Posted on Posted in Colorado College Tigers, NCHC, On Location, St. Cloud State Huskies
St. Cloud State versus Colorado College for the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship from Saint Paul, Minnesota on March 18, 2023.

This is the next installment in our On Location series where we live tweet a college game (or games) that we attend in person and then later post an article here on the site. This is a special instance in that it’s in essence a combination of our On Location and Relevant Rewind series because the game took place March 18, 2023, and we’re just pulling it out of the vault and posting it now.

Teams (seed): Denver Pioneers (1), St. Cloud State Huskies (4), North Dakota Fighting Hawks (6), Colorado College Tigers (7)

Where: Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota

When: March 18, 2023

The opening round of the 2023 NCHC tournament saw two lower seeds win on the road. North Dakota defeated Omaha in three games to make it to Saint Paul while Colorado College shocked the second seed Western Michigan Broncos in a two-game sweep in Kalamazoo. It was the first road playoff sweep in Colorado College program history. It also meant it was the first time a seven seed made it to the Frozen Faceoff.

For the second season in a row, Denver was shut out in the early semifinal game in the Frozen Faceoff. This time it was to its in-state rival, Colorado College, by a score of 1-0. The evening game on Friday was between North Dakota and St. Cloud State. The higher seeded Huskies won an overtime thriller to advance to the title game.

The two NCHC trophies were on display. The Penrose Cup on the left is awarded to the top team during the regular season. Denver won it for the second season in a row after the team shared it with North Dakota the previous season. The NCHC Tournament Trophy is on the right and was on hand to be presented to the winner on the ice after the championship game.

The Penrose and NCHC Tournament Trophies on display.
The Penrose and NCHC Tournament Trophies on display.

There’s a wing of the Xcel Energy Center that is dedicated to the Patty Kazmaier and Hobey Baker Memorial Awards that was updated since the last Frozen Faceoff. This time it included a tribute to the 2022 award winners, Minnesota’s Taylor Heise and Minnesota State’s Dryden McKay.

Display case at the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to the Patty Kazmaier Award that showcased Taylor Heise
Display case at the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to the Patty Kazmaier Award that showcased Taylor Heise.
Sweaters from past Hobey Baker Award winners from Minnesota at the Xcel Energy Center.
Sweaters from Minnesota-born Hobey Baker Award winners on display at the Xcel Energy Center.
Display case at the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to the Hobey Baker Award that showcased Dryden McKay.
Display case at the Xcel Energy Center dedicated to the Hobey Baker Award that showcased Dryden McKay.

The banners on the wall were also updated to reflect Denver’s 2022 NCAA national championship win the season beforehand. Denver defeated Minnesota State in the NCAA title game the previous season and claimed its ninth hockey title.

Five national champions from the NCHC in seven years.
Five national champions from the NCHC in seven years.

The 2023 NCHC championship game took place the evening of Saturday, March 18, 2023. The Colorado College Tigers were looking for the program’s first NCHC tournament title and were facing the St. Cloud State Huskies – winners of the 2016 tournament back when it was played at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

St. Cloud State and Colorado College in action during the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game.
St. Cloud State and Colorado College in action during the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff championship game.

St. Cloud State’s defense and goaltending controlled the game. The Huskies jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the opening frame. After a scoreless second period, St. Cloud State notched two more goals in the third period to put the Tigers away. Jaxon Castor earned the championship game shutout with 17 saves as well as a spot on the All-Tournament Team. Jami Krannila was presented with the Most Outstanding Player award for the tournament. The Huskies won its second NCHC Tournament Trophy and first at the Xcel Energy Center.

St. Cloud State celebrates the 2023 Frozen Faceoff championship with a win over Colorado College.
St. Cloud State celebrates the 2023 Frozen Faceoff championship with a win over Colorado College.

