Ryan Ufko has been a go-to player this season for UMass (photo: Thom Kendall/UMass Athletics).
Players and coaches can talk all they want about not paying attention to polls, whether it’s the weekly national rankings or a preseason poll conducted by either media or coaches.
In reality, most try to find a balance — polls are just opinions, after all, and most teams usually find it best to ignore outside noise and focus only on what one can control. But hockey teams don’t live in a vacuum either, so when Massachusetts was picked to finish eighth in the Hockey East preseason coaches poll, it did not fail to serve as a little motivation for the Minutemen.
“We kind of fell off last year,” said UMass junior forward Lucas Mercuri. “It’s our goal this year to resurrect as a team and bounce back from that. I think we’re doing a pretty decent job so far. (Hockey East) is, I think, the best league in college hockey. It’s a dog fight every night. There are no bad teams in this league.”
Thanksgiving finds the Minutemen riding high — a weekend sweep of Providence (then ranked No. 5 in the USCHO.com men’s D-I poll) put UMass at 8-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in Hockey East, earning them the No. 11 spot in this week’s USCHO poll. Mercuri potted the game winner with 48.2 seconds to go in a 3-2 thriller at Schneider Arena on Thursday night.
Two nights later, Junior captain Ryan Ufko scored his fourth goal of the season 1:04 into overtime for a 2-1 win at the Mullins Center.
“I thought we played to an identity that we want to play to,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said after Thursday’s road win. “I’ve liked this team a lot all year and tonight was another reason to like them even more.”
While the eighth-place preseason prediction wasn’t entirely unjustified — UMass was 13–17–5 in 2022-23 (7–14–3 in Hockey East) and were bounced in the first round of the conference tournament — it reflected a sharp and sudden downturn for a program that had been riding a wave of success. The Minutemen earned a second-place regular-season finish and a conference tournament championship in 2021-22, and the year before that won the NCAA title.
“I think we’re doing good, but we’re never satisfied here,” Mercuri said. “We always kind of want more. We’re looking to just live, every day, our core values as a team. It’s all about culture here and living up to high standards and winning the day.”
The Minutemen return to action on Friday with a nonconference, intrastate tilt at Harvard. Hockey East play resumes a week later for UMass with a road trip to Vermont, where they will look to avenge one of their ugliest losses of the season, 6-2 at home on Nov. 11, a game marred by errors and sloppy play.
In that game, goalie Michael Hrabal was pulled after Vermont made it 4-1 midway through the second period. Since then, Hrabal has been sensational, stopping 53 of 56 shots for the weekend vs. Providence, including 32 in the second game on a night when UMass was outshot 33-16.
Carvel had high praise for the freshman from Prague, Czechia, after Saturday’s home win.
“Our goaltender kept us in it,” Carvel said. “We were out-shot and out-chanced pretty badly. Discipline-wise, we had to kill too many penalties, but this is a good group of kids. (The) kids found a way. It was just an elite play by an elite player (Ufko) in overtime to score the goal, but that’s a Michael Hrabal victory tonight.”
Goaltender Tate Brandon and his Skidmore Thoroughbreds are off to an impressive start to the season and look to build on that early success by winning their Thanksgiving tournament against some very worthy challengers (Photo by Skidmore Athletics)
Happy Thanksgiving!
The Thanksgiving Holiday weekend means just about an abundance of everything food, parades, football and of course, college pucks! In the annual tradition of overindulging, please note the abundance of picks below covering all the non-conference and holiday tournament action I could cram into in a 20-pick slate. Last week my picks slipped considerably as I finished at 6-4-2 (.583) which brings the season total to 34-17-5 (.652). It has already been a most entertaining first half of the season and this weekend should only build on the great hockey being played thus far. Here are some of the first-round tournament picks along with some key non-conference games this weekend in a super-sized slate of prognostications:
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
Elmira v. (5) Geneseo
This “Lose-day” battle finds a pair of recently ranked teams facing off and I can only go with the advantage home-ice and recent success gives – meaning the Knights take yet another one-goal thriller and likely with some bonus hockey played – Geneseo, 3-2
Assumption v. Anna Maria
These two teams played in t eh championship game of the “Woo Cup” on the opening weekend of the season but what a difference the month in between makes. It is another one goal game but this time the AmCats skate off victorious – Anna Maria, 4-3
Wesleyan v. (12) Endicott
The Gulls have been playing better but probably have another gear in their game and what could be better than finding it against a top-flight defensive team like Wesleyan. It is a playoff atmosphere with a power play goal deciding the contest – Endicott, 3-2
Brockport v. (2) Hobart
The Statesmen have been solid on home ice and while the Golden Eagles present some challenges, there is too much depth and pace in the orange and white for an upset here. Hobart starts fast and cruises to a comfortable win – Hobart, 5-2
Friday, November 24, 2023
Utica Kickoff Tournament
St. John’s v. (3) Utica
The Johnnies are the team from the west this time around in the Utica tournament and the Pioneers prove to be less than hospitable hosts. New group is showing early cohesiveness and the scores reflect that maturation process – Utica, 5-2
Elmira v. (8) Oswego
These two rivals have a long history of great games between the two schools and this year’s editions will not disappoint the crowd at “The Aud” either. Lots of speed and quality scoring chances equal a goaltender’s nightmare. Lakers take it late by a goal – Oswego, 5-4
LayerEight Shootout
(11) Norwich v. Middlebury
There are few rivalries in college hockey where the opponents have played each other many more times than these two Vermont schools. The Cadets already have several games under their belt while Middlebury just played their first real action this past weekend. Special teams are the decisive factor here in a one-goal contest that is highly entertaining for the local fans – Norwich, 3-2
St. Olaf v. (1) Plattsburgh
The team from the west has not fared well in this tournament since the format change several years ago. That said, coach Eddie Effinger and the Oles give every opponent a hard time for sixty minutes and will definitely push the host Cardinals to the limit. Empty-net goal provides the final cushion – Plattsburgh, 5-3
Terry Moran Invitational
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts v. Castleton
The new team this year opens with the hosts and the Spartans best not look past the Trailblazers who would love to take home some Turkey Day hardware. Despite a slow start Andrew Stefura and company get it going for some late goals and the win – Castleton, 6-2
Rivier v. Morrisville
The Mustangs have already faced some high-end talent in Plattsburgh and Oswego so do not expect them to do anything but compete hard against a feisty Raiders team. I think there could be some overtime and even a shootout in this one – Morrisville, 3-2
Saturday, November 25, 2022
Skidmore Invitational
Tufts v. (15) Skidmore
The “Trap Game” Alert is officially on for this one as Tufts loves surprising ranked and favored teams on their home ice. Thoroughbreds best be ready to play from the opening puck drop and even as they are it is still a tight contest – Skidmore, 3-1
Brockport v. (10) Salve Regina
A SUNYAC v. CCC contest that showcases some great talent on both squads. Expect this game to ebb and flow but ultimately be decided by a special team’s goal and likely one of the shorthanded variety. The Seahawks survive to the championship game – Salve Regina, 4-2
North Country Tournament
Hamilton v. Potsdam
The Continentals have a lot of talent throughout their lineup and two very solid goaltenders. Doesn’t matter which one plays here as the offense paces a comfortable win over the Bears – Hamilton, 5-2
(14) Trine v. Canton
The Kangaroos face a Trine team that is off to a very good start this season and continue that strong play against a very-game Canton squad looking for the upset. Late goals carry the visitors from the west to victory – Trine, 4-2
Bowdoin/Colby Shootout
New England College v. Colby
The Mules would love a couple of non-conference wins in the Shootout co-hosted with Bowdoin but first-things-first. The Pilgrims are always a challenging opponent, and the Mules find a rally to overcome an early deficit in a big win – Colby, 5-3
Suffolk v. Bowdoin
The Rams will have their hands full with the pressure and pace the Polar Bears want to play with in all three zones. Alex Kozic is the difference in goal for the home team in a one-goal win – Bowdoin, 5-4
Non-Conference
Amherst v. (5) Geneseo
The Mammoths travel to Wilson Arena and find a Knights squad that is ready to go for a full sixty minutes but start fast and furious. Peter Morgan jumpstarts the home team in an exciting game for any college hockey fan – Geneseo, 4-2
Stevenson v. (4) Adrian
The Mustangs have big aspirations in playing the Bulldogs in their barn and come all so close to stealing a big upset win on the road. Coach Krug’s squad finds ways to win and do so here with a great third period – Adrian, 4-3
Williams v. Babson
Two great coaches whose teams mirror their attention to detail. The Beavers endured a rough start but got going on home ice with a pair of big upset wins and two more last weekend. Nate Mueller settling in as the No. 1 goaltender for the Beavers and earns a shutout the hard way against the Ephs – Babson, 2-0
Curry v. Wesleyan
The Cardinals face another CCC contender in the Colonels and suffer a close loss at home in a game that features superb goaltending at both ends and a physical battle for puck possession everywhere on the ice – Curry, 2-0
This week features so much great non-conference action and the added focus on winning an in-season tournament to bolster any team’s confidence for the rest of the first half and season – “Drop the Puck!”
Following the recently completed series at Bemidji State, Minnesota State women’s hockey coach John Harrington shared with the team that he would temporarily step away from his role to undergo hip surgery.
The procedure was performed Nov. 20.
In light of the news, Shari Dickerman has been tabbed as associate head coach and will also serve as acting head coach during Harrington’s unspecified leave of absence from the bench.
Harrington was appointed to the head coaching position with the Mavericks in May 2015 and is in his eighth season at the helm.
#2 Amherst gets the sweep over #5 Hamilton as Natalie Stott continues to rack up wins. (Photo by Clarus Studios Inc.)
We entered week 4 with some intriguing matchups on the eastern front, all in anticipation of the massive Thanksgiving tournaments in the crosshairs. We also finally got to see the late-blooming NESCAC begin its season this past weekend, the deepest conference in women’s D3 hockey. Now we’re finally in the thick of things, NESCAC play has begun, and we can finally start to see what’s fully in store for us, now that everyone’s on the ice. Let’s hop into a recap of our main events…
#2 Amherst gets the weekend sweep over #5 Hamilton
This series was intriguing on multiple levels, considering the circumstances. Amherst, coming off a national title runner-up finish, kept mostly their entire team of players, including star goaltender Natalie Stott. Meanwhile, you’ve got Hamilton, coming off a record-setting year for the program, including a final four run which ended at the sticks of Amherst.
Hamilton was also under the leadership of a new head coach, longtime assistant (since ‘13) Kayte Holtz began her head coaching tenure for the Continentals this offseason after the coach-of-the-year winner Emily McNamara left for her alma mater Middlebury, who’s likely looking for a future replacement for the legendary Bill Mandigo who’s more than likely retiring sooner rather than later (35 years at Midd.).
