Brian Gionta was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame earlier this year (photo: Boston College Athletics).
Former Boston College All-American Brian Gionta will have his jersey retired during the Eagles’ home game against Merrimack on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
Boston College director of athletics Martin Jarmond and coach Jerry York delivered the news over a phone call to Gionta.
Gionta was a three-time Hobey Baker finalist (1999, 2000, 2001) and captained the Eagles to the 2001 NCAA championship, the program’s first since 1949.
A native of Rochester, N.Y., Gionta graduated as the program’s all-time leader in goals (123) and hat tricks (nine). He ranks second all-time in points (232) behind David Emma and sits eighth in assists (109).
The forward was a three-time First Team All-American and was named the Hockey East Player of the Year as a senior in 2001 and Rookie of the Year in 1998. The Walter Brown Award winner in 2001, Gionta was honored as BC’s Eagle of the Year as a senior after leading Boston College to four straight Frozen Four appearances.
Gionta, who was inducted into the BC Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in October, was also named to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame class of 2019.
After graduation, Gionta played 1,026 games in the NHL for New Jersey, Montreal, Buffalo and Boston, recording 291 goals and 304 assists for 595 points.
Cornell’s Morgan Barron wins a puck battle with Union’s Cole Maier during a 2018-19 ECAC Hockey game (photo: Omar Phillips).
Understandably, Morgan Barron had a few butterflies in his stomach before getting on the ice with NHL superstars Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Brad Marchand at home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, over the summer.
“I expected it to be a little worse than it was in terms of me being nervous,” said Barron, the leading scorer on a 6-0 Cornell team that looks like it could be headed for big things this season.
“They are all super-nice guys and approachable, so that makes it a lot easier. You’re just trying to stay out of their way as much as you can. Once I got out there and started skating, hockey is hockey no matter who you are playing against or training with. I felt pretty good once things got rolling.”
Barron is definitely rolling right now with 12 points (six goals and six assists) in six games for the unbeaten Big Red. His average of two points per game is second only to Providence’s Jack Dugan (2.16 per game) and puts him on the early list of Hobey Baker Award contenders.
The 6-foot-3, 217-pound junior left wing has a future in the pro game. He was selected in the sixth round of the NHL Draft by the New York Rangers in 2017.
Barron, 20, has watched as a former Ivy League opponent, Harvard defenseman Adam Fox, has gotten off to a good start in the NHL with the Rangers.
“Obviously, between me and him there’s a lot of fundamental differences in the way we play and our positions. The main thing is that it’s reassuring to see those guys go on and have success,’’ Barron said. “He’s looked pretty comfortable just based on the way he plays the game and I’m sure he’s exceeded everyone else’s expectations, so it’s pretty cool.”
Barron is not the only member of his family who is an NHL prospect.
His 18-year-old brother, Justin, is in his third season with the QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads and is a potential first-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
“He’s a real good player and a real smart kid on and off the ice. It’s been a little different from my experience, playing major junior, but it’s been fun to watch him and support him along the way. I think he’s going to be a great player no matter which team ends up taking him,” said Barron, who is one of Cornell’s captains.
The Big Red opened their season with a pair of road wins against Michigan State and haven’t looked back. They’ve outscored opponents, 29-10, thanks in part to the nation’s best power play, which is converting at 42.3 percent.
The explosive offense might be a surprise to some college hockey observers given Cornell’s longstanding reputation as a defensive team. Barron praises coach Mike Schafer’s approach.
“Right from the second I got here, he’s done a good job of putting an emphasis on defense first but understanding that we want to and need to score goals to win games. It’s been great for me to develop my defensive side of the game as well as my offensive side,’’ said Barron. “He lets us play free-minded and make plays and score. It’s awesome.”
Cornell is heading into a difficult stretch that includes games against Quinnipiac at home on Friday, Boston University at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 30, and at Harvard (also currently undefeated at 5-0) on Dec. 6.
“We’re put ourselves in a good position. The last (five) games before Christmas break are going to be pretty tough. We’re gearing up and trying to keep that going,” said Barron.
Aces on the draw
In junior Jack Badini and sophomore Jack Drury, Harvard has a faceoff duo that few opponents can match.
Badini was 258-133 on draws last season for a win rate of 66 percent, second-best in the nation behind Jake Paganelli of Princeton (44-19, 69.8 percent).
Drury was 371-266 for 58.2 percent, 19th in the NCAA.
Through five games this season, Badini is 41-32 (56.1 percent) and Drury is 57-43 (57 percent).
“Playing hockey growing up, my teams liked to run a lot of faceoff plays, so if you can’t win the faceoff, you can’t run the play,” said Badini.
The Crimson take a team approach.
“There’s definitely a healthy competition (with Drury), but we both want each other to win as many draws as we can because, obviously, that’s a big part of helping the team win, having possession of the puck. All the guys in the locker room will bounce ideas off each other and, as the game progresses, talk about what’s working and what’s not,” said Badini.
“Both those guys put a lot of work in and take a lot of pride in it,” added Harvard coach Ted Donato. “It ends up being a one-on-one battle, ultimately. They do a great job. With a lead late in the game, to have guys that can win their share of faceoffs is very helpful.”
Wires crossed on PP
Colgate’s power-play futility continued last weekend.
After scoring their first goal of the season while on the man advantage against RIT on Oct. 5, the Raiders have whiffed on their last 43 power plays. Their PP success rate is 2.3 percent, last in the country.
Last season Colgate’s power play was fifth-worst at 13.1 percent.
The last time a team finished with a PP under 10 percent was Brown, 7.6 percent in 2016-17.
Bravo, Brosseau
Earn your undergrad degree in three years? Check.
Help your team to two straight trips to the NCAA tournament? All set.
Assistant captain as a sophomore, co-captain as a junior, captain as a senior? Done, done and done.
Devin Brosseau has accomplished a lot at Clarkson already and he continues to add to his resume with each weekend’s games.
Last Saturday, he piled up four assists against Colgate, leaving him with 17 points in 10 games this season and an even 100 points in three-plus seasons for the Golden Knights.
Brosseau was selected as the ECAC Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award for 2018-19 and received his bachelor’s degree in financial information analysis last spring. He could have gone to another school and played another season, as other players have done recently, but chose to continue at Clarkson as a grad student.
“We’ve got someone special there,” said Clarkson coach Casey Jones. “He’s invested in Clarkson, invested in the community. It speaks volumes for what he thinks of our culture and our program here.”
On The Season:
Dan: 52-19-5 (.717)
Chris: 46-25-5 (.638)
This Week’s Picks
Thursday, November 21 and Friday, November 22 Holy Cross vs. Sacred Heart Chris: Sacred Heart’s offense is really clicking right now, and Holy Cross comes in victims of a sweep at the hands of Army West Point. I see both trends continuing. SHU sweeps. Dan: The series begins in Connecticut before shifting back to Worcester on Friday night. I really like the Crusaders’ makeup, even though last week handed them two losses to Army West Point. The teams’ split last year helped jump start Holy Cross’ hot finish, but it can’t be underwritten how hot the Pioneers are right now. After sweeping RIT last weekend, I’m going to ride the hot hand but don’t be shocked with a split. Sacred Heart sweeps.
Friday, November 22 and Saturday, November 23 RIT at Army West Point Chris: The Tigers came down to earth last weekend, getting no points at home against Sacred Heart after taking at least four points in each of their previous three conference series. The Black Knights are picking up steam off a split with American International and a sweep of Holy Cross. RIT has a history of playing well at Tate Rink, but I like the home team to sweep. Dan: This is one of those series that could potentially preview a matchup in Buffalo later this year. Trevin Kozlowski is really starting to heat up in net, and I think riding a hot goaltender is the key to this weekend. That said, RIT is exceptional away from the Polisseni Center, so I’m going to split the weekend.
Niagara vs. Mercyhurst Chris: Both teams won the back end of a split last weekend, and I think they’re both going to be sharing points again. I’m calling for a split. Dan: Mercyhurst showed courage, resolve and heart when it responded from last week’s lopsided loss to beat AIC in overtime, and Niagara got itself in the wins column after splitting with Canisius. I like the home team in each of these games. Split them.
Air Force at Robert Morris Chris: This should be the most entertaining series of the weekend, with Robert Morris in a groove right now and Air Force continuing to bounce back from a rough start. But I’m going with the first place team at home. RMU sweeps. Dan: I got a good look at Robert Morris last weekend, and even though I picked them to win, they managed to gain a six-point series over Bentley. I don’t necessarily think the Colonials are perfect, but I think they play really well together and are getting a hot hand early in the season. Air Force is picking up steam, but I think RMU is the team to watch in these early weeks, at least until they lose and I draw all kinds of blame. RMU sweeps.
Saturday, November 23 RPI at Canisius
Chris: I think this will be closer than their previous meeting, but I’m still going with RPI to win.
Dan: RPI dropped a 7-2 win over the Griffins at Houston Fieldhouse earlier this year. I think Canisius keeps it closer, but I think the Engineers pick up the win. RPI wins.
