Michigan Tech’s Alec Broetzman (29) plays in a game against Bowling Green during the 2021-22 season (photo: David Archambeau).
Former Michigan Tech captain Alec Broetzman has been named an assistant coach with the Huskies hockey team.
Broetzman started the position at the beginning of October.
“It’s with great pride that we add Alec to our staff,” MTU head coach Joe Shawhan said in a statement. “I had great respect for ‘Botz’ as a player and a person during his days as a Husky. He will bring a great quiet strength to our group as he transitions to a new phase of his career.”
“I’m thankful to Joe and Suzanne [Sanregret] for the opportunity to begin my coaching career in a place that has become my home,” Broetzman added. “It was a privilege to serve as the captain of the Huskies while I was a player, and I’m eager to learn from Joe, Tyler, and Jordy as we try to build a championship-level team.”
Broetzman played 136 games for the Huskies from 2018 to 2022 and was the captain his final two seasons. He tallied 76 career points with 43 goals and 33 assists. He helped the Huskies to the 2022 NCAA tournament as a senior and tallied a career-best 27 points as a sophomore in 2019-20.
A three-time WCHA/CCHA all-academic team member, Broetzman earned a bachelor’s degree in finance.
After college, Broetzman played one season of professional hockey for the ECHL’s Iowa Heartlanders, racking up 19 points with eight goals and 11 assists in an injury-shortened 39 games.
“The University engaged an external, independent investigator to consider the possible violations of the BGSU Code of Student Conduct. The investigation revealed alleged activities involving student-athletes at an unsanctioned, off-campus event including:
— Underage drinking and provision of alcohol to those underage by older members of the BGSU Hockey Team
— Conduct with the potential to cause humiliation, physical harm or emotional harm
Based on these findings, the University has notified the involved students of all alleged hazing-related violations of the Code of Student Conduct. The student conduct process is ongoing and no final determination of responsibility has been made.
With respect to employee conduct, the University’s review of the external, independent investigation suggests that no member of the BGSU Hockey staff had any direct or indirect knowledge of the off-campus event. Thus, head coach Ty Eigner has been reinstated. However, because of this incident, BGSU has instituted additional measures for the remainder of this season. Derek van der Merwe, director of athletics, will now assume additional oversight of the hockey program, the coaching staff will now receive additional employment trainings and the University has increased its day-to-day monitoring to ensure the program is supported.
Hazing is a national issue and has no place on any college campus. BGSU will continue to take all reports seriously and remains committed to a culture of accountability.”
USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger look at money lines and over/under as well as providing further analysis of five weekend matchups. And we do a little remedial geography.
This week’s games:
Boston University (+165) at Notre Dame (-215); over/under 5.5
Lucas Sowder and Brian Carrabes celebrate a goal last weekend for Minnesota State (photo: SPX Sports).
After all the changes that happened in Mankato during the offseason, one nearly expected to tune in to their game against St. Cloud State on Friday night and see something truly wild.
Like maybe the Mavericks ditched purple from their color scheme in favor of teal and moved their home arena from Mankato to Sleepy Eye.
Stranger things have happened.
Of course, that was far from the case. When the puck dropped against their instate rivals at Mankato’s Mayo Clinic Health Systems Events Center that night, everything looked pretty much the same. The Mavericks were wearing their familiar white, purple and gold sweaters. The arena was packed with fans. The Mavericks Machine band added the same familiar atmosphere.
And, perhaps most importantly, the Mavericks used that atmosphere to propel them to a comeback victory on Friday and a big win on Saturday, completing the sweep of their rivals for the first time since 2016-17. It was also the first-ever collegiate wins for new head coach Luke Strand, who took over after longtime head coach Mike Hastings moved to Wisconsin over the summer.
“It felt good to get it off the back, there’s no denying that part,” Strand said of getting his first wins with the program right away. “I thought the guys got rewarded for some good early-season work. I think the other part is, they got rewarded for a great summer. The guys came back in good shape.”
In other words: Perhaps reports of Minnesota State’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.
Everybody knows how successful the Mavericks have been in the past decade, winning eight MacNaughton Cups, eight NCAA tournament appearances, two Frozen Fours and one national title game. And many were curious if the program would be able to keep up that same winning tradition with a new coaching staff.
Of course, it’s still early with a tiny sample size of two games, but the way in which the Mavericks were able to win over the weekend showed that maybe it truly is a program’s mentality – and not specific personnel – that are the key to winning.
“I think it was a weekend that we wanted to try and take advantage of,” Strand said, noting that he knew this was a big rivalry series against a highly-ranked opponent. “There’s a history and a culture of winning here. That’s the expectation for us, and we don’t want that to change, as a staff or a group of players. I thought their preparation going in was excellent.”
MSU rallied from a 2-0 deficit on Friday night before winning 3-2 in overtime. The Maverick crowd sat on their hands for about a period and a half until Lucas Sowder opened the scoring. From there, MSU scored the next two goals – including Adam Eisele’s overtime winner. On Saturday it was almost all Mavs, as they scored the first three goals before the Huskies made it interesting with an extra-attacker goal; MSU added two empty netters to secure the win.
“I thought the atmosphere all weekend, our fanbase, the Mav Machine, the band was exceptional,” Strand said. “We were able to feed off of that, no question. I thought everybody kind of held their breath until we scored on Friday night, and then it kind of let out, and that bled into Saturday.”
Although much of the preseason discussion around the Mavericks revolved around players they lost – a number left via the transfer portal but even more left to play in the NHL – in this weekend’s series those who stuck around got a chance to show why.
Sowder, a fifth-year senior, scored the first goal of the season, while sophomore Eisele added a goal and an assist. Sam Morton, a fifth-year senior who missed most of last season with an injury, scored two goals in Saturday’s game.
“You look at Sam, and that time off from injury, you’re talking almost a year since he last played. So for him to start the way he did was great,” Strand said. “Then [Eisele] had a big goal, [Sowder] had a big goal… one had the game winner and one kicks us off with one. You’re hoping your returning players can get you off the dock and get you going, and they did.
“But I’d also like to give credit to guys who came into the program as new players, whether as freshmen or through the portal. They found ways to contribute instantly. It was exciting to have a really collaborative group that’s excited for each other.”
Brian Carrabes, a transfer from Boston University, and Kaden Bohlsen, a transfer from Omaha, both scored, as did Brent Moravic, a freshman, and Brenden Olson, a junior who was used mostly as a defenseman in the past and is being converted to a forward.
Strand said he knows it’s too early to prove anybody right or wrong. But getting a sweep against a ranked opponent in the first weekend feels good – especially considering what people thought in the preseason.
The Mavericks get another tough opponent in the building this weekend in the form of UMass, a team that isn’t ranked but just split with Michigan and won the national title three seasons ago.
“UMass has built a reputation as winners there. Their success this weekend in beating Michigan, a very talented team, none of this should catch us off guard,” Strand said. “We’re excited. We want to play good teams. It’s a big challenge for us right back to back.”
Nolan Sullivan is serving as Omaha’s captain this season (photo: Jaelle Johnson/Omaha Athletics).
Whether it had been Omaha’s first series of the season or the Mavericks’ 15th, they were always going to have last weekend’s home set against Niagara circled on the calendar.
Atlantic Hockey’s Purple Eagles were UNO’s curtain-raising opponent for a second consecutive year, and regular attendees at Baxter Arena probably won’t want to remember Niagara’s matching 4-3 wins last October. UNO went on to finish 19-15-3 in what was a down season for the NCHC.
Last weekend ran much differently, even if UNO coach Mike Gabinet thinks Friday’s 8-1 scoreline somewhat flattered his team. To him, Saturday’s 2-1 win for the Mavericks was more indicative of how the series went.
“They got us last year, and it’s not that we weren’t prepared last season, but we have a new team this year and I don’t think (that previous series) had to be talked about much,” Gabinet said. “The guys just know that, even when you look around the league two weeks ago and how tight some of the games were, no matter who was playing who, everybody was very focused and prepared for what we knew would be a tough series.
“It was one of those where you want to do as many things as possible to give yourself the best chance to win, and that’s down to preparing a certain way. We played more consistent on Saturday, even with the game being more tight. (That and Friday’s were) two big wins.”
Fresh off a 1-0 exhibition win Oct. 7 at Minnesota State, UNO never trailed in either game against Niagara.
Goals in the first 5:05 Friday from Tanner Ludtke and Zach Urdahl put the Mavericks ahead for good in an 8-1 win where 14 different UNO skaters had at least a point apiece. Sophomore defenseman Jacob Guevin’s three assists matched his career high, first set in a nonconference game last October at Long Island.
