Hockey East announced Monday that Maine senior forward Adam Dawe has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 10:07 of the first period on Saturday, February 19 against New Hampshire.
On the play, Dawe was assessed a five-minute major for boarding.
Dawe will miss the game on Friday, February 25 against at Providence and will be eligible to return to the Black Bears’ lineup on Saturday, February 26 in Providence.
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger look at this past weekend’s games and news.
This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org
Topics include:
• Sweeps were hard to come by this past weekend for top-20 teams
• Quinnipiac’s loss to Harvard probably keeps them from top four in PairWise
• AIC, Minnesota State clinch their respective regular-season titles, but no other conference is close to a clinch
• What team feels best poised for a late-season run?
• Can special teams be the magic formula?
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Overtimes and more overtimes in conference tournament action and battles to the very end in conference play. It was all on display this week in early playoff action in the NEHC as well as the final week for most conferences in the regular season. Here’s this week’s wrap-up for all of the excitement:
CCC
The University of New England took the regular season title with a strong finish last week where they won three one-goal games over Endicott, Salve Regina and Nichols. After trailing 2-0 and 3-2, the Nor’easters used a three-goal third period to down the Gulls on Tuesday. On Friday, UNE again found a way to rally from behind against Salve Regina. Collin Heinold and Justin Dixson scored to erase a 3-2 deficit on the way to a 4-3 win against the Seahawks. UNE capped off the regular season with a 2-1 win over Nichols. Jared Christy and Austin Morgan gave the Nor’easters an early 2-0 lead which they held on to for the win to extend their win streak to eight games.
Endicott made the other big move with a pair of key wins on the weekend to claim the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. On Friday, Zach Mazur scored one goal and set up tow more in the first period to help the Gulls to a 3-0 lead that resulted in a 5-3 win over Suffolk. On Saturday, seeding was on the line in the season finale against Salve Regina. In a game that already felt like it was the playoffs, the goaltenders were outstanding for both teams. Conor O’Brien and Nicholas Latinovich kept the other teams in check as the game went to the third period tied at 1-1. In the third period, Andrew Kurapov scored the game-winning goal and also extended his point scoring streak to 12 games in the 2-1 win. O’Brien stopped 25 of 26 shots for Endicott while Latinovich was also great making 27 -29 saves in the loss.
On February 26, the quarterfinal round is set for the CCC tournament with No. 1 UNE hosting No. 8 Western New England; No. 2 Endicott hosting No. 7 Wentworth; No. 3 Salve Regina hosting No. 6 Nichols and No. 4 Curry hosting No. 5 Suffolk.
Independents
Canton traveled the furthest to play in the inaugural GNAC Commissioner’s Cup in Springfield, Massachusetts among the four independent D-III programs. On Friday, the Kangaroos took out the No. 2 seed Anna Maria AmCats by a 6-2 score led by Jake Mayette’s two goals and two assists. The top-seeded Albertus Magnus Falcons downed Rivier 4-1 to set-up the tournament final on Saturday.
It would be the Kangaroos who took the cup with a 5-2 win led by Zac Sirota’s goal and two assists and 46 saves from goaltender Filip Schlyter. Schlyter was at his best in the third period where he stifled the Falcons making 23 saves earning a spot on the All-Tournament team along with defenseman Sean Shepard. Jake Mayette was the Tournament MVP.
MASCAC
Plymouth State claimed their fifth consecutive regular season title with two wins to close out the conference schedule. After losing 4-2 at Westfield State on Tuesday, the Panthers found their offense against Framingham State in a 7-0 win on Thursday. Anton Nasstrom scored two goals and added an assist while Myles Abbate chipped in with a goal and two assists. On Saturday, the Panthers saw four different players score goals in building a 4-0 lead into the third period before Keagan O’Donoghue broke Kalle Andersson’s shutout bid in the final five minutes of the game.
Fitchburg State finished in second place while closing out the regular season with a win and a tie. On Thursday, Thomas Harty scored one goal and added two assists in a4-1 win over Westfield State. On Saturday, Worcester State made things tough for the Falcons taking a 3-2 lead into the third period. Toivo Kramer scored the game-tying goal with assists from Harty and Rece Bergeman to give the Falcons an overtime tie.
The regular season will close out with games on Monday and Tuesday before playoff seeding for the quarterfinals is determined. Framingham State will play Worcester State on Monday, 2/21 and Salem State on Tuesday, 2/22 to finalize the standings for the conference tournament to begin on Saturday, 2/26.
NE-10
Southern New Hampshire and St. Anselm played their weekend series like it was already the NE-10 tournament with both games ending with overtime goals. On Friday, the Penmen got the early 1-0 lead on a goal from George Thurston which stood until the third period when Chase Reynolds scored on the power play to tie the game at 1-1 with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. On to overtime where Reynolds cashed in again to give the Hawks the dramatic 2-1 win.
On Saturday, the Hawks took the early 2-0 lead on goals from Trevor Hott and Andrew Andary. SNHU then rallied back to tie the game on goals from Thurston and Joe Fiorino before Thurston became the overtime hero providing the Penmen with a 3-2 win.
SNHU is the regular season champion and top seed earning a bye to the semifinals on March 1.
NEHC
The first round of the playoffs certainly got the conference tournament off to an exciting start as both games went to overtime on Wednesday. After Kodi Legassie tied the game for Johnson & Wales with just 23 seconds remaining in regulation, New England College’s Connor Inger scored on a breakaway to send the Pilgrims on to the quarterfinals. At Southern Maine, Austin Marini scored just under three minutes into overtime to give the Huskies a 2-1 win over Castleton and advance them to the quarterfinals against Hobart.
In a game that featured two nationally ranked teams, Babson earned a hard-fought 2-1 win in overtime over Norwich on Saturday to advance to the semifinals. After two scoreless periods where goaltenders Drennen Atherton and Brad Arvanitis were sharp for their respective teams, Callum Jones scored an opportunistic goal while the Cadets were shorthanded to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Cam Schmitt would answer for Babson on the power play later in the period but neither team could score again in regulation. As is the history at Babson, there always seems to be the fourth line guy that finds the big moment and on Saturday it was Andrew Holland who scored his first goal of the season in a very big moment to give the Beavers the 2-1 overtime win and a trip to Elmira for the semifinals.
Skidmore as the No. 6 seed traveled to Massachusetts-Boston having just seen the Beacons in the final week of the regular season. While the regular season game was low-scoring, the playoff game saw lots of offense. The Beacons had an early 1-0 lead before Skidmore scored four unanswered goals including two from Austin Rook. Chris Peters and Nolan Barrett closed the deficit to 4-3 early in the third period but Tate Brandon would surrender anything else to the Beacons and Jack Strauss sealed the 5-3 win with a last minute goal for Skidmore. Brandon made 39 saves in the win for the thoroughbreds who earned a trip to Hobart this weekend.
The top seeds in the tournament, Hobart and Elmira had no trouble in dispatching the first round winners from the playoffs on Saturday. After a 1-1 first period, Hobart broke the game open with three goals in the second period on the way to a 5-2 win over Southern Maine. Zach Tyson finished with two goals and an assist for the Statesmen in the win. At Elmira, Janis Vizbelis and Bailey Krawczyk scored two goals each in a 7-1 romp over New England College. The Soaring Eagles scored four times on the power play in the quarterfinal win.
NESCAC
Colby wrapped up the regular season title and No. 1 seed in the NESCAC tournament with a pair of shutout wins over Tufts and Connecticut College over the weekend. Andy Beran stopped all 36 shots he faced in the 3-0 and 4-0 wins for the Mules.
Trinity continued their hot play at the end of the season moving into second place with a pair of wins over Wesleyan to close out the regular season. On Friday, Riley Prattson tied the game at 2-2 for the Bantams in the third period and Ned Blanchard scored just over one minute into overtime to give Trinity the 3-2 win. On Saturday, the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead before Trinity responded with five unanswered goals on the way to a 6-3 win that extended their win streak to five games. With the losses Wesleyan dropped to the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
Williams took advantage of a tie with Hamilton and a win over Amherst to jump back into the No. 3 spot for the playoffs. Jamie Cates scored a power play goal in the third period to earn the tie with the Continentals on Friday. On Saturday, Tyler Cooligan and Jack Forrest scored goals in the third period to break a 1-1 tie and earn the Ephs a much needed 3-1 win.
With all teams eligible for the conference tournament this year due to COVID impacts, Friday will see first round games to determine the final two quarterfinal teams. No. 7 Bowdoin will host No. 10 Connecticut College while No. 8 Tufts will host No. 9 Middlebury. The winners advance to play in the quarterfinals on Saturday.
