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Monday 10: First weekend in November sees several sweeps dot scoresheets across men’s college hockey

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Providence celebrates one of its goals over the weekend against New Hampshire (photo: Providence Athletics).

Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.

1. Hallum’s OT goal for hat trick lifts Michigan past BU

Junior forward Jackson Hallum picked an opportune time for his first career hat trick. His overtime goal propelled No. 11 Michigan past No. 5 Boston University 5-4 to clinch a sweep at Agganis Arena on Saturday night.

“The bench energy was great tonight, so that makes (overtime) even better,” junior forward Josh Eernisse told the Michigan Daily. “When all the guys are up, everybody’s rolling, there was just a great feeling on the bench. I think everybody knew that we were gonna come out with that one.”

The win came on the heels of a 5-1 Michigan win the previous night. After entering the third period trailing 1-0, Michigan scored five consecutive goals to win. Evan Werner scored his first two goals as a Wolverine and added an assist for a 3-point night. Logan Stein stopped 22 of 23 shots to earn his third win of the year. The next night, Cameron Korpi made 24 saves in the overtime win.

2. Denver goes east, rips Yale

Long distance trips to the east coast might befuddle other western programs, but No. 1 Denver is well known for handling said treks with ease. That trend continued this weekend when the NCHC’s Pioneers took a pair at Yale by an aggregate score of 11-1.

“We’ve been good the entire year taking it weekend by weekend,” said Denver goalie Freddie Halyk, who was seeing his first action in almost 11 months on Saturday night. “I thought we stuck to our game.”

Denver’s run to last year’s NCAA championship saw the Pioneers travel to Springfield, Mass., for the regionals, which resulted in a pair of 2-1 wins vs. Massachusetts and Cornell. That clinched Denver’s 19th trip to the Frozen Four and paved the way for its 10th national championship.

Saturday’s 5-1 win was the program’s 1,600th win all-time. The Pioneers joined Minnesota, Michigan, Boston College, Boston University and North Dakota as the only college hockey programs to reach that milestone.

3. Minnesota continues dominance of Penn State

No. 4 Minnesota has now won six straight over B1G rival Penn State (No. 18) following a weekend sweep at Mariucci arena.

The teams skated to a scoreless draw for 59 minutes and 34 seconds on Saturday until Jimmy Clark scored on a redirect, and the Gophers held on for a 1-0 win. Minnesota led the nation in team scoring entering the game, averaging more than five goals a contest. Clark has already reached double-digit points in just eight games, totaling three goals and seven assists.

Gophers goalie Liam Souliere earned his first shutout of the season against his former team, stopping 28 shots.

“I thought it was a great, gutsy effort from both teams and I’m really proud of how we just continued to dig in,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said. “Both goalies were dueling it out and both looked great. The few times (Liam) was really under pressure, he never felt it, and then made some critical saves.”

4. BC sweeps at St. Cloud State

No. 2 Boston College came from behind for a 2-1 win at No. 10 St. Cloud State to complete a weekend sweep. The Eagles trailed 1-0 after the first period but scored in both the second and third periods to claim the victory. BC goalie Jacob Fowler finished the weekend with 44 saves.

“The guys really dug in,” Eagles coach Greg Brown told the BC student newspaper. “We got a couple great blocks, tough shots from the flank, and we did a great job clearing the pucks from the front of the net. And Jacob was solid as usual.”

It was the second time this season that the Eagles have trailed after the first period, and both times BC has come back to win.

5. Cornell finally opens season, sweeps NoDak

Cornell has perched itself in the top half of the first five editions of the USCHO Division I men’s poll, and even had one voter convinced it was the No. 1 team in the country. Quite a feat for a team that, until this weekend, had yet to play a game.

The Big Red proved themselves worthy of its high ranking over the weekend with a sweep of No. 6 North Dakota, by scores of 4-1 and 5-3.

Saturday was the 12th all-time meeting between Cornell and North Dakota, with the Big Red increasing its lead in the series to 7-5-0. Cornell has won six of its last seven meetings against North Dakota. Cornell’s five goals was its highest output against North Dakota in the 12 meetings.

6. Maine keeps rolling

No. 7 Maine continued its hot start with a pair of blowout wins vs. Merrimack, outscoring the Warriors 11-0 over the weekend.

Harrison Scott and Thomas Freel had two goals each in Saturday’s 6-0 win. Scott had four points on two goals and two assists while Freel had three points on two goals and one assist. Taylor Makar and Brandon Holt each had two assists.

The weekend marked the first time Maine (6-0-1) has posted back-to-back shutouts since a three-game shutout streak in 2010-11. It was also Maine’s first time blanking an opponent during a weekend series at home since doing it against Mercyhurst in 2002.

7. CC takes Pikes Peak Trophy

Colorado College had its way with crosstown rival Air Force over the weekend, winning 3-2 at home on Friday night and 6-1 the next night at Cadet Ice Arena.

Six different Colorado College players scored as the Tigers improved to 6-0 for the first time since the 2000-01 season and moved their overall record to 68-15-2 against Air Force, retaining the Pikes Peak Trophy.

8. Providence takes two from UNH

Providence improved to 5-1-1 after sweeping a home-and-home series vs. New Hampshire. The Friars won 6-3 at home on Friday night and won 3-0 the next night at the Whittemore Center.

Zachary Borgiel made 43 saves on Saturday for his third career shutout and first since joining the Friars as a transfer from Merrimack. He made a highlight-reel save on a clean breakaway by Liam Devlin early in the third period with his team clinging to a 1-0 lead.

“I knew he was thinking about shooting,” Borgiel said. “I kind of usually look at the eyes. His eyes were up the whole time. I thought he was going to shoot. He ended up deking, and I held my ice.”

9. Minnesota State, Bemidji State swap one-goal CCHA nailbiters

Minnesota State and Bemidji State provided CCHA fans a pair of thrillers over the weekend, with Bemidji earning a 1-0 win on Friday night and Minnesota State returning the favor the next night with a 2-1 win. Both games were at BSU.

In the highly anticipated weekend bout between two of the league’s top goaltenders, Minnesota State’s Alex Tracy made 63 total stops for a .969 save percentage while BSU goaltender Mattias Sholl had 52 saves and a .963 save percentage, including a shutout on Friday.

“It was a great response from our team tonight,” said Minnesota State coach Luke Strand after Saturday’s game. “They played a very selfless game. Thank you also to the MSU soccer team for attending our game and supporting us.”

The MSU women’s soccer team was on hand following a 3-0 win at Bemidji on Friday.

10. Niagara, Mercyhurst split in AHA

Niagara, which leads the Atlantic Hockey standings, earned a split of a home-and-home series vs. Mercyhurst over the weekend. Niagara won Friday night’s matchup 5-3 while struggling Mercyhurst earned a 4-3 upset at home on Saturday.

With a thrilling power-play goal by Boris Skalos in overtime on Saturday, the Lakers improved to 2-7-0 on the season and 2-3-0 in Atlantic Hockey play, while Niagara fell to 4-3-2 overall and 3-1-1 in conference action. Ten different Mercyhurst skaters recorded a point in the win.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap November 4, 2024

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(1) Wisconsin at (8) St. Cloud State

Vivian Jungels scored 34 seconds in, Cassie Hall doubled the lead 42 seconds later and by three minutes in, Laila Edwards had made it a 3-0 game. St. Cloud made a goalie switch, putting Emilia Kyrkkö in for Sanni Ahola. KK Harvey scored later in the first to make it 4-0 at the first intermission. Edwards scored again in the second to make it 5-0. Ahola was back in net for the third and Hall added one more to give Wisconsin a 6-0 win. In the second game, Edwards scored four minutes in and Maggie Scannell lit the lamp in the final minute of the period to send Wisconsin to the locker room up 2-0 after one. A major penalty led to a 5-on-3 opportunity for St. Cloud where they also pulled their goal to have a 6-on-3 advantage, but Wisconsin held them off. SCSU would pull their goalie on the power play two more times, but they could not break through as Ava McNaughton earned her second-straight shutout. Lacey Eden scored on the power play in the second and Kirsten Simms’ empty-netter completed the 4-0 win and weekend sweep for Wisconsin. 

(2) Ohio State at St. Thomas

St. Thomas struck first with Maddie Brown lighting the lamp early to give the Tommies a 1-0 lead. It was short-lived as Joy Dunne responded 14 seconds later and scored again later in the first to put OSU up 2-1 at the end of the 1st. Jenna Buglioni scored short-handed in the second and rookies Jocelyn Amos and Jordyn Petrie each scored in the third to lead the Buckeyes to a 5-1 win. In the second game, Tommies goalie Dani Strom was outstanding, setting a career high with 39 saves to deny the Buckeye offense again and again and take this game to overtime tied 0-0. A late penalty in regulation gave OSU the player advantage in the extra frame and Emma Peschel took advantage, earning Ohio State a 1-0 OT win. 

(3) Minnesota at Bemidji State

Bemidji State made 25 blocks on Friday and held Minnesota to just 27 shots, but Natálie Mlýnková scored twice to lead the Gophers to a 2-1 win. The two Minnesota goals were in the first period and Izy Fairchild pulled one back for the Beavers in the second, but the Gopher defense was strong through several power plays, including a major and held off Bemidji State to earn the 2-1 win. In the second game, Minnesota took advantage of special teams, scoring three of their four goals on the power play in the first period and that would prove to be enough. Abbey Murphy had two extra attacker goals while Mlýnková added another and Emma Kreisz scored at even strength to put the Gophers up 4-0. In the second, Bemidji held them to just five shots on goal and Morgan Smith lit the lamp, but the Beavers couldn’t beat Hannah Clark and Minnesota took the 4-1 win and weekend sweep. 

(4) Minnesota Duluth at Minnesota State

Nina Jobst-Smith, Olivia Wallin and Caitlin Kraemer each scored for UMD in the first period on Friday. Sydney Langseth put the Mavericks on the board in the second to make it 3-1, but MSU couldn’t further close the gap and Kraemer added another goal in the third to give UMD the 4-1 win. It was a different story on Saturday. After a back and forth first, Taylor Otremba’s flip into the net gave Mankato a 1-0 lead early in the second. Tova Henderson quickly replied for the Bulldogs to make it 1-1. Alexis Paddington’s goal put Minnesota State up 2-1 early in the third. As the time ticked down, Wallin scored for UMD and then, with 100 seconds left in regulation, Clara Van Wieren gave Minnesota Duluth their first lead of the game. It lasted just 21 seconds as Shelbi Guttormson responded for the Mavericks to tie the game 3-3 and force overtime. The extra period did not find a winner and it took eight rounds of a shootout before either team scored – Tova Henderson had the only goal, earning the Bulldogs the extra point. 

(5) Clarkson at (11) Quinnipiac

These two teams fought for an advantage in the first to no avail and then the Bobcats broke through when Sophie Urban found Kathryn Stockdale in front of the net to make it 1-0 Quinnipiac. That would prove to be the difference maker as the Bobcats shut down on defense and added two empty-net goals to take a 3-0 win. 

