Hockey East announced Monday that UMass Lowell sophomore forward Dillan Bentley has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 1:13 of the first period on Nov. 11 at Boston University.
No penalty was called on the play.
Bentley is ineligible to play Nov. 15 at Merrimack and is able to return to the River Hawks lineup on Nov. 18 against the Warriors.
(3) Colgate at Dartmouth
Sydney Morrow scored her first career hat trick and 14 different Raiders registered a point as Colgate took an 8-1 win over Dartmouth. Kaitlyn O’Donohoe had a goal and two assists and Emma Pais had a goal and an assist in the win. Laura Fuoco ruined the shutout with a power play goal for the Big Green.
(3) Colgate at Harvard
The Raiders won their 10th straight game with a decisive 10-1 victory over Harvard on Saturday. Neena Brick scored four goals and added an assist while Kristýna Kaltounková racked up five points on two goals and three assists. Zoe Boosamra was the goal scorer for Harvard.
(5) Clarkson at (6) St. Lawrence
Golden Knights set an attendance record for Cheel Arena with 3223 fans on Wednesday and the action on the ice did not disappoint. Dominique Petrie opened the scoring for Clarkson, but Aly MacLeod responded for St. Lawrence to make it 1-1. Nicole Gosling gave the Golden Knights a 2-1 lead by the end of the first and that score held into the third period, when Kennedy Wilson tied the game 2-2. Sena Catterall’s short-handed goal make it 3-2 for Clarkson and Brooke McQuigge added a power play goal to push it to 4-2. Taylor Lum scored a power play goal of her own to close the gap back to one goal, making it 4-3. Darcie Lappan scored in the waning minutes to put the game out of reach and Petrie’s empty-netter secured the 6-3 win for Clarkson. On Saturday, Lappan, Catterall and Petrie all scored to give Clarkson the 3-0 win.
(7) Cornell at Harvard
Grace Dwyer and Izzy Daniel each had a goal and two assists while Katie Chan and Lily Delianedis each had a goal and an assist and Kaitlin Jockims scored to lead Cornell to a 5-1 win over Harvard on Friday. Kaley MacDonald scored for the Crimson to ruin the shutout.
(7) Cornell at Dartmouth
After a scoreless first period, Izzy Daniel and Lily Delianedis opened the scoring to give Cornell a 2-0 lead after two. Ashley Messier and Daniel pushed the lead to 4-0 by the midpoint of the final frame. Dartmouth pushed back with goals from Izee Powell and Kenzie Bachelor, but ran out of time to complete a comeback, as the Big Red took a 4-2 win.
Union at (11) Yale
Yale narrowly escaped with a win on Friday as Union pushed them to overtime before Elle Hartje ended the game with 90 seconds left on the clock. Hartje opened the scoring for the Bulldogs late in the first period, but Union struck back just 11 seconds later with a goal from Maddie Leaney. Early in the third, Leaney gave the Garnet Chargers a 2-1 lead. But Jordan Ray scored unassisted to tie the game 2-2 and force OT.
RPI at (11) Yale
Anna Bargman, Naomi Boucher, Jordan Ray and Gracie Gilkyson each scored on Saturday to lead Yale to a 4-1 victory. Ell Hartje had three assists in the win. Nina Christof scored for RPI in the loss.
(12) Connecticut at Maine
The Black Bears outshot the Huskies 21-13, but Tia Chan pitched a shutout and Jada Habisch scored on the power play to give UConn a 1-0 win on Friday. Chan stood out again on Saturday, making 34 saves and Habisch was the offensive hero, scoring twice. Brooke Campbell added a power play goal. Ann-Frederique Guay scored late for Maine to end the shutout, but Connecticut took a 3-1 win and weekend sweep.
(15) Boston College at (13) Vermont
Vermont reset their Hockey East attendance record with a crowd of 2,705 on Friday night, but Boston College won the night with a 6-3 victory. The Catamounts had a 3-0 lead before 21 minutes had elapsed thanks to goals from Kaylee Lewis, Natálie Mlýnková and Maddy Skelton. Abby Newhook clawed one back for the Eagles early in the second, but the Catamounts had a 3-1 lead heading into the final frame. Gabby Roy made it a one-goal game early, but as time ticked on, it looked like Vermont might be able to hold on to the lead. Then BC went to work, scoring three goals in less than three minutes. First it was Abby Newhook, then a slashing penalty led to a Julia Pellerin power play goal and Sammy Taber lit the lamp to put Boston College up 5-3. Sammy Smigliani’s empty net goal secured a 6-3 come-from-behind win for the Eagles. On Saturday Sydney Correa made a career high 33 saves in her first start of the 2023-24 season, including 12 in the first period, to lead Vermont to a 3-2 win. Newhook scored on the power play in the first to put the Eagles up 1-0. UVM regrouped at intermission and responded in the second with an extra-attacker goal from Mlýnkovál. In the third, Evelyne Blais-Savoie took advantage of another power play to put the Catamounts up 2-1. Pellerin tied it up for BC near the end of the frame, but just 11 seconds later, Skelton scored the game-winner to give Vermont the weekend split.
Mercyhurst at (14) Princeton
Jane Kuehl scored late in the first to give Princeton a lead they would never give up, despite Mercyhurst’s best efforts. Emerson O’Leary’s goal in the opening minute of the second made it 2-0, but Sara Boucher cut the lead to 2-1 just minutes later. O’Leary pushed the score to 3-1 early in the third. It was an exciting final few minutes of play as Olivia Cvar’s power play goal brough Mercyhurst within one. Stehanie Wallace quickly replied to make it 4-2 Tigers. Sofia Nuutinen’s power play goal brought it to 4-2, but the Lakers ran out of time and Princeton took the 4-3 win. In game two, ten different Tigers tallied points to lead Princeton to a 5-1 win. Issy Wunder led the Tigers with two goals and an assist.
From Tuesday night right through Saturday afternoon, this week’s D-III men’s hockey action saw unbeatens toppled, multiple ranked teams fall and overtime thrillers sprinkled in for more dramatic effect for the scoreboard watchers everywhere. As one winning coach texted, “Same kids, same team, same coach – different outcomes and everything appears different.” Enjoy the new view Coach Rice as your Babson Beavers knocked Elmira from the undefeated ranks and Saturday’s win took down No. 1 Hobart. Here’s more on the exciting week that was in the East:
CCC
Endicott and the University of New England played an early season home-and-home series that featured two of the expected contenders in the CCC. On Friday night, the teams were tied at 1-1 after two periods of play. Andrew Kurapov gave the Gulls a lead with a power play goal only to see the Jayden Price answer for the Nor’easters in the final two minutes of regulation. Kurapov added the overtime winner just 43 seconds into the extra session to give the visitors a 3-2 win. Saturday night saw Kurapov and Price again score third period goals that tied the game at 3-3 through regulation time. Overtime couldn’t decide a winner, but Anthony Sciucco scored for UNE in the fourth round of the shootout to give the Nor’easters the extra point.
Salve Regina remained unbeaten with a weekend sweep of Wentworth that moved them to 6-0-0 on the season. Leading by a 1-0 score after two periods of play on Friday night, the Seahawks scored four third period goals to pace a 5-2 win over the Leopards. Matthew Fawcett finished the game with one goal and two assists for Salve Regina. Saturday night the Seahawks scored once in each period to pace a 3-1 win with Logan Calder picking up a goal and an assist.
Curry took a pair of wins over Suffolk to move to 3-1-1 on the season. Eelis Laaksonen scored a pair of goals in Friday’s 5-2 win over the Rams. Shane Soderwall stopped 14 of 16 shots to earn his first win in goal. On Saturday, Killian Rowlee was the offensive star for the Colonels netting a hat trick in a 4-0 victory. Roland Polasek earned the shutout making 17 saves.
Independents
Anna Maria started the week off on Tuesday night playing giant killer when they knocked off unbeaten Plymouth State 4-1 paced by 51 saves from freshman Matthew Hennessey. The Panthers scored first on a power play goal by Anton Jellvik but that was the only goal Hennessey would surrender as he held the Panthers at bay making 22 saves in the opening period. The second period tilted the AmCats way with goals from Max Wennerberg forging a 1-1 tie before Matthew Gilbert gave the home team a 2-1 lead in the final minute of the period. Matthew Byrne added a pair of goals in the third period to seal the upset win for AMC which evened their record at 2-2-0 on the season.
The AmCats carried the momentum from Tuesday’s big win into a weekend series that saw AMC skate away with 5-2 and 2-1 wins over the Flying Dutchmen. On Friday, five different players scored with Matthew Gilbert and Guillaume Coulombe chipping in with one goal and one assist each. On Saturday, Braeden McKinnon opened and closed the scoring with a pair of power play tallies in a one-goal win for the AmCats that extended their win streak to three games.
MASCAC
After dropping a Tuesday game at Anna Maria, Plymouth State ran into a hot goaltender in Westfield State’s Kevin Chandler who made 50 saves in a 2-2 overtime tie on Thursday night. On Saturday, the Panthers returned to the win column with a 5-2 decision over Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. Connor Tait paced the offense with a goal and two assists while Payton Schaly added two goals.
Fitchburg State picked up a pair of conference wins over Salem State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The Falcons took advantage of two goals from Kristopher Zapata on Thursday night to hold off the Vikings, 4-3. On Saturday, goaltender Frederick Soderberg made 44 saves as the Falcons rallied from a 2-1 deficit with three unanswered goals in a 4-2 win over the Corsairs.
Worcester State picked up their first MASCAC win of the season on Thursday with a 5-1 decision over Framingham State. Wyatt Friedlander stopped 46 of 47 while Shane Prifrel scored one goal and added an assist for the Lancers.
NE-10
Assumption played a two-game series at St. Anselm this weekend and the Greyhounds skated away with two overtime wins over the Hawks. On Friday, the Hawks took a one-goal lead with under eight minutes remaining in the third period only to see Leo Piandes tie the score in the final 90 seconds of regulation. In the extra session, John Woernle netted the game-winning goal with an assist from Jake Lavoie who also figured in the tying goal. On Saturday, the visitors again rallied to tie the score in the third period and won it in extra time with Piandes tallying the game-winner with an assist from Woernle. The weekend sweep moves Assumption to 5-1-0 on the season.
Franklin Pierce handed St. Michael’s their first loss of the season with a 6-2 win on Friday night. The game featured six special team’s goals including three power play goals and one shorthanded marker for the Ravens. On Saturday, the Purple Knights earned a split of the weekend series with Case Kantgias scoring a pair of goals and adding an assist in a 6-3 win over the Ravens.
