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Geary’s overtime winner lifts No. 5 Michigan State over No. 10 Michigan in Big Ten playoff championship thriller

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Michigan State players celebrate their Big Ten playoff title Saturday night on home ice at Munn Ice Arena (photo: Rey Del Rio/Michigan State Athletics).

By Neil Koepke

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Three weeks after winning the Big Ten regular season championship, No. 5 Michigan State on Saturday added another piece of hardware to its trophy case.

The Spartans and archrival Michigan hooked up in a highly entertaining shootout that wasn’t decided until 13:47 into overtime, as MSU outlasted the 10th-ranked Wolverines 5-4 in the Big Ten title game in front of a sellout crowd of 6,555 at Munn Arena.

Freshman defenseman Patrick Geary’s shot from the left point beat Michigan goalie Jake Barczewski over his left shoulder, setting off a wild celebration that hasn’t been seen in Munn Arena in several years.

The playoff title was Michigan State’s first since 2005-06 when the Spartans captured the CCHA championship at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.

Geary said when he took a pass from teammate Reed Lebster at the left point, right next to the MSU bench, Spartan backup goalie Jon Mohr, on the bench, yelled “shoot.”

“He knew I had a lane open and he told me to shoot it,” Geary said. “I just put my head down [and] shot.”

Somehow, the puck went past a maze of players in front and ended a classic championship game that featured great scoring opportunities, quick goals, a reviewed goal, and clutch saves by MSU goalie Trey Augustine and UM’s Barczewski.

Augustine, the Big Ten tournament Most Valuable Player, made 33 saves while Barczewski stopped 30 shots.

“You talk about rivalry games and we have a ton of respect for Michigan. I thought they were really good in the first period and we had to find our legs,’’ MSU coach Adam Nightingale said. “In the second period, I thought it was pretty even. I really liked us in the third and in overtime.

“I think a big factor in that was our crowd. They really energized our team down the stretch.”

Michigan’s Frank Nazar, 58 seconds into the game, and MSU’s Tanner Kelly traded goals in the first period.

Daniel Russell gave the Spartans a 2-1 lead at 10:48 of the second period, but U-M scored twice in 2 minutes and 46 seconds to go up 3-2 on goals by Dylan Duke and defenseman Marshall Warren.

Then the Spartans went on a run, scoring two goals in 1:19. Jeremy Davidson tied it at 18:41 and defenseman Matt Basgall scored with 0.7 second left with a perfect shot from the right point to lift his team into a 4-3 lead.

Nazar scored his second goal 2:54 into the third period to tie once again. The rest of the period belonged to the goaltenders as Barczewski made 14 saves and Augustine made five.

Michigan State this season is now 4-1 against Michigan, winning four straight after the Wolverines won the first meeting 7-1 at Munn Arena in January. The last time MSU won four games against UM was in 1997-98.

“(Michigan State) deserves credit for what they’ve done this season. Two good teams and a great atmosphere tonight,’’ Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “The last 10 games we’ve played, I thought we played some good hockey.

“You’re never going to be perfect. But it’s a good team and they got the best of us tonight.”

Next up for Michigan State and Michigan are berths in the NCAA Tournament Regionals, which begin Thursday and Friday.

For the Spartans, it’s their first visit to the NCAAs since 2011-12. Michigan has reached the Frozen Four in each of the last two years.

The Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Goalie, Trey Augustine, MSU (MVP)
Defense: Seamus Casey, Michigan
Nash Nienhaus, MSU
Forward: Rutger McGroarty, Michigan
Forward: Gavin Brindley, Michigan
Forward: Daniel Russell, MSU

No. 3 Denver stymies No. 11 Omaha’s offense to win third NCHC Frozen Faceoff playoff championship

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Denver players celebrate another NCHC Frozen Faceoff playoff title (photo: Denver Athletics).

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Denver Pioneers are no strangers to lighting up a scoreboard.

The nation’s most potent offense didn’t have too many issues putting up goals night in and night out all season, but in the first half, defense had been something of a liability to offset a chunk of all that scoring.

That has changed through most of the second half, and after coming into St. Paul and leaving with another NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship, DU is headed into the national tournament looking like a serious threat for their 10th national title.

McKade Webster finished a great weekend with the game-tying and game-winning goals, and late insurance goals from Miko Matikka and Rieger Lorenz as well as an improved defensive effort helped 3rd ranked Denver defeat 11th ranked Nebraska Omaha 4-1 in a surprisingly one-sided matchup on Saturday night at Xcel Energy Center.

“I’m proud of our guys,” said Pioneers coach David Carle. “Heck of an accomplishment. They showed a lot of growth.”

The Pioneers won their third NCHC playoff championship with the victory, and they complemented their offense with a very good effort defensively, clogging lanes and getting down low and not letting Omaha generate very many decent scoring chances after the Mavericks had their way offensively with the regular-season champion Fighting Hawks on Friday.

“I thought we limited their chances,” Carle said. “I thought we got better defensively as the weekend went on. It doesn’t hinder offense; we still scored at a really high rate here in the second half, but we’ve done a better job defensively keeping shot counts down and just keeping the puck out of the net.”

Omaha, who advanced to the Frozen Faceoff for the first time in 10 seasons since the NCHC began play, will still be in the national tournament despite the loss. Coach Mike Gabinet didn’t see too many hanging heads from his players in the locker room after what was an otherwise memorable trip with many of their fans making the trip up north with them.

“Just a tremendous accomplishment to be where we are today,” Gabinet said. “Not the result we wanted, but I’m really proud of the group.

“We made sure we thanked [our fans] for coming out all this way to support us and they’ve been there all season long – to have that type of support from our community is pretty special and I think that’s what makes Omaha special as well.”

Brock Bremer, a senior from Forest Lake, located 27 miles northeast of St. Paul, led the way offensively for Omaha with a first-period goal, but that was the lone grade-A chance the Mavericks got; they simply had no answer for Denver’s suddenly stingy defense.

“I think they did a good job of clogging up the neutral zone and making us put pucks behind them,” said Omaha forward Jack Randl. “They did a pretty good job of slowing us down as well.”

Bremer got the game’s scoring started as he knocked in a rebound of a Kirby Proctor shot, recording his second goal of the weekend to make it 1-0 Mavericks after 20 minutes.

Denver’s offense went to work in the second period as Webster recorded his second and third goals of the tournament 3:21 apart as the Pioneers grabbed a 2-1 second intermission lead.

“I’m not really too sure,” Webster said when asked about his success in the tournament. “Just keeping the game simple. Just playoff hockey.”

Meanwhile, DU’s persistent and disruptive defense just wouldn’t allow UNO to get anything set up; the Mavericks couldn’t get a forecheck going for much of the second and third periods. While the Pioneers did allow four goals Friday, they came from a desperate St. Cloud State Huskies team fighting to keep their season alive.

On Saturday, they allowed just one to an Omaha offense that scored six times against North Dakota the night before and that had been on a great roll coming into St. Paul. The Pioneers head into the NCAA tournament not only with another NCHC tournament championship in their possession (and the first under Carle), but also playing their most complete hockey of the season at the right time.

With the game winding down, Matikka scored on a delayed penalty late in regulation before Lorenz capped the weekend’s scoring with an empty netter with a minute to go.

While this was an important accomplishment for Denver’s season, Carle is already looking to the next step – and not just because the Twin Cities is about to be hit by snow, as he acknowledged.

“Already looking at brackets,” he said.

Matchups for the 2024 NCAA tournament will be announced at 5:30 p.m. CDT on Sunday. Denver will be a No. 1 seed and Omaha will be a No. 3 seed.

NCHC Frozen Faceoff All-Tournament Team
Forward: Miko Matikka (Denver)
Forward: McKade Webster (Denver) – Most Outstanding Player
Forward: Zach Urdahl (Omaha)
Defenseman: Zeev Buium (Denver)
Defenseman: Griffin Ludtke (Omaha)
Goaltender: Simon Latkoczy (Omaha)

BRACKETOLOGY FINAL: After plenty of stress and two hosts qualifying for the field, seeding this tournament is easier than you’d believe

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Michigan State earned an auto-bid to the NCAA tournament by winning the Big Ten tournament (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

For two months now, I bemoaned what would happen if two hosts – Omaha and Massachusetts – qualified for the field.

The thought of having to move North Dakota from Sioux Falls and Boston University from Springfield is something I dreaded. But when all is said and done, this doesn’t feel that messy.

Well, at least I don’t think it is.

