ECH Weekend Review: February 16-18
written By Alex Berger - February 21, 2024:It was a very exciting, but strange, weekend of college hockey. Two teams in our top five and three in our top ten got swept in "upsets." Another top team, Minnesota, dropped a lopsided game to Notre Dame on the road. Chalk it up to conference play, parity, or just an off weekend -- but those results really shook up the Pairwise and have led to some wide-open races in the top conferences in the country.
The tightest is in the CCHA, where the top four teams are separated by just two points. Bemidji State currently leads the conference with 37, but plays St. Thomas and Minnesota State the last two weekends of the regular season. Both of those teams, along with Bowling Green, are tied for second with 35 points. The final four games will be must-watch as the teams fight for the MacNaughton Cup.
- Wisdom, Mbereko Lead #12 Colorado College to Sweep Over #2 North Dakota
Another conference race heating up can be found in the NCHC, where North Dakota entered the weekend a point up on second-place St. Cloud with two games in hand. Their series against Colorado College was a great chance to pull away with just eight more games in the regular season. The Tigers, however, are a top-15 team in their own right, and are one of the hottest teams in the country. NoDak would have to reverse history if they want at least one win on the road (Colorado College swept the Fighting Hawks at the Ralph back in December).
The story of game one was special teams, something that the Tigers dominated. CC went 4-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill, including an extra-man goal in every period. Colorado College pulled away in the second period, scoring three goals in a three-minute stretch to extend their lead to 5-1. Freshman forward Zaccharya Wisdom was the star, scoring four goals and adding an assist as the Tigers posted a a blowout 7-1 win.
With the regulation loss, North Dakota's school record of 21-straight games without a regulation loss came to an end. Before this weekend they were the only team in the country without such a loss in conference play. And although they were swept, North Dakota is still in great shape to win the NCHC and be a one seed in the NCAA tournament. NoDak has a series vs. Minnesota Duluth, vs. Western Michigan, and @ Omaha to end the season. St. Cloud, who trails the Fighting Hawks by just one point, finishes the year vs. Western Michigan, vs. Denver, and @ Minnesota Duluth.
But with another win on Saturday night, Colorado College is right in the mix of things at the top of the standings too. Game two had a much different flow, as North Dakota dominated early. A power play goal from Cameron Berg put the Fighting Hawks up 2-1 heading into the first intermission, but if it wasn't for the play of CC goaltender Kaidan Mbereko it could've been much worse. NoDak outshot the Tigers 36-17 over the first two periods and had five power play chances (including a five-minute major). Thankfully for CC, Mbereko made a career-high 43 saves and kept the home team in the game.
Colorado College tied the game late in the second period and then dominated in the third. Sophomore forward Gleb Veremyev scored twice and Noah Laba added an empty-net goal, leading the Tigers to another blowout win. Veremyev, Laba, and Wisdom -- the Tigers' top line -- combined for 15 points in the two games, one of the biggest series ever for Colorado College in the NCHC.
The two wins not only help CC in their quest for home ice in the conference quarterfinal round, but according to College Hockey News, the Tigers now have a great chance to make their first NCAA tournament since 2011. They currently rank 11th in the Pairwise, and have around an 80% chance to finish 14th or better by the end of the season (the likely at-large bid cutoff line for this year's tournament). Head coach Kris Mayotte has really turned around this Colorado College program, and with Mbereko in net, they are a nightmare matchup for any top team in March. With a 9-3-0 record since January 7 -- including wins against current #2 North Dakota, #7 Minnesota, and #16 St. Cloud -- CC has proved themselves as one of the hottest teams in the country the second half of the season.
- New Hampshire Sweeps #9 Maine in 'Border Battle'
Meanwhile out east, another top team suffered a pair of losses. This time it was in a rivalry series, as New Hampshire welcomed in Maine for games two and three of the 'Border Battle.' Back in December the Black Bears beat UNH 5-2 thanks to a hat trick from Josh Nadeau and three primary assists from his brother Bradly. This time, however, the Wildcats shut down the duo, as the brothers posted zero points in the two-game series (they average a combined 2.61/game so far this season).
On Friday night New Hampshire dominated in the first period, outshooting the Black Bears 13-2. Harrison Blaisdell opened the scoring, splitting through two defenders and beating Albin Boija with a shot through the five hole. Maine would respond with a goal early in the second period, but it was all Wildcats from there. Junior forward Liam Devlin regained the lead for UNH with a great forehand-backhand move late in the second, and Ryan Conmy would make it 3-1 with a power play goal just minutes later.
