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Mike Connolly’s weekend to remember

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After Mike Connolly recorded a natural hat trick less than two minutes into the second period, it felt like a career game that couldn’t get much better.

“I can’t even remember the last time I had three goals,” Connolly said. “When the puck went in I thought it was going to be a pretty good night.”

And then he went out and scored twice more. The junior forward for Minnesota-Duluth put five on the board in the Bulldogs’ 6-4 win against Minnesota, Saturday. UMD took three points from the Gophers over the weekend, bumping the Bulldogs up to third in the poll.

“The five goals is something I’ll never forget,” Connolly said. “But the important thing was that we got three points against a team that gave us trouble earlier in the year and a team that’s playing good hockey right now.”

Connolly scored twice in the first period, twice in the second and iced the game with an empty-net goal in the third period. He is the 12th player in WCHA history to score five goals in a game during league play and the first since St. Cloud State’s Fred Knipscheer did it in 1993.

After the Minnesota series, Connolly is tied for eighth in the nation with 19 goals. He is second to Denver’s Jason Zucker in goals scord in WCHA play with 15. 

Connolly scored the goal that tied Friday’s game when the Gophers held a one-goal lead with 9:48 to go in the third period.

Though Connolly has been within the top-three goal scorers on UMD’s high-powered offense for the past three seasons, he has only had multi-goal games three times: against Alaska-Anchorage and Providence earlier this season and against Wisconsin in Jan., 2009.

Connolly’s goals have had a remarkable impact on UMD’s fortunes over the past three seasons, too. The Bulldogs are 29-6-3 when Connolly scores at least one goal since he joined the program in 2008. UMD has lost only three times this season and last when Connolly scores.

Connolly has played on UMD’s top line with Justin Fontaine and Jack Connolly (no relation, for those who didn’t know) for most of the season. Jack Connolly (12-28–40) and Fontaine (16-21–37) are the WCHA’s points leaders in all games and are among the nations best offensive players.

Fontaine was split from the Connolly’s and has played a lot of left wing on a separate line since Christmas but the trio was reunited Saturday.

“We went through some injury trouble so we had to balance out the lines,” Connolly said. “I’ve been fortunate to play with those guys the last three years. It’s something I’m taking advantage of because it’s not every day you get to play with guys like that.”

The CC PP

Colorado College went 18 straight power plays without scoring on the man advantage going back to the Jan. 28 win against North Dakota. The Tigers went 0 for 9 this weekend against Denver.

It’s a far cry from when CC scored seven power play goals against the Pioneers during a weekend in early November. Of course, a bad stretch was bound to happen for CC when Jaden Schwartz is missing from its top PP unit.

Tech ties WCHA record

Michigan Tech’s loss to Alaska-Anchorage, Saturday was the 18th straight defeat for the Huskies. That ties a WCHA record for most consecutive losses in league play. CC was the only other team to lose 18 straight WCHA games in 1961-62.

Tech will try to avoid breaking the record Friday at home against Bemidji State. Read Huskies coach Jamie Russell’s account of his team’s difficult season Thursday.

Weekend Rewind Feb. 8

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RIT Keeps Roaring Along

RIT is now just three games away from undefeated regular season as the Tigers picked up their first ever win at the Murray Athletic Center on Friday with a 3-1 win over Elmira College.

Kolbee McCrea wasted little time in giving RIT the lead as the freshman forward put the Tigers up 1-0 just 27 seconds into the game. Ariane Yokoyama made it 2-0 with a little over five minutes left in the first. Elmira’s Lindsay Mitchell cut the deficit to 2-1 just 24 seconds later, but that’s as close as Elmira would get before RIT added an empty-net goal from Sarah Dagg late.

RIT earned its keep as the Tigers held Elmira 0-for-9 on the power play after taking 12 penalties for 32 minutes.

The Tigers will now host Oswego on Friday and Saturday before closing the season with another trip down to Elmira on Feb. 19 to close the regular season. RIT needs five points to clinch the regular season title and home-ice advantage in the ECAC West playoffs for the first time.

Wis. River Falls stayed unbeaten as well as the Falcons took three points from Wis. Superior on the road with a 2-1 win and a 3-3 tie against the Yellowjackets over the weekend. River Falls is now 17-0-3 and has passed all of its toughest challenges in conference. They end the season with Marian and Finlandia after a showdown tonight at St. Thomas in the Falcons’ final non-league game.

Oswego’s quest for a breakout season

With three games remaining in the 2010-2011 season, Oswego has already set a new program record for wins in a season with 11. The Lakers are 11-8-3 with two games against RIT remaining as well as a home game against Castleton to end the regular season. Oswego needs only a tie to clinch its first winning season ever in the five-year history of the program. The Lakers own an impressive 9-3-1 record at home this season, yet are just 2-5-2 on the road.

Oswego is five points ahead of Utica right now for fifth place in the conference. Utica has two games against Chatham remaining and two games at Plattsburgh. Unless Utica pulls an upset of Plattsburgh, Oswego will travel to face Neumann in the ECAC West play-in round.

NCAA Tournament Field Projection (courtesy of Matt Rennell, former D-III Women’s Editor)

As we hit the home stretch of the regular season, it’s time to start talking about who sits where and how everyone stacks up for the NCAA Tournament rankings.

As of Sunday’s games, this is the way the teams would be ranked according to Rennell’s projections. (Note this is not necessarily the way it will turn out, just Matt’s educated opinion after compiling the numbers.)

East
1- RIT
2- Plattsburgh
3- Norwich
4- Amherst
5- Elmira
6- Middlebury
7- Trinity
8- Manhattanville
9- Neumann

West
1- Wis. River Falls
2- Gustavus Adolphus
3- Wis. Superior
4- Wis. Eau Claire
5- Adrian
6- Lake Forest

Now lets take the Pool A teams.
ECAC East- Norwich
ECAC West- RIT
NESCAC- Middlebury
NCHA- UWRF
MIAC- GAC

Next we look at the Pool C field.

East- Plattsburgh and Amherst
West- UWS and UWEC

This turns out to be Plattsburgh and Amherst as they both beat out UWS in the criteria.

So, the field is set with a 5/2 split

East
1- RIT
2- Plattsburgh
3- Norwich
4- Amherst
5- Middlebury

West
1- UWRF
2- GAC

Which sets up the following

RIT- BYE
Amherst @ Norwich
GAC @ UWRF
Middlebury @ Plattsburgh

Player of the Week – Kelly Salis, Adrian

Kelly, a junior defenseman from St. Claire Shore, Mich., netted five goals to help lead Adrian to a sweep of Lake Forest over the weekend. Salis notched two goals in the first period to put Adrian well on its way to winning 6-3 the first night. She then followed up by scoring all three goals in a 3-2 win over the Forresters the next day to net the first ever hat trick by a Bulldog defenseman. Salis has nine goals and six assists on the season for 15 points.

Goalie of the Week – Tara Connolly, Bowdoin

Tara, a sophomore from Simsbury, Conn. made 68 saves over the weekend to help the Polar Bears to a split with fifth-ranked Amherst. Connolly made 38 saves the first day in a 3-2 loss, while Bowdoin was outshot 41-15. Connolly turned aside 30 shots the next day to backstop the Polar Bears to a 2-1 upset of the Lord Jeffs. Connolly is 5-1-2 on the season with a 1.76 goals against average and .936 save percentage.

Rookie of the Week – Cristina Masten, Bethel

Cristina, a freshman forward from Fergus Falls, Minn., was a part of all four goals Bethel scored over the weekend as the Royals swept St. Catherine by scores of 2-1 each night. Masten scored both goals in Friday’s game and then assisted on both goals, including the game-winner in overtime on Saturday. She has 10 goals and six assists on the season for 16 points. Masten has four power play goals and four game-winning goals, which both lead the team.

Boston College near-unanimous No. 1 in men’s poll

USCHO Staff Report
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Boston College received 47 of 50 first place votes and for the second week in a row sits atop the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.

Last week’s No. 2, Denver, falls to No. 4, while Yale jumps to No. 2 from No. 3 and Minnesota-Duluth rises one to No. 3.

North Dakota remains the fifth-ranked squad in the nation, New Hampshire holds down No. 6 and Wisconsin is again No. 7.

Rensselaer is up one spot to No. 8, Union jumps two to No. 9 and Notre Dame stays at No. 10 this week.

Merrimack rises one notch to No. 11, Miami is up one to No. 12, but Michigan tumbles to No. 13 from No. 8.

Boston University again occupies No. 14, Western Michigan and their 13-game nation’s-best unbeaten streak go up one to No. 15 and Nebraska-Omaha is up two this week to No. 16.

Dartmouth is still No. 17, Maine drops three to No. 18 and Colorado College (No. 19) and Princeton (No. 20) flip-flop this week.

Women’s poll shows no changes; Wisconsin still No. 1

USCHO Staff Report
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The USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll this week looks exactly the same as last week, which means Wisconsin is once again the top team in the nation.

No. 2 Cornell finished just nine points back of the Badgers, while Boston University (No. 3), Minnesota (No. 4) and Mercyhurst (No. 5) round out the top five.

Minnesota-Duluth sits at No. 6 and Boston College again holds down the seventh spot.

North Dakota is No. 8 this week, while Providence retains the No. 9 rank and Harvard No. 10.

Bracketology: Finding a better place

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It’s time once again to do what we like to call Bracketology, college hockey style. It’s our weekly look at how I believe the NCAA tournament will wind up come selection time.

It’s a look into what are the possible thought processes behind selecting and seeding the NCAA tournament teams.

This is the next installment of our Bracketology for the 2010-11 season, and we’ll be bringing you a new one every week until we make our final picks before the field is announced on March 20. Make sure to check out our other entries on the Bracketology Blog, where we’ll keep you entertained, guessing and educated throughout the rest of the season.

Here are the facts:

• Sixteen teams are selected to participate in the national tournament.

• There are four regional sites (East — Bridgeport, Conn.; Northeast — Manchester, N.H.; Midwest — Green Bay, Wis.; West — St. Louis)

• A host institution which is invited to the tournament plays in the regional for which it is the host, and cannot be moved. There are three host institutions this year, Yale in Bridgeport, New Hampshire in Manchester and Michigan Tech in Green Bay. St. Louis’ host is the CCHA, not a specific team.

