ECH Weekend Review: December 8-10
written By Alex Berger - December 13th, 2023#1 goes down again! North Dakota fell victim to the top-ranked curse this week, falling in overtime in back-to-back nights against Colorado College. Through the first three months of the season every #1 team has been upset at some point during their tenure at the top, starting with Boston University but also hitting Minnesota, Wisconsin, Boston College, and now North Dakota. Again, it goes to show that no team in college hockey is safe and any team can win on every given night.
Looking back, it's crazy to think that the first half of the 2023-'24 season is already over. Because we have reached mid-December, you will find the addition of the Pairwise rankings at the bottom of this week's article. Some surprises include Quinnipiac as the #1 overall seed, Maine at #3, and Minnesota/St. Cloud State/Michigan fighting for the final spot on the fictional Pairwise bubble. Those rankings are guaranteed to change by season's end, but we're now only a few weeks away from our first peek at a projected NCAA Tournament.
Speaking of our articles, this will be the last weekend recap for a few weeks. But make sure to keep an eye out in early January for our full first-half recap and preview for the second half of the season, plus a few surprises as we get closer to the conference and national tournaments. Before we get there, however, lets recap one last wild weekend from 2023!
VIA: @coloradocollegetigerhockey on Instagram
- Colorado College Sweeps #1 North Dakota On The Road
The Colorado College Tigers made history this weekend, sweeping North Dakota on the road for the first time since 1993. The sweep propelled them to #16 in the ECH rankings and to #20 in the USCHO weekly poll (their first time in 11 years). The Tigers ended the first half of the season on a high note, moving to 9-6-1, 5th in the NCHC standings, and 24th in the Pairwise.
Neither game was an accidental win either, as Colorado College outworked North Dakota on Friday night and outdrew them the next. In game one of the series, the Fighting Hawks had a 2-0 lead midway through the second period thanks to goals from Dylan James and Louis Jamernik V. But, the Tigers would fight back. They forced a turnover in North Dakota's zone and got the puck around the offensive zone in seconds, setting up Nicklas Andrews to feed the puck into the slot for a great deflection by Jack Millar to get CC on the board. Then just six minutes later, and drawing their own penalty while killing a North Dakota power play, Max Burkholder beat Ludvig Persson with a blast from the right circle to tie the game at 2-2.
Despite getting outshot 11-0 in the third period, Kaidan Mbreko stopped every shot he faced and got Colorado College to overtime. The Tigers would only need on shot in the extra session to win the game. Just 35 seconds into overtime, Noah Laba took a puck coast-to-coast, skated past two North Dakota defenders, and cut right to the net for the game-winning goal.
On Saturday night captain Logan Will kept the momentum up early for Colorado College, scoring just under two minutes into the game following another turnover from North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks looked sloppy at times this weekend, turning over pucks in every zone and trying to make an extra pass instead of taking an open look on net. Despite shaking up the line chart on Saturday night, their top three goal scorers in Jackson Blake, Riese Gaber, and Cameron Berg were held to just one combined point in the two-game series. Blake and Gaber, arguably North Dakota's two best forwards, have combined for just one point in their last three games. Despite the lack of production from the top line, North Dakota would tie the game on the power play in the second period with a Jackson Kunz tip in front of the net. But, Logan Will would score again for the Tigers on the very next rush up the ice after the game-tying goal, giving CC the 2-1 lead just 10 seconds later.
The back and forth action would continue before the end of the third period as defenseman Garrett Pyke would fire a puck from the point through a crowd and past Mberko to tie the game once again. It appeared as though North Dakota could capture some of the momentum heading into the third period, but CC's centers stepped up big time. The Tigers top-two C's -- Logan Will and Noah Laba -- went a combined 26-7 in the faceoff circle, leading the Tigers to a 42-22 advantage. That was clearly evident in the third period, where it seemed like Colorado College won every single draw in the final 20 minutes. Once again, CC got the game to overtime, and once again they would win it on a breakaway chance. Just seconds after North Dakota had their own opportunity, Stanley Cooley sent the puck down the ice where only Gleb Veremyev could win the race. He won the battle with plenty of time to spare and beat Persson with a fantastic forehand-backhand move to stun the Fighting Hawks with their third-straight 3-2 OT loss.
Despite the disappointing weekend and end to the first half of the season, North Dakota has plenty of positives to build on as we head into January. For starters, they are still #5 in the Pairwise and trail only St. Cloud State in the NCHC standings (those teams meet for a series at St. Cloud on January 19th/20th). The Fighting Hawks have also now gone 11-straight games without a loss in regulation, which came at now #2 Boston University on the first weekend of November. There are still some question marks, but with a brand new defensive core and goaltender in Ludvig Persson (12-5-1, 2.21 GAA, .909 SV%), NoDak has flipped the switch from last year's team that failed to make the NCAA Tournament.
- #14 Western Michigan Splits With #3 Denver at Lawson
It's never a good idea to poke the Lawson Lunatics, especially before a huge top-15 matchup involving two of the top teams in the NCHC standings. Hopefully social media admins across college hockey learn from Denver's mistake this past weekend, especially on Friday night.
After earning just four points in their first four conference games, Western Michigan rebounded with three-straight sweeps over Colorado College, St. Lawrence, and Lindenwood heading into this past weekend's matchup against Denver. The Pioneers, on the other hand, were coming off a tough series at home against North Dakota where they only gained two conference points with an overtime win on Saturday night.
Like most Denver games this season, the action throughout the series was non-stop and back-and-forth. The Broncos and Pioneers combined for 21 goals, nine of which came in the third period or overtime. Western Michigan was one step ahead of the Pioneers on Friday night, however, as they held 2-1 and 3-2 leads after the first and second periods respectively. Then, after Miko Matikka tied the game at 3-3 with his second goal of the night in the third period, Western Michigan pulled away for good. The Broncos scored four unanswered goals (including two with the empty net) to win the series opener 7-3. Senior forward Sam Colangelo iced the game for WMU, rifling a power play goal from the right circle with four minutes left to make it 5-3, and adding the second empty netter for the hat trick. The Broncos power play was lights out on Friday night, going 3-for-3 with a goal in every period.
Matikka and the Pioneers got off to a hot start on Saturday night, taking a 3-1 lead within 12 minutes of the first period. The freshman forward scored twice again in game two, extending his point streak to 11-straight games to end the first half of the season. Denver would hold onto that lead until just 50 seconds into the third period, when sophomore defenseman Samuel Sjolund scored his first career goal for the Broncos on a 3-on-2 rush to tie the game at 4-4.
After being held off the scoresheet on Friday night, NCAA-goal leader Jack Devine would finally find the back of the net at the most important spot of the game. For his 15th goal of the season, Devine pounced on a rebound and absolutely rifled it past Cameron Rowe to give the Pioneers a 5-4 lead with 4:27 to go in the game. Western Michigan would pull the goaltender with 1:44 left, trying to will the game-tying goal past Denver goalie Paxton Giesel (making his first career start). The Broncos would find the equalizer with just 14 seconds left, as Joe Casetti deflected a puck off a shot from the point for his second of the game.
Despite losing the series, Denver would find a way to get the split with a phenomenal goal from Massimo Rizzo during the 3-on-3 overtime. The NCAA leader in points (31 in 17 games) skated through all three Broncos' skaters on the ice, cut from below the red line out into the slot, and fired a puck past Rowe for the game-winning goal. The 6-5 win was Denver's second overtime win in three games, and keep them just one point behind WMU for third place in the NCHC standings. Denver (5.2 goals/game, 1st in NCAA) and Western Michigan (4.0 goals/game, T-4th) have both proved themselves to once again be among the elite offensive teams in the country. These two teams meet again in Denver in early February, which should make for another wildly entertaining series.
