Although no one moves more than one spot this week, everyone came a little closer together. The teams at the top aren’t running away like we thought they might, and the teams at the bottom are certainly holding their own. The best illustration of this tightness is that only one team is under .500 right now.

1. Minnesota (3-1-0, 1-1-0 WCHA) — Last week: 1
The Gophers faced much stiffer competition than the weekend before, losing 5-3 at Michigan Tech on Friday before rebounding with a 3-2 win Saturday. Michael Shibrowski got pulled from net Friday after giving up four goals on 14 shots. Adam Wilcox fared better on the weekend, stopping 27 of the 30 shots he faced. The third line of Nate Condon, Travis Boyd and Seth Ambroz came to life with three goals and five assists on the weekend.

2. Denver (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) — Last week: 3
The Pioneers opened their season in impressive fashion, beating Massachusetts-Lowell 5-1 on Friday and Air Force 5-2 on Saturday. Daniel Doremus tallied two goals Friday and Nick Shore recorded a hat trick Saturday, while freshman defenseman Nolan Zajac opened his career with a goal and three assists on the weekend. Sam Brittain stopped 37 of 38 shots Friday and Adam Murray stopped 22 of 24 Saturday. (more…)

After this past weekend, every team in the WCHA has played at least one game that’s counted in the standings. Most, including an Alaska Gold Rush contest between Alaska-Anchorage and part of North Dakota, have been non-conference yet there was something sweet about the way the conference kicked off the last season as we know it.

The single opening series last weekend was between two teams in Michigan Tech and Minnesota who go back to the original 1951 founding of the league. They have a history that heated up in the 1970s with both teams being national title contenders and with the uncertainty of the future, the Gophers going up to Houghton may be a thing of the past. While the rivalry may have cooled off since, having a series between the home of the MacNaughton Cup and the team currently holding it is a good treat for fans who like tradition. (more…)

I tried not to overreact to one weekend. Yet some of the rankings this week absolutely look like overreactions. Truth is, I had teams 3-9 so close before the season that it opened the door for teams that earned sweeps to jump a few spots and teams that got swept to fall a few. In theory, these rankings will become a little less volatile over the next few weeks.

1. Minnesota (2-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) — Preseason: 1
The Gophers really couldn’t have started any better. They totally demolished Michigan State in a weekend sweep, winning 5-1 on Friday and 7-1 on Saturday. The most ridiculous stat of the weekend is that Minnesota had 17 players record at least one point. Zach Budish led the way with four, while Nick Bjugstad, Erik Haula, Kyle Rau and Christian Isackson all had three.

2. North Dakota (0-0-0, 0-0-0 WCHA) — Preseason: 2
North Dakota hasn’t played a regular-season game yet, so naturally it’s staying second. UND has won a pair of exhibition games, though. In Friday’s 6-4 win over the U.S. Under-18 Team, a line of Rocco Grimaldi, Corban Knight and Danny Kristo combined for four goals and four assists. (more…)

Every Hockey East team has played at least one game, which means it’s time for the first power rankings of the season. The biggest theme here is this — don’t overreact. It’s only been a week, and for some teams only a game. I will say this, though — the pack is closer together now than it was before the season. Vermont tying Lowell and Northeastern beating BC pretty much guaranteed it.

1. Massachusetts-Lowell (0-0-1, 0-0-1 HE) — Preseason: 1
The River Hawks would’ve dropped to second had BC won Saturday, but that didn’t happen. Dropping them behind anyone else after just one game would be an overreaction, even if that one game was an unimpressive 1-1 tie against Vermont. Lowell managed to draw just two penalties while giving the Catamounts 13 minutes of power-play time. Josh Holmstrom scored the River Hawks’ lone goal.

2. Boston College (0-1-0, 0-1-0 HE) — Preseason: 2
The defending national champs opened the season with a disappointing 3-1 loss at Northeastern. But as is the case with Lowell, I’m not ready to drop the Eagles after one game. There was a gap between the top two and the rest of the pack entering the season, and that gap hasn’t disappeared yet. Steven Whitney scored BC’s only goal and led all players with five shots on net. (more…)

Minneapolis, MN- A slow start by Michigan State ended up haunting the Spartans Friday night as three goals by the Gophers in the season’s first 13:38 fueled the #1/2 team in the country to a 5-1 win that was as close as the final score.