Posted on Posted in Atlantic Hockey, Big Ten, Boston College Eagles, CCHA, ECAC, Hockey East, Holy Cross Crusaders, Independents, Long Island Sharks, Michigan State Spartans, Minnesota Golden Gophers, Minnesota State Mavericks, NCHC, Quinnipiac Bobcats, Western Michigan Broncos

We previously highlighted the Division I women’s regular season champions. Now that the Division I men’s conference playoffs are in motion, it’s time to cover the 2024-25 regular season conference champions. Below is a look at the seven teams that ended the regular season on top of the six conferences and the historical implications for each. (No, there was not a typo in that last sentence.)

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Holy Cross – The Crusaders won the regular season title in the first season after the Atlantic Hockey Association rebranded to Atlantic Hockey America. This marked the first regular season crown for Holy Cross since 2006. Minnesota Gophers fans will never forget what Holy Cross did in the NCAA tournament that season.

Michigan State and Minnesota – For the first time in Big Ten Hockey history, there are co-champions for the regular season title. It came down to the final weekend and both teams ended up tied at 50 points. The Spartans became back-to-back champs – the team won the Big Ten for the first time in 2023-24. Minnesota’s most recent title before this was in 2023. This year’s feat is Minnesota’s conference-leading seventh time doing so. Fun Fact: Michigan is the only team yet to win a regular season Big Ten title, yet it leads the field in conference tournament wins with three.

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Minnesota State – A year after the MacNaughton Cup traveled 269 miles north, it found its way back to Mankato this season. The Mavericks ended with a .781 points percentage and 56 points on the season. The conference tracked points percentage this season because Augustana – the newest member of the CCHA – had far fewer conference games compared to the other teams. The Vikings ended up in second place with 30 points – yet a .625 points percentage. This is an impressive seventh time Minnesota State has brought home the MacNaughton Cup in the last eight seasons. (Three in CCHA and four in the now-defunct WCHA men’s hockey conference.)

Quinnipiac – It’s a five-peat for the Bobcats. Yes, you read that right. Quinnipiac has dominated the ECAC in the past ten-plus seasons – winning the Cleary Cup nine times since 2012-13. In addition to the regular season titles, Quinnipiac won the Whitelaw Cup once for winning the conference tournament in 2016, a national championship in 2023, and was NCAA runner-up in 2013 and 2016.

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Boston College – The Eagles won the Hockey East regular season title for the second time in a row. It was the 19th time in Boston College history. The Eagles finished the season on a tear, winning six in a row to close it out and 14-2-1 overall in the last 17 games. The team is looking to win the Hockey East men’s tournament again to sweep the titles for the second year in a row.

Western Michigan – The 50th season was the charm. Western Michigan’s first season in Division I was 1973-74 and this year the Broncos won its first regular season title. Western Michigan is only the fourth school to lift up the Penrose Trophy in the 12-year history of the NCHC. (Fighting Hawks, Pioneers, and Huskies are the other three.) Western Michigan looks to win its first NCHC Frozen Faceoff this year as well – the last one being held in Saint Paul.

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It’s worth noting that of the five independent teams in Division I men’s hockey, LIU finished with the best record at 20-12-2. It’s the first time the Sharks have hit the 20-win plateau since the program began five years ago.

Posted on Posted in Atlantic Hockey, ECAC, Hockey East, WCHA

The Division I women’s conference playoffs are in full swing so there’s no time like the present to cover the 2024-25 regular season conference champions. Below is a look at the five teams that ended the regular season on top of their respective conferences and the historical implications for each.

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Penn State – The name of the conference may have changed but the regular season champion remained the same. In the first season after College Hockey America rebranded to Atlantic Hockey America, Penn State completed its regular season three-peat. The Nittany Lions went an impressive 19-1 in conference play and finished with 52 points; 13 more than second place Mercyhurst. It’s the fourth regular season title in program history for PSU.

Cornell – The Big Red won the ECAC regular season title for the first time since 2020 and seventh time overall. Heading into the ECAC conference playoffs, the Big Red have not lost in regulation since January 11. The team also won its second Ivy League title in a row.