- Michigan State, Wisconsin Extend Lead Atop Big Ten Standings
Through the first half of the season only two teams have posted a points percentage of .500 or better in the Big Ten Standings. Michigan State (25 points, .833 PT%) and Wisconsin (24 points, .800 PT%) are both seven points clear of third-place Minnesota (.472 PT %) with two games in hand.
Wisconsin is 8-2-0 in conference play, with their only two losses coming on the road against Michigan State in November. Since then (and a home loss to Alaska-Anchorage the next week) the Badgers have come out with a vengeance. They've gone 5-0-0 since that three-game losing streak, outscoring their opponents by a combined score of 24-5. This weekend the Badgers welcomed in a struggling Penn State team to Madison and put together another fantastic performance on the penalty kill. The fourth-best PK in the country (91.2%) killed all nine Penn State power play chances and have now killed 13-straight man advantage opportunities over the last 2.5 games.
The Badgers took control of the series early in the weekend, scoring twice in the first five minutes of game one on the way to a dominant 6-3 win. Senior forward Carson Bantle scored his first career hat trick and freshman William Whitelaw scored twice to lead Wisconsin in the win. Then on Saturday night, Badgers' goaltender Kyle McClellan took over after giving up a goal on the first shot of the game. The senior made the next 25 shots he faced and helped kill five penalties for a 4-1 win and series sweep over the Nittany Lions.
Meanwhile in East Lansing, there was a goaltending battle between Michigan State's Trey Augustine and Notre Dame's Ryan Bischel. The duo combined for 155 saves on 165 shots (.939 SV%) in the two-game series, but the Spartans' freshman outdueled the graduate senior. Michigan State swept the Fighting Irish with 5-2 and 2-1 wins, getting three power play goals on eight attempts for the slight scoring edge.
Augustine has now started in 17 of the Spartans 18 first games this season, posting an 11-3-2 record to begin his collegiate career. Despite facing the most shots per/game among teams in the Big Ten (35.2/game, 36.6/game in conference play), Augustine has played well enough to lead the Spartans to the top spot in the Big Ten standings through the first half of the season. The Spartans have not lost a conference game in regulation yet, but will have some challenges in the second half of the year. They play eight of their remaining 14 Big Ten games on the road, not including a matchup against Michigan at Little Ceaser's Arena in February. All four of their losses have come on the road this season, compared to a 9-0-1 record on home ice.
Photo: MSU_Athletics on Twitter
- Boston College Bests Providence In Wild Top-10 Matchup
The lone Hockey East conference game of the weekend was also a matchup of the #4 and #10 teams in the country. Boston College hosted on Saturday night, the first of three-straight matchups against Providence (excluding an exhibition against Simon Fraser in early January). Prior to their matchup against BC, the Friars had lost three of their past four games, all by one goal and two in overtime. On the other side of the ice, Boston College was looking for a big bounce back after being upset at home by Northeastern.
Special teams played a role early, as both teams got multiple chances on the power play within the first 30 minutes of the game. Boston College got the early advantage, killing a major penalty in the second period before scoring twice on the power play just seconds after the major expired. All three members of the Eagles' freshman line accounted in the scoring. First it was Will Smith, clapping a one-timer from the right circle off a great faceoff play and feed from Gabe Perrault. 90 seconds later, Boston College drew another power play and made Providence pay again. Just minutes after assisting his linemate, Perrault was sprung on a breakaway with a great pass from blue line to blue line. The freshman split the defense and was forced to the backhand as he drove to the net, but still lifted the puck above Phillip Svedeback's shoulder to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. Despite going down by a pair of goals on the road, the Friars fought back throughout the second period, and made it 2-1 with three minutes to go in the middle frame off a deflection in front by senior forward Nick Poisson.
