Carolina Hurricanes Win 2026 Stanley Cup

Jaccob Slavin (Colorado College) and Jackson Blake (North Dakota) both assisted on the first goal of the game early in the first period by Taylor Hall, before Blake added an insurance marker of his own in the second stanza as the Carolina Hurricanes cliched their first Stanley Cup championship in 20 years with a 3-0 blanking of the host Vegas Golden Knights tonight in Game Six of the 2026 NHL championship series. Eastern Conference champion Carolina won the best-of-seven title series, four games to two.

Brandon Bussi (Western Michigan) stopped all 22 shots he faced in winning his third game of the series for the Hurricanes, who last claimed the Stanley Cup in 2006, their first-ever NHL championship after moving from Hartford in 1997. Head coach Rod Brind'Amour (Michigan State) was the captain of that Carolina team, and becomes the seventh individual in NHL history to win the Cup as both a player and a coach with the same franchise. Bussi is the first NHL goaltender to make his first career playoff starts in the Stanley Cup Final, and won all three, leading the ‘Canes to the crown after a two games-to-one deficit in the series.

Other former NCAA players who suited up for Carolina in the clinching contest tonight included Shayne Gostisbehere (Union), Mark Jankowski (Providence), K’Andre Miller (Wisconsin), Eric Robinson (Princeton) and Sean Walker (Bowling Green). Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal in the final two minutes, after opening the series scoring back in the first minute of Game One. The Hurricanes outshot the Golden Knights, 23-22, on the night, and also won 33 of 63 faceoffs in what turned out to be the final NHL contest of the 2025-26 campaign.

Kings, BGSU's Blake Part Ways

The Los Angeles Kings parted ways with former NHL defenseman Rob Blake (Bowling Green) last week after he served the past eight seasons as vice president and general manager. The Kings did not win a Stanley Cup Playoff series during his tenure, and were eliminated by Edmonton in the first round the last four years, despite 309 regular-season wins overall in his tenure as GM.

Blake, 55, played 20 years in the NHL, notching 240 goals and 537 assists for 777 points and 1,679 penalty minutes in 1,270 regular-season games with Los Angeles, Colorado, and San Jose before retiring in 2010. He also added 26-47—73 points and 166 PIM in 146 playoff outings, and won the Stanley Cup with Colorado in 2001. He won the Norris Trophy in 1998 as the NHL's best defenseman, and also earned an Olympic gold medal with Canada in 2002, plus gold and silver medals at the IIHF World Championship in his career.

The 6-4, 220-pound blueliner from Simcoe, Ont., was drafted 70th overall by the Kings in 1988 following his freshman season at Bowling Green. In three seasons with the Falcons, he notched 39-65—104 points and 368 PIM in 131 appearances, while helping BGSU to three NCAA tournaments. He also earned First Team All-America accolades as a junior after collecting 23-36—59 points and 140 PIM in 1989-90 in his final NCAA campaign.

After retiring as an active player, Blake returned to the NHL in 2013-14 with the Kings as assistant general manager and vice-president of hockey operations, before being elevated to GM in 2018. He also served as general manager with Manchester (AHL) and Ontario (AHL) in his time with Los Angeles.

Wayne Wilson Retires at RIT

Rochester Institute of Technology men's hockey head coach Wayne Wilson has announced his retirement, effective immediately, after more than 35 years of coaching at the NCAA Division I level. 

A Bowling Green graduate who was a member of the Falcons' 1984 NCAA championship team, Wilson compiled a 471-337-82 overall record with RIT, including its transition from Division III to Division I in 2005, and its move from the Frank Ritter Memorial Arena to the Gene Polisseni Center in 2014. His ledger includes nine conference regular-season crowns, six conference tournament championships, and six NCAA tournament appearances, including four national tournament berths at the Division I level. 

