Providence falls one spot to No. 6 while getting a first-place vote, Denver is down one to seventh, also getting a first-place vote, Ohio State is up three to No. 8, UMass Lowell falls one to No. 9, and Michigan is down one to sit 10th in this week’s rankings.
St. Cloud State falls out of the top 10, going to No. 15 this week.
Unranked last week, UConn enters the poll this week at No. 17.
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.
UNE downed Plattsburgh in the first ever meeting between the two schools to give the Nor’easters some mid-season hardware winning the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic Tournament (Photo by UNE Athletics)
And then there was one…
Coming up on the mid-point of January and the D-II/III landscape now only finds one remaining unbeaten team and it is the defending national champions from Hobart following two highly contested wins over Skidmore this weekend in NEHC action. The other unbeaten entering the weekend, Geneseo, saw their unblemished record get smudged just a little as they suffered a 6-2 loss at Elmira before rebounding with a lopsided win over Fredonia. The University of New England captured some in-season hardware by winning the Plattsburgh tournament and there was plenty of other great action across the region to recap. Here is the wrap-up for the action in the east:
CNE
The University of New England traveled west to play in the Comfort Inn Winter Classic hosted by Plattsburgh and opened with a matchup between nationally ranked teams when the Nor’easters played Wilkes on Saturday. After an evenly played first period which ended with the teams tied at 1-1, the Nor’easters kicked the offense into high gear as Ryan Kuzmich scored two goals and the Nor’easters erupted for four in total in first twelve minutes of the second period to pace a 7-2 rout over the Colonels. Nathan Chickering added two goals in the third period to close out the scoring for UNE. On Sunday, UNE faced Plattsburgh for the very first time in the team’s history and the visitors were intent on making the long road trip worthwhile with a big win. Following a scoreless first period, Juraj Elias and Drew Olivieri bookended the second period with goals for a 2-0 lead after two periods of play. In the third period the Cardinals battled back only to see Olivieri extend the advantage back to two goals. Kevin Weaver-Vitale again closed the deficit to a single goal as the Cardinals applied pressure on UNE netminder Stefan Carney, but Chickering called game with a shorthanded, empty-net goal for the final margin of 4-2 and the championship trophy to UNE.
Endicott downed Conn College on Tuesday as Atticus Kelly stopped 27 of 28 shots and John Goldowski and Andrew Kurapov scored in the first period for a 2-1 road win over the Camels.
Curry also played a non-conference game against Keene State and skated away with a 9-1 drubbing of the Owls. Blake Rothstein and Eelis Laaksonen each scored a pair of goals while Gage Dill chipped in with three assists for the Colonels. Goaltender Cam Smith stopped 14 shots to earn his first victory of the season for Curry.
After a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to Post on Wednesday, WNEU traveled to Morrisville and found their scoring touch in a 6-0 win for the Golden Bears. Justin Sullivan led the way scoring a hat trick while Nolan Dawson added a goal and an assist for the visitors. Goaltender Logan Palmer made 34 saves to earn the shutout victory.
After dropping their opening round game at Plattsburgh to the host school in the Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic Tournament, Wentworth handed Wilkes their third loss of the week with a 3-2 overtime win in the consolation game. George Kolovos had given the Leopards a 2-1 lead in the third period only to see the Colonels tie the game in the final two minutes of regulation. Kolovos proved to be the hero in overtime netting the game-winner just over three minutes into the extra session.
MAC
Stevenson and Neumann played an important two-game series to open the second half in MAC play and the Mustangs swept the series and all-important points in the standings. The Mustangs completed a very successful tour in Europe during December and carried their strong play into conference play with 6-1 and 4-2 wins over the Knights. On Friday, the Mustangs scored three goals in the first period and three in the third to seal a comfortable win. Blake Benson scored two goals and added an assist to pace the Stevenson attack. On Saturday, Caden Smith and Gage Parillo got the Mustangs off to a fast start with goals in the opening seven minutes of play. Liam McCanney added a shorthanded goal in the third period and a much-needed ENG to close out the 4-2 win and weekend sweep.
Lebanon Valley took a pair of games over King’s to move over .500 in MAC play. On Friday, the Flying Dutchmen scored three unanswered goals over the final forty minutes of play to break a 2-2 tie and skate off with a 5-2 win. Ethan Hoover led the offense with two goals and an assist while Harris Blackwood chipped in with one goal and an assist in the win. Saturday saw LVC jump out to a 4-0 lead on the way to a 5-3 win over the Monarchs. Blackwood scored two more goals and added an assist while Darion Benchich scored two goals added two assists for a four-point game to lead the Flying Dutchmen.
Alvernia was another MAC team that completed a weekend sweep as they leveled their conference record at 5-5-0 with a pair of wins over Misericordia. On Friday, the teams battled back and forth to a 3-3 tie after Misericordia’s Ethan Hollingsworth scored early in the third period for the visitors. The Golden Wolves then scored five of the next six goals to earn an 8-4 victory. Edvin Robertsson paced the offense with two goals as seven different players scored for Alvernia in the win. On Saturday, the game was much closer as Easton Inglis and Riley Egan scored in the second period to break a 1-1 tie for a final score of 3-1. Goaltender Will Augustine stopped 25 of 26 shots to earn the win.
MASCAC
Plymouth State returned to conference play with a pair of wins over Rivier and rival, Fitchburg State to remain unbeaten in league action. On Thursday, Ethan Stuckless and Brendan Doyle each scored two goals in a 6-1 win over the Raiders. Saturday saw the Falcons take an early 1-0 lead on a goal by Niklas Millhorn before the Panthers answered with goals from Will Pray and Dante Moretti for a 2-1 lead after two periods of play. Millhorn tied the game late in the third period setting up the dramatic ending in overtime as Will Pray scored his second goal of the game in the extra session to give PSU a 3-2 OT win.
Massachusetts-Dartmouth picked up two wins over the weekend extending their win streak to three games. On Thursday, the Corsairs built a 3-0 lead before downing Worcester State, 4-1. Tyler Stewart scored once and added an assist for UMD. On Saturday, Stewart’s power-play goal in the third period proved to be the game-winner in a 3-2 win over Anna Maria. Goaltender Graham Burke was outstanding in goal stopping 39 of 41 shots to earn the important MASCAC win over the AmCats.
Westfield State also extended their win streak to three games following wins over Framingham State and Rivier. The Owls built a 5-1 lead over the Rams on Thursday with Christopher Miraldo pacing the offense with two goals and an assist in the opening two periods of play. The Rams scored three unanswered in the third period, including two by Brent Scott, but could not find the equalizer in a 5-4 win for the Owls. On Saturday, four different players scored for Westfield State and goaltender Aiden Winslow stopped 36 of 37 shots in 4-1 win over the Raiders.
NE-10
St. Anselm returned to NE-10 play with a three-game week that featured two wins and an OT tie (Hawks won the shootout). On Tuesday, three third period goals from Hunter Brackett, Patrick DeMarinis, and Max Burum sealed a 4-1 road win over St. Michael’s. On Friday, the Hawks skated to a 3-3 OT tie with Southern New Hampshire and won the shootout (2-1) over the Penmen setting up Saturday’s re-match. A four-goal second period blew open the game as the Hawks cruised to a 7-2 win with seven different players scoring goals for St. Anselm.
Assumption and St. Michael’s split their weekend series with the Greyhounds taking the game on Friday and the Purple Knights earning the split on Saturday. After St. Mike’s took a 1-0 lead, Assumption scored the next four goals including two by John Woernle to post the 4-1 win. Saturday saw limited scoring as Ty Bloom and Jack Macdonald provided all the scoring goaltender Evan Plunkett would need as the netminder stopped all 40 Greyhound shots in 2-0 win for the Purple Knights earning them a split.
NEHC
Hobart remained unbeaten as the Statesmen took a pair of 5-3 wins on the road against Skidmore. On Friday, the Thoroughbreds jumped to a 3-1 lead on a goal from Evan Brown and two power play goals from Zach Lindewirth only to see Hobart score the next four markers of the game. Austin Mourar, Tanner Daniels, Nick Dimatos and Luke Aquaro erased the deficit in the comeback victory. On Saturday, Lindewirth tied the game at 2-2 early in the third period but the Statesmen again produced three unanswered goals to skate away with a second win by a 5-3 margin.
