College Hockey Tonight (Jan. 2, 2026)

Air Force and ASU with big wins in Tempe, Princeton tops Dartmouth

College hockey returned to a near full slate this weekend, highlighted by a pair of tournaments on the West Coast and several marquee non-conference matchups.

Here’s a complete recap of Friday’s action, with notes from every game played across the college hockey landscape.

Current NPI » Current Standings

Desert Hockey Classic (Tempe, Ariz.)

Air Force 8, Michigan Tech 2: The Falcons struck early and often, pouring in five goals in the first period to cruise into Saturday’s championship game. It was a tough night for Owen Bartoszkiewicz, who has otherwise been excellent this season for the Huskies, surrendering four goals in just over eight minutes. Sam Stitz led the way with four points (2g, 2a), while Nick Sajevic also had a four-point night (1g, 3a).

Arizona State 7, Alaska Anchorage 2: Another lopsided opener in Tempe. UAA scored less than a minute into the game, but the Sun Devils responded with six straight goals. Cullen Potter recorded a hat trick and added an assist, while Ty Nash chipped in with two goals.

Cactus Cup (Palm Springs, Calif.)

UMass Lowell 3, Minnesota State 1: Alex Tracy returned to the crease for the Mavs after arriving back from the Spengler Cup on Thursday. Dillan Bentley paced the River Hawks with a pair of goals.

St. Cloud State 6, Yale 2: Austin Burnevik scored twice and added an assist, while Tyson Gross finished with three assists for the Huskies. Discipline was the story, as just one penalty was called all game — a first-period hooking minor to Kurt Gurkan at 13:08.

ECAC

Princeton 5, Dartmouth 4: The Tigers erased a one-goal deficit with three third-period goals to take a 5-3 lead. Brock Devlin scored an extra-attacker goal late for the Big Green. David Jacobs netted two goals for Princeton, and Kai Daniells added two assists. Princeton improved to 9-4, while Dartmouth slipped to 12-3 but remained sixth in the NPI.

Quinnipiac 9, Harvard 1: Quinnipiac opened the second half with authority, outshooting Harvard 40-17. The Crimson scored first just 1:09 in, but the Bobcats rattled off nine unanswered goals. Victor Czerneckianair and Ethan Wyttenbach each scored twice.

Atlantic Hockey

Bentley 2, Holy Cross 2 (OT): Bentley claimed the shootout win on a goal by Michael Mesic. Owen Kim and Noah Eyre scored for Holy Cross, while Alec Leonard and Owen Goodbrand found the net for the Falcons.

CCHA

St. Thomas 5, Ferris State 3: Ferris State carried a 2-0 lead into the third period, but the game flipped quickly. Six goals were scored in the final frame, five of them by St. Thomas.

Non-Conference

Maine 5, Denver 2: A significant non-conference win for the Black Bears and for Hockey East. Thomas Pichette scored twice and added an assist, while Albin Boija continued his strong play with 29 saves. Boija has now stopped 57 of 59 shots over his last two games.

Bowling Green 2, Ohio State 2 (OT): The Falcons erased a 2-0 deficit with two third-period goals to force overtime and earn the tie.

Army 5, Northeastern 2: Army scored five unanswered goals in the second half of the game and finished the season 4-0 against Hockey East opponents. The Black Knights outshot the Huskies 39-27.

North Dakota 2, Mercyhurst 0: North Dakota dominated the numbers, outshooting Mercyhurst 48-8 and winning 42 of 61 faceoffs. Charles-Edward Gravel was outstanding for the Lakers, making 46 saves.

Cornell 6, Omaha 4: Cornell held a decisive 43-18 edge in shots and jumped out to a 3-0 lead less than 10 minutes in. Aiden Long scored twice, while defensemen Xavier Veilleux and George Fegaras each had a goal and an assist.

Western Michigan 4, Notre Dame 0: Hampton Slukynsky stopped all 18 shots he faced for the shutout. Notre Dame started Jack Williams in goal with Nicholas Kempf away at the World Juniors.

Providence 5, Alaska 2: Five different Friars found the net, and Aleksi Kivioja chipped in with three assists.

Stonehill 6, St. Lawrence 2: Stonehill broke open a one-goal game with three third-period tallies. Six Skyhawks recorded multi-point nights, and Connor Androlewicz turned aside 37 shots.

Augustana 3, Colorado College 2: A tightly played game throughout. Colorado College held a slight edge in shots, and expected goals were even at 3.5 apiece. Mats Lindgren logged nearly 18 minutes in his debut.

Lindenwood 5, Canisius 2: Lindenwood seized control with four goals in the second period. Louis-Philippe Fontaine had a goal and an assist as the Lions moved back above the .500 mark at 9-8.