Castleton senior Colin Murray dished out three assists in the Spartans’ 5-4 win last weekend against the University of New England (photo: Dan Hickling).
Anyone hoping for an upset in Division III during the weekend just completed would have been in for a disappointment.
True, Hobart ranked ninth, had to eke out a tie with Nazareth (a program barely into its second year of existence) before upending No. 5 Utica the next night on a last-second goal.
And true, there are a few other finger-drumming moments for teams among USCHO’s top 15.
Otherwise, the weekend played out according to form.
Then again, it may be the last one that will.
The details from around the D-III rinks:
ECAC EAST
Ranked No. 12 heading into Friday, Massachusetts-Boston came within a whisker of suffering the dreaded “lost weekend.” However, captain Travis Daniel came through in the clutch to save the Beacons’ bacon. One night after UMB dropped a 2-1 count to New England College, the Beacons blew a two-goal third-period lead at St. Anselm, but eked out a 4-3 overtime win on Daniel’s game-winner on a power play, 42 seconds into extra time. … No. 11 Babson and Castleton both swept their weekends to remain 2-0 in the conference. Castleton senior Colin Murray racked up three assists in the Spartans’ 5-4 win at UNE.
ECAC NORTHEAST
Conference play began Saturday night with Johnson & Wales, Nichols, Salve Regina and Western New England all scoring opening-night wins. WNEC had the toughest task, having squandered a two-goal lead to Becker in the final 1:41 of regulation. Matt Dore came through with the winner for WNEC in OT with his power-play goal at 3:42.
ECAC WEST
An early-season clash between the West’s two ranked teams, No. 5 Utica and No. 9 Hobart, went down to the wire, literally. Robert Sovik gave the visiting Statesmen a 3-2 victory with just one second remaining in the game. Sovik had also scored late in the second period to set the stage for all that third period nail-biting.
MACSAC
Play in the MACSAC won’t begin until Tuesday. However, the early-season tremors have been produced by Worcester State. With three consecutive wins out of the gate, the Lancers have already notched half their victory total of last year.
MIAC
St. Thomas, ranked No. 13, went at it with No. 15 St. Mary’s in a home-and-home set and waltzed out with a pair of wins, 3-1 and 3-0. Tommies’ junior goalie Drew Fielding stopped all but one of St. Mary’s 47 shots on the weekend and earned his seventh career shutout.
NCHA
They won’t meet until Jan. 31, but when they do finally tangle in De Pere, Wis., Adrian and St. Norbert could both still be toting undefeated records. Both have jumped out to 4-0 starts (in conference and overall), including a pair of wins over the weekend. Adrian took a pair of convincing wins (4-1, 5-1) over the Milwaukee School of Engineering, while St. Norbert won twice (4-1, 3-2) at Finlandia. … Lake Forest junior Bobby Barrett, who had eight goals in his previous two seasons, popped in three tallies (plus two assists) in the Foresters’ 13-2 rout of Northland.
SUNYAC
The eyes of the SUNYAC were trained on Plattsburgh on Friday where the No. 4 Cardinals welcomed in Geneseo for an early-season first-place clash. As matters played out, the Cards won handily 4-1, with senior defenseman Barry Roytman scoring twice. It was the first multi-goal game in his career for Roytman, who scored just once in his entire freshman and junior seasons. Plattsburgh polished off the weekend with a hefty 6-0 win over Brockport. … A shootout took place Friday in Morrisville, when Buffalo St. got goals from seven different sources to outlast the host Mustangs 7-5.
WIAC
Teams in the WIAC won’t start beating up on each other until December, so in the meantime, they’ve had to be content in pounding on nonconference foes. Wisconsin-Stevens Point has won all four of its starts by a combined 33-6 count. The latest to fall before the Pointers was Gustavus Adolphus (8-4) and St. Olaf (8-1). … Not to be outdone, top-ranked Wisconsin-Eau Claire began defense of its national title with wins over St. Olaf (5-2) and St. John’s (3-1).
Before we get to the conventional three things I learned this week, let me mention one unconventional thing I learned…
… and that is how good Jimmy Connelly is at doing color on TV games. I knew he was good in the studio at NESN, but I DVR-ed the WBIR broadcast of the Massachusetts-Lowell vs. Northeastern game on Saturday and came away very impressed.
I look forward to telling people in the future that I knew Jimmy when he was a nobody.
Moving on, then, to the three conventional things that I think I learned this week.
1. Rumors of New Hampshire’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
After the Wildcats got swept by Lowell two weekends ago, things looked grim. UNH stood at 1-5-1 with an 0-2 record within Hockey East.
Time to play taps for the Wildcats?
Not exactly.
UNH crawled out of its early-season coffin this weekend, sweeping a home-and-home with a Massachusetts team that had been playing some good hockey. Almost as important as the four points, is how the Wildcats achieved the sweep.
They outscored the Minutemen a cumulative, 13-1, winning at home on Friday, 4-1, then shellacking their hosts, 9-0, on Saturday. For a team that has struggled on offense, a 13-goal weekend against a league team could be just what the doctor ordered.
One weekend doesn’t make the comeback complete, but it sure was a good start.
2. Boston College looks like it’s back in full force, too.
It was one thing when the Eagles lost the season opener at Michigan, 3-1. Road game. Top opponent. First game of the year.
No big deal.
But I began to wonder when they went to Minnesota and despite that being a tough opponent and a tough venue, they only came away with one-of-four points and got blown out in the second game, 6-1.
Well, two weeks ago, the Eagles swept Northeastern, and this past weekend, they demolished Boston University, 5-1, and Army, 11-0.
So much for those early-season worries. With BC a perfect 3-0 in Hockey East and carrying a 6-2-1 overall mark, those concerns look pretty silly now.
3. I’ve definitely been underestimating Northeastern.
When the Huskies opened with sweeps of Alabama-Huntsville and Holy Cross, I yawned.
Talk to me, I thought, when you’re doing that against the big boys. (Yes, I’m fully aware of how well Atlantic Hockey has done in the postseason, but I’m not confused by the facts. I expect Hockey East teams to win those games.)
So when Northeastern split with St. Lawrence and, more significantly, got swept by a BC team that at the time I harbored concerns about, my reaction was: I told you so.
Which was a premature reaction, as it turns out.
The Huskies’ win at Lowell on Saturday, 4-2, definitely opened my eyes. This is a pretty good team with talent that extends beyond just Kevin Roy.
They face a tough home-and-home series this week against a resurgent (I think) New Hampshire squad, so I may well be picking them to lose two games yet again. (Insert your favorite snide remark about old dogs refusing to learn new tricks.)
North Dakota captain Dillon Simpson blocked eight shots Saturday night against Nebraska-Omaha. (Photo: Candace Horgan)
To find out what a performance from a hockey team’s captain should look like, one needn’t look much further than the game film from last weekend’s series between No. 11 North Dakota and Nebraska-Omaha.
Dillon Simpson, a UND defenseman wearing a ‘C’ over his heart in his senior season in Grand Forks, only picked up one point all weekend against the Mavericks at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center. What really made him stand out last weekend though, was his play when the puck wasn’t on his stick.
UND’s longest losing streak (three games) in one year turned into its longest losing skid in seven (four) Saturday night when UNO beat its visitors 4-2, but Simpson was arguably the last person anyone could blame for UND’s loss that night.
In fact, UNO maybe would’ve won by an even greater margin Saturday were it not for Simpson. Of the 15 shots UND blocked in front of goaltender Zane Gothberg in that game, Simpson led the visitors by far with eight.
To put that into even deeper perspective, consider his teammates’ numbers in that category Saturday: Only one other UND skater had two blocked shots in the game, and five had one apiece.
UND then won Sunday’s rematch by a 3-2 count to salvage a series split. The visitors had to hold on for the final 20 minutes of the game though, after Simpson left in the second period due to an injury, and he could only watch when UNO forward Josh Archibald cut an earlier 3-1 UND lead to 3-2 with 12 seconds left in the game’s middle frame.
Simpson’s departure from the game further shortened a UND bench – which only had 12 forwards available going into last weekend – that was already beginning to run out of gas, just like it had in Saturday’s third period against the Mavericks.
This time however, UND managed to hold on. Largely thanks to 11 saves in Sunday’s third period from goaltender Clarke Saunders, UND battened down the hatches in the weekend’s final frame and ground out the win.
UNO had its chances to find a second equalizer of the game, including a 5-on-3 power play for 1:46 in the middle of the third period as well as Mavericks defenseman Michael Young hitting the bar with a shot inside the final ten seconds of regulation, but UND forward Drake Caggiula’s goal 8:52 into the second period ultimately stood up as the game-winner.
With its win Sunday evening, UND bumped its record up to 2-4-0-0 in the NCHC and 3-4-1 overall. UNO finished the weekend 3-1-0-0 in the NCHC and 5-5-0 overall.
Saunders and UND’s top four remaining healthy defensemen in Jordan Schmaltz, Paul LaDue, Nick Mattson and Troy Stecher deserve a lot of credit for their performances in the third period as they kept the Mavericks’ potent offense at bay.
However, what fans in Omaha saw last weekend from Simpson before he succumbed to an as-of-yet undisclosed injury was a masterclass in on-ice leadership and an athlete putting his body on the line for his team’s cause.
Slow starts haven’t deterred St. Cloud State
It’s not at all uncommon to hear players and coaches speak in post-game interviews about an ability to overcome adversity. For the Huskies of third-ranked St. Cloud State, they’re already getting plenty of experience of doing just that.
