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Women’s Division I College Hockey: Weekend Wrap December 11, 2023

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Minnesota State at (1) Ohio State

Four of Ohio State’s six goals were scored by defenders as the Buckeyes took a 6-1 win over Minnesota State on Saturday. Hannah Bilka led OSU with three assists. Jenn Gardiner, Jenna Buglioni, Cayla Barnes, Lauren Bernard, Hadley Hartmetz and Stephanie Markowski each lit the lamp for Ohio State. Kianna Roeske was the goal-scorer for the Mavericks in the loss. The teams went back and forth during the first period on Sunday. Ohio State scored first on a tap-in by Olivia Mobley of a pass from Cayla Barnes. Mankato responded immediately on a goal from Whitney Tuttle to make it 1-1. Kiara Zanon gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead before the end of the frame as she cycled the puck around and put a shot from near the blue line through traffic. The teams skated to for nearly 40 minutes of scoreless hockey after that before OSU took advantage on the power play on a goal from Joy Dunne to put the game more out of reach and an empty-netter from Kelsey King to secure the 4-1 win and weekend sweep. 

(3) Wisconsin at (2) Minnesota 

The Border Battle opened with three straight penalties and four goals in the first period on Friday night. Abbey Murphy notched her 100th career point with the first goal of the night, but Wisconsin’s Maddie Wheeler responded just 46 seconds later to tie the game 1-1. The Badgers went ahead 2-1 with a power play goal from Kirsten Simms, but Murphy sniped her second of the game for a power play goal of her own to make it 2-2 at the first intermission. From there, the Gophers took control. Nelli Laitinen scored on a shot from distance that caught UW goalie Jane Gervais sleeping and then Sadie Lindsay swatted in a loose puck to make it 4-2 Minnesota. Solveig Neunzert scored from long distance in the third to put the Gophers up 5-2. Casey O’Brien clawed one back with about six to play, but even pulling the goalie, Wisconsin could not get another puck past Lucy Morgan, who finished the game with 33 saves. In the second game, Josefin Bouveng scored during a 3-on-1 to put Minnesota up 1-0. Midway through the game, Lacey Eden hopped off the bench on a quick change to catch the Gophers off balance and take off for a short-handed chance that she buried to tie the game 1-1 and start a Wisconsin rally. A few minutes later, Kelly Gorbatenko scored a diving goal on the power play where she used her long reach to wrap the puck behind Skylar Vetter to make it 2-1 Wisconsin. Eden scored her second of the game after a great effort by Cassie Hall to make it 3-1. In the third, Anna Wilgren laid across the Badger goal mouth to prevent Minnesota from scoring, Wisconsin took off in transition and Kirsten Simms pulled the puck across the slot to beat the defenders and make it 4-1. The Badgers put a cap on the win with a great give and go from Casey O’Brien and Britta Curl in the final two minutes to give Wisconsin a 5-1 win and weekend split. 

(6) Minnesota Duluth at (8) St. Cloud State

Huskies goaltender Jojo Chobak stopped 25 of 27 shots against her former team on Friday, but St. Cloud was only able to light the lamp once and UMD took a 2-1 overtime win. After a scoreless first period, defender Nina Jobst-Smith threw the puck on net from beyond the blue line and lit the lamp to make it 1-0. Avery Farrell responded for St. Cloud in the third period to tie the game 1-1 and force overtime. The Bulldogs received a power play and Tova Henderson put the puck back on net from inside the left circle to win the game for UMD. In the second game, the Huskies showed some of the skill and determination that has allowed them to take points from both Ohio State and Minnesota over the past eight days. Five different Huskies scored for SCSU, starting with Klàrà Hymlàrovà in the first putting back a puck that squirted out into the crease. Alice Sauriol’s shot from the slot made it 2-0 late in the second. Farrell scored her second of the weekend on a beauty of a shorthanded breakaway where she deked and lifted the backhand into the net to make it 3-0. Reece Hunt’s power play goal cut the lead to 3-1 with just under five minutes to play. UMD pulled their goalie with 4:21 left and St. Cloud put the game away with two empty net goals, one each from Addi Scribner and Taylor Larson, to make it a 5-1 win and weekend sweep, as well as points from three of the four WCHA teams ranked above them nationally. 

(13) Yale at (15) Penn State

Goals from Naomi Boucher and Anna Bargman had Yale up 2-0 at the midway point of the game. But Penn State was not out of it and started to fight back. Lyndie Lobdell scored on the power play to make it 2-1 heading into the final frame. Mya Vaslet stole the puck behind the Yale net and fed Alyssa Machado, who one-timed the puck into the net to tie the game 2-2. With under four to play, Tessa Janecke took a long distance shot on the power play and Julie Gough was in the perfect place to put back the rebound to give the Nittany Lions the lead and eventual come-from-behind win. On Saturday, Yale pushed back, outshooting Penn State 47-23. Carina DiAntonio took advantage of a rebound after a number of Bulldog shots to put Yale ahead 1-0. In the second, Elle Hartje redirected a shot from Emma DeCorby to make it 2-0. Brianna Brooks got one back for Penn State early in the third to make it 2-1, but the Nittany Lions could not find the equalizer and Jordan Ray’s empty-netter secured a 3-1 Yale win and weekend split. 

 

Monday 10: Top-ranked North Dakota swept at home by Colorado College, Wisconsin on roll, RIT back atop Atlantic Hockey

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Tommy Scarfone has given RIT a boost most nights between the pipes (photo: RIT Athletics).

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

1. Down goes No. 1 …twice

On Friday, Colorado College upset No. 1 North Dakota 3-2 in overtime.

On Saturday, the Tigers did it again. Another 3-2 overtime victory over the Flying Hawks, both in Grand Forks.

Noah Laba got the game-winner 35 seconds into overtime on Friday, snapping a 15-game winless streak for the Tigers against the Fighting Hawks.

Saturday’s win was even more historic, thanks to Gleb Veremyev’s GWG at 2:45 of OT. The resulting sweep by Colorado College was its first in Grand Forks in 30 years.

2. A new No. 1?

Boston College looks likely to regain the top spot in the USCHO Division I men’s poll .

The Eagles entered the weekend tied with rival Boston University for the No. 2 position in the poll.

While BU is done for the semester, BC defeated No. 9 Providence 5-4 on Saturday at a sold-out Conte Forum.

Oskar Jellvik scored twice in 66 seconds late in the third period to break a 3-3 tie.

3. Badgers heating up going into holiday break

Sixth-ranked Wisconsin swept No. 17 Penn State, 6-3 and 4-1, to extend its winning streak to five games.

On Friday, UW’s Carson Bantle had a hat-trick and William Whitelaw added a pair of goals to pace the Badgers.

Penn State scored on its first shot on goal on Saturday, but Wisconsin rookie goaltender William Gramme shut the door after that, stopping the next 25 shots for his second career victory in as many starts.

The Badgers end the semester with a 14-4 record, 9-1 at home for their best home start in ten seasons.

4. Spartans sweep, remain atop Big Ten

Michigan State needed all six points to remain in first in the Big Ten standings, and the seventh-ranked Spartans did just that with a 5-2, 2-1 home sweep over No. 20 Notre Dame.

Artyom Levshunov, Isaac Howard, and Daniel Russell all had four point games (one goal, three assists) for MSU on Friday, while Karsen Dorwart and Red Savage scored for the Spartans on Saturday.

Notre Dame goaltender Ryan Bischel had a busy weekend, as MSU launched 56 shots on goal on Friday and another 40 on Saturday.

5. Shootout(s) at Mullett

Arizona State had been perfect (4-0) in overtime at Mullett Arena but had to settle for a pair of ties and subsequent shootout wins against Dartmouth.

The No. 12 Sun Devils needed a comeback on Friday to force a 4-4 tie, down 3-1 to the Big Green after the first period.

Saturday’s 1-1 tie featured a 35-save performance from Dartmouth goaltender Cooper Black.

“I thought that their goalie was unbelievable,” said Arizona State coach Greg Powers after the game. “He’s 6-foot-8 and athletic and he was tremendous.”

The ties dropped ASU from 16th to 17th in the Pairwise rankings. The Sun Devils play a rare away series at Robert Morris next weekend.

6. Pouring it on

Massachusetts scored a program-record 11 goals on Friday to defeat Alaska Anchorage, 11-2.

Fifteen players had at least a point for the No. 11 Minutemen. Rookie Aydar Suniev led the way with five points on two goals and three assists.

Saturday saw a much more even contest, with Massachusetts needing a pair of late goals for a 3-2 win and nonconference sweep.

7. RIT regains first place in Atlantic Hockey

Rochester Institute of Technology needed three points in its series at American International this past weekend to finish the semester in first place in Atlantic Hockey.
The No. 19 Tigers got four, thanks to a 5-2 win Saturday after a 3-2 overtime loss on Friday to the Yellow Jackets, who forced OT in the first game on a late, extra-attacker goal from Brian Kramer. Kramer then scored the game-winner in OT.

Elijah Gonsalves had a pair of goals on Saturday for the Tigers, which edged ahead of Sacred Heart by two points in the AHA standings. The Pioneers have a game in hand.

RIT goalie Tommy Scarfone made 72 saves on the weekend, including this one on Saturday.

8. Like poetry, it rhymes

This past weekend’s series between Mercyhurst and Army West Point featured a pair of mirror-image games.

On Friday, the Lakers held a 3-1 in the third period, only to see the Black Knights rally for three goals in the game’s final 10 minutes. Mac Gadowsky had a hat-trick for Army West Point.

Saturday was a role reversal, with the Black Nights leading 3-1 in the third only to see the Lakers rattle off three straight for a 4-3 win. Steven Agriogianis had a pair of goals for the Lakers.

9. Splitsville in CCHA

Three of the four league series in the CCHA resulted in splits, with Bowling Green recording the only sweep, defeating Ferris State, 1-0 and 4-3.

Rookie goaltender Cole Moore recorded his first collegiate shutout on Friday for the Falcons, stopping all 39 shots that he faced.

Only six points separate teams 1-7 in the standings with St. Thomas at the top. No team is better than .500 by more than two games in conference play.

10. ECAC in nonconference play

There were no conference games played in the ECAC this weekend, and we won’t see another until Dec. 30.

The league was 5-3-1 this past weekend to raise its season record to 27-41-7 (.407), highlighted by No. 5 Quinnipiac’s come-from-behind 4-2 win over Long Island.

Zach Tupker scored the game-winner early in the third period for the Bobcats, who outshot the Sharks 42-17.

Boston College’s Minnetian suspended one game by Hockey East for major cross-checking penalty Dec. 9 against Providence

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Boston College’s Aram Minnetian looks to make a play earlier this season against UMass Lowell (photo: Brody Hannon).

