Liam Pettersson – Vaxjo Lakers – U20 Nationell
Liam Pettersson spent a game with Kungalvs IK in the HockeyEttan league – Sweden’s equivalent to the ECHL last week, scoring a goal in his only game.
Vaxjo fell 3–2 to Frolunda HC on Saturday morning, though they continue to hold onto a precarious playoff position. Pettersson pulled Vaxjo even early in the third with his third goal of the season, but Frolunda delivered a crushing blow in the final seconds, scoring the game‑winner with just 11 seconds left in regulation.
Vashek Blanar – HV71 – U20 Nationell
HV71’s push for a playoff spot took a hit Saturday morning with a 4–3 loss to Orebro HK. Vashek Blanar set the tone early, jumping on a failed clearing attempt in the high slot and snapping home a wrist shot for a 1–0 lead. HV71 would go on to hold the advantage three separate times, but each one slipped away as they ultimately couldn’t close out the win.
Farjestad BK handed them another tough outing on Sunday, skating away with a 5–4 win. The bright spot came from Blanar, who picked up a power‑play assist to extend his point streak to three games, now sitting at one goal and two assists. That pace keeps him right on track with his projected production for the season.
Kirill Yemelyanov – Loko Yaroslav – MHL
Loko defeated Sakhalinskie Akuly 7-1 on Monday however, Yemelyanov did not play.
Yemelyanov made an emphatic return on Sunday, contributing to Loko’s 9–2 rout of JHC Dynamo. The forward delivered a strong all‑around performance: one goal on four shots, a dominant 13‑for‑15 showing in the faceoff circle, and 16:13 of ice time. His milestone marker came early in the opening frame, pushing the lead to 2–0. Stationed in his trademark spot in the right circle, Yemelyanov stepped into a clean one‑timer and buried his 20th of the season into a half‑open net.
Casper Nassen – Miami (Ohio)
Miami had an off week.
William Zellers, – University of North Dakota
Zellers snapped his three‑game scoring drought in emphatic fashion Friday, posting two goals and an assist in North Dakota’s 7–4 victory over Arizona State. He pushed the lead to three midway through the third, taking a feed in the right circle and wiring home his 11th of the season with a quick‑release wrist shot. He later sealed the win with his 12th on an empty net. Zellers also set up a shorthanded marker that opened a 2–0 first‑period lead, finishing the night with three shots on goal and a plus‑1 rating.
North Dakota answered back on Saturday with a 5–3 win in the rematch, powered in part by a timely strike from Zellers. The forward pulled the game even at 3-3 just 42 seconds into the third period, taking a soft one‑touch feed in the slot and snapping home his 13th of the season. He closed out the night at plus‑1, registered four shots on goal, and logged 17:15 of ice time.
James Hagens, Oskar Jellvik, Andre Gasseau, Dean Letourneau, Kristian Kostadinski, Will Moore – Boston College
James Hagens was named one of twelve nominees for the Hockey Humanitarian Award.
James Hagens and Dean Letourneau have been nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. To cast your vote for Hagens text 26068 or Letourneau text 26069 to 1-844-623-9688.
Bruins prospects set the tone as Boston College rolled to a 5–2 win over New Hampshire on Friday. Andre Gasseau opened the scoring less than two minutes in, redirecting a shot to give BC an early edge. Kristian Kostadinski picked up an assist on the play, snapping a lengthy pointless stretch in the process.
New Hampshire pulled even shortly after, but Dean Letourneau restored the BC lead with a power‑play marker. Stationed at the top of the crease, Letourneau got inside positioning just as James Hagens threaded a pinpoint pass from the right side, and he redirected it home to put the Eagles back on top.
With the game sitting at 3–2, Hagens created separation with a key neutral‑zone turnover, carried the puck into the right circle, and snapped a wrist shot through the goaltender’s five‑hole to extend the lead. Letourneau later sealed the win with an empty‑netter.
Will Moore was the only prospect not to factor in the scoring. He had zeroes across the board and was 3 for 7 on the dot with 14:17 time on ice. Oskar Jellvik remains out with an injury.
On Saturday, BC came out on top in the rematch 3-0. Gasseau and Hagens both assisted on the 3-0 goal but other than that, the productivity from the Bruins prospects was limited and BC only managed 17 shots on goal.
Chris Pelosi, Elliott Groenewold – Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac extended its winning streak to seven games — and 14 of its last 15 — with a 5–1 victory over Sacred Heart on Friday in the Connecticut Ice Tournament semifinal. Groenewold delivered the eventual game‑winner on a power play early in the second period, threading a long wrist shot from the point through traffic. He closed the night at plus‑1 with three shots on goal and 21:39 of ice time. Pelosi was held off the scoresheet but generated four shots, went 9‑for‑16 on faceoffs, and logged 19:27 of ice time.