SCSU may have only managed a split at home last weekend with No. 7 Miami, but the Huskies’ 2-1 win Saturday at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn. marked the fourth time this season they’ve taken at least a point despite trailing after the first period.
One night after the RedHawks blanked SCSU 2-0 thanks in large part to 31 saves from sophomore goaltender Ryan McKay, Miami got on the board first again Saturday’s rematch. Max Cook did the honors, beating Huskies junior goalie Ryan Faragher 18:03 into Saturday’s first period.
SCSU junior forward Garret Milan answered for the Huskies not long after the second period started, though, beating McKay just 1:34 into Saturday’s middle frame. Things then got even better at 10:52 of the third period when Huskies sophomore forward David Morley latched onto a no-look centering feed from Jimmy Murray behind the RedHawk net before beating McKay for the eventual game-winning goal.
Saturday’s win saw the Huskies finish the weekend tied on points for first place in the NCHC. Both SCSU and UNO are 3-1-0-0 in the league so far this season, although the Huskies (6-1-1) have a significantly better overall record than the Mavericks do.
Denver, Colorado College play out NCHC’s first overtime shootout
We had to wait – some folks surely more excitedly than others – for the very first overtime shootout in the NCHC, but the moment finally arrived in Friday’s Gold Pan rivalry game between Colorado College and Denver.
After playing to a 1-1 tie through 65 minutes at the World Arena in Colorado Springs Friday night, the game was settled with a shootout. DU won the shootout 2-0 to take two of the three league points initially on offer when the night began.
Pioneers defenseman Joey LaLeggia and DU forward David Makowski both beat CC goaltender Josh Thorimbert in the shootout. The Tigers’ two shooters, forwards Charlie Taft and Andrew Krushelnyski, failed to find a way past DU goaltender Sam Brittain.
With the shootout win in Colorado Springs plus a 2-1 win over the Tigers in Saturday’s rematch at DU’s Magness Arena, Denver’s record improved to 1-2-1-1 in the NCHC and 4-5-1 overall. CC fell to 1-4-1-0 in the NCHC and 1-6-1 overall.
Nationally, any shootout win in NCHC play counts as a tie.
Breaking bad, CHA style
No. 9 Mercyhurst versus Robert Morris is quickly developing into one of the best rivalries, fueled to a large extent by the success the Colonials have enjoyed against Paul Colontino’s old team since the former Mercyhurst assistant was named head coach at RMU.
On Friday, the Lakers managed to restore order atop the CHA pecking order and take a 2-0 victory. Amanda Makela saved all 31 shots and Emily Janiga and Jaclyn Arbour scored second-period goals.
Saturday’s game didn’t go as well for the visitors in general, or Makela in particular. She allowed first-period goals to Katie Fergus, Rebecca Vint, and Kelsey Gunn and was replaced by Julia DiTondo to start the second period. DiTondo stopped the eight shots she faced, but the damage had already been done. Jessica Dodds yielded goals to Kathy Donohue and Janiga, but she stopped the other 25 shots to earn the Colonials a 3-2 win and improve to 7-0-0 in her rookie season.
Extra-curricular activities broke out at the end of the game. The Lakers were assessed three major penalties, two game misconducts and a disqualification; the Colonials penalties included two majors, a game misconduct, and a disqualification. Pending any additional action by the league, those disqualified — Mercyhurst’s Christie Cicero and RMU’s Brittany Howard — will each be forced to sit out her team’s next game.
More post-buzzer beatings
There wasn’t a lot of action in the WCHA, with only four games and four teams taking to the ice. However, there was a lot of action in at least three of those games.
First and foremost, we had Bemidji State traveling to Ohio State. The Beavers claimed their first conference win, 3-2, by scoring three times in just over eight minutes in the second period. A short-handed goal by Tess Dusik while killing off a five-on-three power play sparked the rally. Stephanie Anderson scored four minutes later to give Bemidji State the lead, and Hanah Moher tallied on a power play to give the Beavers a 3-1 lead. Sarah Schmitt drew the Buckeyes within one in the third period, but they could not find an equalizer.
After the final buzzer, the two sides attempted to resolve a difference of opinion, and a skirmish ensued. When the referees had sorted it all out, nine Beavers and 10 Buckeyes were assessed fighting majors and game disqualifications, meaning they were not eligible to compete in Saturday’s rematch. With 158 minutes in penalties in the game on Ohio State and 145 on Bemidji State, they now rank No. 1 and No. 2 in penalty minutes per game. Only two teams have been penalized more over the course of the season than OSU was in Friday’s game, Bemidji State and Mercyhurst.
All of the DQs necessitated a couple of sparse line charts on Saturday; each team dressed 10 skaters. The Buckeyes were also without regular starting goaltender Chelsea Knapp, who was one of those tossed on Friday after getting the hook after the second Bemidji State goal. As luck would have it, the teams played to an overtime tie on Saturday, 2-2, meaning that the 10 available skaters for each side had to divide up 65 minutes of ice time. Whitney Wivoda of the Beavers was the only skater to have success in the shootout, so Bemidji State earned the extra league point. Despite outshooting the visitors, 52-29, on Saturday, the Buckeyes had to settle for a single league point on the weekend — and a whole lot of penalty minutes.
Streak reaches 61, with an asterisk or two
There was little out of the ordinary at St. Cloud State on Friday when Sarah Davis had a goal and an assist to lead No. 1 Minnesota to a 4-1 win over the Huskies. Saturday’s 4-3 win for the Gophers was far from routine. Abby Ness and Molli Mott scored first-period goals to give the Huskies a 2-0 lead. That is the first item of note, because it is the first time during the Gophers’ winning streak that they have trailed by more than one goal. After Davis scored twice in the middle frame to draw Minnesota even, Lauren Hespenheidi put the hosts back up 49 seconds into the third. That lead lasted until only 2:02 remained and Dani Cameranesi deflected in a shot to tie the game at 3-3. This is the second bit of trivia, being the latest in a game that the Gophers have trailed since commencing their winning ways. Milica McMillen produced the game-winner 53 seconds later.
Goal droughts
A couple of ranked teams from the ECAC had trouble finding the net.
No. 6 Clarkson got goals from Jessica Gillham, Genevieve Bannon, and an empty-net goal by Jamie Lee Rattray, combined with an Erica Howe shutout, to defeat Dartmouth, 3-0, on Friday. The next day, the Golden Knights were on the wrong end of the goose egg, falling to No. 8 Harvard, 2-0. Emerance Maschmeyer stopped all 36 shots and Mary Parker scored twice. It was a sweep for the Crimson, who had defeated St. Lawrence, 3-2, on Friday after jumping out to a quick three-goal lead.
No. 7 Quinnipiac also shot at a low percentage. The Bobcats upended Brown, 3-1, thanks to peppering Bears goalie Aubree Moore with 45 shots on Friday. Kelly Babstock, Emma Woods, and Amanda Colin hit twine. On Saturday, none of the Quinnipiac shots connected versus Yale. Jaimie Leonoff rejected all 44 offerings by the Bobcats. Quinnipiac salvaged a point because Chelsea Laden proved impenetrable as well on the other end, saving 27 shots sent her way by the Bulldogs. It was the second time this season that the Bobcats have played to a 0-0 draw.
How the rest of the top 10 fared
No. 3 Cornell stayed unbeaten, first defeating Rensselaer, 3-1, behind a pair of goals from Jillian Saulnier. She and her linemates, Jessica Campbell and Emily Fulton, all had four-point games in trouncing Union, 8-1.
Andie Anastos led the way with three points as No. 5 Boston College squashed Vermont, 6-1. Emily Field scored twice. The Eagles posted the same 6-1 score on Sunday in dropping Northeastern. Field and Dana Trivigno both had two goals and two helpers.
No. 10 Boston University had its second straight three-win week. The Terriers beat Connecticut, 6-2, before sweeping Maine, 5-1 and 4-2. The offensive highlight was freshman Maddie Elia’s six-point week, including two goals and two assists in the first game versus Maine.
Update: Another major penalty and game disqualification were added after the box score was posted. The latest totals are indicated below.
The Ohio State and Bemidji State women’s teams had combined for a innocuous 16 penalty minutes by the time the horn sounded to end their WCHA game Friday night.
What happened after the clock ran out is what put the game into the record books and left both teams depleted for Saturday’s rematch.
A postgame brawl led to 19 fighting majors and accompanying game disqualifications — nine to Bemidji State and 10 to Ohio State. Another major and game DQ was issued for grabbing the face mask, and one minor for instigating was added for good measure.
Add it up and you have 302 penalty minutes dished out at the 20-minute mark of the third period of the Beavers’ 3-2 victory.
The 318 penalty minutes for the game shattered the NCAA record for penalty minutes in a college hockey game, men or women, Division I or Division III.
The all-levels, both-genders record had been 268 penalty minutes racked up by Boston University and Maine on Jan. 24, 2004.
The record for a Division I women’s game was published in the NCAA record book as 83, listed as set by Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth on Dec. 14, 2003. But those teams didn’t play on that date.
The Division III men’s record is 266, by Bemidji State and Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Nov. 6, 1993. The record in Division III women’s hockey is 58 penalty minutes between Plattsburgh and Cortland on Jan. 15, 2005.
A game disqualification carries an automatic one-game suspension, and that left the Buckeyes and the Beavers with short benches for Saturday’s rematch.
How short? Both teams dressed six forwards and four defensemen in a game that went to overtime and a shootout. Bemidji State won the shootout 1-0 after a 2-2 tie.
Buckeyes coach Nate Handrahan addressed the brawl at the 1:49 mark of this video of his postgame news conference on Friday:
“I don’t really know what happened, to be quite honest,” Handrahan said. “All I know is there were players taking liberties with our players. There was some chippiness throughout the course of the game.
