Michael Weisman • O: 719-694-9924 • C: 513-310-4869 • [email protected] • @TheNCHC
1631 Mesa Avenue, Suite C Colorado Springs, CO 80906 Phone: 719-203-6818 Fax: 719-645-8206 www.NCHCHockey.com
2021-22 NCHC WEEKLY RELEASE
Week of Oct. 11-17, 2021 Volume 9, Issue 3
2021-22 NCHC StaNdiNgS
Conference Overall
Pts. GP W L T OW OL SW Win % GF GA GP W L T Win % GF GA 1. Colorado College 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 0 1 1 .250 2 3 Denver 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 2 0 0 1.000 12 6 Miami 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 1 1 0 .500 10 8 Minnesota Duluth 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 2 0 0 1.000 6 3 North Dakota 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 2 0 0 1.000 10 2 Omaha 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 4 3 1 0 .750 15 8 St. Cloud State 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 4 3 1 0 .750 17 4 Western Michigan 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 2 2 0 0 1.000 8 3
Teams are awarded three (3) points for each conference win in regulation, two (2) points for an overtime or shootout win, and one (1) point for an overtime or shootout loss. Overtime wins and losses appear in both the W and L columns, as well as the OTW and OTL columns in a team’s conference record. Shootouts will only occur if a conference game remains tied after the lone overtime, which is played 3-on-3, with the shootout winner earning two points and the loser getting one point, the same as an overtime win and loss.
tHiS Week’S gameS
Friday, Oct. 15
Miami at Michigan State, 7:00 p.m. ET Colorado College at Union, 7:00 p.m. ET
No. 2/2 St. Cloud State at No. 4/4 Minnesota, 7:00 p.m. CT No. 7/6 North Dakota at No. 20 Bemidji State, 7:07 p.m. CT Alaska at No. 13/14 Omaha, 7:07 p.m. CT
%No. 3/3 Michigan at No. 5/5 Minnesota Duluth, 7:37 p.m. CT No. 11/11 Denver at Air Force, 7:00 p.m. MT
Saturday, Oct. 16
No. 4/4 Minnesota at No. 2/2 St. Cloud State, 5:00 p.m. CT Miami at Michigan State, 7:00 p.m. ET
Colorado College at Union, 7:00 p.m. ET
No. 20 Bemidji State at No. 7/6 North Dakota, 6:07 p.m. CT
%TBD at No. 5/5 Minnesota Duluth, 7:37 p.m. CT Air Force at No. 11/11 Denver, 7:00 p.m. MT
Sunday, Oct. 17
Alaska at No. 13/14 Omaha, 4:07 p.m. CT
% Ice Breaker Tournament, Duluth, MN (Minnesota State/Providence also participants)
LaSt Week’S ReSuLtS
Friday, Oct. 8
at Western Michigan 4, Ferris State 0 at No. 17/15 Omaha 4, Maine 1
at No. 1/2 Minnesota State 1, No. 2/1 St. Cloud State 0 No. 5/5 Minnesota Duluth 4, at No. 15 Bemidji State 2 at No. 8/7 North Dakota 6, Niagara 2
at No. 12/13 Denver 8, Arizona State 3 St. Lawrence 2, at Colorado College 1
Saturday, Oct. 9
Western Michigan 4, at Ferris State 3 at No. 8/7 North Dakota 4, Niagara 0
No. 2/1 St. Cloud State 3, at No. 1/2 Minnesota State 1 at No. 5/5 Minnesota Duluth 2, No. 15 Bemidji State 1 at No. 17/15 Omaha 5, Maine 3
at No. 12/13 Denver 4, Arizona State 3 St. Lawrence 1, at Colorado College 1 (OT)
NCHC News & Notes
FAMILIAR FOES: Seven NCHC teams face non-conference foes this weekend and five of them were previously in the same conference together. St. Cloud State faces Minnesota and North Dakota tangles with Bemidji State, all of whom were members of the WCHA until the NCHC and Big 10 conferences were formed in 2013. Miami and Michigan State meet for the first time since they were together in the CCHA, while Omaha hosts Alaska, as those two were also in the CCHA together for 11 seasons.
The final former-conference-foe match-up features Minnesota Duluth and
National Collegiate Hockey Conference
NCHC Numbers to KNow
The NCHC leads all conferences with six teams in the top 20 of the USCHO.com Poll, while making up a third of the 15-team USA Hockey Magazine Poll with five teams ranked, also the most from one conference. The NCHC has six teams in the USCHO poll for the first time since December 10, 2018. (Polls on Page 11)
Minnesota Duluth hosts the 2021 Ice Breaker Tournament this weekend, which features four teams all ranked in the top 10 of both national polls, including three in the top 5. UMD is hosting the Ice Breaker after the 2020 tournament UMD was scheduled to host was cancelled.
A total of 37 NCHC alumni earned a spot on NHL opening-day rosters announced Tuesday, while 56 alumni of NCHC teams start the season in the NHL. All eight NCHC teams had at least two alums make an NHL roster, while 22 NHL teams have at least one NCHC alumnus on its roster and 25 have an alum of an NCHC team. The L.A. Kings lead all teams with five NCHC alumni.
