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Monday 10: Top-ranked North Dakota gets sweep, Boston College logs holiday air miles, Michigan Tech takes both at Minnesota State for first time

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Michigan Tech players celebrate a goal during the Huskies’ sweep at Minnesota State over the weekend (photo: Michigan Tech Athletics).

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

1. No. 1 North Dakota holds serve

Five teams have been No. 1 in the USCHO men’s Division I ice hockey poll this season. North Dakota joined Boston College as the only programs this campaign to get a weekend sweep after rising to the top spot.

The Fighting Hawks needed overtime to get it done on Friday, downing visiting Bemidji 3-2 at home on a goal by Jackson Blake. North Dakota took down the Beavers in emphatic fashion Saturday, blowing open what was a 2-0 lead with three goals in a 4:23 span of the third period.

Friday’s OT win caused a bit of controversy on social media as a still frame capture of the Midco broadcast appeared to show that North Dakota’s Garrett Pyke entered the zone early, an opinion shared by the North Dakota television commentators. A video review would have required a coach’s challenge, but Bemidji did not contest the play.

2. Well-traveled Boston College takes two

Boston College won both road games over the holiday weekend — with 1,600 round-trip air miles between them.

Friday saw the No. 2 Eagles trounce No. 18 Notre Dame, 6-1, in South Bend. BC reeled off six goals before Landon Slaggart spoiled Jacob Fowler’s bid for a shutout with 1:35 left in the game.

Harvard hosted Boston College on Sunday with the visitors reeling off three goals in the third period for the 4-1 win.

Ryan Leonard scored twice in each contest, giving the freshman a total of nine goals and seven assists on the season. Fowler, who turned 19 on Friday, had a 0.963 save percentage and 1.00 goals against average on the weekend.

3. No. 4 Denver blows out Yale

Denver goaltender Freddie Halyk recorded a pair of shutouts on the weekend, bringing his season total to three, as DU stomped on visiting Yale 5-0 Friday and 9-0 on Saturday.

Four different Pioneers tallied three or more points in Saturday’s game.

“I think it was a good weekend from everyone throughout the whole lineup,” said junior forward Massimo Rizzo. “Good for a lot of guys to get on the scoresheet and build confidence and do the right things heading into next weekend.”

That opponent next weekend? No. 1 North Dakota visits Magness Arena for a pair of NCHC contests.

4. Cornell keeps the Kelley-Harkness cup for another two years

Junior goaltender Ian Shane made a season-high 35 saves for No. 16 Cornell in the Big Red’s 2-1 win over No. 5 Boston University in front of 15,289 at Madison Square Garden. It was Cornell’s fourth consecutive victory in the biennial Red Hot Hockey game.

Junior Ondrej Psenicka scored the game-winning goal for Cornell. Boston University’s top scorers, freshman forward Macklin Celebrini and sophomore defenseman Lane Hutson, were both held scoreless for only the second time this season.

The victory snapped a four-game winless streak for the Big Red.

5. No. 8 Minnesota splits Big Ten points with No. 7 Michigan State

Minnesota’s Jimmy Clark got the game-winning goal with 1:02 left Sunday as the Golden Gophers ended Michigan State’s seven-game unbeaten streak. 6-5. The two teams combined for 42 penalty minutes and 87 shots.

Gopher goalie Justen Close made a career-high 41 saves in the contest.

Michigan State’s Joey Larson sent the game to overtime with an extra-attacker goal with about 18 seconds remaining.

Friday saw the two teams skate to a 3-3 tie with the Spartans taking the extra Big Ten point in the shootout. That game marked a career-best 44 saves for Spartans netminder Trey Augustine.

Each team picked up three conference points on the weekend.

Michigan State remains in first place in the Big Ten with 19 points. Wisconsin and Notre Dame trail with 12 points each, but have two games in hand.

6. First-ever sweep for Michigan Tech at Mankato

Michigan Tech beat Minnesota State on the road Friday and Saturday by identical 3-2 scores for the Huskies’ first-ever sweep of the Mavericks on the road.

Michigan Tech improved to 6-6-3 overall and 4-2-0 in CCHA play.

“It was a great job by the guys grinding that one out,” Michigan Tech coach Joe Shawhan said. “Mankato gave a couple of good pushes, and we actually pushed back. We’ve taken points in five of six in league play. I really like this group, and we’re going to keep growing and getting better.”

The Huskies are tied for third in points in the CCHA standings with 12 and trail first-place St. Thomas by three points, but with two games in hand.

7. A great Friday and still a good weekend out of conference for Atlantic Hockey

Atlantic Hockey went 6-1 on Friday in out-of-conference games and ended the weekend 7-5 in non-league play.

Friday saw No. 20 Rochester Institute of Technology down No. 12 New Hampshire, 5-4, and Holy Cross beat up on visting Brown, 6-3. Niagara upended host Colgate 5-2, and Mercyhurst got an overtime victory at Miami, 4-3.

Perhaps the most significant of the wins was Bentley’s 4-1 win over UMass Lowell in the Turkey Leg Classic. Former Lowell assistant Andy Jones took over the Bentley program last June and has the Falcons at 7-8-0 after an 11-21-2 campaign last season.

Army downed Lowell 4-2 on Saturday in their Turkey Leg matchup. The Black Knights are 3-1 in their last four after opening the season 0-8.

RIT, Niagara, and Mercyhurst all dropped the second half of their two-game series.

At .366 out of conference — inlcuding 6-6-0 vs. Hockey East — Atlantic Hockey, as well as CCHA (.368), and ECAC (.364) are below the around .400 mark that has been a benchmark for conferences to get at-large bids. But it’s also on pace to be the best showing for Atlantic Hockey in non-conference play.

8. Last-second heartbreak. Twice.

After the win over No. 12 New Hampshire on Friday, No. 20 RIT was seconds away from a weekend sweep on Saturday.

The Tigers jumped out to a two-goal lead for a second night, but a five-minute major in the first period opened the door for the Wildcats to tie it at 2-2. RIT retook the lead midway through the third after an UNH penalty as freshman Matthew Wilde tipped a shot from Gianfranco Cassaro past Wildcats goalie Jakob Hellsten.

New Hampshire pulled Hellsten with just over two minutes remaining and tied the game with 5.3 seconds left. Stiven Sardinian sent a pass to Ryan Conmy in the slot who one-timed it past RIT goalie Tommy Scarfone.

Both teams had opportunities in overtime, but Conmy’s blocked shot in front of the UNH net allowed him to spring Cy LeClerc on a breakaway for the winning goal with 6.2 seconds left in overtime.

“I loved our heart tonight,” RIT coach Wayne Wilson said in his postgame radio interview. “This is a highly-ranked team and you learn some tough lessons. A one-goal lead with under 20 seconds left, under 15, under 10, you’ve got to find a way to finish it off.”

9. Wisconsin drops third straight but turns it around in Gramme’s debut

No. 1 has not been kind to teams this season as we noted already. Wisconsin dropped a pair of games at Michigan State last weekend to drop to No. 6 in the USCHO poll.

Alaska Anchorage made it three straight losses for the Badgers with a 1-0 win on Friday, backstopped by Jared Whale’s 41 saves.

Saturday was a different story as Wisconsin downed the Seawolves 5-0. Freshman William Gramme got the shutout in his debut in the Badgers’ net.

“I wanna make sure to tip my cap to Gramme,” said Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings. “Seeing our guys’ reaction in the locker room for him because I’m not gonna say he works harder than anybody else, but I will say I don’t believe anybody works harder than he does.”

Gramme was elated.

“It was a dream come true; I had some tears in my eyes before I went out. It was just so fun, and I’m so happy; I had my debut going, and I’m so proud of the team and so happy.”

10. Friars and Sun Devils split in the desert

Dylan Jackson’s overtime game-winner gave No. 13 Arizona State a 4-3 win on Friday over visiting No. 9 Providence. Goalie TJ Semptimphelter had 38 saves for the Sun Devils, including three in overtime.

Arizona State is 7-0 at Mullett Arena in overtime games and was 10-1 at home coming into Sunday’s game two.

“It’s a tough place for teams to come in and play,” said ASU coach Greg Powers after Friday’s win. “We wanted to create an incredible home ice advantage and atmosphere and make this a hockey school and we’re well on our way to it. With nights like tonight, we’re getting there.”

Providence got the split on the weekend on Sunday afternoon, 2-1, snapping a three-game losing streak. The Friars have next weekend off before a single game at Boston College on Dec. 9 and the Mayor’s Cup game at Brown on Dec. 30, the only two on the Providence schedule until home-and-home with BC on Jan. 12 and 13.

Rankings roundup: How the top 20 NCAA hockey teams fared, Nov. 22-26

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Arizona State players mob Dylan Jackson after the overtime winner last Friday night against Providence (photo: Sun Devil Athletics).

Here is a rundown of how the top 20 teams in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll of Nov. 20 fared in games over the Nov. 22-26 Thanksgiving weekend.

No. 1 North Dakota (11-2-1)
11/24/2023 – Bemidji State 2 at No. 1 North Dakota 3 (OT)
11/25/2023 – Bemidji State 0 at No. 1 North Dakota 5

No. 2 Boston College (11-2-1)
11/24/2023 – No. 2 Boston College 6 at No. 18 Notre Dame 1
11/26/2023 – No. 2 Boston College 4 at RV Harvard 1

No. 3 Quinnipiac (9-4-1)
11/22/2023 – No. 3 Quinnipiac 2 at No. 5 Boston University 3

No. 4 Denver (10-3-1)
11/24/2023 – Yale 0 at No. 4 Denver 5
11/25/2023 – Yale 0 at No. 4 Denver 9

No. 5 Boston University (9-4-1)
11/22/2023 – No. 3 Quinnipiac 2 at No. 5 Boston University 3
11/25/2023 – No. 16 Cornell 2 vs No. 5 Boston University 1 (Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden)

No. 6 Wisconsin (10-4-0)
11/24/2023 – Alaska Anchorage 1 at No. 6 Wisconsin 0
11/25/2023 – Alaska Anchorage 0 at No. 6 Wisconsin 5

No. 7 Michigan State (10-4-2)
11/24/2023 – No. 7 Michigan State 3 at No. 8 Minnesota 3 (OT)
11/26/2023 – No. 7 Michigan State 5 at No. 8 Minnesota 6 (OT)

No. 8 Minnesota (7-4-3)
11/24/2023 – No. 7 Michigan State 3 at No. 8 Minnesota 3 (OT)
11/26/2023 – No. 7 Michigan State 5 at No. 8 Minnesota 6 (OT)

No. 9 Providence (9-4-2)
11/24/2023 – No. 9 Providence 3 at No. 13 Arizona State 4 (OT)
11/26/2023 – No. 9 Providence 2 at No. 13 Arizona State 1

No. 10 Maine (6-3-1)
Did not play.

