ECH Weekend Review: October 27-29
written By Alex Berger - November 2nd, 2023Sadly, the first month of the college hockey season is officially over. If we've learned anything in October, it's that no team in college hockey is safe on a given night. For the fourth-straight weekend, Everything College Hockey's #1-ranked team lost at least once, this time being taken down twice at home by one of their biggest rivals. Across the country, Boston College took down Michigan State in a top-ten sweep, while Augustana put themselves on the national map with a huge road trip in Colorado.
Five of the six conferences have begun conference play at this point, and you'll find those standings for the first time in this week's weekend review. Not every team has played a conference game yet, but we can start tracking a given team's rise and fall as teams begin playing more games.
Photo: Brianna Burnham @734_Visuals on Instagram
- #14 Wisconsin Sweeps #1 Minnesota On The Road
Mike Hastings officially has Wisconsin back on the map. Through eight games this season the Badgers are 7-1-0 (their only loss coming at #2 North Dakota) and lead the country in wins and goals allowed/game (1.6). Their most impressive wins of the season came this past weekend at #1 Minnesota, where they swept the top team in the nation for the first time since 2014.
Senior forward Mathieu De St. Phalle and sophomore forward Cruz Lucius each scored twice on Friday night en route to a 5-2 win. Although the Gophers scored just 15 seconds into the game, it never really felt like the Gophers got into the series opener. The game was on a Thursday night, which led to a smaller crowd at Mariucci, and the Badgers had an immediate answer for both of Minnesota's goals in their win. De St. Phalle and Lucius have both been bright spots for Wisconsin in the early season. The duo lead the team with nine combined goals in 8 games (17 total points).
On Friday night, forward Simon Tassy was the hero for Wisconsin. The sophomore opened the scoring on the power play six minutes into the game, finishing a great end-to-end passing play with a one-timer from the right faceoff circle. The teams then traded goals in the second and third periods, with Tassy scoring the eventual game-winner after a rush to a rebounded puck with just over two minutes left in the game.
The weekend sweep propelled Wisconsin to #3 in this week's ECH Rankings, and sets them up for a huge Big Ten series against #5 Michigan at the Kohl Center this weekend. Hastings should have this team dialed in for one of the biggest home matchups in years.
- Boston College Sweeps #8 Michigan State, Moves To #1
In one of the lone top-ten matchups of the weekend, Boston College welcomed in the Michigan State Spartans for a series at the Conte Forum. The Eagles' high-end talent was on display the entire weekend, including a three-goal weekend from sophomore Cutter Gauthier.
In a penalty-filled game one, there were just as many shorthanded goals (2) as power play goals in 12 total combined opportunities with the man advantage. Despite going 1-for-7 on the power play, and giving up two first-period goals to sophomore Karsen Dorwart, Boston College scored six goals in game one and won 6-4, the first career loss for freshman goaltender Trey Augustine of Michigan State. In a polar opposite of collegiate firsts, Ryan Leonard scored his first goal of his career in the series-opening win.
Augustine and the Spartans had a tough time in game two as well, falling 5-1 despite outshooting the Eagles 44-34. Karsen Dorwart scored his third goal of the weekend in the loss. On the other side of the bench, Boston College got a huge weekend from their freshman second line of Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Gabe Perrault. The trio combined for seven points in the two-game sweep and have posted 20 total points in the first six games of the season (3.33/game).
This weekend's sweep showed that the Eagles can beat you in any way. A night after allowing four goals on 25 shots, freshman goaltender Jacob Fowler posted the best game of his young career with 43 saves. With a solid goaltender, a young second line that's getting better each night, and an elite goal scorer in Cuter Gauthier, Boston College has proved they're worthy of the #1 spot in the rankings heading into November.
- #12 Cornell Opens Season With Sweep Over #10 Minnesota-Duluth
After two home exhibition wins over TMU and the U.S. Under-18 Team, Cornell officially began their season with a home series against #10 Minnesota-Duluth. With goaltender Ian Shane back in net for the Big Red, it was going to be a matchup of strengths against a Bulldogs' team who averaged 4.8 goals/game heading into the series.
Cornell would shut down the Duluth offense all weekend, allowing just 36 combined shots and one goal over the two-game series. Shane made 35 saves and posted a shutout in the sweep, and Cornell got multi-goal performances from junior forward Kyle Penney and graduate senior forward Gabriel Seger on the way to 4-1 and 3-0 wins.
If you're wondering why Cornell is ranked so high just two games into their season, this is why. This team is one of the best puck possession and defensive teams in the country, and can lock down some of the best offensive teams in the country. They'll open ECAC play this weekend with road games against Yale and Dartmouth.
Photo: leilani burke - @leilaniburkephotography on Instagram
- Augustana Ties #2 Denver, Beats Colorado College In West Roadtrip
Just under two weeks after the first win in their program's history, the Augustana Vikings traveled out west for a huge road trip against #2 Denver and undefeated Colorado College. No one would have discredited the Vikings if they had put up a fight with two close losses against two good two teams. However, Augustana is coming back to South Dakota over .500 through the first month of their first season in D1.
