Zak Galambos has been a stalwart on the Western Michigan back end this season (photo: Ashley Huss).
Tenth-ranked Western Michigan’s road sweep last weekend against Lindenwood was a trip down memory lane of sorts for coach Pat Ferschweiler, while watching his Broncos start the second half of the season how they mean to continue.
Friday’s come-from-behind 3-2 win and a relatively easy 6-1 victory Saturday at the Centene Community Ice Center saw the Broncos complete a season sweep of second-year independent Lindenwood. The Lions had also lost twice in Kalamazoo, Mich., at the start of December.
“I thought we went down there last weekend and played really good hockey,” Ferschweiler said. “Lindenwood has a good goaltender and they work extremely hard, but we were able to find two wins.
“It was a similar series to last time. Right now, we’re a more talented team and we put a lot of pressure and shots on them. They have quality goaltending and have some real compete, but I was happy with our play both nights.”
Two third-period goals Friday from Dylan Wendt and Zak Galambos saw Western overturn a 2-1 deficit from the middle of a game where the Broncos outshot Lindenwood 46-23.
Saturday’s rematch was much the same in that department, with the Broncos outshooting the Lions 41-21. Western buried more chances that day, when Wendt and Alex Bump both scored twice. Three consecutive power-play goals also put the Broncos out of sight by the time Wendt found the net for a second time midway through the third period. Sam Colangelo then scored in the final minute to cap a two-goal series for him.
Ferschweiler enjoyed the weekend on a personal level, too. A former director of the Kansas City Stars youth hockey organization, he relished getting to see first-hand what Lindenwood offers in a setting where Missouri youth hockey is also continuing to grow.
“St. Louis is one of the true hidden youth hockey gems in the U.S,” Ferschweiler said. “They have a bunch of really good rinks, a bunch of ex-St. Louis Blues and qualified coaches in town. They do a good job there with youth hockey, and there’s been an expansion of facilities, including where we were playing, at the Blues’ practice facility. They’ve got three nice sheets there, and it was full all weekend with youth hockey.
“They have something really good going in St. Louis. Even back in the old days, the AAA Blues were a quality, quality program, and now there’s CarShield at that level and they’re cranking out some future Division I players. There’s a lot of unique hockey there, and they do it really well.”
Ferschweiler was also asked Monday what he sees the future holding for Lindenwood with regards to a potential conference affiliation.
“The conference conversation is a complex and fluid one, and I wouldn’t want to make a prediction there, but certainly they have the building blocks and the facilities in place, that it looks like they’d be attractive to a conference,” he said.
“I think there’s lots of changes coming, and I’m not really sure which direction it’s going to go. It’d be interesting.”
Western returns to NCHC play this weekend at Miami. It’s all conference games the rest of the way for a Broncos team that, like it has over the past several years, is punching above its perceived weight. WMU only had two regulation losses before the holiday break, and two more in overtime, with a roster that doesn’t have its three top point-producers from last season.
“I really liked our first half,” Ferschweiler said. “It’s another year with a lot of new players and a lot of lost scoring. We lost close to 200 points out of our lineup last year, and then there’s always the question of how we’ll be able to score again, but we’re up there that way again, and our goals-against is way down this year.
“We’ve scored and we’ve defended well, which is a great recipe for long-term success.”
The Assumption Greyhounds have had much to celebrate through the first half but are focused on a strong finish in the NE-10 (Photo by Assumption Athletics)
Currently sitting atop the NE-10 standings and with an overall record of 13-3-0, the Assumption Greyhounds have had early success with a foundation of strong team play, great offensive talent and a legacy coaching staff that includes all former players at Assumption dating back to former head coach Lance Brady. Head coach Michael Looney played for coach Brady and then coached with him as an assistant and has built his staff building on the culture and legacy of Assumption hockey alumni.
“I was a four-year player for coach Lance Brady,” noted Looney. “It was a privilege to play and coach with Lance and I have tried to build off some of that culture and legacy with my staff who all played hockey here and have a championship pedigree with some of most recent titles in the NE-10. I think the players see the passion to the program and the focus and dedication of the staff wanting to continue the success of the program and that helps translate onto the ice. Nick [Blanchette], our goalie coach, played with me for four years under coach Brady and now has been coaching with me for several years. “Roachie” [Robert Roche] was part of the 2017 title team and our newest assistant coach, Robert Holyoke was part of our last championship team in 2022. Their collective experiences as Assumption alumnus and hockey players is something I think the current team relates to well and we are seeing that translate to performance on the ice.”
Leading the way for the Greyhounds is junior forward, Ronny Paragallo. Through 16 games this season, Paragallo has scored 14 goals and added eight assists for 22 points. In last Wednesday’s game against Wentworth, Paragallo’s hat trick helped the Greyhounds to a 5-2 win and bounceback from an overtime loss to Johnson & Wales on Tuesday night that opened the second half of the schedule for Assumption. Paragallo combined with teammates Jonathan Surrette and Ryan Decker account for 37 of the team’s collective 69 goals and the trio has been a threat to score in all situations.
“When Ronny was a freshman, Robert [Holyoke] was one of his linemates,” said Looney. “They paired up pretty well on the ice back then on that championship team in 2022 and now it is interesting to see how the relationship has changed with Robert as the coach and Ronny as the player but both focused on helping to improve the play on the ice. Ronny is very receptive to Robert’s suggestions and coaching and our team is seeing the benefits in his play and numbers on the scoresheet.”
After finishing the first half with an 8-1-0 record in the NE-10, the Greyhounds are firmly entrenched in first place but are not taking anything for granted with a second half slate including teams looking to qualify or improve their position for tournament action. A favorable schedule finds the Greyhounds playing their next ten games in a row on home ice including important league series with Southern New Hampshire, St. Anselm, Franklin Pierce and St. Michael’s.
“We can’t take our foot off the accelerator in the second half,” stated Looney. “Back in 2022, SNHU had a similar record in the first half and didn’t keep the momentum in the second half and was ousted early in the playoffs. We were beneficiaries that year moving on to the NE-10 title game, but we want to keep our positive momentum from the first half going in the second half. Dropping that overtime game to JWU was a tough loss but I liked the way we bounced back the next night against a tough Wentworth team. We will need a lot of that character and effort heading into our remaining league schedule with a focus to earn a top seed and compete for another conference title with our best hockey yet to be played.”
With Saturday’s contest with Post postponed to a future date, the Greyhounds hope to start another win streak in this weekend’s two-game series with SNHU that kicks off over a month of games on home ice and chance to solidify the top seed in the NE-10.
Antonio Venuto was a key player last weekend for Ferris State as the Bulldogs split with Bemidji State (photo: Paige Williams).
It might not seem like a team who just snapped a seven-game losing streak would be exuding confidence.
But Ferris State’s recent win over CCHA-leading Bemidji State was an important one for Bob Daniels.
“I think we’re in a good place right now,” Daniels said in a phone interview on Tuesday afternoon. “We feel like when we’re on our game we’re a pretty good team. I think Saturday when we beat Bemidji, we felt like we won that game… we felt like we were in control of that game. So for a team that’s at the bottom of the standings, we have a lot more confidence than what you might expect.”
It had been a long time since the Bulldogs (6-14-1) could celebrate after a game. Since beating St. Thomas 5-2 way back on Dec. 1, there’d been a string of seven losses. For the most part, the defense had been there, but the offense had not — only once did they manage to score more than twice in a game.
“Sometimes if you develop a habit, it’s hard to break that habit,” Daniels said. “We had a habit of playing well but well enough not to win. So hopefully with this win [against Bemidji] we can get some confidence and continue to play well. I’m seeing signs of improvement so I’m very optimistic about the rest of the year.”
One big positive Daniels took from Saturday’s 5-3 win against the Beavers: spread out scoring. Five different players scored for Ferris, including two defensemen (Nick Hale and Jack Mesic) and a freshman (Luigi Benincasa; Daniels said freshman defenseman Trevor Taulien was originally credited with the goal but Benincasa tipped it in).
“It really felt like a team win,” Daniels said.
Still, one player was involved in four goals on the weekend: Antonio Venuto. The senior winger scored against the Beavers in Friday’s 4-1 loss to snap his personal five-game goal drought, then had three assists in the win. He’s currently got a team-leading 20 points, including 12 goals, and is on a good pace to be the first Ferris skater to reach the 30-point mark since Gerald Mayhew hit 35 in 2016-17.
“Venuto, what I like about him is, he’s improved each and every year here,” Daniels said. “It’s not like he came here and set the world on fire. He just works hard and he’s one of those kids who, you’re really excited when the good stuff starts happening to him.”
Daniels said Venuto, who had six goals and 15 points in 35 games last season, really improved on his skating over the offseason.
“It’s one of those things where, you have a year-end meeting where you tell a guy what he needs to work on, and he does it,” Venuto said. “The proof’s in his scoring. He’s pretty confident in himself. He’s earned that confidence, and he has that confidence.”
Venuto and Benincasa have been playing together frequently this season. Benincasa, who Daniels calls a “dog” on the puck, has 13 assists on the year.
“He really sees the ice well. He’s extremely smart, and what’s really helped him make the transition to college hockey is that he’s got such a high hockey IQ,” Daniels said.
The Bulldogs’ next test will be a big one: A series against Minnesota State in Mankato, Minn. Although Ferris lost twice to the Mavericks when the teams played in Big Rapids earlier this season, the Bulldogs did beat MSU twice in Mankato last season. It’s reasonable to think that the last-place Bulldogs could give the Mavericks fits this weekend.
“We’ve played everyone in our league and there’s no one that I feel we can’t beat. I also don’t think there’s a team out there that can’t beat us. It’s so close,” Daniels said. “Obviously you want to position yourself in the playoffs for the best seed you can get, but also you want to make sure you keep improving and peaking at playoff time, because that’s the only vehicle any of us are going to have to make the NCAA tournament.”
Trinity defeats #3 Amherst. (Photo by Trinity College Athletics)
We had an exciting week of D-III Women’s hockey this past weekend and earlier this week, one team made a run and some other upsets occurred! The second half is officially upon us!
Trinity? Where’ve you been?
The Bantams had a trio of tall tasks in their way this past week, visiting #8 Norwich on Tuesday, then hosting #3 Amherst for a pair of home games over the weekend.
Trinity entered the week 3-3-2, not stellar, not bad considering who they had faced early in the season. Well, this has been Trinity’s past week: 2-0 over #8 Norwich, 4-1 over #3 Amherst, 1-1 vs Amherst, & most recently 3-0 over Plymouth State, giving the Bantams a record of 7-3-2, vastly improved from their 3-3-2 start.
