Kyler Grundy has been one of the key players for the Blugolds this season. (Shane Opatz, UWEC Photo)
Kyler Grundy battled through injuries last season, preventing him from maximizing his potential.
Its a different story this year for the UW-Eau Claire standout as he has played an instrumental role in the nationally ranked Blugolds’ success.
After tallying two goals and four assists a season ago, Grundy is the points leader for the Blugolds, racking up eight goals and 15 assists.
“I’m having a strong year and coach has given me a lot of opportunities to be set up for success,” Grundy said. “And my linemates have been great. They’ve put me in a good spot to go out and perform.”
Grundy is in his second season with UW-Eau Claire, the nation’s 14th-ranked team in the USCHO.com poll after transferring in from Division I St. Thomas.
He points out how nice it is that the travel isn’t has challenging as at St. Thomas, and he chose UW-Eau Claire because of its track record for success.
“We have a good coach here who has a a winning resume. It was an easy decision to come to a school where the culture is good and the team is winning,” Grundy said.
The Blugolds are certainly winning, rattling off five consecutive victories. They are 14-6-1 overall and 8-3 in the WIAC.
And the best part is that he gets to be a part of it, working hard in the offseason to be ready for the grind of a full season.
“I worked with trainers to stay healthy and keep my body right and intact for all 30 games,” Grundy said. “It feels great to have a good year. I trained all summer for this. I love seeing the hard work pay off.”
Grundy started playing hockey when he was 4 or 5 years old, and it’s always been his favorite sport. He was drawn to it while at daycare.
“I was dropped off at a daycare at a rec plex type place and I’d walk by the rink and go up the glass and watch,” Grundy said. “My dad took me out there on the ice one day and I wanted to stay. It took off from there.”
As much as he loves playing the game, he also loves everything that comes with being part of hockey.
“The friends and teammates you meet over the years are all great,” Grundy said. “To be part of a culture of a hockey team, it’s a lot of fun. I’ve always enjoyed it.”
And there is a lot of reason to enjoy this season as well as the Blugolds are contending for a WIAC title and more.
Grundy is one of six players on the team with a double-digit point total, and four of those players have 10 or more assists.
Leo Bacallao has tallied seven goals and 10 assists while Quinn Green has come through with five goals and 12 assists. Trenten Heyde has racked up two goals and 14 assists. Connor Szmul (6 goals, 5 assists) and Sammy Martel (5 goals, 6 assists) have also been key contributors.
“We have a lot of great players on this team, and we are all on the same page,” Grundy said.
And the Blugolds hope to keep turning the page to the next successful chapter. “We just have to keep competing hard, stay healthy and give ourselves a chance to win (the WIAC),” Grundy said.
Nicole Haase (@NicoleHaase) and Todd Milewski (@ToddMilewski) are joined this week by Wisconsin leading scorer Kirsten Simms. Plus a look back at the final weekend of January, discussion of how to consider goalies who are part of a rotation for awards and a mention of the PairWise Rankings.
Read more on last season’s changes to the PairWise here.
Brown’s Margot Norehad scores “the Michigan” last weekend against Quinnipiac (photo: Brown Athletics).
Just under 11 minutes remained in the third period of Saturday’s women’s hockey game between Brown and eighth-ranked Quinnipiac when Bears freshman forward Margot Norehad made a move destined to break the Internet.
Her line was on the back end of a stingy forecheck against a Bobcats defense that couldn’t break through center ice, and an interception led to some creative movement between blueliners Miranda Calderone and Cameron Sikich. They switched ice to move from right to left, to which Norehad found a seam as the puck left Sikich’s stick.
The duo connected in stride, and as the Bears started a line change, Norehad remembered a conversation with head coach Mel Ruzzi in the days leading up to the weekend. They’d spoken specifically about attempting a “Michigan,” and when the Quinnipiac back line failed to chase her behind goalie Logan Angers, she saw the opening she needed to lift the puck on her backhand while skating at top speed.
She cradled the puck into the top corner and instantly transformed a 1-1 hockey game between two ECAC opponents into a headline-stealing, spotlight-grabbing performance that took the top spot away from everyone. A weekend that led off with heightened anticipation over rivalry matchups throughout men’s college hockey found itself ushered off center stage by Sunday morning, and in the days since her goal broke a stalemate en route to a 4-1 victory, the Chicago-born freshman crashed the boys’ club of highlight-reel goals normally reserved for NHL superstars and international champions.
“Honestly, it was just a surreal moment,” said Norehad of her goal. “All of my teammates were so happy because it was a 1-1 that we’d flipped around, and we just knew that we had to win it from there and not let Quinnipiac score again. But there was also a piece where this is such a great group of girls that’s really supportive of everything, and with an unbelievable coaching staff that pushes us, I couldn’t have tried it without them supporting my back.”
“The Michigan” refers to a top shelf goal scored by Michigan forward Mike Legg during the Wolverines’ 1996 NCAA tournament matchup against Minnesota. Standing behind the Gopher net, he scooped the puck onto his forehand tape and tucked it inside the top corner for a lacrosse-style goal that helped move the team into the Frozen Four. Michigan subsequently won the national championship by defeating Colorado College in Cincinnati with the byproduct coming after the difference-maker goal for the then-CCHA champion’s win over its WCHA rivals.
It never really left hockey’s subconscious, but the advent of the Internet allowed Legg’s goal to gain more notoriety – and more creativity. As it became more well-known in the aftermath of Carolina Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov’s two Michigans in one season, Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras pushed it through a glass ceiling by scoring a lacrosse-style goal against the Montreal Canadiens before attempting a lacrosse assist against the Buffalo Sabres.
As more players found more ways to incorporate and practice stickwork, social media helped push it to a readily-reachable audience and a number of players who believed in their own ability to attempt the unique shot. In women’s hockey, the first known example of a Michigan at an elite level occurred last year when 14-year-old Slovakian skater Nela Lopusanova lifted a puck past Sweden goalie Felicia Frank in the first period of last year’s IIHF World Women’s U-18 Championship quarterfinal round matchup.
“I know she’d been thinking about it because we joked about it,” Ruzzi explained. “The night before, I sent her an Instagram highlight from a Sacred Heart player, and her mom actually texted me and said that her grandfather had been begging for her to try it. So I think it was something that popped into her head in that moment, but I think the most courageous part is that it wasn’t in a game where we were winning by five or losing by five. It was a big moment, and we had just scored where her line had actually scored the goal two shifts before that. It had been that kind of back-and-forth grind, and it took some courage to say that she was willing to make it happen in a 1-1 game.”
The goal springboarded Brown to a three-point performance by beating the No. 8 team in the nation and eventually won the weekend after the Bears’ come-from-behind, 1-1 tie against Princeton on Friday. They pulled within six points of the Tigers after a 1-1 tie against Yale on Saturday and simultaneously added space to a five-point cushion over Union in the race for home ice.
The Michigan was simultaneously Norehad’s seventh goal of the season and moved her into a tie for second on the team with sophomore India McDadi. Both sit five goals behind sophomore Jade Iginla – the daughter of Hockey Hall of Fame member Jarome Iginla – and each are members of a 10-point scoring club led by players in either their first or second year.
“This team in particular, we always have each other’s backs,” Norehad emphasized. “We’re always cheering each other on and always want to be successful. I had a few talks with Coach Mel about trying the Michigan game, and she said that if I had the chance, she wanted me to try it and not be afraid to try new things. To me, that’s just what a great coach says because there are other coaches who wouldn’t want me to try something and wouldn’t want me to make a mistake. But that’s how you learn, and I just think it’s really great that the coaches give us the opportunity to try new things and help us reach new levels of growth.”
“We talk about swagger,” Ruzzi added. “And you can’t have swagger without confidence. You can’t have confidence if you’re not prepared. I think this team’s at a place where it can have some swagger because they don’t just work hard. They get it right. This past weekend, they played with swagger and an edge against Princeton and that helped them pull some things off. We’re not 100 percent there yet, but we’re developing [the confidence] for the entire group. That’s the most exciting part because making that extra play, even with our seniors and juniors, they’re kids who work incredibly hard and can make plays.
“That’s the fun part of hockey.”
After her viral goal against No. 8 Quinnipiac that was named @sportscenter top play, get to know first-year Margot Norehad‼️
Margot speaks about the goal, being a student-athlete at Brown, and her skills beyond the ice. And yes, that is her playing the violin at the end 🐻🏒🎻… pic.twitter.com/572x7hRUoF
That courage and confidence is a core tenet of Ruzzi’s philosophy as the young and emerging Brown team continues its growth, and it’s an indication of the growing depth and talent within a women’s game now exploding with overall talent.
The equality is still at a premium opposite training facilities and an overall investment in the game, but as National Girls and Women in Sports Day crests on next week’s calendar, young women everywhere are growing up in a world where women’s hockey is a popular piece of the winter sports landscape. The emergence of the Professional Women’s Hockey League and the overall availability of watching Olympic-level hockey is increasingly part of their experience as hockey players which both Ruzzi and Norehad are quick to point out on their own.
“These kids are doing things where they’re opening their hips and making sauce passes,” Ruzzi said. “The sky’s the limit. There are so many great, great young talents coming into the game at a national level. If you went to any women’s team in ECAC, you’ll see women pulling things off and tinkering and doing some really cool things, and that talent is growing all the time. The PWHL helps a lot with being seen on the national stage and with a fabulous broadcast, but you can watch women’s games all day, every day. For young players, being able to watch women play, it’s kind of a cliche, but if you can see it, you can be it.
“I can’t tell you how many families come to our games and then have parents say that their kid wants to play hockey. They want to be like Jade. They want to be like India. They want to be like Margot, and it’s just going to get better and better.”
“My freshman year of high school, I switched teams to the Chicago Mission after originally playing at the Double-A Northshore Warhawks,” Norehad added. “I tried out and played there for Courtney O’Connell and Erin Rourke, and ever since I was in middle school, I wanted to go to the ECAC and play for an Ivy League school. I was really fortunate that Coach Mel picked up and gave me a chance.
“The women’s game is growing every single day. There are so many mentors and athletes that are like Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne, and they’re pushing to make girls’ hockey and women’s hockey more noticeable. What they’re doing with the PWHL is an enormous step towards building a future for young girls. I think it’s great, and it’s just a great feeling that we’re getting recognition that we feel like we should be getting.”
Gustavus goaltender Katie McCoy sets the all-time shutouts record for women’s D-III hockey (32). (Photo by Jordan Modjeski)
As we creep closer and closer to the NCAA Tournament, we begin to see some enticing matchups that seem to mean more during this time of year. This past weekend we didn’t experience any upsets out west as we typically have seen on a weekly basis, but we saw one individual make history. Here’s your week 14 west recap, showing the featured highlights of the weekend!
MIAC
Gustavus’ Katie McCoy makes history!
Before we begin the recap of these close games, Gustavus goaltender Katie McCoy made history once again on Saturday, this time it was bigger than just her program. McCoy earned the 32nd-shutout victory of her illustrious career, passing Plattsburgh’s Sydney Aveson (‘14) on the all-time shutouts list to become the all-time leader in Women’s Division III hockey.
During her career, she’s racked up 1,372 saves, a 0.939 save-percentage, 0.998 goals-against-average, & a career record of 74-12-3 (stats via Gustavus Athletics). Obviously, she has a great team in front of her with stellar defense, but she’s a lock for one of the best to ever tend the net in Women’s D-III hockey!
#2 Gustavus vs St. Kates (Gustavus 2-1 & 1-0)
Both games were extremely close, St. Kates gave the Gusties everything they had until the very end. In game one, Gustavus scored a quick goal a mere 37 seconds into the opening frame (Hailey Holland, 00:37). They then added the eventual game-winner in the middle of the 2nd period (Margot Bettman, 11:04). The lone Wildcats goal would come late in the 2nd period, in the final minute (19:26.3), it was Abby Pirki getting St. Kates on the board, but it wouldn’t be enough in the end.