In this series, Amherst took both games, game one was a 2-1 OT victory, while game two was a regulation 2-1 victory. Very close games and a lot of good for Hamilton to work from considering the circumstances and the top point leaders they lost from last season. These scores were typical Amherst fashion as last year most of their games (especially 2nd semester), were very low scoring and very defensive.
In game one, Amherst led in the low shot total 21-17, while the penalties were 4-3 with Hamilton leading in that category. No goals in the 1st period, but Amherst got on the board first with a powerplay goal a quick 2:55 into the 2nd period by Mary Thompson, to which Hamilton answered on a powerplay of their own. This one came a rapid 49 seconds (00:49) into the final frame (3rd period) by Claire McGennis. Alyssa Xu would score the overtime-winner for the Mammoths 1:51 into the period to avoid the opening day draw.
In game two, shot totals were very low once again, but close, Hamilton led 24-17, only three penalties, two on Hamilton, one on Amherst. Hamilton opened the scoring midway into the 2nd period (11:12) on the powerplay as Bobbi Roca put the Continentals up 1-0. About seven minutes later, the Mammoths answered, Rylee Glennon equaled it at 1. Her teammate Maeve Reynolds scored the winner midway through the 3rd period (11:09) to give Amherst the massive weekend sweep over the #5 ranked Hamilton. Natalie Stott had 23 saves in the victory.
The point leaders on the weekend were Alyssa Xu & Rylee Glennon, they each tallied 1 goal & 2 assists.
Other Notable NESCAC Results:
Friday:
#6 Middlebury 3-0 Trinity
Connecticut College 3-2 OT Wesleyan
Bowdoin 3-2 Williams
Saturday:
#6 Middlebury 2-1 Trinity
Wesleyan 3-1 Connecticut College
Williams 5-2 Bowdoin
#3 Plattsburgh & #13 Norwich play to a draw
In the big, ranked matchup up North, #3 Plattsburgh and #13 Norwich drew 2-2 in Plattsburgh. This came to the surprise of many, except probably Cadet fans (even though some of them were probably shocked themselves). Norwich, a very young team entered this game with a huge NEHC victory over rival Elmira, but a few unorthodox losses, questioning their strength. Plattsburgh on the other hand, entered 4-0, handling their opponents mostly with ease.
#3 Plattsburgh & #13 Norwich tie 2-2. (Photo by Gabe Dickens)
The story of this game was Norwich’s star goaltender who continues to perform week-in and week-out, Leocadia Clark. The Cardinals outshot the Cadets a lopsided 40-18, Clark had 38 saves against the firepower offense of Plattsburgh.
The penalty totals in this game were also lopsided, Norwich had 5 for 19 minutes, which included a 5-minute major (plus 10-minute game misconduct) which was charged to Wilda Ohman for hitting-from-behind, whilst Plattsburgh had a clean 0 for 0. Norwich managed to kill off all penalties, including the 5-minute major, very impressive considering the strength of the Plattsburgh powerplay.
Norwich goaltender Leocadia Clark. (Photo via Stowe Reporter – vtcng.com)
The scoring occurred beginning in the middle frame when Taylor Girouard put the Cadets up 1-0 a quick 1:01 in. That lasted for six or so minutes until Plattsburgh’s Bridget Orr scored a pair of goals, the first coming at the 7:32 mark and the second at 18:06 of the 2nd period, both assisted by Julia Masotta, a former Cadet who scored the overtime winner against her former team last season wearing the red/white Cardinal uniform.
Early in the 3rd we saw the tying and final goal of the game, Livia Brooks scored at the 3:30 mark. As said previously, the story of this game was goaltending and Norwich’s defense also needs to be credited in a huge way, holding the Cardinals to zero powerplay goals including a 5-minute major is no joke. 38 saves from Leocadia Clark are also no joke.
Utica suffers a blemish, but remains unbeaten after a weekend with the Valiants
The #9 ranked Utica Pioneers entered the weekend coming off a tie and win vs Lebanon Valley, which dropped them slightly in the poll after reaching a program-high #8. This past weekend they faced an underrated Manhattanville team that can beat anybody, they just don’t seem to operate at the needed consistency level to make that next jump as a program.
Game one ended in a 3-3 tie, the Valiants winning the shootout 1-0 for the extra UCHC point. This game once again was about goaltending… Manhattanville’s Franny Gerardi made 44 saves, while Angela Hawthorne made 12. The shots were lopsided in this one, Utica lead 47-15, but Gerardi kept her team in it to force the tie and eventual shootout victory. Gabrielle Cox scored a pair of goals for the Valiants, while Hailey Modlin also scored a pair for the Pioneers.
The penalty totals in this one was 3-2, Utica committing 3 for 6 minutes, Manhattanville 2 for 4.
#9 Utica Pioneers remain unbeaten, tying and defeating Manhattanville over the weekend. (Photo by Maxwell LeBuis – YSM Media)
Game two featured another large shot difference, Utica leading 33-14 in that category, this game was absolutely loaded with penalties, Utica committing 7 for 14 minutes and Manhattanville 8 for 16 minutes. The 1st period alone had 7, 2nd period had 5, 3rd period had 3. Shockingly enough, only one player had more than one penalty, that was Jordan Kowalski of Utica with a pair.
The best part of this whole game was even with all the pantiles occurring, only one powerplay goal was scored, this is probably due to most of them overlapping, but still, interesting to say the least. Hailey Modlin stayed sharp, opening the scoring just over halfway through the 1st (11:54) to put Utica up 1-0. Gabrielle Cox then answered early in the 2nd to tie it at 1, but who else? Hailey Modlin scored again to put the Pioneers back up 2-1 and that would be the eventual game-winner. Jordan Kowalski would add another midway through the 3rd (11:10) on the powerplay to send Utica back home with a win.
Modlin currently has 14 points (9G & 5A) through 8 games.
Boston College sophomore Cutter Gauthier has been an offensive spark plug this season for the Eagles (photo: John Quackenbos).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Dan: Happy short work week everyone, and an early Happy Thanksgiving. I’m sure everyone, like me, is venturing into a supermarket this week to load up on things that you don’t usually carry in your house, so I’m hopeful that this is providing you with reading material as you wait for the supermarket’s beep-beep to finally beckon you to the register.
A Happy early Thanksgiving to you and yours, of course, Paula, and I’m finally glad that we can finally get our own brand of TMQ back into production. This being our first go-round of the year, I’m thrilled that we can maybe break some new ground on the hockey season.
That means breaking ground with a new No. 1. Wisconsin’s losses this weekend rightfully opened the door for a new team, and as much as I wasn’t surprised, I’m very excited to unveil it as North Dakota. It feels like it’s been a minute, but putting NoDak atop the rankings feels like a restoration of an older age.
In fact, it actually is. I saw on Twitter or X or whatever it’s called nowadays that the top-4 referenced the 2016 Frozen Four, and after I did a little sleuthing, North Dakota’s 2016 national championship involved a Frozen Four that had Boston College, Quinnipiac, and Denver – or, in other words, the teams ranked No. 2, 3, and 4 in this week’s poll.
We have a long way to go, but it feels like the national perception is turning back towards some forgotten names. Given the parity we’ve touted for the past few years, can we get excited about the (temporary) restoration (Quinnipiac and Denver aside) of nationally-touted and recognized hockey brands?
Paula: Dan, it is delightful to talk hockey with you again. It’s fun to mix up these weekly TMQ takes – “mix up” being the operative term here, given the pattern we’ve seen in college hockey this season.
I wish I could answer your question directly, Dan, but I can’t. Sure, it’s fun to see North Dakota and Boston College back in the discussion of the nation’s best teams – especially for fans of those specific programs – but how long will they be at the top of the poll?
I think voters are happy to put deserving, familiar teams at the top of the poll when they’re playing consistent hockey, and consistency is the one thing that the top teams in college hockey are lacking this season. If the first two months are any indication, no one is running away with anything this year. It’s impossible to speculate who is most likely to be in St. Paul in April.
North Dakota was my pick last week and this week for the No. 1 spot because the Fighting Hawks had most recently been playing, in my opinion, the most consistently good hockey in the country. I feel pretty good about that pick, too. In their current five-game win streak, the Fighting Hawks have scored fewer than four goals per game just once, and that was in a 2-0 shutout win.
What I find really interesting is that Wisconsin received 32 first-place votes in last week’s poll following a bye week and zero votes this week after getting swept by an excellent Michigan State team. To me, that’s nuts – especially since the Spartans move up to No. 7 in the poll for their efforts. Did all those voters last week have buyer’s remorse?
It’s too soon for me to say that some of the traditional powerhouses are reemerging after a few off years, Dan. I think the landscape in college hockey is too mutable right now to make that call.
I do think, though, that the genuine parity that we’re seeing across the nation is good for the game and allows for some programs that have been working hard in recent years to get noticed, like Maine.
In fact, I see Hockey East as a really strong conference this season and can’t wait to find out whether I’m right about that come March. After the hockey that’s been played so far this season, Dan, what is catching your eye?
Dan: I’ve asked more than a few coaches about this, but I feel like attendance is blowing up at several different levels. I don’t know if it’s the numbers, per se, but the atmospheres at games have been electric for several of these arenas.
I can only speak to the Northeast for my personal experiences, but the student involvement has been deeper and more intense than I remember. Boston College routinely fills its arena with a great student presence, and crowds at Merrimack, Princeton, BU, Bentley and others have all been great. There’s a sense of spirit that’s made these games fun.
I’m sure a lively non-conference schedule has helped develop these feelings, though in some cases it’s been great to see teams match up with ancient enemies.
From a league standpoint, that’s always been interesting to me. Rivalry games, is there an ideal timing for them? Air Force-Army on Veterans Day weekend seemed perfect with all it encompassed.
Paula: I like the idea of an Armed Forces weekend or even a tournament hosted by one of the two for Veterans Day, but I’m in favor of all kinds of tournaments. In fact, last year Jimmy Connelly and I lamented quite a bit about the demise of the many old midseason holiday tournaments that have gone by the wayside for a variety of reasons. It was always such great nonconference play and usually after a significant little break in the action, too, so fans were really thirsting for it.
Maybe I’m just being old, but there doesn’t seem to be much downtown at midseason – and perhaps that’s a welcome thing by many programs – and there are fewer holiday tourneys. I get that the cost of tournaments and logistics of schedules can create difficulties for many programs.
