PITTSBURGH — Photos from St. Cloud State’s 5-4 victory against Minnesota State in the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday at PPG Paints Arena.
Last-minute Walker goal sends St. Cloud State past Minnesota State in NCAA Men’s Frozen Four semifinals
PITTSBURGH — Nolan Walker’s redirection of Seamus Donohue’s shot with 53.2 seconds remaining in regulation broke a tie, giving St. Cloud State a 5-4 victory to over Minnesota State to send the Huskies to the national title game for the first time in program history.
They will face the winner of Thursday’s second semifinal between Minnesota Duluth and Massachusetts.
The Walker goal capped a wild third period and a crazy, back-and-forth hockey game.
The play developed as Kyler Kupka fished a loose puck from the left corner and fed it back along the boards to Donohoe. The senior defenseman fired a shot about 12 inches off the ice and Walker’s perfect hand-eye coordination produced the redirect over the glove of Minnesota State netminder Dryden McKay (17 saves).
The goal completed a third-period comeback for the Huskies, who have trailed at some point in all three NCAA tournament games, rallying for victory.
The two teams entered the third deadlocked at 3-3 before Dallas Gerads started a two-on-one from the neutral zone for Minnesota State. Working a perfect give-and-go with Walker Duehr, Gerads stuffed the shot past David Hrenak (25 saves) at 4:18 of the third.
The 4-3 lead for Minnesota State was its first of the game.
Though the Mavericks are known for their stifling defense and strong goaltender, St. Cloud State didn’t quit and with 9:46 remaining found the equalizer.
Will Hammer redirected a shot by Spencer Meier that bounced off McKay’s pad right to Joe Molenaar, who potted and easy tap-in goal, this first of his collegiate career.
Molenaar was in the lineup on the fourth line wing after Kupka moved to the top line to replace Easton Brodzinski, who broke his femur in the Albany Regional final. Both Kupka and Molenaar scored goals on Thursday.
Special teams played a major role in the game. Both teams were perfect on the power play, St. Cloud scoring once and Minnesota State capitalizing on both of its man advantages.
Minnesota State was whistled for the game’s first penalty, a hooking call to Brendan Furry at 2:12. And St. Cloud State took advantage.
Meier, the team’s captain, pinched in from the point and was in perfect position to bury the rebound of Zack Okabe’s shot at 3:18 for the 1-0 lead.
Though it took Minnesota State until the 9:21 mark to get its first shot, when the Mavericks got a chance on the power play, they too capitalized.
Nathan Smith picked up a loose puck after the St. Cloud defense blocked a shot. Smith fired the puck through traffic blocker side on Hrenak to tie the game at 1 at 16:09.
The game wasn’t tied for long as Kupka provided the answer off the ensuing faceoff. Kupka had an easy tap in when Walker feathered a nifty pass after freezing goaltender McKay. The goal came just 10 seconds after Minnesota State had drawn even on the power play.
Early in the second, the Huskies opened a two-goal lead taking advantage of a bad turnover by the Mavericks. Skating from his zone, Julian Napravnik made a blind, behind-the-back pass that went right to the stick of St. Cloud State’s Will Hammer, who promptly fired it high over the blocker of McKay.
Minnesota State, though, fought back.
At 12:07, Duehr scored his 10th of the season buried the rebound of Gerads’ shot on an odd-man rush. Then, after a St. Cloud State penalty 45 seconds later, Smith scored his second of the game on the man advantage, cutting in from the half boards and firing a shot under the crossbar.
The loss was a difficult end to the season for both the Mavericks and their goaltender, McKay. The junior was the only Hobey Baker Award finalist to reach the Frozen Four after a season where he posted 10 shutouts.
Thursday was the first time all season McKay allowed five goals in a game and the first time since Dec. 28, 2019, when he allowed five goals to, who else, but St. Cloud State, a 7-2 loss on that night.
Minnesota State rallies to tie St. Cloud State after two periods of Men’s Frozen Four semifinal
PITTSBURGH — St. Cloud State jumped to a 3-1 lead early in the second period, but Minnesota State responded with two goals in a 2:16 span to draw even, 3-3, through two periods of play in the opening game of the 2021 Men’s Frozen Four.
St. Cloud State has never trailed in the game, but was under siege late in the second by the Mavericks. Minnesota State held a 15-7 shot advantage in the second period.
Special teams have played a major role through 40 minutes. Both teams are perfect on the power play, St. Cloud scoring once and Minnesota State capitalizing on both of its man advantages.
Minnesota State was whistled for the game’s first penalty, a hooking call to Brendan Furry at 2:12. And St. Cloud State took full advantage.
Captain Spencer Meier pinched in from the point and was in perfect position to bury the rebound of Zack Okabe’s shot at 3:18 for the 1-0 lead.
Though it took Minnesota State until the 9:21 mark to get its first shot, when the Mavericks got a chance on the power play, they too capitalized.
Nathan Smith picked up a loose puck after the St. Cloud defense blocked a shot. Smith fired the puck through traffic blocker side on David Hrenak to tie the game at 1 at 16:09.
The game wasn’t tied for long as Kyler Kupka provided the answer off the ensuing faceoff. Kupka, filling the spot on the top line vacated by Easton Brodzinski who broke his femur in the Albany Regional final, had an easy tap in when Nolan Walker feathered a nifty pass after freezing goaltender Dryden McKay. The goal came just 10 seconds after Minnesota State had drawn even on the power play.
Early in the second, the Huskies opened a two-goal lead taking advantage of a bad turnover by the Mavericks. Skating from his zone, Julian Napravnik made a blind, behind-the-back pass that went right to the stick of St. Cloud State’s Will Hammer, who promptly fired it high over the blocker of McKay.
Minnesota State, though, fought back.
At 12:07, Walker Duehr scored his 10th of the season, burying the rebound of Dallas Gerads’ shot on an odd-man rush. Then, after a St. Cloud State penalty 45 seconds later, Smith scored his second of the game on the man advantage, cutting in from the half boards and firing a shot under the crossbar.
St. Cloud State leads Minnesota State after first period of Men’s Frozen Four semifinal
PITTSBURGH — Each team struck on the power play but Kyler Kupka’s goal late in the first is the difference after one period as St. Cloud State leads Minnesota State, 2-1, in the opening game of the 2021 Men’s Frozen Four.
Kupka, filling the spot on the top line vacated by Easton Brodzinski who broke his femur in the Albany Regional final, had an easy tap in when Nolan Walker feathered a nifty pass after freezing goaltender Dryden McKay. The goal came just 10 seconds after Minnesota State had drawn even on the power play.