Wilson's 2023-24 RIT team finished 27-11-2 overall and won both the Atlantic Hockey regular-season and playoff titles while making the NCAAs. The 2009-10 Tigers won both Atlantic Hockey titles, and also advanced to the NCAA Division I Frozen Four in Detroit.

A native of Guelph, Ont., Wilson, 62, began his coaching career at his alma mater, serving as an assistant coach at BGSU from 1988 to 1999 before taking the top job at RIT.

ADDENDUM: RIT has chosen alumnus Matt Thomas as its new head coach. Thomas, 49, who played for the Division III Tigers from 1994 to 1998, previously served two seasons as an assistant coach with Maine (2000-2002), and then coached in the ECHL for 12 seasons. He then spent five years as head coach at Alaska Anchorage (2013-18) where he led the Seawolves to a 48-105-21 overall mark and one WCHA Final five berth. The Maple Ridge, B.C. native then coached Cincinnati (ECHL) for two seasons before spending the last four years as an assistant with Providence (AHL).

Hershey Wins Second Straight Calder Cup

The Hershey Bears are back-to-back Calder Cup champions.

The Bears won their record 13th American Hockey league postseason title with a 5-4 overtime victory over the visiting Coachella Valley Firebirds on Monday night, before a record crowd of 11,013 at Giant Arena. Matt Strome's unassisted goal just over a minute into the extra session proved to be the deciding score. Hershey won the best-of-seven series in six games, one year after topping Coachella Valley in seven games in the AHL final. 

Cale Fleury forced overtime for the Firebirds on a goal with just under three minutes remaining in regulation, after Hershey had established leads of 2-1, 3-2 and 4-3. Pierrick Dubé scored three times for the Bears, while Chase Priskie (Quinnipiac) and Joe Snively (Yale) both recorded assists on the evening, and Hunter Shepard (Minnesota-Duluth) finished with 17 saves in net for Hershey in winning his second straight Calder Cup as starting goaltender. 

Cameron Hughes (Wisconsin) set up three goals on the night for Coachella Valley, including Fleury's late game-tying goal, while Ryan Winterton scored twice. The Firebirds have made the AHL final in each of the first two years of their existence, falling to Hershey both times in OT.

Monday also marked the final game behind the Firebirds bench for head coach Dan Bylsma (Bowling Green), who is leaving to take the helm of Coachella Valley's NHL parent club, the Seattle Kraken.

Moves Made in NCAA Hockey Coaching Ranks

It's been a whirlwind few weeks regarding head coaches in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Adam Nightingale, a former Spartan skater himself, has had his contract extended after Michigan State won the Big Ten regular-season title, the first such title in program history. According to msuspartans.com, Nightingale's five-year rollover contract includes a non-performance related compensation of $700,000 in the first year, with a a base salary of $600K and supplemental compensation of $100K. Beginning in year two, his supplemental compensation will increase by $25K from the previous year. MSU (22-9-3 overall, 16-6-2 B1G) will entertain Ohio State on Saturday in a Big Ten tournament semifinal contest.

Steve Wiedler has been promoted to head coach at Vermont, after serving as interim coach this season. A former Southern Maine defenseman, he has received a four-year contract (financial terms were not disclosed). A former UVM assistant, he succeeded Todd Woodcroft, who was let go last summer following a university investigation regarding inappropriate conduct. The Catamounts (13-18-3, 7-14-3 HE) play at UConn tonight in a Hockey East tournament first-round elimination game.

Lindenwood has let Rick Zombo go after two seasons as an NCAA Division I independent.  A former national champion at North Dakota, and a 13-year NHL defenseman, Zombo had mentored Lindenwood's ACHA club program since 2010-11, before the Lions entered the NCAA ranks in 2022-23. He also coached the St. Louis franchises in both the NAHL and USHL before joining Lindenwood. 

Bowling Green has parted ways with alumnus Ty Eigner after five seasons. He led the Falcons to an 84-83-11 mark in that span, with their last winning campaign coming in 2020-21. BGSU finished 13-12-1 overall (11-12-1 CCHA) this year, and was eliminated by Michigan Tech in the first round of the CCHA tournament.