Tuesday, November 26
Army West Point at American International
Chris: This is the third of four meetings between the schools this season, and they’ve split the previous two. I’m going with the home team. AIC wins.
Dan: Army has to play three games in five days against some really stiff competition. AIC doesn’t. That’s going to be the difference in this one. AIC wins.
Sacred Heart at Boston University Chris: I’m actuakky torn on this one – it has upset written all over it, especially with the way the Pioneers are playing right now. But my gut says BU wins. Dan: Agganis Arena is in the heart of Boston, and the game means Sacred Heart has to travel to Comm Ave. During rush hour. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. I guess I should just hope the Pioneers make it to the city before the gravy boats hit the mashed potatoes. BU wins.
Brown at Bentley Chris: This game has huge repercussions…to the Rubin family as broadcasting brothers square off. Right before Thanksgiving, too. Bentley wins. Dan: Rubin Bowl II. Winner gets first crack at the gravy. Bentley wins.
Bowling Green senior defenseman Alec Rauhauser leads the Falcons with 12 points through 11 games (photo: BGSU Athletics).
Every team wants one — a player who, by mere virtue of getting on the scoresheet, can make victory that much more certain.
British soccer fans have a name for this type of player — a “talisman.” Often it’s someone who scores a lot of goals or creates a lot of chances and, when they score, the team wins. Usually it’s a striker or a forward. It’s not often a defenseman.
Bowling Green has a talisman — senior defenseman Alec Rauhauser. The Bismarck. N.D., native leads the Falcons with five goals and seven assists through 11 games this season. He’s had at least a goal or an assist in nine of BGSU’s 11 contests. The two games he hasn’t gotten on the scoresheet have resulted in Bowling Green losses.
While Rauhauser scoring isn’t an automatic Falcons win — Bowling Green is 7-4 overall so there have been games where he scored and they still lost — Rauhauser’s influence on the offense can’t be understated.
“Alec plays as many minutes as any player we have — 5-on-5, power play, penalty kill,” Bowling Green coach Ty Eigner said. “He’s out there a lot, and when he’s out there, he has the puck on his stick a lot. He’s a huge piece to our puzzle — offensively, defensively, leadership, everything.”
Rauhauser’s scoring output maybe isn’t a surprise — he switched between forward and defense during his time at Century High School in Bismarck, culminating with 67 points from the blueline in his senior season. Those offensive instincts carried directly over to the USHL, where he scored 37 points in both of his full junior hockey seasons with the Des Moines Buccaneers.
“His numbers in Des Moines were outstanding,” Eigner said. “When we were recruiting Alec, it was never about the numbers. It was about the skating.”
Rauhauser has answered those questions. Eigner said he’s gotten better at that aspect of his game every year and has made himself into one of the country’s elite defensemen. He made the WCHA All-Rookie team as a freshman before being selected as an All-American as a sophomore, netting nine goals and 39 points.
Last season as a junior, he was disappointed by his standards — he was still an All-WCHA player but “only” had 26 points.
“The difference between his sophomore and junior year, I’m going to honestly say he probably hit the post about 10 times last year, and those pucks didn’t go in. His sophomore year, those went in,” Eigner said. “If he scored four or five more goals last year, I don’t think he’s still with us now, but I think this year, those pucks are starting to go in again.”
But what Eigner and the Bowling Green coaching staff appreciates most about Rauhauser isn’t necessarily how much he putas the puck in the back of the net. His hockey sense is outstanding.
“The way our team plays, the defense gets involved in the offense a bunch, and he’s just really good at doing it. He’s got really good patience at the blue line… he does some things with the puck in the offensive zone that you just can’t teach,” Eigner said. “There are some guys who are good offensive defensemen because they get the puck and they go and they can really skate… that’s not Alec. He’s got a guy who has a great stick and is real patient, and he can look guys off and makes passes that other guys can’t see. He’s just really good with the puck in the offensive zone.”
That trickles down to the rest of the team’s defensive corps. The Falcons lost three senior defensemen who played a lot of minutes to graduation in Chris Pohlkamp, Connor McDonald and Adam Smith. As a captain, Rauhauser’s influence on the team looms large.
“Everybody on our team respects Alec, because they appreciate and respect how good of a player he is for our team,” Eigner said. “He’s not the most vocal guy, but he’s also not a ‘Look at me’ guy. The guys respect what he’s done and what he does for us on a daily basis.”
After last weekend’s sweep at Alaska Anchorage, in which he scored in one game and had an assist in the other, Rauhauser is now sitting on 99 career points. Chances are, he’ll reach 100 during this weekend’s series against Lake Superior State. Whatever happens, when he leaves Bowling Green he is going to be remembered in the Falcons’ long tradition of outstanding defensemen that includes Rob Blake and Ken Morrow, to name a few.
“He’s a great player, and we believe that he’s as good a college defensemen as there is in the country,” Eigner said. “He’s the type of kid you want to be around every day. He’s got a smile on his face all the time, he’s low-maintenance, and he just comes in and does his job…. He’s going to have a career as a defenseman that hasn’t happened around Bowling Green that hasn’t happened in a long time. I think he’s going to be pretty special.”
Power surge
Northern Michigan’s power play is arguably one of the best in the country, and they showed why this past weekend.
Of the four goals the Wildcats scored in their split with Alaska, three of them were scored with the man-advantage. Joseph Nardi scored both in their 2-1 win over the Nanooks on Friday, while Ty Readman netted another in their 3-2 loss on Saturday.
NMU has scored 16 times on the power play — more than anyone in the country — and their 28.1 percent clip (16-for-57) is good enough for No. 6 nationally.
Serratore joins 300-win club
Last weekend’s Bemidji State/Ferris State series in Big Rapids, Mich., was the WCHA’s first meeting of the 300-win club in quite some time.
That’s because on Nov. 9, Serratore joined the club following the Beavers’ sweep of Lake Superior State. Ferris State coach Bob Daniels has been there since 2011. Serratore is second on the all-time coaching wins list at BSU, trailing Bob Peters, who is No. 7 all time in wins with 744.
“It means I’ve been here a while, and I’ve got 400 and how many more to catch Bob Peters, so I’ll be 91 when that happens,” Serratore joked to the Bemidji Pioneer after that series.
Serratore got one closer this past weekend, as the Beavers and Bulldogs split their series. He’s now got 301 wins to Daniels’ 457.
Daniels and Serratore are the only two current WCHA coaches with 300 victories. The next closest to the milestone is Minnesota State’s Mike Hastings, who has 191.
Sophomore Nikita Pintusov has already recorded two hat tricks early in the season for New England College Photo by Mike Broglio)
Following this weekend’s two wins over conference rivals Massachusetts-Boston and Babson, the New England College Pilgrims are off to a 3-1-0 start to the NEHC season. Leading the way with ten goals in his first six games is sophomore forward Nikita Pintusov whose nose for the net has the Pilgrims scoring in bunches.
“It was a really good weekend,” said head coach Tom Carroll. “Anytime you get wins over good teams is a good thing. We played well and Nikita certainly is off to a good start so early in the season.”
Pintusov already has a four-goal game and a hat trick game this season and in his brief career at NEC has a total of 25 goals in just 32 games played to date.
“He had a super freshman year,” said Carroll. “I thought he should have been on the All-Rookie team with his 15-goal season, but this league is so good and there is so much talent coming in every year. Nikita has been a goal scorer everywhere he has played and although he is not a big kid, he finds the open ice and seniors Carlos [Fornaris] and Daniel [Bergqvist] have found him in those areas for great opportunities and so far, a lot of goals. Playing with Carlos isn’t new to Nikita as he was on his line last year with Connor Fries who graduated. There are lots of new pieces for us this season and Daniel has fit in with those two nicely – the results have been on the scoresheet.”
“Last year was a good start for me with the 15 goals,” said Pintusov. “I think that takes a little of the pressure off knowing I could score at this level. I keep the pressure on myself to score with high expectations and really enjoy playing with Carlos and Bergy. We have really good chemistry on the ice, and we are good friends. Bergy is the hardest working player I have ever seen, and Carlos knows where to find me for good scoring chances. We play the game one shift at a time but like creating chances to score.”
After a loss to Fitchburg State to open the season, the Pilgrims have gone 4-1-0 with the loss taking place on the road against the no. 1 ranked Norwich Cadets. NEC rebounded with a big win against Castleton and added the two home wins to move them into a tie for second in the conference standings with Hobart.
“The game at Norwich was really a tough one for us,” stated Carroll. “I don’t think that game or the 7-0 score was indicative of our team and it was good to see us rebound the next day against a Castleton team riding a high after beating Southern Maine. There was some adversity after we took a two-goal lead and let them back in it in the second period but that is when we found our game, got some big goals from Nikita and others and some key saves from [Anthony] Pupplo to earn the win. This past weekend we carried that momentum back home with the added celebration of 50 years of hockey here at New England College. All around it was a special weekend.”