Goaltending was good for both sides, Katie McCoy with 14 saves and Anna Friendshuh with 30.
Game two featured the same style of game, tight and anyone’s game right until the 60-minute buzzer. It was scoreless through two periods, something I’m sure not many thought would be the case, but here we were, entering the final period deadlocked at 0.
Eventually, nearing the midway mark of the final period (07:22), Brooke Power finished the game-winner, assisted by Lily Mortenson, sending the Gusties home with a weekend-sweep of St. Kates.
Despite the loss, Wildcats goaltender Abby Severson made 39 saves, Gusties McCoy had her record-setting shutout victory.
#13 Saint Mary’s vs Bethel (Saint Mary’s 2-0 & 4-3)
Saint Mary’s picked up the weekend-sweep of the Royals, but it didn’t come easy, especially in game two. We’ll focus on game two, but in game one, SMU got the 2-0 win.
In game two, the Cardinals got off to a quick start, Allie Urlaub scoring at 2:29 of the opening period, which held up until the 2nd period when we saw a flurry of goals.
#13 Saint Mary’s vs Bethel (Photo by Chris Ebert – SMU Athletics)
In the 2nd, Bethel went to work, scoring a quick pair of goals, one being on the powerplay. Brynn Swenson netted the pair of Royals goals, with the first coming at 6:41, and the second on the powerplay at 8:49, giving Bethel the 2-1 lead.
SMU’s Celia Midtbo would add a pair of her own, hers spanning from the 2nd to the 3rd period, scoring at 15:21 of the middle frame, tying it up as we went into the 3rd. In the 3rd, she’d score her second a rapid 1:03 into the period, giving the Cardinals the 3-2 lead, which held up for a brief two minutes and eleven seconds when Bethel’s Megan Johnson tied it up.
We would head to overtime, Saint Mary’s looking to win their eighth-straight game, it was Sophia Paduano just before the halfway mark at 2:16, giving Saint Mary’s the huge overtime MIAC victory.
Bethel goaltender Anna Hanson, despite the loss, made 41 saves in the game.
NCHA
The top-two teams get sweeps, setting themselves up for a 1v2 matchup next weekend in Adrian, MI
This is a look ahead to next weekend as the results from the fun NCHA came as expected no surprises here. #5 Adrian swept the inaugural Dubuque team, winning 14-1 & 9-1, while St. Norbert swept Lawrence 7-1 & 5-0. Let’s look ahead to next weekend:
Seeing these two team’s matchup it’s always fun, despite Adrian holding an all-time record of 27-5-2, which includes a currently active 22-game win streak, it’s up in the air who takes these games.
Now, if you made me pick, I’d go with an Adrian sweep, just because I think Adrian’s currently the 2nd best team in the country behind the powerhouse UW-River Falls, despite what the polls and pairwise tells you. The only difference here is that this is arguably the best St. Norbert team Adrian will have faced in years, if not ever. A.J. Aitken has turned this program around and gotten them places we haven’t seen in many years.
The intriguing stats of this matchup are the top-5 offenses these two teams boast, Adrian being 2nd & Norbert 5th, both teams have impressive defensive numbers including the penalty kill, Norbert rolling at just over 95%, while the Bulldogs are just over 91%.
This will be a fun weekend, a rematch of the Slaats Cup finals last season when we witnessed the power outages in the Arrington Ice Arena, causing a day-delay, but eventually the two teams got to play, which resulted in an Adrian victory.
WIAC
The WIAC had a quiet weekend, #1 UW-River Falls moved to a perfect 21-0-0 with a predictable sweep of Northland, winning 8-1 in both contests.
#10 UW-Eau Claire shutout UW-Stevens Point 1-0, which would’ve been 2-0 if a Blugold didn’t miss a wide-open empty-net from the slot, but nevertheless, the Blugolds add a W to the column.
The main news for these two, since there’s no auto-bid in this conference, non-conference games mean the world. #1 UW-River Falls visits #2 Gustavus tonight (Tuesday – January 30th), the Falcons are currently 2-0 vs the Gusties this season, two of the best games we’ve seen all year and this one will be right up there with them.
For Eau Claire, they visit Augsburg, facing an Auggie team that’s currently playing their best hockey all season, including a 5-4 overtime-win vs #2 Gustavus. Eau Claire can’t afford to lose a game the rest of the way if they want an at-large bid via pairwise, maybe a single-loss to River Falls, but there’s essentially no room for error after their earlier losses this season.
North Dakota players get together to celebrate their weekend sweep at home over Denver (photo: Russell Hons).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Paula: Jimmy, the only place to start this week is with Boston College’s sweep of Boston University.
In beating the Terriers 4-1 at home in the Conte Forum and 4-3 in Agganis Arena, the Eagles extended their win streak to four games, halted BU’s eight-game, two-month unbeaten streak and caught up with Boston University at the top of the Hockey East standings.
That impressive performance garnered Boston College 47 first-place votes in this week’s poll – well-earned recognition of an absolute statement of a weekend. The Eagles never trailed in the series, BC’s two dynamic top lines dominated the scoring and Jacob Fowler had a .935 save percentage in the two games.
Very impressive weekend.
Boston College isn’t the only team at the top of a conference standing making. No. 2 North Dakota swept Denver a weekend after taking four points on the road from St. Cloud State, and now the Fighting Hawks are alone in first place in the NCHC.
RIT swept Bentley, extending the Tigers’ win streak to four games and creating a small bit of distance at the top of the Atlantic Hockey standings.
There’s still quite a bit of hockey to be played, but it feels to me like there are a few teams positioning themselves to take care of what business they can. How does it look to you?
Jim: I will attack the simple here. Boston College’s sweep of Boston University, the Eagles crosstown rival and then-No. 1 team, was a major statement. Granted it only lasts for about nine days until these two clash on a bigger stage – the Beanpot semifinals at TD Garden – but the high that last weekend created for the Eagles should be savored.
BC looked like the deeper team. There were more scoring among top players (BU’s Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson combined for just two total points). The Eagles didn’t have to dominate either game, they found wins being opportunistic.
Maybe BU has a response in the Beanpot, certainly a game that means the most to these teams. But BC has positioned itself to be in the Hockey East regular season race, maybe win it. And sitting atop the PairWise might mean the most.
The other team that stood out this weekend was North Dakota with a home sweep of Denver. We joked on our Monday podcast that North Dakota never doesn’t anything quietly, but I think on the national picture people began forgetting about the Fighting Hawks.
Right now, NoDak sits atop the NCHC and is second in the PairWise. Sure, maybe we all forgot North Dakota, but they are absolutely a top-three team in any book right now.
Paula: Isn’t it strange how a program as good as North Dakota can nearly fly under the national radar? They’re definitely a top three team, and yet they’re not at all who I think of first when looking at teams to make the Frozen Four.
Let me make it clear: that’s on me, not the Fighting Hawks.
North Dakota’s offense is fifth-best nationally (3.65), with a top-10 power play (.270) and 13 skaters who have played the entire season or nearly all season with at least two goals to their name. The Fighting Hawks’ overall defense is tied for 10th (2.42) nationally, but the penalty kill is good but not spectacular (.826).
And while Ludvig Persson’s save percentage and goals-against average aren’t among the top 10 netminders nationally, his win percentage (.696) is. Persson was solid in net against Denver, and the Fighting Hawks’ defense in front of him was even tidier – in fact, tidier than usual – allowing just 43 shots on the weekend.
One of the reasons that a team as good as North Dakota seems to have been a bit of a sleeper is that the Fighting Hawks have been steadily improving their team defense through January. There have been more than a few times this season when North Dakota has had to rely on scoring to overcome defensive lapses, and I think such teams tend to get overlooked until they appear to have more than just muscle up front.
Speaking of teams with muscle up front, it seems insane to me that so many teams this season are averaging well above 3.50 goals per game. North Dakota’s sweep of Denver is even more impressive given that the Fighting Hawks held the Pioneers to four goals in the series when Denver was averaging more than five goals per game coming into the weekend. Just a week ago, the Pioneers scored six goals in each game in their sweep of Omaha.
But look at the scores for the weekend and the national stats and tell me if I’m seeing something that isn’t really there. Teams scored five or more goals 25 times this past weekend, and in three overtime games, both teams netted five or more goals: Omaha’s 7-6 win over St. Cloud, Wisconsin’s 6-5 win over Michigan and Lindenwood’s 6-5 win over Stonehill.
Jimmy, does the adage that defense wins games need to be revised?
Jim: I think that we have watched regular season offense increase incrementally over the last few seasons and this year is no exception. That said, where we get to the most important games of the year, defense is still the most crucial factor.
Last year’s opening round of the NCAA tournament presented some of the highest scoring regional games in years. But once we were past that round, games returned to normal.
In fact, the average goals per game in regional finals (national quarterfinal round) was four. The Frozen Four gave us eight and seven goals in the two semifinals, but the winning team in each allowed only two goals. And the national title game was a 3-2 overtime game.
So yes, the scores at times can show explosive offense, but when the most important games are played defense matters.
What strikes me right now is the youth movement in college hockey, particularly among scorers. Thirteen of the top 21 scoring leaders in the nation are underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores). We’ve heard so much about the graduate transfer in the era of the five-year players. But it still seems like the youngest players in college hockey still lead the way, maybe more than ever.
Understanding that many of these players will leave before they become juniors and seniors, it’s still pretty impressive to see this level of early-career talent.
Paula: I think the World Juniors underscored that for me, Jimmy. I was astounded at the young talent from around the world but blown away completely by the amount of talent on the U.S. team. No one paying attention should be surprised at Boston College’s success this year, given what we saw of their young players in that tournament.
Weirdly, that talent hasn’t yet translated into more conference success this season for two Big Ten teams that each had four players on this year’s gold medal squad, Michigan and Minnesota.
You and I have talked before in this space about how advances in technology – from equipment to availability of information has positively impacted the game, as well as how an emphasis on player development in recent years has led to better younger players. What’s interesting to me is that the youth movement in hockey isn’t limited to what we’re seeing in the NCAA.
There are two teenagers playing in the NHL – Connor Bedard and Adam Fantilli – with goal totals in the double digits, two 20-year-olds with 10 or more goals and seven 21-year-old players with 10 or more goals. The fact that there are 133 NHL players younger than 23 years old is something to ponder.
In the AHL, five players who haven’t yet seen their 20th birthdays have 10 or more goals. Given that the AHL is as much a developmental league for the NHL as it is a place for many older players to end their careers, this isn’t too surprising, but the face of the game does seem to be trending younger and younger.
Jim: I will offer an opinion that will be unpopular among my friends in Hockey East. I actually really like the fact that North Dakota is a little bit older than some of the younger teams near the top of the PairWise.
We’ve seen in year in and year out that the extreme talent – loads of NHL draft picks, many first rounders – doesn’t always hold up against some of the more veteran teams.
North Dakota’s top five scorers are all 20 years or older, with topping that last list at 24 years of age. That’s significant given that many of the recent national champions were built on experienced, older rosters.
I’m not betting against teams like Boston College or Boston University, but I know that once you reach the single elimination NCAA tournament, experience and age matters.
Boston College players celebrate their win at Boston University last Friday night (photo: Meg Kelly).
With 47 first-place votes this week, Boston College is the new top-ranked team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll.
The Eagles move up one spot from last week.
North Dakota earned two first-place votes and moves up three spots to No. 2, BU is down two to three, Wisconsin drops one spot to No. 4, and Denver falls one spot to No. 5.
