ECH Weekend Review: November 3-5
written By Alex Berger - November 8th, 2023There was a little less chaos at the top of the ECH Rankings this past weekend, as for the first time this season the top team in the country did not loss a game with the precious #1 ranking. Despite two one-goal games Boston College hung on and swept UMass-Lowell in a home-and-home series to kick off Hockey East play.
The next top teams, #2 North Dakota and #3 Wisconsin each had top-ten matchups of their own, while #4 Denver started a weekend full of in-state rivalries from Alaska to the East Coast. As we head out of the nonconference portion of the season we're starting to get a clearer picture towards the top of the Pairwise, more so in terms of conference vs. conference records (i.e. the Big Ten has a 30-12-3 inter-conference record so far this season, including a 9-0-0 mark against the CCHA). We're still a few months away from fully looking at and relying on the Pairwise to tell the top teams apart, but it's still interesting to compare and contrast it to national polls in the early stages of the season. Regardless, lets recap another fantastic weekend of college hockey.
Photo: Via @badgermhockey on Instagram
- #3 Wisconsin Sweeps #5 Michigan At Home
Just under a month ago, the Wisconsin Badgers were coming off a tough 2-0 loss on the road to North Dakota in the Icebreaker Championship game. At the time Mike Hastings' squad was 3-1-0, with wins coming in a sweep against Augustana and an overtime road win over Bemidji State. You could tell the pieces were there, but there was no "quality win" that really put Wisconsin on the map. Since then, the Badgers have completely flipped the switch, rattling off six straight wins and three-straight sweeps against ECH preseason top-ten teams (#3 Minnesota, #4 Michigan, and #10 Michigan Tech). This past weekend was the first weekend at home for Wisconsin since the beginning of the season, and Badgers fans showed up to support one of the hottest teams in college hockey. Over the two-game series, more than 22,000 people packed into the Kohl Center for the top-five matchup against the Wolverines.
Friday night's game was a back-and-forth matchup, as the two teams traded goals throughout the first period. Wisconsin graduate senior forward Owen Lindmark scored his third goal of the season to make it 2-1, but Michigan's Gavin Brindley scored just two minutes later to tie the game at 2-2 heading into the first intermission. In the second period, the Wolverines jumped out to a lead with two goals in a span of two minutes, including Brindley's second of the night. The sophomore forward now leads college hockey in goals (9) and is tied for fourth in total points (15) through the first five weeks of the season. After going down by two goals, the Badgers special teams kicked in. A power play goal from Cruz Lucius late in the second period cut the lead to 4-3. In the third period, Simon Tassy tied the game with a power play goal of his own with just over four minutes to go in the game. Then, just 3- seconds after tying the game, the Badgers took the lead as Owen Lindmark scored his second of the night to seal the win for Wisconsin.
The special teams continued into night two of the series, as the Badgers went 2-for-6 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Both teams got chances in the first period, but Wisconsin capitalized on the second of back-to-back power plays with a goal from senior forward Carson Bantle. With 45 combined shots in the first two periods, the scoring opportunities were there, but goaltenders Jake Barczewski and Kyle McClellan were both on their games and kept it a 1-0 matchup after 40 minutes. That score didn't last for much longer, as Michigan's Garrett Schifsky scored just 76 seconds into the third period to tie the game at 1-1. The game tightened up from there, with just 15 combined shots from the two teams despite four combined power play chances. As the time was winding down in regulation, Wisconsin got two late opportunities with the man advantage. With just six seconds left in the game, Matthieu De St. Phalle buried a loose puck after a scramble in front of the net to send the Kohl Center into a frenzy and secure the weekend sweep over the #5 team in the country.
A big key to the Badgers success this season is their depth, team defense and special teams play. 12 different players tallied a point in the weekend sweep, seven of which registered multiple points. The Badgers rank third in goal against/game (1.8) thanks to some great early-season play by senior goaltender Kyle McClellan (9-1-0, 1.79 GAA, .929 SV%, two shutouts), and are top-20 in the country in both power play percentage (22%, 20th) and penalty kill (89.2%, 13th). Mike Hastings has immediately turned around this Wisconsin Badgers' program, and this year's team can beat you in many different ways. The hottest team in college hockey will get a week of rest and game-planning as they prepare for another Big Ten vs Michigan State on November 17th & 18th.