First let’s show you the field of 16, in order of their seeds, using the PairWise Rankings and automatic qualifiers:

1. Boston College*
2. Boston University
3. Denver*
4. Michigan State*
5. Maine
6. North Dakota
7. Minnesota
8. Wisconsin
9. Quinnipiac
10. Michigan
11. Omaha
12. Cornell*
13. Western Michigan
14. Massachusetts
15. RIT*
16. Michigan Tech*

* Indicates conference champion

Let’s take that field and seed it 1 through 16, using bracket integrity:

1. Boston College
8. Wisconsin
9. Quinnipiac
16. Michigan Tech

2. Boston University
7. Minnesota
10. Michigan
15. RIT

3. Denver
6. North Dakota
11. Omaha
14. Massachusetts

4. Michigan State
5. Maine
12. Cornell
13. Western Michigan

Okay, so let’s look at some issues. First and foremost, North Dakota and Omaha can’t face-off in the first round because it is an interconference matchup. I’m going to switch Omaha and Michigan.

1. Boston College
8. Wisconsin
9. Quinnipiac
16. Michigan Tech

2. Boston University
7. Minnesota
11. Omaha
15. RIT

3. Denver
6. North Dakota
10. Michigan
14. Massachusetts

4. Michigan State
5. Maine
12. Cornell
13. Western Michigan

That solves all interconference matchups. Now let’s place regional sites on each four-team bracket. Remember, UMass is the host in Springfield, Mass., and Omaha (not North Dakota), is the host in Sioux Falls.

Thus, I come up with the following:

Providence, R.I.
1. Boston College
8. Wisconsin
9. Quinnipiac
16. Michigan Tech

Sioux Falls, S.D.
2. Boston University
7. Minnesota
11. Omaha
15. RIT

Springfield, Mass.
3. Denver
6. North Dakota
10. Michigan
14. Massachusetts

Maryland Heights, Mo.
4. Michigan State
5. Maine
12. Cornell
13. Western Michigan

We knew once UMass qualified, that would take the lower of the two Hockey East number one seeds – BC and BU – would be shipped west to avoid the interconference matchup with UMass. Same for Omaha and North Dakota, but we solved that earlier.

Now, let’s talk attendance. Would I prefer North Dakota in Sioux Falls and BU in Springfield? Heck yes. But those aren’t possible.

Providence will be fine with Boston College and Quinnipiac. Springfield in concept will be okay with UMass, but it could use some help. Sioux Falls has the biggest issue, though Minnesota is only about 4.5 hours away. And Maryland Heights is so small (about 2,500 seats), I’m not concerned about attendance.

That said, we could make swaps two entire pairings – North Dakota vs. Michigan and Maine vs. Cornell – and swap them.

That gives us:

Providence, R.I.
1. Boston College
8. Wisconsin
9. Quinnipiac
16. Michigan Tech

Sioux Falls, S.D.
2. Boston University
7. Minnesota
11. Omaha
15. RIT

Springfield, Mass.
3. Denver
5. Maine
12. Cornell
14. Massachusetts

Maryland Heights, Mo.
4. Michigan State
6. North Dakota
10. Michigan
13. Western Michigan

Now you have three eastern teams in Springfield, Minnesota and Omaha in Sioux Falls, BC and Quinnipiac in Providence and four strong fan bases in Maryland Heights. If there’s any issue it is that you’ll create a demand for tickets in Missouri.

So that’s it. My final bracket. All of your number one seeds are playing the correct opponent (1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, etc.). And for the most part you have maintained pretty good bracket integrity.

Now let’s see what the committee does on Sunday.

Smith scores four as No. 1 Boston College routs No. 2 Boston University for 12th Hockey East tournament championship

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Boston College celebrates the Hockey East playoff title Saturday night (photo: Boston College Athletics).

BOSTON — Consider it a warning to the rest of the country.

Entering the night knowing it would be the top seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament regardless of the outcome, Boston College emphatically showed why its ranking is altogether fitting and appropriate with a 6-2 win over No. 2 Boston University in the Hockey East championship game on Saturday night before a crowd of 17,850 at TD Garden.

“Twelve years is a long time,” said BC freshman forward Will Smith, who finished with four goals and was named the tournament’s MVP. “We knew that coming into this game. It’s amazing that we got one coming back to Chestnut Hill.”

Even with its tournament fate set, BC showed no lack of urgency. After opening the scoring at 5:46 of the first period by snapping a wrister off the skate of a BU defender, Smith put his team up 2-0 with a rocket from the right faceoff circle that sailed over the right shoulder of BU goalie Mathieu Caron (23 saves) at 8:37. Both goals came on the power play, on which BC was a 4 for 5 on the night.

“It was a heck of a hockey game,” BC coach Greg Brown said. “Special teams were obviously a big part of it. Both our power play and penalty kill had very good nights.”

With its 12th straight win, BC (31-5-1, 20-3-1 Hockey East) earned its 12th conference tournament championship and first since 2012, when it beat Maine 4-1 and went on to win the NCAA championship under coach Jerry York.

No. 2 BU (26-9-2, 18-4-2) will carry their ranking into the NCAA tournament (a fact also determined before Saturday’s puck drop). BC has won three of four this season from their crosstown rivals — BU’s only win over BC this season was a 4-3 overtime victory in the Beanpot on Feb. 5.

“It’s not the end of our season,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo said. “That’s the positive. It’s going to hurt tonight, but we’ll get past it and we’ll be ready to get going in the NCAA tournament. That’s all you can do. Can’t dwell on it. Can’t feel sorry for yourself.”

BC goalie Jacob Fowler was dialed in all night. He finished with 34 saves, none more important than one late in the second period when he robbed BU’s Nick Zabeneh of a point-blank opportunity following a sick turnaround feed from Dylan Peterson with the Eagles clinging to a 2-1 lead.

“They had a little bit of momentum,” Fowler said. “As a goalie, at any point in the game, you want to give your team a chance. To keep that lead was something we really needed.”

Any hope the Terriers had of a comeback took a severe blow when BC’s Cutter Gauthier buried a Gabe Perreault cross-crease pass at 18:46 of the second period. BC ended all doubt in the third with a goal by Gabe Perreault (on the power play, naturally) and another from Smith, which was the Eagles’ only even-strength goal of the night.

BU freshman defenseman Gavin McCarthy picked a good time to score his first-ever collegiate goal when he fired one past Fowler from the blue line at 8:37 of the second period to cut BC’s lead to 2-1. The Terriers’ other goal was the product of the top scorer in Hockey East, Macklin Celebrini, who made it 5-2 on the power play at 14:45 with his 31st of the season.

Smith added the final insult with an empty-net goal for BC at 18:04.

Saturday marked the third time the two rivals met in the Hockey East title game — BU had won the first two meetings (1986 and 2006).

Gonsalves, Wilde each score twice as No. 18 RIT defeats AIC, wins Atlantic Hockey playoff title, secures automatic bid to NCAA tournament

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RIT players and fans celebrate winning the 2024 Atlantic Hockey championship (photo: Omar Phillips).

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Elijah Gonsalves and Matthew Wilde each scored a pair of goals to lead Rochester Institute of Technology to a 5-2 victory over American International in the Atlantic Hockey championship game to claim the Jack Riley Trophy.

RIT went wire to wire to capture the regular-season and playoff titles for its fourth playoff championship and first since the Tigers went back-to-back in 2015-16.

“That’s a really, really good hockey team,” said AIC coach Eric Lang. “They carried the flag from Day 1 and they’re going to be a great representative for Atlantic Hockey coming into the (NCAA) tournament.”

“This was certainly another tough game against AIC,” added RIT coach Wayne Wilson. “Our penalty killing was outstanding, and then when our power play got its opportunities, we capitalized quickly there as well.”

The Yellow Jackets got on the board early, quieting the sellout crowd of 4,300 at RIT’s Gene Polisseni Center. Jordan Biro took a stretch pass from Austen Long and scored on the breakaway, putting the puck between the legs of RIT net minder Tommy Scarfone just 4:06 into the game.

The Tigers got the next two goals to take the lead. Dimitri Mikrogiannakis’ shot from the half wall deflected off a defender’s skate to make it 1-1 at 11:56 of the first, and Gonsalves got his first of the game, putting home a rebound off the pads of AIC goalie Nils Wallstrom two minutes later.

But the Yellow Jackets tied it with 1:01 left in the first frame when Biro got his second of the contest, off a defender in front.

The eventual game-winner from Wilde, his first of the game, came on the power play at 1:48 of the second. The freshman was able to roof a rebound past Wallstrom to put the Tigers ahead for good.

“We’ve been really focused (on the power play) throughout this week of preparation, so it showed there,” said Gonsalves. “We worked on that play all week, just trying to outnumber them out in the front of the net, and fortunately Matty put it in.”

“Our power play, the thing that makes them so successful… is that they don’t care who scores,” said Wilson. “On that particular play, they were cheating up on Gianfranco (Cassaro) quite a bit, and we knew that they would, so Gianfranco’s got to sacrifice and be the decoy so that someone else can score, and this time it was Matty.”