Elmira captured three wins to open their second half of the season including a resounding 6-2 win over previously unbeaten Geneseo on Friday. After Tuesday’s 4-2 win at Potsdam in their return to action, the Soaring Eagles were definitely ready to play against the Knights. Chance Gorman gave Elmira a 2-0 lead and after Sean Melso halved the deficit, the Soaring Eagles scored three in a row in the third period for a comfortable 6-2 win. Brody Haynes stopped 28 of 30 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, Elmira completed the non-conference trifecta with a 4-3 OT thriller over Brockport. Power play goals from Gorman and Ryan Reifler gave Elmira a 3-2 lead in the third period but Jordan Rosenbaum tied the score for the Golden Eagles making an overtime necessary to determine a winner. Carter Wisely netted the game-winner in the opening two minutes to give Elmira the OT win and three-win week.
Babson extended their win streak to five games with a weekend sweep of VSU-Castleton on home ice. A three-goal third period broke a 1-1 deadlock on Friday as the Beavers eased to a 4-1 win over the Spartans. On Saturday both teams found their scoring touch as Babson raced to a 7-3 lead after two periods and held on for a 7-5 win. Seven different players found the back of the net for Babson who scored all their goals at even-strength.
Norwich rebounded from their championship game loss in the NSB tournament to Hamilton with a weekend sweep of Massachusetts-Boston in their return to NEHC play. Ben van Waterschoot’s ENG in the final minute proved to be the game-winning goal as Koyle Bankauskas scored his second of the contest for the Beacons with just a second remaining in a 3-2 Cadet win. Saturday’s game was eerily similar as the Cadets held a 2-1 lead late in the third period and got some breathing room with Jason Galotti’s ENG in the final minute for a 3-1 win and weekend sweep. Sami Molu picked up both wins in goal stopping 44 of 47 shots in the two games.
Following a 10-1 rout of Southern Maine on Friday led by hat tricks from Maksim Tseglnik and Sam Anderson, Albertus Magnus looked for a weekend sweep on Saturday with a win against the Huskies. The Falcons took a 1-0 lead after the first twenty minutes, but USM responded with a pair of goals in the second period for a 2-1 lead. Three goals in the opening seven minutes of the third period gave the Falcons a 4-2 lead and they held on for a 4-3 win to extend their win streak to three games.
NESCAC
Hamilton remained unbeaten in 2025 with road wins over Bowdoin and Colby over the weekend. On Friday, the Continentals raced to a 3-0 lead and skated off with a 4-1 win backstopped by Charlie Archer’s sixteen saves and goals from four different players. In a critical game against Colby on Saturday, Hamilton scored a goal in each period before Max Abene broke Archer’s shutout bid with a goal in the final minute of regulation as the Continentals took a 3-1 win over the Mules.
Trinity broke into the win column in 2025 picking up a pair of NESCAC road wins over Middlebury and Williams. The Bantams trailed the Panthers by a goal twice on Friday night before rallying with three unanswered goals in the third period to skate off with a 4-2 win. James Barbour scored the game-winning goal and added an assist to pace the Trinity offense. Against the Ephs, the Bantams scored three early goals and cruised to a 6-2 win. Barbour added another goal and two assists while Spencer Korona added three assists for the Bantams.
SUNYAC
Buffalo State extended their second half win streak with a non-conference sweep of Chatham. The Bengals won a seesaw affair on Friday with Jason Kwestel scoring one goal and adding an assist in a 4-3 win over the Cougars. On Saturday, the game looked to be comfortably in Buffalo State’s favor as they entered the third period with a 4-1 lead only to see Dylan Young and Nick Cyprian score early in the third period to reduce the lead to a single goal. Joonas Linnavuori added some margin with an ENG late in the third period for a 5-3 final score. Goaltender Drew Doran picked up the win making nineteen saves.
Cortland won two games of three against UCHC opponents. On Monday, the Red Dragons downed Wilkes 3-2 with Sam Christiano, Justin Legault, and Andrew Clouden providing the goals in a hard-fought road win. Returning home on Friday, Cortland entered the third period with a 4-2 lead only to see Nazareth score three unanswered goals and hold on for a 5-4 win. Dylan Wiemer was strong in goal for the Golden Flyers , particularly in the third period where he made 12 saves and helped kill multiple power plays in the final five minutes of action. On Saturday, Cortland rebounded with a 6-2 win over Manhattanville spurred by a four-goal second period. Johnny Facchini’s goal and two assists along with Evan Beaudry’s three helpers paced the Red Dragon attack.
UCHC
Utica hosted a red-hot Oswego squad on Friday night to open the second half of the season and the “new look” Pioneers skated away with a 5-3 win led by two goals from Eric Vitale and 24 saves from incoming transfer (University of Dubuque) Ryan Piros in goal. Brian Scoville, Bax Anthony and Jakob Breault all chipped in with two assists for the Pioneers.
Geneseo rebounded quickly following their first loss of the season as the Knights routed Fredonia on Saturday by a 9-2 score. Eight different players scored goals for Geneseo with Cooper Fensterstock leading the offense with three assists.
Prior to their overtime loss to Elmira, Brockport rallied from a 3-1 deficit (this scenario is really playing out too much across all the games this season) to tie the score with two goals in the final four minutes before winning the game in overtime with Kaleb Miller netting the game-winner for the Golden Eagles.
Three Biscuits
Justin Sullivan – Western New England – scored a hat trick to pace the offense for the Golden Bears in a 6-0 win over Morrisville on Saturday.
Sam Anderson & Maksim Tseglnik – Albertus Magnus – both players scored hat tricks for the Falcons in a 10-1 rout of Southern Maine on Friday night.
Evan Plunkett – St. Michael’s – stopped all 40 shots by Assumption in the Purple Knights’ 2-0 win on Saturday to earn a weekend split with the Greyhounds.
While the upset meter (excluding Geneseo loss to Elmira) was relatively quiet this weekend, the action is certainly ramping up where no lead is apparently safe, and teams can expect to find bonus hockey to be a necessary part of finding wins in the second half of the campaign. There is a lot to be excited about now that everyone has returned to the ice, and we are halfway through January. Buckle up!
Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger review games of the weekend and news of the week.
They discuss the week’s results for the top 20 in the USCHO.com Division I men’s ice hockey poll. They highlight the standout performance of Maine, who swept UMass Lowell on the road and solidified their defensive strength; Denver’s close wins over Miami, positioning them close to first in the NCHC; and the unexpected struggles of Colorado College and St. Cloud State. The commentary covers key games, impressive individual performances, and the fluctuating standings within conferences. They also delve into the sustainability of Hockey East’s dominance in the pairwise rankings and Army’s unprecedented 22-goal weekend against Mercyhurst.
Times are approximate:
00:15 Introduction and hosts
00:54 Maine’s impressive weekend
02:48 Denver’s close wins over Miami
06:03 Colorado College’s struggles
07:23 BU’s offensive surge
09:48 Quinnipiac’s winning streak
11:49 UConn’s rise in Hockey East
14:29 BC’s unusual stumble
17:03 Ohio State’s strong season
19:09 St. Cloud state’s january drop
20:11 Cornell’s setback against Sacred Heart
22:16 Analyzing the PairWise Rankings
23:34 Hockey East’s NCAA tournament prospects
26:16 Arizona State’s unexpected performance
29:47 Wisconsin’s struggles and tournament chances
31:12 Augustana’s potential as a spoiler
33:39 ECAC’s historical performance in PairWise
37:04 Army’s offensive explosion
40:46 Wrapup
Iam Amsbaugh helped Adrian knock off Trine over the weekend. (Photo provided by Adrian Athletics)
Two top 10 teams battled in NCHA play and it was Adrian that prevailed, holding off Trine 4-3 at home.
The seventh-ranked Bulldogs scored three times in the final frame to secure the win over the No. 5 Thunder.
It was David Clarke that delivered the game winning goal, scoring with a little over five minutes to play as Adrian stretched its win streak to nine games. The Bulldogs are 12-3, with six of those wins coming on their home ice. They are 6-2 in league play.
Adrian has scored at least four goals in seven consecutive games and the win over Trine marked its third one goal win during the current hot streak.
Bradley Somers and Iam Amsbaugh both played well in the win, dishing out two assists apiece. Riley Murphy, Ben Loreto and Ryan Pitoscia all scored and Dershahn Stewart racked up 14 saves.
Adrian and Trine will meet against in mid-February, playing a home and home on the final weekend of the regular season.
Despite the loss, Trine is still atop the standings, leading St. Norbert by a point. The Thunder are 12-2-1 overall and 6-1-1 in the NCHA.
Pipers pull off sweep
Hamline won its two biggest games of the year, sweeping St. Olaf in a MIAC series.
Skating into the weekend on a five-game losing streak, the Pipers beat St. Olaf 4-3 on Friday night before closing things out Saturday with a 2-1 win.
Hamline improved to 5-10 overall and 4-4 in the MIAC as it swept the Oles for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.
