College Hockey

Clutch N’ Crab Hockey Weekend Preview 018

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MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (16-17-7) vs. JAMESTOWN REBELS

It’s a revenge weekend for the Black Bears after going to Jamestown last weekend and getting swept. You’d also have to think they are also wanting to break their seven-game skid. Probably more frustrating is five of those seven losses have been by one-goal. With new faces in the line-up, the Black Bears are looking to make a seismic shift to their season going for a playoff push.

TEAM MARYLAND (18-18-3) vs. NEW JERSEY 87s

Another revenge game for a team at Piney Orchard, this one is Team Maryland– who lost to New Jersey a week ago at Piney Orchard 3-2. With plenty to stew about and knowing their opponents properly, TM will need to made a few adjustment and limit the shot total from New Jersey in order to reverse their fortune this week.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS MEN D3 (12-4-1) at KING’S COLLEGE, WILKES UNIVERSITY

After an underwhelming weekend, the Mustangs are looking to get back on the winning track with two games in the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton area. While they have beaten King’s this year, Wilkes gave the Mustangs their first defeat of the season, something I’m sure Dominick Dawes’ crew would want to get back in a big way. A key to that will be the consistency of the power play, which has gone 2-for-16 in their last three games.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS WOMEN D3 (7-7-2) at NAZARETH COLLEGE, UTICA COLLEGE

With a sweep last week, the Mustangs got back to the .500 mark as they head into the final month of the regular season. Consistency is going to be key for the Mustangs, as they try to put together their first three-game win streak since November.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN MEN D1 (13-6-3) at TOWSON UNIVERSITY, VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

In their penultimate weekend of the season, Navy will have their last in-state turn-up before the Crabpot at the end of the month with a team who hasn’t been as stellar as they hoped in Towson. Though, Navy’s road record pales in comparison to their home record, which could be an equalizer. However, they have beaten Villanova before the semester break– which could mean a tougher task for the Middies

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN MEN D2 (3-9-3) vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY, THE CITADEL

A big win to start the short semester, Navy’s D2 team has a big task in front of them with three-in-three against a very solid George Washington squad and two against D3’s The Citadel. With scoring sometimes at a premium for the Mids, they’ll need to rely heavy on a transition game against GWU, while The Citadel will try to strangle the Mids defensively.

TOWSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS MEN (3-22-2) vs. NAVAL ACADEMY, VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

The Tigers have only scored five goals in the last five games, which isn’t ideal when their goaltenders are getting pummeled with shots. Two tough tasks this weekend follow, which could make this season to forget even more forgettable– or they could play a spoiler for both these squads as we get to the end of the year.

TOWSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS WOMEN (1-10-0) vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

It’s been a rough year for the Tigers, but they’ll start off their second semester with the team they defeated in their first game of the year– which has been their only win in two years. Being well-rested will help, though there could be a little rink rust in the early going.

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GREYHOUNDS (6-4-0) vs. GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

With a tough OT loss at Villanova, the Greyhounds look to rebound and keep challenging the Terps for top spot of the DVCHC South Division. They’ll be taking on a team who has been winless this year, which could be a path back to the win column or a trap game against an underappreciated opponent.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TERRAPINS MEN (3-11-3) vs. LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

After a tough weekend in New Jersey to start the semester, the Terps face the #1 team in D2. With the absence of Chris Bouchard, Evan Yamaguchi was the only goal-scorer of last weekend. They’ll need a full effort from everyone on the roster in order to keep up with the top team in D2.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TERRAPINS WOMEN (9-5-0) at WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY

In their second to last game, the Terps will go to West Chester to get back on the right path while prepping for the playoff possibility. The biggest thing will be if the offensive continues to be as dominant as they have been in the first semester.

Clutch N’ Crab Hockey Weekend Preview 017

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MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (16-15-7) at JAMESTOWN REBELS

It’s a crucial weekend for the Black Bears, as they try to snap their five-game losing skid, as well as pick up important points against the Rebels, who they’ll play four times in the next two weekends. While the losses have been close ones, the chance is now for the Black Bears to turn up the heat and learn how they are at facing adversity. With new acquisition Jack Smiley in town, it’ll be interesting to see what dynamic be brings to the Black Bears line-up moving forward.

