U.S. Edges Czech Republic in OT

The U.S. National Junior Team continues to roll along at the 2020 IIHF U-20 World Junior Championship. The Americans edged the host Czech Republic, 4-3, in overtime Monday to advance to the quarterfinal round on Jan. 2 (NHL Network).

Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) notched the game-winning goal just over three minutes into the extra session for the U.S., which has now won three straight games after an opening match loss to Canada on Dec. 26. Trevor Zegras (Boston University) set up two goals in the win over the Czechs, and now has nine assists through Team USA's four games.

Spencer Knight (Boston College) made 25 saves in picking up the win for the Americans, after previously backstopping victories over Germany (6-3) and Russia (3-1). Team USA is now 2-1-0-1 in Group B play, and can finish no lower than second place in round-robin play.

Happy New Year!

Canada Edges U.S. in 2020 WJC Opener

Shane Pinto (North Dakota) helped stake the U.S. National Junior Team to a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes, but rival Canada responded with three second-period scores en route to a 6-4 win on Wednesday in the opening game for both teams at the 2020 IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic.

Pinto finished the day with two goals and an assist, including the tying goal with 3:18 remaining in regulation, only to watch as Canada tallied the final two goals of the game for the victory. Spencer Knight (Boston College) finished with 26 saves for the Americans, who will next face Germany today in Group 'B' Play.

Happy Hockey Holidays

Merry Christmas 🏒🏒🏒

BC's Knight Makes U.S. World Junior Team

Spencer Knight is the lone current Boston College Eagle on this year's U.S. National Junior Team Roster. The group will compete in the 2020 World Junior Championship in the Czech Republic starting Dec. 26.

In all, 14 NCAA different schools are represented on this year's roster for the U.S., which finished runner-up to Finland at the WJC a year ago in Vancouver after falling by a 3-2 count in the gold medal game.

Knight has fashioned an 11-4-0 record with a 1.73 goals-against average, a .940 save percentage, and four shutouts so far for the No. 5 Eagles. Also in this year's American lineup is Oliver Wahlstrom (Boston College), who left BC after recording 17 points last season as a freshman and is now skating for Bridgeport (AHL).

Jacob Bernard-Docker (North Dakota) was the lone NCAA player selected for Team Canada's World Junior squad this year.

Dallas Dismisses Maine's Montgomery as Coach

The Dallas Stars have dismissed head coach Jim Montgomery (Maine) for "unprofessional conduct", according to multiple news sources. No specific event was mentioned, and no criminal investigation is apparently being pursued.

As an All-America forward, Montgomery led Maine to its first-ever NCAA hockey title in 1993. He did the same 24 years later with the University of Denver, as head coach of the Pioneers when he guided them to the national championship in Chicago in 2017.

Montgomery, 50, left Denver in 2018 to join the Stars, and went 60-43-10 in 113 NHL regular-season games before his dismissal. He also led Dallas to Game 7 of the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs earlier this year, where the Stars fell in double overtime to eventual Stanley Cup champion St. Louis.

A native of Montreal, Montgomery also coached Dubuque to two Junior A titles in the United States Hockey League before signing on at Denver, after previously serving four seasons as an assistant coach at Rensselaer. He played in 122 NHL games between 1993 and 2003 with St. Louis, Montreal, Philadelphia, San Jose and Dallas, after recording 301 points in four seasons at UMaine.

CC Completes Sweep of Princeton in OT

It was Tigers besting Tigers last weekend in central New Jersey, as Colorado College completed an NCAA non-conference sweep of Princeton with a 2-1 overtime victory at Hobey Baker Rink on Saturday night.

After a 7-2 victory by the visiting Tigers on Friday afternoon, scoring was much tougher to come by in the rematch. North Dakota transfer Chris Wilkie finished off a 2-on-1 rush with a successful one-timer 2:12 into the third period to break a scoreless tie, which stood up when a potential tying Princeton goal was waved off with about seven minutes remaining in regulation.

Christian O'Neill then scored in front on a power play with 31 seconds left for the host Tigers to tie things up, with goaltender Jeremie Forget having been pulled for an extra attacker. Following an icing against Princeton less than 20 seconds into the overtime, Wilkie wristed home the only shot of the extra session off the face-off for the win.

Northeastern transfer Ryan Ruck stopped 40 shots for CC on Saturday, while Forget had 25 saves for Princeton, which will now host American International College on Tuesday night. CC will a play a home-and-home series with in-state and NCHC rival Denver this weekend.

Devils Let Hynes Go as Head Coach

The New Jersey Devils released John Hynes (Boston University) on Tuesday as their head coach, after almost five seasons at the helm.

Hynes had served as head coach of the Devils since the 2015-16 campaign. They made the Stanley Cup Playoffs once in his tenure, in 2018 where they fell to Tampa Bay in the first round in five games. He finished with a record of 150-159-5 in 354 regular-season outings with New Jersey.

Prior to the Devils, Hynes served five seasons as head coach of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League, fashioning a 231-126-27 mark in 384 regular-season contests to go along with five Calder Cup Playoff appearances.

A native of Warwick, R.I., Hynes was a member of BU's 1995 NCAA title team, and played 43 games at forward for the Terriers from 1994 to 1997. He went on to coach with USA Hockey, Massachusetts-Lowell, and Wisconsin before entering the professional coaching ranks in 2009.

BGSU Sweeps Notre Dame

No. 16 Bowling Green swept No. 5 Notre Dame by a pair of 5-2 scores this weekend at Compton Ice Arena in Notre Dame, Ind. The former Central Collegiate Hockey Association rivals met for the first since the CCHA's final campaign, when Notre Dame swept a best-of-three first round playoff series at home in March 2013.

Brandon Kruse led the Falcons with a goal and an assist on Friday night, and added another goal Saturday, while Nick Leivermann set up two goals from the blueline in the rematch. Eric Dop stopped 52 of 56 shots overall for BGSU, while Ryan Bischel had 30 saves for the Irish on Saturday after making seven saves in relief in the night before.

BGSU improved to 9-5-0 overall this season with the two wins and is 6-2-0 in its last eight outings, while the Irish fell to 8-3-2 with their third straight loss.

