North Dakota Penalty Kill Negates Minnesota-Duluth

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March 18, 2010

If you boil things down to the critical elements in postseason hockey, you usually end up looking at goaltending and special teams.

Both teams had the goaltending in the opening game of the WCHA Final Five Thursday night, but one had the special teams advantage.

That’s why North Dakota is into the league semifinals Friday, headed for a matchup against league champion Denver.

The Fighting Sioux killed all five Minnesota-Duluth power plays and broke a scoreless tie with a third-period shorthanded goal in their 2-0 victory over the Bulldogs.

“It’s been a huge factor for a lot of our wins,” said Jason Gregoire, who scored the shorthanded goal. “We try to limit their puck time, and that’s a huge advantage for us. If they have puck time, they’re making plays and we just try to limit that. Once they get shots, our [defensemen] are boxing out, our forwards are collapsing to clear pucks.”

It was on the Bulldogs’ fifth and final power play that the game was decided.

After an icing on UMD brought the faceoff into the Bulldogs’ end, Sioux defenseman Derrick LaPoint stepped up to hold the zone, then got the puck to Chris VandeVelde, whose shot was turned away by Bulldogs goaltender Kenny Reiter.

But Gregoire got the rebound and fired a shot home high.

The Sioux’s penalty-killing success was a whole-ice effort, North Dakota goaltender Brad Eidsness said.

And it had to be, considering how strong the Bulldogs’ power play has been this season. Entering Thursday’s game, it had scored a power-play goal in eight straight games, and UMD led the league at 23.5 percent.

“I think we did a really good job disrupting them up ice,” said Eidsness, who stopped all 22 shots he faced. “We didn’t allow them to get set up in our zone a lot, and I think that’s one thing that we’re very good at. We score a goal shorthanded because two guys are down deep breaking up a play and making a play of their own.

“I think it’s frustrating for a power play as well to have it be difficult to come up ice and be set.”

It had to be frustrating for the Bulldogs, who opened the third period with 1:22 of power play time left but didn’t get an official shot on goal — they had a goal waved off because of a high stick.

In five power-play opportunities, UMD got five shots on goal while conceding four and the shorthanded goal.

“We knew that they were going to pressure,” Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. “They look for a lot of offensive chances on their penalty kill. They’re pretty aggressive up the rink. We didn’t come up the rink with a lot of speed. We didn’t get pucks deep.

“You can’t come up the rink half speed. You’ve got to come up with some urgency, with a little more speed, continue to get pucks behind and get support. I didn’t think we did a great job of that most of the night.”

There wasn’t much surprise at the pressure the Sioux brought.

“We knew what they were going to come with and we didn’t respond,” Sandelin said.

With Eidsness turning away everything that came his way and the penalty kill getting the job done, the Sioux had a good formula going Thursday.

“It’s about four guys being on same page and your goaltender making saves,” Sioux coach Dave Hakstol said. “You can make what you want out of it, but that’s really what it comes down to. It’s hard work.”

D-III National Semifinal: Oswego vs. St. Norbert

By Russell Jaslow and Matthew Webb

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March 17, 2010

Oswego Lakers (26-2-0 overall, 15-1-0 in SUNYAC)

The last time the Oswego Lakers won the national championship in 2007, they had to travel way out to Superior, Wis. The following year, the national tournament was moved to nearby Lake Placid. Oswego didn’t make it. Lake Placid hosted it again. Oswego didn’t make it. Lake Placid got it one more time while it was announced it would move out to Minnesota the year after.

Oswego finally made it with an emphasis, thrashing Bowdoin, 9-2, in the quarterfinals.

“Thank God they’re hosting again,” Oswego head coach Ed Gosek said. “It’s awesome for our fans. Feels great.”

Teams between regions don’t get to see each other much, but St. Norbert is probably the one western team Oswego is most familiar with lately. They met in the 2007 national semifinal game, which Oswego won 4-3 in overtime. Then, the following year, St. Norbert came to the Oswego Pathfinder Classic, though they did not face each other.

The year after that, Oswego returned the favor, traveling to Green Bay for the St. Norbert Thanksgiving Tournament where the Lakers defeated the Green Knights, 4-3.

(In fact, 4-3 seems to be the magical score. Oswego won both games in the 2007 championship weekend by 4-3 scores, both in overtime, and Oswego won both games they ever played against St. Norbert by 4-3 scores.)

“They are as usual very good defensively,” Gosek said. “And when I say defensively, I mean the whole team philosophy, not just good individual defensive skills. Opposite of Bowdoin. They take their chances and opportunities only when you offer it to them. They don’t give up odd man rushes. They have firepower up front.”

Speaking of firepower, that’s something Oswego has many times over. Every coach who faces Oswego says the same thing — Oswego has the best group of finishers in the game.

Oswego’s goalie Kyle Gunn-Taylor will get the start this weekend against St. Norbert (photo: Angelo Lisuzzo).

“They’re the second best team offensively I’ve seen this year and the other one is going to be millionaires in 10 years — the under-18 national team,” Bowdoin coach Terry Meagher said.

“They came as advertised. That is a very skilled and talented group. Their finishing ability is special. In the game right now that’s what everyone is striving for at any level. I’ve seen a lot of good teams but I’ve never seen as dynamic and as gifted and as opportunistic as that one. It was a pretty special show. I expect them to make a lot of noise in Lake Placid.”

Six players have double digit goals with the lowest sitting at 13 (one less than the highest goal scorer for St. Norbert) and Neil Musselwhite has six shorthanded goals. The forth line lately, as well as a defenseman who only scored one goal prior to the playoffs, are lighting the lamp up. This is a team that does not have to outplay their opposition. They just need enough opportunities to outscore their opponent because they hardly miss.

The key question on everyone’s mind is will the Olympic size ice surface be an advantage to the speedy Lakers?

“I don’t know if it matters when it comes to this point to change what you do because of the ice surface,” Gosek said. “You stick to what you do. What got you here. You still have to win the 1-on-1 battles, defend, and distribute the puck properly. Maybe it will give you that little bit of extra time to make a move with the extra space compared to a smaller rink, and then we can be in a position to use our speed.”

One thing speed does do is wear a team down. During the postseason run, Oswego has exploded in the second or third period. Against Morrisville, they fired in four third period goals to break a 4-4 tie. The next week, Oswego got three second period goals to pull away from Plattsburgh to an eventual 6-3 win. Then, versus Bowdoin, the Lakers burned the lamp out in the second with five goals.

The scoring by periods this season displays this progression: 38 goals in the first period, 54 in the second, and 59 in the third. While defensively, Oswego keeps it consistent, 19, 18, and 18, respectively.

“I thought in the first period it was pretty even play,” Bowdoin captain Colin MacCormack said. “But then in the second period … It was pretty impressive to watch.”

“Everybody looks good,” Gosek said of his team’s health. “At this time of year, everybody has their bumps and bruises, but no injuries that will keep anyone out.”

The question is, can any defense keep the puck out of their net against Oswego.

St. Norbert Green Knights (23-3-3 overall, 14-2-2 in the NCHA)

With a 4-3 opening round win over Adrian and a 3-1 victory over Gustavus Adolphus in a quarterfinal last Saturday, St. Norbert College has again advanced to the Final Four.

Hosted in Lake Placid, N.Y. for the second straight year — and site of the Green Knightsâ€™ 2008 national championship — it will mark their sixth Final Four appearance in school history, with all coming since 2003. The Green Knights will face Oswego State in Fridayâ€™s first semifinal. Game time is 4:00 p.m. EDT.

â€œWell itâ€™s awesome,â€ said St. Norbert head coach Tim Coghlin, who is in his 17th season behind the Green Knights bench and holds an overall record of 346-103-39. â€œIâ€™m really really proud of our guys. I think weâ€™ve done so much together this year and I think weâ€™ve grown so much as a group so itâ€™s exciting to be able to end it with the final weekend of hockey in Lake Placid.

