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.
UW-Superior battles UW-Stevens Point this weekend in a key WIAC showdown. (Photo Credit: Holden Law, UW-Superior Athletics)
It’s Valentine’s Day weekend and there will be no love lost between teams as they compete in conference play. A lot is riding on every game. The weekend includes nationally ranked battles between Adrian and Trine and UW-Superior and UW-Stevens Point.
Augsburg (7-13-1, 3-8-1)vs. Saint John’s (8-12-1, 5-6-1)
The Auggies are in last place in the standings, having dropped two in a row, but could things around in a hurry with a couple of wins this weekend. The Johnnies are two points outside of a playoff spot at the moment but can help their cause by taking care of business. Saint John’s is winless in its last three and has been held to two goals or less in that stretch. Saint John’s, 4-3; Augsburg, 2-1
Concordia (10-9-2, 6-4-2) vs. Bethel (11–8-2, 7-4-1)
The Cobbers are playing as well as anyone right now as they are unbeaten in their last six games. They’ve won three in a row. Dane Couture has helped lead the way in goal, sporting a 2.39 goals against average. The offense is rolling as well, scoring five or more goals in two of their last three.
Bethel has won two of its last three and hoping to stay among the best in the conference standings. Tyler Braccini leads the MIAC in goals scored (16) and Austin Ryman has a 2.79 goals against average. This should be a fun series to watch. Bethel, 3-2; Concordia, 5-3
Saint Mary’s (9-11-1, 5-6-1) )vs. St. Olaf (11-7-3, 6-5-1)
The Cardinals are currently on the outside looking for the playoffs, though they are just two points out. The Oles are in third place in the standings and looking to stay in the top three.
Two of the top scorers in the conference will be on the ice as Jonathan Panisa has tallied 11 goals for St. Olaf. Colin Tushie has done the same for Saint Mary’s while ranking thor in assists (15). St. Olaf, 4-2; Saint Mary’s, 5-4
Gustavus (13-7-1, 9-2-1) vs. St. Scholastica (11-11-1, 6-8)
The first-place Gusties are in great shape but face a big test against the Saints, who are tied for fourth.
Gustavus has won seven of its last 10 and has Marlo Belak in goal. He was the MIAC Defensive Player of the Week, making 61 saves in two games against the Johnnies last weekend.
Belak will be tested against a Saints team that has three of the top five goal scorers in the conference, including Tristan Shewchuck, who has 12 goals. Brodie Girod and Hunter Hansen have 11 goals apiece. St. Scholastica, 3-2; Gustavus, 5-3
NCHA
Adrian (16-7, 10-6) )vs. Trine (17-5-1, 11-4-1)
Trine has two of the best netminders in the league in Cristian Wong-Ramos and Kyle Kozma and that could be the key to success against the Bulldogs. Offensively, the Thunder have scored 84 goals.
Adrian has racked up 95 goals and an is led by Ian Amsbaugh, who has scored 12 goals.
Both teams are looking to make a statement. Trine is ranked seventh in the nation. Adrian is 12th. Both teams will end up in the top four for the postseason no matter how the weekend goes. Adrian has won two in a row. Trine, 5-3; Adrian, 4-3
St. Norbert (18-5, 13-3) vs. Lawrence (7-13-2, 6-9-1)
The Green Knights are ranked sixth in the country and have Liam Fraser, who is second in goals with 17. Logan Dombrowsky ranks fifth with 13 goals. St. Norbert comes in having won four in a row.
Lawrence is fighting for a playoff spot and could finish as high as fifth or get left out. The Vikings need at least three points to clinch a spot. St. Norbert. 5-2 and 4-1
WIAC
UW-Stevens Point (17-5-1, 9-3-1) vs. UW-Superior (18-3-2, 11-1-1)
It doesn’t get any better than a showdown between the top two teams in the WIAC and two teams ranked in the top 15 in the USCHO.com poll.
