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Subscribe to USCHO Game of the Week:This Week in NCHC Hockey: Arizona State has impactful two-game set, sweeps then-No. 1 Denver as Sun Devils show ‘a lot of sizzle to the weekend’
Arizona State coach Greg Powers didn’t mince words, about anything, during a Monday press conference after his Sun Devils made two signature wins last weekend at top-ranked Denver.
Even when he was asked what he misses about the since-demolished Oceanside Ice Arena, ASU’s former home that sat fewer than 800 fans, Powers was deadpan in his delivery.
“Nothing,” he said. “I miss the asbestos falling from the ceiling when the puck hits it, and having to scoop it off the ice. I don’t miss anything. That’s the honest answer.”
Powers was clearly feeling good about his team’s current situation, as he, and they, should be. Their 3-2 win Friday at DU’s Magness Arena ended the Pioneers’ recent 21-game winning streak, one away from tying a 56-year-old school record. Arizona State kept pushing the following night, beating the Pioneers 5-2 to move into second place in the NCHC standings.
Pretty good for a Sun Devils team in its first season in a NCAA Division I conference, following nine seasons in the independent wilderness after having had a club program since 1983. Add in the fact that the Sun Devils had been without half of their top six forwards each game until last weekend, and those wins over DU become even more satisfying for Powers, now in his 16th season behind ASU’s bench.
But at the same time, he’s not about to let his team get comfortable.
“There’s a lot of sizzle to the weekend we just had,” he said. “The unanimous No. 1, 21-game win streak Denver had, defending national champs, I don’t think they’ve been swept since pre-COVID at Magness. There’s a lot of significance, and what I told our guys was, ‘Look, this can be a benchmark sweep, but it’s all going to depend on what we do with it. Do we want to be a team that looks at this weekend and, at the end of the year, talks about a sweep we had at No. 1 Denver, or do we want to be a team that actually uses it and makes something about it?’
“That’s going to be the challenge moving forward, is being proud of what we did, and it’s very tough to do, not many teams have done it, but now it’s, ‘What have you done for me lately?’ That’s the way this world works, unfortunately, but we have to parlay these two wins into something special.
“The results that we achieved this past weekend, there’s not a guy in our room that was surprised by them. We know what we’re capable of. We have a really, really good hockey team that’s been insanely banged up. That’s the healthiest we’ve been all year, and boy, when we get (Cruz) Lucius back, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
ASU (6-7-1 overall, 3-3-0 NCHC) had recently lost three straight and five of its past seven games, before beating Omaha on Nov. 16 in the back half of a home series. Artem Shlaine’s second goal of Friday’s game in Denver put the Sun Devils ahead for good with less than a minute left, and he scored twice again Saturday to cap a pair of good team performances.
“We just managed the puck really well this weekend,” Powers said. “At the end of the day, we’re obviously very excited about the results that we got against a very good program, but we didn’t play any differently than we have in the last month. It was carbon-copy, (and) we finally got the results.
“I’m proud of our guys because they stuck with it, but we have been playing, by and large, the best hockey, structurally and almost every way, since we’ve been a program but just weren’t getting the results, and we did this weekend, and it feels good. Happy for our guys.”
Injuries have had an outsized effect on ASU’s forwards so far this season, and that remains an issue. Shlaine missed the Sun Devils’ first six games this season, Charlie Schoen has been out since the end of October, and Lucius is yet to play for his new team after posting 13 goals and 34 points last year for Wisconsin.
To that end, for as much as Powers said that he wishes his team was playing this weekend so as to keep its momentum rolling, being idle until a home series Dec. 6-7 against Minnesota Duluth isn’t such a bad thing.
“We’ve got to get through two more games,” Powers said of ASU’s slate before the upcoming holiday break. “We get an off week this week to heal up some bumps and bruises, and we’ve got to finish strong. When we get a full roster back, I would not want to play us.”
Certainly not, when the vibes are what they are right now. But for as much as the Sun Devils had been building up to last weekend’s big wins, Powers knows his program has generally been on the right track longer than most outsiders know.
“It goes back to just not straying from what has brought us success, and that’s a blue-collar mentality,” he said. “Now we have the resources of Mullett Arena, we have the support of an unbelievable institution that we didn’t have back in the day when we were not varsity, (and) we’re in the best conference in college hockey.
“We have everything we need, and now it’s Chapter 2: Banner-hanging mode. Chapter 1 is behind us and we’ll never forget it, but we never want to lose what got us here.”
This Week in CCHA Hockey: Finding the need ‘to play a certain way’ has made Bemidji State’s Irey a go-to forward for Beavers
Up until two weeks ago, Kirklan Irey would have described his season as inconsistent.
The Bemidji State junior winger had only scored one goal in nine games coming into BSU’s nonconference series against third-ranked Minnesota. In game one of that series, Irey found himself playing as the extra skater instead.
That was something of a wake-up call.
“I wasn’t playing great hockey before overall, not really playing a 200-foot game,” Irey said in a phone interview earlier this week. “I had some conversations, some tough ones at times, too. And I think just kind of looking at myself in the mirror, it helps knowing that I had to look at the bigger picture, I needed to play a certain way. And I think that’s kind of helped me in my game these last couple weeks.”
Irey responded that weekend, scoring three goals against the Gophers — including the game-winner in Saturday night’s 3-1 upset of Minnesota — and then added another one this past weekend against St. Thomas.
All of a sudden, Irey is now Bemidji State’s leading scorer, with five goals and four assists for a total of nine points on the season.
“I think the last couple weeks have been a testament to myself,” Irey said, noting that he’s been working harder on the gritty aspect of the game that is so valued within the BSU hockey program. “The goals on the side, those are big for the confidence, and I think overall, it’s just gonna help our team win.”
“He’s playing well. It’s good for Kirklan, because we need him to be good,” BSU coach Tom Serratore said in his postgame press conference on Friday night, after the Beavers had taken two points from St. Thomas via a tie and a shootout. The Beavers would eventually take all five points from the series with a 2-1 regulation win on Saturday night.
The Beavers, now 6-6-1, seem to be turning the corner in some way as a team. After an inconsistent start that included an early three-game losing streak, they’re now riding a three-game unbeaten streak that included the win against the Gophers and the series against the Tommies last weekend.
Although they lost 5-3 in the Thursday night leg of the home-and-home, BSU dominated the Gophers in the third period of the game in Minneapolis. That momentum carried over into Saturday’s game in front of a sold-out crowd at Bemidji’s Sanford Center. Irey scored 20 seconds into that game to give BSU a 1-0 lead, then again 10 minutes later. The Beavers then relied on great defense and goaltending from Mattias Sholl to grind out the 3-1 win.
Irey said he thinks the Minnesota series could be something of a spark for the Beavers.
“We were inconsistent pretty early in the year, up until probably Minnesota here two weeks ago,” Irey said. “I think that first game in Minnesota, we battled hard and kind of found ourselves putting each other in good positions. We were playing simple hockey and looking back at this weekend in St. Thomas, Friday night was kind of a lackadaisical game. But we found ourselves getting two points out of that night. So it’s big points for the standings in the CCHA, and then coming out on Saturday night, we played, we played pretty well and played to our standard, and I think we can keep building off of that.”
Irey’s not the only player who seems to have found his scoring touch as of late.
Northern Michigan transfer Riley Funk scored his first goal in green and white against Augustana Nov. 8. Since then, he’s added three more, including the game winner against St. Thomas on Saturday.
Freshman defenseman Isa Parekh has already demonstrated his lethality on the power play, potting both of his goals with the man-advantage and looking like a solid addition to the lineup.
Senior Eric Martin (nine points), senior Jere Vaisenen (eight points) and transfer Carter Randlkev (six points) have also shown at times that they can be offensive contributors. It’s something the Beavers were looking for after losing Lleyton Roed (to the Seattle Kraken), Kyle Looft (to graduation) and Eric Pohlkamp (who transferred to Denver) in the offseason.
“We knew coming into the season that we couldn’t rely on one or two guys, and we knew coming in that everyone was gonna have to step up. We’re not necessarily going to have two or three 30-point guys, but if we can have a few guys that get over 10 goals, that would be big time. And I think that distribution of offense like we’ve had the past couple weekends is great,” Irey said. ”There’s different guys stepping up into bigger roles and it’s big for our team. Getting goals from Funk this weekend, getting the game winner, to Isa having a couple here, that’s big this last couple weekends. And you know, we have guys like Jere and and Martin and Randklev and (Jackson Jutting), and those guys are going to step up in big moments.”
As it currently stands, the Beavers have 13 points in CCHA play, but because the league is this season determining its winner on a points-percentage basis, they are in sixth place in the conference. That means league points–however they are gained–are valuable. And the way the Beavers have been getting it done has been through a stout defense and strong goaltending from Sholl.
The only time the Beavers have scored more than three goals are a pair of overtime wins (against Minnesota Duluth and Augustana, respectively). More often than not, though, the games the Beavers are best at winning have been low-scoring, grind-it-out games: 1-0 against Minnesota State. 3-1 against Minnesota. 2-1 against St. Thomas.
“We’ve got to be comfortable in those low scoring games, those one, two goal games, and I think we are,” Irey said. “We’re a mature team, we know how to win those games, and we don’t like seeing ourselves getting into a track meet with other teams. So I think keeping a simple game and playing well on our own end, trying to limit teams to under two, three goals a night, that’s what we want to do, and if we can do that, we’re gonna give ourselves a good chance every night.”
The Beavers will put that to the test this weekend when they take on North Dakota in a home-and-home series. Black Friday’s game will be at Sanford Center while Saturday’s trip to Ralph Engelstad Arena will be a return to Irey’s home state.
Growing up, that’s just the only big-time college hockey team around us,” said Irey, a native of Bismarck, N.D. “It’s always fun playing against these guys. I’ve got a lot of family and friends coming to watch too, so I’m excited about that. But with the crowd here on Friday, we’re expecting a good crowd, and we know the energy is going to be there, so I think we’ve got to build off that energy like we did against the Gophers, and I think we’ll put ourselves in a good position to win.
“If we’re going to want to beat these guys, we’re going to have to play a simple game. I mean, we know, we know what it takes to beat a high-level team, and I think we can be a high-level team ourselves, so we’re going to work on what we need to work on and be prepared for it.”
This Week in ECAC Hockey: Brown netminder Zacher leading way from crease, ‘has the ability … to be one of the elite guys in our league’
One glance through Brown’s men’s hockey record book is all it takes to understand the greatness once possessed by goaltender Yann Danis.
The one-time Hobey Hat Trick finalist litters every page of goaltending stats with multiple entries into the program’s top single season numbers for goals against average, shutouts, saves and save percentage, and while his career statistics don’t necessarily top every list, his four-season output reinvented the Bears as a program at a time when several traditional powerhouses sustained a down period in the mid-2000s.
Some of the most impressive numbers within the Danis file exist on a list of scoreless streaks that he singlehandedly rewrote. Six of his longest scoreless streaks between the 2001-02 season and his graduation after the 2003-04 season outstretched 125-plus minutes with his two best streaks extending well over 150 minutes. To some, the numbers stand the test of time because they’ve been challenged over the past 20 years without falling to other notable goalies like Mike Clemente, Adam D’Alba or Tyler Steel.
Just one other goalie – Clemente – reached the sacred number of 150 scoreless minutes, but this past weekend, sophomore Lawton Zacher accomplished something potentially more significant when he achieved the second-longest streak of scoreless hockey with a 157:04 streak during a five-point road sweep over North Country teams at Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
“I thought we got tremendous goaltending from Zacher,” said Bears coach Brendan Whittet of his suddenly streaking netminder. “He has high-end potential as a goaltender and has the ability, I think, to be one of the elite guys in our league, and he was coming off of double hip surgery from last year. So that first game against Colgate wasn’t indicative of what he can do as a goaltender, but he’s been great. I also think that we’ve been defending well where we’ve been very good on the penalty kill and keeping stuff to the outside.
“We were really good in terms of our back pressure, and we capitalized on offense when we had opportunities.”
Zacher entered the season as one of ECAC Hockey’s underrated goalies after not receiving any mention in the league’s postseason or preseason award bank. His numbers from last season weren’t on pace with the star power of Ian Shane, Cooper Black or Jack Stark, but a .909 save percentage and 2.91 goals against average offered a modest improvement for a team rebuilding a younger core.
He wasn’t a large-number keeper, and getting 42 saves against Union, 41 saves against Harvard and 40 saves in the Mayor’s Cup matchup against Providence wasn’t enough to help the Bears win those games. But a trend emerged in other games where Brown won games where the defense held opponents to lower numbers and less premium chances. It felt like simple math, but focusing on gaining more consistency on the back end helped Zacher see the puck exceptionally well over a seven-point stretch against the Tigers and North Country teams.
“We’ve worked hard on the defensive side in terms of making sure we’re protecting from the middle-out,” said Whittet. “If they’re going to take any shots on [net], they’re coming from grade-As. They’re more outside chances, and I think [teams] are hoping for secondary opportunities, but what Lawton has done has [prevented] those second opportunities. He’s inhaled stuff, and he hasn’t left second opportunities at all, which has [helped] a very confident goaltender.”
The process resulted in Zacher’s climb through Brown’s immediate record book after Princeton’s David Ma scored on the power play with just over 5:30 remaining in the first period. For the next 40-plus minutes, the defense and its netminder stonewalled 16 shots before recording the full-blown shutout in the 1-0 win over No. 19 Clarkson, which became the program’s first-ever consecutive road wins in Potsdam when combined with last year’s late-January 3-2 overtime victory at Cheel Arena.
The streak would eventually come to an end when St. Lawrence’s Jan Lasak beat Zacher ahead of the halfway point of the third period, but an overtime goal from Brian Nicholas registered the extra point for the Bears, who won the previous night’s game on Charlie Gollab’s goal with 0.5 seconds remaining on the clock.
“First and foremost, when you have limited seconds on a [offensive zone restart], you have to win the faceoff,” said Whittet, “so if we don’t win that faceoff, we don’t score that goal. But our guys weren’t passive, and off the draw, they went directly to the net and created a little bit of traffic. The puck landed right at the feet of Gollab, but he’s in that area where he needed to be if he wanted to score goals. So we were rewarded with that because it’s all the things that led up to that goal, adding up to scoring.”
