Thursday, February 13, 2025

Men’s Notes: Gelatt’s Breakout Typifies Holy Cross Run

Crusaders Surging With 8-Game Winning Streak

Entering last weekend’s Atlantic Hockey series against RIT, Holy Cross senior forward John Gelatt was known more for his leadership qualities than his scoring prowess.

After all, the assistant captain from Middletown, N.J., had nearly 140 NCAA games under his belt but had scored only 11 times, including three in 25 contests this season.

But Gelatt erupted for four goals (on a season-high nine shots) to power the Crusaders to a 9-2 road victory over the two-time defending AHA champions. Not only was it his first NCAA hat trick, but it was his first multi-goal game since December of his freshman season.

The following night, Gelatt chipped in with a pair of assists to help Holy Cross complete the sweep of RIT and extend the Crusaders’ winning streak to a nation’s-best eight games. Zoom out an additional week, and that eight-game winning streak is a 10-game unbeaten streak, during which Gelatt has accounted for 10 of his 14 points this season.

Gelatt’s unexpected individual surge is emblematic of his team’s recent play.

While senior F and 2024 Hobey Baker Award finalist Liam McLinskey (Pearl River, N.Y.) remains the offensive headliner, the Crusaders have received contributions from up and down the lineup. For example, eight different players have provided game-winning goals during Holy Cross’ current 9-0-1 run. Between the pipes, senior Thomas Gale (Kirkland, Quebec) has slammed the door to the tune of a .948 save percentage during that stretch.

Holy Cross now finds itself tied atop the AHA standings with preseason favorite Sacred Heart, and the Crusaders hold two games in hand. They’ll make those games up this weekend with a Thursday-Friday series at home against Mercyhurst.

Just two weeks remain on the AHA schedule. The Crusaders still must hold off not only SHU, but third-place Bentley, which trails both by a single point. But with their fate now in their own hands, Holy Cross has a very real shot at its first regular-season conference title since 2005-06.

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Must Read:

Boston Globe: Freshman Cole Hutson delivers men’s Beanpot trophy back to Boston University

College Hockey News: Back home: Casey Jones gears up to take the reins at Cornell

College Hockey News: Colgate right in the thick of it

College Hockey News: Sacred Heart moving into uncharted territory

Detroit Free Press: Michigan State’s hockey team reminds everyone of opportunity in front of them

Duluth News Tribune: Hermantown’s Pionk producing from Bulldogs’ blue line

EP Rinkside: NCAA hockey notebook: Atlantic Hockey race heating up

EP Rinkside: NCAA Stock Watch: Isaac Howard has gone supernova for Michigan State

FloHockey: Thomas Gale leading Holy Cross surge

Grand Forks Herald: At age 81, Dennis Hextall skates ‘One More Shift’

Quinnipiac Today: Collin Graf’s first NHL goal creates special moment for Quinnipiac hockey alumni

Shap Shots: Luca Di Pasquo is always ready – even if his last save of the season has already been made

Sioux Falls Live: Parity is back in the CCHA, and no team is safe this time around

USCHO: Omaha finding growth over second half, looking at late push for NCAA tournament bid

USCHO: For Clarkson, last month of 2024-25 season means Golden Knights ‘control our own destiny’

USCHO: Minnesota State has ‘got a job to do here’ as Mavericks seek spot in NCAA Tournament

Worcester Telegram & Gazette: Local native Kursonis connects on familiar ice while boosting Crusaders

Must Hear:

CHN Insiders: Featuring Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky

College Hockey Today: The Yegorov Factor

Inside Atlantic Hockey: Featuring Sacred Heart junior defenseman Mikey Adamson

Parting Schotts: Josh Hauge reviews Colgate-Cornell games, previews Quinnipiac-Princeton matchups

The CCHA Show: Featuring Minnesota State graduate forward Josh Groll

The Pipeline Show: Talking NCHC hockey with CBS Sports Network analyst Dave Starman

UND Hockey Podcast: UND headed to the mountains

USCHO Weekend Review: Big weekends for Minnesota State, WMU, OSU; Hobey, Richter contenders

For All the Beans:

Ninth-ranked Boston University dispatched of top-ranked Boston College 4-1 on Monday night to capture the 2025 Beanpot at TD Garden.

Freshman G Mikhail Yegorov (St. Petersburg, Russia) continued his torrid start to his collegiate career, stopping 43 shots and claiming the Eberly Ward as the Beanpot netminder with the highest save percentage. Yegorov, who joined the Terriers prior to the semester, has produced a 1.41 goals against average and .951 save percentage through his first five NCAA appearances.

BU freshman D Cole Hutson (Chicago, Ill.) took home the Beanpot’s Steve Nazro Most Valuable Player Award for his six points and plus-6 rating in two games.

The Terriers have won seven of 10 games in the New Year and will face No. 7 Providence in a home-and-home Hockey East series this weekend.

Freshman Jansson Emerging for Huskies:

Michigan Tech appears to have found a prolific power-play weapon in freshman F Elias Jansson.