Hockey East announced Monday that Boston College freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian has been suspended for one game stemming from an incident at 1:25 of the second period on Dec. 9 against Providence.

On the play, Minnetian was assessed a five-minute major penalty for cross-checking and a game misconduct.

Minnetian is ineligible to play Jan. 12 against the Friars and is eligible to return to the Eagles’ lineup on Jan. 13 at Providence.

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Dec. 8-9

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Nash Nienhuis and Artyom Levshunov celebrate a goal Friday night during Michigan State’s win over Notre Dame on home ice (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Dec. 4 fared in games over the weekend of Dec. 8-9.

RV = Received Votes

No. 1 North Dakota (12-5-1)
12/08/2023 – RV Colorado College 3 at No. 1 North Dakota 2 (OT)
12/09/2023 – RV Colorado College 3 at No. 1 North Dakota 2 (OT)

No. 2 Boston College (13-3-1)
12/09/2023 – No. 9 Providence 4 at No. 2 Boston College 5

No. 2 Boston University (11-4-1)
Did not play.

No. 4 Denver (12-5-1)
12/08/2023 – No. 4 Denver 3 at No. 13 Western Michigan 7
12/09/2023 – No. 4 Denver 6 at No. 13 Western Michigan 5 (OT)

No. 5 Quinnipiac (12-4-1)
12/09/2023 – LIU 2 at No. 5 Quinnipiac 4

No. 6 Wisconsin (14-4-0)
12/08/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 3 at No. 6 Wisconsin 6
12/09/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 1 at No. 6 Wisconsin 4

No. 7 Michigan State (12-4-2)
12/08/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 7 Michigan State 5
12/09/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 1 at No. 7 Michigan State 2

No. 8 Maine (10-3-1)
12/06/2023 – No. 8 Maine 3 at Union 1
12/09/2023 – Bentley 2 at No. 8 Maine 3

No. 9 Providence (9-5-2)
12/09/2023 – No. 9 Providence 4 at No. 2 Boston College 5

No. 10 Minnesota (9-5-4)
12/08/2023 – No. 10 Minnesota 5 at Ohio State 4
12/09/2023 – No. 10 Minnesota 1 at Ohio State 1 (OT)

No. 11 Massachusetts (11-4-1)
12/08/2023 – Alaska Anchorage 2 at No. 11 Massachusetts 11
12/09/2023 – Alaska Anchorage 2 at No. 11 Massachusetts 3

No. 12 Arizona State (11-3-4)
12/08/2023 – Dartmouth 4 at No. 12 Arizona State 4 (OT)
12/09/2023 – Dartmouth 1 at No. 12 Arizona State 1 (OT)

No. 13 Western Michigan (11-4-1)
12/08/2023 – No. 4 Denver 3 at No. 13 Western Michigan 7
12/09/2023 – No. 4 Denver 6 at No. 13 Western Michigan 5 (OT)

No. 14 Michigan (8-7-3)
Did not play.

No. 15 St. Cloud State (9-5-2)
12/08/2023 – No. 15 St. Cloud State 4 at RV Omaha 1
12/09/2023 – No. 15 St. Cloud State 2 at RV Omaha 2 (OT)

No. 16 New Hampshire (8-4-1)
12/09/2023 – Rensselaer 0 at No. 16 New Hampshire 1

No. 17 Penn State (9-7-3)
12/08/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 3 at No. 6 Wisconsin 6
12/09/2023 – No. 17 Penn State 1 at No. 6 Wisconsin 4

No. 18 Cornell (6-4-1)
Did not play.

No. 19 RIT (11-5-0)
12/08/2023 – No. 19 RIT 2 at RV AIC 3 (OT)
12/09/2023 – No. 19 RIT 5 at RV AIC 2

No. 20 Notre Dame (8-8-2)
12/08/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 2 at No. 7 Michigan State 5
12/09/2023 – No. 20 Notre Dame 1 at No. 7 Michigan State 2

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: Colorado College sweeps top-ranked North Dakota with second straight OT win, No. 2 Boston College upends No. 9 Providence, No. 4 Denver gains split with No. 13 Western Michigan after OT win, St. Thomas salvages split with Minnesota State

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Denver and Western Michigan played a thriller Saturday night in Kalamazoo, with the Pioneers coming out on top in overtime (photo: Ashley Huss).

Gleb Veremyev scored on a breakaway 2:54 into overtime to give Colorado College a 3-2 victory Saturday night and a sweep over No. 1-ranked North Dakota at Ralph Engelstad Arena, the first sweep by the Tigers in Grand Forks, N.D., in 30 years.

Veremyev took a pass from Stanley Cooley during the 3-on-3 overtime period and found himself all alone against UND goalie Ludvig Persson. Veremyev put a backhand past Persson to lock in CC’s first sweep at North Dakota since Nov. 26-27, 1993, and the first over a No. 1-ranked team since Jan. 8-9, 2005, at Minnesota.

In a game eerily similar to Friday night, when Noah Laba won it for the Tigers in overtime, team captain Logan Will scored twice and Kaidan Mbereko had 22 saves.

Will put the Tigers on the board just 1:51 into the contest with his fourth goal of the season. Ryan Beck and Bret Link helped force a turnover in the North Dakota end, and Will, who hit the post three times last Saturday night against Arizona State, beat Persson from the slot.

Jackson Kunz evened the game with a power-play goal at the 12:51 mark of the second period, but Will notched his second of the game just 10 seconds later to put the Tigers back on top. Will took the puck into the offensive zone and whiffed on his initial shot, but then took a shot from the slot that deflected off Kunz’s skate past Persson.

UND’s Garrett Pyke made it 2-2 with 1:59 remaining in the middle frame with a shot from the left point that eluded Mbereko.

For the second straight night, neither team scored in the third period to force the extra frame.

Persson finished the game with 21 saves.

SCOREBOARD | USCHO.COM D-I MEN’S POLL

No. 2 Boston College 5, No. 9 Providence 4

Oskar Jellvik scored twice in the span of 66 seconds late in the third period to break a 3-3 deadlock as Boston College closed the first semester with a 5-4 victory over Providence on Saturday afternoon in front of a sellout crowd of 7,884 at Kelley Rink in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Saturday’s sold-out crowd was the fourth sellout in nine home games this season, the most since BC had five sellouts during the 2012-13 campaign.

Cutter Gauthier registered a three-point game with a goal and two assists and Gabe Perreault and Will Smith each netted power-play goals as BC went 3 for 5 on the man advantage.

For the Friars, Nick Poisson scored two goals and Jamie Engelbert and Austen May also scored. Brady Berard picked up two assists.

In goal, Jacob Fowler made 25 saves for the win, while Philip Svedebäck finished with 28 stops for Providence.

No. 4 Denver 6, No. 13 Western Michigan 5 (OT)

Massimo Rizzo scored 62 seconds into overtime on Saturday night to lift Denver to a 6-5 overtime win against Western Michigan at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Rizzo recorded his first career overtime goal by going coast-to-coast up the ice and depositing the puck into the cage after cutting across the high crease.

Miko Matikka had two goals for the second straight game for the Pioneers, while Tristan Broz, Jack Devine and Sean Behrens also found the back of the net. Devine scored his NCAA-leading 15th goal of the season with 4:27 remaining to give DU a 5-4 lead at the time, but Joe Cassetti knotted the contest with 14 seconds remaining to force overtime while WMU had the extra attacker on the ice.

Devine and Rizzo both added assists to join Matikka with multiple points while Zeev Buium had three assists and junior Shai Buium had two helpers.

Zeev Buium is now on a 12-game point streak, surpassing Boston University’s Lane Hutson’s 11-game run from last season (Dec. 11, 2022-Feb. 6, 2023) for the longest point streak by a freshman defenseman in the last 21 years.

Denver goaltender Paxton Geisel made his collegiate debut in the crease after joining the Pioneers mid-season on Nov. 24. The freshman made 31 saves in his first career start.

Western Michigan used back-to-back markers from Hugh Larkin at 16:19 of the second and Samuel Sjolund 50 seconds into the third to tie the game at 4-4 and set up a wild finish.

Cassetti led WMU with two goals and one assist, while Ethan Phillips also had a three-point outing with one score and two helpers.

Western Michigan goaltender Cameron Rowe finished with 30 saves in the loss, which ended Western Michigan’s seven-game winning streak.

No. 5 Quinnipiac 4, LIU 2

Quinnipiac rounded out its first half with a 4-2 victory over LIU on Saturday afternoon at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Conn.

Collin Graf once again led the Bobcats on the offensive end, recording a pair of goals and dishing an assist. He assisted on the opening tally to Jacob Quillan, who reached double figures in the goal department on the season.

Jayden Lee also had a multi-point night for the Bobcats, adding a pair of assists on the game-tying and game-winning goals. Zach Tupker also scored for Quinnipiac and Matej Marinov stopped 15 shots for the win.

For LIU, Nolan Welsh and Isaiah Fox scored and Brandon Perrone made 29 saves in goal.

No. 6 Wisconsin 4, No. 17 Penn State 1

Jimmy Dowd, Jr. opened the scoring for the Nittany Lions one minute into the game, but the Badgers scored the next four to win 4-1 Saturday night at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Anthony Kehrer, Christian Fitzgerald, Charlie Stramel and Jack Horbach scored for Wisconsin and William Gramme made 25 saves between the pipes.

Liam Souliere stopped 18 shots in net for Penn State.

No. 7 Michigan State 2, No. 20 Notre Dame 1

Karsen Dorwart and Red Savage scored as the Spartans held on to drop Notre Dame Saturday night at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich.

Patrick Moynihan broke the shutout in the final seconds of the third period.

Trey Augustine finished with 31 saves for MSU and Ryan Bischel kicked out 38 for the Irish.

No. 10 Minnesota 1, Ohio State 1 (Ohio State wins shootout)

Cam Thiesing scored in the first period for Ohio State, Aaron Huglen in the second for Minnesota, and the two teams settled on a 1-1 tie Saturday night at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Buckeyes won the shootout.

Kristoffer Eberly made 23 saves for the Buckeyes, while Justen Close turned aside 29 for the Gophers.

Dartmouth 1, No. 12 Arizona State 1 (Arizona State wins shootout)

Brian Chambers scored for ASU and Cooper Flinton for Dartmouth as the two teams played to a 1-all tie Saturday night from Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

Cooper Black made 35 saves in the Big Green cage, while Gibson Homer stopped 20 for the Sun Devils.

St. Thomas 2, Minnesota State 1

St. Thomas rallied for the 2-1 win over Minnesota State Saturday night at the St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minn.

