Last week, the First Round of the NCAA tournament certainly delivered.  Some teams made the most of some amazing opportunities, while others let it slip through their fingers.  After watching most of these games, I can say more than ever, even if you control the game, and keep the puck in the opponents’ zone, that does you nothing if you can’t put the puck in the net.

Augsburg had the puck in the Elmira zone for a majority of the game, but the goals are the only thing that matter.  Amherst controlled most of the play against the Bennies, but if your opponent is comfortable in their own zone, it is not going to be easy, as CSB almost pulled off the monumental upset.  Hamline dominated Endicott, but with the goals not coming easy, was a much more stressful game than intended.  So for teams playing this weekend, take care of your opportunities, or face the consequences.

Saturday Schedule

3:00 PM ET- #12 Elmira (20-5-2) @ #4 Amherst (20-2-6)

3:00 PM ET- #7 Hamline (21-5-1) @ #2 Norwich (25-2-0)

3:00 PM ET- #6 Wilkes (25-1-1) @ #3 Nazareth (25-1-1)

3:00 PM CT- #8 Williams (18-4-5) @ #1 UW-River Falls (27-1-0)

*NOTE: TEAM SHEETS’ DATA PRIOR TO TOURNAMENT STARTING

#8 Williams @ #1 UW-River Falls

This is a revenge spot for the Falcons, as UWRF is 0-3 all-time versus Williams, losing three close games, back in 2003, 2005, and 2006.  I write this half-jokingly, as some of these players weren’t quite born yet the last time these two schools met, but an interesting fact nonetheless.  River Falls begins their back-to-back title defense and quest for a three-peat this weekend at the always-electric Hunt Arena.  With almost two weeks off, we’ll see if UWRF shows any rust, given their electric chemistry and speed we see from them.  However, given the past few years, I wouldn’t count on a slow start from Coach Cranston’s group.

Williams is coming off a thrilling come-from-behind home win against another power program who wears red, Plattsburgh.  With all due respect to the Cardinals, the Falcons are a different animal (pun).  River Falls looks like the far-and-away best team, but don’t count out Williams, as the Ephs have beaten another title contender this season in Norwich.

Erin Pye was absolutely sensational in net for Williams, and she’ll need to be again for the Ephs to have a shot of getting past the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history.  (In 2001, the Ephs qualified for the AWCHA tournament, and got to the semifinals, which we count for something here at D-III Hockey News, as it was a national tournament.)  So while a win would match the furthest this program has gotten, a win of this magnitude would be the shining moment in this program’s history.

Common Opponents:

Semi-surprisingly, these teams have a common opponent.

  • Williams is 2-0 against Plattsburgh, beating them 2-1 on the road, and 2-1 in overtime last weekend in the NCAA Tournament.  River Falls is 1-0 against Plattsburgh beating them at a neutral site, 3-1.

Also to note: Williams has also beaten a west team in a home contest versus Lake Forest, while River Falls also won a neutral site game vs. Endicott.  Back in 2023-24, Williams lost neutral games to both Adrian and Hamline.  Last season, River Falls defeated Elmira and Amherst in the NCAAT en route to a national championship.  In 2023-24, River beat Elmira in the title game for their first natty.  In 2022-23, UWRF defeated both Plattsburgh and Middlebury in the regular season.

Final Look:

Again, if the Ephs are going to have any shot in this game (which I believe they do), it will be because of the goaltender, Erin Pye.  She has absolutely carried this team at times this season, and if she’s on her game, they’ll have a chance.  The speed of the west teams have really given east teams fits in the past several seasons, so Williams will have to find a way to neutralize the Falcons’ speed.

Obviously, if they can’t, they will be prone to taking penalties, and putting an absolute game-wrecker of a power play on the ice.  If you’re River Falls, you just have to play your game.  While many teams in past NCAA Tournaments try to change their game to play UWRF, the Falcons are known for just playing their game, and taking advantage of their endless opportunities.  We’ll see if Pye can go superhuman and let her teammates take advantage of what’s sure to be an electric environment.

