ECH Weekend Review: January 5-8
written By Alex Berger - January 11th, 2024:The second-half of the college hockey season is officially underway, and we're back to one of the most exciting times of the season. Non-conference play! For most teams, these two weekends mark the last few games where you get to match up against a non-conference opponent for the season. It's always interesting to see how different play styles form over the first couple of months for unique matchups to start the new year (i.e. NCHC vs. Big Ten, CCHA vs. Hockey East, etc.). Almost every team is back in action after the holiday -- and World Junior's -- break.
- #4 Wisconsin Wins 9th-Straight, Moves To 1st In Big Ten
Via: @BadgerMHockey on Twitter
After last week's win at the Holiday Face-Off in Milwaukee, the Badgers were ready to get back into Big Ten action with a road series against Notre Dame. Ryan Bischel and the Irish were also coming off a pair of wins of their own, sweeping Augustana at home with 5-1 and 3-2 OT wins.
The two teams resumed Big Ten play in South Bend, meeting up for the first time in 2023-'24. It was a defensive battle in game one, as Bischel and Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan combined for 60 total saves. Both were as advertised, and made some incredible saves throughout the game whether on breakaways, backdoor passes, or scrambles in front of the net. It took over 30 minutes for either team to find the back of the net. That first goal went to Wisconsin's Owen Lindmark, who tipped a shot from the blue line past Bischel for the 1-0 lead. Notre Dame pressed after the goal, tying the game shorthanded late in the second period and dictating the pace of play early in the third. However, McClellan and the Badgers stood tall and kept the game 1-1. With a power play goal from Charlie Stramel (just his third of the season) midway through the 3rd, the Badgers would hold on for the 2-1 win.
The game script completely flipped on Saturday night with 11 total goals between the two teams. McClellan was even pulled from the game after letting in four goals on 22 shots, including three in a 3:19 stretch to allow the Irish to make it 5-4. But backup William Gramme led Wisconsin to the eventual 7-4 win and series sweep on the road. 10 different Wisconsin skaters tallied a point in the win, led by Minnesota State transfer David Silye with three assists.
Even though he was chased from the game Kyle McClellan still leads the country in wins (16), GAA (1.75), shutouts (five), and save percentage (.936 SV%). He's the clear #1 in our current Mike Richter Award watch.
With the sweep (and Boston University overtime win on Tuesday night), the Badgers have moved into the coveted #1 spot in the Pairwise. Their 18 total wins is two more than anyone else in college hockey, and they have a chance to move to a staggering 20-4-0 with a home series against Lindenwood this weekend. They're not only well on their way to their first NCAA Tournament in three years, but a #1 seed at that.
- #13 Arizona State Wins Desert Hockey Classic
Via: @SunDevilHockey on Twitter
The halfway point of the college hockey season also marks the return of in-season nonconference tournaments. One of the final tournaments of 2023-'24 was the Desert Hockey Classic, hosted by Arizona State at Mullet Arena this past weekend. Teams featured in the tournament included the Sun Devils, Omaha, Harvard, and UMass-Lowell.
In the semifinal round, Griffin Ludtke lifted the Mavericks over the River Hawks with a goal in 3-on-3 overtime to give Omaha the 4-3 OT win. On the other side of the bracket Ryan O'Reilly and Kyle Smolen each scored twice to lead Arizona State to a 5-2 win over Harvard (who are still searching for their second win of the season). UMass-Lowell beat the Crimson 7-4 for third place.
The championship matchup included the host Arizona State Sun Devils against Omaha. It was a bit of a goaltender battle between ASU's TJ Semptimphelter (27 saves) and UNO's Simon Latkoczy (33). It was Griffin's brother, Tanner, who continued the scoring for the Mavericks. T. Ludtke finished a puck past Semptimphelter on a breakaway to score in Mullet Arena for the first time (of hopefully many for the Arizona Coyotes draft pick). But sadly for Mavs fans, that would be the last time the Mavericks would light the lamp in the Desert Hockey Classic. Semptimphelter made 18 saves in the last 40+ minutes, and allowed Arizona State to stay in the game.
The Sun Devils eventually tied things up early in the third period, as O'Reilly scored his third goal of the tournament on a shot through traffic to beat Latkoczy on the glove side. The third-line magic continued into overtime. A mistimed change allowed Smolen in alone on the breakaway. A great forehand-backhand-forehand move froze UNO's goaltender and the freshman forward fired the puck into the open net for the game (and tournament) winner.
It is fair to say that Arizona State is back. They are now unbeaten in ten-straight games, have just three losses on the season, and are up to #12 in this week's Everything College Hockey rankings. They appear to be firmly on the NCAA bubble (#16 in Pairwise), and will need some big wins in games against Cornell (#20) and Alaska (#22) to make their first tournament appearance since 2019; they would have qualified in 2020 if not for the COVID-19 pandemic.