Griffin Ludtke, another UNO sophomore blueliner, scored his first collegiate goal 4:44 into Saturday’s rematch. The game was then tied at 1-1 until Joaquim Lemay’s game winner midway through the third period.
One of the highlights from UNO’s official opening weekend was the play of brothers Griffin and Tanner Ludtke. The Minnesota natives came to Omaha after playing for separate junior league teams. One plays up front and the other back toward their team’s own net, but their playing styles are fitting into what Gabinet wants out of his squad.
“Both guys got their first college goals last weekend, too, and that was pretty neat for their family to see both boys score,” Gabinet said. On Friday night, ‘T’ made a really nice play that showed his hockey IQ a little bit, getting the goalie to give away a turnover off a dump-in before making a hard-angle shot on the net, and ‘G’ made a nice play Saturday to get us going.
“’G’ is taking a step here in his sophomore year, and you can tell his confidence and strength have increased. He really got after it this summer, and Tanner has kept growing, as well, while getting his feet wet in college hockey. They’re two really coachable young men who are a pleasure to be around.”
UNO is off this week but continues a six-game homestand next weekend with another nonconference series against Ohio State. Western Michigan and Long Island come to Omaha after that.
Anthony Romano has posted a goal and three assists so far this season for Clarkson (photo: Ben Moeller).
Anthony Romano never realized how loud Cheel Arena’s goal horn really got.
The Clarkson senior heard the steam whistle’s piercing blast for three-plus years, but it felt different in the stands. He appreciated how the crowd contributed to the overall volume and vibration rattling his bones after the Golden Knights scored, and he felt how the excitement produced a very real drama that caused equilibrium and delirium to converge into one moment.
He just wished he didn’t learn how to appreciate it.
“It’s pretty funny because when you’re playing, you don’t realize how loud it is,” he said. “You hear it, but everything happens so fast, especially overtime goals, like with all the emotions running through. You’re so happy for the team that you got that win, but since I was hurt last year, I got to experience watching games at Cheel and how loud it gets. There are things like that bell in the student section that they ring whenever someone gets hit. I didn’t realize how loud that was, either, but when I was playing, I didn’t really think about it.”
Hampered by injuries for most of last season, those sounds ordinarily would have disappeared into his hockey-playing past but being a member of one of the last classes to receive an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he instead chose to return to Clarkson for a fifth year. He wanted to reclaim and complete his own story with the Golden Knights, and with one extra year in tow, the player that was a 15-goal scorer in 2021-22 scored the overtime winner against Vermont while maintaining a point-per-game average through the first four games of the year.
“I think he’s motivated,” said Clarkson coach Casey Jones of his fifth-year returnee. “It’s a situation where I think Anthony can play past [college]. He’s a pretty complete player, but I didn’t think he got to put his best foot forward last year. That was our conversation, and it’s obviously been beneficial to our team.”
Romano isn’t necessarily the biggest name on the Clarkson roster, but he represents a prototype for a program built around player development. A freshman during the 2019-20 season, he led all Golden Knight rookies with six goals and four assists after scoring three points in his first four games. He scored the eventual game-winner against Michigan while adding depth down the middle to the team’s center position, and he finished the season’s second half with goals in wins against Arizona State and Quinnipiac.
Those two wins boosted the Golden Knights into a postseason slot before COVID canceled both the ECAC Hockey and NCAA tournaments, but Romano continued his development through the strange, topsy-turvy offseason by subsequently leading Clarkson through the abbreviated 2020-2021 season with a nine-goal output. It bridged into a 15-goal, 28-point junior year during which the Golden Knights went 9-1-1 when he scored.
He produced eight multi-point games, including a four-point game against Brown, while scoring multiple goals on four separate occasions, but last season threw the proverbial wrench into his plans for a final, capstone season when injuries limited him to 19 games. He still produced nine goals and scored twice both against UMass during the Kwik Trip Holiday Classic and against the aforementioned Bears during ECAC’s single-game elimination postseason, but not even scoring five goals in five games at the end of the year offered the right ending for him or the Golden Knights.
“The first injury, I was kind of beat up and didn’t know when I would [return to the lineup],” Romano said. “I ended up coming back later than I wanted to, initially, and then I came back and started playing well, was all excited to get ready for the second half of the year, and after four or five games, another one happened. That really hit me hard because it was my senior year, and I wasn’t really thinking about a fifth year. I was just thinking that it was my senior year, and I couldn’t help Clarkson, which is the school I love so much, and couldn’t help my team out.”
“He maybe didn’t get the recognition that he deserves for being the type of player that he is because he didn’t get a chance to really finish last year,” Jones said. “And that’s why he came back for us. He’s carrying a leadership role for us, and that leadership comes from being a role model and the way he carries himself. He’s a tremendous student who practices hard every day, and it’s pretty easy to coach [players like him]. There’s an opportunity here to go finish here with the type of season, knock on wood, that gives us a chance to be really successful.”
Clarkson itself slipped to sixth in last year’s standings, but entering this year with unfinished business was a big reason why the Golden Knights chose to run it back with a class of players who all chose to return for their fifth year. There were transfers that came to Potsdam, but Romano and players like Mathieu Gosselin and Dustyn McFaul provided Jones with a core that linked back to the team’s overall development during an era where fifth-year players increasingly enter the transfer portal because of the inherent two-pronged approach surrounding roster decisions and personal opportunities.
“Matheiu Gosselin, Dustyn McFaul, and Anthony Romano come from pretty good stock,” Jones said. “They come from great families, and in our program, there was never any discussion other than if they wanted to go pro. They’re loyal people, and I trusted in the fact that they had a spot with me, and they knew how important they were to our program. We value that they chose to come back, and it sets the stage for us to attract other graduates because good players want to play with good players.”
“There are a lot of factors that go into it,” Romano admitted, “but I never had any intention to transfer. If I were going to come back, it was always to Clarkson. There was obviously an option to go pro (the Arizona Coyotes drafted Romano in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft), but to finish the year hard and strong, I made the decision with my family and with the coaching staff that I wanted to come back and win. We’ve had some really good teams at Clarkson…I felt like I owed Clarkson. I wanted to do it for myself to prove myself and hopefully bring some championships to Clarkson this year.”
As a result, the Clarkson team that struggled to consistently find a second gear opened its first four games with a couple of resounding statements. A split with Notre Dame in the opening weekend earned a key road win over the Big Ten at a time when non-conference wins are essential and critical to any team’s postseason hopes, and after battling Penn State in a losing effort in the home opener, it was Romano that scored the overtime winner to beat Vermont, 3-2, on last Saturday.
“That was my first overtime winning goal,” Romano laughed, “but I feel like I’ve started off well and came into this year with a mindset of trying to get better every day. It’s kind of worked out over the first four games, and that was a big, big win for our team because we kind of let it slip away in the third after having control. I was just happy for the guys to get that back and get that win.”
“We’d had a short week after coming off a Saturday-Sunday series against Notre Dame,” Jones added, “but I thought our guys did a great job of taking care of themselves [for Penn State] on Friday night. We had some flaws in the night where they took advantage of a couple opportunities, but ultimately, that game is going to make us better for the long haul because they played a completely different style than Notre Dame. Then the next night we came out well against Vermont, but we got a little loose and made some mental mistakes.
“It’s a good sign for our team’s maturity standpoint that we had a chance to close it out and get that win because it’s important to find ways to come out on top. We didn’t do that last year, so I thought [beating Vermont] was really important.”
Clarkson returns to the ice this weekend with a single game in Massachusetts against Hockey East’s Merrimack before returning home for a four-game homestand against Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, and the ECAC-opening weekend against RPI and Union.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Holy Cross head coach Bill Riga to discuss his Crusaders’ 3-0 start, creating an identity, making incremental improvements, the college hockey transfer portal, NIL, and the upcoming series at Robert Morris.
New Hampshire’s Morgan Winters is the reigning Hockey East player of the week (photo: Stu Horne).
Two weeks into the season, and with only one game between conference foes in the books, Hockey East is already living up to its reputation as one of the deepest conferences in college hockey.
Case in point, New Hampshire’s 6-4 victory over Boston University — the No. 1 team in the league’s preseason coaches’ poll and the preseason national USCHO.com Division I men’s poll — before a crowd of 6,007 at UNH’s home rink Friday night.