It pushed Brown to its third overall sweep over Clarkson and St. Lawrence while registering the first sweep in the North Country since a Nov. 2004 trip quarterbacked by then-starting goalie Adam D’Alba. Even without an offensive outburst, it was enough to send Brown into eighth place after the team started its season by gaining traction during a three-weekend stretch that included the Cornell-Colgate road trip, the arrival of Quinnipiac and Princeton into Providence, and the subsequent trip to Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
There was no safety net offered by a non-conference game, but surviving through the first six games with seven points puts the Bears on a track that takes them out of ECAC play until after the calendar turns to its 2025 portion. It’s a common thread for an Ivy League team that doesn’t start until late October or early November, but the breather with a Thanksgiving weekend against Air Force or a December road trip to Matthews Arena to play Northeastern isn’t entirely a vacation for a team still searching for its full-term identity.
“We just have to play the right way,” said Whittet. “We’ve gotten better each weekend and given ourselves a chance to be successful. We just have to continue to be a little more consistent in how we start games. We’ve found ways to win, but those starts have to be a little better. We’ve had a bunch of injuries, unfortunately, so other guys are going to get the opportunity to play bigger minutes. It’ll be interesting to see how they play in those roles, but from my perspective, it’s business as usual because non-league games are important for ECAC.
“If we want multiple teams in the NCAA tournament, we have to contribute our part to the non-league side. We represent Brown, but we also represent the league.”
Brown returns to the ice this weekend when the Bears host Air Force for two games before playing a single game at Northeaster on Dec. 7. A Dec. 29 tilt against Long Island precedes a one-weekend return to ECAC play with Union and Rensselaer before the Mayor’s Cup returns to Meehan Auditorium on Jan. 7 with the annual game against Providence.
This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Thanksgiving is time to assess what all conference teams are thankful for so far in 2024-25
As we prepare to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., it’s a good time to take a look at something for which each Big Ten team may be grateful.
The Wolverines are road warriors with a power play that clicks
After sweeping Penn State in Pegula Arena last weekend, Michigan improves to 9-2-1 on the season with a 5-0-1 road record. The Wolverines earned a win and tie at Arizona State in mid-October, and Michigan swept Boston University in Agganis Arena Nov. 1-2.
The Wolverines scored 16 total goals against the Nittany Lions in two wild games. In Friday’s 6-5 win, Penn State scored two goals within the first five minutes of the third to tie the game before Michael Hage’s game-winner at 13:28.
In Saturday’s 10-6 win, the Wolverines trailed 3-0 by just past the midway point in the first and by the end of the game had gone 6-for-9 on the power play. Michigan scored a total of eight power-play goals in the series.
Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said that the Wolverines had been “a little snake bit” with the man advantage for parts of the season, but that players “stuck to the plan” to find success, something that will be “good for their confidence down the road.”
Michigan’s power play improves to 28.9 percent, sixth in the nation. The Wolverines are averaging four goals a game, tied with Dartmouth for third in the nation.
The Wolverines play a home-and-home series against Western Michigan Friday and Saturday.
Michigan State may owe Boston College a little gratitude – again
Michigan State’s only loss this season came at home to Boston College, a 3-0 blanking in their home opener Oct. 11.
The Spartans rebounded the following night with a 4-3 win against the Eagles and are now undefeated in six games and two exhibitions since that loss to Boston College.
During their current streak, the Spartans have scored fewer than four goals in exactly one game, a 3-0 road win over Canisius Oct. 25, averaging 4.5 goals per game in their last six.
Last season, Michigan State was swept on the road by Boston College, 6-4 and 5-1 losses Oct. 26-27. The Spartans followed that with a seven-game undefeated streak (5-0-2) and finished the remainder of the first half 8-3-1.
Michigan State wasn’t swept again for the entire 2023-24 season and lost consecutive games only once, to Minnesota Jan. 27 and Notre Dame Feb. 2.
That series against Boston College early last season taught the Spartans a few lessons. Coach Adam Nightingale brought it up after Michigan State beat Michigan in the Duel in the D Game at Little Caesar’s Arena Feb. 10, and he talked about it again late in February.
“It was like, it’s simple,” said Nightingale. “We’ve got to get better. They’re better than us.”
The Spartans went on to win the Big Ten regular season and playoff titles at the end of 2023-24.
There’s a lot of hockey left this season, but the Spartans are already impressing theUSCHO.com Poll voters. This week, Michigan State was voted No. 1 in the poll for the first time since 2007.
The Spartans host Lindenwood in a Friday-Sunday series this weekend.
Minnesota’s balance is impressive
The Golden Gophers improved to 12-2-0 on the season – and 6-0-0 in the Big Ten – after sweeping Notre Dame on the road last weekend, 6-3 and 5-3.
Minnesota’s two losses came a month apart, the 2-1 overtime loss to Omaha in the title game of the IceBreaker tournament Oct. 12 and a 3-1 road loss to Bemidji State Nov. 16.
After their loss to the Beavers, coach Bob Motzko said that the Gophers had done “everything but score a goal.” In most games this season, though, Minnesota has been able to do everything they should plus score, as their stats attest.
Averaging 4.29 goals per game, the Gophers are second nationally only to Denver in scoring and their power play is eighth in the nation (26.9 percent).
Minnesota spreads that scoring love around, with 16 different players contributing to the Gophers’ 60 total goals with just one skater still without a point.
Motzko said that he likes the “strength” and “resiliency” of the Gopher team. “Everyone’s playing,” said Motzko. “Everyone’s getting a chance to share in the success right now.”
The Gophers host Alaska Friday and Saturday.
The Irish may find some much-needed luck in Belfast
Notre Dame plays in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland this weekend, facing Harvard Friday and either Boston University or Merrimack Saturday.
Winless in seven games, the Irish get the chance to get back on track during the trip of a lifetime. Hosted by the Belfast Giants, the tournament began in 2015 and arose from links between sister cities Belfast and Boston.
The tourney was last played in 2022, with Quinnipiac emerging as the winner. The championship team receives the Belpot Trophy.
“Our guys will have a little chance to do some sightseeing, a little touring of Ireland,” said Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson. “It’s going to be a unique experience for all of us.”
One issue plaguing the 5-9-0 Fighting Irish is the number of penalties the team takes. In their two losses to Minnesota last weekend, the Irish had 11 penalties for 33 minutes.
“I’ll keep sitting guys out for taking bad penalties,” said Jackson. “It’s the only recourse I have.”
The Buckeyes may have a pair of aces in net
The goaltending tandem of sophomore Kristoffer Eberly and senior Logan Terness have paced Ohio State to a 9-2-1 start, a .792 win percentage – tied for sixth nationally with Colorado College and Michigan – and a No. 10 spot in the early Pairwise Rankings.
In five games, Eberly is tops in the nation for goals against (1.29) and is third (.946) in save percentage. He’s also undefeated. Terness (2.28 GAA, .917 SV%) is as steady as they come, with a record of 4-2-1.
The Buckeyes last played Nov. 15-16, a road sweep of Lindenwood in which Eberly and Terness each earned a win.
Toward the start of the season, coach Steve Rohlik said that the Ohio State goaltending “really started to improve” in the second half of the 2023-24, and that Eberly and Terness “push each other.”
Rohlik said he’s open to one or the other emerging as starter but is satisfied with how things are now.
The Buckeyes travel to Princeton for a Friday-Saturday series.
Penn State breaks a bad streak
The Nittany Lions headed into Tuesday’s game against Colgate looking to snap a six-game losing streak, and the Nittany Lions did just that, beating Colgate at home 3-2, improving to 5-7-0 overall.
The six losses in that skid were all to Big Ten opponents, but the Nittany Lions are 5-1-0 in nonconference play, three shy of Penn State’s eight nonconference wins from a season ago.
Bright spots for Penn State include its 13th-best power play (23.4%) and 16th-best goals scored per game (3.27).
Against Colgate, the Nittany Lions were 1-for-3 on the power play, outshooting the Raiders 42-27 in the game.
One player fueling that offense is sophomore Aiden Fink (8-11-19), who extended his career-best goal-scoring streak to five against Colgate. Fink is third nationally in points per game (1.64), and he’s contributed three power-play goals this season.
The Nittany Lions face finish their series with the Raiders Wednesday, Nov. 27.
Wisconsin has an opportunity to get its home groove back
In Mike Hastings’ first season behind the Wisconsin bench, he displayed an impressive awareness of how important it was to give home fans a reason to keep coming back to the Kohl Center. The Badgers finished the 2023-24 season with a 26-12-2 overall record with 14 of those wins coming at home.
This season, Wisconsin has won at home just once, a 3-2 win over Lindenwood Oct. 12. This weekend, the Badgers host Alaska Anchorage for two games, and Hastings sees this series as an opportunity to give the Wisconsin hockey faithful what they need.
“We’re in the Midwest,” said Hastings at this week’s press conference. “If you go out and compete and control what you get to control, there’s a respect for that. At the end of the day, you want the results to match up. We haven’t done that in our own building until this opportunity that we have on Friday.”
Wisconsin improved to 4-8-0 on the season after a road sweep of Penn State Nov. 15-16. Those wins came at the end of a string of eight games during which Wisconsin went 1-7-0 against ranked opponents – with five of those losses in conference play.
The Badgers are 34-9-3 all-time on their own ice against the Seawolves. Alaska Anchorage is 2-9-1 on the season but 1-2-1 in their last four games.
“We need to execute a little bit better at home than we have up until this point,” said Hastings, “until we get the result we need to get.”
Colonels driving this year’s success from last year’s 4OT disappointment
Currently sitting at No. 5 in the USCHO poll, the Curry Colonels have started out the season with a stellar 7-1-0 record with a very motivated team that has turned NCAA tournament disappointment into fuel and focus for achievement this year from the very start of the 2024-2025 season.
“Last spring, we took the successful elements of last year’s NCAA tournament run as a baseline for how we wanted to approach this season,” said head coach Peter Roundy. “We only graduated two players from the roster that won at Geneseo and lost in four overtimes to national champion, Hobart. It would have been easy to dwell on the pain of losing a game like that, but we did not do that. We gained a lot of confidence in our NCAA tournament run. We focused on the positives and then looked at the first four games this season as an opportunity to start fast against quality opponents like Massachusetts-Boston, Norwich and two games with conference rival, Endicott. We finished those four games going 3-1-0 with only the overtime loss to Endicott so mission accomplished on the start we wanted.”
Fundamental to Curry’s success has been a deep roster and the exceptional goaltending of sophomore Shane Soderwall. Last spring, Soderwall tied the NCAA record with 98 saves in the 4OT loss to Hobart and has picked up his game this year playing all eight games to date with a 0.87 goals-against average, .967 save percentage and four shutouts.
“Shane has been a workhorse for us,” stated Roundy. “We have maybe our deepest team since I have been here, and I think the goaltending and defensive group are the strength of our roster. We have not skated the same lineup in any game so far this season, but the constant has been Shane in goal who has played every game. He is an absolute workhorse who wants the crease every night and when he plays, he gives our team immense confidence that we can win any and every game. Shane approaches the game like a professional and continues to focus on improving aspects of his game. We had an optional skate today for players that did not play in the weekend series and Shane was out there taking shots and working on things with our goalie coach. One of those areas of improvement has been his puck-handling in the defensive zone where he has helped facilitate the breakout with good decisions and in the first three games had a pair of assists. Picking the starting netminder for games is not one of the tough decisions the coaching staff is having to make right now with how Shane continues to play for us.”
While the first four games of the season were a clear focus coming out last spring, the next four games to close out the first half have equal importance to Curry’s building momentum for a strong second half. Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Colonels travel to play a pair of games against SUNYAC’s Cortland with the first game being played in the home of the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch on Saturday and back on Cortland’s campus for the second game. Finally, the Colonels close out the semester with a home-and-home series with the University of New England, a key rival in pursuit of the CNE championship this season.
“We absolutely want to finish strong,” noted Roundy. “We want to play the best teams out there and benchmark ourselves on what we need to do to compete successfully with the best at the D-III level. Cortland was a tournament team that plays a heavy game with size and speed and certainly skill. Kevin [Swallow] always has UNE playing well and contending in our conference so we will need to stay focused to earn results and valuable points against a key competitor.”
While Curry has seen expected early numbers from players like Killian Rowlee and Eelis Laaksonen, there have been some early contributions from first-year Karim Gayfullin and sophomore Victor Daigneault. Additionally junior Manny Cabral is leading the team in scoring providing some added balance and depth for coach Roundy’s squad.
“Manny is a great story for us this season,” said Roundy. “When he transferred here from New England College there were some challenges adjusting to our style and how we did things as a program, but Manny was very engaged and focused on some key things we directed last spring to prepare for this season. He has been diligent in making adjustments and like the rest of the team, was ready for a fast start to the season.”
Start fast, finish strong is the focus for a Colonel team hoping to build more success this season from the lessons from a strong season past.
“Hard to believe we are already coming up on the end of the first half,” said Roundy. “We work so hard for six-months getting ready and it goes by so quickly. We have chance to really build great momentum for the second half and based on the first four games, we hope we can have success in the last four games of the semester.”
This Week in Atlantic Hockey America: Conference teams have much to be thankful for with Thanksgiving holiday fast approaching
It’s an old sports writing cliche, but at this time of the season, you’ll often see stories listing what teams have to be thankful for so far.
Guilty as charged.
I’m offering a slight variation – here’s a player on each Atlantic Hockey America team whose play inspires gratitude from coaches, players, and fans, at least so far this season.
Air Force
Clayton Consentino (Senior Forward) – One of the best faceoff men in the country, he’s won more draws (205) than anyone in Division I and is doing it at a 56% clip. Consentino also leads the team in points (13) and is 12 away from the century mark for his career.
American International
Adam Manji (Freshman Goalie) – The 6-5 rookie netminder hasn’t seen a lot of time in net so far but in limited action (five games, two starts), Manji has a .921 SV% and a 2.32 GAA. He has wins in his only two starts, against Holy Cross and Niagara, two of the top teams in the conference.
Army West Point
JJ Cataldo (Freshman Goalie) – Another fantastic freshman, Cataldo has seen the majority of minutes for the Black Knights, posting a .942 SV%, ranked fifth in D-I, and a 1.73 GAA, good for 11th nationally.
Bentley
Connor Hasley (Junior Goalie) – Hasley is the hottest goalie in the country right now, posting three consecutive shutouts. He now holds school records for career shutouts (11) and shutouts in a season (four). He’ll put his streak on the line on Saturday when the Falcons visit Northeastern.
Canisius
Matteo Giampa (Sophomore Forward) – Giampa, last year’s Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year, shows no signs of a sophomore slump. His 15 points in 13 games is second in the conference. In last Friday’s 3-2 win at Mercyhurst, Giampa scored the game-winner with less than a minute to play.