SUNYAC
The Geneseo Knights clinched the regular season title with their win over Morrisville on Sunday by a 10-1 score. After dropping a 3-2 decision on Tuesday to the resurgent Fredonia Blue Devils, the Knights knocked off Brockport 6-3 on Friday before the clinching win on Sunday. Against Brockport, Justin Cmunt and Dan Bosio each scored two goals to lead the offense for Geneseo. On Sunday, Peter Morgan and Tyson Gilmour scored two goals each and seventeen players recorded a point in the runaway win. On Wednesday, Geneseo will close out the regular season with their final make-up game against Buffalo State.
Fredonia had a very good week as they knocked off both Geneseo and Oswego to solidify their spot in the SUNYAC tournament. On Friday, the Blue Devils took 2-0 and 4-1 leads led by Ryan Bailey and Matt Letmanski’s two-point games. Bryce Witman extended the lead to 5-2 in the third period before Oswego rallied late with a pair of goals. Logan Dyck made 34 saves in the 5-4 win. On Saturday, the Blue Devils played Cortland to determine the host team for the upcoming playoffs and the Red Dragons skated away with a 3-1 win to lock-up the No. 4 seed.
The quarterfinals will take place on Saturday, 2/26 with No. 3 Plattsburgh hosting No. 6 Brockport and No. 4 Cortland hosting a re-match with No. 5 Fredonia.
UCHC
The Wilkes Colonels closed out the regular season with a pair of wins including a win over Stevenson on Saturday that earned them the MAC title. On Friday, the Colonels were led by Jimmy O’Kane’s two goals in a 6-3 win over Chatham. Donald Flynn and Tyler Barrow each had three-point games. Against Stevenson, Flynn, Tyler Dill and Phil Erickson scored the goals in a 3-1 win that snapped the Mustangs’ eight-game win streak.
Nazareth picked up a pair of big wins vaulting them into the No. 4 spot in the standings. On Saturday, the Golden Flyers knocked off Neumann 6-4 scoring four times in the second period. Ray Falso, Henry McKinney, Nick Charron and Joseph Schaefer each scored one goal and added an assist in the win. On Sunday, to close out UCHC play, Nazareth downed Manhattanville 3-2. McKinney and Charron gave the Golden Flyers a 2-0 lead and Falso added the eventual game winner in the third period to earn Nazareth full points for the weekend.
The UCHC quarterfinal round starts on Tuesday this week with the match-ups looking like this: No. 1 Utica hosts No. 8 Lebanon Valley; No. 2 Wilkes hosts No. 7 Neumann; No. 3 Stevenson hosts No. 6 Manhattanville and No. 4 Nazareth hosts No. 5 Chatham. The winners advance to the semifinals on Saturday, 2/26.
Three Biscuits
George Thurston – Southern New Hampshire – scored two goals including the winner in overtime and added an assist in the Penmen win over St. Anselm on Saturday.
Andrew Holland – Babson – scored his first goal of the season, the overtime winning goal in the Beavers’ NEHC quarterfinal win over Norwich on Saturday.
Buster Larsson – Utica – posted a five-point game with one goal and four assists in the Pioneers’ 12-1 win over Neumann on Sunday. Win #22 sets an all-time regular season record for Utica.
Bonus Biscuits
Mac Lowry – Stevenson – scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the Mustangs’ 3-2 win over Chatham on Tuesday.
Andy Beran – Colby – stopped 36 of 36 shots in back-to-back shutouts for the Mules over Tufts and Connecticut College. Beran shared the 4-0 whitewash of the Camels with teammate Joe MacDonald who played in the final minute and recorded one save.
Troy Ladka – Suffolk – scored the game-winning goal with just 28 seconds remaining in overtime to give the Rams a 4-3 win over Rivier in the first meeting between the two schools.
Austin Marini – Southern Maine – scored the overtime goal to advance the Huskies into the NEHC quarterfinals with a 2-1 win over Castleton on Wednesday
Conner Inger – New England College – scored the overtime winning goal to help Pilgrims beat Johnson & Wales on Wednesday advancing the Pilgrims to the NEHC quarterfinals.
Filip Schlyter – Canton – stopped 46 of 48 shots including 23 in the final period to help Canton win the inaugural GNAC Commissioner’s Cup. The Kangaroos beat Albertus Magnus 5-2 for the title.
There were so many big moments this past week in critical conference games and playoff thrillers. You never know who is going to step up for the big goal to advance his team to the next round. If this is how the rest of the conference playoff action is going to go, then get set for some non-stop overtime excitement for the next two weeks.
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Minnesota State goes five hole
Five is a lucky number for the Mavericks.
Minnesota State scored five goals for the third straight game on Saturday to clinch its fifth straight MacNaughton Cup as regular season champions. And the Mavericks look likely to remain atop this week’s DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll after sweeping Bemidji State last weekend.
In Saturday’s 5-1 win over the Beavers, the Mavericks top line of Julian Napravnik, Brendan Furry and Cade Borchardt combined to score four goals while also adding five assists.
This is Minnesota State’s first regular season title in the reformed CCHA – the previous four came as members of the now-defunct WCHA. The Mavericks enter the regular-season finale against Michigan Tech on a nine-game winning streak.
2. Golden Gophers rally
The Mavericks weren’t the only Minnesota team to have a good weekend.
On Saturday, the Golden Gophers rallied from a 3-0 deficit against Penn State to win 6-4 and complete a weekend sweep of the Nittany Lions. It was the third consecutive weekend sweep for Minnesota. Sophomore forward and second-leading scorer Ben Meyers had three assists for the Golden Gophers in his first game back from the Olympics.
“We just had a bad start, and then we played like we can play the last two periods. We needed a couple goals to get our juice going,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said.
3. Crimson clinches Ivy League title
Harvard added a pair of Olympians back into the lineup last weekend – just in time to clinch the Ivy League title.
Forwards Nick Abruzzese and Sean Farrell made their return to the Crimson in Friday’s 4-3 win over Princeton after playing for Team USA in the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The Crimson celebrated the program’s senior night on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Quinnipiac. Senior Casey Dornbach had the lone goal of the game, while junior goalie Mitchell Gibson made 39 saves for the win that clinched the Ivy League title for Harvard.
4. Four in a row for AIC
The Yellow Jackets scored four unanswered goals to beat Mercyhurst 5-1 Friday and clinch the program’s fourth straight Atlantic Hockey title.
Elijiah Barriga scored three of the goals, helping AIC become the first team in Atlantic Hockey history to win four straight regular-season league titles. The Yellow Jackets are the fifth team in Division I men’s hockey history to win four regular season league titles in a row.
“I never ever want to take for granted how hard this journey is,” AIC Eric Lang said. “We have guys in this locker room that winning trumps everything. That’s all they care about. All individuality is on the back burner. It’s all about us and we and it’s the most precious thing in sports: set a goal and go out and accomplish it.”
5. North Dakota posts big road sweep
North Dakota swept Minnesota Duluth for the first time since the 2015-16 season, and in the process passing Denver for first place in the NCHC standings entering the final weekend of the regular season. The Fighting Hawks relied on their depth last weekend; seven different players scored for UND.
North Dakota holds a one-point lead over the second place Pioneers. The Fighting Hawks control their own destiny in the program’s search for a league-record third straight Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions.
6. Four’s a crowd
With two weeks left in the regular season, there are four teams within two points of each other at the top of the Hockey East standings.
UMass Lowell and Massachusetts are tied for first with 40 points, although Massachusetts has two games in hand over the River Hawks. UConn and Merrimack are right behind with 38 points each, with the Huskies having a game in hand over Merrimack.
The Huskies and Minutemen split a home-and-home series last weekend. Those two, along with Merrimack, will have a chance to pass UMass Lowell this coming weekend, as the River Hawks play non-conference opponent Long Island on Friday in their lone game of the weekend.
7. Lucky seven for Hughes and Michigan
Freshman defenseman Luke Hughes helped Michigan to a sweep of Ohio State at Yost Arena last weekend. Hughes had two goals in Friday’s 5-3 win over the Buckeyes and then added another goal Saturday in a 3-0 Michigan win. It was the seventh straight win for the Wolverines.
The fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft has now scored in five consecutive games. His seven goals in that stretch give him 16 this season, a school record for a freshman defenseman.
8. Notre Dame sweeps
Notre Dame improved to 10-4 on the road this season with a sweep of Michigan State last weekend in the Big 10.
The Fighting Irish beat the last-place Spartans 2-1 Friday and 4-2 on Saturday.
“We played playoff hockey this weekend,” Notre Dame defenseman Spencer Stastney said. “It was a real gritty weekend, low scoring games so we were getting pucks deep, not making mistakes and getting ready for playoffs.”