The Pipers scored twice in the second as they erased a one-goal deficit. Derek Becklin tied the game and Tanner Rausch delivered the game winner.
Maximilian Haselbacher tallied 26 saves as Hamline swept a weekend series for the first time all season.
Friday’s win was the Pipers’ first since Nov. 27. Thomas Carls and AJ Carls each tallied a goal and assist.
Gusties on a roll
Gustavus took down Saint Mary’s in a weekend MIAC series, beating the Cardinals 5-1 on both nights while stretching its win streak to four games. The Gusties have won 10 of their last 12, improving to 10-5 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
Gustavus has scored four or more goals in four straight games. Colin Androlewicz made 21 saves on Saturday while Hunter Newhouse scored twice and has tallied a team-best 10 goals this season for the league-leading Gusties.
In Fridays win, five different players scored goals, including one by Newhouse. Androlewicz made 20 saves.
Royals end non-league play on high note
Spencer Kring scored twice to help lead the way for Bethel in a 6-3 win over UW-River Falls on Friday. Chase Beacom added three assists and Austin Ryman came through with 30 saves, coming up with 12 in each of the final two periods.
The Royals have won four in a row and are now 7-5-1 on the season. They have gone 4-1-1 against WIAC competition this season.
Blue Devils impressive at home
UW-Stout has been tough to be beat on its own ice and that trend continued this weekend. The Blue Devils beat Augsburg 5-1 on Friday and topped Concordia 6-3 on Saturday. They are now 8-6-1. All eight of their wins have come at home, where they are 8-2.
Tyler Masternak stopped 35 shots against the Cobbers while Nicolas Pigeon found the back of the net twice. Zach Laurila and Noe Perez each tallied a goal and assist. Gunner Moore finished with two assists. Pigeon has scored 10 goals this year.
Nicholas Stevens dished out three assists in Friday’s win while Jacob Halvorson tallied a goal and assist. Maksis Brimanis added two assists and Masternak finished with 23 saves.
Eight wins and counting
UW-Superior keeps rolling along, pushing its win streak to eight games with a 2-1 overtime win over Saint John’s on Saturday.
Justin Dauphinais was the hero as he scored the game winner off an assist from Daniel Rozisval to give the Yellowjackets their longest win streak since November of 2008.
Kobe Grant came through with 33 saves as he won his fifth game of the season.
Dauphinais and Rozisval played a key role offensively, with Dauphinais scoring twice and Rozisvall tallying two assists.
The win caps an impressive run through non-league play as the Yellowjackets went 7-2-1 against opponents outside the WIAC. Superior owns a 12-3-1 overall record this season.
The victory was also the third of the OT variety this season. Superior is 3-0-1 in those games and improved to 4-0 when taking 40 or more shots in a game. They finished with a 41-34 advantage.
With its 7-1 win over the Concordia Cobbers on Friday, Superior improved to 7-0 in Friday night games, getting a goal and assist from Reed Stark and Trey Sauder. Blake Holmes tallied three assists.
Record broken
UW-Stevens Point took care of business as it beat St. Scholastica 6-3 on Friday and capped the weekend with a 4-1 win over Augsburg.
Peyton Hart broke a school record in the process as the No. 14 Pointers have won a three in a row and are 9-4-1 overall.
Hart scored twice in a span of 11 seconds. The previous mark was 24 seconds and was set in 1999 by Kevin Fricke. Alex Proctor came through with 29 saves. Andrew Poulias scored two goals in the win.
Ryan Maguire made 23 saves against Augsburg while Poulias came through with a goal and assist. Fletcher Anderson dished out two assists.
Raiders step up against Blugolds
Eddie Shepler had a big time game against UW-Eau Claire Saturday, recording a hat trick in a 6-3 victory over the Blugolds to help the Raiders complete a weekend sweep. Austin Schwab tallied 35 saves.
The six goals are the most this season by the Raiders, who have won four in a row and improve to 7-7-1 on the year.
In Friday’s win, Schwab stood out as he came up with his second consecutive shutout win, racking up 24 saves in the victory.
Charlie Skinner and Brennan Dickey both scored in the win.
In that 13-goal game, the Black Knights led 2-1 after the first before they began to roll, starting with Mac Gadowsky’s first goal of the night at 5:07.
From Gadowsky’s second goal at 9:17 through Brent Keefer’s marker at 18:42, Army scored six times. The last three goals in the period were scored within a span of two minutes and two seconds.
Of course, several Black Knights had multipoint games. Nils Forselius had a goal and five assists, the first player nationally to record a six-point game.
Keefer and Gadowsky each had two goals and Nick Hong recorded his second career hat trick. Hong’s first goal of the night was the game winner and with the three tallies, Hong has eight goals on the season – one more than he had in 35 games last year.
Army outshot Mercyhurst 45-19. Starting Lakers’ goalie Simon Bucheler was relieved in the third period by Carter McPhail. Jacob Biron came in for Army in the third period after JJ Cataldo stopped 13-of-14 through the first 40 minutes of the game.
The sweep was the second of the season for Army.
Minnesota Duluth upsets No. 10 St. Cloud State
Max Plante had a goal each night and Klayton Knapp earned his first career back-to-back wins – including his first career shutout – as Minnesota Duluth swept No. 10 St. Cloud State, 2-0 and 5-2, in NCHC play.
The sweep was the first at home this year for the Bulldogs, and the two wins extend their home dominance over the Huskies to six games.
Watch Dominic James getting a stick on a shot by Tyson Gross midway through the second period of Friday’s game, with Knapp doing all he can to take up space low in the net.
Knapp had 28 saves in the shutout and stopped 20 of 22 the following night.
It’s super tight in the NCHC
Duluth’s sweep makes the NCHC even tighter than it was a week ago. Six points separate the three teams at the top of the standings – Arizona State, Western Michigan, North Dakota – from the two teams tied for seventh place in the eight-team league.
With No. 4 Western Michigan sitting out the weekend, No. 14 North Dakota and No. 16 Arizona State split a series in Mullett Arena. Four different Sun Devils scored in Arizona State’s 4-1 Friday night win, while Cameron Berg and Sacha Boisvert played the hero roles in North Dakota’s 4-3 overtime win Saturday.
Berg had the tying goal for the Fighting Hawks with 28 seconds left in regulation, and this is what Boisvert did at 2:19 in OT.
Omaha swept No. 13 Colorado College at home, 5-2 and 3-1. Brady Risk earned his second career hat trick in Friday’s contest and UNO goaltender Simon Latkoczy made 75 saves on the weekend as the Tigers outshot the Mavericks 78-59 in the series.
No. 6 Denver swept Miami on the weekend, 4-1 and 6-2, keeping pace with the Mavericks in conference play.
The three first-place NCHC teams each have 19 points, followed by Omaha and Denver with 17 each. St. Cloud State sits alone in sixth place with 14 points and Minnesota Duluth and Colorado College each has 13 points.
Miami is in last place with one conference point, and the RedHawks remain the only D-I team without a conference win this season.
There isn’t much breathing room in Hockey East, either
Three sweeps and two splits in Hockey East created movement in the conference standings but not so much space.
Heading into the weekend, No. 7 Maine was in the top spot with 18 points and remains there after sweeping No. 8 UMass Lowell, 3-1 and 2-1.
Prior to the weekend, four teams – Boston University, Boston College, Lowell, Providence – were knotted with 17 points each. No. 15 BU’s sweep of Vermont (6-1, 7-4) puts the Terriers in second place, a point behind the Black Bears.
No. 2 Boston College falls to third place after splitting a home-and-home series with Merrimack, losing 5-2 Friday and winning 4-1 Saturday.
The biggest Hockey East winner of the weekend was Connecticut. With their 4-1 and 3-2 wins over No. 17 New Hampshire, the Huskies are now tied with the Eagles in third place, each team with 20 points.
UMass drops from second place to fourth, tied with Providence, who did not play. Merrimack overtook Vermont, Northeastern and Massachusetts split the weekend, and New Hampshire remains in last place.
And it’s just plain exciting in the Big Ten
Following up a spectacular weekend of hockey for the Frozen Confines in Wrigley Field, the Big Ten put on a big show with six teams in action – and results that show that no team in this league can be overlooked.
No. 11 Ohio State and No. 3 Minnesota split a pair of lopsided games in Columbus, with the Buckeyes winning 5-1 Friday and Minnesota following that up with a 6-1 Saturday win.
Mason Nevers, in his first action after sitting out seven games with an injury, had the Saturday game winner for the Gophers in the first period.
Ten points separate first-place Michigan State (28) from fifth-place Michigan (18). The Gophers are one point behind the Spartans, the Buckeyes are four behind Minnesota, and Wisconsin – the only unranked team among the top five B1G programs – are two ahead of Michigan.
