Cole Spicer has tallied five goals and nine points for UMD in 17 games this season (photo: Terry Cartie Norton).
Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward Cole Spicer is academically ineligible and will not play for the Bulldogs the second half of the current 2023-24 season.
Spicer can practice but cannot play in games.
Minnesota Duluth coach Scott Sandelin told the Duluth News-Tribune that “we’ll figure it out.”
“Guys are going to get a chance,” Sandelin said in the report. “Some guys are going to move up, some guys are going to get a different chance. Braden Fischer is here. He’s a center. He’s going to get an opportunity and see how that goes. If not, we have some time to figure out if that’s going to work or if we need to move somebody else there.”
Spicer, a fourth-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2022 (117th overall), has five goals and nine points and is plus-2 in 17 games.
Gavin Brindley popped two goals for Team USA in its World Juniors opener Tuesday (photo: USA Hockey).
Gavin Brindley (Michigan) tallied a pair of goals and Trey Augustine (Michigan State) made 22 saves to help the U.S. National Junior Team to a 4-1 victory over Norway in its first preliminary round matchup of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship Tuesday at Frolundaborg.
“I thought we got better as the game went on,” said U.S. head coach David Carle (Denver) in a news release. “And our goaltending was excellent. We have some things to work on, but it’s nice to get a win to start the tournament.”
The U.S. had a pair of power-play opportunities in the first half of the opening frame and setup a series of scoring chances but was unable to convert.
At the five-minute mark in the first period, Gabe Perreault (Boston College) nearly gave the U.S. the lead with a one-timer from the slot, but Norwegian goaltender Markus Stensrud moved across the crease for a sliding save.
Ryan Leonard (Boston College) tried his hand to break the 0-0 stalemate late in the first but was denied by the blocker of Stensrud.
Augustine had a busy first period, making 10 saves, including several good chances in the final five minutes.
Team USA killed a trio of penalties, including 16 seconds of a 5-on-3 early in the second period, led by stellar netminding from Augustine.
Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota) put the U.S. on the board at the halfway point of the middle stanza. Seamus Casey (Michigan) sent a pass along the top of the Norwegian zone for Drew Fortescue (Boston College), who found Snuggerud in the slot where he turned and netted a wrister for a 1-0 lead.
The U.S. went on the power play after Norway was tagged for roughing. With 9:59 gone in the middle stanza, Brindley banked a one-timer from the faceoff dot off a feed from Perreault that beat Stensrud stick side to expand the U.S. advantage to 2-0.
Brindley notched his second goal of the contest at 16:33 in the second period. Frank Nazar (Michigan) battled the puck out of the corner for Brindley, who walked the puck out from the hashmarks and netted a top-shelf wrist shot.
Norway cut the U.S. lead to 3-1 with a shorthanded goal at 4:18 in the third frame after Petter Vesterheim beat Augustine on a breakaway.
The U.S. responded less than a minute later when Isaac Howard (Michigan State) deflected a pass from Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) over the pad of Stensrud. Lane Hutson (Boston University) also drew an assist on the play.
Augustine made 21 saves to backstop Team USA’s victory.
Team USA faces Switzerland Thursday at 5:00 p.m. local/11:00 a.m. EDT at Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden, live on NHL Network.
NOTES: Brindley was named the U.S. Player of the Game … Team USA outshot Norway 44-23 … The U.S. was 2 for 5 on the power play, while Norway was 0 for 4 … A total of 10 different U.S. players recorded at least a point in the contest.
Merry Christmas Everyone! As we nearly find ourselves in the second half of the season, we’ve reached a point in time in which many look forward to, the holiday season. However, there’s some of us that just want D-III hockey back, so Santa, you can have your day of fame, but you better head back to your dim cave soon, because hockey must return and the show must go on!
To celebrate Christmas and to give myself something to be useful for when hockey isn’t occurring, we’ll look at the second half for both the East & West, where I’ll create a wish list by-conference of what I think would be cool to see happen. But first, we have five coaches (three west, two east) who’ve said what their respective teams would like for Christmas!
Coach Wishes
Adrian – Assistant Coach Trevor Coykendall
To start off with our coaches, we go to Michigan, where Assistant Coach Trevor Coykendall has had it pretty rough lately, being forced to visit Italy with his Bulldogs for their winter Europe trip. Hopefully he didn’t suffer too much while over there! On a more hockey-related note, Adrian split with the Italian National Team in Bolzano, Italy, losing 1-0 & winning 2-1.
Adrian Women’s Hockey team & staff in Italy for their trip to Europe. (Photo via Assistant Coach Trevor Coykendall).
Coach Coykendall’s wish for his Bulldog’s is: “we’d like to have no power outages during playoffs this year.”
This is in reference to last year’s storm that passed through the Midwest during the NCHA semifinals/finals which took place in Adrian. This caused a one-day delay for the tournament as the Arrington Ice Arena lost all power.
St. Norbert – Head Coach A.J. Aitken
Staying in the NCHA, but a little farther west in De Pere, WI, St. Norbert’s Head Coach A.J. Aitken gave us two wishes for his Green Knights, hopefully his multi-wish greed doesn’t annoy hockey Santa too much…
His first wish: “We hope to get some snow to start feeling like hockey season.”
Second wish: “With a competitive second-half schedule and playoffs coming, special teams will be a huge factor. Hopefully Christmas brings us a strong powerplay performance!”
UW-Eau Claire – Head Coach Erik Strand
Before we head east, let’s head even farther west to Eau Claire, WI. Head Coach Erik Strand gave us his wish for his Blugolds:
“Average four goals per game and get back to being Scrooge in the defensive-zone.”
The Blugolds currently average 3.9 goals per game, some important games ahead vs their rivals and current #1 UW-River Falls, should be fun times ahead in the WIAC.
Chatham – Head Coach Mike O’Grady
Moving to the eastern region of D-III, in the ‘Steel City’ of Pittsburgh, PA. Head Coach Mike O’Grady’s Cougars are off to their best start in program history with a first-half record of 8-1-2. Coach O’Grady had two answers for this question, he gave his own and what his team would likely give him as a gift.
His response “Chatham wants our experience to continue to educate our youth as we grow together as a program and continue to find more depth in offense.”
What his players would likely give him: “a dictionary so I know how to spell words correctly in the group chat correctly.”
Keep an eye on Chatham, the two primary-names of Nazareth & Utica are overshadowing the Cougars at the moment, a sneaky team looking to make that next leap as a program and win a UCHC title.
Utica – Head Coach Dave Clausen
Heading farther east to Utica, NY, the farthest east we’ll go for this. Head Coach Dave Clausen has one simple wish for his Pioneers… “Home ice in the postseason!”
Many coaches I’m sure share this same like-minded thought as Coach Clausen, short and simple, home-ice! The Pioneers are currently 9-1-2 with upcoming series with Nazareth & Chatham. Coach Clausen gets his Christmas wish a little early, getting home-ice for these four games in back-to-back weekends, which should lead to a shakeup in the UCHC!
Looking Ahead (by conference)
Here’s my semi-wish list for D-III women’s hockey for the second half.
CCC
The team I picked this preseason to make noise in the CCC was Western New England, the Golden Bears currently sit atop the league, but the Gulls of Endicott have two games in-hand, assuming they win both, they’d lead the league. Nevertheless, it’ll be exciting to see what happens here with the unthinkable always being in play when it comes to this conference.
My wish in the CCC is for the Golden Bears of WNE to play in their first-ever conference title game, being they’re such a young program, it would be really cool to see this happen. Let it come to fruition and this would be great for hockey.
Another thing I’d love to see, is the great matchups that we do get whether I wish for it to occur or not, seeing the current top four of the league Western New England, Endicott, Univ. of New England, & Salve Regina all battle it out in their respective series’.
Keep an eye on this underrated conference that even though they haven’t produced NCAA tournament title contenders, it always delivers a great conference playoffs year-after-year.
MIAC
A wish for this conference for me doesn’t necessarily exist outside of seeing Gustavus drop a game or two. Now this isn’t because I have anything against Gustavus because I don’t, amazing what they’ve overcome within the past year and giving the west their first-ever national championship, but it’ll make the MIAC playoffs even more exciting.
Gustavus Adolphus wins the 2023 D-III Women’s Hockey Championship, defeating Amherst 2-1 in 3OT. (Photo by Jordan Modjeski – Gustavus Adolphus Athletics)
If we see Hamline, who sits behind Gustavus in 2nd place in the MIAC with a record of 5-1-0, Gustavus at 6-0-0, knock off the Gusties, it’ll lead to madness near the end and overall make the playoffs a fun watch for the viewer.
Saint Mary’s is the other team to watch for, currently 3-3 (two losses to Gustavus), sit 6th in pairwise (currently in the at-large bid range), have shown us potential to knock off top-teams and challenge anyone in D-III.
Let’s see if the MIAC delivers us its usual madness!
NCHA
My wish in this league is to see the newcomers Dubuque win a playoff series in the NCHA playoffs. They sit in 7th place with a 2-4 record, look for them to snag a game here and there.
Another to look forward to is the series between Adrian and St. Norbert. These two always deliver us great games regardless of record, this year being in Adrian, it’ll be a fun one! Will we see a new champion come out of this league and head to the NCAA tournament? We saw Aurora shock everyone recently in 2022, but for the most part, it’s been Adrian’s league as of late.