NEHC
After starting the season 0-3-1, Babson faced the daunting task of facing No. 10 Elmira on Friday night and No. 1 Hobart on Saturday. Apparently, some home-ice mojo fell into place as the Beavers upset both ranked teams to earn their first wins of the season. On Friday, the Beavers raced to a 3-0 lead only to see the Soaring Eagles respond with their own three-goal run that sent the game to the third period tied at 3-3. Ian Driscoll and Joseph Kramer netted the only goals of the period that gave the Beavers a big 5-3 upset win. On Saturday, Babson faced a Hobart team coming off a 10-0 win over Southern Maine. The Beavers took full advantage of goaltender Nate Mueller stopping 46 of 47 shots, including 18 in the third period, and Matt Cormier scoring a pair of goals as Babson toppled top-ranked Hobart by a 3-1 score.
After getting shutout at home on Friday by Hobart, Southern Maine regrouped and rallied for an overtime win over Elmira on Saturday. The Huskies trailed by a goal late in the third period when Matt Sullivan delivered a power play goal to tie the score with under two minutes remaining in regulation time. Neither team could score again in regulation, but give another power play opportunity, the Huskies took the thrilling win when Nolan McElhaney decided the contest just 39 seconds into the extra session with a 3-2 USM win. Cole Ouellette assisted on all three Huskie goals while Kyle Penton made 27 saves in goa to earn the win.
Norwich picked up a pair of wins to move to 3-2-0 on the season. On Friday, a three-goal second period helped the Cadets to a 4-3 decision over Massachusetts-Boston. On Saturday, Mikey MacKenzie scored a pair of goals and Bryce Walcarius made 21 saves to earn the shutout in a 6-0 win over Johnson & Wales.
SUNYAC
Plattsburgh had a “statement weekend” with SUNYAC wins over Geneseo and Brockport to move to 5-0-0 on the season. Friday night the Cardinals came out flying as Tio D’Addario scored just 59 seconds into the contest and Plattsburgh raced to a 4-0 lead in a 6-2 win over previously unbeaten Geneseo. On Saturday, things were a bit tighter against Brockport where the visitors held a 1-0 lead in the first period. Goals From Jake Lanyi in the second period and Spencer Bellina in the third period gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead and Joshua Belgrave iced the contest with an empty-net goal in the 3-1 win that kept PSU unbeaten on the season.
Oswego played a mid-week contest against Morrisville and skated away with an 8-2 win over the Mustangs. Forward Shane Bull had a six-point night scoring two goals and adding four assists in the lopsided Laker victory.
Fredonia and Buffalo State split their travel partner series over the weekend with each team taking a win as the visiting team. On Friday, the Bengals bested the Blue Devils by a 4-1 score. The visitors broke open a 1-1 tie with three unanswered goals to earn their first SUNYAC victory this season. On Saturday, Baxter Kimball’s two goals paced the Blue Devils in returning the favor of a win on the opposing team’s ice and earning their first win in SUNYAC play.
UCHC
Utica continued its winning ways in the UCHC with 6-2 and 7-3 wins over Chatham this weekend. Friday night saw the Pioneers score two goals in the first period and three in the second on the way to the 6-2 win over the Cougars. Brian Scoville picked up a pair of goals for the visitors in the win. On Saturday, Michael Herrera’s shorthanded goal started a four-goal onslaught that led the Pioneers to a comfortable 7-3 win. Herrera finished with two goals and an assist in the victory for Utica.
Wilkes moved to 4-1-0 on the season with a pair of wins over Manhattanville this weekend. The Colonels erased a 2-0 deficit with three goals in the second period including two in the final minute of play, just 29 seconds apart from Cam Lowe and Nick Swain that stood up for the win. On Saturday, Billy Berry was among eight goal scorers for the Colonels and the only player with more than one goal in a 9-1 rout of the Valiants. Goaltender Jack Perna made a combined 44 saves (21/23) to earn both road wins for Wilkes.
Three Biscuits
Chris Duclair – Hobart – scored a hat trick with two goals coming on the power play in the Statesmen 10-0 win over Southern Maine on Friday night.
Matthew Hennessey – Anna Maria – the freshman netminder stopped 51 of 52 shots in Tuesday’s 4-1 upset over previously unbeaten Plymouth State. Hennessey stopped 22 of 23 shots in the opening period and surrendering just one goal for the contest.
Nate Mueller – Babson – stopped 46 of 47 shots in the Beavers’ 3-1 upset win over No. 1-ranked Hobart on Saturday afternoon.
Bonus Biscuits
Andrew Kurapov – Endicott – scored the game-tying and overtime winning goals in Friday’s 3-2 road win over the University of New England on Friday night.
Shane Bull – Oswego – the Lakers forward netted a pair of goals and added four assists in Wednesday’s 8-2 romp over Morrisville.
Day-to-day and week-to-week there is already the randomness of results permeating the scoresheets across the different conferences. Teams can’t take any opponent for granted and the record isn’t often a good indication of the “fight in the dog.” Hope this continues for another few months as the drama on the ice this season has already been special, and we are only three weeks into the campaign.
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Maine takes four of six points from No. 1 BC
Lynden Breen and Bradly Nadeau each finished with a goal and an assist as No. 13 Maine stunned the top-ranked team in the country on Friday night, a 4-2 victory over top-ranked Boston College in before a sold-out crowd of 5,043 at Alfond Arena.
Six different Black Bears finished with a point apiece the next night as the teams skated to a 2-2 tie in front of another sellout crowd, with BC earning the extra point in the Hockey East standings by winning the shootout.
“It was good to see our guys got better as the game went along,” Maine coach Ben Barr said after Friday’s win, as reported in the Portland Press Herald. “We’re a grind team, and obviously we can make some plays and score some goals, too. We made it hard on them, and that’s what you have to do against a team with that much talent.”
2. Denver, Arizona State split at Mullett
No. 16 Arizona State still has a year to go before joining the NCHC, but it gave fans a taste of what will certainly be one of the league’s better rivalries as it skated to a split in a weekend series vs. No. 2 Denver. The Sun Devils won Friday night’s tilt 6-5 in overtime while Denver took the second game 8-4, after originally falling behind 3-0.
“We chose not to fold in the tent,” Denver coach David Carle said after Saturday night’s win. “We chose to keep going. (I) loved how we finished the game, the last 15 minutes of the third. We showed some maturity in our game.”
3. North Dakota sweeps Minnesota Duluth
No. 4 North Dakota, which received the most first-place votes in this season’s NCHC preseason poll, asserted itself as it began league play over the weekend with a resounding sweep at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth, by scores of 4-2 and 2-0.
UND received goals from Louis Jamernik V and Riese Gaber in the opening two periods while goaltender Ludvig Persson stopped all 30 shots fired his way to earn his second shutout of the season and North Dakota’s fifth straight win over the Bulldogs in Duluth for the first time since a 13-game streak going back more than five decades.
“We’re a confident group,” Gaber told the Grand Forks Herald. “We’ve got a lot of weapons. We showed that this weekend. We’re just going to keep going and doing our thing.”
North Dakota is an impressive 3-1 on the road this season.
“(G)oing on the road and getting three out of four in some tough places to play, you grow exponentially,” coach Brad Berry told the Grand Forks Herald. “I think our group grew a little bit. It’s tough to win in this building. We’ve done it a few times, but it doesn’t happen often.”
4. Providence keeps rolling with sweep of Northeastern, Leaman gets historic win.
One night after edging Northeastern 2-1 in overtime at home, No. 5 Providence went on the road to rout their Hockey East rivals 5-2 at Matthews Arena. Freshman Tanner Adams registered two goals and an assist to help coach Nate Leaman became the Friars’ all-time leader in wins with his 249th at Providence.
Leaman, who coached the Friars to the NCAA D-I championship in 2015, moved past Lou Lamoriello for the all-time program lead, a record that stood for 40 years.
5. Gophers take four of six points from Wolverines
Minnesota twice rallied from third-period deficits during a weekend series at Michigan, winning 4-3 Friday night at Yost Arena while skating to a 2-2 tie the following night. Michigan won the shootout on the second night to salvage the extra point in the B1G standings.
Brody Lamb increased his team-leading point total to 10, scoring his sixth goal of the season and second power-play tally of his career in Saturday’s tie, capping a four-point weekend. After not allowing a power-play goal for the first four games of the season, the Gophers have given up at least one in five of the previous six contests.
6. BU’s Hutson bros are hat trick bros
After stumbling in their Hockey East opener vs. New Hampshire (while ranked No. 1 in the country), and a disastrous exhibition outing vs. the U.S. National Under-18 Team, Boston University is unbeaten in six of its last eight, including a sweep of a home-and-home series vs. UMass Lowell. The Terriers won 3-2 on Friday night at Tsongas Arena, then romped to a 6-1 at home the next night.
Sophomore forward Quinn Hutson recorded his first collegiate hat trick as part of a career-best four-point night to lead BU in Saturday night’s rout. Hutson’s hatty came just one week after his brother, sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson, achieved the feat for the first time in a 5-4 overtime loss to North Dakota.
“Obviously, it’s pretty cool,” Quinn said. “It probably hasn’t happened before, ever, if I had to guess.”
7. Quinnipiac explodes out of ECAC gate
Defending NCAA champion Quinnipiac is not only unbeaten in ECAC play so far this season (3-0-1), the Bobcats have outscored league opponents 16-5.
Collin Graf and Jayden Lee led Quinnipiac with three points apiece in a 5-2 win over rival Yale on Saturday night, while Jacob Quillan and Andon Cerbone added multi-point nights as well. It was the Bobcats’ 13th straight win in the rivalry, improving to 31-7-5 all time against the Bulldogs.
“Yale’s always a really tough opponent,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold told the university’s student paper. “There’s a lot of emotion that goes into this game every time we play them here or there. I thought we handled the adversity well.”
8. Michigan State unbeaten in four straight
After closing out October with a weekend sweep at Boston College, Michigan State has rebounded nicely since, taking 10 out of a possible 12 points from B1G opponents. The Spartans took two straight at Ohio State the weekend of Nov. 3, then got four of six points from Penn State a week later.
Isaac Howard had a goal and an assist for Michigan State in a 3-3 tie vs. the Nittany Lions, extending his point streak to nine straight games and giving him his fourth multiple-point game of the season. Patrick Geary had his first career shorthanded goal in the tie.
9. St. Cloud takes pair from Western Michigan
St. Cloud State continued its hot start to NCHC play, earning its second consecutive sweep to open the league season with a 3-0 win at No. 12 Western Michigan in Kalamazoo.
Senior forward Veeti Miettinen of Finland scored in his sixth consecutive game, while senior goaltender Dominic Basse stopped all 22 shots he faced to record his third shutout of the season.