“I’ve got to believe that our players, and as a staff, as a program, we’re not happy with teams celebrating on our ice surface and going off the ice yipping and hooting and hollering. What happened at the end of the game doesn’t happen often in women’s hockey.
“But I can tell you this: We’re happy to at least see our girls show some fight and some spirit. Outside of that, I think hockey in general is trying to get that stuff out of the game. We have our own issues to deal with.”
Check out the penalty roundup from Friday’s game here, and see the bare-bones lineups for Saturday’s game here.
Don’t look now, but Quinnipiac is almost halfway to last season’s 21-game unbeaten streak.
The Bobcats beat Brown Friday before salvaging a 3-3 tie in a national championship rematch with Yale on Saturday. Quinnipiac is riding a ten-game unbeaten stretch since losing its opener Oct. 11, and is now 9-1-1.
It was a year ago this weekend that QU’s aforementioned 21-game unbeaten stretch began with a 3-2 overtime win over Colgate. The Bobcats were 3-3-1 last season before beating the Raiders in overtime, but have gone 36-6-5 over the last calendar year, including the NCAA tournament.
There are plenty of familiar faces from last year’s national runner-up team – Connor and Kellen Jones, Matthew Peca, Jordan Samuels- Thomas, and Danny Federico are all back. But the Bobcats have gotten plenty of contributions from several freshman, most notably leading scorer Sam Anas and defensemen Derek Smith and Devon Toews. Sophomore Michael Garteig has played every minute in goal after sitting behind Eric Hartzell last year. In fact, it was Garteig who started the final game before QU’s 21-game streak last season, a 2-1 loss to American International last Nov. 6.
Quinnipiac hosts a pair of struggling teams in Harvard and Dartmouth this weekend, and then has a home-and-home series with travel partner Princeton the next weekend.
I had the Bobcats sixth in my preseason ballot, but that’s quickly looking like an error on my part. Look for Quinnipiac, as well as Yale, to be in the mix come NCAA tournament time.
Big Green trying to get on track
On the opposite end of the spectrum from is Dartmouth, who fell to 0-6 with a pair of losses over the weekend. Dartmouth is outshooting their opponents by an average of 30-28 per game, but are giving up 5.5 goals per game, last in the country. No one among the trio of Cab Morris, James Kruger or Charles Grant has posted a save percentage above .850. The Big Green got some bad news this week, as senior forward Eric Robinson was injured during practice and is out for the season.
Dartmouth was the last unbeaten team last season, and had a shot at a first-round bye deep into the year. There’s talent in Hanover, but the Big Green will need to turn it around quickly, especially given the shorter schedule played by Ivy teams. They’ve been in all but two of their games, so if they can straighten out the defense, things could start going Dartmouth’s way.
North Country duo keeps on rolling
They’ve been doing it in different ways, but Clarkson and St. Lawrence have been two of the league’s better teams in the early going. The Golden Knights matched their win total from last season with a 2-1 win at Harvard Saturday. That gave Clarkson six wins in one-goal games, after losing seven one-goal contests last season. A big reason for the Golden Knights turnaround has been an improved defense, as well as the play of goalies Steve Perry and Greg Lewis.
Meanwhile, the Saints have been simply outslugging their opponents, averaging four goals thus far. Senior Greg Carey has 19 points in ten games, while freshman and younger brother Matt leads the team with seven goals. Freshman Gavin Bayreuther has a rocket shot from the blueline, while veterans Jeremy Wick and Chris Martin have made contributions as well.
These teams meet for a home-and-home series on Dec. 6 and 7.
Three things from Atlantic Hockey action this past weekend:
Nothing decided
A quartet of western scheduling pod games this past weekend may be an indicator of things to come in Atlantic Hockey. Canisius, Mercyhurst, Rochester Institute of Technology and Robert Morris all went 1-1 in round robin play. The details:
On Friday, Robert Morris defeated Canisius 6-1 for its first conference victory and first win overall this season. Junior forward Cody Wydo was again the story (more on him later) with his second hat-trick in as many games.
Also on Friday, Mercyhurst edged Rochester Institute of Technology 3-2 for its second straight win. The Lakers erased a 2-1 deficit in the second period to defeat the Tigers on home ice for just the second time in 12 attempts dating back to when RIT joined the league in 2006.
On Saturday, roles reversed. RIT earned its first win and first conference points with a 4-2 victory at Robeert Morris. The Tigers have now won two games in a row at 84 Lumber Arena after going winless in their first six attempts.
And finally, Canisius defeated Mercyhurst 4-3 in a rematch of last season’s title game. The Golden Griffins unveiled their AHA Championship and NCAA Tournament banners prior to the contest.
Four teams, four wins, four losses. A closed loop with nothing decided.
Hard to ignore
Cody Wydo sailed under the radar his first two seasons at Robert Morris despite scoring 34 goals, including 21 last season.
Colonials’ coach Derek Schooley told me this before the start of this season: “…He’s ready to take the next step. He hasn’t gotten any Atlantic Hockey accolades. I think this might be the year you see Cody really break out and become a notable name in Atlantic Hockey.”
Wydo has been impossible to ignore so far this season, though. He has ten goals so far, including seven over a two game stretch. Wydo had four goals in a 5-4 loss to Penn State on Nov. 2, and followed that with a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Canisius on Friday.
RIT was able to hold Wydo to a single assist on Saturday.
His 10 goals lead the league and place him second overall in Division I.
Not exactly a goaltender’s duel
Fifteen goals in one game. Ya gotta love college hockey.
American International spoiled Bentley’s first home game of the season with a wild 8-7 win on Friday.
Bentley had opened a 4-1 lead just seventeen minutes into the contest, but AIC scored the next five goals and never trailed after that. The Yellow Jackets were outshot 42-28, but went 3-4 on the power play.
AICs “Killer P’s” (I’m not sure if anyone actually calls them that, but they should): seniors Jon Puskar and Blake Peak and juniors Chris Porter and Jason Popek, combined for three goals and seven points overall. Junior forward Alexander MacMillan had a game-high five points for AIC.
Seven different players scored goals for Bentley, which lost a wild 4-3 overtime thriller to AIC in their final regular season contest last year.
MacMillan’s five point evening gives him seven points in four games so far this season, good for fifth nationally in points per game.
That left Tomkins and Davis — both freshmen — as the only goalies on Ohio State’s roster, and the injury to Tomkins further decimated the depth at the position.
Sources said Ohio State coaches feared that Tomkins suffered a broken tibia four minutes into Saturday’s game, an injury that could end his season.
After Saturday’s game, Buckeyes coach Steve Rohlik did not give the media a diagnosis or a length of time Tomkins would miss.
“Numbers don’t lie, we have one right now,” he said. “Depending on how many days with [Tomkins], but sometimes those are the cards you are dealt and we’ll deal with it. We have a great group and we will work extremely hard.”
An Ohio State spokesperson said Sunday that Tomkins is still being evaluated.
If it’s needed, the team could add a player to its roster as long as he is already enrolled at the school. Ohio State has an ACHA Division II club team that lists three goaltenders.
Tomkins, a seventh-round pick by Chicago in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, started eight of Ohio State’s first 10 games.
UPDATE: Rohlik told Jeff Svoboda of Buckeye Sports Bulletin that Tomkins’ injury would not be season-ending.
#OhioState hockey coach Steve Rohlik just told me G Matt Tomkins is “day to day” with lower-body injury. Definitely not season-ending
After a successful run in the MCHA, Adrian is looked to be a favorite in the NCHA this season (photo: Adrian College Athletics).
It’s a brand new season for the NCHA and the landscape of the league looks quite different from where it ended last season.
It was announced prior to the 2012-13 season that the two remaining schools in the NCHA would join the MCHA. Last spring, the league decided to stick with NCHA as the league identifier while merging the two group’s traditions. The league’s regular-season champion will earn the Peters Cup, the cup used by the NCHA. The Harris Cup, traditionally the MCHA playoff award, will be a part of the NCHA tournament.
Eight of the teams are old foes from the MCHA with Adrian, Concordia (Wis.), Finlandia, Lake Forest, Lawrence, Marian, Milwaukee School of Engineering and Northland returning. St. Norbert and St. Scholastica are new to the mix this season from the NCHA.
Adrian coach Ron Fogarty voiced positive reaction when speaking of the new competition in the league.
“It’s great having those two teams in the conference,” said Fogarty. “It will add excitement.”
St. Scholastica coach Mark Wick has a similar outlook on the new season.
“As we looked to where we would end up, we thought the MCHA was the league on the rise,” Wick said. “All teams are making commitments to their programs. We are going to have to compete each night to play.”
St. Norbert’s coach, Tim Coghlin, voiced a similar sentiment. Coghlin has a long history with coaches of the other teams in the newest version of the conference. AJ Aitken was an associate head coach under Coglin at St. Norbert before taking the head coaching job at Marian. Mike Szodkinski, head coach at Lawrence, was a standout goalie under Coghlin’s reins from 1999-2000.
“We may not know the players on the team, but we are very familiar with the men behind the benches,” said Coghlin.
St. Norbert and Adrian have both been dominant in their conferences in the most recent history. Adrian won the MCHA regular-season title, as well as the Harris Cup championship last year. St. Norbert won the NCHA playoffs, while placing second behind Wisconsin-Eau Clare in the regular season.
