Capitals College Credits: Ryan Leonard Returns To Scoring For Boston College

Posted on January 15, 2024 by Jon Sorensen


It was quite an exciting weekend of college hockey and another strong weekend for the Washington Capitals collegiate prospects. All eyes are on the PairWise rankings as every point becomes that much critical for teams to make the NCAA tournament in late March. 

Here is how each of the six prospects performed this past weekend. 

Ryan Leonard, RW, 2023 1st RD, No. 2 Boston College Eagles (14-4-1, 7-3-1)

There was no signs of World Junior rust for the Capitals’ eighth overall pick, as he picked up right where he left off heading into the winter break. Boston College had a top-10 showdown with the No. 9 Providence Friars. However in the series opener, it did not feel like so.

The Eagles dominated from start to finish and just as they did in the World Juniors, the all-freshman line went to work. Just 13 seconds after Will Smith made it 3-0 Boston College, Leonard threw a sharp angle shot on Providence goaltender Phillip Svedebäck and it snuck through the five-hole. It was Leonard’s 11th goal of the season.

The game was already over at that point, but the US line was not. Smith got his second goal of the game on a perfect backdoor feed from Leonard. That play all started because of Gabe Perreault forcing a turnover. Leonard’s playmaking ability is something that is quite underrated. 

Leonard finished the game with a team-leading four shots on goal on six attempts. 

Boston College vs Providence | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 12, 2024

The series-finale was a lot closer but Leonard’s line continued to go to work and create offense. Meanwhile, Leonard took a big hit at the start of the game but no harm was done. 

After Providence tied things at one a piece late in the second period, the Eagles responded quickly with yet another goal from the freshman line. Leonard had the secondary assist on the lead-tally. He quickly chipped the puck up to Perreault on the breakout and found a streaking Smith.

Unfortunately that lead would only last for a short period of time as the Friars tied things up just 1:27 into the final frame. Boston College was put on the power play and took the lead thanks to Perreault. Leonard had the secondary assist on the play.

However Providence would score two unanswered and earned the split by a score of 4-3. Leonard finished the game with two shots on goal on three attempts. He now has 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) on the campaign and continues to show off his competitiveness and physicality.

Boston College will take on the Merrimack Warriors on Jan. 19-20. The Eagles fell to second place in the PairWise and are still in second place in Hockey East with 22 points. 

Providence vs Boston College | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 13, 2024

David Gucciardi, LD, 2022 7th RD, No. 7 Michigan State Spartans (15-4-3, 9-1-2)

 It was an outstanding weekend for Gucciardi and the Spartans as they jumped the No. 4 Wisconsin Badgers for sole possession of first place in the Big Ten, following their dominating sweep over the Penn State Nittany Lions.

Game 1 was all Michigan State. They took the Penn State crowd out of it just five minutes into the game, when Tanner Kelly made it 1-0 for the visitors. Gucciardi did take a minor penalty for a hit to the head, but his team ended up killing it off. 

Freshman goaltender Trey Augustine, who had just led Team USA to a gold medal in the World Junior tournament, backstopped his team to a 5-0 victory with 31 saves. 

Gucciardi was a plus-1 with two shot attempts and two blocked shots.

Penn State vs Michigan State | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 12, 2024

Game 2 was the opposite story for about five minutes, as the Nittany Lions took a 1-0 lead on the power play. But Michigan State responded with four unanswered goals in the first period.

Gucciardi registered the secondary assist on Red Savage’s tally to make it 4-1 Spartans. It was his third assist in four games for the junior blueliner and it was another perfect sendaway pass. 

Penn State vs Michigan State | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 13, 2024

The Spartans would route Penn State 7-3 to complete the sweep and are third in the PairWise rankings. Michigan State will take on its bitter rivals in the No. 15 Michigan Wolverines for a home-and-home slate, to try and extend its Big Ten lead.

Chase Clark, G, 2021 6th RD, Sacred Heart Pioneers (10-10-2, 10-5-1)

It appears that Sacred Heart head coach C.J. Marottolo is giving his starting goaltender some rest, as he once again did not play both games of a series. This time it was against the Bentley Falcons.

Clark did not get the starter’s cage in Game 1, and the Pioneers would take the series-opener 4-3. The sophomore netminder would get the nod to close out the weekend and the Pioneers fell 3-2 in overtime. Clark finished the evening with 22 saves on 25 shots. He fell to 8-9-1 and has a 2.83 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. 

Sacred Heart will have three games this week, beginning with a one-game slate against the Army Black Knights on Jan. 16 and then the Holy Cross Crusaders on Jan. 19-20. The Pioneers are still in first place in Atlantic Hockey with 34 points, but are 44th in the PairWise. 

Ryan Chesley, RD, 2022 2nd RD, No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-6-4, 5-4-3)

Chesley and the Gophers wrapped up their non-conference slate in pretty convincing fashion against the Robert Morris Colonials. This was a bigger series than most people thought. The Gophers were on the bubble of the PairWise coming into the weekend so it was critical to come away with a sweep. 

