College Hockey:

This Week in the CHA: Dec. 6, 2007

Each CHA team has a need as the second half will be here soon enough. What better time to wish for something than the holiday season?

Alabama-Huntsville — Some wins would be nice to keep coach Danton Cole with a full head of non-gray hair. Maybe the talent is there for the Chargers, but no luck? Maybe vice versa? Maybe he needs to listen to one of Brett McConnachies P-BoX albums? The defending champs are going to be very hard-pressed to repeat, but thats not to say they wont give it their best fighting effort. And with Cole, this team will eventually be on top of whatever conference they fall into in the coming years. Thats not to say they wont come alive in March (see last year), so who really knows? But it all starts with getting more wins on the board, especially in conference play.

Bemidji State — Bemidji State should beg Santa to bring the WCHA their program for next season, even if on some sort of trial basis. What could that hurt? RIT did it last year out east and Wayne State did it their first season, so why cant BSU play a WCHA-type schedule, home and away, and let the WCHA power-that-be make the decision after next season? Either way, Bemidji State needs to keep their program for the good of not only the university, but for college hockey. Plus, the WCHA makes perfect sense geographically as we all know. With a new rink in the works, all the intangibles seem to be there, but only time will tell. Hopefully, 2008 is that time.

Niagara — The chance to win the CHA championship on their home turf is an opportunity the Purple Eagles cant afford to let slip away. The renovations done at Dwyer Arena last summer are superb and the fans and students have been packing the joint. Niagara is due for a title and another shot at the NCAA Tournament. To get the Ted Cooks and Les Reaneys of old back for 2008 would be a bonus, as would having Matt Caruana and Juliano Pagliero continue their stellar play for the second half of the season. If it all comes together for the Purps, watch out. Theyve been snakebitten in the CHA Tournament the past couple years, but maybe that fortune changes in March. Its anyones ball game, but NU has the home field edge.

Robert Morris — Christmas came early for RMU with head coach Derek Schooleys contract extension through 2013. Now all the Colonials need is a bounce or two here and there and some luck on top of their talent and anything is possible. What Robert Morris needs more than anything heading into 2008 is consistency. They started the season on a tear, winning the Nye Frontier Classic in Alaska and beating then-No. 9 Boston University in the process. A sweep last week at Colgate hasnt given RMU much momentum going into this weekends games with Quinnipiac, but the games have yet to be played. The university has the administrations support and is definitely going places, but as to how high they can climb, that will all be sorted once the Colonials establish some consistency.

Wayne State — Where to start? An arena on campus would have been nice about five years ago, but apparently, money is hard to come by in Detroit. Maybe Mike Ilitch has some spare change he can dish out to the Warriors dying program. That would be an ultimate dream come true, but alas, we all must wake up and go one-on-one with reality. The one thing WSU needs for 2008 is for anything with a pulse to come to any of their remaining eight home games at three different rinks and give the players and coaching staff and fond farewell. Its a crying shame the program is being jettisoned after this season, so get out and see a soon-to-be extinct hockey team.

The CHA — After March, will there even be a CHA? Maybe not, but can the four remaining teams please find homes? That should be No. 1 on the leagues list for 2008. The league has been around for nine years, but is continually the butt of jokes from the college hockey world. However, this hasnt been as prevalent as in past years as the CHA has shown its ability to compete with any school in any conference. Notre Dame, Michigan State, Colorado College, Denver, Sacred Heart and Boston University just perked up a bit. In a perfect world, two teams emerge from nowhere and make this a legitimate league again. But we live in a far-from-perfect world, so the league needs to go out on a high note and make some noise at the NCAA tourney.

On a serious note, take time to enjoy the holiday season, whichever holiday you may celebrate, and realize that no matter how rough things may seem at times, it doesnt matter this time of year. Enjoy family and friends and the camaraderie they bring, as well as the general overall good feelings that go around during this time each year.

To all of our readers, Happy Holidays, and soon enough, Happy New Year!

And to my family, especially my wife and two sons, I love you guys — Merry Christmas!

Beavers End Niagaras Streak

Niagaras 22-game home unbeaten streak came to a crashing halt last Friday as Bemidji State dominated in a 5-1 win behind two Tyler Scofield goals.

Cody Bostock and Blaine Jarvis each had a goal and an assist for the Beavers, who got a 29-save outing from Matt Climie. Pope also scored for BSU.

Vince Rocco tallied the lone NU goal and Pagliero made 24 saves for Niagara.

NU freshman Bryan Haczyk was hit with a checking from behind game misconduct just 28 seconds into the game and Bemidji State scored twice on the ensuing five-minute major.

Its a tough way to start the game, especially after a week off, NU head coach Dave Burkholder told the Niagara Gazette. Thirty seconds into the game were killing off a five-minute power play. And we did a horrible job at that.

I told the guys after the game I was not only proud of them, but also how they played the game, BSU head coach Tom Serratore said in the Bemidji Pioneer. I respect (Niagara) as a team and a program so much. When these two teams play its a hard fought and disciplined contest. Theres no chirping out there. You can just feel the mutual respect the two teams have for each other.

Reaney was a healthy scratch, but Burkholder said it was a coaching decision and nothing more. Reaney was back in the lineup Saturday centering Rocco and Egor Mironov on the top line.

Although the streak has ended, Niagara still can hold their collective heads high knowing they made it into the record book being tied for the fifth-longest home unbeaten streak in NCAA history.

The next night, Caruana scored with 1:24 to go in the third period to salvage a 2-2 tie for the Purple Eagles.

What a great hockey game, said Serratore in the Pioneer. Nobody deserved to lose that one. It was championship game-caliber hockey.

Chris Moran also scored for NU, who was down 2-0 after goals by Matt Read and Riley Weselowski. The goal by Weselowski ended a personal 17-game scoreless drought.

Niagara looked to have the game won in the overtime, but a Purple Eagles shot was ruled to have never fully crossed the goal line after Climie gloved it.

We have a lot of skilled guys out there, but our offense is just not where it should be at this point in the year, said Burkholder. This weekend was a bump in the road for us, which should make us a better team in the long run.

Niagara ended the game 0-for-9 on the power play and 1-for-13 in the series.

Pagliero stopped 28 shots and Climie made 23 saves.

Wayne State Swept by Bowling Green

A Jeff Caister goal that would have tied the game late in the second period was waved off when Derek Punches was called for questionable goaltender interference. Bowling Green scored on the power play to go up 3-1 and beat WSU by that same score Friday night in Detroit in the first half of a home-and-home set between the two teams.