You have to believe a lot of goals are going to be scored. Peyton Hart and Dawson Sciarrino lead the No. 10 Pointers with 16 and 15 goals, respectively, while Justin Dauphinais and Reed Stark have scored 13 and 12 goals, respectively.
The 11th-ranked Yellowjackets have won five in a row and can finish no worse than second in the standings. They are currently atop the league and unbeaten in their last 15.
The Pointers beat Superior 5-4 on Nov. 23 and hope to keep that success going this time around. Stevens Point has won three in a row. UW-Superior, 4-3 and 5-4
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the semifinalists for this year’s Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.
Ten goaltenders have been chosen by a panel of voters from across the hockey community. The panel includes coaches from each conference as well as members of the national media, professional scouts and representatives of USA Hockey.
Semifinalists for the 2025 Mike Richter Award
Trey Augustine, Michigan State (Big Ten) *
(SO – South Lyon, MI)
Albin Boija, Maine (Hockey East)
(SO – Sundsvall, Sweden)
Matt Davis, Denver (NCHC)
(SR – Calgary, AB)
Jacob Fowler, Boston College (Hockey East) *
(SO – Melbourne, FL)
Thomas Gale, Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey)
(SR – Kirkland, PQ)
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha (NCHC)
(JR – Trencin, Slovakia)
Cameron Rowe, Western Michigan (NCHC)
(GR – Wilmette, IL)
Alex Tracy, Minnesota State (CCHA)
(JR – Chicago, IL)
Lawton Zacher, Brown (ECAC Hockey)
(SO – Buffalo, NY)
*2024 semifinalist
Three finalists will be announced in early March and the winner of this year’s Mike Richter Award will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis.
Past Richter Award Recipients
2014 – Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell
2015 – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota
2016 – Thatcher Demko, Boston College
2017 – Tanner Jaillet, Denver
2018 – Cale Morris, Notre Dame
2019 – Cayden Primeau, Northeastern
2020 – Jeremy Swayman, Maine
2021 – Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota
2022 – Devon Levi, Northeastern
2023 – Devon Levi, Northeastern
2024 – Kyle McClellan, Wisconsin
Mac Gadowsky is enjoying his sophomore season on the Army West Point back end (photo: Army West point Athletics).
Growing up in a hockey family presents challenges and opportunities.
For Army West Point defenseman Mac Gadowsky, hockey was always there, but the sophomore never felt pressure to play.
“Ever since I could remember, it’s something I wanted to do,” said Gadowsky. “When I was a kid, it was NHL highlights in the morning and then weekends going to my dad’s games.”
Gadowsky’s father, Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky, previously coached at Princeton and Alaska, where Mac was born.
“He never pushed us. He’s just always been there when we needed it,” said Gadowsky, who has a brother Magnus, a freshman forward at Amherst as well as a younger sister.
After three seasons of junior hockey in the NAHL, Gadowsky committed to West Point.
When asked if that was a hockey or career decision, the cyber science major said, “Both. At the time, Army was the only Division I team talking with me. Doing my research, it was clear how amazing this school is in terms of building your character, building leaders with character. That shined bright with me.”
His freshman season got Gadowsky noticed. He totaled 23 points as a blueliner and was named to the Atlantic Hockey all-freshman team.
This year, Gadowsky has taken things to another level. His 11 goals lead all defensemen nationally, and his 31 points are second to Denver All-American Zeev Buium.
Over a six-game stretch in January, Gadowsky scored six goals and added eight assists. It’s no coincidence that the Black Knights won all six games. Before that, Army West Point was winless in nine games, scoring just nine goals.
“We had kind of a lull in the middle of the season,” said Gadowsky. “That was tough. Even though we weren’t winning, we weren’t playing bad hockey.”
Gadowsky says the team found confidence is a big weekend series against Mercyhurst in January, when the Black Knights scored a combined 22 goals, including three by Gadowsky.
