Defending national champion Denver began its quest for a repeat on Friday with a decisive 5-1 victory over Providence in the Manchester Region (photo: Brian Foley/PC Athletics)
MANCHESTER, N.H. — One year after winning the NCAA championship by the skin of its teeth, Denver’s road to a possible second-straight title got off to a drama-free start.
The Pioneers made quick work of Providence on Friday, cruising to a 5-1 win to open the Manchester Regional.
“Some of those ‘drama’ games are a little more fun,” said Denver senior forward Carter King (goal, two assists). “I was really proud of the effort tonight. You can call it easy from the score, but it’s never easy playing in tournament games. (We) played the whole 60 and I think that showed up on the scoreboard.”
NCHC’s Denver — which won last year’s NCAA tournament with three one-goal victories — will face overall No. 1 seed and Hockey East regular-season champ Boston College (26-7-2) on Sunday at 7 p.m. with each team looking for its second straight trip to the Frozen Four. BC was a 3-1 winner over Atlantic Hockey champ Bentley (23-14-2) in Friday’s first regional semifinal.
Denver (30-11-1) wasted no time getting on the board when Connor Caponi pounded the puck into an open net following an unforced error on a clear attempt by Providence goalie Philip Svedebäck (15 saves). The Pioneers led 1-0 just 2:25 into the game and that’s where it stood after the first period.
“You’re never going to complain when you get to go up 1-0 on a goal like that in this event,” Denver coach David Carle said. “Personally I didn’t love our first seven or eight minutes of the game but we sort of managed the puck better beyond that.”
Goals by Zeev Buium (assisted by Aidan Thompson and King) and Sam Harris (assisted by Buium and King) staked the Pioneers to a 3-0 lead after two. Thompson, with Buium and Samu Salminen assisting, snuffed out any hope of a Providence comeback with a goal at 3:53 of the third to make it 4-0.
“They played a much more mature, simple game than we did tonight,” Providence coach Nate Leaman said. “Their experience really showed. Hopefully we can take that lesson and grow with it. We had some good opportunities throughout the game (but) I thought they managed the game and managed the puck really well.”
Denver goalie Matt Davis had 29 saves.
Providence finally broke its scoring drought at 11:39 of the final frame on a goal by Austen May (assisted by Logan Will).
“They were above us a good amount of the night,” Providence defenseman Connor Kelley said. “We couldn’t really figure out how to get it through the neutral zone. We didn’t play fast enough. We really just couldn’t get anything going until it was a little too late.”
Sunday’s regional final will be an NCAA final rematch — Denver beat BC 2-0 in last year’s national title game in St. Paul, Minn.
“We know they’re a really good hockey team,” Buium said. “We’ll play anyone, anywhere, so we’re excited for Sunday and the opportunity to do it again.”
In its first NCAA Tournament appearance, the Connecticut Huskies scored twice in the first and added goals in each of the final two periods to beat Quinnipiac, 4-1, in the Allentown Region (photo: UConn Athletics)
ALLENTOWN, Pa. —In a battle of dogs and cats, and old and new at the PPL Center, it was the Connecticut Huskies, in their first-ever NCAA Division I tournament game, getting the better of the Quinnipiac Bobcats by a 4-1 score in the first regional semifinal. The Huskies will now face the winner of the nightcap between top-seeded Maine and host school Penn State in the regional final on Sunday.
“We’re pretty excited to be moving on,” said UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh.”That’s a real battle-tested team over there, and for us to play as well as we did tonight, it’s a really good win for us.”
UConn broke through 8:25 into the first period, when Nick Carabin kept the puck in the Quinnipiac zone before Tabor Heaslip dished it back to Hugh Larkin above the circles. Larkin then wristed it past Bobcats goaltender Dylan Silverstein for the lead.
“He (Larkin) had some (NCAAs) experience with Western Michigan, which is invaluable for our guys,” said Cavanaugh.
UConn made it 2-0 just over six minutes later when Ethan Gardula pickpocketed a Quinnipiac defender inside the Bobcat blueline, then raced in to beat Silverstein with a backhand.
