Bryan Hogan and Michigan beat Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
It was a tough weekend for the nation's top teams, as none of the top eight escaped last week with a pair of victories. Top-ranked Miami faced two of its stiffest tests of the season. On Friday, the RedHawks were shut out for the first two periods, but got a pair of goals from junior forward Carter Camper in the third to tie the score against sixth-ranked Bemidji State - only to see senior forward Chris McKelvie jam home a rebound goal with less than three minutes remaining to give the Beavers a 3-2 victory. Junior defenseman Ryan Adams was plus-3 for BSU.

The Beavers could not finish off their weekend prefectly, though, as Ohio State got an overtime goal from Kyle Reed on Saturday to take a 2-1 decision over Bemidji. Miami faced the host school, No. 4 North Dakota, of the Subway Holiday Classic that same night and needed a pair of goals in the third to salvage a 5-5 draw against the Fighting Sioux. Freshman forward Danny Kristo had a pair of goals and an assist for UND, and MU freshman Reilly Smith matched that output and also finished with a plus-3 rating. All four games in the event drew over 11,000 fans each.

Elsewhere in the top five, No. 2 Denver got a pair of goals from junior forward Jesse Martin on Friday in a 5-3 win over St. Cloud State, but junior forward Tony Mosey had two goals the next night to lead the Huskies to a 3-2 upset. After rising to third in the national poll, UMass Lowell was winless in a pair of games last week. The second was a 3-1 defeat at Maine on Friday that saw junior forward Tanner House score a pair of goals for the Black Bears (who, incidentally, beat St. Lawrence 10-1 on Saturday). Fifth-ranked Colorado College got a shutout from freshman Joe Howe in a 5-0 pounding of Alaska Anchorage on Friday that ran the Tigers' winning streak to six. But on Saturday, CC needed a goal in the final minute of regulation to force overtime, and UAA freshman center Daniel Naslund scored a rebound goal in the extra session to give the Seawolves a 3-2 triumph.

The College Hockey Showcase in East Lansing produced some good hockey between four perennial powers. In the end, eighth-ranked host Michigan State was beaten twice - and has now lost three straight (following an eight-game unbeaten streak) - while unranked Michigan was the only team with two wins. On Friday, Wisconsin sophomore forward had a goal and four assists to lead the 15th-ranked Badgers to a 7-3 triumph against the Spartans. Goaltending was the story the next night, as MSU's Drew Palmisano stopped 40 shots and Minnesota's Kent Patterson made 37 saves in the Gophers' 2-1 win. Bryan Hogan helped Michigan post a 6-0 shutout of Minnesota on Friday, and the Wolverines knocked off the Badgers by a 3-2 score in their second game.

In other matchups of ranked teams, ninth-ranked Quinnipiac topped No. 10 Massachusetts in overtime by a 5-4 score, as senior Brandon Wong scored at 18:50 in the third to tie it (after UMass used four straight goals to take the lead) and then potted the game-winner in the extra session. Also, 18th-ranked Vermont edged No. 11 Yale 1-0 on Monday in a defensive battle that saw UVM senior Mike Spillane notch the shutout.

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WHAT'S IN STORE
With just two weeks left until most teams take a holiday sabbatical, we have a truly outstanding slate of games on tap this weekend. In fact, there will be a total of 11 games between nationally-ranked squds, with four of those pitting top-10 teams against each other and all of the top-four schools facing stiff tests. The marquee series of the weekend will be a WCHA home-and-home between the conference's current co-leaders: No. 2 Denver and No. 6 Colorado College. They will play on Friday at 7:37 p.m. MT in Colorado Springs and on Saturday at 7:07 p.m. in Denver. Both games will be televised by FSN Rocky Mountain. CC has held the upper hand in the series of late, taking the Gold Pan trophy in each of the last three years - though last season three of the four games ended in ties. The Tigers are unbeaten in their last six (3-0-3) against DU.

There are some other intriguing matchups, as well. The two highest-scoring teams in the nation - No. 4 Quinnipiac (4.31 goals per game) and No. 10 Yale (4.10) - will play on Friday in New Haven, while the goaltenders who are No. 1 and 2 in Division I in goals-against average - freshman Mike Johnson (1.35) from No. 14 Notre Dame and top-ranked Miami's Cody Reichard (1.59) - will have their teams face each other for two. Below is a complete listing of the matchups of ranked teams.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Matchups Between Ranked Teams - All Times Eastern
Friday
No. 4 Quinnipiac at No. 10 Yale, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 15 Boston College at No. 9 Massachusetts, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 18 Nebraska-Omaha at No. 17 Ferris State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 1 Miami, 7:35 p.m. - TV: ONN/Comcast | Live Stats
No. 3 North Dakota at No. 12 Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
No. 2 Denver at No. 6 Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
Saturday
No. 18 Nebraska-Omaha at No. 17 Ferris State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 9 Massachusetts at No. 8 UMass Lowell, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 1 Miami, 7:05 p.m. - TV: ONN/Comcast | Live Stats
No. 3 North Dakota at No. 12 Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
No. 6 Colorado College at No. 2 Denver, 9:07 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats

