It’s these days, at the business end of the college hockey season, when coaches really bang the drum to get their players geed up for what’s left.
On Tuesday, Arizona State coach Greg Powers used his weekly press conference as a soapbox.
The Sun Devils are now firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble, 15th in the PairWise Rankings following an overtime defeat and shootout win last weekend at Minnesota Duluth. The Bulldogs are 18 points below ASU in the NCHC standings, and at 40th in the PairWise, they would need to win out to make the national tournament themselves.
ASU isn’t in quite that situation. But ahead of a home series this weekend with No. 3 Western Michigan and then two road games against a surging Omaha squad to wrap up the regular season, Powers is taking a pressure-makes-diamonds approach.
“We need to have fun with this,” he said. “We’ve earned this. This is a great opportunity. This is what this program has built for and towards for the last decade, to be in a league and be in late February in front of what’s going to be a sold-out crowd against one of if not the best team in the country to date and have it within our destiny and our control to take the season by the throat. That’s what we have. That’s a pressure that you can only look at as a privilege.”
In its first season in any NCAA-sanctioned league, ASU sits five points behind NCHC leader Western Michigan. The Sun Devils had won three of their last four games, including an overtime loss Feb. 7 at defending national champion Denver, but they’ll want portions of last weekend’s series in Duluth back.
The Bulldogs scored first in both games, and two power-play goals Friday contributed to UMD’s 3-2 win. ASU then led 3-2 past the halfway point of Saturday’s rematch, thanks in part to two Artem Shlaine goals, but couldn’t put the game away in regulation or a five-minute overtime.
But again, Powers looked on the bright side.
“Duluth’s a hell of a team,” he said. “I’ve said it for a long time, since we played them here (with ASU winning two close games in December), I just think that they’re way better than their record. A lot of draft picks, a lot of high draft picks, a lot of really talented kids, obviously a legendary coach (in Scott Sandelin), a program that has won three national championships in the last decade, and what’s perspective, I think, is feeling a little disappointed going on the road to such a good program and getting three out of six points and not feeling content.
“I think that speaks volumes about, most importantly, where our players have put ourselves in position this year. This is what I said to them today. I said, ‘Hey, if you go back to November, after our first Omaha loss, we’re 3-7-1, and over the course of our next 20, we’re gonna go 14-4-2. Three of those losses are gonna be in overtime, one’s gonna be with a 4-1 lead that we kind of stunk away, and put ourselves in a position to be where we need to be, if we have success over the next four games, from a PairWise standpoint, to get into the NCAA tournament, which we are where we need to be, to still, if we have a great weekend this weekend, take over first place in the conference.’ There’s not a guy in this room, including myself, that wouldn’t have taken that.”
The Sun Devils, and teams in similar situations in the PairWise, don’t have use now for looking too far ahead. What better way, then, to approach what will be two of the country’s biggest games this week?
“We’re a clear second-place team, with still an opportunity this weekend to reclaim first,” Powers said. “We have a target on our backs, and I think they’ve done a tremendous job. We came into the season kind of being on the hunt, and to their credit, and it’s all because of the players, they’ve turned the season around and became the hunted.
“That’s an exciting thing. It’s what we want. It’s what we want to be: we want to be front-runners, we want to be a top-10 perennial program here that’s fighting to get into the Frozen Four every year, and that’s where we think we are.”
Augustana has had a solid season and swept Lake Superior State at home Jan. 31-Feb. 1 (photo: Kenneth Lenger).
Augustana’s first full season as CCHA members is turning out better than most outsiders could have expected.
It’s been pretty clear since they started conference play that they were going to be one of the teams to beat in the conference, and have spent much of the season’s second half fighting a handful of teams at the top of the standings for the right to call themselves conference champions and hoist the MacNaughton Cup.
The Vikings, who are 17-9-4 overall, went 9-5-2 in their inaugural season as full CCHA members. Last season, they were 7-7-2 against their future conference foes. They played 16 games (eight series) against every other conference team in both of their first two seasons. Augustana will play a full 26-game CCHA schedule next season.
“This league’s a hard league; this is our second tour of duty,” Augustana coach Garrett Raboin said on Saturday, after his team fought to rally for a tie against Michigan Tech. “Now we’ve been everywhere once, and everyone’s been to us once. I think our guys have held their own. I’m proud of our group.”
The Vikings showed just how many steps they’ve taken as a program against the Huskies. Last season, Michigan Tech took five of the six points from the series in Houghton. This year, with Tech making its first ever trip to Sioux Falls, S.D., the Vikings turned the tables and showed off their depth. A 5-1 win on Friday was followed up by a hard-fought tie on Saturday in which Augustana rallied from a 3-0 deficit then again needed a third-period goal to tie it up and earn the extra point.
“As much as I didn’t like our start, I did like our fightback,” Raboin said. “We were able to do it down 3-0, we were able to come back and even the score, and then down 4-3, the power play scored again.
“To come away with four of six points on the weekend, against a tough team like Tech, I’m happy.”
The Vikings have done a good job whenever teams have visited Sioux Falls this season. They are 8-2-2 at the newly-opened Midco Arena. Their only losses at home were against Long Island at the beginning of the season and in overtime against Bemidji State. Of the rest of the CCHA, only Minnesota State (12-4-2) has a better home record than the Vikings, and that’s because they’ve played six more home games than Augustana.
Luckily for the Vikings, they’ll be home for at least another two weekends. After they host Alaska in a nonconference serie this weekend, they will be at home in the first round of the Mason Cup playoffs. Their win against the Huskies on Friday night clinched at least a first-round playoff series.
“It’s not something we put a whole lot of stock into,” Raboin said when told the Vikings secured home ice for at least the first round of the Mason Cup playoffs after Friday’s 5-1 win. “We’re trying to play our best hockey late in the year. It’s great for our fans, let’s blow the roof off this place.
“But we still have (two) more games before we get there. We still have a lot of stuff that needs to get sorted out.”
Augustana finished its CCHA schedule and will only be able to watch as the rest of the league plays out the rest of their games against one another. The Vikings host Alaska this weekend and have a week off before the playoffs begin.
That means the Augustana doesn’t control its own fate when it comes to the league standings. The Vikings are currently in second place behind Minnesota State, with a points percentage of 0.625. The Mavericks are at 0.697. Minnesota State can clinch the MacNaughton Cup over the next two weekends with five points for at least a share of the MacNaughton and six points to win outright. They travel to Lake Superior State before hosting Bemidji State in the final weekend of the regular season.
Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com look around NCAA women’s hockey as the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. Cornell wrapped up the ECAC Hockey championship, leaving Boston University and UConn to battle for the Hockey East crown and Long Island and Sacred Heart to chase the NEWHA title.
The PairWise Rankings look a little different this week, and that has changed some potential NCAA tournament matchups.
The five conference tournaments all have different formats and dates. Read up on those here.
The show wraps up with a look at the first weekend of the Atlantic Hockey America and ECAC Hockey tournaments and the final weekend of the regular season for Hockey East, NEWHA and the WCHA.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
Cornell will celebrate the career of coach Mike Schafer on Saturday, Feb. 22, throughout the Big Red’s matchup against St. Lawrence at Lynah Rink (photo: Riley Joslin/Cornell Athletics).
My brother and I used to travel a lot for college hockey.
This was way back in the mid-2000s, an era identified by its lack of available video streaming services. Internet broadcasting was still in its infancy, and Brown, his alma mater and the school for which he’d started broadcasting at the turn of the century, headed to Cornell and Colgate for a road trip historically unkind to the Bears. They hadn’t won both ends of the road trip since the Nixon Administration (or some absurdly similar statistic), so we spent the bulk of the ride telling stories about our worst experiences against opponents.
It inevitably returned to a story from the 1999-2000 season. As a senior, he was Brown’s team manager, and a November trip to Cornell and Colgate offered the first road trip of his season. As an Ivy League school, the Bears started the year at the end of October with a league game against travel partner Harvard before Vermont and Dartmouth ventured south, but the road trip to Central New York loomed especially large because of the Big Red’s overall reputation as a national powerhouse.
Just three years earlier, a 21-win team won a second consecutive ECAC championship under newly minted head coach Mike Schafer. The three years of lower-tier finishes were a distant memory, and even in a league with St. Lawrence and RPI, a trip to play the Big Red and a Colgate team lining the top of the ECAC table was perilous for any team.
Brown was overmatched in those two games during that year and surrendered 15 combined goals to both Cornell and Colgate. The Saturday game at Starr Rink had actually been insanely competitive in a sense that the Bears went back-and-forth with a team bound for the top-10, but the weekend’s opening game at Lynah ended with an 8-1 loss that featured, in my brother’s words, “Give My Regards to Davy [the Cornell fight song] playing over and over until I heard it in my sleep.”
Cornell was a fearsome opponent, and opponents walked into Lynah knowing that they’d lose. It was darker, and the fans knowledgeably hurled insulting chants over the cramped boards. The team wore that red-and-white color scheme akin to the same years ahead of when Ken Dryden broke the hearts of so many Boston Bruins fans.
And the coach. Oh, the coach. As long as Mike Schafer stood behind that bench, Cornell had a chance to score a come-from-behind win. For 30 years, he tortured opponents with the merciless unction of ECAC’s truly elite program. He won, and he won a lot.
And now, as the regular season winds into its final two weeks, the Schafer era prepares for its final act amidst a huge weekend of hockey within ECAC’s race to the end of the regular season.
“I think a lot of things have been the last thing,” said the retiring Schafer ahead of his final regular-season weekend at Lynah Rink. “Our staff kind of joked that this is the last time that I’d do a budget, the last time I’d do scheduling, and the last time I’d do [things]. For me, this weekend is going to be busy because it’s not just about me. I get to have the 1986, the 2005 and the 2010 championship teams returning, so there are going to be a lot of guys that I played with, that I coached, or that I recruited, and I’m looking forward to seeing them come back to celebrate a little bit.
“We’ve been very fortunate to have a lot of great players and great teams, but it still hasn’t really sunk in [that I’m retiring] because I’ve had so much to do with the alumni and everything else that’s occurring. It’s going to be a tough weekend, and I’m sure it’ll be an emotional weekend at the end. But right now, we still just have to grind through the details and get prepared for it.”
Cornell entered this season as the odds-on favorite to replace Quinnipiac atop the ECAC standings, but an 11-8-6 overall record combined with an 8-6-4 mark in conference play cost the Big Red any momentum towards ousting the Bobcats for the Cleary Cup. An early season loss to the Bobcats at home set a tone that continued with a 6-3 loss to Colgate and a 4-0 loss to Arizona State in the Desert Hockey Classic, after which a tie and loss to Sacred Heart ended Cornell’s opportunity for an at-large bid.
Like the rest of ECAC, the second half of Cornell’s season shifted into a conversation about needing to win the conference, and points, already at a premium, became even harder-fought than usual. A pair of losses to Dartmouth and St. Lawrence sent the Big Red tumbling down the ECAC standings ahead of a split against RPI and Union, but last weekend’s six-point weekend sweep over Brown and Yale reminded the league why they were the preseason favorite to challenge for a national spot.
“This weekend was the first time that we played 12 forwards since we played UMass in early January,” Schafer admitted. “There’s been a host of reasons regarding why we haven’t reached expectations, but it’s been a disastrous year for injuries, which has meant we’ve had to change things with how we’re going to play. We were able to practice a lot harder and longer than we normally would at this type of year, but that’s because we had to [balance] having four different types of checks based on our numbers.”
Weird as its sounds, getting healthier enabled Cornell to sneak into the race for a top four spot at a time when the incumbent teams looked to solidify their position under Quinnipiac’s top slot. Nobody had assurances for a national tournament berth, but tying Dartmouth for fifth place pushed the Big Red within a four-point swing of Union and Colgate with Clarkson sitting in second place with a six-point cushion.
What started as blasting Brown with a 5-0 lead en route to a 6-1 victory continued with a come-from-behind rally of sorts after Yale returned fire twice to erase Cornell’s 2-0 lead from the first period. Goals across a seven-minute stretch of hockey from the second period ended the threat, but the emergence of offense from Dalton Bancroft, Jake Kraft and Ryan Walsh showcased depth that didn’t exist when Schafer’s team couldn’t roll full complements of forwards or defensemen towards an opponent.
“We’d been snake-bitten offensively,” he admitted, “and then last week, we went back to focusing on the one thing that we could focus on, which was our defense. We could focus on playing physical and with discipline, so we went out and didn’t make mistakes on the defensive side. We used that to shore up our systems by not whining or complaining that we weren’t scoring, and we focused on the things that we could control.