“Our league’s tough,” said UNH coach Mike Souza after the Wildcats’ first win over a No. 1-ranked opponent since beating Cornell in the 2003 Frozen Four. “There’s no easy nights — there’s going to be no easy nights for us (or) BU and that’s just the way it is. Some days you wake up and you say, ‘Oh man, this team next week?’ And there’s no running from it. But that’s why I think we have the best conference in college hockey. We kind of beat each other up pretty throughout the year.”
One night after UNH’s upset of BU, unheralded Massachusetts — picked eighth in both the Hockey East preseason coaches’ and media polls — scored six goals in the third period for a wild 6-3 win over Michigan (B1G), which went into the weekend ranked sixth among USCHO.com voters and had handed the Minutemen a 7-2 thumping the night before.
“Luckily we’re not in (the) polls so we don’t worry about it,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “I like that. I felt like coaching (Saturday) morning was a psychological thing. It was about the messaging that the guys heard. That was important. My messaging post-game (after Friday’s loss) was very positive. ‘Guys, I see a lot of good stuff. I know the score’s ugly, but I see a lot of positives. Please believe me and believe in yourselves,’ was basically the message.”
The wins by the Wildcats and the Minutemen were part of a weekend that also saw three other teams in the USCHO.com top 10 — Michigan State (B1G), Michigan Tech (CCHA) and St. Cloud (NCHC) — fall to unranked opponents.
One key to UNH’s victory was not to allow the visitors to get into their heads — neither BU’s No. 1 ranking or the fact that the Terriers took a 3-2 lead with a pair of goals less than two minutes apart late in the first period.
“We want to go in with the mindset (that) we’re a good team this year,” said UNH’s Morgan Winters, who scored twice in his first game back from double shoulder surgery that kept him out of the second half of last season. “They did go up, but everything on the bench was positive, everybody was standing up, keeping each other accountable. It worked out.”
For his efforts, Winters earned Hockey East player of the week honors for the first time in the sophomore forward’s career.
Avoiding a negative psychological spiral also helped UMass, especially less than 24 hours after a lopsided defeat.
“I don’t think we were really down at all,” said Minuteman junior Scott Morrow, one of three defensemen to score on Saturday night. “I think we were confident that the things we did right (Friday) night would lead to things, the bounces, going our way (Saturday). We were definitely not in panic mode.”
Souza said while he doesn’t want his team to become complacent or overconfident, he believes the Wildcats have what it takes to weather a brutal schedule that continues next week with two home games against No. 4 (and defending NCAA champion) Quinnipiac.
“It’s one game — I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves here,” Souza said. “This group has a very interesting dynamic, very interesting vibe. (It) gets harder now. Every week gets harder.”
Holy Cross players celebrate the Crusaders’ 5-2 win over LIU on Oct. 8 (photo: Mark Seliger).
Under coach Bill Riga, Holy Cross has seen an upward trajectory.
The 2021-22 season, Riga’s first at the helm, ended in a last-place finish and a 12-23-2 record.
Last season, the Crusaders were picked to again finish last, but got on a roll in the second half of the season and really caught fire in the playoffs, knocking off the top two seeds in Rochester Institute of Technology and American International on the way to a runner-up finish, falling 3-0 to Canisius in the title game.
That momentum from last year has carried over to this season, at least so far.
The Crusaders opened this season with a 5-2 victory at Long Island, and last weekend swept a home-and-home series with No. 20 Connecticut, taking the first game 2-1 on home ice before a 2-0 win in Storrs.
It’s the first 3-0 start for Holy Cross since 2012-13.
“Last year, we finally hit some of the identity points we need to be successful,” said Riga.
Those identity points include “an attack mentality, trying to be connected and cohesive,” according to Riga, a longtime assistant at Quinnipiac before coming to Holy Cross.
“Some nights we’ve hit those points, some we didn’t,” he said. “We started hitting them consistently last season and that’s carried over (to this season) so far. Last season’s successes helped us build belief in ourselves.”
That belief has allowed his team to win games even when they’re not completely dialed in.
“We want to dictate play as much as possible,” said Riga. “I thought we did that on Friday (against UConn). Saturday, we didn’t always do that, but we found a way to win the game.”
The scoresheets from Holy Cross’ first three games are filled with familiar names: forwards Jack Ricketts (two goals, two assists), Tyler Ghirardosi (two goals), Liam McLinsky (one goal, one assist), and goaltender Jason Grande (1.00 GAA, .959 save percentage), supported by a solid defense that allowed just three goals in the three games.
Two of those goals against were scored by LIU’s Grayson Constable, who spent his previous four years at Holy Cross. Because the school doesn’t offer graduate programs, players eligible for a fifth year due to the pandemic have had to look elsewhere, and Riga can’t accept fifth-year transfers. Three seniors from last season are playing for other Division I teams.
While all might not have stayed if given the option. Riga thinks some would have.
“We were so close (to a championship) last year that some would have definitely wanted one more chance,” said Riga.
This year’s seniors are the last to be able to claim a fifth year of eligibility.
“I think you’ll see the (transfer) portal change after that,” said Riga. “The playing field will be more leveled, but you may see more underclassmen looking to switch instead of waiting for their fifth year.”
Atlantic Hockey has seen a talent drain since the transfer rules have changed. Riga says the way to solve that is for the league to continue to grow in terms of competitiveness.
“The strength of our teams drives our future success,” he said. “Winning non-conference games is important to show that we’re not a ‘little brother’ league.”
The Crusaders start conference play this weekend when they travel to Robert Morris, who restarted their program this season after a two-year hiatus.
“I think they’re going to be better than 10th,” said Riga, noting where the Colonials were picked to finish the league’s preseason poll. “The portal certainly helps, but also the way they’re playing and the way they’re coached.
“We are not in any way looking past them.”
The Crusaders’ goal for this season is to achieve what barely eluded them last year.
“(The championship game loss) was a bitter pill to swallow,” he said. “We want to take that next step.”
Joey Larson recorded a hat trick in MSU’s game last Friday night against Air Force and had a five-point weekend in Colorado Springs (photo: TakeYourShotPhotography).
For the second straight season, the Big Ten has put up good numbers in nonconference games before the start of league play.
Through three weeks and 22 nonconference games, the Big Ten is collectively 16-6-1 and has outscored opponents 81-57. It’s a solid beginning and a good omen.
At roughly the same point last year – through four weeks and 27 games – Big Ten teams had gone 17-8-2, outscoring nonconference teams 94-68.
Those are comparable win percentages and goal differentials. Why, then, does the start of the 2023-24 season feel only big-ish?
Maybe it has something to do with a couple of those six losses. Some of the wins, too, perhaps?
Michigan is 2-2-0 to start the year, with splits against Providence at home and Massachusetts on the road. Notre Dame is 1-2-0 after splitting at home against Clarkson and losing 3-0 to RIT on the road last weekend.
Through three games, Ohio State is 2-0-1, having opened the season with a 4-3 come-from-behind road win against Mercyhurst, followed by a win and tie against visiting Lindenwood. The Buckeyes had all they could handle against Lions, as Lindenwood came from behind twice to tie in OSU’s win and forced the 2-2 Saturday tie with two goals in the third period.
On the brighter side of things, Penn State – the team picked to finish sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll – has a 3-0 record to start the season, with all three wins on the road.
And the team at the top of the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll, Minnesota, is 2-0 after sweeping St. Thomas 6-5 and 3-0. That 6-5 game was wild. Leading 2-0 after the first, the Gophers allowed four goals by the first minute of the third period – and then began their own comeback 20 seconds after the Tommies had made it a 4-2 game.
Additionally, Minnesota let another lead slip away late in the third, when St. Thomas tied it up and sent it to OT.
After the Gophers secured the sweep, Minnesota coach Bob Motzko put the weekend into perspective as only Bob Motzko can.
“Last night, a lot of fun, obviously with the crowd and the goals, but we needed to tighten it up,” Motzko said. “A lot of the things we did wrong or stubbed our toe [with] last night, we were better tonight. Things we did that stubbed our toe tonight, we’ll be better next week.
“That’s just the start of the season, with growing pains.”
Growing pains. Maybe that’s exactly what the start of the 2023-24 season feels like – especially given how the 2022-23 season ended for Big Ten Hockey.
The two B1G teams likely to make the greatest strides this year, Michigan State and Wisconsin, have had steady, promising starts so far. Both teams are 3-1-0, each began the season with a series sweep, and each appears ready to learn from setbacks.
On the road against Air Force last weekend, the Spartans bounced back from a 6-5 Thursday loss with a 5-3 Friday win, which coach Adam Nightingale called a “good response.”
