Koepke, Cole

Due to my trip to Orlando last week, the NCAA weekend round up for Feb 8-9, 2019 was not posted. This update catches up that weekend as well as this weekend.

Colorado College Tigers 2 @ #1 St. Cloud State Huskies 2 OT (Feb 8th)
Colorado College Tigers 4 @ #1 St. Cloud State Huskies 5 OT (Feb 9th)

D Nick Perbix, STC: 2 GP, 1-0-1, +2, 0 PIM, 4 SOG
Season Totals: 28 GP, 3-11-14, +19, 6 PIM

The Tigers might have a losing record on the season, but they are generally a tough opponent, at home or on the road. A week ago Friday, #1 ranked Huskies needed all three Poehlings to squeak out a tie against gritty Colorado College. Nick Poehling (undrafted) opened the scoring just a buck seventeen into the game, but Colorado College countered with a two 1st period goals to carry a 2-1 lead all the way into the 3rd before Ryan Poehling (MTL, 2017 1st round pick) set up his brother Jack (undrafted) for the equalizer. A week ago Saturday, Grant Cruikshank (undrafted) scored a pair of power play goals to help propel the Tigers to a 4-2 lead at the 2nd intermission, but Bolt prospect Nick Perbix started a three-goal rally, potting his third goal of the season. Patrick Newell first scored the equalizer late in the 3rd, and then broke through with the OT game-winner to give St. Cloud the 5-4 win. Perbix was +3 on the night, and his +19 on the season is good enough for 4th in the nation among Division I freshmen defensemen.

St. Cloud State improves to 21-4-3 (13-2-3 NCHC) and took this weekend off before embarking on a road trip next weekend to Omaha to square off with UNO for a pair of NCHC conference games.

#7 Denver Pioneers 2 @ #4 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 5 (Feb 15th)
#7 Denver Pioneers 1 @ #4 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 0 (Feb 16th)

F Cole Guttman, DEN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -2 0 PIM, 1 SOG, 10/19 FO
Season Totals: 27 GP, 10-8-18, +13, 12 PIM

F Cole Koepke, UMD: 2 GP, 1-1-2, +2, 0 PIM, 7 SOG
Season Totals: 28 GP, 3-10-13, +8, 8 PIM

Both these NCHC powerhouses came into this weekend’s big showdown with a week of rest under their belts as a pair of Lightning freshman prospects squared off in the Battle of the Coles. On Friday night, Bolt prospect Cole Koepke helped propel the #4 Bulldogs to a dominating win, scoring a goal and adding an assist and registering a +3 rating against the #7 Pioneers. After Denver opened the scoring just 2:50 into the game, UMD reeled off four straight, including a pair of goals by Justin Richards (undrafted), to put the game away. Koepke added the 5th Bulldog goal in garbage time with 46 seconds left. On Saturday night, the Pioneers salvaged a weekend split when Denver goalie Devin Cooley (undrafted) pitched a 27-save shutout, ensuring Golden Knight prospect Slava Demin’s (VGK, 2018 4th round pick) 1st period marker held up as the game-winner.

UMD’s record now stands at 18-8-2 (11-6-1 NCHC), two games back of St. Cloud in the NCHC standings, and hit the road next weekend for a NCHC series against North Dakota in Grand Forks. Denver’s record now stands at 16-7-4 (8-7-2-2 NCHC) and head back home next weekend for a weekend NCHC series against Miami (Ohio).

#9 Clarkson Golden Knights 0 @ #10 Cornell Big Red 5 (Feb 8th)
St. Lawrence Saints 1 @ #10 Cornell Big Red 3 (Feb 9th)
#8 Cornell Big Red 3 @ Brown Bears 3 (OT) (Feb 15th)
#8 Cornell Big Red 2 @ Yale Bulldogs 5 (Feb 16th)

D Alex Green, COR: 4 GP, 0-2-2, -1, 0 PIM, 2 SOG
Season Totals: 9 GP, 0-3-3, -6, 2 PIM
’17-’18 Totals: 29 GP, 2-8-10, +9, 23 PIM

Last weekend, Bolt prospect Alex Green notched a pair of assists for Cornell in a pair of home wins over then #9 Clarkson on Feb 8th and St. Lawrence on Feb 9th. Against Clarkson, Big Red netminder Matthew Galajda (undrafted) pitched a 17-save shutout and Green set up Jeff Malott’s (undrafted) 2nd goal of the game. Against the Saints, Green once again rang up an assist, this time setting up a Mitch Vanderlaan (undrafted) marker late in the 2nd to re-establish Cornell’s two-goal lead.

