By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
This past weekend’s slate of college hockey will be remembered for a scoring eruption from the Boston Bruins draftees. Four different skaters recorded multi-point outings, and two recorded the first points of their college careers. Two Bruins prospects (Mason Langenbrunner and Ryan Walsh) just started their season this past weekend, and Walsh has already caught up to the rest of the field in scoring. Lost in the shuffle of all the points was Philip Svedeback, who won his 35th career game at Providence, officially making him third all-time in program history. All told, who won the weekend?
Ryan Walsh (C ) – Cornell – Walsh and the Big Red came sprinting out of the gate, sweeping a home weekend series against previously sixth-ranked North Dakota. Walsh had an especially strong game on Saturday night, logging a goal and two assists while winning 14/25 faceoffs in Cornell’s 5-3 win to complete the weekend sweep. He earned ECAC Player of the Week honors for his performance.
Ty Gallagher (D) – Colorado College – Gallagher had a massive weekend for the Tigers in their sweep of rivals Air Force. He led all CC skaters in ice time in both games, logged a goal, and assisted in the Saturday night 6-1 thumping. Gallagher has played at least 20 minutes in every game this season and has already eclipsed his scoring total (six points in six games) from his last season with Boston University (five points in 37 games).
Dans Locmelis (C ) – UMass – Locmelis kept up his torrid scoring pace on Saturday, recording a goal and an assist in the Minutemen’s 4-3 win over American International College. The goal, his first of the year, was a deflection off a point shot on the power play and proved to be the eventual game-winner. Locmelis has nine points in eight games on the season and is on pace to smash his freshman-year output of 14 points.
Elliott Groenewold (D) – Quinnipiac – Groenewold was the third Bruins prospect of the day to score his first goal of the season, which proved to be the eventual game-winner, in the Bobcats’ 3-0 road win over Holy Cross. Groenewold capitalized on chaos in the Crusader crease to wire a slapshot into the open net. He added an assist on the empty netter to open his NCAA scoring account with a multi-point effort.
Dean Letourneau (C ) – Boston College – Letourneau logged the first official point of his collegiate career with an assist in BC’s Friday night road win at tenth-ranked St Cloud State. Letourneau logged his assist off a faceoff, winning the draw and the ensuing puck battle to set up Will Vote for the icebreaker. The big freshman had scored a goal earlier this season in an exhibition match with the US Development Program, but it did not count toward his scoring total.
Looking ahead: Letourneau, Oskar Jellvik, and Andre Gasseau have yet another top-ten matchup on their way, welcoming fifth-ranked Maine to Chesnuthill for the weekend. Groenewold and Chris Pelosi open up ECAC Conference Play by welcoming Dartmouth on Friday and Mason Langenbrunner and Harvard on Saturday. Langenbrunner and the Crimson face off against Princeton before returning north to face the Bobcats.
Ryan Walsh and Cornell welcome Yale and Brown to Ithaca for weekend tilts, with ground to make up on the field due to their delayed season start. Philip Svedeback, fresh off etching his place in Providence goaltending history, plays a home-and-home with Northeastern. Minnesota and Beckett Hendrickson hit the road for a weekend series with Wisconsin. Locmelis and the Minutemen head north for Burlington, Vermont, for a pair at Gutterson Fieldhouse.
Jake Schmaltz and the now tenth-ranked North Dakota Fighting Hawks have a bounce-back opportunity with a weekend series with Minnesota-Duluth. Ty Gallagher and the undefeated, eighth-ranked Colorado College Tigers keep rolling as they play host to Arizona State for two games. Casper Nassen looks to return to the scoresheet as the Miami Redhawks head to St Cloud State.
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