• Seedings will not be switched, as opposed to years past. To avoid undesirable first-round matchups, including intra-conference games (see below), teams will be moved among regionals, not reseeded.

Here are the NCAA’s guidelines on the matter, per a meeting of the championship committee:

In setting up the tournament, the committee begins with a list of priorities to ensure a successful tournament on all fronts including competitive equity, financial success and likelihood of playoff-type atmosphere at each regional site. For the model, the following is a basic set of priorities:

• The top four teams as ranked by the committee are the four No. 1 seeds and will be placed in the bracket so that if all four teams advance to the Men’s Frozen Four, the No. 1 seed will play the No. 4 seed and the No. 2 seed will play the No. 3 seed in the semifinals.

• Host institutions that qualify will be placed at home.

• No. 1 seeds are placed as close to home as possible in order of their ranking 1-4.

• Conference matchups in first round are avoided, unless five or more teams from one conference are selected, then the integrity of the bracket will be preserved.

• Once the five automatic qualifiers and 11 at-large teams are selected, the next step is to develop four groups from the committee’s ranking of 1-16. The top four teams are the No. 1 seeds. The next four are targeted as No. 2 seeds. The next four are No. 3 seeds and the last four are No. 4 seeds. These groupings will be referred to as “bands.”

Given these facts, here is the top 16 of the current PairWise Rankings (PWR), and the conference leaders (through all games of Feb. 7, 2011):

1 Yale
2 Boston College
3t Minnesota-Duluth
3t New Hampshire
5t North Dakota
5t Denver
7t Rensselaer
7t Wisconsin
9t Union
9t Merrimack
11t Notre Dame
11t Michigan
13 Western Michigan
14 Nebraska-Omaha
15t Dartmouth
15t Miami
15t Boston University
— Rochester Institute of Technology

Current conference leaders based on winning percentage:
Atlantic Hockey: RIT
CCHA: Notre Dame/Michigan (even though Miami leads in points, winning percentage favors Notre Dame/Michigan)
ECAC: Yale
Hockey East: New Hampshire
WCHA: Denver/Minnesota-Duluth

Notes

• Bracketology assumes that the season has ended and there are no more games to be played. i.e., the NCAA tournament starts tomorrow.

• Because there are an uneven amount of games played inside each conference, I will be using winning percentage, not points accumulated, to determine who the current leader in each conference is. This team is my assumed conference tournament champion.

Step one

From the committee’s report, choose the 16 teams in the tournament.

We break ties in the PWR by looking at the individual comparisons among the tied teams, and add in any current league leaders that are not currently in the Top 16. The only team that is not is RIT.

From there, we can start looking at the ties and bubbles in a more detailed fashion.

We break all of our ties based upon the RPI. The biggest tiebreaker occurs for the last at-large spot, and that is won by Dartmouth, which has the best RPI.

Therefore the 16 teams in the tournament, in rank order, are:

1 Yale
2 Boston College
3 Minnesota-Duluth
4 New Hampshire
5 North Dakota
6 Denver
7 Rensselaer
8 Wisconsin
9 Union
10 Merrimack
11 Notre Dame
12 Michigan
13 Western Michigan
14 Nebraska-Omaha
15 Dartmouth
16 RIT

Step two

Now it’s time to assign the seeds.

No. 1 seeds — Yale, Boston College, Minnesota-Duluth, New Hampshire
No. 2 seeds — North Dakota, Denver, Rensselaer, Wisconsin
No. 3 seeds — Union, Merrimack, Notre Dame, Michigan
No. 4 seeds — Western Michigan, Nebraska-Omaha, Dartmouth, RIT

Step three

Place the No. 1 seeds in regionals. Following the guidelines, there are two host teams in this grouping, Yale and New Hampshire, so Yale must be placed in its home regional, the East Regional in Bridgeport and New Hampshire must be placed in Manchester.

We now place the other No. 1 seeds based on proximity to the regional sites.

No. 1 Yale is placed in the East Regional in Bridgeport.
No. 4 New Hampshire is placed in the Northeast Regional in Manchester.
No. 2 Boston College is placed in the Midwest Regional in Green Bay.
No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth is placed in the West Regional in St. Louis.

Step four

Now we place the other 12 teams so as to avoid intra-conference matchups if possible.

Begin by filling in each bracket by banding groups. Remember that teams are not assigned to the regional closest to their campus sites by ranking order within the banding.

If this is the case, as it was last year, then the committee should seed so that the quarterfinals are seeded such that the four regional championships are played by No. 1 vs. No. 8, No. 2 vs. No. 7, No. 3 vs. No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5.

So therefore:

No. 2 seeds

No. 8 Wisconsin is placed in No. 1 Yale’s regional, the East Regional.
No. 7 Rensselaer is placed in No. 2 Boston College’s regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 6 Denver is placed in No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth’s regional, the West Regional.
No. 5 North Dakota is placed in No. 4 New Hampshire’s regional, the Northeast Regional.

No. 3 seeds

Our bracketing system has one regional containing seeds 1, 8, 9, and 16, another with 2, 7, 10, 15, another with 3, 6, 11, 14 and another with 4, 5, 12 and 13.

Therefore:

No. 9 Union is placed in No. 8 Wisconsin’s regional, the East Regional.
No. 10 Merrimack is placed in No. 7 Rensselaer’s regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 11 Notre Dame is placed in No. 6 Denver’s regional, the West Regional.
No. 12 Michigan is placed in No. 5 North Dakota’s regional, the Northeast Regional.

No. 4 seeds

One more time, taking No. 16 vs. No. 1, No. 15 vs. No. 2, etc.

No. 16 RIT is sent to No. 1 Yale’s regional, the East Regional.
No. 15 Dartmouth is sent to No. 2 Boston College’s regional, the Midwest Regional.
No. 14 Nebraska-Omaha is sent to No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth’s regional, the West Regional.
No. 13 Western Michigan is sent to No. 4 New Hampshire’s regional, the Northeast Regional.

The brackets as we have set them up:

West Regional (St. Louis):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
11 Notre Dame vs. 6 Denver

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
15 Dartmouth vs. 2 Boston College
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 8 Wisconsin

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Western Michigan vs. 4 New Hampshire
12 Michigan vs. 5 North Dakota

Our first concern is avoiding intra-conference matchups. We have one.

Nebraska-Omaha vs. Minnesota-Duluth. So we have to switch Nebraska-Omaha with Dartmouth or Western Michigan. We switch the Mavericks and the Big Green.

West Regional (St. Louis):
15 Dartmouth vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
11 Notre Dame vs. 6 Denver

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 2 Boston College
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 8 Wisconsin

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Western Michigan vs. 4 New Hampshire
12 Michigan vs. 5 North Dakota

What else can we do for bracket integrity or attendance? Is there anything we can do?

There are a few things that we can do, that’s for sure.

I’m not happy with a few brackets. We have Manchester, which has three Western teams. We have Green Bay with three Eastern teams. We have Wisconsin not playing in Wisconsin. We have Nebraska-Omaha not playing close to St. Louis.

It’s time to switch some things around. Let’s make some moves.

First move is to switch the Merrimack-Rensselaer matchup and the Michigan-North Dakota matchup.

West Regional (St. Louis):
15 Dartmouth vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
11 Notre Dame vs. 6 Denver

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 2 Boston College
12 Michigan vs. 5 North Dakota

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 8 Wisconsin

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Western Michigan vs. 4 New Hampshire
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

That looks a little better to me.

I can make a switch which brings Nebraska-Omaha to St. Louis and Minnesota-Duluth to Green Bay.

West Regional (St. Louis):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 2 Boston College
11 Notre Dame vs. 6 Denver

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
15 Dartmouth vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
12 Michigan vs. 5 North Dakota

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 8 Wisconsin

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Western Michigan vs. 4 New Hampshire
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

We have kept all the matchups in their proper bracket integrity (1 vs. 16, 2 vs. 15, etc.), but now we look at attendance issues to see if we can improve it by moving teams within the bands to make a better championship atmosphere for the student-athletes and fans.

I’d like to get Wisconsin to Green Bay. I swap Wisconsin with North Dakota.

At the same time though, would it make sense to send North Dakota to St. Louis, and bring Denver to Manchester? I think I can win that argument.

West Regional (St. Louis):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 2 Boston College
11 Notre Dame vs. 5 North Dakota

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
15 Dartmouth vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
12 Michigan vs. 8 Wisconsin

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 5 Denver

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Western Michigan vs. 4 New Hampshire
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

Is there anything else?

One more. I did it before, and I’ll do it again. I want to bring Dartmouth, a New Hampshire school, to New Hampshire.

West Regional (St. Louis):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 2 Boston College
11 Notre Dame vs. 5 North Dakota

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
13 Western Michigan vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
12 Michigan vs. 8 Wisconsin

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 5 Denver

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
15 Dartmouth vs. 4 New Hampshire
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

I like it.

So that is it. My bracket for the week.

Let’s look at one more thing. What if Miami, which leads the CCHA in points, but not winning percentage, is the assumed champion?

You substitute Miami for Dartmouth and do everything the same except the last step.

West Regional (St. Louis):
14 Nebraska-Omaha vs. 2 Boston College
11 Notre Dame vs. 5 North Dakota

Midwest Regional (Green Bay):
15 Miami vs. 3 Minnesota-Duluth
12 Michigan vs. 8 Wisconsin

East Regional (Bridgeport):
16 RIT vs. 1 Yale
9 Union vs. 5 Denver

Northeast Regional (Manchester):
13 Western Michigan vs. 4 New Hampshire
10 Merrimack vs. 7 Rensselaer

More thoughts and education and plain wit on the blog. We’ll see you here next week for the next Bracketology.

The weekend that was: Week 18

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Friday, February 4

Clarkson 2 at Cornell 5

Cornell scored three power-play goals as well as one short-handed, sealing Clarkson’s fate. Sophomore John Esposito, junior Sean Collins, and seniors Tyler Roeszler and Mike and Joe Devin scored for the Big Red in front of junior goalie Mike Garman (23 saves). Freshman David Pratt and senior Brandon DeFazio struck for the Golden Knights, while junior Paul Karpowich made 23 saves as well.

