Here’s a look at the past weekend’s action in the ECAC Northeast and MASCAC.
Friday, Jan. 14
Assumption 6, Becker 3: Assumption jumped out to a 5-0 lead midway through the second period and never looked back. The Hawks’ scored three unanswered goals to make it 5-3, but the Greyhounds capped the game with an empty-netter by Ross White at 18:12 in the third.
Buffalo State 5, Johnson & Wales 1: Four third period goals turned a 1-1 tie into a comfortable 5-1 lead for Buffalo State. Ian DePasquala scored the lone Wildcats goal.
Saturday, Jan. 15
Worcester State 6, Western New England 3: A four-goal outburst in the second period helped the Lancers emerge with the win over WNEC. John Cahalane recorded a hat trick for Worcester State, while Nick Asterito added two goals. John Kelly scored twice for the Golden Bears. The Lancers finished 4-for-6 on the power play and outshot WNEC 59-26.
Hobart 8, Curry 1: Hobart had no trouble with Curry in their first of two games against ECAC Northeast opponents on the weekend. Each team registered 36 shots on net, but Hobart converted three of its eight power-play chances into scores.
Buffalo State 7, Johnson & Wales 0: No luck in the series finale for JWU, who surrendered three power-play goals while failing to convert on any of their seven power plays.
Utica 6, Suffolk 1: Suffolk actually jumped out a 1-0 lead early in the opening period, but it was all Utica from there. The Pioneers scored three third period goals to close it out and outshot the Rams 64-19 on the game.
Plymouth State 1, Salem State 1: A fittingly tight game between two of the MASCAC’s top teams. Plymouth State took a 1-0 lead on Bryan Kriner’s 10th goal of the season early in the third, but the Vikings tied it up exactly three minutes later on Nick Lampson’s power-play goal, also his 10th of the year.
Fitchburg State 6, Framingham State 3: Fresh off their first win of the season, the Rams kept it close early, but the Falcons managed to pull away with the help of two Cory Callen goals.
Massachusetts-Dartmouth 5, Westfield State 4: Two goals to open the third helped the Corsairs build a 5-2 lead before the Owls came roaring back with two late goals, but weren’t able to pull off the upset.
Sunday, Jan. 16
Hobart 7, Nichols 2: Hobart encountered little trouble in their trip through the ECAC Northeast this weekend, outscoring two of the conferences top teams by an aggregate score of 15-3. Hobart led 6-0 before the Bisons were able to get on the board.
Becker 7, Salve Regina 5: The Hawks rebounded from a nonconference loss to Assumption on Friday with a shootout win over the Seahawks. Salve Regina led 5-2 in the second period before Becker rolled off five straight goals in a row to secure the win. Mark Lotito tied the game in the waning seconds of the second period, while Cole Bell’s goal at 18:29 in the third secured the win for the Hawks.
Utica 4, Wentworth 1: Wentworth’s struggles on the power play continued as they went o-for-6 on the game against the Pioneers. The Leopards were outshot 39-19 on the afternoon.
Weekly Honors
Check out the weekly honors for the MASCAC and ECAC Northeast.
ECAC Northeast and MASCAC Weekend Recap: Jan. 17
DIII West weekend wrap Jan. 14-15
Whether it be about the shrinking gap among Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association teams or fashion, the weekend series between No. 8 Adrian and No. 9 Milwaukee School of Engineering produced some profound statements.
The Bulldogs won Friday’s clash, 6-1, at Arrington Ice Arena while Saturday’s contest ended in a 2-2 stalemate. The results left the schools tied for first place with matching 8-1-1 league records, which coincide with their respective identical 11-3-1 overall marks. Adrian and MSOE conclude the regular season with a two-game series at the Raiders’ Kern Center Feb. 18-19.
The highly hyped series underscored how competitive the MCHA has become and, three-straight championships not withstanding, how Adrian will have to scrap to earn a fourth title.
“It seems like we’re coming out and maybe playing 100 minutes of a 120-minute weekend,” said Bulldog senior goalie Brad Fogal, who stopped 55-of-58 shots in the two-game set. “The teams in our conference are too strong now. The conference is getting a lot better. We have to come out and play a full two games.”
Then there was the matter of couture, which Adrian addressed by debuting its third jerseys in Fridays’ game. In a nod to superstition, the team wore the sweaters again Saturday.
With their gold, black and white-striped palette, the late Mr. Blackwell perhaps would have described the shirts as resembling a zebra if descended upon by a swarm of bees.
“We wanted to do something different and kind of retro looking. That’s kind of what we came up with,” said Fogal, who spearheaded the team’s collective design project. “I’ve heard mixed emotions around the rink in the last few days, but all the players like them and they are definitely unique.”
The Bulldogs wore the test-pattern-esque outfits in Friday’s 6-1 victory, which saw the home team build a 4-0 lead on goals by Josh Cousineau, Andrew Dovey, Eric Miller and Shawn Skelly. Sophomore sensation Jordan Keizer scored the Raiders’ lone tally on a short-handed effort 2:50 into the third before Joel Workman and Brad Houston added to Adrian’s account.
Spenser Brown replaced MSOE starter Connor Toomey in goal with 9:05 left.
In Saturday’s rematch, Keizer and freshman Michael Thompson scored on the power-play to give MSOE a 2-1 lead in the second period before Adrian sophomore Zach Graham snatched the game-tying goal at 3:43 in the third. Jordan Watts opened the scoring with a goal at 8:37 in the first period.
On the tying goal, Graham swooped in from the right wing and deposited the puck on the near post. Miller assisted on the goal, which was Graham’s ninth of the season.
“I don’t go to the net that often,” said Graham, who credited teammates Miller and Eric Roman for engineering the play. “I guess good things happen when you go.”
Though surrendering the tying goal, Raider Coach Mark Ostapina said his players showed character in how they bounced back from Friday’s drubbing.
“It was huge,” said Ostapina, whose charges include 16 freshmen and sophomores. “You get into a situation where they took it to us a little bit. We watched the tape. We saw the things we did wrong. The great thing is, within less than 24 hours, we corrected them.
” We didn’t give them what we gave them yesterday. That is the mark of a good team, a young team growing.”
A freshman and sophomore provided a lift after going down 1-0.
With Adrian’s Shawn Courtney off for cross checking, Keizer notched his 16th goal in 15 games. His 1.07 goals-per game average ranks No. 2 nationally. Michael Schenfeld and Bradley Tierney assisted.
Thompson’s go-ahead goal came with two-man advantage after Quinn Waller was tagged with a double-minor for interference and roughing. Waller was initially whistled for interference, but earned a second minor when he punched an MSOE player in the back of the head.
Thompson, a Farmington Hills, Mich., native, unleashed a wrist shot from the high slot that eluded Fogal, who appeared to have been screened. Ben Lauder assisted on Thompson’s fifth goal of the season.
“Last night, we didn’t bring what we wanted,'” said Thompson, whose parents Gary and Linda Thompson were in attendance. “Today, everyone was just more calm and we were ready to go. We brought out a better game tonight.”
Adrian Coach Ron Fogarty was sore about his team’s pedestrian second-period performance, especially the 18 minutes in penalties.
“We shot ourselves in the foot,” Fogarty said. “In the third period, we got back to what we should be doing.
“There is way too much sputtering right now from this team. We have guys who have been around for four years, guys who should have the same expectations.
“There are teams with freshmen and sophomores who are bringing new, rejuvenated energy and that are excited to play and go after us. It’s inexcusable. Time is ticking for this first class.”
Fit to be tied
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference features a three-way tie for first with No. 12 Hamline, No. 15 Gustavus Adolphus and St. Thomas in a deadlock after a weekend of mixed results for the trio.
Twice-All American defenseman Chris Berenguer scored the game-winner while Jordan Van Gilder posted four assists in the Pipers’ 6-3 triumph over host Bethel Friday. The teams settled for a 4-4 tie in Saturday’s rematch with Van Gilder scoring with 18 seconds left in regulation to send the game into overtime. Jack Paul (16 goals, 8 assists, 24 points) scored twice for visiting Bethel (2-3-3, 3-11-3).
Zach May scored the tying goal with 3:25 left in regulation as visiting Gustavus battled to a 2-2 draw against Augsburg in the first game of a home-and-home series Friday. In Saturday’s rematch, May scored twice as the Gusties (3-2-2, 10-5-2) prevailed 4-1. Joel Sauer scored for the Auggies (2-3-1, 8-5-1).
St. Thomas (5-3, 10-7) split its weekend series with visiting Concordia (Minn.) as Tyrone Simcoe stopped 30 shots to earn a shutout in the Tommies’ 3-0 victory Friday. Rob Philipp, Rob Johnson and Andrew Kappers accounted for the Tommies’ goals.
In Saturday’s contest, the Cobbers erased a two-goal deficit as Pat Deitz, Chris Beede and Joe Becker scored unanswered markers in a 3-2 victory. Freshman Chris Neamonitis made 26 saves to earn his first career win for Concordia (2-3-3, 6-8-3).
St. Norbert rolls
The No. 2 Green Knights (9-1, 15-2) swept past visiting Wisconsin-Eau Claire, 6-3 and 3-2, to solidify their lock on first place in the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association standings. Kyle Stroh and Nick Tabisz both had a goal and two assists in Friday’s win. UW-Eau Claire’s Kurt Weston produced a goal and an assist while Jordan Singer and Isaiah Bennis netted lone markers.
St. Norbert’s Cody Keefer scored twice, including the game-winner, in Saturday’s victory. Jon Waggoner and Bennis replied for the Blugolds (4-6, 10-7).
Weekend of Jan. 14-15
Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of the WCHA Round-up, where we condense the weekend that was and recap it in one handy-dandy place.
Denver took three of four from Minnesota State
– Friday was the story of two sides; MSU’s Troy Jutting thought a tie was the deserved the result, while DU’s George Gwozdecky said his Pioneers stole a point.
– The weekend marked the return of DU’s Beau Bennett from missing about a month and a half with a knee injury. Bennett had two points on the weekend – a goal and an assist, both on Saturday.