Pintusov and company hit the road again this weekend with conference match-ups with Johnson & Wales and Suffolk before closing out the first half against Hobart, Skidmore, Salve Regina and Anna Maria at home.
“It’s very early in the season,” said Carroll. We will focus on being better and trying to get points out of every conference game we can. Things are always so tight and come right down to the final games on the schedule for knowing playoff seeding and your opponent. We ended up on the outside and had to travel to Hobart last year, so every game is important when there are only 18 on the conference schedule. Hopefully Nikita and the rest of our team can keep us going in the right direction.”
“I am a little dumbfounded with the number of goals this early in the season but want to continue to help the team win games,” said Pintusov. Ideally, we would like to win the conference and play in the NCAA tournament. It is a big goal playing in such a tough league. We need to keep our momentum and team focus on the road this weekend.”
Harvard coach Ted Donato, in his 16th season behind the bench of his alma mater, has his 5-0-0 Crimson at No. 10 in the USCHO.com men’s Division I poll. Donato joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk about this year’s team and ECAC Hockey, and speaks in favor of expanding the Ivy League schedule from 29 to 34 games (something a fellow Ivy coach, Cornell’s Mike Schafer, has also advocated) and also the 3v3 overtime format.
Army West Point sophomore Colin Bilek is second on the team with three goals and is tied for third with five points this season (photo: Army West Point Athletics).
The United States Military Academy is one of the most unique places in the country.
It blends history into the modern youth of the nation, a museum and national landmark built into an active military installation. Cadets are trained to become tomorrow’s leaders on the backdrop of more than two centuries’ worth of traditions.
That history-and-modern blend helps shape its cadets, and last week, 1,089 cadets, including nine members of the Army West Point hockey program, received a glimpse into their future during the academy’s annual Branch Night. The ceremony presented each with their branch assignment inside the United States Army, officially locking them into a professional path for graduation into the Long Gray Line.
“There are a lot of things that you check off on a list (at West Point),” said Black Knights goalie Matt Penta. “Branch night is one of them. Since your first year, you see the seniors get their branch, and you always wonder about what you’re going to do. It’s the biggest question you’re asked whenever you’re away from (campus), about what you’re going to do after you graduate. You always think that you want to do something, but it’s cool to wear branch insignia on your uniform.”
It’s a process designed to measure a cadet’s personal preference against individual performance. Every cadet ranks their personal desire, but they are assigned based upon a combination of factors. Their performance in school, along with military drill and merit, are weighted against a simulation and feedback to determine their appropriate path. This year, 88% of the entire class received assignment to the top preference, an 11 percent increase over last year.
“Most things at the academy are based off of class rank and order of merit,” said Penta, who received Field Artillery. “You work pretty hard towards (goals). As a hockey player, we’re missing classes and don’t have much downtime, but we’re still holding our class rank and getting the jobs that we want. It’s pretty special. We pride ourselves as hard-working guys on the ice, and since I’ve been here, it earns us the things that we really want. That’s a really special attribute (of the hockey program).”
The Branch Night tradition is a unique experience for cadets, but it’s something altogether different for athletes. Army played at Holy Cross last weekend, so the hockey team members experienced the tradition on campus. That doesn’t always line up perfectly, and there have been years where a modified ceremony happens on the bus before or after a game. In those situations, the team goes to great lengths to respect the tradition as part of the greater cadet accomplishments.
“It’s one of the special things to experience here for the players,” Black Knights coach Brian Riley said. “Through each year, there are different peg points that they have to hit. That’s when it really hits that it’s their last year, and they’ve grown up in front of your eyes. It never gets old. As a coach, you take a lot of pride in it because these are your guys. You see them hit those peg points, and you’re so proud of them that they’ve gotten to this point. As they go through, the class becomes really close. We all met on Wednesday outside of the auditorium. They were hugging and smiling. As a coach, watching that from the side is pretty awesome.”
“At first, you’re anxious (sitting in the auditorium),” Penta added. “You want to get it over with, but then you settle in. Our speaker was a former lacrosse player, and he talked about how the lessons we learn at West Point lead into the next chapter of our lives. He spoke to our whole class, but his experiences as an athlete helped him, and it made me feel good (to be a student-athlete at Army).”
In the end, though, it’s part of a larger tradition of maturation among West Point cadets. The Black Knights swept Holy Cross over the weekend and earned six points, but the players in the locker room are bound by something greater. Those who received branch assignments now walk with insignias on their uniforms, one step closer to joining their teammates in The Long Gray Line. For the younger players, it was an opportunity to internally think and dream about what they want as they continue their own preparation to join, as Riley calls it, “the ultimate team.”
“These younger guys will learn from their older teammates,” Riley said. “The younger guys listened to this group as they’ve navigated through the process of choosing which branch they wanted. Then they go through their own summer training and get an idea of military training to determine what’s best for them. It helps them learn through experience.”
“Then a colonel is telling you to hold up your envelope, just to build that anxiety,” he continued. “Everyone is hooting and hollering. Then when you see that brass insignia, it becomes real. I’m joining the guys that I played with before, and it makes me really appreciate the guys and the officers and everything they’ve said.”
Holy Cross honoring a hero this week
The city of Worcester, Massachusetts endured an unspeakable tragedy when one of its firefighters, Lt. Jason Menard, passed away while battling a four-alarm blaze last week.
Menard was part of a firehouse housing Engine 15 and Ladder 5 for the fire department, a station located on McKeon Road, just down the hill and over the tree line from the Hart Center at Holy Cross. More notably, it’s the station responsible for the college itself, a unique link between the city and the school.
The story itself can rock anyone’s spirit and core. Lt. Menard died while aiding fellow firefighters trapped in the building after they went looking for a mother and a baby that reportedly could not get out. The layer of sadness compounded itself with the realization that the 39-year old was due to go on vacation with his wife and children that day.
Holy Cross football coach Bob Chesney tweeted a photo of himself with hockey head coach David Berard at the station, remarking that the two of them met the firefighters in the station less than a week before the events occurred. He specifically mentioned the station’s pride and honor “to protect our young men and women at Holy Cross.”
This week, Crusader fans can purchase a special $10 ticket to any Holy Cross home event, and $5 will be donated to the Menard Children’s Fund. This includes the men’s hockey game on Friday night against Sacred Heart at 7:30 p.m.
Full details, including a list of all athletics events in the promotion, can be found on the Holy Cross athletics website.
Records shattered
Everyone around the game knows there are nights where everything goes wrong. There’s no reasonable method for predicting them, but they’re always noteworthy when they show up. On Friday night, Mercyhurst hosted American International. It was the first game of a two-game series at in Erie, and it quickly became, for lack of a better term, a bad night.
AIC scored five goals in the first period, then added four in the second and three in the third in a record-shattering 12-0 victory. It marked the first time the Yellow Jackets scored 10 goals in a game as a Division I program, breaking a record set twice, first in 1999. It broke a record set in 2013 for largest goal differential in a game and set a new standard for goal differential in a shutout victory.
Individually, Eliijah Barriga notched a hat trick, and both Tobias Fladeby and Austin Albrecht posted four-point nights. Blake Christensen had two assists, tying him for the program’s Division I record for career assists (he broke it the next night). And goaltender Zackarias Skog won for the 30th time in his career, tying Ben Meisner’s career wins record, while pulling him within one game of a shutout record, also held by Meisner.
These things happen, and I know neither side particularly wants to have an ugly night at the arena. A team scoring 12 goals knows it can be scored upon the same way, but there’s also a delicate balance between the two. It doesn’t happen often, so a game like this needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
The grain of salt comes from the overarching message that a loss is a loss. It doesn’t matter if Mercyhurst lost this game by one goal, two goals, three goals or 12 goals if it sends three points back the other direction. The most important thing is what happens the next night.
Sure enough, as expected, the next night went to the Lakers in a back-and-forth instant classic. Steven Ipri scored twice for Mercyhurst, including the game-winner in overtime after he drew a roughing call for an exchange with Hugo Reinhardt. So after all of that, the teams split the weekend anyways.
Still defending the wall
I know it’s way too early to talk about Pairwise Rankings, but an eighth-place Atlantic Hockey team always forces my hand when Thanksgiving is approaching. That’s why I took umbrage with the national poll last week when RIT didn’t make the rankings despite a 7-1-2 overall record.
Welcome back, #RubinJinx.
The Tigers got swept by Sacred Heart on the road and fell 22 places in the Pairwise Rankings after absorbing their first two conference defeats. It knocked RIT to third in the league standings, and it enabled Army West Point to pass it in the PWR.
Four Atlantic Hockey teams are now positioned between 26-33 in those PWR, with RIT sitting one spot ahead of Robert Morris and three places ahead of the Pioneers. Perhaps unironically, all four teams are the only over-.500 teams overall in the league and occupy, in some capacity, the top four spots in the standings.