“I kind of read off the defense, and picked off the puck,” said Gardula.
Quinnipiac’s top-ranked power play (29.9 percent) got an opportunity after Jake Richard was sent off for cross-checking, but couldn’t convert.
“We take a lot of pride in defending our own zone, but we played in their zone most of our shifts,” said Cavanaugh. “Our defense was a by-product of our controlling the game in their zone.
“We pretty much rolled four lines tonight.”
The Huskies nearly made it 3-0 just 24 seconds into the second period, but Silverstein gloved Hudson Schandor’s point-blank attempt. He then made a pad save on Kaden Shahan’s backhander in tight just over a minute afterwards, before later thwarting Richard in-close on a power play after Quinnipiac’s Jeremy Wilmer was sent off for a face-off violation.
Wilmer got the Bobcats on the scoreboard shortly after, when he broke in two-on-one with Mason Marcellus to his right. Marcellus threaded a backhand pass to Wilmer, who deposited it upstairs on UConn freshman netminder Callum Tung at 10:11. The Huskies got that one back four minutes later, though, when Tristan Fraser slugged home the rebound of a shot by Jake Percival.
“We’ve faced a lot of challenges as a group, and Hockey East is all over this tournament,” said Schandor. “We felt really prepared mentally, which is half the battle, and our group did a great job focusing on the game.”
Tung had to be examined by a trainer after taking a skate to the chin midway through the third period, but he recovered to make a spectacular glove save on Andon Cerbone from the right circle to keep UConn ahead by two.
“It’s huge for me and the team ,” said Tung of the win. “We defend as a group, and our guys sold out and blocked shots and made it easy on me.”
Joey Muldowney ultimately shot a puck all the way down into an empty Quinnipiac net with 2:15 remaining to close out the scoring with his 28th goal of the season.
“We know what works for us,” said Gardula, “and we hope to keep it going Sunday.”
Shots on goal were even at 22 apiece, while both teams combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play.
Quinnipiac (24-12-2 overall), which lost to Cornell in the ECAC Hockey semifinals, was back in the NCAA tournament for a fifth consecutive season, two years removed from a national title and playing in Allentown for the second time in four years. It is the first time in four appearances overall at the PPL Center that the Bobcats did not advance to the regional final.
“Congratulations to UConn,” said longtime Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold. “They were all over us. Tung made some big saves in the third, and we took too long to get going. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but we still had a great season.”
Marcellus mentioned the older players and transfers on this year’s Quinnipiac roster, who will now be moving on with the season complete.
“As soon as they came here, they became Bobcats,” he said. “The amount I learned from them, I’m really going to miss everyone we lose this year.”
UConn (23-11-4), which fell to Maine in this year’s Hockey East title game, had earlier edged Quinnipiac in the first round of this season’s Connecticut Ice tournament, which was ultimately won by the Huskies. Now it’s UConn who moves on to Sunday, for a possible conference rematch with the Black Bears, and with a trip to St. Louis on the line.
“We’re playing for a chance to go to the Frozen Four, and that’s enough motivation for anyone,” said Cavanaugh. “Sunday’s game will be even more intense, whoever we face.”
Matthew Iasenza’s goal with 9:24 remaining in regulation broke a 1-1 tie and keeps Hobart’s chances of a three-peat as National Champions alive. The Statesmen will face the winner of Curry and Utica on Sunday in the finals (photo: Eric Gulseth)
UTICA, N.Y. — Hobart’s Matthew Iasenza may not play pool, but his banked shot off the back of the opposing goalie proved to be the game winner at 10:36 of the third period as the Statesmen defeated Geneseo, 2-1, in the NCAA Division III semifinal game.
Iasenza went deep on the right side, all the way to the goal line, before flipping it towards the net.Adam Harris left a sliver of an opening, and the puck bounced off his numbers and into the net.
“No, I don’t,” Iasenza laughed when asked if he plays pool.“I knew my line mates were going for a change and just wanted to bring the guy wide and bring it to the net.It ended up working out.”
