By Nate Ewell

Ferris State may be the only team in the Three Rivers Classic field not to win their conference regular season last year, though the Bulldogs did capture the WCHA playoff title. The Bulldogs are 7-4-0 after an 0-7-1 start and bring three Keystone State natives with them to Pittsburgh. Foremost among them is sophomore Corey Mackin (Philadelphia, Pa./Coquitlam-BCHL), who has 9 points in the last 9 games. The WCHA Rookie of the Year last season surpassed 100 points while leading the BCHL in scoring in 2014-15.

Check out: College Hockey Inc.’s 2016 in Review

Must Read/See/Hear Material

Globe & Mail: BCHL and US colleges create alternate route to NHL
SI.com: Matty Gaudreau blazing his own trail at BC
SI.com: Budding prospect Vecchione fueled to succeed in senior season
Providence Journal: A woman refereeing men’s hockey, Guay fits right in
Wisconsin State Journal: Granato finds inspiration as a student in UW coaching class
Boston Herald: Sikura aims to jump start Huskies
N.Y. Times: Hockey catches up to Bob Johnson, 25 years after his death

Five More Storylines No One Should Be Without

Showcase at The Joe – A Michigan holiday tradition – the Great Lakes Invitational – bids farewell to Joe Louis Arena with an all-in-state field as Western Michigan joins traditional participants Michigan, Michigan State and Michigan Tech. The 52nd annual tournament began at Olympia Stadium to help showcase the college game in Detroit and to pro scouts. Scouts are well aware of these players now; 21 NHL draft picks are on the rosters of these four teams. | Thursday and Friday’s games are on FOX Sports Detroit | College Hockey News: The GLI at The Joe

D at PC – Providence welcomes Denver in the top non-conference series of the weekend. The Friars, who had two defensemen signed two NHL contracts after last season, still have multiple pro prospects on the blueline, led by senior Anthony Florentino (W. Roxbury, Mass./South Kent-PREP/BUF) and junior Jake Walman (Toronto, Ont./Jr. Canadiens-OJHL/STL). Florentino and Walman each have 12 points, tied for the team lead among defensemen. They are part of a balanced attack that seeks more consistency as the second half begins – the Friars’ sweep of RIT just prior to the break marked their first consecutive wins of the year.

Cornell in the Sunshine State – Cornell welcomed three teams to their home away from the Gorges, Estero, Fla., boasting a five-game winning streak before adding a sixth in Wednesday’s tournament opener. The Big Red, who play in the Florida College Classic each December, are led by sophomore forward Mitch Vanderlaan (Hanwell, N.B./Fort McMurray-AJHL), who has followed a solid freshman season with a dominant season. He scored his eighth goal in just 12 games Wednesday, matching his total from his freshman season. He has three goals and four assists in the team’s six-game winning streak entering the tournament final. This is Cornell’s 17th consecutive appearance in Estero as the Big Red seek their fifth title (2003, 2005, 2008, 2013).

Riley leads Army to Dartmouth– Army West Point head coach Brian Riley leads his team to the Ledyard Bank Classic at Dartmouth, where Riley’s father, Jack, was a star for the Big Green prior to a legendary coaching career. Jack passed away in February. The Black Knights enter the tournament at 9-6-1 thanks to a stingy defense that allows just 1.81 goals per game, which ranks second nationally. An outstanding freshman class features three of the team’s top four scorers, led by Dominic Franco (Portsmouth, R.I./Langley-BCHL).

Louis leads Miami – Miami faces in-state and former CCHA rival Ohio State Saturday night. The RedHawks had an uneven first half but boast one of the nation’s most dynamic offensive players in senior Anthony Louis (Winfield, Ill./U.S. NTDP/CHI). The 5-foot-8, 150-pound Louis has recorded at least 25 points in each season on campus, but is well on his way to his most productive year yet. His 107 career points rank 10th among all active players.

WJC Note of the Week

The 2017 World Junior Championship, underway in Toronto and Montreal, features 33 NCAA players and recruits, more than twice as many as took part in last year’s tournament (15). The head coaches of the U.S. (Bob Motzko-St. Cloud State) and Canada (Dominick Ducharme-Vermont) both played college hockey.

33 NCAA players/recruits are preparing to open the @IIHFHockey WJC tomorrow - more than twice as many as last year! pic.twitter.com/UeCbITdrta

— College Hockey Inc. (@collegehockey) December 26, 2016

Fries at the Bottom of the Bag

Arizona State has won three in a row and four of the last five entering the Desert Hockey Classic, set for Friday and Saturday in Prescott, Ariz. … Penn State added Sabres draft pick Brett Murray (Toronto, Ont./Youngstown-USHL/BUF) to its roster for the second half.