– Saturday the Pioneers started their comeback from being down 3-0 5:30 into the second and capped it just :21 seconds into overtime.
– The loss was MSU’s first since 12/12; the Pioneers are unbeaten since 12/4.
– The weekend shows the story of how much MSU has improved, despite them getting the short end of the point stick and of how resilient DU is, and has been all season.
– P.S. - more on that later this week.
Alaska-Anchorage swept Colorado College
– A result that probably not many expected, but was very welcome for the Seawolves and keeps them in the league mix.
– The sweep was UAA’s first in a year, since they swept Michigan Tech in Houghton on Jan.15-16, 2010.
– One reason why the sweep may have been a bit surprising was that it was UAA’s first action in just over a month. However, as Doyle Woody of the Anchorage Daily News reported in his Friday gamer, coach Dave Shyiak did something a little different to make sure his team was prepared – in the last two weeks, he instituted a training camp atmosphere, something senior Tommy Grant referred to as “boot camp.”
– “We struggled on offense, ran into a goalie that has played well against us these last three games; that is the anatomy of a sweep in Anchorage,” – CC’s Scott Owens told the Colorado Springs Gazette‘s Joe Paisley on Saturday
– “We’re getting the same amount of (scoring) chances as the other teams, but we haven’t been able to capitalize, and this weekend we did,” Shyiak told Woody on Saturday.
Wisconsin and Minnesota-Duluth split
– The expected result here, though the Bulldogs proved why they’re so dangerous, almost pulling out a tie on Saturday.
– Though UMD won Friday, from the sounds of things, the game was pretty even save the Bulldogs’ two first period power play goals, which ended up being the difference-makers.
– USCHO’s Kevin Pates included a fun stat from Saturday’s game in his recap:
“The Bulldogs held Wisconsin without a shot in the final period, a first for the Badgers since a 2-1 loss to Cornell on March 19, 1970 in the Frozen Four semifinals.”
North Dakota and Minnesota split
– Friday night showed that – no matter how the Gophers are doing in a given year, whether they may be in a relatively down year or not, whether they may be frustrating their fans or not – they’re still the Gophers which means, when it comes down to it, they’re still a pretty darn good team when they choose to be. Basically, even when they’re bad (and I don’t think they’re necessarily a “bad” team this year), they can still beat the “best.”
– UND’s Dave Hakstol summed this up on Friday, when he told USCHO’s Patrick C. Miller “We know they’re a good team. There’s nothing we learned about the WCHA tonight, we just got a bit of a reminder in the first 20 minutes.”
– Yes, the teams brawled on Friday. It’s a rivalry series; what else did you expect?
– On Saturday, the Fighting Sioux showed why they’re so good … especially when they string together a full 60 minutes of hockey.
Bemidji State took three from Nebraska-Omaha
– Unlike Friday’s DU/MSU tie, in which the coaches had differing opinions on the result, both BSU’s Tom Serratore and UNO’s Dean Blais felt that their Friday night tie was the fairest result.
– The Beavers are now unbeaten in five of their last six games, marking a turnaround from where they were earlier this season.
– Meanwhile, the Mavericks continue to struggle somewhat.
– The weekend was the story of the Matts – UNO’s Matt Ambroz had three goals on the weekend while BSU’s Matt Read had two on Saturday, including the overtime game-winner.
Michigan Tech took one from St. Lawrence
– Not much to say here, unfortunately.
– The good news is that the Huskies’ losing streak ended at 15 games on Friday with their 4-4 tie and didn’t go to a school-record 16.
– The bad news is their winless streak still stands at 18 games thanks to Saturday’s 6-0 defeat.
– Also good: co-captain Brett Olson returned to the line-up for the first time since Nov. 13 and made an impact in Friday’s game with an assist as well as in the intangibles he provides as a leader.
Weekend work-up: Jan. 17, 2011
Given the state of college hockey this season, perhaps I should be grateful for any week I pick that’s over .500.
Last week: 5-3-2
Season to date: 78-45-21
No. 8 Notre Dame remains in first place in the CCHA by a point because of a split with No. 20 Alaska and No. 7 Michigan’s sweep of No. 19 Ferris State. A look around the D-I world, though, shows that ND’s fate was similar to that of other top teams: No. 1 Yale split with unranked Brown; No. 2 North Dakota split with unranked Minnesota; No. 3 Boston College split with No. 13 Maine.
Business as usual en route to St. Paul.
Alaska-Notre Dame. The Nanooks generated 74 shots on the Irish, and it was Mike Johnson’s 34-save performance in Friday’s 2-1 win that kept ND one step ahead of Michigan in the standings this week. Allowing three goals on the weekend, Alaska’s Scott Greenham brought his goals-against average to down below two per game (1.97) and his save percentage up to .926, finally making him one of the top 10 goalies in the nation – numbers that reflect his consistent excellence. The 4-1 UAF win Saturday was the first in South Bend for the Nanooks since 2006, and for a team that averages 2.32 goals per game, a big boost heading into Michigan Jan. 21-22. Eight different players registered the eight goals were scored between the teams in the two games. Alaska’s three points put the Nanooks in fourth place with 27 points, two behind FSU.
Ferris State-Michigan. Friday’s contest was terrific; Saturday’s not so much. In the 3-2 UM win Friday in Ann Arbor, the Wolverines scored three goals in the second period after trailing by two. In the loss, Pat Nagle had 37 saves. Saturday’s 6-1 UM win in Big Rapids, Nagle was replaced by Taylor Nelson after allowing the his fourth goal, shorthanded, at 2:01 in the second. The Bulldogs had two goals disallowed in the first two periods, and the only FSU goal of the game – Mike Fillinger’s fourth of the season at 1:55 in the third – was reviewed before it was allowed. Shawn Hunwick had 57 saves in two games. Lee Moffie and David Wohlberg each had two goals on the weekend. FSU drops to fourth place with 29 points.
Bowling Green-Miami. The RedHawks remain in the mix, back in third place in the CCHA, having earned six points against the hard-working but still cellar-dwelling Falcons. The RedHawks limited the Falcons to one goal in each game, winning 5-1 and 3-1; BGSU is now averaging 2.00 goals per game, second-to-last nationally, and has scored a goal in each of its last four contests. Five different RedHawks scored in the Friday win, but Reilly Smith had three goals on the weekend with his single marker in the first game and two in the second. Cody Reichard earned both wins, with a season-high 30 saves Saturday.
Ohio State-Western Michigan. The Broncos hosted the Buckeyes and came away with four points with a 4-2 win and a 2-2 tie. These four points give WMU a one-point edge over OSU in the CCHA standings as the middle tier really tightens up; Western’s in sixth place with 26 points, Ohio State in seventh with 25. One of the best stories of the year in the CCHA is the second-half emergence of senior Bronco goaltender Jerry Kuhn (.206 GAA, .926 SV%), who has been the goalie of record in WMU’s current seven-game unbeaten streak. Kuhn made 63 saves on the weekend. Chase Balisy had two goals for WMU Friday, one on Saturday. Buckeye sophomore forward Jeff McNeil, playing in just his seventh game this season, tied Saturday’s game for OSU in the third period with his first career goal.
Lake Superior-Michigan State. The Lakers played their first D-I game since December on Friday night and came away with no points and no goals to show for it. MSU shut out LSSU 4-1 Jan. 14 and the teams tied, 2-2, the following night. All four of MSU’s goals in the win came in the third period, the last three in rapid succession – scored between 12:53 and 15:50. Brett Perlini had the last two in that one. Will Yanakeff was the goalie of record both nights for the Spartans, making 57 saves; Kevin Kapalka played both games for LSSU, stopping 58. The Lakers won the shootout, and those two points kept them two ahead of MSU in the CCHA standings.
Weekend recap: Jan. 14-16
Just when you thought it was time to write Maine’s swan song, they responded with a vengeance.
The Black Bears, a week after one of their ugliest losses of the season, a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Merrimack, earned two home wins this weekend, eking out an overtime win over Providence on Friday before routing a white-hot Boston College team, 4-1, on Sunday night.
The four points propelled the Black Bears back to the right side of home ice, now tied for third place with 18 points. The two victories also gave Maine some breathing room over Merrimack (three points), which completed a non-league sweep of Alabama-Huntsville this weekend.
Maine also has a three-point lead over Northeastern, which split a weekend series with Vermont thanks to a 2-0 shutout in the second game of the series.
The Black Bears, with their upset win on Sunday, are now equal with Boston University, which itself earned a non-league win over Harvard in its only game this weekend.
The loss for BC on Sunday, its only game of the weekend, was a missed opportunity for the Eagles to jump ahead of New Hampshire in the Hockey East standings. The two clubs are tied for first place with 22 points, but after Sunday the Wildcats now have three games in hand over the Eagles.
Speaking of Wildcats, they were also the victim of an upset over the weekend. New Hampshire fell, 5-4, to Dartmouth in the annual in-state rivalry game played in Manchester. It adds to a string of tough losses for the Wildcats at the Verizon Wireless Arena.
On the bottom half of the standings, Massachusetts took care of business, sweeping sister school, Massachusetts-Lowell. Friday’s game was hardly a cakewalk as the Minutemen blew a three-goal lead and needed a fortuitous bounce in the closing seconds to get the game-winning goal. Saturday’s rematch was hardly as suspenseful as UMass jumped out to a 4-0 lead on Lowell en route to a 4-1 win.
The sweep snapped a five-game losing streak for the Minutemen but more importantly propelled them to seventh place, a point ahead of Providence and four points clear of ninth place Vermont, which failed to keep pace with its weekend split to Northeastern.
The newer faces in the Hobey race
It won’t take any sting out of a 5-4 loss to Dartmouth on Saturday night, but the fact that New Hampshire’s Paul Thompson is the nation’s new points-per-game leader makes it a perfect opportunity to look at those players who have emerged as contenders in the Hobey Baker race. This should answer all the “What about?” questions that emerged when I looked back at my preseason 25.
A couple of groups are worth talking about before we get into individuals.
