Thursday, December 4, 2025

Men’s Notes: Nanooks, RedHawks Taste Trophy Success

NPI Leader Dartmouth Looks to Stay Unbeaten

The last time the Miami RedHawks hoisted a college hockey trophy of any kind, it was the spring of 2015. Miami had just captured the second-ever NCHC Frozen Faceoff playoff tournament, and the RedHawks were closing in on a 10th NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years.

Over the next decade, Miami struggled to maintain its competitive footing in the uber-competitive NCHC, but its fortunes are changing in 2025-26.

Second-year head coach Anthony Noreen re-tooled his roster with 21 newcomers and the RedHawks soared out of the gates with six straight wins to start the season. Last weekend, the program traveled to Belfast, Northern Ireland, and captured the Belpot Trophy as 2025 Friendship Four champions.

Miami defeated RIT (4-0) and Union (3-2), and Noreen said snapping that trophy drought was an important step in his program’s progression.

“I think it would be really hard for people outside to understand what it meant, but it meant a lot,” Noreen told assembled media this week from Miami’s Champions Room, which houses every trophy the program has ever won. “It’s been a while since a new one’s been in here.”

Noreen was pleased with his team’s ability to block out the distractions that come with an overseas trip – an environment not unlike that of a playoff series or a postseason tournament.

“We needed to be in a situation like that. We haven’t been in those types of games,” he explained. “We had a mission. We talked about it at the beginning of the season — really before we even got started on our first practice — and what the purpose of the trip was. The guys carried it through.”

There’s no rest for the weary, either, as Miami immediately dives back into the NCHC fray the next two weekends against Denver and Colorado College.

“We needed that step forward. Now, it’s on to the next challenge,” said Noreen. “It’s on to Denver.”

Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Scoring Leaders | Goaltending Leaders

Alaska Wins Adirondack Winter Invite:

Miami wasn’t the only college hockey team to win a tournament far from home last weekend.

While the RedHawks were in Northern Ireland, the Alaska Nanooks traveled all the way to Lake Placid, N.Y., to compete in the 2025 Adirondack Winter Invitational.

Alaska snapped a five-game winless skid in style, blanking St. Lawrence 2-0 and edging Clarkson 3-2 to claim the tournament trophy at Herb Brooks Arena.

“Winning the Adirondack was awesome for our group,” Alaska head coach Erik Largen (Alaska ’08) told College Hockey Inc. “Any time you go on the road and earn a trophy in the middle of the season is a big boost. It made the travel day on the Sunday that much better.”

As he’s done all year, senior Lassi Lehti (Espoo, Finland) delivered terrific goaltending, stopping 40 of 42 shots on the weekend, including his shutout of the Saints, his first of the year.

It was the second shot at a tournament crown this season for the Nanooks, who advanced to the Ice Breaker finale in October only to fall to host Arizona State.

“The in-season tournaments are awesome because you get to see players in a playoff-style environment,” Largen continued, “and to see our guys respond the way they did is something we are proud of.”

Green with Envy:

As the calendar flips from November to December, there remains just one unbeaten team in NCAA Division I men’s hockey: the Dartmouth Big Green, who also happen to sit atop the NPI rankings.

Dartmouth improved to 8-0 last weekend with nonconference wins over Vermont and Merrimack, giving the program its best start to a season since opening 13-0 in 1942-43.

Tommie Blockers:

St. Thomas blocked 27 shots in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Michigan Tech, matching the NCAA season-high previously shared by four other teams.

One night earlier, the Tommies blocked 21 MTU shots in a 3-3 overtime tie with the Huskies. Nine of those 21 were courtesy of junior D Nick Williams (Edina. Minn.), the most by any individual player in the country this season.

Williams, who totaled 15 blocks in the series, also had a goal and an assist on the weekend and was named CCHA Defenseman of the Week on Monday.

Team USA Nears Final Roster:

USA Hockey announced on Monday its preliminary roster for the upcoming IIHF World Junior Championship in Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The 28-man roster included 20 current college hockey players, as well as four college hockey commits and one NCAA alum now playing professionally.

