Each week during the season, we look at the big events and big games around Division I men’s college hockey in Tuesday Morning Quarterback.
Paula: It’s great to be back on the TMQ beat with you Ed, and like Jimmy Connelly and Dan Rubin said in their season-opening column last week, it’s just plain good to be back to college hockey once again.
Nothing reinforces that seems-like-old-times feeling more than seeing Minnesota at the top of the USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll again. The Golden Gophers spent a good deal of last season in the No. 1 position and headed into the Frozen Four as the top seed. In that poll, 34 voters put the Gophers at No. 1; this week, it’s 33.
It seems like what Bob Motzko and his staff have done at Minnesota have built a lot of trust in that program – trust that squeaking out an OT win against St. Thomas was opening-night jitters. Of course, it helps that the Gophers shut out the Tommies the following night.
Boston University’s fall from grace happened fast, and I think it may be a sign that voters need to see the Terriers over time to trust that BU will be a contender. The OT win against Bentley the first week wasn’t enough to knock BU out, but the loss to New Hampshire – in a tough Hockey East conference – plus the exhibition loss to the U.S. NTDP Under-18 Team was, as BU got just one vote for No. 1 this week.
Although it’s tough to make broad claims on play through two weeks, I still think we’re seeing some patterns emerge: Big Ten down, Hockey East poised to dominate, Atlantic Hockey very competitive.
What has the early going said to you?
Ed: I think you summed it up pretty well, but I’m reluctant to extrapolate too much this early on.
I guess the biggest surprise to me was how many top-20 teams had jitters and stumbles last week. I think I might attribute that to a couple of things. First, many of the top tier teams in D-I hockey also have a lot of young players. The speed of the college game takes a little bit to adjust to.
But the other part of it is finding solid goaltending. The advent of the transfer portal has allowed some teams to reload in goal, while others are struggling either with upperclassmen transfers or rookie goalies.
I expected Hockey East to dominate – and I guess I still do – but BU’s slow start and sweeps over Merrimack and UConn this past weekend might have me reassessing. I think the Big Ten and Hockey East could be the best two leagues this season but would not be surprised if the NCHC regains its recent dominance.
Atlantic Hockey? Dang it, they need to stop being “very competitive” and start stacking up some victories in out-of-conference games. Winning four out of 15 over the three-day weekend non-league slate isn’t going to cut it.
A team from the Big Ten that made a big move in the poll after wins in New York State’s north country over Clarkson and St. Lawrence is Penn State. The Nittany Lions were 16th in the preseason USCHO.com Men’s Division I Poll, dropped to 18th after a close road win over LIU, but jumped to 12th after this past weekend.
Coaches in that conference picked Guy Gadowsky’s squad sixth out of seven in the preseason poll, but I have a hunch they’ll be better than that. You’re our beat writer for that conference; how do you see them doing, especially after this 3-0 start?
Paula: The Nitanny Lions were picked sixth in the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll, and I can see them finishing anywhere from last to third. And that’s how tight I think the Big Ten is.
Penn State is one of the most interesting stories in B1G Hockey right now. They’re a veteran team with really solid talent all over their roster and are backstopped by the very gifted and often underrated Liam Souliere. So far, Penn State has only skated five freshmen, so most of the talent they have is experienced.
I was puzzled by how low the coaches picked the Nittany Lions in preseason until I realized two things: several teams in the Big Ten are stacked, and last year was a rebound year of sorts for Penn State.
One thing I respect about Guy Gadowsky is how transparent he is, especially how frank he’s been about Penn State’s two seasons preceding last year. In the COVID isolation year (2020-21), Gadowsky said he struggled communicating with his players – and he shoulders that himself – because in-person communication is one of his strengths. In the 2021- 22 season, the Nittany Lions were still a bit out of sorts.
Last year, though seemed a lot like hockey from a classic Gadowsky team – fast, far more solid end-to-end than in previous seasons, tenacious.
It goes back to that trust I mentioned at the start here. When a team is a bit down, people may need to see more than just one decent season from them to trust that off years weren’t anomalous.
Also, as I said in my B1G preview, Penn State and Ohio State being picked sixth and seventh by coaches may be because someone has to finish in those positions, right? Penn State could anchor the standings at the end of the season and be four points out of second place.
I hear you about Atlantic Hockey needing to be more than “very competitive,” and I don’t know how we get to that point in that conference. I’m guessing that ECAC fans are saying similar things. Three of the last 10 national champions are ECAC teams, including reigning champ Quinnipiac, but the ECAC has started the season 8-10-1 against nonconference foes, and as high as some programs rise in that conference, the ECAC always seems a step behind.
Then there’s the CCHA. With a disappointing 7-14-4 record through two weeks in nonconference play, for many sentimental reasons I keep pulling for that league to show better. Minnesota State has started strong, and I am also seeing things I like from St. Thomas, Bemidji, and Ferris State.
