ECH Weekend Review: February 3-5
By Alex Berger - February 06, 2023Happy February everyone! It's crazy that we're already less than a month away from postseason college hockey. In case you missed my last article, here's what the NCAA Tournament would have looked like after last weekend's games:
Fargo, N.D.: #1 Minnesota vs. #16 RIT, #8 Ohio State vs. #9 Harvard
Bridgeport, CT: #2 Quinnipiac vs. #15 Omaha, #7 Denver vs. #11 Cornell
Allentown, PA: #3 Boston University vs. #14 Notre Dame, #6 Penn State vs. #10 Western Michigan
Manchester, NH: #4 Michigan vs. #13 Minnesota State, #5 St. Cloud State vs. #12 Michigan Tech
There wasn't a whole lot of movement in the top eight of the Pairwise this week, but the bottom half is still wide open. Plus, every conference-affiliated team is still technically alive to make the tournament. All you've got to do is get hot at the right time. Let's get into this past weekend of action.
CCHA Race Coming Down To The Wire
Photo by MTU Athletics
With 22 games played each, the race for the McNaughton Cup will most likely come down to Minnesota State (45 Points) and Michigan Tech (44 Points).
The Mavericks dropped two crucial points to St. Thomas on Friday night with a 3-2 overtime loss at home, but responded with a 5-2 road win in a home-and-home split. Michigan Tech, however, took care of business with a huge road sweep over Bemidji State with 2-0 and 3-2 wins. Blake Pietila set a school single-season record on Friday night with his 8th shutout of the season for the Huskies, which leads the NCAA.
Minnesota State has next weekend off and then has to travel to Bemidji State for a two-game series. Michigan Tech hosts Bowling Green for a series next weekend before an off weekend of their own.
Then in the final weekend of the regular season? Minnesota State hosts Michigan Tech for a series in Mankato. A two-game series which will most likely determine the regular season champion. Can you write a better script than that?
Denver Wins Gold Pan
Photo by Adri Meyer
With a 4-1 win on Saturday night, Denver keeps the Gold Pan trophy from rival Colorado College for the fourth-straight season. The Pioneers beat CC 2-0 at Ball Arena last Friday night, and only needed a season-split to keep the trophy this year.
It was pretty easy sailing for Denver on Saturday, as they scored twice on the man advantage and potted an empty netter. 10 different players made it onto the scoresheet, but none had multiple points.
Despite the loss, junior forward Hunter McKown may have scored the prettiest goal of the season. On a penalty shot the right-handed shooter trailed his way down the left-wing boards, glided into the slot, faked a shot, faked a backhand shot, and then finally went forehand/backhand over Magnus Chrona's right shoulder. An aboslutely filthy goal.
The penalty shot was the first time Colorado College has scored on Chrona since February 25, 2021, a shutout streak of over 350 minutes, according to the Denver Pioneers' website.
Alaska in Striking Distance of At-Large Tournament Bid
Photo by Nanooks Hockey
The Alaska Nanooks are so back. After a home sweep over Arizona State, there is a buzz in Fairbanks for the first time in a long time. Alaska beat the Sun Devils 2-1 on Friday night and 5-2 on Saturday. Brady Risk scored twice in the series finale and potted an assist on Friday night to post a three-point weekend.
Although it's a long-shot, the Nanooks could make a run for an at large bid. They currently sit at #19 in the Pairwise, with wins over Denver (#6), Omaha (#16), and Notre Dame (#17) which are proving crucial in their high ranking. Alaska has eight games left this season, all of which are against teams sub-40 in the Pairwise rankings. They would realistically need to win every one of those eight games, have a few teams above them in the rankings (like Connecticut and Michigan State) falter down the stretch, and hope that nobody trailing them gets hot (like North Dakota or Northeastern) to have a chance at postseason play.
A tournament berth this year, especially as an independent fighting to keep their program alive, would be incredibly important for their school. Alaska does not officially have an NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. They made the 2010 tournament with an at-large bid, however that was stripped away after academic eligibility violations. That remains the only "appearance" in program history.
Michigan Dominates Wisconsin, Sticks at #4 in Pairwise
Photo by Michigan Athletics
Michigan might just be the hottest team in college hockey right now. The Wolverines have not lost since holding their own against #1 Minnesota on the road a few weeks ago and have scored 30 goals in their last five games.
