Capitals College Credits: Ryan Leonard Three-Point Weekend, Chase Clark Out Of The Lineup, David Gucciardi Racks Up 12 Penalty Minutes

Posted on January 22, 2024 by Jon Sorensen


During the second half of the college hockey season, anything can happen. This past weekend was filled with shocking upsets and intense action all around. 

It was no different for the six Washington Capitals’ student-athletes. Here is how the six of them performed this past weekend.

Ryan Leonard, RW, 2023 1st RD, No. 2 Boston College Eagles (16-4-1, 9-3-1)

Leonard and the Eagles continue to dominate the college hockey landscape, as they swept the Merrimack Warriors and have won four out of their last five games. Boston College had to face some adversity in Game 1 of the series, trailing 2-0 after the first period.

However, the Eagles responded with three unanswered goals to take a 3-2 lead heading into the final period of play. Will Smith extended Boston College’s lead to 4-2 just 2:42 into the third. Leonard had the secondary assist on the tally. 

BC was put on a power play a little while later and Leonard scored his 12th goal of the campaign in typical fashion. But just as he had done in the World Juniors, with his kiss to the crowd celebration, his celebration this time around was even better.

The rookie forward earned his second penalty of the game. The Eagles would take the series-opener 6-4 and Leonard’s goal turned out to be the game winner. Merrimack cut the deficit within one, but Cutter Gauthier sealed matters with an empty net strike.

Leonard had three shots on goal on seven attempts along with his two points. 

Merrimack vs Boston College | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 19, 2024     

Boston College returned home to Conte Forum for a Sunday afternoon showdown to look for the sweep. It was a one-sided affair and Leonard showcased his compete level and underrated playmaking ability. The Eagles got off to a fast 3-0 lead and all the momentum was in their favor. The freshman line once again connected, and Leonard had the secondary assist on Gabe Perreault’s breakaway tally.

A minute into the third period, Leonard once again showed off his passing skills by feathering a perfect cross-ice pass to Smith for a one-timer. 

The Eagles would complete the sweep with a dominant 6-2 win over the Warriors. Leonard had four shots on goal on five attempts.

Leonard now has 26 points (12 goals, 14 assists) this season.

This weekend is the biggest and most anticipated series of the season, as Boston College will take on its bitter rivals in the No. 1 Boston University Terriers on Jan. 26-27. The Eagles are second in Hockey East, trailing BU by six points, and are second in the PairWise.

David Gucciardi, LD, 2022 7th RD, No. 8 Michigan State Spartans (16-5-3, 10-2-2)

What a weekend it was for Gucciardi and the Spartans, as they earned a huge split against the No. 14 Michigan Wolverines. It was inevitable that there were going to be fireworks between these two rivals. But a combined 20 goals and 178 penalty minutes was absurd.

Game 1 was where the match was lit in a very one-sided affair in East Lansing. The Spartans were outplayed from start to finish and the Wolverines routed Michigan State 7-1. Gucciardi was coming on the ice for a line change and Michigan capitalized on it thanks to Kienan Draper. 

Michigan continued to ramp up the pressure and the Spartans found themselves on a two-man disadvantage. Dylan Duke made it 3-0 and Gucciardi was beaten by Seamus Casey going wide. 

The struggles continued for the junior blueliner as he was awarded a 10-minute misconduct for unsportsmanlike conduct, along with a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. It is unclear what he did that led to the penalty. The Wolverines sealed matters with a 7-1 victory and Gucciardi only had two shot attempts along with his 12 penalty minutes.

To see one of the brawls, go to the 8:28 mark of the highlight video.

Michigan State vs Michigan | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 19, 2024

The scene shifted to Ann Arbor for Game 2 and the script was once again the same. Michigan got off to a 4-1 lead. The Spartans’ penalty kill unit once again struggled and Gucciardi was a little bit lost defensively on one of Michigan’s power-play goals.

But the Spartans battled back with six unanswered goals and completed the comeback with a huge 7-5 win. Gucciardi had one shot on goal on seven attempts, but he had a rough series defensively.

Michigan vs Michigan State | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 20, 2024

While this was an eventful weekend, Gucciardi and his team still sit atop the Big Ten with 34 points and are seventh in the PairWise. The Spartans will host the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers on Jan. 26-27.