Lastly, David Borges is retiring from Stonehill College after 10 seasons at the helm. A UMass Lowell graduate, he compiled a 102-141-24 record overall with the Skyhawks, including the past two seasons as a Division I independent. He also led Stonehill to two Northeast-10 regular-season titles and one league tournament championship in his tenure.

NCAA Skaters Dealt at 2022 NHL Trade Deadline

The annual National Hockey League trading deadline has come and gone again, and a number of former and current NCAA skaters changed addresses in the process. The cutoff was Monday at 3 p.m. ET.

On Monday, defenseman Tyler Inamoto (Wisconsin), who just completed his fifth season with the Badgers, was dealt from Columbus to Carolina as part of a deal that involved collegiate blueliner Aidan Hreschuk (Boston College) going from Carolina to Columbus. Veteran NHL center Ryan Carpenter (Bowling Green) was traded to Calgary after spending the past three seasons with Chicago, while fellow veteran pivot Tyler Motte (Michigan) went from Vancouver to the New York Rangers.

Winnipeg acquired forward Zach Sanford (Boston College) from St. Louis, three years after he helped the Blues win their first-ever Stanley Cup. In a separate transaction the previous day, the Jets also re-acquired forward Mason Appleton (Michigan State) from Seattle, which had selected him in last summer's NHL expansion draft.

Zach Aston-Reese (Northeastern) was traded from Pittsburgh after five seasons at forward with the Penguins to Anaheim, while center Andrew Copp (Michigan) went to the New York Rangers after seven seasons in Winnipeg in exchange for forward Morgan Barron (Cornell) and a pair of draft choices. Andrew Cogliano (Michigan), who has skated at forward in the NHL since the 2007-08 season, was sent to San Jose by Colorado in exchange for a fifth-round NHL draft choice in 2024, while 10-year center Riley Nash (Cornell) was sent to two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay by Arizona for future considerations.

Anthony Bitetto (Northeastern) went from the New York Rangers' blueline to San Jose's, while defenseman Justin Braun (UMass) went to New York from Philadelphia, and goaltender Andrew Hammond (Bowling Green) left Montreal's crease for New Jersey's. Alex Biega (Harvard) was dealt from Toronto's defense to Nashville for future considerations, while Colin Blackwell (Harvard) will now center lines in Toronto instead of Seattle, and Troy Stecher (North Dakota) has gone from Detroit's defense to Los Angeles.

Last week, Colorado shipped forward Tyson Jost (North Dakota) to Minnesota in exchange for forward Nico Sturm (Clarkson), while forward Frank Vatrano (UMass) was dealt to the New York Rangers by Florida for draft choices. Colorado also dealt the rights to defenseman Drew Helleson (Boston College) to Anaheim for blueliner Josh Manson (Northeastern) plus a 2023 draft selection.

RIT's Wilson Wins 400th Career Game

Head coach Wayne Wilson of the Rochester Institute of Technology has joined college hockey's 400 club.

Wilson, 60, a graduate of Bowling Green State University who was a senior captain on the Falcons' 1984 NCAA title team as a player, earned his 400th career victory as a college head coach, all at RIT, following the Tigers' 1-0 overtime victory at Princeton University on Saturday that completed a two-step sweep. Jake Hamacher scored the only goal of the game 35 seconds into overtime on a power play, while Tommy Scarfone made 21 saves in net for his first career college victory and shutout.

A native of Montreal, Wilson took over as RIT's head coach in 1999-2000, after serving as an assistant at both BGSU and New Hampshire. He led the Tigers to the NCAA Division III championship game in his second season at the helm, which earned him the Edward Jeremiah Award as the nation's top Division III coach. He guided RIT to 116 victories in all, a combined seven ECAC West regular season/postseason crowns, and three NCAA Division III tournament berths before overseeing the program's transition to NCAA Division I beginning with the 2005-06 campaign. 