Jarod Palmer and Miami won twice at Michigan

Top-ranked Miami made a strong case that it is the top team in college hockey early in this season with a road sweep of No. 4 Michigan. The RedHawks - now 8-1-1 on the season - got a pair of goals from senior forward Jarod Palmer on Friday in a 3-1 victory (though U-M had a 28-13 shot advantage) and then scored five straight after surrending the opening goal on Saturday to take a 5-1 win. Sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard It marked the first time that a visiting team came into Yost Ice Arena and left with two victories since Oct. 26-27, 2001, a span of 45 series. Crowds of greater than 6,700 took in both games.

The only team to have defeated MU this season - No. 17 Michigan State - also made a statement in a conference series, getting a win and a tie against 10th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha. Sophomore goaltender Drew Palmisano earned his first career shutout on Thursday in a 3-0 win for the Spartans. The Mavericks did bounce back the next night to register a 3-3 tie and then win the shootout on the fourth skater.

The other big clashes over the weekend all ended with no clear winner. On Friday night, No. 8 UMass Lowell and 15th-ranked Vermont battled to a 3-3 draw, though UVM had a 37-22 edge in shots. No. 9 Notre Dame dealt 13th-ranked Alaska its first defeat of the season on Friday in a 3-2 decision, but the Nanooks snapped their 11-game winless streak (0-10-1) against Notre Dame the next night in a 3-1 game that featured a pair of goals by junior forward Derek Klassen.

In the WCHA, No. 20 Minnesota Duluth battled to a 4-3 road win against 12th-ranked Colorado College on Friday despite being outshot by 12 (33-21). But the Tigers got two goals and an assist from senior left wing Bill Sweatt on Saturday en route to a 6-2 triumph that featured four power-play markers. Two traditional national powers also split their WCHA series, as No. 18 Wisconsin topped Minnesota 4-2 on Friday behind a pair of goals from Blake Geoffrion. The Gophers struck back the next night with a 5-2 victory despite being outshot 47-28. Zach Budish had two goals and an assist and a plus-3 rating and Tony Lucia finished as a plus-4 and also added three points (1-2).

Second-ranked Denver opened the weekend with a 3-2 victory at Alaska Anchorage that saw senior forward Rhett Rakhshani score twice, but the Seawolves would come back the next night with a 7-3 upset win. Sean Wiles had a pair of tallies for UAA.

After a big win to open the season, No. 6 Yale failed to get a victory last weekend. The Bulldogs lost 5-2 to Rensselaer on Friday (Chase Polacek had two goals and an assist for the Engineers) and then managed just a 3-3 draw at Union. Another team that had a disappointing weekend was seventh-ranked and defending NCAA champion Boston University. The Terriers were shut out by Northeastern's Chris Rawlings in a 1-0 game on Friday and then lost 3-2 at Maine on Sunday. BU now stands at 2-5. The other upset over the weekend was delivered by St. Lawrence, which beat No. 14 Princeton 5-2 on Saturday.

Denver's Marc Cheverie has notched three straight shutouts

Four of the top five teams tasted defeat last week, but the lone exception - No. 4 Denver - made quite the statement with a pair of 3-0 victories on the road against 11th-ranked Minnesota in front of over 9,700 fans on both nights. Junior goaltender Marc Cheverie was the brightest star and has established himself as one of the elite players of the first month. He made 30 saves in each game and now stands 4-0-0 on the season with a 1.00 goals-against average and a .966 save percentage to go with a current shutout streak of 203:19. Rhett Rakhshani scored a pair of goals on Friday and again on Saturday and finished with a plus-four rating for the weekend. Kyle Ostrow had two goals in the series finale, which gave George Gwozdecky his 500th career victory and marked the first time since 1930 that Minnesota was shut out in back-to-back games.

Defending NCAA champion and third-ranked Boston University earned its first victory of the season on Saturday, as Joe Pereira scored with 2:31 remaining to give the Terriers a 3-2 win over fifth-ranked Michigan. BU had dropped its first two games of the season, but held a 2-0 lead midway through the third before the Wolverines - who had a 35-22 edge in shots - scored twice to tie the score.

