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BC Bulletin

Two Hockey Programs Notch Historic Home Wins Over Ranked Foes: Puck Drop

Your daily briefing on what's going on in college hockey, everything from the assists on the ice to the Zamboni.
Christopher Walsh|
Lindenwood University

On October 05, 2021, Augustana University in Sioux Falls, S.D. broke ground on $40 million Midco Arena, and made it official that the Vikings would begin play as an NCAA Division I men's hockey team during the 2023-24 season. Two years later, it did just that, losing the first game 4-0 at Wisconsin, but won the home opener, 3-2 over Bowling Green.

Friday night, Augustana checked off another important first, defeating a ranked opponent on home ice. After falling behind by two in the first period to No. 15 Arizona State, the Vikings scored four unanswered goals to pull off the 4-2 upset.

Samuel Alfano and Bennet Schimek scored for the Sun Devils (2-3), but freshman Leo Bulgakov's first collegiate goal closed the deficit late in the first period. Owen Bohn went top-shelf to tie the game in the second frame, and senior Ben Troumbly hit the game-winner midway through the third. Colton Friesen closed the scoring with an empty-netter, while junior goaltender Josh Kotai made 26 saves.

Establishing a home-ice advantage has been a priority of the program. The Vikings (2-1-0) will go for the series sweep on Saturday after hosting their first-ever Puck Drop Block Party that'll include a beer garden, food trucks, inflatables, and Augustana is giving away Vikings hockey blankets.

Incidentally, the program's first win against a ranked opponent occurred during its inaugural season, on the road obviously. The opponents? No. 16 Arizona State.

Meanwhile, roughly 500 miles to the south Lindenwood did the same thing, securing the program's second all-time win over a ranked opponent and first at home, only 4-3. No. 5 Denver is the highest-ranked opponent the Lions have ever defeated.

Olivier Houde gave Lindenwood (3-2) a second-period lead, but the Pioneers countered with two goals scored 44 seconds apart by Sam Harris and Hagen Burrows. Freshman Tip Hipkin evened the score and freshman Jacob Fletcher put the Lions ahead for good (see below). Adam Raesler scored an open-net goal, and Burrows notched his second goal for Denver with 54 seconds remaining.

"I'm just proud of the guys," Lions coach Keith Fisher said in a release. "They put a lot of work and effort into this, and we've been trying to get them to believe in what we're doing and to believe in each other, and that's what they're doing. I told them last weekend, 'You're a good team if you play together a believe in each other', and they're starting to do that and starting to see success from that."

Lindenwood's hockey program has been around since 2004, and it moved up to NCAA Division I in the fall of 2022. It's three-game win streak is the program's longest of the Division-I era., and the win was its first against Denver in five attempts.

Elsewhere:

• MSU Hockey Makes Statement in 4-2 Win at No. 1 Boston University

• Gophers hockey falls in penalty-filled Friday matchup at North Dakota

• Four Goal Second Period Pushes No 9 Boston College Men's Hockey Past RPI

Puck Drop: Saturday, October 18, 2025

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times ET.

Friday's Scores

MEN
Hockey East
Northeastern 4, No. 11 UMass 2

Non-Conference
Canisius 4, Colgate 2
Notre Dame 3, St. Lawrence 0
No. 4 Michigan 10, Robert Morris 2
No. 3 Michigan State 4, No. 1 Boston University 2
No. 9 Boston College 5, RPI 1
No. 7 Maine 4, No. 10 Quinnipiac 4 (OT)
No. 19 Colorado College 2, Northern Michigan 1 (OT)
No. 2 Western Michigan 2, Lowell 1
No. 6 Penn State 5, LIU 4 (OT)
No. 20 Minnesota State 2, No. 17 Wisconsin 2
Union 3, Niagara 2
Vermont 2, St. Cloud State 1 (OT)
No. 8 North Dakota 5, No. 13 Minnesota 2
No. 12 UConn 3, No. 16 Ohio State 2
Minnesota Duluth 7, Bemidji State 3
Augustana 4, No. 15 Arizona State 2
Lindenwood 4, No. 5 Denver 3
St. Thomas 11, Air Force 2
Michigan Tech 3, at Alaska Fairbanks 1