Union Edges Princeton in OT

Union College got back into the win column Saturday night.

Gabriel Seger scored with 15.5 seconds left in overtime at Hobey Baker Rink to boost the Dutchmen to a 2-1 win at Princeton. Anthony Rinaldi powered down the right wing boards from his own end, skated past a falling defenseman in the Princeton zone, and got off a shot on net that was stopped by Tigers goaltender Ryan Ferland (30 saves). Seger was there to pop in the rebound and end Union's four-game losing skid.

Matthew Thom put Princeton (1-3-2, 0-3-1 ECAC Hockey) ahead 3:36 into the second period on a shot from the middle of the blueline that got through Union netminder Darion Hanson (29 saves). Dylan Anhorn responded 10 minutes later for the Dutchmen (3-11-0, 2-4-0), just five seconds into a Union power play, to tie the game.

Union outshot Princeton, 32-30, including 5-1 in the extra session. The two schools will meet again on Feb. 21, 2020 in Schenectady, N.Y. to close out the season series.

Alaska Schools Safe for 2020-21 Season

 

According to several sources, Alaska Anchorage and Alaska (Fairbanks) will both participate in the 2020-2021 NCAA campaign, including in ice hockey. The Seawolves and Nanooks participate in Division I for men's ice hockey, and in Division II for all other sports, including basketball, skiing and volleyball.

Both institutions will still be seeking a hockey conference home in two years, as the "new" WCHA is expected to break up and leave the Alaska schools behind, along with Alabama-Huntsville. UAA has been with the WCHA full-time since 1993, while UAF joined in 2013 following the dissolution of the CCHA. Both teams competed as Division I independents for several seasons prior to 1992-93.

Penn State, Michigan State Split Big Ten Series

John Lethemon made 48 saves on Friday night as Michigan State blanked host Penn State in Big Ten play at Pegula Ice Arena. Patrick Khodorenko scored the game-winning goal just over halfway through the game for the visiting Spartans, who also got an empty-net goal late in regulation from Logan Lambdin.

On Saturday, the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions gained the series split with a 6-4 victory, powered by two assists apiece from Liam Folkes and Aarne Talvitie, plus 25 saves from Peyton Jones. Khodorenko scored two goals and set up another for the Spartans, who got 25 stops from Lethemon.

Penn State (7-2-0 overall, 3-1-0) will hit the road for the first time this season when it visits Minnesota next weekend. MSU (3-5-0, 1-1-0) will play a home-and-home set with archrival Michigan.

Princeton Begins New Season with Win and Tie at SCSU

Princeton University opened its 2019-20 men's hockey campaign by continuing its recent success against St. Cloud State University.

The Tigers skated to a 5-3 win and a 5-5 tie with the host Huskies in Minnesota over the weekend of Nov. 1-2. The two schools had played to pair of ties in central New Jersey in Dec. 2017, when St. Cloud was ranked as the top Division I team in the country.

Junior goaltender Ryan Ferland backstopped the Tigers to a season-opening victory on Friday, making 31 saves, while sophomore forward Corey Andonovski scored Princeton's first goal of the season and added an assist. Senior forward Jackson Cressey also had a goal and an assist for the visitors.

On Saturday, Andonovski tallied his first career collegiate hat trick, including the game-tying goal in the third period, while freshman netminder Aidan Porter made 25 saves for the Tigers in his NCAA debut. Cressey scored one goal, and set up three others, to finish with six points in two outings. Sophomore forward Sam Hentges led 16th-ranked St. Cloud (1-2-3 overall) with two goals and three assists on the weekend, while junior goalie Dávid Hrenák finished with a total of 37 saves over the two contests for the Huskies.

Princeton (1-0-1) opens ECAC Hockey play at Harvard and Dartmouth on Nov. 8-9, while SCSU will play a non-conference series at Northern Michigan.

Devils Edged by Lightning on Mischief Night

Kyle Palmieri (Notre Dame) scored three goals, including the game-tying marker with 7.4 seconds remaining in regulation, but the New Jersey Devils fell victim to the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning, 7-6, in overtime on Thursday night in an NHL contest at the Prudential Center.

Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University) had two assists for the Lightning, while Ryan McDonagh (Wisconsin) set up another goal. Alex Killorn (Harvard) tallied a goal for Tampa Bay, which took a 6-5 lead with three consecutive scores in the third period before Palmieri tied the contest.

Curtis McElhinney (Colorado College) finished with 36 saves for the Lightning  (6-4-2 overall), while Corey Schneider (Boston College) made 16 stops for the Devils (2-5-3). New Jersey captain Andy Greene (Miami) led all players in blocking three shots.

Happy Halloween!

Gicewicz Out for Season for SLU

St. Lawrence senior captain Carson Gicewicz announced recently on his social media account that he's out for the remainder of the 2019-20 NCAA campaign, thanks to a torn ACL in his knee. He went scoreless in two season-opening games at Mercyhurst before his condition was diagnosed.

And not even a month after I penned the cover story on him for the October issue of New York Hockey Journal. Now I know how John Madden must feel ...

Alaska, UAA Split Round One of Governor's Cup

The 2019-20 Alaska Airlines Governor's Cup is all tied up at one win apiece.

The 49th State's two NCAA Division I ice hockey teams split a pair of games at the Seawolf Sports Complex in Anchorage over the weekend, with visiting Alaska (Fairbanks) winning by a 2-1 count on Friday night before host Alaska Anchorage returned the favor on Saturday afternoon with a 4-0 whitewash.

On Friday, Brayden Camrud staked the Seawolves to a 1-0 lead just under 16 minutes into the first period, before Tristan Thompson set up Max Newton for the tying score for UAF 46 seconds before intermission. Thompson's power-play goal midway through the second stanza then put the Nanooks on top for good, as Anton Martinsson made 26 stops in goal for the victory.

On Saturday, Nick Wicks paced the Seawolf offense with two goals and an assist, including the game-winning goal on a second-period power play, while Tomi Hiekkavirta posted three assists. Tanner Schachle and Alex Frye also scored for the Seawolves, and Kristian Stead made 29 saves for the shutout while also backstopping UAA (1-3-0 overall, 1-1-0 WCHA) to its first victory this fall. Martinsson had 22 stops in the rematch for the Nanooks (4-4-0, 2-2-0).

