ECH Weekend (+Midweek) Review: March 8-10
written By Alex Berger - March 14, 2024:We are officially in the middle of playoff hockey, as the final two regular seasons of the year (Hockey East and the NCHC), wrapped up this past weekend. Although both conference championships were awarded to Boston College and North Dakota, respectively, there was still plenty of high-stakes games; including three great series with teams fighting for seeding in the national tournament.
The most drama for teams already in playoff mode was in Atlantic Hockey. Two teams went on the road and advanced out of the quarterfinal round, while two teams clinches their series with an overtime game-winning goal. Jack Seymour was the hero for Holy Cross, finishing a great backdoor feed from Liam McLinskey to give the Crusaders the win early in double overtime. Holy Cross will now move on to host AIC in the best-of-three semifinals, while #1 seed RIT plays #7 Niagara.
Meanwhile in the ECAC we'll have a rivalry matchup in the quarterfinals. #2 Cornell will host #8 Harvard, looking for revenge after losing to the Crimson in their lone home game of the year. Elsewhere in the conference, #12 Rensselaer upset Clarkson on the road 3-2, and will now move on to play against Quinnipiac.
Hopefully you used DraftKings to bet the under in the middle of the week, as both New Hampshire and Northeastern posted shutouts in the Hockey East first round. Those two, along with Connecticut, secured Wednesday night wins to advance to the quarterfinal round. You can find those four matchups later on in this recap.
We'll also recap two game-threes this weekend, one in both the Big Ten and CCHA, along with an updated look at each conference's postseason matchups and an updated look at the Hobey Baker/Mike Richter Award watchlists. With just over two weeks to go until the NCAA tournament, this is the best time of the year for college hockey fans.
- Ohio State Upsets #7 Wisconsin in Big Ten Quarterfinals
We'll start in the Big Ten, where Wisconsin played host to Ohio State in a 2/7 matchup in the conference playoffs. It was a matchup between two teams who just met three weeks ago, a series which saw the Buckeyes sweep the then #5 Wisconsin with 3-2 OT and 3-1 home wins.
Ohio State used that same formula in game one on the road, holding Wisconsin (35.2 shots/game this season, 5th in NCAA) to 30 or fewer shots on goal for the third-straight game while taking advantage of their own opportunities. Defenseman Brent Johnson opened the scoring for OSU, skating around a Badger and firing a shot past goalie Kyle McClellan to make it 1-0.
Minutes later, William Whitelaw pounced on a puck that bounced off the back boards, firing it into the wide-open net to tie the game at 1-1 on just their second shot of the game. However, that would be the last time the Badgers found the back of the net in game one. Logan Terness stopped the next 27 shots he faced, leading to a dramatic third period from Max Montes. The freshman forward scored his seventh goal of the season on the power play and his eighth into the empty net to lead the Buckeyes to a 3-1 win.
McClellan and the Badgers responded in game two, scoring two power play goals in a series-tying win. The senior goaltender made 37 saves, including 17 in a huge second period, for his fifth game this season with 30+ saves. The Badgers scored twice in that second period, pulling away for a 3-1 lead. OSU cut that lead to one with a goal halfway through the third, but Cruz Lucius scored an empty-net goal to ice the 4-2 win and set up a decisive game three on Sunday night.
And just like Friday night, Ohio State absolutely shut down Wisconsin. The Badgers didn't get on the board until the last minute of the third period, and even then it was a funky play (a Sawyer Scholl shot hit off of the back wall, deflected back over the net, and hit the back of Terness). The OSU goaltender played an outstanding game, making 29 saves, while sophomore forward Davis Burnside scored twice -- once to open the scoring and an empty-net goal to end it -- as Ohio State dominated for a 3-1 win.
The Buckeyes, who went just 4-18-2 in the regular season, are getting hot at the right time. They've gone 5-4-0 in their last nine games. In that stretch they've allowed just 23 goals, 2.56/game, compared to their season mark of 3.4/game (T-53rd in NCAA). They'll now move on to play Michigan State in a one-game semifinal, a team they just beat on the road two weeks ago.
Via: @ohiostateMHKY on Twitter
After being in a great position for a one seed, Wisconsin has fallen all the way down to #9 in the Pairwise after this weekend's pair of losses, and will now have a two-week hiatus before they find out where they'll play in the NCAA tournament. The Badgers are guaranteed a spot, but it's unclear if they'll be a two or a three seed.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Minnesota swept Penn State thanks to a career high 46 saves from Justen Close and a late series-winning goal from Aaron Huglen on Saturday night. Michigan also took care of business at home, ending Notre Dame's season with a pair of one-goal wins. Wolverines' defenseman Seamus Casey posted four assists in the 5-4 win on Friday night (including two primaries on the final two goals), and is now has 43 points on the season; tied with Denver's Zeev Buium and Boston University's Lane Huston for the most among D-men in the NCAA.