- #5 North Dakota Sweeps Alaska, Snaps Three-Game Losing Streak
Despite a great first-half of the season which saw wins over Boston University, Wisconsin, and Minnesota and a 12-5-1 overall record, the mood felt flat among North Dakota hockey fans. That partially due to three-straight 3-2 OT conference losses to end the season, including getting swept at home by Colorado College. Add in a fourth-straight (exhibition) loss to the U.S. Under-18 Team in their first game back from winter break, and you get a team who desperately needed to get back on track in their first full series of 2024.
That desperation was matched, if not exceeded, by Alaska. The Nanooks returned to Grand Forks ranked #20 in the Pairwise and with a 10-7-1 record of their own, and their matchup with the Fighting Hawks was one of the few series remaining on their schedule where they could move up in the rankings. For a team that missed out on the NCAA Tournament by one game last season, there was a real need to get at least one win against one of the best teams in the country.
Even with starting goaltender Ludvig Persson out with an illness, NoDak just had too much talent for the Nanooks. After giving up the first goal of the series, the Fighting Hawks took things to the danger zone in the second period. They scored five unanswered goals, including three in just over two minutes, to take an emphatic 5-1 lead through 40 minutes of play. Riese Gaber and Owen McLaughlin led the way with two goals and an assist each, as the Fighting Hawks held on for a 6-4 win in game one.
Gaber, who was held to just two points in the last six games of the first half of the season (0 goals, 2 assists), led the way again for NoDak on Saturday night. He got the scoring started in the first period, capitalizing from his spot at the end of a five-minute major power play. He then assisted on the goal to make it 2-0, firing a shot into traffic in front of the net which bounced off Hunter Johannes and past Nanooks' goaltender Pierce Charleson. Despite going down early, Alaska was able to fight back by the end of the first period. Arvils Bergmanis set up great goals in back-to-back plays. First, he gave a drop pass to Payton Matsui on the rush, who scored with a great move while drawing a hooking penalty. Then, Bergmanis found Brady Risk with a great feed across the slot on the corresponding power play. In a matter of 62 seconds, Alaska had clawed their way back from 2-0 down to tie the game at 2-2.
But for the second-straight night, North Dakota proved to be too much on home ice. Riese Gaber picked up his sixth point of the weekend on the eventual game-winning goal by Cameron Berg in the second period, and the Fighting Hawks pulled away in the third. Freshman forward Jayden Perron scored the dagger, and Johannes scored his 2nd of the night into the empty net with a second on the clock to give UND the 6-2 win and series sweep.
- Snuggerud Scores Five, #10 Minnesota Splits With #16 Colorado College
Four different Minnesota players returned to Mariucci as champions last Friday, fresh off a win at this year's World Junior's. One player found his mojo at the tournament, and certainly made that presence felt in his return to college hockey. After starting the season with five goals in three games for Minnesota, Jimmy Snuggerud scored just six in his next 15 to end the first half of the season. But at this year's WJC, the sophomore found his groove back, scoring five goals in six games (T-3rd on Team USA) to help lead USA to the gold medal.
But, Colorado College was also coming into the rare Sunday/Monday series with some momentum. In their last games of the first half of the season, they swept North Dakota on the road for the first time in over 30 years. The Tigers continued that on Sunday night, jumping out to a 3-1 lead by the end of 40 minutes. Nine different CC players tallied a point after Snuggerud scored the opening goal for the Gophers. That set up a wild final 20 minutes where each team scored three times. Twice in the third period Minnesota responded to a Colorado College goal in under 40 seconds. Despite keeping it a one-goal game, they just couldn't find the equalizer. Noah Laba scored with the empty net with nine seconds left to ice the 6-4 win.
After a two-goal game from Jimmy Snuggerud in the series opener, our own James Murray made one of the calls of the season so far. "Snuggerud is getting his 14th and 15th tonight. Best shot in College @GopherHockey". James said five hours before puck drop. The call was proven right before the end of the second period, as the star sophomore scored twice in a span of eight minutes to give Minnesota a 3-1 lead. Then to put icing on the cake, Snuggerud scored again for the hat trick, securing a 6-2 win over CC and finishing the weekend with five goals and 1 assist.
This past weekend's performance was one of the most impressive single-handed efforts we've seen from any player so far this season, and enough to shoot him all the way up into our top-five Hobey Baker Award watch list this week. Snuggerud is now tied with Western Michigan's Dylan Wendt for the second-most goals in the country, 16, and trails the NCAA leader Jack Devine by just one. His five-goal weekend propelled him back into the spotlight and gives Minnesota a ton of momentum as they gear up for their return to conference play.