The two games marked the inaugural contests of the first full home slate for UAA Hockey to be played at the sports complex since the 1982-83 campaign. Since then the Seawolves had skated at the 6,200-seat Sullivan Arena in downtown Anchorage, but were forced to move back on-campus this season due to state budget cuts. Plans call for the 700-seat facility to potentially be expanded to as much as 2,500 seats over the next few years.

This season's Governor's Cup will be determined following a two-game set at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks on Feb. 28-29, 2020. A deciding shootout will be utilized if the two schools are subsequently tied with two wins apiece following the second game in Fairbanks.  The Nanooks have claimed the last 10 Governor's Cups.

UAA will now host Nebraska-Omaha for two non-conference games next weekend, including the series opener on Halloween night, while UAF will entertain Bemidji State for a pair of WCHA contests on Friday and Saturday.

Eagles Win Both Games to Start 2019-20 Season

Boston College is off to a good start.

The No. 10 Eagles, who didn't win an out-of-conference contest last season until February, made it 2-for-2 on opening weekend with a 5-3 home victory over Wisconsin on Friday, followed by a 3-0 triumph at Colgate on Sunday.

Freshman goaltender and 2019 first-round NHL draft choice Spencer Knight picked up the win in both games, and recorded his first collegiate shutout with 39 saves at Colgate. He had 23 stops against No. 16 Wisconsin, with two of the goals by the Badgers coming on U-W power plays.

Senior forwards David Cotton and Julius Mattila lead the Eagles in scoring with two goals and four assists apiece so far this season, the first time BC has started off 2-0-0 since last winning the NCAA title in 2011-12.

BC returns to action this weekend with two games at top-ranked Denver.

Dartmouth's Stempniak Retires From NHL

On the eve of the 2019-20 NHL season, a longtime NHL forward and former collegian called it a career.

Lee Stempniak (Dartmouth) announced his retirement on Tuesday after playing 13 full seasons and for 10 teams in the league. A fifth-round draft choice of the St. Louis Blues in 2003 following his sophomore season at Dartmouth, Stempniak, 36, played three seasons with the Blues and also went on to skate for Toronto, Phoenix, Calgary, Pittsburgh, the New York Rangers, Winnipeg, New Jersey, Carolina and Boston.

In 911 career NHL regular-season games, Stempniak scored 203 goals and set up 266 others for 469 points, while adding 327 penalty minutes. He also had three goals and six points in 28 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests. His highest-scoring season as an NHL player was in 2006-07 with St. Louis, when he netted 27 goals and 52 points in 82 outings

A native of West Seneca, N.Y., and a product of the Buffalo Lightning junior hockey club, Stempniak played at Dartmouth from 2001 to 2005, where he notched 63 goals and 88 assists for 151 points for the Big Green in 135 NCAA  appearances. As a junior, he earned First Team All-America accolades, and then was tabbed Second Team All-America as a senior. He was all named All-ECAC Hockey First Team in both of those seasons. As a sophomore, he collected a career-high 21 goals and 49 points.

Preseason Polls in, Regular Season Starts Saturday

The 2019-20 preseason polls for each of the six men's NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences have all been released. The following are the six schools chosen to finish first overall in their respective leagues at the conclusion of the regular season:

Atlantic Hockey: American International
Big Ten: Penn State
ECAC Hockey: Cornell
Hockey East: Boston College
NCHC: Minnesota-Duluth
WCHA: Minnesota State

American International, Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State all won their respective conference regular-season titles last season, with Cornell finishing as ECAC Hockey's runner-up. All four also advanced to the 2019 NCAA Tournament, with Minnesota-Duluth ultimately winning its second straight national championship. The UMD Bulldogs were also voted first overall in today's USA Hockey/NCAA Division I Preseason Poll.

The 2019-20 NCAA campaign gets underway this Saturday with Maine visiting Providence in Hockey East action, along with eight non-conference NCAA tilts, and 11 exhibition contests pitting NCAA schools against Canadian universities. Northern Michigan also faces off with the U.S. Under-18 Team.

BC Women Blank Merrimack in Opener

The 2019-20 NCAA ice hockey season got underway on Friday night as Boston College blanked host Merrimack, 2-0, in Hockey East women's play.

Savannah Norcross tallied the game-winning goal for the Eagles, who are ranked eighth in the nation. Caroline DiFiore added an empty-net insurance goal, the first goal of her college career, and Maddy McArthur made 25 saves for the visitors to earn the shutout.

The Warriors and Eagles meet again on Saturday at Merrimack's Lawler Rink at 2 p.m. ET to close out the two-game series.

In non-conference NCAA women's action on Friday, defending NCAA champion and No. 1 Wisconsin won, 3-0, at Lindenwood, while No. 3 Clarkson edged host Syracuse, 4-3. Minnesota State won, 4-0, at Rensselaer, and Penn State skated to a 3-3 tie at Holy Cross. No. 2 Minnesota blanked visiting Colgate, 2-0, and No. 9 Ohio State bested visiting St. Lawrence, 4-1.

18 Years Later

In your prayers and recollections today, please remember Mark Bavis (Boston University '93), who was lost on United No. 175 on 9/11 on his way to training camp as a scout for the NHL's Los Angeles Kings. He was 31 years old.

#MarkBavis #United175 #NineEleven

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame to Add Three Former Collegians

Former collegiate standouts Brian Gionta (Boston College), Tim Thomas (Vermont) and Krissy Wendell (Minnesota) will all be inducted to the U.S Hockey Hall of Fame later this year.

Gionta, 40, who is still BC's all-time leading goal scorer with 123 goals and nine hat tricks from 1997 to 2001, led the Eagles to four consecutive NCAA Frozen Fours, and also captained BC to the national title his senior season. He played 16 years in the NHL with New Jersey, Montreal, Buffalo and Boston, and won a Stanley Cup with New Jersey in 2003 before setting a still-standing Devils’ single-season record by scoring 48 goals during the 2005-06 campaign. The Rochester, N.Y. native tallied 291 goals and 304 assists for 595 points in 1,026 career NHL regular-season games, and also skated for Team USA in two Olympic Winter Games (2006, 2018), while captaining the American squad in his second Olympic go-around.

