Unbeaten Augustana leads unlikely stars as BU, Miami enter Week 6 college hockey games to watch: puck drop
A crowded weekend slate
The weekend includes several high-profile matchups beyond the three games highlighted here. No. 1 Wisconsin visits No. 18 Minnesota, while No. 9 Providence and No. 20 Connecticut meet in a home-and-home series.
No. 5 Western Michigan also visits No. 10 North Dakota. Both teams have title ambitions, but Western Michigan is looking to recover from a loss with 0.1 seconds remaining against Michigan, while North Dakota has dropped three straight games.
BU faces scoring threat
BU enters the weekend with three straight wins, all against ranked opponents, and sits atop Hockey East. The run includes a 6-3 victory over No. 16 Connecticut and a sweep of No. 19 Maine; one game against each opponent went to overtime.
Michigan State averages 3.83 goals per game. Sophomore Anthony Romani earned the Big Ten’s second star of the week after scoring twice in a win over No. 8 North Dakota. A BU victory could also help Hockey East, which has four teams in the national polls and a .562 inter-conference record this season.
Miami meets standout freshman
Miami had won six straight before losing on Halloween as part of a split with St. Thomas. The RedHawks now face Minnesota Duluth, their toughest challenge so far, after both teams placed among the top three in the NCHC preseason poll.
Freshman goalie Carl Axelsson has a 1.11 goals-against average and a .947 save percentage through eight games. Miami will look to leading scorer Ilia Morozov and points leader David Deputy to get past him.
Augustana tests its rise
Augustana is unbeaten at 7-0-1 and has climbed to No. 8 after starting the season outside the top 20. The Vikings joined Division I hockey in 2023 and played their first full CCHA schedule last season.
The Vikings lead the conference with 4.13 goals per game, with sophomore Leonid Bulgakov scoring at a goal-per-game pace. Michigan Tech was picked first in the CCHA preseason poll, while Augustana was fourth, making the matchup a chance for the Vikings to make a statement. The article describes the game as likely to be low-scoring and identifies Mathis Langevin as Augustana’s new goaltending star after Josh Kotai’s offseason departure.
Key points
- BU brings a three-game winning streak against ranked teams into its matchup with Michigan State.
- Miami faces Minnesota Duluth freshman goalie Carl Axelsson, who has a .947 save percentage.
- Augustana is 7-0-1 and leads the CCHA with 4.13 goals per game.
- Wisconsin-Minnesota and Providence-Connecticut are among the weekend’s other major matchups.