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SATURDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Minnesota and Michigan State are co-B1G regular-season champs; No. 1 BC beats UNH in shootout; North Dakota upsets No. 4 Western Michigan; No. 5 Maine holds off Vermont

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Michigan earned a share of the B1G regular-season title with its win at Notre Dame on Saturday night. (Photo: Michigan State Athletics)

Mike Koster scored with 3:04 remaining in regulation to break a 3-3 tie and lift No. 2 Minnesota to a share of the B1G regular-season championship Saturday with a 5-3 road win at No. 16 Penn State in University Park, Pa. 

“To our guys’ credit tonight, they had no quit in them,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said. “And we’ve been playing pretty darn well all year long. We’ve only got four losses in regulation, but we needed to find a way to win that because we have earned and deserved the right to be B1G champs. (We’re) awful proud of that.”

Oliver Moore’s 3-point night and a pair of goals from Matthew Wood drove Minnesota to a record-setting seventh B1G title. Liam Souliere had 30 saves for the Golden Gophers.

Moore’s two assists were his 18th and 19th of the year and extended his season-long point streak to five games, while he increased his point total to 30 with the empty-net goal. He is the fourth Gopher to reach the 30-point mark this year.

Simon Mack, Matt DiMarsico and Charlie Cerrato had the Penn State goals. 

No. 1 Boston College 1, New Hampshire 1 (OT; BC wins shootout)

Top-ranked Boston College skated to a 1-1 tie against New Hampshire on Saturday night at the Whittemore Center. The Eagles won the ensuing shootout 3-2 to earn the extra point in the Hockey East standings with Lukas Gustafsson scoring the deciding goal in the fifth round. 

Jacob Fowler made 41 saves in net, while Gabe Perreault scored BC’s lone goal in regulation. Eamon Powell and Ryan Leonard each tallied an assist. Powell recorded his 100th career point and Leonard extended a 14-game point streak. 

BC is 11-3-2 on the road this season and has 52 points in the league standings with one game remaining. 

No. 3 Michigan State 5, Notre Dame 2

Michigan State captured a share of the B1G’s regular-season championship following a 5-2 win at Notre Dame Saturday night. 

Third-ranked Michigan State became just the second team since the start of the Big Ten conference to capture back-to-back regular-season titles — Minnesota won the first four titles (2014-17), and then won back-to-back again in 2021-22 and 2022-23.  

Shane Vansaghi and Tiernan Shoudy had a pair of goals to lead the Spartan offense, sophomore Trey Augustine made 29 saves as the Spartans concluded the regular season with a 24-6-4 record (15-5-4 in league play). 

No. 18 North Dakota 4, No. 4 Western Michigan 3 (OT)

Jake Livanavage scored the winner at 3:19 of overtime to give No. 18 North Dakota a 4-3 win over No. 4 Western Michigan on Saturday night in NCHC action in Kalamazoo, Mich.

UND (18-13-2, 13-8-1 NCHC) had to rally, tying the game at 3-3 in the final minute of the third period on a goal from Sacha Boisvert. T.J. Semptimphelter kept the Fighting Hawks in the game, finishing with 33 saves on 36 shots against to earn the victory. 

Ben Strinden, Dylan James, and Boisvert all scored while Owen McLaughlin had two assists to give him eight points (goal, seven assists) in his last three games.

Ty Hendricks scored twice for Western Michigan (24-7-1, 17-4-1), while Robby Drazner also scored.

No. 5 Maine 4, Vermont 3

Four different players scored as No. 5 Maine picked up a 4-3 win over Vermont before a crowd of 5,043 at Alfond Arena in Hockey East action on Saturday night.

Josh Nadeau, Nicholas Niemo, Owen Fowler and Thomas Pichette were Maine’s goal scorers. 

Maine had the 41-28 lead in shots on goal. Albin Boija made 25 saves to improve to 20-6-5 on the year. He became the first Maine goalie to reach 20 wins in their first 31 games of the year since Dan Dullivan in 2011-12.

The Black Bears are now 34-30-9 in the all-time series with the Catamounts.

St. Cloud State 2, No. 6 Denver 1

St. Cloud State grinded out a 2-1 win over No. 6 Denver on Saturday night at Magness Arena to earn a split of the NCHC weekend series. 

St. Cloud goalie Isak Posch had 38 saves for the second consecutive night, while the Huskies got goals from Daimon Gardner and Verner Miettinen. Jack Devine scored for Denver.

Posch made 20 of his 38 saves in the third period. The win in regulation in Denver was the first for the Huskies since 2015. 

No. 7 Providence 2, Merrimack 1

Chase Yoder and Tomas Machu scored while Zachary Borgiel stopped 12 shots against his former school as No. 7 Providence earned a weekend sweep over Merrimack with a 2-1 win at Lawler Arena on Saturday in Hockey East.

The teams combined for just eight shots on goal in the opening 20 minutes, with the Friars holding a 5-3 advantage. Merrimack struck for the lone goal of the period on a power-play tally from Seamus Powell at the 17:57 mark. The Providence penalty kill went to work in the second period, successfully killing off all three Merrimack attempts.

No. 9 Connecticut 7, Northeastern 1

No. 9 UConn dominated Northeastern at Matthews Arena in Boston, taking six points on the weekend with an emphatic 7-1 Hockey East win Saturday night. 

Ethan Whitcomb scored two goals for the UConn Huskies, while Viking Gustafsson Nyberg, John Spetz, Nick Carabin, Jake Richard and Kaden Shahan also scored.

Tyler Muszelik made 13 saves.

Omaha 4, No. 12 Arizona State 2

Omaha scored three unanswered goals in the third period to earn a 4-2 upset at home vs. No. 12 Arizona State on Saturday in NCHC action before a crowd of 7,808 at Baxter Arena.

Jimmy Glynn and Griffin Ludtke scored less than a minute apart in the third period to tie the game and give Omaha the lead. Brady Risk added an empty-netter. Kevin Reidler had 40 saves for the Mavericks.

Ryan Kirwan scored twice for the Sun Devils.

No. 13 Quinnipiac 4, St. Lawrence 0

The Cleary Cup will stay in Hamden, Conn., after No. 13 Quinnipiac beat St. Lawrence 4-0 on Saturday night to win the ECAC Hockey regular-season title. 

Jeremy Wilmer scored twice for the Bobcats, who also got goals from Tyler Borgula and Andon Cerbone. Wilmer also added an assist to make it a 3-point night. 

Matej Marinov earned the shutout with 19 saves.

No. 15 Minnesota State 5, Bemidji State 1

No. 15 Minnesota State celebrated a 5-1 win over Bemidji State Saturday to conclude the CCHA regular season. The Mavericks will host Lake Superior State in a best-two-of-three series beginning on Friday. 

Luc Wilson led the Mankato offense with two goals and an assist. Evan Murr chipped in a goal and an assist. Goalie Eli Pulver stopped 23 of 24 shots for his first career win.

CCHA commissioner Don Lucia presented the MacNaughton Cup to captain Josh Groll following the game as the Mavericks celebrated their ninth regular season title.

No. 17 Massachusetts 5, No. 16 UMass Lowell 3

Five different players scored for No. 17 Massachusetts, which fended off a late rally by No. 16/15 UMass Lowell to earn a 5-3 win over at the Tsongas Center on Saturday night in Hockey East action. 

Aydar Suniev, Cole O’Hara, Jack Musa, Kenny Connors and Owen Murray all scored for UMass while Michael Hrabal notched 30 saves. 

Lee Parks, Libor Nemec and Owen Cole were the goal scorers for Lowell.

Princeton 4, No. 19 Clarkson 3 (OT)

Nick Marciano had a pair of power-play goals — including the game-winner 0:37 into overtime — to record his first career multi-goal game and lift Princeton to a 4-3 win at No. 19 Clarkson in ECAC Hockey action Saturday night. 

The win secured Princeton’s first North Country sweep since 2011 and its fifth overall all-time. The win also snapped a 12-game regular season winless streak for the Tigers at Cheel Arena as Princeton had been 0-11-1 in road regular season games against Clarkson since that 2011 sweep.

Jake Manfre and Miles Gunty also lit the lamp for Princeton, and Ethan Pearson had 25 saves in net. Ellis Rickwood, Ray Fust and Tristan Sarsland scored for Clarkson. 

Hockey East suspends Boston College’s Gasseau one game for major slew footing penalty Feb. 28 vs. New Hampshire

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Hockey East announced Saturday that Boston College junior forward Andre Gasseau has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at the 54-second mark of the third period on Friday, Feb. 28, against New Hampshire.