Thomas won the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the NHL playoffs that spring as he backstopped Boston to its first Stanley Cup in four decades, and also received the Vezina Trophy that season as the league’s top goaltender. A native of Flint, Mich., he compiled a 214-145-19 record to go with a 2.52 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and 31 shutouts in 426 career NHL regular-season appearances with Boston, Florida and Dallas. A two-time All-America netminder at Vermont, Thomas, 45, helped the Catamounts to the 1996 NCAA Frozen Four as a junior while recording 81 career victories over four years at UVM. He also gained a bronze medal at the 1996 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games with the United States.

Wendell, 37, played three seasons at Minnesota, where she posted 106-131—237 points in 101 career contests with the Golden Gophers. She tallied 104 points in her third and final NCAA campaign, and also helped Minnesota to the 2003-04 national title. She earned five silver medals and one gold medal at the Women’s World Championships, and also claimed silver and bronze medals, respectively, with the U.S. in two Olympic Winter Games (2002, 2006).

Dartmouth's Lovejoy Retires from NHL

Ben Lovejoy (Dartmouth) has called it a career.

The longtime NHL defenseman from Concord, N.H., retired from pro hockey last week, following 11 years in the league and a Stanley Cup championship ring with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016. In 544 career NHL regular-season appearances with Pittsburgh, Anaheim, New Jersey and Dallas, he scored 20 goals and added 81 assists for 101 points, to go with 287 penalty minutes. In Stanley Cup Playoff action, he recorded 5-11—16 points and 26 PIM in 76 postseason games.

Lovejoy, 35, played one year at Boston College (2002-03), notching six assists in 22 contests before transferring to Dartmouth. He then skated three NCAA seasons with the Big Green, and collected 11-43—54 points in 96 career matches, while helping Dartmouth to the ECAC Hockey tournament semifinals in both 2006 and 2007. He turned pro as a free agent with Norfolk (AHL) following his senior season in 2006-07.

After going scoreless in five outings with Norfolk, Lovejoy joined Pittsburgh's system the following season and subsequently notched 18-62—80 points in 213 regular-season AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He also recorded a career-best plus-42 plus-minus rating in 2008-09, and added three goals and 11 assists in 37 career Calder Cup playoff contests.

BC's Guerin Named Minnesota Wild GM

Bill Guerin (Boston College) was named General Manager of the Minnesota Wild last week, making him the fourth GM in the franchise's history.

Guerin, 48, served the past five years as Assistant GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins, who won back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2016 and 2017. He was also GM of the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton the past two years, and also spent three years as a development coach with Pittsburgh.

A first-round draft choice of the New Jersey Devils (fifth overall) in 1989, Guerin played 17 seasons as a forward in the NHL with New Jersey, Edmonton, Boston, Dallas, St. Louis, San Jose, the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh from 1991 to 2010. A 12-time 20-goal scorer, he collected 429 goals and 427 assists for 856 points to go with 1,660 penalty minutes in 1,263 career NHL regular-season outings. He added 39-35—74 points and 162 PIM in 140 Stanley Cup Playoff games, and won hockey's most coveted trophy twice, in 1995 with New Jersey and in 2009 with Pittsburgh. He also skated for the U.S. Olympic Team on three occasions, and won a silver medal with the Americans in Salt Lake City in 2002.

A junior hockey product of the Springfield (Mass.) Olympics program, Guerin played two seasons at Boston College and helped the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament both years (1990, 1991), including the 1990 Frozen Four in Detroit. He tallied 40-30—70 points in 77 career games, and was ultimately inducted into the BC Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.

Shattenkirk on the Move, Butcher Stays Put

A pair of former NCAA defensemen are heading different ways in the NHL's Atlantic Division.

Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University) was bought out by the New York Rangers with two years remaining on his four-year, $26.6 million contract, according to Reuters, while Will Butcher (Denver) signed a new three-year deal worth $11.2 million with the New Jersey Devils, according to msn.com.

Shattenkirk, 30, joined the Rangers in the summer of 2017 after splitting the 2016-17 campaign between St. Louis and Washington. In two seasons in Manhattan, the first limited by injury, he notched seven goals and 44 assists for 51 points in 119 regular-season outings.

A 2014 U.S. Olympian, Shattenkirk has registered 75-274—349 points in 609 NHL regular-season games with Colorado, St. Louis, Washington and the Rangers. He also has five goals and 34 points in 64 career Stanley Cup Playoff appearances. A first-round draft choice (14th overall) of Colorado in 2007, and a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, he totaled 18-60—78 points in 121 contests over three seasons at BU, and was also a member of the Terriers' 2009 NCAA championship team.

Also originally drafted by Colorado (2013, 123rd overall) and trained by the U.S. NTDP, Butcher signed with the New Jersey Devils as a free agent in 2017 after completing a highly-successful three-year stint at DU that culminated in both an NCAA title and the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. In 158 appearances overall with the Pioneers, he collected 28-75—103 points. His totals included seven goals and career-high 37 points as a junior captain in 2016-17, when he was also named a First Team All-America selection.

Butcher, 24, who has represented the U.S. at both the World Junior Championship and the World Championships, has notched nine goals and 74 points in 159 NHL regular-season outings over two seasons with the Devils, and also has four points in five career Stanley Cup Playoff matches. He posted 44 points in 2017-18 to earn selection to the NHL All-Rookie Team that season.

FSU's Kunitz Ends Four-Cup NHL Career

Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) has called it a career. The four-time Stanley Cup champion retired from NHL play on Tuesday after 15 seasons with Anaheim, Atlanta, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay and Chicago.

A native of Regina, Sask., Kunitz collected 268 goals and 351 assists for 619 points and 746 penalty minutes in 1,022 NHL regular-season outings from 2003 until 2019. A six-time 20-goal scorer, his highest-scoring NHL campaign came in 2013-14 with Pittsburgh, when he registered career highs of 35 goals and 33 assists for 68 points in 78 games to earn NHL First Team All-Star status. He also tallied 27-66—93 points in 178 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests, winning his first Cup with Anaheim (2007) before following up with three more titles with Pittsburgh (2009, 2016, 2017).

