FRIDAY COLLEGE HOCKEY ROUNDUP: Miami, No. 20 Union to meet in final in Belfast

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Four different players scored as Miami skated past RIT, 4-0, in the second semifinal of the 2025 Friendship Four in Belfast, N.I. They will face No. 20 Union in Saturday’s final (Photo: Miami Athletics/Liv Kakabeeke)

 

Here are summaries from around college hockey for Friday, November 28, 2025:

SCOREBOARD  |  USCHO POLL  |  UPDATED NPI

Friendship Four (Belfast, N.I.)

Miami 4, RIT 0

Miami opened and closed strong, shutting out RIT 4–0 at the Friendship Four on Friday. Matteo Drobac backstopped the RedHawks with a 23-save performance, while a fast start in the first period gave Miami a lead it would not relinquish.

Miami will face No. 20 Union, an 8-1 winner over Sacred Heart in Saturday’s championship game for the Belpot Trophy.

The RedHawks jumped on top early when Bradley Walker scored the eventual game-winner just 2:38 into the first, finishing a feed from Ethan Hay and Nicholas Mikan. Miami doubled its advantage later in the frame on the power play, as Ilia Morozov converted at 14:27 off passes from Vladislav Lukashevich and David Deputy to make it 2–0 after one. After a scoreless second period in which Drobac turned aside all nine RIT shots, the Tigers pressed in the third but couldn’t break through.

Miami put the game out of reach in the closing minutes with a pair of empty-net goals. Lukashevich extended the lead to 3–0 at 16:56, set up by Matteo Giampa and Kocha Delic, and Doug Grimes added a fourth at 18:42 from Casper Nassen and Ryder Thompson. The RedHawks outshot RIT 31–23, went 1-for-5 on the power play, and killed all three Tiger opportunities. Jakub Krbecek stopped 27 of 29 shots in 58:25 for RIT, while Miami also held a 30–24 edge in the faceoff circle to complete the shutout.

No. 20 Union 8, Sacred Heart 1

Union erupted for eight unanswered goals after an early deficit, rolling past Sacred Heart 8–1 on Saturday. The Pioneers struck first, but Union responded with three goals late in the opening period and never looked back, controlling play at even strength, on special teams, and in the faceoff dot.

Sacred Heart grabbed a 1–0 lead at 7:13 of the first on a goal from Gavin Bryant, assisted by Ethan Wolthers. Union answered quickly and decisively: Riley Brueck tied it at 13:33, Ben Muthersbaugh buried the eventual game-winner just 44 seconds later at 14:17, and Brandon Buhr made it 3–1 at 18:51. Union kept its foot on the gas in the second, stretching the lead to 6–1 on goals by Connor Smith, Tyler Dunbar, and a late power-play tally from Lucas Buzziol at 18:18.

The onslaught continued in the third as Drew Sutton pushed the margin to 7–1 at 6:25, and Muthersbaugh added his second of the night at 8:49 to cap the scoring. Union outshot Sacred Heart 32–19, went 1-for-4 on the power play while holding the Pioneers to 0-for-3, and dominated the faceoff circle 33–20 (62.3%).

Adirondack Winter Classic (Lake Placid, N.Y.)

Alaska 2, St. Lawrence 0

Alaska will play for a championship on Saturday after shutting out St. Lawrence 2–0 at Herb Brooks Arena. Goaltender Lassi Lehti turned aside all 19 shots he faced, backstopping the Nanooks to a methodical semifinal win.

After a scoreless opening period in which the teams traded six shots apiece, Alaska took control early in the second. William Fleet broke the deadlock just 1:25 into the frame, finishing a feed from Davis Borozinskis to make it 1–0. The Nanooks doubled the lead at 6:40 when Michael Citara converted off a setup from Jackson Anderson and Peyton Platter, giving Alaska all the offense it would need.