On Friday night it looked like the Vikings were going to have a tough weekend, as Denver scored three goals in the first eight minutes of the game to take a 3-0 lead. Junior forward Jack Devine scored one of the goals, his sixth in just five games so far this year. With the crowd fully amped up, it appeared that Augustana might lay down and take the loss. However, the Vikings battled back. They scored twice before the end of the first period to make it a one-goal differential.
The game tightened up in the second period with just 15 combined shots on goal and one power play chance. Although no one scored, Augustana was able to get some momentum, outshooting the Pioneers 9-6. Things opened up in the third period, with both teams scoring early. The Vikings rebounded from an early Denver goal by responding with two goals in under 30 seconds to tie the game at 4-4 with 12 minutes to go. It appeared that Massimo Rizzo was going to be the hero, scoring at the end of a dominant shift with just under 10 minutes to go in the game. But, Augustana still wouldn't go down, tying the game with just 21 seconds to go in the game. Although the game officially ended in a tie, the Vikings got the "win" in the shootout. A huge result against the second-best team in the country.
In game two of the road trip, the Vikings traveled an hour south to face the undefeated Colorado College Tigers. This time, Augustana didn't have to play catch up. Graduate senior forward Ryan Naumovski scored just five minutes into the game to open the scoring, and the Vikings eventually took a 4-1 lead over CC. Although they were outshot and "outplayed" on the scoresheet, scoring four goals on a good goaltender in Kaiden Mbereko and beating a previously undefeated team 4-3 on the road is just another great result in a string of four-straight great games. The Vikings will look to keep the good vibes going in a series at Michigan Tech next weekend.
- #7 Michigan Scores 19 Goals in Sweep Over Lindenwood
Eight games into the 2023-'24 season, Michigan is looking just as good offensively as the team that made the Frozen Four a year ago. The Wolverines lead the country in goals/game (5.6), are second in power play percentage (40.5%), and tied for fifth in shots/game (38.3). Sophomore forwards Rutger McGroarty and T.J. Hughes lead the country with 15 points each, and are two of five total Michigan players who currently rank in the top six in the country in total points. Although the Wolverines have been good offensively throughout the year, their top players really clicked together against Lindenwood this past weekend.
You could tell what kind of weekend it was going to be right away on Friday night, as Michigan scored just 40 seconds into game one of the non-conference series. After going up 2-0, Lindenwood fought back with a shorthanded goal late in the first period to keep the game close for a moment, but the rout was on in the second. Michigan outshot the visitors 18-7 and scored four goals in under eight minutes to make it 6-1, before pulling away in the third period for a 9-1 win.
In game two Michigan got to show off their high-end talent nine times on the power play, scoring six goals with the man advantage and twice on the penalty kill on the way to a 10-1 win. Four different players (Mark Estapa, Rutger McGroarty, Gavin Brindley, and T.J. Hughes) each scored two goals for the Wolverines, while Hughes added three assists for a five-point game.
According to the Wolverines, this is the first time since January of 1996 that Michigan has scored at least nine goals in back-to-back games. That year's team scored 41 goals over a four-game stretch, and eventually went on to win that year's NCAA Tournament. This past weekend showed that despite a few early-season losses, this year's Michigan team has the talent to be a top-five team in the country this season, and should be on every college hockey fan's radar as we head into November.
- NCHC Standings (Conference Play Not Yet Started)
T-1. Colorado College: Beat Air Force on the road 6-2, lost to Augustana at home 4-3
T-1. Denver: Tied Augustana at home 5-5 OT, beat Air Force at home 4-0
T-1. Miami: "Swept" Arizona State at home with 5-4 OT win, 1-1 OT tie
T-1. Minnesota-Duluth: Swept by Cornell on the road with 4-1, 3-0 losses
T-1. North Dakota: "Split with" Minnesota State Mankato at home with 6-2 win, 2-2 OT tie
T-1. Omaha: "Swept by" Ohio State at home with 2-2 OT tie, 4-0 loss
T-1. St. Cloud State: No games scheduled