Exhibition
Ferris State 3, Simon Fraser 2 (OT)
No. 18 Cornell 7, Czech University Selects 2
Lake Superior State 6, US Under-18 Team 2
Bowling Green 6, Windsor 3

WOMEN
Providence 2, No. 9 Clarkson 1
No. 1 Wisconsin 8, Vermont 1
Post 3, Franklin Pierce 2
No. 7 Quinnipiac 5, No. 12 Northeastern 3
10 St. Cloud State 4, St. Thomas 3 (OT)
No. 6 Penn State 3, No. 15 Mercyhurst 0
No. 11 UConn 2, Princeton 1
Union 7, Saint Anselm 5
No. 5 Cornell 3, Boston College 0
Stonehill 3, Sacred Heart 2
Brown 2, No. 13 Boston University 1
RIT 4, No. 14 St. Lawrence 1
Syracuse at Delaware, 6 p.m.
Harvard 6, Saint Michael’s 0
Holy Cross 3, Dartmouth 2
Yale 5, Robert Morris 2
No. 8 Colgate 5, Maine 2
No. 4 Minnesota Duluth 5, Minnesota State 0
Assumption 3, LIU 2

Saturday's Games

MEN
Atlantic America
Holy Cross at Mercyhurst, 3 p.m.

Hockey East
New Hampshire at Merrimack, 6 p.m.

Non-Conference
Simon Fraser at Lake Superior State, 3:30 p.m.
No. 14 Providence at RPI, 4 p.m.
No. 16 Ohio State at No, 12 UConn, 4 p.m.
No. 7 Maine at No. 10 Quinnipiac, 4 p.m.
Stonehill at Sacred Heart, 5 p.m.
LIU at No. 6 Penn State, 6 p.m.
No. 2 Western Michigan at Lowell, 6 p.m.
No. 19 Colorado College at Northern Michigan, 6 p.m.
Canisius at Colgate, 7 p.m.
Bemidji State at Minnesota Duluth, 7 p.m.
No. 3 Michigan State at No. 1 Boston University, 7 p.m.
Vermont at St. Cloud State, 7 p.m.
Clarkson at RIT, 7 p.m.
No. 13 Minnesota at No. 8 North Dakota, 7 p.m.
No. 15 Arizona State at Augustana, 7 p.m.
Bentley at No. 11 UMass, 7:30 p.m.
Niagara at Union, 8 p.m.
No. 5 Denver at Lindenwood, 9 p.m.
St. Thomas at Air Force, 10 p.m.
Michigan Tech at Alaska Fairbanks, 11 p.m. 

Exhibition
US Under-18 Team at Ferris State
Simon Fraser at Lake Superior State
Harvard at Northeastern

WOMEN
No. 1 Wisconsin vs. Union, 3:30 p.m.
Vermont vs. Saint Anselm, noon
No. 12 Northeastern at No. 7 Quinnipiac, 1p.m.
No. 9 Clarkson at Providence, 1 p.m.
Princeton at No. 11 UConn, 1 p.m.
Sacred Heart at Stonehill, 1 p.m.
No. 15 Mercyhurst at No. 6 Penn State, 1 p.m.
Syracuse at Delaware, 2 p.m.
Harvard at New Hampshire, 2 p.m.
St. Thomas at No. 10 St. Cloud State, 2 p.m.
Robert Morris at Yale, 3 p.m.  
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Minnesota, 3 p.m.
Minnesota State at No. 4 Minnesota Duluth, 3 p.m.
Boston College at No. 5 Cornell, 3 p.m
LIU at Assumption, 4 p.m.
No. 8 Colgate at Maine, 5:30 p.m.
Dartmouth at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.

Did You Notice?