- #4 Denver Keeps Gold Pan With Sweep Over Colorado College
After a 4-1-1 stretch to open the season (which includes a road win over #1 Boston College), Denver opened up NCHC play with their biggest rivalry in a home-and-home matchup against Colorado College. The Tigers, who opened the season with five-straight wins before dropping a game to Augustana last weekend, were playing for their first Gold Pan since the 2018-'19 season and first regular-season win over Denver since New Year's Day 2021.
Because the Pioneers won the Gold Pan last season, all they needed was a season split to keep the rivalry trophy for a fifth-straight season. Denver opened the home-and-home series at Magness Arena on Friday night, but faced an uphill battle early. Freshman forward Evan Werner grabbed a loose puck near the top of the offensive zone of the rush, cut towards and slot, and fired a puck past Pioneers' goaltender Freddie Halyk to open the scoring six minutes into the first. Denver would not be denied for long, however, posting six goals on 39 total shots in the final 40 minutes to storm back to a 6-1 win. Junior forward Jack Devine posted two goals in the win, and is now tied for second in the country in goals (8) and points (16) through eight games this season.
Game two at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs was closer on the stat sheet in shots (Denver led 27-21) and faceoff wins (Colorado College led 37-29), but was just as big of a blowout as in game one. The Tigers once again scored an early goal in the first period, but it was after Denver had already taken a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers once again rattled off four-straight goals on the way to a 5-1, and Gold Pan sealing, win over their in-state rivals. A big key to the road win was on special teams. The Pioneers went 2-for-3 on the power play and 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, raising their season totals to 21.4% (22nd in NCAA) and 85.7% (T-17th) respectively.
The Pioneers are now 6-1-1 on the season and are second in the country in goals/game (4.88), T-14th in goals against/game (2.38), second in shot percentage (16.5%) and tenth in Corsi (56.1%). With two of the top three scorers in the country, Devine and NCAA-leading junior forward Massimo Rizzo (17 points), the Pioneers are showing that they are still one of the premier programs in college hockey despite losing a large portion of talent that secured them a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament last season.
- #2 North Dakota Splits With #9 Boston University In Road Series
From Hobey Baker candidates to phenom freshmen, the talent was on display in a matchup of two top-ten teams in Boston this weekend. Coming into the series at just 3-2-1, Boston University needed a big weekend against #2 North Dakota to get their early season back on track. For the Fighting Hawks, the goal was to get at least one win, something NoDak hasn't done against the Terriers in Boston since 1990.
The East vs. West showdown was a penalty-filled affair in game one, with eight combined penalties between the two teams. North Dakota dominated the Terriers in shots on goal (34-20) and in the faceoff circle (33 wins to 24), but were outmatched on special teams. After the two teams traded goals in the first period, star defenseman Lane Hutson capitalized just 30 seconds into a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play. It looked like the Terriers had all the momentum, but North Dakota struck back just 26 seconds later with a Ben Strinden snipe from the high slot to tie the game at 2-2 with a shorthanded goal. The Terriers got another power play chance early in the third period and capitalized, as Luke Tuch buried a great backdoor feed from Devin Kaplan to score the eventual game-winning goal. North Dakota outshot BU 16-5 in the third period and had over two minutes of 6-on-5 play, but could not capitalize and finished 0-for-3 on the power play in game one.
For the series finale North Dakota switched up their lines, putting Riese Gaber, Owen McLaughlin, and Jackson Blake on their top line for the first time this season. The trio instantly clicked, combining for eight points (all three registered a point on each of UND's first two goals of the game). After an even first period which saw both teams find the back of the net, North Dakota jumped out to a 3-1 lead thanks to an early goal from McLaughlin and power play snipe from freshman Jayden Perron. With time winding down in the second period, it appeared as though NoDak was going to take the two-goal lead into the second intermission. Boston University (and more specifically Lane Hutson) responded with a huge final five minutes of the period. Hutson, who already scored earlier in the game, scored two goals in a two-minute stretch to not only tally his first-career hat trick, but to also tie the game 3-3.
Sophomore forward Ben Strinden got on the scoresheet for the second-straight game five minutes into the third period, finishing a set play off a faceoff win to beat Mathieu Caron above the blocker. The game remained 4-3 until late in the game. With the Terriers pressing for the equalizer, defenseman Cade Webber corralled a bouncing puck off the wall and threw it towards the net and forward Devin Kaplan. The sophomore got a tip on the puck, which beat NoDak goaltender Ludvig Persson to tie the game with just 2:17 remaining. That would be the final tally in regulation, and the series finale would head to overtime.