“Fortunately for us, we were able to score goals, but that’s the mantra we need to carry forward because we can’t get frustrated with things that we don’t control.”
In many ways, the master class was a staple ending to Schafer’s long and storied career. As per usual, Cornell enters its last weekend at Lynah with an absurd home ice advantage. For 30 years, the 11 ECAC regular season championships and 13 postseason crowds hung over the rink as a haunting reminder of the difficulty associated with beating Cornell, and the 26 Ivy League championships from the six-sided subgrouping complemented the 24 different NCAA tournament berths from Schafer’s reign.
Even without the infamous 2019-20 season’s eventual No. 1 seed and a possible run to the national championship (thanks, COVID), the intimidation of facing the Big Red was obvious.
Most intimidating, though, was the understanding that the head coach with 550 career wins wouldn’t ever back down, even as his reputation transformed from the iron-fisted defender of his troops. Now the elder statesman within the league, this is one last opportunity for Cornell to appreciate its success and its 30-year installation into the national spotlight.
And while the league won’t send more than one team to the national tournament, the race for the top four is heightening and tightening right around the one team nobody else wanted to play its best hockey at the end of the season.
“This has made our guys’ mentality tough,” said Schafer. “When you have high expectations and you’re not reaching them, you go through a lull mentally because you sense that something could have been special. Obviously, it hasn’t [lived up to expectations]. Some of it was our own doing and not playing great. Some of it has been the injuries. Some of it has been a lack of consistency. But when you wrap it all up, it doesn’t make a difference.
“We could talk about it, but all we can control, right now, is Clarkson on Friday night. That’s it. We have to come out and play as hard as we can. I haven’t looked at the standings, and I haven’t looked at them for a long time for a lot of different reasons. Where we end up is where we end up. So we need to stay in the moment. It’s cliche, but our guys do a good job of it. We’ve had good, strong, and tough practices, and I think that’s helped us turn the tables a little bit.”
Arizona State celebrates an overtime win earlier this season over Denver (photo: Arizona State Athletics).
Welcome to Week 6 of Bracketology.
Each week from now until Selection Sunday on March 23, I will outline the current 16 teams in the men’s NCAA Division I tournament and attempt to seed a bracket based on the current field.
This past weekend, it was Massachusetts that helped its case the most. A bubble team heading into the weekend, UMass played its way inside the PairWise bubble for the moment with a series split against No. 1 Boston College. The UMass win came on the road, giving the Minutemen enough bonus points to move to 13th in the PairWise.
Ohio State also helped its cause with a two-game sweep over Wisconsin. The Buckeyes have won four straight to start the month of February and are now sixth overall in the PairWise.
As we mentioned in last Tuesday’s bracketology, Boston College and Michigan State have clinched their bids. After this past weekend, we can add three teams to the list of clinched bids as Minnesota, Maine and Western Michigan are now secure in the tournament field.
All that said, here are the 16 teams who would qualify for the NCAA tournament if the season ended today:
1. Boston College*
2. Michigan State*
3. Minnesota
4. Maine
5. Western Michigan*
6. Ohio State
7. Boston University
8. Providence
9. Connecticut
10. Denver
11. UMass Lowell
12. Michigan
13. Massachusetts
14. Quinnipiac*
15. Minnesota State*
16. Holy Cross*
* – Indicates team that currently has the top conference winning percentage in their respective conference. While each conference is awarded an autobid for its tournament champion, for the purposes of this exercise we will use the first-place team (based on winning %) to receive the autobid.
With the field of 16 in place, we can now seed the four regions using basic bracket integrity (1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, 3 vs. 14, etc.).
1. Boston College
8. Providence
9. Connecticut
16. Holy Cross
2. Michigan State
7. Boston University
10. Denver
15. Minnesota State
3. Minnesota
6. Ohio State
11. UMass Lowell
14. Quinnipiac
4. Maine
5. Western Michigan
12. Michigan
13. Massachusetts
As a reminder and also for those who aren’t regular readers of Bracketology, there is one thing that the committee seems to avoid at all costs and that is first-round matchups between teams from the same conference. In the above we have two: 8 Providence and 9 Connecticut as well as 4 Maine and 13 Massachusetts.
The Maine/UMass conflict is easy to fix. Simply switch 13 Massachusetts with 14 Quinnipiac (you’ll see as you read on that this works out in more ways than one). The second inter-conference first round matchup isn’t as easy to fix.
9 Connecticut can’t face 8 Providence, another Hockey East opponent. But switching UConn with 10 Denver or 11 UMass Lowell creates additional Hockey East first-round matchups, making the only switch possible that solves the inter-conference issue is to swap 9 UConn with 12 Michigan.
I don’t love this move. Both teams are in the same “band,” in other words both are 3-seeds in the tournament. But to switch UConn and Michigan, you’re basically moving one team up three positions (Michigan from 12 to 9) while moving UConn down three slots. But if you want to avoid having Hockey East teams play in the first-round, this is the only solution.
With that, we have the following bracket:
1. Boston College
8. Providence
12. Michigan
16. Holy Cross
2. Michigan State
7. Boston University
10. Denver
15. Minnesota State
3. Minnesota
6. Ohio State
11. UMass Lowell
13. Massachusetts
4. Maine
5. Western Michigan
9. Connecticut.
14. Quinnipiac
With this bracket in place, let’s assign regions to each four-team group. When considering this, we must place host schools in the region they are hosting. Right now, none of the four hosts are in the field (New Hampshire, Bowling Green, North Dakota and Penn State). So that’s not an issue this week.
Boston College is the top seed and should play closest to home in Manchester, N.H. Michigan State is the second seed and the closest region is Toledo, Ohio, less than two hours from Lansing. Minnesota is the third overall seed and would head to Fargo, N.D., which leaves Maine to play in Allentown, Pa.
That gives us the following:
Manchester Region
1. Boston College
8. Providence
12. Michigan
16. Holy Cross
Toledo Region
2. Michigan State
7. Boston University
10. Denver
15. Minnesota State
Fargo Region
3. Minnesota
6. Ohio State
11. UMass Lowell
13. Massachusetts
Allentown Region
4. Maine
5. Western Michigan
9. Connecticut
14. Quinnipiac
Now, we need to take into consideration how the four teams in each region will impact attendance. Manchester is fine with BC, Providence and Holy Cross. Minnesota will help draw in Fargo. Allentown has been an issue every week we’ve published the column, but having Quinnipiac (2+ hours) and Connecticut (3+ hours), you at least have two teams that are driving distance to Allentown.
Toledo will have good attendance with Michigan State, but it seems strange to have an Ohio-based team in Ohio State in the field but not playing currently slotted for Toledo. Can we get Ohio State closer to home?
We can’t make a simple switch of 6 Ohio State and 7 Boston University as that would set up a first-round game between BU and UMass Lowell in Fargo. But what if we moved the entire first-round pairing between the two regions. In other words, move the BU/Denver game from Toledo to Fargo and move Ohio State and UMass Lowell to Toledo. You’ll likely bolster the Toledo attendance with the Ohio State fanbase, while all of the other moves (Denver, BU, UML) all will have little to no negative impact on attendance.
Making that move, it gives us our final bracket:
Manchester Region
1. Boston College
2. Providence
3. Michigan
4. Holy Cross
Toledo Region
1. Michigan State
2. Ohio State
3. UMass Lowell
4. Minnesota State
Fargo Region
1. Minnesota
2. Boston University
3. Denver
4. Massachusetts
Allentown Region
1. Maine
2. Western Michigan
3. Connecticut
4. Quinnipiac
Last in: Michigan, Massachusetts First out: Arizona State, Penn State
Keep an eye on: Arizona State. They’ll host Western Michigan for two games this weekend where a sweep likely moves the Sun Devils back into the tournament field.
Minnesota State goalie Alex Tracy has been a workhorse this season for the Mavericks (photo: Russell Hons).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Paula: Well, Dan, we’re in mid-February, which means that time is running out on the regular season. The competition is tightening, especially as teams attempt to finish as high as they can in conference standings for better playoff position and the regular-season title is up for grabs in several conferences.
We saw that in play among the top teams in the USCHO.com Poll, resulting in a new No. 1 this week – a team that didn’t play a game last weekend.
Michigan State regains the top spot in the poll as voters were clearly torn. The Spartans received 23 first-place votes to knock Boston College down to No. 2 after the Eagles posted losses in two of their last three games. I don’t think that the loss to Boston University in the Beanpot title game Feb. 10 would have affected BC’s standing if the Eagles had followed that up with a sweep of No. 16 Massachusetts, but a split with the Minutemen last weekend gave voters some pause.
That split also opened the door for No. 4 Maine to move into a tie for first place in Hockey East with a tie and win against New Hampshire.
The Eagles still received 11 votes for first place in the poll. My vote went to Western Michigan, whose sweep of Omaha puts some distance between the Broncos and the second-place Sun Devils. No. 12 Arizona State lost to and tied Minnesota Duluth.
The sweep wasn’t the only reason the Broncos earned my vote. Western Michigan is 9-1-0 in NCHC play since the start of 2025.
Things got interesting in the conference I cover, too. With Michigan State idle, No. 5 Minnesota had a chance to gain some ground on the Spartans, but a loss and tie to No. 10 Michigan kept the Golden Gophers in second place – a spot they now share with No. 7 Ohio State, who swept Wisconsin.
There’s movement in other places in the poll but, more importantly, in PairWise Rankings where some teams are working hard to play themselves into the tournament, most notably No. 14 Quinnipiac and No. 18 Penn State.
What stories do you see developing here, Dan? What are we looking at now and in the weeks remaining in the regular season?
Dan: We’ve known for a while that the cut line for the national tournament is going to land around the No. 14 spot, but the tightening around that position is getting more and more pressure-packed as we’re nearing the end of the season. Even for Quinnipiac, which is credibly earning its way into another Cleary Cup as the ECAC regular-season champion, won’t likely stay above the cut line if it loses a postseason game or doesn’t win the Whitelaw Cup as league tournament champion. Even worse would be a two-game loss in the quarterfinal series, and even worse still would be a series loss to any of the teams like Harvard, Brown or Princeton.
There’s simply not enough wiggle room remaining for teams without a scheduling benefit, but there’s also a stark difference in how those teams are gambling with their RPI points. Take UMass, for instance, which gained extra credit for beating Boston College on the road before dropping Saturday’s game at home. The team’s final three weekends are against New Hampshire, UMass Lowell and Maine, the latter two of which are ahead of the Minutemen in the Pairwise. Gaining wins against those two teams or even not losing to New Hampshire makes it harder for a team like Quinnipiac to close its .0013 gap in the RPI because the Bobcats only play Yale, Brown, Clarkson and St. Lawrence – a group that has two teams under the No. 50 spot in the Pairwise Rankings and nobody higher than No. 21.
A team like Penn State, meanwhile, has to make up nearly a full percentage point within the RPI but plays both Michigan State and Minnesota before entering into the Big Ten’s postseason. Considering how well Penn State’s played lately, I would then argue that the Nittany Lions have a better chance of making the postseason as an at-large than Quinnipiac despite sitting well outside of the present company bubble.
I’ve taken a few shots at Quinnipiac through this whole thing, but I want to make one thing clear: this is where playing your best hockey matters the most, and for those teams around the cut line, there’s tons of pressure to make quick adjustments on a game-to-game basis.
UNH fell off the cliff because of a bad run in its conference, and a team like Minnesota State doesn’t have the same juice within the CCHA to gain the same ground on Arizona State, which finally ran into a bit of a wall this weekend when it lost and tied Minnesota-Duluth on the road. Even then, Arizona State plays Western Michigan this weekend, so a win in either game gets the Sun Devils right back into a hunt that’s starting to leave teams behind.
Paula: Yeah, I’m looking at strength of schedule pretty hard this week, particularly in the Big Ten. The B1G team that stands to lose the most is Michigan State, who faces both Penn State and Notre Dame to end the season. The Spartans will play in the tournament, but losses in the final two weeks can knock them out of the top spot in a regional, which is where they’re sitting now and have for pretty much the whole season.
Minnesota is the other B1G team currently looking at a No. 1 regional seed, and losses in remaining games against Ohio State probably won’t undermine that, but losses to Penn State in the final weekend might.
Of course, this is something that many top teams contend with in their conference playoffs. If they’re high enough in the PWR, they don’t have to worry about dropping out of tournament contention, but they can draw less favorable opponents with lower PWR positions. I imagine that a lot of coaches are courting insomnia and/or ulcers at this time of the year.
I look at how strong the Big Ten is this season and the advantage that gives a team like Penn State – just that ability to play their way into the national tournament, potentially. Then I look at Atlantic Hockey and Holy Cross, a team that has a solid chance of finishing the regular season with 20 wins and yet may not see NCAA post-season play.
