Several schools and individuals earned some revenge over the weekend. Chris Bergeron, whose Bowling Green team's season ended in OT to Minnesota Duluth, defeated the Bulldogs with his new Miami team. The RedHawks entered Friday 2-5-2 and being handily swept by North Dakota, who earned a win and tie over a Denver team who ended the Fighting Hawks' 2018-19 season in the same building. Out East, Cornell defeated Clarkson in a battle of top-10 teams and rematch of the 2019 ECAC championship game.
Still, as fun as it can be to discuss teams and individuals earning revenge for what happened last season, the weather changing is a good time to remember how it's becoming more important to get revenge for what's happening this season. Records are being set. Identities are being formed. As the weather begins to get cold, 2019-20 has been heating up as a whole.
As always, here's what is going on throughout the college hockey landscape. This week's stock report recaps who is doing well, who is on their way down, and what trends should be followed.
Up: Michigan State
Picked to finish seventh of seven teams, the Spartans are getting off on the right foot with bragging rights to boot. Michigan State began Big Ten conference play 3-1 after sweeping in-state rival Michigan for the first time since October 2009. Danton Cole's team has shown flashes but is getting help from its depth that MSU missed.
Perhaps no game shows it better than Saturday's 3-0 win, in which Michigan State's John Lethemon earned his second shutout in as many weekends while the Spartans scored three goals from players not named Patrick Khodorenko or Mitch Lewandowski.
Down: The other Big Ten "M's"
Besides Michigan's follies against the Spartan, Minnesota was swept by Penn State at home. Both schools expected some early struggles. However, it's the way those struggles are happening that are worrying.
For Michigan, the Wolverines are dropping fast from the young team that beat Western Michigan. Mel Pearson's team has 1 Big Ten point in six games. Sure, injuries aren't helping, but it's concerning nonetheless. Four of those games came against the other teams picked to finish near the bottom while looking worse with each passing week.
(Heck, even Canisius is getting in on the Wolverines' style with throwback sweaters that look like the GLI love child of Michigan and Michigan Tech.)
For Minnesota, the Gophers turned a scoreless first period Friday into an 8-2 loss. Saturday's game featured 2-0 and 3-1 leads going away and losing 6-3. (One silver lining: Cullen Munson getting his first collegiate goal...as a junior.) Through six weeks, Minnesota has blown multiple tie games and third-period leads. Young team or not, that's not the identity any group wants yet one the Gophers, unfortunately, can claim.
Up: Highlight-Reel Goals (CC and talk about others)
Whether it's the rise of games being on TV, schools better utilizing social media, players improving, or something completely different, highlight-reel goals seem to be on the upswing. Several sites and conferences come up with their own lists. The Sportscenter Top 10 each weekend seems to see at least a play or two involving college hockey. I didn't even discuss Evan Barratt's remarkable play in last week's stock report mostly because at this point, you're used to the junior appearing in the countdown.
Another contender for this week's Top 10 would be Colorado College senior Nick Halloran, who pulled off this beauty.
Hey @Buccigross, how about this Spin-O-Rama by @halloran4pucks for a @SportsCenter Top 10 play?#SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/NJDF8AYg9N— CC Hockey (@CC_Hockey1) November 17, 2019
Up: AIC whooping Mercyhurst
12 to 0.
Let's write that again: Twelve to Zero.
At one point in the third period, the Yellow Jackets had as many goals as Mercyhurst had shots on goal. That's "yell at St. Thomas Academy and/or Hermantown to move up" territory. (If you get it, you get it.)
Up: Mercyhurst gaining the split in a two-game series
The old cliche of "let's turn the page...tomorrow's a new game?" Worked for Mercyhurst.
Kudos to the Lakers for coming back and winning Saturday 4-3 in OT. Every night's another story and while Friday went awry, total goals do not decide a weekend series. Wins do.
Up: Figuring out Atlantic Hockey contenders to AIC
Outside AIC-Mercyhurst, a pair of teams staked claims to being contenders.