Here in the Midwest, fans still get really excited for old CCHA rivalry matchups. I like seeing both Ferris State and Alaska included in the Great Lakes Invitational this year, for example, with hosts Michigan State and Michigan Tech.
I remember, too, how some coaches (and I’m not naming names) would gripe about some of the midseason tournament opponents and the potential for losses in those tourneys hitting them in the PairWise. My response was always, “Well, win your games.”
There’s a slate of really good nonconference hockey happening this weekend with the Thanksgiving holiday, starting with Wednesday’s game between No. 3 Quinnipiac and No. 5 Boston University. Friday, we get No. 2 Boston College at No. 18 Notre Dame, a game that will reveal a lot about the Fighting Irish.
No. 20 RIT hosts No. 12 New Hampshire in a series that I suspect will tell us a lot about the nature of this parity that we’re experiencing this season.
To answer your question, Dan, maybe Thanksgiving weekend is the ideal time for nonconference play. Do you have your eye on any specific matches this weekend?
Dan: I think it really has to start and end with Quinnipiac’s trip to BU. Both teams are top-5 in whatever we want to call the early season Pairwise, and both have claims to the top slot in the land, which is to say that BU was No. 1 to start the year and Quinnipiac is in full rev after battling through the first couple of weeks.
I separately think Michigan really needs a good showing at St. Cloud because it’s allowed 22 goals over the last six games, a number that’s just shy of 4.00 goals per game and that’s tilted the team down to 35th in the country in scoring defense despite having the second-highest goal scoring average in the nation.
A third series that could come back later in the year is also Western’s two-game swing against St. Lawrence. The Broncos are hanging right around the bubble of the early Pairwise, which (again) doesn’t matter for much right now, but losses could be fatal for later in the season. I’m thinking similar to when North Dakota’s losses to Canisius kept that team out of the tournament.
But let’s be honest, the top non-conference matchup is getting my kids to eat dinner at my brother’s house. We’ve had a hot-and-cold performance as of late, but I’m guessing a little extra gravy on a couple of passes will set up some juicy scoring opportunities and some chance to watch them stuffing one home. The biscuit will truly be in the basket as we handle hot potatoes through the neutral zone…
… OK, I’m done. I think. Probably not.
Tell me, what’s on the agenda for this weekend for you?
Paula: There’s a lot of hockey to watch. I’m so grateful for the availability of so many games through streaming platforms. A bonus is how good the hockey is this season. The “product,” as it’s called increasingly, is good.
The only Big Ten hockey this weekend is a Friday-Sunday series pitting No. 7 Michigan State against No. 8 Minnesota. This is a great test for both teams. With 16 points, the Spartans are in first place in the B1G standings and are riding a six-game (5-0-1) unbeaten streak into Minneapolis, all against conference opponents. The Golden Gophers are 3-3-2 in their last eight with a 2-3-1 B1G record in that stretch. Minnesota’s also nine points behind the Spartans in the standings and one place out of last in the league, so there’s a lot on the line in this early series.
As for the Thanksgiving holiday itself, I’ll watch the delightfully surprising Detroit Lions play because it’s a Michigan thing – and I’ll count my many blessings, of which college hockey is one.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Dan, and to everyone in our extended college hockey family. And Happy Thanksgiving, my dear college hockey fans.
Atlantic Hockey announced that the game between Army West Point and AIC originally scheduled for Oct. 27 will now be played next Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m. EST.
The game was postponed from its original date due to a travel disruption that prevented Army West Point from reaching Springfield in time for the Oct. 27 game.
The Nov. 28 game will stream live on FloHockey.tv.
North Dakota players celebrate a recent goal (photo: Russell Hons).
With 33 first-place votes this week, North Dakota moves up one spot to No. 1 in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
Boston College earns six first-place nods and jumps two spots to No. 2, Quinnipiac gets eight first-place votes and vaults from seventh to third, Denver moves down one to No. 4, getting two first-place votes, and Boston University is up three to No, 5, getting the final first-place vote this week.
Wisconsin tumbles from No. 1 to No. 6, Michigan State is up four to No. 7, Minnesota is down two to No. 8, Providence is down four to No. 9, and Maine falls one to No. 10.
Cornell also took a tumble, going from No. 10 to No. 16 in this week’s rankings that also had no new teams enter the poll.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 14 other teams received votes.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
Atlantic Hockey announced Monday a one-game suspension for Bentley defenseman Pat Lawn, effective for the Falcons’ next game.
The suspension is a result of Lawn’s major penalty and game misconduct for contact to the head, which occurred at the 17:23 mark of the second period in Bentley’s home game on Nov. 18 against Holy Cross.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension.
Bentley’s next scheduled game is Nov. 21 at AIC. Lawn is eligible to return for the Falcons’ game on Nov. 24 at UMass Lowell.
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger discuss the results of the weekend and the news of the week in college hockey on the November 20, 2023 edition of USCHO Weekend Review:
Another No. 1 team goes down as Michigan State sweeps Wisconsin
That opens a spot for North Dakota with Boston College on its heels
Two statement sweeps in Hockey East by Boston University and UMass
Is Quinnipiac now more of an offensive juggernaut than a shutdown defense?
Bowdoin’s Luke Wheeler netted the overtime winner against Middlebury to earn the Polar Bears a split of games on opening weekend in NESCAC play. Friday saw Bowdoin lose in OT to Williams (Photo by Bowdoin Athletics)
Another weekend of thrilling hockey is in the books and the upsets continued along with a pair of 0-0 OT ties and nine overtime games in total where bonus hockey defined several wins for teams. Tuesday has become “Lose-day” for ranked teams as Albertus Magnus stole an overtime win over previously unbeaten Salve Regina by a score of 2-1. And that just set up what turned out to be another fantastic weekend of hockey with NESCAC joining in the action. Here is this week’s wrap-up of some terrific action in the East:
CCC
Endicott extended their unbeaten streak to five games with a weekend sweep of Wentworth. On Friday night, six different players scored goals in a convincing 6-2 win for the Gulls. Ryan Wilson stopped 24 of 26 shots to earn the win. Saturday night, Michael Casey, Connor Beatty, and Cass Bowes paced Endicott to a 3-0 lead on the way to a comfortable 4-1 win over the Leopards.
The University of New England also swept their weekend series with Suffolk with both games being battled right to the end. The Nor’easters scored one goal in each period and leaned on 36 saves from Billy Girard IV for a 3-1 decision over the Rams on Friday. Returning home for the Saturday matchup, UNE surrendered a first period goal to Suffolk’s Josh Milso that looked like it would stand up as the only goal of the contest. Juraj Elias had other ideas and tied the game with less than two seconds remaining in regulation before Ryan Kuzmich scored the game-winning goal just 12 seconds into overtime for a 2-1 win. Kannon Flageolle kept the Rams in the game making 56 saves in the losing effort for Suffolk.
Curry and Nichols split their two-game series with each team winning on the road. Friday night saw Tyler Bost stop 33 of 34 shots and Dylan McMahon and Sebastian Miedema score for the Bison in a 2-1 win for the visitors. Curry returned the favor on Saturday, rallying with two goals in the final five minutes of the third period to eke out a 3-2 win. Austan Bellefeuille tied the game with a power play goal and then set up Tauran Haddon-Harris for the game-winner just over two minutes later.
Following Tuesday’s OT loss to Albertus Magnus, Salve Regina returned to CCC play against Western New England in a Friday-Sunday two game series. On Friday, Cayden Bailey stopped all 14 shots from the Golden Bears in a 3-0 shutout win. Matthew Brunton, Ian Tookenay and Johnny Mulera scored for the Seahawks. Sunday saw the Seahawks travel for the re-match and skate away with a 3-1 win over WNE. Mulera, Matthew Fawcett and Garrett Szeremley each chipped in with a goal and an assist for the Seahawks.
Independents
Albertus Magnus hosted 6-0-0 Salve Regina on Tuesday night and the Falcons eked out a 2-1 overtime thriller over the No. 10 ranked Seahawks. Cameron Weitzman got the Falcons on the board late in the opening period and Logan Bateman made it look like that was the only goal the hosts would need to pull off the upset. Salve Regina wasn’t going to go away quietly, and Damon Zimmer tied the score at 1-1 in the final minute of regulation time. Overtime was necessary and Charles Lavoie made sure the home fans left happy with his goal at the three-minute mark of the extra session to help Albertus Magnus move back to .500 at 3-3-0 on the season.
Rivier played in-state foe Southern New Hampshire on Tuesday night and the Raiders exploded for five goals in the third period to capture a 6-2 win over the Penmen. Alfred Rotiroti scored two goals and added an assist in the five-goal outburst to pace Rivier to their second win of the season.
MASCAC
After an overtime tie with Fitchburg State on Thursday, Plymouth State remained unbeaten in conference play with an overtime win over Framingham State on Saturday night. Leading 2-1 entering the third period, the Panthers surrendered the tying goal just 16 seconds after the opening face-off. Josh Kagan returned the one-goal lead with under a minute and half remaining, but Framingham’s Matthew Nuzzolilo tied the game with the extra attacker on and just three seconds remaining on the clock. In overtime, the Panthers found victory off the stick of Anton Jellvik who scored with just over thirty seconds remaining in the extra session.
Westfield State took a pair of wins during the week starting with a 6-4 decision over Framingham State. Three power play goals and one shorthanded tally by Julian Bosclair, his second goal of the game helped the Owls take a seesaw battle with the Rams. Goaltender Kevin Chandler stopped 44 of 48 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, the Owls trailed Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 1-0 headed into the third period. Christopher Miraldo scored both Westfield goals late in the third period to earn a hard fought 2-1 win over the Trailblazers.
NE-10
St. Michael’s moved to 7-1-0 on the season with a pair of one-goal wins over rival St. Anselm. On Friday night, Zach Taylor scored late in the final period to tie the score at 3-3 and then won the game for the Purple Knights in overtime. On Saturday, it was Taylor again who tied the score at 2-2 before Ben Baxter scored the game-winning goal early in the third period. Marshall Murphy made 23 saves in the win that moved St. Michael’s to 5-1-0 in NE-10 play.
Assumption kept pace with the Purple Knights by sweeping their weekend series with Post. The Greyhounds had 2-0 and 3-2 leads only to see the Eagles tie the score each time. It took Jonathan Surrette’s overtime goal to give the Greyhounds a 4-3 win. On Saturday, the score was tied at 1-1 entering the third period Shane Sullivan, Leo Piandes and Surrette erupted for three unanswered goals to pace a 4-1 win.
NEHC
Skidmore has quietly moved to a 6-0-1 start after not surrendering a goal this weekend in an overtime tie with Norwich and a 2-0 win over New England College. Goaltender Tate Brandon made 50 saves in the two contests to backstop the Thoroughbreds among the remaining unbeatens in the east.