No. 11 Massachusetts (9-3-1)
11/24/2023 – No. 11 Massachusetts 6 at RV Harvard 5

No. 12 New Hampshire (7-3-1)
11/24/2023 – No. 12 New Hampshire 4 at No. 20 RIT 5
11/25/2023 – No. 12 New Hampshire 4 at No. 20 RIT 3 (OT)

No. 13 Arizona State (10-3-1)
11/24/2023 – No. 9 Providence 3 at No. 13 Arizona State 4 (OT)
11/26/2023 – No. 9 Providence 2 at No. 13 Arizona State 1

No. 14 Michigan (7-6-3)
11/24/2023 – No. 14 Michigan 2 at No. 17 St. Cloud State 0
11/25/2023 – No. 14 Michigan 3 at No. 17 St. Cloud State 3 (OT)

No. 15 Western Michigan (8-3-1)
11/24/2023 – St. Lawrence 1 at No. 15 Western Michigan 5
11/25/2023 – St. Lawrence 0 at No. 15 Western Michigan 4

No. 16 Cornell (5-3-1)
11/25/2023 – No. 16 Cornell 2 vs No. 5 Boston University 1 (Red Hot Hockey at Madison Square Garden)

No. 17 St. Cloud State (8-5-1)
11/24/2023 – No. 14 Michigan 2 at No. 17 St. Cloud State 0
11/25/2023 – No. 14 Michigan 3 at No. 17 St. Cloud State 3 (OT)

No. 18 Notre Dame (7-5-2)
11/24/2023 – No. 2 Boston College 6 at No. 18 Notre Dame 1

No. 19 Penn State (8-4-3)
11/24/2023 – Lindenwood 3 at No. 19 Penn State 9
11/25/2023 – Lindenwood 1 at No. 19 Penn State 7

No. 20 RIT (8-4-0)
11/24/2023 – No. 12 New Hampshire 4 at No. 20 RIT 5
11/25/2023 – No. 12 New Hampshire 4 at No. 20 RIT 3 (OT)

RV = Received Votes

SATURDAY ROUNDUP: No. 16 Cornell edges No. 5 Boston University in Red Hot Hockey, No. 1 North Dakota shuts out Bemidji State for sweep, No. 6 Wisconsin gets split with Alaska Anchorage, No. 4 Denver hangs nine on Yale to get sweep

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BU’s Macklin Celebrini attempts to skate past Cornell’s Gabriel Seger Saturday night at Madison Square Garden (photo: Matt Woolverton).

Ondrej Psenicka’s goal at 8:24 of the third period stood as the game winner and No. 16 Cornell held on to defeat No. 5 Boston University 2-1 in the Red Hot Hockey game Friday night at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Ryan Walsh had tied the game for Cornell at 3:58 of the third period on a Big Red power play.

After a scoreless first period, the Terriers opened the scoring when Doug Grimes scored at 14:13 of the second period.

Ian Shane made 34 saves in goal for Cornell, while Mathieu Caron stopped 15 for BU.

SCOREBOARD | POLL

No. 1 North Dakota 5, Bemidji State 0

The Fighting Hawks took the weekend sweep with a 5-0 win over Bemidji State in front of 11,690 at Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

Five different players scored for North Dakota as Jackson Blake went for a goal and an assist, and Dane Montgomery, Garrett Pyke, Ben Strinden and Jackson Kunz added single tallies to back Ludvig Persson’s 29 goals. Persson also recorded an assist in the game.

Bemidji State goalie Gavin Enright finished with 26 saves.

No. 4 Denver 9, Yale 0

Seven players had multi-point games as Denver finished the sweep over Yale with a 9-0 win Saturday night at Magness Arena in Denver.

Massimo Rizzo had a goal and three assists, Zeen Buium four assists, and McKade Webster two goals and an assist for DU to back Freddie Halyk’s 28 stops between the pipes.

Jack Devine added a goal and two assists, Tristan Broz and Aidan Thompson a goal plus a helper each, and Lucas Olvestad notched two assists.

Sam Harris, Rieger Lorenz and Carter King also scored in the lopsided victory.

Denver’s nine goals are its most in a game since winning 10-2 at home versus Minnesota State on Oct. 22, 2011, and it marks the squad’s first back-to-back shutout of a team since posting identical 7-0 scores last season on Jan. 13-14, 2023, against Miami. DU won 5-0 in Friday’s series opener.

For Yale, Nathan Reid and Jack Stark combined to make 26 saves in net.

No. 6 Wisconsin 5, Alaska Anchorage 0

Wisconsin ended its three-game losing streak on Saturday night with a 5-0 shutout win against Alaska Anchorage at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Freshman goaltender William Gramme made his first career NCAA start, posting a 25-save shutout to lead Wisconsin.

The Badgers put up two goals in the first period from William Whitelaw and Ben Dexheimer and three in the second from Whitelaw, Jack Horbach and Charlie Stramel.

For the Seawolves, Joey Lamoreaux registered 31 saves in goal.

No. 14 Michigan 3, No. 17 St. Cloud State 3 (St. Cloud State wins shootout)

Michigan skated to a 3-3 tie with St. Cloud State on Saturday evening from the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, Minn.

The Wolverines scored the game’s first three goals before the Huskies rallied back to tie the game on Kyler Kupka’s second goal of the game with just nine seconds left in regulation.

Tyler Duke, Jacob Truscott and Dylan Duke scored for Michigan and Veeti Miettinen posted the other goal for SCSU.

In goal, Dominic Basse made 27 saves for the Huskies, while Jake Barczewski compiled a 36-save effort for Michigan.

No. 12 New Hampshire 4, No. 20 RIT 3 (OT)

Cy LeClerc scored the game winner with just 6.2 seconds left in overtime as New Hampshire defeated Rochester Institute of Technology 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester, N.Y.

Ryan Conmy tied the game at 3-3 for UNH with just 5.3 seconds left in regulation.

After the Tigers scored two goals from Elijah Gonsalves and Grady Hobbs to take a 2-0 lead in the first period, the Wildcats responded with two power-play goals from Nick Cafarelli and LeClerc late in the period on a five-minute major.

Matthew Wilde then gave RIT a 3-2 lead at 9:49 of the third period before Conmy tallied the tying goal and LeClerc the winner.

Jakob Hellsten made 21 saves for New Hampshire.

Tommy Scarfone stopped 45 shots for the Tigers.

FRIDAY ROUNDUP: Alaska Anchorage shuts out No. 6 Wisconsin, top-ranked North Dakota survives in OT vs. Bemidji State, No. 2 Boston College romps over No. 18 Notre Dame, No. 13 Arizona State takes down No. 9 Providence in OT

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Alaska Anchorage’s Carson Kosobud skates against Wisconsin’s Owen Mehlenbacher in Friday night’s game at the Kohl Center (photo: Jenna Statz).

Alaska Anchorage was outshot 41-21 but scored the only goal of the game to pull off the 1-0 upset at No. 6 Wisconsin Friday night in front of 8,496 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.

Jared Whale finished with 41 saves for the shutout in the Seawolves net.

“Amazing performance by Jared Whale,” said Anchorage coach Matt Shasby. “Our guys found a way to get a lead going into the third period, and we committed to playing well on the defensive side of the puck to close it out.”

“We can’t change tonight,” added Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings. “We can change what’s going forward and we’ve gotta own what we do on a daily.”

Gunnar VanDamme couldn’t have picked a better time to score his first career goal than the game winner as he beat Wisconsin goalie Kyle McClellan five-hole at 18:26 of the second period.

Alaska Anchorage was scoreless on their two power-play opportunities and held Wisconsin 0 for 6.

McClellan made 20 stops in goal for the Badgers.

The win was the first for Alaska Anchorage over a ranked opponent since it defeated No. 14 Penn State 6-5 on Oct. 27. The Seawolves are 2-1 against the Big Ten this season.

SCOREBOARD | POLL

No. 1 North Dakota 3, Bemidji State 2 (OT)

Jackson Blake scored just 50 seconds into overtime to help top-ranked North Dakota battle back from a two-goal deficit and defeat Bemidji State 3-2 in overtime on Friday night from Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D.

UND had to rally from an early 2-0 deficit, something it has not needed to do all season, but Cameron Berg struck for a pair of goals in regulation and Blake finished it off with his second OT winner of the season to extend the nation’s longest winning streak to six games.

Ludvig Persson made with 19 saves and the Fighting Hawks held the Beavers to just five shots over the final 20:50 of the game.
For only the second time all season, North Dakota found itself in a 1-0 hole. Kasper Magnussen pounced on a loose puck in the crease just 1:19 into the contest to give the visitors the early advantage before increasing the lead to 2-0 late in the first period on Jackson Jutting’s goal.

Berg then scored just 35 seconds after the Jutting goal to cut the lead to 2-1 after 20 minutes.

Despite a strong second period from the home side, the score remained 2-1 in favor of Bemidji State entering the third, but Berg brought the game level at 2-2 when he sniped a shot over the glove of Gavin Enright at the 5:18 mark of the frame.

Neither side was able to break the deadlock in the regulation period, but Jake Livanavage feathered a pass to Blake on the doorstep to win the game just 50 seconds into overtime to cap the comeback.

Enright finished with 29 saves.

Side note: North Dakota was not called for a penalty in a game for the first time since Feb. 22, 1997 vs. Alaska Anchorage.

No. 2 Boston College 6, No. 18 Notre Dame 1

Ryan Leonard scored twice in the first period and Boston College never looked back, earning a dominant 6-1 victory over Notre Dame on Friday night at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind.

Leonard and his rookie linemates Gabe Perreault (goal, two assists) and Will Smith (three assists) combined for eight points on the night. Perreault extended his point streak to 11 games, while Smith and Leonard pushed their streaks to seven games.

Oskar Jellvik posted a multi-point game with a goal and an assist, while Cutter Gauthier and Eamon Powell each registered two assists to give BC six players with multiple points. Andre Gasseau and Drew Fortescue also scored for the Eagles.

Celebrating his 19th birthday on Friday, Jacob Fowler was 1:35 away from securing his second straight shutout. He stopped 29 of the 30 Irish shots he faced, allowing just a late goal to Landon Slaggert.

Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel made 33 saves in the loss.

No. 4 Denver 5, Yale 0

Freddie Halyk needed to stop just 13 shots for the win as Denver blanked Yale 5-0 from Magness Arena in Denver.

Jack Devine had two goals and an assist, McKade Webster a goal and two assists, and Mike Matikka and Zeeb Buium each tallied one goal apiece to pace the Pioneers’ attack.

For Yale, Jack Stark turned aside 29 shots between the pipes.

No. 7 Michigan State 3, No. 8 Minnesota 3 (MSU wins shootout)

Michigan State three times battled back from one-goal deficits and got 44 saves from goalie Trey Augustine as the Spartans skated to a 3-3 tie at Minnesota on Friday night in front of 10,392 at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis.

The Spartans then picked up the extra point in the Big Ten standings with a victory in the shootout.

Connor Kurth opened the scoring for the Gophers just 1:41 into the game before Joey Larson answered for the Spartans at 10:04 of the second period. Bryce Brodzonski made it 2-1 Minnesota 8:01 into the third before Nash Nienhuis replied 1:22 later. Rhett Pitlick restored the Minnesota lead at 14:14 only to have Tiernan Shoudy tie the game at 16:33.

Justen Close fashioned a 25-save performance for the Gophers in the blue paint.

No. 13 Arizona State 4, No. 9 Providence 3 (OT)

Dylan Jackson’s goal 3:17 into the extra session propelled Arizona State past Providence 4-3 at Mullett Arena in Tempe, Ariz.

The Sun Devils’ Tyler Gratton had tied the game 3-all at 7:33 of the third period.

Alex Young scored the other two goals for Arizona State, who got 38 saves from goaltender TJ Semptimphelter.

