Three things to know from Week 1 of college hockey
Oct. 10—GRAND FORKS — College hockey season officially opened Saturday.
Some teams, like UND, started with exhibitions. Others got right into regular-season play.
Here are three things to know from Week 1:
St. Thomas appears to have arrived.
The Tommies opened their third Division-I season by beating St. Cloud State 5-4 in overtime — in St. Cloud, no less.
Wisconsin transfer Ryder Donovan, who did not play hockey last season, scored the overtime winner. East Grand Forks Senior High graduate Mason Poolman tallied an assist in the game — his first collegiate point.
The Huskies earned the split Sunday with a narrow 1-0 win over St. Thomas in the Twin Cities. The Tommies appeared to have tied the game in the final three minutes, but the goal was waved off for offside.
The weekend showed how far St. Thomas has come. Two years ago, the Tommies lost 12-2 at St. Cloud.
After a two-year hiatus, Robert Morris re-entered college hockey this season and quickly notched a win.
The Colonials beat Bowling Green on the road 3-0 on Sunday to split the two-game series. Chad Veltri, a transfer from Niagara, posted a 33-save shutout for Robert Morris.
The biggest game on opening weekend featured defending national champion Quinnipiac and Boston College, which is bringing in the country's most touted freshman class.
Boston College won 2-1 in overtime in a game where Quinnipiac lost its two star forwards in the first period.
Collin Graf, the nation's third-leading scorer last season with 59 points, suffered an injury in the first period and did not return. Sam Lipkin, who tallied 43 points as a rookie, was called for a five-minute major early in the first.
The Bobcats outshot the Eagles 30-23, but Boston College won it when NHL first-round pick Cutter Gauthier scored with less than 10 seconds remaining in overtime.
Denver's duo: Denver forwards Massimo Rizzo and Jack Devine combined for 13 points in a two-game sweep of Alaska (Fairbanks) over the weekend. Rizzo had seven assists, while Devine had two goals and four assists.
Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, Villach (Austria): The 39-year-old from Grand Forks is off to a great start in the top Austrian-based league. Lamoureux has started eight of nine games for Villach, posting a .924 save percentage. During his 12 years in the top Austrian-based league, Lamoureux has never posted a save percentage below .914.
Jaksen Panzer, Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL): The former East Grand Forks Senior High standout is putting together a productive start to the season in the United States Hockey League. Panzer has six points in five games, tying him for the team lead in points on the Sioux Falls Stampede.
