Each week, USCHO.com will pick the top 10 moments from the past weekend in our Monday 10 feature.
1. Sweeps abound; Denver stays unbeaten
League play began in earnest this weekend with only six non-conference games played compared to 22 last weekend.
Of the 24 series played this past weekend, 16 ended in sweeps, including top-ranked Denver’s 4-1, 4-1 wins over Lindenwood to move to 10-0-0 on the season, the best start ever for the Pioneers, who won in a row to open the 2001-02 season.
Junior Aidan Thompson and senior Carter King have scored at least a point in all 10 games for Denver.
2. Boston College sweeps Maine in matchup of top five teams
One of the most anticipated series this weekend was between No. 5 Maine and No. 2 Boston College. It’s the first time the schools have squared off as Top Five teams since the 2004 NCAA semifinals in Boston.
Friday’s game was an instant classic, with BC erasing a 2-0 Maine lead with 9:35 left, getting goals from Andre Gasseau and Mike Posma to even the score before Ryan Leonard got the game-winner with 1:33 to play.
How lucky are we to get to witness such a special night?
Pregame, Johnny B. Goode, an unreal hockey game- @jimmyconnelly, @LauraStickells & I were honored to be a small part of it
Highlights from a remarkable @BC_MHockey 3rd-period comeback on Friday Night @hockey_east on @NESN pic.twitter.com/xrKiogvJRa
— Eric Gallanty (@ericgallanty) November 9, 2024
On Sunday, BC got 26 saves from Jacob Fowler and two more goals from Gasseau and another from Leonard to complete the sweep and hand Maine its first two losses of the season.
3. Wisconsin’s woes continue
Third-ranked Minnesota added two more losses to Wisconsin’s record, a pair of 3-2 wins at the Kohl Center.
On Friday, the Gophers erased a 2-0 Badgers lead with a shorthanded, a power play, and an even-strength goal for the win. Jimmy Snuggerud had two of the Minnesota goals, including the game-winner with 7:15 to play.
Saturday’s contest was another close affair ending with the same result, a 3-2 comeback win for the Gophers. Brodie Ziemer swatted the puck out of midair for the game-winner in overtime.
SWATTED IN FOR THE SWEEP 🧹 pic.twitter.com/2tjQp8uLMT
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) November 10, 2024
Minnesota improves to 9-1, while the Badgers fall to 2-8.
4. Michigan State sweeps formerly unbeaten Ohio State
In another heavyweight matchup of ranked teams, No. 4 Michigan State swept visiting Ohio State, 4-2 and 4-1 to open Big Ten play.
The Buckeyes, off to a surprising 7-0-1 start, never led in Friday’s loss, but took a 1-0 first-period lead on Saturday, only to see the Spartans come back for the sweep.
MSU goalie Trey Augustine stopped 51 of 54 shots on the weekend for his seventh and eighth wins of the season.
Saturday’s win was the 50th for Spartans coach Adam Nightingale, making him the fastest to 50 victories in program history (85 games).
5. Minnesota State takes five points from St. Thomas
Sixteenth-ranked Minnesota State posted a 5-2 win and a shootout vistory after a 1-1 tie to take five out of six points in a clash of teams expected to finish near the top of the CCHA.
On Friday, the Mavericks erased a 2-0 Tommies lead and scored four third-period goals for the win. Brian Carrabes had a goal and two assists and Adam Eisele scored the game winner with 10:39 to play.
The Tommies again took the lead on Saturday, but Minnesota State got the equalizer midway through the second and settled for the tie and extra point in the shootout.
6. Alaska stays hot, wins and ties at formerly hot Union
After opening the season 0-4-0, Alaska is now unbeaten in its last five games (3-0-2) thanks to a 3-3 tie and 5-2 win at No. 20 Union, which came into the weekend winners of six of its last seven games.
The Garnet Chargers looked to be in control on Friday, leading 3-0 midway through the third period. But at 10:19, Anton Rubtsov got the Nanooks on the board, and Alaska added a pair of extra-attacker goals in the closing minutes for the tie, including Matt Rickard’s tying goal with 20 seconds remaining.
On Saturday, it was the Nanooks turn to open a 3-0 lead, but Union couldn’t erase the deficit and fell 6-4.
7. Sacred Heart, Air Force sweep in Atlantic Hockey America
Sweeps are rare in Atlantic Hockey, but both Sacred Heart and Air Force pulled out six points this weekend.
The Pioneers won a pair of close games at Mercyhurst, 4-3 and 4-1. Friday was a back-and-forth affair not settled until Jake Hewitt’s goal midway through the third.
On Saturday, the Lakers took a 1-0 lead, but the Pioneers got the next four, including a pair by John Jaworski, for the sweep.
In Colorado Springs, Air Force goaltender Guy Blessing stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 2-0, 2-1 Friday-Sunday sweep of Canisius.
Sunday’s game was tied 1-1 until Austin Schwartz’s GWG with 54 seconds left.
Coming up CLUTCH
Schwartz with the game winner 💥💥💥 pic.twitter.com/D84I3ZQX8U
— Air Force Hockey (@AF_HKY) November 10, 2024
8. Dartmouth remains unbeaten
Yes, the Big Green are only 4-0, but that by itself is remarkable. It’s the best start to a season by Dartmouth since the 1957-58 season, and its 4-2 win at Quinnipiac and 5-1 victory at Princeton was the first time the Big Green had defeated the Bobcats and Tigers on the same weekend since they became travel partners in 2005-06.
The win at No. 15 Quinnipiac was the first for Dartmouth since 2018, and the first win over a ranked team in almost four years.
9. Boston University, UMass Lowell split in key Hockey East matchup
In a Hockey East clash of ranked teams, nothing was settled between No. 17 Mass-Lowell and No. 9 Boston University, with each time posting a victory in the other’s building.
On Friday at Agganis Arena, BU was able to erase a 3-1 Lowell advantage, but Libor Nemec and Dillon Bentley scored 34 seconds apart midway through the third period for the 5-3 win.
The Terriers returned the favor at Tsongas Arena on Saturday, posting five goals in the second period for a 5-2 victory. Sophomore Max Lacroix made 17 saves in his first career start and win.
10. North Dakota ends slump, continues dominance at Duluth
The Fighting Hawks had dropped three straight coming into their series at Minnesota-Duluth but rebounded with a 7-3, 4-1 sweep of the Bulldogs.
It was the fifth and sixth consecutive wins by North Dakota over Duluth and the third consecutive sweep by the Fighting Hawks at AMSOIL Arena.
Ben Strinden scored in each game for UND and T.J. Semptimphelter made 58 saves in the series including a season-high 32 on Friday.