â€œWhat a rewarding experience for our seniors, our staff, our fans and all of the administration on campus.â€

St. Norbertâ€™s first foray into the Final Four in 2003 ended with a loss to Norwich in the semifinals, but the Green Knightsâ€™ returned in 2004 to score a semifinal win over Plattsburgh state before becoming yet another Middlebury victim in the championship game.

After bowing out in the 2005 quarterfinals, they made appearances the next three seasons, and lost to Middlebury in the 2006 title game and Oswego in a 2007 semifinal before finally breaking through in 2008 with wins over Norwich and Plattsburgh to earn the national championship.

It might seem the return to Lake Placid is something that might work in the Green Knightsâ€™ favor this weekend as it will be a somewhat familiar experience, but Coghlin doesnâ€™t necessarily think that will be the case.

â€œDoes it help to know a little bit about Lake Placid? Probably. But we donâ€™t know any more about it than any of the other teams do. These are three of the same four teams that were here in 2008, so in the end I donâ€™t think our experiences will be any sort of significant advantage.â€

And as to how national championship experience pertains to Oswego itself:

â€œItâ€™s interesting because all the seniors on Oswegoâ€™s roster played in one of these and won a national championship when they were freshmen. Then a lot of our guys won a championship when they were sophomores or freshmen. Both teams have the advantage of having guys who have been in that spot.â€

The Final Four often has a bit of mystery to it, especially in the case of East-West match ups as unfamiliar opponents can often create unexpected results. In this case, however, St. Norbert and Oswego are no strangers to each other as they have met twice in the past three seasons.

The Lakers are 2-0 in those contests as they dropped St. Norbert 4-3 in overtime in the 2007 semifinals before traveling to St. Norbert a year ago and once again downing the Green Knights 4-3. St. Norbert also participated in the Oswego Pathfinder Bank holiday tournament in 2008, but the two teams failed to meet.

â€œWhen we played them in that â€™07 game it was a really hard fought tooth and nail sort of game, and of course they won it in overtime,â€ Coghlin said. â€œThen they beat us here a year ago so weâ€™ve actually crossed paths with them a few times the past couple years and now we have a chance to do it on the big stage with them, which I know Iâ€™m excited about.â€

This yearâ€™s Lakers have proven to be a juggernaut since the early portion of the season, especially on the offensive side of things. Their 5.39 goals per game ranks second in the nation as a team and their top line of Justin Fox, Eric Selleck and Chris Laganiere has been the most prolific in the country this year, having scored a combined 143 points. These are all threats St. Norbert is well aware of.

â€œThey are a high-powered team,â€ said Coghlin. â€œYou can see the way they explode like when they scored six in the second period last weekend. They are capable of doing that.

â€œI think they are a little more offensive where we are a little more defensive minded but opportunistic offensively. At the same time, though, itâ€™s not like we get outshot every night and weâ€™re not a team that sits back. I just think this has the makings of being an excellent, excellent game.â€

As far as the Green Knights go, defense has once again been the name of the game. The Green Knights have allowed only 1.69 goals per night on the season, which is good enough for second best in the land. At 10-0-2 in their last 12, St. Norbert has allowed more than one goal only three teams and never conceded more than three.

Goaltender B.J. Oâ€™ Brien has been up to task when called upon and enters the semifinals with a 23-2-3 record, 1.58 goals against average and .923 save percentage.

The Green Knights bring a veteran group of blueliners to the table, including senior Jason Nopper, and juniors Nick Tabisz, Mike Bernardy, Adam Hammerbeck and Sam Tikka. Freshman defenseman Justin Favreau has also been a major contributor this season.

Much of St. Norbertâ€™s defensive prowess can also be attributed to the stellar defensive play of its forwards, specifically the Brandon Longley-Scott Pulak-Johan Ryd line. Often called upon to shut down the top line of the opposition, they have performed in stellar fashion down the stretch.

Coghlin admits, however, they might not be able to do it alone this Friday against a team as potent as Oswego. The Green Knights will be the home team and have the last change, however, which will certainly not be a hindrance in this regard.

â€œWeâ€™ve had an opportunity to [have last change down the stretch],â€ Coghlin said. â€œSometimes weâ€™ve matched lines for lines and something itâ€™s been a D pairing or two. We certainly have taken advantage of that and I donâ€™t expect this to be any different. I donâ€™t know if you can use one line to contain them or not, though. Clearly they are a team that scores a lot of goals so I donâ€™t know if we will be able to contain them or not. At some point we might have to make adjustments and come up with another plan.â€

Coghlin also hopes the Green Knights two most recent playoff experiences helped prepare them for a team with the firepower of Oswego.

â€œAdrian is a high-powered, high-skilled team that has a lot of guys with a lot of points and that didnâ€™t phase us. It was the same thing with Gustavus. I thought Martinson was dynamite the other night and he played excellent but he wasnâ€™t on the scoresheet.â€

Beyond the defensive capabilities of the Green Knightsâ€™ forwards, they have proven to be plenty competent on the offensive end as well. Though St. Norbert has largely scored by committee this season, prominent scorers include seniors Shane Wheeler (13 goals, 18 assists, 31 points), Tyler Allen (14-16-30) and Matt Boyd (9-19-28). Ryd has chipped in 26 points while freshman Cody Keefer has added 24 and Longley 23.

With the Oswego game only two days away, much talk has once again circled around the Lakersâ€™ team speed and whether St. Norbert will be able to keep up with the pace. While weâ€™ll know for sure come Friday, but for the time being the Green Knightsâ€™ remain confident in this regard.

â€œI think our team speed is good and I donâ€™t have an issue with it,â€ Coghlin said. â€œWeâ€™ve played some very, very good skating teams this year including the last two teams we saw. In particular I thought Gustavus Adolphus was an extremely strong skating team and thatâ€™s a group that made it all the way to the finals last year.â€

The same can be said for the fact that Herb Brooks Arena features an Olympic-sized ice sheet.

â€œPart of the mystique of the bigger sheet is to just remember not to put yourself in bad spots and weâ€™ve talked about that. Our guys are pretty comfortable with that and I donâ€™t think itâ€™s going to be an issue,â€ Coghlin said.

Everyone will know how all the unknowns will shake once the puck drops on Friday, but as of now, the Green Knights appear confident with what they will be bringing to Lake Placid.

â€œWe try to talk about ourselves and do what we need to do and weâ€™ve done a good job of that,â€ Coghlin said. â€œWeâ€™ve won 23 games this year for a reason; weâ€™ve played in big games, and in tough road situations. Weâ€™re a battle tested group and I like what we bring to the table — we donâ€™t seem to get too out of sorts.

â€œI like our demeanor right now, I like our intangibles right now, and I still think our best 60 is in front of us. With Oswego Iâ€™m always reminded of what a great group of young men they have there and what a storied program they have. Itâ€™s going to be a heck of a hockey game.â€

This Week in ECAC Hockey: March 17, 2010

By Brian Sullivan

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March 17, 2010

Let’s face it: Even though this is a pretty unusual quartet, Albany-wise, it’s not the first time we’ve seen them. If you want the nitty-gritty on each team, I recommend reading the past two columns … this is purely the final polish.

Go get ’em, boys.

No. 11 Brown

The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. Last year, he decided to spend his hibernation on the valley floor.

This year, he climbed the next mountain, too.

“It’s a team that believes. We believe in what we’re doing, we believe in the progress we’ve made, we believe in each other, and that’s a pretty powerful thing when the guys have that sense of family,” said charismatic Brown coach Brendan Whittet. “There’s 29 guys in that room that all love each other, and don’t want to take off their jerseys, that’s for sure.

“We’re excited. It should be fun.”

Fun. That’s not a word that most teams use at this time of year … but maybe they should. As Whittet said, this team believes, and they are living, skating proof of one of the oldest sports truisms in the book: hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.

That’s not to say that Rensselaer and Yale didn’t work hard. They just didn’t work hard enough.

“We got absolutely top-notch goaltending from Mike Clemente,” said Whittet, not only of the Yale series last weekend, but against RPI the week prior. “He was very good, but he was not the sole reason that we advanced past Yale. We played very, very good hockey in Game 1 and again in Game 3. We were good on the defensive side, we kept a lot of things to the outside, we were selfless in the respect that we sacrificed ourselves … to block pucks, to get in shot lanes, to deflect things out of harm’s way throughout the series, just like we did the weekend before at RPI.”

