ECH Weekend Review: January 19-21
written By Alex Berger - January 25th, 2024:Before we get to a crazy weekend of college hockey, we first have to look back at this past weekend. Top-ten upsets, line brawls, and high-key conference matchups dominated the headlines and the highlight reels, including a great rivalry matchup between #2 Michigan State and #15 Michigan.
Now looking at this weekend. Headlined by #1 Boston University vs. #2 Boston College, we have three total top-ten matchups, #5 Wisconsin vs. #14 Michigan, #8 Quinnipiac vs. Yale, #15 Cornell vs. Harvard, and many more rivalries scheduled across the sport. Let's recap everything you need to know before what is (likely) the most anticipated weekend of the regular season.
Via: @TerrierHockey on Twitter
- Boston College, Boston University Set For Top-2 Showdown After Sweeps
One of the biggest stories of this past weekend was preparation for this Friday/Saturday. #1 Boston University is set to take on #2 Boston College this weekend for the first ever "Battle of Commonwealth Avenue" between the two top teams in the country. It's a matchup that fans across the country have been waiting for since the beginning of the season, and includes first-round picks and potential Hobey Baker Award finalists throughout both lineups.
But to make it a #1 vs. #2, both teams needed to take care of business this past weekend (and get some help from Michigan against last week's #2 team Michigan State). As ECH's top team, Boston University traveled north to Vermont for a two-game series on the road. It was smooth sailing for the Terriers both nights, as Macklin Celebrini scored three total goals on the weekend to lead BU to a 5-1 and 5-2 sweep. On Friday, night Lane Hutson continued his recent hot streak with four assists, and now has 16 points in his last eight games (2 goals, 14 assists).
As for Boston College, they had a bit of a tougher time on the road against Merrimack. The Eagles fell down 2-0 early, but five unanswered goals in the second period and a Cutter Gauthier hat trick helped lead the team to a comeback 6-4 win. On Saturday night, the rematch moved to the Conte Forum, with BC jumping out to a 3-0 lead under eight minutes into the game. The Eagles would cruise to a 6-2 win and series sweep, with all of their stars contributing on the scoresheet. Gauthier, Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perreault combined for 16 points in series (seven goals, nine assists), and now each have more than 25 total points on the season (121 combined).
This weekend's series is primed to be the biggest of the season in college hockey. Across nearly every ranking BU and BC rank #1 and #2; the Hockey East standings, ECH rankings, USCHO rankings, the Pairwise, etc. The winner of the season series -- including the Beanpot semifinal on February 5th -- will likely be the #1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament in March. The stakes haven't been this high in decades, making for some must-see games in Boston this weekend.
- #2 Michigan State, #15 Michigan Combine For 20 Goals, 178 PIM In Split
After dominating the rivalry series as of late, Michigan traveled to East Lansing as the underdogs to face off against #2 Michigan State. The Spartans have been one of the hottest teams in college hockey, going 10-1-3 since November and vaulting up to first in the Big Ten standings. A big key to this weekend, however, was the return of Rutger McGroarty for the Wolverines. The sophomore returned to action for Michigan last weekend against Stonehill and posted five assists, his first time back in the UM lineup since his injury in mid-November.
McGroarty made an impact right away, opening the scoring for Michigan and silencing the sellout crowd of MSU fans. That sparked one of the most shocking results of the weekend, as the Wolverines rolled to a 7-1 win over their rivals. It was a clinic by Michigan, who went 4-for-12 on the power play, scored once shorthanded, and passed circles around the Spartans the entire game. All seven goals had a primary and secondary assist, and 14 different skates tallied a point in the win (led by McGroarty with 4).
The frustration boiled over by the third period, as both teams didn't hold back punches on multiple occasions. In the end, 11 combined game misconducts were handed out, leading to 168 combined penalty minutes between the two teams (151 in the third period alone). Side note, that is still far off from the all-time record of 268 in one game. That was set between Maine and Boston University on January 24, 2004.