The Atlantic guys: This group consists of Robert Morris’ Nathan Longpre (seventh in the nation with 1.45 ppg) and Denny Urban (second in defenseman scoring with 1.17 PPG), Niagara forwards Paul Zanette and Brian Haczyk (tied for eighth at 1.41 ppg) and RIT’s Andrew Favot (22nd at 1.29 PPG). The fact that there’s five (maybe only four) players in this category creates a problem, because it means there’s a healthy debate about who the best player in Atlantic Hockey is. History shows that Atlantic will get no more than one player in the top 10 Hobey finalists, and when it happens, there’s little to no debate about who the top player in the conference. The smallest points-per-game margin between a Hobey finalist from Atlantic Hockey and the next highest scorer was two years ago, when Jacques Lamoureux of Air Force averaged only .04 PPG more than Mercyhurst’s Steve Cameron, and in that year, Lamoureux was the nation’s leading goal-scorer by a wide margin. Other than that, it was .20 for RIT’s Simon Lambert over Sacred Heart’s Bear Trapp in 2008, .27 for Air Force’s Eric Ehn over teammate Andrew Ramsey in 2007, and .11 for Quinnipiac’s Reid Cashman over Mercyhurst’s David Wrigley in 2005 (a margin made more impressive by Cashman being a defenseman). By comparison, Mercyhurst’s Dave Borelli enjoyed a .09 PPG margin in 2006 and Canisius’ Cory Conacher had a .14 PPG margin last season.
What does all this tell us? Well, there probably needs to be a clear-cut Player of the Year in Atlantic Hockey for there to be a chance of a Hobey finalist from the conference. Still, it’s worth watching these guys in the second half to see if one of them breaks out of the pack. If the top player happens to play for the top team – which is certainly possible with the Purps and Colonials chasing RIT for the conference lead – then the chances of a Hobey finalist from Atlantic certainly improve.
Yale players not named Broc Little – Certainly, Little is Yale’s top Hobey candidate, currently tied for fourth in the nation at 1.59 PPG. However, the Bulldogs did, in the not-too-distant past, boast four of the top seven scorers in the country, so it’s worth asking what the chances are for Andrew Miller, Denny Kearney and Brian O’Neill in this race. Going by the “Hobey likes goals” theory, O’Neill seems like the most likely choice as a second Hobey finalist from the Bulldogs, while Miller seems like the least likely with five goals. Yale’s overall situation recalls last season’s Miami team, where four balanced scorers canceled one another out in the Hobey race, leaving a goaltender, Cody Reichard, as the RedHawks’ representative in the Hobey race. Ryan Rondeau has made a quantum leap from his efforts of a year ago, but I don’t think that he’s Hobey material yet. Keep an eye on Yale’s situation, because someone from this team will be a Hobey finalist, possibly more than one “someone.”
With those groups out of the way – and in all honesty, they’re not major players in the Hobey race – let’s take a look at a few of the new faces who have established themselves as Hobey contenders.
Paul Thompson, F, SR, New Hampshire – Thompson is now the nation’s leading scorer after adding two more points to his season total in Saturday’s loss to Dartmouth, but he’s been great all season. Through 20 games this season, Thompson has only three fewer goals and six fewer total points than he did in 39 games a season ago, and given that he was a point-per-game player as a junior, this is someone who started as a major contributor and took his game to another level. Saturday’s setback doesn’t change the fact that UNH is tied with BC atop Hockey East with games in hand, and as their leader, I’d say that Thompson is a very likely Hobey finalist, with the potential for more if both he and the Wildcats keep it up.
Jack Maclellan, F, JR, Brown – I’ve been pointing out Maclellan’s strong play for a while, and with a goal and an assist in the Bears’ upset of No. 1 Yale today, more people are likely to start taking notice. The problem for Maclellan is that Brown is still sitting in ninth in ECAC Hockey play, but more than half the conference schedule remains to be played, and Brown has gone 1-0-3 against Hockey East teams, with Maclellan averaging 2.25 PPG in those contests. I think Brown is going to climb in the ECAC standings down the stretch, putting Maclellan in solid position to snag a Hobey finalist slot. I think moving further is a stretch at this point, but Maclellan does have one more year in Providence, so he’s a player worth keeping an eye on for the future.
Matt Frattin, F, SR, North Dakota – Until this weekend, Frattin may well have been the hottest player in the country, until an eight-game goal-scoring streak and a nine-game point streak were snapped in Friday’s game against Minnesota. Frattin is still the nation’s leader in total goals, and while North Dakota hit a hiccup against the Gophers, the Sioux appear to have hit their stride much earlier this season than they have in past seasons, and Frattin is a big part of that, making him a strong Hobey candidate.
Justin Schultz, D, SO, Wisconsin – The nation’s leading scorer among defensemen, Schultz has emerged as a successor to Brendan Smith on the Badger blueline. His 1.23 PPG average is just a hair off of Smith’s pace of a year ago, and his 14 goals are more than many of the forwards we’ve discussed this season, including Maclellan, Little, Carter Camper and Andy Miele. I’d be very surprised if Schultz didn’t end up as a Hobey finalist, especially since he doesn’t have the same competition on his own team that Smith did a season ago.
James Mello, G, JR, Dartmouth – Of all the goaltenders who weren’t on the radar at the start of the season, Mello has done the most to put his name into the Hobey mix. He’s got the top save percentage in the country among everyday starters (Princeton’s Sean Bonar splits time with Mike Condon in the Tiger net), he held Yale to one of its worst offensive performances of the season last weekend, and perhaps most importantly, he doesn’t have to compete with a skater for Hobey attention. John Muse’s save percentage is just .006 off of Mello’s, and he’s got two NCAA titles on his résumé, but in the Hobey race, he takes a backseat to BC teammate Cam Atkinson, and maybe even Brian Gibbons. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see Muse wind up as the first team All-American goalie in the East, but I think Mello’s building a very nice case for himself to earn a possible Hobey finalist spot, especially if Dartmouth can build off of Saturday’s win over UNH and make a run at an NCAA tournament berth.
Jerry Kuhn, G, SR, Western Michigan – Kuhn is No. 8 in the country in save percentage and No. 12 in goals-against average for a Western Michigan team that is just on the outside looking in for an NCAA Tournament berth. With WMU 39th in the country in scoring offense, the burden of getting the Broncos to the NCAAs is going to fall squarely on Kuhn, and if he has them in position to pull it off when March rolls around, look for him to snare a Hobey finalist spot. He’s not going to be the first goalie to win it since Ryan Miller, but he could get a finalist berth.
Scott Greenham, G, JR, Alaska – See above. Greenham is eighth in goals-against average and ninth in save percentage for a Nanooks team that’s in the mix. If the Nanooks are still in the mix in March, Greenham is a candidate for a Hobey finalist spot. If they’re not, he isn’t.
So, that’s where we are. Between these players and the 11 or 12 who are left over from my pre-season list, we’ve still got a group of more than 20 players for 10 Hobey finalist spots, with a handful of players worth watching to win it all.
Gallery: Harvard at Boston University
Photographer Melissa Wade captured these images Saturday at Agganis Arena, where Boston University beat Harvard 5-2:
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Yale releases new statement regarding Cahill investigation
Yale University Associate Athletic Director and Director of Sports Publicity Steve Conn released a new statement this afternoon regarding Chris Cahill’s eligibility:
The NCAA has confirmed the process and due diligence of Yale University and the Ivy League regarding the eligibility of Chris Cahill. He remains eligible to compete in all Yale hockey games.
The senior forward’s status came under fire last week in a report by HockeyBuzz.com’s Julie Robenhymer, but Yale has maintained that Cahill’s eligibility was comprehensively investigated and confirmed by school and Ivy League compliance officials before the season began.
AHA Picks 1/12
Six series, five in conference and one non-league set are on tap for this weekend. And I’m thinking sweeps across the board.
Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15
Army at Air Force – Always a marquee matchup. The Falcons have won the last four meetings and seven of the last eight at Cadet Arena. I think they’ll keep that streak going in a pair of close games. Air Force 4, Army 3; Air Force 2, Army 1.
Niagara at American International – This is the first ever meeting between the two programs. I like the Purple Eagles to take four points this weekend and stay within striking distance of RIT. Niagara 5, AIC 3; Niagara 3, AIC 1.
Holy Cross at Mercyhurst – I could make a case for either team sweeping the other but I’ll go with the home team. Mercyhurst 3, Holy Cross 2; Mercyhurst 4, Holy Cross 3.
Connecticut at Robert Morris – I haven’t been successful picking against the Huskies this season, but I have to go with the Colonials who are coming off a wild weekend in North Dakota. Robert Morris 4, UConn 2; Robert Morris 3, UConn 2.
Bentley at RIT – The Falcons were the last AHA team to win at Ritter Arena, a year ago this month. These are the first home games for the Tigers with school in session since Nov. 13 and I think home ice will be the difference. RIT 4, Bentley 2; RIT 5, Bentley 4.
Sunday January 16 and Monday, January 17
Quinnipiac at Canisius – The teams are meeting for the first time since the Bobcats left the AHA in 2005. Quinnipiac is undefeated in its last 58 games when leading after two periods. I think that streak will continue. Quinnipiac 5, Canisius 4; Quinnipiac 3, Canisius 1.
Guest Analyst
This week’s guest is Nate Lull, play-by-play broadcaster for Canisius. Here are his picks:
Army @ Air Force – Two hard working teams battling it out in this one. Air Force on Friday 4-3 and Army on Saturday 3-2.
Niagara @ AIC – Niagara has been strong this year and normally I would predict a sweep here – but I believe AIC has turned the corner after this past weekend. Niagara 5-2 on Friday and a hard-fought win for AIC on Saturday 3-2.
Holy Cross @ Mercyhurst – These two teams need the conference points pretty bad right now. But I see Mercyhurst getting the sweep. Friday 4-1 and Saturday 6-2.
Bentley @ RIT – Bentley has made improvements this year but it won’t be enough against the streaking Tigers. RIT sweeps. Friday: 5-2 and Saturday: 4-2.
