Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Michigan State sweeps Penn State in top-three series
The country’s biggest college hockey series of last weekend was found in East Lansing, Mich., where No. 1 Michigan State pulled off a sweep of third-ranked Penn State.
Tiernan Shoudy bagged MSU’s winner Friday, as the Spartans pulled out a 2-1 overtime victory over the Nittany Lions. On Saturday, more goals filled Penn State’s net, but that isn’t to take away anything from Sparty goaltender Trey Augustine. He stopped all 36 shots he faced in a 5-0 win.
Michigan State has now won seven straight, following the Spartans’ season-opening loss at home to New Hampshire.
2. Denver nets big road sweep over defending national champs
Ninth-ranked Denver will be hoping its two-game sweep last weekend over No. 4 Western Michigan can serve as a springboard as the Pioneers continue their first-half slate.
Three third-period goals Friday helped Denver to a 3-1 win Friday inside Lawson Ice Arena, starting with Kieran Cebrian’s unassisted goal 6:45 into that final period.
Six different DU skaters then scored in Saturday’s game, a 6-3 win for the Pioneers. Western Michigan hadn’t been swept at all last season in the Broncos’ national title run, and they’ve now lost three straight for the first time since November 2023.
3. Yale gets one over on local rivals
Only 10 miles separate ECAC Hockey rivals Yale and Quinnipiac — Ray & Mike’s Deli for life — but on Friday, fifth-ranked QU’s trip home probably felt longer than that.
Four unanswered goals from Yale helped the Bulldogs upset Quinnipiac that night at Ingalls Rink, giving Yale its first win over QU since 2018.
Yale captain David Chen bagged the game-winning goal at 16:21 of the third period before Ronan O’Donnell scored into an empty net.
It ended up being a great weekend all around for Yale, which beat Princeton 2-1 on Saturday to finish the Bulldogs’ first full week of the season with two wins out of three.
4. Michigan, Wisconsin share spoils in Ann Arbor
Second-ranked Michigan and No. 10 Wisconsin split another exciting Big Ten series on Michigan’s home ice, with the host Wolverines winning 7-4 Friday before dropping a 6-1 decision Saturday.
Friday’s series opener saw five lead changes before Will Horcoff scored the game-winner with an unassisted marker at 16:16 of the third period, ending a string of four unanswered goals for U-M. Wisconsin got its own back the following day, though, leading 3-0 in the first period and cruising to victory.
Ben Exheimer had a goal and three points in the series finale for Wisconsin, which jumped to 7-1-2 on the season. The Badgers were 3 for 7 on power plays Saturday.
5. Maine, UMass split, too
No. 6 Maine and No. 13 Massachusetts split a two-game set last weekend at UMass’s Mullins Center.
Josh Nadeau’s three goals and four points Friday lifted Maine to its 6-2 victory in the series opener, but UMass answered in a big way the following night. Minutemen goaltender Jackson Irving made 37 saves in a 4-0 win, with Daniel Jenčko bagging two goals for the hosts.
Since then, in the latest USCHO.com Division I rankings, Maine has dropped down two spots to No. 8, with UMass moving up one to 12th.
6. BU makes hard work of sweep over Merrimack
Twelfth-ranked Boston University picked up a two-game sweep of Hockey East rival Merrimack last weekend, but the Terriers certainly had their work cut out.
Jack Murtagh’s goal 21 seconds into overtime on Friday was the difference in BU’s 3-2 victory. On Saturday, a late Merrimack push came up just short as the Warriors fell 5-4 on home ice at Lawler Rink.
Three unanswered goals early in Saturday’s second period made it 3-0 to BU, and although the Terriers led 5-2 midway through the third, two more Merrimack goals made a game of it. North Dakota transfer Sacha Boisvert had four assists for the visitors.
7. North Dakota rolls down I-29, sweeps Omaha
No. 6 North Dakota didn’t run into much trouble on its travels last weekend, as the Fighting Hawks swept Omaha by a combined score of 11-3.
Four power-play goals Friday were enough on their own for UND in its 7-2 win, with the Hawks scoring three goals in both the second and third periods.
All of UND’s goals Saturday in a 4-1 win came at even strength. Four different Hawks potted a goal apiece in UND’s third win in a row.
8. UMD continues hot start
Third-ranked Minnesota Duluth picked up a pair of home wins last weekend against in-state opposition, beating St. Cloud State 4-0 on Friday and winning 3-2 in Saturday’s rematch.
Adam Gajan pitched an 18-save shutout in UMD’s series opener at Amsoil Arena, on a night when four different Bulldogs scored at the other end of the ice.
UMD then posted a big 3-2 overtime win Saturday, overturning a 2-1 deficit with Grayden Siepmann’s goal early in the third period before Max Plante netted the winner 2:32 into the extra frame.
9. Minnesota State splits two with BGSU
Sixteenth-ranked Minnesota State remains in that spot in the latest USCHO.com Division I poll, despite skating to a pair of home ties last weekend against CCHA foe Bowling Green.
Three consecutive goals in Friday’s first period couldn’t help Minnesota State over the line, instead skating to a 4-4 tie with the Falcons. Noah Morneau’s goal with 1:03 left in regulation helped BGSU nab a point, before the Falcons did the same again Saturday in a 1-1 draw.
BGSU won Saturday’s overtime shootout, after MSU took one in the series opener.
10. Holy Cross lands big sweep over Niagara
In Atlantic Hockey action, Holy Cross skated to two blowout wins over Niagara, beating the Purple Eagles 5-1 on Friday and following that up with a 6-2 win Saturday.
Two power-play goals Friday were enough on their own for the Crusaders, on a night when five different Holy Cross skaters found the back of the Niagara net. Four unanswered goals in Saturday’s third period, including two on power plays, helped Holy Cross secure a series sweep.
The Crusaders are now 4-0-1 in their last five games.