WCHA preseason player of the year Nick Bjugstad scored a goal and added an assist while freshman Mike Reilly and redshirt junior captain Zach Budish each had two assists. Tanner Sorenson scored the lone Spartan goal with 4:01 left as Minnesota goaltender Michael Shibrowski made 25 saves en route to his first win as a Gopher.

Ben Marshall, Christian Isackson, Erik Haula and Travis Boyd also scored for Minnesota. MSU goalie Will Yanakeff made 37 saves in defeat.

What I saw:

-The Spartans were one of two teams last year (Denver was the other) to hold Minnesota without a win in a two-game series and much of it was thanks to their defense containing the Gophers’ potent offense.  This year, however, it was the Gophers who used their speed advantage over the Spartans to beat them to pucks, out-muscle their defense and spend entire shifts in the MSU zone. While the top line of Bjugstad, Kyle Rau and Christian Isackson ran wild, the Spartans’ top line of Kevin Walrod, Lee Reimer and Greg Wolfe could not get anything going. (more…)

DURHAM, N.H. — Dick Umile recorded his 500th career win Friday night as New Hampshire beat St. Cloud State 5-3 in its season opener. Umile becomes the 12th coach, sixth active, to reach the milestone at the Division-I level. He also becomes just the seventh coach to win 500 games at one school.

“The guys gave me the game puck,” Umile said, “and I said, ‘It’s all about having a lot of good hockey players.’ If you last long enough coaching good hockey players, they win hockey games. I just happen to be fortunate enough to be coaching this program with a lot of good hockey players.”

Dalton Speelman led the way Friday night with two goals and an assist in his first game since last November. Connor Hardowa (3 assists), Trevor van Riemsdyk (1 goal, 1 assist), Kevin Goumas (2 assists) and Grayson Downing (2 assists) all registered multi-point games for UNH (1-0-0). Ben Hanowski had a goal and an assist for St. Cloud (0-1-0), and Nic Dowd had two assists.

Hardowa and Speelman both said after the game that it was an honor to be part of Umile’s milestone night.

“We’ve been waiting pretty much all summer for that one,” Hardowa said. “We couldn’t get him that last one last year at BU. It’s nice to see him get that 500th. Not too many people have done it. It’s an honor to be a part of the program when he gets that one. A lot of guys put in a lot of effort to get those 500. We’re just a small piece of it.” (more…)

Minneapolis, MN – Minnesota’s return to the rink went according to plan Saturday night as the Golden Gophers defeated the University of Lethbridge 7-0 in an exhibition game at Mariucci Arena.

The defending WCHA champions, who led college hockey last year in goals per game, didn’t take long to get going. A five minute major to Lethbridge forward Mark Hall for checking Zach Budish from behind 4:17 into the game proved to be the catalyst for two of sophomore Christian Isackson’s three goals. He completed the hat trick 1:08 into the second period while fellow sophomore Sam Warning added another goal 25 seconds later to make it 4-0 Minnesota.

Not to be outdone, the Gopher defense got involved in the scoring five minutes later. Freshman Mike Reilly set up junior Mark Alt at the top of the point and the Carolina Hurricane prospect slapped a one-timer past Lethbridge goalie Dylan Tait. The third period saw emotions escalate on both sides, amounting to 31 minutes in penalties between the two teams. It didn’t change Minnesota’s momentum, however, and two goals by Ben Marshall and Seth Ambroz completed the scoring barrage.

What I saw

-With everyone except for defenseman Blake Thompson (who the team is thinking about redshirting) and backup goalies Ryan Coyne and Matt LaPrade dressing, University of Minnesota head coach Don Lucia unveiled new line combinations. Isackson, who was pointless in 11 games last year, was on the first line right wing alongside Kyle Rau and Nick Bjugstad. Last year’s top right winger, Zach Budish, was instead slotted into the second line with Sam Warning and Erik Haula.