Maine is again sixth, picking up a first-place vote, while Quinnipiac stays seventh, Michigan State eighth, Minnesota ninth, and Providence tenth.
Western Michigan falls from No. 12 to No. 15, while Omaha is back in the rankings at No. 20.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 10 other teams received votes in this week’s rankings.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
Boyd Stahlbaum and UW-Stout upset UW-Stevens Point on Friday, handing the Pointers their first home loss. (Photo Credit: Jeremy Cwan/UW-Stout Athletics)
On the road against one of the nation’s best teams Friday, UW-Stout was unfazed by facing No. 6 UW-Stevens Point.
Winning wasn’t easy, but the Blue Devils found a way to get the job done, grinding out a 3-2 win thanks to a game-winning goal from Boyd Stahlbaum and 30 saves out of Dawson Green.
With under eight minutes to play, Stahlbaum scored to help UW-Stout hand the Pointers their first home loss of the year.
Stahlbaum not only scored a goal, but he also dished out two assists, helping the Blue Devils win their third consecutive game and avenge a 7-6 loss to the Pointers back in November.
The Blue Devils (8-11-2, 6-5) hoped to make it two in a row on Saturday but gave up four unanswered goals, including three in the third to force OT.
It was there that Harrison Stewart scored the game winner at the 1:29 mark and lift the Pointers to their ninth home win of the year while also ending a two-game losing streak. UW-Stevens Point had dropped back-to-back one-goal losses before getting Saturday’s win.
The Pointers remain in first place in the WIAC, improving to 15-5-1 overall and 9-2 in the conference. The Blue Devils are in third with a 6-5 WIAC record. They are 8-11-2 overall.
Falcons finish strong
There would be no settling for a tie Saturday night for UW-River Falls as the Falcons dominated UW-Superior in a 5-1 win.
Dylan Smith nearly recorded a hat trick, scoring a pair of goals, including one off a power play, as the Falcons improved to 12-8-1 overall and 4-6-1 in WIAC play.
Smith is the leading goal scorer for UW-River Falls this season, tallying 12, and he helped his team end a three-game winless streak. It’s the second time this year that the Falcons have scored five goals in a game.
Friday’s game was much tighter and a goal by Jonny Meiers off a rebound in the third helped the Falcons force OT.
Neither team scored in the extra session but the Yellowjackets won the shootout by a 2-1 score. Daniel Rozsival scored the lone goal for UW-Superior, which is now 10-10-1 overall and 5-5-1 in the conference.
A sweep for the Saints
An overtime win over Hamline Saturday night punctuated St. Scholastica’s sweep of Hamline.
It’s the first time since the calendar flipped to 2024 that the Saints have swept an opponent, and the series success keeps them in second place in the MIAC.
Arkhip Ledenkov scored the game-winning goal, Nathan Adrian dished out three assists and Jack Bostedt racked up 37 saves as No. 11 St. Scholastica won 4-3.
Ledenkov needed less than a minute of OT to find the back of the net, and the goal was set up by his brother, Filimon. Kieran Chung also earned credit for an assist on the play as the Saints improved to 14-4-3 overall and 7-2-1 in the conference. They are 7-0-1 at home.
Bethel is up next for St. Scholastica. The Royals are currently two points ahead of the Saints in the standings.
Down 2-1 on Friday, the Saints scored three times in the second period to take control. Adrian struck for two goals to lead the way.
Auggies get revenge
After dropping a 4-3 decision to Saint John’s Thursday, Augsburg bounced back with a 2-1 win Friday.
Erik Palmqvist provided the game-winning goal, punching the puck in with under 10 minutes to play in the game.
Though the Auggies were outshot 36-25, Samuel Vyletelka stepped up, making 35 saves. The Auggies also played well as a whole defensively, holding down a 22-6 edge in blocked shots.
Dylan Schneider had the other goal for Augsburg, which sits in third place in the MIAC with a 7-3 record. The Auggies are 10-8-1 overall and have won three of their last four games.
Saint John’s held a 36-25 edge in shots but fell to 8-9-4 overall and 5-6-1 in the conference, good enough for fourth. Mason Campbell scored the lone goal for the Johnnies, had their eight-game unbeaten streak come to an end.
Royals and Cardinals split
Saint Mary’s has played its best hockey at home this season, picking up another win there on Friday with a 2-1 overtime win against first-place Bethel. The Cardinals are 5-2 at home but have struggled on the road, going just 1-9, and fell 3-2 to the Royals in the series finale Saturday.
Callahan Nauss scored the game winner in the opener, collecting the puck off a rebound in the first minute of OT.
The win came after an 11-day layoff for the Cardinals, who are now 6-10-2 overall and 4-4-1 in the MIAC.
A.J. Ruskowski stopped 32 shots as Saint Mary’s won for the third time in four games. But the script flipped Saturday for a senior night win thanks to a pair of goals from Jack Brown. Travis Allen was clutch in goal, stopping 26 shots, as the Royals improved to 13-5-3 overall and 7-3-2 in the MIAC to stay in first place.
Shields records hat trick
The second-ranked Bulldogs scored 14 goals in two games against first-year program Dubuque to earn a NCHA weekend sweep.
Adrian won 8-1 and 6-0, stretching its win streak to seven games. The Bulldogs are 16-4-1 overall and 13-1 in the conference. Adrian has scored five or more goals in four consecutive games.
Jaden Shields came through with his first career hat trick in Friday’s game. He also tallied an assist.
Zachary Heintz, Mathew Rehding and Jacob Suede all had a goal and assist on Saturday.
Green Knights win two
St. Norbert won its opener against Lawrence 4-2 on Friday. The Green Knights then closed out the NCHA series in thrilling fashion, rallying for a 3-2 win Saturday.
Will Stromp scored the winner with 36.9 seconds to play to complete a rally for St. Norbert, which trailed 2-0 after two periods.
Adam Stacho scored the first goal, his 12th of the year, and T.J. Koufis tied the game with his eighth goal of the season. He also had an assist in the win for the Green Knights (15-5, 12-2), who have won five in a row.
Spartans sweep Sabres
Aurora has won four of its last five, including two in a row, after sweeping Marian 6-0 and 3-1.
Six different players scored in Friday’s win and Jacob Mucitelli made 21 saves. Jake Code tallied a goal and assist in Saturday’s game as the Spartans improved to 11-9-1 overall and 10-4 in the NCHA.
Three in a row for Trine
The Thunder stretched their win streak to three games after back-to-back 5-1 wins over Concordia this weekend. On Friday, Kyle Kozma made 28 saves and Trine held Concordia to three shots on goal in the third period. Trine (17-4, 12-2) had five different players score goals on both nights.
Cayla Barnes scored in the first minute of the game on Friday and Sloane Matthews and Jenna Buglioni each found the back of the net in the frame to give Ohio State a 3-0 lead after the first, leaving St. Cloud with a tough hill to climb. The Huskies began to push back and held the Buckeyes off in the 2nd. Then Emma Gentry scored 22 seconds into the third to make it 3-1. But OSU pushed back and Makenna Webster gave the Buckeyes their three-goal lead back a few minutes later. Gentry responded with a power play goal not long after that, but Ohio State was able to lock it down on defense and take the 4-2 win. The Huskies came out flying on Saturday and took a 1-0 lead midway through the first as Gentry continued her torrid pace. She forced a turnover in the OSU zone and lit the lamp to make it 1-0 St. Cloud. But Ohio State forced a turnover of their own in the final minutes of the frame as Kiara Zanon won the puck and then was there to tip in the pass from Jenna Buglioni. Webster scored her second of the weekend just a minute into the second by redirecting a shot from distance by Hadley Hartmetz to put the Buckeyes up 2-1. The teams worked to find an advantage for more than thirty minutes after and it wasn’t until Joy Dunne scored as a penalty expired in the final seven minutes that OSU put a little distance on the board. St. Cloud pulled Ahola with nearly four minutes left on the clock and a late power play gave them the opportunity to close the gap as Taylor Lind made it 3-2 with 55.5 seconds on the clock. The Huskies had a flurry of chances in the final minute of the game, but Amanda Thiele stood strong and Ohio State held off SCSU to earn the win and weekend sweep.
(2) Wisconsin at (7) Minnesota Duluth
The two teams took some time to find their rhythm and feel each other out on Friday and the first goal didn’t come until early in the second when Casey O’Brien put back a rebound on Vivian Jungels’ shot to give Wisconsin a 1-0 lead. Danielle Burgen drove the net and beat Jane Gervais a few minutes later to tie the game 1-1. In a battle of two of the top special teams units in the country, the Badgers got the advantage on Friday when Lacey Eden scored on the power play a minute into the third to give Wisconsin a 2-1 lead that they’d carry to the final whistle. On Saturday, the Bulldogs had the Badgers on the ropes as they pushed them off their game and Wisconsin struggled to find a rhythm. UMD took a 1-o lead midway through the first thanks to a goal from Reece Hunt. Minnesota Duluth’s confidence continued to grow in the second as Nina Jobst-Smith’s shot from the point lit the lamp and then a puck deflected off Burgen to make it 3-0 Bulldogs a few minutes into the second. Casey O’Brien got Wisconsin on the board a few minutes later, but Clara Van Wieren’s power play goal later in the second sent the teams to the locker room with UMD up 4-1. The Badgers seemed to shake out of it in the third and pushed back, pouring on 21 of their 46 shots. Eden scored her second power play goal of the weekend when she put the puck across the front of the net and it deflected into the net to make it 4-2. Just 30 seconds later Cassie Hall dove to poke in a puck and it was suddenly a one-goal game. Eden scored Wisconsin’s third goal in 2:27, putting in a rebound to make it 4-4. With 90 seconds to play, Kirsten Simms had a bit of a breakaway into the zone as she dashed up the boards. O’Brien was with her, but Simms kept the puck and scored low at the far post to put Wisconsin ahead 5-4. It was a massive comeback for the Badgers, who have won several dramatic games in Duluth in the past few years. It was Simms who scored the Badgers’ long goal to earn the National Championship last season in Duluth.
(3) Clarkson vs. (9) St. Lawrence (home and home) This rivalry series brought the drama. On Friday, the teams were scoreless until well into the third period when Abby Hustler cleaned up a rebound from a Julia Gosling shot on the power play to give St. Lawrence a 1-0 lead. Despite ramped up pressure from Clarkson, they could not find the equalizer and the Saints took the victory. Michelle Pasiechnyk made 22 saves while Emma-Sofie Nordström had 30 for SLU. Each team also tallied 16 blocks. In the second game, the teams set a record for the series with 10 combined goals. Clarkson outshot the Saints 49-26. Nordström made a career-high 43 saves, but the Golden Knights took a 6-4 win to split the Hwy. 11 series. Brooke McQuigge scored first and put Clarkson up 1-0 after one. The second period was jam packed, starting with Nicole Gosling scoring on the power play to extend the lead to 2-0. Then Sena Catrerall scored just before the midpoint to give the Golden Knights a 3-0 lead. But St. Lawrence scored twice in 37 seconds just after that to cut it to a 3-2 lead. However, Clarkson responded with two quick goals of their own from Catterall and Jaden Bogden toward the end of the second to go ahead 5-2. Bogden also scored to open the third to make it 6-2. St. Lawrence pushed back with goals from Aly MacLeod and Hustler, but could not complete a comeback as Clarkson took the win.