The Crusaders are unbeaten (11-0-1) in conference play in the second half, just a hotter-than-hot streak in which they’re averaging over 4.30 goals per game while allowing fewer than two per game. Liam McLinskey is averaging .62 goals per game this season, tied with Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud for 10th in the nation. McLinskey has been one of the most consistent offensive players in the country all season, and his play has earned him some well-deserved Hobey Baker talk.
For as good as they are, though, the Crusaders sit at No. 27 in the Pairwise. Should they fail to capture the AHA playoff championship, their brilliant season will be over Mar. 22 or sooner.
McLinskey brings to mind the Hobey and Richter awards. Who are you liking for the Hobey Hat Trick and Richter finalists?
Dan: A couple of weeks ago, I talked about the Hobey Baker and the Richter Awards through a decided eastern lens. My picks – Ryan Leonard and Jacob Fowler – are both starring for Boston College, and the Eagles (disclaimer: for whom I work) were steamrolling through teams ahead of the Beanpot first round game that hadn’t happened when we were bantering through TMQ.
The last week opened a bit of daylight for the rest of the country, in my opinion, and I’m not fishing towards dark horses or unknown names who I’m lodging into the conversation. Over the past two weeks, I’ve found myself opening the debate internally in my own head, and I’m learning now towards Aiden Fink as a name to watch for the Hobey Baker and Alex Tracy as a name deserving serious consideration for the Richter Award.
I’ll start with Tracy and his 733 saves, 1.53 goals against average, and .941 save percentage. He’s been electric over the past couple of months in terms of shutting down every team he’s faced. He hasn’t allowed more than three goals in any of his appearances and went on a tear between November and January where he allowed two or less goals to every single opponent. The lone three-goal games since the turn into 2025 came against Northern Michigan and St. Thomas, but even his losses to Michigan Tech and Ferris State involved impressive performances where the Mavericks endured an offensive power outage.
Fink, meanwhile, is the single-most important reason why Penn State is surging towards the tournament bubble and why I wouldn’t want to face that team under any circumstances. Just under half of his 44 points have come since the first of the year, and he rebounded from his two pointless games by scoring a pair of goals against both Ohio State and Michigan. He’s had at least one goal in 10 games since playing Army West Point on Jan. 12, and he’s now one of the nation’s top scorers on par with Ryan Leonard.
I’m wondering out loud if Leonard, arguably the most talented player in college hockey right now, will deal with a demerit for the number of empty-net goals he’s scored, which is about double Fink’s total. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to, but I know voters are finicky about silly things.
I do want to shift gears a bit because my wind just wandered a bit. You mentioned Holy Cross and leading Atlantic Hockey, but this past weekend was the final two-game series of the year between Army West Point and Air Force. From an apolitical conversation, the matchups between those two teams always seem to embody the best things in college hockey. This year, it felt more special because of Brian Riley’s impending retirement. For the final time, a Riley was behind the bench for the nation’s rivalry.
I think I’m gaining more perspective on that one factoid as the year ends. I’m going to miss Brian’s candor and gentlemanly attitude within “our league” in the AHA, but I know the entire national landscape loves and respects him.
As college hockey evolves, this is a fact that some of the most experienced coaches are angling for retirement. Count me among those who owe a debt of gratitude to Coach Riley and all he’s meant to the game.
Paula: I love the love for Fink, as you may imagine, and the advocacy for Tracy. It really can’t be said that anyone in the Big Ten flies under the radar, and Fink was named to the preseason all-Big Ten team by coaches for a reason. You’ve admirably outlined the reasons here.
And Tracy is a phenom this season, a true dark horse. I fear that he’ll be overlooked because of where he plays – which seems to be a theme for our column this week, in some ways.
On to Brian Riley, one of the great gentlemen of college hockey. My professional contact with Coach Riley has been limited, but he’s always been knowledgeable, gracious, and generous whenever I’ve spoken with him or observed him interacting with others. His reputation is sterling and with good reason. It’s also a bit of a mental challenge to think of Army hockey without the Riley family, given the last 75 years.
Your mention of Brian Riley also brings to mind two other great coaches – two other really wonderful men – who are retiring. We knew at the start of the year that Jeff Jackson would step away from the bench at Notre Dame and that Fighting Irish alum and associate head coach Brock Sheahan will lead the Irish beginning next season.
Jackson is one of the most knowledgeable coaches I’ve met and through my years in covering hockey, I’ve always appreciated his candor. I’ve also appreciated Notre Dame’s ability to develop players under Jackson’s tenure.
Then there’s Bob Daniels. In January, Daniels announced that he would be retiring after 33 years at Ferris State. From my earliest days covering college hockey, Daniels proved himself to be one of the nicest coaches in the business. Yes, he’s a solid coach, he’s knowledgeable, he’s become a legend in Big Rapids and to all who know him in the college hockey world, but you and I know that niceness is underrated.
And it’s such a small world, our little college hockey universe. I think of current Tampa Lightning assistant Jeff Blashill and how he grew up on the campus of Lake Superior State, living next door to current Notre Dame associate head coach Paul Pooley when Jeff’s father, Jim, taught at Lake State and how much Jackson, the head coach then, influenced Blashill. Blashill played for Daniels at Ferris State, too. One small story from a very small world.
Of all my cherished Daniels memories – aside from his stories about teaching Blashill how to golf, which may or may not be entirely accurate – my favorite is when the NCHC was forming and people involved in the league were bandying about potential conference names. They were purportedly thinking of calling it the “Super League,” and when Daniels caught wind of that, he said that maybe the league formed by the old CCHA and WCHA teams left behind by what is now the NCHC should call themselves the “Super Duper League.”
I heard that secondhand and when I called Daniels to ask him if I could use that on the record he said, “Absolutely.”
Sometimes I wonder if we college hockey fans appreciate just how good we have it.
And on that note, I do want to point out something regarding the Four Nations tournament. In the U.S. win over Canada Saturday, every single player on the American scoresheet was an NCAA alum. Every goal, every assist, every save.
College hockey really is something special.
Dan: It really is, and the current success levels inherent to college hockey remind me of two separate branches. The first is the natural link to the USA development pipeline and how it’s really reaping the benefits of its success and sustainability within the World Junior circuit. College hockey, we argued a couple of months ago, is partially overtaking the CHL and the Canadian junior system, and it’s likely to skew even further towards the American side after the floodgates open for those Canadian league imports. By its very nature within the growth of the game, we’re seeing an explosion of players that came through college before NIL and the transfer portal, and that’s pretty impressive.
The second is more personal for me because it echoes a bit of the women’s game and the success enjoyed by USA Hockey after the college game produced its gold medal in 2018. I still remember watching the Americans win in 1998 with a team built by Tara Mounsey, a high school-aged Angela Ruggiero, Colleen Coyne, Karyn Bye, Cammi Granato, AJ Mleczko and Katie King, not to mention Sarah Tueting in net.
They all came through college hockey, and in 2018, Alina Muller and Marie-Philip Poulin led scoring despite not winning gold medals. The American team, meanwhile, won its first gold since 1998 because of a roster built from the collegiately-developed all stars. Personally speaking, especially now that I have two daughters, I’ve found myself drawn to how college hockey was the conduit for growth that led to the PWHL and the ongoing reset of equality standards.
Last point from me, though, and it’s about the Four Nations and specifically Team USA. I don’t get hung up on off-ice rivalries between the Americans and Canadians (more direct: I’m not addressing the anthem thing. The whole argument, to me, is kind of a pointless endeavor), but there’s one piece of off-ice business that separates Team USA apart from any other team on the international stage.
More than anything, I’m blown away from USA’s commitment to remembering the Gaudreau brothers, and the pictures and images of handing out Johnny’s No. 13 to the player of the game while inviting Guy Gaudreau into team pictures is, to me, the very best part of both college hockey and the American hockey system. At the risk of getting wispy, I wish this tournament, along with the Olympics and the World Cup of Hockey, received a chance to have Johnny skate next to someone like Auston Matthews.
It’s an honor, in not so many words, for American hockey to continue remembering both Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau. Seeing that jersey means the world, and I hope that this tournament, for all who continue to remember and mourn that duo, is providing an extra layer of comfort within the American success.
Denver remains sixth, Ohio State is up one to No. 7, Providence falls one to No. 8, Boston University remains ninth, and Michigan is up two to No. 10 in this week’s poll.
Arizona State falls out of the top 10 this week, dropping two spots to No. 12.
Previously unranked Clarkson comes in this week at No. 19 as the lone new team in the poll.
In addition to the top 20 teams, 12 others received votes this week.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
Hockey East announced Monday that New Hampshire graduate defenseman Nikolai Jenson has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 3:35 of the third period on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Maine.
On the play, Jenson was assessed a minor penalty for indirect contact to the head.
Jenson is ineligible to play Friday, Feb. 21, against Massachusetts and is able to return to the Wildcats lineup on Saturday, Feb. 22, at UMass.
The NCHC has issued a one-game suspension to both Denver sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium and North Dakota freshman defenseman EJ Emery.
The suspensions stem from an altercation between the two on the ice following the Pioneers and Fighting Hawks game last Saturday night, Feb. 15, at Magness Arena in Denver.
At the conclusion of the game, Buium and Emery were each assessed a roughing minor and given a 10-minute misconduct penalty at the 20-minute mark of the third period.
Buium and Emery will be required to serve their one-game suspension during their team’s next game. Buium will be suspended for Denver’s game at Miami this Friday, Feb. 21, while Emery will miss UND’s series opener against Minnesota Duluth this coming Friday.
Both are eligible to return for their team’s series finale on Saturday, Feb. 22.
UW-Superior won the WIAC regular-season championship over the weekend. (Photo by Holden Law/UW-Superior Athletics)
It’s been a season to remember for UW-Superior, and another highlight was added over the weekend as the Yellowjackets claimed the regular season WIAC championship.
Facing UW-Stevens Point in the final game, the Yellowjackets clinched the title in a shootout win thanks to a goal by Carson Riddle, who scored for the 2-1 shootout win that also delivered Superior the point it needed to claim the crown.
The Yellowjackets trailed 2-0 but rallied to tie the game and force overtime, setting the stage for a thrilling shootout in a battle of nationally ranked teams.
Reed Stark scored a goal and dished out an assist and Jan Skorpik came off the bench and stopped 14 shots as Superior won the WIAC title for the first time since 2021.
Superior trailed 2-0 in Friday’s game as well and went on to lose 3-1 as its 15-game unbeaten streak ended. In fact, it’s the Yellowjackets’ first loss in the last two and a half months.
Superior is 18-4-3 overall and finishes with an 11-2-2 record in WIAC play.
Stevens Point ends the regular season at 18-6-1 overall and 10-4-1 in the WIAC. The Pointers won Fridays game thanks to a big night from Fletcher Anderson, who scored twice and dished out an assist.
Seeing Blue
UW-Eau Claire and UW-Stout split their series, with the Blugolds winning the finale 4-2 after dropping Friday’s opener by a 5-4 score.
Four players scored in Saturday’s win for Eau Claire and Max Gutjahr made 26 saves. The Blugolds finish the regular season at 10-14-1 overall and 8-7 in the WIAC.
It was a different story on Friday as the Blue Devils notched the win when Hayden Stocks scored the game winner in overtime. Nicholas Stevens had a big game as he scored a goal and tallied two assists. Ryan Knight made 23 saves for Stout, which is 11-10-2 overall and 4-8-1 in the WIAC.
Falcons fly high
UW-River Falls didn’t have any trouble taking care of business against Northland, winning 7-3 and 5-1 to complete the regular season with a sweep.
Jonny Meiers stole the show on Friday, scoring four goals, the most by any player in the program since 2018 when Eddie Matsushima achieved the feat. Alex Atwill was in the spotlight as well, setting a program record with five assists.
Hunter Jones racked up two goals in Saturday’s win as the Falcons wrapped up the regular season at 14-10-1 overall and 8-6-1 in the conference.
Johnnies roll to series sweep
Saint John’s enjoyed a big weekend against Augsburg, winning the finale 4-1 after opening with an 8-2 on Friday.
A total of 10 players tallied a point in Saturday’s win and Bailey Huber made 37 saves for the Johnnies, who are in a three-way tie for third in the always tight MIAC standings. Saint John’s is 10-12-1 overall and 7-6-1 in the conference.
Saint John’s scored all eight of its goals in the final two periods of Friday’s win, recording the most goals in a game since 2022. The eight goals is also the most in a game against Augsburg since 1990 when the Johnnies won that battle by an 8-2 score as well.