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UConn – The Huskies are back-to-back Hockey East regular season champions. It was a close race as UConn closed out the regular season with a win over Boston University and finished with 58 points – just one more than the Terriers. The team is looking to win its second Bertagna Trophy in a row after winning the Hockey East tournament for the first time last season.

LIU – It’s a three-peat for the Sharks as the team won another NEWHA regular season title. LIU is 62-12-8 within NEWHA play throughout those three years. The Sharks closed out the 2024-25 regular season with 57 points and 19 conference wins. Franklin Pierce was the last team not named LIU to win the NEWHA regular season back in 2021-22 as the Sharks finished second that year.

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Wisconsin – The Badgers won the WCHA regular season for the first time since 2021. It’s the 10th time overall; second most in conference history. Mark Johnson coached all ten Wisconsin teams that won conference regular season titles; the most for any coach in WCHA history. The Badgers may not have won the WCHA regular season since 2021 but that didn’t stop the team from winning an NCAA national championship in 2023.

Posted on Posted in CCHA, Michigan Tech Huskies, On Location, St. Thomas Tommies

This is the next installment in our On Location series where we live tweet a college game (or games) that we attend in person and then later post an article here on the site. This is a special instance in that it’s in essence a combination of our On Location and Relevant Rewind series because the game took place November 19, 2022, and we’re just pulling it out of the vault and posting it now.

The St. Thomas men’s hockey program hosted Michigan Tech for a weekend CCHA series in November 2022. Heading into the weekend, the Tommies held an overall record of 2-10 while the Huskies were sitting at 6-3-2. At the time, Michigan Tech led the all-time series 12-4-2; one that dated back to 1922. The majority of these games took place before St. Thomas joined Division I prior to the 2021-22 season.

The St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights, Minnesota, is the current home to both the men’s and women’s hockey teams at St. Thomas. It’s also home ice for St. Thomas Academy boys hockey. The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena will open on the St. Thomas campus in St. Paul next season and will be the new home of the Tommies’ hockey and basketball programs. The new arena is expected to seat 4,000 hockey fans; more than quadruple the number of fans that the current rink can accommodate.

Outside photo of St. Thomas Ice Arena

The inside lobby of the arena includes a lot of history. There are three large photos over the main entrance showcasing teams from the past, including an action shot of an outdoor game from many decades ago. There are also banners hanging throughout the lobby of St. Thomas Academy alumni who went on to play Division I hockey.

Past St. Thomas men's hockey team photo.
In game action photo of an historical game played by St. Thomas outdoors.
Historical photo of a St. Thomas men's hockey huddle around the goal.

The visiting Huskies defeated the Tommies in the Friday night game after a big third period. We attended the second game on Saturday night. The St. Thomas faithful were on hand but there was also a good amount of Michigan Tech fans in attendance. Michigan Tech looked to put the Tommies away early to earn a sweep. The Huskies scored six minutes into the game and then again just over a minute later to make it 2-0. They would add a third goal less than three minutes after that. But the Tommies responded. The home team took advantage of a five-minute power play and scored with just under five minutes to play in the opening frame. And then again just 13 seconds later. The high-scoring first period ended with Michigan Tech up 3-2.

St. Thomas celebrates a goal on the ice against Michigan Tech in 2022.

After a five-goal first period, no teams scored throughout the second period. That carried over to the first seven minutes and twenty-seven seconds of the final period until Tim Piechowski scored for St. Thomas to tie the game. He picked a great time to score his first goal of the season. At the end, the Tommies found themselves with a power play in the final three minutes of regulation. But Ryland Mosley of Michigan Tech flipped the script and scored a shorthanded goal to take a late lead. The Tommies closed out regulation on a power play and pulled the goalie but came up short with the two-man advantage.

Michigan Tech shoots on goal during the second period of a game at St. Thomas in 2022.