Dartmouth 3 at Brown 0

Junior James Mello earned his second shutout of the year and third of his career with 39 saves, and head coach Bob Gaudet won his 200th game at Dartmouth (200-190-50; 293-33-281 overall) in the Big Green victory. Freshman Matt Lindblad and juniors Doug Jones and Nick Walsh beat Brown junior Mike Clemente (20 saves), as Dartmouth improved to 6-1-1 in its last eight games. Brown dropped its fourth straight contest, and has lost six of eight; the goose-egg was Bruno’s second in three games.

Harvard 0 at Yale 1

In a classic goaltending battle between classic rivals, Yale senior Ryan Rondeau (34 saves) edged Harvard counterpart Ryan Carroll (also 34 saves) for his third shutout of the season (and of his career). Senior defenseman Jimmy Martin’s goal 5:36 into the third period finally broke the deadlock and maintained the Bulldogs’ lead in the ECAC standings, but Rondeau’s season-high save count preserved it as the Blue ended a stunning two-game losing skid. Harvard, meanwhile, lost its ninth game in 10, and for the 16th time in 18 games.

Rensselaer 3 at Quinnipiac 3 (ot)

Sophomore Jeremy Langlois scored twice for the Bobcats, but it was freshman Connor Jones’ 52nd-minute strike that lifted QU into a draw with visiting RPI. Rookie Brock Higgs and seniors Jeff Foss and Bryan Brutlag scored for the Engineers, who not only lost the lead, but also one of the league’s top netminders in junior Allen York in the third period: The elite goalie left the game after 41 minutes and 26 saves with an as-of-yet unspecified injury. Sophomore Bryce Merriam (13) saves played well in relief, while sophomore Eric Hartzell (28 saves) played equally well between the Bobcats’ pipes. Jones’ late goal sustained QU’s unbeaten run (3-0-3); the ‘Cats are also 6-1-4 in their last 11. The tie ended RPI’s winning streak at five games, but what is now an unbeaten streak improved to six (5-0-1).

St. Lawrence 4 at Colgate 0

The Saints and Raiders had five power plays apiece, but the three power-play goals all belonged to visiting SLU as junior Robby Moss (24 saves) earned his first career shutout. Sophomores Kyle Flanagan and George Hughes lit the lamp for the road team, and senior Nick Pitsikoulis did it twice as the Saints guaranteed themselves at least a two-point league weekend for the first time since early December. Colgate, meanwhile, is on life-support in the midst of a 14-game winless skid; the Raiders’ December 4 win over Army was their last triumph since October.

Union 7 at Princeton 4

Down 4-1 approaching the game’s midpoint, the Dutchmen scored six straight goals in the contest’s last 30:37 to stun the Tigers. Rookies Daniel Carr and Mat Bodie, sophomores Jeremy Welsh and Greg Coburn, junior Kelly Zajac and seniors Adam Presizniuk and Brock Matheson scored for Union, which won its fourth straight and eighth game in nine. The loss snapped Princeton’s four-game win streak, despite the efforts of goal-scoring freshman Andrew Calof, sophomore Eric Meland, and seniors Mike Kramer and Taylor Fedun. Surprisingly, both starting goalies survived ’til the final horn, as Union sophomore Keith Kinkaid (28 saves) and Princeton soph Mike Condon (25 saves) are each owed apologies by his respective defensive corps.

Saturday, February 5

Rensselaer 5 at Princeton 2

The Engineers scored three times on four power plays, and blanked the Tigers on all seven of the home team’s advantages to roll in ‘Jersey. Sophomore Marty O’Grady popped one in for RPI, junior Josh Rabbani scored twice, and seniors Tyler Helfrich and Chase Polacek buried goals for the ‘Tute as well. Merriam stopped 39 of 41, allowing goals to junior Derrick Pallis and senior Taylor Fedun; rookie Sean Bonar only stopped 19 of 23 in the Princeton net as the Tigers lost consecutive games for the first time since early November, and straight league games for the first time this year.

Clarkson 2 at Colgate 4

The Raiders finally got a W, as sophomore Kurtis Bartliff scored his fourth and fifth goals of the year and rookie Eric Mihalik won his first collegiate game with 25 saves. Junior Matt Firman and senior Francois Brisebois also beat Clarkson’s Karpowich (35 saves), while rookie Allan McPherson and DeFazio scored for the Golden Knights, who lost their fourth straight and eighth in ten games (2-8-0). The win was the first of the ECAC season for the Raiders, and first overall since December 4 versus Army.

Dartmouth 2 at Yale 4

The Big Green scored first, but the Bulldogs laughed last with four of the game’s last five goals. Sophomore Andrew Miller, juniors Kevin Limbert and Charles Brockett, and senior Broc Little lit the lamp for the Blue, which got back to its winning ways with a weekend sweep after last weekend’s twin losses in the Capital District. Rondeau stopped 25 of 27, besting Mello’s 38-save performance at the other end of the ice. Junior Connor Goggin and senior Matt Reber scored for the Green, whose three-game unbeaten run came to an end in New Haven.

St. Lawrence 3 at Cornell 4 (ot)

Cornell senior Joe Devin scored his second of the game with the extra attacker on, which led to sophomore Greg Miller’s power-play strike in overtime to sink the Saints, who saw a 3-1 third-period lead evaporate in the last 12 minutes of regulation. Sophomore Braden Birch also scored for the Red, who required only 15 saves from frosh Andy Iles to claim the win. Kyle Flanagan, rookie Greg Carey and senior Aaron Bogosian scored for SLU; Moss saved 31 of 35.

Union 3 at Quinnipiac 2 (ot)

Union senior forward Justin Pallos plunged the dagger in overtime as the Dutchmen bounced back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits to take a four-point road trip. Matheson and sophomore Wayne Simpson also scored for the U, which got 23 stops out of Kinkaid in its fifth straight win and ninth in 10 games (9-1-0). Freshmen Kellen Jones and John Dunbar did the damage for the Bobcats, whose six-game unbeaten run (3-0-3) came to an end despite Hartzell’s 35 saves.

Monday, February 7

Harvard 0 vs. Northeastern 4 (Beanpot Semifinals at TD Garden; Boston, Mass.)

Harvard was shut out for the second game in a row and third time in a month despite 41 shots on net and six power plays. Carroll and classmate Kyle Richter combined for 27 saves, but the Crimson will be playing in next week’s Beanpot consolation game for the 12th time in 13 years.

In retrospect…

Last week: 10-1-1

Season record: 116-51-19 (.675)

A quick 15

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Streaks and ends of streaks of note:

  • Western Michigan carries a 13-game (8-0-5) unbeaten streak, the best in the nation, four shy of the school record of 17, set in 1973-74.
  • Bronco senior goaltender Jerry Kuhn (8-1-5, 1.94 GAA, .921 SV%) has been the goalie of record during that streak. Kuhn’s win percentage (.750) eclipses his success of his previous three seasons (.264 average).
  • Northern Michigan now carries a four-game losing streak, longest currently in the CCHA. In the past two seasons, NMU was a combined 29-10-6 in the second half, but the Wildcats are 2-7-1 this year since the midseason break.
  • Michigan now carries a three-game losing streak, their longest since three games in Feb. 2010.
  • Lake Superior State’s two wins over Northern Michigan last week was the first league road sweep for the Lakers since Dec. 2009.
  • Alaska’s two losses at home to Ferris State this past weekend mark the first time since the Nanooks have been swept in Fairbanks in three seasons under head coach Dallas Ferguson.
  • Michigan’s 4-2 loss to Miami Friday (Feb. 4) was the first of the season for the Wolverines when they registered the first goal of a game (13-1-3) and when they were leading after two periods (15-1-3).
  • Miami’s Andy Miele is not just point streaking; he’s uber-point streaking. With a goal and four assists against Michigan last weekend, Miele registered his fourth consecutive five-point weekend.
  • Ferris State’s Scott Wietecha scored his first goal since Jan. 9, 2010 (32 games) with a marker in FSU’s 3-2 win Sunday. Wietecha’s last goal was his only goal of the 2009-10 season.

Firsts

  • Nanook senior Dustin Sather scored his first of the season Sunday in a 3-2 loss against FSU. It was his 11th game of the season.
  • Falcon freshman Ryan Viselli scored his first collegiate goal Friday in BGSU’s 1-1 tie against WMU. It was his 22nd game of the season.
  • Bronco senior goaltender Jerry Kuhn had his first assist of the season (and second career point) in Saturday’s 3-1 win.

Quotables

  • “We’re not the most gifted scoring team as is.” OSU head coach Mark Osiecki, after losing 2-0 to MSU Friday night.
  • “With this young team, two months ago that was a game we would have probably lose by five or six the way it went. There is learning and growing, and they certainly haven’t peaked yet.” MSU head coach Rick Comley, after losing 4-2 to OSU Saturday night.
  • “It was obviously a big day for everyone, and there is no better way to honor Brendan than to sweep Michigan.” Miami junior goaltender Cody Reichard to the Hamilton Journal, after shutting out the Wolverines, 3-0, on the one-year anniversary of the death of Miami team manager, Brendan Burke.

As Boston University gets closer to the top, it grows closer as a team

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The Boston University women’s hockey team is getting closer this season.

Closer in terms of team chemistry off the ice.

Closer to the top of the rankings.

Closer to earning an automatic bid to the national tournament.

Closer to having a legitimate shot at all sorts of big prizes, including a Beanpot championship, a league title, a Frozen Four berth, and even to winning it all.

Perhaps most importantly, the Terriers are now getting closer to the biggest games of the season. It’s tantalizing to imagine how far they might go. The Terriers are No. 3 in the country and the PairWise Rankings with a 22-3-3 record. They enter Tuesday’s Beanpot semifinal against Boston College having won 14 of their last 15 games. And they are reaping the benefits of the most exciting recruiting class in program history.

Led by coach Brian Durocher since moving from club to varsity status in 2005, the program has made steady progress in its short history. However, this season represents the great leap forward thanks in part to Durocher’s recruiting coups. The program was able to go for the gold, pulling in two standouts from Canada’s Olympic championship team in Marie-Philip Poulin and Catherine Ward. Poulin scored both goals in Canada’s 2-0 win over the United States in the gold-medal game.