NCHC teams have combined to post a .775 win percentage in non-conference play so far this season, best among the six Division I men’s hockey conferences. NCHC teams have gone 15- 4-1 in non-conference play to date, with the 15 non-conference wins the most among conferences, as well.
6 4 &
10
.775
Notes continued on page 3
37
SID/School DIrectory
Colorado College
Website: ...CCTigers.com Hockey SID: ... Jerry Cross Office: ... 719-389-6755 Cell: ... 719-205-4432 Email: ... [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... TBA Hockey Twitter: ... @CCTigerHKY Hockey Facebook: ... /ColoradoCollegeHockey Hockey Instagram:...@coloradocollegetigerhockey Address:...14 East Cache La Poudre Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903
University of Denver
Website: ... DenverPioneers.com Hockey SID: ...Ron Knabenbauer Office: ... 303-871-2390 Cell: ... 720-987-9512 Email: [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 303-871-3922 Hockey Twitter: ... @DU_Hockey Hockey Facebook: .../DenverHockey Hockey Instagram:...@du_hockey Address:... 2201 East Asbury Ave.
Denver, CO 80208
Miami University
Website: ...MiamiRedHawks.com Hockey SID: ...Tim Cary Office: ...General Athletics: 513-529-0402 Cell: ... 937-215-0106 Email: [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 513-529-1427 Hockey Twitter: ... @MiamiOH_Hockey Hockey Facebook: ... /MiamiOHHockey Hockey Instagram:...@miamioh_hockey Address:... 230 Millett Hall
Oxford, OH 45056
University of Minnesota Duluth
Website: ...UMDBulldogs.com Hockey SID: ... Chris Popovich Office: ... 218-726-8514 Cell: ... 586-808-6041 Email: ... [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 218-623-1391 Hockey Twitter: ... @UMDMensHockey Hockey Facebook: ... /UMDHockey Hockey Instagram:...@umd_mens_hockey Address:...170 Sports & Health Center 1216 Ordean Court, Duluth, MN 55812
University of Nebraska Omaha
Website: ...OMavs.com Hockey SID: ...Tony Boone Office: ... N/A Cell: ... 402-618-0520 Email: ... [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 402-554-6195 Hockey Twitter: ...@OmahaHKY Athletics Facebook: .../omavs Hockey Instagram:... @omahahky Address:... 6001 Dodge St.
Omaha, NE 68182
University of North Dakota
Website: ... FightingHawks.com Hockey SID: ...Alec Johnson Office: ... 701-777-2986 Cell: ... 701-412-6169 Email: ... [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 701-777-3571 Hockey Twitter: ... @UNDmhockey Hockey Facebook: .../UNDMHockey Hockey Instagram:... @undmhockey Address:...Hyslop Sports Center Room 120 2751 2nd Ave. N. Stop 9013, Grand Forks, ND 58202
St. Cloud State University
Website: ... SCSUHuskies.com Hockey SID: ...Andrew Melroe Office: ... 320-308-5400 Cell: ... 651-343-3272 Email: ... [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 320-308-5227 Hockey Twitter: ... @SCSUHUSKIES_MH Hockey Facebook: ... /SCSUMensHockey Hockey Instagram:...@scsumhockey Address:... 720 4th Avenue South St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498
Western Michigan University
Website: ... WMUBroncos.com Hockey SID: ...Adam Bodnar Office: ... 269-387-4122 Cell: ... 269-760-5133 Email: [email protected] Press Box Phone: ... 269-760-5133 Hockey Twitter: ...@WMUHockey Hockey Facebook: .../WMUHockey Hockey Instagram:...@wmu_hockey Address:... 1903 W. Michigan Ave.
Kalamazoo, MI 49008 Associate Commissioner: ..Michael Weisman
Office: ...719-694-9924 Cell: ...513-310-4869 Email: [email protected] Website: ...NCHCHockey.com
Digital Content Coordinator: ...Sam Kuhne Office: ...719-418-2795 Cell: ...814-691-8416 Email: [email protected] Digital Network: ... NCHC.tv
Twitter: ...@TheNCHC Instagram: ...@TheNCHC Facebook: ... /TheNCHC Address:...1631 Mesa Avenue, Suite C Colorado Springs, CO 80906
National Collegiate Hockey Conference
Michigan, who were in the WCHA together from 1966 to 1981.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: NCHC teams have combined to post a .775 win percentage in non-conference play so far this season, best among the six Division I men’s hockey conferences. NCHC teams have gone 15-4-1 in non-conference play to date, including 9-3-0 against the CCHA, with the 15 non-conference wins the most among conferences as well.
Although the NCHC did not play non-conference games last season, the NCHC has posted the best combined non-conference record among conferences in five of the six seasons prior to last year (from 2014- 15 through 2019-20). Over the NCHC’s first seven seasons of non- conference play, NCHC teams have combined to average a .635 win percentage.
