Henrik Borgström continues to lead the NCHC in points.
Last weekend featured the offenses of the NCHC teams showing their strength. Five games had a team that scored at least five goals.
Western Michigan University, Miami University and the University of Nebraska Omaha highlighted the weekends’ offensive explosion, each scoring seven or more goals in their Friday night game.
WMU 12-9-1 (11) vs SCSU 14-4-3 (3)
Friday evening’s matchup was packed with action. There were a combined 12 goals scored as well as 14 power play opportunities.
The Broncos got the scoring started with a goal four minutes into the first period. The Huskies came right back with an extra attacker goal, and two power play goals to make the score 3-1.
Fourteen seconds into the second period, WMU struck. Hugh McGing scored a power-play goal, his eighth of the season. The Broncos dominated the period scoring four goals total and taking a 5-3 lead, overcoming their early two-goal deficit.
There were four goals scored in the last minute and twenty seconds. Lawton Courtnall scored two empty-net goals for the Broncos, while the Broncos also gave up two goals themselves to make the final score 7-5, WMU.
While Friday’s game was an action-packed, and somewhat strange, Saturday was a much more normal.
With seven seconds remaining in the first period, Dawson DiPietro netted his 10th goal of the season for the Broncos to get them out to an early 1-0 lead.
SCSU answered about halfway through the second period to tie the game. A short-handed goal from WMU put the Broncos up a goal once again at 2-1 until a Ryan Poehling goal for the Huskies tied it up at 2-2 with 2:13 remaining in the period.
Mikey Esyyimont scored his ninth goal of the campaign with a 5×3 advantage to break the tie just under six minutes into the third period for SCSU. The Broncos scored again to tie the game, but a goal with just over four minutes remaining would end up being the game-winner for SCSU ending the game at 4-3.
Western Michigan heads back home to face the Colorado College Tigers this weekend. They’ll look to continue their success against them as they went 3-0-1 against them last season. This will be the first matchup between the teams this season.
SCSU plays a single game this weekend against in-state rival Minnesota State. MSU is 17-7-0 on the season and currently sits atop the WCHA standings. MSU has scored an astounding 81 goals this season so far and will test SCSU’s defense.
UND 12-6-6 (7) vs BSU 11-7-6
The former WCHA foes UND and Bemidji State University rekindled their rivalry last weekend with a home and home series.
The series started Friday night in Bemidji. Austin Poganski kicked the scoring off early with a goal just 18 seconds into the game. Before the first period had ended BSU had tied the game at 1-1.
After the first, the Fighting Hawks ran away with the game. They scored two goals in the second period, then scored two in the third period with a power-play goal and an empty net goal to secure an easy 5-1 win.
Both Nick Jones and Austin Poganski scored their seventh and eighth goals of the season for the Hawks.
Beaver goalie Michael Bitzer has fared well in his previous starts against the Hawks, but they got to him Friday with five goals on 31 shots on his net.
Both goalies held down their side of the ice in the first period Saturday evening holding each other scoreless.
Nick Jones started the scoring for the Hawks just over three minutes into the second frame. 10 minutes later, the Beavers tied the game with a power-play goal. UND answered back with their own power play goal to regain the lead at 2-1.
Halfway through the third, BSU found the back of the net with an equalizer, at 2-2, and that would be the final score as neither team would score in the overtime period.
UND heads to Duluth to take on the UMD Bulldogs. Last season they went 0-5 against the Bulldogs, including a loss in the NCHC tournament.
UMD 11-9-3 (14) vs CC 9-10-3
Six goals were scored in the opening period Friday evening. It started early, with the Bulldogs scoring 31 seconds into the game.
The Tigers answered with two quick goals, but just as quickly surrendered a power-play goal to the Bulldogs. The teams swapped uneven attacker goals leading to a 3-3 tie at the first intermission.
Tanner Ockey broke the tie for the Tigers two minutes into the second period. The Bulldogs came right back with a power-play goal from Ryan Tufte. Tufte scored his second goal of the game around ten minutes later, his tenth of the season. Another goal before the end of the period gave UMD a 6-4 lead heading into the final period.
The game settled down in the second period. CC got a power-play goal cutting the lead to 5-6, but could not muster an equalizer.
Each team benefited from each other’s mistakes. UMD was 3-6 on the power play. The Tigers scored on two of their five opportunities.
Saturday was a beat-down. While the Tigers got out to a good start with the first goal, that is the only goal they would score all night.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the first period, scored a goal in the second period, and put the game away with three goals in the final frame, 5-1.
Kobe Roth lead the way for the Bulldogs with his second and third goals of the season.
UMD welcomes UND to Amsoil Arena this weekend. They dominated the Hawks last season not losing to them once, going 5-0. They have not lost to the Hawks since February 2016.
CC heads to Michigan to face WMU this weekend. They are 1-6-3 against the Broncos in the last three seasons.
UM 9-11-2 vs UNO 12-9-1 (15)
If you like high-scoring games, Friday night’s matchup was just the game for you. The teams combined for 18 goals in a seesaw affair.
While they scored five goals in the first period, they all came after the half-way point of the period.
Grant Gallo scored the first goal of the game as well as the first goal of his season for the Mavericks. Three UNO goals, and a RedHawk goal later, the teams headed into the second period with UNO holding a 4-1 lead.
MU roared back with two goals to make it 4-3, with one coming in the opening minutes of the period and another coming just over 11 minutes in. Just like the first period, most of the scoring came in the second half of the period.
Zach Jordan, Tyler Vesel, and David Pope all scored for the Mavericks, while Phil Kniles netted a goal bringing the score to 7-4 heading into the final frame.
Gordie Green scored early in the third period for the RedHawks to cut the lead to two goals. That was short-lived as two goals within seven seconds of each other extended the lead to 9-5. They traded two goals, and the final score was 11-7.
10 different Mavericks scored a goal, while six different MU players found the back of the net as well.
There were a combined 14 power plays that resulted in seven goals, three for MU and four for UNO.
Saturday was a much more tame game.
Neither team scored in the opening period. The Mavericks came to life in the second period. They scored four unanswered goals, including Zach Jordan’s 11th of the season.
The RedHawks mounted a comeback in the third period that came up just short. Phil Zines scored twice, and Josh Melnick scored as well, but the RedHawks came up just short losing 3-4.
Power plays were once again prevalent with a combined 10 power play opportunities, but only two goals resulted from them this time around with each team scoring once.
Miami University has this weekend off and will resume play against the Colorado College Tigers next week.
UNO travels to Denver next week where they will take on the University of Denver Pioneers. The Mavericks haven’t beaten the Pioneers since 2015.
Points Leaders:
1. Henrik Borgström DU 31 2. Nick Halloran CC 30
2. David Pope UNO 30