RIT killed all five AIC power plays, outshooting the Yellow Jackets 3-2 with a man down. The Tigers were one for two with the man advantage, including Wilde’s game-winner.

AIC swarmed the RIT net in the third period trying to get the equalizer, especially with Wallstrom pulled in the final three minutes. But the Tigers put the game away on a pair of empty net goals from Gonsalves and Wilde.

The Yellow Jackets were a game away from their fourth league title, overcoming a rash of injuries and winning two road series to get to Rochester.

“I’m just really proud of our group with how we stepped up,” said Lang.

“We battled some pretty significant injuries along the way late in the season. Winning two series on the road and then coming to a hostile environment like this and being a shot away inside of a couple minutes to get the thing tied up.

“This thing ends up 5-2, but that was a damn good hockey game.”

Last season, RIT was the top seed but fell in the semifinals. That left unfinished business for the Tigers.

“It was a disappointing finish for us,” said Wilson. “(This championship) was something that we were trying to do since the end of last year.

“Our captains, right from the get-go, right from last year, took the team and really guided it right to this point.”

RIT will be the 15th seed in the NCAA tournament.

“The regular season (title) is really cool, but this is the one we all chase,” said RIT alternate captain Carter Wilke. “And now we’re excited for the next step in the NCAA tournament to prove what we can do larger scale.”

“The beautiful thing about our league is you have to earn your way in,” said Lang. “And I wouldn’t want to play RIT right now.”

All-Tournament Team
F – Jordan Biro, AIC
F – Tyler Fukakusa, RIT
F – Elijah Gonsalves, RIT (Most Outstanding Player)
D – Gianfranco Cassaro, RIT
D – Nico Somerville, AIC
G – Tommy Scarfone, RIT

NCAA D-III Men’s Hockey Championship Game: Hobart goes back to back, downs Trinity 2-0

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Hobart’s Luke Aquaro netted the game-winning goal as Hobart repeated as national champions in D-III Men’s Hockey with a 2-0 win over Trinity (Photo by Stan Godlewski-Trinity Athletics)

In a game that lived up to its billing, Hobart completed the mission of back-to-back championships with a 2-0 win over Trinity on Saturday night. The Statesmen were led by Luke Aquaro who scored late in the second period and Matthew Iasenza who sealed the win with an empty-net goal in the final half minute to defeat a determined Bantams squad.

“We knew who they were,” said head coach Mark Taylor. “they have been among the best teams in the country all season and we knew this was a battle with both teams having great players at every position, from goaltending to defense and forwards.”

The game started fast with both teams going hard to the net early looking to create traffic in front of two of the best goaltenders in the country in Damon Beaver and Devon Bobak. It was Trinity who forced the first penalty of the game on Hobart’s Connor Lally but the tenacious Hobart penalty kill didn’t allow a shot on the man advantage.

Beaver later made a huge save off a defensive zone face-off flashing out the left pad to keep the Bantams off the board.

At 11:23, Trinity’s Connor Sedlak left the game with a cut forcing Trinity to juggle their lines and Hobart started to put some added offensive zone pressure with Luke Aquaro’s line garnering several chances including Shane shell’s attempted redirection at the top of the crease which was turned away by the Side Watson Award winner, Bobak.

Both teams saw early chances in the second period turned away by the netminders as Christian Hayes just missed on the short side from the goal line extended for Trinity while Beaver also made a couple big stops in traffic to keep the game scoreless. Both teams were ineffective on the power play in producing any goals and the Aquaro line finally broke through very late in the period for a Hobart lead.

Jonah Alexander got the puck to a speeding Aquaro who tucked his shot under Bobak with just 1:01 remaining on the clock for huge goal as the teams closed out the second period. The goal was Aquaro’s 100th point for the Statesmen where he becomes the twelfth player (also wears #12) to achieve the milestone in the program.

The third period saw the Bantams ramp up the physical play as they looked to pressure Hobart into mistakes in the defensive zone. Teddy Griffin missed a great chance form the face-off circle high to the left of Beaver and Matthew Iasenza did the same for Hobart on a 2-on-2 rush in transition for the Statesmen.

Trinity’s last opportunity came as Tanner Hartman took a holding penalty at 11:15 but the relentless pressure of the Hobart penalty kill backed by Beaver limited any quality shots on goal. The pace over the final ten minutes was frantic with neither team able to change the scoreboard. Trinity pulled Beaver with just under two minutes remaining in regulation time and could not sustain any serious pressure or puck presence in dangerous areas as they sought the tying goal. Despite missing several empty-net opportunities, Hobart finally put the game out of reach as forward Matthew Iasenza broke up the play at center ice and deposited the puck in the back of the empty cage to make the score 2-0 with just 25 seconds remaining.

Iasenza who was unable to play in last year’s national championship run due to injury, was a fitting goal-scorer to seal the Hobart win as the team celebrates more for each other than themselves.

“As close as the team is on the ice they are better off it,” said Taylor. “I really wanted this title for this group. They have worked hard and built an incredible bond on and off the ice. I kept telling Luke [Aquaro], Shane [Shell] and Jonah [Alexander] they were a roll away from something big and it was great to see them so dominant this weekend and netting the game-winning goal. Luke had been through a lot with hand, wrist and ankle injuries and just kept working hard. The 28 (Artem Buzoverya) line has been a horse for us all season, but Luke’s line was terrific tonight and they got rewarded for the effort.”

Devon Bobak stopped 32 of 33 shots for Trinity while Damon Beaver recorded the shutout win with 24 saves for Hobart.

The All-Tournament team included goaltender Beaver, forward Aquaro, forward Tanner Hartman and Tournament MVP Austin Mourar from Hobart along with defenseman John Campomenosi and forward James Barbour from Trinity.

For Trinity, the loss ended their season at 25-4-1 having fallen just short of winning a national championship on their home ice in front of their devoted and raucous fans.

“I want to thank a lot of people for everything to get the Frozen Four here on campus but I am really sad,” noted Trinity head coach Matt Greason. “I have seen how far we have come as a team and know how close they are as a group. I think it hurts so much because I know how hard it is to get here but I hope Trinity hockey will be back here soon.”

NCAA Division I women’s hockey All-Americans unveiled for 2023-24 season

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Nicole Gosling was a key player this season for Clarkson (photo: Ben Moeller).

The top 13 women’s hockey players in the nation have been recognized as 2023-24 CCM/AHCA women’s Division I All-Americans.

First Team
Gwyneth Philips, GR, Northeastern, Goalie
Nicole Gosling, SR, Clarkson, Defense
Caroline Harvey, SO, Wisconsin, Defense
Izzy Daniel, SR, Cornell, Forward
Casey O’Brien, SR, Wisconsin, Forward
Kirsten Simms, SO, Wisconsin, Forward

Second Team
Michelle Pasiechnyk, SR, Clarkson, Goalie
Cayla Barnes, GR, Ohio State, Defense
Sydney Morrow, SO, Colgate, Defense
Haley Winn, JR, Clarkson, Defense
Sarah Fillier, SR, Princeton, Forward
Tessa Janecke, SO, Penn State, Forward
Danielle Serdachny, GR, Colgate, Forward

No. 14 Cornell downs St. Lawrence to earn Whitelaw Cup as ECAC Hockey champs, Big Red off to NCAA tournament

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Cornell celebrates its first Whitelaw Cup in 14 years (photo: Rob Rasmussen/ECAC Hockey).

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Jonathan Castagna scored two goals to lead No. 14 Cornell over St. Lawrence 3-1 Saturday night at 1980 Herb Brooks Arena to claim the Whitelaw Cup as ECAC Hockey playoff champions.

The win also gets the Big Red, who won the tournament for the first time in 14 years, into the NCAA tournament.

Jack O’Leary added an empty-net goal for Cornell, which won its 13th Whitelaw Cup, and Ian Shane made 31 saves between the pipes.

Dalton Bancroft and Hank Kempf had two assists in the win.

For the Saints, Cameron Buhl scored the lone goal and goaltender Ben Kraws finished with 26 stops.

NCAA D-III Men’s Hockey Championship Picks – March 23, 2024

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The “biscuits” are chilling for tonight’s national championship game between Hobart & Trinity – Drop the Puck! (Photo by NCAA productions)

The national championship game has a lot to live up to following Thursday’s outstanding semifinal games where hockey fans were treated with great action from start to finish and no overtime was required to decide the entrants for the championship contest. It is a great story with Hobart seeking to win back-to-back titles, the first team since 2011 and 2012 St. Norbert to do so. On the other side is the real “home team” in Trinity, who despite wearing their blue sweaters, will have  a raucous home following in their barn as they seek their first title since 2015. These two teams have met before this season, back in December, 2023 where Hobart eked out a one-goal win and not surprisingly, goaltenders Damon Beaver and Devon Bobak were stellar for their respective teams. A lot more at stake in this contest with a large NCAA championship trophy to be had to the winner of the season’s final contest.