Holy Cross
Liam McLinskey (Senior Forward) – Last year’s Player of the Year in Atlantic Hockey and Hobey Baker finalist is again near the top of the leaderboard. His 13 points lead the team and his eight goals are tied for second in the conference.
Mercyhurst
Carter McPhail (Grad student Goalie) – It’s not typical to list a goalie who is 0-6-1 so far this season, but McPhail’s play has been a bright spot for the Lakers (2-13-1). The Miami transfer has a respectable .912 save percentage and last weekend helped his team to two points in a shootout win, stopping all three Canisius shooters.
Niagara
Shane Ott (Senior Forward) – Ott leads Niagara’s high-flying offense with 16 points in 15 games, the highest point total in the conference. At this pace, Ott should reach the career century mark this season – he needs 18 more points.
Rochester Institue of Technology
Matthew Wilde (Sophmore Forward) – Wilde missed RIT’s first eight games and it was noticeable. Since returning he has nine points (four goals, five assists) in six games, leading the conference in points per game.
Robert Morris
Croix Kochendorfer (Freshman Goalie) – Another rookie goaltender making big contributions, Kochendorfer sports a .915 SV% and a 2.42 GAA. Last Friday, he stopped 39 shots in a 4-3 overtime loss at North Dakota.
Sacred Heart
Ajeet Gundarah (Freshman Goalie) – Yes, it’s the year of the rookie goalie in Atlantic Hockey America. Gundarah has started the last six games for the Pioneers, posting a 5-0-1 record including a shootout win. His 2.38 GAA is tied for third in the conference.
I hope everyone has a peaceful and healthy Thanksgiving holiday. Catch some hockey if you can.
Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Episode 30 – Splits lead into Thanksgiving weekend, plus looking ahead to international play
The Nov. 27, 2024, edition of USCHO.com’s PodKaz features hosts Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski looking back at split series between No. 2 Ohio State and Minnesota State, No. 3 Minnesota and No. 10 St. Cloud State and No. 11 Boston College and No. 14 UConn.
The second segment is a rundown of upcoming international play, including the Six Nations Tournament in Finland with U.S. and Canada rosters made up of college players.
And the final part of the show covers what’s coming on Thanksgiving weekend, with a number of East-West matchups and two tournaments, plus the start of the PWHL season.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].
This Week in Hockey East: Merrimack, Boston University taking games to Northern Ireland this weekend for Friendship Four extravaganza
When people think of Northern Ireland’s association with sport, their minds usually go to competitions such as hurling, Gaelic Football and rugby.
Rarely do they think of ice hockey.
Boston University and Merrimack are trying to change that, at least for one weekend, as the two Hockey East schools will participate in the seventh Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, facing each other on Friday at 9 a.m. Eastern.
“You think of hockey, you think of the Power (6) countries (USA, Canada, Czechia, Finland, Russia and Sweden), and you go to Ireland, you think of different stuff,” said BU freshman forward Cole Eiserman. “Dancing, soccer, maybe rugby, something like that. For us to have hockey there, and for them to see it, to see how cool it is, I think that’s going to grow the game.”
Harvard (ECAC Hockey) and Notre Dame (B1G) will play in Friday’s second game at 2 p.m. The consolation round and championship game will be at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. Friday’s games will be televised on ESPN-plus and NESN, while Saturday’s action will be on ESPN-plus.
Merrimack coach Scott Borek was a member of the Providence coaching staff when the Friars participated in the 2017 event. He said that in addition to performing well hockey-wise, he hopes his team will view their time in Northern Ireland as an educational experience.
“In Ireland, a lot of the history that’s been difficult has happened in my lifetime, the 70s and 80s,” Borek said. “I think that will be an eye-opening experience for the guys. The hockey’s a great thing — obviously, there are three great teams we’re going to go over there with. But that (history) piece of it, I think, we can’t lose that. It’s really important that our guys appreciate that. I’m looking forward to that opportunity to build our team, get them to understand what really matters.”
The Friendship Four has been held since 2015 at SSE Arena Belfast, with the winner receiving the Belpot Trophy. It is currently the only college hockey tournament to take place outside of the United States.
For many players, the tournament will mark their first time visiting Northern Ireland.
“It will be great for the sport, and it will be great to grow the game,” said BU senior forward Matt Copponi. “I’m really excited to go out there and learn all about it.”
The first six Friendship Four tournament fields featured a pair of Hockey East schools and two from ECAC Hockey. Notre Dame’s participation will be the first for a B1G team. Next year’s Friendship Four will buck tradition entirely, as Miami (NCHC), RIT and Sacred Heart (Atlantic Hockey America) and Union (ECAC Hockey) are scheduled to take part.
This will be Merrimack’s first appearance at the Friendship Four, and Boston University’s second, having last appeared in 2018 when it lost in the final to Union.
For BU and Merrimack, the trip to Northern Ireland will be a huge break from routine, far different from an ordinary bus ride on a Hockey East weekend. The teams will spend multiple days in the country, and the excursion will include visits to local schools, where the players and coaches are expected to share their experiences playing hockey at a high level.
“We’re really looking forward to playing some good hockey down there,” said Merrimack freshman forward Caelan Fitzpatrick. “We think it will be a really cool experience to see what Ireland is all about and get to experience that as a team.”
The Friendship Four was played five consecutive years from 2015 to 2019, but has been played just once (2022) since then due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Past Hockey East participation includes Northeastern (2015, 2019), UMass (2016, 2022), Maine (2017), Connecticut (2018), New Hampshire (2019), Providence (2017) and UMass Lowell (2015, 2022). UMass Lowell (2015), Vermont (2016) and Northeastern (2019) are the Hockey East schools to have won the tournament.
TMQ: First No. 1 ranking for Michigan State since 2007, assessing goaltending stats for 2024-25 college hockey season, gearing up for World Juniors
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Dan: A hearty good Tuesday to everyone, and before we begin anything, a special Thanksgiving wish to all of us living in this Hockey Town… not Hockeytown, which is where most of us in Massachusetts probably spent Thanksgiving weekend when we were kids (the building is somehow still standing…if you know, you know).
Even more so, a Happy Thanksgiving to you, Paula. I wish nothing but the best for you and your loved ones!
There’s plenty thanks to hand out in college hockey this weekend, and for us, the biggest is probably to Arizona State, which handed Denver losses for the first time this season. Beyond cracking champagne for Cornell’s perfect 1970 team and although there’s still an undefeated team lurking at Dartmouth, I couldn’t believe that the Sun Devils actually beat the defending national champions in the altitude – not once but twice. As a result, for the first time this season, we have ourselves a new No. 1 in the form of Michigan State.
Plenty of meat on this wishbone, but I’ll begin with what is the first No. 1 ranking for the Spartans since the 2006-07 team beat Boston College in the national championship. I can’t remember a time when they were ranked atop the polls during a season – they were No. 2 to start the 2007-08 year – but I’m pretty sure it might’ve been 20-plus years dating back to the 2001-02 team that started the year No. 1 at a time when a young and burgeoning U.S. College Hockey Online site was in its infancy hosting a poll.
Watching the rise of this team under Adam Nightingale still impresses me, but as a Michigander, what’s this team looked like up close and why is it deserving of the No. 1 slot now that Denver’s finally faltered?
Paula: So much to unpack here, Dan.
Before getting into what makes Michigan State so good this year – and worthy of that No. 1 spot – I want to talk about why Denver was demoted immediately after the Pioneers’ first slip of the season.
In two words: what gives?
Is it because the Pioneers are now 2-2-0 in NCHC play? Everyone in the NCHC is at or near .500 in conference play with the exception of Miami, winless in six games. Do poll voters now view the NCHC as a conference with so much parity that league losses are a sign of weakness?
Is it specifically because it’s a sweep at home, and specifically because Arizona State delivered that sweep? If so, then the message is as much about what voters think of ASU as they do of DU.
Is it the way they lost, with Artem Shlaine scoring the game-winning goal for the Sun Devils in the final minute of regulation and just four minutes after Carter King had tied the game for the Pioneers in the Friday game and the way Arizona dominated Saturday?
Or is it because voters have been waiting for Denver to slip and jumped on the chance to mix things up at the top?
Full disclosure: I am one of the seven people who put the Pioneers at the top of the ballot. I have Minnesota second, Michigan State third, Boston College fourth, Maine fifth. Any one of those teams is worthy of the top spot, imo, and the criteria for where people vote them seems arbitrary to me.
I’m not arguing that Michigan State doesn’t deserve the No. 1 ranking, and I do think it has something to do with the perception that the Spartans have taken care of business when Denver, Minnesota and BC have not. An argument can be made that the Pioneers should have beaten Arizona State, and that’s what cost them. An argument can be made that if Minnesota had swept Bemidji State two weeks ago, the Golden Gophers would be in that top spot.
Maybe Boston College never should have lost to Northeastern. Now both Maine and Michigan State have something important in common. The only losses they’ve suffered are to Boston College.
Okay. Now that I’ve gotten that out of my system, onto your question about these very good Spartans.
Michigan State is not stratospheric. The Spartans in the mix with the top five to eight teams in the poll. What separates them is their consistency and their ability to improve from week to week.
What Adam Nightingale and his staff have accomplished in a very short time is beyond impressive, but a lot of credit goes to the players who immediately bought into Nightingale and his staff, who changed the way everything is done at Michigan State.
After being blanked by Boston College Oct. 11, the Spartans have scored four or more goal in every contest since with the exception of their 3-0 win over Canisius Oct. 25. That span includes their second game against the Eagles, which they won 4-3.
To see them among the top 10 teams in the country for offense is pretty amazing, given where they were a few years ago. Nightingale will tell you himself that it’s a team effort. The Spartans are averaging 3.80 goals per game and 14 different players have contributed to the goals count. Defensively, they’re seventh in the nation (1.80), and starter Trey Augustine (1.89 GAA, .931 SV%) is as solid as they come. Michigan State’s combined special teams needs a bit of work, but I guarantee it will improve significantly in the coming weeks – because that’s what Michigan State does.
Their steadiness and tenacity are crucial for improvement, and everyone there knows it. It’s especially important for them to make the most of the early season because the Big Ten will be hard fought this year. That is something I’m really looking forward to.
That was a long answer to your question, Dan, but two more things:
First, let’s not mislead people. I’ve been a Michigander since 2008, and I will happily own that label, but I’m a born and raised New Yorker and no amount of time in the Midwest will change that – as my friends here often lament.
As a Michigander, though, I’ve learned that the term “Hockeytown” carries a lot of baggage, and I’m not touching it.
Dan: OK, OK, fair enough. You bring up an interesting point about Denver, more specifically, because I feel like I had weekly arguments with college hockey friends and colleagues about how I constantly put the Pioneers into the No. 1 spot over a team like Boston College, which had arguably a better resume for its non-undefeated record. To that, I agree with DU not being as impressive, but I also refuse to send the No. 1 team out of its perch until it lost. Until BC dropped its game to UConn, that argument maybe held weight, but I also don’t think Denver, as the defending national champion, should have lost its top ranking until it lost a game.
My second criteria for Denver reflects back to the losses because I placed a tax on having lost at home to Arizona State. That’s not necessarily an insult to either team, but losing to a team that hadn’t been lighting the world on fire in the first month of the season outweighed how I started to look at the two-loss record. The way Denver fell in the Pairwise is an indication of how much those losses hurt, at least for now, and while I suspect the team will resurrect its No. 1 status, I also don’t necessarily believe that it’s the best team, right now, in college hockey, which is what No. 1 is usually an indicator for my voted-on poll.
As an aside, I voted Michigan State into the No. 1 spot, but I wished I could have tied my top two teams. More alarming for me was a placement of Boston College at No. 5, but the loss to Northeastern on Saturday night really hurt the team’s identity, at least for now. I think BC is a national championship contender, but losing twice in a week and to Northeastern is a big reason why I couldn’t keep my beloved Eagles over Minnesota or Michigan. Likewise, I couldn’t move them lower than Maine on the basis of the sweep wins, at least not yet.
I hope that gives folks a bit of insight into how some of us vote. I know the poll takes its hits for not being a factor in the national tournament field, but it’s a good indication of how coaches, analysts, journalists, and anyone associated with college hockey views the current state of a season.
Speaking of current state, I’m switching gears to Atlantic Hockey because I personally witnessed something I’d never seen before. Over here at Bentley, Connor Hasley broke the program record for career shutouts when he posted a scoreless weekend against Air Force. The two wins, combined with last week’s shutout over AIC to stretch his personal record to three consecutive clean sheets while the team further extended its numbers to 195 minutes after stoning the Yellow Jackets over the last 15 minutes of the first game of the weekend. I broke down some of the numbers comparative to both the current college hockey goaltenders, and I took a look at the history that produced 300-plus minutes for Blaine Lacher.
Admittedly, I only remember Lacher for his foibles with the Boston Bruins. He was positively electric in the mid-90s before he was gobbled up by the proverbial Thing that forced him out of the NHL after the next year. His rise and fall is still wild to me, and it’s worth noting that he’s still a college hockey legend (he passed away in January at the age of 53).
Those numbers from Lake Superior State are mind-boggling. Five straight shutouts and just under 400 minutes are virtually untouchable, right?
Paula: I can’t imagine anyone reaching Lacher’s numbers, as good as contemporary goaltenders are. Prior to Lacher’s record of 375:01, Gerald Schultz held the consecutive shutout minutes record of 249:41 through four games in his first season at North Dakota in 1953.
In your Monday 10 this week, you mentioned two goaltenders from “the turn of the century” – ouch! – with impressive shutout streaks, Maine’s Jimmy Howard and Notre Dame’s David Brown, two guys I remember well. In their last seasons, they put up impressive numbers. As a sophomore in 2003-04, Howard’s GAA was 1.19 and his save percentage .956. He followed that up with a solid (1.92 GAA, .924 SV%) junior year before going pro. In Brown’s senior season (2006-07), his GAA was 1.58 and save percentage was .931.
Back in the day, those seemed like giant, astronomical numbers. Now, though, such stats feel commonplace. As of this writing, there are 16 Division I men’s goalies with a GAA of 1.90 or less. The top nine have GAAS of less than 1.70, and there are four goalies with GAAs of less than 1.50. That seems insane to me.
Of those four, only one – Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy – has logged more than 900 minutes in net this season, 200+ more than Clarkson’s Ethan Langenegger, and 600+ more minutes than a pair of Big Ten goaltenders – Ohio State’s Kristoffer Eberly and Minnesota’s Liam Souliere – who are splitting time in net with other goalies.
