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Weekend Wrap-up in D-III East Hockey

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College hockey game picks, D-III East: March 6, 2020
JR Barone and Plymouth State evened their season record at 4-4-0 with a sweep of Anna Maria (Photo by Sportspix)

The UCHC standings are heating up as the regular season winds down and Connecticut College pulled off the upset of the weekend with a 2-1 win over previously unbeaten Norwich. Here is a recap of all of the week’s action:

Non-Conference

Anna Maria v. Plymouth State

On Thursday, the visiting AmCats jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Lukas Radina’s goal but the Panthers scored five unanswered to cruise to a 6-3 win. Anton Nasstrom scored a pair for PSU and Jake Gerbner added a goal and two assists in the win.

In the return match at Anna Maria, Myles Abbate scored a goal in each period to lead the Panthers to a 5-3 win and sweep of the two-game series. The game was tied at 3-3 after two periods of play before Peter Laviolette and Abbate scored the only goals of the third period for the win.

Curry v. Endicott

In what has always been an intense rivalry in CCC play, the Gulls swept the two-game series with the Colonels by scores of 3-1 and 7-2. On Friday, Connor Amsley scored in the first period for Endicott and Austin Whelan provided the equalizer in the second period to tie the game at 1-1. Noah Strawn broke the deadlock late in the third period and Jake Simons added the empty-net insurance goal in the win.

On Saturday, the Gulls left little doubt with a fast start and a 3-0 first period lead on goals from Mitch Shaheen, Connor Clemmons and Connor Beatty. They extended the lead to 5-0 before Curry answered in the third period where Beatty added his second of the game in the 7-2 win.

Becker v. Nichols

On Friday, Filip Virgili figured in the first four goals for the Bison who took a 5-3 win over the Hawks. Virgili finished the night with the game winning goal along with three assists.

On Saturday, the Bison completed the two-game sweep with a 5-2 win. The game was tied at 2-2 after two periods. Goals from Peter Miko, Austan Bellefeuille and Curtis Carlson in the third period provided the difference for Nichols who moved to 2-2-1 on the season.

Southern Maine v. Colby

Colby picked up their first win of the season in a 5-1 victory over Southern Maine. Quinn Doyle scored two of Colby’s four straight goals that broke open a 1-1 game in the second period. Alex Borhas added a shorthanded, empty-net goal and an assist on Jacob Thousand’s first period goal to help spark the offense.

Norwich v. Connecticut College

The Camels were ready to avenge a 6-2 exhibition contest loss against the Cadets and do something no team had done since December 6, 2019: hand Norwich a loss. Appropriately on senior day it was senior Matt Creamer that got the Camels on the scoreboard with a power play goal and a 1-0 first period lead. Freshman Seth Stadheim made it 2-0 in the third period before Scott Swanson cut the deficit in half with an extra-attacker goal and just over one minute left in regulation. The Cadets had chances to tie the game but some key blocks by Camel’s players and some big saves from Cam Fernandez sealed the win for Conn College who knocked Norwich from the ranks of the unbeaten.

UCHC

Stevenson v. Lebanon Valley

On Wednesday, the Mustangs and Flying Dutchmen battled to a 2-2 regulation tie before Evan Beers gave Stevenson a shootout win in the fourth round. Alex Borowiec gave LVC a 1-0 lead after two periods, but Stevenson came back with goals from Blake Colman and Austin Master for a 2-1 lead. Skyler Pugh knotted the game at 2-2 and overtime couldn’t decide a winner. Ryan Kenney stopped all four shootout attempts he faced to make Beers’ goal stand up as the game-winner.

On Sunday, the Mustangs completed the two-game sweep of the Flying Dutchmen with a convincing     7-2 win. Forward Ryan Patrick led Stevenson with four assists as seven different players scored, and the Mustang power play was very effective connecting five times on eight chances.

Elmira v. Wilkes

On Friday, Elmira fought back three times from one-goal deficits to send the game into overtime tied at 3-3. In the extra session a bench minor penalty for too many men on the ice gave the visitors a power play which Nicolas Domitrovic turned into an overtime winner and a 4-3 win for Elmira.

On Saturday, Wilkes behind a hat trick from Tyler Dill earned a split of the home-and-home series with a 4-2 win. Nick Fea who also had a three-point night, scored the game winner with just over five minutes remaining in the third period.

Chatham v. Lebanon Valley

On Friday, Chatham’s Kenneth Gill and Carson Greiner scored in the first period to give the Cougars a 2-1 lead. The lead was extended to 3-1 on Niko Moulakelis’ third period goal and Ricardo Gonzalez made 25 saves to earn the win.

Chatham v. Stevenson

On Saturday, the Cougars and Mustangs were knotted at 1-1 through two periods of play before ethe fireworks erupted in the final period. Stevenson scored five unanswered goals in the first 12 minutes of the period to take a 6-1 lead on their way to a 6-3 win. Mac Lowry scored twice in the final period as part of the offensive barrage that chased goaltender Ricardo Gonzalez.

Utica v. Nazareth

The Pioneers showed off their offensive firepower in 6-0 and 7-2 wins over Nazareth over the weekend. On Friday, Dante Zapata and Conor Landrigan both scored twice and added an assist to support goaltender Sean Dickson who earned the shutout win.

On Saturday, Landrigan recorded a five-point night with two goals and three assists while Brandon Osmundson chipped in with two goals and an assist in the 7-2 rout. The sweep moved Utica to 5-1-0 in UCHC play.

Three Biscuits

Conor Landrigan – Utica – enjoyed an eight-point weekend in a pair of wins over Nazareth. Landrigan recorded four goals and four assists in 6-0 and 7-2 wins for the Pioneers.

Filip Virgili – Nichols – scored the game winning goal and added three assists in the 5-3 Bison win over Becker on Friday.

Myles Abbate – Plymouth State  – scored a hat trick for the Panthers that helped them earn a 5-3 win over Anna Maria on Saturday.

Bonus Biscuits

Tyler Dill – Wilkes – recorded a hat trick in the Colonels 4-2 win over Elmira that earned a split of the weekend series.

Cam Fernandez – Conn College – the freshman netminder stopped 27 of 28 shots for the Camels in a 2-1 win over previously unbeaten Norwich. The Camel win snapped the Cadet unbeaten streak that spanned 468 days back to December of 2019.

Most of the non-conference teams are now making way for the spring sports on campus but a few teams are trying to get in a couple more games while the UCHC is battling for regular season honors and playoff ranking in search of a conference title.

 

 

St. Lawrence out of NCAA men’s hockey tournament after coach Brekke tests positive for COVID-19

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BREKKE

Due to a positive COVID-19 test result within the St. Lawrence men’s hockey Tier 1 personnel on Sunday afternoon, and in accordance with New York State and NCAA quarantine guidelines, the team will not be able to accept the ECAC Hockey automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

St. Lawrence claimed the conference title with a 3-2 overtime win over Quinnipiac on Saturday, March 20.