After Adam Eisele gave the Mavericks the 1-0 lead at 5:39 of the second period, Luc Laylin tied the game at 13:28 of the third period and then Noah Prokop scored what proved to be the game-winning goal at 16:16.

Jake Sibell finished with 28 saves to get the win in net for the Tommies.

Keenan Rancier made 25 saves for Minnesota State.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: Colorado College stuns No. 1 North Dakota in OT, No. 13 Western Michigan drops No. 4 Denver, Dartmouth ties No. 12 Arizona State, AIC edges No. 19 RIT in OT

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Noah Laba scores his second goal of the game, the overtime winner, to lift Colorado College over top-ranked North Dakota Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena (photo: Russell Hons).

Noah Laba scored his second goal of the game 35 seconds into overtime to lead Colorado College past No. 1-ranked North Dakota 3-2 on Friday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

The Tigers, who trailed 2-0 midway through the second period, won their first game against a top-ranked team since Jan. 7, 2017, and snapped a 15-game winless streak against the Fighting Hawks.

Early in the 3-on-3 overtime period, Laba gathered the puck behind his own net, skated down the left side, cut in front of the net and beat UND goaltender Ludvig Persson for his second game-winning goal of the season and his career. Chase Foley collected his career-high second assist of the game on the play.

North Dakota took a 1-0 lead as Dylan James opened the scoring 7:28 into the contest. He found a loose puck at his own blue line, skated down the right side and placed a wrist shot from the right circle just inside the far post that eluded CC goalie Kaidan Mbereko.

The Fighting Hawks doubled the lead at the 8:13 mark of the second period when Louis Jamernik V took a cross-ice pass from James and beat Mbereko from the bottom of the right circle.

The Tigers roared back with a pair of goals later in the middle frame to even things up. Laba scored his team-high seventh goal of the season by deflecting a shot from Jack Millar past Persson.

CC then tied it up with 21.3 seconds left in the period thanks to a power-play goal from Max Burkholder, who took a pass from Foley and cleanly beat Persson from the left circle, collecting the Tigers’ first extra-man goal since Nov. 10 at Miami.

Neither team scored in the third period and the Tigers were not even credited with a shot on goal in the frame, setting up the second overtime game for CC in the last three contests.

Mbereko finished with 32 saves, including 23 in the final two periods.

Persson, who is now 0-5-2 in his career against the Tigers, including time at Miami, made 20 saves for UND.

SCOREBOARD | USCHO.COM D-I MEN’S POLL

No. 13 Western Michigan 7, No. 4 Denver 3

Led by Sam Colangelo’s second hat trick of the season, Western Michigan defeated Denver 7-3 Friday night at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo, Mich.

The win pushes WMU’s win streak to seven in a row.

Outside of Colangelo’s three tallies, the Broncos got goals from Alex Bump, Zak Galambos, Hugh Larkin and Dylan Wendt. Six players had multi-point nights and Cameron Rowe made 28 saves in goal.

Miko Matikka scored twice and Denver captain McKade Webster scored one for the Pioneers as Freddie Halyk made a career-best 30 saves in the loss.

No. 6 Wisconsin 6, No. 17 Penn State 3

Carson Bantle’s hat trick helped guide Wisconsin past Penn State at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

William Whitelaw added two goals and Quinn Finley one as Charlie Stramel chipped in three assists for the Badgers.

Tyler Paquette had a goal and an assist for the Nittany Lions, while Alex Servagno and Dylan Kugris also scored. Jacques Bouquot tallied a pair of assists as well.

Kyle McClellan made 25 saves between the pipes for Wisconsin and Noah Grannan stopped 26 for Penn State.

No. 7 Michigan State 5, No. 20 Notre Dame 2

Michigan State unleashed a 56-shot barrage in a 5-2 home victory over Notre Dame at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich., on Friday night.

The Spartans remain unbeaten at home (8-0-1) in earning its sixth league victory, and remains atop the Big Ten standings.

Artyom Levshunov, Isaac Howard, and Daniel Russell all had a goal and an assist in the win with Tiernan Shoudy and Joey Larson also scoring.

For Notre Dame, Grant Silianoff and Hunter Strand scored and Cole Knuble popped two assists.

In goal, Trey Augustine made 35 saves for the win, while Ryan Bischel turned aside 51 for the Irish.

No. 10 Minnesota 5, Ohio State 4

Jimmy Snuggerud scored twice during a three-point performance leading Minnesota to a 5-4 win at Ohio State Friday night from Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Golden Gophers led three different times in the game and held on late. Brody Lamb had a goal and an assist, scoring the game winner in the middle of the third period on the power play.

Connor Kurth and Rhett Pitlick also scored for Minnesota and Justen Close made 34 saves in goal.

For the Buckeyes, Patrick Guzzo, Damien Carfagna, Stephen Halliday and Can Thiesing scored and Logan Terness and Kristoffer Eberly combined to make 20 saves between the pipes.

No. 11 UMass 11, Alaska Anchorage 2

Massachusetts used eight different goal scorers to a defeat Alaska Anchorage 11-2 at the Mullins Center Friday night in Amherst, Mass.

The 11 tallies set a new program record for most goals against a Division I opponent.

Fifteen Minutemen players found their way onto the scoresheet in the contest, including eight multi-point performances. Aydar Suniev led the group with a career-high five points on two goals and three assists, while Ryan Ufko also posted a new career best with four points on a goal and three assists. Scott Morrow and Jack Musa each had a goal and two assists. Suniev was one of three multi-goal scorers, joined by Dans Locmelis and Taylor Makar. Sebastian Törnqvist and Owen Murray both finished with two helpers.

In goal, Cole Brady turned aside 18 in net for the Minutemen before being relieved by Jackson Irving, who made six stops over his first 8:50 of collegiate action.

Riley Thompson and Maximilion Helgeson scored for the Seawolves and Jared Whale and Greg Orosz combined on a 26-save effort in goal.

Dartmouth 4, No. 12 Arizona State 4 (Arizona State wins shootout)

Benji Eckerle’s goal 8:46 of the third period brought Arizona State into a 4-4 tie with Dartmouth Friday night at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

After nothing was settled in overtime, the Sun Devils won the shootout.

Nikita Nikora and Joey Musa each had a goal and an assist for Dartmouth, while Luke Haymes and Steven Townley also scored.

For the Sun Devils, Eckerle added an assist for a two-point game, Tyler Gratton also had a goal and an assist, and Matthew Kopperud and Cole Gordon added goals of their own. Lukas Sillinger tacked on a pair of assists.

Cooper Black made 21 saves in goal for the Big Green, while TJ Semptimphelter stopped 20 for Arizona State.

AIC 3, No. 19 RIT 2 (OT)

Brian Kramer’s goal in the first minute of overtime gave AIC a 3-2 win over RIT Friday night at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass.

Not only was it a crucial goal, but it also set a new record for goals in a season in AIC’s Division I era by a defenseman, passing Tim Kolasa and Janis Jaks, who had eight in 1999-2000 and 2017-18, respectively.

John Lundy and Dustin Manz also tallied for the Yellow Jackets.

Philippe Jacques and Tanner Andrew scored goals for the Tigers.

In the blue paint, Nils Wallstrom made 19 saves for the win for AIC.

Tommy Scarfone kicked out 43 in net for RIT.

Redick providing early offensive fireworks for Panthers

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Forward Will Redick leads the nation in goals to lead Plymouth State’s strong start to the season (Photo by Plymouth State Athletics

For Plymouth State sophomore forward Will Redick, the first ten games of the season have been a bonanza of points and statistical brilliance. Catapulting off his successful freshman season and playing on a line with last year’s MASCAC Player of the Year, Myles Abbate, Redick has shown maturity and poise beyond his years in helping the youthful Panthers continue their unbeaten ways in conference play.

“Will has had a sensational start to the season,” noted head coach Craig Russell. “He really learned a lot when he centered the line with Myles last season in the second half and that has translated to his early success this year. Will is an elite skater with a terrific hockey IQ and while he doesn’t necessarily impress you with his size, he is very solid and can be tough to play against. He had three goals against Salem State last weekend in what was probably not one of his better games, but he has had some good bounces with shots getting through and continues to work hard with a full 200-foot game that we expect from all our players.”

Through the first ten games of the season, Redick has recorded 14 goals and added nine assists for 23 points while posting a plus 16 rating. He has seven goals on the power play and has paired nicely with linemate Connor Tait (6-8-14, +15) in leading the Panthers in scoring through the first half with just one game remaining on the schedule this weekend.

“Will and Connor have been a great combination together,” said Russell. “It is always a good thing when you have two guys going together in the manner they play together so now we are looking for that third complimentary player on the left side of the line that could really make it a special group. We have tried some different players there and will continue to tweak our young lineup focused on being better in each game and at our best when it matters most early in 2024.”

This year’s edition of the reigning MASCAC champions features 15 new players on the roster and despite their 8-1-2 record overall and 6-0-2 record in league play, there is still much to be learned and developed with this roster through the balance of the schedule.

“We started out great with those big wins over UNE. Worcester State and Babson to start the season,” said Russell. “We were very focused on proving something after losing to UNE for a second straight year in the NCAA tournament and losing a game to Babson we thought we should have won last year. I think our youthfulness showed up a bit after that when we had 50-plus shots against Anna Maria and Westfield State and only scored three goals total in a loss and an overtime tie. We need to show that we can win low-scoring games without producing crooked numbers offensively and that is going to be key in our future success and our pursuit of another conference title and opportunity in the NCAA tournament. I think coming out of a challenging travel schedule before Thanksgiving, we have had an opportunity to rest and re-set and focus on what we need to prove to ourselves on the ice.”

The second half of the season features all MASCAC opponents as the Panthers look to extend their current 6-0-2 record on top of last year’s unbeaten campaign in conference play which is believed to continue to extend a record that is believed to be ongoing since the conference inception in 2010.

“Our goal is to win the conference,” stated Russell. “We want to get back to the NCAA tournament and build some success like we have seen a UNE team do after knocking us out the past couple of years. This is a different team this year and we are off to a good start, but we need to stay focused and continue to have players like Will, Connor, and our goaltender, Kalle Andersson build on their game craft and consistency along with the rest of the players so we can get to where to we want and need to be in the second half of the season. Right now, we are just focused on NEC this week knowing they are going to be fired up to play after a tough loss on Tuesday night.”

The Panthers closeout their first half with a non-conference game against in-state rival New England College in their annual Teddy Bear toss game on Friday night.

 

 

NCAA D-III West Men’s Hockey Weekend Picks

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The Blugolds play a key series this weekend against the rival Pointers. (Photo: UW-Eau Claire Athletics)

It’s the last full weekend of hockey before Christmas and there are plenty of entertaining non-conference games on tap as well as one huge conference game that pits nationally ranked foes UW-Stevens Point and UW-Eau Claire against each other.