Kunitz, 39, also won a silver medal with Canada at the 2008 World Championships, and earned gold with the Canadians at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. He also notched 41 goals and 87 points along with 184 PIM in 118 American Hockey League regular-season appearances with Cincinnati and Portland.

Kunitz prepped with both Yorkton and Melville in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League prior to skating four seasons at Ferris State (1999-2003). As a senior at FSU, he recorded career highs of 35-44—79 points in 42 outings in leading the Bulldogs to the 2003 Central Collegiate Hockey Association championship game, and an at-large berth in the 2003 NCAA Tournament.

He was also an NCAA First Team All-America selection and a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist his senior season, and was additionally tabbed as the 2002-03 CCHA Player of the Year. In 152 career collegiate outings, he put up 99-76—175 points and 275 PIM, and twice earned All-CCHA First Team accolades. His 99 career goals rank him second all-time at FSU.

Kunitz, who spent last season with Chicago where he played in 1,000^th NHL regular-season game, has joined the Blackhawks as a player development adviser.

NHL, NCAA and Hockey East Make Summer Moves

 

Things have certainly been changing for college hockey so far this year.

In addition to new recruiting rules and an upcoming new conference, the biggest alteration to date is that Joe Bertagna (Harvard) will be stepping down as commissioner of Hockey East after the 2019-20 season, following 23 years at the helm of one of NCAA Division I hockey's top leagues. The conference has won six NCAA men's titles under his watch, four of those by Boston College, with the most recent national crown coming from Providence in 2015. A former goaltender at Harvard, Bertagna previously worked in administration for the ECAC before taking over Hockey East.

Several former NCAA players have also been on the move in the NHL following the conclusion of the 2018-19 campaign in June, including one who played his last year of college this season. Here's a sampling of those moves, through trades or free agency:

- Phil Kessel (Minnesota) from Pittsburgh to Arizona
- Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) from San Jose to Dallas
- Jacob Trouba (Michigan) from Winnipeg to the New York Rangers
- Jimmy Vesey (Harvard) from the New York Rangers to Buffalo
- Dakota Joshua (Ohio State) from Toronto to St. Louis
- Alex Kerfoot (Harvard) from Colorado to Toronto
- Gustav Nyquist (Maine) from San Jose to Columbus
- Anthony Stolarz (Omaha) from Edmonton to Anaheim
- Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville) from Philadelphia to Calgary
- Steven Santini (Boston College) from New Jersey to Nashville

Among NHL free agents who re-signed with their original clubs, Anders Lee (Notre Dame) inked a seven-year, $49 million deal to remain as captain of the New York Islanders.

Former UND Star Johnson Passes Away

Former college scoring star Greg Johnson (North Dakota) died on Tuesday in Detroit, of unknown causes, according to multiple published sources. He was 48 years old.

A native of Thunder Bay, Ont., Johnson remains the all-time leading scorer in University of North Dakota hockey history, having tallied 74 goals and 198 assists for 272 points in 155 appearances between 1989 and 1993. His best collegiate season came as a sophomore in 1990-91, when he collected career highs of 61 assists and 79 points, one year after he helped the then-Fighting Sioux
to the 1990 NCAA Tournament. He was also a three-time Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist.

After UND, Johnson played two seasons with the Canadian National Team. He then appeared in the only three AHL games of his professional tenure, with Adirondack, before embarking on a 12-year NHL career. Drafted by Philadelphia in the second round (33rd overall) of the 1989 NHL Entry Draft, he never skated for the Flyers but still accumulated 145-224—369 points in 785 NHL regular-season contests with Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Nashville.

Johnson's best NHL campaign came in 1998-99, when he registered a career-high 34 assists and 50 points for expansion Nashville. He also served as captain of the Predators for several seasons, before retiring following the 2005-06 season at the age of 35 due to a heart condition. He leaves behind a wife and two children.

Seven Schools Plan to Leave WCHA

Seven of the 10 schools in the current Western Collegiate Hockey Association are seeking to leave and form a new NCAA Division I men's ice hockey conference, according to published reports.

The seven schools making the proposed move include Bemidji State University, Bowling Green State University, Ferris State University, Lake Superior State University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University (Mankato), and Northern Michigan University. The new league would begin play in the fall of 2021, and according to bgsufalcons.com, the seven schools have already independently submitted formal letters of notice to the WCHA office regarding their intent to leave the conference.

The "original" WCHA split up in 2013 when Minnesota and Wisconsin went over to the new Big Ten conference, and Colorado College, Denver, Minnesota-Duluth, Nebraska-Omaha, North Dakota and St. Cloud State joined the new National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Bowling Green, Ferris State Lake Superior and Northern Michigan all left the dissolving Central Collegiate Hockey Association that year and transferred to the new WCHA.

The loss of the seven aforementioned schools would leave the WCHA with just three members in Alabama-Huntsville, Alaska Anchorage, and Alaska (Fairbanks).

BC's York to Hall of Fame, Orpik Retires from NHL

Jerry York (Boston College) will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto in November. York, the NCAA's all-time wins leader in men's hockey with 1,067 career victories to date, also has five national championships to his credit, four with BC and one with Bowling Green. A Watertown, Mass. native and former All-America forward at BC who began his coaching career at Clarkson University in 1970, York, 73, is believed to be the first inductee into the Hall of Fame solely on NCAA credentials. He has notched 27 seasons with 20 or more wins, and has 41 wins in NCAA Tournament play alone.

Also on Tuesday, defenseman Brooks Orpik (Boston College) announced his retirement as an active player after 15 NHL seasons. Orpik, 38, won Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 2009 and with Washington in 2018, the only two NHL organizations he ever played for. A 6-foot-3 blueliner from Amherst, N.Y., he recorded 176 assists and 194 career points to go with 972 penalty minutes in
1,035 regular-season NHL appearances, and also played in 156 career Stanley Cup Playoff contests. He skated three seasons at BC, collecting 41 points and 324 PIM from 1998 to 2001, and was a member of the Eagles' 2001 NCAA title team. He also won a silver medal with the 2010 U.S. Olympic Team in Vancouver.

