Michigan just jumped to the top spot in the USA Hockey Men’s College Hockey Poll, and it’s all thanks to New York Rangers prospect Malcom Spence completely going off in a massive weekend sweep. This wasn’t just some regular series, either. We’re talking about a rematch of last season’s Frozen Four semifinal, and Spence led the charge for the Wolverines to take some serious revenge.
Spence Dominates Frozen Four Rematch, Snaps Denver’s Streak
The whole college hockey world had eyes on Friday’s showdown between No. 1 Denver and No. 2 Michigan. Everyone remembers Denver winning that Frozen Four semi last season and then going on to snag another national championship. But this time? Michigan was having none of it. They skated away with a dominant 4-1 victory, which is huge on its own, but get this: it snapped Denver’s insane 19-game winning streak that stretched all the way back to last season. Malcom Spence was the absolute star of the show. He potted two goals, including the game-winner, to lead Michigan. Seriously, with Michigan up 1-0 in the second, Denver coughed up the puck, Spence finished a give-and-go on an odd-man rush, and boom, it was 2-0. What’s wild is that was Michigan’s ONLY shot on goal that whole period, and it turned out to be the winner. Then, just to seal the deal as Denver tried to come back in the third, Spence tucked an empty-netter to secure the W. He wrapped up the night with two goals on three shots and a plus-3 rating. Kid’s got moves!
Rangers Prospects Are Everywhere, And They Are All National Championship Contenders
After that massive weekend sweep for Michigan, which they finished off with another 4-3 victory on Saturday (Spence was held pointless but picked up a roughing minor, classic), Spence’s season totals are looking wild. He’s got four goals and three assists for seven points in just five games, though his goals stand at four in six games now. He’s third on the Wolverines in goals and tied for fifth in points. Oh, and he’s scoring on a whopping 50 percent of his shots, with four goals on eight shots. Plus, he’s second on the team with 14 penalty minutes. It’s not just Spence, either. The Rangers organization is loaded with talent across the top of college hockey. After Michigan’s sweep of Denver and Western Michigan’s sweep of Notre Dame, you’ve got Rangers prospects on all five of the nation’s top-ranked teams: Spence at Michigan (No. 1), Sean Barnhill at Michigan State, E.J. Emery at North Dakota, Ty Henricks at Western Michigan, and Ben MacBeath at Denver. Every single one of those teams is already an early contender for the national championship. And wait, there’s more! Charlie Morrison’s UConn Huskies even moved up to No. 16, giving the Rangers six ranked teams out of their seven NCAA prospects. Ben MacBeath for Denver, the Rangers’ second-round pick this year, was solid defensively against Michigan, even if he didn’t record any points or shots. He’s shown good defensive coverage, and while his offense is still coming along (one assist in four games), his D-play is definitely there.
These guys are just getting started, and with so many Rangers prospects leading top-ranked teams, the national championship picture is gonna be something else to watch this season. Get ready!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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