This week on RinkRap: a major headache for CCHA’s post-season prospects, goaltenders altered outcomes in Minnesota rinks, and a new line is formed in Mankato.

Unlike every other sport, College hockey is played five months into the future every October. This is the month of non-conference games, intersectional clashes that determine which teams gain the NCAA’s ten precious at-large berths determined by the Pairwise computer rankings come March. And the news from the CCHA could not be worse. The conference went a collective 1-10-1 in non-conference play this weekend, ruining the chances for the CCHA to earn multiple NCAA bids come March. 

CCHA Commissioner Don Lucia is bullish on the new CCHA, justifiable considering that newcomers St.Thomas and Augustana coming into the league with sparkling new arenas by the fall of 2025. In terms of the present day, however, the commish wants teams in the spotlight of the national tournament. “We all know how important these non-conference games are if we want to be a multi-bid league,” said Lucia Friday night from Michigan Tech. That was in the first intermission of a tie game between Tech and Wisconsin. That game, like nearly all the other CCHA games this weekend, finished on the short end of the ledger sheet.  

Hall-of-Fame NFL coach Bill Parcels coined the term, “You are what your record is.” Here is the CCHA’s non-conference record this season through 38 games: 8-24-5, a .276 winning percentage. The path to The Frozen Four in Saint Paul now requires the Mason Cup for nation’s newest conference.

“They Should Call it ‘Goalie,’ not ‘Hockey.’”

BU’s three-time national champion coach Jack Parker is credited with that line, a cruel reminder that territorial dominance is frequently trumped by a hot ’tender. Parker’s mantra echoed through both St. Paul and Mankato this weekend, as enemy goalies stole vital Pairwise points from both St. Thomas and Minnesota State. 

On Friday night, Lindenwood’s Trent Burnham turned away 59 of 63 shots to steal a point from the Tommies in a 4-4 tie. St. Thomas had a stunning 38-shot advantage over the visitors, yet couldn’t pull out a victory, defying logic and analytics. Coach Rico Blasi eliminated any chance for the visiting Lions to celebrate in his house by opting out of the shootout. On Saturday he swapped out Aaron Trotter in goal for junior Jake Sibell, and the Tommies collected the CCHA’s lone victory of the weekend.

A warm welcome to @CCHAHockey for these two!@Liam_Malmquist - Forward of the Week @JacobSibell - Goaltender of the Week#RollToms | #FidesInFratrem pic.twitter.com/5KCCWTU5ij

— St. Thomas Men’s Hockey (@TommieMHockey) October 23, 2023

Ninety minutes south in Mankato, Minnesota State played a near-perfect game five-on-five, outshooting national power UMass 32-15 on Saturday, but were unable to puncture 6-foot-6 freshman goalie Michael Hrabal, losing 1-0 to the Minutemen. Hockey logic dictates that traffic atop the blue paint is the solution to such hockey heartache, but MSU coach Luke Strand insists that there are different kinds of traffic: active and passive.

“There are two sides to traffic, one is being around the net hoping something falls out, and the other is getting in the eyes of the goalie,” said Strand in Saturday’s postgame. “At six-foot-six you’re gonna have to work hard to get in the eyes of the goalie.” 

Great battle. We hit the road next week. pic.twitter.com/FjGRMZUZj3

— Minnesota State Hockey (@MinnStMHockey) October 22, 2023

Of the CCHA teams, Strand’s Mavericks have had by far the best performances in non-conference play, sweeping St. Cloud and passing the eye-test vs talent-laden UMass. Job One for Strand is to improve on a power play that went 0-14 over the weekend. A good showing in North Dakota next week will put Minnesota State into a favorable position for the national tournament, the only CCHA club with that luxury.

Loose Biscuits

• Fans and media alike love a good nickname for a forward unit, something to hang onto as we try to make sense of a six-month season. Mankato Free Press beat writer Kevin Dudley has assigned the moniker, “The Penticton Line,” to MSU threesome Brett Moravec-Luc Wilson-Adam Eisele because all three played junior hockey for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL. If they continue their solid production, Eisele in particular (2-2-4, 4 GP), this unit will stay together and attract attention 
• Australian native Tyrone Bronte was a rare bright spot for the Michigan Tech Huskies this weekend, and his climb up the Tech depth chart is emblematic of coach Joe Shawhan’s meritocracy. A healthy scratch for Game 2 vs Alaska, a good week of practice got him back on the fourth line in Game 3 Friday vs Wisconsin, and by the end of the series Bronte was getting top-line minutes. He helped spark MTU’s lively comeback Saturday, garnering his first goal of the season. 
• Tech, who has made the NCAA tournament in each of the last two seasons, is suffering through a seven-game winless streak dating back to last year, its offense unable to puncture the two-goal ceiling in five tries this season. Reigning CCHA scoring champ Austen Swankler lies in the shadows, on campus in Houghton waiting to join his new mates come December 
• Swankler’s former squad Bowling Green was surprisingly competitive against then #9 Western Michigan this weekend, tied midway through both games in the home-and-home sweep for the Broncos. The Falcons played their hearts out for newly reinstated coach Ty Eigner. “I am so grateful to be back,” Eigner stated repeatedly in Friday’s presser. He is still missing three players due to Swankler’s hazing accusations; their fates remain undecided.
• Two players from the CCHA’s bygone WCHA era resurfaced this weekend. Michigan Tech’s 2020 pre-season rookie of the year pick Carson Bantle returned to Houghton this weekend, scoring for the victorious Badgers. Three teams and six seasons ago, Griffin Loughran was a scoring warrior for Northern Michigan, a declared favorite of coach Grant Potulny for three productive seasons. After a one-year stop at Michigan State and then a full year off, Griffin—who turns 25 next month—is now a Golden Griffin, plying his cantankerous craft for Canisius.