10. St. Thomas moves into CCHA’s top spot
In only its third season as a Division I program, St. Thomas finds itself alone atop the CCHA standings following two wins at Bowling Green over the weekend. A 4-3 win Saturday night was the Tommies’ fourth in a row (the longest winning streak in program history) and gave them their first CCHA record above .500.
St. Thomas has outscored Northern Michigan and Bowling Green 18-7 in its last four games. Sophomore forward Lucas Wahlin is St. Thomas’s leading scorer with six goals and six assists. Cooper Gay had a pair of goals in Saturday night’s win.
A little history was made over the weekend for nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point as it won the 700th game in the modern era of the program.
The No. 13 Pointers did it with a 5-2 win over Saint Mary’s on Friday and then capped things off with a hard-fought 4-3 win in overtime against St. Olaf. The modern era began in 1987.
Against the Oles on Saturday, stretched its home win streak to three thanks to an OT goal by Evan Junker.
Noah Finstrom helped spark the offense as he scored two goals for the Pointers (3-2), both goals coming in the opening period of play.
Gino Colangelo then made it 3-0 in favor of the Pointers before the Oles (2-3-1) sparked a rally.
Camden Benson, Tyler Green and Troy Bowditch all scored to pull St. Olaf into a 3-3 tie.
Junker’s goal two minutes into OT sealed UW-Stevens Point’s victory.
Kelijah McElroy had two assists for the Oles and Thomas Lalonde made 33 saves. Alex Proctor racked up 13 saves for the Pointers. Dawson Sciarrino dished out two assists.
On Friday, Proctor made 24 saves. Matt Sanker of Saint Mary’s tallied 37 saves.
Fletcher Anderson, Mick Heneghan, Andrew Poulias and Conor Witherspoon all had a goal and assist.
Johnnies notch big MIAC win
Saint John’s won its first conference game of the year in a 5-2 win over rival Concordia.
The Johnnies won their game on the strength of four special teams goals and led 5-0 before the Cobbers finally got on the board in the final three minutes of play.
Lewis Crosby and Jack Olsen each came through with a goal and an assist as Saint John’s improved to 2-3 overall an 1-1 in the MIAC. Jon Howe stopped 27 shots for his first win of the year. Crosby’s goal was the 25th of his collegiate career.
Adam Brown and Hunter Bjorge scored for the Cobbers, who held a 29-28 edge in shots but couldn’t avoid their first loss of the season. They are 4-1-1 overall and 1-1 in the MIAC.
Saints finish sweep of Gusties
St. Scholastica is still undefeated after completing a sweep of Gustavus Saturday with a 4-3 win. It’s the third time this year the Saints have scored four or more goals in a game.
Jack Bostedt earned his fourth win of the year in goal and Carse Richels scored the game winner late in the third to help the No. 14 Saints stretch their lead to 4-2 and hang on for the win.
Filimon Ledenkov dished out two assists while Nathan Adrian, Brodie Girod and Tristan Shewchuk all scored to help the Saints improve to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in MIAC play.
Gustavus falls to 2-3-1 and is 0-2 in the conference.
The Oles tied the game at 1-1 in the first on a goal by Grant Ellings and pulled even at 2-2 in the third on a goal by Marc Fietemeyer. A power play goal by Wilmer Svensson with under 20 seconds to play in the game gave the Oles their final score of the night. Gustavus lost 2-0 to St. Scholastica in the series opener Thursday.
Yellowjackets notch first win
No goals in back-to-back games. No wins in their first four games. It hadn’t been the easiest start for the UW-Superior Yellowjackets.
That all changed Saturday as the UW-Superior topped Saint Mary’s 4-2 and got things back on track.
Chris Ishmael played a key role, scoring twice and dishing out an assist, while Tristan Therrien tallied a goal and an assist. Terry Ryder also found the back of the net as the Yellowjackets (1-4) put the difficult start to the year behind them.
Jack Boschert came through with his first win at the college level, racking up 28 saves, several of which were from point-blank range as he put his skill on display one night after the Yellowjackets lost 2-0 to Bethel.
Auggies top Lumberjacks
Augsburg snapped a two-game losing streak and won its second game of the season with a 5-3 win over Northland Saturday.
The Auggies scored three goals in the opening period and led 4-2 after two, holding off a fierce Northland rally.
Cade Stibbe was on top of his game, scoring a goal and tallying two assists, to help fuel the attack for Augsburg (2-2-1). Erik Palmqvist tallied a goal and assist. Kyle Yeo scored his first goal of the year in the win while Samuel Vyletelka made 25 saves. Augsburg dominated in the shot department, getting 45 off in the game.
Camille Marcoux and Bryson Cecconi led Northland, each scoring a goal and assist, while Viktor Wennberg stayed busy in goal, making 40 saves. Northland is 1-5 on the year.
Royals and Blugolds play to tie
Forget that No. 5 UW-Eau Claire was up against unranked Bethel. Nothing ever comes easy in D-III hockey. And consider that the Royals came in as an unbeaten team.
The Blugolds, also unbeaten entering the night, overcame a 1-0 first-period deficit, tying the game in the second, and each team scored once in the third before playing a scoreless OT period.
Kyler Gundy tied the game at 1-1 and Tyler Herzberg scored a go-ahead goal with just 1:11 remaining in the third. The Royals answered to force extra hockey.
Matt Gutjahr stepped up in goal, coming through with 39 shots. Bethel held a 41-34 advantage in shots.
Despite the tie, UW-Eau Claire stays unbeaten, now sitting at 3-0-1. The Blugolds face a huge test Tuesday night when they take on rival UW-Stevens Point on the road in an early-season WIAC showdown.
Bethel got its first goal from Tyler Kostelecky. Justin Kelley forced OT when he scored with less than a minute left. The Royals are still unbeaten as well on the year, sporting a 4-0-2 mark.
Falcons beat Pipers
After suffering a 3-0 loss to St. Olaf on Friday night, UW-River Falls bounced back in a big way as it snapped a two-game losing streak with a 3-1 win over Hamline.
The Falcons (3-2) were outshot 33-31 but still found a way to pull out the win.
Arseni Smekhnov got the scoring started for UW-River Falls, scoring late in the first period. It was his first goal of the year.
That lead would hold through the period and neither team scored in the second.
Owen Belisle gave the Falcons a 2-0 lead in the third with his first goal of the year.
Hamline scored its only goal with under six minutes left but the Falcons held off any further attempt at a rally, thanks in part to the play in goal by Dean Buchholz, who made his first start of the season and stopped 32 shots.
Brandon McNamara scored the lone goal for the Pipers (3-3).
Bulldogs still perfect in conference play
MSOE wasn’t going to make it easy on Adrian in the series finale Saturday night.
But with time winding down in OT, Julien Jacob was clutch, scoring the game winner with two seconds left to lift the No. 2 Bulldogs to a 3-2 win.
Adrian, which won 3-2 in regulation on Friday against a tough MSOE squad, has won its last four and improved to 4-1-1 overall and 4-0 in the NCHA.
Adrian dominated in the shots taken category, firing off 45, compared to just 18 by the Raiders.
Jacob also had an assist in the win while Ryan Pitoscia and Connor May also scored goals. Dershahn Stewart made 16 saves. Austin Schwab was tough in goal despite being constantly tested as he made 42 saves. Jonathan Lapsa and Adam Smith scored the goals for the Raiders, who are still searching for their first NCHA win. They are 2-3-1 overall and 0-3-1 in the conference.
Matt Rehding scored the game winner on Friday for the Bulldogs. He punched in the goal with 13 seconds left in regulation.
Spartans shine in sweep
On the road in NCHA play, Aurora rose to the occasion against Lawrence, earning a 5-2 victory to complete a series sweep.
Five different players scored as Matt Weber, John Holland, Chase Broda, Hassan Akl and Derrick Budz all scored goals. Budz also dished out two assists. Tyler Pang didn’t find the back of the net but he did assist on three of the Spartan goals while JaCob Mucitelli made 21 saves as Aurora pushed its overall record to 3-2-1. It is 3-1 in the NCHA.
Lawrence dropped to 2-3-1 overall and 1-2-1 in the conference.
Aurora was just as dominant on Friday in the series opener as it rolled to a 6-1 win. Jacob Brockman led the way with two goals. Alec Schwab came through with three assists.
Thunder and Green Knights split
The final night of a battle between two NCHA contenders ended with St. Norbert rolling past Trine 4-0.
It marked the first loss of the year for Trine, which is now 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the NCHA.
The Green Knights improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in the conference, winning for the second time on the road this season.
Hunter Garvey made 23 saves in his first collegiate start while goals from Logan Dombrowsky and Liam Fraser on the same power play put the the Green Knights in control with a 3-0 lead.
Braden Lindstrom finished off the scoring with under five minutes remaining. Adam Stacho also scored a goal.
A balanced attack on Friday night led Trine to a 5-4 victory over St. Norbert. First-period goals by Sam Antenucci and Josh Wright staked Trine out to a 2-0 lead. Tied at 2-2, Thad Marcola scored to put Trine ahead 3-2 after two periods.
Chase McCardle and Drew Welsch scored in the first six minutes of the third to help Trine pull away. Kyle Kozma helped Trine hold off a late St. Norbert rally. Johnny Roberts made 17 saves for the Green Knights.
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 6 fared in games over the weekend of Nov. 10-11.
No. 1 Boston College (7-2-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 1 Boston College 2 at No. 13 Maine 4
11/11/2023 – No. 1 Boston College 2 at No. 13 Maine 2 (OT)
No. 2 Denver (7-2-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 2 Denver 5 at No. 16 Arizona State 6 (OT)
11/11/2023 – No. 2 Denver 8 at No. 16 Arizona State 4
No. 3 Wisconsin (9-1-0)
Did not play.