“I’m extremely sorry that this group has lost the opportunity to compete in the NCAA tournament,” said Saints coach Brent Brekke in a statement. “It was my own test that came back positive today. The roller coaster of emotions in the last 24 hours for everyone is unimaginable. Last night we are holding the trophy above our heads and today we are shaking our heads in disbelief that the season is over. This hurts. But the one thing that can’t be taken away from this team — they are champions.”

St. Lawrence finishes the season 6-8-3. The 2021 ECAC Hockey title was the seventh in program history, and the first since 2001.

Live Podcast Replay: NCAA selection analysis, conversation with committee chair Mike Kemp – Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 19

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Hosts Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger analyze and review the announcement of the NCAA men’s Division I ice hockey field. Mike Kemp, chair of the men’s D-I ice hockey committee, joined them for a conversation. Kemp revealed which teams were the last ones in and what criteria the committee used to assess those teams and described what he characterized as a “stressful” process.

Hear the replay of this live podcast below.

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

Sponsor this podcast: https://www.advertisecast.com/USCHOWeekendReview

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Sabres capture first Harris Cup in nearly 20 years

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Marian swept the Milwaukee School of Engineering to win its first Harris Cup since 2002. (Photo courtesy of Marian athletics)

Nearly two decades have gone by since Marian last won an NCHA championship.

The wait ended on Saturday.

The Sabres are winners of the Harris Cup for the first time since 2002 after turning away the Milwaukee School of Engineering 4-1 to complete a championship series sweep. Marian won the opener Friday by a 3-1 score.

Marian scored twice in the second period and never looked back as it ended a challenging year on a six-game winning streak. They finish out 12-7. MSOE ends the year 10-7-2.

Ty Enns scored twice and goalie Colby Muise came away with tournament MVP honors after making 30 saves in the final.

Marian hadn’t played in the championship round since 2011 but it wasn’t going to let that drought continue, outscoring the opposition 21-9 in the postseason. 

Enns scored the first two goals of the night for the Sabres before the Raiders responded to slice the advantage to 2-1 in the third Eliot Friedow.

Blaine Caton pushed the Sabres in front 3-1 before Gianni Vitali added an empty netter to give the Sabres their third NCHA crown in program history.

Marian held a 44-31 advantage in shots, including a 14-6 edge in the final period. It forced MSOE to go 0-for-4 on the power play. 

Enns, Vitali, Parker Colley and Nathan Walker all earned NCHA All-Tournament team honors while Muise was named the MVP. He made 42 saves in Friday’s win.

The Sabres dropped four consecutive games at one point in February but bounced back, winning nine of their final 11 games during a season played amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Wisconsin 2, Northeastern 1 (OT): Badger women win program’s sixth national title

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Wisconsin Women 2021 National Champion
Photo: Robert Frank

 

ERIE, Pa. – Daryl Watts banked a shot off a Northeastern defender from behind the net in overtime to give the Wisconsin Badgers back-to-back national championships and the sixth title in program history.

Watts, who was responsible for the game-winner in three of Wisconsin’s four overtime wins this year, rose to the occasion yet again and made her own dreams come true. The senior transferred to Wisconsin after her sophomore season at Boston College, saying she’d lost her passion for the game and was looking for a place where she thought she could win a national championship.

Badger captain, senior Brette Pettet said the goal Watts scored was indicative of just how much fun she’s having on the ice. Few players would try something so would even think of attempting a goal like that, much less with the title on the line in sudden-death overtime.

“I think that’s one thing you can appreciate about Daryl. She’s just going to go out there and have fun. I think that’s one of the reasons she’s so good. She’s not afraid to make mistakes. I think when you’re playing like that mixed with the pure talent she has, it’s a good recipe,” said Pettet. “I can’t even explain it. Daryl has the ability to score when no one else does. I’m not sure what it is she’s got, but she’s got it.”

It was a heartbreaking way to end a spectacular game that pitted the top two seeds in the country that were clearly evenly matched. The game was scoreless for more than fifty minutes before each team litl the lamp within the course of a minute.

Then less than four minute into overtime, Watts found herself with the puck and time behind the net. The Huskies did a good job cutting off passing lanes and protecting the net front, but they didn’t put pressure on Watts and that gave her time to check out her options and choose a daring play that didn’t work quite as she planned – she thought the puck would carom off Northeastern goalie Aerin Frankel. She found out in post-game interviews that instead, it deflected off the back of defender Megan Carter. Either way, the puck ended up in the back of the net to win the game.

For Northeastern, the unbelievable goal ended one of the best seasons in program history in a way that didn’t feel fitting for the moment.

“I wish it was a better goal that ended that game. But that’s the way it goes,” said Northeastern coach Dave Flint. “I feel like (our players) deserved better than that. But that’s sports.”

The teams spent the first period feeling each other out and trading possession without either team able to mount much of anything dangerous. At the end of the frame, shots were tied at nine apiece. But from there, the Badgers started to take over. They held the puck, were strong on the fore- and backcheck and generally kept Northeastern from getting set up in the zone or build out from their net.

Flint said after the game that he wanted his team to get more “grade A” chances on Wisconsin goalie Kennedy Blair, but the Badgers kept them from finding space to do so.

“Wisconsin did a really good job of keeping us out (from in front of the net) and not letting us jump on rebounds. They made it difficult for us all night,” he said.

On the other end, Wisconsin forced Huskies goalie Aerin Frankel to make a season-high 35 saves.

The Badgers scored first when freshman Makenna Webster scored her second of the Frozen Four of a pass from Casey O’Brien, her third assist of the weekend. As close a match as it had been, it seemed like that one goal might be enough to win the game, but Northeastern left no doubt that they weren’t done by responding 39 seconds later. Alina Mueller dug the puck out along the back boards and dropped a pass to Aurard, who was charging in to help. She placed a gorgeous shot from the faceoff circle to beat Blair and tie the game back up.

Both teams had a number of chances, particularly late. Freshman Casey O’Brien served a bench minor for too many players on the ice midway through the second. She had a breakaway as she came out of the box when the penalty was killed and just couldn’t find the little bit of daylight past the outstretched leg of Frankel. Wisconsin hit the post a number of times throughout the game, but freshman Lacey Eden did it twice in the waning minutes of regulation.In overtime, it looked like Chloe Aurard was going to be her team’s savior once again, but Nicole LaMantia raced back to get between Aurard and Blair in net to prevent a pass or a goal.

The overtime period was comfortable territory for Wisocnsin, who needed extra time to win their conference title in the final game of the regular season and to win the conference tournament crown a week later.

“We faced adversity at all levels. We just had a lot of confidence in one another,” said Watts.