On the opposite side, Harris described the goal, “It was one of those plays you’ve done a million times in your life.I just slipped a little bit and gave a little bit of a hole and the puck found it.”
The game opened up strong for Hobart, which brought a relentless forecheck that had Geneseo back on its heels most of the first period.Hobart had numerous scoring opportunities — a point blank shot from the slot which sailed over the net, cutting across the net but having the puck roll off the stick, a shot going behind the goalie but dribbled along the goal line — but couldn’t light the lamp.
Despite getting outshot 17-4 in the first, Harris was the key reason the game remained scoreless.
“If it wasn’t for Adam, it could have been much different after one,” Geneseo coach Chris Schultz said.“Just an incredible student-athlete.3.98 GPA.It doesn’t surprise me one bit he was the best player on the ice.”
Hobart finally broke through at 5:39 of the second period.Calum Chau’s shot from the top of the left circle sailed in through a crowd.It was the speed of the shot which seemed to fool Harris.
Chau said, “It was a bit of a knuckle puck.As long as it gets on net, right?”
Hobart thought they made it 2-0 less than two minutes later.Easton Ryan knocked his own rebound in with his leg as he was falling in front of the net.However, the refs immediately ruled it was a kicking motion which allowed it to go in.
Hobart coach Mark Taylor challenged the play, but the official review upheld the on-ice decision.
A breakaway by Hobart late in the period never got anywhere because the puck rolled off the stick.
“Hobart came out extremely strong,” Schultz said.“I think we gave them a little bit too much respect early in the game.Got better as the game went along.Third period I was happy with.Had some chances in the third.”
One of those chances tied the game at 2:16 of the final stanza.Captain Peter Morgan stole the puck at Hobart’s point, raced down the right boards, and upon entering the zone, fired a shot up high, opposite corner over Damon Beaver’s glove.
Eight minutes later came the billiard shot by Iasenza.
Geneseo pulled their goalie with about two minutes left, but were unable to sustain any strong pressure.
Taylor said, “I knew we were going to have to earn it from the start all the way through 60 minutes.We stayed with our game plan the whole way, and it worked out.I thought we had to earn our goals.”
Chau added, “As long as we play solid defensively, we don’t need to score too many, and we have the best goalie in the league.”
Geneseo’s season ends at 24-5-1.Harris finished with 38 saves.
Beaver stopped 20 shots enabling Hobart (28-1-1) to move on in their quest for a three-peat, facing the winner of the Utica vs Curry nightcap.The championship game is Sunday at 7:00 pm.
Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud had seven multi-point efforts in a nine-game stretch during the month of January (photo: Brad Rempel).
One day after seeing his junior season end at the hands of Massachusetts in the NCAA men’s D-I hockey Fargo Regional, Minnesota captain Jimmy Snuggerud has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NHL St. Louis Blues.
Snuggerud will join the Blues for practice on Monday.
The twenty-year-old Snuggerud was originally drafted by the Blues in the first round, No. 23 overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Snuggerud led the Golden Gophers with 24 goals, 27 assists, and 51 points overall in 40 games. Nationally, he shared sixth in goals and fifth in points, earning Big Ten First Team All-Star honors for the second consecutive season and receiving a selection as a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award.
Snuggerud finished his tenure at Minnesota as one of only three players in Gophers history to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive seasons to begin his collegiate career.
The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native also represented the United States at the 2025 U-20 World Junior Championships, tallying eight points in six tournament games.
Overall, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound forward dressed in 119 career NCAA games, totaling 135 points (66 goals, 69 assists) and 113 penalty minutes. He is also a three-time medalist with Team USA, winning silver at the 2022 U-18 WJC, bronze at the 2023 U-20 WJC and gold at the 2024 U-20 WJC.
Brett Riley was named head coach at Ferris State after serving in the same role since 2020 at LIU (file photo: LIU athletics).
Ferris State has named Brett Riley its next head coach, succeeding Bob Daniels, who retired after 33 years behind the Bulldogs bench.
