College Hockey Update:  One of last week’s top ten matchups actually put a team into the top ten as Ohio State hosted Penn State, and Ohio State took Friday night’s game, and Penn State took Saturday’s; Penn State dropped a couple of spots to #4 on the weekend, and Ohio State edged up to #10.  In another top ten matchup, Boston University needed overtime, but prevailed over Union College; BU had six players busy that same night helping Team USA win the World Juniors Championship, and one playing for the runner-up, Team Canada. It was a break-out night for BU sophomore Jacob Forsbacka Karlsson, who notched a hat trick; previously featured sophomore defenseman Shane Switzer, of Bloomfield Hills, MI, also scored a goal, the third of his career, with all three registered while his teammates’ were absent at the World Juniors Championship.  BU held at #5 in the poll (they also beat UMass-Amherst on Sunday afternoon), while the loss edged Union out of the top ten, down to #11.

Elsewhere, Denver swept Arizona State, while Harvard beat Quinnipiac and Princeton; both teams moved up two pegs with Denver now #1 and Harvard now #2, filling in the vacuum created by the losses of Penn State and Minnesota-Duluth.  Yep, UMD really took it in the shorts as they tied and then lost to Colorado College, dropping UMD down a couple of slots to #3.  UMass-Lowell held on at #6 after beating RPI and New Hampshire; North Dakota held at #7 after spanking Nebraska-Omaha for two games; and Boston College held at #8 after beating Providence.  Idle Minnesota held at #9.

In Friday night’s win over Penn State, Ohio State had huge, immense help from senior goalie Christian Frey of Arlington, TX, who stopped every one of 46 shots on goal en route to an Ohio State shutout of Penn State.  Penn State came into the game with a ten game winning streak since October 22nd, and a thirteen game unbeaten streak since October 7th.  So far this season Christian Frey has a 2.90 GAA and a .908 saves percentage.  His junior year he had a 2.91 GAA and was .910 in saves; he had a 3.02 GAA and was .909 in saves as a sophomore, and had a 2.27 GAA and was .909 in saves as a freshman.

Friday night Drew Brevig scored with two minutes left in the first to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead, as Frey stopped 16 shots.  Luke Stork scored with twenty-seven seconds remaining in the second to extend the Ohio State lead to 2-0, as Frey stopped another 13 shots.  And John Wiitala found an empty net with two minutes remaining in the game to give Ohio State it’s final score of 3-0, as Frey stopped another 17 shots, for a total of 46/46 on the night.  Ohio State score its three goals on 21 shots during the night.

Saturday night Frey shut out Penn State for the entire first period, stopping all twelve of their shots, bringing to 58 the number of consecutive shots he blocked.  But in the second a Penn State goal only four minutes into the period put Penn State up 1-0 which they took into the break.  Frey hung tough and blocked nineteen out of twenty shots in that period, making his five period total 77 blocked shots out of 78 attempts.  The third period turned out to be a different game, as Penn State scored three minutes into the period, and then again five minutes later, to take a 3-0 lead.  But Ohio State was not done, and Nick Schilkey took advantage of a five on three power play opportunity to net one at the ten minute point to make it a 3-1 game.  And then Schilkey struck again, a minute later, on the remainder of the penalty with the man-advantage, to make it 3-2.  Frey was pulled with ninety seconds left but Ohio State could not convert with the extra attacker, and with only one second left, and on a power play opportunity, Penn State found the empty net to make the final 4-2, Penn State.  Frey allowed three goals on ten shots in the third, stopping 39/42 on the night, while Ohio State scored its two goals on 26 shots.  On the weekend, Frey stopped 85 of 88 shots on goal.

This weekend features one top-ten matchup as #5 Boston University will host #8 Boston College Friday night, and then the two will meet at Boston College on Monday night.  With 14 wins on the season, BC will be out to show that their recent decline in the poll is undeserved, and Boston University is sure to have its hands full as these two teams face each other for the 271st time since February 6, 1918.  BU holds a slight advantage in the series, 130-122-18, but the tide turned sixteen years ago, and BC has really had the advantage in the series over the last seven years.

This provides the top ten teams, rankings, records, and last week’s results:

[table id=142 /]

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom