BC, BU Team Up to Boost Sharks to First Win

BC and BU teamed up to beat New York City.

Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) scored three goals and set up two others, and Will Smith tallied two goals, including the game-winner in overtime, as the San Jose Sharks defeated the host New York Rangers, 6-5, tonight at Madison Square Garden. It was the first victory of the 2025-26 NHL campaign for the Sharks (1-4-2), who also got two assists from Smith, plus a goal from Adam Gaudette (Northeastern).

Adam Fox (Harvard) and Conor Sheary (UMass) had one assist apiece for the Rangers (3-4-2), who are now 0-4-1 at home so far this season.

Guentzel, Penguins Go Up Two Games to None

Jake Guentzel (Nebraska-Omaha) scored his second and third goals of the series, and Chris Kunitz (Ferris State) again had two assists as the Pittsburgh Penguins routed the Nashville Predators, 4-1, on Wednesday night in Game Two of the 2017 Stanley Cup Final.

Guentzel's goal off a long rebound came 10 seconds into the third period, and also broke a 1-1 tie while keying a three-goal third period for the host Penguins. Guentzel, who now has a record 12 goals in the playoffs by an NHL rookie from the United States, also notched the game-winner Monday in Pittsburgh's 5-3 triumph.

Bryan Rust (Notre Dame) and Ron Hainsey (UMass Lowell) assisted on Guentzel's game-winner Wednesday, before Scott Wilson (UMass Lowell) scored to put Pittsburgh up, 3-1. A fifth Penguins goal was called back on an offside infraction. Conor Sheary (Massachusetts) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) also had third-period assists as the Penguins took a 2-0 series lead despite being outshot, 38-27, for the second straight contest.

Game Three is set for Saturday night (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN) at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

NHL, AHL, ECHL Champions Crowned

The Pittsburgh Penguins closed out the 2015-16 hockey season with a 3-1 victory at San Jose on Sunday night to win the fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history. The Penguins, who defeated the Sharks in six games, have won all four of their Cups on the road, dating back to 1991.

Brian Dumoulin (Boston College) opened the scoring for the Penguins on a first-period power play, assisted by Nick Schultz (Wisconsin) and Chris Kunitz (Ferris State). Less than two minutes after the Sharks tied the game in the second period, Conor Sheary (UMass) help set up the Cup-winning goal by Kris Letang. Pittsburgh then scored into an empty net late in the third stanza to seal the victory.

Other former NCAA players who starred for Pittsburgh this postseason included the HBK line of Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota), who combined for 56 points and a +23 plus-minus rating. The Penguins were led by head coach Mike Sullivan (Boston University), who took the reins in December and then led Pittsburgh to a 16-8 playoff mark.

The Lake Erie Monsters brought Cleveland its first professional hockey title since 1964 with Saturday night's 1-0 overtime victory over the Hershey Bears at Quicken Loans Arena. The Monsters won the American Hockey League's Calder Cup Final in four games.

Lake Erie, the top farm team of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, went 15-2 during the postseason to complete its ninth season in Ohio and the league’s 80th season, according to TheAHL.com. Rookie defenseman Zach Werenski (Michigan) finished among the top scorers in the AHL playoffs with five goals and nine assists for 14 points in 17 games with the Monsters. Hershey forward Carter Camper (Miami) was second overall among AHL postseason scorers with six goals and 17 points in 21 outings.

The Monsters' Calder Cup victory came two nights after the ECHL's Allen Americans won their second consecutive Kelly Cup with a six-game, final-round victory over the Wheeling Nailers. Riley Gill (Western Michigan) backstopped the Americans to the title, his third ECHL crown, with a 12-5-0 playoff record, according to ECHL.com. Allen is the first repeat ECHL champion since the Toledo Storm in 1993-1994.

See you next season.

Former Minutemen Trade Goals as Penguins Take 2-0 Lead

The HBK line struck again in another postseason win for the Pittsburgh Penguins, although a pair of former UMass Minutemen traded late goals to decide the outcome.

The line of Carl Hagelin (Michigan), Nick Bonino (Boston University) and Phil Kessel (Minnesota) combined on Pittsburgh's first goal Wednesday night as the Penguins edged the visiting San Jose Sharks, 2-1, in overtime in Game Two of the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh now leads the best-of-seven series, two games to none.

Hagelin stole the puck deep in the San Jose end just over eight minutes into a scoreless second period, and fed Bonino to his left across the slot. Bonino pulled up and sent the puck across the crease, where it glanced off a San Jose stick to Kessel for a tap-in and his 10th goal of the postseason. The HBK line has now totaled 50 points to date in the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs, where the Penguins have posted a 14-6 record so far this spring.

The NCAA heroics weren't finished at Consol Energy Center after Pittsburgh took the lead.

After San Jose defenseman Justin Braun (UMass) tied the game on a slap shot that went in off the far post with 4:05 remaining in regulation for his first career playoff tally, Conor Sheary (UMass) won it for the Penguins on a wrist shot 2:35 into the overtime session following a face-off.  Braun graduated from Massachusetts in 2010, while Sheary, who also had a goal in Pittsburgh's 3-2 win in Game One on Monday, followed four years later. 

Pittsburgh outshot San Jose, 30-22, while the two squads combined to go 0-for-3 on the power play. The two teams also hit three posts each with shots in regulation.

Game Three is Saturday night in San Jose. The last team to lose the opening two games of the final on the road and still win the Stanley Cup was the Boston Bruins, who rebounded from an 0-2 deficit to defeat the Vancouver Canucks in seven games five years ago.