TEAM MARYLAND (18-17-3) vs. NEW JERSEY 87s

After two big wins against North Carolina, TM is back at it for a single game this week, trying to avenge a sweep they suffered in New Jersey in mid-December. They will be without the services of Jay de Ruiter, who will be representing the Netherlands as alternate captain in the Division II World Junior Championship in Korea. Playing against the top team in the Mid-Atlantic Conference will be a real test for TM as they look ahead for a playoff berth.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS D3 (12-3-0) vs. SUNY-FREDONIA

After a weekend sweep last week, the Mustangs look back in the right track and just below the top-ten in the national rankings. With Ryan Kenny being dominant in net as a freshman and the special teams being solid– 32.5% PP and 83% PK– the Mustangs and hoping to improve as they get to the last weeks of the season and hope to get into the National tournament.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS WOMEN (5-7-2) vs. WILKES COLLEGE, KING’S COLLEGE

It’s been a roller coaster season for the women of Stevenson, with not much consistency in their play all season. With a week of team-building and a weekend on the road; the women will look to get back on their winning side against a team in King’s that they’ve handily beat earlier this year and Wilkes, whom they are facing for the first time.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS CLUB (10-11-0) vs. ????

While I don’t know the logo of the college they’re playing, the Mustangs club team will be honoring their first team, as the seniors are being honored this weekend. As they’ve seen the team grow, they’ve seen the growth of the team culminate in their final year. As the team starts to really roll in the end, they hope to end it for a high note for their fans and as they roll into the playoffs.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN D1 (12-5-3) vs. TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, at DREXEL UNIVERSITY

After a sweep of the weekend, the Middies look to continue to pad their lead in the ECHA standings in hopes of putting themselves in a great position for the playoffs. With the combo of Joe Kelly and Conner Hyden clicking so far after the semester break, Navy is hoping they can keep the balanced attack going as they start the home-stretch of the season.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN D2 (2-8-0) vs. ST. JOSEPH UNIVERSITY

It is not the year the D2 Middies have hoped for, but they can still save face in the last few games of the year. Kevin Harris has been great on the offensive side of the puck, though the defense has kind of left Skippy Sheldon out in the lurch for the better part of the season.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN WOMEN (10-5-1) vs. LIBERTY UNIVERSITY, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY

With a big sweep last week, the Midshipwomen will take on two big tasks in three games. Liberty is one of the top teams int he ACHA, while Michigan State took them to the limit in Navy’s trip up north earlier in the year. Maggie Madigan, Devin Marshall, and Rose Gasper will need to really be on their two-way game to be successful this weekend.

TOWSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS (3-19-1) vs. UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH, at WILLIAM PATERSON UNIVERSITY

Going one for three last week wasn’t bad for the Tigers, who have had a less than stellar season. Jacob Snyder was a stud facing over 150 shots in the three games and got quite the workout in. With two tough tasks ahead of them, the biggest thing is survival and saving face as the season stgarts to wind down.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TERRAPINS (3-9-2) at COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY, RIDER UNIVERSITY

With Chris Bouchard gone, the weight of the scoring will fall to Liam Eden for the Terps. While there’s only a few games remaining, the task at hand will be to let get some momentum at the end of the season and see who takes over the reigns as the offensive dynamo going into next season.

UNIVERSITY OF LOYOLA-MARYLAND WOMEN (7-2-0) at VILLANOVA UNIVERSITY

In their first games back, the Greyhounds will look to build off the first half success, especially with the four-game win streak they are on. With only one game in the weekend, they should be able to push themselves hard enough to get back into game speed, but also adapt to the play of ‘Nova as the game goes on.

CLUTCH N’ CRAB HOCKEY WEEKEND PREVIEW 016

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MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (16-14-6) at JOHNSTOWN TOMAHAWKS

It’s a crunch-time weekend for the Black Bears. While they do sit comfortably in fourth in the East Division, losses in their last three isn’t something they want to have as we’re in the second half of the season. Granted, they did muster some points in those games, but losses are losses. Heading into a rivalry weekend, you’d have to think head coach Clint Mylymok has this team motivation to get a road win or two and help their playoff push a little more.

