Rivalry Week kicked off Friday night in college hockey, with no shortage of stellar action.
No. 13 Michigan State took the first game in the four-game season series against archrival Michigan, scoring a 2-1 victory over the No. 6-ranked Wolverines on Friday night in East Lansing.
Michigan State matches its win total from the 2021-22 season as it improves to 12-6-1 overall and 6-4-1 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines are now 11-7-1, 3-6-0 in conference play.
Michigan opened the scoring midway through the first period on a TJ Hughes goal, but the Spartans tied it up before the end of the period on a goal by Cole Krygier.
Here's those last two saves by Dylan St. Cyr. He's good at hockey. pic.twitter.com/BC4j2y7IpF
— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) December 10, 2022
Freshman Tiernan Shoudy made his first mark on the rivalry with what would stand as the game-winner in the second period.
The Spartans smothered the Wolverine offense in the third period – MSU allowed Michigan just five shots on goal in the final period and 23 overall in the game.
Dylan St. Cyr made 22 saves, the fewest he’s made in a Big Ten game this season. It snapped a streak of 11 consecutive games of 30-plus saves for the Spartans’ goalie.
Erik Portillo stopped 29 shots for Michigan.
No. 1 Denver 3, Minnesota Duluth 2 (OT)
The Pioneers rallied from a two-goal deficit and won 3-2 in overtime over the Bulldogs on the road.
Tristan Broz scored the game-winner 2:14 into the extra session to complete DU’s first multi-goal comeback of the season. The Pioneers are now on a four-game winning streak, tied for their longest of the campaign, and have won their last five road contests.
Massimo Rizzo and Carter Mazur also scored for the Pioneers, who trailed 2-0 after the Bulldogs tallied a pair of power-play goals in the first 12 minutes of the game from Dominic James and Ben Steeves.
No doubt about it. Tristan Broz's overtime-winning tally is tonight's @Safeway Goal of the Game.#GoPios pic.twitter.com/KOujmU2Yi2
— Denver Hockey (@DU_Hockey) December 10, 2022
Magnus Chrona finished with 23 saves, including stopping all 14 shots in the final two-plus periods of play. His assist on Rizzo’s goal was the fifth of his collegiate career and his first primary helper.
Rizzo’s eighth goal of the season extended his career-long goal streak to four games, which is also the longest of the season on the team. Mike Benning had two assists, including one on Broz’s overtime tally, to move his point streak to a season-long four games.
Minnesota Duluth goalie Matthew Thiessen made 30 stops in goal.
Boston College 9, No. 6 Boston University 6
In the highest scoring Battle of Comm Ave since 1986, Boston College pulled away from Boston University for a 9-6 victory in front of a sellout crowd on Jerry York Night at Kelley Rink.
Cutter Gauthier registered two goals and two assists for a four-point performance on Friday in the 288th edition of the rivalry.
Boston College extended its home unbeaten streak against the Terriers to five games (4-0-1) at Conte Forum.
Gauthier was joined by six other Eagles with multi-point games, including Trevor Kuntar (1-2-3), Nikita Nesterenko (1-1-2), Lukas Gustafsson (1-1-2) and Connor Joyce (1-1-2). Oskar Jellvik and Eamon Powell each collected a pair of assists.
Puck had eyes. 7-5 Eags.
📺 ESPNEWS
💻 https://t.co/GmggANdwj3 pic.twitter.com/OpxS5fwSC2— BC Men's Hockey (@BC_MHockey) December 10, 2022
Friday marked the highest goal total in a Battle of Comm Ave since a 9-6 BC victory at Boston Garden on Dec. 2, 1986. Schiller Family Head Hockey Coach Greg Brown was a freshman defenseman in that game.
Wilmer Skoog posted two goals and an assist and Jeremy Wilmer and Zach Zabaneh each went for a goal and an assist for the Terriers. Drew Commesso and Vinny Duplessis combined to make 28 saves.
Mitch Benson made 15 saves to get the win in goal for the Eagles.
No. 2 Quinnipiac 8, Rensselaer 3
The goals kept on coming as second-ranked Quinnipiac potted a season-high eight, defeating RPI 8-3 on Friday night in Hamden, Conn.
The tallies came from eight different goal scorers as the Bobcats extended their unbeaten streak to 12 with one more game before the holiday break.
Quinnipiac is now 22-1-2 in its last 25 home games and have won six in a row at M&T Bank Arena.
The kick is good for Graf!#BobcatNation | #ECACHockey pic.twitter.com/ofEAVzpd6m
— Quinnipiac Men's Ice Hockey (@QU_MIH) December 10, 2022
Sam Lipkin, Christopher Fillion, Jake Johnson and Michael Lombardi all had a goal and an assist in the win, while Ethan de Jong registered three assists and Yaniv Perets and Chase Clark combined to stop 19 shots in goal.
For the Engineers, Sutter Muzzatti had a goal and two assists and Ryan Mahshie added two goals plus a helper.
Between the pipes, Carson Cherepak and Jack Watson stopped 34 shots.
No. 3 Minnesota 7, Wisconsin 1
The Gophers scored four in the first period and never looked back in downing the Badgers 7-1 on home ice.
Logan Cooley netted a pair of goals and added an assist for Minnesota, while Matthew Knies chipped in three assists and Bryce Brodzinski went for a goal and an assist.
His first #Gophers goal 🥲
And in the #BorderBattle no less 😎 @ryanchesley_ pic.twitter.com/6gh3iTWwAt
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) December 10, 2022
In goal, Justen Close made 37 stops for the Gophers.
Charlie Stramel scored the Badgers’ lone goal and Jared Moe and Kyle McClellan combined on a 24-save outing.
North Dakota 2, No. 17 Western Michigan 2 (North Dakota wins shootout)
North Dakota skated to a 2-2 tie against Western Michigan on Friday night in Kalamazoo, Mich., and despite the game finishing officially as a tie, UND earned two of three points with a shootout victory to pull within three points of WMU in the league standings.
Making his first start in his home state of Michigan since joining the Fighting Hawks, goaltender Drew DeRidder turned in one of his best performances of the season. The Fenton, Mich., native stopped 26 of 28 shots, including 10 on the WMU power play.
Big one for Louis! #UNDproud | #LGH pic.twitter.com/WQjpFJ0iYL
— North Dakota MHockey (@UNDmhockey) December 10, 2022
Trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes following a Jamie Rome goal with 0.4 remaining in the first period, North Dakota put together one of its best stanzas of the season in the second. The visitors knotted the game at 1-1 on the power play when Judd Caulfield tapped home a pass to the crease from Owen McLaughlin just over five minutes into the frame.
North Dakota kept the pressure on, eventually taking a 2-1 lead on Louis Jamernik V’s second goal of the season, setup by a great steal-and-pass from Jackson Blake, to put UND on top for the first time. Western Michigan knotted the contest at 2-2 near the midway point of the third period on a Jack Perbix goal, but DeRidder and the defense held strong over the final eight minutes to send the game into overtime.
UND dominated possession and chances in the extra session, but WMU goaltender Cameron Rowe made three sparkling saves to send the game to a shootout with each team nabbing a point.