9. Bobcats notch another shutout
Quinnipiac added another notch to its NCAA Division I men’s record for shutouts in a season Friday against Dartmouth. Graduate transfer Dylan St. Cyr made 12 saves for his fourth shutout of the season, while fellow transfer student Oliver Chau had two goals.
On Saturday, St. Cyr’s counterpart Yaniv Perets had another impressive outing, stopping 26-of-27 shots against Harvard. But this time, it was the Quinnipiac offense that was shutout, as the Crimson edged out a 1-0 victory.
10. Terriers take Beanpot
While it technically wasn’t last weekend, Boston University won the school’s 31st Beanpot title with a 1-0 win over Northeastern on Monday.
Dylan Peterson scored the game’s lone goal with 2:46 left to play in regulation. This year’s Beanpot was the first time the tournament had played with the new NCAA overtime rules. Had Peterson not scored, the game would have gone to a five-minute, three-on-three overtime, and then a shootout.
It was the first time the Terriers had won the Beanpot since 2015. The win snapped a streak of three straight titles by Northeastern. BU is back in action for the first time since beating the Huskies when they travel to Boston College on Friday.
Auggie Moore delivered his biggest goal of the season, carrying Saint John’s to a 3-2 win over nationally ranked Augsburg Saturday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
Moore scored the game winner with not even a full second remaining in regulation as the Johnnies earned a split in their MIAC series with the Auggies, who came in ranked fourth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Moore skated from Saint John’s own blue line, got past two defenders and fired a shot that resulted in his 13th goal of the year and also snapped Augsburg’s 13-game winning streak.
The Johnnies, now 16-7-2 overall and 9-41 in the MIAC, took a 2-1 lead after two periods of play, getting one goal from Moore and another from Peter Tabor. Mac Berglove made 31 saves.
Tommy Carls and Austin Martinsen both scored for the Auggies, who end the regular season at 22-3 overall and 14-2 in the MIAC.
The Auggies seemed on pace for a sweep after scoring five or more goals for the fifth time this season in Friday’s 5-1 win.
Fritz Belisle helped lead the way with two goals and an assist. Kyler Yeo came through with a goal and an assist and Jack Robel made 24 saves for his 14th win.
Saints head into tourney on a roll
Saint Scholastica won its fifth consecutive game Saturday as it defeated Gustavus 6-2 to close out the regular season.
Bryce Johnson and Tyler Hinterser each scored two goals to help the Saints earn home ice for the opening round of the MIAC tournament.
Jack Bostedt stepped up in goal, making 27 saves for his 11th win of the year, the most wins for a Saints goaltender since Tyler Bruggeman won 13 games during the 2015-16 campaign.
The Saints, who are 11-9-2 overall and 7-6-1 in the MIAC, opened the series with a 2-1 win on Thursday night.
The two teams went into the final period tied at 1-1 before Nick Lanigan scored the game winner with less than eight minutes to play. It was the first goal of his career and it gave the Saints 10 wins for the first time since the 2018-19 season.
Toby Sengvongxay scored the lone goal for the Gusties, who end the year at 5-15-4.
Cobbers end with a tie
Concordia’s regular season wrapped up with a 1-1 tie against Hamline Sunday night, good enough to give it the No. 2 seed in the upcoming conference tournament.
Parker Simonson scored the lone goal for Concordia. Jackson Bond scored for the Pipers.
The Cobbers won their opener over the Pipers 2-1 Saturday behind a game-winning goal from Tyler Bossert, the MIAC leader in points.
Bossert scored in the third period to snap a 1-1 tie and lift the Cobbers to their 10th conference win of the season. It’s the second consecutive year the Cobbers have accomplished that feat.
The goal by Bossert was his 10th of the season. Jackson Nelson made 19 saves.
Concordia is 13-9-3 overall and 10-4-2 in the conference.
Blugolds top Lumberjacks
Willy Stauber came through in the clutch for UW-Eau Claire Saturday night.
Stauber scored the game-winning goal to lift the Blugolds past Northland in the finale of their opening-round WIAC tournament series.
Stauber scored at the 11:39 mark of the second period, and it would be the only goal of the game for the Blugolds in a 1-0 win over the Lumberjacks.
Ryan Oullette took care of the rest as he held strong in goal to earn his 14th win of the season. He secured the shutout behind an 11-save performance. The Blugolds took 32 shots.
After struggling early in the season, UW-Eau Claire (15-11-1) has been a different team in the second half of the year and came into this series riding an eight-game unbeaten streak.
It kept that momentum going in opener Friday as it dominated the Lumberjacks in an 8-1 win.
Ty Readman helped lead the way in that one, scoring a goal and dishing out three assists. Ryan Green added two goals, both coming in span of four minutes in the first period.
Jack Craycroft scored the lone goal for the Lumberjacks, who end their season with a 4-20-3 record.
UW-Eau Claire now gets UW-River Falls in the semifinal round of the Commissioner’s Cup this coming weekend.
Yellowjackets take down Blue Devils
UW Superior took its first step towards a repeat over the weekend as it swept UW-Stout on the road in its opening round series of the WIAC tournament.
The Yellowjackets capped the sweep with a 7-4 win on Saturday after edging the Blue Devils 1-0 in Friday’s opener.
The Yellowjackets jumped on top 4-0 Saturday before the Blue Devils came back strong in the second period with four goals of their own. UW-Superior scored once in the second and then added two goals in the third to put the game away.
UW-Superior held a 31-22 shot advantage and Myles Hektor stopped 18 shots as he won his 10th game.
Jordan Martin and Austin Friesen each tallied a goal an an assist while Conor MacLean dished out two assists as UW-Superior improved to 15-10-2 and advanced to the semifinal round of the Commissioner’s Cup where it will play top-seeded UW-Stevens Point.
Logan Nelson scored twice for Stout, which sees its season end with an 8-19 record.
The Yellowjackets have won their last three games and all three wins have come against the Blue Devils, including Friday’s tight win.
Reed Stark broke a scoreless tie in the third period, punching in a goal less than six minutes into the period. Stark had missed the last three games because of an injury. His goal was his ninth of the season.
Hektor finished the job en route to his fourth shutout of the season. He stopped 26 shots. Zack Cloutier made 23 saves for the Blue Devils.
Spartans headed to the semifinals
Aurora needed a little extra hockey to punch its ticket to the semifinal round of the NCHA tournament for the first time.
The Spartans saw their series against MSOE even up at one game apiece after a 7-0 loss to the Raiders Saturday but bounced back with a 2-0 win in a decisive mini game.
Matt Weber put the Spartans up 1-0 just over a minute into the action and Dylan Rauh scored an empty-net goal to finish off the win.
Aurora won the opener of the series with a 6-3 win.
Both teams were tied at 2-2 after one period of action and the Spartans took a 4-3 lead into the final period of play.
Jack Jaunich scored a goal and tallied two assists, and Adam Keyes did the same for the Spartans, who are now 19-7-1 on the season and are ranked No. 13 in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll.
Simon Boyko and Gio Procopio each came through with a goal and an assist in the series-opening victory.
MSOE rebounded Saturday with its 7-0 win that ended a five-game losing streak.
Needing a win to keep its tournament run going, the Raiders used a hat trick by Christian Saban to get it done.
Kevin Paganini tallied three assists while Nick Stofcheck notched the first shutout win of his career. He stopped 35 shots for MSOE, which ends its season with an 11-14-2 mark.
Bulldogs hold off Foresters
Make it 26 in a row for the Adrian Bulldogs. The top-ranked team in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll finished off an opening round series of the NCHA tournament with a 3-1 win over Lake Forest Saturday.
The Bulldogs, the top seed in the tourney, won the opener 2-1 Friday and are now 26-1 on the season as they move one step closer to hoisting the Harris Cup.
The Foresters end the year at 7-18-2.
Sam Ruffin scored twice and Cameron Gray made 20 saves as Adrian put away the Foresters, who did not go down without a fight.
Lake Forest pulled within 2-1 at the 14:16 mark of the third thanks to a goal by Scotty Nicholson. Adrian answered on Ruffin’s second goal of the game. Matus Spodniak also scored for the Bulldogs and Alessio Luciani came through with two assists.
In Friday’s game, both teams were scoreless after two periods of play.
Adrian got on the board first in the third thanks to a goal by Terry Ryder. It was his first goal of the year. Ty Ens made the score 2-0, punching a goal in off the power play but the Foresters answered to pull within one on the strength of a goal by Connor Sullivan.
Green Knights hold on against Sabres
The third period of St. Norbert’s NCHA tournament game against Marian was one to remember. The two teams combined for nine goals in the period, but the Green Knights still prevailed, coming away with an 8-6 win that sends them into the semifinal round.
St Norbert opened the series with a 6-1 win on Friday and was up 4-1 after two periods on Saturday before the Sabres made things interesting.
