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D-II/III East Men’s Ice Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – November 11, 2024

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AmCat forward Matthew Byrne scored a hat trick to pace unbeaten Anna Maria to a 5-0 win over Morrisville on Saturday (Photo by Anna Maria Athletics)

Happy Veteran’s Day! Thanks to all who have served for their collective service and sacrifice for our country.

This weekend saw many of the ranked and expected teams having clean weekends including Hobart, Utica, Adrian with an east sweep against Cortland and Oswego, Skidmore taking a pair from Babson and the University of New England scoring a pair of shutout wins in CNE conference play. Elsewhere some teams earned that all-important first wins with Plymouth State downing Plattsburgh and New England College, Endicott defeating Curry on Friday, and Norwich sweeping Albertus Magnus in NEHC action. Also, Alvernia earned a split with Stevenson in the MAC to remove the Mustangs from the list of the undefeated. Yet, more overtime action in several games raising the excitement level in the region. Here is this week’s recap of the action in the east:

CNE

Pre-season favorites Curry and Endicott played a home-and-home series with both teams capturing wins on the road to split the weekend set. On Friday, the Gulls found a way to score on Curry’s Shane Soderwall as Primo Self scored in the first minute of the second period to break Curry’s seven period shutout streak. The Colonels answered with a pair of power play goals to take a 2-1 lead into the third period. Therien Theising tied the game for the Gulls just past midway of the third period and neither team could find the decisive goal in regulation time. In overtime Domenic Garozzo scored an unassisted goal past Soderwall to give the Gulls their first win of the season and important points in the CNE. On Saturday, the Colonels started quickly with Victor Daigneault and Grady Friedman scoring in the first four minutes of the game. Shane Soderwall stopped 35 of 36 shots and the Colonels cruised to a 4-1 win for a weekend split.

The University of New England kicked their game into high gear with a pair of shutout wins over Western New England. On Friday, the Golden Bears and Nor’easters skated toa scoreless first period but just over a minute into the second period, Anthony Sciucco broke the ice for the visitors with the only goal of the period. UNE extended their lead to 4-0 with a three-goal third period and goaltender Stefan Carney stopped all nineteen shots he faced in a 4-0 win. Back home on Saturday, UNE’s Cam Bergeman scored in the first period and the Nor’easters broke the game open with a four-goal second period on the way to a lopsided 7-0 win over WNEU. Joey Stanizzi picked up his second shutout of the season making nineteen saves to help UNE move to 3-0-0 on the season.

Suffolk and Wentworth opened conference play with a weekend split where each team earned a shutout win. On Friday, Wentworth benefited from 37 saves from goaltender Topher Chirico and an overtime goal from George Kolovos for a thrilling 1-0 road win against the Rams. On Saturday, the Rams returned the favor without the overtime drama as Scott McManus’s shorthanded goal in the second period broke the ice and Ralph Berry’s empty-net goal iced a 2-0 win over the Leopards. Goaltender CJ Hapward earned the shutout win making 22 saves.

MAC

League favorite Stevenson faced Alvernia in two-game series this weekend and the teams skated to a split of the set which was delayed a day due to facility issues. On Saturday, the Mustangs were led by forward Aiden Lindley who figured in all the offense with one goal and two assists in a 3-0 win. Ford DeLoss stopped all 23 shots he faced to pick-up the shutout for Stevenson. On Sunday, Alvernia rebounded with a big offensive game as the Golden Wolves broke open a 3-2 game with four goals in the third period to post a 7-3 win over Stevenson. Easton Inglis led the Alvernia attack with one goal and two assists.

Wilkes opened MAC play seeking their first win of the season against King’s in a weekend series that saw the Colonels sweep the Monarchs on the road. On Friday night, Max Cocchi, and Carter Jordan each scored two goals in a 5-2 win for Wilkes. On Saturday, seven different players scored for the Colonels in a 7-1 romp. Patrick Roginski and Miles Harrington each chipped in with a goal and an assist in the Wilkes victory.

MASCAC

Pre-season favorite Plymouth State got off to a slow start last weekend dropping games to UNE and Babson and faced two more challenging non-conference games this weekend looking for their first “W” of the season. On Friday, a Connor Tait hat trick and three third period goals helped the Panthers to an exciting 5-3 win over visiting Plattsburgh. On Saturday, the offense kept going as Will Redick scored two goals and added an assist with Tait chipping in with two assists in a comfortable 5-1 win over the Pilgrims on the road.

Salem State opened league play with a matchup against MCLA and skated away with a 4-0 win at home. The Vikings broke open a scoreless contest with four third period goals. Carson James recorded a goal, and an assist and goaltender Will Nepveu stopped 39 Trailblazer shots to earn the shutout win.

After falling behind to newcomers Keene State by two goals on Saturday, Massachusetts-Dartmouth scored four unanswered goals in a 4-2 win. Kevin Johnston and Collin Patterson each picked up a goal and assist as the Corsairs scored twice on the power play to pick up their first win of the season.

Anna Maria kept their fast start going with a 5-0 non-conference win over Morrisville. The “Matthews” (Byrne and Hennessey) starred for the AmCats as Bryne finished with a hat trick while Hennessey stopped 24 shots in the shutout win.

NE-10

After back-to-back losses in the Woo Cup tournament, Assumption opened conference play with a re-match of last year’s championship battle against Southern New Hampshire and swept a weekend series to get the NE-10 campaign off on the right foot. On Friday, four different players scored goals for the Greyhounds in a 4-1 win over the Penmen. On Saturday, the Greyhounds jumped out early to a 2-0 lead only to see the Penmen battle back to tie the score early in the third period. Three more Greyhound goals opened the advantage to 5-2 before Kurt Watson scored two times to narrow the deficit to just one goal. Assumption was able to hold on for the 5-4 win and earn the weekend sweep that leveled their record at 2-2-0 on the season.

St. Michael’s opened their conference schedule with a series against Post. On Friday, the Eagles jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage on goals from Jacob Howell and Scotty Swain that saw the host leading into the third period. A four-goal third period, including one power play goal and one shorthanded goal helped the Purple Knights to a 4-2 comeback win. On Saturday, the contest was equally close as Ty Bloom’s two goals matched Post tallies from Howell and Baxter Kimball for a 2-2 tie at the end of regulation time. In overtime, defenseman David Ciancio scored with just thirteen seconds remaining on the clock for a 3-2 win and weekend sweep over a pesky Post team led by goaltender Benjamin Cunneen and his 47 saves on 50 shots.

St. Anselm faced Franklin Pierce to begin the NE-10 conference schedule and the Hawks also captured a weekend sweep on the road. On Friday, Hunter Brackett and Max Burum scored in the second period and goaltender Cam Carroll surrendered just one third period goal for a tight 2-1 win. On Saturday, five different players scored for the Hawks who maintained two-goal leads throughout the game in route to a 5-2 win over the Ravens. Chase Reynolds (1G-1A-2P) and Patrick DiMarinis (0G-2A-2P) each recorded a multiple point game for the Hawks.

NEHC

Hobart began the NEHC conference schedule with a two-game series against VSU-Castleton. While the two-game sets are new to the NEHC this year, the battles on the ice were hard-fought. On Friday, Matthew Iasenza scored one goal and added an assist as the Statesmen built a 3-0 lead on the way to a 3-1 win. On Saturday, Tanner Daniels, Chris Duclair, and Adam Mendelson scored to pace the home team to a 3-0 win over the Spartans.

Skidmore hosted Babson for two games over the weekend and took the battle of the green with a pair of wins. On Friday, the Thoroughbreds picked up a goal and an assist from Ethan Heidepriem and held off a Babson team that scored twice on the power play in a 3-2 win. Goaltender Joshua Seeley stopped 23 of 25 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, Zach Frisk scored two goals and added an assist in a 5-2 Thoroughbreds win.

Norwich entered their weekend series with newcomer Albertus Magnus looking for their first win and had a battle with the Falcons on Friday night in earning a 4-3 decision. After building a 3-1 lead, the Cadets saw the visitors rally with a pair of power play goals from William Lavigne and Tyler Ignazzito to tie the score in the third period. Matt Harvey scored the game winner and goaltender Sami Molu stopped 16 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, Clark Kerner scored a goal and added an assist in a 4-1 Cadet win and weekend sweep of the NEHC slate.

Salve Regina opened their conference schedule against Massachusetts-Boston and the series featured a lot of offense with a total of 17 goals in the two-game series. On Saturday, Jonathan Hammel recorded a goal and two assists while Walter Baumann and Sacred Heart transfer, Aidan Connolly each scored a goal and added an assist in a 5-4 win over the Beacons. UMB’s Jazz Krivtsov had two goals and an assist to keep the Beacons close throughout the game. On Sunday, the Seahawks started fast and finished strong in a comfortable 7-1 win. Hammel added two more goals and an assist while Logan Calder added a goal and an assist for Salve Regina who moved to 3-0-0 on the season.

SUNYAC

Fredonia and Potsdam faced each other in a two-game series that does not count in the conference standings and each team took away a win in the games hosted by the Bears. On Friday, Max Klanow and Jack Loran scored late in the third period to help Potsdam rally from a 3-2 deficit to earn a 4-3 win over the Blue Devils. On Saturday, the contest was equally close with Fredonia emerging with a 2-1 win to earn the weekend split. Antoine St. Onge set-up Ryan Bailey’s goal in the first period with under 15 seconds remaining and scored the game-winning goal late in the third period for the Blue Devils. Goaltender Jameson Kaine stopped 29 of 30 shots to earn the win.

Canton hosted MASCAC opponent Framingham State over the weekend and skated away with a pair of wins to level their season record at 2-2-0. On Friday, Nolan Zotter scored twice for the kangaroos in a    4-1 victory over the Rams. Brayden Fryfogle also chipped in with a goal and an assist. In the second game on Saturday, the Rams rallied from a two-goal deficit early in the third period only to see Jordyn Mughal give the Roos a 3-2 lead less than two minutes after Jake Barcelou had tied the score. Zotter iced the win with an empty-net goal in the 4-2 final.

UCHC

Utica entered the weekend after a weekend split against Adrian and found their offense quickly in UCHC play against Nazareth. On Friday, the Pioneers scored in double figures to down the Golden Flyers, 11-4. Vladislav Pshenichnikov (3G-1A) and John Gutt (2G-2A) each recorded four-point games for the Pioneers who scored five times in the second period and four more in the third period to blow open a 2-1 contest. On Saturday, Drake Morse, Chris Carroll, and Matt Wood each scored a goal and added an assist in a 6-1 win for Utica to sweep the weekend series.

Geneseo traveled to Chatham to open UCHC play and left with a pair of victories over the Cougars. On Friday night, the Knights raced to a 3-0 first period lead and cruised to a 5-1 victory. Two goals from Stefan Miklakos paced the Knights attack. On Saturday, the Cougars fell behind 3-1 but rallied on goals from Milan Cermak and Bekk McClaine early in the third period to tie the score at 3-3. Geneseo then scored the final three goals of the game, including an empty-net tally from Luke Panchisin, for a 6-3 win that moves the Knights to 3-0-0 on the season.

Manhattanville opened their season and conference slate with two games against Brockport where the Valiants prevailed 5-4 and 6-3 in the two-game series. On Friday, Ryan McKenna’s goal in the third period had given the Valiants a comfortable 5-2 lead but the Golden Eagles fought back two goals eighteen seconds apart from Dominic Chirico and Jacob Gates to close the deficit to just one goal. Goaltender Sebastien Woods made the advantage stand up for the one-goal win. On Saturday, another seesaw affair saw Johno Hoins score two goals and add a pair of assists, including a shorthanded helper to extend the Valiant lead early in the third period. The 6-3 win swept the weekend for the Valiants in their home opening games.