Welcome to the Isaac Howard Show
Michigan State’s Isaac Howard had 13 goals heading into the Spartans’ series against Penn State last weekend. Now the junior forward has 18 after scoring four in Friday’s 6-4 over the Nittany Lions and adding another in Saturday’s 2-2 tie.
Here’s the goal that earned Howard his first career hat trick Friday night.
Howard became the top scorer in the nation with his four goals and an assist Friday and that did not change following Saturday’s game.
Howard had six goals in 36 games with Minnesota Duluth as a rookie before transferring to Michigan State last season. In 36 games with the Spartans last year, he netted eight.
But then this happened Saturday
After their 6-4 loss in a physical back-and-forth game – and one in which they were uncharacteristically outshot 45-33 – the Nittany Lions tied the No. 1 team in the nation on Ben Schoen’s power-play goal at 18:16 in the third Saturday.
The goal was Schoen’s third of the season and his second on the power play.
The Nittany Lions, last place in the Big Ten, earned their first Big Ten win of the season Jan. 5 when they shut out Notre Dame. In January, Penn State is 1-2-1 in B1G play.
Army West Point wasn’t alone in lighting the lamp
While the Black Knights were the only team to hit double digits in a single game on the weekend, winning teams scored six or more goals in 14 different games on the weekend.
Among the losing teams in those contests, one hit the back of the net six times. Ferris State lost to St. Thomas 9-6 Friday before the Tommies secured the sweep with their 4-3 win Saturday.
Additionally, 10 teams capped their winning scores at five goals.
Take, for example, No. 9 Michigan and Notre Dame
Speaking of scoring, Notre Dame and Michigan put up 19 goals in their split in South Bend. On the strength of a three-goal second period Friday, Michigan took the first game 5-3.
Notre Dame returned the favor in Saturday’s 7-4 win, scoring three second-period goals within a 32-second span.
Danny Nelson’s goal at 6:09 in the second period of Notre Dame’s win gave the Irish a 5-1 lead and stood as the game-winning marker as the Wolverines went on to find the net twice later in the second period and once in the third.
In Notre Dame’s win, Justin Janicke registered his first career hat trick, first career multi-goal game and a career-best five points.
And in seven games, there was no scoring for the losing teams
Seven different goalies earned shutout wins on the weekend. There was Klayton Knapp in the first of Minnesota Duluth’s two wins over St. Cloud Friday night.
Also Friday, Connor Hasley set a Bentley Hockey single-season record with his fifth career shutout in some Falcon-on-Falcon crime when Bentley beat Air Force 1-0.
In his second shutout of the season, Lindenwood’s Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 23 saves in the Lions’ 3-0 road win over Stonehill.
Massachusetts and Northeastern exchanged shutout wins in their weekend series. In his first game back from the IIHF World Juniors, Michael Hrabal made 41 saves for his second shutout of the season in UMass’s 5-0 win Friday. Cameron Whitehead had 35 saves for the Huskies Saturday in their 3-0 win.
Matej Marinov posted 25 saves in his third shutout win of the season Saturday when No. 20 Quinnipiac beat Princeton 3-0.
In just his third start of the season, Michigan Tech’s Ryan Manzella stopped all 21 shots he faced in the Huskies’ 1-0 win over Lake Superior State Saturday. The shutout was the first of his career.
No. 10 St. Cloud State (11-9-0)
01/10/2025 – No. 10 St. Cloud State 0 at Minnesota Duluth 2
01/11/2025 – No. 10 St. Cloud State 2 at Minnesota Duluth 5
No. 11 Ohio State (15-6-1)
01/10/2025 – No. 3 Minnesota 1 at No. 11 Ohio State 5
01/11/2025 – No. 3 Minnesota 6 at No. 11 Ohio State 1
No. 12 Minnesota State (15-5-2)
01/10/2025 – No. 12 Minnesota State 2 at Northern Michigan 3
01/11/2025 – No. 12 Minnesota State 6 at Northern Michigan 1
No. 13 Colorado College (10-9-1)
01/10/2025 – No. 13 Colorado College 2 at Omaha 5
01/11/2025 – No. 13 Colorado College 1 at Omaha 3
No. 14 North Dakota (12-8-1)
01/10/2025 – No. 14 North Dakota 1 at No. 16 Arizona State 4
01/11/2025 – No. 14 North Dakota 4 at No. 16 Arizona State 3 (OT)
No. 15 Boston University (11-7-1)
01/10/2025 – Vermont 1 at No. 15 Boston University 6
01/11/2025 – Vermont 4 at No. 15 Boston University 7
No. 16 Arizona State (11-8-1)
01/10/2025 – No. 14 North Dakota 1 at No. 16 Arizona State 4
01/11/2025 – No. 14 North Dakota 4 at No. 16 Arizona State 3 (OT)
No. 17 New Hampshire (10-6-3)
01/10/2025 – RV Connecticut 4 at No. 17 New Hampshire 1
01/11/2025 – No. 17 New Hampshire 2 at RV Connecticut 3
Army West Point players celebrate one of 22 goals scored this weekend against Mercyhurst (photo: Army West Point Athletics).
After topping Mercyhurst 9-1 Friday night, Army West Point bested those totals with an Atlantic Hockey America-record 13 goals in a 13-1 rout over the Lakers Friday night at Tate Rink in West Point, N.Y.
Nik Hong had three goals and two assists, Nils Forselius added a goal and five assists, Mac Gadowsky put up two goals and two assists, and Brent Keefer went for two goals with an assist in the win for the Black Knights.
Dylan Wegner, Sam Groebner and Adam Marshall each had a goal and an assist and Jack Ivey and Joey Baez scored one each.
Mason Nevers, Connor Kurth, Jimmy Snuggerud and Ryan Chesley added goals for the Gophers.
Gunnarwolfe Fontaine ruined Souliere’s shutout bid at 17:45 of the third period.
Ohio State goalies Kristoffer Eberly and Logan Terness combined on 27 saves.
No. 6 Denver 6, Miami 2
Six different players scored as Denver beat Miami 6-2 at Magness Arena in Denver.
Every player touched the puck on Sam Harris' team-leading 13th goal of the year and the score is tonight's @Safeway Goal of the Game! pic.twitter.com/cmxxvvkbuC
Jared Wright, Jack Devine, Sam Harris, Aidan Thompson, Eric Pohlkamp and Kieran Cebrian found the net for the Pioneers and goalie Matt Davis made 10 saves.
Casper Nassen and Michael Quinn scored for the RedHawks and Bruno Bruveris finished with 36 saves in net.
No. 7 Maine 2, No. 8 UMass Lowell 1
Nolan Renwick and Thomas Freel scored in the first period for Maine and the Black Bears held on to take a 2-1 win over UMass Lowell at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
For the Wolverines, Evan Werner, William Whitelaw, Philippe Lapointe and TJ Hughes scored and goalies Cameron Korpi and Logan Stein combined on a 22-save effort in net.
Minnesota Duluth 5, No. 10 St. Cloud State 2
Five different players – Jayson Shaugabay, Adam Kleber, Dominic James, Max Plante and Joey Pierce – scored as Minnesota Duluth beat St. Cloud State 5-2 at AMSOIL Arena.
Fisher Scott scored CC’s lone goal and goalie Kaidan Mbereko finished with 27 saves.
No. 14 North Dakota 4, No. 16 Arizona State 3 (OT)
After Cameron Berg tied it 3-3 for North Dakota at 19:32 of the third period, Sacha Boisvert won it 2:19 into overtime as the Fighting Hawks knocked off Arizona State at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
Jake Schmaltz and Jayden Perron added goals for UND and goalie Hobie Hedquist made 21 saves.
The Catamounts were led by Michael La Starza’s goal and two assists, Will Zapernick and Massimo Lombardi each going for a goal with an assist, and a goal from Timofei Spitserov.
Vermont netminder Axel Mangbo finished with 27 saves.
UConn 3, No. 17 New Hampshire 2
Hudson Schandor, Joey Muldowney and Tabor Heaslip scored to give UConn a 3-0 lead late in the second period and the Huskies held on for a 3-2 win over New Hampshire at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn.
Noah Powell spent the first half of the 2024-25 season with Ohio State (photo: Ohio State Athletics).
The OHL’s Oshawa Generals have signed Ohio State freshman forward Noah Powell to an OHL scholarship and development agreement.
With the Buckeyes, Powell collected five points (two goals, three assists) in 17 games this season.
“We are very excited to add a player like Noah,” said Generals VP-GM Roger Hunt in a statement. “He is a player that knows how to score, he has real speed and an elite work ethic.”
Powell, from Northbrook, Ill., was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fifth round of the 2024 NHL Draft.