Nick Cherkowski sliced the St. Norbert lead to 5-4 at the 9:54 mark but Peter Bates answered with a breakaway goal just under a minute later to put the Green Knights back up by two.
Bates finished his night two goals and two assists, giving him 55 points on the year, the second-most in program history. Liam Fraser also scored a pair of goals and racked up two assists. Fraser’s 22 goals on the season are the most by a freshman in program history.
Michael McChesney added two goals and Brock Baker tallied a goal and two assists.
The Green Knights outshot Marian 44-34. Colby Entz racked up 28 saves and Colby Muise made 36 saves.
The two teams combined for five power-play goals, including three by St. Norbert, which improved to 22-5 on the year.
Marian ends the year at 10-14-3 and sees its bid to repeat as NCHA tourney champs come to an end. Mason Richey scored a goal and also dished out an assist, as did Blake Kleiner,while Jack Sampson dished out two assists.
Ranked seventh in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll, St. Norbert opened the weekend with its 39th consecutive win in the quarterfinal round of the tournament.
Fraser ended his night with four points, scoring twice and tallying two assists, while Bates and Peyton Frantti came through with a goal and two assists apiece. Jordan Strand added two assists.
Thunder edge Vikings to advance
Trine didn’t let the pressure of the moment faze it. Rather, the Thunder responded and rallied for a 3-2 win in overtime over Lawrence Saturday to move on in the NCHA tournament. Trine had an easier time on Friday, earning a 4-1 win.
In Saturday’s thriller, the Thunder fell behind 2-0 as Lawrence got goals from Zack Olen and Kyle Gierman. Thad Marcola, though, would help the Thunder rally. He scored Trine’s first goal of the game and then punched in the game-winning goal less than four minutes into the OT period.
A goal by Drew Welsch amid a mad scramble for the puck tied the score at 2-2 with eight seconds remaining and helped the Thunder force an extra period of hockey.
Brian Tallieu made 43 saves for the Vikings, who battled tough throughout before seeing their season end at 10-13-4.
Shane Brancato and Elias Sandholm combined for 21 saves for Trine, which improves to 19-8.
Trine scored the first three goals of Friday’s game to build an early lead. The final goal of the night for the Thunder was an empty-netter from Jackson Clark. Brendan Pappas had a multi-point night as he dished out two assists.
ECAC Hockey has announced that Quinnipiac’s Lexie Adzija has been named the 2022 Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year.
The award is presented annually to an ECAC Hockey women’s player in honor of former Yale student-athlete Mandi Schwartz (1988-2011), who passed away in April of 2011, but continues to inspire the entire hockey community through the memory of her courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
“We’re so proud and excited for Lexie to be awarded the Mandi Schwartz Student-Athlete of the Year Award,” said Quinnipiac coach Cassandra Turner in a news release. “Mandi was humble, a phenomenal teammate, a true competitor and worked so hard to achieve in both the classroom and on the ice. I know being mentioned alongside Mandi will mean so much to Lexie. Congratulations on a well-deserved award, Lex.”
Nominees for this prestigious award must be leaders within their teams, in the classroom, and in the community.
Adzija is a senior at Quinnipiac studying accounting with a minor in computer information systems. She’s at the top of her class academically, earning Dean’s List honors in each semester at Quinnipiac, as well as ECAC Hockey All-Academic and All-American Scholar honors. She’s the chair representative of Quinnipiac’s “QCoor” Community Service committee, the women’s hockey representative for Student-Athlete Advisory Council and manages fundraising for the annual Dance Marathon for Children’s Miracle Network.
Also a standout on the ice, Adzija has led the Bobcats in scoring in each of the last two seasons and is one of the best in the nation in the faceoff circle, boasting a winning percentage of 66 percent to lead the league last season.
The senior has lofty plans for her future and will be pursuing a Master of Science in Business Analytics after completing her undergraduate degree in May 2022. She hopes to build off some of the work she’s already done, including her role as a data analyst/intern at Rising Gabdho Foundation in Kampala, Uganda.
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the DCU/USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Feb. 14 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 18-19.
No. 1 Minnesota State (29-5-0)
02/18/2022 – RV Bemidji State 1 at No. 1 Minnesota State 5
02/19/2022 – RV Bemidji State 1 at No. 1 Minnesota State 5
No. 2 Michigan (25-7-1)
02/18/2022 – No. 11 Ohio State 3 at No. 2 Michigan 5
02/19/2022 – No. 11 Ohio State 0 at No. 2 Michigan 3
No. 3 Denver (22-7-1)
02/18/2022 – No. 3 Denver 4 at No. 6 Western Michigan 1
02/19/2022 – No. 3 Denver 4 at No. 6 Western Michigan 6
No. 4 Quinnipiac (26-4-3)
02/18/2022 – No. 4 Quinnipiac 5 at Dartmouth 0
02/19/2022 – No. 4 Quinnipiac 0 at RV Harvard 1
No. 5 Minnesota (21-11-0)
02/18/2022 – No. 5 Minnesota 3 at Penn State 1
02/19/2022 – No. 5 Minnesota 6 at Penn State 4
No. 6 Western Michigan (20-8-1)
02/18/2022 – No. 3 Denver 4 at No. 6 Western Michigan 1
02/19/2022 – No. 3 Denver 4 at No. 6 Western Michigan 6
No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (15-13-3)
02/18/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 4 at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 3
02/19/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 3 at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 2
No. 8 St. Cloud State (15-11-3)
02/18/2022 – No. 8 St. Cloud State 2 at RV Omaha 5
02/19/2022 – No. 8 St. Cloud State 1 at RV Omaha 5
No. 9 North Dakota (19-11-1)
02/18/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 4 at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 3
02/19/2022 – No. 9 North Dakota 3 at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 2
No. 10 Massachusetts (17-10-2)
02/18/2022 – No. 10 Massachusetts 2 at No. 20 Connecticut 1
02/19/2022 – No. 20 Connecticut 4 at No. 10 Massachusetts 2
No. 11 Ohio State (21-11-2)
02/18/2022 – No. 11 Ohio State 3 at No. 2 Michigan 5
02/19/2022 – No. 11 Ohio State 0 at No. 2 Michigan 3
No. 12 Notre Dame (23-9-0)
02/18/2022 – No. 12 Notre Dame 2 at Michigan State 1
02/19/2022 – No. 12 Notre Dame 4 at Michigan State 2
No. 13 Northeastern (20-10-1)
02/14/2022 – No. 13 Northeastern 0 vs No. 17 Boston University 1 (Beanpot championship)
02/18/2022 – Boston College 4 at No. 13 Northeastern 1
02/19/2022 – No. 13 Northeastern 4 at Boston College 1
No. 14 Michigan Tech (19-9-3)
02/18/2022 – No. 14 Michigan Tech 3 at Ferris State 2 (OT)
02/19/2022 – No. 14 Michigan Tech 5 at Ferris State 5 (OT)
No. 15 Clarkson (18-8-6)
02/18/2022 – No. 15 Clarkson 4 at Colgate 1
02/19/2022 – No. 15 Clarkson 2 at No. 18 Cornell 6
No. 16 UMass Lowell (17-9-3)
02/18/2022 – No. 19 Providence 2 at No. 16 UMass Lowell 3
02/19/2022 – No. 16 UMass Lowell 2 at No. 19 Providence 3
No. 17 Boston University (17-10-3)
02/14/2022 – No. 13 Northeastern 0 vs No. 17 Boston University 1 (Beanpot championship)
No. 18 Cornell (15-8-4)
02/18/2022 – St. Lawrence 2 at No. 18 Cornell 1 (OT)
02/19/2022 – No. 15 Clarkson 2 at No. 18 Cornell 6
No. 19 Providence (19-13-2)
02/18/2022 – No. 19 Providence 2 at No. 16 UMass Lowell 3
02/19/2022 – No. 16 UMass Lowell 2 at No. 19 Providence 3
No. 20 Connecticut (17-12-0)
02/18/2022 – No. 10 Massachusetts 2 at No. 20 Connecticut 1
02/19/2022 – No. 20 Connecticut 4 at No. 10 Massachusetts 2
RV = Received Votes
Minnesota has overcome plenty of obstacles of late including losing a goaltender to the NHL, multiple injuries and, most recently, the departure of key players to the Olympics in Beijing.
Saturday the obstacle may have felt more self-inflicted – falling behind 3-0 on the road against Penn State – but the Gophers again proved able to overcome, scoring the game’s final four goals in a 6-4 victory.
Minnesota has now won six straight and 12 of its last 15 games.
Penn State jumped out to leads of 3-0 and 4-2 before the Gopher offense exploded. After climbing within a goal to 4-3 before the end of the second on a Grant Cruikshank goal, Aaron Huglen evened the score at 4:41 of the third on a power play goal.