Babson continued their winning ways with a 5-4 overtime win over Johnson & Wales on Friday and a 6-1 decision over Massachusetts-Boston on Saturday. Friday night saw the Wildcats score four consecutive power play goals to erase a 1-0 deficit only to see the Beavers answer with three consecutive goals to level the score at 4-4 at the end of regulation. Ryan Murphy scored the game-winning goal just over two minutes into the extra session to earn the 5-4 win. On Saturday, the Beavers surrendered the opening goal to the Beacons but then reeled off the next six goals including a natural hat trick from Thomas Kramer to post a 6-1 win, their fourth in a row.
Hobart played host to a pair of SUNYAC teams and skated away with 4-0 and 3-1 wins over Buffalo State and Fredonia. On Friday, Damon Beaver stopped all 15 shots he faced and was supported by goals from Matthieu Wulf, Jonah Alexander, Artem Buzoverya, and Chris Duclair in the shutout win over the Bengals. Saturday saw the Baxter Kimball give the Blue Devils a 1-0 lead before Duclair and Tanner Hartman erased the deficit in the second period. Kevin Lassman’s empty-net goal iced the 3-1 win for the Statesmen.
NESCAC
Trinity opened their season on the road and took a pair of wins over Tufts and Connecticut College. On Friday, two power play goals in the first period and two goals from Christian Hayes in the third period helped the Bantams cruise to a 5-1 win over the Jumbos. Against the Camels, the Bantams took advantage of a goal in each period and 16 saves from goaltender Devon Bobak in the 3-1 win.
Williams rallied from a 2-0 deficit against Bowdoin on Friday to win an overtime thriller off the stick of Jonah Gold. On Saturday, the Ephs dropped a 4-2 decision to Colby. Gold scored again for Williams who could not get more than two pucks past goaltender Andy Beran on thirty shots. On Friday, the Mules opened their season with a 0-0 overtime tie against Middlebury. Bowdoin felt the dagger of Friday’s overtime loss to Williams but rallied for an overtime win of their own on Saturday with Luke Wheeler scoring the decisive goal in a 4-3 win over the Panthers.
Wesleyan also won both road games to open the season in dramatic fashion. On Friday the Cardinals used goals from DJ Dixon and Owen Sweet along with 18 saves from Erik Voloshin in a 2-1 win over Conn College. Saturday offered a bit more excitement as Wesleyan took an early 2-0 lead with Tufts erased with four unanswered goals and a 4-2 lead after two periods of play. Patrick Morrissey and Jack Marottolo scored for the Cardinals to tie the game before Morrissey scored the deciding goal in overtime for a 5-4 win.
Hamilton opened their season against travel partner Amherst and skated off with a 3-0 win over the Mammoths. Charlie Archer made 33 saves to earn the shutout and was supported by goals from Ben Zimmerman, Max Wutzke and Ryan Sordillo. On Saturday, the Continentals went out-of-conference against Canton and needed Luke Tchor’s last minute goal to tie the score at 4-4 before William Neault scored the game winner just over a minute into overtime that gave Hamilton a second win on the weekend.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh had a battle with Potsdam on Friday that saw the Cardinals escape with a 3-2 win. After Jack Loran tied the score at 2-2 for the Bears just over midway through the third period, PSU’s Paul Bryer scored a power play goal in the final two minutes of regulation to keep the Cardinals unbeaten on the season.
Geneseo had a statement weekend with wins over recent nemesis Cortland and long time rival, Oswego. On Friday the Knights started quickly with three first period goals from Mitch Machlitt, Alex Dameski and Alex Wilkins and held on for a 3-2 win. Goaltender Adam Harris made 37 saves in the win for the Knights. On Saturday, the Knights traveled to face an Oswego team coming off a 2-1 win over Brockport. Goals from Peter Morgan and Andrew Bruno helped the visitors to a 2-0 lead after two periods of play. The third period was where Adam Harris was at his best making 17 of his 40 saves for the game and earning the 2-1 victory despite Daniel Colabufo’s late goal for the Lakers.
UCHC
Utica has been sending clear messages to all opponents expecting to contend for the UCHC title this season – we are not interested in losing. Wilkes played host to the Pioneers and saw the visitors launch 50 shots on goal in Friday’s 5-0 loss. Vladislav Pshenichnikov scored twice and added an assist for the visitors in the comfortable win. Sunday afternoon was the second installment of the series and the Pioneers again started quickly with three goals in the first period on the way to a 5-1 win and weekend sweep of the Colonels. Dante Spagnuolo picked up his first goal as a Pioneer and added an assist in the win.
Alvernia moved to 5-1-0 in conference play with a road sweep over the weekend against Nazareth. On Friday, the Golden Wolves broke open a 1-1 game with three unanswered goals to earn a 4-1 win. Logan vande Meerakker scored two goals while goaltender Jackson Fellner made 31 saves in the win. On Saturday, Fellner was immense in goal stopping 47 of 48 shots as Alvernia eked out a 2-1 win with goals from Isaac Chapman and Robert Pizzey.
Stevenson moved to 3-2-1 in conference play with their first UCHC sweep of the season over Manhattanville. On Friday, all the goals came in the second period, but it was the home team who had two of them in a 2-1 win. Ty Outen made 29 saves in the win with Eric Olson scoring what proved to be the game-winning goal late in the middle stanza for the Mustangs. Saturday saw Frank Vitucci break a 1-1 tie in the third period and then setup Evan Beers’ empty-net goal for a 3-1 win over the Valiants.
Three Biscuits
Kurt Watson – Southern New Hampshire – scored two goals and added a pair of assists in leading the Pen men to a 6-2 win over Franklin Pierce on Friday night.
Charles Lavoie – Albertus Magnus – netted the overtime winning goal for the Falcons in a 2-1 win over previously unbeaten Salve Regina on Tuesday night.
Jonah Gold – Williams – scored the overtime winning goal to complete the Ephs comeback from two goals down in a 3-2 season opening win over Bowdoin.
Bonus Biscuits
Adam Harris – Geneseo – stopped 40 of 41 shots to help Geneseo hand Oswego their first loss in SUNYAC play with a 2-1 road win over the Lakers.
Zach Taylor – St. Michael’s – netted the game-tying goal in the third period and overtime winner for the Purple Knights in their 4-3 win on Friday night over St. Anselm.
Tate Brandon – Skidmore – stopped all 27 shots he faced in a 0-0 overtime tie with Norwich before following up with a 23-save shutout and 2-0 win over New England College on Saturday.
The battles through and extended beyond sixty minutes have demonstrated the discipline and will needed to gain successful outcomes in any contest and against any opponent so far this season. One can only imagine that kind of action is going to continue to provide conference drama as well as some dynamic outcomes for upcoming holiday tournaments this week.
The Buckeyes made a statement this weekend with a sweep of the top-ranked team in the country. On Friday, the Badgers looked flat and a little lost as Ohio State outshot them 30-19, including 14-6 in the first period. UW was lucky to escape the frame down only 1-0. Kiara Zanon’s quick reaction when the Badger defense lost track of the puck in the cease was the difference. While was 0-for-7 on the power play over the weekend, Ohio State struck twice on the player advantage on Friday to extend the lead to 3-0 in the second on a pair of Jenn Gardiner goals. Wisconsin could not find an answer and Ohio State took the first game. The shot disparity continued in the second game, as Gardiner scored in the first and the Buckeyes held Wisconsin to just four shots. The Badgers showed more life in the second and scored their only goal on the weekend on a breakaway by Cassie Hall. In overtime, Hannah Bilka’s shot looked to initially be saved before the puck dribbled through Ava McNaughton’s legs and into the net to give Ohio State five of six points on the weekend.
(13) Princeton at (3) Colgate
The Raiders scored three times on the power play and built on a four-goal first frame to take a 7-1 win. Danielle Serdachny led Colgate with two goals and two assists while Sydney Morrow added three helpers. Kas Betinol scored twice and Kristýna Kaltounková, Ally Simpson and Madeline Palumbo also scored in the win. Sarah Paul was the goal scorer for Princeton in the loss.
(9) Quinnipiac at (3) Colgate
The second half of the first frame held most of the action in this one as Sydney Morrow opened the scoring with a wrister in the ninth minute. Kate Reilly responded for Quinnipiac a minute later to make it 1-1. Elyssa Biederman and Kristýna Kaltounková scored in the final four minutes of the frame to give Colgate a lead they would not relinquish. Emma Pais’ empty net goal secured the 4-1 win.
(4) Minnesota at (8) Minnesota Duluth
The two teams played an incredibly tight match on Friday night where neither could seem to pull away. After a scoreless back and forth first period where UMD outshot the Gophers 14-4, Minnesota took a 1-0 lead on a power play goal from Abbey Murphy. The momentum shifted to Minnesota, who held the shot advantage 18-6 in the second. Midway through the third, Hanna Baskin tied the game for UMD with a gorgeous shot from the along boards on the blue line that tucked inside the back post. In a finish that couldn’t have been scripted, grad transfer Taylor Stewart, who played her first four years in Duluth, scored the game-winner for the Gophers as she stepped up from the blue line to clean up a rebound that trickled into the net to give Minnesota a 2-1 advantage. Peyton Hemp’s empty net goal ensured a 3-1 win. On Saturday, the Gophers used two shorthanded goals to secure another 3-1 win and weekend sweep. Ella Huber scored first, one-timing a feed from behind the net from Josefin Bouveng to make it 1-0 Minnesota. Murphy scored a beauty of a goal midway through the game, collecting her own rebound after a breakaway, circling and putting the puck right back on net. Gabby Krause grabbed one back for the Bulldogs to cut the lead to 2-1, but a good forecheck by Minnesota on the power play led to a turnover where Audrey Wethington whiffed, but Peyton Hemp did not and the Gophers took a 3-1 win.
Brown at (5) Clarkson
Gail Levy scored her first career goal to open the scoring and put Brown up 1-0 midway through the first. Minutes later, Darcie Lappan blocked a shot on one of the ice and immediately took the puck in transition on a breakaway to tie the game 1-1. Margot Norehad’s goal late in the first put Brown up 2-1 at the intermission. The Bears extended their lead to 3-1 in the second on a deep shot during the power play by Jade Iginla. Clarkson pushed hard in the third to try and close the gap, including killing a five minute major at the midpoint of the period. A flurry of penalties in the final four minutes of regulation put both teams’ special teams to work. With the goalie pulled, Haley Winn cut the lead to 3-2 with 57.2 seconds left. Less than 17 seconds later, Nicole Gosling tied the game to force overtime, where no winner could be decided and the game ended a 3-3 tie.