On top of that, Canadian national team member Jenn Wakefield opted to transfer from New Hampshire to BU after a one-year sabbatical from collegiate play due to her commitment to her country.

Unsurprisingly, these additions have turned the team into a troublesome opponent. Although just a freshman, Poulin is 10th in the nation in scoring with 22 goals and 22 assists in just 24 games. A skilled playmaker, shooter and skater, she can do it all. Wakefield is right behind her with 21-20–41 point totals in as many games.

When you see Wakefield in action, you’re seeing a prototypical power forward. She’s a big, strong skater, and she is an absolute sharpshooter. Ward has 22 points in 26 games from the blue line and adds considerable poise to the defensive corps.

Perhaps the best news of all, though, is that all three have proven to be stars off the ice on top of what they can do when the puck drops.

“The happiest thing is that they both fit in with this program and team very well,” Durocher says. “From a hockey standpoint, they’re really tough to deal with as a 1-2 combination. You find a way to keep one of them under control, and the other one gets two or three goals or four points on you. That makes life tough for the opponents.”

In one of the first home games of the season, Poulin charged an opponent and leveled her, earning herself a trip to the penalty box. She’s a fierce competitor with an eyebrow-popping resume at a young age. All of which makes it rather surprising when you meet her and find that she’s an easy-going young woman with a ready smile.

What has Durocher learned about her since October? “Probably how fantastic a teammate she is, how she works so hard to blend in with so many different people on this team, how she has a great work ethic but a happy-go-lucky way about her,” Durocher says. “There’s a humility about her that’s enabled her to deal with the success that she’s had at a young age.”

“Every time I’m on the ice, I don’t think about anything else,” Poulin says. “When I’m out there, I’m just having so much fun with all those girls and the coaches. We’re lucky to have this program. It’s so much fun and I laugh every day.”

When reminded about that big hit in October and asked whether she would mind if checking were legal in women’s hockey, she grins. “I would not mind if we could check a little on the boards,” Poulin says in her French-Canadian accent. “Maybe not in open ice, but if we could respect each other and be safe, it would be awesome.”

Likewise, Wakefield has a been big hit in the locker room as well as on the ice. “Jenn has grown up as a person and a young lady,” Durocher says. “Whatever the reasons she chose to transfer, we haven’t seen any problems here at Boston University. She’s been welcomed by the team and certainly by the captains, who are her roommates here at BU. Sometimes with transfers there are concerns that they’re bringing issues with them. I haven’t seen it, and I give all the credit to her.”

The feeling is quite mutual. “BU’s been great,” says Wakefield. “I only have positive things to say about the program. The city’s been great, and my teammates have been very welcoming. I have no complaints.”

If anything, the coaching staff has to remind her to not be too unselfish: The team needs Wakefield to unleash those shots on a regular basis. “I know I’m a power forward,” Wakefield says. “I’m just trying to shoot and pass and get it done any way I can get it done there.”

Meanwhile, Ward doubles as the class clown. “She’s constantly pulling pranks on us on the ice, whether shooting pucks in our skates or messing up a drill while it’s being set up without getting noticed,” senior Jillian Kirchner says.

When the players circled up at the end of a recent practice, Ward got on her knees in the middle of the group, comically playing goalie as teammates tried to get pucks by her. Kirchner describes her as a goalie who happens to plays defense.

All of this said, the team’s skyrocketing improvement this year is not purely due to the influx of talent. They’ve needed to forge a new identity with so many fresh faces. All of their losses this season were good reminders that talent alone is not enough. “We learned a couple of lessons this year from the game we lost at North Dakota and particularly the won we lost to Boston College,” Durocher says. “We learned that we couldn’t just play run-and-gun hockey, that we’ve got to do some things defensively better.”

This was a decorated team before all of these heralded arrivals showed up on Commonwealth Avenue. Last year’s team won its first Hockey East championship and played in the national tournament. Kirchner, a fearless winger who stands just 5-foot-2, is nicknamed Mighty Mouse. She’s averaging almost a point per game and clearly has saved her best season for last.

Junior Jenelle Kohanchuk — known simply as “Chuck” by her teammates — already has hit her career high in assists with 17. Junior Tara Watchorn brings size and skill to the blue line, and she’s made a huge leap in point production this year. So far her points per game total is more than double her previous best.

Perhaps the biggest question mark going into the year was goaltending following the graduation of Melissa Haber. Freshman Kerrin Sperry has emerged as the top netminder and has a 16-0-2 record along with a .939 save percentage. She is considered one of the hardest workers on the team, whether on the ice or when hitting the books.

Captain Holly Lorms led the group during an athletes-only team-bonding session in New Hampshire, and she also has placed a greater emphasis on having fun off the ice. Recently the team went bowling at Jillian’s on Lansdowne Street near Fenway Park.

Well, at least they tried to bowl. “Here we are, these big athletes, and we can’t bowl for anything,” Lorms says. “We were terrible. I don’t think I’ve ever had more fun with a group of people doing something we’re terrible at. Everyone embraced it.”

The question is whether Lorms will be embracing some trophies in the weeks to come. “I think that we’ve set that bar pretty high, and we’re slowly reaching the point of knowing we can do something really remarkable,” Lorms says. “We have a chance to win the Beanpot and the regular-season title. It’s pretty exciting. We’ve worked hard to get to this point. We haven’t accomplished anything yet, but it’s all within our grasp.”

Playing in the national tournament seems like a near lock at this point. But how will the Terriers fare against teams that have a longer resume in postseason play? Sure, BU has been mowing down Hockey East opponents, but right now the powerhouses are Wisconsin, Cornell and Minnesota. BU hasn’t played any of them this year.

“We don’t technically know how we would do in that situation,” Lorms says. “But with the personnel we have in that locker room and the people that I practice and play with every day, we stand as good a chance as any of those teams to bring the national championship back to the east coast and to Boston University.”

If they do, it would be especially sweet for the seniors. Kirchner has seen the team get a little closer to the top every season, and she wants to set a new standard this year — not just for herself, but for her coach. “He treats us very special,” Kirchner says. “I feel like he’s shaped us into the team we are today because he is such a nice guy. He holds us accountable for everything that we do. He really doesn’t have any other rules besides accountability. He treats us like adults.

“He’s almost a fatherly figure. If we make the Frozen Four, I’d like to see my dad’s reaction as much as I’d like to see Coach’s reaction.”

Making the Frozen Four would be a big accomplishment for a team that’s only in its sixth year as a varsity program. How far can this Terriers team go? The time when we have the answers is getting closer.

Tips prove costly for Millan, Boston University

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When it comes to tips, Boston University really paid Monday night.

In the nightcap of the Beanpot semifinals, Boston College scored all three goals off a Boston University defender. Pucks tipped off Terriers every way imaginable, leaving Kieran Millan the unlucky loser in net despite a heroic effort with many game-saving stops.

Jimmy Hayes had a breakaway halfway through the second period. Millan made the pad save.

The Eagles swarmed the net later in the period, and Millan finally swept the puck out of the crease like a baseball player taking a one-handed swing.

At the end of the period, it took a video review to prove that Millan denied Hayes again, apparently with an inch or two to spare on the goal line.

Most dramatically of all, he made the save of the night with 52 seconds left in regulation. Just after BC killed off two Terriers penalties, Brian Dumoulin went in all alone with the game on his stick. Millan stopped him, too. He made 37 saves altogether.

The only ones he couldn’t keep out were the result of friendly fire. “It’s frustrating,” Millan said. “Tonight, I thought we played a good game for a full 60 minutes, and I thought we did a good job in overtime, too. We did a good job of limiting their scoring opportunities, but that being said they managed to get three goals. Three is enough to win a game usually, so we lost.”

Those three goals left Terriers coach Jack Parker scratching his head. “They got three goals: One of them popped off of my defenseman’s shoulder and went into the net. One went off my defenseman’s stick and into the net, and one went off of my defenseman’s left leg and went in the net.”

“You try and stay in position,” Millan said when asked about dealing with quirky tips and bounces. “If it happens, those are the easy ones to forget because you really can’t do anything about it. You’re not blaming yourself afterward. As a goalie, it’s disappointing — having three in a game doesn’t help out. I’m pretty sure BC scored a couple against us that way last time in the Beanpot. I don’t why that is.”

BC indeed scored at least one goal off a BU defenseman in the 2010 Beanpot championship, and that was a one-goal game. The Terriers have picked some bad timing to have bad luck.

That last goal Monday was especially painful for the BU faithful. After an epic battle between the archrivals, it was settled on a seemingly innocuous floater that found its way through three or four players before hitting Terriers defenseman Adam Clendening and going in.

“I caught it late because there was a bit of a screen, but it ended up going off one of our players’ stick anyways,” Millan said. “Tough pill to swallow, but there’s still a lot ahead of us this season. We’ll take this in stride and hopefully beat them in the Hockey East playoffs.”

After getting beaten decisively by BC in the first two games, BU came closer than ever tonight. Millan is a big reason why. Last Friday night against Massachusetts-Lowell, he made several astonishing third-period saves.

The Alberta native had a storybook freshman season, winning the 2009 national championship. The Terriers wouldn’t have even made the Frozen Four that year if not for Millan’s amazing effort against New Hampshire in the Northeast Regional final.

Like most of the Terriers, he wasn’t at his best during the first half of last season. Lately, though, he’s looked as good as he ever has in a BU uniform.

“He’s done it all year long for us, and we’ve been breaking down sometimes in front of him,” Parker said. “He’s played much better than his goals-against average and save percentage indicate. He hasn’t had a shutout this year, and we’ve let him down that way. I think he’s played his best hockey he’s ever played in this stretch. I think we’re getting better now, and we’re catching up to him now.”

Maybe the Terriers owe Millan a dinner for what he has done for the team this season. In the future, though, they should reserve any tips around their goalie for the wait staff.

