Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our new Monday 10 feature.
1. Ohio State and Penn State split an entertaining series in Columbus
In one of two top-10 matchups this weekend, the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions each picked up a victory with Penn State winning 4-3 on Friday and OSU responding with a 5-2 victory on Saturday.
Friday’s game was back and forth. The Buckeyes held a 1-0 lead after one period before Penn State lit the lamp three times in the second. Ohio State’s Austin Pooley scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game at two goals apiece before Cole Hults gave the Nittany Lions the lead again. John Wiitala tied the game two and a half minutes into the final period and Denis Smirnov scored the game-winning goal on the power play at the 8:36 mark. Peyton Jones had 41 saves in the game. Ohio State’s Sean Romeo had 39 in a losing effort.
Saturday’s game was closer than the final score made it look. Dakota Joshua gave Ohio State a 3-2 lead with 2:17 left in the third period and Sasha Larocque and Brendon Kearney added empty-net goals for the Buckeyes.
2. Michigan and Wisconsin couldn’t find a game-winner
To say there wasn’t much separating the Wolverines and Badgers this weekend at Yost Ice Arena would be an understatement.
The two teams tied 1-1 on Friday and 2-2 on Saturday. The Big Ten’s new overtime rules debuted on Friday with the Wolverines picking up the extra conference point via a goal during the 3-on-3 session. Wisconsin picked up the extra point Saturday after winning the shootout.
Wisconsin’s Mick Messner and Michigan’s Adam Winborg scored goals on Friday. Ty Emberson and Jack Gorniak scored on Saturday for the Badgers and Jack Becker and Luke Morgan lit the lamp for the Wolverines.
3. Robert Morris rebounds nicely
After giving up 18 goals to Penn State last weekend, Robert Morris really needed some positive results this weekend.
It responded with a convincing home-and-home sweep of Mercyhurst. The Colonials won 3-1 at home on Friday and picked up a 7-1 road win on Saturday.
Jacob Coleman and Eric Israel scored second-period goals on Friday after the game was tied at one goal apiece after one period. Francis Marotte made 32 saves. RMU scored two goals in the first and second period on Saturday before Mercyhurst opened the third period with its lone goal. Justin Addamo had two goals for the Colonials.
4. Arizona State comes back to Earth
It says a lot about how far Arizona State’s program has come that a road sweep at the hands of a NCHC team is disappointing, but here we are.
Omaha took down the Sun Devils 6-4 on Friday and 4-0 on Saturday.
Friday’s win was of the comeback variety for the Mavericks. Taylor Ward tied the game at 4-4 at the 12:51 mark of the third period. Fredrik Olofsson buried the game-winner roughly two minutes later and Omaha iced the game with an empty netter. The Mavericks got two goals from Mason Morelli and goaltender Evan Weninger picked up a 44-save shutout on Saturday.
5. Denver and Providence play a competitive series in the Rockies
In the other top-10 matchup this weekend, Denver picked up a 3-1 victory over Providence on Friday and the two teams skated to a 4-4 tie on Saturday.
Jaakko Heikkinen and Tyler Ward scored in the third period to give the Pioneers the victory on Friday. Devin Cooley made 39 saves for Denver.
Neither team enjoyed the lead much on Saturday. Denver’s Cole Guttman tied the game seven seconds after Jack Dugan gave Providence a 1-0 lead. The Friars build a 3-1 lead in the second but Emilio Pettersen and Ward scored 42 seconds apart to tie the game again. Heikkinen tied the game for the final time early in the third period, 20 seconds after Providence took the lead.
6. Bemidji State deals Minnesota State its second loss of the season
With No. 1 St. Cloud State and No. 2 Minnesota Duluth idle this weekend, the target was on No. 3 Minnesota State.
The Mavericks were able to pick up a 3-2 victory against Bemidji State on Friday at Stanford Center but fell 4-2 to the Beavers on Saturday.
Adam Brady and Nick Cardelli scored in the first six minutes of Saturday’s contest to chase Mavericks’ goaltender Mathias Israelsson after he gave up two goals on three shots. Edwin Hookenson cut BSU’s leas to one in the second but Jay Dickman scored the eventual game-winner at the 3:29 mark of the third period before Charlie Gerard scored Minnesota State’s second goal of the game.
7. North Dakota scores four goals in its opponent’s net and two in its own on Saturday
North Dakota put two pucks into its own net to give Alaska Anchorage a 2-0 lead on Saturday night. UAA’s Nicolas Erb-Ekholm was given credit for both goals. According to Brad Schlossman, the two own goals gave UND four in its last four games.
The Fighting Hawks were, however, able to mount a comeback to make the self-inflected wounds a footnote in the story of the game. The Seawolves held a 3-1 lead after two periods but Matt Kiersted scored one and Rhett Gardner lit the lamp twice for UND in the third and the Fighting Hawks pulled off a 4-3 win and series sweep.
8. Bentley picks up two road wins
They may have been against a down Boston College team and a one-win Holy Cross squad, but two road wins is nothing to scoff at for Bentley.
Tanner Jago, Will Garin and Matt Lombardozzi gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead at Conte Forum on Friday. Bentley then staved off a Boston College comeback and Jake Kauppila iced the game with an empty-net goal.
Bentley used second-period goals Michael Zuffante, Luke Orysiuk and Alexey Solovyev to capture a 4-2 victory on Saturday.
9. Michigan State shows resiliency in avoiding sweep at Minnesota
Things weren’t exactly going great for Michigan State this weekend. The Spartans brought a five-game losing streak into the series at 3M Arena at Mariucci and got clobbered by the Gophers in Friday’s game.
On Saturday Michigan State found itself down 2-0 but this time, instead of folding, answered Minnesota’s two second period goals with two of its own during the final two minutes of the middle frame. Brody Stevens and Tommy Apap scored in the third to give MSU the 4-2 victory and series split. Drew DeRidder had 28 saves one night after starting the game, getting pulled and then being put back into the game for mop-up duty.
10. New Hampshire beats and ties Miami at home
In a weekend that didn’t have a ton of upsets, New Hampshire defeating and tying No. 19 Miami at home will have to suffice. The Wildcats and RedHawks tied 3-3 on Friday and UNH picked up the 4-1 victory on Saturday.
After a 2-1 lead turned into a 3-2 deficit early in the third period, Liam Blackburn salvaged the tie for New Hampshire when he scored with 34 seconds remaining in the third.
After Miami took the lead on Friday, Blackburn scored again to even the game in the first period. UNH got goals from Patrick Grasso, Marcus Vela and Max Gildon in the third period to take the lead and pull away.