Chase Clark, G, 2021 6th RD, Sacred Heart Pioneers (11-12-2, 11-7-1)

Clark did not play this past weekend against the Holy Cross Crusaders and did not play in Sacred Heart’s one-game slate against the Army Black Knights. It is unclear why, but it is likely injury related considering that he has been the team’s starter all season and has played very well.

Sacred Heart split with Holy Cross and lost to Army 5-3. The Pioneers will take part in the Connecticut Ice Tournament this weekend. The tournament consists of Sacred Heart, Yale, Quinnipiac and UConn, with the Pioneers taking on UConn on Friday. The Pioneers hold a two-point lead in Atlantic Hockey and are 46th in the PairWise. 

https://www.collegehockeynews.com/players/career/Chase-Clark/57781

Ryan Chesley, RD, 2022 2nd RD, No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers (14-6-4, 7-4-3)

Chesley and the Gophers have now won five straight games and earned a huge six points following their sweep against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Minnesota bullied the Buckeyes in both games with the Gophers taking the series-opener 5-2. Chesley had two shots on goal on four attempts and was a plus-1. 

Minnesota vs Ohio State | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 19, 2024

The Gophers once again dominated in Game 2 and completed the sweep with a 6-3 victory. Chesley was on the ice for an Ohio State goal, but it was to no fault of his own. 

Chesley blocked two shots in the game. Minnesota will travel to East Lansing to take on the No. 8 Michigan State Spartans. The Gophers are steadily climbing the Big Ten standings and are fourth in the conference with 23 points. Minnesota is currently ninth in the PairWise rankings.

Brent Johnson, RD, 2021 3rd RD, Ohio State Buckeyes (9-10-4, 1-10-2)

Johnson and the Buckeyes continue to dig themselves in holes and the junior blueliner continues to make defensive mistakes, along with the rest of his team. Ohio State was swept by the No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers, and it was not close. From start to finish the Buckeyes had zero answer offensively and could not contain the high-octane Gopher offense.

In Game 1, Johnson was on the ice for a wild sequence for the Gophers which saw incredible puck movement and Connor Kurth finished things off. 

Minnesota continued to hammer on the goals and the Ohio State defense continued to be out of sorts. Johnson tried to block Aaron Huglen’s cross ice pass but was too late to go down and Rhett Pitlick finished the play on a one timer.

On a positive note, Johnson did collect the secondary assist on Stephen Halliday’s power-play marker at the end of the game, but it was not enough as the Buckeyes fell 5-2. Johnson led the way offensively in terms of generating offense, leading the team with six shot attempts, while also blocking two shots.

Minnesota vs Ohio State | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 19, 2024

Game 2 was even worse for Johnson and his club. The Gophers once again took the lead and on the first goal, the puck caromed off Johnson’s body and Garrett Pinoniemi was able to pot home the loose change.

Jaxson Nelson made it 5-1 Gophers and Johnson didn’t have the best gap control on the goal. However, Ohio State goaltender Logan Terness probably should have stopped the shot.

Ohio State lost 6-3 and Johnson only had one shot on goal.

It will be a battle between the two worst teams in the Big Ten as the Buckeyes travel to Happy Valley to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions on Jan. 26-27. Ohio State still sits dead last in the Big Ten with just seven points and is 30th in the PairWise.

Joaquim Lemay, LD, 2021 4th RD, Omaha Mavericks (11-9-2, 4-7-1)

Lemay and the Mavericks closed out the season set with the No. 4 Denver Pioneers and got smoked. The Pioneers have the best offense in the country, scoring 5.19 goals per game and have the nation’s top scorer to boat.

The sophomore blueliner has struggled with the puck in his own zone as of late. Last weekend he had a bad turnover against No. 5 North Dakota that resulted in a goal.

In Game 1 of the series, the Mavericks got out to a decent start, scoring the first goal. However, Denver scored four unanswered goals and took the series-opener 6-3. Lemay was a minus-2 and had to defend a lot of odd-man rushes. 

Omaha vs Denver | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 19, 2024

Omaha once again scored the game’s first goal, but Denver’s offense dominated and scored five unanswered goals. Lemay only had two shot attempts in the 6-2 loss.

Omaha vs Denver | NCAA College Hockey | Highlights – January 20, 2024

The sophomore defenseman is currently in a nine-game point drought.