No. 4 North Dakota (7-2-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 4 North Dakota 4 at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth 2
11/11/2023 – No. 4 North Dakota 2 at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth 0
No. 5 Providence (8-1-2)
11/10/2023 – RV Northeastern 1 at No. 5 Providence 2 (OT)
11/11/2023 – No. 5 Providence 5 at RV Northeastern 2
No. 6 Minnesota (5-3-2)
11/10/2023 – No. 6 Minnesota 4 at No. 8 Michigan 3
11/11/2023 – No. 6 Minnesota 2 at No. 8 Michigan 2 (OT)
No. 7 Cornell (4-1-1)
11/10/2023 – Dartmouth 2 at No. 7 Cornell 2 (OT)
11/11/2023 – RV Harvard 3 at No. 7 Cornell 2
No. 8 Michigan (5-5-2)
11/10/2023 – No. 6 Minnesota 4 at No. 8 Michigan 3
11/11/2023 – No. 6 Minnesota 2 at No. 8 Michigan 2 (OT)
No. 9 Boston University (6-3-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 9 Boston University 3 at RV UMass Lowell 2
11/11/2023 – RV UMass Lowell 1 at No. 9 Boston University 6
No. 10 Quinnipiac (7-3-1)
11/10/2023 – Brown 1 at No. 10 Quinnipiac 5
11/11/2023 – Yale 2 at No. 10 Quinnipiac 5
No. 11 Michigan State (8-3-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 3 at No. 11 Michigan State 3 (OT)
11/11/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 3 at No. 11 Michigan State 5
No. 12 Western Michigan (4-3-1)
11/10/2023 – RV St. Cloud State 3 at No. 12 Western Michigan 2
11/11/2023 – RV St. Cloud State 3 at No. 12 Western Michigan 0
No. 13 Maine (6-1-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 1 Boston College 2 at No. 13 Maine 4
11/11/2023 – No. 1 Boston College 2 at No. 13 Maine 2 (OT)
No. 14 Massachusetts (6-3-1)
11/10/2023 – Vermont 1 at No. 14 Massachusetts 4
11/11/2023 – Vermont 6 at No. 14 Massachusetts 2
No. 14 New Hampshire (4-2-1)
Did not play.
No. 16 Arizona State (7-2-1)
11/10/2023 – No. 2 Denver 5 at No. 16 Arizona State 6 (OT)
11/11/2023 – No. 2 Denver 8 at No. 16 Arizona State 4
No. 17 Penn State (5-3-3)
11/10/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 3 at No. 11 Michigan State 3 (OT)
11/11/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 3 at No. 11 Michigan State 5
No. 18 Minnesota Duluth (3-5-3)
11/10/2023 – No. 4 North Dakota 4 at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth 2
11/11/2023 – No. 4 North Dakota 2 at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth 0
No. 19 Ohio State (3-5-3)
11/10/2023 – No. 19 Ohio State 1 at RV Notre Dame 4
11/11/2023 – No. 19 Ohio State 0 at RV Notre Dame 3
No. 20 RIT (7-3-0)
11/10/2023 – Mercyhurst 2 at No. 20 RIT 5
11/11/2023 – Mercyhurst 2 at No. 20 RIT 0
RV = Received Votes
The Heroes’ Hat, presented annually to the winner of the series between defending national championship Quinnipiac and Yale will stay in Hamden, Conn., after the Bobcats stayed unbeaten in ECAC play with a 5-2 win over their arch rivals.
Five different players registered goals for Quinnipiac while Collin Graf earned three assists in the victory.
The Heroes’ Hat was established after the attacks on the World Trade Center in September of 2011. It remembers the late Joseph Mascali, a father of three Quinnipiac alums, who lost his life on 9/11.
Quinnipiac has captured or retained the Heroes’ Hat in each season dating back to 2012.
No. 2 Denver 8, No. 16 Arizona State 4
Arizona State’s Mullett Arena has been a difficult destination for any team that ventures to Tempe. No. 2 Denver found that out on Friday, falling to the host Sun Devils, 6-5 in overtime, on Friday.
Things looked even worse for the Pioneers in Saturday’s rematch, falling behind 3-0 by the early minutes of the second period.
But Denver exploded for eight of the game’s final nine goals, including two goals by Jack Devine and a goal and three assists from Carter King as Denver rallied for a 8-4 victory to earn the weekend split.
It was a four-goal explosion in a span of 7:54 of the second that included goals by McKade Webster, Miko Matikka and Devine’s pair. Jared Wright expanded the lead to 5-3 in the third before Matthew Kopperud brought Arizona State to within one with 10:26 remaining.
He's the Wright man for the job!
Denver has now scored 5 unanswered!#GoPios pic.twitter.com/V4bdxU5eUY
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) November 12, 2023
Denver, though, found the empty net twice and then added a third late tally to provide a final score not indicative of how close the game was played.
St. Cloud State 3, No. 12 Western Michigan 0
St. Cloud State completed a road sweep of No. 12 Western Michigan, extending its win streak to four games after beginning the year 2-4-0.
Dominic Basse stopped all 23 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season. Veeti Miettinen scored on the power play in the first and Grant Achan and Joe Molenaar added tallies in the middle frame. For Miettinen it was the his sixth straight game with a goal.
Stay hot Veeti! 🔥🔥
Miettinen is the first Husky to score in 6 consecutive games since Ryan Lasch in the 2007-08 season (Oct. 27 – Nov. 23).#GoHuskies | #HuskyHockey 🏒
— St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (@SCSUHuskies_MH) November 12, 2023
St. Cloud State has allowed two goals or less in five of its last six games, all victories.
No. 11 Michigan State 5, No. 17 Notre Dame 3
The host Spartans salvaged a four-point weekend in Big Ten play, following Friday’s tie where Notre Dame took the extra point in a shootout, with a 5-3 win Saturday afternoon.
Gavin O’Connell scored his second goal of the game with 15:48 remaining to break a 3-3 tie for Michigan State. Artyom Levshunov iced the game with an empty-net goal with 39 seconds left.
Make that ✌️ for Gavin O'Connell! He gives the Spartans back the lead with this strike on the power play. pic.twitter.com/w0MoRQHbEX
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) November 11, 2023
The two clubs traded leads all night with the Spartans holding leads of 1-0 and 3-2 before O’Connell broke the deadlock.
Trey Augustine made 34 saves to earn the victory for the hosts.
Mercyhurst 2, No. 20 RIT 0
Behind a 51-save shutout by goaltender Simon Bucheler, Mercyhurst upset No. 20 RIT to earn a weekend split and give coach Rick Gotkin his 600th collegiate coaching victory.
Gotkin is only the 16th men’s coach to reach that milestone and currently ranks second among active Division I coaches behind Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold.
With tonight’s victory over RIT, Mercyhurst Head Coach Rick Gotkin adds to his illustrious resumé, winning his 600th game. He joins an elite list only 15 other men have graced, cementing himself in history.
Congratulations Coach Gotkin, and from all Laker Nation, thank you.☘️🏆 pic.twitter.com/CmZVLQ7ysA
— Mercyhurst Men’s Hockey (@HurstMensHockey) November 12, 2023
The Lakers mustered just 12 shots in the game but made the most of them. Boris Skalos scored at 12:15 of the first period before Keanen Stewart added a power play tally with 12:30 remaining.
Bucheler stopped 15 shots in both the first and third periods and added 21 stops in the middle frame.
No. 5 Providence 5, Northeastern 2
Providence scored twice in the first and put the game away with a three-goal third period as the Friars completes a weekend sweep of Northeastern, 5-2.
With the win, coach Nate Leaman earns with No. 249 and passes Hockey Hall of Famer Lou Lamoriello as Providence’s winningest men’s hockey coach of all time.
With that win, Nate Leaman stands alone as the winningest head coach in program history with 249 wins! Congrats Coach! pic.twitter.com/2JQirZl3yG
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) November 12, 2023
Tanner Adams scored two goals for the Friars and added and assist, while Jaroslav Chmelar added a goal and as assist.
Providence improves to 8-1-2 overall and 4-0-2 in Hockey East. It is the best start to a season since the 2015-16 campaign when the Friars began 12-0-3.
Hockey East announced today that UConn sophomore forward Tristan Fraser has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 12:06 of the third period on Nov. 10 against Merrimack.
On the play, Fraser was assessed a five-minute major penalty for kneeing and a game misconduct.
Fraser is ineligible to play Nov. 11 at Merrimack and is able to return to the Huskies’ lineup on Nov. 17 at Boston College.
No. 13 Maine took down No. 1 Boston College 4-2 on Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd of 5,043 at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.
The Black Bears got on the board first thanks to captain Lynden Breen only to see the Eagles respond 90 seconds later on a Jack Malone goal.
That’ll do.#BlackBearNation // #JourneyNorth pic.twitter.com/JGj87oiNeE
— Maine Men’s Ice Hockey (@MaineIceHockey) November 11, 2023
Early in the third period, it was Donavan Villeneuve-Houle that put the Black Bears up 2-1 at 1:23. Exactly a minute later, Bradly Nadeau finished a feed from Breen for a two-goal lead. The Eagles pulled within one when Ryan Leonard scored at 11:27 but a Grayson Arnott blocked shot and empty-net goal at 18:58 sealed Maine’s second-ever win over a top-ranked team at Alfond Arena.
Victor Ostman made 26 saves for the win in goal, while Jacob Fowler took the loss making 34 saves.
SCOREBOARD | USCHO.COM D-I MEN’S POLL
Tyler Gratton’s goal 2:55 into overtime gave Arizona State a 6-5 win over Denver at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
Dylan Jackson recorded the hat trick for the Sun Devils, while Lukas Sillinger went for a goal and two assists and Ty Jackson chipped in a goal plus a helper.
THANK YOU CAP 🫡 THE DEVILS WIN IN OT#BeTheTradition /// #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/O3hTUQ9USq
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 11, 2023
Tim Lovell added two assists and TJ Semptimphelter finished with 35 saves in goal.
For Denver, Miko Matikka and Carter King each scored twice and Zeev Buium added a single goal.
Freddie Halyk stopped 19 shots in the loss for the Pioneers.
North Dakota struck for a trio of goals in the opening 20 minutes and held off a late rally from Minnesota Duluth to capture a 4-2 win over the Bulldogs on Friday night from AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
UND rode another strong start to a game, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the opening period on goals from Jayden Perron, Logan Britt and Louis Jamernik V before Cameron Berg iced the game with a power-play goal in the final minute to open NCHC play with a victory for the sixth straight year and ninth time in 11 years.
Analytics say to never bunt, but this has to be the exception. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/RLlrIi4ff5
— North Dakota Hockey (@UNDmhockey) November 11, 2023
Ludvig Persson was solid once again with 20 saves to record his sixth start of the season with two or fewer goals allowed.
Minnesota Duluth cut the deficit to 3-1 midway through the second on a power-play goal from Luke Loheit before Anthony Menghini made it a one-goal game with just over five minutes to play in regulation, but Berg’s power play snipe in the final minute secured the 4-2 victory for the visitors.
UMD goalie Matthew Thiessen finished with 33 saves.
Luke Krys scored at 1:30 of overtime to give Providence a 2-1 victory over Northeastern on Friday night at Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.
With the win, the Friars extend their unbeaten streak to eight games (6-0-2).
Krys'er for the win!!