Three Biscuits

Domenic Garozzo – Endicott – scored the overtime winning goal that gave the Gulls a  3-2 win over Curry to kick-off conference play in the CNE.

Connor Tait – Plymouth State – scored three goals in 5-3 non-conference win over Plattsburgh on Friday night to give the Panthers their first win on the season.

Vladislav Pshenichnikov – Utica – scored a hat trick and added an assist for a four-point game in an 11-4 victory over Nazareth on Friday night.

Week two saw several delays, postponements and facility related issues that did not seem to have an impact on any of the action once the games were played. Week three upcoming will bring NESCAC into the playing mix so all eight conferences will be active in the 2024-25 campaign moving forward.

 

Higher-ranked top 20 teams mostly dominate, NCAA Major Junior decision: Weekend Review college hockey podcast Season 7 Episode 6

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Hosts Jim Connelly, Derek Schooley, and Ed Trefzger review games of the weekend and news of the week.

They delve into Denver’s dominant 10-0 start, including their significant wins against nationally-ranked teams. They also discuss Colorado College’s continued unbeaten streak and series between Boston College and Maine, swept by BC. They review other key matchups and sweeps in college hockey, highlighting notable performances from teams like Michigan State and Providence, and difficulties for Quinnipiac. The show wraps up with a discussion on the NCAA’s decision allowing Major Junior players’ eligibility and its potential impact on college hockey recruiting and team dynamics.

Times are approximate:

00:15 Introduction and hosts
00:24 Denver’s dominance
06:19 Colorado College’s strong start
08:11 Boston College’s late comeback vs. Maine
14:01 Other weekend highlights and analysis
18:53 North Dakota’s recovery from last weekend
20:56 Michigan State’s test for Ohio State
24:57 Minnesota’s 3-2, 3-2 (OT) wins over struggling Wisconsin
28:48 Quinnipiac’s surprising losses at home
32:14 Major Junior eligibility decision update
41:39 Conclusion and wrap-up

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

Find our podcast archive at USCHO.com/podcasts

Monday 10: Top-ranked Denver off to 10-0-0 start, Boston College sweeps Maine, Dartmouth stays hot, Alaska keeps picking up points

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Boston College swept Maine over the weekend on home ice (photo: Meg Kelly).

Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.

1. Sweeps abound; Denver stays unbeaten

League play began in earnest this weekend with only six non-conference games played compared to 22 last weekend.

Of the 24 series played this past weekend, 16 ended in sweeps, including top-ranked Denver’s 4-1, 4-1 wins over Lindenwood to move to 10-0-0 on the season, the best start ever for the Pioneers, who won nine in a row to open the 2001-02 season.

Junior Aidan Thompson and senior Carter King have scored at least a point in all 10 games for Denver.

2. Boston College sweeps Maine in matchup of top five teams

One of the most anticipated series this weekend was between No. 5 Maine and No. 2 Boston College. It’s the first time the schools have squared off as Top Five teams since the 2004 NCAA semifinals in Boston.

Friday’s game was an instant classic, with BC erasing a 2-0 Maine lead with 9:35 left, getting goals from Andre Gasseau and Mike Posma to even the score before Ryan Leonard got the game-winner with 1:33 to play.

On Sunday, BC got 26 saves from Jacob Fowler and two more goals from Gasseau and another from Leonard to complete the sweep and hand Maine its first two losses of the season.

3. Wisconsin’s woes continue

Third-ranked Minnesota added two more losses to Wisconsin’s record, a pair of 3-2 wins at the Kohl Center.

On Friday, the Gophers erased a 2-0 Badgers lead with a shorthanded, a power play, and an even-strength goal for the win. Jimmy Snuggerud had two of the Minnesota goals, including the game-winner with 7:15 to play.

Saturday’s contest was another close affair ending with the same result, a 3-2 comeback win for the Gophers. Brodie Ziemer swatted the puck out of midair for the game-winner in overtime.

Minnesota improves to 9-1, while the Badgers fall to 2-8.

4. Michigan State sweeps formerly unbeaten Ohio State

In another heavyweight matchup of ranked teams, No. 4 Michigan State swept visiting Ohio State, 4-2 and 4-1 to open Big Ten play.

The Buckeyes, off to a surprising 7-0-1 start, never led in Friday’s loss, but took a 1-0 first-period lead on Saturday, only to see the Spartans come back for the sweep.

MSU goalie Trey Augustine stopped 51 of 54 shots on the weekend for his seventh and eighth wins of the season.

Saturday’s win was the 50th for Spartans coach Adam Nightingale, making him the fastest to 50 victories in program history (85 games).

5. Minnesota State takes five points from St. Thomas

Sixteenth-ranked Minnesota State posted a 5-2 win and a shootout vistory after a 1-1 tie to take five out of six points in a clash of teams expected to finish near the top of the CCHA.

On Friday, the Mavericks erased a 2-0 Tommies lead and scored four third-period goals for the win. Brian Carrabes had a goal and two assists and Adam Eisele scored the game winner with 10:39 to play.

The Tommies again took the lead on Saturday, but Minnesota State got the equalizer midway through the second and settled for the tie and extra point in the shootout.

6. Alaska stays hot, wins and ties at formerly hot Union

After opening the season 0-4-0, Alaska is now unbeaten in its last five games (3-0-2) thanks to a 3-3 tie and 5-2 win at No. 20 Union, which came into the weekend winners of six of its last seven games.

The Garnet Chargers looked to be in control on Friday, leading 3-0 midway through the third period. But at 10:19, Anton Rubtsov got the Nanooks on the board, and Alaska added a pair of extra-attacker goals in the closing minutes for the tie, including Matt Rickard’s tying goal with 20 seconds remaining.

On Saturday, it was the Nanooks turn to open a 3-0 lead, but Union couldn’t erase the deficit and fell 6-4.

7. Sacred Heart, Air Force sweep in Atlantic Hockey America

Sweeps are rare in Atlantic Hockey, but both Sacred Heart and Air Force pulled out six points this weekend.

The Pioneers won a pair of close games at Mercyhurst, 4-3 and 4-1. Friday was a back-and-forth affair not settled until Jake Hewitt’s goal midway through the third.

On Saturday, the Lakers took a 1-0 lead, but the Pioneers got the next four, including a pair by John Jaworski, for the sweep.

In Colorado Springs, Air Force goaltender Guy Blessing stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 2-0, 2-1 Friday-Sunday sweep of Canisius.

Sunday’s game was tied 1-1 until Austin Schwartz’s GWG with 54 seconds left.

8. Dartmouth remains unbeaten

Yes, the Big Green are only 4-0, but that by itself is remarkable. It’s the best start to a season by Dartmouth since the 1957-58 season, and its 4-2 win at Quinnipiac and 5-1 victory at Princeton was the first time the Big Green had defeated the Bobcats and Tigers on the same weekend since they became travel partners in 2005-06.

The win at No. 15 Quinnipiac was the first for Dartmouth since 2018, and the first win over a ranked team in almost four years.

9. Boston University, UMass Lowell split in key Hockey East matchup

In a Hockey East clash of ranked teams, nothing was settled between No. 17 Mass-Lowell and No. 9 Boston University, with each time posting a victory in the other’s building.

On Friday at Agganis Arena, BU was able to erase a 3-1 Lowell advantage, but Libor Nemec and Dillon Bentley scored 34 seconds apart midway through the third period for the 5-3 win.

The Terriers returned the favor at Tsongas Arena on Saturday, posting five goals in the second period for a 5-2 victory. Sophomore Max Lacroix made 17 saves in his first career start and win.

10. North Dakota ends slump, continues dominance at Duluth

The Fighting Hawks had dropped three straight coming into their series at Minnesota-Duluth but rebounded with a 7-3, 4-1 sweep of the Bulldogs.

It was the fifth and sixth consecutive wins by North Dakota over Duluth and the third consecutive sweep by the Fighting Hawks at AMSOIL Arena.

Ben Strinden scored in each game for UND and T.J. Semptimphelter made 58 saves in the series including a season-high 32 on Friday.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap November 11, 2024

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(5) Colgate at (14) Brown

Special teams were massive on Friday as Colgate scored on three of four power plays while Brown was two of three with the player advantage. It was a back and forth game, but Emma Pais broke through first, scoring later in the first to put Colgate up 1-0 at the first intermission. Monique Lyons continued her strong start to the season (and her career) scoring her fifth goal in seven games to tie the game 1-1. A late hooking call gave the Raiders a power play to end the second and Elyssa Biederman made Brown pay, scoring with 12.5 seconds on the clock to give Colgate a 2-1 lead at the end of two. But the Bears came out flying in the third, as India McDadi scored in the opening two minutes to tie the game 2-2 and Margot Norehad added on a few minutes later to make it 3-2 Brown. “Per the Colgate game recap, Sophomore forward Kaia Malachino picked up one of the most impressive assists of the season, laying face down on the ice and narrowly pushing a loose puck in front of the Yale netminder with the very tip of her stick. Classmate Madeline Palumbo backhanded the pass over an outstretched goalie pad, evening the score a three” to force overtime. In the extra frame, Neena Brick was fed the puck from a Sara Stewart faceoff win and she did not miss, giving the Raiders the 4-3 overtime win. 

(5) Colgate at Yale

For the fourth straight game, the Raiders came from behind to pull out a win, this time thanks to a pair of third period goals just 61 seconds apart from Madeline Palumbo and Elyssa Biederman. Kalty Kaltounková scored near the end of the first to open the scoring but Yale’s Ray Jordan replied on the power play to send the teams to the locker rooms tied 1-1. Colgate continued their dominance with the player advantage as they added a power play goal from Alexia Aubin midway through the second to go up 2-1. Mariya Rauf’s goal in the final two minutes tied the game for Yale and then Vita Poniatovskaia gave the Bulldogs their first lead, 3-2, 65 seconds into the third. But Colgate is used to coming from behind at this point and they did not stop pressuring until the goals from Palumbo and Biederman to take the lead. They shut down Yale and took the 4-3 win. 

Union at (6) Clarkson

The two teams felt each other out through the first period with no one breaking through. Then just 39 seconds into the second, Anne Cherkowski took a feed through traffic from Sidney Fess and one-timed it to make it 1-0 Clarkson. The third time was the charm as both Stephanie Bourque and Klara Kenttälä had chances before Maddie Suitor lit the lamp to make it 1-1 going into the second intermission. In the third, Sena Catterall scored to make it 3-2 Clarkson and then Karianne Engelbert put back a rebound to tie it one more time and eventually force overtime. In the extra frame, Clarkson broke out from their zone. Anne Cherkowski’s shot was blocked but Catterall was trailing and put home the loose puck. 

RPI at (6) Clarkson

RPI goalie Reese Keating made 19 saves and her defense added 17 blocks while Clarkson’s Julia Minotti earned a 14-save shutout. Madison Chantler’s power play goal five minutes into the game proved to be the only one the Golden Knights needed to earn the win. Anne Cherkowski added an empty-netter to seal the 2-0 win. 

(7) Quinnipiac at Dartmouth

Quinnipiac outshot the Big Green 32-12, including 20-9 through the first two periods, but the game was scoreless after 40 minutes. Cally DIxon put Dartmouth ahead six minutes into the third. As time was running out, the Bobcats pulled their goalie and with the extra attacker got a game-tying goal on a tip-in from Laurence Frenette off a Makayla Watson shot. In overtime, Jenna Donohue showed great patience and skating to find space and win the game 2-1.

(7) Quinnipiac at Harvard

The Bobcats led 26-9 in shots after two periods, but the game remained scoreless. But that changed just 22 seconds into the third as she pounced on a loose puck in front of the net. That’s all Quinnipiac needed to earn the 1-0 win. 