I know RIT’s losses will give everyone ammunition to fire away at my “Atlantic Hockey deserves respect” argument, but I stand by what I said. Army West Point and RIT still have the 10th-best winning percentage in the nation, tied with Northern Michigan and Maine, two teams who receive deserved respect in the polls. Robert Morris is tied with Boston College and Bowling Green for 17th.
Let’s now look in between the numbers on that winning percentage. RIT holds two wins over non-conference teams, including Bowling Green, and only lost by two to Ohio State, a team also in that same range of winning percentage. Northern Michigan split with Michigan State, took a win and tie from Boston University and tied St. Cloud State; Michigan State is the only .500 team in that lot. Army West Point, having split with Robert Morris, a team that narrowly lost to Penn State and still isn’t receiving as much discussion as it should, is also in that discussion.
I know it’s a quick-shot study here, and I’ll admit that I dropped Atlantic Hockey from my poll this week. From a winning percentage standpoint, I have the WCHA teams ahead by a step over the Atlantic Hockey teams with the same-ish record.
But I stand by my comments from last week that a team from this league with a better winning percentage receives less respect than its peers. Yes, I know there’s a struggle to win non-conference games all around, but if an AHA team has a substantially better winning percentage (by that I mean multiple games), I believe it deserves more credit.
Ever True vs. Bentley Blue
Hockey is one of those sports that runs through my family’s blood. Nobody actually played the game, but the sport always seems to have its seat and role at our dinner table.
I used to go to BC-BU games at Walter Brown Arena as a kid, but I really got into college hockey when I went to Brown University games as a teenager. Over time, my brother, Mike, became the team’s manager and eventually started broadcasting most of the Bears’ sports teams. I eventually joined him in calling games, going into what I deemed the “family business,” and that’s really where my college hockey journey began. I eventually found my way to Bentley, but I’ll still call some games at Brown with him when the schedule allows an opening – including that triple-overtime playoff win over Princeton that promptly gave me the flu.
Two years ago, I called the Bentley game at Brown with him, and next week, I’ll get to return the favor by hosting him up at the Coach DeFelice Ice Rink when the Falcons host the Bears.
I’m in my 30s now, but this is still little brother hosting big brother. It’s a huge thrill for me on the personal rankings, and I’d go so far as to put it next to working a Frozen Four or at Fenway Park. Having been around Atlantic Hockey for 11 years, it’s a much different feel than the time he called a game with me at the JAR, but I think it hits the right chord around Thanksgiving time.
Hockey is an amazing, values-based sport, and I know I’m incredibly lucky to be a part of it. The coaches, the players and the staff all make it something special. In the days before Thanksgiving, I think this is something we can all be thankful for, and for me, having my actual family on air with me for a game is pretty cool, especially since the guy’s my mentor and all.
That said, I’m still picking Bentley. Sorry, Bruno.
Other games to aatch
I mentioned the Holy Cross-Sacred Heart game on Friday night, and I’ll throw it out there again because it’s a really great cause. Other than that, there are two series that I’m keeping an eye on:
Robert Morris puts its first place, 7-1 record on the line against an Air Force team coming off of a bye. The Falcons won three in a row before enjoying a week off, so this series is one to keep an eye on in the early season Atlantic Hockey race.
Speaking of early-season race, Army West Point hosts RIT. The Tigers are a perfect 4-0 away from the Polisseni Center this year, while the Black Knights are 3-1 at Tate Rink. The two teams are separated by two points at the top of the standings, which means this series is going to create a big downstream impact by Sunday.
Max Luukko (6 – Sacred Heart), Kobe Walker (10 – RIT) and Jeppe Urup (4 – Sacred Heart) battle for possession of the puck over the weekend in an Atlantic Hockey matchup (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.
Paula: Jimmy, one of the things that strikes me now as we are into November is the leveling effect that conference play is having on some teams – and how improved some programs seem to be.
You had Sacred Heart sweeping RIT in Atlantic Hockey. Notre Dame registering its first loss against a tough Wisconsin team. Clarkson lost to Cornell. UMass-Lowell tied and lost to Connecticut. North Dakota nearly sweeping Denver but losing a point in a tie with a shootout “win.” Northern Michigan splitting with a resurgent Alaska. In every conference, a team at or near the top last weekend found itself losing points to a conference opponent. I don’t know if that’s an indication of things to come this season or if it’s a one-off kind of thing to start conference play.
Then there are teams like Alaska, who may surprise a few people this season, and Boston College with its five-game win streak to improve its fate, and Robert Morris with a sweep of Bentley for a 7-1-0 record in Atlantic Hockey.
What do you think? Is what we’re seeing an indication that conference play is going to be especially fierce toward the top of the regular-season league standings?
Jim: I think the point you make is a good one. Certainly, how you perform within yourself league defines your season strictly based on the sheer number of league games you play.
Additionally, playing league opponents means playing teams whose coaches know your tendencies. There are considerably fewer secrets in conference play.
That said, I always say that the best teams make hay in their non-league slate. Win 75 percent or more of your non-conference games and simply be an above average conference team, you will be just fine for NCAA tournament qualification.
What I think we have seen in recent weeks is the lack of consistency by some teams. Denver stands out in my mind as they looked dominant through the first eight games but struggled with both Minnesota Duluth and North Dakota. That, though, is a sign of just how difficult playing league teams is in the NCHC. There are so many great, competitive teams in that league right now.
Paula: The NCHC is shaping up to be a dominant league on the national level this year, I think. Tied with the Big Ten for the current top win percentage (.634) in interleague play, the NCHC looks deeper to me. Six of the eight NCHC teams have overall win percentages above .500; only three B1G teams do.
I look at a series from last weekend like Omaha at Western Michigan in which the Broncos gutted out a win Friday and the Mavericks scored two in each period to win 6-3 Saturday. Western Michigan has been consistently competitive for several years and Omaha ended last season at the bottom of the NCHC standings. While the Broncos continue to be steady, now Omaha joins the mix of NCHC teams that look very good, tied with Notre Dame for the seventh-best offense nationally and with a power play among the top 10 as well.
Then there’s an improved Colorado College. With a sweep of St. Cloud, wins over improved Michigan State and Minnesota teams and a tie against Western, the Tigers – a team that was third-from-last in the NCHC last year – have a solid start to the season.
Remember a few weeks ago when we talked about how it wasn’t yet time for Minnesota Duluth fans to panic following a rocky start? The defending champs are 4-1-1 in their last six games, proving us right. Denver’s recent shaky play has come against Duluth and North Dakota, two top 10 teams. I don’t think it’s time for Denver to panic yet, either, but I do see that as another sign of strength for the NCHC.
Jim: I agree here. The NCHC regular season is just a continuous battle. I honestly believe that, right now, seven of the eight NCHC teams deserve recognition in the national poll (currently five teams are ranked and a sixth received votes).
As for Denver, I don’t think there are any worries there. The Pioneers have all of the tools to be one of the tips teams, not just in the NCHC, but the nation come March.
If there is a team that I am most concerned about it is Minnesota. You see that league – the Big Ten, that is – the most. What are the reasons for Minnesota’s struggles right now?
Paula: With one win in their last eight games, the Golden Gophers are a bit of an enigma – although not, perhaps, to the B1G coaches who voted them to finish fifth in their preseason poll. It’s to easy to say that offense is an issue when the Gophers are averaging 2.42 goals per game, but Minnesota doesn’t lack offensive talent. (Depth is another story.)
Minnesota is a team that appears to be rebuilding defensively. Three newcomers are vying for time in the Gophers’ net: freshmen Jared Moe and Justin Close plus junior transfer Jack LaFontaine. Moe has the best numbers so far but he’s 3-3-1.
The Gophers also have three freshmen on the blue line who have played every game and eight rookies total who have played 10 or more games each. I am eager to see how this team will play in its second half.
One team adjusting well to a newcomer in goal and two rookie defensemen is Boston College, a team that perplexed me last year and gave me pause in the second half of October. Now, though, the Eagles are riding a five-game win streak into their single game against Yale Tuesday night. Four of those five wins were road games, the most recent a two-game sweep of Vermont.
Of course, it’s difficult to keep a team like BC down with Jerry York at the helm. Now in his 26th season at Boston College and his 48th overall – impossible to imagine, really – York is one of college hockey’s legendary coaches and all-around nice guys. A big congratulations to Coach York on his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday. I can think of no one more deserving.
York did not attend the official ring ceremony Friday, Nov. 15, nor did he attend the Hall of Fame Game between the Boston Bruins and the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was otherwise occupied coaching the Eagles – which led to some of the worst sports commentary I’ve ever seen. Ever.
Jim: Well, we certainly were reminded over the weekend that the curmudgeon, old school, out-of-touch media in the greater Toronto area still – and maybe never will before they are in the grave – do not respect U.S. college hockey.
What an idiotic decision by Jerry York to pass on the day’s festivities at the Hockey Hall of Fame so he could coach yet another US college game. That’s my view. You can disagree.