#7 Hamline @ #2 Norwich

In our second cross-region quarterfinal, we have two high-powered offenses headlining a Frozen Four rematch.  Back in 2018, Norwich defended home ice and took care of Hamline, 5-1 to advance to the national championship game.  Now, the Cadets have gone through some ups and downs as a program, but certainly look to have the talent to finally get back to that national championship standard.

Hamline is another program that has had lots of talent come through those doors since the glory days of 2018 and 2019, but did not quite have the depth to compete with the big dogs since then.  Now, the Pipers also look like they are a serious threat to build back towards a Frozen Four.  Heck, they’re one game away as we speak.  But a win at Kreitzberg will not be easy.

Last week, Hamline dominated a very good Endicott team for the second time this season, as this young, talented, blazing-fast roster took care of business, overcoming some elite goaltending.  Norwich has also had the break River Falls is coming off of, but with how first-Coach Simpson has this group rolling, I don’t think there will be one ounce of sloppiness to start.  In my opinion, this matchup between rising programs led by first-year coaches will be the top challenger to knock off River Falls.

Common Opponents:

Again with another cross-region quarterfinal, we have one common opponent to note.

  • Norwich is 3-0 against UMass Boston, beating them all three times at home, 5-1, 4-0, and 3-1.  Hamline won a road game at UMB, 5-1.

Norwich hasn’t played a west team since losing to Adrian back in 2022-23.  Hamline has three wins against the east this season, including two Endicott wins.  They also defeated Bowdoin and Williams back in 2023-24.

Final Look:

In the end, I could definitely see this one being a bit higher-scoring.  Hamline had a bit of a rocky stretch to end the season, but looked beyond back to normal with last week’s performance.  I think the rest will be a huge advantage for Norwich, as Hamline has played a number of extremely physical games over the past few weeks.  At times, Norwich’s strength of schedule looked to present a problem.  But with how the Cadets have been able to turn it on in big games, I don’t doubt they’ll be able to do it with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line.

What makes this game so unpredictable is the fact there are so many new faces on both of these teams, and neither program has been in a game this big in a long time.  Norwich hasn’t been past this round since 2018, and Hamline, since 2019.  Both have had their run-in’s in massive spots with Elmira and Gustavus over the years, but with new groups, how each team responds to adversity will write the script of this game.

#6 Wilkes @ #3 Nazareth

The two youngest programs in this field highlight this quarterfinal matchup, with each team smashing their respective program record books.  Both squads have a number of younger players, but those young players hold an abundance of experience, having played in both previous conference playoff and NCAA tournament games.

Nazareth finally got over the hump last season, winning their first-ever NCAAT game, and are looking to push that one step further after earning a bye this season.  The Golden Flyers have the third-longest active NCAA tournament streak, making five straight appearances, and seemingly to get a little bit better each season.  Now, they will have to face their former conference rival, who they dominated for years, (11-0-0 all-time) to reach the sport’s biggest stage.

Wilkes looked like the biggest beneficiary of conference realignment last season, with the MAC breaking away from the UCHC.  However, the Colonels are no fluke.  After playing Colby extremely tough last season in the First Round, they have proven they belong, and have a bright future ahead, too.  The Colonels defended home ice last weekend, defeating Adrian in what was an absolute nailbiter, showing that Wilkes has tremendous poise after wining so many games by a large margin during the regular season.

Common Opponents:

With Wilkes having an absurd 21-game conference schedule, there isn’t a ton of room for non-con games.

  • Wilkes is 1-0-1 against Cortland, winning on the road 3-2, while tying 4-4 at a neutral site.  At home, Nazareth defeated the Red Dragons 2-1.
  • Nazareth swept a home-and-away series with Utica with a pair of 3-1 wins, while Wilkes also won on the road against Utica by the same score.

Against the two common opponents, Wilkes is 2-0-1, while Nazareth is 3-0-0.  This is a bit surprising given the opponents used to be conference rivals.

Final Look:

In the end, I see this one being a one-goal game, with overtime definitely on the table.  Both teams have played softer schedules than your average tournament team.  Though Naz’s schedule was a bit tougher than Wilkes’ in my opinion, I have been very impressed with the Colonels in their high-leverage games.  They played Cortland very tough twice, and looked more than the part against Adrian last week, holding their own against some of the best offensive talent in the sport.