Minnesota State was whistled for the game’s first penalty, a hooking call to Brendan Furry at 2:12. And St. Cloud State took full advantage.
Captain Spencer Meier pinched in from the point and was in perfect position to bury the rebound of Zack Okabe’s shot at 3:18 for the 1-0 lead.
Though it took Minnesota State until the 9:21 mark to get its first shot, when the Mavericks got a chance on the power play, they too capitalized.
Nathan Smith picked up a loose puck after the St. Cloud defense blocked a shot. Smith fired the puck through traffic blocker side on David Hrenak to tie the game at 1 at 16:09.
The game wasn’t tied for long as Kupka provided the answer off the ensuing faceoff.
St. Cloud State held an 8-6 shot advantage in the first period.
Report: Minnesota Duluth will be without goalie Fanti at Frozen Four because of COVID-19 protocols
PITTSBURGH — Minnesota Duluth goalie Ryan Fanti, who won the five-overtime regional final game against North Dakota in relief, isn’t with the Bulldogs for the Frozen Four, according to a report.
Fanti didn’t travel with the team this week because of COVID-19 protocols, the Duluth News Tribune reported.
Freshman Zach Stejskal started the March 27 game against North Dakota but was removed in the fourth overtime because of cramps.
Fanti, who started 19 of the Bulldogs’ 27 games this season, stopped all six shots he faced in the fourth and fifth overtimes.
The Bulldogs also have junior goalie Ben Patt on their roster. They play UMass in the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday.
Youthful Elmira soars to UCHC title
After starting the season 2-2-1, Elmira finished the season winning 8 of 10 games including three in the UCHC playoffs leading to their first ever UCHC championship. The playoff wins included a 6-0 quarterfinal home-ice victory over Chatham before the visiting Soaring Eagles knocked off No. 1 seed Utica in triple overtime in the semifinals. The championship run was complete with a 3-0 win at No. 2 Stevenson and the team finished the pandemic-influenced season with a 10-4-1 record.
“We had so many new people on the team,” said head coach Aaron Saul. “That combined with playing half a season meant we needed to develop our game quickly and we did that. Everyone was so excited to play ,and the seniors were a big factor in engaging the young players and helping them into the culture we have built here. I think the big moment for us was the game we played against the USDP U17 squad. We got beat pretty good, but it showed the players where we needed to be. That got us very focused and driven.”
It always helps a young team to know that their mistakes are covered as they develop by a really good goaltender. With four freshman defensemen seeing a regular shift, that pressure shifted to senior Chris Janzen who showed his rock-solid form all the way to the MVP of the UCHC tournament where he allowed just one goal in three games. Janzen stopped 122 of 123 shots for a .992 save percentage in the tournament including two shutouts.
“I skated up to Chris during a practice and told him I thought he was the best goaltender in the league and in the playoffs – that I knew he could get it done,” noted Saul. “He just simply said “no problem coach, I got it.”
With Janzen backstopping the Soaring Eagles the young roster needed to find some goals. In the second half of the season and into the playoffs, some big goal magic emerged from a local Elmira native, freshman Bailey Krawczyk.
We call him “Big-Goal Bailey” now,” said Saul. “He had kind of a slow start but really got going in the Utica game where we resumed the game postponed due to COVID protocols playing just the third period in a game we were down 5-2. Ryan [Reifler] scores in the opening minute and then Bailey nets two in a couple of minute span and we are tied at 5-5. They scored late to beat us, but I told the team I didn’t care that we lost – we played a really good period of hockey. Bailey was one of the players who took off from there.
Krawczyk was the offensive hero in the triple overtime win against Utica in the tournament semifinals when he scored the game winner at 5:46 of the third extra session. In the championship game against Stevenson, Krawczyk scored a power play goal just 3:51 into the first period that proved to be the game winner. He sealed the win with a shorthanded empty-net goal with just under three minutes remaining in the third period to give Elmira their 11th conference championship but first in the UCHC.
The title sets the tone for a roster that is ready to fly into a new conference next season. Elmira will be joining the NEHC next fall and this season’s success has the coach excited about playing in a new league against some of the best teams in D-III.
“Like any team you want to play against the best every night,” stated Saul. “Playing teams like Hobart, Norwich, Babson, UMass-Boston, New England College and all the others is going to be a great challenge and opportunity for us. We have been travel partners with Hobart for a long time and the last time there was a national tournament seeded, the NEHC had three teams set to play before play was canceled.”
With a deep roster returning including Janzen for another season, the Soaring Eagles are likely to garner a lot of attention from their new conference opponents come the 2021-22 season.
After winning gold in 2021, Providence’s Leaman returning to coach United States at 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship
Providence coach Nate Leaman, who led the U.S. to the gold medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton, has been named head coach of the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team.
The U.S. National Junior Team will take part in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship Dec. 26, 2021 to Jan. 5, 2022, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.
Team USA is seeking its sixth medal in seven years, and first-ever back-to-back gold medals at the event.
“It’s always an honor to be asked to coach for my country and I’m grateful to be back behind the bench,” said Leaman in a news release. “I’m excited to see some familiar faces, and coach some of America’s best young talent, as we look to build another championship roster.”
“We’re very excited to have Nate back leading our national junior team,” added John Vanbiesbrouck, assistant executive director of hockey operations for USA Hockey and also the general manager of the 2022 U.S. National Junior Team, in a statement. “The championship pedigree Nate brings to the bench, and the consistency some of our returning players will have from last year’s event, will be an advantage for our team heading into this year’s tournament.”
Leaman will be the first head coach since Bob Motzko (2017-18) to guide the U.S. in back-to-back World Juniors.
UMD: Despite COVID issues for UMass, experience teaches the Bulldogs that an opponent’s missing players ‘doesn’t make it any easier’
Minnesota Duluth enters Thursday’s national semifinal against Massachusetts as the most experienced team in this Frozen Four, and by a landslide. Not only are the Bulldogs the two-time defending national champions, but in the last five years, Minnesota Duluth has made more Frozen Four appearances than the other three teams combined.
So, when news broke on Monday that their semifinal opponent, UMass, will be missing four players – including their top goaltender and leading goal scorer – due to COVID protocols, it probably isn’t surprising that the Bulldogs players and staff were somewhat unfazed.
“It was kind of the same thing as we had in Fargo a couple of weekends ago with Michigan,” said senior Kobe Bender, referring to the Bulldogs moving past the first round on a “no contest” after Michigan was removed from the tournament because of positive COVID cases on-site. “But we’re just trying to focus on ourselves, getting better everyday.”