The loss ended a 22 game unbeaten streak for the Huskies in addition to their hopes for the first ever national championship for the university. But Flint said losing the last game of the season will not be the legacy of this team.

“They set a new standard for Northeastern women’s hockey and it won’t be the last time we’re here,” said Flint. “(Going to the Frozen Four) is the new expectation for our program. This was just another hurdle.”

With the win, Wisconsin tied Minnesota for most titles in DI women’s hockey history. Mark Johnson also became the only coach to ever win six championships. With the cancellation of the 2019-2020 NCAA tournament due to the coronavirus, the Badgers, who won the 2019 National Championship, are now back-to-back winners – it’s just been nearly two years between titles.

The goal was Watts’ 240the career point, which places her 14th on the list of  most career points in the NCAA.

Webster was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player. Caitlin Schneider, who Johnson said had confounded opponents with her speed this week, was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

 

Final Bracketology: One last look figuring out which 16 teams will play for the 2021 national college hockey championship

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Shane Pinto and North Dakota are a lock for the NCAA tournament, but do Bobby Brink and Denver make it as well? (photo: Mark Kuhlmann).

We’ve seen all six conference tournaments completed and here are both Jayson’s and Jim’s fields, as well as how they place them into regionals.

It’s amazing how controversial this year has been but how close Jayson and Jim are with their final fields. How they move teams around, though, is very much different.

Jayson: Here are the locks for the tournament thus far in my eyes – 14 teams.

AIC
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan
Quinnipiac
St. Lawrence
Boston College
Massachusetts
North Dakota
St. Cloud State
Minnesota Duluth
Minnesota State
Bemidji State
Lake Superior State

Now let’s look at the true bubble teams. I count eight of them looking for two spots.

Army
Notre Dame
Boston University
Providence
Connecticut
Denver
Omaha
Bowling Green

Last week I thought that Army, Providence, Connecticut and Bowling Green would be at the bottom of the bubble. That doesn’t change.

That leaves four teams for two spots.

I want to apply some numbers to what I am looking at here. Let’s take a look at some of the records of these teams against locks or bubble teams that are above them in seedings or standings.

Notre Dame (0-3-1 vs Wisconsin, 2-2 vs Minnesota, 2-2 vs Michigan)

Omaha (2-4-0 vs North Dakota, 1-1 vs SCSU, 0-1-1 vs UMD)

Denver (2-5 vs NoDak, 0-2 vs SCSU, 0-2 vs UMD)

BU (1-1 vs BC, 2-0 vs UMass)

My ranking of the four bubble teams at this moment.

Boston University
Omaha
Notre Dame
Denver

The only change I have made is Denver. After looking at it, the overall record doesn’t support Denver being so high. Therefore, I have put them last on this bubble.

Taking the top two on the list, my 16 teams are:

AIC
Wisconsin
Minnesota
Michigan
Quinnipiac
St. Lawrence
Boston College
Massachusetts
Boston University
North Dakota
St. Cloud State
Minnesota Duluth
Omaha
Minnesota State
Bemidji State
Lake Superior State

Let’s rank the teams.

My top four teams are:

North Dakota
Boston College
Minnesota
Wisconsin

My second band includes:

Minnesota State
St Cloud State
Quinnipiac
Minnesota Duluth

My third band includes:

Michigan
Massachusetts
Omaha
Boston University

My fourth band includes:

Lake Superior
Bemidji State
AIC
St. Lawrence

Let’s bracket.

Fargo – North Dakota
Bridgeport – Boston College
Albany – Wisconsin
Loveland – Minnesota

Second Band:

Fargo – Minnesota State
Bridgeport – Quinnipiac
Albany – St. Cloud
Loveland – Minnesota Duluth

Third Band:

Fargo – Omaha
Bridgeport – Boston University
Albany – Massachusetts
Loveland – Michigan

Fourth Band

Fargo – Bemidji State
Bridgeport – AIC
Albany – St. Lawrence
Loveland – Lake Superior

My brackets:

Fargo
Bemidji State vs North Dakota
Omaha vs. Minnesota State

Albany
St. Lawrence vs. Wisconsin
Massachusetts vs. St. Cloud

Bridgeport
AIC vs. Boston College
Boston University vs. Quinnipiac

Loveland
Lake Superior vs. Minnesota
Michigan vs. Minnesota Duluth

And that would be my bracket.

Jim: I see a lot of similarity to your bracket. I am going to seed mine, though:

1. North Dakota
2. Minnesota
3. Boston College
4. Massachusetts (major difference from Jayson)
5. Wisconsin
6. Minnesota State
7. St. Cloud State
8. Minnesota Duluth
9. Quinnipiac
10. Michigan
11. Bemidji State
12. Boston University
13. AIC
14. Lake Superior
15. Connecticut
16. St. Lawrence

My only difference between your field and mine is Connecticut vs. Omaha. And for me, it is hair splitting. I think the committee will have a difficult time. Which conference deserves the extra team – Hockey East or NCHC.

So I need to make a comparison:

At 10-11-2, UConn doesn’t look impressive. But they also played UMass three times at 0-2-1, Boston College four times going 1-1-2, Boston University once getting a tie and Providence four times, going 2-2-0. Decent against the best of the best.

Omaha, at 14-10-1 was excellent as well. They were 2-4-0 vs. North Dakota, 0-1-1 vs. Minnesota Duluth, 2-3-0 vs. Denver and 1-1-0 vs. St. Cloud State. UConn played 12-of-23 games (52.1%) vs. the top teams in their conference and Omaha played 15-of-25 (60%). But UConn’ winning percentage was .417 while Omaha’s was .366.

So, my last spot goes to UConn, the only difference in our field.

Now, our rankings are a little off.

But here is my field. I am having a difficult time placing Connecticut outsaid their home state, but to make the top seed, North Dakota, play a lower seed is fine, and I avoid UConn facing Boston College in Bridgeport.

Here we go:

Fargo Regional:
Connecticut vs. North Dakota
Bemidji State vs. Minnesota Duluth

Loveland Regional:
Lake Superior vs. Minnesota
St. Cloud State vs. Michigan

Albany Regional:
AIC vs. Massachusetts
Boston University vs. Minnesota State

Bridgeport Regional:
St. Lawrence vs. Boston College
Quinnipiac vs. Wisconsin

That’s what we both have right now. We will see what is realistic at 7 p.m. EST Sunday when the selections are announced on ESPNU.

WCHA CHAMPIONSHIP: Lake Superior State leads from start to finish, beats Northern Michigan to earn first-ever league crown

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Lake Superior State defeated Northern Michigan 6-3 Saturday night to win its first WCHA tournament championship (photo: Jim Rosvold).

For Lake Superior State, a team that had never won a WCHA playoff title in its history, just getting a chance to play for one meant a lot to the Lakers.