• If you're wondering what the big deal is about the Big Ten's potential private equity deal, UC Investments confirmed that it has offered to invest $2.4 billion for a 10 percent minority stake, with the remaining 90 percent to be shared among all 18 Big Ten member universities and the conference itself. The terms of our offer require it o hold the investment for at least 15 years. SBJ’s Ben Portnoy reported that more than a dozen industry sources have “preached optimism the Big Ten’s deal will ultimately get done,” with one Power 4 administrator saying: “People are sitting back and [watching]. Let’s see the Big Ten get it across the finish line first.”

• Former North Dakota forward Tyson Yost played in his 500th career NFL game on Thursday night when the Nashville Predators visited Montreal. The 10th-overall selection in the 2016 NHL Draft is with his fifth NHL team, but is still just 27.

• As expected, former Boston College right wing Cam Atkinson signed a one-day contract to retire with the Columbus Blue Jackets, but also did a final lap while wearing his No. 13, the number he shared with friend and former teammate Johnny Gaudreau.

This Date in Hockey History:

October 18, 1930: The Detroit Cougars were rebranded the Falcons following a fan poll. Two years later it was changed again to Red Wings.

October 18, 1944: The Detroit Red Wings singed Ted Lindsay to his first professional contract.

October 18, 1951: Minnesota center Mike Antonovich was born in Calumet, Minn.

October 18, 1960: Colorado College defenseman Doug Lidster was born in Kamloops, British Columbia.

October 18, 1961: Wisconsin center John Johannson was born in Rochester, Minn.

October 18, 1964: New Hampshire right wing Normand Lacombe was born in Pierrefonds, Quebec.

October 18, 1967: The Philadelphia Flyers notched their first win, 2-1 over the expansion St. Louis Blues. 

October 18, 1980: The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Frank Kahler and Walter Bush Jr.

October 18, 1987: UMass center Casey Wellman was born in Brentwood, Calif.

October 18, 1987: Former Cornell center Joe Nieuwendyk scored his first career hat trick during a 6-5 loss for the Calgary Flames against the Boston Bruins, but he went on to win the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie.

October 18, 1989: Former UMD right wing Brett Hull recorded his first hat trick with the St. Louis Blues during at 9-3 win at Pittsburgh. 

October 18, 1990: St. Cloud State right wing Ben Hanowski was born in Little Falls, Minn.

October 18, 1990: Former North Dakota goaltender Ed Belfour notched his first NHL shutout as the Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs, 3-0.

October 18, 1991: Minnesota defenseman Mark Alt was born in Kansas City, Mo.

October 18, 2000: UMass defenseman Zachary Jones was born in Richmond, Va.

October 18, 2000: The Minnesota Wild earned its first win in franchise history with a 6-5 come-from-behind victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

October 18, 2002: Michigan center Kent Johnson was born in Port Moody, British Columbia.

October 18, 2003: Former Lake Superior State center Jim Dowd had a goal and an assist in a 2-2 tie against Vancouver became the second player to score 100 points for the Minnesota Wild.

October 18, 2005: Former Minnesota center Jeff Taffe was traded by the Phoenix Coyotes to the New York Rangers for Jamie Lundmark.

October 18, 2006: Former Lake Superior State center Brian Rolston scored the 1,000th goal in Minnesota Wild history during a 2-1 victory against the Los Angeles Kings.

October 18, 2009: The Minnesota Wild acquired former Boston College right wing Chuck Kobasew from the Boston Bruins for former UMD right wing Craig Weller, a second-round draft pick in 2011 and the rights to Alexander Fallstrom.

Brianna Decker at the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games medal ceremony for women's hockey.
Feb 17, 2022; Beijing, China; Team United States forward Kelly Pannek (12) and Team United States defender Savannah Harmon (15) help injured Team USA forward Brianna Decker (14) onto the ice for the medals ceremony during the Beijing 2022 Olympic Winter Games at Wukesong Sports Centre. | George Walker IV-Imagn Images

Hockey Quote of the Day

[On Brianna Decker continuing to help Team USA after suffering a major injury] “It just shows how much she means to this team, and her leadership capabilities, and how she’s able to still lead through some of the darkest times of her personal life. She’s an incredible person and an incredible player and her presence is definitely still felt and appreciated, and her leadership, it shines through each game we play.”
Kendall Coyne Schofield

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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