(5) Clarkson at Princeton

The Golden Knights stopped their losing skid with an emphatic 6-3 win on Saturday. Anne Cherkowski led Clarkson with two goals and two assists while Rhea Hicks added four assists. Sena Catterall scored twice to have the Golden Knights up 2-0 early in the second. Cherkowski’s first a few minutes later made it 3-0. Princeton’s Hannah Fetterolf got her team on the board before the intermission to make it 3-1. Cherkowski’s second was a power play tally 18 seconds into the third. Issy Wunder replied 23 seconds later to make it 4-2. Madison Chantler extended the lead to 5-2 before Sarah Paul responded for the Tigers. But they couldn’t mount more of a comeback and Chantler’s empty-netter secured the win. 

RPI at (6) Colgate

Addison Spitz scored midway through the first to put Colgate up 1-0 after one. In the second, Emma Pais one-timed a great pass on the power play to make it a 2-0 game. Morgann Skoda narrowed the gap in the closing minute of the frame to make it 2-1. Pais got her second of the game early in the third on an assist from Kalty Kaltounková – her 200th career point. Elyssa Biederman scored later in the third to secure the 4-1 win. 

Union at (6) Colgate

It was a back and forth game, but Colgate rallied in the third to earn a 4-3 win. The Raiders got on the board first as Kalty Kaltounková’s shot knocked off the defense and into the net. The lead was short-lived as Mikayla Blomquist equalized for Union on a 2-on-1 to make it 1-1.  Kaia Malachino’s back door goal gave Colgate the 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Midway through the second, Karianne Engelbert took advantage of another odd player rush to tie the game 2-2. Maren Friday’s shot through traffic found the back of the net late in the period to give Union the 3-2 lead at the second intermission. A turnover early in the third led to a goal by Alexis Petford that tied the game for Colgate. Kaltounková scored her second of the game after her own faceoff win to put the Raiders ahead for good as they buckled down on defense and earned the win. 

(7) St. Lawrence at Princeton

The Saints earned a win in their first conference games thanks to two goals from Taylor Lum and a goal and an assist from Abby Hehl. Lum scored just 90 seconds into the game to set the one for St. Lawrence. Katina Duscio doubled the lead later in the first, but Princeton responded with a power play goal from Mackenzie Alexander. Lum opened the scoring again in the second to make it 3-1. Issy Wunder closed the gap for the Tigers, making it 3-2, but that’s as close as it would get. Hehl made it 4-2 before the second ended and then Aly McLeod and Anna Segedi lengthened the lead in the third to make it a 6-2 SLU win. 

(7) St. Lawrence at (11) Quinnipiac

The goalies were the stars of this one for more than two periods as St. Lawrence’s Emma-Sofie Nordström and Quinnipiac’s Kaley Doyle each kept clean sheets. Halle Mules put the Saints on the board first as she carried the puck from center ice and cut across the zone before finding the back of the net. Quinnipiac tied the game on the player advantage as Makayla Watson’s shot from the blue line made it through traffic to make it 1-1. Jenna Donohue put back a loose puck on another player advantage to put the Bobcats up 2-1 and added an empty-netter to secure the win for Quinnipiac. 

Union at (9) Cornell

The Garnet Chargers lept out to a 2-0 lead and withstood a Cornell charge in the third to earn their first-ever victory over a top-10 team and just their second-ever win over Cornell. Union took the lead towards the end of the first when an awkward bounce behind the net put the puck on the stick of Karianne Engelbert and she slotted it home on a close angle to make it 1-0. They doubled that on the first shift of the second as Paige Greco’s redirect made it 2-0. Katie Chan replied for Corell midway through the second, but Union replied immediately as Jill Willis’ shot trickled into the net about a minute later. Delaney Fleming closed the gap to 3-2 with under a minute to play in the second, but from there, Union shut them down. The Big Red outshot the Garnet Chargers 12-1 in the final frame and pulled their goalie to have a player advantage for the final 2:06 of the game, but Union came up huge to deny them and earn the 3-2 win. 

RPI at (9) Cornell

Cornell registered a big bounce back win on Saturday as Lindzi Avar scored her first career hat trick and the Big Red rolled to a 7-0 win. The teams played a back and forth first period before the home team took control. In addition to Avar, Mckenna Van Gelder, Kaitlin Jockims, Beatrice Perron-Roy and Avi Adam scored in the win. 

Holy Cross at (10) Connecticut

UConn outshot Holy Cross 38-17, but the Crusaders pushed the Huskies to their limit on Friday. Emily Crovo’s power play goal was the only tally in the first, putting Holy Cross up 1-0. It wasn’t until there were under five minutes to play in the third that Claire Murdoch got the Huskies on the board and forced overtime. It was Ashley Allard in the extra frame that won the game for Connecticut. In the second game of the series, Kyla Josifovic’s first period goal would prove to be the game-winner. Murdoch added a power play goal in the second to ensure the 2-0 win and weekend sweep.

Syracuse at (12) Penn State

On Thursday, Penn State took a 1-0 lead as the 1st period wound down on a rebound put back by Kendall Butze. Syracuse pushed back in the second as Tatum White found some space to get in on net to tie the game 1-1. The Orange took the lead later in the second when Klara Jandusikova tapped in a long distance shot from Jocelyn Filia. With about five left in regulation, Maddy Christian got in on net and flipped the puck in to tie the game 2-2 and force overtime. Brianna Brooks shot from the circle in overtime secured the 3-2 win for Penn State. In the second game, the teams were tied 1-1 heading into the third period thanks to power play goals from Maddy Christian for PSU and Charli Kettyle for SU. Abby Stonehouse put the Nittany Lions up 2-1 early in the third and then goals from Leah Stecker and Stella Retrum less than a minute apart midway through the game blew things open to make it 4-1 Penn State. Mik Todd clawed one back for Syracuse, but they couldn’t find more offense and Christian added her third of the weekend to give PSU the 5-2 win. 

Merrimack at (13) Boston College

Five different Eagles scored and Julia Pellerin and Sammy Taber each scored twice to lead Boston College to a 7-3 win over Merrimack. Molly Jordan, Katie Pyne and Kate Ham also scored in the win. Chloe Goofers scored twice and Madison Cardaci added a goal for the Warriors in the loss. 

(14) Yale at Harvard

Five different Crimson skaters scored on Friday to give Harvard a 5-1 win over the Bulldogs, their first since 2022. Elli Bayard opened the scoring on the power play and Gabi Davidson Adams made it 2-0 before the first intermission. In the second, Anna Bargman cut the lead to 2-1 early but Yale couldn’t bring it closer and Harvard went to the third still in the lead. Scout Oudemool, Gwynn Lapp and Antonio Dinges each scored in the span of two minutes to put the game out of reach and give Harvard the 5-1 win. 

(14) Yale at Dartmouth

The Bulldogs got back in the win column with a victory over the Big Green on Saturday. They opened the scoring in the first when Mariya Rauf tipped in a shot from Vita Poniatovskaia to make it 1-0. Just 31 seconds later, Dartmouth tied the game with a power play goal from Laura Fuoco. Jordan Ray put back a rebound in the second and that’s all Yale would need to win their 13th straight against Dartmouth. 

(15) Brown at Dartmouth

The Bears kept up their strong start with a 2-1 win on Friday. They’re off to their first 5-0-0 start since the 1992-93 season. After a back and forth scoreless first, Hamilton Doster’s power play goal had Dartmouth up 1-0. A few minutes later, Brown replied as Ava DeCoste tipped Cameron Sikich’s shot from the blue line to tie the game 1-1. Special teams were crucial in the game as Brown took the lead on the advantage with a goal from Ella Muralt and their penalty kill was strong in the closing minutes to secure the win. 

(15) Brown at Harvard

Brown outshot Harvard 17-4 in the first, but the teams went to the locker rooms tied 1-1. India McDadi scored midway through the frame on the power play, but Gwynn Lapp got the Crimson on the board a few minutes later. But the Bears came out firing in the second as Monique Lyons scored on the power play just 17 seconds into the period. Jess Ciarrocchi’s short-hander midway through the game extended the lead to 3-1 and then Abby Hancock’s first career goal – a laser through traffic from the blue line – made it 4-1 at the second intermission. Lyons deflected a puck in during the third to give Brown a 5-1 win. 

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Nov. 1-2

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Zaccharya Wisdom gets pumped after his goal Saturday night for Colorado College against Air Force (photo: Colorado College Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Oct. 28 fared in games over the weekend of Nov. 1-2.

No. 1 Denver (8-0-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 1 Denver 6 at Yale 0
11/02/2024 – No. 1 Denver 5 at Yale 1

No. 2 Boston College (5-1-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 2 Boston College 4 at No. 10 St. Cloud State 1
11/02/2024 – No. 2 Boston College 2 at No. 10 St. Cloud State 1

No. 3 Michigan State (5-1-0)
Did not play.

No. 4 Minnesota (7-1-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 18 Penn State 1 at No. 4 Minnesota 3
11/02/2024 – No. 18 Penn State 0 at No. 4 Minnesota 1

No. 5 Boston University (4-3-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 11 Michigan 5 at No. 5 Boston University 1
11/02/2024 – No. 11 Michigan 5 at No. 5 Boston University 4 (OT)

No. 6 North Dakota (3-4-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 6 North Dakota 1 at No. 9 Cornell 4
11/02/2024 – No. 6 North Dakota 3 at No. 9 Cornell 5

No. 7 Maine (6-0-1)
11/01/2024 – Merrimack 0 at No. 7 Maine 5
11/02/2024 – Merrimack 0 at No. 7 Maine 6

No. 8 Colorado College (6-0-0)
11/01/2024 – Air Force 2 at No. 8 Colorado College 3 (OT)
11/02/2024 – No. 8 Colorado College 6 at Air Force 1

No. 9 Cornell (2-0-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 6 North Dakota 1 at No. 9 Cornell 4
11/02/2024 – No. 6 North Dakota 3 at No. 9 Cornell 5

No. 10 St. Cloud State (6-3-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 2 Boston College 4 at No. 10 St. Cloud State 1
11/02/2024 – No. 2 Boston College 2 at No. 10 St. Cloud State 1

No. 11 Michigan (5-2-1)
11/01/2024 – No. 11 Michigan 5 at No. 5 Boston University 1
11/02/2024 – No. 11 Michigan 5 at No. 5 Boston University 4 (OT)

No. 12 Providence (5-1-1)
11/01/2024 – RV New Hampshire 3 at No. 12 Providence 6
11/02/2024 – No. 12 Providence 3 at RV New Hampshire 0

No. 13 Western Michigan (3-1-0)
Did not play.