Robert Morris swept Bentley to advance to 7-1-0 in conference play thanks to more solid defensive play. Sacred Heart, meanwhile, continues to make my dark horse pick from August look smart as the Pioneers swept a hot RIT team in Rochester. The Tigers had given up 10 goals in its previous five games before Sacred Heart scored nine goals Friday (impressive if not for the 12-0 result discussed above). Jason Cotton finished with three goals on the weekend, one of three Pioneers (Jason Kaplan and Vito Bavaro) to score multiple goals in a game.
Down: Players trying to catch Jack Dugan's assist total
It's mid-November and the Providence sophomore and Vegas Golden Knights draft pick continues to post a point total over 2 points per game. In fact, no men's player has as many points as Dugan's 21 assists. Taking away Friars teammate Tyce Thompson, the closest is PSU senior Nate Sucese, whose 55th career goal against Minnesota on Saturday set a new program record for the Nittany Lions. He has 16 points.
Up: Drew O'Connor getting on the board
Dartmouth's leading scorer last season with 17 goals as a freshman finally got on the board in a big way, scoring three goals in wins over Yale and Brown. The Big Green are unbeaten in its last four games after stumbling opening Ivy weekend.
Up: Harvard and Cornell
Speaking of Ivies, Wisconsin defeated Notre Dame Friday, meaning in Division 1 hockey only four teams remain unbeaten:
The Harvard and Cornell men's teams.
The Harvard and Cornell women's teams.
Down: Western Michigan staying healthy
Wade Allison played Friday. That's the good news for the Broncos, whose weekend went like someone wished on a monkey's paw for the oft-injured Allison to stay healthy. Drew Worrad (9 points in 10 games), Josh Passolt (last season's returning leading scorer) and Ronnie Attard (2019 USHL Player of the Year) all missed both games with injuries.
Even head coach Andy Murray was unable to stay healthy, missing Saturday's game due to being sick.
And Allison missed Saturday's game, which saw WMU's 5-0-1 streak snapped. That Western Michigan continues to play well with injury after injury speaks well to the Broncos being able to contend in the NCHC.
Up: Everyone signing an NLI and getting to accomplish their dreams next year.
Congratulations and be sure to thank everyone who helped you along the way.
Down: Any rust from an off week
Last week's stock report mentioned the entire WCHA taking off the weekend. While it served as an opportunity for an entire conference to struggle, no one did.
Minnesota trailed Bemidji State 1-0 after the first period Friday before rallying for 10 straight goals in two wins. Wisconsin survived a hard-fought series with Minnesota State, who continues to give everyone fits. Minnesota Duluth and Ohio State had a hard-fought tie and OSU win while St. Cloud State tied and beat Lindenwood in non-conference play.
Who Won The Week:
Second Runner-Up: Josh Rieger and a Pound of Buffalo Wings
Besides being the title of an awesome children's book Brad Schlossman should write in the offseason, the North Dakota junior defender had himself a Saturday. Reiger went from sitting out and eating dinner (hence the titular wings) to be a last-minute addition to the lineup. Arriving when warmups started, Reiger made the most of his opportunity. He scored his first collegiate goal en route to UND defeating Denver 4-1.
Regardless of being a cool story, that's the way things are going for the Fighting Hawks, now 8-1-2 and leading the NCHC, through the opening six weeks.
First Runner-Up: Amy Curlew
No player had a better weekend than Curlew, who finished with five goals in Cornell's wins over Yale and Brown. How big was her weekend? The senior had more goals (5) than the Big Red has given up in eight games this season (4).
Winner: Jerry York
Take away York's Boston College team sweeping Vermont in a two-game series. Take away Spencer Knight stopping 61 of 62 shots in the best weekend of the Florida Panthers 2019 first-round pick's collegiate career. Take away the eight goals against the Catamounts. Take away the Eagles on a five-game winning streak after losing four straight, the fire throwback sweaters and all going well for young BC lately.
Take away the Canadian columnist who suggested Jerry York coaching his US college hockey team instead of participating in Hockey Hall of Fame activities. When the all-time winningest coach broke the record in front of more media than fans, York tried to massively downplay the achievement and put the onus more on his group of players. Nothing changed for the weekend, where an individual honor was put on hold for the group of Eagles in front of him.
For ending the week doing what he does best and beginning a new week with the highest honor of a Hockey Hall of Fame induction, this one is an easy call. Jerry York has won the week.
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