On the play, Gasseau was assessed a major penalty for slew footing and a game misconduct.

Gasseau is ineligible to play Saturday, March 1, at New Hampshire and is able to return to the Eagles lineup on Saturday, March 8, against Merrimack.

Boston College, NHL Players Association team up on agreement to enable former NHL players to earn degrees at BC

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The Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College, as seen recently under a blanket of snow (photo: Boston College Communications).

The Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College and the NHL Players Association have reached an agreement that will enable current and former members of the NHLPA to complete their education at Boston College through NHLPA UNLMT, providing an invaluable resource for professional hockey players looking to earn college degrees.

The agreement was signed by Woods College Dean David Goodman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh, a Woods College graduate, to help association members complete the coursework needed to earn a college diploma or certificate.

Under the agreement, Woods College will review applications and transfer credits on a case-by-case basis, with the goal of mapping courses from prior institutions to its degree programs. The school will accept up to 90 transfer course credits of eligible students towards Boston College’s 120-credit degree requirement, facilitating degree completion for individuals whose college years were interrupted when they signed pro contracts.

Woods College also welcomes applications from NHLPA members with no college background who are interested in starting a degree program.

“The Woods College’s strength as a national leader in college degree completion and our successful, organic relationship with professional athletes over the years led us to pursue this agreement with the NHLPA,” said Goodman in a statement. “With a wide array of degree options, such as in-person, online and hybrid course offerings, and years of experience in helping non-traditional students–including former student-athletes­–complete their degrees, the Woods College is well positioned to work with the NHLPA to offer this resource to its members.”

Walsh, the former mayor of Boston and secretary of labor during the Biden Administration, said he was pleased to work with BC given his own experience as a Woods College student who took evening classes at the school to earn his degree in 2009.

“The NHLPA is constantly encouraging its players to take advantage of opportunities, including personal development through continuing education,” said Walsh. “The Woods College of Advancing Studies at Boston College provides the needed flexibility in transferring existing college credits and the experience in providing degree completion for professional athletes. That is a big differentiator. A college diploma sets players up for success by preparing them for the next phase of their lives. To help our members earn a degree from a renowned university like Boston College is a win-win for all involved.”

According to the NHL, more than a third of its players played college hockey in the United States or Canada, with most leaving school early to play professionally. That reality led the NHLPA to seek degree completion cooperation agreements enabling players and association staff to take online courses during the season, or in-person, hybrid, or online courses during the summer.

“Our academic advisors build close, supportive relationships with each of our students to help them achieve their academic goals,” said Goodman. “We offer the flexibility and support that working professionals need to fulfill their aspirations and a successful track record in assisting professional athletes to complete their college degrees. We are proud to formally welcome NHLPA UNLMT to the Woods College family.”

Brooks Orpik, who left Boston College after his junior year and went on to win two NHL Stanley Cup titles with the Pittsburgh Penguins before he retired from pro hockey in 2019, said the agreement will be helpful for players of all ages.

“I had promised a lot of people, including my parents and former BC hockey coach Jerry York, that I would finish college at some point,” said Orpik, who went back to Boston College in 2020 and completed his degree in 2022. “The Woods College faculty and staff made the process as easy as possible. The feeling of pride I had was just so different than anything, athletically, I have accomplished.”

Aurora’s Hassan Akl elevates hockey game to another level

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Hassan Akl has played a key role in Aurora’s success this season. (Photo Credit: Steve Woltmann/Aurora Athletics)

Hassan Akl has played a huge role in Aurora’s rise to one of the nation’s best Division III hockey teams.

He’s top 10 in the NCHA in goals and assists, and actually leads D-III in assists. 

And none of it should be a surprise considering the work the junior forward puts in, especially in the offseason.

“I’m really grateful I skate with a lot of really good players, a lot of pros, too, and they have personally helped me elevate my game,” Akl said. It’s important to work with players who are better than you, to help you see what it takes to get to the next level.”

Akl, who has racked up 39 helpers to go along with his 13 goals, said there were a lot of aspects of his game he focused on ahead of the 2024-25 season. And it’s paid off big time.

“I worked a lot on the little details,” Akl said. “I shot the puck more, did a better job of reading the ice in the offensive zone. My game has always been skill and skating. I’ve had those tools for awhile. It’s just been focusing on the little things.”

Akl and the Spartans won the regular season conference championship and are ranked No. 2 in the country in the USCHO.com poll. They are set to face No. 14 Adrian tonight in a semifinal conference tournament game.

“It’s been really fun going to the rink every day, and having everyone push each other,” Akl said. “We go into every game with confidence and that comes with working hard and doing the little things.”

On a personal level, it’s been a year to remember for Akl who has seen his production sky rocket in year three at Aurora.

He had seven total goals in his first two years. He’s nearly doubled that this season. And in the first two years, he accumulated 33 assists. He’s nearly 10 above that total this year.

Yes, a lot of it is Akl and what he’s done to put himself in a position to succeed. But the team around him has helped his cause big time as well.

“It’s going out there and not overthinking,” Akl said. “Everyone knows their role and we have four lines that can go out and play well. It makes things easier I can just go out there and play stress free, and do my thing. It’s working well. I give all the credit to my teammates.”

Akl grew up in Canada and has always had a passion for hockey.

“I started skating when I was 3 or 4 and started playing at age 5,” Akl said. “I’ve been around the game a long time.”

As he grew up, the idea of playing in college became more real. He found a home in Aurora.

“When I went the junior route, I had college in mind, and the opportunity came up to go to Aurora,” Akl said. “Everything has worked out really well. I’m happy with the cards I’ve been dealt.”

The Spartans, who have 23 wins, the most in program history, are hoping a few more cards are dealt in their favor as they take aim at their first conference championship. The one day at a time approach is key.

“Day by day,” Akl said. “We’re not focused on the rankings or anything. We’ve just stuck to taking it day by day and it’s been working. We know we have a good test coming up against Adrian.”

While the focus is on the present, Akl does hope to play pro hockey some day.

“It’s one of the reasons I chose Aurora. I know coach (Jason) Bloomingburg has a lot of connections. I knew if I came here, I’d have an opportunity to play pro one day if I do what I’m suppose to do. I hope playing pro is in my future.”

FRIDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: American International keeps season alive, gets OT win over RIT in Atlantic Hockey playoffs; No. 15 Penn State downs No. 2 Minnesota in OT; top-ranked Boston College defeats New Hampshire; No. 19 Clarkson nips No. 13 Quinnipiac in OT

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RIT and AIC played to a 1-1 tie through 60 minutes in the opening game of the Atlantic Hockey America playoffs until the Yellow Jackets advanced with a thrilling overtime win (photo: Elizabeth Robertson/RIT Athletics).

American International kept its season – and its NCAA Division I tenure – alive Friday night, knocking out RIT 2-1 in overtime to open the Atlantic Hockey America playoffs.

Due to a scheduling conflict on AIC’s home ice at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., the game was played at Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y.

In overtime, Oscar Geschwind blocked an RIT shot at the top of the Yellow Jackets zone and took a quick return pass from Brett Rylance headed the other way for an odd-man rush. Geschwind fed Casey McDonald trailing in the slot for a one-timer under the bar past Tigers goalie Ethan David for the deciding goal at 6:01 of extra time.

Following a scoreless first period, RIT got on the board at 6:21 of the second. Ty Whyte took a loose puck in the neutral zone and fed Grady Hobbs breaking the other way. Hobbs took a shot from the right faceoff circle that AIC netminder Chase Clark sticked aside, but Philippe Jacques was there to clean up the rebound inside an empty left post.

AIC tied the game 2:58 into the third as John Lundy redirected a long slap shot from the left point by Alexander Malinowski that found its way over David’s pads inside the left post.

Clark finished with 31 saves for AIC, while David turned aside 33 for RIT.

SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS | POLL | PAIRWISE

No. 1 Boston College 4, New Hampshire 1

After Robert Cronin opened the scoring for New Hampshire at 18:15 of the first period, Boston College scored the next four to take a 4-1 win over the Wildcats from Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Andre Gasseau potted a pair of goals for the Eagles, while Connor Joyce and Ryan Leonard also scored to back Jacob Fowler’s 25 saves in goal.

New Hampshire goalies Rico DiMatteo and Jared Whale combined on a 15-save effort.

No. 2 Minnesota, No. 15 Penn State

Simon Mack’s goal at 3:09 of overtime gave Penn State a 4-3 win over Minnesota at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pa.