RPI at (8) St. Lawrence

The Engineers came out hot on Friday, scoring on a puck through traffic from Taylor Larsen in the opening minutes. They then jumped out to a 2-0 lead with a couple of minutes left in the frame Aylah Cioffi put back a rebound. It looked like that’s how the teams would go to the locker rooms, but a late penalty was upgraded to a major and St. Lawrence capitalized with just 40 seconds left on the clock as Abby Hustler made it 2-1 at the break. Tori Verbeek scored in the closing minute of the second on a redirect to tie the game 2-2. Melissa Jeffries gave the Saints their first lead early in the third, but RPI’s Georgia Bailey scored on an odd-player rush to tie the game and force overtime. The extra frame didn’t decide a winner and the Engineers earned the extra point from the shootout thanks to goals from Bailey and Charlotte Wensley. 

Union at (8) St. Lawrence

Union outshot the Saints 10-5 in the opening period, but could not find the back of the net. SLU found its footing in the second and Kennedy Wilson put them on the board early on a spin and shot that banked into the net. Abby Hustler doubled the lead midway through the third and Wilson secured the 3-0 win with an empty-netter.

Northeastern vs. (10) Connecticut (home and home)

Freshman goalie Lisa Jönsson earned her first two career shutouts as Northeastern won a pair of 1-0 games for the weekend sweep. On Friday, the game was scoreless until the final frame when Lily Shannon buried a pass that came from a rebound. In the second game, it was an early Skylar Irving goal that gave Northeastern the lead. From there they went into a shutdown defensive mode as Jönsson made a career high 37 saves and the team racked up 22 blocks to hold the lead and earn the win and sweep. 

(11) Cornell at Yale

Kaitlin Jockims scored late in the second and Avi Adam at a similar point of the third and Annelies Bergmann made 33 saves as Cornell took a 2-0 win. 

(11) Cornell at (14) Brown

This was a well-matched, hard-fought game. The first shot of the game came 5:45 in and it was off Lily Delianedis’ stick and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 Cornell. Katie Chan doubled the lead less than a minute into the second to make it 2-0. With under two to play and on the power play, Brown pulled their goalie to go up 6-on-4 and Ava Decosta found the back of the net to cut the lead to 2-1, but the Bears ran out of time for the comeback and the Big Red earned the win and their first weekend sweep of the season. 

(13) Boston College at Maine

The Eagles continued to roll as they extended their win-streak to seven games with a sweep of the Black Bears. In the first game, Kate Ham scored off her own rebound midway through the first and less than two minutes later, Tricia Piky doubled the lead to 2-0. Gracie Hanson scored early in the second to cut it to 2-1, but Maine could not complete a comeback. Gaby Roy’s late goal through the five hole secured the 3-1 win. In the second game, Boston College put the game out of reach before five minutes had elapsed. Alanna Devlin scored her first career goal two minutes in and 100 seconds later, Lauren Glaser doubled the lead to 2-0. Midway through the second, Alyssa Wruble scored for Maine, but that’s as close as the game would get as Sammy Taber and Abby Newhook each scored later in the second to make it 4-1 and Newhook added another in the third to secure the 5-1 win and weekend sweep. 

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Nov. 8-10

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Shane Vansaghi and Mikey DeAngelo celebrate a goal during Michigan State’s weekend sweep over Ohio State (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 4 fared in games over the weekend of Nov. 8-10.

No. 1 Denver (10-0-0)
11/08/2024 – Lindenwood 1 at No. 1 Denver 4
11/09/2024 – Lindenwood 1 at No. 1 Denver 4

No. 2 Boston College (7-1-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 5 Maine 2 at No. 2 Boston College 3
11/10/2024 – No. 5 Maine 0 at No. 2 Boston College 3

No. 3 Minnesota (9-1-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 3 Minnesota 3 at RV Wisconsin 2
11/09/2024 – No. 3 Minnesota 3 at RV Wisconsin 2 (OT)

No. 4 Michigan State (7-1-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 13 Ohio State 2 at No. 4 Michigan State 4
11/09/2024 – No. 13 Ohio State 1 at No. 4 Michigan State 4

No. 5 Maine (6-2-1)
11/08/2024 – No. 5 Maine 2 at No. 2 Boston College 3
11/10/2024 – No. 5 Maine 0 at No. 2 Boston College 3

No. 6 Cornell (3-0-1)
11/08/2024 – Yale 2 at No. 6 Cornell 2 (OT)
11/09/2024 – RV Brown 1 at No. 6 Cornell 3

No. 7 Michigan (7-2-1)
11/08/2024 – No. 20 Notre Dame 1 at No. 7 Michigan 2 (OT)
11/09/2024 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 7 Michigan 4

No. 8 Colorado College (8-0-0)
11/08/2024 – RV Arizona State 3 at No. 8 Colorado College 4 (OT)
11/09/2024 – RV Arizona State 1 at No. 8 Colorado College 3

No. 9 Boston University (5-4-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 17 UMass Lowell 5 at No. 9 Boston University 3
11/09/2024 – No. 9 Boston University 5 at No. 17 UMass Lowell 2

No. 10 North Dakota (5-4-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 10 North Dakota 7 at Minnesota Duluth 3
11/09/2024 – No. 10 North Dakota 4 at Minnesota Duluth 1

No. 11 Providence (6-1-2)
11/08/2024 – RV Northeastern 2 at No. 11 Providence 2 (OT)
11/09/2024 – No. 11 Providence 6 at RV Northeastern 5 (OT)

No. 12 St. Cloud State (8-3-0)
11/08/2024 – Miami 2 at No. 12 St. Cloud State 3 (OT)
11/09/2024 – Miami 1 at No. 12 St. Cloud State 3

No. 13 Ohio State (7-2-1)
11/08/2024 – No. 13 Ohio State 2 at No. 4 Michigan State 4
11/09/2024 – No. 13 Ohio State 1 at No. 4 Michigan State 4

No. 14 Western Michigan (5-1-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 14 Western Michigan 2 at RV Omaha 1
11/09/2024 – No. 14 Western Michigan 4 at RV Omaha 2

No. 15 Quinnipiac (3-5-0)
11/08/2024 – RV Dartmouth 4 at No. 15 Quinnipiac 2
11/09/2024 – RV Harvard 3 at No. 15 Quinnipiac 0

No. 16 Minnesota State (7-4-1)
11/08/2024 – No. 16 Minnesota State 5 at St. Thomas 3
11/09/2024 – St. Thomas 1 at No. 16 Minnesota State 1 (OT)

No. 17 UMass Lowell (6-2-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 17 UMass Lowell 5 at No. 9 Boston University 3
11/09/2024 – No. 9 Boston University 5 at No. 17 UMass Lowell 2

No. 18 Massachusetts (4-4-2)
11/08/2024 – No. 18 Massachusetts 3 at Vermont 3 (OT)
11/09/2024 – No. 18 Massachusetts 0 at Vermont 4

No. 19 Penn State (4-3-0)
Did not play.

No. 20 Notre Dame (5-5-0)
11/08/2024 – No. 20 Notre Dame 1 at No. 7 Michigan 2 (OT)
11/09/2024 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 7 Michigan 4

RV = Received Votes

SATURDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Sweeps galore as No. 1 Denver downs Lindenwood, No. 10 North Dakota defeats Minnesota Duluth, No. 12 St. Cloud upends Miami, No. 4 Michigan State doubles up No. 13 Ohio State, No. 3 Minnesota gets by Wisconsin in OT, No. 7 Michigan drops No. 20 Notre Dame

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North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth players battled in two tough conference games this weekend, the Fighting Hawks getting the sweep (photo: Minnesota Duluth Athletics).

Tenth-ranked North Dakota jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after 20 minutes and kept control throughout, notching a 4-1 victory over Minnesota Duluth and securing the series sweep on Saturday night from AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.

UND notches its first sweep of the season and records its sixth straight win over Minnesota Duluth. The Fighting Hawks have also dominated at AMSOIL Arena, picking up their third straight series sweep in the arena and grabbing their seventh straight victory at the barn.

The Hawks once again spread out the scoring, with Cade Littler, Ben Strinden, Cameron Berg and Jackson Kunz each finding the back of the net in the win. Jake Livanavage continued his torrid weekend, dishing out another pair of assists to give him five for the weekend and back-to-back games with multiple points.

Goaltender T.J. Semptimphelter was big between the pipes once again, finishing with 26 saves on 27 shots to notch his second straight win. The graduate student was big over the final 40 minutes, stopping 19 of 20 to finish the weekend with zero goals allowed at even strength.

North Dakota took a 2-0 lead just over five minutes into the game and chased UMD starting goaltender Adam Gajan.

The biggest moment of the middle frame came in the final eight minutes as Jayden Jubenvill was whistled for a facemasking major penalty to give the Bulldogs a chance on the power play to climb back into the game. Semptimphelter and his penalty killers held strong for a majority of the major, with the goaltender making a diving save to rob the hosts of a sure goal, but UMD eventually broke through in the final two seconds of the penalty to cut the deficit to 3-1 after two periods on a goal from Harper Bentz.

Kunz added an empty netter in the final minutes to secure the sweep.

Gajan allowed two goals on six shots through 5:38 before Klayton Knapp played the rest of the game and stopped 18 shots.

POLL | SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS

No. 1 Denver 4, Lindenwood 1

Sam Harris scored twice and Matt Davis made 18 saves as Denver knocked off Lindenwood 4-1 at Magness Arena in Denver, Colo.

Rieger Lorenz and Aidan Thompson added goals for the Pioneers.

Tyler Loughman scored for the Lions and Owen Bartoszkiewicz finished with 23 saves in goal.

No. 3 Minnesota 3, Wisconsin 2 (OT)

Brodie Ziemer batted the puck out of midair for the overtime game-winner as Minnesota defeated Wisconsin 3-2 at the Kohl Center and Madison, Wis.

Ziemer skated alone at the net and finished off a backhand saucer pass from Jimmy Snuggerud as Minnesota erased a one-goal deficit in the third period to sweep the Badgers.

Connor Kurth scored for the Gophers that pulled the visitors even with 6:04 to play in regulation, leading to the overtime heroics from Ziemer that earned the team’s eighth consecutive victory.

Brody Lamb also scored for Minnesota and Liam Souliere stopped 31 shots between the pipes.

Ryland Mosley and Quinn Finley netted the Badgers goals and William Gramme had 39 saves.

No. 4 Michigan State 4, No. 13 Ohio State 1

After Ohio State’s Damien Carfagna gave the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead early in the second period, Michigan State scored the next four goals to gain a 4-1 win at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.

Gavin O’Connell, Shane Vansaghi, Isaac Howard and Daniel Russell scored for the Spartans and goalie Trey Augustine turned aside 29 shots.

Logan Terness stopped 36 shots for the Buckeyes.

No. 6 Cornell 3, Brown 1

Brown scored first, but Cornell struck for the next three and downed the Bears 3-1 from Lynak Rink in Ithaca, N.Y.

Max Scott gave Brown the 1-0 lead late in the first period, but Dalton Bancroft scored twice and Ryan Walsh once to give the Big Red the win.

Ian Shane made 18 saves for the win in the Cornell crease.

For Brown, Tyler Shea finished with 28 saves.

No. 7 Michigan 4, No. 20 Notre Dame 2

Four different players scored for Michigan as the Wolverines doubled up Notre Dame 4-2 at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Michael Hage, Evan Werner, Thomas Daskas and Jackson Hallum found the net for Michigan and Cameron Korpi made 27 saves in goal.

Notre Dame’s goals came from Brennan Ali and Blake Biondi and Owen Say finished with 20 stops in the Notre Dame crease.

No. 8 Colorado College 3, Arizona State 1

Drew Montgomery, Tyler Coffey and Klavs Veinbergs scored for Colorado College as the Tigers swept Arizona State with a 3-1 victory at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Kaidan Mbereko made 41 saves in goal for the Tigers.

