the men’s team will host Brown on Jan. 31.
Until then, St. Lawrence will continue to play its home games at SUNY Canton.
Off to Ireland
For the fifth year in a row, two teams from ECAC Hockey will compete in the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Colgate is making its second appearance in Belfast after playing in the first year of the tournament in 2015. The Raiders will face tournament newcomer Princeton in a non-conference game Friday, with the winner advancing to Saturday’s championship.
“It’s a great opportunity for us as a team to not only play internationally for the Belpot Cup but to be able to have a cultural experience in Belfast off the ice,” said Princeton coach Ron Fogarty. “It will be an adventure that the players and staff will remember forever.”
Quinnipiac will make a return trip to the Friendship Four in 2020 after losing in the tournament championship game in 2016. The Bobcats will be joined in Belfast by three Atlantic Hockey teams: Army, Mercyhurst, and Sacred Heart.
Dutchmen depart
Union will be down two players when the Dutchmen return from the school’s trimester break next week.
Sophomore forwards Sam Morton and Lucas Breault have both left the program, according to the Schenectady Daily Gazette.
Morton had two goals and an assist in 13 games this season, while Breault had two assists in 12 games.
“It was their decision, and it’s unfortunate, but we’re moving on,” Union coach Rick Bennett said to the Gazette. “The program wishes them well in the future.”
Boston University coach Albie O’Connell joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger as his Terriers prepare to face No. 2 Cornell on Saturday at Madison Square Garden in USCHO’s Game of the Week.
Jim and Ed also preview No. 3 North Dakota at Minnesota, No. 20 Michigan State at No. 11 Ohio State, No. 14 Boston College at No. 9 Harvard, No. 1 Minnesota State at No. 8 Minnesota Duluth, home-and-home series for No. 16 Bowling Green vs. No. 5 Notre Dame and No. 10 UMass vs. Quinnipiac, plus the 2019 Friendship Four.
Can Elizabeth Giguère help lead Clarkson into a strong second half? (Photo: Jim Meagher/Clarkson Athletics)
Nicole: Happy American Thanksgiving to you and all our readers. I hope by the time everyone is reading this that they’re well on their way to relaxing and having a few days off with friends and family.
Women’s college hockey takes a bit of a break from the norm as a number of teams play in tournaments. The tournaments are nice because they give us a chance to see teams who don’t regularly play each other face off. Most of my family is in Memphis, so I’m taking the opportunity to combine a family holiday and some hockey viewing to check out four ranked teams play each other as Wisconsin, Minnesota, Boston College and Harvard play in the Country Classic Weekend in Nashville. Connecticut, Yale, Minnesota Duluth and Quinnipiac play in the Nutmeg Classic and Clarkson, Minnesota State, Vermont and Penn State play in the Windjammer Classic.
Following this, we get one more full week of games before most teams pause for a month for college finals and the winter holidays.
There were some interesting results this past weekend. Princeton made a statement by beating Clarkson. Connecticut beat BC again, earning a season series win. The Eagles eked out a win in the second game against the Huskies of the weekend, but it was a stellar showing from UConn. Ohio State handled Colgate on Friday, but earned a tie on Saturday. Harvard had a rough week, taking their first two losses of the year to Boston University and New Hampshire.
Did any of these surprise you more than others?
Arlan: I’m pretty easy to surprise, but I try not to get too shocked. No surprise at all on the Ohio State and Colgate results, as those seem about what I’d expect knowing the history of the teams. The Buckeyes under Nadine Muzerall have had a sizable delta from their best results to their worst. As she gains experience as a head coach, I think that she would be better served to resist the temptation to react emotionally to the downswings, and instead, look at what she can change in order to mitigate them. Colgate has talent, but there are a lot of young players who have yet to learn how to produce in big moments on this stage.
The more recent UConn victory over BC was more impressive to me, because the Eagles were on home ice, had the services of Cayla Barnes, and had been forewarned that the Huskies were dangerous. Maybe it is just a matter of a name, as BC is still undefeated against teams not nicknamed “Huskies.”
In response to your question, Harvard’s lackluster week was the biggest surprise to me. I think we were taking a wait-and-see attitude regarding how much to make of the Crimson taking Princeton to the woodshed, given the absence of Sarah Fillier and Claire Thompson in that game. BU may have been a slight favorite on home ice with Jesse Compher back, but I didn’t see a 6-2 win for the Terriers coming. The Crimson looked ill prepared in allowing BU to convert all four of its power-play chances. Historically, it has been the Harvard power play that has decided games, but its one power-play tally against BU was tempered by yielding a shorthander on the same penalty.
The Crimson’s struggles continued on home ice hosting UNH and losing, 3-1. They put 46 shots on net and only one found its way by Ava Boutilier. At the other end of the ice, Lindsay Reed wasn’t abused to the extent that she was by the Terriers, but it’s safe to say that Harvard isn’t going to enjoy a very successful campaign if more than 10 percent of the opponents’ shots continue to find the twine. The past week doesn’t have ECAC ramifications for the Crimson, but it doesn’t bode well for them to wind up on home ice come the league quarterfinals.
Nicole: It’s totally irrational, but over the past few years, I’ve been so frustrated by Boston College’s response – or lack thereof – to tough outcomes. I keep wanting and expecting them to gear up for big games or get those revenge wins off teams that have taken points from them and then they just … don’t. It’s clearly not the team MO and I need to let it go. You mentioned Ohio State’s emotional responses and it’s as though BC is the total opposite. I suppose there’s an argument for both, but again, I was disappointed by the fact that BC didn’t seem to learn anything from their loss to Connecticut a few weeks ago.
You said a few weeks ago that you were still giving Clarkson the benefit of the doubt as they were feeling things out and it was still early. I had mentally circled this weekend as a crucial one for them and getting a single point out of the games against Princeton and Quinnipiac can’t be what the Golden Knights were looking for. At the moment they are in fourth in the ECAC, but Clarkson also hasn’t had as many games against teams in the bottom of the standings as Harvard and Princeton have. They should pick up some points at the beginning of January, but I can’t help but think that come February we’ll be looking at the ties against Cornell and Quinnipiac as missed opportunities that have a big impact.
Has your opinion about the state of things in Potsdam changed at all now that a month has passed?
Arlan: I wouldn’t say that it has changed that much, but I guess that it is evolving. I do think that it is unfair to the Golden Knights if I ask the same questions of that squad as I do of a team like Minnesota.
While the Gophers have had to fill holes for graduated players and their top goaltender who has missed all but one period this season due to injury, with the exception of highly-regarded freshman defender Madeline Wethington, they have been able to do so with players that were on the roster and played heavy minutes last season.
For openers, Matt Desrosiers had to replace Kassidy Sauvé in his net. His choices among returning goalies were sophomore Marie-Pier Coulombe and junior Kia Castonguay, neither coming into the season with as many as 140 minutes played in the Clarkson goal in her career. Clarkson also added junior transfer Amanda Zeglen, who played less than the equivalent of 12 full games in her two years at Ohio State. That is a greater unknown than Brad Frost turning to Sydney Scobee, who came into the season with 46 career starts, including 16 last year for the Gophers. Coulombe has emerged as the starter and done great; her .941 save percentage trails only Cornell’s Lindsay Browning, Aerin Frankel of Northeastern, and Corinne Schroeder for Boston University.
Desrosiers also had to compensate for the graduation of Loren Gabel, the reigning Patty Kazmaier Award winner, T.T. Cianfarano, Josiane Pozzebon, and several other veterans who knew how to get to the Frozen Four every season and won it a couple of times. Clarkson wasn’t the deepest team last season, so it was never going to be a matter of just promoting returning players into new roles.
He has also had to deal with some flux in trying to fill his line chart. Senior Rhyen McGill rejoined the team after being out all of last year due to injury, got hurt right out of the game, returned for about a month, but then missed this past weekend. Caitrin Lonergan was injured before she could even register a shot on goal this season. Now Ella Shelton, Clarkson’s most proven defender, is out with an injury and who knows when she will be back.
