ECH Weekend Review: December 1-3
written By Alex Berger - December 7th, 2023A week after the annual rivalry week in college football, fans across the country were treated to a sort of quasi-rivalry weekend in college hockey this past week. Highlighted by a Border Battle between Maine and New Hampshire, we also had Denver vs. North Dakota, Alaska vs. Alaska-Anchorage, Boston University vs. Merrimack, another matchup featuring the Black Bears in Maine vs. Connecticut. Not only did these matchups bring some great action on the ice, but the atmospheres across the country were incredible.
For many teams, this upcoming weekend will be their last weekend of play before their holiday break, the mid-way point of the college hockey season. For the first time this year our weekly recap will include a watch list for both the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Awards, with ten players we believe are currently in the running. Those lists will be updated each week until the end of the season, and you can find those at the bottom of our weekly recaps.
Photo: @undmhockey on Instagram
- North Dakota, Denver Split Wild Top-Three Matchup
After retaining their #1 ranking for a second week, North Dakota traveled to face off against one of their biggest rivals in a top-three showdown against #3 Denver. It was a matchup of strengths in the Mile High City, as the Pioneers came in with the best offense in the country against the Fighting Hawks' top-ranked defense (tied with Wisconsin for best goals against/game mark).
Despite NoDak scoring just under two minutes into the series, it looked as though Denver was going to run away with game one. The Pioneers responded with four goals on just ten shots before the first 20 minutes ran out to take a 4-1 lead heading into the first intermission. The first period explosion was highlighted by NCAA goals leader Jack Devine scoring his 14th of the season off a feed from NCAA assists leader Massimo Rizzo, who posted two apples in the first period alone.
Coming into the second period down by three, North Dakota quietly fought back. They picked up goals from Owen McLaughlin (off a great cross-ice feed from Jackson Blake) and Cameron Berg (on the power play) in a three-minute stretch to cut the lead to 4-3, before killing a penalty of their own. Just when it looked like the Fighting Hawks would continue the momentum, Tristan Broz stemmed the tide for Denver, scoring six seconds after that power play expired to make it a two-goal lead once again.
Despite getting outshot 11-8, it was all North Dakota in the third period. First, it was Jackson Blake after a set play off of an offensive zone draw. Then, NoDak struck for three goals in under four minutes; Louis Jamernik V finishing a late-developing breakaway, Riese Gaber sniping a shot through a screen on the power play, and Cameron Berg wristing one above the glove on a breakaway of his own. In the blink of an eye it was 7-5, and North Dakota had come all the way back from a three-goal deficit. With just over three minutes left in the game, Denver couldn't respond, and Fighting Hawks took game one of the series and an early candidate for "Game Of The Year."
A major part of the loss on Friday night was the play of Pioneers' goaltender Freddie Halyk. The freshman made just 20 saves on 27 shots (.740 SV%), giving up six goals on his last 16 shots faced. But Halyk played much better on Saturday night, posting 29 saves and helping kill off three of North Dakota's four power play chances. Those came early in the game with a roughing minor and hitting from behind five-minute major called in the first ten minutes of the game. Cameron Berg capitalized on the major for North Dakota, firing a shot through a screen from the high slot which beat Halyk glove side.
Despite their offense not clicking like usual, Denver was playing the #1 team in the country very well. They finally capitalized in the second period, as Aidan Thompson jumped off the bench and right into the play off of a great pass from Jared Wright. Thompson fired a twisted wrister past NoDak's Ludvig Persson to tie the game 1-1. They would have to find a way to respond again, after Hunter Johannes gave North Dakota the 2-1 lead early in the third. This time it was freshman defenseman Zeem Buium, who labeled a shot top corner after a great play behind the net from Thompson.
After a great weekend of hockey, overtime would be needed to decide Saturday night's game. Denver would control the entire 3-on-3 frame, with an approximate 95% possession on the puck. After North Dakota turned the puck over on their lone possession, the Pioneers went on a 2-on-1 rush (thanks in part to a mistimed change by North Dakota). Persson made an unreal save on Massimo Rizzo on the initial chance but couldn't control the rebound, so Carter King would have to be the hero for the Pioneers. The senior forward pushed the puck into the wide-open net for his tenth of the season, securing the win over Nodak and two points in the NCHC standings.