NEHC
This league doesn’t need many wishes if any, it’s giving us everything we could ask for. Norwich has emerged as a sleeper team in the NCAA tournament, they’ve defeated and tied top-5 Plattsburgh, defeated Elmira twice (one non-conference), and have gone unbeaten in their last nine games (8-0-1).
All eyes should be on Norwich vs William Smith in Geneva, NY at ‘The Cooler’ on 1/13/24 as the Herons are the lone team in the NEHC to defeat Norwich, which occurred in their opening weekend, Herons winning 3-2 in Vermont.
Once again, another league that isn’t disappointing us!
NESCAC
The deepest conference in D-III women’s hockey has seemed to live up to that tradition. My wish for this conference is for Amherst to keep rolling. They’ve got the best goaltender in the country in my opinion and the stats don’t hurt my opinion either.
Middlebury’s another team I’d like to see come out of this conference; they have one of the best schedules of any team in D3 year-after-year. Besides their conference schedule which is always high-caliber, their non-conference schedule is also top-tier. This season, the Panthers play: (ranking at time of game) #15 Endicott, #4 Plattsburgh, Plattsburgh again, Norwich and Castleton…
Middlebury wins the 2022 NCAA Championship (Photo by Will Costello)
If the NESCAC is what everyone says it is, the best conference by a country mile, then Middlebury is the team to lookout for and deserves that at-large bid year-after-year if you look at their success vs the conference AND top-tier elite non-conference opponents.
My main wish for this conference is that we get to see more teams follow suit with Middlebury and Hamilton, play a more exciting, let’s call it, non-conference schedule. Give us the games we want to see!
Expect three teams out of this conference, one auto bid & two at-large.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh wins their 7th national title in 2019. (Photo by Ryan Coleman/d3photography.com)
My wish is to see another winner come out of this league, nothing against Plattsburgh, but like Gustavus, let’s get some new uniforms in the NCAA tournament! I would say different colors, but Cortland & Plattsburgh are both red/white, so that’s irrelevant. Nothing against the Cardinals, we’ve witnessed greatness by Head Coach Kevin Houle for many years, dominating every year and winning more conference titles than losing… also add SEVEN national titles to that history, absolutely wild. Might never see anything like this again after he calls it a career, one in which that should be considered the greatest ever.
With that being said, let’s see a newcomer out of this conference! Cortland? Oswego? Canton? They may not be the caliber of Plattsburgh on the national tournament-level, but we’ve seen Cortland cause Plattsburgh many problems in the past, anything can happen!
UCHC
My wish for the UCHC is to give us a second half just as good, if not better than the first half. We see Utica making their charge, getting some massive non-conference wins, their Adrian win being the biggest win in program history, will they be able to get over that purple & gold hump known as Nazareth…
#13 Utica Pioneers Women’s hockey defeats #6 Adrian 2-1 in overtime to win the Inaugural Utica University Women’s Hockey Kickoff Tournament. (Photo by Scott Kinville – CNYHockeyReport)
We see Chatham making a quiet run of their own, including a narrow loss and tie to Nazareth. Coach O’Grady enters the second half with the best record as a program, looking to get themselves a top-seed in the UCHC playoffs and handle business from there.
My other wish is to get the same competitive games between Utica and Nazareth that we witnessed last year. In my opinion, the three most competitive games in all of D3 between these two-like opponents.
WIAC
Finally, we reach the WIAC, sometimes forgotten due to the lack of the auto-bid but produces a top contender every year. Currently, my wish is for another title to come out of the west, or at least allow the west to host a final four. UW-River Falls is on pace to run away with things at the moment, but that’s where the WIAC kicks in!
UW-Eau Claire vs Endicott in the 2023 Panther-Cardinal Classic. (Photo by Nathaniel LePage/lepagesportsphoto)
This team over in Eau Claire would like to also have a western final four, but River Falls will be brought back down to earth if the Blugolds have anything to say about it. Historically, Eau Claire has been the team to give the Falcons the most problems, granted, they have the most opportunities to beat River Falls, it makes sense they give them the most problems, but it’s always fun when these two play, especially when the WIAC playoffs come around. Expect madness if River Falls faces Eau Claire while still undefeated…
The End
We’ve reached the end, have a great Holiday season and enjoy the time off before D-III hockey ramps back up into action in a few weeks!
Denver’s Massimo Rizzo has been on fire offensively this season for the Pioneers (photo: Jamie Schwaberow/Clarkson Creative Photography).
Denver junior forward Massimo Rizzo has been named to Team Canada’s roster for the 2023 Spengler Cup.
The Spengler Cup is an annual invitational tournament held every December in Davos, Switzerland. The tournament primarily features professional hockey teams in Europe, but Canada has sent a squad every year since 1984 (tournament wasn’t played in 2020 or 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).
Rizzo leads NCAA Division I hockey at the holiday break with 31 points and 24 assists through 18 games. He has also added seven goals, including scoring the overtime-winning marker in the Pioneers’ victory on Dec. 9 at No. 13 Western Michigan.
The Burnaby, B.C., native also owns 122 faceoff wins, ranking third on the squad. DU’s first-line center has added 47 shots and eight power-play assists this year and ranks first in the country with a plus-19 rating.
Rizzo has played in international competition three times previously in his playing career, skating for Canada Black at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge and for Canada West at the 2018 and 2019 World Junior A Challenge.
Denver’s Ian Mitchell was the last NCAA player to suit up for Canada at the Spengler Cup, at the 2019 tournament.
This year’s Spengler Cup begins on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, with Canada facing Frolunda HC (Sweden). The six teams will play a preliminary round from Dec. 26-28 before the quarterfinals on Dec. 29, semifinals on Dec. 30 and championship game on Dec. 31. All games are played at Eisstadion Davos in Davos, Switzerland.
Canada has won the most championships at the Spengler Cup, as the Canadians won their 16th title in 2019 and have finished as runner-up 10 times. HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland) won last year’s tournament while Canada fell to Orebro HK (Sweden) in the quarterfinals.
All Spengler Cup games will be broadcast in Canada on TSN.
Julia Dessart is an assistant coach for the women’s and men’s hockey teams at Lawrence. (Photo Credit: Paul Wilke/Lawrence Athletics)
Julia Dessart is a little busier than normal as a coach. She’s also busy making a little history.
Not only is she an assistant coach on the women’s hockey team at Lawrence, but this year, her second at the school, marks the first time she’s also working as an assistant on the men’s team.
Some might go crazy doing both. Dessart embraces it.
“It’s a lot of fun,” Dessart said.
She typically helps out at practice at some point each week with the men’s team and is on the bench for the Vikings’ games when time allows.
Being involved in the men’s game isn’t anything new for Dessart as she played on a boys team when she was in high school.
“I haven’t been a part of it since high school,” Dessert said. “But high to college is a big jump and I’ve had to learn to get back into it and learn the pace of the game on the men’s side again.”
As for the women’s team, where she coaches with her dad, Kevin, who is the head coach, she’s feeling much more comfortable in that role since it is year two with the program.
“Last year was my first year ever coaching and there was a learning curve. This year, I’ve stepped into myself a little more and taken on that role more confidently,” Dessert said.
Dessart has been playing hockey most of her life and has always been passionate about the game. While at the University of Colorado playing for her dad, she helped lead the Buffaloes to league championships in 2020 and 2022.
Interestingly enough, coaching wasn’t originally in her plans. Then her dad offered her a position after graduation at Colorado, but when her dad took the job at Lawrence, she followed him there.
“Senior year I didn’t really have an idea what I was going to do in life,” Dessart said. “Coaching wasn’t a planned thing. But it’ was the next step for me and here I am.”
Then again, at one time, playing hockey in college wasn’t planned either. Her original goal was to be a soccer player at the next level.
“Growing up, hockey and soccer were my two top sports and I was pretty confident I was going to play soccer in college,” Dessart said. “Some things happened on my high school team and I decided I didn’t want to play soccer. But I kept with hockey and it worked out.”
Dessart loves interacting with the players and having the chance to still be around the game she loves is a thrill.
Not being too far removed from being a player herself gives her a unique perspective when it comes to coaching the sport.
“I understand the college life more than some do. I know pretty much all coaches played in college, but I just played and I know today’s college athlete life, which is nice,” Dessart said. “I can relate to student athletes, and a lot of times, they’ll talk with me about random things in life. I get it because I was just there. It’s been helpful.”
Another thing that has worked to her advantage is that she has her dad to turn to for questions.
“I was never afraid to ask questions last year and that’s continued this year,” Dessart said. “It was nice not having that barrier where I was afraid to to ask questions. He has been there to support me. It’s helped me become my own coach in a way.”
A lot of the time, she just sees her role as a men’s and women’s coach as her job and nothing more.
But when she connects with friends, she has those moments of thinking about how cool of an opportunity this really is for her.
“It’s really cool I get to coach men’s and women’s hockey, which is something not a lot of people get to say,” Dessart said. “I’ll talk with friends back home, and we’ll talk about our lives, and what we are up to, and that’s when I take a step back an think ‘this is really cool and super unique.’”
Eric Pohlkamp is the first player from Bemidji State to suit up for the United States World Junior team (photo: Brent Cizek).
USA Hockey has announced the roster for the 2024 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, set to take place Dec. 26, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024, in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Team USA will play its preliminary round games in Group B alongside Czechia, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland. Group A includes Canada, Finland, Germany, Latvia and Sweden.
The U.S. has medaled in six of the last eight World Junior tournaments, including a bronze medal finish in 2023.
