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D-II/III East Men’s Hockey Weekend Wrap-up – January 15, 2024

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Brennan McFarland scored not one, but two overtime game-winners for the Purple Knights in a weekend sweep of Post in NE-10 action (Photo by Jim Lazkarzewski)

And we are back to chaos following a weekend where multiple ranked teams fell, 15 overtime games were played and things tightened up across several conference races as the second half action across the east heated up as expected. While bonus hockey was in abundance, not all the games were decisive with overtime played. Elmira, Plattsburgh, and Stevenson all lost games this past week while No. 1 Hobart and No.12 Norwich played a playoff style thriller that ended in an overtime tie. Here is this week’s wrap-up for the great action on the ice in the East:

CCC

Curry produced a two-win weekend that included an overtime thriller against Endicott in CCC action and a non-conference victory over Albertus Magnus. On Friday night, Tao Ishizuka gave the Colonels a first period lead, but Jackson Sterrett answered for the gulls and the game was tied at 1-1 entering the third period. Neither team could score in the final 20 minutes of action due to some great goaltending at both ends of the ice. In overtime, Jesse Galassi scored with an assist from Austan Bellefeuille to give the Colonels a big road win over the Gulls, 2-1. Goaltender Shane Soderwall stopped 32 of 33 shots to earn the win. On Saturday, the Colonels picked up another one-goal win on the road with a 4-3 win over the Falcons. The game was tied at 2-2 late in the third period when Matt Connor gave Curry a lead and Eelis Laaksonen padded the advantage with an empty-net goal and still over a minute to play in regulation. Tim Manning responded for the Falcons who couldn’t find the equalizer past goaltender Oscar Wahlgren who picked up his second win of the season.

The University of New England began the week with a 4-1 non-conference win over in-state opponent Colby on Tuesday. Anthony Cinato chipped in with a goal and an assist while Anthony Sciucco added two assists in support of Billy Girard IV who made 27 saves in the win. Returning to CCC action on Friday, the Nor’easters opened a scoreless game with three goals in the second period against Suffolk but needed a late goal from Will Spitzer to skate away with a 4-2 win. Sciucco picked up two goals in the win that extended the Nor’easters streak to six games.

Salve Regina also produced a non-conference win on Tuesday, downing Bowdoin 7-3 on the road. After a scoreless first period the teams combined for 11 goals in the final 40 minutes with Matthew Fawcett leading the Seahawks with a goal and two assists while Richard Davis scored twice for the Polar Bears. On Friday, Salve Regina hosted Western New England and survived a close game with the Golden Bears despite the 6-3 final score. The game was tied at 3-3 entering the third period when Aidan Coupe gave the hosts a one-goal lead for the first time in the game. Empty-net goals from Seth Benson and Matthew Brunton in the final minute gave the Seahawks some breathing room and the win. Hoon Kim scored one goal and added two assists, including a helper on the game-winner.

Independents

Rivier picked up a pair of wins this past week over Potsdam and Nichols. On Tuesday, a scoreless game with the Bears finally saw a goal with Cormac Hayes finding the back of the net on the power play for a 1-0 Raider lead. Liam Hennessy’s empty-net goal with 20 seconds remaining provided the final margin in the 2-0 shutout win as Luke Newell stopped all 29 Potsdam attempts. On Saturday, three power play goals, two shorthanded goals and another 28 saves from Newell propelled the Raiders to a comfortable 6-0 win over the Bison. Damon Kiyawasew provided all the scoring Rivier would need with his two first period goals.

After dropping tow games in a row to open the second half, Anna Maria rebounded with two wins this past week. On the AmCats started quickly with three goals in the first period, including two from Brandon Della Paoler, and skated to a 5-2 win over Framingham State. Matthew Hennessey earned the win in goal making 36 saves. On Saturday, Anna Maria again started quickly with a 2-0 first period lead and extended to 3-0 in the second period before WNE got on the board. The teams exchanged goals in the second period before Max Wennerberg added the final tally in the third period for a 6-3 AmCat win. Six different players scored for AMC with Bryden Sinclair picking up two assists.

After dropping a 4-1 decision to Geneseo on Tuesday, Canton split a weekend series with Fredonia. On Friday, the Kangaroos broke open a 1-1 tie with three unanswered goals in the final five minutes of regulation. Reilly McKinnon, Nic Herringer and Jackson Drysdale to give the Roos a 4-1 win over the Blue Devils. On Saturday, Canton couldn’t get anything past Fredonia netminder Charles-Anthony Barb who picked up a 4-0 shutout win over Canton making 25 saves. Jake Murphy scored a pair of goals for Fredonia in the win.

MASCAC

Massachusetts-Dartmouth picked up three big MASCAC wins over MCLA, Fitchburg State and Worcester State. On Monday in a game re-scheduled due to weather, the Corsairs took advantage of second period goals from Brandon Clark and Collin Patterson to take a hard fought 4-2 win against the Trailblazers. On Thursday, the Corsairs took a 3-1 lead into the third period only to see the Falcons tie the game at 3-3. Michael Perrone and Tyler Stewart answered for UMD only to see Alexandre Bauvais respond late for FSU. Bryce Grennan’s empty-net goal provided the final and more comfortable 6-4 margin. The Corsairs swept the week’s activities with an overtime win against Worcester State on Saturday. Once again UMD held a 3-1 lead only to see the Lancers tie the score with a late second period goal from Shane Pifrel and a power play marker from Brendan Ronan in the third period. Stewart would be the overtime hero for the home team with his power play goal deciding the contest just 1:42 into the extra session. The Corsairs now stand in second place in the conference standings.

League leading Plymouth State continued their unbeaten ways in MASCAC with a pair of wins over MCLA and Fitchburg State. On Thursday, Dante Moretti, and Connor Tait each picked up hat tricks while Will Redick chipped in with a four-point game in the Panthers’  10-2 romp over the Trailblazers. PSU held a 56-10 shot advantage and scored eight even-strength goals. On Saturday, Tait and Patrick O’Connell gave PSU a 2-0 first period lead and Ethan Stuckless and Redick sealed the 4-1 road win with goals in the third period.

NE-10

Assumption continued their winning ways in the NE-10 with a weekend sweep of Southern New Hampshire by identical 5-1 scores. On Friday, the Greyhounds broke open a 1-1 game with goals from Ryan Decker and Jimmy McDermott just 43 seconds apart for a 3-1 first period lead. Jonathan Surrette and Nathan Palumbo would add goals in the final two periods for the 5-1 final score. On Saturday, a three-goal second period erased a 1-0 SNHU lead. Goals from McDermott, Surrette, and Leo Piandes jumpstarted the offense before Ronny Paragallo scored shorthanded and Palumbo closed out the scoring in the 5-1 win over the Penmen.

St Anselm and Franklin Pierce split their weekend series. On Friday, the visiting Hawks broke open a 1-1 game with a four-goal third period Hunter Brackett opened and closed the scoring in the final period in a 5-1 win for St. Anselm over FPU. On Saturday, the Ravens earned a split with a 3-1 win over the Hawks despite being outshot 30-19. All the scoring came in the third period with Tyson Springer, Jackson Dobek and Devin Rohrich supporting Jeremy Connor in goal for the 3-1 win.

After dropping eight games in a row, St. Michael’s got back to winning hockey games with a weekend sweep of Post that included two 3-2 overtime contests. On Friday, Brenna McFarland gave the Purple Knights a 2-1 lead in the third period only to see Post tie the game on a tally from Patrick Murphy. McFarland became the hero with the overtime winning goal to break SMC’s losing streak. On Saturday, it was McFarland who was the hero again for the home team. After surrendering two shorthanded goals to Post and trailing 2-1, McFarland scored the equalizer with just three seconds remaining in regulation. In the final minute of overtime, McFarland again provided the overtime winner and the second 3-2 decision on the weekend to level St. Michael’s record at 9-9-0.

NEHC

The battles in what may be the deepest conference in D-III hockey showcased teams starting to pick up their game and battle for points to advance in the NEHC standings. Hobart took care of business on Friday night with a 5-0 win over New England College. Five different Statesmen scored goals while Mavrick Goyer stopped 15 shots to earn the shutout win. On Saturday, Hobart was facing a hot Norwich team fresh off the upset of No. 3 Elmira on Friday night. In what felt like a playoff game, neither team could score in the opening period of play. Shane Shell gave the visitors a 1-0 lead after two periods of action and the Cadets tied the game in the third period on a goal by Holden Doggett. The third period and overtime were all Norwich as they peppered Damon Beaver in goal with 25 shots but could not find the game winner as the teams settled for a 1-1 overtime tie.

After dropping three games in a row to ranked teams, Skidmore broke the streak with a   4-3 road win against Cortland on Tuesday afternoon. Returning to NEHC action on the weekend, the Thoroughbreds took a pair of key conference wins over Johnson & Wales and Massachusetts-Boston. On Friday, Jacob Franczak scored two goals in Skidmore’s 4-1 win over the Wildcats. On Saturday, Will Dow-Kenny scored a pair goals and Tate Brandon stopped all 38 shots he faced in a 4-0 shutout win over the Beacons.

In yet another overtime thriller over the weekend, Babson rallied from a 2-0 deficit to Southern Maine with three goals in the third period before winning the conference battle in extra time. Ian Driscoll’s power play goal tied the contest at 2-2 in the third period, but the Huskies responded with a goal by Jeff Pollara for a 3-2 lead. Colby Bailey scored a late power play goal to tie the score at 3-3 and then added Babson’s third goal with the man advantage to win the game in overtime, 4-3. Bailey also added an assist on Driscoll’s goal for a three-point game for the Beavers.

NESCAC

Trinity has taken firm control at the top of the NESCAC standings, as the Bantams remained unbeaten in league play with a win over Colby and an overtime tie with Bowdoin on the road this weekend. On Friday, Trinity surrendered a 2-0 lead to the Mules who tied the score at 2-2 in the third period. With time ticking down, Alexander Mozian slipped the puck past Colby’s Andy Beran for a 3-2 Bantam lead and three minutes remaining in regulation. Casey Rhodes iced the game for Trinity with a shorthanded, empty-net goal and the final score of 4-2. On Saturday, the Bantams faced an excited Bowdoin squad fresh off a thrilling overtime win over Wesleyan where the Polar Bears scored late in the third period to tie the score at 1-1 and won the game in extra time off the stick of Isaac Abbott. The game on Saturday had a similar feel as Trinity’s Richard Boysen scored late in the second period to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. Andy Stoneman tied the score for the Polar Bears early in the third period but that is all the scoring that Trinity’s Devon Bobak and Bowdoin’s Alex Kozic would allow in the 1-1 overtime tie.

After extending their win streak to seven games with a 2-0 win over non-conference opponent Fitchburg State on Tuesday, the Tufts Jumbos traveled to Amherst in a big NESCAC league game. On Friday, Ben Kuzma’s goal gave the Mammoths a 1-0 lead after one period of play. Tufts answered in the second period with goals from Tyler Sedlak and John Mulvihill for a 2-1 lead after two periods. In the third period, Peyton Durand stopped all of Amherst’s attempts on goal and the Jumbos skated off with a big 2-1 road win. On Saturday, goals from Sedlak, Sylas Oberting, and Philippe Lamarre helped Tufts to a 3-0 lead over the Continentals with just over a minute played in the third period. Hamilton fought back with three unanswered goals of their own and the teams skated off with a 3-3 overtime tie. Durand was again great in goal making 45 saves including three in overtime to preserve the tie.