Hard-skating, hard-hitting, hard-working Bruno has a new opponent in Cornell on Friday, but it’s not a style the Bears are unaccustomed to: to many degrees, it is their own.

“It’ll be an interesting game because we play fairly similar styles,” described Brown’s coach. “Obviously, Cornell does it better, to a certain extent. We’re going to have to limit their Grade-A opportunities, we’re going to have to limit their power-play opportunities — they have an excellent power play — we’re going to have to play in their zone if we can, we’re going to have to get to Scrivens. Cornell does an unbelievable job on the defensive side, to shore things up and make sure shots are coming from the outside … there aren’t too many second or third opportunities against Cornell, but we’re going to have to create those opportunities. We’ll have to win battles in our zone and along the walls, because they’re very, very good possessing pucks and wearing you down, then attacking or drawing penalties when you’re tired.”

No matter what happens this weekend, Whittet is indescribably proud of this program in his first year at the helm. A former Brown Bears player himself, the energetic coach didn’t pause for one second when asked if this season was a success already.

“Yes. It’s more than the wins and losses; we were able to inject new life into a program that was broken, and make Brown hockey exciting again — exciting for alums, exciting for our team, exciting for the people associated with this university,” he said. “It’s a proud program, and it’s a program that’s going to win championships … and it may be this year.”

Brown is a known quantity on paper. It’s big, it plays hard, it hits often. It blocks shots (28 in Sunday’s series-clinching win over Yale alone), it has strong goaltending and a passionate coach. What can’t be defined or quantified is how bad it wants it, and how far it’s going to get it.

“We have to play physical, no matter who we play,” said Whittet. “We have to get in people’s grills … and we have to play with a swagger, because if we don’t, we’re in trouble. We’re in trouble. We’ll come out with a lot of pride, and we’ll come out with a chip on our shoulder.

“We’re the underdog, we relish that opportunity and that role, and we’ll go out and try to dispel what people believe about our program and the direction that we’re going. We’re on the upswing, we’re a proud university with a deep, deep winning tradition with Brown hockey. We’re on the way back.”

No. 5 St. Lawrence

Coach Joe Marsh said that last week’s series at fourth-seeded Colgate felt like the movie “Groundhog Day:” another spring, another series in Hamilton.

What he failed to realize is that his program’s late-season charge is in itself another edition of “here we go again.”

The Saints have won five of six, vanquishing archrival Clarkson and homestanding Colgate in the process. They’ve won relatively higher-scoring games (4-3 wins over Harvard and Colgate) as well as a number of tight ones (a 2-1 victory to open the Colgate series, and two 3-2 wins along the way as well). It’s not T.J. Trevelyan’s team anymore, but it’s still the same hard-fightin’ Saints.

“It was like ‘Groundhog Day,'” Marsh ironically repeated in this week’s interview. “I felt like Bill Murray when he wakes up and hears that Sonny and Cher song. But really, we were very fortunate, [Colgate was] a dangerous team. They were pretty even games. We just kept working, got some breaks; I don’t think there was anything really specific [that put us over]. The two teams were pretty evenly matched.”

In the semifinal, SLU takes on a team that’s had its number this year: Union. The Dutchmen haven’t exactly taken the Saints to the woodshed, but they did pin four goals on each of Marsh’s goaltenders in 4-3 and 4-2 wins.

“Playing Union, they’re a real good team, they’ve beat us twice. I’ve got tremendous respect for how they’ve done it, Nate Leaman was a real good choice [for coach of the year]; I know I voted for him. It’s not just for what they’ve done this year, but really what they’ve done in the last few years and how: They’ve had a very honest, systematic approach to developing good players and how they rebuilt their team. They’re like a lot of us smaller-market teams, where we all have to rebuild, and they’ve done a great job at it. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. We know we’re going to have to bring our A-game, and it should be really exciting game.”

Marsh isn’t going to let St. Lawrence sit back and expect the past to carry it through to the title game. The Saints may have played in Albany in three of the last four springs, but this is a whole new year with a whole new opponent.

“They’re excited, they’re pumped to be there and it’s in their neighborhood,” Marsh warned.

Like most coaches at this point of the year — at least, those with healthy lineups — Marsh doesn’t foresee any big philosophical shifts in how the Saints play hockey from last weekend to this. It’s all about taking care of business, and working as hard as they always have, he said.

This year’s Saints have exhibited all the major characteristics of a traditionally successful St. Lawrence squad: dangerous and responsible talent up front, highly active and hard-skating defenders, and a viable netminder holding down the fort.

Unlike years past, this year’s team has fought uphill to Capital District. It’s not a favorite, it’s not an at-large contender … these Saints are flying under fire, and they’re approaching their target at high velocity.

No. 3 Union

The Dutch haven’t been this powerful since the War of Spanish Succession.

Union is in the midst of its best season in school history — literally, not just lyrically — and now laces up a mere 20 miles from Messa Rink in its biggest game ever.

Again, literally.

St. Lawrence looms for the Dutchmen, and even though UC has come out on top twice, Leaman remains wary of the foes from the North Country.

“I know that St. Lawrence is always a team that’s well-coached. They play with a lot of passion, a lot of energy, a lot of jump, and they don’t stop coming … so we know we’re going to have our hands full, without a doubt,” said Leaman, ECAC Hockey’s recently crowned coach of the year.

“I think they’re similar [to Quinnipiac]. Both teams are very good in transition, both teams have good team speed, both teams have a little bit younger defensive corps. I think the one difference for St. Lawrence is that they score so many goals from their defensemen. They use their defensemen well in their offense, all over the ice, so that will be an adjustment we’ll have to make going into this game.”

One of the obvious questions facing the Dutchmen is how the team will perform under completely novel circumstances. Not only have none of its current players ever been to the league championships before, but neither has the program itself.

Leaman isn’t sweating those points, though; experience is what teaches you how to play better hockey … not how to play better hockey in Albany.

“I don’t put a huge amount of stock into [experience], honestly,” he said. “Some of my experiences have been just the opposite way: When I was part of the University of Maine staff, we didn’t have a player that had ever played in the national tournament, and they won the national tournament that year. It’s funny, I was listening to the radio coming into work two days ago, and [legendary college basketball coach] Bobby Knight had mentioned the same thing. He mentioned that it’s about the players, and it’s not about the experience, and I tend to agree. I agree that it’s about the players that are playing the game. Every year it’s different teams. Different year, different team.”

The other focal point for Union-watchers is between the pipes. Keith Kinkaid is up for rookie and goaltender of the year honors, but it was actually junior Corey Milan who picked up each of the UC’s wins against Quinnipiac last weekend.

“He controls his rebounds really well. I think that’s the best thing about Keith and his adjustment to this level, is the fact that he does a tremendous job at controlling his rebounds, so a lot of the time he’s not being forced to make the second or third save. He’s a big body in there that has a good set of hands and is very athletic, so he’s got some great, great traits that go along with being an elite goaltender. He’s had a great freshman campaign,” praised his coach, who went on to describe some of his roster adjustments on Saturday.

“We basically wanted to get fresh guys in there. I put all of our extra forwards in the lineup and obviously started Corey [Milan in net]. One thing we feel about our team is, we feel we have a lot of depth. We wanted to use that depth in the series, we’ve been using that depth all season long, and the guys who stepped in played tremendously for us, including Corey.

“Looking at the weekend, both Keith and Corey played two games: Keith actually played more than Corey on the weekend, from one night’s game. The decision to go back to Corey was a lot about rest, Corey played extremely well [Saturday], so we just thought it was right to go back with him once again. That obviously worked out for us there.”

A lot has been working well for Union this season. Records have fallen, and a new bar has been set for future Dutchmen … but how high will it be? We’ll certainly know by Saturday night.

