Princeton Tops Harvard, 5-2, in 2023 Finale

Nick Carabin tallied a goal and two assists, and Nick Seitz set up three goals as Princeton rebounded for a 5-2 win over visiting Ivy League and ECAC Hockey rival Harvard yesterday at Hobey Baker Memorial Rink It was Princeton's first victory over Harvard since Nov. 2019, and also marked the completion of the two-game 2023-24 season series between the two schools, who played to a tie in Cambridge, Mass. in early November (with Princeton winning a subsequent shootout).

After Jack Bar and Joe Miller staked Harvard (1-6-3 overall, 1-4-3 ECACH) to a 2-0 lead just over 16 minutes into Saturday's contest, Princeton (6-5-2, 5-3-1) then rebounded with five unanswered goals spanning the last two periods for the win. Jaxson Ezman got the Tigers on the board with a shot from the slot 3:30 into the middle stanza to make it 2-1, before Adam Robbins and Kai Daniells tallied power-play goals just under 12 minutes apart to give Princeton a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes.

Ezman salted away the contest on his second goal of the afternoon, with just over five minutes remaining in regulation, before Carabin scored shorthanded into an empty net less than two minutes later for the final margin, with Harvard's goaltender pulled for an extra attacker. Princeton outshot Harvard, 31-30, on the afternoon, while the Crimson won 32 of 61 faceoffs in all. The Tigers also went 2-for-3 on the power play, while killing off all four Harvard man-advantages, including a 5-on-3 in the first period.

Arthur Smith finished with 28 saves for the Tigers, while Derek Mullahy made 26 stops for the Crimson. Princeton will return to NCAA action on Jan. 5-6 at Hockey East opponent New Hampshire, while Harvard will visit Hockey East's UConn today to close out the calendar year.

Michigan Tech Claims 57th GLI

Michigan Tech claimed the 2023 Great Lakes Invitational last night with a 4-3 win over seventh-ranked Michigan State in Grand Rapids, Mich. The game goes down as an official 3-3 tie for NCAA tournament purposes, but the Huskies won the 57th GLI in a shootout. 

Jack Works tallied a hat trick in regulation for MTU, and also earned tournament MVP accolades. Ryland Mosley notched the only goal in the extra session after a scoreless overtime period, while Blake Pietila stopped a career-high 54 shots for the Huskies

Alaska Fairbanks won the consolation game, 3-2, over Ferris State earlier yesterday. In the preliminary round on Thursday at Van Andel Arena, MTU edged UAF, 3-2, in overtime while MSU upended Ferris, 4-1.

The GLI, which originated in Detroit, will play in Grand Rapids through 2026. Next year's edition will feature MSU, MTU, Northern Michigan and Western Michigan.

USA Rolling with Two More Wins at WJC

The United States improved to 3-0-0 at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden with today's 4-3 shootout victory over Czechia. 

Isaac Howard (Michigan State) scored a goal in regulation, and then added the decisive goal in the extra session to lift Team USA to the victory. Ryan Chesley (Minnesota) and Will Smith (Boston College) also tallied in regulation for the U.S., while Jacob Fowler (Boston College) picked up the win in goal after making 20 saves.

The day before, the U.S. posted a 11-3 rout of Switzerland, powered by a first-period hat trick from Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota). Cutter Gauthier (Boston College) and Frank Nazar (Michigan) recorded four assists apiece, while Gavin Brindley (Michigan) scored two goals and set up another, and Fowler had 21 stops.

Team USA will complete group play in this year's WJC on Sunday against Slovakia.

U.S. Tops Norway in 2024 WJC Opener

The United States got off to a solid start at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden on Tuesday, with a 4-1 victory over Norway in the opener for both teams.

The U.S. got two goals from Gavin Brindley (Michigan) and 22 saves from Trey Augustine (Michigan State) in the win. Isaac Howard (Michigan State) and Jimmy Snuggerud (Minnesota) also scored for the Americans.

Team USA returns to WJC pool play on Thursday against Switzerland.

Happy Hockey Holidays

2024 U.S. World Juniors Roster Finalized

The United States squad that will compete in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship has been finalized.

Boston College leads the way with seven players on this year's American edition, while Michigan and Minnesota will supply four skaters apiece. Other NCAA schools represented on this year's U.S. roster include Bemidji State, Boston University, Denver, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Wisconsin. There are also three players from the Ontario Hockey League. The full roster can be found here.

This season's WJC will be contested from Dec. 26, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024, in Gothenburg, Sweden. Team USA's group this year includes Czechia, Norway, Slovakia and Switzerland. The U.S. is coming off a bronze medal finish earlier this year in Canada.

Boston College Back to No. 1

For the second time in three weeks, and the fourth time overall during the 2023-24 season, Boston College has been voted the top team in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

The Eagles garnered 34 first-place votes in the USCHO.com poll for Dec. 11 to reclaim the top spot from North Dakota (12-5-1 overall), which was swept at home last weekend by Colorado College. BC (13-3-1) defeated Providence, 5-4, on Dec. 9 in its only game last week, which dropped the opposing Friars (9-5-2) to 10th in the nation.

In second place in this week's poll is Boston University (11-4-1), which picked up eight first-place votes, followed by Quinnipiac, North Dakota and Denver to round out the top five. According to USCHO.com, it is the first time ever that BC and BU have held the top two spots in any national college hockey poll at the same time. BC is now off until Jan. 12, while BU will next play on Dec. 29. 

The poll stands to remain largely unchanged in the next week or so, as most Division I teams are now on break until after Christmas, when annual holiday tournaments will be contested.

Sacred Heart Edges Princeton in Shootout

Princeton's home overtime winning streak came to a close on Saturday.

The Tigers settled for a 2-2 non-conference tie with Sacred Heart at Hobey Baker Rink on Dec. 9 after 65 minutes of play. SHU won the ensuing shootout, 2-1, but for NCAA tournament purposes the game goes into the books as a draw. Princeton, which had defeated ECAC Hockey opponents Yale, Brown and Cornell in its three previous home games last month, is now 5-5-2 overall on the season, while SHU moved to 8-7-1. Princeton had earned a 4-0 win at SHU the previous evening in Fairfield, Conn. in the first meeting between the two schools since Jan. 2013.