When you talk to head coach Scott Sandelin, he too doesn’t have much of a reaction. As he says, it’s not like suddenly UMass won’t show up on Thursday. He understands, if anything UMass could be hungrier.
“It’s unfortunate and you feel for those players,” said Sandelin. “But again, what our players are saying, we haven’t had a lot of discussions about it. Those guys the read social media, they know what’s going on.
“It doesn’t make it any easier. We’ve got to worry about what we need to do, regardless of who is in their lineup. They’re a good hockey team. They’ve got a lot of depth. You see it time and time again, whenever there’s injury, a lot of guys step up and I’m sure that’s going to be the same for [UMass] tomorrow.”
It doesn’t hurt that you’re experienced when approaching a situation where things have changed drastically for your opponent. No one seems wide-eyed on Minnesota Duluth, likely a by-product of being 12-1 in this tournament – including 5-1 in the Frozen Four – over the last half-decade.
Sandelin is quick to acknowledge that playing under the dark cloud of COVID this season makes the Frozen Four feel different. He alluded to the typical demands that Wednesday would in other years place on his team: facing questions from hundreds of media members in the locker room and at a live press conference. Instead, a couple of players and Sandelin sat in a room and answered the questions of a sparse few over Zoom.
There also isn’t interaction with family, friends and fans. Certainly enjoyable experiences for the players and staffs, but those can take away from a team’s focus.
“This year is different, a lot different,” said Sandelin. “But the good thing is we have the guys who have been through it. The more you get those opportunities, it doesn’t mean you’re going to win all the time, but it helps.”
If anything, Sandelin and his team may feel like this Frozen Four and all the sacrifices that this Bulldogs team – and every other NCAA team in every sport in the country – made, changes the feeling. Some fans say that winning a Frozen Four this year, due to COVID, deserves an asterisk.
Maybe it does, but as the Bulldogs coach put it, this one would be special for a whole different host of reasons
“Let’s face it, these are all meaningful. [The Frozen Four] is a very difficult place to get to,” Sandelin said. “But a little bit more [meaningful] because of the sacrifices the players have made, it does make it a little more special that way.
“There’s been a lot of stress, anxiety week-to-week. But these all have great meaning. It’s special to get to the Frozen Four, hopefully we get past this first game and get a chance to play in the last game of the year, which is what everyone’s goal is.”
Colorado College names Michigan assistant Kris Mayotte new men’s hockey head coach
Colorado College on Wednesday named Kris Mayotte the 15th head coach in the history of its hockey program.
Mayotte replaces Mike Haviland, who left the team March 19 after a 4-17-2 season in 2020-21, his seventh with the Tigers.
In Mayotte’s 10 years as a Division I assistant and associate head coach, he helped his teams to an NCAA national championship at Providence in 2015, two Frozen Fours and seven NCAA tournament appearances. In addition, Mayotte won a pair of gold medals and a bronze in three stints as an assistant coach with Team USA at the World Junior Championships.
Mayotte, who spent the last two seasons at the Michigan with head coach Mel Pearson after five years under Nate Leaman at Providence, has recruited six All-Americans and prepared several of his players for the NHL.
“I am honored and humbled to become the next head coach at Colorado College and continue the historic tradition of Tiger Hockey,” Mayotte said in a statement.
“I am energized by all that CC has to offer and the vision for the program and look forward to being a visible leader on the campus and in the community. The addition of Robson Arena is a game changer and we have all of the pieces in place to build a championship program. I look forward to continuing the high standard of excellence, on and off the ice, at Colorado College.”
“We are thrilled to welcome Kris to the Tiger family,” said Colorado College athletics director Lesley Irvine. “Kris is the right leader at the right time for the Colorado College hockey program.”
Earlier this year, Mayotte served as an assistant coach under Leaman on the gold-medal winning U.S. National Junior Team at the 2021 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship in Canada. Mayotte also helped the U.S. win gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018.
“Colorado College is getting a great coach and a great person in Kris Mayotte,” said Pearson. “He is a rising star who has helped produce a winning program everywhere he has coached.”
From 2014-19, Mayotte spent five seasons with Leaman at Providence and was elevated to associate head coach in 2017. A member of the 2015 NCAA National Championship coaching staff, Mayotte led the Friar goaltenders as well as the penalty-kill unit, while handling all aspects of many nationally-ranked recruiting classes. Providence earned a trip to the NCAA tournament each of his five years at the school.
“Kris is one of the brightest coaches I have been around in hockey,” said Leaman. “He is an excellent communicator and has won championships at the highest level. He will lead Colorado College to great success.”
Mayotte spent two seasons (2012-13 and 2013-14) as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence University under head coach Greg Carvel, serving as the primary recruiter and working with the goaltenders and penalty-kill unit during his time with the Saints. He also was a volunteer assistant coach at Cornell University under Mike Schafer (2011-12).
As a collegian, Mayotte was Union’s starting goaltender from 2002-06. His final three seasons coincided with the first three seasons of Leaman’s tenure as Union’s head coach. Mayotte finished his college career with 116 games played and a 2.69 goals-against average while earning ECAC Hockey All-Rookie Team (2003) and ECAC Second All-Star Team (2006) honors.
After graduation, Mayotte spent four seasons playing professionally, which included AHL stints with Lowell, Hershey, Bridgeport and Adirondack. He also played in the ECHL for San Diego, Fresno and Johnstown and in the Central Hockey League for Arizona.
Colorado College will formally introduce Mayotte at a press conference on Monday, April 12.
UMASS: COVID-19 protocol absences turn equipment assistant into backup goalie for Frozen Four
Whenever a piece of equipment didn’t work out for a UMass goalie over the last few seasons, it was like Christmas for Zac Steigmeyer.
Veteran Minutemen equipment manager Josh Penn let Steigmeyer, his student assistant and a former high school goalie, go through the discarded pads, gloves and blockers to use when he faced shots in summer skates with friends in Western Massachusetts.
Because of that, he won’t immediately look out of place when he skates onto the ice for warmups before the Frozen Four semifinals on Thursday.
Starting goalie Filip Lindberg and third-stringer Henry Graham were among four players ruled out because of COVID-19 protocols. That left Matt Murray as the only goalie on the roster.
When news of positive tests got to the team last Friday night, UMass realized it needed a backup goalie for Thursday’s game against Minnesota Duluth.
Enter Steigmeyer for a bittersweet experience.
“The reality of it is it sucks, honestly,” he said of the team playing without Lindberg, Graham, leading goal-scorer Carson Gicewicz and forward Jerry Harding. “Those guys were a huge part of the team and we had to leave them back in Amherst. But I’ve got to step up. I’ve got to ready to go just in case something strange happens. Fingers crossed.”