Devlin, who had just seven goals entering the weekend, would score two more in the third period (including an empty-net tally) for his first career hat trick. Two late New Hampshire goals made the 6-2 final score look worse than it was, but it was still a dominate win for a team looking to get some momentum in the second half of the season.
With another win in game two, you could say that that momentum is building. Maine would score the opening goal of the game, a Donavan Villeneuve-Houle snapshot from the slot that beat Jakob Hellsten, but New Hampshire would rally back and take control of the game in the second period. Two power play goals, including another tally from Blaisdell to tie the game, would help extend the lead to 3-1 early in the third period. The Black Bears would cut the lead to 3-2, but goals from Cy LeClerc and Liam Devlin (his fourth of the weekend) would ice the game in another dominate win for UNH.
With the losses, Maine dropped a spot in the Pairwise and now have an outside chance at a one seed in the NCAA Tournament (according to College Hockey News: ~10%). New Hampshire is now squarely on the bubble among the ranks of St. Cloud State, Cornell, and Michigan. Two huge series' the next two weeks against Massachusetts and #1 Boston College will be key in their NCAA tournament fate.
- #3 Boston University Ties, Beats #11 Providence In Hockey East Showdown
In the second of three major Hockey East series of the weekend, Boston University and Providence met for a home-and-home matchup, two of three scheduled games against each other over the next three weeks. The two teams entered the series coming off vastly different overtime results. Last week Providence beat Maine on the road in one of their biggest wins of the season, while Boston University was looking to get back on track after a loss to Northeastern in the Beanpot championship game.
On their home ice, Providence absolutely dominated the first period of the weekend. They outshot the Terriers 18-7, and opened the scoring five minutes into the game. A puck bounced off Chase Yoder and Riley Duran past BU goaltender Mathieu Caron, Duran's ninth of the season. Then later in the period they drew the game's first power play, looking to strike and go up by two. But in one of the biggest momentum swings of the weekend, Nick Zabaneh deflected a pass in the defensive zone, won a puck battle in the neutral zone, and finished a breakaway with a backhand move to tie the game at 1-1.
The two teams would once again trade goals in the second period. BU took the lead after a great forecheck, with Sam Stevens burying the puck past Friars' goaltender Philip Svedeback right out in front. But just two minutes later Providence drew another power play opportunity, one they would capitalize on this time around. A great passing play got the puck to Tanner Adams alone in the slot, who buried it past Caron to tie the game at 2-2.
After a scoreless third and overtime, the the two teams would head to a shootout for the extra point in the Hockey East standings. Svedeback stood tall, stopping shots from Quinn Hutson, Macklin Celebrini, and Lane Hutson, to set up Hudson Malinoski in round three. The freshman forward snuck a shot under the left pad of Caron to give the Friars the shootout win.
Providence would once again jump out to an early lead in game two of the series, capitalizing off of a turnover and weird play in front of the net to take a 1-0 lead just 2:30 into the game. But the Terriers' high-powered offense couldn't be held down for long. Nick Zabaneh scored his second of the weekend to tie the game, and Tom Willander scored on the power play to give BU the lead before the first intermission.
Lane Hutson made his presence known in the second period, ending a great individual play with a pretty finish right in close of Svedeback. Celebrini posted his first point of the weekend in the third with a beautiful no-look pass to Shane LaChance in the slot to make it 4-1. LaChance would score again later in the period to ice the 5-2 win for Boston University.
After the series win, Terriers fans have to be feeling more confident about Caron. After a tough recent stretch which included losses to Boston College and Northeastern, the senior posted 67 saves on 71 total shots (.944 SV%) this past weekend. A great goaltender is arguably the biggest piece in postseason hockey. The top three teams (BC, BU, and North Dakota) all have solid options, but whichever teams' goalie takes the next step will have a huge boost in the NCAA tournament.
Speaking of the tournament, the Hockey East has six total teams in the mix for an appearance. Three teams -- Boston College, Boston University, and Maine -- are guaranteed to make the tournament already, while another trio -- Providence, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire -- are all just above or on the Pairwise bubble. Granted, all of these teams still have games against each other this season, and those rankings are almost guaranteed to change. But it just goes to show the parity in the conference is one of the best in the country this season (combined 70-31-6 record in nonconference play in 2023-'24).
- Ryan Leonard Leads #1 Boston College to Sweep Over #17 UMass
After a full slate of games on Friday and Saturday, college hockey replaced the NFL playoffs with a great Sunday matinee between #1 Boston College and #17 Massachusetts. The Minutemen were looking for revenge after a great game on Friday night which saw the Eagles pull away late. It was a huge game for both teams. UMass was fighting to stay above water in the Pairwise race, while Boston College was fighting to overtake their rival BU for the Hockey East lead.
