Mayich, Clarkson University pull massive upset over Quinnipiac; Kaskimaki leading Springfield charge to playoffs; Harenstam named MVP finalist, continues to shine
Not many gave them a chance, but Clarkson University pulled off one of the more recent shockers in NCAA hockey, and St. Louis Blues prospect Matthew Mayich played quite a role in it.
The Golden Knights came into their best-of-3 ECAC quarterfinal series against perennial toughie and top-seeded Quinnipiac University as a huge underdog. The Bobcats were not only the top seed but also ranked seventh in the nation in the latest USA Today Men's Hockey poll.
But the underdogs Golden Knights and Mayich would have none of it with a shocking sweep in two games, winning 3-0 in the opener on Friday, then winning the series 4-3 at M&T Bank Arena in Hamden, Ct. on Saturday.
Mayich, a defenseman and sixth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, had an assist on Friday, then had a goal (at the 3:30 mark on the video) and an assist in the clincher on Saturday, including this shorthanded, game-tying goal at 12:58 of the third period, 38 seconds after the Golden Knights made it 3-2, also shorthanded:
Mayich, who has who has 15 points (seven goals, eight assists) in 33 games this season, then set up what would be the game-winning and series-clinching goal at 14:21 to help Clarkson (18-16-3) advance to the semifinals, where they will face second-seeded Dartmouth College in Game 1 on Friday in Lake Placid, NY.
* Justin Carbonneau -- It was a rather quiet week as far as goal scoring is concerned for the 2025 first-round pick (No. 19) until the forward cashed in for his 51st of the season for Blainville-Boisebriand of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. It was the only ray of light for the Armada in their 5-1 loss to Drummondville:
Carbonneau, who is up to 80 points (51 goals, 29 assists) in 58 games on the season, had an assist Thursday in a 7-0 win over Baie-Comeau, then added another helper Friday in a 6-3 win over Val-d'Or.
The Armada are 38-18-5-1, in third place in the Western Conference, two points behind Drummondville and one behind Rouyn-Noranda.
* Lukas Fischer -- The defenseman scored his first goal since Feb. 11 on Friday for Sault Ste. Marie of the Ontario Hockey League in a 5-2 loss to Flint:
Fischer, a 2024 second-round pick who has 44 points (eight goals, 36 assists) in 62 games, had an assist on the game-winner in overtime Thursday of a 4-3 win over Windsor as the Greyhounds, currently in fourth place in the Western Conference with 82 points (38-21-1-5) as they jockey with fifth-place London, which is one point back.
* Aleksanteri Kaskimaki -- It was quite the weekend for the 2022 third-round pick, who is helping to push Springfield of the American Hockey League.
He had three assists in the Thunderbirds' 6-3 win over Utica on Friday, then had the empty-net goal, which turned out to be the game-winner, and an assist on Sunday in a 4-3 win at Providence to help up Springfield's record to 24-27-6-2, just two points behind Lehigh Valley for fifth place and into a tie for the sixth and final playoff spot in the Atlantic Division with Bridgeport having each played 59 games.
Kaskimaki is now up to 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 51 games and is just two points off his personal season high in points having played 12 fewer games.
* Juraj Pekarcik -- After having just scored one goal in 32 games, it's now two goals in the past six games for the 2023 third-round pick after he got the Thunderbirds going with a netfront goal on Sunday in Providence:
In his first season in the AHL, the 20-year-old has 29 points (eight goals, 21 assists) in 57 games.
* Dylan Peterson -- The 2020 third-round pick is normally asked to play a heavy game and be a net front presence, and he chipped in with this goal on Friday in the win over the Comets to give him 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 46 games:
* Marc-Andre Gaudet -- The 2022 fifth-round pick has been bringing some offense from the blue line as of late, scoring on Wednesday in a 3-2 overtime loss to Providence:
He had two assists in the win Sunday to five him five points (one goal, four assists) the past six games and 17 points (five goals, 12 assists) on the season in 41 games.
* Colin Ralph -- It was an early exit for Ralph and Michigan State, which was upset by Ohio State, 3-2 in overtime, on Saturday, thwarting the Spartans' chance at a Big 10 Tournament title three-peat by losing in the semifinals.
Ralph, a 2024 second-round pick, will get another opportunity as the third-ranked Spartans (25-8-2) will advance to the NCAA Tournament but will wait until Sunday's selection show to see where they head.
Ralph has a goal and 10 assists on the season with 45 blocked shots; he had two on Saturday.
* Julien Gauthier -- A first-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2016 draft, the 27-year-old was acquired from Bridgeport for Matt Luff last month played in his third game on Friday and scored his first goal:
* Love Harenstam -- A big shout out goes to the Blues' sixth round pick in 2025, who is putting together a phenomenal season and was this past week named the goalie of the year and rookie of the year for Sodertalje SK of HockeyAllsvenskan. He is also an MVP finalist.
Harenstam, who guided Sweden to the 2026 World Junior Championship, won his third start in a row when he stopped 37 of 40 shots in a 6-3 win over Kalmar on Sunday in a playoff quarterfinal.
Harenstam finished with a 14-18-5 regular-season record with a 1.81 goals-against average and .920 save percentage; he is now 3-0 with a 1.33 GAA and .948 save percentage in the playoffs.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.