Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Men’s Notes: November to Remember for Bentley’s Hasley

Junior Netminder Pitching Shutouts for Streaking Falcons

After a fairly middling month of October in which Bentley went 2-3-1, the Falcons found a new level in November, rattling off wins in seven of their eight games.

A significant factor was the play of junior G Connor Hasley, who was responsible for six of those November victories. An incredible four of the six wins came via shutout, those four already giving Hasley a share of Bentley’s single-season shutout record.

The North Tonawanda, N.Y., native saved his best for last, closing out the month with three consecutive Atlantic Hockey clean sheets: a 3-0 win over AIC and back-to-back 2-0 victories over Air Force.

It marked the first time in program history Bentley has put together three shutouts in a row.

For the month, Hasley logged a sparkling 1.65 goals against average and .927 save percentage. He also became the school’s record-holder for career shutouts with seven.

When Hasley and the Falcons return to the ice Sunday, Dec. 1, at Northeastern, the netminder will do so with a shutout streak approaching 200 minutes.

“It’s amazing to be around a bunch of guys that support me as much as they do,” Hasley said after Saturday’s series against Air Force. “All I do is just get ready for the next game and that’s all I can focus on. You can’t really dwell on something; I’m just excited to get back into the net and get another chance to shut the door.”

Sunday’s game marks the beginning of an eight-game road stretch for Bentley – which is off to the best start in the program’s Division I history – that extends into January.

Daily Scoreboard | Weekly Schedule | Stat Leaders | Goaltending Leaders

Friendship Four:

College hockey returns to Northern Ireland this weekend when Belfast’s SSE Arena plays host to the annual Friendship Four.

Friday’s matchups will feature No. 13 Boston University versus Merrimack, and Harvard against Notre Dame. The two winners will play for the Belpot Trophy in Saturday’s championship game, while the other two teams will square off in the consolation matchup.

Charleson Tough to Pierce:

When Niagara G Pierce Charleson (Gr., Aurora, Ontario) turned aside a career-high 56 shots in Friday’s 2-1 win at AIC, it marked the most saves in a single game by an NCAA Division I men’s goalie this season.

Charleson stopped all 34 AIC shots through 40 minutes, then denied 22 of 23 in the final frame. AIC bounced back with a 5-2 win over Charleson and the Purple Eagles the following night.

Through 14 appearances this season, Charleson is 7-4-3 with a 2.61 goals against average and a .927 save percentage.

But Hughes Counting?:

Michigan junior F T.J. Hughes (Hamilton, Ontario) scored four times – three of them on the power play – in Saturday’s 10-6 win at Penn State, the first four-goal game in Division I men’s hockey this season.

Hughes, who also added an assist for a five-point night, had lit the lamp just once in his first 11 games prior to Saturday’s outburst. He had 19 goals in 41 games as a sophomore last season.

Milestone Watch:

A pair of forwards became the latest active players to reach the 100-point milestone last weekend.

On Friday, Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud (Jr., Chaska, Minn.) set up a second-period power-play goal against Notre Dame for his 100th career point. He joined his father, Dave Snuggerud (Minnesota, 1985-87 & 1988-89), in the Golden Gopher 100-point club. The following night, Providence’s NickPoisson (Gr., Vancouver, British Columbia) set up the game-tying goal late in the Friars’ 4-3 overtime win over LIU for career point No. 100. He later scored the OT winner.

Active NCAA Career Scoring Leaders
Rk.	Player, School	Pts
1.	Lukas Sillinger, Arizona State	131
2.	Jack Devine, Denver	129
3.	Carter Wilkie, North Dakota	114
4.	Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, Ohio State	109
5.	Lynden Breen, Maine	107
6.	Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota	104
7.	Ayrton Martino, Clarkson	103
8.	Nick Poisson, Providence	101

Michigan F T.J. Hughes (Hamilton, Ontario) is the next-closest player to joining the century club; he enters this weekend’s home-and-home against Western Michigan with 96 career points.

Thompson on a Tear:

His team is off this weekend, but when Denver junior F Aidan Thompson (Fort Collins, Colo.) returns to action Dec. 6 at Western Michigan, he’ll bring with him a nation’s-best 14-game point streak.

Thompson, who has hit the scoresheet in each of the Pioneers’ first 14 games, ranks second in the NCAA in points (22) and is tied for third in goals (10). He’s already just one goal away from matching the career-high 11 he scored last season as a sophomore.

The longest point streak in the NCAA in 2023-24 was 18 games by a pair of Boston College teammates: Gabe Perreault (Dec. 1 through March 23) and Will Smith (Dec. 1 through March 1).

Fit to Print:

“Enjoy every moment, enjoy being on the ice, enjoy being with your teammates in the locker room, because you never know when that will go away and it can in the snap of a finger.”

— Penn State senior F Ben Schoen (Maumee, Ohio), who returned to the lineup this season for the first time since suffering an ankle injury Jan. 27, 2023 (source: College Hockey News).

NHL Note of the Week:

Former NCAA standouts Max Sasson (Western Michigan, 2021-23) and Brett Berard (Providence, 2020-23) recently made their NHL debuts with the Vancouver Canucks and New York Rangers, respectively.

Sasson had an assist and was plus-1 in Vancouver’s 4-3 win in Ottawa on Saturday, while Berard also had a helper in New York’s 5-2 loss to St. Louis on Monday.

Ten former college hockey players have already debuted in the NHL in 2024-25. Last season, NCAA alumni represented 36 percent of all NHL debuts for the year, the highest-such total since 2017-18.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

Boston College is the country’s only team still perfect on the penalty kill, having gone 27 for 27 through the team’s first 12 games … Sacred Heart freshman G Ajeet Gundarah (Richmond, British Columbia) is unbeaten in his first six NCAA starts (5-0-1) … Penn State junior G John Seifarth (Pittsburgh, Pa.) earned the victory in his NCAA debut Tuesday against Colgate. Seifarth, who played for Penn State’s ACHA club team last season, stopped 25 shots in a 3-2 win … LIU junior D Valtteri Piironen (Pyhäselkä, Finland) blocked nine shots in Saturday’s 4-3 overtime loss at Providence, the most by an NCAA Division I men’s player since Pierson Brandon blocked 10 for Colgate on Feb. 19, 2022, against St. Lawrence … North Dakota sophomore G Hobie Hedquist (Heron Lake, Minn.) registered his first NCAA shutout in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Robert Morris.

Longest Active NCAA Point Streaks:

14 games, F Aidan Thompson (Denver)
- 10-22—22, began Oct. 5 at Alaska Anchorage
9 games, F Brett Chorske (Colgate)
- 7-4—11, began Oct. 25 at RIT
8 games, F Brandon Buhr (Union)
- 4-5—9, began Oct. 18 vs. Mercyhurst

Longest Active Goal Streaks:

6 games, F Ryan Leonard (Boston College)
- 8-4—12, began Nov. 8 vs. Maine
5 games, F Aiden Fink (Penn State)
- 6-4—10, began Nov. 15 vs. Wisconsin
5 games F Liam McLinskey (Holy Cross)
- 6-2—8, began Nov. 7 vs. AIC

College Hockey Inc. Resources:

Did you know? 93% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players earn their degree!