The extra session would last just 20 seconds. North Dakota won the opening draw, set up their transition play through the neutral zone, and got the puck to Jackson Blake at the point. The sophomore skated past one man, deked a second, and drove it to the net. Blake put a backhanded shot towards Caron, which deflected twice and made it's way into the back of the net. After his team-leading sixth goal of the season, Blake pulled out the Patrick Kane "heartbreaker" celebration in front of the Boston University bench as the Fighting Hawks posted their first win over the Terriers since 2012. The series should be considered a win for both teams, and could be a potential preview at a future NCAA matchup later this season.
- #7 Minnesota Beats, Ties #13 Minnesota-Duluth In Home-And-Home
In a weekend full of in-state rivalry matchups, one of the most anticipated on the schedule was the home-and-home series between Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth. With both teams ranked in the top 15 in the country, the series not only had bragging rights on the line but also some crucial Pairwise impacts for later in the season.
Over the weekend, Minnesota-Duluth honored the life of former Bulldogs' forward Adam Johnson. The Hibbing, Minnesota native died on October 28th in a freak accident in the United Kingdom's Elite Hockey league with the Nottingham Panthers. Johnson was a key piece in helping the Bulldogs reach the 2017 NCAA title game, and scored the game-winning overtime goal over Boston University in that year's NCAA Midwest Regional Final. Every Bulldog player wore an "AJ" sticker on their helmets in remembrance of Johnson's life. He was just 29 years old.
In less important news, the Gophers hosted game one at Mariucci in front of over 10,000 people. It was a dominating performance from Minnesota as they outshot the Bulldogs in both shots on goal (30-15) and attempts (72-38), and outdrew them by a wide margin (38-27). Sophomore defenseman Cal Thomas scored his first career goal just three minutes into the game and Bryce Brodzinski made it 2-0 with just 15 seconds left in the first period. Another goal, a snipe from freshman phenom Oliver Moore, made it 3-0 just 75 seconds into the second. After that the Gophers dialed up the defense, allowing just seven total shots on goal over the last 40 minutes of the game. By the time Minnesota-Duluth scored it was 4-0 with just four minutes left in the game, and Brodzinski scored his second of the night into an empty net to secure a dominant 5-1 win.
One of the lone bright spots in the loss for the Bulldogs was the play of backup goaltender Matthew Thiessen. The graduate senior entered the game after Zach Stejskal gave up his fourth goal, and stopped all eight shots he faced over the last 10 minutes of the game. Thiessen got the start in game two of the series in Duluth and posted one of the best goaltending performances of the season thus far.
The former Maine Black Bear got some help early from sophomore forward Jack Smith, who gave UMD their first lead of the weekend with a goal in the first period. Following the goaL Minnesota came out hot in the second period, peppering Thiessen with 20 shots in as many minutes. The Gophers scored three times in the second period, getting goals from stars Jimmy Snuggerud, Aaron Huglen on the power play, and Jaxon Nelson. Minnesota-Duluth got a power play goal of their own from Cole Spicer to survive the period and enter the third only down one. The Bulldogs only trailed for another 53 seconds, as star sophomore Ben Steeves scored on the power play to tie the game at 3-3. After that goal, Thiessen and Minnesota netminder Justen Close got to work, stopping 21 combined shots to send the game into overtime.
Thanks to a tripping penalty as time expired, Minnesota-Duluth began the overtime on the power play with a chance to win the game. However, despite a handful of good chances, the Bulldogs could not capitalize and got a tripping penalty of their own just a minute later. Thiessen, who made 47 saves in the game, saved some of his best work for that final penalty kill. Facing sustained pressure, the graduate senior made two unbelievable saves to stop two 'Grade-A' backdoor chances, including an incredible stop with his glove with just seconds remaining. Thiessen saved the Bulldogs from a weekend sweep and helped salvage a 3-3 tie. To add a cherry on top, he made two saves in the shootout "win."