In the loss, the Spartans were down 3-0 after the first. Nightingale said that the Spartans “kept pushing.”
“You know, you get down, and you’re chasing the game and that makes it tough, but they stayed with it,” said Nightingale. “At one point, we were down 5-1, we came back, made it 5-4. I think that showed a lot about the group.
“And then the next night, I thought we started really well and controlled large parts of the game. There was some poise on the bench.”
The second-year head coach said that he’s encouraged by what he’s seen from Michigan State’s offense.
“It’s early, but we’ve shown that we’ve got a group of guys that can score,” said Nightingale. “We’ve put the puck in the net, and that’s a really good sign. You can’t rest on that, though, and score your way back into games. It’s not a recipe for long-term success.”
While the Badgers haven’t put up the same kind of scoring that other Big Ten teams have, Wisconsin did begin the season with a definitive statement against Augustana, shutting out the Vikings 4-0 and 3-0, and outshooting Augustana 89-43 in the series.
Wisconsin followed that with a 4-3 OT win over Bemidji State and a 2-0 loss to North Dakota in the Ice Breaker Tournament.
Coach Mike Hastings, in his first year with Wisconsin, called North Dakota the “hardest team” the Badgers have faced “in terms of playing heavy,” and said that Wisconsin was “stressed” and “pushed” – things that will help the Badgers improve.
“Understanding whatever standard of play is established,” said Hastings, “we have to be able to execute. Small things matter when you have a team that can take a mistake and put it in the back of your net.
“Most teams in college hockey, when you give them repeated opportunities, they can make you pay for it. I thought that’s what North Dakota did.”
Hastings said there were some good take-aways from that loss, too.
“The positive there is that I didn’t think we went away,” said Hastings. “Did we have some valleys in there? Yes. We had opportunities, close but not good enough. That’s a learning experience for us.
“A young team, going through that in that environment, I know we didn’t get the win. I thought that experience, I hope, is going to serve us well going forward. We learned a little bit about ourselves. We saw some things in the mirror that maybe we didn’t like, and most times I think that’s how you need to go through a process to grow.”
The Big Ten season opens this week when No. 13 Ohio State travels to No. 7 Michigan, the only conference play until Nov. 3. B1G Hockey plays its first full weekend of league games Nov. 10-11.
Omaha players celebrate a goal during the Mavericks’ sweep of Niagara on home ice over the weekend (photo: Bonnie Ryan).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Paula: It’s great to be back on the TMQ beat with you Ed, and like Jimmy Connelly and Dan Rubin said in their season-opening column last week, it’s just plain good to be back to college hockey once again.
Nothing reinforces that seems-like-old-times feeling more than seeing Minnesota at the top of the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll again. The Golden Gophers spent a good deal of last season in the No. 1 position and headed into the Frozen Four as the top seed. In that poll, 34 voters put the Gophers at No. 1; this week, it’s 33.
It seems like what Bob Motzko and his staff have done at Minnesota have built a lot of trust in that program – trust that squeaking out an OT win against St. Thomas was opening-night jitters. Of course, it helps that the Gophers shut out the Tommies the following night.
Boston University’s fall from grace happened fast, and I think it may be a sign that voters need to see the Terriers over time to trust that BU will be a contender. The OT win against Bentley the first week wasn’t enough to knock BU out, but the loss to New Hampshire – in a tough Hockey East conference – plus the exhibition loss to the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team was, as BU got just one vote for No. 1 this week.
Although it’s tough to make broad claims on play through two weeks, I still think we’re seeing some patterns emerge: Big Ten down, Hockey East poised to dominate, Atlantic Hockey very competitive.
What has the early going said to you?
Ed: I think you summed it up pretty well, but I’m reluctant to extrapolate too much this early on.
I guess the biggest surprise to me was how many top-20 teams had jitters and stumbles last week. I think I might attribute that to a couple of things. First, many of the top tier teams in D-I hockey also have a lot of young players. The speed of the college game takes a little bit to adjust to.
But the other part of it is finding solid goaltending. The advent of the transfer portal has allowed some teams to reload in goal, while others are struggling either with upperclassmen transfers or rookie goalies.
I expected Hockey East to dominate – and I guess I still do – but BU’s slow start and sweeps over Merrimack and UConn this past weekend might have me reassessing. I think the Big Ten and Hockey East could be the best two leagues this season but would not be surprised if the NCHC regains its recent dominance.
Atlantic Hockey? Dang it, they need to stop being “very competitive” and start stacking up some victories in out-of-conference games. Winning four out of 15 over the three-day weekend non-league slate isn’t going to cut it.
A team from the Big Ten that made a big move in the poll after wins in New York State’s north country over Clarkson and St. Lawrence is Penn State. The Nittany Lions were 16th in the preseason USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll, dropped to 18th after a close road win over LIU, but jumped to 12th after this past weekend.
Coaches in that conference picked Guy Gadowsky’s squad sixth out of seven in the preseason poll, but I have a hunch they’ll be better than that. You’re our beat writer for that conference; how do you see them doing, especially after this 3-0 start?
Paula: The Nitanny Lions were picked sixth in the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll, and I can see them finishing anywhere from last to third. And that’s how tight I think the Big Ten is.
Penn State is one of the most interesting stories in B1G Hockey right now. They’re a veteran team with really solid talent all over their roster and are backstopped by the very gifted and often underrated Liam Souliere. So far, Penn State has only skated five freshmen, so most of the talent they have is experienced.
I was puzzled by how low the coaches picked the Nittany Lions in preseason until I realized two things: several teams in the Big Ten are stacked, and last year was a rebound year of sorts for Penn State.
One thing I respect about Guy Gadowsky is how transparent he is, especially how frank he’s been about Penn State’s two seasons preceding last year. In the COVID isolation year (2020-21), Gadowsky said he struggled communicating with his players – and he shoulders that himself – because in-person communication is one of his strengths. In the 2021- 22 season, the Nittany Lions were still a bit out of sorts.
Last year, though seemed a lot like hockey from a classic Gadowsky team – fast, far more solid end-to-end than in previous seasons, tenacious.
It goes back to that trust I mentioned at the start here. When a team is a bit down, people may need to see more than just one decent season from them to trust that off years weren’t anomalous.
Also, as I said in my B1G preview, Penn State and Ohio State being picked sixth and seventh by coaches may be because someone has to finish in those positions, right? Penn State could anchor the standings at the end of the season and be four points out of second place.
I hear you about Atlantic Hockey needing to be more than “very competitive,” and I don’t know how we get to that point in that conference. I’m guessing that ECAC fans are saying similar things. Three of the last 10 national champions are ECAC teams, including reigning champ Quinnipiac, but the ECAC has started the season 8-10-1 against nonconference foes, and as high as some programs rise in that conference, the ECAC always seems a step behind.
Then there’s the CCHA. With a disappointing 7-14-4 record through two weeks in nonconference play, for many sentimental reasons I keep pulling for that league to show better. Minnesota State has started strong, and I am also seeing things I like from St. Thomas, Bemidji, and Ferris State.
Ed: You’ve got to hand it to Minnesota State for their sweep of then-No. 10 St. Cloud.
It seems as if a lot of folks had written them off, including the coaches in the CCHA who picked Luke Strand’s Mavericks sixth in the preseason poll.
“It was a big test,” Strand said after Saturday’s game. “We hadn’t had a back-to-back yet so that was test number one. We played the right way and we had to learn how to play with a lead for the first time as well. I think those two were encouraging moments.”
I agree with you about St. Thomas. You knew Rico Blasi was going to build a successful program, especially in an era in which recruits can be supplemented by transfers. (See also Lindenwood, Augustana, and a resurrected Robert Morris.)
I’ll be interested to see how so far winless Michigan Tech bounces back from a loss and a tie vs. Alaska over the weekend. Joe Shawhan’s Huskies take on 3-1 Wisconsin at home next weekend. Mike Hastings knows Michigan Tech well, and both teams will have something to prove.
Wisconsin’s lone loss was a 2-0 shutout at the hands of North Dakota on Saturday in the Icebreaker Tournament. Coaches and media have been pretty high on the Fighting Hawks. That’s despite an overhauled roster for the Fighting Hawks, with seven freshmen and seven transfers. All eight defensemen are new to the roster, as is NCHC goalie of the week Ludvig Persson, playing his senior year in Grand Forks after backstopping Miami for his first three.
