Game of the Week: ACCHL Division 3 – Maryland @ Navy (The Crab Bowl)

The University of Maryland Terrapins and the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen’s Division 3 hockey programs are set to clash on Feb. 2 at 2:00 p.m. at McMullen Hockey Arena in the highly anticipated Crab Bowl Classic. The two Maryland-based universities have a storied hockey history and will continue their rivalry in 2025.

This storied matchup will be a thriller indeed. The key players to watch are Danny Martella(8) from Maryland, who has tallied 12 goals, and Ben Grieb(22) from Navy, with seven goals to his name. Iain Snoddy(18) from Maryland has recorded 14 assists, while  Navy’s Vance Rubert(10) has contributed six. Martella leads with 25 points, while Rubert has accumulated 10 points. 

These two rivals have met once this season, a 4-3 win for the Terrapins. Navy stifled the potent Maryland offense, holding the Terps to one goal through the first 47 minutes of the game. The Midshipmen carried a 3-1 lead to that point despite taking five minor penalties through the first two periods.

The Terps couldn’t be held down, though, as they stormed back with three unanswered goals in the last 12:30 of the game to sink their in-state rivals. Navy will be seeking revenge this weekend for sure.

As the teams prepare for this year’s Crab Bowl, fans can expect an exciting and competitive matchup that continues the rich tradition of this historic rivalry.

– Jyesha Nance, ACCHL Beat Reporter

ECHC Division 3: Stony Brook @ Rutgers

The Empire Conference is home to a DIII matchup this weekend, with the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights (14-4-0) hosting the Stony Brook University Seawolves (10-4-0).  Puck drop will take place on Sunday, 02/02, at 4:45 pm at the ProSkate Ice Arena NHL Rink in South Brunswick, NJ. 

Based on team statistics alone, this could truly be anyone’s game. Rutgers holds a considerable goal lead per game over Stony Brook, coming in at 6.5 to the Seawolves 4.9. However, in terms of goals against, Stony Brook is sitting at 3.8, not a significant gap from Rutgers’ 3.1. The same slight disparity for powerplay goals is present between Stony Brook’s 0.8 and Rutgers’ 1.1. 

Regarding individual team leaders, Rutgers boasts a lead in Jamie Zimmerman’s 23 goals over Stony Brook’s Brandon Gerstein’s 13 goals. With only a one-assist difference between team leaders, things get tighter in assists. Stony Brook’s Tyler Edmonds comes into this game with 21 assists, while Rutger’s Gavin Rieger has 20 under his belt. As for time spent in the box, Scarlet Knight Ivan Patapovich leads the team with 40 minutes, almost double Stony Brook’s John Braccia’s 26 minutes. 

This is not the first head-to-head encounter between this set of opponents. Stony Brook defeated Rutgers earlier this season in a 2-1 victory on October 18th. The game remained close until Brandon Gerstien netted the game-winning goal in overtime for the Seawolves. This upcoming rematch is sure to be worth the watch as Rutgers fights for revenge and Stony Brook battles to keep their four game win streak alive. 

– Caroline Delaney, ECHC Beat Reporter

CHS Division 2: Florida Atlantic @ Middle Tennessee State

The No. 2 (No. 3 CHS) Florida Atlantic Owls and the No. 6 (No. 1 CHS) Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders will go head-to-head in a cross-divisional series this weekend. The matchups will preview the conference’s Division 2 postseason, as the two teams are two of just three teams so far to punch their ticket to the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs. 

The two teams have consistently sat at the top of the College Hockey South Division II standings this season. Middle Tennessee (18-3-1-1) collected 14 consecutive wins this season but was shut down by Clemson in its first game of the spring semester. Florida Atlantic (15-2-1) — this year’s Battle at the Beach champion — is currently on a 14-game winning streak, as the Owls haven’t failed to record a win since their 4-4 tie to the South Florida Bulls on Sept. 21, 2024. Middle Tennessee will look to return Clemson’s favor and hand the Owls their first loss of the semester.