So let’s dive into the picks and take a guess at how things might go down this week in the world of D-III hockey out west.

Friday

Northland (1-12) at No. 5 St. Scholastica (8-0)

The Saints are unbeaten and have already beaten the Lumberjacks once, winning 5-2 on Tuesday. Hard to imagine this game will go any differently. Northland plays hard and effort is never going to be a question, but the Saints are just too talented on both ends of the ice and nationally ranked for a reason.
St. Scholastica, 5-1

Friday and Saturday

No. 9 UW-Stevens Point (7-3, 4-1) ) vs. No. 8 UW-Eau Claire (8-2-1, 4-1)

This is the series of the weekend as it doesn’t get much better than two top 15 teams squaring off in early December.

These two teams have already played once this season, with the Pointers taking a 5-3 win back on Nov. 14 at home.

We could certainly see a lot of offense this time around. The Pointers are led by Noah Finstrom, who has racked up six goals, though he is the only player on the team in the top 10 in scoring in the league. UW-Eau Claire’s Kyler Grundy and Leo Bacallo have five goals apiece. I imagine we we see a split in this series.
UW-Eau Claire, 3-2; UW-Stevens Point, 4-1

UW-River Falls (5-4, 2-3) vs. UW-Stout (4-5-1, 2-3)

The Blue Devils won the first meeting between the two teams, earning a 5-2 victory. The big thing for UW-Stout is get off to a strong start and build some confidence as the last three games they have played have all ended in a loss. The Blue Devils do have two of the top goal scorers in the WIAC in Boyd Stahlbaum (8) and Peyton Hart (6), and that bodes well for them in this series.

The Falcons have scored just 16 goals, but on the flip side, have given up only 17. 

Dean Buchholz and Dysen Skinner have combined to fashion the top save percentage in the conference (.923) with Buchholz starting the last five games and allowing just 1.39 goals per outing. If that trend continues, the Falcons have a great shot. Let’s go with the split here.
UW-Stout, 4-2; UW-River Falls, 2-1

Augsburg (5-3-1) ) at No. 3 Adrian (8-2-1)

The Auggies have a big opportunity here against one of the nation’s best teams. Augsburg has scored 31 goals this season and Erik Palmqvist has been a playmaker, dishing out eight assists to go along with four goals. Samuel Vyletelka has been solid in goal, saving more than 92 percent of the shots he’s faced.

He’ll be put to the test against Adrian team that has cranked out 43 goals, with Zachary Heintz leading the charge. He’s scored eight goals on the season. Adrian is unbeaten at home this year and has won three in a row.
Adrian, 3-2 and 4-3

Gustavus (5-4-2) at Concordia (Wi.) (3-6)

The Gusties are unbeaten in their last four games, scoring four or more goals in each of those games, and they are the favorite coming into this series. They have plenty of options on offense, including Jack Suchy, who have scored six and five goals, respectively, as two of the MIAC’s top scorers.

Those weapons the Gusties boast could make it tough on the Falcons, who have allowed 43 goals on the year. They need to find a way to be on point defensively to have a shot at victory in this series.
Gustavus, 5-1 and 4-1

Concordia (MN) (6-2-1) at Marian (3-8)

The Cobbers have won two of their last three and look to add to their win total. The Cobbers have been strong offensively this season, scoring 33 goals, with Isaac Henkemeyer-Howe leading the way with five of those goals. If they keep that offense clicking, they’ll be tough to stop in this series.

The Sabres have dropped four consecutive games and getting back on track is not going to be easy against a strong Concordia team. They are 1-2 against the MIAC this season, scoring a win against Augsburg on Nov. 18 in a game where they scored six goals in a 6-2 victory. It will take that kind of performance to pull out a win in this series.
Concordia, 4-2 and 3-1

Dubuque (0-10-1) at Saint Mary’s (2-8-1)

The Cardinals haven’t had the easiest start to the year, but playing at home against a winless team could be just what they need to carry some momentum into the holiday break. Minimizing scoring opportunities will be key. Saint Mary’s has allowed 48 goals this year. In the end, it’s hard to see the Cardinals not coming away with a sweep.

The Spartans are still searching for their first win in program history. They have managed more than two goals only once this season and I think for them to have a chance at an upset here, they need to have their best offensive performance of the year.
Saint Mary’s 5-2

Saturday

St. Olaf (5-5-1) at Bethel (8-2-2)

This is a huge game between two teams who are close to each other in the standings. The Royals are tied for first and the Oles are just two points behind them.

They last played each other on Nov. 3, with Bethel hanging on for a 2-1 win in overtime before playing to a 1-1- tie in the second game. Expect this one to be just as close and as low scoring. Lukas Haugen for the Oles and Travis Allen of the Royals have both allowed just 12 goals apiece on the season. The cool thing about this game is it will be played outdoors.
St. Olaf, 2-1

Saturday and Sunday

MSOE (6-5-1) ) at Saint John’s (3-7-1)

The Johnnies have dropped two in a row and have struggled offensively in that stretch, managing a total of two goals. Playing at home will be a big deal but they’ll need to be on their game offensively to get this one done, much the way they were in the upset of nationally ranked Oswego earlier this season. And, of course, with Bailey Huber in goal, they are always going to have a chance to win.

The Raiders are led by Carson Jones (6) and have a strong goalie of their own in Austin Schwab, who has allowed 20 goals on the season. I think we see a series here where defense and special teams play the biggest roles.
MSOE, 3-2; Saint John’s, 3-1

 

USCHO Edge: Is Colorado College’s money line at North Dakota so far off it demands a wager?

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Stanley Cooley has recorded a goal and six assists in 14 games this season for Colorado College (photo: Casey B. Gibson).

A couple of weeks ago in this column, we talked about the fact that lines on college hockey games seemed to be getting more and more accurate.

You can tell that bookmakers are using artificial intelligence – or AI – as a means to limit liability. Rarely in the course of a week do we see lines move, so whatever is set on Wednesday morning (at least on our source, DraftKings) generally remain the same right up until game time.

With that said, it’s been rare that we see a heavy favorite or a massive underdog. Until this weekend. And as we examine this game, it seems that the line may be a little off.

Colorado College is traveling to North Dakota for a two-game set. The Tigers are currently +300 on the money line, meaning a $100 bet on CC would yield a $300 return (plus the original $100, of course), if Colorado College wins.

There’s no reason to think that isn’t at least possible. But giving a return of $300, you’re basically saying getting 3-to-1 on your money. To translate, if you feel that North Dakota would win less than 75% of the time, then 3-to-1 on your money is a bet of value.

If you’ve listened to the podcast, you know that we don’t actually wager on college hockey. But if you’re one who does, This is a pretty good bet in terms of value. Will this be listed as my best bet of the week at the bottom? No. That’s typically reserved for a wager I think has a very high chance of hitting.

But if you’re willing to take some risk and want a bet that provides value, this might be one for you.

Some games to watch this weekend:

Minnesota/Ohio State over 6 goals (-110): The Gophers may be struggling of late, but they still are averaging 3.38 goals per game. Ohio State is the outlier here with an average of only 2.33 goals per game, but the Buckeyes have been averaging closer to 3 goals per game over the last 14 days. Last season, these teams combined for 10 goals and 7 goals in two of their four regular season games (6 and 4 were the totals in the other two games). Setting the line at 6 is solid by bookmakers, but this feels like one that will go over or push more often than stay under.

Michigan State (-160) vs. Notre Dame: The Spartans were extremely consistent this season until two weekends ago (a tie and OT loss at Minnesota). They’ve had two weeks to fix things that went wrong and now host a consistently inconsistent Notre Dame team. At -160, this is decent value for a team that could be closer to -225. We like Sparty here.

Denver/Western Michigan over 7 goals (-115): We’ve been here before in recent weeks. Over 7 goals is a lot of goals. We get it. But Denver is averaging 5.31 goals per game. Western Michigan is also a top 10 offense, averaging 3.71 goals per game. The Pioneers have scored less than five goals once, and that was their last game out, a 3-2 loss on night two against North Dakota and they’ve scored less than five goals on a Friday just once all year. Western’s defense has been awesome of late, but they haven’t played an explosive team like Denver.

Game to avoid this week: St. Cloud State (-145) at Omaha (+114)

Best Bet: Denver/Western Michigan over 7 goals (-115)

Interesting lines, over/under in key NCHC, Big Ten tilts: USCHO Edge college hockey podcast Season 2 Episode 7

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USCHO Edge hosts Jim Connelly, Dan Rubin, and Ed Trefzger look at money lines and over/under as well as providing further analysis of five weekend college hockey matchups. Plus a little curiosity and conjecture as to why there are no lines for any eastern games this week.

This week’s games;
  • Minnesota (-220) at Ohio State (+170); over/under 6
  • Denver (-150) at Western Michigan (+120); o/u 7
  • Notre Dame (+124) at Michigan State (-160); o/u 5.5
  • Penn State (+150) at Wisconsin (-195); o/u 6
  • Colorado College (+300) at North Dakota (-425); o/u 5.5

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

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This Week in NCHC Hockey: Inconsistent Miami squad maintaining positive mindset as RedHawks ‘have to do better’ rest of season

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Matthew Barbolini has been a bright spot offensively this season for Miami (photo: Miami University Communications & Marketing).

The NCHC’s collective nonconference record so far this season has been nothing to sneeze at, winning at a .681 rate, second only to the Big Ten but having also played 15 more of those games.

Miami has held up its end of the bargain in that regard, sitting at 5-2-1 in those games ahead of the RedHawks’ last two this season, later this month at Niagara. Against NCHC opposition, though, Miami hasn’t been nearly as fortunate. An 0-6 mark in those games was reflected in a recent seven-game losing streak before the RedHawks won Saturday at Mercyhurst.

Graduate student Logan Neaton’s 20 saves in the Winnipeg Jets draft pick’s first collegiate shutout stopped the rot for Miami. That’s what results suggest, anyway, and RedHawks coach Chris Bergeron readily conceded that despite thinking his team had deserved better before then.

“You look at the analytics and the numbers that way, it says we played better hockey, but I look at the scoreboard at the end of each game, and I think our players do, as well, and that says negative results for seven games in a row,” Bergeron said.

The last of those defeats came Friday, a 4-3 overtime loss at home to Atlantic Hockey’s Lakers.

“The way we responded to get on the bus that Saturday and go to Erie and play what I think is a really good Mercyhurst team and play well, it’s a good thing, for sure,” said Bergeron. “I’m not downplaying that at all, and it was good for us to get that result. Would I like to have seen us score more 5-on-5? Yes, and 5-on-4. We had six power-play opportunities that I would’ve liked to see us score on, and we didn’t do that, but I think winning that game was something our guys deserved.

