Woods Story Up at USCHO.com

My latest college hockey feature story, on cancer survivor and Alaska Fairbanks captain Justin Woods, is now online at USCHO.com.

A Fairbanks native, Woods currently has seven goals and 11 points in 16 games this season for the Nanooks, who travel to Lake Superior State for a two-game WCHA series this weekend.

Princeton Splits with Bemidji State

 

Princeton University gave up a goal just 17 seconds into Friday's game, but then didn't look back in scoring twice in each of the next two periods on to best Bemidji State, 4-1, at Hobey Baker Rink. The Tigers thus gained a split in the two-game series, which began on Wednesday with a 5-3 victory by the visiting Beavers.

After BSU's Jay Dickman one-timed home a puck from the slot in the first minute of play, the score remained unchanged until Ryan Kuffner connected on a Princeton power play with just over three minutes left in the second period. The Tigers then went ahead for good less than two minutes later,  when Alex Riche backhanded a puck from behind the goal line that glanced off the inside of BSU goaltender Jack Burgart's pad and slid into the net.

David Hallisey scored from the left side just under five minutes into the third stanza to make it 3-1 for Princeton, and the goal stood following an official review after BSU challenged that the play had been offside. Princeton freshman and New Jersey native Jake Paganelli closed out the scoring on a breakaway at 14:18 for his first career collegiate goal.

Ryan Ferland finished with 26 saves for the Tigers, while Burgart made 36 stops for the Beavers in his first starts of the 2017-18 season. Josh Teves recorded two assists for Princeton, while Kuffner had a goal and an assist. The all-time series between the two schools is now tied at three wins apiece.

Princeton (4-4-1 overall) will now host ECAC opponent Quinnipiac on Tuesday night and will then visit Arizona State for two games next weekend, while BSU (5-5-2) will visit WCHA opponent Bowling Green next Friday and Saturday.

Princeton Outlasts Yale, 5-4

Max Veronneau had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Ferland made 37 saves as Princeton University held on for a 5-4 ECAC Hockey victory over Ivy League rival Yale on Friday night at Hobey Baker Rink. Full recap can be found here.

Wood Hat Trick Boosts Devils Over Hawks

Miles Wood tallied his first career hat trick and added an assist last night as the New Jersey Devils rebounded from a 4-1 deficit to defeat the host Chicago Blackhawks, 7-5.

Wood tallied the Devils' first goal of the game on Sunday at the United Center, a power-play goal, to forge a 1-1 first-period tie at the time. His second score then pulled the Devils within 4-2 late in the opening stanza.

Wood assisted on a second-period goal by Brian Gibbons (Boston College) to make it 6-4 for New Jersey, while his third goal, which came on the power play in the third period, was the game's final tally. Andy Green (Miami) had a goal and an assist for New Jersey, while Keith Kinkaid (Union) made 39 saves in net for the Devils for the victory.

The 6-foot-2 Wood played one season (2015-16) at BC, tallying 10 goals and 25 assists for 35 points to go with 76 penalty minutes while helping the Eagles to the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa. He signed with New Jersey, which drafted him 100th overall in 2013, immediately following his sole college campaign.

The son of former NHLer and Yale University graduate Randy Wood, the younger Wood now has 6-3—9 points to go with 21 PIM in 16 games this season for New Jersey. In 77 career NHL games, all with the Devils, he has now recorded 14-12—26 points and 107 PIM.

The Buffalo-born Wood, 22, is part of a BC alumni contingent with the Devils this season that also includes Brian Boyle, Gibbons, Jimmy Hayes, Steve Santini and Corey Schneider. Devils defenseman Ben Lovejoy also skated one year (2002-03) for the Eagles before transferring to Dartmouth College for his final three NCAA seasons.

Boyle Scores First Goal for Devils

Brian Boyle is back.

The former Boston College forward scored his first career goal as a New Jersey Devil on Thursday night in a 3-2 overtime loss to the visiting Edmonton Oilers. Boyle tallied the game's first goal off a rebound, beating Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville), while Brian Gibbons (Boston College) assisted on Boyle's score. Drew Stafford (North Dakota) also connected for the Devils, who got 29 saves from Corey Schneider (Boston College). Talbot finished with 32 stops for the Oilers.

Boyle, 32, who signed with New Jersey as a free agent in the off-season, has played five games for his new team after being diagnosed earlier this year with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. He now has 94 goals and 77 assists for 171 points in 629 NHL regular-season games with Los Angeles, the New York Rangers, Tampa Bay, Toronto and New Jersey.

Boyle collected 65-75—140 points in 159 appearances at BC (2003-2007), twice earning All-America honors while helping the Eagles to three NCAA Frozen Four appearances. A 6-foot-6 native of Hingham, Mass., he was selected 26th overall by Los Angeles in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Princeton, Colgate Skate to Scoreless Tie

The Princeton University men’s hockey team opened its 2017-18 ECAC Hockey slate with a 0-0 deadlock against Colgate on Friday night at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink. 

Freshman netminder Ryan Ferland made 34 saves for the Tigers (1-0-1 overall, 0-0-1 ECAC), and has been the goalie of record in both of Princeton's NCAA decisions so far this season. Colton Point had 45 stops for the Raiders (3-2-4, 0-0-1), who dropped a best-of-three 2017 ECAC first-round series at Princeton in March. Each team went 0-for-1 on the power play Friday.

The Tigers will now host Cornell on Saturday at 7 p.m., while Colgate will visit Quinnipiac. Cornell topped host Quinnipiac on Friday by a 2-1 count.