Three of the bigger NCHC talking points from the weekend just gone:
Huskies, Hawks share spoils
Many thought the weekend series between No. 4 North Dakota and No. 7 St. Cloud State would be a split. Lo and behold, that’s what happened.
UND, playing its first hockey game under their new Fighting Hawks nickname, eked past homestanding SCSU Friday in a 4-3 win. A Drake Caggiula hat trick hat trick saw the visitors through, and 35 saves from goaltender Matt Hrynkiw were just enough.
St. Cloud then bounced back in a big way Saturday, rolling to a 6-1 win. Three consecutive Huskies goals helped to get Hrynkiw yanked in the second period, and Hawks backup Cam Johnson just as many goals in his 27:29 on the ice.
The Huskies did an excellent job of spreading out their scoring Saturday. Six different SCSU icers found the back of the Hawks’ net, and 10 Huskies picked up assists.
SCSU (9-3 overall, 5-1 NCHC) will face Minnesota this Friday and Sunday. UND (10-2-2, 5-1) also has a Friday-Sunday set away to Michigan State.
Bulldogs hit CC for 11 goals
Things were already looking bleak for Colorado College heading into this weekend, with the Tigers having lost each of their first 10 games of the season.
That streak now stands at 12 games after No. 17 Minnesota-Duluth gave CC a pair of poundings Friday and Saturday in Colorado Springs. UMD won the series-opener 5-0 before hitting the Tigers for even more Saturday in a 6-0 rout.
Three Bulldogs goals in Friday’s third period bookended tallies from Austin Farley in the first and third periods. Farley then scored twice more Saturday while picking up as many assists.
UMD (5-5-3, 2-3-1-1) is off until the Bulldogs host Western Michigan Dec. 4-5. CC (0-12, 0-6) is back at this next weekened in a home-and-home with Air Force.
RedHawks show strength in 3-on-3 session
Miami got back on track Friday against sixth-rankedOmaha, taking an extra point in a new 3-on-3 second overtime period the NCHC installed for this season’s league games.
After the RedHawks and Mavericks skated to a 3-3 tie through 65 minutes, Miami scored what for league purposes was considered a game-winner. After Louie Belpedio shot a puck into UNO goaltender Kirk Thompson’s chest, Belpedio snagged his own rebound and fired home under Thompson’s glove.
Omaha got its own back Saturday in another game that went to overtime. Jake Randolph found a game-winner for the Mavericks 3:14 into the first and only extra session.
Miami (5-7-2, 2-5-1-1) is now off until it visits Colorado College Dec. 4-5. Omaha (9-2-1, 3-2-1) is back home later this week to take on former CCHA rival Ohio State.