“We didn’t change our core, but changed how we looked at the game,” he said. “We needed to get beyond, ‘We need to win and we need to score.’ We got better at playing a complete game and tried to have fun and focus on the details.”
Gadowsky’s 11 goals this season is more than he scored in total in three years of juniors and his first year of college hockey. He attributes it to becoming more familiar with Army’s system, which suits him.
“Our system fits my style,” he said. “Shooting from top circles and get movement in front, that’s led to goals. There’s a little bit of luck as well.”
When asked about his favorite college hockey memories so far, Gadowsky pointed to two games against his dad’s Penn State team, one in Happy Valley last season and the other a matchup with the Nittany Lions at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12.
“Both games were pretty amazing for different reasons,” said Gadowsky. “The game at Penn State was a dream come true after being there during my teen years and wishing that someday I would be on that ice playing a college hockey game.
“D.C. was a spectacular weekend for all of us, full of experiences like using the Capitals facility, attending the Army-Navy game and visiting the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. I was super thankful for the opportunities.”
Army West Point currently sits in fifth place in the Atlantic Hockey America standings, the final bye position. The Black Knights are on a 9-1 roll, including taking five points from first-place Sacred Heart last weekend.
Up next is a trip to archrival Air Force this weekend. The Black Knights’ goal is to lift the Riley Cup as playoff champions, especially fitting in Army coach Brian Riley’s last season.
“I don’t think we’ve talked about it too much,” said Gadowsky. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. But in the back of our minds, that would be a pretty special moment for him.”
The five conferences in National Collegiate women’s hockey have five different setups for their postseason tournaments.
It can be confusing to remember which league starts its tournament when and how many games they play. Here’s a look at the format and schedule for each of those and the NCAA tournament.
Atlantic Hockey America
Byes: The top two of six teams earn byes to the semifinals.
Quarterfinals: Single game Feb. 22; sixth seed at third seed, fifth seed at fourth seed.
Semifinals: Best-of-three series Feb. 28-March 2; lowest remaining seed at first seed, second-lowest remaining seed at second seed.
Championship: Single game March 8; hosted by higher seed.
ECAC Hockey
Byes: The top four of 12 teams earn byes to the quarterfinals.
Opening round: Single game Feb. 21 or 22; 12th seed at fifth seed, 11th seed at sixth seed, 10th seed at fifth seed, ninth seed at eighth seed (all on ESPN+).
Quarterfinals: Best-of-three series Feb. 28-March 2; lowest remaining seed at first seed, second-lowest remaining seed at second seed, third-lowest remaining seed at third seed, fourth-lowest remaining seed at fourth seed (all on ESPN+).
Semifinals, championship: Single games hosted by the highest remaining seed March 7-8; semifinals are lowest remaining seed vs. highest remaining seed, second-lowest remaining seed vs. second-highest remaining seed (all on ESPN+).
Hockey East
Byes: Top six of 10 teams earn byes to the quarterfinals.
Opening round: Single game Feb. 26; 10th seed at seventh seed, ninth seed at eighth seed.
Quarterfinals: Single game Feb. 28 or March 1; lowest remaining seed at first seed, second-lowest remaining seed at second seed, seventh seed at third seed, fifth seed at fourth seed.
Semifinals: Single game March 5; lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed, second-lowest remaining seed at second-highest remaining seed.
Championship: Single game March 8 at UConn (ESPNU).
NEWHA
Byes: None.
Quarterfinals: Best-of-three series Feb. 28-March 2; eighth seed at first seed, seventh seed at second seed, sixth seed at third seed, fifth seed at fourth seed.
Semifinals: Single game March 5; lowest remaining seed at highest remaining seed, second-lowest remaining seed at second-highest remaining seed.
Championship: Single game March 8 at highest remaining seed.
WCHA
Byes: None.