No. 2 Cornell

And without further ado, the Cornell Big Red. It’s only fitting that they’re the highest remaining seed, because even if Yale had made it through, the Red would still have been the true pedigree pooch of the lot.

Cornell was the last ECAC Hockey team to make the Frozen Four (2003). It has been the most successful team this decade, without much debate, and it represents generations of legendary Cornell hockey players every time it dons those classic jerseys.

But don’t get them wrong; that ain’t Joe Nieuwendyk taking the draws, and it’s not David LeNeveu tending the twine. This is a self-made Big Red team, led by a self-made coach … heck, Mike Schafer doesn’t even have a secretary.

What this team does have in common with its predecessors is size, strength and smarts. Cornell will herd you into a corner, have some of its 6-foot-3 sentinels beat the tar out of you, then transition the puck up ice to Blake Gallagher, Colin Greening or Riley Nash (to name the “usual suspects”) for a really pretty goal. It’s what they do.

That last bit though, about the scoring? That’s pretty new. Cornell’s always been known for its defense and goaltending, but this year’s team is adding a page to the Book of Red: scoring. The above-named trio combined for 44 goals in a 31-game season to date, which is also 44 percent of the team’s offense (99 overall goals).

Ben Scrivens is, as a senior, exactly what Ben Scrivens was hoped to be as a senior: simply great. He’s got a .933 save rate and a 1.89 goals-against average, not to mention five shutouts and eight more one-goal games. In his last four outings, Big Red opponents have scored once, once, once, and … none. That’s clutch ‘keeping right there.

There is no question that the Red will also pack the house this weekend, bringing the league’s largest fan base to the Times-Union Center once more. If there’s any part of this team that relies on its past, it’s the fans: Legions of Cornell students have swayed to “Hail Cornell” and jumped about to “Give My Regards to Davy;” it’s an inimitable facet of the Ithaca experience.

One team, one season, will never kill that kind of loyalty, nor can any one year elevate such devotion to something beyond … but boy, one year can resonate for a long, long time in the hearts of those who care. The Big Red have a lot of those hearts, and the power to make them beat in unison.

Annual Honors

Tim Taylor Award

On Monday, the league named Leaman the recipient of the Tim Taylor Award as coach of the year. Under his guidance, the Dutchmen finished with a program-record 20 overall wins, 12 conference victories and a .622 winning percentage. Picked sixth in both the coaches’ and media preseason polls, Union is instead the third seed and contends in the league’s final four for the first time in school history.

“It’s a good team award,” said a deferential Leaman. “You’re a good coach because you have good players and good staff around you. It’s a nice recognition for our team.”

Dryden Award Finalists

Union’s Kinkaid, Cornell’s Scrivens and Rensselaer’s Allen York have been named the three finalists for this year’s Ken Dryden Award for the league’s top goaltender. Freshman Kinkaid and sophomore York will probably be considered longshots against the senior Scrivens, who has been a Dryden contender for just about his entire Big Red career.

Player of the Year Finalists

Yale’s Sean Backman, Rensselaer’s Chase Polacek and Cornell’s Scrivens compose this year’s player of the year hat trick. Polacek led the league in points (50) and goals (26), and ranks third nationally in each category as well. Backman’s story is well-worn by now, and I have a hard time seeing voters look past their suspicions to pick him over either Scrivens or Polacek, who is likely the favorite in this race.

Rookie of the Year Finalists

Rensselaer’s Jerry D’Amigo, Union’s Kinkaid and Harvard’s Louis Leblanc are the three names in the hat for the honor. D’Amigo finished second in league scoring among rookies, notching seven goals and 17 assists, and tallied 34 points in 35 overall games. Leblanc led the Crimson in scoring with 23 points, and scored all 11 of his overall goals in league play. Leblanc also ranks sixth nationally in rookie goal-scoring, and was ECAC Hockey’s leader in that category.

Vermeulen Named Best Defensive Forward

Cornell’s Joe Scali, St. Lawrence’s Travis Vermeulen and Brown’s Aaron Volpatti were in the running for the award, but Vermeulen was ultimately named the winner on Wednesday afternoon. Vermeulen played the PK for the Saints, excelled in the faceoff circle and was called “the best defensive forward I have ever coached” by Marsh. The senior is currently second on the Saints with a plus-10 rating, and leads SLU in goals (17), assists (24) and points (41).

Defensive Defenseman Finalists

St. Lawrence’s Derek Keller, Cornell’s Justin Krueger and Union’s Mike Schreiber were named the league’s top contenders for this award in a traditionally defense-minded league. Keller was among the Saints’ top horses this year, eating up the ice time and leading both of SLU’s special-teams units. Krueger tied for the league lead in plus-minus, as the plus-14 blueliner supplemented that number with 18 points and countless blocked shots. Schreiber, arguably the league’s best offensive defenseman, nonetheless anchored a defense that ranks 15th in the nation (2.59 goals-against average) and supports a plus-.95 goal differential per game, 11th in the country.

NCAA Doomsday Scenario

With Alabama-Huntsville’s shocking win in the CHA tournament, the available spots in the NCAAs are now down to 14: UAH takes one, and CHA partner and one-time favorite Bemidji State will take another as an at-large team (as the Beavers are currently seventh in the PairWise Rankings).

Wait, did I say 14? I meant 13.

That’s because Atlantic Hockey’s ultimate champion — RIT is the prohibitive favorite, and is now playing in the semifinals — will take another of the NCAA bids, which cuts the number of open seeds down to unlucky 13.

Alaska currently occupies the 13th spot, but the Nanooks were bounced from the CCHA tourney last weekend, so they can only be jumped … they can’t drop on their own. Among teams currently outside the top 13 who are still in contention are Michigan, Vermont, Maine, Boston University, and all four remaining AHA participants. Top-13 teams who are no longer playing include aforementioned Bemidji State and Alaska, as well as Yale.

The Bulldogs probably thought they were safe in 10th, but now they’ll have to be feeling some heat. Chances are the Elis are safe, but I haven’t run all the possibilities yet.

What does this mean to our teams still skating? Union: win, nothing else will get you through. Same deal for St. Lawrence, and same goes for Brown, obviously. Cornell is in, though they might need one win out of the weekend to breathe a little easier about things.

No shortcuts this weekend, boys.

Readers’ Poll

Only Richter547 picked Brown over Yale in last week’s poll … but unfortunately for him/her, he/she also picked Quinnipiac and Colgate. Oops. SCONF correctly picked three of four again (with Brown of course being the fourth), as did Red Cloud; for some reason, none of the other five 75-percenters from last week voted, and Humanoid was only 1-for-4.

Therefore, it’s SCONF and Red Cloud for the championship, and This Week is still seeking its first perfect weekend. This week’s poll is a little tricky, so you’ll have to pay attention: pick Friday’s winners, then in accordance with your first picks, pick the championship and consolation games from the proper pairings. If you pick the wrong Saturday matchup(s) given your Friday picks, you’re a cheater.

This Week in the WCHA: March 17, 2010

By Theresa Spisak

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March 17, 2010

Happy St. Patrick’s Day, everyone!

Lucky you, you get the last column of the year a day early due to the WCHA switching around its awards banquet. So, onward, and if of legal age, hope you’ve been enjoying being Irish today.

Around the WCHA

As the season has ended, we’ve already seen two players sign with professional teams. Anchorage’s Trevor Hunt, a senior, signed an amateur tryout agreement with the ECHL’s Stockton Thunder (for five games), while Minnesota’s Jordan Schroeder, a sophomore, signed with the Vancouver Canucks, forgoing his eligibility.

DU: Although the league’s awards banquet is Thursday afternoon, the Pioneers have already claimed two of the many accolades they’re expected to bring in. Rhett Rakhshani became the first Pioneers player since Paul Stastny in 2006 to capture the WCHA scoring title, and Marc Cheverie won the league goaltending title, the first since Wade Dubielewicz in 2002.

UND: The Sioux will be without forward Matt Frattin for Thursday’s game with Minnesota-Duluth. Frattin, who returned to the Sioux team in January after being dismissed last summer, was suspended by the league for his hit on Minnesota’s Kevin Wehrs Sunday night.