The weekend, the Big Red hit the road for a pair of ECAC games against Ivy Leaguers Brown and Yale with some disappointing results. On Friday, Cornell established a 3-0 lead behind a goal and an assist each from Tristan Mullin (undrafted) and Vanderlaan, but then allowed the Bears to reel off three 3rd period goals and force a tie. On Saturday, Cornell fell into a 3-0 hole before rallying to close the gap to 3-2 in the 2nd period, before the Bulldogs scored twice more to put the game out of reach. Yale was led by a pair of goals from Bruins prospect Curtis Hall (BOS, 2018 4th round pick) and three assists from Robbie DeMontis (undrafted).

Cornell’s record now stands at 15-7-3 (11-4-3 ECAC) and returns home next weekend for a pair of ECAC conference games against RPI and #20 Union.

Boston College Eagles 0 @ #15 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 3 (Feb 8th)
#2 UMass Minutemen 0 @ #15 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 2 (Feb 9th)
#13 Providence Friars 6 @ #10 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 1 (Feb 15th)
#10 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 0 @ #13 Providence Friars 1 (Feb 16th)

F Ryan Lohin, UML: 4 GP, 1-0-1, -1, 0 PIM, 6 8OG, 4/16 FO
Season Totals: 25 GP, 11-12-23, +4, 6 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 36 GP, 9-16-25, -2, 26 PIM

Bolt prospect Ryan Lohin notched his 11th goal of the season a week ago Friday on Feb 8th and Rangers prospect Tyler Wall (NYR, 2016 6th round pick) posted a 28-save shutout of Boston College. On Feb 9th, it was UML goalie Chris Hernberg’s (undrafted) turn to shine, pitching a 31-save shutout of the then #2 Minutemen.

This weekend, the River Hawks’ 10-game unbeaten streak came to screeching halt, dropping a home-and-home series against #13 Providence by a combined score of 7-2. On Friday night, the Friars put up 6 on UML behind a pair of goals by Penguins prospect Kasper Bjorkqvist (PIT, 2016 2nd round pick) and three assists from Sabres prospect Jacob Bryson (BUF, 2017 4th round pick). On Saturday night, Friar netminder and Oilers prospect Hayden Hawkey (MTL, 2014 6th round pick) pitched a 21-save shutout.

UML’s season record now sits at 17-10-2 (11-6-2 HEAST) and looks to bounce back next weekend with a home-and-home Hockey East conference series against Merrimack.

Minnesota Gophers 2 @ #18 Penn State Nittany Lions 7 (Feb 8th)
Minnesota Gophers 2 @ #18 Penn State Nittany Lions 6 (Feb 9th)
Minnesota Gophers 4 @ #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 3 (Feb 15th)
Minnesota Gophers 4 @ #2 Ohio State Buckeyes 3 (Feb 16th)

D Ryan Zuhlsdorf , MINN: 4 GP, 1-0-1, +2, 0 PIM, 4 SOG
Season Totals: 28 GP, 1-4-5, -4, 21 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 38 GP, 0-9-9, +1, 40 PIM

F Sammy Walker, MINN: 4 GP, 1-2-3, +1, 4 PIM, 6 SOG, 11/25 FO
Season Totals: 30 GP, 9-12-21, +4, 18 PIM

This extended road trip for the Gophers was a tale of two weekends. Last week on Feb 8th and 9th, the Nittany Lions pasted a pair of touchdowns on the scoreboard, shredding Minnesota by a combined two-game score of 13-4. On the game against Penn State on the 9th, Bolt prospect Sammy Walker scored his 9th goal of the season, as the Freshman line gave Minnesota an early 2-1 lead before the Nittany Lions scored five unanswered.

