Another busy night of action as the opening weekend of the 2019-20 season continues.
Highlights on the NCHA men’s side included five victories and a draw, as No. 7 Adrian and No. 14 Manhattanville battled to a 3-3 tie in a matchup between nationally-ranked squads. The Bulldogs then claimed the 9 Buffalo State Bengals Classic championship with a 1-0 shootout following the deadlock.
MSOE improved to 2-0 on the young season, topping Concordia (MN), 4-2, on late goals from Adem Arifi and Kevin Shand after the contest was knotted at 2-2 early in the third by Cobbers.
Lake Forest got by Saint Mary’s, 4-3, on the strength of a three-goal second period, while Trine picked up its first win on the year with an impressive 5-1 win over Hamline.
Marian raced out to a 5-1 lead against Stout before hanging on, 5-4, with Yuri Chernichko scoring a pair of goals – including the eventual game-winner. Aurora also moved to 2-0, doubling up St. Olaf, 4-2, led by a three-point night (1G/2A) by Jack Jaunich.
On the women’s side, St. Scholastica – which came into the season receiving votes in the national poll – knocked off No. 5 St. Thomas, 2-1. The Saints were led by Rachel Anderson, who scored a pair of goals in the third period to erase what was a 1-0 deficit when the final period opened. Lexi Thomeczek was also huge, making 37 saves between the pipes.
No. 3 Adrian also got by Saint Mary’s, 3-2, holding on after racing out to a 3-0 advantage to move to 2-0. Aurora joined them in the win column, topping Nichols, 4-1. Nicole McKernan had three points, including a pair of goals, to back the 23-save effort of Chiara Pfosi. Pfosi was big when it mattered, making over half of her stops (12) in the third period alone.
NCHA Men
St. Thomas 8, Concordia 3
Concordia (MN) 2, MSOE 4
Lake Forest 4, Saint Mary’s 3
Hamline 1, Trine 5
Gustavus Adolphus 4, Lawrence 3 OT
Manhattanville 3, Adrian 3 OT
Stout 4, Marian 5
Stevens Point 3, St. Norbert 1
Aurora 4, St. Olaf 2
Augsburg 2, St. Scholastica 1
Finlandia 1, River Falls 5
NCHA Women
Aurora 4, Nichols 1
Finlandia 2, St. Catherine 5
Concordia 1, Superior 5
Lake Forest 1, River Falls 6
Eau Claire 7, St. Norbert 0
St. Thomas 1, St. Scholastica 2
Saint Mary’s 2, Adrian 3