St. Lawrence generated some pushback but couldn’t solve Lehti, going 0-for-5 on the power play despite eight penalty minutes assessed to the Nanooks. Alaska finished 0-for-4 with the man advantage but held a 25–19 edge in shots and controlled the faceoff circle 35–23 (60.3%). Lehti’s 19 saves and a disciplined defensive effort carried Alaska into Sunday’s title game, while Colin Winn stopped 23 of 25 in a hard-luck loss for the Saints.

Clarkson 2, UMass Lowell 0

Clarkson will face Alaska on Saturday with a trophy on the line after a 2–0 win over UMass Lowell on Saturday night at Herb Brooks Arena. Shane Soderwall stopped all 21 shots he faced, and the Golden Knights scored twice in the second period to secure the shutout.

The tournament hosted by ECAC foes Clarkson and St. Lawrence features predetermined matchups each night, meaning a point system needs to be used to determine the champion.  Friday’s results, however, makes Saturday’s game between the Golden Knights and Nanooks the de facto title game.

After a scoreless opening frame in which Clarkson held a 13–6 edge in shots, the Knights finally broke through at 6:15 of the second when Ryan Bottrill finished a feed from Jace Letourneau to make it 1–0. Bottrill then helped double the lead at 13:37, setting up Justin Cote to push the advantage to 2–0, which held the rest of the way.

Clarkson outshot UMass Lowell 31–21 and controlled the puck for long stretches, while both teams went 0-for-3 on the power play. Soderwall’s 21-save effort anchored the win, and Austin Elliott kept the River Hawks in it with 29 saves on 31 shots before coming off for the extra attacker late. Clarkson also held a 25–22 edge on faceoffs to close out the semifinal victory.

In other college hockey action from Friday…

No. 1 Michigan 5, Harvard 1

No. 1 Michigan opened its weekend at Harvard with a 5–1 win Friday night, riding a pair of goals from Will Horcoff and 32 saves from Jack Ivankovic. The Wolverines struck twice in the first period and never trailed, matching the Crimson 33–33 in shots but finishing far more clinically.

Michigan broke through at 11:49 of the first on Josh Eernisse’s opener, then Horcoff doubled the lead 1:25 later with the eventual game-winner. Cole McKinney pushed it to 3–0 with a power-play goal at 12:54 of the second, and Horcoff’s second of the night early in the third made it 4–0.

Harvard’s Will Hughes spoiled the shutout bid at 6:28 of the third, but Malcolm Spence answered at 12:41 to restore the four-goal cushion. Ivankovic finished with 32 stops, while Harvard’s Ben Charette made 28 saves. Michigan went 1-for-3 on the power play and held the Crimson to 0-for-4 while owning a 36–29 edge on draws.

No. 3 Michigan State 4, Colgate 1

No. 3 Michigan State rode a big night from its top forwards and a lethal power play to a 4–1 win over Colgate. Daniel Russell factored into three of the four Spartan goals, and Trey Augustine turned aside 25 shots as Michigan State controlled play territorially from start to finish.

Eric Nilson opened the scoring at 16:48 of the first, finishing a feed from Shane Vansaghi to send the Spartans to the room up 1–0. Russell doubled the lead just 38 seconds into the second period off a setup from Porter Martone and Maxim Štrbák, and after Colgate’s Michael Neumeier cut the deficit to 2–1 with a power-play blast at 5:44, Michigan State answered right back. Ryker Lee restored the two-goal cushion on the man advantage at 7:53, with Russell and Charlie Stramel drawing assists. Russell then put the game away in the third, burying another power-play marker at 14:09 from Matt Basgall and Lee.

The Spartans’ special teams and shot volume were the difference: Michigan State went 2-for-3 on the power play while holding Colgate to 1-for-4 and outshooting the Raiders 43–26, including a 19-shot third period. Augustine was steady with 25 saves on 26 shots, while Colgate’s Reid Dyck battled to keep his team in it, stopping 39 of 43. Michigan State also held a slight 37–33 edge in the faceoff circle in the victory.