POLL POSITIONS: The NCHC leads all conferences with six teams in the top 20 of the USCHO.com Poll, while making up a third of the 15- team USA Hockey Magazine Poll with five teams ranked, also the most from one conference. The NCHC has six teams in the USCHO poll for the first time since December 10, 2018, after Western Michigan entered the USCHO Poll on Monday. St. Cloud State is receiving first-place votes in both polls, while Minnesota Duluth and Denver are getting first-place votes in the USCHO Poll. SCSU, UMD and North Dakota all rank in the top seven of both polls. (Complete polls on Page 11)
AGAIN SO SOON?: North Dakota faces Bemidji State in a home- and-home regular-season series this weekend after the two played an exhibition game two weeks ago. North Dakota edged Bemidji State, 2-1, on Oct. 2 in Grand Forks. The same situation will occur in another two weeks when Colorado College battles cross-town rival Air Force in a home-and-home series Oct. 29-30 with the Pikes Peak Trophy at stake.
CC fell to Air Force, 2-1, on Oct. 2 in an exhibition game.
TAKING IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL: A total of 37 NCHC alumni earned a spot on NHL opening-day rosters announced Tuesday, while 56 alumni of NCHC teams start the season in the NHL. All eight NCHC teams had at least two alums make an NHL roster, while 22 NHL teams have at least one NCHC alumnus on its roster and 25 have an alum of an NCHC team.
The L.A. Kings lead all teams with five NCHC alumni. Of the 37 NCHC alumni, 23 are forwards and 14 are defensemen. North Dakota led all NCHC teams with 16 alumni on rosters, 10 of which played in the NCHC.
SERVING UP BAGELS: So far this season only nine shutouts have been recorded in men’s D-I college hockey by seven different goaltenders.
Four of the seven goalies to earn a whitewash reside in the NCHC.
Western Michigan junior Brandon Bussi earned his first career shutout Oct. 8 against Ferris State, while North Dakota senior Zach Driscoll logged his first shutout for UND and 11th of his career Oct. 9 against Niagara. Omaha junior goalie Isaiah Saville notched his third career shutout on Oct. 3 against Lake Superior State.
SCSU grad student goalie David Hrenak recorded his 12th career shutout on Oct. 3 against St. Thomas, which ties him for second in NCHC history with former North Dakota goalie Cam Johnson (2014-18). Former Minnesota Duluth netminder Hunter Shepard holds the NCHC record with 17 career shutouts (2016-20).
O-FER OVERTIME: Three NCHC teams have gone to overtime this season and none have been able to earn a win, going 0-2-1 in extra sessions. Most recently, Colorado College tied St. Lawrence on Oct. 9, 1-1. On Oct. 2, Omaha fell in extra time to Lake Superior State, 4-3, while a day later, Miami dropped a 4-3 overtime decision at Ferris State.
NEW BENCH BOSSES: There are two new head coaches in the NCHC.
Colorado College welcomes Kris Mayotte as its new bench boss, while Western Michigan promoted Pat Ferschweiler to its head coach.
Mayotte was an assistant coach at Michigan the last two seasons,
while Ferschweiler served as associate head coach for the Broncos.
Ferschweiler earned his first win as head coach Oct. 8 against Ferris State, while Mayotte heads back to his alma mater, Union College, this weekend looking for his first win behind the Tigers’ bench. Mayotte was a goaltender for Union from 2002-06.
CENTURY CLUBBIN’: St. Cloud State senior forward Easton Brodzinski became the first active NCHC player to join the Century Club (scoring all his points while playing in the NCHC) in SCSU’s season-opening win over St. Thomas on Oct. 2. He scored two goals and added an assist, as he now has 101 career points, including 57 goals and 44 assists in 144 career games. Brodzinski is back at SCSU for a fifth season after having last season cut short due to a leg injury.
Brodzinski now has 22 career power play goals, second in NCHC history, one behind former Denver forward Jarid Lukosevicius (23 PPGs) and two more than his brother, Jonny, who played at SCSU from 2013-15.
The only other active NCHC players with 100 career points are fifth-year transfers into the conference. Connor Ford (114 points) will play at North Dakota this year, while Cameron Wright (101 points) will play at Denver after both played at Bowling Green for four years.
A DIRTY DOZEN: St. Cloud State set an NCHC record for goals in a game with 12 in its 12-2 season-opening win over Division I newcomer St. Thomas on Oct. 2 in St. Cloud. The 12 goals tied the SCSU program record. The Huskies also had a share of the previous NCHC record of 11, set on Nov. 14, 2015 at Western Michigan. Omaha also scored 11 goals against Miami in January of 2018.
SCSU’s 10-goal margin of victory vs. the Tommies tied an NCHC record, already set by SCSU twice. The Huskies topped WMU, 11-1, on Nov. 14, 2015 and won at Alabama-Huntsville, 10-0, on Nov. 15, 2013, 10-0.
FEELING A DRAFT: Eight current or incoming NCHC players heard their name called at the 2021 NHL Draft in July. Incoming Denver defenseman Shai Buium was first off the board among NCHC players, going 36th overall to Detroit in round 2. Minnesota Duluth rising sophomore blue liner Connor Kelley was the lone current NCHC player selected over the summer, going to Chicago in round 7. Six NCHC teams saw a player selected in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Overall, the NCHC will have 42 NHL draft picks playing in the conference this season, led by 12 at Denver. North Dakota has nine and Minnesota Duluth has seven. All eight NCHC teams have at least one draft pick on their roster this season: St. Cloud State (5), Omaha (4), Miami (2), Western Michigan (2) and Colorado College (1).
