New York Rangers NCAA prospects report: Jackson Dorrington leads Northeastern to major upset
Entering the Hockey East quarterfinal matchup as the top seed, New York Rangers prospects Gabe Perreault and Drew Fortescue of Boston College were expected to have little trouble against fellow future Blueshirt Jackson Dorrington and the ninth-seed Northeastern Huskies. The Huskies put on a defensive clinic, though, to become the first ever ninth seed to earn a spot in the Hockey East semifinals with a 3-1 victory over their cross-town rivals.
Dorrington played over 35 minutes to help Northeastern win in double overtime against Merrimack on Wednesday, picking up an assist with two shots on goal, four blocked shots, and a plus-2 rating in the first-round matchup. Saturday, Dorrington blocked Ryan Leonard’s shot with under 20 seconds remaining in regulation with Northeastern clinging to a one-goal lead on the penalty kill to preserve the upset win against BC. Dorrington did not record a shot on goal, and finished the game with a plus-2 rating and two blocked shots.
Northeastern faces Maine in the Hockey East Semifinals Thursday night at TD Garden in Boston. They need to win the Hockey East Championship to earn the conference’s automatic bid for the NCAA tournament.
Perreault, the Rangers top pick in 2023 who failed to be named a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award on the top college player in the nation, got the primary assist on Boston College’s only goal against Northeastern, his 32nd of the season, along with one blocked shot and a minus-1 rating. Fortescue was credited with two shots on goal and one blocked shot in the stunning defeat
Despite the loss, Boston College will earn an at-large invitation to the NCAA tournament, and will be the No. 1 overall seed, playing in the Manchester, New Hampshire Regional. Fellow Rangers prospect Brody Lamb and Minnesota will also be an at-large team and likely No. 1 seed, though their placement is to be determined.
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In the NCHC, Ty Henricks and the top seed Western Michigan Broncos swept St. Cloud State by identical 6-2 scores Friday and Saturday. The freshman left wing had one shot on goal in the first game, but did not record a shot on goal in the second, finishing plus-1. Western Michigan will face North Dakota in the semifinals of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
2024 first-round pick EJ Emery was not in the lineup for North Dakota during their NCHC quarterfinal series against Omaha due to a lower-body injury. The defenseman missed his fifth and sixth straight games for the Fighting Hawks, who advanced to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff next week in St. Paul, Minnesota after sweeping the Mavericks by scores of 3-2 Friday and Saturday. North Dakota will need to win the conference tournament for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The Fighting Hawks would be placed in the Fargo Regional as hosts should the team qualify.
In another NCHC matchup, Colorado College rallied with three third-period goals to steal the opener of their series against rival Denver University 3-1 Friday night. For the Tigers, it was the first win at Denver since 2019.
2022 fourth-round pick Noah Laba scored an empty net goal to seal the win. The junior center was credited with two shots on goal and one blocked shot. Laba won 12 of 24 face-offs and was called for a minor penalty for slashing in the second period.
Laba helped Colorado College jump out a to a great start Saturday during the second game, scoring his 10th goal of the season, 2:15 into the first period for an early lead.
Denver tied the game 2-2 in the first period, before going on to win 6-3. Laba finished the game with one goal on two shots, two blocked shots, a plus-1 rating, and was called for a minor penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. He won 9 of 19 face-offs.
The Tigers quest for a NCAA bid came to a crashing halt Sunday night in a disappointing 9-2 loss to the defending national champions. Laba earned an assist on Colorado College’s second goal which came short-handed in the third period. He did not record a shot on goal, and was called for charging. The center won seven of 14 face-offs.
After turning down a contract offer from the Rangers following a 20-goal campaign as a sophomore, Laba missed time due to injury in his junior season, scoring 10 goals, and 16 assists for 26 points in 29 games.
Tuesday afternoon, the Rangers agreed to terms with Laba on a two-year, entry-level contract beginning with the 2025-26 season. Laba will report to the Hartford Wolf Pack on an amateur tryout (ATO) for the remainder of this season.
In the ECAC, Zakary Karpa and Harvard dropped the opener of their quarterfinal series against Clarkson 3-2. The Crimson captain did not record a shot on goal during the game and finished with a minus-1 rating, though he did win 15 of 21 face-offs.
It took until the 30th game of the season for the senior center to score his first goal. Less than a minute after Clarkson had taken a 2-0 lead in the second period, Karpa carried the puck behind the Clarkson goal and stuffed a wrap around shot in to cut the lead to 2-1. It was his first goal since Feb. 23, 2024, a span of 35 games for the Harvard captain to improve his season stat line to one goal, and six assists for seven points.
Harvard scored at 6:09 in overtime to complete the comeback and force a third game on Sunday.
Unfortunately for Karpa, Harvard saw their season come to an end Sunday evening, losing 2-1 in overtime to Clarkson. Kapra did not record a shot on goal. He had one blocked shot, an 8-10 face-off mark, and was minus-1.
It is not expected that the 2022 sixth-round pick will be signed to an entry-level contract. Karpa may sign an ATO with Hartford or Bloomington of the ECHL. According to PuckPedia, his signing rights expire August 15, 2025.
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