There are 15 goaltenders with save percentages above .930. Tracy is second in the country (.947) and has played every game for the Mavericks. Western Michigan freshman Hampton Slukynsky is first (.949) with 304 minutes in net, splitting time with Cameron Rowe, who is no slouch himself (1.59 GAA, .938 SV%).
Is it my imagination, or are we seeing better and better goaltending in NCAA hockey, with this season being perhaps one of the best first halves in net that we’ve witnessed?
Dan: I think the overall quality of hockey player is getting better and better these days, and goaltending is a part of it. Part of it is the sport finally benefitting from the fruits of its labor from the expansion days in the early-aughts. I think about the fact that we’re seeing players from “new” hockey markets, and we’re seeing expansion into those markets just in terms of teams. Over the past decade, we’ve seen college hockey grow from Western New York to St. Louis to the new team starting next year at Delaware. It’s no accident given the influx of Division I-level talent in both the men’s and women’s game, and I’m especially impressed with how much women’s hockey in particular is starting to prosper… that’s another story for another day.
Growth in hockey really triggered a bit of my own internal conversations. This past weekend, my broadcast partner, Will Hentschel, made a keen observation that the World Juniors have never come to New England despite our plethora of world class arenas capable of hosting the game. It might have something to do with a lack of IIHF-ready ice, but it brought a great conversation to the forefront of something I’d like to pitch forward.
In the modern era of college hockey and with the growth of the game, are there places that we’d love to see international tournaments explore? We’ve talked about it from a Frozen Four perspective, but I’d love to see the World Juniors come to New England or head to a place where hockey is prospering with a lack of college teams. As a vehicle for college growth, I keep thinking about Florida and Southern California, especially given the timeframe of the cold weather tournament, and I’ve always been impressed with the hockey culture in the Southwest region. Arizona, despite a newer lack of NHL hockey, very clearly has arenas ready to host the tournament, and even the cities surrounding it – LA (back to SoCal), Utah, and central California – all of them have AHL or NHL arenas.
Just food for thought – as we get closer to this year’s World Juniors in Ottawa, is there a spot that intrigues you for using a vehicle to continue growing the game?
Paula: Your argument for the World Juniors being played in possibly warmer climes coincides with the current buzz about the NHL’s desire to expand to Europe, which sounds like a logistical nightmare to me – but I’m often puzzled by many of the decisions the NHL makes.
In Europe, the regions where hockey is most popular are further north, although hockey does enjoy popularity in Spain, France, and Italy – and wouldn’t those be great destinations for World Juniors travelers?
(Yes, I know there are regions in each country that do not experience warm winter weather.)
Here in North America, there are a number of factors that contribute to keeping the World Juniors north of the Mason-Dixon line. I do not know the bidding process for hosting and I have no knowledge of who has done some recent bidding, so I cannot comment on that – but I imagine that’s one of the factors.
Another is perception. The global hockey community may not understand how big hockey is in California and Florida, especially. Those would be fun destinations for any teams – as would several other U.S. states with the ability to host – and international travelers would certainly enjoy them.
The three U.S. states that produce the most NCAA players are still the familiar three Ms: Minnesota, Massachusetts and Michigan, in that order. New York is a close fourth, and in fact my home state is third among all youth hockey players now, behind Massachusetts and Minnesota and just in front of my adopted home state of Michigan.
I’d love to see the IIFH expand into places like Arizona and Florida. USA Hockey’s 2023-24 membership report shows a decline in youth hockey participation in Arizona, though, while it continues to expand other warm states, like South Carolina.
Interestingly, youth hockey participation for 2023-24 was static in Minnesota, declined slightly in Massachusetts and New York, and increased significantly in California, Colorado, Florida and Michigan. Those stats include all players, female as well as male.
Ottawa hosts the IIHF World Juniors from Dec. 26 to Jan. 5, and Minneapolis-St. Paul hosts 2025-26. Massachusetts, Michigan and New York would be fantastic destinations as well, as would other northern states.
I think it’s as much a pipe dream to see the World Juniors move around the U.S. map, though, as it is our wish to see more D-I men’s and women’s programs throughout the continental U.S. There are many club teams throughout the southeast and Texas in particular that are popular and well attended, but my hope of seeing NCAA hockey expand into those markets diminishes with every passing year.
Rather than end this TMQ on that down note, though, let’s talk about a city that’s getting hockey right. This week, the Belfast Giants host the seventh Friendship Four, which features Boston University, Harvard, Merrimack and Notre Dame. Ticket prices for the games at SSE Arena Belfast In Northern Ireland range from roughly $7.00 to $19.00 – affordable for everyone.
Hockey is experiencing a nice little growth in the U.K., including in Northern Ireland, where five teams belong to Ice Hockey Northern Ireland, the league in which the Giants play. There are 10 teams currently in the U.K.’s Elite Ice Hockey League. It’s worth noting that each of these leagues was formed in the 21st century.
Will any of this – the Friendship Four, the growth of hockey in the U.K. – affect anything that happens in the NCAA or affect future IIHF World Junior sites? I can’t answer that. It’s lovely to see the sport we love continue to grow in places not traditionally thought of as hockey hotspots, no pun intended.
Dan: All I know is that I’ll absolutely volunteer for coverage whenever the World Juniors finds its way to Antigua, the Cayman Islands or Aruba!
Michigan State garners 38 first-place votes, takes over No. 1 ranking in Nov. 25 USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll
For the first time since 2007, Michigan State is the top team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll, getting 38 first-place votes and moving up from No. 2.
Denver fell one notch to No. 2, picking up seven first-place votes, while Minnesota is up one to No. 3, earning three first-place votes, Boston College is down one to No. 4, getting the last two first-place votes, and Maine holds firm at No. 5.
USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll – Nov. 25, 2024
Michigan drops one to sit sixth this week, Western Michigan is up two to No. 7, Colorado College is down one to No. 8, St. Cloud State jumps up two to No. 9, and Providence remains 10th.
Cornell falls out of the top 10, going from No. 8 to No. 11, and Arizona State, on the heels of sweeping then No. 1 Denver on the road, reenters the poll at No. 19.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 13 others received votes in this week’s rankings.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey 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.
Arizona State sweep of Denver is part of a volatile week in the top 10: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 7 Episode 8
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger review games of the weekend and news of the week.
Highlights include Arizona State’s surprising sweep of No. 1 Denver, making that the story of the season so far, and the anticipated rise of Michigan State to the top of the USCHO Men’s Division I Ice Hockey Poll. They also delve into Michigan’s offense but also defensive struggles against Penn State, St. Cloud State’s under-the-radar performance, and Western Michigan’s strong start. Additionally, the hosts analyze the prospects of teams like Providence, Bentley, and Minnesota State, and preview the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and hosts
00:34 Arizona State’s stunning sweep of Denver
04:13 Michigan State’s rise to No. 1
06:37 Minnesota’s case for the top spot
08:38 Boston College’s comeback challenges
12:15 Michigan’s defensive struggles?
14:29 St. Cloud state’s quiet success
18:38 Cornell’s early season
21:06 Western Michigan’s strong start
24:29 Providence’s overtime challenges
27:46 Bentley’s impressive shutout streak
31:16 Minnesota State’s overlooked success
37:34 College hockey in Northern Ireland
40:30 Connecticut Ice tournament
42:36 Conclusion and wrap-up
Subscribe to this college hockey podcast on Apple podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.
Find our podcast archive at USCHO.com/podcasts
D-II/III East Men’s Ice Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – November 25, 2024
While many scoreboard watchers were focused on the Aurora versus St. Norbert series in the west (checkout Brian Lester’s weekend recap), there was a lot of highly contested and overtime action in the east that shaped a very exciting weekend in all the conference slate of games. While Arcadia swept Stevenson, Amherst tied Trinity (won the shootout), and Oswego dropped Plattsburgh, some others like Hobart, Elmira, Geneseo, and Utica kept rolling along. Lots to unpack in a week that featured fourteen overtime contests. Here is the wrap-up for all the exciting action and onus hockey in the east:
CNE
Curry swept their weekend series against Nichols where they outscored the Bison by an 11-1 margin. On Friday night, five different players scored for the Colonels who cashed in early for a 3-0 lead and cruised to a 5-1 win at home. Alex Duncan and Eelis Laaksonen led the way with a goal and an assist each in the win. On Saturday, Killian Rowlee set the tone offensively scoring a natural hat trick while goaltender Shane Soderwall earned the shutout win stopping all 35 Bison shots in a 6-0 victory.
The University of New England played Suffolk and rebounded from last weekend’s losses to Endicott with a sweep of the Rams. On Friday night, two third period goals helped the Nor’easters break open a 2-1 game on the way to a 4-1 win at home. Dominic Murphy scored a pair of goals while Kevin O’Keefe added a goal and an assist in the win. Two first period goals within 1:46 was all the offense goaltender Joey Stanizzi would need in a 3-0 shutout win over the Rams. Stanizzi earned his third shutout of the young season stopping 33 Suffolk shot attempts.
Endicott kept their win streak going with a pair of victories over Johnson & Wales. Primo Self scored twice, and the Gulls erupted for four second period goals to break a 1-1 tie on the way to a 7-2 rout of the Wildcats on Friday night. Michael Casey scored a goal and added two assists for a three-point game to lead the Gulls. Saturday saw a much closer contest as the Wildcats fought back from a 3-1 deficit on goals from Harout Torosian and Davis Bone in the third period to tie the game at 3-3. The Gulls wasted no time in the extra session as Jackson Sterrett scored with an assist from Andrew Kurapov just 42 seconds into overtime for the 4-3 win.
After a 4-4 overtime tie where Wentworth won the shootout on Friday, Western New England broke into the win column in conference play with a 4-3 win over the Leopards on Saturday. Wentworth jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period before the Golden Bears responded with four unanswered goals including Justin Sullivan’s shorthanded goal and Everest Scheider’s power play marker. Phillipe Longchamps opened and closed the scoring for the home team who held on for a 4-3 regulation win.
MAC
Arcadia broke an 0-2-2 run with a pair of one-goal wins over Stevenson to sweep the weekend series with the Mustangs. On Friday, Jake Frankenfield and Cody Mastay scored for the Knights to break open a 2-2 game and the home team held on for a 4-3 win. Goaltender Ryan Burgess stopped 39 of 42 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, Stevenson carried a 3-1 lead midway through the third period before the Black Knights rallied to tie the game on a goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation time off the stick of Drew Iannucci. Iannucci provided the overtime winner in the first minute of bonus hockey to complete his hat trick in a thrilling 4-3 win.
Neumann remained unbeaten on the season with a pair of wins over King’s this weekend. The Monarchs tied a back-and-forth game in the final two seconds on a goal by Lee Kent to send the game to overtime. Lucas Culhane scored his second goal of the game in overtime for a 6-5 road win. On Saturday, Dustin Patterson’s second goal of the game just 22 seconds into the third period proved to be the game-winner in a 4-2 win to help Neumann earn the sweep and move their record to 4-0-2 on the season.
Lebanon Valley provided another overtime thriller to the MAC schedule with a 3-2 win over Alvernia on Saturday. After Justin Pare tied the score at 2-2 in the third period, Cameron Croteau needed just 46 seconds in the overtime period to give the Flying Dutchmen a 3-2 road win over the Golden Wolves. Goaltender Chris Branch stopped 41 of 43 shots to earn the win.
Wilkes remained unbeaten in MAC play as they posted a weekend sweep of Misericordia to move to 7-0-0 in MAC play this season. On Friday, Nick Swain, Luke Dobles and Carter Jordan scored for the Colonels who held off the Cougars rally following a pair of goals from Ryan Karbach in a 3-2 win. Things were a little more comfortable on Saturday as Wilkes cruised to a 3-0 lead and won the game 5-1 behind a pair of goals from Daniel Nau.
MASCAC
Massachusetts-Dartmouth opened conference play on Thursday and took an exciting 5-4 overtime win over Fitchburg State. The third period saw the Corsairs’ Collin Patterson score a pair of goals to complete his hat trick that helped the home team to a 4-3 lead. Alexandre Bauvais tied the contest at 4-4 in the final minute of regulation with a power play goal only to see Brennan Pecararo score with an assist from Patterson to give the Corsairs the win. On Saturday, Patterson scored two more goals to pace the Corsairs to a 4-2 win over Framingham State for a 2-0-0 MASCAC record.
Anna Maria opened their MASCAC slate with a pair of wins over Westfield State and Rivier. On Thursday, four different goal scorers and two special team goals were all goaltender Matthew Hennessey (24 saves) needed in a 4-0 home win over the Owls. On Saturday, the two newest members of the conference faced-off with the AmCats breaking open a close game with a three-goal third period on the way to a 5-1 road win. Matthew Gilbert scored two unassisted goals in a span of eight seconds in the opening minutes of the final period to provide some cushion in the AmCat road win.
After Plymouth State’s 7-1 win over Framingham State on Thursday where Ethan Stuckless scored four goals, including a natural hat trick, the Panthers battled a pesky Salem State squad on Saturday. The Vikings rallied from a 3-1 deficit on goals by Chase Conlon and Keagan O’Donoghue to tie the score midway through the final period. Colin Tracy provided the quick answer and game-winning goal just 26 seconds after O’Donoghue tied the game in a 4-3 road win that moves the Panthers to 3-0-0 in MASCAC play.
NE-10
After a 6-3 road win against St. Michael’s on Tuesday, St. Anselm hosted Assumption in a two-game series over the weekend and the visitors skated away with a pair of one-goal wins. On Friday, the hawks held leads of 3-1 and 4-2 only to see the Greyhounds rally to tie the score late in the third period on goals from Thomas McGaffigan and Jonathan Surrette. Moving into overtime it was the visitors who found the winning goal off the stick of Patrick McKiernan with just over a minute remaining in the extra session and a 5-4 win. On Saturday, Assumption scored twice in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and held on for a 3-2 win over the Hawks. Goaltender Thomas McClarnon made 41 saves to earn the victory.
Southern New Hampshire leveled its NE-10 record at 3-3-0 with a pair of shutout wins over Post. On Friday, the Penmen scored a goal in each period and took advantage of 20 saves from goaltender Collin Berke in a 3-0 win over the Eagles. A goal and an assist each from Ryan Pomposelli and Ryan Clear provided the offensive spark while Berke stopped 36 shots in a 4-0 shutout win and weekend sweep for SNHU.
