ECH Weekend Review: march 1-3
written By Alex Berger - March 7, 2024:After we had two trophies presented last week, four more banners are set to be raised! Michigan State (Big Ten), Bemidji State (CCHA), Boston College (Hockey East), and North Dakota (NCHC) all got the chance to celebrate on the ice, with three of those teams doing so with sweeps.
The dramatics were limited this season, with only half of the six regular-season championships coming down to the last weekend of the regular season. But for the two trophies that did come down to the wire, you couldn't write a better script. In the Big Ten we had Wisconsin welcoming in Michigan State, while in the CCHA Bemidji State played host to Minnesota State, both matchups featuring the top teams in their respective conferences. The scenarios varied in the two series', but the message was the same. Win two games, win a trophy.
- #5 Michigan State Wins First-Ever Big Ten Regular Season Title
Starting in Madison, where the most anticipated series of the weekend was played between the #7 Badgers and the #5 Spartans. These two teams met back in November, with Michigan State cementing themselves as a top team in the country with a sweep over the then top team in our rankings. Since then, Wisconsin has lost just five games and has been swept just once (last weekend on the road at Ohio State). This time around Wisconsin hosted MSU, trailing by four points for first place in the Big Ten.
The Badgers dominated early, opening the scoring just 47 seconds in on a shot from the point from junior defenseman Daniel Laatsch. But 13,000 people were silenced just minutes later. On just their second shot of the game, Michigan State's Artyom Levshuunov fired a puck on the rush right at Kyle McClellan. The Wisconsin goalie put his glove up and just whiffed, giving up the game-tying goal. Later in the period the Spartans capitalized on yet another weird play. After two Wisconsin defenseman collided at center ice, Reed Lebster and Jeremy Davidson raced the other way on a 2-on-1. Lebster fed Davidson, who fired a one-timer past McClellan for their second goal.
After peppering Trey Augustine with 15 more shots in the second (they had 19 in the first period alone), Wisconsin finally found the equalizer while on a major power play. The goal came from another far shot, as Mathiue De St. Phalle deflected a shot from Ben Dexheimer past Augustine to make it 2-2. But despite getting outshot 41-20 late in the third period, Michigan State regained the lead. A mistimed changed allowed Reed Lebster to cut into the offensive zone and drive the puck to the net. Fighting through three defenseman and McClellan, Lebster pushed the puck in for the late go-ahead goal. Two empty-net goals from Jeremy Davidson and Tiernan Shoudy sealed the 5-2 win for Michigan State, a game that played much closer than the final score indicates.
Via: MSU_Hockey on Twitter
The win marked Michigan State's first ever Big Ten regular-season title and their first since 2001 in the old CCHA. That also means that their rivals, Michigan, are now the only team in conference without such a trophy (however, the Wolverines have won the postseason tournament three times). Our own James Murray predicted the Spartans' rise to the top in the conference, the only one of our eight ECH "experts" to predict their regular-season title.
Despite having nothing to play for from a conference perspective, game two was still important for Wisconsin. The Badgers once again dominated, outshooting MSU 40-29 and outdrawing them 38-28, while Sawyer Scholl and Carson Bantle each scored two goals in a 4-1 win. McClellan also responded like the Mike Richter candidate he is, making 28 saves and giving up his only goal of the game on a 5-on-3 penalty kill.
The response was big for Wisconsin in the Pairwise. Even though they still trail Michigan State, it's just by .0028 in the RPI. One bad loss by either team, or a win in a potential matchup in the Big Ten playoffs, would likely be enough to cement themselves above the other before the NCAAs. That would even mean the difference between a 1 or 2 seed, as it's not out of the possibility for either program to catch Denver (the current #4 ranked team).
- #3 North Dakota Sweeps #12 Western Michigan, Wins Penrose Cup
Another top-five team was fighting towards a regular-season title last weekend. North Dakota, up by three points over St. Cloud State with four games to play, welcomed in Western Michigan for a showdown between two teams in the top 12 of the ECH Rankings. Surprisingly, this was the first time these two teams have met this season, in the second-to-last weekend of conference play.