Trinity 2-0 #8 Norwich
It was a low offensive game, shots 21-18 in favor of the Cadets, penalties slim, two for Norwich, one for Trinity.
Both goals in this one came in the middle frame, Ava Gosnell scored the eventual game-winner at the 8:52 mark, while her teammate Anne Levia scored very late in the period at 19:24.9. These goals held up and goaltender Hannah Leclair began her eventual ranked-win streak, making all 21 saves.
Trinity 4-1 #3 Amherst
This series became a lot more interesting once we saw the Bantams shutout Norwich earlier in the week. Amherst goaltender Natalie Stott has been doing her usual, winning games and not allowing hardly any goals, consistently keeping under a 1.00 GAA.
Well, this one was different. Trinity took a 4-0 lead that wasn’t tarnished until a quarter of the way through the 3rd period when Clare O’Connor scored the lone Mammoth goal.
Trinity’s scoring came in flurries near the end, but here’s how it happened:
Ava Gosnell – 14:02 of the 1st period
Martina Exnerova – 6:43 of the 2nd period
Jenny Guider – 2:55 of the 3rd period
Emma Robertson – 3:03 of the 3rd period
Goaltender Hannah Leclair had another statement-performance, making 28 saves on 29 shots from a well-versed Amherst team. The offense deserves a lot of credit in this one, Amherst has been one of the best defensive teams of the past two seasons and didn’t show any signs of weakness until this game vs the Bantams.
Trinity 1-1 #3 Amherst
This was the most-penalized game of the two, both had a lot of time-served, but this one featured four minor penalties for Amherst and seven for Trinity, which I’d argue makes the tie look even more impressive on the Trinity side, killing off that many penalties vs a dominant Amherst team.
Trinity led in shots 22-17, Hannah Leclair had another good game, stopping 16 of 17 shots. Natalie Stott allowed 5 goals on 41 shots on the weekend.
*Trinity added a 3-0 shutout victory over Plymouth State today 1/9/24, improving to 7-3-2.
Head Coach Keith Maurice (that has a nice ring to it), spoke about his team’s performance on Saturday, scoring 4+ on Amherst for only the second time in two years, he said:
“Our team did an excellent job sticking to our game plan, and I feel our game against Norwich really helped us prepare for Amherst. Any time you’re able to put up four goals on a goalie you’re giving yourself a chance to win the game. We knew it was going to be a challenge to score against Amherst, what they’ve done the last two years is impressive. It only speaks to how well coached they are and how well the players execute their game plan.”
Maurice also added when asked about what the team must do to stay more consistent, showing they’ve got great performances such as these in them:
“Every year it’s about finding the identity of our team and I believe our senior class and captains have created the standard that is Trinity hockey. This has been a fun team to coach and I see that in every practice and how we compete against each other and all of that is because of the leaders on the team.”
Oswego breaks the streak!
Oswego State entered this past weekend 5-5-1 vs Plattsburgh, who sat a nice 9-1-1, their only blemishes coming from their rivals in Vermont: Norwich.
Oswego entered this weekend with a horrific record vs the Cardinals, I don’t think anyone would dispute that to put it bluntly, the Cardinals held a record of 46-1-1 vs the Lakers historically…
Oswego defeats #4 Plattsburgh on Friday 1/5/24. (Photo by Taylor Streiff)
Well… Friday was different. Oswego, who’s had in my opinion one of the, if not the hardest schedule of anyone thus far as I’ve said many times, considering they began their first 9/11 games on the road, then their welcome home gift is two games vs Plattsburgh…
Oswego jumped out to an early lead, much like earlier this season when they visited the North Country, Sarah Muller scored a quick one, only 1:52 into the game, putting her team up 1-0 early.
Oswego didn’t let up, scoring a pair before the end of the period, it was Ashlyn McGrath at 12:09 & Mack Hull AT 18:51 to give the Lakers a 3-0 lead after the opening frame…
Plattsburgh would score in each of the following periods, but it was too late. Julia Masotta scored midway through the 2nd period at 9:38, while her teammate Ivy Boric trimmed it to one with less than 30 seconds left in the game, but it didn’t complete the comeback.
Oswego wins it 3-2 and Head Coach Mark Digby picks up his signature win at the helm of the Lakers.
Other Notable Games
#7 Hamilton & #11 Colby had a big series this past weekend, both teams split the series, keeping the NESCAC tight as always. Colby, currently sitting at 5th in Pairwise, will be an interesting rest of the way as conference play continues.
#4 Middlebury & #14 Endicott tied 3-3, Middlebury struggling to find wins thus far, maintaining the high ranking and pairwise spot, it’ll be interesting to see how it fares come conference tournament time.
Maddie McCollins of UW-River Falls (Photo by Sam Silver)
We’re back in action out west, where it currently looks like at this rate, we may be headed west come March. UW-River Falls holds a commanding undefeated record of 15-0-0, while Gustavus sits behind them in pairwise, their only losses coming to the Falcons. Will we see a west winner for the second-straight season? Back-to-back? Long way to go!
UW-River Falls remains unbeaten *Stats via USCHO*
We’ll take a quick look here as River Falls didn’t play any “notable” or “ranked” games, but they’re still perfect, something no one else in Men’s or Women’s D-III hockey can say…
Currently, Maddie McCollins leads all of women’s D-III with 35 points through 15 games played (16G, 19A). The 2023 USCHO Player of the Year had teammates close behind on the stat list, in 3rd, it’s Megan Goodreau (28 pts – 10G, 18A), 5th is Alex Hantge (26 pts – 10G, 16A), 7th is MaKenna Aure (23 pts – 10G, 13A), and T-12th is Aubrey Nelvin (18 pts – 6G, 12A).
This team is stuffing the stat sheet, near the top, if not the top of most team-statistical categories. Head Coach Joe Cranston’s Falcons seem to be absolutely loaded and aren’t showing any signs of slowing down. It’ll be fun to see their games against WIAC-rival UW-Eau Claire, who has been able to cause them more issues than any other team as of the past few years.
Most recently, UW-River Falls defeated Concordia (Minn.) 8-0 & 7-0 over the weekend, while also adding a 6-1 victory over St. Scholastica tonight (1/9/24).
The Green Knights of St. Norbert visited the Blugolds of Eau Claire this past weekend. SNC with a solid record of 10-3-0, unranked, while UWEC entered at 10-3-0 as well. Both teams would leave the weekend with the same record after the split, 11-3-0.
Game One: Norbert 5-1
The first game of the series was an odd one… If you looked at the stat sheet, you’d probably ask how St. Norbert scored 5 goals when they only had 11 registered shots-on-target. Well, Norbert scored 2 goals in the 2nd period on 2 registered shots, they then proceeded to score 3 goals in the 3rd period, on 3 registered shots… Eau Claire failed to register a save in the game after the 1st period, eye opening to say the least…
St. Norbert Women’s Hockey (Photo by Patrick Ferron)
One could say, as many goalies who participate in games like this will tell you, sometimes facing 20-30 shots is easier than facing 10. 20-30 keeps you loose, active, and mentally sharp, versus the flipside, you face one shot every five to six minutes of the game and BOOM, get ready to make a save after standing there still. Not acceptable to give up five on five shots, but just a thought.
The scoring went like this:
2nd Period:
Naomi Balon – 9:42 SNC 1-0
Grace Wittkopf – 12:29 SNC 2-0
Maddie Hunter – 19:44 SNC 2-1
3rd Period:
Abbie Tollefson – 15:31 SNC 3-1
Lexi Bonfe – 16:13 SNC 4-1
Abbie Tollefson – 16:26 SNC 5-1
Not the type of game you’d expect from the Blugolds from what they’ve shown thus far, even so with the Green Knights. Only putting up 11 shots on goal, not exactly a dominating sat, but they scored 45% of their shots-on-target, so you’ll win a lot of games doing that obviously.
Game Two: UWEC 3-1
Game two brought better luck for the Blugolds, winning 3-1 after making a goalie change and saving more than 55% of Norbert’s shots-on-target.
The scoring began from UWEC’s Eden Gruber at 15:30 of the opening period. Sam Bandholz doubled the lead in the 2nd period, just over the halfway mark at 12:44. Morgan Olson cut the lead in half, scoring for St. Norbert at 17:43, then Sophie Rausch, the nation’s 2nd-leading point scorer (29 pts – 17G, 12A), sealed the deal late in the 3rd at 18:42 to give Eau Claire the home-alumni game victory.
The Jills shock the Spartans!
Aurora has had a down year to say the least, entering the weekend with a record of 7-6-0, while Northland, under new Head Coach Natasha Hawkins, entered at 4-8-1, which currently is on pace for their best season since now-Curry Head Coach Kelly Rider won eight games in 2018-2019.
Northland Women’s Hockey (Photo by Andrew Birko)
The games were played in Ashland, WI, a big home series for the Jills in which they took advantage of in the first game, winning 2-1.
The Jills were outshot by the Spartans 45-19, but goaltender Karlee Lehner had a stellar night, making 44 saves and only allowing the lone goal.
Kyleigh Moffatt scored the opening goal of the game in the middle of the 2nd period at 12:51 to give Northland the 1-0 lead, which would hold up until the last minute of the same period. Darci Matson scored the game-tying shorthanded goal with 25 seconds left (19:35.5) in the middle frame.
The hero would then be Kate Holtz for the Jills, scoring the game-winner at 1:26 in the overtime period to give Northland their signature win of the season and maybe even the past few seasons could be under consideration.
Aurora would win Sunday’s game 4-1 to split the series, despite the loss, Northland goaltender Corrin Hanson made 45 saves to keep her team within striking distance.
Ryan Conroy scored the winner for Yale as the Bulldogs nipped RPI 2-1 back on Jan. 5 (photo: Colleen Murphy).
The semester break often sits silent for college hockey teams.
The World Junior Championship ramps into gear around the holidays, but aside from the occasional four-team tournament, movement almost never occurs within conferences until players return from their individual and collective layoffs. Standings don’t change, and only the limited game offers the rare opportunity for a team to make up a game-in-hand or gain ground on teams sitting idle.
Last weekend was the rarest of those chances. A first half packed ECAC’s standings to the degree that a six-point weekend could rocket someone up the standings, and the only two series between travel partner sides had two teams deadlocked in a three-way tie for seventh place. Even with a long way remaining, it felt like Brown and Union would play Friday for a chance to join Clarkson or Princeton atop the race for teams situated under Quinnipiac, and the Rensselaer-Yale consolation prize would move someone past Harvard for an improved track when the second half began in earnest.