If Wisconsin had lost Daryl Watts, the other high-profile Boston College transfer, as quickly, would the Badgers still be sitting on 14 wins? Especially if they also lost Mekenzie Steffen at some point, and Mark Johnson had to look down his bench to find a new goaltending starter, I think that it would have taken all of his coaching savvy to keep Wisconsin on top.
Nicole: Wisconsin likely would have been fine on offense, but we’ve already seen this season that the defense can be shaky. Losing Steffen would be far more difficult for them to deal with than losing Watts. As for the goalie situation? Niki Cece started five games for the Badgers her rookie year when Ann-Renee Desbiens was injured. Cece was 4-1 with a sweep of Cornell and a win over UMD. That was obviously four years ago and she’s seen limited ice time since, but it sure seems as though Wisconsin wouldn’t be totally lost if something happened to Kristen Campbell. But I do understand your point.
I don’t want to pick on Desrosiers, because he’s certainly not the only coach in this situation, just the one we’re currently talking about, but it does bring up a good question about how much leeway can be given for a difficult situation that is of his own making? Should we give a coach a bit of a pass because of an unsure goalie situation when the goalies’ lack of playing time is something the coach has control over? In this particular instance, it’s not about an injury leaving them this way – these were the three goalies they knew they’d be going into the season with. You might argue that picking up Sauvé put a kink in the long-term goaltending plans, but without her, wouldn’t they have been in basically this year’s situation a year earlier?
Arlan: A Clarkson fan on the forum told me a while back that the plan was for Jenna Brenneman to be the successor to Shea Tiley, but she transferred to Penn State when Sauvé moved to Potsdam, so she’s not an option now. However, she only played a couple of games worth of minutes over her two seasons as a Golden Knight, and she is currently not playing for the Nittany Lions, so maybe Clarkson was always destined to be in this position. Clarkson always seems to have a starter who plays a ton and backups are afterthoughts, so at least as far as goaltending goes, I guess that is Desrosiers mode of operation. It seems to work for him.
Nicole: Overall, I think this becomes a discussion about depth. One of the reasons teams like Wisconsin and Minnesota have players with a ton of minutes that can step into these roles is that they regularly roll four lines and even their third and fourth line can play at a high level and be trusted on the ice. When those players have to step up into bigger roles due to injury, they’re prepared.
For all that Clarkson has grown and improved over the past few years, one thing they haven’t really built into their game plan is depth. I think there’s an argument that says that until this year, they haven’t had to. They won national titles running pretty much two lines and relying heavily on their top six players. Why fix what, for many years, did not appear to be broken?
It would not surprise me if, in response to this year, we may see a change in how Clarkson handles things in the coming years with recruiting and building their roster.
Arlan: You’re correct that at some point for Clarkson, it becomes a matter of who it has and what it can do, rather than to bemoan what might have been. It still has Elizabeth Giguère, who is as dangerous as anyone in the country, particularly with the game on the line, and Michaela Pejzlová to set her up. Gabrielle David has been an emerging star taking over Gabel’s role, although on Saturday she was replaced on the top line by Brooke McQuigge.
The objective for Clarkson has to be to survive until the new year, when hopefully, it gets some players back. Through its game versus Quinnipiac, it has succeeded in that, sitting No. 7 in the PairWise Rankings and in the hunt for an at-large berth in the tournament.
Speaking of the PairWise, a clear top four has emerged. Any surprise on the ordering of that foursome, where Minnesota and Wisconsin are lagging a bit behind Northeastern, a team that I must confess that I’ve underestimated, and Cornell?
Nicole: I do admit that I probably underestimated Cornell to start the season. I do think I’d like to see where they stand come winter break. They have a tough stretch against Ohio State, Princeton and Quinnipiac. I’m hoping to get time to watch their series with the Buckeyes because I think it’ll help give us some perspective on how the Big Red compare to the Badgers and Gophers. The math doesn’t lie, but as we saw with Northeastern’s loss to Maine on Sunday, one loss can change things pretty significantly. Things can still change quite a bit from week to week.
Northeastern went from leading the Pairwise to sitting fourth, a relatively large margin behind the top three of Cornell, Minnesota and Wisconsin. The margin between those three is incredibly small – .0031 separates first from third in RPI. That being said, I do still think the Huskies are a top four team.
With the upset wins by Maine and Connecticut, I’ve been thinking about which Hockey East team could cause some serious havoc. I’m aware that it’s still likely one of the Boston area schools that will take the conference title, but let’s have some fun dreaming of chaotic scenarios. Based on play so far and their roster makeup, if you had to pick someone other than BC, BU or Northeastern to make a run towards the NCAA’s, who do you think it could be?
Arlan: It’s funny; I wrote about underestimating Northeastern and within a couple of hours, the Huskies were upset by Maine. That also changed the PairWise math substantially from my comments at the time. Apparently, my admiration is pretty damning.
Before the season, I would have said that Providence was the Hockey East team on the brink of becoming a national tournament contender, but it looks like the Friars have taken a step back thus far in Matt Kelly’s second season. In addition to the Black Bears and UConn, whom you mentioned above, Vermont has had better results through the first couple of months, at least until its recent three-game skid.
Based on what we’ve seen in other leagues over the years, I’m more inclined to believe that a conference that looks to have many contenders really has few. All of these squads that call someplace other than Boston home in Hockey East are likely to steal points from each other that the PairWise won’t forgive. My guess is that Northeastern, who seems to do the best versus the other contenders, will make the national tournament along with either BC or BU, but likely not both.
In spite of starting ECAC play a little ragged, Princeton looks to be in good shape. If it can win more than it loses in December, the schedule softens considerably in 2020. One of the teams it plays next month is Ohio State, and the remainder of 2019 could go a long way to making or breaking the Buckeyes’ chances. I’ll predict that two of the trio of Princeton, Clarkson and Ohio State reaches the NCAAs.
That would give us a tournament field of Cornell, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Northeastern as our current likely hosts, plus two of OSU, Princeton, and Clarkson, either BC or BU, and the CHA champ. If this season unfolds similar to last, we won’t have any clarity about that CHA entrant until March.
Seamus Donohue leads all Michigan Tech defensemen in scoring with a goal and eight points through 13 games this season (photo: Geoffrey M. Miller/Michigan Tech Athletics).
Three weeks ago, Michigan Tech played host to then-No. 2 Minnesota State in its second home WCHA weekend of the season.
The Huskies looked flat in sections of Friday night’s 3-0 loss to the WCHA-leading Mavericks, including a second period that saw the Huskies get outshot 19-8.
At intermission, something started to change.
The Huskies came out in the third period and outshot the Mavericks 16-7, but were still outscored 1-0 in the period. Goaltender Robbie Beydoun was pulled from the net after giving up his third goal of the night and replaced with Blake Pietila, who made six saves over the game’s final 18:53.
Fans watching the game at the MacInnes Student Ice Arena had no idea what was to come.
Pietila got the start in the Saturday contest. He gave up a goal 4:55 in, but then he stood his ground until late in the second period.
At the same time, the Huskies (7-6-0 overall, 5-5-0-0 WCHA) started to take the game to the Mavericks, and Seamus Donohue jumped on a loose puck to even the game 3:04 into the middle frame.
The Mavericks get score again late in the period to take the lead and held onto it until the final buzzer, but there was a distinct buzz in the building. This was a different Huskies’ squad than the one that lost Friday’s game.
Since that loss, the Huskies have swept Lake Superior State on the road and followed that up with a sweep of a home-and-home series with their rivals, No. 19 Northern Michign.
“I am extremely proud of our team,” said Huskies coach Joe Shawhan on his radio show on Mix 93 Monday morning. “We are growing. We are going to have to work out playing with a lead…but, we are coming out with points. These are all one-goal wins against very good teams.”
Shawhan, while proud to see his team start winning consecutive games, admits there is plenty of road to travel.
“I am extremely happy with the way the guys are playing,” he said. “We still have a long way to go in all areas, but we are certainly heading in the right direction.”
This past weekend, the Huskies skated away with a pair of 3-2 wins over the Wildcats.
