Non-conference action ruled the weekend around New England college hockey, but the opponents didn’t change results for several of the region’s top Division 1 teams.
Quinnipiac hit the road for Thanksgiving and handed Hockey East foe Maine a two-game sweep in Orono, while Massachusetts also reached the 11-win mark with an overtime triumph against Princeton. The Minutemen own the longest winning streak in the country at eight games.
Providence hung tough despite a winless weekend against an NCHC opponent in Denver, while Yale enjoyed an unbeaten trip to the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland, where Boston University also competed and lost a one-goal game to Union for the championship. Harvard improved to 3-1-2 over its last six games with a win on the grand New York City stage.
Other weekend highlights included a two-win weekend for Bentley, which is tied with AIC and three other teams for fifth in Atlantic Hockey with nine points. The Falcons upended Boston College before its fourth league win of the year at Holy Cross. New Hampshire posted a 1-0-1 mark against Miami, while Northeastern, Vermont, and UMass Lowell also had non-league wins.
Top 10 teams
1. Massachusetts
Record: 11-1 (6-0 Hockey East) / Last week: 1
The Minutemen lost a two-goal lead after two periods and had to show a flair for the dramatic en route to their eighth consecutive win Saturday night against Princeton. Sophomore Oliver Chau scored his first goal of the season 3:02 into overtime for the 3-2 triumph. Freshman Bobby Kaiser and sophomore Cale Makar also scored for UMass, which received a 23-save effort from Matt Murray in goal.
2. Providence
Record: 7-4-2 (4-2 Hockey East) / Last week: 2
The Friars were unable to build a third straight win off last weekend’s Hockey East sweep of Merrimack as they recorded a 3-1 loss and 4-4 tie at Denver. Sophomore Greg Printz has already surpassed his goal total from last season with six, including one in each game against the Pioneers. Senior Hayden Hawkey made 34 saves in the draw, while Jack Dugan had a goal and an assist to raise his nation-leading point total among rookies to 16.
3. Quinnipiac
Record: 11-2 (4-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 3
Quinnipiac remains the lone ECAC team with double-digit wins this season after its 7-2, 2-0 sweep in Maine. Sophomore Odeen Tufto had six points on the weekend, posting a hat trick and two assists in Friday’s blowout win to take over the ECAC scoring lead with nine goals. Junior Andrew Shortridge made a season-high 33 saves for his fourth straight victory on Friday before sophomore Keith Petruzzelli (Wilbraham, Mass.) came back and pitched a 23-save shutout.
4. Northeastern
Record: 8-3-1 (4-1-1 Hockey East) / Last week: 4
The Huskies trailed after two periods and won for the fifth time this season, posting a 4-3 decision over RIT Saturday on the strength of a two-goal final frame. Junior Grant Jozefek tied the game with his team-leading ninth goal less than four minutes before freshman Tyler Madden tipped home the winner at 14:31. Sophomore Cayden Primeau made 16 of his 28 saves in the third period.
5. Boston University
Record: 4-6-1 (4-3-1 Hockey East) / Last week: 5
The Terriers concluded an eight-game stretch of Hockey East games with a 3-2 win over UConn in Belfast before dropping the Friendship Four title game to Union. Sophomore Ty Amonte (Norwell, Mass.) scored his first two goals of the season over the weekend, including the Friday game-winner. Junior Jake Oettinger stopped 75 of the 79 shots he faced in two starts.
6. Boston College
Record: 3-6-1 (3-1-1 Hockey East) / Last week: 6
The Eagles’ remarkable non-conference winless streak hit 22 games with Friday’s 4-2 loss to Bentley. Junior David Cotton and freshman Oliver Wahlstrom (Quincy, Mass.) scored BC’s goals. Cotton leads the team with 10 goals in 10 games, including a five-game goal streak. Sophomore Logan Hutsko has points in six straight.
7. Dartmouth
Record: 3-2 (3-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 7
Dartmouth scored once in each period and had 46 shots on goal but allowed two shorthanded goals and went 0-for-5 on the power play in a 5-3 loss to former league rival Vermont. Boston Junior Bruins alum Drew O’Connor recorded the first two-goal game of his career to lead the Big Green, while Boxborough, Mass., native Carl Hesler had an assist in his 100th collegiate game. Junior Adrian Clark made 25 saves.
8. UMass Lowell
Record: 7-6-1 (3-3-1 Hockey East) / Last week: 8
Each team won on the road as the River Hawks split their weekend series with ECAC foe Rensselaer. Lowell earned a 5-2 win Sunday in Troy, N.Y., after the Engineers walked out of Tsongas Center with their second win in four games, 2-1. Freshman defenseman Jon McDonald scored his first collegiate goals on the weekend, while junior Ryan Lohin had another three points to raise his team-leading total to 11.
9. Yale
Record: 3-2-2 (2-2-1 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: 9
Also competing at the Friendship Four, the Bulldogs completed an unbeaten weekend with a 1-1 tie (followed by a shootout loss for tournament purposes) and 6-3 win over UConn. Sophomore Kevin O’Neil scored twice against the Huskies and was one of five Bulldogs to post multiple points in Belfast. Defenseman Charlie Curti picked up his first two points as a senior. Senior Sam Tucker (Wilton, Conn.) had the win in goal with 34 stops.
10. Harvard
Record: 3-3-2 (1-2-2 ECAC Hockey) / Last week: Not ranked
Four unanswered goals lifted the Crimson to a 4-1 win in its only action of the week Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. Sophomore Henry Bowlby scored twice, while freshman Casey Dornbach had three assists for his fourth multi-point effort of the season. Senior Michael Lackey made 30 saves.
Players of the Week
Odeen Tufto
Quinnipiac / Soph. / F / Chaska, Minn.
Tufto is the top scorer among all Division 1 players attending New England schools with nine goals and nine assists. His total ballooned with a six-point weekend at Maine, including a hat trick and two helpers in Friday’s 7-2 win. The Bobcats have won all seven games in which Tufto has scored a goal, and he has recorded points in three consecutive.
Jake Oettinger
Boston University / Jr. / G / Lakeville, Minn.
Oettinger was busy during a split weekend for the Terriers in Belfast, stopping 75 of the 79 shots he faced in one-goal decisions against UConn and Union. The former Stars first-round draft pick made 39 saves in Friday’s win, including 16 in the third period for his fifth of six 30-save efforts this season. He stopped 36 of 38 against the Dutchmen.