Matt DiMarsico, JJ Wiebusch and Danny Dzhaniyev added goals for the Nittany Lions, while goalie Arsenii Sergeev made 31 saves.

For the Gophers, Mason Nevers, Connor Kurth and Jimmy Snuggerud scored and Liam Souliere stopped 28 shots in goal.

No. 3 Michigan State 5, Notre Dame 2

From the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind., five different players scored as Michigan State toppled Notre Dame 5-2.

David Gucciardi, Matt Basgall, Karsen Dorwart, Maxim Strbak and Isaac Howard collected the Spartans goals, with Trey Augustine making 22 saves between the pipes.

Justin Janicke and Axel Kumlin scored for the Irish and goaltender Owen Say stopped 33 shots.

No. 4 Western Michigan 6, No. 18 North Dakota 4

Six different players found the net as Western Michigan beat North Dakota 6-4 from Lawson Ice Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich., to claim the Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions.

https://www.twitter.com/WMUHockey/status/1895675887481462883

Matteo Costantini, Grant Slukynsky, Alex Bump, Iiro Hakkarainen, Tim Washe and Samuel Sjolund scored for the Broncos and netminder Hampton Slukynsky made 18 stops.

For the Fighting Hawks, Dylan James, Carter Wilkie, Sacha Boisvert and Jake Schmaltz scored and TJ Semptimphelter finished with 27 saves between the pipes.

No. 5 Maine 4, Vermont 1

Taylor Makar’s hat trick led Maine to a 4-1 win over Vermont at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.

https://www.twitter.com/MaineIceHockey/status/1895677109512913028

Grayson Arnott also scored for the Black Bears and goalie Albin Boija put up 26 saves.

Isak Walther scored the lone goal for the Catamounts and Axel Mangbo made 34 saves in goal.

No. 6 Denver 3, St. Cloud State 1

From Magness Arena in Denver, Colo., Carter King registered two goals to lead Denver to a 3-1 win over St. Cloud State.

https://www.twitter.com/DU_Hockey/status/1895673915298758790

Jack Devine also scored for the Pioneers and goalie Matt Davis finished with 20 saves.

Nick Ports scored for the Huskies and Isak Posch made 38 saves in goal.

No. 7 Providence 3, Merrimack 2

Tanner Adams’ goal at 1:52 of the third period proved to be the game winner as Providence came back from a 2-0 hole to beat Merrimack 3-2 at Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.

https://www.twitter.com/FriarsHockey/status/1895655863114924351

Graham Gamache and Clint Levens also scored for the Friars, while Philip Svedeback made 29 saves in goal.

Caden Cranston scored both goals for the Warriors and goalie Max Lundgren turned aside 29 shots of his own.

No. 11 Michigan 4, No. 8 Ohio State 3

Michigan led 4-1 after 40 minutes and held on to down Ohio State 4-3 from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

TJ Hughes, Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen, Tyler Duke and William Whitelaw scored for the Wolverines, while goalie Logan Stein made 21 saves.

Ohio State’s goal scorers were Joe Dunlap, Brent Johnson and Max Montes.

Kristoffer Eberly tallied 28 stops in the Buckeyes crease.

No. 9 UConn 5, Northeastern 2

From the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn., Ryan Tattle scored two goals and Callum Tung made 28 saves in goal to lead UConn to a 5-2 win over Northeastern in a battle of two Huskies teams.

https://www.twitter.com/UConnMHOC/status/1895647303073218729

Joey Muldowney, Jake Richard and Hudson Schandor also scored for UConn.

Cam Lund posted both goals for Northeastern and goaltender Cameron Whitehead also made 28 saves.

No. 12 Arizona State 4, Omaha 1

Cullen Potter recorded two goals to lead Arizona State past Omaha 4-1 from Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb.

https://www.twitter.com/SunDevilHockey/status/1895672223576572270

Ryan Kirwan and Artem Shlaine added goals for the Sun Devils and Gibson Homer stopped 32 shots in net.

Brock Bremer scored the lone Mavericks goal and goalie Simon Latkoczy made 35 saves.

No. 19 Clarkson 4, No. 13 Quinnipiac 3 (OT)

After Travis Treloar’s goal at 18:15 of the third period pulled Quinnipiac into a 3-3 tie at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, N.Y., Ryan Bottrill won it for Clarkson at 4:52 of overtime.

https://www.twitter.com/ClarksonMHockey/status/1895670180271047114

Ayrton Martino tallied twice and Trey Taylor also scored for the Golden Knights, while goalie Ethan Langenegger made 23 saves.

Jack Ricketts and Andon Cerbone also scored for the Bobcats and Dylan Silverstein finished with eight saves in net.

No. 14 Minnesota State 1, Bemidji State 1 (Bemidji State wins shootout)

Kaden Bohlsen scored for Minnesota State and Noah Quinn for Bemidji State as the two teams skated to a 1-1 tie at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn.

https://www.twitter.com/CCHAHockey/status/1895682022389268676

Bemidji State then took the extra standings point by winning the shootout after nothing was settled in overtime.

Alex Tracy made 26 saves for the Mavericks and Mattias Sholl 32 for the Beavers.

Providence’s Kirchmair lone unanimous selection on 2024-25 women’s Hockey East all-star teams

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Reichen Kirchmair has posted 19 goals and 37 points this season for Providence (photo: Brian Foley for Foley-Photograph).

Hockey East has announced its 2024-25 women’s all-star teams as voted by the women’s league’s 10 head coaches.

Providence junior forward Reichen Kirchmair was the lone player selected unanimously to the all-Hockey East first team. Joining Kirchmair on the first team are goaltender Tia Chan (UConn), defenders Tamara Giaquinto (Boston University) and Ava Rinker (UConn) and forwards Julia Pellerin (Boston College) and Audrey Knapp (Providence). Chan was named goaltender of the year for her achievement, the first Husky netminder so honored since 2017-18.

Named all-Hockey East second team are goaltender Abby Hornung (Holy Cross), defenders Molly Jordan (Boston College) and Brooke Becker (Providence) and forwards Sammy Taber (Boston College), Claire Murdoch (UConn) and Skylar Irving (Northeastern).

Getting nods on the third team are goaltender Hope Walinski (Providence), defenders Tuva Kandell (Northeastern) and Ashley Kokavec (Vermont) and forwards Sydney Healey (Boston University), Ashley Allard (UConn), Jada Habisch (UConn) and Kira Juodikis (New Hampshire).

Hockey East will announce finalists for the player, rookie, and coach of the year awards on March 3.

Post’s Wysocki named NEWHA player of year for ’24-25, joins teammates Saunders (best goalie), Ringor (best rookie) as major award winners

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Julie Wysocki celebrates a goal for Post during the 2024-25 season (photo: Michael Vesci).

The NEWHA has announced its major end-of-season awards and also unveiled its all-NEWHA teams for the 2024-25 season.

Player of the Year: Julia Wysocki, Post
Wysocki became the first player in Post history to earn a year-end league honor. She led the NEWHA in goals (17) and total points (26), recording multiple multi-goal games, including a two-goal performance at LIU (Feb. 13, 2025). Her .236 shooting percentage was the highest in the league and she won 336 faceoffs, ranking among the league’s best.

Defensive Player of the Year: Maggie Korneta, Franklin Pierce
Korneta becomes the first Franklin Pierce defender to earn this accolade, leading all defensemen in points (20). She tied for the league lead in assists (15) and contributed offensively with key multi-point performances, including a one-goal, two-assist outing against St. Anselm (Nov. 2, 2024). Korneta also ranked second in plus/minus among defensemen (+15), showcasing her impact at both ends of the ice​

Goalie of the Year: Hannah Saunders, Post
Saunders was the league’s top goaltender, posting a 1.92 goals-against average (GAA) and a .941 save percentage across 26 games. She recorded six shutouts, the most in the league, and made 777 saves (29.88 per game), including a 49-save shutout against Sacred Heart (Feb. 22, 2025)​.

Rookie of the Year: Rowyn Ringor, Post
Ringor had an outstanding first-year campaign, leading all rookies and tying for the league lead in assists (15). She added 10 goals for a total of 25 points, making her one of the top overall scorers in the league. Her 10 multi-point games led all players.​

Coach of the Year: Kelly Nash, LIU
Nash, in her third season with LIU, earned her second straight Coach of the Year honor after guiding the Sharks to a 19-10-4 overall record (19-6-3 in NEWHA play) and their third straight regular season championship. LIU enters the NEWHA Tournament as the top seed.