Connecticut @ Robert Morris – Robert Morris needs to keep pace with the big boys in the conference and they know it. RM wins 5-1 on Friday and 4-3 on Saturday.
As for my Griffs – it has been a rollercoaster ride so far this season – but this team has the talent if they can put it together – the OT loss last Saturday against Wisconsin showed me just what this team can do. Another tough non-conference weekend ahead hosting Quinnipiac – I predict a win on Sunday and a classic Canisius OT game on Monday: Canisius wins 4-3 on Sunday; The Bobcats take Monday 4-3.
DIII West picks for Jan. 14-15
St. Olaf’s victory over then-No. 5 Gustavus Adolphus last weekend prevented me from reaching the pantheon of prognostication mediocrity.
I was spot on in predicting the outcomes of the Adrian-Buffalo State and St. Thomas-Wisconsin-Eau Claire games, though, finishing 2-1 to bring the season ledger to 15-17. This weekend’s slate features an array of appetizing inner-league tussles.
Jan. 14-15
Milwaukee School of Engineering at Adrian: This encounter between Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association powers, No. 8 Adrian and No. 9 Milwaukee School of Engineering, will determine top spot. The Raiders are 3-1 on the road, losing to Hamline 4-1 Jan. 1. Adrian’s Arrington Ice Arena is no longer a fortress as the Bulldogs are an uncharacteristic 4-2 there, having seen their 30-game home winning streak snapped in a 5-4 loss to Marian Nov. 6. Both teams have scorers: Jordan Keizer (14 goals, 9 assists, 23 points) and Todd Krupa (10-7-17) for the Raiders; Brad Houston (9-11-20) and Shawn Skelly (9-11-20) for the Bulldogs. Special teams and goaltending will be the deciding factor. MSOE’s penalty kill is No. 1 nationally while Adrian’s power play (23 of 72, 31.9 percent) is ranked No. 3. MSOE netminder Connor Toomey (9-2, 1.58 goals-against, .934 save-percentage) gives the Raiders an edge in goal. This should be a split. Adrian 4-3; MSOE 5-2.
Hamline vs. Bethel: This home-and-home series is one of handful that could produce a seismic shift in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings. The No. 11 Pipers (8-3-1, 3-0-1) are poised to make a leap into the top spot, riding a five-game unbeaten streak that includes ties with St. Olaf, 4-4, Dec. 4; and St. Scholastica, 3-3, Jan. 8. Hamline leading-scorer Brian Arrigoni (9-8-17) has nine points in his last four games while Beau Christian (6-1-1, 2.35 GAA, .923 save-pct.) has been solid in goal. Bethel’s palatable 2-2-2 conference record is contrasted by a poor 3-10-2 overall run. The Royals have one win in their last eight, which included a pair of draws with Concordia Dec. 3-4. Jack Paul (13-7-20), Jon Crouse (3-12-15) and Christian Fogerty (4-10-14) make Bethel dangerous up front. The Pipers should prevail in a sweep, though. Hamline, 5-3, 6-2
Wisconsin-Eau Claire at St. Norbert: No. 1 Green Knights (13-2, 7-1) are ruthlessly efficient, especially considering they lead in few offensive categories. Johan Ryd (5-10-15) leads St. Norbert with four game-winning goals and added a short-handed tally to his opportunistic achievements in last week’s 5-1 win over Concordia (Minn.). B.J. O’Brien (10-1, 1.37 GAA, .940 save-pct.) has been radiant in goal. After knocking off Adrian and Geneseo Nov. 26-27, the Blugolds (10-5, 4-4) have been imbued with a sense of belief, winning seven of their last eight. Like St. Norbert, UW-Eau Claire scorers share the biscuit as five players, led by senior Ross Janecyk (7-8-15) and sophomore Jordan Singer (7-8-15), are in double figures. Self-confidence can only take a team so far, especially when pitted against a team of the Green Knights’ caliber. Expect St. Norbert to extend their unbeaten 6-0 record at home. St. Norbert 3-1, 4-2.
Paula's picks: Jan. 14
Nothing like a weekend slightly above .500. Given the nature of the CCHA, my success rate from last week may be as good as it gets for me from here on out.
Last week: 5-4-1 (.550)
Season to date: 73-42-19 (.616)
Here are my picks for games this week. There’s a full slate of CCHA play. Lake Superior returns to NCAA action for the first time since Dec. 11. Northern Michigan is the team on the sidelines this weekend. All games are Friday-Saturday. Start times are noted.
BGSU at Miami. This series brings former RedHawks players, BG head coach Chris Bergeron and assistant coach Barry Schutte, back to Oxford. Of course, Bergeron coached alongside Miami head coach Enrico Blasi as well – and let me say once again how delighted I am that Schutte is finally getting a chance to coach D-I hockey. After the RedHawks were swept by the Buckeyes last weekend, though, I’m not sure the homecoming will be a fond one for the Miami alumni. Miami took two from BGSU in Bowling Green Nov. 19-20, outscoring the Falcons 7-0 in the set. The RedHawks have won 16 of the last 17 contests between these programs, including the last nine straight. 7:35 p.m. Friday, 7:05 p.m. Saturday. Miami 3-2, 3-1.
FSU vs. UM. These teams have done this home-and-home thing once already this season, with the Wolverines taking four points away from that weekend after a 2-2 tie Oct. 29 in Ewigleben and a 3-2 victory the next night in Yost. I don’t expect much to differ this weekend – two tight games and either fairly evenly split points or two one-goal wins for one squad or the other. But which one? The Bulldogs swept Bowling Green last weekend and the Wolverines split with Michigan State. Each team looks good in many ways but each is vulnerable, too; FSU has fantastic defense and goaltending while UM can score. Second-place UM is two points ahead of third-place FSU, and the Wolverines have two games in hand on the Bulldogs so this weekend could have big implications for the final CCHA standings. Friday’s game in Ann Arbor begins at 7:35 p.m. Saturday’s game in Big Rapids begins at 7:05 p.m. UM 3-2, FSU 3-2.
MSU at LSSU. I have been saying this all season long that the Spartans do not look like a cellar dweller, and their 4-3 overtime win against Michigan Jan. 7 certainly reflected that. The following night, however, the 4-0 loss to UM in Yost illustrated another theme for MSU this season: inconsistency. The Spartans travel to Sault Ste. Marie to take on what must be a pretty confident Laker squad. LSSU spent the holiday break playing Canadian university teams and winning all five games. While those games in exhibition count for nothing real, they do deliver tangibles, like honed skills, awareness of what needs to be addressed, confidence boosts for the 18 players who had at least a point in the swing through Ontario. Sadly, LSSU senior goaltender Brian Mahoney-Wilson may be out for the rest of the season with an injury. 7:05 p.m. both nights. MSU 3-2, LSSU 3-1.
OSU at WMU. Two new head coaches who have already made some noise meeting in Kalamazoo – that’s the makings of a good series. The Buckeyes swept Miami last week and the Broncos return from Fairbanks with five points. OSU rides a six-game win streak into Lawson while WMU defends a five-game unbeaten streak. Can I just call two OT ties with the teams swapping shootout wins? Last year, OSU went 3-0-1 against WMU and took the shootout point, and the Buckeyes hold a 4-2-2 advantage over the Broncos in the past three seasons. During Western’s current unbeaten streak, the goalie of record has been senior Jerry Kuhn in the longest starting streak of his career. How hot is Kuhn? In those five games, he’s allowing less than a goal per game (0.98) and his save percentage is .963. His Buckeye counterpart, Cal Heeter, has started every OSU game this season and has allowed 1.83 goals per game during Ohio State’s current six-game win streak with a .927 save percentage in that stretch. 7:35 p.m. both nights. OSU 3-2, WMU 4-2.
UAF at ND. The Nanooks begin their annual southern January migration with a two-game set in South Bend this weekend and two more in Ann Arbor Jan. 21-22. Last weekend, UAF took one point at home from WMU, marking the only time this season that Alaska has earned less than two points from a CCHA opponent in any given two-game weekend. The Irish went to Marquette last weekend and swept NMU, outscoring the Wildcats 11-2 in two games. Junior Nanook goaltender Scott Greenham (2.02 GAA, .924 SV%) continues to give UAF a chance in every game. Irish freshman T.J. Tynan (15-18-33) leads all rookies in scoring nationally, is third in the country in overall points and he leads the league in goals. It’s been since March 4, 2006, since the Nanooks have beaten the Fighting Irish in South Bend; ND is 8-1-1 against UAF in the last 10 games. 7:35 p.m. Friday, 7:05 p.m. Saturday. ND 4-2, 4-2.
ECAC Northeast and MASCAC Weekend Preview: Jan 14
Before taking a look at what’s set for the weekend, here’s a look at the midweek action, including a milestone win at Nichols and some shifts in the MASCAC standings.
Thursday, Jan. 13
Nichols 4, Southern New Hampshire 3: Nichols held off a pesky Southern New Hampshire team in a non-conference game which had been rescheduled from Wednesday due to the ferocious winter storm that blanketed the northeast. The win gave seventh year head coach Lou Izzi his 100th career win at Nichols. Izzi, who has had only one losing season at Nichols, is the program’s winningest coach with a 100-72-11 mark. His overall record is 186-27-14, and includes a six year stint to begin at league rival Johnson & Wales.
Andrew Ella had two goals for the Bisons, including the game winner, while Will Munson scored the game’s first goal and assisted on Ella’s game winning tally.
Manhattanville 2, Curry 1: A late third period goal by No.4 Manhattanville proved to be the difference against Curry, who had tied the game just five minutes earlier. The Valiant’s first goal came on the power play, while the Colonels were unable to convert any of their seven chances with the man advantage.
Geneseo 9, Western New England 1: After getting their first win in nearly two months Tuesday against Connecticut College, the Golden Bears fell victim to a flurry of Geneseo goals, including seven in the final two periods.