All you get from Steigmeyer’s hastily assembled bio on UMass’ roster is that he’s a senior goaltender from Ludlow, Mass., an economics major and wasn’t part of the team’s photo day because he’s not wearing a tie.
Some background: His dad was a goalie too but Steigmeyer started as a defenseman. He moved into the crease and competed with the New England Junior Falcons, where he played with former UMass forward John Leonard.
He played for Springfield Cathedral, later renamed Pope Francis Prep, and still carries emotional scars from losing in the Massachusetts Super Eight semifinals.
Steigmeyer started college at Providence but transferred to UMass in the second semester of his sophomore year. He was living with Minutemen players George Mika, Marco Bozzo and Leonard, who suggested that he become part of the equipment staff.
Two years ago, he was in the seats in Buffalo, N.Y., watching with friends as the Minutemen lost to Minnesota Duluth in the national championship game.
“I think I was actually more nervous watching from the stands than I am right now,” Steigmeyer said.
UMass coach Greg Carvel seemed bemused by the attention being given to Steigmeyer, who missed much of Wednesday’s practice at PPG Paints Arena after his skate blade came off.
“His couple days in the spotlight got shortened by a large percentage,” Carvel said. “I hope we don’t have to see him again. He’s a great kid. He’s been with the program for a number of years so he feels like a teammate.”
From a delayed beginning to Michigan and Notre Dame being removed from the NCAA Tournament because of COVID-19 protocols before they got to play a game, the season has been a volatile ride. UMass got its first positive test of the season days before leaving for the Frozen Four and had to worry whether it would see its championship hopes crushed without a loss.
“This was one of these moments where we weren’t sure what was going to happen,” junior forward and leading scorer Bobby Trivigno said. “I know we’re really grateful that we got the opportunity to come here and we’re not going to squander it.”
The same goes for Steigmeyer. Murray will start for the first time since Jan. 18 but Steigmeyer will get to be there, even as a placeholder.
“It’s obviously been a childhood dream of mine,” he said. “Even if it only lasts a week, just to put on a jersey on one of the biggest stages in college hockey is something else.”
ST. CLOUD: For the Huskies, words are more than just hockey lingo, they’re a philosophy by which this team lives
Close, kill and collect.
Next-guy-up mentality.
No-days-off mentality.
Husky Hockey.
All teams develop phrases and jargon that help unify concepts – and locker rooms – but St. Cloud State elevates this to an artform this season.
“We talk about Husky Hockey, just our identity,” said forward Nolan Walker. “I think we’re a very deep group from top to bottom. We like to play in the offensive zone, obviously, but we talk a lot about close, kill and collect. That’s kind of our mentality. We like to go from the back out and I think we defend really hard. I think we’ve been really successful when we’ve been doing that.”
Junior Micah Miller echoed his linemate and clarified that the team’s vocabulary is just as much about showing the world that the 2019-20 season was an anomaly as it is about defining this year’s campaign. Last year, St. Cloud State’s season ended with two losses to Minnesota-Duluth in the NCHC playoffs, a week before the rest of the season ended because of COVID-19.
“Yeah, for sure,” said Miller. “I feel like we’ve gotten so close with this group with the shortened season last year and getting to know the transfer and freshmen this year, and we had such a tight group. It’s just been a no-days-off mentality. Every practice is intense and every guy’s bringing it every day.”
Walker and Miller had played the season with Easton Brodzinski, who suffered a broken femur in St. Cloud’s 4-1 win over Boston College in the Albany Regional title game. Brodzinski led the Huskies with 13 goals, and as much as the team will miss him in Pittsburgh, both Walker and Miller say it’s time for the next guy to step up.
“It’s a next-guy-up mentality,” said Walker. “Obviously, it hurts that he’s out, but Kyler Kupka is going to play with me and Micah and we’ve had some good chemistry so far.”
“Like Walks said, we have such a deep team that it’s just kind of a next-guy-up mentality,” said Miller. “Obviously it sucks to have Brodzy go down like that and that’s how the whole team feels, but we’re kind of motivated to do it for him a little bit and just keep rolling here.”
That sophomore Kyler Kupka is, indeed, the next guy up was news at the team’s press conference during Wednesday’s practice day. “The guys really hid the game plan well,” joked coach Brett Larson.
Larson acknowledged that the concepts that define Husky Hockey aren’t exactly new.
“I think it’s everybody on the same page, everybody playing together,” said Larson. “Some of it may sound cliché, but there are things that we’ve come up with throughout the year that this team has really grown to believe in.”
Things like offense, as evidenced by St. Cloud’s 10-goal output in the Albany Regional.
“We’re good when we’re on the attack,” said Larson. “When we’re on a five-man attack, playing north, playing north through the neutral zone, a strong forecheck, not giving up the puck once we get it, doing what we call the body-blow theory, trying to set the next line up for success.”
The body-blow theory. That’s one that Miller and Walker didn’t mention.
Larson had more on this. “Strong over pucks. Not throw it away. Obviously starts with defending in our end first and defending the right way to put our team on the offense instead of spending too much time in our end.”
More than anything, says Larson, Husky Hockey “is a team concept.”
“Every guy knows that there’s no individual bigger than the team,” says Larson. “They all know that they have to bring what they can, and they know what their role is and they believe in it. I think Husky Hockey to those guys is that when they’re all playing hard, they’re playing free, and they’re getting after it together.”
MINN ST: Minnesota State knows fast start can be key in Frozen Four semifinal against St. Cloud State
When Minnesota State gets to its game quickly and when it gets a lead early, look out.
That’s what the Mavericks are hoping to do Thursday when they play St. Cloud State in the first Frozen Four semifinal at PPG Paints Arena.
They’re one of two teams this season with an unblemished record when scoring first. Minnesota State can equal North Dakota’s 19-0 mark if things go to plan against the Huskies.
“We’ve always been a team that worries about the first five minutes and I think it’s going to be the biggest thing for us,” Mavericks junior forward Julian Napravnik said. “Everybody’s probably going to be a little bit nervous to start it off. I think just getting over the first five minutes and playing our game will help us to have a solid game afterward.”
For a group playing its first game in a Frozen Four, taking a lead can go a long way toward calming the nerves. The Mavericks have never been to this point in a season as a Division I program; it’s only the second time for St. Cloud State, and its earlier experience was eight years ago.
Minnesota State was able to overcome a tentative start against Quinnipiac in the NCAA first round but would rather not be in a similar situation against the Huskies.