First Team
Grace Babington, LIU, So., F
Jeannie Wallner, LIU, Sr., F
Julia Wysocki, Post, Sr., F
Anna Fairman, LIU, Gr., D
Maggie Korneta, Franklin Pierce, Jr., D
Hannah Saunders, Post, Jr., G

Second Team
Isabella Chaput, Sacred Heart, So., F
Bailey Feeney, Stonehill, Jr., F
Mikayla Kelley, Franklin Pierce, Sr., F
Tyra Turner, Saint Anselm, Sr., F
Rowyn Ringor, Post, Fr., F
Bri Eid, LIU, Sr., D
Sydney Russell, Stonehill, Jr., D
Abbie Thompson, LIU, Gr., G

All-Rookie Team
Alexsa Caron, Stonehill, G
Bo Dean, Franklin Pierce, F
Jordana DeMarinis, Saint Michael’s, G
Ella Holm, Sacred Heart, F
Brynn Levinson, Franklin Pierce, F
Rowyn Ringor, Post, F

All-Sportswomanship Team
Sam Mathe, LIU, So., D
Alicia McDonald, Saint Michael’s, Fr., F
Ava McGaffigan, Assumption, So., F
Kerryn O’Connell, Sacred Heart, Sr., F
Alexis Poppleton, Saint Anselm, So., F
Hannah Saunders, Post, Jr., G
Makenna Slocum, Stonehill, So., F
Julia Stevens, Franklin Pierce, Sr., D

Atlantic Hockey America unveils two all-conference teams, all-rookie team for 2024-25 women’s season

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Vanessa Upson has 13 goals and 37 points this season for Mercyhurst (photo: Ed Mailliard).

Atlantic Hockey America has announced its two women’s all-conference teams and all-rookie team for the 2024-25 season.

2024-25 ALL-AHA FIRST TEAM
Tessa Janecke, F, Jr., Penn State
Vanessa Upson, F, Sr., Mercyhurst
Katelyn Roberts, F, Jr., Penn State
Kendall Butze, D, Jr., Penn State
Emma Pickering, D, So., RIT
Katie DeSa, G, Jr., Penn State

2024-25 ALL-AHA SECOND TEAM
Bryn Saarela, F, Gr., Syracuse
Maddy Christian, F, Jr., Penn State
Morgan Neitzke, F, Sr., Lindenwood
Lyndie Lobdell, D, Gr., Penn State
Megan McKay, D, Jr., Mercyhurst
Allie Kelley, G, Gr., Syracuse

2024-25 AHA ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Julia Schalin, F, Mercyhurst
Grace Outwater, F, Penn State
Brac Kelley, F, RIT
Grace Tullock, D, Penn State
Jessica Cheung, D, Syracuse
Magdalena Luggin, G, Mercyhurst

ECAC Hockey announces 2024-25 women’s all-rookie team, trio of all-conference teams

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Issy Wunder has been a huge positive for Princeton this season (photo: Shelley M. Szwast).

ECAC Hockey has announced the women’s all-rookie team and three all-conference teams for the 2024-25 season.

ECAC All-Rookie Team
Mackenzie Alexander,* F, Princeton
Lindzi Avar,* F, Cornell
Karianne Engelbert,^ F, Union
Monique Lyons,^ F, Brown
Makayla Watson, D, Quinnipiac
Rosie Klein, D, Princeton
Michaela Hesova, G, Dartmouth

*Denotes unanimous selection
^Tied in voting

First Team All-ECAC
Issy Wunder, F, Princeton, Jr.
Kristýna Kaltounková, F, Colgate, Gr.
Anne Cherkowski, F, Clarkson, Gr.
Nicole Gosling, D, Clarkson, Gr.
Haley Winn,* D, Clarkson, Sr.
Annelies Bergmann, G, Cornell, So.

*Denotes unanimous selection

Second Team All-ECAC
Elyssa Biederman, F, Colgate, Jr.
Abby Hustler, F, St. Lawrence, Sr.
Sarah Paul, F, Princeton, Jr.
Ashley Messier, D, Cornell, Sr.
Kendall Cooper, D, Quinnipiac, Gr.
Hannah Murphy, G, Colgate, Sr.

Third Team All-ECAC
Avi Adam, F, Cornell, Jr.
Anna Segedi, F, St. Lawrence, Gr.
Emma Pais, F, Colgate, So.
Andrea Trnková, D, RPI, So.
Rory Guilday, D, Cornell, Sr.
Emma Sofie Nordström, G, St. Lawrence, Jr.

NCAA D-II/III East Men’s Ice Hockey Game Picks – Part II – February 28, 2025

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Hobert’s Austin Mourar will put aside personal recognitions in the NEHC as Hobart looks to claim the final NEHC conference title (Phot by Adam Farid)

Here is Part II of this week’s two-part game predictions with a smorgasbord of quarterfinals (NEHC & NESCAC); semifinal action (CNE, MAC, MASCAC, SUNYAC & UCHC) and one title game in the NE-10. The upset bug hit big with MCLA’s win as an No. 8 seed on Thursday and now the remaining teams are all one week closer to a big prize. Every team is putting it all on the ice trying to attain something that has been dreamed about since last October. Virtually all the favorites won earlier this week so will that trend continue as stakes get higher? Look for some exceptional hockey on Saturday that will crown one conference winner while determining final four or championship pairings across the remaining seven conferences in the east.

Wednesday and Thursday’s opening round picks finished at picks finished at an amazing  9-1-0 (.900) missing out on the huge MCLA upset win. Hopefully, that is a good sign entering a big weekend of playoff games on Saturday. My season numbers after yesterday now stand at 121-51-10 (.692) so maybe my strong early playoff showing will keep my success rate on the climb. With all the mid-week results in the books here are the picks in the east for the penultimate weekend:

Saturday, March 1, 2025

CNE

(15) Endicott v. (8) University of New England

These two teams are about as evenly matched as it gets anywhere in D-III. Check the boxes on goaltending, defense, forward group and special teams. The only significant intangible is the home-ice thing and that is something the Nor’easters will look to take advantage of with a raucous crowd. Overtime is mandatory – UNE, 3-2

Suffolk v. (4) Curry

The Rams are looking to pull a major upset and really have nothing to lose which could be dangerous for the Colonels. Goaltending of CJ Hapward will keep things close for a while, but third period and special team goals from assorted Colonels provide ample margin to advance Curry to the CNE title game – Curry, 4-1

 MAC

Alvernia v. Wilkes

The Colonels best not look past the Golden Wolves expecting an easy path to the MAC title game. Everyone wants that first title that includes an NCAA auto-bid, so it is imperative the home team start fast and finish strong. They do give the home crowd much to cheer about, but it is still close –        Wilkes, 3-2

Neumann v. Stevenson

This game actually has me really thinking about the UPSET ALERT as I firmly believe either team can “escape” with a win here. Will take the home team in overtime because this is the time of year that Liam McCanney & Company are built for – it is playoff hockey – Stevenson, 4-3

MASCAC

Fitchburg State v. Salem State

The Vikings and Falcons have a long history, and this game should be a lot of fun to watch with chances aplenty at both ends of the ice. Salem State won their first home playoff game this decade on Thursday and like the feeling so much they double down against the Falcons. Score is closer than final margin shows due to multiple ENGs – Salem State, 5-2

MCLA v. Anna Maria

The AmCats best not look past the Trailblazers who showed a couple of goals, great goaltending and disciplined defense is a good formula to spring an upset as they did against Plymouth State. Matthew Gover is red-hot but Brandon Della-Paolera and the “Matthews” (Byrne & Gilbert) score just enough to eke out a win and a spot in the title game – Anna Maria, 3-1

NE-10

St. Michael’s v. St. Anselm

The only championship game of the week will determine this year’s D-II level winner. The Hawks have beaten the Purple Knights four consecutive times this season but should not expect an easy time in Round five. Overtime was required in last year’s final and so it will be this year with the home team tasting victory in front of the home crowd –                  St. Anselm, 4-3

NEHC

Albertus Magnus v. (1) Hobart

The Statesmen always “fear no team and respect all teams” per coach Mark Taylor. Hobart’s only loss of the season was to the Falcons and the best way to pay back the favor is to send the visitors home to end their season. Too much playoff pedigree for the No. 1 team in the country starting their post-season journey – Hobart, 5-1

Elmira v. Norwich

The Cadets found their game in February and leveraged those strong results into the No. 2 seed. No intention in not taking advantage of home-ice against a team with lots of talent. Sami Molu is a difference maker as is the leadership and scoring of Clark Kerner and Joe Johnson who find the winning margin in regulation time – Norwich, 3-2