Daniel Ebrahim led the visiting Pioneers with a goal and also drew an assist on Hunter Sansbury's goal, as SHU built a 2-1 lead after two periods of play. Noah de la Durantaye got Princeton on the board in the second stanza to tie the game at one, before Jack Cronin knotted the contest early in the third period. In the shootout, Kevin Lombardi and Mark Cheremeta sandwiched scores around one by de la Durantaye to give SHU the "win".

Cullen DeYoung made 32 saves for the Pioneers in his first-ever collegiate start, while Arthur Smith stopped all seven shots he faced for the Tigers over the final 25 minutes in relief of starter Ethan Pearson (17 saves). Princeton outshot SHU, 34-27, on the night, while the Pioneers won 36 of 64 faceoffs total. The two schools combined to go 0-for-5 on the power play, with Princeton squandering three extra man opportunities, including a five-minute major man advantage.

Both teams are now off until Dec. 30, when Princeton hosts Ivy League foe Harvard and SHU entertains Hockey East's New Hampshire.

Alaska Nanooks Claim Governor's Cup Again

The annual Governor's Cup has once again been claimed by Alaska (Fairbanks).

The Nanooks swept a pair of contests over the weekend at in-state rival Alaska Anchorage, by 5-0 and 3-1 counts. Michigan State transfer Pierce Charleson recorded both victories in net, including the shutout on Friday, followed by a 33-save effort on Saturday. Brady Risk paced the UAF attack with three goals and two assists for five points overall through the two games.

Coupled with an earlier pair of wins in Fairbanks on Nov. 3-4 against UAA, it means that UAF (8-5-1 0verall) has again taken possession of the instate trophy that has been awarded in the head-to-head series between the two NCAA Division I hockey schools since 1994. UAF has won the last 10 Cups, although its 2010, 2011 and 2012 titles were vacated as a result of NCAA violations against the Nanooks. Neither team played during the 2020-21 COVID season, while the Seawolves also sat out the 2021-22 campaign while re-establishing their program after it had been a victim of budget cuts. UAA (6-11-1) last earned the Cup in 2009.

The Nanook and Seawolves will wrap up their 2023-24 season series on Jan. 13 in Fairbanks and on Feb. 3 in Anchorage.

College Players Come Through for Canadiens

Wednesday evening in central Ohio was NCAA night for the Montreal Canadiens.

Alex Newhook (Boston College) and Cole Caufield (Wisconsin) scored goals for the Habs, and Mike Matheson recorded two assists in the third period for the visitors as Montreal outlasted the host Columbus Blue Jackets, 4-2, at Nationwide Arena. Zach Werenski (Michigan) set up one of Columbus' two goals, as the Bluejackets fell to 7-13-4 overall and four points behind Montreal in the NHL's Eastern Conference standings. 

Montreal improved to 10-10-2 with the victory, but fell back below the .500 mark the next night after a 5-1 loss to visiting Florida. Newhook, the Canadiens' top goal scorer with seven goals so far this season, was injured in that contest and did not return. He earned a Stanley Cup ring in 2022 with Colorado, a year after helping Boston College return to the NCAA tournament.

Columbus hosts Ottawa (8-9-0) tonight, while Montreal will entertain Detroit (12-7-3) tomorrow.

Cornell Edges BU in 2023 Red Hot Hockey

This year's Red Hot Hockey showdown in Manhattan went to Cornell University once more.

The 16th-ranked Big Red outlasted longtime Eastern rival Boston University, 2-1, on Friday night before 15,289 on-lookers at Madison Square Garden. Ondrej Psenicka's first goal of the 2023-24 season, just over eight minutes into the third period, stood up as the game-winner, after Ryan Walsh had tied the contest for Cornell on a power play just under four minutes into the final frame. 

Doug Grimes scored BU's only goal, the first of his NCAA career, late in the second period to give the fifth-ranked Terriers the early lead. Ian Shane stopped 35 shots in net for Cornell (5-3-1 overall), while Mathieu Caron made 17 saves for BU (9-4-1). 

Cornell retains the Kelley-Harkness Cup, as the Big Red has now won four straight Red Hot Hockey matchups with the Terriers, in a competition that is now held every other year at MSG.

Hockey Thanksgiving 2023

 

Michigan State Sweeps Wisconsin Out of No. 1 Spot

North Dakota is the new No. 1 team in the most recent USCHO.com NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national poll, thanks to Michigan State. 

The Spartans took down last week's No. 1 team, Wisconsin, by 4-2 and 3-2 scores in Big Ten play at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich. last weekend, and became the first team in the nation to reach double digits in wins. MSU is now 10-3-1 overall, and in first place in the Big Ten at 5-0-1, with a two-game trip to conference opponent Minnesota coming up. Wisconsin fell to sixth in the poll, while MSU ascended to seventh.

North Dakota (9-2-1 overall) took over the top spot in the poll after sweeping NCHC rival Miami last week, while Boston College moved up into the second spot after sweeping Hockey East foe UConn. Defending national champion Quinnipiac (9-3-1) is third overall, but may tumble from that position in next week's poll after a 3-2 loss at No. 5 Boston University (9-3-1) tonight.

Wisconsin No. 1 in Men's Hockey Polls

Despite not playing this past weekend, Wisconsin is the new number one team in this week's USCHO.com NCAA Division I men's hockey poll. The Badgers are also first overall in the most recent USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll. 

Wisconsin, who is 9-1-0 overall under new head coach Mike Hastings, and previously swept former No. 1 Minnesota this season, garnered 32 out of 50 first-place votes in the Nov. 13 USCHO poll to move up from third place the week before. The Badgers also earned 28 of 34 first-place votes in this week's USA Hockey/The Rink Live Poll, and it's the first time since the fall of 2006, when it was the defending NCAA champion, that Wisconsin has been ranked first overall in either poll.

Rounding out the USCHO.com top five this week are North Dakota (7-2-1), Denver (7-2-1), Boston College (7-2-1) and Providence (8-1-2), while the USA/Rink poll listed Denver, BC, North Dakota and Providence sequentially. BC fell from the top spot in both polls after two weeks, following a loss and a tie at Hockey East rival Maine last weekend.

Wisconsin returns to action this weekend with two games at No. 11 Michigan State in Big Ten play.

BU's Coyle Nets First NHL Hat Trick

Just shy of 800 career regular-season games, Charlie Coyle (Boston University) finally netted his first NHL hat trick.

