Ben Youds and Minnesota State earned a road sweep against No. 4 Bemidji State

There were three marquee series pitting ranked teams against each other in the WCHA last weekend - and all of them delivered riveting hockey. The most competitive of those matchups took place in Grand Forks in front of crowds greater than 11,500 each night and pitted third-ranked North Dakota against No. 11 Wisconsin. On Friday, the Fighting Sioux had a 30-22 edge in shots, but needed a third-period power-play goal from Danny Kristo to salvage a 3-3 draw. UND put 10 more shots on goal than the Badgers the next night, but Wisconsin scored three times with a man advantage en route to a 4-3 win.

WCHA leader and second-ranked Denver earned a road split against 12th-ranked Minnesota Duluth. On Friday, the Bulldogs had a 5-on-3 advantage for over a minute, down a goal late in the game, but couldn't net the equalizer, as DU went on to a 3-2 win. On Saturday, UMD was able to net three goals in the third period after the teams had battled to a draw through the first two, en route to a 6-3 triumph. Duluth's unrelated sophomore Connollys led the attack, with center Jack scoring twice and adding an assist, while winger Mike had three helpers.

No. 6 Colorado College and 17th-ranked St. Cloud State played an offensive showcase on Friday night that saw the teams combine to put 82 shots on goal. CC scored the game's first three goals, but St. Cloud would eventually rally and earn a 4-4 draw to extend the Tigers' winless streak to four games. But Colorado College would rite the ship on Saturday and earn a 4-1 win in the series finale.

The biggest upsets of the weekend both came in a series between a current WCHA member and a school that will join the league next season. Unranked Minnesota State hit the road and registered a sweep of fourth-ranked Bemidji State. On Friday, the Mavericks broke open a 1-1 game with four unanswered goals in the third period - including a pair from Jerad Stewart - for a 5-1 victory. The Beavers controlled the game on Saturday, finishing with a 31-14 advantage in shots, but Minnesota State was still able to pull out a 3-2 win over the Beavers - who came into the weekend with a record of 13-2-1.

Top-ranked Miami kept rolling in a home-and-home series with Ohio State. Junior forward Tommy Wingels notched four goals and an assist on Friday, and sophomore Cody Reichard stopped all 17 shots he faced in a 6-0 victory by the RedHawks - their third consecutive shutout. On Saturday, the Buckeyes held a two-goal advantage heading into the third period, but Miami would score four times in the final stanza for a 4-2 triumph.

Three ranked teams were able to salvage only splits in series against unranked squads over the weekend. No. 9 UMass Lowell beat Princeton 4-1 on Friday, but then lost 3-2 the next night. No. 16 Alaska edged Nebraska-Omaha by a 4-3 tally before falling 5-3 to the Mavericks. Elsewhere in the CCHA, Michigan topped 18th-ranked Notre Dame 4-1 on Friday before the Fighting Irish got a shutout from freshman Mike Johnson in a 2-0 decision on Sunday.

Most teams will now take a break from action for a few weeks, as there are only six games across the country (none of those involve any ranked teams) from now until the holiday tournaments kick off on Tuesday, Dec. 29. So for now - Happy Holidays, hockey fans!

Joe Colborne and Denver swept No. 2 North Dakota

The clash of the titans in Denver did not disappoint, but the third-ranked Pioneers were able to pull off a sweep of No. 2 North Dakota behind some outstanding goaltending from junior Marc Cheverie. On Friday, he made 34 saves and pitched his nation-leading fourth shutout of the season, while freshman forward Drew Shore provided the game's only score. North Dakota scored the first two goals on Saturday, but DU would rally thanks to a phenomenal effort from sophomore forward Joe Colborne. He scored twice early in the second and then provided the primary assist on a goal by junior forward Kyle Ostrow that would prove to be the game-winner. Colborne had several other chances and finished the game having put 11 shots on goal. UND had the apparent game-tying goal waived off with 43.9 seconds left in the game, and Denver held on for victory in a game where all five goals were scored with a man advantage. Both games drew capacity crowds of greater than 6,000.