Riley comes to the Bulldogs after serving as head coach at Long Island University since 2020. He will become the sixth head coach in the 50 years of hockey at Ferris State.
“Brett brings a tremendous passion for the game of hockey and outstanding energy,” said athletic director Steve Brockelbank in a statement. “He also has displayed the ability to attract and develop talented players both on and off the ice, which is essential in today’s game.”
“I am incredibly honored and excited to become the next head hockey coach at Ferris State University,” Riley said. “I can’t wait to start working with our student-athletes.”
Riley said he wanted to recognize Daniels and his 33 years of dedication and leadership that have shaped this program into what it is today.
“Coach Daniels has built a strong foundation both on and off the ice and I am committed to carrying that legacy forward, honoring the work he’s done and continuing to elevate this program on and off the ice,” he said.
This past season, Riley led LIU to its winningest season in program history, finishing the 2024-25 campaign with a 20-12-2 record. He was named NCAA Independent Hockey Coach of the Year.
Riley came to Long Island from Colgate University, where he spent the 2019-20 campaign as an assistant coach. Riley also previously built the Wilkes University program from the ground up, going 16-8-2 in the Division III team’s first year, earning conference coach of the year honors.
Riley graduated from Hobart College in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in History. He was a three-time ECAC West All-Academic Team selection in his four-year career with the Statesmen.
Riley, a South Hampton, Massachusetts native, is part of a legendary college hockey family, with his father, uncle and grandfather all having head coaching experience.
Riley’s father, Rob Riley, served as head coach at Army West Point for 19 years and is currently an amateur scout for the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. Jack Riley, Brett’s grandfather, also coached at Army for more than 35 years after leading the United States to the gold medal at the 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.
A press conference introducing Riley is planned for 11 a.m. on Monday, March 31.
Denver blueliner Boston Buckberger will watch the 2025 NCAA tournament from the sidelines (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Denver sophomore defenseman Boston Buckberger has been ruled out for the remainder of the 2025 postseason after suffering an injury against Western Michigan in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff title game last weekend.
“Boston Buckberger had a successful operation in St. Paul over the weekend and will miss the remainder of the season with an upper-body injury,” Denver coach David Carle said in a statement. “He is doing well in his recovery and is expected to be ready for offseason training and the start of the 2025-26 campaign.”
Buckberger was hurt in the first overtime period last Saturday night against the Broncos.
Ryan Leonard celebrates a goal last season against Harvard (photo: Brody Hannon).
The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston has announced that Boston College sophomore forward Ryan Leonard is the recipient of the 73rd Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born Division I college hockey player in New England.
Entering the NCAA tournament, Leonard leads the nation in both goals with 29 and game-winning goals with nine. The Massachusetts native also has 19 assists for a total of 47 assists. Leonard was named the Hockey East player of the year and a Hockey East first team all-star and is one of 10 finalists for the 2025 Hobey Baker Award.
He captained the United States to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship, the first-time the U.S. won gold in back-to-back years for the first time in the history of the tournament.
“Boston College could not be more proud of Ryan Leonard and his selection as this year’s Walter Brown Award recipient,” said BC coach Greg Brown in a statement. “Ryan has been a leader on and off the ice. He is an alternate captain as a sophomore and is a consistent volunteer for our numerous community service events, including the annual game with the New England Jumbos and reading to children at local schools.”
After an outstanding freshman season where he tallied 31 goals, he currently leads the nation with 29. The Eagles won the Hockey East regular-season trophy and secured the No. 1 seed in upcoming NCAA tournament.
“Ryan is a diligent student who carries over a 3.2 GPA in the Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences. Ryan is an outstanding representative of Boston College and he embodies everything the Walter Brown Award stands for,” added Brown, who was the Walter Brown Award winner himself in 1990.
The nation’s oldest nationally-recognized college hockey honor, the Walter Brown Award was established in 1953 by the members of the 1933 Massachusetts Rangers, the first American team ever to win the World Championship Tournament. Brown coached the Rangers to the title in Prague, Czechoslovakia, where the team defeated Canada 2-1 in overtime in the championship game.