SUNYAC wrap: Feb. 7

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Plattsburgh leapfrogs into third
After Friday’s action, the scene was set for the Plattsburgh at Morrisville showdown. The Mustangs had 13 points while Plattsburgh had 12 points, as did Buffalo State.
Morrisville started the game with Nick Kulas scoring 2:24 after the opening faceoff. Then Plattsburgh scored three unanswered goals in a 6:03 span — Dylan Clarke, Kyle Kudroch on the power play, and Eric Satim.
“For four or five minutes of the game, they took it to us pretty good after we scored the first goal,” Morrisville coach Brian Grady said.
The Mustangs jumped out of the stable in the second period, scoring at the 28 second mark. Bobby Cass took advantage of a turnover and from a difficult angle off to the right the shot deflected off a Cardinals’ defender.
“Very relaxed play by one of our defenseman,” Plattsburgh coach Bob Emery said. “Turns the puck over on the offensive blue line and the next thing you know it’s in the back of the net. Everytime you give up a goal in the beginning of the period like that, it’s going to give the other team momentum.”
Morrisville did play harder in that second period, and though they only had seven shots, they had quality chances, but could not manage to beat Josh Leis.
“Second period, I thought we showed great fight, great passion to get back into it,” Grady said.
“Morrisville played really hard five-on-five,” Emery said.
They kept the pressure on in the third period, but Dan Sliasis scored the all-important insurance goal at 6:35 to make it 4-2.
“We had opportunities in the third, but just didn’t capitalize,” Grady said. “Give them credit, they made the stops when they needed to.”
Satim put the game away with an empty-net goal, and then Kyle Van Dermale scored a last second fluke goal to make the final score 6-2.
“We have to play from in front and not playing catch up,” Grady said.
Though Emery was happy with the effort and glad to only give up two goals (“If we can keep the opponent to two goals, we should win a lot of games.”) he was very displeased with his teams undisciplined penalties, especially an unsportsmanlike conduct against Clarke when he was already receiving a hooking penalty.
“I thought we played smart with the lead outside of the penalties,” Emery said. “Very uncharacteristic of us. Guys aren’t going to play if they take bad penalties. We are going to be a disciplined team whether we win or not. I’m not going to settle for it. I think that was the first unsportsmanlike penalty I’ve had in 15, 16 years. I’m not going to tolerate it.”
In the meantime, Plattsburgh is now in third place, one point ahead of both Morrisville and Buffalo State. Everybody in the league has played 13 games except Morrisville, who has played 12 with 16 total games to be played.
Cortland puts scare in Oswego
Coming off its first North Country sweep in school history, Cortland showed that was no fluke, as they nearly upended the number one team in the country, Oswego.
Jon Whitelaw put Oswego in the lead in the first period, but Jarrett Gold quickly tied it up. Both goals were on the power play. Joey Christiano put the Red Dragons ahead in the second. At that point, Cortland desperately tried to hold off the Lakers onslaught, as Brittan Kuhlman continued his fine play in net.
At 16:34 of the third period, Michael Lysyj put Cortland ahead 3-1. Just when it looked like a major upset was in the making, Luke Moodie saved the day for Oswego 18 seconds later. This provided the momentum the Lakers needed as Dan Bremner scored 55 seconds afterward.
Paul Rodrigues won it in overtime at 4:06, breaking the hearts of Cortland. However, Cortland wasn’t done putting the scare in ranked teams.
After falling behind 2-0 to Elmira, Brian Roller and Chris Kaleta tied it up in the first 21 seconds apart. Then, they fell behind in the second but Ryan Markell tied it up. Then, they fell behind in the third, but Markell again tied it up.
Finally, Elmira scored two power-play goals to put the game away. Kuhlman made 43 saves in each game.
Yet, Cortland left a lot of teams worried if the Red Dragons get into the playoffs.
Other Highlights
– Potsdam kept its playoff hopes alive with an 8-5 win over Morrisville. When even strength, Potsdam played well. However, when down a man, they let up four goals in seven tries for Morrisville. Leading the way was Fraser Smith with two goals and two assists, Adam Place with a pair of goals, and Sy Nutkevitch with four assists. Former Potsdam player Tyler Swan scored twice against his old teammates.
– Geneseo took a hard fought 2-1 victory over Fredonia. Jordan Oye gave the Blue Devils the lead in the second. Rich Manley and Jonathan Redlick gave Geneseo the victory in the third.
– Geneseo took another one-goal win, 3-2, over Buffalo State with all the goals scored in the second period. Zachary Vit and Redlick scored on the power play at 0:29 and 1:16 before Buffalo State tied it up on goals by Dave Lansdowne and Trevor McKinney. Danny Scagnelli put Geneseo in the lead for good on another power play.
– Buffalo State won the night before, 4-1, over Brockport. McKinney scored twice, including an empty-netter to put the game away.
– Brockport came back the next day to cost Fredonia a crucial point in a 2-2 tie. Bryan Ross scored twice for Fredonia, each time tying the game, with the final tally coming with 2:02 left in the third period. Joe Reagan made 47 saves to keep his team in it.
SUNYAC Players of the Week (selected by the conference)
Player of the Week: Jonathan Redlick, Geneseo (F, Jr., Biggar, Saskatchewan) was part of four of Geneseo’s five goals in a pair of wins. Redlick scored a goal and an assist, including the game-winner with 7:15 to play on the power play to give Geneseo a 2-1 win over visiting Fredonia on Friday. On Saturday, Redlick netted his eighth of the season, giving Geneseo a 2-0 lead over Buffalo State before assisting on the game winner at 18:31 of the second period for the 3-2 final.
Rookie of the Week: Zachary Vit, Geneseo (F, Villanova, Penn.) assisted the game-winner vs. Fredonia on Friday and was in on all three goals in the win over Buffalo State on Saturday. Vit picked up the game-winning assist with 7:15 to play in the 2-1 win over the Blue Devils when he tipped the initial save back to the left faceoff circle. Geneseo scored three times on the power play in the second period against the Bengals for the 3-2 win. Vit opened the scoring just 29 seconds into the period. At the 1:16 mark, Geneseo took a 2-0 lead with an assist from Vit, and Geneseo got the game winner at 18:31 when Vit tallied his 20th assist on the year.
Goaltender of the Week: Josh Leis, Plattsburgh (So., Kitchener, Ontario) made 43 stops and recorded a .935 save percentage as Plattsburgh posted two wins on the week. He recorded 27 saves, including 12 in the third period, to preserve a 2-1 win against Middlebury. On Saturday, he made 16 saves in the Cardinals’ 6-2 win over Morrisville, allowing Plattsburgh to move into third-place in the SUNYAC standings.

Northeastern’s McLaughlin emerging at the right time

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Two years ago, he played a part in the Beanpot that Northeastern fans talk about in what-if phrases. This year, he’s looking to play a part in the Beanpot that makes those same fans forget about the what-ifs.

As a freshman, Mike McLaughlin scored the first goal in the 2009 Beanpot championship game against Boston University and missed an open net with the Huskies trailing, 3-2. BU went on to win its 29th title that year in a flurry of short-handed goals, triggering the what-ifs along Huntington Avenue.

In this year’s Beanpot semifinal game against Harvard, McLaughlin opened the scoring at 10:48 of the first period and extended the lead to 2-0 at 1:47 of the second. The Huskies put away the Crimson, 4-0, setting up either a rematch of the 2009 title game against BU or a contest against the defending national champions, Boston College.

If Northeastern is going to put an end to its Beanpot drought that extends back to 1988, McLaughlin may well again play a major role.

That might have surprised people last year who saw him slump from six goals as a rookie to only one as a sophomore.

“Candidly, he’s been a disappointment offensively,” Northeastern coach Greg Cronin says. “He’s a guy we thought would be a double-digit scorer throughout his career.

“As a hockey player — playing every spot on the ice, blocking shots, killing penalties, winning faceoffs, displaying a high level of intelligence on the ice — he’s been outstanding. He’s been a great kid in the classroom and responsible socially.

“[But] offensively, we’ve been waiting for him to have to start contributing with that double-digit season. He’s gone through fits and starts in his scoring.”

McLaughlin got the monkey off his back early in this season with a two-goal game against New Hampshire and entered the Beanpot semifinal game with seven goals, one each in recent games against Vermont and Harvard.

The secret? The soft-spoken junior has adopted the oldest adage in hockey: Shoot the puck.

“I’ve been telling myself to shoot the puck more, particularly this year because last year I didn’t have a lot of luck,” he says. “I hit a lot of posts and missed a lot of open nets. So this year I’ve just been telling myself to shoot the puck.

“It was a relief to score early this season and get the weight off my shoulders and give me a little confidence. Scoring two goals tonight is hopefully going to help me down the stretch.

“It’s nice to contribute. I just want to get us one step closer to winning a title.”

Last year’s one-goal season is a distant memory.

“This year, he’s breaking through,” Cronin says.

And maybe, just maybe, he can become a double-digit scorer next Monday and remove the word “drought” from discussions of the Huskies and the Beanpot.

Weekend of Feb. 4-5

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Ugh, sorry for this being so late, everybody.

Colorado College and Denver split
– … on each other’s home ice, like has been the trend.
– Given the rules of the Gold Pan, even though the teams split the season series, Denver retains the trophy.
– Joe Howe played in both games this series, so thankfully he wasn’t injured too badly the prior weekend.
– The Saturday game had a bit of “Hollywood” to it, as the Pioneers started showing life in the game after injured teammate Jesse Martin made an appearance in the first period to address the crowd and thank them for their support.
– While unconventional (and a tad weird), it wasn’t the first time the Pioneers had an in-game ceremony; the team did something similar a few years back for, if I recall correctly, their U.S. junior team medalists.
– After Saturday’s game, CC coach Scott Owens mentioned that his team’s power play is currently a concern (the team was 0-for-9 on the weekend).

Minnesota State and Bemidji State split
– MSU, who held a 1-0 lead for most of Friday’s game until late in the third, was able to come through in overtime thanks to Channing Boe to win 2-1.
– Dan Bakala had a great weekend for the Beavers, stopping 81 of 84 total shots.
– Which is made more impressive given Saturday’s stats: the Beavers won 4-1, despite being outshot 41-20.
– Unfortunately for the Mavs, their goal-scoring breakthrough that came around last weekend was stopped just as quickly.
– The win was good for BSU, though; it was the team’s first victory since January 15.

