Gallery: Salve Regina at Wentworth

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February 18, 2011

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Playoff campaign

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February 18, 2011

Suddenly, coaches have started speaking in code, player body parts are now only referred to as upper and lower hemispheres, and if someone is clutching so much as a rabbit’s foot for a measure of good luck, not even Wikileaks is going to find out about it.

Yes, the playoffs are here.

This weekend, the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association’s Peters Cup playoffs commence with all seven teams vying for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. First-place and No. 2 St. Norbert gets a first-round bye, leaving the remaining six schools to slog it out this weekend.

In the first round, teams play each other twice at the higher seed’s home with a 20-minute mini-game immediately following Saturday’s game if there is a split.

“I think all of the series this weekend (it’s) flip a coin,” said Wisconsin-Stevens Point coach Wil Nichol, whose No. 4-seeded team hosts No. 5-seed Wisconsin-Eau Claire Friday and Saturday. “They are very tough match-ups.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if the visiting teams win and it wouldn’t surprise me if the home teams win.

In other series, No. 7 St. Scholastica travels to No. 2 Wisconsin-Superior while No. 6 Wisconsin-River Falls is at No. 3 Wisconsin-Stout. Winners advance to the semifinals, with the lowest remaining seed facing St. Norbert and the second-highest seeds meeting in the other semi the weekend of Feb. 25-27.

Peaks and valleys earmaked all six quarterfinals entries’ regular seasons. UW-Stevens Point (12-12-1, 8-9-1) enters post-season as one of the hotter squads.

The Pointers were 8-2-1 after the new year, reversing a horrendous early-season spell when the team lost nine of 10 games.

A pair of home losses to No. 2 St. Norbert Nov. 12-13 commenced the downward spiral, which hit its nadir in a 6-1 drubbing at Oswego in the Pathfinder-Bank Oswego Hockey Classic Dec. 31. Senior defenseman Garrett Suter leads the team with 20 points on six goals and 14 assists.

“Looking back at it now, (the St. Norbert losses) created a hangover that took us quite awhile to come out of,” said Nichol, who announced in January he is leaving at season’s end for an unspecified job with an NHL team. “We also believe everything happens for a reason.

“This team, I think is dangerous because they really have seen everything this season: The highs, the lows. They’ve come from behind and they’ve blown teams out.

“There’s not a lot of situations that will rattle them. That’s going to make us a dangerous team in the playoffs.”

UW-Stevens Point’s playoff opponent also encountered a few “hiccups” during the regular campaign, Blugolds Coach Matt Loen said.

UW-Eau Claire (14-10-1, 8-9-1) was struggling during a 0-3-1 stretch before sophomore goalie Brandon Stephenson backstopped his team to consecutive 3-0 shutout victories over St. Scholastica and UW-Superior Feb. 11-12. Sophomore Jordan Singer (13 goals, 16 assists, 29 points) posted a career upfront.
The Pointers blasted the Blugolds, 6-1, in their last encounter Jan. 28.

“That was one of our worst games this year,” said Loen, who was selected as NCHA Coach of the Year this week. “Hopefully our guys remember that and respond.”

Like UW-Eau Claire, UW-River Falls is banking on a hot netminder in its series with host UW-Stout (15-10, 10-8). Freshman Scott Lewan stopped 32 shots in a 1-0 shutout victory over UW-Superior Jan. 28, which kick-started a four-game winning streak.

Lewan (6-7-1, 2.49 goals-against, .918 save-percentage) was named to All-NCHA Honorable Mention this week. The Falcons lost 3-1 to St. Norbert and drew 1-1 UW-Stevens Point to close out the regular season Feb. 11-12.

UW-River Falls will need some freshmen magic, as goals have been hard to come by. Junior Justin Brossman (12-11-23) and senior Josh Calleja (8-12-20) lead the Falcons offensively.

“Both of those guys would tell you they’ve had slow starts, but they are starting to come on now in the second half, which has really helped us,” UW-River Falls coach Steve Freeman said. “They’ve provided most of the offense we’ve had.

“That’s a problem when you only have a couple of guys because other teams can watch and check them pretty closely.”

UW-River Falls’ hosts boast one of the NCHA’s top pointmen in Brendan Gay (16-16-32) whose offensive pyrotechnics are complemented by freshman standout Kevin O’Donnell (8-14-22).

Starting goalie Tom Lescovich posted back-to-back shutouts against UW-Superior, 1-0, on Jan. 29 and UW-Eau Claire, 2-0, on Feb. 3. The goose eggs highlighted a 4-1 run by the Blue Devils entering the post-season.

Lescovich (12-6, 2.74 GAA, .924 save-pct.) is fully recovered from an injury that prevented coach Terry Watkins from using him in consecutive games.

“Let’s just call it an upper body injury,” Watkins said.

No. 2-seed UW-Superior and No. 7 St. Scholastica both enter the playoffs on a troubling note. The Yellowjackets (13-11-1, 10-8-1) were shutout in four of the last regular-season contests during a bleak 1-6 stretch.

In its lone win, UW-Superior defeated its playoff foe, St. Scholastica, 4-1, on the road Feb. 10.
Freshman goalie Drew Strandberg (7-8-1, 2.30 GAA, .913 save-pct.), who was named to the NCHA’s All-Rookie team this week, continues to be UW-Superior’s beacon. The team is led offensively by Justin Faryna (11-10-21) and Talon Berlando (8-13-21).

St. Scholastica (9-15-1, 4-14) has lost eight of its nine games.

NCHA awards
St. Norbert’s senior netminder B.J. O’Brien was selected by coaches as the NCHA’s Player of the Year. O’Brien led the conference in goals-against (1.60), save percentage (.931) and wins (14) while amassing a 17-2-1 overall record. The Lakeville, Minn., native’s superlative campaign included three shutouts.

O’Brien’s player of the year selection highlighted an award-winning season for the Green Knights, who had five players selected to the All-NCHA first team. Along with O’Brien, other St. Norbert all-conference players included forwards Brandon Longley and Johan Ryd and defensemen Mike Bernady and Nick Tabisz.

For Tabiz, it was his fourth-consecutive all-conference team selection. Bernardy and O’Brien were also named all-conference in 2009-10.

Others named to this year’s all-conference team included Talon Berlando, senior forward at UW-Superior, Justin Faryna, a sophomore forward at UW-Superior, Jordan Singer, a sophomore forward at UW-Eau Claire, Jeff Forsythe, a freshman defenseman at UW-Superior, Bryce Wilcox, a sophomore defenseman at UW-Eau Claire, and Tom Lescovich, a sophomore goaltender at UW-Stout.

UW-Eau Claire’s Matt Loen was selected by his peers as NCHA Coach of the Year. On his watch, the Blugolds finished 14-10-1 and posted a commendable 6-3-1 mark against ranked opponents.

A break “Houk” season for the Continentals

By Tim Costello

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February 18, 2011

Alphabetically and every other way, a look at the top of the standings in the NESCAC finds Hamilton atop the conference and looking to stay there through the final weekend of the regular season.

“One of our goals this season was to earn a home-ice slot for the playoffs,” said third-year coach Norm Bazin. “We certainly know that if you don’t take care of your own business that you can drop a lot of spots based on how tight the race is and just how competitive the league is. Points are precious this time of year, so we are focused on playing our game, being prepared to get off the bus after a long ride and play Friday night against a quality opponent in UMass-Boston. They are playing for something too, so I expect a very competitive game and weekend, including Saturday’s game at Babson.”

This year’s edition of the Hamilton Continentals features a lot of balance in their scoring, as 16 different players have tallied goals and nine players have double digit points so far this season. Add in the outstanding play of sophomore defenseman Joe Houk, and you have a recipe for success on the ice.

Houk leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and 12 assists for 28 points, including three power-play goals and two game-winners for the Continentals. He has been the clear offensive leader from his position on the blue line, and showcases the team’s ability to score more in five-on-five situations than with the man advantage. No doubt his teammates and his coach are big fans of his performance this season.

“Joe doesn’t quite have the experience or finished game that Kyle [Shearer-Hardy] has at Bowdoin, but he really has had a great season so far,” said Bazin. “He really has been a big part of our offense all season and leads the team, but we really don’t rely on one line or a couple of players to score goals. We have been getting contributions each night from a lot of different players, so I don’t expect things will be different coming into the playoffs wherever we finish in the standings.”

Hamilton’s coach likes to break the season into segments for the team to focus on specifically, and a particular five-game segment in late December and early January was really the jumping off point for the success that has the team battling for first place overall.

“We specifically had a five-game section against some very tough opponents starting with the Oswego Holiday Tournament identified as a key number of games that would help determine what we could be if we had success in those match-ups,” said Bazin. “We went 2-1-2 overall in the five games, and that included wins a big win against Oswego in the opening round of their tournament, a tough loss to Hobart the next night, and then taking points against two teams we usually don’t have success against in Middlebury and Williams. The tie with Amherst really was important because we went on the road for a midweek game and rallied from a 4-1 deficit late in the second period to gain a point with a 4-4 tie. I really think that that five-game segment was when our team realized that we could be competitive with anyone and that we needed to stay focused and play our game every night to have a chance to win in each game.”

Another aspect of the upcoming road trip this weekend that bears mention is the performance by the Continentals away from home so far this season. While posting a 3-3-3 record at home this season, the quirk of the schedule has found a great imbalance in home vs. away games for Hamilton. This final weekend will be games 14 and 15 away from home, where the team has an excellent 9-3-1 record to date. In fact, since the win at Oswego, Hamilton is 7-1-1 overall in the second half away from the friendly confines of Sage Rink.

