Here it is – the BIG weekend in conference play. Conference championships and NCAA automatic bids are on the line starting this afternoon so here are my predictions for who hoists the hardware come the end of the weekend.
Winners in bold.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Southern Maine at Norwich – The first game in today’s double header finds the hosts playing against a familiar rival riding hot goalie. Braely Torris was a big reason that the Huskies upset UMass-Boston on the road last weekend and he will need to do it again if Jeff Beaney’s squad has hopes of playing on Saturday night. Norwich is locked on the style of play it takes to be successful at this time of the year and despite their record, there are no assumptions other than winning the conference that gets them into the NCAA tournament and a chance to defend their title. Home ice, the crowd and depth are all on the side of the Cadets and before you start chanting “Ryan Donovan” in reference to Torris, note that the depth of scoring on this year’s edition of Norwich hockey is something that has a lot of coaches, including Beaney, worried about. Huskies have heart, Norwich has more talent and that’s enough here – Norwich 5, USM 2.
Babson vs. Castleton – For sure the crowd will be wearing green but as Coach Jamie Rice from Babson notes, “only about 58 of them are going to be rooting for the Beavers.” In six of seven years behind the Babson bench coach Rice has seen his team reach the final four which is an accomplishment he is quite proud of. “It says a lot about the program and the commitment of the players here and this weekend won’t be any different in that we will play with everything we have against a very good team that put it to us earlier in the year by a 6-1 score. Stefan and Harris and Alonzo are a special group and have really had great seasons which has carried down to other players that are now making contributions to their wins. This is going to be a challenge as Alex has done a great job at Castleton and they have had a great season.” Platitudes for the other team won’t get you much at this time of the year but Babson has a knack of being in the hunt and this one is a lot closer than many expect – Castleton 3, Babson 2.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Wesleyan @ Williams – A first time team in the final four against the first time host of the final four adds a bit of spice to this one. Both teams played an overtime thriller in January where Williams eked out a 3-2 win. Wesleyan is fresh off their upset of top-seeded Hamilton on the road so why not make it consecutive weeks beating No 1 and No 2. One word – Purdy. The LaJolla, California native has been a big reason for the success of the Ephs this year and while they have played in the final fours on a regular basis, they haven’t played in the championship game in a long time and that’s enough motivation for the men wearing purple. This one will be tight, close and yes, even go into overtime – Williams 3, Wesleyan 2 (OT)
Colby vs. Bowdoin – This is starting to resemble the Rocky movies as we approach Bowdoin-Colby III. The stakes are clearly higher here and with the teams so close, this may just come down to the law of averages and whether one team can beat an opponent three times in the same season. Offensively, the advantages go to Bowdoin overall and especially on the power play with Shearer-Hardy, Fanning, Weiniger and Matheson. Crinnion has been very hot for the Mules along with Michael Doherty so the real difference makers may be in the goal creases. Cody McKinney has had a solid second half of the season during Colby’s run and held last year’s conference champs from Middlebury to just one goal last weekend on the road. Messina and Nerland have been good for Bowdoin but the experience in goal favors the boys from Waterville. This is a very tough one to pick knowing the intense rivalry every time they play each other but this Mule Train may just keep on rolling to Sunday afternoon – Colby 4, Bowdoin 3 (OT)
ECAC East Championship Game
Castleton at Norwich – No 1 vs. No 2 – It’s fitting that these teams would play one more time having split the two prior games. Castleton won a non-conference game at Norwich in overtime by a 3-2 score back in December and while both teams boast some serious offensive firepower, this one is going to come down to goaltending, discipline and experience. This will be Castleton’s first appearance in the championship game and while the Spartans have long desired to be in this position, there is something about having been there before that favors the Cadets on their home ice. In the conference game just a few weeks ago, Norwich raced off to a 3-0 first period lead and never looked back in winning 5-2 on the road. I expect that the Spartans will be ready for an early onslaught and this one will come down to the last 20 minutes after the end of regulation – Norwich 3, Castleton 2 (OT).
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Colbyvs. Williams – The regular season game saw a 6-3 score where Billy Crinnion and Michael Doherty combined for five points in the game and the ultimate margin determined by an empty net goal. It would be hard to imagine these teams putting up nine goals on the scoreboard in a championship game so don’t expect fireworks as much as a tight, physical game where the difference in the game is likely to come from a player that may be a surprise. This final four at Williams brought teams together that have never won the conference tournament in its current format and while Amherst, as a new host won it two years ago, visiting teams have had more success including Middlebury’s run last season at Bowdoin. Two great teams and solid coaches will be looking for a school first and a chance to play next weekend in the NCAAs. Bus ride to Waterville is much more enjoyable with the trophy riding shotgun – Colby 3, Williams 2 (OT).
That’s it for the predictions but not the coverage of teams advancing on to the national stage after Sunday’s seeding of the NCAA tournament. To all the players, coaches, SIDs and fans, thanks for a great season and to those still playing, enjoy the ride since these trips don’t come around very often.
Pig pile with the trophy – drop the puck!
ECAC East/NESCAC Championship Weekend – Game Predictions – March 4, 2011
Paula's picks: CCHA first round, Mar. 4, 2011
It’s playoff hockey time, and this weekend the CCHA begins its first round of best-of-three series with the bottom six teams in the league competing to advance to next week’s quarterfinal round. Frankly, I think the top eight teams should be in with the bottom three sitting it out, but I’m old-fashioned that way. Remember, I’m perfectly capable of living with a tie in regular season, too.
Last week, Friday and Saturday only, I was 8-3 (.727) in my picks. I had already rolled Thursday’s FSU-OSU game into the previous week’s picks for purposes of blogging.
Season to date: 108-68-26 (.599). I’m certain that this will not improve after this weekend.
All series are best-of-three, Friday through Sunday. Times are noted. The only nationally televised contest is Friday’s OSU-LSSU series, which can be seen on CBS College Sports.
BGSU at NMU. Each of these teams finished the regular season with two losses. The Falcons were swept in East Lansing by scores of 2-1 and 2-0, which is just about par; BG has averaged 1.13 goals per game since the beginning of the calendar year, and the last time the Falcons netted more than two goals in a contest was Dec. 30 in a 3-2 win over Holy Cross. Clearly, the team isn’t giving the support it should to sophomore Andrew Hammond (2.59 GAA, .913 SV%), who is playing well. The Wildcats were swept at home by Michigan last weekend, 3-2 and 5-0. Two goals on a weekend – even against the regular-season champ – is no way to approach the playoffs. NMU has two capable goaltenders who are not yet consistent players, but the Wildcats can bring the offense. These teams played just two weeks ago in BG, a 2-2 tie after which the Falcons took the shootout point, and a 3-2 NMU win. They also split in Marquette Nov. 12-13; BGSU won, 2-1, Friday and NMU won, 5-1, the following night. All games are 7:35 p.m., even if the series goes until Sunday. It shouldn’t. NMU 3-2, 3-2.
MSU at UAF. Hey, Spartans! Congratulations on your first sweep of the season! It wins you…a trip to Alaska! Okay, so that’s not how it really went. MSU was going to finish in 10th place no matter what after the Spartans’ sweep of BG last weekend, but I’m sure the trip to Fairbanks – where MSU had played just two weeks before – felt like a strange reward. The teams split that series Feb. 18-19, with the Nanooks winning 4-2 and the Spartans 6-2. Last weekend, Alaska split with Anchorage and then successfully defended the Governor’s Cup with a shootout – fitting, as the game the Nanooks lost 4-1 to the Seawolves was an atypical game for the outstanding Scott Greenham (2.16 GAA, .919SV%), who gave up four goals on 15 shots. (Incidentally, Greenham has played every minute of Alaska’s season.) The Spartans and Nanooks also met in East Lansing early in the year, with UAF taking the extra point after a 1-1 tie and MSU winning 4-1. I think it’s a good thing that Michigan State has its spring break next week, because I think this series is going to three games. 7:05 p.m. starts Friday and Saturday; 6:05 p.m. Sunday. UAF 3-2, MSU 4-2, MSU 2-1.
OSU at LSSU. This series pits two more teams that failed to take care of any business on home ice last weekend. Ohio State took one point from Ferris State Feb. 24-25 with a 2-2 tie and shootout loss and a 3-1 loss outright. Lake Superior, though, was pummeled by visiting Miami, 8-1 and 4-1. OSU’s Saturday loss was the first in five games for them in which they allowed more than two goals. LSSU’s Friday loss was their first at home in five games. These teams met recently, too, but in Columbus (Feb. 18-19). After a 1-1 tie, the Lakers took the extra shootout point, and the Buckeyes won the following night, 5-2. The Lakers are averaging 2.29 goals per game, with Rick Schofield (14-16-30) and Domenic Mondardo (12-14-26) doing most of the busy work. The Buckeyes average 2.66 goals per game with four guys in double digits for goals – and then a significant drop off. Goaltending for each team is good, with freshman Kevin Kapalka (2.33 GAA, .922 SV%) emerging for LSSU, and Cal Heeter (2.28 GAA, .923 SV%) playing all but 26 minutes in net for the Buckeyes this season. I think this one goes to three games as well. 7:35 p.m. Friday, 7:05 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. OSU 4-2, LSSU 5-2, OSU 3-1.
Playoff picks: Round 1
I already did some off-the-cuff analysis of the series in yesterday’s column, so here’s a little more. Don’t take me too seriously, though: Like the first games of the year, the first games after the holiday break, and the last games of the regular season, the playoffs have so little to do with precedent and statistics that making predictions is all but a total crapshoot.
This Weekend
No. 12 Colgate at No. 5 Rensselaer
Colgate broadcast link
RPI broadcast link
Video link
All three possible games will start at 7:00. This is that funny series where the victor knows exactly who it will play in the second round: If RPI wins, the Engineers are at Cornell next week; it’s Union for Colgate, should the Raiders score the upset. If Colgate guts out a road sweep, it will draw the Raiders even with RPI all-time at 55-55-3 (now 55-53-3 for the ‘Tute). The Engineers are 5-9-0 against the ‘Gate under head coach Seth Appert, 3-7-0 in their last 10 against Colgate, and four of the last six meetings between the teams have gone to overtime… including January’s 2-1 RPI victory in which Chase Polacek scored the game-winner on an OT penalty shot. The Raiders have not lost a 60-minute league game to RPI since 2002.
Prediction: RPI in three games.
No. 11 St. Lawrence at No. 6 Princeton
St. Lawrence broadcast link
Princeton broadcast link
Video link
Two years in a row, the Saints get foul playoff draws: Last year, they earned a home series, but drew North Country neighbor Clarkson; this year, they have no one but themselves to blame as they make the longest road trip in the league, from upstate to Garden State. Friday’s game is a 7:00 start, but Saturday and Sunday’s will (and would, respectively) start at 4:00. SLU has never lost a playoff game to Princeton (5-0-1) and has won three straight playoff series, but the Tigers swept St. Lawrence in the regular season by 5-1 and 5-3 margins. Princeton hosts a playoff series for the fifth straight season, and this year marked the first time since the current travel-partner scheduling system was enacted for the 1983-84 season that the Tigers have swept the Saints.
