A Night of Revenge, Payback and Upsets in College Hockey: Puck Drop

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Going by the rankings, there were a pair of upsets on the men’s side, and three with the women, plus a lot of near-misses in college hockey on Friday night. Leading the way were two games in which one wouldn’t have been surprised if the James Brown song “Payback” was playing in the locker room.

We’ll start in women’s hockey where the first of five regular season meetings between No. 1 Wisconsin and No. 2 Ohio State was played at the OSU Ice Rink. Power-play goals Mira Jungåker and Hilda Svensson in the third period led to a 2-1 comeback win as Round 1 went to the Buckeyes.

Cassie Hall has the lone goal for the Badgers, and Ava McNaughton had a .950 save percentage as her team was outshot 40-21.

Of course, the last time the teams played was the national championship game, with Wisconsin winning its ninth title.

Meanwhile, in a rematch of the 2025 Allentown Regional final, No. 16 Connecticut got some redemption with a 3-1 victory against No. 17 Penn State in the Ice Breaker Tournament. Senior and captain Joey Muldowney had the game-winning goal, but the star of the game was sophomore goaltender Kam Hendrickson.

He made 42 saves, including 16 in both the second and third period, for his second career win even though Penn State had a 43-25 edge in shots and 37-20 in faceoffs won. Kale Dach scored the Huskies’ first goal and Kaden Shahan added an empty-net goal.

In Massachusetts alone,. No. 11 Boston College lost to Alaska 3-2, Bentley shut out Vermont 3-0, and No. 18 UMass rallied to salvage a 2-2 tie with RIT, while in upstate New York goaltender Nate Krawchuk made 36 saves and Rainers Rullers scored twice as RPI stunned Ohio State 3-0.

But the game of the night may have been roughly 1,400 miles away in Sioux Falls, S.D., where No. 5 UMD didn’t have 2026 Hobey Baker Award winner Max Plante at Augustana.

Down 2-1, Landon Fandel tied the game with 3:11 remaining, and Jacob Fletcher gave the Vikings the lead just 17 second later, only to see the Bulldogs tie it after pulling their goaltender, on a goal by Zam Plante.

Augustana needed just 20 seconds of overtime to register the highest-ranked win in program history as Hayden Hennen’s shot ricocheted off the post and Brett Meerman slammed the loose puck across the line for the dramatic 4-3 overtime winner.

The Vikings have only been playing in Division I since 2023-24. The previous mark for highest-ranked win was 5-1 over No. 8 Colorado College on Jan. 3, 2025.

Puck Drop: Saturday, October 10, 2026

  • Cam Talbot (Alabama Huntsville) made 20 saves and didn’t yield anything in the shootout to win his debut with the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-2 against Pittsburgh. It’s his ninth NHL franchise he’s notched a win, the most by any goaltender in NHL history. Talbot also became the oldest goaltender in Blue Jackets history to record a win (39 years, 96 days).

  • Former Northeastern defenseman Jayden Struble was traded to the Nashville Predators by the Montreal Canadiens for a second-round pick in the 2027 NHL Draft. “Jayden Struble is a 25-year-old physical defender who will add mobility and a hard-to-play against quality that will help our backend,” Predators president of hockey operations and general manager Chris MacFarland said in a release.

  • According to CollegeAD, Western Michigan signed new athletic director Alex Gary to a five-year contract running through Oct. 8, 2031 with an annual base salary of $415,000.

  • Robert Morris Maggie Hatch reached 2,500 career saves during a 2-1 win over PRI.

  • From NHL Edge, former Penn State forward Gavin McKenna reached a max skating speed of 23.34 mph against the Golden Knights, setting the fastest speed burst by an 18-year-old since it began tracking players during the 2021-22

College Hockey Scores

MEN

Ice Breaker Tournament
No. 16 Connecticut 3, No. 17 Penn State 17
Bowling Green 3, Sacred Heart 2

Non-Conference
No. 6 Quinnipiac 2, Maine 1
No. 2 Michigan 10, Alaska-Anchorage 1
Notre Dame 4, Niagara 0
No. 9 Providence 6, St. Lawrence 2
RPI 3, Ohio State 0
No. 12 Michigan Tech 3, St. Cloud State 2 (OT)
Holy Cross 2, Arizona State 1
Air Force 5, St. Thomas 1
Bentley 3, Vermont 0
Alaska 3, No. 11 Boston College 2
Stonehill 2, Colgate 1 (OT)
Lake Superior 4, Lindenwood 3
No. 8 Western Michigan 5, Ferris State 1  
No. 7 Wisconsin 4, No. 19 Minnesota State 0
Augustana 4, No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 3 (OT)
No. 4 North Dakota 3, at Bemidji State 2
Clarkson 3, UMass Lowell 2
RIT 2, No. 18 Massachusetts 2 (RIT won SO)
No. 3 Michigan State 6, Northern Michigan 2
Canisius 3, Long Island 2

Exhibition
No. 15 Colorado College 4, US Under-18 1

WOMEN
AHA
Mercyhurst 4, Lindenwood 0
Syracuse 5, Penn State 4 (OT)
RIT 4, Delaware 1

Hockey East
No. 7 Northeastern 2, Providence 0
Boston University 4, New Hampshire 4 (BU wins SO)
Boston College 3, Holy Cross 1

NEWHA
Long Island 3, Post 0
Assumption 2, Sacred Heart 0
Stonehill 8, Saint Michael’s 0

WCHA
St. Thomas 2, No. 10 Minnesota Duluth 1
No. 2 Ohio State 2, No. 1 Wisconsin 1

