College Hockey:

This Week in the CCHA: Nov. 15, 2007

Chatter

Is the sky falling? Can the center hold?

For the first time in living memory — okay, so perhaps not that long, but you know what I mean — the top three spots in the USCHO.com/CSTV Division I Men’s Poll belong to the CCHA.

Honestly, on the heels of the second Red Sox World Series championship in a single decade, Michigan State’s NCAA title and a four-game Buffalo Bills win streak, how much more can a woman take?

In the greater picture, it’s pretty silly to get worked up about a poll. (Or “Pole,” depending on your local school district. Please refer to last week’s column.) Especially in November.

These things are not based on wins and losses so much as trends and educated guesses. Most people who vote in national polls see an awful lot of sport within their own region — Big Ten football, CCHA hockey — and have a limited (but educated) view of the rest of the sport.

We hope, too, that voters have an objective view of the sport. And when we trust that voters are objective, we put some stock into how the voting goes.

The poll is published. People read it. The inevitable and necessary buzz ensues, sound and fury ultimately signifying nothing. Or does it?

Miami’s hold on No. 1 after splitting at home with Notre Dame prompted something just short of miraculous — an in-depth feature about RedHawk hockey in the Cincinnati Post, and second story in two weeks.

For a program that is becoming one of the more consistently dominant national powerhouses in college hockey, Miami gets very little ink from the major daily (or dailies, but they’re one and the same, really) in Cincinnati, the closest major city to Oxford at a mere 35 miles or so away.

In an article published in the Post today, Miami head coach Enrico Blasi discussed part of the reason’s for Miami’s success. “When you talk about a program, there has to be a certain culture. The family concept has been at the forefront of this team. That’s why you get so many [story angles] with this program.”

Hint, hint, Post.

The other three ranked CCHA team — No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Michigan State, and No. 10 Notre Dame — are established beats with their local newspapers and receive regular coverage from local television. In the benighted state of Ohio, however, only Bowling Green — so close to the Michigan border — gets a regular local nod.

Even USCHO’s own executive editor, Scott Brown, and senior writer Jim Connelly began their “Tuesday Morning Quarterback” column this week with a discussion of the poll. On the top three spots being occupied by the CCHA, a league that has appeared to be a real weak sister on the national scene in recent years, Connelly was moved to say, “Wow.”

But what does it really mean? Only an idiot would dismiss Miami’s emergence as a national presence. Michigan is the Rasputin of college hockey. Michigan State is the defending national champion. Why should anyone be surprised that a mix of coaches and media considers these three programs three of the best in the country?

It is still early in the season and while most of us expect the RedHawks, the Wolverines and the Spartans to be in the NCAA mix in March, it’s too soon to say how anything will be resolved. Perhaps the best thing to emerge from this week’s poll — and this young season — is the sense of reemergence of the league that has long suffered from post-season stress disorder.

Maybe this is what comes from the power of suggestion following MSU’s title, some deserved recognition that the play in the CCHA has been elevated to a more competitive level. Except against the WCHA, which is 10-3-1 against the CCHA this year. It’s good to know that there are still challenges to be met.

If the only good that comes from this is college hockey coverage in one of Ohio’s three biggest cities — trust me, there is no coverage of OSU hockey in Ohio’s capital city — then I’m pulling for the RedHawks all season long. No offense to everyone else.

One more thing to consider about the poll. Michigan State is currently tied with Bowling Green for fourth place in the CCHA standings. Each team has eight points, with BGSU having played one more game than MSU, but it brings to mind a lovely thought with which our season began: Our fourth-place team can beat your anyplace team.

But our last-place team will likely lose twice this weekend to — sigh — Robert Morris.

By the Numbers

When Nos. 1 and 3 meet with more than a month’s worth of hockey data behind them, we can finally do a comparison that matters.

Miami (9-1-0, 7-1-0 CCHA) at Michigan State (8-1-0, 4-0-0 CCHA)
Thursday and Friday, 7:05 p.m., Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, Mich.

Last weekend, the RedHawks suffered their first loss of the season when they split with Notre Dame in Oxford. After sweeping Mercyhurst last weekend with two decisive 6-2 wins, the Spartans are enjoying an eight-game win streak.

Two one-loss teams, ranked first and third in the nation, both serious contenders for the conference and NCAA titles. Here’s a look at the match, head-to-head, by the overall numbers:

Goals per game: Miami, 4.40 (first); MSU, 3.78 (third)
Goals allowed per game: Miami, 1.50 (first); MSU, 2.44 (fifth)
Power play: Miami, 19.4% (sixth); MSU, 32.6% (first)
Penalty kill: Miami, 95% (first); MSU, 81.8 (sixth)
PIMs per game: Miami, 19.0 (fourth); MSU, 14.3 (tie ninth)
Top scorer: Miami, Ryan Jones (8-3–11); MSU, Tim Kennedy (9-5–14)
Top goal scorer: Miami, Jones; MSU, Kennedy
Top ‘tender: Miami, Jeff Zatkoff (7-1-0, .942 SV%); MSU, Jeff Lerg (7-1-0, .902 SV%)

Some things to note about these stats. Kennedy and Jones (The Great Instigator) are among the top 10 goal scorers in the nation. Miami also has the gifted Justin Mercier, who has seven goals in 10 games.

Kennedy leads the nation in power-play tallies (seven in nine games) and game-winning goals (four). Jones is tied for second in game-winners (three).

Kennedy is riding a career-best, seven-game goal-scoring streak.

MSU senior Daniel Vukovic is second in the nation among scoring defensemen, averaging 1.22 points per game. Miami rookie Carter Camper leads all CCHA freshmen in points per game (1.10), and is sixth nationally.

It’s hard to believe that with a .942 save percentage, Zatkoff is not first in the nation in that category but seventh, but there are only two other goaltenders in the country with 470 or more minutes whose save percentages are higher, and Zatkoff’s goals-against average is 1.38 for third in the nation.

Lerg may be 45th in the nation in save percentage, but consider that he began the year far below .900 with that first outing against North Dakota, and his save percentage in his last four games is .944, a stretch through which he has allowed two or fewer goals per game. Yes, those contests were against Alaska and Mercyhurst, but they do count.

Also, Lerg is 4-1-0 all-time against Miami, with a .921 save percentage in those games.

Buy the Numbers

Maybe there is something to this CCHA buzz. Things to ponder:

There are six CCHA players among the top 10 goal scorers in the country: BGSU’s Derek Whitmore (second); MSU’s Tim Kennedy and UNO’s Mick Lawrence (tie third); UM’s Kevin Porter (seventh); Nathan Perkovich (tie ninth); Miami’s Ryan Jones (tie 10th).

The top two assist men in the country are from the CCHA: UNO’s Bryan Marshall (first); WMU’s Patrick Galivan (second).

Kennedy leads the nation in power-play goals.

Three guys are tied for second in power-play goals, and two — Whitmore and Porter — are from the CCHA.

Lawrence, Perkovich, and ND’s Mark Van Guilder are among the nine guys tied for fifth nationally in power-play goals, and UNO’s Brandon Scero and BG’s James Perkin are knocking on that door.

OSU’s Tom Fritsche is among the four players in the country with two shorthanded goals this season.

BG’s Kevin Schmidt leads the nation’s defensemen in points per game, followed imm