College Hockey Update:  Last week presented three top fifteen matchups, and St. Cloud State held onto the #1 ranking as they earned a win and a tie against a top-twenty opponent for the third weekend in a row, this time at North Dakota, which edged the Hawks down to #14, in the final weekend of regular season play for both teams, and for the NCHC.  Also in NCHC play, Minnesota-Duluth edged down to #8 after hosting and splitting with Nebraska-Omaha, which edged the Mavericks up to #13.  You’ll hear it said over and over again, that it’s very difficult to beat a team four times in one season.  Well how about five times in one season?  That’s what Penn State did last weekend, as they moved up two spots to #12 after hosting and sweeping Minnesota, knocking the Gophers down four pegs to #15.  Penn State beat Minnesota four times in nine days, as they swept them on two consecutive weekends!  Minnesota did beat Penn State once this season, when the two split at Minnesota in October, which also brings Penn State’s win total to five against the Gophers this season.  The results of last weekend advanced Penn State to face Notre Dame this weekend in the Big Ten semifinals, and ended Minnesota’s Big Ten Tournament play.

Elsewhere, Mankato State held at #3 after hosting and sweeping Alaska-Fairbanks in the first round of the WCHA Tournament, and Denver held at #4 after they hosted, beat, and tied Miami of Ohio in the last weekend of regular season NCHC play for both teams.  Ohio State held at #6 after hosting and sweeping Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament; and Michigan edged up to #11 after hosting and sweeping Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.  An idle Cornell held at #2; idle Notre Dame held at #5; idle Northeastern edged up to #7; idle Providence held at #9; and and idle Clarkson held at #10.

Last weekend Penn State had huge help from freshman forward Evan Barratt, of Bristol, PA., who scored a goal in his team’s 5-3 win Friday night, and scored two goals in his team’s 6-5 win Saturday night, as they hosted and swept Minnesota in opening round play of the Big Ten Tournament.  Friday night Minnesota got things started with a power play goal eleven minutes into the first to take the 1-0 lead, but five minutes later, Cole Hults tied it up at one apiece on a Penn State power play goal.  Three minutes into the second, Nate Sucese scored yet another power play goal to give Penn State the 2-1 lead.  Minnesota was playing a great game, and scored to tie it at two apiece with five minutes left in the second.  But Penn State poured it on at the end of the frame, as Denis Smirnov scored with about a minute left, and then Andrew Sturtz scored with a few seconds left, to give Penn State a 4-2 lead going into the break.  Minnesota had a 12-8 shot advantage in the first, and shots were even at twelve apiece in the second.  The two teams fought to an even stalemate for most of the third period, but Minnesota converted on another power play opportunity with five minutes left to make it a 4-3 game.  With a minute left Minnesota added an extra attacker, but with thirty ticks left on the clock, Evan Barratt managed to get the the puck away from Minnesota, and he found that empty net to make the final 5-3, Penn State.

At 5’11” and 190lbs, Barratt is tied for fifth on his team in goals scored, with eleven, and is tied for thirteenth in assists, with seven.  He was selected in the third round of the 2017 NHL entry draft with the 90th pick overall.  Before Penn State he played for two seasons on the US National Team Development Program.  Barratt’s hometown is was first settled in 1661, and was incorporated in 1720; it is home to its 10,000 residents.  This Barratt guy seems to be quite a character, and it seems that Penn State might have really had it out for Minnesota these last two weekends.  Two weekends back, Barratt and Ryan Lindgren of Minnesota were called for a double penalty and as the two entered the penalty boxes Lindgren was complaining to Barratt, and Barratt responded by imitating Lindgren as a crybaby.  Then right after the two left the penalty box, Barratt put quite a hit, in play action, on Lindgren.  Here’s a url for video of all of this stuff:

http://www.collegian.psu.edu/sports/men_hockey/article_b77aa2b4-1a9a-11e8-9031-8bee79530ec0.html

Penn State was founded in 1855 and is located in State College, PA., about 100 miles or so east of Pittsburgh.  It enrolls 41,000 undergraduates, and 6,000 graduate students.  Its athletic teams are the Nittany Lions, and wear blue and white, although, like North Dakota, their original colors included pink, in this case, black and pink.  Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1991.  Penn State started hockey on an ongoing basis in 1938, and fielded a DI team from 1940-44, and 1946-47.  Hockey came back to Penn State as a club team in 1971 and remained a club team until going DI again in 2012, when it was an independent for the 2012-13 season.  It stimulated the formation of, and joined, Big Ten Hockey in 2012.  Guy Gadowsky became the coach in 2011, the last year as a club team.  The team had a 13-14-0 record in its one season as an independent.  Since joining the Big Ten the team had 21 wins in 2015-16, and 25 wins last year, and made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 2017 as well.  Guy Gadowsky played four years of college hockey at Colorado College, graduating in 1989.  He was the head coach at Alaska-Fairbanks for five seasons from 1999-2004, and his teams compiled a 68-89-22 cumulative record during his tenure.  He coached Princeton for seven seasons from 2004-2011, and his teams compiled a 105-109-15 record during his tenure.  Princeton had 21 wins in 2007-08 and 22 wins in 2008-09, and made NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.  His total DI coaching record, including this season is 276-291-54.  Penn State is currently 18-13-5, is ranked #12, and travels to Notre Dame Saturday night to play in the Big Ten semifinals.

This weekend these matchups will take place in the six conference tournaments:

Atlantic Hockey — Best of Three

• United States Air Force Academy at United States Military Academy (Army)
• American International College at Canisisus College
• Robert Morris University at College of the Holy Cross
• Sacred Heart University at Merchyhurst University

Big Ten — Single Game Elimination

• #12 Pennsylvania State University at #5 Notre Dame
• #11 University of Michigan at #6 Ohio State University

ECAC — Best of Three

• Colgate University at #10 Clarkson University
• Quinnipiac University at #2 Cornell University
• Dartmouth College at Harvard University
• Princeton University at #16 Union College

Hockey East — Best of Three

• Merrimack College at #18 Boston College
• University of Massachusetts-Amherst at #7 Northeastern University
• University of Maine at #9 Providence College
• University of Connecticut at #20 Boston University

NCHC — Best of Three

• Western Michigan University at #8 University of Minnesota-Duluth
• Colorado College at #4 University of Denver
• Miami University of Ohio at #1 St. Cloud State University
• #13 University of Nebraska-Omaha at #14 University of North Dakota

WCHA — Best of Three

• Michigan Technological University at #3 Mankato State University
• #17 Bowling Green State University at #19 Northern Michigan University

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

[table id=171 /]

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

— Tom