This year is also the second time UND has been the fourth seed heading into the Final Five. The last time the team was a four seed was in 2003, when it lost to the Bulldogs in the quarterfinals.

Final Five Preview

All top seeds advanced for the technical best of the best of the league in St. Paul.

No. 1 Denver

First Playing: The winner of North Dakota/Minnesota-Duluth

Who to Watch: G Cheverie, F Rakhshani, F Tyler Ruegsegger, F Joe Colborne, D Patrick Wiercioch

In Depth: As mentioned last week, the Pioneers were the unanimous No. 1 pick to win the league and they accomplished that. The next item on the team’s proverbial to do list was to make the Final Five, and it accomplished that as well, sweeping Michigan Tech.

Up until last year, every time Denver made it to the X, it had won the tournament … until it ran into the buzz saw that was Minnesota-Duluth. As a result, even though the team has had success in the building, it’s got a bit of a chip on its shoulder this year.

“We’ve got a lousy taste in our mouth after last year’s championship game, there’s no question,” said coach George Gwozdecky. “That’s our most recent experience and it was an experience that we gave a lot of credit to our opponent, Minnesota-Duluth, for a great championship run.”

That being said, of course, Gwozdecky knows the experience of success his team has had will help.

“I think any time, the more experience you have in a venue, the more experience you have in a tournament, the more comfortable you feel in it,” he said. “Like any team in our league, it’s a tournament you want to play in as much as possible.”

Even though the Pioneers’ success might indicate comfort in the building, they still came into St. Paul not knowing their opponent. However, Gwozdecky is confident, knowing that his team has the keys to success — namely, goaltending.

“You might suggest that you change the name of the game from hockey to goaltending because goaltending is the name of the game,” he said. “It has been for us this year as it has been for many teams and the success of your team, no matter how strong you are offensively or how strong you are defensively as far as skaters are concerned, it’s the goaltender who really makes the difference.

“Obviously, Marc Cheverie has made a huge difference for us and has helped us stay close in games we’re not playing very well in, has at times stolen games for us and has really given us a sense of confidence as a team.”

No. 2 Wisconsin

First Playing: St. Cloud State

Who to Watch: F Michael Davies, F Blake Geoffrion, F Derek Stepan, D Brendan Smith, D Ryan McDonagh

In Depth: After a successful year and the subsequent dispatching of Alaska-Anchorage, the Badgers are back in the Final Five. This year’s opponent is St. Cloud State, a team they’ve had a little trouble with this season.

“We lost both Friday games to St. Cloud and responded,” said coach Mike Eaves. “We did some good things but ended up losing the opening games; we don’t have that luxury of responding on Saturday night. We’ve got to come out big on the Friday [afternoon]. I think both teams know they can beat each other and it comes down to one game and the team that’s the crisper, sharper team right away.”

Eaves has faith that his team can be the crisper team, thanks in part to its’ senior leadership. Eaves has the most upperclassmen since UW’s 2006 national championship season.

“We look at our team and I think a couple of big reasons why we’re going [to St. Paul] is the fact we’re an upperclassmen team,” he said. “Having a guy like Blake Geoffrion lead us as a forward up front, to give us that leadership as well as a high level of play is huge and having a junior defenseman like Brendan Smith step up.”

Eaves will also need other players to step up, but most importantly, he wants them to play their game the best way they can.

“The best way for our kids to play the game is shift by shift, the best way you know how and keeping it as simple as you can,” he said. “Because, you start thinking about the future and what could happen and what might happen, you’re playing with fear in your heart and you can’t do that. So, shift by shift, play the best way you know how and leave it all on the ice.”

No. 3 St. Cloud State

First Playing: Wisconsin

Who to Watch: F Garrett Roe, F Ryan Lasch, D Garrett Raboin

In Depth: The Huskies gained success this season by being a consistent team, but they came very close to missing the Final Five for the second year in a row. It took all season for the Huskies to face Minnesota State, but then the two teams played five games in nine days, with each team going 2-2-1.

The difference was that the Huskies ended up winning the last two to make it to St. Paul, thanks in part to their top players.

“The big thing there is our captain, Garrett Raboin,” Huskies coach Bob Motzko said. “He’s been playing a little banged up right now; it’s no secret, and he just gutted through three games and got the tying goal and he’s doing it all on will and determination right now and by all accounts, he should be resting right now.”

Motzko also mentioned his bread and butter on offense. “Garrett Roe and Ryan Lasch, they’ve been back on top of their game since Christmas and been back on top this same time,” he said.

While he’s had his go-to skaters, Motzko has switched back and forth between his goaltenders.

“We’re in a good situation right now in how our season has went and both guys have helped get us to this situation and both Dan [Dunn] and Mike [Lee] have beat Wisconsin this year,” he said. “We had a little hot hand here this last weekend in Mike Lee and we’re still pondering the situation.

“We’re in a very good situation as we move forward and we’ve got two goalies that have helped get us to this spot and they’ve helped each other become better goaltenders.”

No. 4 North Dakota

First Playing: Minnesota-Duluth

Who to Watch: G Brad Eidsness, F Chris VandeVelde, F Jason Gregoire, F Danny Kristo, D Jake Marto

In Depth: If there has been one team this season that has overcome a lot of adversity and came out successful, it has been the Fighting Sioux.

If there’s been a reason for it, it’s because the team has never stopped learning.

“Our regular season, you could probably sum it up and say it was a lot like the playoff series we just came through: It’s a learning experience, it’s a developmental experience for our team, we have few seniors in the line-up [and] we’re a young team in terms of class structure,” said coach Dave Hakstol.

“You never want to go to a Game 3 when you win the first game of a three-game series, but for us, I thought it was a great experience for our team to go through this last weekend, the challenge of having everything on the line, one game on Sunday and learning to prepare for that and finding a way to meet that challenge on Sunday night was a great experience for our team,” said Hakstol, expanding on his team’s playoff series against Minnesota. “I think that’ll be much of the same going into the Final Five.”

As much as the regular season has been a learning experience for the Sioux, Hakstol also knows that the regular season doesn’t necessarily matter when it comes to the playoffs. Case in point is his team’s opponent on Thursday night in Minnesota-Duluth, a team against which his squad won the season series, 3-1.

“I throw the regular season out. I know how good Minnesota-Duluth is, I know how competitive the individuals on their roster are, so the regular season doesn’t mean a whole lot, whether we’ve had success or not had success over a team,” he said. “It’s a focus on one game. So much during the regular season as well as potentially the playoffs is how well a team is playing when you run into them.

“Other than the experience of knowing how they play and knowing some of the individual tendencies, maybe, I really take the records and throw them out the window and know there’s a clean slate going into Thursday night’s game.”

No. 5 Minnesota-Duluth

First Playing: North Dakota

Who to Watch: F Jack Connolly, F Justin Fontaine, F Mike Connolly, D Brady Lamb

In Depth: The Bulldogs made Final Five history last year as the first team to win three games in a row to win the Broadmoor Trophy. After a season that started well before slipping a bit after Christmas, the team may need to find that magic again to defend its title.

“We’ve got certainly a big challenge ahead of us to play [North Dakota] Thursday to continue playing,” said coach Scott Sandelin. “We expect to go in there and play 60 minutes as best we can and see what happens.”

Though his opponent’s season has had a different trajectory, Sandelin agrees with Hakstol that his team’s success will come as a result of their season’s education.

“This league, you learn. There’s no easy nights and you go through ups and downs and it’s kind of how you respond and our guys have really battled back when things have maybe looked a little bleaker,” he said. “Bottom line is, as long as they believe in each other, we’ll be fine and I think they’ve proven that through the course of the year and we’ll have to do that here in the playoffs.”

Future WCHA Team Watch

Bemidji State lost to Niagara and then tied Robert Morris to finish out the CHA tournament last week. The Beavers are off this week and await who they’ll play in the NCAA tournament as an at-large team. Nebraska-Omaha, on the other hand, was swept by Ferris State and is most likely done for the season. See you next year, Mavericks.