Despite getting outplayed early in game one, North Dakota took a 2-1 lead after the first 20 minutes thanks to a breakaway goal from sophomore Owen McLaughlin and a rebound tally from Jackson Kunz. Western Michigan continued the pressure in the second, but couldn't get much past goaltender Ludvig Persson. In fact their only goal came off of a blocked shot, finding it's way right onto the stick of Samuel Sjolund with a wide-open net in front of him.
Persson made 34 saves in the game (25 in the first 40 minutes) and helped the Fighting Hawks race out to a 4-1 lead. That was enough to survive a furious Broncos rally in the third period, when they scored back-to-back goals in 93 seconds to cut the lead to one. WMU pulled the goalie with just under three minutes to go in the game, and Cameron Berg made them pay. The graduate junior blocked a pass at center ice and fired it from 100 feet into the empty net for the game-clinching goal in a 5-3 win.
With a Denver win on the road in St. Cloud, the numbers were easy for North Dakota on senior night. Win the game in regulation and win the regular-season title. You could tell there was something big brewing from before the drop of the puck, and once again UND struck early. This time it was Louis Jamernik V on the breakaway, beating Western goaltender Cameron Rowe with a backhand move just four minutes into game two.
Despite once again heavily outshooting the Fighting Hawks, WMU struggled to score on Persson. Part of that was the play in front of the Miami transfer, as the Fighting Hawks blocked 26 shots both nights (led by forward Dylan James with eight on the weekend) and went 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. With the game 1-0 early in the third period, sophomore Jackson Blake had his "Hobey Blaker" moment, skating past a WMU defenseman with a great stick move and driving to the net to score a highlight-reel goal. Later in the period McLaughlin would score his second of the weekend and say goodbye to the Broncos, as NoDak battled towards a 3-0 win.
Persson, who made 69 saves on the weekend, shined on his senior night with a 35-save shutout. That's his fifth of the season (2nd in the NCAA) and second in the last two weekends. Although he was not named a Mike Richter Award finalist he has played very consistently for North Dakota for most of the season. He'll be a key piece for a North Dakota team with NCAA title hopes.
Via: undmhockey on Instagram
With the win UND won their sixth Penrose Cup and fourth in the last five years (they tied with Denver for the honor in 2022). Remarkably, in the 12 seasons of the NCHC, only three teams have won the regular-season championship: North Dakota [6], Denver [3], and St. Cloud State [3]. However, the Fighting Hawks have struggled in the conference postseason tournament, winning only one title in those 12 years (and none with the Frozen Faceoff in Minneapolis/St. Paul).
As for Western Michigan, the sweep left them on the edge of not only the NCHC standings but in the Pairwise as well. They currently rank 6th in the NCHC, trailing fifth-place Omaha by three points with one weekend to go in the regular season. They'll have to play on the road in the first round of the conference tournament, likely heading to Denver, St. Cloud, or Colorado College. At #15 in the Pairwise they'd be the first team out if the season ended today. They'll need to string some wins together over the next two weeks to stay in the tournament conversation.
- #1 Boston College Claims Lamoriello Trophy With Sunday Win Over #18 UNH
Similar to NoDak, Boston College had a chance to win their regular-season title on home ice during the second-to-last weekend of the season. A difference, however, between the Fighting Hawks and the Eagles is that BC would not need any outside help. Two regulation wins and the trophy would be there's, a tough task against an underrated New Hampshire team fighting on the Pairwise bubble.
Despite getting outshot 23-10 through the first two periods on the road, Boston College kept the game tied until late in the game. Getting their first power play chance with just over three minutes to play, the Eagles made UNH pay. Ryan Leonard got a great feed through the seam from Cutter Gauthier and beat the goalie on the blocker side for the eventual game-winning goal. Transfer forward Jamie Armstrong would score an empty-netter for his third goal of the season to ice the game for a 5-3 road win.