A FOREIGN AFFAIR: While the majority of student-athletes in the NCHC come from the United States, five other countries are also represented, including four in Europe: Canada (52), Sweden (6), Finland (3), Czech Republic (1) and Switzerland (1)
RISE UP: The NCHC has teamed up with RISE for the 2021- 22 season to help advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts within the conference and its member teams. RISE is a national non-profit organization that educates and empowers the sports community to eliminate racial discrimination, champion social justice and improve race relations. Through partnerships and programs, RISE aims to inspire leaders in sports to create positive change on matters of race and equality.
Throughout the partnership, RISE will organize and operate a range of activities and educational programming for NCHC staff and member school men’s hockey student-athletes, coaches, staff and administrators.
The programming will focus on promoting diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as topics such as identity, leadership and perspective taking.
Nchc NewS & NoteS (coNt. from page 1)
NCHC QuiCk FaCtS/diReCtoRy
Nchc regular SeaSoN/tourNameNt/QuIck factS
JuLie & SpeNCeR peNRoSe memoRiaL Cup
Awarded to the NCHC regular season champion, the Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup (right) serves as the league’s crowning achievement. The Cup is named after Julie and Spencer Penrose, who were tremendously successful in the business world and did much of it in Colorado Springs in the early 1900s. The couple made much of their money in the copper industry, which is why the trophy includes copper stars on it. The Penroses also set up the El Pomar Foundation, which still today helps pay for amateur sports and other non-profits, including the NCHC office located in the Copper Building next to the Penrose House on the grounds of the Penrose compound in
Colorado Springs. The El Pomar Foundation has also issued grants for the Penrose Cup, medallions for each individual champion and the NCHC’s annual Post-Graduate Scholarship. North Dakota has now won back-to- back Penrose Cups (2019-20 and 2020-21), winning it for the fourth time (2014-15, 2015-16). St. Cloud State has won the Penrose Cup three times (2013-14, 2017-18, 2018-19), while Denver is the only other team to win the Penrose Cup, claiming it in 2016-17.
Website: ...NCHCHockey.com Digital Network: ... NCHC.tv Headquarters: ... The Copper Building 1631 Mesa Ave., Suite C Colorado Springs, CO 80906 General Email: [email protected] Founded: ... July 13, 2011 Inaugural Season: ...2013-14 Commissioner: ...Josh Fenton Office Phone: ...719-418-2427 Email:... [email protected] Associate Commissioner: ... Michael Weisman Office Phone: ... 719-694-9924 Email:... [email protected] Digital Content & Creative Services Coordinator: ... Sam Kuhne Office Phone: ...719-418-2795 Email:... [email protected] Business Operations Manager: ...Verna Toller Office Phone: ... 719-203-6818 Email:... [email protected] Director of Officiating: ...Don Adam Office Phone: ... 719-203-6818 Email:[email protected] Regular-Season Trophy: ... Julie and Spencer Penrose Memorial Cup 2020-21 Regular-Season Champion: ...North Dakota 2021 Tournament Champion: ...North Dakota Tournament Championship: ... Frozen Faceoff 2022 Championship Site:... Xcel Energy Center St. Paul, Minn.
Championship Dates: ... March 18-19, 2022 Tickets: ...www.ticketmaster.com
2021 NCAA Tournament Teams: ... 4
NCAA Tournament Teams in NCHC History: ...27
2021 NCAA Frozen Four Participants: ... 2
NCAA Frozen Four Teams in NCHC History: ... 12
National Champions: ... 4 (North Dakota, 2016; Denver, 2017; Minnesota Duluth, 2018 & 2019)
NCHC touRNameNt/FRozeN FaCeoFF
After moving to a single-elimination format in 2021 and altering the location, the NCHC Tournament will return to its normal format, consisting of four quarterfinal series on the first weekend following regular-season play (March 11-13, 2022). The four higher seeds will host the four lower seeds in a best two-out-of- three format. Seed #1 will host Seed #8, Seed #2 will host Seed #7, Seed #3 will
host Seed #6, and Seed #4 will host Seed #5. The winners of the four quarterfinal series will advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn.
for the two semifinal games on Friday, March 18.
Semifinal games will be reseeded based on the final regular-season standings. The winners of the two semifinal games will then meet in the Championship Game (7:38 p.m. CT) on Saturday, March 19 for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 2018 NCHC Frozen Faceoff was named Visit Saint Paul’s Event of the Year for 2017-18. North Dakota won its first Frozen Faceoff last season on home ice, while Denver (2014 & 2018) and Minnesota Duluth have each won it twice (2017 & 2019).