Harvard at (4) Colgate
Danielle Serdachny had two goals and four assists while Dara Greig added two goals and three assists to lead Colgate in their 10-1 win over Harvard. It took the Raiders some time to find their groove. The Crimson scored first as Brooke Manning lit the lamp in the opening minute to make it 1-0. Kas Betinol evened the score later in the period as Colgate started to pour on the shots, but the teams went to intermission tied. The game fell apart for Harvard early in the second as Colgate scored four goals in 1:25. Tessa Holk, Serdachny, Greig and national leading scorer Kalty Kaltounková were relentless and made it a 5-1 game before the Crimson knew what happened. Ally Simpson scored later in the period and then Colgate added four more in the third to make it 10 unanswered and a big win for the Raiders.
Dartmouth at (4) Colgate
Neena Brick, Emma Pais, Jaimee Spring, Elyssa Biederman and Kalty Kaltounková each scored on Saturday to lead Colgate to a 5-0 win. It was Spring’s first career goal and the Raiders’ seventh straight victory.
Minnesota State at (5) Minnesota
The Gophers staked a 3-0 lead heading into the final frame on Friday thanks to a first period power play rebound goal from Ella Huber and second period goals from Peyton Hemp and Abbey Murphy. But the Mavericks pushed back in the third, scoring three goals in seven minutes to tie the game with about 11 to play. MSU blocked 20 shots in the game and outshot the Gophers 10-6 in the third, but Murphy proved why she’s one of the best in the country as she scored the go-ahead goal to give Minnesota the 4-3 win. In the second game, the Maverick defense was once again massive, blocking 21 shots. The only Gopher goal in regulation came from Josephin Bouveng on the power play late in the first. The Mavericks pushed back, keeping the score tight and looking for their opportunity, Kennedy Bobyck found it midway through the third to tie the game and eventually force overtime. It was Hemp less than a minute into overtime crashing the net to give Minnesota the win.
Dartmouth at (6) Cornell
The Big Red showed out on Friday as Karel Prefontaine and Kaitlin Jockims each netted a hat trick and Annelies Bergmann recorded her first career shutout to lead Cornell to a 14-0 win over Dartmouth. Jockims also had two assists and Izzy Daniel had a goal and four assists to lead the team with five points. Bergmann also earned an assist. Cornell had a 5-0 lead, including two shorthanded goals, before nine minutes had elapsed.
Harvard at (6) Cornell
Cornell got out to a fast start again, going up 3-0 after one thanks to goals from Izzy Daniel, Avi Adam and Grace Dwyer. Ashley Messier pushed it to 4-0 early in the second. Harvard scored two quick goals near the midpoint of the game thanks to Kaley MacDonald and Sophie Ensley to make it 4-2, but Georgia Schiff replied before the intermission to stretch the lead to 5-2. In the final frame, Dwyer and Adam each scored again to ensure the 7-2 victory.
(8) Quinnipiac at (15) Yale
The Bulldogs snapped a three game losing streak and earned their first top-10 victory of the season thanks to an overtime goal from Carina DiAntonio that gave Yale the 2-1 win. The teams fought back and forth for nearly two full periods before Veronica Bac put Quinnipiac up 1-0. Elle Hartje’s slapshot tied the game in the third. In OT, Hartje fed DiAntonio as she crashed the net and won the game just 25 seconds in.
(8) Quinnipiac at Brown
The Brown Bears put together what coach Mel Ruzzi said was their most complete game of the season to beat the Bobcats on Saturday. Zoe Uns had Quinnipiac up 1-0 heading into the final frame, but Brown, who outshot the Bobcats 29-23, were confident in controlling the puck and playing their game and it began to come together in the third period. Gabi Levy tied the game two minutes into the frame to make it 1-1. Margot Norehad scored the eventual game-winner with a seamless lacrosse-style goal, lifting the puck and wrapping it around the post to make it 2-1. Sam Broz and Jade Iginla each scored empty netters to secure the 4-1 win.
Vermont at (11) Connecticut
The Huskies earned their sixth-straight win on Friday thanks to two goals from Jada Habisch and one from Ava Rinker to give UConn the 3-0 win. On Saturday, the teams skated to a scoreless tie as neither one could find an advantage. It was a quick, clean game with just 33 combined shots and three total penalties. In the shootout, Ashley Allard lit the lamp to give Connecticut the extra point in the standings.
(12) Princeton at Brown
Princeton outshot Brown 44-18 on goal, but Bears goalie Kaley Doyle made 43 saves to keep the Tigers in check. Emerson O’Leary scored midway through the first, putting away a rebound. Princeton held their lead until Jade Iginla scored on the power play after a major penalty to Stefanie Wallace for contact to the head and the teams skated to a 1-1 draw.
(12) Princeton at (15) Yale
A tough-fought but frustrating weekend for Princeton wrapped up with a second-straight 1-1 tie on Saturday. Katherine Khramtsov scored off a rush and an odd bounce to put the Tigers up 1-0 after the midpoint of the game. Yale quickly responded when Suzy Higuchi put back a rebound. The teams couldn’t break through in the third and the game ended in a stalemate.
Providence vs. (13) Boston College (home and home)
It was a tense game one on Friday as the teams were scoreless through the first and much of the second. Molly Jordan was able to put Boston College on the board late in the second, but Providence responded in the final minute of the frame with Audrey Knapp’s power play goal to make it 1-1. Providence had a goal called back in the third due to offsides and overtime was not enough to find a winner. It was the sixth time Boston College had advanced to the shootout this year and they had not been kind to the Eagles. But sophomore Kara Goulding scored her first career goal – even though it won’t show in the record book since SO goals aren’t official goals and Grace Campbell stopped all the Providence shooters to give BC the extra point and win. In the second game, Lindsay Bochna put the Friars up 1-0 late in the first and then Kiara Kraft scored her first career goal to double the Providence lead. Molly Jordan’s power play goal have BC hope to make it 2-1, but Bochna scored again to give the Friars a 3-1 win and weekend split.
Merrimack vs. (14) Northeastern (home and home)
Junior Paige Taborski made her first career start in net on Friday and earned a 4-0 shutout against Merrimack. Jules Constantinople, Ella Blackmore, Katy Knoll and Peyton Anderson each lit the lamp in the win. On Saturday, it was a busy, back and forth first frame. Emily Oosterveld put the Warriors up 1-0 in the opening minute. It took the teams a bit of time to settle down after that, but just past the midway point, Molly Griffin tied the game at one. Merrimack retook the lead less than a minute later with a goal from Solveig Gisler, but that lasted even less time as Taze Thompson’s goal tied it at 2-2 and that’s how the teams went into the intermission. Blackmore gave Northeastern their first lead with a goal in the second and Katy Knoll extended it to 4-2 with under 10 to play. Natalie Nemes pulled the Warriors to within one, but Merrimack couldn’t complete a comeback and the Huskies took a 4-3 win and weekend sweep.
Curry’s Eelis Laaksonen has the Colonels right in the thick of the CC race following a weekend sweep of UNE (Photo by Matt Johnson)
There are statement wins of which we saw a few this weekend from Plattsburgh, Norwich, and Plymouth State and then there are the bigger statement sweeps as executed by Hobart, Curry, Utica, and Trinity. The upset bug continued with a big win from Nichols and a milestone win for coach Dean Fuller at Fitchburg State who earned win #600. Hard to believe there are just a few weeks remaining in the regular season but the action on the ice is showing how teams are gearing up to play their best hockey when it means the most this time of year. Here is the recap for the action in the East:
CCC
Curry has demonstrated they are certainly among the contenders in the CCC with their recent 7-game win streak that included this weekend’s sweep of a two-game series with the University of New England. On the road Friday, the Colonels started fast with a pair of first period goals from Grady Friedman and Gage Dill for a 2-0 lead. The teams swapped goals in the second period and UNE’s power play goal from Juraj Elias in the third period cut the deficit to one goal but that is all Curry netminder Shane Soderwall would surrender in a 3-2 win for the visitors. Back home on Saturday afternoon, both teams took the first period to get their legs going and the visitors from UNE took advantage of two power play goals to take a 2-0 lead before Eelis Laaksonen made the score 2-1 at the end of the second period. The Colonels did all the scoring in the third period with three unanswered goals for a 4-2 win. Laaksonen assisted on two of the three markers in the final period while Soderwall stopped 27 of 29 shots to earn the win and sweep of the Nor’easters that pushed Curry to the top of the league standings.
Tied with Curry for first place, Endicott also took advantage of a weekend sweep over Suffolk to stay atop the CCC standings with Curry. On Friday night, goals from Cam Speck, Jackson Sterrett and Ben Jenkinson backed by 24 saves from goaltender Atticus Keely who earned the shutout in a 3-0 win over the Rams. On the road Saturday, the Gulls jumped to a 3-0 first period lead with power play goals by Michael Casey and Andrew Kurapov along with an even-strength goal by Ryan Willett and cruised to a 4-1 win. Suffolk’s Devin Lowe broke up Ryan Wilson’s bid for a shutout as he stopped 30 of 31 shots in the win.
Salve Regina and Nichols played a thrilling series where both games needed bonus hockey to determine a winner. On Friday night, the Bison trailed 2-1 after forty minutes of play but tied the score on Kaiden Scott’s power play goal in the third period. Neither team could score before the end of regulation and in overtime, Nathan Carl sent the home fans home happy with a goal for a 3-2 upset win over the Seahawks. On Saturday, the script was flipped as the visiting Bison held a 2-1 lead after two periods of play only to see Jonathan Hammel tie the score in the third period for Salve Regina. In overtime, Johnny Mulera wasted no time in scoring at the 29 second mark to give the Seahawks a 3-2 win and split of the weekend series that leaves them just one point behind Curry and Endicott in the standings.
Wentworth took advantage of a four-goal second period to erase a 1-0 deficit on the way to a 6-2 win over Western new England on Friday. Nikolas Sombrowski scored a pair of goals and Mitch McGinn scored a goal and added three assists for the Leopards. On Saturday, Wentworth took the sweep with a 2-1 overtime win over the Golden Bears. George Weiner scored the decisive goal to help the Leopards pick up their fourth win in CCC action.
Independents
Following a 2-1 overtime loss to Wesleyan on Tuesday night, Albertus Magnus played Rivier on Saturday and skated off with a 6-3 win over the Raiders. Five unanswered goals by the Falcons erased a 3-1 deficit with six different players scoring goals to support Logan Bateman who made 28 saves to earn the win.
Following a 5-3 loss to Oswego on Friday night where three power play goals were the difference for the Lakers, Anna Maria closed out their tour of SUNYAC opponents with a game at Cortland on Saturday. After the Red Dragons took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, their power play quickly struck in the second period for two goals as part of a four-goal period that helped the home team ease past the AmCats, 7-2.
MASCAC
After dropping a 5-1 decision to Framingham State at home on Thursday night, Fitchburg State earned their coach, Dean Fuller his 600th career win (all at FSU) with a 5-2 decision over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Goals by Cade Herrera gave the Trailblazers a 2-0 lead early in the second period before the Falcons got their offense going with five straight tallies. Samuel Rennick, Oliver Cookson, and Toivo Kramer all scored within thirty seconds, midway through the period for a 3-2 lead that the Falcons extended with Trenton Skagg’s goal and Kristopher Zapata’s empty-net goal in the third period to seal the win.
Plymouth State remained unbeaten in MASCAC play with a pair of wins over Salem State and Worcester State. On Thursday, Patrick O’Connell and Ethan Stuckless broke a 1-1 tie and the Panthers fought off a scrappy Vikings’ squad with a 4-3 win. Things were far more comfortable on the road against the Lancers on Saturday where Stuckless, Will Redick and Cam Patton each scored a pair of goals in a 7-0 rout. Goaltender Brandon Shantz stopped all 24 shots he faced to earn the shutout win for PSU.