(11) Yale at (5) Clarkson
The Bulldogs outshot Clarkson 22-16, but could not find a way past Michelle Pasichnyk on Saturday. Darcie Lappan’s first period goal proved to be all Clarkson needed to earn the win. Yale had a goal called back for offsides in the second and this one ended 1-0 for the Golden Knights.
(9) Quinnipiac at (6) Cornell
After a scoreless first period, rookie Kahlen Lamarche gave Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead when an errant Cornell pass ended up on her stick in the slot. Near the end of the period, Emerson Jarvis put back a rebound to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead. In the third, Kaitlin Jockims scored short-handed to cut into the lead for Cornell, but the Big Red couldn’t find an equalizer and Jess Schryver’s empty net goal secured the win for Quinnipiac. It was Cornell’s first loss of the season.
(13) Princeton at (6) Cornell
It was a busy first period in Ithaca as the Big Red struck quickly as Kaitlin Jockims put Cornell up 1-0 a minute into the game. Five minutes later, Princeton tied it with a breakaway goal from Annie Kuehl. Sarah Fillier gave the Tigers their first lead with a shot from the slot to make it 2-1 at the midpoint of the frame. Lily Delianedis scored late in the period to tie the game 2-2 as the teams went to the locker room. In the second, Fillier struck during a 5-on-3 power play to give Princeton a 3-2 lead heading into the third. Karel Prefontaine scored an extra-attacker goal of her own for Cornell to tie the game once more early in the frame. Sarah Paul took a feed from Catherine Kerin to score the eventual game-winner for the Tigers to give them the 4-3 win.
(11) Yale at (7) St. Lawrence
A great individual effort from Abby Hustler just a minute into the game led to a Melissa Jeffries goal to put St. Lawrence on the board first. A few minutes later, Yale tied it on Stephanie Stainton’s shot through the five hole after a SLU turnover to tie the game 1-1. Hustler lit the lamp in the second with a one-timer on the power play to give the Saints a 2-1 lead at the second intermission. Yale pushed for the equalizer in the third and finally Vita Poniatovskaia made it 2-2 with just more than three minutes to play. It seemed overtime was inevitable, but Jeffries found Anna Segedi at the doorstep on the next play and St. Lawrence took a 3-2 win.
Brown at (7) St. Lawrence
Julia Gosling recorded her 100th career point on her second of three assists on Saturday to help lead St. Lawrence to a 4-0 win. Kenney Emerson, Sarah Marchand and Taylor Lum had the Saints up 3-0 and then Marchand added an empty-net goal to secure the victory.
(10) St. Cloud State vs. St. Thomas (home and home)
The Huskies outshot the Tommies 39-12, but St. Thomas goalie Calla Frank stymied St. Cloud for most of the game. Avery Myers showed off some slick moves to score the only goal of the game as SCSU took a 1-0 win. On Saturday, Jojo Chobak earned the second St. Cloud shutout of the weekend while Maddy Peterson scored her first career goal to open the scoring and Emma Gentry added a goal in the third to give SCSU the 2-0 win and weekend sweep.
Holy Cross vs. (12) Connecticut (home and home)
On Friday, the two teams played just under 42 minutes of scoreless hockey before UConn broke the stalemate with a top shelf power play goal from Ava Rinker. Kathryn Stockdale and Brooke Campbell extended the lead as the period elapsed to give the Huskies a 3-0 win. In the second game, Connecticut extended their win streak to eight games with a 3-1 win. Holy Cross took a 1-0 lead in the first thanks to a goal from Alexia Moreau and held that for 20 minutes of game play before a beautiful effort from Jada Habisch to tie it up. A turnover led to an odd skater rush for Riley Grimley and Camryn Wong, who tapped the puck in to make it 2-1 Huskies. Kyla Josifovic’s top shelf snipe made it 3-1 to seal the win and weekend sweep.
Maine at (14) Vermont
In the first game, goalie Julia Bachetti made 19 saves to earn her first career shutout to lead a balanced Maine team past Vermont. There were different goal scorers – Ida Kuoppala, Ashley Kokavec and Alyssa Wruble – and an additional six different skaters – Elise Morphy, Ava Stevenson, Haley Ryan, Abby Latorella, Rahel Enzler and Mira Seregély – responsible for the assists on those goals. On Saturday, Kuoppala continued her hot start by opening the game with a short-handed goal and closing out the match with a game-winner. With Maine up 1-0, Vermont fought back with goals from Hailey Eikos and Ezra Oien to take a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Midway through the game, Ann-Frederique Guay tied the game on the power play. Kuoppala’s goal was eight minutes into the third and the Black Bears shut down on defense to keep the win and weekend sweep.
Boston University at (15) Boston College
Much of the first period was the team’s feeling each other out and looking for an opening. BU’s Sydney Healey found the first frame’s only goal 14 minutes in to give the Terriers a 1-0 lead at the break. Katie Pyne quickly tied it up in the second, but BU responded as Clara Yuhn gave the Terriers the 2-1 lead before four minutes had elapsed. Sammy Smigliani’s goal later in the frame made it 2-2 heading into the third. Kate Ham put the Eagles up 3-2, but Neely Nicholson’s power play goal evened things at three. Gaby Roy BC ahead for good with four to play and Abby Newhook added an empty-netter to secure the 5-3 win.
Aurora pulled off an upset win of Adrian on Saturday. (Photo Credit: Aurora Athletics)
Aurora produced the win of the weekend and made a little history in the process.
The Spartans had never beaten Adrian on the ice, and it looked as if it might stay that way after losing 3-2 on Friday to the second-ranked Bulldogs.
Hope for a win remained dim on Saturday after the Bulldogs jumped on top 2-0 in the first, But the Spartans rallied and prevailed 4-3 for an upset win and huge NCHA victory.
Akl Hassan assisted on three of the goals while Giovanni Procopio finished with a goal and two assists as the Spartans improved to 4-3-1 overall and 4-2 in the conference. JaCob Mucitelli racked up 19 saves to help Aurora hold on for the memorable win.
Adrian lost for only the second time this year and is now 5-2-1 overall and 5-1 in NCHA play.
In Friday’s 3-2 loss, all five goals were scored in the final period.
Here’s a look a some of the other games that took place this weekend.
NCHA
Green Knights top Sabres
St. Norbert dominated Marian 6-2 on Friday and then finished off a sweep with a 3-2 win Saturday.
Friday’s win marked a season high in goals for the Green Knights, who are now 6-3- overall and 5-1 in the conference.
Logan Dombrowsky helped lead the charge with a goal and three assists.
Liam Fraser finished with a goal and two assists while Adam Stacho scored his seventh goal of the season and also dished out an assist. Bryan Gilman’ recorded his first collegiate goal and added an assist as well.
On Saturday, St. Norbert earned its third consecutive win after Dombrowsky scored at the 14:36 mark of the third period to secure the victory. The Green Knights have won five of their last six.
Two more for the Thunder
Trine notched two NCHA wins over the weekend as it crushed Lake Forest 6-1 on Friday and then earned a 3-2 win Saturday.
Five players scored goals, with Brendan Finn leading the way with a pair of goals. Kyle Kozma came through with 12 saves on a night when he wasn’t tested often.
Trine improved to 7-1 overall and 3-1 in league play on Saturday after surviving overtime.
Josh Wright delivered the game winner a little more than four minutes into the extra session. Kozma helped seal the deal with 19 saves, three of which came in overtime.
Vikings split with Falcons
A five-goal second period helped lead Lawrence to its biggest win of the season as it blanked Concordia 8-0 Friday night.
Miles McCue made a little history as he came through with his first college hat trick and added one more goal for good measure, becoming only the fifth ever in the program to hit the four-goal mark in a game.
Carter Cloutier also played well, fashioning a hat trick on a night when he scored the first three goals of his college career.
It was also a big night for Nolan Mahaffey, who made 24 saves for his first collegiate shutout.
The Vikings are 3-4-1 overall and 2-3-1 in the league after falling 4-1 on Saturday. The Falcons jumped on top 3-0 and never looked back.
Alex Ochtiwa, Mason Ausmus, Seth Bergeron and Joey Petronack all scored for Concordia, which is 3-3 overall and 2-2 in the NCHA.
MIAC
Saints stay unbeaten
St. Scholastica remains one of the hottest teams out west. The Saints completed a sweep of St. John’s Saturday with a 3-0 win. They won the opener 4-2 last Thursday.
Ranked eighth nationally at the moment, the Saints are now 7-0 after Jacob Seitz scored for the third time in the last two games while Eino Rissanen got the start in goal and made 43 saves for his second win.
Isaac Suppin and Carsen Richels also scored goals in the victory, which gives St. Scholastica a 4-0 record in MIAC play.
St. Scholastica has scored three or more goals in all but two games this season.
In Thursday’s game, the Saints got two goals from Seitz while Arkhip Ledenkov punched in his third goal of the year. Jack Bostedt started in goal and made 32 saves.
Auggies dominate Cardinals
Augsburg skated to a MIAC sweep of Saint Mary’s over the weekend, winning 6-0 and 4-1 in their first two conference games of the season. Augsburg is 4-2-1 overall.
Erik Palmqvist and Kyler Yeo each tallied a pair of goals on a night when the Auggies held a 34-27 advantage in shots. Palmquvist also had an assist. Samuel Vyletelka made 26 saves after racking up 41 on Friday. Fritz Belisle dished out a pair of assists in Saturday’s win.
Daniel Chladek scored twice in Friday’s win for Augsburg which has won three consecutive games heading into December.
Oles roll to sweep
After winning 3-2 in overtime Friday over Hamline, St. Olaf dominated in the finale, scoring the last six goals of the game in a 7-2 win.
Eric Brown and Troy Bowditch paved the way for the Oles. For Brown, it was the first time in his college career with a two-goal game.
Cody Sherman racked up two assists and had the game-winning goal on Friday.
Thomas Lalonde won for the first time this year as he made 22 saves in goal. The Oles have won two in a row and are 4-3-1 overall and 2-1-1 in league play.
Gusties earn split with Royals
Gustavus ended the weekend on a high note with a 6-2 win over Bethel, handing the Royals their first loss of the year.
Jac Triemert came through with a hat trick to highlight the big victory for the Gusties, who won a conference game for the first time this season. Gustavus is 3-4-1 overall and 1-3 in the MIAC. Bethel falls to 5-1-2 overall and 2-1-1 in the MIAC.
Gustavus held a 40-24 advantage in shots and went 5-for-5 in penalty kill situations.
It was a different story for Bethel one night earlier in a 4-1 win thanks to two goals by Jack Westlund.