Three BC Freshmen Chosen in 2019 NHL First Round

Three incoming Boston College Eagles were selected in the first round of the 2019 NHL Draft on Friday in Vancouver.

Matthew Boldy of Millis, Mass. was selected 12th overall by the Minnesota Wild. Last season with the U.S. National Team Development Program out of Michigan, the 6-foot-2 left wing tallied 33 goals and 48 assists for 81 points in 64 games. He more than doubled his output from the 2017-18 campaign, when he finished with 12 goals and 35 points with the NTDP.

Spencer Knight went 13th overall to the Florida Panthers. The 6-foot-3 goaltender from Darien, Conn. compiled a 15-1-0 record with a 2.21 goals-against average and .903 save percentage against USHL clubs, and finished 17-3-1 in exhibition contests against NCAA and similar competition. He is expected to step into the Eagles' starting goaltender slot with the departure of three-year starter Joe Woll to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization earlier this year.

The 16th NHL choice on Friday went to the Colorado Avalanche, who used it on Alex Newhook from St. John's, Newfoundland. The 5-foot-10 center collected 38-64—102 points in 53 outings last season with Victoria (BCHL), and added five goals and 10 points in five appearances with Canada's U-18 squad.

NTDP all-time leading scorer Jack Hughes, one of seven players from that organization chosen on Friday, went first overall to the New Jersey Devils, but he is not expected to play college hockey like his older brother Quinn Hughes (Michigan) and father Jim Hughes (Providence). The top player with NCAA ties chosen in the first round this year was forward Alex Turcotte, also from the NTDP, who will play at Wisconsin starting this fall.

A full list of this year's NHL's draft selections can be found here. Rounds 2-7 will be televised starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday (NHL Network).

Michigan's Trouba Traded to Rangers by Jets

Jacob Trouba (Michigan) is headed back east.

The Rochester, Mich. native and former Wolverines defenseman was traded on Monday from the Winnipeg Jets to the New York Rangers. Trouba, who according to eliteprospects.com earns $5.5 million annually, was acquired in exchange for defenseman Neal Pionk (Minnesota-Duluth), plus the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, which begins Friday in Vancouver.

Trouba, 25, was drafted ninth overall by Winnipeg in 2012, and had spent his entire NHL career with the Jets after prepping with Compuware, the U.S. National Team Development Program, and Michigan. In his lone NCAA season, he tallied 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in 37 outings in 2012-13, and then joined the Jets full-time the next season. In 408 NHL regular-season games to
date, the 6-foot-3, 203-pound blueliner has tallied 42-137—179 points.

Pionk played at UMD from 2015 to 2017, recording 11-40—51 points in 82 appearances while helping the Bulldogs to the 2017 NCAA Frozen Four. He spent all of last season in the NHL with New York, collecting 6-20—26 points in 73 games.

Earlier this month, the Jets traded the rights to forward Kevin Hayes (Boston College), who came to them at the trading deadline from the Rangers, to the Philadelphia Flyers. Hayes registered a career-high 55 points in 2018-19 with New York and Winnipeg.

St. Louis Blues Win First Stanley Cup

For the first time ever, the St. Louis Blues are the Stanley Cup champions.

The Blues defeated the host Boston Bruins, 4-1, on Wednesday in Game Seven of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final, for the first NHL championship in the Blues' 51-year history. It marked the fourth straight year the Cup was awarded to a team that was playing on the road, and it was also the Blues' 10th road win of this postseason.

After the Blues scored twice late in the first period and once again midway through the third, Zach Sanford (Boston College) scored his first goal of the playoffs to put St. Louis up, 4-0. Matt Grzelcyk (Boston University), in his return to the Bruins lineup after suffering an injury in Game Two of the series, closed out the scoring later on with Boston's lone goal of the evening.

Jordan Binnington made 32 saves for the Blues, who went from the worst team in the NHL at the start of the calendar year to league champions. St. Louis forward Ryan O'Reilly finished the postseason with a league-high 23 points and earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Other former NCAA players on the Blues roster included Tyler Bozak (Denver), Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College), Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks), Mackenzie MacEachern (Michigan State), Chris Butler (Denver), and Jordan Schmaltz (North Dakota).

Bruins Force Game Seven in Stanley Cup Final

There will be a Game Seven in the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

The Boston Bruins staved off elimination on Sunday night, and also put the St. Louis Blues' backs to the wall, with a 5-1 win in Game Six at Enterprise Center in Missouri. Boston scored four goals in the third period to break open a game that had been 1-0 since a Bruins' 5-on-3 power-play goal in the first period, with Torey Krug (Michigan State) drawing an assist on that play.

Karson Kuhlman (Minnesota-Duluth), playing in his first game for Boston since April 30, wristed home a puck from the right side to make it 3-0 in the third period as the Bruins knotted the series at three games apiece after dropping the last two contests. Kuhlman was the MVP of the 2018 NCAA Tournament when UMD won its first of two consecutive national championships. Sean Kuraly (Miami) helped set up Boston's fourth goal, after the Blues had pulled within 3-1.

Game Seven will be Wednesday night at TD Garden in Boston (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC), to close out both the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs and the 2018-19 NHL season as a whole.

Charlotte Wins 2019 Calder Cup Championship

The Charlotte Checkers outlasted the host Chicago Wolves, 5-3, in Game Five of the 2019 Calder Cup Final on Saturday to win the first American Hockey League postseason championship in franchise history.

After dropping Game One at home in overtime last week, the Checkers reeled off four consecutive victories, including three by 5-3 scores. Andrew Poturalski (New Hampshire) scored two goals for Charlotte in the clincher, including the game-opening goal, plus one of two empty-net tallies in the third period that stood up as the game-winner. Poturalski, who played two NCAA seasons at UNH, also claimed the Jack Butterfield Trophy as this year's AHL playoff MVP, scoring 12 goals in the postseason. Charlotte captain Patrick Brown (Boston College), who scored a goal in each of the previous two games, was the first Checker to hoist this year's Calder Cup.

