Here we are one month into the season and the key word with minor exception is parity. Yes, there are a few unbeaten and untied teams out there like Hobart, Oswego, UNE, Salve Regina, Hamilton and Bowdoin to name them, but everywhere there are games that are surprises and teams proving the adage that “on any given night” there are upsets in the making. This weekend saw a total of sixteen overtime games with ten bonus periods deciding a winner. If we continue that cadence through the remainder of the season there will be a lot of antacids needed for coaches everywhere.
Here’s this week’s exciting wrap-up of the action on the ice around the country:
SUNYAC travel partners continue strong play
Hobart remain unbeaten on the season after this weekend’s conference play. The Statesmen (8-0-0) picked up a pair of wins over Potsdam and Canton while Oswego (6-0-0), their travel partner also produced wins against the same SUNYAC opponents.
After a 6-4 win over Potsdam on Friday, Damon Beaver backstopped a 4-0 shutout over Canton as balanced scoring continues for Hobart.
Oswego followed up a win over Canton with a dominant 4-2 win against Potsdam, outshooting the Bears by a 59-22 margin. Like Hobart four different players scored goals in the win that moved the lakers to 6-0-0 on the season.
Battle in NCHA ends in a series split between Aurora and St Norbert
For a second week in a row, the battle between the No. 2 and No. 3 ranked teams in the nation produced some high-intensity hockey as the Spartans hosted St Norbert and split the two-game series.
Friday night saw the hosts led by one goal and an assist from Jakson Kirk and 26 saves from goaltender Matt O’Donnell in a 3-0 win over the Green Knights.
The Green Knights clearly were looking for offense in the second game of the series and scored five unanswered goals in the opening forty minutes to cruise to a 5-3-win, Aurora’s first loss of the season. The visitors scored three goals on the power play with Deyton Deics scoring one goal and adding an assist on another man-up goal.
Trinity stumbling at start of season
While some may have been surprised when Utica began the season at 0-4 with two-game series losses against Adrian and Hobart, the 0-4 start for Trinity is likely a bigger surprise with all the games being losses withing the competitive NESCAC. Following opening weekend losses to Connecticut College and Tufts, the Bantams fell 2-0 to Amherst on Friday before suffering a heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss to defending conference champions Hamilton on Saturday.
The Bantams are looking to rebound, like the Pioneers have, starting with upcoming home games against Plymouth State and Curry before closing out the first half on the road against Manhattanville and New England College.
Suffolk showcasing game as CNE contenders
The Suffolk Rams may be showing that the CNE is not just a three-team race following a win and an overtime tie with Endicott over the weekend.
On Thursday, the Rams surrendered an early goal before scoring four unanswered in a 4-1 win over the Gulls. Goaltender Austin McNicholas stopped 23 of 24 to earn the road win.
On Friday, Scott McManus’ goal in the third period tied the score at 2-2 and overtime could not decide a winner. Mc Nicholas was again solid in goal stopping 31 of 33 Gull attempts. Suffolk sits in second place at 4-1-1 to open their CNE campaign.
WIAC play opens with some surprises
Wisconsin- Eau Claire kicked off their WIAC season with two big wins over UW-Superior and UW-Stout.
On Friday, two goals from forward Luke Lavery paced the offense while goaltender Max Gutjahr stopped all twenty Yellowjacket shots for a 4-0 shutout win.
On Saturday, Gutjahr again kept the opposition in check with twenty-two saves while Max Dronen contributed a goal and an assist in a 5-1 win to help the Blugolds to a 2-0 start in conference play.
Newcomers Beloit earned their first WIAC win as the Buccaneers rebounded from an 8-3 loss to UW-Stout on Thursday with a 1-0 road win over UW-River Falls on Saturday. Joe Weber scored the only goal Beloit would need as goaltender Andrew Yocum stopped all forty-seven shots he faced in a thrilling 1-0 win.
Huskies making noise in Little East
After a hard-fought 2-1 loss to Norwich last weekend, Southern Maine’s conference schedule didn’t get easier with a road game against unbeaten Babson on Saturday.
Trailing 2-1 entering the third period, the Huskies took advantage of unassisted goals from Conor Donovan and Owen Arend to take a 3-2 lead. Babson’s Ian Driscoll scored late in the period to knot the game at 3-3 and USM goaltender Loic Morin kept the Beavers off the board securing the overtime tie. Morin made 42 saves as the Beavers held a large 45-22 shot advantage.
Sitting at 3-1-1 in LEC play, the Huskies are just four points behind league leaders Plymouth State. Overall, the Huskies are 4-2-1 and close out the first half of the season with non-conference games against Wentworth, Salem State and Salve Regina.
Knights unbeaten atop MAC standings
While it is not a surprise to see Wilkes and Stevenson at or near the top of the conference standings, it has been a while since Neumann has held the league lead. The Knights are currently in first place with a 5-0-1 conference record following a win and an overtime tie with King’s this weekend.
Following Friday’s 4-0 win over the Monarchs, the Knights surrendered a 3-1 lead in the second period and battled back for the 4-4 overtime tie with a goal from Lucas Culhane in the third period. Jared Coccimiglio scored one goal and added two assists, including a helper on the game-tying goal that helped keep Neumann unbeaten in conference play.
Major milestone for Utica’s Gary Heenan
With this weekend’s sweep of games against Manhattanville, Utica’s one and only head coach Gary Heenan picked up his 400th career win for the Pioneers in this his 24th season behind the bench.
USCHO Game Pucks
Kyle Curtin – Utica – made 62 saves in two games to produce back-to-back shutouts for the Pioneers in a pair of 3-0 wins over Manhattanville that moved Utica to 4-0-0 in the UCHC and leveled their season record at 4-4-0.
Luke Chakrabarti – VTSU Castleton – produced a six-point game with a pair of goals and four assists as the Spartans downed Massachusetts-Dartmouth 9-5 on Saturday to level their record in the Little East at 3-3-0.
Andrew Yocum – Beloit – the Buccaneers netminder produced a masterful 47-save shutout to help Beloit earn their first WIAC victory with a 1-0 upset of Wisconsin- River Falls on Saturday. Yocum was particularly sharp in the third period where he made 21 saves in protecting the slim one-goal lead.
Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on family, life’s bountiful gifts with friends and of course, great food. It is also a celebration of sport that of course includes American football but for many a joyous weekend interrupted by great hockey. While some teams are resting up for the final push of the first semester, others will be looking to build some momentum in non-conference games as well as potentially win some early season trophies. Enjoy the moments!