They are the only two teams to make it to the NCAA tournament last season. Both teams were knocked out in the quarterfinals by the eventual championship-game contenders. St. Norbert lost to Wisconsin-Eau Claire, the 2012-13 national champions, 3-1, while Adrian dropped an overtime thriller to Oswego 3-2.
Adrian
Nickname: Bulldogs 2012-13 Record: 17-0-3 MCHA (1st), 23-2-3 overall 2012-13 Postseason: MCHA regular-season and playoff champions, suffered a 3-2 OT loss to Oswego in the NCAA quarterfinals. Head Coach: Ron Fogarty, sixth season (122-18-3) Key Returning Players: F Josh Cousineau (12-16-38), F Josh Ranalli (18-17-35), G Scott Shackell (.933, 1.95), G James Hamby (.914, 2.41) Key Departures: F Zach Graham (14-25-39), F Shaq Merasty (22-16-38), F Andrew Dovey (11-10-21)
The Bulldogs will look to fill key losses from last season while losing seniors Zach Graham and Andrew Dovey. They also will not be returning top-scoring rookie, Shaq Merasty. The Bulldogs have always done a good job recruiting and their freshmen will be competing for playing time right off the bat. Adrian hosts a culture that knows how to win both conference and non-conference games and the new dynamic of adding two very talented teams this season will challenge the team in a positive way.
Concordia (Wis.)
Nickname: Falcons 2012-13 Record: 7-13-0 MCHA (t-6th), 7-18-0 overall 2012-13 Postseason: No postseason. Head Coach: Jasen Wise, second season (7-18-0) Key Returning Players: F Devin Stuermer (9-8-17), D Eli Riddle (1-14-15), F Chris Hughes (6-6-12) Key Departures: There were no departing players with significant playing time during the ’12-13 season.
The Falcons are returning 12 sophomores to their roster who earned valuable experience last season. Concordia’s 7-18-0 overall record matches their win total in the last three seasons combined. Wise guided the team and remained positive on the team’s growth despite the tied-for-sixth-place finish in the conference. This season will bring more development for the team, but with the year of experience and wins last season, they have a chance to compete.
Finlandia
Nickname: Lions 2012-13 Record: 7-13-0 MCHA (t-7th), 7-18-0 overall 2012-13 Record: No postseason Head Coach: John McCabe, fourth season (17-57-1) Key Returning Players: F Collin Saint-Onge (11-13-24), F Sean Burke (7-10-17), G Troy Chandler (.908, 3.33)
Eight freshmen and nine sophomores will pose fresh legs for the Lions, who have not been in the top half of the MCHA standings since 2008-09. Senior assistant captain Collin Saint-Onge had a big season last year and the team will look to him to produce again this season to serve as an example for the rookies on the team.
Lake Forest
Nickname: Foresters 2012-13 Record: 6-10-4 MCHA (4th), 10-12-5 overall 2012-13 Postseason: Lost in the first round of the MCHA playoffs. Head Coach: Ryan McKelvie, third season (15-34-5) Key Returning Players: F Jason McAloon (7-15-22), F Roberto Caparelli (8-11-19) Key Departures: G Brendan Sullivan (.911, 2.42)
McKelvie will look upon strides that have been taken each season since he started to get the Foresters to have a productive season.
“This season will be a concerted team effort, everyone needs to play well,” said McKelvie. “Our veteran players have been working hard and improving during the offseason and are looking to make some strides again this year.”
The one question for the Foresters this year will be their goaltending. With the loss of goalie Brendan Sullivan, Lake Forest now has three goalies who will be competing for playing time to earn the No. 1 billing in the net.
Lawrence
Nickname: Vikings 2012-13 Record: 6-11-3 MCHA (5th), 8-16-3 overall 2012-13 Postseason: Lost in a mini-game to Northland in the first round of the MCHA playoffs. Head Coach: Mike Szkodzinski, eighth season (84-95-16) Key Returning Players: F Logan Lemirande (7-20-27), F Rudi Pino (11-14-25) Key Departures: F Brad Scurfield (12-14-25), F Phil Bushbacher (13-8-21)
Logan Lemirande and Rudi Pino were two of the top three scorers last season in their rookie campaigns. The Vikings will look to these two sophomores to be just as productive this season and lead the team offensively — they will be the players to watch. Lawrence will want to get out of the fifth-place bubble and earn a spot in the top half of the standings.
Marian
Nickname: Sabres 2012-13 Record: 12-8-0 MCHA (3rd), 13-12-1 overall
2012-12 Postseason: The Sabres lost in the MCHA semifinal playoffs. Head Coach: AJ Aitken, second season (13-12-1) Key Returning Players: F Tyler Klein (15-6-21), F Brian Berger (8-11-19), G Josh Baker (.920, 2.43) Key Departures: D Mitch Kriz (7-11-17)
The Sabres were third in the standings closing out last season. Aitken will be very familiar with the two new teams in the conference, which will be an advantage for his team as they fight for a top spot in the conference. Marian returns eight seniors that will play a big role in guiding the team to a solid finish.
Milwaukee School of Engineering
Nickname: Raiders 2012-13 Record: 12-6-2 MCHA (2nd), 17-10-2 overall
2012-12 Postseason: MSOE lost to Adrian in the MCHA playoff championship game. Head Coach: Mark Ostapina, 13th season (189-130-14) Key Returning Players: F Cody Ganchar (9-16-25), D Michael Thompson (3-16-19), G Nick Kohn (.924, 2.12) Key Departures: F Bradley Tierney (13-16-29), F Jordan Keizer (17-11-28)
Sophomore goalie Nick Kohn will be a big part of the Raiders’ season. He was second in the league in GAA touting a 2.29 with a .920 save percentage. Kohn won the most conference games out of any goalie in the league with 12 (the next closest was nine). With little worries between the pipes, the Raiders will need to fill in the offense since their two top scorers from last season were seniors (Tierney and Keizer).
Northland
Nickname: LumberJacks 2012-13 Record: 7-13-0 MCHA (t-6th), 10-17-1 overall
2012-12 Postseason: Lost in the MCHA semifinals to Adrian 8-0. Head Coach: Steve Fabiilli, 9th season (38-167-9) Key Returning Players: F Mike Lennon (13-17-30), F Mike Mikulan (9-16-25) Key Departures: F Kraig Wright (10-13-23), D Brady Vandenberk (5-16-21)
The Lumberjacks stunned in the postseason last season as they beat Lawrence in the first round of the playoffs. They have a substantial number of upperclassmen on their roster that will want to continue the momentum that the postseason provided them. They are returning their two top scorers as Mike Lennon was third in league scoring last season, while Mike Mikulan was third in rookie scoring for the league.
St. Norbert
Nickname: Green Knights 2012-13 Record: 13-4-1 NCHA (2nd), 23-6-1 overall
2012-12 Postseason: Won the NCHA postseason title, lost in the NCAA semifinals. Head Coach: Tim Coghlin, 21st season (434-119-46) Key Returning Players: F Joe Perry (11-20-31), F Cullen Bradshaw (13-14-27), G David Jackson (1.61, .931) Key Departures: F Kyle Stroh (19-22-41), F Cody Keefer (17-17-34)
Coghlin talks very candidly on where he is confident in his team and where they may have a problem this season.
“Our defensive core is solid, we have added all the right pieces and they will be better this year,” explained Coghlin, “Our goaltending will be better this year. The questions becomes who will produce our offensive scoring.”
The Green Knights lost their two top scorers (Stroh and Keefer) and it is unclear where the point production will come from. As long as St. Norbert stays solid on defense and in goal, this team will continue their successes that they have had in the past decade.
St. Scholastica
Nickname: Saints 2012-13 Record: 7-10-1 NCHA (4th), 13-14-1 overall
2012-12 Postseason: Fell to St. Norbert in the NCHA semifinals. Head Coach: Mark Wick, 10th season (121-103-31) Key Returning Players: F Brandon Nowakowski (17-11-28), F Dylan Nowakowski (6-18-24), G Colin Rundell (.904, 3.11) Key Departures: F Brett Corcoran (12-17-29), F Tyler Miller (10-16-26)
After a lackluster start to the 2012-13 season, the Saints rallied to a 9-3-1 record in the second half of the season.
“I think the last season was a motivator as we had a good stretch and we were very close in big games,” said Wick, “It kind of left a bitter taste in the players’ mouths, but there were a lot of positives that came out of last season.”
St. Scholastica will look to the Nowakowski brothers to have another successful season with linemate Paul Marcoux.
What has traditionally been one of college hockey’s best rivalries in recent decades lacked much of its luster on Friday night as Boston College severely outplayed Boston University in a 5-1 win at BU’s Agganis Arena.
The game was the first for Boston University’s David Quinn as BU’s head coach and it was about as rude a welcome as he could feel to the storied rivalry.
Sure, Quinn was a part of BC-BU as a player and assistant. But you can imagine that when he took over this BU team last summer, one of the dates he circled on his calendar was November 8.
Maybe that is part of the reason that after the game Quinn took much of the blame.
“I didn’t think I did a good job of coaching the team and preparing us tonight,” said Quinn. He said that in certain situations he didn’t have the right personnel on the ice and said he felt responsible for a couple of goals.
All that said, a majority of blame has to be put on the players. Numbers certainly don’t lie. The Terriers had just six – yes, six – shots on goal 5-on-5 on Friday. Seventeen of BU’s shots came during its seven power plays. And during arguable BU’s best opportunity to get back in the game, a 5-0n-3 man advantage for a minute late in the second trailing 3-1, the Terriers couldn’t get a shot on goal.
“We find a way to fire [the puck] into pads or we miss the net,” said Quinn. “It’s just a mentality. If you’re not aware of who has the puck or who is on top of you, you’re not going to get the shot off.”
