Conference play is back in action for just four teams this weekend. The Gophers, Nittany Lions, Spartans and Wolverines are playing this weekend while Wisconsin and Ohio State take a break.

Minnesota and Penn State will play while Michigan and Michigan will face each other. These are two series that have already happened earlier this season. The Wolverines dismantled the Spartans, while the Gophers and Nittany Lions split.

While Michigan and Michigan State are far apart in the standings, Minnesota and Penn State are separated by just six points. And remember, because of shootouts there are three points up for grabs in each Big Ten game. Three points are awarded for a regulation/OT win, two for a shootout win and one for a shootout loss. Read the rest of this entry »

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Separation from positions two through eight is hard come by in the ECAC standings right now, but the only tie in the league is 11th where Princeton and Colgate are tied with eight points. The seven teams between 2-8 have a progressive seven point difference. Harvard has 19 points, RPI has 18, while each of the teams below them have one less point until reaching ninth place Union which is three points behind eighth place Clarkson. Dartmouth and Quinnipiac played an interesting, 7-5 game in Hanover on Friday night and the Bobcats remained undefeated in ECAC play. Right now Quinnipiac, is running away with the league (6pts up) and it is time to acknowledge that fact.

I think the biggest question going forward is not the title race, but whether or not Quinnipiac can finish the season with less than two losses on the season in league play. Both of these numbers would be historically significant, because the league has only seen less than two losses ten times, with most of them happening before the 1980’s arrived. The last team to have one loss in ECAC play, was 1984-85 RPI. That RPI team went 20-1-0 in the ECAC, losing its first game to St. Lawrence and then ran the table with 20 straight wins. There has been only one team in ECAC play that went undefeated, which was 1969-70 Cornell that went 21-0-0. That Cornell team is often the bench mark of college hockey, as it also holds the distinction of being the only team that finished a season undefeated, 29-0-0. Although Quinnipiac also has more ties, finishing with  less than two losses would be a monumental feat to say the least. The Bobcats have played 14 games and are 11-0-3 with eight games remaining in the ECAC. It has been a historic run for Quinnipiac thus far, who are 20-1-5 overall this year.

The national picture has gotten better in recent weeks, despite teams dropping. Quinnipiac is the clear number one in the pairwise and will be even if it starts dropping games, while Harvard is seventh. Those two are joined by Yale, Rensselaer, Dartmouth and Cornell in the top 16. All four of those teams are in jeopardy with losses over the next few weeks, as Dartmouth and Cornell are 15 and 16, while Yale and RPI are right in front of them at 13 and 14. If the tournament, started today four league teams would be in, while two others would just miss out. All in all, this is fine but we also know how much of a grind the ECAC is. Read the rest of this entry »

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Another weekend of the season featured an in-conference matchup, a different stage and the last pieces of non-conference play for these teams. My biggest takeaway from this weekend is that the conference is a mess – and you can’t make much out (aren’t they all, though).

Minnesota and Michigan are tied for the conference lead while Penn State is third, Ohio State is fourth, Michigan State fifth and Wisconsin last. I know several weeks ago I said the Spartans would finish last, but now I’m not so sure.

Michigan State split its series with Ohio State, winning 4-2 before falling 2-1. The Wolverines swept Penn State. Minnesota dropped both its games at the North Star College Cup, while Wisconsin swept Alaska in non-conference play.

After the sweep this weekend, Michigan has moved really high in the PairWise – standing in fourth place. They’re the only team safely in the PairWise, though. Penn State is next at 17th and Minnesota is 20th.

(After the jump: Maybe MSG was a better idea, weaknesses non-conference play exposes, and the same dilemma with Michigan) Read the rest of this entry »

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With injuries sidelining Boston College goaltenders Chris Birdsall, Alex Joyce and Ian Milosz, the Eagles will turn to their student manager, Chuck Van Kula, to backup Thatcher Demko tonight in the Beanpot.

From what I can find on Google, Van Kula played at St. Joseph’s Prep in Philadelphia and was an ICSHL All Star in 2013. He started 93 games over his final three years at St. Joseph’s, posting a 2.84 goals-against average and an .892 save percentage his senior year.

Van Kula is a sophomore at Boston College, and is scheduled to graduate in 2018.