Bennett Schimek and Chase Yoder with the assists on Krys' second of the win!#GoFriars pic.twitter.com/46vFnw6ITj
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) November 11, 2023
Riley Duran also scored for Providence and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine tallied for Northeastern.
Chase Yoder chipped in a pair of assists for the Friars.
In goal, Philip Svedebäck made just seven saves for PC, while Cameron Whitehead stopped 38 for the Huskies.
Minnesota was down 3-1 before scoring three unanswered goals to rally for the 4-3 comeback and down Michigan at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Jimmy Clark’s two-goal effort ignited the comeback win and Brody Lamb chipped in a career-high three points, including the late game winner with 3:28 to play in regulation.
No. 6 @GopherHockey was down 3-1 and scored 3 unanswered goals to rally for the 4-3 comeback win at No. 8 Michigan. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/dyKvP4js8I
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) November 11, 2023
Connor Kurth also scored in the third period for the Gophers.
The Wolverines were led by goals from Dylan Duke, Frank Nazar and Rutger McGroarty.
Justen Close made 37 saves in goal for the Gophers, while Jake Barczewski turned aside 23 for Michigan.
Cornell and Dartmouth battled to a 2-2 tie before another sold-out crowd of 4,361 at Lynah Rink on Friday night in Ithaca, N.Y.
Dalton Bancroft and Tim Rego recorded the goals for the Big Red, who saw its season-opening four-game win streak end.
Check out this goal from John Fusco early in the second period tonight in our 2-2 tie against No. 7 Cornell!#GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/RH5gfKmodl
— Dartmouth Men's Hockey (@Dartmouth_MIH) November 11, 2023
John Fusco scored both goals for Dartmouth, who also had a 31-save performance from sophomore goaltender Cooper Black.
All the goals were scored in the second period.
“You got to give credit where it’s due,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer. “Cooper Black played unbelievable tonight. He’s a tough goalie to beat. We had a lot of different scoring chances on him tonight, and I think our guys got frustrated as the game went on. I thought we got away from our game plan against them.”
Ian Shane made 20 saves for Cornell.
In the shootout, Bancroft beat Black to his low blocker side to ignite the scoring in the one-on-one showdown. Dartmouth’s Braiden Dorfman followed Bancroft’s tally with his own as he backhanded a shot over Shane’s glove. After both teams were held scoreless in the second round, Gabriel Seger used a deke to catch Black moving laterally and deposit his attempt between the Big Green’s netminder’s legs.
Shane then stopped Nikita Nikora’s shot, guiding the Big Red to the extra point in both ECAC Hockey and Ivy League standings.
Ryan Greene, Quinn Hutson and Lane Hutson each found the back of the net to help lead Boston University to a 3-2 victory at UMass Lowell on Friday night at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
Luke Tuch assisted on the Terriers’ final two goals of the game, including the primary assist on Lane Hutson’s eventual game winner.
That's five goals in three games for Laner!
Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/bDs5TZBgnQ @hockey_east | @espn pic.twitter.com/hJ8LotUpiL
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 11, 2023
Goaltender Mathieu Caron made 10 of his 18 stops in the third period to preserve the victory.
Ben Brunette and Isac Jonsson scored for the River Hawks and Henry Welsch kicked out 27 shots between the pipes.
Quinnipiac extended its unbeaten streak to four on Friday night, knocking off Brown 4-1 in front of 2,979 fans at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.
Jacob Quillan tallied twice with a helper, Collin Graf added a goal and two assists, Sam Lipkin went for a goal and an assist, and Alex Power also scored in the win.
Save that puck, AP!#BobcatNation x #NCAAHockey pic.twitter.com/EVwfLOo3sH
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) November 11, 2023
Jayden Lee had two assists and Matej Marinov picked up the win in goal with a 13-save effort.
Ryan St. Louis netted the Bears’ lone goal and Tyler Shea made 45 saves in goal for Brown.
Jack Rogers and Veeti Miettinen scored 35 seconds apart in the third period to push St. Cloud State past Western Michigan 3-2 at Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.
First goal of the season for Jack Rogers! pic.twitter.com/YrjFXDiMMc
— St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (@SCSUHuskies_MH) November 11, 2023
Barrett Hall also scored for the Huskies, who got 22 saves from goalie Dominic Basse.
Joe Cassetti and Luke Grainger scored for WMU, while Cameron Rowe made 22 saves of his own for the Broncos.
Luke Rowe’s goal with 16 seconds left in overtime lifted the Falcons to a 4-3 win over Army at a sold-out Cadet Ice Arena Friday night in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Army scored three unanswered goals late in the third period from Max Itagaki, Brent Keefer and John Driscoll to tie the game and force overtime.
In overtime, Falcons score 🙌 pic.twitter.com/6UrOOaHWxK
— Air Force Hockey (@AF_HKY) November 11, 2023
Will Gavin, Lucas Coon, and Luke Robinson also scored for Air Force.
In goal, Guy Blessing made 16 saves for the win.
Evan Szary stopped 39 shots in suffering the defeat for the Black Knights.
We’re more than a month into the college hockey season, thus there is plenty of data available from most of the Division I men’s teams.
With that, if you’re a sports bettor who favors college hockey, there’s good news and bad.
Let’s start with the bad: As these books get more information on teams and more data, the lines on every game are more accurate on paper. You’re not seeing a team that should be around -180 or -200 listed at -140. You’re not seeing a 5.5 over/under when two teams are each averaging 3.5 goals per game. If you dig into the data yourself, you’ll find these lines are getting incredibly accurate and over/unders are more on spot than they were in early October.
As for the good news, it seems that some books, because they now have the data, are willing to post lines on more games, giving you more betting options. In week one of the season, there were only four games total listed by DraftKings Sports Book. This week, that number has doubled to eight. By the time we get into January, expect in excess of a dozen games per night.
Let’s look at some of the places where there might be a bit of an edge for bettors:
Minnesota -110 (at Michigan): The fact that Minnesota is 1-2-1 in its last four and on the road against Michigan seems to be lowering the Gophers odds tonight. If you’re looking for Minnesota at an attractive price, it may not get much better than this (Michigan is -120, for the record).
UMass Lowell +140 (home vs. Boston University): Yes, UMass Lowell has lost three of its last four games, but the River Hawks have been in every one of those games, including two last weekend against No. 1 Boston College. The River Hawks have had some struggles scoring goals, but they’ll face a BU team that 3.25 goals per game thus far. If this is the night the River Hawks offense breaks out, +140 is an attractive price.
North Dakota -140 (at Minnesota Duluth): Okay, -140 isn’t that great of a price, but given the recent injuries to Minnesota Duluth, this feels like great price. The book makers might be depending a little too much on statistics and A.I. and not digging into who is in and who is out of the lineup when setting the line. I also really like the over if you can get it at 5.5 or 6 (DraftKings had 6 as of Thursday).
Game to avoid this week: Boston College (-175) at Maine (+135)
Team to consider strongest: North Dakota (-140)
Here’s a new semi-weekly column of my weekend game picks for certain games. I had to take a play from Tim Costello‘s playbook once again, bringing it to the Women’s D-III side of things!
Overall record 0-0
Friday:
Oswego at Morrisville
I think this game will be closer than some expect. Oswego enters with a 2-1 record with two wins over a solid William Smith team, only loss being to #3 Plattsburgh. Morrisville enters with a 2-1 record as well, only loss being to #11 Cortland who they took to overtime at home. Morrisville should put up a fight through the first two periods and keep it close, possibly send the game to overtime, I see a good chance this takes an extra period to end it. Give me Oswego to win it, but not by much, likely an empty net goal is required to seal it.
Oswego 4-2
Dubuque vs Marian
Dubuque comes off a sweep of Trine, winning 5-4 OT & 2-0. Goaltender Savannah XXXX is feeling it at the moment, look for her to have another good weekend against a Marian team that I think matches up pretty evenly with the inaugural Spartan squad. I’ll take Dubuque to keep it rolling along in the NCHA and move to 3-1 on the year. An issue we saw with the Spartans vs Trine was their heavy penalty minutes, totaling over 20 for two games. If they can clean up the penalties and Savannah Wuitschick stays hot, they shouldn’t have any problems against Marian, wouldn’t shock me if they swept them to go 4-1.
Dubuque 3-1
Wilkes at #8 Utica
Wilkes is a team many may not think of to give Utica a run, but they’re much improved with a lot of Canadian recruits brought in by Head Coach Dave Labaff. They gave Manhattanville two great games last weekend, falling 3-2 and 3-2 in OT. I expect Utica to win, especially at home in the Nexus Center, but like last weekend vs Lebanon Valley, Utica’s shown they’re vulnerable in certain aspects. I think Wilkes gives them a run but falls short in the end, don’t expect a #8 blowout victory.
Utica 4-2
Chatham at Manhattanville
Chatham’s coming off a program-best year, Manhattanville remains an underrated team with Captain Gabrielle Cox who was near the top of the goal scorer list last season. Expect her to have 1-2 goals in this series and it wouldn’t shock me if she got 3. In this game, being in the Playland Ice Casino (still one of my favorite arena names in all of D3, except there’s no table games or slots to be found). This is an intriguing series in the UCHC as both teams are wildcards, either team could win this, but give me the Valiant’s in a close one.
Manhattanville 4-3.
Saturday:
#15 Endicott at Western New England
Feels like I’m loving the upset-scare this weekend (makes my hardcore analysis look better if it occurs), but I do believe this game is Western New England’s. Endicott will likely win at home on Friday, but I think, like las year, the Golden Bears pull one out and defeat Endicott in game two. WNE enters with a big senior-heavy class, Endicott looks like the Endicott we’re used to, but give me WNE to upset the Gulls and get their first ranked win of the year.
Western New England 3-2
Hamline at Saint Mary’s
This game is intriguing on various levels, Saint Mary’s is looking like they’re for real, Hamline also looks much improved. I think HC Chad Davis of Saint Mary’s has his team in a good place, it wouldn’t shock me if they replicate the Lake Forest series and beat the Pipers handily. We will see what Hamline is in this weekend series, Saint Mary’s has proven themselves already as they defeated #7 UW-Eau Claire last weekend and feel to #4 UW-River Falls by a slim margin of 3-1.
Saint Mary’s 4-1
#11 Cortland at Canton
This is another matchup between two teams looking to get to the next level, just in different ways. Cortland has seen the conference championship, they’ve even beaten the Queens of the conference Plattsburgh on numerous occasions, but the next step for them is the NCAA tournament. The Roos of Canton on the other hand are looking to get a signature win over a ranked opponent, this could be the weekend for them as they get a Cortland team who needed overtime to defeat Morrisville (who’s HC and AC are both former Red Dragons). Cortland will need to get off to a good start with a few early goals if they want to avoid the upset. Callie Grant’s Roos should be ready to go.
