Michigan State Downs No. 1 Minnesota

Minnesota was the No. 1 ranked team in NCAA Division men's hockey last week. It won't be this week, after suffering a 3-3 tie and a 5-3 loss to No. 3 Michigan State this weekend in a Big Ten conference series.

On Friday, Brodie Ziemer scored twice for Minnesota, including the game-tying goal in the third period, but the Golden Gophers fell in the shootout as MSU's Karsen Dorwart and Daniel Russell scored the only extra-session goals after a scoreless five-minute overttime. Trey Augustine made 40 saves in regulation for the visiting Spartans, plus two more in the shootout. 

On Saturday, MSU overcame a 3-1 deficit after 40 minutes by tallying four third-period goals, with Maxim Štrbák scoring one goal and setting up another. Isaac Howard scored twice for the Spartans (13-2-1 overall, 6-1-1 Big Ten), while Augustine made 24 stops in net. Liam Souliere had 25 stops for the Golden Gophers (15-3-2, 8-1-1), who saw a six-game unbeaten streak snapped this weekend.

The two schools will meet again on Jan. 24-25 in East Lansing, Mich.

Kevin Shattenkirk Retires from NHL

Kevin Shattenkirk (Boston University) has called it a career. The New Rochelle, N.Y. native recently announced his retirement after 14 NHL seasons and a Stanley Cup championship with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020. 

A first-round draft choice of the Colorado Avalanche in 2007, he also played for St. Louis, Washington, the New York Rangers, Anaheim and Boston, along with Lake Erie (AHL) and TPS Turku (Finland). Shattenkirk, 35, did not play this season, making his final appearance in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs last spring with Boston.

A six-foot, 203-pound defenseman, Shattenkirk tallied 103 goals and 381 assists for 484 points to go along with 544 penalty minutes in 952 NHL regular-season games. He added 8-40—48 points and 47 PIM in 91 Stanley Cup Playoff contests. He also skated for the United States in the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. 

A member of BU's 2009 NCAA title team, when he also earned Second Team All-America accolades, Shattenkirk recorded 18-60—78 points over three seasons with the Terriers, after prepping with the U.S. National Team Development Program, the Brunswick School and the New Jersey Devils youth organization. His older brother, Keith, played for both the Taft School and Princeton University.

Princeton Defeats RPI, Wins Fourth Straight

Princeton University continued its recent roll by besting visiting Rensselaer, 6-2, on Saturday night at Hobey Baker Rink. The Tigers (5-4-1 overall, 3-4-1 ECAC Hockey) have now won four straight games, all at home, after topping Union on Friday and sweeping Ohio State last weekend. 

David Ma and Brendan Gorman each scored two goals for the Tigers against RPI, with Gorman adding an assist. David Jacobs set up a pair of goals for Princeton, which got 24 saves in net from Arthur Smith in his fourth straight victory.

Princeton is now off until Dec. 28, when it plays at Army West Point.  The Tigers return home on Jan. 3-4 against New Hampshire.

Minnesota Blanks Michigan in Two-Step Sweep

Fourth-ranked Minnesota didn't allow a goal this weekend in sweeping No. 6 Michigan by 6-0 and 2-0 scores in Minneapolis.

Matthew Wood scored two goals in the opener at 3M Arena at Mariucci, while Oliver Moore had three assists and Nathan Airey stopped 32 shots for the Golden Gophers. In the rematch, Sam Rinzel scored one goal and set up another while Liam Souliere made 22 saves.

Minnesota improved to 15-2-1 overall (8-0 Big Ten) with the sweep and is unbeaten in its last six games, while Michigan fell to 10-5-1 (4-2-0). The Golden Gophers and Wolverines will meet again on Feb. 14-15 in Ann Arbor, Mich. to close out their 2024-25 season series.