Cheverie - a 2006 draft pick of the Florida Panthers - has been undisputedly the most-impressive goaltender in college hockey this season. He stands 7-0-0 and holds healthy leads among all DI players in both goals-against average (1.19; next best is 1.45) and save percentage (.961; next is .943).

The other series between ranked teams over the weekend saw 14th-ranked Notre Dame cool off one of the hottest teams in the country, No. 6 Michigan State. On Thursday, both defenses fluorished and the result was a 1-1 draw that eventually saw the Fighting Irish prevail in the shootout. The rivals - who played in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament in both 2007 and '08 - then faced off on Sunday in one of the venues that will host an NCAA regional this season, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. In that contest, MSU had a 28-16 advantage in shots, but Notre Dame posted a 4-1 victory that was highlighted by senior defenseman Kyle Lawson recording a pair of assists and finishing with a plus-4 rating.

Fifth-ranked Cornell had a big weekend of action and split its games against ranked squads. The Big Red scored the game's first four goals and eventually won by a 5-2 score over 19th-ranked Princeton on Friday. Senior Blake Gallagher (2-1) and junior Joe Devin (0-3) led Cornell offensively and both finished with plus-3 ratings, while senior Cam MacIntyre had both goals for the Tigers. On Saturday, No. 13 Quinnipiac took control early and survived a pair of late goals by Cornell to take a 3-2 road victory that would propel the Bobcats to a program-best national ranking of ninth this week. QU then stayed hot, scoring five times in the second period - including two markers from freshman defenseman Loren Barron - en route to a 5-1 victory against Princeton on Wednesday. It was Quinnipiac's seventh consecutive victory and gave the Tigers a four-game winless streak (0-3-1).

One team to top Princeton during that stretch was Colgate. On Saturday, the Tigers tied the game at 18:36 of the third, but junior forward Francois Brisebois netted his second goal of the game two minutes into overtime to give the Raiders a 5-4 victory. Princeton - which had won six in a row against Colgate - held a hefty 47-27 advantage in shots and got a pair of goals from Dan Bartlett. That propelled the Raiders into this week's national rankings at No. 20, but now-No. 7 Cornell scored twice in the final six minutes to earn a 4-2 win over Colgate on Tuesday night. CU, which was playing a (different) ranked team for the fourth consecutive game, took 10 more shots (30-20) than the Big Red.

Also on Tuesday, No. 10 Massachusetts trailed 18th-ranked Vermont 2-1 in the second before scoring five straight goals for a 6-2 win. Sophomore forward Casey Wellman had a hat trick, while junior forward James Marcou assisted on five of the UMass goals. On the same night, Providence upset UMass Lowell, which had moved up to No. 3 in this week's rankings, by a 4-2 score. Senior defenseman Mark Fayne led the Friars, setting up PC's first three goals and scoring its final tally to finish with a plus-2 rating.

Top-ranked Miami extended its unbeaten streak to eight in a weekend series at Western Michigan. On Friday, the RedHawks killed off all seven Western Michigan power plays, netted a pair of shorthanded goals, limited the Broncos to only 15 shots on goal and got a shutout from sophomore Cody Reichard in a 3-0 decision. The teams generated many more offensive opportunities on Saturday (73 combined shots, as opposed to 39 on Friday), but strong goaltending by both MU's Connor Knapp (29 saves) and WMU's Riley Gill (42 saves) had the game end in a 1-1 tie. Miami then took the shootout.

In another CCHA series, Northern Michigan put together a sweep of 12th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha. The Wildcats - which earned a win and a tie on the road agaisnt Notre Dame the previous weekend - got a pair of goals on Friday from sophomore forward Justin Florek en route to a 5-1 win. In the finale, the game was tied 3-3 in the third before NMU netted three straight to close out the scoring. Junior forward Mark Olver had two goals and an assist and was a plus-3.