Alaska-Anchorage swept Michigan Tech
– Oh Tech. Winless streak now stands at 24 games.
– It’s not for lack of trying, though … MTU knotted the game at one on Friday in the second and it was only 2-1 after two before UAA opened it up. On Saturday, the Huskies took an early lead, lost it, tied it up … and then once again, the Seawolves opened it up in the third.
– The sweep marked the second home sweep in a row for the Seawolves … something that hasn’t happened in over a decade (last time was  in the 1998-99 season with back-to-back-to-back sweeps over Air Force, Denver and Wisconsin).
– UAA coach Dave Shyiak is apparently going with the hot hand in net, as Chris Kamal has started the last three games and won the last three games.
– The Seawolf defense hasn’t been too shabby, either though; it permitted Tech just 32 shots the whole weekend (14 Friday, 18 Saturday).

Minnesota-Duluth took three points from Minnesota
– On Saturday, Mike Connolly took two alone.
– But let’s not get ahead of ourselves quite yet.
– UMD had a school record scoreless streak of 168:39 come to an end on Friday when the Gophers’  Cade Fairchild scored about halfway through the first.
– On Saturday, even though the final score was UMD 6, UM 4, you could say it was Mike Connolly 5, UM 4. The junior had six total goals on the weekend and his three in the first period Saturday constituted a natural hat trick.
– The game showed how dangerous the Mike Connolly-Jack Connolly-Justin Fontaine line really is. Fontaine had been filling in on the second line while Kyle Schmidt was injured. Schmidt came back on Friday and the line was reunited Saturday … a wise decision, given that the three combined for 12 points.

Nebraska-Omaha swept St. Cloud State
– Props to Tyler for seeing this one, as I didn’t think it would happen.
– And yes, this was SCSU’s second visit to the Qwest Center, but first time there to play the building’s actual tenant.
– On Friday, the Mavericks scored three goals in 1:41 in the second period to top SCSU, 3-0.
“That minute and a half where we fell asleep was the game,” Husky coach Bob Motzko told USCHO’s Matthew Semisch.
– The shutout was John Faulkner’s sixth this year, in case you’re counting along at home.
– On Saturday, the Huskies came out of the first period with a 3-0 lead, but the Mavericks rallied to win, 4-3.
– Freshman Mike Taffe came in for the Mavericks in the second period for his second game of the season and stopped all 17 shots he saw.
– Given the last two weekends, it unfortunately seems that the small turnaround the Huskies had at the beginning of the year is now over.
– But let’s hope not.

WCHA teams in the PairWise Rankings
Minnesota-Duluth – t-2nd
North Dakota – t-2nd
Denver – 6th
Wisconsin – t-7th
Nebraska-Omaha – 15th
Colorado College – t-18th
Minnesota – 21st
Minnesota State – 24th
Alaska-Anchorage – t-25th

ECAC East/NESCAC wrap: Feb. 7

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It really is time to watch the scoreboard and see just who has helped themselves and maybe some other team in the process. With just two weeks remaining, there is still quite a lot to play for and a lot of potential playoff scenarios that will be played out right up until the final whistle in the last period of the last regular season game on Saturday, February 19.
The ECAC East is easiest to sort out, at least in comparison with NESCAC.  Norwich and Castleton are tied for first with 25 points, seven clear of third place Massachusetts-Boston.  With just eight points available in the next two weekends, it seems a virtual lock that one of these two teams is going to be the top seed entering the conference championship.  Both gained a win and a tie this past weekend, although Norwich played against Middlebury and Williams, two of the stronger teams in the NESCAC conference, and came away with three points.  In the process, Parker Carroll has emerged as the go-to netminder for the Cadets, and has an impressive 6-0-2 record since playing consistently over the past few weeks.  Since both teams took care of business on the weekend, this Friday’s game in Rutland, Vt., should be a real fan favorite, especially since the Spartans took an earlier nonconference game on Norwich’s home ice before Christmas.
Mass.-Boston, Babson and Skidmore are just separated by two points, so two of the three will be earning a home-ice position based on the outcomes of the final two weekends. Ironically, all three teams, by a quirk of scheduling, face two of the same opponents in the upcoming games.  Skidmore has Norwich as an added challenge this weekend, but road games for all with Williams and Middlebury may be the deciding factors in who gets to play it home come playoff time.
NEC, Southern Maine and UNE are mired at the bottom of the standings with the Nor’easter likely getting a road game against the top seed as the lowest seed in the conference.  Both NEC and USM have shown some signs of life in the second half but have not been able to sustain any level of consistency so while points will be nice, getting ready for the second season may be the priority as neither team will likely move much from their current position.
Over in the NESCAC conference, the playoff picture is very, very, very murky indeed.  Nine teams are separated by just eight points and the top six are separated by just three points overall.  Two of those teams, Middlebury and Williams (I am sensing a theme here) play their travel partner game tomorrow night, so it’s probable that things are going to get even tighter, if that’s possible.
Trinity and Wesleyan hit the road this weekend for the Colby-Bowdoin road trip.  Colby would like to move up if they can keep their hot play up and create some distance from the three Connecticut schools fighting it out for two spots in the conference tournament.  Bowdoin currently has a tenuous hold on the top spot after dropping a one-goal decision at Amherst and tying Hamilton this past weekend.  The match-ups make the scenarios all the more interesting as, other than Tufts, there is a lot of room to move if you get hot right now, or if your game suddenly goes away you could go from first to sixth in just one weekend.
Talk about drama, February is a whole month of playoff intensity, so don’t be surprised when the scores get closer and the letters O-T start appearing on the game recaps.  This past weekend alone, we saw five ties, three 4-4 games and two 3-3 finals.  In just a couple of weeks, those outcomes are going to go until a team wins it and moves on, so for now a tie is an all-important point and that may mean a lot in just a couple more weeks.
The chase is on, so root your team on when they need it the most.  Time is dwindling away, and November 1 seems like a long time ago when practices first started.  Just a handful of games remain, and it’s time to see which teams have got what it takes to make the magical run this year.
Get those iPhones working and check out the scores in real time as action everywhere is important to your team too – drop the puck!

MCHA, MIAC and NCHA wrap: Feb. 7

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The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference race continues to resemble Chicago’s O’Hare on Thanksgiving Eve as Concordia (Minn) and St. Thomas are locked in a second place tie while there is a four-team log jam for the fifth and final playoff spot heading into the final two weeks.
No. 8 Hamline maintains a two-point edge in first place after being upset by St. John’s, 3-1, Thursday. The two teams battled to a 3-3 stalemate on Saturday. The Pipers (12-4-5, 7-1-4) play a home-and-home series with Gustavus Adolphus (12-7-2, 6-4-2) Friday and Saturday.
The race for second place continues to heat up as Concordia and Gustavus split their weekend series, with the Cobbers winning handily, 9-1, on Friday and the Gusties prevailing 3-1 Saturday. To keep pace, St. Thomas (12-9-2, 7-5-2) nabbed a tie and a win in its weekend series with St. Olaf.
The Johnnies’ three-point weekend against the league leaders allowed them to enter the playoff fray with Augsburg, Bethel and St. Olaf. All four schools have 10 points.
In Thursday’s 3-1 victory, James Saintey, Alex Lindeberg and Mike Wallgren scored for St. John’s, which was down 1-0 after Ryan Kupperman’s first-period goal.
Joe Harren’s goal with 2:45 left capped off an enthralling three-goal comeback in Saturday’s contest. Kyle Mattson, Jordan VanGilder and Kupperman scored for Hamline, which led 3-0 going into the third period. St. John’s Tobias Lindro kick-started the rally with a goal 7:57 into the third while Trent Johnson’s tally at 16:30 brought the Johnnies to within one.
Harren’s game-tying goal came 45 seconds later, as the Warroad, Minn., sophomore broke in and beat Pipers netminder Matt Hemingway. Johnnies’ netminder Tony Civello stopped  77 shots during the series.
“We want to make the playoffs, but we needed those points against Hamline to make it happen for us,” St. John’s coach Doug Schueller said.  ”We got it done by playing solid hockey those two nights.”
St. John’s (5-14-2, 4-6-2) hosts Saint Mary’s (4-14-2, 3-7-2) Friday and Saturday.
The Cardinals are in last place but only sit two points behind playoff aspirants St. John’s, Augsburg, St. Olaf and Bethel.
Augsburg (10-8-3, 4-6-2) plays a home-and-home with St. Olaf (9-8-4, 3-5-4) this weekend in another match up with playoff implications.The Auggies swept Saint Mary’s, 4-3 and 5-3, to push their overall record (10-8-3, 4-6-2) past .500.  Loren Egan scored the game-winner in Friday’s contest while  Nick Guran supplied the deciding goal in Saturday’s victory.
Guran led Augsburg with three goals in the series while defenseman Kris Reinthaler scored twice and added two assists for a four-point weekend.
St. Olaf came away with a 2-2 tie and a 2-1 loss against St. Thomas in a home-and-home series.  Ross Trousdale and Austin Wetmore scored for the Oles, who led 2-1 before St. Thomas’ Riley Horgan netted the game-tying goal with 9:53 left in regulation in Friday’s game. St. Thomas’s Rob Philipp scored the game-winner in Saturday’s rematch. Rob Vannelli had the Tommies’ other goal while  Jeff Warren replied for the Oles with 2:11 left.

Winless streak falls
Finlandia erased the albatross of a 13-game losing streak when it upset visiting Marian, 2-1, on Friday. The Lions couldn’t parlay the victory into a sweep, losing 5-2 to the Sabres on Saturday.
The weekend split left Finlandia at 2-18 overall, 2-14 in the Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association. Sebastian Rosendahl and Cameron Goude scored first-period goals for the Lions, who led 2-0 before Dakota Dubetz answered for Marian (15-6, 12-4) with a goal in the third period. The Sabres had two goals disallowed in the first period.
Lions’ senior goalie Ryan Donavon stopped 43 of 44 shots to earn his 24th career win.
“The boys get all the credit,” first-year head coach John McCabe told the Marquette Daily Mining Gazette. “They worked hard, and obviously Donovan stood on his head tonight. He showed what he can do and what he has done before.”
Donavon was also the winning goalie for his team’s last win, which occurred Nov. 12 in a 3-1 decision over Concordia (Wis.).
While the Lions could take in the glow of victory for one day at least, Concordia’s woes continued, as the foundering Falcons dropped a home-and-home series to No. 10 Milwaukee School of Engineering,  5-1 and 3-1. Concordia is winless in its last 13 outings with a 4-4 tie against Northland Jan. 29 the lone bright spot.
The Falcons (1-19-1, 3-16-1) host No. 6 Adrian (17-3-1, 14-1-1) Friday and Saturday.