“I don’t want us to wait seven more games to get that type of result, but we talk around here about the process, and part of that is playing well. I thought we played better over the course of the last eight games, and to only get one result out of it is disappointing, but that’s something we take ownership of, and we have to do better.”

John Waldron and Matthew Barbolini both scored Saturday on a combined 11 shots. Last season’s top scorer for Miami, Barbolini leads the RedHawks again now with 18 points and is well on pace to surpass the 25 he had as a junior.

“He’s doing lots right,” Bergeron said of Barbolini. “He had a great summer physically and mentally, and he came into training camp ready to play like a senior, and that’s what he’s done. He’s been very consistent, and not just in games but also in practice.

“His aggressiveness with his play has led to points 5-on-5, and he’s been very consistent on the power play. Our power play has been inconsistent (15.1 percent, 47th-best in the country), but Matthew’s play has been consistent, and I don’t see that changing. His approach is a daily one, and I don’t see him not getting rewarded for that approach over the course of the season.”

And Bergeron hopes his team takes that same approach the rest of the season, starting with a home set this weekend against Minnesota Duluth.

“The way I want our guys to approach it is a daily approach, a small-picture approach, and we need to improve on a daily basis,” Bergeron said. “That’s not coach-speak; it’s something we need to do, and hopefully our boys are buying into that, and they’ll gain confidence and belief through that.

“Sometimes the results say there’s no confidence and it’s hard to believe when results are the way they are, but we need to find a way to be confident and believe, and I think the way to do that is just play well every day and make sure you’re focused, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do. I think we’ve played some good hockey, but we need to be more consistent with that and play more good hockey more of the time.”

This Week in CCHA Hockey: First-place St. Thomas facing tough challenge in Minnesota State this weekend, Tommies ‘need to come ready to go on Friday’

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St. Thomas’ Aaron Trotter was named CCHA goaltender of the month for November after going a perfect 3-0-0 for the Tommies (photo: Nick Wosika).

When St. Thomas reclassified from Division III to Division I in 2021, it was by necessity, borne out of the fact that their previous conference (the all-Minnesota based MIAC) no longer wanted to play the Tommies.

Their athletic programs were too successful, and they were, essentially, kicked out of the league they had helped to found in 1920 by numerous instate rivals.

Because of the MIAC’s geographic base, St. Thomas had numerous built-in rivalry games every season. The Tommies’ archrival, however, was a special one: St. John’s, located about 90 minutes away in Collegeville. The annual Tommies-Johnnies football game was a huge deal in the Minnesota small college sports calendar and would routinely sell out big stadiums in Minneapolis and St. Paul. The hockey rivalry between the two perhaps wasn’t on the same scale but was also fierce and heated.

In the Tommies’ final year in the MIAC in 2020-21, the Johnnies won the regular-season title, but St. Thomas beat them for the conference title and the NCAA tournament bid.

It might take a while for the Tommies to find a rivalry game on the same level as the Johnnies (100 years of history will do that), but there might be one team out there in St. Thomas’ conference who fills a similar profile in Minnesota State.

In St. Thomas’ two-plus years of Division I hockey, the Tommies have already played the Mavericks outdoors in a raging snowstorm during their inaugural CCHA season and beat them once in overtime.

This season, with the Tommies (8-7-1, 6-4-0 CCHA) currently sitting atop the CCHA standings and with a winning overall record in December for the first time in the Division I era, it seems like the Tommies-Mavericks series this weekend will be more intense and meaningful than ever before.

“Ultimately, they’re a team in our state, they’re an hour and 20 minutes away,” Tommies coach Rico Blasi said. “They’ve been the best team in our conference dating back to the old WCHA, so they’ve been on top of their game for the last 10 years. We look forward to the challenge. They have a lot of weapons; I don’t care what anybody says. They’re still probably the team in our league to beat, so we need to come ready to go on Friday.”

First-year Minnesota State head coach Luke Strand hasn’t played St. Thomas yet but said that, based on what he can see on the recruiting trail, the Tommies and the Mavericks are already going head-to-head for many of the same recruits. It’s only natural for that rivalry to intensify on the ice.

“I think that’s going to be the direction it’s going,” he said. “They’re a private school, not far away, they’ve got a new rink coming… you look at all of those factors, when you get into the recruiting pool of players, they’re doing a really nice job. I think the head-to-head competition, just based on proximity, it going to emerge as a great rivalry.”

The Mavericks (6-6-2, 4-3-1 CCHA) come into the weekend fresh off a five-point weekend at Lake Superior State. Those points were much needed after they were swept by Michigan Tech the previous weekend.

“I thought we just played a better brand of hockey,” Strand said of the series in Sault Ste. Marie. He said it seems like the Mavericks have been more consistent on the road than in Mankato – which is borne out by their 3-1-2 away record compared to 3-5-2 at home. “We go on the road, and we play a kind of a blah, good hard road game, but then we come home, and we try to make some silly move that ends up in a turnover because you’re in front of the home crowd. So we’ve got to find that out as a group because our road starts have seemed to be better.”

MSU tied LSSU on in Friday night’s game but won the shootout, they went on to win 4-3 on Saturday night.

Blasi said he wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from the Mavericks with Strand behind the bench.

“I don’t think I’ve gotten too deep into that yet, but I know Luke, and he’s a really good coach. I know he’ll have them ready,” Blasi said. “I know there’s some different things they do on power play and PK, but so does everybody. Mostly, I look forward to playing a really good college hockey team. I know what the media said about them at the beginning of the year, but you can throw those things out the window.”

The Tommies, meanwhile, are coming off a split against Ferris State in which they lost 5-2 on Friday but rallied to win 7-1 on Saturday. The latter game featured three goals from Mack Byers–the program’s first Division I hat trick.

Blasi said Saturday’s result was something of a reaction to the previous night’s big loss.

“I think Friday night, the leadership group was not happy,” Blasi said. “They needed to come out on Saturday and lead the way. So all the guys that are part of the leadership group came out determined. And that was nice to see.”

This weekend’s series closes out the first half of the seasons for both teams. Friday night’s game will be in Mankato with Saturday’s game hosted by St. Thomas in Mendota Heights, Minn.

Wisconsin defenseman, Seattle draft pick Jugnauth leaves Badgers to play for WHL’s Winterhawks

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Tyson Jugnauth played 44 games over a season-plus for the Badgers (photo: Taylor Wolfram).

Wisconsin sophomore defenseman Tyson Jugnauth has left the Badgers to play for the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.

Jugnauth, a fourth-round pick (100th overall) by the Seattle Kraken in the 2022 NHL Draft, was a healthy scratch in three of Wisconsin’s last four games but did return to the lineup for last Saturday’s win over Ohio State as the seventh defenseman on the line chart.

Badgers coach Mike Hastings told the Journal on Nov. 28 that Jugnauth was “working on his game.”

In a WHL trade announced Wednesday, Portland sent four draft picks to the Kamloops Blazers to acquire Jugnauth’s rights.

Over his season-plus with Wisconsin, Jugnauth compiled five goals and 12 assists for 17 points in 44 games. He had two assists in 13 games this season.

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Slow start to 2023-24 season now in past, Union gaining confidence, ‘starting to hit our stride as a team’

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Union captain Ben Tupker battles for position during a recent game against Princeton (photo: Shelley Szwast/Princeton Athletics).

The first month of the season wasn’t necessarily the best of times for the Union hockey program.

The Garnet Chargers had a new logo, a new name and a new identity, but they also had four losses in their first six games. They’d been wildly inconsistent in their results, and they bookended flashy scoring in their two wins with a number of high-goal scores in their losses. The nadir came on Nov. 3 when their longtime rival at Rensselaer tallied eight goals in a wild 8-6 win.

For coach Josh Hauge, the results didn’t match his team’s capability. He’d seen his team invest the requisite time and energy to play hockey at a high level, and his first full offseason at the Achilles Center built an opportunity for Union to layer more success on top of last year’s eighth-place finish. Having interacted with his team on a daily basis, he knew there was more to it than those early losses showed.

He just needed some wins to support the argument, and after that 8-6 loss to the Engineers, Union started to draw a clear line of delineation. A 2-6-0 hockey team promptly won four of its next five games before swamping Princeton with a 7-2 win, and prior to Wednesday night’s game against Maine (a 3-1 loss), the team that christened a new day with its new branding is poised to enter the second half of the season as a sleeper team capable of upending the current ECAC order.

“Our guys started to figure out what they needed to do to be successful,” Hauge said of last month’s success. “And they started following their leadership group. Our leaders have done an amazing job, and when you look at Ben Tupker, Tyler Watkins and Chaz Smedsrud and the job they’ve done in leading this group, it’s pretty impressive. I think they’re just starting to gain confidence, and we’re just starting to hit our stride as a team.”

It’s ironic that Union would have been considered an inconsistent team in those early games because of the statistical consistency that emerged in November, but the team that was nearly identical on shots to St. Lawrence in a one-goal game generated more chances against Stonehill and Princeton in three other, more lopsided wins. It fell in line with a season-long trend where a team that’s a game over .500 both averages and surrenders around 3.5 goals per game with 30.5 shots on either end.

The Garnet Chargers were simply better when they successfully tilted game situations in their favor, but if that’s an obvious statement to make, it’s also one that’s backed up a hard-working roster attempting to play a two-way game. Flipping the switch to winning games didn’t require one specific moment or performance, but it did utilize a culture that was built on continuing to press forward by managing its emotions through both highs and lows.

“I think we’ve seen [the culture] shift to where hockey becomes really important to our guys here,” Hauge said. “We’re on trimesters at Union, so our year goes a little bit longer, but the guys didn’t miss a lift and didn’t miss a skate, and we still practiced a couple of days per week [during the offseason]. When we were able to get on the ice with the guys, it wasn’t the same as a regular practice because it became more about small games and competing and skills development, but that showed how hard they worked in the spring and how that translated into the summer.”

That shift hasn’t translated to a significant move up the ECAC standings yet, but the nine-point output is tied for seventh place with St. Lawrence and Brown while standing one point behind Dartmouth and two points behind Princeton with games in hand. The three-point deficit to Colgate and Cornell includes two games to make up against both teams, but the second half of the season also has the Garnet Chargers avoiding consecutive weekends on the road.

Defenseman John Prokop leads the league with 14 assists and is the only non-Quinnipiac player with at least 15 points on the season. Chaz Smedsrud’s six goals are tied for ninth in the league while Carter Korpi sits one spot behind him with five goals, but both are rated in the league’s top-15 with about a half-goal produced per game.

