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

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.

Eric Gryba and BU will look for their first win of the season against No. 5 Michigan

• Again, we'll have 14 of the Top 20 teams in action this weekend - though this is the first time that all of the top five will be playing meaningful games in the same weekend.
• No one has a tougher start to the season this year than No. 11 Minnesota. The Gophers hit the road to begin the 2009-10 campaign last weekend against then-No. 4 North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux got a win and a tie in that series and have moved up to No. 2. This week, Minnesota plays host to fourth-ranked Denver - which began the season as the nation's top-ranked team.
• The teams met twice in Denver last season, with the Gophers winning the first matchup by a 5-2 score and the Pioneers rebounding for a 4-0 triumph the next night. That ended Minnesota's 11-game unbeaten streak to begin the season.
• Denver - which begins league action as the preseason conference favorite after splitting series with Vermont and Ohio State over the last two weekends - is 3-1-1 in its last five against Minnesota.
• Defending NCAA champion and third-ranked Boston University is off to a rough start. The Terriers - preseason favorites in Hockey East - opened the season with a 3-2 defeat against UMass (picked to finish seventh in the league) and then were shut out for the first time in nearly three years on Tuesday in a 3-0 loss at home against ninth-ranked Notre Dame. It doesn't get any easier for BU this weekend, as No. 5 Michigan visits Agganis Arena.
• Ninth-ranked Notre Dame also has another challenge left this week, as the Fighting Irish will play host to No. 14 Boston College on Friday. ND has won four of the last five meetings between the schools, but BC took the most meaningful - a 4-1 decision in the 2008 NCAA championship game.
• Top-ranked Miami begins CCHA action with a home series against Michigan State. The RedHawks have won six of their last eight against MSU, a stretch that followed a five-game winning streak for the Spartans.
• Michigan State junior forward Corey Tropp shares the early national lead in scoring with nine points (5-4). Meanwhile, MSU junior Jeff Petry is tied for the most points for a defenseman, with six (1-5), and Derek Grant leads all freshmen in scoring with seven points (2-5).
• No. 18 Minnesota Duluth - which is atop the WCHA standings with a 2-0-0 league mark - boasts the other two players who share the DI lead in scoring: junior winger Justin Fontaine (6-3) and sophomore center Jack Connolly (4-5). Fontaine leads the nation in goals. The Bulldogs head to St. Cloud State for a pair this weekend.
• One of the more interesting non-conference series of the weekend sees 16th-ranked Bemidji State head to Northern Michigan. The Beavers reached the Frozen Four last season and began this campaign with a pair of wins over defending AHA champion Air Force, while Northern Michigan is receiving votes in the poll after handing Minnesota Duluth a defeat in the Superior Cup two weeks ago.
• Northeastern - which was ranked in the preseason but now finds itself just outside of the Top 20 - has a big weekend away from home ahead. The Huskies will head to New Hampshire - another team receiving votes in the poll - on Friday, before challenging 13th-ranked UMass Lowell the following day.
• The other CCHA series this weekend pits a pair of teams that are receiving votes in this week's poll, as Lake Superior - riding a three-game winning streak - plays host to Ohio State on Friday and Saturday.
• The highest-ranked team yet to play a regular-season game, sixth-ranked Cornell, will hit the ice for the first time this weekend. The Big Red has exhibition contests against the University of Windsor (Friday) and the U.S. Under-18 Team (Saturday).

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top 20 and Television Schedule
Thursday, October 22
Niagara at No. 5 Michigan, 7:35 p.m. - TV: NSN & FCS | Free Video | Live Stats
Friday, October 23
No. 7 Vermont at Merrimack, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Colgate at No. 13 UMass Lowell, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Northeastern at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - TV: NESN | Live Stats
Michigan State at No. 1 Miami, 7:05 p.m. - TV: ONN | Live Stats
No. 16 Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Boston College at No. 9 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 4 Denver at No. 11 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
No. 18 Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
No. 17 Wisconsin at Minnesota State, 8:37 p.m. - TV: Charter Media Channel 14 (Mankato) | Live Stats
Michigan Tech at No. 19 Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 North Dakota at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. - TV: FSSN & GCI | Free Video | Live Stats
Saturday, October 24
Northeastern at No. 13 UMass Lowell, 5 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 5 Michigan at No. 3 Boston University, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 4 Denver at No. 11 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN (delay) | Live Stats
Michigan State at No. 1 Miami, 8:05 p.m. - TV: ONN & Comcast | Live Stats
No. 17 Wisconsin at Minnesota State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Media Channel 14 (Mankato) | Live Stats
No. 18 Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 8:37 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
Michigan Tech at No. 19 Colorado College, 9:07 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 North Dakota at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. - TV: FSSN & GCI | Free Video | 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.