On the road on Friday night, Cutter Gauthier continued his hot streak with two more goals. Now the NCAA leader with 26, the sophomore has scored 12 in his last ten games, including three this past weekend. Massachusetts would hang around for most of the game, but two goals in the last four minutes helped the Eagles ice for a 5-1 win.
Most of the excitement came on Sunday afternoon at Conte Forum. Entering the game UMass was right on the Pairwise bubble at #13, and despite games against Maine and New Hampshire on the schedule it was their last real chance to move up and secure a spot in the NCAA Tournament picture. The Minutemen were in a hole early, as freshman Gabe Perreault posted an assist and power play goal to help BC race out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Perreault, who leads the country with 48 points, has also been on a tear lately. The freshman is currently on a 15-game point streak, and has posted multiple points in 11 of those 15 games.
But despite getting outshot 19-8 in the second period, Massachusetts would storm back into the game. The Minutemen scored three goals, including two from freshman Aydar Suniev, in under three minutes to take a 3-2 lead. A goal from BC's Jamie Armstrong ended a wild period, and the two teams went back to the locker room tied 3-3.
Dans Locmelis broke the deadlock in the third, scoring on a great deflection to give UMass the lead. But the momentum switched just minutes later. A hooking and (questionable) goaltender interference call put Boston College on a near full two-minute 5-on-3 power play, and it was a freshman who made his hometown team pay. Ryan Leonard scored both power play goals, including one on a beautiful move in front, to regain the lead for the Eagles. The freshman, who is from Amherst, scored five goals in the weekend series and has posted eight points in his last three games. Cutter Gauthier would add an empty-net goal and BC would win a wild game, one of the best of the season so far.
It was a crushing loss for Massachusetts, who now rank #15 in the Pairwise. St. Cloud, Cornell, UMass, and Michigan are separated by just .0072 in the RPI, and it's likely that only two of those teams will be above the cut line for the tournament. That's not counting a potential upset postseason run for a team in the Big Ten, ECAC, Hockey East, or NCHC. There are a handful of teams on the outside looking in that have a realistic chance of winning their conference postseason tournament and taking another at-large bid away.
As for Boston College, their sweep along with North Dakota losing twice to Colorado College has them in the driver's seat for the #1 overall seed. Before their win against Massachusetts they were given an 80% chance for that ranking, a number that should only go up as the Eagles keep winning games. BC is also now in first place in the Hockey East with a game in hand over second-place Boston University. The Eagles play Vermont (T-7th place), New Hampshire (5th), and Merrimack (10th) to close out the regular season and are in the driver's seat for their first regular season title since 2021.
- #5 Wisconsin Upset by Ohio State In Weekend Sweep
In the final (and perhaps most shocking) sweep of a top team this past weekend, Wisconsin traveled to Ohio State for a series between second place and last place in the Big Ten. The Buckeyes had won just one conference game in regulation or overtime all season, and were facing a Wisconsin team that dominated them in Madison back in December (Wisconsin posted 3-0 and 6-1 wins).
But this weekend's series had a much different feeling, with Friday night's game heading into the third period tied 0-0. Ohio State's Logan Terness stopped all 17 shots he faced and helped kill two Wisconsin power plays in the first period. The Badgers would eventually get a puck past the senior, as Jack Horbach scored on a rebound off the crossbar five minutes into the third. But the momentum would shift back just over a minute later, as Simon Tassy was given five and a game for kneeing. Although the Buckeyes wouldn't score on the power play, they would tie the game shortly after the penalty time expired.
The back-and-forth play would continue, as Ben Dexheimer scored to put the Badgers up 2-1 with just over three minutes to go. But again, Ohio State would respond. This time it was 6-on-5, as leading-scorer Stephen Halliday beat Wisconsin goaltender Kyle McClellan above the right shoulder for the game-tying goal. The game would head to overtime, where OSU would get a chance with the man advantage for about a minute before taking a penalty of their own. With the game back at 3-on-3 and time winding down, forward Davis Burnside would get a partial breakaway. The sophomore fought off a defender, got to the net, and got enough on a shot to push the puck past McClellan for the game-winning goal.
Needing a win to keep pace with Michigan State at the top of the Big Ten standings, Wisconsin came out with a push in the first period of Saturday night's game. But after a goal was challenged and taken back for offsides, the Badgers seemed to let momentum slip. Ohio State scored twice in under a minute, both on scrambles in front of the net, to take a 2-0 lead headed into the first intermission.