No. 8 BSU: 23-9-4 overall, 4-4-0 vs. WCHA
UNO: 20-16-6 overall, 2-2-1 vs. WCHA

The addition of these teams will change the format of the Final Five next season, the details of which we’ll find out on Saturday.

Dear Hockey Season …

Earlier this season, I wrote that I wasn’t ready for you at the start.

That changed, obviously, and we ended up settling into our old familiar rhythm.

By the end, however, I’ve lost a bit of focus. I forgot how much you took out of me. Maybe I need to learn how to balance you better with triathlon training and work and family and friends. After all, I had a few more things on my plate this year.

As a result, hockey season, this will be our last hurrah. The end of the WCHA’s season this year will be the end of mine. This summer, I’ll work on balance so I can be ready for you come October. What happened this year won’t happen next year.

Farewell for now, hockey. Enjoy the NCAAs, the Frozen Four and the offseason. I’ll see you in the fall.

Love,

T

This Week in the CCHA: March 17, 2010

By Paula C. Weston

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March 17, 2010

The Name of the Game

Quick, what’s the bigger surprise? Michigan sweeping Michigan State in Munn last weekend, or ABBA being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame before Patsy Cline? Before KISS? Before Heart, for the love of all that’s holy?

Let me make this clear: I am not anti-ABBA. In fact, I am very pro-ABBA. I just like to see the deserving get their due.

You know what, CCHA fans? Last weekend, the Wolverines were very, very deserving.

MSU coach Rick Comley knew. After UM completed the road sweep of the Spartans to advance to the CCHA championship tournament, Comley said, “We could have been at our best and maybe played our absolute best, and it may not have mattered, because Michigan played that well.”

The Wolverines looked invincible in Friday’s 5-1 win. “We were ready, we were focused, and we got rewarded,” said UM coach Red Berenson.

Saturday’s 5-3 game was a better contest, but the score is misleading. The Wolverines may have squandered an early two-goal lead in the first, but from the second period on, they were simply not going to lose. After that one, Berenson said that his team is peaking at the right time.

“Whether it’s a commitment to backcheck or a commitment to playing in your own zone without the puck, then we’re doing a better job of it now than we were at Christmas,” said Berenson, who likened his players to spoiled brats in the first half of the season. “The team,” he said, “has bought into doing what we have to do to win.”

With injuries to captain Chris Summers and starting goaltender Bryan Hogan, it’s possible that the Wolverines have finally found their rallying point very late in the season. The team I saw in Munn Arena is the team that I thought Michigan would be all season. They were incredibly fast, overwhelmingly physical, totally polished.

They were, in short, Michigan hockey.

Said Comley, “The only other team that we’ve seen that even comes close to that caliber — if they’re going to play like that — is Wisconsin. Even Miami, I don’t think, is as good as that team is playing right now.”

What remains to be seen is whether last weekend was the culmination of the Wolverines’ season or just one scary, excellent series that will extend their season even further than they expected.

Even though the UM coaches knew that their 19-year NCAA tournament appearance streak was on the line going into East Lansing last weekend — that probably their only shot to make the tourney is to win the Mason Cup — the coaching staff was completely focused on the CCHA tournament for its own sake.

“We never talked about getting in the [NCAA] tournament,” said Berenson. “All we talked about was [that] this weekend, we have to find a way to get to Joe Louis. That’s our season. That was it. There was no PairWise, there was no, ‘We’ve got to win one or two,’ or somebody else has to lose. I haven’t looked at any of that and I didn’t talk about it.

“This was not in our sights a month ago. We were fighting for seventh place.”

And now they’re fighting for more.

The Winner Takes It All

The CCHA tournament is becoming something of a predictable phenomenon. Sure, a few weeks ago it looked unlikely that Michigan would be playing in Detroit this weekend, but there couldn’t have been any doubt about Northern Michigan.

Berenson may be made of something magical, but NMU coach Walt Kyle is Rasputin Jr.; the Wildcats have made an appearance in Detroit in all but one year (2007) since Kyle became coach in 2002-03.

Miami should be in Detroit every year — not that missing the CCHA championship tournament last year hurt it in postseason. It’s quite something to lose your best-of-three home league playoff series, make the tournament, and play for a national championship. Given that they beat OSU in three games at home last weekend, I can think of only one possible outcome for the RedHawks in Detroit … in April.

This year, the only semi-familiar face is Ferris State. This is the fourth CCHA championship tournament appearance for the Bulldogs, who last made an appearance at the end of the 2002-03 season, a campaign that culminated in their first-ever NCAA playoff berth.

There are exciting times ahead this weekend.

No. 1 Miami

The top-seeded RedHawks won their passage to Detroit by beating Ohio State in three games last weekend, the only second-round series that went beyond two contests. This is Miami’s eighth attempt to capture a Mason Cup, a piece of hardware that has eluded the RedHawks in every one of their previous CCHA championship tournament appearances.

• Record: 26-6-7 (21-2-5-2 CCHA)
• Last 11 games: 9-2-1
• Goals scored per game: 3.51/9th nationally
• Goals allowed per game: 1.79/first
• Power play percentage: 18.4/33rd
• Penalty kill percentage: 87.3/4th
• Top scorer: Jarod Palmer (17-27–44)
• Top goal scorer: Palmer
• Top goaltender: Cody Reichard (.930 SV%, 1.64 GAA)

The RedHawks face a goaltending decision going into this weekend. While Reichard was their main guy for most of the season with an 18-3-3 record, Connor Knapp (8-3-4, .920 SV%, 1.96 GAA) won the deciding match against OSU Sunday to bring the RedHawks to Detroit.

Coach Enrico Blasi told the Dayton Daily News this week that he’s unsure of who will play heading into the weekend. “Sometimes the good Lord works in mysterious ways, because now he’s making us think again about what we’re going to have to do going down the stretch,” he said.

Having to reconsider who’s in net because both are so good is an enviable position. Miami has much else to make other teams jealous: five double-digit goalscorers, the top defensive corps in the country, a significant amount of passion.

There are two things that can hurt the RedHawks in Detroit, and each is tied to Miami’s embarrassment of riches. First may be a bit of overconfidence. This isn’t a criticism. The RedHawks had a relatively easy time taking the regular season, and even though they had to play three games against OSU, the players may chalk that up in their minds to the teams’ intense rivalry and the end-of-season desperation with which the Buckeyes played.

The second potential pitfall is that on-ice passion. Miami takes too many penalties. Period. Frankly, this may not be a problem in league play — but could be an issue in the NCAA tournament.

Otherwise, the RedHawks have all the ingredients.

No. 2 Ferris State

The Bulldogs became the No. 2 seed in this field after Michigan State lost two games to Michigan last weekend. That is not to say that the Bulldogs don’t deserve to be No. 2; MSU finished one win ahead of FSU, and the two teams volleyed for position all season long.

To get to Detroit, Ferris State swept Nebraska-Omaha in two games in Big Rapids last weekend. FSU led 3-0 in the first game until UNO’s John Kemp scored a late third-period goal to make it a 3-1 contest. Then the Bulldogs needed overtime Saturday to defeat the Mavericks. Casey Haines scored 23 seconds into OT to send FSU to JLA.

• Record: 21-11-6 (13-9-6-4 CCHA)
• Last 10 games: 4-3-3
• Goals scored per game: 2.97/27th nationally
• Goals allowed per game: 2.24/5th
• Power play percentage: 19.4/22nd
• Penalty kill percentage: 87.7/3rd
• Top scorer: Blair Riley (18-19–37)
• Top goal scorer: Riley
• Top goaltender: Pat Nagle (.927 SV%, 2.01 GAA)

Like the RedHawks, the Bulldogs have the luxury of two very good goaltenders. Nagle (12-8-3) had both wins last weekend, but Taylor Nelson (9-3-3, .915 SV%, 2.49 GAA) is equally capable.

Like the RedHawks, the Bulldogs have yet to win a CCHA playoff championship.