Take nothing away from the BC team that was across the ice from the Terriers. For the good part of 60 minutes on Friday, particularly in the third period, the Eagles looked like they were putting on a clinic. Doing so against your premier rival certainly feels pretty darn special.
“It’s two points every game,” said BC’s Bill Arnold who collected his 100th career point Friday. “But when you play BU, it’s a totally different game.”
Maybe so or maybe not. Friday’s win gives BC an 11-9-1 advantage in the last 21 meetings but, at the same time, the Eagles hold a lopsided 10-3-1 advantage over BU at Agganis Arena since the building opened in 2005.
Those stats meant little to a low-key Quinn after the game. Yes, this was BC. But no, this wasn’t the effort he wanted from his team. And he knows it.
“The score was indicative of the way the game was played,” Quinn said. “I want [the loss] to sting. We need to feel this pain.”
Stevenson announced recently that Tracy Johnson, former interim head coach and assistant at Amherst, has been named the second head coach in program history, replacing Shera Vis, who was named an assistant coach at St. Cloud State.
“Goals for this season are to continue to constantly develop and get better every single day, as well as get a few more in the win column than last season,” Johnson said in a statement. “Any improvement in our record is a positive step. I know if we take care of things on our end in practice and off the ice, the success in games will come. The ultimate goal is for a national championship. Period. Sooner rather than later.”
Most recently, Johnson served as the head coach of the Midfairfield CT Stars U19 team and as the head coach of the Minnesota Jr. Chill U8, U10 and U12 programs.
Johnson, a 2010 Boston College graduate and former defenseman for the Eagles, served as an assistant coach at Amherst in 2011-12 and before that appointment, spent one year as an assistant coach at Arlington Catholic (Mass.) High School while also also working at the USA Hockey Girls 14, Girls 16 and Girls 17 Development Camps.
Nichols’ Tyler Beasley wants more celebrations this year for the Bison (photo: Richard Orr).
Avoiding the “sophomore slump” is often referred to a player who’s entering his second year after a decent first year.
For Nichols’ Kevin Swallow and Curry’s T.J. Manastersky, they will try to avoid the sophomore slump as head coaches.
Both had outstanding rookie campaigns in 2012-13, going 17-9-1 and 11-12-4, respectively.
“I think every day there’s a different obstacles thrown at you, when you had it figure it out, something happens and you have to make an adjustment,” said Swallow. “That’s the big thing – don’t ever get comfortable because when you think that, things will be thrown at you to throw you off.”
“When you work for a guy like Jeff Meredith, one of the best in the business, you learn some things along the way with a guy like that,” Manastersky said of his experience as an assistant coach at Fredonia from 2008-12. “I still call him because I am seeing things the first time. I say to Jeff, ‘You’ve seen everything twice.’ He’s definitely been an influence in preparing me for the job.”
One of the biggest adjustments Manastersky had to make is going from bringing ideas to the table as an assistant coach to making the decision as a head coach.
For Swallow, who just finished his college career at Maine in 2010, he can communicate with his players very easily.
“I feel I can definitely connect with the guys and that’s a strength of mine,” Swallow said. “I can relate to what they are going through as a student-athletes.”
Both Swallow and Manastersky each have admirable respect for each other.
“T.J. did a great job with his team last year,” Swallow said. “He beat us a couple of times. We are both fortunate enough to take over some decent programs and have success in our first year.”
“Kevin had a great season last year,” added Manastersky. “He stepped right in and did an unbelievable job getting his guys ready.
“It’s an exciting league, we got a lot of great coaches and we have some up-and-coming coaches.”
For the rest of the league, Salve Regina expects to be contenders this season.
The Seahawks, who made it all the way to the ECAC Northeast championship game last year, look to be at the top of the conference all season long.
“I would like to say Salve, but I don’t think they will surprise anybody,” said Manastersky on his pick to win the conference. “I don’t think that was a one-stop deal for them. They are a program that is in a position to have success year in and year out.”
The Salve Ragina recruiting class includes two players with Division I experience in Cam Gaudet (Massachusetts-Lowell) and Justin Jones (Denver).
“Salve Regina had a great finish last year and have some pretty talented players, so they will be right there,” said Swallow. “At the same time, I think there’s a lot depth in our league. I think anybody can beat anyone.”
For Wentworth coach R.J. Tolan, at the end of the day, there’s no easy game in the conference.
“Every game we played, whether it’s against the team that’s in second or the team that finished last, was pretty much a dog fight,” Tolan said. “There are so many good hockey players out there and there are so many good coaches. I think it’s a lot of fun and it’s pretty challenging.”
Becker
Nickname: Hawks 2012-13 Record: (10-13-2, 1-11-2) 2012-13 Postseason: None Head Coach and Record with School: Steve Hoar (66-89-12, 8th season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Gerald Owen (7-13-20); Cody Edwards (2-9-11); Gregg Hussey (7-9-0, .893 save percentage, 3.65 goals-against average.) Key Departures: Branden Parkhouse (23-17-40); David Graham (18-21-39); Korby Anderson (11-20-31); Don Kane (4-15-19); Dan Kane (6-9-15) Key Newcomers: Antonio Baccari (Rochester Ice Hawks (MNJHL) 6-14-20); Ian Reffert (New Mexico Renegades (WSHL) (8-6-14); Kyle Godfrey (Fresno Monsters (WSHL) 16-17-33); Connor Merrick (New Hampshire Junior Monarchs (EMJHL) 21-36-57). Prediction – 7th — The Hawks know how to win, which was demonstrated by their nonconference record. Now they need to take last year’s nonconference success and turn it into success into the conference. Becker will be without their top four scorers last year and last year’s secondary options will have to be the go-to option.
Curry
Nickname: Colonels 2012-13 Record: (11-11-4, 7-3-2) 2012-13 Postseason: Lost to Johnson & Wales 6-4 in the ECAC Northeast quarterfinals Head Coach and Record with School: T.J. Manastersky (11-11-4 2nd season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Brandon Gilmore (9-12-21); Jordan Reed (8-13-21); Michael Lopez (5-6-11); Derek Mohney (5-6-3) .892 save percentage, 2.97 goals-against average) Key Departures: Ian DeLong (14-16-30); Brett Kaneshiro (1-18-19); Connor Hendry (7-10-17); Casey Brugman (7-10-17); Joe Dawson (6-5-1, .919 save percentage, 2.83 goals-against average) Key Newcomers: Brett Sinclair (Aurora Tigers (OJHL)13-6-5, .920 save-percentage, 2.72 goals against average); Ellery O’Hara (Burlington Cougars (OJHL) 5-12-17); Tommy Tsicos (Orangeville Flyers (OJHL) 6-13-19); Sean Nelson (Portland Jr. Pirates (EJHL) 9-23-32); Tyler Vankleef (Burlington Cougars (OJHL) 21-19-40); Mike Apreda (5-23-28); Jake Heisinger (19-39-58) Prediction – 5th — Curry lost a bulk of their scoring last year and Brandon Gilmore will look to be the go-to guy offensively as a sophomore. Derek Mohney will have his chance to be the No. 1 goaltender this season as he put up solid numbers as a backup. Manastersky seems to found a good recruiting base in Ontario as eight freshmen came from the Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Johnson and Wales
Nickname: Wildcats 2012-13 Record: (10-16-1, 5-8-1) 2012-13 Postseason: Lost to Wentworth 4-1 in the ECAC Northeast semifinals Head Coach and Record with School: Eric Noack (99-148-15, 11th season ) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Josh Obregon (12-11-23); Alex Porrier (8-14-22); Daniel Chang (9-12-21); Eddie Patterson (7-10-17); Key Departures: Danny Kaufman (15-14-29); Jason Pietrasiak (9-15-24); Trevor Jewell (9-9-18); Matt Cooper (10-14-1, .889 save percentage, 4.11 goals-against average.) Key Newcomers: Taylor Porrier (Boulder Jr. Bison (WSHL) 7-24-31); Stefan Brucato (Idaho Jr. Steelheads (WSHL) 34-68-102); Drew Kariofiles (Topeka Roadrunner (NAHL) 12-9-21); Ben Brouillard (Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (AJHL) 17-15-32); Joey Ballmer (Jamestown Ironmen (NAHL) 9-5-0, .920 save percentage, 2.34 goals-against average. Prediction – 6th — The Wildcats are posed to make another deep playoff run despite losing their top two scorers from last year’s squad. They have a good core coming back plus a couple from freshmen who put up points in juniors. The biggest question mark for Johnson and Wales will be the goaltending. With Matt Cooper gone, they might have to rely on freshman Joey Ballmer, who had an outstanding year in the NAHL last year. He’s battle-tested from his three-year NAHL career, not having a save percentage lower than .900.
Nichols
Nickname: Bison 2012-13 Record: (16-9-1, 9-4-1) 2012-13 Postseason: Lost to Salve Regina 3-2 in the ECAC Northeast semifinals Head Coach and Record with School: Kevin Swallow (16-9-1, 2nd season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Tyler Beasley (14-14-28); Joe Sposit (9-10-19); Frank Butler (10-8-18); Paul Prescott (5-11-16); Brett Jackson (1-14-15); Alex Larson (10-7-1, .928 save-percentage, 2.32 goals against average); Dylan Woodring (5-2-0, .902 save percentage, 2.60 goals-against-average). Key Departures: Zach Kohn (4-13-17); Danny Greiner (8-6-14). Key Newcomers: Donald Rudd (Philadelphia Jr. Flyers (AJHL) 6-27-33); Sean Swansen (Northern Cyclones (AJHL) 15-19-34) Joey Quintana (Hartford Jr. Wolfpack (AJHL) 13-26-39); Mike Weaver (New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs (EJHL) 5-6-11); Prediction – 2nd — Nichols had a very good season under first-year head coach Kevin Swallow last year. They were a young squad and didn’t lose much in the offseason. The biggest strength they have coming into the season has to be their goaltending. Expectations are high this year and they have a team that can meet those expectations.