Non-Conference
Robert Morris 2, Rensselaer 1
No. 13 Clarkson 3, St. Lawrence 1
No, 3 Minnesota 4, Maine 0
No. 14 Colgate 4, No. 8 St. Cloud State 2
No. 15 Vermont 2, Franklin Pierce 1

Today’s College Hockey Schedule

MEN
Ice Breaker
Bowling Green at No. 16 Connecticut, 6 p.m. ET 
No. 17 Penn State at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m. ET 

Non-Conference
Holy Cross at Arizona State, 7 p.m. MT 
St. Lawrence at UMass Lowell, 4 p.m. ET 
Clarkson at No. 9 Providence, 6 p.m. ET 
No. 12 Michigan Tech at St. Cloud State, 6 p.m. CT 
Air Force at St. Thomas, 6 p.m. CT 
Northeastern at Bentley, 6 p.m. ET 
No. 7 Wisconsin at No. 19 Minnesota State, 6 p.m. CT 
Bemidji State at No. 4 North Dakota, 6 p.m. CT 
No. 5 Minnesota Duluth at Augustana, 6 p.m. CT 
No. 6 Quinnipiac at Maine, 7 p.m. ET 
Alaska-Anchorage at No. 2Michigan, 7 p.m. ET 
Ohio State at RPI, 7 p.m. ET 
Alaska at Union, 7 p.m. ET 
Colgate at Stonehill, 7 p.m. ET 
RIT at No. 18 Massachusetts, 7:30 p.m. ET 
Canisius at Long Island, 7:30 p.m. ET 

Exhibition
US Under-18 at No. 1 Denver, 6 p.m. MT 
Brown at No. 14 Boston University, 7 p.m. ET 

WOMEN
AHA
Penn State at Syracuse, 3 p.m. ET 
Delaware at RIT, 3 p.m. ET 

Hockey East
Providence at Boston College, 2 p.m. ET 
Boston University at Holy Cross, 5 p.m. ET 

NEWHA
Post at Long Island, 2 p.m. ET 
Stonehill at Saint Michael’s, 3 p.m. ET 
Sacred Heart at Assumption, 7 p.m. ET 

WCHA
St. Thomas at Minnesota Duluth, 3 p.m. CT 
Wisconsin at Ohio State, 3 p.m. ET 

Non-Conference
Bemidji State vs. Maine, 2 p.m. CT at Minneapolis, Minn.
Robert Morris at Rensselaer, 3 p.m. ET 
Vermont at Franklin Pierce, 4 p.m. ET 
St. Cloud State at Colgate, 6 p.m. ET 

This Date in Hockey History

October 10, 1915: Hall of Fame referee Bill Chadwick, the league’s first American-born official in 1939, was born in Manhattan. 

October 10, 1919: Hall of Fame center Edgar Laprade was born in Port Arthur, Ontario.

October 10, 1963: Michigan State left wing Mike Donnelly was born in Detroit.

October 10, 1970: The Buffalo Sabres made their league debut with a 2-1 win at the Pittsburgh Penguins.

October 10, 1972: Bowling Green center Brian Holzinger was born in Parma, Ohio.

October 10, 1974: Hall of Fame defenseman Chris Pronger was born in Dryden, Ontario.

October 10, 1985: Former RPI center Adam Oates scored his first NHL goal and also had an assist, but the Detroit Red Wings lost to the Minnesota North Stars 6-5.

October 10, 1985: Former Northern Arizona left wing Greg Adams set an NHL record for most assists in an opening night game, five, as the New Jersey Devils defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 6-5.

October 10, 1992: Former Minnesota goaltender Robb Stauber notched his first NHL win as the Los Angeles Kings started a 12-game home winning streak with a 6-3 victory over the Winnipeg Jets. 

October 10, 1995: Former Minnesota center Darby Hendrickson scored his first NHL goal as the host Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the New York Islanders 7-3. American coach Peter Laviolette, out of Westfield State College, had the Islanders off to a 3-0 start.  

October 10, 1998: The Nashville Predators played their first home game, but lost 1-0 to the Vancouver Canucks as Kirk McLean notched the shutout.

October 10, 2000: Ohio State forward Georgii Merkulov was born in Ryazan, Russia.

October 10, 2001: Former St. Cloud State right wing Mark Parrish scored two third-period goals as the New York Islanders notched their 1,000th win with a 6-3 victory over Pittsburgh.

October 10, 2002: Former North Dakota goaltender Ed Belfour made 33 saves and got the shutout his first start with the Toronto Maple Leafs. They pummeled the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-0.

October 10, 2033: While making his NHL debut, former St. Cloud State left wing Ryan Malone was the first NHL player born in Pittsburgh to play for the Penguins. The visiting Los Angeles Kings won 3-0.

October 10, 2014: Former North Dakota center Brock Nelson tied a New York Islanders team record for most points in a season opener with four (two goals, two assists) during a 5-3 victory at Carolina.

October 10, 2017: Before hosting their first NHL home game, the Vegas Golden Knights held an emotional pregame ceremony to honor the victims and first responders from a mass shooting at a concert. A 58-second moment of silence was held in remembrance of the 58 victims, and the No. 58 jersey was eventually retired in their memory. When the game started the new franchise scored four goals in the first period en route to a 5-2 victory over the Arizona Coyotes.

Hockey Quote of the Day

“I just loved it, right from the get-go at 5 years old. It wasn’t a sport that you go to school and all your friends play. Obviously my brother played, but I definitely just fell in love with the sport. I loved to compete. I loved to skate. I loved to be on the rink. It was an immediate passion for the sport right away.”

Krissy Wendell-Pohl (Minnesota)

We’ll Leave You With This …

Former North Dakota standout Judd Caulfield had a memorable first NHL goal.

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