NCAA Game Weekend: February 2-3, 2019
Miami Redhawks 1 @ #1 St. Cloud State Huskies 5 (Friday)
Miami Redhawks 1 @ #1 St. Cloud State Huskies 5 (Saturday)
D Nick Perbix, STC: 2 GP, 1-1-2, +2, 0 PIM, 4 SOG
Season Totals: 26 GP, 2-11-13, +17, 6 PIM
The #1 ranked Huskies blistered the Redhawks this weekend, sweeping the weekend series with a pair of 5-1 conference home wins Friday and Saturday night. On Friday, Canadiens prospect Ryan Poehling (MTL, 2017 1st round pick) scored twice and added a pair of assists to lead St. Cloud to victory, with two of his four points coming on the power-play. On Saturday night, Bolt prospect Nick Perbix potted his second goal of the season and added an assist in St. Cloud’s reprise of Friday night’s 5-1 win. Blake Lizotte (undrafted) scored twice and added an assist to lead the Huskies offensively. Kings goalie prospect David Hrenak (LAK, 2018 5th round pick) made 36 saves on 38 shots over the coarse of the two-game weekend series, avenging a pair of tie games against Miami in Oxford back in late November. Perbix now ranks 5th in plus-minus, Top-8 in assists, and Top-10 in points among Division I freshmen defensemen, all while playing on a deep roster of the nation’s top-ranked team.
St. Cloud State improves to 20-4-2 (12-2-2 NCHC) and hosts Colorado College next weekend for a pair of NCHC conference games. The Huskies swept the Tigers on the road in Colorado Springs in early November.
#3 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 1 @ Colorado College Tigers 4 (Friday)
#3 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 6 @ Colorado College Tigers 0 (Saturday)
F Cole Koepke, UMD: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -2, 0 PIM, 8 SOG, 9/18 FO
Season Totals: 26 GP, 2-9-11, +6, 8 PIM
The #3 Bulldogs split a pair of road games in Colorado Springs this weekend against the Tigers. On Friday night, Lighting prospect Cole Koepke had a bit of a rough outing for UMD with a -3 rating, while Troy Conzo (undrafted) scored twice and goalie Alex Leclerc (undrafted) made 40 saves for Colorado College. Saturday night the Bulldogs rebounded with a six-goal outburst behind a pair of goals from Koby Bender (undrafted) and a 23-save shutout from goalie Hunter Shepard (undrafted). Koepke fired a game-high 5 shots, but the scoresheet eluded him once again, extending his pointless streak to 8 games after scoring 11 points in his first 18 games of the season.
Minnesota-Duluth’s record now stands at 17-7-2 (10-5-1 NCHC), losing the ground they gained last weekend against St. Cloud State in the NCHC conference standings, and looks ahead to a big conference matchup against #7 Denver next weekend at home in Duluth.
North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1 @ #4 Denver Pioneers 2 (Friday)
North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1 @ #4 Denver Pioneers 1 OT (Saturday)
F Cole Guttman, DEN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, E, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 7/16 FO
Season Totals: 25 GP, 10-9-19, +16, 12 PIM
UND rolled into Denver this weekend and played a pair of tightly contested road games against the Pioneers, splitting the series and holding Denver to just 3 total goals Friday and Saturday nights. On Friday night, Denver goalie and Red Wings prospect Filip Larsson (DET, 2016 6th round pick) made 45-saves to steal a win for the home team. On Saturday night, Larsson once again held off North Dakota from victory, making 34-saves to secure a tie with the Fighting Hawks.
Denver’s record now stands at 15-6-4 (7-6-2-2 NCHC) on the season and hits the road for a big conference showdown next weekend against #3 Minnesota-Duluth.
