SATURDAY ROUNDUP: No. 15 BU upsets top-ranked BC, 3-1; No. 11 Wisconsin convincingly completes sweep of No. 2 Minnesota; UNH provides dramatic rally for sweep of No. 20 UML

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No. 11 Wisconsin put an absolute beat-down on No. 2 Minnesota, handing the Gophers their worst home loss in the long history of the series between the two clubs, 8-1 (photo: Jim Rosvold)

No. 11 Wisconsin 8, No. 2 Minnesota 1

The Wisconsin Badgers have placed their stake in the ground to be considered one of the top teams in college hockey.

An 8-1 victory on the road at No. 2 Minnesota completed the sweep of the Gophers, and pulls Wisconsin within two points of Minnesota for the top spot in the Big Ten.

It is the most lopsided road win for Wisconsin against Minnesota in the long history of these two programs.

Cole Caufield remains one of the nation’s hottest players, scoring a goal and two assists to run his goal-scoring streak to seven games and his point streak to 12. Caufield leads the nation in both goals (17) and points (33).

Wisconsin improves to 8-2-0 since players who were participating in the World Junior tournament returned to their respective teams. Over that span, Wisconsin went 3-1-0 against Minnesota.

Vinny Duplessis, making his first collegiate start in goal for Boston University, made 40 saves to upset the BU’s biggest rival, top-ranked Boston College, 3-1.

Duplessis stopped 12 shots in the first, 15 more in the second and all 13 shots he faced in the third period to earn his first collegiate win, one that certainly will be memorable.

Luke Tuch scored the game-winning goal, breaking a 1-1 tie midway through the hockey game and added the insurance tally for BU in the third.

The victory was an excellent bounce back win for the Terriers, who on Friday fell in overtime when the game-winning goal was scored with one-tenth of a second remaining.

SCOREBOARD  |  USCHO.COM POLL

New Hampshire 7, No. 20 UMass Lowell 6 (F/OT)

The host New Hampshire Wildcats pulled off one of the most unlikely comebacks on Saturday, trailing by three goals with 14 minutes remaining, rallying to tie the game before the end of regulation and then knocking off No. 20 UMass Lowell on Angus Crookshank’s fourth goal of the game, 17 seconds into overtime.

Lowell had leads of 4-2 and 6-3, the latter coming after Zach Kaiser scored with 14:00 minutes exactly remaining. But on the ensuing center-ice faceoff, the Lowell center was whistled for a protocol violation giving UNH the power play. Kalle Erickson’s goal just 34 seconds later gave UNH life.

Another penalty put the Wildcats back on the power play at 7:47 that led to a Patrick Grasso goal. Then Crookshank completed the comeback with his hat trick goal at 11:52 of the third.

That set up a 3-on-3 OT winner as Jackson Pierson broke up an odd-man rush for the River Hawks and sent Crookshank the other way where the junior finished the rare four-goal game.

 

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