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Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap February 5, 2024

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Bemidji State (1) Ohio State

The Buckeyes tied a program record for goals in a game on Friday as they took down the Beavers 11-1. Just one OSU skater – Joy Dunne – scored more than one goal. A total of sixteen Buckeyes tallied points, led by Hannah Bilka, with a goal and three assists. Calli Forsberg ruined the shutout and got Bemidji on the board. On Saturday, they set a new program record with three short-handed goals as they cruised to a 9-1 win and weekend sweep. Jenna Buglioni opened the scoring and then put the first shorthander in. She also ended the scoring with a shorthander. Joceyln Amos also had a shorthander as well as an even strength goal. Kayla Santl was the goal scorer for Bemidji. 

(9) St. Cloud State at (2) Wisconsin

See full Game 1 recap here. St. Cloud State got out to an early lead thanks to a deflection credited to Taylor Lind. Wisconsin replied with a goal from Maddi Wheeler in the second and then KK Harvey won the game in overtime. On Sunday, the Huskies once again took the early lead, this time on Alice Sauriol’s follow up of her own shot. The Badgers were quicker to respond this time as Kelly Gorbatenko poked in a rebound from Laila Edwards’ shot. Harvey scored her second of the weekend on a power play in the second to give UW a 2-1 lead. Laney Potter scored her second and third goals of the season midway through the final frame to extend the lead to 4-1. Emma Gentry continued her hot streak by lighting the lamp to make it 4-2, but Lacey Eden’s empty netter secured a 5-2 Badger win and weekend sweep.

(3) Colgate at (4) Clarkson

The Golden Knights came out flying and carried the force of the first frame to a 3-1 win. Clarkson outshot the Raiders 20-6 in the first, absolutely controlling play. Colgate held them off for the first part of the frame, but Jenna Goodwin, Haley Winn and Jaden Bogden all scored in the final eight minutes of the frame to put Clarkson up 3-0. Colgate was never able to find their footing and while they pushed back a bit in the second and got a goal from Danielle Serdachny, the Golden Knights did not back down and did not allow another goal. 

(3) Colgate at (8) St. Lawrence

The Saints closed out an emphatic statement weekend with an overtime win over Colgate. Anna Segedi opened the scoring when she converted a turnover into a breakaway midway through the first to five St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead. Colgate tried to take control of the game back in the second, keeping SLU off the board and holding possession. They eventually tied the game with a goal from Danielle Serdachny in transition. On the power play to end the frame, Ally Simpson’s shot from the point ran into a bunch of traffic and ended up in the back of the net to put the Raiders up 2-1 at the second intermission. The teams were closely matched through the third, but St. Lawrence found the equalizer on their fourth power play of the game when Abby Hustler put back a rebound to tie it 2-2. In the extra frame, the Saints killed a penalty and took that momentum to end it as Mae Batherson had the puck in the slot and hit Segedi at the back post to give St. Lawrence the 3-2 win. 

(6) Cornell at (4) Clarkson

The Golden Knights dominated in shots on net, 43-16, but Annelies Bergmann earned her second career shutout and set a new career record for saves as she stonewalled Clarkson while the defense racked up 32 blocks to help Cornell team to a 3-0 win. Kaitlin Jockims put the Big Red up 1-0 in the first on an off-balanced shot from distance. NCAA points leader Izzy Daniel took advantage of a turnover early in the second to double the lead. In the third, a Grace Dwyer block led to a Karel Prefontaine breakaway that made it 3-0 and then the Cornell defense settled in even more to close out the game. 

St. Thomas at (5) Minnesota 

St. Thomas’ Nicole Vallario looked to have the Tommies going to the locker room up 1-0 but Abbey Murphy struck on the power play in the final 40 seconds of the frame to tie the game 1-1 at the first break. After a scoreless second, Josefin Bouveng scored from distance to make it 2-1. Madison Kaiser had a goal overturned, but eventually got on the board with an empty-netter to secure a 3-1 win for the Gophers. In the second game, Bouveng scored on the power play but St. Thomas replied exactly a minute later as Lauren Stenslie tied the game 1-1. Abbey Murphy scored early in the second, but once again the Tommies quickly replied, this time as Ella Boerger showed off a bit on her own to make it 2-2. Emma Kreisz scored on the power play to put Minnesota up 3-2 and then Murphy lit the lamp again to make it 4-2. She received a game misconduct for boarding at the end of the second and would miss the rest of the game. Peyton Hemp added a goal in the third and the Gophers held off the Tommies to take a 5-2 win and weekend sweep. 

(6) Cornell at (8) St. Lawrence

Aly McLeod scored 16 seconds into the game on Friday, setting the tone for a frenetic close game as St. Lawrence took a 1-0 lead. Cornell pushed back in the second, holding possession and looking for an opportunity to even things up. Avi Adam found herself with the puck and wide open in the slot midway through the game and she did not miss to tie the game 1-1. The game-winner was full of controversy as Cornell goalie Annelies Bergmann was knocked down during chaos for a loose puck in front of the net. Melissa Jeffries’ shot sailed into the net and after a long review, the goal was called good. The Big Red could not find the equalizer and the Saints took the win. 

Minnesota State at (7) Minnesota Duluth

Danielle Burgen continued a hot streak with her third and fourth goals over the last three games to lead UMD to a 3-0 win. Her first was a highlight reel goal as she was falling with her back to the goal and whacked the puck out of the air with her backhand to make it 1-0. Mannon McMahon streaked up the ice to beat her defender and then cleaned up her own rebound to make it 2-0. In the second, Bergen tapped in another to make it 3-0. Hailey MacLeod earned the shutout in the win. On Saturday, Olivia Wallin and Clara Van Wieren each scored on the power play and the Bulldogs held the Mavericks off the board until the final two minutes of the weekend before Sydney Langseth broke up the shutout to make it a 2-1 Minnesota Duluth win. 

 

(12) Princeton at (9) Quinnipiac

The Bobcats snapped a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a 3-1 win over Princeton. Sophie Turner put Quinnipiac on the board at the end of the 1st on a one-timer from Kate Reilly. Reilly lit the lamp herself at the end of a major penalty power play to start the second to make it 2-0. Kendall Cooper extended the lead at the end of the second to make it 3-0. Princeton pulled one back near the end of the game as Sarah Paul broke up the shutout, but Quinnipiac took the win. 

Providence vs. (11) Connecticut (home and home)

UConn skated to yet another time, their sixth of the season, Friday night. This one they earned in come-from-behind fashion. Providence had a 2-0 lead with less than five minutes to play thanks to goals from Reichen Kirchmair and Lindsay Bochna. But the Huskies came out firing in the final frame, holding the Friars to just two shots. They finally broke through on the power play in the final three minutes when Riley Grimley lit the lamp. Less than a minute later, Kathryn Stockdale tied the game. Overtime did not find a winner and this one ended 2-2. Not happy to end in another deadlock, Connecticut took an overtime win Saturday to push their Hockey East unbeaten streak to 18 games. Stockdale scored her second of the weekend at the midpoint of the game, putting away a rebound to make it 1-0 Huskies. This time it was the Friars who came from behind to force overtime as Audrey Knapp scored to make it 1-1. With 74 seconds left in the extra frame, Ashley Allard hopped on a loose puck to end the game and give UConn the win. 

New Hampshire vs. (13) Northeastern (home and home)

Over the course of two very close games, these teams tied in shots on goals, 28-28 in the first game and 31-31 in the second. On Thursday New Hampshire jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to Nicole Kelly and Kira Juodikis and it looked like that’s how the first would end, but Peyton Anderson found Katy Knoll all alone in the slot with 8.1 seconds left in the period to cut the lead to 2-1. The teams were well matched and went back and forth. Anderson scored a minute into the third to tie the game and force overtime. Jules Constantinople won it for the Huskies on what looked to be a broken play as she and Taze Thompson weren’t in sync in front of the net. But Constantinople’s backhand beat Sedona Blair to give NU the 3-2 OT win. In the second game, Peyton Compton put away a rebound 2:41 into the first and that would be the only scoring for the ensuing 39:51 as the teams fought to gain an edge. UNH looked to have that in hand in the third, as they scored three unanswered. Kelly and Jada Christian scored in the first few minutes and then Nicole added a shorthander to put the Wildcats up 3-1. But Northeastern pulled their goalie and Taze Thompson pulled the Huskies within one. Again with the extra attacker, Lily Shannon put away a rebound in the final minute of regulation to force overtime. Then it took just 26 seconds of overtime for Katy Knoll to see and take the open space in front of the net and give Northeastern the win.

(14) Yale at RPI

Amanda Rampado made 41 saves and surpassed 3,000 for her career, making her the second in program history to reach the mark. Maddy Papineau scored late in the first on a 2-on-1 rush to put the Engineers on the board first and then Ellie Kaiser scored in the final minute of the frame to make it 2-0 at the break. Anna Bargman put away a rebound in the second to cut the lead to 2-1 for Yale. Nyah Philip extended RPI’s lead midway through the second and Kaiser added an empty-netter to give Rensselaer the 4-1 win.

(14) Yale at Union

Junior Pia Dukarich set a new program record with 17 shutouts with the Bulldogs’ 4-0 win over Union. Emma Harvey, Carina DiAntonio, Jordan Ray and Claire Sedgewick were the goal-scorers for Yale in the win.

Mercyhurst at (15) Penn State

On Friday, Kendall Butze had two assists and Lyndie Lobdell, Maddy Christian, Brianna Brooks and Tessa Janecke each scored to lead the Nittany Lions to a 4-0 win. In the second game, Mercyhurst took a 2-0 lead into the second thanks to goals from Vanessa Upson and Thea Johansson 11 seconds apart. Leah Stecker pulled one back for Penn State midway through the third and then Brooks added a power play goal in the final two minutes to force overtime. Maggie MacEachern ended the game 19 seconds into the extra frame to earn the sweep for Penn State. 

(15) Boston College vs. Boston University (home and home)

Julia Pellerin scored late in the second period to put Boston College ahead. Sammy Taber added an empty netter to make it a 2-0 lead and Sammy Smigliani’s goal in the final minutes pushed it to a 3-0 win for the Eagles. In the second game, Liv Haag chased down a clear during a BC power play, stole the puck from the goalie and neatly put BU up 1-0 just before the end of the 1st. The Terriers controlled the play through the middle, outshooting Boston University 18-5 in the second. Christina Vote came out of the penalty box to score a beauty of a backhander to make it 2-0. Lacey Martin’s power play goal ensured the 3-0 win for Boston University. 

 

D-II/III East Men’s Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – February 5, 2024

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Westfield State scored early and held on to give MASCAC leading Plymouth State their first conference loss in almost two seasons (Photo by Westfield State Athletics)

The final weeks of the regular season are in full swing, and the action continues to be full of surprises with teams playing for much that is still on the line in most conferences. Hobart has clinched the regular season title in the NEHC and Plymouth State, despite their first loss in almost two full seasons, has done the same in MASCAC. Elsewhere the battles will likely continue right to the final whistle in two weeks but until then positions and seeding are very much on the line each time out and there is also some scoreboard watching that comes with what the standings look like after each slate of games. Here is this week’s recap for some thrilling action across the East:

CCC

The battle at the top of the conference finds Curry and Endicott tied in first place after this weekend’s action with Salve Regina in third and the University of New England now in fourth place.

Curry extended their win streak to nine games with a convincing sweep of Salve Regina over the weekend. On the road Friday night, both teams were finding their game in the opening 20 minutes with neither able to score. Early in the second period Matt Connor scored his first of two goals in the period and four for the Colonels who raced to a 4-1 lead after two periods of action. Goals just 19 seconds apart from George Vonakis and Killian Rowlee (second of the game) in the third period helped seal a 6-1 win. Back home on Saturday, Curry scored once in the first period, once in the second period and twice in the third in route to a 4-0 win backstopped by thirty saves from goaltender Shane Soderwall. Gage Dill scored one goal and added an assist for the Colonels.