- #12 Maine Beats #14 New Hampshire in Border Battle
While Denver and North Dakota battled out west, another historic rivalry was taking place on the east coast between Maine and New Hampshire at Alfond Arena. The matchup had more than bragging rights on the line, as the two teams are in the thick of the Hockey East race. Specifically, the Black Bears were looking for a big bounce-back weekend after dropping two close road games to first-place Boston University.
With students lining up hours before the doors opened and another sellout crowd in attendance, the atmosphere in Orono Maine was electric. The Black Bears fed off that energy and controlled the play early, outshooting the Wildcats 10-5 in the first 20 minutes and drawing two power play chances. But after they failed to score on the first PP, New Hampshire capitalized on their own swing of momentum. Just seconds after a successful kill, Wildcats' junior Alex Gagne fought off two defenders and fed Harrison Blaisdell ahead on a 2-on-1. The graduate senior took the puck himself and beat Alibin Boija on the glove side to silence the crowd and give New Hampshire the 1-0 lead.
Despite trailing early, Maine still kept up their pressure and drew their second power play chance at the end of the first period. With just seven seconds left, the first faceoff needed to be almost perfect to score before the intermission. It was. Lynden Breen won the draw clean to Bradly Nadeau, who then got the puck to his brother Josh. With a screen in front, the older Nadeau brother wristed a shot past Jakob Hellsten to ignite the crowd and tie the game with three seconds left in the first.
Just 23 seconds into the second period, Thomas Freel continued the momentum for Maine after taking the puck from the corner and throwing it out in front. The puck ricocheted off of a defenseman and into the back of the net to give the Black Bears a 2-1 lead. Despite a couple of chances to tie the game, New Hampshire couldn't capitalize and the rout began late in the second period. First, Josh Nadeau scored his second of the game on a one-timer following a ridiculous move from Bradly. Then, in the third period, Maine continued their good night on the power play. First it was Donavan Villenueve-Houle with his fourth of the season, before Josh secured the hat trick with a partial breakaway on a 5-on-3. In just over nine minutes of in-game time it went from 2-1 to 5-1. The Wildcats would score late in the third on the power play to make it 5-2, but this iteration of the Border Battle was all Maine at home. The teams play a full series in late February at New Hampshire, a matchup that needs to be circled for fans across the country.
It was a very similar game flow for Maine on Sunday when they beat Connecticut at home. The Huskies got on the board first, but the Black Bears responded with four of the next five goals. The dagger came late in the second period while Connecticut was on the power play. With Maine up 3-2, the Nadeau brothers flew out of the zone and got a breakout pass from Liam Lesakowski. Josh teed up Bradly on the 2-on-0 rush, and he buried the puck past a sprawling Ethan Haider to make it 4-2. Bradly would score two more goals in the third period for a hat trick of his own, leading Maine to a 7-3 win.
The Nadeau brothers posted a remarkable stat alongside their back-to-back hat tricks this weekend. During Josh's hat trick on Friday night, Bradly not only assisted on all three goals but got the primary assist on all three. Then on Sunday, Bradly scored three goals and Josh got the primary assist on all three. I don't know how you would even look up a stat like that, but that has to be one of the only times in college hockey history that two players posted a hat trick in one game and then primary assisted a hat trick the next, and vice versa; let alone the fact that two brothers did it. Josh and Bradly are proving they have some of the best chemistry in the country, and have now posted a combined 18 points in the last three games.
- Northeastern Upsets #2 Boston College at Conte Forum
Who would have thought Northeastern's first conference win of the season would be on the road against the #2 team in the country? The Huskies arguably outplayed Boston College in game one of the series, racing out to a huge lead in the first period and stemming the momentum when the Eagles eventually got back into the game.
