Princeton Women Win in OT to Sweep UConn

Chloe Brinson's power-play goal just over three minutes into overtime proved to be her first career goal for seventh-ranked Princeton University. It also enabled the Tigers to complete their comeback from a late three-goal deficit to edge visiting No. 8 UConn, 6-5, on Saturday at Hobey Baker Rink, and complete a two-step sweep in NCAA women's hockey non-conference play.

Down 4-2 at the start of the third period, Princeton then fell behind by three goals midway through the final frame on a power-play tally by UConn's Maya Serdachny, her second goal of the game, before the Tigers began their comeback. Hannah Fetterolf made it 5-3 with less than seven minutes left, before Riley Sorokan and Caroline Averill tallied extra-attacker goals less than two minutes apart, the second with just 51 seconds remaining in regulation. Brinson then connected in the extra session 63 seconds after the Tigers went on the power play, after Huskies captain Livvy Dewar had been sent off for holding, to end it, seven months after UConn had eliminated Princeton in the first round of the 2026 NCAA tournament. The Huskies had swept the Tigers a year ago up in Storrs, Conn., to open last season.

Lia Nevo finished with 25 saves in goal for Princeton (2-0-0 overall), which was outshot, 30-20, on the afternoon. Taylor Belchetz stopped 14 shots for UConn (2-4-0), which squandered 2-0 and 5-2 leads after falling, 2-1, in the series opener on Friday. The Tigers travel to Rensselaer and Union next weekend in ECAC Hockey conference play, while the Huskies will host Mercyhurst for a pair of non-conference contests.  

Sabres Force Game Seven with Canadiens

Tage Thompson (UConn) assisted on three goals, and also scored one into an empty net as the visiting Buffalo Sabres staved off elimination last night with an 8-3 victory over the Montreal Canadiens in Game Six of their 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff second-round series, which is now tied at three games apiece.

Jason Zucker (Denver) had a goal and assist for the Sabres, who scored seven consecutive unanswered goals over the final 46 minutes of play after falling behind, 3-1, in the first period. Buffalo's Zach Metsa (Quinnipiac) also tallied his first career playoff goal in his first NHL postseason appearance. Alex Lyon (Yale) made one save on four shots for the Sabres in goal, before being replaced by Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen.

Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) stopped 27 of 33 shots for the Canadiens before giving way late in regulation to Jacob Fowler (Boston College), who made his own Stanley Cup Playoff debut in relief. The deciding Game Seven of this Eastern Conference semifinal is Monday night in Buffalo, with the winner to face the Carolina Hurricanes in the conference final.

Sabres Tie Up Series with Canadiens

Tage Thompson (UConn) tied the game on a fluke goal in the second period, and then assisted on the game-winner early in the third stanza, to lift the Buffalo Sabres to a 3-2 victory over the host Montreal Canadiens last night in Game Four of their NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal series. The second-round 2026 Stanley Cup Playoff matchup is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five set for Thursday night in Buffalo.

Josh Doan (Arizona State) finished with two assists for the Sabres, who went 2-for-4 on the power play, including Thompson's blueline goal that banked off the left wing boards and into the Canadiens net. Alex Newhook (Boston College) scored his fifth goal in the last three games for Montreal, which also got a power-play goal from Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and 19 saves in net from Jakub Dobes (Ohio State).

Canadiens Take Lead over Sabres, Ducks Tie Vegas

Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) tallied three assists as the Anaheim Ducks tied their Stanley Cup Playoff series with a 4-3 win over the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday night. The best-of-seven Western Conference matchup is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five set for Tuesday night in Las Vegas. Alex Killorn (Harvard) notched a goal and an assist for the Ducks, while Jack Eichel (Boston University) set up two goals for the Golden Knights.

In the Eastern Conference, the host Montreal Canadiens took a two game to one lead with a 6-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game Three of their series on Sunday. Alex Newhook (Boston College) notched his second two-goal game of the series for the Canadiens, who also got two points apiece from Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) and Lane Hutson (Boston University), plus 26 saves in net from Jakub Dobes (Ohio State). Tage Thompson (UConn) scored a goal and added an assist for the Sabres, who got 32 stops from Alex Lyon (Yale). Game Four is Tuesday in Montreal.

