2023–24 CCHA season explained

Color:color:white; background:#143159;
Color Text:white
Season:2023–24
Season:2023–24
Conference:Central Collegiate Hockey Association
Shortconference:CCHA
Division:Division I
Sport:ice hockey
Pixels:250 px
Duration:October 7, 2023–
March 29, 2024
No Of Teams:9
Tv:FloHockey
Draft Link:2024 NHL Entry Draft
Top Pick:Chase Pietila
Picked By:Pittsburgh Penguins
Regular Season:
Mvp:Sam Morton
Mvp Link:CCHA Player of the Year
Top Scorer:Connor Milburn
Tournament:
Top Scorer2:Ryland Mosley
Logan Pietila
Ncaa:
Bids:1
Conf Rec:0–1
Best:Regional Semifinal
Ncaa Team:Michigan Tech
Prevseason:2022–23
Nextseason:2024–25
Labelstyle:background:#eeeeee;

The 2023–24 CCHA season was the 45th season of play for the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and is part of the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season. The season began on October 7, 2023, and concluded on March 29, 2024 with Michigan Tech losing in the East Regional Semifinal of the NCAA tournament.[1]

Augustana

The Augustana Vikings were admitted as the 9th member of the conference on May 17, 2022 with 2023–24 being the first season of play for the program.[2] In the first two seasons, the team would play a transitional schedule by facing the other league members twice each year for a total of 16 games. While this will prevent the team from participating in the conference tournament, the Vikings are still eligible to be selected for the NCAA tournament.[3]

Coaches

Augustana hired Garrett Raboin as the team's head coach in 2022 and began its first season of play this year.[4]

Luke Strand was hired as the head coach for Minnesota State, replacing the departed Mike Hastings.[5]

Records

TeamHead coachSeason at schoolRecord at schoolCCHA record
Augustana10–0–00–0–0
Bemidji State 23368–344–9726–23–3
Bowling Green 571–61–1023–26–3
Ferris State 32487–581–112265–307–76
Lake Superior State 10126–176–3021–30–1
Michigan Tech 7119–88–2031–15–6
Minnesota State 10–0–00–0–0
Northern Michigan7106–97–11 26–25–1
St. Thomas 314–55–313–36–3

Standings

Non-Conference record

TeamTotal
Augustana 0–0–00–4–00–0–00–0–04–5–10–0–05–11–2
Bemidji State 1–0–00–1–00–0–00–0–00–0–00–6–01–7–0
Bowling Green 2–2–00–2–00–0–00–0–00–0–00–2–02–6–0
Ferris State 0–0–00–1–01–1–00–0–00–1–01–2–12–5–1
Lake Superior State 0–1–00–2–02–1–00–0–01–1–00–0–03–5–0
Michigan Tech 0–0–01–2–00–1–10–0–01–1-10–0–12–4–3
Minnesota State 0–0–00–0–01–1–00–2–00–0–02–1–13–4–1
Northern Michigan0–0–00–0–00–0–00–0–02–2–00–1–12–3–1
St. Thomas 0–0–00–2–00–0–00–2–01–2–11–1–02–7–1
Overall3–3–01–14–04–4–10–4–09–12-35–15–522–52–9

Bracket

See main article: 2024 CCHA men's ice hockey tournament.

NCAA tournament

See main article: 2024 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.

Game summary
The game began with the teams exchanging rushes up the ice. After Tech lost control of the puck in front of the Eagle's net, Oskar Jellvik skated up the ice and passed the puck to Cutter Gauthier, who had gotten behind the Huskies defense on a partial break away. The nation's leading goal scorer fired the puck between Blake Pietila's legs for the opening goal. BC kept the pressure on and got several more scoring chances afterwards but Pietila had settled down and kept Tech in the game. The Huskies weren't able to establish any extended zone time until about the 8-minute mark but even then BC's speed kept Tech to the outside. About a minute later, a BC turnover in their own end resulted in two glorious scoring chances for Tech but the pipe helped to keep the puck out of the goal. As Tech started warming to the task, they got another chance after the Eagles iced the puck; MTU won the ensuing faceoff and crashed in on Jacob Fowler. The puck ended up getting past the BC goalie but bounced just to the side of the cage. Michigan Tech continued to circle and got another scoring chance a few second later but the Jack Malone blocked the shot. A further chance went wide and the puck ended up coming to Colby Ambrosio who charged down the ice on a break away. Chase Pietila managed to just catch him from behind and hook Ambrosio as he was shooting to eliminate the scoring chance. Rather than awarding Ambrosio a penalty shot, the referees handed Pietila a minor penalty. half-way through the kill, BC turned over the puck at center ice and Tech broke towards Fowler on a 2-on-0. Max Koskipirtti kept the puck and, right when he got to the faceoff dot, he fired a shot right over Fowler's glove for Tech's second short-handed goal on the season. The Huskies captured the momentum afterwards and began generating scoring opportunities in the BC zone. Now it was Fowler's turn to hold the fort and the young netminder matched Pietila save-for-save. Towards the end of the period BC regained its footing and play evened out the score remained tied at the buzzer.

