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College Hockey weekend roundup |
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Finally, some live, meaningful hockey on TV!
Over the weekend college hockey kicked off it’s 2020-21 season with games in the Big Ten and non-conference games between Michigan and Arizona State.
Wisconsin sweeps Notre Dame
For the first time since 2017, Wisconsin swept a Big Ten opponent by beating Notre Dame on Friday 2-0 and again Saturday 5-3. The Badgers sweep over Notre Dame was their first since taking a pair of 2-0 victories over the Fighting Irish in January of 2005.
Buffalo Sabres draftee Linus Weissbach paved the way for Wisconsin with a goal and two assists over the weekend, while Edmonton Oilers draftee Dylan Holloway chipped in with a pair of goals.
Graduate goalie Robbie Beydoun had himself a nice weekend for Wisconsin, getting the nod in both contests, allowing three goals in the process.
After being shutout on Friday, Notre Dame senior Colin Theisen scored two second period goals just under two minutes before earning his first career hat trick later in the game.
Michigan sweeps Arizona State
Wisconsin was not the only team in the Big Ten to pull off a weekend sweep as the Wolverines took down Arizona State with an 8-1 victory on Saturday and a 3-0 victory on Sunday.
Michigan was led by Freshman Kent Johnson who had a five-point weekend and Flyers prospect Cam York who had a four-point weekend.
The Wolverines enter the 2020-21 season as one of the younger teams in the nation, but it does not appear that youth will be an issue for the 12th ranked team in the nation.
Michigan is loaded with talent and are home to players like York, John Beecher (Boston) and Brendan Brisson (Vegas) all of whom are recent first round draft picks.
Michigan is also home to Junior Strauss Mann, the 2019-20 Big Ten Goalie of the Year who stopped 32 of the 33 shots he saw over the weekend.
Badgers to lose Holloway
While the country remains in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic and challenges pop up all over the place for college hockey teams across the nation, the Badgers are about to be hit with another challenge as they will be without Dylan Holloway for at least the next 10 games.
Holloway left Wisconsin on Sunday to attend Hockey Canada’s World Junior Championship camp in Red Deer. The camp is a 28-day process leading up to the tournament that begins on Christmas Day.
While competition in the camp will be high, and scrimmages will be held against each other in addition to six games against a team of U SPORTS all-stars, Badgers head coach Tony Granato believes that keeping Holloway in Wisconsin playing meaningful games for the Badgers is a better way to prepare for the tournament.
"They've [Hockey Canada] said all along that they need and want, and he has to be here. So from my side of things, I don't think it's right because his opportunity here to get ready for a World Junior tournament playing games like this is a heck of a lot better than scrimmaging 20 of your teammates that you're going to be in the tournament with,” Granato said over the weekend.
University of Vermont shuts down until mid-December
Days after Hockey East released it’s 2020-21 schedule that is set to kickoff Friday, the University of Vermont has delayed their return to action until December 18.
Vermont was set to begin play this coming weekend with a back-to-back set against the University of Connecticut. The decision to delay the school’s return to play will force the postponement of eight Vermont games.
When building their scheduled, Hockey East included flex dates to accommodate any cancelations that are caused by COVID-19 related issues.
Ivy League cancels winter sports, ECAC to continue play
On Thursday the Ivy League announced that their schools will not partake in winter sports, canceling the men’s and women’s hockey programs for this season.
The ECAC is home to Ivy League schools Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton and Yale.
With no Ivy League schools playing any hockey this season, the ECAC plans to move forward with their season and their remaining teams.
Colgate, Clarkson, Quinnipiac, RPI, St. Lawrence and Union will makeup the ECAC in 2020-21.
While the ECAC says they remain committed to a 2020-21 season, they’ve yet to release their full 2020-21 schedule.
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