Leading the charge was Steve Simmons from the Toronto Sun, who called Jerry York an idiot for prioritizing coaching Friday’s Vermont-Boston College hockey game ahead of attending a ring ceremony associated with a ridiculously-long four-day Hockey Hall of Fame induction process. As many media have pointed out, one thing that makes Jerry York so special to so many people is that he always puts his team ahead of himself. So there is nothing idiotic about coaching that team you love instead of sitting through useless ceremonies knowing that more are to come over the days that followed.
But to Simmons and many other in the media, that is part of a disconnect. None of them likely have ever attended a collegiate game in the U.S., let alone, say, a Frozen Four. They believe the game of hockey begins in Canada and ends at the U.S. border.
And, truly, that’s sad.
Think about how little so many of the media north of the border understand about U.S. college hockey. They are the ones missing out. There is undoubtedly a provincialism that sadly exists in hockey. And I can’t help but think that is part of the reason that the Stanley Cup has resided in the United States for nearly quarter of a century (ironic with so many U.S. college hockey player’s names now inscribed on said Cup).
All this said, this is quite a moment for Jerry York and college hockey. It is a testament to what makes the college game in the U.S. so special. And it is recognition of what one man’s dedication to the game has meant to the game’s growth.
The inability to recognize that, well, that’s idiotic.
Bridgestone Arena is home to the NHL’s Nashville Predators (photo: Bridgestone Arena).
Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn., will play host to the 2020 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2020, between North Dakota and Penn State.
Game time is set for 7:07 p.m. Central time.
“We are extremely excited to be hosting another great college hockey marquee event,” said UND coach Brad Berry in a statement. “This showcase game will give our players and our loyal fans an unforgettable life experience. We’re very excited to be headed to Nashville and I can’t wait to see our fans experience all that the Country Music Capital of the World has to offer.”
Tickets, which range from $49 to $400 per seat, will go on sale to the general public on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2019 at 10 a.m. Central.
Parker Tuomie and Minnesota State stay No. 1 in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).
With 36 first-place votes, Minnesota State remains the No. 1 team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll this week.
The Mavericks were off last weekend.
Undefeated Cornell moves up one spot to No. 2 and garnered 13 first-place votes, while Notre Dame is up one to No. 3, Denver falls two to sit No. 4, and North Dakota, with the other first-place vote, jumps four places to end up No. 5 this week.
Penn State is up two to No. 6, Massachusetts drops two to No. 7, Clarkson is down one to No. 8, Minnesota Duluth falls three to No. 9, and undefeated Harvard enters the top half at No. 10, moving up three spots.
Ohio State remains No. 11, Providence falls two to No. 12, Northeastern is up one to sit 13th, Boston College drops two to No. 14, and UMass Lowell is down to No. 15 after a No. 12 ranking a week ago.
Wisconsin is down one to No. 16, Bowling Green holds firm at No. 17, Omaha is up one to No. 18, Northern Michigan is down one to No. 19, and Western Michigan is again No. 20.
No new teams enter the rankings this week.
Nine teams also received votes in this week’s rankings.
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 back at the games of November 14-16, 2019, including Cornell’s North Country sweep over Clarkson and St. Lawrence, Notre Dame and Wisconsin’s split and how good the Badgers are, Harvard’s 6-0-0 start, North Dakota’s five-point weekend at Denver, Penn State’s two romps at Minnesota, a good comeback by Mercyhurst after a blowout at the hands of American International, and more.
Jim and Ed also weigh in on “idiotic” comments from Toronto sports writers about Jerry York’s decision to stay behind the bench for Boston College before heading to the Hockey Hall of Fame induction, and how Canadian media still fails to understand college hockey in the U.S.
Grace Zumwinkle tallied her 100th career point in the Gophers’ sweep of Bemidji State. (Photo: Bruce Kluckhohn)
Bemidji State at (1) Minnesota
It was Bemidji that got on the board first on Friday, as Mak Langei scored just before the first period break to make it 1-0. But it would be all Minnesota from there as the Gophers reeled off seven straight – including four power play goals and a short-hander – to earn a 7-1 win. Sarah Potomak led the Gophers with two goals and two assists. On Saturday, Sarah Potomak scored seven minutes into the first period and that goal would stand as the only tally for 35 minutes before sister Amy doubled the lead early in the third. Taylor Heise added a goal late in the game to give the Gophers the 3-0 lead and weekend sweep.
Minnesota State at (2) Wisconsin
On Friday, the Badgers had a 3-0 lead heading into the final period thanks to goals from Daryl Watts, Sophie Shirley and Daryl Watts. But Minnesota State did not go down without a fight. Tristen Truax tallied a power play goal five minutes into the period and Emily Anthony made it a one-goal game midway through the frame, but the Badgers were able to keep off the charge and earned a 3-2 win. In game two, Roque had two goals and two assists while Watts added a goal and two assists to lead Wisconsin to a 6-1 win. Brittyn Fleming’s goal late in the third prevented the shutout.
Yale at (3) Cornell
Kristin O’Neill and Maddie Mills each had a goal and two assists while Amy Curlew and Gillis Frechette each added two goals as Cornell cruised a 6-0 win. Goalie Lindsay Browning earned her fourth shutout of the season.
Brown at (3) Cornell
Amy Curlew’s hat trick powered a six-goal second period and led Cornell to a 9-1 win on Saturday. Maddie Mills and Micah Zandee-Hart each added a goal and two assists and Jamie Bourbonnais had three assists in the win. Jacquie Tam’s third-period power-play goal was the lone tally for Brown.
New Hampshire at (4) Northeastern
Northeastern coach Dave Flint became the winningest coach in program history as the Huskies defeated New Hampshire 5-1 on Friday night. Meghara McManus opened the scoring just :32 into the game to give New Hampshire a 1-0 lead, but Northeastern took over from there. Peyton Anderson had two goals and an assist and Kate Holmes added a goal and two assists to lead the Huskies to the win. On Saturday, freshman goaltender Gwyneth Philips made her first career start and made 20 saves while earning a shutout. Katy Knoll’s late first-period goal was all it took to give the Huskies a 1-0 win and the weekend sweep.
Mercyhurst at (5) Clarkson
On Friday, the teams were scoreless through the first period. Mercyhurst’s Michele Robillard put the Lakers on the board first, but Clarkson responded with two goals of their own in the second. Elizabeth Giguere and Kayla Friesen each had two goals and an assist to give Clarkson the 4-1 win. In game two, Giguere scored midway through the first period and that held as the only scoring until Brooke McQuigge doubled the lead midway through the third. Mercyhurst turned on the head late in the game, and Robillard scored on the power play to but the lead, but the Lakers could not complete the comeback and Clarkson earned a 2-1 win and weekend sweep.
(6) Boston College at Boston University
Boston College scored three unanswered goals in the third period to earn a 4-2 come-from-behind win. Kristina Schuler opened the scoring, putting BU up 1-0 five minutes into the game. Hannah Bilka’s power play goal tied it up just before the first period break. In the second, Schuler netted an extra-attacker goal of her own to put the Terriers up once again. But in the third, the Eagles pulled away as Alex Guay, Delaney Belinskas and Cayla Barnes all found the back of the net to give BC the win.
(10) Minnesota Duluth at (7) Ohio State
On Friday, Tatum Skaggs’ second-period goal was the only tally heading into the final frame. Gabbie Hughes tied it up for Minnesota Duluth midway through the third period, but Skaggs scored the game-winner give minutes later and Emma Maltais’ empty-netter secured a 3-1 win for the Buckeyes.
(8) Princeton at Union
Grace Heiting’s goal late in the period had Union up 1-0 after the first period on Friday, but Princeton’ two goals in 13 seconds early in the second jump-started the Tigers’ offense as they went on to win 7-2. Sarah Fillier led Princeton with a goal and three assists while Solveig Neunzert added a goal and two assists. Carly Bullock and Sharon Frankel each had two goals in the win.
(8) Princeton at RPI
Annie Kuehl scored her first career goal to put Princeton up 1-0 late in the first and Maggie Connors doubled the score just before the period break to make it 2-0 Tigers. Sarah Fillier scored twice in the second period to make it 4-0 Princeton. Blake Orosz ended the shutout in the third, but the Tigers won 4-1.
Brandon Krumpschmid and the Trine hockey team stunned St. Norbert Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Trine Athletics)
Trine made program history Saturday night, winning its first ever game over a nationally ranked opponent.
The Thunder stunned St. Norbert 2-0 in an NCHA battle thanks to a third-period goal by Brendan Prappas. Brandon Krumpschmid added an empty-net goal in the final minute.
Trine is now 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference with the impressive shutout win over the 10th-ranked Green Knights.
Brett Young rose to the occasion between the pipes, stopping 24 shots, including 11 in the third. He has two shutouts on the year.
The win allowed Trine to bounce back from Friday’s 5-3 loss to St. Norbert. Trine led 3-1 before St. Norbert ralllied for the victory. Prappas scored twice in the loss.
Here is a look at some of the other highlights from the weekend in the west region.
