College hockey conference tournaments begin this week.  Teams from Atlantic Hockey, the ECAC, NCHC, and CCHA will be trying to advance, and in many cases, their seasons will be on the line.

On Tuesday night, Army and Canisius were knocked out of the Atlantic Hockey bracket with losses to Niagara and Mercyhurst respectively.  Meanwhile, the top four ECAC programs (Quinnipiac, Dartmouth, Cornell, Princeton) earned a free pass to next weekend, while the conference's other eight teams pair off for single-elimination games either Friday or Saturday.

The top eight CCHA and NCHC teams qualified for their respective tournaments, and both conferences will use a similar format: following a best-of-three quarterfinal series, the semifinals and championships will be winner-take-all affairs.  Minnesota State (including former Black Hawks Reid Morich, Fin Williams, and Easton Hewson) has the top seed in the CCHA.  North Dakota edged Denver for the preeminent line on the NCHC bracket.
 
While college players and coaches are firmly focused on their tournaments and the March 22nd NCAA Tournament selection show, let's look back on the former Hawks who were at their best in February.

#3 Star – Caden Brown, Gr.
Ferris State

The Bulldogs are undoubtedly the underdogs in this year's CCHA Tournament field, but their best results came in February, including three of the seven regulation wins they earned during 2025/26.  It was the best month for Brown as a Bulldog.  He recorded seven points (one goal, six assists), accounting for more than half of his season total of 13 (four goals, nine assists).

Brown had at least one point during five of his six February appearances.  His lone goal was a game-winner during the 6-0 Ferris State shutout of Northern Michigan on Valentine's Day.  The results that weekend went a long way toward putting the Bulldogs into the CCHA field and keeping the Wildcats out.  Last weekend, he capped the regular season with assists on both goals in a tie with Lake Superior State.

#2 Star – Gavyn Thoreson, So.
St. Cloud State

All of Thoreson's six February points (three goals, three assists) came during a pair of three-point games.  Against Colorado College on February 13th, he notched a pair of assists during the second period, then scored to tie the game with just over eight minutes left.  Cooper Wylie scored the game-winner in the early seconds of overtime for a 6-5 finish.  Then on February 21st, Thoreson scored early in both the first and second period, and assisted on another Huskies tally in between, but North Dakota won the back-and-forth affair 6-4.

As a sophomore, Thoreson is currently tied for fourth in scoring at St. Cloud State.  His 18 points are the product of 10 goals and eight assists.  Thoreson has nearly doubled the 10 points (six goals, four assists) he generated as a freshman.  The Huskies best-of-three NCHC quarterfinal series is on the road against Minnesota-Duluth.

#1 Star – John Mustard, So.
Providence

Hockey East still has one more weekend of regular season competition, but the Friars can take a victory lap during their finale against Connecticut on Saturday.  Providence already has 51 points (three-point system); their closest pursuers (Boston College) are at 39.  With a 22-9-2 overall record, the Friars are currently ranked fifth in the nation.

Mustard is the program's leading 2025/26 goal scorer (15) and tied for second in points (25).  During his two seasons in the NCAA, Mustard now has 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 70 collegiate games.

The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick closed last month with his second game-winning goal of the season on the 28th, helping Providence stay out of reach on the road while visiting the New Hampshire Wildcats.  It was Mustard's fifth goal of the month.  He also had an assist for six total points in eight games.  Mustard's +2 plus/minus differential puts him at +5 for the year.

Honorable Mention
JJ Cataldo, So. – Army: 7 GP, 2-4-1, 1 SO, 2.55 GAA, .924 SV%
Grady Deering, Fr. – Wisconsin: 6 GP 3 G, 2 A, 5 Pts, Ev
Ray Fust, Gr. – Sacred Heart: 8 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 Pts, +3
Matthew Lansing, Fr. – Quinnipiac: 8 GP, 2 G, 4 A, 6 Pts, +4

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