- Lake Superior Wins Series With Last-Second Goal Against St. Thomas
It was another 2/7 matchup in the only other game three this past weekend, as St. Thomas took on Lake Superior in the CCHA quarterfinals. In just their third season in program history, the Tommies were looking for their first-ever appearance in the conference semifinals. The Lakers were also looking to end a postseason drought, seeking their first CCHA quarterfinal series win since realignment (Lake Superior State won the WCHA playoffs in 2021, their first NCAA tournament appearance in 25 years).
The Lakers controlled play on the road in game one, limiting the Tommies to just three shots on goal in the first period. Unfortunately for Lake Superior State, St. Thomas scored on one of those three shots, tying the game at 1-1 on a scramble in front of the net with just five seconds left on the clock.
LSSU kept up the momentum, getting the eventual game-winning goal from "friend of the pod" Jared Westcott. The senior forward scored a highlight reel tally, getting past a defenseman with a great stickhandle and finishing in close on Aaron Trotter. The Lakers would ice the game with a pair of goals late in the third period, including one into an empty net, to pull away for a 4-1 win.
St. Thomas responded and posted their first postseason win in program history on Saturday night, forcing a game three with a pretty controlling 4-2 win. The Tommies chased goaltender Ethan Langenegger after the second period, scoring their four goals on 28 shots (he stopped 21 of 22 on Friday night). Trailing by three late, LSSU made it interesting with an extra-attacker goal with seven minutes left. Despite over five minutes of 6-on-5 play, the Lakers could not find another goal.
But just like the other three-game series of the weekend, the #7 team posted an upset. Lake Superior, for the most part, kept St. Thomas' offense in check during the elimination game. They gave up two power play goals in the game, and lost Westcott to a boarding penalty and game misconduct early in the second period. But the Lakers would score shorthanded goal on that five-minute kill, eventually tying the game halfway through the third period 2-2.
Then with just seconds left on the clock, the Lakers had one last rush to try and keep the game from heading to overtime. A late-developing 3-on-2 made the St. Thomas defense collapse, and an extra pass got the puck onto to the stick of Luke Levandowski. He fired a shot on net which Trotter just got a piece of, sending it straight into the air. Seemingly, LSSU's Dawson Tritt was the only one who saw it as he watched it fall right back down into the crease, pushing it into the net for the dramatic game-winning goal with just six seconds remaining.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, the future is bright for St. Thomas. They improved from 3-32-1 to 15-19-2 in just two seasons and will enter next season eligible for the NCAA tournament for the first time. Enrico Blasi is leading this program in the right direction heading into another season where the CCHA is wide open and growing.
In the other three quarterfinals, #1 seed in the conference, Bemidji State, survived a bit of a scare on Friday night as they needed an empty-net goal and overtime to beat Ferris State 5-4 (they won 4-0 on Saturday for the sweep). Michigan Tech and Minnesota State also advanced with sweeps. The Huskies won a wild game against Bowling Green on Saturday, scoring the game-winning goal with just over a minute left in the third for a 6-5 win.
- #5 Denver, #9 Colorado College Split Top-10 Matchup
In the biggest non-postseason storyline of the weekend, one of the best matchups in college hockey added another chapter to the most-played rivalry in the country. Denver and Colorado College met for a home-and-home series to fight for seeding in the NCHC; and with a pair of St. Cloud losses to Minnesota-Duluth, 2nd place in the conference was up for grabs by Saturday night. This was also the first time since 2012 that the two teams met for a top-10 matchup, seemingly on a collision course as Denver swept CC in a home-and-home back in early November.
Since then, the Tigers have been one of the hottest teams in college hockey, going 15-7-3 with wins over now top-20 teams #3 North Dakota, #8 Minnesota, #14 Western Michigan, and #17 St. Cloud. After getting "swept" in Omaha last weekend, Colorado College came out firing on all cylinders in front of a packed home crowd. After giving up a goal to Jack Devine just 16 seconds into the game the Tigers dominated play, jumping out to a 4-1 lead by the middle of the second period. The biggest moment of the game came in the second period with CC on the power play. Sophomore Noah Laba battled for a clear in his own zone, won the puck in the neutral zone, and broke in on a breakaway. The sophomore made two great backhand moves to freeze Matt Davis and roof the puck, scoring his second of the night and 19th of the season.