Plymouth State 3, Worcester State 1: After a pair of mildly frustrating ties at Wentworth over the weekend, Plymouth State jumped into a tie for first place in the MASCAC with a win at Worcester State. Penalties were a problem over the weekend for the Panthers, who were called for just three infractions Thursday. A David Rose power play goal early in the second period upped Plymouth State’s lead to 2-0, but the Lancers cut that in half minutes later on John Cahalane’s goal, but Alex Cottle’s strike at the end of the second capped the scoring for both teams.
Salem State 5, Massachusetts-Dartmouth 0: A three goal outburst in just under two minutes turned a close game into a blowout and helped Salem State grab a share of first with Plymouth State. Leading 1-0 coming into the final period, Salem added a goal at the 7:15 mark before blowing it open with goals at 11:11, 11:42, and 12:55, respectively. Freshman Ben Vandervies played the last 8:18 in net for the Corsairs, marking the first time this season someone else other then Collin Tracy manned the net for UMD.
Framingham State 3, Westfield State 1: The Rams scored two goals early and then added a late third period goal to secure their first win of the season and move into a tie with Westfield State for the final playoff spot. The defeat extended the Owls’ losing streak to five.
Upcoming Games
Friday, Jan. 14
Becker at Assumption: Assumption opened the year with wins over Suffolk and host Becker in the Becker Ice Breaker, but has since posted an 0-3 mark against ECAC Northeast competition. Look for that to continue today. Becker 3, Assumption 1
Johnson & Wales at Buffalo State: A good non-conference test for the Wildcats, who presently sit in first with a 4-0 ECAC Northeast record. Buffalo State. The Bengals have struggled a bit since checking in at the No. 15 spot on the USCHO.com poll in late November, but still sit in fourth in a talented SUNYAC conference. Give them the slight edge here. Buffalo State 5, Johnson & Wales 3
Saturday, Jan. 15
Western New England at Worcester State: The teams opened the 2010-11 season with a 3-3 tie. Since then, Western New England has cooled considerably since a hot start, while Worcester State had been gathering steam before a 3-1 loss at home to Plymouth State Thursday night. The Lancers should get back on track against WNEC. Worcester State 4, Western New England 1
Hobart at Curry: The last in string of tough non-conference opponents sees Hobart travel to Curry. The Colonels came close against No. 4 Manhattanville; I think they’ll grab the win here. Curry 4, Hobart 2
Johnson & Wales at Buffalo State: The closing match of the two game series up north should send the Wildcats home with a win. Johnson & Wales 5, Buffalo State 3
Utica at Suffolk: The first game of the weekend in Boston comes against Suffolk, who has struggled to find any consistency. If the Rams are going to steal a game against No. 11 Utica, they’ll need a top notch effort in goal from Jeff Rose. Utica 4, Suffolk 0
Plymouth State at Salem State: A key matchup in the MASCAC. Each team toppled the squad ahead of them in the standings to set up a battle for first place Saturday. This one is a push, but I’ll take Salem State-barely. Salem State 3, Plymouth State 2 (OT)
Fitchburg State at Framingham State: Framingham State is fresh off their first win, while the Falcons are on the heels of a 3-2 overtime loss to New England College on Tuesday. Fitchburg State 5, Framingham State 1
Westfield State at UMass-Dartmouth: As noted above, the Corsairs imploded in a 5-0 loss to Salem State. They should get back on track against the Owls, who have struggled mightily this year. UMass-Darmouth 5, Westfield State 2
Sunday, Jan. 16
Hobart at Nichols: Assuming Hobart losses to Curry Saturday, I don’t see them finishing their weekend in the ECAC Northeast without a win. Nichols will be tough, but Hobart should squeak this one out. Hobart 4, Nichols 3
Becker at Salve Regina: One of the few conference games of the week in the ECAC Northeast. Becker was dealt its first conference loss of the season last week by Johnson & Wales, but they should get one back against the Seahawks. Becker 4, Salve Regina 1
Utica at Wentworth: One of the final non-conference games for a young Wentworth squad that peaked before the break, but has since been trying to adjust to a second semester that has seen it lose players to snow delays and practice time to coop jobs. If they can pull it all together by Sunday, they could give Utica a run. I’m tempted to call the upset, but how about a tie instead? Utica 3, Wentworth 3
Games Jan. 14-15
Last week Theresa: 11-1
Season Theresa: 86-49-13
Last week Tyler: 11-1
Season Tyler: 85-32-9
We’ve got a rivalry series, an intriguing match-up, the battle of the WCHA newbies and a non-conference series … along with a few other games. Let’s get to this.
Friday, January 14 and Saturday, January 15
No. 6 Denver (13-5-4, 9-3-2 WCHA) at Minnesota State (10-8-4, 4-8-2 WCHA)
Theresa: MSU is riding a hot streak right now, as Tyler mentioned earlier this week, but Denver, despite all they’ve been thrown this season, has been a team that has soldiered on. That being said, DU has struggled of late to close out weekends, as evidenced by their Saturday ties their last two match-ups. DU swept the Mavericks last time these two teams met, but I don’t think that’ll happen this time around. Rather, I think we’ll see a split – DU Friday, MSU Saturday.
Tyler: Drew Shore and Jason Zucker are DU’s top scorers with 25 and 21 points, respectively. They return to the team after spending three weeks with the U.S. World Junior team. The question is whether the Mavericks can continue their hot streak into the WCHA schedule after winning eight of their last 10 games. Aside from a few lapses in two losses (MSU’s only losses in the last 10 games) to UND, MSU played well enough to win both games. Split.
No. 17 Colorado College (12-9-1, 8-6-0 WCHA) at Alaska-Anchorage (5-10-3, 4-8-2 WCHA)
Theresa: CC is without Jaden Schwartz thanks to his injury at World Juniors, but they have another equally potent offensive weapon in the Hockey Commisioners Association’s National Player of the Month for December in Tyler Johnson. The Tigers have also built up a little roll for themselves, winning seven of their last nine, though it should be noted they’re 2-2 in their last four. UAA, on the other hand, has been idle for about a month and, in the past two years where they’ve come out of a similar situation, they’re 0-3-1. These two teams split the last time they met and despite UAA’s tendency to stumble out of the second-half blocks, I’m still inclined to think they’ll split, partially due to the fact they’re at home. Therefore, UAA Friday, CC Saturday.
Tyler: UAA has had a knack for taking down decent teams at home this season including CC but the Tigers have held their own, scoring five goals in three of their last five games without their top offensive guy, Jaden Schwartz, who they won’t have for a while. CC sweep.
No. 9 Wisconsin (14-7-3, 6-6-2 WCHA) at No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth (14-4-3, 9-3-2 WCHA)
Theresa: This is quite possibly the most intriguing match-up this week. On one hand, you have the Badgers, a young team that looks to have finally found its groove, going 7-1 in its last eight. On the other hand, you have the Bulldogs, who started out so strong but have faltered slightly in league play since their two overtime game sweep of UW back in mid-November. Since then, UMD is 1-2-1 in WCHA action (though, it should be noted, 3-3-1 overall), which may not be bad, per se, but hasn’t been typical of what we’ve seen from the team. I have no doubt these two games will be just as close as the ones the teams played in November, but I have a feeling if the games go to overtime, the matured Badgers won’t be seeing the same results. Still, I have to make a decision and I think the likely response given everything is a split - UW Friday, UMD Saturday.
Tyler: Wisconsin’s had problems with consistency and Justin Faulk’s return brings a lot back to UMD’s blueline and this series is in Duluth’s barn. Wisconsin has the defense to win in Duluth and the offense to match the Bulldogs’ firepower. Split.
Minnesota (9-8-3, 6-6-2 WCHA) at No. 2 North Dakota (16-5-2, 11-3-0 WCHA)
Theresa: I can sit here and talk about how UND hasn’t lost in 9 games, and how they’re a second-half team. I can sit here and talk about how Minnesota has been a struggling team and how being down to one experienced goaltender might hurt them. However, this is a rivalry series, which means that most of that stuff can be thrown right out the window. We can expect two hard-fought, hard-hitting and probably close games. In my mind, we can also expect a split – UND Friday, UM Saturday.
Tyler: The Gophers are going into Grand Forks at a bad time. This is the time when UND annually begins to roll. Kent Patterson had a rough time last season at the Ralph, allowing five goals on 43 shots in two games and the Sioux haven’t lost a beat since last season. UND sweep.
Bemidji State (8-11-1, 4-9-1 WCHA) at No. 11 Nebraska-Omaha (12-7-1, 9-4-1 WCHA)
Theresa: In which we have the battle of the WCHA newcomers. The Beavers shockingly swept the Mavericks when these two teams last met a little over a month ago. Since then, both teams have gone 3-3 and both have had some surprising results – BSU won the Mariucci Classic and UNO got swept by Quinnipiac. So, what happens? Will Bemidji continue to see its stock slowly rise? Will the Mavericks get the mojo they had at the beginning of the season back, or will they continue to oscillate back and forth between winning and losing? I think I see both, in a split – UNO Friday, BSU Saturday.
Tyler: UNO is slipping lately. Since the Beavers swept the Mavericks Dec. 3-4, UNO beat Michigan Tech twice, split on the road with Colorado College and went out east and got swept by Quinnipiac at the end of December. BSU has only won on the road twice: at St. Cloud State and Alabama-Huntsville. UNO will wake up and sweep the Beavers.
St. Lawrence at Michigan Tech (3-15-2, 1-12-1 WCHA)
Theresa: The Huskies, the poor Huskies, after starting off the season on the right foot at 3-0-2, have lost 15 straight since. It hasn’t been for lack of trying, as the coaches of their victorious counterparts always praise them for being tenacious and tough. However, that doesn’t translate into victories, especially when you can’t put the puck in the net – MTU’s been outscored 71-27 in those 15 games. Their ECAC opponent this weekend, St. Lawrence, isn’t a strong team by any means (6-10-3, 3-6-0 ECAC) but it can score, unlike MTU. If the Huskies can keep it a tight, low-scoring series, they’ve got a shot. But, as much as I’m rooting for their winless streak to end, I can’t pick them here. SLU sweeps.