For the Friars, Austen May, Hudson Malinoski, and Graham Gamache scored, with Philip Svedebäck making 22 saves in goal.

No. 20 RIT 5, No. 12 New Hampshire 4

Gianfranco Cassaro scored two goals for RIT, including what proved to be the game winner 59 seconds into the third period, as the Tigers held on for a 5-4 win over UNH at the Gene Polisseni Center in Rochester, N.Y.

Tanner Andrew, Tyler Fukakusa, and Elijah Gonsalves also scored for RIT, and Tommy Scarfone made 27 saves in the Tigers net.

Ryan Conmy scored twice for New Hampshire, while Harrison Blaisdell and Nikolai Jenson added one each.

Tyler Muszelik stopped 29 shots in the UNH crease.

USCHO Edge: Nonconference play presents some lopsided lines but also opportunities to cash in on Black Friday

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Trent Burnham shut out LIU last Saturday for Lindenwood’s first NCAA D-I goose egg (photo: Don Adams, Jr.).

If you’ve had your fill of turkey and woken up from a long slumber, it’s now time to turn your attention to college hockey. Friday presents 25 college hockey games, 19 of which are non-conference matchups.

Because of that, you’ll see some lopsided lines (Penn State, a -475 favorite over Lindenwood +325, is the largest spread of a line we remember this season), as well as a couple of very compelling games.

If you’re able to correctly predict an upset this weekend, there’s money to be made. Here is a list of the underdogs of +150 or higher:

  • Lindenwood (+325) at Penn State*
  • Bemidji State (+240) at North Dakota*
  • Michigan Tech (+170) at Minnesota State
  • Michigan State (+154) at Minnesota

* Indicates non-conference game – All lines provided by DraftKings Sportsbook

Here are some of the bets we like – and ones we advise to avoid – on Black Friday:

Bemidji State (+240) at North Dakota

North Dakota has inherited the title of “number one” in the USCHO.com poll this week, which carries with it the target on the collective backs of the Fighting Hawks. Every number one team this season has lost one of its first three games after reaching the top. Add in the fact that the Beavers are 1-1-1 against North Dakota in the last three meetings, and +240 seems like excellent value. Certainly, there’s a reason that North Dakota is a -330 favorite – they’re playing at home which is one of the best advantages in the nation, but this feels like the perfect time to throw some pizza money on Bemidji State.

Arizona State (+120) vs. Providence

The Sun Devils are a near perfect 9-1-0 at home this season and have a top-five win over Denver on its resume. Providence is coming off a tough weekend against UMass, losing twice to the Minutemen in a home-and-home. We pick Arizona State here as there likely are few times this year that you’ll get plus-money odds on the Sun Devils while they play at home this season.

Penn State/Lindenwood – Over 7 goals

Penn State is averaging 3.46 goals per game and Lindenwood is posting an average of 2.41 GPG. But for Penn State, they’ve combined with opponents to score eight or more total goals over the last three contests. They’ve also played some high-scoring contests in nonconference play when heavy favorite – a 6-4 loss vs. AIC and a 6-5 loss to Alaska Anchorage come to mind. Lindenwood also has surrendered some pretty high totals to another B1G team – Michigan – losing 9-1 and 10-1. Maybe it won’t be that lopsided against the Nittany Lions, but we think there will be plenty of goals scored in this game.

Game to avoid: Michigan (-115) at St. Cloud State (-115)

Best bet of the week: Penn State/Lindenwood – Over 7 goals

D-III West Men’s Hockey Weekend Picks

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UW-Eau Claire faces a big test against St. Norbert this weekend (Photo Credit: Zach Jacobson/UW-Eau Claire Athletics)

The Thanksgiving food has been eaten. And now it’s time for hockey.

Several games are on tap this holiday weekend, including a two-game series between nationally ranked UW-Eau Claire and St. Norbert. Can’t beat a matchup like that this early in the season. And two MIAC teams will square off against top five teams in the country.

Friday

St. Olaf (4-3-1) at No. 1 Plattsburgh State (6-0)

Talk about a huge test. The Oles get a shot at the No. 1 team in the nation.

St. Olaf has won two in a row and is playing its second ranked team in the last two weeks. It’s going to take quite the effort for the Oles to pull off this upset, but they are capable of getting it done if they can play a complete game from start to finish. There is little room for error in this one, especially on the road.

The Cardinals have rattled off six consecutive wins to start the season, scoring five or more goals five times. It will be Lukas Haugen of the Oles to the test in goal.
Plattsburgh, 5-4

Saint John’s (2-5) at No. 3 Utica (6-0-2)

Another MIAC team with another big game in front of it. The Johnnies haven’t had the best start to a season but are never an easy out for anyone.

Playing on the road is going to be a challenge. The Johnnies have Huber Bailey in goal and he will need to have maybe the best game of his career for Saint John’s to pull of the upset.

Utica is on a five-game win streak and its offense is clicking, scoring five or more goals during that streak. The Johnnies will need to find a way to match that output against a team that has allowed only eight goals during its streak.
Utica, 5-2

Friday and Saturday

No. 7 UW-Eau Claire (5-1-1) vs. St. Norbert (6-3)

This series begins at St. Norbert, where the Green Knights always make it tough for an opponent. UW-Eau Claire has won its last two. St. Norbert has won three in a row.

The Blugolds have a lot of options on offense, including Kyler Grundy, who has three goals and nine assists. And Max Gutjahr owns a 2.31 goals against average to help lead the defense. 

Adam Stacho leads the Green Knights with seven goals and seven assists. High scoring games are possible, though, it’s likely defense decides this series.
St. Norbert, 5-2; UW-Eau Claire, 4-2

Saturday

No. 4 Adrian (5-2-1) vs. Stevenson (5-2-1)

The Bulldogs have been balanced this season, with six players tallying two or more goals. Mathew Rehding leads the team with four goals on the season. 

The Mustangs have won three in a row and this will be the second time this yer they have faced a top five team nationally. Earlier this season they came out of a series with Utia with a tie and a loss. A good road test for the Bulldogs for sure, but they seem to find a way to prevail more often than not.
Adrian, 5-3

UW-Superior (3-5, 1-1) at Northland (1-7, 0-2)

The Yellowjackets have been playing better as of late and come in on a two-game winning streak. The Lumberjacks are looking to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Northland needs to have its offense clicking on all cylinders as it has managed only 17 goals all season. Jackson Breton has accounted for four of those goals. 

Blake Holmes leads the UW-Superior offense with four goals. I’m expecting both games to be close. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see a split.
UW-Superior, 4-2; Northland, 3-2

Sunday

Bethel (5-1-2)  at Aurora (4-3-1)

Could be quite an entertaining non-conference battle to close out the weekend.

The Royals and Spartans are both off to good starts. Bethel hasn’t had the best luck on the road, going just 1-1-2 and have given up more than two goals only once. Its ability to step up defensively will be a key to success. Travis Allen has started five games in goal, allowing only eight goals on the season.

Aurora is riding high after an upset win over Adrian last week. The Spartans have won four of their last five. Akl Hassan leads the team with three goals and eight assists. This one could go either way. Give the Spartans the edge being at home.
Aurora, 4-3

 

This Week in NCHC Hockey: ‘What an experience’ for longtime Omaha broadcaster Leahy, approaching 1,000 games with Mavericks

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Terry Leahy, left, calls an Omaha hockey game with Dave Ahlers, former UNO SID and play-by-play broadcaster (photo: Omaha Athletics).

Omaha hockey radio color analyst Terry Leahy never thought he would reach 1,000 broadcasts covering the same team.

On Friday night, when the Mavericks host Augustana, he’ll be there. Quite literally, in fact, in much the same capacity he has held since UNO’s hockey program first hit the ice in 1997.

There have only ever been four Maverick hockey games that Leahy, a self-described Omaha lifer, hasn’t played a role in presenting. And his history with the sport goes back much further.

Leahy grew up watching the Omaha Knights, a former minor league professional team. An early public address announcer for the USHL’s Omaha Lancers, Leahy joined Omaha talk radio station KFAB as a news and sports reporter, a job he still holds.

When UNO announced in 1996 that it would be creating a hockey program, KFAB had not long ago lost broadcasting rights for Nebraska football, for which Leahy had been a sideline reporter.

“That’s how this kind of all started,” Leahy said. “KFAB knew that I was into hockey, and suddenly it was, ‘Alright, you’re on the broadcasts, here you go,’ and nobody else was into it.

“We got in on the ground floor with the beginning of a program, and it was totally right place, right time. Pro hockey and Lancers hockey had been broadcast here before the Mavs, but I was able to develop this color position.”

Leahy was no stranger to UNO athletics. He had previously covered Maverick football, baseball and basketball for Cox Cable’s local access channel, giving him connections with former UNO sports information director Gary Anderson and the late athletic director Don Leahy (no relation). The latter played an integral part in the creation of UNO’s hockey program, and his signature is permanently displayed on the Baxter Arena ice.

Terry Leahy missed two road games, a series at Miami in the mid-2000s, while hospitalized with a stomach illness. The only other UNO games he missed, when the Mavericks won two 2015 regional tournament games at Notre Dame to make what remains the team’s only Frozen Four appearance, came while his wife of 24 years, Sheila, was in the end stages of a cancer battle. Terry stayed in Omaha, as a studio host, for the Mavericks’ national semifinal defeat to Providence.

Sheila would hang on for another month, and throughout that time, the Leahys leaned on their UNO family, from university administrators down to hockey season-ticket holders.

“That all literally became a family when Sheila got sick,” Terry said. “It became a real-life concept, because that was a huge support system that was in my corner. The program, the athletic department, even the university at large, (original UNO hockey coach) Mike Kemp, (former UNO athletic director) Trev Alberts, Chancellor (John) Christensen, they spearheaded a fundraiser with Holy Cross Catholic Church, my faith community, and then I’ve got an incredibly large and fantastic family that I’m blessed with. I had it easy in some ways with that sad situation.

“Steve Rohlik is coaching at Ohio State now, and he was an assistant with Omaha, but he called when Sheila was in trouble with this cancer, and Joe Grimaldi, a former UNO defenseman called. Word had gotten around, and I remembered seeing a bunch of guys at the funeral. It was unbelievable in that regard.”

And Leahy’s emotional attachment to UNO’s hockey program has only grown, surprising as that might’ve been to him.

“I’m 64, will be 65 in January and I’ve often said that over the last 12, maybe 15 years of this or not more, I’ve thought, ‘There’s probably going to become a real gap between me and these student-athletes chronologically, and I’m probably not going to get to know these guys as much as the original group,’ but I’ve been wrong on that,” he said.

“Every year, a new group comes in and you become friends for life with them. There’s a certain friendship that will be there forever.”

And that extends to current UNO coach Mike Gabinet, himself a former Mavericks defenseman who graduated in 2004. Half his life later, Gabinet’s relationship with Leahy now is similar to what it was like back then.

Leahy has interviewed hundreds of Mavericks hockey players over the years (photo: Omaha Athletics).

“Terry’s just a tremendous person, and that’s my first thought when I think of him,” Gabinet said. “You can’t help but smile thinking about him. He’s a real supporter of our program, and the genuine people who really care, they’re consistent in their approach, and he’s just that. He cares about the players, the staff, the program, the people around the program and he always does things with class and respect.