The two teams still had 60 more minutes to play on Saturday night at Yost, and gave us one of the best games of the season in the process. It looked as though Michigan would run away with the series sweep, jumping out to a 4-1 lead midway through the 2nd period. But the switch finally flipped for Michigan State, starting with an Isaac Howard goal just 40 seconds later to make it 4-2. Then the Spartans scored again two minutes later, and tied the game three minutes after that. When all was said and done, Sparty rallied off six-straight goals and held on for a 7-5 win despite being outshot 48-30.
Although his team wasn't able to finish off their rivals at home, Rutger McGroarty put together one of the best weekends of any player so far this season. On Saturday he scored twice and added two more assists on 14 shots, posting a combined weekend score of 3-5-8 on 19 shots. Our "friend of the pod" now has 13 points in his last four games and ranks T-8th in the country in total points (31) despite just 17 games played. He's earned a spot in the honorable mentions for our Hobey Baker Watchlist, and will keep moving up if he keeps posting three points/night.
- #7 North Dakota Wins Series At #10 St. Cloud, Tied For 1st In NCHC Standings
Heading into the weekend, St. Cloud State and North Dakota ranked #1 and #2 in the NCHC standings, respectively. Crucial league points were on the line, as this was their only league matchup scheduled this year. With North Dakota coming off three-straight league series without a sweep (and four OT losses), this was a get-right opportunity if they were going to gun for their sixth Penrose Cup.
On Friday night, Jackson Blake was the best player on the ice, scoring twice and adding an assist in the first 40 minutes to give North Dakota a 3-1 lead. However, goaltender Ludvig Persson was not that far behind. In just his second game of the second-half of the season, the transfer senior stole the show, making highlight save after highlight save to keep NoDak in front. St. Cloud would make it a one-goal game twice, but a Cameron Berg PPG and Louis Jamernik empty netter iced the game away. Despite being outshot 37-21, Persson made 33 saves and led the Fighting Hawks to a road 5-3 win.
The energy was palpable on Saturday night, as the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center was packed with 50/50 St. Cloud and North Dakota fans. It would be the Huskies to cheer first, as Kyler Kupka scored his ninth goal of the season off a great feed from Josh Luedkte to give SCSU the 1-0 lead. But just eight seconds later Jackson Blake struck again, grabbing a turnover off the next faceoff and skating in alone on Dominic Basse. He fired the puck past the goalie for his third goal of the weekend to tie the game 1-1. After being outshot 17-4 in the first period, North Dakota flipped the switch, posting 10-9 shots on goal in the middle frame. St. Cloud found the only goal of the period, however, as Grant Achan finished a breakaway on Persson following a great feed from Zach Okabe.
The play opened up a bit in the start of the final period, as NoDak defenseman Jake Livanavage scored off a deflection and Huskies' forward Veeti Miettinen scored on a great 3-on-2 rush within the first five minutes of the third. Then with the pressure mounting late in the game, a near minute-long scramble in front of the net found Cameron Berg behind the net with the puck. He threw it off of Basse, who was laying in the crease, and it deflected into the net for the game-tying goal. NoDak continued the pressure into overtime, where they outshot the Huskies 6-1, but could not find the winner. Instead, Basse made two saves in the shootout to give St. Cloud the extra point in the league standings.
Via: Andrew Ritter - @andrew.ritter.photo on Instagram
With the shootout "win" on Saturday, the Huskies still keep a share of first place in the NCHC, now tied with North Dakota. For the Fighting Hawks, the weekend was a success, getting their first regulation win in St. Cloud since Dec. 2021. With that win and tie on Saturday, NoDak moved up to #3 in the Pairwise, trailing only Boston University and Boston College.
The league standings are tightening up in the conference, with Denver just three points behind and Western Michigan six. Both the Pioneers and Broncos still have a chance to move up in the standings, as they each play North Dakota and St. Cloud this season. However, that hill gets harder when NoDak and the Huskies are the hosts for both series. Everything College Hockey will be there this weekend when the huge games continue, as #3 Denver travels to #6 North Dakota for a series in Grand Forks.
