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This Week in ECAC Hockey: Jan. 3, 2008

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First and foremost, happy new year! Now let’s hope we never hear any of this crap ever again.
Gag.

Speaking of Gags…

It has always been asserted, with all justification, that the best way to improve the league’s standing on the national stage is to win the big games.

And by “big games,” we mean nonconference games. Tournaments. And, of course, NCAA tournament games. There is little point in beating RPI points out of league opponents; they tend to even out over the course of the season by such mechanisms as the “common opponents” factor. The real boosts come through stealing points from other leagues.

So how is ECAC Hockey stacking up so far?

Not so good.

Eight teams participated in NCAA-sanctioned winter tournaments last month (not including Union’s games against Canadian opponents in the Pete Kelly Tournament), but only three made it to their tourney’s respective championships.

Ignoring the Cornell-Clarkson consolation game in the Florida College Classic, the league finished 4-9-1 in the midseason tourneys, with only one champion — Quinnipiac, defeating host Vermont in the Catamount Cup.

Despite holding a winning record against the other leagues until mid-December, the ECAC has since seen its overall score drop to 30-37-8 against non-conference foes…including a 13-31-0 record against the WCHA, CCHA and Hockey East.

With the meat of the league schedule coming up, only Colgate, Quinnipiac, Dartmouth and Yale have winning non-con records. These teams will likely see an extra shot to their PairWise Rankings by the end of the season, while perhaps a program of equal standing in the league fixtures might be left behind.

It’s Our Differences That Make Us Special

The ECAC has some unique conditions that set it apart from other major sports conferences, and these affect all aspects of athletic competition. But don’t make the mistake of calling these situations “limitations”…because by many standards, they’re anything but.

Plain and simple, the Ivies mark the greatest deviation from the NCAA norm. They cap their regular seasons at 29 games, they start later in the fall, they don’t offer athletic scholarships (nor does Union, for that matter), and their standards for admission are understandably higher than many other schools’.

However, how much does this really hamper the Ivy League programs, and how much does it handicap the rest of the league in turn?

“I don’t think [the lack of scholarship players] has hindered them at all,” said league commissioner Steve Hagwell of the Ivy teams. He pointed to past St. Lawrence teams and the current RIT program for examples of success-sans-scholarships (before the Saints began offering them, of course).

That said, sure, maybe some of the top recruits won’t qualify as Ivy or ECAC material scholastically. But while the perspective has been murky of late, it is important to remember that these are students first, and athletes second.

“What the ECAC — as a league, and not just hockey — is better at than probably any other league is combining the student with the athlete,” said Rensselaer head coach Seth Appert. With such strong academic reputations among these institutions, it is truly the well-rounded individual who can lace up in this league.

Appert also belittled the idea that fewer games in a season automatically handicapped a team.

“Sometimes the Ivies can start later and fresher,” he said, catching opponents before the bumps and bruises begin to set in for the winter.

Likewise, their 29-game cap allows for seven non-conference matchups. While teams like Quinnipiac, Clarkson or Colgate might play a dozen such contests in a season, the cap isn’t as large a detriment as it may seem.

“The CCHA and Hockey East play 28- and 27-game league schedules, which leaves them with six [or seven] non-league slots,” said Hagwell — the same allowed for Harvard, Dartmouth or Princeton.

To be sure, Cornell and Harvard haven’t exactly been falling behind the pack in the last few years, despite their Ivy status.

Overall though, the success of the league and each of the programs comprising it is in the hands of the institutions and the coaches.

“We’ve gotta win nonconference games,” said Hagwell…and everyone agrees with that.

Deep and Dangerous

The Bobcats reeled off five wins in a row to straddle the break, and won on the strength of solid team defense and surprising depth.

“As well as we played in those five games, [what is more notable] is how many players we’ve had out,” said coach Rand Pecknold.

“We beat Vermont with four players out,” he said, including captain Jaime Bates and assistant captain Matt Sorteberg.

“The team defense really goes back to the injuries,” said Pecknold. “Guys have been rising to the occasion” to make the most of their minutes, he said.
Senior Dan Travis potted a pair against UVM, and Brandon Wong showed a consistently higher level of play than he did earlier this year.

“I think my veteran guys have definitely turned the corner,” the coach said. “Our special teams have been really good,” he added.

Citing a grittiness to his charges, the veteran coach is pleased with the extra efforts he is seeing from his maturing team.

Over the quintet of Ws, Quinnipiac surrendered only seven goals and got outstanding goaltending from a reinvigorated Bud Fisher and from senior Peter Vetri, who is no longer with the program. In his final year of collegiate eligibility following a transfer from UMass-Lowell, Vetri was dismissed from the team for failure to fulfill academic obligations. Freshman Pat McGann steps in as the second-stringer.

For this weekend’s games against Harvard and Dartmouth, the ‘Cats are again likely to be without the services of Sorteberg, Bates, Mark Nelson and Jake Bauer. Even third-string goaltender Dan Cullen is out of action this weekend, according to Pecknold.

“It’s like a walking M.A.S.H. unit,” he joked.

The Mighty Not Falling

Well, not for Rensselaer, they’re not.

The Engineers were put to the test with four straight games against top-flight opposition: two games hosting top-ranked Miami, a game against fourth-ranked Colorado College and another tilt against sixth-ranked Notre Dame.

Unfortunately for Appert and the ‘Tute, it was four times up and four times down.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t have more success of course,” the coach said. “But I was really pleased with our game against Notre Dame.”

