Vegas Advances to 2023 Stanley Cup Final

Reilly Smith (Miami) set up two goals and Alec Martinez (Miami) assisted on another as the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to the 2023 Stanley Cup Final with a 6-0 win over the host Dallas Stars in Game Six of the Western Conference final tonight.

After dropping the previous two contests in the series, the Golden Knights raced out to a 3-0 lead in the opening 20 minutes and cruised to their second-ever Stanley Cup Final appearance, and first since their inaugural NHL campaign in 2017-18. Reilly assisted on Vegas' second and sixth goals of the game, while Martinez helped set up Vegas' third goal and also finished with a plus-3 rating on the night

The Golden Knights will now face the Eastern Conference champion Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final that begins on Saturday night in Nevada, with both clubs seeking their first-ever Stanley Cup title. Vegas fell to Washington in five games five years ago, while Florida was swept by Colorado in 1996 in the Panthers' only previous NHL finals appearance.

Canada Wins 2023 IIHF World Championship

Canada is the world champion of men's hockey once again. The Canadians defeated Germany, 5-2 on Sunday in Finland to claim their 28th gold medal all-time in the IIHF World Championship.

NCAA-trained players who helped Canada to its sixth World Championship in the last eight seasons included Adam Fantilli (Michigan), Brad Hunt (Bemidji State), Devon Levi (Northeastern) and Jack McBain (Boston College). Fantilli, who is projected to be selected second overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, scored the game-winning goal in a semifinal victory over Latvia on Saturday.

The United States, which won its first eight games in this year's tournament, fell to Germany in the semifinals and to co-host Latvia in the third-place game, both in overtime, to finish out of the medals. Germany earned silver for the third time overall in World Championship competition, while Latvia won bronze this year, its first medal of any kind ever in the event.

Next year's World Championship will be contested in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia in May 2024.

U.S. Stays Perfect at 2023 World Championship

The United States is now a perfect 7-0 at the 2023 IIHF World Championship at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.

The U.S. edged Sweden, 4-3, in overtime in its final round-robin contest on Tuesday, after giving up a two-goal lead late in regulation. Dylan Samberg (Minnesota-Duluth) notched the game-winning goal in sudden death, with the primary assist going to Carter Mazur (Denver). 

Lane Hutson (Boston University), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Conor Garland also scored goals for the U.S., while T.J. Tynan (Notre Dame) led the Americans with two assists and Casey DeSmith (New Hampshire) made 23 saves for the victory. The U.S also outshot Sweden, 43-26, overall.

Team USA, which is seeking its first World Championship medal since claiming bronze two years ago, will now face Czechia in the quarterfinals.

ADDENDUM: The U.S. blanked Czechia, 3-0, and will meet Germany in the semifinals. The other semifinal will feature Canada against co-host Latvia, with the two semifinal winners meeting in the final for the gold medal.

Eichel, Vegas Take Two Game Lead in NHL Semifinals

 

Jack Eichel (Boston University) made his first point of the Western Conference semifinals a major one. 

His behind-the-back pass to Jonathan Marchessault for the tying goal with 2:22 remaining in regulation set the stage for Chandler Stephenson's goal just over a minute into overtime that gave Vegas a two games-to-none lead over the visiting Dallas Stars on Sunday in their best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series. Game Three is slated for Tuesday evening in Texas.

Eichel is now tied for sixth among NHL skaters with six goals and nine assists for 15 points in 13 NHL playoff games so far this spring, the first postseason games of his professional career. Ryan Suter (Wisconsin) assisted on both of Dallas' goals on Sunday, and currently has five assists/points in 15 postseason games to date this year, along with 6-33—39 points in 110 career NHL playoff outings dating back to 2007.

Cooley Returning to Minnesota

Logan Cooley (Minnesota) will get to work his magic at the NCAA level for at least one more year.

Cooley, 19, announced recently that he would be returning to the University of Minnesota for his sophomore season. The Pittsburgh native notched 22 goals and 38 assists for 60 points in 39 games as a center in 2002-23, while leading the Golden Gophers to a No. 1 national ranking and then the NCAA championship game, where they fell to Quinnipiac in overtime.

A first-round draft choice (third overall) of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes last summer before joining Minnesota, Cooley had played the previous two seasons with the U.S. National Team Development Program out of Michigan, notching 28-36–64 points over 51 outings.

Happy (Hockey) Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms who drove us to practices and games, sat in the cold stands to watch us play, and offered us their encouragement and love even when we didn't do so well. Thank you!

BC's Woll, Leafs Fall to Florida in Five Games

Joe Woll (Boston College) was able to save the Toronto Maple Leafs' season once, but couldn't do it a second time.

Woll, 24, from Dardenne Prairie, MO, made 24 saves on Wednesday in his first Stanley Cup Playoff start to lift Toronto to a 2-1 win over the host Florida Panthers. The victory staved off elimination for the Leafs, who had trailed the best-of-seven NHL Eastern Conference semifinal series, three games to none. 