2020-21 FiNaL NCHC StaNdiNgS
Conference Overall
Pts./GP Pts. GP W L T OW OL SW GF GA GP W L T Win % GF GA 1. North Dakota 2.25 54 24 18 5 1 2 1 0 94 47 29 22 6 1 .776 114 57 2. St. Cloud State 1.88 45 24 15 9 0 3 3 0 78 64 31 20 11 0 .645 101 84 3. Minnesota Duluth 1.79 43 24 13 9 2 1 2 1 72 54 28 15 11 2 .571 84 66 4. Omaha 1.67 40 24 14 9 1 4 0 1 79 69 26 14 11 1 .558 85 81 5. Denver 1.41 31 22 9 12 1 0 2 1 61 60 24 10 13 1 .438 67 66 6. Western Michigan 1.38 33 24 10 11 3 1 0 1 73 84 25 10 12 3 .460 77 89 7. Colorado College 0.82 18 22 4 16 2 0 2 2 35 77 23 4 17 2 .217 36 79 8. Miami 0.75 18 24 5 17 2 0 1 0 46 83 25 5 18 2 .240 48 89
Due to two teams not completing all 24 games, points-per-game (points/games played) were used to determine the order of the final standings.
team NoteS/match-upS
Colorado College Tigers (NR/NR)
Head Coach: Kris Mayotte (1st year) Record at CC: 0-1-1 2020-21 Record: 4-17-2 (4-16-2, 7th) 2021-22 Record: 0-1-1 (0-0-0 NCHC) Lettermen Ret./Lost: 21/8
• Colorado College opened the regular-season last weekend with a 2-1 loss to St. Lawrence, followed by a 1-1 overtime tie. Friday’s 2-1 loss marked the first regular-season game ever played on CC’s campus with the opening of Ed Robson Arena. The Tigers will look for their first win of the season this weekend when the Tigers head to New York to face another ECAC foe in Union.
• CC first-year head coach Kris Mayotte is a Union College alumnus and was a goaltender for Union from 2002-06. He will be looking for his first win as head coach against his alma mater.
• Sophomore defenseman Chase Foley scored CC’s first goal of the season in last Friday’s loss to St. Lawrence. It was his first career goal and CC’s first goal in the history of Robson Arena. Both Tiger goals this season have come from defensemen.
• The 14 shots on goal by St. Lawrence on Friday were the fewest al- lowed by CC since Omaha put 14 on goal on Jan. 17, 2015.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Oct. 15 at Union (0-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) - 7:00 p.m. ET Messa Rink - Schenectady, N.Y. TV: ESPN+
Sat., Oct. 16 at Union (0-2-0, 0-0-0 ECAC) - 7:00 p.m. ET Messa Rink - Schenectady, N.Y. TV: ESPN+
Game Fact: CC hits the road for the first time this season, facing Union for two games. CC is 4-0-0 all-time against the Dutchmen. The teams last met on Dec. 31, 2011, a 2-1 CC victory in Colorado Springs.
Sat., Oct. 2 Air Force (Exh.) L, 1-2
Fri., Oct. 8 St. Lawrence L, 1-2
Sat., Oct. 9 St. Lawrence T, 1-1 (OT)
Fri., Oct. 15 at Union 5:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16 at Union 5:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 22 at Boston College 5:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23 at Northeastern 5:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 29 at Air Force 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 30 Air Force 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 St. Cloud State* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6 St. Cloud State* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 at Minnesota Duluth* 6:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 at Minnesota Duluth* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 at Omaha* 6:07 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 at Omaha* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 North Dakota* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 11 North Dakota* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 17 Arizona State 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 18 Arizona State 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 7 at Miami* 5:05 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 at Miami* 3:05 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 Western Michigan* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 15 Western Michigan* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 at Denver* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 Denver* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 Omaha* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 29 Omaha* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 4 at North Dakota* 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 5 at North Dakota* 5:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 Miami* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 Miami* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 25 at St. Cloud State* 6:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 at St. Cloud State* 5:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 Denver* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 5 at Denver* 7:00 p.m.
March 11-13 NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites) TBA March 18-19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul, MN) TBA Home Games in Bold; * NCHC game; All times are MT and subject to change
Denver Pioneers (No. 11/11)
Head Coach: David Carle (4th year) Record at DU: 57-34-12 2020-21 Record: 10-13-1 (9-12-1, 5th) 2021-22 Record: 2-0-0 (0-0-0 NCHC) Lettermen Ret./Lost: 18/10
• Denver opened the regular season with a sweep of Arizona State last weekend, racking up 12 goals in the two wins. DU opened with an 8-3 thrashing of ASU last Friday, followed by a 4-3 comeback win on Sat- urday. Denver improved to 4-1-1 all-time against ASU, while the teams will meet again in Arizona on Dec. 3-4.
• All seven incoming freshmen and senior transfer Cameron Wright all made their DU debuts last weekend. Forwards Massimo Rizzo (3g/1a) and Carter Mazur (2g) scored their first NCAA goals, while Jack Devine (3a) and Sean Behrens (2a) recorded their first points. Wright picked up his first point as a Pioneer with an assist, as well. Rizzo earned NCHC Co-Rookie of the Week honors after multi-point outings in each of his first two collegiate games.