 

Sabres Win First Playoff Series Since 2007

Alex Tuch (Boston College) and Josh Norris (Michigan) scored the first and last goals of the game, respectively, and the Buffalo Sabres moved on to the second round of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins last night. Buffalo wins the best-of-seven Eastern Conference first-round series, four games to two.

Tage Thompson (UConn) had two assists and Alex Lyon (Yale) stopped 25 shots as the Sabres won their first postseason series since 2007. Prior to this year, the Sabres had not made the playoffs in 14 seasons, which set an NHL record. Buffalo will now face the winner of the Montreal-Tampa Bay series, which will wrap up with a deciding seventh game tomorrow night in Florida.

NCAA Skaters Stars in NHL Playoff Openers

The NHL's 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs got underway this weekend, with several former NCAA players playing key roles in Game One first-round victories.

•  Jackson Blake (North Dakota) had two assists as Carolina topped Ottawa, 2-0.

• Matt Boldy (Boston College) scored two goals and set up another as Minnesota routed host Dallas, 6-1.

• Porter Martone (Michigan State) notched his first career NHL playoff goal, the game-winner in Philadelphia's 3-2 victory at Pittsburgh.

• Logan O'Connor (Denver) scored the game-winner in Colorado's 2-1 triumph over Los Angeles, assisted by Jack Drury (Harvard).

• • Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) notched two assists, both on the power play, and Jakub Dobeš (Ohio State) made 20 saves in Montreal's 4-3 overtime win at Tampa Bay.

• Tage Thompson (UConn) scored two goals and added an assist as Buffalo rebounded for a 4-3 victory over Boston.

• Nic Dowd (St. Cloud State) collected the game-winner as Vegas outlasted Utah, 4-2.

The eighth series, between Anaheim and Edmonton, gets underway tonight.

UConn Wins Connecticut Ice Again

Jake Percival knocked home a rebound with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, and the University of Connecticut won its second straight Connecticut Ice title with a 4-2 win tonight over Quinnipiac in New Haven. It also marked the first meeting between the two schools since UConn defeated Quinnipiac in the 2025 NCAA Allentown Regional final back in March in Allentown, Pa.

UConn (15-7-3 overall), which defeated host Yale in the opening round on Friday, rebounded from a 2-1 deficit after 40 minutes with three third-period goals, capped by Joey Muldowney's empty-netter with less than two minutes left. Tabor Heaslip and Carlin Dezainde also scored for the 13th-ranked Huskies, who got 28 saves in net from Tyler Muszelik. Markus Vidicek and Chris Pelosi scored for the No. 6 Bobcats (19-5-2), which routed Sacred Heart last night. Both Quinnipiac goals tonight came in the second period, while Matej Marinov stopped 25 shots in goal.

Sacred Heart took this year's Connecticut Ice third-place game by edging Yale, 3-2. 

2026 U.S. Men's Olympic Hockey Team Revealed

Former NCAA skaters make up the bulk of the 2026 U.S. Olympic men's hockey team that will compete in Italy next month, the first time that current NHL players will compete in the Olympic Winter Games since 2014 in Russia.

Forwards

Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild (Boston College)

Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets (Michigan)

Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights (Boston University)

Clayton Keller, Utah Mammoth (Boston University)

Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings (Michigan)

Brock Nelson, Colorado Avalanche (North Dakota)

Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres (UConn)

Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators (Boston University)

Defensemen

Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild (Minnesota)

Noah Hanifin Vegas Golden Knights (Boston College)

Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild (Michigan)

Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins (Boston University)

Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators (North Dakota)

Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes (Colorado College)

Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets (Michigan)

Goaltenders

Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets (UMass Lowell)

Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars (Boston University) 

Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins (Maine)

In addition, Canada's 2026 Olympic men's squad will boast three former NCAA skaters in forward Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) of the San Jose Sharks, and defensemen Cale Makar (UMass) and Devon Toews (Quinnipiac) of the Colorado Avalanche and Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) of the St. Louis Blues.

The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from Feb. 5-22 in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. 

USA Wins First Worlds Men's Gold in 92 Years

Tage Thompson (UConn) scored just over two minutes into 3-on-3 overtime to lift the United States to a 1-0 victory over Switzerland today in the 2025 IIHF World Championship gold medal game in Stockholm, Sweden. It is the first men's World's gold for the U.S. since 1933, while the Swiss finished second for the fourth time overall.