“I really attribute our ability to play well on the road to our seniors and their leadership,” noted Bazin. “There are things that are tough to do, and getting off the bus after long rides and then play a game right away is a challenge for every team, but some of our bus rides are a little longer. The upperclassmen have certainly put everyone on the same page in terms of preparation and doing the right things for us to be able to have success on Friday nights and then quickly put that game behind us and get mentally ready for the quick turnaround that is the Saturday afternoon game. We have had a couple of those guys out the past couple of weeks, but we hope to be getting them back either this weekend or next week in the first round of the playoffs, which is the only thing we have guaranteed at this point.”

With just four points separating the top seven teams in the conference, this weekend will be very much a playoff atmosphere for teams looking to move or stay in the home ice positions. In fact only three points separate first from sixth, so any points are very valuable ones with just two games.

“Everyone is focused on getting points now,” said Bazin. “But how close this is now shows how important any points are from the first half as well. I have been asked if I am disappointed with ties like we had with Middlebury and Amherst and my response is “no”. We are happy with any points against the competition in this league, and certainly it’s a part of the reason we have a chance to play for the top spot this weekend. You really need to treat February like it is the playoffs. It is an abrupt end to the season when everyone wants to keep playing. Wherever we finish, we want to build on our improved play in the tournament. This is a really fun group and they enjoy playing with each other so hopefully we will be playing some hockey in March.”

Another welcome return will be senior Scott Heffernan, who leads Hamilton’s goaltenders with 16 games played and 11 wins while posting a .909 save percentage and 2.52 goals-against-average. He was out of the lineup for two weeks, and his return will give Hamilton a senior presence at the most important point of the season.

Friday night starts the fireworks, and if you don’t like the standings now, check them out on Saturday morning; guaranteed there will be some changes. No margin for error now — drop the puck!

Last Weekend

By Russell Jaslow

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February 17, 2011

In October, everyone had dreams. Fans were hopeful, players were eager, coaches were strategizing. Now, it’s February, and in just one weekend, the regular season will come to an end. Some dreams have already been shattered. Others are still within reach. Players will have to dig deep to find that second reserve. Coaches are making their final adjustments.

There are still plenty of possibilities to come out of this weekend. The tiebreakers are head-to-head record, conference wins, head-to-head goal differential, conference goal differential, coin flip.

The only team that can catch Geneseo is Morrisville, since the Ice Knights win a tiebreaker against Buffalo State. Geneseo also wins the tiebreaker against Morrisville…unless Geneseo ties its last two games and Morrisville sweeps theirs. Then Morrisville takes second place based on the second criteria of more conference wins. If there is a three-way tie, it’s the same situation. Buffalo State losses out on all accounts.

Now, if Buffalo State ties Morrisville for third place, then it all depends on its game this Friday, since they tied their first meeting.

There are almost limitless combinations when you throw Plattsburgh into the mix with Morrisville and Buffalo State, especially since there are so many different ways a tie could occur. Suffice it to say, in two-way ties, Plattsburgh currently has the edge over Morrisville on head-to-head goal differential, which means ties this weekend can change the tiebreaker situation. Buffalo State has the edge over the Cardinals on head-to-head record. In a three-way tie, again the Buffalo State-Morrisville game plays a key role.

Bottom line? Do what I always do — wait for the games to be played out and then look at the standings. It’s so much easier and a lot less stress…

Meanwhile, individually within conference play only, Bryan Ross of Fredonia currently leads the scoring race (8-14-22) by two points over teammate Jordan Oye and Oswego’s Ian Boots. Plattsburgh’s Dylan Clarke has the most goals with 10, as well as power-play goals with seven, while Buffalo State’s Nick Petriello has the most assists with 15.

Zachary Vit of Geneseo is running away with the freshman scoring (7-11-18), leading by six points. Paul Beckwith has the best goals against average (1.99) with the first place team, and Adrian Rubeniuk has the top saves percentage (.930) for the second place team. The margins, however, are extremely slim.

Game of the Week
No doubt, the one game that has the most significant impact on the standings is Buffalo State at Morrisville. They are currently tied for third place, but this is Buffalo State’s last game. Fredonia has one more the next day against Fredonia.

To repeat what Brian Grady said last week, “This is unfamiliar territory for us. The opportunity that we tell the team is we can host here. That’s a huge, huge advantage for us. That’s certainly something we talk about.”

The last few years saw a couple of teams host a playoff game for the first time ever — Buffalo State and then Brockport. Now, Morrisville attempts to do the same. It would be a huge step up for this very young program which has consistently gotten better each and every year.

The last time these teams played, Morrisville had a 3-0 lead in the third period, only to have the Bengals score three power -lay goals for the tie. With the pressure ratcheted up, will the Mustangs hold up this time?

If Buffalo State wins, the Bengals will win any tiebreaker with Morrisville. If the game ends in a tie, the advantage goes to Morrisville with more conference wins.

Buffalo State would love to get back to hosting a playoff game. The last and only time they did, they lost a thrilling double overtime contest to Fredonia. The Bengals probably feel they have unfinished business on their home ice.

They are playing well lately after faltering since December. They have won three of their last four games, and their last meeting with Morrisville proved they are not to be written off if trailing late in the game.

This is also a great goaltending battle between the senior, Caylin Relkoff, and the freshman, Kevin Carr.

Of course, they could both end up hosting a first round game. Or, perhaps nothing will be settled, and they will face each other again on Wednesday, site to be determined.

I’m going to go with the home team with the senior goaltender.

Other Picks
Thanks to upsets, I had my worst week yet at 3-4, making my overall mark 86-29-9 (.730).

Morrisville hosts Fredonia the next day. The Mustangs seem to have the Blue Devils’ number lately. Plus, I don’t think Morrisville will allow this golden opportunity to slip by. Take Morrisville in the sweep. Though ironically, if this happens, it will be a repeat of last year in the opposite manner.

Last year, Fredonia beat Morrisville in the last game of the season, forcing a rematch in the first round of the playoffs at Fredonia. This year, Morrisville could beat Fredonia in the last game of the season, thus forcing a rematch in the first round of the playoffs at Morrisville. Last year, the road team came back and won the game. Perhaps a bad omen for Morrisville.

The other Friday games, on paper, are mismatches. Thus, I’ll go the easy route — Oswego over Brockport, Geneseo over Cortland, and Plattsburgh over Potsdam.

Saturday is a bit tougher, with a match up at the top of the standings and one at the bottom. Though Brockport beat Geneseo last week, I still like the way Cortland is playing lately, so I’ll take the Red Dragons in this one on their home ice.

Geneseo visits Oswego. Somehow, I don’t think Ed Gosek is going to allow his team to relax this weekend. In a hard fought contest, take the Lakers.

The End is nigh

By Scott Biggar

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February 17, 2011

The regular season winds up this weekend. While every team is still playing for something, clarity has come to the regular season standings and the upcoming playoff picture.

It has been a wild ride again this season. With only five teams in the league, each team’s schedules have been composed of a 50/50 mix of league and nonconference games. That has led to some interesting dichotomies and comparison of records between the two types of games.

Manhattanville is probably the most glaring example. The Valiants earned a stellar 12-0-1 record in nonconference games, including knocking off nationally-ranked Norwich and Adrian by a combined 11-3 in the same weekend. The only blemish on the record was a tie against Williams, also nationally ranked.

However, Manhattanville has been clobbered in league games. The Valiants are 2-8 heading into the final weekend of play, with the only victories coming at Hobart and at Neumann. Manhattanville is 0-4 at home in league play.

Hobart is in similar shape, going 10-2-1 outside the league but 3-6-1 inside. The Statesmen beat Oswego, Hamilton and Wisconsin-Stevens Point, but have been swept by Utica.

Elmira is at the other end of the spectrum, winning the regular season title in the league with an 8-2 record, but struggling through a 7-3-3 mark in nonconference play.

Go figure!
Elmira clinched the regular season title with a shutout sweep of Hobart last weekend. It is the fourth straight regular season title for the Soaring Eagles. The title assures Elmira home rink advantage throughout the upcoming ECAC West playoffs.

Neumann also swept Utica last weekend, and that has given the Knights a one-point lead over the Pioneers for second place in the league. These two teams will battle for second place this weekend, as both play at Elmira.

Neumann faces the Soaring Eagles first on Friday night. If the Knights can earn a tie or win, they will clinch second place in the standings because they own the head-to-head tiebreaker against Utica.

Finishing in second place gains the team a home playoff game in the semifinal round of the league playoffs.

Further down the standings, Hobart and Manhattanville are playing for fourth place, with the prize being the right to host the play-in game next Wednesday.

Hobart holds the upper hand as the teams face-off for a pair of games this weekend at Playland Ice Casino. The Statesmen currently hold a three -point lead on Manhattanville and only need to gain two points somehow this weekend, from a win or a pair of ties, to clinch fourth place.

Looking farther ahead, all five teams in the league are also battling for NCAA bids.

As would be expected, regular season champion Elmira is in the best shape of all the ECAC West teams for a Pool B bid. Unless the Soaring Eagles stumble badly this weekend and in the league playoffs, they almost certainly have the bid sewn up.