“He’s tremendously enjoyable to be around, and he has one of the quietest senses of humor to be around. He’s a funny dude, and he’s a pleasure to have with us on the road. Lots of families and fans get to enjoy the game through his voice, and it’s awesome to have him.”

Leahy sees Gabinet as much the same person he was in his early 20s. That carried over even into UNO’s three-day, two-game set last weekend at Denver. The second game began Saturday night but would finish on Sunday afternoon thanks to bad ice conditions after the first period.

“Mike always took a very positive, studious approach as a player, and has continued that as a coach,” Leahy said. “I think that reflects the fact his dad is a professional educator and football coach in Canada, and his grandfather (Clare Drake) is a coach in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

“Nothing has changed with Mike. That smile, the fist bumps, it’s just awesome. We had to split up to get out of Denver because of the snafu with the ice, and I remember Mike coming up to me with a fist bump and, ‘Hey, Terry, you’re gonna be with me on the way back, just follow me.’ He was leading one group of us on a Southwest flight, and UNO’s director (of hockey operations) was leading a group on a United flight where we all met up again in Omaha. That stuff is typical Gabby.”

The Maverick hockey family got back to Omaha in one piece, and they’ll be together again Friday for what will be an evening to savor.

“With the transitory nature of life in general, and not to be too esoteric there, but especially in broadcasting, I didn’t think we’d get here,” Leahy said of his 1,000th broadcast with the team.

“When this all began, I thought, ‘If I can do this for a little bit, it’d be great, what an experience,’ but then you want to keep going and it has gotten to this point. I still can’t believe it.”

This Week in CCHA Hockey: Augustana players immersing themselves in campus life, getting victories on ice as ‘guys finding their game’

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Arnaud Vachon is emerging as a leader this season for Augustana (photo: Dave Eggen).

On his team’s weekend off, Augustana coach Garrett Raboin was able to do something he’s not usually able to do during the hockey season: Take in a football game.

On Saturday, the Augustana football team hosted Minnesota State in a first-round NCAA Division II football playoff game at Augie’s Kirkeby-Over Stadium in Sioux Falls, S.D. The 11-1 Vikings demolished the Mavericks 51-24 to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Raboin was actually able to take it in with the rest of his Vikings’ hockey team. It’s something he and his players aren’t always able to do because of the rigors of the hockey season, but the first-year head coach at the first-year program says it’s important that the hockey team makes itself a part of the greater Augustana community right away.

“That’s the great part about being at a school our size,” Raboin said of Augustana, which has an enrollment of about 2,500. “Our guys didn’t come here just to know their teammates. They came here to get to know their classmates, too, and celebrate everyone. And they get a chance to do that.”

As Raboin watched the football team take on a rival school in a sold-out, on-campus game, he said he couldn’t stop thinking about what it will be like when the Augustana hockey team is able to do that, too.

“We’re really fortunate because even though we don’t have a hockey history here, we have a football team that does have history. And for us to be able to watch how they handle themselves, how they’re finding success, has been great,” Raboin said. “It’s a different sport, but it ties into our group. It’s something we want to do. You know, we want to enjoy moments like that hosting playoff games like they did. Just being in close games and finding a way to get a result, to get a win.”

The Vikings (4-5-1 overall) have bucked expectations in their first season of existence, playing in some close games with some of the traditional college hockey powers and even winning a few games against said powers. Obviously, the weekend in Colorado when the Vikings rallied to tie Denver 5-5 and then beat Colorado College 4-2 the next night stands out, but the Vikings also played tough against both Wisconsin and Michigan Tech on the road despite losing all four games.

Considering the fact that few expected Augustana to even be able to skate with these teams, much less beat them, makes their season so far all the more impressive.

“That’s something our guys have earned,” Raboin said. “There are some expectations that have come with having success in moments like that, and good programs that are headed in a great direction are earning expectations and our challenge is now, now that we’ve learned from expectations, can we continue to grow those and use it as a strength or help to motivate us.”

Perhaps those expectations are also helping to motivate players up and down the lineup. The Vikings don’t have one specific scoring line but rather seem to have been getting contributions from many different players in every game. Although nobody on the team has reached double-digit scoring yet, 18 different players have registered at least a point and 15 have at least a goal.

“We’ve had different guys emerge each weekend,” Raboin said. “And if you look over our last three games, there’s a different leading scorer on our team each night. And that’s just guys finding their game. When you have 15 transfers there’s a bit of work to be done for some of these players to find their happy place and find their game and we feel like there’s more guys each week and hopping on board. And our challenge is to try to get everyone going.”

If there’s one player who has been most valuable to Augustana’s early success, however, it’s been Arnaud Vachon. The fifth-year senior who transferred in from Colgate has six points in 10 games but most important for Raboin has been his leadership and experience. Vachon has played in 136 career collegiate games and helped lead Colgate to an ECAC tournament title last year.

“He’s been our heartbeat,” Raboin said. “He leads by example, and he knows he is one of those leaders that’s able to bring people together, and he’s been so valuable, what a gift to have him join us as a fifth year and really lead the way. As you build a foundation and try to set your culture, to have someone like him that knows what it looks like. He’s just been so valuable for us on and off the ice.”

The Vikings return to the ice this weekend for a home-and-home series with Omaha. It’s a series that has the potential to evolve into a rivalry. Omaha and Sioux Falls are just two and a half hours apart on I-29, and the Vikings and Mavericks were conference rivals in other sports in UNO’s Division II days.

“We want to make a great first impression to whoever we’re playing against,” Raboin said. “We want to make a great first impression for the CCHA. I know our fans and Omaha’s fans are hoping that this can become a real competitive rivalry, but for any rivalry, both teams need to win.”

D-III Women’s West Week 4 Recap: UWSP upsets No. 15, Top-10 WIAC matchup, & Adrian sweeps rival!

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UW-Stevens Point upset #15 St. Norbert 5-2. (Photo via UWSP Athletics).

This past week on the western front of women’s D-III hockey we saw the state of Wisconsin offer us a solid week! It started with an upset in De Pere, then a top-10 matchup in Eau Claire between the top-two WIAC rivals. We also look at Minnesota, as a surprising team is brewing! Finally, if that wasn’t enough, over in Michigan, we saw Adrian sweep their NCHA rival. Here’s your weekly west recap from this past week & a brief Thanksgiving tournament preview!

The Pointers of Stevens Point pull off the upset in Norbert

Going all the way back to last Tuesday (11/14/23), UW-Stevens Point entered the game with a record of 2-4-0, while #15 St. Norbert entered at 6-1-0. UWSP hasn’t exactly lit the WIAC up as of late, nor has it had a lot of success in non-conference against ranked opponents, but on Tuesday they pulled it off.

The surprising part of this game, besides the scoreboard, was that UWSP held Norbert to a mere 18 shots, while firing 29 of their own. The penalties in this game were even, both sides had four each for eight minutes. The scoring began early in the opening frame, Natalie Hogan gave Norbert the early 1-0 lead a quick 1:20 into the contest, assisted by her sister Courtnie Hogan. The Pointers would answer exactly seven minutes later (8:20), Courtney Leising tied it up.

Both teams added a goal in the 2nd period, Sara Aadalen for UWSP & Courtnie Hogan (pp) for Norbert. The 3rd period arrived and it was all Stevens Point, scoring a trio of goals to seal the upset victory. Lauren Wincentsen scored on the powerplay at the 12:00 mark, Sara Aadalen scored another a rapid 42 seconds later to put the Pointers up 4-2 with just over seven minutes remaining in the game. Courtney Leising then added her 2nd goal of the game, sealing it at the 19:43 mark of the 3rd to finalize the 5-2 upset victory for the Pointers on a Tuesday night in De Pere, WI.

#4 UW-River Falls defeats WIAC rival #8 UW-Eau Claire

In their first meeting this season, #4 UW-River Falls entered the game a perfect 6-0-0, while UW-Eau Claire held a slightly blemished record of 6-1-0. The Blugolds have been the team to give the Falcons the most problems as of the past few years, granted, they play them 3-4 times per season (three regular-season + WIAC playoffs), so it’s expected, but this weekend, River Falls got it done.

#4 UW-River Falls defeated rival #8 UW-Eau Claire 5-2, #16 Maddie McCollins had a hat-trick. (Photo via Zach Jacobson, UWEC)

UWRF star forward Maddie McCollins got things started with a goal at the 5:51 mark of the 1st period to put the Falcons up 1-0, this would be the first of her three goals. The star for Eau Claire answered a quick two minutes later, Sophie Rausch tied it up at 1. Then McCollins would add one at the 12:07 mark to send UWRF to the locker room up 2-1 at the end of the 1st.

In the 2nd, River Falls took over the game, Madison Lavergne at 11:39, Megan Goodreau (pp) at 12:54, then McCollins secured her hat trick exactly two minutes later at 14:24 to give River Falls a commanding 5-1 lead after 2.

Sam Bandholz would score midway through the 3rd for Eau Claire on the powerplay, but that was all, ending the game with a score of 5-2 and a huge victory for UWRF. Maddie McCollins led the way with four points (3G & 1A).

The shots in the game were 33-29 in favor of UWRF, penalties were common, UWRF with 7 for 14 minutes, UWEC with 7 for 14 as well. Jordan O’Connor was credited with the 27-save victory for the Falcons.

Games like this in the WIAC are huge due to the no auto-bid (min. 6 teams req.) in the WIAC, so UWRF getting this win helps them get a jump in pairwise, while UWEC will need to take a game or two from them the rest of the way, while also performing well at Middlebury this weekend in the Panther/Cardinal Classic.

Saint Mary’s is… back?

We discussed this a few weeks back after Saint Mary’s was off to a hot start including a victory over a ranked UW-Eau Claire, but the streak seems to be continuing. The Cardinals are 7-2-0, most recently sweeping MIAC opponent Augsburg & defeating UW-Stevens Point, winning 3-2, 2-1, & 5-2. Seeing the sweep of Augsburg raises a lot of positive questions, such as, how far can this team go? It’ll be fun on 12/1 (Fri.) & 12/2 (Sat.) when we get #1 Gustavus vs Saint Mary’s in a home/away series beginning in Winona, Minn. (SMU).

Saint Mary’s sweeps Augsburg this past weekend. (Photo via Chris Ebert)

Chad Davis, former Adrian College head coach from 2011-2018, took over a program that hadn’t had loads of success, but has turned things around quickly. He’s already one win away from tying last year’s win total (8-15-2) & has won more games this season than SMU won in numerous seasons prior.

I asked Coach Davis how’s he been able to turnaround a program in a way where they’re already competing/beating high caliber-ranked opponents, he said this:

“In terms of the team’s current results, we’re seeing some of our freshmen class adapting to the tough competition quickly. The staff is really pushing the development side of the game, and they’ve been putting in the work. We believe this will help players with confidence and self-belief. We’ve implemented a system we feel our team has embraced. On the ice, our performance is characterized by a team first approach, which we feel gives us the best opportunity on a daily basis. We’re playing very tight games and have been focusing on being opportunistic when we’re able to generate scoring chances and emphasizing defensive zone play. Being in a highly competitive conference, we focus on being consistent with our overall competing level.”

I was also curious how the team vibes were with the program and some of the standout players thus far, Davis said: “The team’s general vibe has been grounded, humble, and positive energy.  We’re aware of the sample size we’ve played and are just looking at the season one day at a time. Our notable performers have been Allie Urlaub (F – 4G & 7A), Reese Heitzman (F – 10G & 4A), Celia Midtbo (D – 2G & 3A), Celeste Rimstad (G – 7-2 record, .952 save %, 1.23 gaa)”.