Coyle, 31, a 6-foot-3 forward from East Weymouth, Mass., scored three times on Thursday night in the Boston Bruins' 5-2 win over the visiting New York Islanders at TD Garden. He tallied Boston's second, fifth and sixth goals, the first one on the power play and the final one into an empty net, as the Bruins improved to 11-1-1 on the 2023-24 season. James van Riemsdyk (New Hampshire) drew an assist on Coyle's second goal, his second assist of the night, for his own 601st career NHL point.

Drafted 29th overall by the San Jose Sharks in 2010, Coyle has recorded 152 goals and 250 assists for 402 points in 798 NHL regular-season games to date with the Bruins and Minnesota Wild, and also helped Boston to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final. In 12 outings so far this season, he has notched 5-7—12 points. 

A product of the South Shore (Mass.) Kings junior program, Coyle played a year-and-a-half at BU before turning pro in 2011, after registering 10-30—40 points in 53 NCAA appearances with the Terriers. He also represented the U.S. at both the 2010 and 2011 IIHF World Junior Championships, winning gold and bronze medals, respectively.

Boston College No. 1 in the Nation

Following a two-step sweep of eighth-ranked Michigan State, Boston College is the new top team in the USCHO.com poll for NCAA Division I men's hockey.

The Eagles garnered 36 first-place votes in raising their overall record this season to 5-1-0, after former No. 1 school Minnesota was swept by No. 14 Wisconsin last weekend. It is the first time that BC has been ranked first overall since March 15, 2021. Denver, North Dakota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Providence, Quinnipiac, Boston University and Cornell round out this week's top ten.

BC opens Hockey East conference play this weekend in a home-and-home series against UMass Lowell.

ADDENDUM: The Eagles improved to 6-1-0 with a 3-2 win over UML on Friday night at Kelley Rink. Freshman defenseman Aram Minnetian notched the game-winning goal for BC, which added a second 3-2 victory Saturday night in Lowell as freshman forward Gabe Perreault recorded three assists. 

Hockey Halloween 2023

 

Adam Johnson 1994-2023

 

BC Tops MSU Among Several NCAA Hockey Sweeps

It was a weekend of several two-step sweeps in NCAA Division I men's hockey.

Third-ranked Boston College broomed visiting No. 8 Michigan State by 6-4 and 5-1 scores, in the first meetings between the two storied programs since 2015. Cutter Gauthier led BC with three goals over the two games, including the game-winning power-play goal in the second contest, while Karsen Dorwart notched three goals in two games for MSU. Jacob Fowler earned both wins in goal for the Eagles, stopping 65 of 70 shots overall.

No. 14 Wisconsin stunned top-ranked Minnesota in Big Ten play, winning by 5-2 and 3-2 counts in Minneapolis. Mathieu De St. Phalle tallied two goals and an assist for the Badgers in the opener, while Ben Dexheimer set up two goals. Simon Tassy then scored two goals in the finale for Wisconsin, including the game-winner with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, while Kyle McClellan picked up the win on 29 saves. In CCHA action, Bemidji State swept visiting St. Thomas, 3-2 and 2-0, in Minnesota as Lleyton Roed had three goals for the Beavers, including the game-winner both nights, and both goals in the second game.

In other non-conference action besides BC/MSU, Notre Dame swept Mercyhurst, 4-3 (OT) and 5-0, in South Bend, Ind. Landon Slaggert scored twice for the Fighting Irish in the opener, including the game-winner in overtime, before adding another pair of goals in the rematch. Owen Say made 50 stops in each game for the visiting Lakers. 

Michigan routed visiting Lindenwood, 9-1 and 10-1, as Gavin Brindley led the way with three goals and three assists, and Dylan Duke scored one goal and set up four others for the Wolverines. Cornell upended visiting Minnesota-Duluth, 4-1 and 3-0, as Ian Shane stopped 35 of 26 shots overall for the Big Red, who also got two goals from Kyle Penney and three points (1g-2a) from Dalton Bancroft.

Pinto Suspended by NHL for Gambling

Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto (North Dakota) has been suspended for 41 games by the National Hockey League for violating the NHL's gambling policy. The suspension will be retroactive to the start of the 2023-24 season, although Pinto had yet to play this year prior to the suspension, as he is a restricted free agent. He was not believed to have gambled on any NHL games. 

Pinto, 22, had a career year in 2022-23 with the Senators, who drafted him 32nd overall in 2019 out of Tri-City (USHL). He posted NHL career highs of 20 goals and 15 assists for 35 points last season to go with 18 penalty minutes, while playing in all 82 regular-season games. In 99 career NHL outings, all with Ottawa, he has collected 21-22—43 points and 30 PIM.

A 6-foot-2 center from Franklin Square, N.Y., Pinto starred for UND for two collegiate campaigns, before turning pro just after the end of the 2020-21 season. In 61 career NCAA outings with the Fighting Hawks, Pinto notched 31-29—60 points to go with 50 PIM. He also helped UND to two National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular-season titles and one NCHC postseason crown, along with two NCAA tournament berths (the first one negated by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020).

Should he come to contract terms with the Senators, Pinto will be eligible to make his 2023-24 season debut on Jan. 21 versus the Philadelphia Flyers, according to sportsnet.ca.

Viccisitudes of NCAA's Top 10 Teams

Most of the top-rated teams in men's Division I college hockey experienced highs and lows over the weekend.

Top-ranked Minnesota split a two-game series at No. 5 North Dakota, while No. 4 Quinnipiac, the defending NCAA champion, did likewise at New Hampshire. No. 2 Denver fell at Providence on Friday before edging No. 3 Boston College, which had beaten Rensselaer the previous night, on Saturday. 

No. 6 Boston University split at Notre Dame, and No. 7 Michigan defeated and tied visiting No. 13 Ohio State. No. 8 Michigan State swept visiting Canisius, while Western Michigan doubled up Bowling Green in a home-and-home series, and No. 10 Providence finished up its home victory over Denver with another over Rensselaer.

Scout Truman (UMass Lowell) and Chad Hillebrand (Western Michigan) led all scorers over the weekend, with six points on six assists apiece, while 6-foot-7 netminder Michael Hrabel (UMass) went 2-0-0 with a .952 save percentage and a shutout in the host Minutemen's two-step sweep of No. 19 Minnesota State.