Utica and Hobart both have strong shots at Pool C bids. Utica seemed a lock just a week ago, but being swept by Neumann has weakened its case somewhat. Utica can’t afford another weekend like that if it wants to extend its season beyond the league playoffs.

Given the NCAA East Region rankings this week, Hobart is also looking good for a Pool C bid, but just like Utica, the sweep the Statesmen suffered last weekend has made their hopes somewhat tenuous. Another sweep this weekend at the hands of Manhattanville might prove disastrous.

Neumann’s sweep of Utica last weekend has raised them into consideration for a Pool C bid, but they are on the outside looking in right now. The Knights’ case is slightly weaker than Utica’s and Hobart’s because the Knights went 6-3-4 in nonconference play.

Manhattanville is playing for the league playoff title, and not much more, unless they win out through the league playoffs. Even then, the chips would have to fall perfectly in other leagues around college hockey for the Valiants to climb high enough to gain a Pool C bid.

Every team in the league has something to play for as the final weekend of the regular season arrives. Whether it is trying to earn a home playoff game or solidifying a NCAA resume, there is still a lot on the line for everyone.

ECAC West Weekly Awards
Co-Players of the Week: Jesper Strale (Fr.) — Elmira. Strale scored three goals in as Elmira swept Hobart. In game one, Strale scored the game’s opening goal in a 3-0 win. In the second game, Strale scored the game’s opening goal and then notched his second of the game late in the second period. Elmira went on to win 4-0.

Goaltender of the Week: Darren McDonald (So.) –Elmira. MacDonald earned a pair of ECAC West wins as Elmira took on the Statesmen of Hobart College. In the first game, MacDonald made 21 saves in a 3-0 win and followed it up with a 32-save effort in a 4-0 win at home against Hobart.

Rookie of the Week: Michael Rey — Neumann. Rey scored two goals in a 5-1 win over No. 10 Utica on Friday evening. The freshman scored the fourth and fifth goals of the game, one coming on the power play, to seal the win.

USCHO.com Hobey Watch 2011 Podcast, Episode 5: Scott Sandelin

By USCHO Podcasts

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February 17, 2011

USCHO.com’s Jim Connelly and Ed Trefzger are joined by Minnesota-Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin for a look at four Hobey Baker hopefuls from the WCHA: forwards Jack Connolly and Mike Connolly from Sandelin’s Bulldogs, Wisconsin defenseman Justin Schultz and North Dakota goaltender Aaron Dell.

Penultimate Picks 2/18/11

By Chris Lerch

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February 17, 2011

Last week: 4-7-1
On the season: 89-59-22 (.588)

While Rochester Institute of Technology has locked up first place, the other 11 positions in Atlantic Hockey are still up for grabs, with some key series ahead.

Thursday, February 17 and Saturday, February 19
Niagara vs. Canisius – The Battle for the Bridge series may also determine the remaining bye in the west pod. Canisius can play spoiler if it can knock off its local rival. Niagara won 6-5 in overtime earlier this season. I think they’ll sweep. Niagara 4, Canisius 3; Niagara 4, Canisius 2.

Friday, February 18 and Saturday, February 19
American International vs. Army – This series may decide a home ice playoff game in the east pod. Friday’s game is at Tate rink and Saturday’s is outdoors at Rentchler Field in East Hartford. I’m picking Army to sweep. Army 3, AIC 2; Army 4, AIC 3.

Connecticut vs. Bentley – This series will go a along way in deciding a first-round bye in the east pod. The Falcons trail the Huskies by two points. I think it will stay that way. Bentley 4, UConn 2; UConn 5, Bentley 3.

Air Force at Mercyhurst – Air Force leads Mercyhurst by two points, and both teams trail Robert Morris and Niagara for the remaining west pod bye. One team needs to sweep the other to stay in contention. I think the Lakers rise to the occasion. Mercyhurst 3, Air Force 1; Mercyhurst 4, Air Force 2.

Friday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20

Sacred Heart vs. Holy Cross – Holy Cross can lock up a bye with a win. I think they’ll do one better than that. Holy Cross 4, Sacred Heart 2. Holy Cross 5, Sacred Heart 3.

Saturday, February 18

RIT at Robert Morris – The Tigers won the first two meetings between the teams, but both games went down to the wire. RMU needs this one more than RIT. RMU 3, RIT 2.

Guest Analyst

This week’s guest picker is Sean Baxter, a long time Army fan. Here are his unedited selections:

Niagara vs Canisius- with a home and home and Canisius getting handed to RIT on a silver platter last week i do think Canisius will score a goal this week just not enough to get more than 2 points. I’m going with Canisius winning on home ice 3-2 and Niagara winning on their home ice 4-1

Holy Cross vs Sacred Heart- with Sacred Heart giving up the most goals in the league by a wide margin and with Holy Cross holding Army to 1 goal last weekend and winning 6 straight games and rocketing up the standings and Sacred Heart loosing their last 3 and with just 4 total victories this year this weekend brings more of the same Holy Cross wins on home ice 4-0 then at Sacred Heart 3-1.

AIC vs Army- well at least for AIC they aren’t the worst team in the league anymore the sad part for me is Army is the team in front of them and after getting blown out at Holy Cross last weekend I think Army rebounds with a Black Knight victory at tate rink Friday night 5-2 but the outdoors game is closer it could go either way and even a tie but I’m gonna go with Army 2-1 and making up ground in the chase for the 2nd first round bye from the east pod.

UConn vs Bentley- the battle for the 2nd first round bye from the east pod continues with Uconn coming off a 0-7-1 stretch and winning 3 of their last 4 but Friday night at Bentley they fall 3-2 but rebounding on home ice Saturday night winning 3-1.

Air Force at Mercyhurst- this one is a hard one to judge they both have given up the roughly the same amount of goals and have scored roughly the same amount of goals plus similar records it could go either way and with 2 high scoring teams I think it will all come down to goaltending and Mercyhurst goalie Ryan Zapolski has definitely got the edge there. I’m going out on a limb here and saying Mercyhurst sweeps the weekend they win 5-3 Friday night and 4-2 Saturday night

RIT at Robert Morris- what can you say about RIT that hasn’t been said already? last years incredible frozen four run and last weekend they wrapped up their 4th AHA regular season title in 5 years lead by stellar goaltending in a still unbeaten Shane Madolora who is 2nd in Division I with 5 shutouts and leads Division I in GAA and save percentage. However I think Nathan Longpre will have a big say in this game with Robert Morris 8-1-3 at home and with RIT coming off back to back shutouts its a close call but with RIT not playing for anything now that they have wrapped up the regular season title. I wouldn’t be shocked if Madolora sits this game so he can rest for the playoffs but even if he does play I think Robert Morris wins 4-3.

Check back Monday and see how Sean and I did.

More composed Madolora on the rise for RIT

By Chris Lerch

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February 17, 2011

Rochester Institute of Technology goaltender Shane Madolora’s first start this season was a baptism by fire. Struggling with an ankle injury, the sophomore was competing in what was then a three-goalie rotation to see who would fill the shoes of the departed Jared DeMichiel. In front of a record 10,556 fans at Rochester’s Blue Cross Arena, Madolora allowed the game-tying goal with a second left on the clock.

Sophomore Goalie Shane Madolora absorbs the spotlight before the game at Ritter Arena, in Rochester, New York. (Dylan Heuer) — Shane Madolora has taken the spotlight in goal for Rochester Institute of Technology (photo: Dylan Heuer).

“Some of the goals I let in [in that game] were saves I make every day,” he said. “It was frustrating but I knew I would get better.”

Did he ever. Last weekend, Madolora posted back-to-back shutouts, his fourth and fifth of the season, to lead the Tigers to a sweep of Canisius and the Atlantic Hockey regular season title.

Madolora now leads all Division I goalies in save percentage (.938), goals-against average (1.82) and winning percentage (.850). He’s yet to lose a game in net (14-0-6) this season.

Madolora’s rise has been dramatic. RIT coach Wayne Wilson stuck with a two- (and sometimes three-) goalie rotation until the middle of December. Madolora posted a shutout at American International on Dec. 3, but then yielded the starting spot the next night as usual. But the following weekend at Mercyhurst, things changed.

“Coach had mentioned the week before that he was looking for someone to step up,” said Madolora. “That it was getting to be the time in the season where he was ready to settle on one guy.

“I had a shutout the week before at AIC. I played pretty well [in a 4-2 win against Mercyhurst on Friday] and coach told me I would be playing the next night.”

Madolora claimed the starting job with a 42-save performance for another 4-2 win and has since started every game with the exception of a non-conference tilt against Merrimack on New Year’s Day. He’s since posted four more shutouts, including three in his last four starts. Those games have put him on top of the national charts.

“I’ve kind of been following [the statistics] off and on,” he said. “People have been mentioning it to me and it’s an honor with so many great goalies in Division I.”

RIT is undefeated in its last 11 contests, and hasn’t lost in conference play in 15 games. That’s made comparisons to last year’s record-breaking season inevitable.

“It’s not the same team and I think it took us a while [to jell]”, said Madolora. “This year, you could see in the early games at [Nebraska-] Omaha that our offense had a lot of skill. But we had lost a lot on D with the seniors and Chris Tanev [who signed with Vancouver after his freshman season]. And of course DeMikes [DeMichiel]. So it took us a while to develop.”

Madolora has worked on keeping his cool. He’s calmer in net than he was during limited action last year and the start of this season. Lately he’s been happy to skate away from confrontations, including last weekend, when some Canisius players tried to get in his head.