TEAM MARYLAND (16-17-3) vs. NORTH CAROLINA GOLDEN BEARS

As they try to right the ship fully, Team Maryland is looking to have a strong run to the playoffs against the bottom team in the Mid-Atlantic Conference. After a decent showing at the last Showcase, TM will have home-ice the rest of the regular season– which should be a help mentally in order to not have to worry too much about traveling the rest of the way. Now it’s a matter of keeping the puck out of the net, which has been a bit of a problem, even in the wins.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS MEN D3 (10-3-0) at LEBANON VALLEY COLLEGE, ELMIRA COLLEGE

While it’s still early, the Mustangs are facing some adversity. After an eight-game win streak, Stevenson has dropped their last two and go on the road hoping to change their fortune. It’s going to test the guile of freshman Ryan Kenny, who has been stellar in his breakout season otherwise. Luke Benitez has been tremendous in his sophomore season, using his size in front of the net and along the boards to create space for himself.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS WOMEN D3 (5-5-2) at ELMIRA COLLEGE, WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGE

With a big win in their 2020 opener, the Mustangs have had a bit of a hiccup after a quick start to the season. The well-rounded nature of this team has been taking form and should help carry this team further. As Nikki Kendrick and Annie Smyth-Hammond leading the way, it’ll be a good example for the rest of the young squad for the rest of the season.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS CLUB (8-11-0) vs. UNIVERSITY OF SCRANTON, DREXEL UNIVERSITY

Back somewhat healthy, the Mustangs club side got off to a solid start– even in a loss– to Delaware. With only six games left, the Mustangs will need to dig deep to get a winning season and go strong into the Crabpot Tournament and the playoffs for them. With a couple weeks left, the Mustangs and go all out this weekend at home and then rest up for a time after that.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN MEN D1 (10-5-1-2) at TEMPLE UNIVERSITY, PSU-BERKS

After an almost two month layoff, the Middies are back in action on the road. It’ll be interesting to see how this team plays very rested up, but possibly with some rust in game-play situations. Hopefully the rest will help their road play, as they are just above .500 and have scored 14 less goals on the road than at home.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN WOMEN (8-5-1) vs UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH

Another Navy team with a long layoff, but the ladies are back at McMullen looking to get on the winning trail. With a few games left, all at home, the women will bare down as they go in to the College Hockey East playoff role and will inevitably face Liberty at some point if they want to win a title.

TOWSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS MEN (3-17-1) vs. DUQUESNE UNIVERSITY, INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

The Tigers will try to salvage an otherwise disappointing season as they’ll play at home most of the rest of the schedule. While Jacob Snyder’s .914 save percentage has been impressive for a team that gives up an average of 4.95 goals a game. The lack of offense– with the exception of Ryan Dieter, Matt Barilla, and Costa Pizanis– really has hampered the team and hopefully will be adjusted in the second half for momentum to next year.

Ottawa, North Dakota, and Going Pro

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The Ottawa Senators seemingly trust the process that the University of North Dakota has with prospects. They’ve selected three in the NHL Draft that were committed to the school in the past two drafts– Jacob Bernard-Docker, Jonny Tychonick, and Shane Pinto. The question is now will they let those players see the process develop for more than half their term there.

A report out of the area had said the Senators were pushing hard to help the OHL’s Ottawa 67s gain the rights to Pinto in order to sign him to an entry-level deal; thus taking the freshman forward out of the UND pipeline. This comes after Pinto had an impressive World Junior tournament with four goals and seven points in five games for the US squad. After Saturday’s game, however, Pinto vehemently denied anything of the sort ever happening; proving the Ottawa media wants to get people to hope that he’d come to speed up the rebuild process.

While there hasn’t been a lot of noise made about Bernard-Docker, you’d have to think that Ottawa would want him to leave school after this season, considering his low-key breakout at the same World Juniors, playing more than any other Canadian during the tournament. Though, there might be a double-standard with bringing a defenseman out early and how much it takes for them to truly adjust to the professional game.