And, like the RedHawks, the Bulldogs have talent in every position … but perhaps FSU lacks Miami’s depth. The Bulldogs have three players who have netted more than 10 goals: Riley, Casey Haines (11-18–29) and Aaron Lewicki (12-11–23). FSU’s top five scorers — including Cody Chupp and Zach Redmond — have accounted for nearly half (48.7 percent) of the Bulldogs’ goals this season.

One more RedHawks comparison: the Bulldogs are scrappers, too. Like Miami, FSU takes penalties. This can be a drawback in Detroit when Ferris plays Northern, as the Wildcats have one of the best power plays in the nation.

FSU’s secret superpower going into the tournament is its defense, which has flown mostly under the radar this season. I’ve made no secret of my admiration of defenseman Matt Case, whose play this season portends a successful NHL career. A pair of sophomores, Brett Wysopal and Chad Billins, could become household names if FSU is successful in Detroit.

There are two things that may deride the Bulldogs in Detroit, other than penalties. First is the second-half slump that FSU is experiencing. Of the four teams in this field, the Bulldogs are the ones with the least momentum; their sweep of UNO last weekend ended a three-game winless streak.

Second is FSU’s play on the road. Fifteen of the Bulldogs’ 21 wins this season came in Ewigleben Arena.

No. 3 Northern Michigan

There’s something almost surreal about the Wildcats under the direction of Walt Kyle. They seem sleepy in the first half of the season and are just about to be counted out … and then they climb progressively through the second half, until they reach a peak at playoff time.

Now all they have to do is keep peaking. That’s been the hardest part.

Of the teams in this field, Northern Michigan is the hottest going into Detroit. Twelve of the Wildcats’ 19 overall wins have come since Jan. 1, and they’ve lost one game in their last 10.

Why? I don’t know. Some things — like Cheap Trick’s absence from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and goaltender Brian Stewart’s emergence from hibernation in the second half of each of his last three seasons — remain a complete mystery to me.

• Record: 21-11-6 (13-9-6-3 CCHA)
• Last 10 games: 8-1-1
• Goals scored per game: 3.03/t23rd nationally
• Goals allowed per game: 2.47/12th
• Power play percentage: 20.8/9th
• Penalty kill percentage: 84.2/16th
• Top scorer: Mark Olver (19-28–47)
• Top goal scorer: Olver
• Top goaltender: Brian Stewart (.927 SV%, 2.37 GAA)

Northern Michigan swept Alaska last weekend to advance to Detroit in a series that was only in question for a little bit in the first game. NMU went up 4-0 in that contest before UAF scored three to make it interesting, but Stewart had 32 saves in the game and 62 total on the weekend as the Wildcats outscored the Nanooks 9-4 while being outshot 66-44.

While NMU placed two players — forward Mark Olver and defenseman Erik Gustafsson — on the CCHA’s first team this season, the Wildcats are more than the sum of a few players. Seven different ‘Cats registered goals last weekend against Alaska with Gregor Hanson and Tyler Gron each netting two.

This is the third straight trip to the CCHA championship tournament for the Wildcats, and in each of their last two outings, the ‘Cats lost their semifinal contest and won the consolation game. Last year, they lost a tight 2-1 contest to Notre Dame. In 2007-08, they were up 3-2 over Michigan heading into the third but lost the game 6-4.

The one thing that NMU hasn’t been able to do in Detroit — obviously — is seal the deal. Each of those last two semifinal games was very different, but each betrayed an inability to push past a certain, intangible plateau; you could feel it as the games progressed.

This year, this Wildcats team is battle-tested. These juniors and seniors have been here twice before. That’s a real asset going into Friday’s match against Ferris State.

No. 4 Michigan

Last weekend, the Wolverines played like a team with nothing to lose, and they may have gained a second season by doing so. In UM’s two-game sweep of MSU, Michigan looked like the team with the better record, the better season — the better everything. The last part, certainly, was true enough.

If Kyle’s ability to take his team to Joe Louis Arena on the strength of second halves of seasons is surreal, then what about Berenson’s refusal to sit out this league dance? Berenson has some powerful mojo, and somehow he managed to convey it to his team just in the nick of time this season.

• Record: 23-17-1 (14-13-1-0 CCHA)
• Last 10 games: 6-4-0
• Goals scored per game: 3.27/15th nationally
• Goals allowed per game: 2.32/8th
• Power play percentage: 19.2/24th
• Penalty kill percentage: 86.3/7th
• Top scorer: Carl Hagelin (17-26–43)
• Top goal scorer: Louie Caporusso (18)
• Top goaltender: Shawn Hunwick (.908 SV%, 1.97 GAA)

I’ve already said quite a bit about the Wolverines elsewhere in this column. There are a few more things that need to be said going into Detroit, however.

Hunwick, a junior, took over in net when Bryan Hogan (18-15-1, 2.33, .901) was injured in the first period of UM’s 4-0 win over Notre Dame Feb. 25. Since then, he’s 4-1-0 (5-2-0 overall this season). His two wins last weekend were his fourth and fifth career starts.

With Hunwick in net — including the remainder of that first game against the Irish — the Wolverines have scored 27 goals in six contests. To put this in better perspective, UM scored 25 goals in the month of February, in nine games; the Wolverines have netted 21 in four games in March.

“I think once I got in there against Notre Dame, maybe they thought they had to make up for me a little bit because I didn’t have experience,” said Hunwick. “The guys started working hard — back-checking, blocking shots. It was quick for them to realize that, you know, you play D, you’re going to probably score more goals. The offensive output from our team in the last five or six games that I’ve been in has been great.”

Another thing that cannot be overstated about Michigan is how the team is playing as a team. If they continue to do so, the Wolverines may just play themselves into the NCAA tournament this weekend.

The Loser Standing Small

After the Spartans lost their home series against the Wolverines last weekend, Comley said, “I like this team and I think everybody likes the future.”

I think that’s a fair assessment. The Spartans were rebuilding from the dismal 2008-09 season and were loaded with underclassmen achievers in 2009-10. MSU had a good first half of the season — full of the youthful enthusiasm that made them so much fun to watch — and then struggled since the start of the calendar year, with just five wins since Jan. 1.

“What I want to go back and analyze is that we were 14-6-2 at one point, and then went 5-7 and something,” said Comley. “Was it difficulty of schedule, or what stopped? We scored more early than we did late. Those are things I need to answer.

“I think in the end, we’re still missing a couple of pieces, especially offensively. We spent the first two weeks after Christmas and everything before Christmas just kind of playing, and then all of a sudden you’re playing with a purpose and for a reason and with a consequence, and that’s where I think young kids start to tighten up a little bit.”

As tough as it was to lose two to end their season at home against the Wolverines, the Spartans — much like Captain Kirk — need their pain.

“You have to suffer losing,” said Comley. “You have to have the pain of losing, but you also have to understand that there’s always something to build on.”

A Sense of Expectation Hanging in the Air …

So, how many CCHA teams will head to the NCAA tournament? According to this week’s Bracketology, four: Miami, Ferris State, Northern Michigan and Alaska.

Alaska, you say? Why, yes. The Nanooks — who lost their second-round playoff series on the road to Northern Michigan last weekend — are still in the NCAA mix at No. 13 in the PairWise. I don’t pretend to understand all the permutations that can keep them or knock them out, but I do know that UAF stands a good chance of making the tournament if there isn’t much movement ahead of them.

I think.

There is still a long-shot hope for the Spartans to make the tournament. Jayson Moy, my pal and USCHO Bracketology guru, provided the entire scenario semi-privately for a mutual friend who has something of a vested interest in MSU making the NCAA tourney, but such an eventuality would require more than a few twists.

Possible? Yes. Likely? Um, no.

Memories … Good Days … Bad Days …

For those who follow Buckeyes hockey, living through the first 30 hours after Miami beat Ohio State Sunday night were a little like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tuesday — after what was literally years for some, days for others — it did.

On Tuesday, Ohio State announced that it would not be renewing the contract of coach John Markell, who had been at the helm in Columbus since he took over for Jerry Welsh toward the end of the 1994-95 season before being named head coach in 1995-96. Markell’s record at OSU was 280-267-56.

