Another weekend of college hockey is in the books, and it was exciting on almost every front. There were big upsets, lots of goals, and some excellent performances from players worthy of recognition. So, who were the three stars from this past weekend?
The past weekend of college hockey was full of exciting narratives, and the upcoming one will hopefully be just as exciting as the last one. But with one week concluded and the next quickly coming up, we can take a look back at some of the performances and recap what happened. So, with that, let's get into the three stars of the past week.
Honorable Mention: Macklin Celebrini (Boston University)
Celebrini registered his only goal of the weekend on the power-play with a nice one-timer from the near circle after receiving the puck from Ryan Greene, moving it up to Lane Hutson, and getting it back.
That was the only point Celebrini registered in that close game between the Terriers and the University of Maine. However, in the next game, he tallied three assists, including this one on Quinn Hutson's goal.
Celebrini was once-again awarded with Hockey East's Rookie of the Week award for his performance in the weekend sweep.
If it weren't for the performance of another player in a Boston school, he would be in the top three. However, another player was the definition of "clutch" this weekend that took that spot.
Third star: Cutter Gauthier (Boston College)
Gauthier had a stellar four-point weekend and led his team to a sweep of the University of Connecticut Huskies. Instead of scoring one point in the first game and three in the next, it was the other way around. He registered two goals and an assist in the Eagles' first win of the weekend, including the tying goal and the overtime winner:
He also scored the insurance goal in the second game that ended 3-0 after a nice burst of speed and shot far side.
Gauthier also was honored with the Hockey East's Player of the Week award for his performance over the weekend.
Gauthier had a stellar weekend in BC's home-and-home series and has helped keep them in the top three of the nation's rankings. And with those three goals on the weekend, he's second in the NCAA in goals with 11.
Second star: Aidan Fink (Penn State University)
Aidan Fink was selected in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL draft by the Nashville Predators, and since his season began as a freshman at Penn State, he has made an immediate impact.
He currently sits at 15 points in 13 games, and in the previous series against the University of Michigan, he was fantastic.
In the first game of the series, which ended in a 6-4 loss, he registered a goal and an assist. He was also tied for the lead in-game shots with four.
Here's his assist in the first game, which was a beautiful setup:
However, the best part of the weekend was Penn State's win over Michigan, and that involved Fink scoring a hat-trick as a freshman. It's the first hat trick by a Penn State player since 2018 and the 11th hat trick in program history. It was also the second away from home ever.
Fink was given the BIG 10's second star of the week only behind Michigan State University's goaltender and Detroit Red Wings draft pick, Trey Augustine.
Fink's performance against a strong team in Michigan is a big sign of what's to come in his future. He's over a point per game as a freshman, and it looks like the Predators made a good choice with their late-round pick.
First star: The entirety of the Michigan State University hockey program
It was a big weekend for players and programs around the country, but nothing was more significant than Michigan State University's sweep of the then-number-one team in the country, the University of Wisconsin.
Michigan State was ranked 11th at the time, and their depth has shown through over the start of this 2023-24 season, but it really was important against a strong Wisconsin team. Five different players registered a goal, including two-goal weekends from Jeremy Davidson and Joey Larson.
Tanner Kelly scored the game-winning goal in the first game of the series after a nice little drag of the puck in the slot.
The captain, Nash Nienhaus, had the game-winning goal in the second game of the series.
A sweep at home of the number-one team in the country is a huge boost for a program like Michigan State. They currently sit with a record of 10-3-1 and nine(!!!) players with 10 points or more. If you didn't believe they were back before, it's hard to say they aren't now. It's a big step for the program, and they have a big test coming up against the Minnesota Gophers this coming weekend.