The battle between the writers with NCAA picks currently stands with Brian Lester (8-3) at the top and in control leading myself (7-4) and Chris Sugar (5-6) with just Saturday’s title game remaining. The battle continues on the way to the 2023-2024 national championship. Here this week’s picks from the USCHO D-III writers with the outcome determining the final pool results:

Saturday, March 23, 2024

NCAA Semifinal Round

(3) Trinity v. (1) Hobart

TC – The Statesmen have been essentially the best team in the country all season and now have a hard 60 minutes, or more of hockey to hold the tangible evidence of their dominant season. The orange and white come in with focus and purpose and a familiar opponent who is dangerous in any rink but especially so in their own. Goaltending between two of the nation’s elite netminders (Damon Beaver & Devon Bobak) is going to keep the scoring low as been the case in each of the last two meetings between the two teams which were decided by 2-1 scores. Hard not to like the defending champs in this one but what fun would that be if all the writers picked it the same way. While I really like the Hobart pick, I will create some drama and go the NESCAC route with the Bantams in an “upset” that has been the theme of this entire season. Games like this always seem to be decided by someone you don’t expect to score the goal and this game is no different as Christian Hayes stuns Hobart with a huge goal in overtime for the win – Trinity, 2-1

BL – We are down to the last game of the year and Trinity is the only team standing between Hobart and a second consecutive national championship.

The Statesmen are the No. 1 team in the nation and have won 13 consecutive games. Trinity is No. 3 in the country and have won 13 in a row as well.

These two teams played once this season, and interestingly enough, it was in Hartford, where this national title game will be played. In that game on Dec. 9, Hobart prevailed 2-1.

The game is sold out and Trinity basically has home ice here as its in the title game for the first time since the 2016-17 campaign.

I have a feeling this is going to be close. Maybe even go to overtime. Both team advanced here with 2-1 wins in the semifinals. This should be fun to watch, but in the end,

But I have to go with the nation’s top team here. Hobart hoists the trophy when it’s all said and done. Hobart, 3-2

CS – Trinity played a stellar game vs Adrian on Thursday, winning 2-1 over the Bulldogs who looked unbeatable as of late. The Bantams goaltender Devon Bobak is playing great, they’ll need him to continue to do so if they want to defeat Hobart who leads in nearly every main statistical category.

The Statesman played a close game with Utica, they could’ve had more than their three goals, but so could’ve Utica, so you can’t say what didn’t happen. They’ve done what they’ve had to do pretty much all this season, they’ll adapt to whatever they have to play against. Hobart 3-1

So, Brian and Chris have taken the Statesmen and I have become the contrarian, going with the home team and Trinity. This is the culmination of the 2023-24 season and the matchup is super enticing. If you are a fan of the game, then strap in for this one which is expected to be played at breakneck pace and skill to the delight of all fans regardless of affiliation. The only game left on the  D-III calendar decides the champions – “Drop the Puck!”

Cornell’s Daniel named winner of 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award as top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey

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Cornell’s Izzy Daniel is the winner of the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (photo: Nicole Haase).

Cornell senior forward Izzy Daniel has been chosen as the 2024 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award winner.

The honors were presented Saturday afternoon at the Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, NH as part of the women’s Frozen Four weekend hosted by the University of New Hampshire. The ceremony aired live on NHL Network. The award, which is in its 27th year, is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s hockey by the USA Hockey Foundation.

Daniel is the first winner from Cornell University.

An award of the USA Hockey Foundation, the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award is annually presented to the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. Selection criteria includes outstanding individual and team skills, sportsmanship, performance in the clutch, personal character, competitiveness and a love of hockey. Consideration is also given to academic achievement and civic involvement.

Daniel was selected from a group of three finalists that included senior forward Casey O’Brien (Wisconsin) and sophomore forward Kirsten Simms (Wisconsin).

When her name was called, Daniel said she was surprised and in the immediate aftermath of her win, she was struggling to describe how she felt.

“I think I just like blacked out to be honest. I was so shocked. It’s just a tremendous honor to hear my name called and have it associated with Patty Kazmaier and her legacy and her family and USA Hockey and everyone. It’s a surreal experience. I really don’t have any words right now,” she said.

Daniel mentioned some of the great players – Olympic medal winners – that have come through Cornell’s women’s hockey program and said she knows she’s representing them by finally bringing a Patty back to Ithaca. A player who didn’t always have confidence in herself or her abilities, the win is validation and a culmination of a career working to be better.

“This is a combination of all the hard work that I put in throughout my career and to finally hear myself recognize, it is a shock but I’m kind of like, you know what? I did it and I should be believing in myself because I can do it. This is definitely another confidence boost heading into the rest of my career,” said Daniel.

Having spent previous years focusing on hockey skills and strength training, Daniel put special emphasis on the offseason before her senior year on the mental side of her game – on trusting herself and the work she’s put in, on being confident and on using the highs and lows of a long hockey season to her advantage.

The result was a season where she helped lead the Big Red to a 25-8-1 record and a NCAA Regional Final appearance.

Along the way she was named ECAC Hockey Player of the Year and Forward of the Year. She was third in the nation with 1.74 points per game and amassed 59 points on 21 goals and 38 assists, which led her conference.

Daniel was not widely recruited out of college and did not play on the USA U-18 team. She’s a Minnesota native who chose to go far away from home for college and Cornell coach Doug Derraugh said he’s watched her progress throughout the years to become the player that won this award this season.

“Not being a part of your national team at a young age, I think that makes you start wondering whether you’re at that level and but to her credit, Izzy used that as fuel to get better and to work at her craft and now she is where she is,” said Derraugh.

It’s inspiring and should be a lesson to younger players to keep working hard, he said, describing the work Daniels put in not just on the ice and in the weight room, but studying game film and learning the game.

“I think it’s a good testament to show that you know, maybe you don’t get everything you want when you’re young but if you keep working out you keep studying the game, learning, getting better doing all those things. You can be up on the stage and win,” he said.

Daniel has the second highest GPA on the team, is one of the least penalized players among the Big Red and has become a leader on and off the ice. Derraugh has said she epitomizes the Patty Kazmaier Award from the moment she was in the running.

Holding the trophy after her win, Daniel took a moment to read the names of previous winners that were engraved along the bottom. It reinforced for her how monumental and important her win was. She has looked up to previous winners for much of her career, including 2022 winner Taylor Heise, who she was teammates with growing up in Minnesota.

“To have my name on the trophy with those types of players – it’s kind of like a ‘wow’ moment,” she said. “That I’m there with them in that elite company, it’s hard to put into words.”

Former New England College women’s hockey players Capolino, Moore killed in Miami in alleged murder-suicide

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Sidney Capolino and Meghan Moore played hockey at New England College.

According to published reports, former New England College women’s hockey players Sidney Capolino and Meghan Moore were tragically killed last Saturday night.

Miami-Dade Police believe Luis Napoles, 40, shot the 25-year-old Moore, his girlfriend, outside her home before entering the apartment and shooting her roommate Capolino, 23.

Police have not disclosed the motive.

Napoles later turned the gun on himself.

Moore was originally from Centerville, Mass., and Capolino from Pawling, N.Y.

New England College president Dr. Wayne F. Lesperance, Jr. issued a statement Tuesday, posted to Twitter/X, to confirm the former students’ deaths.

Quinnipiac’s Graf chosen ECAC Hockey player of year, Dartmouth’s Foley best rookie, Cornell’s Shane top goalie, Big Green’s Cashman takes home coaching honors

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Collin Graf has been an offensive catalyst this season for Quinnipiac (photo: Rob Rasmussen/P8Photos.com).

ECAC Hockey announced its 2023-24 awards on Thursday.

Quinnipiac’s Collin Graf has been named the player of the year.

Graf amassed 14 goals and 19 assists through 20 games played, accounting for a career high 1.65 points per game average. With a total of 33 points, Graf leads the nationally-ranked Bobcats in goals and total points scored. Of his 14 goals, the junior forward netted five on the power play and potted three game winners. Graf registered 79 shots on goal and concluded with a positive plus-minus of 19.

He claimed four forward of the week and one forward of the month honors. In addition to the league awards, Graf was listed as a 2024 Hobey Baker nominee.

Dartmouth coach Reid Cashman is the Tim Taylor Coach of the Year.

In his third full season at helm, Cashman led the Big Green to a 9-6-7 conference record, more than doubling the team’s win column from the previous year and securing the team a bye into the quarterfinal round of the playoff tournament.