Endicott’s Ryan Willett scored a pair of goals and added an assist in pacing the Gull offense to an 8-2 rout of Western New England on Friday night on home ice. On Saturday, the goals were harder to come by as The Golden Bears stunned the Gulls with a pair of shorthanded goals in a 3-3 overtime tie. Jackson Sterrett scored the only goal in the shootout to help the Gulls to the extra point which keeps them tied with Curry atop the CCC.

After dropping both games last weekend, UNE faced a Wentworth team poised for an upset and ran into the hot goaltending of Jack McGovern in a 3-2 loss to the Leopards. McGovern stopped 48 of 50 shots and goals from Mitch McGinn, Nicholas Sombrowski (final second of first period) and Gary Claps were enough to extend the Nor’easter losing streak to three games. On Saturday, four unanswered goals in the opening 40 minutes were more than enough to pace UNE to a 5-1 bounce back win over Wentworth.

Independents

Anna Maria and Canton played a two-game series with the AmCats skating away with a pair of wins on home ice this weekend. On Friday, three special team goals helped the AmCats to a comfortable 6-2 win over the Kangaroos. Matthew Gilbert scored two goals and Braeden McKinnon chipped in with a shorthanded goal and an assist to support goaltender Cole Johnston who stopped 40 of 42 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, Cam Tobey sparked an Anna Maria comeback with a pair of goals and Samson Mouland’s empty-net tally helped ice a 5-3 win and sweep over Canton. Johnston stopped thirty-eight shots in the win for AMC and the netminder added an assist on the game’s final goal.

Following Tuesday’s 5-3 win over Rivier to sweep the two-game series with the Raiders in their final home game, the Falcons closed out their season with a one-goal win against Alvernia on Friday night. Logan Bateman picked up the win making thirty-three saves in goal while William Lavigne, Gustav Muller, and Robert Barrasso provided all the scoring to help AMC close the season with a road win and a 16-9-0 record for the 2023-24 campaign.

MASCAC

Thursday night was the land of upsets as the top three teams in the standings all dropped decisions in MASCAC action including Plymouth State losing their first conference game in almost two full seasons.

Westfield State played host to the Panthers on Thursday and raced to a 3-0 first period lead in the opening five minutes of play on goals from Nicolas Coppola, Brett Williams, and Ryan O’Halloran. The Panthers rallied back with two power play goals in the second period but that is all the Owls and goaltender Valtteri Valtonen would surrender in a 3-2 upset win. Valtonen stopped 38 of 40 shots to pick up the first MASCAC win over PSU since the 2021-22 season. On Saturday, the Panthers rebounded with a 7-4 decision over MCLA while the Owls dropped a 6-2 decision to Worcester State.

The Trailblazers enjoyed their biggest win of the season on Thursday when they rallied for a 3-2 overtime win against Massachusetts-Dartmouth on the road. After falling behind 2-0 in the second period, Cody White cut the lead in half before Cade Herrera tied the game at 2-2 in the third period. Sean Schifferl with an assist from Charlie Addesa just over a minute into overtime gave MCLA a thrilling win over the Corsairs, 3-2. Goaltender Matthew Gover stopped 46 of 48 shots to earn the win.

Fitchburg State was also a victim of the upset bug on Thursday as the Falcons dropped a  6-4 game against Salem State. The Vikings were led by a goal and an assist from Erik Larsson and two goals and an assist from Zach Dill as Salem State never trailed in the contest. On Saturday, against a Massachusetts-Dartmouth team also looking to rebound after a loss, the Falcons used goals from four different players and thirty saves form Frederick Soderberg to earn a hard fought 4-2 win at home against the Corsairs.

NE-10

Assumption has a commanding lead in the NE-10 standings but picked up their 20th win of the season on Tuesday night in a non-conference win over Conn College, 3-2. Jonathan Surrette’s shorthanded goal midway through the third period broke a 2-2 tie and gave the Greyhounds a big win over the Camels. Continuing in non-conference play on Saturday, Assumption dropped Rivier 3-0 with forward Ronny Paragallo figuring in all the scoring with a goal and two assists while netminder Thomas McLarnon made twenty-two saves to earn the shutout.

Southern New Hampshire swept a weekend series with Franklin Pierce with a pair of one-goal wins. On Friday, Kurt Watson scored two goals as the Penmen raced out to a 3-0 lead but had to hold off the Ravens and Declan House who scored twice in a 3-2 loss at SNHU. On Saturday, Nick Fish tied the score at 2-2 for FPU just 20 seconds into the third period but neither team could break the tie in regulation. SNHU’s Matt Amante did not waste much time scoring the overtime winner just over a minute into the extra period for a 3-2 win and weekend sweep that improved their NE-10 record to 8-7-1.

St. Michael’s completed a sweep of the season series with St. Anselm with 5-0 and 3-2 wins over the Hawks on home ice. On Friday night, Brennan McFarland assisted on three Purple Knight goals as SMC expanded on a 2-0 lead with three third period goals in a comfortable win over the Hawks. On Saturday, Max Burum and Liam Lyons gave the visitors a 2-0 lead, but Case Kantgias and Ty Bloom leveled the game at 2-2 after two periods of play. Kantgias provided the game winning goal late in the third period as goaltender Marshall Murphy made twenty of his twenty-eight saves in the final two periods for a 3-2 win that moved the Purple Knights record to 9-6-0 in NE-10 play.

NEHC

Hobart clinched the regular season title in the penultimate weekend with a pair of road wins over Johnson & Wales and Massachusetts-Boston. On Friday, two goals and an assist from Ignov Belat and one goal and two assists from Tanner Hartman helped pace the Statesmen to a 5-2 win over the Wildcats. On Saturday, six different goal scorers helped pace a comfortable 6-1 win over the Beacons. Kahlil Fontana led the offense with a goal and two assists.

After rallying from a two-goal deficit on Tuesday for a 4-4 overtime tie against Plattsburgh, the Cadets returned to NEHC play with a game against travel partner New England College on Saturday. Goals by Paul Schmid and Cooper Bertrand just 11 seconds apart in the third period helped break open a 2-2 tie on the way to a 5-2 win. Schmid finished the game with a goal and an assist while Bertrand added two assists to his goal in the win.

After posting a 5-1 win over Babson on Friday night, Skidmore looked for a weekend sweep of NEHC games, but Southern Maine had other ideas. Jakub Suran tied the score at 2-2 in the second period before Ethan MacDuff gave the visitors a 3-2 lead at the second intermission. Matt Sullivan’s power play goal in the third period was the only marker in the final 20 minutes as goaltender Mason Palmer made forty-one saves to hold off the Thoroughbreds.

Elmira returned to their winning ways with a weekend sweep of UMB and J&W by scores of 6-2 and 5-2. On Friday, Janis Vizbelis recorded a hat trick as the Soaring Eagles expanded a 1-0 lead with three goals in the second period on the way to a four-goal win over the Beacons. On Saturday, Vizbelis opened the scoring as Elmira scored the first four goals of the game in a 5-2 win over the Wildcats.

NESCAC

Trinity stayed comfortably atop in the NESCAC standings with a pair of 3-2 wins over Williams and Middlebury. On Friday night, the Bantams rallied from a 2-0 deficit on a pair of goals from Christian Hayes before Kyle Tomaso netted the game-winner on the power play in the third period. Saturday afternoon saw the Bantams surrender tying goals to Middlebury twice including Andrej Hromic’s goal with just 13 seconds remaining in regulation time for a 2-2 tie after 60 minutes of play. Tomaso again proved to be the hero for the Bantams as his goal after an end-to-end rush just 32 seconds into overtime sealed the 3-2 win over the Panthers.

After tying through overtime with Amherst, 2-2 on Friday night, Bowdoin picked up a big win over Hamilton on Saturday, 3-2. Patrick Callahan scored a pair of power play goals and Bryce Bollman scored what proved to be the game winner in the final minute of the second period. Alex Kozic stopped 37 of 39 shots as the Continentals outshot the Polar Bears by a 39-22 margin.

Tufts played a pair of games with travel partner Connecticut College and split the series with the Camels. On Friday, Conn College rallied from a 3-1 deficit to tie the score in the final half minute of regulation on a goal by Owen Cleary. Quinn Kennedy provided the game-winning goal midway through overtime in the Camels’ dramatic 4-3 win. On Saturday, the Jumbos eliminated all drama with Tyler Sedlak and Harrison Bazianos scoring two goals each while goaltender Peyton Durand stopped twenty-two shots to earn the shutout in a 4-0 win.

SUNYAC

The contenders have emerged in recent weeks with Plattsburgh, Geneseo and Oswego battling for the top spot while Cortland continues to look to challenge the Big 3 down the stretch.

Geneseo had games with two contenders this weekend and emerged victorious with a close road win at Cortland followed by a rout of long-time rival Oswego on Saturday at home. At Cortland, the Knights found the Red Dragons to be a persistent challenge as the home team twice responded to goals by Zach Purcell to tie the game with less than seven minutes remaining in regulation. In the last minute, Stefan Miklakos stunned the home crowd with the winning goal that helped Geneseo escape with a huge 3-2 road win. On Saturday, Geneseo hosted the Lakers and Tyson Gilmour had himself a night for the Knights scoring three goals and assisting on two more as the home team ran away with a 7-1 win and weekend sweep of two pivotal SUNYAC contests.

Plattsburgh returned to SUNYAC action after a non-conference tie with Norwich on Tuesday and faced a stern test against Potsdam. Mason Hoehn tied the game for the Bears in the third period at 2-2 but the Cardinals found late game magic off the stick of Luk Jirousek for a 3-2 lead and iced the win with a shorthanded, empty-net goal from Joshua Belgrave, his second of the night, and skated off with a 4-2 win.

Cortland rebounded from Friday’s loss to Geneseo with a 5-1 win against Brockport on Saturday. With a 1-0 lead starting the second period, Sutter Donegan, Cameron Knowlton, and Anthony Bernardo all scored in the first six minutes of the second period to stretch the lead and cruise to an important road win.

Buffalo State tied Morrisville 1-1 on Wednesday night before facing off against Post in a non-conference game on Saturday. The Bengals needed a Vadim Kiriakov goal in the third period to tie the game at 2-2 and a Nick Stuckless goal assisted by Kiriakov in the final minute of overtime to skate off with a 3-2 win.

UCHC

Utica continued to cruise atop the UCHC standings following their two-game sweep of King’s over the weekend. A hat trick from Eric Vitale and two goals from Matt Wood paced a runaway 9-0 win on Friday night and the Pioneers continued the offensive fireworks with a 7-0 win on Saturday. John Gutt scored a pair of goals while Wood added a goal and two assists while Utica extended their win streak to ten games.

Stevenson swept a pair of games from Neumann to extend their current win streak to eight games. Liam McCanney scored a first period natural hat trick on Friday in a 5-2 win over the Black Knights. On Saturday, McCanney broke a 3-3 tie in the final minute of the second period and the Mustangs tacked on two more third period goals by Graeme McCrory and Jack Meloff to complete a 6-3 win.

Wilkes also won their two-game series with Nazareth by scores of 7-1 and 3-2. On Friday, five power play goals and a five-goal third period broke open a 2-1 game as the Colonels cruised to a lopsided 7-1 victory. Matt Carlson scored a pair of goals while Cam Lowe chipped in with four assists for the Colonels. On Saturday, the Golden Flyers took an early 2-0 lead only to see Wilkes chip away with a goal in each period for a come-from-behind, 3-2 win. Luke Dobles scored the game-winning goal and goaltender Jack Perna made thirty saves to earn the win.

Three Biscuits

Sean Schifferl – Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts – completed the scoring in overtime in the Trailblazers’ 3-2 comeback win over Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Thursday night.

Tyson Gilmour – Geneseo – recorded a hat trick and added two assists in the Knights’ runaway win over Oswego on Saturday, 7-1.

Janis Vizbelis – Elmira – scored a hat trick to lead the Soaring Eagles to a 6-2 win over Massachusetts-Boston on Friday night.

