NCAA Division I Round Up
Top storylines, highlights and more from the opening weekend of NCAA Division I hockey.
Gavin McKenna Scores His 1st
The project 1st overall pick for the 2026 NHL Draft opened his NCAA career with 2 assists Friday night vs Arizona State, and scored his 1st in the biggest moment, the game winner with just minutes left in the 3rd. A competitive weekend between Penn State, featuring tons of NHL talent on both sides.
Michigan rolls past Mercyhurst
The Wolverines will be a tough out this season, with tons of talent coming in their freshman class. They steamrolled Mercyhurst this weekend, 18-1 over 2 games. Will Horcoff netted a hat trick Friday night with Michael Hage (Montreal Canadiens), Cole McKinney(San Jose Sharks) , Aidan Park (Edmonton Oilers) and Malcolm Spence (New York Rangers) all finding the score sheet.
Jack Ivankovic (Nashville Predators) got the shutout Saturday in a 7-0 win, stopping 25 of 26 on the weekend. Horcoff, Spence and McKinney all found the net Saturday, along with Matthew Mania (Los Angeles Kings) and Dakota Rheaume-Mullen.
Upsets Already
Opening night saw #13 Quinnipiac take down #6 Boston College 4-3 in a ECAC vs Hockey East matchup, with Colorado College studding #10 Uconn 4-2. UConn would get their revenge Saturday 5-1.
#8 Minnesota split with unranked Michigan Tech with a 6-3 win Friday followed by a 5-3 loss.
Minnesota’s LJ Mooney is going to be a problem.
Upcoming Games To Watch
10.9 / 10.10 - #6 Boston College vs #8 Minnesota
10.9 / 10.10 - #3 Michigan State vs New Hampshire
10.10 / 10.11 - #9 Providence vs #12 Michigan
10.10 / 10.12 - #11 North Dakota vs #19 St Thomas
Martone Shines in Exhibition
Flyers’ 2025 1st round pick Porter Martone scored less than a minute into his NCAA career, adding an assist, 5 shots and 2 penalties. The Spartans will be a fun team to watch, with NHL talent in Ryker Lee (Nashville Predators), Charlie Stramel (Minnesota Wild), Maxim Strbak (Buffalo Sabres), Trey Augustine (Detroit Red Wings) and Cayden Lindstrom (Columbus Blue Jackets).
