U.S. Collegiate Selects Make Spengler Cup Final

Aiden Fink (Penn State) scored three goals and set up another, and Alex Tracy (Minnesota State) made 32 saves as the U.S Collegiate Selects defeated HC Sparta Praha, 5-2, in the semifinal round of the 2025 Spengler Cup. It is the first time current NCAA players are competing in the tournament in its 103-year history.

Team USA will face host HC Davos in the title tilt on Wednesday in Switzerland. The U.S. previously defeated Davos, 5-3, in group play back on Dec. 27. Davos is seeking its record 17th Spengler Cup club championship, and second in three years.

ADDENDUM: Davos claimed its latest Spengler Cup title with a 6-3 victory over the U.S Collegiate Selects in the final. Adam Tambellini (North Dakota) notched two goals and an assist for Davos, while Fink was named to the All-Star Team.

MSU, Michigan Tech Win GLI Semifinals

Charlie Stramel scored two goals and assisted on another as third-ranked Michigan State defeated Ferris State, 5-1, in a Great Lakes Invitational semifinal on Sunday at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. Trey Augustine made 20 stops for the Spartans (13-4-0 overall), who are seeking their second consecutive GLI title. Hobie Hedquist stopped 18 of 19 shots in relief for the Bulldogs (4-15-0).

MSU will face Michigan Tech (11-6-2) in the final tonight ( 7 p.m. ET, BiG+). The Huskies defeated Miami, 5-2, in the others semifinal, as Stiven Sardarian scored two goals and set up another, and Owen Bartoszkiewicz stopped 26 shots. Matteo Drobca made 28 saves for the Red Hawks (10-7-2), who will face Ferris in the consolation game.

ADDENDUM: Stramel scored two more goals, including the game-winner, and earned tournament MVP accolades as MSU topped MTU, 4-1, to win its second straight GLI title. Miami won the consolation game over Ferris, 4-2.

U.S., Canada Win in 2026 WJC Openers

Will Zellers (North Dakota) scored two goals and set up another, and Cole Hutson (Boston University) tallied two assists as the host United States defeated Germany, 6-3, tonight in its opener of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Minn. The U.S., which has won the last two WJC gold medals, will next face off tomorrow with Switzerland, which will be playing in its first game of the tournament.

In the nightcap in Minneapolis, Canada outlasted Czechia, 7-5, by scoring four times in the third period. Michael Hage (Michigan) notched a goal and two assists for the Canadians, who also got two assists from Gavin McKenna (Penn State) and an empty-net goal from Porter Martone (Michigan State). Canada will next face Latvia on Saturday.

ADDENDUM: Team USA edged Switzerland, 2-1, on a goal by Zellers, while Canada topped Latvia by the same score on an overtime goal from Hage.

Hockey Christmas 2025

 

NCAA Players Among NHL Leaders

Several former NCAA players rank among the NHL's top five statistical leaders just before Christmas, per ESPN. Seven of them are from Hockey East schools.

Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) is third among NHL players with 53 points. 

Matt Boldy (Boston College) is tied for third overall with 22 goals.

Cale Makar (UMass) is fourth overall with a +30 plus-minus ranking

Casey DeSmith (New Hampshire) is tied for third overall with a .920 save percentage.

Jake Oettinger (Boston University) is tied for first overall with 15 wins.

Jack Eichel (Boston University) is third with 16 power-play assists.

Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) is fourth with 131 shots on goal.

_______________________________________________

Quinn Hughes (Michigan) ranks first overall with 27:38 average ice time.

Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) and Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) are tied for fourth with 1,057 shifts.

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) is tied for first overall with five game-winning goals.

Dylan Larkin (Michigan) leads the league with 394 faceoff wins.

Matthews Arena Closes After Over a Century

An era ended on Saturday night when Matthews Arena hosted its final hockey game ever after over a century of service.

Originally known as Boston Arena when it opened in April 1910 as the city's first indoor arena, it was rebuilt in 1921 following a fire. It was purchased in 1979 by Northeastern University and renamed in 1982, and was the longtime home of the NU Huskies men's and women's hockey teams and the NU men's basketball squad. It was the original indoor home of the hockey programs at Boston College, Boston University, and Harvard University, and the Boston Bruins and New England Whalers, along with the annual Beanpot Tournament and the NBA's Boston Celtics. It was also a mecca of prep school hockey in the Boston area for decades, and also hosted Northeastern's yearly graduation ceremonies, among many, many other events.