On Friday, they had to battle back from a 2-1 deficit in the third period as Colin Swoyer evened the game at 8:04 during a 4-on-4 situation. Just 1:10 later, Brian Halonen struck on the power play to give the Huskies the lead.
The Huskies’ power play has struggled this season, going just 8 for 56 for a 14.3 percent efficiency rate, but it is getting more consistent, in Shawhan’s opinion, as the team is starting to work the puck through opposing teams’ defensive box.
Saturday, the Huskies jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from captain Raymond Brice 2:08 into the contest and Alec Broetzman and Eric Gotz in the second. The Wildcats notched two in the third, including one with goaltender Nolan Kent pulled.
Shawhan loves the support he sees the team getting as they are starting to move in the right direction.
“It was a good rivalry weekend,” said Shawhan. “You could feel the energy in the building. It’s such a great environment here. It makes it enjoyable.”
At the same time, Shawhan feels his team has a lot of growing to do.
“I think the biggest thing we need to do is find ways to turn,” Shawhan said. “When teams are coming like that and putting on pressure, when they are coming, pinching, coming with everything they have in a hockey game, that (makes for) opportunities to open the game up and create 2-on-1s and things like that.
“We don’t have a ton of experience with that in the last eight months or so. We are getting better.”
Shawhan carries high expectations for his players, who still need work on the little things in order to improve the bigger aspects of their games.
“When you are playing good teams of the quality that we are playing, momentum means so much,” he said. “We you give up momentum and they gain it, it changes the flow of the game. We have to make sure we manage that. We are continuing to work on it.”
The Huskies make the lengthy trek to Fairbanks this weekend, looking for their first win of the season against the Nanooks, who came into Houghton on Oct. 11 and 12 and skated away with all six points after a 3-2 win Friday and a 2-1 win Saturday.
Newton’s big night
On Friday night, the Nanooks came up just short at home against Ferris State, losing 3-2. The Nanooks turned the tables Saturday with a 3-1 win, thanks in large part to a three-point night from Max Newton.
Newton scored the game’s first two goals, getting his first on an early first-period power play at 3:21. His second came 7:07 into the middle frame. Newton followed that up by assisting on Tyler Cline’s power-play goal at 19:11 of the third period to seal the victory.
Lakers break through
With a 5-0 loss to Bowling Green on Friday night, Lake Superior State dropped its fifth straight game. In danger of their second six-game losing streak, the Lakers rallied Saturday to earn their first win since sweeping Ferris State Nov. 2-3.
After battling through a scoreless first 30:25 of the contest, the Lakers struck on the man advantage when Pierre-Luc Veilette found the back of the net. The Falcons evened things a little over a minute later.
Alexandro Ambrosio and Max Humitz both struck in the third, with Humitz’s coming while the Falcons had an extra skater on the ice looking to even things.
The Gustavus Adolphus-UW-Superior women’s game scheduled for tonight, Nov. 26 at 7 p.m. CST, has been postponed due to the threat of inclement weather.
Senior Joey Lupo hopes to get the Mammoths offense on track (Photo by Clarus Studios)
After scoring five goals in game one against Hamilton, Amherst found themselves offensively challenged in consecutive losses to Trinity and Wesleyan. Entering a stretch of games that includes Geneseo, Babson, Middlebury and Williams, the Mammoths are looking to improve on the number of quality chances and goals produced in some winning hockey.
“I think some of the goals against Hamilton came a little easier than they should have,” said head coach Jack Arena. “Against Trinity, that is just a tough roster to generate offense against when you look at their forwards, strength of the defensive group and Tedy [Loughborough] in goal. What was frustrating was the Wesleyan game where we had less than 50% of the shot attempts in the prime scoring areas as compared to the Trinity game. We track those stats for a reason and it’s clear we need to jump-start the offense a bit. It is early in the season so need to panic, but we want to make sure we are putting in the work and the effort to attack the net. We have a game with St. Michael’s today and our pre-game practice yesterday was a bit non-traditional with the level of competing we put the team through.”
Amherst, as part of NESCAC, is among the last group of teams to start the season and immediately jumps into conference play from the drop of the opening face-off. While early season tune-ups are going to happen everywhere, Arena is not concerned that last weekend’s setbacks are indicative of his team’s compete level or performance looking ahead.
“We are all in the same boat,” noted Arena. “If we were starting out playing against teams that already had several games under their belt, it would be different. All the NESCAC teams open with each other in starting the season so it is a level playing field. We maybe had it easier than expected in our opener and didn’t respond to a challenging second weekend. Wesleyan was a little shorthanded roster wise but played with some desperation that we didn’t match. We will be looking to ramp up the intensity starting with an always competitive St. Michael’s team later today.”
While experienced scorers Patrick Daly, Joey Lupo and Sean Wrenn have yet to score this season and the power play is just 1 for 11 in their first three games, the coaching staff knows the talent and experience is there to score goals and isn’t afraid to tinker with the personnel and systems to improve the production.
“We pride ourselves on our special teams,” noted Arena. “The penalty kill has been outstanding (13 for 13 kills) but the power play is a place where we need to be more productive. We made some small changes with some personnel on the two units and an approach to attacking the goal with one of the two units that hopefully will improve our success rate. It’s a bit of tinkering and expecting that some of our proven players will be in the best position to get better chances and score more goals.”
The Mammoths are looking for positive momentum and that offensive spark starting today to fuel their final two weekends of games in the first half. They play on the road against Geneseo on Saturday and return home to host Babson on Sunday before closing out in conference play against Middlebury and Williams.
“These are all good teams in front of us,” said Arena. “It is time for us to step up and play our brand of hockey and compete at a level where we can get the results we want.”
College Hockey Inc. celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 24. Executive director Mike Snee joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to look at what the organization has accomplished to help grow the sport and to increase awareness of college hockey. Snee also looks at what’s ahead, including new schools looking to add Division I men’s hockey.
Sam Morton played with the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild from 2016 to 2018 and the last season and a half for Union (photo: Russ Alman/Digital Media Northwest).
Union sophomore forward Sam Morton has left school and returned to the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild, according to the Wild.
Morton played the last season and a half at Union and is expected to return to Wenatchee, a team he played for from 2016 to 2018, in early December.
He plans to transfer to another NCAA school for the 2020-21 season.
“Sammy was a huge part of our Fred Page and Doyle Cup championships,” said Wenatchee coach-GM Bliss Littler in a news release. “We look forward to being able to help him continue in his development.”
“I really enjoyed my time in Wenatchee, and I think it was a big step for my development,” added Morton. “I’m excited to head back and work on my game.”
At Union, Morton tallied one goal and nine assists for 10 points in 29 games during the 2018-19 season, and had collected two goals and an assist in 13 games this season.
Josh Benson and Sacred Heart currently sit in second place in the Atlantic Hockey standings (photo: Omar Phillips).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Jim: Paula, as we approach the end of November, there are a few things that stand out to me, but none more impressive than the starts for both Cornell and Harvard.
The Crimson played just a single game this past weekend, beating Rensselaer to improve to 6-0-0. Cornell, conversely, won twice against Quinnipiac and Princeton, improving their record to 8-0-0.
It’s easy to talk about teams like Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota State and others that made a lot of noise early in the season, but now two of our late starters – Cornell and Harvard – bust out of the gates like gangbusters.
Looking at the ECAC standings, both are 6-0-0. Clarkson is a game back at 5-1-0. But every other team is already a minimum of five points behind the Big Red and Crimson. To me, at this point in the season, that’s already seeming like a lot of ground to make up. If you’re Quinnipiac at 2-3-1, for instance, you’re three and a half games out of first place.
Maybe I’m overreacting, but this doesn’t seem like a typical ECAC season where a few points will separate first from eighth, does it?
Paula: No, it does not seem like a typical ECAC season.
Looking at the ECAC, it’s clear that the three teams you mention are poised to create a sort-of top tier in that conference. It’s impressive that both Cornell and Harvard began conference play with such dominance, but equally impressive is Clarkson’s steadiness after having started sooner. With just three losses in 14 games, Clarkson may be two points behind Cornell and Harvard in the ECAC standings, but the Golden Knights have had more time to work out some kinks and issues and will vie with the Big Red and the Crimson for the regular-season trophy as the season progresses.