WIAC
Pointers hold off Blue Devils
UW-Stevens Point capped a big week with a wild 7-6 win over UW-Stout in a battle of unbeaten WIAC teams.
A four-goal third period proved to be the difference in this road win for the 14th-ranked team in the country.
Noah Finstrom scored twice and Andrew Poulias put the Pointers up for good at 6-5 with under six minutes to play in the game.
Ryan Maguire racked up six saves in the third period to help seal the deal on his first collegiate win. Alex Proctor tallied 23 saves. Dawson Green made 28 saves for the Blue Devils. Kobe Keller scored twice for UW-Stout.
The Pointers have won five consecutive games and are 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the conference. They opened the week with a 5-3 win over nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire and closed the weekend with a 4-3 win over Northland.
Yellowjackets bounce back
After falling 2-1 to UW-River Falls Friday, UW-Superior knocked off UW-Stout 4-1 Saturday. Jack Boschert made 33 saves and the Yellowjackets held a 34-28 advantage in shots.
Jordan Guiney led the offense with three assists as UW-Superior improved to 2-5 overall and 1-1 in the league. UW-Stout is 3-3-1 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
Blugolds top Falcons
Special teams was the name of the game for UW-Eau Claire, which earned a 2-1 win over UW-River Falls Saturday thanks to a power play goal and a goal off a penalty kill.
Aaron Swanson and Trenten Heyde scored the only goals of the night for the No. 6 Blugolds, who improved to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the WIAC. Max Gutjahr stopped 22 shots for his fourth win of the year.
Liam Souliere makes a save during Penn State’s 5-3 win over Michigan last Saturday night (photo: Penn State Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Down goes Wisconsin, twice
There will almost certainly be a new No. 1 team in the country this week, after top-ranked Wisconsin lost both games of a weekend series against No. 11 Michigan State.
Wisconsin had been having a moment early on this season, but the Badgers lost in their first game as the top team this year. Michigan State never trailed in its 4-2 home win Friday, as Tanner Kelly scored the game-winner late in the second period, less than four minutes after Joey Larson had given the Spartans a 2-1 lead.
Third-period goals Saturday from Larson and Nash Nienhuis helped MSU to a 3-2 win in front of a sold-out Munn Ice Arena crowd. MSU now sits atop the Big Ten standings and is the first team in the country to reach double-digit wins this season.
2. BU takes 2 from Maine in top-10 series
Eighth-ranked Boston University’s current winning streak has increased to four games, thanks to a home sweep last weekend of No. 9 Maine.
Maine’s Thomas Freel scored 14 seconds into Friday’s series opener, but BU clawed back to win 3-2. Macklin Celebrini tied the game still just 1:55 into the game, before Ryan Greene and Tom Willander bagged power-play goals in the second period.
In a 5-4 Terriers win Saturday, Quinn Hutson had two goals and three points, and Celebrini added three helpers. Luke Tuch, Shane Lachance and Devin Kaplan also scored for the hosts.
3. UMass takes 2 from Providence
Fifteenth-ranked Massachusetts picked up a big weekend sweep, beating No. 5 Providence in a pair of one-goal games in a home-and-home set.
The Minutemen overturned a 2-1 deficit Friday in Providence to win 3-2 on third-period goals from first Ryan Ufko and then Lucas Mercuri’s winner with 48.2 seconds left. Ufko then bagged an overtime winner in UMass’s 2-1 victory Saturday.
UMass has now won four of its last five games and faces another ranked opponent this Friday at No. 20 Harvard.
4. Tenth-ranked Cornell drops 2
Cornell ran into some difficulty last weekend, as the No. 10 Big Red fell at both seventh-ranked Quinnipiac and unranked Princeton.
The defending national champions from Quinnipiac jumped out to an early 3-0 lead Friday before cruising to an 8-4 victory. The Bobcats scored the game’s final three goals, too, to continue QU’s current winning streak. More on that in a minute.
Cornell was left frustrated again Saturday, losing 2-1 in overtime at Princeton. Brendan Gorman scored with 6.4 seconds left as the Tigers won in the extra period for a third time from their last four home games.
5. Quinnipiac keeps rolling
Quinnipiac has now won five in a row, with the last four all coming at home.
After Friday’s win over Cornell, the Bobcats kept rolling Saturday in a 7-4 win over Colgate. Jacob Quillan scored 45 seconds into a game where QU would never trail. He and Mason Marcellus would both score twice, and both would have a three-point night.
Quinnipiac has scored 31 goals during its current winning streak, the most the Bobcats have scored in a five-game stretch since November 2002.
6. Minnesota, Notre Dame share spoils
Sixth-ranked Minnesota and No. 17 Notre Dame split a Big Ten series last weekend in Minneapolis, with the host Gophers getting the last laugh.
Drew Bavaro’s fourth goal of the season, 3:30 into Friday’s third period, broke a 2-2 deadlock for Notre Dame before Landon Slaggert added an empty-netter in a 4-2 Fighting Irish victory. It was Notre Dame’s third win in a row, for a team that was unbeaten in seven (5-0-2).
The Irish couldn’t keep that going on Saturday, though, falling 4-1 to the Gophers. Rhett Pitlick scored twice for Minnesota in what was a three-goal weekend for him, and the Gophers used three unanswered goals to take the win.
7. Michigan, Penn State split, too
No. 12 Michigan and 18th-ranked Penn State split a Big Ten series last weekend, both of them high-scoring games in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Six different Michigan skaters scored in the Wolverines’ 6-4 win Friday, with Garrett Schifsky and Frank Nazar III recording two points apiece. On Saturday, an Aiden Fink hat trick lifted Penn State to a 5-3 victory.
Jacques Bouquot and Matt DiMarsico also scored for Penn State, which picked up its 200th NCAA win in program history.
8. Northern Michigan sweeps Alaska
Alaska has been knocking on the door of the USCHO Top 20 and led a group of teams receiving votes this week. They might be knocked back, though, after dropping two games last week at Northern Michigan.
The Wildcats won 3-1 on both occasions and got goals from three different skaters on both nights. Aiden Gallacher buried empty-netters both times, too, while Alaska’s Harrison Israels also scored in both games.
Northern Michigan has now won four straight ahead of a trip this weekend to Bowling Green.
9. Niagara’s Lammers reaches 100 wins
Sweeping a home-and-home series against Atlantic Hockey foe Robert Morris saw Niagara coach Jason Lammers reach 100 career NCAA victories, 81 of them coming with the Purple Eagles.
Niagara routed the Colonials in both games, starting with a 6-2 win Friday at home. Six different Purple Eagles scored on a night when NU recognized Bob Dwyer, a 2023 Niagara Athletics Hall of Fame inductee who has given generous donations to the university to expand its ice arena, now Dwyer Arena.
The Purple Eagles won again Saturday, 4-1 on the road, scoring four unanswered goals through as many Niagara skaters.
10. Extra rest does Omaha good
Unranked Omaha picked up a potentially big split last weekend at No. 3 Denver, and may have benefitted from a postponement amidst what became two games played over three days.
Denver won Friday’s opener 8-4, scoring five consecutive goals to overturn an early 2-1 deficit. Power-play goals early in the second period from brothers Zeev and Shai Buium got that burst started, but the Pioneers weren’t as fortunate in the rematch, falling 4-3.
That game started Saturday but was postponed after a scoreless first period due to bad ice conditions. Arena personnel tried to patch up a slushy puddle behind one of the end lines, but to no avail. After an hour-long delay, a decision was made to finish the game Sunday.
Omaha started brightest in the second period, as quick goals from Matt Miller and Ty Mueller gave the Mavericks a 2-0 lead after just 4:42. UNO would score all of its goals in that period, with Griffin Ludtke and Joaquim Lemay joining the fun.
Good thing there are lots of direct flights between Denver and Omaha.
No. 16 Western Michigan (6-3-1)
11/17/2023 – No. 16 Western Michigan 3 at RV Colorado College 1
11/18/2023 – No. 16 Western Michigan 4 at RV Colorado College 0
No. 18 Penn State (6-4-3)
11/17/2023 – No. 18 Penn State 4 at No. 12 Michigan 6
11/18/2023 – No. 18 Penn State 5 at No. 12 Michigan 3
No. 19 St. Cloud State (8-4-0)
11/17/2023 – RV Minnesota Duluth 1 at No. 19 St. Cloud State 2
11/18/2023 – RV Minnesota Duluth 5 at No. 19 St. Cloud State 6
BU’s Luke Tuch gets a shot on Maine goalie Victor Ostman during the Terriers’ 5-4 win Saturday night photo (photo: Matt Woolverton).
No. 11 Michigan State completed its sweep of No. 1 Wisconsin on Saturday with a 3-2 victory in front of a sellout crowd at Mason Rink at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.
The Spartans now move to the top of the Big Ten standings at the completion of the third week of Big Ten play and are the first team in the country to get to double-digit wins this season.
Entering the third period in a 1-1 deadlock after goals from the Spartans’ Jeremy Davidson in the first period and Wisconsin’s Owen Lindmark in the second, MSU got a pair of goals in the third period from Joey Larson and Nash Nienhuis and held off a pressing Badgers team that got an extra-attacker score from Ben Dexheimer with just over a minute to play to make it a one-goal game.
Trey Augustine turned aside 28 shots in goal for Michigan State, including 12 in the second period when the Spartans were outshot by a 13-3 margin.
Kyle McClellan stopped 13 shots in the first period when MSU was buzzing and finished with 25 on the night as the Badgers dropped consecutive games for the first time this season.
North Dakota struck four times in the first period before adding a final tally in the third to polish off a sweep over Miami with a 5-1 victory on Saturday night in front of another sellout crowd at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
UND rolled to its second straight sweep and fifth consecutive win overall, matching the longest winning streak for the team since a stretch of seven straight victories from Feb. 11-Mar. 4, 2022.
Despite forward Owen McLaughlin out of the lineup due to an illness, the top line of Riese Gaber, Jackson Blake and Louis Jamernik V did not miss a beat. The trio combined for three goals and an assist, with Gaber striking for a pair of goals.
On only UND’s second shot of the game, Gaber collected a loose puck in the crease following a Garrett Pyke chance and potted it home to give the Fighting Hawks the early advantage just 8:27 into the opening period.
Miami pulled even just past the halfway point of the evening on a strike from PJ Fletcher, but it was the home team who took control of the momentum following the goal.
Griffin Ness restored the advantage for the Hawks, sending a puck into the net off a Miami defender’s stick to give the green and white a 2-1 lead with just over five minutes to play in the opening stanza. That looked to be the score after 20 minutes, but Gaber and Blake each notched nearly identical highlight goals with great moves on a breakaway to make it 4-1 at the end of the first.