The complexion looked simple but the Bulldogs, the team that won a combined 16 games over the past two years as they fought their way out of the COVID-19 pandemic, instead crashed the party by sweeping a six-point weekend that vaulted Keith Allain’s team into fourth place with a front row seat to the second half of the season.
“Both of the games this weekend speaks a lot to the team,” Allain said. “We had the lead in the third period [of both games] and gave it up, so we had to respond to that adversity, but coming back and finding a way to win the games, I give a lot of credit to our senior class. It’s a group that had their freshman year ripped away completely, and their sophomore year was touch and go with COVID restrictions, but they’ve stuck with this program and continue to stick together and work hard.
“They’re the backbone of the success we had this past weekend and the success we might have moving forward.”
Yale was once a tentpole franchise for the ECAC’s overall hockey league, but the aftermath of COVID-19 arguably decimated the team to a degree that wasn’t felt anywhere else. The Bulldogs that won the 2013 Frozen Four national championship were a decade removed from their legacy as a No. 1 overall team with two regular-season championships and two postseason tournament crowns, but their ability to finish around first round bye territory took a massive hit when the Ivy League canceled the 2020-2021 season.
The five other impacted ECAC teams – Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard and Princeton – were joined by RPI and Union in their absence, but next to a Dartmouth team that changed coaches prior to rejoining college hockey, no team experienced a delta drop like Yale. A sixth-place team that twice advanced through the first round of the playoffs immediately fell to 12th with a roster boasting approximately two dozen newcomers to college hockey, and despite improving to the No. 10 seed with a win in the first round last year, preseason predictions from the experts didn’t exactly fortune tell a run towards the top of the league.
“We lost some players through the COVID [years],” Allain conceded. “And we’ve lost some recruits as well. But this group that’s committed to Yale was committed to seeing things through. They believe in what we’re doing, and it’s really important that they’ve been able to stay together and go through it. They’ve been in school for four years, but this is really only their third year of college hockey. They still aren’t an experienced senior class in terms of games played, but the games they have played and experiences they have had developed their resiliency.”
Even the most hardened Yale supporter can soften with that theory, but Allain’s ability to develop a nucleus finally struck dirt this year when the Bulldogs began fighting significant battles against more-heralded teams. The majority of results broke against the Bulldogs, but few teams matched their ability to pressure opponents into one-goal games.
Right from the start, a one-goal, overtime win over Brown preceded a two-goal loss to Cornell that featured an empty net goal by the Big Red, and an overtime loss to Princeton coincided with a hard-fought game against Quinnipiac that pumped two goals past the Bobcats.
The 2-1 loss to Clarkson was one of the last vestiges of bad luck or bounces or whatever happened in those games, and after losing 3-1 to Long Island with another one-goal game that included an empty netter, Yale finally blasted past a couple of games by beating Merrimack and winning the return match against the Sharks.
“I mean, it’s always comforting to play with the lead,” Allain said. “So we don’t enjoy being behind, but I think when I spoke to the type of adversity that our senior class faced, all through their careers here at Yale, they’ve overcome enough to have that confidence that the next time they’re in a situation, they know they can do it. That’s what’s happened with this group. We don’t lose our composure. Our bench stays calm. Guys know we can get our job done.”
The scariest part about the weekend was that Yale started to resemble those teams from the bygone pre-COVID era. The Bulldogs of those days always seemed to pair a top line that could score at will, but Allain managed to pair NHL-level talent with a depth chart designed to weaken and pepper opponents. A stingy defense helped turn goaltenders into brick walls (and vice-versa), and the numbers all eventually shook down in a way that made Yale impressive – even as Ivy League teams typically produced lower total amounts because of the late start or six-less games.
Comparing the teams is unfair, but Yale beat Union after it received goals from both David Chen and Niklas Allain, players with whom Briggs Gammill and Teddy Wooding notched goals or assists throughout the game. Ryan Conroy added an assist to Chen before assisting on Allain’s goal against RPI, and he scored the game-winning goal over the Engineers with an assist from Wooding. From a production standpoint, that means the top five players on Yale’s stat sheet were involved on every goal on the weekend with an added empty netter from Ian Carpentier, who tied for second on the team with his fourth goal.
The numbers won’t jump off a page when the nation-leading scorers all have 10 goals or more, but the fact that Yale didn’t start its season until the end of October is combined with the fact that seven different players have multiple goals. More than a dozen different players have at least one goal this year with 16 players holding at least an assist – the overwhelming majority of which appeared in the 15 games on Yale’s 6-9-0 overall record.
“Our team really started to play better before Christmas,” said Allain, “and a big part of it was that our fourth line scored two goals against Merrimack. They’ve started to contribute and become a line that we can put our trust into, and I think that gives everyone confidence. We can pretty much roll four lines. There are some situations where we don’t have that superstar player, and we need everyone to contribute, but that’s really fostered unity within this group. They know they’re relying on one another and aren’t relying on one guy.”
Finding the right chemistry has Yale poised for dark horse status in the second half of a season that’s already turning into a Quinnipiac-sized runaway train. The 22 points credited to the Bobcats haven’t included a regulation loss, and it’s easy for them to be the clear-cut Cleary Cup favorites unless some unfortunate collapse occurs between now and the postseason. The remaining 11 spots, though, are up for grabs, and Yale’s six-point weekend illustrated the inherent danger in overlooking any of the remaining teams.
Rising from the ashes of the postseason race, the Bulldogs now enter a weekend series against Ancient Eight rivals with the inside track on fourth place. Four of the 13 remaining league games will actually require them to leave New England, and the trips to the North Country and Colgate-Cornell are spaced around home games at the fabled Yale Whale at Ingalls Rink.
A home game against Quinnipiac is part of the Nutmeg Classic in Hartford, but the larger bulk of remaining games are against teams that enable Yale to control its fate. There’s a return trip to Southern New England from Union and RPI and a separate trip to Harvard and Dartmouth that ends the season, and even the Cornell-Colgate trip around Valentine’s Day is flanked by single-game home weekends against Brown on Feb. 9 and Princeton on Feb. 23.
None of this means Yale is heading for a boat-rocking home series in the second round, but the very real possibility of seeing one of the conference’s premier teams return to a home ice playoff series is out there for the taking.
Tuesday’s scheduled game between the UW-Stevens Point women’s hockey team and Concordia (Wis.) in Mequon, Wis., has been postponed due to today’s winter storm.
Jimmy Snuggerud’s hat trick lifted Minnesota to a 6-2 win over Colorado College on home ice Monday night (photo: Eric Miller).
Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Dan: A hearty good morning to you all, and an especially happy Tuesday to my good buddy Ed, to whom we’re sharing TMQ duties this week.
It was a wild, incredible weekend of hockey exemplified by a couple of different storylines that we actually discussed at length before we ever sat down for this one.
Ed, we can start literally anywhere here, and I’m sure we’ll get to the majority of it before this done, but I want to start with the World Juniors and Team USA’s 6-2 win over Sweden. I recall specifically saying that the Americans needed to play with that edge that makes them American – the red, white and blue swagger associated with why international countries usually hate seeing USA win gold medals in anything. I wanted to see them march into the arena really embracing the devil’s due of being the enemy on that ice, and I was deeply rewarded by watching that team walk out with the gold. The key word there being team because I felt like the Americans gelled as the tournament progressed.
In the end, I found myself practically doing the chant on my couch at home with them. From a pure hockey standpoint, what stood out to you about this American side?
Ed: Dan, I agree about the team becoming better as the tournament went on, and about the swagger. I’m usually not a big fan of fighting but I loved seeing Lane Hutson take on a much bigger Anton Johannson in some admittedly unnecessary late-game fisticuffs, putting an exclamation point on USA’s bravado.
I guess there were two things that stood out for me on this team on the ice. First, just the skill level. We’ve talked a lot in this column about the crazy abilities of modern players to shoot and skate. But putting all of those 2004 and 2005 birth-year players together on one team really showed how the game has progressed in the U.S., and how much of an impact the U.S. National Development Program has had.
I was also impressed by the team’s resilience. The team didn’t really face “adversity” (a word I cringe a little about using compared to real human adversity) but they did come back in a couple of situations. Team USA had to come from behind twice against Czechia and ultimately prevailed with Isaac Howard’s seventh-round shootout goal. The Americans also recovered from a somewhat sluggish first period and a 2-0 deficit in the semifinals against Finland.
The U.S. team’s success also said a lot about the state of college hockey. With all but three players coming from the NCAA ranks, and an all-college coaching staff led by Denver’s David Carle, it showed the world just how good D-I men’s hockey is.
Speaking of college hockey, play slowly got back underway last weekend, although teams with players in the WJC smartly scheduled exhibitions, bye weekends, or at the very least nonconference games. What from this past weekend jumps out at you?
Dan: I was trying to work an alphabet joke into this, but I’ll just come out and say it: Air Force and Yale deserve some serious headlines after what they did this weekend.
Let me start with Air Force because I had a front-row seat to what the Falcons accomplished with their weekend sweep at Bentley. Last month, the Massachusetts-based Falcons went west and took four points from Air Force with an overtime loss and a 3-0 win, but the second game sent the cadets into a bit of a tailspin over the next few weeks (no pun intended). While it’s true that they had to play both Wisconsin and Minnesota Duluth – no easy task – they lost both games in their holiday tournament by a combined 7-1 score, and dating back to mid-November, Air Force failed to score more than two goals in regulation in seven straight games. The team that scored five against Mercyhurst seemingly lost its lightning bolts, and the lack of points sent them tumbling down the Atlantic Hockey standings table.
Winning both of those games at Bentley – and dominating one of the best statistical defenses in the country in the process – included a milestone when Will Gavin scored a hat trick exclusively on the power play on Saturday night. Full credit here to Todd Bell in the AHA offices, but it was the fourth time that ever happened and tied a league record for goals in a single power play. Outside of stealing the thunder that I’m sure Chris Lerch is going to use this week for his weekly piece on these pages, it also vaulted Air Force into sixth after it started the weekend in one of those first round road spots.
As for Yale, I’m leaking my own lead for ECAC here, but the Bulldogs went from last to fourth in one weekend’s worth of work after sweeping their trip to the Capital District. In both instances, they had to show some major resilience in beating RPI and Union, and because of ECAC’s parity, a team that started the second half in a tie for 12th place was able to move into fourth with a shot at second.
Maybe that’s a teaser for the upcoming week, but those are two WILD numbers for me. They’re also two teams that absolutely nobody had on their weekend bingo cards.