SUNYAC

Plattsburgh was idle in SUNYAC play but played a pair of NESCAC opponents over the weekend with mixed results. On Friday, the Cardinals erupted with four first period goals and cruised to a comfortable 5-0 win over Middlebury. Bennett Stockdale and Ryan Hogg each had a goal and an assist while Jacob Hearne picked up the shutout making 26 saves. On Saturday, the Ephs were ready to play against the No. 3 ranked Cardinals and took a  1-0 first period advantage on a goal from Nicholas Rashkovsky. Aaron Catron’s power play goal in the first minute of the second period tied the score until Jamie Cates scored the game-winner with under eight minutes remaining in the third period. Goaltender Cal Sandquist stopped 36 shots to earn toe 2-1 upset win over the Cardinals.

Geneseo returned to the ice with a non-conference game against Canton on Tuesday and took advantage of three unanswered goals by Peter Morgan, Dakota Zarundy and Alex Wilkins to break a 1-1 tie and move on to a 4-1 win.

In similar fashion Oswego returned to competitive games with a non-conference affair against Nazareth on Tuesday and like Geneseo needed a late goal flurry to skate away with a 4-1 win. Trent Grimshaw, Cam Symons, and Shane Bull scored over the final forty minutes to break a 1-1 tie and start the second half with a win for the Lakers.

UCHC

Utica remains unbeaten atop the UCHC standings having swept Manhattanville to open the second half and taking two more wins over Neumann, both by shutout. On Friday, Michael Herrera scored a pair of goals and added an assist while Bryan Landsberger stopped all 21 shots, he faced in a 4-0 win over the Black Knights. On Saturday, Andrew Della Rovere scored one goal and added two assists while Ethan Roberts stopped 17 shots in a 5-0 Pioneer win.

King’s had themselves a week with a pair of upset wins. First, on Monday, the Monarchs came back from a 3-2 deficit to No. 15 ranked Stevenson to earn a stunning 5-3 win over the Mustangs. Third period goals from Ethan Hersant, Brendan Krwaczyk and Kent Lee in just over three minutes of play were decisive for the visitors. Goaltender Matt Bidini stopped 44 of 47 shots to earn the victory. King’s kept the momentum going with yet another upset road win on Saturday with a 2-0 victory over Cortland. Hersant got the Monarchs on the board with just 62 seconds remaining in the first period and Mauro D’Alessandro iced the game with a goal in the final second of regulation to support Matt Bindini’s 44-save effort and the shutout win.

Stevenson rebounded from their loss to King’s with a weekend sweep of Lebanon Valley. On Friday, six different goal scorers supported 33 saves from Ty Outen in a 6-2 win over the Flying Dutchmen. On Saturday, Zach Bannister, and Frank Vitucci each scored a goal and added an assist as the Mustangs swept the two-game series with a 4-1 road win.

Wilkes kicked off their second half of the season with a pair of wins over Arcadia in conference play. On Friday, the Colonels came back from a 2-1 third period deficit to tie the game on a goal by Patrick Roginski. Tied at 2-2, the game moved to overtime where Matt Carlson with assists from Roginski and Joe Johnson gave Wilkes the 3-2 win. On Saturday, the Colonels broke open an 1-0 contest with five goals in the second period and cruised to a 7-0 win and weekend sweep over Arcadia. Nick Swain, Cole Jungworth and Billy Berry all recorded three-point games for Wilkes while Jack Perna made 13 saves to earn the shutout.

Three Biscuits

Connor Tait – Plymouth State – scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 10-2 romp for the Panthers over MCLA on Thursday

Luke Newell – Rivier – stopped all 57 shots he faced in the Raider goal picking up a pair of shutout wins over Potsdam and Nichols last week.

Brennan McFarland – St. Michael’s – scored not one but two overtime winning goals for the Purple Knights in a pair of 3-2 OT wins over Post this weekend.

Bonus Biscuits

Matt Bindini – King’s – the Monarchs’ netminder made 44 saves in back-to-back games earning upset wins over Stevenson and Cortland.

Jesse Galassi – Curry – scored the overtime winning goal in the Colonels’ 2-1 upset win over Endicott on Saturday night.

Colby Bailey – Babson – scored the tying goal late in the third period before scoring the overtime winner against Southern Maine on Saturday in a 4-3 Beaver win.

The second half already has had some super-exciting games, last minute and overtime heroics, incredible goaltending and of course, the upset alert is flashing bright red. Hard to believe it is just mid-January, but this should certainly project out to some great conference races and playoffs upcoming on the calendar before the NCAA tournament in March that appears will include a 13th team. To quote NCAA tournament chairperson and NEHC commissioner, Katie Boldvich, “that is GREAT for D-III hockey!”

 

 

Monday 10: Top-ranked Boston College loses to Providence, Lindenwood ties No. 3 Wisconsin, Thumbs up for Dec

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Wisconsin and Lindenwood played a spirited nonconference series over the weekend in Madison (photo: Brianna Reynolds).

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

1) Down goes No. 1, but does No. 1 go down?

The intention this week was to start another conversation about how Boston College and Boston University steamed towards one another as the undisputed top two teams in the country in both the weekly voted-on national poll and the ongoing PairWise Rankings, but a Providence College victory on Saturday night upset the top-ranked Eagles one night after the Friars self-immolated at Conte Forum with a 7-1 loss. The regulation, 4-3 win at Schneider Arena was five minutes away from overtime before Chase Yoder’s second goal of the night finished a third rally for PC, and it dropped the Eagles into second place in the PWR once the weekend finished sorting itself out from other games.

BC and BU are still the top two teams in the nation in the Pairwise, but the question remains if pollsters penalize the Eagles for a loss to a top-10 team when the majority of teams with resumes for the top of the poll absorbed their own tough results. The Terriers are the logical successor in that regard, but their identical record to BC split the perception of having played an inferior opponent this weekend in their sweep over New Hampshire. The Wildcats are, without question, a worthy opponent, but how voters weigh the Providence series against the UNH sweep remains to be seen when it comes to determining which side of the Green Line Rivalry grabs the No. 1 spot in the poll.

2) Doo, doo, doo lookin’ out my back door

The wildcard to that conversation is a Michigan State team that smoked its way past Penn State with a pair of road wins in Hockey Valley. The aggregate 12-3 score more specifically staked Sparty’s claim to the top spot in the Big Ten with Wisconsin playing out-of-conference games against Lindenwood, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where some first-place votes don’t land on the Mitten.

Wisconsin, after all, failed to sweep the Lions and wound up dropping to fifth in the Pairwise after the BC loss opened a path to the No. 1 spot. Michigan State subsequently elevated to No. 3 with an overall record that’s slightly better on overall percentages to the Eagles and Terriers, but the two losses to BC won the Eagles a key comparison despite occurring before the Halloween holiday.

Even looking outside those three to teams like Denver and North Dakota revealed some possible holes, but the NCHC is likely to siphon some votes, as is Maine, which lost to Connecticut but remains a force that could have also given Hockey East three teams within the top four spots in the Pairwise.

3) Into the lion’s den

Tying a team to its losses in January isn’t necessarily a disaster, but Wisconsin’s tie against Lindenwood incurred some fallout that had a downstream impact on the national tournament’s seeding. The Badgers’ RPI likely would have taken a hit regardless of outcome in both games against the Lions, but the Pairwise stipulates that wins over those types of teams where just appearing in a game lowers the RPI regardless of results are subtracted from a team’s overall rating. Ties and losses are counted, and that meant the Badgers, who were in the No. 2 spot throughout Saturday night, fell three spots despite having a nation-leading 19 wins.

It was their first tie of the season, and it would have been worse had Owen Lindmark not scored twice in the third period to reverse a 2-1 deficit. The Lions then received a Coltan Wilkie goal with a little over five minutes remaining, and the ensuing result was a 2-2 tie that dropped Wisconsin into the No. 2 seeded area.

3) PairWise fallout

Wisconsin’s slip-up against Lindenwood enabled Quinnipiac to slide into the No. 4 spot after the Bobcats won their way past Princeton, their ECAC travel partner, but moving into a No. 1 seed for a regional means the defending national champions are looking at a scenario where they’re sent to a far-away land for their regional appearance. The two regions out east include sites in Rhode Island and Western Massachusetts, but the Connecticut-based team would see a scenario where BC and BU, the top two teams, would earn the right to stay closer to home. Instead of playing as a No. 2 seed in a regional in New England, Quinnipiac would then get sent to either Missouri or South Dakota.

Both are very good hockey markets, but incumbent eyeballs for all teams are likely to look at where the host sites wind up sending their respective teams. Wild cards are still abound, including a Brown team that both hosts the Providence regional and moved its way into second in the ECAC with a weekend sweep, but it remains to be seen how their fallout would wind up impacting the top-4 if three of the seeds are from the east or, in Maine’s case, specifically from the same league.

For what it’s worth, though, all of those seeds are still up for grabs, and the Black Bears had an inside track to a top-4 spot before their loss to Connecticut. North Dakota and Denver likewise failed to gain ground when they absorbed a loss and tie in their respective series, and Providence, an outside team without an entire second half run, split its weekend set with BC.

4) Big Red ending

Talk is going to shift to the entire Bracketology before long, but the rest of the Pairwise didn’t change much outside of Arizona State’s sweep loss to Cornell. Nobody gained or lost significant ground, but the Sun Devils might have completely lost their opportunity to play in the national tournament as an independent after the losses to the Big Red dropped them to No. 17 in the most recent rankings.

Cornell had been down into the 30s at one point, but the Big Red entered the weekend as the No. 20 team before elevating to No. 16 with the two wins on the road. Winning in overtime on Friday certainly didn’t hurt, but following up the 3-2 victory with a 4-1 win on Saturday dropped a team hovering around the No. 12 region down to the outside of the national bubble.

Two main thoughts on that. One, Arizona State now has to essentially run the table through its last dozen games, none of which are against teams ranked higher in the Pairwise, in order to utilize the correct RPI and have an outside shot at moving back inside the bubble. None of that is a guarantee without crunching the numbers, and this weekend certainly felt – to outsiders, at least – that the games were a must-win.

The second thought is that Cornell is now the second-highest ECAC team in a Pairwise scenario where the league slipped its way into one-bid status if Quinnipiac won the conference tournament. The two teams will meet in a game at Lynah Rink next weekend, and a win for Cornell, while possibly ensuring ECAC of a shot at two bids, would also possibly derail the Bobcats’ shot at a No. 1 seed.