Florida Atlantic had an impressive weekend, defeating the Lynn Knights 15-2 and 18-2. In two games, forward David Israel collected 11 points (7G, 4A) to propel his team to significant victories and secure Florida Atlantic’s spot in the College Hockey South Division 2 playoffs. 

Coming off its second consecutive weekend split, Middle Tennessee will look to bounce back from its 4-1 loss to the Embry Riddle Eagles. In the 5-4 win on Friday and the 4-1 loss on Saturday, Brendan Ogle collected five points (1G, 4A) for the Blue Raiders last weekend, increasing his season total to 48 (19 G, 29 A) in 21 games. 

The games are slated for 8:45 p.m. CST on Friday, Jan. 31, and 5:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, Feb. 1 at Ford Ice Center in Antioch, TN.

– Kelly Kaelblein, CHS Beat Reporter 

UNYCHL Division 3: St. John Fisher @ Hobart

We have a big one taking place in Geneva this week with the top two win percentages amongst Division 3 teams in UNYCHL, St. John Fisher University, and Hobart College. These two teams have not met in the Division 3 schedule this season and are looking forward to causing chaos in “The Cooler” this Sunday. The Cardinals of St. John Fisher are looking to maintain the dominance they have put on display this season. 

The average stats in this game show that St. John Fisher is the slight favorite. It will likely be decided by which of the two top scorers show off the most. For the Cardinals, that person is Devin Mulcahy(11), who currently leads the team with 16 goals for the season. Mulcahy has a great support system around him that has significantly contributed to his success. The system consists of guys like Mateo Torres(18), who currently has 26 assists for the season. 

Hobart is a team that shouldn’t be taken lightly. Despite playing fewer games than St. John Fisher, the Statesmen currently have a slight edge in the one-on-one department with Will Lucy(12). Lucy heads into this one with 12 goals and four assists. Inside that stat line, includes a hat trick. The offense on this Hobart team is filled with firepower, winning multiple games this season in the double digits, but that’s not to take away from the goaltending ability of this team either, with Jake Romney(31) holding a goals-against average of 1.62. 

The fans will surely get their money’s worth with this game, as the showdown will occur on Sunday, February 2nd, at 3:00 P.M. in Geneva, NY. 

– Preston McAlhany, UNYCHL Beat Reporter

DVCHC Division 2: Penn State Harrisburg @ Neumann 

This weekend, the Neumann University Knights (9-7-2) will host the Pennsylvania State University at Harrisburg Nittany Lions (11-8-1) in a Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference (DVCHC) Showdown. The Nittany Lions were able to steal a 6-3 win against the Knights in the previous meeting between the two squads.

As the Knights square off against the rival Nittany Lions, who sit atop the conference, the top scorers of DVCHC Division 2 take the ice. Jake Stasyk (91) is the leading point man for the Nittany Lions and currently holds the top spot in the division with 28 on the year. But no one told Tommy Angelone (71) as he is chasing the top spot, just one point behind Stasyk. 

Pennsylvania State can also rely on a strong goalie tandem of Nolan Harner (35) and Michael Lemanowicz (30), who sit atop DII. Harner was the anchor for the Nittany Lions in the last matchup, saving 39 of the 42 shots in the win. Lemanowicz holds a 2.20 Goals Against Average (GAA) and a .923 Save Percentage (SV%) heading into Friday’s matchup. Holding down the castle for the Knights is Cory Hemberger (32) with a 3.0 GAA  and .905 SV%.

The Knights will look to conquer the Nittany Lions as they defend home ice at the IceWorks Skating Complex. It will be an exciting clash between the top two teams in the DVCHC as they head towards the playoffs. The puck drops in the late-night matchup at 8:45 p.m. EST. on Friday, January 31st, in Aston, Pennsylvania. 

– Gavin Coker, DVCHC/NEIHC Beat Reporter