Jackson Bisson led the charge with a pair of goals as well as an assist. Parker Gnos tallied a goal and two assists. Teammate Conner Couet did the same. Jack Wandmacher finished with thee assists.
Gusties still in first
Gustavus shook off Fridays 4-2 loss to St. Scholastica and played the Saints to a 3-3 tie on Saturday as it stayed atop the MIAC standings.
The Gusties are 13-8-2 overall and 9-3-2 in the conference, holding a five-point lead over second place Bethel.
The Saints are tied for third, owning a 12-11-2 overall record and 7-8-1 mark in the MIAC.
Gustavus earned a shootout win against St. Scholastica on Saturday. It got two goals from Jack Wineman in the win as well as two assists from Hunter Newhouse. Wineman tallied a goal in the shootout to give the Gusties the win.
Four different players scored for the Saints in Friday’s win while Tristan Shewchuk dished out three assists.
Gustavus can claim the MIAC title by beating Hamline or having Bethel knock off St. Olaf.
Cardinals split with Oles
Saint Mary’s bounced back on Saturday with a 4-1 win over losing 5-0 to St. Olaf on Friday.
Lauden Poellinger dished out a pair of assists to help lead the way for the Cardinals, who scored three goals in the final period to secure the win.
In Friday’s game, St. Olaf stretched its win streak to five games behind a hat trick from Jonathan Panisa, who recorded the first three-goal game of his career. His hat trick was the first by a St. Olaf player since 2023.
The Oles are tied for third in the league standings with a 12-8-3 overall mark and 7-6-1 record in the conference. The Cardinals are three points out of a playoff spot at the moment. They are 10-12-1 overall and 6-7-1 in the MIAC.
Royals in second
Bethel finished the weekend strong, winning 6-2 over Concordia on Saturday. The two teams played to a 2-2 tie on Friday.
The Royals remain in second place in the MIAC standings after Tyler Braccini scored twice and Logan Anderson, Dane Stoyanoff and Spencer Kring dished out two assists apiece. Tyler Kostelecky scored for the fourth consecutive game in the win.
While Bethel and Concordia tied at 2-2 in regulation, and stayed that way after two overtimes, the Royals earned the shootout win thanks to a goal from Jack Brown.
Bethel is 12-8-3 overall and 8-4-2 in the MIAC. Concordia is three points out of a playoff spot. The Cobbers are 10-10-3 overall and 6-5-3 in the conference Their loss to Bethel was their first since Jan. 11, ending a seven-game unbeaten streak.
Spartans make history
Aurora is the regular season champion in the NCHA for the first time after sweeping Dubuque. The Spartans actually cliched the Peter’s Cup on Friday with a 7-0 win.
Jake Code, Jackson Kirk, Jacob Brockman and Lukas Sedlacek all scored a goal and dished out an assist in the win. Matt O’Donnell made 16 saves for the Spartans, who have won three in a row.
Aurora scored four goals in the final period. Hassan Akl led the way in the win with two goals and two assists while Chayce Schmidt finished with a goal and two assists. Kirk tallied a goal and assist and Simon Diaz finished with two assists.
With a 21-3-1 record, they officially have the most wins in program history. The Spartans are 15-2-1 in the NCHA.
Green Knights finish with sweep
St. Norbert ends the regular season on a six-game winning streak after picking up two wins against Lawrence.
The Green Knights won the finale 8-2 after topping the Vikings 5-2 on Friday.
St. Norbert is 20-5 overall and 15-3 in the conference and is the No. 2 seed for the playoffs.
Liam Fraser was impressive as usual, scoring twice and dishing out two assists. Logan Dombrowsky came through with a goal and two assists. Carter Holtmann and Brock Baker each dished out three assists. Bryan Gilman added two goals.
In Friday’s win, Fraser recorded four assists. Dombrowsky finished with a goal and three assists. Holtmann tallied two goals.
Trine prevails against Bulldogs
In a battle of nationally ranked teams, Trine won the series, winning Friday’s opener 3-1 before taking a shootout win on Saturday.
Alexander Babich led the way with a goal and two assists on Friday as Trine secured the third seed for the NCHA playoffs.
Tied at 2-2 after regulation and two overtimes, the Thunder and Bulldogs battled in a shootout and Trine got the win off a goal by Kyle DeMarco.
Jack Cooper finished with two assists in the win.
Trine is 18-5-2 overall and 12-4-2 in the conference. Adrian finishes 16-8-1 overall and 10-7-1 in the NCHA.
Raiders roll
MSOE swept a series against Lake Forest over the weekend, winning the finale 7-2 after earning a 1-0 win on Friday.
Seven players scored a goal in the victory on Saturday while Preston Pack dished out two assists. Austin Schwab made 33 saves.
Friday’s game was much tighter but the Raiders prevailed thanks to Casey Roepke’s second period goal. Schwab finished with 23 saves to preserve the shutout win.
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger review games of the weekend and news of the week.
They discuss Boston College’s recent struggles, Western Michigan’s strong season, and various league updates, including the AHA, Big Ten, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East, and NCHC. The hosts analyze the impact of recent games, playoff potentials, and side issues like video replay in college hockey.
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. A flash sale on tickets is going on through Sunday, February 23. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and sponsorship
00:45 Boston College’s tough week
05:26 Western Michigan’s rise
07:41 Maine vs. New Hampshire: Border Battle
10:38 Ohio State’s surprising season
12:30 Wisconsin’s struggles
14:37 Quinnipiac’s offensive surge
18:47 League standings overview
20:02 Atlantic Hockey America
22:40 Big Ten race
30:13 CCHA Championship race
32:41 ECAC standings
34:35 Hockey East contenders
38:14 NCHC playoff picture
42:15 Conclusion and sign-off
Dylan McElhinny and his Anna Maria teammates are eyeing the top spot in MASCAC entering the final week of the regular season (Photo by Katie Morisson)
There was much claimed over the weekend in terms of regular season titles including Curry, Hobart and Wilkes laying claim to No. 1 seeding and home-ice advantage for their conference tournaments but there is so much more to be resolved in the final week of the regular season for playoff eligibility and seeding across several leagues. Two heavyweight battles between Utica and Geneseo left the UCHC leadership in a dead heat entering the final two games of the conference schedule and NESCAC finds the top two spots mostly settled between Hamilton and Trinity and everything else a mad scramble for the remaining playoff spots and seeding. The unofficial playoffs have begun and while this week’s action helped clarify some things, the action in the upcoming week will determine all for the post-season. Here is a recap of the east:
CNE
Curry claimed the regular season title in grand fashion with weekend wins over Endicott and the University of New England who also wrapped up the second and third spots, respectively. Suffolk has secured fourth place while the final week will see a three-way battle for the final two playoff positions amongst Johnson & Wales, Wentworth, and Nichols who are separated by one point with one game remaining.
Curry hosted Endicott on Friday night and following a scoreless first period, the Colonels popped in a pair of goals in the second period and two more to extend the lead to 4-0 in the third period. The Gulls would rally for two late goals in a 4-2 loss as Shane Soderwall turned back 33 of 35 shots for the Colonels win. Manny Cabral scored two goals for Curry to lead the attack. Saturday’s game at UNE was an opportunity to clinch the regular season title and the Colonels claimed a 2-1 lead after the opening period. No scoring in the second period meant an exciting third period that saw the home team level the score on a goal from Dominic Murphy before Curry scored twice in less than two minutes for a 4-2 lead. Dylan Schuett scored late for the Nor’easters to halve the deficit but late pressure with the netminder pulled could not find the equalizer past Soderwall and Curry skated off with a 4-3 win. Nolan McDonough scored two goals for Curry who extended their win streak to thirteen games.
Endicott celebrated Senior Night on Saturday, hosting Johnson & Wales and posted a 4-1 win but the big news on the ice was the return of Jack Smiley to the Gulls’ lineup. The senior forward had been recovering from a devastating stroke three years-ago and worked his way back to action, skating in the opening lineup on Saturday night.
MAC
Wilkes, Stevenson, and Neumann have locked down the top three seeds for the conference tournament entering the final week of the season. Arcadia and Alvernia are battling for the fourth spot with the final games this week.
The Colonels needed a four-goal rally to down King’s on Friday, 5-3. Matt Carlson scored two goals while Max Cocchi added a goal and an assist in the comeback win over the monarchs. On Saturday, things went a little easier on Senior Day as Nick Swain scored a goal and assisted on two others in a 5-0 win over Alvernia. Goaltender Jack Perna earned the shutout win stopping all twenty-six Golden Wolves attempts on net.
Stevenson broke out the offense in a big way over the weekend scoring sixteen goals in a pair of lopsided wins over Alvernia and Lebanon Valley. In Friday’s 9-4 win, a five-goal second period including three power play goals broke open the contest for the Mustangs. Liam McCanney paced the attack with two goals and three assists. In Saturday’s 7-1 drubbing of the Flying Dutchmen, Graeme McCrory, and Blake Benson each scored hat tricks for the Mustangs.
Neumann won their only contest of the weekend by a 7-1 score over Misericordia. Max Donohoe scored a pair of goals while Matt Dimaline added a goal and two assists to pace the Knights attack in a comfortable win over the Cougars.
MASCAC
The MASCAC standings have much to settle over the final week of play as the battle for the top spot between Plymouth State and Anna Maria may very well come down to the final game on the schedule in the regular season between the two schools. The final positions for a logjam of teams between fourth and seventh place will also keep things interesting as Worcester State, Fitchburg State, Westfield State and Massachusetts-Dartmouth are looking to improve position in the remaining games.
Fitchburg State played a prominent role this week in the battle for the top as they upset the Panthers on Thursday night at home, 2-1. Max Macchioni was outstanding in net making twenty-seven saves while Elowan Orme-Lynch scored the game-winning goal in third period to help the Falcons snap a three-game losing streak. FSU played Anna Maria on Saturday and the AmCats were looking to close the gap to the idle Panthers with a win. The Falcons took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but the AmCats scored four unanswered goals to post a 6-3 win and move to within one point of first place with one game in hand on Plymouth State. Dylan McElhinny scored two goals while Tobias Omholt added a goal and two assists.
Rivier picked up a win and an overtime tie last week. On Thursday, the Raiders upset Westfield State, 3-1. Cody Rumsey, Jared Salminen, and Jake Laville provided all the scoring and Luke Newell made twenty-five saves to earn the win. On Saturday, Laville’s two third period goals helped rally the Raiders to the overtime tie with Framingham State. The Rams ultimately picked up the extra point with a shootout win.
NE-10
Following the final week of the regular season, the playoff seeding is set for the NE-10 tournament. St. Anselm and St. Michael’s receive first round byes as the first and second place holders. The quarterfinals will see Southern New Hampshire host Franklin Pierce while defending champion Assumption will host Post in a first round game.
St. Anselm finished the regular season on a six-game win streak with a pair of 4-2 wins over cross-town rival, SNHU. On Friday, Jack Grey opened the scoring for the Penmen in the first minute of play, but the Hawks scored the next four goals on the way to the two-goal win. Max Burum scored one goal and assisted on another to pace the offense. On Saturday in the regular season finale, Burum again recorded a goal and an assist while the NE-10’s leading scorer, Hunter Brackett scored his twentieth goal of the season in the win over the Penmen.
St. Michael’s got the help they needed from St. Anselm against SNHU but needed points in their final series with Assumption to move up and claim the second-place position and playoff bye. On Friday, Brennan McFarland’s four-point game – a hat trick and an assist gave the Purple Knights all the offense they needed in a 5-1 win over the Greyhounds. On Saturday, St. Michael’s closed out the regular season with a 4-2 win and all the scoring coming in the second period. Defenseman David Ciancio scored one goal and assisted on another to give the home team the win on Senior Day.
NEHC
Hobart has clinched the top spot in the conference but after that there is still much to play for in the final week of the season upcoming. Just five points separate second place Babson from fifth place Skidmore while five points separate sixth place New England College from ninth place Massachusetts-Boston in battles for the final playoff positions.
Norwich pulled themselves within a point of second place Babson with a pair of wins over Elmira over the weekend. In Friday’s 5-2 win over the Soaring Eagles, Holden Doggett, Cooper Bertrand, and Clark Kerner scored third period goals to snap a 2-2 tie for a big win. On Saturday, the formula repeated itself with the Cadets scoring four unanswered goals to pace a 6-2 win. Bertrand led the attack scoring a goal and picking up two assists while Kerner added a goal and an assist in the home win.
Massachusetts-Boston helped their playoff cause with a pair of road wins over Albertus Magnus over the weekend. On Friday, the Beacons celebrated a big overtime win as Michael Krupinski netted the game-winner just over a minute into the bonus hockey period in a 3-2 win. On Saturday, the Beacons scored three goals in the third period to rally from a 3-2 deficit to earn the 5-3 win over the Falcons. Jack Mortson and Jude Kurtas each scored in the final minute of regulation to boos the Beacons to the weekend sweep.
