NFL
By Jason Gulden
Welcome back, NCHC fans. Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable end to 2025.
A lot of things have taken place since we last talked on December 12th. Most of the teams played their final game of 2025 that weekend. A couple of teams took part in holiday tournaments around the country. Let’s look back at those weekend games and then the holiday tournaments before we look ahead at this weekend’s games.
The weekend of December 12th and 13th
Denver and St. Cloud State would face off in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Each team would win a game on the weekend. Denver would win on Friday night by the score of 5-1. St. Cloud would win the following night 4-3.
65 minutes wouldn’t be enough on both nights in the Colorado College and Miami (OH) matchup. On both nights, the game would go to the shootout, with each team winning during the weekend. Miami (OH) would win the shootout on Friday, and then Colorado College would return the favor on Saturday Night.
Arizona State and Minnesota Duluth would face off against each other in Duluth. Friday night, Minnesota would win 3-1. Saturday night, Arizona State would double up Minnesota with a 6-3 score.
The only series that would feature a sweep would take place in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Omaha would travel to North Dakota and would be swept out of Grand Forks by the scores of 4-1 and 3-1.
Players of the Week for December 12th and 13th
The Forward of the Week was Bennett Schimek of Arizona State. He tallied five points on the weekend. Friday, he would be held off the scoresheet and then would come out on Saturday night on FIRE!!! He would get his second collegiate hat trick and assist on two other Sun Devils’ goals.
The Defenseman of the Week was Phillippe Blais-Savoie of Colorado College. Just like Schimek, Blais Savoie was also held off the score sheet on Friday and then would come out on Saturday night on FIRE!!! He would score two power-play goals for the Tigers in their 3-3 tie against Miami (OH).
The Goaltender of the Week was Quinten Miller of Denver University. It was his second straight week earning the Goaltender of the Week. Friday night, he would stop 37 of the 38 shots he faced. Saturday night would stop 28 of the 32 shots. Quinten improves his record to 11-5-1 with a .931 save percentage and 1.92 GAA, which are both good for second in the NCHC this season.
The Rookie of the Week title was awarded to goaltender Jan Spunar from North Dakota. Spunar played exclusively on Friday night, demonstrating commendable skill by saving 30 out of 31 shots on goal. With this performance, he advanced his record to 9-0-0, becoming the first goaltender in North Dakota’s history to begin his career with nine consecutive victories.
December 19th and December 30th
For the weekend of December 19th and December 20th, Omaha would play its last games before December 30th. They would travel up to Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to take on Augustana. On Friday night, the Mavericks would get destroyed 7-4 by Augustana. However, on Saturday, they would return the favor and win 4-1. Omaha would return to this ice on December 30th when they welcomed Manitoba into Omaha for an exhibition game. Omaha would come away from that game 4-1
Arizona State would wrap up its 2025 games with a weekend series in Hanover, New Hampshire, with a matchup against previously unbeaten Dartmouth. On Friday night, Arizona would win 5-1 and then would fall on Saturday night by the score of 4-1.
Miami (OH) would take part in the Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids, Michigan. On Sunday, December 28th, they would fall to Michigan Tech 5-1. Due to their loss, Miami (OH) would have to play in the 3rd place game on Monday. They would take down Ferris State by the score of 4-2.
Western Michigan would take part in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-off in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. On Sunday, December 28th, they took on Boston College. They would take care of the Eagles by the score of 5-3. With the win, the Broncos would play for the championship against Wisconsin. The Broncos would win another tournament in 2025 with a 4-1 victory.
Rankings
Heading into this weekend’s games, the NCHC has 4 teams in the Top 7 of the USCHO Top 20 poll. North Dakota is number 4. Minnesota-Duluth is number 5. Denver is number 6. Western Michigan is number 7.
There are 4 teams not in the top 20 but are receiving votes. Colorado College, Arizona State, St. Cloud State, and Miami (OH).
Will any of those teams getting votes crack the Top 20 in the coming weeks? Only time will tell.
Weekends games
As we get going for the first time in 2026, this is the last weekend of the season where all NCHC teams are playing non-conference games.
Augustana will compete against another NCHC program as Colorado College visits Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
After their 4-1 victory on Tuesday in the exhibition game with Manitoba, Omaha travels to Ithaca, New York, to take on Cornell.
Speaking of Manitoba, they will travel to Minnesota Duluth to play in another exhibition game.
North Dakota welcomes Mercyhurst to Grand Forks, North Dakota.
Denver will be playing in front of their home fans when it welcomes Maine to town.
Western Michigan and Notre Dame will take on each other in a home-and-home series this weekend. Friday night will take place in South Bend, while Saturday night will take place in Kalamazoo.
There are two tournaments this weekend. St. Cloud State will take part in the Cactus Cup in Palm Springs, California. Yale, Minnesota State, and UMass Lowell are also taking part in the tournament. On Friday, St. Cloud State will take on Yale. Saturday, they will face off against either Minnesota-Duluth or UMass-Lowell.
The other tournament will take place in Tempe, Arizona. The Desert Hockey Classic will feature Alaska Anchorage, Arizona State, Air Force, and Michigan Tech. Arizona State will play Alaska Anchorage on Friday night and then will play either Air Force or Michigan Tech on Saturday.
Closing
Hockey fans, the NCHC season resumes this weekend. I’ll keep you updated on all the games until our last team wraps up its season—ideally in April, when one of our teams claims the NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship.