St. Michael’s rebounded from their Tuesday loss to St. Anselm by capturing a pair of wins over Franklin Pierce over the weekend. David Ciancio scored two goals in a 3-2 win on Friday night while SJ LeComte paced the offense on Saturday with one goal and two assists in a 5-1 victory for the Purple Knights. St. Michael’s stands at 5-2-0 in conference play so far this season.
NEHC
Hobart hosted Salve Regina for two games over the weekend and skated away with a pair of wins to remain unbeaten on the season. Two power play goals and one shorthanded tally paced the offense on Friday night as Damon Beaver stopped 25 Seahawk shots in a 4-0 shutout win for the Statesmen. On Saturday, the teams answered each other on the scoreboard with Salve Regina’s Arvega Hovsepyan tying the game at 2-2 with a power play goal. Tanner Daniels, who opened the scoring for Hobart, scored the game-winning goal shorthanded in a 3-2 win where Hobart held a commanding advantage in shots at 54-19.
Skidmore bounced back from a pair of losses last week to Elmira with a sweep of games against VSU-Castleton. A four-goal first period and seven different scorers helped pace the Thoroughbreds to a convincing 7-1 win over the Spartans on Friday, in what was coach Rob Hutchison’s 100th victory behind the Skidmore bench. On Saturday, an offensive explosion of six goals between the teams led to a 5-4 win for Skidmore who overcame a hat trick from Castleton’s Luke Chakrabarti. Zach Lindewirth’s goal just 24 seconds after Jackson Edward’s tying goal for the Spartans proved to be the game-winner.
Massachusetts-Boston had started the season 0-5-0 but captured back-to-back wins over New England College to break into the win column this season. A pair of shorthanded goals and a goal and an assist from Jazz Krivtsov helped pace a 4-2 Beacon win on Friday night. On Saturday, Jude Kurtas assisted on all three Beacon goals in a 3-0 shutout win. Goaltender Tyler Bost stopped 31 shots to earn the shutout victory.
Babson extended their win streak to three games by taking two victories over Southern Maine. The Beavers took advantage of Charlie Andriole’s early third period goal and 29 saves from Mason Rosado to earn a hard-fought 2-1 win over the Huskies. In another one-goal game on Saturday, Tommy Rooney’s second goal of the game early in the third period broke a 3-3 tie and helped Babson to a 4-3 decision that leveled their NEHC record at 3-3-0.
Elmira played host to Albertus Magnus and came away with a win and an overtime tie (Albertus Magnus won the shootout) in their two-game series. On Friday, goals were hard to come by and Brennan Boyce’s third period marker was the difference in a 2-1 Soaring Eagle win. On Saturday, Chance Gorman with just over five minutes in regulation to tie the game at 2-2 which was where it ended at the end of overtime.
NESCAC
Williams rebounded from an 0-2 start with a pair of road wins over Connecticut College and Tufts. William Cannata led the Ephs offense on Friday with a goal and a pair of assists in a 5-1 win over the previously unbeaten Camels. On Saturday, Owen Stadheim’s unassisted shorthanded goal got Williams off and running as they built a 4-0 lead and held off the Jumbos with a 4-2 win. Goaltender Cal Sandquist stopped 28 shots to earn the victory.
In one of the best and longest played D-III rivalry games, the Mules from Colby College took advantage of two goals each by Reese Farrell and Jayden Grier in a 5-1 win over in-state rival Bowdoin. The win moved Colby to 2-1-0 in NESCAC play.
Hamilton was looking to build on their fast start and extended their win streak to start the season with a win over Wesleyan on Saturday. Tied at 3-3 entering the third period, the Continentals scored three unanswered goals to go on to win the game by a 6-3 score. Alex Danis and Luke Tchor each scored two goals for the Continentals. On Sunday, Hamilton was looking to take advantage of a Trinity team that has started slowly. The tams exchanged goals for a 2-2 tie almost midway through the final period, but Alexander Mozian scored a power play goal and goaltender Devon Bobak’s 34 saves protected a one-goal win for the Bantams while handing Hamilton its first loss of the season.
SUNYAC
Cortland picked up a pair of SUNYAC wins by downing Plattsburgh and Potsdam on the road. On Friday, Joshua Belgrave gave the Cardinals and early 1-0 lead, but the Red Dragons scored three unanswered, including two by Nathan Garnier to post a 3-1 win. On Saturday, two goals early and two goals late were enough to push Cortland past the Bears by a 4-2 score. Nate Berke scored two goals and added an assist for the Red Dragons in the win.
Buffalo State remained unbeaten in SUNYAC play with a thrilling overtime win over Oswego followed by a second overtime win over Canton. Against Oswego, David Tolan tied the score at 1-1 early in the third period and Ethan Perrault, with an assist from Joe Glamos netted the overtime winner just 22 seconds into the bonus period for a 2-1 Bengal win. On Saturday, Tommy Chunchukov’s second goal of the game tied the score at 2-2 in the third period before Perrault and Glamos assisted on David Tolan’s overtime winner for the Bengals. The weekend sweep brings Buffalo State’s record in SUNYAC action to 4-0-0.
Both Plattsburgh and Oswego rebounded from Friday losses with 4-1 wins on Saturday over Morrisville and Fredonia, respectively. Four different goal scorers paced the Cardinals win over the Mustangs while the same offensive formula was successful for the Lakers in their win over the Blue Devils.
UCHC
In a battle of former SUNYAC opponents, Geneseo hosted Brockport and remained unbeaten on the season posting wins by 3-2 and 3-1 scores. Two goals from Sean Melso in a three-goal second period was enough to earn the Knights a one-goal win over the Golden Eagles on Friday. On Saturday, Peter Morgan’s goal in the final minute of the second period provided a little cushion in a 3-1 win. Goaltender Jacob Torgner stopped 13 of 14 shots to earn the victory.
Utica hosted Chatham and remained unbeaten in UCHC action with a pair of wins over the Cougars. Two goals each from Jakob Breault and Drake Morse paced the offense in a 6-3 win on Friday night. On Saturday, Breault’s goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner as the Pioneers built a 4-1 lead and held off the Cougars in a 4-3 win.
Manhattanville captured a win and an overtime tie (Golden Flyers won the shootout) with Nazareth over the weekend to move to 3-2-1 in conference play. Two goals from Nicholas Rogers and four assists from Lane Paddison led the Valiants to a 4-1 win on Friday night. On Saturday, Rogers’ goal in the third period helped the Valiants rally from a one-goal deficit to earn the overtime tie.
Three Biscuits
Drew Iannucci – Arcadia – scored a hat trick including the game’s opening goal, game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation and overtime-winner in the Black Knights’ 4-3 win over Stevenson on Saturday.
Killian Rowlee – Curry – scored a natural hat trick to open the scoring in the Colonels’ 6-0 win over Johnson & Wales on Saturday.
Collin Patterson – Massachusetts-Dartmouth – recorded a four-point game, including a hat trick in Thursday’s 5-4 OT win over Fitchburg State. Patterson added two more goals in Saturday’s 4-2 win over Framingham State.
Bonus hockey and overtime wins are happening much more frequently which is great for the fan base and probably not so much for coaches across the different leagues who are experiencing the downside of an OTL. Thanksgiving on the horizon means some great tournament action upcoming along with some very tasty conference battles like Elmira and Hobart to name just one battle amongst ranked opponents.
NCAA D-III West Men’s Hockey Weekend Wrap
It’s become a familiar theme. St. Norbert plays hockey on the weekend and comes away with a couple of wins.
The Green Knights continued that trend this past Friday and Saturday, sweeping Aurora in an NCHA showdown featuring two nationally ranked teams.
The No. 2 Green Knights won 3-2 in overtime on Friday before dominating on Saturday to the tune of 6-1 over the fifth-ranked Spartans.
St. Norbert is now 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the NCHA. It is off to its best start since the 2013-14 national championship season.
Aurora is 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the conference.
Logan Dombrowsky led the way with one goal and three assists, pushing his season point total to a nation’s best 21. Liam Fraser scored twice and also dished out an assist. He now has 10 goals, all in the last five games, and ranks fifth all-time in points (143).
Dayton Deics added a goal and assist while Hunter Garvey made 23 saves.
The Green Knights led 2-0 after one period and scored three goals in the second.
Friday’s game was a little bit closer, with Fraser scoring at the 2:31 mark of overtime to lift the Green Knights to the win.
St. Norbert trailed 2-0 in the second after Aurora got two goals from Landry Schmuck before scoring twice to even things up. Fraser and Dombrowsky both scored to tie the game.
Trine Time
The Thunder are still unbeaten after sweeping MSOE over the weekend.
Ninth-ranked Trine improved to 7-0-1 overall and 5-0-1 in the NCHA.
Braden Flinn was the star in the finale, scoring the game winner late in the third for a 2-1 win over the Raiders
Kyle Kozma made 20 saves for his second win of the weekend.
Friday’s game was just as close, and this time Brendan Hill came through with the game winner, finding the back of the net in the last five minutes of action for a 3-2 win.
MSOE had tied the score in the 15th minute and actually outshot the Thunder 28-14. Kozma made 26 saves.
MSOE is 2-4-1 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
Falcons sweep the weekend
No. 13 UW-River Falls opened up WIAC play on a high note, beating 10th ranked UW-Stevens Point in convincing fashion.
The Falcons topped the Pointers 5-1, scoring five unanswered goals en route to the win.
Dylan Smith led the way, tallying three goals for the second hat trick of his career.
The five goals by the Falcons were the most by the team since scoring six against the Pointers in 2021.
Brennan Boynton was impressive in goal, stopping 19 shots for his fifth win. Jonny Meiers and Alex Atwill each dished out two assists.
River Falls capped the weekend with a 4-1 win over Northland, winning its third consecutive game.
The Falcons are 6-1 overall and 2-0 in the WIAC. Atwill and Max Collette each tallied a goal and assist while Boynton made 24 saves.
Intense battle between Pointers and Yellowjackets
UW-Stevens Point and UW-Superior put on quite a show in their matchup Saturday night.
Tied at 4-4 at the 11:36 mark of the third period, overtime seemed to be a potential outcome for these two teams.
But two minutes later, the Pointers got the game-winning goal thanks to Joshua German scoring the clutch goal. He also dished out three assists in the win.
Alex Proctor made 20 saves for Stevens Point while Jack Boschert and Jan Skorpik combined for 30 saves for the Yellowjackets.
Tyler Ryder and Reed Stark finished with a goal and assist for Superior.
UW-Superior opened its weekend with a 3-1 win over UW-Eau Claire. The Yellowjackets are now 3-21 overall and 1-1 in the WIAC. The Pointers are 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Big weekend for Gusties
Gustavus came through with two impressive wins over the weekend, sweeping Concordia. The Gusties won 4-0 on Friday and added a 4-3 win on Saturday.
Gustavus has now won three in a row and is 3-3 overall and 3-1 in the MIAC, flipping the script in a big way after an 0-3 start.
Marko Belak made 31 saves for the Gusties and Hunter Newhouse scored the game winner in the final minute of the third. He finished with two goals in the win. Jack Wineman tallied two assists.
Gustavus jumped on top 2-0 in Friday’s game and never looked back. Belak recorded his first career shutout, making 16 saves, and Nate Stone and Grant Ellings each came through with two assists.
A sweep for the Saints
It was a successful weekend for St. Scholastica as it swept Augsburg, finishing off the series with a 2-0 win.
St. Scholastica won 4-3 on Friday but had to hold off a late comeback attempt by the Auggies. The Saints led 4-1 going into the third period of that game.
St. Scholastica is now 3-3-1 overall and 2-2 in the MIAC.
Nick Lanigan and Hunter Hanson both scored in Saturday’s win. Laigan added an assist. Wyatt Wurst came through with two assists.
Eino Rissanen came through with 38 saves, including four in a 30-second stretch in the middle of the third to preserve the shutout.
Wurst dished out three assists in Friday’s win and four different players scored goals as St Scholastica won its first MIAC game of the year. Tistan Shewchuk was among the goal scorers. He also added an assist to his stat line.
Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap November 25, 2024
St. Thomas at (1) Wisconsin
Six different players scored on Friday to carry Wisconsin to a 6-1 win. Claire Enright, Kirsten Simms, Lacey Eden, Cassie Hall, Kelly Gorbatenko and Finley McCarthy each lit the lamp for the Badgers. Chloe Boreen was the goal scorer for the Tommies in the loss. Wisconsin jumped out early in the second game as Casey O’Brien scored just 52 seconds into the first period to put the home team up 1-0. But St. Thomas tightened up on defense as Dani Strom made 14 saves the rest of the period and the defense kept the Badgers off the board. In the second, Maddie Brown tied the game 1-1 with a great effort, putting back a second chance opportunity. Less than two minutes later, Cassie Hall gave Wisconsin the 2-1 lead and Laila Edwards extended the lead to 3-1 before the midpoint of the game. With her assist on that goal, O’Brien set a new program record for career assists with 139. Brown scored her second of the game on another second-chance opportunity to make it a 3-2 game heading into the second intermission. In the third, KK Harvey put a shot through traffic during the power play into the back of the net for her 100th career point. She became the fifth ever Wisconsin defender to reach the century mark and is the fastest defender to do it. O’Brien topped off a two-goal, two-assist game by scoring later in the third to give Wisconsin a 5-2 win and weekend sweep.
(2) Ohio State at Minnesota State
Sophomore goalie Hailey Hansen had 36 and Mankato held Ohio State off the board into the third period on Friday night. The Buckeyes outshot the Mavericks 38-16, but MSU’s defense stood strong. Jocelyn Amos broke the stalemate early in the third period, cleaning up a loose puck to make it 1-0 OSU. It looked like that might be enough, but Alexis Paddington came through clutch for the Mavericks, scoring with 46.4 seconds left in regulation to force overtime. It looked like Taylor Otremba was going to win the game for Minnesota State in the extra frame on a great pass from Madison Mashuga, but her shot hit the post. Ohio State did not leave anything else up to chance and Joy Dunne showed off some great skating and puck handling to end the game on the other end shortly after to give the Buckeyes the 2-1 OT win. The Mavericks did not let up on Saturday. Claire Vekich scored early in the first, finding open ice in the high slot to one-time a pass from Otremba to put Minnesota State up 1-0. That tally would hold up for more than 40 minutes as MSU fought for possession, kept OSU from getting many shots off and were able to dictate some of the game. The Mavericks extended their lead to 2-0 early in the third with a goal from Otremba, but Ohio State responded as Maddi Wheeler put back a rebound to make it a 2-1 game. But after the near miss on Friday it was as if Otremba was determined to earn the win on Saturday. With four minutes left on the clock, she trailed a play built by Whitney Tuttle and Mashuga and showed great awareness, keeping an eye on the puck and tucking a rebound around a defender to make it 3-1. Mashuga added an empty netter and Minnesota State completed the upset 4-1 win.