Embedded within that argument is, of course, the constant argument that ECAC is fighting things this year, but it seems extraordinarily strange that a league would have that much of a packed table to allow a team to move eight spots with six points. I’m admittedly worried for the league this year because it scored four spots in the national tournament last year and is likely headed for one unless someone beats Quinnipiac in the postseason. I’d even go so far as to say that Atlantic Hockey is having a better regular season, and I think I’d be statistically correct.
Is this a sign of something in college hockey, or is this something that’s an aberration?
Ed: Parity isn’t always a signal that everyone is good; sometimes it’s a sign that everyone is sort of “mid” as the kids say these days. I think maybe what we’re seeing with the ECAC is a bit of a hangover from eight of its 12 teams taking a year off during COVID, plus the Ivies not being able to take fifth-year players. Both of those will correct themselves in another year or two … I hope.
To address your question as to whether this is a sign of something in college hockey? It might be.
We’re seeing the results of a few things this season. I already mentioned a couple of reasons why the ECAC may have stepped back a bit. Things are down in the CCHA as well, and part of it is that Minnesota State is recovering from Mike Hastings’ departure. And that’s not a shot at Luke Strand by any means, especially since a few players and recruits also made the trip from Mankato to Madison. But the overall winning percentage of the league in non-conference play has been buoyed by the Mavericks in past seasons, and a rising out-of-conference record lifts all PairWise boats.
Another factor that I think is overlooked is that this is now the fourth year of a full complement of 18 scholarships in Atlantic Hockey. As of this writing, that conference is .368 in non-conference play. That’s still below the .400 or better that’s likely necessary for an at-large bid in addition to the automatic qualifier – though RIT still has a chance – but it’s the best that the league has seen in its evolution from a humble-by-design start as a cost-containment conference.
The other part of the equation is just how good the other three conferences have been out of conference. And so I’ll ask you: Is the other side of the coin going to be a continued pre-eminence of the Big Ten, Hockey East, and the NCHC?
Dan: I don’t think those three leagues are ever going to slide back into the ether, but I think the context around the conversation provides insight into why that’s going to happen.
Think about how Hockey East only had two teams in the NCAA tournament last year and compare that to Atlantic Hockey or the CCHA. Like you said, the CCHA (and the WCHA before that) very obviously built on Minnesota State’s overall success as a meal ticket in the PairWise Rankings, but getting a second team and an at-large bid into the national tournament is something that’s only happened once in Atlantic Hockey history. In contrast, the NCHC, Big Ten and Hockey East would feel like the season was an abject failure if any of those leagues only had one team, and even last year’s Hockey East – which had two, one year after the 2022 tournament had three, none of which were better than a No. 3 seed – felt like a down year.
That context is rooted in the size of the leagues and their ability to generate revenue, which we all know is a disparity between the conferences. Throw in the transfer portal for good measure there, but I don’t see the gap closing any time soon. I do worry that NIL will gradually leak its way into college hockey – it already has – and that’s going to cause even more disparity because the bigger schools affiliated with Division I or Division I power conferences are going to have the resources and tools to get student-athletes into the NIL deals that other schools don’t currently have. While I agree that NIL is important and is a tool that the athletes deserve to use, I also worry about Division II play-up schools or old Division III schools grandfathered into college hockey and if they’re going to have the resources to keep up with NIL once it lands for good.
It’s actually a really good question that you’re asking because that’s the devil on my shoulder. My angel on the other shoulder reminds me that college hockey is deeper than ever, and the constant growth of the game is actually loading that underbelly with better, more talented players and teams. Quinnipiac won the national championship last year, and Minnesota State and St. Cloud came within a game of winning national titles in the two previous years. We’re a decade removed from Union and Yale winning national championships, and it’s been eight years since North Dakota won a title, 12 years since Boston College won one, 15 years since BU’s last tie, and 21 years since the Gophers last hoisted the trophy. Ferris State played for a national championship more recently than Michigan, though it’s only by a year, and RIT has as many Frozen Four appearances in the last 15 years as Wisconsin – shoutout the 2010 Frozen Four matchup between the two teams in Detroit.
Maybe hockey’s the one sport that’s a little more immune to all of this, but it’s very dialectical. Both can occur at the same time. We can have a Hockey East, NCHC, Big Ten run of dominance…and we can have parity and growth of the game all at the same time.
I’ll kick this over to you to close this one out for us, but as the second half begins in earnest this month, let’s look into the crystal ball. Tell me one thing that you think could really happen in the second half among those three leagues, since it’s increasingly shaping up that they’re our focal point as the tournament gets closer.
Ed: It’s possible that one of those three leagues could still slip up and not get more than two teams into the NCAA tournament. A bit of cannibalism can still happen if some teams inside the bubble but near the edge converge on a .500 record. As we write this on Monday night, we’re still waiting for the results of Minnesota-Colorado College (Minnesota won 6-2), but both the Golden Gophers and Michigan have the predicament of a precarious PairWise position.
If things play out such that defending champion Quinnipiac doesn’t win the ECAC regular season and there are two teams from that conference, while Atlantic Hockey and CCHA both get one team in, that would leave out every at-large below No. 12. Figure in just one upset in one of the three leagues, and you’re at No. 11. (And that doesn’t even figure in Arizona State if the Sun Devils win most of the rest of their schedule.)
That’s my predicition for this March. Those three leagues will divvy up the 10 or 11 spots available, and three or four very good teams will be watching the tournament on ESPN.
Jamie Armstrong and Will Vote celebrate a goal in BC’s exhibition win over Simon Fraser last Saturday (photo: Meg Kelly).
With 37 first-place votes, Boston College is again the No. 1 team in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll this week.
Boston University is again No. 2, getting six first-place votes, while Wisconsin is up two to No. 3, picking up five first-place votes, North Dalota stays fourth, and Quinnipiac is down two to sit fifth this week.
Denver stays sixth, Maine is again No. 7, earning two first-place votes, Michigan State is again No. 8 and Providence still No. 9, and Western Michigan climbs to 10th, up one from last week’s rankings.
Minnesota falls out of the top 10, going from No. 10 to No. 12 this week.
No new teams enter this week’s poll.
In addition to the top 20 teams, eight other teams received votes.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Hockey Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
Tufts extended their win streak to six games with wins over Wentworth and Nichols to capture the Boston Landing Invitational Tournament (Photo by Tufts Athletics)
What a weekend with a plethora of great hockey in conference action with ranked teams battling for crucial points; tournament action where hardware was a clear focus and terrific non-conference games that produced the usual number of close contests if not upsets. There is always something new and exciting in the D-III hockey scene and if you read all the way to the end of this recap, there is some exciting NCAA tournament news pending soon that I am happy to pass along to the D-III hockey universe. But first things first, here is a recap of the great action in the first full week of 2024 in the East:
Codfish Bowl Tournament
Hosted by Massachusetts-Boston and the oldest of the D-III tournaments, the field included Worcester State, Suffolk, and Connecticut College. In the opening round game for the host team against Worcester State, the Beacons were behind after the first period on a goal by Evan Armit for the Lancers. The second period was all tilted the Beacons way as Ryan Leonard scored the first and last of four goals for the period and a 4-2 lead after two periods. Jazz Krivtsov added his second of the game for a 5-2 lead as the host school advanced to the title game with a 5-3 win. Bridgham Neugold scored a pair of goals for Worcester State in the loss while Beacon goaltender Sam Best made 23 saves in the win.
In the other semifinal, Suffolk played Connecticut College and a goaltending duel between CJ Hapward for the Rams and Sean Dynan for the Camels saw no goals in the opening period. In the second period, Suffolk opened the scoring with Ryan Webb finally beating Dynan for a 1-0 lead after two periods. The score looked like it would stand up until Cole Eichler tied the score with the extra attacker on the ice and just 26 seconds remaining in regulation time. Overtime couldn’t decide a winner, so the official result is a 1-1 tie, and a shootout was needed to decide a winner to advance to play in the championship game. The shootout was tightly contested like the regulation game going seven rounds before Conn College’s Andrew Eberling beat Hapward for the decisive goal to advance the Camels.
In the championship game, Massachusetts-Boston came out firing at Camels goaltender Sean Dynan but failed to score on their 41 shots attempted. Michael DiMascolo gave the Camels a 1-0 lead in the second period and a power play goal from Kareem Alazem less than a minute into the third period gave Dynan a two-goal cushion. Eichler sealed the 3-0 win with an empty-net goal to give Conn College the Codfish Bowl title.
In the consolation game, Worcester State scored once in each period and Jakub Kublik stopped 36 of 37 shots to give the Lancers a 3-1 win.
Comfort Inn Complex Winter Classic hosted by Plattsburgh
Plattsburgh played host to Rivier, Albertus Magnus, and Nazareth in their annual Winter Classic and fought off a difficult Rivier squad in their opening game by a 4-1 score. Colin Callanan scored for the home team just 18 seconds into eh first period, but Rivier took advantage of a power play goal from Cormac Hayes to tie the score at 1-1 midway through the first period. Simon Singher’s goal gave the Cardinals a 2-1 lead for the first intermission and that was all the scoring in the contest until Brannon Butler scored eight minutes into the third period and Ryan Butler added a late insurance goal into the empty net. Plattsburgh held a large advantage in shots, 38-19, with Luke Newell making 35 saves for the raiders and Eli Schiller stopping 18 in the Cardinal win.
In the other semifinal, Albertus Magnus played Nazareth and skated off with a 4-2 win to advance to the championship game. The Falcons started fast in the opening period scoring three goals from Tim Manning, Sam Anderson and Caden Pattison for a 3-1 lead after 20 minutes of play. Tyler Ignazzitto scored for the Falcons just 12 seconds into the second period and that is all Logan Bateman would need for goals as the Falcon netminder stopped 28 of 30 shots to earn the win.
In the title game it was the Colin Callanan who produced two goals to give the Cardinals a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes. Luk Jirousek, Adam Tretowicz and Thomas Maia extended the advantage to 5-1 before the Falcons added a pair of late goals for the 5-3 final and title to the host school. Shots favored the Cardinals, 35-19 and Callanan was named Tournament MVP.
The consolation game featured six special team goals, three by each team, but a pair of goals from Blake Frost led a Nazareth 5-4 win over Rivier.
Boston Landing Invitational
Nichols played host to Southern New Hampshire, Tufts, and Wentworth in this relatively new fixture on the D-III calendar. In the opening contest it was the Bison who secured their spot in the title game with a 4-1 win over the Penmen. Third period goals from CJ Zezima and Quinn McCarthy broke open a 2-1 game as Tyler Bost stopped 39 of 40 shots in the Nichols win.