Chauvette is one of three goalies with at least 300 saves this season, and the team in front of him is both third in the league for assists per game and second in points per game as a combined roster. The offense is scoring at a 12 percent clip on its shots, which is second to Quinnipiac, and both the power play and the penalty kill are among the league’s best with a penalty kill rated as one of the nation’s overall top units at 92.9 percent – or one-tenth lower than Quinnipiac’s 93 percent.

“We’ve been trying to win with depth,” Hauge said. “That’s an area where we have a lot of guys that can contribute and chip in. We want to play with pace, so we want everyone on our roster to have the confidence that they can make a play, but if we’re not going to get the puck bounces or something, they’re also not going to lose their mind. We know that everyone is going to backcheck as hard for us if they make a mistake, and that’s the attitude that we’re competing hard, that every player brings value to our team.”

This Week in Big Ten Hockey: After sweeping Ohio State, Wisconsin looking to ‘stay focused and go out and get our dailies done’

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Wisconsin goalie Kyle McClellan tracks the puck during last weekend’s series with Ohio State (photo: Taylor Wolfram).

“The one thing you worry about right now is that it’s intense for a lot of our athletes in the classroom.”

That, said Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings, is one piece of the focus puzzle as the first half of the season comes to a close.

“They’re getting toward finals,” said Hastings. “There’s a lot on their plates.”

As No. 6 Wisconsin prepares to host No. 17 Penn State in this last series before the holiday break, Hastings and his staff have faith in a team that understands how important it is to be present in the moment.

“You know one thing I’ve found about the collegiate athlete? They’re pretty good at staying in the now,” said Hastings. “We’re going to rely on the guys that have gotten us here, which is our leadership group and what’s inside that locker room, to stay focused and go out and get our dailies done.”

For the Badgers – one of the most intensely focused Big Ten teams for the first half of the season – it’s that ability to remain clear about immediate goals that has Wisconsin sitting one point behind first-place Michigan State in conference standings.

“When we started back in September,” said Hastings, “we asked the guys to focus on their dailies, the things they get to control, not worry about things that had happened that we could no longer control and not focus on our first game until our first game got here, they did a good job of that.

“We’ve asked them to stay on that path and just finish our first half.”

Before playing Ohio State last weekend, Wisconsin sat tied with Notre Dame in second place, each team seven points behind No. 7 Michigan State. The difference this week between the Badgers and the Fighting Irish – and between the Badgers and the Golden Gophers, Wolverines, Nittany Lions and Buckeyes – is that Wisconsin was able to make the most of an opportunity. With Michigan State sidelined during a bye week, Wisconsin swept Ohio State while Notre Dame split with Michigan, as did Minnesota and Penn State.

And just like that, Wisconsin is a single point behind Michigan State and three ahead of third-place Notre Dame. In a season running its way toward a photo finish, that sweep may have enormous implications in March. The wins also keep Wisconsin high in the PairWise Rankings. When the rest of the season plays out, Big Ten teams won’t have the opportunity to play nonconference opponents whose PWR matches or surpasses theirs, giving conference teams little chance of upward mobility. At sixth in the PWR, Wisconsin is the league’s top team in those rankings.

Against the Buckeyes, said Hastings, the Badgers saw some room for improvement after Friday’s 3-0 win, particularly on the power play.

“I thought our power play zapped energy from our club, took momentum away,” said Hastings. “I want to give credit to Ohio State for killing penalties well, but then going back and asking our power play group and asking them to have a little bit different mindset, keep it a little bit simpler at trying to make the guys who were killing penalties have to defend second and third shots.”

Wisconsin went 0 for 4 on the PP Friday and 2 for 4 in Saturday’s 6-1 win on goals from David Silye and Simon Tassy.

“Yes, it was good for David Silye to score off of a shot, but there was a good net-front presence by Carson Bantle,” said Hastings. “The second power-play goal gets scored because we’ve got net-front presence by Simon Tassy. Tassy ends up grabbing a rebound and finishing. Progressing from Friday with things that we didn’t really do as well as we’d like to and having that pay you back on Saturday.”

Hastings said that the Badgers had a “greater overall” team improvement from Friday to Saturday.

“Sometimes that gets lost if you’re fortunate enough to win on Friday,” he said.

Wisconsin earned its fifth and sixth wins of the season in the sweep of Ohio State. Wisconsin had six wins total last season.

It was, as Hastings called it, “a good weekend” for the Badgers.

Hastings said that the Badgers are “just trying to finish what we’ve started here and then put that to bed,” which, he added “doesn’t happen until Saturday night probably around 10 o’clock.”

In their home split with No. 10 Minnesota, the Nittany Lions lost Friday’s contest 4-1 and rebounded with a 6-3 win Saturday. Penn State outshot Minnesota 77-47 in the series, with 43 of those shots coming in the win.

“Year in and year out, if you’ve followed Penn State from their first opportunity to compete in the Big Ten, they’ve got as much of a shot-first mentality as anybody in the country,” said Hastings, who cautioned that teams need an “awareness of where everybody’s at after a shot’s taken” because the Nittany Lions can score from anywhere.

“They can come from below the goal line,” said Hastings. “When it gets up top, it’s usually going to be delivered to the net quickly. They’re just a real aggressive mindset when they have the puck and when they don’t.

“So what does it do to you? You’d better make sure that you’re getting inside ice and you’re getting back to your net once a shot is delivered because they’re about as hungry as a team in that area that we’re going to see in the first half.”

The Nittany Lions sit in sixth place in the Big Ten standings, trailing the Badgers by seven points and eight points out of first place.

Michigan State hosts third-place Notre Dame. The Irish are four points behind the Spartans and two points ahead of fifth-place Minnesota. The Golden Gophers travel to play the last-place Buckeyes, who are still looking for their first Big Ten win of the season. Ohio State sits nine points behind Penn State.

Michigan – sitting one point ahead of Penn State and seven points out of first place – is idle this week.

Big Ten teams return to action in nonconference play the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. B1G conference play resumes Jan. 5-6 when Notre Dame hosts Wisconsin, the first league play in the new year.

D-III East Men’s Hockey Game Picks – December 6, 2023

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Fitchburg State’s Antoine Gignac is one of many players in the first half that has celebrated an overtime goal and victory – who is calling game this weekend? (Photo by Fitchburg State Athletics)

For many teams this weekend represents the end of the first half of the season. There are a very few games next week and therefore, the last opportunities for creating positive momentum heading into the semester break and holiday season. It has been a very exciting and dynamic start to the 2023-24 season and this week should keep that track record intact. Last week I finished my eastern week of picks going 8-2-2 (.750). That brings the season total to 56-25-7 (.676) which is again returning to a positive direction towards my 70% success rate goal. There are several interesting matchups this week that will be interesting games among ranked teams on the schedule, so looking for a strong finish from this week’s picks for the East:

Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Morrisville v. Brockport  

This Golden Eagles have played everybody tough on their schedule and face a mid-week SUNYAC challenge from the visiting Mustangs. This one is close to start and the home team finds a way to score and win late with an empty-net goal to provide some cushion – Brockport, 4-2

Thursday, December 7, 2023

Assumption v. Westfield State  

The Greyhounds are 11-1-0 on the season and enter this non-conference matchup with the Owls on a high after an NE-10 sweep of rival St. Michael’s over the weekend. Need to beware of the Owls who will be a very tough out – Assumption, 4-3

Albertus Magnus v. Castleton

The Falcons were on a recent roll until Tuesday’s 1-0 loss at Trinity but still have an opportunity to close out the first half of the season on a positive note. The Spartans are always tough on home ice and special teams are the decisive factor in a win for the visitors – Albertus Magnus, 3-2

Friday, December 8, 2023

Curry v. Anna Maria

The Colonels better be ready from the puck drop of the opening period because the AmCats like to start fast and then make things difficult for the opposition in their ability to come back. Goaltender Matthew Hennessy keeps the game close, and overtime might be needed to decide the winner here – Curry, 4-3

(10) Skidmore v. (7) Geneseo

The Thoroughbreds are certainly going to earn their unbeaten record through the first half if they can master the Knights on the road. Geneseo did not surrender a goal last weekend and goals will be at a premium with the goaltending strengths for both squads. Thinking an overtime tie but having to pick a winner will stick with the home team – Geneseo, 2-1

Johnson & Wales v. Rivier

The Raiders have had a very solid first half under first-year coach Shaun Millerick and waste no time getting off to a quick lead against the Wildcats on home ice. It is a comfortable but hard-fought win for the home team – Rivier, 5-2

Amherst v. Williams

The two rivals always produce close battles on the ice and this one will be no exception. Neither team has seen the desired results in the early games so closing out the first half with a win is important before heading into the semester break. Mammoths eke this one out with Shane Toporowski netting a big goal, or two – Amherst, 3-2

Wilkes v. Alvernia

The Colonels have been rolling and until last weekend, so were the Golden Wolves. Home ice matters in this one and an important win among the teams chasing Utica is what both teams want and need in this weekend series. This one needs overtime to find a winner – Alvernia, 4-3

(2) Plattsburgh v. Buffalo State

The Cardinals are looking to rebound from last week’s loss to Oswego. Going on the road helps with focus and a fast start helps start a new win streak with a comfortable win over the Bengals – Plattsburgh, 4-1

Saturday, December 9, 2023

(4) Utica v. Oswego

The Lakers have knocked off Hobart and Plattsburgh this season and would love to add another win over a ranked team to boost their resume. Pioneers have been very good on special teams and a late power play is decisive for the visitors – Utica, 4-3

(1) Hobart v. Trinity

This game will be close and goals will certainly be at a premium. Statesmen will not get their eighth shutout of the season, but one goal is not enough for the Bantams take a win against the nation’s No. 1 ranked team – Hobart, 3-1

(5) Elmira v. Brockport

The Soaring Eagles have been on a roll and look for Chance Gorman, Janis Vizbelis and Bailey Krawczyk to continue the productive ways in a win that is more comfortable than the score indicates – Elmira, 4-2

Colby v. Tufts

This is the official TRAP GAME alert of the week as the Jumbos are coming off back-to-back wins on the road and look to carry the momentum forward against a talented Mules squad. Tough barn to play in and the Jumbos take advantage of the home-ice advantage –    Tufts, 3-2

Franklin Pierce v. Arcadia

The home team needs to get off to a good start and make the Ravens play their game. Arcadia does get off to a quick lead but must survive a furious rally from the visitors – Arcadia, 4-3

Some great games involving ranked teams this weekend which obviously can impact the poll come Monday. It may be the last weekend of action for most teams, but no team is going to leave anything on the ice heading into the break – “Drop the Puck!”

