RECAP — COLLEGE HOCKEY UPDATE:  Again, playing catch-up, there were quite a number of top twenty match-ups the weekend of March 15, so let’s get to them.  Michigan held at #1 after hosting and beating Pennsylvania State University, which held at #10, in a Big Ten Tournament single game elimination; while North Dakota held at #2 after hosting and losing to Minnesota-Duluth, lifting UMD two spots to #6, in an NCHC Tournament single game elimination.  Michigan State held at #3 after hosting and losing to Ohio State which entered the top twenty at #19 on the results, in a Big Ten Tournament single game elimination; Denver moved up two pegs to #4 after hosting and beating Western Michigan, which edged down to #5, in an NCHC Tournament single game elimination; and St Thomas rose three notches to #15 after hosting and beating Augustana in a CCHA Tournament single game elimination, which dropped Augustana five slots to #18.

Elsewhere, Providence College dropped two spots to #7 after hosting and losing to Merrimack College in a Hockey East Tournament single game elimination; Cornell edged up to #8 after hosting and taking two of three from Harvard in the ECAC Tournament; and Dartmouth moved up three spots to #9 after hosting and sweeping Colgate in the ECAC Tournament.  Quinnipiac dropped three pegs to #10 after hosting and getting swept by Clarkson in the ECAC Tournament; Connecticut edged up to #13 after hosting and beating Boston University in a Hockey East Tournament single game elimination; and Massachusetts edged up to #14 after hosting and beating Northeastern in a Hockey East Tournament single game elimination.  Mankato State held at #16 after hosting and beating Michigan Tech in a CCHA Tournament single game elimination; Boston College held at #17 after hosting and beating Maine in a Hockey East Tournament single game elimination; and Bentley entered the top twenty at #20 after hosting and sweeping Holy Cross in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament.

COLLEGE HOCKEY UPDATE FEATURED PLAYER FROM THAT WEEKEND

On Saturday, March 14th, Denver had big help from its senior forward Samu Salminen, of Helsinki, Finland, who scored the game-winning OT goal, helping his team beat Western Michigan 2-1 on Saturday night, March 14th, at home in Denver.  The 6’2″ 205lb senior is fifth on his team in goals scored, with ten, and is tied for fourth on the team in assists, with eighteen.  As a junior he was eighth in goals scored, with ten, and was seventh in assists, with eighteen.  At Providence as a sophomore he tied for third in goals scored, with seven, and was seventh in assists, with ten; as Providence freshman he tied for sixth in goals, with nine, and was tenth in assists, with eight.  He was selected in the third round with the 68 overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils.

The Saturday, March 14th game in Denver was a sick, gutty battle of two solid power houses.  The two managed to fight each other off so well that it seemed at most points that a break leading to just as single goal would likely determine the game.  The scoreless first period saw ten shots from Denver to only six for Western Michigan.  The second period was again scoreless, and Western Michigan opened up their game to the tune of 14 shots compared to 11 for Denver, but again the defenses held ground and the game went into the second break again at 0-0.  Western Michigan again had bit more momentum in the third but after 53 minutes of play the two were still scoreless when Western Michigan struck on a redirect of shot and into the net for the 1-0 lead.

Only three minutes later Denver was on the power play and coach Dave Carle sensed in a game like this it might be now or never and with four minutes left he added an extra attacker to skate six-on-four which led to Boston Buckberger slapping one in from high in the zone to tie it at one apiece, as it ended in regulation.  Western Michigan had 14-9 shots advantage in the period.  In overtime Western Michigan again had a bit more momentum and out-shot Denver 5-2, but six minutes into OT a double ricochet off of the stationary skate of Samu Salminen went into the goal for the 2-1 Denver win.  It did pay to be up close to the net at the right time.  This win put Denver at 24-11-3, ranked #4, and advanced them to play Minnesota-Duluth in the NCHC Championship Game in Denver, Saturday, March 21st.

CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS WEEKEND OF MARCH 13-15

These were the matchups for the next weekend’s conference tournaments:

FRIDAY, MARCH 20

CCHA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, single game elimination

• #15 St. Thomas at #16 Mankato State

ECAC SEMIFINALS, single game eliminations at Brooks Arena, Lake Placid, NY

• Princeton vs. #8 Cornell
• Clarkson vs. #9 Dartmouth

HOCKEY EAST SEMIFINALS, single game elimination at TD Boston Garden

• #17 Boston College vs. #13 Connecticut
• Merrimack College vs. #14 Massachusetts

ADDITIONAL GAMES, SATURDAY, MARCH 21

ATLANTIC HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, single game elimination

• Sacred Heart at #20 Bentley

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, single game elimination

• #19 Ohio State at #1 Michigan

ECAC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, single game elimination, Lake Placid, NY

• Friday night’s winners face off

HOCKEY EAST CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, single game elimination, Boston Garden

• Friday night’s winners face off

NCHC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, single game elimination

• #6 Minnesota-Duluth at #4 Denver

That was all for going into the weekend of March 20-21, so that’s all for right now.

More to come . . . .

This provides the top twenty teams, ranking, and records, as of the March 16 poll:

That’s all for now.

Stay tuned, and go Terriers ! (?????)

— Tom