By: Neil Simmons | Follow me on Twitter / X: @NSimmz
Thanksgiving may be on Thursday, but several College Bruins have already helped themselves to dinner, and a few have gone for seconds. Seven different skaters finished the weekend with at least one point, and five of them either had multi-point nights or scored in both games they played. Chris Pelosi and Ty Gallagher each found the back of the net on Friday night, with Pelosi’s resulting as the game-winner in an upset over Cornell. Meanwhile, Providence has to be thankful for Philip Svedeback, who started both games this week for the Friars, saving 59 of 65 shots in an OT loss to Boston College and an OT win over Long Island University. While their performances are worth recognition, the turkey legs have already been handed out:
Andre Gasseau (LW) – Boston College – Gasseau scored his sixth goal of the season on Friday night and tacked on an assist on Saturday as BC split the weekend series with Northeastern. His goal on Friday, assisted by linemate Oskar Jellvik, put the Eagles up 2-0 ten minutes into the game and allowed them to cruise to a 3-0 win. He returned the favor on Saturday night, recording his third assist of the year on Jellvik’s goal. Gasseau has nine points in 12 games this season, good for third amongst Bruins NCAA prospects, and leads the group in goal scoring.
Oskar Jellvik (C) – Boston College – When it rains, it pours. After starting the season with three points in two games, Jellvik went over a month without hitting the scoresheet. Now he has points in three of his last four, including both games against Northeastern. He assisted Gasseau with his goal on Friday night, then scored his own on Saturday, which was assisted by Gasseau. With two goals and six points in ten games, Jellvik has work to do to match last season’s point-per-game pace, but if he stays hot, he can get there.
Dans Locmelis (C) – Speaking of red hot, Locmelis has five points in his last three games. He logged a power play goal and an assist in the third period of the Minutemen’s 5-3 win over Harvard on Friday, then tacked on an assist against Vermont on Sunday. The dynamic Latvian center has three goals, 11 assists, and 14 points in 14 games, leading all NCAA Bruins in assists and scoring.
Jake Schmaltz (C) – North Dakota – Schmaltz put on a clinic at the dot during North Dakota’s weekend sweep of Robert Morris. After contributing a pair of assists inside the first two minutes of play on Friday night, Schmaltz won 20/29 faceoffs. He followed up his dominant performance by winning 13/15 draws on Saturday in a 1-0 shutout victory. A quirky stat of note: Schmaltz has seven points on the season, but they’ve all come in just three games. The bulk of his production for NoDak comes on faceoffs, where he leads the team with 228 draws taken and a 63.6% win rate.
Ryan Walsh (C) – Cornell – Walsh continued his white-hot start with a goal and an assist on the power play in Cornell’s 5-0 thumping of Princeton on Saturday. The sophomore center has four goals and four assists in eight games, leading the Big Red in scoring and on faceoffs, winning 59% of his 179 draws. His scoring total also places him fourth amongst NCAA Bruins, with at least four games in hand on Gasseau, Gallagher, and Locmelis.
Looking ahead: Mason Langenbrunner and the Harvard Crimson head across the pond to Belfast, Northern Ireland, to play Notre Dame in the Friendship Four. Depending on the outcome, they will either play BU or Merrimack in their second game of the weekend. Philip Svedeback will also be hitting the road for the holiday weekend, as Providence will compete in the Adirondack Winter Invitational against Clarkson and St Lawrence.
Minnesota and Beckett Hendrickson will host Alaska for a pair in Minneapolis. Andre Gasseau, Oskar Jellvik, and Dean Letourneau will host Dartmouth on Chestnut Hill for a Black Friday standalone game. Dans Locmelis and the Minutemen will also play host on Black Friday, appropriately for the Army Black Knights. Jake Schmaltz and the Fighting Hawks host Bemidji State on Saturday for a solo tilt. Chris Pelost, Elliott Groenewold, and Ryan Walsh will take their talents to the big city, as Quinnipiac will play Cornell at Madison Square Garden.
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