Look at the game between Cornell and Clarkson Nov. 15. The Big Red won 4-2 with an empty-net goal, the first four goals came between 11:15 and 18:05 in the second period – resulting in a 2-2 tie after two – and each team had 31 shots on goal. That was Cornell’s fifth game of the season and Clarkson’s 11th, so both teams had been game-tested, at least a little.
The rest of the ECAC looks like it will be playing catch-up all season, but that’s not the only conference where we’re seeing that. Last year, Atlantic Hockey’s season finish was madness, with AIC on top with 37 points and four points separating No. 2 from No. 5. This year, there is still competition at the top but both Robert Morris and Sacred Heart are already pulling away a little.
Then there’s the NCHC. St. Cloud State ran away with that last season, finishing a full 19 points ahead of Minnesota Duluth, but six points separated the second-place team from the fifth-place team. This year, North Dakota may make the kind of breakaway that St. Cloud did last year, but Minnesota-Duluth and Western Michigan are up there in points and those behind them may form a distinctive second tier. It’s wild.
Jim: I’ve always said I’d rather a fast start than a slow start, which sounds intuitive. But I’ve also met a number of coaches who said the most important thing is to be playing the best hockey come March.
We’ve seen that in many cases in recent years where teams limp towards March but then relish the postseason.
That said, we certainly have a few teams that many had high expectations for before the season began that need to get rolling soon. St. Cloud State is one, just one win in its last eight and still looking for its first NCHC victory. I mentioned in my open Quinnipiac, which began strong (4-1-0) but is 2-5-1 in its last eight and headed in the wrong direction. In Atlantic Hockey, AIC hasn’t been nearly as dominant as a year ago, just 3-5-0 overall through eight. Wisconsin was one of the nation’s darlings in late October but going 2-5-1 since that time hasn’t helped.
And Boston University currently has more ties (5) than wins (4) as they’ve begun the year a bit sluggishly.
Certainly, none of the teams are going to hang it up or mail it in (for one, none of them are the Cincinnati Bengals). But it goes back to the old oxymoron that it’s getting late early.
For most of these teams, December and early January will prove to be critical months. And though it varies from team-to-team, every club has to deal with at least a short break for the holidays and for some, that break is pretty long.
Paula: You bring this up and instantly I’m reminded that four Big Ten teams are playing in midseason tournaments – Michigan and Michigan State at the Great Lakes Invitational, Minnesota at the Mariucci Classic and Ohio State at the Fortress Invitational. A look at the schedule reminds me that there is a lot of other midseason play for B1G teams. The Buckeyes also have a home series against Colgate Dec. 27-28. Notre Dame has a home-and-home series against Western Michigan Jan. 3 and Jan. 5. Penn State hosts Niagara Jan. 3-4.
Wisconsin has the longest midseason break in B1G hockey. After playing Michigan State on the road Dec. 6-7, the Badgers don’t play again until they meet the U.S. Under-18 Team Jan. 1, followed by a home series against Ohio State Jan. 10-11. That’s a full month away from D-I play for Wisconsin, while it seems that every other team in the league is making an effort to play at least once during the holiday “break.”
Jimmy, what do you think of each approach? Other questions come to mind, too, like whether a young team like Wisconsin – that fast-starting, young, talented, and now seemingly struggling team – benefits from the length of that break? And what of a team like Ohio State – or any other veteran team – that is playing twice during that span?
Jim: A lot of teams have taken different approaches this year, more so than I can ever remember in the past.
I will sound old, but I come from the day where teams never touched the ice with their coach until Oct. 1. A couple of weeks of practice, then an exhibition game and finally those teams were ready to go.
Now, players at many schools return to campus mid-summer and begin working out together. By September, coaches are allowed select time with the players and you some begin games the first day possible. Thus, exhibitions to open the season seem to be becoming a thing of the past. Many coaches now believe that it is more beneficial to play your exhibition game at the beginning of the second half instead of heading to a holiday tournament or playing non-league games days after players return from a break.
The reality is that most teams will take a break or two during the season, and that’s healthy. If that break can align with, say mid-terms or finals, that team might benefit even more as one can’t forget that academic pressures can lead to on-ice fatigue. But an academic curriculum varies from school to school.
If you want to see an unorthodox schedule, look no further than Arizona State. The Sun Devils had one weekend off between Oct. 5 and Nov. 9. But they’re currently in a 20-day period without a game. When they return this Friday to host Vermont, that begins a string of 13 straight weekends where Arizona State will play two games, right up until the final day of their regular season.
Now all of this is likely predicated on when Arizona State, an independent, could fit on other teams’ schedules. A unique challenge, but one that is creatively addressed.
I guess my long answer to your question is that there are so many schools of thought on how to make your schedule and it really comes down to each individual coach’s approach.
Paula: You don’t sound old, Jimmy. You sound like someone with what the corporate world likes to call institutional memory.
Like you, I remember the transitions you mention, like when college hockey went from having only a few players who returned during the summer or stayed all summer long to train, to the majority of players doing the same. As the NHL looks more and more to the college ranks for players, more and more student-athletes are making the most of their time in the NCAA, and that includes taking advantage of all the training they can.
It’s a smart move. According to College Hockey, Inc., 21 percent of NHL players came from the college hockey ranks. In 2018-19, that number was up to 33 percent — 325 former collegians. There are nearly 200 current collegians who have been drafted by the NHL, and nine 2019 first-round draft picks opted for college.
All of this – from the way that student-athletes prepare themselves to the way in which programs prepare student-athletes for professional hockey – is reflected in the changes you mentioned.
That having been said, I am not ashamed to admit that I am a little nostalgic for the very clear delineation that the holiday tournaments signified, that line between the first and second halves of the season and the anticipation of who would be playing in which midseason tourney. The more hockey the merrier during that traditional break and the increased number of midseason games is definitely good for the sport, but I miss the hoopla a little bit.
For the rest of the top 10, North Dakota is up two to No. 3, Denver remains No. 4, Notre Dame falls two to No. 5, Clarkson jumps two to No. 6, Penn State is down one to No. 7, Minnesota Duluth moves up one to No. 8, Harvard is up one notch to No. 9, and Massachusetts falls three to No. 10.
Northern Michigan is the lone team to fall out of the rankings this week, while Michigan State enters the poll at No. 20.
The USCHO.com Poll consists of 50 voters, including coaches and beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger look at the weekend of November 21-23, including Northeastern’s sweep of Maine in our Game of the Week, Cornell and Harvard staying unbeaten, and Minnesota State and North Dakota keeping their momentum going.
We also note Michigan State’s four-point weekend against Notre Dame and splits between Ohio State and Penn State as well as Denver and Western Michigan. And we take notice of a bunch of penalties in Hockey East, as well as 56 minutes doled out at the end of Saturday’s Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan game.
In addition, we have some thoughts on Alabama Huntsville’s announced withdrawal from the WCHA and St. Thomas’ request to jump directly to D-I. Finally, we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the founding of College Hockey Inc.
Sarah Fillier (L) scored three goals this weekend to lead Princeton to wins over Clarkson and St. Lawrence. (Photo: Shelley M. Szwast)
(1) Minnesota at (10) Minnesota Duluth
On Friday, all for regulation goals were scored during the second period. Anna Klein put UMD on the board first, but Emily Oden tied it up for Minnesota. Sydney Brodt responded less than a minute later to put the Bulldogs up again, but Alex Woken scored just before the buzzer to make it 2-2. The game ended an official tie, but the WCHA added a 3-on-3 OT period and that’s where Jalyn Elmes tipped one five-hole on Sidney Scobee to earn UMD an extra conference point. In game two, the second period was once again the crucial one, with five goals scored. Minnesota jumped out to a 2-0 lead with goals from Sarah Potomak and Catie Skaja. The Bulldogs responded with goals from Anneke Linser and Brodt to tie the game at two. The Gophers had two more goals before the period was over to take a 4-2 lead into the final frame. Ashton Bell scored with less than a minute to go in the game, but UMD could not complete the comeback and the Gophers won 4-3.
