Powers Out, Hakstol in at Arizona State

The Greg Powers era has ended at Arizona State University. Former North Dakota and NHL head coach Dave Hakstol is now in charge of Sun Devils hockey.

ASU welcomed Hakstol to the bench with a pair of NCAA non-conference wins at UMass Lowell this weekend, 5-4 on Friday and 4-2 on Saturday, both at Tsongas Center. Samuel Urban stopped 75 of 81 shots in goal for ASU in picking up both victories against the host River Hawks.

Following a bye, the Sun Devils (4-2-0 overall) will open NCHC play at St. Cloud State over Halloween weekend.

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 Princeton University. It also enabled the Tigers to complete their comeback from a late three-goal deficit to edge visiting No. 7 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.  

Alaska Fairbanks Edges Boston College

Alaska Fairbanks traveled to Chestnut Hill, Mass., on Friday night and came away with a 3-2 men's hockey victory over No. 11 Boston College in non-conference NCAA action.

Latvia native Davis Borozinskis scored both the tying and winning goals for the visiting Nanooks, who got 28 saves in goal from Tyler Shea. BC went 2-for-5 on the power play, but the Eagles couldn't get the equalizer late in dropping their home/season opener to UAF (1-2-0).

Full recap can be found here.

 

Maryville Wins First NCAA Hockey Game

Maryville University earned its first-ever victory over an NCAA Division I opponent on Friday, when the Saints topped host St. Lawrence, 3-2.

Maryville is in its first season as an NCAA Division I independent, after previously competing in the ACHA. More can be found here.

 

Frank Serratore to Retire at Air Force

Another Serratore brother will be hanging up his whistle at the end of the 2026-27 NCAA campaign.

Frank Serratore (Bemidji State), who has guided the Air Force Academy for the past 29 years and led the Falcons to seven NCAA tournament berths, has announced he will retire at the end of the current season. His younger brother, Tom Serratore, just announced his season-end retirement at Bemidji State last month.

Frank Serratore has led Air Force to a 490-473-106 overall mark in his tenure in Colorado Springs, including tonight's 4-1 defeat against Omaha. His accolades with the Falcons included seven 20-win seasons, seven Atlantic Hockey playoff titles/seven automatic NCAA tournament berths ,and two Atlantic Hockey regular-season championships since taking over in 1997-98. Factoring in his four years at the helm of the University of Denver from 1990 to 1994, Serratore's overall collegiate head coaching record stands at 539-565-115. 

A native of Coleraine, Minn., Serratore, 69, played two years and 46 games as a goaltender at Western Michigan before transferring home to Bemidji State for two NCAA Division III seasons. Prior to taking the head coaching reins at DU, he served as a GM/coach in the USHL with Austin, Rochester, and Omaha, and two years as an assistant at the University of North Dakota. After leaving Denver, he spent three seasons in pro coaching/hockey operations with the IHL's Minnesota/Manitoba Moose before moving on to Air Force, where his 2008-09 team came within a double overtime goal of advancing to the NCAA Division I Frozen Four.

BU's Nieto Retires from NHL

Matt Nieto has called it a career. The Long Beach, Cal. native has formally retired from the NHL after 12 seasons, after not playing last year due to injury.

Nieto, 33, was drafted 47th overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2011 following his freshman season at BU, the first Californian ever to be selected by the Sharks. A product of the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan, he went on to skate in 705 career NHL regular-season outings at forward from 2013 to 2025 with San Jose, Colorado, and Pittsburgh, including two separate stints each with the Penguins and Avalanche. He collected 87 goals and 119 assists for 206 points in that span, and also posted eight goals and 21 points in 62 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. He also recorded 18 points in 28 career AHL appearances.

Nieto played at BU from 2010 to 2013, registering 44-58—102 points in 115 career games with the Terriers. He also helped them 2012 NCAA tournament and the 2013 Hockey East championship game, the latter the final game coached by legendary BU mentor Jack Parker. He also won gold twice with the U.S. at the IIHF World U-18 Championship (2009, 2010).

ASU Players Request Coaches Go on Leave

Several Arizona State hockey players recently sent a letter to their university president, requesting that the Sun Devils' coaching staff put on administrative leave following the August incident with sophomore defenseman Matthew Mayich that has left him in a coma.

Mayich, 21, a Toronto native and a 2023 St. Louis Blues draft choice who played last year for Clarkson University, collapsed following an outdoor workout in Tempe, Ariz. on Aug. 20 that was led by a former military officer, with members of the ASU coaching staff supposedly present. A former four-year major junior player with Ottawa (OHL), he remains in a neurological unit in a coma, with his attorney having noted that Mayich is not expected to recover in any meaningful fashion. ASU police have been conducting their own investigation into the matter, but no findings have yet been released.

ASU head coach Greg Powers, who has led the program since its ACHA club days and its elevation to the NCAA Division I level in 2015, declined to answer questions regarding the incident or the training session at last week's National Collegiate Hockey Conference media day. The Sun Devils, who joined the NCHC in 2024, are slated to open their 2025-26 season this weekend with two games at NCAA Division I independent Lindenwood.

ADDENDUM: Powers has been placed on administrative leave for at least this weekend.