5) SOS means someone help me

Not to get caught up only on Pairwise talk, but the number of one-bid leagues makes it possible and probable that good teams are going to miss the national tournament. One of those teams – Massachusetts – is a host school for the regional hosted in Springfield, Massachusetts, and its status as the No. 14 team in the statistical rankings throws a possible wrench into Hockey East’s ability to send one of its two juggernauts to a region in their home state. Because they wouldn’t be allowed to play the Minutemen in the first round, avoiding the Hockey East matchup would open the door for a team like Quinnipiac to play closer to home.

The bigger issue, though, is that the Minutemen might lose a shot at the tournament if Quinnipiac doesn’t win ECAC. The highest-ranked team from the CCHA and Atlantic Hockey is RIT at No. 21, and that translates to the No. 15 team (currently Michigan, which slaughtered Stonehill over two games) and No. 16 team (the aforementioned Cornell) being eliminated by the respective league tournament champions. Any other team winning its way into the tournament would then knock out the No. 14 team, and remembering that Quinnipiac only has one ECAC championship to its name despite running roughshod over the conference for the bulk of the past two decades is a warning to both the Minutemen, who slid into the spot after splitting with Merrimack, and St. Cloud, which had a two-goal lead in the third period but wound up tying Denver before winning a shootout for league purposes.

6) Hail Brunonia

I mentioned Brown as an earlier wild card, and at the risk of staying in the eastern leagues a little too much, it’s worth noting how the Bears followed up Yale’s jump to fourth spot by sweeping Harvard and Dartmouth for a leap into second place. Their six points moved them from just outside the bottom three and into a one-point advantage over Clarkson, and the Bears are now just over a hard weekend’s work away from reaching Quinnipiac provided there’s a little help from some friends.

They were especially impressive on Saturday after a little bit of a slower start produced a 12-5 shot disadvantage in the first period against the Big Green, but Alex Pineau’s power play goal in the second period and Ryan Bottrill’s third period goal was enough for Bruno to upend its Ancient Eight rival within the ECAC.

Brown hasn’t hosted a quarterfinal series since a third place finish in 2004 ended with a two-game sweep at the hands of Harvard – a regular season that ended with an ECAC win over Vermont – but even with a long way to go in the 2023-2024 season, the Bears are poised for a run with a road trip to the North Country teams at St. Lawrence and Clarkson on the horizon.

7) Snowstorm forces postponements

Every year has that one weekend when Mother Nature shows up and wreaks havoc on the carefully-articulated league schedules. In Western New York, the blizzard that produced a postponement of the NFL playoff game in Buffalo likewise forced reschedulings across Atlantic Hockey after Canisius-RIT and Niagara-Mercyhurst couldn’t drop the puck due to weather safety concerns.

The start time for the Niagara-Mercyhurst game on Saturday was initially moved to 5 p.m. to account for the weather, but the forecast didn’t improve before the puck dropped. Instead, the game was postponed with a date to be determined for the rescheduling of a one-off game of a three-game series scheduled for its finale on the last weekend of the season.

Canisius-RIT, meanwhile, moved Saturday’s game to Tuesday with a season finale home-and-home for the three-game series slotted, like Mercyhurst-Niagara, on that final weekend.

8) Tournament races intensify

Most eyes are on the national tournament race, but much of that attention span is going to shortly shift to the conference radars once February draws closer. When they do, a number of teams are going to find themselves with a hot-under-the-collar, close race built on the parity that exists in virtually every conference.

St. Cloud, for example, is currently teetering on the national bubble, but the Huskies have a two-point lead over North Dakota for the top spot in NCHC. Denver, a potential top seed in the national tournament, is instead in third in its own conference and is tied with Western Michigan. In the Big Ten, Notre Dame is on the outside of the bubble status on Minnesota and MIchigan, but both the Gophers and Wolverines are behind the Irish in the standings with a six-point differential splitting fifth to third.

Even Atlantic Hockey, where RIT is battling for a top-20 spot in the Pairwise, is watching Sacred Heart and AIC lead the Tigers for the top two spots in an on-campus tournament that reseeds in each round, and ECAC’s two teams that are over .500 and not named Quinnipiac – Clarkson and Cornell – are third and ninth in the league standings.

9) Milestones

Congratulations are in order for a few milestones achieved over the weekend.

Harvard’s win over Yale on Saturday night broke the schneid for the Crimson while simultaneously giving head coach Ted Donato his 300th career victory, making him one of three coaches in the team’s program history to reach the mark. He was joined by Princeton women’s coach Cara Morey, who won her 100th career game with a 3-1 win over Harvard.

Sacred Heart likewise reached a wins plateau with its 400th program win as a Division I program, which might not seem like much in comparison to the storied histories at several, more national brands, but with the team’s new arena at the Martire Family Arena, it’s worth noting the growth of the program.

10) Thumbs up for Dec

One last note on the weekend. I know I spent ample time this week discussing national rankings and talking about some of the teams, and a number of stories were probably omitted or missed. I look forward to hearing which ones should have made some noise in here, as is the weekly custom, at least.

I wanted to close this week with a note, though, about Bentley and Sacred Heart’s game on Friday night in Waltham, Mass. The matchup featured two of Atlantic Hockey’s oldest and closest rivals but was played in honor of three-year old Declan Lyons, a Waltham boy currently battling an aggressive form of brain cancer. Hosted amidst a sea of friends and family, the night raised close to $25,000 for the family and cause associated with Declan’s fight at Boston Children’s Hospital.

I know games like this exist throughout college hockey but becoming a father over the past couple of years really put this into perspective. Seeing the support firsthand struck a nerve located within my soul, and it really, really, really brought me into a community that rallied around a game. From a pure hockey perspective, I couldn’t have been prouder to see two teams fight one another for league points while honoring a cause that was something much bigger than everyone in the arena.

Declan’s biggest thing is a thumbs up. It’s his way of telling everyone he’s doing alright, and it morphed into a movement around Boston’s Metrowest region where people can let him know that they have his back by simply putting their thumb up. “Thumbs Up For Dec,” as the hashtag is referred, is, in my mind, about as pure as it gets, and I look forward to hearing about the causes that college hockey continues to inspire on a regular basis.

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Jan. 12-13

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Hank Kempf popped a goal as Cornell swept Arizona State with a 4-1 win Saturday night in Tempe, Ariz. (photo: Lexi Woodcock/Cornell Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Jan. 8 fared in games over the weekend of Jan. 12-13.

No. 1 Boston College (14-4-1)
01/12/2024 – No. 9 Providence 1 at No. 1 Boston College 7
01/13/2024 – No. 1 Boston College 3 at No. 9 Providence 4

No. 2 Boston University (14-4-1)
01/09/2024 – Northeastern 3 at No. 2 Boston University 4 (OT)
01/13/2024 – No. 16 New Hampshire 0 at No. 2 Boston University 3

No. 3 Wisconsin (19-4-1)
01/12/2024 – Lindenwood 0 at No. 3 Wisconsin 5
01/13/2024 – Lindenwood 3 at No. 3 Wisconsin 3 (OT)

No. 4 North Dakota (15-6-1)
01/12/2024 – RV Omaha 5 at No. 4 North Dakota 4 (OT)
01/13/2024 – RV Omaha 1 at No. 4 North Dakota 3

No. 5 Quinnipiac (15-4-2)
01/12/2024 – Princeton 2 at No. 5 Quinnipiac 9
01/13/2024 – No. 5 Quinnipiac 3 at Princeton 1

No. 6 Denver (15-5-2)
01/12/2024 – No. 14 St. Cloud State 1 at No. 6 Denver 5
01/13/2024 – No. 14 St. Cloud State 4 at No. 6 Denver 4 (OT)

No. 7 Maine (14-4-2)
01/12/2024 – No. 7 Maine 5 at Connecticut 3
01/13/2024 – No. 7 Maine 0 at Connecticut 2

No. 8 Michigan State (15-4-3)
01/12/2024 – No. 8 Michigan State 5 at No. 20 Penn State 0
01/13/2024 – No. 8 Michigan State 7 at No. 20 Penn State 3

No. 9 Providence (11-6-2)
01/12/2024 – No. 9 Providence 1 at No. 1 Boston College 7
01/13/2024 – No. 1 Boston College 3 at No. 9 Providence 4

No. 10 Western Michigan (14-5-1)
01/12/2024 – No. 10 Western Michigan 4 at Miami 1
01/13/2024 – No. 10 Western Michigan 3 at Miami 4

No. 11 Arizona State (16-5-5)
01/12/2024 – No. 18 Cornell 3 at No. 11 Arizona State 2 (OT)
01/13/2024 – No. 18 Cornell 4 at No. 11 Arizona State 1

No. 12 Minnesota (12-6-4)
01/08/2024 – No. 17 Colorado College 2 at No. 12 Minnesota 6
01/12/2024 – Robert Morris 2 at No. 12 Minnesota 4
01/13/2024 – Robert Morris 1 at No. 12 Minnesota 4

No. 13 Massachusetts (12-6-3)
01/12/2024 – Merrimack 3 at No. 13 Massachusetts 4
01/13/2024 – No. 13 Massachusetts 1 at Merrimack 4

No. 14 St. Cloud State (11-6-3)
01/12/2024 – No. 14 St. Cloud State 1 at No. 6 Denver 5
01/13/2024 – No. 14 St. Cloud State 4 at No. 6 Denver 4 (OT)

No. 15 Michigan (10-7-3)
01/12/2024 – Stonehill 4 at No. 15 Michigan 12
01/13/2024 – Stonehill 1 at No. 15 Michigan 7

No. 16 New Hampshire (11-6-1)
01/13/2024 – No. 16 New Hampshire 0 at No. 2 Boston University 3

No. 17 Colorado College (11-8-1)
01/08/2024 – No. 17 Colorado College 2 at No. 12 Minnesota 6
01/12/2024 – No. 17 Colorado College 2 at Minnesota Duluth 3 (OT)
01/13/2024 – No. 17 Colorado College 3 at Minnesota Duluth 2 (OT)

No. 18 Cornell (8-4-3)
01/12/2024 – No. 18 Cornell 3 at No. 11 Arizona State 2 (OT)
01/13/2024 – No. 18 Cornell 4 at No. 11 Arizona State 1

No. 19 RIT (13-7-1)
01/11/2024 – No. 19 RIT 1 at Niagara 3

No. 20 Penn State (10-9-3)
01/12/2024 – No. 8 Michigan State 5 at No. 20 Penn State 0
01/13/2024 – No. 8 Michigan State 7 at No. 20 Penn State 3

RV = Received votes

NCAA D-III West Hockey Weekend Wrap-up

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The Bethel Royals are in a tie for first place in the MIAC. (Photo Credit: Ashlee Mortenson photo/Bethel Athletics)

The two-game losing streak is history and one of the best seasons in program history continues for the Bethel Royals.

Winners of just 10 games a season ago, Bethel is 11-4-2 overall and tied for first in the MIAC (5-2-1) after dominating Augsburg 5-0 Saturday night to salvage a split in their weekend series.

The five goal, shutout win is the biggest win over the Auggies since 2007 when the Royals also won by a 5-0 score. Saturday’s win avenges Friday’s 4-3 loss to Augsburg.