No. 14 Quinnipiac (3-3-0)
11/02/2024 – No. 14 Quinnipiac 3 at RV Holy Cross 0

No. 15 Ohio State (7-0-1)
11/01/2024 – Lake Superior State 3 at No. 15 Ohio State 9
11/02/2024 – Lake Superior State 2 at No. 15 Ohio State 6

No. 16 Minnesota State (6-4-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 16 Minnesota State 0 at RV Bemidji State 1
11/02/2024 – No. 16 Minnesota State 2 at RV Bemidji State 1

No. 17 Massachusetts (4-3-1)
11/02/2024 – No. 17 Massachusetts 4 at AIC 3

No. 18 Penn State (4-3-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 18 Penn State 1 at No. 4 Minnesota 3
11/02/2024 – No. 18 Penn State 0 at No. 4 Minnesota 1

No. 19 Notre Dame (5-3-0)
11/01/2024 – RV Wisconsin 2 at No. 19 Notre Dame 3 (OT)
11/02/2024 – RV Wisconsin 2 at No. 19 Notre Dame 1

No. 20 UMass Lowell (5-1-0)
11/01/2024 – No. 20 UMass Lowell 5 at RV Holy Cross 4 (OT)

RV = Received Votes

D-III West Hockey Weekend Recap: Aurora wins tournament at Dubuque

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Aurora won the Key City Collegiate Classic. (Photo Credit: Aurora Athletics)

Aurora is off and running, or should we say skating, in the 2024-25 season.

The Spartans won the Key City Collegiate Classic at Dubuque, edging Augsburg 5-4 on Saturday for the title after knocking off nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point 7-2 the night before.

Landry Schmuck delivered the game winner for the Spartans (2-0), scoring 37 seconds into overtime to cap a wild comeback.

Aurora trailed 3-1 before Matt Weber, Chase Broda and Jacob Brockman all scored in the third to tie the game.

Schmuck finished with two goals while Weber and Mathis Bedard each dished out two assists. JaCob Mucitelli racked up 23 saves.

That win came on the heels of a dominant performance against the No. 6 Pointers, leading 6-0 before allowing a goal.

Two players, Riley Dekowny and Lukas Sedlacek each recorded three points while four others finished with two points.

Dekowny racked up a pair of goals while Sedlacek, Andrew Schultz and Hassan Akl all racked up two assists. Mucitelli was on top of his game as he made 33 saves.

Here are more highlights from the opening weekend.

A battle of nationally ranked teams

Adrian and Utica didn’t disappoint in their opening weekend series. The Bulldogs, ranked third in the nation, salvaged a split on Sunday against No. 4 Utica, earning a 5-3 win.

Not only did Adrian win, but head coach Adam Phillips won his first career game as the head coach of the Bulldogs.

Tied at 3-3 after two periods, Adrian scored twice in the third to secure the win.

Ian Amsbaugh scored twice and also came through with an assist while Will Bowman added an assist to go along with his first collegiate goal. Patrick Saini and David Clark each dished out two assists while Dershahn Stewart made 34 saves.

The win makes up for Friday’s heartbreaking 3-2 loss where Utica scored in the final minute.

Stewart racked up 31 saves and David Clarke’s first career goal gave Adrian a 2-1 lead before Utica rallied for the win. Theo Thurn also scored a goal for Adrian.

Green Knights dominate at home

St. Norbert is a top five team in the country for a reason. Facing two of the best teams out of the MIAC, the Green Knights were on top of their game in an 8-4 win over St. Olaf on Friday and a 5-2 win over Bethel Saturday.

Fifth-ranked St. Norbert scored seven goals in the first two periods to open up a a commanding 8-3 lead over the Oles on Friday.

Eight different players score goals in a matchup featuring two teams who have met in the last two NCAA tournaments. Hunter Garvey racked up 21 saves. Blake Ulve scored once and dished out two assists. Byron Hartley finished with three helpers in the win.

A 3-0 lead after one period against Bethel was all the Green Knights needed to complete an opening weekend sweep. Logan Dombrowsky scored a goal and tallied an assist. Liam Fraser dished out a pair of assists. Grant Adams made his debut in goal and came up with 24 saves.

Sabres shine

Marian is off to its first 2-0 start since the 2019-20 season after finishing off the weekend with a 4-0 win over St. Olaf.

The Sabres improved to 6-5-1 all-time against the Oles behind the strength of Andreai Proctor-Ramirez’s second career shutout. He stopped 27 shots.

Blake Stafford came through with two assists and Brandon Modde scored his first career goal in the win.

On Friday, Marian edged Bethel 2-1 in overtime after Caden Carlson scored his second goal of the game. It took him just 39 seconds into the extra session to find the back of the net. The performance by Carlson marked his first multi-goal game at the collegiate level.

Marian has won five of its last six against Bethel. Cole Carlson dished out two assists while Proctor-Ramirez made 29 saves.

Cobbers with the sweep

Concordia seems to have a knack for winning openers. The Cobbers did it again on Friday, scoring five times in the fifth period for a 5-2 win over Concordia (WI).

They are 7-2-1 in their last 10 opening night games and closed out the weekend with a 2-1 win over the Falcons. Again, all of the Cobbers’ goals were scored in the third.

Hanson O’Leary and Braden Costello scored in Saturday’s win while Dane Couture made 18 saves.

Mason Plante struck for a pair of goals in the opener and Joe Harguindeguy added two assists. Couture racked up 24 saves.

Tight battle between Saints and Raiders

A weekend series between St. Scholastica and MSOE featured a shootout on Friday and a 3-2 win for the Saints on Saturday.

The Raiders and Saints played to a 2-2 tie through regulation and overtime before MSOE prevailed in a shootout on a goal by Seth Bernard.

Bernard also scored in regulation, as did Carson Jones, while Austin Schwab racked up 31 saves.

Saturday was just as close before St. Scholastica edged MSOE in overtime thanks to a goal by Hunter Hanson a little over a minute into the extra session.

Steve Guo had forced overtime a little over eight minutes into the third period.

Elino Rissanen made 29 saves for the Saints. Schwab stopped 27 shots.

Falcons fly high

Four goals in the third period proved to be the difference in UW-River Falls’ 5-1 win over Saint John’s in the season opener for both teams on Saturday.

Alex Davis, Cole Teleki and Adisen Brueck all scored their first collegiate goals. Davis and Burke Simpson finished with two assists apiece and Brennan Boynton made his first appearance in goal and stopped 25 shots.

Solid night by Stout

Tyler Masternak was impressive in goal, stopping 31 shots and helping UW-Stout roll past Lawrence 7-0 on Saturday.

The shutout was the fourth in Masternak’s career with the Blue Devils, who used a lightning quick scoring outburst to take control.

They scored three goals in 39 seconds in the opening period, the fastest since scoring three in 37 seconds in November of 2022.

Nicolas Pigeon scored twice for the Blue Devils and Tyler Pfiester added a goal and two assists as UW-Stout opened its season with a win. Lawrence came into the night riding the high of a 5-2 win over Northland.

Dubuque nearly pulls off upset

After dropping its opener 3-0 to Augsburg on Friday, Dubuque came back on Saturday and battled No. 6 UW-Stevens Point in the consolation game of the Key City Collegiate Classic.

The Spartans lost 2-1 in overtime despite a 40-save performance by Ryan Piros. Jack Paweski scored the lone goal for Dubuque, which is in its second season of hockey.

SATURDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: No. 11 Michigan sweeps No. 5 BU with OT winner, No. 9 Cornell completes sweep of No. 6 North Dakota, No. 2 Boston College earns two-game sweep at No. 10 St. Cloud State

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Michigan’s Jackson Hallum completed a hat trick at 3:13 of overtime as the No. 11 Wolverines completed a road sweep of No. 5 Boston University, 5-4 in overtime (photo: Michigan Athletics)

Michigan’s Jackson Hallum scored the game-tying goal with 7:20 remaining in regulation and then followed it up with the overtime game winner as the Wolverines took two road victories over No. 5 Boston University, 5-4.

In a back-and-forth game, Michigan took an early lead before BU rallied on first-period goals by Shane Lachance and Matt Coppini.

Michigan answered early in the second on Hallum’s first of the night to draw the game even at 2.

After the two teams traded goals, BU’s Devin Kaplan gave the Terriers the lead with 8:12 remaining only to be answered by Hallum 52 seconds later on the power play.

Hallum’s goal at 3:13 of the overtime marked the Wolverines first overtime victory since a 6-5 decision at Minnesota last March.

SCOREBOARD  |   USCHO.com POLL  |  STANDINGS

No. 9 Cornell 5, No. 6 North Dakota 3

Cornell, an Ivy League team starting its season this weekend nearly a month after much of its competition, earned its second straight upset win over No. 6 North Dakota, earning a 5-3 victory on Saturday to sweep the weekend series in Ithaca, N.Y.

The Big Red overcame a 3-2 deficit after two periods with goals by Ryan Walsh, Tim Rego and Kyle Penney in the final stanza.

Cornell took the early lead with goals by Jake Kraft in the first and Jack O’Leary at 10:00 of the second.

North Dakota answered, and did so quickly, when Dylan James, Louis Jamernik and Sacha Boisvert all scored late in the second to give the visiting Fighting Hawks the lead after 40 minutes.

Ian Shane, who earned his 50th career win on Friday, made 25 stops to take the victory.

No. 2 Boston College 2, No. 10 St. Cloud State 1

Boston College was another team to sweep a key top 10 weekend series, overcoming an early 1-0 hole to win 2-1 on a Gabe Perreault goal.

After St. Cloud State’s Verner Miettinen gave the host Huskies the lead at 4:59 of the first period, Boston College’s Eamon Powell found the equalizer at 6:38 of the middle frame.

Perreault’s fifth goal of the young season at 3:23 of the third was the difference maker. Jacob Fowler earned the win making 25 saves.

Wisconsin 2, No. 19 Notre Dame 1

Wisconsin snapped a five-game losing streak in fashion, winning on the road at 19th-ranked Notre Dame, 2-1, behind a Simon Tassy game-winner and a 22-save effort by goaltender Tommy Scarfone.

All of the goals in the game came in the middle period. Wisconsin’s Owen Lindmark gave the Badgers the lead at 5:34 before Ryan Helliwell evened the game for the Fighting Irish.

Tassy notched his first goal of the season with just 35 seconds remaining in the second, a goal that stood up as the game winner.

Notre Dame’s Owen Say made 33 saves in defeat.

 

 

Denver’s Devine, Union’s Muthersbaugh, Augustana’s Kotai, Notre Dame’s Say take home monthly HCA accolades

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From left, Jack Devine, Ben Muthersbaugh, Josh Kotai and Owen Say (photos: Denver Athletics/Union Athletics/Augustana Athletics/Notre Dame Athletics).

The first Hockey Commissioners Association monthly awards for men’s hockey have been announced for the month of October.

Denver senior forward Jack Devine is the player of the month, Union freshman forward Ben Muthersbaugh is rookie of the month, and Augustana sophomore Josh Kotai and Notre Dame junior Owen Say are co-goaltenders of the month.

Devine led the nation in scoring for the month of October. In six games, he had a line of 1-13-14, good for 2.33 PPG. He was a major reason that the Pioneers are off to a 6-0-0 start. He recorded multiple points in five of six games and now has 120 career points.

The top first-year player in the NCAA in October, Muthersbaugh was 6-7-13 in seven games. His six goals tie him for most among all NCAA players.

Kotai posted a 3-2-0 record, going 2-1 vs. nationally ranked schools. His numbers: a save percentage of .950 and a GAA of 1.63, while facing an average of 32 shots per game.