Colorado College held a three-goal lead until late in the third period, but things got interesting on "NCHC After Dark." Rieger Lorenz snuck behind the defense and finished a great feed to cut the lead to 4-2 with just over six minutes left. Then with the net empty, Denver would cut the lead to one after Zeev Buium and Tristan Broz paired up on a great feed and one-time blast. With over 90 seconds left the Pioneers got a few more chances to tie the game, but goaltender Kaidan Mbereko and CC held on for a 4-3 win.
The teams drove an hour north for game two on Saturday night, a great back-and-forth to finish the series in front of 7,000+ at Magness Arena. After their big win Colorado College kept the momentum up early, scoring their second shorthanded goal of the weekend. This time it was Drew Montgomery taking it himself on a 2-on-1 with Noah Laba. Without many of their top players (more on that later), Denver struggled on the power play this weekend, going 0-for-7 and giving up two goals against.
Despite outshooting CC 13-6 in the first period, it was a broken play that got Denver back in the game. Late in the first, Jack Millar attempted to pass the puck across to his defensive partner when his stick shattered, putting it right out in front for Sam Harris. Then early in the second period the Pioneers once again capitalized on a turnover, as Rieger Lorenz scored his second of the weekend on a beautiful backhanded goal above the shoulder of Mbereko. That kicked off a wild 20 minutes which saw four total goals, a disallowed power play goal by Denver for offsides, and the Tigers capitalizing on a turnover of their own to tie the game at 3-3 with just 19 seconds left in the period.
With second place on the line Denver dominated the third, once again heavily outshooting CC (shots were DU 38 - CC 25 in the game). Sophomore Jared Wright eventually broke the deadlock, burying a loose puck behind Mbereko that rang off the post from a Lorenz shot. Trying to tie the game late, a pair of Colorado College penalties broke up their momentum with the net empty, and Denver held on for a 4-3 win and series split.
The win was not only important for NCHC seeding purposes (the Pioneers will host Minnesota-Duluth instead of #14 Western Michigan) it is also a big win for Denver's confidence. Without two of their top forwards, Massimo Rizzo (44 points) and Carter King (34 points), they rallied for a big win over a top-ten opponent. Rizzo has been out with an upper-body injury for over a month now, and it's not yet clear if he will return to the lineup for the quarterfinals. With Denver guaranteed to make the NCAAs, it would not be surprising for Denver to be cautious with their star sophomore.
- Omaha Sweeps #3 North Dakota For First Time, Jumps To #12 in Pairwise
Meantime, another top series in the NCHC was going down in Nebraska. After a dominant sweep over now #14 Western Michigan at home which ended with a regular season championship, North Dakota seemingly took a step back this past weekend on the road against Omaha. The Mavericks, #16 in the Pairwise heading into the series, needed a big weekend against a top-five team to stay in the hunt for an NCAA tournament appearance. They were also playing for an outside chance at home-ice in the NCHC quarterfinals, a dream that fell short after Colorado College beat Denver on Friday night.
But heading into that first game, you could tell that Omaha had much more to play for than UND. After heading into the first intermission tied at 1-1, the Mavericks pulled away with two goals from Tanner Ludtke and Victor Mancini in under 90 seconds midway through the second period. North Dakota would control play after that, scoring a funky goal to cut the lead to one, but couldn't find the equalizer.
A big part of that was the play of sophomore goaltender Simon Latkoczy, who made 33 saves (including 25 in the final 40 minutes) and helped UNO go 3-for-4 on the penalty kill to lead Omaha to a 3-2 win. Latkoczy was not named a finalist for this year's Mike Richter award, but has been putting up great stats in his second season between the pipes (16-9-3, 2.71 GAA, .907 SV%). Sadly for the Mavericks, he would miss Saturday night's game with an illness, meaning graduate senior Seth Eisele would have to fill in against the Fighting Hawks.
For the second-straight night North Dakota peppered the Mavericks, putting up 39 shots on goal while giving up 25, but Eisele put together a great performance in net. He stopped 38 of those -- the only goal he gave up was on a 5-on-3 power play -- and the Mavericks controlled the pace of play for a 4-1 win. UNO dominated in the faceoff circle (30-21) and limited NoDak's 5-on-5 five offense all game, leading to the program's first-ever sweep over the Fighting Hawks.