The Walter Brown Award will be presented at the New England Hockey Writers’ Dinner on April 22.
Cameron Whitehead registered 30 wins over two seasons with Northeastern (photo: Clarus Multimedia Group).
The NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights announced Thursday that the team has signed Northeastern sophomore goaltender Cameron Whitehead to a two-year, entry-level contract.
Whitehead finished his second season playing with the Huskies in 2024-25 and appeared in 35 games with a 13-17-3 record, a .911 save percentage and a 2.74 goals-against average. Whitehead led Northeastern to the 2025 Hockey East semifinal, defeating top seed Boston College before falling to Maine.
In his freshman season a year ago, Whitehead added his name to the program’s record books, earning the fifth-most shutouts (4), eighth-most wins (17), and ninth-best save percentage (.917) in a single season.
The native of Orleans, Ont., appeared in a total of 70 games with the Huskies across two seasons, earning a 30-31-6 record, a .914 save percentage and 2.68 GAA with five shutouts.
LSSU goalie Rorke Applebee was named to the CCHA all-rookie team this season (photo: Aliyah Adams).
Lake Superior State has announced an annual gift designed to propel the Lakers hockey program to new heights.
This transcendent support, made possible through an anonymous benefactor’s inaugural and recurring annual contribution of $1.5 million, will directly enhance all facets of LSSU’s five-time national championship hockey program.
“We are deeply grateful for this extraordinary act of generosity,” said LSSU athletic director Tory Lindley in a statement. “This gift demonstrates unwavering belief in our program’s legacy and future potential. The gift will empower us to build on our championship tradition, supporting the holistic success of our student-athletes and strengthening our place among the elite in college hockey.”
The annual gift will provide critical resources to enhance team operations, recruit and retain top talent, elevate student-athlete academic support, performance and wellness, and foster unparalleled fan engagement. By strategically investing in these areas, this funding will enable the Lakers to continue competing at the highest level within the CCHA and on the national stage.
Lakers hockey coach Damon Whitten expressed enthusiasm about the funding’s incredible potential.
“This is a transformative gift for Laker Hockey,” Whitten said. “This commitment ensures we can provide our players with the tools, resources, and experiences they need to succeed both on and off the ice. It’s an exciting time to be a part of this program, and we’re honored to have this level of support as we work to add more championship banners to the rafters of Taffy Abel Arena.”
Aydar Suniev’s second goal of the game in overtime gave UMass a 5-4 win over Minnesota and sets up a regional final game against Western Michigan (photo: Tim Brule)
FARGO, N.D. — Different regional, and this time a different result.
In a rematch of their 2022 Worcester Regional semifinal, the Massachusetts Minutemen got the better of the Minnesota Golden Gophers, this time in a 5-4 overtime victory at Scheels Arena on Thursday night.
Three years ago, UMass was denied a chance to play Western Michigan in that regional, but they now will have their chance on Saturday night.
“Extremely proud of the guys. It was a huge win,” said Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel. “We talked all this week about probably going to be a similar type of game where we’re gonna have to find a way to win in overtime.”
The victory sure didn’t come without controversy, however. The referees, assigned to the regional from the ECAC, appeared to miss two crucial calls on UMass in the third period and overtime, both of which directly led to goals including the game-winner. It was controversial enough to where fans were yelling vulgarities at the referees and throwing garbage on the ice just ahead of the final handshake after the winning score by Aydar Suniev.
“These guys deserve better,” said a visibly upset Gophers head coach Bob Motzko.
Minnesota got the scoring started after the teams were assessed a series of penalties – two on the Minutemen followed by one on the Gophers to make it a 4-on-3 advantage. When play moved back into the UMass end, Jimmy Snuggerud connected on a one-timer from the left circle off a feed from Sam Rinzel.
But it didn’t take long for UMass to respond – just 20 seconds. Larry Keenan connected on a soft wrister from the left circle to tie it right back up, temporarily stunning and silencing the Minnesota-heavy crowd.