(3) Minnesota vs. (10) St. Cloud State
Minnesota scored just 23 seconds into the game on Friday to set the tone for a mostly back and forth game. Abby Promersberger scored for SCSU on the power play to tie the game 1-1 with under five to play in the first, but Ava Lindsay’s goal shortly after made it a 2-1 game for the Gophers heading into the first intermission even though St. Cloud had a 14-12 shot advantage. Abbey Murphy extended Minnesota’s lead to 3-1 early in the second, but the Huskies fought back again, as Ally Qualley scored on the power play to make it 3-2 going into the second intermission. Murphy put the game away in the final frame, scoring on the power play to make it 4-2 and securing a hat trick with an empty-netter to give the Gophers the 5-2 win. The second game of the series was at St. Cloud and despite outshooting the home team 23-8 and having two power plays, the Gophers were held off the board in the first. Midway through the second, Promersberger took off on a breakaway and did not miss, giving St. Cloud the 1-0 lead. Early in the third, Brieja Parent deflected in the puck to put the Huskies up 2-0. Less than two minutes later, Avery Farrell’s shot hit off a Minnesota skate and found the back of the net and made it 3-0 SCSU. Natálie Mlýnková pulled one back for the Gophers a few minutes later, but they could not close the gap any further and St. Cloud earned their first series split with the Gophers and their first win at home against them since Feb. 2010.
Bemidji State at (4) Minnesota Duluth
In game one, Olivia Wallin scored her first career hat trick and the third goal was her 100th career point as UMD dominated the Beavers 8-1. Tova Henderson lit the lamp twice while Mary Kate O’Brien and Olivia Mobley each had a goal and an assist in the Bulldogs’ win. Shelby Breiland was the goal scorer for Bemidji State in the loss. On Saturday, Bemidji did a great job of clogging the middle, blocking 18 shots. Minnesota Duluth scored twice – Henderson on the power play and Mobley in the second, but that was enough to take the win and weekend sweep.
(5) Colgate at Princeton
A fast-paced, back-and-forth match saw Princeton tally the last and most important goal on Friday to win 4-3 in OT. Teja Gatfield scored her first collegiate goal midway through the first on the power play to put the Tigers up 1-0. The Raiders replied with an extra attacker tally of their own two minutes later thanks to Kalty Kaltounková. In the second, Mackenzie Alexander used her speed and a gorgeous toe drag to beat the defense and put Princeton up 2-1. Michelle Palumbo tied the game a few minutes later, putting back a rebound from a Kaia Malachino shot. Sarah Paul’s late goal from the slot put Princeton up 3-2 heading into the second intermission. Alexis Petford ripped a shot from the right side boards midway through the third to tie the game and force overtime. Issy Wunder ended the game with 90 seconds left in the extra frame, carrying it from behind her own blue line and using a gorgeous move to beat the defender and go in alone on goal to give the Tigers the 4-3 win.
(5) Colgate at (7) Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac struck first when Kendall Cooper’s shot snuck into the back of the net midway through the first. Colgate tied the game up on Kalty Kaltounková’s power play goal and that’s how the teams headed into the first intermission. The Bobcats had a goal called back to start the second and there would be no scoring in the middle frame. Early in the third, Colgate took the lead on a break by Alexis Petford and Neena Brick that Brick buried to make it 2-1. Kaltounková scored another power play goal with five to play to make it 3-1 and Emma Pais added an empty-netter to secure the 4-1 win. Kaltounková became the first Raider in program history to score 100 career goals and is the only active NCAA Division I skater to reach that plateau.
(6) Clarkson at Brown
Led by Anne Cherkowski’s two goals and an assist, Clarkson took a 4-1 win on Friday. Rhea Hicks opened the scoring at the start of the second, taking advantage of a turnover behind the net to make it 1-0. Cherkowski’s first came on the power play as she used a screen to make it 2-0. In the final minute of the second, Ava DeCoste’s shot deflected off a skate into the net to cut into the lead and make it 2-1. But the Golden Knights did not let it get any closer than that. Haley Winn wristed a shot on the power play to make it 3-1. Cherkowski closed out the scoring after Sidney Fess carried the puck from the defensive zone and fed her as pass she backhanded into the net to give Clarkson the win.
(6) Clarkson at Yale
Like in their Friday game, Yale jumped out to an early lead. Carina DiAntonio cleaned up a loose puck on the backhand and Naomi Boucher had a rebound full right on her stick to put the Bulldogs up 2-0. Kirstyn McQuigge’s wrister through traffic cut the lead to 2-1 heading into the first intermission. In the second period, Raedyn Spademan’s pretty toe drag and backhand tied the game 2-2. The Golden Knights took the lead after killing a penalty on Haley Winn. Winn herself scored just after exiting the box to go up 3-2. Despite a long stretch with the player advantage, Yale struggled to get the puck on net in the early third. DiAntonio tied the game on a great personal effort to tie the game 3-3 with under seven to play in regulation. In overtime, Anne Cherkowski was joined on a break by Caroline Goffredo. The game-winner was scored when Cherkowski’s pass went off Goffredo’s skate and into the net to give Clarkson the 4-3 OT win.
(8) Cornell at (7) Quinnipiac
Alyssa Regalado opened the scoring for Cornell in the first, but Quinnipiac replied quickly as Makayla Watson created a turnover and then ripped a shot from the far boards to tie the game 1-1. Kahlen Marche added a power play goal with 8.4 seconds left in the first to make it 2-1 heading into the intermission. Bryn Prier doubled the lead, tipping in a shot from Kendall Cooper late in the second to make it 3-1 Quinnipiac heading into the third. The Big Red found their rhythm as Gabbie Rud fed first Rory Guilday and then Avi Adam two minutes apart to even the score 3-3. An overtime period did not decide a winner and this ended a 3-3 tie. In the shootout, Piper Grober and Karel Prefontaine scored while Annelies Bergmann stopped two of Quinnipiac’s shots to earn the shootout win for the Big Red.
(8) Cornell at Princeton
Princeton looked to be well in control of this game after scoring twice in the opening period on goals from Katherine Khramtsov and Issy Wunder and taking a 3-0 lead less than three minutes into the third on a goal from Mackenzie Alexander. But Cornell decided that’s not how things were going to go down. The Big Red reeled off four goals in just more than eight minutes in the second half of the second period to take a 4-3 lead. Lily Delianedis started the flurry and Karel Prefontaine lit the lamp just 95 seconds later. Claudia Yu scored the first of her season to tie the game and Avi Adam’s power play goal would prove to be the game winner. Neither team could score in the third, giving Cornell the come-from-behind win.
(9) St. Lawrence at Yale
Emma-Sofie Nordström matched her season-high 37 saves while Abby Hehl and Katina Duscio each had a goal and an assist to lead the Saints to a 2-1 win on Friday. Yale pulled back a goal late when Jordan Ray scored on the power play, but it was not enough to overcome SLU’s early goals and St. Lawrence took the win.
(9) St. Lawrence at Brown
SLU hit the post a few times early before Abby Hehl got her third point of the weekend off a pass from Tori Verbeek. But the lead lasted just 36 seconds before Jade Iginla evened the score from the slot. Neither team could find an advantage, even after overtime, though the Saints pinged the posts a few more times. In the shootout, Kassidy Lawrence made four saves and Kiley Mastel, Sarah Thompson and Hehl each scored to give St. Lawrence the win.
(11) Boston College vs. (14) Connecticut (home and home)
Claire Murdoch’s power play goal had UConn up 1-0 early in the first game of the weekend. Lauren Glaser’s top shelf shot from distance tied the game, sending the teams to the first intermission tied 1-1. The Huskies took the lead on a stretch pass from Meghane Duchesne-Chalifoux right to Livvy Dewar, who beat the defense and the goalie to make it 2-1. In the closing minutes of the second, Julia Pellerin beat the defense to score short-handed to make it a 2-2 game at the second intermission. The game winner came on a misplayed puck by UConn goalie Megan Warrener behind the net. Glaser was coming strong on the forecheck and had an easy tap in to make it 3-2. Boston College stepped up on defense to close out the game and that’s all they’d need to earn the win. On Saturday, Maya Serdachny’s seeing eye shot from the point put UConn up 1-0 six minutes into the first. Boston College tied the game in the final seconds of the period as Keri Clougherty completed a 3-on-2 breakout to make it 1-1. Ashley Allard crept into the slot and slapped home a pass from Mila Josifovic to put Connecticut ahead 2-1 with under four to play in the fourth and that’s all the Huskies would need to earn a win and split the weekend series.
Robert Morris at (12) Penn State
In game one, Maddy Christian scored twice while Stella Retrum, Brianna Books and Tessa Janecke each lit the lamp to lead the Nittany Lions to 5-0 win. Lucy Phillips made 38 saves for RMU in the loss. In the second game, Katie DeSea earned her third shootout of the season and the program’s first back to back shutouts in two years. Alyssa Machado, Kendall Butze, Grace Outwater and Janecke all scored to make it a 4-0 win.
Monday 10: Top-ranked Denver gets swept, Hasley stellar in Bentley net, Michigan fills net, Stonehill getting noticed
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1) No. 1 finally be-Devil’d
It finally happened.
For two months, defending national champion Denver sat atop the USCHO.com rankings without anything more than a token challenge from any would-be challenger. The undefeated and undisputed top team in the land would eventually lose a game – there hasn’t been an undefeated national champion since Ned Harkness’s 1970 Cornell team, at least – but smart selectors and analysts refused to think anyone would beat the Pioneers.
Arizona State certainly didn’t fit the playbill for would-be upset bids, but the 4-7-1 Sun Devils went into the altitude and defeated Denver in front of 6,000 fans at Magness Arena with a dramatic 3-2 victory that featured the game-winning goal in the last 45 seconds. One night later, Sparky rallied from a 1-0 deficit at the end of the first period to score three straight goals in the second frame and win, 5-2, after adding an empty netter in the last two minutes.
It doesn’t mean the No. 1 team is going to drop a spot anytime soon, but losing two games in conference play had its fallout after Omaha, Western Michigan, Colorado College and St. Cloud all gained points and space on the Pioneers. In one of the weirdest stats of the year, a 12-2 team likely to maintain its No. 1 standing is now tied for sixth place in a nine-team league while a three-win team is three points ahead of it in the standings.
2) Beanpot champs reclaim pride
Boston College appeared likely to replace Denver when it swept Maine and edged into the Pioneers’ first place votes in a poll that occurred two weeks ago, but the Eagles’ loss to Connecticut changed the complexion ahead of their weekend home-and-home series with Northeastern. Always a tough out among Beanpot teams, the defending city champions lost by a commanding 3-0 margin in Friday night’s game at Conte Forum before ricocheting a 4-2 victory off of Matthews Arena’s fabled walls.
BC had been prone to slow starts earlier in the year, but not even third period heroics from Ryan Leonard were enough to draw the Eagles back within the Huskies’ two-goal lead, and the 3-1 advantage from the first period stood up when Dylan Hryckowian added a late empty net goal. It was his second goal of the game, and a separate assist on Jackson Dorrington’s first goal in a Northeastern uniform allowed the team to win just its second game of the season while BC slipped to 9-3.
3) Bentley “Has” a bit of history
Bentley goaltender Connor Hasley made history this week when he broke his program’s career shutout record in the dueling clean sheets against Air Force. Already tied for second in shutouts after blanking American International in last Saturday’s game, he moved into a tie for first with a 2-0 win on Friday before breaking the 20-year record set by early Division I backstop Simon St. Pierre.
He didn’t play on Friday, but the 180 consecutive minutes puts Hasley in line to pass numbers posted by Maine’s Jimmy Howard and Notre Dame’s David Brown at the start of the century and within range of Shane Madolora’s most recent stretch of 200 straight minutes in Atlantic Hockey America’s history book. Among active goalies, the seven career shutouts now in Hasley’s back pocket ties him with Dominic Basse and Cameron Rowe, but it’s worth noting that aside from Cornell’s Ian Shane – the active career leader with 11 shutouts – none of the top five goalies other than Hasley started at their current locales. Wisconsin’s Tommy Scarfone, North Dakota’s TJ Semptimphelter, Basse and Rowe all transferred at least once, and both Mathieu Caron and Beni Halasz – the players right behind the Hasley encampment – started their careers at schools other than their current programs. Providence’s Philip Svedeback, meanwhile, started with the Friars and has five shutouts.
Dating back to Friday’s win over AIC, Bentley enters its Thanksgiving weekend road game at Northeastern with 195 shutout minutes, but it more specifically puts Hasley and a streak that began with Max Beckford on watch for a fourth straight shutout, a mark that hasn’t been reached since Blaine Lacher recorded 375 straight shutout minutes during a five-game stretch in 1994 – which itself shattered a 40-year record set by North Dakota’s Spike Schultz.
4) The Bees are back
The story encompassing American International was shocking, sad and any other number of antonyms for a happy ending, but how the Yellow Jackets responded, even in defeat after dropping three straight games after the university announced it would move the program away from Division I status, exuded class and chemistry in the wake of unimaginable on-ice hardships. Just 10 days after the announcement, AIC stepped on the ice at the MassMutual Center and defeated Niagara with a resounding 5-2 decision.
It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the team doesn’t wrestle with the issue on a nightly basis, but the Yellow Jackets built a lead against the Purple Eagles when former Niagara defenseman David Posma scored his first goal of the season in the first period. Josh Barnes and Noah Serdachny added two more in the second period before Brett Bamber and Timofei Khokhlachev negated Niagara’s two goals in a 5-2 win.
5) Michigan scored in the time it took to write this
It wasn’t that Penn State played poorly in its two-game series against the big, bad victors of the West, but it’s hard to find a team that played better over the weekend than a Michigan team with 16 goals to its docket.
Forget about the 6-5 win on Friday for a second. Michigan actually trailed Penn State on Saturday after the Nittany Lions scored twice in the first 65 seconds of the first period. The Wolverines then surrendered a third goal with eight minutes left before gaining one back, but they entered the last three minutes of the first period with a 4-1 deficit after Aiden Fink added an even strength goal.