In the other semifinal, Tufts fell behind Wentworth early in the second period before reeling off three unanswered goals for a 3-1 lead. The Leopards fought back with a goal late in the second period by Jacob Shankar and tied the score early in the third period on a goal by Desmond Johnson. Goals from Liam O’Hare and Harrison Bazianos in the final three minutes of regulation helped the Jumbos advance to the title game.
The championship game went all Tufts way starting with John Mulvihill’s goal just 1:08 into the first period. Goals from Sam Miller, Trace Norwell and two from Tyler Sendlak helped seal a 5-0 win and Boston Landing championship for the Jumbos. Goaltender Payton Durand stopped all 20 shots from the Bison in the win. Liam O’Hare earned MVP honors and the Jumbos extended their win streak to six games with the tournament win.
In the consolation game, SNHU took a 2-1 first period lead over Wentworth only to see the Leopards rally to tie the score at 2-2 after two periods of play on a power play goal by Dane Probe. The third period saw a flurry of early scoring as Ian Worthley and Matt Smoliga gave the Leopards a two-goal lead in the first 2: 13 of the period. The Penmen rallied back quickly with Tucker Twardovsky scoring shorthanded and Alex Muthersbaugh adding a power play goal to tie the score at 4-4. Late in the third period, Jacob Shankar provided the game-winning goal at even-strength for a 5-4 Leopard win.
CCC
Endicott faced Conn College in a non-conference game on Tuesday and after a scoreless first period, the Gulls were chasing the Camels in the second period coming back from three one goal deficits. Midway in the third period, Jackson Sterrett gave the Gulls a one-goal lead, but the Camels responded late on a goal from Devon Newhook and the teams settled for a 4-4 overtime tie.
Curry skated past Johnson & Wales on Saturday by a score of 3-1. Austan Bellefeuille picked up a goal and an assist while Jesse Galassi chipped in with a pair of assists for the Colonels.
Independents
Canton extended their unbeaten streak to three games with an overtime tie and a win over Brockport this weekend. On Friday, goals came in pairs as twice the Kangaroos took two goal leads only to see the Golden Eagles respond and tie the score. Evan Pringle led the offense with three assists while Nic Herringer and Colton Sipperley each recorded a goal and an assist for Canton. Kelson Hopper stopped 51 shots for Canton to secure the tie. On Saturday, the re-match was tied at 3-3 midway through the third period. Scott Cremen delivered the game-winning goal in the final six minutes of regulation for a 4-3 Kangaroo win.
MASCAC
MASCAC was one of the conferences returning to league play this week and Fitchburg State picked up a pair of key wins to kick-off the New Year. On Thursday, the Falcons and MCLA Trailblazers played a scoreless tie through regulation with Max Macchioni and Matthew Gover respectively stopping every shot that came their way. In overtime Adam Nedelka took advantage of a power play and scored the decisive goal in a 1-0 win. On Saturday, the game was tight with Salem State as Erik Larsson scored late in the second period for the Vikings to cut the Falcon lead to 3-2. Oliver Crookston provided an empty-net goal for some breathing room in a 4-2 win.
Plymouth State rallied from one-goal deficits against Westfield State twice on Saturday to skate into the third period tied at 2-2. Early in the third period Ethan Stuckless scored with the man advantage and the Panthers remained unbeaten in MASCAC play with a hard fought 3-2 win over the Owls.
NE-10
Assumption played back-to-back non-conference games to open the second half and split games with Johnson & Wales and Wentworth. On Tuesday, the Greyhounds surrendered leads of 3-1 and 4-3 before losing in overtime to the Wildcats, 5-4 on a goal from JWU’s Joe Freeman. The following night, Ronny Paragallo scored a hat trick to lead the Greyhounds to a 5-2 win over the Leopards. Saturday’s league game against Post was postponed.
On Wednesday, Post played a crazy contest against King’s skating away with a 6-5 win. The lead went back and forth between the teams before Post secured a 5-3 lead after two periods of play led by Jack Engdahl’s two goals and an assist. King’s rallied to tie the score with a pair of goals in the third period before Patrick Murphy’s power play tally secured the thrilling 6-5 win for the Eagles.
After surrendering the first goal of the game to Anna Maria’s Spencer Carpenter, the St. Anselm Hawks scored the next four goals coming from Hunter Brackett, Will Christensen, Patrick DeMarinis and an empty-net, shorthanded goal from Will Van Der Veen. Cam Carroll made 36 saves in the 4-1 Hawks win.
NEHC
Battles amongst ranked teams highlighted NEHC’s return to league play. On Friday, No. 1 Hobart traveled to face No. 10 Skidmore and the expected defensive battle turned into a goal fest. The Statesmen took a 3-1 lead in the second period only to see the Thoroughbreds rally with goals from Connor Wood and Stephen Perez to tie the game at 3-3. Artem Buzoverya gave Hobart a 4-3 lead before the end of the second period and Luke Aquaro iced the game late in the third period for a 5-3 win. On Saturday, Hobart scored 12 goals including hat tricks from Khalil Fontana and Ignat Belov in a 12-0 rout of Castleton which extended the Statesmen win streak to nine games. Mavrick Goyer made 11 saves to earn the shutout.
Elmira kept pace with their travel partner by taking two games on the weekend. On Friday, the Soaring Eagles fell behind early to the Spartans but scored four unanswered goals pacing a 4-1 win. On Saturday, Elmira faced Skidmore and followed the same recipe for a 3-1 win. Cooper Rice gave the Thoroughbreds an early 1-0 lead in the first period, but Elmira responded with goals from Mitch Haight, Chance Gorman, and Shawn Kennedy for a 3-1 win. Goaltender Kyle Curtin stopped 40 of 41 shots as Skidmore won the shot statistic, 41-25.
NESCAC
With Conn College and Tufts successfully winning holiday tournaments this weekend, the rest of NESCAC returned to conference play and Trinity continued their winning ways moving to the top of the standings with a pair of wins over Williams and Middlebury. On Friday, Ziv Deener-Chodirker’s second period goal for the Ephs sent the teams to the locker room trailing the Bantams by a 2-1 score. The third period was all Bantams including goals by James Barbour, Nicholas Siffringer, and Connor Sendlak within two minutes of each other that led a five-goal outburst and a 7-1 win. On Saturday, the game was a little tighter against a game Middlebury squad. Alexander Mozian scored a pair of goals in a 3-2 win.
Bowdoin scored the first three goals of the game on the way to a 4-2 win against Amherst on Friday night. Four different goal scorers contributed for the Polar Bears with Jesse Lycan and James Cerepak chipping in with a pair of assists each. On Saturday, Alex Kozic won the goaltending battle with Hamilton’s Jack Grant making 35 saves to earn a 2-0 shutout win. Gabe Shipper and Andy Stoneman provided all scoring Kozic would need as the Polar Bears picked up two big road wins.
SUNYAC
Cortland returned to action after the Oswego Classic with a non-conference game against Manhattanville on Tuesday. After falling behind 2-1 to the Valiants after the first period, the Red Dragons took advantage of two goals from Devlin O’Kane as part of four unanswered goals for a 5-2 road win. DJ Walsh picked up a pair of assists and goaltender Hunter Hein made 29 saves in the win.
UCHC
Utica returned to conference play with a weekend series against Manhattanville and skated away with a pair of victories by scores of 6-2 and 7-4. On Friday, a three-goal third period broke open a 3-1 contest as the Pioneers Andrew Della Rovere and Aiden Hughes each picked up a goal and an assist for Utica. Seven different players scored goals on Saturday as a four-goal second period gave the Pioneers a lead they wouldn’t relinquish against a Valiant squad that fought hard to come back. Drake Morse scored a goal and added two assists while Brian Scoville picked up three assists in the win that moved Utica to 7-0-1 in UCHC play.
Alvernia played a two-game series against Buffalo State and dropped Saturday’s game, 4-3 to the Bengals. The Golden Wolves scored first with Logan Vande Meerakker giving the visitors an early 1-0 lead before the Bengals tied the score in the final minute of play off the stick of Connor Bizal. Two goals in the second period gave Buffalo State a 3-1 lead that Vande Meerakker’s second of the game cut the deficit to one goal after 40 minutes. Ryan Messing restored the two-goal advantage and Eli Rivers late goal wasn’t enough to complete an Alvernia comeback. On Sunday, the Golden Wolves left no doubt for the outcome jumping to a 3-0 lead in the first period on goals by Vande Meerakker, Issac Chapman, and Christian Dahl on the way to a comfortable 7-2 win to earn a split of the weekend series.
Three Biscuits
Ronny Paragallo – Assumption – led the Greyhound offense with a hat trick in a 5-2 win over Wentworth on Wednesday night.
Mason Rosado – Babson – stopped all 23 shots he faced in Babson’s 4-0 win over New England College on Friday night.
Sean Dynan – Conn College – stopped all 41 shots he faced earning MVP honors as the Camels downed Massachusetts-Boston to take the 58th Annual Codfish Bowl with a 3-0 win.
Now for the fill-in on the teaser from the introduction to this week’s wrap-up column. Having had a recent discussion with a D-III NCAA Tournament Committee member, there is a submission pending with the NCAA based on the long-standing required ratio of total institutions playing D-III ice hockey. This information and formal request is seeking to expand the 2024 tournament to 13 teams from the current 12. The submission and supporting documentation has been submitted and seems likely to be approved at this week’s NCAA convention. Let’s all hope this comes to fruition and another institution gets an opportunity to play for a national championship starting this year.
Minnesota State goalie Keenan Rancier makes a save over the weekend against Augustana (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Sun Devils win Desert Hockey Classic
A week after winning the Adirondack Winter Invitational, Arizona State took another step towards an NCAA tournament bid as an at-large this weekend, earning its second-consecutive tournament win. The host Sun Devils beat Harvard 5-2 then topped Omaha 2-1 in overtime to win the Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe. Ryan O’Reilly scored three goals on the weekend and TJ Semptimphelter made 42 saves in the tournament while Kyle Smolen’s overtime game-winner helped the Sun Devils move up to No. 16 in the Pairwise rankings. ASU, now 16-3-5, has another prime chance to climb the Pairwise this upcoming weekend when they host Cornell for a series in Tempe.
2. Badgers keep rolling in B1G
It doesn’t seem that Wisconsin will be cooling down any time soon. The Badgers’ win streak reached nine following their sweep of Notre Dame in South Bend. On Friday night, Charlie Stramel scored the game-winner right minutes into the third period to lead Wisconsin to a 2-1 victory. Saturday’s game had a few more twists and turns. Although the Badgers led the whole way–including 5-1 early in the second period–the Irish didn’t back down and eventually scored the next three goals to cut Wisconsin’s lead to 5-4 at the end of the second. However, Ben Dexheimer gave the Badgers some insurance eight minutes into the third and Carson Bantle scored an empty-netter to make it a 6-4 final. The sweep put Wisconsin atop the B1G standings, and UW’s win streak is its longest since 1989-90.