(2) Wisconsin at St. Cloud State
The Badgers jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to goals from Sophie Shirley, Daryl Watts and Britta Curl. St. Cloud State responded with two goals late in the second period from Mckenna Wesloh and Hallie Theodosopoulous to make it 3-2 after the first two periods. In the third, Mekenzie Steffen’s power play goal extended the lead, but Theodosopoulous responded with an extra attacker tally of her own. Sophie Shirley’s empty-net goal secured the 5-3 win for Wisconsin. In game two, the Badgers stuck early as goals from Brette Pettet and Watts put the Badgers up 2-0 just 2:19 into the game. Theodosopoulous cut the lead in half, but Abby Roque’s late first-period goal extended the lead to 3-1 and that’s as close as this game would be. Watts made it 4-1 before Jenniina Nylund cut the lead to two for St. Cloud State by the end of the second. Shirley and Dara Grieg added third period goals to earn Wisconsin a 6-2 win and weekend sweep.
Maine at (4) Northeastern
On Saturday, Northeastern’s Skylar Fontaine had the Huskies up 1-0 after the first period. In the second, Celine Tedenby tied it up for Maine. In the final frame, Katy Knoll scored the game winner to give Northeastern a 2-1 win.
(5) Clarkson at (8) Princeton
Sarah Fillier led the Tigers as they took down Clarkson 2-1. With seconds left in the first period, she took the puck off Lauren Bernard’s puck and took it in to score unassisted to put Princeton up 1-0. Fillier doubled the lead in the second. Clarkson responded with a goal from Brooke McQuigge early in the third period, but the Golden Knights could not complete the comeback and Princeton won 2-1.
Connecticut at (6) Boston College
On Friday, Savannah Norcross had the Eagles up 1-0 after the first, but Connecticut responded. Emily Reid placed a put over Kelly Pickreign’s shoulder to tie the game in the second and in the third, Natalie Snodgrass stole a puck and fed it to Briana Colangelo, who beat Pickreign with a shoulder fake to earn a 2-1 win. The victory gave the Huskies the season series win, something they haven’t done against BC since the 2006-07 season. On Saturday, Cayla Barnes’ individual effort had the Eagles up 1-0 after the first period. Danika Pasqua scored less than a minute into the second to tie it up and it looked like overtime was inevitable, but Savannah Norcross’ goal with 71 seconds left in the game salvaged the final game of the series for Boston College as they won 2-1.
(7) Ohio State at Colgate
Liz Schepers scored twice in the first period to put Ohio State up 2-0. In the second, Malia Schneider scored 1:33 in to cut the lead in half, but that was as close as it would get. Rebecca Freiburger responded less than a minute later by scoring two goals in 25 seconds to make it 4-1 Ohio State. Emma Maltais extended the lead to 5-1 before Darcie Lappan scored to make it 5-2 Buckeyes. Maltais’ goal right before the second period break ensured the 6-2 Ohio State win. On Saturday, Sammy Smigliani gave Colgate their first lead of the weekend with a power play goal midway through the first. That held for more than 40 minutes, but Maltais tied the game late in the third. An overtime couldn’t decide it and this one ended in a 1-1 tie.
St. Lawrence at (8) Princeton
Princeton used a four-goal second period to carry them to a 6-2 win. Carly Bullock, Sharon Frankel, Maggie Connors and Sarah Fillier all lit the lamp before seven minutes had elapsed in the second period to put the Tigers up 4-0. Rachel Teslak’s power play goal made it 4-1 heading into the final frame. Bullock scored 66 seconds into the third and Frankel’s extra attacker goal late in the game gave Princeton the win. Jessica Poirier scored in the third for St. Lawrence.
New Hampshire at (9) Harvard
Redshirt sophomore goaltender Ava Boutilier tied a career high by making 45 saves and tallied an assist to lead New Hampshire to a 3-1 win over the Crimson. Taylor Wenczkowski scored just before the end of the first to put New Hampshire up early. Tamara Thierus doubled the lead midway through the second period, but Anne Bloomer’s short-handed goal cut it back to 2-1 before the final period break. Grace Middleton scored 45 seconds into the third period to secure the win for New Hampshire.
Zach Remers led the Buffalo State offense to an upset of No. 2 Geneseo (Photo by Buffalo State Athletics)
The upsets continued this weekend led by Buffalo State knocking off Geneseo. Conference play continues to heat up and pivotal non-conference games are showcasing some of the country’s best as evidenced in Hobart downing Oswego. Heading into Thanksgiving tournament time, teams are starting to find their game and that will help in pursuit of hardware next week for many.
Here is this week’s recap of the great action in the East:
CCC
Salve Regina remained unbeaten on the season with a weekend sweep of Wentworth. Friday night the Seahawks won a close one on the road, 4-3, behind two goals from Paul Boutoussov. Saturday it took an overtime goal from Eric Lipa to down the resilient Leopards who battled back from a 3-1 deficit to send the game into overtime.
Curry handed Nichols two more conference losses as they try to keep pace at the top of the standings. Michael Curran scored two goals in Friday’s 4-1 win and he added four assists in Saturday’s 8-1 blowout win over the Bison.
Becker broke into the win column in league play with a 4-1 win coming off Jason Diamond’s hat trick against Western New England. The Golden Bears took the back-end of the series, 5-4 in overtime to earn their first CCC win with Nolan Zweep scoring in the extra session.
Independents
Anna Maria continued their winning ways on Tuesday with a 2-1 win over Southern Maine. Sam Cyr-Ledoux opened the scoring for the AmCats in the first period but the home team needed Jack Sitzman’s goal to break a 1-1 deadlock early in the third period. Julius Huset made 26 saves for the win including 11 in the third period when the Huskies outshot the AmCats 11-3.
Canton split a weekend series with Skidmore winning on Friday night 3-2 behind two goals from Max Routledge and 30 saves from goaltender Michael Cerasuolo. Saturday, the Kangaroos fell 6-4 with forward Matthew Headland picking up two points in the losing effort.
Albertus Magnus and Conn College played a wild one on Tuesday night with the Camels emerging with an 8-5 win over the Falcons. The Falcons had leads of 3-0, 4-1 and 5-2 but could not slow down the pair of Ryan Petti and Anthony Quatieri who combined for four goals and nine points for the Camels. After tying the game, 5-5 late in the second period on an extra-attacker goal on a delayed penalty, the Camels scored three unanswered goals in the third period to take the win.
MASCAC
Plymouth State went on the road Thursday and knocked Worcester State from the ranks of the conference unbeatens with a 5-3 win on Thursday night. The Panthers got balanced scoring from five different players, three- power play goals and a three-point night from Jake Gerbner, in the key MASCAC win. Goaltender Andreas Pettersson made 31 saves to remain unbeaten on the season for PSU. The Panthers picked up another big win on Saturday against Massachusetts-Dartmouth. JR Barone and Marcus Seidl scored in the second period and Andreas Pettersson made 33 saves in the 2-1 win over the Corsairs.
Two goals apiece from Josh Vertentes and Dillon Radin along with three points from Steven Leonard pushed Massachusetts-Dartmouth to a 7-0 win over Salem State on Thursday keeping the Vikings winless in MASCAC. Chris Stangarone stopped all 25 shots he faced to earn the shutout win and move the Corsairs to 2-10 in league play.
In a non-conference match-up, Worcester State and Assumption played a very entertaining 5-5 overtime tie on Saturday that saw several momentum shifts. After the Lancers took a 2-0 lead, Assumption rallied to take a 5-4 lead late in the third period. Worcester State’s Matthew Manning scored his second of the game in the final two minutes of regulation to earn the tie.
NE-10
The marque game of the weekend saw Southern New Hampshire travel across town to meet rival St. Anselm. Just like the NE-10 title game a year ago, Penmen goaltender Kurt Gutting was the bane of the Hawks offense recording 50 saves in a dramatic 4-3 win. After surrendering two goals in the first period to the hosts, Gutting and SNHU rallied to a 4-2 lead and the senior netminder stopped 41 of 42 shots in the final two periods to pick-up the win. The Penmen scored three goals in the second period to take the lead led by George Thurston’s power play goal and DJ Goldstein’s shorthanded tally that ended up as the game winning goal.