After scoring twice in the win, Gauthier has now scored 31 goals in 33 games, five more than anyone else in college hockey (BU's Macklin Celebrini has 26 in 30 GP). With a 0.94 goals/game pace -- and assuming the Boston College is on track to play anywhere between three and eight games remaining this season (factoring in their final regular season game, Hockey East playoffs, and the NCAA Tournament) -- Gauthier is on pace for around 34 to 39 goals this year. If the latter hits, that would be the most in a single-season since Eagles' legend Johnny Gaudreau's 36-goal, 80-point Hobey Baker winning season.
Game two was a different story, as the Eagles' top scorers were kept off the board for the first time since November. Will Smith, Gabe Perreault, and Gauthier all had their multi-game point streaks snapped as UNH held one of the nation's top-scoring teams to just one goal.
But the one goal was all Boston College would need, as they held on for a 1-0 shutout on senior day. It was the senior captain who provided the dramatic winner. Eamon Powell collected a puck off a great feed from Ryan Leonard, skated in with a defender on his back, and buried a rebound past New Hampshire's Jakob Hellsten for the game-winning goal. Backstopped by a Jacob Fowler shutout, Boston College held on for a sweep and title-clinching win.
Game two of the series was one of Fowler's best performances in his young career. The 27-save shutout was his second as a freshman, and he made key save after key save against Hellsten in a true goaltender battle. Fowler and Boston College went 4-for-4 on the penalty kill in the win, raising their season rate to 90.1% (1st in the NCAA). For as much attention as the Eagles' offense gets, their goaltending and special-teams defense deserves just as much credit.
The sweep not only made it 12-straight conference wins for Boston College, but it also won them their 18th Lamoriello Trophy (and first since 2021). Their second half of the season has set them up as the clear top team in the country heading into the postseason, and the are well on their way to being the #1 team in the Pairwise for the NCAA Tournament.
On the other side of the spectrum, the weekend was a tough one for UNH, who had a real chance on two-straight tough games against the #1 team in the country. The pair of losses has them down at #18 in the Pairwise, and they would have to jump four teams for a legit shot at an at-large bid. It's likely that they'll have to win the Hockey East tournament to make their first NCAA tourney since 2013.
- Bemidji State Wins MacNaughton Cup With Sweep Over Minnesota State
Like Michigan State vs. Wisconsin, there was another series this past weekend with the top two teams in the conference battling it out for the regular-season championship. That took place in northern Minnesota, where the Bemidji State Beavers welcomed in Minnesota State for a series with the MacNaughton Cup on the line. With a four-point lead in the standings, BSU needed just one win to claim the trophy and end the Mavericks' dynasty over the last decade in the team's conferences.
After a back-and-forth opening period which saw 22 combined shots on goal, Jackson Jutting got the party started for Bemidji State in the second. The senior forward scored the first two goals of the game and the Beavers didn't look back, cruising to a 6-0 title-clinching win in front of their home fans. BSU seemingly won every battle in front of the net, with three goals scored on scrambles with Minnesota State goaltender Alex Tracy.
Via: @brentcizekphoto on Twitter
With the blowout win Bemidji State captured their first regular-season title since 2017 and first in the reestablished CCHA. BSU exploded late in the season to rise up the standings, going 7-0-1 in their last eight games (including a shootout win) for 21/24 points in the last four series of conference play.
That seventh win came in game two, when for the second-straight night the Beavers got a shutout from their netminder. This time it was Gavin Enright on his senior night, who made 22 saves for his second shutout of the season. Both teams had their chance (47 combined shots, seven combined power plays) only two goals were scored in the game. Bemidji State defenseman Mitch Wolfe scored his first career tally in the second period, and Kasper Magnussen scored with the net empty for an eventual 2-0 win for BSU.
Despite falling just short of yet another regular-season title, no one can discredit Minnesota State for putting together a great season. After losing head coach Mike Hastings and plenty of talent to the transfer portal you knew it would be a down year -- they were picked to finish 6th in the CCHA preseason poll -- and yet they still found a way to be right in the mix at the end of the season. Trust the process with first-year head coach Luke Strand.
The CCHA playoffs begin next season, and it will be a dogfight between the eight teams for the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. Bemidji State is likely the favorite, but with how close the eight teams are, each school has to feel like they have a chance to make a playoff run. Remember, St. Thomas is still ineligible for the NCAA's, and if they win, would not make the tournament. If the Tommies win their first postseason title it would be chaos in the CCHA, with the second-place team likely to get the automatic bid.