Blugolds Win Showdown: It was a matchup one might see in the playoffs. Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Augsburg battling it out in a showdown of nationally ranked teams.
In the end, after two scoreless periods, the Blugolds took control in the third. Nathan Dingmann scored the game winner with less than five minutes to play. Steen Cooper added an empty-net goal with just seconds remaining in a 3-1 win.
John Richards scored the first goal for eighth-ranked Wis.-Eau Claire. Fourth-ranked Augsburg later tied it on a goal by Patrick O’Connor.
Zach Dyment remains unbeaten between the pipes. He’s now 3-0-1 after stopping 21 shots for the Blugolds, who have won their last four games and sport a 4-0-1 record.
They have scored 19 goals on the year and are 2-0 away from home.
Augsburg suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 5-1. Daniil Gerasimov made 32 saves. He’s 2-1 on the year. O’Connor’s goal was his first of the season.
Impressive First Win: Northland scored just two goals in its first two games of the season but raised its offensive production to another level Friday in a 5-0 win over Bethel.
Daneil Chartrand scored twice to pace Northand (1-2). Kyle Pouncy, Ty Kraus and Marshall Nikitin all had a goal and an assist.
Taylor Unruh made 25 saves for his first shutout of the year. It’s the first time this season that Northland hasn’t allowed a goal.
Pointer Power: Wisconsin-Stevens Point scored four goals in the second period to fuel their 6-4 win over Saint John’s Friday night in Minnesota. The reigning national champs added an insurance goal in the third.
Zach Zech and Dan Kiraly scored two goals apiece for the fifth-ranked Pointers, who trailed 2-1 early in the second but ended the period with a 5-4 advantage.
Ryan Mackellar tallied a goal and an assist and Drew McLean dished out a pair of assists.Jake Theis punched in his first career goal in the win.Eli Billing tallied 31 saves as the Pointers remained unbeaten on the road.
Sweep Success for Cardinals: After a 3-2 overtime victory over Concordia Friday night, the Cardinals capped a big weekend with a 5-0 win over the Cobbers in MIAC play.
Nikita Sheberov and Ian Currie both scored their first goals of their careers and Kyle Meeh scored twice. Nick Nast nailed down his second career shutout, coming through with 26 saves along the way.
The sweep of the Cobbers is the first for the Cardinals since 2010. They are also the first two wins of the season. Saint Mary’s is 2-3-1 overall and 2-0 in the MIAC.
Shutout Win: Cam Buggrabe stepped up big for St. Thomas in its 1-0 win over St. Olaf Friday night. Buggrabe stopped 19 shots in the victory.
The Tommies completed the series sweep Saturday with a 9-3 victory.
St. Thomas is unbeaten in its last five games. They are 4-1-1 on the year. Buggrabe is 3-0 and has 75 saves.
Saints Shine: Saint Scholastica won its first game in style Saturday, taking out the Milwaukee School of Engineering 3-1.
After playing the Raiders to a 1-1 tie Friday, the Saints jumped out in front early on a goal by Zack DeBoom.
Tyler Hinster pushed the lead to 2-0 on the 13th-ranked team in the nation.
Jordan Fralich scored the final goal for Saint Scholastica, which improved to 1-4-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the NCHA. MSOE suffered its first loss after a 5-0 start.
Zane Steeves made 36 saves in the win and had a total of 67 on the weekend.
Colton Poolman tallied the overtime winner to give North Dakota the extra point over Denver last Friday night (photo: Bradley K. Olson).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. North Dakota makes a statement
We’ve been mentioning it for the past few weeks, but the Fighting Hawks continue to rack up victories. Last week, it was a home sweep of Miami — which isn’t quite as impressive as what UND was able to do this past weekend in Denver, getting a tie and a win for five points and a series victory over the No. 2 ranked Pioneers at Magness Arena — something they hadn’t done since the 2003-04 season.
On Friday night, the only thing that really separated the two teams was Colton Poolman’s 3-on-3 overtime winner, which followed a 1-1 tie but gave UND the extra point. It set them up nicely for Saturday’s game, which can’t be described as anything other than a rout. Cole Smith scored twice — including short-handed in the second period — and the Pioneers were held off the scoreboard until midway through the third.
The Fighting Hawks are 8-1-2 and, after missing the NCAA tournament the past two seasons, look like a team that’s ready to put those years behind them. They haven’t had any shocking nonconference losses (like Canisius, who they routed this year already) and already have some marquee wins.
Fear not, Grand Forks. Your team looks to be “back.”
2. York gets to Hockey Hall of Fame
On the weekend that legendary Boston College head coach Jerry York was set to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame (and despite some baffling comments made by members of the Canadian media), York was not in Toronto for the pregame festivities.
He was where he normally was — behind the Eagles’ bench.
Boston College swept Vermont over the weekend, winning 5-1 and 3-0. With the wins, York earned victories No. 1,074 and 1,075 — the latter a nice round number for Monday’s induction ceremony. The Eagles, now 7-4-0, have regained their form after some early losses and have won five in a row going into games against Harvard and Yale after Thanksgiving.
3. Irish finally lose
The ranks of the undefeated have been thinned to two. Wisconsin scored two power-play goals on Friday night in Madison to defeat Notre Dame 3-0 and end Notre Dame’s eight-game unbeaten streak to start the season. The Badgers outshot the Irish 35-22 and gave Daniel Lebedeff his first shutout of the season.
The Badgers almost handed Notre Dame its first losing streak of the season, too. On Saturday, the Irish managed to pull out a pulse-pounding 5-4 overtime victory. Wisconsin trailed 3-2 after two periods but Wyatt Kalynuk tied the game 30 seconds into the third and K’Andre Miller gave the Badgers a brief 4-3 lead with a power play goal 10 minutes in. But the Irish weren’t about to go away. Colin Theisen tied the game with six minutes to go before Alex Steeves ended it in overtime to give Notre Dame the win.
4. Cornell still undefeated
We mentioned the two teams still left with zeros in the loss column. The Big Red are one of them. They’re now 6-0 after an outstanding road victory at No. 7 Clarkson and another at St. Lawrence.
Friday’s game lived up to the top-10 hype. Six different players scored in the game, with Cornell’s Travis Mitchell and Jeff Malott scoring two minutes apart midway through the second period to make it 2-0. But Clarkson shot right back. Connor McCarthy scored on the power play then Devin Brousseau added another with two minutes left in the frame to make it 2-2 going into the third.
In the end, the Big Red won it with Cam Donaldson’s power play goal 10 minutes into the third period being the game-winner; Michael Regush added the empty netter to give the Big Red a statement win. They kept rolling the next night, too, with a 6-1 win against St. Lawrence.
5. Harvard, too
The other team without a loss also happens to have a red color for its mascot. The Crimson moved to 5-0 on the weekend following a pair of road routs against Brown and rivals Yale.
Harvard, which has outscored its opponents 27-7 in five games this season, got scoring contributions from seven different player on the weekend. R.J. Murphy, Reilly Walsh and John Farinacci scored two goals apiece. The Crimson have been so dominant that they haven’t trailed in a game since the second period against Dartmouth in their season opener — a game they won 7-3.
6. UConn upsets UMass Lowell
The big upset this weekend was in Hockey East, where UConn tied UMass Lowell 3-3 on Friday night at home before winning 2-1 in Lowell the next night.
Perhaps most notable was just how good the Huskies were both nights. In Friday’s game they outplayed the RiverHakwks, outshooting them 32-15. On Saturday, they held UML to just 14 shots through the first two periods before a furious UConn comeback attempt sae them get 16 in the third period. Still, the only goal Tomáš Vomáčka allowed the whole game was a 6-on-4 extra-attacker power-play goal with just over a minute left. He held on to help the Huskies get a win.
7. Colorado College sweeps St. Cloud State
The other big upset on the weekend happened in St. Cloud, where the Tigers swept the Huskies 4-2 and 5-2. It was CC’s first sweep of the Huskies since 2010 and the first time St. Cloud has lost back-to-back home games since 2016 at North Dakota. Christiano Versich scored three times and Nick Halloran scored twice for the Tigers, who are now 4-3-0.
Meanwhile, the Huskies are 2-4-4 and haven’t quite played up to their potential. They’ve been able to generate offense this season — scoring 29 goals — but letting them in has been a major issue. They’ve allowed 37 goals through 10 games, which is in the bottom 10 nationally. They’ll need to fix those defensive issues real quick — they head to North Dakota this week.
8. Three-way tie in the WCHA
It’s still early, but enough teams have played conference games in the WCHA that the standings are starting to take some meaningful shape.
And there’s a bit of a surprise as to who is on top. And, no, Minnesota State does NOT count as a surprise. The Mavericks have 15 points after six league games but share that lead with two other squads. Northern Michigan and (drumroll please…) Alaska.
