ECH Weekend Review: January 6-8

Written by Alex berger - Jan 13, 2023

The men's college hockey was back in full swing last weekend, full of exciting non-conference, outdoor, and tournament games. I chose the five of the biggest storylines from the past weekend, plus a roundup in each conference.

Minnesota, St. Cloud Meet In Top-4 Showdown

In what was arguably the best matchup of the weekend, Minnesota and St. Cloud State played in a home-and-home series. Heading into the weekend Minnesota (#2) and St. Cloud (#4) were both ranked in the top four of the ECH Rankings.

On Saturday night, St. Cloud shut the Gophers down 3-0. Senior goalie Jaxon Castor made 23 saves and posted the first shutout of his career. Minnesota went 0-for-3 on the power play and had only one shot on goal in those three attempts. Aidan Spellacy scored the eventual game-winning goal midway through the second period. Kyler Kupka and Grant Cruikshank iced the game with a pair of goals within the last 49 seconds of the game.

Sunday night the Gophers came out flying but still needed overtime to finish off the relentless Huskies. Thankfully for Minnesota fans, Logan Cooley lives for big moments and did not hesitate to put the game on ice for his 11th goal of the season.

Denver Upset By Alaska

Out west, previously #1 ranked Denver (USCHO) suffered the biggest upset of the weekend and lost to Alaska at home 3-1. The Nanooks played well, holding Denver to just 20 shots on goal in the game. None of the four goals in the game were scored at even-strength. Alaska scored two on a five-minute power play in the second period and added an empty-net goal with 45 seconds to play. Denver scored their lone goal of the game on a 5-3 power play.

The Pioneers responded on Saturday night with a 7-2 win, however it was still a successful weekend for the Nanooks. Alaska is now 21st in the Pairwise and has a favorable schedule the rest of the season. If they do well in their four remaining games against Arizona State, they could find themselves playing in the postseason for the first time since 2010.

Northeastern & Boston College Win At Frozen Fenway 2023

Frozen Fenway was back for the first time since 2017 and featured Boston College, Northeastern, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. In a battle of the Huskies, Northeastern beat Connecticut 4-1. Devon Levi made 29 saves and allowed only one goal, his first game without multiple goals allowed for first time since November 18. Aidan McDonough scored his 13th goal of the season and added an assist. He leads Northeastern with 27 points this season.

In the late game, Boston College beat Massachusetts 4-2. Graduate forward Cam Burke scored his first two goals of the season, including the eventual game-winning goal in the second period. Each team scored two power play goals (BC: 2-for-3 on PP, UMass: 2-for-6). 22,500 fans were in attendance for the doubleheader on Saturday, which was the largest crowd since 2014 saw 25,580 fans at Fenway.

Michigan Tech Wins Desert Hockey Classic

Michigan Tech (previously #16 in ECH Rankings) beat host Arizona State 4-2 and Boston University 3-2 to win the Desert Hockey Classic for the second time. Senior forwards Tristan Ashbrook and Logan Pietila combined for five points in the tournament (3 goals - 2 assists - 5 points). Michigan Tech is now 7-2 in non-conference play this season and moved up to #11 in ECH rankings this week.

Eric Huss Recovering After Skate Blade Laceration

Army West Point forward Eric Huss with Black Knights' trainer Rachel Leahy.
Photo by **@armywp_hockey**

In a scary moment, Army West Point forward Eric Huss' neck was inadvertently cut by a skate during the second period of Thursday night's game. Black Knights' trainer Rachel Leahy along with other members of the athletic staff sprung into action and potentially saved Huss' life. Huss underwent succesful surgery to repair a severe laceration to his neck and returned to West Point on Friday like the warrior he is. Leahy was honored before Sunday afternoon's game against Providence and also was listed as the Atlantic Hockey "Player of the Week".

NCHC Roundup

North Dakota survived two close games against Lindenwood to sweep the Lions 4-3 and 4-2. Defenseman Tyler Kleven scored two goals (including the game-winner) in each game.
Minnesota-Duluth tied at Bemidji State 1-1 on Friday night and won the home-and-home series finale with a 5-2 win on Saturday. Senior forward Luke Loheit scored a goal and an assist on Saturday night.
Colorado College, Miami, Omaha, and Western Michigan all did not play last weekend.
The majority of the NCHC conference schedule begins this week.

Big Ten Roundup

There were two conference series' played last weekend. Ohio State swept Michigan State at home with 3-1 and 6-0 wins, moving up to #9 in the ECH rankings this week.
Notre Dame earned a spilt on the road against Wisconsin. The Badgers won 6-4 on Friday night and the Fighting Irish responded with a 6-4 win on Saturday.
Michigan beat the U.S. Under-18 Team 7-6 in an exhibition game. Penn State had the weekend off.

CCHA Roundup

There were two very coincidental CCHA conference series' played last weekend. Minnesota-State Mankato swept Northern Michigan on the road with 5-2 and 5-3 wins. Bowling Green swept a home series against Lake Superior State with 5-2 and 5-3 wins. Weird.
Ferris State and St. Thomas did not play last weekend.

Hockey East Roundup

Maine swept Alaska-Anchorage at home with a 1-0 win on Friday night and a 4-3 win on Saturday.
UMass-Lowell beat AIC on the road 4-2 in a one-game matchup on Saturday night.
Merrimack tied Yale 3-3 on Friday night before dropping a dud on Saturday, losing 6-2 to Brown.
Providence also struggled last weekend, losing 2-0 to New Hampshire on Friday and tying Army 3-3. The Friars dropped the shootout to the Black Knights as well.
New Hampshire paired their win over Providence with a 4-1 win over Sacred Heart on Saturday night.
Vermont tied Yale 1-1 on Sunday afternoon.

ECAC Roundup

There were eight conference games in the ECAC last weekend.
Friday night: RPI beat Colgate 5-3, Cornell beat Union 6-1, Harvard beat Princeton 4-3 in overtime, and Quinnipiac beat Dartmouth 3-0.
Saturday night: Colgate beat Union 2-1, Cornell beat RPI 6-4, Quinnipiac beat Harvard 4-1, and Princeton beat Dartmouth 4-2.
Clarkson tied Holy Cross 1-1 on Friday night.
St. Lawrence and Niagara split a non-conference series, with each team winning 4-3. St. Lawrence won in overtime on Friday night.
Quinnipiac has a 14-point lead over Cornell in the ECAC standings and is unbeaten in their last 16 games.

Atlantic Hockey Roundup

In the only conference series of the weekend, RIT swept Bentley 3-0 and 3-1. RIT now has a five point lead over Sacred Heart in the Atlantic Hockey standings.
Air Force dropped two games at the Desert Hockey Classic; 5-1 loss to Boston University, 2-0 loss to Arizona State.
Mercyhurst lost to the U.S. Under-18 team 6-1 in an exhibition game on Friday.
Canisius and Holy Cross did not play.