This weekend was no exception. With last-place Wisconsin coming into Yost, Michigan needed a huge weekend to keep up their momentum. They got that with 6-2 and 7-4 wins, their second-straight sweep.
Freshmen Adam Fantilli (1 G, 3 A on Friday) and T.J. Hughes (1 G, 3 A on Saturday) posted eerily similar stats, leading their team on opposite nights. Fantilli has scored six goals and 13 assists (19 points) in eight games since the second half of the seasons started. He leads the NCAA with 45 total points this season in only 24 games played. The next closest skater is Ryan McAllister of WMU, who has 40 points in 30 games played.
Although they aren't in striking distance for a Big Ten regular season title, Michigan is set up for success in the postseason. They're one of the few teams who have beaten the Gophers this season and are currently #4 in the Pairwise. Although they were objectively more talented the last few seasons, including a Frozen Four loss to eventual-champion Denver last year, sometimes having limited expectations is the best thing possible for a team.
Beanpot Recap - Harvard and Northeastern Steal the Show
The 70th-Annual Beanpot kicked off on Monday night at TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts.
Boston College played Harvard in the first game and this one did not disappoint, as the Eagles came back from a 3-1 deficit late in the 3rd period to force overtime. Beanpot fans watched in agony as the 5 minute overtime was coming to a close, and a shootout to decide the winner was imminent. Then, with under 1.5 seconds left, Marek Hejduk lit the lamp on a 2-on-1 rush after a beautiful setup by Alex Laferriere to win the game. As an outsider watching, it was an incredible game from start to finish.
The nightcap game featured Boston University vs Northeastern, with the Terriers being both the ranked favorites and returning champions from last year. To nobodies surprise, Mike Richter winning Devon Levi put on a show and kept things in check from start to finish, making a total of 33 saves on the night. Northeastern outplayed BU for the first two periods finished off the Terriers with an empty netter from Freshman defenseman Hunter McDonald, his first collegiate goal.
For the first time since the Beanpot began in 1952, Boston College will face Boston University in the consolation game next Monday. Until this year, either BC or BU have played in the finals every time.
Going off purely ECH bump statistics, Northeastern has to be the favorite in the final. Devon Levi is the best goalie in the country + was featured on episode #120 of Pucks in Deep, Austin Plevy (Beanpot Legend) will be rink-side again, and TD Garden is sure to be filled with Huskies fans on Monday night.
NCHC Standings
1. Denver: Beat Colorado College on the road 4-1. (35 Points)
T-2. Western Michigan: "Swept" Duluth on the road with 3-2 OT, 4-1 wins. (33 Points)
T-2. St. Cloud State: "Swept" Miami at home with 3-3 SO, 1-1 SO wins. (33 Points)
4. Omaha: No games scheduled. (30 Points)
5. Minnesota-Duluth: "Swept by" Western Michigan at home with 3-2 OT, 4-1 losses. (23 Points)
6. North Dakota: No games scheduled. (21 Points)
7. Colorado College: Lost to Denver at home 4-1. (20 Points)
8. Miami: "Swept by" St. Cloud State on the road with 3-3 SO, 1-1 SO losses. (9 Points)
Big Ten Standings
1. Minnesota: No games scheduled. (43 Points)
T-2. Michigan: Swept Wisconsin at home with 6-2, 7-4 wins. (30 Points)
T-2. Ohio State: Split with Penn State at home with 4-3 loss, 4-2 win. (30 Points)
T-2. Penn State: Split with Ohio State on the road with 4-3 win, 4-2 loss. (30 Points)
T-2. Michigan State: Swept Notre Dame at home with 3-0, 3-2 wins. (30 Points)
6. Notre Dame: Swept by Michigan State on the road with 3-0, 3-2 losses. (26 Points)
7. Wisconsin: Swept by Michigan on the road with 6-2, 7-4 losses. (9 Points)
CCHA Standings