“The guys are excited. They’re confident in what we do, when we do it,” Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said. “The first five, 10 minutes are going to be really important but they are in every single game. So it’s not going to be any different than what it’s been throughout this season. It’ll be something we address but we address it before every game, trying to get to our game as soon as we can.”
Many of the 18 games in which the Mavericks have scored first turned into comfortable victories. Three had one-goal leads that needed to be protected late.
One went to overtime. On Feb. 19, heavily outshot host Ferris State took the lead late in the second period only to have Minnesota State’s Nathan Smith score to make it 4-4 just before the break. After a goalless third period, Reggie Lutz scored in the extra session for the Mavericks.
Minnesota State has proven itself adept at winning games when it falls behind, too; the NCAA first-round game against Quinnipiac is the most recent reminder. The Bobcats led 2-0 after one period and 3-1 midway through the third before goals by Smith and Cade Borchardt forced OT. Ryan Sandelin gave the Mavericks their first NCAA Tournament victory in the extra session.
The 4-0 victory against Minnesota in the Loveland regional championship game reinforced how Minnesota State can stifle opponents when it controls puck possession and makes it difficult for opponents to get to the net. The Mavericks played free and agressive, Hastings said.
“As a team I think we slipped a little bit going into the WCHA playoffs,” senior defenseman Riese Zmolek said. “We found that the second period of the Quinnipiac game — just being hard, physical. Just trying to keep playing on that type of game plan.”
Napravnik, Minnesota State’s leading scorer with 27 points, sees the matchup against St. Cloud State’s big defensemen as a key for Thursday’s game.
“Just working them down low and playing behind them will benefit us,” he said. “They’re a pretty good team. They’re fast and a heavy team just like us so it’s going to be a battle.”
Frozen Four College Hockey Team Preview: Minnesota Duluth looking to make it three straight national championships with depth, experience
This is the fourth of four team previews for teams playing in the Frozen Four this week in Pittsburgh.
MINNESOTA DULUTH
Season record: 14-10-2
How they got to Pittsburgh: Defeated North Dakota in Northwest regional, 3-2 in five overtimes
Top players: Senior forward Nick Swaney (13-14-27), junior forward Jackson Cates (11-16-27), senior forward Kobe Roth (13-10-23), junior forward Cole Koepke (14-8-22)
Top goalies: Zach Stejskal (8-4-3, 1.75 GAA, .923 SV%, Ryan Fanti (11-7-2, 2.35 GAA, .907 SV%)
Why they will win the national championship: They’ve won the last two national championships, so why not a three-peat?
They have players who are experienced under the pressure, and the last time they played UMass in the Frozen Four was in the 2019 national championship in which they completely shut down the Minutemen offense.
Why they won’t win the national championship: It just gets harder and harder to repeat. Teams are going to play extra tough to try to take down the champ. Also, unlike in past years the Bulldogs have shown themselves to be vulnerable to late tying goals. You can only go to the overtime well so many times before it comes back to bite you.
Asked about a fourth straight appearance in the Frozen Four (and a possible third-straight national championship) and the players for Minnesota Duluth acknowledge both that it’s unusual and special.
“It’s kind of crazy; it’s supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it seems that we just get to keep doing it,” said junior forward Tanner Laderoute. “It kind of puts me at a speechless point that even the tournament itself, there’s 60 teams in Division I hockey, and there’s a lot that don’t even make the tournament, and we’ve built a culture where we would be upset if we didn’t make the tournament, and maybe even upset if we didn’t make the Frozen Four.”
“This has been a really difficult year for everybody, and to have the opportunity to go back there, like I said you never take these opportunities for granted because you never know when they’re going to come again,” said Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin. “It’s exciting again to get the opportunity to go back there, and I know our guys are looking forward to it.”
The Bulldogs advanced to the Frozen Four in unusual fashion. They didn’t play their first-round game, advancing via walkover when Michigan was forced to withdraw due to COVID protocols.
In the regional final, they faced NCHC foe North Dakota, which in addition to being the top seed in the tournament was sort of playing at home, as the regional was held in Fargo, North Dakota. The Bulldogs built a 2-0 lead early in the third period on goals by Jackson Cates and Cole Koepke just 1:20 apart. They held that lead until the final minutes when North Dakota tied it on two goals in a 44-second span at 18:19 and 19:03.
UMD reset, and they thought they had it won when Kobe Roth scored on a two-on-one rush at 7:38 of the first overtime, but the goal was disallowed after an extensive review due to offsides. Playing on, the game was finally decided in the fifth overtime on a goal by freshman Luke Mylymok at 2:13 when he used a UND defender as a partial screen and beat goaltender Adam Scheel five-hole.
Asked about managing the emotions on the bench and keeping an even keel, Sandelin credited his upperclassmen.
“It’s something we’ve talked about a lot,” said Sandelin. “First of all, we have guys who have been through some of those types of games where things don’t always go your way, so I think number one, a lot of it had to do with our older guys being really calm and having a positive attitude. To get the goal disallowed was another situation, the emotions for both teams. We’re elated, they’re deflated, so for both teams to reset it’s not an easy thing. I called them in during the review and said it doesn’t matter what happens. It if goes our way, we can continue to celebrate, if not we’ve got to play, and our guys did a good job with that.
“Those are tough situations.”
Koepke acknowledged that as the game kept going on, players on the bench naturally thought about Roth’s disallowed goal, as he was offsides by perhaps an inch.
“You kind of think about it maybe more during the intermissions when we’re sitting there like, this game it’s still going on,” said Koepke. “Everyone is so tired, and you just think, like you said, one inch and we would have been done. I mean like Tanner mentioned earlier, we have a next-play mentality, and you can’t control the past, you can only control our efforts moving forward. We always talk about having a short memory when things don’t go our way.”
UMD’s unique goaltending situation was also on full display. After the first few weeks of the pod in Omaha, Sandelin has essentially split goaltending duties between sophomore Ryan Fanti and freshman Zach Stejskal, who got the start against North Dakota. However, as the game wore on, Stejskal grew tired and started cramping, and he had to come out of the game in the fourth OT after making 57 saves, putting Fanti under an immediate pressure cooker, one he met head-on, making six saves in earning the win.
“‘States’ played unbelievable that whole North Dakota game, and ‘Fants’ came in and was dialed and ready to go when he had to be,” said Laderoute. “That’s all you can ask from a young guy. I know that it’s hard to stay in the game, especially when it starts to go third overtime, fourth overtime, but Fanti was ready every time he had his name called. You can tell when it starts getting that long, it’s tough on the goalies, they’re playing the whole game. Fants knew that it’s always a possibility.”