“There were a couple of times this year where the coaches told me I had to calm down and that I was losing concentration,” he said. “I’m getting better at this as I get older. I’m trying to keep a level head and focus on the shot.”

Madolora is glad to be able to focus on school and playing hockey after a junior career that saw the Salinas, Calif., native making many stops. So many, in fact, that it hurt his chances to play college hockey.

“I had been playing all over,” he said. “My last season [of juniors] I was in Omaha [with the Lancers of the USHL]. Some schools were interested but I got denied by the NCAA [clearinghouse] because my high school transcripts were from all over, California, Texas, Portland [Ore.]. They didn’t fit together and I was short a science credit and had to sit out a year. The schools talking to me didn’t want to wait.

“That summer I was working at a camp in Stockton [Calif.] and it was run by [former RIT player] Matt Thomas. He called RIT. They had been looking at me off and on but then got interested. Coach Wilson said, ‘We can wait'”.

And for the Tigers, the wait was worth it.

Around the league

Check out the most recent edition of the Atlantic Hockey blog for each team’s playoff possibilities entering the penultimate weekend of the regular season.

To supplement the playoff hunt, here’s this week’s set of miscellaneous factoids from around the AHA:

• Air Force has literally been working overtime lately. The Falcons have played extra hockey on five of their last seven games. They’re 0-2-3 in those contests. Air Force’s last nine games have been decided by a goal or less. The Falcons are 3-3-3 in those games.

• Air Force senior Jacques Lamoureux scored his 55th goal in league play last Saturday, tying him with Owen Meyer (Army, 2010) for the all-time league record.

• Connecticut goaltender Garrett Bartus has made 902 saves this season, tops in Division I. He’s made 30 or more saves 20 times this season.

• Holy Cross has won six games in a row and the Crusaders’ 12 league victories are the most since the 2006 season, when Holy Cross went to the NCAA quarterfinals.

• Robert Morris senior Nathan Longpre needs one more point to become the most prolific scorer in school history. Longpre is tied with Chris Margott (2009) with 136 career points.

• The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston has announced 15 semifinalists for the 59th annual Walter Brown Award, presented to the “best American-born player in New England.” Holy Cross sophomore Rob Linsmayer is on the list. Linsmayer leads the Crusaders in scoring with 10 goals and 20 assists. The winner will be announced in April.

Show of mettle invites question: How good is Northeastern?

By Jim Connelly

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February 17, 2011

With three weeks left in the regular season, I’m left with a puzzling question that I’ve had a difficult time answering: How good is Northeastern?

In days prior to the Beanpot, which saw NU advance to the championship game and put up six goals, only to lose to No. 1 Boston College, which netted its seventh tally in overtime, I wrote a feature that intimated the fact that Northeastern could be a dark horse in this year’s Beanpot. I think even I couldn’t truly believe how close I would be to being right.

The visiting Merrimack College Warriors defeated the Northeastern University Huskies 4-3 (OT) on Friday, February 4, 2011, at Matthews Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. (Melissa Wade) — Northeastern might not get a home-ice spot for the Hockey East playoffs, but it is showing that it'll be a tough out (photo: Melissa Wade).

Now, after the Huskies proved their mettle among its Boston brethren, I am once again left asking myself the question: How good is Northeastern?

Though mathematically it’s not finalized, it’s highly unlikely that Northeastern can get a home-ice spot in the Hockey East playoffs. But if I’m Boston College, New Hampshire, Merrimack or Boston University, do I really want to look out on the ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals and see Northeastern? Right now, my gut is probably not.

Forget that Northeastern has played well of late. Things couldn’t get much lower than the first half of the season for the Huskies.

Look instead at what kind of a playoff team Northeastern has been. The club has made the playoffs twice in the last three years. Three years ago, the Huskies played Vermont tough at home, forcing a decisive third game. Vermont went on to reach the Hockey East finals. Two years ago, Northeastern reached the Garden and lost a heartbreaker to an upstart Massachusetts-Lowell team. In the NCAA tournament that season, the Huskies were minutes away from reaching the regional final in their first appearance since 1994.

My take on that is this is a pretty good playoff team coached by a pretty darn good playoff coach. A lot of people could take the other side of the argument and say that Greg Cronin isn’t able to win the big game. That could be justified. Twice Cronin was minutes away from big wins (2009 Hockey East semis, 2009 NCAA regional) and twice Cronin has gotten his team to what he still portrays as the biggest game his team will play, the Beanpot final. In all of these games it has been close but no cigar.

But Cronin is, more than anything, a battle-tested coach. International festivals, NHL playoffs, Frozen Fours — Cronin has either led or been part of the staffs that have played at these levels. That experience alone is beneficial and gives Northeastern an edge.

Earlier this week, I made a rare trip to the USCHO.com Fan Forum and read a thread that was titled “Cronin Must Go.” It was one of the most poorly-assembled arguments I’ve ever read for why a coach should be replaced. Thankfully, the majority of the NU faithful supported their coach against what seemed like a lone opinion.

I think that Cronin’s peers in Hockey East would also say this is a bench boss who has done wonders for this program. I know right now many would prefer that the club would’ve taken one additional major step forward Monday night. But down the stretch, I’m pretty convinced that Northeastern has both the players and the head coach to be oh so dangerous in the opening round of the Hockey East playoffs.

Crunching the numbers

Maybe I’m a little over-inspired by watching Watson, the supercomputer that is running over the “Jeopardy!” field this week, but I decided to try to assemble a formula to predict the final Hockey East standings.

Because each of the three remaining weekends will see all games played in two-game series, I came up with the following formula to predict the number of points each team will receive:

• If the teams are separated by 0-3 points: Each team will get two points in the series.

• If the teams are separated by 4-7 points: The team with the higher point total will receive 3 of 4 points.

• If the teams are separated by 8 or more points: The team with the higher point total will sweep.

I will save all of you the boring math by showing the results only. Using the above formula, the standings would be:

1. New Hampshire — 42 points
Boston College — 42 points
3. Merrimack — 40 points
4. Boston University — 39 points
5. Maine — 31 points
6. Northeastern — 21 points
7. Vermont — 17 points
8. Providence — 15 points
Massachusetts — 15 points
10. Massachusetts-Lowell — 8 points

There would be two major tiebreakers in these results:

• New Hampshire would take the No. 1 seed over BC with either a 2-1-0 record or a 1-0-2 record (only possible records if BC and UNH split the final weekend series, as my formula says they would).

• Providence would take the No. 8 seed (and final playoff spot) by virtue of a 1-0-2 record over Massachusetts.

Now, there is one thing that this formula doesn’t take into account, and that is home-ice advantage. In home-and-home series, that’s irrelevant. But when Maine and Vermont either travel for or host two-game series, I think home ice is usually worth one of the four points in those series.

Believe it or not, that would have some major standings impact with New Hampshire traveling to Vermont this weekend and UMass hosting Maine on the final weekend of the season.

So taking into account home ice, my “formulaic” standings would be as follows:

1. Boston College — 42 points
2. New Hampshire — 41 points
3. Merrimack — 39 points
Boston University — 39 points
5. Maine — 30 points
6. Northeastern — 21 points
7. Vermont — 19 points
8. UMass — 16 points
9. Providence — 15 points
10. Massachusetts-Lowell — 8 points

The one tiebreaker here would go to Merrimack, which won the season series against BU, 1-0-2.

One thing I learned putting together this little experiment is that, aside from BC/UNH on the final weekend and Maine/Merrimack next weekend, most of the top five teams in the standings will play games against the bottom of the league that they “should” win. Thus, the bottom of the league will have a chance not just to battle for a playoff spot, but also to play the role of spoiler.

Of course, these are just standings based on a silly standardized formula that I developed. That said, they can certainly get us thinking about how the remainder of this season might play out.

Goaltending figures to help decide close CCHA race

By Paula C. Weston

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February 17, 2011

There is one team in the CCHA that controls its destiny, and one whose destiny is now predetermined. If Notre Dame wins its last four games, no one else can capture first place. No one else can capture last place, either; that belongs to Bowling Green alone.

Mike Johnson (Notre Dame - 32) - The University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Boston University Terriers 3-0 on Tuesday, October 20, 2009, at Agganis Arena in Boston, Massachusetts. (Melissa Wade) — Notre Dame's Mike Johnson is 5-2-1 with a .919 save percentage in his last eight starts (photo: Melissa Wade).

The top three teams in the CCHA — Notre Dame, Michigan, Miami — have each earned a first-round playoff bye, but the order of their finish has yet to be determined and the remaining two byes are up for grabs.

As many observers and fans have noted, it may all come down to goaltending in the end.

“I am feeling a little bit better about our goaltending than I did three weeks ago,” Fighting Irish coach Jeff Jackson told the South Bend Tribune earlier this week. “I don’t have any problem with playing two different guys right now.”

Those guys are sophomore Mike Johnson (2.57 goals-against average, .904 save percentage) and freshman Steven Summerhays (3.17, .840). The two split time in the Irish net in a sweep of Bowling Green last weekend, with Johnson taking the 2-1 win and Summerhays the 5-1 routing the following night.

This is where statistics can be deceiving. In his last eight starts, Johnson is 5-2-1 with a .919 save percentage. Summerhays is .896 in his last two games — a tie with Miami and a win over Bowling Green.

