Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. ECAC foes hand losses to No. 1 Quinnipiac
In a highly anticipated matchup of ECAC heavyweights Friday night, No. 16 Cornell handed top-ranked Quinnipiac a 4-0 loss, snapping the Bobcats’ 17-game unbeaten streak
“We had a lot of belief in ourselves,” said Cornell coach Mike Schafer, whose team went on to beat Princeton 3-2 the next night. “(Quinnipiac) is the gold standard for the league. You have to come ready to play in all aspects of your game.”
The next night, it was Colgate’s turn, as the Raiders earned their first win over a No. 1 team in 33 seasons, handing a Quinnipiac a 3-2 defeat.
“When I looked around our room after this game there were a lot of exhausted guys sitting there,” said Colgate coach Don Vaughan. “That’s what you are supposed to feel like after a game like that. (We) had a game plan and stuck to it. I’m proud of our guys. It’s a great win for our group.”
2. Michigan, Minnesota split OT contests at Mariucci
On back-to-back nights, 60 minutes of hockey failed to provide a winner when No. 8 Michigan and No. 2 Minnesota met on the Gopher’s home ice.
The Gophers were a 4-3 winner in 3-on-3 overtime on Friday night while the Wolverines returned the favor the next night, with Jacob Truscott scoring the game winner (and his second of the night 49 seconds into OT.
“Great for Truscott,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato told the Michigan Daily. “He’s got a lot of offense in him, and he’s starting to show it a lot more. But he’s defense first, so happy for him.”
3. No. 4 St. Cloud State sweeps No 3 Denver
About 90 minutes up the road from the Twin Cities, No. 4 St. Cloud State was taking care of its own business, handing a pair of losses to No. 3 and NCHC rival Denver, by scores of 7-3 and 2-0.
“I thought the team played great,” Huskies coach Brett Larson said. “We had to. Denver’s a great team. That was an NCHC battle.”
St. Cloud is now tied with Denver atop the NCHS standings at 10-4-0. The win was the Huskies’ sixth this season against an opponent in the top 3 of the USCHO.com D-I men’s poll.
4. Northeastern back to winning ways
Picked to finish first in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll, Northeastern had been mired in a slump, losing seven of eight between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day and falling out of the USCHO.com D-I men’s top-20 poll completely.
The Huskies now appear to be back on track. After an 8-4 New Year’s loss at then-No. 9 Harvard, Northeastern has allowed just five goals in four straight wins, all against ranked teams.
“To win against good teams, you gotta play 60 minutes,” said Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe following a 1-0 home win over No. 11 Merrimack on Saturday. “Twenty minutes wasn’t our best. Forty minutes wasn’t our best. We had to go out, we had to make a play. We had to lock it down.”
Devon Levi made 37 saves against Merrimack on Saturday.
5. Omaha’s Latkoczy continues to impress
Omaha freshman goalie Simon Latkoczy has won six of his last seven starts with a .952 save percentage during that stretch.
On Saturday, he made 21 saves in his team’s 2-0 win over Miami for his first collegiate shutout.
“It’s a pretty awesome feeling, especially to get my first NCAA shutout,” Latkoczy told The Rink Live. “The guys made it way easier for me, so (credit) goes to them. We played great hockey.”
6. Minnesota State keeps things interesting in CCHA
The race for the top seed in the CCHA is in full swing with just five points separating the top three teams — unranked Bowling Green (37), No. 17 Minnesota State (35) and No. 14 Michigan Tech (32).
Minnesota State has won six straight, including a 3-2 (OT), 3-1 home sweep of Lake Superior State over the weekend.
“At this time of the year, garnering points in our league are going to be difficult,” Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said after Saturday’s win. “For us to get five of six from home, it’s not perfect, but tonight I thought (we got) significant contributions from people we needed to be.”
7. RIT sweeps Arizona State
No 20 RIT, sitting atop the Atlantic Hockey standings with a 13-2-1 league record, got a pair of non-conference wins at Arizona State over the weekend, taking wins of 5-1 and 5-3 from the Sun Devils.
Cody Laskosky had a pair of goals for RIT in Saturday’s win.
8. Vermont’s power play comes alive at BC
It’s been a season of struggle for Vermont, but the Catamounts had their program-best regular-season weekend at BC, earning five of six points with a shootout win (1-1 tie, 4-3) on Friday and a 3-2 win Saturday.
Vermont thrice scored on the power play in Saturday’s game and now has 13 power-play goals in its last 12 games.
9. Ohio State snaps skid
Behind 27 saves from Jakub Dobes, No. 7 Ohio State skated to a 2-0 win at Big Ten rival Wisconsin Saturday.
“This was a great win on the road,” Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik said. “Jakub played outstanding. Now we will regroup and get better over the next two weeks and be ready to go.”
The Buckeyes are off next weekend before a two-game home showdown vs. No. 6 Penn State Feb. 3-4.
10. Greene skates ‘One More Shift’ at UND
Former North Dakota captain Matt Greene, who went on to a pro career that included twice winning the Stanley Cup with the Kings, donned the North Dakota green and white Saturday night for a celebratory lap around Ralph Engelstad Arena before the Fighting Hawks’ game against Minnesota Duluth.
“I’m really honored to be here,” Greene told the Grand Forks Herald. “It’s a special place for me. Any time you get to represent the school and the team, it’s a huge honor for me.”