- First 'Bracketology' Of 2023-'24 Released
Earlier this week, our first NCAA Tournament 'Bracketology' article came out. That series takes a look at the current Pairwise standings and shows a preview of what the tournament might be if the season were to end that given week. Here's what the tournament would have looked like after the action last weekend (rankings as of the morning of 1/9)...
Providence, RI: #1 Boston University vs. #16 Sacred Heart, #8 Denver vs. #9 Providence
Springfield, MA: #2 Wisconsin vs. #14 Massachusetts, #7 Michigan State vs. #10 Western Michigan
Sioux Falls, SD: #3 Maine vs. #13 St. Cloud State, #6 North Dakota vs. #11 New Hampshire
Maryland Heights, MO: #4 Boston College vs. #15 Bemidji State, #5 Quinnipiac vs. #12 Minnesota
You can find a full review of what teams qualify, who they face, the process of how they get placed in regionals, and what might be the biggest issue for the tournament committee this season - in our latest ECH Bracketology blog. Make sure to go read that if you haven't already, and keep an eye out over the second half of the season for more 'Bracketology's' as we get closer to the NCAA Tournament.
- NCHC Standings
1. St. Cloud State (22 Points): No games scheduled
2. North Dakota (18 Points): Swept Alaska at home with 6-4, 6-2 wins
3. Western Michigan (14 Points): Swept Lindenwood on the road with 3-2, 6-1 wins
4. Denver (13 Points): Swept Niagara at home with 5-2, 6-1 wins
5. Colorado College (10 Points): Split with Minnesota on the road with 6-4 win, 6-2 loss
T-6. Omaha (9 Points): Beat UMass-Lowell 4-3 OT, lost to Arizona State 2-1 OT at Desert Hockey Classic
T-6. Minnesota-Duluth (9 Points): Lost to St. Thomas on the road 3-1 (Exhibition)
8. Miami (1 Point): No games scheduled
- Big Ten Standings
1. Wisconsin (30 Points): Swept Notre Dame on the road with 2-1, 7-4 wins
2. Michigan State (25 Points): No games scheduled
3. Minnesota (17 Points): Split with Colorado College at home with 6-4 loss, 6-2 win
4. Notre Dame (15 Points): Swept by Wisconsin at home with 2-1, 7-4 losses
5. Michigan (12 Points): No games scheduled
6. Penn State (11 Points): Beat Army at home 7-6
7. Ohio State (4 Points): Swept Bowling Green with 6-2 win at home, 4-2 win on the road
- CCHA Standings
1. Bemidji State (25 Points): Split with Ferris State on the road with 4-1 win, 5-3 loss
2. St. Thomas (21 Points): Beat Minnesota-Duluth at home 3-1 (Exhibition)
3. Michigan Tech (19 Points): No games scheduled
4. Lake Superior (18 Points): No games scheduled
5. Minnesota State (17 Points): "Swept" Augustana with 3-3 OT tie, 2-1 win
T-6. Bowling Green (15 Points): Swept by Ohio State with 6-2 loss on the road, 4-2 loss at home
T-6. Northern Michigan (15 Points): No games scheduled
8. Ferris State (11 Points): Split with Bemidji State at home with 4-1 loss, 5-3 win
- Hockey East Standings
1. Boston University (25 Points): Tied Simon Fraser at home 1-1 OT (Exhibition), Defeated Northeastern 4-3 OT on Tuesday
2. Boston College (19 Points): Beat Simon Fraser at home 5-1 (Exhibition)
3. Maine (16 Points): "Swept" Colgate at home with 3-1 win, 4-4 OT tie
4. Providence (15 Points): 5-2 Exhibition win vs Simon Fraser on Sunday
5. Connecticut (14 Points): "Beat" Massachusetts on the road 4-3 SO
T-6. Massachusetts (13 Points): "Lost to" Connecticut at home 4-3 SO
T-6. New Hampshire (13 Points): Swept Princeton at home with 5-2, 3-1 wins
T-8. UMass-Lowell (10 Points): Lost to Omaha 4-3 OT, beat Harvard 7-4 at Desert Hockey Classic
T-8. Vermont (10 Points): Lost to Dartmouth on the road 4-3
10. Merrimack (9 Points): No games scheduled
11. Northeastern (6 Points): Tied Quinnipiac at home 3-3 OT, 3-4 OT loss at BU on Tuesday
- ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac (22 Points): Tied Northeastern on the road 3-3 OT
2. Princeton (14 Points): Swept by New Hampshire on the road with 5-2, 3-1 losses
3. Clarkson (13 Points): Lost to RIT on the road 4-0, beat Canisius on the road 4-3
T-4. Yale (12 Points): Beat Rensselaer on the road 2-1, beat Union on the road 4-2
T-4. Colgate (12 Points): "Swept by" Maine on the road with 3-1 loss, 4-4 OT tie
T-4. Cornell (12 Points): No games scheduled
7. Brown (11 Points): Beat Union on the road 3-2 OT, lost to Rensselaer on the road 2-1
T-8. Union (10 Points): Lost to Brown at home 3-2 OT, lost to Yale at home 4-2
T-8. Dartmouth (10 Points): Beat Vermont at home 4-3
T-10. Rensselaer (9 Points): Lost to Yale at home 2-1, beat Brown at home 2-1
T-10. St. Lawrence (9 Points): Lost to Canisius on the road 5-1, tied RIT on the road 1-1 OT
12. Harvard (7 Points): Lost to Arizona State 5-2, lost to UMass-Lowell 7-4 at Desert Hockey Classic
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. Sacred Heart (30 Points): Split with Mercyhurst at home with 7-2 loss, 2-1 win, 3-3 SOW over Army at home Tuesday night.