GOALTENDERS
Trey Augustine, Michigan State
Jacob Fowler, Boston College Sam Hillebrandt, Barrie Colts (OHL)
DEFENSEMEN
Zeev Buium, Denver
Seamus Casey, Michigan
Ryan Chesley, Minnesota
Drew Fortescue, Boston College
Lane Hutson, Boston University
Aram Minnetian, Boston College
Eric Pohlkamp, Bemidji State
Sam Rinzel, Minnesota
FORWARDS
Gavin Brindley, Michigan
Quinn Finley, Wisconsin
Cutter Gauthier, Boston College Gavin Hayes, Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Isaac Howard, Michigan State
Ryan Leonard, Boston College
Rutger McGroarty, Michigan
Oliver Moore, Minnesota
Frank Nazar, Michigan
Danny Nelson, Notre Dame
Gabe Perreault, Boston College
Will Smith, Boston College
Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota Carey Terrance, Erie Otters (OHL)
In addition to the United States, Canada has two NCAA players in Boston University forward Macklin Celebrini and UConn forward Matthew Wood on the team, while Sweden boasts BU defenseman Tom Willander, Finland has Michigan State forward Tommi Männistö and Michigan Tech forward Max Koskipirtti, UMass goalie Michael Hrabal is with Czechia, Bemidji State forward Kasper Magnussen is playing for Norway, Cornell defenseman Marián Moško and Michigan State defenseman Maxim Štrbák are skating with Slovakia, and UMass forward Dans Ločmelis is playing for Latvia.
Team USA, whose head coach is Denver’s David Carle, faces Norway Dec. 26 at 11 a.m. EDT for its tournament-opening matchup.
NHL Network is the exclusive home of the IIHF World Junior Championship in the United States and will air every Team USA game in addition to many others, including all quarterfinal, semifinal and medal games.
Minnesota Duluth celebrates the 2022 Frozen Faceoff championship at the Xcel Energy Center (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Beginning with the 2026 conference tournament, the NCHC will be moving its playoffs entirely to campus sites.
The decision was approved unanimously by the NCHC’s board of directors on Monday.
The 2026 NCHC tournament and beyond will be played over three weeks. The biggest change sees the semifinals move to single elimination at two campus sites on the Saturday after the quarterfinals, with the championship game held at the highest remaining seed a week after the semifinals.
The new playoff format begins with a play-in game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, which will start with the 2025 NCHC tournament when Arizona State becomes a member of the NCHC and was first announced in August. Also, the first week of the playoffs will be four best-of-three quarterfinal series, which have always been part of the NCHC tournament format.
Starting in 2026, all NCHC tournament games will be held at the higher seed, save for the No. 8 vs. No. 9 play-in game, which will be hosted by the No. 1 seed. As has always been the case, teams will be re-seeded following the quarterfinal round, which will determine the semifinal matchups and host sites. The champion of the NCHC tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
“The NCHC Frozen Faceoff was introduced shortly after the inception of the conference as a destination tournament in the Twin Cities,” said NCHC commissioner Heather Weems in a statement. “As the membership discussed the future of the NCHC in an increasingly competitive NCAA Division I environment, the rest and recovery available to our student-athletes in the final weeks of the season became of paramount importance. The expansion to a three-week playoff immediately preceding NCAA regional play maintains the competitiveness of our Frozen Faceoff championship while providing our teams with a better schedule for travel and rest. NCHC member institutions are excited to battle for home-site seeding and to play in front of loyal fans and supporters as they chase the Frozen Faceoff trophy and automatic qualification into the NCAA tournament.”
In the first year of the new tournament format, the 2026 NCHC playoffs will begin on Wednesday, March 4 with the play-in game at the site of the No. 1 seed. The best-of-three quarterfinal series will take place from Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 8, if necessary. The two semifinals will be held on Saturday, March 14 at the two highest remaining seeds, with the 2026 champion crowned on Saturday, March 21 at the highest remaining seed.
With the change in format, higher seeds advancing all the way to the championship game will play between four and five games in March leading into the NCAA tournament, with limited travel. Under the current NCHC schedule and playoff structure, NCHC teams can play up to seven games in March heading into NCAA regionals, with the potential for multiple weeks of travel.
“Prioritizing student-athlete and fan experience is paramount to the core of NCHC,” said Dr. Joanne Li, the chair of the NCHC board of directors and chancellor at the University of Nebraska Omaha. “Taking into consideration our student-athletes’ opinions, the NCHC is excited to take advantage of some of the top venues in college hockey and the incredible postseason atmospheres that will take place on our campus sites.”
Due to the extra week included in the NCHC playoffs, conference play in the regular season will start a week earlier than in the past beginning with the 2025-26 season (Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in 2025). The full 2025-26 schedule will be released in the spring of 2025.
The 2024 and 2025 NCHC playoffs and Frozen Faceoff events will continue as scheduled, with the semifinals and championship held at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn. The 2024 NCHC tournament begins March 15-17 with best-of-three quarterfinal series on campus sites, while the Frozen Faceoff is set for March 22-23. All-session tickets to see the 2024 NCHC Tournament champion crowned at the Frozen Faceoff are now on sale. The 2024 and 2025 Frozen Faceoffs will once again be televised on CBS Sports Network. The 2025 NCHC Tournament will begin on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 with the play-in game at the No. 1 seed.
“The partnership we have enjoyed with Xcel Energy Center and Visit Saint Paul over the last six years has helped highlight the pinnacle of the NCHC season,” Weems said. “The experience fostered for our student-athletes at the Frozen Faceoff in an NHL facility set the bar high and was embraced by Minnesota Wild president Matt Majka, Xcel Energy Center general manager Kelly McGrath and their entire teams. While we may be changing our playoff format starting in 2026, we are very grateful and thankful for the amazing relationship we share and the commitment they have made to help showcase our signature event. We look forward to celebrating our next two championships at Xcel Energy Center and hope fans will join us in Saint Paul for all the fun and excitement.
“The Frozen Faceoff in the Twin Cities will always be a big part of NCHC history.”
The NCHC has historically held its championship at a neutral site since play began in 2013-14, either at Target Center in Minneapolis (2014-17) or Xcel Energy Center (since 2018). The lone year the NCHC held its championship on a campus site was in 2021, when the entire tournament was single elimination and held at North Dakota’s Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Filimon Ledenkov and the Saints are the No. 2 team in the nation and in contention for a MIAC crown. (Photo Credit: Cyndi’s Clicks Photography)
Before Santa makes his arrival and before players, coaches and fans start opening up presents, it’s time to take a look back at the first half of the college hockey season.
It’s been an interesting ride so far, one that has featured competitive games, big-time upsets as well as a glimpse of who might be the top contenders for conference titles.
MIAC
It’s been business as usual, at least when it comes to how tightly contested things are in this highly competitive conference.
There is one unbeaten, and that’s St. Scholastica, who are No. 2 team in the country in the USCHO.com poll but could easily make a case for being No. 1. The Saints, after all, have won their first nine games, including four in MIAC play, and find themselves tied in points (12) in the standings with Bethel.
The remaining teams in the conference are within seven points of each other, with St. Olaf, Augsburg and Gustavus rounding out the top five in the standings.
Anything is possible in the second half. The Saints are the best team as of now and that very well may remain the case from here on out as they are not only capable of winning a conference title but are capable of contending for a national title as well.
It’s no surprise the Saints are in this position because of the talent they have back, and they have added motivation after how last season went down when they won the regular-season MIAC title but lost in the conference final to Augsburg, which is a team you can’t count out either. That loss kept the Saints out of the NCAA tournament.
The fight for a tourney spot in the MIAC is going to be tight all the way up until the final weekend, and the thing about this conference is that any of the teams that make it in are capable of winning the tournament and making noise in the NCAA tourney as well.
NCHA
Adrian started the season as the favorite and skates into the second half still looking like it’s going to live up to the hype. The No. 4 Bulldogs are 9-3-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
But if you think anything will come easy for Adrian, think again. The NCHA is no joke. Two other teams are tied for first at the moment with the reigning national runner-up.
You’ve got traditional power St. Norbert at 9-4 overall and 7-1 in the conference while Trine, a team on the rise, sitting at 10-2 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
A lot can happen between now and the end of the season, but go circle the final two weekends of the regular season right now. Because that’s when we’ll find out if Adrian can seal the deal on another title.
They face St. Norbert and Trine in back-to-back weekends. One thing is for sure. The regular-season NCHA title will be decided then.
The remaining teams in the conference are all close to each other, with the exception of Dubuque, a first-year program still searching for its win, though the belief is its bound to get it at some point before the year is over.
Aurora sits just two points behind the three first-place teams and MSOE is only a point behind the Spartans. Concordia, Lawrence and Marian are all tied with six points apiece.
The second half of this season is going to be fun to pay attention to. Adrian, St. Norbert and Trine are all pretty much locks to make the conference tourney. The remaining five spots are up for grabs. It’s one of those deals where anyone is capable of beating anyone on any given weekend.
WIAC
Two top 10 teams currently reside in this conference as UW-Stevens Point is ranked eighth and UW-Eau Claire is ninth.
Both are capable of winning the conference title and going to the NCAA tournament. But for now, the Pointers seem to be the favorite to do both.
They won all three games against the rival Blugolds and could see them again with a conference tourney title on the line.
Then again, don’t overlook UW-Superior, which has flipped the script after a rough start. The Yellowjackets started 1-5 but have turned things around to the point where they sit at 7-6 overall and 5-2 in the conference, good enough for second place. Speaking of the conference standings, the Pointers are 6-1 overall and the Blugolds are 4-3.