.@GopherHockey storms from behind to complete the comeback securing their 6th straight win and 3rd straight sweep. 💥 pic.twitter.com/nARgBGPlJv
— Minnesota on BTN (@MinnesotaOnBTN) February 20, 2022
That set up Jackson LaCombe’s game-winner at 8:27 and Cruikshank’s second of the night into an empty net with 39 seconds remaining.
Justen Close continues his red hot play since replacing Jack LaFontaine around the New Year, making 23 saves to earn the victory. The Gophers limited the potent Penn State offense to just four shots on goal in the third period.
SCOREBOARD | DCU/USCHO POLL | PAIRWISE RANKINGS
No. 1 Minnesota State 5, Bemidji State 1
Minnesota State clinched its fifth straight MacNaughton Cup, its first as a member of the CCHA, with a 5-1 victory over Bemidji State on Saturday.
The Mavericks now hold the destiny to host all of their home playoff games as the tournament’s top seed.
5️⃣ STRAIGHT MACNAUGHTON CUPS!!! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/W0xxIhAqmh
— Minnesota State Hockey (@MinnStMHockey) February 20, 2022
Minnesota State jumped to a 2-0 lead in the opening period on goals by Lucas Sowder and Julian Napravnik and never looked back. Cade Borchardt and Ondrej Pavel doubled the lead in the middle frame.
Will Zmolek broke Dryden McKay’s shutout bid with 7:45 remaining, but McKay earned the victory with 25 saves.
No. 19 Providence 3, No. 16 UMass Lowell 2
Providence earned a much-needed victory, jumping to a 3-0 lead and holding on for a one-goal victory, 3-2, to earn a weekend split with UMass Lowell.
Matt Koopman and Guillaume Richard scored in the first period for the Friars and Nick Poisson extended the lead at 9:10 of the second.
Nick Poisson forces the turnover right off the draw and beats Savory on a breakaway for his second goal of the weekend and 10th of the season!#GoFriars pic.twitter.com/Bh5yalH4VY
— PC Men's Hockey (@FriarsHockey) February 20, 2022
The River Hawks closed the gap to two before the end of the second period on Reid Stefanson’s goal in the closing seconds and Brehdan Engum’s tally in the third with 7:37 left made for an exciting finish.
A late holding call to Providence’s Michael Citara with 2:02 remaining put plenty of pressure on Friars netminder Jaxson Stauber, who finished with 13 saves in the third and 33 in the game to earn the victory.
No. 20 Connecticut 4, No. 10 Massachusetts 2
Connecticut earned a weekend split with I-91 rival UMass on Saturday, rallying from 2-1 down for a 4-2 victory.
Losing keeps UMass from taking advantage of UMass Lowell’s loss to Providence. The Minutemen and River Hawks remain tied atop Hockey East, now just two points ahead of UConn and three ahead of fourth-place Merrimack.
Trailing 2-1 in the second after Bobby Trivigno and Josh Lopina scored 51 seconds apart early in the second, UConn evened the game on Ryan Tverberg’s power play goal at 8:26 of the middle frame.
Schandor Gives the Huskies the lead…Ryan Tverberg uses his speed to get to the front of the net, has had a part in all three UConn goals tonight.#IceBus 3 — UMass 2 pic.twitter.com/S9xeGTteDy
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) February 20, 2022
Hudson Schandor’s goal at 6:59 of the third was the game-winner while Marc Gatcomb tacked on insurance with 1:15 left.
Tverberg finished the game with two goals and two assists.
Atlantic Hockey announced Saturday a one-game suspension for Bentley forward Dylan Pitera, effective for the Falcons’ next game.
The suspension is a result of Pitera’s major penalty for boarding and game misconduct, which occurred at the 17:41 mark of the third period in Bentley’s home game on Friday, Feb. 18 against Air Force.
Upon review, the infraction was deemed to warrant a suspension.
Bentley’s next scheduled Division I game is today, Saturday, Feb. 19 at home against Air Force. Pitera is eligible to return for the Falcons’ Friday, Feb. 25, 2022 home game against Holy Cross.
Reggie Lutz had a goal and an assist and became the school’s career games played leader as top-ranked Minnesota State downed Bemidji State 5-1 Friday in Mankato, Minn.
With 164 games played, Lutz surpasses Bryce Gervais, who had 163 games played as a Maverick from 2012 to 2016. Another current Minnesota State senior, defenseman Jack McNeely, has also played in 163 games.
Another look at the masterpiece that was @jlivingstone99 goal. pic.twitter.com/a71dFdhWmK
— Minnesota State Hockey (@MinnStMHockey) February 19, 2022
Dryden McKay, who stopped 21 shots in the game, is how 28-4-0 for the 2021-22 season.
Benton Maass and Ryan Sandelin both had a pair of assists in the game for the Mavericks.
The win is also the 1,000 in the history of the Minnesota State men’s hockey program. The Mavericks are the 28th program in NCAA Division I men’s hockey to reach the plateau.
Luke Hughes etched his name in the Michigan hockey record books on Friday night, as his two goals propelled the second-ranked Wolverines to a crucial conference win over No. 11 Ohio State, 5-3.
A late empty-net goal from Hughes sealed the deal for the Wolverines in what was a hard-checking, 60-minute battle inside a sold-out Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Hughes’ two goals give him 15 on the season, a new record for Michigan freshman defensemen.
Blankenburg pulls out the guns after netting his own rebound pic.twitter.com/b8VxHRD3K5
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) February 19, 2022
Erik Portillo continued his stellar play by stopping 22 of the 25 Buckeye shots he faced to earn his 24th win of the season.
Thomas Bordeleau scored and added an assist and now has points in 10 of his last 11 games.
Bobby Brink had three points (goal, two assists) and the Pioneers used three power-play goals to defeat the Broncos 4-1 on Friday night at Lawson Ice Arena.
It was the Pioneers’ first victory at Western Michigan since Jan. 14, 2017, ending a four-game losing streak in Kalamazoo.
Jackson's own Carter Mazur with the deflection.
Welcome back to Michigan! pic.twitter.com/S8u5uqRnLw
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) February 19, 2022
Carter Savoie had a goal and an assist and Sean Behrens contributed two helpers for the Pioneers, who received a 22-save effort from goaltender Magnus Chrona.
Oliver Chau scored twice before the midway point of the game to lift Quinnipiac to a 5-0 win over Dartmouth on Friday night in Hanover, N.H.
The Bobcats improve to 15-2-1 in ECAC Hockey play after the victory and are now eight points away from the Cleary Cup.
Make it 14 shutouts on the season as we extend our NCAA record with St. Cyr's 4th 🍩. The 5-0 win moves us to 15-2-1 in @ecachockey play.#QuinnipiacCulture #BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/4jymPM3OZO
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) February 19, 2022
Dylan St. Cyr made 12 saves in his fourth shutout of the season, posting the 14th clean sheet overall for Quinnipiac, extending the NCAA Division I record for shutouts in a season.
Five years to the day after Minnesota’s last win at Pegula Ice Arena, the Gophers exorcised its road demons at the venue with a 3-1 win over Penn State on Friday night.
Jack Perbix scored twice for the second time in his career while Rhett Pitlick extended his point streak to five games for Minnesota.
The win was Minnesota coach Bob Motzko’s first victory at Pegula Ice Arena although Minnesota’s last three games at the venue were not played (last year’s regular-season series was canceled due to health concerns with Penn State while the 2020 Big Ten semifinal was canceled due to public health concerns).
Schmidty serves this one up jussssttt right for @Perbixx12 to give us the lead! pic.twitter.com/hHrdwUEcAF
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) February 19, 2022
“It was a strong game for us tonight [and] I couldn’t be more proud of our guys,” Motzko said. “We’re shorthanded up front, shorthanded on the back side, [but] everybody stood up and was part of that tonight.”
Luke Bast and Cooper Moore each had a goal and an assist for the Fighting Hawks in the 4-3 win at Amsoil Arena in Duluth.
Hi, I'm Ethan Frisch and I like to score power play goals. #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/EzHzThx70g
— North Dakota MHockey (@UNDmhockey) February 19, 2022
Zach Driscoll made 36 saves in goal for UND.
Blake Biondi, Kobe Roth and Dominic James all scored for the Bulldogs, who got 23 saves from goalie Ryan Fanti.
Five different players scored for Maine, including two from Lynden Breen, as the Black Bears doubled up the Wildcats at Alfond Arena in Orono.
While on a five-minute penalty kill, Ben Poisson scored Maine’s first short-handed goal of the 2021-22 season. David Fessenden came out of his net to play the puck but was unable to turn away Poisson.