- #8 Minnesota, #14 Michigan Split Wild Series At Mariucci
The biggest non-regular-season title storyline of last weekend featured one of the most exciting games of the entire season. Minnesota and Michigan met to not only decide who would be the #3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, but also fighting for some crucial Pairwise points on the line. The Gophers are battling with Quinnipiac and Maine for a two-seed, while the Wolverines are right on the edge of the Pairwise bubble along with Western Michigan, St. Cloud State, Cornell, etc.
While the matter of who would be the higher seed in the postseason tournament was in doubt early in game one, Jaxon Nelson and the Gophers would not let it be up in the air on Saturday night. The graduate senior scored a hat trick to lead Minnesota to a 6-2 win, locking up third place in the conference. The Gophers went 3-for-3 on the power play in the second period alone, getting two tallies from freshman Oliver Moore. Wolverines' goaltender Jake Barczewski was pulled in the second intermission after giving up five goals on 18 shots, and given a night off in game two of the series.
The goalie issues were contagious on Saturday, as Michigan scored three goals in the first period, chasing Justen Close after just 20 minutes (he made a bad turnover late in the first period, leading to his third goal against). In a "must-win game" the Wolverines came out flying, passing and skating circles around the Gophers while outshooting them 15-5.
The 3-0 score would hold through the first 40 minutes, setting up for one of the wildest periods of the entire season. Jaxon Nelson scored twice, including a goal 30 seconds in, for his fourth and fifth tallies of the series. The Gophers fought all the way back, tying the game at 4-4 with just under six minutes to play in the game. But star sophomore Rutger McGroarty stopped all the momentum with a rebound goal with 3:24 to play, silencing the crowd and regaining the lead for the Wolverines.
The back-and-forth action would continue. With time winding down and the Gophers' net empty, Michigan lost track of Luke Mittlestadt. Nelson fed the puck out in front for the defenseman, who tapped it past Noah West for the game-tying goal. But a Minnesota penalty late in the third period would set the Wolverines up in 4-on-3 advantage in overtime. Seamus Casey would be the hero, firing a one-timer from Gavin Brindley on low left circle for the game-winning goal.
It was a great win for Michigan, not only to fight off a furious Minnesota comeback but to keep them alive in their race for an at-large tournament bid. They currently rank #13 in the Pairwise, .0048 ahead of St. Cloud's RPI for the "last" spot in the NCAA's. Granted, that will change if there are any conference tournament upsets, and #13 or even #12 may be the cut line this year.
Before selection Sunday, however, both Michigan and Minnesota have at least one weekend of games in the Big Ten Playoffs. Both teams will host their first series, with the former playing Notre Dame and the latter playing Penn State. Although anything can happen in the postseason, the path is there for a rivalry semifinal round. A Wolverines' series win would set up a potential matchups of Michigan State/Michigan and Wisconsin/Minnesota, some must-watch single-elimination games.
- NCHC Standings
1. North Dakota (49 Points): Swept Western Michigan at home with 5-3, 3-0 wins
2. Denver (42 Points): Swept St. Cloud State on the road with 6-2, 7-2 wins
3. St. Cloud State (40 Points): Swept by Denver at home with 6-2, 7-2 losses
4. Colorado College (38 Points): "Split with" Minnesota-Duluth at home with 3-2 SO loss, 4-1 win
5. Omaha (34 Points): Swept Miami on the road with 4-3, 2-1 wins
6. Western Michigan (31 Points): Swept by North Dakota on the road with 5-3, 3-0 losses
7. Minnesota-Duluth (23 Points): "Split with" Colorado College on the road with 3-2 SO win, 4-1 loss
8. Miami (7 Points): Swept by Omaha at home with 4-3, 2-1 losses
- Big Ten Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Michigan State (52 Points): Split with Wisconsin on the road with 5-2 win, 4-1 loss
2. Wisconsin (50 Points): Split with Michigan State at home with 5-2 loss, 4-1 win
3. Minnesota (41 Points): Split with Michigan at home with 6-2 win, 6-5 OT loss
4. Michigan (36 Points): Split with Minnesota on the road with 6-2 loss, 6-5 OT win
5. Notre Dame (31 Points): No games scheduled
6. Penn State (27 Points): Swept Ohio State on the road with 5-2, 2-1 wins
7. Ohio State (15 Points): Swept by Penn State at home with 5-2, 2-1 losses
- - - - -
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#2 Wisconsin hosts #7 Ohio State
#3 Minnesota hosts #6 Penn State
#4 Michigan hosts #5 Notre Dame
- Semifinals (Single Elimination)
#1 Michigan State hosts ???