Prediction: Princeton in two games.
No. 10 Harvard at No. 7 Clarkson
Harvard broadcast link
Clarkson broadcast link
Video link
Friday and Saturday’s games will start at 7:00; Sunday’s, if necessary, will be a 4:00 puck-drop. Harvard is two wins away from 1,300 for the program’s history, and has won three of four all-time first-round series. Clarkson is hosting a series for the first time since the 2007-08 season, and own an 8-2-2 advantage over Harvard in their last 12 meetings. Each team scored a 3-1 win on its home ice this year, with the Crimson edging the Knights in Boston last Friday.
Prediction: Clarkson in three games.
No. 9 Brown at No. 8 Quinnipiac
Brown broadcast link
Quinnipiac broadcast link
Video link
All three potential games will be 7:00 starts. The Bobcats are 10-2 in ECAC first-round games, and 8-2 at the TDBank Sports Center. Brown is 2-1-2 against the Q in their last five meetings, with two ties in this year’s contests, but the Bobcats are 8-4-2 all-time against Bruno. Both teams enter the weekend feeling pretty good about themselves, as Quinnipiac notched commendable ties on the road at Union and RPI last weekend, while Brown recorded the home sweep of Cornell and Colgate.
Prediction: Brown in three games… with lots and lots of overtimes.
Gustavus Adolphus peaking at the right time
When it comes to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC), the Gustavus Adolphus Gusties have held a firm grasp at the top of the standings and in postseason play for quite some time.
The Gusties wrapped up their seventh straight regular season title with a 14-2-2 record and have compiled a remarkable 113-7-6 record over their seven-year reign at the top of the conference standings.
“We did what we wanted to do by winning our conference so we could have home ice for the tournament, which was one of our goals going into the season,” Gustavus Adolphus coach Mike Carroll said. “We also went 5-1 against the Wisconsin schools, which is pretty good.”
Tonight, they’ll begin their quest for an eighth straight MIAC Tournament title when they take on Concordia-Moorhead in the MIAC semifinals.
“Concordia has been a roll lately and has been playing some really good hockey lately,” Carroll said. “We’re going to have to be at the top our game and do the things we know we can do well. Hopefully all the hard work we’ve put forth this season will pay off tonight and then Saturday.”
Gustavus Adolphus took three points from the Cobbers earlier this season in their regular season home-and-home series with a 4-2 win and then a 3-3 tie.
“We didn’t do a very good job against their power play in that series and special teams are usually something we hang our hat on,” Carroll said. “Our penalty kill has been historically pretty good, but we just didn’t have a good weekend with that.”
The Gusties have the second-ranked penalty kill in the country, killing off penalties at 93.9 percent, but they gave up two goals against Concordia in the 3-3 tie.
Concordia has plenty of weapons that will challenge the Gusties’ defense that ranks second, giving up less than a goal per game.
Junior forward Katelyn Dold has 24 goals and 15 assists for 39 points, while Emily Sell has 10 goals and 26 assists for 36 points. Sophomore Jenna Westerham and freshman Abby Taffe round out the Cobbers’ four-pronged attack with 19 goals and 14 assists for 33 points, as well as 17 goals and 15 assists for 32 points respectively.
“They’ve got some top-end kids with points, and we’ve got to make sure we keep them under control as best as we possibly can and the best way to do that is to keep the puck out of our end,” Carroll said.
While Gustavus Adolphus doesn’t have a single player over 30 points, Carroll said the Gusties’ depth this season has been their strength.
“We have a lot of kids we rely on, but we don’t have the superstar player that gets all the ink on offense,” Carroll said. “We have a lot of kids that play for each other and with each other. We need some of our kids to step up and score for us, but we’ve got a pretty consistently deep team with not a whole lot of difference between our first line and our fourth line.”
Sophomore Lindsey Hjelm has 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points to lead the Gusties’ offense. Allie Schwab leads the team with 12 goals to go along with eight assists for 20 points, while freshman Amanda Cartony is close behind with 11 goals and six assists for 17 points.
“We’re fortunate that when we’re on, we can keep coming at teams with our depth, and this is the time of the year where we need to be doing that every game,” Carroll said.
In goal, Gustavus Adolphus’ Danielle Justice has once again been rock steady between the pipes for the Gusties in her junior season. She has posted a 15-3-3 record with a 1.00 goals against average and a .943 save percentage.
“We’ve got a pretty good goaltender and not a lot of people talk about her because we’re a team that normally doesn’t give up a lot of shots,” Carroll said. “Danielle doesn’t get a lot of individual accolades, but she’s been there for us when we’ve needed her. She stood on her head against Trinity and has been pretty unflappable all season. She’s an undersized goalie, so she’s got to be on her angles, but she has been as consistent as could be for us.”
Although the result was still the same with a MIAC regular season title, this season has been a bit different for the Gusties.
As hard as it is to believe, for the first time since 2003, Gustavus Adolphus won its first game of the season with a 5-0 shutout of Concordia (Wis.)
Instead, the Gusties dropped a couple of games in the middle of the season rather going on their trademark long winning streak.
“We got off to an up and down start,” Carroll said. “We had seven new players in the mix and were trying to get used to college hockey. The leaders of our team were trying to find where they were going to fit into their role because each year is different. We faced some tough competition toward the end of the pre-Christmas break with games against our biggest conference rival St. Thomas and River Falls, who has had a great year.”
However, the Gusties regrouped over the winter break and came back in the second half of the season to post a 12-1-3 record.
“After the holidays we came back and played quite well out of the chute by beating Superior and playing really well against Trinity in a game that could have gone either way, but neither team scored,” Carroll said. “That game gave the kids some confidence knowing we could play right with an Eastern team that had been rated all year.”
The highlight of the second half of the season came on Feb. 1 when Carroll said the Gusties played their best game of the season by shutting out Wis.-Superior 5-0 on the road.
Although Carroll said he was pleased with what the Gusties have accomplished in the MIAC over the last few seasons, their team goals go beyond the conference.
“It’s a nice accomplishment and it’s something when the season is over we can be proud of, but right now it doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot other than we get to play the games at home. Right now, that stuff is on the back burner and we have other goals we want to achieve.”
Bracketology 3/3/11
The NCAA has released its final set of rankings before Selection Sunday, so it’s time for an updated Bracketology.
As was the case for the past few year, we know the criteria used by the NCAA Division III Men’s Committee to select and seed the teams, but not the weighting used in their evaluation. This means that unlike Division I, the process cannot be replicated. USCHO produces a PairWise Comparison (PWC) for Division III, but assumes an equal weighting for the criteria, which we know from past experience has not been the case.
Click on the links for the East, West and national PWCs.
To recap: eleven teams will get their tickets punched: seven Pool A teams, one Pool B Team, and three Pool C teams. Pool A consists of the seven teams that will win playoff championships in leagues with an automatic qualifier: ECAC East, ECAC Northeast, NCHA, NESCAC, MCHA, MIAC, and SUNYAC. One Pool B slot is reserved for an independent team or team from a conference that does not have an AQ: ECAC West and MASCAC. Pool C bids will be handed out to the highest remaining teams according to the NCAA rankings.
The rub here is that there are East and West rankings, but not a combined one. So when the rubber hits the road, the committee will be combining the separate rankings on Selection Sunday.
For this bracketology, we’re going with the assumption that the NCAA will stay consistent in its process from the regional rankings to the actual selection.
Here’s my guess as to where the teams still in the running stand:
A Lock : Oswego, St. Norbert, Elmira. The Lakers were upset in the SUNYAC semifinals but are still at the top of the Eastern Regional Rankings, so they’ve sewn up a Pool C bid. Elmira, which plays Neumann in the ECAC West championship on Saturday, is a lock for Pool B, and St. Norbert will get the NCHA Automatic Qualifier Pool A (AQ) bid if they beat UW-Superior in the league’s championship game. Otherwise, the Green Knights get a Pool C bid.
Bet On It: Plattsburgh, Norwich. These teams fare well in most head-to-head matchups with other contenders. Plattsburgh needs to defeat Fredonia in the SUNYAC finals to ensure a bid, but can also get one if it loses, provided St. Norbert and Norwich win. There’s always a chance that the committee would not take three SUNYAC teams in the event of a Plattsburgh loss, but they would have to change the criteria weighting.The West could push for Adrian to get a Pool C bid over Plattsburgh if both lose in their respective conference finals, but I think Plattsburgh would still have the advantage due to a stronger strength of schedule, opponent’s SOS, etc.
Good Chance: Neumann, Castleton. If all the favorites win, I’m seeing these teams get the remaining Pool C bids and an 8-3 East-West split.
On the Bubble: I can’t see the West getting an at-large team in unless St. Norbert loses.
Must Win Their AQ: Babson, S. Maine, Curry, Wentworth, MSOE, Lawrence, Marian, Concordia (MN), UW-Superior, Wesleyan, Williams, Colby, Bowdoin, Fredonia.
Playing Out the String: These teams are from conferences that don’t have an AQ, so even if they win their league championship, it wont raise them high enough in the criteria to get an at-large bid:, Salem State, Mass-Dartmouth, Fitchburg State, Westfield State
Thank You Seniors: These teams have concluded their seasons: Suffolk, Salve Regina, Manhattanville, Finlandia, Concordia (WI), St. Olaf, St. John’s, St. Mary’s Bethel, UW-Stout, Uw-Eau Claire, St. Scholastica, Conn College, Tufts, Buffalo State, Morrisville, Cortland, Potsdam, Brockport, Hobart, Amherst, Hamilton, Middlebury, Trinity, UW-River Falls, UW-Stevens Point, New England, U of New England, Skidmore, Mass-Boston, Gustavus Adolphus, St. Thomas, Augsburg, Northland, Lake Forest, Nichols, W. New England, Worcester State, Plymouth State, Becker, Johnson & Wales, Framingham State, Utica, Hobart
OK, so lets take a shot at a possible bracket, assuming the higher seeded team wins its respective league:
ECAC East: Norwich
ECAC Northeast: Curry
MCHA: Adrian
MIAC: Hamline
NCHA: St. Norbert
NESCAC: Williams
SUNYAC: Plattsburgh
Based on the NCAA rankings, I’m picking Elmira to get Pool B, Oswego, Castleton and Neumann to get the Pool C spots. That would mean an 8-3 split.
E1: Oswego
E2: Elmira
E3: Plattsburgh
E4: Norwich
E5: Castleton
E6: Neumann
E7: Williams
E8: Curry
W1: St. Norbert
W2: Adrian
W3: Hamline
First Round:
Hamline at St. Norbert (should be Hamline at Adrian, it’s an 11 hour bus ride. Unless the NCAA flies Hamline, they’re going the 278 miles to Green Bay vs. the 628 miles to Adrian).