Ottawa is a rebuilding team and while they may like the way that UND is able to produce NHL, they probably also want to really get the players as their blossoming in their career. The Pinto situation seems familiar to the Tyson Jost/Avalanche situation, with Jost leaving after his freshman season at UND, with many saying Colorado was pretty adamant about Jost leaving after one college season. Though, Brock Boeser left after two seasons and did pretty good for himself by doing so, even though injuries have hampered both Jost and Boeser.

I’m all for these players going for the money if they feel it’ll be the most lucrative for them in the long-run. The goal for them is pro hockey and if they can reach it sooner and if the team wants them sooner– more power to them. The only hurdle is to make sure that they are, in fact, ready to make that jump. There’s cases for leaving too early and leaving too late, so it’s really a case-by-case basis.

North Dakota also doesn’t want to be looked at as a one-and-done kind of school and probably while it’s nice for them to have that aura of being a great developmental point for possible NHLers, it’s not the way they would want to be viewed overall if they only have talented youngsters for one or two years before they go off elsewhere and then UND gets behind because a player they thought they could build around for four years is only there half that time.

Sure, it’s the nature of college hockey and could happen with players who aren’t drafted, also; but in those cases– you’re getting three seasons from them and could actually have their replacement ready to go and a plan in place for it. In the day in age where the NHL is a younger players’ game with speed and skill, the college kids will definitely have a harder time wanting to stay if the idea of making a good amount of money without the schooling aspect is at their fingertips.

At the end of the day, each drafted college player is a case-by-case study of what they’re going to do. Some stick the whole four years, some leave after one, and some don’t make it to one year before moving to major junior; you can never know what could happen with each player.

Clutch N’ Crab Hockey Weekend Preview 015

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MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (15-13-4) vs. NORTHEAST GENERALS

Riding a five-game winning streak and coming off a weekend break, the Black Bears hit the ice at The Den for the start of 2020. The Black Bears have been playing solid hockey, outscoring opponents 21-5 during the winning streak. This all while dealing with the departure of leading scorer Wilmer Skoog to Boston University. However, the departure of Skoog is probably going to be the turning point that brings the team together more. The entire team has come together to be better than before, with Jackson Sterrett and Brayden Stannard starting to emerge offensively for the team. However, in the previous meeting this season with the Generals, the Black Bears lost a three-game set two game to one in Northeast, with the two losses being one-goal affairs. With a new attitude, we can expect the best from this team trying to stay one of the hottest teams in the NAHL.

TEAM MARYLAND (14-15-3) at PHILADELPHIA LITTLE FLYERS

A difficult end of 2019 and going winless in December is something that Team Maryland hopes to resolve in their first game of the new calendar year. Hampered with a seven-game losing streak, the team looks to use the two-week break they had to regroup and get more mentally rested going into the final weeks of the schedule. With Denys Arkhypenko coming back after a five-point performance at the World Juniors Division 1-B tournament, the offense should have an added kick in their game this weekend against the Little Flyers.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS D3 (9-1-0) vs. CHATHAM UNIVERSITY

One of the hottest teams in D3 hockey right now, Stevenson looks to add another win to their seven-game win streak this weekend in a one-off against Chatham. Getting into the USCHO rankings for the first time in team history, the #12 Mustangs are trying not to let the almost month off hurt them too much. Their +25 goal differential overall is tops amongst other UCHC teams overalls, while in-league, they are a +7, which is second in the conference. This is wilder given that leading scorer Dominic Brenza is 41st in UCHC overall scoring, showing how spread around the puck has been. Freshman goalie Ryan Kenny has been stellar with 1.84 GAA in his six starts– all wins– and has two shutouts in his six games.

Clutch N’ Crab Weekend Preview 013

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MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (10-13-4) at MAINE NORDIQUES

It was a rough weekend last weekend for the Black Bears, as bad breaks and untimely turnovers haunted them against Jamestown. However, they’re meeting the Nordiques for the first time in franchise history, so it should be a hoot– especially for a three-game weekend such as this one. If the Black Bears are going to be successful is to find a way to convert on those scoring chances, especially since Maine has given up the most goals in the East Division. Conspicuous by the absence of one of the league’s top scorers on their roster, Maryland will need to band together moreso than usual in order to get back on a consistent winning track.