- #4 Quinnipiac Drops Road Games To Colgate, #16 Cornell
Alongside some big conference series this past weekend we also had a handful of upsets. Two of which came at the expense of #4 Quinnipiac, who dropped back-to-back games for just the second time this season. The losses were also just their second and third conference losses all season, and first in regulation.
On Friday night the Bobcats traveled southwest to take on Colgate and red-hot goaltender Carter Gylander. Including this weekend, the senior has now made 30+ stops in his last five games, leading the Raiders to a 2-2-1 record in that span. Against Quinnipiac he made 36, allowing just one goal against the T-3rd best offense in the country. In the offensive zone, Colgate capitalized on their opportunities when they counted. They opened the scoring in the second period, as Alex DiPaolo buried a rebound on a 2-on-1. In the third period, the Raiders earned a five-minute power play after a Charles-Alexis Legault contact to the head penalty. A few minutes into the man advantage senior defenseman Reid Irwin fired a slapshot through the legs of Matej Marinov, the eventual game-winning goal.
After the upset loss Quinnipiac had to pack their bags and head 90 minutes west to Cornell, right into the sights of Ian Shane, another top goalie in the ECAC conference. The Big Red limited Quinnipiac to just 24 shots on goal on Saturday, but could only muster just 17 of their own. But once again, QU's opponent made their opportunities count. Despite the change in goal, Vinny Duplessis of QU gave up three goals on 17 shots, including the game-winning goal to sophomore forward Dalton Bancroft in 3-on-3 overtime.
Via: @CornellMHockey on Twitter
The biggest question mark out of this weekend for Quinnipiac is team offense. Yes it's always tough going up against two strong goaltenders, but the Bobcats scored just three goals on 60 shots (.950% opponent save percentage) and went 0-for-6 on the power play over the weekend. It could be a trickle down effect from leading-scorer Collin Graf. Despite nine combined shots on the weekend, the junior was held scoreless in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Expect a big bounce-back weekend for the potential Hobey Baker finalist.
- Alaska-Anchorage Upsets #9 Providence With Shutout Win
The upsets continued in Providence on Saturday night, as Alaska-Anchorage stunned the Friars with a 4-0 win. It was the first win for the Seawolves since they shocked Wisconsin on November 24 who was ranked #4 at the time. In both games sophomore goaltender Jared Whale was the hero, posting a shutout in each win.
On Saturday Whale made 26 saves, including 10 in the third period to maintain a 3-0 lead taken by UAA. The goals came fast and furious for the Seawolves in the second period, as they scored three in a five-minute span past Philip Svedeback, breaking a 85+ minute shutout streak of his own. Sophomore forward Alex Gomez started the scoring with a blast from the high slot, his first of the season. Alaska-Anchorage then capitalized on the momentum with a snipe from William Gilson past the glove of Svedeback and a great 3-on-1 rush following a forced turnover in the defensive zone.
Luckily for the Friars, they shutout the Seawolves a night earlier and still split the series. The bad news is that with the loss they dropped down to #11 in the Pairwise, on the brink of a four seed in the NCAAs. They'll go against UMass-Lowell this weekend before a tough three-weekend stretch which includes Connecticut, Maine, and Boston University.