On defense, all three pairs from 2011-2012 were split up while Lucia tries to figure out how to fit eight defensemen into six spots. Freshmen Brady Skjei, a 2012 first round pick by the New York Rangers, and Mike Reilly, who led all BCHL defensemen in points last year, join the six defensemen from last year’s squad.

The power play, meanwhile, looked similar to last year with Bjugstad, Rau and Budish reunited and Haula once again finding himself on the point.

– Skjei had a “welcome to college hockey” moment after getting caught looking at a pass by Lethbridge’s Kyle Mclachlan that he could have gotten away on the USNTDP. He also wasn’t afraid to dish it out and the 6’2”, 197 lbs freshman came to the defense of Nick Bjugstad in the third period.

What I thought

-Lucia mentioned after the game that he believed to the key to this season would be a few of the sophomores stepping up and specifically named Christian Isackson, Travis Boyd and Seth Ambroz. All three did that Saturday but no one more than Isackson. Although the Buffalo Sabres prospect was given a great opportunity playing on the first line, Isackson proved to hold his own. Each of his first two goals was set up Boyd and Ben Marshall rather than Bjugstad and Rau. He had two more great chances to score in the first that were stopped by Tait; however, like Boyd at the end of last year and Nate Schmidt (who went from 1 point as a freshman to 41 as a sophomore) it looks like the sophomore may have turned a corner in his development.

-While Gopher goalies Mike Shibrowski and Adam Wilcox combined for a shutout, neither was tested much. Lethbridge struggled to create offense when they were at even strength and ended up being out-shot 65-16. Shibrowski, a junior who played twenty minutes last season behind the departed Kent Patterson, and freshman Wilcox each made eight saves in their 30 minute stints although Shibrowski faced the tougher chances of the two. It was only an exhibition but having two goalies stand tall and not give Lethbridge rebounds in their few scoring opportunities is big for a team whose biggest question mark coming into the season was goaltending.

What they said

-Christian Isackson on his summer between freshman and sophomore year: “I talked to (Nate Schmidt) a lot. I worked hard. I really put my head to the grindstone over the summer and came in trying to be as positive as I can.

-Nate Schmidt on Mike Reilly: “He’s an ‘Alex Goligoski-type’ player.”

What else you should know

-Minnesota’s 7 goals were scored by five players who combined last year to score 20 goals or five less than Nick Bjugstad. On the other end of the spectrum, the top 5 returning scorers (Erik Haula, Bjugstad, Kyle Rau, Nate Schmidt and Zach Budish) from 2011-2012 combined for four assists Saturday.

-Saturday’s game was the first time someone other than Kent Patterson started for Minnesota in goal since December 3, 2010.

-Defenseman Justin Holl took a vicious hit at the end of the game but appeared to be fine and in good spirits after the game.

-Mariucci Arena received a few cosmetic changes in the offseason with a new HD scoreboard and sound system.

-Attendance was announced as 7,283.

BOSTON — Boston University beat the University of Toronto 5-0 in an exhibition game Sunday. The Terriers outshot the Varsity Blues 50-17 and completely dominated the game from start to finish. All five goals came on the power play, as the Terriers amassed 23 shots on 12 man-up chances. Alexx Privitera (3 assists), Cason Hohmann (1 goal, 1 assist), Matt Grzelcyk (2 assists) and Ahti Oksanen (2 assists) all posted multi-point games. BU opens the regular season against Providence on Saturday.