Five different players scored as Bethel’s balance continues to shine through. Joe Westlund, Luke Anderson, Tyler Braccini, Tyler Kostelecky and Ben Doherty all scored and Spencer King played a big role in the offensive success as he dished out three assists.

Travis Allen did his part between the pipes, racking up 17 saves and notching his fifth win.

An eight-game winning streak that Bethel carried into the 2024 half of the season has been instrumental in getting Bethel to this point in the season.

They started off the new year 1-2 but have momentum on their side again after dispatching the Auggies.

Three players on this Bethel team have double-digit point totals, led by Kostelcky, who has scored nine goals and dished out six assists.

Justin Kelley has racked up a team-high 12 assists to go along with a couple of goals and Jack Brown has tallied four goals and six assists.

Eight other players have registered at least five points, including Braccini (5 goals, 4 assists) and Doherty (4 goals, 5 assists).

Bethel is certainly a contender, but one thing to watch is the remaining stretch for the Royals, who will play five of eight away from home, including the next three. The Royals are 7-1 at home this season and 3-3-2 on the road.

Here’s a look at some of the other highlights from the weekend.

Historic moment for Spartans

Fourteen games into its inaugural season, Dubuque just couldn’t find a win.

But game No. 15 on the schedule turned out to be different as the Spartans blanked Concordia 3-0 in NCHA action.

Phil Schader and Max Messier pushed Dubuque ahead 2-0 after two periods.

An empty net goal by Lyncoln Bielenberg in the final minute of the game sealed the deal on first win for the Spartans, who are under the direction of former Northland coach Seamus Gregory.

Chris Curr helped Dubuque secure the victory with a 44-save effort in goal, with 15 of those serves coming in the final period of play.

Dubuque wasn’t able to carry that momentum into Sunday’s finale, losing 3-2 to the Falcons, and are now 1-13-2 on the year.

The Spartans have played tough throughout the first couple of months of the season, losing twice by a goal and even hanging with nationally ranked St. Scholastica in a game on Dec. 29. The Spartans were tied 1-1 with the Saints after one before falling 5-2.

Upset Alert

On paper, UW-Eau Claire’s 5-2 win over St. Scholastica is an upset. The Blugolds are ranked 12th and the Saints are sixth in the USCHO.com poll. But we’re talking two of the better teams in the country here, so a win either way really isn’t a surprise.

For the Blugolds, scoring five goals over the final two periods was the difference on a memorable night where the 1984 national championship team was honored.

It’s the first time UW-Eau Claire has scored five goals in a game since Nov. 25 when it beat St. Norbert 5-3.

Aaron Swanson tied the game at 1-1 in the second period with his fifth goal of the year.

The game was tied at 2-2 as well before Kyle Olesiuk punched in the game-winning goal for a 3-2 lead.

Olesiuk was one of three players to record a muti-point night. Ryan Green dished out two assists and Tyler Herzberg had an assist to go along with his fifth goal of the year.

Max Gutjahr was once again clutch in goal. He stopped 22 shots to help the Blugolds go to 9-6-1 on the season.

Tristan Shewchuk and Carsen Richels scored goals for the Saints, who dropped to 12-3.

What a weekend for the Pipers

Talk about winning the weekend on the road. Hamline did just that Friday and Saturday, picking up wins over two of the best teams in the WIAC.

The Pipers upset No. 12 UW-Eau Claire 5-1 on Friday and scored five goals again on Saturday in a shutout win over UW-Superior.

Bailey Sommers led the way in the upset of the Blugolds, scoring twice. Kyle Mortenson dished out a pair of assists and Keaton Woodley dominated in goal, racking up 28 saves.

Hamline scored the first three goals and won despite being outshot 29-18.

The Pipers stretched their unbeaten streak to three games Saturday with an impressive win over the Yellowjackets.

Maximilian Haselbacher made his presence felt in that victory, turning in a 40-save effort for his second shutout victory of the year. The Pipers scored all of their goals in the second period while Jordan Halverson tallied a pair of assists as Hamline improved to 6-8-1.

Overtime thriller

Nothing came easy for UW-Stevens Point in a battle at home against Saint John’s Saturday. The Pointers and Johnnies played to a 1-1 tie, with Saint John’s Bailey Huber coming through with 44 saves.

Noah Finstrom gave UW-Stevens Point the lead a little over three minutes into the action. Just over 11 minutes later, Jack Wanamacher tied the score. Neither team scored from there.

Alex Proctor was busy in goal for the Pointers, racking up 29 saves.

UW-Stevens Point is 12-3-1 and Saint John’s is now 6-8-3.

Green Knights split with Spartans

St. Norbert settled for a split with Aurora in a key NCHA series. The Green Knights remain two points ahead of the Spartans in the standings, good enough for third place.

St. Norbert was playing its first game in 41 days on Friday but shook off the rust fast as it raced out to a 3-1 lead after one period and that set the tone for a 3-2 win, its seventh victory in the last eight games.

Braden Lindstrom, Liam Fraser and T.J. Koufis all scored, with Fraser notching his eighth goal of the season.

But Saturday’s game belonged to the Spartans, who snapped a four-game winless streak with a 5-4 win.

Jakson Kirk scored twice while Chayce Schmidt tallied two assists. Matt O’Donnell made 39 saves for Aurora, which improved to 8-8-1 overall and 5-3 in the league. St. Norbert is now 10-5 overall and 8-2 in the conference.

Three in a row for Trine

The No. 11 Thunder kept their win streak going with a sweep of MSOE. Trine won 2-0 Friday and then grinded out a 4-3 win over the Raiders in overtime Saturday.

Now 14-3 overall and 7-1 in the NCHA, the Thunder escaped the finale with a win thanks to a goal from San Antenucci 3:04 into the OT session.

It was Carson Jones that gave MSOE a shot to earn a win as he scored with less than four minutes to play in regulation to tie the score at 3-3, but the Raiders were unable to complete the upset.

Bobby Price scored twice for the Thunder, who improved to 8-1 on the road, something that has played a big role in their success. Trine has won six of its last seven games overall.

Bulldogs roll

Adrian stretched its win streak to three games with a sweep of Lawrence, winning 8-2 and 4-1.

The fifth-ranked Bulldogs are now 12-4-1, Jacob Suede led the way with a pair of goals in the opening game. Connor May and Ian Amsbaugh came through with three assists apiece.

Adrian held a 40-24 edge in shots in Saturday’s victory. A pair of shorthanded goals, one apiece from Theo Thurn and Ryan Pitoscia, helped pave the way for the Bulldogs, who had two shorthanded goals for the first time since an NCAA tourney game against Augsburg in 2022.

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: No. 9 Providence downs top-ranked BC; Lindenwood ties No. 3 Wisconsin; No. 6 Denver, No. 14 St. Cloud State play to stalemate; UConn blanks No. 7 Maine; Miami upsets No. 10 Western Michigan

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Griffin Ness celebrates with the Ralph Engelstad Arena faithful after his goal Saturday night for North Dakota gave the Fighting Hawks an early 1-0 lead over Omaha (photo: Russell Hons).

Providence captain Chase Yoder scored twice, including the game-winning goal with 4:30 left in regulation as No. 9 Providence erased three one-goal deficits to rally past top-ranked Boston College 4-3 on Saturday night at Schneider Arena in Providence, R.I.

With the win, the Friars defeated the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since Dec. 3, 2011 against then-No. 1 Merrimack.

The Friars generated some opportunities in the early minutes of the game but couldn’t solve BC goalie Jacob Fowler.

Boston College struck first as Oskar Jellvik got behind the defense and beat Philip Svedebäck under the crossbar.

After another solid effort in the second period, the Friars finally got on the board as on the power play, Yoder re-directed a pass from Hudson Malinoski past Fowler. Just 20 seconds later, Will Smith beat Svedebäck on the backhand off a partial breakaway to regain the lead for the Eagles at 2-1.

Jamie Engelbert tied the game at 2-2 just 1:27 into the third period as he beat Fowler with a wrist shot from just inside the blue.

Gabe Perreault gave Boston College a 3-2 lead on the power play at 6:26 of the third period. Bennett Schimek once again tied the game from the Friars at 10:16, burying a centering pass from Graham Gamache.

Svedebäck stood tall in the final minutes, finishing with 22 saves. Fowler made 32 stops for the Eagles.

Providence has now earned wins against three top-five opponents this season (Boston College, Denver, Michigan).

SCOREBOARD | POLL | PAIRWISE

Lindenwood 3, No. 3 Wisconsin 3 (Wisconsin wins shootout)

Coltan Wilkie’s goal at 14:55 of the third period pulled Lindenwood into a 3-3 tie with Wisconsin at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

In the ensuing shootout, the Badgers won on a Cruz Lucius goal.

Patrick Schmiedlin and Caige Sterzer had given the Lions a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes.

Lucius opened the scoring for the Badgers with a power-play goal at 5:20 of the first period. Owen Lindmark scored twice in the third period for Wisconsin before Wilkie tied it late.

Trent Burnham finished with 51 saves for Lindenwood, while William Gramme made 21 for the Badgers.

No. 2 Boston University 3, No. 16 New Hampshire 0

Mathieu Caron stopped all 36 shots he faced for his first shutout as a Terrier, backstopping Boston University to a 3-0 victory over New Hampshire on Saturday night at Agganis Arena in Boston.

Caron earned his fifth career shutout and first since Jan. 14, 2023, while he was with Brown. Eighteen of his saves came in the first period as he helped hold UNH scoreless on three power-play attempts, including two full minutes of 5-on-3 time.

Sam Stevens scored the game-winning goal with 8:35 remaining in regulation, with Macklin Celebrini doubling the Terriers’ advantage just 39 seconds later. Celebrini added an empty-net goal with 1:57 to play for his third multi-goal game of the season.

Luke Tuch and Dylan Peterson each added two assists for BU.

Jakob Hellsten made 23 saves for the Wildcats.

No. 14 St. Cloud State 4, No. 6 Denver 4 (St. Cloud State wins shootout)

Verner Miettinen had a goal and an assist as St. Cloud State played to a 4-4 tie with Denver at Magness Arena in Denver Saturday night.

After a scoreless third period and overtime, the Huskies won the shootout.

Ethan AuCoin, Josh Luedtke, and Zach Okabe also scored for SCSU, with Dylan Anhorn and Kyler Kupka tacking on two assists each.

For the Pioneers, Carter King, Aidan Thompson, Jack Devine, and Miko Matikka scored. Shai Buium and Zeev Buium each registered a pair of helper.

In goal, Isak Posch stopped 33 for the Huskies and Matt Davis turned aside 30 for Denver.

UConn 2, No. 7 Maine 0

UConn shut out Maine by a final of 2-0 Saturday night at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn., snapping the Black Bears’ nine-game unbeaten streak.
Tabor Heaslip and Joey Muldowney scored for the Huskies while Arsenii Sergeev made 27 saves for the victory between the pipes.

For Maine, Albin Boija finished with 17 saves in goal.

No. 4 North Dakota 3, Omaha 1

North Dakota struck for a pair of goals in the third period to secure a 3-1 win over Omaha on Saturday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

Griffin Ness returned to the lineup and made an immediate impact, scoring the game’s first goal on his first shift of the game just under seven minutes into the second period to give UND a 1-0 lead.