Say, a transfer from Mercyhurst, went 3-0-0 with eye-popping stats of .969 and 1.00 for the Irish.

September-October HCA women’s college hockey awards go to Wisconsin’s O’Brien, Harvey, St. Cloud State’s Kyrkkö, Sacred Heart’s Greene

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From left, Casey O’Brien, Caroline Harvey, Emilia Kyrkkö and Carly Greene (photos: Wisconsin Athletics/St. Cloud State Athletics/Sacred Heart Athletics).

The first Hockey Commissioners Association monthly awards for women’s hockey have been announced for the combined months of September and October.

Wisconsin graduate forward Casey O’Brien and junior defenseman Caroline Harvey are co-players of the month, St. Cloud State freshman goalie Emila Kyrkkö is rookie of the month, and Sacred Heart senior goaltender Carly Greene is goalie of the month.

O’Brien led the NCAA with 7-17-24 and blueliner Harvey paired a plus-14 rating with a line of 5-14-19. Together, they helped the Badgers to a perfect 10-0-0 start.

Kyrkkö led the WCHA in GAA (0.97) and save percentage (.962) while facing multiple nationally ranked opponents.

In three complete games, Greene saw an average of 38 shots per game and emerged 3-0-0 with a 0.95 GAA and a save percentage of .975.

Gagnon (Lindenwood), Kebreau (Alaska Anchorage), Grabko (Alaska), Bartoszkiewicz (Lindenwood) highlight October honors for NCAA D-I men’s hockey independent schools

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From left, Dave Gagnon, Dimitry Kebreau, Nicholas Grabko and Owen Bartoszkiewicz (Lindenwood photos: Don Adams Jr./Alaska photo: Eric Engman/Alaska Anchorage photo: Alaska Anchorage Athletics).

The 2024-25 season got off to a strong start for the NCAA’s five men’s Division I hockey programs and four players have earned monthly honors from NCAA Division I Independent Hockey.

All five schools enjoyed impressive road wins, eight cumulatively, with those victories coming at Notre Dame (2), Wisconsin, Merrimack, Lake Superior State, Miami, Northern Michigan and Augustana.

Lindenwood senior forward Dave Gagnon is player of the month, Alaska Anchorage freshman forward Dimitry Kebreau has been named rookie of the month, and Alaska graduate Nicholas Grabko and Lindenwood sophomore Owen Bartoszkiewicz are co-goalies of the month.

Gagnon went 4-3-7 in six games and played a key role in two wins, going 0-2-2 in a 4-2 win at Wisconsin and 2-1-3, including the unassisted game winner, in 4-2 win at Miami.

Kebreau had two goals in his first month of play, one at No. 1 Denver and one at Miami.

Grabko’s 2.37 GAA and .922 save percentage were keyed by a 37- save 1-0 shutout at nationally ranked Notre Dame.

Bartoszkiewicz had 34 saves in a 4-2 win at Wisconsin and 31 in a 4-2 win at Miami. Also had a season-high 42 saves in a 3-2 loss at Wisconsin. Compiled a 2.51 GAA and .918 save percentage on the month.

FRIDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: No. 9 Cornell opens season downing No. 6 North Dakota, No. 11 Michigan drops No. 5 Boston University, No. 1 Denver blanks Yale, No. 7 Maine shuts out Merrimack, Bemidji State upsets No. 16 Minnesota State

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Cornell’s Ondrej Psenicka looks for a play against North Dakota’s Andrew Strathmann at Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y., Friday night as the Big Red took a 4-1 win over the Fighting Hawks (photo: Caroline Sherman/Cornell Athletics).

Sullivan Mack recorded a goal and an assist and Ian Shane made 23 saves in goal as No. 9 Cornell opened its 2024-25 season with a 4-1 win over No. 6 North Dakota Friday night at Lynak Rink in Ithaca, N.Y.

Nick DeSantis, Tyler Catalano and Nicholas Wolfenberg also scored for the Big Red, and Jonathan Castagna chipped in a pair of assists.

For North Dakota, Dylan James netted the Fighting Hawks’ lone goal and TJ Semptimphelter and Hobie Hedquist combined to make 17 saves in goal. Semptimphelter started and made one save on four shots before Hedquist came in 12:32 into the first period with Cornell up 3-0.

POLL | SCOREBOARD

No. 1 Denver 6, Yale 0

Denver used five different goal scorers and goaltender Matt Davis stopped all 21 shots he faced in a 6-0 victory against Yale Bulldogs at Ingalls Rink in New Haven. Conn.

Eric Pohlkamp had two goals and one assist for his first three-point game with the Pioneers. Jake Fisher and Boston Buckberger each scored and added a helper in the contest and Sam Harris recorded a multi-point night as well with a pair of assists. Carter King and Rieger Lorenz also scored for DU.

Bulldogs goalie Jack Stark finished with 25 saves.

The Pioneers were playing their first-ever game at the historic Ingalls Rink on the Yale campus and were making just their second trip ever to New Haven, previously playing in a holiday tournament at the former downtown rink way back in 1980.

No. 2 Boston College 4, No. 10 St. Cloud State 1

Gabe Perreault scored two goals to lead Boston College to a 4-1 win over St. Cloud State at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Will Vote and Teddy Stiga also scored for the Eagles and Jacob Fowler made 19 saves in goal. James Hagens tacked on two assists for BC.

Daimon Gardner scored for SCSU and Isak Posch finished with 17 stops between the pipes.

No. 11 Michigan 5, No. 5 Boston University 1

Michigan exploded for five goals in the third period, defeating Boston University 5-1 at Agganis Arena in Boston.

Evan Werner scored two goals and added an assist and Ethan Edwards, Jacob Truscott and Nick Moldenhauer also found the net for the Wolverines.

Michigan goaltender Logan Stein made 22 saves for the win.

Cole Eiserman had given BU the early 1-0 lead at 3:31 of the second period.

Mathieu Caron stopped 30 in net for the Terriers and also drew an assist on Eiserman’s goal.

No. 4 Minnesota 3, No. 18 Penn State 1

Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice and Nathan Airey made 21 saves in goal as Minnesota scored three unanswered goals and defeated Penn State 3-1 at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minn.

Jimmy Clark also scored for the Gophers.

Reese Laubach tallied the lone goal for the Nittany Lions and goalie Arsenii Sergeev stopped 31 shots.

Bemidji State 1, No. 16 Minnesota State 0

Carter Randklev’s goal 12:35 into the second period was the game’s only offense as Bemidji State defeated Minnesota State 1-0 at the Sanford Center in Bemidji, Minn.

Mattias Sholl earned the shutout with a 24-save performance.

Alex Tracy made 43 saves for the Mavericks.

No. 7 Maine 5, Merrimack 0

Harrison Scott and Charlie Russell each had a goal and two assists and Albin Boija stopped all 15 shots he faced as Maine blanked Merrimack 5-0 at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine, to give head coach Ben Barr his 50th career win.

Thomas Freel added a goal and an assist for the Black Bears and Josh Nadeau and Lynden Breen also scored in the win.

Max Lundgren and Nils Wallstrom combined on a 28-save night in net for the Warriors.

No. 8 Colorado College 3, Air Force 2 (OT)

Max Burkholder’s goal at 1:08 of overtime gave Colorado College a 3-2 comeback win over Air Force at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.

The win means the Tigers keep the Pikes Peak Trophy for the seventh straight season.

Air Force led 2-0 midway through the second period before CC rattled off three unanswered goals.

Drew Montgomery had a goal and a helper for the Tigers, while Klavs Veinbergs added a goal and Kaidan Mbereko made 25 saves.

Brendan Gibbons and Clayton Cosentino each recorded a goal and an assist for Air Force, Nick Remissong had two assists, and goaltender Guy Blessing made 30 saves.

No. 12 Providence 6, New Hampshire 3

Ryan O’Reilly scored two goals and Andrew Centrella and Clint Levens each posted a goal and an assist as Providence doubled up UNH 6-3 at Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.

Tanner Adams and Will Elger also scored for the Friars and goalie Philip Svedebäck made 23 saves in net.

Ryan Conmy scored two goals for the Wildcats and Liam Devlin also scored. In goal, Jared Whale and Rico DiMatteo combined to make 24 saves.

No. 15 Ohio State 9, Lake Superior State 3

Sam Deckhut scored twice with an assist to guide Ohio State past Lake Superior State by a 9-3 count at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

Nathan Lewis went for a goal and two assists and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Joe Dunlap, James Hong, Max Montes and Caden Brown all had a goal and an assist. Davis Burnside also scored for the Buckeyes.

In goal for OSU, Logan Terness turned aside 14 shots.

Reagan Milburn had a goal and two assists for the Lakers, Branden Piku a goal and an assist and Sasha Teleguine a goal as Rorke Applebee and Grant Riley combined to make 40 saves in goal.

No. 19 Notre Dame 3, Wisconsin 2

Cole Knuble’s goal at 2:11 of overtime gave Notre Dame a 3-2 win over Wisconsin from the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind.

Brennan Ali tied the game 2-2 for Notre Dame at 18:47 of the second period. Henry Nelson also scored for the Irish and Owen Say made 42 stops between the pipes.

Ryan Botterill and Owen Lindmark scored for the Badgers and goaltender Tommy Scarfone collected 21 saves.

No. 20 UMass Lowell 5, Holy Cross 4 (OT)

Jak Vaarwerk’s goal at 2:30 of overtime lifted UMass Lowell to a 5-4 win over Holy Cross from the Hart Recreation Center in Worcester, Mass.

Vaarwerk added an assist for a two-point night, Matt Crasa also had a goal and an assist, and Owen Cole, Libor Nemec and Chris Delaney also scored for the River Hawks.

UMass Lowell goalies Beni Halasz and Henry Welsch combined on a 27-save effort between the pipes.

Timothy Heinke potted two goals for the Crusaders, Matt DeBoer and Owen Kim scored one apiece, and Thomas Gale finished with 35 saves in goal.

NCAA D-III West Men’s Hockey Game Picks

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Adrian takes on Utica this weekend to open its season. (Photo provided by Adrian Athletics)

Here we go. The curtain raises on another Division III hockey season, and there is plenty of action going on during the first weekend.

We got a few high profile matchups on tap, including St. Olaf battling St. Norbert and Utica taking on Adrian in a USCHO.com Top 15 matchup.

Without further delay, let the puck drop and the season begin.

Friday

Augsburg at Dubuque

The Auggies are always a contender and open the season on the road at a tournament in Dubuque.

Augsburg did lose their All-American goalie but a program like this one always finds a way to reload rather than rebuild. Cade Stibb is the top returning scoring threat for the Auggies, tallying seven goals and 12 assists last year.

Dubuque is in its second year as a program and should take steps forward. The Spartans return 13 players and have added a few transfers as well. Playing against Augsburg is always a tall order, but win or lose, the Spartans will gain a ton from this experience.
Augsburg, 4-2

Friday and Saturday

Concordia (MN) at Concordia (WI)

Here’s one thing we do know about this matchup. Concordia is going to win. We just don’t know if it will be the Cobbers or the Falcons.