- NCHC Standings
T-1. North Dakota (26 Points): "Split with" St. Cloud State on the road with 5-3 win, 4-3 SO loss
T-1. St. Cloud State (26 Points): "Split with" North Dakota at home with 5-3 loss, 4-3 SO win
3. Denver (23 Points): Swept Omaha on the road with 6-3, 6-2 wins
4. Western Michigan (20 Points): Split with Minnesota-Duluth at home with 6-3 loss, 5-2 win
5. Colorado College (19 Points): Swept Miami at home with 4-2, 2-1 wins
6. Minnesota-Duluth (15 Points): Split with Western Michigan on the road with 6-3 win, 5-2 loss
7. Omaha (11 Points): Swept by Denver at home with 6-3, 6-2 losses
8. Miami (4 Points): Swept by Colorado College on the road with 4-2, 2-1 losses
- Big Ten Standings
1. Michigan State (34 Points): Split with Michigan with 7-1 loss at home, 7-5 win on the road
2. Wisconsin (30 Points): No games scheduled
3. Notre Dame (24 Points): Swept Penn State at home with 4-1, 6-3 wins
4. Minnesota (23 Points): Swept Ohio State at home with 5-2, 6-3 wins
5. Michigan (15 Points): Split with Michigan State with 7-1 win on the road, 7-5 loss at home
6. Penn State (11 Points): Swept by Notre Dame on the road with 4-1, 6-3 losses
7. Ohio State (7 Points): Swept by Minnesota on the road with 4-1, 6-3 losses
- CCHA Standings
1. St. Thomas (30 Points): Split with Northern Michigan on the road with 3-2 loss, 3-1 win
2. Bemidji State (27 Points): "Split with" Michigan Tech on the road with 2-1 loss, 3-2 SO win
3. Minnesota State (26 Points): Split with Bowling Green on the road with 4-3 loss, 4-1 win
4. Lake Superior (25 Points): Swept by Ferris State with 5-3 loss on the road, 3-2 OT loss at home
5. Michigan Tech (23 Points): "Split with" Bemidji State at home with 2-1 win, 3-2 SO loss
T-6. Bowling Green (18 Points): Split with Minnesota State at home with 4-3 win, 4-1 loss
T-6. Northern Michigan (18 Points): Split with St. Thomas at home with 3-2 win, 3-1 loss
8. Ferris State (16 Points): Swept Lake Superior with 5-3 win at home, 3-2 OT win on the road
- Hockey East Standings
1. Boston University (34 Points): Swept Vermont on the road with 5-1, 5-2 wins
2. Boston College (28 Points): Swept Merrimack with 6-4 win on the road, 6-2 win at home
3. Maine (25 Points): Swept UMass-Lowell at home with 5-3, 7-2 wins
4. Connecticut (20 Points): Split with New Hampshire with 5-0 loss at home, 2-1 win on the road
5. Massachusetts (19 Points): Beat Northeastern on the road 2-1
6. Providence (18 Points): Split with Alaska-Anchorage at home with 2-0 win, 4-0 loss
7. New Hampshire (16 Points): Split with Connecticut with 5-0 win on the road, 2-1 loss at home
8. Vermont (13 Points): Swept by Boston University at home with 5-1, 5-2 losses
9. Merrimack (12 Points): Swept by Boston College with 6-4 loss at home, 6-2 loss on the road
10. UMass-Lowell (10 Points): Swept by Maine on the road with 5-3, 7-2 losses
11. Northeastern (9 Points): Beat by Massachusetts at home 2-1
- ECAC Standings
1. Quinnipiac (29 Points): Lost to Colgate on the road 2-1, lost to Cornell on the road 3-2 OT
T-2. Clarkson (20 Points): Beat Yale at home 5-3, lost to Brown at home 3-2 OT
T-2. Union (20 Points): Beat Dartmouth on the road 5-1, beat Harvard on the road 5-4 OT
4. Brown (19 Points): Lost to St. Lawrence on the road 2-1, beat Clarkson on the road 3-2 OT
5. Colgate (18 Points): Beat Quinnipiac at home 2-1, beat Princeton at home 6-3
6. Cornell (17 Points): Beat Princeton at home 6-2, beat Quinnipiac at home 3-2 OT
7. St. Lawrence (16 Points): Beat Brown at home 2-1, beat Yale at home 4-2
8. Yale (15 Points): Lost to Clarkson on the road 5-3, lost to St. Lawrence on the road 4-2