This weekend, the Golden Gophers traveled to Columbus to take on #2 Ohio State and pulled off a pair of 4-3 road wins to stun the Big Ten leading Buckeyes. On Friday night, fellow Lightning prospect Ryan Zuhlsdorf scored his first goal of the season to re-establish the Gopher’s two-goal lead at 3-1 after Walker notched an assist when the Freshman line gave Minnesota an early 2-0 lead. On Saturday night, the Freshman line once again put Minnesota up 2-0 early as Walker notched his 12th assist of the season and his 21st point.

Minnesota’s record now stands at 13-14-4 (10-9-3 B1G) and looks forward to finally some home cookin’ next weekend when #15 Notre Dame rolls into the 3M center for Minnesota’s final two Big Ten conference games of the regular season.

New Hampshire Wildcats 1 @ Vermont Catamounts 0 (Feb 8th)
New Hampshire Wildcats 1 @ Vermont Catamounts 4 (Feb 9th)

G Ty Taylor, UNH: did not play
Season Totals: 6 GP, 1-2-1, 3.65 GAA, 0.863 SV%

The Wildcats took this weekend off but split a pair of Hockey East conference games last weekend against the Catamounts. Sharks prospect Mike Robinson tended the nets in both games against Vermont, pitching a 29-save shutout on Feb 8th. On Feb 9th, Vermont got goals for four different players and Catamount goalie Stefanos Lekkas (undrafted) allowed just two goals on 59 shots across both games to earn the split. Lightning prospect Ty Taylor hasn’t played since January 5th against Yale.

New Hampshire’s record now stands at 11-10-8 (7-7-5 HEAST) and returns home next weekend for a pair of games against #14 Northeastern in Hockey East conference play.

*USCHO poll used for rankings

Miami Redhawks 1 @ #1 St. Cloud State Huskies 5 (Friday)
Miami Redhawks 1 @ #1 St. Cloud State Huskies 5 (Saturday)

D Nick Perbix, STC: 2 GP, 1-1-2, +2, 0 PIM, 4 SOG
Season Totals: 26 GP, 2-11-13, +17, 6 PIM

The #1 ranked Huskies blistered the Redhawks this weekend, sweeping the weekend series with a pair of 5-1 conference home wins Friday and Saturday night. On Friday, Canadiens prospect Ryan Poehling (MTL, 2017 1st round pick) scored twice and added a pair of assists to lead St. Cloud to victory, with two of his four points coming on the power-play. On Saturday night, Bolt prospect Nick Perbix potted his second goal of the season and added an assist in St. Cloud’s reprise of Friday night’s 5-1 win. Blake Lizotte (undrafted) scored twice and added an assist to lead the Huskies offensively. Kings goalie prospect David Hrenak (LAK, 2018 5th round pick) made 36 saves on 38 shots over the coarse of the two-game weekend series, avenging a pair of tie games against Miami in Oxford back in late November. Perbix now ranks 5th in plus-minus, Top-8 in assists, and Top-10 in points among Division I freshmen defensemen, all while playing on a deep roster of the nation’s top-ranked team.

St. Cloud State improves to 20-4-2 (12-2-2 NCHC) and hosts Colorado College next weekend for a pair of NCHC conference games. The Huskies swept the Tigers on the road in Colorado Springs in early November.

#3 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 1 @ Colorado College Tigers 4 (Friday)
#3 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 6 @ Colorado College Tigers 0 (Saturday)

F Cole Koepke, UMD: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -2, 0 PIM, 8 SOG, 9/18 FO
Season Totals: 26 GP, 2-9-11, +6, 8 PIM

The #3 Bulldogs split a pair of road games in Colorado Springs this weekend against the Tigers. On Friday night, Lighting prospect Cole Koepke had a bit of a rough outing for UMD with a -3 rating, while Troy Conzo (undrafted) scored twice and goalie Alex Leclerc (undrafted) made 40 saves for Colorado College. Saturday night the Bulldogs rebounded with a six-goal outburst behind a pair of goals from Koby Bender (undrafted) and a 23-save shutout from goalie Hunter Shepard (undrafted). Koepke fired a game-high 5 shots, but the scoresheet eluded him once again, extending his pointless streak to 8 games after scoring 11 points in his first 18 games of the season.