Minnesota is No. 1 in this week's USCHO.com poll, followed in order by Denver, BC, North Dakota, Quinnipiac, Michigan, Providence, Michigan State, BU and WMU. Rutger McGroarty (Michigan) leads all Division I scorers with 11 points in six games, while Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin) has fashioned a 5-1-0 record in net to go with a .935 save percentage.

USCHO.com Division I Poll - Oct. 16, 2023

The latest USCHO. com poll for NCAA Division I men's ice hockey was released today, with Minnesota taking over the top spot following a two-step sweep of St. Thomas:

Rank Team (1st Place Votes) Record

1 Minnesota (33) 2-0-0

2 Denver (10) 2-0-0

3 Boston College (4) 2-0-0

4 Quinnipiac (2) 2-1-0

5 North Dakota 2-0-0

6 Boston University (1) 1-1-0

7 Michigan 2-2-0

8 Michigan State 3-1-0

9 Western Michigan 1-0-1

10 Providence 2-1-0

11 Cornell 0-0-0

12 Penn State 3-0-0

13 Ohio State 2-0-1

14 Minnesota Duluth 1-0-2

15 Harvard 0-0-0

16 Northeastern 2-0-0

17 Michigan Tech 0-1-2

18 Arizona State 2-0-0

19 Minnesota State 2-0-0

20 St. Cloud 1-3-0

2023-24 NCAA Hockey Season Underway

The 2023-24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season got underway for the real this past weekend. Some of the highlights:

• Michigan State christened Ron Mason Rink at Munn Ice Arena with 5-2 and 4-2 victories over Lake Superior State on Saturday and Sunday, respectively

• Boston College spoiled the raising of Quinnipiac's 2023 national championship banner with a 2-1 OT victory on Saturday

• Third-year NCAA Division I program St. Thomas stunned St. Cloud State, 5-4, in overtime on Saturday before falling, 1-0, on Sunday

• Boston University outlasted host Bentley, 3-2, in OT on Saturday

• Providence split at host Michigan, winning by a 4-2 count on Saturday before U-M rebounded for a 5-4 win on Sunday

• Visiting Denver, the 2022 NCAA champion, swept Alaska (Fairbanks) by 7-3 and 5-2 scores

Six months until the 2024 NCAA Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

Wisconsin's Stepan Calls it a Career

Longtime NHL center Derek Stepan (Wisconsin) has retired from professional hockey after 13 seasons.

Stepan, 33, recorded 182 goals and 333 assists for 515 points to go with 216 penalty minutes in 890 career NHL regular-season games with the New York Rangers, Arizona, Ottawa and Carolina. He also collected 20-35—55 points and 32 PIM in 120 Stanley Cup playoff contests, and earned an Eastern Conference title in 2014 with the Rangers, who drafted him 51th overall in 2008 out of Shattuck-Saint Mary's. Last season he helped Carolina to the Eastern Conference final after notching 5-6—11 points in 73 regular-season outings, before adding one assist in 11 playoff appearances in his final action.

Stepan, from Hastings, Minn., skated two collegiate seasons at Wisconsin, registering 21-66—87 points and 14 PIM in 81 outings. He turned pro shortly after helping the Badgers to the 2010 NCAA Frozen Four title game in Detroit, and played all of his pro hockey at the NHL level save for 12 games with KalPa Kuopio (Finland) in 2012-13.

Stepan also represented the U.S. at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship, winning a gold medal. He also skated for Team USA at the 2011 World Championship, the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.

BC's Schneider Retires from Pro Hockey

Longtime NHL netminder Cory Schneider (Boston College) has called it a career, retiring after 16 professional seasons.

Schneider, 37, last played in the NHL in 2021-22, making his only appearance with the New York Islanders in a win against his old New Jersey Devils team. He spent all of last season in the American Hockey League, posting a 19-11-3 record with a 2.94 goals-against average and one shutout for Bridgeport. The Marblehead, Mass. native, who dealt with hip and other injuries that curtailed the latter part of his career, finished with a 171-159-58 record in 410 NHL regular-season appearances with Vancouver, New Jersey and the Islanders, to go with a 2.43 GAA and 26 shutouts. He also helped Vancouver to within one game of the Stanley Cup in 2011, the same year he and Roberto Luongo combined to win the Jennings Trophy. He was later traded to New Jersey at the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, where he remained until 2020.

In 224 career AHL regular-season outings, Schneider went 127-79-17 (2.53, 14 SO) with Manitoba, Binghamton and Bridgeport, and was tabbed the AHL's Best Goaltender in 2008-09. A product of Phillips Academy Andover in Massachusetts, he played three years at Boston College (99 GP, 66-26-7, 2.09, 15 SO) and backstopped the Eagles to back-to-back NCAA title game appearances in 2006 and 2007. He was also a First Team All-America selection in 2006, and a two-time NCAA Hockey East All-Academic Team choice.

Schneider also represented the United States with the U.S. National Team Development Program prior to BC. He also played for Team USA at the 2004 IIHF World Under-18 Championship, two World Junior Championships, the 2017 World Cup and the 2019 World Championship.

Nicolas Kerdiles 1994-2023

Nicolas Kerdiles (Wisconsin) died on Sept. 23 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in Nashville. He was 29 years old.

A left wing from Lewisville, Tex., Kerdiles starred with the Los Angeles Selects before playing two years with the U.S. National Development Team Program. He then skated two seasons with Wisconsin, where in 60 games with the Badgers he collected 16 goals and 45 assists for 61 points to go with 70 penalty minutes. He also helped Wisconsin to the WCHA postseason title in 2013 before doing the same with the nascent Big Ten conference in 2014, although the Badgers were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament both years. 

Selected 36th overall by Anaheim in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Kerdiles played three regular-season and four Stanley Cup Playoff games with the Ducks, notching one assist in postseason play. Having grown up in Irvine, Calif. after relocating there from France in his early years, he was the first player from Orange County to ever skate for Anaheim.

Kerdiles spent the bulk of his professional career in the American Hockey League with Norfolk, San Diego and Manitoba before retiring in 2019. In 181 AHL regular-season outings, he recorded 47-60—107 points and 178 PIM. He also helped the United States to the gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Under-18 Championship in Czechia in his career, and played for the U.S. at the 2012 World Junior Championship in Alberta, Canada.