No. 15 Boston College 5, Notre Dame 3

Boston College used a four-goal second period and a hat trick from sophomore star James Hagens to rally past Notre Dame 5–3 in the “Holy War on Ice” on Saturday at Conte Forum. The Eagles erased deficits of 1–0 and 2–1 to improve their nonconference résumé, outshooting the Irish 34–23 on the night.

Notre Dame opened the scoring at 3:23 of the first when Danny Nelson cashed in on the power play off feeds from Evan Werner and Cole Brown for the lone goal of the opening frame. BC’s offense came to life in the second, starting with Will Skahan’s equalizer at 7:04, set up by Will Traeger and Gavin Cornforth. Werner briefly restored the Irish lead at 11:46, but the Eagles roared back: Dean Letourneau tied it less than a minute later, then set up Hagens for the go-ahead goal at 17:03. Hagens struck again with 12 seconds left in the period, ripping an unassisted tally at 19:48 to cap a four-goal surge and send BC to the intermission up 4–2.

Notre Dame cut the deficit early in the third when Paul Fischer scored at 2:27 from Cole Knuble and Sutter Muzzatti, but Hagens completed his hat trick at 7:23, finishing a setup from Will Vote and Aram Minnetian to restore the two-goal cushion. The Irish finished 1-for-3 on the power play while BC went 0-for-2, though the Eagles controlled shot volume and generated the better chances at five-on-five. Louka Cloutier made 20 saves in the win, and Nicholas Kempf stopped 29 shots for Notre Dame in the losing effort.

Arizona State 3, Ohio State 2 (F/OT)

Arizona State erased a pair of one-goal deficits and capped the comeback in overtime, edging Ohio State 3–2 at Mullett Arena. Cruz Lucius scored the winner just over a minute into the extra session as the Sun Devils outlasted the Buckeyes in a tight nonconference matchup that went the distance.

Ohio State struck first at 5:00 of the opening period when Davis Burnside scored unassisted to make it 1–0. Arizona State answered on the power play at 14:19, with Cullen Potter converting off feeds from Bennett Schimek and Lucius to send the game to the intermission tied 1–1. Burnside restored the Buckeyes’ lead at 12:21 of the second, again unassisted, and Ohio State carried that 2–1 advantage into the third.

The Sun Devils pushed back late. Noah Powell knotted the game 2–2 at 12:57 of the third, finishing a setup from Brasen Boser, with goaltender Connor Hasley earning the secondary assist. In overtime, Lucius ended it at 1:13, burying a feed from Potter with Schimek adding his second helper of the night. Arizona State outshot Ohio State 33–32, went 1-for-4 on the power play while holding the Buckeyes to 0-for-2, and held a 29–21 edge on faceoffs. Hasley made 30 saves in the win, matching Ohio State’s Kristoffer Eberly, who stopped 30 of 33 in the losing effort.

No. 13 Dartmouth 7, Vermont 2

No. 13 Dartmouth erupted for four first-period goals and never looked back in a 7–2 rout of Vermont. The Big Green shook off two Catamount equalizers in the opening frame, then pulled away with five unanswered goals to close out a dominant nonconference win and remain perfect at 7-0-0..

Dartmouth struck first at 5:49 when Cam MacDonald finished a feed from Hank Cleaves and Hayden Stavroff, but Vermont answered at 12:28 through Sebastian Törnqvist. The teams traded goals again as Jason Stefanek and Jonah Aegerter scored less than two minutes apart to make it 2–2. From there it was all Big Green: Nathan Morin buried the eventual game-winner at 17:35, and Colin Grable added another at 19:21 for a 4–2 lead after one. Eric Charpentier extended the margin early in the second, before third-period power-play goals from Cooper Cleaves and Alex Krause blew the game open at 6–2 and then 7–2.

Dartmouth outshot Vermont 33–24 and went 2-for-5 on the power play while holding the Catamounts to 0-for-2. Morin (1–1–2), MacDonald (1–1–2), Stefanek (1–1–2), Krause (1–1–2), and Charpentier all had multi-point nights as the offense rolled. In goal, Roan Clarke stopped 22 of 24 shots for Dartmouth, while Vermont’s Aiden Wright made 26 saves in the loss.