UMD’s upperclassmen are veterans at the Frozen Four. Koepke and Laderoute won against UMass in 2019 as freshmen, and senior Nick Swaney, the team’s leading scorer, won as a freshman against Notre Dame and then as a sophomore in 2019.
“It’s pretty tough to put into words,” said Swaney. “We’ve had three shots at it my career, my class, and we’ve got there every single year. It’s pretty special. This year with everything we’ve had to sacrifice and the ups and downs that we’ve had to go through, I think it makes it that much better.”
Koepke and Laderoute are now veterans looking out for the freshmen and sophomores and mentoring them on this road.
“I think it’s really fun to be back,” said Koepke. “It’s something that as a team that we work toward all year. Last time we were there we were freshmen and we really looked to the seniors and juniors that had been there before to kind of guide us and give us a little heads-up of what we might have to expect going forward. Knowing that for us, I think we’re just looking at our freshmen trying to help them as much as we can and try to give little hints and tips on what to expect there.”
Everyone associated with the program knows that the three-peat is something that a lot of people are talking about on social media, but the team is just trying to take it a game at a time and manage their emotions and expectations. They are expecting a fierce game against Massachusetts on Thursday.
“Obviously a really good team,” said Swaney. “Playing anyone in the NCAA tournament this point, everyone’s going to be a really good team. I think watching them, too, kind of their games in the past, they have some really good defensive players and they kind of play that similar style where they’ll get in on you hard and play fast all over the ice. It’s going to be a good game, and obviously looking forward to playing them again.”
2021 NCAA Frozen Four semifinal preview with writer Chris Peters: USCHO Spotlight college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 17
Hockey writer Chris Peters from Hockey Sense with Chris Peters joins hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger to preview the 2021 NCAA men’s D-I ice hockey semifinals between Minnesota State and St. Cloud State and between UMass and Minnesota Duluth.
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, in your favorite podcast app, or on Spreaker.
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Frozen Four College Hockey Team Preview: Minnesota State proving Mavericks belong in upper echelon of college hockey’s elite programs
This is the third of four team previews for the teams that have reached the Frozen Four this week in Pittsburgh.
MINNESOTA STATE
Season record: 22-4-1
How they got to Pittsburgh: Beat Quinnipiac 4-3 in overtime in the West Regional semifinal, beat Minnesota 4-0 in West Regional final
Top players: junior forward Julian Napravnik (10-17-27), sophomore forward Cade Borchardt (9-15-24), sophomore forward Nathan Smith (7-16-23), senior forward Reggie Lutz (10-11-21)
Top goalie: junior Dryden McKay (21-3-0, 1.39 GAA, .931 SV%)
Why they will win the national championship: At this point, they’ve already exorcised one demon. Just winning a game in the NCAA tournament was a big step for the Mavericks, who were previously 0-6 all time in the postseason in their Division I era.
But by beating instate rivals Minnesota — handily — in the regional final was a heck of an encore and a big statement that this team is for real. Maybe most encouraging is that MSU’s goal scorers in the regionals weren’t necessarily their big stars. If they can get that scoring depth to click in Pittsburgh, there’s no reason why they can’t win it all.
Why they will not win the national championship: Last week we mentioned that the Mavs’ slow starts could be their Achilles’ Heel.
It nearly stopped their tourney run before it started. MSU was down 2-0 to Quinnipiac after one period in their first-round game. They did manage to rally and tie the game from down 3-1 with two goals in the third period, but against the stronger teams left in the Frozen Four, it’s going to be a lot harder for the Mavericks to claw back from an early deficit like that.
For the past decade, Minnesota State has largely been regarded as one of the model programs of college hockey. In the past 10 years, they have won six conference championships, three conference tournament titles and appeared in six NCAA tournaments. Four Mavericks have been named All-Americans. They’ve constantly been ranked in the top five in the country.
Before this season, only one thing had eluded them: A NCAA tournament win.
But now that’s in the past. The Mavericks won the NCAA West Regional in Loveland, winning their first tournament game, their first regional championship and their first Frozen Four appearance. Not a bad way to get a few monkeys off your back. MSU rallied to beat Quinnipiac in overtime to win their first game before blanking Minnesota to earn their first Frozen Four berth.
“Obviously we hadn’t won an NCAA game, and to be able to find a way after putting ourselves in the spot that we were in,” MSU head coach Mike Hastings said. “To find a way to get back and get our first win and then put together the game we put together on Sunday to give us the opportunity to be in the Frozen Four was a very big step for our program.”
Another big step for Minnesota State was announced just days after their Frozen Four berth. Junior goaltender Dryden McKay was named one of three Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalists — another first for Minnesota State.
McKay has recorded 10 shutouts this season and won the WCHA goaltending championship this season with a goals against average of 1.07. He’s only the second goaltender in WCHA history to win three consecutive goaltending titles. (The other one was a guy named Tony Esposito.)
“If there’s one word I can throw out with Dryden other than calm and collected, would be ‘consistent,’” Hastings said. “He’s been our most consistent player over the last two years.”
That description, though, can apply to the Mavericks as a team in addition to McKay as an individual. MSU doesn’t have anybody with insane goal scoring numbers, but what they do have are a lot of players with seven, eight and nine goals. They have four 20-point scorers and eight more in double-digits.
Rarely this season has MSU been completely out of a game. They only lost four times the entire season, and the only game in which they looked totally outclassed was in the WCHA semifinal game against Northern Michigan on March 19. NMU won 5-1 in a game that wasn’t that close. McKay was pulled in the second period.
Hastings said losing that game was a wakeup call for his team.
“We lose to Northern Michigan in the semifinals here in our own building, and we weren’t thinking about going to the Frozen Four, we were thinking about picking the pieces up and going back to our game,” Hastings said. “As you saw, even in the weekend in Loveland, it took us a little while to get back there. Quinnipiac jumped on us right away and we had to play from behind. And as the game went on, we found our identity a little bit. Then after the first game we put together a really good game on Sunday.”
Playing against a team like St. Cloud State at the Frozen Four this week will be tricky. The Mavericks and the Huskies know each other well as instate rivals, and Hastings is friendly with St. Cloud State head coach Brett Larson. But at the end of the day, for Hastings it will be about doing what the Mavericks do.
“We’ve got an idea of what’s going on in St. Cloud and what they’re doing, but at the end of the day we try and focus on what we’re doing and our preparation,” Hastings said. “We’re going to stay true to what we are that way. We’ll try and make sure we give the guys we give them the information that they need, tendencies and that sort of thing, but at the end of the day we have to go out and play our game.”
The Mavericks will now carry the banner for the WCHA in its final season as a men’s league. MSU’s failures to win a tournament game in the past could have been read by some as an indictment of the league. But this season, the league had the best showing it’s had since realignment.
