NFL
After a fun opening weekend of the NCHC league play, we get to do it again this weekend with 4 games across the league. Before we get into those games, we need to discuss the USCHO rankings, the NCHC players of the week for the weekend of October 31st-November 1st, and the October NCHC Players of the Month. We also have a special honor for a fellow NCHC that wasn’t chosen by the NCHC.
After the first league play of games this past weekend, the USCHO released its new rankings for the week on November 3rd. The NCHC is still has 5 times ranked in the top 20.
The defending and reigning national champions, Western Michigan, dropped again this week. Following their weekend split against St. Cloud State, Western drops down to #4.
Minnesota Duluth moves up to #7 this week after being ranked #10 after their split against North Dakota last weekend.
Even though North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth split their series last weekend in Grand Forks, North Dakota stays put at #8 heading into the weekend.
With Denver’s tough loss on Friday night to Alaska Anchorage, Saturday night’s victory of 6-0 wasn’t enough to prevent Denver from falling in the rankings this week. They fell to #9 after being ranked #6.
The last team that is ranked this week is Colorado College. After two tough losses to Omaha in Colorado Springs last weekend, Colorado College drops down to #20 after being ranked #15 the previous week.
NCHC has multiple teams that are rising in the polls, but not enough to be in the top 20. Miami (OH), Omaha, St. Cloud State, and Arizona State are all receiving votes. Will any of those teams crack the top 20 in the weeks to come? Stay tuned to find out.
Earlier this week, the NCHC announced its player of the week honors for last week.
The Forward of the week goes to Ben Strinden, Senior forward for North Dakota. In the weekend series against Duluth, Strinden would have 5 points on the weekend. Ben would have the game-tying goal on Friday night, and on Saturday night, he would have 4 assists. Those 4 assists would be the most for an NCHC skater in a game so far this season.
The Defenseman of the Week would also come from that North Dakota/ Minnesota Duluth series. The honor this week goes to Sophomore Ty Hanson from Minnesota Duluth. He would score the overtime winning goal on Friday night after having an assist on the first goal of the game. Ty would block 7 shots on the weekend, with 4 of them on Friday. Hanson also helped the Bulldogs go 5-6 on the penalty kill on the weekend.
While we are in this North Dakota/Minnesota Duluth talk, we might as well just talk about another reward involving those teams. The Rookie of the Week would come from that series as well.
The Rookie of the Week goes to Ollie Josephson of North Dakota. Over the weekend, he would have a total of 4 points. Both nights, he had a goal and an assist. Friday night’s goal was his first career goal. Ollie also went 17-14 from the faceoff circle over the weekend.
The Goaltender of the Week comes to me as no surprise. After watching him play on Friday night, Simon Latkoczy from Omaha wins the honor. Omaha goalie would stop 49 of the 51 shots that Colorado College would put on him at Ed Robson in a 3-2 victory on Friday night. 17 of those shots came in the first 20 minutes of the game. Those 49 saves would be the most by an NCHC goaltender in a game this season. He is a true example of the meaning of a goaltender standing on his head for his team. Without that strong performance, Omaha may have lost that game on Friday.
As the NCHC turns the calendar to November, it needs to announce the Players of the Month for October. One of these players would also get voted by the HCA (Hockey Commissioners Association) for National Co-Forward of the Month of October.
The forward of the Month goes to Minnesota Duluth Sophomore Forward Max Plate. He would end the month with 18 points. Max would score 9 goals and 9 assists in the month. The 9 goals were tied for 1st in the NCHC and 2nd in the NCAA. Max would also end the month with a +14 plus/minus, which led the NCAA in the month of October. With those numbers, Plate was also named the HCA Co-Forward of October. He is the first Bulldog to win the award since March/April 2019.
The Defenseman of the Month goes to Ty Hanson from Minnesota Duluth. He would have 10 points and 12 blocked shots in the month. The 10 points would lead all the NCHC defenseman and second among NCAA defensemen. His 3 goals would be tied for second among NCAA defensemen, and his 7 assists would lead the NCHC defenseman and be 3rd in the NCAA. Ty topped the NCAA defenseman with a +12 plus/minus. Hanson has also helped the Bulldogs kill 27-30 penalties so far this season.
When you have a start like Minnesota Duluth has had with an 8-1-0 record, you must have strong goaltending to lead you there. That’s exactly what happened with the Goaltender of the Month, Adam Gajan. He would have a .931 save percentage and 1.45 goals against average. Both of which led the NCHC. His 1.45 GAA ranked him 2nd in the NCAA. He had one shutout, and in six of the nine games, he allowed 1 goal or less.
The last monthly award goes to Kocha Delic, who is the Rookie of the Month. He helped Miami (OH) get off to a strong start with a 6-1-0 record. He led all NCHC freshmen with 10 points. Those 10 points would tie him for 3rd nationally among all rookies in the NCAA. His 5 goals would be top among NCHC freshmen and 3rd among NCAA rookies. Kocha led Miami (OH) with 25 shots and posted a +5 plus/minus rating. He also has a point in all 7 Miami (OH) games during October.
Will any of your players win the NCHC Player of the Week, Player of the Month, or a National Award for November? Stay tuned for the weeks to come to find out.
After an exciting weekend last weekend, we get to do it again, NCHC fans. Let’s look ahead to this weekend’s 4 series.
We have a rematch of one of the 2024-2025 NCAA Men’s Frozen Faceoff semifinal games that went into double OT between Denver and Western Michigan, taking place this weekend up in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Western Michigan comes into the game with a 1-1-0 conference record, while Denver gets their conference action underway this weekend.
North Dakota travels to Omaha to take on the unbeaten Omaha Mavericks. After last weekend’s sweep in Colorado, Omaha looks to keep it going and extend its conference lead, while North Dakota looks to gain some momentum after splitting last weekend’s games against Minnesota Duluth.
After their opening weekend split at Miami (OH) last weekend, Arizona State returns to the desert as they welcome Colorado College to town. The Tigers are looking for their first conference victory of the 2025-2026 season. They will need a good showing with at least 1 victory, if not 2 victories, this weekend if they hope to stay in the USCHO top 20 with Miami (OH) breathing down their necks in the rankings.
With both teams earning a split last weekend in their series, St. Cloud State and Minnesota Duluth square off in Duluth. Both teams are looking to build on last weekend and earn some important points in the standings.
Well, NCHC hockey fans, it’s that time again. It’s time to put fresh ice on the rink and drop the puck in hopes of another exciting action across the NCHC. Check back next week’s articles as we recap this weekend’s games, players of the week, the USCHO rankings, and the NCHC standings after the second weekend of league games. Talk to you all then. Have a safe weekend, and if you can, check out some NCHC action as well.