In Game 1, the Golden Gophers got off to a slow start, trailing 1-0 4:13 into the game, but rebounded with four unanswered goals. They took the series-opener 4-2. Chesley finished the game with just two shots on goal and two blocks. 

Minnesota vs Robert Morris | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 12, 2024

Game 2 was much more lopsided as the Gophers got out to a 3-0 lead and completed the sweep with a 4-1 win. Chesley was a plus-3 and one block. Chesley continues to earn top-four minutes. He has six points (two goals, four assists) in 22 games and is third on the team with a plus/minus rating of +9.

Minnesota vs Robert Morris | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 13, 2024

The Gophers will begin their second half Big Ten schedule hosting the Ohio State Buckeyes on Jan. 19-20. Minnesota is currently fourth in the conference, trailing third-place Notre Dame by one point. The Gophers are 12th in the PairWise.

Brent Johnson, RD, 2021 3rd RD, Ohio State Buckeyes (9-9-4, 1-9-2)

Ohio State finally got its first Big Ten win against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. They showed life and played very well against a stingy Notre Dame team. Johnson did not register a point in either game, but continues to improve offensively.

In Game 1, the Buckeyes got off to a 2-0 lead and controlled the play. However the Fighting Irish responded with two unanswered goals in the third period. But Ohio State took a 3-2 lead with 8:28 to go in the third.

Johnson finished the game with just three shot attempts and one blocked shot.

Notre Dame at Ohio State | Highlights | Big Ten Hockey | Jan. 12, 2024

Game 2 was an incredibly physical affair which saw four players receiving game disqualifications at the very end of the game. The Fighting Irish got off to a 2-0 lead, but the Buckeyes stormed back to tie it. Johnson was on the ice for Stephen Halliday’s tying tally. Though he did not get credited with a point, he was able to get the puck deep into the offensive zone to start the play.

However, the Irish stormed back with three unanswered goals and earned the split by taking the game by a 5-2 score. On Notre Dame’s fifth goal of the game, Johnson tried to clear the puck by rimming it around the boards, but the referee got in the way and kept the puck in the zone. 

Johnson led the team with three blocked shots.

Notre Dame at Ohio State | Highlights | Big Ten Hockey | Jan. 13, 2024

The Buckeyes will look to carry momentum from this series when they travel to Mariucci to take on the No. 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 19-20. Ohio State still has a long way to go as it currently sits 26th in the PairWise.

Joaquim Lemay, LD, 2021 4th RD, No. 19 Omaha Mavericks (11-7-2, 4-5-1)

Lemay seems to have fizzled out offensively for his club, but the Mavericks had a successful weekend against the No. 6 North Dakota Fighting Hawks.

In Game 1, North Dakota got off to a 3-1 lead but the Mavericks tied things up in the second period. The Fighting Hawks would eventually take a 4-3 lead and Omaha would not go away tying things up once again. The Mavericks completed the upset with a 5-4 overtime win. Lemay completed the game with one shot on goal and two blocks. 

North Dakota vs Omaha | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 12, 2024

Unfortunately the Mavericks could not complete the sweep as North Dakota rebounded with a 3-1 win. Lemay was a minus-1 and was responsible for North Dakota’s opening tally. He tried to make a soft pass in his own zone that was picked off and resulted in the goal.

North Dakota vs Omaha | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 13, 2024

The Mavericks have another huge weekend ahead of them, as they will host the No. 5 Denver Pioneers. Omaha currently sits 19th in the PairWise and seventh in the NCHC with 11 points.

Other College Hockey Scores

  • Lindenwood loss and ties against No. 4 Wisconsin (5-0L, 3-3SOL)
  • Miami (OH) splits with No. 11 Western Michigan (4-1L, 4-3W)
  • Niagara defeats No. 20 RIT 3-1
  • No. 3 Quinnipiac sweeps Princeton (9-2W, 3-1W)
  • UConn splits with No. 8 Maine (5-3L, 2-0W)
  • No. 1 BU defeats No. 17 UNH 3-0
  • No. 15 Michigan sweeps Stonehill (12-4W, 7-1W)
  • LIU sweeps Colgate (3-2OTW, 3-2OTW)
  • No. 18 Colorado College splits with Minnesota Duluth (3-2OTL, 3-2OTW)
  • Lake Superior sweeps Northern Michigan (5-1W, 5-2W)
  • Yale defeats Dartmouth 5-0

https://www.uscho.com/rankings/d-i-mens-poll/

By Jacob Cheris

About Jon Sorensen

Jon has been a Caps fan since day one, attending his first game at the Capital Centre in 1974. His interest in the Caps has grown over the decades and included time as a season ticket holder. He has been a journalist covering the team for 10+ years, primarily focusing on analysis, analytics and prospect development.
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