In Ann Arbor, Shawn Hunwick has done what he did a year ago — emerge as the starter after taking over for an injured Bryan Hogan. Hunwick and Hogan were splitting time in net to start the season, but neither had spectacular numbers. Since becoming the go-to guy for the Wolverines, though, Hunwick has been outstanding.

In January, Hunwick (1.92, .935) started every game and was 5-2-0 with a 1.72 goals-against average and .946 save percentage.

After sweeping the Buckeyes at home in two one-goal games last weekend, Hunwick summed up the sweep in his unique, straightforward way:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2m5ubbQ9eM

Tied with Michigan for second place, Miami has only two regular-season league games remaining, as the RedHawks sit out this weekend and watch everyone else jockey for position. With Western Michigan at home last weekend, the RedHawks knew how important those points were; after losing two of six possible points with a tie and shootout loss to the Broncos, coach Enrico Blasi told the Hamilton Journal News that he and his team are well aware of what transpired and what it means.

“They’re a good team and we didn’t have an answer for them,” said Blasi. “We’ve got to execute down the stretch. We didn’t execute.”

The RedHawks have lost points to teams lower in the standings in three of their six second-half series, including having been swept by Ohio State. After losing 7-3 to Michigan State on Jan. 21, Blasi talked about improving team defense. One area that has improved is in net.

Juniors Connor Knapp (2.17, .903) and Cody Reichard (2.17, .908) are playing better, more consistent hockey. Now would be the time to do it.

The first-place Fighting Irish have 50 points; the Wolverines and RedHawks each have 49 in second place. Three teams — Northern Michigan, Alaska and Lake Superior — are tied for sixth place with 35 points. Western Michigan is in fourth with 41 points; Ferris State in fifth with 38. The current Nos. 4 through 6 can take fourth and fifth place, and Ohio State (31 points) can still climb as high as fifth, although that’s unlikely.

Given how tight it’s going to be to get to the end of the regular season, clearly there’s a lot that can happen in the playoffs where every series is a best-of-three. Jackson knows that.

“If you finish first or you finish fourth or fifth, you are going to play a tough opponent in the second round,” Jackson told the Tribune after Saturday’s win. “That’s the way our conference is right now, and it’s a best-of-three. Even if you make a mistake, you can come back and still win.”

A show of another kind

I saw two games last weekend, NMU’s 4-2 win over MSU Friday, and UM’s 2-1 win over OSU Saturday. The Friday game? Ugh. It was boring. I hate being bored at a hockey game. I do, however, like talking to Wildcats coach Walt Kyle whenever I get the chance. Win or lose, Kyle is honest, sincere and absolutely dead-on.

“We’ve been fragile, mentally, I think,” said Kyle, whose Wildcats were 2-6-0 in the second half before sweeping the Spartans last weekend. “Early in the year, we were winning some games. Our goaltending was winning some games. Since Christmas we’ve kind of struggled to score. We haven’t been as sharp as we would like to be. Mentally, we just lost our mojo for a little bit.”

Hence, Kyle wasn’t surprised with the way the Wildcats took the ice against the Spartans. He was also not surprised by freshman goaltender Jared Coreau’s amazing 50-save performance, the only interesting thing about the contest.

“We came out the first period and definitely played like a fragile team, lot of mistakes,” he said. “When you’re a team in that state, you need something to be a rock and Coreau was … something we can cling to and get our stuff together around. He’s had a number of performances like that.

“He’s the real deal. There’s no doubt about it. We like both our goaltenders. Reid [Ellingson] has been good but Coreau is as good a young goaltender as I’ve seen.”

After allowing three goals in the first 14 minutes of Saturday’s 6-5 NMU win, Coreau (3.64, .911) proved that as good as he is, he’s still a work in progress. As he’s only a freshman, the only drawback to that is how it may affect the Wildcats down the stretch.

Saturday’s 2-1 Michigan win over Ohio State was electric. It was good hockey, and — in my humble and not so important opinion — both teams played well. The third period was as good a period of hockey as I’ve seen. Cal Heeter (2.36, .920), OSU’s junior goaltender who has played all but 22 minutes in the Buckeyes’ net this season, was outstanding in the first period, when the Wolverines outshot the Buckeyes 17-7.

Afterward, first-year Ohio State coach Mark Osiecki had few words about his team’s performance — and none of them good. He said that the Buckeyes played “not very well.” He didn’t comment on Heeter’s performance at all.

“I think in the second and third period we played better,” said Osiecki, “but the hard thing, it’s very disappointing how [there are] 11 upperclassmen in the lineup and you come out with a start like that.”

After talking to Osiecki a few times, I get the impression that there is little the players from the John Markell era can do that will ever earn a good word from their coach. Every new head coach at the college level looks forward to the time when his team is his team, players that he recruited and didn’t inherit. Not since former Lake Superior State coach Frank Anzalone, however, have I heard a coach express himself so singularly and consistently about the team he has inherited.

Best in show

I’m never disappointed in Michigan State coach Rick Comley. Contrast the way he talked about his team after Friday’s 4-2 loss with Osiecki’s comments.

“The whole game, I thought the kids worked really hard,” said Comley. “Controlled play, obviously. When you get that many shots and chances — sometimes you get a lot of shots and not many good chances [and] we had both.”

At one point in their 6-5 loss to Northern Michigan on Saturday, the Spartans led 4-1. To say that Saturday’s contest was “disappointing” would be an understatement — yet, this is how Comley responded after the game.

“They’re frustrated,” Comley told the Lansing State Journal. They’re young, I’m old, but the frustration is equal. It’s really hard right now. You try to stay positive and not chew too much.”

Perhaps it’s unfair to make comparisons here. Comley’s comment about relative age may be something to take into consideration as well. After all, he’s exiting the MSU program — and he was a firebrand not that long ago himself — and Osiecki is trying to build something at Ohio State. Still, I’m struck by key differences in the way coaches express themselves.

“They’re trying,” said Comley after the 6-5 loss, “but there was a point when we needed some people to step up and get it done, and it didn’t happen.”

Perhaps we can all benefit from Comley’s experience — and Red Berenson’s, in the video below.

Showstoppers

Well, not really, but I always find post-game interviews at Yost very entertaining. I thought you might, too.

After sweeping the Buckeyes, Wolverines Hunwick and Carl Hagelin shared some insight about what fueled the Wolverines in the 2-1 win.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCJfM5kfG3Y

Berenson, though, sounded more sober after the sweep.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6LEHMmbIc

Ballot

This is how I voted this week. There were a lot of interesting results among last week’s top 10 teams. Seems like parity isn’t limited to the CCHA.

1. Boston College
2. North Dakota
3. Yale
4. Minnesota-Duluth
5. Denver
6. Michigan
7. Notre Dame
8. Merrimack
9. Union
10. New Hampshire
11. Miami
12. Wisconsin
13. Nebraska-Omaha
14. Western Michigan
15. Boston University
16. Rensselaer
17. Dartmouth
18. Maine
19. Colorado College
20. Ferris State

Union finds the top but isn’t interested in enjoying the view

By Brian Sullivan

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February 17, 2011

There are four games left for most teams in ECAC Hockey; five for Harvard and Brown. Here’s the state of the chaos in the regular season’s penultimate week.

• Colgate (six points) can’t finish higher than ninth place.

• Harvard (seven points) and St. Lawrence (11 points) can’t finish higher than seventh.

• Brown (13 points) and Quinnipiac (16 points) could finish as high as fourth, but the Bobcats won’t finish last.

• Clarkson (17 points) could finish anywhere between 11th and third.

• Princeton (20 points) could still place as high as third, but could fall as far as ninth.

• Both Rensselaer (21 points) and Cornell (22) are still clinging to shots at first place, but could slide to ninth as well in worst-case scenarios.

• Dartmouth (24 points) will wind up somewhere between first and seventh.

• Yale (28 points) and Union (29) have assured themselves top-five finishes.

While it isn’t a lock, Union also has what appears to be the record-vs.-top-four edge on RPI in a potential tiebreaker situation; that means that the Dutchmen are looking good (even better than they do at first glance) for a first-round bye.

Forgotten Ivy, memorable team

It’s true, Union has never been an Ivy League school, though its standards, traditions and associations overlap those of Ivy institutions quite frequently. The Dutchmen and Dutchwomen don’t get athletic scholarships, either, which puts Union on a more or less level playing field with the Ivies.

Union celebrates a goal against Rensselaer. (Union Athletics) — Union has the top spot in ECAC Hockey with a one-point lead over Yale (photo: Union Athletics).

Harvard, Cornell, Yale and Princeton fans may deride the little school in Schenectady as a wannabe, a never-was and never-will-be … but not at the rink. For on the ice, this little school in Schenectady is putting the Ivies in their place. Second place, specifically.

The Dutchmen overtook front-runner Yale last weekend, earning sole possession of first place with four games to go. Union has won more games this year than any other Division I team (22), has been ranked in the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll for a school-record 31 consecutive weeks, and is a program-best seventh in this week’s poll.

These are all hallmarks of a great season — to date.

“It’s not even a focus of ours right now,” said coach Nate Leaman. “We’re not getting a lot of congratulations, actually; we’re not going to sit around and let people pat us on the back, or pat ourselves on the back, because there’s a lot of hockey to be played and this is an extremely tough league.”

