If you are going to win your first game of the season, might as well do it in style.
That was the case for the Dubuque Spartans on Saturday in their showdown with nationally ranked Adrian.
They shook off an early deficit, rallied to force overtime and then won the game 5-4 just 33 seconds into the extra period as Nikita Borodayenko scored to lift the Spartans to a victory over the seventh-ranked Bulldogs on the road.
Adrian had won in convincing fashion on Friday night, rolling to a 7-2 victory. There was little reason to think the series finale wouldn’t go the same way.
But never underestimate the fight of an underdog. Dubuque saw five different players score while Erik Chaffe made 43 saves.
A second-year program, Dubuque improves to 1-15-3 overall and 1-9-1 in the NCHA.
Dubuque trailed 3-1 at the end of one and was down 4-1 after two before scoring three in the third to send the game to OT thanks to a power play goal by Zach Weimer with less than three minutes to go.
Dubuque has played 21 games in all if you count the two exhibition games against UW-Eau Claire and eight have gone to OT. So the Spartans have been in a lot of games this season.
Raiders stun Green Knights
MSOE was up for the challenge of taking on nationally ranked St. Norbert on Saturday day.
After losing 4-1 on Friday in the series opener at home, the Raiders hit the road to play in one of the toughest venues in D-III hockey and were unfazed, skating to a 4-2 win over the nation’s sixth-ranked team.
MSOE scored four times in the final period to secure the win, beating the Green Knights for the first time since 2018.
Sam Lyons scored twice to help fuel the comeback while Austin Schwab made 28 saves.
MSOE improved to 9-8-2 overall and 4-7-1 in the conference as it notched its first win over a ranked team this season.
It’s been a pretty good January for the Raiders, who opened the month with four consecutive wins and own a 6-1-1 record this month.
They have been competitive all season and lost a pair of one-goal games to nationally ranked Trine earlier this season.
MSOE handed the Green Knights just their third home loss of the year. In Friday’s win, Logan Dombrowsky tallied a goal and two assists to lead St. Norbert to a victory.
Auggies get a sweep
Augsburg finished off a series sweep against Hamline Saturday with a 3-0 win, thanks in part to the play of goalie Carsen Stokes, who made 42 saves for his second shutout victory of the year.
Nick Catalano provided most of the offense, scoring twice, while Conner Schneider added an empty-net goal.
For Stokes, it’s the fourth time he’s made at least 40 saves in a game this year as Augsburg improved to 7-11-1 overall and 3-6-1 in the MIAC.
Augsburg dominated Friday’s game by a 5-1 score as Landon Parker and Graham Harris led the way with two goals apiece. Stokes came through with a season-high 48 saves, helping the Auggies snap a four-game winless streak.
The crazy thing for Augsburg is that it now has 11 points in the standings and is just four points out of second in a tightly contested league.
Saints and Royals split
Bethel avoided a weekend sweep as it knocked off St. Scholastica 2-1 on Saturday.
Goals by Jack Brown and Dane Soyanoff put Bethel up 2-0 before the Royals held on for the win. Brown’s goal was his sixth of the year. The Royals improved to 9-6-2 overall and 5-2-1 in the MIAC.
St. Scholastica overcame a 3-1 deficit in Friday to win 4-3. Brodie Girod completed the comeback win with the final tally of the night. Nathan Adrian scored twice.
The Saints got 34 saves from Eino Rissanen. They are 9-9-1 overall and 4-6 in the league.
Cobbers finish off series with win
Concordia dominated the finale against St. Olaf on Saturday, winning 5-2. The two teams played to a 3-3 tie on Friday.
Tied at 2-2 on Saturday, the Cobbers scored the final three goals of the game.
Tucker Skime scored twice and Jackson Lucia dished out three assists for Concordia, which improved to 8-9-2 overall and 4-4-2 in the MIAC. Dane Couture made 22 saves.
The Cobbers are unbeaten in their last four games are tied for fourth in points in the league standings.
Johnnies avenge loss
Saint John’s wasn’t about to drop its fifth consecutive game. So the Johnnies did something about it, dominating Saint Mary’s 6-0 on Saturday to salvage a split with the Cardinals.