Massachusetts-Dartmouth took advantage of two MASCAC wins to move into second place in the standings. On Thursday, the Corsairs won a seesaw affair with Westfield State, 3-2. Tyler Stewarts third period goal proved to be the game-winner in a tight contest. On Saturday, the offense was in high gear as UMD used a hat trick from Michael Mania and two goals each from Collin Patterson and Alex Walker to cruise to a 9-2 win over Framingham State.
NE-10
First place Assumption took a commanding lead in the standings with three wins for the week. On Wednesday in a make-up game with Post, the Greyhounds used three power play goals to hold off the Eagles in a 5-4 win. The Greyhounds hosted Franklin Pierce in a weekend series and needed a third period comeback on Friday to down the Ravens 4-3. Trailing 3-1 entering the third, Ronny Paragallo, William Roberts and Jonathan Surrette scored to rally the Greyhounds to the victory. Paragallo finished the night with a pair of goals and an assist. On Saturday, more third period magic was needed to break a 2-2 tie with FPU. Jake Lavoie, Shane Sullivan, and William Roberts all scored in the final period to help Assumption toa 5-2 win and weekend sweep of the Ravens.
Post and St. Anselm split a pair of games over the weekend. On Friday, Post rallied from a 2-1 deficit with Nathan McDevitt scoring early in the third period to tie the score at 2-2 before Jack Engdahl scored in the final five seconds of overtime for a 3-2 win. On Saturday, the Hawks rebounded to earn the split with a 5-3 win that saw the visitors rally from 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. Luke Mix and Hunter Brackett each scored a goal and added an assist for St. Anselm.
NEHC
Hobart and Elmira played a home-and-home series in what was expected to be a dynamic matchup between two of the top teams in D-III. The Statesmen put all that aside in a pair of dominating wins over the Soaring Eagles by 7-2 and 5-0 scores. On Friday, the visitors scored early for a 2-1 lead after the first period and then blew the game open with a five-goal second period. Seven different players scored for Hobart and Chris Duclair picked up three assists in the runaway win. Back home in The Cooler on Saturday, the Statesmen continued to display their depth and balance with five different goal scorers and forward Shane Shell recording a goal and two assists in a 5-0 win. Goaltender Mavrick Goyer earned his sixth shutout of the season stopping 15 shots.
Norwich picked up a pair of much needed wins to move into a tie with Skidmore for second place in the NEHC standings. After ceding Vermont State-Castleton a 1-0 lead on Matteo Turrin’s first period goal, the Cadets scored the next seven, including a pair of goals from Patrick Delvecchio. On Saturday, in what was expected to be a defensive battle, the Cadets made Owen Sclisizzi’s second period goal stand up as the game-winner in a 1-0 victory. Goaltenders Sami Malu and Bryce Walcarius combined for 26 saves to post the shutout over the Thoroughbreds.
Babson picked up a pair of wins over Massachusetts-Boston ns Johnson & Wales to stay tied with Elmira in fourth place in the conference. On Friday, after Thomas Kramer and Conor Foley traded goals in the opening period, Colby Bailey’s power play tally proved to be decisive in a 2-1 win over the Beacons. Mason Rosado stopped 30 of 31 shots in the win. On Saturday, in another close contest, the Beavers jumped to a 2-0m lead on goals from Cam Joslin and Ian Driscoll but needed a last second empty-net tally from Wyatt George to hold off the Wildcats, 3-1.
NESCAC
Trinity went on the road and claimed a pair of comfortable victories over Hamilton and Amherst to pad their lead in the NESCAC standings. On Friday, a goal, and a pair of assists from Connor Sedlak helped the Bantams to a 6-1 win over the Continentals. On Saturday, a goal and an assist from Richard Boysen and a pair of assists by Spencer Korona helped pace the Bantams to a 5-1 win over the Mammoth.
Bowdoin moved into second place in the standings with a decisive win over long-time rival Colby on Saturday, 5-1. Two goals from Gabe Shipper and three assists by Luke Wheeler paced the Polar Bear attack while goaltender Alex Kozic stopped 28 of 29 shots to earn the win.
After being shutout by Williams on Friday, 2-0, Tufts faced a recently resurgent Middlebury team that was on a4-game unbeaten streak. The Panthers struck first on a goal by Jin Lee to lead 1-0 after two periods of play but the Jumbos found some third period scoring from Harrison Bazianos and Clark Bolin just 39 seconds apart for a 2-1 lead. Goaltender Peyton Durand stopped 24 shots to help the Jumbos stay among the conference leaders.
Hamilton stayed in the fourth-place spot as the Continentals rebounded from their loss to Trinity with a 5-2 win over Wesleyan on Saturday. Wesleyan’s Owen Sweet scored with one-tenth of a second remaining in the second period to make the game 3-2 for Hamilton entering the final period of play. Devon deVries gave the Continentals some breathing room with his goal early in the period and Noah Leibl iced the contest with an empty-net goal. Jack Grant made 33 saves in the Continental goal for the win.
SUNYAC
The battle for the top spot was on the line Friday night as Plattsburgh visited Geneseo. Bennet Stockdale scored twice to give the Cardinals an early lead, but the Knights answered with goals from Cooper Fensterstock and Alex Dameski to send the game to the final period tied at 2-2. In the third period, Ty D’Addario, Paul Bryer, Trey Thomas, and Ryan Butler (ENG) helped PSU to a big 6-2 road win over Geneseo. On Saturday, Plattsburgh outshot Brockport by a 43-28 margin but could only get Bryer’s first period shot past netminder Dylan Wiemer. Josh Grund scored late in the third period to tie score at 1-1 and the teams settled for the overtime tie.
Geneseo rebounded from their loss to Plattsburgh with a 6-1 win over Potsdam on Saturday. The Knights scored three power play goals and scored three goals in each of the first and third periods to capture the important SUNYAC win. Zach Purcell scored a pair of goals while Luke Panchisin added three assists.
Oswego downed Anna Maria College on Friday night, 5-3, before resuming SUNYAC play with a 4-1 win over Morrisville on Saturday. Goals by Connor Gatto and Brock Kulicki in the third period broke open a close contest with the Mustangs and helped Oswego move into a tie with Geneseo for the conference lead with Plattsburgh just one point in arrears and a game in hand.
UCHC
Utica continued to cruise atop the UCHC standings following their weekend sweep of Nazareth. On Friday, a hat trick and an assist from forward Shane Murphy helped pace the offense to a 7-0 win over the Golden Flyers. Bryan Landsberger picked up the shutout making 26 saves for Utica. On Saturday, Murphy was again found all over the ice and the scoresheet as he helped the Pioneers build an early 4-0 lead and cruise to a 4-2 win. Murphy scored a goal and added two assists to keep the Pioneers unbeaten in UCHC play.
Stevenson had dual opportunity in their weekend series with Arcadia as a weekend sweep would keep them in second place in the UCHC standings while also securing their second consecutive MAC championship. On Friday night, the Mustangs scored the first seven goals of the contest, including two from Blake Benson on the way to a 7-2 road win over the Knights. On home ice on Saturday, Stevenson won the MAC title with a 5-1 win over Arcadia that featured a Liam McCanney hat trick. Goaltender Ty Outen picked up his 15th win of the season for Stevenson making 23 saves.
After dropping a pair of non-conference games last weekend to Canton, Wilkes was looking to rebound in conference play against a spirited Lebanon Valley squad. On Friday night, the Colonels took a 2-0 lead only to see the Flying Dutchman answer with three goals in the second period for a one-goal advantage heading into the final period of play. Cam Lowe and Jimmy O’Kane scored in the third period to help Wilkes escape with a 4-3 win. On Saturday, O’Kane and Danny Nau gave Wilkes a 2-0 lead but LVC again rallied to tie the score at 2-2 with both goals coming from Dylan Miller. Billy Berry and O’Kane’s second of the game gave the visitors a two-goal lead before Blake Testo’s goal with just one second left would prove to be too little too late in a second game divided by one-goal, 4-3.
Three Biscuits
DJ Dixon – Wesleyan – opened the scoring and closed the scoring with the overtime winning goal in the Cardinals’ 2-1 win over Albertus Magnus on Tuesday night.
Garrett Bovonoski – Morrisville – stopped 41 of 42 shots in the Mustangs 2-1 come-from-behind upset win over Cortland on Wednesday night.
Michael Mania – Massachusetts-Dartmouth – scored a hat trick to lead the Corsairs to a 9-2 win over Framingham State on Saturday.
Bonus Biscuits
Shane Murphy – Utica – scored a hat trick in Friday’s 7-0 win over Nazareth on Friday and finished the weekend with four goals and three assists.
Mavrick Goyer – Hobart – recorded his sixth shutout of the season making 15 saves in Hobart’s 5-0 win over Elmira on Saturday.
Jack Engdahl – Post – scored the overtime winning goal with less than five seconds remaining in the extra session to give Post a 3-2 win over St. Anselm on Friday.
There are teams that are displaying their high-level game on the big stage as Hobart, Utica, Norwich, Plymouth State, Stevenson, Endicott, Trinity, and Curry did this weekend while other teams are trying to build momentum in the few remaining weeks of the regular season. The calendar is already turning to February so now is the time to be consistently good to make a run for a conference title and who knows what else down the road.
Tommy Scarfone goes to block a potential shot from Bentley with the help of his teammates against Bentley last Friday at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester, N.Y. (photo: Mikaela Engstrom/RIT Sports Network).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. No. 2 BC sweeps No. 1 BU
I mean, where else were we going to start?
Boston College is certain to be the new top team in the country this week, after sweeping incumbent No. 1 Boston University last weekend in a home-and-home series.
Second-period goals from Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault were enough in BC’s 4-1 home win Friday at a sold-out Conte Forum, and after BU dug out of an early 2-0 hole Saturday at Agganis Arena, BC’s Cutter Gauthier scored the eventual game-winner late in the second period of a 4-2 Eagles victory.
BC’s six-point weekend means that the Eagles and BU sit tied atop the Hockey East standings. Even better if maroon’s more your color, BC sits first in the PairWise Rankings, with BU third.
2. North Dakota claims sole possession of first place in NCHC
No. 5 North Dakota entered last weekend tied on points with St. Cloud State at the top of the NCHC standings, but the Fighting Hawks are now all alone there after a home sweep of No. 4 Denver.
Two-point performances from both Jackson Blake and Cameron Berg helped North Dakota to a 5-2 win Friday. Ben Strinden, Dylan James and Griffin Ness also scored a goal apiece, and Blake extended his recent point streak to seven games.
Blake then picked up two assists in UND’s 4-2 win Saturday. Power-play goals 45 seconds apart from Owen McLaughlin and Riese Gaber in the third period put the Hawks over the top, after Denver’s Sean Behrens was assessed a major penalty and game misconduct for a high hit on Strinden.
UND now sits four points ahead of St. Cloud in the NCHC standings. More on the Huskies later.
3. Quinnipiac defends CT Ice title
Seventh-ranked Quinnipiac won its third-consecutive CT Ice tournament title last weekend, beating local rival Yale as well as Connecticut at the XL Center in Hartford.
Mason Marcellus’s first-period goal was the difference Friday as Quinnipiac beat Yale 1-0, with Vinny Duplessis pitching a 14-save shutout. On Saturday, the Bobcats erased a 3-1 deficit to beat UConn 4-3. Second-period goals 54 seconds apart from Victor Czerneckianair and Travis Treloar tied the game, before Zach Tupker buried the eventual game-winner 28 seconds into the third.
Quinnipiac has won the CT Ice championship in three of the four years that the event has taken place. The Bobcats won in 2022 in Bridgeport and again last season on their home ice in Hamden. UConn has been the first runner-up each of the last three years.
4. Wisconsin, Michigan share spoils
Third-ranked Wisconsin was made to claw back for a road split against No. 14 Michigan, after the host Wolverines posted a 5-1 win Friday.
