SATURDAY RECAP: Northeastern sweeps No. 11 Merrimack, 1-0, to take top spot in Hockey East; Colgate beats No. 1 Quinnipiac giving Bobcats lost weekend; No. 8 Michigan bounces back in OT over No. 2 Minnesota; No. 4 St. Cloud State completes sweep of No. 3 Denver

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Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough (25) celebrates the only goal of the game as the Huskies completed a weekend sweep of No. 11 Merrimack, 1-0, to take over first place in Hockey East (Photo: Jim Pierce)

Aidan McDonough scored the game’s only goal with 92 seconds remaining in regulation as Northeastern finished a weekend sweep of No. 11 Merrimack, 1-0. The win gives the Huskies the top spot in the Hockey East standings.

The scene was likely all too familiar for the Warriors, which hasn’t beat Northeastern since 2019, but lost a similar game in the final game of the regular season a year ago, 1-0, on a McDonough goal in the waining seconds.

Saturday’s tally came a little earlier but was just as effective for the Huskies team that has now won four straight Hockey East games to jump to a point in front of Connecticut and Boston University, four clear of Merrimack.

Last year’s Richter Award winner Devon Levi was sharp all night, earning the shutout by making 37 saves.

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Colgate 3, No. 1 Quinnipiac 2

Host Colgate rallied from two goals down nearly midway through the game and scored the final three goals, capped by Ben Raymond’s tally with 10:10 left in regulation to upset No. 1 Quinnipiac, 3-2.

It was the second straight loss for Quinnipiac, which fell on Friday to Cornell, after having lost just a single game all season.

Quinnipiac jumped to a 2-0 lead on a first period goal by Collin Graf and a second period tally by Christophe Fillion.

Ethan Manderville scored for Colgate at 9:47 of the middle frame to pull the hosts within a goal.

Ryan Maguire found the equalizer with 13:23 remaining, sit-in cup Raymond’s late-game heroics.

No. 4 St. Cloud State 2, No. 3 Denver 0

Host St. Cloud State potted two goals in less then three minutes in the middle frame and got a 19-save shutout from goaltender Jaxon Castor as the Huskies completed a critical weekend sweep of No. 3 Denver, 2-0.

St. Cloud State pulls into a tie with the Pioneers for the top spot in the NCHC, two points ahead of Omaha and four ahead of Western Michigan.

Jack Rogers goal at 7:32 of the second was all the Huskies needed for the victory, but Zack Okabe netted his 15th of the season on the power play just 2:54 later.

The Huskies remanned disciplined the entire night, allowing the potent Denver offense just a single power play in the first period.

No. 8 Michigan 5, No. 2 Minnesota 4 (OT)

Jacob Truscott scored the game-winning goal as Michigan exacted revenge for a similar overtime defeat on Friday, knocking off host Minnesota, 5-4 in overtime, to split a weekend series with the Gophers.

Minnesota won a similar thriller a night earlier, 4-3 in overtime.

Michigan held leads of 1-0, 2-1 and 4-3, but for the second straight night, Minnesota found the late equalizer late in regulation.

Thanks to results around the Big Ten, Minnesota remains 10 points ahead of both Ohio State and Penn State, which Michigan’s three-point weekend leaves the Wolverines in sixth place, though easily in striking distance of a home-ice spot in the Big Ten playoffs.

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