Bailey Huber came through with 32 saves for his third collegiate shutout and Chris Kernan tallied a pair of goals as the Johnnies won for the first time since Jan. 10.
Sam Berry and Spencer Rudrud each recorded two assists and also scored a goal apiece. Jacob McPartland played a role in the win as well, tallying a goal and assist. Berry’s goal was the first of his career at the college level.
Saint John’s is 7-10 overall and 4-4 in the MIAC.
Saint Mary’s won Thursday’s game 4-1 as they ended a four-game losing streak. AJ Rushkowski made 16 saves. The Cardinals are 8-8-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the MIAC.
Superior keeps unbeaten streak intact
No. 13 UW-Superior finished off a series against UW-River Falls with a 2-1 win on Saturday. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie on Friday.
Superior hasn’t lost in 11 consecutive games, sits at 14-3-1 overall and 7-1-1 in the WIAC, and is in sole possession of first place in the conference standings.
Daniel Rozsival’s sixth goal of the year at the 15:06 mark of the second period proved to be the game winner. Jack Boschert, starting for the third time since Dec. 12, tallied 17 saves for his sixth win. Boschert has allowed a goal or less in six times this season.
The unbeaten streak by Superior is the sixth longest in program history and ties a mark last set in 2001. Matt Francois scored the other goal for the Yellowjackets.
UW-River Falls battled back in the third to force overtime thanks to a goal by Jonny Meiers and then won the shootout to pick up two points in the standings.
Brennan Boynton racked up 32 saves as he made his 18th consecutive start in goal. The Falcons are 10-7-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the conference.
Pointers still on a roll
Nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point won two games against UW-Stout over the weekend as it extended its winning streak to eight games.
Ranked 11th in the USCHO.com poll, the Pointers won 5-1 on Friday and then finished things off with a thrilling 1-0 overtime win on Saturday.
The Pointers are 14-4-1 overall and 6-2-1 in the league.
Andrew Poulias scored at the 3:47 mark of OT to help the Pointers secure the win. Alex Proctor was stellar in goal as he racked up 41 saves, including three in the extra period. The save total is his best of the year.
Nico Chmelevski dished out the assist on Poulias’ goal, marking his sixth consecutive game with at least one point.
Friday was a special night for the Pointers and head coach Tyler Krueger, who won the 150th game of his career.
Chmelevski scored a goal and dished out an assist while Tyler German came through with two assists Proctor recorded 31 saves.
Krueger is in his eighth season at the helm and has guided the Pointers to six WIAC regular season championships. He is an alum of the school and played for Stevens Point.
The Price is right
Bobby Price came through with a hat trick on senior night and helped lead Trine to a 7-1 win over Lake Forest on Saturday.
The fifth-ranked Thunder stretched their win streak to four and Price turned in his stellar performance in the 100th game of his collegiate career. The hat trick was the second of Price’s career at the college level.
Trine, which won the opener 4-2 on Friday, scored its final five of goals in the third period as it broke open a close game and completed the sweep.
Brendan Finn finished his night with two goals and Michael DiPietra tallied a goal and assist. Jack Cooper added two assists for the Thunder, who are 16-2-1 and 10-1-1 in the conference. They are also atop the conference.
Spartans extend streak
Fourth-ranked Aurora took care of business against Concordia in a key NCHA series over the weekend.
The Spartans finished off the series with a 5-2 win on Saturday behind two goals from Landry Schmuck and a pair of assists out of Matt Weber. JaCob Mucitelli tallied 19 saves.
Aurora trailed 2-1 after two but scored four goals in the third to secure the comeback win.
Friday’s game wasn’t quite as close as Aurora skated to a 7-0 win. Schmuck stole the headlines again as he scored two goals and dished out a pair of assists. Riley Dekowny also scored twice for the Spartans, who come out of the weekend at 16-3 overall and 10-2 in the NCHA.
Aurora has won its last six games and is still unbeaten in the month of January.
Concordia is 10-9 and 5-7 in the NCHA and came in having won seven of its last eight. This was the second straight weekend where the Falcons were playing a nationally ranked opponent after splitting with St. Norbert last week.