The Cobbers welcome back their top two scorers in Mason Plante and Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe and will lean on an experienced offensive group for success. The Falcons have plenty of experience on their side, with only three players lost to graduation. Among the returnees is Alex Ochitwa, who scored 11 goals and tallied 10 assists. I feel like this one could end with a split.
Concordia (WI) 4-2; Concordia (MN) 4-3.

St. Scholastica at MSOE

The Saints were one of the better teams in the MIAC last season, winning 15 games, and bring back two of their top scorers in Nathan Adrian and Tristan Shewchuk. The big question mark for the Saints is at goal as Jack Bostedt has left a void. 

The Raiders have plenty of talent back and spent part of their offseason in Latvia playing hockey. That kind of experience should prove valuable for a lot of reasons. Carson Jones is the top player back for MSOE, which looks to make an early-season statement.

This should be a fun two-game series to watch.
MSOE, 3-2; St. Scholastica, 5-4

St. Olaf at St. Norbert

Don’t be surprised if you see this showdown again in March. These two teams both have the potential to play in the NCAA tournament.

St. Olaf could very well win the MIAC while St. Norbert could do the same in the NCHA. Nothing like getting tested on the opening weekend.

The Oles have 12 of their 15 top scoring threats from last season back. The fifth-ranked Green Knights have no shortage of talent either, led by the play of Liam Fraser, last year’s leading scorer.

A lot of goal could be scored this weekend. This series comes down to who makes plays on defense in the end. Let’s go with the upset in this one.
St. Olaf, 4-3

Saturday

Bethel at St. Norbert

The Green Knights welcome in another MIAC contender as Bethel comes to town. St. Norbert lost only once at home last season and are aiming to close out the weekend on a high note. The Royals are coming off one of their best seasons in program history and will get a quick idea of where they stand heading into the new season. Should be a fun game to watch.
St. Norbert, 3-2

Saint John’s at UW-River Falls

The Johnnies head out on the road to take an always tough River Falls squad. More than 70 percent of the scoring is back for the Falcons, with Jonny Meiers and Dylan Smith leading the way. The dup combined for 20 goals last season.

The Johnnies have great depth at goal with Jon Howe and Bailey Huber and it will be interesting to see how this one plays out.
UW-River Falls, 3-2

Saturday and Sunday

Utica at Adrian

Does it get any better than Utica and Adrian facing off at the start of the year. The two teams play Saturday and Sunday

The Bulldogs come in ranked third in the nation. The Pioneers are fourth.

A year ago, these two teams matched up and one game ended in a scoreless tie while the other went Utica’s way in a 3-2 win.

Adrian gets home ice advantage this time and faces a Utica team that has a lot of depth and balance. But the Bulldogs have the same thing and return three players who accounted for 45 goals. This is a matchup worth watching for sure.
Adrian, 3-2; Utica, 2-1

D-II/III East Men’s Hockey Game Picks – November 1, 2024

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Hobart’s Luke Aquaro and teammates will be looking to continue their successful ways as they hunt a final NEHC title and third consecutive NCAA championship (Photo by Stan Godlewski-Trinity Athletics)

It is almost here and there is that feeling in the air that creates excitement around the start of a new season.

This year brings some significant changes from last year including: a new league, the MAC; new teams with Keene State and Misericordia joining the D-III party this year; new conference alignments that find all the former Independents playing with an opportunity to win a conference and shifts of perennial powers to new conferences like Geneseo from the SUNYAC to the UCHC. If you think this year is crazy wait until 25-26 but that would take all the excitement out of this year’s pursuit of conference glory and a national championship chase where current back-to-back champion Hobart is eyeing a three-peat.

So the end of the exhibition season is upon us and that means everything counts from here until March, 2025. Break out the team wear, the fan blogdom and let’s fill the “barns” with excitement for a season where, on Friday night, ever team is undefeated and harbors goals of victories and conference success. This is going to be great!

Friday, November 1, 2024

Wilkes v. (7) Geneseo

The Knights will host a tough opening night opponent when the Colonels face-off on Friday night. Expect this one to be fast-paced with a lot of chances for both teams with special teams ultimately deciding this one for the home team in a one-goal win – Geneseo, 4-3

Southern Maine v. (14) Endicott

The Huskies proved to be a very tough out in the second half of last season and coach Matt Pinchevsky will be looking to build on that to start the new season. Only problem is they are the road teams against a deep and skilled Gull squad that will not give up much. Late goal gives the home team a win on opening night –  Endicott, 3-2

Oswego v. (1) Hobart

The Statesmen welcome one of the youngest Laker squads that has taken the ice in a while and the “Cooler Crazies” make sure the welcome is less than hospitable as the defending national champions get off to a fast start and take a comfortable win – Hobart, 4-1

University of New England v. (11) Plymouth State

The Panthers and Nor’easters have played some classic contests over the past few years and this year’s PSU squad has some serious firepower that will make life challenging for the home squad. Tough to keep the “Wills” (Redick and Pray) down and their scoring touch helps secure a win – PSU, 3-2

(7) Curry v. Massachusetts-Boston

The Colonels and Beacons have been long-time rivals and this year finds a couple of Beacon transfers wearing the purple and white on opening night. Shane Soderwall is among the best goaltenders in the country and he backstops a nice opening night road win – Curry, 4-2

Canton v. (15) Stevenson

The Mustangs find themselves in the top fifteen in the opening season poll and they play like a national contender on opening night with a convincing win fueled by a fast start in the first period. Power play is a key contributor for the Mustang offense – Stevenson, 5-2

Saturday, November 2, 2024

(11) Plymouth State v. Babson

The Panthers go back-to-back against quality opponents and the Beavers prove to be a tough foe on the second night where a late goal delivers a victory for Jamie Rice’s disciplined group. Four balanced lines are the difference – Babson, 3-2

Albertus Magnus v. Johnson & Wales

The Falcons are now part of the NEHC where J&W departed for the CNE. Regardless of the league affiliation, the contest is likely to be fast and physical with the visitors taking advantage of some odd-man rushes for a big win on the road – Albertus Magnus, 3-0

(4) Utica v. (3) Adrian

The Pioneers and Bulldogs have played a two-game series to open the season for several years. While former Adrian coach Adam Krug has moved on to the AHL, the rivalry will continue with some great hockey. See-saw affair that finds the visitor eking out a win in overtime –  Utica, 4-3

(12) Skidmore v. Wentworth

The Thoroughbreds are certainly expected to be one of the premier teams in the east this season and they show off the skill and speed in a comfortable win over the Leopards with the power play providing a couple of goals for the final margin – Skidmore, 5-2

Southern New Hampshire v. Framingham State

The Penmen will look to get off to a fast start and goaltender Collin Berke will make sure the team has support to get the offense going. Kurt Watson and Ryan Pomposelli have multiple points in the win over a game Rams squad – SNHU, 4-2

(13) Cortland v. Alvernia

The Red Dragons enter the season as the defending SUNYAC champions and want to get a fast start to the season against the Golden Wolves. Too much firepower with Colby Seitz and Nate Berke leading on the scoresheet for the visitors – Cortland, 4-1

It does not matter if the games are non-conference affairs as a win is a win and everybody is playing for those as they find their game to start the campaign. Early season hardware adds some spice for teams in opening tournaments and like my good friend, scribe John “Jocko” Connolly always says to get things going – “Drop the Puck!”

Women’s Division I College Hockey: 2024-25 team demographics

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For the second straight season, there are 1119 women rostered by NCAA DI women’s hockey programs this season. Players represent 37 US states, 11 Canadian provinces and 18 different countries – 14 in Europe and 4 in Asia.

This data was collected by individually surveying the posted rosters of each NCAA DI team.

chart visualization

(view full visualization here)

The US is home to the majority of players in NEWHA and the WCHA, while the split between US and Canadian players is much closer to equal in the ECAC and Hockey East. American players makes up less than half the total of players in the AHA.

Minnesota leads the way with 202 players. Ontario is the top Canadian province with 209 women calling it home.

Of the 1119 women rostered this season, hail from. The top three states by number of skaters are Minnesota, Massachusetts (114) and New York (52). Minnesota-born players make up 18% of all NCAA players this season and are 49% of the women playing in the WCHA in 2024-25. Massachusetts-born players make up 31% of Hockey East players.

In all, women representing 37 states are currently playing NCAA DI hockey. NEWHA leads the way with 78% of their players hailing from the US, followed closely by the WCHA, with 72% of their players claiming America as their home.

chart visualization

(view full visualization here)

A full third of the women playing DI women’s hockey this season hail from Canada – 363 of the 1119 skaters. Players from 11 of the Canadian provinces and territories are taking the ice this season. The ECAC has the most players who call Canada home with 137 – that’s 44% of the women who play for ECAC teams.

chart visualization

(view full visualization here)

There are 75 players from countries outside North America, up 15 from last season. They make up 7% of the total players rostered this season. Eighteen countries are represented – three more than last season – with players from Poland, China and Slovenia joining D1 teams. Hockey East leads the way in total number of non-North American countries represented with 10, while the 21 non-North American players skating in the AHA are most among the conferences.

chart visualization(view full visualization here)

 

MIAC Men’s Hockey Preview: Oles, Royals, Auggies top contenders for title

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St Olaf won the league tournament last season and is hoping for a repeat. (Photo provided by St. Olaf athletics)

The MIAC never seems to disappoint when it comes to being competitive. The race for the regular-season championship and the five conference tourney spots up for grabs always seems to be a fight to the finish.

Last year, Augsburg held a two-point edge over Bethel for the regular-season title, but the Oles, who finished fifth in the standings, ended up winning the conference tournament championship.

You just never know how things are going to go. Here’s a look at each team heading into the new year.

Augsburg (15-9-2, 12-3-1)

One thing about Augsburg is that it’s always in the discussion for a league championship. This year shouldn’t be an exception for the Auggies, the reigning regular season champion.

Cade Stibbe will lead the way after finishing third on the team in scoring last season, tallying seven goals and 12 assists.

Landon Parker also ranked among the top five in scoring for the Auggies, finishing fourth with six goals and 12 assists.

Nick Catalano and Peyton Hanson will provide help offensively as well. Catalano scored eight goals and dished out four assists. Hanson recorded six goals and six assists.

Michael Ferrandino is also a key returning player after dishing out seven assists to go along with four goals.

The Auggies lost one of the top goalies in the nation in Samuel Vyletelka, and finding someone to fill that void will be key. Josh Koziol is the only goalie back with experience from last season as he appeared in five games for the Auggies.

Bethel (18-6-3, 11-3-2)

Coming off an impressive season, the Royals have the pieces in place to build on what they accomplished last year.

Seventeen players are back, along with 12 newcomers, two of which are transfers. Those transfers are Shane LeVelle from Lindenwood and Liam Hennessy from Rivier.

One of the top players back is Tyler Kostelecky, an All-American last year, while Austin Ryman returns as one of the top goaltenders in the conference. Kostelecky scored 13 goals and dished out 13 assists. Ryman started 15 games and gave up just 33 goals. He racked up 451 saves and won 11 games. 