NESCAC
Hamilton has essentially earned the top spot with a six-point lead over Trinity and holding the tiebreaker in head-to-head contests. Trinity is five points ahead of third place Bowdoin and after that the fun begins entering the final two games for everyone on the schedule. Colby sits just a point behind Bowdoin and then there is just a five-point gap between fifth place Middlebury and ninth place Connecticut College. Playoff eligibility is on the line this coming weekend.
Middlebury helped themselves in their two-game series with travel partner Williams. After Friday’s 0-0 overtime tie where the Ephs took the shootout, the Panthers took a 2-0 win on home ice backstopped by goaltender Andrew Heinze’s forty-five saves.
Tufts took a big win over Hamilton on Friday as Gus Bylin made thirty-five saves and goals from Brennan Horn and Harrison Bazianos were enough for a 2-1 win over the Continentals. Saturday’s battle with Amherst was important for both teams in the playoff race but it was the Mammoth who broke open a 2-1 game with three, third period goals, including two from Zachary Murray, in a 5-1 win over the Jumbos that tightened things up in the bottom of the potential playoff bracket.
SUNYAC
The playoff teams are all known for the top six qualifiers but the positions and seeding for the six are still to be determined amongst Cortland, Oswego, Buffalo State, Plattsburgh, Canton, and Potsdam making the final contests of the regular season all important as first round byes are on the line for the top two teams – Cortland plays its postponed game with Oswego on Monday night.
Plattsburgh picked up a pair of much needed wins over Buffalo State and Fredonia to move into the playoff picture. On Friday, the drama was immense in the final two minutes of the third period. After Jake Lanyi’s empty-net goal gave the Cardinals a 4-2 lead with less than two minutes remaining, the Bengals responded with Tyler Penree’s marker just thirty seconds later and Austin Micale’s game-tying goal with just ten seconds remaining in regulation. Kevin Weaver-Vitale sent the home fans home happy as he netted the game-winner in the final minute of overtime for a 5-4 OT thriller. On Saturday, the Cardinals punched their ticket into the playoffs with a 4-3 win that knocked Fredonia out of the playoff hunt. Goals by Blake Hall and Tyler Ramm just twenty-three seconds apart in the third period rallied PSU from a 3-2 deficit to the playoff-clinching victory over the Blue Devils.
UCHC
The battle at the top is no different following the series split between Utica and Geneseo over the weekend. Manhattanville, Chatham and Nazareth are all battling for positions three through five in the final week of the regular season.
Utica played host on Friday night and came out firing with Matt Wood and Collin Patterson scoring for the Pioneers in the first two minutes of play. Shane Murphy would add one more in the first period and Utica cruised to a 4-0 win over the Knights. Goaltender Ryan Piros stopped all thirty shots he faced to pick up the shutout and move the Pioneers into first place. Back home on Saturday it was Geneseo’s turn to start fast as the Knights scored three goals in less than a three-minute span of the opening period and extended the lead to 5-0 in the second period before Utica scored three unanswered goals. Two late third period tallies from Filip Wiberg and Luke Panchisin sealed the 7-3 win and weekend split that leaves both teams tied for the top spot with two games remaining on the schedule.
After dropping a hard-fought game to Nazareth on Friday by a 3-2 score, Brockport earned a weekend split with the Golden Flyers with a 2-0 win on Saturday. David Filak was outstanding in goal making thirty-three saves earning a shutout in the 2-0 win for the Golden Eagles. Matt Anastasio and Kaleb Miller provided all the scoring Filak would need to help Brockport to their third home win of the season.
Three Biscuits
Blake Benson & Graeme McCrory – Stevenson – each recorded a hat trick in the Mustangs 7-1 win over Lebanon Valley on Saturday night.
Jack Smiley – Endicott – returned to the Gulls lineup on Senior Night after almost three years recovering from a stroke as the Gulls defeated Johnson & Wales in his return.
Andrew Heinze – Middlebury – stopped forty-five Eph attempts on goal in a 2-0 win for the Panthers over their rival and travel partner on Saturday night.
Several teams have locked in regular season titles and all the privileges that come with finishing atop the conference standings. That said there are some dog fights remaining over the final several days of the regular season where top spots, first round byes and home-ice seeding are on the line not mention qualification in the post-season in leagues like MASCAC and NESCAC where teams are clustered and desperate for points. I think it is official, playoff season has already begun.
The LIU men’s hockey team earned a 4-2 win over Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, amassing the most wins (17) in program history (photo: LIU Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Maine rallies to beat UNH in ‘Border Battle’
Maine took five points from rivals New Hampshire in this weekend’s “Border Battle,” battling to a 1-1 tie on Friday before rallying to win Saturday’s game 5-2.
After two periods of scoreless hockey on Friday, Harrison Scott’s tip-in goal with 46 seconds to play helped the Black Bears tie it up 1-1. Conor Lovett had given the Wildcats a 1-0 lead three minutes into the third period. The Black Bears won the shootout to earn the two points.
On Saturday, UNH’s Ryan Conmy and Kristaps Skrastins each scored to make it 2-1 in the second period, but Maine rallied with four goals in the third period to earn the victory. Josh Nadeau had four points and five different Black Bears scored. Albin Boija made 22 saves and is now 18-5-5 on the year.
The Black Bears, currently tied atop the Hockey East standings with Boston College, takes on UConn in a single game next weekend.
2. BC snaps losing streak to top UMass
Boston College’s season-long two-game losing streak is no more. The Eagles, who had lost to Boston University in the Beanpot final on Monday before falling to UMass 3-2 on Friday, topped the Minutemen 4-1 on Saturday.
Eamon Powell, Andre Gasseau, James Hagens, and Ryan Leonard each scored for the Eagles, with Leonard also picking up two assists.
On Friday night, it was Jack Musa, Cole O’Hara and Kenny Connors who scored for UMass.
BC travels to Vermont next weekend while UMass takes on New Hampshire in a home-and-home set.
3. WMU slightly increases NCHC lead over ASU
Western Michigan increased its slim lead over Arizona State in the NCHC standings thanks to a five-point weekend over Omaha and Arizona State taking just three points from Minnesota Duluth.
The Broncos beat the Mavericks 5-4 in overtime Friday night before scoring six goals in a 6-1 rout on Saturday. Joona Väisänen scored twice on Friday, including the game-winner. Six different Broncos scored on Saturday, including Zach Nehring, who also had two assists.
Meanwhile, Arizona State had some trouble with Minnesota Duluth. The Sun devils earned three points the hard way, losing 3-2 in overtime on Friday night before skating to a 3-3 tie on Saturday with a shootout win. Artem Shlaine scored three goals on the weekend, while Lucas Sillinger added a goal and three assists.
WMU started the weekend just three points ahead of both ASU and Omaha but have increased their lead over Arizona State. The Broncos have 45 points, the Sun Devils are on 40 and Omaha is on 38.
The Broncos have two games-in-hand on both Arizona State and Omaha. Coincidentally, they will travel to Tempe next weekend for a huge series.
4. Gophers, Wolverines play two overtime games
Minnesota and Michigan twice went to overtime this weekend at Yost Arena, and both games saw the Wolverines come away with two points.
On Friday night, the Wolverines’ Garrett Schifsky and Kienan Draper had given Michigan a 2-1 lead in the second period before Minnesota’s Jimmy Clark tied it up in the third. Ethan Edwards scored the game-winner in overtime.
In Saturday’s game, a 2-2 tie, T.J. Hughes scored for Michigan to extend his NCAA-best points streak to 15 games. Michael Hage also scored for Michigan while Matthew Wood and Oliver Moore scored for the Gophers.
The Gophers will host Ohio State next weekend in their final home series of the season while Michigan is off next week and will take on Ohio State Feb. 27-28.
5. Augustana takes four from Michigan Tech, still barely alive for MacNaughton Cup
With CCHA-leading Minnesota State idle this weekend, the series pitting second-place Augustana and fourth-place Michigan Tech was huge to determine which of them still had a shot to win the league’s MacNaughton Cup title. In the end, Augustana took four of the six possible points from Tech, which leaves both teams with an outside shot at winning a league title.
On Friday, Augustana beat the Huskies 5-1 behind two goals from Hunter Bischoff and 18 saves from Richter Award Semifinalist Josh Kotai. That win helped the Vikings clinch home ice in the CCHA playoffs in their first year as full members.
On Saturday, the Vikings rallied twice–once from a 3-0 deficit and again from a 4-3 hole–to earn a 4-4 tie. Alex Nordstrom scored a pair of goals for Michigan Tech, who won the shootout for the two points.
The Huskies, still in fourth place in the conference standings, have series with Ferris State and St. Thomas remaining on the schedule. They have a points percentage of 0.561. The Vikings are finished with their CCHA games for the season and remain in second place with a points percentage of 0.625. Idle Minnesota State is still in first with a 0.697 points percentage.
6. Holy Cross keeps rolling, sweeps Mercyhurst to go atop AHA standings
Holy Cross’ unbeaten streak extended to 12 this weekend with a sweep of Mercyhurst. In the process, the Crusaders leapt into sole possession of first place in Atlantic Hockey.
The Crusaders, who are five points ahead of second-place Bentley and six ahead of Sacred Heart, beat the Lakers 4-1 and 7-3 over the weekend. On Thursday, Jack Stockfish scored twice and Devin Phillips and Liam McLinskey each had a pair of assists while Gale Thomas made 28 saves in the net. On Friday, McLinskey had a five-point game with two goals and three assists.
Bentley couldn’t keep pace with the Crusaders, earning just two points from their weekend series against Canisius.
The AHA regular season ends next weekend. Holy Cross takes on Bentley and American International, while Bentley will travel to take on Holy Cross and Sacred Heart. Sacred Heart gets to play AIC in addition to Bentley.
7. Six-point weekend keeps Quinnipiac atop ECAC
Quinnipiac increased its lead in the ECAC standings this weekend with a six-point road sweep over Union and RPI.
The Bobcats combined for 13 goals on the weekend, beating Union 7-2 and RPI 6-2. Both games featured four-goal third-period rallies.
On Friday, Jack Ricketts scored twice–including the game-winner in the second period–before four different players scored in the third to seal the win.
In Saturday’s game, RPI had scored twice in the second period to make it 2-2 but the Bobcats again scored four times in the third to run away with it. Ricketts, Travis Treloar, Chris Pelosi and Tyler Borgula all scored in the third.
8. Clarkson leapfrogs Colgate, Union for second
Meanwhile, Clarkson’s six-point weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard–combined with Colgate being swept by Yale and Brown and Union failing to beat Quinnipiac–put them into second in the conference.
Ayrton Martino had a seven-point weekend for the Golden Knights, with two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win over Dartmouth and notching a pair of goals and a par of assists in the 6-0 win of Harvard. Goaltender Marcus Brännman made 17 saves for his first shutout of the season. Ethan Langenegger had 12 saves in the Dartmouth game.
Quinnipiac is atop ECAC with 40 points while Clarkson is just four points back with 36. Colgate and Union are tied for third with 34.
9. Denver splits with UND
If the season ended now, the defending national champs and the No. 10 team in the Pairwise would be on the road in the first round of the NCHC playoffs. They would be traveling to take on the team ahead of them, North Dakota. As luck would have it, those two teams met this past weekend at Magness Arena. But nothing was resolved–the teams split their weekend series. The Pioneers won 4-0 on Friday but the Fighting Hawks evened the series with a 3-1 win on Saturday.
Jack Devine had two goals on Friday while Boston Buckberger had a career-high three points. The Pioneer goalies combined for a shutout after Matt Davis left the game late in the third with an injury. He made 15 saves before Freddie Halyk saved six in the final 14:17.
On Saturday, North Dakota’s T.J. Semptimphelter made 33 saves and Ben Strinden, Cameron Berg and Dylan James each scored for UND.
The Pioneers take on Miami next weekend while North Dakota hosts Minnesota Duluth.
10. LIU sets program record for wins with sweep of Alaska Anchorage
Long Island continues to make strides. The Sharks swept Alaska Anchorage this weekend and are now 17-11-2. LIU’s previous high mark of 16 was set last season.
On Friday night, the Sharks scored five unanswered goals for a 6-1 win. Isaiah Fox, Austin Brimmer, Connor Geregga, Isaac Lambert, Josh Zary and J.R. Perdion all found the back of the net while goalie Noah Rupprecht made 11 saves.
