Prospects Of The Week
Zam Plante Scores Back-To-Back Overtime Winners As Minnesota-Duluth Advances In NCHC Tournament
Zam Plante played hero two nights in a row with the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in a weekend sweep of St. Cloud State to advance to the semifinals of the NCHC tournament. On Friday, the 2022 fifth round pick scored with 23 seconds left in regulation to force overtime and scored the overtime winner in a 4-3 win. The next night, Plante scored with 31 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the game 1-1 and scored the overtime winner again in a 2-1 win.
Plante ranks second on the Bulldogs behind only younger brother Max Plante with 20 goals and 45 points in 36 games. Last season, Plante managed 20 points in 13 games as a freshman. The Bulldogs face off against Mac Swanson and the North Dakota Fighting Hawks next weekend, hoping to upset the regular season conference champions and advance to the NCHC Championship.
Mac Swanson Scores Three Goals As North Dakota Advances In NCHC Tournament
Mac Swanson helped the North Dakota Fighting Hawks advance to the semifinals of the NCHC Tournament with three goals in a pair of wins over Nebraska-Omaha over the weekend. The 2024 seventh round pick gave North Dakota a 5-2 lead in a 5-3 win on Friday night and tied the score 1-1 and capped the game to give the Fighting Hawks a 5-1 lead in a 5-1 win the next night.
Swanson ranks fourth on the team with 11 goals and sixth with 27 points in 36 games after posting 18 points–and only two goals–in 38 games as a freshman last season. Swanson and the Fighting Hawks take on Zam Plante and the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs next weekend with a spot in the NCHC Championship on the line.
Rutger McGroarty Records Three Points In Two Games For Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Rutger McGroarty stepped up with three points for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins last week. McGroarty recorded two assists–one primary and one secondary–in a 5-4 loss to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday and scored a goal off a nice defensive play in a 3-2 overtime loss to the Syracuse Crunch on Friday.
The 2022 first round pick acquired in a trade with the Winnipeg Jets prior to the start of the 2024-25 season ranks second on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with a 1.16 point per game average with 22 points in 19 games–a nice jump on 39 points in 60 games last season. Continued consistency in the American Hockey League makes another look at the NHL level in 2025-26 likely.
Down On The Farm
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Drop Two Games, Salvage One Point
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins lost 5-4 to the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday night. Aidan McDonough scored twice and added a helper. Tanner Howe and Rafael Harvey-Pinard scored the other Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goals. Rutger McGroarty recorded a pair of assists. Alex Alexeyev, Gabe Klassen, and Joona Koppanen all finished with helpers. Joel Blomqvist surrendered four goals on 21 shots in the loss.
The Penguins battled back from a 2-0 deficit to force overtime but lost 3-2 to the Syracuse Crunch on Friday night. McGroarty and Melvin Fernstrom scored. Aidan McDonough recorded a helper. Sergei Murashov stopped 20 of 23 shots in the loss.
Wheeling Nailers Sweep Rapid City Rush In Three-Game ECHL Series
The Wheeling Nailers traveled to Rapid City, South Dakota and beat the Rapid City Rush 4-3 in a shootout on Wednesday night. Matty De St. Phalle led the scoring with a goal and two helpers. Emil Pieniniemi and Brayden Edwards scored the other Wheeling goals. Tommy Budnick recorded a pair of assists. Connor Lockhart and Tanner Andrew both finished with helpers. Taylor Gauthier stopped 30 shots in regulation and overtime and three Rapid City shooters in the shootout. Matthew Quercia scored the only goal of the shootout for either side to give the Nailers the win.
The Nailers held off Rapid City for a 4-3 win on Friday night. De St. Phalle scored and added a helper. Quercia, Craig Armstrong, and Logan Pietila scored the other Wheeling goals. Tristan Thompson recorded a pair of assists. Max Graham, Brayden Edwards, and Connor Lockhart all finished with helpers. Gauthier stopped 31 of 34 shots in the win.
The Nailers completed the sweep of Rapid City with a 3-1 win on Saturday night. Mike Posma scored twice. Tristan Thompson scored the other Wheeling goal. Daniel Laatsch, Tanner Andrew, McAllister, David Breazeale, and Raivis Ansons all recorded assists. Maxim Pavlenko stopped 23 of 24 shots in the win.