Bethel tied the record for wins in a season, and it’s 72.2 winning percentage is the best in school history. The Royals played in the MIAC championship game last year and are hungry to get back there and finish the job this time. 

St. Scholastica (15-10-1, 8-7-1)

The Saints are ready to march into another season and take aim at contending for a MIAC crown.

Though they have lost three of their top five scorers, including scoring leader Fillimon Ledenkov, the cupboard isn’t bare for St. Scholastica.

Nathan Adrian ranked third in scoring and finished last season with seven goals and 13 assists. Tristan Shewchuk was fifth in scoring, racking up eight goals and 11 assists.

Jaco Seitz will provide plenty of help offensively as well, coming off a year where he scored six goals and dished out seven assists.

Brodie Girod tallied seven goals last season to go along with three assists and Hunter Hanson finished with six goals and four assists.

The Saints will need to find someone to fill the void at goaltender as well after losing Jack Bostedt. Elino Rissanen is the only one back at that position with any experience for the Saints as he appeared in one game. 

Saint Mary’s (10-14-2, 8-7-1)

The Cardinals welcome back 18 players, including two all-conference picks, and that should put them in position to compete for a playoff spot again.

Colin Tushie and AJ Rushowski both earned All-MIAC honors last season. Tushie scored 10 goals and eight assists while Rushowski appeared in 15 games between the pipes, racking up 506 saves and winning six games.

Gabe Potyk and Warner Young also return for the Cardinals, who scored 64 goals while allowing 94.

There are 15 new additions to the team as well, including Jake Cameron, Cole Mickie, Liam McInnis, Tommy Wright and Jack Bayless.

When it’s all said and done this season, the Cardinals should be back in the mix for an upper half finish in the standings and a postseason berth.

St. Olaf (14-12-3, 7-7-2)

The Oles have become a regular contender in the conference lately and are the reigning conference tournament champions. They won their second crown in the last three seasons in 2024.

Don’t be surprised if the Oles are hoisting a trophy again as they bring back 21 players including 12 of their top 15 scoring threats.

Leading the way is All-American Connor Kalthoff, who scored 16 goals last season and also dished out 15 assists.

Cody Sherman is back as well and was the second-leading scorer for the Oles a year ago. He came through with seven goals and 13 assists.

Jonathan Panisa and Jonathan Young were also in the top five in scoring for the Oles, combining for 17 goals and 15 assists. 

Joey Kennelly and Tyler Green are also among the key players back after finishing with a combined eight goals and 17 assists.

Finding someone to step in goal is key. The Oles are also in good shape in goal as Thomas Lalonde is back. He started 16 games and fashioned a 2.11 goals against average. Lalonde made 374 saves and won 10 games.

Saint John’s (9-12-4, 6-9-1)

All-conference selection Matt DeRosa is back to help lead the way for the Johnnies after scoring a team-best eight goals. He also tallied five assists and will be a captain this season.

Jack Wandmacher was the team leader in points last season. He scored seven goals and dished out seven assists. He’s a clutch player, too, scoring two game-winning goals during a successful freshman campaign.

Spencer Rurud dished out eight assists and Jack Bisson came through with seven assists. Cam Boche is also a playmaker, tallying nine assists last year. Mason Campbell was one of the top rookies two years ago and took a team-high 68 shots last season.

The Johnnies also have depth at goal with Bailey Huber and Jon Howe returning this year. Huber recorded a 2.78 goals against average and Howe won six games while fashioning a 2.32 goals against average. 

The Johnnies missed the conference playoffs last year, ending a run of five consecutive appearances, and that will be added motivation for them going into this season.

Gustavus (11-12-2, 6-9-1)

The Gusties are looking to turn things around and certainly have a chance to do it with its top three scorers back from last season.

Drew Holt was the top scorer for the Gusties, tallying seven goals and 11 assists, while Drew Ellings finished with eight goals and eight assists.

Jack Suchy is also back after coming through with eight goals and seven assists a year ago.

Wilmer Svensson returns as well and finished fourth in scoring with seven goals and eight assists.

That experience should prove beneficial to the Gusties, who also welcome back one of their top goalies in Marko Belak. He started nine of the 14 games he appeared in and fashioned a 3.08 goals against average.

Concordia (10-12-3, 5-9-2)

The Cobbers should have a shot at a winning season as their top two scorers return. Mason Plante led the team with 11 goals and 12 assists while Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe also scored 11 goals to go along with his 10 assists. The duo tied for the team-lead in goals last season. 

Joe Harguindeguy also returns and tied for the team lead in assists (14). He also scored three goals.

Hunter Olson will provide a boost offensively, too, after coming through with eight goals and seven assists. Hanson O’Leary is a player to watch as well after tallying six goals and seven assists. The Cobbers also have Carson Triggs for another year. He scored five goals and dished out seven assists last season.

Dan Couture and Brock Moroz are the two goalies on the roster with experience. Couture played in seven games while Moroz appeared in three. 

Hamline (7-16-2, 3-12-1)

The Pipers are poised to improve with 26 players back this season, including the top three scorers. Brandon McNamara headlines the group as he was the leading scorer on the team last season. He came through with 10 goals and 11 assists.

Bailey Sommers ranked second on the team in scoring, tallying seven goals and nine assists, and Carson Simon recorded eight goals and seven assists.

Goalie Maximillian Haselbacher also returns and that’s big for Hamline. He started 17 games last season, recording two shutouts and racking up 500 saves.

The Royals have added a few transfers as well who should help bolster the team. Thomas Carls comes in from Augsburg and Nicolas Haviar is from Utica. Cal Levis III transfers in from Dubuque.

 

Three east-west games, including North Dakota at Cornell, top our slate: USCHO Edge college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 4

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USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger look at money lines and over/under for five games (plus our “pizza money” game) on November 1, 2024:

  • North Dakota -120 @ Cornell -110; over/under 5.5
  • Michigan +120 @ Boston University -154; o/u 6.5
  • Boston College -215 @ St. Cloud State +165; o/u 6
  • Minnesota State -160 @ Bemidji State +124; o/u 5
  • Wisconsin +110 @ Notre Dame -140; o/u 5.5
Our “pizza money” game:
  • Penn State +250 @ Minnesota -345; o/u 6.5

Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.

Check out all of USCHO’s podcasts, including USCHO Weekend Review and USCHO Spotlight, plus our entire podcast archive.

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Former Northeastern director of men’s hockey operations Harlow returns to Huskies as new assistant coach

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Matt Harlow is back at Northeastern after a stint with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack (photo: Hartford Wolf Pack).

Matt Harlow has been named an assistant coach for the Northeastern men’s hockey team.

Harlow spent the past three seasons as the director of hockey operations for the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, assisting with all aspects of hockey operations including player personnel, player movement, and player contracts while also handling the day-to-day operations of the club.

“Matt Harlow will be a tremendous addition to our program. He has a ton of passion to coach, develop, and recruit,” said Northeastern head coach Jerry Keefe in a statement. “He is someone I’ve worked closely with in the past and knew this was the right fit for our program. We are all really excited to bring Matt back to Northeastern.”

Previously, Harlow served as the director of hockey operations at Northeastern from 2019 to 2021. Harlow helped guide the program to two winning seasons that included the program’s third straight Beanpot championship in Feb. 2020, and the program’s first Belpot championship.

Prior to coaching and scouting, Harlow played both collegiately and professionally. Harlow graduated from Brown in 2015, following a four-year playing career at the school. Over the course of 127 games at Brown, Harlow scored 36 points on 17 goals and 19 assists.

Following his NCAA career, Harlow played in 47 ECHL games spread across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons with the Elmira Jackals, Manchester Monarchs, and Alaska Aces.

This Week in NCHC Hockey: First-year Miami coach Noreen realizing ‘there’s something special here’ as RedHawks ‘making sure we live by a standard’

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Miami battled to a split last weekend with Lindenwood (photo: Lexie Cunningham).

On the face of it, considering Miami hasn’t finished a season with a winning record since 2015, it would’ve been understandable for Anthony Noreen to want to make a big rebrand out of the RedHawks.

New coach, new team, new us.

But it quickly struck him, after being announced on April 1 as the program’s seventh head coach, that the bones of Miami’s structure were right for the job at hand.

Noreen, who was hired one day before the NCAA’s transfer portal opened, did bring in four college veteran players whom he had either previously coached with or against in his last job, behind the bench for the USHL’s Tri-City Storm. But as for Miami’s 17 returners from last year’s team that went 7-26-3, everyone was not only on board, but also highly determined.

“When I first got here, you don’t know what you’re going to do staff-wise and you don’t know who you’re going to keep player-wise,” Noreen said. “You look at the record from a distance and you start drawing conclusions, but I knew to some degree the previous staff, and that they were good hockey guys and good men and coaches.

“One of the most impressive things, and this speaks volumes about the university, (is that) every single player that was here who had eligibility to come back met with me. I set up shop at a local coffee shop and just said, ‘Hey, if you want to meet with me, this is where I’ll be and you’re welcome to come sit down with me,’ and every single guy, to a man, came and met with me and said, ‘Coach, if you’ll have me, I want to be back. Here’s what I think I can do, and here’s where I think I can be better.’

“They believe in this place, they love this place, and they want to be a part of it,” Noreen continued. “There’s something special here.”

Miami is off to a 3-3-2 start through the season’s opening month. The RedHawks were unbeaten (2-0-2) in their first four games, then lost three straight before earning a gutsy 4-1 win Saturday at home to Lindenwood. A Raimonds Vitolins shorthanded goal 11:31 into the third period and an empty-netter from Christophe Fillion — one of Noreen’s transfers, from Quinnipiac — made the final score not especially indicative of how the game went.

“We lost a hard-fought game on Friday night (4-2 to Lindenwood), and on Saturday, we had to kill nine minutes of penalties in the third period when we were up a goal,” Noreen said. “We blocked a ton of shots, scored a shorthanded goal and we were up 4-1 with less than 20 seconds left in the third period, and we had guys diving head-first to block shots. That’s what we want to be, and that was a really positive step, but we got right back to work this Monday.

“There’s been some good and some bad, and there have been nights where we felt we should’ve been better, and some nights we got what we deserved. In the early going, you evaluate every game and what really good players do is that they evaluate themselves. They identify what they like about their game, what we like about our game, where we can grow, where we can be better and how we can apply it. We’re making sure we live by a standard, and we have a standard of how we play and what we want to play to, and we don’t bend in that for anything or anybody.”

Miami is already coming up on the end of its nonconference slate, finishing it this weekend with a home series against Rensselaer. Then comes the meat grinder of an NCHC schedule, but Noreen isn’t looking past the Engineers. Next Friday’s road game against St. Cloud State is a while away still for a team in a situation like Miami’s this season.

“We have a ton of respect for our conference, and we know how difficult and challenging all those games are,” Noreen said, “but with a new staff, a new structure and all the things we have to worry about internally, we haven’t really talked past the next day’s practice.