Salve Regina
Nickname: Seahawks 2012-13 Record: (10-14-3, 5-7-2) 2012-13 Postseason: Lost to Wentworth 3-1 in the ECAC-Northeast Championship game Head Coach and Record with School: Andrew Boschetto (19-54-5, 4th season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): John Scorcia (11-20-31); Marc Biggs (15-10-25); Cameron Gaudet (13-12-25); Michael Naso (11-14-25); Peter Gintoli (12-12-24); David Chiokadze (5-6-1, .892 save percentage, 3.74 goals-against-average) Key Departures: Mike McDonald (4-8-2, .876 save percentage, 4.07 goals-against-average.) Key Newcomers: Jonathan Felteau (Northern Cyclones (AJHL) 24-56-80); Justin Jones (Denver (WCHA); Trace Redmond (Wenatachee Wild (NAHL) 7-11-18) Prediction – 3rd — Salve Regina came on strong at the end of last season, making it all the way to the ECAC Northeast championship game. The Seahawks have five guys with 24 or more points returning. David Chiokadze, while he didn’t put up impressive numbers, gained valuable experience in net as a freshman. They have a small freshman class coming in, but it’s a couple guys who can step in and make an impact this season.
Suffolk
Nickname: Rams 2012-13 Record: (3-21-0, 1-13-0) 2012-13 Postseason: None Head Coach and Record with School: Chris Glionna (67-134-20, 10th season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Charlie McGinnis (12-10-22); Jon Stauffer (4-7-11); Key Departures: Josh Goryl (2-8-10); Cam Kelley (2-19-0, .849 save-percentage, 5.34 goals-against-average). Key Newcomers: Sean Heelen (Catholic Memorial (Mass.) High School) 1-9-10); Garrett Stephenson (Washington Jr. Nationals (AJHL) 7-10-17); Stanton Turner (Walpole Express (AJHL) 16-13-29); Prediction – 8th — Suffolk had a dismal this year and looks to be more competitive this season. They will need to find a running mate to go along with Charlie McGinnis to kick-start the offense. The loss of Cam Kelly hurts because the Rams relied on him heavily in net last season.
Wentworth
Nickname: Leopards 2012-13 Record: (16-9-3, 10-2-2) 2012-13 Postseason: Lost to Babson 6-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Head Coach and Record with School: R.J. Tolan (117-62-14, 8th season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Kevin Crowe (10-11-21); Mike Cox (5-16-21); Mike Domsodi (6-13-19); Adam Frank (11-5-16); Devin Cobbold (9-6-15); Joel Miller (13-2-3 .922 save percentage, 2.06 goals-against-average); Alex Peck (3-6-1, .901 save-percentage, 2.57 goals-against-average). Key Departures: Shaun Jameson (5-22-27). Key Newcomers: Stephen McManus (Salem State (MASCAC) 0-12-12); Jake Flynn (Austin Bruins (NAHL) 1-20-21); Dan Szerlip (Concordia (MCHA) 5-9-14); Robert Mantha (Bay State Breakers (EJHL) 5-18-23); Connor Crowe (Toledo Cherokee (NA3HL) 14-19-33) Prediction – 1st — The Leopards are the favorites again and look to repeat as ECAC Northeast champions. Their only impact loss in the offseason was the graduation of their leading scorer, Shaun Jameson. They bring in an impressive recruiting class, including two players with Division III experience. Goaltending will once again be a strength for Wentworth.
Western New England
Nickname: Golden Bears 2012-13 Record: (11-15-0, 8-6-0) 2012-13 Postseason: Lost to Salve Regina 8-4 in the ECAC Northeast quarterfinals. Head Coach and Record with School: Greg Heffernan (37-65-3, 5th season) Key Returning Players (with ’12-13 stats): Brandon Stroud (15-17-32); Brian Prost (8-17-25); John Kelly (7-12-19); Dan Monahan (7-12-19); Alan Martin (13-5-18); Will Preston (4-13-17); Eric Sorenson (5-8-0, .901 save-percentage, 3.89 goals-against-average); Tim Carr (5-6-1, .913 save percentage, 3.21 goals-against-average.) Key Departures: None Key Newcomers: Tyler Pionk (Atlanta Knights (EJHL-South) 12-10-22); Kyle Williams (Syracuse Stampede (NSHL) 4-10-14); Josh Twietmeyer (West Sound Warriors (NORPAC) 36-44-80); Joe Budnick (Connecticut (Atlantic Hockey) 1-0-1) Prediction – 4th — The Golden Bears are bringing nearly all their offense back from last year, which had 11 players with 10 or more points. To add to the firepower, Joe Budnick, who spent the previous two seasons with UConn, joins the fray. Western New England has two solid goaltenders back and look for both of them to improve from their sophomore year.
With conference action taking hold, a number of intriguing matchups are featured this week Here’s our best guess on how things will transpire.
ECAC DIV III EAST
Friday Nov. 8
Plymouth State at Southern Maine
The Panthers take on their third consecutive road test in Gorham against the Huskies who used an early third period score to eke out a 1-0 win over University of New England. PSU has a modicum of experience in their defensive posture, led by senior Tasha Wyatt who got involved in the offensive picture as well with a power play goal. Southern Maine gets the nod on this one however based on the historically consistent play of junior goaltender Liz Bergstrom who garnered a 20-save whitewash in the opener.
Southern Maine 2-1
Saturday Nov 9
Salve Regina at Holy Cross
One of the potentially better match ups this weekend as both entities have the personnel to generate better than average offensive opportunities. The Cross returned 19 from a year ago. Salve’s power play operation needs to get better than the 1 for 11 numbers they put up in a 2-1 win over Neumann last week if they hope to topple HC on the road.
Holy Cross 4-3
Friday Nov 8, Saturday Nov 9
Norwich home and home with St. Michael’s
The Cadets are coming off a close- to- the- vest win over Elmira at the East-West Classic. St. Michael’s is taking baby steps in improving in its own end. Last season’s two game series was an offensive outburst for Norwich. Expect more of the same.
Norwich 7-0, 6-1
ECAC DIV III WEST
Friday Nov 8, Saturday Nov 9
Chatham at Buffalo State
Former assistant coach at Ohio State Candice Moxley gets her first look at her Bengals within the home ice environment. Sophomore Nikki Kirchberger led her club with eight goals a year ago expects to be at the forefront of the offensive efforts once again. Chatham took a lone conference win last season. Its first in the 2013-14 season will be a tough go.
Buffalo State 6-0, 3-1
Saturday Nov 9, Sunday Nov 10
Utica at Elmira
Utica home and home with Elmira
Elmira enters this weekend with an interesting East-West Classic under its belt. The Pioneers have a nice quartet of scoring up front led by Megan Myers but will need a collective full-tilt effort to slip by the Soaring Eagles.
Elmira 4-0, 6-2
Saturday Nov 9, Sunday Nov 10
Oswego at Potsdam
Oswego faces a pair of afternoon dates with a Potsdam team that was lit up by Plattsburgh 8-0 last Tuesday. The Bears, lacking a few key components to their defensive posture from last year’s roster will have to clamp down on a Lakers club that fired 98 shots through its first two outings. Playing in the newly renovated Maxy Ice Arena for the first time provides the home club with a shot of incentive in the opener-albeit not quite enough.
Oswego 4-3, 3-1
NCHA
Friday Nov 8, Saturday Nov 9
Marian at Adrian
NCHA player of the year Brittany Zeches has left a void for the Bulldogs in net however freshman Jade Walsh’s (.929 save percentage in two NC games) has promise. Adrian’s up front composure, still relatively young, prevails in the both showdowns.
Adrian 3-2, 2-0
Friday Nov 8, Saturday Nov 9
Lake Forest at St. Norbert
Goaltender Kaley Gibson posted a shutout last weekend while Rachel Koppang and Henriette Ostergaard combined for eight points in a two-victory weekend as the Green Knights waste no time in hoping to improve on their 18-10-2 overall campaign. Lake Forest’s split with Adrian at home signals that the Foresters might have a tough go away from home.
St. Norbet 3-2, 5-3
Friday Nov 8, Saturday Nov 9
Finlandia at St. Scholastica
The Lions managed only three goals in a deuce with Concordia to open. The Saints by contrast, can put points on the score sheet. The Waidacher sisters, Nina, Monika and freshman Isabel have quickly made they presence felt.
St. Scholastica 5-1, 4-0
Clarkson at Dartmouth 7:00
The Big Green have surrendered 22 goals in four games. Clarkson has given up 21 goals in 10 games. This is gut-check time for Dartmouth, picked to finish in the middle of the pack in the preseason polls, but rapidly plummeting into the basement. Tough to pick against Clarkson here: 5-2 Knights.
St. Lawrence at Harvard 7:00
The Crimson are still a work-in-progress, but three points against preseason favorite Rensselaer are a good start. SLU has jumped out to a 4-2-2 start and is looking to build on a pair of road ties last weekend at Yale and Brown. If Harvard can keep the Carey brothers from doing too much damage, the hosts are in good shape… but with nine combined goals and 23 points in eight games, that’s easier said than done. 3-2 Saints.