Two Frank Nazar goals and one apiece from three Michigan teammates saw the Wolverines win comfortably Friday. Winnipeg Jets draft pick Rutger McGroarty’s two assists gave him a fifth-consecutive multi-point game, and Dylan Duke’s two points extended his active point streak to 11.
Duke would make it 12 with two goals in Saturday’s rematch, but Wisconsin won 6-5 in overtime on Christian Fitzgerald’s goal 57 seconds into the extra period. The Badgers had trailed four times in that game, which had included a seven-goal first period.
5. Michigan State, Minnesota split, too
There was another weekend split last weekend between ranked Big Ten teams, as No. 8 Michigan State and ninth-ranked Minnesota both picked up a win at MSU’s Munn Ice Arena.
Daniel Russell’s goal with four seconds left saw Michigan State cap a comeback from two goals down Friday at the second intermission. The Spartans’ victory that night saw them end a 16-game winless streak against Minnesota.
But they might be in danger of starting another slide now against the Golden Gophers. Oliver Moore’s two goals and three points, plus 24 saves from Justen Close, helped Minnesota to a 5-1 win Saturday. Moore is now on a seven-game point streak.
6. CC sweeps Western Michigan
Sixteenth-ranked Colorado College did itself some favors last weekend, picking up a pair of 2-1 overtime wins at No. 12 Western Michigan.
Continuing on the theme, Noah Laba scored the winners both nights, and now has four overtime game-winners this season. He bagged Friday’s winner just 16 seconds into the extra period, then scored Saturday’s winner with 2:03 left. This secured CC’s sixth sweep of the season, the Tigers’ most in a single campaign since 2007-08.
CC has now won five straight, while Western Michigan has lost three of its last four games.
7. Providence takes 2 against Lowell
Tenth-ranked Providence has now won four of its last five games, after the Friars took two last weekend in a home-and-home set with unranked UMass Lowell.
Providence sophomore Bennett Schimek’s two goals and career-high four points Friday helped the Friars cruise to a 7-2 road win. Four goals over the last 11:38 of the first period saw the Friars lead 4-0 after 20 minutes. Schimek’s goals came 3:04 apart to open the scoring.
The Friars then erased a 3-1 deficit Saturday on their home ice to win 4-3 in overtime. Austen May scored in the extra period, giving Providence its 1,100th win all-time.
8. St. Cloud struggles with unranked Omaha
No. 15 St. Cloud State couldn’t quite get over the hump either night at home to unranked Omaha, falling 7-6 in overtime Friday before skating to a 1-1 tie Saturday.
Two Jack Randl goals helped get UNO to overtime Friday before Griffin Ludtke set up his brother Tanner for the overtime winner. On Saturday, Matt Miller erased the Mavericks’ first-period deficit before UNO’s Ty Mueller scored the only goal in a three-round shootout.
Seth Eisele’s 31 saves saw the UNO goaltender improve to 4-1 on the season. St. Cloud finished its January slate without a single regulation win.
9. Minnesota State climbs into first-place tie in CCHA
A win and a tie last weekend at home to Northern Michigan saw Minnesota State draw level on points with idle St. Thomas at the top of the CCHA standings.
Lucas Sowder’s goal 8:56 into Friday’s third period saw Minnesota State erase a 2-1 second-intermission deficit, but Northern would go on to take an overtime shootout. Saturday’s rematch was a different story, as 10 different players recorded a point and Alex Tracy made 18 saves in the MSU sophomore’s third career shutout, a 4-0 win.
The Mavericks and St. Thomas, both with 30 points in the league standings, meet this week in a home-and-home series.
10. RIT moves 3 points clear in Atlantic Hockey standings
No. 19 RIT used two home wins last weekend against Bentley to bump the Tigers’ winning streak to four games, while also putting them three points clear of Sacred Heart at the top of Atlantic Hockey with a game in hand.
Tommy Scarfone’s 19 saves Friday gave RIT a 3-0 win. It was his 44th victory with the Tigers, setting a new record for wins during RIT’s Division I era.
RIT graduate student forward Elijah Gonsalves then scored the game-winning goal 1:15 into overtime in Saturday’s 2-1 victory. Gonsalves had set up Aiden Hansen-Bukata’s game-tying goal with 41.6 left in regulation.
The Tigers are now 2-3-1 in overtime this season, after earning their first overtime win since Oct. 27 against Holy Cross.
Quinnipiac players celebrate their third straight CT Ice title (photo: Rob Rasmussen/P8Photos.com).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll of Jan. 22 fared in games over the weekend of Jan. 26-27.
No. 1 Boston University (16-6-1)
01/26/2024 – No. 1 Boston University 1 at No. 2 Boston College 4
01/27/2024 – No. 2 Boston College 4 at No. 1 Boston University 3
No. 2 Boston College (18-4-1)
01/26/2024 – No. 1 Boston University 1 at No. 2 Boston College 4
01/27/2024 – No. 2 Boston College 4 at No. 1 Boston University 3
No. 12 Western Michigan (15-8-1)
01/26/2024 – No. 16 Colorado College 2 at No. 12 Western Michigan 1 (OT)
01/27/2024 – No. 16 Colorado College 2 at No. 12 Western Michigan 1 (OT)
No. 15 St. Cloud State (11-8-5)
01/26/2024 – RV Omaha 7 at No. 15 St. Cloud State 6 (OT)
01/27/2024 – RV Omaha 1 at No. 15 St. Cloud State 1 (OT)
No. 16 Colorado College (15-8-1)
01/26/2024 – No. 16 Colorado College 2 at No. 12 Western Michigan 1 (OT)
01/27/2024 – No. 16 Colorado College 2 at No. 12 Western Michigan 1 (OT)
No. 17 New Hampshire (13-8-1)
01/26/2024 – No. 17 New Hampshire 1 at Vermont 2
01/27/2024 – No. 17 New Hampshire 6 at Vermont 3
No. 18 Arizona State (17-6-5)
Did not play.
No. 19 RIT (17-8-1)
01/26/2024 – Bentley 0 at No. 19 RIT 3
01/27/2024 – Bentley 1 at No. 19 RIT 2 (OT)
No. 2 Boston College ascends to the top of the PairWise on Saturday after a 4-3 win at No. 1 Boston University, completing the weekend sweep of its crosstown rivals (Photo: Brody Hannon/BC Athletics)
No. 2 Boston College entered this weekend against rival and No. 1 Boston University understandings that two losses could take the Eagles out of the Hockey East regular season race.
Instead, though, BC added to last night’s 4-1 victory with a 4-3 win at a sold out Agganis Arena to complete the two-game sweep of the Terriers. The two teams now sit atop Hockey East, tied with 34 points apiece and Boston College ascends to the top team in the USCHO PairWise Rankings.
The Eagles never trailed for a single minute the entire weekend, jumping to a 2-0 lead on Saturday on a power play goal by Gabe Perrault and another marker as a penalty expired by Lukas Gustafson.
It was a similar 2-0 hole that BU found itself in on Friday, but on Saturday, the Terriers clawed their way back.
A late power play tally in the first by Shane Lachance pulled BU within a goal and Sam Stevens knotted the game early in the second.
Despite a territorial advantage in the middle frame for BU, Boston College reclaimed the lead when Cutter Gauthier found space, scoring with 5:48 remaining.
BC extended the lead on a Will Smith goal at 13:45 of the third. And despite Macklin Celebrini scoring with the goaltender pulled late, the Eagles withstood the late pressure to walk away with six league points.
Fowler makes the save on one end and Smith finishes on the other.
The Fighting Hawks overcame deficits of 1-0 and 2-1, scoring the game’s final three goals – two in a span of 45 seconds in the third period – to complete a two-game sweep of Denver, 4-2.
North Dakota now holds a four-point lead in the NCHC standings over St. Cloud State and a nine-point advantage over both Colorado College and Denver.
Jared Wright scored early for the Pioneers, just 1:48 into regulation. Cameron Berg tied things for host North Dakota at 13:20 of the first.
After Sam Harris help Denver retake the lead at 7:17 of the second, Jackson Kunz had the equalizer at 13:25 to send the game to the third deadlocked at 2.
But an explosive minutes for the hosts in the third sealed the victory. Owen McLaughlin scored at 12:01 and Riese Gaber just 45 second later.
Quinnipiac overcame a 3-1 deficit scoring the game’s final three goals, including Zach Tucker’s game-winner 28 seconds into the third period as the Bobcats defender their title at the CT Ice tournament, 4-3 over Connecticut.
The game featured just two penalties, one per side, which meant 5-on-5 play had to be strong. UConn jumped to a two-goal lead on goals by Harrison Rees, Chase Bradley and Matthew Wood. But Quinnipiac had a response past the midway point of the game.
Victor Czerneckianair’s goal at 13:03 brought the Bobcats within one before Travis Treloar tied things just 54 seconds later.
Quinnipiac goaltender Vinny Duplessis earned the victory making 28 saves on the night.
No. 3 Wisconsin 6, No. 14 Michigan 5 (F/OT)
The third-ranked Badgers avoided a lost weekend on Saturday, scoring the three of the game’s final four goals, including Christian Fitzgerald’s overtime game-winner 57 seconds into the extra frame to give Wisconsin a 6-5 win and weekend split with Michigan.
Minnesota Duluth’s Forrest Karr will become just the second executive director of the AHCA later this year (photo: Minnesota Duluth Athletics).
Minnesota Duluth athletic director Forrest Karr is set to become the next executive director of the American Hockey Coaches Association.
Karr has been chosen to succeed Joe Bertagna, the AHCA’s first and only executive director, who ends his 32-year tenure on June 30. Karr, who is in his 19th year overall as a director of athletics at an NCAA member school, will retain his position at UMD. The hiring was approved by the AHCA active membership.
“Forrest is uniquely qualified for this position,” said AHCA president Grant Potulny, also the head coach at Northern Michigan, in a statement. “As a former college hockey player and former Division I coach, he has intimate knowledge of our sport. Forrest has been an athletic director at hockey playing universities for nearly 20 years and in the interview process, he impressed our committee with his passion for our sport. Over the next year, Forrest will work directly with Joe Bertagna to learn the executive director position and will be in a fantastic position to lead our body in the future.
“We could not be more excited with the process of Forrest becoming our next executive director.”
Bertagna will stay on in a new role as AHCA media relations director and assist Karr in the transition. In this capacity, Bertagna will serve as AHCA historian and continue to edit the AHCA newsletter “Stops & Starts.”
“I am honored to have been selected to serve as AHCA executive director and look forward to working alongside the AHCA board of governors, staff, and the entire AHCA membership to pay tribute to the past and help shape the future of American hockey,” said Karr. “As the landscape of intercollegiate athletics continues to evolve, it will be very important for coaches to have a unified voice in promoting and protecting the sport. I would like to thank Chancellor McMillan for encouraging me to pursue this passion, the AHCA board of governors and secretary-treasurer Brett Petersen for leading the search process, and Joe Bertagna for helping with this transition and decades of service on behalf of coaches and athletes throughout the country.”
In addition to his work as an AD, Karr has also served in a variety of conference leadership positions. From 2020-22, he chaired the CCHA Management Council and led writing the CCHA Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. From 2016 to 2018, he co-chaired a WCHA men’s league and women’s league joint committee that developed a new governance structure for the association and rewrote the Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. From 2013 to 2017, Karr served on the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports. As committee chair from 2015 to 2017, Karr led some of the most important health care initiatives in the association’s history, including successful efforts to develop, propose and advocate for the adoption of Independent Medical Care legislation, which was passed by Division I in 2016 and Divisions II and III in 2017, and established the Athletics Health Care Administrator designation. In addition, Karr chaired the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee from 2008 to 2010 after serving on the committee from 2006 to 2008.