The coach didn’t say anything any reasonable coach wouldn’t say. There is a lot of hockey left, and nobody ever won a ring with two weeks left in the regular season. There are no “first place in February” banners, unless you’re in the Beanpot.

The fact is that Union hasn’t actually accomplished anything yet, apart from putting itself in a good position for the playoffs, a first-round bye and perhaps an at-large bid in the NCAA tournament, if necessary. Even that is far from assured.

“That’s another thing that you can waste a lot of energy looking at or focusing on; it’s just not something you have control over,” Leaman said about analyzing the PairWise Rankings. The only thing you have control over is your next opponent. It wouldn’t be worthwhile for us to spend our energy that way. It wouldn’t be smart of us to do that.

“It would be a major mistake [to reflect]. The games that we’ve been fortunate enough to win have all been tight games because of the competitiveness of the league this year. I know Colgate’s in 12th place, but that’s the best 12th-place team that we’ve ever seen in this league. I can say that, because we finished 12th one year. The teams this time of year are very much playing playoff hockey.”

The team that started 7-1-3 — the lone loss at then-ranked Alaska — put up gaudy numbers and lopsided results. The team that is now on a 7-0-0 run and has won 11 of 12 is triumphing in tighter contests, so it must be asked: How much have the Dutchmen really changed since November?

“I think we’ve grown a lot as a team … in a number of areas,” Leaman said. “I think our mentality has matured a bit, and we definitely understand our identity a lot better, and I think we’re much more road-tested, and as a coach, that’s what I’m excited about: Where we’ve been on the road, where we’ve played, we took some losses in the first half and I think we’ve come back and it’s helped us in the second half.

“The big thing about our team is that we’ve continued to improve throughout the year, and right now, there are still areas that we’re trying to improve, and that has to be our focus — continuing to improve.”

In a number of ways, this has been the best year in the 20-year history of Union’s D-I hockey program. In some ways, it has set a new bar for Union hockey, period … but the season, and this team, are not complete entities yet, and Leaman has no desire to compare this team to past vintages just yet.

“That’s tough to say. I don’t know,” if this is Leaman’s best team, he said. “That’s probably a reflective question that you think about in the summertime, but right now, our focus is all about Clarkson.”

Has Yale’s recent stumble stood as a cautionary tale against overconfidence? Not so much, says the eighth-year field marshal.

“I have a great respect for how difficult this league is; I have great respect for the balance in this league,” he said. “The line between winning and losing games at this time of year is pretty darn fine, and it’s about trying to make sure that your team’s focused, that we’re working hard, and basically that we’re putting our best on the ice every shift, because you can still do that this time of year and not win games.”

A big reason for Union’s recent surge — or resurgence — is the return of senior forward Adam Presizniuk from a broken thumb. With 26 points in 26 games, it’s no stretch to presume that Presizniuk is a vital component in the Union machine.

“The difference with Adam is that he had the pin taken out of his thumb the week before we played Yale,” Leaman said. “He wasn’t able to practice two days that week, because they had to put him under, and we had to make sure that the incision didn’t get infected.

“Adam is a very, very good player — I think he’s an underrated player. He does so many things well on the ice, as far as getting to the dirty areas, as far as playing physical, as far as being able to come up for us in big moments of big games. I think he’s got six goals since he got the pin out of his hand, in six games. That’s big for us; that’s the same pace he was on before he broke his thumb, and we probably brought him back a little bit too early. In a perfect world, he probably would’ve been out another weekend, or two weekends, but we needed him.

“His presence was immediately felt, even though he had a big cast on his hand and couldn’t really do anything, but when we went up to Minnesota and beat Minnesota, he just brought a different presence to the game for our team. He sparked our comeback against Princeton, and he sparked our comeback against Colgate this weekend.”

Union has also been blessed with a remarkably productive and consistent freshman class, as Daniel Carr, Josh Jooris, Mat Bodie and Matt Hatch have each put up at least five goals and 17 points. Carr is tied for sixth in the nation in points per game among freshmen (1.00), and is tied for second in rookie goal-scoring (18).

“What’s critical for our freshmen is their work ethic, and their consistency game to game, and that’s been our focus. There’s certainly some talent there — we’re extremely happy with the class — but what’s important is the work ethic, because without that, I don’t think the talent comes through,” Leaman said. “Their energy level has been super, especially coming down the stretch, and I’m excited about that. Our focus with them is that the work ethic is there, that the focus on details is there, and if they are, they seem to have success.”

The rookies are learning from one of the best, at least according to his coach: Senior captain Brock Matheson has been anything and everything that a captain should be, and he’s having the season he deserves.

“Brock is an outstanding leader,” praised Leaman. “From our standpoint, I think a lot of the success we’re having as well is due to Brock’s leadership capabilities, because we’ve really been trying to improve and stay consistent over the second half, and ultimately as a coach you rely a great deal on your leadership group — for some of it to come from there — and Brock’s done an outstanding job with that. He’s plus-23 on the season as a defenseman, he’s not an offensive defenseman: He’s kind of our [version of Philadelphia Flyers veteran Chris] Pronger, a guy that can chip in offensively but really is able to play a complete game. He logs about 25 minutes for us a game, and he’s strong every shift. He leads in every way. He’ll be our candidate for defensive defenseman of the year … because I think he’s really [at that] elite level.

“There haven’t been any big issues [that he’s had to solve]; it’s more about the day-to-day, making sure guys are coming out of the locker room prepared to practice, making sure the guys are ready to start games. I think a lot of our success this year comes down to how good of a leader Brock Matheson is.”

The captain has been getting some nibbles from higher up the hockey ladder, and his coach is hoping that someone will give his leader a chance at hockey beyond this spring. He has the ability and the drive, asserts Leaman.

“I believe he does. There are some teams that have asked me about him, certainly, but I don’t think he’s focused on that,” Leaman said. “He’s focused on this year, but he’s pretty elite in his leadership capabilities and he’s elite in his play as well.”

Union has had an elite coach, as Leaman is finally getting some of the attention he deserves for his program’s steady climb. The Dutchmen now have the leader they need for this point in their ascent. That makes for a solid, steady squad, one that is willing and able not only to achieve, but more importantly maintain the best view in the league: The one from the top.

Border Battle comes with playoff implications for Minnesota, Wisconsin

By Theresa Spisak

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February 17, 2011

This weekend, Minnesota and Wisconsin face off for the second go around this season in the Border Battle. When the two teams played at Mariucci Arena back in early November, Wisconsin came out on top, taking three points from the Gophers, winning on Friday and tying on Saturday.

The teams take to the ice at the Kohl Center on Friday in a series that is important this time around not only for the usual reasons (the rivalry, bragging rights, etc.), but for possible playoff implications.

Wisconsin celebrates Jake Gardiner's goal during the first period. No. 16 UNO beat No. 7 Wisconsin 4-3 Saturday night at Qwest Center Omaha. (Photo by Michelle Bishop) (Michelle Bishop) — Wisconsin enters the Border Battle after being swept at Nebraska-Omaha last weekend (photo: Michelle Bishop).

Both squads are deeply mired in the race for home ice. The Badgers, with 24 points, have it while the Gophers, just three points down, do not.

“Seven points are the difference between fifth and 11th place, so you can head up in the standings, and you can go down in a hurry based on what happens on a given weekend,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said on his weekly radio show.

As a result, both teams know that this time of year means that the playoffs have essentially started early.

“There is so little difference between teams,” said Lucia. “A couple of players can put you over the top. And a goaltender playing well is really the difference right now. It is going to be a battle. Wisconsin has got us, they have to go to St. Cloud and finish with CC. People are going to be beating up on each other here at the end of the year.

“Like I told our guys, ‘Our playoffs have started.'”

“We said the same words last weekend and we’re going to be saying the same words next weekend, talk about the position and where we’re at and the importance of it,” Badgers coach Mike Eaves said at his weekly news conference. “And that’s what makes the league so fun. And now that the smoke has cleared, you can see how things are forming together.

“We’re playing the Gophers, who are a very talented team. And they have the potential — they spanked Denver on Saturday night here. So they’re going to have some confidence coming in. And both teams want points, both teams want to be playing well this time of year, so this could be a great building to be in Friday and Saturday night, I can tell you that right now. It will be a lot of fun.”

Fun in a building that was recently named the “most intimidating” in college hockey by the Wall Street Journal, even if Eaves has a hard time agreeing with it.

“Well, not being the opposition in this building, it’s hard for me to say, I think,” he said. “It’s something that I’m used to. I can only project what others might feel coming in there if they’ve never been here, with the band and the students down on one end. I think one of two things happen. I think A, you can get intimidated or B, you just enjoy the hell out of the experience and you play over your head. We’ve seen both happen here at the Kohl Center.

“But again, I’m just projecting.”

According to Lucia, he thinks for his team, it’s option B above.

“I like the support [the Badgers] get. The fans get on you but there is nothing — there is no swearing. It is not abusive. They just have a good time at the game so it is a fun environment to play in,” said Lucia. “Another Big Ten opponent. And I am sure the game will be sold out this weekend, so it will be a lot of fun.”

Matchups by the numbers

No. 18 Colorado College at Bemidji State

Records: CC — 17-14-1 (11-11-0 WCHA). BSU — 11-14-3 (7-12-3 WCHA).

Head-to-head: CC leads the overall series, 3-1.

Last meeting: CC won, 5-4, on Jan. 18. 2008.