Keep an eye on the second weekend of February. The Pointers and Yellowjackets square off in a two-game set that weekend and the regular-season title and top seed in the conference tournament could be on the line.
UW-Superior will aim to make another statement in that matchup after beating the Pointers 3-1 on Dec. 2. UW-Stevens Point will be hungry for revenge.
Up Next: The season resumes the final weekend of 2023. And here’s hoping it’s as exciting as the as the first half entertaining as the first half.
The focus on the second half will come soon enough. Until then, enjoy the holiday season and let us all hope it’s Merry Christmas for all and a new year in hockey that will be one for the ages.
USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin and Ed Trefzger look at 2024 championship futures – money lines on teams winning the national championship – and compare them to where they stood in late October. They also revisit last weekend’s wins by Colorado College over North Dakota, which paid off handsomely.
#1 UW-River Falls vs #2 Gustavus in Saint Peter, MN. (Photo by Piper Otto, GAC Sports Info)
The winter break has now begun, but we had some great action including another matchup between #1 & #2. Let’s go through your recent week out west!
#1 UW-River Falls vs #2 Gustavus – Saint Peter, MN (UWRF 3-2)
It seems like every week these two find themselves in an intriguing matchup, but for the second time this season we got to see the two top-ranked teams in D-III women’s hockey go at it in another playoff-like game, in a playoff-like atmosphere.
Earlier in the season, all of eight days ago, River Falls overtook Gustavus as the #1 team, handing them their first loss of the year and taking the top spot in the weekly polls.
Last night, the two faced once again and gave all who watched quite the show of hockey. Gustavus had a good night of attendance as they usually seem to do, while the teams gave us a back-and-forth exciting night of hockey.
UW-River Falls came out of Minnesota with a 3-2 win to move to 12-0-0, while Gustavus fell to 9-2-0, their only losses coming to the Falcons, once at home and once on the road.
In this game, the Gusties got on the board early, Hailey Holland, who scored both Gustie goals, scored at 6:38 of the 1st period, which held until the 2nd period. Hopefully you were in your seats or at your screens as soon as the puck dropped, because River Falls’ Megan Goodreau scored a whole eight seconds into the period (00:08), tying the game up for her Falcons.
Later in the 2nd, Gustavus would take a penalty, which involved two goals being scored on this penalty kill. Hailey Holland scored her second goal of the game while being shorthanded at 5:26 of the 2nd, but that didn’t hold up long. Maddie McCollins, who continues to rack up meaningful points, scored exactly forty seconds later on the remaining power play, canceling out the shorthanded goal. Her goal added to her assist on the Falcons’ first goal by Goodreau.
#1 UW-River Falls vs #2 Gustavus in Saint Peter, MN. (Photo by Piper Otto, GAC Sports Info)
We headed into the final period tied at two goals apiece, shocker. At the midway mark of the 3rd, (10:07), Madison Lavergne scored the game-winner for River Falls, holding up the rest of the way after UWRF had to kill off a too-many-players-on-the-ice penalty late in the period with less than four minutes remaining.
Goaltender Jordan O’Connor was credited with the 22-save win, while Katie McCoy made 13 saves in the loss.
Will we see a second-straight title won by a west team? UW-River Falls is making that seem like a real possibility… For everyone who forgets there’s a western side of D3 hockey, you might want to peek at it…
There were no conference games played out west last week, only east, so let’s look at some of the featured games of the week:
#9 UW-Eau Claire vs St. Scholastica (UWEC 4-1)
The Blugolds of Eau Claire entered this game 8-3-0, capping off their tough stretch of games, concluding their trip out east, where they faced Plattsburgh & Endicott.
St. Scholastica entered at 2-6-1, looking to gain some form of momentum, but fell short.
In this one, Eau Claire got out early to a 2-0 lead, scoring at 14:53 & 16:45 of the 1st period, (Ava Bullert & Ellie Anderson). They added another in the 2nd period, it was Bullert once again. Scoring just over halfway through the period at 13:25 to give the Blugolds a 3-0 lead headed into the 3rd.
Women’s Ice Hockey: The College of St. Scholastica Saints vs. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds
In the 3rd, both teams added a goal. Anderson scored her second of the game at 11:35 of the 3rd, then in the last minute of play, Abby Pohlkamp got the Saints on the board with her power play goal at 19:05.5.
UWEC goaltender Josie Mathison made 8 saves in the victory, Saints’ Mackenzie Cole made 35 in the loss.
Eau Claire has their eyes set on some important games in the second half, a series with St. Norbert at home, a game with Augsburg, and then their rivals who’re on top at the moment, #1 UW-River Falls twice.
Augsburg vs St. Norbert (Augsburg 1-0)
Both teams are trying to get some momentum this season, St. Norbert entered the game 10-2, but holds two losses that they wish they got back, while Augsburg is trying to string some wins together, entering at 6-4.
Augsburg defeated St. Norbert 1-0 on 12/9/23. (Photo by Don Stoner)
In this one, the lone goal was scored at 15:48 of the 2nd period by Augsburg’s Claire Jenkins Coffman.
The Auggie’s outshot the Green Knights 34-25, penalties were even, three minors per team.
Goaltender Chloe Stockinger was credited with the 25-save shutout victory, while Brynn Waisman had a good night despite the loss, making 33 saves.
Other non-conference scores:
Thursday 12/7/23:
St. Norbert 3-0 UW-Stevens Point
Friday 12/8/23:
#1 (at time of game) Gustavus 5-0 Aurora
St. Olaf 5-0 UW-Superior
Augsburg 5-0 UW-Stevens Point
Concordia (Wis.) 3-1 Lawrence
Trine 7-0 Hilbert
Bethel 2-0 Marian
Saint Benedict 8-0 Dubuque
Saturday 12/9/23:
#1 Gustavus 1-0 Aurora
#2 (at time of game) UW-River Falls 5-0 St. Scholastica
Emily West enjoyed her time playing at Minnesota from 2007 to 2012 (photo: Minnesota Athletics).
It was only a month ago when Colorado College coach Kris Mayotte found out that Emily West, the Tigers’ first-year director of hockey operations and video coach, had scored a NCAA national championship game-winning goal on a penalty shot.
“No (way),” Mayotte said, shortly before seeing YouTube footage of West’s goal for Minnesota in the 2012 Women’s Frozen Four title game against Wisconsin. And then that moment came up, however casually, in a private conversation at CC’s Ed Robson Arena.
“I walked into the coaches’ room one day, and we all hang out after practice and discuss players, plays, just coaches’ talk, but Kris approached me and was like, ‘You didn’t tell me you won the national championship on a penalty shot.’” West said. “‘Oh. Where’d you hear that?’”
Full disclosure: Mayotte heard it from me. I covered that game, the last of West’s redshirt senior season with the Golden Gophers, on-site in Duluth, Minn., for NCAA.com. Her penalty shot, the first one ever in a women’s Frozen Four final, happened with 1:32 left in a five-goal first period. Minnesota went on to win 4-2.
“We talked about it for a while, and I told him it’s not the first thing I tell people when I meet them, but he was super stoked about it and supportive, and we got a few good laughs out of it,” West continued. “I know the players knew, and when I first got here, they were HockeyDB’ing me and looking at some stuff, and I know one of them found a video of the play.
Emily West celebrates at the Minnesota bench after scoring on a penalty shot in the 2012 women’s national championship game (photo: Matthew Semisch).
“I knew they knew, but I feel like I’m old now, I don’t know, but it’s a very memorable moment and I’ll never forget it, and that it happened in a national championship game is rare, so that’s something that will always stick with me, but I dropped the ball on letting Kris know about that one.”
After graduating from Minnesota, West worked for USA Hockey as an American Development Model manager for female hockey, before taking an assistant coach position with Ohio State’s women’s team. She had a part in the Buckeyes’ 2022 national championship success, then moved back to Colorado later that year to spend more time with family.
“I had somebody reach out to me around then about Emily, and we had introductory conversations last year, gauging interest and getting to know each other a little bit,” Mayotte said. “This summer, when staff opportunities expanded, we were looking for someone that we thought could be a great office person but also help with video and have that hockey background and work ethic.
“When you talk to people about her, everybody raves about her, and she has been an absolute rock star. She is the best that we’ve had, for sure, and she has been a huge contributor to our staff. Hiring her felt like a no-brainer. She’s always on the ice, too, and she can play. She’s a better skater and a puck-mover than I am.”
She had long honed her craft. Born and raised in Black Forest, Colo., just outside of Colorado Springs, West played on boys hockey teams growing up. Her family had season tickets at Broadmoor World Arena, the 8,000-seat, off-campus facility that CC long called home before Robson opened in 2021.
“We’d get there and sit in the nosebleeds, but I didn’t care,” West said. “I just wanted to be there. I had a silk gold CC jersey I got for Christmas, with green eyes on the Tiger logo. I grew up coming to these games, and to be able to now participate and help with the program is amazing.
“The facility we have now is beautiful, it has everything you need, and to be able to have it on-campus and closer for students has made it a community deal. You don’t have to make that longer drive, and students can walk across the street to get there, and the fans are amazing and have been super supportive. We’ve sold out most games this season, and to see that and have it at the heart of the college is a really cool transition from what I grew up with.”
West isn’t behind the Tigers’ bench for games, but is no stranger to the ice, as she goes out for practices to skate in a non-coaching role.