Cortland 5-3
Nichols at Suffolk
Nichols, a team who defeated ranked Endicott last week, enters with a 3-1 record and is an intriguing opponent this week. I’m curious to see how they fare vs a Suffolk Rams team that could be in what you call “wounded animal” mode where they come out looking to win and win badly. The defending CCC champion Rams are 0-4, in need of win. I don’t want to call this weekend a must win for them, but if they drop to 1-5 or 0-6, they’re going to have a lot of issues getting through the rest of this season considering they haven’t even played runner-up Endicott yet. I’ll take Nichols here in a close one, I think Suffolk takes game one, but give me the Bison to split, hard to see them drop two this weekend.
Nichols 5-2
Here we go. Week three of the college hockey season is underway and we have some interesting matchups to pay attention. St. Scholastica against Gustavus should be fun to watch and St. Olaf has a big test against UW-Stevens Point.
In the NCHA, two of the better games of the weekend feature St. Norbert up against Trine and Adrian playing MSOE. Both are big early-season battles in the conference.
Friday
St. Olaf (1-2-1) at UW-River Falls (2-1)
The Oles are looking for their first win since Oct. 28 and have managed only one goal in each of their last two games. If they can get the offense going early on, it could be a good night for St. Olaf. The Oles need to start fast, especially on the road.
The Falcons have played well early on. Max Collette and Jonny Meiers lead the team in goals scored with two apiece and need to help set the tone. Playing at home should give the Falcons an advantage here. UW-River Falls is eager to bounce back after a 5-2 loss to UW-Stout earlier this week.
UW-River Falls, 3-2
Bethel (3-0-1) at UW-Superior (0-3)
The Royals aim to stay unbeaten. Ben Doherty and Tyler Kostelecky lead the way offensively with two goals apiece and Austin Ryman has shown just how good he can be in goal. He has a 1.31 goals against average this year. Bethel has been tested, with its last three games being decided by a goal or ending in a tie. That includes a 2-1 win over St. Norbert.
It’s been a tough start for the Yellowjackets, who finally get a chance to play at home. Maybe a change of scenery is what this team needs.
Generating offense early is vital if they are going to avoid another loss. UW-Superior has managed just one goal in its last two games.
Bethel, 4-2
Saturday
Concordia (4-0-1, 1-0) at Saint John’s (1-3, 0-1)
The Cobbers are off to one of their best starts in program history. The Johnnies might only have one win but they are never an easy opponent.
Concordia has some of the top scoring threats in the MIAC on its team. In fact, they have the top three players in points in Matt Plante (6), Caden Triggs (6) and Joe Harguindeguy (6). They also have a solid player in goal in Matt Fitzgerald (1.46 goals against average).
Saint John’s has a pretty good goalie of its own in Bailey Huber (2.36) and if he can play well, the Johnnies have a shot at a big MIAC win here. The Johnnies also showed they can score against Concordia, taking the Cobbers to overtime on Thursday. Huber made 41 saves, tying a career high, in that one. This should be fun.
Concordia, 5-4
St. Olaf (1-2-1) at No. 13 UW-Stevens Point (1-2)
The Oles have one of the top goalies in Lukas Haugen, who has fashioned a 1.28 goals against average and is closing in on 100 saves. He’ll be a key factor in this game and will need to play his best for the Oles to have a chance to win.
The Pointers are always tough at home and that won’t change for this game. They have lost their last two but are certainly capable of getting back on track in a hurry. Brett Humberstone is off to a good start for the Pointers, tallying four points so far.
UW-Stevens Point, 5-3
Gustavus (2-2-1, 0-1) at No. 14 St. Scholastica (4-0, 1-0)
A big test for the Gusties. A chance to stay unbeaten for the Saints.
We’re talking about a MIAC game here that could see a lot of goals scored, though, the Saints won the opener Thursday by a 2-0 score. So maybe defense will reign supreme again.
Nate Stone of the Gusties is tied for the lead in the MIAC for goals scored. Connor Mahony, Grant Ellings and Artem Korolev all have two goals apiece.
For the Saints, Brodie Girod has come through with a pair of goals, but don’t forget, the St. Scholastica also has Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov on its roster. Those two are big-time game changers.
The Saints also have Jack Bostedt in goal and that might just be the difference in the end.
St. Scholastica, 4-1
Friday and Saturday
St. Norbert (3-2, 2-0) vs. Trine (4-0, 2-0)
Both teams have yet to lose in league play and Trine is still unbeaten overall. Talk about a huge early-season test for both teams.
For the Thunder, it’s a chance to make a statement. For the Green Knights, it’s a chance to send a reminder of why they are still one of the best in D-III hockey.
Adam Staccho leads St. Norbert with four goals. Michael DiPietra of Trine has three goals. They’ll play key roles for their respective teams in this one.
Trine, 4-3; St. Norbert, 5-4
MSOE (2-1-1, 0-1-1) vs. No. 2 Adrian (2-1-1, 2-0)
The Bulldogs are one of the nation’s best teams and looking to stay perfect in league play. The Raiders would love nothing more than to pull off an upset.
MSOE has two of the better offensive players in the league in Carson Jones ad Jacob Bosse. Both have two goals apiece.
For Adrian, it’s about its balanced attack, headed up by Mathew Rehding, who has tallied three goals on the year.
The goalie matchup should be interesting with Adrian’s Dershahn Stewart and MSOE’s Austin Schwab. They are two of the best netminders in the conference.
Adrian, 5-3 and 4-1
Aurora (1-2-1, 1-1) vs. Lawrence (2-1-1, 1-0-1)
It hasn’t been an easy start for the Spartans, but this is a team you can’t count out when it comes to contending in the NCHA. They face a Lawrence team that might just be one of the more improved teams in the league this year.
Keep an eye on Cory Checco for the Vikings. He has three goals already this season and will be a one of the keys to the Vikings’ success. Nolan Mahaffey has looked good in goal, tallying 56 saves on the year.
The Spartans have scored 11 goals while allowing 14. They’ll need a quick start here in a series that should be tightly contested.
Aurora, 4-3; Lawrence, 3-2
Two seasons and five games into his third campaign with Omaha, junior defenseman Victor Mancini was well aware that he had still yet to score his first collegiate goal.
He finally ticked that box Saturday in the Mavericks’ 3-2 overtime win at home to Western Michigan and did so with a move that looked as though he’d wasn’t trying it for the first time.
Blueliners aren’t exactly known for crashing the net, but with less than a minute to go in the extra session, Mancini pulled off quite a trick. Racing in low at the left faceoff circle, the New York Rangers draft pick saw that Western Michigan goaltender Cameron Rowe had already dropped down and left the top stick-side corner of the net open for Mancini to roof a forehanded shot into from two feet.
“It’s just years of playing hockey and practice and trying to develop your game in all different ways and being able to have different things in your toolbox so that, when you get the chance to use them, you have that ability,” Mancini said. “It’s awareness of having your head up and seeing what opportunities are given to you, so that you can take advantage of them.
“I work in practice on plays like that a little bit, and it’s obviously not the biggest skill for a defenseman, being that close to the net, but it’s something I can look for coming down and driving to the net like that, but it’s a lot about reading and reacting.”
Saturday’s game-winner was Mancini’s first goal and 16th point in 76 appearances with the Mavericks. On Wednesday, he credited his father Bob, an assistant executive director of development with USA Hockey, in part for not letting his lack of scoring production get him down.
“With my dad and his knowledge of the game, I’ve talked with him and my mom about things, but I don’t think my confidence or my state of mind ever wavered,” Mancini said. “Knowing I hadn’t scored, I was pretty content with how well I was playing, and it was going to come eventually.
“I would be lying if I said it wasn’t eating at me, but it wasn’t eating at me a lot. It wasn’t a big deal in my mind. I was confident that it was going to come eventually, because I felt like I was doing all the right things, and at the end of the day, with the style I play, the most important thing is knowing I’m a part of something bigger than myself. It’s about the team, and if I score goals or not, the way I play the game is going to help the team win.”
And now Mancini has the game puck from Saturday’s winner standing on the desk in his bedroom. UNO equipment manager Jason Smits had made a point of grabbing the puck and writing pertinent game information on it.
“It was incredible,” Mancini said of the immediate postgame atmosphere at Baxter Arena. “It meant more to me than scoring my first goal, just the reactions of the players on the ice and in the locker room.
“That means the world to me, and they’re the reason I come to the rink every day and go to battle every weekend.”
The Mavericks are 3-2-1 through six games and are fresh off four in a row against ranked opponents in Ohio State and Western Michigan. Mancini’s goal gave the Mavericks their only win from those four games, ahead of two more this week against Long Island to end an early eight-game homestand.
“We’re trending in the right direction. Getting the sweep against Niagara to start was big for us, especially considering what happened last year,” Mancini said, referencing UNO’s two losses last year, also at home, to the Purple Eagles out of Atlantic Hockey.
“We’ve been playing some really good teams in Ohio State and Western, and I really like that, at the beginning of our NCHC schedule, we were able to get some points. Those are going to add up, and we’re learning a lot of things early, which is good for us.
“We’ll take what we learn and keep applying it every weekend, and I think the sky’s the limit for us,” Mancini continued. “We’re kind of not on people’s radar, but I think that’s a good thing, and this team is really motivated.”