Bonus Biscuits

Liam McCanney – Stevenson – scored a natural hat trick in the opening period in a 5-2 win over Neumann on Friday night.

Kyle Tomaso – Trinity – scored the game-winning goals in a pair of Trinity wins over Williams and Middlebury over the weekend.

Ronny Paragallo – Assumption – figured in all the scoring in the Greyhounds’ 3-0 non-conference win over Rivier on Saturday.

There are just one or two weeks remaining on the schedule across the conferences to earn or improve one’s playoff position or build momentum into the all-important conference tournaments upcoming. Tiebreakers are on the line and there are still several critical matchups where head-to-head games will carry a lot of weight in needed points. There continue to be spoilers out there so look for some surprises yet to happen in upcoming action in February.

 

 

Monday 10: North Dakota sweeps Miami, Cornell keeps winning, Atlantic Hockey standings tightening, St. Thomas moves to top of CCHA

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Cornell’s Luke Devlin gets position on St. Lawrence goalie Ben Kraws in the teams’ game last Saturday night (photo: Lexi Woodcock/Cornell Athletics).

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

1. No. 9 Minnesota, No. 4 Wisconsin split Big Ten points on weekend

Both contests at the Kohl Center this weekend went to overtime, with the visiting Gophers taking the Friday contest in overtime, 2-1, and the Badgers winning the shootout for the extra point in Big Ten standings after a 1-1 tie.

Saturday’s sellout crowd of 15,359 was the biggest of the season for Wisconsin.

“This place, because the fans are here, is special. It’s a beautiful building with an awful lot of seats but it’s a different place when it’s full,” said Badgers coach Mike Hastings. “For anyone to think they didn’t have an impact on these games is crazy. They make it a special place, and I’m glad they can walk out with a smile on their faces because we appreciate them being here.”

2. No. 2 North Dakota comes back for OT win Friday, sweeps Miami

Trailing 4-2 at Miami to start the third period on Friday, North Dakota’s Logan Britt and Riese Gaber each tallied in the final stanza to force overtime. Jackson Blake potted the overtime winner for the 5-4 win for the Fighting Hawks.

Saturday’s 4-1 victory for North Dakota was Brad Berry’s 200th as a head coach.

3. No. 20 Omaha gets its first sweep of the season

Omaha’s 5-1 and 4-3 wins at home over Minnesota Duluth gave the Mavericks their first weekend sweep of the season.

On Saturday, coach Mike Gabinet complimented his team on getting production from all four lines. “That’s what it takes for us to be successful,” Gabinet said. “Everyone’s got to be contributing.”

The six points on the weekend moved Omaha ahead of Minnesota Duluth into sixth place, and just five points behind fourth-place Denver.

4. Western Michigan keeps pace

A weekend split at Denver, including a 7-2 shellacking of the host Pioneers on Saturday, keeps the Broncos within one point of first-round home ice in the NCHC. Denver won Friday’s opener, 3-2.

Six different players scored for Western Michigan on Saturday, including a pair from Sam Colangelo.

5. Michigan gets sweep of Ohio State

The No. 12 Wolverines picked up six Big Ten conference points with a pair of wins over Ohio State, 4-2 and 4-1.

Goalie Jacob Barczewski started in net both nights, turning aside 37 shots on Friday and making 29 saves on Saturday.

Michigan still trails first-place Michigan State by 15 points, though that gap was trimmed by three by the Spartans’ split at Notre Dame.

6. Cornell’s weekend wins keep Big Red in hunt

No. 13 Cornell picked up a pair of home wins on the weekend over North Country rivals St. Lawrence and Clarkson by lopsided 5-1 and 7-2 margins respectively.

The Big Red trails first-place Quinnipiac in the ECAC Hockey standings by 11 points with eight games remaining and a game in hand with the Bobcats.

Cornell now sports an unbeaten streak of 10 games, the longest since a 10-0 start of the 2019-20 season, and the eighth such streak in the Mike Schafer era.

The wins also keep Cornell in the at-large hunt right on the edge of the PairWise Bubble at No. 14.

7. Northeastern catches fire heading into Beanpot

Northeastern has won four straight heading into tonight’s Beanpot semifinal against Harvard. After a weekend home-and-home sweep of Merrimack last weekend, the Huskies upset No. 3 Boston University, 4-3, in overtime on Tuesday and then downed No. 6 Maine Friday night, 6-3.

In Friday’s win, Northeastern capitalized with three power-play goals on a major penalty to Maine.

8. No. 1 Boston College, No. 3 Boston University tally victories ahead of Monday’s Beanpot showdown

No. 1 Boston College trounced UMass Lowell 6-1 on Friday led by a pair of Cutter Gauthier goals. Meanwhile, No. 3 Boston University took down No. 18 New Hampshire 6-3 as Jack Hughes and Nick Zabaneh each scored twice in the road win.

The two rivals play their third contest of the season on Monday in the Beanpot semifinal. BC swept a home-and-home series in January.

9. St. Thomas moves atop CCHA

A weekend split in a home-and-home series was enough to keep St. Thomas in the lead of the CCHA. The Tommies picked up a point on Friday in a home overtime loss, 4-3, to Minnesota State and a 4-2 win in Mankato on Saturday.

St. Thomas is not eligible for the NCAA tournament while it completes its transition to D-I from D-III.

First-year Minnesota State coach Luke Strand expressed in a postgame press conference some frustration over inconsistency in calling games.

“I don’t know what a boarding is. I don’t know what a check from behind is. I don’t know what a goal for is. I don’t know what a reviewable play is,” he said after Saturday’s game.

10. Holy Cross, Robert Morris get sweeps in Atlantic Hockey play, tightening standings

Holy Cross swept Air Force 6-3 and 5-2 over the weekend to move into third place in the Atlantic Hockey standings, just one point behind second-place Sacred Heart and three behind first-place No. 19 RIT, though the Tigers have three games and the Pioneers two games in hand.

Holy Cross has next weekend off, then just three games to end the regular season.

“Going into the playoffs … we’re going to have to have some ability to stay sharp,” Holy Cross coach Bill Riga said about the time off.

Reborn Robert Morris swept a home-and-home series with Mercyhurst to move into a tie for ninth place in the conference with the Lakers. The Colonials hold the tie-breaker with Mercyhurst in their three-game season series.

Robert Morris is just four points behind Niagara in the race for first-round home ice.

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Feb. 2-3

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Omaha won both games on home ice over the weekend over Minnesota Duluth (photo: Mark Kuhlmann).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll of Jan. 29 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 2-3.

No. 1 Boston College (19-4-1)
02/02/2024 – No. 1 Boston College 6 at UMass Lowell 1

No. 2 North Dakota (20-6-2)
02/02/2024 – No. 2 North Dakota 5 at Miami 4 (OT)
02/03/2024 – No. 2 North Dakota 4 at Miami 1

No. 3 Boston University (17-7-1)
01/30/2024 – No. 3 Boston University 3 at Northeastern 4 (OT)
02/02/2024 – No. 3 Boston University 6 at No. 18 New Hampshire 3

No. 4 Wisconsin (20-6-2)
02/02/2024 – No. 9 Minnesota 2 at No. 4 Wisconsin 1 (OT)
02/03/2024 – No. 9 Minnesota 1 at No. 4 Wisconsin 1 (OT)

No. 5 Denver (18-8-2)
02/02/2024 – No. 15 Western Michigan 2 at No. 5 Denver 3
02/03/2024 – No. 15 Western Michigan 7 at No. 5 Denver 2

No. 6 Maine (17-5-2)
02/02/2024 – No. 6 Maine 3 at Northeastern 6
02/03/2024 – No. 6 Maine 1 at No. 11 Massachusetts 0

No. 7 Quinnipiac (19-6-2)
02/02/2024 – Harvard 1 at No. 7 Quinnipiac 2
02/03/2024 – Dartmouth 1 at No. 7 Quinnipiac 5

No. 8 Michigan State (18-7-3)
02/02/2024 – No. 8 Michigan State 1 at RV Notre Dame 4
02/03/2024 – No. 8 Michigan State 4 at RV Notre Dame 0

No. 9 Minnesota (16-7-5)
02/02/2024 – No. 9 Minnesota 2 at No. 4 Wisconsin 1 (OT)
02/03/2024 – No. 9 Minnesota 1 at No. 4 Wisconsin 1 (OT)

No. 10 Providence (15-8-2)
02/02/2024 – No. 10 Providence 5 at Connecticut 0
02/03/2024 – Connecticut 2 at No. 10 Providence 1

No. 11 Massachusetts (14-7-3)
02/02/2024 – No. 11 Massachusetts 3 at Merrimack 2
02/03/2024 – No. 6 Maine 1 at No. 11 Massachusetts 0

No. 12 Michigan (14-9-3)
02/02/2024 – No. 12 Michigan 4 at Ohio State 2
02/03/2024 – No. 12 Michigan 4 at Ohio State 1

No. 13 Cornell (13-4-4)
02/02/2024 – St. Lawrence 1 at No. 13 Cornell 5
02/03/2024 – RV Clarkson 2 at No. 13 Cornell 7

No. 14 Colorado College (16-9-1)
02/02/2024 – No. 16 St. Cloud State 2 at No. 14 Colorado College 1 (OT)
02/03/2024 – No. 16 St. Cloud State 3 at No. 14 Colorado College 5

No. 15 Western Michigan (16-9-1)
02/02/2024 – No. 15 Western Michigan 2 at No. 5 Denver 3
02/03/2024 – No. 15 Western Michigan 7 at No. 5 Denver 2

No. 16 St. Cloud State (12-9-5)
02/02/2024 – No. 16 St. Cloud State 2 at No. 14 Colorado College 1 (OT)
02/03/2024 – No. 16 St. Cloud State 3 at No. 14 Colorado College 5

No. 17 Arizona State (18-6-6)
02/02/2024 – Lindenwood 4 at No. 17 Arizona State 4 (OT)
02/03/2024 – Lindenwood 1 at No. 17 Arizona State 5

No. 18 New Hampshire (14-9-1)
02/02/2024 – No. 3 Boston University 6 at No. 18 New Hampshire 3
02/03/2024 – Merrimack 1 at No. 18 New Hampshire 3

No. 19 RIT (18-8-2)
02/01/2024 – No. 19 RIT 4 at Niagara 4 (OT)
02/03/2024 – Niagara 2 at No. 19 RIT 4

No. 20 Omaha (14-9-3)
02/02/2024 – Minnesota Duluth 1 at No. 20 Omaha 5
02/03/2024 – Minnesota Duluth 3 at No. 20 Omaha 4

RV = Received votes

NCAA D-III West Hockey Weekend Wrap-up

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Dubuque came through with its first series sweep in program history. (Photo Credit: Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com)

Don’t look now but Dubuque has made program history in college hockey.

The first-year Spartans came through with their first series sweep, beating Lake Forest 3-2 and 3-1.

In Saturday’s game, Max Messier gave the Spartans the lead with his fourth goal of the year at the 15:37 mark of the second period. A few minutes earlier, James Eng had tied the game at 1-1.

Ethan Lang finished off the scoring for Dubuque, which took 23 shots while Chris Curr made 28 saves for his third win of the year. He stopped 10 of those shots in the third period.

Friday’s win was the first for the Spartans (3-17-2, 3-13) since Jan. 13 when it beat Concordia 3-0. They had lost five in a row before Josh King struck for a pair of goals to help Dubuque end the losing streak. It’s the first time all year King has scored two goals in a game.

All three of Dubuque’s wins this season have come on the road.

Green Knights still in title hunt

St. Norbert kept itself in contention for at least a share of the regular season NCHA championship by rolling past No. 2 Adrian 6-2 Saturday.

The Green Knights dropped the opener 4-1 but jumped ahead 3-0 in the finale and rolled from there. They are five points behind the Bulldogs in the standings (41-36) and can clinch a share of the crown if it sweeps Dubuque next week and Trine takes five points from Adrian next weekend.

