2026 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament: Kings’ Slukynsky, Red Wings’ Plante highlight standouts from Day 2

Garrett Schifsky capped off Michigan’s offense with his 13th of the year. While David Helledy put the Falcons on the board in the final minute of regulation, the game was all but over.

Michigan only outshot Bentley 29-25. The Wolverines’ penalty kill was busy, having to kill off four penalties on Friday, while the team went 1-for-2 on the power play.

The Wolverines do have some injury issues to address. Montreal Canadiens prospect Michael Hage didn’t dress, while Will Horcoff (Pittsburgh Penguins) exited the game in the third period with an upper-body injury.

Michigan will try to advance to the Frozen Four for the third time in four years.

T.J. Hughes, C, Michigan: The Hobey Baker top 10 finalist showed why he’s one of the top pending college free agents. His release, his playmaking ability, his knack for coming up clutch. There are so many attributes that make the Wolverine captain one of the best players in the game. It was only fitting that he scored the team’s first goal of the tournament.

The Hamilton, Ont. native ended up leading Michigan with three points in the victory, picking up assists on Moldenhauer and Muscott’s goals in the middle stanza. He now has 21 goals and 56 points this year, closing the gap on Quinnipiac star and Calgary Flames prospect Ethan Wyttenbach for the nation’s lead in scoring.

Jack Ivankovic, G, Michigan (Nashville Predators): In a game like this, the favorite’s netminder has to be prepared for any lackadaisical play from his group in front of him. While Michigan didn’t look like they were going through the motions, Ivankovic was sharp when he needed to be. Even more so in the second period, when Bentley outshot Michigan 13-8. The former Brampton Steelhead has been a godsend for the Wolverines, giving the team a true stable goaltender for the first time since Erik Portillo.

Penn State 1, Minnesota Duluth 3

The second game in New York’s capital was a thriller, much thanks to the excellent play between the two masked men.

Despite the Bulldogs and Nittany Lions not having much of a history, they certainly came out swinging. In the first period, it was Penn State who carried the play, with the Big Ten program striking first with a tally from Shea Van Olm. However, the lead didn’t last long, as sophomore Max Plante finished off a great feed from brother and Penguins draft pick Zam Plante to put Minnesota Duluth on the board with his 25th goal of the year.

That was the only scoring until the third period, despite Duluth really pushing back in the middle frame. Yet, Penn State netminder Joshua Fleming turned away all 17 shots he faced in the period.

Overtime seemed inevitable, as neither Fleming nor UMD’s Adam Gajan wanted to give up the next goal. However, a turnover in the Nittany Lion zone led to freshman Hunter Anderson scoring his sixth goal of the season, and second of the postseason, to put the Bulldogs out in front.

While Gavin McKenna and the Nittany Lions tried for the equalizer, Duluth’s defense stepped up, with Ty Hanson capping off the win with an empty-net goal.

Minnesota Duluth outshot Penn State 39-30, with Fleming playing masterfully in keeping his team in the game. The rookie made 36 saves in defeat, but certainly had nothing to hang his head about.

UMD is looking for its first Frozen Four appearance since losing to UMass in the semifinals five years ago.

Max Plante, LW, Minnesota Duluth (Detroit Red Wings): That top line of the Plante brothers and Harper Bentz truly drove the play tonight. The trio combined for almost a third of the Bulldogs’ shots, with Max leading the crew with six. With an assist coming on Hanson’s empty-netter, the 20-year-old posted his second multi-point game of the postseason. There are a number of things that make the Hobey Baker top-10 finalist so unique, but the way he uses his feet and hands to create and finish are what stand out most about the Hermantown, Minn. native.

Adam Gajan, G, Minnesota Duluth (Chicago Blackhawks): Fleming might’ve had the heavier workload, but there’s no question that Gajan made a few more impact saves. The Slovak backstop faced 17 shots on goal in the first 20 minutes, and didn’t bat an eye, even after Penn State took the lead. When the Nittany Lions had a power play in the third, Gajan was there with some big stops to keep the game tied at one. Size and athletic ability might be a dime a dozen in college hockey, but how Gajan has developed from being more to just an athletic goaltender is why he’s quietly becoming one of the top netminders in the NCAA.

The Albany Regional Final is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Loveland

Minnesota State 1, Western Michigan 3

Just like last year, the Mavericks gave the Broncos everything they could handle.

In a rematch from last year’s regional semifinals in Fargo, the Mavericks were seeking redemption. Luke Strand’s team held its own in the first 20 minutes, but the Broncos came out swinging early in the second, with Zaccharya Wisdom a little over two minutes into the frame.

