FRIDAY ROUNDUP: North Dakota clinches seventh Penrose Cup

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North Dakota clinched its seventh Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champions with a 5-3 win at Western Michigan on Friday (Photo: North Dakota athletics)

North Dakota clinched its seventh Penrose Cup as NCHC regular-season champion by going into Lawson and beating Western Michigan, 5–3. The Fighting Hawks struck first and never really let the night settle, getting a goal from Sam Laurila at 4:40, answering WMU’s quick equalizer, then going back in front late in the first on Ollie Josephson’s finish to take a 2–1 lead into intermission.

Western Michigan pushed back in the second and tied it again on Zach Bookman at 8:10, but North Dakota responded the way championship teams do. Josh Zakreski put the Hawks back on top at 16:00, and despite being outshot overall, UND carried a 3–2 edge into the third with Jan Špunar steady in net as the Broncos tried to tilt the ice.

The decisive swing came early in the third: Will Zellers scored at 4:42 for the eventual game-winner, giving North Dakota some breathing room. WMU made it interesting late with an extra-attacker goal from Zaccharya Wisdom at 17:58 to pull within one, but Mac Swanson iced it with the empty-netter at 19:40, sealing the 5–3 win for North Dakota.

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Ohio State 5, No. 1 Michigan State 1

Ohio State knocked off No. 1 Michigan State, 5–1, jumping out early and controlling the game from there. The Buckeyes opened a 3–0 lead in the first period, getting goals from Bryce Ingles, Jake Karabela, and Max Montes to put the Spartans in a hole.

Special teams helped Ohio State build separation. Karabela’s first-period power-play goal stood as the game-winner, and Montes added another power-play marker in the second as OSU finished 2-for-8 with the extra skater. Michigan State got on the board late in the second on Anthony Romani’s goal, but Ohio State still carried a 4–1 lead into the third.

The Buckeyes closed it out early in the final period when Karabela scored his second of the night at 2:43. Ohio State outshot Michigan State, 39–23, and Kristoffer Eberly made 22 saves in the win while Trey Augustine stopped 34 for the Spartans.

No. 2 Michigan 4, Minnesota 2

No. 2 Michigan rebounded with a 4–2 win over Minnesota to close the series, getting the game-winner from Asher Barnett in the third period. Barnett finished with a goal and an assist, and Malcolm Spence added a goal and two assists as the Wolverines pulled away late.

Michigan opened the scoring on T.J. Hughes’ goal at 1:50 of the first, but Minnesota answered with two goals in the second from Javon Moore and Beckett Hendrickson. Spence kept Michigan level late in the period, scoring at 15:15 to make it 2–2 heading into the third.

Barnett broke the tie at 13:31 of the third off assists from Spence and Hughes, and Cole McKinney added an empty-net goal at 18:57. Jack Ivankovic made 25 saves for Michigan, Luca Di Pasquo stopped 29 for Minnesota, and neither team scored on the power play.

No. 14 Dartmouth 7, No. 7 Quinnipiac 4

No. 14 Dartmouth strengthened its NCAA tournament at-large hopes with a 7–4 win over Quinnipiac, breaking open a one-goal game with five third-period goals. Jack Silverberg scored twice in the final minutes, and Andrew Clarke’s goal at 8:38 of the third stood as the game-winner.

Quinnipiac led 2–1 after the first and 3–2 after two, getting first-period goals from Antonin Verreault and Chris Pelosi and a late second-period marker from Ethan Wyttenbach. Dartmouth stayed within reach on goals from Alex Krause and Hayden Stavroff, setting up a decisive third period.

Dartmouth took control early in the third with goals from Nikita Nikora and Joshua Schenk, then Clarke put the Big Green in front for good. Wyttenbach pulled Quinnipiac within 5–4 at 10:06, but Silverberg finished it with an unassisted short-handed empty-net goal at 16:08 and another empty-netter at 17:48. Emmett Croteau made 22 saves for Dartmouth in the win.

No. 19 Massachusetts 5, No. 13 Connecticut 1

No. 19 UMass picked up a key road result with a 5–1 win over No. 13 Connecticut, getting a big night from Michael Hrabal and pulling away with three goals in the third period. Hrabal finished with 37 saves as the Minutemen won in a game where chances were there for both sides.

The teams were tied 1–1 after the first, with Owen Murray opening the scoring for UMass and Jake Richard answering on the power play for UConn. Bo Cosman’s goal at 6:20 of the second put the Minutemen in front for good, and UMass carried a 2–1 lead into the third.

UMass broke it open in the final period with a short-handed goal from Francesco Dell’Elce at 5:52, then added two power-play goals from Daniel Jenčko and Václav Nestrašil. The win helps UMass as it tries to move inside the NPI bubble, while the loss tightens the picture for Connecticut, which sits 15th — currently the final at-large spot.

Bemidji Stata 3, No. 17 St. Thomas 1

St. Thomas took a hit to its at-large hopes Friday, falling on the road to Bemidji State, 3–1. Max Hildebrand anchored the win with 32 saves as the Beavers withstood a heavy third-period push.

Bemidji State grabbed the lead on a short-handed goal from Kirklan Irey late in the first, then extended it in the second when Oliver Peer scored the eventual game-winner at 7:14. St. Thomas answered with a short-handed goal of its own from Bauer Berry at 13:51 to pull within 2–1 after two.

The Tommies carried play in the third and finished with a 33–21 edge in shots, but Hildebrand kept the door closed. Reilly Funk added an insurance goal at 10:57 of the third to seal it for Bemidji State, while Carsen Musser made 18 saves for St. Thomas in the loss.