Liam Fraser continued his impressive season by scoring a pair of goals and dishing out two assists. He now has 14 goals and 14 assists on the year. Baker Brock added a goal and two assists.

St. Norbert led 4-0 before the Bulldogs finally scored off goals from Jacob Suede and Zachary Heintz.

The Green Knights have won six of of their last seven, scoring four or more goals four times, and are 16-6 overall and 13-3 in conference play.

Adrian won the opener while handing St. Norbert its first home loss of the season. Matt Rehding helped lead the way, scoring twice off power play goals.

Dershawn Stewart made 33 stops for the Bulldogs (17-5-1, 14-2), who face Trine next weekend with a chance to clinch the NCHA title outright.

Vikings split with nationally ranked Trine

Kyle Gierman and Jayden Jensen each tallied a goal and an assist to help Lawrence notch its first win over a ranked team since December of 2021.

The Vikings topped No. 9 Trine 4-2, scoring three goals in the third period to knock off the Thunder. Nolan Mahaffey, only a freshman, made 36 saves against Trine. Gierman’s goal at the 10:36 mark of the third gave Lawrence the lead for good at 3-2.

Lawrence nearly pulled off a sweep Saturday but lost 3-2 in overtime as Trine’s Sam Antenucci scored off the power play a little over two minutes into overtime.

Jack Michels gave Lawrence (7-15-1, 3-10-1) an early lead but a pair of power play goals by Matteo Ybarra put the Thunder (18-5, 13-3)  in front 2-1. Robby Pustulka tie the game at 2-2.

More NCHA News

Concordia (8-15, 5-9) snapped a four-game losing streak Friday with a 6-5 overtime win against Marian. Collin Kerchoff punched in the game winner while Mi-Kwan Tallman, who scored twice for the first multi-goal game of his career. Marian (9-14, 3-11) won Saturday’s game 4-0 to salvage a split.

Cole Beilke dished out three assists and Gramm McCormack scored twice as MSOE (12-9-2, 6-9-1)  topped Aurora 5-1. The Spartans (12-10-1, 11-5) bounced back with a 5-3 win Saturday thanks to two goals from Riley Dekowny.

MIAC

Big weekend for Bethel

The Royals remain atop the MIAC standings after sweeping No. 10 St. Scholastica. Bethel won Saturday’s finale by a 2-1 score in overtime thanks to a game-winning goal from Tyler Kostelecky, who scored with just over a minute left in OT.

Bethel has won three in a row, all by one goal, and is now 15-5-3 overall and 9-3-2 in the MIAC. The Royals have five more wins than they had a season ago when they ended the 2022-23 campaign with a five-game losing streak.

Bethel prevailed 4-3 in Friday’s game, with four different players scoring goals. Austin Ryman made 22 saves.

St. Scholastica has just two wins in its last seven games and is 14-6-1 overall and 7-4-1 in the conference. In Friday’s game, the Saints trailed 4-0 before scoring three goals during a comeback attempt.

Good weekend for the Auggies

Augsburg topped Concordia 4-0 on Friday and then won a shootout after playing the Cobbers to a 2-2 tie on Saturday, running its unbeaten streak to three games.

Though the Auggies were outshot 37-35 on Saturday, the sixth game in a row where that’s happened, they managed to get another strong effort from Samuel Vyletelka, who stopped 35 shots, the 15th game of the season where he’s recorded 30 or more saves.

Peyton Hanson tallied Augsburg’s shootout goal. Vyletelka made two saves in the shootout as Augsburg improved to 11-8-2 overall and 8-3-1 in the MIAC. Concordia dropped to 10-8-3 overall an 5-5-2 in the conference.

Vyletelka was even better on Friday night, making 40 saves, the second time he’s tallied at least 40 in a game this season while recording his second shutout of the year as well. Michael Ferrandino scored a goal and dished out an assist.

More MIAC News

Gustavus capped its weekend with a 5-2 win over Hamline after the Pipers prevailed 3-1 on Friday. The Gusties snapped a seven-game losing streak that included three one-goal losses

Jackson Hjelle made 36 saves and Marc Fletemeyer scored twice for Gustavus (8-11-2, 3-8-1). Connor Mahony also scored, pushing his total to seven, tying him for the team lead.

Hamline (7-12-2, 3-8-1) ended a four-game winless streak with Friday’s win, scoring three unanswered goals over the final two periods while Maximillian Haselbacher stopped 35 shots.

Saint John’s (9-10-4, 6-7-1) scored two first-period goals and went on to top Saint Mary’s (7-12-2, 5-6-1) 4-2 Saturday. Jon Howe made 26 saves for his sixth win. Conner Couet score his first collegiate goal.

WIAC

No. 8 UW-Stevens rallied both nights against a relentless Northland team to earn a sweep and remain in first place in the WIAC standings.

The Pointers (17-5-1, 11-2) won 4-3 Saturday thanks to a third period goal from Nicholas Aromatario at the 7:29 mark of the period. Ryan Maguire tallied 23 saves while Northland goaltender Viktor Wennberg was tough as nails as he racked up 54 saves.

The two teams were tied at 1-1 after one and 3-3 after two before the Pointers took control for their third win in a row.

Fletcher Anderson scored the game winner Friday in a 2-1 win. All three games against Northland have been decided by a goal.

Falcons tie Blugolds

UW-River Falls finished out its weekend strong, tying No. 14 UW-Eau Claire at 2-2 before winning the shootout.

All four goals in the game were scored in the second period. Owen Belisle and Gibb Coady both scored for the Falcons in regulation and Arsenii Smekhnov and Sam Anzai tallied shootout goals for UW-River Falls (12-9-2, 4-7-2), who also got a 30-save effort from Dysen Skinner.

The Blugolds (15-6-2, 9-3-1) dominated the opener on Friday 6-0 as Max Gutjahr notched his third straight shutout win while Tyler Herzberg led the offense with a pair of goals.

More WIAC News

UW-Stout bounced back on Saturday with a 1-0 win over UW-Superior, which had won the series opener 4-1.

Tyler Masternak racked up 32 saves and Peyton Hart scored the lone goal as the Blue Devils (9-12-2, 7-6) salvaged a split in the series.

Boyd Stahlbaum and Jake McAlpine assisted on Hart’s goal. Stahlbaum leads the league in points (29) and his assist total (16) ranks third in the conference.

The Yellowjackets (11-11-1, 6-6-1) put an end to five-game winless streak Friday, recording its highest goal total since a 5-2 win over Gustavus on Jan. 12. 

Tristan Therrien tallied a goal and assist while Collin Perderson scored his first goal in 31 games as the Yellowjackets won their fourth consecutive  against UW-Stout. UW-Superior also forced UW-Stout to go 0-for-5 on the power play.

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: No. 4 Wisconsin earns shootout win, takes three of six from No. 9 Minnesota on weekend; UConn upsets No. 10 Providence; No. 8 Michigan State, No. 15 Western Michigan bounce back to earn road splits; Berry earns victory No. 200

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No. 8 Michigan State bounced back from a 4-1 loss on Friday to earn a critical 4-0 road win and a weekend split at Notre Dame (Photo: Michigan State Athletics)

Friday night, No. 8 Michigan State allowed three third-period goals on the road to Notre Dame as the Irish broke open a game that was tied after 40 minutes.

Saturday, the Spartans had a simple answer: Don’t allow any goals.

Netminder Trey Augustine stopped all 30 shots he faced to earn the shutout and four different players scored for Michigan State as the Spartans earned a road split on the weekend with a 4-0 victory over the Fighting Irish.

Karsen Dorwart scored the only goal Michigan State needed at 17:33 of the first. Jeremy Davidson and Artyom Letshunov tripled the lead in the second before Red Savage capped the scoring with 8:01 remaining.

No. 4 Wisconsin 1, No. 9 Minnesota 1 (F/OT; Wisconsin wins shootout, 2-0)

William Whitelaw and Quinn Finlay each scored in a shootout as Wisconsin earned a critical extra league point after the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie with visiting Minnesota.

Badgers netminder Kyle McClellan stopped both Gophers shooters in the shootout after he finished regulation and 3-on-3 overtime with 27 saves.

Jack Horbach scored the lone Badgers goal at 5:54 of the first. Jaxon Nelson evened the score at 14:33 of the second, shortly after a Minnesota goal was disallowed on a coaches’ challenge.

The shootout loss for the Gophers was the fifth on the season, all occurring without Minnesota able to score a single goal. The Gophers are now 0-for-13 in shootout attempts this season.

Connecticut 2, No. 10 Providence 1

A night after Providence dominated with a 5-0 road victory over Connecticut, the visiting Huskies enacted revenge, holding off the Friars, 2-1, to split the weekend series.

Jake Richard and Chase Bradley scored the two UConn goals, giving the Huskies a 2-0 lead heading to the third.

After Matthew Wood was ejected from the game on a major penalty for boarding with 32 seconds left in the second, Providence pulled within a goal early in the five-minute power play as Chase Yoder scored 1:13 into the third.

But UConn killed the remainder of the major power play and closed out the game with goaltender Ethan Haider finishing the game with 42 saves in a game where Providence outshot UConn, 43-19.

No. 2 North Dakota 4, Miami 1

North Dakota earned a 4-1 victory over Miami and, in doing so, ran the team’s regulation unbeaten streak to 21 games, tying a program record.

The victory also gave coach Brad Berry win No. 200, all coming behind the North Dakota bench.

The Fighting Hawks scored twice in the first with Logan Britt and Cameron Berg finding the back of the net.

After Miami pulled within a goal on an Albin Nilsson tally at 4:04 of the second, Britt responded later in the frame with his second goal of the night.

Dylan James put the game out of reach with an empty-net tally with 2:20 left.

It took Berry less than nine seasons to reach the 200-win plateau. As head coach at North Dakota, his record now stands at 200-98-33, with four regular season NCHC titles, a postseason crown, four Frozen Four appearances and the national title in 2016.

No. 15 Western Michigan 7, No. 5 Denver 2

Visiting Western Michigan exploded for seven goals, including five straight after host Denver jumped to an early 1-0 lead as the Broncos earned an NCHC weekend split with the Pioneers, 7-2.

Offensively Sam Colangelo lead the way for the Broncos, scoring twice and adding an assist. Goaltender Cameron Rowe made 25 saves to earn the win.

These two teams split the season series, each taking two wins. The victory brings Western Michigan within a single point of Denver for the fourth and final home ice playoff spot in the NCHC playoffs with five full weekends remaining.

 

Hockey East suspends UConn’s Salminen, UMass Lowell’s Meehan one game each for major penalties in Feb. 2 games

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Hockey East announced today that UConn sophomore forward Samu Salminen has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 14:22 of the first period on Feb. 2 against Providence.

On the play, Salminen received a five-minute major for interference and a game misconduct.

Salminen is ineligible to play Feb. 3 against the Friars and is able to return to the Huskies’ lineup on Feb. 9 against Massachusetts.

Additionally, UMass Lowell senior defenseman Ben Meehan has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 4:24 of the third period on Feb. 2 against Boston College.

Meehan was assessed a five-minute major for direct contact to the head and a game misconduct on the play.

Meehan is ineligible to play Feb. 9 against Vermont and is able to return to the River Hawks’ lineup on Feb. 10 against the Catamounts.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Harvey’s goal lifts No. 2 Wisconsin over No. 10 St. Cloud State in OT

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MADISON — It seems Wisconsin might have had an inkling that their series against St. Cloud State this weekend would be tight. KK Harvey said she practiced three-on-three situations, playing with Lacey Eden and Britta Curl. Those reps came in handy Saturday afternoon as Harvey took a puck from Eden at the half line and streaked up the far boards, past her defender before cutting in on net and beating Jojo Chobak short-side high to give No. 2 Wisconsin the 2-1 win over the 10th-ranked Huskies.

St. Cloud State put pressure on the Badgers from the first puck drop. They were dominating the home team in the faceoff circle over the first half of the period, at one point holding a 14-3 advantage. St. Cloud State coach Brian Idalski said he wasn’t aware of the numbers, but that Emma Gentry has been outstanding for his team in that regard in recent weeks.