Walking into one of the most hostile environments in the northeast, the Huskies looked like they had shot out of a cannon, scoring three goals in a six-minute stretch to take a 3-0 lead after just 20 minutes. Junior defenseman Braden Doyle scored first, just his second-career goal in 38 games. Doyle collected a puck from a half-wall scrum, skated down a wide-open slot, and beat BC goaltender Jacob Fowler clean on the blocker side. The Huskies didn't take their foot off the pedal, as Cam Lund scored on a beautiful wraparound play before Matthew Staudacher scored his first goal in over four years on another clean shot past Fowler.
After going down 3-0, Fowler dialed in and made some huge saves to keep Boston College in the game. They would get their spark shorthanded from Andre Gasseau and Mike Posma. After a clearing attempt bounced off of a Huskies defenseman's glove and in for a breakaway, Cameron Whitehead made the initial save but was left to dry for a wide-open net-front chance by Posma. The Eagles then captured all the momentum, scoring twice on the power play before the end of the second period.
The third period was even, with shots 9-8 in favor of Boston College. However, it was Northeastern who found the back of the net first. On a late developing 2-on-1, Jack Williams fed Cam Lund for a one-timer that rifled past Fowler with just six minutes left. Lund also would score the eventual dagger, nailing a shot into an empty-net from 100 feet away to not only ice the game but tally his second-career hat trick against Boston College. With Lund's trio of goals and 24 saves from Whitehead, Northeastern held on for the 5-3 win.
The series moved five miles down the road for game two, and Northeastern looked like they'd continue their momentum from the upset win in front of their home fans. With a sold out crowd, the Huskies had a 1-0 lead after the first period thanks to senior forward Alex Campbell, who put in a great tip off a shot from the point which bounced off the ice and into the net.
But Northeastern couldn't keep the #2 team in the country down forever. Gabe Perrault scored on a breakaway in the second period to tie the game, Will Smith gave the Eagles the lead two minutes into the third, and then defenseman Lukas Gustafsson scored his first of the season on a great backhand over the shoulder of Cameron Whitehead to give Boston College the eventual 3-1 win. Despite the split, BC remains at #4 in the ECH rankings and tied for second in the Hockey East standings with Maine.
- #5 Boston University Sweeps Merrimack in Penalty-Filled Series
The top team in Hockey East took another step forward this past weekend, as Boston University swept Merrimack in a home-and-home series for their seventh and eighth-straight conference wins (seven in regulation, one shootout). What's just as impressive as the sweep was the depth scoring coming into play for the Terriers. Although Macklin Celebrini and Lane Hutson played roles in both games and made that mark known on the scoresheet, BU got goals from Doug Grimes, Jeremy Willmer, Nick Zabaneh, Tom Willander, and Sam Stevens (all of which have scored less than three goals so far this season).
The biggest storyline of the weekend was the penalty minutes, especially on Friday night. The two teams combined for over 100 penalty minutes, including three majors, two game misconducts, and ten roughing penalties. 81 of those minutes came in the second period, which paired nicely with the fire alarm that went off during the middle frame (according @TerrierHockey someone pulled the alarm with BU up 3-0). At the end of all the excitement, Boston University cruised to a 4-1 road win over the Warriors, highlighted by two power play goals from Shane Lachance in the second period.
The series moved to Boston on Saturday night, with the excitement traveling 30 miles south to Agganis Arena. Quinn Hutson scored just 23 seconds into the game, finding a shot that bounced off the back boards past Merrimack goaltender Zachary Borgiel for the early lead. Despite going down on the road, the Warriors fought back, tied the game, and then drew two back-to-back penalties. Alex Jeffries scored on the 5-on-3 with a one-timer, giving Merrimack the lead and scoring his team-leading eight goal of the season. Boston University took over in the second period with 14 shots to Merrimack's three, but couldn't get the tying goal past Borgiel.
Down by a goal and at home, the Terriers came back with a big third period. It started early, as Jeremy Willmer intercepted a pass in his own zone, raced 150 feet, and scored on a great backhanded move to tie the game at 2-2. Then, just five minutes later, Nick Zabaneh scored his first of the season shorthanded to give BU their first lead of the night. It was a great play by the senior, as he stole the puck at the end of the penalty kill, raced down the ice, cut back across the slot and past a defender, and fired a wrist shot past Borgiel for the eventual game-winner. Boston University would get two insurance goals, including an empty netter, to pull away for a 5-2 win.