He garnered his first league win of the season on Nov. 4 in a 5-4 victory against Princeton. The Big Green tied four nationally-ranked opponents, and picked up the two shootout wins against Quinnipiac and Cornell.

Cashman came to Dartmouth after spending the previous two seasons as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Washington Capitals.

A former defenseman, Cashman graduated from Quinnipiac in 2007, where he was an All-American, first team all-ECAC, and a Hobey Baker top-10 finalist.

Clarkson’s Trey Taylor has been named best defensive defenseman.

In his sophomore season, Taylor showcased his abilities as a two-way defender, tallying three goals and 11 assists to lead the Golden Knights defense in scoring, while posting a favorable plus-minus of 14. He also registered 60 shots on goal and blocked 36 shots.

Through 22 games played, Taylor recorded three multi-point nights with a career high of three assists in the Golden Knights’ 5-3 victory at Yale. He recorded a season high of six shots blocked in Clarkson’s 4-1 victory over St. Lawrence on Jan. 26.

Quinnipiac’s Jacob Quillan has earned the best defensive forward award.

Quillan is coming off a career-best season with the Bobcats, recording an impressive 10 goals and 20 assists through 22 games for a 1.36 points per game average. A force on the power play, Quillan tallied three goals on the man-advantage. The junior forward registered 64 shots on goal and maintained a favorable plus-minus of 18.

In addition, Quillan earned two back-to-back forward of the week honors and two back-to-back forward of the month honors during the season.

Dartmouth’s CJ Foley is the recipient for the rookie of the year award.

Foley racked up 18 points through 22 games, good for fourth in scoring for the Big Green and leads all defensemen. With a line of 5-13-18, Foley managed to tuck one power-play, one short-handed, and one game-winning goal. The first-year defender registered 57 shots on goal and finished with a positive plus-minus of three.

He earned his first defender of the week honors in November with a three point performance, recording two goals and one assist in Dartmouth’s 5-4 victory against Princeton.

Cornell’s Ian Shane has been named the Ken Dryden Goaltender of the Year.

Shane had a stellar junior year, posting a 12-4-4 record for the nationally-ranked Big Red. In 20 games, the netminder tallied two shutouts against Brown and Harvard. With 386 total saves in the regular season, Shane finished with a commendable 1.82 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage.

Over the course of the season, Shane claimed six goaltender of the week and four goaltender of the month honors, the most in a single season in the conference. In addition to league awards, Shane was selected as semifinalist for the 2024 Mike Richter Award and a 2024 Hobey Baker nominee.

Union’s Ben Tupker is the winner of the second annual Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award.

The award, inaugurated in Nov. 2022, is named in honor of the late Wayne Dean, the former Yale deputy director of athletics who played a significant role in the growth and success of ECAC Hockey and NCAA collegiate ice hockey. Beginning last year, the award will annually honor an ECAC Hockey student-athlete (men’s or women’s) who demonstrates the highest level of integrity and sportsmanship; displays the utmost respect for student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and officials, as well as the game/sport; and encourages all individuals to demonstrate good sportsmanship and ethical conduct inside and outside of the competition setting.

“I am extremely honored and thankful to receive the ECAC Hockey Wayne Dean Sportsmanship Award,” said Tupker in a statement. “It has been a privilege to play alongside such a great group this season. They made it a ton of fun to come to the rink every day and compete. I am extremely excited for the future of the program and can’t wait to see what the group accomplishes next year.”

On the ice, Tupker was a two-year captain for the Garnet Chargers, and was a leader both on and off the ice. Tupker played the game the same way he goes through life: with honest, integrity, and a deep respect for others. This season, he registered a career-high 19 points (9-10-19) with two short-handed goals and a game-winning goal. As captain, he was not afraid to hold his teammates accountable, and worked to establish new pregame and postgame routines as part of changing the team culture.

“As a coach, I could not be prouder of Ben to receive this award,” said Union coach Josh Hauge. “His leadership has been instrumental in changing the culture both inside and outside of our locker room. Ben does things the right way and leads by example.”

Off the ice, Tupker embraced the mantra of the Union hockey family. He ensured that the team is present at other events on campus, cheering on and supporting other teams, and taking part in the larger campus community. He advocated on behalf of his teammates for a Mental Health Awareness Game, which quickly took off into a multi-department effort and turned into a week of initiatives. He was present at several planning meetings, pitching different ideas and ways that his teammates could be involved. He was asked to introduce Victoria Arlen, an ESPN host and Paralympian to the student body, and prepared diligently in order to make sure he did the best job possible. The team ended up raising over $600 for the local chapter of the American Society for Suicide Prevention.

In the classroom, he has one of the highest GPAs on the team and was a member of the 2022-23 ECAC Hockey all-academic team and a Dean’s List student. Under his leadership, the team put forth their highest in-season GPA this past fall term.

“I am very lucky to have played under such an incredible coaching staff who have done so much for me,” said Tupker. “I want to thank our amazing support staff including our strength and conditioning coach, Dan Gabelman, our equipment manager, Dave Baglio, and our head athletic trainer, Cheryl Rockwood. Union is a special place and I’ll forever be thankful to be a part of the Union hockey family.”

North Dakota’s Blake named NCHC player of year for ’23-24 season, Colorado College’s Mbereko top goalie, Denver’s Buium bags rookie honors, Tigers’ Mayotte best coach

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Jackson Blake compiled 16 goals and 42 points last season for North Dakota and has bested those totals this season (photo: Mark Kuhlmann).

The NCHC has announced its 2023-2024 individual award winners.

Six different teams were represented among the winners, led by multiple award winners from Colorado College, Denver and North Dakota.

Taking home top honors on the night were North Dakota sophomore forward Jackson Blake, who earned player of the year and forward of the year, while Colorado College head coach Kris Mayotte garnered Herb Brooks Coach of the Year. Two other players also picked up a pair of NCHC awards in Denver freshman defenseman Zeev Buium and CC sophomore forward Noah Laba.

Blake, last year’s NCHC rookie of the year, was also the lone unanimous first-team all-NCHC forward selection in 2023-24. The Carolina Hurricanes draft pick ranks second nationally and first in the NCHC with 57 points in 38 total games this season. He has 21 goals to tie for 13th nationally, while his 36 assists are fourth in the NCAA. Blake set an NCHC record with 37 points in conference play (24 games), including an NCHC-best 26 assists, topping the previous mark by two points. His 57 total points are only three shy of the NCHC record for overall points in a season (Brock Boeser with 60 in 2015-16), while he already has 99 career points in his two-year college career (77 games).

Mayotte collected his first Herb Brooks Coach of the Year award in his third year as the Tigers bench boss. This season, the former Union goaltender led Colorado College to its highest-ever finish in the NCHC, coming in a tie for third place, and in so doing earned CC’s first home playoff berth. The Tigers finished the regular season with a record of 20-11-3 overall and 14-8-2 in the conference. Mayotte guided CC to a top-10 national ranking during the second half of the season, reaching 10th for the first time since 2012. The Tigers’ 21 wins overall this season are the program’s most since 23 in 2010-2011.

Western Michigan senior forward Luke Grainger was selected the NCHC senior scholar-athlete award winner. The WMU captain was also a second team all-NCHC selection this season, tying for seventh in conference scoring with 24 points (nine goals, 15 assists) in 24 NCHC games. Grainger finished the regular season with 43 points, including 30 assists, both of which rank fourth in the NCHC this year. A finance major with a 3.71 grade-point average, Grainger joined the Century Club with 100 career points last weekend. He now has 102 points (38g/64a) in 139 games as a Bronco and is a four-time NCHC distinguished scholar-athlete.

Buium was unanimously chosen as the NCHC rookie of the year and was also selected the NCHC offensive defenseman of the year. The projected first-round NHL draft pick was also a unanimous first team all-NCHC and NCHC all-rookie team honoree this year. Buium led both NCHC freshmen and NCHC defensemen with 31 points in 24 conference games, a total that ranked second in the conference among all players. It also was the second highest point total for a blueliner in NCHC history behind only former Minnesota Duluth star Scott Perunovich (32 in 2019-20). His 25 assists in conference play were first among NCHC defensemen and second among all players. Overall this season, Buium is tied for first nationally among blueliners with 44 points (9g/35a) in 36 games. He also won a gold medal with the U.S. National Junior Team this winter at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.

Colorado College sophomore Kaidan Mbereko was voted the unanimous goaltender of the year, after also being a unanimous first team all-NCHC selection his year. In conference play, Mbereko led the NCHC with both a 2.15 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage in 24 starts. He also posted a record of 14-8-2 in NCHC action, with his 14 wins tying for first in the conference. Overall this season, Mbereko is also first in the conference with a .915 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA. In addition to his NCHC honor, Mbereko was tabbed a Mike Richter Award top-3 finalist on Thursday.