“Wisconsin is a very good possession team and to let them have it off of every faceoff, it makes the game that much harder,” he said.

The Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to a funny bounce and deflection. Laura Zimmermann appeared to hit teammate Taylor Lind’s stick, causing the puck to go out in front and off the skate of UW forward Marianne Picard and in. From there, the game resembled a track meet with quick trips up and down the ice from both teams. Wisconsin outshot SCSU 12-7 in the frame, but couldn’t seem to muster too much dangerous or make a connection through the traffic the Huskies created in front of the net.

The Badgers outshot St. Cloud 18-9 in the second, but Chobak continued to be stalwart. She was helped by a defense that kept Wisconsin to the perimeter. After a long zone possession where they kept cycling the puck, Casey O’Brien hit Vivian Jungels across the ice. Jungels’ shot from distance found less traffic on the opposite side. Chobak made the initial save but the puck was loose in the crease and Maddi Wheeler poked it in to make it a 1-1 game.

Wheeler said she never felt frustration during the game or felt like they were playing from behind. She said if they weren’t getting opportunities, it might have been different, but she said the feeling on the bench was that the game-winning goal would come.

“I know last weekend we were really playing from behind, but I thought we had control this game. Obviously there’s things that we need to work on, but they’re a good team. Credit to them – they’re hard, they’re physical and they’re hard to play against,” said Wheeler.

The loss was the fourth in a row for St. Cloud and Idalski struggled after the game with how to keep his team motivated and giving their all week after week when they are executing their game plan and playing at their best, but coming out on the losing end against opponents like Ohio State and Wisconsin, who have exponentially more resources. It feels impossible and it’s difficult to feel like all the work is worth it, he said, clearly frustrated.

“We just have to work so hard to even be in the ballpark with the way that athletics are right now across the board. To not be able to get over the hump and know that you’re giving everything you have. That sucks. I’m just disappointed with the outcome because our kids are working hard and deserve a better fate here last couple of weekends,” said Idalski.

“I don’t think anyone can understand the emotional toll that takes going through for games like that,” he said.

“How do you keep your group still engaged in doing the work they have to do without getting the reward? That is super hard.”

The two teams close out their regular season series on Sunday at 4 PM central in Madison.

 

 

 

 

 

Lacher, who won 1994 national championship with Lake Superior State, set NCAA hockey shutout streak record, passes away at 53

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LACHER

Lake Superior State has announced the passing of former NCAA national champion goaltender Blaine Lacher, who died earlier this week in Medicine Hat, Alb., at the age of 53.

Cause of death was not immediately released.

Lacher was a member of LSSU’s 1994 national championship team, named to the 1994 NCAA all-tournament team.

During the 1993-94 season, Lacher set the NCAA shutout streak record at 375 minutes and one second, a record that still stands to this day.

In 73 games with the Lakers from 1991 to 1994, Lacher amassed 49 wins, 1,535 saves and a career goals-against average (GAA) of 2.45. In the 1993-94 season, he recorded six shutouts and boasted a GAA of 1.98 that stood as the program record until it was broken by Mareks Mittens in 2021.

After his time at LSSU, Lacher went on to play in the NHL with the Boston Bruins where he posted a 19-11-2 record with a 2.41 GAA, .902 save percentage and four shutouts during the 1994-95 regular season as a rookie.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: Northeastern drops No. 6 Maine, Notre Dame upsets No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Minnesota tops No. 4 Wisconsin in OT, No. 1 BC downs UMass Lowell, No. 2 North Dakota bests Miami, No. 3 BU defeats No. 18 New Hampshire

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Hunter McDonald celebrates his goal Friday night in Northeastern’s upset win over No. 6 Maine (photo: Jim Pierce).

Trevor Janicke and Cole Knuble posted goals three minutes apart late in the third period to lift Notre Dame to a 4-1 win over No. 8 Michigan State Friday night at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind.

Ryan Siedem and Drew Bavaro also scored for the Irish and Justin Janicke chipped in two assists. Knuble and Trevor Janicke also had assists for multi-point games.

Isaac Howard netted the lone goal for the Spartans and Trey Augustine made 27 saves in goal.

Ryan Bischel took the win between the pipes for Notre Dame with a 30-save effort.

SCOREBOARD | POLL | PAIRWISE

Northeastern 6, No. 6 Maine 3

With three players recording three points, Northeastern took a 6-3 victory over Maine at Boston’s Matthews Arena.

Vinny Borgesi, Alex Campbell and Justin Hryckowian all had a goal and two assists for the Huskies.

Jack Williams and Dylan Hryckowian each posted a goal and an assist and Hunter McDonald also scored in the win. Cam Lund added a pair of helpers for Northeastern.

Northeastern goaltender Cameron Whitehead tallied 37 saves.

For Maine, Victor Ostman made 26 saves in goal as Cole Hanson scored two goals and Josh Nadeau added a goal and an assist.

No. 1 Boston College 6, UMass Lowell 1

Boston College rolled to a 6-1 win at the Tsongas Center over UMass Lowell on Friday night in Lowell, Mass.

Cutter Gauthier scored twice to lead the Eagles, while Gabe Perreault went for a goal and two assists, Eamon Powell and Ryan Leonard a goal plus a helper, and Jack Malone chipped in a goal.

Filip Fornåå Svensson scored UMass Lowell’s only goal and Henry Welsch made 23 saves in net.

Jacob Fowler finished with 21 saves for the Eagles. Jan Korec made his collegiate debut in net after Gauthier’s second of the night gave BC a 5-1 lead. He stopped five shots in 6:45 of play.

No. 2 Boston University 6, No. 18 New Hampshire 3

Jack Hughes and Nick Zabaneh each tallied two goals to help lead Boston University to a 6-3 win at New Hampshire on Friday night at Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H.

Hughes added an assist to match his career high with three points. Jack Harvey assisted on both of Hughes’ goals for his first multi-point game as a Terrier while Macklin Celebrini collected a goal and an assist. Shane Lachance also lit the lamp, one of 11 different Terriers to produce a point.

In goal for BU, Mathieu Caron turned aside 22 shots.

For the Wildcats, Robert Cronin, Kristaps Skrastins and Liam Devlin scored and Jakob Hellsten made 19 saves in goal.

No. 9 Minnesota 2. No. 4 Wisconsin 1 (OT)

Just over one minute into overtime, Brody Lamb scored for the Gophers, handing Wisconsin its first overtime loss of the season in a 2-1 final Friday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Oliver Moore scored for Minnesota and Owen Lindmark tallied for Wisconsin in regulation.

Justen Close made 40 saves in goal for the Gophers, while Kyle McClellan finished with 27 for the Badgers.

No. 2 North Dakota 5, Miami 4 (OT)

Jackson Blake scored 1:24 into overtime to complete a two-goal comeback and seal a 5-4 victory for North Dakota over Miami on Friday night from Steve Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio.

UND trailed by a pair of goals entering the final 20 minutes for only the third time all season but third-period goals by Logan Britt and Riese Gaber brought the game level before Blake won it.

Blake and Gaber each had two assists, while Jake Livanavage scored and Jackson Kunz recorded a goal and an assist. Cameron Berg chipped in two assists and Ludvig Persson made 23 saves in goal.

For the RedHawks, Ryan Sullivan and Albin Nilsson each recorded a goal and an assist and John Waldron and Thomas Daskas also scored.

Bruno Bruveris collected 24 stops for Miami.

No. 5 Denver 3, No. 15 Western Michigan 2

Shai Buium notched a goal and an assist to guide Denver to a 3-2 win over Western Michigan Friday night at Magness Arena in Denver.

Alex Weiermair and Jared Wright also scored for the Pioneers, who got 39 saves from goalie Matt Davis.

Luke Grainger tallied a goal and an assist for WMU, Dylan Wendt also scored, and Cameron Rowe made 30 saves between the pipes for the Broncos.

No. 7 Quinnipiac 2, Harvard 1

Davis Pennington and Christophe Tellier scored for Quinnipiac as the Bobcats held on for a 2-1 win Friday night at the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.

In goal, Vinny Duplessis made 23 stops for QU.

Marek Hejduk scored for the Crimson and Aku Koskenvuo turned in a 37-save performance in goal.

No. 10 Providence 5, UConn 0

Philip Svedebäck kicked aside all 22 shots sent his way as Providence blanked UConn 5-0 Friday night from the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn.

Luke Krys, Riley Duran, Hudson Malinoski, Matt Hubbarde and Craig Needham all scored for the Friars. Tanner Adams picked up two assists on the night.

Arsenii Sergeev made 30 saves in goal for the Huskies.

Minnesota State 4, St. Thomas 3 (OT)

In a CCHA first-place battle Friday night, Kaden Bohlsen won it for the Mavericks, scoring 3:09 into overtime for a 4-3 victory from the St. Thomas Ice Arena in St. Paul, Minn.

Bohlsen added an assist for a two-point game, while Josh Groll went for a goal and an assist and Connor Gregga and Brett Moravac also scored.

Alex Tracy made 22 saves in goal for the Mavericks.

Cooper Gay, Mack Byers and Liam Malmquist scored for the Tommies, Ryan O’Neill added two assists, and Aaron Trotter made 35 saves between the pipes.

Curry stepping up game towards CCC title shot

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Curry has had much to celebrate in their current     7-game win streak but is looking for more in a race to their first CCC title (Photo by Curry Athletics)

Most remember that last year’s D-III Frozen Four was hosted by the CCC’s Endicott and also included the University of New England among the finalists. What people may not remember is that Curry, also out of the CCC, was also an NCAA tournament team that defeated Bowdoin in the first round before losing to eventual national champion Hobart in the quarterfinals. Just a couple of weeks ago the Colonels sat in fourth place in the conference standings but a current “7-game heater” finds head coach Peter Roundy’s team atop the CCC with just five games remaining in the regular season. Things are tight amongst last year’s NCAA incumbents and when you throw in a very solid Salve Regina team (this week’s opponent for Curry), winning the conference may be the perfect setup for more March hockey.

“We got off to a shaky start,” said Roundy. “We had some impactful losses that included two All-Americans and our leading scorer. Add in season ending injuries to a couple more key offensive pieces and we needed some guys to step up and I think we are seeing that now with our recent success. Shane [Soderwall] has come in and stabilized the goaltending situation for us while our mostly first-year defensive group has matured and shown that experience as sophomores this year. The first line is where we have seen a lot of momentum and production that has helped lead the way for our younger forwards as a group. We brought in a couple of forwards at the semester break to help us with our depth and the group is playing well and the results have been there since coming back in the New Year.”

Sophomore Gage Dill (8G – 12A – 20 Pts; +14) has built on his very successful freshman campaign playing along side junior Eelis Laaksonen (10G – 9A – 19 Pts; +10) and senior Tao Ishizuka (7G – 11A – 18 Pts; +12). The line has contributed significantly to the Colonels’ goal production and makes things difficult for the opposition each game.

“Gage is certainly not an unknown commodity at this point in his career here,” stated Roundy. “He has built off his experience and taken another step in his development playing with Eelis and Tao. Tao has had the kind of year that we always thought he could have because he is finally healthy this season. If you can think of an injury, Tao probably had it at some point in his time here. He is healthy and contributing a lot on the line he is with as well as the power play and special teams. We aren’t afraid of putting these guys out in any situation.”

With Curry’s upward movement in the CCC standings, the focus now shifts to continuing to play their game and positioning themselves for the conference tournament and maybe something more beyond the CCC title.

“We can’t ignore where we are in the standings nor the Pairwise rankings at this point,” noted Roundy. “We need to talk about what all the hard work has presented to us with this recent streak and how the focus has to be the same for this weekend against Salve Regina and then the remaining conference schedule as it comes time to play Wentworth, Western New England, and Suffolk to close out the regular season. We have the tiebreaker with Endicott which is a good thing if it comes to that. We control our destiny by playing our game against the remaining opponents including a dangerous Salve team this weekend. There is still a lot of hockey to be played but right now our focus is on continuing to earn wins with the remaining league games to be played in February.”