• Denver’s eight goals against Arizona State on Friday marked DU’s most goals since Nov. 13, 2014 when it defeated Colorado College, 8-1.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Oct. 15 at Air Force (1-1-0, 0-0-0 AHA) - 7:00 p.m. MT Cadet Ice Arena - Colorado Springs (USAFA), Colo.
Sat., Oct. 16 vs. Air Force (1-1-0, 0-0-0 AHA) - 7:00 p.m. MT Magness Arena - Denver, Colo. TV: NCHC.tv only Game Fact: Denver faces in-state rival Air Force in a home-and-home series this weekend. The Pioneers are 38-4-1 all-time against the Fal- cons and have won each of the past four match-ups. DU is 11-1-1 in the last 13 meetings. The last home-and-home set between the teams was Oct. 9-10, 2015, when each won on home ice (Air Force in OT).
Sat., Oct. 2 Lindenwood (Exh.) W, 9-1
Fri., Oct. 8 Arizona State W, 8-3
Sat., Oct. 9 Arizona State W, 4-3
Fri., Oct. 15 at Air Force 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16 Air Force 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 22 at Providence 5:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23 at Boston College 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 at North Dakota* 6:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6 at North Dakota* 5:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 Western Michigan* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 Western Michigan* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 19 Miami* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20 Miami* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 at Arizona State 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 at Arizona State 7:05 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 at Minnesota Duluth* 6:07 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 11 at Minnesota Duluth* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 31 Alaska 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 1 Alaska 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 7 at Omaha* 6:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 at Omaha* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 St. Cloud State* 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 15 St. Cloud State* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 Colorado College* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 at Colorado College* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 at Miami* 5:05 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 29 at Miami* 3:05 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 11 Minnesota Duluth* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 12 Minnesota Duluth* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 at Western Michigan* 5:05 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 at Western Michigan* 5:05 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 25 Omaha* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 Omaha* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 at Colorado College* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 5 Colorado College* 7:00 p.m.
March 11-13 NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites) TBA March 18-19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul, MN) TBA Home Games in Bold; * NCHC game; All times are MT and subject to change
team NoteS/match-upS
Miami RedHawks (NR/NR)
Head Coach: Chris Bergeron (3rd year) Record at MU: 14-40-7 2020-21 Record: 5-18-2 (5-17-2, 8th) 2021-22 Record: 1-1-0 (0-0-0 NCHC) Lettermen Ret./Lost: 20/7
• Miami opened the regular season with a split at Ferris State two week- ends ago and was idle last weekend. The RedHawks won their opener on Oct. 2, 7-4, before falling in overtime on Oct. 3, 4-3. The seven goals Oct. 2 marked the highest total for the RedHawks under head coach Chris Bergeron. Miami hadn’t scored seven goals in a game since an 11-7 loss to Omaha in the 2017-18 season.
• Senior captain Derek Daschke assisted on three of Miami’s seven goals in a season-opening win at Ferris State, earning his second career NCHC Defenseman of the Week honor. The three assists tied his career high, which he first set also against Ferris State on Oct. 18, 2019.
• Junior forward Ryan Savage recorded his first career multi-goal game in the 7-4 win at Ferris State. His first goal tied the game at 1-1, while his second tally served as the game-winner.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Oct. 15 at Michigan State (1-1-0, 0-0-0 B1G) - 7:00 p.m. ET Munn Ice Arena - East Lansing, Mich.
Sat., Oct. 16 at Michigan State (1-1-0, 0-0-0 B1G) - 7:00 p.m. ET Munn Ice Arena - East Lansing, Mich.
Game Fact: Miami and Michigan State share plenty of history as former conference rivals. Both schools were part of the CCHA from 1981-2013.
The RedHawks and Spartans haven’t met since the 2013 season, when Miami eliminated Michigan State from the CCHA Tournament. MSU leads the all-time series 69-34-6, but Miami is 8-1-1 in the past 10 games between the schools.
Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (No. 5/5)
Head Coach: Scott Sandelin (22nd year) Record at UMD: 408-332-91 2020-21 Record: 15-11-2 (13-9-2, 3rd) 2021-22 Record: 2-0-0 (0-0-0 NCHC) Lettermen Ret./Lost: 21/4
• UMD opened the regular season with a home-and-home sweep of Be- midji State last weekend. The Bulldogs won in Bemidji, 4-2, on Friday, before returning home to edge BSU, 2-1, on Saturday. It was UMD’s first sweep of the Beavers since they were WCHA foes in 2011.
• In this past weekend’s sweep of Bemidji State, UMD’s “third line” of Dominic James, Blake Biondi and Quinn Olson were responsible for both game-winning goals. On Friday, it was Olson from Biondi. On Sat- urday night, Olson returned the favor by setting up Biondi in the slot.
• This weekend, UMD welcomes No. 1 Minnesota State, No. 3 Michigan and No. 10 Providence to Duluth for the 2021 Ice Breaker Tournament.