Just 80 seconds in, LSSU jumped on Northern Michigan, getting a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the night en route to a 6-3 victory at the Verizon Center Saturday night in Mankato, Minn.

Ashton Calder led the way for the Lakers with three goals, including two in the final frame.

While his first, which came at 13:30 of the second, ended up as the game-winner, it was the second one, which came shorthanded 11:04 into the third period, that meant the most to the second-seeded Lakers, as it put the game out of reach before the Wildcats could get a third goal of their own.

For Calder, being a part of helping get the Lakers back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1996 was a goal he set for himself when returned home to go to college.

“When I chose to come back home, I was excited,” he said. “I knew there was a lot of work to be done. I’m just happy that I got it with this group of guys. I mean, it’s big for our town. We’ve been, back in the day, Lake State was a big national championship contender. It’s been awhile, so I’m happy to be a part of trying to bring it back.”

Being a local kid that has been a leader all season for the Lakers (19-6-3 overall), Calder’s leadership on the scoresheet means a lot to coach Damon Whitten’s squad.

“It’s big,” Whitten said. “I reflect to Michigan Tech a little bit. Tanner Kero was so important to that Michigan Tech program, not only for on the ice, and how good of a player he was, but the impact he had in our community. Chase Gamlin’s a senior, another Soo native, and Ashton Calder, a little bit more well-known because he’s leading our team, and a great player.

“We need those Ashton Calders up in Sault Ste. Marie, and throughout the U.P., and in northern Michigan, for our program. He’s going to inspire the next generation.”

While Calder’s hat trick was a big part of the win, Whitten was also extremely proud of the line of Dustin Manz, Brandon Puricelli, and Jack Jeffers. The trio, which features two sophomores in Manz and Puricelli and a junior in Jeffers, accounted for the game’s first two goals and five points combined on the night.

A line that had struggled to score all year, Whitten felt that it was a huge relief to see the group stick together and finish strong.

“It’s a line that, two or three weeks ago, they were really frustrated,” said Whitten. “I’d imagine if we would have grabbed those guys, they probably would have asked and maybe split up and find some new linemates. They just, they weren’t connecting. They didn’t have chemistry. We really dug in with those guys, extra video, pulling up old games, talking to them about how important they are for the team.

“I’m glad they stuck out stuck with it together and, instead of pulling apart, they pulled together. They had a huge impact.”

They were rewarded just 80 seconds into the contest when Manz knocked a rebound past Wildcats goaltender Rico DiMatteo. Puricelli potted the second goal for the line and the team at 12:02 of the first off a feed from Manz while stationed on the back door.

The game remained 2-0 past the halfway point of the contest before Lakers defenseman Jacob Nordqvist jumped into the action from the Lakers’ bench. He buried a one-timer off a pass from Miroslav Mucha at 10:50.

Trailing 4-0, but on the power play, the sixth-seeded Wildcats got one back at 19:14 of the second period. Off the faceoff to start the advantage, winger Andre Ghantous went hard to the net. Winger A.J. Vanderbeck fired a shot that Ghantous tipped home.

While getting the goal so quickly on the power play was exactly what the Wildcats (11-17-1 overall) needed, head coach Grant Potulny felt that the intermission that came shortly after slowed their momentum as his team tried to mount a comeback.

“Tonight was just one of those games where even in, like the first or second shift of the game, a puck up to our (defense), it was just a hair too (far) in front of them, or the saucer pass didn’t bounce,” Potulny said. “(You) get a couple things going, and you score at the end of the period, and then it’s a period break.”

Vanderbeck scored a goal 3:05 into the third with a quick shot off a faceoff, cutting the lead to 4-2. Potulny liked the effort of Vanderbeck and his linemates, Brandon Schulz and Alex Frye, who had the only assist on Vanderbeck’s goal.

“I thought they did get better as the game went,” said Potulny. “Alex has been a nice addition to our team. I thought Brandon Schultz had a great second half of the year, and they kind of fit pretty well together.”

After Calder extended the Lakers’ lead back to three at 5-2, the Wildcats responded 4:48 later when winger David Keefer spun on a puck in the slot and buried a shot over the shoulder of Lakers goaltender Mareks Mitens.

Looking to make a dent in the Lakers’ two-goal lead with 3:08 left in the contest, Potulny pulled DiMatteo. The move backfired as Calder snatched up the puck inside his own blueline, skated it into the Wildcats’ zone and fired it into the back of the net at 17:24, sealing both his hat trick and the game.

With the win, the Lakers await their seeding in the NCAA tournament, which will be announced Sunday.

ATLANTIC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP: American International repeats as titlists with three goals in third period to down Canisius

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American International has repeated as Atlantic Hockey tournament champs (photo: Kelly Shea).

American International scored three third period goals to break a 2-2 tie and defeat Canisius 5-2 to win its second consecutive Atlantic Hockey championship.

The Yellow Jackets have now won three straight regular-season league championships and now two straight playoff titles (2019, 2021).

Chris Theodore’s power-play goal at 3:24 of the third period gave AIC its first lead of the game, and the Yellow Jackets tacked on a pair of empty net goals to seal the championship.

“It wasn’t our best game, not even close,” said AIC senior defenseman and captain Brennan Kapcheck, who had three assists. “But we kept grinding it out. That’s AIC hockey.”

“You’re trailing 1-0 last night inside of 10 minutes, and then tonight we’re down 1-0 and 2-1,” said Yellow Jackets coach Eric Lang. “I’m a probabilities guy. I know what those numbers look like. Our guys were just resilient.”

Canisius opened the scoring 8:40 into the contest. The Golden Griffins’ J.D. Pogue entered the AIC zone on a partial breakaway, but was knocked off the puck. Matt Long got possession back for Canisius, and fed Pogue in front of the AIC net. His attempt to stuff the puck past Yellow Jackets goaltender Stefano Durante failed, but Kevin Obssuth, Canisius’ 13th dressed forward, was there to lift the puck over Durante.

American International evened it up early in the second on a goal by Justin Cole, his ninth of the season. Cole redirected a shot from Chris Dodero past Canisius goaltender Jacob Barczewski to tie the game 1-1 at 1:21.

But less than two minutes later, Grant Meyer was able to lift a rebound over Durante to give the Golden Griffins back the lead.

It stayed that way until five minutes to play in the period, when AIC’s Elijah Barriga scored his second goal of the weekend. Barriga converted on a trailing pass from Theodore to knot the game at 2-2.

With 1:26 left in the second, during a scrum behind the Canisius net, Golden Griffins forward Mitchell Martan took a crosschecking major which proved costly. The penalty was assessed after a video review.

“Chris Dodero came back to the bench and said, ‘Hey coach, that kid crosschecked me in the head’, said Lang. “And we radioed it upstairs pretty quick. When we looked at it, it’s a no brainer.”