TEAM MARYLAND (14-13-2) at NEW YORK APPLECORE

A bit of a downspell for TM, who are coming off another couple of losses at this latest Showcase this week, but after a four-game win streak, they’re hit with a four-game losing streak. With only three games before the year-end break, TM needs to find some kind of extra gear to end 2019. They’ll have to do it without Denys Arkhypenko, who is representing Ukraine in the World Junior Division 1B tournament going on in Kyiv. TM will finish out their calendar year with two more games in New Jersey Wednesday and Thursday, as well.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS ACHA (7-8-0) at ROWAN UNIVERSITY

After a quick start to the season, the Green Horses have kind of simmered down, though the trip to Europe may have been a good thing and maybe a bad thing for last week and the lag that comes with it. That said, they have a chance to finish out strong with a battle against an undefeated Rowan team, hoping to pin them with their first loss. One of the biggest attributes for the Mustangs is their ability to score with a various amount of players with 13 players having a goal and six having five or more. The biggest thing would be keeping it out of the goal, as the team doesn’t have a goalie with under a 4.00 GAA, though Pierce Dushenko has come up huge for this team in key moments this season.

Maybe Liberty University Can Make the Jump to NCAA D1 Hockey

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Photo via Liberty.edu

When I had time this weekend, I was able to check out some ACHA hockey between Stevenson University and Liberty University at Liberty’s rink in Lynchburg, Virginia. The rink they had, the production they had, and the support the teams have are amazing. It makes you think that if their close to 4,000-seat arena would be suited to make a jump to the NCAA level– most likely on the D1 stage.

A bit of history on Liberty’s club team– they started in 1985 and actually house five club teams, the only school in the ACHA to do so. They have a D1, D2, and D3 men’s team, while they also have D1 and D2 teams for the women’s side. All five teams have winning records this season, with the D1 and D2 men being ranked in the top-six, while both women’s teams are ranked 1st in the nation, with the D1 side being back-to-back National Champions. While it is club hockey, those numbers shouldn’t be one to scoff at regardless of the level of play.

The school is very well funded. With an endowment of $1.43B– which ranks in the top 100 of universities in North America, there’s plenty of money to be able bring their men’s D1 and women’s D1 to the big stage of the NCAA hockey and be somewhat successful. One of the big hiccups would be trying to get top recruits to get accepted to the school, as well as having them be able to adhere to the code that the school has for its students, much akin to what Brigham Young University has.

Of course, the biggest question is where they would play at, as Lynchburg isn’t all that close to many places that already play. Robert Morris and Penn State would probably be the closest rivals. You’d have to think that with the Alaska teams in trouble and the WCHA apparently falling apart in slow motion, it’d be perfect for Atlantic Hockey to pick up Liberty and maybe even Alabama-Huntsville. That’s if they want to take that risk and move their footprint down the coast and over to the South. That said, friggin’ Air Force is in Atlantic Hockey, so why wouldn’t they want to take the chance?? Not only that, but Liberty would fit right in, as nine of the 11 teams in the conference are private schools.

On the women’s side, they’d probably be able to slide into College Hockey America, with Penn State and Robert Morris being the closest rivals, as well as having Lindenwood University in Missouri being a little outlier for them. Since it is a women’s only conference– it would be a good fit for the Lady Flames to side into should they want to make the jump.

It would be another step for club teams to move up to D1, with Penn State and Arizona State making those jumps in the last decade. It’s a school that would draw a lot of eyes from an area that NCAA hockey doesn’t have a foothold in already, while also maybe counteracting things that could happen should teams have to fold into itself due to budget cuts.

The money is there, the groundwork for success is there, the arena is there– all it needs is to actually make the jump and move forward with it. Might it be an odd choice to take a team from Southwest Central Virginia into the D1 fold?? Sure, as purist would call it a non-traditional market. Yet, at the same time– the exposure top-tier college hockey to that area could create more youth hockey players in the area who want to aspire to play that level, thus helping the future crop grow for the rest of the NCAA.