In Saturday’s game–a 4-2 win–LIU had to rally from a 2-1 deficit with three third-period goals. Four different players–Carter Rapalje, Daniel Baldassarra, Trent Powell, and John Gormley–all scored for the Sharks in addition to Rupprecht’s 18 saves.
The Sharks have series with Stonehill and Alaska Fairbanks remaining and could earn 20 wins for the first time in program history.
(3) Minnesota vs. (11) St. Cloud State (home and home)
Friday’s game featured some of the most chaotic final 10 minutes of a game this season. Before we got there, St. Cloud took a 2-0 lead on a Sofianna Sunderlin power play goal six minutes in. Emma Gentry doubled the lead two minutes later. Emma Kreisz’s goal a minute into the second cut the lead to 2-1. With just more than nine minutes in regulation, Ava Lindsay scored on the power play to tie the game 2-2. Sundelin responded with a gorgeous backhand goal with 3:15 left in the third to put SCSU up 3-2. Coincidental penalties had things at four on four with just under two to play, but the Gophers pulled their goalie to have a player advantage and scored pretty quickly as Ella Huber tied the game 3-3 with 89 seconds on the clock. But St. Cloud would not be denied. Alice Sauriol’s breakaway with stopped, but on the ensuing play led to Ella Annick scoring with 30.4 on the clock to secure the 4-3 win for the Huskies. It was coach Brian Idalski’s 50th win at SCSU. It was also St. Cloud’s first-ever road win against the Gophers in 63 total games in Minneapolis and it gave the Gophers their first-ever four game losing streak. On Saturday, Minnesota made history of their own, earning the program’s 800th win with a third-quarter, come-from-behind win. Gentry scored four minutes into the game and that goal held for more than 40 minutes before Audrey Wethington found an equalizer early in the third. Emma Connor scored on the power play a few minutes later and the Gopher defense was able to shut down St. Cloud to take the 2-1 win.
Brown at (4) Cornell
The Big Red took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission on goals from Ashley Messier and Gabbie Rud. But Brown pushed back as Ava DeCoste and Monique Lyons tied the game before the end of the second. It looked like that’s how the teams would head to the locker rooms, but Delaney Fleming lit the lamp in the final minute of the middle frame to put Cornell up 3-2 and that seemed to light a fire for the Big Red. In the third, McKenna Van Gelder scored 34 seconds in to extend the lead. Lindzi Avar made it 5-2 a few minutes later and Kaitlin Jockims’ short-handed empty-netter secured the 6-2 win. The victory clinched the ECAC regular season Championship for Cornell – their seventh in program history
Yale at (4) Cornell
Pia Dukaric made 36 saves before stopping all three Cornell shootout attempts to give Yale the edge after a 1-1 tie. The game was scoreless until late. Piper Grober scored five minutes into the third to give the Big Red the 1-0 lead. But Jordan Ray found the net on the power play with under four to play to tie the game and force overtime. Cami Bell’s goal secured the shootout.
Yale at (5) Colgate
Addison Spitz redirected a shot in the waning minutes of the first to put Colgate up 1-0 into the first intermission. Kalty Kaltounková scored on a breakaway in the second to double the lead. Alexia Aubin forced a turnover and found Neena Brick in the third to close out the 3-0 win.
Brown at (5) Colgate
Margot Norehad’s goal in the first had Brown up 1-0 at the break. Emma Pais scored early in the second through the five hole to make it a 1-1 game. Pais added her second of the game in the third, scoring on the power play with a snipe to put Colgate up 2-1. Madeline Palumbo’s empty-netter secured the 3-1 win for the Raiders.
Minnesota State at (6) Minnesota Duluth
In the first game, Clara Van Wieren scored a hat trick and added two assists while Olivia Wallin added two goals and four assists to power UMD to an 8-2 win. Claire Vekich scored both of Mankato’s goals. On Saturday, nearly all the scoring happened in the first ten minutes as Olivia Mobley scored short handed early to give Minnesota Duluth the 1-0 lead. Zoey Crock doubled the lead two minutes later to make it 2-0. Ava Guillemette responded for the Mavericks to make it 2-1, but Mobley’s second of the day restored the two-goal advantage to give UMD the 3-1 lead. Mary Kate O’Brien was awarded an empty-netter late as she was taken down en route to the goal to secure the 4-1 win and weekend sweep.
(7) St. Lawrence at Dartmouth
Michaela Hesová made 36 saves and earned her second shutout of the season to help lead Dartmouth to a 2-0 upset of SLU. Lauren Messier scored midway through the third to give the Big Green the 1-0 lead. Laura Fuoco’s goal almost exactly 40 minutes later secured the game for Dartmouth.
(7) St. Lawrence at Harvard
Zoe Boosamra put Harvard on the board first with about seven to go in the 1st, but Kiley Mastel’s shot from the faceoff circle tied the game heading into the intermission. From there, it was all St. Lawrence as Abby Hustler, Tori Verbeek, Kennedy Wilson, Sarah Marchand and Anna Segedi each lit the lamp to power the Saints to a 6-1 lead. Emily Hamann pulled one back for Harvard, but SLU skated off with the 6-2 win.
(8) Clarkson at Harvard
Sena Catterall redirected the puck into the net three different times to earn a hat trick and lead Clarkson to a 4-0 win on Friday. Nicole Gosling also lit the lamp for the Golden Knights in the victory.
(8) Clarkson at Dartmouth
Keira Hurry opened the scoring in the first to give Clarkson a 1-0 lead. Lauren Messier tied the game for Dartmouth in the second to make it 1-1. But the Golden Knights pushed in the third as Jenna Goodwin and Rebecca Morissette scored 15 seconds apart to break the game open and take a 3-1 lead. Madison Chantler’s empty-net short-hander secured the 4-1 win.
(9) Penn State at RIT
The Nittany Lions set a new Atlantic Hockey America/College Hockey America conference record, earning their 18th conference win on Friday. Grace Ouwater, Lyndie Lobdell and Nicole Hall scored through the first two frames to give Penn State a 3-0 lead. Jordyn Bear broke up the shutout with a goal for RIT early in the third to make it 3-1. Tiffany Hill’s late goal – her first as a Nittany Lion – closed out the 4-1 win. On Saturday, each team scored in the opening five minutes and then the defense took over. RIT’s Sarah Coe made 46 saves, but Penn State earned their program-best 28th win in overtime on a top goal from Leah Stecker to give PSU the 2-1 win.
RPI at (10) Quinnipiac
The Bobcats bookend this game with strong first and third periods to earn a 7-1 win. Jenna Donohue scored twice to open the game and Emerson Jarvis added a goal to give Quinnipiac the 3-0 lead after one. Morgann Skoda scored the lone goal in the second to get RPI on the board and make it a 3-1 game. In the third, Bryn Prier went off for three goals in less than three minutes for a natural hat trick, the first of her career and the quickest in Quinnipiac history to extend the lead to 6-1. Kahlen Lamarche’s late goal closed out the win.
Sophie Matsoukas made 33 saves for Union and Jennifer Olnowich made 22 saves for Princeton in a goalie duel that kept the game scoreless into the third. Issy Wunder’s slapshot gave Princeton the lead, but it lasted just 30 seconds as Maddie Leaney tied things up for Union. The game went to overtime where it was Wunder again that found the back of the net to give Princeton the win.
RPI at (12) Princeton
Emerson O’Leary put the Tigers on the board just 41 seconds into the game, but RPI responded in a big way. The Engineers scored four straight to carry a 4-1 lead into the third. Georgia Bailey led the way with a natural hat trick, scoring on the power play later in the first and again early in the second and then unassisted with about two minutes to go in the second. Ellie Kaiser scored on the player advantage with nine seconds left in the second, as well. Sarah Paul did her best to claw Princeton back in the third, scoring twice to cut the lead to 4-3, but the Tigers ran out of time and RPI took the win.
(13) Boston University vs. New Hampshire (home and home)
Christina Vote’s breakaway goal made it 1-0 for BU. Maggie Hanzel’s shot from the slot extended the lead to 2-0. Alyson Hush’s power play goal midway through the third made it a 2-1 game, but Boston University held on to take the win. After a back and fourth first ten minutes, Tamara Giaquinto scored for BU to make it 1-0 in the second game. Alyson Hush responded just two minutes later to tie the game 1-1. Gianquinto found the back of the net late in the first to put the Terriers up 2-1, but Hush’s goal in the second tied the game and eventually forced overtime. No winner was found and in the shootout, Sydney Leonard scored in the 10th round to earn the extra point for the Wildcats. Sedona Blair made 40 saves for UNH while Callie Shanahan made 27 for BU.
Providence vs. (14) Connecticut (home and home)
Jada Habisch’s goal from the faceoff in the second put UConn ahead 1-0 on Friday. The lead lasted 20 minutes until Millie Sirium tied the game for Providence. Sarah Davies’ power play goal with about four minutes left put the Friars up 2-1 and Audrey Knapp’s empty-netter secured the 3-1 win for Providence. On Saturday, the teams traded goals into the third before the Friars pulled away. Sophie Robinson gave UConn a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Jessie Pellerin tied the game in the opening minutes of the second and that held into the second intermission. Megan Woodworth put the Huskies up 2-1 early in the third, but Sirium tied it up midway through the frame. Audrey Knapp gave Providence their first lead two minutes later and Hannah Johnson’s empty-netter secured the 4-2 win and weekend sweep for the Friars.
Boston College vs. (15) Northeastern (home and home)
Friday’s back and forth game started just 49 seconds in with Gaby Roy’s power play goal for BC. Tricia Piku doubled the lead a minute later to give Boston College a 2-0 lead. Northeastern took advantage of special teams to tie the game up by the opening minutes of the second thanks to power play goals from Éloïse Caron and Lily Shannon. Things did not slow down from there. Kate Ham’s goal two minutes later made it 3-2 BC, but Skylar Irving tied it back up just 30 seconds later. Caron put the Huskies back on top four minutes after that. Sammy Taber’s third-period goal made it a 4-4 game and eventually forced overtime. Shannon ended it a minute into the extra frame to give Northeastern a 5-4 OT win. On Sunday, Northeastern had to challenge a no goal call, but it was overturned and Caron tallied her third goal of the weekend to give the Huskies the 1-0 lead. Alanna Devlin and Abby Newhook each scored early in the second to give Boston College a 2-1 lead at the midpoint. Tuva Kandell’s goal in the third tied the game 2-2. With about 10 to play, Julia Pellerin scored on the power play to put BC ahead 3-2 and Grace Campbell’s 12 third-period saves helped the Eagles close out the win and earn a split.
Charlie Cerrato has had a solid freshman season for Penn State (photo: Penn State Athletics).
Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll of Feb. 10 fared in games over the weekend of Feb. 14-15.
No. 1 Boston College (22-6-1)
02/10/2025 – No. 9 Boston University 4 vs No. 1 Boston College 1 (Beanpot championship)
02/14/2025 – No. 16 Massachusetts 3 at No. 1 Boston College 2
02/15/2025 – No. 1 Boston College 4 at No. 16 Massachusetts 1
No. 2 Michigan State (22-5-3)
Did not play.