The 1-0 advantage held for only 49 seconds into the third period before Tanner Ludtke finished off a 2-on-1 play to knot the game at 1-1 for the Mavericks, but the Fighting Hawks took control of play over the final 19 minutes of regulation.

Less than three minutes later, Dylan James buried a rebound off a Jackson Blake shot for his fifth career goal against Omaha and a 2-1 lead for the hosts.

Cameron Berg salted away the win against his former team with an empty netter in the final minute.

Hobie Hedquist shined between the pipes in the win, finishing with 22 saves.

Simon Latkoczy made 27 saves for the Mavericks.

Miami 4, No. 10 Western Michigan 3

Miami defeated Western Michigan 4-3 on Saturday night at Steve “Coach” Cady Arena in Oxford, Ohio, to give the RedHawks their first NCHC win of the season.

The RedHawks defeated WMU for the first time since Jan. 3, 2021 and beat a top-10 team for the first time since Dec. 10, 2022.

PJ Fletcher led the way with a goal and assist for the RedHawks. Albin Nilsson, Blake Mesenburg, and Dylan Moulton also scored as Logan Neaton took the win in goal making 29 saves in 50:34 after replacing Bruno Bruveris, who made five saves.

Matteo Costantini, Samuel Sjolund, and Dylan Wendt tallied for the Broncos, Luke Grainger had two assists, and Cameron Rowe posted 31 saves in net.

Merrimack 4, No. 13 UMass 1

Mark Hillier compiled a goal and an assist as Merrimack knocked off UMass 4-1 Saturday night at Lawler Rink in North Andover, Mass.

Alex Jefferies, Matt Copponi, and Ty Daneault also netted goals for the Warriors, while Hugo Ollas mae 24 saves in goal.

For the Minutemen, Owen Murray scored the lone goal and goalie Michael Hrabal finished with 24 stops.

No. 18 Cornell 4, No. 11 Arizona State 1

A two-goal first period, followed by single markers in the second and third periods, lifted Cornell to a 4-1 victory over Arizona State Saturday night to sweep a two-game series at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

Gabriel Seger registered the lone multi-point night for either side for the second straight night, assisting on a pair of Big Red goals. Finding the back of the net for Cornell were Ben Robertson, Ryan Walsh, Nick DeSantis, and Hank Kempf.

Ian Shane made 19 saves in goal for Cornell.

Matthew Kopperud tallied the lone tally on the power play for Arizona State, who was swept on home ice for the first time on the season and for the first time since Feb. 24-25, 2023, against Alaska.

TJ Semptimphelter started the contest in goal for the Sun Devils before being pulled after allowing three goals on 13 shots in just over 21 minutes. Gibson Homer saved all 22 shots he faced in relief.

Total of 28 college hockey netminders make watch list for 2024 National Women’s Goalie of the Year award

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Gwyneth Philips was the winner of the 2023 Women’s Hockey National Goalie of the Year (photo: Jim Pierce).

The Women’s Hockey Commissioners Association has announced a watch list of 28 goaltenders who could vie for the title of 2024 National Women’s Goalie of the Year.

The award was created in 2021 to recognize the top female goalie in NCAA Division I hockey.

Northeastern University’s Aerin Frankel, who graduated in 2022, was the recipient in the first two years the award was presented, followed by fellow Huskies goalie Gwyneth Philips last year.

The goalies to watch come from all five NCAA Division I conferences with 12 from the United States, 12 from Canada and four from Europe (one each from Finland, Norway, Slovenia and Sweden).

The conference offices have come up with this initial watch list of outstanding goalies. A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, and media — will pare this list down within the next two weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in March during the NCAA Frozen Four.

NOTE: The process allows for goalies not on this first list to be considered before the first vote.

2023-24 Women’s Goalie of the Year Award Watch List

CHA
Sophia Bellina, RIT (SO – Cleveland, OH)
Maggie Hatch, Robert Morris (SO – Cleveland Heights, OH)
Ena Nystrom, Mercyhurst (GR – Stavenger, Norway)

ECAC Hockey
Logan Angers, Quinnipiac (GR – Winnipeg, MB)
Annelies Bergmann, Cornell (FR – Detroit, MI)
Kaley Doyle, Brown (SR – Livonia, MI)
Pia Dukaric, Yale (JR — Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Hannah Murphy, Colgate (JR — Bradford, ON)
Michelle Pasiechnyk, Clarkson (SR — Ottawa, ON)
Kayle Osborne, Colgate (SR – Westport, ON)

Hockey East
Madison Beck, Holy Cross (SR – Lunenburg, NS)
Tia Chan, UConn (SR – Hamilton, ON)
Jesse McPherson, Vermont (SR – Chatham, ON)
Gwyneth Philips, Northeastern (GR – Athens, OH)
Megan Warrener, UConn (SR – Stoney Creek, ON)

NEWHA
Jill Hertl, Franklin Pierce (SO – Highland Park, IL)
Tindra Holm, Long Island U. (JR — Skelleftea, Sweden)
Jillian Petruno, Sacred Heart (SO – Wixom, MI)

WCHA
Sanni Ahola, St. Cloud State (SR – Helsinki, Finland)
Jo Jo Chobak, St. Cloud State (SR – Chicago, IL)
Eve Gascon, Minnesota Duluth (FR – Mascouche, PQ)
Jane Gervais, Wisconsin (JR – Valcourt, PQ)
Raygan Kirk, Ohio State (GR – Ste. Anne, MB)
Hailey MacLeod, Minnesota Duluth (SO – Abbotsford, BC)
Ava McNaughton, Wisconsin (FR – Seven Fields, PA)
Lucy Morgan, Minnesota (GR – Mandan, ND)
Amanda Thiele, Ohio State (SR – Milford, MI)
Skylar Vetter, Minnesota (JR — Lakeville, MN)

Watch list of 32 goalies announced for 2024 Mike Richter Award, given annually to college hockey’s top men’s goaltender

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Northeastern’s Devon Levi is presented the 2022 Mike Richter Award by the award’s namesake during Frozen Four festivities (photo: Jim Rosvold).

The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced a watch list of 32 goalies who will compete for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top goalie in men’s NCAA Division I hockey since 2014.

The 32 goalies come from the United States (19), Canada (7), and Sweden (5) and Slovakia (1).

Of the U.S. goalies, Minnesota leads the way with four, followed by three each from Michigan and Pennsylvania. There are three freshmen, five sophomores, five juniors, 15 seniors and four graduate students among those recognized.

NOTE: Goalies qualified by meeting minimum GAA and save percentage standards. Other names may be added for consideration before the first formal vote.

A committee of voters — made up of a cross section of coaches, administrators, scouts and media — will pare this list down to approximately 15 names within the next three weeks and then ultimately choose the winner who will be announced in April during the NCAA Frozen Four. A similar award to recognize the top female goalie in the NCAA is also presented by the HCA.

2023-24 Richter Award Watch List

Atlantic Hockey
Jarrett Fiske, Niagara (GR – Erie, PA)
Thomas Gale, Holy Cross (JR – Kirkland, PQ)
Nicholas Grabko, Bentley (SR – Channahon, IL)
Jason Grande, Holy Cross (SR – West Chester, PA)
Owen Say, Mercyhurst (SO – London, ON)
Tommy Scarfone, RIT (JR – Montreal, PQ)
Chad Veltri, RMU (GR – Fox Chapel, PA)
Nils Wallstrom, AIC (FR – Skelleftea, Sweden)

Big Ten
Trey Augustine, Michigan State (FR – South Lyon, MI)
Ryan Bischel, Notre Dame (SR — Medina, MN)
Justen Close, Minnesota (SR – Kindewrsley, SK)
Kyle McClellan, Wisconsin (SR – Manchester, MO)

CCHA
Logan Stein, Ferris State (SR – Suwanee, GA)
Jake Sibell, St. Thomas (JR – Isanti, MN)

ECAC Hockey
Cooper Black, Dartmouth (SO – Alpena, MI)
Vinny Duplessis, Quinnipiac (SR – Quebec City, PQ)
Ben Klaws, St. Lawrence (SR – Cranberry, NJ)
Austin Roden, Clarkson (SR – Victoria, BC)
Ian Shane, Cornell (SO — Manhattan Beach, CA)

Hockey East
Zach Borgiel, Merrimack (SR — Fort Gratiot, MI)
Gabe Carriere, Vermont (SR – Ottawa, ON)
Jacob Fowler, Boston College (FR – Melbourne, FL)
Ethan Haider, UConn (SR – St. Louis Park, MN)
Jakob Hellsten, UNH (JR – Ljusdal, Sweden)
Victor Ostman, Maine (SR – Danderyd, Sweden)
Philip Svedeback, Providence (SO – Vaxjo, Sweden)
Henry Welsch, UMass Lowell (SR – Lakeville, MN)

NCHC
Dominic Basse, St. Cloud State (SR — Alexandria, VA)
Simon Latkoczy, Omaha (SO – Trencin, Slovakia)
Ludvig Persson, North Dakota (SR – Hindas, Sweden)
Cameron Rowe, WMU (SR – Wilmette, IL)

Independents
T.J. Semptimphelter, Arizona State (JR – Marleton, NJ)

Past Richter Award recipients: 2014 – Connor Hellebuyck, UMass Lowell; 2015 – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota; 2016 – Thatcher Demko, Boston College; 2017 – Tanner Jaillet, Denver; 2018 – Cale Morris, Notre Dame; 2019 – Cayden Primeau, Northeastern; 2020 – Jeremy Swayman, Maine; 2021 – Jack LaFontaine, Minnesota; 2022 – Devon Levi, Northeastern; 2023 – Devon Levi, Northeastern.

Niagara-Mercyhurst, Canisius-RIT men’s hockey games scheduled for Jan. 13 postponed due to inclement weather

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Two Atlantic Hockey games scheduled for Saturday have been postponed due to inclement weather.

The game between Niagara and Mercyhurst scheduled for 5 p.m. EDT, as well as the Canisius-RIT game scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

A make-up date for the Niagara-Mercyhurst game is to be determined, while the Canisius-RIT game will be made up Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7:05 p.m.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: No. 7 Maine rallies from two goals down to beat UConn; No. 1 BC dominates No. 9 PC; Omaha takes down No. 4 NoDak in OT; No. 5 Quinnipiac explodes past Princeton

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Boston College had plenty to celebrate – more specifically seven goals – as the No. 1 Eagles routed No. 9 Providence, 7-1 (Photo: Meg Kelly/BC Athletics)

On a night where many of the nation’s top teams were victorious, the blowout was the preferred method of winning for many including No. 1 Boston College.

The Eagles, who hadn’t played a regulation game in 35 days, picked up where they left off. BC ended the first half of the season with a 5-4 win over Providence, a game in question until the final buzzer. But Friday, there was no question for the Eagles.

BC scored the game’s first six goals en route to a 7-1 victory over the Friars. Will Smith scored two goals while 10 other Eagles players tallied two-point nights in the victory.