MSU to Name Munn Ice Surface for Ron Mason

The ice surface at Munn Ice Arena at Michigan State University will be named Ron Mason Rink after the legendary Spartan head coach. The dedication will be held on Oct. 7, before MSU's 2023-24 home opener against visiting Lake Superior State.

Mason, from Blyth, Ontario, guided the Spartans from 1979 to 2002, where he fashioned an overall record of 635-270-69. That mark included the 1986 NCAA crown, plus 10 CCHA tournament titles and eight CCHA regular-season championships. He also led MSU to 19 NCAA tournament appearances, including a streak of nine consecutive berths to close his career. The CCHA's Mason Cup, awarded to the league's tournament champion in both its original and current incarnations, is named after him.

Mason also coached at Lake Superior, where he won an NAIA title, and at Bowling Green before spending 23 seasons at MSU, where he coached 35 All-Americans, and 50 former Spartans who went on to play in the NHL. At the time of his retirement, he was NCAA hockey's all-time wins leader with 924 victories, having compiled an overall record of 924-380-83 (.696) over 36 seasons, including 10 campaigns of 30 or more wins. 

Following his coaching career, Mason spent six years as athletic director at MSU, and celebrated the 2007 NCAA title with the Spartans before retiring the following year. A member of the MSU Hall of Fame, the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame, and the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, and the 1992 AHCA national coach of the year, he passed away in June 2016 at the age of 76.

Munn Ice Arena, which seats 6,114 spectators, opened in 1974 as a hockey-only facility, and underwent a $26.7 million renovation over the last few years. The Spartans hosted an NCAA record 323-game regular-season sellout streak there from 1985 to 2004.

22 Years Later

  

MARK BAVIS

Boston University 1993

March 13, 1970-Sept. 11, 2001

United #175

UND's Sanderson Signs Extension with Sens

Ottawa Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson (North Dakota) will be staying in Canada's capital for the foreseeable future.

Sanderson, 21, recently signed an eight-year, $64.4-million contract extension with the Senators, who drafted him fifth overall in 2020 after he had played for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Michigan. He made his NHL debut last year, tallying four goals and 28 assists for 32 points with Ottawa, to go with 12 penalty minutes in 77 regular-season outings.

A 6-foot-2, 185-pound native of Whitefish, Mont., Sanderson played two NCAA seasons at North Dakota (2020-2022), before signing with Ottawa last year. In 45 career appearances with the Fighting Hawks, he posted 10-31—41 points and 41 PIM. He also helped UND to two NCHC regular-season titles and two NCAA tournament appearances, plus one NCHC tournament crown. While at UND, he also played in one game for the U.S. in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, recording one assist.

Michigan's Hagelin Hangs Up NHL Skates

Longtime NHL left wing Carl Hagelin (Michigan) has decided to call it a playing career. The Sodertalje, Sweden native, who sat out the entire 2022-23 NHL campaign due to an eye injury, has announced his retirement from professional hockey.

Drafted 168th overall in 2007 by the New York Rangers, he played four seasons in Manhattan while helping the Rangers to the 2014 Eastern Conference crown. He also played for Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles and Washington in his 11-year NHL career, which spanned 713 regular-season contests from 2011 to 2022, and included 110 goals and 186 assists for 296 points. 

Hagelin also added 22-28—50 points in 141 Stanley Cup Playoff contests, and won two Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh (2016, 2017). In addition, he appeared in 22 career AHL games with Hartford/Connecticut his first year as a professional, before joining the NHL ranks for good that same year.

Prior to turning pro, Hagelin, 35, skated four full collegiate seasons at Michigan (2007-2011), in which he rang up 61-91—152 points in 171 appearances with the Wolverines. He helped Michigan to the 2008 NCAA Frozen Four as a freshman, and then captained the team his senior season as they came within an overtime goal of a national title. He also helped Michigan to two CCHA regular-season and two conference playoff championships in his career. 

Internationally, Hagelin won a silver medal with Sweden at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, six years after doing the same with Sweden at the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship.

MSU's Petry Coming Back to Michigan

Jeff Petry (Michigan State) is coming home.

The Ann Arbor native, who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, will join his home state Detroit Red Wings on the blueline for the 2023-24 NHL campaign, after being traded to them earlier this month for defenseman Gustav Lindstrom and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft choice. Petry will wear No. 46 with the Red Wings, the same number his father wore as a major league pitcher with the Detroit Tigers.

Petry, 35, tallied five goals and 26 assists for 31 points in 61 games last year with Pittsburgh, which did not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2006. Prior to the 2022-23 season, he had skated the previous eight years with the Montreal Canadiens, helping the Habs to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final. He began his NHL career with four-plus seasons with the Edmonton Oilers, who drafted him 45th overall in 2006 after his first season of juniors with Des Moines (USHL). In 864 NHL regular-season outings to date, he has collected 92-261—353 points and 349 penalty minutes, while adding 5-8—13 points and 18 PIM in 61 career Stanley Cup Playoff appearances.

The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Petry played three years on defense at MSU, from 2007 to 2010. He totaled 9-58—67 points and 86 PIM in 118 contests overall with the Spartans, while helping them to the 2008 NCAA tournament.

Union College Now Garnet Chargers

Union College announced earlier this month it is changing its nickname to Garnet Chargers, starting with the 2023-24 school year. Garnet has been the school's primary color for a century-and-a-half. The university has also introduced a new logo to coincide with the new name.

According to USCHO.com, the Union men's hockey team, which originally began play in 1903, was known as the Skating Dutchmen until 2002, when it dropped "Skating" from the nickname. Union went on to win the 2014 NCAA Division I men's hockey national championship. 

The Union women's program started up in 1999 and switched to Skating Dutchwomen in 2002 before becoming just the Dutchwomen the following season. They Union women have never recorded a winning campaign in their short existence.

The Union men went 14-19-2 overall last season, while the women finished 11-22-1. Both remain members of ECAC Hockey. The only other NCAA Division I hockey school nicknamed "Chargers" was Alabama-Huntsville, although UAH has been dormant since May 2021.

Cooley Leaves Minnesota for NHL

It appears that Logan Cooley (Minnesota) will not be returning to the Golden Gophers after all.

Two months after saying he would be back for his sophomore season for Minnesota, the Pittsburgh native has signed an entry-level three-year NHL contract with the Arizona Coyotes, who drafted him third overall in 2022. He thus forgoes his remaining NCAA eligibility.