The other matchup of ranked opponents also was decided late, as Joe Whitney tallied the game-winner at 11:29 of the third to give 14th-ranked Boston College a 3-2 triumph over No. 9 Notre Dame and allow the Eagles to regain possession of the Lefty Smith-John "Snooks" Kelley Memorial Trophy. The game was a defensive struggle, as the squads combined to put just 38 shots on net (22 for Notre Dame and 16 for BC).

Both of the top two teams earned victories on Friday night before being upset on Saturday. No. 1 Miami got two goals from junior forward Tommy Wingels and 24 saves - including one on a penalty shot - from sophomore Cody Reichard in a 2-1 win over Michigan State on Friday. The following night, it was Andrew Rowe who scored in overtime to give Michigan State a 3-2 upset of the RedHawks. MU did hold a 37-22 shot advantage. North Dakota freshman goaltender Aaron Dell registered a shutout in his collegiate debut on Friday in a 5-0 win for the Fighting Sioux at Alaska Anchorage. But the Seawolves broke through the following night with a 2-1 victory that saw junior Bryce Christianson make 22 saves for UAA.

Merrimack notched an upset on Friday, topping No. 7 Vermont by a 5-2 score. The Warriors outshot the Catamounts 34-27 and got two points each from three players en route to winning their Hockey East opener for the first time in eight years.

In the WCHA, St. Cloud State got three points with a tie (3-3) and a win over 18th-ranked Minnesota Duluth. Both games drew crowds over 6,000. Meanwhile, No. 17 Wisconsin dominated Minnesota State on Friday in a 6-0 decision, but the Mavericks struck back with a 3-2 victory the next day. Brett Bennett posted the shutout for the Badgers on Friday, while Zach Harrison scored the game-winner at 12:22 in the third on Saturday.

Pat Cannone and Connor Knapp helped Miami to a 2-0 start

The first weekend of the regular season featured plenty of surprises and upsets. Of the 20 teams listed in the preseason USCHO/CBS College Sports rankings, 13 of them were in meaningful action over the weekend - and just two of those squads (No. 4 Miami and No. 6 North Dakota) would escape without tasting defeat. The teams in the lower portion of the rankings, in particular, struggled - as the bottom seven teams (ranked Nos. 14-20) combined for a 3-10-0 record, including 2-7-0 against unranked opponents.

Miami - which was the top-ranked team in the preseason USA Today/USA Hockey poll after barely falling short in last year's NCAA championship game - had one of the most-impressive weekends of any team, as the RedHawks earned a home sweep of 15th-ranked St. Cloud State. Junior All-America forward Carter Camper scored the game-winner in overtime in a 3-2 victory on Friday. The following night, it was sophomore Connor Knapp earning a shutout while junior forward Andy Miele had the primary assist on both of Miami's goals - scored 20 seconds apart early in the third in the 2-0 game.

The other marquee series of the weekend pitted No. 1 Denver against 14th-ranked Vermont, a Frozen Four participant last season. The offenses were in high gear, and the weekend ended in a split. UVM appeared to be on its way to spoiling the first game of DU's 60th anniversary season, holding a 4-2 lead after two periods on Friday. But the Pioneers got a quick power play goal and then saw sophomore forward Joe Colborne net two more - one on the power play and then the even-strength game-winner with just over two minutes remaining in regulation - to give DU a 5-4 triumph. Vermont would not make the same mistake on Saturday, as senior forward Brayden Irwin scored twice in leading the Catamounts to a 6-4 win.

No. 6 North Dakota dominated Merrimack en route to a home sweep (5-2 and 3-2). The Fighting Sioux outshot the Warriors by a 75-35 margin, and freshman Mike Cichy had an outstanding first collegiate weekend with a goal, two assists and a +4 rating. Both games drew more than 11,000 fans.

The CCHA saw two of its teams ranked among the top five suffer opening-night defeats before rebounding for decisive wins - while two other squads claimed tournament titles. On Friday, Alabama-Huntsville tied the game in the third period and sophomore forward Cody Campbell scored on a wraparound with just five seconds remaining in regulation to give the Chargers a 3-2 upset win at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish outshot UAH 51-14 the next night in a 3-1 win.

Sophomore goaltender Scott Greenham registered the first-ever shutout for Alaska in 45 all-time meetings with No. 3 Michigan on Friday in a 2-0 decision. The Nanooks then claimed the Kendall Hockey Classic title with a 5-1 win over Mercyhurst. Greenham - who stopped 43 of 44 shots and also had an assist - was tabbed the tournament MVP. Michigan posted a 6-1 win over Alaska Anchorage the next night.