Superior drought
Wisconsin-Superior’s slide continued, as the Yellowjackets lost 3-0 to No. 2 St. Norbert and Wisconsin-Stevens Point, 4-3, during the weekend.
UW-Superior (12-10-1, 9-7) has dropped five straight while being shutout in three of those contests.
Despite the skid, UW-Superior remains in second place in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association behind St. Norbert, which clinched the regular season crown with a 5-3 win over St. Scholastica Saturday.
John Forsythe’s goal at 14:18 of the first period in Saturday’s loss to UW-Stevens Point snapped a 199-minute scoreless streak for the Yellowjackets. Both teams continued to trade goals until Nick Kenney netted the Pointers’ game-winner with 1:16 left.
Justin Faryna and Joey Massingham accounted for UW-Superior goals while Kyle Heck, Max Bobrow and Harrison Niemann scored for UW-Stevens Point (12-11, 8-8).

ECAC Northeast and MASCAC wrap: Feb. 7

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Another weekend down as the season creeps closer and closer to the end. Hardly seems possible, does it? Here’s a look at the action, which saw yet another team grab the top spot in the MASCAC, while the ECAC Northeast boasts two teams tied for first.
ECAC Northeast
Becker 5, Western New England 4: A four-goal second period helped the Hawks erase a one-goal deficit and hold off two late third goals by WNEC for the win. John Kelly scored twice for the Golden Bears, while freshman Korby Anderson added his 14th goal of the season for Becker. With the win, the Hawks move to 4-2-3 in conference play and leap over Nichols into fourth place.
Wentworth 5, Nichols 1: The Bisons had their four-game wining streak snapped in a big way, as Wentworth jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never looked back.  Skylur Jameson had two goals while Chris Azzano made 27 saves. With the win, Wentworth stays in third place, while Nichols slips into fifth. The Bisons wil have a quick turnaround, as they’ll host Becker tonight in a makeup of last Wednesday’s game.
Curry 4, Suffolk 1: Three first period goals helped the Colonels keep pace with Johnson and Wales for top spot in the conference.  John Williams, Ryan Warsofsky,  Philip Arnone, and Ryan Barlock scored for Curry, while Robert Dawson made 25 saves for the Colonels.
Johnson and Wales 5, Salve Regina 4: JWU survived a wild battle with Salve Regina, who despite having just one win on the year have given some of the conference’s top teams a run for their money in recent weeks. The Seahawks took a  3-2 lead in the second, and tied the game at four on Kevin Sullivan’s goal at 16:13 in the third. Domenic Recchia’s strike just under a minute and half later gave the Wildcats the lead for good. Jeremiah Ketts added two goals for Johnson and Wales, while linemate Jason Pietrasiak had a goal and an assist.  With his two scores, Ketts now ranks second in the country with 18 goals.
MASCAC
Salem State 7, Massachusetts-Dartmouth 1: A bit of shocker, as the Vikings were able to dismantle what had been a pretty defensively-sound Corsairs team. The win bumps  Salem State into first place and gives them the series win over UMD, as they’ve outscored the Corairs 12-1 over the last two games. Salem State was led by Casey Terreri (2-2) and Giancarlo Capodanno (1-3).
Westfield State 11, Framingham State 2: No that’s not a typo. Framingham State actually took a 1-0 lead in the first before Westfield State combined for 10 goals over the final two periods. Dennis Zak had four goals and four assists for the Owls, while Pat Nelson had two goals and two assists. The teams combined for 32 penalties, and Westfield State was 6-for-10 on the power play.
Plymouth State 6, Worcester 0: Two goals in each period, including a pair each by Bryan Kiner and Andrew Stewart in the first and second, helped the Panthers send Worcester State to their fifth loss in six games.  With the shutout, Jack Astedt now ranks sixth in the nation in goals-against-average (1.83) and third in save percentage (.934).
Weekly Honors
MASCAC
C0-Player of the Week, Giancarlo Capodanno, Salem State: Netted three goals and five assists for eight points in 2-0 week for Vikings, including pair of markers and two helpers in 5-3 victory over Worcester State to go with goal and three assists in 7-1 triumph at Massachusetts-Dartmouth.
Co-Player of the Week,Dennis Zak, Westfield State: Collected four goals and six assists for 10 points in 2-0 week for Owls, including four markers and four helpers in 11-2 victory over Framingham State to go with pair of goals in 4-0 triumph over Plymouth State.
Goalie of the Week, Eddie Davey, Westfield State: Posted pair of victories to go with 1.00 GAA and .966 saves percentage in 2-0 week for Owls, including 27 stops in 4-0 shutout triumph over Plymouth State to go with 29 saves in 11-2 win over Framingham State.
Check out the full release here, courtesy of the MASCAC.

Weekend wrap-up 2/7/11

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Two sweeps, three splits and the fourth straight Saturday night tie for Rochester Institute of Techology leave much to decided going into the final three weekends of the season.

The first-place Tigers and Air Force Falons played a wild series in Rochester, with RIT winning 1-0 in overtime on Friday. It was the first time in the 49 year history of the program that the Tigers had played to a 0-0 draw through 60 minutes on home ice. Saturday was quite the opposite, with Air Force storming back from a 4-0 deficit to earn a 5-5 tie.

Holy Cross picked up its second straight weekend sweep to take control in the AHA’s Eastern Pod. The Crusaders outshot American Intenational 42-19 en route to a 5-2 win on Friday, and then got five points from Kyle Fletcher to win 8-4 on home ice on Saturday.

The other sweep belonged to Mercyhurst, which dealt a severe blow to Niagara’s chances to win the regular season title. The Lakers won a wild 8-5 game on Friday and then got a 43 save performance from Ryan Zapolski on Saturday in a 4-0 win. Zapolski made a total of 86 saves in the two games.

Robert Morris and Canisius won on home ice to each pick up two points. On Thursday Cory Conacher got a hat-trick to move him into the all-time points lead at Canisius, leading the Griffs to a 5-4 win.  On Saturday, RMU goalie Brooks Ostergard stopped 48 of 49 shots in a 4-1 victory.

Sacred Heart and Bentley won on each other’s home ice, with the Pioneers scoring the last five goals of the contest in a 6-3 win on Friday, for their first road win over the season The Falcons retured the favor on Saturday, scoring the final four goals of the game, including the game winner in overtime, in a 5-4 victory.

Finally, Army and Connecticut also won the road portion of their series, with the Huskies opening up a 2-0 first period lead en route to a 4-2 win at Tate Rink on Friday. Saturday’s game had to be moved from Freitas Ice Forum on the campus of UConn to the Hartford Civic Center because of concerns over the ice buildup on the roof of Freitas. The Black Knights skated off with a 5-3 win after a wild third period that saw seven goals scored, including four shorthanded tallies.

How’d I do?

I went 5-5-1 to move to 85-52-21 on the season. Guest analyst Matt Garver was 3-7-1, so I go to 8-5-1 straight up against my opposition.

With three weekends left in the regular season, I have two slots open for guest picks. Drop me a line if you’re interested.

Hockey East to honor three with Founder’s Medal Award

USCHO Staff Report
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Hockey East announced on Friday that three former league administrators have been chosen to receive the league’s Founder’s Medal Award.

Bob DeGregorio, Stu Haskell and Brendan Sheehy will be honored during the season for their contributions to the league over their professional careers.

DeGregorio served as athletic director at Merrimack for 19 years and was the fourth Hockey East commissioner, serving for three seasons (1993-1996). DeGregorio also oversaw the elevation of Merrimack’s men’s hockey program from Division II to Division I status in 1989.

Haskell was the third commissioner of Hockey East, serving for five years (1988-1993). He also was the athletic director at Maine for five seasons (1982-1987).

Sheehy served as the league’s supervisor of officials for 12 years (1995-2007) and played a key role in developing new officials and creating the observers program.

DeGregorio and Sheehy will be presented their medals in the pre-game ceremony at Merrimack on Feb. 12 vs. UNH at Lawler Arena, while Haskell will be honored on Feb. 11 before Maine’s game vs. Vermont.