Merrimack erased a 2-0 deficit and defeated second-ranked Boston College 5-2 Friday night in Chestnut Hill, Mass. (photo: Merrimack Athletics).
After No. 2-ranked Boston College scored the game’s first two goals to take a 2-0 lead over Merrimack at the 7:51 mark of the second period, the Warriors roared to life, scoring five unanswered goals to down the Eagles 5-2 Friday night at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Zach Bookman buries the rebound to double our lead!!!
In an offensive affair, Michigan State beat Penn State 6-4 at Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pa.
Dorwart wins the faceoff, the D trade passes, and then Dorwart backhands a little chip shot over the glove hadnd of Sergeev for a 5-3 Spartan lead. pic.twitter.com/zhKgEcrPov
Isaac Howard scored four goals and added an assist for the Spartans, while Karsen Dorwart had a goal and two assists and Matt Basgall a goal to back Luca Di Pasquo’s 29 saves between the pipes.
Aiden Fink, Dylan Lugris, Charlie Cerrato and Dane Dowiak netted the Nittany Lions’ goals and Arsenii Sergeev made 39 stops in goal.
No. 6 Denver 4, Miami 1
Aidan Thompson, Eric Pohlkamp, Jack Devine and Zeev Buium led Denver to a 4-1 win over Miami at Magness Arena in Denver.
Between the pipes, DU’s Matt Davis made 18 saves and the RedHawks’ Bruno Bruveris 32.
No. 7 Maine 3, No. 8 UMass Lowell 1
After UMass Lowell took a 1-0 lead on a Lee Parks goal early in the second period, Maine came back with the next three to down the River Hawks 3-1 at Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.
Harrison Scott scored twice and David Breazeale added a solo goal.
Mark Estapa, Phillippe Lapointe and Ethan Edwards added goals for the Wolverines, while Logan Stein finished with 28 saves in net.
For the Irish, Cole Knuble, Blake Biondi and Axel Kumlin found the net and Nicholas Kempf stopped 28 shots between the pipes.
Minnesota Duluth 2, No. 10 St. Cloud State 0
Max Plante scored late in the second period and Owen Gallatin added an empty-net goal as Minnesota Duluth upset St. Cloud State 2-0 at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.
Max Montes, Jake Rozzi, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Nathan McBrayer and Davis Burnside tallied for the Buckeyes and Kristoffer Eberly stopped 29 shots in goal.
Sam Rinzel registered the lone goal for the Gophers and goalies Nathan Airey and Liam Souliere combined on a 25-save effort.
Northern Michigan 3, No. 12 Minnesota State 2
Ryan Duguay notched all three goals as Northern Michigan edged Minnesota State 3-2 at the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Mich.
Ryan Greene, Jack Harvey, Devin Kaplan and Jack Hughes added goals for the Terriers.
Jax Wismer got the Catamounts on the board at 7:49 of the third period and goalies Axel Mangbo and Connor MacKenzie combined to stop 22 shots.
No. 16 Arizona State 2, No. 14 North Dakota 1 (in progress)
Cullen Potter and Brasen Boser have scored for Arizona State and Dylan James for North Dakota as the Sun Devils lead North Dakota 2-1 at the end of the second period from Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
John Jaworski scored in the first period for Sacred Heart and Ondrej Psenicka answered late in the period for Cornell, but the game featured no more goals and the teams tied 1-1 at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Conn.
Ondrej Psenicka ties the game, 1-1, for No. 18-ranked @CornellMHockey with 2:34 left in the first period with a shot from the far half-wall that evaded traffic in front of the Pioneers net.
Big Red goalie Ian Shane made 17 saves, while Pioneers netminder Ajeet Gundarah posted a 40-save effort.
No. 19 Clarkson 5, Union 3
Ayrton Martino netted a pair of goals to lead Clarkson past Union 5-3 at Cheel Arena in Potsdam, N.Y.
🚨MANGAN🚨
Golden Knight power play goal scored by Jared Mangan to put the Clarkson up here in the third period! #letsgotech#CGK 4 – 3 UGC | 3RD | 10:35 pic.twitter.com/XWKsUN8rsp
The first edition of the PodKaz, USCHO.com’s look at NCAA women’s hockey, for 2025 has Nicole Haase in Finland covering the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship and Todd Milewski back from Chicago, where No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 2 Ohio State played at Wrigley Field.
Nicole offers insight into what she has seen at the tournament, which features more than 40 players who are committed to NCAA schools and more that will be college players in a few years. Check out Nicole’s list of commitments here.
The series between the top two teams in the rankings was a highlight of the first weekend of 2025 but there was more movement among national contenders to talk about.
The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email todd.milewski@uscho.com.
Senior goaltender Charlie Archer helped the Continentals to the NSB Tournament championship and now is focused on NESCAC success (Photo by Joshua D. McGee)
After winning the Northfield Savings Bank Tournament hosted by Norwich with wins over Plymouth State and the host school just after the New Year, the Hamilton Continentals are nationally ranked in the top ten and are looking to make a strong run for a NESCAC title with only conference games remaining on their schedule.
“We have everything working well right now,” said head coach Rob Haberbusch. “We have a really deep team – the deepest certainly since I have been here, and it is a very talented group offensively. Our puck possession numbers are high, and this group is highly creative with the puck on their stick. We have given the group a lot of freedom offensively but not without their accountability for the defensive side of the game. Every game there are different guys stepping up on the scoresheet and that depth has been a big part of our success.”
Anchoring the Continentals on the back end has been senior goaltender Charlie Archer. In seven starts this season, Archer has a 1.30 goals-against average; .943 save percentage; a 6-1-0 record and two shutouts. During the NSB Tournament at Norwich Archer backstopped both wins surrendering just a single goal and stopping 36 of 37 shots in the two games that earned him tournament MVP honors.
“Charlie is not what you see in a lot of goaltenders in terms of being on the small or lean and light side,” stated Haberbusch. “He is the most physically strong netminder I think we have had during my time at Hamilton. He is in the weight room with the big boys and is in the top five for all lifts on the team. He takes great care and pride in his physical capabilities and as a psych major, is very comfortable in his own skin. He is a very self-assured kid and ready for the grind which we have coming up for the remainder of the season and our league schedule.”
One of the quirks of this year’s season starting a week later than usual is that the number of games played in conference in the first half of the season is a bit lighter than past years. To date the Continentals are just 4-1-0 in five league contests and face playing six of their next seven games on the road with their longest road trip on tap for the upcoming weekend against Bowdoin and Colby.
”It is not a cliché that anyone in our league can beat any other team as it happens quite frequently,” said Haberbusch. “We are not taking anyone for granted. Colby had a big win against UNE last night, but we are just focused on Friday and Bowdoin. Six of our next seven games are on the road which I kind of like. It is good to be away when the students are not on campus, and we are not playing in a mostly empty rink. When classes resume later this month we are back home, and it gives our players the opportunity to get settled into the academics and the hockey without the travel. It may be different next year, but I am liking this year’s schedule as it lays out.”
While everything has been clicking pretty well for Hamilton, one area of focus in the remainder of the season is going to be improved penalty kill efficiency. The power play has been very strong with a lot of different players chipping in with goals, but the penalty kill is an area of focus.
“We have two strong groups on the power play,” said Haberbusch. “We have been focusing on the penalty kill and think we will be better there for our upcoming schedule. There were some things we wanted to clean up before the tournament at Norwich and I thought the team did an excellent job on those things. It will be the same on the penalty kill and maybe including some players that have definitely proven themselves in the first half like two of our shutdown defensemen, Sebastien Hamming and John Wociechowski. They have developed quite well on the defensive end and certainly could be a factor on the penalty kill.”
The Continentals will see several teams for the first time this season in NESCAC action starting with the Maine trip this weekend and followed by games against Connecticut College and Tufts. They return home for a single game against travel partner Amherst before closing out the month on the road against Wesleyan and defending champions Trinity.
“You don’t get any trophies for being ranked,” stated Haberbusch. “There are not any NCAA bids that come with being in the poll. We will stay focused each day and look to build on what has helped us be successful so far this season with a lot of hockey yet to play.”
Adrian takes on Trine this weekend in a battle of nationally ranked teams. (Photo provided by Adrian Athletics)
January is flying by and the action on the ice is heating up. We have several big games on tap this weekend, including a key matchup in the MIAC featuring Gustavus and Saint Mary’s.
The biggest matchup of the weekend, though, pits Trine against Adrian in a battle of nationally ranked NCHA opponents.
Without further delay, let’s get rolling with the picks.