This is THE grittiest goal of the year 🤯@MaineIceHockey on the PK, missing 3 sticks, blocking shots from everywhere until this happens 🚨 @BenPoisson12@hockey_east l @Buccigross pic.twitter.com/D5uqshyjhk
— EVERYTHING COLLEGE HOCKEY (@TeamECH) February 19, 2022
Victor Ostman stopped 30 shots for the Black Bears.
Michael Karow scored 84 seconds into overtime to lift Michigan Tech to a 3-2 win at Ferris State Friday.
In the 3-on-3 extra session, Logan Pietila carried the puck into the zone, hesitated to draw two defenders, and flipped a backhanded pass to Karow for a partial breakaway. Karow picked the top corner over the glove of Ferris State goaltender Logan Stein for his second goal of the season.
Michael Karow snipes his 2nd of the season for the game-winner in overtime. #mtuhky #FollowTheHuskies pic.twitter.com/ivoX1YyVua
— Michigan Tech Hockey (@mtuhky) February 19, 2022
“It was a big two points for us,” MTU coach Joe Shawhan said. “They’re a tough team play, especially in this building. We had chances tonight and some guys are feeling a little snake bit. We’re fortunate that we’re good enough to still come out of here with a couple of points.”
Blake Pietila stopped 26 for the Huskies, Stein made 36 saves for the Bulldogs.
Lucas Condotta recorded a goal and an assist for the River Hawks in a 3-2 win at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
🚨SHOOTERS GONNA SHOOOOOOOOOT 🚨
Crasa with an absolute SNIPE to push us back out to a 3-2 lead here in the third!!#UnitedInBlue | #HockeyEast pic.twitter.com/ksdnsmAmE1
— UMass Lowell Hockey (@RiverHawkHockey) February 19, 2022
Matt Crasa’s goal with 9:30 to play in the third period stood as the game winner.
Nick Poisson and Michael Citara scored for the Friars.
Isaac Johnson had two assists for UML, while Owen Savory made 28 saves in goal for the win.
Jaxson Stauber stopped 26 for the Friars.
For senior goaltender Conor O’Brien, there is a whole lot of hockey yet to be played this season in the ultra-Competitive Commonwealth Conference (CCC). The Gulls are right in the mix of a season long battle among the top four teams to determine the regular season champion and seeding for the conference tournament starting next week. O’Brien doesn’t look back to his to his sophomore season when he was 21-4-0 with a 1.66 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage. While that team won the conference championship and was poised to face Plymouth State in the first round of the NCAA tournament before the COVID cancellation, the task is very much the here and now for a Gulls team that may be seeing the very best of their goaltender in his last year at Endicott.
“I think that you have to work through stuff to keep improving your game,” said O’Brien. “Athleticism is very important, but it can be overdone. The game has slowed down for me where my comfort level and making reads with the play have really improved. There is a lot to the mental side of it and our goalie coach [Mike Geragosian] really helps me to focus on the details. There are growing pains and you need to work through slumps, but you leverage all the tools like video to help build your skills and confidence.”
So far this season, O”Brien has improved even on his numbers from his sophomore season. He is currently 15-5-1 with a 1.32 goals-against average and an eye-popping .952 save percentage which has his coach and teammates knowing that they are competing to win every night with their senior captain between the pipes.
“He is the first and only goaltender that I have ever had as a captain,” said head coach RJ Tolan. “He is the best I’ve ever had at the position due to his combination of athleticism and mental toughness with his competitive fire. Even on the ice he is the voice you hear – talking to his defensemen on the forecheck and breakout. He brings his voice to the team as well as his goaltending skills. When we first came back from the COVID break, I remember our first game there was just so much pent up energy that the bench was chaotic. Conor came to me and said I need to be on the bench with you to get us focused and I told him we needed him in the crease more. He is a leader in words and actions, and we are lucky to have him.”
O’Brien wasn’t sure which hockey direction he was going to go coming from Florida and having a good but not great junior hockey experience. He had some interest from D-I teams as a potential walk-on but talked with Endicott after family friend and Gull player Logan Day talked with him about going there. O’Brien talked with Tolan and quickly formed a bond that landed the netminder at Endicott and has grown today despite a rocky start to his career with the Gulls.
“After I committed to Endicott, I suffered a pretty serious knee injury that required surgery,” noted O’Brien. “I really wasn’t sure if I was still the goalie that coach wanted but I worked hard to recuperate and literally was in the crease for the first game starting in my freshman year. I was surprised how fast the game was at this level and it took some time to come up that learning curve, but I always had great support and have loved playing here with my teammates and competing to win another championship and get back to the NCAA tournament. We pretty much know the “at-large bid” option is off the table, so we are going to have to do it the hard way and win the conference to get back there. I still haven’t played in an NCAA tournament game and want us all to get there this season.”
Following Tuesday’s 5-4 loss at the University of New England, there are just two regular season games remaining with Suffolk on Friday and Salve Regina on Saturday to determine final seeding for the tournament that begins on Saturday, February 26.
“We can still hopefully move into that No. 2 spot,” noted O’Brien. “That would give us that extra home game where we have played some very good hockey this season. The week break will help us rest up a little since we have been playing three games a week for a good stretch in the second half to make-up games lost to the protocols. Obviously, we want to go as far as we can and I would love to see us finish strong with a great playoff run.”
With the end of his education and playing at Endicott on the near-term horizon, O’Brien is thinking about playing at the next level after graduation.
“Yeah, I definitely want to see what is out there and give it a real shot for at least a year,” said O’Brien. “I talked to my family about it and they have been very encouraging. I’ll use the summer to train like a professional and work to find out what opportunities there are out there, be it starting at the ECHL or SPHL level – maybe something overseas. I owe it to myself to try to go to the next level and see what happens.”
For sure, his current coach is a believer in Conor’s ability to go to the next level and will be watching with great expectation.
“I am pretty sure that if you stuck him in a professional game or crease today, he would give his team a chance to win – I hope he gets that chance and I will be watching his progress with great interest.”
After originally announcing an initial watch list of 28 goalies for the 2022 Mike Richter Award, the list has been expanded to 32.
The award is given to the top Division I goalie in men’s hockey, named after the former Wisconsin netminder.
Minnesota’s Jack LaFontaine earned the award in 2021.
Atlantic Hockey
Gavin Abric, Army West Point (SO – Hayward, WI)
Jacob Barczewski, Canisius (JR – O’Fallon, MO)
Evan DeBrouwer, Bentley (GR – Blenheim, ON)
Big Ten
Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame (JR — Medina, MN)
Justen Close, Minnesota (JR – Kindersley, SK)
Drew DeRidder, Michigan State (SR – Fenton, MI)
Jakub Dobeš, Ohio State (FR- Ostrava, Czech Republic)
Matthew Galajda, Notre Dame (GR — Aurora, ON)
Jared Moe, Wisconsin (JR – New Prague, MN)
Erik Portillo, Michigan (SO — Gothenburg, Sweden)
CCHA
Dryden McKay, Minnesota State (SR – Downers Grove, IL)
Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech (JR – Howell, MI)
ECAC Hockey
Ethan Haider, Clarkson (SO – Maples Grove, MN)
Connor Murphy, Union (JR — Hudson Falls, NY)
Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac (SO – Dollard Des Ormeaux, PQ)
Ian Shane, Cornell (FR — Manhattan Beach, CA)
Clay Stevenson, Dartmouth (SO – Port Coquitlam, BC)
Hockey East
Gabe Carriere, Vermont (SO — Ottawa, ON)
Drew Commesso, Boston University (SO – Norwell, MA)
Darion Hanson, UConn (GR — East Bethel, MN)
Devon Levi, Northeastern (SO — Dollard Des Ormeaux, PQ)
Matt Murray, UMass (GR – St. Albert, AB)
Owen Savory, UMass Lowell (JR — Cambridge, ON)
Jaxson Stauber, Providence (JR – Plymouth, MN)
NCHC
Dominic Basse, Colorado College (SO — Alexandria, VA)
Brandon Bussi, Western Michigan (JR — Sound Beach, NY)
Magnus Chrona, Denver (JR — Stockholm, Sweden)
Zach Driscoll, North Dakota (SR – Apple Valley, MN)
Ryan Fanti, Minnesota Duluth (JR – Thunder Bay, ONT)
Dávid Hrenák, SCSU (GR – Povazska Bystrica, Slovakia)
Isaiah Saville, Omaha (JR – Anchorage, AK)
Independent
Gustavs Davis Grigals, Alaska (JR – Riga, Latvia)
The NEHC women’s division has announced the recipients of the league’s major award winners and all-conference and all-rookie Teams as selected by the league’s ten head coaches.
Eliza Beaudin of Elmira has been named NEHC Player of the Year after posting 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in league play. The senior forward is a key component for the high-octane Soaring Eagles offense as the team averaged 4.65 goals per game to go undefeated in the NEHC. Nationally, Beaudin ranks 16th in Division III women’s hockey with 31 points (13 goals, 18 assists). She’s also added five game-winning tallies on the season.