Curry at Castleton
Williams at Neumann
Quarterfinals:
Hamline will go to Adrian if it wins; Adrian goes to SNC if the Green Knights win.
Neumann/Williams at Oswego
Curry/Castleton at Elmira
Norwich at Plattsburgh
And finally, in the event St. Norbert does not win the NCHA, it will be a 7-4 split.
E1: Oswego
E2: Elmira
E3: Plattsburgh
E4: Norwich
E5: Castleton
E6: Williams
E7: Curry
W1: St. Norbert
W2: Adrian
W3: Hamline
W4: NCHA winner
First Round:
Curry at Elmira
Williams at Plattsburgh
Castleton at Norwich
And…the West will be TBD based on which team wins the NCHA, travel distances, etc. Someone’s going to have a long drive or a flight.
Check back next week!
Candace’s picks: March 4
I had an awesome week last week, going 16-2 (.888) and correctly picking every playoff series, including picking that Clarkson-Dartmouth would go three. I incorrectly figured that St. Lawrence would win a game off Harvard, and that North Dakota would sweep Bemidji State. Overall on the season, I am now 178-56-24 (.736). Obviously, we are getting down to the wire, so let’s see how I can do with the final weekend of conference play.
Thursday, March 3
Quinnipiac at Cornell: The arrival of the Bobcats as a force in the ECAC has been a great story this season, as has the emergence of Kelly Babstock as a scoring force. Unfortunately for QU, Cornell is the best team in the East this season. Look for the Big Red to win this one. Cornell 4-1
Dartmouth at Harvard: I might as well flip a coin in this one. The ECAC has, aside from Cornell, been the hardest conference to pick this season, particularly where these two teams are concerned. Harvard has played well lately, but Dartmouth knocked off Cornell a few weeks ago. Harvard swept two games back in November, but Dartmouth has been scorching hot since mid-January. I’m calling for the upset in a tight game. Dartmouth 3-2 (OT)
Friday, March 4
Robert Morris at Mercyhurst: It’s kind of a shame that Mercyhurst just isn’t tested in its own conference. In fact, when the Lakers lose the occasional game to a CHA opponent, it’s a shock. It won’t happen here. Mercyhurst 5-2
Niagara at Syracuse: The Orange have had a good season this year, beating some good teams. Niagara boasts its own big victory, the lone CHA defeat of Mercyhurst. This should be a tight game, and I’m calling for Syracuse to win it and keep building its program. Syracuse 4-2
Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota: I really, really wish I could be at this game. The defending national champs against their arch-rival, a team that has been torrid the second half and boasts a top rookie in Amanda Kessel and a hot goalie in Noora Räty. The teams split the season series 2-2, with one of those wins a shootout victory for the Gophers, so technically it was 1-2-1 for the hosts. I’m picking the Gophers in a thriller. Minnesota 4-3 (OT)
North Dakota at Wisconsin: The Sioux have been a great team this season, emerging as a threat to most teams in the country. The Badgers however, are the cream of the crop, well-coached, deep, and playing together. The Sioux will still probably get an at-large bid, depending on what happens with BC and Dartmouth, but their WCHA season ends here. Wisconsin 4-1
Saturday, March 5
CHA Title: Mercyhurst vs. Syracuse: Even if it’s Niagara instead of the Orange, the Lakers are pretty much a lock to win the CHA. In fact, you could pretty much call it a lock from the time the puck drops in October, especially this year, with the twin threats of Vicki Bendus and Meghan Agosta. Mercyhurst 5-1
ECAC Title: Dartmouth at Cornell: Assuming my picks are right, look for Cornell to come out firing and gain some revenge for their lone conference loss to the Big Green a couple of weeks ago. If it’s Harvard across the ice from Cornell, it won’t really be any different. Cornell 4-2
WCHA Title: Minnesota at Wisconsin: This will be a close game, and the Gophers have beaten the Badgers once this year, and they’ll have home ice in their favor. I think honestly though, Wisconsin is going to continue to steamroll its way to another national title. Wisconsin 4-2
Providence at Boston College: The Friars seemed to come out of nowhere to resume their place near the upper echelons of Hockey East this season. The two teams split the season series, with Providence winning in January and BC winning a couple of weeks ago. BC boasts two Olympians in goalie Molly Schaus and forward Kelli Stack, and that experience will make a difference. Boston College 3-1
Northeastern at Boston University: These squads are very familiar with each other, having played three times in five days back in February. BU won three games and tied once against the Huskies this season, who will simply be outmatched against a fierce Terriers squad. Boston University 4-1
Sunday, March 6
Boston College at Boston University: Look for a Beanpot rematch in the final of the Hockey East tournament. The two teams split the season series, with BC winning a 2-1 thriller in the Beanpot, though the Terriers were without the services of star forward Marie-Philip Poulin for that game. Both teams stumbled a bit down the stretch, losing to New Hampshire and Maine. This is basically a coin flip game. Boston College 2-1
Boston University building on success
Has it really been half a dozen years since the BU varsity women’s program came into being? That’s just too hard to believe.
Seems like only yesterday that the Terriers were something of an hockey Hubanomaly. The lone club program in the Women’s Beanpot. The last place an elite New Englander would even think about playing.
Talk about that being “then.”
What is certainly here and now is the Terriers’ place among the nation’s powers. Currently ranked fifth in the country, BU is serving as both host and top seed for the WHEA tournament.
The Terriers won their first ever league title in 2010 as the third seed, toppling Boston College, UNH, and Providence College, before making their NCAA tourney debut.
Although it was a brief appearance — a one-and-done 4-1 loss to top seed Mercyhurst — that amount of success laid the groundwork for this, their best season yet.
“Each year we’ve moved up and grown,” said Terriers coach Brian Durocher, who has overseen the construction of the program from its very first puck drop. “Two years ago, I thought we played one of our best games and BC beat us, but to do it last year and grab the trophy, I like to think we’re in the right
direction. Stars lined up. We have (Kayleigh) Fratkin, (Louise) Warren, (Kerrin) Sperry and (Caroline) Campbell, who all have the distinctions of being top hockey players and being part of national programs or top prep schools. They could be marquee kids in recruiting classes, but are overshadowed from the other three. I like to think we’re going in the right direction and worry about playing for the common goal and not all-star teams.”
Funny thing about that, because the Terriers have quite a few all-stars among them, and young ones, too.
Sperrin for instance, came onto the scene and not only did she seize the BU goal crease, she led the WHEA in every important statistical category, and that’s just the beginning.
The Terriers have a high-scoring rookie (Marie-Philip Poulin), an even higher-scoring veteran (junior transfer from UNH Jenn Wakefield), the league’s top power play AND penalty kill, and a puck-moving defenseman (Catherine Ward) who has piled up more assists than anyone else in the WHEA. Stitching the group together is Holly Lorms, the team captain and the WHEA’s top defensive forward.
Often matched up against the top opposing forwards, Lorms helped keep order in the Terriers end while managing to pop in 13 goals and rack up 22 points, both career highs.
“Her teammates named her captain,” said Durocher, “and for someone who’s had three significant injuries, from an ACL, to a wrist injury and a head/shoulder/neck injury, we’re fortunate she’s back at full tilt. She’s a wonderful leader. She just had her best year here and (was) a shot in the arm. (When) people like Holly have a career year, that’s when teams have big years.”
Who knows? This may turn out to be their biggest and best yet.
USCHO.com Hobey Watch 2011 Podcast, Episode 8: Paula C. Weston
USCHO.com’s Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by USCHO.com CCHA columnist Paula C. Weston with a look at top Hobey hopeful Andy Miele, a discussion of the difficulty Miami has in promoting both Miele and teammate Carter Camper, and a look at Michigan’s Carl Hagelin.
Curry, Wentworth to meet in ECAC Northeast Championship
The top two teams are left standing in the ECAC Northeast.
No. 1 seeded Curry opened the game with three unanswered goals and held off No.4 Becker 5-1 Wednesday night. Check out Melissa Wade’s photo gallery from the game here.
The game acted as senior night for the Colonels, after their original senior night game had to be postponed due to the team’s hospitalization following nitrous dioxide exposure at Johnson and Wales on Feb. 17. This is the second straight appearance in the title game for Curry, who beat JWU 5-4 last season to advance to the NCAA tournament.
They’ll be meet in the championship by No. 2 seed and last year’s regular season champion Wentworth, who beat third seeded Johnson and Wales 4-3 in overtime. Jeremiah Ketts scored two goals for the Wildcats, who were undone by Matthew Dozois’ goal at 6:07 in the extra period.
MASCAC
The semifinals are set to begin tonight, with No.6 Westfield State traveling to No. 2 Salem State at 7:00.
Top seeded Massachusetts-Dartmouth will host No. 4 Fitchburg State at 7:30.
The winners will advance to the conference championship, which is set for Saturday.
A little short on time today, but the plan is to have a full preview of both conference championships in the column tomorrow.
Penn State starting to take shape; how long until Big Ten does?
We knew it wouldn’t take long for the Penn State program to take shape, and we’re starting to see a little bit of that emerge, on multiple levels.
This week, we learned the names of two Nittany Lions recruits thanks to recruiting guru Chris Heisenberg: forward Jake Friedman of the Eastern Junior Hockey League’s South Shore Kings and goaltender Tim Carr of the EJHL’s New Hampshire Junior Monarchs.
We also heard definitive word, through the Wisconsin State Journal’s Andy Baggot, that Penn State has received permission to interview Wisconsin women’s coach Mark Johnson for its men’s head coach opening.
My thoughts: We will hear more names connected to Penn State, so let’s not jump to conclusions. That being said, Johnson would be a great person for the job, and I figured his name would be connected to the opening in some fashion. I think it will take a lot to get Johnson out of Madison (and I’m not talking about money), but the lure of being able to do for Penn State what his father, Bob, did for Wisconsin could be appealing.
Meanwhile, I had a chance to meet Joe Battista, Penn State’s associate athletic director for ice arena and hockey operations, a few weeks ago when he was checking out a Minnesota-Wisconsin game in Madison as part of his tour of facilities. He was carrying with him designs for the Pegula Ice Arena — named for the program’s lead donor — and it looks like it will be an impressive building along the lines of many newer college hockey arenas. A single tier for student seating behind the goal the opponents defend for two periods could be imposing if it turns out like the pictures depict.
So what does this all mean for the future of college hockey? I get the sense that we’re going to start to get those answers soon. People who will be impacted by the development of a Big Ten hockey league are starting to get a little antsy for definitive words on when that entity will come about.
Here are my impressions from talking to people involved in the process: The Big Ten will sponsor hockey (like it or not), and if I was forced to predict the season that it starts, I would say 2013-14. Not everyone is convinced of that, or whether it would be good for Penn State to be playing Big Ten hockey in its second season as a program, but I think that’s where things are trending.