The Hawks didn’t have much time to put the loss behind them as they traveled to Post on Saturday and rallied from a goal down for a 3-2 win. John Femia and Matt Chisholm scored in the third period to give the Hawks and goalie Michael Soustal the win.
Franklin Pierce followed up Tuesday’s non-conference win with a strong 8-4 win over St. Michael’s. Eight different players scored for the Ravens led by Jonathan Busolin who recorded one goal and three assists.
NEHC
Norwich remained unbeaten on the season with wins over Babson and Massachusetts-Boston. Tom Aubrun picked up his fifth shutout in the team’s first six games in Friday’s 2-0 win over the Beavers. Maxime Borduas scored both goals for the Cadets in the win. On Saturday, the Beacons became the first team to score more than a single goal against Norwich in a contest. In a game that featured five power play goals, Norwich broke open a 3-3 tie in the third period on Brett Ouderkirk’s first of the season and an insurance power play marker from Borduas with just over a minute remaining.
Babson earned a split on the weekend with a 3-2 overtime win at Castleton on Saturday. Mike Egan scored the game winner in the final 30 seconds of the overtime period to give head coach Jamie Rice his 247th career win at Babson, surpassing Steve Stirling for the most wins at the school.
New England College and forward kept up their hot play and torrid scoring in taking wins over Johnson & Wales and Suffolk. Pintusov scored two goals in each game bringing his season total to 14. Saturday’s 7-1 win over the Rams also saw multi-point performances from Connor Inger (1-2-3), David Good (2-0-2) and Trevor Momot (1-1-2).
NESCAC
Trinity remained unbeaten as they continue to win close, playoff style games in earning 2-1 wins over Amherst and Hamilton this weekend. Nicholas Polsinelli scored twice in the first period against the Mammoths, including a shorthanded goal to pen the scoring. Tedy Loughborough made 40 saves surrendering only Christian Powers second period goal for Amherst. On Saturday, Loughborough gave up a first period goal to Hamilton’s Jordi Jefferson, but Lucas Michaud and Taggart Corriveau scored in the second period to earn the bookend win for the Bantams.
Williams also stayed unbeaten with a 3-1 win over Connecticut College and a 2-1 win over Tufts on Saturday. Niko Karamanis picked up his third goal in the team’s first four games in the win against the Jumbos.
In the last of the Bowdoin-Colby rivalry games to be played in Alfond Arena, the Mules scored three unanswered goals in the final period to break open a 2-2 tie and emerge with a 5-2 win. Alex Bourhas, JP Schuhlen and Justin Grillo opened up the game for Colby with Bourhas’ goal coming just 39 seconds after Graham Rutledge had tied the game for the Polar Bears.
SUNYAC
Buffalo State earned the upset of the weekend in knocking off the No. 2 ranked Geneseo Knights on Friday night. The Bengals broke open a 1-1 tie on goals by Vadim Vasjonkin and Zach Remers in the second period. Anthony Romano’s power play goal closed the deficit to one in the third period, but Nikita Kozyrev iced the 4-2 win with an empty-net goal with 17 seconds remaining in regulation. The Bengals didn’t rest on their laurels on Saturday as they shutout Brockport, 3-0 behind 31 saves from Emil Norrman and a goal from Vasjonkin and two more from Remers.
In another marque game, Oswego traveled to face Hobart on Friday in a game of top ten teams in the country. The Statesmen took a 4-1 win on the strength of goals from four different players including Ryan Lynch and Mark Benemerito in the first six minutes for the home team.
“I am disappointed in the outcome,” said head coach Ed Gosek. “I thought our attitudes and efforts were very good but, as far as execution, we just made too many critical mistakes that they capitalized on. But it is a heckuva improvement over last weekend as far as our discipline, work ethic and attitudes – I was proud of them tonight. We made too many mistakes with the puck – it was really self-inflicted. Not taking anything away from [Hobart], they capitalized on the chances and mistakes we made in our own end.”
UCHC
Stevenson broke out the offense this weekend picking up a pair of road wins over Manhattanville and Neumann. Against the Valiants, the Mustangs raced to a 3-0 first period lead on goals from Chris Lee, Chad Watt and Nick Gray and cruised to a 5-0 win. On Saturday, Stevenson won 6-1 on the strength of four power play goals and a three-point night from Gray.
Elmira also earned two road wins starting with Friday’s 5-2 victory over Nazareth. After giving up Zander Pryor’s first period goal, Elmira scored five of the next six, which included two empty-net goals from Matthew Cuce and Patrick Schmelzinger in the final 16 seconds to ice the win. On Saturday, Elmira jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first period at Utica with goals from Graham Denomme and Nick Ford. Christian Lloyd and Cuce extended the lead to 4-1 and the visitors dropped the Pioneers by a 4-2 final. The loss was Utica’s first in UCHC play.
Three Biscuits
Kurt Gutting – Southern New Hampshire – recorded 50 saves in backing the Penmen to a big conference win over rival St. Anselm on Friday night. Gutting made 41 of his 50
saves in the final two periods where he surrendered just one goal to preserve a 4-3 win.
Jason Diamond – Becker – the Hawks forward broke open a 1-1 tie with Western New England with a goal in the second period before completing his natural hat trick in a 4-1 win.
Anthony Quatieri & Ryan Petti – Connecticut College – the Camel linemates combined for four goals and nine points overall in a crazy 8-5 win over Albertus Magnus on Tuesday night. Quatieri picked up a hat rick and four points while Petti added a goal and four assists.
Some big wins that can set momentum for teams this past weekend and others looking for starting momentum in what will be a richly talented slate of Thanksgiving tournaments next week.
Thanks to USCHO’s Russell Jaslow for supplying quotes from games this weekend.
Penn State’s Brandon Biro scored a goal in each game this past weekend as the Nittany Lions split with Ohio State (photo: Craig Houtz).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Haaaaaang on Sloopy
The primary focus of the weekend might’ve been on the gridiron in Columbus, but the weekend battle between Ohio State and Penn State extended well beyond the Big Ten football classic. The Buckeyes hockey team traveled east to Happy Valley on Friday to kick off a two-game series that turned into a wild barnburner affair.
On Friday night, Penn State opened up a 3-1 lead in the second period, then traded goals early in the third period to level set a 4-2 lead. Sam Sternschein scored a late empty netter to push the lead to 5-2, but the Buckeyes stormed back with two goals in 30 seconds with under 90 seconds left. Matthew Jennings scored first before Tanner Laczynski drew Ohio State within one.
It ultimately wasn’t enough, and the empty-net goal wound up as the difference in a 5-4 victory. It was, however, a jumpstart for the next night. The teams again traded the lead, scoring two goals apiece in the second period as part of a wild 3-3 game through 40 minutes. But Gustaf Westlund, who registered a power-play goal on Friday, scored his second of the weekend to give Ohio State a 4-3 victory.
For the 11th-ranked Buckeyes, the win, combined with the late game comeback, showed a resilience against the No. 6 Nittany Lions. It also kept them close in the early season conference race since the three points kept them within pace of Minnesota, which took four points from Wisconsin at home.
2. Don’t let go
A No. 1 team usually causes chaos and confusion when it loses, so the best way to stabilize the rest of the poll is simply to keep winning.
Hence, Minnesota State is a good No. 1 team. The Mavericks dusted Alaska Anchorage this weekend, winning 7-1 and 3-0 to continue a march through the national college hockey landscape.
Parker Tuomie scored twice in the Friday win, with Jake Jaremko, Charlie Gerard, Nathan Smith and Nicholas Rivera joining into a 6-0 lead before the Seawolves’ Brayden Camrud spoiled the shutout bid. On Saturday, Marc Michaelis, Connor Mackey and Jared Spooner all scored, marking nine different goal scorers for Minnesota State this weekend (Reggie Lutz added the team’s seventh goal the night prior).