Wisconsin would get back into the game with a power play goal from David Silye eight minutes into the second, but like they did twice on Friday night, Ohio State would once again respond. Joe Dunlap fired a rebound into a wide-open net to restore the two-goal lead, a score that would hold until the end of the game. The Badgers put up 12 shots in the final 20 but couldn't get another one past Kristofer Eberly, and OSU held on for the 3-1 win and upset sweep.
Via: OhioStateMHKY on Twitter
The biggest Ohio State fans of the weekend, arguably, was Michigan State. With the Badgers posting just one point in the conference standings, the Spartans currently have a four-point lead in the Big Ten with two weekends to go. One of those series is between MSU and Wisconsin in Madison to end the regular season, but Michigan State can win the conference at home next weekend with their own series against Ohio State. The magic number is nine points, so a sweep and a Wisconsin loss to Penn State next weekend would give the Spartans their first-ever Big Ten regular season championship.
- NCHC Standings
1. North Dakota (37 Points): Swept by Colorado College on the road with 7-1, 6-2 losses
2. St. Cloud State (36 Points): No games scheduled
3. Colorado College (33 Points): Swept North Dakota at home with 7-1, 6-2 wins
4. Denver (31 Points): Swept Minnesota-Duluth on the road with 5-4 OT, 5-2 wins
5. Western Michigan (29 Points): No games scheduled
6. Omaha (23 Points): No games scheduled
7. Minnesota-Duluth (21 Points): Swept by Denver at home with 5-4 OT, 5-2 losses
8. Miami (6 Points): No games scheduled
- Big Ten Standings
1. Michigan State (46 Points): No games scheduled
2. Wisconsin (42 Points): Swept by Ohio State on the road with 3-2 OT, 3-1 losses
3. Minnesota (37 Points): Split with Notre Dame on the road with 6-1 loss, 3-2 OT win
4. Notre Dame (31 Points): Split with Minnesota at home with 6-1 win, 3-2 OT loss
5. Michigan (28 Points): Split with Penn State on the road with 5-3 win, 4-2 loss
6. Penn State (20 Points): Split with Michigan at home with 5-3 loss, 4-2 win
7. Ohio State (12 Points): Swept Wisconsin at home with 3-2 OT, 3-1 wins
- CCHA Standings
1. Bemidji State (37 Points): Swept Ferris State at home with 3-2 OT, 4-1 wins
T-2. Bowling Green (35 Points): "Swept" St. Thomas on the road with 4-3 SO, 3-1 wins
T-2. Minnesota State (35 Points): No games scheduled
T-2. St. Thomas (35 Points): "Swept by" Bowling Green at home with 4-3 SO, 3-1 losses
5. Michigan Tech (30 Points): No games scheduled
6. Lake Superior (28 Points): Split with Augustana at home with 3-0 win, 3-0 loss
7. Northern Michigan (26 Points): No games scheduled
8. Ferris State (17 Points): Swept by Bemidji State on the road with 3-2 OT, 4-1 losses
- Hockey East Standings
1. Boston College (46 Points): Swept Massachusetts with 5-1 win on the road, 6-4 win at home
2. Boston University (45 Points): "Split with" Providence with 3-2 SO loss on the road, 5-2 win at home
3. Maine (32 Points): Swept by New Hampshire on the road with 6-2, 5-2 losses
4. Providence (30 Points): "Split with" Boston University with 3-2 SO win at home, 5-2 loss on the road
T-5. Massachusetts (28 Points): Swept by Boston College with 5-1 loss at home, 6-4 loss on the road
T-5. New Hampshire (28 Points): Swept Maine at home with 6-2, 5-2 wins
T-7. Northeastern (23 Points): Split with UMass-Lowell with 4-2 loss on the road, 4-0 win at home
T-7. Connecticut (23 Points): No games scheduled
T-7. Vermont (23 Points): Split with Merrimack at home with 5-2 loss, 4-1 win
10. Merrimack (18 Points): Split with Vermont on the road with 5-2 win, 4-1 loss
11. UMass-Lowell (16 Points): Split with Northeastern with 4-2 win at home, 4-0 loss on the road
- ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac (47 Points): Beat Union at home 6-2, beat Rensselaer at home 7-2
2. Cornell (38 Points): Beat Brown at home 3-0, "beat" Yale at home 2-1 SO
3. Colgate (34 Points): Beat Yale at home 5-2, beat Brown at home 4-2