The late goal set up for a wild third period which saw six total goals and two lead changes in the final 20 minutes. Providence struck first, building off the late goal in the second period to score twice in just over a four-minute span to take a 3-2 lead. Austen May scored the go-ahead goal with a blast from the high slot on the power play, just his eighth career point in 32 games for the sophomore defenseman. The lead vanished in 31 seconds, as on the next rush up the ice, star sophomore Cutter Gauthier collected a puck off a drop pass and fired a wrist shot past the glove of Svedeback. The game would remain tied until just over two minutes left in the game, when forward Oskar Jellvik would become the hero. The sophomore forward scored twice in just over a minute to give the Eagles a 5-3 lead and eventual 5-4 win (Nick Poisson scored his second goal of the night on a 6-on-5 chance with just 9.6 seconds left).
With the win and some upsets atop the Everything College Hockey standings, Boston College returned to the #1 ranking this week. It also seems like the Eagles are only going to get better as the season goes on. Their freshman line of Will Smith, Gabe Perrault, and Ryan Leonard are continuing to score at a torrent pace (combined 23 goals and 43 assists in 51 games), while Cutter Gauthier is putting himself in the Hobey Baker conversation with a team-leading 13 goals and a tie for the NCAA lead in game-winning goals (five, tied with RIT's Gianfranco Cassaro) so far this season.
- #11 Massachusetts Posts 11 Goals on Friday Night, Sweeps Alaska-Anchorage
It was an offensive explosion in Amherst this past weekend, as the Minutemen took no mercy against the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves in a home series. Just days after appearing in the latest 'ECH Day in the Life' video, defenseman Scott Morrow posted five points on the weekend, including his fifth goal of the season in Friday night's 11-2 win. The second-round pick is now tied with Boston University's Lane Hutson and Union's John Prokop for the third-most points among defensemen in college hockey so far this season (20).
15 different skaters tallied a point for Massachusetts in the Friday night win, led by freshman forward Aydar Suniev who scored two goals and added three assists, which earned him ECH Forward of the Week honors. UMass scored five times in the first period alone, scoring three goals on seven shots against Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Jared Whale in the first eight minutes of the game. It was a tough night for Whale, who just weeks ago posted a 41-save shutout on the road against Wisconsin for the upset. Since that win he's gone 0-4-0 including this weekend's sweep against UMass. There isn't much else to say besides the fact that Massachusetts was playing with a ton of confidence on Friday night, a very good step back in the right direction after dropping a tough 2-1 OT loss to Vermont the weekend before.
The Seawolves looked much better on Saturday night, setting up for a great series finale. Junior forward Matt Kinash opened the scoring for Anchorage, scoring his first goal of the season just six minutes into the game to give UAA the early lead. But Morrow would help the Minutemen tie the game just a couple of minutes later, driving into the slot and taking a defender with him before leaving a drop pass for forward Lucas Mercuri. The junior found a seam on the ice, fired a puck through two bodies, and tied the game with a perfect shot over Whale's left shoulder.
Despite plenty of chances for both teams, including five combined power plays in the second period, the game would remain tied until late in the third period. Aydar Suniev would break the deadlock with his third goal (and sixth point) of the weekend, before Taylor Makar crashed the net on a rebound for the eventual game-winning goal. The brother of UMass legend Cale, Taylor scored three goals on the weekend to snap an eight-game pointless streak. Anchorage would score an extra-attacker goal with 60 seconds left, but Massachusetts would hang on for the 3-2 win and series sweep. The Minutemen moved up to #9 in the ECH Rankings this week, ending the first half of the season with seven wins in their last nine games.