??? hosts ???
- CCHA Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Bemidji State (48 Points): Swept Minnesota State at home with 6-0, 2-0 wins
T-2. St. Thomas (39 Points): Split with Michigan Tech on the road with 2-0 win, 6-0 loss
T-2. Michigan Tech (39 Points): Split with St. Thomas at home with 2-0 loss, 6-0 win
4. Minnesota State (38 Points): Swept by Bemidji State on the road with 6-0, 2-0 losses
5. Northern Michigan (36 Points): Swept Bowling Green at home with 4-1, 1-0 wins
6. Bowling Green (35 Points): Swept by Northern Michigan on the road with 4-1, 1-0 losses
7. Lake Superior (34 Points): Beat Ferris State at home 4-1
8. Ferris State (19 Points): Lost to Lake Superior on the road 4-1
- - - - -
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 Bemidji State hosts #8 Ferris State
#2 St. Thomas hosts #7 Lake Superior
#3 Michigan Tech hosts #6 Bowling Green
#4 Minnesota State hosts #5 Northern Michigan
- Hockey East Standings
1. Boston College (58 Points): Swept New Hampshire with 5-3 win on the road, 1-0 win at home
2. Boston University (51 Points): No games scheduled
3. Maine (38 Points): Split with Vermont on the road with 2-1 loss, 3-2 win
T-4. Massachusetts (36 Points): Swept UMass-Lowell with 2-1 OT win on the road, 4-3 OT win at home
T-4. Providence (36 Points): Split with Merrimack with 4-2 win at home, 2-1 loss on the road
6. New Hampshire (30 Points): Swept by Boston College with 5-3 loss at home, 1-0 loss on the road
7. Northeastern (29 Points): Split with Connecticut with 4-3 loss at home, 4-2 win on the road
T-8. Connecticut (26 Points): Split with Northeastern with 4-3 win on the road, 4-2 loss at home
T-8. Vermont (26 Points): Split with Maine at home with 2-1 win, 3-2 loss
10. Merrimack (21 Points): Split with Providence with 4-2 loss on the road, 2-1 win at home
11. UMass-Lowell (18 Points): Swept by Massachusetts with 2-1 OT loss at home, 4-3 OT loss on the road
- ECAC Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Quinnipiac (54 Points): Lost to Clarkson at home 3-2 OT, beat St. Lawrence at home 8-1
2. Cornell (44 Points): Lost to Union at home 3-2, beat Rensselaer at home 3-1
3. Colgate (43 Points): Beat Rensselaer at home 6-2, beat Union at home 4-3
4. Dartmouth (37 Points): Beat Brown at home 5-3, beat Yale at home 4-1
5. Clarkson (36 Points): Beat Quinnipiac on the road 3-2 OT, beat Princeton on the road 6-2
6. Union (32 Points): Beat Cornell on the road 3-2, lost to Colgate on the road 4-3
7. St. Lawrence (29 Points): "Beat" Princeton on the road 5-4 SO, lost to Quinnipiac on the road 8-1
8. Harvard (28 Points): Beat Yale at home 2-1 OT, "lost to" Brown at home 2-1 SO
T-9. Princeton (25 Points): "Lost to" St. Lawrence at home 5-4 SO, lost to Clarkson at home 6-2
T-9. Yale (25 Points): Lost to Harvard on the road 2-1 OT, lost to Dartmouth on the road 4-1
11. Brown (22 Points): Lost to Dartmouth on the road 5-3, "beat" Harvard on the road 2-1 SO
12. Rensselaer (21 Points): Lost to Colgate on the road 6-2, lost to Cornell on the road 3-1
- - - - -
- First Round (Single Elimination)
#5 Clarkson hosts #12 Rensselaer
#6 Union hosts #11 Brown
#7 St. Lawrence hosts #10 Yale
#8 Harvard hosts #9 Princeton
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 Quinnipiac hosts ???