“That’s my favorite part of the day, when I’m on the ice and back in the game. I love that side of it, and to be able to go on the ice and be with the team is an amazing experience,” she said.
“I try to provide any sort of hockey knowledge I can, but at the same time, I’m still learning from our staff. The professionalism and the respect among our staff is amazing, and we all work in tandem very well together. I have different roles being in ops and planning travel and those things that go under that title, but I also feel like I get to contribute my hockey knowledge and experience, and it’s heard.”
And that respect is reciprocated by a CC coaching staff that highly values’ West’s contributions to their program, and what she offers for hockey on a wider scale.
“This is an environment where I tip my hat to Kris Mayotte and all the other coaches here, because they foster positivity and learning and change,” West said. “It’s really amazing, and if I’m lucky enough to continue being a part of this and move into a coaching role in the men’s world or women’s world, that’s something that crosses my mind, absolutely.
“And it’s really cool to be back in Colorado coaching and doing this at a place where I grew up and with a team that I grew up watching. I’m overjoyed, and I would be so lucky to be here again and again. I’m smiling ear to ear, and our staff here has really made me feel like I’m at home.”
Bemidji State players celebrate a goal last Friday against Lake Superior State (photo: Brent Cizek).
With the first half of the season in the books for most of the CCHA, there’s been one overarching question for the league on the ice: Does anyone actually want to win the MacNaughton Cup?
Obviously, that’s hyperbole.
League titles are league titles, and everyone wants to win some hardware. But in the CCHA this season, no single team has separated itself from the rest of the pack.
Only three teams (St. Thomas, Michigan Tech and Minnesota State) are above .500 in the conference, and of those three, only the Tommies are over. 500 overall. St. Thomas (7-5-0) is technically in first place with 21 points through 12 games, but both Tech (6-4-0, 19 points) and MSU (5-4-1, 17 points) have two games in hand on the Tommies.
The league standings are so jumbled at the moment that overall, just six points separate the first-place Tommies from the three teams currently tied for fifth (Northern Michigan, Bowling Green and Lake Superior State).
But the standings might not stay that way after this weekend. Although most conferences have stopped for the holiday break, CCHA teams will play three more conference games before stopping for the first semester: Bowling Green will travel to Bemidji State for a Thursday-Friday series, while Ferris State will host Lake Superior State for a single game on Saturday evening.
Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore put it best in his weekly media availability on Tuesday: League parity makes it tough to put together a consistent string of victories for everybody.
“I think probably if you look at us, probably our biggest hurdle has been ourselves,” Serratore said. “Just trying to get consistency. And I think the league is dictating that too. It’s the parity of our whole league. Somebody’s got to figure it out. We’ve all got to try to put back-to-back games together. It seems that whoever wins on Friday, Saturday is a dog fight. That’s just the way it is, and the other team has so much more desperation.”
Just take a look at last weekend’s results, which were pretty indicative of how the league as a whole has been playing. Serratore’s Beavers beat Lake Superior State 7-1 on Friday night in Bemidji but couldn’t win on Saturday despite outshooting the Lakers 28-23. Lake State won 6-1. Elsewhere, results were similar. Rivals Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan split their home-and-home series, as did St. Thomas and Minnesota State.
The lone team to actually pick up a sweep on the weekend was Bowling Green, who knocked off Ferris State, 1-0 and 4-3. It was their first sweep of the season and caps a solid eight-game stretch in which the Falcons have gone 5-3-0.
“We put ourselves in a position for the last month, four straight weeks of winning on Friday, which is a great way to start the week, don’t get me wrong. But we haven’t been able to do what we did (on Saturday), so for the guys to be able to do that, it was special,” BGSU coach Ty Eigner said after the Falcons completed the sweep on Saturday.
If the Beavers sweep this weekend, they will move into first place in the conference standings at the break. If the Falcons were to take all six points, they would move into a tie with the first-place Tommies at the break.
“These are big games,” Serratore said. “We are going to be saying that every series the rest of the year, especially in a 24-game season. In the second half of the year, we’re on the road more than we’re at home, so these are huge for us.”
What else would Santa have as a sporting pastime living at the North Pole? Hoping he can spread a little holiday magic for the great D-II/III teams in the East
Dear Santa – we really have already received an abundance of presents in the great first half of action displayed by D-II/III hockey in the east. So, with all due respect to songwriters Edward Pola and George Wyle and their holiday classic released back in 1963, let me lead into the hockey wishes with a familiar classic – please feel free to sing along:
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – There’s been goals by the dozen, with forwards a buzzin’ and goaltenders stars of the show; there’s been upsets surprising’, conference battles exciting and fans are delighting, you know – It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – There’s been goal lights a glowin’, referees whistle blowin’ and fans pre-gaming with beer – It’s the most wonderful time of the year!!
The annual wish list for the season should benefit all the fans near and far looking for even more Puck Magic in the New Year, so, Big Guy in your resplendent red suit, here are some specific asks from all the good coaches and players looking for some added holiday magic in the second half to help their season goals and wishes come true!
CCC
With about half the conference games played just four points separate first place Salve Regina from fourth place Curry and just two points separating first from third. With head-to-head matchups abounding in the second half, this race figures to be very dynamic right to the last buzzer. Salve Regina is leaving the conference next season so they would love nothing more than to be the champions in their final year of competition but don’t expect the other key contenders to hand the Seahawks anything as this conference produced three NCAA tournament teams last season from the same four contending teams.
Matthew Fawcett and Johnny Mulera are among the leading scorers in the conference, and they have been a magical combination for Salve Regina so far this season. Let’s see some more of that chemistry in the second half along with the continued consistency of Endicott’s Andrew Kurapov who just produces points each and every game for the Gulls. Like you Santa these guys deliver on game night so let’s keep them healthy and productive.
Independents
No doubt that Christmas came early for all the Independents when their wish for league acceptance came true for all. Yes, we will see Anna Maria and Rivier joining the MASCAC, Albertus Magnus joining the NEHC and Canton finally a part of the SUNYAC so what more could be found under the tree this year? Well Santa, there is still this year and a second half that can showcase the talent infusion headed to all the aforementioned conferences on teams with winning records. How about all the squads finishing with records above .500 and maybe even 15 wins, or more.
Santa, you must love the competitive spirit that brothers bring to the fore in any game or sport, and it is even better when they are on the same team. How about seeing that the Kindrachuk brothers, Zane, and Zeth, increase their combined totals of 12 goals and 19 points to something higher than 20 goals and 30 points for the Falcons. And by the way, they may not be true relations but all the Matthews (Byrne, Gilbert, and Hennessy ) playing for Anna Maria have been quite good so far this season. Keep them healthy for coach McCauley in the second half where they face some tough teams from NESCAC and SUNYAC.
MASCAC
There are milestones and achievements and then there are big milestones, and such is the case for Fitchburg State head coach Dean Fuller who is a mere five wins from 600 for his career with the Falcons. Here’s hoping the jolly old elf, Santa not coach Fuller, (just kidding coach) can help the team get that accomplishment early in the second half so they can focus solely on pursuit their first MASCAC title since 2018.
Plymouth State has a record run going being unbeaten in MASCAC play for a season and a half. While winning another MASCAC championship is firmly on their radar screen, the big prize is showcasing the talent of MASCAC teams with a win or two in the NCAA tournament. Elusive so far for the Panthers, it would be great if some extra “puck-luck” could be sprinkled that way Mr. Claus.
Five teams sit within four points of each other from second to seventh place setting up a great race in the second half for playoff position. There is a lot of hockey to be played in conference action after the ringing in of the New Year. Some usual suspects are in the hunt so Santa, let’s make sure goaltender Kevin Chandler continues his hot start to the season in goal for Westfield State and keep Salem State’s Erik Larsson among the leading scorers in MASCAC as both will need to help push their teams towards the top.
NE-10
Assumption has been virtually unbeatable in the first half and completed sweeps of St. Anselm and St. Michael’s on the road while winning six one-goal games and three in overtime. That is a success formula for playoff hockey. Santa, please make sure the Greyhounds remain as excited to play as a young child waiting for your arrival on Christmas Eve. This league always sees end of year surprises, so no complacency wishes in every stocking for the boys who want the great first half to mean something at the end.
It’s not often you find a pair of defensemen amongst the leading scorers on a team but Case Kantgias and David Ciancio both have 13 points at the halfway mark with Kantgias chipping in with eight goals. The Purple Knights started hot and cooled quite a bit coming into the semester break so Santa fire up the blueliners and get the rest of squad ready for a great second half and playoff run.
NEHC
The top five teams including Skidmore, Babson, Hobart, Norwich, and Elmira are all just four points apart although three of the teams have games in hand at the break. No one is surprised who is in the mix, but some may see a once beaten Skidmore squad as a surprise in the league. Santa the second half is ripe with opportunities for dramatic hockey on a big scale with four teams already ranked nationally. Let’s let the talent on these teams decide the outcomes so no bad bounces or weird situations deciding games with all important points and positions in the standings. This race to the finish is setting up to be special so let’s add a little Christmas Spirit to all the players for a little added energy for when they need it most.
Hobart has been unbeatable on home ice and has shutout their opponent in seven of their first eleven games with terrific goaltending from Damon Beaver and Mavrick Goyer. Not sure that you can deliver a 63% shutout rate in the second half but it sure would be amazing to see these two guys continue to put up zeros in record fashion. So, Kris Kringle, how about some crease love for the Statesmen netminders to continue their stingy patrolling of the blue paint.
