Halloran repeats as National Collegiate Hockey Conference player of the month

A breakthrough season for CC sophomore Nick Halloran has not gone unnoticed.

Halloran became only the second National Collegiate Hockey Conference athlete to be named as the league player of the month twice in a row after receiving the honor for Dec. 2017 and now Jan. 2018. The first to do so was Denver’s Joey LaLeggia (Jan.- Feb. 2015).

Halloran tied for the NCHC scoring lead and tied for fifth nationally in January with 12 points in six games, while his 2.00 points per game and 1.17 assists per game both led the conference, with the 2.00 points per game also ranking second nationally during the month.

He scored five goals in January, while also tying for the NCHC lead with seven assists in the month, including six on the power play. Halloran recorded points in five of six games in January, including four multi-point games, in which the Tigers went 2-1-1.

The Draper, Utah native logged four points against Minnesota Duluth Jan. 12-13. After going scoreless in CC’s series opener at Western Michigan Jan. 19, his only game without a point during the month, he recorded three points the next night in a 6-5 overtime win, handing out two assists before scoring the game-winning goal in overtime to give the Tigers their first ever win at WMU.

Halloran concluded his month with a five-point outing against Miami last weekend, which earned him NCHC co-offensive player of the week.

Entering this weekend, Halloran is tied for the NCAA lead with 39 points (23 assists) in 26 games, while his 16 goals are tied for the NCHC lead and his 23 assists lead the league. Halloran is now a candidate for Hockey Commissioners’ Association (HCA) National Player of the Month for January, which will be announced on Friday.

 

CC’s Halloran named NCHC co-offensive player of the week

Colorado College sophomore Nick Halloran and Omaha senior Tyler Vesel were both named as co-offensive players of the week by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference after recording five points apiece this past weekend.

This is Halloran’s third career NCHC weekly honor and second offensive in his career. 

Halloran led CC to a five-point weekend against Miami with a five points of his own. On Friday, he matched his career high with three assists by setting up the Tigers’ first three goals in a 6-3 victory.

He scored Saturday’s first two goals in the opening three minutes to put CC ahead in an eventual 4-4 overtime tie. The Draper, Utah native recorded two goals on six shots in the series. Halloran leads the NCHC and is tied for the NCAA lead with 39 points (23 assists) in 26 games.

Christopoulos garners first Atlantic Hockey weekly goalie award

Air Force junior Billy Christopoulos was named the Atlantic Hockey Conference goalie of the week after stopping 55 of 56 shots in a road sweep of league rival The Rochester Institute of Technology this past weekend.

He was also selected as one of NCAA Hockey’s Three Stars of the Week.

In his last four games, Christopoulos stopped 101 of the 104 shots for a .971 saves percentage. His 11 wins lead all Atlantic Hockey goalies.

The weekly award is the first of his career and the fifth by a Falcon this season. Christopoulos was also named the AHC Goalie of the Month for October.

Air Force (11-10-3, 6-8-2 AHC) hosts Sacred Heart Friday-Saturday at Cadet Ice Arena.

FINAL: No. 15 Minnesota Duluth blows past Tigers for NCHC series sweep

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Minnesota-Duluth dominated the final two periods by repeatedly punching holes in the Colorado  College defense during a 5-1 road victory that clinched a National Collegiate Hockey Conference series sweep.

The Tigers were out shot by a 45-19 margin after leading 10-9 after the first period with the game tied at 1-1.

The game at The Broadmoor World Arena turned against the hosts after CC’s players opted for individual rushes toward the Duluth net instead of dumping the puck deep to set up in the Bulldogs zone. UMD usually disrupted those forays and led to a number of UMD scoring chances in transition.

That tilted the ice in the Bulldogs’ favor with the visitors outshooting the hosts 36-9 over the final 40 minutes.

“We tried to make too many one-on-one moves and it doesn’t work against that team,” Tigers coach Mike Haviland said. “We turned it over instead of putting the pucks behind them and playing to our identity. We played OK in the first. In the second we did not play a smart hockey game and it cost us late in the period there when they get a huge goal late. We cannot do that. We cannot give up that goal that late with juniors on the ice. It’s unacceptable.”

UMD out shot the Tigers by a 15-4 margin in the second to go ahead for good on a tally by Kobe Roth with 1:32 left in the frame. It was Roth’s second goal this weekend and his second as a Bulldog. It came after a CC timeout that allowed Haviland to rest his players and put his better juniors — Mason Bergh, Trey Bradley, Andrew Farny, Nick Halloran and Ben Israel —  out on the ice.

“It was a crucial part of the period there and it kind of backfired,” Haviland said. “We put our top guys on the ice and we turn it over and they score. Big part of the game.”

The barrage continued in the third against CC sophomore goalie Alex Leclerc (18 saves), who stepped in for freshman Alec Calvaruso (22 saves), who suffered a lower-body injury late in the second period but stayed in until intermission with CC trailing 2-1.

In the third period, Duluth pumped in two goals in 40 seconds against Leclerc. Duluth went ahead 3-1 after a shot by Parker Mackay was inadvertently deflected in by a CC defenseman with 15:07 left. UMD pressed forward and Billy Exell scored off a scramble in front with 14:27 left for a 4-1 edge. The BUlldogs enjoyed a 38-15 edge in shots with that score.

Roth scored his third NCAA goal and third this weekend late in the third for the final margin in a rare blowout between the schools. The previous six games were one-goal games or ties.

“I was not happy with our last 40 (minutes),” Haviland said. “We did not play to our identity. That is not who we need to be to win a hockey game. We need to play a smart, simple game.”

In the first period, CC jumped out to the early lead when Westin Michaud scored on a one-timer off a pass by mason Bergh to convert the Tigers’ first power-play opportunity 7:27 into the game,

Duluth tied the game up when defenseman Nick Wolff fired a shot from the point past Calvaruso, who was screened by 6-foot-6 UMD forward Riley Tufte. The tally came with about three seconds left on the Bulldogs’ first power play and with only 5:37 left in the frame.

Gameday reading from around NCHC

 

Hello all:

After about four years hiatus, the Paisley Hockey blog will make a temporary (TBD) return this weekend with No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth traveling to Colorado College.

I am now a part-time freelance writer for various sites and publications, notably USCHO, Colorado College athletics and communications along with a little USA Hockey Magazine thrown in.

My day job is with a local library branch but I am able to find some time to follow the sport I enjoy so much. I hope that shows in this blog.

USCHO predictions blog post.

No. 15 Minnesota-Duluth at CC: The Bulldogs are almost at full strength entering this weekend. Here is the weekend preview and capsule from Duluth as well. Here is the Gazette’s preview.

No. 7 North Dakota vs Bemidji State: The Hawks must keep an eye and a body on Beavers defenseman Zach Whitecloud. Here is a nonconference series Tale of the Tape.

No. 12 Western Michigan at No. 2 St. Cloud State: Here is a video preview interview from the SCSU beat writer. USCHO focuses on this series in its weekly NCHC column. Also, here is the Broncos notes package.

No. 20 Miami at No. 17 Omaha: The Mavericks are deeper in net entering the second half. Here is a recent column on the RedHawks.

No. 5 Denver, bye.

Enjoy the games.