Aside from MSU’s success, Bemidji State also surprised many with their big win over Wisconsin as a No. 4 seed. Lake Superior State was knocked out in the first round by UMass but were one of the best teams in the conference down the stretch. All three teams will be playing in the CCHA next season.
“I think it opened some people’s eyes to what we do in our league,” Hastings said of the WCHA. “It’s a tough league to play in and we’re showing it right now. Hopefully we can continue to do that not only for the league moving forward but for ourselves as a program.”
Minnesota State’s Hastings named Spencer Penrose Award recipient as 2021 D-I men’s college hockey coach of the year
Minnesota State coach Mike Hastings has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Spencer Penrose Award as Division I Men’s Ice Hockey CCM/AHCA Coach of the Year. The honor is the second for Hastings, who also won the award in 2015.
Entering the Frozen Four, Hastings has a career record of 236-89-24. His winning percentage of .711 is the best among all active NCAA Division I men’s head coaches.
Hastings is the fourth men’s hockey coach at Minnesota State following a three-year stint as associate head coach at Omaha. He also served as an assistant coach with the men’s hockey program at Minnesota for one season.
Prior to his college coaching career, Hastings had a 14-year run as head coach of Omaha of the USHL, leaving as the league’s all-time winningest coach having compiled a 529-210-56 record with the Lancers. He was named USHL Coach of the Year three times and as the team’s general manager earned league GM of the Year honors five times.
Hastings was an assistant coach for the U.S. national junior team at the 2003 and 2005 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships and served twice as head coach for the U.S. junior select team that competed in the Viking Cup, earning gold medal honors in 2000.
A 1993 graduate of St. Cloud State, Hastings played two years for the Huskies (1986-87 and 1987-88) before a back injury ended his career.
The runner-up for this year’s Spencer Penrose Award was Greg Carvel of the University of Massachusetts.
UMass to be without Gicewicz, Harding, Lindberg, Graham in NCAA Frozen Four semifinal due to COVID-19 protocols
Massachusetts announced Tuesday morning that it will be without forwards Carson Gicewicz and Jerry Harding and goaltenders Filip Lindberg and Henry Graham for Thursday’s NCAA Frozen Four national semifinal due to COVID-19 contact tracing protocols and University of Massachusetts policies.
“I feel for these players who have sacrificed so much over the last year and committed themselves to getting our team to this point,” said UMass coach Greg Carvel in the announcement.
“They have earned the right to compete for a national championship, and to have this unfortunate situation occur now is hard to comprehend. But nevertheless it’s a result that we have to accept, and we will move forward together and utilize the depth of our roster for Thursday’s game in Pittsburgh.”
UMass will take on two-time defending champion Minnesota-Duluth in the national semifinals on Thursday at 9 p.m. in a rematch of the 2019 NCAA championship game, with the winner will advancing to Saturday’s national championship game against either St. Cloud State or Minnesota State.
UMass AD Bamford’s vision, Minutemen coach Carvel’s approach quickly builds strong, national contender in Amherst
Anyone who has listened to Massachusetts coach Greg Carvel over the last few years understands that the 2019 Spencer Penrose winner, given to the national coach of the year, has a plan.
When he came to the Amherst, Mass., campus five years ago, success didn’t play out right away, though no one should be surprised.
Five years later, though, and the ability to recruit the team he wanted, Carvel has put in place the personnel and the system he wants. The result is reaching back-to-back Frozen Fours for a program that previously had qualified for just a single NCAA tournament.
“I’m pretty sure anyone would be surprised [to be in two straight Frozen Fours] just given how tough our conference is and where the program stood when we got here,” said Carvel. “We’ve brought in some real high-level players but more importantly some high-level people.
“I just came here with a vision. I’m old enough and had enough experience at different levels of hockey to know how programs should be run. It’s not just about how good your players are. It’s about how strong your culture is and how committed your players are to playing the game the right way.”
Carvel says that his team, and most importantly his coaching staff that includes two of the nation’s top assistants in Ben Barr and Jared DeMichiel, has executed well on that plan.
Often overlooked, though, is the plan before the plan.
When Carvel was hired, athletic director Ryan Bamford, a young, up-and-coming administrator, was a fresh face on the UMass campus. He arrived in March of 2015 and then watched his hockey program skate to an uncompetitive 8-24-4 in the 2015-16 season, leading Bamford to terminate coach John Micheletto after four seasons.
Micheletto was hired in 2012 to replace long-time head coach Don ‘Toot’ Cahoon, who had guided the Minutemen for 12 seasons, including an appearance in the Hockey East title game and an NCAA regional final.
But replacing Cahoon was a nightmare for UMass.
Micheletto was not the first choice of then athletic director John McCutcheon. Multiple coaches were reported as turning down the job when offered including Quinnipiac’s Rand Pecknold, as well as Paul Pearl, now an associate head coach at Boston University. Mike Cavanaugh, then associated head coach at Boston College and now head coach at Connecticut, was also in the mix.
When Bamford began the search for a replacement, he took a very different approach.
Instead of using a large committee to select the next head coach, Bamford sought advice from many but made the decision himself.
“I felt like when I got to UMass in 2015, we’re in such a good league and Massachusetts is such a good hockey state, I’d watched what [UMass Lowell coach] Norm [Bazin] and Lowell had done, my vision was to try and build what they had been able to accomplish,” Bamford said.
“I said we need to get back to a competitive level.”
What Bamford learned in that process, as well as in one of his previous role at Yale where he helped bring in Keith Allain, who led the Bulldogs to the 2013 national title, was that as much as it takes a great coach who can recruit the best players who can win games with skill, it wasn’t all about what happens between the boards.
“All the off the ice stuff, I thought, was really important,” Bamford said. “The accountability, the team dynamics, brings the right young men into our program and into the university. [Greg Carvel] has exceeded anything I could’ve imagined in terms of that.”
When the head coaching opportunity came open position came open, it was one of the first two high-profile positions Bamford had to fill at UMass (women’s basketball was the other). He put significant energy into both, but also understood that the payoff of hockey could be quick.
“I think it my first year, I really dove in on hockey to say, ‘What has worked at other places, where do I think we fit and what’s our vision?’” said Bamford. “[The last question] was what is the investment. I don’t think there had ever been a real deep discussion about how we wanted to invest in hockey.
“I said, ‘We’re going to increase our coaching salaries, we’re going to increase our recruiting and travel budgets.”