#13 Cornell Big Red 4 @ #18 Union Dutchmen 0 (Friday)
#13 Cornell Big Red 1 @ RPI Engineers 1 OT (Saturday)
D Alex Green, COR: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG
Season Totals: 4 GP, 0-1-1, -5, 2 PIM
’17-’18 Totals: 29 GP, 2-8-10, +9, 23 PIM
Bolt prospect followers can finally breathe a sigh of relief after 2018 draft pick Alex Green returned to action this weekend for Cornell after missing 16 games due to injury. On Friday, the Big Red delivered a thumping of the 18th ranked Dutchmen behind a 24-save shutout by goalie Matthew Galajda (undrafted) and a pair of goals from Rangers prospect Morgan Barron (NYR, 2017 6th round pick). On Saturday night, RPI’s netminder Owen Savory (undrafted) made 40 saves to stick Cornell with a 1-1 tie.
Cornell’s record now stands at 13-6-2 (9-3-2 ECAC) and returns home for a pair of conference games against #10 Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
#19 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 3 @ Northeastern Huskies 1 (Friday)
F Ryan 7Lohin, UML: 1-0-1, +2, 0 PIM, 3 SOG, 9/14 FO, *Second Star*
Season Totals: 21 GP, 10-12-22, +5, 4 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 36 GP, 9-16-25, -2, 26 PIM
Bolt prospect Ryan Lohin earned 2nd Star honors Friday night, scoring what would be the game-winning goal in the 3rd period to break a 1-1 deadlock. It was Lohin’s 10th goal of the season, eclipsing his 2017-18 goal totals in 15 fewer games.
UMass-Lowell improves to 15-8-2 (9-4-2 HEAST) and looks ahead next weekend to a pair of home games against Boston College and #2 UMass (Amherst).
Michigan Wolverines 4 @ Minnesota Gophers 2 (Friday)
Michigan Wolverines 3 @ Minnesota Gophers 4 (Saturday)
D Ryan Zuhlsdorf , MINN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -2, 17 PIM, 0 SOG
Season Totals: 23 GP, 0-4-4, -6, 21 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 38 GP, 0-9-9, +1, 40 PIM
F Sammy Walker, MINN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 8/15 FO
Season Totals: 26 GP, 8-10-18, +2, 14 PIM
The Gophers split a pair of Big Ten conference games against the visiting Wolverines this weekend. On Friday night, Predators prospect Rem Pitlick scored once and added an assist as Michigan doubled up Minnesota to claim the first leg of the series. On Saturday night, Bolt prospect Sammy Walker got his first start of the season, as head coach Bob Motzko went with the Freshman line for the first puck drop. After leading 3-0, the Wolverines erased the three-goal deficit behind a pair of 2nd period goals from Michael Pastujov (undrafted). Fellow Lightning prospect Ryan Zuhlsdorf earned a five-minute major later in the 2nd period for checking from behind along with a 10-minute game conduct, but the Golden Gopher PK held tough, and Minnesota scored in the 3rd to make the win stick.
Minnesota’s record now stands at 11-12-4 (8-7-3 B1G) and treks to Penn State next week for a pair of conference games against the #15-ranked Nittany Lions.
Maine Black Bears 2 @ New Hampshire Wildcats 3 (Friday)
Maine Black Bears 5 @ New Hampshire Wildcats 3 (Saturday)
G Ty Taylor, UNH: did not play
Season Totals: 6 GP, 1-2-1, 3.65 GAA, 0.863 SV%
Sharks prospect Mike Robinson tended the nets in both weekend games against Maine, making 37 saves Friday night for a Wildcats victory. Ara Nazarian (undrafted) scored twice and added an assist for the Wildcats. On Saturday night, Bears goalie and Bruins prospect Jeremy Swayman (BOS, 2017 4th round pick) made 41 saves as Maine rebounded to split the series with UNH. Mitchell Fossier (undrafted) scored twice in a four-point night to lead the Black Bears offensively.
New Hampshire’s record now stands at 10-9-8 (6-6-5 HEAST) and hits the road to Burlington to face off against the Catamounts next weekend for a pair of conference Hockey East games.
*USCHO poll used for rankings