At 3:24 of the third period, with two seconds left in the major, Theodore put the Yellow Jackets ahead to stay. Tobias Fladeby’s shot was stopped by Barczewski, but Theodore was there to pounce on the rebound.

“Coach has been preaching, ‘Get to the net, get to the net’, said Theodore. “I finally got to the net and it was a good rebound.”

“It was a huge momentum shift,” said Kapcheck. “It gave us more life.”

“We kept it together with the game plan,” said Theodore. “We’re a third period team.”

Canisius pulled Barczewski with under three minutes to play, but the Yellow Jackets scored twice into the empty net. Barczewski had made several key saves in the third to keep the Golden Griffins in contention. He finished with 31 stops as AIC outshot Canisius 36-17.

“‘Barzo’ was great,” said Canisius coach Trevor Large. “Every time he’s been in net for us, he’s an absolute rock. He’s an elite goaltender in any conference.”

Canisius, picked to finish tied for last in Atlantic Hockey in the league’s preseason poll, was a period away from the NCAA tournament.

“It’s a tough loss to a great team,” said Large. “All my energy and thoughts right now go to our seniors. The result tonight was not what we wanted, but we’re in a great spot because of the guys we have in the locker room.”

Thanks to upsets in other conferences, AIC was not a lock for the NCAA tournament despite having the best winning percentage in Division I at .824 (14-3).

But the Yellow Jackets left no doubt, hoisting the Jack Riley Trophy again.

“There is nothing better in the NCAA tournament than playing yourself into it,” said Lang. “We were probably posturing and jockeying a little bit if things didn’t go our way tonight, but at the end of the day there’s nothing better than playing your way in.”

“I love this team,” said Theodore. “We’re going to make some noise in this tournament.”

Atlantic Hockey All-Tournament Team
F: Elijiah Barriga, AIC
F: Justin Cole, AIC
F: J.D. Pogue, Canisius
D: Logan Gestro, Canisius
D: Brennan Kapcheck, AIC
D: Stefano Durante Canisius

Most Outstanding Player: Justin Cole, AIC

After 4-17-2 season in 2020-21, seven years at helm, Haviland steps down as Colorado College head coach

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Colorado College coach Mike Haviland leads the Tigers behind the bench in an NCHC game from January 2017 against Minnesota Duluth (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Colorado College announced Saturday night that Mike Haviland has decided to move on from his position as head hockey coach.

The school and Haviland reached a mutual agreement on Friday, March 19.

“We are thankful for Mike’s service and commitment to the student-athletes, program and college over the last seven years,” Colorado College VP and director of athletics Lesley Irvine said in a statement. “We wish him well as he transitions to future opportunities.”

Haviland compiled a 67-153-22 record in seven seasons at Colorado College, including a 35-111-20 mark in NCHC play.

He led the 2017-18 team to a tie for fifth place in the NCHC, then guided the Tigers to 17 victories in 2018-19, the most in one season since the ’12-13 campaign (18). CC also won the Pikes Peak Trophy with a 6-1 victory over Air Force, claimed the Gold Pan with a 2-1-1 regular-season record against in-state rival Denver, and advanced to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff for the first time as a member of the league during the ’18-19 campaign.

The Tigers ended the 2020-21 season with a 4-17-2 record.

A national search for the Tigers’ next head coach will commence immediately.

HOCKEY EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Gaudet nets lone goal to lift UMass over UMass Lowell to claim first-ever conference championship

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UMass will head to the NCAA tournament after a 1-0 win over UMass Lowell Saturday night in the Hockey East championship game (photo: Rich Gagnon).

The most unique of seasons and most unique of circumstances might as well have set the stage for the most unique of champions.

At their home Mullins Arena, UMass took its first-ever Hockey East championship, a 1-0 victory over upstart UMass Lowell. It was the fourth time ever a team took the title by a 1-0 score.

What better season for a game of firsts if not one that included the first to have no fans in attendance due to a pandemic?

“We’ve done things the right way, we haven’t taken any shortcuts,” said Minutemen coach Greg Carvel. “Every year we got a little further in the playoffs and this year we’re fortunate to have every game at home, which is a huge factor.”

It wasn’t as dramatic as the Minutemen’s only other title game appearance. In 2004, they fell to Maine in triple overtime.

With a team as theatrical as the River Hawks, it appeared fate might have more extra periods for the Minutemen to confront their fate.

Late in the third they appeared to tie the game, and believed they did, as the puck was covered up by bodies around the net, and replay was inconclusive; they played on, and UMass didn’t allow another goal.

For the senior class, they took their 83rd win after a 5-29-2 season in Amherst the year before they arrived. Four of the would-be seniors are now in the NHL, but for this group, headed by Carvel, the wait was well worth it.

UMass Lowell used a strong defensive effort against Boston University to beat them 2-1 before going full chaos mode in the semi final with Boston College, storming back twice — including from a 4-1 third-period deficit — to win in overtime.

The quiet dominance and high-flying hockey juxtaposition shows a versatile team, but neither of those versions of the River Hawks showed up in Amherst. Instead,

Fittingly, senior Jake Gaudet scored the lone goal 15:32 into the first frame, with assists from fellow seniors Carson Gicewicz and Oliver Chau. After that, no one scored again.

“It’s a cherry on top of the career of those seniors,” said Carvel. “When they chose to come to UMass, we had just lost 29 games… When they got on campus, nobody cared about UMass hockey, thee kids, especially the seniors still here, they committed to doing everything at the highest standard.”

That’s not usually the type of game the Minutemen excelled in all season; they got this far by putting up four goals on Northeastern and five on Providence.

They allowed just two goals in each of those games, and budding star junior goalie Filip Lindberg does have a history shutting teams down. In the lone Minutemen meeting with the River Hawks in the regular season back on January 29, he shut them out, one of four shutouts this season.

The Minutemen also notched five goals in that game. Needless to say, this one was a little different.

The River Hawks showed a flair for the dramatic against Boston College, one of three games where they scored at least six goals this season.

The UMass defense, though, smothered them on Saturday night in a way they hadn’t seen since the River Hawks were shut out on February 20 against Northeastern, one of just two times they were held scoreless all year.

Lowell, though, didn’t make it easy for the Minutemen to move the puck either. The River Hawks held them to six shots in the second frame, but just generated three of their own in that time frame.

The River Hawks didn’t go quietly in the third; they believed they tied it, but replay was inconclusive, and Lowell remained off the board.

The Minutemen held tight the rest of the way, not allowing any late game heroics the River Hawks showed against Boston College just a few nights ago.

It was a championship-worthy effort.

“Two years ago we had a team that was pretty stacked,” said Carvel. “I would guess, yeah, we got a chance to win it all. This year I didn’t know if we had it, but the kids we brought in to the program made us better. I told the kids all the time you get what you deserve, and they deserved to be Hockey East champions.”

