Aurora has been one of the better teams in the NCHA this season. And the Spartans made a statement Friday with a 4-3 win in overtime over then No. 12 Trine.
The Spartans led 3-1 going into the third before the Thunder rallied to force overtime.
It was there that Chayce Schmidt delivered the game winner, scoring his second goal of the night and fourth of the season.
Aurora was unable to carry that momentum into Saturday’s game, falling 8-4, but they remain in fourth place in the conference standings and in good shape to make the conference tournament.
The Spartans are 9-9-1 overall and 8-4 in league play. Chase Broda scored twice in Saturday’s game for Aurora.
But it wasn’t enough to overcome the Thunder, who scored five times in the third period. Michael DiPietra finished with two goals in the game for Trine, which is 15-4 overall and 10-2 in the conference. It’s the first time this season that Trine has scored eight goals in a game.
High Five for Adrian
The nationally ranked Bulldogs have won their last five games, including a sweep of Lake Forest this past weekend.
Ranked No. 4 going into the weekend, Adrian is 14-4-1 overall and 11-1 in league play after outscoring the Foresters 11-3 in the two games.
After a 6-2 win Friday, Adrian wrapped things up Saturday with a 5-1 win. Bradley Somers and Zachary Heintz led the charge, scoring two goals apiece, while Dershahn Stewart made 32 saves.
Friday’s game was special for Jaden Shields, who registered his 100th career point after scoring a goal in the third period. Jacob Suede also made key contributions, tallying a pair of goals.
Seeing Green
St. Norbert swept Concordia with a pair of hard-fought overtime victories. The Green Knights won 4-3 on Friday and then prevailed 3-2 on Saturday.
In Saturday’s game, Adam Stacho, one of St. Norbert’s top offensive threats, scored the game winner just under four minutes into the extra session. Brock Baker assisted on the play, one of two assists for him on the night. Stacho is St. Norbert’s scoring leader this season, racking up 10 goals and 14 assists.
The Green Knights are 12-5 overall and 10-2 in the league, good enough for third place. Logan Dombrowsky was the hero in Friday’s game, scoring less than two minutes into OT. Dombrowsky also tallied an assist in the win. Curtis Hammond finished with a goal and assist as well.
Oles secure big win
St. Olaf punctuated its weekend with a 4-2 win over nationally ranked St. Scholastica on Saturday.
The Oles dominated out of the gate, racing out to a 2-0 lead, and notched their eighth win of the season.
St. Olaf has been pretty good against teams ranked nationally as of late, going 2-0-1 against them. The Oles and Saints played to a 3-3 tie before St. Scholastica won in a shootout.
St. Olaf improved to 8-8-3 overall and 4-4-2 in the conference while St. Scholastica has yet to get out of a weekend with a sweep during the 2024 portion of the season. The Saints had won their first 10 games but now sit at 12-4-1 overall and 5-2-1 in the MIAC.
Cody Sherman helped pave the way for St. Olaf, tallying a goal and an assist. Kelijah McElroy dished out two assists on a night when St. Olaf dominated offensively, outshooting the Saints 42-18, including 23 shots in the opening period.
It was a different story on Friday when St. Scholastica opened up a 3-1 lead before Connor Kalthoff scored twice to tie the game and record the first two-goal effort of his college career.
Tristan Shewchuk scored twice for the Saints.
A sweep for the Auggies
Augsburg pushed itself above the .500 mark with a sweep of Gustavus over the weekend.
The Auggies won 3-2 on Friday, snapping a two-game losing streak, and prevailed by the same score on Saturday.
Dylan Schneider, Nick Catalano and Gunnar Williams all scored for Augsburg, which improved to 9-7-1 overall and 6-2 in MIAC play. Gustavus fell to 7-10-2 overall and 2-7-1 in the conference.
Catalano’s goal was his fifth of the season, and while the Auggies were outshot 38-26, Samuel Vyletelka notched his 10th victory, racking up 36 saves. It’s the third consecutive game where he’s stopped 30 or more shots.
Vyletelka made 34 saves in Friday’s win, including 25 in the final two periods. Erik Palmqvist tallied his sixth goal of the year in the win.
What a night for Westlund
Bethel’s Joe Westlund came through with the first hat trick of his college career on Friday in a game against Concordia that ended in a 4-4 tie before the Royals won the shootout.
The Royals then dominated Saturday’s game against the Cobbers, winning 6-0 to take control of first place in the MIAC standings.
Six different players scored for the Royals, who improve to 12-4-3 overall and 6-2-2 in the MIAC.
Westlund has come through with seven goals and five assists on the year for the Royals, who already have two more wins than they did all of last season. Perhaps the most impressive thing about Westlund is that he’s only a freshman.
Three in a row for UW-Eau Claire
The Blugolds entered the weekend ranked 14th in the nation and picked up a pair of important WIAC wins over UW-Superior and stretched their win streak to three.
UW-Eau Claire finished off the series with a 3-1 win over winning 2-0 in the opener on Friday.
Quinn Green helped highlight Saturday’s victory, dishing out three assists, while Leo Bacallao scored his seventh goal of the year. Green now has 11 assists on the season. Max Gutjahr stopped 21 shots Saturday and made 23 saves in Friday’s victory.
UW-Eau Claire is now 12-6-1 overall and 5-2-1 in the conference.
Pointers keep unbeaten streak intact
UW-Stevens Point is unbeaten in its last eight games as it stays on track for a WIAC championship.
The Pointers picked up two more wins this past weekend, sweeping UW-River Falls 4-3 and 4-1.
Connor Witherspoon was the hero in Friday’s game, scoring in the last minute to lift the Pointers to a victory. Alex Proctor racked up 34 saves.
The Pointers trailed 3-2 after two periods before rallying for the win in the third. Back-to-back goals by Dylan Smith had given the Falcons a one-goal lead after two.
Four different players scored for the Pointers on Saturday as they improved to 14-3-1 overall and 8-1 in the conference. The Falcons are 11-8 overall and 3-6 in league play.
Stout soars to sweep
UW-Stout dominated its series against Northland, winning 4-1 on Friday before cruising to a 7-0 win on Saturday. The Blue Devils have now won 16 consecutive games against Northland.
Five players had multi-point games for the Blue Devils, including a pair of goals from Boyd Stahlbaum and three assists from Nicolas Pigeon. Dawson Green did his part as well, stopping 18 shots for his second career shutout and first of the season.
The Blue Devils improved to 7-10-2 overall and 5-4 in league play. They came into the weekend on a five-game winless streak but ended it with Friday’s win. They scored three goals in the second period to set the tone. Kullan Daikawa and Brandon Connett each came through with a goal and assist.