Quinnipiac came up short in Sunday’s Final, falling 4–2 to Connecticut. Groenewold saw his four‑game point streak snapped, though his recent run remains strong with two goals and five assists over his last eight outings. Pelosi, meanwhile, rejoined the scoresheet with a tally that briefly gave Quinnipiac a 2–1 lead. After his initial attempt was turned aside, he stayed on the puck and jammed the rebound in a net‑front scramble—his 14th of the season, already eclipsing last year’s total.
Jonathan Morello – Boston University
Boston University dropped a tough 4–3 decision to Providence College on Friday in a game that went down to the wire. Morello was held off the scoresheet, finished 2‑for‑9 on faceoffs, and logged 11:22 of ice time.
The rematch on Saturday saw BU fall 4-0 to those same Providence College. Morello was a minus-1 with one shot on goal and 3 for 7 on faceoffs with 15:04 time on ice.
Beckett Hendrickson – University of Minnesota
Minnesota’s slide continued Friday with a 3–1 loss to Michigan State, marking the Gophers’ fifth straight defeat and extending their winless stretch to 0‑6‑1 over the last seven. Hendrickson posted a clean stat line and is now without a point in five consecutive games. The ongoing struggles have him bouncing throughout the lineup — from the third line to the first — making it tough to build any sustained chemistry. It’s not an ideal environment for his development right now, and the inconsistency around him is clearly taking a toll.
Add another loss to the losing streak as Michigan State came out on top again Saturday with a 3-2 win. Hendrickson was held off the scoresheet again and had 13:46 time on ice.
Through 25 games, Hendrickson has been deployed virtually everywhere—4th‑line left wing, 3rd‑line left wing, 2nd‑line left wing, 1st‑line left wing, and now 3rd‑line right wing. Despite the constant shuffling, he remains one of only four players on the roster in the positives and leads the group by a wide margin at plus‑9, with the next closest sitting at plus‑5. Even so, he continues to be moved around the lineup without a real chance to build any sustained offensive chemistry.
Ryan Walsh – Cornell University
Ryan Walsh has been nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award. You can cast your vote by texting 26089 to 1-844-623-9688.
Cornell edged Dartmouth 2–1 in overtime on Friday, a result that didn’t fully reflect Cornell’s control of play as they carried a 31–16 advantage in shots. Walsh was held off the scoresheet but remained heavily involved, registering five shots, going 11‑for‑21 on faceoffs, and logging 22:21 of ice time — the highest among all forwards by a margin four minutes or more.
Cornell rolled past Harvard 4–1 on Saturday, with Walsh chipping in an assist while registering a single shot on goal and winning 14 of 20 draws across 20:02 of ice time. He now sits one assist shy of matching last season’s career high, but his goal production remains a concern. After posting 17 goals in 36 games as a sophomore and 12 in 35 as a freshman, he’s managed just six goals through 19 games this year—a noticeable dip for a player expected to score.
Mason Langenbrunner – Harvard University
Langenbrunner was named the ECAC Defender of the Week for the week ending January 18, 2026.
Harvard rolled to a 4–0 shutout over Union in a rare Monday night matchup, and Mason Langenbrunner continued his strong run of form. The senior blue‑liner set up the opening goal, registered two shots, posted a plus‑1 rating, and logged 18:50 of ice time. His recent surge has been hard to miss: he’s produced one goal and four assists over his last five outings, emerging as one of Harvard’s most consistent contributors in that span.
Harvard pushed its record to 11‑7‑1 with a 3–1 win over Colgate on Friday. Langenbrunner was held off the scoresheet but contributed three shots on goal and logged 18:56 of ice time.
As mentioned above, Harvard lost to Cornell on Saturday. Langenbrunner was a minus-2, had one shot on goal and 17:39 time on ice.
Philip Svedeback – Providence College
Svedeback remains out with an injury that will keep him out for at least another month. He’s missed 5 games now and Providence’s record since then: 5-0-0. Svedeback’s record: 8-6-2.
Make it 6-0-0 with a 4-0 win over Boston University on Saturday.
Cooper Simpson – Youngstown – USHL
Youngstown rolled past the NTDP with a 12–1 rout on Friday, and Simpson played a central role with two goals and an assist. He finished with three shots on goal and a plus‑1 rating in the lopsided win. It’s hard to ignore how unbalanced these matchups have become. Youngstown has now outscored the NTDP 20–4 over their last two meetings – far different from the start of the season, and even the home crowd seems to sense the mismatch — a building that typically draws well couldn’t crack 650 fans against the NTDP.
It was more of the same on Saturday as Youngstown defeated the NTDP 8-1. Simpson did not manage to find the scoresheet despite a game high 5 shots on goal.