Cooley, 19, notched 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points in 39 games as a center in 2002-23 in his only college campaign, while leading the Golden Gophers to a No. 1 national ranking and then the NCAA championship game in Tampa, where they fell to Quinnipiac in overtime in April. He had previously helped the Gophers to a Big Ten regular-season conference title, and than an NCAA regional crown in Fargo, N.D.

Cooley led all NCAA Division I players in assists last season as a freshman, and earned First Team All-America accolades at forward. He was also a Hobey Baker Memorial Award finalist, and collected a bronze medal with Team USA at the 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship in Canada. 

Prior to joining Minnesota, Cooley had played the previous two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program. In 98 career appearances with the NTDP, he tallied 47-74—121 points.

NCAA Coaching Carousel Continues

The offseason NCAA men's ice hockey coaching carousel was in full swing over the past two weeks.

Foremost among all the moves made was the firing of Todd Woodcroft by Vermont, after a months-long investigation by UVM administrators concerning "inappropriate text messages" with a student at the university. Woodcroft, who registered an overall record of 20-55-9 at the helm of the Catamounts over the last four years, has been replaced by assistant coach Stephen Wiedler for the 2023-24 season. Wiedler played collegiately at Southern Maine, and was an assistant at Curry College and AIC before becoming an assistant in Vermont in 2020.

The rest of the recent coaching movements came in the assistant ranks, as also reported at USCHO.com. Alaska (Fairbanks) brought aboard former NAHL/NA3HL head coach Casey Mignone, who played collegiately at both Lebanon Valley and Westfield State. Michigan hired Mathew Deschamps (Maine) and Kevin Reiter (Alaska Anchorage) as assistant coaches, and also promoted Rob Rassey (Northeastern) to associate head coach. Colgate added Zach Badalamenti (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), while Brock Kautz (Minnesota) has joined Bemidji State.

Lastly, Arizona State associate head coach Mike Field (AIC), who has spent the last eight seasons with the Sun Devils since they joined the NCAA Division I ranks, has jumped to the major junior hockey ranks as an assistant with Everett (WHL).  Field, who has also coached at his alma mater and at Dubuque (USHL), helped ASU to its first-ever NCAA tournament appearance in 2019 as an independent.

Fred Willis 1947-2023

Former NFL running back and college hockey player Fred Willis (Boston College) passed away on July 4 at the age of 75.

A native of Natick, Mass., the same hometown as fellow BC football great Doug Flutie, Willis played one year of varsity hockey at BC, tallying nine goals and 19 points in 24 games during the 1968-69 season as the Eagles went 19-7-0 overall and finished second in the ECAC with a 16-5-0 mark.

It was on the gridiron where Willis made his biggest athletic mark, as a halfback, as he became the first player in BC history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season when he accumulated 1,107 yards on the ground in 1970. He earned All-America and All-East accolades as a senior, and also played in both the Senior Bowl and Blue-Gray Game that year. He rushed for a then-BC career record of 2,115 yards in only three varsity seasons, earned his bachelor's degree in business administration, and was later inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1977.

Willis then went to play six years of professional football, two with the Cincinnati Bengals, who drafted him 93rd overall in 1971, and then four with the Houston Oilers. In 77 career NFL regular-season games, he ran the ball 780 times for 2,831 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also caught 203 passes for 1,380 yards and five touchdowns. As a rookie with Cincinnati, he rushed for a career-high 590 yards and seven scores, before catching a career-high and AFC-leading 57 passes for a personal-best 371 yards two years later in his first full season with Houston.

A successful restaurateur with several chains following the completion of his football career, Willis also went on to serve as the founder, president and CEO of NeuroSport, which assisted athletes with evaluation of concussions, risk assessment, and returning to play, and as founder and executive director of NFL Player Brains Matter. where he advocated for former players who suffered from the effects of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Arizona State Hockey to Join NCHC in 2024

The Arizona State University men's hockey program finally has a conference to call home. 

The Sun Devils, who began NCAA Division I play as an independent in 2015-16 after decades as an ACHA club powerhouse, will join the National Collegiate Hockey Conference as its ninth member beginning with the 2024-25 season. It is the first time the NCHC has expanded since its inaugural campaign of 2012-13. ASU will become an official NCHC member on July 1, 2024.

The "new" NCHC will be divided into three-team pods, in coordination with the NCHC's annual 24-game conference schedule. According to TheSunDevils.com, "the new schedule model and rotation consists of three, three-team pods based on geography with teams guaranteed to play home and away series against the other two teams in their pod every season (eight games). The three-team pods are: Arizona State, Colorado College and Denver; Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota and St. Cloud State; and Miami (Ohio), Omaha and Western Michigan."

ASU qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2019 after going 21-13-1 overall, the first hockey independent to do so since Alaska Anchorage in 1992, and the fastest school to ever do so at the NCAA Division I level. The Sun Devils were also on pace to qualify for the 2020 NCAAs after going 22-11-3, had the tournament not been canceled by the COVID-19 pandemic. They then played all their games on the road in 2020-21, due to COVID, all against Big Ten conference schools while finishing 7-16-3 overall.

The Sun Devils, who are coached by alumnus and former club team coach Greg Powers, went 18-21-0 this past season, their first in their new on-campus home, the 5,000-seat Mullet Arena that ASU currently shares with the NHL's Arizona Coyotes. Since joining the NCAA Division I ranks, ASU has amassed an overall record of 106-140-16, all under Indianapolis native Powers, a former Sun Devils club team goaltender who had previously guided ASU's ACHA Division I team to a national club title in 2014. ASU also recently hired former Boston University player and assistant/head coach Albie O'Connell as its new associate coach/recruiting coordinator.

ASU will play its final season as an NCAA independent in 2023-24, with two-game series against three of its future NCHC brethren: at Miami on Oct. 27-28, at home versus Denver on Nov. 10-11, and at Colorado College on Dec. 1-2. The Sun Devils will also play on the road at Robert Morris, Alaska Fairbanks, and Alaska Anchorage, and at home against Merrimack, Northern Michigan, Stonehill, UAA, Providence, Dartmouth, Cornell, Augustana, Lindenwood, UAF and Long Island. ASU will also skate in the Adirondack Winter Invitational in Lake Placid, N.Y. on Dec. 28-29, before hosting its annual Desert Hockey Classic on Jan. 5-6 featuring UMass Lowell, Harvard and Omaha.