Mbereko’s teammate, Laba, took home two awards, winning NCHC defensive forward of the year and the NCHC three stars award. The sophomore claimed the goal-scoring title with 16 tallies in conference play, while his three short-handed goals and six game-winning goals also both led all NCHC players. The New York Rangers draft pick tied for third in conference scoring with 28 points to earn first team all-NCHC honors. Laba finished with a plus-19 mark in 24 NCHC games to lead all players. Overall this season, Laba leads the Tigers with 20 goals and 37 points in 36 games. He was named first star of the game seven times in conference play, tied for the most of any player, and earned 45 ‘three stars’ points to collect his three stars award.

Denver junior defenseman Sean Behrens was named the NCHC defensive defenseman of the year, joining his teammate, Zeev Buium, in winning NCHC defenseman honors. Behrens has been a stalwart on the Pioneers’ blue line and has anchored DU’s penalty kill all season. Offensively, the Colorado Avalanche draft pick scored three goals and posted 27 points while playing in all 36 regular-season games. Defensively, Behrens carries a plus/minus rating of plus-19 while ranking third in the NCHC with 57 blocked shots. He garnered honorable mention all-NCHC accolades this season, as well.

Winning the NCHC sportsmanship award was Minnesota Duluth senior defenseman Darian Gotz. Gotz has been an active volunteer in the greater Duluth community since arriving on campus. He serves as a coach in the Duluth Wild Special Hockey program that gives opportunities to play the game for kids and adults who are developmentally delayed. He’s also highly active in Courage Center Shoot for Fun, which raises money for individuals to participate in adaptive sports and recreation. A member of UMD’s SAAC, Gotz has helped support numerous programs on campus, as well, and earned UMD’s Pat Francisco Community Service Award last season. Gotz is a four-time member of the NCHC academic all-conference team and is currently working to complete his degree in marketing and professional sales.

The final award of the night went to Omaha Mavericks longtime radio broadcaster Terry Leahy, who received the 2024 NCHC media excellence award. Leahy has been a constant presence with Omaha hockey since the program’s inception in 1997. He is the only radio color commentator in the history of the program and in November of this season, he called his 1,000th Mavericks game. During his 27-year tenure, Leahy has been an enthusiastic and well-informed voice on the Omaha airwaves, and remarkably, has missed only four games during his time covering the Mavericks. Leahy was recognized by the Omaha Hockey Hall of Fame with the Motto McLean Service to Hockey Award in 2017.

For eight of the individual awards, voting was conducted by the conference’s eight head coaches and one media member covering each school. Athletic directors at each NCHC institution had a vote on Herb Brooks Coach of the Year, as well, along with the coaches and media. The senior scholar-athlete award is voted upon by the conference’s eight faculty athletics representatives (FARs). The sportsmanship award is voted on by an awards committee consisting of NCHC chairs and conference staff from submitted nominations by member schools. The media excellence award is voted on by the conference’s sports information directors (SIDs). The three stars award is based on the highest point totals of ‘stars of the game’ points earned during conference games only (five for first star, three for second star, one for third star).

BRACKETOLOGY EXTRA: Fifteen spots have been filled in the NCAA field with Colorado College, Massachusetts left to claim the last with fractions of a decimal point separating the two

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Alex Bump has compiled 13 goals and 34 points this season for Western Michigan (photo: Ashley Huss).

(This story has been updated to include all scenarios for tonight’s games)

With Friday night’s conference playoffs complete and one champion, Michigan Tech, crowned, we can confidently say that 15 of the 16 spots in the NCAA tournament have been filed.

In order:

1. Boston College*
2. Boston University*
3. Denver*
4. Michigan State*
5. North Dakota
6. Maine
7. Minnesota*
8. Wisconsin*
9. Quinnipiac*
10. Michigan
11. Omaha
12. Western Michigan
16. Michigan Tech (CCHA champion – 33rd in current PairWise)

Other spots will be claimed by the Atlantic Hockey champion, either AIC or RIT and by the ECAC champion, either Cornell or St. Lawrence.

Teams that have the asterisks above are locked into that exact spot, thus we know that Boston College, Boston University, Denver and Michigan State, in that order, will be the No. 1 seeds.

Quinnipiac losing in the ECAC semifinals throws a massive wrench in the at-large bids and crushed some hopes. But when all is said and done, there are only two teams bidding for the final at-large bid: Colorado College and UMass.

Had St. Cloud State advance on Friday past Denver (the Huskies never trailed and lost 5-4 in overtime), the final spot would be either St. Cloud or Colorado College. That would’ve been based on a single game result.

Often times when we get to championship Saturday, it’s that simple, and we can reference “if X wins this game, team A gets in; if X losses, team B gets in.”

In what has already been an incredibly complicated year for Bracketology, shocking that this won’t be anywhere near that clean.

UMass and Colorado College, when all is said and done, will likely be separated by less than .0004 percentage points in the RPI, which will be the final ties breaker. It is actually possible that the math will have to go past the typical fourth decimal place, i.e. we could be talking about the separation by .00001 or even .000001. How is that for close?

Entering Saturday, there are 32 total scenarios left. In 20 of those scenarios (63%) Colorado College will earn the final spot. In 12 of them (37%) UMass will take the final spot.

I’ve tried to identify the 12 scenarios UMass needs to make the tournament (easier than identifying the 20 for CC). Here is what I’ve come up with.

  • Most simply, if BOTH Denver and Cornell win, UMass is in (this accounts for eight different scenarios).
  • If BOTH Denver and Cornell lose, UMass is eliminated; CC receives final at-large bid
  • IF either Denver or Cornell lose, but not BOTH, here are the five winners in the four scenarios where UMass receives final bid:
    • Michigan-AIC-St. Lawrence-Boston College-Denver
    • Michigan State-RIT-St. Lawrence-Boston College-Denver
    • Michigan State-AIC-St. Lawrence-Boston College-Denver
    • Michigan-AIC-Cornell-Boston College-Omaha
  • All other combinations, Colorado College receives the final at-large bid

Basically, UMass is rooting for the top remaining seeds to win but can also benefit from wins by both AIC and Michigan teams UMass beat earlier this season. Colorado College is really rooting for Omaha, as there is only once scenario where Omaha wins tonight and CC misses the tournament.

I’m not going to get into the brackets, yet. Once we know the 16 teams and which team finishes where – Saturday night around midnight barring a long overtime – I’ll share my final bracket prediction. Let’s just say it will likely be as difficult to seed the teams as it is to figure out the final at-large participant.

No. 3 Denver rallies four times, ends No. 17 St. Cloud State’s season in OT to advance to NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship

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Denver players swarm Zeev Buium (28) after the freshman’s overtime winner lifted the Pioneers over St. Cloud State Friday night (photo: Jim Rosvold).

ST. PAUL, Minn. – It can be a very difficult task to end an opponent’s season – especially when you have to rally as many times as Denver did on Friday.

But the Pioneers’ high-powered offense blitzed St. Cloud State with 13 goals in a two-game road sweep three weeks ago, and they had enough offense in their conference tournament semifinal to rally and end their rival’s season earlier than it has ended in seven years.

Zeev Buium capped a three-point night with the game-winning goal, helping No. 3 Denver overcome No. 17 St. Cloud State 5-4 in overtime from the Xcel Energy Center to send the Pioneers to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game and ending the Huskies’ season in the process.

“Proud of our team’s effort tonight,” said Denver coach David Carle. “We have the utmost respect for St. Cloud, Brett Larson, their staff, the season they had and the effort they put in.”

Denver, who went 4-0-1 against St. Cloud State this season, fell behind by a goal four times Friday yet had an answer each time, and they had the final laugh in sealing a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament by advancing to Saturday’s final.

“Our guys have executed offensively all year very well,” said Carle. “I think it was a great challenge for us.”

Four different players had go-ahead goals for the Huskies, but they couldn’t manage one more in regulation or in the extra session, and as a result they will miss the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2017, two seasons before current head coach Brett Larson took charge.

“It does sting right now for sure – for the older guys especially,” Larson said. “We were always right in there.”

Not much was expected after many key players departed last season’s team, but a young team still made it this far and pushed the nation’s best offense to the extra season in the final game, giving it everything they had in defeat.

“Obviously whenever you get the lead you don’t want to let them score, and get back into it and get the momentum,” said SCSU defenseman Josh Luedtke. “Unfortunately, they were able to answer every time we got the lead, so it stings but our guys left it all out there for sure.”