The Checkers, who moved to the AHL from the ECHL in 2010, a total of 16 years after they won the league playoff title at that level, were also the top team in the AHL during the 2018-19 regular season with an overall 51-17-7 record. They then won the Eastern Conference playoff crown by dethroning defending AHL champion Toronto in the conference final, after recording series victories over Providence and Hershey.

Blues Win Game Five, Take Stanley Cup Final Lead

The St. Louis Blues are one win away from their first-ever Stanley Cup.

The Blues outlasted the Boston Bruins, 2-1, in Game Five of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final on Thursday night in Massachusetts. St. Louis now leads the best-of-seven series, three games to two, and has won two consecutive games.

Zach Sanford (Boston College) set up the Blues' opening goal for his third assist in as many games.
Torey Krug (Michigan State) assisted on Boston's lone goal late in the third period on a delayed penalty, minutes after an uncalled tripping infraction by St. Louis forward Tyler Bozak (Denver) on Boston's Noel Acciari (Providence) along the boards in the Bruins' defensive zone led to the Blues' game-winning goal.

Game 6 is Sunday night in St. Louis (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC). If necessary, Game Seven of the NHL championship would be decided in Boston on Wednesday.

Growlers Win 2019 ECHL Kelly Cup

The Newfoundland Growlers are the 2018-19 ECHL champion.

The Growlers defeated the Toledo Walleye in six games in the final, clinching the Kelly Cup with a 4-3 win at home in the finale on Monday. Newfoundland becomes the first ECHL expansion team to win the league title since Greensboro in 1990.

Michael Gartieg (Quinnipiac) backstopped the Growlers to the crown with a 16-6-1 record in 23 playoff games, including a 2.19 goals-against average and three shutouts. Brady Ferguson (Robert Morris) was the Growlers' third-leading playoff scorer with seven goals and 24 points in 23 outings.

Blues Knot Stanley Cup Final at Two Games

Zach Sanford (Boston College) had an assist for the second straight game as the St. Louis Blues tied the Stanley Cup Final with a 4-2 win at home on Monday over the Boston Bruins. The series is now tied at two games apiece.

The win was the first ever in the Blue's Stanley Cup Final history, and assured more one home game for St. Louis this postseason, which will be played Sunday night. The Blues scored twice in the third period to break a 2-2 tie for the win.

Charlie Coyle (Boston University) scored a goal for the third straight game for the Bruins, who will now host Game Five on Thursday night (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

Toledo Still Alive in ECHL Kelly Cup Final

The Walleye just won't die.

Toledo's ECHL team staved off elimination in the league's 2019 Kelly Cup Final with a 3-2 win over the visiting Newfoundland Growlers on Saturday night at the Huntington Center in Ohio. Newfoundland now leads the best-of-seven series, three games to two.

Ryan Obuchowski (Yale) and Tyler Spezia (Bowling Green) scored goals for the Walleye, while Pat Nagle (Ferris State) made 28 saves. Michael Gartieg (Quinnipiac) finished with 22 stops for the Growlers, who outshot Toledo, 30-25, on the night.

Game Six is set for Newfoundland's Mile One Center on Tuesday, with Game Seven slated for the following night, if necessary.

Krug's Four Points Boost Boston to Game Three Win

Torey Krug (Michigan State) scored one goal and set up three others as the Boston Bruins regained control of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with a 7-2 victory in Game Three at St. Louis on Saturday night. Boston now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to one.

Charlie Coyle (Boston University) and Sean Kuraly (Miami) scored first-period goals to help put Boston up, 3-0, after 20 minutes, while Krug scored the final goal of the second period to give the Bruins a 5-1 lead over the host Blues at that point. Noel Acciari (Providence) then tallied an empty-net goal in the final frame, with Krug assisting on another goal to make him the first Bruins defenseman to ever record four points in a Stanley Cup Final game.

Krug now has 16 points in 20 playoff games this spring. Boston also finished the night with four power-play goals as a team, scoring those four man-advantage goals on just four shots.

Colton Parayko (Alaska Fairbanks) scored the Blues’ second goal on a power play in the third period, assisted by Tyler Bozak (Denver), while Zach Sanford (Boston College) set up the first goal of the night for St. Louis in the second stanza for his first career NHL playoff point.

Game Four will be held Monday night in Missouri (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

New NCAA Recruiting Rules in Effect a Month Now

It's been a month since the NCAA introduced new legislation that affects student-athlete recruiting, especially in ice hockey.

As of May 1, recruiting conversations cannot take place prior to Jan. 1 of a prospect’s sophomore year (Grade 10), whether those conversations are initiated by the coach or the prospect. The new regulations have also established Aug. 1 prior to a prospect’s junior year (Grade 11) as the initial date that NCAA coaches can make a verbal offer to a recruit.

No more verbal commitments from 12-year-olds and the like.

2019 Calder Cup Final Pits Charlotte versus Chicago

The American Hockey League's 2019 Calder Cup Final is set. The Eastern Conference champion Charlotte Checkers will take on the Chicago Wolves, winners of the Western Conference, beginning Saturday night at Bojangles' Coliseum in North Carolina.

The Checkers, who were the AHL's 2018-19 regular-season champion and are seeking their first-ever postseason league title, advanced to the Calder Cup Final by eliminating the defending Calder Cup champion Toronto Marlies in six games. The Wolves, who won the Calder Cup in both 2002 and 2008 after previously winning two Turner Cup titles in the now-defunct International Hockey League, made it to the championship round this spring after ousting the San Diego Gulls, also in six contests.

Charlotte forward Andrew Poturalski (New Hampshire) leads all AHL players in Calder Cup scoring this season with 18 points on eight goals and 10 assists. Left wing Curtis McKenzie (Miami) is pacing Chicago in points this spring with eight goals and five assists for 13 points.

Blues Tie Stanley Cup Final with OT Victory

Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) assisted on the tying goal late in the first period, and the St. Louis Blues went on to knot the 2019 Stanley Cup Final with a 3-2 overtime victory over the host Boston Bruins in Game Two on Thursday evening. It was the first win ever in the NHL's championship series for the Blues in 14 tries, dating back to their inaugural appearance in 1968.