3. Atlantic intrigue
The top of Atlantic Hockey isn’t separated by much. Coming into the weekend, idle RIT sat atop the league standings. But following last week’s results, the top three slots in the league are separated by just three points. Sacred Heart, who split with Mercyhurst, leapfrogged RIT to (at least temporarily) move into first place with 28 points. RIT–who beat Clarkson and tied with St. Lawrence in some nonconference games on the weekend–has 27 points. Meanwhile, American International earned just two points on the weekend, winning a shootout against Holy Cross on Friday but falling to the Crusaders on Saturday; the Yellow Jackets have 25 points in third. All this is to say: don’t expect more clarity on how AHA plays out anytime soon.
4. Maine rallies for tie, keeps streak alive
Seventh-ranked Maine rallied from a three-goal deficit against Colgate on Saturday night to avoid defeat and keep their unbeaten streak to eight games. The Black Bears–currently No. 3 in the Pairwise–beat Colgate 3-1 on Friday behind goals from Bradly Nadeau, Harrison Scott and Ryan Hopkins. However, Colgate came out swinging on Saturday. The Raiders scored the game’s first three goals–including a strike from Brett Chroske just 59 seconds in–but Maine kept chipping away. Donavan Villeneuve-Houle helped them get one back later in the first, then Thomas Freel scored twice in the final minute of the second to tie it at 3-all. Chorske gave the Raiders the lead early in the fourth, but the Black Bears had a final answer in the form of Sully Scholle, who scored with less than five minutes to play to tie it up. The teams skated to a scoreless overtime to help Maine, now 13-3-2, earn the tie. The Black Bears are currently third place in Hockey East and return to league play next week with a series against UConn.
5. North Dakota sweeps Alaska
After an uncharacteristic three-game losing streak (all in overtime, North Dakota got back on track with a sweep of Alaska in Grand Forks. The Fighting Hawks netted six goals in each game. Riese Garber and Owen McLaughlin scored three goals on the weekend while Hunter Johannes and Cameron Berg both had two. UND finished its nonconference season at 9-2-0 as they move into the second half of the NCHC season; they are just four points behind NCHC leaders St. Cloud State. Alaska, meanwhile, saw its hopes of an at-large NCAA bid take something of a hit with the losses. The Nanooks are currently No. 21 in the Pairwise and their opportunities to move up will be limited from this point on; their two series against Arizona State are the only ones left against a team ranked higher than them in the Pairwise.
6. Nonconference sweeps for UNH, Western, Denver
Aside from North Dakota, a number of other top-15 Pairwise teams managed to sweep their non-league opponents to open 2024. Western Michigan traveled to Lindenwood and won twice; they scored twice in the third period Friday to win 3-2 before taking the series finale 6-1. WMU, now up to 10th in the Pairwise, had already defeated the Lions twice in Kalamazoo back in December. Meanwhile, Pairwise No. 8 Denver took it to Niagara, winning 5-2 and 6-1 in Colorado. Finally, New Hampshire topped Princeton in back-to-back games, winning 5-2 and 3-1 at home in Durham. The Wildcats’ 11-5-1 start to the season is their best since 2012-13; they are currently No. 12 in the Pairwise.
7. Wild win for Penn State
Down four goals early through the second period, Penn State seemed outmatched against Army West Point. The Black Knights led the Nittany Lions led 6-2 after Max Itagaki’s tally five minutes into the middle frame. However, Penn State managed to overturn that deficit and complete the largest comeback in program history. PSU scored twice in the second to make it 6-4 going into second intermission, and then the Nittany Lions scored twice in the first three minutes of the third to tie it up. Aiden Fink scored what would prove to be the game-winner midway through the third period.
8. Quinnipiac settles for tie with Northeastern
Quinnipiac saw a goal by defenseman Cooper Moore overturned late in the third period after Northeastern challenged for interference, and the two teams eventually skated to a 3-3 tie in overtime. Moore had scored his first goal as a Bobcat earlier in the game, and the teams went back-and-forth the entire contest. Victor Czerneckianair and Charles-Alexis Legault also scored for the Bobcats, while Vinny Borgesi, Jack Williams and Dylan Hryckowian scored for Northeastern. The Bobcats (13-4-2) sit at No. 5 in the Pairwise and return to ECAC play next week with a series against Princeton.
9. Minnesota State back above .500
It’s no secret that CCHA teams have been struggling this season. Only two teams are currently above the .500 mark, and both are just barely there. One of those teams, Michigan Tech, is currently 9-8-4 following their win in the Great Lakes Invitational the previous week. The other team above the .500 mark is Minnesota State, who got there this past weekend following a nonconference series against future league rival Augustrana. The Mavericks, now 9-8-3, scored twice in the third period of Friday night’s game in South Dakota for a hard-fought 3-3 tie. The Mavericks also needed some late-period magic on Saturday, netting two goals in the final frame to win 2-1. Sam Morton, the CCHA’s leading goalscorer, had one in each game. Morton has 15 goals and is third on the national leaderboard behind Denver’s Jack Devine and Western Michigan’s Dylan Wendt.
10. CC upsets Minnesota
We don’t usually have late Sunday night games to write about when we are working on these columns. However, there was one matchup last night that raised enough eyebrows to mention. No. 20 Colorado College – ranked for the first time in 11 years – traveled to Minneapolis to play Minnesota for the first time since the dissolution of the old WCHA. And the Tigers, behind two goals by Bret Link and 33 saves by Kaidan Mbereko (and despite two goals by Gophers star forward Jimmy Snuggerud), managed to knock off the Gophers 6-4. It was CC’s third-straight win over an opponent in the top 10 of the Pairwise, as they swept North Dakota in Grand Forks to close out 2023. The teams return to 3M Arena at Mariucci for the finale of this odd Sunday-Monday series tonight in Minneapolis.
Concordia knocked off St. Scholastica in the opener of their MIAC series. (Photo provided by Concordia Athletics)
Facing one of its biggest tests of the season, Concordia found a way to pass it.
Up against the second-ranked team in the nation in St. Scholastica, which had lost only once all season, the Cobbers scored two second period goals that propelled them to a 2-1 win at home on Friday.
Concordia had dropped its last two games but shook that skid off while handing the Saints their first MIAC loss of the year.
Matt Fitzgerald helped the Cobbers hold one of the top scoring offenses in the country to a single goal, stopping 28 shots, while Cole O’Connell scored the game winner midway through the second period, his fifth of the season. Troy Dahlheimer scored the first goal.
Jack Bostedt made 26 saves while Filimon Ledenkov tallied the Saints’ only goal.
St. Scholastica was able to bounce back Saturday, however, winning 6-3 to salvage a split.
The Saints punched in four goals in the third period to secure the win. Two of those goals, though were empty-netters as St. Scholastica ended a two-game losing streak.
Carsen Richels scored twice for the Saints, who were outshot 26-21. Bostedt had 23 saves. Fitzgerald made 15.
Concordia lost a home game for the first time all year and is 7-5-1 overall and 3-3 in the conference. St. Scholastica is 11-2 and 5-1.
Oles upset Blugolds
Off nearly a month, St. Olaf didn’t need much time to get back into the swing of things, upsetting No. 9 UW-Eau Claire 3-2 Friday for its win over a ranked team this season.
The Oles hadn’t played hockey in 27 days but made a statement in their return thanks to a game-winning goal from Bjorn Lervik, who scored midway through the second period. The Blugolds had tied the game moments earlier.
Sean Walsh and Jonathan Panisa also scored goals for the Oles, who have now beaten four ranked teams since 2017 but won for only the second time against UW-Eau Claire in the last 12 meetings between the schools.
Connor Szmul and Aaron Swanson came through with goals for the Blugolds, who fell to 8-5-1, but were able to pick win No. 9 on the year Saturday with a 5-0 win over Saint Mary’s. Ryan Green scored twice in the victory.
St. Olaf improved to 6-6-2 and then got its seventh win of the year a night later as it rolled past Northland 10-0 for its second win in a row. Troy Bowditch and Jonathan Young each tallied a pair of goals to fuel the double-digit win.
UW-Eau Claire bounced back Saturday with a 5-0 win over Saint Mary’s. Max Gutjahr picked up his third shutout win of the year and his eighth victory overall as the Blugolds improved to 9-5-1.
Trine knocked off Adrian Friday night in a battle of ranked teams. (Photo provided by Trine Athletics)
Thunder wins battle of ranked teams
Tyler Blanchard was the hero for Trine in Friday night’s battle against Adrian.
Blanchard scored the game-winner against the No. 4 Bulldogs in the third minute of overtime to lift the No. 14 Thunder to a 5-4 victory.
It was one of two goals scored by Blanchard, who lifted the Thunder to their 12th win of the season.
It appeared early on as if Trine might dominate this battle of nationally ranked teams in the USCHO.com poll. The Thunder scored the first two goals, with Bobby Price and Blanchard finding the back of the net in the opening period.
Trine led 2-1 after one but found itself in a 4-4 tie with the Bulldogs after two.
Neither team scored in the third.
Kyle Kozma made 24 saves for the Thunder while Dershahn Stewart tallied 28 saves.
The Thunder improved to 6-1 on the year at home and are 12-3-2 overall this season.
Adrian came out of the weekend with a 10-4-1 record after beating Aurora 1-0 Saturday in Toledo. Bradley Somers scored the only goal of the game. Adrian held a 31-18 shot advantage.
Pointers power past Auggies
In March, these two teams needed four overtimes to decide a winner in an NCAA tournament game. This one didn’t take quite as long, however, as they beat the Auggies 4-2 in regulation. The nation’s eighth-ranked team defeated Hamline 5-1 to open the weekend with a win.
Against the Auggies, the Pointers surged ahead 2-0 but were tied at 2-2 late in the third before Sean Bunting put UW-Stevens Point ahead for good with under six minutes to play. Fletcher Anderson’s empty net goal sealed the deal. Conor Weatherspoon and Dawson Sciarrino also scored for the Pointers, who have won four in a row.
Alex Proctor tallied 23 saves while Samuel Vyletelka made 31 saves for the Auggies.
UW-Steves Point is 11-3 on the year while Augsburg has dropped two in a row and sits at 6-5-1 on the year.
