Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. North Dakota sweeps rival Pioneers
Eleventh-ranked Denver entered last weekend having won just two of the Pioneers’ last 17 games at long-time rival North Dakota’s Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Make it two of 19, after UND swept the teams’ latest two-game set. Two Louis Jamernik goals, including an empty-netter, helped the No. 8 Fighting Hawks to a 3-1 win Friday. The following evening, UND got goals from four different skaters in a 4-1 victory.
The last few minutes of the series were testy, and the teams combined for 48 minutes’ worth of penalties in Saturday’s third period. Denver’s Carter Savoie and UND’s Tyler Kleven were both given major and game misconduct calls for contact to the head, on incidents coming just 1:40 apart.
2. Top-10 teams split in Kalamazoo
Fourth-ranked Minnesota Duluth and No. 10 Western Michigan skated to a weekend split at WMU’s Lawson Ice Arena.
Fifth-year senior Ethen Frank’s second goal of the night, coming with 1:26 left, lifted Western to a 4-3 victory Friday. UMD didn’t take the loss lying down, as the Bulldogs scored one goal in each period Saturday to beat the Broncos 3-0.
Tanner Laderoute scored twice, and Ryan Fanti stopped 35 shots for his first shutout of the season. The junior goalie has accounted for five of UMD’s six wins this season.
3. Michigan takes two from Sparty
Third-ranked Michigan took both games of a home-and-home series last weekend against hated rival Michigan State.
Michigan never trailed Friday in a 7-2 home win. Two first-period goals from Matty Beniers got the Wolverines going, and they scored three unanswered in the third.
Saturday brought a tougher test in East Lansing, but Michigan remains unbeaten on the road (3-0) after downing the Spartans 3-2 at Munn Ice Arena.
The Wolverines started the game on fire, leading 3-0 after one period on two goals from Beniers and Luke Morgan’s opener. MSU would answer through Griffin Loughran and Nicolas Muller but couldn’t find an equalizer. Michigan goalie Erik Portillo had six saves in the third period to finish the game with 18.
4. Down goes Penn State, twice
After beating North Dakota in a sort-of neutral-site game two weeks ago in Nashville, Tenn., No. 16 Penn State hoped to keep the good times rolling last week at Ohio State.
Instead, the host Buckeyes had most of the fun. Two Kamil Sadlocha goals and Jake Wise’s game-winner early in the third proved huge in Ohio State’s 5-2 victory on Friday. The Buckeyes then won their third consecutive game Saturday, getting goals from four skaters and 29 saves from Jakub Dobeš as OSU dispatched the Nittany Lions 4-1.
OSU faces another tough test this week, on the road against No. 5 Minnesota. The Golden Gophers picked up a weekend split at unranked Wisconsin.
5. Second-ranked Minnesota State salvages road split
St. Cloud State could remain at the top of this week’s USCHO poll after winning two one-goal games last weekend at Colorado College, but No. 2 Minnesota State wasn’t so lucky.
The Mavericks dropped a 2-1 decision Friday at Ferris State, as two goals from Bradley Marek helped the host Bulldogs earn just their second victory in regulation this season. Saturday’s rematch ran differently, as MSU rolled to a 5-1 win. Ferris State opened the scoring through Dallas Tulik, but the Mavericks then scored five unanswered. Cade Borchardt scored twice.
MSU hosts Bowling Green this week, while Ferris State plays a home-and-home with Michigan State.
6. Quinnipiac wins twice on road
No. 6 Quinnipiac dropped down one spot in last week’s USCHO poll, but the Bobcats responded by winning two conference games away from home.
Quinnipiac scored four goals from four different players in those two games. Jayden Lee’s first-period goal Friday stood up as the winner in a 3-0 win at Yale, and Nick Bochen grabbed the only goal of a 1-0 win Saturday at Brown. Bobcats goalie Yaniv Perets played in both games, making 12 saves in both.
The Bobcats are home for two games this weekend against unranked Arizona State. The Sun Devils were idle last week but have won their last three games.
7. Laferriere lights lamp again, and again, and again
Before last weekend, Harvard hadn’t had a player score four goals in a single game since now-Seattle Kraken forward Ryan Donato did so in February 2017.
Alex Laferriere matched that feat Saturday, scoring four consecutive goals in 13th-ranked Harvard’s 5-1 home win over Colgate.
The Los Angeles Kings draft pick broke a 1-1 tie in the middle of the first period, then bagged three more goals to bump Harvard’s record on the season to 4-0. The Crimson have started on a tear offensively, scoring 24 goals to lead the nation in goals per game at six.
Harvard visits Northeastern tonight in what will be both teams’ third game in four nights. Speaking of which…
8. Northeastern maintains solid start
A pair of 4-1 wins last weekend against New Hampshire saw Northeastern continue its promising start to the season, and the Huskies are likely to enter the USCHO top 20 this week as a result.
Two Jakov Novak goals helped Northeastern to a road win Friday in Durham, N.H., and he bagged two more Saturday at home. Northeastern (7-3-0) has now won five of its first six games this season at Matthews Arena.
Northeastern also got good goaltending from sophomore Devon Levi, who made a combined 53 saves in the sweep.
9. Look out for Merrimack
Merrimack was nowhere to be found in last week’s USCHO poll, but the Warriors might be on to something.
They followed up two last-minute losses two weeks ago against No. 12 Massachusetts by splitting last weekend against No. 14 Boston College.
BC won 4-1 Friday at Merrimack, but the Warriors never trailed in Saturday’s rematch, a 4-3 Merrimack win at Conte Forum. The Warriors surrendered a two-goal lead in the second period, but Filip Forsmark supplied the game-winner with 3:57 left.
Merrimack (4-6) faces in its next six games unranked Maine, Holy Cross, Union and Connecticut ahead of a Dec. 9 home game against UMass.
10. AIC, RIT share spoils
Atlantic Hockey rivals American International and RIT split a Saturday-Sunday series on AICs home ice.
AIC started brightest, grabbing a 7-3 win Saturday. The Yellow Jackets never trailed and scored five consecutive goals, and Brian Rigali had a three-point game with two goals.
Sunday’s rematch went to RIT, as the Tigers won 3-2 in overtime. AIC led 2-1 early in the second period on a goal from Elijiah Barriga, but Grady Hobbs soon drew the Tigers level, and after a scoreless third period, Dan Willett buried the winner on a power play 1:17 into overtime.
RIT visits Canisius this week for a Friday-Saturday set, while AIC heads Providence for nonconference action Friday.