Arizona native David Hymovitch scored for the Sun Devils and Luke Pavicich stopped 18 shots.

No. 9 Boston University 5, No. 17 UMass Lowell 2

Quinn Hutson scored two goals and Max Lacroix made 17 saves in goal as Boston University took a 5-2 win over UMass Lowell at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass.

Cole Hutson, Jack Harvey and Matt Copponi added goals for the Terriers.

Isac Jonsson and Libor Nemec scored for the River Hawks and Henry Welsch and Beni Halasz combined on a 20-save effort in goal.

No. 11 Providence 6, Northeastern 5 (OT)

Trevor Connelly’s second goal and fourth point of the game 3:24 into overtime gave Providence a 6-5 win over Northeastern at Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass.

Logan Will, John Mustard, Will Elger and Chase Yoder added goals for the Friars and Philip Svedebäck made 22 saves in 39:25 of action after taking over for Zachary Borgiel, who made nine saves through 23:58. Svedebäck also assisted on Connelly’s OT winner.

Cam Lund, Joe Connor, Dylan Hryckowian, Jack Williams and Joaquim Lemay scored for the Huskies and goalie Cameron Whitehead stopped 34 shots.

No. 12 St. Cloud State 3, Miami 1

Austin Burnevik posted a pair of goals to lead St. Cloud State to a 3-1 win over Miami from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Mason Salquist netted the other goal for SCSU and Isak Posch made 16 saves in net.

For the RedHawks, Johnny Waldron broke Posch’s shutout bid 1:12 into the third period and netminder Bruno Bruveris made 33 saves.

No. 14 Western Michigan 4, Omaha 2

Tim Washe and Alex Bump scored third-period goals as Western Michigan earned the road sweep with a 4-2 win over Omaha at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb.

Iiro Hakkarainen and Tristan Lemyre also scored for the Broncos with goalie Hampton Slukynsky making 31 saves.

Jacob Guevin and Brady Risk scored for Omaha and Simon Latkoczy kicked out 33 shots in goal.

Harvard 3, No. 15 Quinnipiac 0

Aku Koskenvuo stopped all 25 shots fired his way as Harvard blanked Quinnipiac 3-0 at the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.

Ben MacDonald, Lucas St. Louis and Justin Solovey scored for the Crimson.

For the Bobcats, goalie Matej Marinov made 26 saves.

No. 16 Minnesota State 1, St. Thomas 1 (Minnesota State wins shootout)

Brett Moravec scored for Minnesota State and Jake Braccini for St. Thomas as the two teams battled to a 1-1 tie at the Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center in Mankato, Minn.

The Mavericks won the subsequent shootout.

In goal, Alex Tracy stopped 18 shots for the Mavericks and Jake Sibell made 18 saves for the Tommies.

Vermont 4, No. 18 UMass 0

Axel Mangbo made 26 saves between the pipes as Vermont defeated UMass 4-0 at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt.

Massimo Lombardi, Luca Münzenberger, Timofei Spitserov and Timofei Spitserov scored for the Cataounts.

UMass goalies Michael Hrabal and Jackson Irving combined on a 15-save night in goal.

FRIDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: No. 17 UMass Lowell downs No. 9 Boston University, No. 3 Minnesota rallies to beat Wisconsin, No. 2 Boston College edges No. 5 Maine, Yale ties No. 6 Cornell, top-ranked Denver beats Lindenwood

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UMass Lowell’s Libor Nemec makes a move to get around BU’s Gavin McCarthy in the River Hawks’ 5-3 win Friday night at BU (photo: UMass Lowell Athletics).

No. 17 UMass Lowell scored two goals 34 seconds apart in the third period to snap a 3-3 tie and defeat No. 9 Boston University 5-3 Friday night at Agganis Arena in Boston.

Libor Nemec made it 4-3 River Hawks at 11:28 of the final period and then Dillan Bentley gave UML the insurance goal at 12:02.

Connor Eddy, Ian Carpentier and Ben Meehan also scored for UMass Lowell.

In goal, Henry Welsch made 26 saves for the win.

Shane Lachance scored twice for BU and Cole Eiserman added a goal.

Mathieu Caron fashioned a 22-save effort in goal for the Terriers.

POLL | SCOREBOARD | STANDINGS

No. 1 Denver 4, Lindenwood 1

Denver used four different goal scorers and 23 saves from goaltender Matt Davis to down Lindenwood 4-1 at Magness Arena in Denver, Colo.

Jared Wright, Sam Harris, James Reeder and Rieger Lorenz scored for the Pioneers.

Tyler Loughman scored for the Lions and goaltender Owen Bartoszkiewicz made 42 stops in the Lindenwood crease.

No. 2 Boston College 3, No. 5 Maine 2

Ryan Leonard’s goal at 18:27 of the third period completed BC’s comeback for a 3-2 win over Maine at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Andre Gasseau scored the Eagles’ first goal at 10:25 of the third period, Mike Posma tied it at 16:59, and then Leonard tallied what proved to be the game winner just under 90 seconds later.

Josh Nadeau scored in the second period for Maine and Oskar Komarov made it a 2-0 Black Bears lead seven minutes into the third period.

Jacob Fowler made 30 saves in goal for BC, while Albin Boija stopped 27 for Maine.

No. 3 Minnesota 3, Wisconsin 2

After being down 2-0 early in the second period, Minnesota rallied with three unanswered to beat Wisconsin 3-2 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Ryan Chesley scored to make it a 2-1 game and then Jimmy Snuggeriud netted the next two, including the game winner at 12:45 of the third period, to put the Gophers ahead to stay.

Quinn Finley and Kyle Kukkonen scored for Wisconsin and goaltender William Gramme made 28 saves.

Nathan Airey stopped 28 shots for the Gophers.

No. 4 Michigan State 4, No. 13 Ohio State 2

Michigan State used four different goal scorers – Nicklas Andrews, Red Savage, Daniel Russell, David Gucciardi – to knock off Ohio State 4-2 at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.

Davis Burnside and Patrick Guzzo scored for the Buckeyes and Logan Terness made 23 saves in goal.

For Michigan State, Trey Augustine finished with 22 stops between the pipes.

Yale 2, No. 6 Cornell 2 (Yale wins shootout)

From Lynah Rink in Ithaca, N.Y., Donovan Frias scored both goals as Yale tied Cornell 2-2.

Yale then won the shootout.

Dalton Bancroft and Jack O’Leary scored for the Big Red.

In goal, Jack Stark made 27 saves for the Bulldogs, while Ian Shane had six saves for Cornell.

Northeastern 2, No. 11 Providence 2 (Northeastern wins shootout)

Joe Connor and Jack Williams scored for Northeastern, while Logan Will and Graham Camache scored for Providence as the two teams tied 2-2 at Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.

The Huskies then won the shootout.

Cameron Whitehead made 28 saves in goal for Northeastern, while Philip Svedebäck made 27 for the Friars.

No. 7 Michigan 2, No. 20 Notre Dame 1 (OT)

Evan Werner’s goal at 2:02 of overtime gave Michigan a 2-1 win over Notre Dame at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Mich.

Kienan Draper also scored for the Wolverines.

Brennan Ali scored for Notre Dame and goaltender Owen Say made 45 saves.

Logan Stein had 18 saves for Michigan.

No. 8 Colorado College 4, Arizona State 3 (OT)

Stanley Cooley’s goal at 19:03 of the third period tied it 3-3 for Colorado College against Arizona State and then Zaccharya Wisdom won it for the Tigers 1:44 into overtime at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Max Burkholder and Klavs Veinbergs also scored for CC and Kaidan Mbereko made 27 stops in goal.

Noah Beck scored twice for the Sun Devils, Ryan Alexander the other, and Gibson Homer made 17 saves.

No. 10 North Dakota 7, Minnesota Duluth 3

North Dakota led from start to finish, taking a 7-3 win over Minnesota Duluth at AMSOIL Arena in Duluth, Minn.

The Fighting Hawks had seven different goal scorers in Mac Swanson, Jackson Kunz, Cade Littler, Louis Jamernik V, Jayden Perron, Abram Wiebe, and Ben Strinden.

TJ Semptimphelter finished with 32 saves in goal for North Dakota.

For the Bulldogs, Anthony Menghini recorded a hat trick and Adam Gajan and Klayton Knapp combined on a 23-save effort between the pipes.

No. 12 St. Cloud State 3, Miami 2 (OT)

Grant Ahcan’s second goal of the game at 4:43 of overtime gave St. Cloud State a 3-2 win over Miami at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

Austin Burnevik also scored for the Huskies, who got 23 saves from Isak Posch.

Max Dukovac and Matt Choupani scored for Miami and goalie Ethan Dahlmeir made 20 saves in goal.

No. 14 Western Michigan 2, Omaha 1

After Omaha went up 1-0 on a Harrison Israels goal at 12:22 of the first period, Western Michigan came back to win 2-1 at Baxter Arena in Omaha, Neb.

Alex Bump and Tristan Lemyre scored for the Broncos and goalie Cameron Rowe made 28 saves.

Simon Latkoczy stopped 48 shots in goal for the Mavericks.

Dartmouth 4, No. 15 Quinnipiac 2

For the first time since the 1978-79 season, Dartmouth is 3-0-0 after defeating Quinnipiac 4-2 from the M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.

Alex Krause, Sean Chisholm, John Fusco and CJ Foley scored for the Big Green, while goaltender Roan Clarke finished with 18 saves.

Jeremy Wilmer and Tyler Borgula scored for the Bobcats and Dylan Silverstein made nine saves between the pipes.

No. 16 Minnesota State 5, St. Thomas 3

Minnesota State staged a third-period rally to come back and down St. Thomas 5-3 from the St. Thomas Ice Arena in St. Thomas, Minn.

Down 3-1 early in the third period, the Mavericks scored four times off the sticks of Luke Ashton, Luc Wilson, Adam Eisele and Brett Moravec to get the win.

Brian Carrabes also scored and Alex Tracy made 28 saves in goal.

For the Tommies, Cooper Gay, Lucas Wahlin and Liam Malmquist scored and Aaron Trotter made 19 saves.

Vermont 3, No. 18 UMass 3 (Vermont wins shootout)

Simon Jellus, Xavier Henry and Philip Törnqvist scored for UVM and Keenan Rancier made 16 saves between the pipes in a 3-3 tie with UMass at the Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt.

The Catamounts won the subseqent shootout.

For the Minutemen, James Duerr scored two goals, Owen Murray the other, and Michael Hrabal turned aside 15 shots in goal.

D-III West Hockey Weekend Picks

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Andrew Poulias and UW-Stevens Point gear up for another weekend of hockey. (Photo Credit: Rachel McCulloch/UW Stevens Point Athletics)

Week No. 2 of the college hockey season is here and one of the highlights will be Adrian’s weekend in New York. The Bulldogs play Cortland and Oswego in games that could go a long way for them come March.

There are also a couple of conference matchups and some intriguing non-conference battles. Let the puck drop on week two.

Friday

Bethel at UW-Stevens Point

The Royals are searching for their first win. Facing the No. 11 team in the nation on the road won’t be the easiest place to get it.