- Alaska Opens Governor's Cup With Home Sweep Over Alaska-Anchorage
One of the most heated rivalries in college hockey opened the 2023-'24 season schedule this weekend, as the Alaska Nanooks welcomed in Alaska-Anchorage for a series in Fairbanks. The two teams are scheduled to play six times this season, three home games each. Last season the Nanooks swept the Governor's Cup matchup, beating the Seawolves six times by a combined score of 28-12 (including two overtime wins).
This year's Governor's Cup opened in Fairbanks, as Alaska welcomed in their in-state rival for this lone home series of the season. Alaska-Anchorage got into penalty trouble early on Friday night, taking three minor penalties in an eleven-minute stretch. The Nanooks capitalized on every chance, scoring three power play goals to take a 3-0 lead. Alaska extended their lead in the second period to 5-0, and cruised to an eventual 6-1 win. Senior Brady Risk and transfer sophomore Cade Ahrenholz each scored twice in the win.
On Saturday night Alaska-Anchorage struck first, as freshman forward Aiden Westin finished a rush up the ice with a fantastic shot upstairs while falling down to give the Seawolves a 1-0 lead. With an early power play in the second, UAA looked to keep the momentum going. But, after a turnover in the offensive zone, sophomore Cade Neilson capitalized for the Nanooks with a great deke on a 2-on-1 to tie the game with a shorthanded goal. The momentum flipped, and Alaska scored three more times in the period to race out to a 4-1 lead. Two of those three goals came on special teams, including the second shorthanded goal of the period. Another power play goal from Harrison Israels just 2:37 into the third period made it an almost insurmountable four-goal led with 17 minutes to play.
The Seawolves finally capitalized on their seventh power play opportunity of the game just minutes later to make it 5-2 and got a lucky bounce on a shot from the point with 10 minutes to go in the game to make it a two-goal deficit. After head coach Matt Shasby pulled the goalie with three minutes to go in the game, Alaska-Anchorage scored just seconds later to cut the lead to one with 2:23 to play. However, the late heroics would end there, as Alaska held on for a 5-4 win. With the sweep, the Nanooks now hold a 2-0 lead in this year's race for the Governor's Cup.
- NCHC Standings (* = No Conference Games Played)
T-1. Denver (6 Points): Swept Colorado College with 6-1 home win, 5-1 road win
T-1. St. Cloud State (6 Points): Swept Miami at home with 3-2, 6-0 wins
3. Western Michigan (4 Points): Split with Omaha on the road with 5-2 win, 3-2 OT loss
4. Omaha (2 Points): Split with Western Michigan at home with 5-2 loss, 3-2 OT win
T-5. Colorado College (0 Points): Swept by Denver with 6-1 road loss, 5-1 home loss
T-5. Miami (0 Points): Swept by St. Cloud State on the road with 3-2, 6-0 losses
T-5. Minnesota-Duluth (0 Points*): "Split with" Minnesota with 5-1 road loss, 3-3 OT home tie
T-5. North Dakota (0 Points*): Split with Boston University on the road with 3-2 loss, 5-4 OT win
- Big Ten Standings
1. Wisconsin (12 Points): Swept Michigan at home with 5-4, 2-1 wins
2. Michigan State (6 Points): Swept Ohio State on the road with 6-0, 6-4 wins
3. Michigan (4 Points): Swept by Wisconsin on the road with 5-4, 2-1 losses
T-4. Notre Dame (3 Points): Split with Penn State on the road with 4-3 SO win, 3-2 SO loss
T-4. Penn State (3 Points): Split with Notre Dame at home with 4-3 SO loss, 3-2 SO win
6. Ohio State (2 Points): Swept by Michigan State at home with 6-0, 6-4 losses
7. Minnesota (0 Points): "Split with" Minnesota-Duluth with 5-1 home win, 3-3 OT road tie
- CCHA Standings (* = No Conference Games Played)
1. Bemidji State (7 Points): Swept by Lake Superior on the road with 4-3 OT, 5-1 losses