#2 Cornell hosts ???
#3 Colgate hosts ???
#4 Dartmouth hosts ???
- Atlantic Hockey Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. RIT (54 Points)
2. Holy Cross (46 Points)
3. Sacred Heart (45 Points)
4. Air Force (44 Points)
5. AIC (42 Points)
T-6. Niagara (41 Points)
T-6. Bentley (41 Points)
8. Canisius (33 Points)
9. Mercyhurst (30 Points)
10. Army (28 Points)
11. Robert Morris (25 Points)
- - - - -
- First Round (Single Elimination)
#11 Robert Morris beats #6 Bentley on the road 4-3 OT
#7 Niagara beats #10 Army at home 4-1
#8 Canisius beats #9 Mercyhurst at home 5-2
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 RIT hosts #11 Robert Morris
#2 Holy Cross hosts #8 Canisius
#3 Sacred Heart hosts #7 Niagara
#4 Air Force hosts #5 American International
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: "Swept" Augustana on the road with 2-2 OT tie, 2-0 win
Alaska-Anchorage: Swept Stonehill at home with 9-3, 12-2 wins
Arizona State: Swept Long Island at home with 4-2, 4-3 wins
Augustana: "Swept by" Alaska at home with 2-2 OT tie, 2-0 loss
Lindenwood: No games scheduled
Long Island: Swept by Arizona State on the road with 4-2, 4-3 losses
Stonehill: Swept by Alaska-Anchorage on the road with 9-3, 12-2 losses
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Cutter Gauthier, So., Boston College; 31 goals (1st in NCAA), 20 assists, 51 points (2nd), 1.55 points/game (T-6th), 8 GWG (T-1st)
2. Jackson Blake, So. Forward, North Dakota; 19 goals (T-13th), 31 assists (T-6th), 50 points (T-3rd), 1.47 points/game (8th), 5 GWG (T-5th)
3. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 26 goals (2nd), 22 assists (T-42nd), 48 points (T-6th), 1.60 points/game (3rd)
4. Will Smith, Fr. Forward, Boston College; 17 goals (T-23rd), 37 assists (1st), 54 points (1st), 1.64 points/game (2nd)
5. Gabe Perreault, Fr. Forward, Boston College; 15 goals (T-33rd), 35 assists (T-2nd), 50 points (T-3rd), 1.67 points/game (1st), four GWG (T-12th)
Honorable Mentions: Collin Graf, (Quinnipiac), Ryan Leonard (Boston College), Jack Devine (Denver), Gavin Brindley (Michigan), and Zeev Buium (Denver)
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist (Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 23-9-1 record (2nd in NCAA in wins), 1.90 GAA (3rd), 7 shutouts (1st), and .932 SV% (2nd)
2. Ian Shane, Jr., Cornell; 17-4-6 (13th wins, T-2nd fewest losses in NCAA), 1.66 GAA (1st), 3 shutouts (T-5th), .921 SV% (T-10th)
3. Jacob Fowler, Fr., Boston College; 26-5-1 (1st), 2.17 GAA (T-8th), 2 shutouts (T-17th), and .924 SV% (T-5th)
4. Ryan Bischel, Gr., Notre Dame; 15-17-2 record (T-15th), 2.46 GAA (25th), 3 shutouts (T-5th), .927 SV% (4th), and 1,046 saves (1st)
5. Justen Close, Gr., Minnesota; 19-8-5 (T-7th), 2.39 GAA (19th), 4 shutouts (T-3rd), .920 SV% (T-12th), and 891 saves (7th)
Honorable Mentions: Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Kaidan Mbereko (Colorado College), Tommy Scarfone (RIT), Vinny Duplessis (Quinnipiac), and Jake Sibell (St. Thomas)
