The NCHC has dominated the competition so far. The NCHC combined went 7-1 this weekend and own a winning record against every other conference. In addition, all eight teams now sit at .500 or better.
Each week, the recaps will be in order by record. Each teams ranking showed is their rank going into the games from the week before.
This week, SCSU and WMU each had the weekend off.
DU #1 (4-0-2)
The Pioneers got off to a bit shaky start tying teams they should have beaten, but it seems they’re back to their old ways. They went to Boston and beat both Boston University and Boston College.
Friday night was a back and forth thriller. DU got out to a hot start scoring two goals not even four minutes into the game. Down 0-2, the Terriers answered back with two goals of their own. Colin Staub scored at the end of the the first period to give the Pioneers the 3-2 edge.
The goalies held strong in the second not allowing a goal for either side.
BU tied the game in the third, but a goal from Troy Terry for DU with 17 seconds left in regulation to make it 4-3 would send the crowd home stunned.
Saturday night, the Pioneers traveled to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to face another Boston team, the Boston College Eagles.
The Eagles are off to an awful start, and DU added on another big loss. The game was never in question as DU skated to an easy 6-1 victory. Five different Pioneers scored on their way to the win including two from Henrik Borgström.
This week, DU will start conference play with a weekend series at Western Michigan. Lawson Arena is known for its raucous atmosphere. The Pioneers will have to deal with the Lawson Lunatics as well as Broncos if they hope to get their second sweep in Kalamazoo, Michigan since the 2013-2014 season.
UND #4 (5-2-1)
The Hawks traveled to Colorado Springs last weekend to face CC. The Hawks earned a split winning Saturday night after dropping Friday’s game.
Friday night, the Tigers defeated the Hawks 2-1. Two early goals helped fuel the Tigers offense, and their defense and goalie took it from there.
Alex Leclerc had 26 saves on 27 shots helping preserve the lead all night long. The only goal for the Hawks came with 30 seconds remaining in the second period.
While Friday night was all about defense and goaltending, Saturday night was an offensive showing. The teams combined for 10 goals on 60 shots. CC briefly took a 2-1 lead in the second period, but UND stormed back with three goals in just under two minutes to take a 4-2 lead on their way to a 6-4 victory.
It was a chippy contest, UND had seven power-play opportunities, and the Tigers had six. CC was not able to capitalize on any of there man advantages, but the Hawks netted two goals on power plays, which proved to be the difference.
This weekend will feature yet another rivalry matchup for the Hawks as they travel to Madison, Wisconsin to play the University of Wisconsin-Madison Badgers. 2015 was the last year the Hawks and Badgers met. Each team won a game 3-1.
UMD #10 (4-2-2)
The Bulldogs returned from Orono, Maine with two victories in hand. UMD pulled off a sweep after two hard-fought wins over the Black Bears.
Friday night, Ryan Tufte opened the scoring early notching a goal 46 seconds into the first period, his fourth of the season for the Bulldogs. Jade Miller added another goal midway through the third period to give UMD a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.
Saturday night, Hunter Shepard earned his first career colligate shutout as two goals were more than enough to secure a win for UMD. Shepard finished with 26 saves.
Riley Tufte scored another goal Saturday night to move into a tie for second-most in the NCHC with five.
The Bulldogs host the SCSU Huskies this weekend for their first in-conference games of the season. The Huskies will be well rested as they had last week off. They also will bring an undefeated 5-0-0 record with them to Duluth, a place where they have only lost three times to the Bulldogs since 2013.
CC (5-3-0)
(See UND recap)
This weekend, the Tigers will travel for another conference matchup against the Miami University Red Hawks. They are 3-6-1 against the Red Hawks dating back to 2014. The Tigers will look to continue their good start to the season.
UNO ( 3-2-1)
The Mavericks traveled to South Bend to face the University Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and came away with a series split.
Since the Irish had a home football game on Saturday, the series started Thursday instead of Friday so that the series would be over Friday night.
Thursday night, UNO held on to an early lead to win 6-4. After 18 minutes through the second period, they held a 5-1 lead. The Irish stormed back with three unanswered goals to make it 5-4, but an empty net goal sealed the win for UNO.
The following evening was another seesaw game with the Irish coming on top this time. UNO scored two goals in the first period to take a 2-1 lead, but just like Friday, the Irish scored three unanswered goals, this time taking a 4-2 lead on their way to a 6-4 victory.
Ryan Galt scored his first two goals of the season in the losing effort for the Mavericks.
UNO has this week off and will return to action against the Colorado College Tigers this weekend for their first taste of conference play on the season.
MU (3-3-0)
The Red Hawks absolutely dominated the University of Connecticut Huskies last weekend outscoring them 10-1 in two games.
Friday night was as complete a game as you could ask for. The Hawks scored three goals, all in the first to get an early lead. After that, they leaned on their defense and goalie. Ryan Larkin saved all 19 shots he faced, while the defense helped him out only letting those 19 shots on goal.
Saturday night was all Miami. After two periods, the Hawks held a 2-1 lead. In the third period, they scored four goals in the first seven and a half minutes to completely bury the Huskies 6-1. A late goal made the final score 7-1. Seven different Hawks scored a goal Saturday night.
Miami University hosts conference foe Colorado College this for their first conference series. They will look climb the NCHC standings as they have had a lot of success against the Tigers in recent years.