He has since directed the Tigers to four Atlantic Hockey Association regular-season championships, three Atlantic Hockey playoff titles, and three NCAA Division I tournament appearances, including a run to the NCAA Frozen Four in Detroit in 2010 that earned him the Spencer Penrose Award that year as the top Division I coach. Wilson, whose overall career record now stands at 400-279-75 (.580), is the only coach to win both the Jeremiah and Penrose awards.

RIT is currently 9-5-2 overall, and tied for first in Atlantic Hockey at 5-3-2-1. The Tigers will return to action on Dec. 11-12 with two league games against visiting Army West Point.

Former NCAA Players Keep Going Places

 Former NCAA hockey players keep going places as the 2021-22 season approaches.

Zach Parise (North Dakota), who was released by Minnesota this summer after nine seasons with the Wild, has signed with the New York Islanders, his father's old NHL club.

Jordy Murray (Wisconsin) has joined Notre Dame as its new volunteer assistant coach, while Mike Jamieson (Northeastern) has returned to his alma mater as its men's hockey director of operations, and R.J. Enga (Colorado College) is joining St. Cloud State as its new men's hockey director of operations and video coordinator.

Former NCAA and NHL standouts Paul Holmgren (Minnesota) and Peter McNab (Denver) will both be inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame later this year.

Lastly, current/former NHL head coaches John Hynes (Boston University), David Quinn (Boston University), Todd Reirden (Bowling Green) and recently-retired NHL goaltender Ryan Miller (Michigan State) will serve as assistant coaches to Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan (Boston University) for the 2022 U.S. men’s hockey team that will compete at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in China in February.

In other college-related hockey news, the NCAA has added an extra day between games to the men's regional round of the national tournament starting in 2022, while Colorado College officially opened its new on-campus Ed Robson Arena this weekend with the Tigers also taking the ice there for the first time.

2020-21 NCAA Hockey Season Begins

The 2020-21 men's college hockey season has begun, albeit sparingly due to the ongoing novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

Wisconsin won the first game of the nascent campaign by blanking host Notre Dame, 2-0, on Friday in Big Ten play before completing the two-step sweep with a 5-3 victory on Saturday in South Bend, Ind. Also on Friday, Bowling Green began its schedule with a 6-2 triumph over NCAA Division III opponent Adrian (Mich.). 

No. 12 Michigan proved inhospitable to No. 15 Arizona State, which began a three-week road trip with 8-1 and 3-0 losses to the host Wolverines on Friday and Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mich. The NCAA Division I independent Sun Devils, who are playing as part of the Big Ten this season, will skate at Michigan State this weekend.

LIU's game at Army on Saturday, its first scheduled appearance as an NCAA program, was postponed due to COVID-19 concerns. It is not known if that contest will be rescheduled.

The women's NCAA game is expected to get underway this weekend, in both Hockey East and the WCHA. The Ivy League has canceled all 2020-21 winter sports due to COVID-19, including men's and women's ice hockey. RIT has also opted out of playing this winter, as has Rensselaer, alongside Alaska Anchorage on the men's hockey side in what might be the swan song for the Seawolves program after 40 years.

BGSU's Reirden Out as Capitals Head Coach

Todd Reirden (Bowling Green) is looking for a new job. The head coach of the Washington Capitals the last two years, the former NCAA and NHL defenseman was relieved of those duties on Sunday by the Capitals’ organization following another first-round postseason loss.

Reirden, 49, led Washington to an 89-46-16 overall regular-season record and two Metropolitan Division titles over the last two winters. The Capitals, however, were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each year, including a five-game loss to the New York islanders in Toronto this month, as the league restarted playing operations during the COVID-19 pandemic that had originally suspended the season back in March.