Special teams: CC — 20.9 percent PP (13th in nation), 83.0 percent PK (t-24th in nation). BSU — 18.8 percent PP (23rd in nation), 83.2 percent PK (22nd in nation).

Streaks: CC — one-game winning. BSU — three game unbeaten.

Goaltending: CC — Joe Howe (13-12-1, 3.01 GAA, .901 save percentage). BSU — Dan Bakala (10-9-2, 2.10 GAA, .928 save percentage).

Leading scorer: CC — Tyler Johnson (17-16–33). BSU — Jordan George (13-16–29).

Michigan Tech at No. 4 Denver

Records: DU — 18-7-5 (14-5-3 WCHA). MTU — 3-23-4 (1-19-2 WCHA).

Head-to-head: DU leads the overall series, 115-82-18.

Last meeting: DU swept in the first round of the WCHA playoffs, March 12-13, 2010: DU 2, MTU 1; DU 4, MTU 2.

Special teams: MTU — 18.0 percent PP (27th in nation), 76.1 percent PK (55th in nation). DU — 20.0 percent PP (17th in nation), 85.4 percent PK (10th in nation).

Streaks: DU — one-game losing. MTU — 26-game winless.

Goaltending: DU — Sam Brittain (13-5-5, 2.23 GAA, .923 save percentage). MTU — Kevin Genoe (2-13-2, 3.60 GAA, .893 save percentage).

Leading scorer: DU — Drew Shore (17-17–34). MTU — Milos Gordic (13-6–19).

No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota State

Records: UMD — 18-6-5 (13-5-4 WCHA). MSU — 13-13-6 (7-13-4 WCHA).

Head-to-head: UMD leads the overall series, 18-12-5.

Last meeting: UMD swept on Jan. 15-16, 2010: UMD 2, MSU 1; UMD 4, MSU 3.

Special teams: UMD — 20.6 percent PP (14th in nation), 83.0 percent PK (t-24th in nation). MSU — 14.8 percent PP (46th in nation), 82.7 percent PK (27th in nation).

Streaks: UMD — two-game winless. MSU — one-game losing.

Goaltending: UMD — Kenny Reiter (9-4-4, 2.36 GAA, .910 save percentage). MSU — Phil Cook (10-10-4, 2.91 GAA, .907 save percentage).

Leading scorer: UMD — Jack Connolly (12-30–42). MSU — Michael Dorr (12-13–25).

Notes: Based on his performance last weekend, MSU goaltender Austin Lee (3-3-2, 2.53 GAA, .909 save percentage) may see action.

No. 2 North Dakota at St. Cloud State

Records: UND — 21-8-2 (16-6-0 WCHA). SCSU — 12-14-4 (8-11-3 WCHA).

Head-to-head: UND leads the overall series, 54-28-10.

Last meeting: UND swept on Dec. 3-4, 2010: UND 3, SCSU 1; UND 6, SCSU 2.

Special teams: UND — 19.8 percent PP (19th in nation), 85.1 percent PK (13th in nation). SCSU — 16.8 percent PP (36th in nation), 83.3 percent PK (t-20th in nation).

Streaks: UND — three-game winning. SCSU — two-game unbeaten.

Goaltending: UND — Aaron Dell (20-6-1, 1.99 GAA, .920 save percentage). SCSU — Mike Lee (10-10-3, .283 GAA, .905 save percentage).

Leading scorer: UND — Matt Frattin (22-13–35). SCSU — Drew LeBlanc (12-23–35).

Notes: UND’s Jason Gregoire was the league’s offensive player of the week last week while SCSU’s Nick Jensen was co-rookie of the week.

No. 13 Nebraska-Omaha at Alaska-Anchorage

Records: UNO — 18-10-2 (14-6-2 WCHA). SCSU — 12-14-4 (8-11-3 WCHA).

Head-to-head: The overall series is tied, 0-0-1.

Last meeting: The teams tied the only time they met, Oct. 14, 2006: UAA 2, UNO 2.

Special teams: UNO — 19.8 percent PP (18th in nation), 84.0 percent PK (17th in nation). UAA — 14.8 percent PP (47th in nation), 81.6 percent PK (30th in nation).

Streaks: UNO — four-game winning. UAA — two-game losing.

Goaltending: UNO — John Faulkner (17-9-2, 2.43 GAA, .913 save percentage). UAA — Rob Gunderson (6-11-2, 2.74 GAA, .899 save percentage).

Leading scorer: UNO — Joey Martin (9-22–31). UAA — Tommy Grant (10-13–23).

Notes: UNO’s John Faulkner was the league’s defensive player of the week and Johnnie Searfoss was co-rookie of the week.

Minnesota at No. 12 Wisconsin

Records: UM — 12-12-4 (9-10-3 WCHA). UW — 19-10-3 (11-9-2 WCHA).

Head-to-head: UM leads the overall series, 152-84-19.

Last meeting: UW took three points on Nov. 5-6, 2010: UW 6, UM 0; UW 3, UM 3.

Special teams: UM — 19.3 percent PP (20th in nation), 75.2 percent PK (56th in nation). UW — 23.9 percent PP (4th in nation), 81.6 percent PK (31st in nation).

Streaks: UM — one-game winning. UW — two-game losing.

Goaltending: UM — Kent Patterson (10-7-4, 2.54 GAA, .918 save percentage). UW — Scott Gudmandson (14-8-1, 1.93 GAA, .930 save percentage).

Leading scorer: UM — Jay Barriball (12-11–23) and Jacob Cepis (8-15–23). UW — Justin Schultz (15-26–41).

Notes: UW currently has a 9-0-1 unbeaten streak at home, the second longest in the WCHA. … UW has not swept the Gophers in Madison with Eaves as coach.

Of awards and accolades

We’ve got some awards and nominations that haven’t been mentioned the past few weeks, so I thought I’d quickly do that here.

Last week, the league announced its annual list of scholar-athletes. 53 total players from the men’s side earned the honor with league newcomer Bemidji State leading the way with 11 players and Wisconsin bringing up the rear with no one. Wisconsin having no players is a drop from last year while Minnesota, last year’s zero team, now has three. The numerical breakdown:

BSU: 11
SCSU: 6
DU, MSU, MTU, UND: 5
UMD: 4
CC, UAA, UM, UNO: 3
UW: 0

A few weeks ago, the finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) were announced and two WCHAers made the cut as finalists — BSU’s Matt Read and UND’s Chay Genoway.

Postseason plans

By Nate Owen

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February 17, 2011

It’s the last week of play in the ECAC Northeast, but there’s still much to be decided. With each team having two games left, here’s a breakdown of where things stands.

What We Know
Curry, Johnson and Wales, and Wentworth have all clinched somewhere among the top three seeds, although the order has yet to be determined. The top two seeds will earn byes in the opening round. With the new playoff format, only six teams will make the postseason, already putting an end to Salve Regina’s playoff chances. Here’s a breakdown of where each team stands.

1. Curry
Games Left: at Johnson and Wales, vs. Wentworth.
It’s not going to be an easy road for the Colonels, the defending league champions. They’ll face the two teams directly below them in the standings in JWU and Wentworth. A win at JWU Thursday night would essentially clinch the league title, as Curry owns a 1-0 advantage in the season series.

2. Johnson and Wales
Games Left: vs. Curry, at Nichols.
The Wildcats can make things easy by winning out. Should they tie Curry for the season series with a win Thursday, they’d clinch the top spot based on league wins. A tie would set up a showdown for first place heading into the season’s final day.

3. Wentworth
Games Left: vs. Salve Regina, at Curry.
It’s looking likely that the Leopards will wind up in third place, but they could move into the second spot if they run the table and JWU or Curry fails to record any points over their last two games. At this point, it’s virtually impossible for the Leopards to sneak into first.

4. Becker
Games Left: at Suffolk, vs. Salve Regina.
Trailing Wentworth by four points, and ahead of Nichols by three, there’s a good chance the Hawks will stay where they are. Should they tie Wentworth in points, the Leopards own the tiebreaker based on the head-to-head matchup. Becker swept the season series against Nichols, so it would take a two-game losing streak coupled with the Bisons winning out for the Hawks to drop to fifth.

5. Nichols
Games Left: vs. Western New England, vs. Johnson and Wales
A four-game losing streak has Nichols currently sitting in fifth. They’ve split the season series with sixth place Suffolk, so the tiebreaker would be based on league wins, which the Bisons currently hold an edge in. In order to fall out of fifth,Nichols would need to lose their last two, or lose and tie and have the Rams win out.

6. Suffolk
Games Left: vs. Becker, at Western New England.
While there’s a slim chance Suffolk could overtake Nichols, the Rams need to be focused on their back end, where Western New England is only two points behind them and hosts the sixth place Rams to close out the regular season Saturday. The Rams lost to WNEC in the only game of the season between the two on Jan. 20. A WNEC loss and Suffolk win would seal the playoffs for the Rams prior to this weekend’s meeting.

7. Western New England
Games Left: at Nichols, vs. Suffolk.
Currently on the outside looking in for the playoffs, the Golden Bears need to hope for a Suffolk loss or tie Wednesday and a win over Nichols to set up a duel for the last playoff spot Saturday. If Suffolk gets any sort of points and WNEC loses, the Rams will be in.

8. Salve Regina
Games Left: at Wentworth, at Becker.
The Seahawks are eliminated from the playoffs, but can mess with the seeding of two playoff bound teams in Wentworth and Becker.