This weekend’s home-and-home series begins at Salve Regina on Friday night and is followed by a return home to face the Seahawks again in their only regular season meetings.

“The games at this point of the season are all important,” said Roundy. “There is just one point separating Endicott, us and Salve and UNE is only a couple more points behind so a good weekend keeps you in the mix while a bad weekend could drop a team all the way to fourth place. There is a lot to play for with home-ice advantage and having teams coming to our rink for big games. I thought we handled the pressure of last week’s matchup with UNE very well and hope to see that experience carry over this week against the Seahawks.”

NCAA D-III West Weekend Hockey Picks

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The Adrian Bulldogs face off against St. Norbert this weekend. (Photo provided by Adrian Athletics)

Forget about March for a moment. February is roaring in like a lion as we have two premier matchups on tap out west in NCAA Division III hockey.

In the MIAC, St. Scholastica battles Bethel while Adrian takes on St. Norbert in a rivalry series in the NCHA. In both matchups, a lot is riding on them from a conference standpoint as first place is on the line.

Check out the picks for those games and more.

Friday and Saturday

No. 10 St. Scholastica (14-4-1, 7-2-1) vs. Bethel (13-5-3, 7-3-2)

For the first weekend of February, it doesn’t get much better than a matchup featuring the top two teams in the MIAC.

The Royals are currently atop the standings, holding a two-point lead on the Saints, and we could see a lot of offense in this one. Bethel has scored 61 goals this season while the Saints lead the league in goals scored (74). Carsen Richels of St. Scholastica has tallied 12 goals on the year while Tyler Kostelecky is right behind him with 10 goals. It’s safe to say the goaltenders are going to be busy. This might come down to which team has the puck last on both nights.
St. Scholastica, 5-4; Bethel, 6-5

Augsburg (10-8-1, 7-3) at Concordia (10-7-2, 5-4-1)

The Auggies have won three of four and are very much alive and well in the hunt for a MIAC championship, sitting in third place but only three points out of first. The Cobbers are fourth and five points out of the third spot.

To say the least, it’s a big weekend for both teams. Concordia features three players with eight or more goals in Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe (10), Hunter Olson (8) and Mason Plante (8). But they’ll be tasked with facing a top netminder in Samuel Vyletelka. who has stopped 92.4 percent of the shots he’s faced.
Concordia, 4-3; Augsburg, 3-2

Saturday

Saint Mary’s (7-11-2, 5-5-1) at Saint John’s (8-10-4)

These two teams played Thursday and the Cardinals prevailed 5-3 despite being outshot 44-24.

The difference was special teams as the Johnnies came up short on all four of its opportunities. The Cardinals had a big second period against the Johnnies, scoring three times, and avoiding that will be key for Saint John’s as it aims to bounce back. Home ice could make a difference here as the Cardinals are just 1-9 on the road.
Saint John’s, 3-2 

NCHA

Friday and Saturday

No. 2 Adrian (16-4-1, 13-1) at St. Norbert (15-5, 12-2)

This is one of the best rivalries in hockey, and as usual, the stakes are high. Adrian sits atop the standings with 38 points while St. Norbert is third with 33. It should be fun to watch. Of the top 10 goal scorers in the conference, five are from either Adrian or St. Norbert. Liam Fraser and Adam Stacho lead the way with 12 goals apiece for the Green Knights. Zachary Heintz headlines the Bulldogs’ offense with 11 goals. Adrian has won seven in a row. St. Norbert has won its last five.
Adrian, 5-4; St. Norbert, 4-3

MSOE (11-8-2, 5-8-1) at Aurora (11-9-1, 10-4)

The Spartans have already clinched a playoff berth for the NCHA tournament but are hoping to get a home series as well. MSOE is still in the hunt for a conference tournament berth and can take a big step forward in that regard with a big weekend against Aurora, which has two of the top goal scorers in the league in Jackson Kirk (11) and Chase Broda (10).
Aurora, 4-2; MSOE, 3-2

Lawrence (6-14-1, 4-9-1) at No. 9 Trine (17-4, 12-2)

Trine has won three in a row and wants to make sure it takes care of business here before closing out the regular season against Adrian next week. Lawrence is fighting for a playoff spot. The Thunder have the advantage on paper in this series, having scored 84 goals compared to just 58 by the Vikings. Look for a Trine sweep to set the stage for next week.
Trine, 5-2 and 4-2 

WIAC

Friday and Saturday

UW-River Falls (12-8-1, 4-6-1) at No. 14 UW-Eau Claire (14-6-1, 8-3)

The Falcons and Blugolds are two of the better defensive teams in the WIAC and don’t be surprised the action on that end of the ice decide things here. Dean Buchholz and Dysen Skinner have both played quality minutes and both have save percentages better than 91 percent. UW-Eau Claire has Max Gutjahr in goal. He’s helped the Blugolds rattle off five consecutive wins, with the team recording three shutouts and allowing only three goals in that stretch.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-1 and 2-0 

UW-Stout (8-11-2, 6-5) )at UW-Superior (10-10-1, 5-5-1)

It didn’t go well for the Blue Devils the last time they faced the Yellowjackets as they lost 4-1.

But with three wins in its last four games, UW-Stout has some confidence, especially after splitting with UW-Stevens Point last week. UW-Superior isn’t having as much lately and is winless in its last five games. It hasn’t scored more than a goal in any of those games.  But you have to think UW-Superior gets at least one at home this weekend.
UW-Stout, 3-1; UW-Superior, 3-2

No. 8 UW-Stevens Point at Northland (1-20, 0-11)

One of the near wins Northland had this season was against UW-Stevens Point. The Lumberjacks lost that game 4-3 on Nov. 18 and are stuck in the grip of a 20-game losing streak.

The Pointers have dropped two of three but are still the team to beat in the WIAC. Their offense is as balanced as any in the league and it will be tough for Northland to slow this team down. UW-Stevens Point has scored 75 goals. The Lumberjacks have given up 102.
UW-Stevens Point, 5-2 and 6-1

USCHO Edge: Looking at intriguing lines this weekend in B1G, NCHC games, and attempting to handicap the upcoming Beanpot

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Michigan State players celebrate a goal during the Spartans’ 3-2 win over Minnesota Jan. 26 on home ice (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

After last week, when just about every game was a pick ’em, the books are finding some games where you’re seeing lines that have some better-than-average value.

We’ll get to that shortly, but first I want to look at two games that lines are yet to have been set and that’s Monday’s Beanpot semifinals in Boston.

There is a chance that DraftKings and other legal sports books won’t touch either game. Realistically, most of the handle (or the amount bet on the game) would come from bettors in Massachusetts and, despite these games being considered a “tournament” they don’t qualify as postseason, thus legal sports books aren’t allowed to publish these lines in Massachusetts.

That said, let’s imagine that the lines will be available somewhere. What types of value would it take to wager on these games?

In the opener between defending champion Northeastern and Harvard, the Huskies should be a significant favorite. Harvard enters this weekend 4-12-3 overall and despite three of those five wins coming in the weeks leading into this weekend, a nine-game losing streak midseason stands out for the Crimson. Northeastern, meanwhile, is playing its best hockey having swept Merrimack and knocked off Boston University in overtime on Tuesday.

Expect a line somewhere around -195 for Northeastern and +135 for Harvard. The over/under should be around 6. So if you find Northeastern for -175 or better, that’s great value. Similarly, if Harvard is +170 or higher, that’s value.

In the nightcap, Boston College and Boston University will square off for the third time in less than two weeks, which makes this game a little easier to handicap.

Coming off of two BC wins, expect the Eagles to be a favorite, but they shouldn’t be laying too much. Both games last weekend were essentially one-game wins for the Eagles. So a line somewhere around -140 balanced by BU likely being even money (+100) makes a lot of sense. Last Friday game featured five goals total and Saturday’s seven goals. So expect the over/under to be exactly six.

What type of bet makes sense here? Anywhere you can find an over/under of 5.5 or less, take the over. And if you find BU for any type of significant plus money (+120 or higher), you’d be getting value especially given the fact it is tough to beat the same team three times in a season.

Here’s a look at some other lines for Friday:

Michigan State (-140) at Notre Dame (+100); over/under 6

We get it bookmakers: Michigan State lost to Minnesota and Michigan recently. And maybe Sparty was a little lucky not to be swept in those series. But the reality is Michigan State found ways to win games in which they trailed. They already swept Notre Dame at home this season, 5-2 and 2-1. So while we’d avoid the over/under, -140 is great value for Michigan State.

Providence at Connecticut; over/under 5

This is the second time in recent weeks where Providence is involved in a game listed with a goal total of 5. The last time we said it was a must bet against Boston College. And it took a 4-goal third by BC for a 5-0 win to get a push on that bet. Still, we love anytime an o/u is 5 as the national average says this game should go over.

Western Michigan at Denver; over/under 7.5

In the “let’s look for the polar opposite” category, the bookmakers are still posting massive goal totals on games featuring Denver. The Pioneers are still a great offense but also scored just two goals in each game against North Dakota last weekend. Throw those games out, we get it. But Western hasn’t exactly been exploding offensively. Likely these totals are based entirely on the last series these two teams played, which featured 21 total goals (7-3, 6-5 OT). Still, the over here seems like a pretty scary bet should these offenses not wake up.

Best bet: Michigan State (-140) over Notre Dame

Hockey Commissioners Association announces 33-player watch list for 2023-24 Tim Taylor Award as men’s college hockey national rookie of the year

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Adam Fantilli celebrates his 27th goal of the season in Michigan’s 11-1 win over Colgate in the Allentown Regional semifinal game on March 24, 2023 (Photo: Michigan Photography).

A watch list of 33 first-year NCAA men’s hockey players was announced Thursday by the Hockey Commissioners Association.

One of these talented rookies will likely receive the Tim Taylor Award as national rookie of the year as voted by the nation’s assistant coaches.

At season’s end, a ballot consisting of each Division I conference’s Rookie of the Year will be presented to the assistant coaches and they will vote, one vote per school, to identify the winner.

This year’s national rookie of the year will be announced during April’s Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

The 2023 winner was Michigan forward Adam Fantilli.

HCA Tim Taylor Award Rookie of the Year Watch List

Atlantic Hockey
Mac Gadowsky, D, Army West Point, (19 GP, 3-15-18)
Matteo Giampa, F (26 GP, 16-11-27)
Nils Wallstrom, G, AIC (23 GP, 13-9-1, 2.51, .906)

Big Ten
Aiden Fink, F, Penn State (26 GP, 15-17-32)
Quinn Finley, F, Wisconsin (22 GP, 9-5-14)
Artyom Levshunov, D, Michigan State (27 GP, 7-19-26)
Oliver Moore, F, Minnesota (26 GP, 6-19-26)
Danny Nelson, F, Notre Dame (22 GP, 7-12-19)
Joe Palodichuk, D, Wisconsin (26 GP, 2-12-14)
Sam Rinzel, D, Minnesota (25 GP, 1-22-23)
Garrett Schifsky, F, Michigan (24 GP, 11-11-22)

CCHA
Luigi Benincasa, F, Ferris State (24 GP, 4-14-18)
Isaac Gordon, F, Michigan Tech (27 GP, 13-10-23)
Evan Murr, D, Minnesota State (26 GP, 5-14-19)
Chase Pietila, D, Michigan Tech (27 GP, 0-16-16)

ECAC Hockey
Andon Cerbone, F, Quinnipiac (25 GP, 6-11-17)
Mason Marcellus, F, Quinnipiac F (25 GP, 11-9-20)
Ben Robertson, D, Cornell (19 GP, 3-12-15)
Max Scott, F, Brown (20 GP, 7-11-18)
Jack Stark, G, Yale (14 GP, 6-6-0, 2.32, .920)
Lawton Zacher, G, Brown (16 GP, 6-7-1, 2.51, .915)

Hockey East
Macklin Celebrini, F, Boston University (22 GP, 18-17-35)
Jacob Fowler, G, Boston College (23 GP, 18-4-1, 2.25, .924)
Ryan Leonard, F, Boston College (23 GP, 13-16-29)
Bradly Nadeau, F, Maine (22 GP, 14-17-31)
Josh Nadeau, F, Maine (22 GP, 12-20-32)
Gabe Perreault, F, Boston College (23 GP, 9-27-36)
Will Smith, F, Boston College (23 GP, 14-20-34)

NCHC
Zeev Buium, D, Denver (24 GP, 7-26-33)
Alex Bump, F, Western Michigan (24 GP, 6-12-18)
Jake Livanavage, D, North Dakota (26 GP, 2-15-17)
Tanner Ludtke, F, Omaha, (24 GP, 7-11-18)
Miko Matikka, Denver, F (25 GP, 14-7-21)

Watch list of 24 women’s college hockey players announced for 2023-24 Hockey Commissioners Association national rookie of the year award

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Tessa Janecke compiled 47 points in 38 games in 2022-23 for the Penn State women’s hockey team (photo: Penn State Athletics).