Tyler: I saw SLU play earlier this season and the Saints have two talented brothers, Kyle and Sean Flanagan, who will have a big impact on this series. SLU sweep.
Candace’s Picks: January 14
I pretty much rocked it last week, going 11-0-1 (.958). In fact, regarding the one tie, I did say in my write-ups, “The Catamounts will probably play the Sioux tough, and one tie is possible.” Dang those Catamounts and their ties (nine and counting!). On the season, I am now 83-29-14 (.714). Let’s see how we can do this week.
Friday-Saturday, January 14-15
Brown at Mercyhurst: Aside from a couple of teams out west, Mercyhurst is one of the best squads in the country. Brown doesn’t have the guns to hang with the Lakers over the course of 60 minutes. Mercyhurst 5-1, 5-2
Ohio State at Minnesota State: An intriguing match-up between two middle-of-the-pack WCHA teams. Though the Mavericks were just swept by Minnesota in convincing fashion, they have surprised a few teams this year, including Ohio State, whom they swept on the road earlier in the year. I don’t see that happening again, but I don’t think the Buckeyes are strong enough to sweep either. Minnesota State 4-3, Ohio State 4-2
Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota: All eyes turn to Minnesota this weekend for what should be a barn-burner of a series. Both teams have been playing second fiddle to Wisconsin this year, but both are squads that have a good chance of making it to Erie later in the year. This should end up being a split in two extremely close, hard-fought games. Minnesota-Duluth 4-3, Minnesota 3-2
Friday, January 14, and Sunday, January 16
St. Cloud at Wisconsin: St. Cloud is winless on the year, and the Badgers are the team to beat. The Badgers are, in fact, loaded. For the Huskies, this is a rebuilding year, and they will be still be seeking their first win after this weekend. Wisconsin 6-1, 6-0
Friday, January 14
Cornell at Rensselaer: The Engineers have quietly put together a respectable record in the both the ECAC and overall. They are trending up, having beaten Dartmouth and Harvard last weekend. However, Cornell is one of the best in the country, and has a good chance of going undefeated in ECAC play. Cornell 4-1
Clarkson at Dartmouth: Clarkson has had a disappointing season so far, never really able to get any consistency. Dartmouth is in the same spot, hovering in and out of the top 10 on the season. I’m calling home ice on this one. Dartmouth 4-2
St. Lawrence at Harvard: These two have fallen from their former glory, when they were the squads to beat in the ECAC and could threaten for the national title. Both teams have been frustratingly inconsistent. I think St. Lawrence has the edge here, but only slightly. St. Lawrence 4-3
Saturday-Sunday, January 15-16
Bemidji State at North Dakota: This is a huge series in the WCHA. Everyone expected North Dakota to be improved, thanks to the arrival of the Lamoureux sisters, and the Sioux have been one of the better teams in the conference. Bemidji has been a surprise, and, outside of Wisconsin, is a threat to any team in the conference. I’m calling split. North Dakota 4-2, Bemidji State 4-3
Saturday, January 15
Boston University at Boston College: Outside of Minnesota, this is the other game to watch this weekend. These two squads sit atop Hockey East, and both should end up making the NCAA tournament. Earlier in the year, they split a home-and-home, with each winning on the other’s home ice. I’m calling home ice this time though. Boston College 3-2
New Hampshire at Providence: Providence has emerged as a threat to the two Boston schools in Hockey East this year. New Hampshire is struggling through a disappointing campaign. Still, this is a big game for the Friars, and the type of game they have to win to establish themselves as a solid threat in Hockey East. Providence 3-2
Cornell at Union: Seriously, can we just pencil the Big Red in as the ECAC champion now? Cornell 5-1
St. Lawrence at Dartmouth: Another very unpredictable game. After beating Harvard the night before (if my pick holds up), I think St. Lawrence will come out a little flat. Expect the Big Green to take this one. Dartmouth 4-2
Sunday, January 16
Maine at Boston University: Despite their winning record, the Black Bears are not quite there yet as a threat to the top squads in Hockey East. However, this game has the potential to be close, especially after the Terriers face arch-rival BC the night before. Boston University 3-2
Boston College at Northeastern: This is another one where the favorite could come out flat after a draining game against an arch-rival the night before. Still, the Eagles should have enough in the tank to take this one. Boston College 4-2
Tuesday, January 18
Cornell at Mercyhurst: The Big Red have one blemish on their record, an overtime loss to the Lakers earlier in the year at home. This is probably the only other game Cornell can lose this season, and it should be an awesome contest, with Cornell out for revenge and Mercyhurst looking to close the gap at the top. A tie would not surprise me at all. I’m calling Cornell in a thriller. Cornell 2-1
New Hampshire at Quinnipiac: Aside from freshman phenom Kelly Babstock, the Bobcats have other strengths, as women’s D-I columnist Dan Hickling details this week. Expect the Bobcats to take this one. Quinnipiac 4-1
ECAC Hockey picks: Week 15
Benjamin Davis, former equipment manager at Clarkson (’03) and a really all-around sharp guy (or so says his record), is back for a shot at 3-0 against yours truly. We also welcome a second guest-guesser, in Mr. Peter Jasinski, a Yalie who requested this week as his first shot since the Bulldogs are finally back in action. (Why not last week? Ask him; I have no idea.) Without further ado, a lot of pixels!
Prediction precision
Season record: Me: 82-44-13 (.637) overall.
Guest guessers: 54-40-8 (.569)
Benjamin Davis vs. Brian Sullivan: 2-0
Head to head: Sullivan 5, Guests 4*
This week
All times Eastern
Friday, January 14
Rensselaer at Cornell – 7:00
Last week, Cornell finally swept a weekend, and RPI finally lost at home. A harbinger of things to come? The Engineers have clearly been the better team this season, but I’m wondering if they’ll be the better team at Lynah on Friday… which is really all that matters. I’m going to go with my gut (and historic trends) and guess that the Red will bring their A-game both nights this weekend: 4-2 Cornell.
BD: This is going to be my “upset” of the week. Cornell is having a down year but the Engineers aren’t hot on the road either. Big Red win 3-2.
PJ: The Engineers have been playing well against highly ranked teams, but struggling in league play. That said, Cornell has been struggling all around, especially at home. Engineers 4-2.
Union at Colgate – 7:00
Brown Rule. 5-2 Dutch.
BD: Union is coming off a hot win against Clarkson and after watching Colgate’s loss vs. Princeton I have got to go in favor of the Dutchman. Union wins a close one though 4-3.
PJ: They’re not even the best brand of toothpaste. Union 5-2.
St. Lawrence at Michigan Tech – 7:00
Somehow, MTU’s power play is at nearly 23 percent, yet they’re 3-15-2. The reason why? Awful, awful defense and goaltending. Neither Tech goalie (Kevin Genoe or Josh Robinson) has a save percentage above .895, and each of their goals-against averages are near or beyond 4.0. The Huskies are 1-4-2 on home ice, and this is a big opportunity for SLU to prove to us – and itself – that it can win on the road (3-6-2). 4-3 Saints in Game 1…
BD: St. Lawrence looks to wrap up the non-conference part of their schedule before hitting the home stretch of the ECAC in the Midwest. The Saints should have any easy weekend in Michigan especially if the same team that went to UNH shows up again. St. Lawrence wins the opener 4-2.
PJ: The Huskies have 3 quality wins against Northern Michigan, Lake Superior, and Minnesota State. Unfortunately, those are their only 3 wins. St Lawrence 4-1.
Saturday, January 15
Brown at Yale – 4:00
If a team that can’t seem to find a W gets “The Brown Rule” treatment, should an invincibly hot victory machine earn “The Yale Rule”? Stands to reason, but I’ll have to mull it over… it’s way easier to keep losing than to keep winning. That said, Yale in a rock-em, sock-em throwdown: 5-3.
BD: Does Brown even have a chance at Yale. They can put up a fight but probably not the W. Bulldogs win big 5-1.
PJ: With the backing of a full home crowd for the first time in a month, Yale will handle the Bears. Yale 6-1.
St. Lawrence at Michigan Tech – 5:00
…and, while picking road non-conference sweeps has hurt me before, I’m a glutton for punishment. 4-3 Saints in Game 2.
BD: Saints sweep on the road with a 4-1 win.
PJ: Tech will still only have 3 wins. Saints 4-3.
Harvard at Boston University – 7:00 TV: NESN
Harvard can’t put together a good offensive and defensive night at the same time, while BU is simply having trouble maintaining a roster. Tough one to call. The Terriers are the more talented and proven team, but geez, isn’t Harvard due for a win eventually? Oh wait, no: I almost forgot. I don’t believe in “due for wins”; I think it’s stupid. 4-3 BU.
BD: Harvard hits the “road” for the cross city trip against another team that is having a down year. BU is having a decent year but Harvard is def. struggling. Going to have to take the home team in this one. Terriers 3-1.
PJ: Harvard may beat NU later this week, but there’s no way they’re beating the Terriers. BU 5-1.
Dartmouth vs. New Hampshire – 7:00 Verizon Wireless Arena; Manchester, N.H.
Each of these sides have been putting up solid offensive numbers and tight defensive/goaltending games of late, so there’s no easy pick here. It’s the only game of the weekend for each side as well. The special teams are in more or less a dead heat, as are the average offensive and defensive performances per game. Sheesh. I’d lean toward the Wildcats because the game will be played in a large venue, but then I’d lean back toward the Green because it will be played on NHL- (rather than UNH’s Olympic-) sized ice surface. When in doubt, show a little loyalty: Dartmouth, 4-3.
BD: This would be my game of the week to watch. The 4th-ranked Wildcats were stunned by the last ECAC team they faced (SLU). I think Dartmouth will put up a fight like St. Lawrence but UNH is going to come out with the win. UNH 3-1 (3rd goal on an empty netter).
PJ: In the Battle for New Hampshire, Dartmouth will show the Hockey Least what’s up. Big Green by 13…we just like the rhyme. Dartmouth 3-2.
Rensselaer at Colgate – 7:00
Brown Rule. 3-2 RPI.
