The NCAA regular season ends March 5, followed by conference tournaments and then the NCAA Tournament, which concludes with the championship game at TD Garden in Boston on April 9.
Here are five players finishing their seasons strong:
Bobby Brink, F, University of Denver
As Denver has racked up wins this season, Brink has piled up points.
Picked in the second round (No. 34) by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2019 NHL Draft, the 20-year-old leads the NCAA with 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 28 games.
That includes a five-point game (one goal, four assists) in an 8-5 victory against St. Cloud State University on Feb. 4.
"He's been a big part of the run we've been on here over the last few months, executing at a high level," Denver coach David Carle said. "Funny part is, he's creating at a higher level than what's going in. I still think there's more goals on his stick and more finishing plays. We're very happy with how he's contributing both with and without the puck and the impact he's making on our team."
After scoring two goals on 32 shots last season, Brink (5-foot-8, 159 pounds) has scored 10 goals on 90 shots this season.
"I think a couple of more pucks have gone in for me," Brink said. "Last year, goals were kind of hard to come by. Now the puck seems to be finding the back of the net. I worked on my shot in the offseason, try to improve that area of my game, and it's showing off with a couple of more goals."
Hockey sense always has been a strong point for Brink, and his time at Denver has helped him develop other areas.
"For me it's the classic, 'This is the reason you come to college hockey,'" Carle said. "He's a little bit bigger, he's stronger, he's more explosive. His skating has improved, he's got a little more separation from people. Coupled with that is he's able to possess a lot more pucks and hang onto them and win more 50/50 battles, which is leading to more puck possession for him, his linemates and ultimately our team."
Riese Gaber, F, University of North Dakota
Gaber (5-8, 160) never was drafted, but he's giving NHL teams lots to think about with his production.
The sophomore forward leads North Dakota with 34 points (14 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games. The 22-year-old has scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in his past six games.
Six of his goals have come on the power play, including the game-winner in a 3-2 victory against Colorado College on Feb. 11.
Luke Hughes, D, University of Michigan
Hughes was at the top of his game in Michigan's two-game sweep of Michigan State last weekend, with back-to-back three-point games.
The 18-year-old freshman has scored 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 30 games, tying him for the lead among NCAA defensemen with
Ronnie Attard
(Philadelphia Flyers) of Western Michigan University and Zach Metsa of Quinnipiac University.
Hughes (6-2, 184) was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the first round (No. 4) of the 2021 NHL Draft. He is the younger brother of Devils forward Jack Hughes and Vancouver Canucks defenseman
Quinn Hughes
.