Sweep success for Johnnies
Saint John’s came up big in a MIAC series against Gustavus, finishing off a sweep of the Gusties Saturday with a 5-1 win.
Along the way they ended a lengthy power-play drought, scoring their first in that situation since Nov. 24 as Jack Olsen got the scoring started for the Johnnies.
Matt DeRosa scored twice to push his season total to a team-best seven, and Jackson Borst scored his first collegiate goal. Garrett Smith also scored a goal, finding the back of the net for the second night in a row.
Bailey Huber made 22 saves, allowing his only goal of the night to Kyle Fenton.
The Johnnies won the opener Friday by a 3-2 score, scoring all three goals in the third period. They are unbeaten in their last three games and have won two in a row, pushing their record to 5-8-2 overall and 3-5 in the MIAC. Gustavus drops to 7-6-2 overall and 2-5-1 in the MIAC.
Concordia won the Border Battle Cup against Lake Forest. (Photo provided by Concordia Athletics)
Falcons win the Border Battle
It turned out to be a big weekend for Concordia, which swept Lake Forest to win the Border Battle Cup.
The Falcons finished off the series Saturday with a 4-2 win after winning 7-6 in an overtime thriller on Friday in the series opener.
Concordia has won two in a row and three of its last four to improve to 6-9 on the season. The Falcons are 4-4 in NCHA action.
Sawyer Wirsing and Dain Sardelli both came up big for the Falcons, scoring two goals apiece. Sardelli scored both of his goals off the power play.
Gabe Rosek also rose to the occasion, racking up nearly 50 saves (49) to help the Falcons claim the cup for just the third time in the nine-year existence of the rivalry game. Concordia won the title for the first time since 2020 and swept the series for the first time since 2018.
Lake Forest dropped to 5-10 overall and 2-6 in the conference.
Wirsing helped Concordia nail down Friday’s win, scoring in the fourth minute of OT. Rosek made 44 saves.
No. 7 Maine (13-3-2)
01/05/2024 – Colgate 1 at No. 7 Maine 3
01/06/2024 – Colgate 4 at No. 7 Maine 4 (OT)
No. 8 Michigan State (13-4-3)
01/05/2024 – U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team* 2 at No. 8 Michigan State 5
No. 9 Providence (10-5-2)
Did not play.
No. 10 Minnesota (9-6-4)
01/01/2024 – U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team* 2 at No. 10 Minnesota 3
01/07/2024 – No. 20 Colorado College 6 at No. 10 Minnesota 4
No. 11 Western Michigan (13-4-1)
01/05/2024 – No. 11 Western Michigan 3 at Lindenwood 2
01/06/2024 – No. 11 Western Michigan 6 at Lindenwood 1
No. 12 Arizona State (16-3-5)
01/05/2024 – Harvard 2 at No. 12 Arizona State 5 (Desert Hockey Classic)
01/06/2024 – RV Omaha 1 at No. 12 Arizona State 2 (OT, Desert Hockey Classic)
Aiden Fink scores what proves to be the game-winning goal Saturday night as Penn State downs Army West Point 7-6 (photo: Penn State Athletics).
No. 19 Penn State used five unanswered goals to erase a four-goal deficit and complete the largest comeback in program history, defeating Army West Point 7-6 in nonconference action on a snow-filled Saturday evening inside Pegula Ice Arena in State College, Pa.
Ryan Kirwan led the comeback with a career-best four points on two goals and two assists while Aiden Fink finished the comeback with his second goal of the game midway through the third period.
The Nittany Lions opened the scoring with an early man-advantage tally as Fink wheeled up the far side and snuck a shot short side over the shoulder of Army goaltender Gavin Abric and under the crossbar for the 1-0 edge at the 2:04 mark.
The Black Knights evened the score with a power-play goal of their own as Mac Gadowsky fed a wide-open Jake Hewitt between the rings and he deposited the puck past the blocker of Penn State netminder Noah Grannan for the 1-1 score at 9:07 of the first period.
Army then turned a pair of turnovers into goals for the 3-1 lead as Brent Keefer and Andrew Garby scored just 19 seconds apart midway through the opening stanza. Penn State cut the deficit in half heading into the first intermission as Simon Mack sniped one over the glove of Abric from the far dot for the 3-2 score at the 17-minute mark.
The Black Knights pushed the lead to 5-2 early in the second period with goals in quick succession again as Barron Woodring and Joey Baez scored just 14 ticks apart in the first 70 seconds of the frame. Army continued to pressure as Max Itagaki outbattled a Nittany Lions player for a short-handed goal and the 6-2 lead at 5:16 of the middle period.
Penn State got a few back over the final seven minutes of the second period to gain momentum for the final frame as Reese Laubach redirected a shot from Matt DiMarsico at the near post for the 6-3 score at the seven-minute mark before Kirwan intercepted a pass at the offensive blue line and sniped a shot from between the circles for the 6-4 deficit with just under two minutes remaining in the period.
The Nittany Lions raced out of the gates in the third period, scoring twice in under a minute to tie the game at 6-6 as Kirwan lit the lamp at the 1:44 mark before Christian Berger snuck one through traffic from the near point past a screen by Kirwan for the tying score at the 2:41 mark.
A stretch of four-on-four play after matching roughing calls set the stage for the game winner as Laubach wheeled back into the neutral zone, dishing a pass to Fink who bolted up the far side beating three Black Knight defenders to get in alone before beating Abric past the glove for what wound up being the 7-6 final at 10:01 of the third period.
Liam Souliere earned the victory in goal after stopping 19 shots over the final 49:03 of game action after replacing Grannan, who made six saves in the opening 10:57.
Kyle Smolen’s goal 1:43 into overtime gave the host Sun Devils the Desert Hockey Classic championship with a 2-1 win over Omaha at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
Ryan O’Reilly scored ASU’s first goal 2:10 into the third period after Omaha’s Tanner Ludtke gave the Mavericks the lead at 14:44 of the first period.
TJ Semptimphelter made 26 saves for the Sun Devils, while Simon Latkoczy finished with 33 for Omaha.
In the third-place game, UMass Lowell beat Harvard 7-4 as Jake Stella and Nick Rhéaume each had a goal and two assists and Luke Pavicich made 26 saves between the pipes.
No. 3 Quinnipiac 3, Northeastern 3 (OT)
Dylan Hryckowian’s power-play goal at 11:30 of the third period pulled Northeastern into a 3-3 tie with Quinnipiac Saturday night at Matthews Arena in Boston.
Jack Williams and Vinny Borgesi also scored for the Huskies, who got a 34-save effort from goalie Cameron Whitehead. Hryckowian added two assists for a multi-point game and Gunnarwolfe Fontaine also picked up two assists for Northeastern.
For the Bobcats, Cooper Moore, Charles Alexis Legault and Victor Czerneckianair scored as Vinny Duplessis stopped 40 shots between the pipes.
No. 4 North Dakota 6, Alaska 2
North Dakota finished off the Nanooks 6-2 to get the weekend sweep at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
Riese Gaber went for a goal and two assists and Hunter Johannes scored twice as Hobie Hedquist made 17 saves in goal.
Mathieu De St. Phalle posted a pair of goals for Wisconsin, while Carson Bantle, William Whitelaw and Simon Tassy each registered a goal and an assist.
David Silye chipped in three assists and Ben Dexheimer and Zach Schulz also scored to back Kyle McClellan and William Gramme’s 41 saves in goal.
For the Irish, Maddox Fleming, Brennan Ali, Landon Slaggert and Carter Slaggert scored and Ryan Bischel finished with a 26-save effort in the blue paint.
No. 6 Denver 6, Niagara 1
The Pioneers earned their weekend sweep as Tristan Broz netted two goals and added two assists to guide DU to a 6-1 win over the Purple Eagles at Denver’s Magness Arena.
Aidan Thompson and Miko Matikka each had a goal with an assist, while Carter King and Jared Wright also scored.
Tristan Broz picks up his 3rd point of the night with the assist on Aidan Thompson's goal. pic.twitter.com/y3xSsBKSuO
Tyler Wallace scored Niagara’s lone goal on a second-period power play and Mitchell Day kicked out 34 shots in net.
No. 7 Maine 4, Colgate 4 (Maine wins shootout)
Maine battled back from a three-goal deficit to force overtime and eventually come away with a 4-4 tie against Colgate on Saturday night at Alfond Arena in Orono, Maine.
Colgate’s Brett Chorske scored 59 seconds into the contest and took a 3-0 lead by the 11:21 mark on subsequent goals by Ryan McGuire and Daniel Panetta.
Donavan Villeneuve-Houle scored just 35 seconds after the Raiders’ third score to cut the deficit to two entering the first intermission.
The second period played on with the 3-1 score until Thomas Freel scored two goals 19 seconds apart in the final minute of the frame. The Raiders retook the lead early in the third period as Chorske netted his second of the game.
Late in the period, Maine’s Sully Scholle tied the game at 17:37.
Neither team scored in the overtime period, but the Black Bears won the shootout.
Victor Ostman and Albin Boija combined to make 26 saves for Maine, while Carter Gylander stopped 41 for Colgate.
St. Lawrence 1, No. 18 RIT 1 (RIT wins shootout)
RIT goaltender Tommy Scarfone made a career-high 46 saves in the Tigers’ 1-1 tie opposite visiting St. Lawrence Saturday night at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester, N.Y.
Elijah Gonsalves gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead early in the first period, but the Saints scored the equalizer on a goal by Tyler Cristall in the opening minute of the third period.
From left, Josh Nadeau, Alfred Lindberg, and Kyle McClellan (photos: Maine Athletics, AIC Athletics, Wisconsin Athletics).
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced its men’s monthly award winners for December.
Maine junior forward Josh Nadeau is the player of the month, while American International freshman forward Alfred Lindberg is the rookie of the month and Wisconsin senior Kyle McClellan the goaltender of the month.
Nadeau averaged two points per game with his 6-6-12 line in six games played for the red-hot Black Bears (6-0-0 in December). Among the month’s highlights: a hat trick in a 5-2 win over UNH to start the month and a pair of goals in a 3-2 win over Bentley.
Lindberg led all freshmen with 13 points in December. He went 6-7-13, good for 1.86 points per game. He had at least one point in each game and finished with six points in road wins at Canisius and UMass Lowell.
McClellan recorded three shutouts in five games in the month of December. Included in that trio were back-to-back 3-0 shutouts in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee. Overall, he stopped 130 of 134 shots in a 5-0-0 month. His GAA was 0.80 and his save percentage was .970.
From left, Sarah Fillier, Sam Taber, Sanni Ahola, and Josie Bothun (photos: Princeton Athletics, Boston College Athletics, St. Cloud State Athletics, Penn State Athletics).