ECAC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP: Jankowski’s OT winner sends St. Lawrence to NCAA tournament, gives Saints first league title in 20 years

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St. Lawrence celebrates its first trip to the NCAA tournament since 2007 and first ECAC Hockey title since 2001 (photo: Rob Rasmussen).

One of the oddest seasons in ECAC Hockey history ended with one of the most unlikely league champions.

Third-seeded St. Lawrence beat No. 1 Quinnipiac 3-2 in overtime Saturday at the Frank Perrotti Jr. Arena to win the ECAC Hockey championship and advance to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2007.

It was the second straight overtime game for the Saints, who beat Colgate 5-4 Thursday to advance to the league title game for the first time since 2001. Those back-to-back playoff wins came after St. Lawrence ended the regular season on a 0-5-1 stretch and hadn’t played since Feb. 27 due to a COVID-19 shutdown.

With only four teams playing this year in ECAC Hockey, Quinnipiac advanced to the title game when Clarkson ended its season earlier this month after members of the team violated COVID-19 protocols.

David Jankowski scored the game-winning goal 3:44 into overtime, while goalie Emil Zetterquist finished with 24 saves for the Saints. Kaden Pickering and Justin Paul had the other St. Lawrence goals, while Odeen Tufto and Wyatt Bongiovanni scored for Quinnipiac.

Keith Petruzzelli had 25 saves for the Bobcats (17-7-4), who will likely get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament next week.

“We had nothing to lose,” Zetterquist said. “That helps a lot going into those situations. Honestly, I love being there. You literally have nothing to lose. It’s just awesome every chance you get to play in overtime.”

St. Lawrence trailed 2-1 entering the third after Tufto and Bongiovanni scored twelve seconds apart early in the second period to put the Bobcats ahead.

“It’s going to happen,” Saints coach Brent Brekke said of Quinnipiac scoring two quick goals. “Over the course of coaching, the one thing that you find is that teams that are great, they usually don’t score just one, they score two. Just knowing that, you have to be able to rebound. Our guys stay focused and didn’t get frustrated.”

The Saints tied it when Luc Salem launched a shot from the point that bounced off Petruzzelli and to a waiting Paul, who put it in the net at 16:22 in the third.

Jankowski won it for the Saints early on in the overtime period, skating along the left wall before cutting towards the middle and lofting a shot through several Quinnipiac skaters and into the past Petruzzelli at 3:44.

“Our coaching staff talks a lot about getting to the middle and trying to get something on net, maybe trying to expose them that way,” said Jankowski, who also added an assist earlier in the game . “I tried to pick a spot and I fell down and didn’t really see it go in and then I heard the reaction and that’s all that I remember.”

The Saints, who didn’t start their season until Dec. 31, have been in six overtime games and had thirteen games decided by one goal or fewer. At 6-8-3, the Saints are the sixth team in Division 1 men’s hockey history to make the NCAA tournament with a sub-.500 record and the first since Alabama Huntsville in 2010.

“Last year we were in a ton of close games and I feel like every game this year has been a one-goal game,” Jankowski said. “We talk about it as a team and our leadership group and how we have to be a lot better than we were last year. I think we’ve proved that we’ve gotten better at it. That was definitely a focus point coming into the year.”

St. Lawrence came out strong in the opening minutes of the game and took a 1-0 lead when Pickering put home a rebound at 3:07 in the first. The Saints outshot the Bobcats 7-4 in the opening period.

“They were excited,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said of St. Lawrence. “Our guys were nervous and we shouldn’t be. We talked all week about confidence and dealing with adversity. I thought we stunk in the first, period, just stunk.”

For St. Lawrence, the league title came after a rough three-year stretch where the program won a combined eighteen games and saw Brekee take over after Mark Morris was fired following the 2018-19 season.

“To go out in a way like … we’ve been through a lot,” senior captain Dylan Woolf said. “It means a lot to every one of us.”

NOTES: It was the third straight season that the ECAC championship game went to overtime, a league record…Bongiovanni was in the lineup for Quinnipiac for the first time since Dec. 27 after missing time with an injury. He has five goals in eight games this season. “He did well,” Pecknold said. “He’s a goal scorer; it would have been great to have him for the whole season and have him [at 100 percent] He’s not there right now. For the percentage that he’s at and playing tonight, I was really happy.”

Hockey East pick: Championship

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A little late but simple:

Marisa: UMass 4, UMass Lowell 2
Jim: UMass Lowell 3, UMass 2

ECAC Hockey: Picking the championship game

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Junior goalie Emil Zetterquist and the Saints beat Colgate in overtime Thursday to advance to the league championship for the first time since 2001. (photo: C A Hill Photo).

Last time: 1-0

Overall: 20-22-7

Here we go. The abbreviated ECAC Hockey tournament comes to an end today, when top-seeded Quinnipiac hosts No. 3 St. Lawrence at 4 p.m. for the championship game. I’ll keep it simple in this post; here’s a link to a more detailed breakdown of the playoffs. I had the Saints advancing past Colgate, but the Bobcats have been the unquestioned top team in ECAC Hockey all season. St. Lawrence should give them a game, but this is Quinnipiac’s title to lose.

Quinnipiac 4, St. Lawrence 2

Five-year plan comes to fruition for UW-Superior men’s hockey team

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Rich McKenna achieved his goal this season of leading UW-Superior to a WIAC championship. (Photo courtesy of UW-Superior Athletics)

Rich McKenna had a five-year plan in mind when he arrived as the new head coach of Wisconsin-Superior’s men’s hockey team in 2016.

Consider that plan executed to perfection. Even in a season where the COVID-19 pandemic presented added challenges to the fold, the Yellowjackets were able to navigate their way through them to win the WIAC tournament championship.

Last week on the road against reigning national champion Wisconsin-Stevens Point, UW-Superior rallied for a 3-2 win over the Pointers to claim their first title since 2011 and eighth WIAC crown overall.

“It’s icing on the cake,” McKenna said.

Indeed it was. McKenna remembers the beginning of this journey quite well and achieving the goal in a different kind of year makes the title that much more special.

“I put a five-year plan together in the interview process, and this (a WIAC championship) was the last thing we had to attain,” McKenna said. “In an unconventional year, where we had a lot of obstacles to get around, we were able to do it. I’m proud of the guys.”

It didn’t come easy. UW-Superior had to go on the road to play the last team to win a national championship. The Pointers won it all in 2019. A champ wasn’t crowned in 2020 because of the pandemic.

They lost 5-3 to the Pointers back on Feb. 17 after falling behind 2-0 in the opening period. And now the Yellowjackets found themselves down 2-0 again.

“The guys never wavered,” McKenna said. “Their belief never wavered.”