Hockey Fourth of July

 

Former NCAA Players Changing NHL Places (2023)

Former NCAA players have been changing places lately in the National Hockey League, since the start of June. Listed below are those players, in alphabetical order by last name, along with their school, former NHL club, and new NHL club, per sportsnet.ca:

• Shane Bowers (Boston University) - Boston to New Jersey 

• Ross Colton (Vermont) - Tampa Bay to Colorado

• J.T. Compher (Michigan) - Colorado to Detroit 

• Kevin Hayes (Boston College) - Philadelphia to St. Louis

• Alex Iafallo (Minnesota-Duluth) - Los Angeles to Winnipeg

• Steven Kampfer (Michigan) - Detroit to Arizona

• Alex Newhook (Boston College) - Montreal to Colorado

• Cal Petersen (Notre Dame) - Los Angeles to Philadelphia

• Jonathan Quick (UMass) - Vegas to New York Rangers 

• Reilly Walsh (Harvard) - New Jersey to Boston 

• Sean Walker (Bowling Green) - Los Angeles to Philadelphia

NOTE: List may not be all inclusive.

Players in bold won the Stanley Cup while with their last NHL club. 

Tennessee State to Add Men's Club Hockey in 2024

According to multiple published reports from earlier this week, Tennessee State University is establishing a men's club ice hockey program that is expected to begin play with the 2024-25 season. The announcement was made in conjunction with the 2023 National Hockey League Entry Draft that was held Wednesday and Thursday in Nashville, the home of both Tennessee State and the NHL's Nashville Predators.

TSU would be the first historically black college or university (HBCU) to offer men's ice hockey at the collegiate level. The university's ultimate goal is to apparently move up to NCAA Division I in the near future, possibly by the 2026-27 campaign, while also eventually adding an NCAA Division I women's team. 

TSU first explored adding ice hockey two years ago, by conducting a feasibility study along with the NHL. Should the Tigers ultimately make the move to NCAA Division I, they would be the first men's hockey program team at that level in the south since the University of Alabama-Huntsville suspended operations in 2021.

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.

Beniers Claims 2022-23 Calder Trophy

Matty Beniers (Michigan) is the 2022-23 recipient of the Calder Trophy as top rookie in the National Hockey League. The award was presented Monday night in Nashville, site of this year's NHL Entry Draft that will commence on Wednesday.

Beniers, 20, recorded 24 goals and 33 assists for 57 points and just two penalty minutes in 80 regular-season games this year for the second-year Kraken franchise. He then added three goals and seven points in 14 Stanley Cup Playoff contests as Seattle ousted the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche in the first round, before falling to the Dallas Stars in the second round, both in seven games.

Originally committed to play for Harvard, Beniers. a center, instead pivoted to Michigan when the Ivy League schools decided to sit out the 2020-21 campaign due to COVID-19. In two years and 61 outings at Michigan, he notched 30-37–67 points and 16 PIM in helping the Wolverines to two NCAA tournament berths, including the 2022 NCAA Frozen Four in Boston, plus a Big Ten tournament title. He actually made his NHL audition by playing 10 games with the Kraken soon afterwards last spring, registering three goals and nine points points in that span, and has recorded a total of 27-39–66 points in 90 NHL regular-season appearances to date.

A native of Hingham, Mass. and a product of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Beniers was originally selected second overall by expansion Seattle in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

Hershey Wins in OT, Claims 12th Calder Cup

The oldest franchise in the American Hockey League edged its newest organization for this year's playoff title, with two former NCAA champions leading the way.

Mike Vecchione (Union) scored off a rebound with 3:41 remaining in overtime, and Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) made 45 saves in all tonight as the Hershey Bears won the Calder Cup over the first-year Coachella Valley Firebirds, 3-2, at a sold-out Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Cal.

Hershey claims its record 12th Calder Cup, in its 85th year of operation. After falling behind, 2-0, this evening, the Bears scored twice in the second period to knot matters before becoming the first team in this series to win a game on the road. Hershey won four of the last five games of the series, all by one goal, including three in overtime, after dropping the first two contests.

Shepard, who also backstopped UMD to consecutive NCAA titles in 2018 and 2019, also won this year's Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the AHL playoff MVP, after fashioning a 14-6 record with a 2.27 goals-against average and three shutouts. Vecchione, who helped Union to a national collegiate title in 2014, is the first player in AHL history to score the Calder Cup-clinching goal in a Game Seven in overtime. Joey Daccord (Arizona State) stopped 35 shots for Coachella Valley, which came within a goal of winning its first Calder Cup in its inaugural season of play.

Other former NCAA players on this year's Bears playoff roster included: Sam Anas (Quinnipiac), Logan Day (Providence/Endicott), Ethen Frank (Western Michigan), Shane Gersich (North Dakota), Mason Morelli (Nebraska-Omaha), Bobby Nardella (Notre Dame), Aaron Ness (Minnesota), Joe Snively (Yale), 

Hershey's victory tonight also concludes the 2022-23 hockey season as a whole.

Bears, Firebirds Tied up in AHL Final

Mike Vecchione (Union) scored two goals, and also helped set up the game-winner by Ethen Frank (Western Michigan) as the Hershey Bears defeated the Coachella Valley Firebirds, 3-2, on Thursday night in Game Four of the 2023 Calder Cup Final at Giant Center in Hershey, Pa. The best-of-seven AHL championship series is now knotted at two games apiece, with the home team having won each of the four previous contests. 

A member of Union's 2014 NCAA championship team, Vecchione scored Hershey's first two goals, the first on a power play to open the game, and the second one breaking a 1-1 tie early in the second period. Frank, who tallied 30 goals during the 2022-23 AHL regular season, then connected late in the middle stanza for the game-winner for Hershey, the primary affiliate of the NHL's Washington Capitals. The Bears are seeking their 12th Calder Cup overall, and first since claiming back-to-back crowns in 2009 and 2010. Hunter Sheppard (Minnesota-Duluth), who won consecutive NCAA titles in 2018 and 2019 with UMD, stopped 21 shots to earn the win in goal for Hershey.