“RPI has been really good so far this year, and we’ve pre-scouted them and stuff like that, but with our team, we have to focus on ourselves. We have to get our house in order, make sure we’re playing within our structure and the right way. That’s what we have to be focused on, while also telling the guys, ‘Hey, these are the major tendencies you’ll need to be aware of going into this series,’ but let’s get our internal stuff right.

“I think you’ve got to narrow the focus, especially with a totally new staff, new lines, new teammates and sometimes when you focus on too many things, it muddies the water a little bit,” Noreen continued. “You don’t want to be the master of none. You want to make sure that the things that are really important to us and the things that matter the most, let’s get those in place.”

MASCAC Men’s Hockey Season Preview – Panthers face new challengers in expanded MASCAC league

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Plymouth State forward Will Redick leads a potent Panther offense looking to extend their streak of MASCAC championships (Photo by Plymouth State Athletics

Plymouth State has ruled the roost in MASCAC hockey for several years in a row and in their final season in the conference face new challengers in Anna Maria and Rivier who now make the conference a 10-team league for the upcoming season. The former Independents will bring a lot of enthusiasm to their first season competing in a conference with a championship and national tournament opportunity on the line.

With many teams shifting to the Little East conference in the 2025-26 season, this year presents a unique opportunity to win the MASCAC in its largest ice hockey representation and the ten teams battling for bragging rights.

The Favorites

The Panthers bring a lot of offensive firepower to the ice with Connor Tait, Will Redick and Will Pray lead a deep group of forwards who are well equipped for providing goals in any and every situation on the ice. Colin Tracy is back as captain to lead from the blueline as a troika of goaltenders look to fill the crease vacated by Kalle Andersson. Coach Craig Russell saw the Panthers earn their first ever NCAA tournament win last season over Cortland in the first round. This year’s roster will be looking to build on that success starting with another MASCAC championship.

Anna Maria joins MASCAC for the 2024-25 season and brings a history of playing repeat champion Plymouth State very tight having won the last time the teams faced each other as non-conference opponents. Last year’s young roster will need to continue their development including goaltender Matthew Hennessey and forwards Matthew Byrne, Max Wennerberg and Brandon Della Paolera. Coach David McCauley has built a team that plays fast and physical which will keep them near the top of the MASCAC standings.

The Dark Horses

Fitchburg State under Dean Fuller’s tutelage always seems to be in the hunt for the conference title and this year should be no different with a strong nucleus of players returning for the Falcons. Goaltending will be strong with Max Macchioni and Frederick Soderberg both demonstrating the ability to steal wins for their team. Up front there is depth and balance showcased by forwards Michael Imala, Toivo Kramer, Kristopher Zapata and Oliver Cookson. If the blueline can find consistency from its younger players, the Falcons will be a factor.

Massachusetts-Dartmouth graduated a number of key contributors in each phase of the game. Goaltender Michael Davidson, defenseman Jake Maynard and forward Michael Perrone have all moved on from the Corsairs leaving ample opportunities for younger and new players to step up. Coach Erik Noack always has a roster with some exceptional talent and this year Collin Patterson and Tyler Stewart will be looked to for more production above and beyond their strong first-year seasons. If goaltending is established early in the season, the Corsairs will be a threat.

Players to watch 

Anna Maria:                  Matthew Hennessey – goaltender; Brandon Della Paolera – forward

Fitchburg State:                       Michael Imala – forward; Toivo Kramer – forward

Framingham State:                   Ashton Collazo – forward; Brady Rossbach – forward

Massachusetts – Dartmouth:      Collin Patterson – forward; Michael Mania – forward

MCLA                                        Cade Herrera – forward; Charlie Addessa – forward

Plymouth State:                         Will Pray – forward; Will Redick – forward

Rivier:                                        Cody Rumsey – forward; Jon Tavella – forward

Salem State:                               Zach Dill – forward; Keagan O’Donoghue – forward

Westfield State:                           Cooper Board – forward; Christopher Miraldo – forward

Worcester State:                          Brigham Neuhold – forward; Jakub Kubik – goaltender

USCHO Predicted finish

  1. Plymouth State
  2. Anna Maria
  3. Fitchburg State
  4. Massachusetts-Dartmouth
  5. Westfield State
  6. Rivier
  7. Worcester State
  8. Framingham State
  9. Salem State
  10. MCLA

While Keene State will be part of the Little East next season, their inaugural season in D-III will see them play a number of MASCAC schools including Westfield State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth twice in November, Fitchburg State with a game in December and in January, 2025 and Worcester State in February, 2025.

 

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Young Northern Michigan squad stumbling early, but ‘we’re holding our heads high right now’

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Tynan Ewart has been a bright spot on the back end this season for NMU (photo: Northern Michigan Athletics).

For Northern Michigan, this season is about the process, not results.

Maybe that sounds like a tired sports cliche, but considering this team had to refresh basically its entire coaching staff and roster in the span of five months, it’s a reasonable expectation.

Last weekend’s series against Arizona State is a case in point: The Wildcats, who are 1-5 overall, were swept by the Sun Devils at home, 3-1 and 2-0. Despite being massively outshot each time (40-17 and 38-22, respectively) both were tie games heading into the third period.

“We’re going to experience some growing pains because of how new our team is and how young our team is,” NMU coach Dave Shyiak said. “So that’s going to take a little bit of time, but we’ve seen progress. We like where we’re at as a team in terms of workload and culture. Obviously, you’d like to win a few games along the way, but we’re holding our heads high right now.”

Shyiak was brought in to be the head coach at his alma mater in June, just a few weeks after former head coach Grant Potulny stepped down to accept a head coaching position with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack.

The Wildcats were already set to see some major roster shakeup, but the coaching change meant that just four players stuck around–sophomore forward Tanner Latsch, junior defenseman Jakob Peterson, junior forward Zach Michaelis and sophomore forward Brendan Poshak. Latsch, who played in just eight games last season before a season-ending injury, was named team captain before the start of the season while Peterson, a Marquette native, was named an alternate captain.

“Well, the game is continuity,” Shyiak said. “Obviously, we’ve got only four guys from last year’s team. Until this season Tanner had only played eight games in college hockey, and JP was used limitedly. But what they do bring is a great attitude, team-first mentality. They were voted captains by our guys, and they’re leading this group the right way.

“They know the culture that we want to build here. It’s great to have guys that were around last year, and who can talk to them about Marquette and about our program and lead us the right way, and I think they’ve been doing a great job of that.”

As for the rest of the roster, 24 players are new to the Upper Peninsula. Shyiak had a limited amount of time to find players, and the resulting roster is a combination of freshmen and Division 1 and Division 3 transfers.

“Some of these guys are getting more minutes than they’ve ever had in their careers at the collegiate level, and some guys are still making the transition from junior hockey here. So we’re still kind of identifying our line combinations, and our ‘D’ pairings are getting to what we want, but that’s all going to take a little bit of time,” Shyiak said.

One player new to Marquette who is seeing plenty of playing time is goaltender Ryan Ouellette, who played two seasons at Niagara after a freshman year at NCAA D-III Wisconsin-Eau Claire. Ouellette has started five of NMU’s six games this season and has a .941 save percentage.

“He’s stepped in right away and has performed very, very well. He’s given us a chance in the games. He’s kept it tight when he’s needed to keep it tight. Obviously, he’s playing very well for us now,” Shyiak said. “You know, we’ve got to do a little bit better job in front of him, creating a little bit more offense to help him along the way too. We got to bring our shot count down. And that’s about more about our breakouts and taking care of the puck.”

After a 1-5 start against nonconference opponents (the Wildcats were swept at Colorado College then split with Alaska Anchorage at home in the two weekends before the ASU series) NMU starts off CCHA play with the biggest series on their calendar, a home-and-home with archrival Michigan Tech. The Wildcats actually played the Huskies once already this season, an exhibition game that finished as a 4-3 win for Tech in Houghton. Those 24 newcomers got a small taste of what Shyiak calls the best rivalry in college hockey back on Oct. 4, but the games for conference points obviously mean more.

“We are getting better, so let’s learn from that. Don’t worry about what happened (in our past six games). Our focus is for Friday night here against our biggest rival. We’ve got to take another step forward and continue to get better,” Shyiak said. “We’ve also got to find a way to win a hockey game. Our focus is on getting better against a great opponent, Michigan Tech. Obviously, they’ve been to the NCAAs three years in a row. I consider them one of the top teams in the CCHA.

“So the matchup is going to be good, it’s going to be heavy, it’s going to be fast, it’s going to be exciting for everybody, but let’s focus on getting ourselves better.”

SUNYAC Men’s Hockey Season Preview – Cardinals, Lakers, Red Dragons expected to battle for the league title

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Plattsburgh goaltenders Eli Shiller and Jacob Hearne backstop a strong Cardinal squad looking to re-claim the SUNYAC title (Photo by Gabe Pickens)

SUNYAC has also been impacted by conference re-alignment as the long-expected adoption of SUNY-Canton to the league was offset by the departures of Brockport and Geneseo to the UCHC for the 2024-25 season. So, the former nine-team league will play as an eight-team conference moving ahead with travel partners that will better facilitate travel and inter-conference play this season.

The Favorites

Plattsburgh lost the title last season despite a strong roster that featured key players that played well in a style built for playoff hockey. Despite losing to Cortland, the Cardinals return a terrific line-up that features depth in goal with Jacob Hearne and Eli Shiller. The defense is mobile and provides offense with Jack Ring and Spencer Bellina. The forward group lost some key producers but showed balance last year with Luk Jirousek, Tio D’Addario, Joshua Belgrave and Ryan Bonfield expected to have continued success on the scoresheet.  Coach Steve Moffat’s group has great leadership and work ethic and are looking for more than the conference title this season.

Cortland broke through for their first conference title last year before bowing out in the first round of the NCAA tournament against Plymouth State. This year’s edition of the Red Dragons features some key ingredients from last year’s winning recipe including the defensive duo of Nick Serio and Evan Beaudry, forwards, Nick Settimo, Colby Seitz, Nate Berke and Cody Hildreth and a goaltending troika where competition will determine who mans the blue paint for Cortland this season amongst junior Ronan Mobley, sophomore Hunter Hein, and freshman Shane Shelest. Coach Joe Cardarelli and his staff want teams to have a hard time playing against the Red Dragons and when they are successful in that 200-foot game, they win and will be a factor come tournament time.

The Dark Horses

Oswego has been a perennial competitor for the SUNYAC crown and this year’s edition of the Lakers will rely on a very young roster that includes sixteen freshmen that will need to adjust and mature at the college hockey level quickly. Key to the maturation process will be the leadership and production of several returning players including Andrew Harley, Daniel Colabufo and Matt McQuade as well as the goaltending of junior Brandon Milberg. The schedule for the Lakers does not start out easy but if this group can find their game quickly, coach Ed Gosek will once again see Oswego competing for the SUNYAC title and more.

Buffalo State may be ready to shed the dark horse label this season with a talented roster looking to compete at the top of the standings. Goaltender Marcus Cumberbatch will backstop  the Bengals with a strong supporting cast upfront including forwards Joe Glamos, Conor Bizal, Vadim Kiriakov, and transfer Nick Stuckless (Skidmore). Coach Steve Murphy has the opportunity to jump start the season as the Bengals host their own tournament to open the season with St. Anselm, Misericordia and Brockport as the competition for early season hardware.