Minnesota-Duluth’s record now stands at 17-7-2 (10-5-1 NCHC), losing the ground they gained last weekend against St. Cloud State in the NCHC conference standings, and looks ahead to a big conference matchup against #7 Denver next weekend at home in Duluth.

North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1 @ #4 Denver Pioneers 2 (Friday)
North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1 @ #4 Denver Pioneers 1 OT (Saturday)

F Cole Guttman, DEN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, E, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 7/16 FO
Season Totals: 25 GP, 10-9-19, +16, 12 PIM

UND rolled into Denver this weekend and played a pair of tightly contested road games against the Pioneers, splitting the series and holding Denver to just 3 total goals Friday and Saturday nights. On Friday night, Denver goalie and Red Wings prospect Filip Larsson (DET, 2016 6th round pick) made 45-saves to steal a win for the home team. On Saturday night, Larsson once again held off North Dakota from victory, making 34-saves to secure a tie with the Fighting Hawks.

Denver’s record now stands at 15-6-4 (7-6-2-2 NCHC) on the season and hits the road for a big conference showdown next weekend against #3 Minnesota-Duluth.

#13 Cornell Big Red 4 @ #18 Union Dutchmen 0 (Friday)
#13 Cornell Big Red 1 @ RPI Engineers 1 OT (Saturday)

D Alex Green, COR: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 2 PIM, 2 SOG
Season Totals: 4 GP, 0-1-1, -5, 2 PIM
’17-’18 Totals: 29 GP, 2-8-10, +9, 23 PIM

Bolt prospect followers can finally breathe a sigh of relief after 2018 draft pick Alex Green returned to action this weekend for Cornell after missing 16 games due to injury. On Friday, the Big Red delivered a thumping of the 18th ranked Dutchmen behind a 24-save shutout by goalie Matthew Galajda (undrafted) and a pair of goals from Rangers prospect Morgan Barron (NYR, 2017 6th round pick). On Saturday night, RPI’s netminder Owen Savory (undrafted) made 40 saves to stick Cornell with a 1-1 tie.

Cornell’s record now stands at 13-6-2 (9-3-2 ECAC) and returns home for a pair of conference games against #10 Clarkson and St. Lawrence.

#19 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 3 @ Northeastern Huskies 1 (Friday)

F Ryan Lohin, UML: 1-0-1, +2, 0 PIM, 3 SOG, 9/14 FO, *Second Star*
Season Totals: 21 GP, 10-12-22, +5, 4 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 36 GP, 9-16-25, -2, 26 PIM

Bolt prospect Ryan Lohin earned 2nd Star honors Friday night, scoring what would be the game-winning goal in the 3rd period to break a 1-1 deadlock. It was Lohin’s 10th goal of the season, eclipsing his 2017-18 goal totals in 15 fewer games.

UMass-Lowell improves to 15-8-2 (9-4-2 HEAST) and looks ahead next weekend to a pair of home games against Boston College and #2 UMass (Amherst).

Michigan Wolverines 4 @ Minnesota Gophers 2 (Friday)
Michigan Wolverines 3 @ Minnesota Gophers 4 (Saturday)

D Ryan Zuhlsdorf , MINN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -2, 17 PIM, 0 SOG
Season Totals: 23 GP, 0-4-4, -6, 21 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 38 GP, 0-9-9, +1, 40 PIM

F Sammy Walker, MINN: 2 GP, 0-0-0, -1, 2 PIM, 4 SOG, 8/15 FO
Season Totals: 26 GP, 8-10-18, +2, 14 PIM

The Gophers split a pair of Big Ten conference games against the visiting Wolverines this weekend. On Friday night, Predators prospect Rem Pitlick scored once and added an assist as Michigan doubled up Minnesota to claim the first leg of the series. On Saturday night, Bolt prospect Sammy Walker got his first start of the season, as head coach Bob Motzko went with the Freshman line for the first puck drop. After leading 3-0, the Wolverines erased the three-goal deficit behind a pair of 2nd period goals from Michael Pastujov (undrafted). Fellow Lightning prospect Ryan Zuhlsdorf earned a five-minute major later in the 2nd period for checking from behind along with a 10-minute game conduct, but the Golden Gopher PK held tough, and Minnesota scored in the 3rd to make the win stick.