St. Cloud jumped ahead in the opening minutes as Cooper Wylie scored from the top of the right circle, then Denver tied it about seven minutes later when Buium, the NCHC rookie of the year, made a nice move weaving through SCSU skaters and scored from just out in front of Isak Posch. Nick Portz answered 1:17 later with a goal off an offensive-zone faceoff, but the Pioneers equalized it for the second time late in the first when McKade Webster showed brilliant awareness after winning a battle behind the SCSU net, skating back and tucking it in past Posch, who didn’t react quickly enough to cover the side.

“I just took it to the net and went in,” Webster said. “Nothing much to it, honestly.”

The Huskies took their third lead just a minute into the second period when Adam Ingram beat Matt Davis five-hole after Verner Miettinen found him on a centering feed. Once again, the Pioneers responded when Miko Mattika snapped one home from the top of the right circle, and after Barrett Hall restored St. Cloud State’s lead for the fourth time in the contest with a power-play goal on a rebound out front, Mattika had Denver’s fourth equalizer on a tip in front following a five-minute major in which the Pioneers could not cash in on.

The third period saw DU outshoot SCSU 9-3 and they had more scoring chances, but Posch made some big saves. The best chance for the Huskies came when a Tyson Gross backhand shot hit the pipe.
“I thought he really held us in there,” Larson said of Posch.

Buium finally finished things off in overtime with a nice move and a backhand goal, and the Pioneers advance to face a red-hot Mavericks team coming off a dominant 6-3 victory over North Dakota earlier Friday.

“I don’t know if there’s a hotter team in the country than Omaha right now,” Carle said.

Puck drop between Omaha and Denver is set for 7:30 p.m. CDT Saturday night.

Michigan Tech edges No. 20 Bemidji State to capture 2024 CCHA Mason Cup title, auto-bid to upcoming NCAA tournament

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Michigan Tech is the 2024 Mason Cup champion (photo: Michigan Tech Athletics).

BEMIDJI, Minn. – Before a sold-out crowd of 4,373 at the Sanford Center on the shores of Lake Bemidji, Michigan Tech defeated No. 20 Bemidji State 2-1 to win their first CCHA Mason Cup championship and qualify for the NCAA tournament.

Dueling pep bands and a group of 100-plus Huskies fans, affectionately known as “Misfits,” made for a festive championship atmosphere. One could hear continuous chants of “Let’s Go Huskies” and “Let’s Go Beavers” throughout the game. The Tech fans never sat down and were rewarded with the victory.

“I just wanted to mention, that our guys felt the energy, the show, the atmosphere that was Bemidji,” said MTU coach Joe Shawhan. “The environment tonight was exceptional. It was fun.”

“I want to make sure I thank our fans,” added Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore. “What a night it was. What a memory. This environment was so special. It was exciting to play in this game.”

The Beavers fought hard in the third period, outshooting Tech 17-6, but Huskies goaltender Blake Pietila came up big allowing just one goal on 35 shots.

“This was just a one-shot game. Our goaltending was phenomenal, as always,” remarked Shawhan.

“It’s called desperation,” noted Serratore. “We are down 2-1 and you got to find it. You just had to find our juice. You have to and we did. But Michigan Tech weathered a few storms and they managed the hockey game. It just wasn’t meant to be.”

Coming into the game, both teams were on a hot streak. The Beavers were 9-0-1 in their last 10 while the Huskies were 7-2-1. As expected, the game was closely contested where both teams controlled play at various times.

Michigan Tech took a 2-1 lead on a highlight-reel transition goal by Ryland Mosley at 9:20 of the second period. Mosley received a stretch pass from Matthew Campbell as he crossed into the attacking zone. Mosley put on the brakes and broke to the inside, pealing the defender and fired a backhand past Mattias Sholl.

Mosley was named MVP of the game.

“I just kinda through the puck on my backhand and luckily it went in,” commented Mosley.

The Huskies had the momentum early, outshooting Bemidji 10-4 in the opening 10 minutes.

“We were kinda chasing the game early on and they kinda dictated play,” Serratore said. “I thought as the game went on, we got better. It was just one of those games where they made one more play than us.”

The game opened up in the later part of the first as the teams exchanged goals just 52 seconds apart.

Bemidji started the scoring at 14:07 when Kasper Magnussen took a turnaround shot off a pass from Austin Jouppi from just inside left faceoff circle.

The Huskies answered quickly at 14:59 on a rebound shot that defenseman Chase Pietila cleaned up in front of Sholl from 10 feet out. Pietila lifted the puck on his backhand over the Beavers netminder.

Michigan Tech will be either the 15th or 16th seed in the NCAA tournament depending on if St Lawrence wins the ECAC Hockey tournament. There is a strong possibility the Huskies will head east to play Boston College or Boston University. It’s the third straight trip to the NCAA tournament for Michigan Tech.

“Not many players can say they went three years in a row to the national tournament,” Shawhan said. “They earned their way to three straight national tournaments. That’s a huge feat for them.”

The NCAA Selection show will be on Sunday, 6 p.m. CT on ESPNU where the Huskies learn who and where they will play next.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Wisconsin downs Colgate in national semifinal, will rematch Ohio State for 2024 national championship

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Wisconsin players celebrate a goal Friday night en route to playing for a national championship Sunday afternoon (photo: Meg Kelly/UW Athletics).

DURHAM, N.H. — The Wisconsin Badgers will defend their title as they return to the national championship game to face Ohio State for a rematch of the 2023 final.

They defeated Colgate 3-1 Friday evening at Whittemore Center Arena on the University of New Hampshire campus to advance to their 11th title game in program history.

In a game between two teams known for their offensive prowess, it was Wisconsin’s defense that stood out and carried the program into the championship match. The Badgers blocked 24 shots and killed four power plays, including a massive 5-on-3 near the midpoint of the game. Colgate had just four shots on goal in the middle frame and three of them came during the 5-on-3.

“Especially at this time of the season, these teams are good, they have good players, they’re going to get scoring opportunities. How can you nullify those? If you have a group of players collectively willing to do those things, you can eliminate some of those scoring chances and the puck getting to your goaltender,” Wisconsin coach Mark Johnson said about his team blocking shots.

After a back and forth start to the game, Kirsten Simms opened the scoring with a snipe from off a pass from Casey O’Brien. When there was little free ice throughout the game, Simms found herself with the puck in the slot and no one between her and the net.

“I just think the defense kind of cheated towards KK [Harvey] because she was up there. I did have a lot of time and I just kind of thought ‘shot’ in that moment because I knew the defense was cheating over and it was just me and the goalie,” said Simms.

Rookie goalie Ava Mc Naughton came up big again and again in the game, but in particular on the penalty kill, making a couple of point-blank saves and stopping one with her facemask. Wisconsin turned over the puck a few times in their own end early in the third, but McNaughton made the saves.

Midway through the third, defender Vivian Jungels, who had just four goals on the season coming into the Frozen Four, stepped into an offensive breakout and was open for a cross-ice pass from Britta Curl that she cushioned and then snapped back at the net to put the Badgers up 2-0.

Colgate came up short on a power play with about three to go and immediately pulled goalie Kayle Osborne to the bench. The move was successful as Colgate won the puck on the back boards. Neena Brick’s shot was blocked but the loose puck went to Kalty Kaltoukova on the back post and she cut the lead to 2-1 with 2:10. With Osborne back in net, the Raiders could not find the equalizer and Laila Edwards secured the win with an empty-net goal with 12 seconds left on the clock.

Though there were some miscues that could have led to goals, Johnson felt his team executed the game plan and did what the coaches asked of them so they’d be in a good position to win the game.

“I liked the way we defended. Being active blocking shots, having strong sticks, doing some of the little things that in these types of games can go a long way. When you’re challenged, you have to step up to the plate and do some of those things and for a good chunk of the game, we were able to do that,” he said.

“We got challenged and we accepted the challenges in a lot of different areas and came through strong.”

It was a disappointing end to the season for a Colgate team that has four fifth-year players and five seniors on the roster.

“I’m incredibly proud of our team’s effort tonight and all season long, frankly. I thought tonight’s game was really indicative of how our team has played all year. I think right from the very start, we went for it and I liked the way that we played. It was just a really good college hockey game tonight. And one team had to come out on top,” said Raiders coach Greg Fargo

Wisconsin owns the NCAA record with seven national championships. They have advanced to the title game four of the last five tournaments and won the title in each of their last three appearances in the championship. Ohio State won their first title in 2022. The two teams played five times this season – four regular season games and the WCHA tournament championship. Ohio State swept the Badgers at home with wins of 3-0 and 2-1. On the final weekend of the regular season, the teams split, with OSU winning 3-1 and Wisconsin taking the final game 4-2. The Badgers won their 10th conference tournament title with a 6-3 victory over the Buckeyes.