The Huskies won the game 4-3 to sweep the weekend series. Michigan Tech led in the number of shots as well 29-18. This win put Michigan Tech at 5-0-1 over St. Thomas since the Tommies arrived in Division I. This was already the eighth time St. Thomas lost by just one goal in the young season. The Tommies would end the 2022-23 season with a record of 11-23-2. Michigan Tech would make it to the semifinals of the CCHA tournament and then receive an at-large bid to the NCAA national tournament to face off against Penn State. It ended up being a tough one for Michigan Tech as the Nittany Lions won 8-0 as part of the group of big ten teams that rained fire in the opening round that season.

St. Thomas and Michigan Tech shake hands after a 4-3 Huskies win in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.
St. Thomas and Michigan Tech shake hands after a 4-3 Huskies win in Mendota Heights, Minnesota.

Michigan Tech will visit Mendota Heights this weekend in the final CCHA regular season series. It’s a pivotal set of games that will decide home ice between teams that are separated by just two conference points (or 0.028 percentage points). Saturday’s game will be the final regular season hockey game played at St. Thomas Arena for the Tommies. They’re just trying to ensure it won’t be the last one they play there.

Posted on Posted in Atlantic Hockey, Canisius Golden Griffins, Niagara Purple Eagles
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The Canisius and Niagara men’s hockey teams currently compete within Division I in the Atlantic Hockey America conference. The New York schools are only separated by 21 miles and the hockey programs have been Division I conference foes since 2010. Yet the hockey history between the teams didn’t start there. The Niagara men’s hockey program began in 1996 within the Division III conference of ECAC West after the club program was promoted to varsity status. Canisius, on the other hand, promoted its club hockey team to varsity status in 1980 and joined ECAC 3 in Division III. Two years later it made the jump to Division II when it became a member of the New York College Hockey Association. The Ice Griffs moved to ECAC West several years later and joined Niagara.

Niagara won the 1997-98 regular season title and sat atop the ECAC West standings ahead of five other teams. Canisius finished in fourth place and just barely made the ECAC West conference playoffs as the last two teams were left out of the postseason. This meant Niagara would host the Griffins in the opening round of the tournament.

The Purple Eagles welcomed Canisius to NU Ice Complex in early March for playoff hockey. Bob Janosz made a total of 37 saves for Canisius, but it wasn’t enough as the Purple Eagles won 4-1 and advanced to the championship game against RIT. This ended the 1997-98 hockey season for Canisius along with its tenure in Division III. The following season the Golden Griffins would move up to Division I to compete in the MAAC conference. The Purple Eagles would go on to defeat RIT 5-2 the following night, ending its Division III tenure on a high note.

A black and white photo of a Canisius Griffin player driving to the net with two Niagara players in white sweaters around him.

This March 6, 1998, game between Canisius and Niagara would be its last meeting as conference foes within Division III. However, the teams would reunite within the same conference in 2010 when Niagara joined Atlantic Hockey after College Hockey America folded. It’s worth noting that these teams played at least one non-conference game every season except for one between 1998 and 2010. The Battle of the Bridge rivalry, as it’s known, is played between these New York schools and includes 14 different sports. The champion of this rivalry brings home the Canal Cup every year since it was created in 2007.

These two hockey teams will play a home-and-home series this weekend. It’ll be games 75 and 76 in the series that began in 1997. Historically, it’s been an evenly matched series as Canisius currently leads it 35-33-6.

Photo Credit: The Griffin, March 13, 1998.

Posted on Posted in Boston College Eagles, Boston University Terriers, Hockey East
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Going into the 2016 men’s Beanpot tournament, Boston College had hoisted the Beanpot trophy five of the past six years. The team that broke the five-year run for the Eagles was Boston University the season before. The 2016 Beanpot began February 1. The first game that day was a Boston College 3-2 win over Harvard while the nightcap was a 3-1 Boston University win over Northeastern. This set the stage for a Beanpot title game edition of the Green Line Rivalry.