Yale at Princeton 7:00
To put it simply, Yale appears to be a class above Princeton at this point. The Bulldogs have already beaten the Tigers once in ‘Jersey, and Princeton’s offense is hard-pressed to score more than two goals in a night so far. All signs point to Blue, 4-1.
Brown at Quinnipiac 7:00
Just as I was about to type “5-3 QU” and leave it at that, I remembered that Brown is a Bobcat brutalizer: Quinnipiac never rolls Bruno, and this tilt should be another tooth-and-nail doozy. That said, tough to ignore QU’s prodigious roll right now, and Consecutive Win No. 9 looks more likely than not. Let’s cut that prediction to 3-2, Bobcats.
Cornell at Rensselaer 7:00
Big test for RPI this weekend, hosting the Big Red and Raiders without starting goalie Jason Kasdorf. The Engineers haven’t exploded onto the national scene as some prognosticators had hoped/expected, but 5-2-1 with twice as many goals scored as surrendered is nothing to scoff at. Cornell will be looking for a bounce-back performance on offense after being blanked at home by QU last weekend, but the Engineers are a pretty stingy team in their own end. Should be tight and low-scoring… feels like a 2-1 or 3-2 game to me. Let’s say 2-1, RPI.
Colgate at Union 7:00
After a rough start, Union hit the reset button before entering ECAC action. The Dutchmen promptly snuffed Dartmouth and Harvard on the road, and now prepare for a middling Raiders club that has only defeated equally unimpressive RIT and Princeton in the last month (2-4-1). Messa has been a tough place to play in recent years, and Union is showing signs of getting its season back on track. Colgate has offered no indication of upset capability yet, so why should I pick ’em? 4-2 Dutch.
Saturday, November 9
Brown at Princeton 4:00
Brown’s bite, claw and scratch approach versus Princeton’s potential early-season desperation… this has the feel of a tight, low-scoring, heavy-hitting affair. This is the second game in five days for both teams, and it’s one of those uncomfortable afternoon tilts following a night game and – for Brown – a two- (or more) hour bus ride. You know what? I’m feeling frisky; here’s to ECAC unpredictability: 3-2 Tigers.
St. Lawrence at Dartmouth 7:00
It’s too early to enact The Brown Rule (see Colgate @ SLU, Nov. 6), but if Dartmouth can’t stop the goals-against bleeding in a hurry, it might be in for a looooong, Brown Rule-ian winter. 4-2 SLU.
Clarkson at Harvard 7:00
‘Tech is 5-5-3 at Bright Hockey Center since the 2000-01 season, and it’s playing as though it might go to 6-5-3. Freshman goalie Steve Perry and sophomore Greg Lewis have nearly identical stats this year, each boasting .925 save percentages and GAA’s within a fraction of 2.00 in equal playing time. Harvard goalie Raphael Girard has pitched two shutouts in two games… but if the pattern holds, it will be recently returned junior Steve Michalek’s turn in net, and his GAA is floating near 3. Should be a good defensive battle all the same, though I like Clarkson’s momentum at the moment. 3-2 Knights.
Yale at Quinnipiac 7:00
The much-anticipated title rematch (or is it the league tournament consolation rematch?) has been sold out for as long as it has been on sale. QU has nine games under its belt, to Yale’s four. Bobcats goalie Michael Garteig is Rand Pecknold’s man, while Keith Allain is still rotating his freshmen for the time being. The QU offense is on a tear, and its defense is pretty stout to boot. I love this game, I love this matchup, but I think the Bobcats have a clear edge (on paper)… 4-2 Q.
Colgate at Rensselaer 7:00
This looks like a mis-match, so why logic-ificate ourselves into knots? 4-1 Engineers.
Cornell at Union 7:00
Good old-fashioned ECAC hockey game at an old-fashioned rink between two solid, no-nonsense teams. The facet that catches my eye in this matchup is Cornell’s goal-happy special teams: The Big Red score on nearly a third of their power plays, but also give up about a goal for every five penalties taken. Union’s PK is no better; this game may well hinge on who can play the cleanest game. 4-3 Union.
Tuesday, November 12
UMass-Lowell at Princeton 7:00
The RiverHawks have won four straight after a rough start to the season, and only play one game this weekend. Princeton is at home, but look ill-prepared to overcome UML’s increasingly stalwart defense. The Tigers will have to dig deep for three or more goals to take this one. 3-1 UML.
Brown at New Hampshire 7:00
UNH is a dismal 0-5-1 in its last six games, and Brown is no cupcake. In fact, Bruno slapped the Wildcats around in Durham two years ago, 5-2. Repeat the result? Why not! The Bears look far more stable than the Wildcats at this point in time. 4-2 Bears.
And I’d like to thank the Bulldogs and the Buckeyes for their right-way split. Such a rare thing for me.
This week
There are three nonconference series this weekend and a single nonconference game. Both Michigan and Wisconsin have the weekend off.
Michigan State at Michigan Tech
Drew: The Spartans have quietly won three in a row. Granted last week’s home sweep over American International isn’t the most impressive thing in the world. In the last three games Michigan State has outscored its opponents 12-5, averaged 40 shots on goal, taken five or fewer penalties and scored two power play goals. If they continue playing like that this weekend at Michigan Tech, they shouldn’t have any problem with the Huskies.
Paula: Last weekend, the Spartans swept American International at home, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 9-4 in the process. Sunday’s 4-0 game gave senior MSU goaltender Will Yanakeff his first win of the season and his fifth career shutout. The Huskies spent the weekend in Ann Arbor, where they lost two good, close games to the Wolverines. MSU hasn’t played a regular-season series in Marquette since 1984, when coaches Tom Anastos and Kelly Miller played for the Spartans. The teams last met Dec. 29, 2011, in semifinal game of the Great Lakes Invitational Tournament, a 3-1 Michigan State win. MTU coach Mel Pearson calls his team “the best 1-6-1 team around,” and I believe him. This will be a test for both teams. Games are at 7:07 p.m. both Friday and Saturday.
Drew’s picks: Michigan State 4-2 and 3-3 tie. Paula’s picks: Michigan State 3-1, Michigan Tech 2-1.
Minnesota at Notre Dame
Drew:A top-five match-up and a father versus his son, this ought to be a good one. Minnesota will get its first true road test this weekend, and it’ll be interesting to he how its youngsters react to not playing in the friendly confines of Mariucci Arena. The Gophers traveled to Bemidji in week two, but the amount of Gophers’ fans that always make that trip almost makes Sanford Center a second home, or at the very least a neutral site, for the weekend. For Minnesota to be successful this weekend, it’ll have to basically continue what it has been doing. I think the first goal will be crucial in both games. If the Gophers can take the crowd out of the game early, I think they’ll ride the momentum to a couple victories this weekend.
Paula: Sure, Quinnipiac and Yale are going at it this weekend, but isn’t this the series you’d like to be attending if you could. (I would be there tonight, if I hadn’t contracted Plague. Okay, so it’s not Plague. Still, it’s sidelining me tonight. And, yet again, I digress.) The No. 1 Gophers tied Boston College and beat the Eagles last weekend, 3-3 and 6-1, while the No. 4 Fighting Irish split their first Hockey East series with Vermont, losing 2-1 before winning 3-2. The teams last met Jan. 8, 2013, in Mariucci Arena, a 4-1 Minnesota win. The Gophers and Irish play different styles, and the team that can dictate the pace of play will likely be victorious. The idea that Notre Dame doesn’t like to score goals is false; the Irish prefer to play a more patient game, though, than do the Gophers. I see this series as a battle of wills and it’s too soon in the season to predict based on how each team is playing on a given night. Friday’s 8:05 p.m. start is on NBC Sports; Saturday’s game begins at 7:05 p.m.
Drew’s picks: Paula has said in the past that she’s not picking against the Gophers until they lose. I think I’ve adopted that plan as well. Gophers 3-1, 5-2. Paula’s picks: I lied. Notre Dame 2-1, Minnesota 4-2.
Niagara at Ohio State
Drew: With the exception of Saturday’s win over Minnesota-Duluth, the Buckeyes’ recent wins haven’t been over the most impressive of opponents, but I still do not hesitate to say that this team is hot right now. For a young team with a first-year head coach, wins build momentum, no matter the team they’re against. The next four games for Ohio State are very winnable. How will the do when the Big Ten schedule starts? Well, we will discuss that when the Big Ten schedule starts.
Paula: The Purple Eagles last played two weeks ago, a road trip to Colorado that resulted in a 5-1 loss to Denver and 7-4 loss to Air Force. While Niagara is capable of scoring six goals in a game, the Eagles are equally capable of giving up at least that many. The Buckeyes split a pair of games at home against Minnesota-Duluth last weekend, losing 3-1 and winning 4-2. It was the best full-weekend effort his team had played, said coach Steve Rohlik. Although at home, this is a good test for OSU to see if the Buckeyes can continue to evolve and compete. Friday’s game is at 7:05 p.m., Saturday’s at 8:05 p.m.
Drew’s picks: Ohio State 5-3, 6-4 Paula’s picks: Ohio State 3-2, 4-2.
Sacred Heart at Penn State
Drew: Sacred Heart has dropped four in a row since opening the season 2-1, which included a win over Mass-Lowell. Penn State scored the most goals in its long program history in last year’s 6-3 victory over the Pioneers. I like the way Sophomore Matthew Skoff has played so far this season, problem is he has been very busy in net. Skoff had a career-high 48 saves against Robert Morris.