The Mavericks are still very much in the mix at making the NCAA tournament. They sit at 20th in the PairWise and have another critical series against the No. 15 St. Cloud Huskies. Omaha is currently seventh in the NCHC with 11 points.  

Other College Hockey Scores

  • Colgate upsets No. 7 Quinnipiac 2-1
  • No. 13 Cornell defeats No. 7 Quinnipiac 3-2 in overtime
  • No. 1 Boston University sweeps Vermont (5-1W, 5-2W)
  • No. 5 North Dakota win and tie vs No. 15 St. Cloud (5-3W, 3-3SOL)
  • Minnesota Duluth splits with No. 12 Western Michigan (6-3W, 5-2L)
  • No. 16 Colorado College sweeps Miami (OH) (2-1W, 4-2W)
  • Alaska Anchorage shuts-out No. 10 Providence 4-0
  • Augustana splits with No. 18 Arizona State (5-4W, 3-2L)
  • No. 20 Notre Dame sweeps Penn State (4-1W, 6-3W)
  • UConn defeats No. 17 UNH 2-1
  • No. 19 RIT sweeps Robert Morris (6-3W, 7-1W)
  • No. 11 UMass defeats Northeastern 2-1
  • Union defeats Dartmouth 5-1 and Harvard 5-4OT
  • Brown loses 2-1 to St. Lawrence but defeats Clarkson 3-2OT
  • Bowling Green earns split against Minnesota State (4-3W, 4-1L)
  • Ferris State sweeps Lake Superior (5-3W, 3-2OTW)

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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6 Responses to Capitals College Credits: Ryan Leonard Three-Point Weekend, Chase Clark Out Of The Lineup, David Gucciardi Racks Up 12 Penalty Minutes

  1. Jacob Cheris says:
    January 22, 2024 at 2:41 pm

    You guys need to tune into the BC BU game. So much star-studded talent in this game.

    Ryan Leonard, Gabe Perreault, Will Smith, Cutter Gauthier, Jacob Fowler against Macklin Celebrini, Lane Hutson, Quinn Hutson, Tom Willander. Don’t even get me started on how insane the Beanpot in February is going to be.

    Reply
  2. Owen T says:
    January 22, 2024 at 2:44 pm

    People have been concerned about Leonard’s penalties and his general attitude but I do want to stress that the yelling at the goalie was a direct response to that goalie blocker punching his teammate only like 4 minutes earlier. I do understand the need to tone it down a little but I will say he mostly only does it in response to something from the other team. Unless you’re watching the games it’s hard to see the penalties he doesn’t take.

    Reply
    • Lance says:
      January 22, 2024 at 3:39 pm

      Thanks for your note on Leonard, Owen. I love the attitude when it’s channeled in the right way.

      “Anybody can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.“ -Aristotle

      Reply
    • Anonymous says:
      January 23, 2024 at 2:01 pm

      It was 30 seconds after the goalie punched his teammates . Scrum happened at 8:03 remaining, goal was at 7:29.

      Reply
  3. Prevent Defense says:
    January 22, 2024 at 4:11 pm

    “Nice Guy” Caps teams have fared poorly through the years. The Really Good Caps teams have always had a heavy-duty Talented Agitator. D Scott Stevens Caps teams were exceedingly “hard to play against” and successful. Boo Hiss forever to Abe Pollin for giving away Stevens to STL and then we had to watch his three Stanley Cups with NJD

    The Dale Hunter Caps were most excellent and with better goaltending might have won a Championship or two. There was one season where Chris Simon was the Caps best scorer and brawler. The “Young Guns” Caps featured the Four Fancies but it was Tom Wilson that provided the snarl and intimidation factor. T. J. Oshie pitched in too

    I look forward to Mr. Leonard pulling on his Red Caps sweater. Leonard displays elements of Bobby Clarke, Claude Lemieux, Peter Forsberg and even Mark Messier. Caps need a lot more Ryan Leonards and a lot fewer Dead Last 45 MPs

    Reply
    • Lance says:
      January 23, 2024 at 1:27 am

      Excellent post! They’ve almost totally removed hitting and fighting from today’s game. For me, it’s about 90% less enjoyable to watch hockey now. It was such a thrill to see Scott Stevens CRUSH players at least once each game. So much hitting. Darius Kasparaitas. Rick Tocchet. Chris Chelios. Dale Hunter. Mark Tinordi. Jovocop.

      Reply

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