By Nate Ewell
One of college hockey's best first-half stories – the 14-6-0 Arizona State Sun Devils – opens the second half of the season hosting the best holiday tournament field at the Desert Hockey Classic. All four teams in Glendale, Ariz., are ranked, with No. 3 Minnesota State, No. 4 Minnesota Duluth and No. 19 Clarkson joining No. 15 ASU. The fourth-year Arizona State program is seeking to become the first independent to reach the NCAA Tournament since 1992, led by the national leaders in goals (Johnny Walker) and saves (Joey Daccord).
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Serratore Bowl – Air Force and Bemidji State are embracing the idea that the holiday season is for family, with Frank Serratore and the Falcons hosting brother Tom and the Beavers this weekend. The two teams split in Bemidji last season, with Matt Serratore – an Air Force captain and Tom's son – scoring goals in each game against his dad. Matt's status for the weekend is still to be determined, as he has been limited to three games this season due to injury.
Coaches with Sons Playing NCAA Division I Hockey:
Ted Donato, Harvard (son Jack is a Harvard sophomore)
Ron Fogarty, Princeton (son Jordan is a Princeton junior)
Todd Krygier, Western Michigan assistant (sons Christian and Cole are Michigan State freshmen)
Brian Riley, Army West Point (son Brendan is a Mercyhurst junior)
Tom Serratore, Bemidji State (son Matt is an Air Force senior)
Andy Slaggert, Notre Dame associate (son Graham is a Notre Dame freshman)
UMass Lowell's Wall – UMass Lowell entered the break on a 4-2-0 run, fueled by a bounce-back season from junior goaltender Tyler Wall (Leamington, Ont./Leamington-GOJHL/NYR). Wall stands fifth among all NHL draft picks in save percentage this season at .925 after posting an .868 last year as a sophomore. The mechanical engineering major and the River Hawks host No. 8 Denver Sunday.
Best Save Percentage, Drafted Goalies
.932 – Joseph Woll, Boston College (TOR)
.930 – Joey Daccord, Arizona State (OTT)
.929 – Mike Robinson, New Hampshire (SJS)
.927 – Ryan Bednard, Bowling Green (FLA)
.925 – Tyler Wall, UMass Lowell (NYR)
.924 – Jake Oettinger, Boston University (DAL)
R.I. rivalry heads north – Providence and Brown meet Saturday in the first game of the Ledyard Bank Classic, three hours north of their campuses in Hanover, N.H. The Rhode Island rivals entered the break on a roll, with Brown unbeaten in three straight (1-0-2) and No. 10 Providence at 4-1-2 in its last seven. Saturday's other matchup in Dartmouth's holiday tournament features Army West Point head coach Brian Riley facing his alma mater in the Big Green.
Experience leads LSSU – Lake Superior State joins fellow in-state schools Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan Tech as this year's fourth team in the annual Great Lakes Invitational. Two seniors lead the Lakers into Detroit's Little Caesars Arena, as forwards Anthony Nellis (Breakeyville, Que./Pembroke-CCHL) and Diego Cuglietta (Kamloops, B.C./Merritt-BCHL) have combined for 19 goals and 33 points through 16 games.
Focus on South Bend – Much of the hockey world shifts its focus to South Bend, Indiana, for the next week, where Tuesday's NHL Winter Classic between the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks will be bookended by two big Notre Dame games. Monday Boston College renews its rivalry with the Fighting Irish before the Irish face Michigan at Notre Dame Stadium on Jan. 5. Perhaps fittingly, given the Winter Classic matchup, Notre Dame is led in scoring by players from Boston and Chicago: junior Cal Burke (Boxborough, Mass./Cedar Rapids-USHL) and senior Bobby Nardella (Rosemont, Ill./Tri-City-USHL).
NHL Note of the Week
Nine current Bruins and Blackhawks who could play in the 2019 NHL Winter Classic played outdoor games in college, led by Duncan Keith, whose first NCAA game was the first stadium game of the modern era:
Fries at the Bottom of the Bag
Calendar year 2018 statistical leaders entering Dec. 28: Johnny Walker, Arizona State (30 goals); Ryan Kuffner and Max Veronneau, Princeton (54 points); Hunter Shepard, Minnesota Duluth (26 wins); Shepard, Billy Christopoulos, Air Force, and Matthew Galajda, Cornell (7 shutouts) … Nassau Coliseum will host Colgate vs. Quinnipiac on Saturday, one of 10 NHL arenas to host NCAA games this season … The lone conference games this weekend are in Atlantic Hockey (two between Robert Morris and AIC) … Follow College Hockey Inc. on Instagram (@collegehockeyinc) for a behind-the-scenes look at the Ledyard Bank Classic as Dartmouth's team account takes over.