The Gophers then re-took the lead with just over a minute left in the first after Brody Lamb won an offensive zone faceoff and connected on a top-shelf shot for an unassisted goal to make it 2-1 after one period.
UMass controlled the pace of play for the first five minutes of the second before it evened out. Having a hard time shaking off the pesky Minutemen as they continued to win defensive zone battles, the Gophers finally pushed their lead to a pair as Jimmy Clark passed the puck to Connor Kurth out in front of Michael Hrabal in the UMass net. Kurth then made a beautiful move to shift the puck to his backhand and knock it in to make it a 3-1 game with just under six minutes left in the second period.
Far from finished, the Minutemen roared back in the third with a goal from Suniev after the refs missed a UMasshigh-stick of Luke Mittelstadt just seconds prior, then Dans Locmelis tied it 1:35 later as he tipped home a centering feed from Owen Murray.
The Minutemen finally claimed their first lead with 4:53 remaining as Francesco Dell’Elce was credited for a tip-in goal. With the game slipping away, Snuggerud tied it at 4 on a snipe off a faceoff with 3:36 remaining.
“Stay positive,” Motzko said when asked about how things were beginning to turn the way of UMass.
In the final seconds of the game, Ryan Chesley skated into the neutral zone before Locmelis appeared to trip him at center ice, triggering a huge chorus of boos from the crowd. Locmelis then picked it up and as Suniev crashed the net, Locmelis fed him on the backdoor for the winner, completing the comeback but triggering even more boos – an ugly scene ensued in which trash was thrown on the ice before the fans finally left the arena.
Still, the Minutemen will take the win. They played very well in the final half of the game in advancing to the regional final.
“Obviously means a lot,” said Dell’Elce. “These kind of games you kind of want to get done for your older guys.
“So really excited that we got the job done, and it was a big team win.”
Needless to say, Motzko was not at all happy about either missed call – but it’s his players on the way out and his coaching staff he’s thinking about more.
“They were an unbelievable group to be around,” he said. “One of the more enjoyable seasons that I’ve had in my coaching career, and it’s a crying shame that we’re sitting here right now like this.”
UMass and Western Michigan will play for a Frozen Four berth Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET.
For the second straight game in Fargo, 60 minutes is not enough as UMass and Minnesota are in overtime tied at 4 (photo: Tim Brule). Click for the box score.
Utica’s Andrew Della Rovere celebrates a goal this season for the Pioneers (photo: Jimi Simmons/Atlas Photo & Video).
Utica’s Andrew Della Rovere has been named the recipient of the NCAA Elite 90 award for the 2025 NCAA Division III men’s hockey tournament.
Della Rovere, majoring in Business Management, was presented with the award during the event’s banquet in downtown Utica.
In addition to his excellence in the classroom, Della Rovere also had a stellar year on the ice, scoring seven goals and serving up eight assists to rack up 15 total points. The center netted the eventual shootout winner in the first game against Geneseo, getting the deciding goal in the seventh round. He also achieved some early-season hardware, being recognized as the Utica Thanksgiving Showcase MVP.
The Elite 90 award honors the exceptional achievements of student-athletes. This prestigious accolade is given to those who have not only excelled at a national championship level in their sport but have also achieved the highest academic standards among their peers. The Elite 90 is proudly awarded to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative GPA at the finals site for each of the NCAA’s 90 championships.
Eligible student-athletes are sophomores or above academically who have participated in a sport for at least two years with their school. All ties are broken by the number of credits completed.
It took two overtimes, but top seeded Western Michigan found a way past Minnesota State, 2-1, on Grant Slukynsky’s goal (photo: Tim Brule)
FARGO, N.D. – Double the overtime, double the thrill of winning.
At least that’s how it seems to be for Western Michigan as of late, and they’re now within one victory of the program’s first-ever Frozen Four.