A watch list of 24 first-year NCAA women’s hockey players was announced Thursday by the Hockey Commissioners Association.

One of these talented rookies will likely be voted national rookie of the year by the nation’s assistant coaches. At season’s end, a ballot consisting of each Division I conference’s rookie of the year will be presented to the assistant coaches and they will vote, one vote per school, to identify the winner.

This year’s national rookie of the Year will be announced during the Frozen Four in Durham, N.H., in March.

The 2023 winner was Penn State forward Tessa Janecke.

2023-24 Women’s Rookie of the Year Award Watch List

College Hockey America
Alaina Giampietro, F, Robert Morris (26 GP, 11-9-20)
Sofia Nuutinen, F, Mercyhurst (26 GP, 9-15-24)
Stella Retrum, F, Penn State (28 GP, 11-10-21)

ECAC Hockey
Annelies Bergmann, G, Cornell (13-4-1, 2.03, .913)
Uma Corniea, G, Princeton (6-5-1, 2.41, .908)
Kahlen Lamarche, F, Quinnipiac (29 GP, 8-19-27)
Maddie Leaney, F, Union (26 GP, 9-7-16)
Kaia Malachino, F, Colgate (28 GP, 7-11-18)
Emma Pais, F, Colgate (28 GP, 13-13-26)
Madeline Palumbo, F, Colgate (28 GP, 6-13-19)
Karel Prefontaine, F, Cornell (23 GP, 8-10-18)
Stephanie Stainton, F, Yale (21 GP, 7-8-15)
Andrea Trnkova, D, RPI (25 GP, 4-10-14)

Hockey East
Sedona Blair, G, UNH (12-12-2, 2.35, .917)
Allie Lalonde, F, Northeastern (28 GP, 7-8-15)
Sammy Taber, F, Boston College (27 GP, 10-17-27)

NEWHA
Jenna Chaplain, F, Assumption (28 GP, 6-13-19)
Isabel Chaput, F, Sacred Heart (29 GP, 10-5-15)
Juliana Herman, D, Saint Anselm (25 GP, 2-5-7)

WCHA
Ella Boerger, F, St. Thomas (27 GP, 9-10-19)
Joy Dunne, F. Ohio State (24 GP, 13-9-22)
Eve Gascon, G, Minnesota Duluth (6-7-1, 1.71, .945)
Cassie Hall, F, Wisconsin (26 GP, 17-5-22)
Emma Kreisz, F, Minnesota (26 GP, 4-16-20)
Ava Lindsay, F, Minnesota (26 GP, 8-9-17)
Ava McNaughton, G, Wisconsin (11-2-0, 1.58, .928)

Two tight Big Ten tilts, two with high over/under highlight this week’s games: USCHO Edge college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 13

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USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin and Ed Trefzger look at five key college games.

Games this week:

  • Boston College -270 @ UMass Lowell +200; over/under 6
  • Western Michigan +150 @ Denver -195; o/u 7.5
  • Michigan -238 @ Ohio State+180; o/u 7
  • Michigan State -130 @ Notre Dame +100; o/u 6
  • Minnesota +100 @ Wisconsin -130; o/u 5.5

This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Division I Men’s Frozen Four, April 11 and 13 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit ncaa.com/mfrozenfour

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

Check out all of USCHO’s podcasts, including USCHO Weekend Review and USCHO Spotlight, plus our entire podcast archive.

Continue

Third-year Maine coach Barr agrees to contract extension through Dec. 31, 2028, as Black Bears returning to national contention

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Ben Barr is currently in his third season behind the Maine bench (photo: Anthony DelMonaco).

Maine announced on Wednesday that men’s hockey head coach Ben Barr has agreed to a contract extension.

The new agreement will retroactively run from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2028 and will replace Barr’s current contract. Barr will earn a salary of $425,000 in 2024-2025 with an annual increase of $15,000 through 2028. The contract extension includes additional compensation for the assistant coaches.

“UMaine is truly grateful for coach Ben Barr’s commitment to rebuilding the men’s ice hockey program,” Maine president Joan Ferrini-Mundy said in a statement. “He has successfully recruited a team of both talented and academically-driven students. I am confident that our exciting 2023-24 season is attributed to the men’s ice hockey staff and the student athletes’ commitment to excellence on and off the ice. The success we are seeing in Black Bear men’s ice hockey brings great benefits to our entire university.”

Now in his third season at Maine, Barr has steadily returned the Black Bears’ hockey program to among the nation’s elite. In October, Maine earned a national ranking for the first time in over three years and has gone on to sustain that success by earning a ranking for 12 consecutive weeks for the first time since 2010-11. Maine’s current streak of 10 consecutive weeks of being ranked in the top 10 is the Black Bears’ longest stretch since the 2006-07 season.

The Black Bears are currently ranked fifth in the nation, the highest ranking for the program since Nov. 2010, and have the most wins over a ranked opponent in a season since 2011-12.

“Our staff feels fortunate to be at the University of Maine at this current moment,” said Barr. “With the commitment from the school and the generosity of the Alfond Foundation, we feel Black Bear hockey can sustain success for years to come. Our staff and my family are humbled to be trusted with this program for the foreseeable future, and we will do everything in our power to keep improving every day. I would like to thank my wife, Tara, for being everything for our family. To President Ferrini Mundy and Chancellor Malloy, thank you for sharing our vision for Black Bear hockey. Thank you to Jude Killy for his friendship and commitment to excellence in Maine athletics, and thank you Seth Woodcock for his relentless support of his alma mater.”

Under Barr, the Black Bears have seen steady year-by-year improvement in on-ice production, with their scoring margin growing in each of his first three seasons. They have produced positive results unseen within the hockey program in over 10 seasons.

As of Jan. 26, the Black Bears rank in the top 10 nationally in both goals scored per game (3.8) and goals allowed per game (2.4). This marks the first time Maine is averaging over 3.5 goals per game since 2002-03.

At 16-4-2 this season Maine has reached 16 wins in the first 22 games of the year for the first time since 2003-04. The Black Bears are currently 8-3-1 in conference play, reaching eight wins in the first 12 conference games, also for the first time since 2003-04.

Off the ice, the program recorded its highest fall grade point average ever last year with a 3.71. In each of Barr’s first two seasons, at least 22 student-athletes earned a spot on the Hockey East all-academic team. Maine led Hockey East with six Hockey East all-academic all-star team members in 2021-22 and tied for the most members in the 2022-23 season with four. Additionally, there have been 27 AHCA academic All-Americans over the last two seasons.

“Ben and his staff have done an exceptional job of building our men’s ice hockey program into a national contender again,” said Maine director of athletics Jude Killy. “There is an energy around this group that is palpable and points toward our historical place in the upper echelon of college hockey. This extension, coupled with the upcoming major facility renovations to Alfond Arena and the Shawn Walsh Training Center, are galvanizing us for what we hope to be a period of sustained success on the ice and in the classroom. We are excited for the future and believe there are no limits to what can be accomplished under Ben’s leadership.”

Barr arrived in Orono with 15 years of assistant coaching experience at Division I institutions, with prior stops at UMass, Providence, Union, Western Michigan and Rensselaer.

While at UMass, Barr played a key role in developing a championship-level program. During his stint with the Minutemen, Barr guided UMass to a Hockey East regular season and tournament title, back-to-back NCAA title game appearances and a national Championship in 2021. In 2019 under head coach Greg Carvel, the UMass staff was named the Spencer Penrose NCAA staff of the year.

Barr began his coaching career at his alma mater, Rensselaer, where he spent the 2004-05 and 2007-08 seasons as a volunteer assistant coach. Barr joined Union in Sept. 2008 as a full-time assistant coach. In his three seasons at Union, he played a key role in developing Union into a national champion. In his final year on staff, the Dutchmen captured their first-ever ECAC regular-season championship and earned their first trip to the NCAA tournament in school history. At the time, Barr and the Union staff were named the 2011 Spencer Penrose NCAA staff of the year.

After three years at Union, Barr was hired as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Providence. In his first year on staff, the Friars reached the Hockey East semifinals for the first time in 11 years. In his final year on staff, Providence advanced to the NCAA quarterfinal round in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2001. Following his departure, the Friars went on to win the 2015 NCAA national championship.

In June 2014, Barr accepted a role as the associate head coach at Western Michigan, where he would stay for two seasons. At Western Michigan, he again served as recruiting coordinator and assisted head coach Andy Murray in developing a championship culture. The team entered into a top-10 program and reached the NCAA tournament the year after Barr’s departure.

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Upcoming Minnesota-Wisconsin series figuring to be ‘a tight weekend, a very tight weekend’

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Wisconsin swept then-No. 1 Minnesota back on Oct. 26-27 in Minneapolis (photo: Tom Lynn).

“We need Badger hockey to be good. You do in college hockey, but more importantly, we need Gopher hockey to be better.”

That sums up Bob Motzko’s mindset as Minnesota travels to Wisconsin to face the Badgers, a team that swept the Golden Gophers in Minnesota at the end of October. Sharing his take on things with Minnesota’s play-by-play guy Wally Shaver, Motzko had much sincere praise for Mike Hastings and his Badgers, especially on the defensive end in the game.

Motzko singled out Kyle McClellan, whose 1.92 goals-against average and .930 save percentage are among the best in college hockey.

“They struggled in goal the last years and this kid’s numbers are outstanding and their defensive numbers are outstanding,” said Motzko. “They’ve got good hockey players over there.”

The Wisconsin defense is tops in the nation, allowing 1.88 goals on average per game. The Badgers split a road series against Michigan last weekend, with their 5-1 Friday loss snapping a 10-game win streak. In the two games, Wisconsin gave up an uncharacteristic 10 goals, following Friday’s loss with a 6-5 overtime win.

After that, said Motzko, “You can best be assured that their week in practice is going to reset on defense.”

Motzko also had a prediction for this series: “And you’re going to see a tight weekend, a very tight weekend.”

Hastings sees similarities in the “ability level” between the Wolverines – the second-best offensive team in the nation (4.71) – and the Gophers, who average slightly more goals per game (3.69) than do the Badgers (3.58). Both teams, said Hastings, “play with pace and make plays, and they’re always looking to make them.”

In his weekly press conference, Hastings said that the Badgers learned some lessons last week that they can apply against the Gophers.

“One thing I thought Michigan did a really good job of was getting inside us, our defensive zone, their offensive zone,” said Hastings. “Yeah, it’s a point of emphasis for us this week, our rush defense and our ability to make sure that we’re trying to with a little bit bigger rink protecting the most important ice, which is inside those dots.”

The Badgers announced their presence in the 2023-24 season with authority when they swept the then-No. 1 Golden Gophers in Mariucci Arena to open Big Ten play Oct. 26-27. Hastings, who spent a year as an assistant coach at Minnesota in 2008-09, said before that initial series he’d learned long ago how much the rivalry between these teams meant from the Golden Gophers’ perspective.