Minnesota’s record now stands at 11-12-4 (8-7-3 B1G) and treks to Penn State next week for a pair of conference games against the #15-ranked Nittany Lions.

Maine Black Bears 2 @ New Hampshire Wildcats 3 (Friday)
Maine Black Bears 5 @ New Hampshire Wildcats 3 (Saturday)

G Ty Taylor, UNH: did not play
Season Totals: 6 GP, 1-2-1, 3.65 GAA, 0.863 SV%

Sharks prospect Mike Robinson tended the nets in both weekend games against Maine, making 37 saves Friday night for a Wildcats victory. Ara Nazarian (undrafted) scored twice and added an assist for the Wildcats. On Saturday night, Bears goalie and Bruins prospect Jeremy Swayman (BOS, 2017 4th round pick) made 41 saves as Maine rebounded to split the series with UNH. Mitchell Fossier (undrafted) scored twice in a four-point night to lead the Black Bears offensively.

New Hampshire’s record now stands at 10-9-8 (6-6-5 HEAST) and hits the road to Burlington to face off against the Catamounts next weekend for a pair of conference Hockey East games.

*USCHO poll used for rankings

#1 St. Cloud State Huskies 1 @ North Dakota Fighting Hawks 5

D Nick Perbix, STC: 0-0-0, -1, 0 PIM, 2 SOG
Season Totals: 24 GP, 1-10-11, +15, 6 PIM

UND bounced back Saturday night at home, splitting the weekend series with the top-ranked Huskies after a dominating 5-1 win behind a pair of goals each from Flyers prospect Gavin Hain (PHI, 2018 6th round pick) and Dixon Bowen (undrafted). North Dakota goalie Adam Scheel (undrafted) made 22 saves for the win, handing St. Cloud just their 2nd conference loss on the season. Bolt prospect Nick Perbix has 10 assists on the season, good for 9th among Division I freshmen defensemen and only 5 assists off Mike Lundin’s 16 assists in his freshman season at Maine as Tampa Bay’s best collegiate freshman blueliner.

St. Cloud State drops to 18-4-2 (10-2-2 NCHC) and return home to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center next weekend for a pair of NCHC conference games against Miami University.

#4 Denver Pioneers 1 @ #13 Western Michigan Broncos 5

F Cole Guttman, DEN: 0-1-1, E, 0 PIM, 3 SOG, 4/11 FO
Season Totals: 23 GP, 10-9-19, +16, 10 PIM

Lightning prospect Cole Guttman setup up Denver’s lone goal Saturday night, a Emilio Pettersen (CGY, 2018 6th round pick) power-play marker early in the 3rd down 5-0 to the Broncos. Just a few weeks ago, WMU swept a high ranked Minnesota-Duluth team at home, and this weekend the Bronco do the same to the #4 Pioneers. Cam Lee (undrafted) and Dawson DiPietro (undrafted) each tallied a goal and an assist to lead Western Michigan, and goalie Gorsuch (undrafted) made 36-saves, including 19 in the 3rd period for the win.

Denver drops to 14-6-3 (6-6-1-1 NCHC) on the season and returns home next weekend for a pair of conference games against North Dakota.

Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks 1 @ #5 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 3

F Cole Koepke, UMD: 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM, 5 SOG
Season Totals: 24 GP, 2-9-11, +8, 8 PIM

Bolt prospect Cole Koepke set up Koby Bender (undrafted) on what would be the eventual game-winner Saturday night, as UMD swept the weekend series against UNO. A night after firing 56 shots on goal, the Bulldogs launched another 52 shots on goalie Evan Weninger (undrafted).

Minnesota-Duluth improves to 16-6-2 (9-4-1 NCHC), gaining ground against both St. Cloud State and Denver University, and looks ahead next weekend to a road series against Colorado College.