2. St. Thomas (6 Points): Swept Northern Michigan at home with 4-2, 6-1 wins
3. Lake Superior (5 Points): Swept Bemidji State at home with 4-3 OT, 5-1 wins
4. Northern Michigan (4 Points): Swept by St. Thomas on the road with 4-2, 6-1 losses
5. Ferris State (2 Points): Split with St. Lawrence at home with 5-2 loss, 2-1 OT win
T-6. Bowling Green (0 Points*): Split with Mercyhurst at home with 4-3 OT loss, 4-2 win
T-6. Michigan Tech (0 Points*): Swept Augustana at home with 6-4, 4-3 OT wins
T-6. Minnesota State (0 Points*): No games scheduled
- Hockey East Standings
1. Providence (9 Points): "Swept" New Hampshire with 2-1 SO road win, 2-0 home win
2. New Hampshire (7 Points): "Swept by" Providence with 2-1 SO home loss, 2-0 road loss
T-3. Boston College (6 Points): Swept UMass-Lowell with 3-2 home win, 3-2 road win
T-3. Maine (6 Points): Swept Merrimack on the road with 2-1, 5-4 wins
T-5. Connecticut (5 Points): Split with Vermont on the road with 4-1 loss, 5-2 win
T-5 Boston University (5 Points): Split with North Dakota at home with 3-2 win, 5-4 OT loss
T-5. Vermont (5 Points): Split with Connecticut at home with 4-1 win, 5-2 loss
8. UMass-Lowell (4 Points): Swept by Boston College with 3-2 road loss, 3-2 home loss
T-9. Massachusetts (3 Points): Beat Northeastern at home 2-1 OT
T-9. Merrimack (3 Points): Swept by Maine at home with 2-1, 5-4 losses
11. Northeastern (1 Point): Lost to Massachusetts on the road 2-1 OT
- ECAC Standings (* = No Conference Games Played)
T-1. Cornell (6 Points): Beat Yale on the road 3-1, beat Brown on the road 7-1
T-1. Dartmouth (6 Points): Beat Quinnipiac at home 3-2 SO, beat Princeton at home 5-4
T-3. Brown (4 Points): Beat Colgate at home 3-2, lost to Cornell at home 7-1
T-3. Quinnipiac (4 Points): Lost to Dartmouth on the road 3-2 SO, beat Harvard on the road 6-0
T-5. Colgate (3 Points): Lost to Brown on the road 3-2, beat Yale on the road 7-1
T-5. Rensselaer (3 Points): Beat Union on the road 8-6, lost to Union at home 5-1
T-5. Union (3 Points): Lost to Rensselaer at home 8-6, beat Rensselaer on the road 5-1
T-5. Harvard (3 Points): Lost to Princeton at home 5-4 SO, lost to Quinnipiac at home 6-0
T-9. Yale (2 Points): Lost to Cornell at home 3-1, lost to Colgate at home 7-1
T-9. Princeton (2 Points): Beat Harvard on the road 5-4 SO, lost to Dartmouth on the road 5-4
T-11. Clarkson (0 Points*): No games scheduled
T-11. St. Lawrence (0 Points*): Split with Ferris State on the road with 5-1 win, 2-1 OT loss
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. RIT (14 Points): Swept Army on the road with 4-2, 5-3 wins
2. Sacred Heart (10 Points): Lost to Long Island on the road 2-1
T-3. Niagara (7 Points): Split with Air Force at home with 3-2 OT loss, 4-3 win
T-3. Holy Cross (7 Points): Split with Canisius on the road with 5-3 loss, 4-3 SO win
T-5. Bentley (6 Points): Split with AIC with 3-0 road loss, 3-1 home win
T-5 Robert Morris (6 Points): Beat Simon Fraser at home 3-1 (Exhibition)
T-7. Canisius (4 Points): Split with Holy Cross at home with 5-3 win, 4-3 SO loss
T-7 Mercyhurst (4 Points): Split with Bowling Green on the road with 4-3 OT win, 4-2 loss
9. AIC (3 Points): Split with Bentley with 3-0 home win, 3-1 road loss
10. Air Force (2 Points): Split with Niagara on the road with 3-2 OT win, 4-3 loss
11. Army (0 Points): Swept by RIT at home with 4-2, 5-3 losses
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: Swept Alaska-Anchorage at home with 6-1, 5-4 wins
Alaska-Anchorage: Swept by Alaska on the road with 6-1, 5-4 losses
Arizona State: Swept Stonehill at home with 5-4 OT, 3-2 wins
Augustana: Swept by Michigan Tech on the road with 6-4, 4-3 OT losses
Lindenwood: No games scheduled
Long Island: Beat Sacred Heart at home 2-1
Stonehill: Swept by Arizona State on the road with 5-4 OT, 3-2 losses