Players to watch

Buffalo State:                   Marcus Cumberworth – goaltender; Joe Glamos – forward

Canton:                             Evan Pringle – forward; Niko Schoner – forward

Cortland:                          Nate Berke – forward; Colby Seitz – forward

Fredonia:                          Ryan Bailey – forward; Riley See – forward

Morrisville:                       Connor Carlile – defense: Jensen Dodge – forward

Oswego:                           Daniel Colabufo – forward; Andrew Harley – forward

Plattsburgh:                     Tio D’Addario – forward; Jack Ring – defense

Potsdam:                          Mason Hoehn – forward; Ryan Mahlmeister – forward

USCHO predicted finish

  1. Plattsburgh
  2. Oswego
  3. Cortland
  4. Buffalo State
  5. Fredonia
  6. Morrisville
  7. Canton
  8. Potsdam

Opening weekend will see some great non-conference matchups including Plattsburgh traveling to Castleton, Oswego visiting Hobart and then hosting Elmira, and Cortland facing off with Lebanon Valley.

NCHA Men’s Hockey Preview: Bulldogs, Green Knights headline contender list

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The St. Norbert Green Knights are once again among the teams to beat in the NCHA and are poised to contend nationally as well. (Photo provided by St. Norbert Athletics)

By Brian Lester

No question the NCHA is a pretty strong hockey conference, especially with two of the nation’s best teams in it.

Reigning league champion Adrian leads starts the year at No. 3 nationally in the USCHO.com poll while St. Norbert is ranked fifth and projected to be the Bulldogs’ biggest challenger to a title. The Green Knights and Bulldogs are tied for first in the NCHA’s preseason poll.

It will be a surprise if anyone but those two are playing for the NCHA crown later this season, but teams like Trine and Aurora could prove to be surprise contenders in a league that seems to get better every year.

No matter where a team stands in the conference, an ‘any given night’ mentality’ applies and teams have to be ready to be at their best or get beat. A record might look good on paper but guarantees nothing on game day.

The Adrian Bulldogs are the reigning league champ and tied for first in the preseason NCHA poll. (Photo provided by Adrian Athletics)

Adrian (24-7-1, 16-2)

A new era begins for the Bulldogs, who are now under the direction of first-year head coach Adam Phillips. Phillips takes over for Adam Krug  – he left to coach in the AHL – and is no stranger to the program, serving as an assistant in the past, including during the national championship season at Adrian in 2022.

This is a team with no shortage of experience as 20 players return for a program coming off a Frozen Four trip.

Yes, the top three scorers are gone, but Bradley Somers is back after tallying 13 goals and 25 assists. Jacob Suede is also back, scoring 12 goals and dishing out 22 assists last year.

Matt Couto will provide plenty of help to the offense as well. He dished out 16 assists a year ago. And it never hurts to have a goalie with experience. Dershahn Stewart started 28 games and gave up only 49 goals. He made more than 700 saves.

Adrian is going to get every team’s best shot. The best teams always do. But these Bulldogs are poised to contend for a conference and national title this season.

St Norbert (23-7, 15-3)

The Green Knights are coming off a season where they finished as the runner-up in the conference and played in the NCAA tournament.

Expectations are always high for one of the top programs in Division III hockey, and this year is no exception.

Liam Fraser will help pave the way for a special year as he was the team’s second-leading scorer last season. A first-team all-conference selection last season, he tallied 17 goals and 27 assists. Logan Dombrowsky had an impressive freshman campaign with the Green Knights, scoring 14 goals and recording 23 assists. In fact, he was the NCHA’s Freshman of the Year.

T.J. Koufis and captain Carter Hottman are also back in the fold, meaning the Green Knights have four of their top five scoring threats back from last season. Koufis finished with six goals and 20 assists while Hottman racked up 10 goals and 10 assists. Dayton Deics, a returning first-team all-league pick, finished with three goals and 15 assists.

St Norbert should be solid in goal as well with Hunter Garvey returning. He played in 23 games and made 517 saves while recording a goals against average of just 1.90. 

With the experience and talent the Green Knights have on their roster, it won’t be a surprise at all if they win the NCHA and contend for a national title as well.

Trine (20-8, 13-5)

No one can overlook Trine when it comes to discussing the NCHA title race. The Thunder bring back a wealth of experience. Sean Henry is among the key returnees after scoring five goals and dishing out 12 assists as one of the top defenders in the conference.

Like Henry, Sam Antenucci was an all-conference pick and led the team in points (34) and goals (15). He ranked second on the team in assists. 

Michael DiPietra was an all-freshman team selection after tallying seven goals and eight assists, and should be even better this year with more experience under his belt.

And Josh Wright showed a lot of promise despite missing eight games due to injury. He finished with 17 points and should be even more productive this year.

Trine also has its top two goalies back as well in Kyle Kozma and Christian Wong-Ramos. Kozma played in 23 games and had a 2.33 goals against average.

The addition of Ronnie Petrucci gives Trine even more depth in goal. He played for the Little Flyers in Philadelphia, and last season, he stopped 92 percent of the shots he faced and recorded three shutouts.

Aurora (15-12-1, 12-6)

Sixteen players are back for the Spartans. That group includes leading scorer Chase Broda, who tallied 12 goals and 15 assists on his way to helping Aurora finish fourth in the league. His presence, along with the return of Hassan Akl and Jakson Kirk, who ranked second and third on the team in scoring, should have Aurora’s offense running smoothly. 

Akl scored five goals while handing out a team-leading 18 assists and Kirk racked up a team-best 15 goals to go along with seven assists.

Aurora scored 93 goals last season as a team. The defense should be in good shape as well with the top two goaltenders back. 

JaCob Mucitelli started 20 games and fashioned a 2.77 goals against average. Matt O’Donnell earned six starts and had a goals against average under three as well (2.97). Both stopped more than 90 percent of the shots they faced.

Newcomers Landry Schmuck, Simon Diaz and Mathis Bedard will provide added depth for the Spartans.

MSOE (14-11-2, 8-9-1)

Carson Jones leads the way for the Raiders, who hope to be one of the top teams in the conference. Jones was an all-conference pick as a sophomore. Jones stuck for 12 goals and also dished out 20 assists. Casey Roepke was an all-rookie pick last year and tallied 16 assists. Then there’s Seth Bernard, who finished with 15 goals and 12 assists while tying for the most shorthanded goals in the nation last season.

The Raiders gained valuable experience over the summer, taking a trip to Latvia and facing the country’s world junior team as well as a pro team out of Finland. MSOE also took on Castleton State. There’s no question the chance to play overseas should pay dividends for the Raiders heading into a new season.

A total of 23 players return for MSOE, as well as six newcomers. Included in that group is Nikolai Charchenko from Colorado College and Ethan Mann, a former Wisconsin commit.

Concordia (8-19, 6-12)

With 22 players back and only three players lost to graduation from last year’s squad, hopes are high for the Falcons going into a new season.

Alex Ochitwa will help lead the way after scoring the most goals last season, punching in 11. He also dished out 10 assists as he tied for the team lead in points.

Riley Klugerman shared team scoring honors with 21 points, with most of his impact being made as a playmaker. Klugerman rang up 18 assists to go along with his three goals. The duo of Ochitwa and Kluerman should make Concordia a tough team to deal with night in and night out.

The Falcons also welcome back their goalie in Gabe Rosek, who racked up 820 saves last season.

Connor Van Weelie, Jack Guvenal and Levi Carter, all from Canada, headline a strong cast of newcomers who should make an immediate impact for the program.

Concordia did drop its final five games of last season but a strong start early in the season will go a long way in setting the tone for success this year.

Marian (9-17-1, 5-12-1)

Jaymes Knee is among the key returning players for the Sabres, finishing second on the team in goals (7) and points (18) despite playing in only 20 games. If he’s healthy all season, he could very well end up as the team’s top scoring threat.

Daunte Fortner is also back after leading the team in assists (13) a year ago, and like Knee, he’s a senior.

The other key returning player to watch is Andreal Proctor-Ramirez, who started five games in goal last season and made 142 saves. The sophomore stopped 91 percent of the shots he faced, shaking off an injury he suffered in game two of the season to get back on the ice by February. 

Several newcomers should help Marian’s cause as well, including Dayne Tews, who played three years with the Grande Prairie Storm and scored 11 goals and dished out 14 assists in his final 25 games there. Eemil Rautio and Brady Brenner are new additions to watch as well.

Lake Forest (7-18, 4-14)

There are 26 players back for the Foresters, including the team’s leading scorer from last season in Chase Freiermuth, who finished his season with 14 goals and 12 assists. His presence on the ice will play a huge role in helping Lake Forest take aim at a winning season.

Colin Bella is coming off an impressive freshman campaign, earning a spot on the all-freshman team in the conference. Those are among 10 players who finished in double figures in points last season. Matteas Derraugh is also returning for the Foresters after dishing out 12 assists last year. He also scored two goals. The team leader in assists also returns in Logan Kittleson, who finished last season with 18 to go along with six goals.

Lake Forest has the experience back to take significant steps forward from an offensive standpoint and there is depth at the goalie position, with Bobby McCloskey, Kohl Reddy and Dylan Kruss all seeing valuable time on the ice last season. McCloskey played the most, logging more than 700 minutes, and earning four wins.

Dubuque (3-19, 3-15)

The Spartans begin their second year as a program. Along with 13 returning players, they have added transfers and freshmen who should make an impact as well.

Chris Curr returns at goal and his in his fifth year as a college athlete. Josh King is also in his fifth year while Max Messier is a senior.

Messier and King were the top scoring threats for the Spartans, with Messier leaving the team with four goals and five assists.

King came through with a team-best five goals and three assists.

Curr started 10 games in goal and stopped nearly 92 percent of the shots he faced while earning three wins.

The roster will have no shortage of new faces as 21 have joined the team. Two of the key newcomers are Nikita Borodeyenko from Merrimack) and Layten Liffrig. Zach Burfoot should be an impact player as well. Borodeyenko played two seasons at Merrimack and appeared in 20 games there. 

With a year of experience, the Spartans should be an improved team this season. 

Lawrence (8-17-2, 6-10-2)

Ryan Orr is now the head coach at Lawrence, taking over for Brett Wall, who landed a job the Janesville Jets of the NAHL.

He’s familiar with the league since he used to coach at Marian and the defensive side of the ice should be strong with goalie Nolan Mahaffey back. He started 18 games and won seven games while fashioning a 3.39 goals against average. Jayden Jensen tallied four goals and nine assists as a defenseman last year and will be looked upon to help lead the way again this season.

Ethan Beaumont returns, which is good news for the Vikings. He was the leading scorer a year ago, finding the back of the net six times and dishing out 14 assists.

Cory Checco and Jack Michels are fifth-year seniors and that experience is big for a team looking to take steps forward. Michels came through with nine goals and nine assists, finishing third in scoring on the team, while Checco racked up seven goals to go along with 10 assists. He was fifth on the team in scoring.

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