Colgate Raiders 3 @ #12 Cornell Big Red 2 OT

D Alex Green, COR: did not play
Season Totals: 3 GP, 0-1-1, -4, 0 PIM
’17-’18 Totals: 29 GP, 2-8-10, +9, 23 PIM

John Snodgrass (undrafted) scored the OT game-winner, his 2nd goal of the game, Saturday to lift the Raiders over the Big Red, ending Cornell’s 5-game winning streak. Lightning blueline prospect Alex Green missed his 16th game on the season due to injury.

Cornell drops to 12-6-1 (8-3-1 ECAC) and the Big Red hit the road next weekend for games against #16 Union and against RPI.

Boston College Eagles 4 @ #19 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 4 OT

F Ryan Lohin, UML: 0-0-0, -1, 0 PIM, 5 SOG
Season Totals: 20 GP, 9-12-21, +3, 4 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 36 GP, 9-16-25, -2, 26 PIM

Ryan Dmowski (undrafted) scored a power play goal for the River Hawks late in the game Saturday night to force overtime and the eventual tie. Dmowski scored two goals and added an assist to lead UML. Bolt prospect Ryan Lohin had his five-game points streak snapped, failing to hit the scoresheet for just the 3rd time in his last 16 games.

UMass-Lowell’s record now stands at 14-8-2 (8-4-2 HEAST) and takes on Northeastern next Friday night in Boston.

Wisconsin Badgers 4 @ Minnesota Gophers 3

D Ryan Zuhlsdorf , MINN: 0-0-0, -2, 0 PIM, 0 SOG
Season Totals: 21 GP, 0-4-4, -4, 4 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 38 GP, 0-9-9, +1, 40 PIM

F Sammy Walker, MINN: did not play
Season Totals: 24 GP, 8-10-18, +3, 12 PIM

Predators prospect Rem Pitlick scored twice and Tyler Sheehy notched three assists for the Gophers, but it was enough as the Badgers rallied from a 3-2 deficit for the win against the Walker-less Minnesota squad. It’s not immediately clear while Bolt prospect Sammy Walker did not dress for the 2nd match of this weekend home series against Wisconsin the night after his best collegiate game.

The Golden Gophers drop to 10-11-4 (7-6-3 B1G) and continue their home stand next weekend against the University of Michigan.

UConn Huskies 0 @ New Hampshire Wildcats 6

G Ty Taylor, UNH: did not play
Season Totals: 6 GP, 1-2-1, 3.65 GAA, 0.863 SV%

Sharks prospect Mike Robinson pitched a 36-save shutout Saturday night as UNH scores six against UConn. New Hampshire improves to 9-8-8 (5-5-5 HEAST) and welcomes Maine to the Whittemore Center next weekend for a pair of conference Hockey East games.

*USCHO poll used for rankings

#1 St. Cloud State Huskies 3 @ North Dakota Fighting Hawks 1

D Nick Perbix, STC: 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM, 4 SOG
Season Totals: 23 GP, 1-10-11, +16, 6 PIM

Bolt prospect Nick Perbix assisted on a Micah Miller (undrafted) goal with 14 seconds left in the 2nd to knot the score 1-1 on Friday night in Grand Forks against UND. The top-ranked Huskies would go on to tally two 3rd period markers and claim their 10th conference win of the season, a road victory in a tough venue. St. Cloud State improves to 18-3-2 (10-1-2 NCHC) and look to complete the sweep Saturday night when these two teams resume their weekend series.

#4 Denver Pioneers 1 @ #13 Western Michigan Broncos 3

F Cole Guttman, DEN: 0-1-1, E, 0 PIM, 1 SOG, 2/5 FO
Season Totals: 22 GP, 10-8-18, +16, 10 PIM

Lightning prospect Cole Guttman helped setup up Denver’s lone goal Friday night, a Liam Finlay (undrafted) marker early in the 3rd to cut WMU’s lead to 2-1, but the Pioneers could never get the equalizer. Broncos special teams was the difference maker, scoring both short-handed and on the power play in the 2nd and Western Michigan goalie Trevor Gorsuch (undrafted) turned away 14 3rd period shots to make the tenuous lead stick. Denver drops to 14-5-3 (6-5-1-1 NCHC) on the season, and looks to split the weekend series Saturday night in the conference rematch.

Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks 2 @ #5 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs 7

F Cole Koepke, UMD: 0-0-0, +1, 0 PIM, 7 SOG
Season Totals: 23 GP, 2-8-10, +7, 8 PIM

Bolt prospect Cole Koepke fired a season-high 7 shots Friday night as part of a UMD 56-shot barrage on UNO goalies Evan Weninger and Matej Tomek (PHI, 2015 3rd round pick). Wild prospect Nick Swaney (MIN, 2017 7th round pick) notched a hat trick off a stunning 12-shots on goal performance to lead the Bulldogs offensively. Minnesota-Duluth improves to 15-6-2 (8-4-1 NCHC) and hopes to complete the sweep Saturday night.

#12 Cornell Big Red 3 @ Colgate Raiders 2

D Alex Green, COR: did not play
Season Totals: 3 GP, 0-1-1, -4, 0 PIM
’17-’18 Totals: 29 GP, 2-8-10, +9, 23 PIM

Mitch Vanderlaan (undrafted) scored a goal and added an assist on Cornell’s two goal 1st period Friday night to establish an early lead. But Bobby McMann (undrafted) led a Colgate rally with a goal and an assist of his own to knot the score 2-2 before the Big Red got the game-winner from Michael Regush (undrafted). Lightning blueline prospect Alex Green missed his 15th game on the season due to injury. Cornell improves to 12-5-1 (8-2-1 ECAC) as the teams travel to Ithaca Saturday night for the back half of this home-and-home series.

#19 UMass-Lowell River Hawks 3 @ Boston College Eagles 1

F Ryan Lohin, UML: 0-1-1, E, 0 PIM, 0 SOG
Season Totals: 19 GP, 9-12-21, +4, 4 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 36 GP, 9-16-25, -2, 26 PIM

UML celebrated their newly minted Top-20 ranking with their 6th straight win Friday night on the road at Boston College. Bolt prospect Ryan Lohin set up Reid Stefanson’s (undrafted) 2nd goal of the game, an empty netter with 21 seconds left to seal the win. UMass-Lowell improves to 14-8-1 (8-4-1 HEAST) and returns to the Tsongas Center Saturday night for the back half of this weekend home-and-home series with the Eagles.

Wisconsin Badgers 4 @ Minnesota Gophers 9

D Ryan Zuhlsdorf , MINN: 0-1-1, +1, 0 PIM, 2 SOG
Season Totals: 21 GP, 0-4-4, -2, 4 PIM
’17-‘18 Totals: 38 GP, 0-9-9, +1, 40 PIM

F Sammy Walker, MINN: 2-1-3, +2, 0 PIM, 2 SOG, 5/7 FO
Season Totals: 24 GP, 8-10-18, +3, 12 PIM

Bolt prospect Sammy Walker led the way Friday as the Gophers unleashed a season’s worth of frustration, putting up 9 goals on the visiting Badgers. Walker scored twice and added an assist for his first multi-goal game of his collegiate career. Fellow Lightning prospect and teammate Ryan Zuhlsdorf added an assist of his own, setting up Minnesota’s 4th goal early in the 3rd to quell a Wisconsin rally from a 3-0 1st period deficit that saw the Badgers tighten the score to 3-2. Wisconsin would rally again later in the 3rd, once again drawing within a goal to 5-4 before the Gophers unleashed four goals in the final 5 minutes of the game, including two by Walker and Minnesota’s Freshman Line. For Walker, his 8 goals on the season places him tied for 4th among Division I freshman nationwide. The Golden Gophers improve to 10-10-4 (7-5-3 B1G) and look to complete the weekend sweep Saturday night.

New Hampshire Wildcats 2 @ UConn Huskies 2 OT

G Ty Taylor, UNH: did not play
Season Totals: 6 GP, 1-2-1, 3.65 GAA, 0.863 SV%

Alexander Payusov (undrafted) scored twice for the Huskies Friday night, pacing UConn to a 2-1 lead early in the 3rd over the Wildcats. But Jackson Pierson (undrafted) tied the game for UNH to help the Wildcats squeeze out their 8th tie of the season. New Hampshire’s record now stands at 8-8-8 (4-5-5 HEAST) as these two teams head to the Whittemore Center Saturday night for the back end of this weekend home-and-home series.

*USCHO poll used for rankings