The Pegula Ice Arena should be ready for play in September 2013, a year earlier than projected last September, when Penn State confirmed its plans to form varsity programs. At that time, the school said it would be joining a conference in the 2014-15 season, but that timeline seems to have accelerated along with the facility’s.
What does it mean for the rest of college hockey? That, my friends, is the ultimate “stay tuned” question.
Six-shooting weekend
While both the ECAC East and NESCAC conferences play out the semis and finals of their conference tournaments this weekend, there really are more differences than similarities in the pairings for the final four groupings. However, one thing in common is the presence of teams from the lower half of the brackets, including three in the NESCAC tournament and two in the ECAC East. Is it just a sign of very competitive leagues? That’s for sure, but what’s really certain is nobody is taking playing anyone for granted at this time of year, particularly two six seeds that have made their mark in recent weeks and carry that momentum into the postseason.
Southern Maine and Colby both knocked off teams that many expected to win last weekend on home ice. The upsets that took Massachusetts-Boston and Middlebury out of the playoffs most assuredly have confidence growing in the locker room and two teams ready to face their next significant challenge in the semifinals.
Jeff Beaney’s Huskies endured a long cold January filled with the flu, injuries, and changing their style of play to be ready for this time of year. So far, the adaptation has seemed to take for a team that hasn’t had anything come the easy way this season.
“We identified some things pretty early on with this team that were going to force us to make some changes from our usual style of play,” stated Beaney. “It is very difficult to change what you are doing during the course of a season, but we knew it would help us to be our most competitive at the most important time of the year, and at least thus far it’s holding up pretty well. We have had some key guys really banged up, which definitely hurt our offensive output. When you have a guy like Zach (Joy) battling nagging injuries all season and getting the kind of attention that a goal-a-game type guy gets, you are going to have to figure out how to get things done, and it may not be pretty.”
Certainly one very bright spot for the Huskies this season has been the play of junior defenseman Paul Conter, who leads the team in scoring. Conter constantly gets the attention of the opposition whenever he is on the ice, but has modified his game this season to be a more complete player in the Huskies system.
“Paul has probably had his best season this year,” noted Beaney. “It was obvious when he first got here that he had great offensive skills, so it’s no surprise that he continues to put up numbers. However, this year he has sacrificed some of those opportunities to be more at-home defensively and has really put the team first with his play; that includes things like blocking shots and being more conservative with the puck. He has had to pick-up some slack for some other guys that have been injured or struggled a bit this season, but he has been a strong leader and is a big reason we are still playing in March.”
The Huskies certainly know they have an uphill battle in facing the defending conference and national champions from Norwich on their home ice. So do they have to play the perfect game on Friday to move on? No, but probably pretty close.
“They are really talented and can play you anyway you want to play it”, remarked Beaney after watching film of the Cadets in preparation for the semifinals. “We do not want to get in a track meet with them and we don’t want to play a big physical game either. We are going to have to be smart, not give them short ice to play with and really be cognizant of areas not to turn the puck over to them. If we can do those things and get the type of goaltending that Braely (Torris) gave us last week, we just might play more than one game this weekend.”
On the other side, Norwich coach Mike McShane is very aware of what a good group or role players, a little “puck luck” and a hot goalie can do in a winner-takes-all scenario.
“We played them the very first weekend of the season,” noted Norwich coach Mike McShane. “A lot has changed since then, but in looking at the film, their first line is really strong and can cause a lot of problems for anybody. At this point in the season and for just one game, if you have a hot goalie, some strong checkers, and play without many mistakes, anyone can win a one-game playoff, so we are not taking anybody lightly with so much at stake this weekend.”
Many of the same conversations are being had over on the NESCAC side where, as coach McShane would say, “nothing really surprises me anymore.”
Wesleyan, Colby and Bowdoin represent the lower half of the bracket this weekend at host Williams, and any team that wins will relish in the delight of their first-ever NESCAC tournament championship. Yes there is a six seed in play on this side of the postseason as well, and Colby now has the added opportunity of knocking off their biggest rival in their pursuit of the NESCAC crown.
Back in December, Bowdoin and Colby played their annual home-and-home weekend with one game counting in the league standings and the second being played as a nonconference battle. Typically, the teams have split the weekend, but this year the Polar Bears took both games, so game number three is for much bigger stakes come Saturday afternoon.
While Bowdoin’s season started out strong, hit a speed bump for four or five games in February and bounced back again, Colby has steadily built their play after a terrible start to the season that saw them struggle for the first 10 games of the season. During the second half, the Mules have been one of the better teams in the conference and have seen their reputation as a trap team transformed into an opponent that many teams do not want to match up against with their depth, size and speed. Senior Billy Crinnion has been explosive in the second half in leading the Colby offense, along with steady contributions from a number of other players, including Michael Doherty, “Spike” Smigelski and Wil Hartigan.
Fellow Maine resident Jeff Beaney likes what he sees in the Mules and wouldn’t be surprised to see them playing for it all on Sunday.
“Jim’s team is playing a little different style this year and right now they are going pretty good. If Cody can keep it on track in goal, they are a team that can beat anybody over there in the final four. Add in the difficulty in beating a team three times in a single season, Colby might just have a lot of things going their way this weekend.”
Backstopping the Mules in goal has been the resurgence of senior Cody McKinney, who was a big part of the team’s second half success, as well as last week’s quarterfinal victory on the road over Middlebury by a score of 2-1. McKinney has had solid numbers for the Mules since January, and his continued strong performance in goal will be needed to stop a Bowdoin attack that averages nearly 4.5 goals per game.
Generally speaking, it is difficult to beat any team twice in one season, so three times may be a lot to ask of Bowdoin in this classical clash of traditional rivals. You can always throw out the records when these two play, and the last playoff match-up in Brunswick went Bowdoin’s way in an overtime thriller where Colby had several power plays and chances to win in the extra session. So what happens here? It’s going to be a lot of fun finding out.
So, the match-ups in the ECAC East find No. 1 Norwich hosting No. 6 Southern Maine and No. 2 Castleton playing No. 5 Babson on Friday afternoon and evening, with the championship game scheduled for Saturday night. In the NESCAC tournament, No. 1 Williams hosts No. 8 Wesleyan and No. 5 Bowdoin meets No. 6 Colby on Saturday afternoon, with the title game on Sunday.
Basically this weekend, anyone has a chance to win. Cliché yes, but do it right for 60 minutes, play your best game and execute with few mistakes and any team can fall by the wayside if they don’t meet the intensity or level of play of their opponent, regardless of seeding or record. The final four in any conference is always special, and this weekend the hockey is sure to be spectacular, with everything on the line for a chance to play a second game this weekend and not take the long walk to the dorm or longer bus trip back to campus. The season has flown by, and now everything teams have practiced and played for is on the line. Enjoy it, because it doesn’t, really doesn’t, get much better than this.
It’s all inside the glass now — drop the puck!
All the marbles
Here is a quick look at this weekend’s respective playoff championships in the Midwest, Minnesota and Northern collegiate hockey conferences. The winners in all three will get a ticket to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which starts March 9 with the first round. The Final Four takes place March 25-26 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn.
MIAC Championship Final, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5
No. 3-seed Concordia (Minn.) at No. 1-seed Hamline
Records: Concordia (12-10-4); Hamline (15-6-5)
Regular season series: Split 1-1: at Concordia (Hamline, 4-0, Feb. 18; Concordia, 7-4, Feb. 19)
Leading scorers: Concordia — Nick Thielen (4 goals, 25 assists, 29 points); Hamline — Brian Arrigoni (16-17-33)
Between the pipes: Concordia — Kelly Andrew (11-6-3, 2.81 goals-against, .904 save-percentage); Hamline — Beau Christian (13-4-3, 2.41 GAA, .922 save-pct.)
The Pipers are banking on a bevy of experience to carry them to a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. No. 11-ranked Hamline was methodical in defeating Gustavus Adolphus, 3-0, in its semifinal last Saturday, with Jordan VanGilder, Brett Burgau and Brian Arrigoni netting goals while netminder and MIAC Co-Player of the Week Beau Christian turned away 36 shots in a shutout performance.
Hamline’s roster features eight seniors — including three-time All-American defenseman Chris Berenguer – and five juniors.
“One thing we do have is players where this is their sixth or seventh playoff game,” Pipers coach Scott Bell said. “For Beau Christian, this is his sixth playoff game, and he has played in a MIAC championship before (a 5-2 loss to Gustavus, March 4, 2009). So I don’t think nervousness is going to be a problem.”
Concordia upset No. 2-seed St. Thomas, 4-2, in its semifinal, with MIAC Co-Player of the Week Ben Payne scoring twice and freshmen netminder Kelly Andrew making 27 saves to ensure the win. The Cobbers entered the postseason having reversed a 1-5 start by going 11-5-4 in their last 20 games.
The Cobbers have one senior, Michael Weiss, who has seen limited playing time, and seven juniors, including leading-scorer Nick Thielen. Starting goalie Kelly Andrew, who made 27 saves in the playoff victory at St. Thomas, is one of a handful of freshman.
“My guys aren’t real fazed by any type of situation,” Concordia coach Chris Howe said. “So, I guess, maybe they don’t know any better. They are just going out and playing, because that is what they do.”
NCHA Peters Cup Final, 7 p.m. Saturday, March 5
No. 2-seed Wisconsin-Superior at No. 1-seed St. Norbert
Records: UW-Superior (16-11-1), St. Norbert (21-4-1)
Regular season series: St. Norbert, 2-1 (3-0, UW-Superior, Jan. 20; 5-4, St. Norbert, Jan. 21; and 3-0, St. Norbert, Feb. 4)
Leading scorers: UW-Superior — Talon Berlando (11-14-25); St. Norbert — Johan Ryd (8-15-23)
Between the Pipes: UW-Superior — Drew Strandberg (10-8-1, 2.25 GAA, .916 save-pct.); St. Norbert — B.J. O’Brien (18-2-1, 1.65 GAA, .927 save-pct.)
The Green Knights are ranked No. 1 in the nation for good reason. Sporadic losses only served as springboards for new winning streaks.
One of the team’s rare defeats though, came at Wisconsin-Superior, when the Green Knights were shutout, 3-0, Jan. 20. It marked the only time the Green Knights were blanked this season.
“We have a lot of history with Superior playing in big games, and I think this game is no different,” Green Knights coach Tim Coghlin said. “When we played them recently in our building, one of the talking points that I talked about with our guys is that I said I thought Superior was the best team we’ve seen this year.
“It’s no surprise, to me, it’s who we see in the championship.”
The No. 1-seed emerged from the bye week by comprehensively defeating Wisconsin-River Falls, 5-3, last Saturday. Kyle Stroh scored twice while goalie and NCHA Player of the Year B.J. O’Brien stopped 12 of 15 shots.
The No. 15-ranked Yellowjackets showed no effects from an uneven 4-6 run down the stretch, dismantling Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 4-2, at home Saturday. Tyler Klein scored the game-winner while freshman netminder Drew Strandberg stopped 31 of 33 shots including 14 in the third period.