Clutch N’ Crab Hockey Weekend Preview 012

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MEN’S SIDE

MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (10-11-4) vs. JAMESTOWN REBELS

It’ll be a big weekend for the Black Bears both on and off the ice, as the Teddy Bear Toss is on Friday with the Military Appreciation Night on Saturday. Even with the pomp and circumstance, the Black Bears need to look at taking four points this weekend after coming up short last weekend. With third through seventh in the division only separated by seven points, every point matters and the Black Bears know that they should bank up all the points they can for a possible rainy day down the line.

TEAM MARYLAND (14-9-2) at PHILADELPHIA REVOLUTION

After a weekend off, Team Maryland is back at it again; carrying a four-game winning streak into this weekend with the Revolution. TM will look to avenge a sweep at the Revolution from earlier in the season. With the team growing each game and maturing as a group, it’ll be easy for TM to get even with the Revolution from what happened earlier in the season.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS MEN’S D3 (7-1-0)vs. UTICA COLLEGE, NAZARETH COLLEGE

Riding a five-game winning streak, the Mustangs are looking to close out their semester with only having lost one. Having scored five or more goals in the last four games, the Mustangs have the fire power and have been fairly solid defensively, less last weekend’s hiccup against St. Norbert where they gave up five goals in the the win. A well-balanced team will hopefully keep the Mustangs rolling along.

TOWSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS MEN (2-15-1) vs. GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY, at PSU-BERKS

It hasn’t been the best start to the season for Towson, but this weekend could be interesting considering they’re (according to the ACHA website) are taking on a D3 team in George Mason and a team in PSU-Berks that has had a rough a season as they have. If they can end the year on a high note, it’ll do wonder for confidence going into the second half of the season and hopefully beyond.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS CLUB (7-7-0) at LIBERTY UNIVERSITY

After a successful trip to Europe, the Mustangs will head down to another tough task in playing Liberty. With Liberty being a top team in the D2 side, you can bet that the experience and chemistry the Mustangs developed in Europe will need to be carried over on the road and against the task in front of them. Dealing with pros in Europe should harden up the team in the long-run and hopefully push them through the rest of the way.

NAVAL ACADEMY MIDSHIPMEN (2-9-0) vs. GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY, ROWAN UNIVERSITY

After what felt like an eternity, the D2 Middies are back in action to end their semester at home. While it has been a rough ride, the Mids do have plenty of pride to play for and should have gotten enough rest between games to make sure they are crisp and ready for the last two games before another long break.

WOMEN’S SIDE

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS D3 WOMEN’S (4-3-2) vs. ENDICOTT COLLEGE

A tough break in the Codfish Bowl championship game last week may make the Mustangs out for some revenge on the Endicott team this weekend. As this team comes together more and more, the Mustangs look to get a very solid showing offensively, while they rely heavily on their goaltending to bail out some so-so defensive issues. While they should be able to be fixed easily, Annie Smyth-Hammond and Annika Carlander have been stellar in those small lapses.

LOYOLA UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND GREYHOUNDS (6-3-0) at WEST VIRGINIA UNIVERSITY

With a solid showing in the DVCHC Showcase, the Greyhounds are looking forward to a big series in West Virginia. Loyola only has six games left, including this weekend set– which means they’ll need every win possible and could have a good chance of being in every game from this point onward. It’s just a matter of keeping it close when needed and hoping it doesn’t blow up going the other way.

UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND TERRAPINS (9-4-0) at UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE

They have not played well away from home, but the Terps will need to get this win because they only have three games remaining including this one. With a lot of points banked up early, they should be in a good spot for the South Division of the DVCHC, but they will have Loyola on their tails and the Greyhounds have games in hand. Every win will matter, especially with almost two months off.

TOWSON UNIVERSITY TIGERS (1-9-0) vs. UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

Towson is in the same spot as Maryland with only three games remaining and a month off after this game. However, Towson hasn’t been all that great, but it’s a growing team. They got their first win in years, they’ve got a solid crop of players in their line-up, and they’re out there giving their heart even in lopsided games as they’ve had this year. Gotta respect that.