Both of these teams play with reckless abandon (in a good way), and attack downhill at all times.  I think both teams will be willing to play the body, and with everything on the line, bodies will be flying.  These teams look incredibly similar on paper, holding nearly identical statistical profiles and resumes, while playing very similar styles.  The programs are young, and history will be made regardless.  Now, the question is who will step up and take advantage.

As I mentioned above, Nazareth has dominated this series, going 11-0-0, and outscoring the Colonels by an insane 72-2!  Needless to say, Wilkes’ program is in a much better position now to try and slay the dragon.

#12 Elmira @ #4 Amherst

In this matchup, we have two of the sport’s perennial powers, and although one appeared to be in a bit of a down stretch, we continue to see them hit their stride at the best possible time.  Elmira has continued to turn it up at the end of the year, pulling a jaw-dropping upset of Augsburg after the long flight to Minneapolis.  Now, the Soaring Eagles have flown back and looking for another high-profile win, that would get them back to the program’s 13th Frozen Four.

Amherst, on the other hand, was expected to be here, but that doesn’t mean it’s been easy.  The Mammoths continue to find ways to come back in games they trail in, as their gritty forecheck and elite goaltending have powered them to four consecutive NCAA tournaments, and a come-from-behind win versus underdog Saint Ben’s.  The Bennies physically handled the Mammoths for most of the game, but timely scoring and a relentless forecheck put the Mammoths on top, winning 2-1 in overtime.  No doubt, AC was the better team last weekend, but they faced a boatload of adversity.  This weekend, Amherst will again get the benefit of playing at home, and is looking to defend Orr Rink from another upset-minded bunch.

As expected with two of the premier programs in the sport, we have seen these two face off in the big dance, with Elmira holding a 2-1 edge, with all three decided by one goal.  Back in 2008, Elmira went on the road and knocked off Amherst in the same quarterfinal round.  The following year, Amherst got revenge, knocking off Elmira for the program’s first-ever national title.  Fast forward 15 years, to 2024, just two years ago, in the same spot, in the same quarterfinal round, in an eerily similar spot, between eerily similar teams, EC pulled a massive upset, winning at Orr Rink yet again, 2-1 in overtime, shocking the Mammoths.

Common Opponents:

Not a ton of common opponents here, despite these two programs being two of the more accomplished programs out east.

  • Amherst went 2-0 versus Hamilton, winning a pair of road games, 1-0 in overtime, and 3-0.  Elmira tied the Continentals at home, 2-2.
  • Each team dropped a game versus Norwich, with Amherst losing at home, 2-0, while Elmira fell on the road, 5-2.

Against common foes, Amherst went 2-1-0, while Elmira went 0-1-1.

Final Look:

This game is incredibly similar to last week for both schools.  On paper, Amherst should dominate this game.  Just like they should have last week.  They did not, but it doesn’t matter, because they got through with a win.  On paper, Elmira is a massive underdog on the road, just like they were last week at Augsburg.  But it doesn’t matter, because they got through with a win.  Now, something has to give.

If Elmira can continue their “March magic,” looking like a wildly improved team once the calendar flips past February every single season.  Given the talent that’s on this roster, Amherst cannot take them lightly.  Given the snipers they have, they do have the players that could potentially beat all-world goalie Natalie Stott.  The Soaring Eagles will need to get at least two, in my opinion, to get the job done.

I started this article with taking advantage of your opportunities, and this is what the Mammoths will have to do.  Despite having a strong forecheck and cycle game, Amherst needs to be able to finish.  If they don’t, they could be going home early at the hands of the Soaring Eagles yet again.  Again, the Mammoths are the far superior team, but even if they get down early, this team always seems to comeback, no matter what.  If Elmira does get a lead, they cannot let up one iota.

However, I predict that because this game is so similar to the meeting we saw back in 2024, Amherst is beyond determined to not let it happen again.  I think Stott is too good, and the Mammoths prevail.