UMD will battle Michigan on Friday evening and either MSU or Provi- dence on Saturday. UMD last hosted the Ice Breaker in 2017, falling in the championship game to Michigan Tech.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Oct. 15 vs. No. 3/3 Michigan (2-0-0, 0-0-0 B1G) - 7:37 p.m. CT AMSOIL Arena - Duluth, Minn. (Ice Breaker Tournament) TV: My9 Sports Sat., Oct. 16 vs. No. 1 Minn. State (3-1-0)/No. 10 Providence (3-0-0) - 7:37 p.m. CT AMSOIL Arena - Duluth, Minn. (Ice Breaker Tournament) TV: My9 Sports Game Fact: Due to a positive COVID-19 test for Michigan last March, UMD and Michigan were unable to play their 2021 NCAA Tournament first-round game. Friday will be the first time the teams have met since the 2011 NCAA National Championship game, won by UMD, 3-2, in OT.
Sat., Oct. 2 at Ferris State W, 7-4
Sun., Oct. 3 at Ferris State L, 3-4 (OT) Fri., Oct. 15 at Michigan State 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16 at Michigan State 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 22 Bowling Green 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23 at Bowling Green 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 at Omaha* 8:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6 at Omaha* 8:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 North Dakota* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 North Dakota* 5:05 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 19 at Denver* 9:00 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20 at Denver* 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 26 Long Island 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 27 Long Island 5:05 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 Western Michigan* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 Western Michigan* 5:05 p.m.
Sun., Dec. 12 at Mercyhurst 3:05 p.m.
Tues., Jan. 4 Mercyhurst 7:05 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 7 Colorado College* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 Colorado College* 5:05 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 at Minnesota Duluth* 8:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 15 at Minnesota Duluth* 8:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 at St. Cloud State* 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 at St. Cloud State* 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 Denver* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 29 Denver* 5:05 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 11 Omaha* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 12 Omaha* 7:05 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 at Colorado College* 9:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 at Colorado College* 8:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 25 Minnesota Duluth* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 Minnesota Duluth* 5:05 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 at Western Michigan* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 5 at Western Michigan* 7:05 p.m.
March 11-13 NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites) TBA March 18-19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul, MN) TBA Home Games in Bold; * NCHC game; All times are ET and subject to change
Sun., Oct. 3 vs. No. 11/12 Wisconsin& (Exh.) W, 4-2 Fri., Oct. 8 at No. 15 Bemidji State W, 4-2 Sat., Oct. 9 No. 15 Bemidji State W, 2-1 Fri., Oct. 15 No. 3/3 Michigan% 7:37 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16 No. 1 Minn. State/No. 10 Providence% 7:37 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 22 at Minnesota 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23 Minnesota 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 at Western Michigan* 6:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6 at Western Michigan* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 Colorado College* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 Colorado College* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 19 at North Dakota* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20 at North Dakota* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 26 Alaska Fairbanks 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 27 Alaska Fairbanks 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 at Northern Michigan 5:37 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 at Northern Michigan 5:37 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 Denver* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 11 Denver* 7:07 p.m.
Thurs., Dec. 30 at Minnesota State 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 1 Minnesota State 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 7 at St. Cloud State* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 at St. Cloud State* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 Miami* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 15 Miami* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 at Omaha* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 at Omaha* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 Western Michigan* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 29 Western Michigan* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 11 at Denver* 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 12 at Denver* 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 North Dakota* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 North Dakota* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 25 at Miami* 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 at Miami* 4:05 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 St. Cloud State* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 5 St. Cloud State* 7:07 p.m.
March 11-13 NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites) TBA March 18-19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul, MN) TBA Home Games in Bold; * NCHC game; & exhibition in Chippewa Falls, WI;
% Ice Breaker Tournament (Duluth, MN); All times CT and subject to change
North Dakota Fighting Hawks (No. 7/6)
Head Coach: Brad Berry (7th year) Record at UND: 140-63-24 2020-21 Record: 22-6-1 (18-5-1, 1st) 2021-22 Record: 2-0-0 (0-0-0 NCHC) Lettermen Ret./Lost: 13/13
• North Dakota opened the regular season with a sweep of Niagara last weekend, downing the Purple Eagles, 6-2, on Friday and 4-0 on Sat- urday. With the two wins, the Fighting Hawks moved to 31-2-0 in their history against Atlantic Hockey programs and 24-0-0 in Grand Forks.
UND is also now 9-0-0 all-time against Niagara.
• On the weekend that UND celebrated the 20th anniversary of the open- ing of Ralph Engelstad Arena, UND showed its dominance at home over the last few seasons. North Dakota is now 29-2-0 at home since the be- ginning of the 2019-20 season and 9-0-0 against non-conference foes.
• Four is the magic number for the UND offense, jumping to 43-3-2 since 2018-19 when scoring at least four goals in a game. The Hawks tallied at least four goals in both games last weekend, including the six goals on Friday, matching the most since the 2016-17 season in an opening game.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Oct. 15 at No. 20 Bemidji State (0-2-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) - 7:07 p.m. CT Sanford Center - Bemidji, Minn.
Sat., Oct. 16 vs. No. 20 Bemidji State (0-2-0, 0-0-0 CCHA) - 6:07 p.m. CT Ralph Engelstad Arena - Grand Forks, N.D. TV: Midco Sports Game Fact: UND defeated Bemidji State in an exhibition game on Oct.