North Dakota’s not the only story in the NCHC, though. Who do you like in that perennially strong conference, and, if I may have a follow-up, who do you see having the best chances for the NCAA tournament?
Paula: I know that this is the least-controversial thing that I can say, but I really like Denver to take the NCHC and make a run at the Frozen Four. Sure, the Pioneers lost Carter Mazur and Magnus Chrona, but they return a ton of talent and they’re so well coached. I really love what David Carle has done there. It’s been a pleasure watching that program re-emerge as a perennial threat and a program that consistently attracts top talent that develops well there, too.
I also like the way that North Dakota appears to be picking up where it left off last season. After a really rocky first half of 2022-23, the Fighting Hawks came on strong in the second half, and continuing that momentum right away was something I thought would be key to building confidence and success for North Dakota this season.
I’m not as high on St. Cloud State as other people are and haven’t been for a few seasons. I’d love to see Western Michigan continue with the progress that the Broncos showed last year and along those same lines, the team I’m really watching is Omaha. They have some offense returning, they have some depth and Mike Gabinet used the portal well to add depth.
It may only have been two games, but Omaha’s sweep of Niagara was telling. Simon Latkoczy and Seth Eisele each picked up wins in net for the Mavericks, each allowing one goal. The UNO defense allowed just 31 shots in for the series, as evenly split between the two games as that number can be.
Eight different players scored in their 8-1 Friday win, and while the score was 2-1 Saturday, kudos to the Mavs for the sweep when Niagara had made impressive adjustments the second night.
As early as it is, Ed, there are a few matches on the horizon that I’m looking forward to. This weekend, No. 13 Ohio State travels to No. 7 Michigan, and that looks like a barometer game for each of those teams. No. 6 Boston University at Notre Dame will be interesting, given how each team’s slow start.
No. 1 Minnesota at No. 5 North Dakota is another match that may reveal much about both teams, as is the Wisconsin-Michigan Tech tilt you mentioned.
What looks good to you this weekend?
Ed: Before I add mine, let me second the BU-Notre Dame match up. I saw the Fighting Irish on Saturday vs. RIT at the Tigers’ annual Brick City Weekend homecoming game. RIT had most of the sold-out 10,556 fans on its side and scored early. RIT also benefited from solid goaltending from Tommy Scarfone and a terrific penalty kill. The stats would suggest that Notre Dame should have fared much better, and I think they’ll be fine.
No. 2 Denver at No. 10 Providence on Friday and at No. 3 Boston College on Saturday promise to be some pivotal games. That’ll tell us where all three stand at this point, and each game will have PairWise implications for both the teams and their conferences. (Rensselaer has the opposite nights against BC and Providence, which could be interesting for the Engineers. Does Boston College look past them a tiny bit on Friday? What mood will Providence be in on Saturday?)
Bemidji home-and-home with Minnesota Duluth and Alaska at St. Cloud are also two interesting series to me. No. 20 St. Cloud – which dropped 10 places in the USCHO poll – is going to look to recover from that sweep at the hands of Minnesota State, while Alaska will try to keep the momentum going from last weekend against Michigan Tech. Plus the Nanooks could use a great weekend to build toward another run for the NCAA tournament that they disappointingly missed by a fraction of a whisker last season.
Finally, how can you pass on an in-state non-conference match up like the Beavers and Bulldogs? That’s going to be some incredibly fun hockey in the State of Hockey.
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger discuss the results of the weekend and the news of the week in college hockey on the October 16, 2023 edition of USCHO Weekend Review:
• Tough week for top teams including No. 1 Boston University, No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 9 Michigan Tech, No. 10 St. Cloud State, No. 15 Merrimack and No. 20 Connecticut
• North Dakota takes the title at the Ice Breaker
• Augustana earns first two wins in program history
• Some massive crowds this weekend
• Former Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna named the recipient of the NHL’s Lester Patrick Award
Minnesota players celebrate one of three Gophers’ goals Saturday night in a 3-0 shutout over St. Thomas (photo: Bjorn Franke).
With 33 first-place votes, Minnesota is the new No. 1 team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
The Gophers move up one spot from last week.
Denver jumps up one spot to No. 2, getting 10 first-place votes in the poll, while Boston College is also up one spot to No. 3 with four first-place votes. Quinnipiac also leaps up one to No. 4, picking up two first-place votes. North Dakota moves up two spots to round out the top five.
Boston University garnered one first-place vote but tumbles from No. 1 to No. 6 in this week’s rankings.
Michigan is down one to No. 7, Michigan State holds steady at No. 8, Western Michigan moves up three to No. 9, and Providence is up three to sit 10th this week.
Michigan Tech falls from No. 9 to No. 17, and St. Cloud State goes from No. 10 to No. 20 in the poll’s biggest drops this week.
Two previously unranked teams enter the rankings this week as Arizona State is 18th and Minnesota State is 19th.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 17 others received votes.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson became the first Division I women’s hockey coach to reach 600 wins when the Badgers swept the Mavericks this weekend. On Thursday, Kirsten Simms and Lacey Eden each had two goals and an assist and Caroline Harvey had three assists to lead Wisconsin to a 6-0 win. On Friday, Simms led the way with two goals and two assists while Britta Curl and Harvey each added a goal and three assists to help the Badgers to a 9-0 win.
(2) Ohio State at (6) Minnesota Duluth
On Friday, Olivia Wallin put UMD on the board first, but it was the only lead the Bulldogs would have. Ohio State outshot Minnesota Duluth 36-12 and Hadley Hartmetz scored her first career hat trick en route to a 5-2 win. Hartmetz scored twice at the end of the first and Jenna Buglioni added a shorthander early in the second to make it 3-1. Reece Hunt scratched one back, but Sloane Matthews opened the lead up 4-2 and Hartmetz added an empty-netter to complete her hatty and the game. In the second game, the Buckeyes took advantage of a major penalty, striking twice in the first three minutes of the second period. Hannah Bilka and Emma Peschel each found the back of the net to make it 2-0, which was enough to win the game and the weekend sweep.
Mercyhurst at (3) Colgate
Kaitlin O’Donohoe tallied two goals and two assists, including her 100th career point, to lead Colgate in a 7-0 win. Ten different Raiders earned points in the game, including two goals from Avery Pickering and three assists from Kalty Kaltounková. On Saturday, Mercyhurst pushed back and had Colgate on their heels holding onto a 2-1 lead thanks to a power play and short-handed goal from Danielle Serdachny in the first period. Sara Boucher scored late in the second and the Lakers were pushing for an equalizer, but the Raiders found another gear and put the game out of reach in a matter of minutes late in the third. Kaltounková, Emma Pais and Neena Brick each lit the lamp to put the game out of reach at 5-2, which gave Colgate the sweep.
(4) Minnesota at St. Thomas
The teams played at the home of the NHL Minnesota Wild on Friday and Abbey Murphy took the opportunity to shine on a big stage, racking up a natural hat trick in the first 23 minutes of game play to put her team up 3-0 and give them the momentum to never look back. She ended the game with five points. Ella Huber scored twice while Payton Hemp, Audrey Wethington and Emma Connor each added a goal to give the Gophers an 8-0 win. St. Thomas pushed back in the second game, holding Minnesota scoreless on 19 shots over the first two frames. But the Gophers poured it on in the third, putting 15 shots on goal as freshman Emma Kreisz scored her first collegiate goal on the power play to break the stalemate. Nelli Laitenen, Josefin Bouveng and Murphy each scored in the final frame to make it a 4-0 win and sweep.
(7) Northeastern at Merrimack
The Huskies outshot the Warriors 29-14, but Merrimack goalie Calli Hogarth made 29 saves to record a shutout and Alex Ferguson scored to give the Warriors a 1-0 win. It was a spectacular solo effort from Ferguson, who stripped the puck from a Northeastern defender as they tried to transition. She picked the puck up along the boards and sniped a shot from the far faceoff dot to beat Gwyn Philips and, eventually, give Merrimack the win.
(8) Quinnipiac vs. Providence
Audrey Knapp scored her first career goal to put Providence up 1-0 at the first intermission. That score would hold until five minutes into the third when Julia Nearis tied the game. Nina Steingauf and Jess Schryver each scored in the course of :43 to put the Bobcats up 3-1 and Sadie Peart scored an empty-net goal for her 100th career point and to ensure a 4-1 Quinnipiac win. On Saturday, the teams were knotted 0-0 to start the third, but Madison Chantler took advantage of a turnover at the blueline to score shorthanded just 23 seconds into the final frame to put the Bobcats up 1-0. That looked like it might be enough for Quinnipiac, but KC Brooks put a shot on net from the blue line with 10 seconds left in regulation that skipped in and forced overtime. In the extra frame, Maddy Samoskevich won the puck along the boards and slid it to Schryver across the goal mouth and Schryver did not miss, ending the game 2-1 less than a minute into OT.