The bubble burst on Friday, however, as Toronto was eliminated from playoff contention with a 3-2 overtime loss to the Panthers despite 40 saves from Woll. The 6-foot-3 netminder had originally been pressed into service this series in place of the injured Ilya Samsonov in Game Three, another 3-2 OT setback for Toronto despite Woll's 18 saves in relief.

Drafted 62nd overall by the Leafs in 2016 out of the U.S. National Team Development Program, Woll is 9-2-0 with a 2.38 goals-against average in 11 career NHL regular-season outings, all with Toronto. He is also 40-34-5 (3.27) in 83 career minor-league appearances with Toronto (AHL), and went 47-45-8 (2.51) in 101 NCAA contests at BC before turning pro in 2019. 

Hughes, Woll, Beniers Star in NHL Playoffs

Several former NCAA players shined on Sunday in the second round of the NHL's Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Luke Hughes (Michigan) made his professional postseason debut with two assists as the New Jersey Devils upended the visiting Carolina Hurricanes, 8-4, to climb back into that best-of-seven Eastern Conference series. John Marino (Harvard) also had two assists for the Devils, who now trail the series, two games to one. Miles Wood (Boston College) scored a goal for the second straight game for New Jersey.

Joseph Woll (Boston College) stopped 18 of 21 shots in relief as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell, 3-2, in overtime to the host Florida Panthers. Florida now leads that Eastern Conference series, three games to none. Woll came on in relief of injured starter Ilya Samsonov in the first period.

Matty Beniers (Michigan) notched a goal and an assist, and was also a plus-3, as the Seattle Kraken routed the visiting Dallas Stars, 7-2. Ryan Donato and Jaden Schwartz (Colorado College) each posted an assist for the Kraken, who took a two games to one lead in that Western Conference series.

ADDENDUM: Jack Eichel (Boston University) scored one goal and set up another, and Zach Whitecloud (Bemidji State) also scored as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights dismantled the Edmonton Oilers, 5-1, on Monday night to take a two games to one lead in their Western Conference semifinal series. Warren Foegele (New Hampshire) tallied Edmonton's lone goal.

Pavelski's Four-Goal Game Falls Short for Stars

Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin) scored four goals for the Dallas Stars in their Western Conference semifinal opener on Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the Seattle Kraken scored five.

Pavelski connected twice in the first period, and then brought Dallas back from a two-goal deficit with two more scores in the third—but it was visiting Seattle who connected in overtime for the 5-4 victory. The Kraken lead the best-of-seven Stanley Cup Playoff series, one game to none, with Game Two set for Thursday night in Texas.

Pavelski, 38, who was playing in his first game since suffering a concussion early in the previous series against Minnesota, became the oldest player to record a four-goal game in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. He now has 68 goals and 62 assists for 130 points in 170 career NHL playoff contests with San Jose and Dallas since turning pro in 2006-07. 

The Plover, Wis. native played two seasons at Wisconsin, recording 39-62—101 points in 84 career games while also leading the Badgers to the 2006 NCAA title. He later helped San Jose to the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, and Dallas to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final.

Haula, Devils Advance to Stanley Cup Second Round

Erik Haula (Minnesota) and the New Jersey Devils just kept on going—and now they're going to the second round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Devils won Game Seven of their first-round series Monday night, defeating their visiting rivals, the New York Rangers, 4-0, at the Prudential Center in Newark to claim the series, four games to three, after dropping the first two games last month. New Jersey then won four of the last five contests, with Haula leading all Devils skaters with four goals and two assists over the last six games of the series, including their third goal in the series clincher. It was the first Stanley Cup Playoff series for the Devils since 2018, and their first postseason series victory since 2012.

Haula, 32, a veteran forward from Pori, Finland, now has 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points in 68 career NHL playoff games with Minnesota, Vegas, Florida, Nashville, Boston and New Jersey. Drafted 182nd overall by the Minnesota Wild before skating one season for Omaha (USHL), he then played three years at the University of Minnesota, recording 42-82—124 points in 124 games with the Golden Gophers from 2010 to 2013 while guiding them to two NCAA tournaments. He also helped Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in 2018, in that franchise's inaugural NHL campaign.

New Jersey opens its second-round Eastern Conference series at Carolina on Tuesday night.

U.S. Wins Gold at 2023 IIHF U18 Worlds

Ryan Leonard notched the game-winning goal early in 3-on-3 overtime on Sunday as the U.S. claimed the gold medal with a 3-2 win over Sweden at the 2023 IIHF U-18 Men's World Championship in Basel, Switzerland. 

Leonard, a Boston College commit, scored on a wrist shot 2:20 into sudden death to propel the Americans to their first gold medal in the U18 Worlds since 2017. The U.S. had battled back from a 2-0 deficit on third-period goals by Notre Dame commit Danny Nelson and Carey Terrance. Michigan State commit Trey Augustine had 30 saves for Team USA, while Boston College commit Will Smith earned tournament MVP honors by leading all players with nine goals and 20 points in seven games.

Canada won this year's bronze medal with a 4-3 OT win over Slovakia. Since the U18 Worlds debuted in 1999, the U.S. has now medaled on no less than 19 occasions, including winning the gold medal a record 11 times.