2, 2-1, in Grand Forks. UND is 33-4-6 all-time against BSU in the regular season and 6-1-3 in their last 10 meetings.
team NoteS/match-upS
Omaha Mavericks (No. 13/14)
Head Coach: Mike Gabinet (5th year) Record at UNO: 57-70-11 2020-21 Record: 14-11-1 (14-9-1, 4th) 2021-22 Record: 3-1-0 (0-0-0 NCHC) Lettermen Ret./Lost: 21/8
• Omaha continued its 10-game home-stand to open the season with a sweep of Maine last weekend. The Mavericks topped the Black Bears, 4-1, on Friday and 5-3 on Saturday. With the wins, Omaha has now won three straight games after dropping its season opener in overtime.
• Omaha and Maine went into the third period tied in both games last weekend. The Mavericks went on to outscore the Black Bears 5-0 in the third period in the two games to sweep the series. On the season, UNO has outscored its opponents, 7-1, in the final frame.
• Omaha has scored the first goal in all four of its games this season.
The Mavericks were 11-1-0 last season in games in which they scored the first goal and are 3-1-0 so far this year.
• Sophomore forward Matt Miller has scored a goal in three of Omaha’s four games to date. Two of those were game-winners, including last Saturday’s short-handed goal in the third period against Maine.
• Freshman forward Cameron Berg tallied the first two goals of his collegiate career last weekend against Maine. He opened with an even- strength goal on Friday, then scored on a power play on Saturday.
This Week’s Games:
Fri., Oct. 15 vs. Alaska (1-1-0) - 7:07 p.m. CT
Baxter Arena - Omaha, Neb. TV: NCHC.tv only Sun., Oct. 17 vs. Alaska (1-1-0) - 4:07 p.m. CT
Baxter Arena - Omaha, Neb. TV: NCHC.tv only Game Fact: Alaska leads the all-time series with UNO, 23-17-11, but the teams have split their 25 meetings in Omaha, 10-10-5. The Na- nooks last came to Omaha in January of 2010 when the teams split.
Sat., Oct. 2 Lake Superior State L, 3-4 (OT) Sun., Oct. 3 Lake Superior State W, 3-0
Fri., Oct. 8 Maine W, 4-1
Sat., Oct. 9 Maine W, 5-3
Fri., Oct. 15 Alaska 7:07 p.m.
Sun., Oct. 17 Alaska 4:07 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 29 Long Island 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 30 Long Island 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 Miami* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6 Miami* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 at St. Cloud State* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 at St. Cloud State* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 19 at Alaska 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20 at Alaska 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 Colorado College* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 Colorado College* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 at Western Michigan* 7:05 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 11 at Western Michigan* 7:05 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 31 at St. Lawrence 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 1 at St. Lawrence 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 7 Denver* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 Denver* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 at North Dakota* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 15 at North Dakota* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 Minnesota Duluth* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 Minnesota Duluth* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 at Colorado College* 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 29 at Colorado College* 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 11 at Miami* 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 12 at Miami* 6:05 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 St. Cloud State* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 St. Cloud State* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 25 at Denver* 8:00 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 at Denver* 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 North Dakota* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 5 North Dakota* 7:07 p.m.
March 11-13 NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites) TBA March 18-19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul, MN) TBA Home Games in Bold; * NCHC game; All times are CT and subject to change Sat., Oct. 2 No. 14/15 Bemidji State (Exh.) W, 2-1
Fri., Oct. 8 Niagara W, 6-2
Sat., Oct. 9 Niagara W, 4-0
Fri., Oct. 15 at No. 20 Bemidji State 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 16 No. 20 Bemidji State 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Oct. 22 at Quinnipiac 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 23 at Quinnipiac 6:00 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 30 vs. Penn State% 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 5 Denver* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 6 Denver* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 12 at Miami* 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 13 at Miami* 4:05 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 19 Minnesota Duluth* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 20 Minnesota Duluth* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Nov. 26 Minnesota 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Nov. 27 Minnesota 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 3 at St. Cloud State* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 4 at St. Cloud State* 6:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 10 at Colorado College* 8:30 p.m.
Sat., Dec. 11 at Colorado College* 7:00 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 1 U.S. Under-18 Team (Exh.) 2:37 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 7 Cornell 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 8 Cornell 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 14 Omaha* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 15 Omaha* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 21 at Western Michigan* 6:05 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 22 at Western Michigan* 6:05 p.m.
Fri., Jan. 28 St. Cloud State* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Jan. 29 St. Cloud State* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 4 Colorado College* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 5 Colorado College* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 18 at Minnesota Duluth* 7:30 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 19 at Minnesota Duluth* 7:07 p.m.
Fri., Feb. 25 Western Michigan* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Feb. 26 Western Michigan* 6:07 p.m.
Fri., Mar. 4 at Omaha* 7:07 p.m.
Sat., Mar. 5 at Omaha* 6:07 p.m.
March 11-13 NCHC Quarterfinals (campus sites) TBA March 18-19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff (St. Paul, MN) TBA Home Games in Bold; % U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game (Nashville, TN);
* NCHC game; All times CT and subject to change