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This weekend features a mix of in-conference and out-of-conference series. Michigan plays Penn State and Ohio State faces Michigan State in the two Big Ten series, while Wisconsin hosts Alaska and the Gophers play in the North Star College Cup. The out-of-conference series are pretty big for Big Ten teams in the pairwise, since they struggled earlier in non-conference play.

Michigan against Penn State will probably be the most exciting series, with two powerful offenses facing off. This weekend will also be a huge test for the Gophers, who haven’t faced much of a test recently – especially out of conference.

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The league standings started to take shape over the weekend and some teams certainly made the most of their opportunities against teams near them. Harvard outclassed Cornell at Lynah on Saturday, which saw them build on a good win at Colgate on Friday night. Dartmouth continued its resurgence with a weekend sweep opposite of Harvard, while Clarkson and Yale picked up three points. Quinnipiac still has a wide margin in the league standings, followed by Harvard, RPI, Yale and Dartmouth. The Big Green are now 7-1-0 since the break and are on a current five game winning streak, including four against conference opponents.

Over the weekend I got to visit the two Central New York rinks and had a good time in doing so, certainly both share interesting histories and a certain charm. It is always tough to see old barns close, like Starr, and I really enjoyed that rink. Cornell of course had quite the atmosphere for the Harvard game, but it was quelled fast as Harvard never looked challenged by the Big Red.  Cornell is winless in its last four and is dropping fast, as its offense has sputtered in recent weeks. Read the rest of this entry »

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Another week in the Big Ten produced some surprises. Actually, the only series I thought was surprising was Wisconsin-Minnesota. but I’ll get to that later. The Gophers swept the Badgers by a combined score of 13-2. After shutting out Wisconsin on the first night, Minnesota won 9-2 the second night.

The Buckeyes and Nittany Lions split their series. Penn Statewon 3-2 on Friday before Ohio State won 5-1 on Saturday. Michigan and Michigan State both had exhibitions games against the NTDP. Michigan won 5-2, while Michigan State won 3-2.

Michigan is still the highest Big Ten team in the PairWise at No. 6. The Gophers are 15th while Penn State is 16th. After the losses, Wisconsin stands at 44. Next weekend features another little break in some Big Ten play, as the Gophers get their last non-conference tests in the North Star College Cup.

(After the jump: What’s wrong with Wisconsin, the truth about Penn State and limiting dangerous hits) Read the rest of this entry »

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NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. — Northeastern captain and senior forward Kevin Roy returned to the lineup for the first time since Nov. 13 on Friday night, missing 12 games with an upper-body injury. Roy finished with an assist, helping on Dylan Sikura’s goal in the third period as the Huskies extended their unbeaten streak to seven games (5-0-2) in a 5-2 win over Merrimack.

Roy was listed on the line chart on Northeastern’s third line, alongside Brendan Collier and Sam Kurker

“I thought he looked really well,” Northeastern head coach Jim Madigan said. “He played 200 feet, he went on the offense, he snapped a couple off, he was really good away from the puck coming back, and that’s how we’re playing as a team. He’s been watching a lot and he has seen it. He jumped right in there and I thought that this was one of his best games all year. I thought he skated really effortless and a lot of fluid to his game. It was nice to see him back. He snapped off a couple of passes there, one to Sikura there for the goal.

“You mention third line, but we have three lines we think can score goals. If Kevin Roy is our third-line winger we might be in the NHL next week.”

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Providence and Vermont went at it in a heavyweight fight last weekend, and the result was one of the most controversial games of the season. Kevin Sneddon was suspended one game after berating officials and throwing water bottles over the ice. Clearly, that’s something punishable by the league and according to Hockey East’s release, Sneddon accepted the suspension and apologized to officials, but I also think his frustration was warranted.

“I accept it with humility and regret,” Sneddon said. “It’s time to move on.”

That game was a mess.

Simply put, the officials lost control. Providence just welcomed back Jake Walman after an injury he sustained in early December, and he took a charge from Brady Shaw that nearly re-injured him. According to Mark Divver of the Providence Journal, Walman was in a red no-contact jersey this week.

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This weekend features just two Big Ten series, as the Wolverines and Spartans take the weekend off for exhibition games against the NTDP. The Badgers host the Gophers in the border battle, while Penn State travels to Ohio State. This is the last Big Ten matchup for Minnesota until February, as the Gophers take a break from conference play for the North Star College Cup.

Entering the weekend, Minnesota and Michigan are tied for first place. Penn State is third, Ohio State and Wisconsin are tied for fourth and Michigan State is last.

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