T-9. Princeton (14 Points): Lost to Cornell on the road 6-2, lost to Colgate on the road 6-3
T-9. Harvard (14 Points): Beat Rensselaer at home 6-3, lost to Union at home 5-4 OT
11. Dartmouth (13 Points): Lost to Union at home 5-1, beat Rensselaer at home 6-2
12. Rensselaer (12 Points): Lost to Harvard on the road 6-3, lost to Dartmouth on the road 6-2
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. Sacred Heart (36 Points): Split with Holy Cross with 2-1 OT win at home, 5-2 loss on the road
2. RIT (34 Points): Swept Robert Morris on the road with 6-3, 7-1 wins
3. Air Force (29 Points): Swept Army on the road with 8-1, 7-6 wins
T-4. AIC (28 Points): No games scheduled
T-4. Holy Cross (28 Points): Split with Sacred Heart with 2-1 OT loss on the road, 5-2 win at home
7. Bentley (27 Points): Swept Mercyhurst at home with 4-0, 8-4 wins
8. Niagara (24 Points): Swept Canisius with 4-2 win on the road, 6-4 win at home
9. Canisius (23 Points): Swept by Niagara with 4-2 loss at home, 6-4 loss on the road
9. Mercyhurst (21 Points): Swept by Bentley on the road with 4-0, 8-4 losses
10. Army (17 Points): Swept by Air Force at home with 8-1, 7-6 losses
11. Robert Morris (12 Points): Swept by RIT at home with 6-3, 7-1 losses
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: No games scheduled
Alaska-Anchorage: Split with Providence on the road with 2-0 loss, 4-0 win
Arizona State: Split with Augustana at home with 5-4 loss, 3-2 win
Augustana: Split with Arizona State on the road with 5-4 win, 3-2 loss
Lindenwood: No games scheduled
Long Island: Swept Stonehill at home with 8-2, 10-0 wins
Stonehill: Swept by Long Island on the road with 8-2, 10-0 losses
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Jack Devine, Jr. Forward, Denver; 21 goals (1st in NCAA), 18 assists (T-19th), 39 points (2nd), 8 power play goals (T-5th), 1.63 points/game (5th)
2. Massimo Rizzo, Jr. Forward, Denver; 10 goals, 31 assists (1st), 41 points (1st), 1.71 points/game (3rd), +23 plus/minus rating (T-2nd)
3. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 16 goals (T-7th), 16 assists (T-37th), 32 points (T-5th), 1.68 points/game (4th)
4. Jimmy Snuggerud, So. Forward, Minnesota; 18 goals (T-2nd), 7 assists, 25 points (T-40th), 1.04 points/game (T-48th), 4 game-winning goals (T-4th)
5. Collin Graf, Jr. Forward, Quinnipiac; 14 goals (T-15th), 17 assists (T-27th), 31 points (T-8th), 1.72 points/game (2nd), +19 plus/minus rating (T-9th)
Honorable Mentions: Dylan Wendt (Western Michigan), Rutger McGroarty (Michigan), Cutter Gauthier (Boston College), Gabe Perrault (Boston College), and Jackson Blake (North Dakota).
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist (Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 17-4-0 record (1st in NCAA in wins), 1.66 GAA (2nd), 6 shutouts (1st), and .939 SV% (1st)
2. Ryan Bischel, Gr., Notre Dame; 13-11-2 record (T-7th), 2.41 GAA (16th), three shutouts (T-2nd), .928 SV% (3rd), and 791 saves (2nd)
3. Jacob Fowler, Fr., Boston College; 16-4-1 record (T-2nd), 2.27 GAA (10th), one shutout (T-21st), and .922 SV % (T-7th)
4. Jake Sibell, So., St. Thomas; 7-4-0 record (T-34th), 1.77 GAA (3rd), and .936 SV% (2nd)
5. Jakob Hellsten, Jr., New Hampshire; 8-3-1 record (T-27th), 1.66 GAA (1st), 2 shutouts (T-8th), and .926 SV% (5th)
Honorable Mentions: Ludvig Persson (North Dakota), TJ Semptimphelter (Arizona State), Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Ian Shane (Cornell), and Cameron Rowe (Western Michigan)
-Pairwise Top-20 as of 1/25 (Credit: College Hockey News)