Five days after defeating the Denver Pioneers for the NCHC tournament championship in two extra sessions, Western Michigan was pushed to double overtime again by the tenacious defense of Minnesota State, and once again the Broncos emerged victorious in an exciting 2-1 triumph Thursday afternoon at Scheels Arena.
But as thrilling as it was for WMU, it was a tough ending for a gritty MSU team, which pushed the Broncos hard in their return to the NCAA tournament as the CCHA champion for the first time since former coach Mike Hastings left for Wisconsin.
“Terrible way for these guys to go out,” said a visibly emotional Mavericks coach Luke Strand, Hastings’ successor. “Love the effort.”
With both teams showing more offensive intensity in overtime than in regulation, Grant Slukynsky finally ended things 7:14 into the second extra period by banking a shot off Mankato forward Luciano Wilson and past CCHA goaltender Alex Tracy, who made 42 saves in an otherwise brilliant performance.
“They certainly did give us all we could handle,” said Broncos head coach Pat Ferschweiler. “I’m proud of our team as well.”
The Mavericks and Broncos played a defensive first period, limiting each other’s scoring chances on tight backchecking.
But it wouldn’t take long for the region’s top-seeded Broncos to draw first blood in the second period. With most of a tripping minor called on Adam Eisele carrying over, a Mavericks clearing attempt was blocked by Owen Michaels, who dished it to Liam Valente at the top of the right circle and he lit the lamp for the 13th time this season 49 seconds in.
Minnesota State, meanwhile, stepped up their game in the offensive zone from that point in the period, but Hampton Slukynsky (29 saves) had an answer each time, while his teammates did a good job keeping Mankato’s forwards outside and unable to get down low until the closing minutes. But the game remained a one-goal difference after 40 minutes thanks largely to a huge glove save on a Josh Groll shot right in front with 30 seconds left.
Kaden Bohlsen finally got the Mavericks on the board in the first two minutes of the third, jamming a rebound home in traffic for his 12th and biggest goal of the season to tie the game at 1.
“I think it just energized our bench,” said Minnesota State forward Zach Krajnik. “We had a few shifts that followed up that, you know, we could have had one more. It sucks that we didn’t.”
Minnesota State certainly played with more jump in their step after that, narrowly missing out on opportunities to take the lead and/or win as the game extended past regulation while continually flustering the powerful Broncos offense.
“Just made every inch of the ice very hard to earn,” Ferschweiler said.
Grant Slukynsky’s friendly-bounce goal finally ended the second-ever NCAA tournament victory for Western Michigan, which moves on to face the UMass-Minnesota winner Saturday. If Minnesota wins, it will be a rematch of their 2022 Worcester Regional Final, won 3-0 by the Golden Gophers.
“Come on the right side of those, and hopefully take care of business on Saturday,” Grant said.
The Big Red tied it in the third period and won it at the end with a power-play goal by Sullivan Mack. (photo: Megan Milewski).
TOLEDO, Ohio — Cornell just won’t let the Mike Schafer retirement tour end.
The latest entry was punctuated with Sullivan Mack’s power-play goal with 10 seconds remaining to give the Big Red a 4-3 victory over regional top seed Michigan State on Thursday.
Mack scored off a cross-ice feed from Charlie Major to give Cornell its first lead of the game. Michigan State’s Matt Basgall was in the penalty box for tripping the Big Red’s Jack O’Leary in the slot with 1:39 remaining.
Cornell actually got two passes through the slot to set up the winning goal, one from Mack to Major and then another one the reverse direction through the outstretched sticks of the Spartans’ Daniel Russell and Karsen Dorwart.
“We always talk about on our penalty kill don’t get seamed twice,” Mack said. “So when I put it through the seam I definitely didn’t expect it to come back.”
It did, and Mack roofed it while Michigan State goalie Trey Augustine slid from right to left.
“I just stuck around in that spot and I’m glad Chaz was able to find me,” Mack said.
It was an incredible finish after the Spartans took three one-goal leads but didn’t extend them.