Friday was the first game back for Boston College’s seven players who earned gold medals for Team USA at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden. Those who returned showed no signs of rust, particularly goaltender Jacob Fowler who stopped 31 on the 32 shots he faced.

The two teams will face-off again on Saturday night in Providence.

SCOREBOARD  |  PAIRWISE RANKINGS  |  STANDINGS

No. 7 Maine 5, Connecticut 3

The Maine Black Bears earned the comeback of the night, trailing most of the game on the road at UConn, only to score the game’s final four goals in the third period to overcome a two-goal deficit to win, 5-3.

UConn jumped to a 2-0 lead early on goals by Chase Bradley and Tristan Fraser in the first 4:10. And the game remained that way into the third.

The Black Bears looked to jump back into the game on a Harrison Scott power play goal at 2:59 of the third, but UConn had an answer on Hudson Schandor’s tally at 6:29.

That’s when the Maine offense came to life. Brandon Holt scored shorthanded before the Nadeau brothers, Bradly then Josh, tallied at 12:03 and 16:15, respectively. Holt added an empty-net goal late for the final score.

Victor Ostman earned the win to improve to 12-3-1 on the season.

Omaha 5, No. 4 North Dakota 4 (F/OT)

Jack Randl scored 34 seconds into overtime as visiting Omaha rallied from 4-3 down in the third to knock off No. 4 North Dakota, 5-4.

It is the fourth straight overtime loss for North Dakota, which dropped a trio of game in the extra session prior to the December break.

Omaha never led in the game, trailing by scores of 1-0, 3-1 and 4-3. But Ty Mueller scored on the power play with 7:04 remaining in regulation to force the extra session. Mueller added two assists for three points to lead both teams in scoring. Simon Latkotzy stopped 35 shots to earn the victory for the Mavericks.

No. 5 Quinnipiac 7, Princeton 2

In a battle of the top two teams in the ECAC standings entering the night, Quinnipiac dominated from the jump, scoring six times in the first nine minutes to cruise to a 9-2 victory over Princeton.

Collin Graf and Jacob Quillen each paced the Bobcats offense with a goal and two assists each. Nine different players notched goals for Quinnipiac.

The Bobcats remain unbeaten in ECAC play at 8-0-1 and now hold a 10-point lead in the standings over Yale, while Brown and Princeton both remain 11 points back.

Quinnipiac has just a single loss – a 3-2 defeat at Boston University on Nov. 22 – since October 28.

Minnesota Duluth 3, No. 17 Colorado College 2 (F/OT)

Ben Steeves goal at 1:06 overtime helped the host Bulldogs rebound from letting slip a two-goal, third period lead in a 3-2 victory.

Minnesota Duluth never trailed, as Jack Smith opened the scoring at 4:42 of the second and Owen Gallivan extended the lead at 2:23 of the third.

But the Tigers fought back and tied the game as Stanley Cooley tallied twice, the game-tying goal coming with 1:45 remaining.

Colorado College, Minnesota Duluth and Omaha are all now tied for fifth place in the NCHC with 11 points, behind fourth-place Denver (16 points after a 5-1 victory over St. Cloud State on Friday.

 

 

USCHO Edge: Do you need to take desperation into account when looking at lines?

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No. 12 St. Cloud State travels to play No. 6 Denver in a two-game NCHC series this weekend (photo: St. Cloud State Athletics).

Desperation is a pretty typical term you’ll hear thrown around by coaches, especially those of teams battling a current losing streak. “We need to come out playing desperate tonight,” seems to be a mantra of coaches who need that “get right” type of game.

But what about a team that’s in the middle of a 10-game unbeaten streak? You wouldn’t expect to hear desperation, but this weekend that might be the case for Arizona State.

The Sun Devils have put together an impressed 16-3-5 record, the fourth best winning percentage in college hockey behind Boston College, Wisconsin and Maine. That trio currently comprise three of the four top team in the PairWise, while Arizona State sits a distant 16th.

There are a number of factors that go into ASU’s current positioning, most notably a massive unbalance of home vs. road games this season (26 home games, 10 road games, two neutral-site games). But when you look at Arizona State’s remaining schedule, there aren’t a lot of opportunities to improve the team’s overall RPI and thus move up in the PairWise.

Except, of course, this weekend. The Sun Devils will host Cornell for a pair of games. Two wins and the Sun Devils’ RPI could improve by more than .01, something that sounds insignificant, but could move them up a spot or two in the PairWise.

Two losses on the other hand could spell the end of any NCAA tournament hopes.

Even if Arizona State sweeps Cornell this weekend, they’ll still need near perfection the rest of the way. The only remaining opponent inside the top half of the PairWise is Alaska, which ASU will play twice at home and twice in Fairbanks.

So taking all this into consideration, should we factor desperation into the equation when approach the ASU/Cornell line? The line currently stands at Cornell (-105) and Arizona State (-125). The over/under is 5.5.

It makes sense that a desperate Arizona State team at home will come out with added intensity. But then we need to also think about Cornell. The Big Red are in an equally precarious position when it comes to NCAA position. They enter the weekend further down the PairWise, tied for 18 with Colorado College. Certainly, they will have more opportunity to improve their RPI than does ASU, but you have to think that Cornell will come out with some intensity as well.

As we moved towards the end of the regular season, though, keep a team’s desperation level in mind when making your wagers.

Other games to watch:

Providence (+150) at Boston College (-195); over/under 5.5

Boston College has not played a single regulation game in 35 days, that of which was a thrilling 5-4 victory at home over Providence. The Eagles lost more than a quarter of its team to the IIHF World Junior Tournament, so that break was wisely schedule by coach Greg Brown.

The point, though, is these two teams are pretty evenly matched which makes Providence’s +150 line a pretty good value. The 5-4 result might be triggering the over in many people’s minds, but bettors may recall that the last matchup was a 2-1 game heading to the third period. Still, 5.5 seems a manageable over/under and a bet we like.

St. Cloud State (+124) at Denver (-160); over/under 6.5

Denver is one of the best home teams in the country. But the Pioneers about to be tested by arguable their toughest opponent to come to Magness Arena this season. St. Cloud State, despite a modest position of 12th in the PairWise, has quietly improved its record to 7-0-1 in NCHC play and sits atop of the league. One could argue that the Huskies have only played teams in the bottom of the league thus far, a point that is true.

What is a bit interesting is the close relationship between these two head coaches. A week ago, the two were together behind the bench of Team USA in Sweden as they won gold. Now they’ll oppose one another knowing pretty much everything about their opponent.

The over/under of 6.5 on this matchup is intriguing. Three of the last five times these teams played, the total has been under 6.5.

Best bet: Providence at Boston College – over 5.5 goals.

Oswego senior Dickinson leaves Lakers blue line midseason, signs ECHL contract with Railers for remainder of 2023-24 season

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Ryan Dickinson registered two goals and an assist in 15 games this season for Oswego (photo: Oswego Athletics).

The ECHL’s Worcester Railers have announced that defenseman Ryan Dickinson has been signed for the remainder of the 2023-24 season.

Dickinson joins the Railers in the middle of his senior season at Oswego.

In three seasons with the Lakers, the Brighton, Mich., native totaled 28 points (eight goals, 20 assists) in 65 games to go with 47 penalty minutes and a plus-28 rating.

Dickinson began his collegiate career at Ohio State during the 2020-21 season. With the Buckeyes, he played in 14 games and recorded an assist to go with 29 penalty minutes and a minus-3 rating.

NCAA D-III West Hockey Weekend Picks

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Mark Snarr and the St. Norbert Green Knights head to Aurora this weekend. (Photo provided by St. Norbert Athletics)

Week two of January is here and we’ve got a full slate of games on tap, including some non-conference matchups.

The weekend will be highlighted by a showdown of nationally ranked teams as St. Scholastica takes on UW-Eau Claire.

Time to take a look at some of my predictions for the weekend.

Friday

Concordia (7-5-1) at No. 8 UW-Stevens Point (11-3)

The Cobbers are up against a nationally ranked team for the second straight weekend, earning a split against St. Scholastica last week. So confidence in this type of game won’t be a problem.

The Pointers are one of the hottest teams in the country at the moment, winning our in a row, and they are unbeaten in seven home games this season. 

Two really good offenses will be up against each other, with the Pointers scoring 52 goals and the Cobbers tallying 44.
UW-Stevens Point, 4-2

No. 6 St. Scholastica (11-2) at UW-River Falls (9-5)

The Saints have had a tougher time as of late, dropping two of three, but don’t be foole by that rough patch. This is still a very good hockey team that plays well on both ends of the ice. And three of the top 10 offensive threats in hockey are on the team, with Carsen Richels tallying eight goals and Arkhip and Filimon Ledenkov combining for 14 goals and 27 assists. 

But the Falcons are one of those teams that will play you tough. They have won three in a row and are led by Noah Roofe, who has come through with four goals and six assists.
St. Scholastica, 5-3

Saint John’s (5-8-2) at UW-Stout (5-8-2)

The Johnnies are going to be facing a team that has a top 10 offense nationally. The Blue Devils average 4.13 goals per game, good enough for ninth. Saint John’s is averaging 2.40 goals per outing.

One thing to watch here is special teams. UW-Stout is converting 32.2 percent of its power play opportunities while Saint John’s boasts an 88.1 penalty kill percentage. These two team are better than their records indicate. Should be a good one.
UW-Stout, 4-2

Saturday

No. 6 St. Scholastica (11-2) at No. 12 UW-Eau Claire (9-5-1)

A big-time matchup here in early January. The thing to watch in this game is goalie play. Both offenses are effective, but this is a game that probably is decided by defense.

The Saints lean on Jack Bostedt, who has racked up 246 saves and sports a 2.01 goals against average. The Blugolds have Max Gutjahr, who has a 2.00 GAA and has tallied 335 saves on the season. While the Saints are favored, I’ve had luck picking upsets this year. This might be one of them.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-2

Concordia (MN) (7-5-1) at UW-Stout (5-8-2)

The Cobbers face a big road test here against the Blue Devils. The Cobbers and Blue Devils are both solid offensive teams and both have strong goalies. Matt Fitzgerald leads the way for Concordia, making 208 saves and fashioning a 2.44 GAA. Tyler Masternak, an All-WIAC pick last season, has a 3.82 GAA. Dawson Green has also seen time in the net for UW-Stout, sporting a 3.38 GAA.
Concordia, 4-2

Friday and Saturday

Bethel (10-3-2) vs. Augsburg (6-5-1)

This is the big conference matchup of the weekend in the MIAC. The Royals are of to a great start and sit just three points out of first place. The Augies are six points back of the top spot but never a team you can underestimate.

Tyler Kostelecky is the leading scorer in the MIAC, racking up eight goals. Cade Stibbe leads the Auggies with six goals. This one could end up as a shootout.
Bethel, 5-3; Augsburg, 4-3

St. Norbert (9-4, 7-1) at Aurora (7-7-1, 6-2)

Winners of two in a row, the Green Knights enter a big weekend with a chance to remain at the top of the NCHA standings. St. Norbert is one of three teams with 20 points, but the Spartans come in just two points behind.