SID Corner:

When Boston University F Cole Eiserman (So., Newburyport, Mass.) scored the decisive goal in Saturday’s 2-1 Red Hot Hockey win over Cornell at Madison Square Garden, it was the third different NHL rink in which he’s scored as a Terrier, according to BU SID Kevin Edelson.

Eiserman had previously scored at Boston’s TD Garden during last year’s Beanpot and at St. Louis’ Enterprise Center during last year’s NCAA Frozen Four.

Saturday’s goal gave BU the Kelley-Harkness Cup in front of 17,478 fans at MSG.

Notebook Quotebook:

“Academically, I haven’t been in school for like, two years, so that was probably the biggest jump by far, actually over hockey, in any sense. I love the aspect of coming back to school and being able to meet new people and not being in a shell of not being able to see anyone other than hockey guys. I like how you can make friends with some non-sports people here.”

— Providence freshman F and Anaheim Ducks 2025 first-round pick Roger McQueen (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan) on the transition from junior hockey to NCAA hockey (source: College Hockey News).

NHL Note of the Week:

The next win for Detroit Red Wings G Cam Talbot (Alabama-Huntsville, 2007-10) will be the 276th of his NHL career and will move him past Marty Turco (Michigan, 1994-98) into sole possession of 10th all-time among former NCAA goaltenders.

The New York Rangers’ Jonathan Quick (UMass, 2005-07) and Winnipeg’s Connor Hellebuyck (UMass Lowell, 2012-14) – with 407 and 330, respectively – are the only active NCAA alumni with more career wins than Talbot.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

The Hockey Commissioners Association announced its November Players of the Month on Thursday … Minnesota State G Alex Tracy (Sr., Chicago, Ill.) earned his 10th career shutout in Friday’s 4-0 win at Northern Michigan, second-most among active Division I goalies behind only Arizona State’s Connor Hasley (Sr., North Tonawanda, N.Y.), who has 14 … Colorado College F Klavs Veinbergs (Jr., Riga, Latvia) won 22 faceoffs (32 attempts) in the Tigers’ 2-1 loss to Providence on Saturday, tying Bowling Green’s Jaden Grant (Oct. 31) for the most in the country this season … Minnesota defeated Denver 6-5 in overtime last Saturday in the annual U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game, played in front of 12,228 fans at Denver’s Ball Arena. Gopher freshman F Javon Moore (Minnetonka, Minn.) scored the overtime winner … College hockey greats Zach Parise (North Dakota, 2002-04), Joe Pavelski (Wisconsin, 2004-06) and Tara Mounsey (Brown, 1999-2000) will be among those inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame on Dec. 10 in Saint Paul.

Longest Active Team Winning Streaks:

8 games, Dartmouth (began Nov. 1 at Stonehill)
6 games, Minnesota State (began Nov. 14 at Lake Superior State)
6 games, Quinnipiac (began Nov. 8 at Brown)

Longest Active Point Streaks:

8 games, F Ethan Wyttenbach (Quinnipiac)
- 4-10—14, began Nov. 4 vs. Alaska
7 games, F Quinn Emerson (Bowling Green)
- 2-9—11, began Nov. 8 at Minnesota State
7 games, F Ryker Lee (Michigan State)
- 5-5—10, began Nov. 8 vs. Penn State
7 games, F Cullen Potter (Arizona State)
- 4-5—9, Nov. 8 vs. Colorado College
7 games, F Charlie Stramel (Michigan State)
- 3-8—11, began Nov. 8 vs. Penn State
6 games, Five players tied

Longest Active Goal Streaks:

5 games, F Markus Vidicek (Quinnipiac)
- 6-0—6, began Nov. 15
4 games, F Matteo Giampa (Miami)
- 5-0—5, began Nov. 21 vs. St. Cloud State
4 games, F Ben Strinden (North Dakota)
- 5-0—5, began Nov. 14 vs. Arizona State

Conference Websites

College Hockey Inc. Resources:

Did you know? 93% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players earn their degree!