Austin Poganski (North Dakota) scored the first goal for the AHL Western Conference champion Firebirds, who are in their inaugural season, and are the affiliate of the NHL's Seattle Kraken. Joey Daccord (Arizona State) made 25 stops in defeat for Coachella Valley.

Game Five is tonight in Hershey at 8 p.m. ET, while Game Six will be contested at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, Ca. on Monday at 10 p.m. ET. Both games will be televised on NHL Network.

ADDENDUM: Hershey took Game Five in overtime, 1-0, while Coachella Valley rallied for a 5-2 victory in Game Six. The deciding Game Seven will be contested on Wednesday, June 21, at 10 p.m. ET at Acrisure Arena, with the winner claiming the Calder Cup.

Vegas Wins First-Ever Stanley Cup

Reilly Smith (Miami) notched the decisive goal, Alec Martinez (Miami) added another score, and Jack Eichel (Boston University) posted three assists on the night as the Vegas Golden Knights won their first-ever Stanley Cup with a 9-3 rout of the visiting Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. Vegas won the best-of-seven series, four games to one, one year after missing the playoffs entirely..

Vegas, which made the Cup final during its inaugural NHL campaign in 2017-18 but lost to Washington, won its first championship in its sixth season after ousting Winnipeg, Edmonton and Dallas to claim the Western Conference crown. Florida, in the final for the first time since 1996, fell short again after defeating Boston, Toronto and Carolina to win the Eastern Conference this spring.

Smith tallied the game-winning goal just over 12 minutes into the second period to make it 4-1, less than two minutes after Martinez scored for Vegas before a record 19,058 on-lookers at T-Mobile Arena. Eichel, playing in his first-ever pro postseason, finished with 26 points on six goals and 20 assists in 22 games. In the final, he registered eight assists in five games. Martinez won his third career Cup, having previously helped the Los Angeles Kings to their first-ever league titles in 2012 and 2014.

Other former NCAA players on the Golden Knights' roster this spring included: Teddy Blueger (Minnesota State); Paul Cotter (Western Michigan); Ben Hutton (Maine); Phil Kessel (Minnesota); Jonathan Quick (UMass), and; Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State). Kessel and Quick, who did not play in the final, each won their third Cup.

Laviolette Returns to Rangers as Head Coach

Peter Laviolette (Westfield State) will give the NHL another try.

Laviolette, 58, has been named the new head coach of the New York Rangers. It is his sixth stop in an NHL head coaching career that began in 2001-02 with the New York Islanders. He has also mentored the Carolina Hurricanes, Philadelphia Flyers, Nashville Predators and Washington Capitals, and spent the last three years in Washington before partying ways with the Capitals in April. He coached Carolina to a Stanley Cup title in 2006, and also guided Philadelphia (2010) and Nashville (2017) to the Stanley Cup Final.

A defenseman on the 1988 U.S. Olympic Team, Laviolette played four years in college at Westfield State, and 10 full seasons professionally in a myriad of locales. He also skated in 12 career NHL games, all with the Rangers in 1988-89. He retired as a player in 1997 and then spent one season as head coach in Wheeling (ECHL) before serving two years as head coach with Providence (AHL), winning the Calder Cup in his first season with the P-Bruins. He then worked one year as an assistant with the NHL's Boston Bruins before embarking on his head coaching career, all with NH organizations.

Laviolette, from Westfield, Mass. has posted an NHL career regular-season record of 752-503-25-150 in 1,430 games, and is 78-76 all-time in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is also the winningest American-born coach in NHL history.

ADDENDUM: Anaheim recently hired Greg Cronin (Colby) as its newest head coach, his first head coaching position at that level. The Arlington, Mass native spent eight seasons in all as an assistant coach with Maine and Colorado College, before helming Maine for two abbreviated seasons as a temporary replacement for the then-suspended Shawn Walsh. He later served as head coach at Northeastern for six seasons (2005-2011), in-between stints as an AHL assistant with the New York Islanders and Toronto Maple Leafs. Previously the head coach of Bridgeport (AHL) from 2003 to 2005, Cronin, 60, spent the last five seasons as head coach with Colorado (AHL), winning 164 regular-season games in all.

Everblades Win Second Straight ECHL Title

The Florida Everblades are ECHL playoff champions for the second straight season. The Everblades, who began play in 1998, won their third Kelly Cup in six ECHL finals appearances all-time since 2004, by finishing a four-step sweep of the Idaho Steelheads with a 4-3 win in Estero, Fla. on Friday night. Tyler Irvine (Merrimack) notched the game-winning goal with 12 minutes remaining in regulation to break a three-all tie, with an assist going to Brandon Hickey (Boston University).

Cam Johnson (North Dakota) earned the June M. Kelly Playoffs Most Valuable Player Award for the second consecutive year, after backstopping the Everblades to the title with a 16-4-2 record and a 2.10 goals-against average in 22 postseason contests this spring. He stopped 32 out of 35 shots in the clinching contest to close out the Everblades 25th anniversary season.

Other players with NCAA experience who were part of Florida's 2023 playoff run included Ashton Calder (Lake Superior/North Dakota/Penn State), William Calverley (RIT), Oliver Chau (UMass/Quinnipiac), Cameron Darcy (Northeastern), Lukas Kaelble (Lake Superior/Clarkson), Logan Lambdin (Michigan State), Ben Masella (St. Lawrence), John McCarron (Cornell), Zachary Uens (Merrimack) and Blake Winiecki (St. Cloud). 

Calverley scored the only goal of the game in Florida's 1-0 triumph in Game Three on Wednesday, while Lambdin notched two goals and set up another in a 5-3 win in Game Two. Chau potted the game-winner in Game One in the Everblades' 3-2 overtime victory, after setting up the tying goal in the third period.

Vegas Up Two Games in Stanley Cup Final

Jack Eichel (Boston University) set up two goals and Alec Martinez (Miami) scored another as the Vegas Golden Knights routed the visiting Florida Panthers, 7-2, last night to take a two games to none lead in the best-of-seven 2023 Stanley Cup Final.

Eichel assisted on Vegas' first and fifth goals, while Martinez notched the second goal of the game for the Golden Knights, who have outscored the Panthers, 12-4, though the first two games of the series. Eichel is also tied for second among NHL skaters this postseason with 22 points in 19 games, and has recorded four assists so far in the final.

Game Three is Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla. Both clubs are seeking the first-ever Stanley Cup in their respective franchise's history.