The Oulu, Finland, native scored three times with the man advantage in last weekend’s 6-5 overtime loss to Bemidji State, including the game-tying goal with just 20 seconds left on the clock. He’s the only freshman in NCAA Division I men’s hockey this season with a power play hat trick.

Jansson, the CCHA Rookie of the Week, leads all CCHA freshmen with 10 goals this season, with a team-leading six of those coming with the man advantage.

Guess Hughes Back:

After a standout sophomore campaign in which he produced 19 goals and 48 points, Michigan forward T.J. Hughes (Jr., Hamilton, Ontario) has followed up with 13 tallies and 33 points through 30 games this season.

Perhaps most notably, Hughes is currently riding a 13-game point streak that is one shy of matching Denver’s Aidan Thompson (Jr., Fort Collins, Colo.) for the longest in the nation this season. Thompson reached the scoresheet in each of his 14 games to open the year, and Hughes will get a chance to tie – and surpass – that 14-gamer this weekend against Minnesota.

Hughes has amassed 21 points during his streak, which includes seven multi-point efforts.

Hockey Humanitarian Finalists:

Five finalists were revealed Wednesday for the 2025 Hockey Humanitarian Award, which is given annually in recognition of “good hockey players being great people.”

Cornell senior D Hank Kempf (Wilmette, Ill.) was one of the five finalists, his second year as a finalist, joining a quartet of women’s hockey players: Boston College senior D Keri Clougherty (Lynn, Mass.), Bemidji State senior D Kendra Fortin (Thunder Bay, Ontario), Merrimack graduate D Raice Szott (Daysland, Alberta), and St. Lawrence graduate F Sarah Thompson (Ottawa, Ontario).

The winner will be recognized April 11 at the NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in St. Louis.

Fit to Print:

“We are trying to play a high possession game, but we never chastise them for trying to make a play. We try to encourage them to make the right play and to be creative. For the most part it is fun for all our players, but it does cause the coaching staff a bit of gray hair.”

— Colgate head coach Mike Harder (Colgate ’07) on his defense corps (source: College Hockey News).

NHL Note of the Week:

Twenty-three former college hockey standouts are representing the four countries competing in the 4 Nations Faceoff that got underway Wednesday. Those 23 players come from 13 different schools and include former Hobey Baker Memorial Award winners Cale Makar (2019) and Jack Eichel (2015).

The United States roster features 18 NCAA alumni, followed by Canada (three), Finland (one) and Sweden (one). Click HERE to view the complete list of players.

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag:

Army West Point D Mac Gadowsky (So., Fairbanks, Alaska) is on an 11-game point streak, the longest by an Atlantic Hockey defenseman since Mercyhurst’s Joseph Duszak had points in 12 straight during the 2018-19 season … Jake Sibell (Jr., Isanti, Minn.) made an NCAA Division I season-high (and career high) 57 saves in St. Thomas’ 2-1 win over Bowling Green on Saturday … Penn State G Aresenii Sergeev (Jr., Yaroslavl, Russia) set the school’s single-period saves record when he stopped all 22 Wisconsin shots during the middle frame of Saturday’s 6-2 win over the Badgers. Sergeev had logged his school-record fourth shutout of the season one night earlier … After logging back-to-back shutouts against Robert Morris last weekend, Bentley G Connor Hasley (Jr., North Tonawanda, N.Y.) now leads the nation in that category with seven … Denver F Connor Caponi (Gr., Milwaukee, Wis.) became the program’s career games played leader Saturday when he skated in his 169th NCAA contest. Caponi toppled the record previously held by Ryan Barrow (2017-22) … UMass head coach Greg Carvel (St. Lawrence ’93) earned his 250th career win with last Friday’s 5-4 victory at UConn … Finally, a stick salute from College Hockey Inc. to Ohio State equipment manager Tim Adams (OSU ’97), who worked his 1,000th NCAA hockey game last Friday.

Longest Active Team Winning Streaks:

8 games, Holy Cross (began Jan. 17 at Bentley)
3 games, AIC (began Jan. 25 vs. Canisius)
3 games, Bentley (began Feb. 4 vs. Army)
3 games, Minnesota State (began Feb. 1 at St. Thomas)

Longest Active Point Streaks:

13 games, F T.J. Hughes (Michigan)
- 8-13—21, began Dec. 14 vs. Wisconsin
11 games, D Mac Gadowsky (Army)
- 7-14—21, began Jan. 3 vs. Merrimack
9 games, F Matthew Kursonis (Holy Cross)
- 5-8—13, began Jan. 11 vs. Robert Morris
8 games, F Ryan Leonard (Boston College)
- 10-5—15, began Jan. 17 vs. Providence)

Longest Active Goal Streaks:

5 games, F Kenny Connors (UMass)
- 7-1—7, began Jan. 24 vs. Alaska
5 games, F Taylor Makar (Maine)
- 7-0—7, began Jan. 18 vs. UConn
4 games, F Aiden Fink (Penn State)
- 5-2—7, began Jan. 31 at Michigan

College Hockey Inc. Resources:

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