Game of the Week: ACCHL Division 3 – Maryland @ Navy 

The Crab Bowl Classic lived up to its billing this weekend, as Navy and Maryland added another classic game to their storied rivalry.

Maryland brought their high flying attack to Annapolis, MD, but it was the hometown Midshipmen who opened the scoring in a back-and-forth first period. Navy’s lead wouldn’t last though, as Maryland leveled the game each time Navy would inch their way in front.

The Terps jumped into the lead for the first time early in the second period on a goal from Jack Mendelow(17). The see-saw continued to swing wildly with Navy springing into the lead with three unanswered goals, the third coming midway into the third period. This two goal lead couldn’t have felt safe for Navy because in the first meeting this season, Maryland rallied from 3-1 down to upend their rival.

The demons from Crab Bowls past started talking to Navy after Maryland cut the deficit to one with seven and a three quarter minutes to go. This time, the Terps couldn’t deliver another Crab Bowl comeback, and Navy skated away with a 5-4 win.

– Jyesha Nance, ACCHL Beat Reporter

ECHC Division 3: Stony Brook @ Rutgers

Rutgers put a stop to Stony Brook University’s four-game hot streak on Sunday night. The Scarlet Knights avenged their head-to-head loss against the Seawolves with a 5-2 victory. 

As predicted, the first period proved this could have been anyone’s game. It started quiet, with no scores in the first, before Rutgers began asserting dominance in the second. Scarlet Knights, Jamie Zimmerman, and Dominic Panke scored two goals 30 seconds apart. Stony Brook answered with a quick score by Michael Rocco. Things also heated up in the second with a fight on the ice, resulting in a major for each team and a hooking penalty on the Seawolves. 

The third period was a clean and explosive one for Rutgers. Dominic Panke scored his second goal of the night, increasing the Scarlet Knight’s lead. Stony Brook responded with another Michael Rocco goal before being shut down the rest of the game. Rutger’s fourth goal was added to the board by Bryan Arredondo before Kai Inoue solidified the win with a final goal in the last ten seconds.  It was quiet in the box this period, with no penalties for either team. 

Following this game, Rutgers improved their record to (15-5-0), and Stony Brook will move to (10-5-0). 

– Caroline Delaney, ECHC Beat Reporter

CHS Division 2: Florida Atlantic @ Middle Tennessee State

In a highly-anticipated series between two of College Hockey South’s best Division 2 teams, the Florida Atlantic Owls swept the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders last weekend, 5-3 and 8-4, improving to 17-2-1 on the season. With the wins, Florida Atlantic remains undefeated since Sept. 21, 2024, with its win streak now extended to 16 straight. 

Following a scoreless first period, the Owls took a 2-0 lead in the first half of the second during Friday night’s contest, courtesy of Caleb Owens and Jason Seefeldt. The Blue Raiders responded before the end of the second with two goals of their own — and claimed a 3-2 lead for a brief minute of the third period — but Florida Atlantic potted three more before the final buzzer to solidify its first win.

The following day, Middle Tennessee State struck at 6:34 of the first period, but the Owls quickly responded with two goals in 31 seconds to establish a 2-1 lead. Florida Atlantic’s Leon Biller and Christian Cotter collected back-to-back goals to open the second period, extending their team’s lead to 4-1.

Though Middle Tennessee State crawled back to a one-goal deficit by the end of the second, Seefeldt, Hunter Litman, and Brady Baehser tallied goals in the third on the Owls’ behalf to ensure their sweep.

The losses were Middle Tennessee State’s fourth and fifth of the season, four of which occurred in the first month of the spring semester. The Blue Raiders were handed their first Division 2 loss by the Clemson Tigers on Jan. 17 and suffered another at the hands of the Embry-Riddle Ice Eagles on Jan. 25. 

Middle Tennessee State will look to bounce back from its recent struggles next weekend against the Ole Miss Rebels, while Florida Atlantic will take on the High Point Panthers.

– Kelly Kaelblein, CHS Beat Reporter

UNYCHL Division 3: St. John Fisher @ Hobart

This past weekend, we saw an electric matchup between Hobart College and St. John Fisher University from Division 3 of the UNYCHL. The projection was that St. John’s Fisher would win that game, and it proved correct. The Cardinals put up a 6-4 victory over the Statesmen in a back-and-forth matchup.

Devin Mulcahy (11) fired out of the gates first with an early score in the first period to get the Cardinals on the board. The goal was quickly followed by a shot from Colter Urban (20) to tie the game. Hobart got on top, creating an opportunity early in the second period with a score from Casey Graham (19). St. John Fisher took control of the game with three goals to close out the period, two on the power play. The Statesmen tried to fight back but could not get up with the high-powered offense from St. John Fisher. 

The story of this game was the penalties. An evenly distributed fourteen penalties occurred during this matchup in “The Cooler” leaving both teams to rely on capitalizing on power plays. Unfortunately for the Statesmen, St. John Fisher was the team that could do the most with what they were given. 

The Cardinals remain dominant in the #1 spot in the UNYCHL rankings.

– Preston McAlhany, UNYCHL Beat Reporter

DVCHC Division 2: Penn State at Harrisburg vs Neumann

Pennsylvania State of Harrisburg Nittany Lions stormed the castle as they took the ice against Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference foe, the Neumann University Knights. It was a hard-fought matchup by the Knights, but ultimately, the Nittany Lions got the 5-4 victory. 

The first period was controlled in the majority by the Knights, who got out to a quick start. Tommy Angelone (71), the leading scorer for the Knights, found the net less than two minutes into the matchup. Angelone struck again five minutes later, taking advantage of a slashing penalty by Evan Barela (19). The Knights took a commanding 3-0 lead after a goal from Matt King (77) with 8:47 left in the period. Penn State at Harrisburg gained momentum heading into the second as Blake Hanson (57) scored on the power play with six seconds left. 

The Nittany Lions turned the game around in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals. Hanson picked up where he left off, scoring early in the second before Peyton Smith (11) scored on the power play to even the score at three. Penn State at Harrisburg took their first lead of the game late in the period on a goal from Justin Yothers (98). Looking to defend the castle, the Knights found an equalizer with one second left in the period as King scored his second of the game. 

Both sides made adjustments, which led to a strong defensive effort from both teams in the third period. The winner came late as both teams took a penalty, setting up a four-on-four situation. The Nittany Lions took advantage of the extra space as Hanson scored, completing the hat-trick with 6:59 left. The Knights looked to force overtime but fell short as Penn State at Harrisburg won to complete the season series sweep. 

The Knights will take to the road for a matchup with the University of Delaware for their final game of the season. Penn State at Harrisburg will face off against Millersville University (ACHA M2) in Lancaster, PA.

– Gavin Coker, DVCHC/NEIHC Beat Reporter