(13) Penn State at (10) Cornell
Junior transfer Katie Chan scored the Big Red’s first two goals of the season to put her new team up 2-0. Katelyn Roberts responded for Penn State with a breakaway goal late in the frame to make it 2-1 at the first break. Cornell took advantage of power plays in the second as Lily Delianedis and Kaitlin Jockims each scored to make it a 4-1 win for the Big Red. In the second game, Izzy Daniel led Cornell with a goal and three assists as they took a 5-2 win and weekend sweep over the struggling Nittany Lions, who moved to 1-6-1 to start the season. Mckenna Van Gelder, Delianedis, Georgia Schiff and Claudia Yu also scored for the Big Red. Freshman goalie Annelies Bergmann earned both wins for Cornell.
(11) St. Lawrence vs. (12) Vermont
The Catamounts struck quickly in the first game, with Lily Humphrey and Maddy Skelton putting Vermont up 2-0 before five minutes had elapsed. Julia Gosling cut the lead in half during the opening minute of the second to make it a 2-1 game, but Lara Beecher struck back a minute later and then again five minutes after that to put Vermont up 4-1 and put the game out of reach. Evelyne Blais-Savoie added a power play goal to push it to 5-1. Aly McLeod scored for the Saints at the close of the second to make it 5-2, but Natalie Mlynkova’s goal early in the third shut down any momentum and ensured the Catamount’s 6-2 win. On Saturday, St. Lawrence got their revenge thanks to two goals from Abby Hustler and one from Katina Duscio as well as a 20-save shutout from Emma-Sofie Nordström. St. Lawrence took a 3-0 win and earned the split.
Bemidji State at (14) St. Cloud State
The Huskies outshot Bemidji State 30-12 on the evening but needed until the third period to put the game away against Bemidji on Friday. Laura Zimmerman put SCSU up 1-0 with a power play goal, but freshman Hailey Armstrong responded late in the first to send the teams to intermission tied 1-1. In the second, CC Bowlby put St. Cloud up 2-1, but once again Armstrong responded, knotting it at 2-2 headed into the third. But SCSU kick started their game in the third, holding the Beavers to just one shot on goal while Klára Hymlárová, Bowlby and Avery Farrell scored in the opening minutes of the final frame to give the Huskies the 5-2 lead that would give them the win. On Saturday, St. Cloud State coach Brian Idalski earned his 300th career win and goalie Sanni Ahola earned her third consecutive shutout, setting a new record for the longest stretch by any goaltender in program history. Alice Sauriol scored her first career goal for the Huskies, with Bowlby and Dayle Ross also lighting the lamp to give SCSU the 3-0 win and sweep.
(15) Connecticut vs. Boston College
After a tough opening two weeks, Boston College earned their first two wins of the season. On Friday, Abby Newhook scored deep into the overtime period to give the Eagles a 4-2 win. UConn had jumped out to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Jada Habisch and Ashley Allard – the first over her career. Katie Pyne got one back and the teams headed to the locker room with the Huskies up 2-1. Gaby Roy scored on the power play in the second to tie the game and BC took their first lead with another player advantage tally, this time from Julia Pellerin. Christina Walker tied the game at 3-3 with a power play goal of her own to force overtime. On Saturday, UConn took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to Livvy Dewar’s first career goal. Pellerin jumped on a shorthanded opportunity midway through the game to tie it 1-1. Pyne slid a crossbody onetimer from the far faceoff dot past Tia Chan to give BC the 2-1 and eventual win.
Top-ranked Boston University, which needed overtime to defeat Bentley last week, dropped a 6-4 decision to New Hampshire on Saturday in a game that saw the lead change three times.
Sophomore forward Morgan Winters scored two goals to pace the Wildcats, who defeated a No. 1 team for the first time since the 2003 Frozen Four, when UNH upset top-seeded Cornell in the national semifinals.
2. Heir apparent(s)
Who will probably succeed the Terriers in the top spot?
Second-ranked Minnesota swept St. Thomas, 6-5 in OT and 3-0, paced by three goals from Jimmy Snuggerud, who had the overtime game-winner on Friday and a pair on Saturday.
Denver, ranked third coming into the weekend, was idle.
Boston College, ranked fourth and the remaining team to get a first-place vote coming off last weekend’s win over then top-ranked Quinnipiac, downed Long Island 4-2 on Friday.
3. Breaking the ice
North Dakota hosted and won the 2023-24 Ice Breaker Tournament with a 2-0 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday. It was the 173rd all-time meeting between the two schools.
UND senior goaltender Ludvig Persson, a transfer from Miami, stopped all 29 shots he faced for the victory, North Dakota’s second Ice Breaker championship in five tries.
The third-place game between Army West Point and Bemidji State went down to the wire, finally settled in the Beavers’ favor, 3-2, on a Lleyton Roed goal with 59 seconds remaining in the third.
4. A different story
Last season, Omaha opened its season hosting Niagara, which shocked the Mavericks with a pair of 4-3 victories.
This past weekend, the Purple Eagles again visited Omaha to open the season, and history didn’t repeat.
UNO won easily on Friday, 8-1, but Saturday’s contest was a 2-1 nail-biter that wasn’t decided until Jo Lemay’s game winner midway through the third.
Newcomers Augustana achieved several firsts on Saturday: the first home game in program history, the first goal in program history, and most importantly, the first win in program history.
After being shut out twice at Wisconsin to open their inaugural season, the Vikings defeated Bowling Green on home ice, 3-2.
Arnaud Vachon’s goal with 2:56 left sealed the win for the Vikings and coach Garrett Raboin.
The Game Winner.
Vachon seals the deal on to mark an important milestone in Augustana hockey history ⚔️pic.twitter.com/EEa8iLU2lU
Hunter Bischoff opened the scoring with the first goal in program history at 14:53 of the first.
Augustana goaltender Zack Rose made 25 saves for the win against his former team. He spent his previous four years at Bowling Green.
6. Brick wall at Brick City
The sellout crowd (10,556) at Rochester’s Blue Cross arena went home happy after Rochester Institute of Technology’s 3-0 win over Notre Dame on Saturday.
RIT won its fifth consecutive Brick City homecoming game, this time behind a 36-save performance by junior goaltender Tommy Scarfone, who recorded his sixth career shutout.
Carter Wilkie and Cody Laskosky each had a goal and an assist for the Tigers, who killed off six Notre Dame power plays, including two minutes of five-on-three in the first period and a five-minute major that spanned the second and third.
Of course it is. But it’s kind of cool to see Holy Cross at the top.
The Crusaders, who last year were picked to finish last in Atlantic Hockey but made it all the way to the conference’s championship game, have opened this season 3-0, including a weekend home-and-home sweep of No. 20 Connecticut by scores of 2-1 and 2-0.
On Friday in Worcester, Jack Ricketts’ shorthanded goal at 6:32 of the third broke a 1-1 tie, and the senior provided a late insurance goal in Saturday’s 2-0 victory in Storrs.
Goaltender Jason Grande made 50 combined saves for the Crusaders in the two games, including all 28 in the shutout on Saturday.
8. UMass rebounds
After getting routed 7-2 by sixth-ranked Michigan on home ice on Friday, Massachusetts came back to earn a split with the Wolverines thanks to a 6-3 victory on Saturday.
The Minutemen scored all six of their goals in the third period to erase a 2-0 Michigan lead.
Lucas Vanroboys netted a pair of empty-net goals to seal the UMass victory.
On Friday, Michigan got two goals each from Garrett Schifsky and Dylan Duke in the 7-2 win.
9. Scorefest in Duluth
Northern Michigan and No. 17 Minnesota-Duluth combined for 23 goals in their weekend series, with the Bulldogs coming away with regulation and shootout wins.
On Friday, after a 5-5 tie through overtime, the Bulldogs sent their fans home happy with a (meaningless) shootout, non-conference victory.
Duluth took Saturday’s game, 8-5.
Tanner Lash had five goals for the Wildcats on the weekend, while Ben Steeves had a pair of goals each night for the Bulldogs, including the game-winner on Saturday.
10. More upsets
Three more top-10 teams suffered losses this past weekend as the eighth, ninth, and 10th-ranked teams all stumbled.