Goals by Coltyn Bates and Chad Lopez tied the score at 2-2 before Levi Cudmore scored the game winner.

“You can’t really measure mental toughness. It’s not a numbers thing,” McKenna said. “It’s something you have to develop. You’ve got to have it to be successful.”

It was mental toughness that helped carry the Yellowjackets through a season where games weren’t guaranteed. 

“We had the mindset that every day was a gift,” McKenna said. “There were teams that weren’t playing this season, and our athletic director said we are going to play. We just have to figure it out. I told our guys let’s stay in the moment, and not just get through today, but thrive today. The guys embraced it, and that comes back to mental toughness.”

That didn’t mean it was easy. Players went to school and to practice, and of course played games, and that was the extent of how much they saw each other day to day. 

“The mental health of our kids was always a concern. They didn’t get a chance to know their teammates on a more intimate level, but they made the best of what they could do and made the most of it, and that transpired to a WIAC championship.”

UW-Superior finished the year 7-3, winning its last four games. It’s the second consecutive winning season for the Yellowjackets under the direction of McKenna, who said the WIAC is a league he’s always wanted to coach in.

“When the job came up, I went after it and got it, and part of the reason I wanted to be here was because of the resources we have,” McKenna said. “We’re right there with the best of them with resources and with what the school provides us and what the athletic department demands of us. It’s the reason we’ve been able to continue to build every year.”

Ten players tallied five or more points, with Artur Terchiyev and Paul Mikhasenok leading the way with 10 points apiece. Terchiyev scored three goals to along with seven assists while Mikhasenok scored one goal and dished out nine assists.

Lopez led the Yellowjackets in goals scored (seven). Johnson ranked second in goals (five).

Oscar Svensson and Myles Hektor combined for seven wins, with Hektor winning in all four of his starts between the pipes.

“Our guys always responded and always took on the challenge that myself or my staff put in front of them and went for it,” McKenna said. “I’m really proud of the way they accepted the challenges, made the adjustments that needed to be made and stayed in the moment every day. You can talk about that all day long.”

FRIDAY SEMIS: Northern Michigan’s offense explodes as Wildcats upset top-seeded Minnesota State, 5-1, in WCHA semis, will face LSSU; Canisius, AIC advance in AHA

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Northern Michigan pulled Friday’s biggest upset routing top-seeded Minnesota State, 5-1, in the WCHA semifinals. Joseph Nardi (above) posted a goal and two assists to lead all scorers (Photo: Jim Rosvold)

André Ghantous scored twice and freshman netminder Rico DiMatteo stopped 28 shots to lead sixth-seeded Northern Michigan a major upset of top-seeded Minnesota State, 5-1, in the opening semifinal of the WCHA Championship.

Northern Michigan will meet Lake Superior State in Saturday’s title game.

“Going into this weekend we knew we had a tall task ahead of us,” Northern Michigan head coach Grant Potulny said following the game. “Playing one of the best teams in the country, if not the best, in their home building we knew we had to play a flawless game.

“I thought from the beginning of the game right to the end, starting with our leadership, we had discipline in our structure, we had discipline individually in staying out of the penalty box and I thought our goalie was outstanding.”

Northern Michigan jumped to a 1-0 lead through one on Ghantous’ first goal of the game. But then it was a second-period explosion, four goals in the first 13 minutes of the frame, that blew open the contest.

The heavily favored Mavericks got a third-period goal from Reggie Lutz for a glimmer of hope in a frame in which Minnesota State held a 13-2 shot advantage. But the damage was done in the second creating far too tough of a hill to climb.

“There were some moments when the game was still up for grabs, and even in the third when they had their big push, that’s a team that can score in bunches,” said Potulny, “and I thought Rico did a really good job making some really timely saves.”

Joseph Nardi led all scorers with a goal and two assists, while and Ghantous’ two goals gives him nine on the season, all coming since January 25.

For Minnesota State, there is reason for concern. The Mavericks are certainly a lock for the NCAA tournament but now must regroup in the next week before facing a regional opponent still looking for the program’s for NCAA Division I tournament win.

“You have to look in the mirror,” said Mavericks coach Mike Hastings. “I told the guys we have to own our performance whether it’s good or bad. We didn’t handle today very well. We have to recognize what happened and flush it. Because we don’t have a lot of time to dwell.”

No. 17 Lake Superior 4, No. 13 Bemidji State 1

The Lake Superior offense struck early and often and limited what had been a red-hot Bemidji State team to just 27 shots, 13 coming in the third, as the Lakers advanced to the WCHA finals with a 4-1 victory over the Beavers.

Lake Superior built a 3-0 lead through two periods on a first period tally by Brandon Puricelli and two goals in the middle frame by Jacob Bengtsson and Hampus Eriksson.

When Lucas Kaelble extended the lead to 4-0 early in the third, even a late goal by Bemidji State’s Ethan Somoza could keep the Lakers from smelling the finals and their chance to capture their first WCHA title.

The Lakers won four CCHA tournament titles but hasn’t won a postseason tournament since 1995.

Atlantic Hockey

No. 15 AIC 2, Niagara 1

Top-seeded AIC held serve in Friday’s Atlantic Hockey opener, though needed a late third period goal to earn a 2-1 win over a very pesky Niagara team.

The Yellow Jackets, which hadn’t played a game since January 31 due to cancelations related to COVID, never held a lead until Justin Cole scored with 5:41 remaining in regulation.

Niagara, in fact, led the game heading to the third period on a Walker Sommer goal at 17:50 of the second.

But AIC found their jets in the third, holding a 12-5 shot advantage.

Elijah Barriga finally solved Niagara goaltender Chad Veltri at 11:22 of the third to even the game at one. That set up Cole’s game winner to advance the hosts to the title game.

Stefano Durante earned the win in goal for AIC stopping 17 of 18 shots.

Canisius 4, No. 19 Army 3 (OT)

J.D. Pogue’s goal at 13:23 of overtime ended a back-and-forth semifinal battle and gave Canisius the 4-3 victory over Army.

The Golden Griffs will face AIC in Saturday’s title game.

Max Kouznetsov sent the game to overtime scoring on the power play for the Griffs with 5:53 remaining in regulation. That came after Army’s Thomas Farrell and Matt Berkovitz each tallied in the first half for the third to give Army the lead.

The Black Knights scored the only goal of the first period, a tally from Jake Felker. But the second period belonged to Canisius as Simon Gravel tied the game at 6:02 and Mitchell Martan gave the Griffs their first lead just 46 seconds later.

Jacob Barczewski earned the win in goal for Canisius making 26 saves.

The loss puts Army, a bubble team for the NCAA Tournament, into extreme peril to secure an at-large bid. Canisius will need to win on Saturday to punch its first NCAA ticket since 2013.