T-1. Western Michigan: No games scheduled
- Big Ten Standings
1. Wisconsin (6 Points): Swept Minnesota on the road with 5-2, 3-2 wins
2. Michigan (4 Points): Swept Lindenwood at home with 9-1, 10-1 wins
3. Ohio State (2 Points): "Swept" Omaha on the road with 2-2 OT tie, 4-0 win
T-4. Michigan State (0 Points): Swept by Boston College on the road with 6-4, 5-1 losses
T-4. Minnesota (0 Points): Swept by Wisconsin at home with 5-2, 3-2 losses
T-4. Notre Dame (0 Points): Swept Mercyhurst at home with 4-3 OT, 5-0 wins
T-4. Penn State (0 Points): Split with Alaska-Anchorage at home with 2-1 win, 6-5 loss
- CCHA Standings
1. Bemidji State (6 Points): Swept St. Thomas at home with 3-2, 2-0 wins
2. Northern Michigan (4 Points): "Split with" Ferris State at home with 2-1 OT loss, 4-1 win
3. Ferris State (2 Points): "Split with" Northern Michigan on the road with 2-1 OT win, 4-1 loss
T-4. Bowling Green (0 Points): No games scheduled
T-4. Lake Superior (0 Points): Beat Clarkson on the road 4-3 OT, beat St. Lawrence on the road 5-2
T-4. Michigan Tech (0 Points): Tied St. Lawrence on the road 2-2 OT, lost to Clarkson on the road 3-1
T-4. Minnesota State (0 Points): "Split with" North Dakota on the road with 6-2 loss, 2-2 OT tie
T-4. St. Thomas (0 Points): Swept by Bemidji State on the road with 3-2, 2-0 losses
- Hockey East Standings
1. New Hampshire (6 Points): Beat Northeastern at home 4-1, beat Dartmouth at home 3-1
2. Boston University (5 Points): "Split with" Massachusetts with 5-2 win at home, 3-3 OT tie on the road
T-3. Providence (4 Points): "Swept" Vermont at home with 4-1 win, 2-2 OT tie
T-3. UMass-Lowell (4 Points): "Split with" Connecticut with 2-1 OT loss at home, 1-0 win on the road
5. Merrimack (3 Points): Beat Northeastern on the road 4-1
T-6. Connecticut (2 Points): "Split with" UMass-Lowell with 2-1 OT win on the road, 1-0 loss at home
T-6. Vermont (2 Points): "Swept by" Providence on the road with 4-1 loss, 2-2 OT tie
8. Massachusetts (1 Point): "Split with" Boston University with 5-2 loss on the road, 3-3 OT tie at home
T-9. Boston College (0 Points): Swept Michigan State at home with 6-4, 5-1 wins
T-9 Maine (0 Points): "Split with" Quinnipiac on the road with 2-1 OT win, 4-1 loss
T-9. Northeastern (0 Points): Lost to New Hampshire on the road 4-1, lost to Merrimack at home 4-1
- ECAC Standings
T-1. Yale (2 Points): Beat Brown on the road 3-2 OT
T-1. Harvard (2 Points): Beat Dartmouth on the road 2-1 SO
T-3. Brown (1 Point): Lost to Yale at home 3-2 OT
T-3. Dartmouth (1 Point): Lost to Harvard at home 2-1 SO
T-5. Clarkson (0 Points): Lost to Lake Superior at home 4-3 OT, beat Michigan Tech at home 3-1
T-5. Colgate (0 Points): No games scheduled
T-5. Cornell (0 Points): Swept Minnesota-Duluth at home with 4-1, 3-0 wins
T-5. Princeton (0 Points): No games scheduled
T-5. Quinnipiac (0 Points): "Split with" Maine at home with 2-1 OT loss, 4-1 win
T-5. Rensselaer (0 Points): No games scheduled
T-5. St. Lawrence (0 Points): Tied Michigan Tech at home 2-2 OT, lost to Lake Superior at home 5-2
T-5. Union (0 Points): No games scheduled
- Atlantic Hockey Standings
1. Sacred Heart (10 Points): "Split with" Niagara at home with 4-3 OT loss, 4-1 win. Defeated Army 6-1 at home on Tuesday
2. RIT (8 Points): "Swept" Holy Cross on the road with 3-2 OT win, 3-2 win
3. Robert Morris (6 Points): Split with Bentley at home with 4-3 win, 3-0 loss
4. Holy Cross (5 Points): "Swept by" RIT at home with 3-2 OT loss, 3-2 loss
5. Mercyhurst (4 Points): Swept by Notre Dame on the road with 4-3 OT loss, 5-0 loss
T-6. AIC (3 Points): Defeated Bentley 3-0 at home on Thursday
T-6. Bentley (3 Points): Split with Robert Morris on the road with 4-3 loss, 3-0 win. Lost to AIC 3-0 on the road Thursday.
T-6. Niagara (3 Points): "Split with" Sacred Heart on the road with 4-3 OT win, 4-1 loss
T-9. Air Force (0 Points): Lost to Colorado College on the road 6-2, lost to Denver on the road 4-0
T-9. Army (0 Points): Game against AIC postponed, lost 6-1 to SHU on the road on Tuesday.
T-9. Canisius (0 Points): No games scheduled
- Independent Roundup
Alaska: No games scheduled
Alaska-Anchorage: Split with Penn State on the road with 2-1 loss, 6-5 win
Arizona State: "Swept by" Miami on the road with 5-4 OT loss, 1-1 OT tie
Augustana: Tied Denver on the road 5-5 OT, beat Colorado College on the road 4-3
Lindenwood: Swept by Michigan on the road with 9-1, 10-1 losses
Long Island: Beat St. Anselm at home 4-0 (Exhibition)
Stonehill: No games scheduled