Twenty-six points in 13 games played including 12 goals is an amazing start for Elmira’s Nicholas Domitrovic. The Soaring Eagle forward does most of his damage at even-strength so Santa, please keep a fellow Nick highly productive in the second half to help his team battle in the NEHC race.
NESCAC
Three points separate first from third very early in the season and just four points separate fourth from ninth in what always seems to be a logjam of teams battling for points and position. Tufts has emerged with wins early in conference play have been competitive in every contest this season with their best roster in several years. Santa let’s make sure the Jumbos continue to play large and challenge in the top half of the standings for playoff position and a shot at a league title. Oh, and one more thing Jolly One, Tyler Sendlak keeping his point per game pace would be a big assist in the direction.
Trinity is off to a fast start in conference play and playing well overall. Last year’s NESCAC POTY, Gerard Maretta is off to a great start with five goals in nine games so Santa if No. 22 can keep his pace and leadership of the Bantams going towards a conference title, how about back-to-back POTY awards for a selfless player that probably only wants team success anyway. And speaking of team success, you know the Bantams are the host institution for this year’s D-III Frozen Four… Just saying it would be amazing if the host school was playing on the national stage…
SUNYAC
Four teams separated by just two points is where Geneseo, Oswego, Plattsburgh and Cortland find themselves entering the semester break. Along with the NEHC, this may be the best race to a conference championship in the entire country with three of the four teams having held national ranking and the defending champion Cardinals having held the top spot for several weeks. Santa, this is the last year of the SUNYAC as we have known and loved it so, please make a little magic with all these teams competing right to the end and overtime deciding every key matchup because regulation time isn’t enough hockey to claim victory.
While several of the Lakers, Cardinals and Knights may get more attention about their offensive prowess, oh man in the big red suit, how about a little love for another guy in the Red Dragon uniform who has had a stellar start to the season. Nate Berke already has 20 points on the season and is a key piece in Cortland’s contending in the upper half of the conference. Keep No. 18 healthy and producing another 20 points in the second half.
UCHC
While Utica is looking up in the standings at Wilkes, Stevenson, and Alvernia, the Pioneers have games in hand and more importantly already have wins against the rival Colonels and Mustangs. Gary Heenan’s squad is again unbeaten so far in UCHC play and it would be great if this year’s edition of Utica hockey can run the table towards a championship and long NCAA run. New pieces are contributing nicely to early success so Santa please help that hockey maturity develop in the second half that will make this team special in the post-season.
Goaltender Ty Outen has emerged as a big reason why Stevenson will continue to contend for the conference championship. He leads the league in virtually every statistic at the mid-point of the season. Santa, goalies need some attention too so about some holiday magic that helps Ty keep the puck OUTen the net.
So Big Man with the Holiday Plan, I don’t think the asks are too big this year especially from someone of your stature and skill. We have thoroughly enjoyed the amazing play in the first half and will have to amuse ourselves with other games and activities until the teams return to the ice in late December. Make sure all enjoy a restful and happy holiday season with family and friends, so all are energized to return to the game we all love. The second half will be awesome and the race to the national title could be something special yet again.
Extending to all best wishes for the very best of the season and a joyous and healthy New Year!
Cornell’s Ian Shane is a two-time ECAC Hockey goaltender of the month this season (photo: Lexi Woodcock/Cornell Athletics).
College hockey was never built to stay in one place for an extended period of time, but the difficulty in finding stability over the past two decades was largely reinforced by two major sides of the same argument.
The unprecedented and positive expansion of teams exploded in recent years because of the unprecedented popularity of a growing sport in the United States, but it followed the occasional contraction of teams either left behind by their peers or by an expense report that couldn’t overcome individual barriers or hurdles.
ECAC Hockey bucked that instability by simply maintaining its heading. A conference viewed from the outside as a likely candidate for a split is instead in its second consecutive decade of continued, uninterrupted membership. No ripple effects from waters churning off the coastlines of every other conference ever touched the league, and it in turn celebrated a high-water mark last year when its four-team entry to the NCAA tournament equaled the Big Ten for most in the nation. Even in the league office, commissioner Steve Hagwell was seen as the perfect shepherd with his continued leadership.
Hagwell’s retirement in the offseason was the first timeline split in decades, but new commissioner Doug Christiansen is stepping into the role with a vision committed to building on the previous regime’s success. His implementation is only six months old, but the very core of ECAC remains unchanged as it begins its first steps into a future brimming with optimism and hope.
“I’m enjoying learning the challenges that come along with [the position],” Christiansen said. “By the same token, I think we’ve been able to make strides that build upon Steve Hagwell’s foundation. The institutions that we have, it’s a fantastic league, and it’s been great to see the parity. It’s also been fun to see the individual players and individual teams have some really great moments in the first half [of the year].”
Not everything is always rosy, but the league itself is staring at the future with a bright-eyed optimism that feels completely different from how things look to the outside. Only one team – league-leading Quinnipiac – is inside the bubble of the Pairwise Rankings as the first half comes to a close this week, but the Bobcats are the No. 1 overall seed in the mathematical algorithm and still represent the defending national champion crown with a nose pointed towards a possible repeat.
The women’s side, meanwhile, doesn’t necessarily match the top-ranked firepower of Ohio State, Minnesota or Wisconsin, but Clarkson received two first place votes in the most recent USCHO Division I Women’s Poll and still didn’t overtake No. 4 Colgate. The teams are a combined 32-2-3 to start the season while eighth-ranked Quinnipiac is 17-3 and ninth-ranked Cornell is 11-3-1. Two other teams – No. 10 St. Lawrence and No. 14 Yale – are well within the top-15 and are challenging for spots within the women’s Pairwise Rankings.
“I think the biggest piece about men’s hockey was how much the path to pro hockey has grown,” Christiansen said. “I was able to see it firsthand through the USHL, but even on the women’s side, the game has grown exponentially, evidenced by the fact that the [Professional Women’s Hockey League] is launching in about a month and a half. So, for me, coming back to college hockey, I’ve seen those things change, but one thing that hasn’t changed is the strength of the ECAC, which is the experience that the student-athletes have.
“We have great places for the people to live and be able to play and enjoy their on-campus life, and that part was really what drew me back. It allows me to have a clear focus on what we need to maintain, which is something that’s really important for the league. It’s been fun to come back and see how that’s [already] maintained, and then obviously there’s been incremental growth that’s happened and compounded over the past 20 years.”
The growth of the league’s internal structure, especially in the post-COVID era, is why there’s a parity that’s emerging in the aftermath of last year’s era of domination. Even as of this week, tenth place Harvard is one weekend’s worth of work away from second place Clarkson, and the bottom two teams are one point behind the Crimson with a two-game spread dividing them from fourth place and the last first round bye, while the women’s game had eight points separating first place Colgate from seventh-place Princeton, which is only four years removed from its most recent ECAC postseason tournament championship.
By this time last year, Quinnipiac and Harvard had all but sewn up the top two slots, and a full 10 points separated fourth from 10th place. The drop from fourth to fifth was five points from Cornell to Princeton, and the only drama at the end of the season came when the Tigers fell into a three-way tie for the final two home spots in the first round of the playoffs while Yale and Brown were at least four points back.
Signs of parity are an issue when the league only went 27-41-7 in the first half, but the large bulk of its .407 winning percentage is tempered between brutal losses to the three leagues with the most to gain from a marginal step backwards from last year’s push to near .500. Losses to Hockey East, the Big Ten, and NCHC essentially pushed a three-team bid back down to one with the limited spots, but the possibility exists of a second or third bid based on the second half of the year.
“I have a brother, and I can tell you that I never want to lose to him, but if he’s playing somebody else, I’m always rooting for him,” said Christiansen. “There’s an element of that, where we spend 12 months per year preparing to beat each other with recruiting and everything else that comes along [with the calendar]. But for that month of March and into April, you all coalesce and root on your teams.
“Quinnipiac winning a national championship is good for everybody. Clarkson winning national championships in women’s hockey is good for everybody. So we make sure that we do everything we can to support all of our teams in that tournament because we want to have a national championship to show for it.”
Christiansen’s first six months level set the league’s on-ice profile, but as the league moves forward, there’s an understanding that the infrastructure will, inevitably, change in a world where digital environments are faster and more necessary than ever to enlarging a league’s footprint. The added focus on individuals – the players and personalities that are part of winning teams – is part of the new landscape, and branding at every level is even more important when the conference is in a cast-iron skillet heated by the other leagues.
Everything is about availability, and with it, in the modern era, is an opportunity to open up even more revenue streams for a league that has 12 different avenues from which to apply pressure.
“The first thing is making sure the infrastructure is maintained,” Christiansen said. “And Steve did an outstanding job on that. That’s everything from the budget to the operational point of view with officials and all of those pieces. At the end of the day, that’s what you need to do. We, as a league, have really made sure that the foundation is built upon.
“The second thing is really taking a look at our branding and what it means to play in the ECAC for both the men and women,” he explained. “We’ve taken a significant amount of time and effort on that, and that’s something that’s tangible for people to see, whether it’s alumni or fans or prospective student-athletes or current student-athletes. We want them to be able to see our league in a different way and see it through their phones while understanding exactly what’s happening on campus throughout our league. And last, we want to really look at the budget and the championships of our league because those are areas where we, as a league, really want to grow.
“Being a student-athlete, you play for the end of the season, and we really want to deliver on that in every capacity from an experience point of view and a financial point of view.”