Gustavus (8-5, 5-1) vs. Saint Mary’s (7-3-1, 3-0-1)
This is a big time MIAC matchup early in the month as the top two teams in the conference square off. Both have won two in a row going into the home and home series. The Gusties have a four-point lead in the standings.
The Cardinals have come through with 27 goals on the year behind two of the top scorers in the league in Colin Tushie and Gabe Potyk. The Gusties have tallied 22 and are led by Jack Wineman and Hunter Newhouse. It will be a bit of a surprise if one of these teams sweeps. Saint Mary’s 4-2; Gutavus, 5-4
Bethel (6-5-1) at UW-River Falls (8-5)
The Royals feature the top goal scoring threat in the MIAC in Tyler Braccini and hit the road for a big game against a team that has spent time in the USCHO.com Top 15 poll. Bethel has won its last three and hasn’t been bad on the road, going 3-3-1 so far this season.
The Falcons are hoping their depth pays off. They have seven players with at least three goals, including Dylan Smith, who leads the team with eight. River Falls has been tough to top at home, too, sporting a 5-2 mark there. UW-River Falls, 4-3
Augsburg (5-8) at UW-Stevens Point (7-4-1)
The Auggies have quietly won two in a row and are looking like they could be poised for a big second half of the season. They refuse to ever go down without a fight, and nothing highlights that more than their comeback win over Marian on Thursday. Once behind 3-0, they rallied for a 4-3 win in overtime.
The Pointers are unbeaten at home, though, and defeated then No. 2 St. Norbert last weekend to open 2025 on a high note. Offensively, they have scored 46 goals, averaging nearly four a game. This game is slated for Saturday night. Stevens Point, 5-3
Saint John’s (5-6) at UW-Superior (10-3-1)
The Johnnies are struggling as they head into a Saturday game against the red-hot Yellowjackets, who are riding the momentum of a championship in the Codfish Bowl last weekend. The good news is Saint John’s has won four of the last six in the series.
Superior has rattled off six consecutive wins and has been getting great play out of Reed Stark, who leads the team offensively with eight goals. Spencer Rudrud leads the Johnnies with five goals. UW-Superior, 5-2
St. Scholastica (8-4-1) at UW-River Falls (8-5)
The Saints have won their last two and face a Falcons team looking to get back to their winning ways. They have been a solid team away from home, winning four of five and are led offensively by Hunter Hanson, who has come through with six goals.
The Falcons will be tested defensively but have a tough netminder in Brennan Boynton, who has settled in nicely in his first season on the ice for River Falls. St. Scholastica, 3-2
Trine (12-1-1) at Adrian (11-3, 6-2)
The fifth-ranked Thunder lead the NCHA while No. 7 Adrian comes in sitting in fourth in the league standings.
Trine has won three in a row but hasn’t played since Dec. 14 when it beat Buffalo State 6-1. Their offense has been rolling lately, with the Thunder scoring four or more goals in their last three games.
Few teams are hotter than the Bulldogs, though, as they have won eight in a row. They have scored four or more goals in seven of those eight wins.
This one should be fun to watch. Adrian, 5-4; Trine, 4-3
MSOE (5-8) at UW-Eau Claire (5-6-1)
The Raiders roll in on a two-game winning streak after opening 2025 with a pair of wins.
Now they take on an in-state foe on the road, where life hasn’t been easy as MSOE has won only once away from home. It’s the Raiders’ first time playing a WIAC opponent this year and they hope to make a statement.
The Blugolds are hoping to shake off the rust as they play their first game in nearly a month. They did end 2024 on a high, beating UW-Stevens Point 5-2, and look to keep the momentum going. MSOE, 4-2; Eau Claire, 3-2
Jon Coleman returns to the Babson bench as an assistant coach (photo: Babson Athletics).
Babson has announced the hiring of Jon Coleman as an assistant coach for the men’s hockey team.
Coleman returns to Babson for his second stint as an assistant coach after working with the Beavers from 2015 to 2018. During his three previous seasons, Babson won more than 66 percent of its games (49-24-9) and reached the 2016 NEHC final. Additionally, Coleman helped develop 11 players that earned all-conference honors over his three seasons on staff.
“We are excited to have Jon rejoin our program,” said Babson coach Jamie Rice in a statement. “He is a great coach who will provide an immediate and positive impact to this year’s team. Jon is an elite tactical and developmental coach, and his prior experience as a member of Babson hockey will ensure his transition is smooth arriving mid-year. This is a huge addition for our current team and players as we prepare for the second half of our season. It is a great day for our program.”
In addition to his time at Babson, Coleman spent four seasons as an assistant coach at nearby Bentley from 2018 to 2022. The Falcons, who won 17 games in both 2018-19 and 2019-20, reached the quarterfinals of the Atlantic Hockey playoffs three times during his tenure.
A four-year standout and two-time All-American selection at Boston University from 1993 to 1997, Coleman tallied 114 points in 118 games. The Terriers won 121 games, made four consecutive Frozen Four appearances, and captured the program’s fourth national title in 1995.
Coleman, who was selected by the Detroit Red Wings with the 48th pick of the 1993 NHL Draft, completed a 13-year professional career in 2010. He played five seasons in the AHL between 1997 and 2004 and spent eight seasons playing in Europe.
Additionally, Coleman’s father Dave served as the head men’s hockey coach at Babson from 1966 to 1968.
Brennan Boynton is thankful for the chance to play after sitting out last year. (Photo provided by UW-River Falls Athletics)
Brennan Boynton didn’t get a chance to play at UW-River Falls last season after transferring in from Division I American International.
But this year is he back on the ice, holding down the role as starting goalie for the Falcons.
“It’s been awesome. I haven’t played a full season since my second year of juniors in Fargo,” Boynton said.
Last year’s transfer marked the second time he changed schools as he played his freshman season at Minnesota.
And while he didn’t get to see ice time in a game last year, Boynton treated practice as if were one. He said that has allowed him to have success this season as he’s appeared in 13 games while fashioning a 2.05 goals against average.
“Treating practice like games really helped,” Boynton said. “That’s made a difference for me.”
Playing goalie is kind of a family thing for Boynton. His grandfather was a netminder at Gustavus and his dad played goalie in high school.
“My dad tried to get me to be a player, but I kept wanting to be goalie,” Boynton said.
So he stuck with it when he was younger and hasn’t looked back. He talked about the appeal of the position.
“When I was younger, it was the pads. I loved the gear and being on the ice all the time,” Boynton said. “And knowing my grandpa and dad were both goalies really motivated me to want to play the position.”
(Photo provided by River Falls Athletics)
A native of Minnesota, Boynton said when it came time to look for a school to transfer to, one of his former goalie coaches helped steer him in the direction of River Falls.
“He had a similar route as me with college where he played at New Hampshire and then transferred to River Falls. He had a good pro career, too,” Boynton said. “He reached out and said River Falls needed a goalie, and it was close to home. After I visited, it felt like home.”
He loves that the Falcons have had success this season, going 8-5 in their first 13 games. They have also spent time in the USCHO.com poll.
“We have a really good team and everyone fully believes we can make a run,” Boynton said. “We are all bought in.”
Boynton is locked in on doing what he can to keep the team skating in the right direction.
“Right now, the focus is on doing what I can to help keep the team in games and give us a chance to win,” Boynton said. “I want to be there when my team needs me to make a big save.”
He loves being in the position to do it.
“It’s one of the reasons I love goalie,” Boynton said. “Everyone is watching and the pressure builds. I love having that pressure.”
Boynton is no doubt glad to be where is loves that he gets a chance to put his goalie skills on display after waiting for his opportunity.
“I’ve waited a long time for this,” Boynton said. “Getting to play makes showing up every day a lot easier. And I have great teammates around me.”
Felix Trudeau collected a goal and two assists to lead Sacred Heart to a 4-1 win at AIC in December (photo: Kallie Shanahan).
I hope everyone had a safe and happy Holiday season. As we head into the second half of the college hockey season, let’s look back at the first half.
Here are our midterm awards. Will things change before the league names the actual winners in March? Probably. But these are our picks for the first half:
First Team
F Tyler Fukakusa, RIT
F Ethan Leyh, Bentley
F Felix Trudeau, Sacred Heart
D Mikey Adamson, Sacred Heart
D Michael Craig, Robert Morris
G Ajeet Gundarah, Sacred Heart
Second Team
F Liam McLinskey, Holy Cross
F Shane Ott, Niagara
F Matthew Wilde, RIT
D Mac Gadowsky, Army West Point
D Dustin Geregach, Mercyhurst
G Thomas Gale, Holy Cross
Third Team
F Jay Ahearn, Niagara
F Matteo Giampa, Canisius
F Walter Zacher, Robert Morris
D Nick Bochen, Bentley
D Chris Hedden, Air Force
G Pierce Charleson, Niagara
All-Rookie Team
F Oskar Bakkevig, Bentley
F Michael Felsing, Robert Morris
F Trevor Hoskin, Niagara
D Tristan Allen, RIT
D Dominic Elliott, Robert Morris
G JJ Cataldo, Army West Point
Player of the first half: Felix Trudeau, Sacred Heart
Trudeau, a junior transfer from Maine, currently leads the league in goals (11, tied with two other players) and points (23). He’s also third in the league in penalty minutes (38), something to keep an eye on.
