Alberta's Berlin Makes NHL Debut in Relief

Matt Berlin (Alberta) got to see his NHL dream come true Saturday night.

The 6-foot-4 Edmonton native dressed for his hometown Oilers that evening as an emergency goaltender, replacing an ill Stuart Skinner. He played the last 2:26 of regulation, stopping the only shot he faced in Edmonton's 7-3 victory over the visiting Chicago Blackhawks.

Berlin, 25, is in his third campaign with the University of Alberta, where he has fashioned a 4-0-1 mark with a 2.57 goals-against average in five appearances so far this season. In 21 career contests with the Golden Bears, he has gone 14-5-1 with a 2.09 GAA and three shutouts.

Prior to suiting up for Alberta, Berlin went 28-9-1 (2.57, 2 SO) in the 2018-19 season with Sherwood Park (AJHL). He spent parts of the previous three seasons in the WHL with Spokane, Seattle and Kootenay, going 23-18-8 (3.40, 2 SO) in 57 games. He was also part of Seattle's 2016-17 squad that won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL postseason champions, which also earned the Thunderbirds a berth in the Memorial Cup that season.

LIU Tops Princeton, 6-4, for First Time Ever

Riley Wallack tipped home the winning goal midway through the third period, and Brandon Perrone made 28 saves as Long Island University recorded its first-ever win against Princeton University, 6-4, before 1,817 on-lookers on Saturday night at Hobey Baker Rink.

Cade Mason and Patriks Marcinkevics posted three points apiece for the victorious Sharks (9-15-1), who rebounded from a 2-0 deficit after 20 minutes of play by scoring four of the five goals netted in the second stanza to take a one-goal lead. After Wallack's go-ahead marker, Valtteri Piironen notched his first-ever goal in NCAA play by scoring into an empty net with 37 seconds remaining in regulation to ice the win. The LIU power play went 2-for-4 overall, while its penalty kill finished 5-for-6. The Sharks also won 37 of 64 face-offs.

Nick Seitz, Spencer Kersten (shorthanded), Ian Murphy and David Jacobs (power play) scored for the host Tigers (10-12-0), who got 18 stops in all from Ethan Pearson. It was the third defeat in a row for Princeton overall since fashioning a three-game win streak earlier this month, including a 5-2 triumph over visiting LIU on Jan. 13. The Sharks, meanwhile, have now won three consecutive contests, although the Tigers still lead the all-time head-to-head series, 2-1-1, that began last season.

SCSU No. 1 in USCHO Poll for 01/23/23

St. Cloud State has taken over the top spot in the most recent USCHO Division I Men's NCAA Hockey Poll, dated Jan. 23. The Huskies, who stand at 18-6-0 overall, garnered 33 first-place votes, and moved up from fourth place after sweeping NCHC foe Denver the prior week.

Second place stayed with Minnesota, which split with Big Ten rival Michigan over the weekend. The Golden Gophers, who gained 13 first-place votes, are 18-7-1 overall.

Quinnipiac (18-3-3) fell from first place to third after suffering ECAC Hockey losses to Cornell and Colgate, its first losses in conference play for the 2022-23 campaign. The Bobcats still earned a pair of first-place votes.

Up from fifth place to fourth is Boston University (17-6-0), which picked up two first-place votes after sweeping Hockey East opponent Maine. The Terriers have won four straight games, and seven of their last eight outings.

Rounding out the top 10 were Denver, Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, Western Michigan and Harvard. Places 11-20 went to Cornell, UConn, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, Michigan State, Merrimack, Providence, UMass Lowell, RIT and northeastern.

The next USCHO.com poll drops on Jan. 30.

Princeton Edges No. 12 Providence in OT

Jack Cronin's one-man effort in overtime lifted Princeton University to a 3-2 victory over 12th-ranked Providence College on Tuesday night, in NCAA men's hockey action at Hobey Baker Rink in central New Jersey.

Cronin's backhand shot from the slot, following a solo rush through the neutral zone, eluded Providence netminder Philip Svedebäck (23 saves) up high on the glove side to lift the Tigers (10-9-0 overall) to their third consecutive win, all at home. Ethan Pearson made 36 stops for Princeton, which snuffed all six Providence power-play attempts, while Tigers defensemen David Ma and Pito Walton notched two assists apiece.

After Liam Valente opened the scoring for the Friars (12-7-6) on a tip-in goal less than three minutes into regulation, Adams Robbins responded later in the first period for Princeton with his own deflection, to knot matters at a goal apiece. The score then remained unchanged until Princeton's Nick Seitz and Providence's Riley Duran exchanged goals 21 seconds apart in the third stanza, setting the stage for Cronin's sudden-death heroics.