New England College v. Babson

The Beavers are built for playoff hockey with balanced scoring, disciplined defense, and a confident Nate Mueller in the crease. The Pilgrims will keep this one close but fall just short before an ENG provides the final margin of victory for the home team who advances to the semifinal round – Babson, 4-2

Salve Regina v. Skidmore

The Thoroughbreds have been strong contenders in recent NEHC tournaments and will take advantage of the big rink to take out a skilled Seahawks squad. The teams split the two-game series in Rhode Island in the regular season and the home team will be looking to replicate game two of that series with a strong win. Fast start leads to a comfortable win – Skidmore, 4-1

NESCAC

Conn College v. (11) Hamilton

The Continentals took the regular season title and now look to parlay that advantage in the conference tournament. Camels won’t be an easy out especially with Will McEvoy playing so well in goal. Tchor, Krock and DeVries pace the offense and a chance for the home team to host the semis and final in a week’s time – Hamilton, 4-2

Middlebury v. (13) Trinity

The Bantams and Panthers played two very close games in the regular season with Trinity taking both games with third period scoring. Bobak and Heinze will keep things low-scoring and Korona or Sedlak send the home team on to the next round in defense of their title from last season – Trinity, 2-1

Amherst v. Colby

The Mammoth suddenly started scoring last weekend as the road team where they moved up in the standings. Colby has a lot of talent, but this conference is known for upsets and a six-seed isn’t that big a stretch in the most balanced conference top to bottom. Late goal and ENG give the visitors more hockey next week – Amherst, 5-3

Tufts v. Bowdoin

The two teams played each other last weekend to close out the regular season and the Jumbos skated off with a 5-0 win. Completely different venue and stakes this week as the Polar Bears have short memories and take advantage of the friendly confines of “The Sid” – Bowdoin, 3-1

SUNYAC

Buffalo State v. Oswego

The Lakers were young to start the season but that seems like forever ago. The same can be said for the Bengals who have been strong all season as the road team. Seesaw affair finds a home team surge in the final period before an overtime winning goal as the Lakers advance, barely – Oswego, 4-3

Plattsburgh v. (12) Cortland

The Red Dragons were a far better road team this year than they played on home ice. That said no time like the present to take advantage of your rink, crowd and the rest of the comforts of being on campus. Cardinals had to push late for playoffs and a comeback win on Wednesday, but their season ends here with Seitz and Settimo lighting the red light enough to advance the home squad – Cortland, 3-2

UCHC

Manhattanville v. (6) Geneseo

The Knights lost out on the top seed but won’t give Manhattanville much time or space from the opening puck drop as Purcell, Dameski, Morgan and Fensterstock make things difficult for Sebastien Woods in the Valiants net – Geneseo, 4-1

Chatham v. (3) Utica

The Pioneers have already seen what the Cougars can do in a 7-6 regular season loss. Home ice is a very comfortable place for the No. 1 seed who need to win so hockey fans can enjoy the fifth installment of Geneseo and Utica for the UCHC title. Jakob Breault and Johnny Mulera spark the offense in the win – Utica, 5-3

There is just one weekend left to decide who skates with the trophies in all the D-III conferences. Don’t win this week, you don’t get to play for the big prize and more March hockey – “Drop the Puck!”

Beloit adds men’s, women’s NCAA Division III hockey teams for 2025-26 season

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Beloit College has announced the addition of NCAA Division III men’s and women’s hockey teams to its athletic program.

Beloit has also extended an invitation to Northland College’s men’s and women’s hockey teams to join the Beloit community, following the news that Northland will close at the end of the semester.

The Northland coaches have accepted the offer, and Northland student-athletes met the news with great excitement.

“It’s wonderful to know that our history will continue,” said men’s coach Shane Buckley in a statement. “To know that we can offer our students an incredible experience at Beloit in the classroom, as well as on the ice, is amazing. We can build something truly special at Beloit.”

“I’m excited about the welcoming community at Beloit,” added women’s coach Jake Bobrowski. “Beloit College has the academics, the athletics, the Powerhouse, the student experience. By year two and three, we’re going to be very competitive. My goal is to get to the NCAA Division III tournament, and at some point get to a national championship. I can’t wait to welcome new students.”

Beloit College representatives will attend a Northland college transfer fair on March 13 and will host the hockey teams and all other interested students on Beloit’s campus March 22.

The men’s and women’s hockey teams will begin competing in the 2025-26 school year, with a full schedule already planned.

Huge tilts in Big Ten, NCHC top our slate for money lines, analysis for Feb. 28: USCHO Edge college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 17

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USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger look at money lines and over/under for six college games on February 28, 2025:

  • Minnesota -220 @ Penn State +170; over/under 6.5
  • Michigan State -250 @ Notre Dame +190; o/u 5.5
  • Northeastern +175 @ UConn -230; o/u 5.5
  • Arizona State -125 @ Omaha -105; o/u 6.5
  • North Dakota +190 @ Western Michigan -250; o/u 5.5
  • New Hampshire +380 @ Boston College -580; o/u 6.5 (our “pizza money” game)
This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Men’s Division I Frozen Four, April 10 and 12 in St. Louis. Get your tickets now at ncaa.com/frozenfour

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

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

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Hockey East announces 2024-25 women’s all-rookie team, highlighted by three unanimous selections, plus five individual awards

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UConn’s Claire Murdoch is a unanimous Hockey East all-rookie team member for the 2024-25 season (photo: Clarus Multimedia Group).

Hockey East has announced the 2024-25 all-rookie team and five other season-long awards as voted by the women’s league’s 10 head coaches.

The all-rookie team consists of seven players, including three unanimous selections in UConn forward Claire Murdoch and Northeastern defender Tuva Kandell and her teammate, goaltender Lisa Jönsson. The team is rounded out by defender Olivia Maffeo (Boston College) and forwards Lauren Glaser (Boston College), Chloe Goofers (Merrimack), and Eloise Caron (Northeastern).

Also recognized for her efforts in the 2024-25 campaign is Boston University graduate student Tamara Giaquinto, who has been named defender of the year, the first Terrier to win the award since Kasey Boucher in 2011-12.

Two statistical awards have been formally announced, as Providence’s Reichen Kirchmair has captured the Hockey East scoring crown, netting 15 goals and adding 15 assists for 30 points. She is just the second Friar to ever claim the title and the first since Kelli Halcisak did so in the league’s inaugural 2002-03 campaign.

Boston College goaltender Grace Campbell has captured the Hockey East three stars award, given to the player who accrues the most points from being named the first, second, or third star of the game throughout the season.

Providence graduate Hannah Johnson has been honored as the best defensive forward during the regular season. She becomes just the second Friar to win the award after Sarah Hjalmarsson in 2022-23.

Merrimack graduate forward Raice Szott was awarded the conference’s sportsmanship award. Szott is a three-time nominee for the Hockey Humanitarian Award and has been a finalist each of the last two years.

Hockey East will announce the 2024-25 all-star teams on Friday and then the finalists for player, rookie, and coach of the year awards on Monday.

NCAA D-III West Men’s Hockey Weekend Picks

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Joe Harguindeguy and the Cobbers take on Gustavus in the semifinal round of the MIAC tournament. (Photo provided by Concordia Athletics)

Are we ready for some playoff hockey?

There will be plenty of it this weekend as the MIAC, WIAC and NCHA tournaments take place. The MIAC is beginning postseason play while the WIAC and NCHA are continuing on with their tournaments.

Time to dive in with some picks and see who is going to advance to next weekend’s championship games.

MIAC

Gustavus (14-9-2) vs. Concordia (12-11-3)

The Gusties won the regular season title and are in the conference tournament for the first time since 2020. Concordia is in the semifinal round for the first time since 2018 after beating Saint John’s 4-2 on Wednesday.

These two squads haven’t played since November. Gustavus won both games, prevailing 4-0 and 4-3. Gustavus won just twice in its final seven games while the Cobbers are playing with house money in this one. Once out of playoff contention, the Cobbers got in and hope to make a run. They have won four of their last seven.

An upset wouldn’t surprise me, but I’ll go with the home team here.
Gustavus, 4-2

Bethel  (13-9-3) vs. St. Olaf (13-9-3)

No need for introductions here. The Royals and Oles are playing for the third time in the last eight days and the fourth time overall. They split their regular season series but St. Olaf also won an outdoor game in November.

For the Royals, it’s about revenge. They lost to the Oles in the championship game last season as St, Olaf won its second title in the last three seasons.