- NCHC Standings
1. St. Cloud State (22 Points): "Split with" Omaha on the road with 4-1 win, 3-2 SO loss
2. North Dakota (18 Points): Swept by Colorado College at home with 3-2 OT, 3-2 OT losses
3. Western Michigan (14 Points): Split with Denver at home with 7-3 win, 6-5 OT loss
4. Denver (13 Points): Split with Western Michigan on the road with 7-3 loss, 6-5 OT win
5. Colorado College (10 Points); Swept North Dakota on the road with 3-2 OT, 3-2 OT wins
T-6. Omaha (9 Points): "Split with" St. Cloud State at home with 4-1 loss, 3-2 SO win
T-6. Minnesota-Duluth (9 Points): "Swept" Miami on the road with 4-3 SO, 3-1 wins
8. Miami (1 Point): "Swept by" Minnesota-Duluth at home with 4-3 SO, 3-1 losses
- Big Ten Standings
1. Michigan State (25 Points): Swept Notre Dame at home with 5-2, 2-1 wins
2. Wisconsin (24 Points): Swept Penn State at home with 6-3, 4-1 wins
3. Minnesota (17 Points): "Split with" Ohio State on the road with 5-4 win, 2-1 SO loss
4. Notre Dame (15 Points): Swept by Michigan State on the road with 5-2, 2-1 losses
5. Michigan (12 Points): No games scheduled
6. Penn State (11 Points): Swept by Wisconsin on the road with 6-3, 4-1 losses
7. Ohio State (4 Points): "Split with" Minnesota at home with 5-4 loss, 2-1 SO win
- CCHA Standings
1. St. Thomas (21 Points): Split with Minnesota State with 3-1 loss on the road, 2-1 win at home
2. Michigan Tech (19 Points): Split with Northern Michigan with 4-2 win at home, 3-1 loss on the road
3 Minnesota State (17 Points): Split with St. Thomas with 3-1 win at home, 2-1 loss on the road
4. Bemidji State (16 Points): Split with Lake Superior at home with 7-1 win, 6-1 loss
T-5. Bowling Green (15 Points): Swept Ferris State at home with 1-0, 4-3 wins
T-5. Lake Superior (15 Points): Split with Bemidji State on the road with 7-1 loss, 6-1 win
T-5. Northern Michigan (15 Points): Split with Michigan Tech with 4-2 loss on the road, 3-1 win at home
8. Ferris State (8 Points): Swept by Bowling Green on the road with 1-0, 4-3 losses
- Hockey East Standings
1. Boston University (23 Points): No games scheduled
2. Boston College (19 Points): Beat Providence at home 5-4
3. Maine (16 Points): Beat Bentley 3-2 at Cross Insurance Arena
4. Providence (15 Points): Lost to Boston College on the road 5-4
5. New Hampshire (13 Points): Beat Rensselaer 1-0
T-6. Massachusetts (12 Points): Swept Alaska-Anchorage at home with 11-2, 3-2 wins
T-6. Connecticut (12 Points): No games scheduled
T-8. UMass-Lowell (10 Points): "Swept by" Holy Cross with 2-2 OT tie at home, 4-2 loss on the road
T-8. Vermont (10 Points): Split with Union at home with 5-4 loss, 4-1 win
9. Merrimack (9 Points): Lost to Yale on the road 5-2
11. Northeastern (5 Points): Beat Brown on the road 4-1
- ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac (22 Points): Beat Long Island at home 4-2
2. Clarkson (13 Points): Beat Stonehill at home 5-1, beat U.S. Under-18 Team at home 3-2 (Exhibition)
T-3. Colgate (12 Points): No games scheduled
T-3. Cornell (12 Points): No games scheduled
5. Princeton (11 Points): "Swept" Sacred Heart with 4-0 win on the road, 2-2 OT tie at home
6. Dartmouth (10 Points): Split Arizona State on the road with 4-4 OT tie, 1-1 OT tie
T-7. St. Lawrence (9 Points): Lost to U.S. Under-18 Team at home 8-4 (Exhibition)
T-7. Union (9 Points): Split with Vermont on the road with 5-4 win, 4-1 loss
