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.

Hurricanes Ties Series with Habs

Mark Jankowski (Providence) notched two assists, including one on the game-winning goal, as the Carolina Hurricanes knotted their best-of-seven Eastern Conference series at one game apiece with a 3-2 overtime victory over the visiting Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Eric Robinson (Princeton) scored a goal for the second straight game for Carolina, which rebounded from its first loss in these Stanley Cup Playoffs with its ninth victory in 10 NHL postseason contests this spring. Jakub Dobes (Ohio State) stopped 23 shots for Montreal, which was outshot, 26-12. Game Three is Monday night in Montreal. 

ADDENDUM: The Hurricanes took a two games to one lead with a 3-2 OT victory in Game Three. 

Boeser Vaults Canucks to Late Win in Game Four

The Vancouver Canucks were missing Casey DeSmith (New Hampshire) in goal, due to an injury he suffered while earning his first career Stanley Cup Playoff victory in Game Three of their first-round series against the Nashville Predators.

That's OK. They still had Brock Boeser (North Dakota) up front.

Boeser scored all three goals for the Canucks in regulation, including two extra-attacker goals in the final three minutes of the third period on Sunday afternoon in Tennessee to force a three-all tie. Elias Lindholm then connected just over a minute into the overtime session for a 4-3 victory, and a three games to one lead in the best-of-seven NHL Western Conference quarterfinal series. Game Five is Tuesday night in Vancouver.

The Canucks are just the second team in NHL history to have three different goalies win each of their first three games in the playoffs. Thatcher Demko (Boston College) won Game One against Nashville with 23 saves before being sidelined by injury, and DeSmith followed up in Game Three with a 29-save effort before Arturs Silovs earned the victory yesterday on 27 stops.

Mark Jankowski (Providence) and Gustav Nyquist (Maine) each scored a goal Sunday for the Predators, who will be seeking to avoid early elimination when the series resumes tomorrow night at Rogers Arena.

St. Lawrence Wins 2021 ECAC Hockey Men's Title

 

For the first time since 2007, the Saints will be marching into the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament.

David Jankowksi's goal 3:44 into overtime lifted St. Lawrence to a 3-2 victory at Quinnipiac in the 2021 ECAC Hockey championship contest today. Luc Salem, who set up Jankowski's goal, also assisted on Justin Paul's game-tying goal with 3:38 remaining in regulation.

The Saints (6-8-3 overall) earned ECAC Hockey's automatic bid into the NCAAs, while the conference regular-season champion Bobcats (17-7-3) will wait to see if they earn one of 10 at-large bids when tomorrow's national bracket is announced (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

Elsewhere, Massachusetts blanked UMass Lowell, 1-0, to earn the Hockey East title, AIC claimed Atlantic Hockey for the second time in three years with a 5-2 victory over Canisius, and Lake Superior State punched its first ticket to the NCAAs since 1996 by besting Northern Michigan, 6-3, to win its first-ever WCHA title.

ADDENDUM: St. Lawrence will apparently not compete in the NCAA Tournament due to a positive COVID test within the program. Quinnipiac will now represent ECAC Hockey as the league's autobid.

Gaudreau Gets Three as Flames Down Jets

It was Hockey East night in Winnipeg on Thursday. Johnny Gaudreau (Boston College) scored three goals, and Mark Jankowski (Providence) added another as the Calgary Flames topped the host
Jets, 4-1, in NHL action.

Gaudreau's three goals came on just four shots on goal. He now has nine goals and 18 points in his last 13 games against Winnipeg, including two hat tricks. Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell) made 25 stops on 28 shots against for the Jets, who fell to 24-11-2 overall.

Calgary improved to 23-12-3, and is now one point behind Winnipeg for the top spot in the NHL's Western Conference.

Canada Features Just Two NCAA Skaters on World Junior Roster

In contrast to the U.S National Junior Team, which just made its preliminary cuts and is top-heavy with American college-trained players, its Canadian counterpart features just two NCAA skaters in defenseman Michael Matheson and forward Mark Jankowski. Both hail from Hockey East and were 2012 NHL first-round draft choices, and both will be sophomores in 2013-14.

Matheson, a 6'2", 189-pound blueliner from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, was chosen 23rd overall by the Florida Panthers last year. As a freshman last season at Boston College, he put up eight goals and 17 assists for 25 points in 36 games, and helped the Eagles to their ninth NCAA Tournament berth in the last 10 years. He spent the 2011-12 campaign with the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League.

Jankowski, a 6’3”, 175-pound forward from Dundas, Ontario, was taken two spots ahead of Matheson by the Calgary Flames last year. As a rookie at Providence College in 2012-13, he collected 7-11—18 points in 34 outings, while helping the Friars to the Hockey East semifinals. Prior to enrolling at Providence, he skated two years at Stanstead College Prep in Quebec.

The 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship will be contested in Malmo, Sweden from Dec. 26, 2013 to Jan. 5, 2014. The U.S. is the defending WJC champ, having taken gold last winter in Ufa, Russia.