Bethel has been great at home, losing just once, and feature one of the top goal scorers in hockey in Tyler Braccini. St. Olaf has a pretty good scoring threat of its own in Jonathan Panisa. Expect this one to go right down to the wire. I like Bethel at home, but then, St. Olaf in the playoffs is a hard thing to bet against. It won’t be a surprise no matter who wins.
Bethel, 3-2

NCHA

Aurora (23-3-1) vs. Adrian (17-9-1)

The Spartans are the top seed and have won their last five. They took two of three from the Bulldogs in the regular season and have the best offense in the league with 134 goals. They are also 13-0 at home.

Adrian ranks third in goals scored (103). But don’t overlook the goalie matchup between JaCob Mucitelli of Aurora and Dershahn Stewart of Adrian.
Aurora, 5-3

St. Norbert (21-5-1) vs. Trine (20-5-2)

The Green Knights are unbeaten in their last eight games. They split with Trine in the regular season on their home ice. The Thunder have won two in a row and unbeaten their last five. This could end up being a shootout and should go down to the wire. St. Nobert has its sights set on a championship and hopes home ice proves to be an advantage.

St. Norbert, 4-3

WIAC

UW-Stevens Point (18-5-2) vs. UW-Eau Claire (12-14-1)

The Pointers won it all last season, beating the Blugolds for the crown. In the regular season, Stevens Point won two of three against Eau Claire and hope to continue that success this time around. The Pointers are unbeaten in their last five games and have lost only one game at home this season. They also have the top two goal scorers in the conference in Peyton Hart and Dawson Sciarrino. The goalie matchup will be one to watch as Max Gutjahr of Eau Claire and Alex Proctor of Stevens Point are two of the best in hockey. I could see this going to a mini game.
Stevens Point, 4-2; Eau Claire, 3-2; Stevens Point, 2-1 (mini game)

UW-Superior (18-4-3) vs. UW-River Falls (16-10-1)

The Yellowjackets have had quite the year, winning the regular season crown, and sport a 9-2-3 record at home. But the Falcons are no pushover and all three meetings between these two teams were close throughout.

Superior has lost just once in its last 17 games and are led by Reed Stark and Justin Dauphinais. 

The Falcons have two big threats in Dylan Smith and and Jonny Meiers. This should be a really fun series to watch. River Falls is hoping to win its first title since 2015. The power play could be key here for River Falls, which has at least one power play goal in six of its last seven games.
Superior, 4-3; River Falls, 5-4; Superior, 1-0 (mini game)

This Week in Atlantic Hockey America: Playoffs have arrived with all 11 conference teams in hunt for NCAA tournament autobid

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Connor Hasley has been a wall in net this season for Bentley (photo: Ryan DeSantis/Bentley Athletics).

When the dust settled on the 2024-25 Atlantic Hockey America regular season, no tiebreakers were necessary to determine the playoff seedings:

1. Holy Cross
2. Sacred Heart
3. Bentley
4. Niagara
5. Army West Point
6. Canisius
7. Air Force
8. American International
9. Rochester Institute of Technology
10. Robert Morris
11. Mercyhurst

That means the 2025 Atlantic Hockey tournament looks like this:

First Round
Single elimination
February 28
#9 RIT vs. AIC (Tate Rink, West Point, N.Y.)
March 1
#11 Mercyhurst at #6 Canisius
#10 Robert Morris at #7 Air Force

Quarterfinal Round
Best-of-three series
March 7-9
Lowest surviving seed at #1 Holy Cross
Second lost surviving seed at #2 Sacred Heart
Third lowest surviving seed at #3 Bentley
#5 Army West Point at #4 Niagara

Semifinal Round
Best-of-three series
March 14-16
Lowest surviving seed at highest surviving seed
Second-lowest surviving seed at second-highest surviving seed

Championship
Single elimination
March 22
Lowest surviving seed at highest surviving seed

Predictions vs. reality

It’s been a yearly tradition here to take a look at how the coaches and yours truly picked the final standings at the start of the season. The coaches vote in a preseason poll, and I vote in a poll of one to determine USCHO’s picks.

Observations:
I had a better year than the coaches, but we both whiffed on a couple of predictions.

There were question marks surrounding defending champions RIT after the Tigers lost several key players to blue chip programs via the transfer portal at the end of last season. RIT lost three first-team and one second-team all-league players to transfer, and the impact turned out to be more significant than the coaches or myself predicted, resulting in a ninth-place finish, tied for the lowest for RIT since joining the league in 2006.

On the positive side, RIT also finished in ninth place in 2014 and went on to capture the next two conference championships.

The other major miscalculation by myself and the coaches was Army West Point. The Black Knights were picked to finish tenth by the coaches and last by yours truly. But thanks to the emergence of players like Mac Gadowsky and a freshman class that includes Jack Ivey (23 points) Ben Ivey (16 points), Nils Forselius (20 points) and JJ Cataldo (.925 saves % and a 2.31 GAA), combined with the X-Factor of coach Brian Riley’s impending retirement, Army West Point earned a fifth-place finish and first round bye.

Previewing the First Round

Anything can happen in a single-elimination game, and one or more upsets in this round wouldn’t be shocking.

#11 Mercyhurst at #6 Canisius
This is the oldest rivalry in Atlantic Hockey, going back to when both teams were in the Division III ECAC West. The schools have met 114 times previously, with Mercyhurst holding a 52-49-13 edge. Canisius holds the advantage in the Division I era (42-39-11).

Mercyhurst will be looking to stay out of the box against the Golden Griffins, who sport the best power play in the conference (23.8%). That’s compounded by the Lakers having the lowest penalty kill success rate in the league (71.9%).

The teams met three times in the regular season with Canisius taking 7 of 9 points (two wins plus a tie and shootout loss).

#10 Robert Morris at #7 Air Force
This is another rivalry that predates Atlantic Hockey. The former CHA members have played 46 times, with Air Force holding a 24-17-5 edge.

The teams’ only meeting this season was last weekend, when Air Force took five of six points with a victory and shoutout win.

Statistically, Robert Morris is averaging around a half a goal a game better than Air Force, while the Falcons are allowing about a half a goal a game less than the Colonials.

Neither team comes into the game on a hot streak. Air Force is 3-5-2 in its last 10 games while RMU is 1-7-2.

#9 Rochester Institute of Technology at #8 American International
This battle of the acronym schools is a rematch of last year’s Atlantic Hockey championship game, a 5-2 Tigers win that was closer than the score indicates.

This game will be played on Friday at West Point as the Mass Mutual Center, AIC’s home rink, is booked this weekend.

With the cancellation of its Division I program at the end of the season, every game could be the last for the Yellow Jackets. It’s difficult to end another team’s season, much less a situation like this.

The teams met two weeks ago, with the Tigers recording a victory and a shootout win on home ice.

RIT leads the all-time series 37-11-4.

Minnesota State goaltender Tracy tabbed 2024-25 CCHA student-athlete of the year

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Minnesota State goalie Alex Tracy has been a workhorse this season for the Mavericks (photo: Russell Hons).

The CCHA has announced that Minnesota State junior goaltender Alex Tracy as the conference’s 2024-25 student-athlete of the year, as voted on by the faculty athletics representatives from each member school.

A native of Chicago, Tracy is a finance major with a 3.93 cumulative grade point average. Named to the Dean’s List and CCHA scholar-athlete in each semester in which he has been eligible, he is a two-time AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar, along with academic all-district honors from the College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Tracy is a three-year member of SAAC, for which he has helped produce videos for mental health awareness as well as the Slam Don’t Drive Drunk campaign. He assists with the school’s All-Sports Camps and Trick or Treat with the Mavericks each year. Helping with the Kiwanis Holiday light event and the Anthony Ford Pond Hockey tournament, he also assists with the YMCA corn roast to raise funds for food pantries, helps at Futures School and works as a guest coach at the Miracle League for six weeks in the Fall.

Along with his teammates, Tracy has spent the past two years working with the adaptive floor hockey team for the Mankato High Schools, practicing with this group at least one a week and attending as many games as their schedule allows, including a road trip to support the team in tournament play.

Tracy coaches aspiring goaltenders at clinics and works in the Athlete-to-Athlete program mentoring three young athletes. He organizes the team Bible Study, participates in “I am Second” group designed to spread the gospel on campus, and leads devotional for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA). He organizes the groups pickleball games and works at a local church on Wednesday evenings with the AWANA program.