Wisdom was able to help generate some offensive zone time later on the period, leading to defenseman Zach Bookman’s fourth goal of the season to put the defending champions up by two. While the Broncos continued to put pucks on Mankato netminder Alex Tracy, the Mavericks refused to go away. In the opening minute of the third, Alex Zetterberg, with a little help from former Broncos Ean Somoza and Tristan Lemyre, put Minnesota State on the board, inserting a little seed of doubt.

MSU continued to press in the closing minutes of the game, but WMU netminder Hampton Slukynsky and the team in front of him stepped up. Last year’s Most Outstanding Player of the Frozen Four, Owen Michaels, sealed the win with an empty-net goal, pushing the Broncos one step closer to Las Vegas.

Western Michigan ended up outshooting Minnesota State 26-24, with Tracy turning away 23 shots in the losing effort. Wisdom and Bookman each had two points, while defenseman Samuel Sjolund picked up two helpers for the Broncos.

Western Michigan is trying to be the first team since Minnesota Duluth seven years ago to win back-to-back national championships. Minnesota State has now lost in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in three of the past four years.

Zaccharya Wisdom, RW, Western Michigan (Seattle Kraken): There was a time earlier this season that Wisdom was simply struggling on the top line in Kalamazoo. He was moved down the lineup in November, and the move paid dividends for both team and player. The Colorado College transfer found a groove as a secondary scorer, and it’s led to a career-best season. On Friday, you could see Wisdom’s vision and awareness in full force. While he wasn’t credited with an assist on Bookman’s tally, he was a catalyst in the play that led to the goal. He’s been a fun player to watch this year at Western Michigan.

Hampton Slukynsky, G, Western Michigan (Los Angeles Kings): Slukynsky’s numbers might not have been as strong as they were in his first season as the true No. 1 guy with the Broncos, but he showed the talent that made him an essential piece in WMU’s run to the championship last year. He made a huge save on Lemyre in the first period to keep the game scoreless, and every time Mankato looked like they were going to tie the game in the third, the 20-year-old came up big.

The 23-save performance exemplified Slukynsky’s ability to be a clutch netminder when he gets into a groove. We’ll see if he can bring that gene into Sunday.

Cornell 0, Denver 5

The NCHC champions picked up right where they left off after beating Minnesota Duluth last weekend. The Big Red were getting blown away in the opening 20 minutes, as the Pioneers burst out to a 2-0 lead, with goals from Jake Fisher and local kid Kieran Cebrian, outshooting their opponent by a 2:1 margin.

While the game settled down, and Cornell started to find its footing, DU was able to cruise for the rest of the game, as they never seemed to fret against the Ivy League school. Sam Harris notched his 14th goal of the year late in the second to extend Denver’s lead, with Clarke Caswell and Reiger Lorenz capping off the strong performance in the third.

DU outshot the Big Red 30-24. Freshman goaltender Johnny Hicks earned his 10th win in a row, posting his fourth shutout of the season, all coming in the second semester.

The win sets up a Since the start of the 2024-25 season, DU and Western Michigan have met nine times. WMU beat the Pioneers in both the NCHC Final and the national semifinals last season, both in overtime, and the conference rivals split the four-game regular-season series this year. Denver might have the momentum, having knocked the Broncos out in the NCHC Tournament semifinals, requiring OT to do so.

Here are the standouts from DU’s win over Cornell:

Sam Harris, LW, Denver (Montreal Canadiens): Very strong on the puck with the ability to generate offense for others, that’s what makes Harris an intriguing prospect. The San Diego native showed off both abilities on Friday night. His goal was an absolute rocket. There was nothing Cornell netminder Alexis Cournoyer could have done.

Harris finished second on the team behind San Jose Sharks draft pick Eric Pohlkamp with four shots on goal. Harris has the ability to be a clutch player in this tournament. Let’s see if he can be that with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line on Sunday.

Jake Fisher, C, Denver (Colorado Avalanche): A depth center on a stacked team, it can be easy for someone like Fisher to be forgotten about. However, during tournament time, you need all hands on deck. He scored his second goal of the postseason on Friday by simply going to the net and putting himself in position to create offense.

Along with putting three shots on goal, the sophomore was strong on the dot, finishing the night second on the team behind Cebrian in faceoff wins with 10. Fisher is certainly the type of player who can be a dark horse difference-maker this time of year.

The Loveland Regional Final is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET on Sunday.