Weekend work-up: Feb. 7, 2011

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The landscape looks a little different this morning in the CCHA. Of course, the landscape looks different in this league every Monday morning.
The big winner? The Miami RedHawks, who recapture first place in the league, for now – and that’s a commentary on the league rather than Miami – and climb a few precious spots in the PWR. Three teams swept to gain six points this weekend: Miami, Ferris State, Lake Superior State.
Michigan-Miami. Wow. When the RedHawks make a statement, they make a statement. Miami outscored UM 7-2 in two home games, including Saturday’s 2-0 shutout. Cody Reichard had both wins. Some big RedHawk guns – Pat Cannone (2-2–4), Andy Miele (1-4–5), Reilly Smith (2-1–3) – came to play. A.J. Treais had the only two goals of the weekend for Michigan. The six points catapult Miami into first place with 45, Michigan drops to third place (43), and Notre Dame – who didn’t play – falls to second (44).
Bowling Green-Western Michigan. The Broncos hold onto fourth place (39) with four points against the visiting Falcons with a 1-1 tie and 3-1 win, extending WMU’s unbeaten streak to 13 (8-0-5). Jerry Kuhn, the goalie of record during that streak, made 34 saves on the weekend and earned an assist on J.J. Crew’s goal in the second period of the win. Andrew Hammond made 61 stops in the series for the Falcons. Six different players accounted for all six goals, and Marc Rodriguez had the shootout marker that gave BG the extra point Friday.
Ferris State-Alaska. The Bulldogs and Nanooks had to delay their series a day because of weather-related travel issues, but that wait was worth it for FSU, who swept UAF 2-1 and 3-2. Pat Nagle stopped 60-of-63 in the series. Eight different players accounted for the goal scoring between the teams. All but one goal was even-strength; Jarrett Granberg’s goal at 19:27 in the third of the Saturday 2-1 game came with the extra attacker. Ferris State is now in fifth place with 38 points; Alaska, in sixth, has 33.
Lake Superior-Northern Michigan. The Wildcats dropped two to the Lakers, 4-1 and 2-0, and have now lost four in a row, while LSSU is unbeaten in six of its last eight (3-2-3). Will Acton and Rick Schofield each had a goal in each contest for the Lakers; freshman Kevin Kapalka made 31 saves in his third career shutout Saturday and 49 in the series. Reid Ellingson had 52 saves in two losses. Five of LSSU’s six goals were scored on the power play. The Lakers capture the Cappo Cup with the wins and are tied with Ohio State in seventh place, each with 31 points. NMU drops to ninth (29).
Michigan State-Ohio State. MSU freshman Will Yanakeff earned his second shutout of the season as the Spartans blanked the Buckeyes, 2-0, Friday night, stopping all 32 shots he faced; he added 35 saves in a 4-2 loss the next night for a weekend total of 67. Four different Spartans scored in the two games. Buckeye Sergio Somma had two goals in the Saturday 4-2 OSU win. None of OSU’s four goals in the win was scored the same way: Somma’s first was on the power play; C.J. Severyn scored shorthanded; Somma’s game-winner early in the third came with an extra attacker on a delayed penalty against Yanakeff (tripping); Cory Schneider had the late empty-net goal. In 10th place, MSU is just three points (26) behind ninth-place Northern.
PairWise
Three CCHA teams – Notre Dame, Michigan, Western Michigan – are tied for 11th place in the PWR, so if the season ended today, those would be your league representatives in the NCAA tournament. Other PWR: Miami (t16), Ferris State (t18), Alaska (22), Ohio State (t25), Michigan State (t27).
How did I do?
I thought the last week of January was bad. Holy moly. Not only did Ferris State and Lake Superior sweep – and I just did not see those coming – but the Spartans and Buckeyes split, as I said they would, but with each team winning on the night opposite of the one I called. Worst week of the season.
Last week: 2-7-1 (.250)
Season to date: 87-60-21 (.580)
I was doing so well until mid-January. I don’t believe I’ll rally before the end of the season, either. Ridicule me via Twitter: @paulacweston.

Returning Olympian Schaus leads Boston College

By Diana C. Nearhos
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Boston College goaltender Molly Schaus hunches over slightly as she stares down the forward skating towards her. She watches as the play develops, shifting in front of the net as she responds to the moves around her. Northeastern’s Kristi Kehoe finally took a shot; Schaus’s save looked as effortless as stretching her arm out to the right.

Most of her saves look effortless, probably because she is confident her ability to make them. A year playing with the Olympic team can have that effect on a player. Practicing with the best women in the country and playing the best women in the world can only improve one’s skills and confidence, and it definitely did both for Schaus.

“You learn a lot of things playing with the best 20 women in the world every day,” said Schaus. “It definitely made me quicker, made me learn to read plays a little bit quicker, stay on my feet a bit more. Coming back here, it’s made me more confident and helped me be able to read and react a little bit quicker than when I left.”

Schaus’s confidence is well deserved. In her first three years at BC, she averaged a .931 save percentage and received numerous player/defensive player of the week awards. This season, Schaus has been named player of the week once and has a .938 save percentage. In addition to her success in Hockey East, Schaus was selected to represent her country in multiple tournaments, including the Four Nations Cup and the IIHF Women’s World Championships.

These factors combined attracted the attention of the Olympic Selection Committee, and Schaus was invited to try out. A few months later, Schaus was in Minnesota, along with BC teammate Kelli Stack, training for the 2010 Winter Olympics. February 14, 2010 Schaus played in her first Olympic game against China. She recorded a 1.000 save percentage with five saves.

“It really was a dream come true,” said Schaus. “It’s all kind of a blur, and sometimes I have to remind myself that it really happened. It was easily the three best weeks of my life being up there and meeting all the new people and just experiencing the Olympics.”

Upon returning to BC, Schaus was named team captain along with Olympic teammate Stack and fellow senior Katelyn Kurth. Transitioning back to college hockey took some time for Schaus and Stack. On top of having become accustomed to a faster-paced game, they were returning to a different team than the one they left.

Schaus, who lives in Natick, Mass., spent time at BC during the spring and took summer classes, which allowed her to start to get to know some of the new teammates. Even so, “It’s a different generation of BC hockey; it was something to get used to and learn the new dynamics of the team,” said Schaus. “At first, it was interesting getting to know my role again, but it’s been a fun year.”

It did not take long for Schaus to find her role as captain. Head coach Katie King described her as quiet, saying that she leads mainly by example.

“She goes into the weight room and works extremely hard and when she’s on the ice, she works extremely hard to get better and help her teammates get better,” said King. “She really tries to keep everyone focused because she’s so focused.”

Stack had similar sentiments, but Blake Bolden, a sophomore defenseman, saw a different side of Schaus.

“Usually at intermission, she has something to say, because she sees everything that we don’t see,” said Bolden. “She usually tells us what were doing wrong, what we could do better, or what we’re doing well, depending on the game.”

Even when she gives criticism, it is from a positive outlook. Rather than yell at her teammates that they need to pick it up, she reminds them what they are all capable of.

Schaus might not even realize herself that she plays that role. As she reclines in the plastic chair, very relaxed, Schaus says she likes to sit back and watch her teammates play. She only speaks up if she sees something drastic or notices a tendency in the goalie.

The Eagles rely on Schaus mostly for her solid play in the goal. Knowing that she is behind them is a relief for the team.

“Having Molly in the net, everybody has a weight lifted off their shoulder,” said Bolden. “If I make a mistake, I know that Molly is back there to stop everything coming at her. A goalie that you have 128 percent confidence in is a very good thing to have.”

Even in goal, which some say is the hardest position in hockey, Schaus is calm and composed. As the goalie, the captain, and one of the team’s resident Olympians, some pressure is inevitable, but no one watching Schaus would know it.

“Watching Molly, it looks so easy,” said Bolden. The defenseman brags about Schaus’s flashier saves. “There was this one save against Providence, the girl had the whole net open and Molly just sticks out her leg. I think her leg grew and she just saved it. We all thought she was going to score, but just kidding, we have Molly.”

It should not be surprising that Schaus is comfortable on the ice and in the goal. She was born in Minnesota, the hockey heartland, where she learned to skate on the pond near her house at the same time she learned to walk. For years, she played pond and street hockey with her brothers and friends. She then lived in the Chicago area, another hockey hub, for seven years before moving out to the Northeast.

Schaus has thus lived, and played, in the main hockey regions of the country, and can be comfortable in any of them. She started playing organized hockey as a third grader. A couple years later, USA won the gold medal in the 1998 Olympics, led by Cammie Granato, who lived one town over from Schaus.

“I got a chance to meet Cammie, talk with her, and wear the medal when I was 10 years old, and that planted that seed in the brain that it might not be as popular, but there are definitely a lot of places you can go,” said Schaus. “So ever since I was ten, going to the Olympics has been my main goal in hockey.”

One Olympic appearance and a silver medal is not enough for Schaus, who plans to continue training for the 2014 Olympics. Before that, she wants another Beanpot title and a chance at BC’s first national title.

That chance means a lot to Schaus, who has helped build the program from one struggling to make the Hockey East tournament to a consistent team in the top 10.

Currently, the team is ranked No. 7. Many of the players credit the two “grandmothers,” Stack scoring on one end of the rink and Schaus in goal on the other.

Weekend recap: Feb. 4-5

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There were two big winners in Hockey East last weekend.  Make that huge winners.

New Hampshire swept archrival Maine, 6-3 and 5-4. The back end of that sweep came perilously close to a loss with an off-balance Gustav Nyquist hitting the post on an empty net after outracing  goaltender Matt DiGirolamo to the puck. That would-be go-ahead goal for Maine would have come with 45 seconds left. 

Having dodged that bullet, UNH got the win with 16 seconds remaining on a Paul Thompson backhander from below the goal line, banking it in off goaltender Shawn Sirman’s pads.

It doesn’t get much better than sweeping a weekend (and season) series against a nationally ranked opponent and having the victim be your archrival and have the wins vault you into first place.

Merrimack came awfully close to topping UNH’s big weekend, though, and in some respects may have done just that.  The Warriors topped Northeastern in overtime, 4-3, on Friday night after erasing 2-0 and 3-2 deficits. They then dispensed with the drama one night later, crushing Massachusetts, 11-2.

The wins didn’t come against archrivals like UNH’s did, but the overtime win came with just 29 seconds remaining.

Besides, the Warriors didn’t just solidify their positioning for home ice, picking up four points on fifth-place Maine, they also moved into a third-place tie with Boston University.  And since they hold a game in hand over the Terriers, they’re now arguably Hockey East’s third place team.

You don’t have to consult the media guide to know that this is unquestionably the latest in the season Merrimack has been able to make that claim.

Boston College and Boston University both won their lone games on the weekend, their light schedules coming as a result of Monday’s Beanpot games.  BC shut out Massachusetts, 5-0, while BU topped Massachusetts-Lowell, 3-1.

Both the Eagles and Terriers lost ground in the standings, BC falling out of a tie for first and BU into a tie for third, but they were giving games in hand so there was no big surprise there.

Vermont also had to be happy with its weekend, taking three of four points against Providence, following a 1-1 tie on Friday with a 7-1 explosion one night later.

That win was a big one not only in terms of its lopsided nature but it also because it acted as a five-point game. With Vermont entering the weekend one point behind Providence in the race for the final playoff berth, the win gave the Catamounts two points, denied two to the Friars, and also gave Vermont the playoff tiebreaker.  (The two teams had tied the two previous head-to-head contests.)

Conversely, Providence was a more than modest loser on the weekend despite taking one of four points.

Northeastern and Lowell both lost singletons as noted above.

UMass lost twice, taking it on the chin for a collective margin of 16-2. Ouch!

Maine, however, had the most to gain or lose on the weekend.  As a result, the Black Bears have to be considered the “biggest” loser on the weekend.  They’re now five points out of home ice contention and have dropped to a tie for 23rd in the PairWise.

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