After their sweep and Boston College's upset loss to Northeastern, Boston University now sits seven points clear of the Eagles in first place in the Hockey East. Granted, the Terriers have played one more game than their Comm. Ave rivals, but a three-game stretch beginning in late January is starting to look bigger and bigger for the two teams. They'll play their lone series of the year in a home-and-home on January 26th and 27th before meeting in the Beanpot semifinals on February 5th.
- #7 Minnesota, #19 Penn State Split in Happy Valley
Lost in the shuffle of rivalry games across the country, Penn State welcomed in Minnesota for an important early-season conference series at Pegula. Although both teams came into the season with different expectations, each are in need of points to get back up to the top to the Big Ten standings.
The Nittany Lions jumped out of the gate, registering the first 12 shots on goal in Friday night's game. They found the net on shot seven, as Dane Dowiak made his way to the slot and deflected a shot from the point past Justen Close to give Penn State the 1-0 lead. The goal was the freshman's third in five games, just fourth on the team in goals from underclassmen through 17 games. Despite getting outshot 12-0 through the first 17 minutes of the first period, Sam Rinzel and Bryce Brodzinski scored on the Gophers' first two shots of the game to take a 2-1 lead. It was the first collegiate goal for the former, and the team-leading ninth and 100th career point for the latter. Minnesota struck for another pair of quick goals in the second period, as Connor Kurth and Rhett Pitlick scored two minutes apart to extend the lead to 4-1. Despite getting outshot 34-21 in the game and facing 10 in the third period, Justen Close posted one of his best games since October and helped secure the win over PSU.
The Nittany Lions took a page out of Minnesota's book in the rematch, posting two goals 54 seconds apart to open the scoring in the first period. First, it was Reese Laubach off a tip in front of the net. Next, Ryan Kirwan fired a puck into a wide open net after a shot deflected and found its way directly to his stick on a 3-on-2 rush. Kirwan, who's tied with freshman Aiden Fink for Penn State's leading goal scorer this season, got another lucky bounce halfway through the second period. The Gophers gave up a brutal turnover on a breakout pass and were then unlucky on a blocked shot, which again found its way right onto the stick of Kirwan and into the back of the net. It looked as though Penn State was going to run away with the game, already up 3-0 and drawing two power play chances late in the second period (one of which a five-minute major). However, Minnesota not only killed the penalties but got a shorthanded goal from Rhett Pitlick late in the period. The junior has now scored in six-straight games after scoring just one in the first ten this season.
A sudden two-goal game set up for a wild third period, which saw five total goals between the two teams. Penn State and Minnesota traded tallies, with the Nittany Lions never letting the game down to just one shot. Sophomore defenseman Dylan Gratton scored arguably the most important goal in the third, firing a one-timer into the net off an errant pass from Justen Close to make it 5-2 just 48 seconds after Jimmy Snuggerud scored for Minnesota. Penn State would hold on for a 6-3 win, keeping within just four points of third place in the Big Ten.
Not only are those standings close two months into the season, but the Big Ten is starting to settle into the midrange of the Pairwise. Six teams rank in the top-18 of those rankings as of November 5th, but none rank higher than sixth: Wisconsin (6), Michigan State (8), Minnesota (11), Michigan (15), Penn State (17), and Notre Dame (18). Despite a 5-7-3 record and just two points in Big Ten play so far this season, Ohio State isn't too far behind the rest of the conference at 26th. In a normal year, the top 13-15 teams receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament through the Pairwise. We still have months to go, but the Big Ten has positioned itself to have multiple teams make it into the big dance once again.