Following a scoreless second, Jayden Perron struck just 1:49 into the third period on a great feed from Hunter Johannes from behind the net to increase the lead to 5-1.
Ludvig Persson finished with 21 saves to close out his fifth straight victory and polish off the sweep against his former team.
Logan Neaton made 17 saves in goal for the RedHawks.
Omaha at No. 3 Denver was postponed
Due to ice conditions, tonight’s game is suspended. The game will resume tomorrow at a time to be announced.
Tickets from tonight will be valid for tomorrow’s game or can be exchanged to a future game.
Jacob Fowler made 31 saves for his first collegiate shutout and Boston College earned a weekend sweep of UConn with a 3-0 victory at the Toscano Family Ice Forum on Saturday night in Storrs, Conn., to close a Hockey East home-and-home series.
Boston College took the lead four minutes into the contest when Gabe Perreault blocked a shot at the point and skated down ice on a 2-on-0 with Will Smith. The linemates traded passes before Perreault finally deferred to Smith at the right post to beat Ethan Haider.
Late in the period, Fowler reached out with his blocker to deny Tabor Heaslip on a short-handed breakaway to preserve the lead. Fowler posted 17 of his 31 saves in the opening frame.
It remained 1-0 until three and a half minutes remained in the third period when Cutter Gauthier weaved through neutral ice and deked into the slot before firing a shot glove side to beat Haider.
UConn pulled Haider for an extra skater with 3:20 remaining and Oskar Jellvik backhanded a shot into the empty net from neutral ice to seal the win. Ryan Leonard blocked a shot to start the play, extending his point streak to six games with the assist.
Haider finished with 24 stops.
No. 15 UMass 2, No. 5 Providence 1 (OT)
Ryan Ufko scored 1:04 into overtime to lift UMass to a series sweep of Providence, 2-1 at the Mullins Center on Saturday evening in Amherst, Mass.
“Our goaltender stole one tonight,” said UMass coach Greg Carvel. “We weren’t very good tonight. You could just sense on the bench there wasn’t the energy that was there Thursday night, but our goaltender kept us in it. We were out-shot and out-chanced pretty badly. Discipline-wise, we had to kill too many penalties, but this is a good group of kids.
“We talked about it after the second period, digging deep into our character of the team, the heart and soul of the team and find a way and the kids found a way. It was just an elite play by an elite player in overtime to score the goal, but that’s a Michael Hrabal victory tonight.”
Here's @RyanUfko's game winner for anyone who missed it!
The teams played a scoreless first period and the teams remained deadlocked at 0-0 until midway through the second period. Just 20 seconds after killing off a penalty, the Friars opened the scoring at the 8:28 mark as Guillaume Richard hit Cal Kiefiuk with an outlet pass and Kiefiuk found Graham Gamache in the slot for the finish to put Providence on top 1-0.
With 2:50 remaining in the third period, UMass tied the score as Lucas Vanroboys picked up the puck from Aaron Bohlinger and fired a shot from the blue line that Jack Musa redirected home to force an extra period.
Then in overtime, Ufko circled the offensive zone after receiving the puck from Kenny Connors and Ryan Lautenbach and drove to the net to tuck it behind the left pad of Philip Svedebäck.
Svedebäck turned aside 14 shots for Providence.
No. 6 Minnesota 4, No. 17 Notre Dame 1
Rhett Pitlick scored twice and three other Golden Gophers had multi-point efforts leading the way to a 4-1 win for Minnesota men’s hockey over Notre Dame Saturday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minn.
The Golden Gophers broke a 1-1 tie in the second period behind Ryan Chesley’s individual effort and eventual game winner for the first of three unanswered goals.
Bryce Brodzinski, Mike Koster and Connor Kurth all had two-assist performances for the Maroon and Gold, while goaltender Justen Close matched a season-high by making 37 saves.
A lengthy shift in the Gophers’ defensive zone proved costly with 3:22 remaining during the first frame as Notre Dame scored the equalizer off the stick of Carter Slaggert, sending the teams to the locker room tied 1-1.
After Chesley scored his first at 8:27 of the second, Jaxon Nelson made it a two-goal advantage at 15:20.
Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel finished with 29 saves.
No. 7 Quinnipiac 7, Colgate 4
Quinnipiac posted its second consecutive weekend sweep as the Bobcats knocked off Colgate 7-4 on Saturday night at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.
Jacob Quillan and Mason Marcellus each had two goals and an assist for the Bobcats, while Cooper Moore rang up four assists and Davis Pennington and Andon Cerbone each had two assists.
Cristophe Tellier added a goal and an assist and Zach Tupker and Collin Graf scored one each to back Vinny Duplessis’ 20 saves in goal.
For Colgate, Ryan Sullivan had two goals with a helper and Niko Rexine and Ryan McGuire also scored.
In goal, Carter Gylander made 38 saves for the Raiders.
No. 8 Boston University 5, No. 9 Maine 4
Quinn Hutson scored two goals as part of a three-point effort and Macklin Celebrini collected three assists to help lead Boston University to a 5-4 win over Maine on Saturday night at Boston’s Agganis Arena to earn the weekend sweep and pick up its fourth straight win.
Our fifth goal of the night came thanks to some hard work in the offensive zone by Wilms, Greener and Kap!
Luke Tuch, Shane Lachance and Devin Kaplan also lit the lamp for the Terriers and Lane Hutson notched two assists.
Mathieu Caron made a season-high 39 saves, including 17 in the third period as the Black Bears pushed for an equalizer.
For Maine, Bradly Nadeau, Josh Nadeau, Nicholas Niemo and Lynden Breen scored goals and Victor Ostman made 15 saves in 48:53 before Albin Boija played 9:20, stopping four shots.
Princeton 2, No. 10 Cornell 1 (OT)
For the third time in four home games, Princeton picked up a thrilling overtime win as the Tigers rallied and stunned Cornell 2-1 in front of a sold-out Hobey Baker Rink crowd in Princeton, N.J.
Brendan Gorman finished off a furious final minute with the overtime winner with 6.4 seconds left to ignite a raucous celebration.
The Cardiac Cats Strike Again!
Brendan Gorman with 6.4 seconds left to stun #10 Cornell!
Arthur Smith put up a 36-save effort for his second career win – each an overtime victory.
The Big Red took a 1-0 lead 7:54 into the second period via a Kyle Penney goal off a set faceoff play.
The Tigers evened the score just over three minutes later when Adam Robbins weaved through the defense before ringing a wrister off the far post and in.
Cornell mounted a push to find the winner in the third period, bolstered by a five-minute major issued after a video review following a big hit from Joshua Karnish 8:45 into the third period.
Nick Carabin was a force on the forecheck, twice pinning the Big Red deep in their own end before a failed clearing attempt landed on the stick of Ian Murphy, who funneled a behind-the-back pass to Gorman who then snapped the game-winner under Remington Keopple’s arm and in.
Keopple, who was making his first start of the season and his first in nearly a full calendar year (Nov. 19, 2022 vs. Brown), stopped 22 shots.
No. 18 Penn State 5, No. 12 Michigan 3
Aiden Fink registered a hat-trick as Penn State defeated Michigan 5-3 on Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The win marks the 200th in NCAA D-I program history for the Nittany Lions.
The NCHC announced Saturday that the conference has issued a one-game suspension to Minnesota Duluth grad student forward Luke Loheit.
The suspension stems from a stick infraction during the Bulldogs game against St. Cloud State Nov. 17 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
At the end of Friday night’s game, Loheit was assessed a major penalty for cross-checking and given a game misconduct at the 20-minute mark of the third period.
Loheit will be required to serve the one-game suspension during UMD’s series finale Nov. 18 against St. Cloud State. He is eligible to return for Minnesota Duluth’s series opener against Omaha on Dec. 1.
Michigan State became yet another team to upset a No. 1 team in the USCHO.com poll, this time newly-minted Wisconsin (Photo: Michael Caples/MSU Athletics Communication)
The curse on No. 1 strikes again as Wisconsin, playing its first game as the nation’s top team, fell 4-2 at Michigan State.
The Spartans never trailed as Nicholas Muller gave them the lead late in the first. After Wisconsin scored to tie the game at 7:41 of the second on a tally by Owen Lindmark, Michigan State exploded late in the frame.
Joey Larson’s fifth goal of the season gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead at 15:31. Tanner Kelly then netted the eventual game-winner less than three-and-a-half minutes later.
Three looks at MSU's third goal of the night – what an effort by Tanner Kelly! pic.twitter.com/rVju7WjI4P
Sawyer Scholl pulled the top-ranked Badgers within a goal at 8:16 of the third, but the Michigan State defense clamped down from there. Jeremy Davidson’s empty-net goal iced the game with 1:52 remaining.
Four teams have held the number one spot in the USCHO.com poll this season. All four have lost a game within three games of attaining that top national ranking.
No. 17 Notre Dame 4, No. 6 Minnesota 2
Drew Bavaro’s fourth goal of the season at 3:30 of the third broke a 2-2 deadlock and Landon Slaggert added a late empty-net goal as Notre Dame, despite being heavily outshot, upset Minnesota on the road, 4-2.
Minnesota jumped ahead early on Rhett Pitlick’s goal 10:10 of the first, but Notre Dame had an answer 1:58 later when Grant Silanoff tallied to even the game at 1.
Notre Dame never trailed from there and has now won three straight games and are unbeaten in seven (5-0-2) and now sit at 7-3-2 on the season.
No. 7 Quinnipiac 8, No. 10 Cornell 4
When Quinnipiac and Cornell get together, goals are typically difficult to find. But an offensive explosion for defending national champion Quinnipiac helped account for the highest scoring game between the Bobcats and Big Red in the 50 total meetings between the pair, and 8-4 win for the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac jumped to a 3-0 lead early, fought off a second period charge by Cornell and then scored the game’s final three goals to put the game away.
Collin Graf scored two goals and an assist, while Jayden Lee added a goal and three assists for the Bobcats. Dalton Bancroft paced the Cornell offense with two goals and an assist.
In each of the last nine games between these two teams, the combined number of goals was six or less in every game.
No. 8 Boston University 3, No. 9 Maine 2
Two one-time perennial powerhouses in Hockey East met on Friday with both ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 2012 as Boston University outlasted Maine, 3-2, at Agganis Arena.
Though Maine scored 14 seconds into the contest on a goal by Thomas Freel, BU had the answer quickly – and over the next 30 minutes.
Macklin Celebrini notched his fifth goal and 15th point in game number 10 of his rookie campaign just 1:41 after Freel’s opener.