Logan Cooley (Minnesota) and Brady Skjei (Minnesota) assisted on Thompson's goal, while Jeremy Swayman (Maine) stopped 25 shots in net for Team USA. Sweden took third this year by defeating Denmark in the bronze medal game, while Canada, Czechia, Finland and Austria rounded out the top eight. Next year's tournament will be held in Switzerland.

Second Day of 2025 NCAAs in the Books

The 2025 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship continued on Saturday, with the Allentown and Manchester Regionals getting underway.

At the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., Connecticut made the most of its first-ever Division I national tournament appearance to rout Quinnipiac, 4-1, getting goals from four different players and 21 saves from freshman goaltender Callum Tung. In the nightcap, host Penn State ousted top-seeded Maine by a 5-1 count thanks to two goals from Matt DiMarsico and three assists by Charlie Cerrato. UConn will now face Penn State in the regional final on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

At SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., number-one overall seed Boston College survived Bentley, 3-1, on a late wraparound goal by freshman forward James Hagens. In the second game, defending national champion Denver got three points apiece from Zeev Buim and Carter King in eliminating Providence, 5-1. BC and DU will meet on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in a rematch of last year's national title game.

Two tickets to this year's NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis will be punched today, when Cornell meets Boston University in the Toledo regional final (4 p.m. ET, ESPNU), and Massachusetts meets Western Michigan in the Fargo regional final (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

UConn Edges Quinnipiac at Buzzer in CT Ice

Ryan Tattle scored his second of two goals just as regulation ended to lift No. 15 UConn to a 2-1 victory over No. 13 Quinnipiac last night in the first round of the 2025 Connecticut Ice tournament in Fairfield, Conn. 

Tattle roofed a puck in close just before the buzzer sounded to give UConn (13-8-2 overall) its first win since 2014 over Quinnipiac (14-8-2), which got 22 stops in goal from Dylan Silverstein. Tyler Muszelik made 35 saves for the Huskies, who will face host Sacred Heart in the title game tonight. The Pioneers routed Yale, 8-2, in the second semifinal, thanks to a goal and three assists from Mikey Adamson. 

SHU (15-8-4) won the inaugural CT Ice gathering in 2020, while UConn is seeking its first-ever title in the event.

ADDENDUM: Filip Sitar's first-period goal stood up as the game-winner tonight as UConn blanked Sacred Heart, 1-0, to win its first-ever CT Ice championship in the tournament's five years, as Muszelik made 23 saves for the shutout. In the consolation game, Quinnipiac pasted rival Yale (5-13-1) by a 6-2 count.

Devils Sweep Sabres to Open NHL Season

Paul Cotter (Western Michigan) scored a goal in each game as the New Jersey Devils opened the 2024-25 NHL regular season with a two-step sweep of the Buffalo Sabres in the Czech Republic. The Canton, Mich. native tallied a goal and an assist in New Jersey's season-opening 4-1 win on Friday, and then added another goal in Saturday's 3-1 triumph. Owen Power (Michigan) and Tage Thompson (UConn) scored for the Sabres on the weekend, while Devon Levi (Northeastern) stopped 37 shots on Saturday.

Cotter played in eight games with WMU during the 2018-19 campaign, recording one assist before leaving Kalamazoo to play for London (OHL). He spent the last three seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, notching career highs of 18 assists and 25 points last year in 76 outings. The Devils return to action at home in Newark on Thursday against Toronto, while the Sabres will visit Los Angeles that evening.

Fantilli Leads All NCAA-Related Players Drafted in 2023 NHL First Round

Adam Fantilli (Michigan) was taken third in the first round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft tonight in Nashville, the highest-ranking college-related player selected among the 32 NHL teams.

Projected to be tabbed as high as second overall, Fantilli, 18, was chosen by the Columbus Blue Jackets following a freshman campaign that saw him tally 30 goals and 35 assists for a nation-best 65 points as he led the Wolverines to a Big Ten tournament title and the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa. He also won the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's hockey, and earned All-Big Ten Rookie of the Year and First Team All-America accolades. The Toronto native, who also won gold medals this year at both the IIHF World Junior Championship and IIHF World Championship with Canada, has not yet indicated whether he will return to Michigan for his sophomore season or not.

The only other skaters chosen in the first round who played in the NCAA last year were Matthew Wood (UConn), who went 15th overall to the host Nashville Predators, and Charlie Stramel (Wisconsin), who was taken 21st overall by the Minnesota Wild. Wood tallied 11-23—34 points in 35 games last season for the Huskies, while Stramel posted 5-7—12 points in 33 outings for the Badgers. Fantilli, Wood and Stramel are all forwards, with Fantilli and Stramel lining up at center, and Wood at right wing.