Southern Maine’s Haley McKim has earned NEHC Goaltender and Rookie of the Year honors after an incredible first season between the pipes for the Huskies. McKim started 17 games in net for USM and posted an 8-6-0 record. Her 1.77 goals-against average ranked fourth in the NEHC while her .942 save percentage ranked second. McKim led the NEHC in total saves this season with 486 over 1,017 minutes played.
John Lauziere was recognized as NEHC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding USM to a 12-6-0 mark in the NEHC and 15-9-0 record overall. The 15 wins marks the most in the program since the 2002-03 season. The team is ranked third heading into the postseason as they host William Smith in the quarterfinals.
Forward: Mikah Baptiste, Norwich
Forward: Ann-Frederique Guay, Norwich
Forward: Eliza Beaudin, Elmira
Defense: Jenny Heath, Elmira
Defense: Morgan Tefft, Norwich
Goaltender: Haley McKim, Southern Maine
Forward: Katie Leffler, UMass Boston
Forward: Morgan Mordini, Elmira
Forward: Julia Masotta, Norwich
Defense: Ryanne Mix, Castleton
Defense: Emily Martino, William Smith
Goaltender: Leonie Kuehberger, Elmira
Forward: Emma Crocker, Elmira
Forward: Courtney Gauthier, Castleton
Forward: Shannon Colbert, Southern Maine
Forward: Hannah Tracy, Johnson & Wales
Defense: Georgia McLellan, Plymouth State
Defense: Addie Budington, UMass Boston
Defense: Madi Morton, Elmira
Goaltender: Alexa Berg, Norwich
Forward: Aimee Headland, Norwich
Forward: Taylor Girouard, Norwich
Forward: Katie Wilbert, UMass Boston
Defense: Jess MacLean, Southern Maine
Defense: Katie Manning, Elmira
Goaltender: Haley McKim, Southern Maine
The NEHC has announced the recipients of the league’s major award winners and all-conference and all-rookie teams as selected by the league’s 10 head coaches.
Ryan Black has been named NEHC Player of the Year after posting 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points to pace Babson. He also registered a plus-18 plus/minus rating and notched six game-winning goals in league play. His 33 overall points also ranks him 13th nationally in all of Division III men’s hockey.
Norwich’s Drennen Atherton is NEHC Goaltender of the Year after leading the NEHC in goals-against average (1.78) and save percentage (.933). The senior netminder also ranks 11th in the country in both GAA (1.79) and save percentage (.935). He’s posted a 7-2-5 overall record between the pipes for the Cadets while also recording a shutout on the season.
Luke Aquaro of Hobart has been selected as NEHC Rookie of the Year after posting 10 goals and 12 assists for 22 points in league play. His 22 points in 16 league games led all rookies, averaging 1.38 points per game. The first-year forward added three power-play goals and recorded a plus-14 plus/minus rating in his rookie campaign.
Hobart’s Mark Taylor was voted NEHC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the program to a 13-2-2 record in league and No. 1 seed heading into the NEHC postseason. Overall, the Statesmen are 18-4-2 and lead the NEHC in goals per game (5.18), goals (88), and assists (157). The team is also getting the job done defensively, as their 41 goals against is the second-least allowed by an NEHC program this season.
Forward: Ryan Black, Babson
Forward: Chris Peters, UMass Boston
Forward: Alex LaPlante, New England College
Defense: Blake Coffey, Hobart
Defense: Devon Becker, Norwich
Goaltender: Drennen Atherton, Norwich
Forward: Mike Egan, Babson
Forward: Aaron Maguyon, Hobart
Forward: Chance Gorman, Elmira
Defense: John Corrigan, Babson
Defense: Austin Mourar, Hobart
Goaltender: Sam Best, UMass Boston
Forward: Ethan Nitkin, UMass Boston
Forward: Clark Kerner, Norwich
Forward: Austin Rook, Skidmore
Forward: Janis Vizbelis, Elmira
Defense: Reid Russell, Skidmore
Defense: Nolan Barrett, UMass Boston
Goaltender: Chris Janzen, Elmira
Forward: Luke Aquaro, Hobart
Forward: Clark Kerner, Norwich
Forward: Thomas Kramer, Babson
Defense: Reid Lindsay, Hobart
Defense: Will Dow-Kenny, Skidmore
Defense: Zach Papapetros, Castleton
Goaltender: Tate Brandon, Skidmore
As we head towards the end of the season, it feels like the sports books are finally beginning to figure out college hockey.
Let’s all understand: nationwide sports betting is still very new, particularly to companies like DraftKinds and FanDuel. Even experienced sportsbooks like Caesars, if they run college hockey odds, likely don’t have an in-house person who pays enough attention to be educated in the necessary lines that create a profit.
Early in the season, if one team was a +110 underdog, you’d likely see the opposition as a -120 favorite at best. This week the lines are becoming wider. Ohio State is +170 versus Michigan, which is a -250 favorite. Those eighty points of juice in between are the sportsbooks vigorous, or “vig,” that buffer that guarantees a shorter loss or a bigger gain, depending on the outcome.
Looking at this week, there are a few juicy road underdogs. Ohio State traveling to Michigan is +170 on Friday playing a Wolverines team that won’t have their players back from the Olympics. North Dakota is +135 at Minnesota Duluth, despite being two spots ahead of the Bulldogs in the NCHC standings.
It’s the time of year where profits are becoming more difficult but finding the rogue underdog can pay dividends.
Last week, a perfect 5-for-5 on the parlay was profitable with $100 playing $2,866.02. That’s the biggest profit paid since week seven when Notre Dame upset Minnesota to spur a major parlay.
Let’s see if this week delivers:
You can make your selections on the games listed below as well as others in USCHO Pick ‘Em. Go to social.uscho.com to join the fun!
As usual, a disclaimer:
Understand, this is for entertainment purposes only. USCHO.com is not a licensed gambling platform and no money may be wagered through this site or any subsidiary of USCHO.
All games are the first games when they occur in a two-game series, unless noted.
Enjoy and, if you bet, may you be successful.
(Games marked with an asterisks * have odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook)
No. 11 Ohio State (+170) at No. 2 Michigan (-250)*
If Ohio State has anything going for it, there is the hunger of getting swept last weekend combined with the fact that Michigan is highly unlikely to have any of its Olympians back in the lineup with lengthen travel back from Beijing.
Still, all of that considered, I’m surprised that the sportsbooks have placed Michigan as a -250 favorite. You’re begging bettors to stay away as the opposite line of +170 isn’t appealing enough.
This is a battle for first place in the Big Ten with Minnesota also lurking. You’d think this game would have better odds, and it may on Saturday pending Friday’s outcome. But this current line doesn’t offer a ton of value.
No. 19 Providence (+115) at No. 18 UMass Lowell (-145)*
On the opposite side, the Providence-UMass Lowell line may just have decent value. Providence, despite its struggles at times this year, is a decent team on the ice with plenty of talent.
Add in the fact that the Friars have swept the regular season series versus Lowell three of the last five season seasons, you almost feel like they have the River Hawks’ number.
Neither is coming win strong after Lowell dropped two to Northeastern and New Hampshire last weekend, while Providence lost at Boston University. Talk about a must-win for both squads.
No. 3 Denver (+110) at No. 6 Western Michigan (-140)*
Even with a loss last Saturday against Minnesota Duluth, Denver remains one of the nation’s hottest teams with just that single loss since December 11. But they’re going to face a Western Michigan squad on the road that will be hungry after a weekend where it took just two of six points against St. Cloud State (shootout win and loss).
Denver already has a sweep of Western Michigan under its belt this weekend, which makes the Pioneers a curious ‘dog, even on the road. But the road has been seemingly the only play Denver loses. Its loss last Saturday against Minnesota Duluth was its first at home all season.
No. 9 North Dakota (+135) at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth (-175)*
North Dakota sits in second place in the NCHC but trails Minnesota Duluth in the PairWise. That’s what makes this series so intriguing.
The Bulldogs, in pretty solid PairWise position, will be battling to make a move up in the NCHC standings (or minimally secure their home ice spot, currently sitting in fourth), while North Dakota, 11th in the current PairWise, doesn’t want to take many more losses and possibly drop to the PairWise bubble.
If you can find a way to bet a regulation tie, you’d probably be in a +ev situation given that these two teams played the third-longest game of all time last March, a 3-2 five OT win for UMD.
Bemidji State (+175) at No. 1 Minnesota State (-290)
Minnesota State is in a position to clinch the CCHA title with a win on Friday, but Bemidji State feels like a team that could be a pain in the derriere, postponing celebrations.