Cole Chandler – Shawinigan – QMJHL
Shawinigan came up short in a 4–1 loss to Quebec on Wednesday, and Chandler was held off the scoresheet in the setback. The forward closed out the night with a minus‑2 rating, generated three shots on goal, and went 7-for-17 in the faceoff circle.
Shawinigan responded with a 4–2 victory over Victoriaville on Friday, setting the tone for a needed rebound performance. Chandler helped spark the comeback, assisting on the power‑play goal that pulled the game even at 2–2. He added three shots on net and went 12‑for‑20 on faceoffs in a strong all‑situations effort.
Shawinigan erupted for a 10–2 win over Rimouski on Sunday, powered by a Chandler hat trick at even strength. His first goal stood as the game‑winner, as he carried the puck up ice, cut into the slot, and snapped a shot inside the left post. He doubled up with a quick release from the right circle to push the lead to 5–0, then completed the hat trick in similar fashion—another right‑circle wrister tucked inside the far post to make it 7–1. Chandler added an assist, finished with three shots on goal, and went 5‑for‑11 in the faceoff circle.
Cole Spicer – Western Michigan
Western Michigan won their eighth straight with a 4-3 win over Minnesota-Duluth on Friday. Cole Spicer did not play.
They made it nine straight on Saturday with a 4-3 overtime win, but Spicer did not play.
Providence Bruins
Providence 2 – Belleville 1 (OT)
Belleville opened the scoring with 3:01 left in the first period, taking a 1–0 lead that held deep into the third. With 5:30 remaining in regulation, Matthew Poitras finally broke through, carrying the puck into the Belleville zone and snapping a wrist shot from the right circle to tie the game. Fabian Lysell and Frederic Brunet picked up the assists on the equalizer.
With 50 seconds left in overtime, Lysell executed a flawless give‑and‑go with Dans Locmelis to secure the victory. Lysell fed Locmelis in the left circle and cut hard to the net, receiving the return pass in stride before lifting the decisive shot home. Jordan Harris picked up the secondary assist on the play.
Michael DiPietro stopped 25 of 26 shots he faced to improve his record to 16-5-0 and a whopping .939 save percentage.
Providence 4 – Bridgeport 3 (SO)
After slipping behind 2–0 midway through the second, Providence finally broke through when Patrick Brown jammed home a rebound with 5:32 left in the frame. Brunet and Christian Wolanin picked up the assists. Just over three minutes later, Joey Abate circled the cage and threaded a pass across the crease to Dalton Bancroft, who buried his first of the season. Jake Schmaltz earned the secondary helper on the tying goal.
Providence grabbed its first lead midway through the third when Riley Tufte jumped on a loose puck and tucked it just inside the post for a 3–2 advantage. Matej Blumel and Wolanin collected the assists. Bridgeport answered quickly, though, pulling even just 29 seconds later to force overtime.
Overtime couldn’t produce a winner, sending the game to a shootout where Luke Cavallin — filling in for the injured Simon Zajicek — turned aside all three attempts he faced. John Farinacci delivered the decisive strike as Providence claimed the victory.
Providence 4 – Toronto 3 (OT)
Farinacci spotted Lysell cutting through the slot and slipped him a clean feed, which Lysell promptly lifted upstairs to give Providence a 1–0 lead just 4:47 into the opening frame. Toronto answered with 5:22 left in the period, sending both teams to the intermission knotted at one.
Toronto jumped ahead 2–1 just 5:11 into the second period, but Providence answered with 6:47 left in the frame. Poitras gained the zone with control, fed Locmelis in the left circle, and Locmelis threaded a pass to a net‑driving Merkulov for a clean tap‑in to even the score at 2–2.
Providence grabbed a 3–2 advantage with just 29 seconds left in the second period, capitalizing on a 5‑on‑3 power‑play situation. Poitras pounced on a loose puck to the left of the net and snapped it home to restore the lead, with Brown picking up the lone assist.
Toronto pulled even with 3:49 left in regulation, but overtime didn’t last long. Just 41 seconds into the extra frame, Merkulov sprung Harris on a clean break, and Harris buried a wrist shot under the bar to seal the win. DiPietro picked up the secondary assist and turned aside 32 of 35 shots on the night.
Merkulov now sits one point back of Andy Hilbert with 209 career points as the all-time leader in points for Providence.
Here’s a look at the Providence Bruins leaders. You will notice a column called “Benchrates” This is provided by our friends at Benchrates. Created by a retired hockey player, Benchrates has created an algorithm that computes values in real time. The value you see is the cap hit value they’ve earned this season to date. Give them a look and check out their site.
Coming up this week:
Dom - Hockey 