Bamford made it clear the upgrade were coming and worked with Carvel to make multiple facility projects a priority, including what will be a $2 million investment this offseason to bring the UMass locker room and training facilities in hockey up to a standard that makes them competitive nationally.
Now, after just five short seasons, UMass could be on the precipice of a level of greatness few could’ve imagined such a short time ago. The Minutemen won the regular season Hockey East title in 2019, captured the postseason tournament this year with a 1-0 victory over sister school UMass Lowell last month.
And now, the Minutemen, arguably playing as great hockey as anyone in the Frozen Four field, stand two wins away from a national title. That gives Bamford and so many associated with the program, a sense of great pride.
“I feel so good for our kids and our coaches,” said Bamford. “I thought we had a legitimate shot last year prior to COVID. So to do it in a year where there’s not as much high-end talent, to do it in a year like this, I’m just so proud of our program, our kids.”
Weekend Wrap-up in D-III East Hockey
Congratulations to the Elmira Soaring Eagles!! Elmira took out the two top seeds to earn their first ever UCHC title. We are talking playoffs and a championship won in the UCHC as the 2020-21 season champion was decided on Easter Monday. It was a great playoff week and there were a few other easter eggs to be spotted on the action that has continued into April. Here is a recap of all the week’s sensational playoff action:
UCHC
Quarterfinals
Manhattanville (8) @ Utica (1)
After a scoreless first period, the Pioneers got the offense going scoring nine goals over the final 40 minutes to post the 9-0 win over Manhattanville. Dylan McMahon, John Moncovich and Conor Landrigan each scored two goals and Chris Dickson made 12 saves to earn the shutout. Dickson earned his fourth shutout in six starts this season and now holds the single season record at Utica.
Neumann (7) v. Stevenson (2)
On Thursday the last of the quarterfinals took place with the Mustangs facing a Knights team they had defeated twice during the regular season. The Knights seemed to put the losses behind them as Evan Hoey gave the visitors a 1-0 lead after the first 20 minutes. Blake Colman evened the score at 1-1 with a power play goal for Stevenson setting up a winner-take-all third period. Anthony Starzi scored early in the third and Austin Master scored late for a 3-1 Stevenson lead. Clay Boyd cut the deficit to one with just over a minute left, but Ryan Kenny preserved the lead for the 3-2 win.
Nazareth (6) @ Wilkes (3)
Despite being outshot by a 47-24 margin, Nazareth gave Wilkes all they could handle in a 3-2 overtime loss on Wednesday. Mateo Capriotti and Ray Falso gave the visitors one goal leads in each of the first two periods and goaltender Raphael Provencher was outstanding making 34 saves heading into the third period. Tyler Dill tied the game at 2-2 with a power play goal in the third period and Tyler Barrow delivered the overtime winner for Wilkes at 9:16 of the extra session.
Chatham (5) @ Elmira (4)
Jordan Gonzalez, Ryan Reifler and Shawn Kennedy combined for four goals and nine points in a 6-0 win over the Cougars on Wednesday. Gonzalez got Elmira on the board with just four seconds remaining and the hosts added two more goals in the second period and three in the third. Goaltender Chris Janzen stopped all 31 shots he faced to earn the shutout.
Semifinals
Elmira (4) @ Utica (1)
The game was simply epic as it took three overtime periods to determine a winner. Despite being outshot by a 63-41 margin, the visitors from Elmira pulled off the stunning upset of the top-seeded Utica Pioneers to advance to the UCHC title game with a 2-1 win. Chance Gorman gave the visitors a first period lead and Brett Everson responded for the Pioneers in the second period for a 1-1 tie that would last a long time. Goaltender Chris Janzen was stellar in making 62 saves while Elmira-native Bailey Krawczyk finally broke the 1-1- tie 5:46 into the third overtime period.
Wilkes (3) @ Stevenson (2)
Friday saw a strong push by Wilkes offset by a determined Stevenson squad that scored three unanswered goals in the final 27 minutes to advance the UCHC title game with a 4-1 win. After Mac Lowry and Donald Flynn exchanged goals in the first period, Wilkes came out hard in the second period outshooting the Mustangs by an 11-5 margin. Ryan Kenny was solid in goal to hold the Colonels off the scoreboard while Blake Colman scored what proved to be the game winner on the power play late in the period. Austin Master and Chad Watt closed out the scoring for the final margin
Championship Game
Elmira (4) @ Stevenson (2)
Krawczyk and his teammates clearly don’t mind being the underdog as they scored on the power play in the first to take a 1-0 lead less than four minutes after the opening draw. Shawn Kennedy extended the lead to 2-0 in the second period while goaltender Chris Janzen held the Mustangs off the scoreboard with 23 saves through 40 minutes. Elmira controlled play in the third period holding the Mustangs to just six shots on goal. Again, it was Krawczyk who put the game away for Elmira scoring a shorthanded, empty-net goal with under three minutes remining in regulation to seal the win and the title. Janzen, the tournament’s MVP, finished the night with 29 saves and the shutout win.
Three Biscuits
Tyler Barrow – Wilkes – scored the overtime winning goal against Nazareth as Wilkes had to rally from one-goal deficits twice to advance in the UCHC tournament
Chris Dickson – Utica – made 12 saves against Manhattanville in a 9-0 quarterfinal Pioneer win. The shutout extended Dickson’s scoreless streak to over 195 minutes and broke the single season record for shutouts at Utica.
Chris Janzen – Elmira – stopped 62 of 63 shots to backstop Elmira to a 2-1 triple overtime win over Utica in the UCHC semifinals and stopped all 29 shots he faced in picking the 3-0 shutout win in the title game earning tournament MVP honors.
Bonus Biscuit
Bailey Krawczyk – Elmira – scored the triple overtime game winner against Utica and then helped the Soaring Eagles to the win in the title game at Stevenson with two goals.
There will be just a few more games among non-conference opponents coming up over the next week or two, but most schools need to make way for the spring sports and start thinking about the fall and the excitement for a full and complete 2021-22 season compels.
Arizona State all-time leading scorer Walker returning to Sun Devils for fifth college hockey season in 2021-22
According to Red Line Editorial, Arizona State forward Johnny Walker will be back for a fifth season in 2021-22, using the NCAA’s option for 2021 seniors to gain an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.
“It was kind of a no-brainer,” he said, adding that 2020-21 felt “pretty empty.”
During the 2020-21 season, the Phoenix native went for four goals and 14 points in 16 games.
Walker broke the program record for most career points Feb. 26 with his 108th, assisting on redshirt junior Chris Grando’s goal in the third period during a 4-1 loss at Michigan.
Overall, Walker has totaled 64 goals and 46 assists for 110 points in 116 games in Tempe.