On the ice, Tracy has started all 32 games for the Mavericks this season, posting a 22-8-2 record with four shutouts. He has compiled a 1.46 goals-against average and a .944 save percentage across 1926:32 minutes, totaling 796 saves. He is a five-time CCHA goaltender of the week and was both the league and national goaltender of the month in November.

Tracy is among the national leaders in a number of statistical categories, including wins (1st), goals-against average (1st), save percentage (2nd), shutouts (3rd), minutes played (3rd), games played (3rd) and total saves (9th).

Given annually, the award is presented to one CCHA student-athlete who performed consistently as a regular member of their CCHA varsity hockey team, displayed outstanding sportsmanship, made satisfactory progress towards a degree, displayed leadership and was active in community service off the ice, encompassing a positive culture of the institution and league.

Last year, Michigan Tech senior Blake Pietila was the third recipient of the CCHA student-athlete of the year since the conference’s return in 2021-22.

Resurgent Vikings focused on playoff success

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Salem State captain Luke Day has been a key role model to the young Vikings who are preparing for their first home playoff game in eight seasons (Photo by Liliana Nunez/Emily Jancauskas)

With tonight’s quarterfinal home playoff game against Massachusetts-Dartmouth just hours away, the Salem State Vikings will be hosting a home conference tournament game for the first time since 2017 – ironically the last year they won the MASCAC title. The Vikings have found a winning formula that has led to an 18-6-0 record and a seven-game win streak that dates back to February 1 – a streak the team would like to extend into March and starting with a win this evening at “The Rockett.”.

“It has been really nice to see the re-birth of the program after missing out on the playoffs last season,” stated second-year head coach Chris MacInnis. “We have been getting contributions from everyone in the lineup and have had everyone buy into the system we need and want to play to be successful. We are still a fairly young team, so our leadership has been very important to make sure everyone is invested and doing what it takes for the team to get results.”

Captain Luke Day started wearing the “C” midway through last year’s season and his ability to carry the weight of the team and mentor the younger players has been on display this season with both on-ice and off-ice activities. In the last game of the regular season it was Day’s late third period goal that spurred a 6-4 comeback win over Worcester State with three goals coming in the final three minutes of regulation time.

“Luke has certainly carried the team at times,” noted MacInnis. “ He is especially good at doing things the “right way” and showing the younger players the foundations of being a successful college hockey player. Another leader has been Keagan O’Donoghue who returned as a graduate student this year and had some question marks on buying into the system and approach from the coaching perspective. He has checked all those boxes, been a great leader for us, is a big part of our first line with Landyn {Greatorex] and James [Tatro] and recently picked up his 100th career point. I was so happy for him to achieve that important milestone especially since I was the last player to that here at Salem State. I hope we will see many more 100-point players come through the program.”

One player on that trajectory is first-year James Tatro. So far this season Tatro is playing on the top line and already has thirty points on the season (14G – 16A – 30 Pts; +18) He has been dynamic on special teams scoring five power play goals and two shorthanded markers while scoring four game-winning goals for the Vikings so far this season.

“I knew when he visited that james was a good fit here at Salem State,” said MacInnis. “He was going to go play club hockey at Niagara but after thinking about things over the summer decided to come here and the fit has been obvious from the start of the season. He is a local kid who played high school hockey at Triton, so his family is nearby and very supportive of his playing here. I think James might fall into the “late bloomer” category, but he has certainly come into his own in this his first year at the collegiate level.”

Macinnis himself is a graduate of Salem State having recorded 102 points (44G – 58A – 102 Pts) between 2006-2009. MacInnis played for the legendary Bill O’Neill and then was an assistant coach with O’Neill before taking the job last season upon his mentor’s retirement. He learned a lot from his college coach and others that has helped with the quick trajectory the team has seen in just his second season behind the bench.

“I definitely take a lot from coach O’Neill and others including John Maguire, head coach at Waltham High School where I was an assistant when they won the Massachusetts state championship in 2018,” stated MacInnis. “I think the biggest takeaways have been really getting to know the players on a personal level, creating some work life balance and just a love of being at the rink every day. They say find something you love ,and you will never work a day in your life and that is what I have here at Salem State. There have definitely been a few “pinch me” moments that I am doing this, but this is what I love to do.”

The Vikings would love to play in a semifinal MASCAC playoff game and play for a 32nd conference title the following week. The young team has learned a lot over the course of the season and now hopes the applied lessons will carry them back to the top.

“Anything is possible in the playoffs,” noted MacInnis. “We have built a lot of confidence from winning games over teams like Endicott and coming back over Worcester State in the season finale as well as winning the Boston Landing tournament. We have also learned from adversity with some key losses. It is a three-game tournament and right now we are focused on the opponent for tonight as the Corsairs can be very dangerous with players like Tyler Stewart.”

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Final regular-season weekend means ‘the moment doesn’t care about you; you care about the moment’

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Penn State goalie Arsenii Sergeev has the ability to steal games on his own (photo: Penn State Athletics).

Hockey coaches and players famously embrace both the world of belief and the world of self-determination.

They’re a superstitious lot, some more so than others.

They can look you straight in the eye and begin a sentence with gratitude for puck luck and finish it with a triumphant declaration of TCB.

Never is that dichotomy more apparent than in the final days of a regular season with a conference title on the line, or as Minnesota coach Bob Motzko says, “The moment doesn’t care about you; you care about the moment. Just stay in it.”

Could any advice better combine the mystical and physical into one perfect hockey sentiment?

After sweeping Ohio State at home and following Michigan State’s one-point road performance against hotter-than-hot Penn State, Minnesota is now once again at the top of the Big Ten standings, two points ahead of the second-place Spartans.

Of the three Big Ten teams for whom the regular-season title is still mathematically within reach, only Minnesota controls its own fate. Two wins outright in the final weekend of play would give the Gophers a first-place finish and first-round bye for the Big Ten playoffs.

One slight potential problem: the Gophers are playing that hotter-than-hot Penn State team.

“They started out on the wrong side early but just stuck with it,” said Motzko of the Nittany Lions.

In his weekly press conference, Motzko said that the return of Penn State’s goaltender Arsenii Sergeev following an early-season injury helped to turn around a bad start for the Nittany Lions.

Penn State began first-half B1G play with eight straight losses. In Andreev’s first weekend back, the Nittany Lions earned a tie and their first Big Ten win. Including that series, they’ve been 8-2-4 in conference games.

Seegeev “seems to be the one big thing that’s happened,” said Motzko. “That and confidence. They’re brimming with confidence right now.”

The Nittany Lions are especially confident after tying and knocking off then-No. 1 Michigan State in Munn Ice Arena last weekend. The Spartans had been coming off a bye week prior to facing Penn State.

“Tough weekend for us, for sure,” said Michigan State coach Adam Nightingale in his weekly presser. “Going into the weekend, we thought we had two good weeks of practice. One thing for our group is that we really hadn’t hit a bump, and this is definitely a bump, but our guys are excited about the challenge.”

Nightingale said that the Spartans learned some valuable lessons from the losses, including valuing the puck and that “you can’t dig yourself a hole.”

The Spartans played from behind in both games, having to answer for Penn State’s scoring to get to that 2-2 Friday. In Saturday’s 3-2 loss, Michigan State was down 3-0 after two and found the back of the net in the third period, 20 minutes in which the Spartans outshot the Nittany Lions 19-5.

Of lessons learned from that one-point weekend, Nightingale said, “It stings a little bit more,” adding, “we’ve learned a lot from wins this year, too.”

Now chasing the regular-season title, the Spartans will face last-place Notre Dame on the road, and these are two games that Nightingale knows can’t be taken for granted. Given that the Fighting Irish will play on the road throughout the Big Ten playoffs, these will be the last two home games for Jeff Jackson, who announced his retirement prior to this season.

“It’s a big weekend for them,” said Nightingale. “Coach Jackson, one of the legends of not just college hockey but all of hockey.”

Nightingale, who grew up in Cheboygan, Mich., said that he and his hockey-playing brothers Jason and Jared all admired Jackson when they were young.

“You look at what he did at Lake Superior in really building that program into a national power,” Nightingale said. “He was the first coach of the U.S. national team. At the time when he did that it was kind of taboo. You look at what that’s done for USA Hockey.”

The emotions will be high in the Compton Family Ice Arena.

“It’ll be a really good test for our group,” said Nightingale. “Hard building to play in. We’re going to have to play our best hockey if we want to be successful.”

Both Nightingale and Motzko say that they’re focused on a much smaller picture than the possibility of earning a regular-season title.