No. 3 Western Michigan (22-5-1)
02/14/2025 – No. 20 Omaha 4 at No. 3 Western Michigan 5 (OT)
02/15/2025 – No. 20 Omaha 1 at No. 3 Western Michigan 6
No. 5 Maine (19-5-5)
02/14/2025 – RV New Hampshire 1 at No. 5 Maine 1 (OT)
02/15/2025 – RV New Hampshire 2 at No. 5 Maine 5
No. 6 Denver (21-8-1)
02/14/2025 – No. 17 North Dakota 0 at No. 6 Denver 4
02/15/2025 – No. 17 North Dakota 3 at No. 6 Denver 1
No. 7 Providence (17-8-5)
02/14/2025 – No. 9 Boston University 3 at No. 7 Providence 6
02/15/2025 – No. 7 Providence 0 at No. 9 Boston University 3
No. 8 Ohio State (20-8-2)
02/14/2025 – RV Wisconsin 1 at No. 8 Ohio State 4
02/15/2025 – RV Wisconsin 2 at No. 8 Ohio State 4
No. 9 Boston University (17-11-1)
02/10/2025 – No. 9 Boston University 4 vs No. 1 Boston College 1 (Beanpot championship)
02/14/2025 – No. 9 Boston University 3 at No. 7 Providence 6
02/15/2025 – No. 7 Providence 0 at No. 9 Boston University 3
No. 10 Arizona State (17-11-2)
02/14/2025 – No. 10 Arizona State 2 at Minnesota Duluth 3 (OT)
02/15/2025 – No. 10 Arizona State 3 at Minnesota Duluth 3 (OT)
No. 15 Quinnipiac (19-9-2)
02/14/2025 – No. 15 Quinnipiac 7 at RV Union 2
02/15/2025 – No. 15 Quinnipiac 6 at Rensselaer 2
No. 16 Massachusetts (16-12-2)
02/14/2025 – No. 16 Massachusetts 3 at No. 1 Boston College 2
02/15/2025 – No. 1 Boston College 4 at No. 16 Massachusetts 1
No. 17 North Dakota (15-12-2)
02/14/2025 – No. 17 North Dakota 0 at No. 6 Denver 4
02/15/2025 – No. 17 North Dakota 3 at No. 6 Denver 1
No. 18 Penn State (16-11-3)
02/14/2025 – Notre Dame 3 at No. 18 Penn State 5
02/15/2025 – Notre Dame 2 at No. 18 Penn State 3
No. 19 Colorado College (16-13-1)
02/14/2025 – Miami 1 at No. 19 Colorado College 6
02/15/2025 – Miami 4 at No. 19 Colorado College 5 (OT)
No. 20 Omaha (16-13-1)
02/14/2025 – No. 20 Omaha 4 at No. 3 Western Michigan 5 (OT)
02/15/2025 – No. 20 Omaha 1 at No. 3 Western Michigan 6
Maine’s Josh Nadeau, right, battles UNH’s J.P. Turner for the puck during Maine’s 5-2 Hockey East win on Saturday night at Alfond Arena (Photo: Maine Athletics)
Sophomore forward Josh Nadeau posted a goal and three assists to help Maine skate to a 5-2 victory against Hockey East rival New Hampshire on Saturday night at Alfond Arena. Maine took five of a possible six Hockey East points on the weekend from UNH.
UNH led 2-1 after two periods. Brandon Holt, Sully Scholle and Thomas Freel also scored for the Black Bears, while Maine’s Albin Boija stopped 22 shots.
Both teams return to action Friday. Maine is at UConn while UNH hosts UMass.
No. 1 Boston College 4, No. 16 Massachusetts 1
Top-ranked Boston College snapped a two-game losing streak, its longest of the season, with a resounding 4-1 Hockey East win over Massachusetts on Saturday before a crowd of 7,606 at the Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
The teams split the weekend home-and-home series.
BC goalie Jacob Fowler had 21 saves and recorded an assist on an empty-net goal by Ryan Leonard in the final minutes of play. Leonard also had two assists.
BC returns to action Friday at Vermont. UMass is at New Hampshire Friday.
No. 3 Western Michigan 6, No. 20 Omaha 1
Six different players scored and 10 scored at least one point as No. 3 Western Michigan cruised past No. 20 Omaha 6-1 on Saturday night in NCHC action.
With two assists, Cam Knuble was the only Bronco to record a crooked number offensively. Robby Drazner, Zach Nehring and Zack Sharp each notched a goal and an assist. Western Michigan goaltender Hampton Slukynsky made 16 saves.
The Broncos head to the desert to face Arizona State on Friday. Omaha is off until Feb. 28, when they host the Sun Devils.
No. 4 Minnesota 2, No. 12 Michigan 2 (OT)
In front of 5,800 at Yost Arena, No. 12 Michigan and No. 4 Minnesota skated to a 2-2 draw, before the host Wolverines earned the extra B1G point with a 2-0 shootout win.
It was the second straight overtime contest between the two schools. Michigan won 3-2 in overtime the previous night.
Matthew Wood and Oliver Moore scored for the Golden Gophers, while Michigan got goals from T.J. Hughes and Michael Hage. Minnesota goalie Liam Souliere had 32 saves while Michigan’s Logan Stein made 33 saves.
Minnesota hosts Ohio State Friday while Michigan is off until Feb. 27 when it visits the Buckeyes.
No. 17 North Dakota 3, No. 6 Denver 1
No. 17 North Dakota earned a weekend split at No. 6 Denver on Saturday with a 3-1 NCHC win at Magness Arena.
Cameron Berg, Ben Strinden and Dylan James were North Dakota’s goal scorers while T.J. Semptimphelter made 33 saves in net.
Denver is at Miami on Friday, while North Dakota will host Duluth the same night.
No. 9 Boston University 3, No. 7 Providence 0
Freshman goalie Mikhail Yegorov made 30 saves for his first collegiate shutout to backstop Boston University to a 3-0 win against Providence on Saturday night at Agganis Arena in Hockey East action.
The Terriers earned a split of the weekend series. Jack Harvey, Sascha Boumedienne and Quinn Hutson all scored for BU.
BU hosts Northeastern Friday, while Providence returns to action on Saturday at home vs. UMass Lowell.
No. 8 Ohio State 4, Wisconsin 2
Eighth-ranked Ohio State handed Wisconsin its sixth straight loss on Saturday night, winning 4-2 to earn a sweep of the B1G series.
Max Montes, Davis Burnside, Patrick Guzzo and Damien Carfagna all scored for the Buckeyes while Kristoffer Eberly had 28 saves.
Both teams return to action Friday — Wisconsin hosts Notre Dame and Ohio State is at Minnesota.
No. 10 Arizona State 2, Duluth 2 (OT)
Duluth and Arizona State tied 2-2 on Saturday night in NCHC action. The No. 10 Sun Devils won the ensuing shootout for the extra point in the league standings.
Artem Shlaine scored a pair of goals for Arizona State while Ty Hanson recorded both a goal and an assist for Duluth.
Both teams are in action Friday — Arizona State hosts Western Michigan while Duluth visits North Dakota.
No. 13 UMass Lowell 3, Northeastern 1
No. 13 UMass Lowell scored three unanswered goals for a 3-1 win over Northeastern on Saturday night in Hockey East action at the Tsongas Center.
Lee Parks, Pierson Brandon and Jak Vaarwerk each lit the lamp for the River Hawks, while Henry Welsch recorded 23 saves.
Northeastern is at BU on Friday, while Lowell is at Providence on Saturday.
No. 15 Quinnipiac 6, RPI 2
No. 15 Quinnipiac put the finishing touches on a six-point ECAC Hockey weekend with a 6-2 rout of RPI on Saturday night.
Six different players scored goals for the Bobcats, with Jeremy Wilmer assisting on three of them.
Matej Marinov had 33 saves for Quinnipiac, which hosts rival Yale Friday. RPI is at Dartmouth Friday.
No. 18 Penn State 3, Notre Dame 1
Three different players scored for No. 18 Penn State in a 3-1 home victory over Notre Dame on Saturday night in B1G action.
Danny Dzhaniyev, Nicholas DeGraves and Aiden Fink were the Nittany Lions’ goal scorers. Arsenii Sergeev had 36 saves in net.
Penn State is at Michigan State Friday while Notre Dame is at Wisconsin Friday.
No. 19 Colorado College 5, Miami 4 (OT)
Drew Montgomery scored at 1:28 of overtime to lift No. 19 Colorado College to a 5-4 home win over Miami in NCHC action Saturday night.
Max Burkholder, Bret Link and Gleb Veremyev each tallied two assists for the Tigers.
Miami hosts Denver on Friday, while Colorado College visits St. Cloud State on Friday.
The No. 16 Minutemen stunned top-ranked Boston College 3-2 in a Hockey East battle before a crowd of 6,608 Friday night at Silvo O. Conte Forum. (Photo: UMass Athletics)
Jack Musa, Cole O’Hara and Kenny Connors scored for Massachusetts as the No. 16 Minutemen stunned top-ranked Boston College 3-2 in a Hockey East battle before a crowd of 6,608 Friday night at Silvo O. Conte Forum.
Musa also recorded an assist in the win.
UMass goalie Michael Hrabal made 37 saves.
“(Hrabal) played outstanding,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “I challenged him before the game. I said, ‘keep them to two or less, and we’ll score three’. And that’s how it played out.”
The two teams go at it again Saturday night in Amherst, Mass.
No. 3 Western Michigan 5, No. 20 Omaha 4 (OT)
Joona Väisänen scored just over a minute into overtime to lift No. 3 Western Michigan to a 5-4 home win over No. 20 Omaha in a key NCHC battle.
It was Väisänen’s second goal of the night. Iiro Hakkarainen, AlexBump, and Cam Knuble also scored for the Broncos. Jimmy Glynn scored twice for Omaha.
Cam Rowe made 23 saves for Western Michigan. The series resumes tonight in Kalamazoo, Mich.
No. 12 Michigan 3, No. 4 Minnesota 2 (OT)
Ethan Edwards scored his fifth goal of the season at 3:23 of overtime and No. 12 Michigan got a 3-2 win over No. 4 Minnesota in B1G action Friday night at Yost Arena.
Tyler Duke had a pair of assists for the Gophers. Logan Stein and Cameron Korpi split time in net for the Wolverines and combined for 34 saves. Stein replaced an injured Korpi midway through the second.
There’s a rematch scheduled for Saturday night.
New Hampshire 1, No. 5 Maine 1 (OT)
Longtime rivals New Hampshire and Maine skated to a 1-1 tie Friday night at Alfond Arena. Maine won the shootout, 2-0, to earn the extra point in the Hockey East standings.
The teams went scoreless for two periods before trading goals in the third. Conor Lovett scored for UNH while Harrison Scott returned the favor for the Black Bears.
Goalie Jared Whale made 17 saves for the Wildcats, and Maine counterpart Albin Boija made 23.
The teams will conclude the two-game series in Orono on Saturday.
No. 6 Denver 4, No. 17 North Dakota 0
Jack Devine had two goals to lift No. 6 Denver to a 4-0 win on Friday night in NCHC action at Magness Arena.
Boston Buckberger and Kieran Cebrian also scored for Denver, which scored two goals apiece in the second and third periods to break a scoreless deadlock.
Matt Davis started in net for Denver and made 15 saves. He was lifted due to injury in the third. Freddie Halyk took over and made six saves.
The two teams go at it again Saturday night.
No. 7 Providence 6, No. 9 Boston University 3
Six different scorers lit the lamp for Providence as the Friars earned a 6-3 win over recently crowned Beanpot champion No. 9 Boston University on Friday night at Schneider Arena in Hockey East action.
Trevor Connelly and Chase Yoder scored for Providence in the first period to stake the Friars to a 2-0 lead after one. Devin Kaplan twice scored for the Terriers — including a shorthanded goal — in the third period to cut Providence’s lead to 5-3, but Taige Harding added an empty netter to put the game on ice.
Philip Svedebäck had 30 saves for Providence. Round 2 of the series will be held Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
No. 8 Ohio State 4, Wisconsin 1
Riley Thompson scored a pair of goals and Logan Terness made 37 saves to help lift No. 8 Ohio State to a 4-1 win Friday in B1G action at Value City Arena.
Damien Carfagna set up two Buckeye goals late in the second. Gunnarwolfe Fontaine put the Buckeyes up 3-1 late in the third and Thompson sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
The teams will close the weekend and regular season series at 8:30 p.m. Saturday in Columbus.
Duluth 3, No. 10 Arizona State 2 (OT)
Aaron Pionk broke a 2-2 tie midway through the overtime period as Minnesota Duluth upset No. 10 Arizona State in an NCHC battle Friday night.
Dominic James and Callum Arnott each scored power-play goals for the Bulldogs.
Klayton Knapp made 23 saves for Duluth. Another matchup between the two clubs is set for Saturday night.
Northeastern 2, No. 13 UMass Lowell 0
Quentin Sigurdson made 34 saves to record his first collegiate shutout and Joe Connor scored twice as Northeastern defeated N0. 13 UMass Lowell, 2-0, on Friday night at Matthews Arena in Hockey East action.
The series concludes Saturday night at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
No. 15 Quinnipiac 7, Union 2
Jack Ricketts recorded a 3-point night en route to No. 15 Quinnipiac’s 7-2 ECAC Hockey victory at Union on Friday night.
Ricketts, who had two goals and an assist in the win, has scored 12 goals since the holiday break, the fourth-most in the country. He has 16 goals on the season.
Dylan Silverstein had 18 saves for the Bobcats, who visit RPI Saturday night. Union hosts Princeton.
No. 18 Penn State 5, Notre Dame 3
Dane Dowiak recorded both a power-play and shorthanded goal Friday night to lift No. 18 Penn State past Notre Dame, 5-3, in B1G action at Pegula Ice Arena.
The Nittany Lions thrice scored in a 2:49 span late in the opening frame to pull away.
Penn State goalie Arsenii Sergeev had 24 saves to improve to 12-6-3 on the year. A rematch is scheduled for Saturday night at Pegula.
No. 19 Colorado College 6, Miami 1
Drew Montgomery scored twice and Ty Gallagher and Owen Beckner each added two assists to lead No. 19 Colorado College to a 6-1 home win over NCHC foe Miami on Friday night.