Bethel nearly won its opener, losing 2-1 to Marian in OT, but had a tough time against No. 5 St. Norbert, falling 5-2. They’ll need to generate some offense early to have a shot against the Pointers, who held off Dubuque in overtime for their first win. Like Bethel, goals haven’t been easy to come by for UW-Stevens Point, which has scored just three on the year. This one should be competitive.
UW-Stevens Point, 3-2

Adrian at Cortland

Big test on the road for the second-ranked team in the nation. The Bulldogs are playing a ranked team for the second straight week as Cortland is 10th in the latest USCHO.com poll and unbeaten at 2-0. The Bulldogs are 1-1 and know what it’s going to take win a matchup like this. The Red Dragons have outscored their opposition 12-4 so far. This should be a fight to the finish.
Adrian, 4-3

Saturday

St. Olaf at UW-Superior

The Oles are winless after week one and now hit the road for a pair of games in Wisconsin, finishing the weekend with a showdown against the Yellowjackets. St. Olaf will look to get its offense back on track after being shutout by Marian and hope to limit the opponent’s offensive success after giving up 12 goals in its first two games. UW-Superior is playing hockey for the first time this season and will look to end the weekend on a high note.
UW-Superior, 5-3

Saint John’s at St. Scholastica

The Johnnies took the first one in this series by a 4-2 score on Thursday and now take aim at a sweep and great shot of momentum early on in the MIAC race. Cam Boche scored twice in Thursday’s win and will look to duplicate that effort in this one. Jon Howe made 28 saves. The Saints are home for this game and that could prove to be an advantage.
Saint John’s, 4-2

Bethel at UW-Eau Claire

The Blugolds received votes in the latest national poll and aims to cap its first weekend of the season with a strong performance. UW-Eau Claire has a lot of potential on offense and the experience of goaltender Matt Gutjahr is the kind of thing that can make a big difference in what should be a tightly contested game.
UW-Eau Claire, 4-2

Adrian at Oswego

The Bulldogs cap their trip to New York with a game against the Lakers, who have started the season 0-1-1. Oswego did receive votes in the national poll this week and will be hungry for an upset. It will be interesting to see how Adrian handles the final night of this trip considering it will have played Cortland the night before.
Adrian, 3-1

Friday and Saturday

Concordia at Augsburg

Nothing like an early-season MIAC battle between two teams that will certainly be in the mix for a title.

The Cobbers are 2-0 and feeling good early on, especially considering they came through in the third period twice to secure their two wins. Netminder Dane Couture is the reigning defensive player of the week in the conference.

Augsburg is 1-1 and ready to set the tone early in its bid to win the MIAC this season. Grahm Harris has played well so far, dishing out four assists and tallying one goal.
Augsburg, 5-3; Concordia, 3-2

Aurora vs. Lake Forest

The Spartans come in ranked 14th nationally and unbeaten at 2-0. They picked up a huge win over UW-Stevens Point last week, winning 7-2, and also edged Augsburg 5-4 in overtime. Landry Schmuck will look to step up again after finishing with three goals and an assist last weekend. If the Spartans are clicking on offense, they’ll be tough to beat. For Lake Forest, it’s a chance to make a statement after starting the year 1-1.
Aurora, 4-2 and 5-3

 

 

 

D-II/III East Men’s Hockey Game Picks – November 8, 2024

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Unbeaten Cortland will be looking for some big goals to take down #2 ranked Adrian on Friday in front of a raucous home crowd for their AFSP Charity Game (Photo by Dani Zehr Photography)

It is week two of the season and who knows what surprises the schedule and results will bring to us this week. We certainly saw the gamut of top end talent performing, early season tournament action, ranked opponent battles and enough overtime and upset results to make things very interesting for the remainder of the season. Lots of conference games kicking off this week with some intriguing matchups amongst favored teams expected to compete for league titles as well as some inter-regional games that should be dramatic in their own right.

I am sure everyone is loving the early action and frankly my first week of predictions has me pretty fired up as I finished last week at 10-2-0 (.833). It would be nice to get on a roll like a lot of teams who saw success are looking to repeat this week regardless of the opponent. For others that were slow out of the gate, there is no time like the present to rebound. Here are this week’s picks for the east:

Friday, November 8, 2024

(2) Adrian v. (10) Cortland

The Red Dragons have had this contest circled on the calendar for quite some time as they promote suicide prevention and mental health awareness through a game sweater auction and other events in support of the local American Foundation For Suicide Prevention (AFSP). For anyone interested, donations can be made at:

https://supporting.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=donorDrive.participant&participantID=3067099 [supporting.afsp.org]

Cortland is hosting the 2024 #stopsuicide Resource Fair and Charity Hockey Game and faces a tough-out coming to town in a Bulldog team that mirrors its name on the ice. Late goal sends everyone home happy as the home team ekes it out  – Cortland, 4-3

Endicott v. (6) Curry

The Gulls were stunned last week by Southern Maine and now play perhaps their biggest contender in the CNE in week one of conference play. It’s been tough to score on Shane Soderwall and the Colonels and while the Gulls light the lamp, two isn’t enough to pick up a road win – Curry, 3-2

Babson v. (9) Skidmore

The battle of green and white finds the home team having a bit of an advantage in their barn. This game will be fast-paced and there will be opportunities aplenty to challenge goaltending on both ends of the ice. Kaeden Patrick and company seal a late win on the power play for big points in the NEHC conference – Skidmore, 4-3

(8) Plattsburgh v. Plymouth State

The Panthers absolutely do not want to star their season with three losses this early and because they will be extra focused and hungry this will not be a trap game for the Cardinals who take advantage of great goaltending and special teams to take a one-goal win – Plattsburgh, 3-2

Southern New Hampshire v. Assumption

The re-match of last year’s NE-10 conference championship won’t be going extra time but Collin Berke & Company are going to be very focused to shut down Ronny Paragallo and the Greyhounds offense. Fast start helps the home team to overcome a late Penmen rally – Assumption, 4-2

(3) Utica v. Nazareth

The Pioneers played two solid road games last week where they split a series against Adrian. Nazareth brings a different challenge with UCHC points on the line. Constant pressure and balance yields results for the visitors in a comfortable road win against the Golden Flyers – Utica, 5-2

Saturday, November 9, 2024

Alvernia v. (12) Stevenson

The Mustangs want to send a clear message that they are the top team in the MAC and the Golden Wolves would like nothing better than to upset the home team on Saturday. Thinking this one is more low scoring than one would expect from these rosters and that means a close one-goal win for the home team – Stevenson, 3-2

Albertus Magnus v. Norwich

The Falcons are now part of the NEHC this season and open on the road with a Norwich team looking to find some offense after being shut out by Curry last weekend. Clark Kerner and a veteran group of forwards find the back of the net just enough with an empty-net helper to seal the win over the Falcons – Norwich, 3-1

Western New England v. (13) University of New England

The Nor’easters got great goaltending from Joe Stanizzi last week in a shut out win over Plymouth State. Now UNE is the hunted ranked team but home ice matters a lot in the CNE and captain Ryan Kuzmich will make sure his team is focused on the ice to earn the win –    UNE, 5-2

Brockport v. Manhattanville

The Golden Eagles didn’t have much to show for their play in the Buffalo State tournament last weekend and now face a Valiant team looking to get out of the gates with some early success. Sticking with the home team in this UCHC matchup – Manhattanville, 5-2

Keene State v. Massachusetts-Dartmouth

The Owls lost a heartbreaker in overtime last week to Rivier with less than 30 seconds remaining on the clock. The new D-III squad showed they could score some goals and this week end up on the winning end of the scoreboard in another entertaining offensive display – Keene State, 5-4

Arcadia v. Misericordia

The Knights take on first-year team Misericordia in MAC play and find that the new-kids-on-the-block are hardly a pushover. Visitors need to be wary of local support and passionate fanbase making the home team very motivated for a win that eludes them in the final period – Arcadia, 4-3

Exciting league games, non-conference action and what D-III schools do so well, great charity and awareness focus by teams using their hockey platform to educate, raise awareness and funds for important causes on campus and off in their local communities. This season if a team is looking to get a charity game featured in the weekly picks column, please contact me ([email protected]) with all the relevant information and I will pick one game as a featured spotlight game to help promote the event across the avid D-II/III readership at USCHO.

Week two should bring a little heightened excitement knowing these games and pints could mean a lot come the second half. Don’t leave points on the ice  – “Drop the Puck!”

Fortner having fun making plays for Marian men’s hockey team

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Daunte Fortner is in his final season with the Marian Sabres. (Photo provided by Marian Athletics)

For Daunte Fortner, nothing beats being on the ice. Its’s when he’s at his best and when he’s having the most fun.

Hockey has also added a lot to his life as a whole.

“I love the people you meet and the place it can bring you,” Fortner said. “I’ve been all over North America playing the sport. Hockey is fun. It’s exciting. I have the most fun when I’m on the ice making plays and succeeding with teammates.”

Fortner is now in his final year at Marian and is poised to be a key playmaker once again.

A year ago, he led the team in assists with 13 and finished second in total points.

Through two games this season, both wins for Marian, Fortner has come through with one assist.

Making plays to set up teammates for goals is something he takes a lot of pride in.

“I try to help everyone out on the ice, get everyone the puck and give them chances and opportunities,” Fortner said. “The better you move the puck, the better the chance you have to score a goal.”

Fortner has done that well, racking up 25 assists in his collegiate career to go along with 13 goals. And he spent the offseason trying to be even better at his craft.

“I worked on quicker shots, quicker release shooting through screens, and just being a leader,” Fortner said.

Hockey has always been a sport Fortner has played. He started at a young age and hasn’t looked back.

“My dad played and he got me into it,” Fortner said. “I’ve always enjoyed playing it.”

Fortner played junior hockey before arriving on campus, including one year with the Philadelphia Hockey Club, where he came through with 21 assists and five goals.

When it came to finding a college to play at, Marian just proved to be the right fit for the Michigan native.

“They offered me a spot and I thought it was a good fit,” Fortner said. “It was close to home and I’m an education major, and the school has a good education program. It all added up.”

The wins have added up early for Fortner and the Sabres, who are 2-0 after beating Bethel 2-1 in overtime and rolled past St. Olaf 4-0.

They are off this week but open NCHA play next week against nationally ranked St. Norbert, one of four teams in the conference who are ranked.

Marian finished 9-17-1 last season and 5-12-1 in the conference.

“The NCHA is one of the best conferences in the country,” Fortner said. “Every game is a battle. Every game is a dogfight.”

Fortner said he is enjoying the opportunity to play college hockey one more time, especially with how competitive it is, and is locked in on doing what he can to help the team continue to thrive.

“We’re focused on winning but we aren’t looking too far ahead,” Fortner said. “It’s about winning each weekend. Everything is going well so far. “As a group, we are playing faster and everyone is stepping up.”

Analyzing league matchups in Big Ten, Hockey East, NCHC for Nov. 8, 2024: USCHO Edge college hockey podcast Season 3 Episode 5

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USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger look at money lines and over/under for five games (plus our “pizza money” game) on November 8, 2024:

  • Notre Dame +190 @ Michigan -250; over/under 6.5
  • Ohio State +200 @ Michigan State -270; o/u 5.5
  • Maine +165 @ Boston College -215; o/u 5.5
  • Arizona State +135 @ Colorado College -175; o/u 5.5
  • North Dakota -195 @ Minnesota Duluth +150; o/u 6.5
Our “pizza money” game:
  • UMass Lowell +260 @ Boston University -360; o/u 6.5

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

Check out all of USCHO’s podcasts, including USCHO Weekend Review and USCHO Spotlight, plus our entire podcast archive.

Continue

NCAA Division I Council votes to make major junior players eligible for NCAA hockey with change taking effect Aug. 1, 2025; CHL players still ineligible for D-III hockey

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The NCAA Division I council voted Thursday to make Canadian Hockey League (major junior) players eligible for NCAA Division I hockey and those players may start to participate on NCAA Division I hockey teams effective August 1, 2025.

Players may participate in the CHL (Ontario Hockey League, Western Hockey League, and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League) without jeopardizing their NCAA Division I hockey eligibility provided they were not compensated above actual and necessary expenses for their participation.

The new eligibility for CHL players does not apply to NCAA Division III; CHL players are still ineligible for NCAA Division III hockey.

FAQs from College Hockey Inc.

The United States Hockey League (USHL) released a statement shortly after today’s announcement.