Quarterfinals: Best-of-three series Feb. 28-March 2; eighth seed at first seed, seventh seed at second seed, sixth seed at third seed, fifth seed at fourth seed (all on B1G+).
Semifinals, championship (Final Faceoff): Single games March 7-8 at Minnesota Duluth; semifinals are lowest remaining seed vs. highest remaining seed, second-lowest remaining seed vs. second-highest remaining seed (all on B1G+).
Qualifying teams: 11, including postseason tournament champions from Atlantic Hockey America, ECAC Hockey, Hockey East, NEWHA and WCHA as automatic qualifiers and the top six teams in the PairWise Rankings that aren’t already in the field.
Format: The top four overall seeds are No. 1 seeds and will host regional finals. The next four overall seeds are No. 2 seeds. The remaining three teams are No. 3 seeds. The No. 4 overall seed will play the No. 5 overall seed. The bottom three No. 2 seeds will play the three No. 3 seeds in the regional semifinals. All rounds are single elimination. There is no reseeding.
Regional semifinals: March 13 or 14 at campus sites of the top three seeds (ESPN+). The three winners advance to the regional finals against the team hosting the regional.
Regional finals: March 15 or 16 at campus sites of top four seeds (ESPN+).
Frozen Four: Semifinals March 21 (ESPN+), championship March 23 (ESPNU) at Ridder Arena, Minneapolis.
Geneseo’s Dakota Zarudny will need to play a 200-foot game as the Knights play the Utica Pioneers in a battle for first place in the UCHC (Photo by Geneseo Athletics)
The conference battles are so tight this year with virtually every game and all-important points on the line to determine playoff eligibility, final seeding, home-ice advantage, opening round byes and, of course, the regular season champion to name but a few. Not a lot of games left on the schedule but definitely an opportunity for teams to control what they can on the ice and play their best brand of hockey when it matters most.
Last week my picks finished at 7-3-1 (.682) which is one game less due to postponed Anna Maria game so will add that back in when game is re-scheduled. Overall, my season numbers now sit at 106-46-8 (.688) which is hovering close to my goal but not quite there, yet. Here are this week’s game picks for the east including some intriguing games between ranked opponents:
Thursday, February 13, 2024
Plymouth State v. Fitchburg State
The Panthers have been very good over the past few weeks while the Falcons have been struggling a bit and need points to move out of the mid-field in the MASCAC standings. Too much firepower for the visitors who take advantage of some special teams goals for the win – Plymouth State, 5-3
Rivier v. Westfield State
The Owls really want to move up the ladder in the standings and have to take advantage of their home ice against a Raiders team craving the upset. This one is screaming tie or overtime so I will go with a winner for the home team and its happy fans – Westfield State, 4-3
Friday, February 14, 2024
King’s v. Wilkes
The Colonels are looking to capture the regular season title and ensure that the conference tournament runs through their barn. The Monarchs will not be an easy out but the home team does eke out a one-goal win – Wilkes, 3-2
(15) Endicott v. (5) Curry
The Gulls need this one desperately if they have visions of moving up into one of the top two spots in the CNE standings. This will be a regular season instant classic with the home team riding Shane Soderwall’s netminding skills into a playoff-style win – Curry, 2-1
Elmira v. Norwich
The two teams are embroiled in the battle for a home-ice playoff position and of course wins over the competition help with tiebreaker scenarios. Cadets always are tough in Kreitzberg Arena and the Soaring Eagles struggled last week on the road so look for more of the same from both teams – Norwich, 3-2
Assumption v. St. Michael’s
The Greyhounds have had difficult second half of the season and the Purple Knights need to win if they want the second bye spot in the NE-10 playoff picture. Home team definitely has more to play for and that is motivation enough for a one-goal win over the defending conference champions – St. Michael’s, 4-3
(14) Cortland v. Oswego
This will be the third meeting for these clubs in a month and all at different locations with the Lakers winning a neutral site contest and Cortland winning on home ice. This one is for some key points and potentially first place in the SUNYAC. Ironically the Red Dragons have been a better away team and they get the big win over a determined Lakers squad – Cortland, 6-3