Since 2008, Karr has been teaching undergraduate and graduate level courses, including Business Law, Cyber Law, Managing Employment Relations, and the Intersection of Sports, Antitrust, and Labor and Employment Law, among others. He has also taught as a visiting faculty member for the prestigious Sports Management Institute executive education program.
Prior to taking the helm at UMD in Aug. 2022, Karr previously served as director of athletics at Northern Michigan. During his tenure, 272 student-athlete earned All-America and honorary All-America honors and five individual NCAA championships. Prior to NMU, Karr served as director of athletics for the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Nanook student-athletes won three team NCAA championships and three individual NCAA championships.
Karr previously clerked for the NCAA Office of Legal Affairs under current senior vice president and general counsel Scott Bearby, and also clerked at Garvey & Stoddard, S.C. under former National Football League Players Association executive director Ed Garvey.
“I have known Forrest Karr since his playing days at Notre Dame and I am so happy to be able to pass the AHCA torch over to him,” said Bertagna. “The board did a great job in landing Forrest, and I look forward to helping him as he adds this position to his impressive resume. And, I have to add, it’s great that the job is remaining in the hands of a former goaltender.”
Karr is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and is a member of the State Bar of Wisconsin, the American Bar Association and the Sports Lawyers Association. He is also a graduate of the Sports Management Institute’s executive education program.
Karr played hockey at Notre Dame and graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Business Economics from the Mendoza College of Business along with a concentration in Peace Studies from the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies. He earned the team’s most valuable player honor as a senior and was named a member of the Academic All-America second team.
After his collegiate career, Karr played one year of minor league professional hockey in the ECHL and then coached with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program and Wisconsin women’s hockey team. Karr is a certified Level 5 coach through USA Hockey’s Coaching Education Program and previously served as a youth coach in Marquette, Mich.
Karr will start his new role with the AHCA on July 1, 2024.
Rutger McGroarty and Frank Nazar celebrate a goal for Michigan in the Wolverines’ 5-1 win Friday night on home ice over Wisconsin (photo: Michigan Photography).
Two second-period goals were enough in No. 2 Boston College’s 4-1 win over No. 1 Boston University in front of a sold-out crowd of 7,884 at Kelley Rink on Friday night in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perreault scored in the second period for the Eagles before BU cut the deficit in half on a Jack Hughes goal in the third.
Frank Nazar potted a pair of goals and added an assist to lead No. 14-ranked Michigan to a 5-1 win over No. 3 Wisconsin on Friday night at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Garrett Schifsky, Dylan Duke and Ethan Edwards also scored for the Wolverines, while Rutger McGroarty chipped in two assists and Duke added a helper for a two-point game.
Ben Strinden, Dylan James and Griffin Ness also scored to back Ludvig Persson’s 17 saves in goal.
Zeev Buium and Aidan Thompson scored for the Pioneers and Matt Davis finished with 24 saves between the pipes.
No. 16 Colorado College 2, No. 12 Western Michigan 1 (OT)
Noah Laba scored 15 seconds into overtime to give Colorado College a 2-1 win over Western Michigan Friday night at Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.
The goal was Laba’s third overtime winner this season.
Dylan Wendt gave the Broncos a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but Klavs Veinbergs scored early in the second period to knot the game at 1-all.
Kaidan Mbereko made 23 stops for the Tigers, while Cameron Rowe stopped 29 for WMU.
Nicklas Andrews assisted on both CC goals.
No. 8 Michigan State 3, No. 9 Minnesota 2
Daniel Russell’s goal at 19:56 of the third period completed Michigan State’s comeback in a 3-2 win Friday night over Minnesota at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
Mike Koster scored in the first period and Oliver Moore scored in the second for Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud assisted on both, and the Gophers led 2-0 after 40 minutes.
You want drama? Daniel Russell puts back his own rebound for the game-winner with four seconds left in regulation for the win over No. 9 Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/uZ7VYCNCiF
Griffin Jurecki scored early in the third for the Spartans, followed by Karsen Dorwart at 15:02 to tie the game 2-2 and set the stage for Russell’s winner.
Maxim Štrbák had two assists for MSU.
In net, Michigan State’s Trey Augustine made 28 saves and for the Gophers, Justen Close finished with 27.
No. 7 Quinnipiac 1, Yale 0
Mason Marcellus’ first-period goal was all the scoring Quinnipiac needed, taking a 1-0 win over Yale Friday night at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., to start the CT Ice tournament.
Vinny Duplessis made 14 saves in goal for the Bobcats.
Jack Stark finished with 35 stops in goal for Yale.
Also at CT Ice, UConn defeated Sacred Heart 6-2, setting up the Quinnipiac-UConn final Saturday night.
No. 13 Cornell 2, Harvard 0
Jack O’Leary and Tim Rego scored in the first period to guide Cornell to a 2-0 victory over Harvard Friday night from the Bright-Landry Hockey Center in Cambridge, Mass.
Kyle Penney drew assists on both goals.
O'LEARY❗️
Junior forward Jack O'Leary benefits from a turnover deep in Harvard's defensive zone to give No. 13-ranked @CornellMHockey a 1-0 lead over the Crimson at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center in Cambridge.
Ian Shane picked up the 17-save shutout for the Big Red.
For the Crimson, Derek Mullahy made 21 saves.
Vermont 2, No. 17 New Hampshire 1
Massimo Lombardi scored what proved to be the game-winning goal at 12:51 of the second period and Vermont held on to down New Hampshire 2-1 Friday night in Burlington, Vt., at the Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Jens Richards gave the Catamounts an early 1-0 lead 6:11 into the first period before Robert Cronin answered for UNH a little over three monutes later.
Gabe Carriere made 31 saves in goal for Vermont, while Jakob Hellsten turned aside 14 for the Wildcats.
No. 19 RIT 3, Bentley 0
RIT scored a goal in every period and Tommy Scarfone stopped all 19 shots fired his way as the Tigers blanked Bentley 3-0 Friday night at the Gene Polisseni Center on Rochester, N.Y.
Scarfone’s win is his 44th at RIT, setting the record for wins for a goalie during the school’s Division I era.
Philippe Jacques, Cody Laskosky and Elijah Gonsalves posted the RIT goals.
Bentley goalie Connor Hasley made 24 stops.
No. 10 Providence 7, UMass Lowell 2
Bennett Schimek registered a career-high four points on two goals and two assists and 11 players recorded at least one point as Providence skated to a 7-2 win over UMass Lowell on Friday night at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
Austen May, Riley Duran and Nick Poisson each had a goal and an assist for Providence, and Chase Yoder and Guillaume Richard scored one goal each.
Dean Fuller’s Fitchburg State Falcons are looking to celebrate some more wins this season in pursuit of their first MASCAC title since 2018 (Photo by FSU Athletics)
While Plymouth State has a secure handle on first place in the MASCAC standings so far this season, there is a lot of battling amongst familiar opponents for playoff positions including coach Dean Fuller’s Fitchburg State Falcons who currently hold down third place on the leaderboard just two points behind Massachusetts-Dartmouth. Fuller has been a coaching institution at Fitchburg State having taken the reins in 1984 and amassing 599 career wins up until Thursday night’s loss to Framingham State, 5-1, temporarily keeping him for the 600-win milestone. Not one to focus or dwell on personal accolades, Fuller shifts focus quickly to what his Falcons need to do well if they want to play some meaningful hockey late in February and into March.
“I have been here over 40 years,” stated Fuller. “I played here, was an assistant here before taking over as the head coach. I am a big fan of Fitchburg State University and the opportunities the school gives our players. D-III is a great level to coach and I have been privileged to have a lot of very good players come here and have success as a program. The milestone is great, but we like to win and play good hockey especially this time of the season. I told the players that the excitement for me is still there every day and that I really love the recruiting, the coaching and being at the rink watching the players and team grow over the course of the season. We have found some goals from our young guys and have started the second half playing some better hockey. It would be great to get the No. 2 seed and a bye in the MASCAC tournament because after that anything can happen like it did for us back in 2018 when we last won the conference title.”
This year’s edition of the Falcons features a strong and consistent group of goaltenders and defensemen and a young group of forwards that have now figured out the college game and are contributing on the scoreboard consistently at even-strength and on the power play. Last week’s MASCAC Player of the Week, Alexandre Bauvais (6G-3A-9Pts), has started finding the net with more frequency along with fellow first-year players Michael Imala (8G – 4A – 12Pts), Hunter Dunn (3G – 4A – 7Pts), Kristopher Zapata (4G – 1A – 5Pts), and Adam Nedelka (3G – 6A – 9Pts) have seen their hard work rewarded on the scoresheet in the recent two-game win streak where the Falcons scored six goals a game.
“At the beginning of the season, looking at this roster, I didn’t know where the goals were going to come from,” noted Fuller. “We have had some more experienced teams in recent years and just by happenstance lost a lot of our forwards to graduation this past year, so it is a very new group upfront for us. We have terrific goaltending with Max [Macchioni] and Frederick [Soderberg] along with a solid six players on the blue line. We thought we would be competitive if we could get some scoring and now, we are starting to see it happen more frequently at even-strength and the power play has really taken off in recent games which helps a lot. Alexandre is a good example of a player who continues to improve his game – he has great vision on the ice and a terrific shot that now has started going in with a little more frequency. We have all conference games left on the schedule for the remainder of the regular season, so these goals and wins are very important for us finishing strong and setting ourselves up for the playoffs next month.”
The 600th win will certainly be a big milestone for Coach Fuller, but the long-time coach is not dwelling on the moment nor focusing his Falcons on the milestone event.
“It will be another win, a nice win, a big win, but it’s just another win and we certainly want to string a few more of those together this season if we are going to compete for a conference championship.”
Fitchburg State will look to start a new streak with an important win for their coach on Saturday on the road against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts.
UW-Stout faces off against UW-Stevens Point this weekend in a key WIAC series. (Photo Credit: Cami Bertossi/UW-Stout Athletics)
It’s the last weekend of hockey in January and we have a full slate of conference games in the MIAC, WIAC and NCHA.
The Auggies and Johnnies face off in a MIAC rivalry game while UW-Stout faces one of its biggest tests as it takes on the nationally ranked Pointers.
Here’s a look at the weekend picks for those games and more.
Friday
Augsburg (9-8-1, 6-3) vs. Saint John’s (8-8-4, 5-5-1)
Two goals in a span of 15 seconds in the third period lifted the Johnnies to a 4-3 win Thursday night. Another thriller should be in store for this game. Saint John’s has won its last two and is one of the hotter teams in hockey right now, going unbeaten in its last eight games overall.
Like Saint John’s, Augsburg has worked its way up the standings, currently tied for second with the Johnnies. It’s a big game for both teams. Saint John’s, 3-2
Friday and Saturday
No. 11 St. Scholastica (12-4-1, 5-2-1) at Hamline (6-9-2, 2-5-1)
The Saints are looking for their first series sweep of 2024 and hoping to end a three-game winless streak. They have bee held to two goals twice during that stretch. Hamline has already beaten one ranked team this month, winning 5-1 over UW-Eau Clare, and would love to repeat that success. St. Scholastica has a lot of motivation knowing it has a chance to maybe get back into first place in the MIAC. This might be their weekend to get a sweep. St. Scholastica, 4-2 and 3-2
Bethel (12-4-3, 6–2-2) vs. Saint Mary’s (5-10-2, 3-4-2)
The first-place Royals aim to keep that real estate at the top. Bethel is unbeaten in its last three games and has scored four or more goals in each of those games. Joe Westlund has helped the team’s cause as one of the league’s top rookies. The Cardinals have won two out of three and have a chance to gain some ground the standings in a big way. Bethel, 4-2 and 3-1
UW-Stout (7-10-2, 5-4) at No 6 UW-Stevens Point
The last time the Blue Devils played the Pointers on Nov. 17, it was a wild game, with UW-Stevens Point prevailing 7-6. A four-goal third period by the Pointers was the difference. The key for UW-Stout is to finish strong.
