If you haven't noticed, there's something going on in Niagara this fall.
Considering the location, the saying that there's something in the water is actually half true for once, or least with the frozen water.
After a surprising sweep last week of No. 18/19 Bowling Green, the Ice Breaker champions the prior weekend, Niagara is a surprising 3-3 to start the season. Granted, the .500 record may not look like much until you consider the opponents. The Purple Eagles began with a split over RIT, was swept at Notre Dame, but handled business in their first series against a ranked foe.
In Game 1, Niagara fell behind twice, but came back, eventually winning the opener via a Hunter Wallace goal in overtime. The second night saw more of the same. The Falcons went up early, but to see the Purple Eagles claw their way back thanks Dallon Melin, and Brayden Boehm’s two unanswered goals were the difference.
Charles-Edward Gravel manned the goaltending position and was stellar. He totaled 36 saves and yielded d just one goal. He currently holds a .941 save percentage to go with his 2-2 win-loss record.
Next up, the Purple Eagles faces Union, one of the early top teams in NPI, for a weekend series at home, and then head to Clarkson. As of now, they won’t face a ranked opponent the rest of the schedule. Niagara isn’t a team that will or should be in playoff contention once March comes around, but acknowledgement for an impressive display is necessary.
How Can Denver Respond? Is Boston College Up to the Test?
Last week it was pure disappointment for then-No. 1 Denver, which lost both games at home to No. 2 Michigan. The reigning national champions allowed an unimpressive eight goals and scored just four. The sweep happened during the same weekend it raised the 2026 National Championship Banner, however the play on the ice didn’t correlate.
Now, against a talented Boston College team, they have a chance to respond. Not only is this a game that matters for both teams in momentum and confidence, but it is a contest that holds long-term repercussions in NPI down the stretch.
Boston College was one of the teams in Hockey East last year that didn’t qualify for the NCAA Tournament despite making it to the semifinals of the conference tournament. Hockey East was able to squeak in Connecticut along with Providence and tournament champion Merrimack, yet the three teams were fewer than usual. A weekend series like this doesn’t just remain important for Boston College, but it is representative of a conference that is looking to rewrite its reputation.
Providence is the only Hockey East team established in the current Top 10 of the USCHO Poll, but BC is among six others between No. 15-20, at No. 18. A sweep and the Eagles are probably out of the top 20.
Is the CCHA Augustana’s to Lose?
Augustana has made a strong case that it's the CCHA’s top team, but the Vikings still have a mountain to climb before they can claim the conference as their own. Their results have been impressive to start the year, going unbeaten through four games, including a difficult series against No. 5 Minnesota Duluth that featured the biggest home win in program history.
Minnesota State has won the CCHA Conference Tournament in each of the past two seasons, reinforcing its status as the league’s benchmark. The Mavericks also captured the MacNaughton Cup as regular-season champions in 2025-26, finishing with 51 conference points. Augustana, meanwhile, has continued to build its reputation as a rising Division I program, showing it can compete with the country’s best, as it has done so this season.
While Michigan Tech has demonstrated it can challenge for the top spot as well, Augustana has done it against tougher opponents. Minnesota State is off to an 0-4 start, so the end of its domination appears near, according to the numbers. Augustana was just behind the Mavericks in points last season, and came extremely close to securing a spot in the NCAA Tournament. This season the Vikings want there to be no doubt, but until they can overtake Minnesota State and deliver a championship of their own the CCHA remains a conference to win rather than one that belongs to Augustana.
Puck Drop: Friday, October 23, 2026
- The U.S. Collegiate Selects (USCS) added two more players to the 2026 team that will compete at the 2026 Spengler Cup in Switzerland in December: Boston College junior forward Dean Letourneau and Cornell sophomore defenseman Xavier Veilleux. Their additions bring the total number to 13 players named to the 25-man roster, that will be coached by UNH’s Mike Souza.
- Cooper Black (Dartmouth) became the tallest goalie to start in an NHL game after he was called up by the Panthers. However, the Penguins end a four-game skid with a 4-0 win at PPG Paints Arena.
- Is the rivalry back? Minnesota picked a great time to notch its first win of the season, upsetting No. 3 North Dakota in its home opener. A four-goal third-period gave new head coach Brett Larson his first victory with the program. Newcomer Christian Humphreys had two goals, while Mason Moe and Evan Murr both had two assists, "Feels nice to finally get a win," Larson said. "I like that we stacked two really good games back-to-back now. We felt we'd been getting better every time we touched the ice, and I know we're going to need to be a lot better tomorrow because I know they will be. Just proud of the boys tonight and going to enjoy the win for about 10 minutes here."
- Joey Muldowney scored the game-winner in overtime and sophomore Kam Hendrickson made 46 saves as No. 16 Connecticut won a wild game against visiting No.15 Boston University 5-4 in overtime. BU trailed by two goals with 3:26 remaining in regulation, but sophomore Carter Amico scored his first collegiate goal and for the second straight game Ryder Ritchie tied it after the goalie had been pulled. The Terriers had a 50-30 edge in shots on goal.