Goalie of the first half: Ajeet Gundarah, Sacred Heart
As usual, there are several excellent goalies to choose from including Thomas Gale (Holy Cross), Connor Hasley (Bentley), and Pierce Charleson (Niagara). Two rookies have stood out: JJ Cataldo from Army West Point and our pick, Sacred Heart’s Ajeet Gundarah. Gundarah leads the league in goals allowed per game (2.00) and saves percentage (.926). He’s 9-3-1 with two shutouts for the first-place Pioneers.
Rookie of the first half:Trevor Hoskin, Niagara
Hoskin is one of three NHL draft picks in Atlantic Hockey America, a fourth-round choice by the Calgary Flames. He currently leads all rookies in AHA in points (16) and is ninth nationally in that category.
Coach of the first half: Andy Jones, Bentley
Jones was our pick for Coach of the Year last season, and his team is looking even better this year. Bentley is currently 11-7-2 overall and 9-4-1 in league play. The Falcons are in second place, trailing Sacred Heart by five points, but with four games in hand.
Last season, Jones’ first, the Falcons were picked to finish last and ended up tied for sixth, one point away from a first-round bye. This season, Bentley was picked to finish fifth and currently is in second, but with four games in hand on points leader Sacred Heart.
We have questions
Some burning questions to be answered in the second half:
Will we have a race to the wire?
RIT ran away with the regular season title the past two seasons, but the Tigers are currently in tenth place. Things are shaping up to be a three-team race to the finish between Sacred Heart, Bentley, and Niagara. Those teams are separated by six points in the standings.
Air Force is a dark horse, currently eight points behind third-place Niagara, but has at least two games in hand on all three teams ahead of it in the standings.
What will we see in farewells to AIC and Army coach Brian Riley?
While change is constant in college sports these days, there are two monumental changes ahead in Atlantic Hockey America. AIC will leave the conference at the end of the season and drop down to Division II. I’ve previously shared my thoughts on this sad and tragic turn of events for a program that has come into its own the past few years, going from a cellar-dweller to winning four consecutive regular season titles and three straight playoff titles, only interrupted by the 2020 pandemic.
It will be easy to root for the Yellow Jackets to win it all in “Major League” style.
The same can be said for Army West Point, which next season will have a new coach not named Riley for the first time in 75 years. Brian Riley is stepping down after 21 years at the helm. He was preceded by his brother Rob (1986-2004) and his father Jack (1950-1986).
Riley currently has a 242-359-92 record, with a regular season title in 2008.
While Zack McKelvie is an excellent choice for head coach moving forward, it will be a little strange to not have a Riley behind the Army bench. It would be awesome to see Brian lift the Riley Cup this season, but the Black Knights have a lot to achieve to make that happen.
Will we have a first-time regular season champion?
There are currently two AHA schools that have never won a regular season title: Sacred Heart and Bentley. They currently sit at first and second, respectively, in the standings with a combined 52% chance of a first-place finish, according to Playoffstatus.com.
But while the odds currently favor a first-time champion, there’s a lot of hockey left to be played.
Oswego has kicked off the 2025 campaign in grand style winning their own tournament and outscoring their opponents by a 13-0 margin – can the Lakers make a run in the second half? (Photo by Taylor Streiff)
The action is heating up in the New Year and each team in every conference is about to launch the big push for points and results and maybe, a little scoreboard watching too! Lots to play for and not a whole lot of weekends to make moves in conference races and that makes all the games matter everywhere!
My weekly picks finished last week at 10-6-2 (.611) on a super-sized slate to open the 2025 portion of the schedule. Probably reached on a couple of picks not really knowing how each roster was going to come back from the semester break. To date, my season numbers are now 62-32-6 (.650) through my first 100 games which is pretty good overall considering the number of upsets and parity out there in the D-II/III universe of teams – hoping to keep things trending upward so here are this week’s picks for the east:
Thursday, January 9, 2024
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts v. Anna Maria
The AmCats have not been getting the results they want recently and a good start against the Trailblazers is the key to recording a much needed “W” in the MASCAC race. Home team likes to make things tough for visitors and do just that to ease to a victory – AMC, 5-2
Plymouth State v. Rivier
The Panthers should not look past the Raiders nor goaltender Luke Newell who has the capability of stealing a game for his team. Think there is just too much offense for home team to fend off as Redick & Co. pick up the road win – PSU, 4-1
Friday, January 10, 2024
Neumann v. Stevenson
The MAC is all looking up at Wilkes and these two contenders need to make up some ground with a regulation win. Home ice matters here a lot for the Mustangs who find some late magic on the power play to eke out a one-goal win over the Knights – Stevenson, 3-2
Trinity v. Middlebury
The Bantams lost back-to-back games coming out of the break, so you know they are motivated to forge ahead where conference points are at stake. The Panthers may be stinging from their loss in the BLI championship game but being back home helps as the Panthers look to extend their current unbeaten streak at “The Chip.” Score early and hang on gets it done – Middlebury, 3-2
(1) Hobart v. Skidmore
This Statesmen have been a machine so far this season and this game may be their biggest challenge playing on a big sheet away from home. Depth and special teams are key with stellar goaltending just an assumed in a win for the visitors – Hobart, 5-2
Nazareth v. (13) Cortland
The Red Dragons need to get things going on home ice and a quality road win against a very strong Wilkes team is a strong way of building some needed momentum. It won’t be easy but the home team gets some power play help and an ENG to seal the deal – Cortland, 5-3
(2) Geneseo v. Elmira
The Knights are coming off the break on the heels of a great series at home against Utica. That is last year’s news so the best way to get the momentum ramped up is to beat another quality opponent on the road, especially after they won in your barn last season. Motivation applied for a win – Geneseo, 3-2
Oswego v. (3) Utica
The re-tooled Pioneers take the ice for the first time this weekend after the break while the Lakers come in on a high having won their tournament in convincing fashion. This could be one of the most exciting games of the weekend and earns my UPSET PICK for the weekend showing the Lakers could be a factor beyond the SUNYAC race – Oswego, 5-4
Saturday, January 11, 2024
St. Michael’s v. Assumption
This game could be a preview of the playoffs and maybe even the championship game much further down the road but neither team will be thinking about anything more than points and the NE-10 standings. Visitors find help from the back-end and David Ciancio to eke out a big road win – St. Michael’s, 5-4
Plattsburgh Winter Classic
(10) Wilkes v. (15) University of New England
This in-season tournament features a couple of teams that are clear contenders in their leagues and potentially on the national stage in the spring. Game feels like a playoff game and overtime winner for the Nor’easters gets celebrated like a playoff winner – UNE, 3-2
Wentworth v. Plattsburgh
The Cardinals have re-tooled the lineup a little bit with Vlad Pshenichnikov coming over from Utica for the second semester and has already contributed on the score sheet. Added depth helps home team take a close win against the Leopards – Plattsburgh, 3-1
Southern Maine v. Albertus Magnus
The Huskies are never out of a game and teams that don’t battle for the full 60 or 65 minutes are not going to earn the win over them. The Falcons like to play things tight and this game certainly goes that way with the home team taking a one-goal win and needed NEHC points – Albertus Magnus, 4-3
Western New England v. Morrisville
The Mustangs will be less than gracious hosts to the Golden Bears as they start the game hard and fast and make a lead stand up for a nice non-conference win. Home ice makes a difference for the SUNYAC hosts – Morrisville, 4-1
The season really is going to be more exciting now if that is even possible. Should be a very fun 2025 portion of the schedule – “Drop the Puck!”
Michigan State players celebrate a goal last weekend at Wrigley Field (photo: Michigan State Athletics).
By every metric, the Frozen Confines was a huge success for the Big Ten.
The event featured six Big Ten teams plus two WCHA women’s teams from B1G schools and was played in Wrigley Field Jan. 3-4, just days after the NHL’s annual Winter Classic.
The Big Ten Network did a fantastic job with coveriage, from in-game announcing to between-game conversations. All of the staging and camera work was great. And kudos to Wrigley Field for its promotion of the event. Attendance the first day was over 25,000 for each game and attendance for the Saturday women’s game was nearly 25,000.