Ed: You’ve got to hand it to Minnesota State for their sweep of then-No. 10 St. Cloud.
It seems as if a lot of folks had written them off, including the coaches in the CCHA who picked Luke Strand’s Mavericks sixth in the preseason poll.
“It was a big test,” Strand said after Saturday’s game. “We hadn’t had a back-to-back yet so that was test number one. We played the right way and we had to learn how to play with a lead for the first time as well. I think those two were encouraging moments.”
I agree with you about St. Thomas. You knew Rico Blasi was going to build a successful program, especially in an era in which recruits can be supplemented by transfers. (See also Lindenwood, Augustana, and a resurrected Robert Morris.)
I’ll be interested to see how so far winless Michigan Tech bounces back from a loss and a tie vs. Alaska over the weekend. Joe Shawhan’s Huskies take on 3-1 Wisconsin at home next weekend. Mike Hastings knows Michigan Tech well, and both teams will have something to prove.
Wisconsin’s lone loss was a 2-0 shutout at the hands of North Dakota on Saturday in the Icebreaker Tournament. Coaches and media have been pretty high on the Fighting Hawks. That’s despite an overhauled roster for the Fighting Hawks, with seven freshmen and seven transfers. All eight defensemen are new to the roster, as is NCHC goalie of the week Ludvig Persson, playing his senior year in Grand Forks after backstopping Miami for his first three.
North Dakota’s not the only story in the NCHC, though. Who do you like in that perennially strong conference, and, if I may have a follow-up, who do you see having the best chances for the NCAA tournament?
Paula: I know that this is the least-controversial thing that I can say, but I really like Denver to take the NCHC and make a run at the Frozen Four. Sure, the Pioneers lost Carter Mazur and Magnus Chrona, but they return a ton of talent and they’re so well coached. I really love what David Carle has done there. It’s been a pleasure watching that program re-emerge as a perennial threat and a program that consistently attracts top talent that develops well there, too.
I also like the way that North Dakota appears to be picking up where it left off last season. After a really rocky first half of 2022-23, the Fighting Hawks came on strong in the second half, and continuing that momentum right away was something I thought would be key to building confidence and success for North Dakota this season.
I’m not as high on St. Cloud State as other people are and haven’t been for a few seasons. I’d love to see Western Michigan continue with the progress that the Broncos showed last year and along those same lines, the team I’m really watching is Omaha. They have some offense returning, they have some depth and Mike Gabinet used the portal well to add depth.
It may only have been two games, but Omaha’s sweep of Niagara was telling. Simon Latkoczy and Seth Eisele each picked up wins in net for the Mavericks, each allowing one goal. The UNO defense allowed just 31 shots in for the series, as evenly split between the two games as that number can be.
Eight different players scored in their 8-1 Friday win, and while the score was 2-1 Saturday, kudos to the Mavs for the sweep when Niagara had made impressive adjustments the second night.
As early as it is, Ed, there are a few matches on the horizon that I’m looking forward to. This weekend, No. 13 Ohio State travels to No. 7 Michigan, and that looks like a barometer game for each of those teams. No. 6 Boston University at Notre Dame will be interesting, given how each team’s slow start.
No. 1 Minnesota at No. 5 North Dakota is another match that may reveal much about both teams, as is the Wisconsin-Michigan Tech tilt you mentioned.
What looks good to you this weekend?
Ed: Before I add mine, let me second the BU-Notre Dame match up. I saw the Fighting Irish on Saturday vs. RIT at the Tigers’ annual Brick City Weekend homecoming game. RIT had most of the sold-out 10,556 fans on its side and scored early. RIT also benefited from solid goaltending from Tommy Scarfone and a terrific penalty kill. The stats would suggest that Notre Dame should have fared much better, and I think they’ll be fine.
No. 2 Denver at No. 10 Providence on Friday and at No. 3 Boston College on Saturday promise to be some pivotal games. That’ll tell us where all three stand at this point, and each game will have PairWise implications for both the teams and their conferences. (Rensselaer has the opposite nights against BC and Providence, which could be interesting for the Engineers. Does Boston College look past them a tiny bit on Friday? What mood will Providence be in on Saturday?)
Bemidji home-and-home with Minnesota Duluth and Alaska at St. Cloud are also two interesting series to me. No. 20 St. Cloud – which dropped 10 places in the USCHO poll – is going to look to recover from that sweep at the hands of Minnesota State, while Alaska will try to keep the momentum going from last weekend against Michigan Tech. Plus the Nanooks could use a great weekend to build toward another run for the NCAA tournament that they disappointingly missed by a fraction of a whisker last season.
Finally, how can you pass on an in-state non-conference match up like the Beavers and Bulldogs? That’s going to be some incredibly fun hockey in the State of Hockey.