Reirden won the Stanley Cup with the Capitals in 2018, in his second season with the team as associate coach, after two years as an assistant coach, and was named head coach after the Capitals won their first NHL championship. Prior to Washington, he served four seasons as an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins, after spending one year as an assistant and one-and-a-half-years as head coach with Pittsburgh’s top minor-league affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL).

Reirden, a 6-foot-5 native of Deerfield, Ill., skated on defense for Bowling Green from 1990 to 1994, after prepping with both Deerfield Academy and Tabor Academy in New England. In four NCAA seasons with the Falcons, he collected 24 goals and 52 assists for 76 points to go with 160 penalty minutes in 140 career contests.

Drafted by the New Jersey Devils in the 12th round of the 1990 NHL Entry Draft, Reirden went on to play professionally from 1994 to 2007. He collected 11-36—47 points and 181 PIM in 188 career NHL outings, including five Stanley Cup playoff games, while manning the blueline for Edmonton, St. Louis, Atlanta and Phoenix. He also played in the ECHL, AHL and IHL, and finished his playing career with one season apiece in Germany and Austria.

Following his retirement as an active player, Reirden joined BGSU as an assistant coach for the 2007-08 campaign before re-joining the professional ranks the following season as an assistant with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Princeton, Other Surprises as 2020 League Playoffs Begin

There were some surprises on Friday night, as conference postseason tournaments got underway with the openers of best-of-three series in most NCAA Division I men's hockey leagues.

In ECAC Hockey, Princeton recorded just its fifth win of the 2019-20 season in edging host Dartmouth, 4-3, in overtime. Finn Evans tied the game for the Tigers with 2:45 remaining in regulation, before Reid Yochim connected for the game-winner 3:36 into the extra session. Christian O'Neill scored twice for Princeton, which got 25 saves from Jeremie Forget.

In the Big Ten, Trevor Janicke tallied the game's only goal late in the second period as visiting Notre Dame blanked No. 19 Minnesota, 1-0. Cale Morris stopped all 12 shots he faced for the Fighting Irish.

In the WCHA, Tim Theocharidis and Frederic Letourneau scored power-play goals late in the third period as Bowling Green bested host Alaska (Fairbanks), 4-2. Eric Dop made 19 saves for the victorious Falcons.

In Atlantic Hockey, Brendan Walkom scored twice and Jonathan Desbiens set up three goals for Bentley, which routed visiting Canisius, 6-1. Aidan Pelino picked up the win for the Falcons with 18 saves.

Hockey East and the NCHC will both complete their regular seasons this weekend before starting their respective playoffs late next week.

CCHA to Return in 2021-22

The Central Collegiate Hockey Association appears to be coming back—at the expense of the current Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Bemidji State, Bowling Green, Ferris State, Lake Superior State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State and Northern Michigan will be leaving the WCHA to start up the new CCHA in 2021-22, according to several published reports. The original CCHA disbanded in 2013, after more than 40 years of prestigious NCAA Division I men's hockey, following the formation of both the new Big Ten Hockey Conference and the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, and the loss of CCHA member schools to those two leagues plus the WCHA.

The logo, commissioner, playoff format and other details of the new CCHA have yet to be determined. The seismic shift to the WCHA at the end of next season will leave Alaska Anchorage, Alaska (Fairbanks) and Alabama-Huntsville without a conference home. All three were previously Division I independents in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The only current NCAA Division I men's ice hockey independent is Arizona State.

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.

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).

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.

Bergeron Takes Over at Miami

In the end, the pull of home was just too strong.

Former Miami player and assistant coach Chris Bergeron has taken the head coaching job at his alma mater, after nine seasons at the helm of Bowling Green State University, as was announced
on Friday. He succeeds former Miami teammate Enrico Blasi, who was dismissed last month after 20 years of leading the Red Hawks.

Bergeron compiled a record of 171-154-44 (.523) at Bowling Green from 2010 to 2019, including five consecutive 20-win seasons in his final five campaigns there, including a pair of appearances in the WCHA championship game. This year he led the Falcons to their first NCAA Tournament in 29 years, where they fell to defending NCAA champion Minnesota-Duluth, 2-1, in overtime in a Midwest regional final in Allentown, Pa.