The Hockey Commissioners Association has announced its women’s monthly award winners for December.
Princeton senior forward Sarah Fillier is the player of the month, while Boston College freshman forward Sam Taber is the rookie of the month and the co-goaltenders of the month are St. Cloud State senior Sanni Ahola and Penn State senior Josie Bothun.
Fillier had the goal scorer’s touch in December, scoring seven goals in just four games, her total line being 7-2-9.
Taber played in just three games but averaged nearly three points per game (2.67), going 2-6-8 and leading the Eagles to a 2-0-1 record on the month.
The top HCA goalie for the second time, Ahola was 2-0-1, including a 46-save performance in the Huskies’ 2-1 victory over No. 1 Ohio State. Her save percentage was .973 and her GAA was 0.97.
Bothun backstopped PSU to a 3-1-0 record and finished the month with a 1.26 GAA and a .954 save percentage. She picked up a win against Yale, allowing four goals in a two-game split.
North Dakota players celebrate one of their five goals in the second period Friday night on home ice against Alaska (photo: Russell Hons).
Gavin McCarthy tied the game at 16:41 of the second period and then scored the lone shootout goal as No. 2 Boston University skated to a 1-1 draw with Canadian university Simon Fraser in Friday’s exhibition at Agganis Arena in Boston.
After neither team broke through in overtime, Max Lacroix turned aside all three attempts he faced before McCarthy, the third Terrier over the boards in the shootout, scored the winner.
Lacroix finished the night with 14 saves in his first-ever appearance for the Terriers since joining the team from the NAHL’s Colorado Grit at the Christmas break.
Kolby Matthews stopped 46 shots for Simon Fraser while Walker Erickson gave SFU a 1-0 lead at 13:42 of the first period.
Riese Gaber and Owen McLaughlin each had two goals and an assist as No. 4 North Dakota defeated Alaska 6-4 Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.
Cameron Berg and Louis Jamernik V also scored to back Hobie Hedquist’s 23 saves in goal in his first-ever start. Garrett Pyke chipped in two assists.
North Dakota pulled ahead with a five-goal second period.
For Alaska, Caleb McDonald went for two goals and an assist, while Payton Matsui and Chase Dafoe added single goals.
TJ Lloyd had two assists and Pierce Charleson and Lassi Lehti combined on 22 saves between the pipes for the Nanooks.
No. 5 Wisconsin 2, Notre Dame 1
Charlie Stramel’s power-play goal at 8:02 of the third period pushed Wisconsin past Notre Dame 2-1 on Friday night at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind.
The victory moves the Badgers into first place in the Big Ten and gave them their eighth consecutive victory.
Owen Lindmark also scored for the Badgers and goalie Kyle McClellan stopped 33 shots for the win.
Hunter Strand tied the game for the Irish with a short-handed goal at 19:24 of the second period.
Ryan Bischel made 27 saves for Notre Dame.
No. 13 UMass 3, UConn 3 (UConn wins shootout)
The Minutemen and Huskies played to a 3-3 tie through 65 minutes and UConn took the shootout point for the Hockey East standings, 1-0 in four rounds, Friday night at Mullins Center in Amherst, Mass.
Following a scoreless first, Jack Musa put the Minutemen on the board 1:17 into the second period. UConn promptly tied things up just 43 seconds later as Jake Percival scored on a partial brekaway.
The Huskies then pulled in front 2-1 midway through the period when Joey Muldoney beat UMass netminder Cole Brady at the 11:38 mark.
Bradly Nadeau put Maine up 5:26 into the first period. Harrison Scott scored less than five minutes into the second period before Ryan Hopkins’ goal with a minute to play in the frame made it 3-0 at the second intermission.
Ryan McGuire scored for Colgate and Carter Gylander stopped 32 shots in net.
No. 12 Arizona State 5, Harvard 2
Kyle Smolen scored twice with an assist and Ryan O’Reilly added two goals of his own as Arizona State downed Harvard 5-2 at the Desert Hockey Classic at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
Cole Gordon also scored for the Sun Devils and goaltender TJ Semptimphelter finished with 16 saves and an assist.
Ryan Fine and Michael Callow notched Harvard’s goals and Derek Mullahy made 25 saves in goal.
Omaha 4, UMass Lowell 3 (OT)
With 20 seconds left in overtime, Griffin Ludtke scored from the high slot to send the Mavericks to the Desert Hockey Classic championship game with a 4-3 win over UMass Lowell at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.
Jimmy Glynn had a goal and an assist for Omaha, while Victor Mancini and Zach Urdahl also scored.
In goal, Simon Latkoczy made 22 saves.
Nick Rhéaume, Owen Cole and Isaac Jonsson scored for the River Hawks, Ben Meehan and Filip Fornåå Svensson each posted two assists, and Luke Pavicich stopped 32 shots between the pipes.
Team USA gathers for the group photo to celebrate the 2024 World Junior championship Friday (photo: Matt Zambonin/IIHF).
The U.S. National Junior Team, behind two goals from Isaac Howard (Michigan State) and goals from four additional players, defeated Sweden 6-2 Friday night in the gold medal game of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship at Frolundaborg in Gothenburg, Sweden.
It marks the sixth gold medal for the United States in the tournament all time.
“The guys played excellent today,” said David Carle (Denver), head coach of the U.S. National Junior Team, in a statement. “It’s a joy for them. They focused on getting to this game and playing their best for the last game of the tournament and I thought they did that. It’s a great honor to be a part of a winning team.”
The U.S. finished the tournament with a 6-1-0-0 record and Team USA earned its 15th tournament medal.
Team USA struck first on a delayed penalty 16:56 into the opening period to take a 1-0 lead. Rutger McGroarty (Michigan/Winnipeg Jets) sent a cross-zone pass to Will Smith (Boston College) on the point, who then fired a rocket on net toward Gabe Perreault (Boston College) to deflect past the pad of Hugo Havelid.
Sweden’s Otto Stenberg deflected a shot from Mattias Havelid to tie the score 1-1 at 2:13 in the middle stanza.
The U.S. took a 2-1 lead at 9:24 in the second period after Drew Fortescue (Boston College) sent a stretch pass to Howard, who blew past a Swedish defender on a breakaway and slid the puck past Havelid.
Howard added his second goal of the game at the 14:19 mark of the second period with a shot from the goal line that deflected off Havelid to put Team USA ahead 3-1. Gavin Brindley (Michigan) picked up an assist on the play.
Sweden cut the U.S. lead to 3-2 with five seconds remaining in the second frame when Jonathan Lekkerimaki buried a one-timer from the point on the power play.
Zeev Buium (Denver) and Team USA responded with a goal 1:19 into the final period off an offensive zone face off. Perreault won the draw back to Smith, who set up Buium on the point for a one-timer that cleared the blocker of Havelid to put the U.S. back up by two goals, 4-2.
With under four minutes remaining in the contest, Ryan Leonard (Boston College) picked the pocket of a Swedish defensemen and drove hard to the net, tucking the puck past Havelid to extend the U.S. lead to 5-2.
McGroarty added an empty-net goal with 3:10 remaining in the game.
Trey Augustine (Michigan State) finished with 24 saves for his eighth career victory at the World Juniors.
NOTES: Howard was named the U.S. Player of the Game … Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) was named the Best Forward of the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship … Team USA and Sweden were even with 26 shots each … Team USA was 0 for 2 on the power play, while Sweden was 1 for 2 … The U.S. won its sixth gold medal in the IIHF World Junior Championship, with the previous five coming in 2021, 2017, 2013, 2010 and 2004 … Howard finished tied for the most goals at the 2024 World Juniors (7) and Gauthier finished tied for the most points with 12 (two goals, 10 assists).
Goaltender Tate Brandon is among the nation’s statistical leaders leaders at Skidmore but is focused on competing for a NEHC title with the Thoroughbreds (Photo by Skidmore Athletics)
With Friday night’s matchup between No. 1 ranked Hobart on the road to face No. 10 Skidmore, there was a definite opportunity to put the spotlight both teams contending near the top of the NEHC standings. While Hobart won a non-conference game over Middlebury last weekend, the Thoroughbreds have been waiting nearly a month to get back to real action and get rid of the residual disappointment of losing their final game before the semester to No. 7 ranked Geneseo – their only loss in the first half. Skidmore does not enter the second half lightly as Saturday brings another ranked team in Elmira and Tuesday’s opponent is a very talented Cortland team from the SUNYAC.
“This is the longest month of the year,” said head coach Rob Hutchison. “We played a really good hockey game against a very good Geneseo team, and it didn’t go our way to close out the first half. You really want to get back on the ice as quickly as possible and get back to game action, but the semester break delays that. We have been skating again since late last week and the team is anxious and excited to get back out there and play a game. Hobart is very good in all aspects under Coach Taylor, and I expect this Friday to be a really fun atmosphere in a game that should have great pace and skill on both ends of the ice.”
Despite the talent on both teams and playing on a larger than regulation ice sheet, goals are likely to be at a premium due to the excellent team defense played by both teams as well as the outstanding goaltending manning the creases for each squad. Mavrick Goyer and Damon Beaver have already produced seven shutouts this season, but senior Tate Brandon has been equally impressive recording three shutouts this season along with a 1.20 goals-against average and .954 save percentage in 11 games played for the Thoroughbreds.
“I am not sure where I can definitively say that Tate is better this season, but he definitely has stepped up his game so far this year,” stated Hutchison. “He is the ultimate competitor and loves playing for his teammates. I think there is maybe a bit more confidence in his game this year and he knows that as a senior this is his last hurrah to help our team to the top. He has been great in the locker room showing his leadership and what he does on the ice backs up the talk. He is certainly a big part of the early success this season and we will need him to continue to play at this level in the second half.
While Brandon gets a lot of attention, the depth of the Skidmore roster may be the best in Hutchison’s tenure – including a team that reached the NEHC title game just two seasons ago and lost in the semifinals to Hobart last year.
“We have great talent that now has experience,” noted Hutchison. “While we are still learning and growing, we make different and lesser mistakes now that have shown our maturity as a group. Out first line with Kaeden [Patrick] and Everett [Wardle] has been awesome but our depth has been contributing a lot to our success and we should be getting a couple of more guys back from injury that will also be key pieces in the second half for us. I am really pleased with our forward group and our D-corps so far and I think we are only going to get better when we get back to real action this weekend.”
Following nearly a month off since their last game on December 8, 2023, Skidmore will play five games in eight days to jumpstart their second half of the season and title run in the NEHC.