— UConn Men's Hockey (@UConnMHOC) October 23, 2026
College Hockey Scores
MEN
Hockey East
No. 16 Connecticut 5, No. 15 Boston University 4
Non-Conference
Minnesota 5, No 3 North Dakota 3
WOMEN
Non-Conference
No. 2 Minnesota 11, Lindenwood 0
Today's College Hockey Schedule
MEN
AHA
Sacred Heart at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. ET
Robert Morris at Bentley, 7 p.m. ET
CCHA
No. 11 Michigan Tech at Ferris State, 7 p.m. ET
Bowling Green at Lake Superior, 7 p.m. ET
Hockey East
No. 7 Providence at UMass Lowell, 7:15 ET
Non-Conference
No. 3 North Dakota at Minnesota, 6 p.m. CT
Augustana at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m. ET
No. 18 Boston College at No. 4 Denver, 7 p.m. MT
Colgate at Maine, 7 p.m. ET
No. 5 Western Michigan at No. 1 Michigan, 7 p.m. ET
Bemidji State at No. 9 Minnesota Duluth, 7 p.m. CT
No. 2 Michigan State at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET
Union at Niagara, 7 p.m. ET
No. 20 Merrimack at Notre Dame, 7 p.m. ET
Omaha at Lindenwood, 7 p.m. CT
Clarkson at Vermont, 7 p.m. ET
Canisius at Penn State, 7 p.m. ET
Minnesota State at St. Thomas, 7 p.m. CT
Army at No. 8 Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Air Force at No. 12 Colorado College, 7 p.m. MT
Alaska-Anchorage at Miami, 7 p.m. ET
RPI at RIT, 7 p.m. ET
Exhibition
No. 17 Northeastern at Harvard, 4 p.m. ET
US Under-18 at Long Island, 7:30 p.m. ET
WOMEN
Ice Breaker (at Boston, Mass.)
Minnesota State vs. Robert Morris, 4 p.m. ET
No. 14 Yale at Boston University, 7 p.m. ET
ECAC
No. 7 Princeton at Rensselaer, 6 p.m. ET
No. 5 Quinnipiac at Union, 6 p.m. ET
NEWHA
Franklin Pierce at Saint Anselm, 6 p.m. ET
WCHA
Bemidji State at No. 9 St. Cloud State, 6 p.m. CT
Non-Conference
Stonehill at New Hampshire, 2 p.m. ET
Lindenwood at No. 2 Minnesota, 3 p.m. CT
No. 4 Northeastern at RIT, 3 p.m. ET
Delaware at Long Island, 3 p.m. ET
Post at Merrimack, 5 p.m. ET
Providence at No. 10 Clarkson, 6 p.m. ET
Holy Cross at Dartmouth, 6 p.m. ET
No. 8 Colgate at No. 1 Ohio State, 6 p.m. ET
No. 6 Penn State at St. Lawrence, 6 p.m. ET
No. 12 Cornell at Boston College, 6 p.m. ET
Mercyhurst at No. 11 Connecticut, 6 p.m. ET
Saint Michael's at Harvard, 7:30 p.m. ET
A home opener to remember for the Gophers! 🔥#NCAAMHockey x 🎥 @GopherHockey pic.twitter.com/0VSpPwQ4Zz
— NCAA Ice Hockey (@NCAAIceHockey) October 23, 2026
This Date in Hockey History
October 23, 1913: Hall of Fame right wing Gordie Drillon was born in Moncton, New Brunswick.
October 23, 1925: Hall of Fame coach and general manager Fred Shero was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
October 23, 1970: Alaska Anchorage defenseman Jeff Batters was born in Victoria, British Columbia.
October 23, 1974: Former Brown center Curt Bennett and his teammate Eric Vail both netted hat tricks as the Atlanta Flames crushed the Detroit Red Wings 10-1. Bennett also had two assists.
October 23, 1986: The Edmonton Oilers traded former Notre Dame defenseman Don Jackson, former Maine goaltender Mike Golden and Miloslav Horava to the New York Rangers in exchange for former Boston University left wing, Clark Donatelli, Reijo Ruotsalainen, Jim Wiemer and Ville Kentala.
October 23, 1998: Don Brose notched career win No. 500 as Minnesota State defeated Canisius 11-3.
October 23, 1993: Former Boston University forward Keith Tkachuk had his first career hat trick in a wild 9-6 victory for the Winnipeg Jets win in Philadelphia.
October 23, 1999: Former Lake Superior State goaltender John Grahame notched his first NHL victory as the Boston Bruins won at San Jose, 3-1.
October 23, 2000: Former Boston College left wing Marty McInnis scored a hat trick and former St. Cloud State center Matt Cullen had three assists, however the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim took a 5-4 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Kings.
October 23, 2003: Former Colorado College defenseman Tom Preissing scored his first NHL goal on a power play to help the San Jose Sharks tie the Chicago Blackhawks.
Hockey Quote of the Day
"I never want this journey to end."
Jennifer Botterill (Harvard)
We'll Leave You With This ...
Comments from #NYR Head Coach Mike Sullivan on the passing of former teammate and Rangers alum Ron Duguay pic.twitter.com/LyT8cVFCT4
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 22, 2026
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