Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Top-ranked Quinnipiac downs Colgate, falls in OT to Cornell
Quinnipiac’s new run at the top of the DCU/USCHO Division I Men’s Poll was thrown into jeopardy last weekend, when the Bobcats split the first two games of a five-game stretch away from home.
Goals from four different players, and two from Zach Metsa, helped Quinnipiac to a 5-1 win Friday at unranked Colgate, but the Bobcats weren’t as fortunate Saturday in their 2-1 overtime loss at No. 8 Cornell. Ben Berard scored the winner with 16 seconds left, as the Big Red skated on a power play and sent the Lynah Rink crowd into raptures.
Quinnipiac finishes its January slate this week, visiting Princeton on Wednesday ahead of two games at the Connecticut Ice Collegiate Hockey Tournament in Bridgeport. The Bobcats will be looking for bounce-back performances after Saturday’s defeat. As for who beat them…
2. Cornell maintains strong recent run
Look out for the Big Red. They split two games last weekend, just like Quinnipiac, but Cornell is 4-1 in its last five games.
It might have been 5-0, if Cornell’s comeback attempt would have been completed Friday in a 5-4 home loss to Princeton.
The Tigers led 3-0 midway through the second period before Cornell got on the board through Kyle Penney. The game ended in memorable fashion, as three goals were scored in the final minute. Cornell had two through Berard and Travis Mitchell, but those sandwiched Ian Murphy’s game-winner with 24.1 seconds left.
Cornell hosts Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend to wrap up a four-game homestand.
3. Merrimack takes pair from UMass Lowell
Unranked Merrimack gave No. 10 UMass-Lowell a couple of shocks last weekend, as the Warriors swept a home-and-home Hockey East series.
Two power-play goals and Hugo Ollas’ 23 saves helped Merrimack to a 3-1 home win Friday over UML. Three different Warriors scored in that game, and on Saturday in Lowell, two Liam Walsh goals lifted Merrimack to a 3-2 victory.
UML led 2-0 midway through the second period on goals from Reid Stefanson and Blake Wells. Walsh soon got Merrimack on the board, though, and Jake Durflinger tied the game around three minutes later at 11:49. That came on a power play and, wouldn’t you know it, so did Walsh’s winner at 7:28 of the third.
4. Western Michigan earns memorable sweep
After nearly a month off, fourth-ranked Western Michigan racked up a big home sweep last weekend against No. 9 North Dakota.
Ronnie Attard scored twice in Western’s 4-1 win Friday at Lawson Ice Arena, before Max Sasson and Michael Joyaux found joy in a 2-0 shutout Saturday. Brandon Bussi was perfect between the pipes, making 24 saves Saturday to finish the weekend with 58.
The undrafted Bussi is having an excellent season, boasting a .923 save percentage and 16-5 record. UND, on the other hand, appears stuck.
The Fighting Hawks were held scoreless Saturday for the first time in 88 games, and have now lost four straight for the first time since the 2013-14 season. They have also dropped nine spots in the PairWise rankings to 13th since UND’s current skid began.
5. Michigan, Minnesota share spoils
Preseason Big Ten favorites Michigan and Minnesota last weekend split a series that led up to the hype.
Ben Meyers scored 69 seconds into overtime Friday, burying a snapper to give No. 11 Minnesota a 2-1 home win over the third-ranked Wolverines. Meyers’ strike came on a lengthy power play, as Michigan’s Jacob Truscott got five minutes and a game misconduct with 2:09 left in regulation for checking from behind.
Getting to overtime gave Michigan a point in the Big Ten standings, though, and the Wolverines added to their total Saturday in a 4-1 win. Two goals 1:02 apart in the first period from Brendan Brisson and Matty Beniers canceled out Minnesota’s opener from Bryce Brodzinski
Michigan and Ohio State are now tied for first place in the Big Ten with 33 points, six ahead of Minnesota in third.
6. St. Cloud State returns with authority
After its last four games were postponed, sixth-ranked St. Cloud State came out firing last weekend in a pair of home blowout wins against Miami.
Ten St. Cloud skaters scored Friday in an 11-1 drubbing of the RedHawks, as only Zach Okabe found the back of the net twice. Nick Perbix had a school-record six points and five assists on a night when SCSU matched NCHC records for most goals in a conference game and largest margin of victory.
Saturday’s 8-0 win wasn’t a whole lot different. Veeti Miettinen and Kevin Fitzgerald both scored twice as St. Cloud set new program and NCHC records for goals in a single weekend series.
Miami, however, can’t seem to catch a break. Six points adrift in last place in the NCHC, with just one conference win so far, the RedHawks look likely to carry the bottom seed for the league tournament.
7. UMass sweeps No. 12 Northeastern
Defending national champion Massachusetts had a great weekend, winning both games of a home-and-home Hockey East set against 12th-ranked Northeastern.
A three-goal second period lifted No. 14 UMass to a 3-2 home win Friday, when eight different Minutemen hit the score sheet. Three different UMass skaters scored that day, before the Minutemen scored four in the first period of a 6-0 road blowout Saturday in Boston.
Bobby Trivigno scored twice in the rematch and helped set up UMass’ sixth goal, as the Minutemen clinched a sweep of their first games since losing twice Jan. 8-9 at Michigan.
8. Minnesota State takes it outside, throws haymakers
No. 2 Minnesota State rolled to two big wins last weekend, beating CCHA foe St. Thomas both indoors and outdoors.
Defensemen accounted for four Minnesota State goals Friday in a 5-1 road win, and five different Mavericks scored. Saturday saw MSU hammer the Tommies 7-1 in cold, snowy conditions at the Maverick football team’s Blakeslee Stadium.
David Silye’s hat trick was all the goal support MSU’s defense would need, as the Mavericks bumped their record on the season to 23-5. The game headlined Hockey Day Minnesota, an annual outdoor event that takes place in a different city each year.
9. Denver blanks CC twice in Gold Pan series
Playing against Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona doesn’t sound that fun right now.
The junior Swede is now riding a three-game shutout streak that sits at 183:16 after the fifth-ranked Pioneers blanked Colorado College twice last weekend in a home-and-home series.
Brett Stapley, Ryan Barrow and Carter Mazur each had a goal and an assist in Denver’s 5-0 home win Friday, and Cole Guttman scored twice in Saturday’s 4-0 win as the senior captain reached 100 career points with the Pioneers.
Denver is yet to trail in any game since the holiday break, and the Pioneers have killed off 18 consecutive penalties.
The Colorado rivals will play twice more at the end of the regular season, March 4-5.
10. AIC makes it 10 wins in row
Atlantic Hockey-leading American International held firm last weekend in a road sweep against Sacred Heart.
Four different AIC players scored in a 4-2 win Friday, before the Yellow Jackets spread their scoring around again in a 3-1 victory Saturday at Webster Bank Arena. Alec Calvaruso made 12 of his 26 saves in the third period, helping Chris Dodero’s power-play goal early in the second stand up as the game-winner.
AIC has now won 10 straight, dating back to Nov. 27.