Structural integrity and ground stability issues that developed over the last few years necessitated the arena's closure and upcoming demolition, which is expected to be completed early next year. A new modern facility for NU hockey and basketball will be built on the same site on St. Botolph Street, and is slated to open in late 2028. 

The old barn closed for good on Dec. 13 after BU beat NU, 4-3, in men's hockey in the final event to be held at the arena. The final women's hockey game was contested there on Dec. 6, when NU topped BC, 4-2. Both Huskies hockey teams will now skate as road warriors for the rest of this season and the next two years, playing their home games at alternate venues such as Bentley Arena, BU's Walter Brown Arena, Harvard's Bright-Landry Hockey Center, and UMass Lowell's Tsongas Center.

With the closure of Matthews Arena, Princeton University's Hobey Baker Rink, now approaching its 103rd birthday, becomes the oldest operating arena in American and NCAA collegiate hockey.

 

Prayers for Brown University

BC's Fowler Wins in NHL Debut

Jacob Fowler (Boston College) stopped 36 shots in his NHL debut on Thursday night to lift the Montreal Canadiens to a 4-2 victory at Pittsburgh.  He blanked the host Penguins for just over two periods before surrendering a goal.

A native of Melbourne, Fla., Fowler began the 2025-26 season by going 10-5-0 in 15 games with Laval (AHL), where he played three regular-season games late in the 2024-25 campaign after turning pro. He was chosen in the third round (69th overall by Montreal) of the 2023 NHL Draft after his second year of junior hockey with Youngstown (USHL), when he led the Phantoms to a Clark Cup title and was also named USHL Goaltender of the Year.

Fowler, 21, joined the Montreal organization after two seasons at BC, where he backstopped the Eagles to two NCAA tournaments, including the 2024 national title game. In 74 career outings at the Heights, he fashioned a 57-13-3 record with a 1.90 goals-against average and 10 shutouts, while twice earning First Team All-America and Hockey East First All-star Team accolades. He also won the Mike Richter Award as college hockey's top goalie last year, and helped the United States to a gold medal at the 2024 World Junior Championship.

Michigan Blanks MSU in Opener, 3-0

Michigan held on to its No. 1 ranking with a 3-0 win in Big Ten play last night at third-ranked Michigan State. It was the Wolverines' first shutout of MSU at Munn Ice Arena since February 2000.

Malcolm Spence scored just over five minutes into the contest to give Michigan a 1-0 lead, before Aidan Park and Jayden Perron closed out the scoring in the third period. Jack Ivankovic made 23 saves for the Wolverines (16-3-0 overall, 7-2-0 Big Ten), who have won five straight games, while Trey Augustine finished with 24 stops for the host Spartans (11-4-0, 4-3-0).

The two archrivals will close out their home-and-home series tonight at Michigan's Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor (7 p.m. ET, BIG+).

ADDENDUM: Anthony Romani scored in both the second and third periods, including the game-winning goal, and Trey Augustine made 30 saves as MSU rebounded for a 3-1 win in the rematch at Michigan. The Spartans scored the final three goals of the game, and outshot the Wolverines, 33-31, on the night. The two schools will meet again on Feb. 6 in Ann Arbor, and then again on Feb. 7 in Detroit.

Minnesota Outlasts Ohio State, 6-3

Brodie Ziemer scored two goals, including the game's lone power-play tally, and Brody Lamb notched a goal and an assist as Minnesota defeated host Ohio State, 6-3, last night in the lone NCAA Division I men's hockey game on the schedule.

Following a scoreless opening period at Value City Arena, Minnesota held a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. After Max Montes tied the game for OSU early in the final frame, Lamb scored less than two minutes later to put the visiting Golden Gophers ahead for good. Minnesota then added two empty-net goals in the final two minutes for the final margin.

Michigan State transfer Luca Di Pasquo made 32 saves in net for Minnesota (8-9-1 overall, 4-3-0 Big Ten), while Kristoffer Eberly stopped 22 shots for the Buckeyes (5-10-0, 1-6-0), who have lost six straight contests. The two teams close out their two-game Big Ten series tonight in Columbus (6:30 p.m. ET, BTN).

ADDENDUM: Jake Karabela's goal just over a minute into overtime broke OSU's losing streak and lifted the Buckeyes to a 6-5 victory over the Golden Gophers on Friday. Karabela also assisted on Adam Eisele's tying goal midway through the third period that forced the extra session. Eberly stopped 14 shots on the evening for OSU, while Nathan Airey finished with 32 saves for Minnesota. The Buckeyes also finished 2-for-3 on the power play, and won 41 of 59 total faceoffs.