Keep an eye on the Cardinals as the season goes on, lots to be intrigued about with this team going forward.

Adrian sweeps NCHA rival Aurora

#10 Adrian entered the weekend with a record of 3-1-0, while Aurora came in with 5-2-0. Adrian won game one 4-1 & game two 5-0.

Adrian sweeps Aurora, winning 4-1 & 5-0. (Photo by Mike Dickie Photography)

In game one, shots were near even, 34-33 Adrian, penalties were high, 4 for 8 minutes from Adrian, 6 for 12 for Aurora. AU’s lone goal was scored by Stephanie Schmunk late in the 1st at 18:17. AC then scored a trio in the 2nd, a two-minute flurry, Courtney Ben (4:09), Hunter Reardon (5:29), & Aileena Dopheide (5:58) to give the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead after 2.

Nichole Pietrucha added on an empty-net shorthanded goal at 19:53.5 to seal it 4-1 for Adrian.

In game two, Adrian dominated, outshooting Aurora 43-25, penalties high once again, AC with 8 for 16 & AU with 4 for 8 minutes. Tia Liscelle scored a pair, (10:19 of the 1st & 19:42.4 of the 2nd). Her teammate Sydnie Crockett also scored a pair, (10:33 of the 1st & 5:31 of the 2nd). Jocelin Hundanish added a powerplay goal early in the 3rd to cap it off at a 5-0 victory.

Adrian goaltender Annie Gilbert was credited with the 25-save shutout victory in game two. She also had 32 saves in the game one victory on Friday.

Thanksgiving East/West Tournament Preview!

Here’s the brief news regarding the holiday tournament this weekend in Middlebury, VT. It’s the Panther/Cardinal Classic, which always has arguably the best tournament field in the country year after year. Last year, UW-River Falls headed East to Plattsburgh, taking home the title back to the west.

UW-River Falls wins the Cardinal/Panther Classic, defeating Plattsburgh 3-2 and then Middlebury 3-2 in OT (Photo by Nathanael LePage)

This year, UW-Eau Claire looks to do the same. The Blugolds will face #4 Plattsburgh at 6pm EST this Saturday and will face either #5 Middlebury or Endicott depending on the results of both games. Should be a good one and it’s worth tuning in this weekend!

Be thankful for a great start to the D-III West men’s hockey season

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Jacob Seitz and the Saints are unbeaten through seven games. (Photo Credit: Cyndi’s Clicks Photography/St. Schlolastica Athletics)

On this Thanksgiving day be thankful for NCAA Division III hockey in the west region.

It was three years ago that there was no hockey at this time of the year, the grip of the pandemic still very much an issue.

But here we are, about a month into the season and it’s been entertaining to say the least so far. So be thankful for the hockey we have been able to watch so far and the hockey we will continue to watch over the next few months.

All three conferences out west have been competitive up to this point and I don’t expect that to change moving forward. 

St. Scholastica hasn’t missed a beat, picking up where it left off, and is talented as ever as it takes aim at the MIAC tournament title this season that eluded it a year ago after winning the regular season championship.

The Saints are the lone unbeaten in the MIAC, and actually, the only remaining undefeated team in the west region. They are 7-0 overall and 4-0 in the conference, The Saints are thankful for that success but know there is still work to do.

Yet, while St. Scholastica appears to be the team to beat at the moment and could very well contend for a national title as well, the MIAC is always tough to navigate.

Four other teams have overall winning records (St. Olaf, Bethel, Augsburg and Concordia), and in the conference standings, there are just five points separating the second place team from the last. But it’s still early. No team has played more than four MIAC games. A lot can still happen.

Out in the NCHA, Adrian is the favorite but winning a championship in one of the tougher conferences in hockey will not be an easy thing to do.

The Bulldogs are tied with St. Norbert and Trine  for first place in the standings. Aurora is only a game back and coming off a split in its series with Adrian last weekend. That’s something the Spartans are thankful for.

MSOE, Lawrence, Concordia, Marian and Lake Forest will not make anything easy on anyone in the conference. They’ll come ready to play like everyone else in the NCHA.

And for Dubuque, the first year program that is still searching for its first win, it will come at some point. But for now, the program and its fans can be thankful there is hockey to play at the school. It beats no hockey at all.

In the WIAC, UW-Stevens Point has established itself as the frontrunner for the time being. The Pointers have lost only twice all season and are unbeaten in league play.

But UW-Eau Claire, whose only loss came at the hands of the Pointers earlier this month, is going to be a tough team to play all season, and the Blugolds will be in the discussion for the conference title late in the year.

And you can never count out UW-River Falls, UW-Superior and UW-Stout. Northland has yet to win a conference game but the Lumberjacks have shown they won’t go down without a fight.

It’s going to be fun to see what’s ahead in the west region of D-III hockey. Be thankful for that.

And be thankful for the upsets and hard-fought games we have seen so far, and for the opportunity to see more games like it.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Feast on delicious food today and great hockey this weekend and the rest of the season.

This Week in ECAC Hockey: Getting Thanksgiving rolling with 10 things to be thankful for as holiday upon us

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Quinnipiac players celebrate winning the 2023 national title April 8 in Tampa (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Last year presented me with an opportunity to reintroduce a slightly different format to our weekly column.

It was a take on former colleague Dave Hendrickson’s list of 20 things that made him thankful for covering Hockey East, and it gave me a real chance to sit back and talk about the things that made me grateful for covering college hockey.

Writing about those things gave me an opportunity to take a step back from covering the on-ice stories, and in the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, I’d like to resurrect the idea for another year. We’ll return to more traditional stories next week, but in the meantime, here’s a list of 10 things for which I’m thankful.

10. The Walk into the Arena

I’ve been broadcasting college hockey for the better part of 15 years, but the ride and walk to an arena still gets me every time. Getting to step outside of my normal life and transform into a media member is a privilege for which I’m truly grateful, and there’s nothing quite like getting into the car for those first couple of streets on the drive.

It’s one of the few times I get to decompress from the world, and hitting a playlist or podcast on the ride to an arena somehow expels all of the negative energy built up from battling the real world. Drinking a coffee in the car and seeing the building for the first time in the distance puts the icing on the proverbial cake, as if the hockey world that’s been dormant for the past week is coming alive with its own promise of adrenaline and excitement.

9. Covering National Champions

Returning to a conference beat last year was a huge step for me, and specifically writing about ECAC brought me home to the league that introduced me to college hockey. That my first year coincided with a national championship team at Quinnipiac allowed me to enjoy the ride from the literal beginning-to-end storyline of a college hockey season, and I am grateful over congratulatory for riding the wave through to the raising of a banner.

Last year was exceptionally special for me because ECAC had four teams in the national tournament. I’d never experienced that level of success before, and it challenged me to find stories beyond the surface level. I hope I’ve been able to do that, and I also hope that we’re able to watch another ECAC team earn a championship in Minneapolis this coming spring.

8. Working With Students

I’ve been pretty blessed to run with a great group of student workers at various schools, but the new crop is infusing the sport with a passion that’s reinvigorated my juice for the game. I feel like I’ve moved into a new era in understanding social media and the different content machines because the younger journalists are more savvy when it comes to TikTok or Instagram, and it’s been a pleasure to teach them about professionalism while watching them fuse it to the modern mediums.

My student broadcast partner at Bentley is a prime example. His name is Matt Krefting, and I’ve watched him grow from a kid who wanted the microphone to a trusted confidant when it comes to color commentary. He’s caught things on the ice that he’s then gathered into his questions for postgame press conferences, but he’s also capable of putting together a TikTok about the day in the life of a student broadcaster. I didn’t even know that last part was possible because I couldn’t do a TikTok dance routine.

7. Young Kids Playing Hockey

My brother-in-law is a firefighter, so his wife – my wife’s sister – asked me to help her out with getting equipment for her son for his first hockey practice. She’d never put equipment on a kiddo before, so she needed me to help get the arm and shoulder pads over his head while getting his skates laced.

He was far from the only kid in that locker room that day, but the moms and dads who watched their kids take the ice started an investment that quickly developed a passion for throwing the skates and helmets on their children. I watched kids step on the ice for the first time that day, and it grabbed my attention because kids were helping each other. They were forming partnerships that helped them later learn how to skate with sticks and pucks, and I see everything forming for the next kid who buries a breakaway in front of a student section during an intermission.

6. TMQ and Podcasts

Writing for USCHO extended my family by an unknown factor, but sitting down and doing our weekly collaborations is a way to renew those vows, so to speak. Writing TMQ this past week with Paula Weston was exceptionally enjoyable for me to reconnect with one of my most beloved colleagues, and my weekly USCHO Edge podcast with Ed Trefzger and Jimmy Connelly is some of the most fun I’ve had since joining this site.

I have always been lucky that Chris Lerch took the chance on me to write for USCHO, and I’m looking forward to taking my girls on the road to witness how we meet, connect and build our stories.

5. Early Mornings and Late Nights

My body clock was blown to smithereens by having kids, but it’s not like I’ve ever been one to complain about waking up early or going to bed after everyone in my house is completely asleep. In fact, last year was a time when I was up around 4 a.m. with my younger daughter, but I’ve become much more of a night owl when it comes to getting work done on the computer since she developed more of a regular sleep routine.

Being able to function on little to no sleep is a parent’s best skill in general, but I love that it’s helped me structure my week a little bit better when it comes to interviews and articles. I’ve been a little bit more diligent about hitting deadlines (a big thing that I struggled with last year), and I hope I’ve rewarded the patience of our administrative and editorial staff for sticking with me over the past 365 days.

4. Medical Personnel

I had a nightmare scenario this year when a player was stretchered off the ice in a game where I was broadcasting. He was okay and returned to skating a couple of weeks later, but it made me genuinely realize the delicate balance between players fighting hard for pucks along the wall or in open ice scenarios.

One wrong step is a recipe for a catastrophe, and having medical personnel on site and at the ready is the quickest way to avoid experiencing bigger issues. There’s a calmness to what they do, and the stories about their heroism in times when they’re needed reminds me how I never had their nerve or temperament. The trainers, doctors, EMTs, and anyone else involved are probably the biggest heroes and most underrated personnel at a building.

3. The Staffs

It still takes a village to make these weekly columns happen, and I’m eternally grateful to the players and coaches who take time out of their week to sit and talk about themselves and their programs. I know it’s difficult to sacrifice that time when weeks are stuffed with classes, homework, practice, film sessions, recoveries, meals, and literally anything else, but I’ve never had a negative experience in this league.

A special shoutout to the sports information directors who also serve as the conduits to make all of this happen. Their jobs never stop during the season, and I’m sure the thought of an off day on a Sunday is juicier than dealing with the pesky reporter who sends the email to ask for availability during the week.

2. The Fans

Look, it’s a fairly obvious thing to say, but without readers, a site is just words on a page.

The fans are the ones that keep this going. They react to what we write, and they care about their teams. I hope I generate enough conversation to get you through your weeks, and I especially appreciate the people who respond through the message board, through Twitter or X or whatever it’s called these days, and through the different and various social media outlets.