Nebraska-Omaha claimed the title in its Icebreaker tournament. The Mavericks scored three third-period goals to beat Army 6-4 on opening night and then upset No. 11 UMass Lowell 4-3 in the championship game.

Quinnipiac finished off a road sweep of No. 17 Ohio State with a 3-1 victory on Friday despite getting outshot 25-6 in the opening period. Bemidji State also swept a ranked team, with 3-1 and 7-3 victories against 19th-ranked Air Force in the battle of the Serratore brothers.

Other noteworthy results included Rensselaer knocking off No. 16 New Hampshire 3-1, Northern Michigan topping 18th-ranked Minnesota Duluth by the same score and No. 20 Northeastern splitting (2-4 and 4-3) a series at Colorado College.

We got our first look at many teams over the last several days, even though they were only playing exhibition games. Still, let's take a look at some of the more noteworthy results since there will be no more action before the puck drops for the regular season on Thursday.

Alaska Anchorage began the exhibition season with a 9-0 victory over SAIT Polytechnic. The Seawolves found the net on 36% of their 25 shots and scored six power-play tallies. Jon Olthuis and Bryce Christianson combined in goal to give UAA the shutout.

Holy Cross and Northern Michigan both exploded offensively in their victories. The Crusaders scored seven times on the power play and got a hat trick from Rob Linsmayer in a 12-3 victory over Royal Military College. The Wildcats gave up the game's first goal, but then dominated the rest of the way in an 11-2 triumph over Ryerson. Kory Kaunisto netted a hat trick for NMU.

Brady Hjelle and Kenny Reiter combined for one of just three shutouts across the country, as Minnesota Duluth beat British Columbia 4-0. Three UMass Lowell goaltenders - Carter Hutton, Nevin and Michael Heffron - combined to blank Acadia in a 3-0 decision.

Denver - which is ranked No. 1 in the USCHO/CBS College Sports preseason poll (we'll take a closer look at the listing tomorrow) - took a three-goal lead against Calgary before giving up a pair of late markers in a 3-2 victory. Rhett Rakhshani had three assists for the Pioneers.

Five schools suffered exhibition defeats, and two more had to settle for ties. New Brunswick had a perfect weekend playing spoiler, first using three first-period goals en route to a 3-2 win over UMass on Saturday before scoring with 30 seconds remaining in overtime for a 3-2 upset of No. 14 Vermont on Sunday. Ohio State allowed the game-winner in the third period in a 3-2 loss to Western Ontario. Both Sacred Heart and Ferris State held huge shot advantages in their games, but end up losing. The Pioneers outshot St. Thomas 41-23, but fell 5-3, while the Bulldogs had a 56-26 edge in shots against Wilfred Laurier in a 3-1 defeat. On Saturday, Rensselaer scored twice late to salvage a 3-3 tie with PEI and defending NCAA champion Boston University tied 2-2 against St. Francis Xavier - though the Terriers had a 53-16 edge in shots and did not give up a goal while top goaltender Kieran Millan was between the pipes.

Jared Tuton and Alaska Anchorage play the exhibition opener tonight.

Hello everyone and welcome to the NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey blog! From now until the 2010 national champion is crowned in Detroit in April, I'll be providing previews of upcoming matchups, reviews of the biggest action, analysis and breakdowns of the rankings, as well as highlighting milestones and accomplishments and pointing out news and notes.

The exhibition season gets underway tonight at 7:07 p.m. AT, with Alaska Anchorage taking on SAIT Polytechnic in Wasilla. There are 18 more exhibition games scheduled tomorrow, plus 16 on Sunday and three on Monday. The first regular-season contests are set for next Thursday, as Ohio State plays host to Quinnipiac and Rensselaer travels to UMass.

Defending NCAA champion Boston University faces St. Francis Xavier on Saturday in the first of two exhibition games for the Terriers, who begin the regular season on Oct. 16 at Massachusetts. Among the early tests for BU will be home games against Notre Dame (Oct. 20) and Michigan (Oct. 24).

Last year's NCAA runner-up, Miami - which is ranked No. 1 in the preseason USA Today/USA Hockey poll - will play its only exhibition game on Saturday against Windsor before opening the regular season next weekend with two home games against 13th-ranked St. Cloud State. Among the other great matchups next weekend are a pair of games between No. 2 Denver and 15th-ranked Vermont.

Over the next few weeks, we'll take a look at the preseason national rankings, the preseason predictions in each conference, some offseason changes across the country, as well as a detailed look at which former collegians made NHL opening-day rosters. But for now, enjoy the first weekend of the return of college hockey ... even if they are just exhibition games.