The next four goals went to the Maize and Blue, and after JJ Wiebusch offered a tying goal with under four minutes remaining in the second, another two goals and three power play hits down the stretch finished the 10-6 explosion featuring a Texas-sized hat trick for TJ Hughes.
Hughes actually scored a hat trick just on the power play, but going 6-for-9 as a team in a game where there wasn’t a major penalty until the latter half of the third period highlighted the inherent power of the Michigan team. Over two nights, it went into Hockey Valley and decimated Penn State’s defense to improve to 9-2-1 with a perfect 4-0 record in Big Ten play.
6) Bemidji builds dam around CCHA
From offensive explosions to the damming of CCHA waters in northern Minnesota, where Bemidji State and St. Thomas combined for the same amount of goals as Michigan or Penn State likely could have scored on any single night. Five points went to the Beavers after a shootout win on Friday begat a 2-1 win over the Tommies on Saturday.
The teams combined for just eight penalties over the course of the weekend, but it was still enough for Eric Martin to hit a game-tying, 5-on-3 goal in the second game of the weekend before Reilly Funk scored the game-winner in the come-from-behind victory. It amounted to a second straight head-to-head type of game between the teams after St. Thomas relieved two separate one-goal deficits on Friday but lost the second point to the narrow margin of a Jere Vaisanen shootout goal.
7) Oh my, Omaha
The Omaha Mavericks entered this past weekend with a six-game losing streak still hanging freshly over last weekend’s split against Arizona State. They hadn’t won at home at all, and nearly every series featured a one-goal or two-goal loss to the degree that the record would never accurately reflect the team’s overall effort in those close games.
Then came the Miami series and an 11-1 aggregate breakout that included the Mavs’ first shutout since last season’s February series against Colorado College. They added a 6-0 lead in the second period of Saturday’s game before leaving the frame with a 7-1 lead on Jimmy Glynn’s last second goal, and an eighth goal halfway through the third period came moments before a dozen different players absorbed misconduct penalties for a wild period featuring a whopping 11 unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
8) Border War to Black Bears
Maine and New Hampshire are known as the friendly northern New England outposts until they battle one another in the colloquial Border War that still ranks as one of college hockey’s angriest and most fervent rivalries. On Friday night, one week after the reeling Black Bears revived their season with four points against Boston University, New Hampshire hosted the first iteration of the rivalry with a 3-1 Maine victory that saw Lynden Breen and Owen Fowler rally Orono from a 1-0 deficit in the second period.
An empty net goal aside, this amounted to a one-goal game with superb play on both ends, and both goalies combined for 55 saves after Albin Boija outdueled Jared Whale. Perhaps most important, though, were the three points staking Maine into first place while New Hampshire sagged into 11th with games in hand still to count against everyone.
9) #BerardForSpencerPenrose
The best team nobody’s talking about remains a Stonehill squad that’s pleasantly surprising the field of Division I Independents. The Skyhawks aren’t turning heads in the Pairwise Rankings and won’t challenge for a national tournament spot unless societal order completely breaks down over the next few months, but their 3-1 win over Lindenwood elevated their record to 5-11.
This team’s been very good at times, and its victory in St. Louis illustrated how it’s capable of beating anyone on any given day. The 4-3 overtime win over Merrimack earlier this month, for example, was the second win over the Warriors and followed a 4-0 blanking of St. Lawrence. Winning three games in November is more than even the two overall wins from last season, and the team’s three road wins are the first Division I wins aways from its municipal home rink in Bridgewater, Mass.
All of these numbers are worth a strong look at head coach David Berard because his construction project at the university is inciting a significant change in a program essentially forced into Division I status. This weekend’s home game against Army is scheduled for Warrior Ice Arena in Boston – the practice home for the NHL’s Boston Bruins – and just six of its eight remaining home games at the Bridgewater Ice Arena are against Division I opponents. Circle a two-game set at Maine and a January 6 game at Quinnipiac with a January 18 date at UMass-Lowell for potential pratfalls for teams that aren’t careful of a squad that earlier dragged Dartmouth to just one even-strength goal.
10) Give thanks for Pairwise
Unpopular opinion says to avoid checking the Pairwise Rankings until the midseason point, but late November seems like a good check-in spot for teams currently jockeying for national seeding. Points now are worth the same as points later in the season, so it’s important to remember that these games matter even if it doesn’t make sense to people to overly care about a result around Thanksgiving time.
Boston College and Michigan State remain the leaders in the clubhouse for No. 1 seeds, and No. 4 Maine is an easy choice for the last remaining top seed in the nation. But it’s maybe Dartmouth that remains a complete shock at the No. 3 spot with its 5-0-1 record while Western Michigan and Michigan State sit just behind the teams with a combined 17-3-2 record. Even Minnesota and Denver, two teams with 12-2 record, currently can’t touch the undefeated Big Green.
Cornell is the team currently situated directly on the bubble with its 4-2-2 status, and Connecticut, Arizona State, Quinnipiac and North Dakota are staring at the Pairwise’s lower limits. The last team in, Bentley, is the top-seeded Atlantic Hockey America program, which would make a potential Bentley-BC game fun for a writer and broadcaster who has worked for both teams (cough cough not sure who that would be cough cough).
We obviously all expect the standings to change before the season ends, but pleasant surprises like UMass-Lowell and Minnesota State enter semester break with a chance to control their own destiny while other teams like Colgate – currently tied for first place on ECAC points with Dartmouth, though the Big Green have a better percentage point – are outside with quick opportunities remaining to make up ground.
Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Nov. 22-23
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 18 fared in games over the weekend of Nov. 22-23.
No. 1 Denver (12-2-0)
11/22/2024 – RV Arizona State 3 at No. 1 Denver 2
11/23/2024 – RV Arizona State 5 at No. 1 Denver 2
No. 2 Michigan State (9-1-0)
11/21/2024 – No. 2 Michigan State 6 at U.S. NTDP* 2 (exhibition)
No. 3 Boston College (9-3-0)
11/19/2024 – No. 3 Boston College 3 at No. 10 Providence 2 (OT)
11/22/2024 – Northeastern 0 at No. 3 Boston College 3
11/23/2024 – No. 3 Boston College 2 at Northeastern 4
No. 4 Minnesota (12-2-0)
11/22/2024 – No. 4 Minnesota 6 at RV Notre Dame 3
11/23/2024 – No. 4 Minnesota 5 at RV Notre Dame 3
No. 5 Maine (8-2-2)
11/22/2024 – No. 5 Maine 3 at RV New Hampshire 1
No. 5 Michigan (9-2-1)
11/22/2024 – No. 5 Michigan 6 at RV Penn State 5
11/23/2024 – No. 5 Michigan 10 at RV Penn State 6
No. 7 Colorado College (9-2-1)
11/22/2024 – No. 11 St. Cloud State 3 at No. 7 Colorado College 2
11/23/2024 – No. 11 St. Cloud State 0 at No. 7 Colorado College 1 (OT)
No. 8 Cornell (4-2-2)
11/22/2024 – No. 18 Quinnipiac 3 at No. 8 Cornell 1
11/23/2024 – Princeton 0 at No. 8 Cornell 5
No. 9 Western Michigan (8-1-1)
11/22/2024 – No. 9 Western Michigan 5 at Minnesota Duluth 2
11/23/2024 – No. 9 Western Michigan 4 at Minnesota Duluth 1
No. 10 Providence (8-3-2)
11/19/2024 – No. 3 Boston College 3 at No. 10 Providence 2 (OT)
11/23/2024 – LIU 3 at No. 10 Providence 4 (OT)
No. 11 St. Cloud State (9-4-0)
11/22/2024 – No. 11 St. Cloud State 3 at No. 7 Colorado College 2
11/23/2024 – No. 11 St. Cloud State 0 at No. 7 Colorado College 1 (OT)
No. 12 North Dakota (7-6-0)
11/22/2024 – Robert Morris 3 at No. 12 North Dakota 4 (OT)
11/23/2024 – Robert Morris 0 at No. 12 North Dakota 1
No. 13 Boston University (6-5-1)
11/22/2024 – Merrimack 3 at No. 13 Boston University 6
No. 14 Ohio State (9-2-1)
Did not play.
No. 15 UMass Lowell (9-3-0)
11/22/2024 – RV Connecticut 4 at No. 15 UMass Lowell 1
11/23/2024 – RV Connecticut 0 at No. 15 UMass Lowell 1
No. 16 Dartmouth (5-0-1)
Did not play.
No. 17 Minnesota State (10-4-2)
11/22/2024 – No. 17 Minnesota State 5 at RV Michigan Tech 2
11/23/2024 – No. 17 Minnesota State 3 at RV Michigan Tech 1
No. 18 Quinnipiac (6-6-0)
11/22/2024 – No. 18 Quinnipiac 3 at No. 8 Cornell 1
11/23/2024 – No. 18 Quinnipiac 2 at Colgate 3 (OT)
No. 19 Clarkson (9-4-1)
11/22/2024 – Brown 1 at No. 19 Clarkson 0
11/23/2024 – Yale 0 at No. 19 Clarkson 4
No. 20 Massachusetts (6-6-2)
11/22/2024 – RV Harvard 3 at No. 20 Massachusetts 5
11/24/2024 – Vermont 3 at No. 20 Massachusetts 2
RV = Received Votes
* = Not eligible for poll
SATURDAY’S ROUNDUP: ASU completes the sweep of No. 1 Denver; No. 3 BC falls to Northeastern; Colgate upends Quinnipiac in OT; Providence survives vs. LIU
No. 1 Denver entered this weekend with a 21-game winning streak. They leave its home set against Arizona State now riding a two-game losing streak.
Artem Shlaine scored twice for the Sun Devils including the game-winner and insurance markers and Luke Pavicich stopped 26 shots, including 14 in the third period as ASU completed the weekend sweep of the Pioneers, 5-2.
ARTY IS CHEAT CODE 🎮
Make it a four-goal weekend for @artem_shlaine pic.twitter.com/QfMIPsy1w4
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 24, 2024
Denver jumped to a 1-0 lead with eight second remaining in the first on a Sam Harris goal. But the second period proved an Achilles heel for the Pioneers.
Noah Beck tied the game at 3:55 before Cullen Porter gave the Sun Devils their first lead at 10:19.
Just 52 seconds later, Shlaine extended the lead. And though Aidan Thompson brought Denver within a goal late in the second, Shlaine’s second goal of the game and fourth of the weekend was a dagger in the hearts of Denver.
Bennett Schimek netted an empty netter with 1:56 remaining.
It has been some time since Denver has been swept at Magness Arena. The last team to do it was Minnesota Duluth more than four years ago, January 31 and February 1, 2020.
SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | PAIRWISE RANKINGS
Northeastern 4, No. 3 Boston College 2
Northeastern earned its first Hockey East win of the season and it was a big one, upsetting No. 3 Boston College, 4-2, in front of a sold out Matthews Arena crowd.
Dylan Hryckowian scored twice and added an assist for a three-point game to pace the Huskies offense. They potted three first-period goals and then survived a late push from the Eagles as Ryan Leonard drew the visitors within a goal with 14:23 remaining.
It was Hryckowian who sealed the victory with an empty-net tally with three seconds remaining. Jackson Dorrington and Jack Williams also scored for the Huskies while Oskar Jellvik posted the remaining tally for the Eagles.
What a snipe to seal the deal for @GoNUmhockey 😱#NCAAHockey x 🎥 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/1fB5XgDtib
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) November 24, 2024
The victory earns a weekend split with the Eagles, who have now lost two of their last four games after beginning the year 7-1-0.
Colgate 3, No. 18 Quinnipiac 2 (F/OT)
Daniel Panetta scored with 49 seconds remaining in overtime as Colgate knocked off No. 18 Quinnipiac, 3-2, at home on Saturday.
The OT game winner for @ColgateMIH! 🚨#NCAAHockey x 🎥 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/BWcxCI01QG
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) November 24, 2024
It was a game Colgate never trailed, taking leads of 1-0 and 2-1 only to have the visiting Bobcats fight back each time to tie the game. Ben Raymond and Brett Chorske scored for the Raiders while Travis Trealor and Andon Cerbone each tallied for Quinnipiac.
No. 10 Providence 4, Long Island 3 (F/OT)
Host Providence overcame deficits of 2-0 and 3-2, the latter late in regulation before forcing overtime where Nick Poisson won the game 58 seconds into the extra session giving the 10th-ranked Friars a narrow 4-3 victory.
It was the 100th point of Poisson’s career.
Connelly to Poisson for the one-timer to put an end to this one in overtime!! pic.twitter.com/QS8AHSuaBH
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) November 24, 2024
LIU jumped to a 2-0 lead early on goals by Riley Wallack at 9:58 of the first and Connor Gregga with two second left in the frame.
Providence rallied in the second when Ryan O’Reilly scored at 6:28 and John Mustard evened the game at 19:26.
Just 15 second later, though, LIU answered on Nick Bernardo’s goal with 19 second left in the middle period.
Tanner Adams evened the score in the final two minutes of regulation before Poisson scored the winner.
No. 7 Colorado College 1, No. 11 St. Cloud State 0 (F/OT)
Philippe Blais-Savoie scored the game’s only goal with 1:01 remaining in overtime as Colorado College salvaged a weekend sweep with St. Cloud State.
BAR DOWN SON🔥#CCTigers pic.twitter.com/TZGF6lFzxv
— CC Hockey (@CCTigerHKY) November 24, 2024
The visiting Huskies take four of the six points in the NCHC standing by reaching overtime after Friday’s 3-2 victory.
Kaiden Mbereko earned the OT shutout making 27 saves, while his counterpart Isak Posch finished with 34 saves taking the loss.
No. 5 Michigan 10, Penn State 6
T. J. Hughes scored four goals and added and assist while teammate Michael Hage matched the five-point effort with a goal and four assists and the Michigan offense exploded, reaching double digits for the first time since a 12-4 victory over Stonehill in January.
That's a 10 spot!
TJ Hughes is the first to have four in a game since Gavin Brindley on Jan. 12, 2024 vs. Stonehill pic.twitter.com/OXFB2uZLbJ
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) November 24, 2024
The 10 goals ties Michigan’s mark for goals scored in a Big Ten game, having posted an identical 10-6 decision against Ohio State on January 16, 2015.
Eleven different skates for the Wolverines recorded at least one point and six Wolverines recorded multi-point games.
Aiden Fink (two goals, two assists) and Reese Laubach (goal, three assists) each posted four-point games for Penn State in the loss.