Kaidan Mbereko had 23 saves in the winning effort for the Tigers.
Jack Smiley will return to the Endicott lineup almost three years after suffering a stroke. The senior will play in Saturday’s contest against Johnson & Wales as the Gulls celebrate their seniors and Smiley’s heroic road to recovery (Photo by Endicott Athletics)
The Endicott Gulls are ranked among the best teams in the country and are focused on the remainder of the regular season heading into the Conference of New England playoffs later this month. A Friday night showdown with league leading Curry is in clear focus for the team but tomorrow’s Senior Night will send the team’s morale soaring as Jack Smiley will return to the lineup for the first time in almost three years having recovered from a devastating stroke.
“It is almost three-years to the day,” said Smiley. “I have had this date circled on the calendar for a long time and I just hope that I can get back to something I really love and that motivated me to recover to be with this group of players who are like family. If it happens this weekend, it will mean so much to me and my family and the coaches and players and friends that have supported me during my recovery.”
Smiley suffered the catastrophic injury in 2022 during the tail-end of the COVID pandemic. While the ultimate cause for the stroke event is not completely diagnosed, it is believed that a spinal injury from a hit on the ice led to bone damage and related blood vessel injury that sent a clot to the brain. The effects on a young and healthy student athlete were immense including paralysis and an inability to communicate. The situation was dire but Smiley and his family began the path back.
“I had two jobs as a student and hockey player at Endicott,” stated Smiley. “Those things take a lot of time and dedication. For me to get back to doing both I looked at my rehabilitation as a my new 9-to-5 job. My goal was to get back on the sheet and back to school with my teammates. I knew it was going to be a challenge. I had to learn to speak and learn to walk again. My parents (Debi and Peter) were there the whole time with my Mom moving to Boston and my Dad coming as often as possible from Philly when he didn’t need to be taking care of my brothers at home. They were there for my first steps – my second time with first steps – which I reminded them they had already seen. They helped bring clarity and focus to the challenges I was facing as did my coach RJ Tolan and my teammates who found ways despite COVID protocols to find a way to see me and raise my spirits. I stayed focused on my goal and last year finally got back on the ice for practices but still had a long way to go to actually play in a game.”
Smiley’s senior class actually graduated last year and while Jack’s recovery had him back on the ice, he was far from the academic requirements to stay with his graduating class. Several of those players including Andrew Kurapov and Jackson Sterrett have remained with the Gulls as graduate students enjoying their eligibility so Saturday’s Senior Night will still include Smiley’s initial class in the lineup when they face-off against Johnson & Wales.
“I think my only daughter Nelly might have given the big news away but if she says it, it must be true,” said head coach RJ Tolan. “Jack’s injury was without question, the worst and most difficult I have ever seen a player endure. He has been so committed to his recovery and I would get videos from the Spalding Rehabilitation Hospital showing his progress and rehab activities. When he gets on the ice on Saturday, it will be a huge moment for all of us at Endicott and with the hockey program. As much as he has gained from our support, we have received so much more in seeing his struggle, determination and commitment to his recovery. I think it will be a very emotional and motivational moment to see Jack back on the ice knowing what it has taken to get him there.”
“I saw Nelly with one of her friends at the rink the other day and she came over to me and said I was playing on Saturday,” stated Smiley. “In my time here I have never been able to get her to “give me knuckles” or fist-bump but her telling me I was going to play was worth my first knuckles with her. I will wait to here from coach but will be ready to go if I get to play.”
Smiley will put on his familiar number ten on Saturday and for the first time in three years, skate on to the ice for the opening face-off in a competitive hockey game. The journey back while not fully complete has come a long way and there will be great cause for emotion and enthusiasm on the ice, on the bench and in the stands where his parents and brother will proudly watch Jack return to his love of the game of hockey with his second family on the Endicott bench.
“I haven’t really thought about what it is going to feel like to be back on the ice,” noted Smiley. “I have all my medical clearances to play. I think I need to figure out my routine before the game since I haven’t had one in so long. I will probably focus on just breathing but it would be great to get out there and make a big hit or score a goal. Just being out there is going to be amazing and we will see where it goes from there.”
Coach Tolan confirmed that Jack will be on the ice in the starting lineup on Saturday in the game against the Wildcats. Nobody will be rooting for him more than those on the bench and the man behind it whose team embodies the values of family and support.
Go get ’em Jack!! Next up is the goal of graduating in the spring which despite the challenges, would be only one-year delayed from his scheduled graduation date last year.
Congratulations on your recovery and inspirational story that should inspire all to never quit – never give up!
A recent Instagram post saying it was time for the NCAA to put the Women’s Frozen Four in NHL arenas received more than 2,000 likes and was shared by a number of DI coaches. Citing a large crowd for the Women’s Beanpot and the fact that the men’s Frozen Four is played in NHL arenas, it said changes need to be made.
If the women’s tournament is going to move to a larger venue, the move needs to be done in a way that ensures it is successful. The NCAA needs to spend more time and money on signage, advertising and promotion and make the Women’s Frozen Four a destination event, with surrounding programming that draws fans regardless of whether their team is playing or not.
There are plenty of things the NCAA can, should and said they would be doing to make the Women’s Frozen Four the marquee event it would need to be to sell enough tickets to fill a large venue.
It has been more than three years since the Kaplan External Gender Equity Review Report detailed the many disparities in how the NCAA supports and promotes men’s and women’s sports. I wrote about some of the findings back in 2021. The full report can be found here.
However, the report also listed some specific spending disparities relating to promotion of the Men’s and Women’s Frozen Four as well as staffing disparities that I think are super relevant when talking about moving the Women’s Frozen Four to a larger venue.
In ice hockey, some of the specific disparities included:
“spending $65,000 more on signage for the men than the women”
“spending about $193,000 each year on promotional expenses related to the men’s tournament, compared to only $11,000 a year for the women’s”
“In Division I ice hockey, for example, there are 11 NCAA staff members who contribute to the men’s tournament, including three Championships staff, a media coordinator, and seven External Operations staff members. The women’s tournament, however, has only two Championships staff members assisting with it.”
Since the report is four years old, I reached out to the NCAA and asked, specifically, if there had been any changes to the above numbers (The bulleted list above is copied directly from my email). My email said:
“I’m hoping to find out if there has been any movement or change in regards to some of the gaps found between men’s and women’s hockey. I’m aware of changes to the number of teams in the tournament, the roster size and the removal of limiting travel costs, among other changes.Could you let me know if there have been changes…?”
This is the reply I received from the NCAA:
“Since the Kaplan Report that you referenced, the National Collegiate Women’s Hockey Championship increased squad sizes from 24 to 27 to match Division I men’s ice hockey squad size, beginning with the 2022 championship. There have also been subsequent budget increases made in the areas of team travel, per diem, awards/mementos and officials’ fees.
The bracket size was also increased from 8 to 11 teams, beginning with the 2022 championship.
The women’s ice hockey championship budget has also been increased for game presentation and in-venue enhancements, videoboard content enhancements, and signage enhancements at both preliminary and Women’s Frozen Four sites.
Staffing for the women’s ice championships has been increased to include seven staff members since the 2021 Kaplan Report was published, with additional staff members available on an as needed basis.”
Instead of answering my specific questions about spending, they rehashed items I not only hadn’t asked about, but had expressed being familiar with. It’s great to hear that the staff has increased, but overall, the response is disheartening and doesn’t leave me feeling like a Women’s Frozen Four in a larger venue would have any chance to be successful.
It should be noted that the NCAA requests and assesses bids for hosting the Women’s Frozen Four in two-year cycles. The host is not assigned – teams that are interested in hosting submit an application. The Men’s Frozen Four that are hosted at NHL Arenas and in cities that aren’t home to an NCAA DI program are still “hosted” by a member institution. That school put together a proposal on why that site is a good choice and how they will ensure a smooth and successful tournament, even as a “remote” host and that school provides all tournament-week, on-site staffing. The University of Vermont is the host school for the 2025 Men’s FF in St. Louis. The University of North Dakota is the host school for the 2026 Men’s FF in Las Vegas.
I’ve been to every Women’s Frozen Four since 2015. There is rarely, if ever, any signage within the host city or campus advertising the event. Yes, the arenas themselves have signage, but since arenas require space to have been constructed, signage on the building itself doesn’t do much to actually advertise the event to a greater community. In recent years, the hotels where teams stay often have had logos on the entrance doors. That’s it.
The 2024 Women’s FF was at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. That’s 11 miles from Portsmouth, where a lot of attendees stayed as well as socialized. Walking around Portsmouth or going into restaurants with friends decked out in jerseys, we garnered a lot of attention, but no one we talked to was aware the event was happening. They were bemused by the sudden influx of people wearing Clarkson, Colgate, Ohio State and Wisconsin gear, but had no idea why we were there.
One has to look no further than the NCAA homepages for the Men’s Frozen Four and Women’s Frozen Four to see the disparity in how the event is presented.
Not only are there links upon links for various add-ons, experiences and information for the men’s tournament, but a pop up invites you to sign up for a mailing list for NCAA men’s hockey and offers ticket packages priced at $800 and $1000.
The Women’s Frozen Four page directs you to a University of Minnesota site to buy tickets or back to the Women’s Ice Hockey homepage.
For those unfamiliar, the Men’s FF is attended by fans from across the country, regardless of whether their team advances that far. Attendees play a version of bingo to track jerseys from different college teams they spot over the course of the weekend. They buy their tickets as soon as they go on sale, meet up with friends and use the Men’s Frozen Four as a celebration of a love of hockey. It’s a destination event.
The Women’s FF could not be further from this. The games don’t sell out. The crowd is usually noticeably thinner for the Championship when two team’s fans have gone home. The best thing that’s happened to the Women’s FF experience was USA Hockey moving the presentation of the Patty Kazmaier Award from a private, paid brunch on the Saturday between the semifinals and finals to a free, public event starting at the 2023 Tournament. The day usually includes youth clinics and an autograph signing, but is still a far cry from a full Fan Fest-style event.
Beyond advocating for the Women’s FF to be played in NHL stadiums, the social media post also derided the future sites of the event that have been awarded by the NCAA as too remote and difficult to get to. The Women’s FF will be hosted by Penn State at Pegula Arena in State College, PA in 2026 and by the University of Minnesota Duluth at Amsoil Arena in Duluth, MN in 2027.
I understand the poster’s point and I don’t think they’re meaning to pick on either city in particular. And I have to agree on Penn State. They hosted the 2022 Women’s FF and I can’t deny that it was not easy to get to and thanks to a bunch of youth sports events happening in the area at the same time and University Park/State College being quite small, hotel rooms were tough to come by. The event itself was well run and the arena is gorgeous, but I can’t in good conscience contend that overall it’s a good host location.
What I will say is that the Women’s Frozen Four has been held at a number of arguably more accessible places, from big cities like Minneapolis and the St. Louis suburbs to places like Quinnipiac and New Hampshire that are a short bus, train or car ride away from either Boston or New York. Before last season, none of those sites had drawn more than 3,600 fans.
The best attended Women’s championship game was held in Duluth in 2003, when 5,167 people attended. In fact, three of the six highest attended women’s title games were in Duluth. The attendance in 2023 was 3,940, the highest total of any championship game since the last time they hosted in 2008.
The 2024 title game at UNH had 4,378 fans – the highest attendance since 2006. It gives me hope that things are improving, but at the moment it’s a lone data point and it would be a hard sell to the NCAA to move to bigger venues when crowds have not sold out the arenas currently being used.
I want women’s hockey to grow. I especially want women’s college hockey to grow. If a move to bigger venues were to happen, it would need to be done correctly so that the players and the sport aren’t set up to fail.
North Americans women’s hockey fans are great and they’ve proven themselves through Rivalry Series and PHWL crowds time and again the past few years, but it shouldn’t be on the fans to ensure the sport gets propped up and it’s not fair to put the onus on them.
The leap from campus sites to an NHL arena might not feel like such a lofty goal if the NCAA did a better job of promoting and marketing the Women’s Frozen Four.
Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski from USCHO.com look around NCAA women’s hockey as the regular season ends and the playoffs begin. Cornell wrapped up the ECAC Hockey championship, leaving Boston University and UConn to battle for the Hockey East crown and Long Island and Sacred Heart to chase the NEWHA title.
Hockey East announced Monday that New Hampshire graduate defenseman Nikolai Jenson has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 3:35 of the third period on Saturday, Feb. 15, at Maine.
The NCHC has issued a one-game suspension to both Denver sophomore defenseman Zeev Buium and North Dakota freshman defenseman EJ Emery.