Both teams picked up in the second right where they left off and got on the attack. BC turned the puck over several times in the first two minutes, giving Tech multiple scoring chances. The best went to Kash Rasmussen who found himself completely alone in front of the BC net but his shot went wide. A few seconds later, a loose puck bounced right to Koskipirtti for shot from the slot but Fowler got in the way. Eventually, the Eagles began to calm down and get into the offensive zone around the 5th minute. Jellvik got a solid scoring chance but his shot was deflected off the post by Blake Pietila. The Eagles continued to press and Ryan Leonard rushed the puck up the ice. Pietila stopped his initial shot, as well as the rebound from Aidan Hreschuk. Jack Malone found the loose puck and shuffled it over to an open Leonard who fired into a half-open cage for BC's second lead of the night. Play tilted towards Boston College afterwards but the Eagles continued to make sloppy plays and turn the puck over in dangerous areas. Tech got a few good looks at the net but the puck refused to cooperate and several chanced went by the wayside. Right off of a faceoff, Leonard broke in on Pietila and nearly tucked the puck into the goal but the Tech defense was able to turn him aside without taking a penalty. Scant second later, Gabe Perreault hit Tyrone Bronte in the head and received a match penalty. Boston College needed their #1 penalty kill to come through and it did. Michigan Tech got a few chances on Fowler, much of their time was spent trying to set up in the offensive zone and the Huskies were unable to convert on the man-advantage. BC was able to carry their narrow lead to the end of the period but they would have to finish the game missing one of their top scorers.

Michigan Tech started the third by joining BC in bad habits and committed two bad turnovers that led to chances for the Eagles. Pietila managed to keep the puck out of the net and the disjointed play continued for both sides. Eventually, BC was able to set up in the offensive zone and Connor Joyce got lost behind the net. When he popped out in front, Jack Malone found him for an easy tap in goal. Less than a minute later, BC cleared the puck into the Tech end. When Blake Pietila went behind the goal to gain possession, the rubber hit the referee in the backside and deflected into the net. However, the rule (83.6) stipulated that a goal cannot be scored due to direct interference from the officials so the goal was waved off. The reprieve for Tech didn't last long and just a minute later Will Smith got the puck to Jellvik on a break away and he put BC up by three. After the succeeding faceoff, Ryland Mosley took a run at Ryan Leonard at center ice and a melee broke out. Mosley received a match penalty while all other infractions cancelled out. A minute into the power play, Ryan Leonard netted his second goal off of a rush and the route was on. Gauthier ended the power play with his second of the game after a drop-pass in the slot from Jellvik. BC continued to press afterwards, looking for another goal, but the intensity was muted. Both teams played like they knew the game was over and soon enough it was.

Ranking

See main article: 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings.

USCHO

Augustana NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Bemidji State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 20 20 NR -
Bowling Green NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Ferris State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Lake Superior State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Michigan Tech 10 9 17 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 20 -
Minnesota State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Northern Michigan NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
St. Thomas NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
[6]

USA Today

Augustana NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Bemidji State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 20 NR NR -
Bowling Green NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Ferris State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Lake Superior State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Michigan Tech 11 10 17 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 20 20 -
Minnesota State NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
Northern Michigan NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
St. Thomas NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR -
[7]