The teams played one another the month before in a home-and-home series. The Eagles won the first game at Conte Forum and then the teams tied at Agganis Arena the following night. Boston University was sporting a five-game winning streak going into this in-season title game while Boston College had their own three-game winning streak on the line. The Beanpot championship game was a defensive battle as no team scored during regulation. It didn’t take long for it to be decided in overtime as Boston College sophomore Alex Tuch scored 1:57 into the extra period to win the game and regain the Beanpot for the Eagles.

Prior to this, there had been 256 men’s Beanpot games and this was the first to end in a 1-0 score. It was only the second game in the Battle of Comm Ave rivalry to end 1-0. It was also the 13th Beanpot championship game to be decided in overtime. Thatcher Demko recorded his ninth shutout of the season in the win, setting a program record in the process.

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The Eagles and Terriers will face off tonight in the 2025 men’s Beanpot title game. The Terriers are looking to add to its Beanpot-leading 31 trophies. The Eagles are second in Beanpot titles and will be looking to win the Beanpot for the 21st time tonight. Boston College is the top-ranked team in the nation and with Boston University at #9, it’ll be a top ten showdown. The Terriers will look to avenge a weekend sweep at the hands of the Eagles just two weeks ago. This will be the first time the schools have met in the men’s Beanpot final since that 2016 overtime game.

Posted on Posted in Cornell Big Red, ECAC, Princeton Tigers
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The first year of varsity hockey at both Princeton and Cornell occurred during the 1900-01 season. Coincidentally, the first-ever meeting on the ice between these programs took place at the end of their respective inaugural seasons on Saturday, March 2, 1901. Princeton became a member of the Intercollegiate Hockey Association of America upon inception and had played a full schedule against those conference opponents as well as other hockey clubs and schools. Princeton lost to Brown the night beforehand in New York City in the conference semifinals. Cornell had also played the night before when they were victorious over Pennsylvania. Their program was considered an Independent that would eventually gain membership into that conference prior to the 1909-10 season.

This first hockey game between the schools took place on neutral ice at the West Park Ice Palace in Philadelphia (that would meet its demise in a fire later that year.) Going into the game, Princeton was sporting a 7-5 record while Cornell had two games under its belt without a loss. Cornell jumped out to a 2-0 lead by halftime as there were two halves played during this era of hockey. The Ithacans – as Princeton referred to them at the time – held a 4-0 lead until the final minutes of the game when Princeton was able to net two goals and prevent a shutout. It wasn’t enough as Cornell won the first hockey game between these programs 4-2 and ended its first season with a perfect 3-0 record.

Starting lineups for Princeton and Cornell for the first-ever hockey game between these programs March 2, 1901.

The Cornell and Princeton’s men’s hockey teams will meet tonight at Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton, New Jersey. It will be the 164th game in this series that dates back almost 124 years.

Photo Credit: 1900-01 Cornell Team Photo, The 1901 Cornellian Yearbook. Secondary photo: Daily Princetonian, Vol. XXVI, No. 3, March 4, 1901

Posted on Posted in ECAC, Hockey East, Union Garnet Chargers, Vermont Catamounts
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The inaugural season for Union men’s hockey was 1903, making it one of the oldest college hockey programs in the nation. Union made the jump to Division I hockey prior to the 1991-92 season. Vermont, on the other hand, introduced men’s hockey in 1963 and moved up to Division I in 1974. Both teams were a part of the ECAC in that first season of Division I hockey for Union. This is when the teams met on the ice for the first time. The Catamounts won the first game in the series 3-1 at home in Burlington. Later that season, Vermont traveled to Schenectady, New York, for the first time.