No. 14 Minnesota State 4, Northern Michigan 0

No. 14 Minnesota State posted a 4–0 road shutout at Northern Michigan, powered by a pair of goals from Liam Watkins and a 35-save performance from Alex Tracy. The Mavericks scored in every period and never trailed, locking down a solid nonconference win away from home.

Watkins opened the scoring at 12:42 of the first on a power play, burying the eventual game-winner off a feed from Jacob Conrad and Evan Murr. He struck again on the man advantage at 4:48 of the second, this time set up by Luigi Benincasa and Murr. Alex Zetterberg pushed the lead to 3–0 midway through the frame, with Murr and Benincasa once again involved, and Tristan Lemyre sealed it with an empty-netter at 19:37 of the third.

Minnesota State went 2-for-3 on the power play while holding Northern Michigan to 0-for-2 and finished with a 37–35 edge in shots. Tracy was perfect in net, turning aside all 35 Wildcat attempts, while NMU’s William Gramme stopped 33 of 36 before being pulled for the extra skater late. The Mavericks also held a slight 31–29 advantage in the faceoff circle to complete the road shutout.

Colorado College 3, No. 16 Providence 2

Colorado College rallied from a pair of one-goal deficits to knock off No. 16 Providence 3–2 at Robson Arena. Brandon Lisowsky scored twice and Kaidan Mbereko made 23 saves as the Tigers earned the nonconference win.

Providence opened the scoring at 12:11 of the first when Alex Rybakov finished a feed from Andrew Centrella and Clint Levens for a 1–0 edge after one. CC answered early in the second as Lisowsky tied it 1–1 at 2:06 off passes from Brayden Schuurman and Riley Stuart, but the Friars regained the lead late in the frame when Hudson Malinoski buried a power-play goal at 15:47, set up by Logan Sawyer.

https://twitter.com/CCTigerHKY/status/1994624025067491829

The Tigers flipped the game in the third. Lisowsky struck again just 1:27 into the period on the power play, finishing a setup from Gavin Lindberg and Owen Beckner to make it 2–2. Stuart then delivered the game-winner at 11:10 from Philippe Blais-Savoie and Fisher Scott. Colorado College outshot Providence 33–25, went 1-for-4 on the power play while holding the Friars to 1-for-3, and had a slight 28–26 edge on faceoffs as Mbereko outdueled Philip Svedebäck, who stopped 30 of 33 in the loss.

No. 6 North Dakota 5, Bemidji State 5

No. 6 North Dakota used a big night from its special teams and a 42–20 shot advantage to take down Bemidji State 5–3 on the road. The Fighting Hawks erased three separate Beaver leads before finally pulling away late to secure the nonconference win.

Bemidji State opened the scoring at 9:49 of the first on a goal from Connor McClennon, but UND answered quickly when Ben Strinden tied it at 11:20 off a setup from Cole Reschny. The teams traded punches in a wild second period: Will Zellers gave North Dakota its first lead on a power-play strike at 8:33, only for Jake McLean to equalize at 9:54. Dylan James restored the Hawks’ edge with a shorthanded goal at 10:47, but Bemidji answered again through Maxon Vig at 13:57. UND finally grabbed the lead for good when Cade Littler buried a power-play marker at 16:24, set up by Abram Wiebe and Ollie Josephson.

North Dakota locked it down in the third, limiting the Beavers to six shots before Josephson sealed the win with an empty-net goal at 19:55, giving him a three-point night. Reschny finished with three assists, and Jan Špunar made 17 saves for UND, while Bemidji’s Raythan Robbins stopped 37 of 41 before coming off for the extra attacker. The Fighting Hawks went 2-for-5 on the power play, held BSU to 0-for-4, and owned a 38–33 edge in the faceoff circle in the road victory.