“Since its inception, the United States Hockey League (USHL) development model has been holistically and intentionally aligned with the student-athlete experience,” reads the statement. “The USHL remains the world’s premier development path. All aspects of the league are focused on preparing athletes for collegiate and professional hockey, inclusive of on-ice, academic and character development. The USHL claims more than half of NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey players, while producing more NHL draft picks than any other league in the world over the past eight seasons. The USHL prepares players by providing them exposure, resources and experiences that empower young men for peak success.”

The CHL also released a statement.

“The Canadian Hockey League (CHL) along with its member leagues, the Western Hockey League (WHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), are aware of the rule change announced earlier today by the NCAA which alters the eligibility of CHL players allowing them to play NCAA Division 1 Hockey starting next season,” the statement said. “While we will take time to fully review this rule change, we believe this is a positive development that will provide our players with more opportunities to continue their hockey and academic careers following their time in the CHL. It will also give young players and their families more options in choosing their development path, which includes opening up the CHL – the best development hockey league in the world for players aged 16-20 – to more players worldwide. For 55 consecutive years, the CHL has been the number one supplier of talent to the NHL. At the beginning of the 2024-25 NHL campaign, there were 390 CHL graduates on NHL rosters, marking once again the most of any development league in the world. Additionally, at last summer’s 2024 NHL Draft, the CHL led the way as 88 CHL players were drafted including 14 in the first round.

“We remain strongly committed to carrying on that tradition of success on the ice while embracing the enhanced academic options that this rule change will present off the ice.”

OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford put out an open letter regarding today’s ruling.

“Today is a big day for hockey and the young players that make our great game so special,” Crawford wrote. “On behalf of the Ontario Hockey League, I’m excited to share the collective enthusiasm expressed league-wide following the NCAA Division I council’s vote affirming the eligibility of Canadian Hockey League players for NCAA Division I hockey programs effective August 1, 2025. This is a landmark decision that gives OHL players additional avenues and opportunities to pursue their hockey, academic and life goals upon graduation from our league. It also opens the OHL’s doors to talented young student athletes with NCAA aspirations, providing them the opportunity to take their game to the next level in the number one development league in the world. The OHL will continue to maintain a high standard as the leading supplier of talent to the National Hockey League while emphasizing the same blend of on-ice excellence with an off-ice commitment to character development and academics that has made the League what it is today.

“Through this transition, the league will continue to honor its commitments through the OHL scholarship and development program to players as they play out their years of eligibility, setting 20- and 21-year-old graduates up for success as they embark on new challenges both on the ice and in the classroom through both the NCAA and U SPORTS. The Ontario Hockey League has produced world class talent for decades, and this latest development signals a new chapter in the story of the greatest junior hockey league in the world. It’s a pleasure to be part of the OHL community and I share our collective excitement for what the future holds.”

WHL commissioner Dan Near today issued a statement.

“Today’s announcement that CHL players will now be eligible to compete in NCAA D1 Hockey beginning in the 2025-26 season represents a historic and consequential outcome that will be celebrated by all of those invested in the on- and off-ice development of young players,” said Near. “This decision creates opportunity for the brightest elite hockey players in Western Canada and the Western U.S. to now choose the WHL as the preferred destination for their development from the age of 16-20, without fear of compromising their NCAA eligibility. As always – the player is at the heart of what we do across the WHL through our 22 Member Clubs. Most of our graduates note their time in “The Dub” were the best years of their lives. We are thrilled that upon graduation from the WHL, players will have additional options as they pursue the next step in their personal and hockey journey. We look forward to the opportunity to welcome a new wave of talent and we take great pride in our responsibility to support all WHL players in the pursuit of their goals – be that on the ice, in the classroom, and as contributing members of the community.

“Players completing their eligibility with the WHL will continue to receive access to our leading post-secondary scholarship, funded by our 22 Member Clubs. In the 2023-24 season, the education bills for over 300 WHL Alumni were paid directly by the League and Clubs totaling in excess of $3 million in funding. The WHL is proud to continue this practice. The best in the West can now look forward to chasing their dreams alongside one another in the world’s finest development league for junior hockey players – the Western Hockey League.”

“We don’t have all the details of the new rule at this time, but based on what we do know, we view this historic change in a positive light,” added QMJHL commissioner Mario Cecchini in a statement. “First and foremost, I believe this is beneficial to younger players. The players and their families won’t have to rush to make an important decision at such a young age (15). All the best players from 16 to 20 years old will have the opportunity to play in the QMJHL (CHL), the best development league in the world.

“For the QMJHL and our 18 teams, the player is always at the heart of our priorities, added Cecchini. I hear often from our alumni that their years in the QMJHL were the best of their lives. We are delighted that after completing their careers in the QMJHL, players will have additional options to pursue their athletic and academic goals. We are also very much looking forward to welcoming a whole new wave of talented players, who, under the old rules, avoided our league to preserve their NCAA eligibility.”

“The QMJHL is proud to point out that once players’ commitments are completed, they have access to important scholarship programs. For the 2023-2024 season alone, over $2 million in scholarships were awarded to our alumni via the League and its teams. The QMJHL will continue to do everything in its power to contribute to the development, guidance and success of our players, both on the ice and at school.”

This Week in NCHC Hockey: Western Michigan rookie Nehring ‘exactly the player we recruited’ as Jets prospect turning heads early in ’24-25

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Zach Nehring has been named the NCHC’s rookie of the month after a stellar October with Western Michigan (photo: Kayla Schuberth).

Last June, Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler attended the 2023 NHL Draft specifically to witness Broncos recruit Zach Nehring becoming the Winnipeg Jets’ third-round pick.

Nehring had been on WMU’s radar for some time, stemming from his successful prep hockey career at Minnesota’s Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. And now, there’s no surprise in the Broncos’ camp that the freshman forward from Minot, N.D., was named as the NCHC’s rookie of the month for October.

“He’s exactly the player we recruited,” Ferschweiler said. “He’s big, he’s long, he skates well for a big man, he works very hard, he’s got really good hockey sense, and he has a nice set of hands, especially tight in around the net.

“He has done nothing but impress, literally since the second he stepped on campus, but he’s exactly the player the Jets drafted and who we recruited. I couldn’t be happier with Zach Nehring.”

WMU’s joint-tallest player at 6 feet, 5 inches, Nehring averaged more than a point per game in his first month of college hockey. Through four games, he has five points on three goals and two assists. He is also plus-4 for the season, he’s tied for the WMU team lead in points, and his three blocked shots on defense have him first in that category among Bronco forwards.

“The way we play puts a lot of pressure on people’s skating, but it also puts pressure on the other team to defend us, and right away, there was a little adjustment for Zach in terms of how active you have to be to play in our system, but he’s up to speed now and his play shows it,” Ferschweiler said.

“He’s got a number of points, but his quality of play is even higher than his point total. His consistency of play has been one of his most impressive qualities. The reason we recruited him was his work ethic combined with his hockey sense, and when you put those things together, you have a player that continues to do it right, and he’s done it right lots.”

Nehring’s hockey IQ has been on display for years. He had 87 points in 57 games for Shattuck-St. Mary’s 16U AAA team, at the time that he caught the attention of WMU’s coaches. He has since played one season of junior hockey with the USHL’s Sioux Falls Stampede. He totaled 14 points on nine goals and five assists, after recovering from an early-season injury.

“He stuck out like a sore thumb at Shattuck,” Ferschweiler said. “We really tend to pick people with an inner drive, people who are self-motivated and love the work and love the process, and everything we saw was confirmed by the Shattuck coaches of who Zach was as a young man, what he was as a hockey player and that he wanted to be great.”

Fourteenth-ranked WMU is 3-1 heading into the Broncos’ opening NCHC series this weekend at Omaha, and Ferschweiler is eager to see what problems Nehring can give opponents going forward.

“It’s a day-by-day process, and especially for the young guys,” Ferschweiler said. “It’s been our stated goal from the start of the year that we’re here to get better every day, and that’s Zach’s goal, as well. He continues to round out his game, and it’s already really good in lots and lots of spots.

“We always talk with our guys about, ‘What do you want to repeat, and what do you want to improve?’ We’re going to work on that on a daily basis, but I think Zach is going to be a great Bronco until he’s a great pro, whenever that is.”

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Minnesota State-St. Thomas weekend series part of ‘iron sharpens iron piece every week’ in conference play

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Minnesota State and St. Thomas meet this weekend in a home-and-home series (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).

Nobody can accuse Minnesota State of taking the easy way out to start the 2024-25 season.

In their first five weeks of play, the Mavericks have skated every weekend without a bye, and their opponents have included: two top-10-ranked nonconference opponents (Michigan and North Dakota), one team that was ranked before the series (Omaha), one Hockey East team (Merrimack) and a CCHA matchup against your biggest league rival and defending conference champ (Bemidji State).

The fact that MSU has gone 6-4-0 in that grueling 10-game start to the season is impressive, but Mavericks head coach Luke Strand knows things won’t get any easier now, especially in week six. Minnesota State has a home-and-home series with yet another instate rival, St. Thomas. The Tommies finished tied for second in the CCHA and were picked to finish first in the preseason polls.

“Our conference is tight just out of our familiarity with one another, the coaches do a great job preparing for each other, the players, the way our league plays is very hard. It’s kind of that iron sharpens iron piece every week. You better be ready, the other group can come out and make a difference,” Strand said during his weekly press conference. “We’ve been on a roll on the schedule, where there’s been no off nights, so when we’ve decided to not be so hot, we’ve felt it, and the other times when we’ve been on top of our game, we’ve taken advantage of it.”

The Tommies have, so far, had a more mixed start to the season, going 2-4-1 with a similarly rough schedule that has included St. Cloud State, Minnesota, Vermont and CCHA newcomer Augustana. But Strand knows how dangerous St. Thomas can be.

“They get up and go offensively, and they make plays in all three zones. You look at how they scored a week ago, from an empty netter to shortys to power plays to on the attack. They’re a dangerous team that I think if you take your foot off the gas and start looking around, they can capitalize quickly, to their credit,” Strand said.

The Mavericks-Tommies rivalry isn’t exactly new – they’ve been playing since the 70s when both teams were in the lower divisions of the NCAA – but since 2021 when St. Thomas moved up to Division I, the programs have played at least four times every season. The Mavericks swept the season series in 2021-22 by lopsided margins but the games have gotten progressively better, including last season, when they split their season series in four incredibly close games.

Tommies head coach Rico Blasi said in his press conference Monday that he likes where this rivalry is headed, and the home-and-home series adds another element to it. The teams will play at the Tommies’ home rink in suburban Mendota Heights on Friday before traveling 80 miles to Mankato on Friday. A second home and home series is scheduled for the end of January.

“I think it’s good for both programs and fanbases. Certainly, we’re not capable of doing it with everyone in our conference, but when you can do it, it certainly adds to the rivalry,” Blasi said. “Right now, they’re top of the nation in terms of creating scoring chances. They’re really good off transition and entering the zone. You’re going to have to play some really good team defense, track back and be aware of their forwards and D entering the rush, and their goaltender is playing well.”

That goaltender Blasi mentioned is junior Alex Tracy. The Chicago native has been a workhorse for the Mavericks, starting in every game this season with numbers that are among the best in the country. His .914 save percentage currently leads the NCAA, and he’s given up just 14 goals through 10 games (a 1.41 goals-against average).

“I think he gives our team so much belief. Usually what happens when a goalie is so good you think you can go for it a little bit offensively because if you know you trip up and make a mistake, he’s got your back. That doesn’t always lead to goals, but it does lead to improved posture on the rink,” Strand said.

Although it didn’t lead to a glut of goals last weekend in Bemidji – the Mavericks lost 1-0 on Friday before beating the Beavers 2-1 on Saturday, in part because the Beavers have a rock-solid goalie of their own in Mattias Sholl – it has led to some goals in other games. In the season opener against Michigan, for example, Tracy made 32 saves and the Mavericks backed him up with five opportunistic goals to win 5-2 despite being outshot in the game.