We’re all the more accessible these days, but I’m happy that I’ve found a bunch of crazy lunatics who love this sport as much as I do. I can’t wait to see what we have in store for one another for the second half of the season, and to the kind sports fan who once put me on a meme, keep them coming. You’ve given me good humor for those text messages to friends.

1. The Family

Becoming a dad was the greatest thing that ever happened to me. Becoming a #girldad changed my outlook on life and the world, and I have no idea what I would do without coming home to my two kids. They’re chaotic and crazy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Everyone in my family is supportive of this endeavor. My wife totally understands the sacrifices involved, and she’s here for me every step of the way. We are, in many ways, a sports family, but she’s embraced the idea of bringing our kids to visit me at work when I’m on the air or in a press box. She knows how our older daughter lights up the press box when she walks into the room, and our younger daughter is about as cute as they come.

My family is the reason I’m here, and I love them with every fiber of my being. I live for our anarchy, and without them, I’d never find the internal monologue for a hockey column. For that, I’m truly grateful.

So here’s to a great holiday and wishing the best for you and yours. May your table, however it forms, be full of joy and love and warmth and every other emotion that gets us to bed at night. Everyone deserves happiness, and I hope this week provides you with the optimal version of whatever you define.

Motzko agrees to two-year contract extension with Minnesota, will remain Gophers coach through 2027-28 hockey season

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Bob Motzko skates during a Minnesota practice at Amalie Arena during the 2023 Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. (photo: Jim Rosvold).

Minnesota and men’s hockey head coach Bob Motzko have agreed to a two-year contract extension.

The deal keeps Motzko with the Golden Gophers through the 2027-28 season.

“I am grateful to (director of athletics) Mark Coyle and the rest of the athletics administration for believing in me and our staff and our leadership of Gopher hockey,” Motzko said in a statement. “It has been exciting to be a part of our success and I am so appreciative of the incredible support we receive from our alumni, our students and all our fans.

“We have a tremendous staff and group of young men on this team, and I look forward to continuing to compete for championships with them.”

The Gophers have enjoyed a resurgence to national prominence since Motzko took over leading the program prior to the 2018-19 season. The 2023 Spencer Penrose national coach of the year award winner currently owns a 119-64-14 record after leading the Gophers to back-to-back trips to the NCAA Frozen Four and three straight 24-plus win campaigns. He also has earned the title of Big Ten conference coach of the year three times in the last four seasons thanks to consecutive B1G regular-season championships and a tournament title in 2021.

“Bob has been a tremendous leader of our men’s hockey program,” Coyle said. “His ability to build a culture of success with our staff and student-athletes has led to achievements on the ice and for our team academically and socially. I am thrilled to have Bob continue to lead our men’s hockey program into the future.”

The rising success of Minnesota men’s hockey has been showcased by holding a 6-3 record at the national tournament, increasing their all-time NCAA win total to 61, the most of any college hockey program. In five of the six seasons with Motzko at the helm, the Gophers have been ranked in the top five of the national polls for at least one week.

In the classroom, the program continues to thrive under Motzko’s leadership where 29 student-athletes have earned a college degree since 2018. Minnesota also has boasted nine of the program’s top 10 cumulative semester grade point averages during his tenure, including the highest spring semester ever (excluding the COVID-19 semester) in 2023 behind a 3.22 term GPA.

Women’s Division I College Hockey: The PodKaz talks about a new No. 1 team, eye-opening major penalty numbers and Thanksgiving tourneys

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We look back at Ohio State’s sweep of Wisconsin in last week’s No. 1 vs. No. 2 series and talk about the seven ECAC teams in the top 15. Nicole has an interview with NCAA national coordinator of women’s ice hockey officiating Krissy Langley about what’s behind the rise in the number of major penalties called early this season. And Nicole and Todd look ahead to the Thanksgiving weekend slate that includes tournaments in untraditional locations.

For more information on Team Caribbean women’s ice hockey mentioned in the episode, visit https://www.reachingourgoal.com/donation/fhJAl1dHxgn2.

 

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

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This Week in Big Ten Hockey: Getting sweep over then-No. 1 Wisconsin has Michigan State enjoying ‘a really good weekend for our program’

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Trey Augustine celebrates Michigan State’s weekend home sweep over Wisconsin (photo: Michigan State Athletics).

What a difference a week makes.

Last week, Wisconsin was the No. 1 team in the country, garnering 32 first-place votes in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll. The Badgers, then 9-1-0 overall with a 4-0-0 record in conference play, had just come off a bye week and by virtue of the ever-changing landscape among the top teams nationwide, they traveled to East Lansing as the team a lot of folks in college hockey thought was best in the land.

After earning that rank, coach Mike Hastings told his players to “appreciate it, but understand what it is. It’s a moment.”

As it turns out, it was a moment that lasted a single week. Michigan State swept Wisconsin 4-2 and 3-2, snapping the Badgers’ six-game win streak and extending the Spartans’ own undefeated streak to six games (5-0-1).

So, do the Spartans top the poll this week? Nope.

This week, Wisconsin drops to No. 6 and Michigan State moves up from No. 11 to No. 7 – and neither team earned any first-place votes in this week’s poll.

It’s difficult to explain, but as Dan Rubin and I discussed in this week’s TMQ, the poll is likely a response to two things: the perception of voters regarding the strength of conferences as much as (or maybe even more so than) the perceived strength of individual teams, and the real parity we’re seeing among the teams shaping up to be the top 15 or so nationally.

If it were a matter of consistency, No. 3 Quinnipiac would be No. 1. The Bobcats are 6-0-1 in their last eight games, the longest unbeaten streak among top 10 teams, better by one game than Michigan State’s current run. Quinnipiac earned eight first place votes this week.

And not one bit of that likely matters to Spartans coach Adam Nightingale.

Following Michigan State’s 3-2 win Saturday, Nightingale said, “Obviously, a really good weekend for our program.”

Not just the team, but the program.

In addition to sweeping “a really quality opponent” at home in conference play, Nightingale said that the series showed how far the Spartans have come since dropping two games on the road to Boston College Oct. 26-27.

“We obviously had a lot to work on,” said Nightingale.

He added that the Saturday win was notable, too, for how well the Spartans played after losing a lead and how well they responded when the game was tied. Leading 1-0 after the first period, Michigan State took a number of second-period penalties resulting in a 13-3 Wisconsin shot advantage and Owen Lindmark’s tying goal late in the second. Joey Larson’s goal at 1:55 in the third, though, put the Spartans ahead for good.

“A lot of times a team struggles when that happens,” said Nightingale, “after you give up a lead, and I just think for our guys to stay with it and then again for [it] to be a tie game going into the third [and] to finish it off, I think there’s a lot we can learn from it.”

Nightingale singled out goaltender Trey Augustine (2.99 GAA, .913 SV%) as a big reason for Michigan State’s success in the series, especially during the second period of Saturday’s game.

“I think he’s gotten better and better as the season’s went on,” said Nightingale. “If you look at true freshmen goaltenders, there’s not a ton of them and it’s an adjustment, right? I thought each game he’s gotten better and better, but for sure that was one when he was our best player.”

Nightingale credits Augustine’s development in part to the goalie’s relationship with associate head coach Jared DeMichiel, a goaltender for RIT (2006-10) who backstopped the Tigers to their Frozen Four appearance in 2010. From 2016 to 2022, DeMichiel coached at Massachusetts, first as an assistant and then an associate head coach. DeMichiel is widely recognized for his recruiting and player development skills.

“Jared does a great job of connecting with our players,” said Nightingale. “I think he treats them as a person first and when we went through the recruiting process with Trey, I think that was really important to him. There’s a connection there and when you look at Jared’s track record with goalies, it’s really good.

“I think there’s a mutual respect there. Obviously, we respect Trey and I think Trey respects DeMichiel and kind of his track record as a coach.”

The Spartans now top the Big Ten with 16 points, four ahead of second-place Wisconsin. For their part, the Badgers know they have some work to do.

“Do we need a reset? Yeah, after coming up empty, but again, every weekend’s a learning opportunity for us and we learned quite a bit last weekend,” said Hastings. “I want to give credit to State. I think they’re a good hockey team. We learned a little bit on the compete side of things. It’s one thing to get an opportunity. It’s another thing to finish it.”

The Spartans have the opportunity to increase their lead at the top of the B1G standings this weekend when they travel to face No. 8 Minnesota in a Friday-Sunday series, the only conference play on this week’s schedule for Big Ten teams.

Heading into Thanksgiving weekend a year ago, the Golden Gophers were at the top of the Big Ten standings with 18 points and just one point ahead of the Spartans, but the Gophers were poised to run away with the conference. Minnesota took the 2022-23 regular-season title with 57 points. Michigan finished second last season a full 19 points behind the Gophers.

What a difference a year makes.

With two wins in the Big Ten and a 6-4-2 overall record, Minnesota is five points ahead of last-place Ohio State. Last weekend, the Gophers split a pair of home games against Notre Dame.

“Twelve games, and we’ve been awful good in six of them,” said Minnesota coach Bob Motzko after the Gophers’ 4-1 win Saturday.

Motzko said that the early season is “reminding the older guys and the new guys how hard it is to create offense, how hard to hang in a game.”

He added, “And buckle up. We’ve got six to go ‘til break and every one’s going to be the same.”

AmCats taking on all divisions in last year as an independent

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Anna Maria has had a lot to celebrate in the early part of the season including a recent four game win streak and upsets of Plymouth State and Stonehill (Photo by Anna Maria Athletics)

After opening the season with a 1-2-0 record, the Anna Maria College AmCats have won four games in their last five, including a 4-1 win over previously unbeaten and nationally ranked Plymouth State from D-III and Saturday’s 4-2 win over D-I Stonehill. Two more wins over Lebanon Valley had AMC at 5-2-0 prior to Tuesday’s one-goal loss to D-II Assumption Despite their second loss to the Greyhounds, AMC stays optimistic for a strong finish in the first half of the 2023-24 season led by their trio of Matts.

“I like the way we are competing,” said head coach Dave McCauley. “We have been hard to play against and maybe need to dial back on some of the penalty minutes but I like the intensity and the focus the guys have shown with some big games still to play in November and December before the break. We are getting contributions from a lot of guys but “the Matts” have been really good early and that should help us moving forward with our schedule.”

The “Matts” refer to goaltender Matthew Hennessey, forward Matthew Byrne and forward Matthew Gilbert. All three players have figured prominently in the AmCats early season success and really could not be more different as players. Hennessey, a freshman, burst on to the scene with a 51-save effort in Anna Maria’s upset of then unbeaten Plymouth State. He has surrendered just 10 goals in five plus games while posting a .947 save-percentage and has taken the crease for Anna Maria as the No. 1 netminder.

Matt Byrne has already picked up three goals and two assists in the first six games of the season while fellow forward Matthew Gilbert has five goals in six games while averaging a point per game this season.

“Hennessey has been impressive with his steady play as a freshman,” noted McCauley. “The team has complete trust in him in goal and plays with confidence in front of him. Gilbert is having a breakout season for us so far early in the year. He is pushing the pace and contributing exclusively in 5-on-5 and penalty kill ice time. Byrne has stepped up his shooting numbers and is now a featured guy on the power play along with probably our best player, Guilliaume Coulombe (2-3-5) that provides more balance in scoring. These guys along with several others are off to great starts and will need that continued strong play with six games still to play before the semester break.”