Charlie Coyle (Boston University) opened the scoring on Thursday with a power-play goal for the Bruins, while Sean Kuraly (Miami) set up Boston's second goal that put the home team ahead briefly, 2-1. Game Three will be played Saturday night in St. Louis (8 p.m. ET, NBC, CBC).

Bruins Win Opener of 2019 Stanley Cup Final

A goal by Sean Kuraly (Miami) early in the third period stood up as the game-winner Monday night as the Boston Bruins defeated the visiting St. Louis Blues, 4-2 in Game One of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

After St. Louis forged a 2-0 lead one minute into the second period, Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac) and Charlie McAvoy (Boston University) scored to tie the contest, the latter on a power-play, before Kuraly completed the Bruins' comeback 5:21 into the final stanza with his goal at point-blank range.

Game Two of the NHL's best-of-seven championship series will be Wednesday night (8 p.m., NBC, CBC) at TD Garden in Boston.

Carr Boosts Chicago to Double-OT AHL Win

Daniel Carr (Union) scored 6:01 into the second overtime to boost the Chicago Wolves to a 2-1 victory over the host San Diego Gulls on Friday night in American Hockey League playoff action.

T.J. Tynan (Notre Dame) assisted on Carr's game-winning goal, while Kevin Boyle (Massachusetts/UMass Lowell) had 42 saves for the Gulls in defeat. The best-of-seven Calder Cup Western Conference Final is now tied at two games apiece, with Game Five slated for 10 p.m. ET tonight in San Diego.

Carr, 27, led Union to the school's first-ever NCAA Division's men's hockey national title in 2014 as a senior, with a team-leading and career-high 28 assists and 50 points. In four seasons with the Dutchmen, he recorded 78 goals and 79 assists for 157 points in 159 career collegiate outings. In 100 career NHL games with Montreal and Vegas, the Sherwood Park, Alta. native has collected 15-20—35 points, and this year he earned AHL Most Valuable Player accolades with 30-41—71 points in just 52 regular-season contests with Chicago.

St. Louis Advances to Stanley Cup Final

For the first time since 1970, the St. Louis Blues are headed to the Stanley Cup Final.

Tyler Bozak (Denver) scored a goal as the Blues defeated the San Jose Sharks, 5-1, in Missouri on Tuesday to clinch the best-of-seven Western Conference Final in six games. Dylan Gambrell (Denver) scored San Jose's only goal, the first of his NHL career.

The Blues will now face the Eastern Conference champion Boston Bruins, including former St. Louis captain David Backes (Minnesota State), starting on Monday, May 27, for the Stanley Cup itself.

Canada Blanks U.S. at Worlds

Canada closed out round-robin play Tuesday at the 2019 IIHF World Championship with a 3-0 victory over the United States at Steel Arena in Kosice, Slovakia.

Kyle Turris (Wisconsin) had a goal and assist for Canada, while Dante Fabbro (Boston University) posted an assist. Corey Schneider finished with 33 saves for the Americans.

The win gave Canada first place in Group A, and a quarterfinal round date in Kosice on Thursday with Switzerland. The U.S. will face Russia in the quarterfinals on Thursday in Bratislava.

Schwartz Shoots Blues Past Sharks on Sunday

Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) scored three goals and the St. Louis Blues moved within one game of the Stanley Cup Final with a 5-0 win at San Jose on Sunday. The Blues now lead the best-of-seven Western Conference Final series, three games to two, and can close out the Sharks in St. Louis on Tuesday.

Schwartz scored one goal in the first period to put the Blues up, 1-0, after 20 minutes, and then added the final two goals of the game in the third period for his second hat trick of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is the first player to tally two hat tricks in the same NHL postseason since 2008, and has now scored 12 goals in all this playoff year. St. Louis, which had the worst record in the league at the start of the calendar year, is now one win away from its first Stanley Cup Final since 1970.

Schwartz skated at Colorado College from 2010 to 2012, where he tallied 32 goals and 56 assists for 88 points in 60 career NCAA contests. As a freshman in 2011-12, he led the Tigers in scoring with career highs of 17 goals and 30 assists for 47 points in 30 outings in helping them to their most recent NCAA Tournament berth to date. He also led CC in scoring as a sophomore with 15-26—41 points, again in 30 appearances, before signing with St. Louis, which drafted him 14th overall in 2010.

Boyle Backstops Gulls to AHL Western Semifinal Win

Kevin Boyle (Massachusetts/UMass Lowell) backstopped the San Diego Gulls one step closer to the 2019 Calder Cup Final with a 3-0 shutout of the Chicago Wolves on Saturday. in the AHL's Western Conference semifinal. The best-of-seven series is now tied at one game apiece.

Boyle made 29 saves at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. for the win, while Kiefer Sherwood (Miami) set up two of the Gulls' three goals. Games 3, 4, and 5 of the series will be played in San Diego, from May 22-25.

Boyle skated two seasons at UMass (2011-12, 2012-13) before transferring to UMass Lowell in 2014 and sitting out one season due to NCAA rules. He fashioned an overall record of 16-17-6 in 41 outings with the Minutemen, before backstopping the River Hawks to the 2016 NCAA Tournament with a 24-10-5 mark and seven shutouts in 39 appearances. In 80 career college games, he finished
40-27-11 with a 2.34 goal-against average and eight shutouts.

Boyle, 26, from Manalapan, N.J., made his NHL debut with Anaheim earlier this season, playing in five games for the Ducks.

U.S. Doubles Up Great Britain at Worlds

Hockey East alumni helped power the United States to victory on Wednesday at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.

Clayton Keller (Boston University), Chris Kreider (Boston College) and James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire) all scored in Team USA's 6-3 victory over Great Britain. Kreider's second-period score stood up as the game-winner, and he also posted an assist on the day.

Noah Hanifin (Boston College) and Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) had two assists apiece for the U.S., while Thatcher Demko (Boston College) made 23 saves in net and also assisted on Keller's tally. Brett Perlini (Michigan State) notched Great Britain's second goal.

The U.S. improved to 2-1-0-1 in the tournament, with three overall wins (including a shootout triumph) in four games. The Americans will next face Denmark on Saturday at Steel Arena.