Markell called the news “an obvious disappointment.” That’s more than just an understatement. In the more than 15 years that I have known John Markell, I have known him to be absolutely devoted to OSU’s hockey program.

For years, fans have been calling for his departure because the hockey program hasn’t been consistently successful. I have to agree that OSU — a big school with a proud and very public athletic tradition — needs a strong hockey program. College hockey also needs OSU to be strong to help raise the profile of the sport. Markell was not able to deliver that consistency, and so I understand the decision to let him go.

But I lived in Columbus for Markell’s first 13 full seasons, so I got to know him a little better than many people did. Markell endured much unearned and mean-spirited criticism from people who didn’t know how much he cared about his student-athletes. He was as devoted to their progress as he was to the progress of the program — even to those players who openly disliked him. John Markell and I had many frank, off-the-record talks about many players he coached. He was often criticized for appearing cavalier or capricious about his players, but he sincerely cared more about those young men than most people would believe.

He’s a smart, caring man and a good coach. Was he the right coach for OSU? Not anymore, sadly. No.

OSU associate athletic director Chris Schneider said Tuesday, “What we were looking for in our men’s hockey program is one that is consistently successful, consistently competing for collegiate championships, and ultimately competing in the NCAA tournament.”

Schneider went on to praise Markell for doing “very good things” with Ohio State’s student athletes. “He has done some good things with our program in the past. Again, this goes back to being a consistently successful program. One that is consistently competing for conference championships.”

OSU assistant captain Sergio Somma said that the team has mixed feelings about Markell’s departure. “We have had a good relationship with John and it has been good for me and a lot of other guys. It is kind of bittersweet. At the same time, it can be a new positive. You have to take the positive out of it is, it will be a new, fresh start for guys and with that it brings a lot of energy. It is a good parting.”

Somma expressed the same concern that I have, that for assistant coaches Steve Brent and JB Bittner.

“We don’t know if Bits or Brenner will be back with the new head coach,” said Somma. “With the youth and energy and obviously, both coach Brent and Bits played here, so they bring that passion to the program that is authentic. You can’t really fake that. So that is something that you are going to really miss if they go there separate ways.”

Bittner and Brent were both captains of the team. They’re fine men and excellent coaches. Brent’s wife gave birth to their second child in December.

For fans, college hockey is a passion, to be sure. For coaches and other staff, it’s a passion — and a job, and a way of life, and the lives of many, many people.

First Jim Culhane and now John Markell. And now three CCHA teams, including BGSU, conducting national searches for new head coaches. Already, the 2010-11 season looks very different.

Breaking Up Is Never Easy, I Know

True, but given what he told Ohio State before he became a Buckeye, this shouldn’t surprise anyone.

As I finish this column, there’s word on the virtual street that OSU forward Zac Dalpe will forgo his final two seasons in Columbus to play for the Albany River Rats of the AHL.

Before he came to OSU, there was speculation that Dalpe would go pro. He told the program that he’d be a Buckeyes player only if Markell remained as coach.

Markell’s gone. That’s some easy math.

Dalpe, a finalist for CCHA player of the year, will be missed. The Paris, Ontario, native was chosen by the Carolina Hurricanes as the 45th pick overall in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

Dalpe will be missed for more than his on-ice talent. Sure, it’s easy to like his 21 goals this season and his 70 career points (34-36–70) in his first two years at OSU. It is also just plain easy to like Dalpe. He’s the kind of kid who has enormous talent, a sense of humor, and an easy manner.

But I Think You Know That I Can’t Let Go

Well, I can certainly let a thing ago, but sometimes it requires a little clarification.

Last week, I questioned the logic of some of the picks for all-league teams, especially when those picks seemed at odds with the nominees for year-end individual awards. When I did so, I was remiss in telling fans why these things happen.

Let me make this clear: I wasn’t indicting the CCHA for the picks. I was taking issue with the guys in the league I love the most. Well, the guys I love as much as the on-ice officials — the coaches.

The coaches do all the voting for the all-league teams and season-end honors. After 15 years of covering college hockey, I’m still not sure I know how coaches think. All season long, nearly every coach I spoke with said that MSU defenseman Jeff Petry was a dominant player on the ice. “A factor,” was a phrase used after many games. Arguably “the best defenseman,” was another I heard often.

Petry was a CCHA second-team honoree this season, but is one of the three finalists for best defensive defenseman.

OK.

So for those of you playing along at home, it’s not the league itself who makes these choices; it’s the coaches.

And it’s one more thing I don’t pretend to understand.

You Can Dance, You Can Jive

It’s amazing what winning can do for the mood of a team.

After Michigan beat Michigan State in the first game last weekend, UM captain Chris Summers clowned it up with the media, who were interviewing Louie Caporusso. Summers took out his cell phone and thrust it into the mix of recorders in front of Caporusso and conducted an interview of his own. This is how it went:

Summers: What’s the team mentality right now in the locker room?

Caporusso: It’s good. We’re pretty confident right now, and that’s always a good place to be. We’re just going to work it from here … (trails off into laughter).

Legitimate Reporter: Do you think you played a little bit better without your captain?

Caporusso: No, we miss our captain. We love our captain.

Caporusso, a pro, didn’t miss a beat.

Then when I talked with Shawn Hunwick about his newfound fame, he said, “I’d like to say that I don’t like it, but it’s not that bad.”

As for Hunwick’s stature (and what is the fascination with goalie height, anyway?), I can absolutely report that Hunwick is taller than 5-foot-5 — unless he was wearing lifts, and I saw no evidence of that.

Yes, I looked.

Bye Bye Doesn’t Mean Forever

We’ll see you along the road, Mavericks. The CCHA will miss you.

Thanks for helping to elevate the game of college hockey, and good luck in the WCHA.

USCHO Arena Reporter J. Justin Boggs and Buckeye Sports Bulletin writer Jeff Svoboda contributed quotes to this week’s column.

Minnesota’s Schroeder Signs with Vancouver

USCHO Staff Report

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March 17, 2010

Minnesota forward Jordan Schroeder has signed a contract with the Vancouver Canucks, ending his college career after two seasons.

A three-time member of the U.S. World Junior team, Schroeder had nine goals and 28 points in 37 games for the Gophers this season.

Those numbers were down from a freshman season in which he was the WCHA’s rookie of the year with 13 goals and 45 points in 35 games.

Schroeder was Vancouver’s first-round pick, 22nd overall, in the 2009 NHL entry draft.

Oswego Lakers (26-2-0 overall, 15-1-0 in SUNYAC)

St. Norbert Green Knights (23-3-3 overall, 14-2-2 in the NCHA)

No. 11 Brown

No. 5 St. Lawrence

No. 3 Union

No. 2 Cornell

Annual Honors

NCAA Doomsday Scenario

Readers’ Poll

Around the WCHA

Final Five Preview

Future WCHA Team Watch

Dear Hockey Season …

The Name of the Game

The Winner Takes It All

The Loser Standing Small

A Sense of Expectation Hanging in the Air …

Memories … Good Days … Bad Days …

Breaking Up Is Never Easy, I Know

You Can Dance, You Can Jive

Bye Bye Doesn’t Mean Forever

Win For UAH Helps With Healing

Beavers On The Bubble?

Burkholder Emotional After Finals Loss

RMU Happy to be Done with CHA

On A Personal Note …

All or Nothing

Weekly Awards

The Early Bird

Honor Roll

Another Season in the Books

Norwich Cadets (24-1-4 overall, 16-1-2 in the ECAC East)

Plattsburgh Cardinals (19-5-4 overall, 13-2-1 in SUNYAC)

On to Boston

BC-Vermont: Is Cinderella NCAA Bound?

BU-Maine: The Rivalry Renewed

Step One

Step Two

Step Three

Step Four

THURSDAY, MARCH 18

WCHA

FRIDAY, MARCH 19

WCHA

Atlantic Hockey

ECAC Hockey

CCHA

Hockey East

SATURDAY, MARCH 20

WCHA

CCHA

ECAC Hockey

Atlantic Hockey

Hockey East

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