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Struggling Robert Morris staying upbeat, aiming to ‘be prepared to do everything that we need to do to be successful’

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Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley talks strategy with his squad during a recent home game at the RMU Island Sports Center (photo: Robert Morris Athletics).

Robert Morris coach Derek Schooley says that he’s an impatient person, especially when it comes to coaching.

Schooley, who has been in charge of the RMU program since its inception in 2004, had to rebuild it after the school eliminated the men’s and women’s teams at the end of the 2020-21 season.

It was a shocking announcement. The programs were healthy and successful at the time.

Through a lot of fundraising work, both teams were restored by Dec. 2021, but it would take Schooley and his staff two seasons to rebuild. All but four players transferred out when the program was cut.

Schooley had the benefit of the transfer portal and an extra year of eligibility for players due to the pandemic, but it was still a daunting task.

This year’s squad is comprised of 13 freshmen new to the program, three redshirt freshmen who arrived last year, four leftovers from the 2020-21 team, and 10 transfers.

After an emotional start to the season, the Colonials have struggled at 2-11-3 overall, 1-9-2 in Atlantic Hockey.

“We’re still trying to figure out where we are as a hockey team,” said Schooley. “When you have so many new players, most of them haven’t played together, and the ones that have, it was three years ago.

“There are so many variables of putting a team together and getting everybody on the same page. We’re still trying to figure out where we are as a hockey team.”

That can take some time, but Schooley said, “You have to be patient a little bit, it’s hard to be patient. I’m not a patient person.”

It’s especially frustrating for him because his program was in a good place when it was canceled.

“We had a really good team when they disbanded the program,” said Schooley. “And we were going to be really good the next year. We’re still feeling the effects of it.”

Once the program was reinstated, it was back to the drawing board, but in a different environment than the first time around. And with different expectations.

“You can get older quicker (now), but the difference of when you bring in all freshmen, you knew at that time they were going to be there for four years,” said Schooley. “And you were going to get better as your four years go along.

“You can change your program in a quick way with the transfer portal and all that right now. Compared to when we did it before, we knew that we were building for a four-year plan. Now it’s a quick turnaround.”

Not quick enough for Schooley’s liking, at least so far. The Colonials are struggling to score, currently last in the conference (1.75 goals per game).

Freshman Tanner Klimpke leads the team in scoring (four goals, six assists). Six of the top ten scorers are rookies.

“Our freshmen are leading us right now,” said Schooley. “We’ve got some good players that are fifth years transfers that haven’t hit their stride yet and are still trying to find it.

“Scoring’s been tough, so you need your goalie even more in cases like that.”

Veteran Chad Veltri, who backstopped Niagara for four years, returned to his hometown of Pittsburgh for a fifth and final season at RMU. On Friday, Veltri made his 3,000th career save against Rochester Institute of Technology in a 4-1 loss, a game in which the Colonials were outshot 54-16. He became the 10th player in league history to reach that plateau.

“Both of our goaltenders have played well,” said Schooley. “(St. Lawrence transfer) Francis Boisvert played well in (a Nov. 10-11 series at) Alaska and Chad has been very good.

“The problem that our goaltenders are facing right now is if they get to two or three, we’re in trouble because we haven’t been able to score as much as we need to. If we can keep them playing in the way they’ve been playing, when we hit our stride from a goal-scoring standpoint, it’ll be that much better for us.”

The Colonials have a home-and-home series with Niagara this weekend and then host No. 12 Arizona State before Christmas. While the first half of the season has held some disappointments, Schooley remains optimistic. And impatient.

“We wanted it to be easy,” he said. “We thought we were going to just dive right back in. But it’s a process and we’ve got to stick together and continue to move forward and be prepared to do everything that we need to do to be successful.”

Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz Episode 5 recaps some big upsets, discusses Delaware and takes stock of the standings

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Nicole Haase and Todd Milewski recap last week’s NCAA women’s hockey action, including St. Cloud State’s 2-1 victory at No. 1 Ohio State and Minnesota Duluth’s win at No. 2 Wisconsin. And we hear from officials at Delaware, which announced plans to add a varsity women’s hockey team in 2025, and the CHA, which invited the Blue Hens to the conference.
Drop us a line with questions or comments. Connect with Nicole at @NicoleHaase and with Todd at @ToddMilewski.

 


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D-III Women’s West Week 6 Recap: River Falls separating themselves from the rest & some competitive conference play!

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#2 UW-River Falls defeat #8 Adrian 7-5 on 11/30/23. (Photo by Pat Deninger)

We had a wild weekend out west, including a non-conference top-10 matchup where twelve goals were scored… while we had some intriguing matchups amongst conference foes, we focused on a few highly competitive top-ranked teams. This all comes just before we get ready for the first semester/winter break where all teams would like to finish strong headed into the Christmas & New Year’s season.

*Note: the game recap of #1 Gustavus vs #2 UW-River Falls was technically played in week 7 (12-5-23), but due to the magnitude, significance, and the date this article is posted, it’s included in this recap. Also, this is the case for the #9 UW-Eau Claire vs Hamline game, very little occurred in the WIAC, therefore this game from week 7 (12-5-23) is included in this week’s article.

#8 Adrian at #3 UW-River Falls – Thursday 11-30-23

This was a wild game as we expected, but it didn’t occur in the way you’d expect… I pointed out last week that in this one Adrian had to stay out of the penalty box vs this River Falls powerplay, which they failed to do, costing them three goals, but what looked like a River Falls blowout, became a stellar game.

To begin, UWRF’s Brooke Lemke scored early into the game, 3:17 into the 1st, to which Adrian’s Courtney Ben would answer later in the 1st at 12:01, but that tie didn’t last long, RF’s Kaitlyn Ronn scored 58 seconds later at 12:59 to retain the Falcon lead. RF ended the period with a powerplay goal at 18:34 from Megan Goodreau.

In the 2nd, Kaitlynn Ronn scored her second of the game at 4:57 to make it 4-1, then her teammate Aubrey Nelvin scored on the powerplay at 7:25 to give River Falls a 5-1 lead, this is where it looked bad for Adrian halfway through the game. Both teams would score to end the period, Karmen Anderson for Adrian and MaKenna Aure on the powerplay.

In the 3rd, Adrian got out of the deficit quickly scoring at 1:28 (Une Bjelland), 3:31 (Tia Liscelle), & Une Bjelland again (14:10), to make the score 6-5 with less than 7 minutes to go in the game… UW-River Falls then sealed it at 19:44.7, their star Maddie McCollins scored to make it 7-5 and the Falcons of River Falls avoid the blown lead and also the upset, defeating #8 Adrian to improve to 9-0-0.

The point leader in this game for River Falls was the 2023 USCHO Women’s D-III Player of the Year Maddie McCollins (1G, 5A). For Adrian, it was Une Bjelland (2G, 1A).

Shots were 38-22 in favor of UWRF, UWRF also went 3/3 on the powerplay in this game.

#1 Gustavus at #2 UW-River Falls – Wednesday 12-5-23

Gustavus entered this game with a perfect record of 7-0-0 but hadn’t been tested to the level UW-River Falls has, who sat with a perfect record as well of 9-0-0. Gustavus’ best wins were against Augsburg & Saint Mary’s, while River Falls’ best wins were vs Augsburg, Saint Mary’s, #8 UW-Eau Claire, & #8 Adrian.

In this massive game of 1v2, UW-River Falls came out on top, shutting Gustavus out 2-0. Shots were near even, 30-29 in favor of the Falcons, while penalties were also near even, three for UWRF, two for Gustavus.

#2 UW-River Falls defeated #1 Gustavus 2-0 on 12/5/23. (Photo by Carly Lynch)

The way this went down was a lone goal from Alex Hantge midway through the 2nd period at 10:55. Then Aubrey Nelvin capped it off with an empty netter at 18:34 of the 3rd period.

Both goaltenders played well, Katie McCoy, who seems to set a record every other week whether program or national for the Gusties, suffered a rare loss, making 28 saves. River Falls’ Jordan O’Connor made 29 saves in the shutout victory.

Women’s hockey seems to give us the matchups we want, obviously these schedules can’t be created midseason, but they’ve continued to deliver year in and year out with incredible tournaments out east, while giving us sensational matchups out west, where we have consistent top-5 matchups multiple times per season.

MIAC

Augsburg and St. Olaf played a pair of games, Augsburg sweeping the series, winning 3-1 & 2-1. A surprise this season is St. Olaf’s struggles, the Ole’s sit at 0-6-0 in MIAC play, but they’re 4-7-0 overall.

Augsburg swept St. Olaf this past weekend. (Photo by Kevin Healy)

St. Scholastica swept St. Catherine’s 4-3 & 4-2; both teams are currently on the playoff bubble. It’s still early, but these teams will likely be competing for that last playoff spot or at least in the running, so this series meant a lot.

Hamline continued their winning, defeating Concordia (Minn.) 5-2 & 2-1. Hamline, currently sitting in 2nd in the MIAC behind unbeaten (in conference play) Gustavus, who swept the dark horse Saint Mary’s, with a record of 5-1 in the MIAC, 7-3-0 overall.

NCHA

#8 Adrian swept Concordia (Wis.), winning 9-1 & 4-0.

Aurora swept Dubuque, winning 9-1 & 5-1.

Lake Forest swept Lawrence, winning 4-0 & 2-1.

Marian swept Trine, winning 3-0 & 2-1 in OT.

WIAC

The lone WIAC matchup last weekend was UW-Stevens Point vs Northland, UWSP won 2-0. Since not much occurred other than this game in the WIAC, we’ll review the #9 UW-Eau Claire vs Hamline non-conference game from 12/5/23.

In this one, Eau Claire coming off a rough stretch of games as they are nearing the end of the short-term gauntlet of top-ranked opponents and tough non-conference teams such as Hamline, so this one was vital.

UW-Eau Claire defeats Hamline 2-1 on 12/5/23. (Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com)

UWEC started off the scoring extremely early in the 1st, Sam Bendholz scored a rapid 51 seconds into the game. The Pipers then tied it up in the 2nd, Haley Eder-Zdechlik scored at 16:53 to tie it up going into the 3rd period.

Kylie Wiltse would score the winner for the Blugolds at 3:18 of the final frame, giving the Blugolds a huge 2-1 win.

Goaltender Josie Mathsion made 18 saves for Eau Claire & Olivia Rinzel made 15. Shot totals were very low, 19-17 in favor of Hamline, penalties were one-sided, Hamline with five & Eau Claire with one.

D-III Women’s East Week 6 Recap: A highly competitive weekend of conference play!

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Western New England Women’s Hockey (Photo via Western New England Athletics)

Nearing closer to the semester break, teams are making their final push to end the first half on a high note. We had some great games out east this past weekend, including some highly ranked matchups.