While it is way too early to panic, there are some teams that are looking at this weekend with a critical eye on playing their brand of hockey; and doing so well enough to pick up a win or two to get some positive momentum going as the first half crosses the mid-point for most teams. Last week with all the opening conference action and non-conference thrillers, I finished my week two going 7-4-1 (.625). That brings the season total to 15-8-1 (.646) which is not trending in the right direction, yet. Like the teams in the ice, I am hoping to find my swagger sooner than later so here are this week’s picks in the East:
Thursday, November 9, 2023
(6) Plymouth State v. Westfield State
The Panthers followed up a huge comeback win over Babson in overtime on Saturday with a loss at Anna Maria on Tuesday in a game where they outshot the AmCats by a 52-35 margin. Back to conference play where PSU will not lose focus against the Owls as they look to continue their unbeaten MASCAC conference record. Slow start but Will Redick and company earn the win – PSU, 5-2
Worcester State v. Framingham State
The Lancers will be looking to get back on track in this important conference game. The Rams will not be an easy out on home ice so look for this game to require some bonus hockey to decide a winner and the all-important points – Worcester State, 3-2
Friday, November 10, 2023
(10) Elmira v. Babson
This one is just screaming TRAP GAME to me! Elmira is rolling at 4-0-0 while the Beavers have struggled early and are still looking for their first win of the season. Home ice matters but the visitors eke it out with help from an empty-net goal for the final cushion – Elmira, 3-1
Assumption v. St. Anselm
Both teams are still looking to establish their game in a consistent fashion and while home ice matters, it does not seem to so much in the NE-10. Think the Greyhounds get off the bus (pardon the pun) and jump out early to down the Hawks – Assumption, 4-2
(8) Geneseo v. (3) Plattsburgh
Both teams are undefeated and want to send a message about their contending for the SUNYAC title. This one will feel like a conference playoff game and well, it kind of is one, even this early in the season. Cardinals tough at Stafford Arena but the visitors take advantage of special teams for the win – Geneseo, 5-4
(4) Utica v. Chatham
The Pioneers have already produced some super exciting moments on the ice in their early season games against Adrian and Stevenson. Best not look past the Cougars who make things tough early before Utica rolls in the third period – Utica, 5-2
Anna Maria v. Lebanon Valley
The AmCats have won statistical battles but not the games early on but now look to build momentum following Tuesday’s big win over Plymouth State with a road win against the Flying Dutchmen from the UCHC. Good chance a Max or a Matthew scores for the visitors. Tight game that needs an empty-netter to make the win more comfortable – AMC, 4-2
Saturday, November 11, 2023
(9) University of New England v. (12) Endicott
This is one of the best matchups of the weekend as both teams have been trying to find their game early on. Only going with the Gulls because of playing on home ice and thinking their offense must get going against a tough opponent – Endicott, 4-3
Massachusetts-Boston v. New England College
The Beacons and the Pilgrims both need this NEHC win and it will be one of those track meet games with a lot of offense on display. Late power play goal helps the Beacons steal a big road win – UMB, 5-4
Canton v. Skidmore
The Thoroughbreds are off to a fast start and want to keep the momentum going against a Kangaroo squad that plays everyone tough. Kaeden Patrick helps the home team start fast and cruise to a win – Skidmore, 4-2
Fredonia v. Buffalo State
Travel partner games are always intriguing and this SUNYAC matchup will showcase some great hockey with the Bengals eking out just enough goals past Logan Dyck to capture a win. May see an overtime here to decide the outcome – Buffalo State, 3-2
Wilkes v. Manhattanville
Both teams are coming off strong weekends last week and will be looking to continue their strong play in UCHC play. This one should be a seesaw battle and the Colonels find a little road magic to steal one from the Valiants – Wilkes, 4-3
The action continues to keep everyone very excited about the season as emerging teams are surprising every weekend and, of course, some of the expected teams continue to demonstrate that they are going to be the benchmark for all those looking to challenge in the East. Week three on the horizon and some very intriguing matchups to watch this week – “Drop the Puck!”
It’s impossible to win a college hockey championship in November.
A hot start doesn’t translate to the March postseason, and plenty of gelling rosters don’t reveal their true potential or greatness until league schedules buckle down for the post-New Year’s Eve second semester schedule. Ask any coach or player throughout college hockey about when they want to be playing their best hockey, and nobody ever talks about a preseason poll or the desire to be undefeated in November.
On the flip side, plenty of teams have lost their shot at trophies or banners by not living up to expectations in the first weeks of the year. Key losses and ill-timed point deductions from an overtime or shootout don’t look like much when 20-plus games remain, but the points lost from those early games can have a butterfly effect of costing a team a more advantageous seed.
Teams that started slow have cost themselves home ice in the postseason by blowing one or two points on a bad night, and the same coaches and players who want to play their best hockey in March also don’t want to lose key points during those same early season meetups.
It’s all about balance, and this past weekend offered a glimpse of how a growing and developing team can help its future cause when Dartmouth took five points from Quinnipiac and Princeton to continue a season start that began by taking one point from Harvard during the 18-round shootout two weeks ago.
“It was an interesting scenario,” said Dartmouth coach Reid Cashman. “We came out of Harvard and UNH on opening weekend, and we were pretty beat up. We were down our captain, Sean Chishom, and another forward in Cooper Flinton, while also playing down a couple of defensemen. So the mindset was really to be as strong as we could be as a group because it was going to be the five men on the ice for each shift against whichever five men were on the ice [for Quinnipiac and Princeton], and we had to win that shift with whatever role we were asking the guys to play because they were playing in elevated roles. That made it kind of simple, but our group really bought into that.”
Finding their fight and compete level allowed the Big Green to earn points by blending shifts and players into a gritty, no-nonsense style, and the comeback against Quinnipiac on Friday night all but illustrated exactly how Dartmouth sought to play. Both goals tied the game after the defending national champion Bobcats scored to take a one-goal lead, but each featured a player crashing the net or making a blue-collar hockey play that doesn’t show up on a stat sheet.
Both goals involved players that weren’t necessarily top goal scorers last year, and both were the first goal of the season for Joey Musa and Luke Haymes. Haymes had been at least a 10-goal scorer for the team last year, but Musa’s six-goal output over his first two seasons felt like a footnote after he registered a goal with first career point assists for Oskari Vuorio and Eric Charpentier.
“We were learning from each moment,” Cashman said, “and that’s the best thing that this group has done. I’d even say that it started in the spring and grew from last year since this group kind of took each moment to make themselves the best version of themselves at that moment. Learning from that, we’ve done a really good job where we’ve been able to have three freshmen defensemen play every day by being thrown into it. Based on the backing of our group, we’re willing to learn and continue to grow into whatever happens in that particular moment.”
Seizing and living in the moment allowed Dartmouth to score the extra point against Quinnipiac one week after the 18-round shootout against Harvard ended with zero goals against the Crimson and a lost extra point. Still gaining the one point helped, but the Big Green ended the shootout against the Bobcats early by once again leaning on goaltender Cooper Black to shutout an opponent in the extra session. Nikita Nakora then shot the final round past Quinnipiac’s Vinny Duplessis, and a last chance went by the wayside to give the home side the extra point against a team that hadn’t officially beaten the Bobcats since the pre-Covid era.
One night later, the lessons again were on full display when the Big Green watched Princeton score two power play goals to erase two separate one-goal leads in the first period. It followed a trend where Dartmouth scored and took a penalty before surrendering the extra-man goal over the span of less than a minute during the first five minutes of the period, so in the second period, Braiden Dorfman teamed up with Musa to pot two straight goals past the Tiger penalty kill.
Even then, the lead didn’t hold, but playing the full 60 minutes allowed CJ Foley to score with less than a minute on the clock and less than a minute after Jaxson Ezman tied the game at 4-4, and for the first time this season, a three-point product stayed in New Hampshire by defeating an opponent that swept Dartmouth last season.
“Teams like Harvard, Quinnipiac, and Princeton are exceptional hockey teams,” Cashman said. “Princeton’s roster is really good right now, and to get points in all of those games means a lot for our growth. If we want to have any chance to climb up the ECAC standings, you have to take points on the weekend, especially at home. And we did that with three really good opponents.”
Understanding what that means to the program is a big lift at a time when fans are streaming back into college hockey arenas. Thompson Arena was filled to nearly 75 percent for the Princeton game on Saturday after the Friday night tie, but the weekend itself gave the Big Green their best weekend against the league’s southern contingent since they swept both teams at home at the end of Feb. 2015.
Point structures aside, it’s a mega step for Cashman’s crew, which now sits next to Cornell in the league standings ahead of Friday night’s game in Ithaca, a game that’s all of a sudden become a sneaky big game for the first half of the year. Both teams are tied with six points, but the two-point differential over Quinnipiac and Brown won’t clinch much until the season really ramps up. That said, points this weekend could set a pace for the rest of the year with an unlikely breakout team leading the charge behind a system that’s starting to bring it closer together.
“Winning’s a big part of getting fans into our team,” Cashman said, “but now we have to do our job. I know this community is strong. The history of hockey support is extremely strong and the better product we can put on the ice, the more we can enjoy those crowds at Thompson Arena.
“Heading to Cornell this weekend was always a lot of fun for me. I’ve always enjoyed it as a coach, and it’ll be exciting for us to get on a bus on Thursday and head that way to play a top-10 team [to start the weekend].”
Dartmouth and Cornell drop the puck at 7 p.m. on Friday night with Saturday night’s game at Colgate also set for a 7 p.m. faceoff.
Welcome to what I hope will become a regular feature of the women’s DI coverage at USCHO – a podcast!
Consider this a pilot – or a tester episode – of the USCHO women’s hockey podcast (We need a better name than that. Please, please suggest a better name than that). There’s so much that happens every weekend in games across the country that’s impossible for me to cover in writing. My hope is that this podcast can serve as a place to share insight from games, share what we’re hearing from coaches and players post game and keep fans knowledgeable about what’s happening in all five conferences from week to week.
Todd Milewski, USCHO editor emeritus and journalist at the Wisconsin State Journal, and I recorded an episode discussing the current rankings, recent game results, early thoughts about the Patty Kazmaier and Goalie of the Year Awards and the upcoming Rivalry Series games.
Moving forward, we’d put the episodes into a more user-friendly format, but for now, please bear with us and listen to this first try and then give us your feedback on what you’d like to hear more of in the future.
– Nicole
We’ve entered conference play territory and have already seen some surprises in the early week two of hockey out west. Some teams have made a few statements and have put their name in the conference title-contender discussion. We also saw the new kids on the block get their first ever weekend-sweep to sit themselves tied for first in the NCHA, who would’ve thought?
MIAC
Beginning with the defending national champs #1 Gustavus, they had an off week, but it’s worth mentioning the collective effort made by ALL MIAC teams to show their support for Jori Jones (2003-2023). She’ll be honored this season as the Gusties host St. Scholastica this Saturday at 2pm CT for their home opener, (prior to Saturday, Gustavus visits St. Scholastica on Thursday at 6pm CT).
To add to this, ALL MIAC teams will be wearing a “JJ 33” sticker on all-skater & goalie helmets this season, her number has been painted on the ice behind each goal, her jersey has been hung up in the rink and has been put on hold for the time being (no one else wears it) and her locker room stall has been decorated and dedicated to her with various personal items and mementos. Class act by all the teams in the league to wear her number & initials on their helmets, look out for those in any games you watch online and/or in-person.
Getting back to the recap side of things, we’ll start with Saint Mary’s, a team that hasn’t won more than 13 games since 2004, made a few statements over the weekend including a ranked victory over #7 UW-Eau Claire. Newly appointed Head Coach Chad Davis, who’s had success at various programs in the past, most notably Adrian College. Davis left Adrian with a record of 152-37-10 which included 4 straight regular season titles (‘14-’18), 3 straight conference championships (15’-18’), and 3 straight NCAA tournament appearances (‘15-18’). He then went to RIT (NCAA D1) and has returned to D3 as head coach of Saint Mary’s who he’s got rolling along now.