No. 10 Alaska looked to be on its way to being swept, as well. The Nanooks lost 4-3 at Lake Superior on Friday and were down 2-0 heading into the final period the next night, but senior center Dion Knelsen scored twice in the third and junior defenseman Bryant Molle did so with 49 seconds left in OT to salvage a 3-2 win. Two other ranked teams also had to settle for splits over the weekend in conference action. No. 15 Wisconsin lost by a 4-1 score to St. Cloud State on Friday, but rebounded for a win by the same score the next evening. No. 16 Michigan lost 4-2 to Bowling Green before prevailing 4-1 in the series finale.

Drew Palmisano and Michigan State swept No. 6 Michigan last week and face No. 14 Notre Dame this weekend

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A stunning number of ranked teams finished last weekend the same way - with one win and one loss. In fact, there were just four ranked teams that posted wins in both of their games last weekend: No. 5 UMass Lowell, No. 10 Colorado College, No. 13 Michigan State and No. 20 Quinnipiac. The most-impressive, by far, of those sweeps was the one pulled off by the Spartans - who beat sixth-ranked Michigan 3-2 and 2-0 in a home-and-home series. MSU snapped a six-game losing streak against its archrival on Friday in front of a sellout crowd of 6,833 in Ann Arbor and then sophomore goaltender Drew Palmisano registered a shutout the next night at home in front of a capacity crowd of 7,009. It marked Michigan State's first weekend sweep of the Wolverines since the 1997-98 season.

The other series between ranked teams ended in a split. On Friday, No. 15 Vermont and 16th-ranked Boston College were tied at 1-1 in the first period before the Eagles exploded for six unanswered goals en route to a 7-1 victory. Sophomore forward Jimmy Hayes recorded four assists, and freshman defenseman Brian Dumoulin finished with a plus-3 rating to lead BC - which was outshot 31-19. The next night it was the Catamounts that got a victory despite being outshot, as BC had a 32-25 edge in shots but UVM won 3-2.

Heading into the weekend, there were still two Division I teams that had yet to be beaten - but both of them suffered defeats. The first came on Friday in a matchup of ECAC elites, as 12th-ranked Yale topped No. 3 Cornell by a 4-2 score. Junior forward Brendan Mason scored at 15:35 in the third to break a 2-2 deadlock, and the Bulldogs then added an empty-netter. That left No. 7 Bemidji State, at 7-0-1, as the lone unbeaten, and the Beavers were trying to accomplish something they had never done before: beat Minnesota. BSU scored first on Saturday, but the Gophers would respond with four straight goals for a 4-1 home victory in front of 10,198 fans. Bemidji finally broke through the following night, though, getting a pair of goals from sophomore forward Jamie McQueen in a 6-2 triumph over the Gophers - the first for BSU in eight all-time meetings.

The nation's top two teams both had difficulty in conference action. No. 1 Miami ran its unbeaten string to six, but tied and then lost in a shootout in both of its games against Ferris State. On Friday, Blair Riley scored with 23 seconds remaining in regulation to help the Bulldogs earn a 2-2 tie. The following night, the final was 1-1 before Ferris State finally prevailed in a shootout that went 11 rounds, a CCHA record. Ferris killed off all eight MU power plays in the series. Second-ranked North Dakota finished with a conventional split, first getting a pair of goals from David Toews in a 4-2 win over St. Cloud State, before losing 3-2 the next night despite holding a 49-28 advantage in shots. Both games in Grand Forks drew crowds of greater than 11,700.

Northern Michigan came into the weekend with a 2-5-1 mark on the season, but the Wildcats got a win and a tie (shootout loss) on the road against No. 8 Notre Dame. On Friday, the Fighting Irish outshot NMU 38-18, but Northern Michigan won 3-2. The Wildcats scored the game's first two goals the next night, but sophomore right wing Billy Maday scored twice to salvage a tie for the Fighting Irish.