Michigan forward T.J. Hughes called the atmosphere “unbelievable.”
Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings thanked the Chicago Cubs and said of the event, “It’s just special. It’s really special.”
Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said, “We’re grateful to participate in something that’s this cool.”
Each of those gents was quoted after their teams had come up short in Wrigley Field. That’s how good the weekend was.
All four games were decided by a goal or less. In the opening contest, Ohio State came from behind to beat Michigan 4-3, the game-winning goal scored by Riley Thompson on the power play with 38 seconds left in regulation.
The late Friday game saw Notre Dame and Penn State – two teams with huge name brand recognition who also happen to be the two teams at the bottom of the conference standings – played a game at dizzying pace, exchanging goals throughout with Carter Slaggert’s marker at 11:02 in the third tying it for Notre Dame 3-3, which is how the game ended. Shots in the game were 46-42 in favor of the Irish. Penn State’s Arsenii Sergeev (.938 SV%) and Notre Dame’s Nicholas Kempf (.923 SV%) understood their assignments on the big stage.
Saturday’s early game between Wisconsin and Ohio State featured the country’s top two women’s teams and also ended in a 3-3 tie after Wisconsin’s Kelly Gorbatenko evened the score late in the third period.
In the final game of the weekend, Michigan State beat Wisconsin 4-3 when Daniel Russell pocketed his sixth game-winning goal of the season with little more than a single second remaining in overtime.
Said Michigan State’s Adam Nightingale, “It’s a memory our guys will always have, and I think our fans, too, for all of them that turned out and showed up at the game.”
Nightingale said that the event was “really well run” and that the game against the Badgers could have gone either way. “They’re a tough team to play against, really well coached.”
An argument can be made that the Spartans were the biggest winners of the weekend. Michigan State and Wisconsin were tied for second place in the Big Ten standings going into the weekend. The Spartans beat the Badgers 4-3 in Munn Ice Arena two days prior to their dramatic Wrigley Field victory gave them a sweep.
The No. 1 Spartans are now four points ahead of the unranked Badgers in B1G standings and tied with Minnesota for first place in the conference. Michigan State sits at No. 2 in the PairWise Rankings, where losing to Wisconsin – now sitting at No. 24 – would have been costly.
Nightingale seems pretty comfortable to be coaching a team with a target on its collective back, and the Spartans seem to have a pretty good bead on how to handle the second half. As Michigan State prepares to play last-place Penn State on the road this weekend, Nightingale said that the records of individual teams really don’t matter in the Big Ten come game time.
“The reality is that all the games are tight,” said Nightingale. “For our guys, too, we don’t talk about being ranked [No.] 1, but for their development it’s really critical, because you have to play your best if you want to win a hockey game. It doesn’t mean it’s always going to be perfect.
“I think our guys have done a good job of maintaining a level head about it. We’ve got to make sure we keep doing that, but yeah, we’re going to see everyone’s best. On the flip side, when we play we’ve got to make sure that everyone sees our best, too.”
Michigan State takes a seven-game (6-0-1) unbeaten streak into Hockey Valley this weekend, and two of those wins came in OT. In their final series of the first half, the Spartans took five of six points from Minnesota on the road, tying the Golden Gophers 3-3 and earning the extra shootout point Dec. 13 before winning 5-3 the following night.
The Spartans returned to action in the Great Lakes Invitational, beating Northern Michigan 2-0 Dec. 29 before defeating No. 4 Western Michigan 3-1 the next night.
“I think that really tested our guys,” said Nightingale. “We told them when we left after Minnesota that the expectation is that we’re going to play like we did out in Minnesota.” Nightingale said that the team enjoyed their time off with their families but that players clearly heard the coaching staff’s pre-holiday message. “I was happy about the guys doing that. You could tell when they got back. They were recharged but they were pretty sharp.”
Heading out on the road this weekend, Michigan State will be faced with a choice that any coaching staff would love to have. Starting goaltender Trey Augustine has returned from the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship with the gold medal he won with Team USA, but in his absence, Luca Di Pasquo won four games in seven days, improving to six wins on the year with an impressive 1.32 goals-against average and .945 save percentage. Di Pasquo was named MVP of the Great Lakes tourney.
“We’ll sort all that out,” said Nightingale. “We’ll make a decision on Friday that we think gives us the best chance to win a hockey game.”
The Spartans (17-2-1, 8-1-1 B1G) and Nittany Lions (8-9-1, 1-81 B1G) meet Friday and Saturday in Pegula Ice Arena. Penn State is coming off its first conference win of the season. After tying Notre Dame in Wrigley Field, the Nittany Lions beat the Fighting Irish 3-0 in South Bend Jan. 5.
Michigan State was 3-0-1 against Penn State last season and are unbeaten against the Nittany Lions in their last seven meetings. The last PSU win over MSU was in Pegula Arena Nov. 18, 2022.
“Really tough team to play against in their barn especially,” said Nightingale. “I think they’re a hungry hockey team. They obviously just had a big win on Sunday and they’ll be ready to go.”
UMass has struggled this season, but the Minutemen look to turn it around starting this weekend (photo: UMass Athletics).
I think we can all agree it’s time for a breather, right?
Hockey East just came off a Saturday when it went a perfect 7-0 against nonconference opponents. Four schools scored season highs in goals — Massachusetts and Vermont each put up eight, Connecticut scored seven and Northeastern tied its season high with five goals in a 5-1 win over Quinnipiac.
No. 7 Maine beat No. 6 Denver 2-1 before a packed house at Alfond Arena, splitting a weekend series where the defending NCAA champion won by the same score the night prior. And now the Black Bears are set to face another top-10 opponent in No. 8 UMass Lowell this weekend.
Time to call off the dogs, right? This is just too much for Hockey East fans, coaches and players to endure, is it not?
Fat chance of that.
“It’s awesome — we love this,” said Maine senior defenseman David Breazeale. “For myself, I’ve come a long way since my freshman year, and for us to be able to play back-to-back top-10 teams, with us being in the top 10 as well, that’s a dream come true. That’s what college hockey’s all about.”
As of this writing, Hockey East is crowding the top of the PairWise rankings with a whopping five teams among the top 11 (Boston College, Providence, Maine, Lowell and New Hampshire). And how about this for a quirk? UNH is in last place in the league standings.
That’s right — the Wildcats, at 2-3-2 in the league, would be in the NCAA tournament if it began today (which would be a little weird because it’s only January).
And in inter-conference play, Hockey East boasts a 68-26-3 overall record (.716 winning percentage), second only to BIG’s 47-15-4 (.742).
Of course, Hockey East’s dominance of the PairWise is due to a number of factors, not the least of which is the quirkiness of the PairWise itself, and things will certainly even out over the next couple of months, beginning in earnest this weekend as every team but Providence is in action — all against each other.
With only a smattering of non-conference games remaining, it’s about to be all Hockey East all the time. And the time is now for teams to solidify their standing in order to face less pressure during conference tournament season.
“I don’t know if I remember a time when any league has had this many teams (this high in the PairWise),” Massachusetts coach Greg Carvel said. “That’s quite a statement for our league. PairWise, for the first half of the year, is determined by your nonconference schedule. Now it’s going to be determined by what you do in the league. And that’s a positive for us, because we’ve got about 10 games against teams in the top 10 in the country. (The) opportunity’s there for us.”
The league’s supremacy comes as no surprise to fourth-year Maine coach Ben Barr, who has coached in Hockey East for 12 seasons including stints as an assistant at Providence and UMass.
“Whether the rankings show it or not, all these teams are really good,” Barr said. “The PairWise is the PairWise, (but) as you go into the second half of the season, every game is a tossup in Hockey East, regardless of whether you’re the first-place team or the 10th-place team. It doesn’t matter.”
Oh, and in a related note that has nothing to do with the league standings or the PairWise, but is a nod to Hockey East’s dominance and worth mentioning — the association had 10 players on Team USA’s gold medal squad at World Juniors, and 36 of 37 goals the United States scored had a BC or Boston University player registering a point, as reported by Andrew Mahoney of the Boston Globe.
“Hockey East is a really awesome conference to be a part of,” Breazeale said. “We’re playing great teams every night. And that’s what you want. You want to play great teams so that when the championships come around, you’re prepared. You know what you’re up against. We love it. We love the challenge. We look forward to it.”
FloHockey content manager and veteran prospects and NHL analyst Chris Peters joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to recap USA’s gold at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship and to look at international hockey in general.
The first edition of the PodKaz, USCHO.com’s look at NCAA women’s hockey, for 2025 has Nicole Haase in Finland covering the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship and Todd Milewski back from Chicago, where No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 2 Ohio State played at Wrigley Field.