Saturday, February 15, 2025
(2) Utica v. (4) Geneseo
The first series of the year went Geneseo’s way on home ice and this back-end of a home-and-home will find the Knights needing the “W” in the battle for the top spot in the UCHC before the final weekend of conference play. Zach Purcell has been on fire a d figures prominently in the outcome at “The Ira”– Geneseo, 4-3
Fredonia v. Plattsburgh
The Cardinals have very much been up and down this season overall and really need the regulation win over the Blue Devils to get their game rending towards playoff-ready. This one will play like a track meet with lots of action at both ends of the ice and a happy home crowd leaving with the one-goal win – Plattsburgh, 4-3
(13) Trinity v. Colby
The Bantams have closed the gap on league leading Hamilton and have found ways to win some tight games recently. The Mules are currently in a home-ice playoff spot but try as they may, find the visitors and Devon Bobak tough to score enough on to win – Trinity, 3-2
(5) Curry v. (9) University of New England
The Colonels may not have enough in the tank after Friday’s matchup with Endicott and the Nor’easters will look to pressure early and often in game two of the weekend among the top three teams. Know this one will be tight and look for a Kuzmich/Olivieri combination to decide the contest late for the home team – UNE, 4-3
Lebanon Valley v. Stevenson
The Mustangs aren’t likely to catch Wilkes, but every game and string of wins together gets them playoff ready for what is to come in just a couple of weeks. Can’t take the Flying Dutchmen lightly and the home team makes sure they don’t let down and allow any rally – Stevenson, 4-1
It will be fun to see how much if anything gets wrapped up this weekend relative to playoff seeding or conference regular season titles. Win your game and then see where the chips fall – “Drop the Puck!”
Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud had seven multi-point efforts in a nine-game stretch during the month of January (photo: Brad Rempel).
Oh, Big Ten hockey fans, time is fleeting – and so much can change with just a game or two.
While Michigan State remains at the top of the Big Ten standings, the Spartans no longer control their own Big Ten destiny.
In their last 10 games, the Spartans have gone 5-3-2 and most recently have split weekends with Michigan and Ohio State. In both of those series, Michigan State dropped the opening game and rebounded with a decisive win the following night. After losing 4-2 to the Buckeyes Jan. 30, the Spartans won the rematch 4-1.
Last weekend, Michigan State lost 2-1 at home Friday to archrival Michigan on Garrett Schifsky’s even-strength goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation. The following night – in front of over 19,000 fans at Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena – the Spartans pummeled the Wolverines, winning the annual Duel in the D game 6-1.
Those second-game responses are what coach Adam Nightingale wants from his team.
“We’ve got to do a better job of getting to the inside and paying the price it takes to try to score this time of year,” said Nightingale, who added that the team did “a way better job of that” in Saturday’s win.
Now with 43 points, Michigan State is five ahead of second-place Minnesota, but the Golden Gophers have two games in hand on the Spartans.
Simply put, Michigan State can win its last four remaining regular season games and still not capture the Big Ten crown.
The one team in the league that can win out and win it all? The Minnesota Golden Gophers. In fact, the Gophers – like the Spartans – are guaranteed not to travel should they be playing in the first round of the Big Ten playoffs.
Last weekend was a bye week for the Gophers. On his radio show this week, Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said that it couldn’t have come at a better time.
“It was a great off week for us because one, we had some injuries,” said Motzko, “and two, we had the sickness.”
Motzko said that he’s hopeful that whatever bug that made its way through the Gopher locker room “has run its course,” with the team at least. The coaches, though, may still be working through it. “I’m in week four,” he said.
Ah, to be young.
This week, Minnesota travels to Michigan for two games. After that split with the Spartans, the Wolverines are in fourth place in the conference – 10 points behind the Gophers – and Michigan currently sits at No. 12 in the PairWise Rankings.
