By Nate Ewell
After posting just 5 points in 19 games as a freshman, Minnesota State sophomore Casey Nelson (Wisconsin Rapids, Wis./Johnstown-NAHL) sits among the national scoring leaders among defensemen entering this weekend’s big series: No. 3 Michigan Tech at No. 2 Minnesota State. Nelson credits adding 10 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-2, 182-pound frame, as well as learning from coaches and senior defenseman Zach Palmquist (S. St. Paul, Minn./Waterloo-USHL). Last year Nelson had the experience of playing with since-graduated older brother Josh; now he’s one of the top contributors on one of the nation’s best teams. | Minn. Hockey Journal: Growing pains yield gains
Top 10 Series This Weekend
No. 3 Michigan Tech at No. 2 Minnesota State
No. 5 Miami at No. 7 Denver
No. 8 Nebraska Omaha at No. 6 Minnesota Duluth
Must Read/See/Head Material
Boston Globe: BU seniors determined to claim Beanpot
Boston Herald: A Garden dream blossoms
Portland Press Herald: UMaine may say goodbye to its captain
Wisconsin State Journal: Ford earns bigger role, joins third line
The Hockey Writers: Pittsburgh and college hockey: Jesse Root
TSN: What Canada can learn from NCAA hockey
SB Nation: The Top 100 NHL Prospects in the NCAA (ongoing feature)
BU Athletics: The Season, Part II
Yahoo Puck Daddy: Penn State hockey wins THON dance competition
Calgary Herald: College chums never doubt Gaudreau’s pluck
Five More Storylines No One Should be Without
DiChiara finds scoring touch – Yale is unbeaten in four straight and in the mix for a first-round bye in the ECAC Hockey playoffs entering the final weekend of the regular season. Sophomore Frankie DiChiara (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Dubuque-USHL) has sparked the Bulldogs of late, scoring goals in three straight games and showing the offensive touch that produced 30 goals – plus the overtime Clark Cup-winning goal – in 2012-13 with the Dubuque Fighting Saints. DiChiara’s emergence (5g-5a in his last 8 GP) means Yale’s top three scorers all come from its sophomore class, as he trails only Mike Doherty (Reading, Mass./Middlesex-EJHL) and John Hayden (Greenwich, Conn./U.S. NTDP/CHI) in team scoring.
Previous unknown starring at Holy Cross – After missing all but five games due to injury last season, freshman T.J. Moore (Edina, Minn./Benilde-St. Margaret’s) came to Holy Cross with very little game experience in the past year and playing for first-year head coach David Berard. It’s safe to say the Crusaders might not have known what to expect – but the rookie has been a very pleasant surprise. He shares the team lead with 9 goals and is tied for second with 18 points, while playing in all 33 games entering the regular-season finale Saturday at Bentley.
More from Morley – St. Cloud State’s 6-2-0 run has put the Huskies back over .500 and comes thanks, in part, to an offensive explosion from junior David Morley (Richmond Hills, Ont./Victoria-BCHL). Morley has 7 goals and 12 points in that span, including three two-goal games. The 5-foot-7, 165-pound Morley has been an offensive threat for St. Cloud State since concussion symptoms forced him to redshirt his first year on campus. He was still in school, however, and is now set to graduate this spring, so he is considering master’s programs to pursue during his final year of eligibility next season.| S.C. Times: Outlook for Morley, SCSU has improved
Friday’s game at North Dakota is on CBSSN
Florida’s top hockey family? – Michigan State is among four teams within two points of the Big Ten lead thanks to a 6-2-0 stretch in which it has outscored opponents 19-10. Goaltender Jake Hildebrand (Butler, Pa./Cedar Rapids-USHL) gets headlines, but the Spartans play solid team defense, led by the experience and physicality of senior RJ Boyd (Lake Worth, Fla./Indiana-USHL/FLA). Boyd grew up in Florida, but don’t let geography think he wasn’t part of a hockey family. His father, Don, is from Michigan and all three of his sons took to the game. RJ is the oldest, while Sam is at UMass Boston and Richard is at UNH, all having attended Cushing Academy in Massachusetts.
Thursday and Friday games vs. Minnesota are on BTN
UMass’s sharp shooter – A slow start (4-13-0) will doom Massachusetts to 11th or 12th place in Hockey East, but the Minutemen could be a tough out when the playoffs begin next weekend. They are 6-7-2 since that start and three of their last four games have gone to overtime. Sophomore Frank Vatrano (East Longmeadow, Mass./Jr. Bruins-EJHL) has been an offensive threat throughout the season, scoring 17 goals including the overtime winner Saturday vs. Providence. Vatrano, who hails from just south of Amherst, has put at least one shot on goal in every game and seven or more 11 times.
National Shots on Goal Leaders
178 – Casey Bailey, Penn State
173 – Frank Vatrano, Massachusetts
143 – Riley Barber, Miami (WSH)
140 – Sam Anas, Quinnipiac
131 – Cody Wydo, Robert Morris
NHL Note of the Week
In the last week (Feb. 18-24), former NCAA goaltenders in the NHL combined for a 21-5-4 record, with a 2.07 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage.
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag
Boston University won the 63rd annual Beanpot in overtime Monday, the first time each of the tournament’s four games was decided by one goal … Jack Eichel (N. Chelmsford, Mass./U.S. NTDP) is just the 10th freshman since 1999-2000 to record 50 points in a season and the first BU freshman to do so since Tony Amonte (1989-90) … Michigan Tech (8 games) and Bemidji State (4) are the only teams nationally with active winning streaks of more than three games.