3. Huskies stop the Maine-iacs
Northeastern entered Saturday with an 0-3-0 record when trailing after two periods over the course of this year. So nobody could likely blame Matthews Arena if a nervous energy ran through its rafters when Mitchell Fossier and Adam Dawe scored to rally the Black Bears to a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.
Until the hockey gods seemingly interfered.
Four minutes into the third period, Neil Shea banked a puck off goaltender Jeremy Swayman’s back from several feet behind the net, and it landed in the back of the cage, tying the game at 2-2 on his first career goal. It provided to be the cornerstone for Zach Solow’s fourth goal of the year, with under five minutes left, which in turn delivered a four-point weekend to the Huskies.
With their weekend sweep, Northeastern thrust past four different teams, including BU and UMass, which each had three-point weekends, into a tie for second place with UMass-Lowell, one point behind Providence.
4. Here we go again, Atlantic Hockey
One of Atlantic Hockey’s biggest selling points is its ability to create carnage and mayhem right from the beginning of the season. A couple of weeks ago, RIT stood alone as the clear-cut first place team.
All of that changed, though, when Sacred Heart swept the Tigers. Robert Morris caught fire, as did Air Force, and Army West Point rode steady goaltending to a sweep of Holy Cross.
It set up a parade of tight matchups this weekend, which, of course, proved nothing. RIT and Army West Point split, as did Sacred Heart and Holy Cross. Air Force took five points from Robert Morris (more on that in a bit), and Niagara swept Mercyhurst.
It’s created a scenario where the end of the first semester will likely have teams expected at the top of the standings chasing down teams that opened up on fast starts. Niagara is only 11 points behind RMU but was a preseason favorite to win the league. AIC, the defending league champion, is in ninth place but has played the least amount of games.
5. Hawks keep flying
North Dakota just keeps on winning. The Fighting Hawks put on a defensive clinic against St. Cloud State this weekend, beating the Huskies by simply not allowing them to shoot the puck on net. On Friday, a 3-2 lead for North Dakota went into the third period, where the defense promptly held its opponent to four shots on goal. On Saturday, St. Cloud only had 12 shots in the entire game, including one in the third period.
North Dakota needed overtime to win that second game, but it continues a scary trend across the early part of the season. The Fighting Hawks are averaging less than 20 shots per game, and in conference games, they are allowing less than seven shots in the first and third periods. They haven’t lost in over a month, and with the exception of a couple of individual contests, they haven’t really been challenged much either.
6. This Is. Sparta.
If there’s going to be any chaos in the national poll, it’ll come from the No. 3 spot, where Notre Dame lost to Michigan State a night after formally finishing in a 1-1 draw.
On Friday night, the Irish cannoned the Spartan net for 37 shots on goal, including 19 in the third period and overtime but couldn’t crack John Lethemon until the winner-take-all shootout round. On Saturday, the Irish took a 1-0 lead, then went up 2-1 less than 30 seconds into the third period when Nick Leivermann scored on the power play.
From there, Michigan State simply clawed back. Logan Lambdin scored 14 minutes into the period before Sam Saliba touched off a Munn Arena celebration with his third of the season with just over a minute remaining.
The Irish split joined splits by Denver and Penn State. That should open the door for North Dakota to launch forward while also factoring in UMass’ win and tie and Clarkson’s sweep of Brown and Yale.
7. Cruising altitude
The list of current unbeaten streaks is normally a similar read at any given time of year. A couple of NCHC teams are joined by a Hockey East team, and a WCHA or Big Ten School pepper in with the ECAC.
But since starting with losses in its first seven games, Air Force is joining that grouping with a five-game unbeaten streak that’s rocketed the Falcons up the Atlantic Hockey standings.
This past weekend, Air Force traveled to Robert Morris and shut out the first place Colonials, who themselves owned a four-game winning streak and were 6-1 to start league play. Then came Saturday’s game and a back-and-forth, 1-1 game in which the Falcons peppered the RMU cage for 41 shots. The game ultimately ended in a tie, but the extra point in conference play went to Air Force in the ensuing 3×3 overtime period.
8. Simply golden
Clarkson’s weekend continued a steamroller drive through the first two months when the Golden Knights picked up four conference points with a sweep of Brown and Yale. On Friday, senior defenseman Greg Moro scored his eighth career goal in overtime to hold off the Bears in Providence.
It provided the springboard for the next night, where the Golden Knights allowed an early goal to the Bulldogs but responded by simply settling down in a 4-1 victory. Goalie Frank Marotte was as steady as ever, and Clarkson just hummed along. The team is now 7-1 in its last eight games, with the defeat coming against Cornell. It draws a game against rival St. Lawrence next weekend as the first of a run that sees just four road games between now and February 8.
9. Case for No. 1
The best team nobody seems to be talking about remained entirely undefeated this weekend when No. 10 Harvard beat RPI 6-3. Casey Dornbach completed a hat trick in the win, scoring his first goal on a penalty shot before adding one in the second and one in the third. Harvard never trailed, though the Engineers did rally to tie the score on two separate occasions, including once from down 2-0 in the first.
The Crimson are blazing hot to start the season with a completely undefeated 6-0 record. They are averaging just under six goals per game and are dominating opponents with a 1.67 goals against average. They scored six goals in three of their last four games, including their last two. This despite the fact that they’re flying under the radar without a non-conference game yet played.
Harvard has been steadily climbing the national rankings, which can prove a tough nut to crack at times if teams ahead don’t lose badly enough, but there’s a case that the Crimson, despite ranking tenth in last week’s USCHO poll, might actually be the best team in the country right now.
10. Technically speaking
The Michigan Tech-Northern Michigan series this weekend was everything anyone could have hoped for at a surface level. Tech rallied from down 2-1 to win, 3-2, in the third period on Friday night at home, then built a 3-0 lead on Saturday before holding off a feverish third period storming that produced two Northern goals in the home-and-home’s return match.
Saturday reached a fever pitch and bubbled over in the last two seconds when a line brawl resulted in 17 penalties. Officials assessed two five-minute majors and game misconducts for the foray, one of which went to Griffin Loughran, who earned a grand total of 19 penalty minutes. It was a wild scene that included two minutes for roughing for goaltender Matt Jurusik.
Jarrett_Cammarata helped Bethel earn a split against St. Thomas this weekend. (Photo by AJ Barrett)
There were no shortage of big moments in the west region this past weekend. Two upsets went down in the MIAC, with Bethel and Gustavus both picking up wins over nationally ranked opponents.
Speaking of stunning wins, reigning national champ Wisconsin-Stevens Point lost a road game to Wisconsin-Superior while Wisconsin-Eau Claire remained unbeaten in WIAC play.
Over in the NCHA, Marian swept St. Norbert and Carson Rose was on another level in helping St. Scholastica split a series with Trine.
Weekend Storylines from the MIAC
Royals end drought against Tommies
Bethel opened its weekend with a 3-1 win over nationally ranked St. Thomas Friday. Michael Piehler scored twice and also dished out an assist to record his second career multi-goal game.
The win for the Royals was their first over the Tommies since Nov. 21, 2015. Jarrett Cammarata scored a goal as well for Bethel and Ridge Gerads came through with a season-best 38 saves.
Bethel ended its four-game winless streak but it wasn’t as fortunate Saturday in a 5-1 loss to the 13th-ranked Tommies, who fell behind 1-0 but scored five unanswered goals to earn the win.
Gusties pull off upset
Gustavus didn’t let a 3-1 loss in the series opener against national power Augsburg faze it too much, bouncing back with a 2-1 win Saturday night in the series finale.
The Gusties evened their overall record at 4-4 and are 1-1 in the MIAC while handing the seventh-ranked Auggies their first league loss of the season.
Down 1-0 in the second, Gustavus tied the game on a power-play goal by Logan Norman. Gustavus scored off another power play later in the period to take the lead for good. Caleb Anderson punched the puck in with 19 seconds to play.
Robbie Goor rose to the occasion in goal, stopping 20 shots to help Gustavus end a three-game losing streak.