Ryan Greene tipped home a goal on the power play at 5:09 of the second and Tom Willander threaded a needle from the point on another man advantage 2:44 later.
Next up is Tom Willander's wicked wrister for his first goal in front of the home fans!
BU scored three times in five attempts with the man advantage.
Freel tallied with 10:58 remaining and Maine tried to push late, outshooting BU 10-2 in the final frame. But BU net minder Mathieu Caron was strong, finishing the game with 29 saves.
No. 4 Boston College 5, Connecticut 4 (OT)
Last week’s top team, Boston College, survived a scare at home from a feisty Connecticut team as Cutter Gauthier scored the tying and game-winning goals to lead the Eagles to a 5-4 victory.
Chase Bradley scored twice in the second period to draw the Huskies even after they fell behind 3-1 early.
Jake Flynn’s goal with 4:55 left in the middle frame game the Huskies a lead that lasted until Gauthier tied the game on the power play with 13:44 left.
As the seconds ticked down and BC pressed, a puck floated from behind the net to Gauthier wide open in the slot that he netted for his second overtime game-winner of the season.
No. 12 St. Cloud State 2, Minnesota Duluth 1
St. Cloud State fought off a feisty Minnesota Duluth team as Joe Molenaar broke a 1-1 tie with 2:19 remaining pacing the Huskies to a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs.
A scoreless game for nearly two periods, St. Cloud took the lead with 2:14 left in the second on Jack Reimann’s goal.
Matthew Perkins found the equalizer for Minnesota Duluth at 10:23 of the third on a major power play before Molenaar scored his seventh goal of the season for the winner.
St. Cloud State has posted five straight wins, all in NCHC play, after beginning the season 2-4-0.
With this week’s first official episode serving as a primer, we didn’t get a chance to talk about this weekend’s big series and since it’s with two teams we both know pretty well, Todd and I recorded a quick preview of what to look for as these two top teams face off.
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.
Gerard Maretta leads an experienced Trinity squad focused on climbing back to the top of the NESCAC standings (Photo by Trinity College Athletics)
Always the last conference to kick off its season, the NESCAC is certainly among the conferences that appear to have the greatest competitive mix of teams from top to bottom and this year should see that small gap across the ten teams be even smaller than years past based on simply the talent on each of the rosters. Last year it was Bowdoin and first-year coach Ben Guite who took home the conference tournament championship as somewhat of a dark horse, so it is hard to rule anyone out if they claim eligibility with a playoff spot come February. Looks like some of the perennial favorites are set up for another title run but this conference changes standings almost every weekend and this year is not likely to be different in the hunt for the conference crown.
The Favorites
While Trinity took an early exit from the NESCAC tournament last season, this year sees an added motivation for the Bantams to seek the NESCAC title as their home rink in Hartford is the host arena for this season’s Frozen Four next March. Coach Matt Greason has a solid returning roster in all three key phases starting in goal with Devon Bobak, on the blueline with Teddy Griffin and a host of strong forwards including Jax Murray, Devon Tongue, Gerard Maretta, and Kyle Tomaso. It took a while for the Bantams to get their game going last season so look for a much better start from this experienced and deep roster.
It is almost an assured fact that Williams is in the mix every season. Coach Bill Kangas always has a club that plays fast and competes hard in all three zones. This year’s roster sees the return of Jared Lambright and Connor Berg on the blue line with a solid group upfront including Owen Stadheim, Nicholas Rashovsky, Henry Muller, and Jonah Gold. With the graduation of Evan Ruschil in goal, Cal Sandquist will compete with two first-years for playing time. If the goaltending situation comes together quickly, the Ephs are always a contender.
The Dark Horses
Blaise MacDonald has a stacked roster at Colby and should be among the elite teams in the conference. Andy Beran is among the best goaltenders in the league while Jack Sullivan leads a mobile defensive group in support of a deep and talented set of forwards including John McElaney, Michael McEachern, and Henry Molson along with a pair of D-I transfers in Reese Farrell (Army) and Cody Hoban (Sacred Heart). Scoring depth, a mobile defensive group and excellent goaltending will help keep the Mules in contention.
The Cardinals are backstopped by what may be the best goaltending duo in the conference in Eric Voloshin and Marc Smith. Coach Potter’s team will need to find some key replacements on the blueline but showcase a deep group of forwards that know how to play a complete 200-foot game. Owen Sweet, DJ Dixon and Ethan Davidson will be among the key contributors expected to produce some of the goals last to graduated players.
Players to watch
Amherst: Matt Toporowski – forward; Max Thiessen – defense
Bowdoin: Alex Kozic – goaltender; Gabe Shipper – forward
Colby: John McElaney – forward; Jack Sullivan – defense
Tufts: Sam Miller – defense; Max Resnick – forward
Wesleyan: Owen Sweet – forward; Erik Voloshin – goaltender
Williams: Henry Muller – forward; Jonah Gold – forward
USCHO Predicted finish
Trinity
Williams
Wesleyan
Colby
Amherst
Hamilton
Tufts
Bowdoin
Connecticut College
Middlebury
Starting later always means the teams are quickly immersed into conference play right out of the gate this weekend. Trinity, Wesleyan, Williams, Amherst, and Middlebury all start their seasons on the road looking to surprise the home teams and grab some early key points in the conference standings.
Aurora plays a big NCHA series this weekend against Adrian. (Photo provided by Aurora Athletics)
It’s a week before Thanksgiving and hockey fans are thankful another weekend of games is on tap.
Conference play headlines the action out west and that always makes for interesting games, including a huge NCHA showdown between Adrian and Aurora.
Here’s a look at some of the predictions for the weekend ahead.
MIAC
Friday and Saturday
Saint Mary’s (1-5, 1-1) vs. Augsburg (2-2-1, 0-0)
Augsburg has scored 16 goals this season but has allowed 18. The Auggies need to be able to get rolling early with scoring and lean on the goalie play of Samuel Vyletelka.
The Cardinals have dropped three in a row and hoping to flip the script. They are going to need the offense to come alive. Saint Mary’s has scored only nine goals this year. Augsburg, 5-2 and 4-1
St. Olaf (2-3-1, 0-1-1) vs. Hamline (3-3, 1-1)
Gustavus (0-2) vs. Bethel (4-0-2, 1-0-1)
Bethel is one of only two unbeaten teams in the conference and has a golden opportunity to gain further footing near the top of the standings.
Defense has been huge for the Royals so far as they have allowed the fewest goals (7) among league teams. Travis Allen has already made 92 saves this season and is giving up less than a goal per game.
Gustavus has dropped three in a row but has shown it can beat anyone on any given night, earning a win over nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point earlier this season. The good news is they have two of the better offensive threats in the league in Nate Stone and Grant Ellings. Both have three goals apiece. Bethel, 4-1; Gustavus 3-2
Saturday
Saint John’s (2-4, 1-2) vs. No. 8 St. Scholastica (6-0, 3-0)
No one is better than the Saints right now in the MIAC. Nationally ranked St. Scholastica already has won win against the Johnnies, beating them 4-2 Thursday night. Arkhip Ledenkov hit the 100-point mark of his career in that game, and if he’s playing well, it makes the Saints that much harder to beat.
For the Johnnies, it’s about taking advantage of the missed opportunities it didn’t cash in on in the first game. Ten of their shots were blocked and eight were wide of the net. If a few of those go in, the story might be different. St. Scholastica, 4-3
NCHA
Friday and Saturday
No. 2 Adrian (4-1-1, 4-0) at Aurora (3-2-1, 3-1)
Talk about a big early-season showdown. The Bulldogs are the current leader atop the standings. The Spartans are right behind them and hoping to make a statement.
Adrian has won its last four, scoring three or more goals each time, and have won two in a row on the road. Aurora has won its last three after a slow start and faced its first big test of the year.
Both teams have shown they can score goals, with Aurora tallying 22 and Adrian racking up 20. Key plays defensively could decide this series. A sweep either way wouldn’t surprise me. But I have to believe we might see an upset one of the nights, though I might be wrong. Adrian, 5-2; Aurora, 3-2
Trine (5-1, 3-1) at Lake Forest (2-4, 0-2)
The Thunder have been playing well for the most part and have outscored the opposition 23-12. Getting shutout by St. Norbert in the final game of that series last weekend was the first hiccup of the year for the Thunder. This is a good opportunity for Trine to get back on track.
The Foresters have had a rough road so far and have dropped their last four, though they have shown they can compete, with two of their losses coming by a goal, including a air of one-goal losses to St. Nobert. Trine, 4-3 and 3-2
Marian (3-4, 2-2) vs. St. Norbert (4-3, 3-1)
An in-state battle is on the schedule here as the Sabres hope to stun the Green Knights in this home-and-home series.
St. Norbert is always tough at home and is 2-0 there this season. Three of the Green Knights’ last four games have been decided by a goal and it wouldn’t be a surprise if this series produces tightly contested games.
The Sabres have been on track lately, rattling off three consecutive wins, including an impressive 6-2 win over Augsburg. Marian, 4-3; St. Norbert, 4-2
WIAC
Friday
No. 14 UW-Stevens Point (4-2, 1-0) at UW-Stout (3-1-1, 1-0)
The Pointers are coming off a big early week win over UW-Eau Claire in a battle of nationally ranked teams and now face a Stout team currently unbeaten in league play as well.
The two teams are the two highest scoring in the conference, with the Blue Devils racking up 24 goals and the Pointers tallying 23.
The two also combine for seven of the top 10 goal scorers in the WIAC. Noah Finstrom has four goals for the Pointers. Maksis Brimanis and Boyd Stahlbaum have four goals apiece for the Blue Devils. This is one that could go either way. UW-Stevens Point, 5-4
UW-River Falls (3-2, 0-1) at UW-Superior (1-4, 0-0)
Dysen Skinner could be key in this one. He’s started four games this season and has made 124 saves. As a team, the Falcons are averaging two goals a game and allowing two per outing.
UW-Superior has had a tough time finding the back of the net early on this year, scoring just nine goals, but it did just win its first game of the year, beating Saint Mary’s 4-2, and looks to build on that momentum. UW-River Falls, 4-2
The Blugolds are hungry for a bounce-back win after a tough loss to the rival Pointers. They feature a balanced attack that has led to 18 goals on the season while Max Gutajahr has come through with 125 saves.
For the Falcons, this is an opportunity to close out the weekend with a statement win. They have won their last two against the Blugolds and would love to keep that streak intact. UW-Eau Claire, 5-4
Atlantic Hockey announced that the game between Army West Point and AIC originally scheduled for Oct. 27 will now be played next Tuesday, Nov. 28 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
