Another weekend has come and gone which means we have more NCHC action to recap. A lot of the conference had a bye week, but we were still able to get two really good matchups. Let’s dive in.
Nebraska-Omaha @ Miami (OH)
UNO went on the road this weekend to take on the Redhawks of Miami. UNO was coming off of a big split last weekend against Western Michigan and had the momentum going into this series. The Redhawks, on the other hand, hadn’t won a game since November and had lost nine straight games. They had their backs against the wall and were desperate for a win.
Friday saw no luck for the Redhawks as UNO was able to shut them out 3-0. After an even first period, the Mavericks took the lead off of a one-time by Teemu Pulkkinen. Ryan Galt made it 2-0 off a rebound that he was able to throw into the back of the net and Mason Morelli finished the job with an empty netter. The shutout set a school record for UNO’s senior goaltender, Evan Weninger.
Saturday night couldn’t have gone any better for Miami. Derek Daschke and Phil Knies got the Redhawks on the board in the first giving them a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes. Scott Corbett was able to add to the lead in the second to make it a 3-0 game. UNO wasn’t ready to quit though as they made it a one-goal game before the period was over with Chayse Primeau and Jalen Schulz getting in on the action. With momentum shifting in UNO’s favor after two, Miami had their work cut out for them if they wanted to hold their lead and end their winless streak.
The third period was a defensive battle as both teams struggled to find the back of the net. Until the final minutes of the game when Miami was able to seal the deal on a Josh Melnick one-timer. The Redhawks won the game 4-2 which was their first win since November 17th.
#1 St Cloud State vs Colorado College
Colorado College went into the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center looking to become the first away team to win their this season. For St Cloud State, being the #1 team in the country puts a target on their back. They know that they’re going to get every teams best shot every weekend and that’s exactly what they got from Colorado College.
The Huskies looked to assert their dominance early on Friday night and did just that by getting on the board first with a goal from Nick Poehling. Not wanting to give in, CC tied things up just a few minutes later when Trevor Gooch found the back of the net. By the end of the second period, all eyes were on this game as CC took a 2-1 lead into the intermission thanks to Erik Middendorf. SCSU needed a goal to force overtime and avoid getting upset on home ice for the first time this year.
The Poehling brothers came to the rescue as Ryan assisted Jack on the game-tying goal midway through the third that would force overtime. The first overtime period ended the contest in a tie marking the first time the Huskies didn’t earn the win on their ice this season. They were able to win during the three on three overtime period on a Ryan Poehling goal.
For a series that wasn’t expected to be anything special, Saturday night proved to be even more exciting than the night before. Robby Jackson and Sam Hentges got the Huskies out front early taking a 2-0 lead in the first. The Tigers were able to get on the board late in the first. Allowing them to head into the locker room only down one. The Tigers dominated the second period, only taking four shots but three of them found the back of the net.
After two periods of play the Tigers once again had the #1 team in the country on the ropes. With four minutes to play the Huskies cut the deficit to one and then less than a minute later tied things up once again. For the second night in a row SCSU was sending things to overtime. Patrick Newell was able to avoid the upset for the Huskies once again. Scoring in OT to give SCSU the win. The win helped the Huskies remain unbeaten at home on the year.
NCHC Players of the Week
St. Cloud State took home the offensive and defensive player of the week awards after their thrilling series against Colorado College. Patrick Newell won offensive player of the week after almost single handily leading the Huskies back on Saturday night. He had five points on the weekend, four of which came in Saturday’s comeback win. Jack Ahcan won defensive player of the week. He helped lock down CC’s powerplay on Friday night as well as assisting on the final three goals of Saturday nights win.
Miami’s Scott Corbett won Rookie of the week. He had his first multi-point game on Saturday night which helped the Redhawks snap their 15 game winless streak. He had one goal and one assist.
Even Weninger of Omaha won Goaltender of the week after recording 60 saves on the weekend while posting a .938 save percentage. He also set the school record for career shutouts.
Rankings
The NCHC continues to have four teams in the top 10 of this weeks USCHO rankings. SCSU remains at #1 receiving 42 of the 50 first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth is also in the top five sitting at #4. Leaving Denver at #7 while Western Michigan drops a spot to #9.
We have more teams in action this weekend and we’re looking forward to recapping it all for you on Monday. Enjoy this weekends action and follow us on Twitter @StudentUHockey