Prospects Of The Week
Will Horcoff Scores Four Goals–Including OT Winner–In Two Wins Over Harvard, Ties For NCAA Points Lead
Will Horcoff took a commanding lead as the top goal-scorer in the NCAA with four goals in two wins for the Michigan Wolverines–including a clutch overtime winner on Saturday–and, with five points, tied for the league lead in points with 26 in 18 games. On Friday night, the 2025 first round pick gave Michigan 2-0 and 4-0 leads and added a primary assist on the final goal of the game in a 5-1 win.
Horcoff opened the scoring on Saturday, and Michigan built a 3–0 lead. Harvard clawed back with three goals in the third period, but Horcoff sealed the sweep for the No. 1 ranked Wolverines–looking off a pass and scoring from the goal line. Horcoff recorded 10 points in 18 games as a freshman last season.
Cruz Lucius Shines For Sun Devils: Overtime Winner And Key Assists Highlight Big Weekend
Cruz Lucius continued a strong bounce back campaign for the Arizona State Sun Devils, recording four points in a weekend sweep of Ohio State. On Friday, the 2022 fourth round pick–acquired in the Jake Guentzel trade–recorded a primary assist on first Arizona State goal and later buried the overtime winner on a 2-on-0 rush. On Saturday, the Sun Devils fell behind 3-0. Lucius sparked the comeback by setting up the first Arizona State goal and the team added two more to force overtime. Lucius then picked up a secondary assist on the game winner to complete the sweep.
The senior forward now leads the team with 10 goals and ranks second on the team with 20 points in 16 games–a nice jump from 10 points in 19 games last season after returning from injury–on pace for a career year after recording 34 points in freshman and sophomore season with the University of Wisconsin from 2022–24.
Ryan Miller Extends Point Streak To 19 Games With 5 Points In Two Wins For Portland Winterhawks
Ryan Miller extended a point streak to 19 games last week, piling up five points in two wins for the Portland Winterhawks. On Friday, Miller notched two assists–one primary and one secondary–in a 7–2 win over the Regina Pats and scored twice, including a 5-on-3 shorthanded tally and added a primary assist in a 7-2 win over the Swift Current Broncos on Saturday.
The 2025 fifth round pick leads the team and ranks among the top 15 scorers in the WHL with 33 points in 26 games–already eclipsing 31 points in 50 games last season. Portland currently ranks third in the Western Conference.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Split Games With Herhsey, Beat Lehigh Valley
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins opened the week with a 6-3 win over the Hershey Bears on Thanksgiving Eve, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and surviving a late push. Rutger McGroarty and Phil Tomasino both scored and recorded a pair of assists. Avery Hayes scored twice. Boko Imama converted on a penalty shot, and Sam Poulin added a goal with the Herhsey net empty. Owen Pickering and Jack St. Ivany finished with assists. Joel Blomqvist stopped 30 of 33 shots to improve to 3-0-0 and picked a helper on the empty net goal.
On Friday, Sergei Murashov returned to the crease and turned away 31 shots in a 4-1 victory over the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Raphael Harvey-Pinard scored twice, and Gabe Klassen and McGroarty added goals. Tomasino recorded two assists, and Aidan McDonough, St. Ivany, Poulin, Valtteri Puustinen, Pickering, and Harrison Brunicke all finished with helpers.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton failed to carry the momentum into Saturday, falling 6-2 to Hershey after falling behind 2-0 early. St. Ivany and Klassen scored for the Penguins. Hayes, McGroarty, Brunicke, and Tomasino recorded assists. Blomqvist allowed four goals on 16 shots, and Murashov stopped 6 of 7 in relief.
Wheeling Nailers Win Three, Get Points In Four Games Last Week
The Wheeling Nailers opened the week with a 5-2 Thanksgiving Eve win over the Indy Fuel. Brent Johnson recorded a goal and a helper, and Connor Lockhart finished with two helpers. Jack Works, Randy Hernandez, Max Graham, and David Breazeale scored the other Wheeling goals. Tommy Budnick, Tanner Andrew, Scooter Brickey, Mike Posma, Ryan Mashie, and Brayden Edwards all recorded assists, and Maxim Pavlenko stopped 29 shots in the win.
On Friday, Wheeling jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period and held on for a 5-2 win over the Toledo Walleye, despite being outshot 32-18. Scooter Brickey and Cole Tymkin both scored twice, and Craig Armstrong added the other Nailers goal. Finn Harding and Eric Parker both recorded two assists. Posma, Edwards, Andrew, Matthew Quercia, and Lockhart all collected helpers. Jake Smith made 30 saves in the win.
Wheeling routed the Cincinnati Cyclones 8-3 on Saturday. Armstrong led the offense with a goal and four assists, and Hernandez finished with two goals and two assists. Posma recorded a goal and two helpers, Graham tallied a goal and a helper, and Brickey, Mashie, and Lockhart rounded out the scoring. Logan Pietila recorded three assists, and Harding, Johnson, and Breazeale all picked up helpers. Smith stopped 26 shots in the win.
The offense cooled on Sunday in a 2-1 overtime loss to Cincinnati. Quercia scored the lone Wheeling goal off Brickey and Pietila assists. Smith turned aside 32 shots in the loss.