Pairwise

Augustana 32 11 27 12 16 27 30 36 30 26 35 35 37 37 41 39 39 38 38 40 41 40 39
Bemidji State 32 12 48 44 41 42 36 41 40 42 41 40 38 42 41 42 40 40 35 33 31 31 31
Bowling Green 21 49 50 54 58 62 59 61 61 54 60 61 61 61 62 57 53 49 55 56 57 57 56
Ferris State 27 38 47 46 54 58 57 60 57 62 62 63 63 62 59 63 63 63 63 63 63 63 63
Lake Superior State 32 42 38 32 23 44 50 47 46 45 46 47 44 48 47 47 49 53 49 48 45 46 46
Michigan Tech 16 47 45 47 28 36 46 38 35 39 37 35 40 40 38 39 41 42 36 39 36 35 bgcolor=gold32
Minnesota State 32 31 28 42 36 24 26 37 28 28 28 30 28 29 27 27 28 28 30 36 35 33 34
Northern Michigan 32 48 34 34 62 55 44 49 48 47 48 51 57 56 55 51 55 55 51 47 50 48 48
St. Thomas 26 51 35 57 50 32 31 30 34 30 39 39 33 35 34 31 34 39 44 43 48 47 47
Note: teams ranked in the top-10 automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament. Teams ranked 11-16 can qualify based upon conference tournament results.[8]

Awards

CCHA

Award Recipient
Sam Morton, Minnesota State
Sam Morton, Minnesota State
Kyle Looft, Bemidji State
Mattias Sholl, Bemidji State
Isaac Gordon, Michigan Tech
Kyle Looft, Bemidji State
Connor Milburn, Lake Superior State
Jackson Jutting, Bemidji State
Tom Serratore, Bemidji State
First Team[9]   Position   Second Team[10]
Mattias Sholl, Bemidji Statealign=center GBlake Pietila, Michigan Tech
Kyle Looft, Bemidji Statealign=center DEvan Murr, Minnesota State
Eric Pohlkamp, Bemidji Statealign=center DJosh Zinger, Northern Michigan
Sam Morton, Minnesota Statealign=center FIsaac Gordon, Michigan Tech
Lleyton Roed, Bemidji Statealign=center FConnor Milburn, Lake Superior State
Jared Westcott, Lake Superior Statealign=center FLucas Wahlin, St. Thomas
Rookie Team[11]   Position  
Cole Moore, Bowling Greenalign=center G
Evan Murr, Minnesota Statealign=center D
Eric Pohlkamp, Bemidji Statealign=center D
Luigi Benincasa, Ferris Statealign=center F
Isaac Gordon, Michigan Techalign=center F
John Herrington, Lake Superior Statealign=center F

2024 NHL Entry Draft

See main article: 2024 NHL Entry Draft.

4 111 Michigan Tech Pittsburgh Penguins
6 165 Minnesota State Columbus Blue Jackets
7 205 Northern Michigan Philadelphia Flyers
7 218 St. Thomas Edmonton Oilers
† incoming freshman[12]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Composite Schedule . Central Collegiate Hockey Association . August 30, 2023.
  2. CCHA Grants Membership to Augustana University . Central Collegiate Hockey Association . May 17, 2022.
  3. Augustana Hockey’s Inaugural CCHA Slate Unveiled . Augustana Vikings . May 4, 2023 . August 31, 2023.
  4. Web site: Garrett Raboin Named First Augustana Hockey Head Coach . . April 18, 2022 . April 18, 2022.
  5. News: Strand Named Head Coach of Maverick Hockey Program . Minnesota State Mavericks . April 10, 2023 . April 20, 2023.
  6. Web site: USCHO Division I Men's Poll . USCHO.com . November 26, 2019.
  7. Web site: USA Today Men's Poll . USCHO.com . November 26, 2019.
  8. Web site: Men's Division I PairWise Rankings . USCHO.com . November 26, 2019.
  9. Web site: All-CCHA First Team Announced . CCHA.com . March 11, 2024 . March 12, 2024.
  10. Web site: Six Earn All-CCHA Second Team . CCHA.com . March 11, 2024 . March 12, 2024.
  11. Web site: CCHA All-Rookie Team Revealed . CCHA.com . March 11, 2024 . March 12, 2024.
  12. News: NCAA player rankings, selections in 2024 NHL Draft . USCHO.com . June 29, 2024.