Six other players—five forwards and one defenseman—were taken in the first round who are scheduled to begin their NCAA careers this fall. They include (name, position, selection, NHL team, school):

• William Smith, C, 4th, San Jose (Boston College)

• Ryan Leonard, RW, 8th, Washington (Boston College)

• Tom Willander, D, 11th, Vancouver (Boston University) 

• Oliver Moore, C, 19th, Chicago (Minnesota)

• Gabe Perreault, RW, 23rd, NY Rangers (Boston College)

• Bradly Nadeau, C, 30th, Carolina (Maine)

Smith, Leonard and Perreault were all linemates with the U.S. National Team Development Program last season in Plymouth, Mich., combining for an outstanding 353 points with the U.S. Under-18 Team. Willander played junior hockey with Rogles in his native Sweden, recording 25 points, and also helped his home country to a silver medal at the 2023 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. Moore put up 75 points this past year with the U.S. Under-18 Team, while Nadeau skated the past two seasons with Penticton (BCHL) and totaled 159 points over that span.

Rounds Two through Seven, the conclusion of this year's NHL Draft, will begin Thursday morning at 11 a.m. ET (NHL Network, ESPN+, SportsNet, TVA Sports).

ADDENDUM: Fantilli subsequently signed an entry-level contract with Columbus, relinquishing his remaining NCAA eligibility ... The full list of players with NCAA ties who were drafted this year can be found here. Boston College led all schools with six current/incoming players drafted, all of them incoming freshmen.

Sacred Heart, UConn Open New Arenas with Splits

Sacred Heart University and the University of Connecticut both opened new on-campus hockey arenas this weekend in the Constitution State. Unfortunately, both the Pioneers and Huskies came up short in their NCAA men's debuts in their new homes, while both women's home teams won.

SHU (11-9-1) fell to Boston College, 3-2, in overtime on Saturday night in the inaugural game at Martire Family Arena in Fairfield. Conner Hutchison's second-period power-play tally was the first goal scored in the nascent facility, and came before 4.103 on-lookers. The SHU women defeated Harvard, 2-1, in OT in their first game at Martire the following day as Paige McNeil scored in the extra session for the Pioneers.

UConn (13-7-3) was edged by Northeastern, 4-3, in the first men's game at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, on Saturday before 2,691 spectators. The UConn women's team had opened Toscano the day before with a 4-1 victory over Vermont, as the Huskies' Kate Thurman notched the first-ever goal in the new rink.

UConn's Thompson on Scoring Streak for Sabres

Tage Thompson (UConn) is on a roll. The 25-year-old forward for the Buffalo Sabres has recorded six goals and five assists for 11 points in his last three games, all wins at home. The Sabres now stand third in the NHL's Eastern Conference with a 7-3-0 record.

Thompson first tallied a goal and three assists in a 4-3 overtime victory over Chicago on Oct. 29. He then celebrated Halloween by scoring three goals and setting up three others in an 8-3 rout of Detroit, and followed up with a goal and two assists tonight in a 6-3 triumph over Pittsburgh.

Thompson has collected 7-7⁠—14 points in his first 10 outings this season. Drafted 26th overall by St. Louis in 2016 after playing for the U.S. National Under-18 Team, he has recorded 63-54⁠—117 points in 233 career NHL regular-season outings to date. 

Born in Phoenix, Ariz., Thompson skated two seasons (2016, 2017) at UConn before turning pro. In 70 career NCAA appearances with the Huskies, he notched 33-31⁠—64 points.

2022-23 NCAA Hockey Season Underway

Just under six months after Denver was crowned the Division I men's national champion in Boston, the 2022-23 NCAA hockey season is underway.

The Pioneers opened the new season on Saturday with a 10-0 exhibition victory at home over UNLV, although things actually got underway on Sept. 23 when Alaska Anchorage returned to action after a two-year hiatus with a 1-0 exhibition loss to visiting Simon Fraser, 6-0. A day later, Alaska (Fairbanks) blanked SFU, 6-0.  