The Mavericks are – and should be – massive favorites in this series. But realize that about a year ago Bemidji State pulled of an upset, winning 4-3 on February 27, 2021.
Might this be another value play for a road underdog? Quite possibly.
Pick records to date:
Jim Connelly – 46-25 (3-2)
Matthew Semisch – 46-25 (5-0)
Ed Trefzger – 44-27 (2-3)
Chris Lerch – 44-27 (2-3)
Drew Claussen – 41-30 (2-3)
Dan Rubin – 41-30 (2-3)
Paula Weston – 39-32 (2-3)
John Doyle – 38-33 (1-4)
Jack Hittinger – 37-34 (2-3)
Nate Owen – 34-37 (2-3)
Tournament play gets underway in the WIAC and NCHA while the MIAC will wrap up its regular season this weekend, though the regular-season championship has already been decided as Augsburg clinched it last weekend.
The Auggies play Saint John’s in their final series, and that should be an interesting one as the Johnnies are still in the hunt for the second seed.
Meanwhile in the WIAC, UW-Superior begins its push for back-to-back tournament titles and Adrian looks to carry its regular-season dominance into the postseason.
Those games and more are among the ones we are picking this weekend.
UW-Superior( 13-10-2) at UW-Stout (8-17)
Can the Yellowjackets repeat as conference tourney champs? We’re about to find out. UW-Superior takes its first step towards that goal this weekend when it opens tourney play against the Blue Devils, who have the luxury of playing this series at home.
These two teams just met last weekend, splitting their series, and the Blue Devils are 2-1 against the Yellowjackets this year.
At one time UW-Superior was on track to win the regular-season title. It will look to get on track for the tournament and play well in a series that should be tightly contested throughout.
UW-Superior, 5-4, UW-Stout, 4-2; UW-Superior, 2-1 in mini game
Northland (4-18-3) at UW-Eau Claire (13-11-1)
The Lumberjacks are going to try to play spoiler here in this opening round series of the WIAC tournament. It won’t be easy. They come in on a six-game losing streak and haven’t won a road game. But both games against the Blugolds have been close ( a pair of 2-0 losses).
UW-Eau Claire has played well in the second half of the year and looks to begin a run at the conference title that once seemed improbable when they were 4-8 heading into Christmas. The Blugolds are unbeaten in their last eight and have been tough defensively in that stretch, holding seven of the opponents to a goal or less.
UW-Eau Claire, 4-2 and 2-1
Lake Forest (7-16-2) at Adrian (24-1)
The Foresters are in the NCHA tournament. That’s the good news. The bad news is they are up against the No. 1 team in the nation in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll. Lake Forest has dropped its last three and has only three road wins. Lake Forest lost both games to Adrian in the regular season, but led 3-2 in a game that eventually ended in a 7-4 loss. The key is a fast start and playing a complete game, especially on the road.
The Bulldogs ran the table in the regular season and roll into the opening series having won their last 24 games. They are unbeaten at home this season and have scored 151 goals. If that offense is clicking, the Bulldogs will be tough for anyone to beat.
Adrian, 5-2 and 7-3
Lawrence (10-11-4) at Trine (17-8)
The Vikings have dropped two in a row after struggling in last weekend’s regular-season series against Trine where they were outscored 13-4. It will be important for the Vikings to play well early and play consistent if they are going to have a chance at the upset.
Trine is having its best season in program history and has a chance to contend for the tourney crown. The Thunder has won its last three and if it’s offense clicked the way it did last week, it shouldn’t have a problem moving on in the the tourney.
Trine, 6-2 and 5-1
Marian (10-12-3) at St. Norbert (20-5)
Marian won the conference tournament last season, but this year hasn’t been an easy one for the Sabres. Still, they come into this series on a four-game winning streak and competed hard in last month’s regular-season series against St. Norbert, the seventh-ranked team in the country. They’ll need to duplicate that kind of effort to have a shot at the upset.
The Green Knights are eager to get back to their winning ways after losing both games to Adrian last weekend. They’ve won 19 of 21 and are 9-1 at home. This is the time of the year where St. Norbert thrives and has added motivation after not having a season last year.
St. Norbert, 4-1 and 5-2
MSOE (10-13-2) at Aurora (17-7)
The Raiders have shown at times this season how good they can be, but the final stretch of the year was a tough one as they enter this series having lost their last four games. That streak includes two losses to Aurora last weekend.
The Spartans are No. 13 in the nation and determined to make a run at the conference crown. It’s never easy playing an opponent in back-to-back weekends but the Spartans hope to pick up where they left off last weekend, especially at home, where they are 8-3 on the year.
Aurora, 5-3 and 4-2
Augsburg (21-2, 13-1 MIAC) vs. Saint John’s (15-6-2, 8-3-1 MIAC)
The Auggies are ranked fourth in the DCU/USCHO NCAA Division III men’s poll and come into this home-and-home series riding a 12-game winning streak.
The Johnnies have won their last four.
Augsburg features one of the best offenses in the nation, cranking out 88 goals, and both teams have been stellar defensively, allowing less than two goals per game.
In the last 15 meetings, Augsburg has won eight times, and a year ago these two teams split their series. Don’t be surprised if this one ends the same way.
Augsburg, 5-3; Saint John’s, 3-2
Concordia (12-9-2, 9-4-1 MIAC) at Hamline (4-16-3, 1-9-2 MIAC)
The Cobbers head out on the road for their final series of the regular season with a chance to nail down the second seed in the conference tournament. Winners of six of eight, the Cobbers just need to avoid looking ahead and they’ll be fine. Tyler Bossert continues to lead the MIAC in points (31) and goals (22).
Hamline is just looking to finish on a high note before the offseason begins. The Pipers are hoping to bounce back after a tough 9-0 loss to UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday. That won’t be an easy task against the Cobbers.
Concordia, 5-2 and 4-1
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by CBS Sports Network hockey analyst Dave Starman to preview No. 9 North Dakota at No. 7 Minnesota Duluth.
Also previewed are four other matchups to be featured in USCHO’s Bettor’s Edge column this week:
• No. 11 Ohio State at No. 2 Michigan
• No. 19 Providence at No. 16 UMass Lowell
• No. 3 Denver at No. 6 Western Michigan
• Bemidji at No. 1 Minnesota State
This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.
Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Mercyhurst head coach Rick Gotkin. The conversation includes this season’s Lakers, the regular-season race in Atlantic Hockey, transfers, and serving on the NCAA D-I men’s ice hockey committee.
This podcast is sponsored by DCU – Digital Federal Credit Union – at dcu.org.
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.
When we last checked in on first-year Holy Cross coach Bill Riga, he was chalking up his first win as a head coach.
The first part of the season was full of growing pains for the Crusaders, whose record at Christmas was 4-13-1.
Since then, Holy Cross is 6-6-1, including 4-1 in its last five games.
“We were a work in progress,” said Riga. “We still are.”
What’s been the reason behind the turnaround? Riga says his team continues to get better and more confident.
“It’s the players,” said Riga. “The plan and vision that our staff put together hasn’t changed. We prepare every game the same way. Players have bought into it. We needed to learn how to win close games.”
A 5-4 win over first-place American International on Jan. 9 helped gain some momentum. The Crusaders got out to a 5-1 lead and then hung on.
“We thought we had that game,” Riga said “(It was) 5-1 and then all of a sudden 5-4. But it was a huge confidence builder, showing we could play against the standard that AIC has of winning championships. That doesn’t mean we’re at that level yet, but we’re building towards it.”
The Crusaders are led in scoring by senior forward Ryan Leibold (9 goals, 15 assists), junior defenseman Nick Hale (20 points) and sophomore forwards Lucas Thorne (16 points) and Jack Ricketts, whose 10 goals is tops on the team.
In net, junior Matt Radomsky has seen the majority of time in net, appearing in 20 of 29 games and posting a 2.50 GAA and a .907 save percentage. In last weekend’s series at Air Force, Ranomsky split time in net with senior Erik Gordon.
Riga’s team was able to come away with five road points in a pair of wins at Air Force.
“(Air Force) is a tough place to win, but the belief and the effort was there,” he said. “We’ve become a confident group that believes we can win in any game in any rink.”
Holy Cross has four games remaining in the regular season: home against Army West Point for a pair of games this weekend before closing out the regular season with a home-and-home series against Bentley.
American International is a virtual lock for first place, but the rest of the positions in the standings are close enough that a first-round bye is within striking distance for every team. Just seven points separate second place from eighth. The Crusaders currently sit in 10th place, but only eight points out of sixth.
“There’s just a stack of teams close together,” said Riga. “And anyone can win on any given night.
“We obviously don’t want to be where we are right now (tenth), but we know that we’re not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination. We need to continue to get better and get results, knowing that we’re playing as well as we can.”