Bergeron, 48, from Wallaceburg, Ont., skated at Miami from 1989 to 1993, when it was known as the Redskins. He tallied 48 goals and 72 assists for 120 points in his collegiate career, and then led Miami in scoring as a senior with 21-40—61 points that season as they won their first-ever CCHA title. He then played professionally from 1993 to 2000 in the AHL, CHL, ECHL, IHL, RHI and UHL, including a stint with the Canadian National Team, before joining Miami as an assistant coach in 2000-01, where he stayed until taking the head job at BGSU.

Goaltenders and Other Collegians Go Early to NHL

The exodus of NCAA Division I players with remaining college eligibility to the National Hockey League has intensified following this year's NCAA Regionals.

Junior goaltender Joey Daccord (Arizona State) became the first-ever Sun Devil to sign an NHL contract when he inked a deal with the Ottawa Senators, who drafted him in the seventh round of the 2015 NHL Draft. The North Andover, Mass. native went 21-13-1 this past season and was among the national leaders in goals-against average (2.35), save percentage (.926), saves (1,030), and shutouts (seven). He almost backstopped the Sun Devils past Quinnipiac in their NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal meeting on Saturday, making 36 saves in a 2-1 loss in ASU's NCAA Tournament debut.

Also signing out of the Midwest Regional was junior netminder Ryan Bednard (Bowling Green), who closed out his college career with 40 saves in a 2-1 overtime loss to defending NCAA champion Minnesota Duluth on Saturday. He signed with the Florida Panthers, who selected him in the 7th round of the 2015 NHL Draft. Bednard, from Macomb, Mich., finished 20-8-4 this season (1.77, .927, 4 ShO) in backstopping the Falcons to their first NCAA Tournament berth in 29 years.

The third NCAA Division I goaltender to go pro was junior Jake Kielly (Clarkson), who signed with the Vancouver Canucks as a free agent. The Eden Prairie, Minn. native fashioned a 26-11-2 mark this season (1.91, .929, 5 ShO) in guiding the Golden Knights to the ECAC Hockey League's Whitelaw Cup as playoff champions. His career finale came in a 3-2 overtime loss to Notre Dame in a Northeast Regional semifinal on Friday, where he made 35 saves.

Sophomore goaltender Cayden Primeau (Northeastern) has joined the Montreal Canadiens, who tabbed him in the seventh round of the 2017 NHL Draft. The Voorhees, N.J. native and son of former NHL forward Keith Primeau went 25-10-1 (2.09, .933, 4 ShO) this season with the Huskies, guiding them to both the Beanpot and Hockey East tournament crowns. He made 14 stops in his final NCAA game on Saturday, a 5-1 loss to Cornell in an East Regional semifinal.

Skaters with collegiate eligibility remaining who recently signed pro contracts include: junior forward Nico Sturm (Clarkson) with the Minnesota Wild; junior defenseman Brogan Rafferty (Quinnipiac) with Vancouver; freshman forward Oliver Wahlstrom (Boston College) with the New York Islanders; junior defenseman Andrew Peeke (Notre Dame) with the Columbus Blue Jackets, and; sophomore center Shane Bowers (Boston University) with the Colorado Avalanche.

York Signs Extension with Boston College

Boston College should have alumnus Jerry York (BC'67) at its men's hockey helm until at least through the 2021-22 season.

York signed a multi-year extension this week to remain as head coach of the Eagles for the next three seasons, according to multiple sources. The all-time winningest coach in college hockey history, he boasts a 1063-642-120 overall record in 47 NCAA campaigns with Clarkson, Bowling Green, and BC. Now in his 25th year at the Heights, he holds a 586-293-83 mark at his alma mater.