BD: Finishing the weekend vs. a couple of nationally ranked teams doesn’t end well for the Raiders. RPI gets a couple of points, 5-2.
PJ: The Raiders are still looking for the Lost Ark. Engineers 6-4.
Union at Cornell – 7:00
Another big one. I’m going to give this one to Union – but only barely – because if Cornell really brings the lumber Friday, it will be a tough act to repeat again on Saturday. 3-2 Dutchmen.
BD: Union moves up in the standings with a weekend sweep of Central New York even when wrapping up the weekend at Lethal Lynah. Union in a close on 2-1.
PJ: While Union may be the logical pick here, Cornell is going to play great one of these days. Cornell 2-1 (probably in OT).
Sunday, January 16
Yale at Brown – 4:00
Same song, second verse: Here come the hits, the penalties, and more likely than not, another Bulldog W. 4-2 Elis.
BD: Yale proves why they are the top ranked team in the nation: 3-1.
PJ: While we’re loving the fact that Brown has become a much more competitive travel partner this year, we still think Yale has the edge. Yale 4-2.
Quinnipiac at Canisius – 4:05
It’s Canisius’ bad (14 percent) power play against QU’s bad (79 percent) penalty kill! But seriously, these are games that good teams have to win… and QU has masqueraded as a pretty good team at times this year, and it’s time for the Bobcats to put up or shut up. 4-2 QU.
BD: Quinnipiac’s only got 3 impressive wins of the year Ohio State and Nebraska Omaha (2). Their other 8 wins were vs teams with sub .500 records. Canisius is no stranger to OT games ( 9 out of 20 games). This is going be a close series but Quinnipiac pulls it out 3-2 in the opener.
PJ: Even though they’re the second best in the New Haven Metro Area, they’ll be the best in Buffalo. Bobcats 3-0. [Editor’s note: Niagara, and some might say RIT, are also D-I’s in the Buffalo area…]
Monday, January 17
Quinnipiac at Canisius – 4:05
Just win, baby. Repeater: 4-2 Bobcats.
BD: Quinnipiac wins the closer 3-2 (in OT).
PJ: Just like the Russian Juniors, the Bobcats will win all their games in Buffalo. However, they’ll make it back to Connecticut without trouble. Bobcats 2-1.
Wednesday, January 19
Harvard at Northeastern – 7:00
Ughhh… I mean,… ack. Really? I have to pick this game? I barely want to recognize its existence. Northeastern is beginning to improve on a “shaky” first half (to put it one way), but they’re still sub-.500 at home, which is surprising. Harvard… well, it’s the Crimson. I’m not Brown Rule-ing them yet, but after this weekend, it just might apply. NU head coach Greg Cronin has thrown verbal jabs at Harvard’s Teddy Donato for not scheduling the Huskies during the regular season, as Harvard has with BU and BC, so Greg, here’s your shot. I don’t know why, but I’m going to give the Crimson one last chance before invoking TBR. 3-2 Crimson.
BD: Do I stick with the ECAC or go with a family college (4 cousins went there and no doubt a set of twins Gavin and Gracie are headed there in 16 more years)? Harvard isn’t too hot on the road (not that far away from home but it’s not the Bright Hockey Center) so I have to go with the Huskies. Huskies win this one 4-2.
PJ: Shall we say an appetizer to the Beanpot entreé coming in February? Harvard will upset the Huskies in a thriller, 1-0.
You don’t have to settle for the comments section here to make fun of me; you can do it on Twitter, too, at SullivanHockey.
Perry helps key Quinnipiac surge
It takes a lot of guts to step in front of an opponent’s slap shot, just like it does to ask for the privilege of doing so. Melissa Perry knows that as well as anyone.
Perry, a junior defenseman at Quinnipiac, has gone from being a walk-on hopeful to being a key member of the Bobcats’ air-tight blue line corps.
“It’s amazing,” said Perry, who hails from Chelsea, Mich. “Ever since I found out that there is women’s college hockey, it’s been a goal of mine. Just obtaining that goal is very satisfying and gratifying. But now I just want to keep proving myself. Try to be the best player that I can be. It’s a great feeling to know that I’ve made it, but it’s a continuing process to try to better myself.”
Perry might not have even come to “the Q” at all if the schools in her home state, particularly Michigan, where her father Mark played for four years, offered the sport.
However, a visit to the rustic hills of Central Connecticut convinced her that Quinnipiac was the right place to pursue her major, physical therapy, if only she had a chance to pursue that other passion, hockey.
That she admitted, took the summoning of some nerve.
“I had talked to coach (Rick) Seeley before I had come to the school,” she said. “He said that there were spots open. But not necessarily scholarships. He didn’t approach me. It did take courage to put myself out there and hope that somebody would give me that chance to prove to them that I would be able to help the team. Be a big part of it.”
“Obviously, hockey is a huge part of my life and to leave Michigan and come all the way up here, and hoping to play a leading role. I wasn’t completely blind coming in. But I still had an idea that I would be on the team and be able to play.”
Oh, she can play all right.
Standing a solid 5-foot-6, Perry has played in every game since the beginning of her freshman year. In the process, she has become one of several reasons why the Bobcats rank among the top 10 teams in the nation in scoring defense and scoring margin.
Which means that Quinnipiac has been doing a lot of winning, too, currently sitting second in the ultra-competitive ECAC.
“When we’re playing our best,” Perry said, “we’re all holding each other accountable. We don’t want to be the one to let the rest down. We’re doing our best, knowing the other five are doing their best. We’re pressuring hard, we’re communicating well. We’re trying to step up into the play and help in the offensive zone. We go through that every day in practice. It’s kind of second nature to us.”
The same way the game itself — and the will to grasp everything within it — is to her. That, she said, is a credit to her father, who was also a shutdown “D-man” back in the day (1978-82).
“He and my brother (Matt) were the reason I started playing hockey,” she said. “He’s coached me a lot of my life. He has been a huge influence on my game. He helps a lot on the mental aspects of my game and how to play defensively. Just everything.”
Like his daughter, Mark Perry didn’t have anything handed to him, either. Not heavily recruited, he managed nonetheless to stick with the Maize and Blue, buffing up his game with each shift.
“He was talked to by other schools,” Melissa said. “But at Michigan, he did have to prove himself. He went out. Worked hard and came back to have a pretty big role.”
Which is to say that how one gets the chance to play is less important than wringing the most out of the opportunity.
“Once we put our jerseys on and get ready for practice, once we get to the school, there isn’t really that big of a difference,” Perry said. “We all came here for a reason. The way that we got here doesn’t matter anymore.”
NOTES: One aspect that Perry has over her dad is goal scoring. Mark Perry scored just once in his four year career — he did it as a freshman — but Melissa has tallied twice. Perry, who excelled in both physics and French in high school, attends Quinnipiac on an academic scholarship, not an athletic one.
Amherst toughened by brutal schedule
The Amherst Lord Jeffs haven’t seen the friendly confines of Orr Rink in nearly two months for a game. They played their last home game on Nov. 20, which was the opening weekend of the season and resulted in a 5-0 win over Wesleyan.
Over the last two months, coach Jim Plumer and his team have played arguably the toughest schedule any team has played since the NCAA started sponsoring D-III hockey in 2001.
“It was certainly a challenging task for our team,” Plumer said. “I don’t think anyone has ever done anything quite like that, playing seven straight road games against top 10 teams, and I’m not sure we would want to do anything like it again.”
Amherst’s brutal stretch started off with two games at RIT on the last weekend in November, and the Lady Jeffs traveled back from Western New York with two losses, including a 5-1 defeat which Plumer called “the worst beating we’ve taken in a while.”
The two-time defending national champions followed up with two NESCAC games at Trinity and took three points out of the weekend before ending the first half of the season with a 5-2 loss at Norwich.
If that wasn’t enough, Amherst then traveled to the Cardinal-Panther Classic and battled to a 1-1 draw with Plattsburgh in the opening round before advancing to the championship by winning a shootout. The following day, the Lord Jeffs defeated Elmira in a rematch of the 2009 national championship game, 1-0, to claim the tournament title by scoring two goals on the weekend.
“Since the first of the year, we have played better after making some lineup adjustments,” Plumer said. “The weekend up at Plattsburgh was really right and both games could have gone either way. I liked that we played tough and strong in those games and gained some momentum and confidence from it.”
With seven games in a row that were all against teams in the top 10 and all of them away from home, Amherst emerged with a 3-3-1 record. Not too shabby, all things considered.
The Lord Jeffs (6-3-2, 5-0-1 NESCAC) followed up with two wins at Conn. College last weekend to complete their nine-game road trip that lasted nearly two months.
Amherst was scheduled to play Utica on Wednesday; however, the game was postponed due to the blizzard that hit New England hard that day.
Even though the Lord Jeffs finally get to play at home on Friday, the schedule doesn’t get any easier, as Amherst will host arch-rival Middlebury (7-2-1, 6-0-1 NESCAC) for two games that could go a long way toward shaking out the NESCAC regular season crown.
“We like to play [Middlebury] because it’s generally a fast-paced game,” Plumer said. “Both teams get up for it. Middlebury plays a puck possession style and not so much of a grind it out style like a lot of the ECAC West teams play.”
Now that the road trip is in the past, Amherst will play nine of its final 13 games at home.
Fellow NESCAC foe Trinity will also be embarking on an important weekend in its schedule as the Bantams travel out west to take on two of the top teams in the MIAC in Gustavus Adolphus and St. Thomas.
Trinity (9-1-2, 3-1-2 NESCAC) is hoping to have a little bit better luck than Amherst did when the Lord Jeffs traveled out to Minnesota two years ago and dropped both contests to GAC and St. Thomas before going on to win the national championship later that year.
“We spent three years fundraising for this trip and it’s nice to play some games out in Minnesota for the girls we have from the Midwest as well as to change up the competition a little bit,” Trinity coach Andrew McPhee said. “We’re going in looking to play the best that we can. That’s our goal every season, is to get better as the season progresses, and being able to play two of the top teams from the West is a nice challenge for us.”