Cobbers and Johnnies square off in the MIAC
Concordia capitalized on three power-play goals to take out Saint John’s 4-2 Saturday in the opening game of this MIAC series.
The Cobbers notched their first MIAC win of the season. Christian Cakebread, Tyler Bossert,
Tanner Okeson all scored off the power play for Concordia. Travis Brown and Troy Dobbs scored goals for the Johnnies.
Jacob Stephan started in goal and made 24 saves, picking up his second consecutive win.
The Johnnies and Cobbers skated to a 2-2 tie Sunday, but the Cobbers won the shootout 1-0. Saint John’s scored twice in the second period to take a 2-1 lead.
Davis Kirkendall and Dan Wieber scored the goals. Concordia got goals from Aaron Herdt and Beau Wilmer.
Storylines from the NCHA
Sabres sweep Green Knights
Fresh off a shutout win over St. Norbert Friday, the Sabres completed their sweep of the 15th-ranked Green Knights Saturday with a 2-1 win in overtime.
Connor Blanck delivered the game-winner in the extra session, helping the Sabres improve to 4-3 overall and 3-3 in the league.
Marian has won three of its last four games against St. Norbert. Hunter Vorva picked up his third win as he stopped 33 shots.
Friday’s win was Marian’s first shutout victory for the Sabres this season. Gianni Vitali scored twice while Vorva recorded his ninth career shutout. He stopped 33 shots.
Rose lights up the Saints
Carson Rose was in a zone Friday, scoring four goals to help St. Scholastica rally for a 5-3 win.
Rose scored all three goals in the third period to spark the comeback. He finished with four goals in all.
Rose became just the seventh player in program history to score at least four goals in a game.
Zane Steeves made 23 saves to notch his second consecutive win.
Trine bounced back on Saturday with a 3-1 win. TJ Delaney scored a goal and dished out two assists for the Thunder.
Storylines from the WIAC
Yellowjackets notch stunning win
Wisconsin-Superior nailed down an impressive 4-2 win over third-ranked Wisconsin-Stevens Point Saturday night.
The Yellowjackets dominated most of the night, scoring three times in the second period to take control. It’s their first win over the Pointers since Nov. 10, 2012.
Liam Blais got the scoring started for Wis.-Superior in the first perod. Blais also scored the second goal of the game before Troy York scored in his first game back from an injury, giving the Yellowjackets a 3-0 lead.
Chad Lopez also scored while Coltyn Bates dished out two assists. Oscar Svensson came through with 26 saves.
Falcons battle through solid weekend
Wisconsin-River Falls played Wis.-Stevens Point to a 5-5 tie on Friday night, but the Falcons earned their first WIAC win the following night, edging Northland 4-3.
The Falcons scored three times in the third period to take control.
Christian Hausinger, Cayden Cahill, Gabe Wahl and Joel Freeze all scored for Wis.-River Falls, which is now 5-1-2 overall and 1-0-1 in the WIAC. The goal by Wahl was the first of his collegiate career.
Zac Quinn rose to the occasion in goal with 26 saves.
Blugolds extend winning streak
Wisconsin-Eau Claire pushed its win streak to six games over the weekend with wins over Wis.-Superior (3-2 in overtime) and Wisconsin-Stout (4-1).
The Blugolds have scored three or more goals in each of their wins and have not allowed more than two goals in any of the games during the streak.
Jake Bresser scored the game-winner in overtime for the Blugolds Friday. On Saturday,Jon Richards scored twice for the Blugolds, who improved to 6-0-1 overall and 2-0 in the WIAC.
Bresser and Derek Hammer added goals as well for Wis.-Eau Claire. Zach Dyment made 50 saves in the two games, including 30 on Friday night.
St. Cloud State’s Clark Kuster and North Dakota’s Shane Pinto come together in front of the UND bench Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 18 fared in games over the Nov. 22-23 weekend.
No. 1 Minnesota State (10-1-1)
11/22/2019 – Alaska Anchorage 1 at No. 1 Minnesota State 7
11/23/2019 – Alaska Anchorage 0 at No. 1 Minnesota State 3
Zach Solow’s redirected of a pass over the glove of Maine goaltender Jeremy Swayman with 4:13 remaining gave Northeastern a 3-2 victory and weekend sweep of Maine (Photo: Jim Pierce)
Trailing after two periods is never a good omen for a hockey team.
And certainly for No. 13 Northeastern, a team that entered Saturday 0-3-0 when falling behind through 40 minutes against a hungry Maine team didn’t provide much optimism.
But Neil Shea’s first career goal at 4:16 knotted the game at 2. Then Zach Solow, a offensive cog in the NU attack, redirected Ryan Shea’s shot-pass with 4:13 remaining as Northeastern rallied for a 3-2 victory and earned a weekend sweep of Maine.
?SUPER SOLOOWWWWWW ?
Grabbing the pass from Ryan Shea and Matt Filipe, Zach Solow knocks one in on the door step and puts the #HowlinHuskies in the lead with 4:13 left to go! pic.twitter.com/b8gSgmwHtz
The victory catapults the Huskies into a tie for second with UMass Lowell as the team heads off on Sunday to Belfast, Northern Ireland, for this year’s Friendship Four tournament.
Northeastern struck first on Jayden Struble’s first goal at 13:32 of the first period.
The Huskies got into penalty trouble in the second and on an even-strength tally by Mitch Fossier and a power play goal by Adam Dawe, Maine jumped into the lead.
But the Huskies were dominant in the third, outshooting the Black Bears, 14-8, and finding a way to earn the victory.
Michigan State 3, No. 3 Notre Dame 2
Michigan State’s Logan Lamblin and Sam Saliba each struck in the final 6:12 of the third period to overcome a 2-1 deficit and upset No. 3 Notre Dame, 3-2, in Big Ten play.
Nick Leivermann gave the Irish a 2-1 lead 18 seconds into the third with a power play tally.
The Irish, one of the best teams in the nation protecting the lead, couldn’t close this game out on the road. In fact, Notre Dame never trailed in the game until the final 70 seconds.
Saliba finished the game with two goals for the Spartans.
Miami 4, No. 18 Omaha 1
Gordie Green scored twice and Chase Pletzke answered Omaha’s only goal with a marker of his own just 26 seconds later as Miami knocked off No. 18 Omaha, 4-1.
Nothing stops momentum like scoring the next one. @pletzkee does just that.
Miami goaltender Ben Kraws was excellent, making 32 stops including 17 in the third period to seal the victory.
Jack Clement registered a goal and an assist for the Red Hawks.
No. 7 Massachusetts 3, Merrimack 2
The Minutemen looked to be in rough shape at the midway point of its game against Merrimack on Saturday.
Trailing 2-0, UMass found a new life from the stick of Cal Kiefiuk. Not only did Kiefiuk draw the Minutemen within a goal before the end of the second. After his teammate Ty Farmer knotted the game at 2 with 4:33 remaining, Kiefiuk buried the game-winning goal with 42 seconds remaining.
According to TommieMedia, St. Thomas athletics director Phil Esten said Thursday that the NCAA agrees that St. Thomas “look(s) like we could be and operate like a Division I institution.”
The university will know more after the NCAA convention that will be held in January in Anaheim, Calif.
Last October, St. Thomas was invited to the NCAA Division I Summit League, which would be a jump from the Division III MIAC, where St. Thomas was reportedly “involuntarily” removed last May.
“[The NCAA] will hopefully select one model that would allow consideration of Division III institutions to directly reclassify to Division I,” Esten said in the report. “My hope is that we know definitively sometime in April, which is the next time that the group convenes following the convention.”
Esten also noted that there are not certain capacity requirements for athletic facilities or sports at the Division I level, saying that a large number of Division I programs “look a lot like (St. Thomas) from a facility standpoint.”
“In order for us to best leverage the opportunity from a revenue generating standpoint, there may be some things we want to do from a fan amenity standpoint and from a recruiting perspective,” said Esten. “There is nothing that we have to do,” but the university will look into improving the fan and student athlete experience.
In addition, the athletics department is continuing to search for affiliate memberships for football and men’s and women’s hockey, sports the Summit League does not offer.