On Saturday, coach McCauley predicted (maybe should have him guest pick for me some week) his team’s 4-2 win over the Skyhawks and saw the balance and depth of his roster with Derek Raposo chipping in with a pair of goals and Max Wennerberg adding a pair of assists while goaltenders Cole Johnston and Connor Bradford combined for 41 saves on 43 shots in the win.

“We feel we can play with anyone and want to be a hard team to beat,” stated McCauley. We have some big tests coming up in December and after the new year in the second half that will show our growth as a team against some very successful programs like Curry, Amherst, Oswego and Cortland. We respect every team we face and know we have to be at our best to beat anybody on our schedule from the different D-III conferences.”

Next year, the AmCats move to the MASCAC and in 2025, become a full member in all sports. The six-year run as an Independent comes to an end after this season but Anna Maria is focused on showcasing what their future conference foes can expect with them in the league and competing for a conference championship.

“It is hard to believe it has been six-years doing this independent scheduling, noted McCauley. “My life just got instantly easier with 18 conference games and just adding a few more to the schedule beyond our Worcester Cup opening to the season. It will be nice to focus on playing in a conference and competing for championships and a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. This team has been building for that next step so they are very committed to building long-term success and momentum with results this year.”

The AmCats closed out their November schedule with a re-match of the Woo Cup final against D-II Assumption looking to avenge the 5-4 loss in just their second game of the season. The result was another one-goal loss with a third period rally from a 4-0 deficit that fell one goal short. December brings five D-III contests to close out the first half of the season including, Morrisville, Massachusetts-Dartmouth, Curry, Southern Maine, and New England College.

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: After splitting with Canisius, Army West Point showing improvement, finding ways to win conference games

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Joey Baez scored three goals over the weekend that saw Army split its series at home against Canisius (photo: Army West Point Athletics).

It’s been a rough start to the season for Army West Point.

Going into last weekend’s series with Canisius, the Black Knights were 0-8 with losses to North Dakota, Union, and Bemidji State as well as to some of Atlantic Hockey’s top teams in Sacred Heart, Rochester Institute of Technology, and archival Air Force.

Several games followed the same script: The Black Knights would take a lead, often coming from behind to do so, but surrender a late goal or two and end up on the wrong side of the scoresheet. Examples:

– Against Bemidji State in the Icebreaker tournament, Army West Point led 2-1 in the third before allowing a pair of goals, including the game-winner with less than a minute to play.
– At Air Force, the Black Knights fought back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game on John Driscoll’s goal with 53 seconds to play, only to fall in overtime, 4-3.
– Last Friday against visiting Canisius, Brian Riley’s team trailed 3-1 after the first period, went ahead 4-3 in the third, but allowed three late goals to fall, 6-4.

Saturday finally saw a breakthrough for Riley and the Black Knights, which found themselves in familiar territory, leading by a goal in the third period.

This time was different. Riley’s team, which features 20 freshmen and sophomores and only 10 upperclassmen, held down the fort for the 2-1 win.

“Until you win a close game, you don’t have that to draw upon,” said Riley, in his 20th season at West Point. “You have to learn how to win. On Saturday, we took a step.”

The deja vu moment wasn’t lost on Riley.

“It was strange, we were in the same position as we were on Friday, the same position we’ve been in a couple of other times,” he said.

“Friday, we had the lead in the third and we didn’t handle it well. It wasn’t winning hockey on our part.”

Against Air Force the prior weekend, it was more of the same.

“We played an unbelievable seven minutes to tie, we were feeling really good,” said Riley. “Air Force played a very deliberate game in the overtime. They just sat and waited for us to make a mistake, and we tried to make a play at the blue line, and it cost us.

“It’s been a learning process. We learned that we can come back, we’ve done that. Saturday, we learned how to win.”

That victory was the first career win for junior goaltender Evan Szary, who has split time this season with senior Gavin Abric.

The Black Knights’ power play (20.4%) has been a bright spot with goals hard to come by so far this season.

All-conference players Joey Baez (eight points) and Max Itagaki (six points) lead the way on the scoresheet, with rookie Brent Keefer chipping in four goals, second on the squad.

Like Air Force, Army West Point can’t make use of the transfer portal, or give players a fifth year of eligibility due to the pandemic.

“We can’t reload like most schools,” said Riley. “We have to rebuild and go through those cycles. I would have loved to have guys back for another year, that experience is invaluable. We’re getting experience the old-fashioned way, by going through the ups and downs.”

Riley said that he’s happy with his team’s effort so far, but effort often isn’t enough.

“Effort and compete are different,” he said. “You can have the effort but the compete level is using it to win battles, one-on-one battles,” he said. “The team that wins those battles is going to win the game. That’s something that takes getting used to for young players moving up from juniors to college.”

The Black Knights have a Tuesday game at Holy Cross, and then will participate in the Turkey Leg Classic, hosted by UMass Lowell and Merrimack.

After that, 17 of the Black Knights’ 20 remaining games will be in conference play. Last season, Army West Point also got off to a slow start, but ended up finishing fifth in the league.

“We were 1-7 to start last year,” said Riley. “We hope to be playing our best hockey coming down the stretch, and the more experience we get, the better our chances.”

This Week in Hockey East: UMass with lots to be thankful for as Minutemen run record to 8-3-1 after sweep of Providence

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Ryan Ufko has been a go-to player this season for UMass (photo: Thom Kendall/UMass Athletics).

Players and coaches can talk all they want about not paying attention to polls, whether it’s the weekly national rankings or a preseason poll conducted by either media or coaches.

In reality, most try to find a balance — polls are just opinions, after all, and most teams usually find it best to ignore outside noise and focus only on what one can control. But hockey teams don’t live in a vacuum either, so when Massachusetts was picked to finish eighth in the Hockey East preseason coaches poll, it did not fail to serve as a little motivation for the Minutemen.

“We kind of fell off last year,” said UMass junior forward Lucas Mercuri. “It’s our goal this year to resurrect as a team and bounce back from that. I think we’re doing a pretty decent job so far. (Hockey East) is, I think, the best league in college hockey. It’s a dog fight every night. There are no bad teams in this league.”

Thanksgiving finds the Minutemen riding high — a weekend sweep of Providence (then ranked No. 5 in the USCHO.com men’s D-I poll) put UMass at 8-3-1 overall and 4-2-1 in Hockey East, earning them the No. 11 spot in this week’s USCHO poll. Mercuri potted the game winner with 48.2 seconds to go in a 3-2 thriller at Schneider Arena on Thursday night.

Two nights later, Junior captain Ryan Ufko scored his fourth goal of the season 1:04 into overtime for a 2-1 win at the Mullins Center.

“I thought we played to an identity that we want to play to,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said after Thursday’s road win. “I’ve liked this team a lot all year and tonight was another reason to like them even more.”

While the eighth-place preseason prediction wasn’t entirely unjustified — UMass was 13–17–5 in 2022-23 (7–14–3 in Hockey East) and were bounced in the first round of the conference tournament — it reflected a sharp and sudden downturn for a program that had been riding a wave of success. The Minutemen earned a second-place regular-season finish and a conference tournament championship in 2021-22, and the year before that won the NCAA title.

“I think we’re doing good, but we’re never satisfied here,” Mercuri said. “We always kind of want more. We’re looking to just live, every day, our core values as a team. It’s all about culture here and living up to high standards and winning the day.”

The Minutemen return to action on Friday with a nonconference, intrastate tilt at Harvard. Hockey East play resumes a week later for UMass with a road trip to Vermont, where they will look to avenge one of their ugliest losses of the season, 6-2 at home on Nov. 11, a game marred by errors and sloppy play.

In that game, goalie Michael Hrabal was pulled after Vermont made it 4-1 midway through the second period. Since then, Hrabal has been sensational, stopping 53 of 56 shots for the weekend vs. Providence, including 32 in the second game on a night when UMass was outshot 33-16.

Carvel had high praise for the freshman from Prague, Czechia, after Saturday’s home win.

“Our goaltender kept us in it,” Carvel said. “We were out-shot and out-chanced pretty badly. Discipline-wise, we had to kill too many penalties, but this is a good group of kids. (The) kids found a way. It was just an elite play by an elite player (Ufko) in overtime to score the goal, but that’s a Michael Hrabal victory tonight.”

D-III East Men’s Hockey Game Picks – November 21, 2023

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Goaltender Tate Brandon and his Skidmore Thoroughbreds are off to an impressive start to the season and look to build on that early success by winning their Thanksgiving tournament against some very worthy challengers (Photo by Skidmore Athletics)

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Thanksgiving Holiday weekend means just about an abundance of everything food, parades, football and of course, college pucks! In the annual tradition of overindulging, please note the abundance of picks below covering all the non-conference and holiday tournament action I could cram into in a 20-pick slate. Last week my picks slipped considerably as I finished at  6-4-2 (.583) which brings the season total to 34-17-5 (.652). It has already been a most entertaining first half of the season and this weekend should only build on the great hockey being played thus far. Here are some of the first-round tournament picks along with some key non-conference games this weekend in a super-sized slate of prognostications:

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

Elmira v. (5) Geneseo

This “Lose-day” battle finds a pair of recently ranked teams facing off and I can only go with the advantage home-ice and recent success gives – meaning the Knights take yet another one-goal thriller and likely with some bonus hockey played – Geneseo, 3-2

Assumption v. Anna Maria

These two teams played in t eh championship game of the “Woo Cup” on the opening weekend of the season but what a difference the month in between makes. It is another one goal game but this time the AmCats skate off victorious – Anna Maria, 4-3

Wesleyan v. (12) Endicott

The Gulls have been playing better but probably have another gear in their game and what could be better than finding it against a top-flight defensive team like Wesleyan. It is a playoff atmosphere with a power play goal deciding the contest – Endicott, 3-2

Brockport v. (2) Hobart

The Statesmen have been solid on home ice and while the Golden Eagles present some challenges, there is too much depth and pace in the orange and white for an upset here. Hobart starts fast and cruises to a comfortable win –  Hobart, 5-2

Friday, November 24, 2023

Utica Kickoff Tournament

St. John’s v. (3) Utica

The Johnnies are the team from the west this time around in the Utica tournament and the Pioneers prove to be less than hospitable hosts. New group is showing early cohesiveness and the scores reflect that maturation process – Utica, 5-2

Elmira v. (8) Oswego

These two rivals have a long history of great games between the two schools and this year’s editions will not disappoint the crowd at “The Aud” either. Lots of speed and quality scoring chances equal a goaltender’s nightmare. Lakers take it late by a goal –      Oswego, 5-4

LayerEight Shootout

(11) Norwich v. Middlebury

There are few rivalries in college hockey where the opponents have played each other many more times than these two Vermont schools. The Cadets already have several games under their belt while Middlebury just played their first real action this past weekend. Special teams are the decisive factor here in a one-goal contest that is highly entertaining for the local fans – Norwich, 3-2

St. Olaf v. (1) Plattsburgh

The team from the west has not fared well in this tournament since the format change several years ago. That said, coach Eddie Effinger and the Oles give every opponent a hard time for sixty minutes and will definitely push the host Cardinals to the limit. Empty-net goal provides the final cushion – Plattsburgh, 5-3

Terry Moran Invitational

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts v. Castleton

The new team this year opens with the hosts and the Spartans best not look past the Trailblazers who would love to take home some Turkey Day hardware. Despite a slow start Andrew Stefura and company get it going for some late goals and the win –        Castleton, 6-2