The Catamounts were victorious on Union’s sheet of ice as well. The final score in the February 7, 1992, game was 5-2 in favor of Vermont, ensuring the season sweep in the first-ever meetings between the schools. By the end of the season, the Dutchmen (as they were known as the time) had finished in last place in the conference with three wins and would miss the ECAC tournament. Not surprising for a team in its first year in highest level of college hockey. Vermont ended up with a winning record of 16-12-3 and lost in the first round of the ECAC tournament as a seven seed to RPI.

Union hosts Vermont this weekend. This will be a non-conference match up as the Catamounts have been members of Hockey East since 2005. The Catamounts lead the all-time series 20-14-2 but the Garnet Chargers (Union’s nickname since 2023) favor an 8-5-2 record when the teams play in Schenectady.

Photo Credit: Concordiensis, February 13, 1992.

Posted on Posted in Big Ten, Ohio State Buckeyes, Penn State Nittany Lions
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The debut of Big Ten Hockey in 2013 and the reason behind it has been well documented throughout the college hockey world – including this site. The announcement from Penn State in 2010 to create a Division I hockey program kick started the conference and changed the landscape of men’s hockey at the time. Penn State and Ohio State were two of the original six Big Ten Hockey teams. The first conference game between the two schools occurred January 31, 2014, in Columbus when the Buckeyes defeated the visitors. But that was not the first Division I hockey game between these two teams.

That initial game occurred the season beforehand on neutral ice. Penn State was an independent program in the first year of playing Division I hockey while Ohio State was in the last year of the original CCHA. The two teams participated in an inaugural four-team holiday tournament at the CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh called the Three Rivers Classic. Robert Morris and Miami rounded out the rest of the field. Penn State and Ohio State faced one another in the consolation game in the second day of the in-season tournament on December 29, 2012. Penn State defeated the Buckeyes by a score of 5-4. Ohio State jumped out to a 1-0 lead, but Penn State scored three unanswered goals. A hat trick from sophomore Ryan Dzingel wasn’t enough for Ohio State and the Nittany Lions held on in the third period.

The two teams will play games 52 and 53 in the all-time series this week in Columbus. This series has had its share of Big Ten regular season and tournament games in the past decade but only one is considered to be a non-conference game: the very first one.

Posted on Posted in Big Ten, CCHA, Michigan Wolverines, Minnesota State Mavericks
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The first time Michigan and Minnesota State faced one another was on a neutral sheet of ice within Bulldog country in northern Minnesota. The UMD Bulldogs hosted the 2021 West Ice Breaker Tournament at AMSOIL Arena early in the 2021-22 season. All four participating teams were ranked within the top 10 to begin the season. The #10 Providence Friars rounded out the field in addition to the #3 Wolverines, #1 Mavericks, and #5 host Bulldogs. There were two Ice Breaker Tournaments in the fall of 2021 to make up for the canceled 2020 Ice Breaker Tournament. The East version was held the week before and had a predetermined schedule unlike this seeded tournament.

The Wolverines easily skated by Minnesota Duluth on its home ice by a score of 5-1 on Friday, October 15. The Mavericks defeated Providence 5-2 in the other game that day. This set the stage for an early top 3 contest on neutral ice the following night. The first period of the championship game of the in-season tournament was evenly matched. The scoreless tie was broken in the second period on a power play goal from Wolverine Nick Blankenburg. Minnesota State answered with two goals before the end of the period but Michigan came back strong in the third with two goals of their own. Brendan Brisson scored the game winner for Michigan with less than five minutes to go in regulation.

This was the Wolverines fourth win in a row over a #1 ranked team in the nation. Michigan and Minnesota State would both ultimately end up in the 2022 Frozen Four in Boston at the end of the season. The teams never got a chance to bookend the season because eventual champion Denver defeated Michigan in the semifinals and then took down Minnesota State to win the championship trophy.

Flash ahead three years and Minnesota State and Michigan are set to face one another for the first time since that Ice Breaker Tournament. The teams will hit the ice early in the season once again. Michigan will host Minnesota State this weekend in Ann Arbor for the second and third games in the young series. Michigan is ranked #7/8 in the preseason polls.