The national championship game is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday and will air live on ESPNU.

Second-ranked Boston University beats No. 7 Maine, will play No. 1 Boston College in Hockey East title tilt

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Lane Hutson scored for BU in the Terriers’ win over Maine Friday night (photo: Matt Woolverton).

BOSTON — An efficient attack and a steady goaltender were enough for Boston University on Friday night, and as a result the Hockey East championship game will be the matchup (most) fans wanted.

BU — the No. 2 tournament seed and second in the USCHO.com D-I men’s poll — scored a goal in each period (plus an empty-netter in the final seconds) and goalie Mathieu Caron stopped 33 shots for a 4-1 win over No. 3 Maine (No. 7 in the USCHO.com poll) in the Hockey East semifinals Friday night at TD Garden.

“At the end of the day our power play was pretty good,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo said. “And our goaltender was excellent. At the end, we hung on there and did a good job of not giving them too many quality chances. And when they had them, Caron was excellent.”

BU’s win sets up a 1-vs.-2 showdown for the Lou Lamoriello Trophy, with the Terriers set to face crosstown rival Boston College (top tournament seed and No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll) on Saturday night (7 p.m., NESN and ESPN-plus).

It will be the fourth meeting of the season between the two schools and third as the nation’s top two teams. BC has won two of three previous meetings this season.

“I’m sure it’s going to be, obviously, a crazy atmosphere like it always is,” said BU’s Ryan Greene, who scored twice Friday night. “We’re going to be ready. It’s always exciting playing those guys. And playing in the Hockey East championship makes it even more special.”

Lane Hutson’s goal at 9:21 of the second period put the Terriers up 2-0 and proved to be the game winner. On the power play, Macklin Celebrini fed Hutson, who made a nifty move on Maine’s Thomas Freel and skated into the left circle to throw a wrister past Black Bears goalie Albin Boija (14 saves). BU led 2-0 after two.

Hutson’s tally had echoes of one he scored on the same sheet one year earlier, an overtime goal to lead the Terriers to a 3-2 overtime win over Merrimack in the 2023 Hockey East final.

“Being in this situation, being able to play at TD Garden, it’s really cool for our guys,” Hutson said. “Luckily, pucks have been going in, and hopefully it keeps going in.”

The Black Bears did not go quietly. Lynden Breen fed Ben Poisson right in front of the Terriers’ net, where Poisson popped it past Caron at 6:40 to cut BU’s lead to 2-1. It was a huge momentum swing for Maine, who appeared to go down 3-0 on an apparent goal by BU’s Shane Lachance just over two minutes earlier — that goal call was reversed after replay showed the Terriers were offside.

“Our guys played hard — they play hard every night,” Maine coach Ben Barr said. “I feel bad for them that they’re not going to get to play for a championship (but) hopefully we can use that to drive us in the big tournament next week.”

BU got the insurance it needed at 10:43 of the final frame when Greene scored his second of the night, pounding a perfect pass from Macklin Celebrini on the left wing past Boija and into the mesh. The sigh of relief from Terrier fans could be heard all the way to the BU campus.

“Our guys, they do a lot of the talking on the bench this time of year,” Pandolfo said. “They lead the group (and) they hold each other accountable. They said, ‘Hey, it’s not going to hurt us, let’s just keep playing.’ We ended up getting another opportunity on the power play and capitalizing.”

BU opened the scoring midway through the first period when Quinn Hutson found Green high in the slot for a 1-0 lead, which they took into the first intermission. Sam Stevens made it 4-1 with an empty-net goal with 27 seconds to go in the game.

Saturday’s contest will have no bearing on either BU or BC’s NCAA tournament status — BC is already set as the No. 1 overall seed while BU (24-10-2, 15-9-1 Hockey East) will be No. 2.

Maine (23-11-2, 14-10-1 Hockey East) was also assured of an NCAA tourney berth before entering the weekend. The remainder of the 16-team field will be announced Sunday night.

“It’s special, for sure,” Breen said about playing in the NCAA tourney. “We’ll realize that on Monday or Tuesday. Right now, it kind of stinks.”

BU and BC last met for the Hockey East title in 2006, a 2-1 overtime win for the Terriers.

No. 11 Omaha puts six on No. 4-ranked North Dakota to advance to NCHC championship game in inaugural Frozen Faceoff appearance

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Omaha and North Dakota square off Friday night in the first NCHC semifinal (photo: Russell Hons).

ST. PAUL, Minn. — A regular-season-ending sweep of North Dakota put Omaha in great position to make the NCAA tournament.

The Mavericks all but ensured going there after advancing to the Frozen Faceoff, and another dominant victory over the regular-season champs has them within reach of a conference tournament trophy to go with it.

Zach Urdahl scored two of his three goals in the third period to help the Mavericks pull away to beat the Fighting Hawks 6-3 on Friday night in the first NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal. A surging Omaha program making its debut in the conference semifinals sure left no doubt they belonged here by keeping UND off their game all night at Xcel Energy Center.

“Really proud of our guys’ effort tonight,” said Mavericks coach Mike Gabinet, who brought this program into their first conference tournament semifinal since 2001 when they won a series at Colorado College last weekend. “I thought we played a really good game there start to finish.”

In large part that was thanks to the defense of North Dakota not playing very sharp, as a visibly annoyed coach Brad Berry acknowledged after the game. He thought his goaltender played well, but that he didn’t have enough help from his teammates after Omaha put 35 shots on goal.

“We’re gonna have to play a little tighter defensively,” Berry said.

The regular-season champion Fighting Hawks came out fast knowing what the Mavericks did to them in their last series. NCHC player of the year Jackson Blake found Jackson Kunz out front and Kunz banged it home just 1:18 into the contest, and it was 1-0 North Dakota. Omaha responded with heavy pressure over the next three minutes and eight shots but couldn’t beat Hobie Hedquist.

UND then countered with their forecheck and wouldn’t let UNO record another shot for over 10 minutes while the Hawks piled up shots on their own.

Then Omaha drew a tripping penalty from Keaton Pehrson, and Urdahl tied the game with a power-play goal from the doorstep late in the first, sending the teams into intermission in a 1-1 deadlock.

It turns out the action was just getting started.

It was the Mavericks’ turn to control play offensively for the majority of the period – Matt Miller buried one in front to give UNO the lead and Jimmy Glynn later added a low snipe from the high slot to make it a two-goal lead and seemingly continuing their dominance of the Fighting Hawks from two weeks ago. But Hunter Johannes reminded everyone the game wasn’t over just yet by re-directing in his 8th goal of the season in the dying seconds of the middle period to make it a 3-2 game.

The Mavericks kept it rolling in the third period as Brock Bremer restored the two-goal lead with a backhander that Hedquist couldn’t control. Jake Livanavage brought North Dakota back within one again on a power-play goal, but Urdahl scored two more goals before the end of the game to add insurance and complete the hat trick.

“The puck just did a good job finding me,” Urdahl said.

While the Frozen Faceoff didn’t go as planned for North Dakota, they have the NCAA tournament to prepare for to put this behind them.

“We gotta reset and get ready for next week,” Pehrson said.

The surging Mavericks will face the winner of St. Cloud State and Denver Saturday night.

St. Lawrence blanks No. 6 Quinnipiac, No. 14 Cornell doubles up Dartmouth to advance to ECAC Hockey championship final

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Max Dorrington celebrates his goal Friday night for St. Lawrence (photo: C A Hill Photo).

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Tomáš Mazura, Max Dorrington and Ty Naaykens scored and Ben Kraws pitched the 22-save shutout as St. Lawrence defeated No. 6 Quinnipiac 3-0 in the semifinals of the ECAC Hockey championships at Herb Brooks Arena.

No. 14 Cornell downed Dartmouth 6-3 in the second semifinal.

“The boys played a complete team game and I’m extremely proud of them,” said St. Lawrence coach Brent Brekke “They committed to one another and played to our identity. That is one of the top teams in college hockey and it was a great game. Our boys earned it. I’m sure excited for them and the opportunity to play for a championship tomorrow night.

“Our fan support from the North Country was tremendous. They are always there for us.”

Quinnipiac goalie Vinny Duplessis finished with 22 saves of his own.

In the nightcap, Nick DeSantis had two goals and an assist and Dalton Bancroft, Kyle Penney and Ondrej Psenicka each had a goal and an assist for Cornell.

Ian Shane made 27 stops in goal.

Ryan Walsh also scored and Ben Robertson and Gabriel Seger posted two assists apiece.

For Dartmouth, John Fusco netted two goals and Sean Chisholm had a goal and an assist. Braiden Dorfman added two assists and goaltender Cooper Black turned aside 27 shots.

The ECAC Hockey title game is set for Saturday at 5 p.m. EDT.

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