Adam Stacho has been the top goal scoring threat for the Green Knights, tallying nine goals, and Logan Dombrowsky leads the conference in assists (14). 

Akl Hassan has led the way for the Spartans, scoring four goals and dishing out 11 assists.

The Green Knights are 4-4 on the road this year while Aurora, hoping to snap a three-game losing streak, is just 2-3 at home.
St. Norbert, 5-2 and 4-3

No. 11 Trine (12-3, 7-1) at MSOE (8-5-2, 2-5-1)

The Thunder are looking to avoid an upset and keep pace with Adrian and St. Norbert atop the standings.

Defense could be the key in this one, especially with two of the best goalies in the NCHA on the ice. Kye Kozma owns a 1.98 GAA on the year and has made 223 saves. Austin Schwab has led the way for the Raiders with a 2.11 GAA and a total of 331 saves. MSOE will be hyped up to play a ranked team at home. Trine goes in hoping to avoid an upset.
Trine, 3-2 and 4-2

 

Back into conference play, there are some interesting lines: USCHO Edge college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 10

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USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin and Ed Trefzger look at five key college games.

Games this week:

  • Providence +150 @ Boston College -195; over/under 5.5
  • Michigan State -125 @ Penn State -105; o/u 7
  • Cornell -105 @ Arizona State -125; o/u 5.5
  • Omaha +230 @ North Dakota -315; o/u 5.5
  • St. Cloud State +124 @ Denver -160; o/u 6.5

This episode is sponsored by the NCAA Division I Men’s Frozen Four, April 11 and 13 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Visit ncaa.com/mfrozenfour

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

Trine’s Kozma grateful for decision to play goalie

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Kyle Kozma is in his second season of playing hockey for Trine. (Photo Credit: Trine Athletics)

Kyle Kozma’s dad used to be a goalie but he was told at a young age by his father to not play the position.

“He told me don’t be a goalie,” Kozma said. “He told me to be a player, to go score a goal, get an assist, and then if I still wanted to be a goalie after that, I could try it.

“I scored my first goal when I was in a house league. I was 5 or 6. And then I went to the bench and asked my dad if I could be a goalie now. He said fine. The rest is history.”

Indeed it is. All those years later Kozma is now a standout goalie for the nationally ranked Trine Thunder, who are in the midst of another successful season.

Kozma has appeared in 12 games this season for Trine, logging more than 700 minutes on the ice and fashioning a 1.98 goals against average. He’s 10-2 and has given up just 24 goals while racking up 223 saves.

Along the way, he’s helped No. 11 Trine go 12-3 and establish itself as a contender for the NCHA crown.

“We have a good hockey program,” Kozma said. “We’re having tons of fun playing every night.”

This is Kozma’s second year at Trine and his best one yet. He credits the experience as a freshman – he started 14 games that year – as a big reason why he’s found even more success this season.

“As a freshman, you come in excited and a little nervous and you don’t know what to expect, Kozma said. “But after a year of playing and going through a full season, you know it all works and you are more relaxed. I’ve been able to slow things down and have a sense of confidence on the ice.”

Kozma isn’t sure what first drew him to play the position, but he’s thankful he stuck with it.

“Maybe it was that you get to wear the cool gear and there is only one of you on the ice. I’m not sure. It’s a unique position. I’m glad I picked it. It worked out,” Kozma said.

Kozma chose Trine because of the programs’ recent track record of success and he knew going in he would be given an opportunity to likely see the ice in his first year.

“Coach talked to me about having an opportunity to play as a freshman. And that drew me here. Plus, we have a great facilities here,” Kozma said.

He’s embraced the chance to be a goalie for the Thunder and tries to stay even keel for his team.

“I’m very calm and relaxed. I might really be angry or upset, but my teammates don’t see it. I don’t want them, too. I them to see be confident that I have their back out there,” Kozma said.

He came into this year after an offseason of putting in extra work.

“I worked on my skating. Everyone can always be a better skater,” Kozma said. “I also worked on my mobility, having a wider butterfly and playing the puck and acting like a third defenseman back there.”

Playing for Trine has been a blast for him so far and he enjoys everything about being a college hockey player.

“I love representing a school and playing in big games where the rink is packed,” Kozma said. “And being with my teammates, it’s like having a second family.”

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Teams looking for ways to get points each weekend with only Wisconsin, Michigan State firmly ranked in PairWise

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Carter Slaggert has posted five points in 21 games this season for Notre Dame (photo: Notre Dame Athletics).

January begins the big push in Big Ten play, with midseason nonconference matches slowing giving way to nothing-but-B1G league series as students return to campuses by the third week of the month and classes resume.

Last week, Wisconsin swept Notre Dame in South Bend to open the second half of the Big Ten season. This week, two conference series feature Michigan State at Penn State and Notre Dame at Ohio State.

Three of the four teams playing for Big Ten points this weekend are chasing the fourth – and everyone is chasing first-place Wisconsin, who hosts Lindenwood in nonleague play for two games.

The Badgers sit in first place with 30 points, followed by the Spartans with 25. Wisconsin and Michigan State are also two of the three Big Ten teams comfortably among the top 16 teams in the PairWise Rankings. Wisconsin sits at No. 1, Michigan State is seventh and Minnesota at 12th is a little less cozy.

Michigan is on the bubble at No. 15. Everyone else is outside looking in.

In fact, outside looking in – or up – is where pretty much everyone is in the Big Ten, except for Wisconsin and Michigan State.

That’s nothing new, said Jeff Jackson.

“I think it’s a continuation of what we’ve been seeing,” said Jackson, now in his 19th season behind the Notre Dame bench. “I just think that the teams have shifted around. We’re the ones taking the punches right now, at least in the last month.”

With four conference wins and half the points of first-place Wisconsin, Notre Dame sits in fourth place in the Big Ten. The Fighting Irish went 4-2-2-1 in their first three Big Ten series, with two ties against Penn State, a sweep of Ohio State, and splits with both Minnesota and Michigan.

To end the first half of B1G play, the Irish dropped two on the road to Michigan State. To begin the second half, they were swept at home last weekend against Wisconsin.

“We had been doing pretty well in the Big Ten until we got to the last two series,” said Jackson. “We’ve got to find a way to get back to where we get points every weekend. We can’t afford to be taking sweeps. It is harder to sweep in the Big Ten.”

The wins against Minnesota and Michigan – plus a win against Boston University in an early nonconference split against the Terriers – all came on Friday nights.

“Consistency has been a little bit of a problem for us all season long, but I think I hear that from most teams that aren’t having the kind of success that they would like to have,” said Jackson. “It’s just a matter of our guys finding a way to be prepared for opponents when they have a pushback, which is going to happen on the second night if you beat them on the first night, which has been the main problem that we’ve dealt with.

“The two times that we’ve been swept, we played good enough to win on Friday night and, again, it was a drop-off even after a loss, which we have to find a way to cure because we’re not going to win every Friday night game. We have to make sure that we’re as prepared as we were the first night [on] the second night.”

With no B1G wins and four conference points, Ohio State begins conference play in the second half with a three-game nonconference win streak after beating Mercyhurst 5-3 Dec. 30 and sweeping instate rival Bowling Green in a home-and-home series last weekend, 6-2 and 4-2.

In fact, the Buckeyes own a four-game unbeaten streak, dating back to their home series against Minnesota Dec. 8-9. After losing 5-4 the first night, Ohio State tied Minnesota 1-1 in the second game and took the extra shootout point.

Another good sign: in four of their last five games, the Buckeyes have scored no fewer than four goals.

Steve Rohlik said that the recent roll is good for his team’s confidence.

“We’ve been resilient,” said Rohlik, in his 11th season as OSU’s head coach. “Nothing’s been easy. The guys came back with a good focus, good energy. Our practice has been good.

“We thought we played pretty good there before the break. We had a good series there against Minnesota and I think we came back with that mentality. Every game’s big – conference, nonconference. For us, we’re trying to get better every night. We’ve certainly got to be at our best this weekend. We know that.”

And what do the Buckeyes need to improve on in the second half?

“Everything,” said Rohlik. “The way we approach everything is that we look to improve from one-on-ones to full-team efforts, in all areas. Special teams, we talk about it a lot and it’s an area that we’ve worked on a lot that we’ve got to continue to get better in, but if we can contribute five-on-five and score a couple of goals five-on-five, that would be a big area for us.”

Averaging 2.75 goals per game, the Buckeyes are pretty good with the extra man, converting at 22 percent for the 18th-best power play in the nation.

When Notre Dame hosted Ohio State Nov. 10-11, the Fighting Irish swept the Buckeyes by a collective score of 7-1. Jeff Jackson knows that such history means nothing this weekend.

“They’ve found their footing since Christmas break as far as getting off to a good start,” said Jackson, who added that his own team is “probably getting back into some semblance of game shape which we lost over the break.”

The Buckeyes, said Jackson are “always a challenge, especially in their own building. We’re looking to have to be prepared to play our best to beat them.”

Looking for their first Big Ten win of the season, Rohlik said that the Buckeyes have to “go out there and limit our mistakes, because they do. They don’t give games away.”

It’s the nature of Big Ten hockey, said Jackson.

“The biggest thing is that even if there’s two teams at the top, nobody walks away easily in the Big Ten from a game,” Jackson said. “It is a challenge. We beat each other up. You hope that it makes us better.”

D-III East Men’s Hockey Game Picks – January 11, 2024

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Trinity’s Devon Bobak & Co have eyes on a successful road trip in Maine against key contenders Colby and Bowdoin (Photo by Trinity Athletics)

The schedule now shifts to mostly conference play for the balance of the second half, so every game means a little bit more moving forward in January and the second half. I finally found a sweet spot with my picks last week going an impressive 11-1-0 (.917) and that now brings the season overall record to 76-37-7 (.663) which is trending upward. The races are bound to get increasingly interesting as the schedule unfolds and no teams should be taking any opponent lightly at this point of the season. Here are my picks in some key games this weekend in the East:

Thursday, January 11, 2024

Fitchburg State v. Massachusetts-Dartmouth

The Falcons picked up a pair of key MASCAC wins last weekend and want to keep the positive MASCAC momentum against a long-time rival in the Corsairs. It is always tough playing in the Massachusetts-Dartmouth barn so expect a one-goal game and maybe some overtime magic –  FSU, 3-2

Post v. St. Michael’s

The Eagles did not play this past weekend as scheduled so thinking the added rest might be helpful as they head out on the road to face a Purple Knight team seeking to reverse their recent results. Another one-goal game with the visitors sneaking past for a nice road win – Post, 4-3

Friday, January 12, 2024

Curry v. Endicott

The matchup features two of the teams expected to contend for the CCC title and in this one, home ice does matter a lot. The Gulls will need to score first and find some early success that helps earn a hard-fought win with an empty-net goal providing the final cushion – Endicott, 3-1

(2) Elmira v. (13) Norwich

The Cadets want to keep the Soaring Eagles and their travel partner Hobart in range in the NEHC standings and A Friday night win at Kreitzberg will help get the Northfield fan base revved up for a big weekend. Special teams make the difference along with Clark Kerner being clutch for the Cadets –  Norwich, 3-2