And with so many big-picture factors that can impact this series, Motzko remains laser-focused on one single item.
“The only thing we’ve got to do is win our next game,” said Motzko. “That’s it. Win your series against the teams you play, and you don’t talk about anything outside of that. It’s senseless to do it ’cause there’s three weeks to go in the season.
“We’ve got to win our next game. We’ve got to go on little one-game winning streaks.”
The Big Ten landscape has changed quite a bit in the second half of the season. At the start of 2025, Minnesota was in first place with 24 points, five ahead of the Spartans and Badgers, tied in second. Ohio State was a game back from that with Michigan a game behind the Buckeyes. Notre Dame was in sixth place with 10 points and Penn State had yet to win a conference game.
The Spartans have the best conference win percentage (.600) in the second half – hence their position at the top of the standings – but the team that’s seen the biggest improvement is Penn State. With their 3-2-3 conference record (.561) since Jan. 1, the Nittany Lions are now in sixth place with 20 points, and Penn State has moved into the PairWise bubble at No. 16.
The team that’s seen the biggest drop in the second half is Wisconsin. The Badgers are 1-6-1 in B1G play (.188) and now need a little help from teams around them to finish as high as where they currently sit in the Big Ten standings, fifth place.
“Our league, all of a sudden, there are six teams that are playing at a very high level, and I’m not trying to take anything away from Notre Dame,” said Motzko. “They can still dial it up. Our league is getting to the top at the end here. We are in for a dogfight down the stretch – our entire league when I say ‘we’ – down the stretch.”
The team that captures the regular season crown sits out the first round of the Big Ten playoffs while the next three teams host the bottom three.
As it stands now, Ohio State is the only team aside from Michigan State and Minnesota that can finish first, although the Buckeyes would need quite a few things shift for that to happen. If Ohio State wins all six of its remaining games, the Buckeyes are guaranteed to finish at least as high as second place. Doing the math, the Buckeyes can finish no lower than sixth place and it would take a lot of bad play and perhaps some bad luck for Ohio State to travel in the first round of the playoffs.
After the Buckeyes, the playoff picture gets a little murkier. Fourth-place Michigan needs to win all four of its remaining games – against Minnesota and Ohio State – to guarantee a fourth-place finish.
Looking only at the numbers, Wisconsin has a chance to finish as high as third. It is possible for the Badgers to win all four of their remaining games and still find themselves traveling in the first round. Two wins gives Wisconsin at least a sixth-place finish. That’s the only thing guaranteed for the Badgers.
Penn State – the team that has only moved forward in the second half and whose only two losses in that stretch have come to Michigan State and Michigan – can finish as high as third as well if there are several favorable planetary alignments. If they win out, the Nittany Lions can finish no lower than fifth.
Notre Dame has no control over whether it finishes out of last place. With six games left, the Irish need assistance from the teams immediately ahead of them in the standings to avoid a seventh-place finish.
“Michigan just went to 12 in the PairWise, Ohio State’s on fire, Penn State’s on fire,” said Motzko, “so we’ve got an extremely difficult stretch, but so does everyone else in our league, too.”
No. 4 Minnesota faces off against No. 12 Michigan in Yost Ice Arena at 7:00 p.m. Friday and 6:00 p.m. Saturday. Friday’s game streams on Big Ten Plus and Saturday’s game is carried by the Big Ten Network.
Wisconsin travels to play No. 8 Ohio State in Value City Arena. Friday’s 7:00 p.m. start will stream on Big Ten Plus and the Big Ten Network will carry Saturday’s 8:30 p.m. game.
Notre Dame heads to No. 18 Penn State for two games in Pegula Ice Arena. Friday’s game starts at 7:00 p.m., Saturday’s starts at 5:00 p.m., and both are streaming in Big Ten Plus.
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.
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced the semifinalists for this year’s Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.