“In the league preseason poll, we were picked sixth of seven teams, so maybe we’re an underdog, but we’ve played well the last three weeks and have used every bit of energy to extend our season.” UW-Superior coach Dan Stauber told the Duluth News Tribune this week. “We had a stretch of five straight losses (spanning January and February), but four of those were by one goal.”
MCHA Harris Cup Finals, Saturday and Sunday, March 5-6, Adrian College Arrington Ice Arena
Semifinal, 2 p.m. Saturday
No. 4-seed Lawrence at No. 1-seed Adrian
Records: Lawrence (14-12-1), Adrian (21-3-1)
Regular season series: Adrian 2-0 (4-3 and 3-1 at Lawrence Jan. 21-22)
Leading scorers: Lawrence — Matt Hughes (13-15-28); Adrian — Shawn Skelly (16-20-36)
Between the pipes: Lawrence — Evan Johnson (13-10-1, 2.90 GAA, .910 save-pct.); Adrian — Brad Fogal (21-3-1, 2.19 GAA, .921 save-pct.)
The No. 5-ranked Bulldogs are coming off a two-week layoff, having earned the top playoff seed and a bye.
The break came as Adrian was arguably playing its best hockey of the season, culminating in a two-game sweep over No. 9 Milwaukee School of Engineering by identical 3-1 scores Feb. 18-19. The team is unbeaten in its last 14 games (13-0-1), and is riding a 10-game winning streak.
There’s a sense of urgency among the squad’s veterans, which includes 17 seniors, Adrian coach Ron Fogarty said.
“With an older group, they realize it’s either one game left or five or six games,” said Fogarty, whose team has won four-consecutive regular season crowns and is ranked No. 2 behind St. Norbert in the NCAA D-III West Region.
“They sense the end is coming near. We’ve played really well the last couple of weeks.”
By contrast, Lawrence season’s fortunes have been mixed. The Vikings were 8-8 since Jan. 1, losing three of their last four to close out the regular season.
Lawrence bounced back by sweeping Northland, 2-1 and 3-1, in the quarterfinals last Friday and Saturday. Josh DeSmit scored the game-winner in both contests, while senior goalie Evan Johnson stopped 52 of 54 shots to earn the victories.
“We certainly have a group of young men who have a great passion and desire to be successful on the ice,” Lawrence coach Mike Szkodzinski said. “However, it seems there are times where we don’t bring our A-game. When we don’t bring our A-game, we are beatable. When we do bring our A-game, we can compete with a lot of people.”
Semifinal: 6 p.m. Saturday
No. 3-seed Milwaukee School of Engineering vs. No. 2-seed Marian
Records: MSOE (21-5-1); Marian (18-7)
Regular season series: MSOE 2-0 (4-2, at home Nov. 13; and 2-1, at Marian, Nov. 14)
Leading scorers: MSOE — Jordan Keizer (23-14-37); Marian — Dakota Dubetz (14-31-45)
Between the pipes: MSOE — Connor Toomey (18-5-1, 1.77 GAA, .930 save-pct.); Marian — Alex Bjerk (11-4, 2.16 GAA, .915 save-pct.) and Josh Baker (6-3, 2.74 GAA, .921 save-pct.)
The No. 9-ranked Raiders’ took a more circuitous route to the MCHA Final Four, having to sweep Lake Forest in the quarterfinals despite having the conference’s second-best record.
MSOE has remained ranked among the nation’s Top-15 D-III schools most of the season, and features one of the most prolific scorers in Jordan Keizer, who’s is tied nationally with Johnson and Wales’s Jeremiah Ketts for most goals with 23.
Connor Toomey’s superlative 1.77 goals-against is only second to St. Norbert’s B.J. O’Brien (1.65 GAA) as the nation’s best. The Raiders’ netminder is tied for first nationally with four shutouts while his .930-save percentage ranks fourth.
Marian has its own stars on the national charts. The sophomore talisman Dakota Dubetz’ 1.80 points-per game is tied for third nationally. His 31 assists rank second.
As a team, the Sabres reversed gears after enduring a four-game slump in November to finished the campaign by going 13-2. Marian started the season 5-1 with a 7-3 setback at then-No.10 Adrian being the lone blemish.
Valuable home playoff spot on the line for Colorado College, Wisconsin
It’s not that this weekend’s games between Wisconsin and Colorado College never had anything on the line, but the series has taken on a whole new meaning since the end of January.
At that point, Wisconsin was amid a five-game winning streak and sitting in fourth place in the WCHA standings, four points behind first-place North Dakota and six points ahead of CC. Scott Gudmandson was a brick wall in front of the net and the offense was providing just enough to win.
Then, the opponents got a little more tough, Gudmandson began to let more pucks through, the offense didn’t improve and the Badgers finished a winless February. Wisconsin was swept out of Omaha and St. Cloud while Minnesota left Madison with three points.
The Tigers now lead the Badgers by a point, and the season finale series is now a showdown for home ice.
It’s a definite possibility these teams could meet up in next week’s first round of playoffs, this series could be the difference-maker on whether that’s in Colorado Springs or Madison. If fifth-place Minnesota keeps its hot streak going at Bemidji State and eighth-place St. Cloud State comes up empty at Denver, Wisconsin and CC will be alone on an island in the middle of the standings.
One CC win this weekend will clinch home ice for the Tigers. The Badgers need three points to gain home ice because Wisconsin would then own the tiebreaker. The first tie-breaking criteria is head-to-head competition, and this is the only series of the season between the teams.
In addition to the comfort of home ice in the playoffs, neither team wants to hit the road to begin the playoffs. CC hasn’t won a road game since it swept Michigan Tech and SCSU on the road in early December. Wisconsin has taken itself out of games in the last four road losses at Nebraska-Omaha and SCSU, getting outscored 18-9 with two garbage-time goals in the most recent loss to the Huskies.
Wisconsin’s goaltending situation, which was so positive in the fall with Gudmandson platooning with Brett Bennett, has gone sour. The Badgers stuck with Gudmandson when he got hot and allowed no more than two goals per game over a 13-game stretch going into February. He gave up seven goals in the UNO series, five to the Gophers on Feb. 18 and seven to SCSU last Saturday on 32 shots.
The Badgers need the offensive outbursts they got from Mark Zengerle in the beginning of the season. The one-time WCHA rookie of the week scored 19 points with seven multi-point games in the first 25 games of the season.
The defensive pairing of Jake Gardiner and Justin Schultz has been one of the constants for Wisconsin through wins and losses. Schultz has 15 points in the 12 games since WCHA play opened after the New Year. Gardiner has 12 points in that stretch. Saturday at SCSU was the first time since Jan. 14 that neither recorded a point.
The Badgers are going to win this series and home ice if Schultz and Gardiner continue their high productivity from the blue line. Wisconsin also needs to find stability in net, whether Gudmandson or Bennett starts. One wrong move could cost the Badgers the game, and remember, CC needs only two points to lock up the sixth spot.
CC will get that win if Wisconsin gives the Tigers too many power play opportunities. The Badgers’ penalty kill has been terrible the past six games (74 percent) and the CC power play is 6-for-18 with Jaden Schwartz back on its first unit. The freshman has assisted on four power-play goals and scored one in the four games since his return from a fractured ankle. He’s been on the ice for all six power-play goals.
Matchups at a glance
Here’s a look at the series on the final week of the regular season:
Minnesota at Bemidji State
Records: MINN — 15-12-5 (12-10-4 WCHA). BSU — 12-16-4 (8-14-4 WCHA).
Last meeting: The teams split in November 2009 in Minneapolis.
Special teams: MINN — 21 percent PP (14th in nation), 76.8 percent PK (55th in nation). BSU — 20.2 percent PP (17th in nation), 79.9 percent PK (41st in nation).
Streaks: MINN 5-game unbeaten. BSU 2-game losing.
Goaltending: MINN — Kent Patterson (26 GP, 13-7-5, 2.49 goals-against average, .920 save percentage). BSU — Dan Bakala (25 GP, 11-11-3, 2.40 GAA, .920 save percentage).
Leading scorer: MINN — Jacob Cepis (12-17–29). BSU — Jordan George (15-17–32).
St. Cloud State at Denver
Records: SCSU — 14-15-5 (10-12-4 WCHA). DU — 20-9-5 (16-7-3 WCHA).
Last meeting: The teams split in November 2009 in Denver.
Special teams: SCSU — 18.1 percent PP (25th in nation), 83.8 percent PK (22nd in nation). DU — 19 percent PP (20th in nation). 86.6 percent PK (6th in nation).
Streaks: SCSU 2-game winning. DU 1-game winning.
Goaltending: SCSU — Mike Lee (27 GP, 10-11-4, 2.84 GAA, .906 save percentage). DU — Sam Brittain (25 GP, 14-6-5, 2.26 GAA, .922 save percentage).
Leading scorer: SCSU — Drew LeBlanc (13-26–39). DU — Drew Shore (21-20–41).
North Dakota at Michigan Tech
Records: UND — 24-8-3 (19-6-1 WCHA). MTU — 4-26-4 (2-22-2 WCHA).
Last meeting: UND swept MTU in March 2010 in Grand Forks.
Special teams: UND — 21.7 percent PP (10th in nation), 84 percent PK (15th in nation). MTU — 17 percent PP (35th in nation), 76.9 percent PK (54th in nation).
Streaks: UND 7-game unbeaten. MTU 3-game losing.
Goaltending: UND — Aaron Dell (32 GP, 23-6-2, 1.98 GAA, .918 save percentage). MTU — Kevin Genoe (21 GP, 3-15-2, 3.61 GAA, .893 save percentage).
Leading scorer: UND — Matt Frattin (27-15–42). MTU — Milos Gordic (15-6–21).
Nebraska-Omaha at Minnesota-Duluth
Records: UNO — 20-12-2 (16-8-2 WCHA). UMD — 19-8-5 (14-7-5 WCHA).
Last meeting: UMD beat UNO, 5-2, in October 2001 in Omaha.
Special teams: UNO — 18.1 percent PP (27th in nation), 84.2 percent PK (13th in nation). UMD — 21.6 percent PP (12th in nation). 81.8 percent PK (32nd in nation).
Streaks: UNO 1-game losing. UMD 2-game winless.
Goaltending: UNO — John Faulkner (34 GP, 19-11-2, 2.46 GAA, .912 save percentage). UMD — Kenny Reiter (22 GP, 9-5-5, 2.39 GAA, .912 save percentage) and Aaron Crandall (16 GP, 10-3-1, 2.79 GAA, .894 save percentage).
Leading scorer: UNO — Joey Martin (11-23–34). UMD — Jack Connolly (13-36–39).
Colorado College at Wisconsin
Records: CC — 18-15-3 (12-12-2 WCHA). UW — 19-13-4 (11-12-3 WCHA).
Last meeting: The teams split in January 2010 in Colorado Springs.