Via: @OmahaHKY on Twitter
Some in the North Dakota fanbase might be in panic mode, just like they were after they were swept on the road against Colorado College three weeks ago. But despite the pair of losses, NoDak is still the top seed in the NCHC playoffs, is guaranteed to make the NCAA Tournament, and is still the #3 team in the Pairwise heading into the conference tournaments. There are concerns, yes, like their struggles against good forechecking teams and their little offense this past weekend. However, NoDak still has their sights set on a run to the Frozen Four and the talent to get there.
However, the road to get their may not be through the Sioux Falls regional. With their sweep, Omaha is now up to #12 in the Pairwise, a huge jump up above the tournament bubble. Because the Mavericks are the host of that regional, if they end up as a four seed they would knock North Dakota to Maryland Heights (or out east). That's because there can't be any conference matchups in round one of the tournament. Make sure to check out this week's 'Bracketology,' where we'll dive deeper into this potential issue and how it could impact seeding across the four regionals.
Omaha is still not guaranteed to make the tournament, however, and will need to put up a win or two in next week's NCHC quarterfinal round to secure their spot. As the five seed in the NCHC, they'll head on the road to face Colorado College (#11 in the Pairwise), a great matchup between two of the hottest teams in college hockey. Another matchup, St. Cloud (#16) vs. Western Michigan (#13), also has huge tournament implications on the line. A sweep among any of those teams might guarantee a NCAA bid, while knocking the other team out.
- #10 Maine Sweeps #15 UMass, Minutemen on Tournament Bubble
Speaking of teams on the bubble, Massachusetts has been anywhere between #12-#18 in the Pairwise for what seems like the last three months. It's helped that they play in the Hockey East, a conference that currently has four teams in the tournament and two others (UMass and New Hampshire) in the hunt. This past weekend the Minutemen traveled north, taking on one of those four tournament teams in their final weekend of the regular season. Heading into the Alfond to take on #10 Maine, UMass needed at least one win to control their tournament destiny heading into postseason play.
Sophomore forward Michael Cameron got the Minutemen on the board right away in game one, winning a race to the puck and pushing a puck past goalie Albin Boija just three minutes in. But after the opening goal Boija dialed in, stopping the next 26 shots he faced. The Nadeau brothers tied the game late in the first period, as Josh fed Bradly for a one-timer on a 3-on-1 rush.
Despite five combined power play chances throughout the game, the score remained at 1-1 thanks to great performances from Boija and UMass' Michael Hrabal (27 saves). With just under five minutes remaining in the game Maine drew a penalty and finally broke the tie, as Scully Scholle shot a puck from the blue line into a mass of bodies in front of the puck. Sophomore Thomas Freel was positioned right in front of Hrabal and got a stick on the shot, getting just enough of it to sneak through for the go-ahead goal. The Black Bears held off a frantic 60 seconds from UMass, winning the first game of the series 2-1.
Maine continued the momentum on Saturday night with two power play goals in the first ten minutes. UMass got outshot nearly two-to-one in the first period but continued to battle, cutting the lead to one goal under a minute after going down 2-0. Lucas Mercuri fought off two Black Bears' defenseman in front of the net to bury a one-timer past Boija. Then in the second the Minutemen scored twice in two minutes, including a power play goal from Cole O'Hara, to take their first lead of the night.
The highlight of the weekend came on a huge game-tying goal. In the middle of a 3-on-3 rush, Nolan Renwick skated into all three UMass defenseman and dropped a no-look, through-the-legs pass for Bradly Nadeau into space. Bradly found his brother Josh, for a one-time goal.
Heading into the third period tied at 3-3, Boija put together his best period of the weekend. The Swedish freshman stopped all 16 shots he faced, keeping his team in the game. Maine eventually found the game-winner on one of their few grade-A chances of the third, as captain Lynden Breen intercepted a pass in the defensive zone, skated to space, and whizzed a shot past Hrabal with 77 seconds to play. The unassisted goal was his 100th career point and the final tally, as Breen led his team to a 4-3 win on senior night.
Although they haven't been the most consistent team, Maine has gotten solid wins when they've mattered. They're currently #8 in the Pairwise, boosted by a win and tie against Boston College back in mid-November. Their sweep over UMass has all but solidified them as a lock for the NCAA tournament, and they'll now battle with Wisconsin, Quinnipiac, and Michigan for the final two seeds.
On the other hand, Massachusetts plummeted down the Pairwise with the losses, dropping from #10 on Friday morning to #15 by Saturday night. Right now they'd be the first team out, and likely need to win at least two games in the Hockey East postseason tournament to guarantee their spot back in the NCAAs.