FRIDAY’S ROUNDUP: Down goes No. 1 as Arizona State snaps Denver’s 21-game winning streak, 3-2; No. 11 St. Cloud State knocks off No. 7 CC; No. 5 Maine wins Border Battle with UNH; UConn upsets No. 15 UML
Artem Shlaine scored twice, including the game-winning goal with 45 seconds remaining that broke a 2-2 deadlock and gave Arizona State its second-straight NCHC win, 3-2, over the nation’s top team and previously undefeated Denver.
The loss for the Pioneers ends a 21-game winning streak dating back to last season when Denver won its final nine games to win both the NCHC and national championships.
NO QUIT #BeTheTradition
Artem Shlaine with the game-winner over No. 1 Denver pic.twitter.com/vn3TVO5jmw
— Sun Devil Hockey (@SunDevilHockey) November 23, 2024
Shlaine bookended the outstanding performance, opening the scoring 35 seconds into the game. After Carter King tied the game on the power play at 15:33 of the first, Bennett Schimek helped the Sun Devils regain the lead with a goal late in the second.
The host Pioneers evened the game on King’s second of the night with 4:01 left, but Shlaine, a transfer from Northern Michigan and Connecticut, notched his second goal of the night in the closing seconds to shock the Magness Arena crowd.
Luke Pavicich earned the victory making 30 saves for the Sun Devils.
SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | PAIRWISE RANKINGS
No. 11 St. Cloud State 3, No. 7 Colorado College
The 11th-ranked St. Cloud State Huskies jumped to a 2-0 lead and never looked back, surviving a late push by host Colorado College, 3-2, in a game where the Huskies mustered just 17 shots on goal.
Despite being outshot, 27-17, St. Cloud took an early lead on Verner Miettinen’s goal at 9:45. They’d double that lead early in the second on a Tyson Gross unassisted goal.
Colorado College climbed back into the game when Ty Gallaher scored at 7:04 of the second. But St. Cloud State again had a response, regaining a two-goal lead on Austin Burnevik’s tally with 9:42 remaining.
Burnevik finishes the breakaway with a forehand, backhand beauty! 🙌#GoHuskies | #HuskyHockey 🏒 pic.twitter.com/cDVos7HkKY
— St. Cloud State Men's Hockey (@SCSUHuskies_MH) November 23, 2024
The host Tigers pulled the goalie with more than three minutes left and got within one on Max Burkholder’s goal at 17:19. But that’s as close the Colorado College got as Isak Posch finished the game with 25 saves to earn the win.
No. 5 Maine 3, New Hampshire 1
It was another fantastic edition of the Border Battle, the annual rivalry series between Maine and New Hampshire, with the Black Bears earning a 3-1 road victory over the Wildcats, their first victory in Durham, N.H., since 2019.
UNH took the game’s first lead in the second period, scoring on a 5-on-3 power play. Ryan Conmy fired a perfect cross-seam pass to Liam Devlin at 7:17 of the second.
Maine, though, had a quick response. Captain Lynden Breen finished off a 2-on-1 at 10:36 of the second before Owen Fowler banked a pass off a UNH defender and into the net less than three minutes later.
2️⃣7️⃣ to 1️⃣2️⃣ 🚨
💻: https://t.co/3sxNFutxMz | @ESPNPlus https://t.co/IeVuuSnYqu pic.twitter.com/WMwULHHdOf
— Maine Men’s Ice Hockey (@MaineIceHockey) November 23, 2024
Frank Djurasevic scored shorthanded into an empty net in the closing seconds of the game for the 3-1 final.
Albin Boija was fantastic, particularly in the final period, making 24 stops to earn the victory.
Connecticut 4, No. 15 UMass Lowell 1
For the second straight Friday night, Connecticut upset a nationally-ranked Hockey East opponent with a 4-1 road victory over No. 15 UMass Lowell.
The Huskies beat then-No. 2 Boston College, 5-4, last Friday night.
UConn jumped to a 3-0 lead in the game on goals by Ryan Tattle and Joey Muldowney in the second period and Hudson Schnador in the opening minute of the third.
O CAPTAIN MY CAPTAIN🫡🫡
Hudson with the Power Play Goal and the Ice Bus leads by 3❄️🏒🚌
Watch:https://t.co/nVUBq4fRWU pic.twitter.com/qnMYE2vQiF
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) November 23, 2024
Though UMass Lowell’s Lee Parks scored his first collegiate goal with 7:21 left, that’s as close as the River Hawks could get.
Jake Percival put the game away scoring with 2:29 left for the 4-1 decision.
UConn freshman Callum Tung, making his first collegiate start in place of an injured Tyler Muszelik, posted the victory stopping 26 of the 27 shots he faced.
No. 18 Quinnipiac 3, No. 8 Cornell 1
Chris Pelosi and Mason Marcellus scored third period goals as visiting No. 18 Quinnipiac won its third straight game in ECAC play, upsetting No. 8 Cornell, 3-1.
Aaron Bohlinger got the Bobcats on the board with a first-period power play goal only to have Cornell’s Jonathan Castagna answer late in the opening frame.
The game remained that way until 8:11 remaining when Pelosi scored the winner. Marcellus scored into the empty net with one second remaining.
Skate to stick beauty for the game winner 😍 @QU_MIH #NCAAHockey x 🎥 ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/97bP0Zw9jG
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) November 23, 2024
Dylan Silverstein needed just 15 saves to earn the victory for Quinnipiac.
D-II/III East Men’s Ice Hockey Game Picks – November 22, 2024
Well, have we not seen some very interesting scores over the first three weeks of the season? Do not think that is going to change anytime soon and frankly it is fun to see the teams in and out of the rankings as a result of the combined week’s activity that reflect the good play and good fortune for some and less so for other teams. It is a new week, and one filled with opportunities for every team to garner some wins and points. Do not just lace them up thinking that success is guaranteed – it is not, it is earned on the ice!
My weekly picks were an abysmal 5-7-0 (.417) last week which is one of my worst prediction weeks in the past few seasons. Overall, my season numbers are 23-13-0 (.639) which is a precipitous drop-off as compared to the first two weeks so no time to dwell on the poor performance – now is the time to regain my prior form. With that in mind, it would be nice to get on a roll like a lot of teams who want to establish a winning trend for their upcoming schedule. Here are this week’s picks for the east:
Friday, November 22, 2024
(1) Hobart v. (14) Salve Regina
The Seahawks finally lost a game in a high-scoring affair to Babson last week and the Statesmen have the type of roster that will create pressure all night regardless of the situation on the ice. Think this one will be close as the home team looks to show it is a worthy contender in the NEHC. It is close but no win – Hobart, 4-2
Williams v. Connecticut College
The Ephs do not want to be 0-3 but the Camels would love a 3-0 start as one of their best in quite a long time. Too early to believe the press clippings but never too early to work hard in front of the home fans looking for another win in conference play. It takes overtime for the deciding goal – Conn College, 3-2
Cortland v. Plattsburgh
The Cardinals got coach Steve Moffatt his 100th career win last weekend and now look to avenge the SUNYAC title game loss from last season. Home ice matters in this one with a power play goal deciding it for PSU – Plattsburgh, 4-3
Assumption v. St. Anselm
While the big news around NE-10 hockey this week revolved around AIC dropping from D-I and moving to D-II next season, the Greyhounds and Hawks always play spirited contests as contenders this season, and this should be no exception. Think this game, despite good goaltending will see a lot of red lights going on with the visitors taking a one-goal decision on a special teams’ goal. Man-up or man-down does not matter in a win – Assumption, 6-5
Neumann v. King’s
The Monarchs earned a nice split with Alvernia last week but face an opportunistic Neumann squad looking to jump start their weekend. A fast start for the visitors proves to be just a little too much for the home team to rally back – Neumann, 4-2
Nazareth v. Manhattanville
The Valiants dropped a pair of games to Geneseo and Friday was a blowout. Do not expect the home team to show up late for the 7PM start time as they eke out a one-goal win in a very physical matchup with the Golden Flyers – Manhattanville, 3-2
Saturday, November 23, 2024
(15) Endicott v. Johnson & Wales
The TRAP GAME alert is out in full force for this contest where the Gulls have exceled on Friday nights and not so much, excluding last week , on Saturday night. The Wildcats will not be an easy out on home ice so look for Andrew Kurapov & Co to do some damage early and earn some key CNE points – Endicott, 5-2
Plymouth State v. Salem State
The Panthers seem to have found their game after a tough 0-2-0 start to the season. Not many teams have the offensive weapons on display like PSU does and balanced scoring makes the night difficult for the Vikings who keep it close for the first two periods of play – PSU, 6-3
Albertus Magnus v. (11) Elmira
The Soaring Eagles have a nice win streak going including a pair of wins over Skidmore last weekend. The only thing better than four wins in a row is five or six in a row. Experience and depth are the difference as the home team scores late for the win – Elmira, 3-2
(8) Trinity v. Amherst
The Bantams were surprised by Conn College last Friday but bounced back on Saturday against Tufts. Surely coach Matt Greason sees room for improvement on surrendering seven goals in two games. Look for things to tighten up a bit as the Bantams find some offensive form in a win over the Mammoth – Trinity, 5-2
Buffalo State v. Canton
The Bengals are looking to build some momentum off a pair of wins last weekend but should be wary of a Kangaroo team that plays well in their own barn. Seesaw affair that finds the visitors driving home to Buffalo very happy – Buffalo State, 5-4
Chatham v. (3) Utica
The Cougars catch a Pioneer squad that has been outright explosive with goals coming from many different players up and down the lineup. Johnny Mulera has fit right in with the high-powered offense and continues to contribute on the scoresheet with multiple points – Utica, 5-2
Even as Thanksgiving approaches, the action continues to heat up around all the conferences in the east. While some clear favorites have emerged, it is never too late for an early season statement win to buoy the confidence of any team looking to climb the standings. Do not be thinking too much about Turkey Day and feasting just yet boys, there is some hockey to be played – “Drop the Puck!”
NCAA D-III West Men’s Hockey Weekend Game Picks
Before we get into Thanksgiving week, it’s time to feast on some hockey.
We have some big games on the slate, including a weekend showdown between Aurora and St. Norbert. That series might not decide the NCHA crown, but it could very well put one of those teams in the driver’s seat.
Here’s a look at a handful of games to watch this weekend. It’s show time.
MIAC
Friday and Saturday
St. Scholastica (2-3-1, 0-2) vs. Augsburg (3-3, 1-1)
The Saints are looking for their first MIAC win of the year. They just ended a three-game losing streak last week with a 3-1 win over Northland. The big thing now is keeping that momentum and being consistent offensively against an always tough Augsburg team.
The Auggies have won two of their last three and are looking to bounce back after a tough loss at home to UW-Eau Claire. This should be an interesting home and home, and for Augsburg, it’s a chance to grab some momentum going into Thanksgiving week.
Augsburg, 4-2 and 3-1
St. Olaf (2-3-1, 1-1) vs. Saint John’s (4-1, 2-0)
The Oles are hoping to play spoiler here against a Johnnies team that is currently in first place in the MIAC.
While it’s been a tough start for the Oles, they have the talent to beat anyone on any given night. Getting back on track defensively is key after St. Olaf allowed six goals in a loss to Gustavus last week.
The Johnnies are on a roll, winning five in a row, and have one of the best netminders in the league in Jon Howe. Offensively, they have scored three or more goals in every game they’ve won during their current streak. If that continues, they’ll be tough to beat.
Saint John’s 4-2; St. Olaf, 4-3
WIAC
Friday
No. 10 UW-Stevens Point (3-2) ) vs. No. 13 UW-River Falls (4-1)
The good news for the Pointers is they get this game at home, where they are 2-0. But they face a ranked Falcons team that has proven to be a tough team to deal with.
Stevens Point is averaging nearly four goals a game but allowing that many per game as well. Dawson Sciiarrino has tallied two goals and six assists.
The Falcons feature one of the game’s best goalies in Brennan Boynton, who leads the WIAC in save percentage (.934) and is allowing just 1.60 goals per game. Jonny Meiers has tallied three goals in the first five games.
UW-River Falls, 4-2
Saturday
UW-Eau Claire (1-2-1) at UW-Stout (3-2)
The Blugolds just picked up their first win thanks to a hat trick from Leo Bacallao, and if he keeps that kind of effort up moving forward, Eau Claire is in great shape. Not to mention the Blugolds have a solid player in goal in Max Gutjahr.
For the Blue Devils, bouncing back is what they are looking to do this weekend. They’ve dropped two in a row and are hoping to capitalize on opportunities they missed out on in a loss to Saint John’s last week, coming up short on five power-play chances against the Johnnies.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-1
UW-Superior (2-1-1) at No. 10 UW-Stevens Point (3-2)
The Yelllowjackets have an opportunity to make a statement and one of the keys to success will be the play of Ikki Kogawa, who scored twice and dished out two assists in a pair of games last weekend. He’s only a a freshman but not doubt a rising star.
The Pointers will take aim at protecting their home ice. It will be interesting to see how they handle the finale of a big weekend, considering they will have played River Falls the night before.
UW-Stevens Point, 3-2
NCHA
Friday and Saturday
No. 5 Aurora (6-0, 4-0) at No. 2 St. Norbert (7-0, 4-0)
Is it already March? Because this sure looks like an NCAA tournament showdown.
The Spartans are feeling good after a sweep of Adrian on the road while the Green Knights are off to an impressive start and have the luxury of hosting this battle.
Both teams are nationally ranked in the top five of the USCHO.com poll and something will have to give in this battle of unbeatens.
Aurora has scored 30 goals while St. Norbert has racked up 36. Both teams have allowed less than 20 goals, with the Green Knights giving up just 13. The Spartans have allowed 19.
Four of the top five scorers in the conference are on these two teams. Liam Fraser and Logan Dombrowsky have combined for 11 goals and are first and second, respectively, while Landry Schmuck and Matt Weber have combined for 10 goals.
I’ll be surprised if this one ends in a sweep either way. I’ll be surprised if this isn’t an entertaining series either.
St. Norbert, 5-4; Aurora, 4-3
MSOE (2-3-1, 2-2) at No. 9 Trine (5-0-1, 3-0-1)
The Raiders are eager to make a statement on the road against the nationally ranked Thunder.
Sam Antenucci has been key for Trine, scoring four goals on the year. The Thunder have outscored the opposition 22-10.
MSOE has come through with 13 goals while allowing 13 and are looking to find a way to get the job done on the road after dropping their first two away games of the year.
Trine, 4-2