Special teams: CC — 21.9 percent PP (9th in nation), 80.5 percent PK (37th in nation). UW — 22.8 percent PP (8th in nation). 80.2 percent PK (40th in nation).
Streaks: CC 2-game unbeaten. UW 6-game winless.
Goaltending: CC — Joe Howe (28 GP, 13-12-2, 3.08 GAA, .897 save percentage). UW — Scott Gudmandson (26 GP, 14-10-1, 2.25 GAA, .919 save percentage).
Leading scorer: CC — Tyler Johnson (20-17–37). UW — Justin Schultz (17-28–45).
Alaska-Anchorage at Minnesota State
Records: UAA — 12-17-3 (10-14-2 WCHA). MSU — 14-14-6 (8-14-4 WCHA).
Last meeting: MSU took three points from UAA in October in Anchorage.
Special teams: UAA — 15.1 percent PP (46th in nation), 83 percent PK (23rd in nation). MSU — 15.0 percent PP (48th in nation), 82.2 percent PK (28th in nation).
Streaks: UAA 1-game winning. MSU 1-game losing.
Goaltending: UAA — Rob Gunderson (22 GP, 7-13-2, 2.79 GAA, .897 save percentage). MSU — Phil Cook (25 GP, 10-11-4, 3.04 GAA, .903 save percentage).
Leading scorer: UAA — Tommy Grant (12-15–27). MSU — Mike Dorr (12-13–25) and Kurt Davis (8-17–25).
For three Atlantic Hockey teams, strong finish means they’re getting bye
Three of the four teams earning a bye in the Atlantic Hockey playoffs go into the postseason on a roll. Air Force, Connecticut and Holy Cross are hoping that the extra down time doesn’t cool them off:
• Air Force went 6-2-2 down the stretch, including 4-0 in its final two weekends, to leapfrog Niagara and Robert Morris and claim a bye.
• UConn has won three games in a row and five of its last six, including a bye-clinching sweep of American International last weekend. The Huskies’ three-game winning streak is their longest in three years.
• Holy Cross is on a school-record 11-game unbeaten streak (8-0-3) that dates to Jan. 21. The Crusaders broke the 31-year-old record last weekend with a win and a tie against Bentley.
Rochester Institute of Technology, the other bye team and regular season champion, has cooled off, going winless in its last three games. The Tigers’ 18-game home unbeaten streak in AHA play was snapped last Saturday in a 5-2 loss to Niagara.
Getting over it
Robert Morris went out to Air Force last weekend looking to make history on several fronts. Senior Nathan Longpre was poised to set the all-time career posts mark at the school (he did, scoring his 137th point on Friday) and he and teammate Denny Urban were about to set the school record for most games played (they both did, participating in their 135th games on Saturday).
But the big goal for RMU was to lock up second place overall and a first-round playoff bye. The Colonials needed two points to clinch, but were swept by the Falcons in a pair of 4-2 contests. As a result, Robert Morris tumbled all the way down to fifth place.
“[Air Force] got what they deserved, which is four points,” said RMU coach Derek Schooley. “And we got what we deserved. We got good goaltending by Brooks Ostergard but it wasn’t enough. We had chances in both games. We were leading 2-1 [on Saturday] with 10 minutes to go.”
Now, instead of a week off and a best-of-three series, the Colonials face a single-game elimination contest against Mercyhurst.
“We’ve played a lot of one-game knockouts. We know what we have to do,” said Schooley. “We’ve got to readjust. We haven’t been below third place all season but that’s over and everybody starts fresh. We have to be ready for our first playoff game.
“[Mercyhurst was] the only team to beat us at the Island Sports Complex this season, so we know we have to be ready. They’re a good team and it’s a tough matchup where the fifth-place team has to play the seventh-place team.”
Round one
Here’s your playoff outlook for the first round:
No. 6E American International at No. 3E Army
How they got here: AIC was looking to escape the AHA basement this season, but dropped seven of its last eight games, resulting in a last-place finish. Army was flirting with a bye, winning three of its last four games, but finished ninth overall but third in the East pod.
Outlook: This is a battle of the worst defense in the league (AIC) against the worst offense (Army). Army swept AIC two weeks ago, but the shots on goal in both games were fairly close, with the Black Knights having big second periods in both games.
Yellow Jackets player to watch: Sophomore Adam Pleskach leads the team in goals (12) and points (25).
Black Knights player to watch: Cody Omilusik is having another strong season at Army in his senior campaign. He’s got 18 goals and 31 points to date.
No. 5E Sacred Heart at No. 4E Bentley
How they got here: It’s been a rough season for the Pioneers, who managed to avoid last place with a win in their final game of the regular season. The Falcons had an outside shot at a bye, but managed a single win in their last five games.
Outlook: It’ll be interesting to see who starts in net for each team. Steven Legatto saw most of the action down the stretch for Sacred Heart, but senior Olivier St. Onge played well in the Pioneers’ final game. Bentley had gone with Kyle Rank for the past several games, but also went with a senior in its last home game — Joe Calvi, who earned a point against Holy Cross.
Pioneers player to watch: Junior Matt Gingera leads the team with 16 goals.
Falcons player to watch: Brent Gensler is making a bid for AHA rookie of the year with a team-leading 13 goals.
No. 6W Canisius at No. 3W Niagara
How they got here: Canisius was in the middle of the pack in the AHA all year, while Niagara’s dynamic duo of Paul Zanette and Bryan Haczyk had the Purple Eagles near the top of the standings throughout the season.
Outlook: The Western New York rivals meet for the fourth time this season and the third time in their last five games. Niagara leads the all-time series 14-7-1, including 2-1 this season. The Purple Eagles’ goaltending was a little inconsistent down the stretch, but both Cody Campbell and Chris Noonan played well against RIT last weekend. The Griffs had trouble scoring goals earlier this month, but broke out in a big way against Niagara with a 6-3 win on Feb. 19.
Golden Griffins player to watch: Senior Cory Conacher has broken all the major career scoring records at Canisius. His 22 goals is more than twice as much as any other Golden Griffins player this season.
Purple Eagles player to watch: Paul Zanette was the AHA player of the month for February and leads the nation with 29 goals.
No. 5W Mercyhurst at No. 4W Robert Morris
How they got here: The Colonials were at or near the top of the standings for most of the season, but a sweep at the hands of Air Force in the final weekend of the regular season dropped them from second to fifth place. The Lakers have just one win in their past six games, but it was in their final game of the regular season.
Outlook: Mercyhurst was the only team to beat Robert Morris at the Island Sports Center this season. Since then, RMU is 8-0-2 on home ice. The teams were 1-1-1 head-to-head.
Lakers player to watch: Senior goaltender Ryan Zapolski has played in 28 games so far this season, posting a .921 save percentage.
Colonials player to watch: Senior defenseman Denny Urban has 39 points this season, tops among AHA blueliners.
Close proximity
The AHA wanted to decrease travel in the first round of the playoffs with its “pod” system, and it’s had the desired effect. The four first-round games on tap are between teams very close distance-wise.
• Canisius at Niagara: 20 miles
• Mercyhurst at Robert Morris: 125 miles
• Sacred Heart at Bentley: 135 miles
• AIC at Army: 125 miles
In an alternate reality (known as the ECAC or the WCHA), the Atlantic Hockey playoff picture would look quite different. Like the AHA, both the ECAC and WCHA have 12 teams, and everyone makes the playoffs.
The WCHA’s final six isn’t really an option (and I don’t like it anyway), but the ECAC’s setup would be fairer. The top four teams get byes and seeds five through 12 play down.
Using that system, the matchups would be:
• No. 12 AIC at No. 5 Robert Morris
• No. 11 Sacred Heart at No. 6 Connecticut
• No. 10 Bentley at No. 7 Mercyhurst
• No. 9 Army at No. 8 Canisius
OK, a lot more travel, but a fairer system. Making the fifth- and seventh-place teams face each other in a single-elimination game while the sixth-place team has a bye and the 10th-place team gets a home game hurts the league’s credibility.
The quarterfinals will go back to a straight standings-based seeding, but that means that either Robert Morris or Mercyhurst will be gone while two teams that finished ninth through 12th will survive. UConn, which has a bye, will not get a home quarterfinal series unless Niagara and Robert Morris both lose.
Fix this, please.
In the CCHA, home ice might not be such a great advantage
All Notre Dame needed to capture the regular-season title was a win at home. Heading into last weekend’s games, the Fighting Irish were a point ahead of Michigan in the CCHA standings. Friday night, Notre Dame beat Western Michigan in Kalamazoo while the Wolverines kept pace by beating Northern Michigan in Marquette.
When the season was over, though, the Irish were two points behind the Wolverines, because ND lost at home to WMU, 2-0, and UM beat NMU on the road again.
After the loss, Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson credited a tough opponent. “They wanted fourth place more than we wanted first place,” Jackson told the South Bend Tribune.
The Irish weren’t the only team to prove that home ice was no advantage. The Wildcats lost twice at home. The Buckeyes — who could have claimed a bye spot — lost five of six points to the Bulldogs at home. The Lakers lost two at home.
The only team that took care of business on its own ice was Michigan State. The Spartans swept Bowling Green in a series that did not affect the standings one bit; because Ohio State earned a point last Thursday, neither MSU nor BGSU could finish anywhere but where they were when they started their series.
A look at the final points is as good an argument for parity as any I’ve ever heard from a league that throws the word around frequently enough: two points between first and second; four points between second and third. Six points — two games — separate Nos. 4 and 7.
Makes me wonder how much home ice is going to matter in the first-round series.
For some people, exceptional isn’t good enough
MSU coach Rick Comley is an exceptional guy.
He’s a great family man. That’s drawn criticism from Spartans fans who faulted him for keeping regular hours at the rink in order to spend time with his family.
He’s a great coach. Among his many accomplishments, he won MSU a national championship in his fifth year as head coach — and that’s as many NCAA titles as Ron Mason brought to East Lansing.
He’s a class act. He’s always easy to interview, someone reporters want to spend time with — as much for his sincerely warm personality as his huge breadth of hockey knowledge.
What he isn’t, though, is disingenuous. He’s frank, direct, he doesn’t lack diplomacy, but people are quick to jump to conclusions that fit their own agenda when he speaks.
After Friday’s win over Bowling Green, Comley was asked — yet again — to reflect on his career coming to an end, and what he said was taken completely out of context.
“I keep saying this — and I mean this with no disrespect to Michigan State or anything — it’s not leaving Michigan State,” said Comley, “it’s the fact that there’s going to come a point here in a couple weeks when college hockey will be over. I’m a college hockey guy, not a Michigan State guy. That’s been obvious since the first day I got here.”
I was there. I got it immediately. The man’s been around college hockey his entire adult life, not just his nine years in East Lansing. He’s retiring from something that has defined the entire arc of his professional life, the bulk of his waking hours, and he’s doing it sooner than he’d like.