In CCHA play, Bowling Green split a two-game series with Northern Michigan, while Miami posted a win and a tie against Ferris State. In Hockey East, UConn swept Vermont in a pair of contests, while Minnesota-Duluth did the same to Arizona State in non-conference action.

The Division I women's game made its season debut on Sept. 17 when Syracuse topped Union, Quinnipiac edged UConn, and Maine defeated New Brunswick. As of Oct. 3, defending national champion Ohio State (2-0-0) was in first place in the USCHO.com women's poll.

UConn's Huska Makes NHL Debut with Rangers

Ryan Huska (Connecticut) finally made his NHL debut this week, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Unfortunately for the Slovakian netminder, he took the loss despite making 39 saves as his New York Rangers fell to the visiting Colorado Avalanche, 7-3, on Dec. 8.

Drafted 184th overall by the Rangers in 2015, Huska played three seasons (2017-19) at UConn, where he registered a 20-38-8 record with a 2.90 goals-against and a .908 save percentage in 69 career appearances with the Huskies. After turning professional in 2019, the 6-foot-3 netminder has spent the bulk of his pro career with Hartford (AHL), going 23-20-13 (2.93, .896) in 56 outings for the Wolf Pack.

The 2016-16 USHL Goaltender of the Year with the Green Bay Gamblers, Huska, 24, has also represented his native Slovakia in numerous international competitions, including the Under-18 World Junior Championship, the World Junior Championship and the World Championship. 

Sacred Heart Wins First-Ever Connecticut Ice

The inaugural Connecticut Ice hockey classic was claimed by Sacred Heart University.

Following a 6-2 victory over Yale on Saturday, the Pioneers wrapped up the title and bragging rights in the Constitution State with a 4-1 win over No. 17 Quinnipiac on Sunday. All games were contested at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Conn., which currently doubles as SHU's home ice.

Jason Cotton paced the Pioneers with a goal and an assist in each game, while Matt Tugnutt scored one goal and set up two others. Josh Benson picked up both wins in net for SHU (16-8-2 overall), and stopped 43 of 46 shots on the weekend.

Quinnipiac (14-9-1) earned a berth in the final with a 3-2 win over Connecticut (9-12-4) on Saturday, before Yale (9-10-0) edged UConn, 3-2, in the consolation contest yesterday.

Fitzgerald Hat Trick Lifts Eagles Over Huskies

Sophomore forward Ryan Fitzgerald scored all three goals, including two on the power play and the game-winner, as No. 19 Boston College defeated Connecticut, 3-2, on Saturday night before 6,815 at Conte Forum in a Hockey East conference matchup.

The win improved the Eagles, who were 16th in the Pairwise Rankings prior to faceoff, to 15-8-2 overall (8-5-2 Hockey East), while the visiting Huskies fell to 7-12-5 (4-6-2 HEA). BC, which avenged a 1-0 loss to UConn in Hartford in November, is 8-1-1 in its last 11 outings overall, while UConn has lost two straight games after a three-game unbeaten string.

Fitzgerald, who now has a team-high 12 goals in 25 contests, scored twice in the second period, pulling BC into 1-1 and 2-2 ties before notching the winning goal with 7:40 remaining in regulation with a man advantage to complete his first career collegiate hat trick. BC outshot UConn, 37-21, and was 2-for-4 on the power play. Junior defenseman Michael Matheson had two assists, and sophomore goaltender Thatcher Demko made 19 saves in the victory.

UConn will host No. 14 Merrimack on Tuesday, while BC will entertain No. 18 Providence on Friday.

UConn Blanks BC, 1-0

The University of Connecticut earned its first-ever Hockey East Association victory in its inaugural conference home game on Wednesday night. The Huskies blanked No. 3 Boston College, 1-0, before more than 8,000 fans at the XL Energy Center in Hartford, former home of the NHL's Whalers, in UConn's biggest victory to date over a ranked opponent.

Former BC forward Evan Richardson scored the game's only goal on a power-play midway through the first period, while goaltender Rob Nichols finished with 35 saves for UConn (2-4-2 overall, 1-2-0 HEA), which is in its first campaign in Hockey East. UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh also picked up hist first career victory against the school he helped to four NCAA titles in a personal 18-year stint in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Thatcher Demko made 21 stops for BC (4-3-0, 1-2-0), which has lost two consecutive games and was shut out for the first time in over 100 contests dating back to Jan. 2012.

BC will now host Boston University on Friday night, while UConn will visit BU on Saturday.