Tuesday marked the third contest between the former Eastern College Athletic Conference rivals since last season, which began with a two-step sweep by the Friars at home, but it was the first meeting at Hobey Baker Rink since 1997. Providence still leads the all-time series, which started in 1954, by a 25-13-3 count.

Princeton returns to ECAC Hockey play this weekend at Colgate and Cornell, while Providence will be idle until returning to Hockey East action on Jan. 27-28 at Maine.

Sacred Heart, UConn Open New Arenas with Splits

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

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

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

NCAA to Allow Fourth Full-Time Coach

 As of July 1, NCAA Division I hockey schools will be allowed to have a fourth full-time coach on staff, as voted on by the NCAA Division I Council this week. That body also voted to eliminate so-called volunteer assistant coaches.

The NCAA had voted in 1995 to eliminate what was known as the restricted-earnings coach, which had been instituted four years earlier. Those coaches were limited in the amount of money they could earn to coach, including different pay rates at different times of the year.

Princeton's Hobey Baker Rink Celebrates 100 Years

Princeton University certainly made famed alumnus Hobey Baker proud⁠—and Patty Kazmaier, also.

On the weekend where Princeton's venerable Hobey Baker Rink was celebrated for the passage of a century since the facility first opened its doors on Jan. 5, 1923, the Tigers men's and women's hockey teams combined for three wins in four games against ECAC Hockey/Ivy League opponents Dartmouth and Harvard. 

On Saturday, the Stanley Cup was on display at a fan fest held outside the arena. Also in attendance were the Hobey Baker Award and the Patty Kazmaier Award, both named for Princeton hockey alumni, and annually awarded to the top NCAA Division I men's and women's player in the nation, respectively. 

The Princeton women blanked Harvard, 3-0, Saturday afternoon behind Taylor Hyland's 32 saves and Issy Wunder's two goals, in front of 1,544 spectators. The men's team topped Dartmouth, 4-2, that night before 2,300 on-lookers as Ian Murphy scored twice, Nick Seitz notched the game-winning goal shorthanded, and Ethan Pearson made 22 stops. The ceremonial opening faceoff for the men's game against Dartmouth was conducted with Princeton athletic director/alumnus John Mack and U.S. Army General Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and a Princeton hockey alumnus. Fellow Tiger hockey alumni 

George Parros and Kevin Westgarth appeared Saturday night with the Stanley Cup, with Parros having won it in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks and Westgarth in 2012 with the Los Angeles Kings. Many other Princeton hockey men's and women's alumni were in attendance over the weekend, with the men's program dating back to 1900 and the women's program having begun in 1979.

Friday afternoon saw head coach Cara Morey's Tiger women topple Dartmouth, 5-2, as Annie Kuehl tallied two goals and Jennifer Olnowich made 15 saves in net. Ron Fogarty's The Tiger men saw a three-goal lead evaporate later that night in a 4-3 overtime setback to 10th-ranked Harvard, despite 37 saves by Pearson. Princeton's Adam Robbins made ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 highlights list with his penalty-shot goal.

The Princeton women (8-7-1 overall, 5-5-0 ECAC) return to action this weekend at Cornell and Colgate, while the Princeton men (8-9-0, 6-7-0) will host independent LIU on Friday and No. 11 Providence on Jan. 17.

Canada Tops U.S. in 2023 World Junior Semifinal

The United States skated out to an early two-goal lead against host Canada tonight, but couldn't maintain the advantage in a 2023 IIHF World Junior Championship semifinal tonight at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Canada responded with a half-dozen unanswered goals over the last 49-plus minutes to rout Team USA, 6-2, and will now face Czechia tomorrow night for the gold medal.

Logan Cooley (Minnesota) and Kenny Connors (UMass) staked the Americans to a 2-0 lead just past the halfway point of the opening period, but Canada came back with one goal in the first stanza, three scores in the second, and two more in the third to win going away. Adam Fantilli (Michigan) notched a goal and an assist for the Canadians, who were outshot, 45-37. Michigan State commit Trey Augustine stopped 31 shots in net for the Americans, who had two goals disallowed due to interference with Canada's goaltender.

The U.S., which won gold at the 2021 WJC in Edmonton, will now face Sweden for the bronze medal on Thursday afternoon. Canada is seeking its second straight WJC gold medal, and 20th overall, after winning last season's re-scheduled competition in Edmonton in August.

ADDENDUM: The U.S. earned bronze with an 8-7 win over Sweden, while Canada claimed gold by edging Czechia, 3-2. Both games were decided in overtime.