Perhaps predictably, there were people who took his comments the wrong way. I’m not entirely certain that there weren’t reporters who didn’t misconstrue his comments — and his last games in East Lansing brought plenty of people who aren’t exactly regulars in Munn Ice Arena.
So, after Saturday’s win, Comley felt the need to clarify a few things.
“Last night I made a comment that I’m a college guy more than I’m a Michigan State guy,” said Comley. “I don’t mean that. I want everybody to understand what I mean. I think of myself in a broad term. I’m really proud to have been at Michigan State. There are great memories. It’s a great institution. It’s a big, big part of my career, but I’ve got respect for all three schools that I’ve been at, so when I described myself as a college guy, it’s in no way intended to be a non-Michigan State guy. You know what I mean?
“I don’t know who last night, but somebody took exception to it. I’m trying to tell you in all honesty that I can tell you.
“One of the issues is that this has gone on and on. People want you to reflect. It’s not reflect just on the nine years [at Michigan State], so it kind of all gets capsuled. Please understand, this has been a very important nine years for me.”
It’s hard to get an audience to understand you when the audience has such a narrow filter. Comley even had to clarify a few things about the tie he wore on Friday night. It was a beauty. I remember diagonal purple stripes — wide stripes — but I think I’ve blocked out the rest. Comley explained that the tie was a gift from his granddaughter, Katie.
“Katie bought this for me for Christmas,” said Comley. “Her dad tried to talk her out of it, but she said, ‘No.’ I came downstairs before I came to the rink and she said, ‘Oh, Papa, I love your tie.’ So this is a Katie tie.”
When I remarked that video wouldn’t do the tie justice, Comley laughed and said, “No, not justice.”
That very tie was at the root of something else Comley felt compelled to clarify after Saturday’s win.
“I wore a tie last night that was a Christmas tie from my granddaughter,” said Comley, “so after the game a certain sports director said, ‘Look how happy Coach Comley is, giving me the thumbs-up.’ Well, who I was giving the thumbs-up to was Katie in the press box and I showed her the tie. So, yes, I enjoyed the win but …”
Comley and the press corps laughed. There was no need for him to finish his sentence.
For some folks, it’s not enough for someone to prove an exceptional class act on his way out of town. No, some would like to see the person on the receiving end of the bum’s rush reply with, “Thank you! May I have another?”
And clarification about another coach
Last week, I inadvertently ruffled feathers when I reported an offhand remark that Michigan captain Carl Hagelin made following UM’s 5-4 OT win over Western Michigan on Feb. 19. In my picks blog, I said that Hagelin had been told by Broncos’ head coach Jeff Blashill that WMU would get a win — helping out the Wolverines — against Notre Dame.
Blashill contacted me to tell me that he’d never talked to Hagelin. OK. So the reporter that I got the paraphrase from checked his post-game notes, and it turned out that Blashill was identified. The exact quote is this: “Talked to the Western coach and he said they’re going to get a win next weekend.”
As it turns out, this did transpire in the handshake line, but it was assistant coach Rob Facca — the most outgoing, funniest, exuberant and best-dressed guy in college hockey — who uttered the line, according to Matt Trevor, the assistant athletic media relations director at UM who handles hockey.
I apologize to Blashill — a total gentleman when he called — for the mix-up, and I appreciate his contacting me to set the record straight. It was a really nice moment after an intensely emotional game. The comment in the line, Hagelin sharing it in the spirit in which it was intended, Blashill’s phone call, Trevor clarifying — it all shows you how collegial this league is.
Girl Reporter awards, Part 2
Ladies and gentlemen, there’s a new decision regarding the award for Best Offensive Goalie. Last week, I said that MSU’s Drew Palmisano edged out UM’s Shawn Hunwick for this hardware, but I failed to take into account WMU’s Jerry Kuhn.
In fact, Jerry Kuhn is our Best Offensive Goalie for the 2010-11 season, having averaged .043 points per game. Palmisano averaged .040 PPG, and Hunwick .037.
Having examined all the stats again, however, I realize that I’ve missed a category deserving of an award: Most Penalized Goaltender.
With four penalties for eight minutes, Drew Palmisano is the inaugural Girl Reporter Most Penalized Goaltender. Henceforth — or until someone draws more than eight minutes — his name will grace this award, too.
Aniket Dhadphale Garbage Man Memorial Award
My plea for help with this award brought a lot of e-mail from Buckeyes fans about OSU senior Sergio Somma. With 10 power-play goals, Somma leads the league in the category and is tied for sixth in the nation. Most of these, I’m assured, have been of the trash-picking variety.
Congratulations, Sergio Somma!
Mike Comrie Most-Likely-to-Leave-Early Memorial Award
This year, there is a dearth of drafted, ready-to-go-pro talent among the underclassmen in the CCHA, so this one was hard. I had one nomination from a Nanooks fan, but I’m not sure the person nominated is someone likely to leave.
My pick is the player I was leaning toward last week: Bowling Green’s Jordan Samuels-Thomas. The sophomore from Windsor, Conn., has eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points in 31 games — three fewer goals and seven fewer total points than he had his rookie season in 35 games. He’s certainly a better team player this season than he was last year, but he still needs to work on his skating.
So why do I think he’s bound for glory? Because of Bowling Green. I think coach Chris Bergeron is doing an excellent job with what he inherited there, but that program has quite a way to go and the Atlanta Thrashers, who own the rights to Samuels-Thomas, may decide that he’d develop better somewhere else.
Ballot
My vote this week:
1. Boston College
2. North Dakota
3. Yale
4. Michigan
5. Denver
6. Union
7. Notre Dame
8. Merrimack
9. Miami
10. New Hampshire
11. Nebraska-Omaha
12. Minnesota-Duluth
13. Western Michigan
14. Maine
15. Rensselaer
16. Boston University
17. Colorado College
18. Minnesota
19. St. Cloud State
20. Wisconsin
Friday …
… I’ll preview the first-round CCHA series in my blog.
Need more misery from me? Tweet: @paulacweston. You can e-mail, too.
As playoffs dawn, Harvard may be finally finding its stride
Psst … it’s time. Wake up, grab some coffee and find your sweater: It’s the postseason, and everybody is back to square one.
Crimson climbing fast
Who’s the hottest team in the league entering the playoffs?
If you said Union, you’re totally right. On a 10-0-1 run, the Dutchmen are just stupid-good right now. But if you said Harvard, you wouldn’t be far off the mark. (Or you peeked at the section’s headline. Clever you.)
The Crimson is 5-1-1 in its last seven games, and only Union and Yale (6-1-1) enter the postseason on bigger rolls. Dead last only two weeks ago, Harvard is optimistic that the proper pieces have finally — if belatedly — fallen into place.
“There was a time when we just had to take responsibility for our record, but really say, ‘Hey, let’s try to regroup here, get ourselves playing the best hockey we can possibly play heading into the playoffs,'” said coach Ted Donato. “I think that’s what we did. The guys have responded. We’ve played good hockey for almost a month and a half now.”
The coach indicated an unlikely turning point for his team: a road sweep in the Capital District six weeks ago in which the Crimson scored only three goals.
“I think it was the weekend that we played at RPI and Union,” he said of the season’s pivotal weekend. “We actually lost both games — we lost at RPI 3-2 but outshot them 18-3 in the third period, and I think the shots were like 38-16 — and I think that even in a losing effort, we felt like maybe we had discovered something about how we needed to play. Then we came out the next night and played a very tough game against Union, and we had the lead until they tied it with about 10 minutes to go and then they won it with about a minute and a half to go, something like that.
“Those were two teams that were playing very well, they were two of the best teams in the country at home, and we went up there and played very well and we felt that we were getting the shots and getting the chances, and the puck just wasn’t going in the net. We had to find a way to create some more goals, some more offense. We were able to get our power play going, and it’s helped.”
Since that point, the Cambridge club is 6-4-1 and scored 30 goals despite being shut out at Yale and against Northeastern in the Beanpot opener.
“We’ve really battled to the front of the net, got some traffic there, got some pucks there, and maybe got away from trying to pass the puck into the net, so to speak,” Donato said. “We’re really trying to get to the dirty areas, to get more opportunities — to get pucks there, but also to get people there for rebounds. I think our power play has certainly been a big part of that as well.”
That power play is 11 for its last 35, scoring in five of Harvard’s last seven games, including 3-for-5 at Princeton and 3-for-4 at Cornell — both wins.
Team captains Michael Del Mauro and Chris Huxley and alternate Kyle Richter have been strong enough to keep the team steadily working in the face of massive disappointment.
“They did a great job in the face of adversity,” Donato said. “They kept the guys focused, they kept the attitude and the atmosphere in the locker room positive, and I think ultimately they created an environment that allowed us to have a little surge here at the end.”
The coach, captains and the rest of the team know that it’s in a funny place right now: A bottom-four team on a notable hot streak, traveling to one of the most remote venues in the league to play a Clarkson team it just beat seven days prior for a best-of-three, standings-out-the-window second season.
“It’s a brand new season,” Donato said. “We don’t have to lament on the fact that our regular season wasn’t where we wanted it to be. On the other side of it, it’s a whole new start for everybody. We’re playing on the road against a team that’s good at home, and it’s a long road to get to where we want to get to, but our guys are excited about the opportunity.”
One Crimson player who hasn’t been hungry for points is junior Alex Killorn, though I’m sure he’d love a few more, now and in the near future. With six goals in seven games and a league-high 4.62 shots per game this year, Killorn is a guy you just can’t keep off the puck.
“Alex continues to take his game higher and higher,” Donato said. “He’s a guy that we know every night’s going to be a concern for the other team. He’s got some physical tools, in his strength and size, but really his work ethic at both ends of the rink is something to me that has improved since the day he arrived, and even since the beginning of the season.
“I give him a lot of credit; I think he has been a big part of our surge at the end here. Every night, Alex is one of the best players in the game.”
One of Killorn’s greatest assets isn’t even part of his skill set — it’s sophomore teammate Danny Biega, a young blueliner with an eye for the flashing red light. A front-runner for ECAC Hockey’s defenseman of the year award (even if they call it the “defensive” defenseman of the year), Donato has even higher hopes for the third Biega through his system.
“To be honest with you, who knows how it’ll play out, but … you could make a case that [Biega] is the player of the year. If you look at the conference stats — which is really the only measuring stick, since we play less games than Union or RPI — first of all, I’m not sure when the last time was that a defenseman led his team in scoring. He was one of the league leaders in game-winning goals … he was probably [involved in] about 45 percent of our team scoring this season.
“From a points-per-game [standpoint], the percentage of the team’s offense, leading the team in scoring, the number of goals, the number of points, the number of game-winning goals, you can make a case that he could be player of the year. I understand that when your team finishes lower, you definitely get the short end of the stick, but to me, he absolutely should be the defenseman of the year. I don’t want to slight anybody else by that, but we certainly feel that way.”
As far as last weekend’s gut-check victory over the Golden Knights in Boston, Donato doesn’t see much point in reading between the lines.