“When I was hired at Minnesota,” said Hastings, “I was told that there was only one thing that couldn’t happen, and we couldn’t get beat by the Badgers.”

This week, Hastings is still keenly aware of the importance of this series, both in terms of Big Ten play and local pride.

“It’s no disrespect to any other team that we play on the schedule, because if you’re not ready in this league, you’re going to get your lunch handed to you repeatedly and so you have to be on point,” said Hastings, “but one of the first things that was mentioned in the weight room on Monday morning at 7:30 was that it was Gopher Week. And that wasn’t delivered from the coaches. That’s the players.”

Dating back to the first time these teams met in 1922, the Gophers have a 183-103-24 lead all-time over the Badgers. Minnesota went 3-1-0 last season against Wisconsin, but the Badgers have won the last three meetings.

This is the first time that the teams will meet in Wisconsin as top-10 opponents since 2006. The significance of this rivalry’s return to relevance isn’t lost on Hastings.

“This is college hockey at its best,” said Hastings. “You know, you see the BC-BU [series] play out the way that it played out last weekend. They didn’t hand a trophy to BC, but it still was entertaining hockey, and it was a great opportunity for both those programs to look each other in the eye and go after it.

“It’s no different this weekend when Minnesota comes into our program. I think those rivalries throughout college hockey – and North Dakota playing Denver – I think you’ve had some of the most storied programs in all college hockey competing against each other trying to fly their flag a little higher than the other. It’s going to be no different this weekend.”

In third place, Minnesota trails Wisconsin by six points in the Big Ten standings, and both teams are chasing Michigan State, who leads the Badgers by five points and the Gophers by 11. Minnesota had a chance to gain some ground on the road against the Spartans last weekend, but just like the Badgers, the Gophers split the weekend.

The 3-2 Friday loss was a tough repeat of a pattern that the Gophers have attempted to break all season – letting a game get away in the third period. Trailing 2-0, Michigan State scored three goals in the third period, with Daniel Russell’s game-winning marker coming at 19:56.

“That loss on Friday, that stung because we played so well for two periods and then we let them back in the game,” said Motzko. “It was us.

“But our guys rebounded Saturday. We played really good, for five of the six periods, we played outstanding hockey.”

Motzko said that he hopes that the Gophers learned from the series against the Spartans.

“I like where we’re at,” he said. “I like what we’re doing. I wish these young kids wouldn’t make a few mistakes once in a while, but they do, but we’ve got a pretty good hockey team. We’re awful fun and we keep going.”

He also said that the series against Wisconsin gives Minnesota a chance to measure its growth this season.

“I’m anxious for us to continue to play right now and we’re playing these top teams right now, and that’s great for us,” said Motzko. “And we’re a top team. We’re right there. I just think it sets up for a great weekend.”

The Badgers are the only team to have swept the Gophers so far this season. Michigan State is the only team that’s swept Wisconsin. It’s this very tight dynamic at the top that may dictate how the regular season plays out. Motzko’s team is in a pretty good position in the PairWise Rankings.

“All we concentrate on [is that] we play everybody in our conference four times, and you want to win your series with each team,” said Motzko. “That’s all you really want to do, is win your series. The only series we’re down in is with Wisconsin. When you take care of your series, you’re going to be in the right spot in the standings. We’re okay, but we’ve got a lot of big games coming up.”

Hastings said that he’s seen growth and maturity from the Badgers since the last time they played the Gophers, but prevailing against Minnesota at home this weekend will take something more.

“You have to do it with depth, and you have to be able to defend,” said Hastings. “We still need to rely upon the depth that has been developed, the young guys playing not like young guys and our old guys drawing from the experiences that they’ve had in situations like this when you’re playing Minnesota. All that’s in a different place than it was earlier this year.”

This is Wisconsin’s first home Big Ten series since a sweep of Penn State Dec. 8-9.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to try to defend our home ice,” said Hastings. “It’s been a while since we’ve been here, so it’s a very important weekend – and not only because of who we’re playing, but when we’re playing in the season.”

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Holy Cross utilizing veteran players, stellar netminding as backbone to recent winning streak, renewed optimism

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Holy Cross players celebrate a goal earlier this season (photo: Eliza Phillips Photography).

Last season, its second under coach Bill Riga, Holy Cross built towards a strong finish that ultimately led to an appearance in the Atlantic Hockey championship game where the Crusaders fell to Canisius, one win away from the NCAA tournament.

This season, the Crusaders wouldn’t be sneaking up on anyone, opening 4-0-1 before hitting a bit of a skid, and then recovering.

Holy Cross is currently in third place and is riding a three-game winning streak heading into a key home series with Air Force.

The Crusaders are doing it with strong goaltending and veteran leadership.

Eight Atlantic Hockey goalies are on the Richter Award watch list, tied with the NCHC for the most from any conference. Two of them are Crusaders: senior Jason Grande and junior Thomas Gale.

The duo is first and third in the league in goals-against average (Grande at 2.15 and Gale at 2.27), and second and third in save percentage (Grande at .924 and Gale at .921).

Grande was injured on December 30 against Quinnipiac but looks to possibly return this weekend.

“He’s good to go,” said Riga. “He dressed for a game last weekend. He was injured earlier this season, a different injury and Gale stepped up then and again recently.

“Going down the stretch, it’s great to have two.”

The Crusaders’ top seven scorers are juniors and seniors, led by senior Jack Ricketts (16 goals, 12 assists) and junior Liam McLinskey (10 goals, 20 assists).

Ricketts was second-team all-conference last season and is having an even better year in 2023-24.

“(Ricketts) was an unknown, coming in during COVID,” said Riga. “We’ve been trying to help him find an identity as a skater and a scorer and things really started to take hold last year. He’s been a great captain for us.”

Liam McLinskey, a transfer from Quinnipiac where Riga was an assistant for 13 years, came into his own in the postseason last year, racking up nine goals in seven games.

“At Quinnipiac, there weren’t a lot of (playing) spots,” said Riga. “Liam just needed a chance to play. He’s really blossomed. He’s played a different role for us this year, more of a playmaker, but he can score as well. Instead of 20 goals and 10 assists (last year), he’s got 10 goals and 20 assists.”

Riga also pointed to junior defenseman Matt Shatsky as a difference maker, with a goal and 18 assists.

“He’s a playmaker,” said Riga. (Last weekend) against Mercyhurst he made a beautiful 150-foot pass to McLinskey for a breakaway goal.”

While the veterans have led the way, rookies have made contributions as well, especially forwards Jack Stockfish (13 points) and Ty Gagno (10 points).

“They were injured and we didn’t have them for a few weeks and it was noticeable,” said Riga. “We’re a better team with them in the lineup.”

The Crusaders have just five games left in the regular season, hosting Air Force this weekend and then seeing action just three times over the final three weekends.

D-III Women’s East Week 14 Recap: Nazareth runs the UCHC, Lakers rising, & Wesleyan says hello!

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Nazareth goaltender McKinley Hoff. (Photo via Nazareth Athletics)

We’re creeping in on conference tournament time and play has never been better in terms of parity and overall competitive skill level within the top teams. We had a busy weekend as usual out east, here’s your notable events from the eastern front!

The UCHC runs through Rochester, New York

Nazareth, the 3rd-youngest team in women’s D-III (stat via elite prospects) with an average age of 19.70 and Utica, the oldest team, with an average age of 21.37, now you may think it’s only a little less than two years, but at the college level, that’s massive. It’s especially massive on the women’s side because they aren’t entering school as a 21-year-old freshman (this is the case most of the time on the men’s side, not always, but most).

Utica on paper should be able to take control of the UCHC this year, but they can’t get over the purple and gold hurdle that is the Nazareth Golden Flyers. Funnily enough, Nazareth is 0-5-0 in their non-conference schedule, but 13-0-1 in UCHC play.

This past weekend featured the showdown between the two, both games played in the Utica University Nexus Center, Nazareth took both, winning by a slim 3-2 & 2-1. Fun fact: Nazareth holds an all-time record of 12-1-1 vs Utica, but the last seven games have been decided by one or less goals (includes tie), four of those games going to overtime, one of them going to double-overtime (2023 UCHC title game). These two are arguably one of the best head-to-head matchups in women’s D-III, despite the lopsided record.

How it happened 

Friday’s game was a low-scoring and low-shooting affair with Nazareth leading in shots a mere 24-19. Penalties were low, all occurring in the final period of play, two on the Pioneers, one on Nazareth.

Utica vs Nazareth (Photo by Scott Kinville – CNYHockeyReport.com)

Utica opened the scoring up at 8:40 in the 1st period, Erica Sloan. This would be answered by Nazareth’s Makenna Wiljanen with just under five minutes left in the period (15:33) to even the score 1-1 heading into the 2nd.

Nazareth tallied the lone goal of the 2nd, Sophia Nortz at 18:22, late in the period. Her teammate Ingrid Holstad sealed the deal with a powerplay game-winning-goal at 7:28 of the 3rd, giving the Golden Flyers the 3-1 lead. Utica would cut it in half with a late goal in the final minute of play (19:38) by Carolyn Whitney, but Nazareth wins game one.

Game two was like game one in the matter of it being close (shocker) and low scoring. Another similarity, the Pioneers took the lead first, Carolyn Whitney added her second goal of the weekend at 6:50 of the opening period. This held up until the 7:17 mark of the 2nd period when Nazareth’s Ella Cedrone tied it up.

The game-winner would be scored in the 3rd period during the final seven minutes (13:33), Meredith Boettcher netted the second and final goal for Nazareth, giving them the massive UCHC weekend-sweep.

Oswego on the rise

Oswego State, led by 4th year Head Coach Mark Digby are coming off a weekend in which they defeated their “rival” #4 Plattsburgh. They got another ranked victory this past weekend against the other red/white team in the SUNYAC, the Cortland Red Dragons.

Oswego, 9-9-1, may not seem like the high-caliber team they’re being made out to be with their record, but the record is very good considering the state of the program currently and who they’ve played on their schedule. They’ve had in my opinion a top-3 SOS (strength-of-schedule) (7th on USCHO SOS – RPI) and are a dangerous team come SUNYAC tournament time as they’ve beaten both top-teams as of the past few years in Plattsburgh & Cortland.

Oswego vs Cortland. (Photo via Oswego State Athletics)

Cortland took game one by the score of 4-1, but Oswego won game two 3-1. Oswego’s been able to get early leads this season especially against the common opponents of Plattsburgh and Cortland, in this one, they did just that, Rylee Preston scored just after the midway mark (13:38) of the opening period.

The Lakers would double the lead on the powerplay in the 2nd period, giving them a 2-0 lead entering the 3rd period, this goal was by Erika Parenti (12:25). In the 3rd, Cortland got one back, scoring on the powerplay was Kayla Persinger (10:02), cutting the Laker lead in half.

Sealing the deal an entire 54 seconds later (10:56), Rachel Corbett, who played against her sister Emma, an Adrian transfer, now on Utica a few weeks ago, scored to make it 3-1 which held up as the final score.

Hello Wesleyan

Wesleyan, coming off a weekend in which they beat the defending NESCAC and frozen-four hosts Amherst, left the weekend vs #7 Hamilton unscathed, tying 2-2 & winning 1-0 in OT.

Wesleyan vs Hamilton. (Photo by Daniel Gessel/Wesleyan)

As the NESCAC games seem to go, low scoring and defensive-battles, Wesleyan makes more noise, a common occurrence in this league where a team people think is out of contention goes and wins a stretch of games that make you reconsider everything you know about life itself.

As mentioned, game one ended in a 2-2 tie, but game two the Cardinals got the 1-0 shutout victory.

No goals were scored in regulation, we needed to wait until the 61st minute where Wesleyan’s Mairead Kennedy scored the winner a rapid 38-seconds into the 3v3 overtime period, giving her Cardinals the huge conference-victory. Goaltender Rei Halloran, who’s having a great year thus far, made 29 saves in her shutout performance.

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