In Colorado Springs on Thursday, Air Force upset No. 8 Michigan State 6-5. The Falcons jumped out to a 3-0 lead and then held on for the win.
The Spartans earned a split with a 5-3 win on Friday.
No. 9 Michigan Tech could muster only a shootout win in a weekend series in Alaska, dropping a 4-1 decision to the host Nanooks on Friday and earning a 2-2 tie (and shootout victory) on Saturday.
And finally, tenth-ranked St. Cloud State was swept by Minnesota State in Mankato, 3-2 in overtime on Friday and 5-1 on Saturday. The Mavericks opened the season 2-0 under new head coach Luke Strand.
St. Cloud fell to 1-3, which includes a pair of overtime losses.
No. 10 St. Cloud State (1-3-0)
10/13/2023 – No. 10 St. Cloud State 2 at RV Minnesota State 3 (OT)
10/14/2023 – No. 10 St. Cloud State 1 at RV Minnesota State 5
No. 11 Cornell (0-0-0)
10/14/2023 – Toronto Metro* 1 at No. 11 Cornell 6
No. 12 Western Michigan (1-0-1)
10/12/2023 – Ferris State 4 at No. 12 Western Michigan 6
10/13/2023 – No. 12 Western Michigan 3 at Ferris State 3 (OT)
The Pointers won the WIAC title a year ago and are the favorite again this season. (Photo Credit: UW-Stevens Point Athletics)
No real surprise at the top in the WIAC as Wisconsin-Stevens Point skates into the new season as the favorite.
The Pointers won their 16th regular-season conference crown last year and also claimed the Commissioner’s Cup.
That doesn’t mean they won’t have their work cut out for them on the road to another title. Wisconsin-Eau Claire has the pieces in place to contend for its title since 2020 and UW-Superior is certainly in the mix as well.
Wisconsin-Stout could be a surprise contender after winning 17 games a year ago, and Wisconsin-River Falls has the experience to be a tough out. Northland is hoping to take steps forward to turn the program around.
Here’s a quick look at some noteworthy items about the season ahead.
Pointers eye another championship
You can’t mention the WIAC without talking about the Pointers, who return the league’s reigning co-player of the year in Fletcher Anderson, who scored 14 goals and dished out 15 assists.
They have won at least 20 games in eight of the last 10 seasons and they’ll have a chance to hit that mark again with 21 letterwinners back. They were 20-6-4 overall and 12-2-1 in the WIAC.
This is a veteran team that also features returning All-WIAC picks Mick Heneghan, Brett Humberstone, Andrew Poulias and Conor Witherspoon. Nicholas Aromatorio, Noah Finstrom, Cody Moline and Dawson Sciarrino also return. Poulias, Sciarrino and Heneghan all tallied 20 or more points last year for a team that finished with 104 goals off 162 assists last season and should be just as productive again this year.
The Pointers saw their season come to an end in a tough 3-2 national quarterfinal loss to Adrian. If this team stays healthy and cashes in on its experience, which will be tough for opponents to match, a WIAC title and another NCAA run are realistic possibilities.
Blugolds look to shine
This will be the 17th season for Matt Loen at the helm of UW-Eau Claire and it could very well be a year where the Blugolds get back to the top of the WIAC.
Their success starts with Quinn Green, who was the conference’s co-player of the year last season. He tallied 11 goals and 11 assists to pace the Blugolds. The second and third-leading players in points are also back. Connor Szmul finished with seven goals and 11 assists while Ryan Green racked up 11 goals and six assists.
Matt Gutjahr provides experience in goal after making more than 500 saves last season. For the Blugolds, one key to success will be how well they play on the road. They were 6-8 on visiting ice last season while going 12-1-1 at home. UW-Eau Claire was 18-9-1 overall and 9-5-1 in the WIAC in 2022-23.
Checking in with the Yellowjackets
UW-Superior tied for second in the conference last season with a 9-5-1 mark and went 15-12-2 overall as it put together another solid year. It will be a bit of a rebuilding year this season as the top three scorers are gone and only one all-league player returns. That’s C.J. Walker, who tied for third on the team in points, recording 10 goals and seven assists. Dusty Bergstrom, Gavin Rasmussen, Reed Stark and Tristan Therrien, who was fourth in points with seven goals and six assists. The Yellowjackets also have no returning goaltenders. It will be baptism by fire in that department as Kobe Grant, Jack Boschert and Jan Skorpik are all newcomers.
Blue Devils look to build on success
Last season was a great one for UW-Stout, which produced its most wins since the 2008-09 season. They won a playoff series and return a good number of the players that helped put them in a position to succeed.
Three All-WIAC players lead the way, including Peyton Hart, who led the WIAC in goals (24). Tyler Masternack and Matt Dahlseide were also all-conference picks. Dahlseideled the team in points (27), dishing out a team-best 19 assists, and Masternak started 17 games in goal and sported a 2.11 goals against average.
The experience doesn’t stop there for the Blue Devils, who also welcome back Jacob Halvorson, who finished second in points (25), scoring 13 goals and dishing out 12 assists. Dylan Rallis, Dawson Green, Kobe Keller and Gunner Moore also return.
Seven newcomers, all freshmen, have been added to the roster to add to the team’s depth.
UW-Stout finished 17-11-1 last year, including a 6-8-1 mark in the always tough WIAC. Don’t be surprised if both of those win totals improve this season.
Keep an eye on the Falcons
While UW-River Falls finished 11-15-1 overall and 5-9-1 in the WIAC, they are hardly a team to be overlooked going into the new year.
After all, 22 players are back, including one of the top netminders in the conference in Dysen Skinner, a three-time All-WIAC selection who started 20 games and fashioned a 2.09 goals against average while winning nine times.
Two-time all-conference pick Noah Roofe also returns, as does Vilho Saariluoma, who was the league’s newcomer of the year in two seasons ago. Both will play a key role in the offense. Roofe scored six goals to go along with nine assists last year. Saariluoma appeared in only 15 games last year but can impact the game on any given night.
If this team stays healthy, there is enough veteran talent in place to help the Falcons put together a winning season.
New era for Lumberjacks
Nothing has come easy for Northland but the Lumberjacks enter a new era as former player Shane Buckley is the new head coach of the program. Buckley played at Northland from 2009 until 2013 and hopes to help the program turn things around after going 2-23-2 overall and 1-13-1 in the conference.
Twelve letterwinners are back, including Bryson Cecconi, Zach Ross, Ben Varga and Jackson Breton. They join a a team that features 16 newcomers, among them is Camille Marcoux, a transfer from West Virginia’s ACHA program. He came through with 26 points a season ago and should make an impact on the ice for Northland.
Cecconi ranked second in points and is the only returning player who hit double digits in points.
This is a team that’s going to endure its share of tough moments again but has an opportunity to be an improved team late in the season.
North Dakota celebrates the 2023 Ice Breaker Tournament championship Saturday night on home ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena (photo: Russell Hons).
Seventh-ranked North Dakota defeated longtime rival Wisconsin 2-0 to capture the 2023 Ice Breaker Tournament crown in front of a sellout crowd of 11,783 on home ice at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
UND, which had put up 17 goals in the previous exhibition and regular-season opener, only needed to find the twine twice, as goaltender Ludvig Persson stole the show with a 29-save shutout to give the program its second Ice Breaker Tournament title in five tries.
For the second time in as many games, Hunter Johannes opened the scoring with a short-handed goal in the opening frame, finishing off a pass from Louis Jamernik V to give the Fighting Hawks a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. The goal is the second tally while playing with a man down this season for North Dakota, already sitting just one behind last season’s total of three.
The middle frame had been the offensive period for UND this season, entering with a plus-11 scoring margin in the period after the exhibition and contest against Army West Point, and Saturday proved to be no exception.
Riese Gaber extended the advantage to 2-0 with a backhander over the blocker of Badgers goaltender Kyle McClellan following a forecheck and pass from Cameron Berg just over six minutes into the stanza.
Persson and the new defensive group put the lid on any comeback effort by the Badgers in the third, holding the visitors to just six shots on goal to close out the shutout.
McClellan finished with 26 stops for the Badgers.
Bemidji State 3, Army West Point 2
In the consolation game of the Ice Breaker, Lleyton Roed scored 59 seconds into overtime to give Bemidji State a 3-2 win over Army West Point.
Justen Close turned away all 24 shots faced and Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice for the Golden Gophers during a 3-0 shutout of St. Thomas Saturday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minn.
Close registered his first shutout of the season and 10th of his career, while Snuggerud broke a tightly-contested matchup late in the second period with his second game-winning goal in as many nights.