Eric Lampe and Quinnipiac began the season with an upset win

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Highlights from Last Night
Quinnipiac - which was chosen to finish eighth in the conference by ECAC coaches (and 11th by the media) - made a big opening-night statement, scoring three times in the third to rally for a 4-2 road upset of No. 17 Ohio State. Senior forward Eric Lampe had a pair of goals for the Bobcats. In the other Thursday game, sophomore defenseman Matt Irwin scored twice and junior forward James Marcou added four assists as UMass beat Rensselaer 5-2.

WEEKEND PREVIEW
A Look at the Biggest Matchups
• Thirteen of the 20 teams in the USCHO/CBS College Sports rankings begin regular-season play this weekend, including five of the top six (No. 3 Boston University has an exhibition game on Saturday before playing its opener next Friday).
• A pair of top-five teams will face big challenges immediately, as top-ranked Denver welcomes No. 14 Vermont for two games and fourth-ranked Miami will play two at home against No. 15 St. Cloud State.
• The Pioneers are No. 1 for the first time since the preseason poll of the 2005-06 season. After winning NCAA championships in both 2004 and '05, DU went on to finish 21-15-3 and miss the NCAA tournament that season.
• DU will face a Vermont team that reached the Frozen Four a season ago. UVM begins this season the same way it ended the last campaign - facing the top-ranked team in the nation. The Catamounts lost 5-4 to BU in the semis.
• Both Denver and Vermont played Calgary in exhibition play and came away with 3-2 victories. The Catamounts also lost by a 3-2 score to New Brunswick in exhibition action.
• Miami - which has the best winning percentage of any Division I team since 2005-06, at .689 - is ranked first in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll, but is fourth in the USCHO/CBS College Sports listing and was chosen to finish third in the CCHA by both the league coaches and media.
• The last time Miami and St. Cloud State played, it was a thrilling game with current senior forward Jarod Palmer netting the game-winning goal in overtime in a 2-1 decision on Dec. 29, 2007, in the Ohio Hockey Classic.
• Another interesting matchup pits the defending champions of Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America, No. 19 Air Force and Bemidji State. Both squads put together great NCAA tournament runs last season, with Bemidji State advancing all the way to the Frozen Four and Air Force shutting out fourth-seeded Michigan in the opening round and losing in double-overtime in the quarterfinals.
• The game will feature a battle of brothers, as Air Force coach Frank Serratore is the older sibling of Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore. Tom holds an 18-4-2 edge in head-to-head coaching matchups with his brother.
• Air Force dominated Bemidji State in two games last season, winning at home by scores of 6-2 and 6-0, but the Falcons are just 1-13-2 all-time in Bemidji.
• Other intriguing matchups include No. 18 Minnesota Duluth playing host to Northern Michigan (the first team outside of the Top 20), as well as No. 20 Northeastern playing a pair at Colorado College.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top-20 and Television Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Friday, October 9
No. 11 UMass Lowell vs. St. Lawrence (Omaha, NE), 5:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Quinnipiac at No. 17 Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Clarkson at Michigan State, 7:05 p.m. - TV: Comcast Television | Live Stats
Lake Superior State at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 15 St. Cloud State at No. 4 Miami, 7;35 p.m. - Live Stats
Alabama-Huntsville at No. 5 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Merrimack at No. 6 North Dakota, 8:37 p.m. TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network & Fox College Sports Atlantic & DirecTV 617 | Live Stats
No. 19 Air Force at Bemidji State, 8:35 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 Michigan vs. Alaska (Anchorage, AK), 9:07 p.m. - TV: KFXF | Live Stats
No. 14 Vermont at No. 1 Denver, 9:37 p.m. - TV: FSN Rocky Mountain | Live Stats
No. 20 Northeastern at Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - Live Stats
Mercyhurst at Alaska Anchorage, 12:07 a.m. - TV: GCI | Free Video | Live Stats
Saturday, October 10
No. 11 UMass Lowell vs. Army or Nebraska-Omaha (Omaha, NE), 5:05 or 8:05 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 New Hampshire at Rensselaer, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Holy Cross at Providence, 7 p.m. - TV: Cox Sports | Live Stats
No. 15 St. Cloud State at No. 4 Miami, 7:05 p.m. - TV: Ohio News Network | Live Stats
Alabama-Huntsville at No. 5 Notre Dame, 7:05 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 19 Air Force at Bemidji State, 8:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Alaska vs. Mercyhurst (Anchorage, AK), 8:07 p.m. - TV: KFXF | Live Stats
Merrimack at No. 6 North Dakota, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network & Fox College Sports Central & DirecTV 617 | Live Stats
Bowling Green at Minnesota State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter | Live Stats
No. 14 Vermont at No. 1 Denver, 9:07 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Northeastern at Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 Michigan at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. - TV: GCI | Free Video | Live Stats
Sunday, October 11
Northern Michigan at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. - Live Stats

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.