Tufts v. Amherst

The Jumbos are on a seven-game heater and come off a win against Fitchburg State after securing the championship at the Boston Landing Invitational. Back to league play where the Mammoths look to reset with a win in a game that features a lot of goals –     Amherst, 5-4

Middlebury v. (3) Plattsburgh

The Panthers v. the Cardinals is always a great game regardless of the records and this one stays close for a while before the home team cashes in on some third period offense for a comfortable win – Plattsburgh, 4-1

Southern New Hampshire v. Assumption

The Penmen are coming off a one goal loss to Wentworth while Assumption did not play this past weekend. The Greyhounds best start fast and avoid penalties against a team that makes a habit of scoring special team goals, man-up or down. Home team ekes it out – Assumption, 4-3

Wilkes v. Arcadia

The Colonels have played well and now look to advance toward the top of the UCHC standings, so wins are important over every opponent. Too much offensive skill from the visitors in a win that is tighter than the score indicates – Wilkes, 5-2

Saturday, January 13, 2024

Massachusetts-Boston v. (14) Skidmore

The Thoroughbreds lost three in a row, all to nationally ranked squads before rebounding with a big win over a tough Cortland squad on Tuesday. They keep the momentum going with a nice conference win over the Beacons on home ice – Skidmore, 4-1

(10) Trinity v. Bowdoin

Maybe the two hottest teams in NESCAC face-off in what will feel like a playoff game. Great goaltending on both sides keeps things close but this is my upset pick of the weekend. Polar Bears win it in overtime – Bowdoin, 3-2

Rivier v. Nichols

The Raiders can score goals and will push the Bison from the opening puck drop. The Bison will battle for the full 60 minutes but fall just a bit short with an empty-net goal creating the final margin – Rivier, 5-3

Anna Maria v. Western New England

The AmCats travel to face the Golden Bears in what should be a fast-paced and physical affair. Expecting the special teams to factor into this game quite a bit with the visitors winning that statistic and the game – AMC, 4-2

As usual there is a lot of great action across the region and some teams just coming out of their semester break hibernation so it will be interesting to see if the extra rest was a positive or created some rust – “Drop the Puck!”

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Ten-goal outburst at Bentley has Air Force making move up conference standings with AIC series on tap

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The Falcons’ Will Gavin potted three power-play goals last Saturday at Bentley (photo: Trevor Co/U.S. Air Force).

Sometimes in life, and in hockey, you can do everything right and still lose.

Air Force, coming off a last-place finish last season, had an improved start to 2023-24, but ran into a scoring slump to close out the first semester on a 1-5-1 stretch that saw the Falcons score a total of eight goals.

Recently, Frank Serratore’s team faced some tough competition in losses to Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee, dropping those games 3-0 and 4-1.

“I told our guys after Wisconsin and Duluth – we made them play their best hockey to beat us”, said Serratore. “Those games were tight.”

Serratore said that throughout the scoring slump, his team was doing the right things, but the pucks just weren’t going in.

“We were getting chances, ” he said. “Our goaltending was good, our special teams were good. I liked the way we were playing and knew that eventually, pucks were going to start going in.”

And boy, did they last weekend at Bentley.

Air Force scored a total of 10 goals in 3-1 and 7-3 wins, moving up to sixth in the Atlantic Hockey standings, just a point out of fourth.

The 10 goals in those two games were more than the Falcons had combined for in their previous eight contests.

It was also the first six-point sweep for the Falcons in almost two years, the last coming against Mercyhurst on Jan. 21-22. 2022.

“We had more goals in the first 13 minutes on Friday than we did in the previous three games,” said Serratore. “I liked how we stayed cool throughout this. The last thing to do when you’re not scoring is press to try to score more, then make mistakes defensively.”

Junior goaltender Guy Blessing has started every game so far in net for the Falcons and has been solid, especially over Air Force’s last eight games (2.16 GAA, .917 save percentage).

“(Before last weekend) He had a stretch where his save percentage was over 93 percent,” said Serratore. “And we went 1-3 in those games.”

On Saturday, senior forward Will Gavin tallied three power-play goals, tying an Atlantic Hockey record.

Gavin leads the league and is second in the nation with nine power-play goals. His 13 goals this season are second in the AHA and 19th nationally.

It’s the most by a Falcon in a single season since he had 16 in 2021-22. And Air Force still has a minimum of 15 games left.

“He’s got the hardest shot of any player that I ever coached,” said Serratore.

Classmate Luke Rowe picked up four assists last weekend and now leads the league with 18 helpers. The Falcons got a boost when the NCAA recently approved a waiver for Rowe, who graduated early, to complete the regular season.

“We were pretty sure that he would get the extra 60 days that are usually afforded to players to keep playing beyond graduation,” said Serratore. “You see that a lot in spring sports like baseball where the NCAAs extend into June. He needed three more games to complete the regular season and that got approved.”

So Rowe will be in the lineup this weekend when American International visits for a pair of games. The Yellow Jackets are currently in third place, five points ahead of Air Force.

Serratore says his preparations will be the same, looking to continue to bring his suddenly high-flying offense.

“Last weekend, we continued to do the things we need to do to be successful,” said Serratore. “I wasn’t happy with some of the penalties but overall, we were getting traffic in front, and getting pucks on net. The difference was that for a change, everything was going in.

“But that’s hockey.”

Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Episode 8 has U18 World Championships updates and talks ECAC results

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Episode 8: Nicole checks in from Switzerland, Cornell makes a move in ECAC

Nicole Haase (@NicoleHaase) joins the PodKaz from Switzerland, where she is covering the IIHF Under-18 Women’s World Championship. Nicole and Todd Milewski (@ToddMilewski) talk about group play in the tournament and look at some of last week’s results in ECAC Hockey, including two wins by Cornell and Clarkson handing Colgate its first conference loss. Plus, a look ahead at No. 2 Minnesota hosting No. 1 Ohio State.

Make sure you like and subscribe to The PodKaz on your favorite streaming network to get access to new episodes as soon as they post.

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This Week in Hockey East: Talented Nadeau brothers have Maine flying high, embracing support from Alfond Arena faithful

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Bradly Nadeau and Josh Nadeau have been go-to players this season for the resurgent Maine team (photos: Anthony DelMonaco).

Maine’s Alfond Arena isn’t the largest in college hockey — it isn’t even the largest in Hockey East.

But it’s a far cry from where Maine’s Nadeau brothers played youth hockey.

“Where I’m from, we have, like, 50, 60 persons coming to every game,” said Josh Nadeau, who, with his brother Bradly, hail from Ste-François-de-Madawaska, New Brunswick, population 460. “It’s amazing here, seeing all the fans support us.”

Alfond, always known for its energetic atmosphere, is even more feisty these days with the Black Bears off to their best start in years. Maine enters the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the country, with a 13-3-2 overall record, a No. 7 ranking in the USCHO.com D-I men’s poll and the No. 4 spot in the most recent edition of the PairWise.

The Black Bears’ hot start is thanks in large part to the efforts of Nadeau and his brother Bradly, who are neck-and-neck in the race for the team lead in scoring (10-16-26 for Josh and 13-12-25 for Bradly). Josh Nadeau was named NCAA national player of the month for December.

“They find ways to get on the scoreboard and affect the game, even if they struggle a little bit,” said Maine third-year coach Ben Barr. “That’s a good trade to have. Pretty impressive for a freshman (Josh) to go out there to be player of the month for the whole NCAA. Credit to him and his work ethic. I’m sure he’s going to keep getting better.”

Though not twins, the Nadeaus share a bond common to siblings close in age (Bradly is 18, Josh is 20 — both are listed as freshmen forwards). Josh said their hockey bond formed early in the backyard of their childhood home in Canada.

“Ever since we were young, we’d play together all day,” Josh said. “My dad built a rink at home and we’d stay until midnight sometimes. My dad would put up lights and we’d stay out in the dark — all day and all night. That’s kind of why we’ve been playing good together, (having) a lot of success. We’ve been working hard all summer and all season to get where we’re at.”

Another big part of the Black Bears’ success has been depth at the goaltender position. While senior Victor Ostman has received the majority of the starts, freshman Albin Boija posted a 1.06 goals-against average, .964 save percentage and 53 saves, going 1-0-1 vs. Colgate (ECAC Hockey) this past weekend, earning Hockey East goalie of the week honors. Ostman has thrice received the same honor this season, making the Swedes the only pair of teammates to be so feted by the league.

“He’s worked hard all year, really,” Ostman said about Boija. “It’s cool for a friend to get a chance. (He) didn’t play a ton the first half, but he’s worked hard in practice. To see it in games is really cool to see. We all know what he can do in practice.”

With inter-conference play now in the rear-view mirror, Maine will focus on maintaining its place among the cream of the crop in Hockey East. The Black Bears sport a 5-2-1 league record, good for third behind Boston University and Boston College, and kick off the remainder of the season with a two-game series at Connecticut starting Friday.

While expressing pride in his personal accomplishments and gratitude for the accolades received, Josh Nadeau said success will be measured by where Maine as a team finishes the season.

“I’m not satisfied — I want more,” he said. “I want the team to have success and hopefully win the national championship at the end of the year.”

St. John Fisher University announces addition of men’s, women’s NCAA Division III hockey teams to start play with 2025-26 season

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St. John Fisher University will add two intercollegiate hockey teams to its athletic offerings beginning in 2025 and will be the first collegiate partner of the Rochester (N.Y.) Ice Center, the program’s home ice.

The school is located in Pittsford, N.Y.

The addition of men’s and women’s hockey teams to the roster of sports offered at the university broadens its total number of athletic teams competing in the NCAA Division III to 26 teams.

Fisher’s athletics department is now in the recruiting phase, and incoming hockey student-athletes will enter the university in the fall 2025 semester.

This news builds upon recent years of growth in the Fisher athletics department as well as the increasing popularity of hockey in the Western New York region and on campus. Fisher’s club hockey team won the American Division Championship at the AAU College Hockey Tournament in March 2023.

“We are confident that our university’s academic offerings, continuing growth, and reputation and record in the NCAA Division III will enable us to successfully recruit hockey student-athletes to Fisher who will add to our success,” said Jose Perales, vice president for enrollment management, in a statement. “We look forward to providing the total Fisher experience to students who might now consider Fisher because of the opportunity to play intercollegiate hockey. Not only will they have access to a state-of-the-market academic experience but the exceptional Fisher athletics experience as well.”

The university anticipates a roster size of 25-30 student-athletes on both the men’s and women’s teams with an eye toward their first competitive intercollegiate game in fall 2025.

“This is an exciting time at Fisher and expanding our intercollegiate athletic offerings to reflect the growing interest in hockey adds to that excitement,” added Bob Ward, Fisher athletics director. “Through our partnership with the premier facility in the region, the Rochester Ice Center, our student-athletes will have access to cutting edge facilities, and a place to call home.”

The university said that next steps include hiring a coaching staff and the finalization of the sport’s conference affiliation.

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