T-7. Brown (9 Points): Lost to Northeastern at home 4-1
10. Harvard (7 Points): No games scheduled
T-11. Rensselaer (6 Points): Lost to New Hampshire on the road 1-0
T-11. Yale (6 Points): Beat Merrimack at home 5-2, beat Long Island at home 5-3
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. RIT (27 Points): Split with AIC on the road with 3-2 OT loss, 5-2 win
2. Sacred Heart (25 Points): "Swept by" Princeton with 4-0 loss at home, 2-2 OT tie on the road
3. AIC (20 Points): Split with RIT at home with 3-2 OT win, 5-2 loss
4. Mercyhurst (18 Points): Split with Army at home with 4-3 loss, 4-3 win
5. Holy Cross (17 Points): "Swept" UMass-Lowell with 2-2 OT tie on the road, 4-2 win at home
6. Bentley (16 Points): Lost to Maine 3-2 at Cross Insurance Arena
T-7. Niagara (15 Points): Lost to Robert Morris at home 3-1
T-7. Canisius (15 Points): No games scheduled
9. Air Force (14 Points): No games scheduled
10. Robert Morris (12 Points): Beat Niagara on the road 3-1
11. Army (10 Points): Split with Mercyhurst on the road with 4-3 win, 4-3 loss
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: No games scheduled
Alaska-Anchorage: Swept by Massachusetts on the road with 11-2, 3-2 losses
Arizona State: Split with Dartmouth at home with 4-4 OT tie, 1-1 OT tie
Augustana: No games scheduled
Lindenwood: No games scheduled
Long Island: Lost to Quinnipiac on the road 4-2, lost to Yale on the road 5-3
Stonehill: Lost to Clarkson on the road 5-1
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Jack Devine, Jr. Forward, Denver; 15 goals (1st in NCAA), 13 assists (T-21st), 28 points (2nd), six power play goals (T-2nd), +14 plus/minus rating (T-8th)
2. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 10 goals (T-14th), 15 assists (T-7th), 25 points (T-3rd), 1.67 points/game (3rd), 52% on faceoffs
3. Collin Graf, Jr. Forward, Quinnipiac; 10 goals (T-14th), 13 assists (T-21st), 23 points (T-8th), 1.92 points/game (1st)
4. Massimo Rizzo, Jr. Forward, Denver; 7 goals, 24 assists (1st), 31 points (1st), 1.72 points/game (2nd), +19 plus/minus rating (1st)
5. Seamus Casey, So. Defenseman, Michigan; 4 goals, 19 assists (4th), 23 points (T-8th), 2nd among NCAA defenseman in points, +10 rating
Honorable Mentions: Zeem Buium (Denver), Gabe Perrault (Boston College), Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin), Dylan Wendt (Western Michigan), and Scott Morrow (Massachusetts)
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist (Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 12-4-0 record (T-2nd in NCAA in wins), 1.82 GAA (2nd), three shutouts (T-1st), and .931 SV% (T-4th)
2. Ryan Bischel, Gr., Notre Dame; 8-8-2 record (T-15th), 2.35 GAA (20th), three shutouts (T-1st), and .932 SV% (T-2nd)
3. Jacob Fowler, Fr., Boston College; 13-3-1 record (1st), 2.16 GAA (13th), one shutouts (T-14th), and .925 SV % (T-10th)
4. Jake Sibell, So., St. Thomas; 5-3-0 record (T-33rd), 1.65 GAA (1st), zero shutouts (T-45th), and .940 SV% (1st)
5. Ludvig Persson, Sr., North Dakota; 12-5-1 record (T-2nd), 2.21 GAA (15th), three shutouts (T-1st), and .909 SV% (T-36th)
Honorable Mentions: Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Justen Close (Minnesota), Jakob Hellsten (New Hampshire), Cameron Rowe (Western Michigan), and Ian Shane (Cornell)
- Pairwise Top-20 as of 12/13
(Credit: College Hockey News)