Rivier v. Morrisville

The Mustangs have already faced some high-end talent in Plattsburgh and Oswego so do not expect them to do anything but compete hard against a feisty Raiders team. I think there could be some overtime and even a shootout in this one – Morrisville, 3-2

Saturday, November 25, 2022

Skidmore Invitational

Tufts v. (15) Skidmore

The “Trap Game” Alert is officially on for this one as Tufts loves surprising ranked and favored teams on their home ice. Thoroughbreds best be ready to play from the opening puck drop and even as they are it is still a tight contest – Skidmore, 3-1

Brockport v. (10) Salve Regina

A SUNYAC v. CCC contest that showcases some great talent on both squads. Expect this game to ebb and flow but ultimately be decided by a special team’s goal and likely one of the shorthanded variety. The Seahawks survive to the championship game –              Salve Regina, 4-2

North Country Tournament

Hamilton v. Potsdam

The Continentals have a lot of talent throughout their lineup and two very solid goaltenders. Doesn’t matter which one plays here as the offense paces a comfortable win over the Bears –  Hamilton, 5-2

(14) Trine v. Canton

The Kangaroos face a Trine team that is off to a very good start this season and continue that strong play against a very-game Canton squad looking for the upset. Late goals carry the visitors from the west to victory – Trine, 4-2

Bowdoin/Colby Shootout

New England College v. Colby

The Mules would love a couple of non-conference wins in the Shootout co-hosted with Bowdoin but first-things-first. The Pilgrims are always a challenging opponent, and the Mules find a rally to overcome an early deficit in a big win – Colby, 5-3

Suffolk v. Bowdoin

The Rams will have their hands full with the pressure and pace the Polar Bears want to play with in all three zones. Alex Kozic is the difference in goal for the home team in a one-goal win – Bowdoin, 5-4

Non-Conference

Amherst v. (5) Geneseo

The Mammoths travel to Wilson Arena and find a Knights squad that is ready to go for a full sixty minutes but start fast and furious. Peter Morgan jumpstarts the home team in an exciting game for any college hockey fan – Geneseo, 4-2

Stevenson v. (4) Adrian

The Mustangs have big aspirations in playing the Bulldogs in their barn and come all so close to stealing a big upset win on the road. Coach Krug’s squad finds ways to win and do so here with a great third period – Adrian, 4-3

Williams v. Babson

Two great coaches whose teams mirror their attention to detail. The Beavers endured a rough start but got going on home ice with a pair of big upset wins and two more last weekend. Nate Mueller settling in as the No. 1 goaltender for the Beavers and earns a shutout the hard way against the Ephs – Babson, 2-0

Curry v. Wesleyan

The Cardinals face another CCC contender in the Colonels and suffer a close loss at home in a game that features superb goaltending at both ends and a physical battle for puck possession everywhere on the ice –  Curry, 2-0

This week features so much great non-conference action and the added focus on winning an in-season tournament to bolster any team’s confidence for the rest of the first half and season – “Drop the Puck!”

Minnesota State women’s hockey coach Harrington stepping away to recover from hip surgery, Dickerman named acting head coach

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John Harrington, left, and Shari Dickerman.

Following the recently completed series at Bemidji State, Minnesota State women’s hockey coach John Harrington shared with the team that he would temporarily step away from his role to undergo hip surgery.

The procedure was performed Nov. 20.

In light of the news, Shari Dickerman has been tabbed as associate head coach and will also serve as acting head coach during Harrington’s unspecified leave of absence from the bench.

Harrington was appointed to the head coaching position with the Mavericks in May 2015 and is in his eighth season at the helm.

D-III Women’s East Week 4 Recap: NESCAC is back, Intriguing matchups, and more!

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#2 Amherst gets the sweep over #5 Hamilton as Natalie Stott continues to rack up wins. (Photo by Clarus Studios Inc.)

We entered week 4 with some intriguing matchups on the eastern front, all in anticipation of the massive Thanksgiving tournaments in the crosshairs. We also finally got to see the late-blooming NESCAC begin its season this past weekend, the deepest conference in women’s D3 hockey. Now we’re finally in the thick of things, NESCAC play has begun, and we can finally start to see what’s fully in store for us, now that everyone’s on the ice. Let’s hop into a recap of our main events…

#2 Amherst gets the weekend sweep over #5 Hamilton

This series was intriguing on multiple levels, considering the circumstances. Amherst, coming off a national title runner-up finish, kept mostly their entire team of players, including star goaltender Natalie Stott. Meanwhile, you’ve got Hamilton, coming off a record-setting year for the program, including a final four run which ended at the sticks of Amherst.

Hamilton was also under the leadership of a new head coach, longtime assistant (since ‘13) Kayte Holtz began her head coaching tenure for the Continentals this offseason after the coach-of-the-year winner Emily McNamara left for her alma mater Middlebury, who’s likely looking for a future replacement for the legendary Bill Mandigo who’s more than likely retiring sooner rather than later (35 years at Midd.).

In this series, Amherst took both games, game one was a 2-1 OT victory, while game two was a regulation 2-1 victory. Very close games and a lot of good for Hamilton to work from considering the circumstances and the top point leaders they lost from last season. These scores were typical Amherst fashion as last year most of their games (especially 2nd semester), were very low scoring and very defensive.

In game one, Amherst led in the low shot total 21-17, while the penalties were 4-3 with Hamilton leading in that category. No goals in the 1st period, but Amherst got on the board first with a powerplay goal a quick 2:55 into the 2nd period by Mary Thompson, to which Hamilton answered on a powerplay of their own. This one came a rapid 49 seconds (00:49) into the final frame (3rd period) by Claire McGennis. Alyssa Xu would score the overtime-winner for the Mammoths 1:51 into the period to avoid the opening day draw.

In game two, shot totals were very low once again, but close, Hamilton led 24-17, only three penalties, two on Hamilton, one on Amherst. Hamilton opened the scoring midway into the 2nd period (11:12) on the powerplay as Bobbi Roca put the Continentals up 1-0. About seven minutes later, the Mammoths answered, Rylee Glennon equaled it at 1. Her teammate Maeve Reynolds scored the winner midway through the 3rd period (11:09) to give Amherst the massive weekend sweep over the #5 ranked Hamilton. Natalie Stott had 23 saves in the victory.

The point leaders on the weekend were Alyssa Xu & Rylee Glennon, they each tallied 1 goal & 2 assists.

Other Notable NESCAC Results:

Friday:

#6 Middlebury 3-0 Trinity

Connecticut College 3-2 OT Wesleyan

Bowdoin 3-2 Williams

Saturday:

#6 Middlebury 2-1 Trinity

Wesleyan 3-1 Connecticut College

Williams 5-2 Bowdoin

#3 Plattsburgh & #13 Norwich play to a draw

In the big, ranked matchup up North, #3 Plattsburgh and #13 Norwich drew 2-2 in Plattsburgh. This came to the surprise of many, except probably Cadet fans (even though some of them were probably shocked themselves). Norwich, a very young team entered this game with a huge NEHC victory over rival Elmira, but a few unorthodox losses, questioning their strength. Plattsburgh on the other hand, entered 4-0, handling their opponents mostly with ease.

#3 Plattsburgh & #13 Norwich tie 2-2. (Photo by Gabe Dickens)

The story of this game was Norwich’s star goaltender who continues to perform week-in and week-out, Leocadia Clark. The Cardinals outshot the Cadets a lopsided 40-18, Clark had 38 saves against the firepower offense of Plattsburgh.

The penalty totals in this game were also lopsided, Norwich had 5 for 19 minutes, which included a 5-minute major (plus 10-minute game misconduct) which was charged to Wilda Ohman for hitting-from-behind, whilst Plattsburgh had a clean 0 for 0. Norwich managed to kill off all penalties, including the 5-minute major, very impressive considering the strength of the Plattsburgh powerplay.

Norwich goaltender Leocadia Clark. (Photo via Stowe Reporter – vtcng.com)

The scoring occurred beginning in the middle frame when Taylor Girouard put the Cadets up 1-0 a quick 1:01 in. That lasted for six or so minutes until Plattsburgh’s Bridget Orr scored a pair of goals, the first coming at the 7:32 mark and the second at 18:06 of the 2nd period, both assisted by Julia Masotta, a former Cadet who scored the overtime winner against her former team last season wearing the red/white Cardinal uniform.

Early in the 3rd we saw the tying and final goal of the game, Livia Brooks scored at the 3:30 mark. As said previously, the story of this game was goaltending and Norwich’s defense also needs to be credited in a huge way, holding the Cardinals to zero powerplay goals including a 5-minute major is no joke. 38 saves from Leocadia Clark are also no joke.

Utica suffers a blemish, but remains unbeaten after a weekend with the Valiants

The #9 ranked Utica Pioneers entered the weekend coming off a tie and win vs Lebanon Valley, which dropped them slightly in the poll after reaching a program-high #8. This past weekend they faced an underrated Manhattanville team that can beat anybody, they just don’t seem to operate at the needed consistency level to make that next jump as a program.

Game one ended in a 3-3 tie, the Valiants winning the shootout 1-0 for the extra UCHC point. This game once again was about goaltending… Manhattanville’s Franny Gerardi made 44 saves, while Angela Hawthorne made 12. The shots were lopsided in this one, Utica lead 47-15, but Gerardi kept her team in it to force the tie and eventual shootout victory. Gabrielle Cox scored a pair of goals for the Valiants, while Hailey Modlin also scored a pair for the Pioneers.

The penalty totals in this one was 3-2, Utica committing 3 for 6 minutes, Manhattanville 2 for 4.

#9 Utica Pioneers remain unbeaten, tying and defeating Manhattanville over the weekend. (Photo by Maxwell LeBuis – YSM Media)

Game two featured another large shot difference, Utica leading 33-14 in that category, this game was absolutely loaded with penalties, Utica committing 7 for 14 minutes and Manhattanville 8 for 16 minutes. The 1st period alone had 7, 2nd period had 5, 3rd period had 3. Shockingly enough, only one player had more than one penalty, that was Jordan Kowalski of Utica with a pair.

The best part of this whole game was even with all the pantiles occurring, only one powerplay goal was scored, this is probably due to most of them overlapping, but still, interesting to say the least. Hailey Modlin stayed sharp, opening the scoring just over halfway through the 1st (11:54) to put Utica up 1-0. Gabrielle Cox then answered early in the 2nd to tie it at 1, but who else? Hailey Modlin scored again to put the Pioneers back up 2-1 and that would be the eventual game-winner. Jordan Kowalski would add another midway through the 3rd (11:10) on the powerplay to send Utica back home with a win.

Modlin currently has 14 points (9G & 5A) through 8 games.

Other Notable East Results:

Thursday:

Curry 1-1 Western New England

Friday:

#3 Plattsburgh 4-1 Potsdam

#11 Cortland 0-0 Oswego

#13 Norwich 6-0 Plymouth State

Endicott 6-2 Suffolk

Chatham 1-0 Stevenson

Univ. New England 1-0 OT Salve Regina

Wilkes 5-2 Arcadia

Saturday:

#11 Cortland 6-3 Potsdam

#13 Norwich 2-0 Castleton

Oswego 9-0 Buffalo State

Endicott 1-0 Suffolk

Univ. New England 2-2 Salve Regina

Western New England 4-0 Curry

Chatham 5-1 Stevenson

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