“It gives us something to utilize, as far as a measuring stick, but we also recognize that it’s completely different,” he said. “We start from scratch. Clarkson gets to play from home. We won 3-1 with an empty-netter, and those kinds of games can go either way.
“But we’re excited about how we’re playing, and really our focus from here forward is to go out and play our game and dictate the way we want to play, and we have confidence that if we play that way, we’ll be able to find success. We have a great deal of respect for Clarkson, and the game we played this weekend — while it’s great to our confidence — it really has no bearing on the upcoming series.”
First-round ruminations
I’d make predictions, but where’s the fun in that? Gotta be patient and wait for my Friday picks!
No. 12 Colgate at No. 5 Rensselaer
The teams split 2-1 decisions, each losing at home. Colgate finished the season 4-2-1; RPI, 1-4-1 … not at all what we would’ve imagined a month ago. The Engineers had 18 goal-scorers in conference play this season, but would you believe that the Raiders had 17 of their own? While the ‘Tute is clearly the favorite in this matchup, it’s worth noting that the ‘Gate’s team defense has been better than its season average in five of its last seven games, while the Engineers offense has failed to meet its season average in 10 of its last 14 contests.
No. 11 St. Lawrence at No. 6 Princeton
The Tigers struck up a little mid-season sizzle with a 14-3-1 run between November and January, and it pretty much carried them into a home series despite a 4-6-1 ECAC record at Baker Rink. The run included 5-1 and 5-3 wins over SLU, as the Saints had pretty much nothing resembling any kind of streak whatsoever — SLU won consecutive league games only once, in a weekend home sweep of Cornell and Colgate in the first week of November. It may come down to a battle between rookies: The Saints’ Greg Carey against Princeton’s Andrew Calof and Sean Bonar. All three have been standouts this year.
No. 10 Harvard at No. 7 Clarkson
Nothing more to say about Harvard, except to mention that — to no one’s surprise, I’d imagine — senior Ryan Carroll is Donato’s default starting netminder, having won five straight starts with 12 goals against and a .933 save percentage during the streak. Clarkson looked like a serious contender until the holiday break threw ‘Tech off track: Once winners of six of seven, the Golden Knights lost 12 of 17 second-half tilts, allowing four goals or more 11 times, but scoring twice or less 10 times. Not good for the ol’ win-loss ratio.
No. 9 Brown at No. 8 Quinnipiac
Like so many of Quinnipiac’s opponents this season, Brown enjoyed a tie against the Bobcats. Twice, in fact. QU wrapped up the scheduled season 0-0-3, but looking farther back, you could say they were 0-3-5 before the closing bell … or, for that matter, 3-3-6, or 6-4-7, with nine overtime contests out of their last 15. In other words, they tied a lot. I suppose it’s a testament to their maturing defense and goaltending that the Q-Cats managed three points out of their last six games, seeing as they failed to score three goals in any of them, but goaltending — specifically sophomore Eric Hartzell — has been a pretty consistent strength for the Q all season long. Bruno was the league’s darling little rugrat at Thanksgiving, starting the campaign 3-2-3 and having just tied New Hampshire and Boston University on the road, but ended the season on a 7-12-2 slide. With top scorer Jack Maclellan out, that puts a lot of pressure on the much-discussed Harry Zolnierczyk to score more than he slashes (or trips, or charges, or cross-checks, or hooks …) in the postseason.
Player of the year
Thank you for your patience … so who will it be? Our devoted pack of amateur voters clearly favors Polacek, but do the numbers back that up?
RPI’s superstar actually finished tied with Yale’s Andrew Miller atop the league scoring ladder with 27 points in 22 games apiece, but beat the younger Miller in goals with 11. Miller blew Polacek out of the water with a plus-12 league plus/minus rating to Polacek’s meager plus-4, and spent less time in the sin bin (20 minutes for Polacek, 12 for Miller).
What of Brian O’Neill and Daniel Carr? Well, O’Neill finished third in the scoring hunt to the aforementioned duo with 12 goals and 25 points, sported a plus-11 rating and scored more power-play goals (six) than either Polacek (five) or Miller (four). Rookie Carr finished the regular season with 11 league goals, 16 points and six power-play goals as well, but managed only a plus-1 plus/minus in ECAC action.
Should we really knock out either Miller or O’Neill just because they’re teammates? Can the second-best player on one team actually be the second-best player in the league? Of course he can. So who should go? I’d say Carr is the obvious first cut, despite his outstanding season: His plus/minus just doesn’t indicate that he is an elite two-way player on a dominant team.
So how do we decide between Polacek and the Yalies? Well, we’ll have to flesh it out. Polacek accounted for about 15 percent of RPI’s points this season, both in and out of conference. Miller and O’Neill each made up a little more than a tenth of the Bulldogs’ production — between 11 and 12 percent, to be more specific. Polacek’s goals also comprised a larger percentage of his team’s total than Miller’s or O’Neill’s.
I will choose this point in the debate to say that I’d love to throw out all second assists and judge players by their true goal-scoring and play-making abilities, but I’m afraid that would just take way too long, so we’ll go with what we’ve got.
What we’ve got in the end is two players who may very well diminish each other’s achievements simply by playing together, though they combine to strengthen an indisputably intimidating team, and one player who doesn’t look as worthy head-to-head, but has meant significantly more to his team than either of the other two.
So my vote for player of the year — both here and to ECAC Hockey — goes to Chase Polacek of Rensselaer. The sincerest good luck to him and all other ECACers in the month ahead: May you bring back an award far more precious than anything I could come up with for a weekly column.
Boston College, New Hampshire on collision course to decide Hockey East title
We’re almost at the point of handing out postseason awards (see below). Before I even think of a player or coach who deserves an award, I think we have to recognize the folks at the Hockey East office who have, once again, assembled a schedule that will allow the league regular-season championship to be played out on the ice.
For the second straight year, Boston College and New Hampshire will face off in the final weekend series. The teams are separated by one point atop the league standings in what has turned into a two-horse race. The Wildcats have 38 points; the Eagles have 37. BC will host UNH on Friday night before traveling to Durham the next night.
Seriously, you couldn’t draw this up better with a crystal ball.
It’s been quite some time since UNH and BC played. The two squared off on Nov. 5, when Matt DiGirolamo made 31 saves in a 2-1 road win for the Wildcats. At that point in the season both clubs had unanswered questions.
Both teams had started slow by their own standards. UNH used that weekend as a springboard to success. BC stumbled in that game and then didn’t put things together completely until a month later when it swept BU.
But as we move into the final weekend of the regular season, both teams are playing very good hockey. The Eagles’ only loss in their last 11 was against a reinvigorated Northeastern team two weeks ago. UNH had a bump in the road a few weeks ago against Merrimack, but otherwise has been chugging along with consistent hockey.
Both teams admit, though, that after a long season they’re more than happy to be in a battle for the league title in the final weekend.
“It’s a unique situation that in the last weekend of the season we’ll determine where the trophy is going to go,” said BC coach Jerry York. “It’s been a long time since we’ve won the regular season.
“We acknowledge the fact we’re in a pennant race. We’ve held serve [to date] in the race and have played ourselves out of it. We’re excited by it.”
“It’s pretty exciting,” said UNH coach Dick Umile. “Here you are at the end of a long season, a very competitive one. And it comes down to the final game.”
Umile also acknowledges that the two teams are very different clubs since the Nov. 5 matchup.
“We’re a better team than we were then,” said Umile. “Kids have gotten better and improved. I’m sure Jerry [York] could say that about his guys.”
While many had high expectations for the Eagles coming off a national title and returning most key contributors, not as many were confident in New Hampshire. The Wildcats entered the season with a solid top offensive line that has performed to expectations, but untested depth, particularly in goal.
Though Umile isn’t overly surprised in his team’s success, he’s extremely pleased at the way things have come together over the past five months.
That begins in net with DiGirolamo, who was relegated to limited work heading into this season but proved his worth from the get-go and has led the Wildcats into the position they are in.
“You have to give [DiGirolamo] credit. He’s been tremendous,” said Umile. “He’s been so consistent all season and has given us an opportunity every night to win.”
While a regular season title will be the focus of both teams, UNH also has an additional concern for this weekend, and that’s solidifying its footing in the PairWise Rankings. The Wildcats struggle at times out of league and are much closer to the bubble than is comfortable for the team that perennially is a postseason contender.
“A win against a Boston College will help us tremendously [in the PairWise],” said Umile. “We need to win some more hockey games to solidify that we’re going to get to the NCAA tournament.”
For now, though, most everyone will be focused on the games at hand. Friday’s game will be televised on NESN Plus, as the Red Sox-Yankees spring training game will be on NESN — beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST.
And definitely get ready for some great hockey for, once again, this Hockey East race is the one to watch!
End-of-season hardware
With just a week left in the regular season, I’m going to go ahead and cast my vote for some of the key league awards. Understand, these are my selections solely and don’t reflect the opinion of my counterpart, Dave Hendrickson (maybe he’ll share his selections with you next week!).
So here we go:
Player of the year: Paul Thompson, New Hampshire
Runners-up: Joe Cannata, Merrimack; Gustav Nyquist, Maine; John Muse, Boston College
This honestly was the most difficult of the major awards for me to pick, as I think any of the four players I mentioned above can win the award. To me, Thompson was the offensive spark plug on a talented top line for the Wildcats. He did a great job of filling Bobby Butler’s shoes and is a major reason that the Wildcats are playing for the league title this weekend.
Rookie of the year: Charlie Coyle, Boston University
Runners-up: Brodie Reid, Northeastern; Michael Pereira, Massachusetts
Coyle lived up to all expectations for the Terriers and was consistent in his offensive production throughout the season. I think that Reid’s impact on Northeastern was strong but when it came down to it, Coyle to me is the rookie who made the biggest impact in league play.
Coach of the year: Mark Dennehy, Merrimack
Runner-up: Tim Whitehead, Maine
This award, to me, isn’t even a race. I think what Whitehead has done down the stretch to get his team tuned up for the playoffs is impressive, but Dennehy’s team has consistently achieved greatness throughout the year, reaching a number of major program milestones along the way.
All-Hockey East first team
G: Joe Cannata, Merrimack
D: David Warsofsky, Boston University
D: Brian Dumoulin, Boston College
F: Paul Thompson, New Hampshire
F: Cam Atkinson, Boston College
F: Gustav Nyquist, Maine
All-Hockey East second team
G: John Muse, Boston College
D: Blake Kessel, New Hampshire
D: Jeff Dimmen, Maine
F: Stephane Da Costa, Merrimack
F: Wade MacLeod, Northeastern
F: Brian Gibbons, Boston College
All-rookie team
G: Dan Sullivan, Maine
D: Adam Clendening, Boston University
D: Anthony Bitetto, Northeastern
F: Charlie Coyle, Boston University
F: Brodie Reid, Northeastern
F: Michael Pereira, Massachusetts