They'll begin this weekend on the road against Providence (#14 in the Pairwise), a single-elimination game in the HE quarterfinal round. If they win, they'd likely head on the road to face one of #1 BC, #2 BU, or a rematch with Maine at the TD Garden for the semifinal round.
- NCHC Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. North Dakota (49 Points): Swept by Omaha on the road with 3-2, 4-1 losses
2. Denver (45 Points): Split with Colorado College with 4-3 loss on the road, 4-3 win at home
T-3. Colorado College (41 Points): Split with Denver with 4-3 win at home, 4-3 loss on the road
T-3. St. Cloud State (41 Points): Swept by Minnesota-Duluth on the road with 6-5 OT, 4-2 losses
5. Omaha (40 Points): Swept North Dakota at home with 3-2, 4-1 wins
6. Western Michigan (37 Points): Swept Miami at home with 3-2, 6-1 wins
7. Minnesota-Duluth (28 Points): Swept St. Cloud State at home with 6-5 OT, 4-2 wins
8. Miami (7 Points): Swept by Western Michigan on the road with 3-2, 6-1 losses
- - - - -
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 North Dakota hosts #8 Miami
#2 Denver hosts #7 Minnesota-Duluth
#3 St. Cloud hosts #6 Western Michigan
#4 Colorado College hosts #5 Omaha
- Big Ten Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Michigan State (52 Points)
2. Wisconsin (50 Points)
3. Minnesota (41 Points)
4. Michigan (36 Points)
5. Notre Dame (31 Points)
6. Penn State (27 Points)
7. Ohio State (15 Points)
- - - - -
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#7 Ohio State beat #2 Wisconsin on the road with 3-1 win, 4-2 loss, 3-1 win
#3 Minnesota swept #6 Penn State at home with 5-1, 3-2 wins
#4 Michigan swept #5 Notre Dame at home with 5-4, 4-3 wins
- Semifinals (Single Elimination)
#1 Michigan State hosts #7 Ohio State
#3 Minnesota hosts #4 Michigan
- CCHA Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Bemidji State (48 Points)
T-2. Michigan Tech (39 Points)
T-2. St. Thomas (39 Points)
4. Minnesota State (38 Points)
5. Northern Michigan (36 Points)
6. Bowling Green (35 Points)
7. Lake Superior (34 Points)
8. Ferris State (19 Points)
- - - - -
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 Bemidji State swept #8 Ferris State at home with 5-4 OT, 4-0 wins
#7 Lake Superior beat #2 St. Thomas on the road with 4-1 win, 4-2 loss, 3-2 win
#3 Michigan Tech swept #6 Bowling Green at home with 5-0, 6-5 wins
#4 Minnesota State swept #5 Northern Michigan at home with 2-1, 6-1 wins
- Semifinals (Single Elimination)
#1 Bemidji State hosts #7 Lake Superior
#3 Michigan Tech hosts #4 Minnesota State
- Hockey East Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Boston College (61 Points): Beat Merrimack on the road 6-4
2. Boston University (57 Points): Beat Providence on the road 4-2, beat Vermont at home 6-1
3. Maine (44 Points): Swept Massachusetts at home with 2-1, 4-3 wins
4. Providence (38 Points): Lost to Boston University at home 4-2, "beat" Northeastern at home 4-3 SO
T-5. Massachusetts (36 Points): Swept by Maine on the road with 2-1, 4-3 losses
T-5. New Hampshire (36 Points): Swept UMass-Lowell with 4-0 win on the road, 4-0 win at home
7. Northeastern (30 Points): "Lost to" Providence on the road 4-3 SO
8. Connecticut (29 Points): Beat Vermont at home 5-1
9. Vermont (26 Points): Lost to Connecticut on the road 5-1, lost to Boston University on the road 6-1
10. Merrimack (21 Points): Lost to Boston College at home 6-4
11. UMass-Lowell (18 Points): Swept by New Hampshire with 4-0 loss at home, 4-0 loss on the road
- - - - -
- First Round (Single Elimination)
#6 New Hampshire beat #11 UMass-Lowell at home 1-0
#7 Northeastern beat #10 Merrimack at home 4-0