Cornell delayed Schafer’s planned retirement for weeks with a run to the ECAC Hockey tournament championship that gave the Big Red a spot in the NCAA tournament via the automatic qualifier. And now the Big Red will play Boston University on Saturday for a spot in the Frozen Four.
Casey Jones is due to take over at Cornell next season; Schafer announced last June that the 2024-25 campaign was going to be his last in charge of his alma mater.
Schafer got emotional toward the end of his news conference, saying he spent part of the day reflecting and praying and coming to a realization that what happens happens.
“So feel grateful for what happens tonight,” he said.
Trailing 3-2 entering the third period, the Big Red made a major push at a tying goal, carving out more than 90 consecutive seconds of offensive-zone time at one point. Augustine made three saves on that shift and held onto the third.
Cornell kept coming and eventually got the equalizer. Ryan Walsh scored his second goal of the game with 7:21 remaining, putting home the rebound of Ben Robertson’s shot to make it 3-3. The Big Red rallied to tie with goals in each period.
The last comeback came after the Spartans quickly regained the lead in the second period.
Cornell (19-10-6) didn’t get its second shot on goal of the middle period until 16½ minutes had elapsed, but Major made that one count. He stopped a clearing attempt by Michigan State’s Owen West along the right boards and then got a pass back from Hoyt Stanley for a one-timer to tie the game at 2-2.
But a misplay by the Big Red let the Spartans (26-7-4) regain the lead only 17 seconds later. Goalie Ian Shane stopped the puck behind his net but neither he nor defenseman George Fegaras played it.
That left room for Dorwart to swoop in and tuck the puck in the vacated net to put Michigan State ahead 3-2.
Shane said he laughed that one off; Schaefer later said he wasn’t laughing.
But the Big Red made sure they never trailed by more than one goal.
“In this tournament, if you go down by the second one, it’s a really tough hill to climb,” Schafer said. “But we were able to keep it close and do the job and finish it off.”
The Spartans had the Big Red shut down earlier in the second period, eliminating rushes before they even got a chance to get going. It took Cornell almost 11½ minutes to get its first shot on goal of the second period, and that was a long-range effort by defenseman Michael Suda.
But Shane made some nice saves to keep the Spartans from expanding their advantage. He stopped Michigan State’s Larson from point-blank range midway through the second period.
The Spartans, Big Ten regular-season and playoff champions, paid for never finding a two-goal advantage.
“That’s as solid as we’ve played for about 53 minutes,” Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale said after the Spartans became the second No. 1 seed to lose its opener in the last four seasons. Cornell also was responsible for the other, beating Denver in 2023.
“We had some opportunities to extend the lead; their goalie made some good saves and all of a sudden you’re in a ball game there. We needed a big penalty kill at the end and couldn’t get it done.”
Fast-developing plays alowed each team to hit the net in the opening period before the Spartans took the lead on a late power play.
A connection between Joey Larson and Gavin O’Connell put Michigan State ahead. Larson raced to the left wall to get to a pass from behind the net by Cornell’s Stanley and feed O’Connell in the slot for a quick putaway.
But the Big Red’s Walsh evened things later in the opening frame. He tied up Basgall’s stick behind him on a chase for the puck behind the Spartans net and caught up to it before firing high into the cage from the right side.
Cornell’s Dalton Bancroft went off for cross-checking in the final minute of the opening period, and the Spartans capitalized in 20 seconds. Nice passes by Isaac Howard and Charlie Stramel set up Russell to score from the right of the net for a 2-1 lead.
“I don’t know honestly what changed,” Spartans forward Tiernan Shoudy said. “I think they just had more chances. We had chances too; I don’t think it was very one-sided.”
Michigan State had a brief push after Walsh tied the game in the third but Cornell took advantage of its only power play chance of the game at the end.
Cornell needed to score late in the ECAC Hockey semifinal against Quinnipiac to force overtime, where it kept its season alive with a win. It needed to beat Clarkson to get here.
With that background, it would be foolish to count out the Big Red late this season.
“We knew we were going to face some adversity at some point,” Shane said. “So whether it’s in the first period, third period, we were ready to face it.”