“We don’t spend much time talking about standings and all those things, or rankings,” said Nightingale. “We don’t look at any of that stuff. None of that stuff matters to us. It’s just about getting better and improving. The nice thing for us is that we’ve established that, so our guys know that.”

“You battle through your season,” said Motzko. “Win the series against the team you play.

“We can’t worry about what Michigan State does. All we had to do last week is worry about who we were playing. Right now, it’s Friday night against Penn State. Then we’ll see what’s in front of us the next day.

“To think anything more than that, it’s just wasted energy.”

Penn State is 9-5-2 at home this season and Minnesota is 7-4-2 on the road. The Golden Gophers swept the Nittany Lions in Minneapolis Nov. 1-2. The Nittany Lions can finish no higher than fourth place – but that’s a very important fourth place, as the teams that finish second through fourth host a first-round playoff series. Even if Penn State sweeps Minnesota, the Nittany Lions aren’t guaranteed that spot in fourth.

Minnesota and Penn State meet for two games in Pegula Ice Arena this weekend, with Friday’s game starting at 8:30 p.m. and Saturday’s at 8:00. Both games will be televised by the Big Ten Network.

The Fighting Irish broke a five-game losing streak in their split against Wisconsin on the road last week, a 6-1 win that followed a 7-3 loss. Notre Dame is 5-10-0 at home and Michigan State is 8-3-2 on the road.

The Irish have no place to go in the standings and will finish in last place. A single win for the Spartans guarantees them a spot no lower than second in the final standings, and if they’re swept, they can finish no lower than third place. Friday’s game begins at 7:00 p.m., Saturday’s at 6:00 p.m.

There is one more series this weekend, that between arch-rivals Michigan and Ohio State. Sitting in third place with 40 points – six behind Minnesota – the Buckeyes can finish in first place, theoretically, but that would require some planets to align. Because they’re four points behind Michigan State, the Buckeyes also need a little magic to finish as high as second, but even if they lose out this weekend, they can’t finish lower than third.

With two wins over Ohio State this weekend, Michigan finishes in fourth place regardless of all else that transpires in the league. The Wolverines can finish no lower than fifth.

The Wolverines and Buckeyes play in Value City Arena, with Thursday’s game beginning at 8 p.m. and Friday’s at 6 p.m. The Big Ten network will televise both of those games.

Wisconsin, locked into a sixth-place finish, has a bye for the final weekend of the regular season.

This Week in Hockey East: Maine seniors reflect on turnaround, UMass coach Carvel approaches milestone

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UMass plays a home-and-home series this weekend against UMass Lowell (photo: UMass Athletics).

Checking in on a few trends around the league as “Senior Night” season heats up:

—Senior forward Nolan Renwick was blunt in his assessment of where the Maine hockey program stood during his freshman season of 2021-22.

“We weren’t very good,” Renwick said. “And our record reflected that.”

Indeed. Maine finished dead last in Hockey East that season (5-17-2, 7-22-4 overall), but since then, Renwick’s had one of the best seats in the house for the Black Bears’ remarkable turnaround. Maine improved to 15-16-5 overall the following season and 23-12-2 last year, which culminated in Maine’s first NCAA tournament berth in 12 years.

For Renwick, this weekend’s final homestand at Alfond Arena (vs. Vermont) will be a chance to reflect how far the Black Bears have come in his four seasons with the program.

“We really pulled this program up from a position where nobody thought we were going to do well,” he said. “Nobody thought we were going to win. Now we’re in a position where we’re contending for Hockey East championships.”

Entering the weekend, Maine is five points behind league-leading Boston College with an 11-4-5 conference record (19-6-5) overall — still very much in contention for the No. 1 overall seed in the upcoming Hockey East tournament.

“I think that adds a lot, makes it a lot more special, to come from where we were to where we are now,” Renwick said. “That even adds to the memory of my four years here.”

Unlike his departing players, coach Ben Barr is not expected to go anywhere at the end of the season. Yet the weekend will mark the beginning of the end of coach Ben Barr’s fourth season with the club, and with it an opportunity to reflect on Maine’s transformation from a Hockey East doormat to a national title contender. Barr took over the program during the summer of 2021, following the unexpected passing of coach Red Gendron.

“Without those guys, I don’t think anything changes the last couple of years,” Barr said of the athletes playing their last home regular-season games this weekend. “They’re special kids. (They’ve) turned themselves into good hockey players. It’s not like they were just given all the talent in the world. That’s contagious to everybody else. It’s contagious to the coaches. You know you’re always in the game with those guys as your leaders because they’re going to bring everyone else with them.”

—When Massachusetts hosts UMass Lowell on Thursday, it will make senior forward Lucas Mercuri the longest-serving Minutemen player under coach Greg Carvel, according to UMass broadcaster Nathan Strauss.

“He’s a tough guy, a tough kid,” said Carvel about Mercuri, who has missed all of one game in four seasons. “He’s really taken on the identity of a power forward and has really thrived off of it.”

A win vs. the River Hawks will make Carvel the program’s all-time winningest coach, surpassing Don “Toot” Cahoon, who guided the Minutemen from 2000-12.

—Like every team, Massachusetts will be fighting this weekend and next for the highest possible seed in the Hockey East tournament. But the No. 5 seed might be the perfect spot for UMass, and for good reason. The top eight seeds are guaranteed at least one home playoff game — except No. 5, which will earn a bye to the quarterfinals but will be forced to play that game on the road.

The Minutemen have performed better on the road this season (8-4-2) than at home (7-6-1).

“(We’re) trying to figure that out,” said Carvel. “I don’t know if it’s a home-ice advantage this year.”

This Week in NCHC Hockey: Colorado College planning for ‘a long run’ as Tigers need to ‘win a lot of games to get to where we ultimately want to be’

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Drew Montgomery has compiled 10 goals and 17 points this season for Colorado College (photo: Casey B. Gibson).

Sitting 32nd in the PairWise Rankings, Colorado College isn’t what you’d call a team on the bubble for a NCAA tournament berth this season.

But with two regular-season games left, plus however far into the postseason the Tigers get, coach Kris Mayotte wants his squad to look the part.

CC’s series split last weekend at St. Cloud State included a fifth win from the Tigers’ past six games, as the visitors were victorious 4-3 in Friday’s opener. But a 4-2 defeat Saturday kept the Tigers from potentially cutting the gap on Denver in fifth place in the NCHC standings to one point.

Ultimately, at 17-14-1 this season, CC is where it is.

But Friday’s victory showed glimpses of what the Tigers’ season still could be. Eleven different CC skaters found their way onto the score sheet, and while four different Tigers scored, goaltender Kaidan Mbereko posted a season-best 42 saves, including 15 in a scoreless third period.

“Just be him,” Mayotte said of what he wants to see out of Mbereko down the home stretch. “He’s really good when he’s him.”

There was also a good, if imperfect, team effort.

“I thought we got better as the game went on,” Mayotte said on a night when CC scored three second-period goals. “We played a team that was off the weekend before, they’re going to have their legs early. That, paired with getting used to the rink a little bit, I thought our first period was pretty sloppy in terms of chances we were giving up and our connectivity, but as we got into the second, you started to see us build our offense a little better and started to see us connect a little better defensively, and we were able to build some transition off of it.

“I thought we all executed really well. The talk on the bench was good, and there’s starting to be a belief. I thought in the third, they had the shot advantage (15-8), and I think a little bit of that is just the nature of the score, but I really liked how we went out and played. We weren’t hanging on. We went out to win the hockey game, and we got the job done.”

But the script flipped Saturday, when St. Cloud State scored three goals in the first period and then held on to win, again after a scoreless third. Second-period goals from Fisher Scott and Zaccharya Wisdom couldn’t get CC over the hump.

“I liked the way we played for the majority of tonight,” Mayotte said Saturday. “Unfortunately, we got down early, but we played a lot better than I think what the scoreboard reflects.

“You outshoot a team 44-20, you win 70-plus percent of the (faceoff) draws, I loved our discipline tonight, I thought we were generating chances the right way, I thought we were using our speed. We were driving, we were getting to the net. Sometimes it’s hockey, and their goalie (Isak Posch) played really well tonight. I thought he was the difference in the game.”

CC now has one last bye week before finishing the regular season with a home-and-home set March 7-8 against Denver. The teams split their first two Gold Pan series games back in December.

“Get prepared for a long run,” Mayotte said of his team’s approach the rest of the way. “Continue to get better, obviously, but at the same time, we know we’ve got to go on a run here and win a lot of games to get to where we ultimately want to be.”

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