This weekend’s series will feature another solid goaltending matchup–albeit this one is more like a triple-threat match than a one-on-one. St. Thomas’ goalie rotation of Aaron Trotter and Jake Sibell was outstanding last season; this year their numbers are not quite the same through a smaller sample size of seven games but they’re still a dangerous tandem. Trotter started both games in last weekend’s split against Augustana.

Strand said the key to playing well against a good goaltender – as his team did last weekend in Bemidji and will this week against St. Thomas – is to make sure you don’t get rattled because the netminder is taking goals off the scoreboard.

“Traffic is going to be a big piece of it,” he said. “Anything you can get after seconds and rebounds will be key. Not that they give up many, but you have to be a predictable group to each other. We have to give ourselves the best chance to create after pick recoveries and stay on the offense.”

This Week in ECAC Hockey: After sweeping North Dakota to open ’24-25 season, Cornell knows it’s ‘a long way from being where we want’

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Cornell was a step ahead of North Dakota much of last weekend (photo: Caroline Sherman/Cornell Athletics).

Every year, the debate surrounding the Ivy League schools in college hockey ends with one of the more mind-boggling stalemates among the sport’s followers.

It seldom advances beyond their unique or quirky scheduling arrangement limiting the six hockey-sponsored schools to six fewer games than the rest of college hockey, a debate that’s almost never accurately explained or outlined with concrete or historical documentation. They rank as six of the most historic or ancient (pun intended) schools in college hockey, but asking anyone about their status usually draws an eye roll or annoyed grunt.

Nobody believes in the Ivy League, and it’s completely mind-bending to discuss their overall strength as other teams pile victories around them. Because they’re not playing, the rationale at the start of the season implies that other teams are simply better, and any immediate loss is treated as reason to dump the teams under some unadvanced or misplaced bias.

The fact remains that Ivy League hockey programs are nationally competitive, and the snickering over Cornell’s status as a top-10 team without a game played quickly fell apart when the Big Red swept North Dakota last weekend. In an instant, the one first place vote that drew considerable consternation became more of a ringing endorsement for a team that improved to 2-0 under a head coach who entered his final season of proving any and all doubters wrong.

“I thought we played hard,” said Mike Schafer of his team’s two victories over the sixth-ranked Fighting Hawks. “We’re a 07. For us, the first two games of the year are where we made quite a few mistakes. We didn’t play as physical as we needed to play, and they were sharp against our penalty kill. We made some mistakes, and our goaltending had to bail us out, so there are some things to work, but any time you can get two wins against a heck of a hockey team, you’re pleased when you could play solidly.”

Schafer entered his 30th and final season as Cornell’s head coach with six previous trips to the top of the ECAC mountain, but previous success didn’t stop doubters from loudly talking about the Big Red ahead of the Friday-Saturday doubleheader. They’d swept non-conference games to start two of the previous three seasons, but the wins over Minnesota-Duluth and Alaska flimsily fell apart under a season-long microscope.

Non-believers possessed plenty of ammunition against a team emanating from a league with less national firepower than Hockey East or the Big Ten, and not even finishing the season as the No. 12 team in the Pairwise with an NCAA Northeast Regional win over Maine was enough to stop the chuckling at the Big Red’s preseason status.

None of that quashed the belief in Cornell’s internal mechanisms, though, and playing with an edge allowed the Big Red to rally past the Fighting Hawks in one of the higher-profile non-conference matchups of the season’s first month.

On both nights, Cornell was forced to confront an opponent that wouldn’t stop, and on Friday, North Dakota negated Nick DeSantis’ goal in the first 100 seconds by potting a tying goal before the four-minute mark. Less than 90 seconds later, Tyler Catalano beat goalie TJ Semptimphelter, and after Nicholas Wolfenberg added a third goal in the first period, head coach Brad Berry opted for a change to Hobie Hedquist between the pipes as part of a 4-1 opening night win.

“One of the biggest mistakes I made as a young coach was assuming that veterans know what’s going on and can kickstart everything back up,” Schafer said. “Everybody wants to try to do a little bit more, but new guys are in the lineup and others might want more roles. Guys might have gotten better [in the offseason], so one of the mistakes we didn’t make this year as a coaching staff, we went right back to basics. We retaught everything, redid everything, and we got ready to get those fundamentals and foundations under us so we could proceed to get better as a team.”

Spilling that momentum and mentality into Saturday night enabled the Big Red to score a second victory by coming from behind. Like Friday, Cornell scored its first goal in the first three minutes of the first period, but after Jack O’Leary added a second goal halfway through the second, North Dakota went on a tear and scored three goals over eight minutes. James scored almost immediately after O’Leary to empty air out of Lynah Rink’s balloon, but the 3-2 lead forced Schafer to confront his team’s resilience in the locker room ahead of a third-period rally that added three goals and upended the Fighting Hawks with a 5-3 decision.

“They’re resilient,” said Schafer of his team. “They started to develop that ability last year, even in the ECAC semifinal against Dartmouth, but the way they came out in the third and made adjustments to play together is something that we struggled with early in last year. There was a quiet confidence to our locker room, and we were disappointed with some of the mistakes that we made that we won’t make over the next two or three weeks. But we just stuck with the game plan.”

By executing, Cornell’s band of Big Red skaters silenced doubters who spent a month looking at a team with no record in the national top-10. The team that earned one intrepid first place vote replaced North Dakota as the No. 6 team in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll, and an ECAC league looking to fill its top slot vacuum after Quinnipiac slipped to No. 15 nationally found its early season candidate in the team that didn’t appear in a game until the calendar turned to November.

“This isn’t so much about trying to play catch up,” said Schafer, “but it’s more about battling through some of the physicality that needs to be caught up. You’re going to make mistakes that are just early season mistakes, and you hope you can survive them. You know they’re coming, and when we did, [goalie] Ian Shane made saves when we needed him. That’s the thing; it’s not about effort. We came out and played really strong.”

The sixth-ranked Big Red enter into Ivy League and ECAC play this weekend when they face Yale and the debuting Brown at home in Ithaca, N.Y.

New Roger Williams NCAA D-III men’s hockey program tabs experienced Hall as Hawks’ first head coach for start of 2025-26 season

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Chris Hall spent last season on the bench at Babson (photo: Babson Athletics).

As Roger Williams University prepares to kick off a men’s hockey program in the fall of 2025, Chris Hall has been named the first head coach for the rebooted program.

Roger Williams is located in Bristol, R.I.

“I’m incredibly honored to be the first leader of the RWU men’s ice hockey program in this new era,” Hall said in a news release. “It is an amazing time to be a Hawk. A significant investment in hockey, combined with a powerful academic experience and a welcoming community, makes Roger Williams a great destination for college athletes, and I am excited to build a competitive program.”

The Hawks have been competing at the ACHA level and will make the jump to the NCAA ranks in the CNE conference in 2025-26.

“We are thrilled to welcome Chris Hall as our inaugural men’s varsity ice hockey coach,” said Roger Williams VP for student life John King. “We had a terrific candidate pool, but Chris’s deep experience as a full-time assistant coach at the collegiate level, strong knowledge and passion for the game, and commitment to the student-athlete experience were important to a new program in a highly competitive conference.”

“We are excited to have Chris join the RWU Athletics family as the first Men’s Ice Hockey Coach in our rebooted varsity program,” said Hawks director of athletics, intramurals and recreation Kiki Jacobs. “His energy and enthusiasm were evident throughout the entire process. His connections within the ice hockey community will help him recruit regionally, nationally, and internationally to get the program off the ground in a competitive CNE.”

Hall has most recently served as assistant coach at Babson last season, helping coach the school’s team to a 14-10-2 record, with a 12-5-1 record in the NEHC.

Before his stop at Babson, Hall gained experience at the Division I level from 2018 to 2023, serving as an assistant for Merrimack’s women’s hockey program. Hall helped coach the best finish in program history in 2018-19, finishing 16-10-5 in the Hockey East. Hall also had playoff success in 2022 and 2023, picking up the first playoff wins in program history. Working with defense, goaltenders, and special teams, Hall’s power-play unit was ranked 16th in the nation and fourth in Hockey East (19.3%). Hall also helped to build recruiting pipelines in numerous regions internationally, while also helping to develop four all-Hockey East selections and six Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) and Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) signees.

From 2012 until 2018, Hall was at Colby, where he was an assistant on the 2017-18 Edward Jeremiah Award staff, awarded to the Division III men’s hockey coaching staff of the year. During the stop, he also held his first head coaching job, leading the men’s golf team for the Mules. The 2017-18 season saw the Mules win their first ever NESCAC championship in men’s hockey while also earning a trip the NCAA Division III semifinals.

During the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, Hall was a graduate assistant and director of hockey operations at UMass, where he coordinated day-to-day operations of the program, including Frozen Fenway. He worked with the Friends of UMass Hockey and managed the yearly operating budget.

His first position after graduating in 2010 from Notre Dame was at Amherst College, where he was the goaltender coach for the Mammoths. He coached the Division III player of the year and first team All-American goaltender Jonathan La Rose during the 2011-12 campaign.

During his time with the Fighting Irish, Hall worked with the hockey team as a student assistant, where the program won 116 games in five seasons and appeared in three NCAA tournaments, reaching the national title game in 2008.

Hall expressed his thanks for the support he has received in gaining this appointment to RWU.

“Two words immediately come to mind: gratitude and excitement,” Hall said. “I’m grateful to president Ioannis Miaoulis, vice president John King, athletic director Kiki Jacobs, and the entire hiring committee for the opportunity to join the RWU community. I am also indebted to the coaches and mentors who have helped me get to this point in my career. I would not be the person I am today without Jamie Rice, Erin Hamlen, Blaise MacDonald, Don Cahoon, and Jeff Jackson. Most of all, I am grateful for the lifelong support of my partner, Katherine.”

Hall will begin his post with the Hawks on Nov. 12.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey America: Veteran leadership leading the way as fifth-year players taking charge at Bentley

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Artem Buzoverya transferred to Bentley this season after four seasons and two D-III national titles at Hobart (photo: Ryan DeSantis/Bentley University).

Last season was the first for Andy Jones behind the bench at Bentley.

Jones, who was appointed in late June of 2023, didn’t have a lot of time to get to know his team well and inherited a recruiting class put together by the departing Ryan Soderquist.

The Falcons were picked to finish in last place in 2023-24 and made that prediction look silly, finishing tied for sixth and one point out of a first-round bye.

A heartbreaking overtime loss to Robert Morris in the playoffs didn’t diminish a season to build on.

And so far, Bentley is doing just that. Bolstered by a veteran lineup that includes five returning fifth-year players, the Falcons are looking to improve on an impressive season.

So far, so good. Bentley is 4-3-1, including 3-1 in league play. Last weekend, Jones’ team swept Sacred Heart, the consensus preseason pick to win the league, 4-2 and 6-4.

“(The overtime loss last year) wasn’t overly fitting to the season we put together,” said Jones. “I thought we were a little bit flat in that game. After, we talked about how it felt and how to use it to get better.

“Outside of that, I was proud of some of the habits we developed over the course of last season and how we’d show up to play.”

Leading the way so far are grad students AJ Hodges and Ethan Leyh (tied for the team lead in points with seven each) In all, fifth-year players comprise four of the top five scorers for the Falcons.

All but one of the five graduate students had previously transferred from other programs, but stayed at Bentley for as long as possible, a good reflection on Jones’ program.

“To me that says they have had a good experience at Bentley,” he said. “Our hope is that they continue to benefit, and we continue to benefit from those guys.”