4. Clarkson (28 Points): Lost to Dartmouth on the road 3-0, beat Harvard on the road 3-2 OT
5. Union (26 Points): Lost to Quinnipiac on the road 6-2, "lost to" Princeton on the road 3-2 SO
6. Dartmouth (25 Points): Beat Clarkson at home 3-0, "beat" St. Lawrence at home 5-4 SO
T-7. St. Lawrence (24 Points): Lost to Harvard on the road 2-1, "lost to" Dartmouth on the road 5-4 SO
T-7. Yale (24 Points): Lost to Colgate on the road 5-2, "lost to" Cornell on the road 2-1 SO
9. Harvard (23 Points): Beat St. Lawrence at home 2-1, lost to Clarkson on the road 3-2 OT
T-10. Brown (20 Points): Lost to Cornell on the road 3-0, lost to Colgate on the road 4-2
T-10. Rensselaer (20 Points): Beat Princeton on the road 4-3, lost to Quinnipiac on the road 7-2
12. Princeton (18 Points): Lost to Rensselaer at home 4-3, "beat" Union at home 3-2 SO
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. RIT (48 Points): Split with Air Force at home with 7-3 win, 3-2 loss
2. Holy Cross (46 Points): Swept Sacred Heart with 5-1 win at home, 2-1 win on the road
3. Sacred Heart (44 Points): Swept by Holy Cross with 5-1 loss on the road, 2-1 loss at home
T-4. Air Force (38 Points): Split with RIT on the road with 7-3 loss, 3-2 win
T-4. Niagara (38 Points): Split with Army at home with 6-3 win, 3-0 loss, 4-1 Win Tuesday at Mercyhurst
T-4. AIC (38 Points): "Split with" Mercyhurst at home with 4-1 win, 3-2 SO loss
7. Bentley (36 Points): No games scheduled
8. Canisius (33 Points): Swept Robert Morris on the road with 5-3, 5-4 OT wins
9. Mercyhurst (27 Points): "Split with" AIC on the road with 4-1 loss, 3-2 SO win, 1-4 loss Tuesday to Niagara
10. Army (26 Points): Split with Niagara on the road with 6-3 loss, 3-0 win
11. Robert Morris (24 Points): Swept by Canisius at home with 5-3, 5-4 OT losses
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: Split with Long Island at home with 4-0 loss, 4-0 win
Alaska-Anchorage: Swept Lindenwood on the road with 5-3, 3-0 wins
Arizona State: No games scheduled
Augustana: Split with Lake Superior on the road with 3-0 loss, 3-0 win
Lindenwood: Swept by Alaska-Anchorage at home with 5-3, 3-0 losses
Long Island: Split with Alaska on the road with 4-0 win, 4-0 loss
Stonehill: No games scheduled
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Gabe Perreault, Fr. Forward, Boston College; 14 goals (T-34th in NCAA), 34 assists (T-1st), 48 points (1st), 1.66 points/game (1st), four GWG (T-9th), 15-game point streak
2. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 23 goals (2nd), 20 assists (T-36th), 42 points (T-5th), 1.54 points/game (5th)
3. Cutter Gauthier, So., Boston College; 26 goals (1st), 17 assists, 43 points (T-5th), 1.48 points/game (7th), 6 GWG (3rd)
4, Ryan Leonard, Fr., Boston College; 21 goals (T-4th), 20 assists (T-36th), 41 points (8th), 1.41 points/game (10th), +25 plus/minus rating (3rd)
5. Jackson Blake, So. Forward, North Dakota; 17 goals (T-17th), 23 assists (T-17th), 40 points (T-9th), 1.33 points/game (12th), four GWG (T-9th)
Honorable Mentions: Collin Graf, (Quinnipiac), Massimo Rizzo (Denver), Jack Devine (Denver), Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota), and Will Smith (Boston College)
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist
(Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 20-8-1 record (T-2nd in NCAA in wins), 1.96 GAA (5th), 6 shutouts (1st), and .929 SV% (T-3rd)
2. Ian Shane, Jr. Cornell; 16-2-5 (T-10th wins, 1st fewest losses), 1.52 GAA (1st), 3 shutouts (T-4th), .925 SV% (5th)
3. Justen Close, Gr. Minnesota; 18-8-5 (T-4th), 2.33 GAA (12th), 4 shutouts (T-2nd), .923 SV% (T-7th), and 860 saves (4th)
4. Ryan Bischel, Gr., Notre Dame; 15-15-2 record (T-14th), 2.43 GAA (18th), 3 shutouts (T-4th), .929 SV% (T-3rd), and 987 saves (1st)
5. Kaidan Mbereko, So., Colorado College; 18-9-1 (T-4th), 2.44 GAA (19th), 0 shutouts (T-56th), .917 SV% (12th)
Honorable Mentions: Jacob Fowler (Boston College), Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Tommy Scarfone (RIT), Vinny Duplessis (Quinnipiac), and Jake Sibell (St. Thomas)