1. Minnesota State: Split with St. Thomas with 3-2 OT loss at home, 5-2 win on the road. (45 Points)
2. Michigan Tech: Swept Bemidji State on the road with 2-0, 3-2 wins. (44 Points)
3. Bowling Green: "Swept by" Ferris State at home with 2-1, 4-4 SO losses. (38 Points)
4. Bemidji State: Swept by Michigan Tech at home with 2-0, 3-2 losses. (31 Points)
5. Ferris State: "Swept" Bowling Green on the road with 2-1, 4-4 SO wins. (30 Points)
6. Northern Michigan: Split with Lake Superior at home with 4-2 loss, 3-1 win. (24 Points)
7. St. Thomas: Split with Minnesota state with 3-2 OT win on the road, 5-2 loss at home. (23 Points)
8. Lake Superior: Split with Northern Michigan on the road with 4-2 win, 3-1 loss. (17 Points)
Hockey East Standings
1. Boston University: Beat Maine 5-3 on the road, vs. Northeastern on Monday. (41 Points)
2. Northeastern: Lost to Connecticut 4-3 OT at home, vs. Boston University on Monday. (38 Points)
3. Merrimack: Lost to New Hampshire 3-2 OT on the road, @ Maine on Sunday. (35 Points)
4. Connecticut: Beat Northeastern 4-3 OT on the road. (34 Points)
5. UMass-Lowell: Beat Boston College 2-2 SO at home, lost to New Hampshire 5-4 at home. (30 Points)
6. Providence: Lost to Massachusetts 3-2 at home, @ Vermont on Sunday. (26 Points)
7. Boston College: Lost to UMass-Lowell 2-2 SO on the road, vs. Harvard on Monday. (21 Points)
8. Maine: Lost to Boston University 5-3 at home, vs. Merrimack on Sunday. (18 Points)
9. Massachusetts: Beat Providence 3-2 on the road. (15 Points)
10. New Hampshire: Beat Merrimack 3-2 OT at home, beat UMass-Lowell 5-4 on the road. (14 Points)
11. Vermont: vs. Providence on Sunday.(13 Points)
ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac: Beat Harvard 3-0 on the road, beat Dartmouth 4-2 on the road. (42 Points)
2. Cornell: Beat Rensselaer 3-1 at home, beat Union 10-1 at home. (34 Points)
3. Harvard: Lost to Quinnipiac 3-0 at home, vs. Boston College on Monday. (37 Points)
4. Colgate: Lost to Union 3-1 at home, lost to Rensselaer 2-1 at home. (28 Points)
5. St. Lawrence: Beat Brown 6-0 on the road, lost to Yale 4-0 on the road. (27 Points)
6. Princeton: Beat Dartmouth 7-3 on the road.(23 Points)
7. Clarkson: Lost to Yale 4-0 on the road, beat Brown 6-2 on the road. (21 Points)
T-8. Rensselaer: Lost to Cornell 3-1 on the road, beat Colgate 2-1 on the road. (17 Points)
T-8. Union: Beat Colgate 3-1 on the road, lost to Cornell 10-1 on the road. (17 Points)
T-10. Brown: Lost to St. Lawrence 6-0 at home, lost to Clarkson 6-2 at home. (16 Points)
T-10. Yale: Beat Clarkson 4-0 at home, beat St. Lawrence 4-0 at home. (16 Points)
12. Dartmouth: Lost to Princeton 7-3 at home, lost to Quinnipiac 4-2 at home. (13 Points)
Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. RIT: Split with Canisius with 3-2 win on the road, 3-2 OT loss at home. (48 Points)
2. Sacred Heart: Split with AIC with 4-2 win on the road, 4-1 loss at home. (39 Points)
3. AIC: Split with Sacred Heart with 4-2 loss at home, 4-1 win on the road. (34 Points)
T-4. Holy Cross: "Swept" Bentley on the road with 4-1, 3-2 OT wins. (29 Points)
T-4. Mercyhurst: "Swept by" Air Force on the road with 4-3 OT, 4-2 losses. (29 Points)
T-6. Army: "Swept" Niagara on the road with 3-2 OT, 3-3 SO wins. (27 Points)
T-6. Niagara: "Swept by" Army at home with 3-2 OT, 3-3 SO losses. (27 Points)
8. Canisius: Split with RIT with 3-2 loss at home, 3-2 OT win on the road. (22 Points)
T-9. Air Force: "Swept" Mercyhurst at home with 4-3 OT, 4-2 wins. (18 Points)
T-9. Bentley: "Swept by" Holy Cross at home with 4-1, 3-2 OT losses. (18 Points)
Independent Roundup
Alaska: Swept Arizona State at home with 2-1, 5-2 wins.
Alaska-Anchorage: No games scheduled.
Arizona State: Swept by Alaska on the road with 2-1, 5-2 losses.
Lindenwood: No games scheduled.
Long Island: Swept Stonehill at home with 9-3, 9-1 wins.
Stonehill: Swept by Long Island on the road with 9-3, 9-1 losses.