We could see a lot of goals scored. Winners of two in a row, UW-Stout has put up 76. The Pointers have scored 69 and have lost only once in their last nine games. UW-Stevens Point is looking to bounce back after a 4-3 overtime loss to St. Norbert on Tuesday and is 8-0-1 at home. An upset on at least one night, though, wouldn’t surprise me. UW-Stevens Point, 5-4; UW-Stout, 6-5
UW-Superior (10-9, 5-10) at UW-River Falls (11-8, 3-6)
It’s been an up and down kind of year for the Yellowjackets, who have lost three win a row after rattling off five consecutive wins. Getting the offense going is key after scoring just one goal in their last three games.
Dylan Smith will be key for the Falcons. He racked up four goals in three games last week and was named the league’s player of the week. The Falcons have dropped two in a row but do have home ice advantage for this series. They prevailed 2-1 the last time they played the Yellowjackets. UW-River Falls, 3-2; UW-Superior, 2-1
Marian (8-11, 4-8) at Aurora (9-9-1, 8-4)
Marian has dropped two of three and looking for a big weekend against one of the top teams in the conference. Nick Cherkowski is tied for third in the league in goals scored for the Sabres, tallying nine. Chase Broda of Aurora has also scored nine goals while teammate Kirk Jackson has come through with 10. Aurora, 4-3 and 3-2
St. Norbert (13-5, 10-2) vs. Lawrence (6-12-1, 4-7-1)
St. Norbert is playing great hockey right now. The Green Knights just upset UW-Stevens Point for their third consecutive win and hope to keep momentum on their side. Liam Fraser and Adam Stacho have been big-time players for the Green Knights, scoring 11 goals apiece.
The Vikings are perhaps finding their stride. They have won three in a row and got a great effort out of first-year goalie Nolan Mahaffey, who made 51 saves in two games. St. Norbert, 5-2 and 3-1
No. 2 Adrian (14-4-1, 11-1) vs. Dubuque (1-15-2, 1-11)
The Bulldogs are heavily favored in this series and shouldn’t have too much trouble rolling through this series. Dershawn Stewart has been playing well in goal and the Bulldogs lead the league in goals scored (76). For Dubuque, its a learning experience. Adrian, 7-1 and 6-0
No. 12 Trine (15-4, 10-2) at Concordia (7-12, 5-7)
The Thunder have won four of five and hit the road, where they are 8-1 in games this season. They should be able to generate a lot of offense, having scored 74 goals on the year. Tyler Blanchard leads the way with eight. The Thunder come in looking to maintain their hold on second place.
The Falcons look to end a two-game losing streak and are 1-5 against top four teams in the NCHA. A strong start is going to be important. Trine, 5-2 and 4-2
Minnesota’s Jimmy Clark and Michigan State’s Artyom Levshunov battle for the puck in the Gophers’ 6-5 overtime win on Nov. 26, 2023 (photo: Matt Krohn).
With six weekends remaining in the Big Ten regular season, it would be foolish to say that the conference title is anyone’s to win.
Michigan State tops the league standings with 34 points, Wisconsin is in second place with 30, and no one else is capable of catching the Spartans with a single-series sweep at this moment.
The Spartans and Badgers are the only two teams in control of their own destinies right now, at least in terms of finishing first in the conference – but it’s a tenuous control at best.
If Michigan State wins its remaining 10 games, the Spartans will be the Big Ten regular season champs regardless of what anyone else does. With two games in hand over the Spartans, Wisconsin needs to win 11 of its 12 remaining games to take the regular-season title.
The Spartans play the Badgers on the road to end the season, and the title – and the first-round Big Ten playoff bye – may come down to that. Clearly, though, there is too much hockey to be played between now and then to get into every possible scenario, including tiebreakers should Michigan State and Wisconsin end the season tied in points.
Technically, there is only one team incapable of finishing in first place, and that’s Ohio State. With seven points and one Big Ten win, the Buckeyes are not part of that conversation.
It’s nearly impossible for sixth-place Penn State to reach the top of the standings, and it feels only possible – not probable – that Notre Dame, Minnesota or Michigan will make things interesting in the end.
But we can start with possible. And we can start with this weekend’s series between Minnesota and Michigan State.
The Gophers earned their first Big Ten sweep of the season last weekend, besting Ohio State 5-2 and 6-3 at home.
“We had a good week,” said Gophers coach Bob Motzko after the Saturday win. “We’ve had a good feel since Christmas. I’ve liked us the last three weeks and I liked us all weekend. Overall, I couldn’t be more pleased with our effort throughout our entire lineup.”
The wins extend Minnesota’s current streak of victories to five, dating back to a 6-2 win over Colorado College Jan. 8 and including a sweep of Robert Morris.
On “Gopher Hockey Weekly” Monday with Wally Shaver, the radio play-by-play announcer for Minnesota hockey, Motzko countered the notion that the Gophers – who ran away with the Big Ten regular-season title a year ago – were uneven in the first half of this season.
“Someone said, ‘Minnesota’s been inconsistent.’ No, we haven’t,” said Motzko. “If anything, we’ve been consistent. We’ve been winning games every weekend but one. We just haven’t strung some games along in the first half, but we were close. All those tight games on Saturday, shootouts. So you knew it was there.”
In their current streak, Motzko said, “I know that we had an advantage against Robert Morris,” but added, “Ohio State is a lot better than their record. I like their group. They’ve got depth through their team.”
There are plenty of reasons for the strong start to Minnesota’s second half, including the maturation of a young defensive group and a number of banged-up players returning healthier after Christmas.
One statistic that’s hard to ignore, though – whether coincidence or correlation – is the play of Rhett Pitlick. Pitlick netted his first career hat trick Friday against the Buckeyes and added another goal Saturday, bringing his total number of goals to 15 this season, 14 of which have been scored in clusters in the last 14 games. Pitlick had 11 goals in 40 games last season.
Pitlick plays on one of the most dynamic lines in college hockey, along with center Oliver Moore and right winger Jimmy Snuggerud.
Snuggerud had a hat trick of his own in that win over Colorado College, and the trio has scored 12 of the 25 goals that Minnesota has scored during this win streak.
After the sweep, Motzko said that every line is playing well and that the entire team is sustaining a high energy from game to game.
“We’ve played like that all year long,” said Motzko, “but not for five games in a row. You kind of hope second half that we’ve learned some lessons.”
In addition to energy, Motzko said that the Gophers have a patience now they lacked before.
“We’re not trying to always score every time you enter the zone,” Motzko said. “Wear a team down. Possess it. Good things will happen.
“I think that was one of the things early in the year. We were just in a rush to try to score a goal. Be in a rush to play good hockey. Be in a rush to have a good 30-second shift then see what happens from it.”
Motzko and his Michigan State counterpart, Adam Nightingale, are each aware of the role reversal at play in this weekend’s series.
“This is a deep lineup and very offensive,” Motzko told Shaver. “We have to be on our toes. Great trip for us and kind of measure where we are right now because they are, I believe, one of the best team in the country.”
In his weekly press conference, Nightingale said of the Gophers, “They’re a team that’s obviously had a ton of success in our conference and obviously there’s a lot of pride in that, so we know we’re going to see their best.
“I think that’s great for our guys’ development right now. We’re not sneaking up on anyone, and that’s new for some of our guys. I think that’s an unbelievable experience, to understand how ready you’ve got to be to play.”
That’s a lesson the Spartans are still learning, said Nightingale. Last weekend, Michigan State split a home-and-home series with Michigan, each team winning on the road. In Friday’s 7-1 loss, Michigan State allowed four power-play goals.
“We let emotions get the best of us,” said Nightingale. “That’s my responsibility to teach the guys how to control them, and obviously I didn’t do a good job of that.”
The following night, the Spartans trailed 4-1 midway through the second, after Rutger McGroarty scored his second power-play goal of the weekend for the Wolverines, but Michigan State scored four goals within the span of seven minutes to take a 5-4 lead into the third period. Isaac Howard’s goal from Daniel Russel at 10:53 began that deluge 40 seconds after McGroarty’s goal. Michigan State went on to win 7-5.
“Hopefully, we learned the lesson,” said Nightingale. Teams need to “get right to that edge,” he said, but there’s a balance. “Sometimes things like that have to happen. You don’t want it to happen, but when you lose control of your emotions, our game’s so fast, it can happen quick.”
The Gophers and Spartans last met in Minnesota Nov. 24-25, a 3-3 tie with an extra shootout point for Michigan State the first night and a 6-5 Minnesota win the second night.
“A big weekend for us here,” said Nightingale. “We’ve only got four home games left and I want to take advantage of playing at Munn. Having Minnesota in town, we’re looking forward to it.”
College Hockey Inc. has announced the hiring of Sadie Lundquist as the organization’s first-ever director of women’s hockey.
Lundquist, who officially begins her duties Jan. 22, will lead College Hockey Inc.’s efforts to raise the profile and expand the exposure of women’s college hockey.
“We were very fortunate to have many highly qualified and impressive people express interest in being the first director of women’s hockey with College Hockey Inc.,” said College Hockey Inc. executive director Mike Snee in a statement. “Amongst this intriguing group, Sadie was the most intriguing. Sadie’s on-ice experience as an NCAA and professional player, along with her off-ice marketing and leadership expertise, made her such a compelling candidate. Combine that with Sadie’s infectious enthusiasm for women’s hockey, and we knew she was the ideal person to take on this important role.”
Funding for this new position was made by possible an increased grant from the NHL, enabling College Hockey Inc. to add another full-time staff member dedicated to women’s hockey.
“Supporting the further development of women’s college hockey by partnering with College Hockey Inc. is important for the sustained growth and vitality of our sport,” said NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. “It will not only inspire and empower aspiring athletes, it will also contribute significantly to the overall interest and participation in the game. That’s why we view our partnership with College Hockey Inc. as a strategic investment, and one that helps elevate the entire hockey community.”
Lundquist brings to College Hockey Inc. substantial hockey experience, having played collegiately at Bemidji State (2009-13) and professionally with the NWHL’s Minnesota Whitecaps (2017-19). She also spent seven years in the Minnesota Wild front office. Lundquist most recently served as senior manager of client strategy and services for Bold Orange, a Minneapolis-based customer experience agency.
“I’m beyond excited to join the team at College Hockey Inc.,” said Lundquist. “I owe so much of who I am to the game of hockey, and I could not be more grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to carry that passion into my professional career. The creation of this role is a testament to the growth of women’s hockey, and I’m honored to be part of the continued momentum.”
A native of Cloquet, Minn., Lundquist competed in three Minnesota state high school hockey tournaments with Cloquet High School. At Bemidji State, she amassed 83 career points in 144 games. She led the Beavers in scoring as a junior in 2011-12 and served as team captain the following season. She graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and sport management while minoring in management and leadership.
She participated in the 2018 NWHL All-Star Game and helped lead the Whitecaps to an Isobel Cup championship in 2019.
Following her graduation from BSU, Lundquist joined the Minnesota Wild as a fan relations account executive. Her responsibilities included managing over 600 corporate and season-ticket member accounts, along with planning and executing Wild events, annual marketing efforts, and the organization’s youth hockey nights, camps, girls hockey weekends, and other hockey events.
She later joined Bold Orange as a senior manager on the client strategy and services team. Lundquist drove client partnership – identifying clients’ marketing objectives, programs, and channels to develop annual marketing plans inclusive of strategy, creative, media, and analytics.