The final edition of 2023 has Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski reflecting on the games between ranked teams in last week’s schedule. Then PWHL Director of Player Experience Alexis Miller joins the show to talk about the new women’s hockey league. And we wrap up with Nicole looking ahead to the IIHF Under-18 World Championship in Switzerland.
Follow Nicole at @NicoleHaase and Todd at @ToddMilewski.
Make sure you like and subscribe to The PodKaz on your favorite streaming network to get access to new episodes as soon as they post.
Notre Dame and Michigan battle Dec. 1 in a game the Irish won on home ice (photo: Big Ten Network).
It’s midseason, and here’s what we know about the Big Ten. Overall, it’s pretty impressive – but that may not matter next March.
The league is 36-14-4 against nonconference foes for the best (.704) winning percentage among all leagues in interconference play.
More good news: the Big Ten is 4-2-3 against the NCHC (.681) and 2-2-0 against Hockey East (.669), the two other conferences seeing lots of success in nonconference play.
The bad news: Wisconsin and Michigan State are the only B1G teams among the top 10 in the PairWise Rankings. The Badgers are sixth, the Spartans are seventh, with Minnesota (13) and Michigan (15) the other B1G teams currently above 16th in the PWR.
As good as B1G teams are, the midseason PWR is concerning as there won’t be much of a chance for teams to move up in the second half. In holiday tournaments and early January play, Big Ten teams won’t be facing opponents strong in the PWR, and the league will beat up on itself throughout the second half.
Big Ten fans may be disappointed next March, as there is a very real possibility that only two B1G teams make the NCAA tournament.
What else do we know?
Playing the portal
The Spartans and the Badgers, separated by a point at the top of the standings, are outpacing the rest of the league so far. In second place with 24 points, Wisconsin is seven points ahead of third-place Minnesota and both the Spartans and Badgers have two games in hand on the Golden Gophers.
While there are several reasons for the success of each team so far, one piece that stands out is how well each program has used the portal to plug some gaps.
After two seasons at Miami, forward Red Savage transferred to Michigan State where he has six goals in 18 games. Savage, a fourth-round 2021 draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, adds to Michigan State’s balanced offense, which is third in the nation averaging 4.22 goals per game and first (4.20) in B1G play.
A year ago, the Spartans convinced goaltender Trey Augustine to decommit from Michigan and pledge to join this year’s Michigan State squad. Augustine, a second-round 2023 draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, has the second-best save percentage (.928) in conference play and third-best (2.55) league goals-against average.
Adam Nightingale, now in his second season behind the Michigan State bench, has history with both Savage and Augustine, having coached each at different points in his tenure with the U.S. Developmental Program.
Mike Hastings’ connection to three transfers is even more direct. When Hastings came to Wisconsin from Minnesota State, he brought three dynamic players with him.
Christian Fitzgerald (3-12—15), David Silye (2-10—12) and Simon Tassy (5-7—12) have been integral to a revitalized Wisconsin offense now averaging 3.80 goals per game in conference play. Two of Fitzgerald’s three goals have been game winners – one shorthanded – and four of Tassy’s five are on the power play.
The Badgers finished the 2022-23 season averaging 2.25 goals per game in B1G play.
Looking for some consistency
Six points separate the third-place Golden Gophers from the sixth-place Nittany Lions at the midseason mark. The four teams bunched together in the middle of the standings are looking for more consistency in their play, each in different ways.
Since beginning the season 4-0, the second-place Golden Gophers have put together back-to-back wins just once and they have yet to sweep a weekend in Big Ten play.
Here’s a telling stat: in conference play, the Gophers are allowing as many goals as they are allowing (3.17).
Fourth-place Notre Dame is 2-4-0 in its last B1G contests and 2-5-0 to end the first half when you count a 6-1 loss to Boston College Nov. 24. The Fighting Irish were held to one goal in four of those five losses in that span. The two wins in their last seven games were 4-2 over Minnesota and 6-1 over Michigan.
Since sweeping Lindenwood Oct. 27-28, fifth-place Michigan has yet to put together back-to-back wins in spite of the Wolverines’ ability to score. Michigan has the fourth-best offense nationally (4.00 goals per game) … and the fourth-best offense in the Big Ten (3.10).
In their last series in the first half, the Wolverines split with Notre Dame on the road Dec. 1-2, a 6-1 loss and 2-1 win.
Sixth-place Penn State has two conference wins – 5-3 over Michigan Nov. 18 and 6-3 over Minnesota Dec. 2 – and the Nittany Lions have been on the wrong side of some lopsided scores several times this season.
On the road against Wisconsin last weekend, Penn State lost 6-3 and 4-1 and the Nittany Lions – who average more than 40 shots per game – were held to less than 30 each night.
On the bottom, looking up
In last place, Ohio State has yet to win a conference game. The four points the Buckeyes have earned come from ties and shootout wins.
Through their first 10 conference games this season, the Buckeyes scored an average of 1.40 goals per game while allowing 4.30. Logan Terness (4.48 GAA, .878 SV%) has been Ohio State’s starter for most of the first half, and while he has struggled, he hasn’t had a lot of help from an inconsistent overall team defense.
Last weekend, though, the Buckeyes ended the first half on a semi-high note, and freshman goaltender Kristoffer Eberly had something to do with that. After losing 5-4 to Minnesota at home Friday night, the Buckeyes tied the Golden Gophers 1-1 Saturday and earned the extra shootout point.
Eberly made his first collegiate start Saturday, stopping 23-of-24 through regulation and overtime, and shutting down the Gophers in the shootout. In 123 minutes of play through three games this season, Eberly has a 1.47 GAA and .935 SV%.
Holiday tournaments
Only two Big Ten teams are playing in traditional midseason tournaments.
Michigan State as always cohosts the Great Lakes Invitational with Michigan Tech (Grand Rapids, Mich., Dec. 28-29). The Spartans face off against Ferris State the first night and will play either Tech or Alaska the second night.
Wisconsin returns to action Dec. 28 against Air Force in the Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff in Milwaukee. The Badgers will take on either Minnesota Duluth or Northeastern the following night.
World Junior preliminary rosters
Fourteen Big Ten players have been named to the 2024 U.S. National Junior Team preliminary roster for the IIHF World Junior Championship. The tournament takes place Dec. 26, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024 in Gothenburg, Sweden.
Trey Augustine, G, Michigan State
Gavin Brindley, F, Michigan
Seamus Casey, D, Michigan
Ryan Chesley, D, Minnesota
Quinn Finley, F, Wisconsin
Patrick Geary, D, Michigan State
Isaac Howard, F, Michigan State
Rutger McGroarty, F, Michigan
Oliver Moore, F, Minnesota
Frank Nazar, F, Michigan
Denny Nelson, F, Notre Dame
Sam Rinzel, D, Minnesota
Jimmy Snuggerud, F, Minnesota
William Whitelaw, F, Wisconsin
Minnesota associate head coach Steve Miller will be an assistant coach for Team USA.
Additionally, two Spartans have been invited selection camps in their home countries, forward Tommi Mannisto (Finland) and defenseman Maxim Strbak (Slovakia).
Big Ten in 2024
While a number of Big Ten teams will play see nonconference action the last weekend of December and first weekend of January, the first league series of the new year is Notre Dame hosting Wisconsin, Jan. 5-6.
Maine head coach Ben Barr joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to talk this year’s Black Bears, building a culture and work ethic, recruiting, today’s players, and areas for improvement.
Sacred Heart players celebrate a goal against AIC on Dec. 1 at the Jennings Fairchild Ice Rink in Avon, Conn. (photo: Maddie McCall).
This is my final column before the holidays, so in the spirit of the season, let’s take a look at what each team could ask Santa for this Christmas.
Air Force: Some WD-40
The Falcons will need to shake off some rust before diving into what should be a challenging tournament after Christmas. Air Force played its most recent game on Dec. 2, and is off until Dec. 28 when the Falcons square off again No. 6 Wisconsin at the Holiday Faceoff tournament at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. Based on the results in the semifinal, Air Force will face either Northeastern or Minnesota Duluth the next day.
American International: Some nice luggage
AIC has had the benefit of lots of home cooking so far, playing 10 home games in the first semester, including seven of their last eight. They’ll end the semester with a pair at Canisius and then after Christmas will play four of their next five on the road, for a total of 10 road games in the second half of the season. AIC currently sits in third in the AHA standings.
Army West Point: Some more saves
The Black Knights have a pair of capable goalies, but have struggled with inconsistency, accumulating a team save percentage of .870, currently 62nd in Division I. Army West Point is back in action on Dec. 29 when it hosts 16th-ranked New Hampshire.
Bentley: Better accuracy
The Falcons have taken 555 shots on goal so far, the second most in the conference, but have the second-lowest success rate at 7.7%. Getting to a league average of around 10% would have meant an additional 11 goals scored or a 25% increase. Bentley is off until Dec. 29 when it hosts Union.
Canisius: Stronger starts
A stat that stands out for the Golden Griffins this season is scoring by period. Canisius is averaging only 0.64 goals in the first period, tied for 53rd nationally. But the second period has been Canisius’ best, with 1.20 goals on average. The Golden Griffins are averaging exactly one goal for the third period. They’ll host AIC this weekend to wrap up their first-semester schedule.
Holy Cross: Continued non-conference success
The Crusaders are an impressive 5-0-1 out of league, including a pair of wins over Connecticut and a win and a tie against UMass Lowell. Up next is a big challenge when Holy Cross travels to No. 3 Quinnipiac on Dec. 30.