Perhaps this is no surprise to anyone who has been following the league closely this year, but the Wildcats and Nanooks have arguably been the two strongest teams in the league in terms of nonconference success. (Aside, of course, from the Mavericks, but we talk about them all the time and they were off this week.) NMU and Alaska faced off against one another in Marquette, and, unsurprisingly, the teams split the series. NMU took game one 2-1 before the Nanooks rallied with a 3-2 win Saturday.
It should be noted that both the Mavericks and Wildcats have two games-in-hand on the Nanooks, but the way Alaska is playing — they’ve earned points from every series this season since being swept by Denver — expect them to be in the mix all season.
9. Sacred Heart sweeps RIT, leapfrogs into second in Atlantic Hockey
The Pioneers displaced the Tigers this weekend with a convincing road sweep. On Friday night, a five-goal first period led to a 9-5 rout that saw Viton Baravo and Jordan Kaplan each score twice. Sacred Heart had 44 shots on goal.
On Saturday, it was a much tighter affair. The Pioneers didn’t score until Jason Cotton’s power play goal midway through the second period. SHU scored again 47 seconds into the third before Cotton’s shorthanded empty-netter with just over two minutes left all but sealed it. RIT got one back with Caleb Motetz’s power play goal with 56 seconds left, but it was basically over.
The Pioneers (18 points) are three points behind league-leading Robert Morris, who swept Bentley this weekend, and are four points ahead of RIT.
10. Splits in Hockey East
Aside from BU’s sweep of Vermont and that big UConn upset, much of the rest of Hockey East was splitsville.
Providence beat Northeastern 3-2 on Friday before the Huskies scored a touchdown on the Friars the next night for a 7-3 win. Boston University beat UMass 4-3 on Friday at home before the Minutemen took Saturday’s 4-1 win in Amherst. The other conference series was, however, a sweep, with Maine beating New Hampshire both nights and moving into a tie with Boston College for second in the standings — just one point behind first-place Lowell.
Providence, Northeastern and Boston U are still close behind.
Geneseo’s Tyson Empey led the Knights with a hat trick in a 9-1 rout of Oswego (Photo by Geneseo Athletics)
Several “statement” games were played in conference play with some surprising results. Oh, and then were the dramatic last second goals for wins from Endicott and Brockport. The coaches always say it needs to be a sixty-minute effort, so it really hurts when 59:59 or 64:59 isn’t good enough.
Here is this week’s recap of the D-III action in the East:
CCC
Endicott played Nichols this weekend and Friday’s game finished regulation tied at 3-3 after the Bison rallied from two goals down in the third period to send the game into overtime. Endicott’s Eric Manoukian scored his first goal of the season with just one tick left in overtime to give the Gulls a 4-3 road win. On Saturday, goals from Jake Simons, Eric Johansson and Svet Kuchynski gave the Gulls a 3-1 lead at home that Conor O’Brien’s 31 saves protected for the win and two-game sweep.
The University of New England used a 20-save shutout from goalie Ben Churchfield to down Wentworth on Friday night, 5-0. On Saturday, things were a little tighter as the Leopards battled the Nor’easters to a 4-4 score in the third period before Ryan Burr’s power play goal gave UNE the road win and weekend sweep, 5-4.
Independents
Anna Maria moved to 3-1-2 on the season with a 3-2 overtime win over Suffolk on Saturday night. Sam Cyr-Ledoux scored the game-winner just 1:09 into the extra session after teammate Jack Sitzman tied the game with an unassisted goal in the third period.
Bryn Athyn picked up a 3-1 win over Albertus Magnus last Sunday and then tied Nazareth on Saturday night, 3-3. After building a 3-0 lead on goals from Cameron Shorrock, Brett Dillon and Tanner Congdon, the Lions held on for the tie behind 27 saves from goaltender McKenzie Chalmers.
MASCAC
Westfield State picked up a pair of conference wins starting with Thursday night’s 8-2 win over Salem State. Five different players recorded three-point games for the Owls in their first conference win of the season. On Saturday, the Owls served notice to the defending champs from Plymouth State with a 5-2 win. Robert Neuwith and Danny Ferri scored in the third period to break open a tight 3-2 game and goaltender Thierry Messervier made 30 saves in the upset win.
After spotting Massachusetts-Dartmouth a 3-0 lead on Thursday night, Worcester State scored five unanswered goals, including a pair from Brian Smith in a come-from-behind 5-3 win over the Corsairs. On Saturday, the Lancers stayed unbeaten in MASCAC play with a 5-0 win over Framingham State. Smith again got the offense started with the opening goal of the game and goalie Ryan Hoff made 30 saves to earn the shutout win.
NE-10
Assumption was atop the standings entering play this weekend but fell to St. Michael’s 2-1 on Friday night. Thomas Flack and Sel Narby’s first period goals were enough offense and Tim Decker was outstanding in goal making 15 of his 26 saves in the third period to preserve the win for the Purple Knights.
After outshooting Stonehill 50-39 on Friday night, St. Anselm needed an extra-attacker goal to earn a 3-3 tie. Matthew Schoen was outstanding in goal for Stonehill making 47 saves. On Saturday night, the Hawks again had a big shot advantage but leveraged power play goals from Mike Ferraro and Liam O’Sullivan for a 3-1 win moving the Hawks to 2-0-1 in conference play.
NEHC
Norwich had not surrendered a goal through their first two weeks of play but figured to get a stern test at Hobart on Friday night. Felix Brassard provided all the offense goalie Tom Aubrun would need in a playoff style 2-1 win over the Statesmen. Hobart outshot the Cadets 33-27 but could only muster a late extra attacker goal from Lawson MacDougall. On Saturday, Norwich got back to their shutout ways with a 2-0 win at Skidmore. Brassard picked up his third goal of the weekend and Aubrun recorded his fourth shutout in Norwich’s first five games.
New England College picked up two big wins over Massachusetts-Boston and Babson to announce their contender status in the league. The Pilgrims scored four unanswered goals to rally from a 3-2 deficit for a 6-3 win. The first line of Carlos Fornaris, Daniel Bergqvist and Nikita Pintusov combined for three goals and six assists in the win. On Saturday against Babson, Pintusov scored a hat trick including two goals in the final four-minutes of play to break a 3-3 tie and give NEC a 5-3 win. The Pilgrims are now 3-1-0 in conference play.
NESCAC
The conference opened play this weekend with ranked Trinity playing host to Conn College and Tufts to open their season. The Bantams outshot the Camels but needed a power play goal from Dylan Healey and an empty-net goal from Cole Poliziani to seal the 3-1 win. Saturday, Trinity got goals from four different players in a 4-1 win over Tufts. Goaltender Tedy Loughborough picked up both wins for Trinity.
Williams surrendered an opening period goal to Colby’s Brendan Murphy and then scored four straight goals, including three in the second period for a 4-1 opening night win over the Mules. On Saturday, the Ephs jumped out to an early 2-0 lead against Bowdoin but needed 40 saves from netminder Evan Ruschil and two third period goals to break open a close game on the way to a 5-1 win over Bowdoin. Niko Karamanis scored a pair of goals for Williams.
Amherst raced to a 3-0 lead in the first 4:07 of the first period and cruised to a 5-2 win over travel partner Hamilton on Saturday night. Pieter von Steinberg’s shorthanded tally and PJ Conlan’s power play goal extended the lead to 5-0 for the Mammoths.
SUNYAC
Oswego stayed focused and took care of business against Brockport on Friday night in advance to the marquee game of the weekend against Geneseo on Saturday. The Lakers didn’t bring their “A” game to face the Knights as Tyson Empey scored a hat trick and the Geneseo converted on 7 of 12 power plays to rout Oswego, 9-1. Defensemen Chis Perna and Matthew Doran also recorded four-point nights while junior goalie Aaron McKay moved to 3-0 on the season making 24 saves in the win.
Brockport regained their footing on Saturday against Cortland in dramatic fashion as Jordan Renaud’s goal with just 0.4 seconds remaining in regulation gave the Golden Eagles an exciting 2-1 win and split of the weekend’s conference games.
After tying Fredonia 1-1 on Friday night, Plattsburgh got second period goals from Joe Drabin and Rich McCartney to earn a 2-0 win over Buffalo State. Goalie Jimmy Poreda made 39 saves as the Bengals outshot the host team but could not get anything past Poreda.
UCHC
Utica did not look past an upstart Nazareth team on Friday night earning a 4-1 win over the visitors. Conor Landrigan, Daniel Fritz and Kasper Kjellqvist scored in the first period to give the home team a 3-0 lead and help Sean Dickson earn his first win in goal.
Wilkes picked up a pair of wins in conference play. On Friday, goals from Phil Erickson, Donald Flynn and Jivan Sidhu were enough for the visitors to pick up a 3-2 win over Stevenson. Saturday night, the Colonels needed three power play goals in an offensive game that featured 10 goals. The 6-4 win over Chatham keeps Wilkes unbeaten in UCHC play.
Three Biscuits
Tyson Empey – Geneseo – scored three goals and added an assist in the Knights’ blowout win over Oswego on Saturday night.