Do yourself a favor and watch this Snuggerud LASER again! 🚨
“It was a much better game for us tonight,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said. “Last night was a lot of fun obviously with the crowd and the goals, but we needed to tighten it up. I liked a lot of the things we did tonight.”
Brody Lamb added an empty-net goal for Minnesota.
For St. Thomas, Jake Sibell came away with 22 saves in goal.
Minnesota improved to 69-31-3 in home openers, including a mark of 21-8-2 in openers at 3M Arena at Mariucci.
No. 5 Quinnipiac 8, American International 0
For the third time in the last two seasons, Quinnipiac potted eight goals as they shut out AIC 8-0 on Saturday night at M&T Bank Arena in Springfield, Mass.
Collin Graf had five points (two goals, three assists) in his return to action, while linemate Sam Lipkin added four points (two goals, two assists) to aid the Bobcats attack
Matej Marinov finished with 16 saves for the shutout for QU.
AIC goalies Nils Wallstrom and Alexandros Aslanidis combined on a 17-save effort.
Massachusetts 6, No. 6 Michigan 3
The Minutemen scored all six goals in the third period, including two on the power play and two into the empty net, to knock off the Wolverines 6-3 at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
Lucas Vanroboys recorded two goals for UMass, while Scott Morrow had a goal and an assist and Ryan Ufko a goal and two helpers. Jack Musa added three assists.
“I’m proud of the resilience we showed tonight,” Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. “The guys feel better after the shootout win even though it doesn’t mean anything. Our young guys played well tonight and we need them to continue to grow.”
Brayden Nicholetts and Anton Rubtsov scored for the Nanooks, and Pierce Charleson made 28 saves in goal.
Blake Pietila made 21 saves for the Huskies.
Minnesota State 5, No. 10 St. Cloud State 1
Sam Morton scored twice as the Mavericks swept St. Cloud State with a 5-1 victory on home ice at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn.
Kaden Bohlsen and Brian Carrabes also had two-point nights for Minnesota State, each tallying a goal and an assist.
“I think we are building in the right direction,” Morton said. “We are just trying to put our best foot forward, making strides, building team chemistry, and working hard for each other every day.”
Atlantic Hockey on Saturday announced a one-game suspension for Niagara defenseman Lane Brockhoff, effective for the Purple Eagles’ next NCAA Division I contest.
The suspension is a result of Brockhoff’s major penalty and game misconduct for charging, which occurred at the 19:24 mark of the third period in Niagara’s game on Friday, Oct. 13 at Omaha.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension.
Niagara’s next scheduled Division I game is tonight, Saturday, Oct. 14, at Omaha.
Brockhoff is eligible to return for the Purple Eagles’ game on Saturday, Oct. 21 at home against Mercyhurst.
Liam Devlin celebrates a goal with the Whittemore Center faithful Friday night (photo: UNH Athletics).
It’s still very early in the 2023-24 college hockey season, but one of the first upsets has taken place as New Hampshire knocked off No. 1 Boston University 6-4 Friday night in front of 6,070 at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H.
The game was not without its moments as when BU scored to bring the game to a 6-5 UNH lead at 18:51 of the third period, the Wildcats challenged the call on the ice and were successful, keeping the game 6-4.
After a 3-3 opening period, which also saw top 2024 NHL draft prospect Macklin Celebrini score his first NCAA goal for the Terriers, New Hampshire netted two more in the second period and the game winner and an insurance tally early in the third period.
GOOOOOAAAAALLLLL! Morgan Winters scores his second of the night on a penalty kill!
Morgan Winters scored twice for UNH, Tom Willander and Celebrini each posted a pair for BU, and Liam Devlin and Cy Leclerc each had a goal and a helper for the Wildcats.
In goal, Tyler Muszelik made 18 saves for New Hampshire, while Mathieu Caron stopped 21 for the Terriers.
Jimmy Snuggerud’s second goal of the game at 1:25 of overtime lifted the Gophers to a 6-5 win over the Tommies at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn.
Lucas Wahlin’s second of the game for UST tied the game 5-all at 13:14 of the third period.
Brody Lamb scored two goals for the Gophers, who trailed 4-2 early in the third period.
Oliver Moore had three assists for Minnesota, who got 31 saves from Justen Close.
Aaron Trotter turned aside 31 shots for the Tommies.
No. 4 Boston College, Long Island 2
After going down 2-0, Boston College scored four unanswered goals and came back to beat LIU 4-2 on Friday night in front of more than 7,300 fans in its home opener at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill, Mass., as 11 different players had at least one point.
The Sharks led 2-0 within the first nine minutes on goals from Remy Parker and Valtteri Piironen, but the Eagles roared back with goals from Jack Malone, Drew Fortescue, Andre Gasseau, and Oskar Jellvik.
Jacob Fowler stopped 10 of the 12 shots he faced for BC, while Brandon Perrone made 34 saves for LIU.
No. 5 Quinnipiac 3, American International 2 (OT)
Jacob Quillan popped the overtime winner, this one clinching the first win of the season for Quinnipiac as the Bobcats came back twice to knock off AIC 3-2 on Friday night at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.
Quillan took a pass from Davis Pennington and deked out the goalie and both defenders near the net, firing it home to give the Bobcats their first win of the 2023-24 campaign.
Jayden Lee and Travis Treloar also scored for QU, while Vinny Duplessis stopped 16 shots in goal.
Josh Barnes and Blake Wells scored for the Yellow Jackets and Nils Wallstrom finished with 28 saves.
No. 6 Michigan 7, Massachusetts 2
Dylan Duke scored twice and added an assist for a three-point performance, while Rutger McGroarty extended his point streak to 11 games with a one-goal, two-assist night, and Jake Barczewski made 22 saves on 24 shots as the Wolverines beat the Minutemen at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
Dylan Duke, power-play goal, his second goal of the night.. His fourth career two-goal game pic.twitter.com/wMnGlPTh9A
Aaron Bohlinger and Scott Morrow scored for UMass and Cole Brady made 24 saves in net.
No. 7 North Dakota 7, Army West Point 2
North Dakota opened its season with a 7-2 victory over Army West Point on Friday night in the 2023 Ice Breaker Tournament from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
Less than a week removed from hanging 10 on Manitoba in the exhibition opener, the Fighting Hawks exploded for seven goals against the Black Knights to tally the most goals in a season opener since an 8-0 win over Canisius on Oct. 11, 2003.
Jackson Blake picked up two goals and an assist to pace the Fighting Hawks with three points.
Hunter Johannes scored two goals, and Riese Gaber picked up a goal and an assist while Jake Schmaltz dished out a pair of helpers to back Ludvig Persson’s 10 saves.
North Dakota will play for an Ice Breaker Tournament title tomorrow night against Wisconsin at 6:07 p.m. CDT at the Ralph. The Badgers beat Bemidji State 4-3 in overtime Friday night.
Brent Keefer and Trevor Smith scored for the Black Knights and Gavon Abric and Evan Szary combined to make 25 saves.
No. 8 Michigan State 5, Air Force 3
Joey Larson’s hat trick gave the Spartans the win and split in the Thursday-Friday series played at Cadet Ice Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.
MSU 5, AF 2 | 12:58 (3) | Joey Larson says "PLAY ME MY THEME MUSIC" (probably).
The sophomore picks up his third goal of the night for his first career hat trick. PP goal. pic.twitter.com/1yCRDszYFO
Karsen Dorwart and Gavin O’Connell added goals for Michigan State and Trey Augustine stopped 25 shots in goal.
Nick Remissong, Brendan Gibbons and Chris Hedden notched goals for the Falcons, while Guy Blessing made 28 saves.
Alaska 4, No. 9 Michigan Tech 1
Michigan Tech fell 4-1 to Alaska Friday in the Huskies’ home opener at the John MacInnes Student Ice Arena in Houghton, Mich.
The Huskies led 1-0 after the first period but gave up four goals in the second, two by Harrison Israels and one by Brayden Nicholetts and Anton Rubtsov.
The teams combined for six penalties in the first period before the Huskies got on the board late when Max Koskipirtti scored at 18:10.
Pierce Charleson made 23 saves for the Nanooks. Blake Pietila made 21 saves through the first two periods and Max Vayrynen had six saves in the third for MTU.
Minnesota State 3, No. 10 St. Cloud State 2 (OT)
Adam Eisele’s goal 3:10 into overtime won it for the Mavericks, who were down 2-0 early in the second period before coming back with three unanswered goals.