CCC  

Two teams that have come out swinging this year, looking to make that next leap are Western New England & University of New England. The Golden Bears & Nor’easters are currently tied atop the CCC with 15.5 points apiece.

This past weekend, the two went unscathed, WNE going 2-0, while UNE went 1-0-1 (lost shootout). Meanwhile, Endicott is sitting close behind at 14.5, then Salve Regina who’s looking to make some noise, sits at 13.5, with the next closest being Suffolk at 7.5.

Western New England had a pair of games with Nichols who finds themselves at the bottom of the CCC, winning both by scores of 4-1 & 1-0.

On Friday in the 4-1 win, WNE’s Maddie Pope (2G), Alyssa Murphy (3A), & Maggie Holt (3A) led the Golden Bears on the stat sheet, while goaltender Kayla Ireland had 16 saves. On Saturday, Julia Roman had the lone goal which came at 16:16 of the 2nd period, giving WNE the slim 1-0 shutout victory. Rieley Jessie-Gerelli made 29 saves in the shutout win.

As for the University of New England, who’s 5-3-3 overall (4-1-3 in CCC) under 1st year Head Coach Cassandra Sherman, Univ Southern Maine ‘17, they tied Suffolk on Friday 1-1 (lost shootout) & won 2-1 on Saturday.

In game one, Delanie Corcoran had 34 saves for UNE & Lily O’Neil had 19 saves for Suffolk, then in the game two victory for UNE, Corcoran had 36 & O’Neil had 26. The point leader on the weekend was UNE’s Hannah Humes with a pair of goals in the Saturday victory.

Other CCC news was Salve Regina sweeping Curry College, winning 2-1 in OT & 4-0. The notable performances were goaltending, in the 2-1 OT win for Salve, Curry’s Soleil Archambeault made 37 saves on 37 shots in 41:01 minutes in the loss, while Salve’s Sydney Baxter made 22 of 23 in the victory. Another thing to note, in the 4-0 Salve victory, two goals were empty net.

NEHC

Nothing too crazy occurred in the NEHC this past weekend, here’s a quick recap of the notable events.

#11 Elmira

#11 Elmira got a pair of wins, a blowout 11-1 win over Johnson & Wales and a 3-1 win vs UMass-Boston. In the game vs J&W, Elmira outshot them 55-15, scoring 3 powerplay goals & 2 shorthanded, and goaltender Chloe Beaubien made 14 saves. In the game vs UMB, Elmira outshot them 34-8, scoring a shorthanded and powerplay goal. Goaltender Leonie Kuehberger made 7 saves in the victory.

Southern Maine

University of Southern Maine Women’s Hockey (Photo by James Liebowitz)

Southern Maine got a pair of wins, defeating Plymouth State 2-0 & Castleton 3-1. Madison Chagnon & Caroline Thompson scored the goals to propel the Huskies past the Panthers. Goaltender Haley McKim made 24 saves in her shutout victory. In their game vs Castleton, Saige Macleod, Olivia Stewart, & Madison Chagnon scored for USM, getting them the 3-1 victory. Goaltender Haley McKim had a stellar performance, making 40 saves, only allowing a single goal on 41 shots.

William Smith

William Smith grabbed a pair of wins, defeating UMass-Boston 2-1 & Johnson & Wales 4-1. William Smith is quietly putting together a great season after two early losses to Oswego State, they have a 3-2 win over (ranking at time of win) #13 Norwich. They sit with a record of 9-3-0 overall, 5-1-0 in the NEHC, tied with Elmira in 2nd place behind first-place Norwich.

The point leaders for the Herons this weekend were Emma Faso (3G), Brianna Felice (2G), Colleen Quirk & Sarah Hearns both had 3A, while Quirk added a goal as well in the win over UMB for a weekend-leading 4 points for the Herons. Goaltender Annie Hauser made 28 saves on 29 shots vs UMB & 24 saves on 25 shots vs J&W.

NESCAC

Four ranked teams played this past weekend, #2 Amherst, #5 Middlebury, #6 Hamilton, & #7 Colby. One upset occurred; this was Bowdoin defeating Colby 3-1 in game two of the weekend series.

#2 Amherst vs #5 Middlebury – Friday & Saturday  

Friday:

Amherst shutout Middlebury 4-0 in game one, a surprising result as they held the Panthers to zero goals for the first time this season. Natalie Stott continued to dominate in net, she currently sits at 5-0-1, a .979 save-percentage, .49 GAA, and three shutouts in 6 games. In this game, Stott had 31 saves in the shutout victory. Amherst began with a shorthanded goal late in the 1st period (18:21), Maeve Reynolds. Jayna Park then added a pair of goals, one being on the powerplay. Rylee Glennon capped it off with a goal at 3:21 of the 3rd period, giving the Mammoths a 4-0 win. Shots were 31-26 Middlebury.

Amherst’s Natalie Stott vs Williams College (Photo via Amherst Athletics)

Saturday:

This game was a low-scoring defensive affair, a 1-1 tie, Middlebury led in shots 38-27, penalties were moderate, three on Middlebury & two on Amherst. The lone goals for each team were from Middlebury’s Kate Flynn at 3:36 of the 2nd period & Cara Mancini at 18:38 of the 2nd for Amherst.

#6 Hamilton

Hamilton went undefeated in their series vs Trinity, but left with a blemish, defeating Trinity 3-1 & tying 1-1. In game one, all four goals came in the last 4 minutes of the game… Claire McGennis at 16:22 for Hamilton, then an entire 15 seconds later, Abby Smith fired one in to double the Continental lead. Then, a short 2 minutes 22 seconds later (18:59), Trinity scored a powerplay goal (Jelani Adorno). Then to end it, Hamilton’s Lydia Bullock tossed in an empty netter to seal the deal and win 3-1. Trinity led in shots 29-16.

In the 1-1 tie, Hamilton outshot Trinity 34-14, penalties were near non-existent, the lone offense was a Trinity penalty in the 1st period. The lone goals were scored by Hamilton’s Sophia Testa at 6:43 of the 2nd and Trinity’s Marta Mazzocchi late in the 3rd at 13:12.

#7 Colby

 Colby split with Bowdoin, winning 4-0 & losing 3-1. In game one, Colby came out firing, scoring four 1st period goals, Meg Rittenhouse scored a quick 12 seconds in (00:12), Megan Martodam at 8:06, Maria Pierce at 11:38, & Breanna Studley at 19:31. These goals held up, goaltender Grace Caligiuri made 14 saves in the shutout victory.

In game two, Bowdoin got outshot a lopsided 35-11, but found a trio of goals in those 11 shots. Starting off the scoring was Beth Sinson for Colby, extremely late in the 1st period at 19:10, but that would be the end of the Mules’ scoring. In the 2nd period at 11:42, Anyi Sun scored on the powerplay, then at 12:01, Luna Lu gave the Polar Bears the 2-1 lead headed into the 3rd. Elena DiMagno would then top it off at 10:22 and send the Polar Bears home winners over #7, winning 3-1. Goaltender Sarah Peterson made 34 saves in the victory, while Grace Caligiuri made 8 in the loss.

SUNYAC  

The main matchup of the weekend was #4 Plattsburgh vs #13 Cortland. The Cardinals took this one 2-0, continuing their conference-play dominance. Plattsburgh led 31-20 in shots, penalties were low, Plattsburgh with two & Cortland with one. The goals came from Ciara Wall at 9:41 of the 1st period and very late in the 2nd by Mae Olshansky at 19:40.5. Goaltender Lilla Nease made 20 saves in the shutout victory.

Plattsburgh also defeated Canton, winning 4-2 on Saturday. Julia Masotta scored the first two goals of the game, leading the team. Kendall Wasik had three assists in the game. Goaltender Chloe Lewis made 26 saves on 28 shots. The overall shots were in favor of the Cardinals, 37-28, penalties were near even, four for Canton & three for Plattsburgh.

UCHC  

The key weekend series in the UCHC was clear, #14 Nazareth vs undefeated Chatham. Chatham (6-1-2), much improved under 5th year Head Coach Mike O’Grady, who had a program-best season in ‘21-’22, now on pace for a new program-best season in ‘23-’24.

Nazareth (5-1-1), a very young squad, entered facing their first test besides Cortland, who was their lone loss on the season coming into this weekend.

Nazareth Women’s Hockey (Photo via Nazareth Athletics)

In game one, the Golden Flyers won 3-1, their goals came at 9:00 of the 1st by Ingrid Holstad, then Holstad showed up again, scoring in the 2nd period at 2:42 on the powerplay, then exactly 5 minutes later (7:42), Julia Holmes put Nazareth up 3-0 until Chatham’s lone goal came at 14:13 of the 3rd period on the powerplay from Rainey Jessup. Nazareth outshot Chatham 40-17.

In game two, Chatham would like the last minute of this game back, showing that it truly is a 60-minute game. Abi Fuzaylov put the Cougars up 1-0 late in the 1st at 19:18.3, which held up all the way until the last minute of the game, where at 19:10.2, Ingrid Holstad appeared once again, scoring to tie the game up, where Nazareth would win the shootout for the extra league point. Goaltender Lilly Rogers played exceptionally well, making 51 saves on 52 shots in this one. Nazareth outshot Chatham 52-11.

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Denver sophomore blueliner, recent Wild signee Buium tabbed USCHO Player of the Year for ’24-25 season

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Western Michigan’s Ferschweiler leads Broncos to national championship, named unanimous USCHO Coach of the Year for 2024-25 campaign

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After 48-point freshman season with Boston University, Hutson adds to accolades with 2024-25 USCHO Rookie of the Year honor

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Wisconsin’s Simms, McNaughton, Minnesota’s Primerano take home final women’s hockey HCA monthly honors for ’24-25 season

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Final HCA men’s hockey monthly honors for ’24-25 season go to Western Michigan’s Washe, BU’s Hutson, Denver’s Davis, Bentley’s Hasley, Minnesota State’s Tracy

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Norwich grad Dawes named new men’s hockey coach for Cadets, leaves Stevenson after nine seasons behind Mustangs bench

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Trio of All-USCHO teams announced for 2024-25 NCAA Division I men’s college hockey season

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NHL’s Devils sign Boston University forward Lachance, who gives up last two years of NCAA eligibility

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Minnesota men’s hockey coach Motzko, who ‘knows what it takes to have success,’ named head coach of 2026 U.S. National Junior Team

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Kaplan inks NHL deal with Philadelphia, leaves Boston University after junior season

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After pair of seasons, national championship with Western Michigan, Bump leaves Broncos for NHL contract with Flyers

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Denver forward Wright signs NHL contract with Kings, leaves Pioneers after junior season

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