There were five other ranked teams that split with unranked teams over the weekend. No. 9 Alaska lost 3-1 to Bowling Green on Friday, but came back for a 5-3 win the following day. Another CCHA squad, 11th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha, rode senior goaltender Jeremie Dupont in a 4-0 shutout of Lake Superior on Friday, but the Lakers struck back in a 3-1 decision in the series finale. No. 14 Massachusetts split with New Hampshire, winning 4-3 before falling 4-2. Also in Hockey East, 17th-ranked Boston University uas knocked off by Merrimack in a 6-3 decision, but came back for a 6-4 win. No. 18 Minnesota Duluth was edged 3-2 by Michigan Tech, but then made a statement with an 8-1 victory against the Huskies. Junior winger Justin Fontaine - who leads the nation in goal scoring, with 11 - had four goals and an assist in that game.

TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT
We are treated to a pair of big Thursday-night matchups between ranked teams this week. The team that leads Division I in victories (9) and boasts the nation's longest current unbeaten streak (6-0-1), No. 6 Michigan State, has a big home test tonight against 14th-ranked Notre Dame. The Spartans sit atop the CCHA standings and are the top scoring team in the league, while the Fighting Irish are one of just seven teams surrendering fewer than two goals per game this season (1.92). MSU features the CCHA's top scorer - junior forward Corey Tropp (9-7-16) - and the top-scoring defenseman - junior Jeff Petry (1-9-10) - while Notre Dame freshman goaltender Mike Johnson ranks fourth nationally in both goals-against average (1.61) and save percentage (.941). These teams - who will also play Sunday in Fort Wayne, Ind., at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, which will play host to an NCAA regional this season - have met twice recently in the NCAA tournament, with Michigan State prevailing 2-1 in the 2007 quarterfinals en route to claiming the national title and the Irish winning 3-1 in the same round the following year. ND has won three straight against MSU after the Spartans had been 8-1-1 in the previous 10 games in the series.

In a non-conference matchup, defending ECAC champion and ninth-ranked Yale will play host to the surprise early leader in Hockey East, No. 11 Massachusetts, in what will be the first meeting between these New England schools since 1997. It will match up two of the early national leaders in points per game, as UMass junior forward James Marcou leads Hockey East and is tied for sixth nationally at 1.56 (3-11-14 in 9 games) - while Yale junior Broc Little has eight points (5-3) in five games thus far to rank fifth in DI at 1.60.

TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
All Times Eastern
No. 11 Massachusetts at No. 9 Yale, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Notre Dame at No. 6 Michigan State, 7:05 p.m. - TV: Comcast | 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.

Adam Shemansky scored twice in Maine's upset of No. 10 Vermont

The marquee series of the weekend did not disappoint, as the teams favored to finish atop Hockey East this season - No. 4 Boston University and No. 9 UMass Lowell - both battled to road victories against each other. On Friday, BU sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky scored twice (including once on the penalty kill) and had a plus-3 rating to lead the Terriers, and junior blueliner Colby Cohen - who scored the overtime game-winner in last season's NCAA title game - came through with an OT goal to give BU a 5-4 win in front of 5,496 fans. The River Hawks struck back the next night in a 3-2 decision in Boston. Senior forward Paul Worthington had two assists for UML.

The Ivy League schools finally began their 2009-10 campaigns over this weekend - meaning that all 58 Division I teams have now played regular-season games. Two of the Ivies hooked up in a big early matchup on Saturday, and seventh-ranked Yale scored four times in the third to rally from a 2-1 deficit for a 5-2 victory on the road against No. 11 Princeton. Junior forward Denny Kearney had three assists and junior defenseman Mike Matczak finished with a plus-4 rating to lead the Bulldogs.