Trinity was a bit of unknown coming into this season after the Bantams lost 2010 Laura Hurd Award winner Isabel Iwachiw in goal. Iwachiw helped backbone Trinity to national prominence over her four years, including leading the Bantams to their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance last season before bowing out in the quarterfinals, 2-1, to Elmira.
“It’s gone well so far,” McPhee said of the team’s start. “Isabel made for some tough shoes to fill, but we’ve got some players that can play. Both our freshmen goaltenders have done extremely well. We’re trying to share the load between the two of them right now as they continue to get acclimated to the college season. They’ve been tremendous, and hopefully we can continue to play well in front of them.”
Alexa Pujol and Kristen Maxwell have each posted solid numbers for Trinity with Pujol carrying a 5-0-2 record, 1.39 goals against average and a .950 save percentage. Maxwell is 4-1-0 with 1.50 goals against average and a .938 save percentage.
Trinity has picked up two big wins already this season, downing Manhattanville, 3-2, in the Bantams’ season opener and then beating Norwich, 2-1, in December.
A big part of Trinity’s success has been the continued excellence of senior forward Kim Weiss. Weiss leads the team with nine goals and six assists for 15 points. She’s also tallied three game-winning goals and three power-play markers, which also are tops on the team.
“Kim brings everything to the table every night,” McPhee said. “She’s probably one of the most dedicated players in D-III with the things she does away from the ice and on the ice. She makes us go, as you can tell by the points. She does it all; she’s our best penalty killer and she’s been on the top line all four years she’s been here, along with Laura Komarek. ”
Trinity is coming off a three-point weekend with a win over Williams and then a 1-1 tie against Middlebury.
“The Middlebury game was a little stressful for myself and coach Mandigo with both teams giving up a few breakaways, but I’m sure it was fun for the fans,” McPhee said. “Both teams came out playing hard. We were pleased to come out of the weekend with three points because it’s a tough trip to play at Williams and Middlebury in the same weekend.”
Although Trinity’s matchups don’t count in the primary criteria for the NCAA Tournament selection since they aren’t in region, the Bantams could do the East a big favor and help put a stranglehold on the secondary criteria when out-of-region games become a factor. The Bantams have already beaten St. Mary’s, 3-1, and a sweep of the other two top MIAC contenders could end up having an important impact on the at-large bid process come March.
Hockey East picks – Jan. 14-19
Last week was not a good one for me to be away as Jim widened his lead in New Hampshire-like fashion.
Dave last week: no picks
Jim last week: 7-2-0
Dave’s record-to-date: 49-21-18 (.659)
Jim’s record-to-date: 60-19-16 (.716)
Here are this week’s picks:
Friday, January 14
Providence at Maine
Dave’s pick: The Black Bears will be looking to redeem themselves after taking a beating at the hands of Merrimack last weekend.
Maine 5 PC 2
Jim’s pick: Providence played Maine tough at home, but that should change with a hungry Maine team playing in Orono.
Maine 5, PC 3
Vermont at Northeastern
Dave’s pick: The Huskies have hit their stride and aren’t about to misstep at home.
NU 4 UVM 2
Jim’s pick: One of many difficult picks among the lower half of the league. For this one, I see a split starting with the Cats win.
UVM 3, NU 2
Massachusetts at Massachusetts-Lowell
Dave’s pick: Both teams are on losing streaks right now, but the Minutemen are playing much the better of the two teams.
UMass 3 Lowell 2
Jim’s pick: If Lowell is going to win, it will be Friday night on home ice.
Lowell 3, UMass 2
Merrimack vs Alabama-Huntsville
Dave’s pick: The easiest pick of the week. The Warriors all the way.
Merrimack 6 AH 2
Jim’s pick: Warriors take the Grand Ole Opry by storm.
Merrimack 4, UAH 1
Saturday, January 15
Massachusetts-Lowell at Massachusetts
Dave’s pick: The Minutemen extend Lowell’s losing streak to 13.
UMass 3 Lowell 2
Jim’s pick: Minutemen earn the weekend split and take the Alumni Cup.
UMass 4, Lowell 1
Vermont at Northeastern
Dave’s pick: The Huskies sweep to go over .500 within the league.
NU 3 UVM 2
Jim’s pick: NU rebounds to earn the split.
NU 3, UVM 1
Merrimack vs Alabama-Huntsville
Dave’s pick: The Warriors complete the sweep, giving them a 12-4-4 overall record.
Merrimack 5 AH 2
Jim’s pick: Yet another win for Merrimack. This team keeps rolling.
Merrimack 3, UAH 2
Dartmouth vs New Hampshire
Dave’s pick: Dartmouth is having a good year; UNH is having a great one.
UNH 4 Dartmouth 2
Jim’s pick: Almost want to pick the upset here, as Dartmouth always gives UNH headaches. But I’ll go with records and recent performance here.
UNH 5, Dartmouth 4
Harvard at Boston University
Dave’s pick: The Terriers have stumbled a bit lately, but the Crimson have struggled all year.
BU 4 Harvard 2
Jim’s pick: Not a chance, Harvard.
BU 5, Harvard 1
Sunday, January 16
Boston College at Maine
Dave’s pick: In the most compelling game of the week, the Eagles extend their winning streak to eight games.
BC 4 Maine 2
Jim’s pick: Tough pick but going with the rested Eagles team, even on the road.
BC 3, Maine 2
Tuesday, January 18
Boston University at Merrimack
Dave’s pick: This isn’t just about Merrimack’s home ice dominance. The Warriors are simply the better team right now.
Merrimack 4 BU 2
Jim’s pick: I went with Merrimack last week and this game was snowed out. Not changing my mind now.
Merrimack 3, BU 2
Wednesday, January 19
Harvard at Northeastern
Dave’s pick: The Huskies keep the momentum going.
NU 4 Harvard 2
Jim’s pick: Preview of the Beanpot semis. Northeastern should win both.
NU 3, Harvard 1
ECAC East/NESCAC Game Predictions – 1/14-18/2011
Another week of league play and a couple of new winning streaks are on the line. Trinity has picked up two wins in a row and hopes to build on that momentum on the road this weekend. New England College has three wins in a row as they play hosts this week to long time rival Norwich and St. Michael’s.
“Points are rally hard to come by so everyone is pressing to get them every time out,” said Trinity coach Dave Cataruzolo.
This week the match-ups are bringing together a lot of league pairings which are like four point games. This should be a fun weekend – the holiday hangover is over.
Last Week: 11-12-3
Overall Record: 56-56-14 (.500)
Winners in Bold.
Friday, January 14,2011
Amherst@ Conn College – Eddie Effinger, Trip Wray and Mark Colp have picked up the offense but the Lord Jeffs are going as far as Mr. Anderson can carry them. New London isn’t too long a ride – Amherst 4, Conn Coll 2.
Hamilton @ Tufts – The Continentals are coming off a big three point weekend and don’t want to lose momentum against the Jumbos. They don’t – Hamilton 5, Tufts 3.
UMass-Boston@ Castleton – Both teams are hunting Norwich at the top of the standings. This one plays like a playoff game – UMB 3, Castleton 2.
Babson @ Skidmore– Both teams need to get some positive momentum going and the home team has the advantage this week – Skidmore 4, Babson 3.
Southern Maine @Bowdoin– Offense is great but not at the expense of team defense. The Polar Bears can play both- Bowdoin 6, USM 2.
UNE @ Colby – Both teams are mired near the bottom of the standings but not for a lack of effort by either squad. The unofficial Maine tournament favors experience – Colby 4, UNE 2.
Norwich @ NEC – The Pilgrims are on a bit of a roll and the Cadets rebounded strongly last weekend after a couple of lackluster outings. It’s always close between these teams – Norwich 3, NEC 2.
St. Michael’s @ St. Anselm – D-II rivals face-off in what is likely to showcase a lot of goals. Fun for fans, heartburn for coaches – St. A’s 6, St. Mike’s 5.
Trinity @ Middlebury– A 50th anniversary celebration for Midd’s 1961 championship team will be the perfect backdrop to keep the Panthers unbeaten in 2011 – Middlebury 4, Trinity 1.
Wesleyan @ Williams –The brakes got jammed on last weekend for the Ephs who suffered their first losses of the season. Nothing like a little home cooking for Williams – Williams 3, Wesleyan 1.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Amherst@ Tufts – The Lord Jeffs like being at the top of the standings and a clean weekend keeps them on track – Amherst 3, Tufts 2.
Hamilton @ Conn College – The Camels can make some noise in the league but need to win the tough battles. They start now – Conn College 4, Hamilton 3.
UMB@ Skidmore – The Beacons are a very confident bunch and the carryover from Friday is a positive one – UMB 4, Skidmore 2.
Babson @ Castleton –The Spartans have big goals and will want put some distance on an annual rival – Castleton 5, Babson 4.
Norwich @ St. Anselm – The defending national champs have seemingly put it back together. The Hawks don’t have the answers for the Cadets – Norwich 5, St. Anselm 2.
St. Michael’s @ NEC – A hard fought game against Norwich as the Pilgrims that they can make run – NEC 4, St. Mike’s 1.
Southern Maine @ Colby – The White Mules have struggled at home and the Huskies would like to prolong the misery – USM 3, Colby 2.
UNE @Bowdoin –The Nor’easters make their way to “The Sid” for the first time and the Polar Bears are less than welcoming hosts – Bowdoin 7, UNE 3.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Tufts @ Suffolk – Another old ECAC match-up that will show off the Ram’s Jeff Rose. He just can’t stop them all – Tufts 3, Suffolk 2.
Salve Regina @ Conn College– The Seahawks have seen enough of NESCAC teams this season. The Camels make them wish for a Northeast opponent – Conn College 5, Salve Regina 1.
UMass-Dartmouth @ UMass-Boston – These two teams always play spirited games and this one is likely to be a physical one. The Beacons won’t take any opponent lightly – UMB 4, UMD 3.
Lots of action this weekend so go root your team on. With each passing week the games grow fewer and points become more precious.
Despite all the snow, the action is heating up – drop the puck!