Clutch N’ Crab Hockey Weekend Preview 011

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MARYLAND BLACK BEARS (9-10-4) vs. NEW JERSEY TITANS

After two heartbreaking overtime losses, the Black Bears meet a familiar foe in New Jersey, who they took on just two weekends ago. Though splitting the weekend in New Jersey was okay, the fact remains they want to get all four points, especially as tight as the East Division is currently. One of the biggest points that need to be addressed should be a little bit better on the defensive end of things and giving the goalies some support in the zone.

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS D3 MEN (5-1-0) vs. ST. NORBERT COLLEGE and LAWRENCE UNIVERSITY

Currently on a three-game win streak, the Mustangs have been solid on both sides of the puck. The Mustangs have given up only 1.5 goals-per-game this season, while scoring 4.17; albeit in a small sample size. Half the games, the Mustangs have potted five or more goals, while their power play is working at a 31.5% clip– as well as accounting for almost half of their goals this year (12 PPG on 25 goal for the season).

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY MUSTANGS D3 WOMEN (4-2-1) at BOWDOIN COLLEGE and U-MASS BOSTON or WILLIAMS COLLEGE

Much like the men, the Stevenson women are on the three-game win streak as they go into the 13th Annual Codfish Bowl this weekend. Despite only scoring five goals in their first four games, the Mustangs have opened that up a bit, potting 13 goals in their last three games. Even though they have a somewhat younger team, they have bought into head coach Tori Emoff’s plan; which has show in this early season success.

UND HOCKEY: OT Win Gives UND Another Home Sweep

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Photo by Kelsey Lee/Violet Turtle Photography

GRAND FORKS, ND– In a very calculated game that didn’t yield too much offense, the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks got the overtime victory against St. Cloud State to sweep the weekend and finish the home portion of the first semester undefeated at 9-0-0. 

Most of the first period was played in the neutral ice with only 10 shots between both sides being shown in first frame. An errant turnover behind the net with 6:40 left in the first allowed Jack Ahcan to beat Adam Scheel and put the Huskies up first. The Fighting Hawks had a couple of chances, none that were too high of a threat to David Hrenak. 

The second started with a feeling out process before St. Cloud got into penalty trouble, including Kevin Fitzgerald getting a five minute major and game misconduct for hitting from behind. Most of that major, however, was negated by a Shane Pinto hooking call. Jacob Bernard-Docker finally got the Hawks on the power play, ripping one high blocker side on Hrenak to tie the game eight minutes into the second frame. While St. Cloud did get into more penalty trouble, the Hawks couldn’t find the right shot; opting to pass it around the zone in hopes to find a shot on goal. 

The third period was more of a chess match, with both teams only mustering seven shots total– UND with six, St. Cloud with one– and totalling 28 (UND 18-10) for the 60 minutes of regulation. More of the same in OT until Jordan Kawaguchi redirected a Matt Kiersted shot to end it in OT and give UND the weekend sweep. The win also marked head coach Brad Berry’s 100th with the Fighting Hawks. 

“Here in North Dakota, our culture and mentality isn’t about one guy,” mentioned Berry post game. “Very privlidged to be apart of 100 wins, but it’s the assistant coaches that spend hours in the Ralph Engelstad Arena, countless hours recruiting, it’s about the players and staff digging in each and every day to be part of something special.”

THEY SAID IT

“Everybody is like, ‘We’re back’– I don’t think we left. Last year we had trouble scoring goals. We haven’t change the way we played here in five years and now we’re starting to get some goal production from some guys and you know– that’s a big deal. So, I don’t think it’s a big surprise and I don’t ever think we were gone and I don’t think we’re back. We’re a good team that’s going to keep building.”– Berry on the hype about North Dakota’s quick start to the season. 

“We’re obviously rolling right now. We’re going to enjoy these wins, but I think at the same time– we’ve got to keep building. We haven’t accomplished anything yet at the end of the day. So we gotta keep getting better everyday and get back to work here on Monday.” — Bernard-Docker on the start of the season, but what needs to still be done.

“After the last two years, we’ve come in and missed the tournament two years in a row. I guess we’re the first class to do that in a long time. We kind of went into the summer and said, ‘Hey, it’s not going to be like that this year.’ We’re motivated, more than ever. We want to win.” — Kawaguchi on the junior class taking a big step this season.