- NCHC Standings
1. St. Cloud State (18 Points): No games scheduled
2. North Dakota (16 Points): Split with Denver on the road with 7-5 win, 3-2 OT loss
3. Denver (11 Points): Split with North Dakota at home with 7-5 loss, 3-2 OT win
4. Western Michigan (10 Points): Swept Lindenwood at home with 3-1, 5-1 wins
5. Omaha (7 Points): Split with Minnesota-Duluth on the road with 4-2 loss, 1-0 OT win
6. Colorado College (6 Points): "Swept by" Arizona State at home with 2-2 OT tie, 2-0 loss
7. Minnesota-Duluth (4 Points): Split with Omaha at home with 4-2 win, 1-0 OT loss
8. Miami (0 Points): No games scheduled
- Big Ten Standings
1. Michigan State (19 Points): No games scheduled
2. Wisconsin (18 Points): Swept Ohio State at home with 3-0, 6-1 wins
3. Notre Dame (15 Points): Split with Michigan at home with 6-1 win, 2-1 loss
4. Minnesota (13 Points): Split with Penn State on the road with 4-1 win, 6-3 loss
5. Michigan (12 Points): Split with Notre Dame on the road with 6-1 loss, 2-1 win
6. Penn State (11 Points): Split with Minnesota at home with 4-1 loss, 6-3 win
7. Ohio State (2 Points): Swept by Wisconsin on the road with 3-0, 6-1 losses
- CCHA Standings
1. St. Thomas (18 Points): Split with Ferris State on the road with 5-2 loss, 7-1 win
2. Michigan Tech (16 Points): Split with Bowling Green at home with 2-1 OT loss, 3-2 win
3 Minnesota State (14 Points): "Swept" Lake Superior on the road with 3-2 SO, 4-3 wins
4. Bemidji State (13 Points): No games scheduled
T-5. Lake Superior (12 Points): "Swept by" Minnesota State at home with 3-2 SO, 4-3 losses
T-5. Northern Michigan (12 Points): "Swept by" Augustana at home with 2-2 OT tie, 5-3 loss
7. Bowling Green (9 Points): Split with Michigan Tech on the road with 2-1 OT win, 3-2 loss
8. Ferris State (8 Points): Split with St. Thomas at home with 5-2 win, 7-1 loss
- Hockey East Standings
1. Boston University (23 Points): Swept Merrimack with 4-1 win on the road, 5-2 win at home
2. Boston College (16 Points): Split with Northeastern with 5-3 loss at home, 3-1 win on the road
T-2. Maine (16 Points): Beat New Hampshire 5-2 at home, beat Connecticut at home 7-3, Beat Union 3-1 on the road Wednesday.
3. Providence (15 Points): No games scheduled
5. New Hampshire (13 Points): Lost to Maine 5-2 on the road
T-6. Massachusetts (12 Points): Lost to Vermont 2-1 OT on the road
T-6. Connecticut (12 Points): Beat UMass-Lowell 2-0 at home, lost to Maine on the road 7-3
T-8. UMass-Lowell (10 Points): Lost to Connecticut 2-0 on the road, beat Vermont on the road 2-1
T-8. Vermont (10 Points): Beat Massachusetts 2-1 OT at home, lost to UMass-Lowell at home 2-1
10. Merrimack (9 Points): Swept by Boston University with 4-1 loss at home, 5-2 loss on the road
11. Northeastern (5 Points): Split with Boston College with 5-3 win on the road, 3-1 loss at home
- ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac (22 Points): Beat Rensselaer on the road 5-1, beat Union on the road 5-0
2. Clarkson (13 Points): Beat Harvard at home 3-0, beat Dartmouth at home 3-2 SO
T-3. Colgate (12 Points): Split with Cornell with 4-2 loss at home, 4-2 win on the road
T-3. Cornell (12 Points): Split with Colgate with 4-2 win on the road, 4-2 loss at home
5. Princeton (11 Points): Lost to Union on the road 7-2, beat Rensselaer on the road 4-2
6. Dartmouth (10 Points): Lost to St. Lawrence on the road 3-1, lost to Clarkson on the road 3-2 SO
T-7. St. Lawrence (9 Points): Beat Dartmouth at home 3-1, beat Harvard at home 2-0
T-7. Union (9 Points): Beat Princeton at home 7-2, lost to Quinnipiac at home 5-0