Calling the experts
Fans of the show “Pawn Stars” are familiar with the routine. Pawn shop owner Rick Harrison has seen it all in his years in the business, but even he can be stumped at times. Enter his network of experts, individuals brought in to analyze a signature or determine whether that musket is simply a well-designed movie prop or a true piece of history that dates back several hundred years.

I haven’t been in the business of covering hockey for nearly as long as Rick has owned his shop, so needless to say, there’s still a lot for me to learn. So when comparing the scoring numbers of the last two years in both the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC, I decided to e-mail a few of my own “experts” to help explain these trends.

While I think numbers can only tell so much, it seemed like scoring was up in the ECAC Northeast this season compared to last. So I added the numbers and found that it was up by over a goal a game in conference play entering Wednesday (6.7 to 7.9).For the heck of it, I took a glance at the MASCAC, where scoring had actually dropped (7.9 last year to 6.2 this season).

Not surprisingly, a lot of this can be tied to the goaltending in each conference.

“Each team in our conference has a goalie that’s capable of stealing a game,” Plymouth State coach Craig Russell said. “You look at at a team like Fitchburg that essentially has two No. 1s [Robert Vorse and Bobby Leiser] and that makes them more dangerous.”

Russell knows first hand how a hot goalie can stymie an offense. Over the past few weeks, the Panthers ran into Massachusetts-Darmouth’s Collin Tracy, who has been one of the conference’s best for most of the year, and freshman Eddie Davey at Westfield State, who turned away 27 shots in the Owls’ 4-0 upset win.

“[They] simply took over the game when they needed to,” Russell said of Davey and Tracy. “That makes special teams even more important, because goalies have to be your best penalty killer. If the opposing goalie is able to make some nice saves on the PK, that makes your power play try and be a little too fine with their shots and passes, making them out of sync.”

On the flip side, the Northeast has seen a rise in scoring, partly due to the decline of the conference’s goaltending.

“To be honest, I don’t think we have any dominant goaltenders in our conference,” Nichols coach Lou Izzi said. “The problem plaguing goalies in our conference this year is too many of them are letting up bad goals.”

Case in point, last year’s top two returning netminders in terms of minutes played (Jeff Rose of Suffolk and Jake Rosenthal of Becker) have seen their numbers inflate this year. Rose was voted the conference’s top goalies last season, but his struggles this year are a big reason for Suffolk’s dip in the standings.

There are other reasons as well. WNEC coach Greg Heffernan cited the NCAA’s new rule regarding icing (remember the reaction to that last summer?) While the short-handed icing rule was discarded, the NCAA uses a “hybrid” icing system, where officials determine whether icing should be waived off based on who would reach the puck first.

“The truth is that we’ve had a number of goals scored against us with guys getting stuck on the ice not able to change,” Heffernan said. “I know that we have generated offense with the new icing rule… maybe that’s the reason… or maybe it’s just a random year with some coincidences.”

Of course, an influx of talent doesn’t hurt. Eight freshman are currently averaging a point or better a game.

“I just think there are more quality players on all of the rosters that are putting up some good numbers,” JWU coach Erik Noack said. “Overall, I think the league is more offensive this year as opposed to other years. On any given night any team in this league can score five or more goals.”

There doesn’t seem to be one specific reason for the fluctuations in scoring across the MASCAC and ECAC Northeast. Who knows, next year, the MASCAC could be churning out 5-4 games while the Northeast features tidy 2-1 scores.

ECAC Northeast Weekly Honors
Player of the Week: Jeremiah Ketts, Johnson and Wales. Ketts scored a goal and added two assists in the Wildcats’ 6-4 victory against Becker. He followed that with three goals and three assists in the 10-3 win against Western New England College. In the victory against WNEC, he tallied his 100th career point.

Goalie of the Week: Chris Azzano, Wentworth. Azzano backboned the Leopards to a 2-0 week, playing all 120 minutes and allowing three goals on 47 shots for a 1.50 goals against average and a .936 save percentage. He made 15 saves in a 5-1 win over Suffolk and turned aside 19 of 21 shots in a 4-2 win over Becker.

Rookie of the Week: Michael Lopez, Curry. Lopez finished the week with five total points. He had one goal in a 6-1 win over Nichols and four points in an 8-1 win over Salve Regina University with one goal and three assists.

Loose Pucks
Check back next week for a rundown of the MASCAC’s final weekend. The finalists for the Hockey Humanitarian Award were announced, and Salve Regina’s Isaiah Carlson wasn’t among those chosen from the original group of nominees.

Gallery: 2011 Beanpot Championship – BC vs. Harvard

By Melissa Wade

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February 16, 2011

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Hockey Humanitarian Award finalists unveiled

USCHO Staff Report

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February 16, 2011

The eight finalists for the BNY Mellon Wealth Management Hockey Humanitarian Award were named today.

The award is given annually to college hockey’s finest citizen to recognize players at the Division I or Division III level, male or female, who give back to their community.

This year’s recipient will be introduced in an afternoon ceremony on Friday, April 8 at 5:30 CDT as part of the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn.

Here are biographies of the finalists, as provided by the award organizers:

Brooks Dyroff, Boston College

From Boulder, C0lo., Dyroff is as much a humanitarian as he is a hockey player. A sophomore forward, he co-founded an organization called CEO 4 Teens, that has raised money to send Indonesian teens to school, as well as help Boston area teenagers obtain their GEDs. He also founded “Mathletes,” an after school math enrichment program. An avid filmmaker, Brooks was also a member of the 2009-2010 All Hockey East Academic Team.

Alex Higgins, St. Michaels College

A senior forward from Phoenix, Higgins is someone who considers no job too small. He is the Purple Knights’ leader when it comes to volunteer efforts, and has organized activities such as a “learn to skate” program to connect students with low income housing residents. He has also given his time by volunteering at Wideko, a summer camp for the behaviorally challenged, as well as an internship at a local youth detention center.

Aleca Hughes, Yale University

Aleca has given of herself to help save the lives of others, especially teammate Mandi Schwartz (the sister of St. Louis Blues 2010 first round draft pick Jaden Schwartz), who has been battling with leukemia for over two years. Aleca and her teammates have organized two record setting bone marrow transplant drives that added 1,600 potential donors to the National Marrow Donor Program’s “Be The Match” registry. She also organized other fundraisers for Mandi, two of which helped raise over $22,000 for Mandi and her family. A junior forward from Westwood, Mass., Aleca is a top student who has earned ECAC All Academic Team in each of her first two years.

Sam Kuzyk, Adrian College

A senior winger from Winnipeg and repeat Humanitarian finalist, Sam is equal parts humanitarian and entrepreneur, in that most everything he has organized he started on his own and virtually from scratch. He has dedicated much of his time and effort to raise money and awareness for the local Hickman Cancer Center. He has also engaged in countless other activities, such as Salvation Army Family Sponsorships, a fundraiser for Prostate Cancer Canada, and visits to local schools to read to students. Sam has been an MCHA All Academic Team member for three years running.

Tucker Mullin, St. Anselm College

From Andover, Mass., the sophomore forward has made a big impact, and rather quickly. Tucker is passionately dedicated to helping those suffering from paralysis, and as a result co-founded the Thomas E. Smith Fight to Cure Paralysis Foundation, a 501C (3) non-for profit organization. Last summer, the foundation hosted a golf tournament that raised over $30,000 to help put the foundation on the map. He is also deeply involved in St. Anselm’s annual “Spin-to-Win the Fight against ALS” event. Mullin has been the Trustee of the event since 2008, personally raising over $16,000 in donations.

Trevor Nill, Michigan State University

A junior forward from Novi, Mich., Nill was deeply moved by his mother’s battle with cancer, and at age 16, he and a friend organized “Bike Across Michigan,” which raised over $2,500 for cancer research. At Michigan State, he has taken the lead on charities like Shoot for a Cure (which raises money to fight children’s cancer), and the “Spartan Buddies” program, which was started by past HHA nominee (and current Detroit Red Wing) Drew Miller, and creates interaction between students and patients at Sparrow Hospital’s pediatric ward. Nill is the son of current Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill.

Whitney Pappas, Robert Morris University

A senior defender from Evergreen, Colo., Pappas does it all, on the ice, in the classroom (six times a Dean’s List member), and in her community. She has volunteered for many events and organizations (such as Holy Angels Orphanage, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and Skate for the Cure), and has led several initiatives such as Project Bundle (collecting coats, scarves, hats and gloves for St. Vincent DePaul), as well as numerous food drives. She also successfully interned at a recreation center back home in Colorado, for which she helped raise over $7,500 in cash sponsorships and over $10,000 in cash contributions.

Brigid O’Gorman, Connecticut College

For O’Gorman, a senior captain from Eden, N.Y., and repeat finalist, the world is her community. In the summer of 2010, she traveled to Uganda on a humanitarian mission for which she raised over $10,000. The funds went toward creating a solar powered medical records system. She also delivered children’s clothes, books and school supplies. Brigid also traveled to Uganda during her spring break in 2009. She has also given her time to organizations such as the High Hopes Therapeutic Riding Center, along with Special Olympics Speed Skating of Southeastern Connecticut.

Prediction precision

This week

Guest Analyst

Around the league

Crunching the numbers

A show of another kind

Best in show

Showstoppers

Ballot

Forgotten Ivy, memorable team

Matchups by the numbers

Of awards and accolades

THIRD STAR

SECOND STAR

FIRST STAR

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