Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Minnesota puts forward statement weekend with back-to-back shutouts
Goaltender Justen Close posted identical 3-0 shutouts on Friday and Saturday nights over Penn State to reaching a healthy eight-point lead in the Big Ten standings over fourth-place Notre Dame. For Close, who finished the weekend stopping all 66 shots he faced, earned his 12th and 13th and now stands tied atop the all-time Gophers shutout list with Kellen Briggs and Adam Wilcox.
2. St. Cloud gets big bounce-back weekend with two-game sweep of Miami
It wasn’t too long ago we were talking about St. Cloud State as the final unbeaten team in the NCHC. But the Huskies entered this past weekend with just a single win in their last eight games (1-4-3). They had fallen below the cut line in the PairWise and were scraping for home ice position in the NCHC. A two-game sweep of Miami in Oxford pulled St. Cloud into second place in the league standings in inside the NCAA tournament cutline.
3. Michigan State sweeps rival Michigan on the weekend, takes the Duel in the D
Michigan State won rivalry week against Michigan, sweeping the Wolverines, 5-1 and 3-2, including a Saturday night win at Little Caesars Arena in front of 18,410. The sweep propels the Spartans to numerous milestones. First, they clinch home ice in the Big Ten quarterfinals. They also reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since the 2007-08 season.
4. Maine, Providence battle to split in front of sold-out crowds at Alfond
Two of Hockey East’s top teams faced off in a dramatic two-game slate in front of two sold-out crowds at Maine’s Alfond Arena. After the Black Bears held on for a 2-1 win on Friday behind 27 saves from rookie goaltender Albin Boija, Providence rallied for a 4-3 overtime victory on Saturday. Hudson Malinoski tied the game with 4:33 left and Guillaume Richard scored on the power play 23 seconds into overtime to salvage two key points on the weekend.
5. Quinnipiac hits another road bump in 3-1 loss on Friday at St. Lawrence
After smooth sailing through the ECAC schedule for much of the season for defending national champion Quinnipiac, the Bobcats posted their third loss in as many league weekends on Friday, dropping a 3-1 decision to St. Lawrence. Quinnipiac mustered just a single goal on 42 shots thanks to a heroic effort by Saints goaltender Ben Kraws. The Bobcats did complete their trip to the North Country with a 4-2 victory over Clarkson on Saturday.
6. Minnesota State, Michigan Tech battle to split in key CCHA series
In a year where it feels much of the CCHA is playing at or near .500 hockey in league play, two of the top teams – Minnesota State and Michigan Tech – almost fittingly split their weekend series in Houghton. The Huskies won the opener, 3-1, behind 31 saves from Blake Pietila. But Minnesota State had the response, a 4-2 victory, on Saturday. The Mavericks hold the points lead atop the CCHA but are only a single point ahead of St. Thomas and the Tommies hold two games in hand.
7. UMass earns massive sweep of UConn to move into fourth in Hockey East
Massachusetts swept Connecticut on the weekend behind an impressive defensive effort where the Minutemen allowed just a single goal to the Huskies. The 2-0 and 3-1 wins move UMass into the fourth and final home ice spot in the Hockey East quarterfinals. More importantly, UMass moved to 10th in the PairWise, taking the Minutement from a would-be 4th seed to a 3rd seed. Though it might sound inconsequential, it could avoid some difficult decisions for the NCAA committee come March that were discussed in last week’s Bracketology (Matt, can you link here?).
8. In a difficult first season for Stonehill, finally a moment of sunshine
Nothing has been easy for first-year program Stonehill, which did not have much of a runway to establish a new Division I program. The Skyhaws hadn’t won a game entering Saturday afternoon’s contest with Lindenwood. Even worse, Stonehill had lost to that same Lindenwood team, 10-1, on Friday evening. But Jake LaRusso’s two third period goals broke a 1-1 tie as the Skyhawks won 4-2 for their first Division I men’s victory.
9. Arizona State sweeps Alaska to reach 20 wins, but falls further from NCAAs
There are only six teams in men’s Division I hockey with 20 wins right now and five of them are in the top nine of the PairWise. The one that isn’t is Arizona State, which swept Alaska twice at home this weekend. Even with the wins, the Sun Devils now sit 19th in the PairWise and are nearly mathematically eliminated from NCAA tournament contention, which raised some questions on social media on Sunday. The reality, though, is five of the ASU wins came in overtime and the team’s strength of schedule ranks just 31st 64. Additionally, the large majority of the Sun Devils schedule was played at home this season, making it difficult to add much for weighted road victories.
10. Boston University, Northeastern get ready for Monday’s Beanpot final
Two of the hotter teams in the east – Boston University and Northeastern – will meet tonight at Boston’s TD Garden for the championship game of the 71st Beanpot. Boston University if looking for its 32nd tournament championship while Northeastern is looking for its fifth championship in six tournaments after winning the title just four times in the event’s first 65 years.