Mercyhurst: A shorty
Currently, the Lakers are one of 13 Division I teams without a short-handed goal, and the only team in Atlantic Hockey without a SHG. Their next opportunity comes on Dec. 30 when Mercyhurst travels to Ohio State.
Niagara: Home cooking
Niagara has the opposite schedule from AIC – The Purple Eagles’ games at Dwyer Arena are mostly backloaded. So far, they’ve played just five home games and are looking forward to 10 in the second half of the season, starting off with a series against Miami on Dec. 29-30.
Rochester Institute of Technology: 58-minute games
The Tigers are currently 11-5, 9-3 in league play and 16th in the PairWise. RIT has given up goals in the final two minutes of a pair of games that forced a tie and lost both of those games in overtime. Win those and the Tigers are better than a bubble team. The Tigers are off until Dec. 29-30 when they travel to Dartmouth for the Ledyard Classic, where they will meet No. 8 Maine in the first round and either the host Big Green or Lake Superior State in the second game.
Robert Morris: Goals, goals, goals
Christmas came early for the Colonials, who recorded a sweep of Niagara last weekend, snapping a 10-game winless streak. But RMU should also ask Santa for some goals – the Colonials have had a hard time lighting the lamp so far, averaging 1.94 goals per game, last in the conference. The Colonials finish the semester by hosting No. 13 Arizona State this weekend.
Sacred Heart: More penalties by opponents
A key reason for the Pioneers’ success so far this season has been their power play, which is clicking at a rate of 24.1%, the best in the conference by a wide margin. SHU next hosts New Hampshire on Dec. 30.
And finally, for Atlantic Hockey: More conference wins
Currently, the conference sits at 21-37-3 (.369) ahead of the CCHA but below the .400 threshold that’s usually needed to get a second team into the NCAA tournament.
Norwich defeats Plattsburgh to advance to the Norwich East-West Classic Title game. (Photo by Jasmine Olson)
What a weekend out east, we saw a team get their first ever ranked-win, the Norwich East-West Classic had a first-timer winner, and to add to all that, we had a top-ten matchup in Clinton, NY. Here’s your weekly review from the east!
One of the best annual tournaments there is, always showing us great hockey with constant top-five/ten matchups. This year it was a little less west and more east, but nonetheless, many close games and a first-time winner, who happened to be the host! The teams involved this year were #4 Plattsburgh, #11 Elmira, #12 Norwich, & #14 Nazareth.
#4 Plattsburgh vs #12 Norwich – Semifinals (Norwich 2-1 OT)
Earlier this year, Norwich handed Plattsburgh their only blemish this season, a 2-2 tie in Plattsburgh. This time, Norwich gave them another blemish, defeating them 2-1 in OT for the Cardinals’ first loss this season, sending the Cadets to the championship game vs the winner of Elmira/Nazareth.
This game was low scoring and low activity in terms of shots, Plattsburgh leading in that category 26-20. Only three penalties committed during this game, all on Norwich, one minor in each period.
The scoring didn’t come until the 2nd period when the Cardinals took the 1-0 lead, Ciara Wall scored late in the period at 16:47 to put the Cards up 1-0 headed into the 3rd period.
In the 3rd period, less than five minutes in (4:53), Breanna Ricker tied it up for the Cadets, which would hold up as their lone regulation goal until overtime approached. In overtime, Neris Archambeault scored the winner a quick 1:17 into the extra frame, sending Norwich to the championship game.
Leocadia Clark made 25 saves in the victory.
#11 Elmira vs #14 Nazareth – Semifinals (Elmira 2-1)
These two are recently familiar faces, they’ve seen each other in the NCAA tournament before, Elmira held an 8-1-0 overall record against them before this game.
In this game, Elmira outshot Nazareth 30-17, while Nazareth led in penalties, committing six for 12 minutes, Elmira had three for six.
This game, like the last, was a low-scoring game, no goals came in the opening period. Not until 6:19 into the 2nd period when Sabrina Shvartsman put the Soaring Eagles up 1-0, which remained the only goal until the 3rd period.
Elmira then doubled the lead a rapid 40 seconds into the 3rd (00:40), Emma Bradbury scored, which turned out to be the game-winning-goal, as Nazareth’s Ingrid Holstad scored at 10:05 of the 3rd, but it wasn’t enough. Elmira took this one 2-1 to face a common NEHC opponent Norwich in the championship. These two may face each other four times this season, two regular season games, once in this tournament, then again if they make it to the NEHC conference championship.
Plattsburgh vs Nazareth – Consolation (Plattsburgh 1-0)
On the scoresheet, this game was teetering on boredom, however, if you like defensive hockey, this one was for you!
There weren’t any goals scored in the first three periods, so we needed some 3v3 overtime to break the seal. Plattsburgh’s star freshman Zsofia Pazmandi scored the winner with less than two minutes remaining in overtime (3:15) to give the Cardinals a win and avoid going winless on the weekend. Pazmandi has 10 points through 10 games, (8G, 2A), she also has had 3 points this year for Hungary’s International team.
Norwich vs Elmira – Championship (Norwich 2-1 OT)
These two-love playing in big games, whether it’s an NEHC title game, or the East-West Classic title game, the games between these two are always stellar.
In this one, Elmira doubled Norwich’s shots, leading 31-15, penalties were four for eight on Elmira, two for four on Norwich.
The Cadets would take the early lead in this one, Marja Linzbichler scoring with less than seven minutes left in the opening period (14:01). Norwich entered the 3rd period with a 1-0 lead, which held all the way until 15:59 of the 3rd period, Mandy McCarrick tied it up for the Soaring Eagles, sending the game to overtime.
It all came down to the final minute of overtime, at 4:06.5, Lauren Tuzik scored the winner for Norwich, giving them their first-ever home tournament championship victory. That stat says it all about the tournament, instead of inviting opponents that were of lesser-ability, they year-after-year invite top-competition, creating an excellent event.
Goaltender Leocadia Clark had another stellar performance, making 30 saves in the victory, bringing her total saves in the tournament to 55 on 57 shots.
Norwich Head Coach Sophie Leclerc Doherty
Norwich entered this season with a relatively young team, starting the season 0-2, they’ve gone unbeaten in their last nine games, earning a record of 8-2-1 at the first-semester break.
Norwich Head Coach Sophie Leclerc Doherty (photo by Jeb Wallace-Brodeur / Staff Photo).
Head Coach Sophie Leclerc Doherty had this to say about her team:
“Having nine newcomers has been an incredible experience. Like any transition, it took time, teaching and creating an environment within our current team to allow them to feel comfortable competing at the next level. I cannot say enough about our upperclassmen and leaders for being catalysts in this, and ultimately cementing the culture we wanted to create.”
I also asked her about how she’s going to be spending her mini winter break after a tough stretch of games.
“Most of my family has migrated to Florida. My husband and I have been driving down every year to get some sun. This year looks a little different with a 7-month-old – we’re hosting everyone this year – it’ll be an absolute blast to have the whole gang around. Next thing you know, it’ll be New Years and we’ll be preparing for Trinity. I can’t wait to get back to work.”
#13 Cortland vs SUNY Canton (Canton 2-1 OT)
The Roos of Canton entered this game yet to win against a ranked opponent in their program’s history, well that changed today.
Canton gets their first-ever ranked victory over #13 Cortland on 12/6/23. (Photo by Ali Servati)
Cortland outshot Canton in this one by a convincing 39-26, while penalties were rare, only two on Canton for four minutes and one minor on Cortland.
The Red Dragons got on the board first, after a scoreless 1st period, Jillian Hlasnick scored just over midway through the 2nd period (13:31), to put Cortland up 1-0 headed into the 3rd period.
Early in the 3rd period (3:04), Makayla Young tied it up for the Roos, which would be the lone goal of the period, sending it to overtime (frequent occurrence this weekend).
Then in overtime, a quick 37 seconds in (00:37), Danika Lalonde scored the winner for the Roos, giving them their first-ever win over a ranked opponent in program history. Goaltender Molly Lenihan made 38 saves in the victory.
Canton is an up-and-coming team, making their way last season to some good wins and overall having a program-best year of 14-10-2, now off to a hot 9-4-0 start this year. Last year they began beating the opponents they should’ve but were failing to convert on chances to beat ranked teams, they’ve now made that jump, and it’ll be interesting to see how they fare the rest of the way. 2nd year Head Coach Kalie Grant, St. Lawrence ‘20, has her Roos rolling along.
#7 Utica vs #8 Hamilton (Hamilton 1-0)
These two teams are intriguing, great for a matchup especially due to the circumstances that surround them. Utica entered this game with arguably their biggest program victory ever earlier this season, defeating Adrian, holding an overall record of 9-0-2. Hamilton entered with a 1st year head coach (Kayte Holtz, Bowdoin ‘13) after theirs left to return to her alma mater Middlebury (Emily McNamara), looking to gain some momentum.
#7 Utica University vs #8 Hamilton College – 12/9/23. (Photo by Scott Kinville – CNYHockeyReport.com)
This game matched the common theme of the weekend, defensive and low scoring. The lone goal came at 4:34 of the 2nd period, Claire McGennis of Hamilton scored the eventual game-winning-goal to give Hamilton a grand home victory.
Shots were near-even, Hamilton led 28-26, penalties were five for Hamilton, three for Utica, all minors. Both goaltenders played well, Teagan Brown with the 26-save shutout victory, while Angela Hawthorne made 27 in the slim loss.