T-7. Brown (9 Points): Tied with Long Island at home 2-2 OT, beat Stonehill on the road 4-1
10. Harvard (7 Points): Lost to Clarkson on the road 3-0, lost to St. Lawrence on the road 2-0
T-11. Rensselaer (6 Points): Lost to Quinnipiac at home 5-1, lost to Princeton at home 4-2
T-11. Yale (6 Points): Lost to Long Island 3-1 at home
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. Sacred Heart (25 Points): Split with AIC on the road with 5-4 win, 3-2 loss
2. RIT (23 Points): Swept Robert Morris at home with 4-1, 6-2 wins
3. AIC (18 Points): Split with Sacred Heart at home with 5-4 loss, 3-2 win
4. Holy Cross (17 Points): Split with Niagara at home with 3-2 OT loss, 4-1 win
5. Bentley (16 Points): Split with Air Force on the road with 3-2 OT loss, 3-0 win
T-6. Niagara (15 Points): Split with Holy Cross on the road with 3-2 OT win, 4-1 loss
T-6. Canisius (15 Points): "Swept by" Mercyhurst with 4-3 SO loss at home, 5-1 loss on the road
T-6. Mercyhurst (15 Points): "Swept" Canisius with 4-3 SO win on the road, 5-1 win at home
9. Air Force (14 Points): Split with Bentley at home with 3-2 OT win, 3-0 loss
10. Army (7 Points): No games scheduled
11. Robert Morris (6 Points): Swept by RIT on the road with 4-1, 6-2 losses
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: Swept Alaska-Anchorage on the road with 5-0, 3-1 wins
Alaska-Anchorage: Swept by Alaska at home with 5-0, 3-1 losses
Arizona State: "Swept" Colorado College on the road with 2-2 OT tie, 2-0 win
Augustana: "Swept" Northern Michigan on the road with 2-2 OT tie, 5-3 win
Lindenwood: Swept by Western Michigan on the road with 3-1, 5-1 losses
Long Island: Tied with Brown on the road 2-2 OT, beat Yale on the road 3-1
Stonehill: Lost to Brown at home 4-1
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Jack Devine, Jr. Forward, Denver; 14 goals (1st in NCAA), 12 assists (T-22nd), 26 points (2nd), six power play goals (T-1st), +15 rating (T-3rd)
2. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 10 goals (T-10th), 15 assists (T-6th), 25 points (3rd), 1.67 points/game (3rd), 52% on faceoffs
3. Massimo Rizzo, Jr. Forward, Denver; 6 goals, 22 assists (1st), 28 points (1st), 1.75 points/game (2nd), +20 rating (1st)
4. Collin Graf, Jr. Forward, Quinnipiac; 8 goals (T-28th), 12 assists (T-22nd), 20 points (T-16th), 1.82 points/game (1st)
5. Seamus Casey, So. Defenseman, Michigan; 4 goals, 19 assists (T-2nd), 23 points (T-4th), leads NCAA defenseman in points, +10 rating
Honorable Mentions: Jackson Blake (North Dakota), Zeem Buium (Denver), Gabe Perrault (Boston College), Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin), and Jared Westcott (Lake Superior State)
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist (Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 11-4-0 record (T-3rd in NCAA in wins), 1.74 GAA (1st), three shutouts (T-1st), and .934 SV% (2nd)
2. Ryan Bischel, Gr., Notre Dame; 8-6-2 record (T-10th), 2.26 GAA (18th), three shutouts (T-1st), and .931 SV% (T-3rd)
3. Ludvig Persson, Sr., North Dakota; 12-3-1 record (T-1st), 2.12 GAA (16th), three shutouts (T-1st), and .914 SV% (T-27th)
4. Jacob Fowler, Fr., Boston College; 12-3-1 record (T-1st), 2.04 GAA (13th), one shutouts (T-14th), and .929 SV % (T-6th)
5. Jake Sibell, So., St. Thomas; 4-3-0 record (T-40th), 1.75 GAA (2nd), zero shutouts (T-43rd), and .936 SV% (1st)
Honorable Mentions: Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Justen Close (Minnesota), Jakob Hellsten (New Hampshire), Cameron Rowe (Western Michigan), and Ian Shane (Cornell)