Jones specifically mentioned defenseman Nick Bochen, who came to Bentley from Quinnipiac in 2021. Bochen is tied for second on the team with six points with classmate Nik Armstrong-Kingkade.

“Nick’s known for contributing offensively, but what doesn’t get mentioned is that he is an elite defender with his stick and his feet,” said Jones.

The other graduate student on the roster is Artem Buzoverya, a defenseman who transferred to Bentley from Hobart, where he was a Division III All-American and helped the Statemen to two national titles.

“We’re looking for really good people to help our culture,” said Jones about Buzoverya. “He’s a great guy with a great story; he’s overcome a lot. I have a soft spot for guys who have challenging stories.

“Good people with good habits and details, I tend to root for those guys.”

Jones thinks that a tough non-conference schedule is helping his team prepare for some of the top teams in Atlantic Hockey America. So far, the Falcons have one-goal losses to Massachusetts and New Hampshire, as well as a win and a tie against Long Island.

“Our guys want a challenging schedule,” said Jones, whose team will also face Maine, Northeastern, and Princeton in non-conference play. “It’s fun to play in an awesome environment against good competition.

“Against UMass, I thought we played pretty well, said Jones. “But not for 60 minutes. In the second period, they smoked us. We learned about the importance of starting a period strong.

“I also thought we played pretty darn well against UNH. Some of the moments of the game got away from us. We took four penalties in the third and overtime that were costly. Another lesson learned.”

Bentley hosts Rochester Institute of Technology for a pair of games this weekend, the first of six straight home games that also have the Falcons hosting American International and Air Force.

“I’m excited,” he said. “With the next six at home, it’s an opportunity to build some momentum.

“This weekend we’ve got RIT, and based on the past couple of seasons, the league (championship) runs through Rochester. AIC and RIT have set the bar for our league for several years.”

Jones says that his team is up to the challenge.

“In the big picture, I’m pleased with the fact that we show up every night,” he said. “That’s the culture we’re building.”

Anna Maria looking for success in new MASCAC league affiliation

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Anna Maria College won the Worcester City Cup to open the season and now has its sights set on more success in its new MASCAC affiliation (Photo by Anna Maria Athletics)

For six seasons, the Anna Maria College hockey team has played among the independent teams against D-II and D-III teams without an opportunity to win a conference title and very limited visibility on a national level. This season as a new member of the MASCAC conference, there is so much to play for and the AmCats are relishing the opportunity to play important games each and every game this season.

“This is a great thing for our program,” stated head coach David McCauley. “For the first time we actually have a standings board in our locker room at our home rink that we can measure our performance solely based on our results against teams we want see ourselves higher in the standings. Having a chance to play for a conference championship and possibly earn a bid to the national tournament is what every coach wants for his program. It took us awhile to get here but we are very excited about the opportunity to showcase our program and compete in the MASCAC.”

The AmCats join the 10-team league along with Rivier from the Independent ranks knowing that they have had success on the ice against several of the conference incumbents including the repeat defending champions from Plymouth State.

“We have played well against Plymouth State the past couple of seasons winning non-conference games against them,” noted McCauley. “Stakes are different this year knowing we are playing them and all the other teams two times with a chance of seeing teams a third time in the playoffs. All I know is you need to win the last one if you want any shot of sitting atop the conference. The league has great balance and historically strong programs like Fitchburg State, Massachusetts-Dartmouth and Westfield State but we all know in D-III any team can win on any night if your team doesn’t show up to play so it will be a different challenge getting our team to play all our games with the intensity needed because they all count in the standings. Even our non-conference schedule is difficult with teams like Curry from the CNE and Hamilton from NESCAC. We want to play really good teams to strengthen our program and show our kids what excellence looks like across D-III hockey.”

Having already scrimmaged Endicott (a 3-2 loss) and the University of New England (a 2-0 win), McCauley likes what he sees from a very deep roster of players that has talent and balance. The AmCats only lost one of their top twelve forwards from last season and have all their key point producers back with an added year of experience. Four new defensemen join the team in front of starting goaltender Matthew Hennessey and Cole Johnston along with two first-years for added depth and competition for the crease. Leadership is solid with captain Derek Raposo and assistants Justin Taylor and Brandon Della Paolera continuing the culture that the AmCats are always a difficult team to play against starting with the season opening Worcester City Cup (Woo Cup) tournament and their opening night game against Assumption.

“We haven’t forgotten that we lost twice to Assumption last season including the Woo Cup tournament,” said McCauley. Always good motivation going into the season to want to come out playing good hockey against a quality opponent. We set this tournament up sort of like the Beanpot with the four schools from the Worcester area (Nichols and Worcester State are the other two teams) and it would be great if we could get this to the level of playing at the DCU Center with great support from the school administrators and student bodies. We are not quite there yet but it would be great for Worcester and D-II/III hockey in the area. It is always nice to play for a trophy to start the season and would be nicer to win it.”

The AmCats follow up the Woo Cup with non-conference action against Morrisville (SUNYAC) and Hamilton before opening their MASCAC schedule with Rivier and Westfield State to close out the first month of the season.

“We really are excited to get going,” said McCauley. “The exhibition games were great but now we want to play games where the score matters, and the results are meaningful. There will be a lot of new things to adjust to this season including the conference game schedule of Thursday and Saturday games, but it is all part of bringing our program forward and finally having something to compete for.”

Anna Maria successfully launched the season last weekend with wins over Assumption (4-2) and Nichols (4-1) last weekend to claim the Worcester City Cup for the first time and now turns its focus on the rest of the season and success in their new conference.

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Golden Gophers booming with confidence heading into Wisconsin series as Minnesota’s blue line a ‘catalyst for us’

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Ryan Chesley is the second player in Minnesota history to wear No. 71 after Donald Bodin (1949-50) (photo: Bjorn Franke).

After sweeping Penn State in their opening weekend of Big Ten play, Minnesota is 7-1-0, the team’s best start since beginning the COVID-shortened 2020-21 season with 10 wins in a row.

The seven wins in eight games is the Golden Gophers’ best start under Bob Motzko outside of that truncated season.

“A lot of guys feeling confident about their offense and we’ve scored some goals,” said Motzko. “We thought even going into last week, it’s not going to stay at that pace, but we’re off to a good start.”

Heading into that series against Penn State, the Gophers were averaging 5.5 goals per game, with 14 different Gophers contributing to the 33-goal total through six games. That high voltage production came to a halt against the Nittany Lions. Minnesota beat Penn State 3-1 Friday, scoring the only power-play goal the Nittany Lions have given up so far this season. Jimmy Snuggerud and Jimmy Clark each had two goals on the weekend, with Clark’s game-winning goal Saturday with 26 seconds left in regulation.

“It was a lot tighter than we’ve seen at some points,” said Motzko. “Penn State’s an excellent skating team so they do a good job in the neutral zone, clogging it up, and with their speed, they can get to spots and make it hard.

Motzko said that he told his team the Monday before the Penn State series, “We haven’t been punched in the nose yet. I want to know how we respond. Well, we got punched in the nose and I like how we responded,” adding that he liked how the Gophers played “when it was tight.”

“Our power play gets a big goal Friday night and that was the difference,” said Motzko. “The next night, it was just a fight to whoever could find a way to get one in.”

In the 1-0 win, the Nittany Lions limited the Gophers to 12 total shots on goal. “I liked how we played in those minutes,” said Motzko. “We stayed with it. We stayed strong.”

Motzko said that there are several factors that are contributing to Minnesota’s fast start, one being the way the Gophers’ defense is playing both sides of the puck.

“We really felt like our defensive core could take a massive step forward in being offensively productive for us,” said Motzko. “Our ‘D’ core was excellent a year ago, but they had nine goals.”

Now that the Gopher blue line is more veteran, Motzko said that’s a “catalyst for us,” leading to a much more offensive-minded defense.

Two Gopher defensemen alone have combined for eight goals through eight games this season. Sophomore Sam Rinzel and junior Ryan Chesley have each netted four goals. Rinzel, a first-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks in the 2022 NHL Draft, had two goals total in 39 games last season. Chesley, a second-rounder with the Washington Capitals in 2022, had four goals through 75 games in his first two seasons with Minnesota.

Minnesota’s blue line isn’t sacrificing defense for scoring. The Gophers are holding opponents to 1.62 goals per game with a .895 penalty kill percentage.

Sophomore Nathan Airey and grad transfer Liam Souliere have split time evenly in the Minnesota net. Backing up Justen Close, Airey played three games last season with an .865 save percentage and 3.23 goals-against average. Airey is 4-0-0 this season with significantly improved numbers (.908 SV%, 2.00 GAA).

Souliere earned the shutout win against his old teammates Saturday night, his first of the season, his first since March 2023, and the fourth of his career. Souliere has settled in nicely with the Gophers, with a 3-1-0 record, a 1.25 GAA and a .948 SV%, stats that put him among the top 10 goalies in the nation in both categories and numbers that at least so far surpass anything from Souliere’s four seasons with Penn State.

An offense that’s clicking, a defense that is increasingly comfortable at the opposite end of the ice and two goalies combining for the 10th-best GAA in the nation – it’s all a powerful combination, one that Motzko attributes to maturity, especially that of Minnesota’s junior class. Chesley isn’t the only junior seeing improved numbers.

Forward Connor Kurth had seven goals in 37 games last season and 21 total points. Thanks in part to his hat trick against Air Force Oct. 11, Kurth has a team-leading six goals. Brody Lamb had 12 goals in 39 games last season and has five so far with a hat trick of his own against St. Thomas Oct. 26. Juniors have accounted for 21 of Minnesota’s 37 goals this season.

“I call that a junior class that’s now become upperclassmen,” said Motzko. “They’ve been through great wars with us in the last two years … so we’ve got an upper-class group with a lot of confidence and they’re being joined by a younger group – Jimmy Clark in his sophomore year, Ollie Moore – it’s just that we’ve got tremendous depth inside our forwards, solid depth, and we can contributions through all our lines.”

Even with the Gophers’ early success, Motzko is cautiously optimistic about how the season may transpire.

“You don’t win championships early, but you can lose them,” said Motzko. “Early you want you to be really relevant, hanging in there. You want to put yourself in a good spot.

“The key is, get in the [NCAA] tournament. Get in the tournament and you’ve got a chance. There was a time not many years ago at the start of a given year [when] there were probably eight or nine teams that had a true chance to win a title. Now, there could be 15, 16 that have a true chance to win it. The key is to get in the tournament.

Minnesota hosts Wisconsin this weekend, a 2-6-0 team coming off a road split with Notre Dame. The Badgers lost 3-2 in overtime Friday and won 2-1 Saturday.

Motzko knows that “for sure” the series with Wisconsin will be very hard fought.

“They were on an hour before us [Saturday] and we got to watch the early part of their game against Notre Dame, and they took it to Notre Dame in the early stages of the game,” said Motzko. “They looked really solid.”

Last season, the Gophers were 5-3-0 through their first eight games, and two of those three losses were at home against Wisconsin. Minnesota eventually went 1-2-1 against the Badgers last year, with the final two games going to overtime.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Episode 27 – A look at intriguing debuts in the Rivalry Series

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USCHO.com’s Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski look back at last week’s results in NCAA women’s hockey, including a bounce back by Quinnipiac in ECAC Hockey and more questions for Clarkson and Cornell. Wisconsin, meanwhile, kept rolling along with two more shutouts.

Then we take a look ahead at this week’s start of the Rivalry Series between the U.S. and Canada, where Minnesota defender Chloe Primerano and former Boston College and Wisconsin forward Daryl Watts will debut for Canada.

We finish with a look ahead at some games to watch on a lighter schedule.

The PodKaz is a production of USCHO.com. Have a question for our mailbag? Reach out to Nicole (@NicoleHaase) or Todd (@ToddMilewski) on social media or email [email protected].

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