Paula: Sacred Heart is looking for its first win since Oct. 16, a 3-1 decision over Bentley. Last weekend, the Pioneers lost 4-3 to Holy Cross and 4-2 to Connecticut. Penn State, meanwhile, beat Robert Morris 5-4 last Friday, snapping a four-game winless streak. There isn’t much to go on here other than gut. The single game is played tonight at 7:00 p.m.
Drew’s pick: I went with the home team in last week’s RMU/PSU game, and that worked out so well that I might as well do it again. Penn State 5-3. Paula’s pick: Penn State 4-3.
On the season:
Dan: 38-17-5 (.675)
Chris: 42-13-5 (.742)
This Week’s Picks
Friday, Nov. 8 and Saturday, Nov. 9: Niagara at Ohio State Dan: This is a game that Niagara would’ve won last year. But Niagara’s lost some of what made them who they were last year, and the league is so abysmal in non-conference play that I’m pretty sure the rest of the NCAA put a hex on them. Ohio State sweeps. Chris: Ohio State is coming off a nice win over Minnesota-Duluth and is 3-1 in its last four games. I think that and the home ice advantage favors the Buckeyes. Ohio State sweeps.
Friday, Nov. 8: Holy Cross at Army Dan: This is one of those “impossible to predict” games. Army is better than their record would indicate, and Rob Tadazak could go out and win this game (not steal. Win.). I might be crazy, but I really think Army can pull this one off. Army wins. Chris: These teams are a combined 1-9 so far, but I expect a good game. I think the Crusaders pull out a narrow victory. Holy Cross wins.
American International at Bentley Dan: Ryan Soderquist went for broke last year when he pulled his goalie with under a minute left in overtime. It made headlines for all the wrong reasons because AIC won the faceoff, iced the puck, scored, and won the 9th seed while sending Bentley to Canisius for the first round (instead of playing at home). Coupel revenge with their offense breaking out. Plus it’s the Falcon home opener. Bentley wins. Chris: The Falcons will be looking for a bit of revenge against the Yellow Jackets, who swept them on the final weekend of the regular season, stealing away the final home ice playoff spot. I think Bentley gets a win here in its home ice opener. Bentley wins.
Rochester Institute of Technology at Mercyhurst Dan: All signs are pointing to Mercyhurst winning this one. Nobody wants a potential trap game against RIT, which is exactly what this is. RIT wins. Chris: The Tigers are 9-1-1 at the Mercyhurst Ice center in their last 11 visits, and are desperate for a win. But I’m going with the Lakers, who should have confidence after blasting Air Force 8-2 on home ice last weekend. Mercyhurst wins.
Canisius at Robert Morris Dan: With traditional powers like Air Force and RIT, last year’s big dog in Niagara, and the flavor of the month in Canisius and Mercyhurst, people are forgetting that RMU was a solid team last year that won 20 and went 11-5-4 at home. RMU wins. Chris: This is a tough call, but I think it will come down to goaltending, and I give the Golden Griffins the advantage there. Canisius wins.
Sacred Heart at Penn State Dan: Sacred Heart’s improved, but so is Penn State. Transitive property said that Penn State will win this one. Penn State wins. Chris: The Nittany Lions pulled out a wild game at Robert Morris last weekend, and should have an easier time with the Pioneers on home ice. Penn State wins.
Saturday, Nov. 9: Mercyhurst at Canisius Dan: Canisius has the latest home opener in Division I, and it’ll save the best for last when it raises a conference championship and NCAA tournament banner in the face of the team they beat to get there. This one’s going to be wild and emotionally charged. But I think, at the end of the day, Mercyhurst has too much. Mercyhurst wins. Chris:This will be the 114th meeting between the two schools, tops on the list for both teams. It’s also a rematch of last season’s AHA title game. I’m going with the Lakers to get a road win. Mercyhurst wins.
Rochester Institute of Technology at Robert Morris Dan: RIT gave up a lot of goals to RMU last year in losing two of their three meetings. It’s also a weird bus trip for the Tigers, who will have to go back through Erie to get home from Pittsburgh. RMU wins. Chris: In their last meeting at 84 Lumber Arena, the Tigers finally won after coming up short in six previous attempts. But I think that trend will be short-lived. RMU wins.
Sunday, Nov. 10: Army at Boston College Dan: A plus for Army is that BC is playing at Agganis on Friday, which means there’s going to be a substantial amount of banged up bodies. That’s immediately counteracted by BC’s ridiculous depth, which includes two solid goalies in Brian Billett and Thatcher Demko. My heart’s with Army, but my brain’s telling me this one might get ugly. Boston College wins. Chris: This could be a trap game for BC, having played BU on Friday. But I have to go with the eighth-ranked Eagles. Boston College wins.
Tuesday, Nov. 12: Army at Sacred Heart Dan: After playing two games in all of October, Army gets three in a work week. Then again, the only “fatigue” Army ever knows is the ones they wear to work. Army wins. Chris: Army will be playing its third game in five days, but I still like the Black Knights to pull out a close game. Army wins.
Holy Cross at Connecticut Dan: I can’t wait to see Holy Cross’s offense go head-to-head with the pound-for-pound best goalie in the AHA on a fast sheet of ice in Storrs. I’m taking UConn, but get ready for some great fireworks. UConn wins. Chris: I wish I could be at this game, because I think it’s going to be highly entertaining. I’m giving the nod to the Huskies at home. UConn wins.
Matt: I was robbed of perfection a week ago by Lake Superior State’s tie with Wisconsin on Friday, plus the Bemidji State’s win over Minnesota State that night as well. Don’t expect a repeat this week, let alone the rest of the season.
Shane: Well done, Matt. Let’s go to Vegas! I think if last week’s results proved anything it’s that there won’t be any easy picks going forward in this league. While the opponents are often unfamiliar to fans throughout this revamped league, the hockey’s still good, certainly competitive.
Here’s this week’s picks with the Lakers finally getting into WCHA play.
Friday-Saturday
Bemidji State at Ferris State
Matt: Maybe the one media member who cast a first-place vote in the preseason poll for the Beavers knew something the rest of us didn’t. BSU has another tough test this week traveling to the team picked to finish second. Unlike Minnesota State, the Bulldogs have lived up to their billing thus far. Just so I don’t jinx the Beavers, I’ll take Ferris in a sweep. Bulldogs 4-3, 3-2.
Shane: After watching the Beavers last weekend, they’re not going to make life easy on anyone this season. They have a nice combination of goaltending; a disciplined, defensive system; and veteran players. The Bulldogs have been good, but the schedule’s been soft to start. I see a split. Beavers 3-2, Bulldogs 4-2
Alaska at Lake Superior State
Matt: The Lakers begin life in the WCHA against a familiar foe, while Alaska meets another former CCHA rival from the U.P. Both teams may have been underrated in the preseason. This should a good series in Sault Ste. Marie and could rival the one in Mankato. Lakers 3-2, Nanooks 2-1.
Shane: This should be a good series. It’s the Nanooks’ first trip out of Alaska this season, and it’s a chance to see what the Lakers are made of after getting knocked back to Earth last weekend at Wisconsin. It’s been awhile since Alaska has won in the Sault, but I think it gets one this time around. Lakers 4-1, Nanooks 5-4
Bowling Green at Minnesota State
Matt: I’m jealous Shane gets to watch this series in person while I watch online. It’s the first of two meetings between the Falcons and Mavericks this month, who play each other again two weeks from now in Ohio. Two losses by the Mavericks would be devastating, but I don’t see that happening. Falcons 5-3, Mavericks 4-2.
Shane: This is the conference’s marquee matchup this weekend, and, yes, I’m looking forward to watching these two games. The Falcons have their offense going, even without Ryan Carpenter in the lineup, while the Mavericks have yet to get their forwards on the board consistently this season. Until that happens, I can’t call an MSU sweep. Falcons 2-1, Mavericks 4-2
Alabama-Huntsville at Alaska-Anchorage
Matt: The way the Seawolves battled BGSU on Saturday in Ohio was impressive, even though they lost. I expect that to carry over back home for a pair of wins. Seawolves 2-0, 3-0.
Shane: This is the beginning of a very tough five-week stretch of games for the Chargers, who are still searching for that first win. They had Ferris State on the ropes last weekend at home, but if the Seawolves are the improved team we think they are now, I think they’ll sweep. Seawolves 3-1, 2-1
Michigan State at Michigan Tech
Matt: The Spartans haven’t been to Houghton since 1984, while the Huskies may be feeling just as unfamiliar with John MacInnes Student Ice Arena after playing seven of their first eight games on the road. The fans haven’t forgotten about the Huskies hopefully, or the fact that State has snubbed a trip to the Keweenaw the past 28 seasons. I expect Sparty to be skating into a hornet’s nest. Huskies 4-1, 3-0.
Shane: Should be a fun couple of nights in Houghton. The Huskies certainly are battle-tested with that early season schedule, and they’ve been in just about every game against some very good teams on the road. They win Friday, but I’ll say State rebounds on Saturday. Huskies 3-2, Spartans 2-1
Saturday-Sunday
Northern Michigan at Western Michigan
Matt: Kalamazoo has been as giving to the Wildcats as a certain former NMU and WMU president was to both universities’ athletic departments. Northern has lost its last six games at Lawson Ice Arena to what is now a former CCHA rival. Having just gotten back from a grueling trip to Fairbanks, Alaska, I fear that skid will continue. Broncos 2-0, 3-1.
Shane: You certainly know Northern a lot better than I do, but I think it finds a way to pull one out against its former conference foe. Broncos 3-1, Wildcats 3-1
Last week: Matt 10-1-1, Shane: 7-4-0. Overall: Matt 32-18-6, Shane 30-20-6.
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