Top-ranked Miami continued to roll with a road sweep against Northern Michigan. The RedHawks scored the game's first four goals - including two tallies in 41 seconds by junior forward Justin Vaive - and held on for a 4-3 triumph on Friday. Sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard, now 5-0-1 on the season, then made 24 saves the following night to lead MU to a 2-1 win.

No. 2 Denver had to settle for three points in its home series with Minnesota State. The Pioneers got two goals and an assist from junior forward Jesse Martin in a 4-3 win on Friday. The next night, freshman forward Tyler Pitlick had a pair of goals for the Mavericks, and DU needed a late tally from junior forward Kyle Ostrow to earn a 4-4 draw. Both games drew crowds of greater than 5,300 fans.

The biggest upset of the weekend occurred on Friday in Orono, as Maine - which came into the game with a 1-5-0 record - posted a 4-1 home victory against 10th-ranked Vermont. The Black Bears scored three times on the power play - including two goals from freshman forward Adam Shemansky - and also got 31 saves from sophomore Scott Darling. The Catamounts took all three meetings with Maine last season.

Three ranked teams - No. 13 Boston College, 17th-ranked Massachusetts and No. 18 Quinnipiac - earned multiple-goal victories on Friday, but then were knocked off in the second game of the series. BC doubled Merrimack's shot toal (36-18) on Friday in a 4-3 win in its home opener, but the Warriors would strike back on home ice in a 5-3 decision. It ended a 20-game winless streak (0-16-4) against the Eagles for Merrimack - which beat BC for the first time since Feb. 15, 2003, and stands 5-0 at home this season. Merrimack junior forward Chris Barton scored his seventh goal of the season on Saturday - which puts him in a tie (with Justin Fontaine of Minnesota Duluth and Michigan State's Corey Tropp) for tops among DI players.

UMass got goals from five different players in a 5-3 road victory over Providence on Friday that gave the Minutemen their first 4-0-0 start in six years. But sophomore goaltender Alex Beaudry stole the series finale for the Friars, making a career-high 47 saves in PC's 2-1 win that saw UMass hold a 48-28 shot edge. It was the second win over a ranked team already this season for the Friars, who split a series at Notre Dame last month.

Quinnipiac dominated Robert Morris on Friday, as freshman goaltender Eric Hartzell led the Bobcats to a 5-0 victory. It would be a different story for the Colonials the next night, though, as Robert Morris got a school-record four goals from junior forward Nathan Longpre - as well as a program-record 58 saves from freshman goaltender Eric Levine in an 8-5 upset win. Quinnipiac outshot RMU 105-53 in the series, but could manage just a split.

Eighth-ranked Notre Dame and No. 12 Nebraska-Omaha both had to settle for a win and a tie in CCHA series. The Irish topped Ohio State 3-1 on Friday before tying 2-2 the next night. The Mavericks tied Bowling Green, 3-3, on Friday and won 3-1 over the Falcons the next night.

No. 14 Bemidji State came home with a road sweep to remain unbeaten (5-0-1), but it wasn't easy. The Beavers took a pair of 2-1 overtime decisions against Alabama-Huntsville. Junior forward Matt Read had three of BSU's four goals.

Minnesota's Jordan Schroeder

The second weekend of the regular season again will see most - but not all - of the nationally-ranked teams in action, as 14 of the top 20 will play. Here are some notes on the big matchups:

• It's the first weekend of league action for the WCHA, and we will be treated with a great matchup when No. 9 Minnesota heads to No. 4 North Dakota for games on Friday and Saturday (on Fox College Sports, FSN North and Fighting Sioux Sports Network). UND is the defending McNaughton Cup (WCHA regular-season) champion and was picked to finish second in the league this season, while the Gophers were picked to finish fourth.
• North Dakota has been successful against Minnesota of late, going 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings. Last season, the Sioux dominated in registering a sweep in the lone series between the squads. UND won 6-3 and 6-1 in Grand Forks.
• It will be a series with no shortage of talent on the ice, as these two teams boast a combined 34 players who have been selected in the NHL Draft. Minnesota has a roster of 26, with 19 of those players having been drafted (most among WCHA teams) - and North Dakota has 15 players who have been drafted (second in the WCHA).
• One of those players, Minnesota freshman Nick Leddy, will make his collegiate debut this weekend. Selected by the Wild as the 16th overall pick in this year's NHL Draft, he was Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award winner last season while helping Eden Prairie High School to a state title. Inside College Hockey tabbed Leddy as the top incoming freshman defenseman in the country.
• On Sunday, there will be another huge conference matchup between ranked teams, as No. 12 Boston College heads to No. 11 Vermont for a game televised by ESPNU in the first Hockey East contest of the season.
• Last season, BC beat UVM 3-2 at home early in the season, before the Catamounts got three points (3-3, 4-2) in a home series in January.
• Vermont split with then-No. 1 Denver last weekend and had an opportunity to get the sweep - having a two-goal lead heading into the third period on Friday before falling 5-4. It will be BC's season opener.
• Miami is now the unanimous top-ranked team in college hockey, but the RedHawks have a tough challenge this weekend. MU will play a two-game series at New Hampshire, which fell just outside of the rankings this week after being 16th last week.
• Denver - which slipped from the top spot to third this week - also has a tough road series ahead, as the Pioneers will play twice at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were ranked 17th last week, but fell out of the top 20 this week.
• The other two WCHA series this weekend also could be entertaining. Colorado College - which is listed 28th in this week's poll - will head to No. 13 Wisconsin for a pair of games, while two of the first five teams outside the Top 20 - Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State - will play twice in Duluth.
• Other matchups pitting a ranked team against one that is receiving votes include No. 2 Boston University at UMass (Friday), No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha at Colgate (Friday and Saturday), Rensselaer at No. 17 Alaska (Saturday) and Union at No. 19 St. Cloud State (Friday and Saturday).
• Four ranked teams - No. 2 Boston University, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 12 Boston College and No. 13 Wisconsin - will see their first regular-season action this weekend.
• Three ranked teams - No. 6 Cornell, No. 8 Yale and No. 10 Princeton - will not hit the ice until next weekend (for exhibition action) before beginning regular-season play over Halloween weekend.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top-20 and Television Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Thursday, October 15
No. 3 Denver at Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Providence at No. 7 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Friday, October 16
No. 1 Miami at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 Boston University at UMass, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha at Colgate, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Bentley at No. 20 Northeastern, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Michigan State at Maine, 7 p.m. - TV: WABI (Bangor) & CW (Portland) | Live Stats
No. 3 Denver at Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Providence at No. 7 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 9 Minnesota at No. 4 North Dakota, 7:37 p.m. - TV: FSSN & Fox College Sports & FSN | Live Stats
Colorado College at No. 13 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
Union at No. 19 St. Cloud State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
Robert Morris at No. 17 Alaska, 11:35 p.m. - TV: KFXF (airs 11 p.m. AT) | Live Stats
Saturday, October 17
Bentley at No. 18 Quinnipiac, 4 p.m.
Union at No. 19 St. Cloud State, 6:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
No. 1 Miami at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha at Colgate, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Michigan State at Maine, 7 p.m. - TV: WABI (Bangor) & CW (Portland) | Live Stats
Colorado College at No. 13 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
No. 9 Minnesota at No. 4 North Dakota, 8:07 p.m. - TV: FSSN & Fox College Sports & FSN | Live Stats
Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
Rensselaer at No. 17 Alaska, 10:35 p.m. - TV: KFXF (airs 11:30 p.m. AT) | Live Stats
Sunday, October 18
No. 12 Boston College at No. 11 Vermont, 5 p.m. - TV: ESPNU | Live Stats

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.