2. RIT (27 Points): Beat Clarkson at home 4-0, tied with St. Lawrence at home 1-1 OT
3. AIC (25 Points): "Split with" Holy Cross with 4-3 SO win at home, 6-2 loss on the road
T-4. Holy Cross (21 Points): "Split with" AIC with 4-3 SO win on the road, 6-2 win at home
T-4. Mercyhurst (21 Points): Split with Sacred Heart on the road with 7-2 win, 2-1 loss
6. Air Force (20 Points): Swept Bentley on the road with 3-1, 7-3 wins
7. Bentley (19 Points): Swept by Air Force at home with 3-1, 7-3 losses
8. Canisius (18 Points): Beat St. Lawrence at home 5-1, lost to Clarkson at home 4-3
9. Niagara (15 Points): Swept by Denver on the road with 5-2, 6-1 wins
10. Robert Morris (12 Points): Swept Stonehill at home with 8-1, 7-3 wins
11. Army (11 Points): Lost to Penn State on the road 7-6, and 3-3 SOL to SHU on the road Tuesday night.
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: Swept by North Dakota on the road with 6-4, 6-2 losses
Alaska-Anchorage: No games scheduled
Arizona State: Beat Harvard 5-2, beat Omaha 2-1 OT at Desert Hockey Classic
Augustana: "Swept by: Minnesota State at home with 3-3 OT tie, 2-1 loss
Lindenwood: Swept by Western Michigan at home with 3-2, 6-1 losses
Long Island: No games scheduled
Stonehill: Swept by Robert Morris on the road with 8-1, 7-3 losses
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Jack Devine, Jr. Forward, Denver; 17 goals (1st in NCAA), 13 assists (T-39th), 30 points (T-2nd), 7 power play goals (T-4th), 1.50 points/game (T-5th)
2. Massimo Rizzo, Jr. Forward, Denver; 7 goals, 25 assists (1st), 32 points (1st), 1.60 points/game (4th), +19 plus/minus rating (2nd)
3. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 10 goals (T-14th), 15 assists (T-18th), 25 points (T-9th), 1.67 points/game (T-2nd), 52% on faceoffs
4. Collin Graf, Jr. Forward, Quinnipiac; 11 goals (T-30th), 15 assists (T-18th), 26 points (T-6th), 1.86 points/game (1st)
5. Jimmy Snuggerud, So. Forward, Minnesota; 16 goals (T-2nd), 6 assists, 22 points (T-24th), 1.10 points/game (T-40th), 3 game-winning goals (T-7th)
Honorable Mentions: Dylan Wendt (Western Michigan), Seamus Casey (Michigan), Zeem Buium (Denver), Gabe Perrault (Boston College), and Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin).
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist (Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 16-4-0 record (1st in NCAA in wins), 1.75 GAA (1st), 5 shutouts (1st), and .936 SV% (1st)
2. Ryan Bischel, Gr., Notre Dame; 10-10-2 record (T-11th), 2.43 GAA (22nd), three shutouts (T-2nd), and .926 SV% (T-4th), 654 saves (2nd)
3. Jacob Fowler, Fr., Boston College; 13-3-1 record (T-3rd), 2.16 GAA (11th), one shutout (T-16th), and .925 SV % (5th)
4. TJ Semptimphelter, So., Arizona State; 14-3-3 (2nd), 2.26 GAA (15th), three shutouts (T-2nd), .919 SV% (T-12th), 525 saves (10th)
5. Jake Sibell, So., St. Thomas; 6-4-0 record (T-31st), 1.93 GAA (4th), zero shutouts (T-46th), and .931 SV% (3rd)
Honorable Mentions: Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Ludvig Persson (North Dakota), Justen Close (Minnesota), Jakob Hellsten (New Hampshire), and Ian Shane (Cornell)