What I saw
-The Terriers scored five power-play goals and generated a ton of chances on the man advantage. Their entries were smooth, their passes were crisp, and they consistently had traffic in front of the net. The first goal came when Grzelcyk fed Matt Nieto for a one-timer, with Sahir Gill setting a screen in front. The second came off another Grzelcyk feed, this one to Oksanen. Gill and Evan Rodrigues were both at the top of the crease, and Rodrigues ended up with the deflection goal. Yasin Cisse added a third when he poked home a loose puck following a Privitera shot. Mike Moran scored on a rebound as well, and Hohmann’s came on a nice pass from Oksanen. The Terriers certainly have the weapons to have a strong power play, but it was a little surprising to see things clicking so well after just one full practice. Toronto’s penalty kill wasn’t good at all, but BU’s power play still deserves a lot of credit. (more…)

LOWELL, Mass. — Massachusetts-Lowell beat the University of Toronto 5-2 in an exhibition game Saturday. The River Hawks opened the scoring 7:54 in when freshman Michael Colantone buried a Terrence Wallin rebound. Toronto’s Paul Van De Velde tied the game at one two minutes later, but then Joseph Pendenza scored a pair of goals to give Lowell a 3-1 lead after one.

Scott Wilson scored late in the second and freshman defenseman Greg Amlong capped the scoring with a power-play goal in the third. Freshman goalie Connor Hellebuyck played the first half of the game and stopped 12 of 13 shots, while Doug Carr saved seven of eight in the second half. The River Hawks open the regular season against Vermont on Friday.

What I saw
-Redshirt freshman defenseman Dmitry Sinitsyn played his first real game in more than a year. The seventh-round pick of the Dallas Stars wasn’t playing anywhere to start last season due to visa issues, then he committed to Lowell and redshirted the second half while practicing with the team. Obviously both Norm Bazin and the Stars saw a lot of promise in the offensive blue-liner, and he showed flashes of that Saturday, notably leading a couple rushes up ice. Sinitsyn also looked a bit rusty at times, but that was obviously to be expected. Bazin said it will be good for Sinitsyn to watch some video and be able to see where he should be in certain situations. (more…)

The Hockey East Writers & Broadcasters Association has picked Boston College to defend its regular-season title. The Eagles received 21 of 25 first-place votes to top this year’s preseason media poll. Massachusetts-Lowell, which tied for second last season, picked up three first-place votes and placed second in the poll. Boston University and New Hampshire rounded out the top four, while Providence, Maine (which got one first-place vote), Merrimack and Northeastern filled spots five through eight. Massachusetts and Vermont occupied the bottom two spots.

I was one of the three people who picked Lowell first. Obviously I have no problem with BC taking the top spot. I get it. The Eagles are the defending national champs and they’ve won three straight league titles. I would not be surprised at all if they did the same thing again this year. But, as of right now, I just think the River Hawks have fewer question marks. They return eight of their top 10 scorers and six defensemen who saw regular playing time, while BC returns just five of its top 10 scorers and three starting defensemen. Both teams return their starting goalie, and both are very good. The Eagles bring in a better recruiting class on paper, but Lowell’s incoming class is nothing to scoff at either. So did I really go out on a limb by picking Lowell? I don’t think so.

My ballot was different in two other places as well. I had Providence ahead of UNH for the fourth and final home ice spot, and I had UMass and Merrimack flipped. UNH could very well make the jump into the top four after finishing sixth last year, especially with Casey DeSmith starting in net from Day 1, but I think the Friars will ride the momentum they built at the end of last season, when they beat Lowell in the quarterfinals to reach the Garden for the first time in 10 years. Providence also brings in one of the best freshman classes in the league.

UMass went through a wild coaching search this summer, which I’m guessing is the main reason my peers have them out of the playoffs. However, the Minutemen return all but three point-scorers from last season, so I think it’s more likely they actually improve on last season’s eighth-place finish. Merrimack, meanwhile, loses star goaltender Joe Cannata and four of its top five scorers, which is why I have the Warriors tumbling to ninth.

The media also picked a preseason All-Hockey East Team. Maine’s Joey Diamond, BC’s Johnny Gaudreau, BU’s Matt Nieto and Lowell’s Scott Wilson were selected at forward (due to a tie, four were named). The two defensemen were BU’s Garrett Noonan and Lowell’s Chad Ruhwedel, while BC’s Parker Milner got the nod in goal. I have no problem with any of that because I picked the exact same team, minus Diamond, who would have been my fourth forward if I could have picked that many.

You can find the full media poll here.