A native of Watertown, Mass., York, 73, played at Boston College High School before skating three NCAA seasons at BC, where he notched 64 goals and 134 points in 81 games as a forward over his three-year career from 1964 to 1967. He also helped the Eagles to the 1965 Eastern College Athletic Conference tournament title and a national runner-up finish as a freshman.

After serving as a graduate assistant at BC for two years, beginning in 1968, he spent two years as an assistant coach at Clarkson before taking the top job with the Golden Knights for the next seven seasons. He succeeded fellow BC alumnus Len Ceglarski, and later manned Clarkson to the 1977 ECAC regular-season crown.

York transitioned to BGSU in 1979 and remained in Ohio for 15 seasons, leading the Falcons to five combined Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season/playoff titles and six NCAA Tournament berths, including the 1984 NCAA Division I title. He came home to BC in 1994-95 and has since guided the Eagles to 17 NCAA Tournaments, 12 NCAA Frozen Fours, 10 Hockey East Association regular-season titles, nine Hockey East playoff championships, and four NCAA titles (2001, 2018, 2010, 2012).

BC is currently 10-14-3 overall (9-4-3 Hockey East) on the 2018-19 season, including a 4-2 loss to Northeastern in Monday night's Beanpot Tournament championship game at TD Garden.

Nanooks Drop Bowling Green, 4-1

Anton Martinsson recorded 35 saves and Tristan Thompson registered three assists as the University of Alaska (Fairbanks) notched a 4-1 win over visiting Bowling Green in WCHA action at the Carlson Center on Friday.

Troy Van Tetering and Tyler Cline staked the Nanooks to a 2-0 lead after 40 minutes, before Connor Ford scored with 4:29 remaining in regulation to pull the Falcons within a goal. Martinsson and Thompson then teamed up to assist Steven Jandric on an empty-net power-play goal just over a minute later for Alaska (6-15-2 overall, 6-10-1 WCHA), and Thompson then set up Justin Young with 2:30 left on the clock for another empty-netter to finish off the scoring. BGSU (15-6-3, 10-5-2) outshot Alaska, 36-23, on the night but finished 0-for-6 on the power play.

The two schools will close out their two-game conference series on Saturday in Fairbanks at 11 p.m. ET.

ADDENDUM: Bowling Green gained the split with a 2-0 victory in the rematch, thanks to goals by Max Johnson and Brandon Kruse, and 31 saves from Eric Dop.

Bowling Green's Reirden Takes Over with NHL's Capitals

Todd Reirden (Bowling Green) is the new head coach of the NHL's Washington Capitals. The Illinois native, who has served four years as an assistant or associate coach with the Capitals, takes over the top job after Barry Trotz resigned earlier this month. Trotz subsequently joined the New York Islanders after leading Washington to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history this spring.

Reirden began his coaching career at BGSU in 2007-08, before moving on to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League as an assistant the following year. After serving as head coach of the WBS Penguins for the next season-and-a-half, he moved up to the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins as an assistant in 2010. He stayed there for four seasons before joining the Caps in 2014 as an assistant, before being promoted to associate head coach in 2016.

A defenseman as a player, Reirden skated four NCAA seasons at BGSU (1990-1994), collecting 25 goals and 51 assists for 76 points to go with 160 penalty minutes for the Falcons. A second-round NHL draft choice of New Jersey in 1990, he turned pro with Tallahassee of the ECHL in 1994-95. He would suit up for two more ECHL teams and three International Hockey League teams before making his NHL debut in 1998-99 with the Edmonton Oilers.

Reirden would go on to skate in 183 career NHL regular season contests for Edmonton, St. Louis, Atlanta and Phoenix, tallying 11-35—46 points and 181 PIM. He also played for five different AHL teams before concluding his career in Austria in 2006-07.

Reirden, 47, becomes the second former Central Collegiate Hockey Association player to become an NHL head coach this off-season. He joins Rod Brind'Amour (Michigan State), who is now head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.