Four Northeastern players, pair of Wisconsin, Minnesota Duluth players among 12 women’s college All-Americans for 2020-21 campaign

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Grace Bowlby and Wisconsin play in the national title game Saturday against Northeastern (photo: Troy Parla).

The top 12 women’s hockey players in the nation have been recognized as CCM/AHCA All-Americans for the 2020-21 season.

FIRST TEAM
G – Aerin Frankel, SR, Northeastern
D – Grace Bowlby, SR, Wisconsin
D – Skylar Fontaine, SR, Northeastern
F – Alina Mueller, JR, Northeastern
F – Danielle Serdachny, SO, Colgate
F – Daryl Watts, SR, Wisconsin

SECOND TEAM
G – Emma Soderberg, JR, Minnesota Duluth
D – Cayla Barnes, JR, Boston College
D – Ashton Bell, SR, Minnesota Duluth
F – Chloe Aurard, JR, Northeastern
F – Kiara Zanon, FR, Penn State
F – Grace Zumwinkle, SR, Minnesota

Leading Northeastern into women’s college hockey championship game, Flint tabbed national coach of the year for ’20-21

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After finishing as national runner-up a year ago, Northeastern’s Dave Flint is the 2021 national women’s coach of the year award winner (photo: Northeastern Athletics).

Northeastern’s Dave Flint has been named the national women’s college hockey coach of the year.

This recognition is the first such honor for Flint, who was the runner-up for this award last year.

Flint is in his 12th season behind the bench for the Huskies and has led Northeastern to its first-ever national championship game.

Flint captured the Hockey East coach of the year for the third straight season and has led the top-ranked Huskies to a 22-1-1 record, including a 3-2 overtime win over No. 5 seed Minnesota Duluth in the NCAA semifinals and a 5-1 win over Robert Morris in the NCAA quarterfinals. The win over RMU led Northeastern to its first-ever women’s Frozen Four.

“Congratulations to all the great coaches that were nominated,” said Flint in a statement. “I am honored and humbled but this award is a testament to my amazing staff and team, without them we don’t achieve the success that we have had this season.”

Under Flint’s guidance, the Huskies lead the nation in goals scored (103), shutouts (10) and scoring margin (+3.50), while also only allowing three power-play goals in 63 chances and scoring a NCAA-best seven shorthanded goals.

Northeastern leads the country with a 22-game unbeaten streak and the Huskies won their fourth consecutive Hockey East championship this season. Flint holds the Hockey East all-time record with a tournament record of 27-8 (.771) and Northeastern has a Hockey East-best seven championship game appearances over the last 11 years.

Northeastern’s Frankel selected inaugural women’s college hockey goalie of the year award winner for 2020-21 season

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Northeastern goalie Aerin Frankel has the Huskies in the Frozen Four title game tomorrow night with Wisconsin (photo: Jim Pierce).

The Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association has announced that Northeastern senior Aerin Frankel has been selected as the first recipient of the women’s college hockey goalie of the year award.

Voting was carried out by a panel of coaches, administrators and members of the media from across the country. Frankel’s selection was unanimous.

A native of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., Frankel has set the standard for goaltenders across the country all year. The only goaltender among the ten finalists for this year’s Patty Kazmaier Award, Frankel leads the NCAA in save percentage (.967), GAA (0.76) wins (20) and shutouts (9). Her 20th win came on Thursday when she stopped 26 shots in a 3-2 overtime semifinal win over Minnesota Duluth.

Next up for the Huskies is the women’s national championship game Saturday night against Wisconsin.

In addition to Frankel, the other finalists for the award were Penn State freshman Josie Bothun and Maine senior Loryn Porter.

Penn State’s Zanon chosen women’s college hockey rookie of the year for ’20-21 after leading all first-year players with 30 points

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Penn State freshman Kiara Zanon tallied 10 goals among 30 points this season for the Nittany Lions (photo: Penn State Athletics).

For her efforts in a phenomenal rookie season, Penn State freshman forward Kiara Zanon has been chosen by the nation’s assistant coaches as the women’s college hockey rookie of the year.

A native of Fairport, N.Y., Zanon led all NCAA first-year players with 10 goals and 20 assists for 30 points. In the process, she led Penn State in points and assists and was instrumental in the Nittany Lions’ 16-3-2 season.

She was previously recognized as the CHA rookie of the year and player of the year.

Prior to this honor, Zanon was named one of the ten finalists for the Patty Kazmaier Award, given annually to the best player in women’s college hockey. Zanon is the only freshman among this year’s finalists and is the first Penn State player to earn this recognition.

The national women’s rookie of the year is chosen by a vote of the NCAA Division I schools’ assistant coaches, with one vote per staff. The names on the ballot are each conference’s rookie of the year.

The runner-up for this year’s award is Colgate goalie Kayle Osborne.

Pickin’ the WCHA: Mar. 19-20

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Whew, we have made it to the WCHA Tournament. Four teams are left and that means two semifinal matchups full of intrigue followed by a championship contest by the two left standing after Friday’s games.
Semifinals
Minnesota State vs. Northern Michigan
Jack: NMU is the only team still in this tournament that needs to win to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. Although anything can happen in a one-and-done situation, NMU’s previous games against the Mavs don’t exactly breed confidence. Plus, the Mavs have been almost impossible to beat at home. I can’t pick against them this year. Minnesota State 4, Northern Michigan 1
Daver: Boy, what the Wildcats did to Bowling Green in two out of the three games they played was extremely impressive. However, expecting the same result against the Mavericks seems unlikely. I think this is where their Cinderella story ends. Minnesota State 2, Northern Michigan 0
Lake Superior State vs. Bemidji State
Jack: This one could go either way. And both teams have plenty to play for. I think there’s a chance either team could still be in the NCAA’s without winning here, but they’d both love to leave no doubt with an extra victory. While I think this is basically a coin flip, my gut tells me the Lakers win a close one in overtime. Lake Superior State 3, Bemidji State 2 (OT)
Daver: As good as the Beavers looked in dismantling Michigan Tech last weekend, I really like what Damon Whitten has done at Lake Superior State. With a possible NCAA berth on the line for both teams, I think this game is full of intrigue, and you cannot ask for any more than that. I think the Lakers have the edge here, but it will be close. Lake Superior State 3, Bemidji State 1
Finals
Minnesota State vs. Lake Superior State
Jack: The Lakers only played the Mavericks twice but their results weren’t great (few teams have had success against them). I’m thinking they play better this time around but MSU is still going to complete the double and win the tournament title, too. Minnesota State 3, Lake Superior 2
Daver: As much as I like the Lakers this season, I just don’t see this one happening. The Mavericks are too deep, and unless McKay gets injured in the semifinals, I cannot count them out. Lake Superior will give them a good game, but I like the Mavericks in this one. Minnesota State 3, Lake Superior State 1
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