Saint Mary’s faced the WIAC’s finest this past weekend, #7 UW-Eau Claire & #4 UW-River Falls. After blanking Lake Forest 15-0 in two combined games, they were faced with their first real test with the Blugolds in Minnesota. The Cardinals went up 1-0 in the first with a goal from Maggie Albers and added an empty netter with just under 2 minutes to go in the 3rd (18:05 by Reese Heitzman) to seal the deal for the Cardinals. Eau Claire added a shorthanded goal at 19:46 (Sydney Johnson) to end the game 2-1 and give Saint Mary’s a massive victory for the program.
On Saturday, the Cardinals visited the Falcons of River Falls, Wisconsin in a game in which River Falls took a 3-0 lead after 2 periods, MaKenna Aure was the star of the day scoring the opening goal of the game in the 1st (8:17) and adding a pair of assists, contributing on each Falcons goal. Saint Mary’s added one in the 2nd period, but both teams went scoreless in the 3rd to end the game 3-1 in favor of River Falls.
Goaltender Celeste Rimstad made 29 saves in the victory vs UWEC & 42 saves in the loss to UWRF, a great weekend for her making 71 cumulative saves.
Conference play begins this weekend in the MIAC, no conference games were played last week.
NCHA
Sitting atop the NCHA conference standings are the usuals, Adrian, St. Norbert, and…… Dubuque? Oh yeah, that first year program in Iowa. Head Coach Madyson Moore seems to have her Spartans playing well early, now obviously I’m not saying they’re ready to go beat Adrian, but you couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season as they swept Trine, winning 5-4 & 2-0.
Friday was loaded with action as we saw 9 goals total, 4 of them coming in the 1st period of play. Trine opened the scoring a quick 44 seconds in (Payton Hans, 00:44), to which Dubuque answered 4 minutes later, scoring at the 4:58 mark was Madilynn Schiile, the first ever NCHA goal for the Spartans. A pair of powerplay goals were had by each side, the last one coming at the late 19:50 mark of the period by Dubuque’s Gracie Hall to end the first tied 2-2.
Dubuque went up 4-2 going into the 3rd period, but Trine tied it in a funny manner if you’re not a Dubuque player, fan, or coach. Ellie Warhoftig scored 41 seconds into the period, then with less than 20 seconds left in the game, Kailey Mleko fired one home to send the game to overtime. A lot of quick/late goals in this one, and that didn’t stop in overtime. Dubuque’s Madilynn Schiile scored her 2nd of the game a rapid 17 seconds (00:17) into overtime, giving her team their first ever victory.
In game two Dubuque won 2-0, both goals coming shorthanded (one was an empty netter). Goaltender Savannah Wuitschick was credited with the 43-save shutout victory in game two, she also made 58 saves in game one. An amazing pair of performances, combining for 101 saves over the weekend… Respect.
The last comment to be made on these games were the fact they were loaded with penalties, Dubuque had 6 in game one & 5 in game two, while Trine had 3 in game one & 8 in game two.
Other NCHA Results:
Thursday:
Aurora 5-3 Concordia (Wis.)
Friday:
#9 Adrian 8-0 Marian
St. Norbert 3-1 Lake Forest
Saturday:
#9 Adrian 5-1 Marian
Concordia (Wis.) 3-2 OT Aurora
St. Norbert 6-0 Lake Forest
WIAC
Conference play begins this weekend, so nobody has played each other yet, but all teams were in action this past weekend.
As mentioned, UW-Eau Claire & UW-River Falls both faced Saint Mary’s. Eau Claire’s other game was against St. Scholastica on Saturday and then Concordia (Wis.) on Tuesday (11/7). The highlight here was star 5th year senior Sophie Rausch netted a pair of hat tricks in the two games, bringing her point total in the first 3 games of the season to 7 (6G, 1A).
River Falls went unblemished on the weekend, defeating Saint Mary’s and then prior they beat Saint Benedict 5-0 on Thursday (11/2).
UW-Stevens Point split a pair of games with St. Kates, falling 2-0 on Saturday and winning 4-0 on Sunday.
UW-Superior fell in both games, Hamline winning Friday’s contest 5-2 & Augsburg winning Saturday’s contest 8-1.
Northland fell in both home games to St. Olaf. The Ole’s took game one 5-1 & game two 3-1.
It might sound cliche or simple, but it’s hard to overstate just how easily winning can cure even the worst case of the blues.
Take Lake Superior State. The Lakers opened their 2023 season with a trip to Michigan State, where they lost both games of the series in front of a packed house at Munn Ice Arena.
Considering how the Lakers started last season — winning just once in their first 12 games — there was perhaps a danger of letting the losses spiral out of control again.
But that didn’t happen. Since dropping that first series to the Spartans, the Lakers have gone 5-1-0, with their lone loss being against Alaska Anchorage the weekend after the MSU series.
“I think confidence is such a fragile thing,” LSSU head coach Damon Whitten said in a phone interview on Tuesday, following the Lakers’ series sweep of Bemidji State this past weekend. “You know, we had a tough opening weekend in Michigan State against a really quality team and in a full building. So we didn’t come away with a win, but fortunately we were able to bounce back and get an early win [against Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 13], and I think that that showed our young team some of the ability we have. And it’s critical.
“I think you’re seeing it with some other teams across the country and across our league, where it’s hard to get an early win and it could snowball a little bit on you. But we’ve been a little bit the opposite.”
Whitten knows a little bit about the snowball effect: It’s what happened to the Lakers last season. They went 1-9-2 in the first two months of the season, so despite a vast improvement down the stretch, they finished last in the CCHA with a 9-25-2 overall record.
Whitten said he thinks there’s a little bit of carryover from the strong end to the season, but mostly he credits a bit of an offseason locker room refresh that has given the team a slightly new feel.
“I think there certainly is a carryover the way we finished the year, but also we’ve had a little bit of a refreshed locker room culture, which has been outstanding with this group,” Whitten said. “We’re getting good leadership, and the young guys have come and bought in. Sometimes you need good followers along with your good leaders. And we have I think a better group following the right guys this year. And that’s made a huge impact into the way we play, the confidence we play with and the culture we have in our locker room.”
LSSU’s leadership group has been taking the lead on the ice so far. Captain Harrison Roy, a senior forward, has a four-game point streak and scored key goals against Clarkson (the overtime game winner) and Bemidji State. Defenseman Artyom Borshyov, another captain, plays in most situations for the Lakers. Dawson Tritt, an alternate captain, scored in both games against Bemidji State.
And upperclassmen who don’t have letters on their sweaters — senior Jared Wescott and junior Timo Bakos — lead the team in scoring. Wescott has 11 points, which ties for the CCHA lead in scoring, while Bakos has seven points thanks mostly to his six assists. That’s important for a team with 13 newcomers.
“I think there’s no question in college hockey you live or die by your upperclassmen,” Whitten said. “And so we’ve needed our upperclassmen to play well, and they’ve done that. But then we’re also getting some really significant contributions from our freshmen, and it’s spread out in a lot of ways.”
Most notable so far have been forward John Herrington, who put up three points in LSSU’s 4-3 win over Bemidji on Friday, and a trip of defenseman in Evan Bushy, Cam Kungle and Ross Roloson, all of whom have three points.
“They’re contributing offensively, but even more so they’re playing at a really high level defensively,” Whitten said. “We don’t get the benefit of matching some experienced defenseman against older lines, especially on the road. But the young D have done a good job at both ends of the ice and that’s a big part of what we’ve done.”
The final piece of the puzzle this year has been great goaltending from senior Ethan Langenegger. After a few years as the member of a platoon tandem, Langenegger has taken over the No. 1 spot and has played in all eight of the Lakers’ games this season, going 3-5 with a .923 save percentage and a 2.66 goals-against average.
“He has a phenomenal finish to last season, and he’s picked up from that,” Whitten said of Langenegger. “That’s the goaltending we expect for him, and I think he has that same expectation of himself at this point. And he’s certainly capable of doing it. We’ve been a little bit more of a platoon situation in previous years, but right now it’s Ethan’s role, and he’s playing at a very high level, so we’ll ride him here a little bit as he plays at this high level.”
The Lakers, who are now 5-3-0 overall and 2-0-0 in CCHA play, take on Upper Peninsula rivals Northern Michigan this weekend. Whitten said he knows the conference season will be more of a grind than the non-conference schedule, which was difficult enough as it is with trips to East Lansing and New York’s North Country.
“We had a decent non-conference session, but it changes. League play is so challenging, so difficult every single night in our league, and anybody can beat anybody on a given night. So you have to be ready. There’s a different intensity, a different compete level when you switch to league play,” Whitten said. “Our attention is on Northern Michigan right now. It’s a great rivalry series between the two proud UP programs.
“They have a misleading record [NMU is 1-6-1 overall], but they’re a dangerous team. You know, a little bit like Bemidji, where they’ve got a couple of players who can really change the game. So we need to be on our toes.”
Built with an ice sheet 200 feet long by 97 feet wide when originally constructed during what was a wave of Olympic-sized ice sheets in college hockey, the Kohl Center ice will undergo construction and be reduced to NHL dimensions of 200 by 85 feet.
“One of the reasons these young men come to the University of Wisconsin is to prepare for the NHL,” said Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings in a statement. “They can have the best of everything including a world-class education and incredible support from the athletic department. This change will help prepare them more for that opportunity.
“From a fan’s perspective, games on an NHL-sized sheet of ice are action-packed. Things happen fast and it’s physical so it’s an entertaining brand of hockey to come and watch.”
The project cost is estimated at $2.5 million. Wisconsin athletics and the UW-Madison campus are working to finalize the timeline, but it will take place in one of the next two summers.
“Putting our student-athletes in position to be successful not only now, but beyond their time at Wisconsin, is one of our primary objectives,” UW director of athletics Chris McIntosh said. “Adjusting the size of the Kohl Center ice sheet helps us accomplish that, while also transitioning the action on the ice to an even more exciting style of play. It’s a ‘win-win’ for our program and for Badger hockey fans.”
After various other schools have made their ice sheets smaller in recent years, the Kohl Center remains one of just five NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey home arenas with rink sizes larger than 200-by-92 feet, including Alaska’s Carlson Center (200×100), St. Cloud State’s Herb Brooks National Hockey Center (200×100), UMass’ Mullins Center (200×95) and Northern Michigan’s Berry Events Center (200×94).
With the change in the width of the rink, new seating opportunities will also present themselves. Details on those changes are still being designed.
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