#8 Connecticut beat #9 Vermont at home 4-1
- Quarterfinals (Single Elimination)
#1 Boston College hosts #8 Connecticut
#2 Boston University hosts #7 Northeastern
#3 Maine hosts #6 New Hampshire
#4 Providence hosts #5 Massachusetts
- ECAC Final Standings / Postseason Bracket
1. Quinnipiac (54 Points)
2. Cornell (44 Points)
3. Colgate (43 Points)
4. Dartmouth (37 Points)
5. Clarkson (36 Points)
6. Union (32 Points)
7. St. Lawrence (29 Points)
8. Harvard (28 Points)
T-9. Princeton (25 Points)
T-9. Yale (25 Points)
11. Brown (22 Points)
12. Rensselaer (21 Points)
- - - - -
- First Round (Single Elimination)
#12 Rensselaer beat #5 Clarkson on the road 3-2
#6 Union beat #11 Brown at home 6-0
#7 St. Lawrence beat #10 Yale at home 4-2
#8 Harvard beat #9 Princeton at home 1-0
- Quarterfinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 Quinnipiac hosts #12 Rensselaer
#2 Cornell hosts #8 Harvard
#3 Colgate hosts #7 St. Lawrence
#4 Dartmouth hosts #6 Union
- 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. Bentley (41 Points)
T-6. Niagara (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 swept #11 Robert Morris at home with 7-0, 5-1 wins
#2 Holy Cross swept #8 Canisius at home with 4-3, 2-1 2OT wins
#7 Niagara swept #3 Sacred Heart on the road with 6-3, 5-1 wins
#5 American International swept #4 Air Force on the road with 3-1, 3-2 OT wins
- Semifinals (Best-of-Three Series)
#1 RIT hosts #7 Niagara
#2 Holy Cross hosts #5 American International
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: Swept Stonehill at home with 9-1, 4-1 wins
Alaska-Anchorage: Split with Arizona State at home with 4-3 win, 5-2 loss
Arizona State: Split with Alaska-Anchorage on the road with 4-3 loss, 5-2 win
Augustana: Lost to U.S. Under-18 team at home 3-0 (Exhibition)
Lindenwood: No games scheduled
Long Island: No games scheduled
Stonehill: Swept by Alaska on the road with 9-1, 4-1 losses
- Hobey Baker Award Watchlist
1. Cutter Gauthier, So. Forward, Boston College; 32 goals (1st in NCAA), 20 assists, 52 points (T-3rd), 1.53 points/game (7th), 9 GWG (1st)
2. Macklin Celebrini, Fr. Forward, Boston University; 29 goals (2nd), 25 assists (T-24th), 54 points (2nd), 1.69 points/game (1st)
3. Will Smith, Fr. Forward, Boston College; 18 goals (T-24th), 39 assists (1st), 57 points (1st), 1.68 points/game (2nd)
4. Jackson Blake, So. Forward, North Dakota; 19 goals (T-19th), 33 assists (8th), 52 points (T-3rd), 1.44 points/game (8th), 5 GWG (T-7th)
5. Jack Devine, Jr. Forward, Denver; 25 goals (T-3rd), 26 assists (T-20th), 51 points (5th), 1.42 points/game (10th)
Honorable Mentions: Collin Graf, (Quinnipiac), Gabe Perreault (Boston College), Rutger McGroarty (Michigan), Gavin Brindley (Michigan), and Lane Hutson (Boston University)
- Mike Richter Award Watchlist (Stats Per Qualified Goaltenders in NCAA)
1. Kyle McClellan, Sr., Wisconsin; 24-11-1 record (2nd in NCAA in wins), 1.92 GAA (2nd), 7 shutouts (1st), and .931 SV% (T-1st), 924 saves (9th)
2. Ian Shane, Jr., Cornell; 17-4-6 (13th wins, T-2nd fewest losses in NCAA), 1.66 GAA (1st), 3 shutouts (T-8th), and .921 SV% (10th)
3. Justen Close, Gr., Minnesota; 21-8-5 (T-5th), 2.33 GAA (17th), 4 shutouts (T-3rd), .923 SV% (T-7th), and 957 saves (5th)
4. Jacob Fowler, Fr., Boston College; 26-5-1 (1st), 2.17 GAA (8th), 2 shutouts (T-20th), and .924 SV% (T-5th)
5. Trey Augustine, Fr. Michigan State; 20-8-2 (T-7th), 2.92 GAA (55th), 3 shutouts (T-8th), .917 SV% (T-15th), and 979 saves (3rd)
Honorable Mentions: Kaidan Mbereko (Colorado College), Ryan Bischel (Notre Dame), Tommy Scarfone (RIT), Vinny Duplessis (Quinnipiac), and Jake Sibell (St. Thomas)