Eric Manoukian – Endicott – the Gulls forward picked up his first goal of the season with just a second remaining in overtime to give Endicott a 4-3 win over Nichols.
Tyler Hyatt – Wesleyan – scored four goals in the Cardinals’ opening game to lead Wesleyan to a 5-3 win over Tufts.
Norwich, Geneseo and Utica certainly flexed their muscles in big early season match-ups this weekend and several other teams showed that they will be contenders in their conferences moving forward this season.
Colby celebrates a goal against Williams (Colby Athletics)
Colby sweeps No. 6 Williams
In the opening weekend of NESCAC play, No. 6 Williams traveled up to Maine and was swept by Colby, losing 2-1 and 4-3. The Mules split their goaltending duties, with sophomore Nina Prünster starting Friday and making 25 saves and junior Cierra San Roman getting the nod Saturday, making 24 saves. Friday, Williams held the edge going into the third period, but Cindy Giandomenico scored at 12:26 to tie it, and Lexi Cafiero scored with 26 seconds left in the game to give Colby the win. Saturday, Colby rallied again, as Tess Dupre scored twice, scoring at 1:07 of the second to tie the game at 1-1, and then scoring 58 seconds into the third to complete Colby’s second rally, giving the Mules a 4-3 lead they would hold. All of Williams’ goals in the game came on the power play.
Adrian romps over Marian
Adrian scored 18 goals in a sweep of Marian, winning 10-0 Friday and 8-0 Saturday. Jacqueline White had a hat trick Friday, while D-I transfer Nicole Guagliardo continues to key the Adrian offense. Friday, she had two goals and three assists, while Saturday she had a goal and assist. White added a goal and two assists to her weekend total. Guagliardo currently leads the nation in scoring with 12 points.
Nazareth continues hot start
Nazaerth swept its opening UCHC games over the weekend, defeating Wilkes and King’s, 7-0 and 10 respectively. Sophomore Keeley Rose had a goal Friday, and followed that a two-point night Saturday, keeping pace with Guagliardo for the national scoring lead. Nikolle Van Stralen had two goals and two assists Saturday, while she had two goals and an assist Friday. Nazareth faces a much stiffer test next weekend when they play No. 3 Elmira.
No. 7 Norwich rolls
Norwich swept its weekend, defeating New England College, 8-0, on Friday, and following that with a 4-1 win over Trinity Saturday. Amanda Conway and Kelley Madden each had two goals and an assist Friday, while Morgan Tefft had three assists. Conway chipped in another two goals Saturday, while Brynn Wopperer’s short-handed tally midway through the second period proved the game-winner.
Harvard leading scorer Casey Dornbach posted a goal and two assists in the Crimson’s two wins over the weekend over Brown and Yale (photo: Gil Talbot/Harvard Athletics).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 11 fared in games over the Nov. 15-16 weekend.
No. 1 Minnesota State (8-1-1)
Did not play.
No. 2 Denver (8-2-2)
11/15/2019 – No. 9 North Dakota 1 at No. 2 Denver 1 (OT)
11/16/2019 N- o. 9 North Dakota 4 at No. 2 Denver 1
No. 3 Cornell (6-0-0)
11/15/2019 – No. 3 Cornell 4 at No. 7 Clarkson 2
11/16/2019 – No. 3 Cornell 6 at St. Lawrence 1 (at Canton)
Cole Smith scored a pair of goals in North Dakota’s 4-1 road win over Denver Saturday night at Magness Arena (photo: North Dakota Athletics).
Ninth-ranked North Dakota added some color to the scoresheet in defeating No. 2 Denver 4-1 on the road Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd of 6,308 at Magness Arena.
The victory featured a first career goal (Josh Rieger), a power-play goal, a short-handed goal, an empty-net goal and North Dakota killing off two major penalties and all seven DU power-play chances in the win.
Cole Smith scored twice for the Fighting Hawks, to go along with a late empty-netter from Westin Michaud.
“It was a disappointing effort all around and unfortunately we weren’t able to execute,” Denver coach David Carle said. “Tip your hat to them, they came out and played better in all facets.”
In the third, UND had to fight off two separate 5-on-3 opportunities after a five-minute major for checking from behind and game disqualification for Smith. The road team took care of business by killing off all of the penalties, however, DU spoiled the shutout 10 seconds after the major elapsed to make it 3-1 on a goal by Emilio Pettersen.
Adam Scheel made 27 saves for the win and also assisted on Rieger’s goal, while Magnus Chrona stopped 18 shots for the Pioneers.
After tying 1-1 Friday night, the last time UND went unbeaten in a weekend series at Magness Arena was in the 2003-04 season.
Colorado College 5, St. Cloud State 2
Five Colorado College players scored and Ben Copeland collected a pair of assists to lead the Tigers to a 5-2 victory over St. Cloud State Saturday night at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.
With the victory, CC completed its first sweep of St. Cloud State since Dec. 10-11, 2010, and handed the Huskies their first back-to-back losses at home since Nov. 18-19, 2016 vs. North Dakota.
“We played extremely well for six periods,” said CC coach Mike Haviland. “We worked hard all weekend. You go through some adversity, but the guys stepped up. It was really good to see us put back-to-back games together.
“We did all the little things that need to get done to win hockey games. You know you can do it, now we need to continue doing it.”
Matt Vernon made 27 saves in the win, while Dávid Hrenák and Joey Lamoreaux combined on a 27-save effort for the Huskies.
Niagara 5, Canisius 3
Niagara defeated archrival Canisius 5-3 in the second and final game of the season between the two teams.
Ryan Naumovski figured in on each goal, posting five assists.
Niagara was able to cut into Canisius’ lead in the Battle of the Bridge standings. Through the first eight events of the year, the Griffs hold a narrow 7-5 edge in the race for the Canal Cup.
Notre Dame 5, Wisconsin 4 (OT)
Alex Steeves netted the game winner 1:58 into overtime as No. 3 Notre Dame Irish posted a 5-4 overtime victory at No. 15 Wisconsin on Saturday night at the Kohl Center.
Trevor Janicke, Cam Burke, Jesse Lansdell and Colin Theisen also scored for Notre Dame and defenseman Nate Clurman contributed a pair of assists.
Theisen’s goal eliminated a 4-3 deficit late in the third period, setting the stage for Steeves’ overtime heroics.
Cale Morris posted 31 saves for the Irish and Wisconsin’s Daniel Lebedeff also made 31 stops.
Cornell 6, St. Lawrence 1
Six different players scored for Cornell and Matthew Galajda made 15 saves to run his record – and the team’s – to 6-0-0 this season.
Liam Motley scores a goal Saturday night for Cornell (photo: Cornell Athletics).
“We didn’t even talk about adjustments between the first and second periods,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer. “We just talked about how we needed to get to work. We needed to play with some pace and get back to that intensity we had last night.”
Cornell leads the nation with a 42.3 percent success rate on the power play and has scored at least one power-play goal in its first six games of a season for the first time since 2009-10.
The Big Red also remains one of the last two undefeated teams in the country alongside Harvard (5-0-0).
Connecticut 2, UMass Lowell 1
No. 12-ranked UMass Lowell fell to UConn 2-1 in the series finale at the Tsongas Center on Saturday night.
“Overall, it’s a tough feeling,” said River Hawks coach Norm Bazin. “We haven’t had this for a while. It’s been three and a half weeks without a loss. We lacked in our finishing and execution, and that lack of finishing came back to bite us. They played a good game. They were hungry this weekend and overall they deserved to win.”
UConn GOAL!!! Huskies go up 2-0 thanks to Brian Rigali. Kuznetsov with the shot from the point and Rigali bangs in the rebound at 9:42. #IceBuspic.twitter.com/oOR1zrR8IX
Wyatt Newpower opened the scoring for the Huskies at the 14:25 mark of the second period and Brian Rigali added another midway through the third period to give the Huskies a 2-0 advantage.
Bowling Green 3, Alaska Anchorage 0
Bowling Green completed a two-game sweep of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday night with a 3-0 win.
Eric Dop earned his first shutout of the season, finishing with 29 saves.
“Eric Dop was really good all weekend,” said BGSU coach Ty Eigner. “In the first period, he didn’t have a lot of work, and then in the second period when they had a push, he was really good. I’m really, really happy with how Eric played this weekend.”
Massachusetts 4, Boston University 1
No. 5 Massachusetts scored three third-period goals to pull away from Boston University en route to a 4-1 win at the Mullins Center on Saturday night.
The victory preserves the Minutemen’s perfect home record at 6-0-0.
“I’m very happy with our team’s performance this weekend,” said UMass coach Greg Carvel. “I think as a team, we took a big step forward, playing a skilled BU team in two games and dominantly outshooting them. Tonight, for the first time, we were the team that got a lot more power plays than the other team, which is a good sign. In the third period, again, just like last night, we were really strong, had the puck in the offensive zone and created and prevented defensively pretty well.
“The only thing I think we really need to work on is getting the power play going, and think we’ll have Marc Del Gaizo back next week so hopefully that will help that situation.”