Playing the late game against CC in the first round of the Lightning Classic in Tampa, RPI took off to a 2-0 lead with a pair of second-period goals. However, the Tigers stormed back with three in the third, including the game-winning power-play goal with only seven ticks left ’til the buzzer.

Appert said that it would’ve been easy to play a tired, dispirited game against the Irish, who had just stung RPI at the end of November. Instead, the Engineers hung tough, and a 2-1 first-period deficit stuck fast for the final 40 minutes of play, other than an empty-netter with 29 seconds left.

Going further back, the deuce against Miami was enjoyable for Appert in principle, if not outcome.
“Miami is the premier team we’ve played this year,” said the coach. “They’re the nastiest team we’ve played…a great combination of skill, physicality and a little bit of nastiness.”

Appert said he missed the two-game sets against one opponent that he used to get out in the WCHA.
“I like the animosity you can get in those Saturday games,” after already playing a team the previous night. “I think in our league it might be easier to sweep [a weekend],” he continued. “It’s more difficult to beat a team two nights in a row.”

New Year and SO much to talk about…

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It’s been a while since I’ve had things to write about here, but after a wild week of holiday tournament action, some incredible play by the U.S. at the World Junior Championships and even some off-ice mischief, I return well armed with fodder.

Holiday Tournament Madness

The annual scrum of holiday tournaments certainly brought out a few surprises along the way. There were more than the fair share of upsets and at the end of the day, I think it’s fair to say that in what’s probably the last substantial meeting of the east and the west until the NCAA tournament, it was proven that the eastern schools can certainly hang with those out west.

Saturday night was a perfect example. And Hockey East was an explosive starting point. The league went a collective 5-1-1 that evening. The only loss was Maine’s loss to UMass-Lowell in the finals of the Florida College Classic. The tie was between Holy Cross and Vermont and the Catamounts won the shootout to advance to the finals.

On the evening, Hockey East captured three tournament titles – the Badger Showdown (Northeastern), the Dodge Holiday Classic (Boston College) and the Florida College Classic (UMass-Lowell). In addition, Providence rebounded from a tough 6-0 loss to Michigan on Friday to upset defending national champion Michigan State in the consolation game of the GLI. On night later, UMass took home the title in the Lightning Classic with a victory over Colorado College in the championship game.

But it wasn’t just Hockey East teams representing the east well. Quinnipiac knocked off Vermont in the finals of the Catamount Cup and RIT upset host Minnesota in the opening game of the Dodge Holiday Classic.

When all the dust settled, here’s the recap of tourney champs:

Tournament – Winner

Great Lakes Invitational – Michigan

Badger Showdown – Northeastern

Florida College Classic – UMass-Lowell

Denver Cup – Denver

Dodge Holiday Classic – Boston College

Catamount Cup – Quinnipiac

UConn Holiday Classic – Ferris State

Lightning Classic – UMass

Ohio Hockey Classic – Miami

So league-by-league totals:

Hockey East – 4

CCHA – 3

ECAC – 1

WCHA – 1

Atlantic Hockey – 0

CHA – N/A (no members participated)

Certainly that’s only a 5-4 split between the east and west, but I’m sure I’m not the only one that is shocked that the WCHA, which hosts three tournaments themselves, took home just one title total. It sure could make for an interesting March and April.

U.S. at Top of WJC Pool

Simply put, the US World Junior Team has been impressive in their quest for just their second title ever. A 4-0-0 record in pool play allowed the US to take first place in Pool B and a bye to the semifinal round.

What’s unfortunate, though, is that the US squad must now face Canada, a 4-2 winner over Finland in the quarterfinal, in Friday’s semifinals. In an average year, a 4-0-0 mark for the US in pool play would generally match that of Canada and set up a title game between these two clubs. This year, though, a loss in pool play for Canada to Sweden dropped the perrenial powers to a lower seed, thus forcing the US to face Canada one round early. The winner will play either Russia or Sweden in the title game.

Good news for the US, though, has been the solid play of collegiate players. New Hampshire freshman James van Riemsdyk leads all tournament scorers with 10 points in four games, inlcuding four goals and two power play tallies. Boston University’s Colin Wilson is second on the leaderboar with seven points and is tied for the tournament lead in goals scored with six.

Friday will certainly be a tough test for the Americans, but as in most year, if gold is to be had, the path to that medal goes through Canada.

The Okposo Aftermath

For those of you who have kept up with hockey news over the holiday break, you know that Minnesota’s Kyle Okposo won’t be returning to the Gophers lineup after he finishes at the World Junior Tournament. Okposo signed a contract with the New York Islanders last month and will report to either Long Island or Bridgeport instead of Minneapolis next week.

Though it’s a strange departure midseason, its not completely unprecedented. Players leave college programs every year in the middle of the year. Most, though, are not of the caliber of player as Okposo.

What struck me as strange, though, have been the comments made by Islanders General Manager Garth Snow about Okposo’s progress at Minnesota. Snow told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Gophers coach Don Lucia had not been effectively developing his players and thus he (Snow) felt it was in Kyle’s best interest to leave school now.

Anyone who knows Don Lucia or the history of the Minnesota program knows these comments are ludicrious. More so, coming from Garth Snow, a goaltender who had to develop in a two-goalie system at the University of Maine (with Mike Dunham), these comments almost seem out of place.

Why and where they came from is beyond knowledge. Okposo likely won’t validate or deny Snow’s claims and it’s likely the story will lose luster (if it hasn’t already) very quickly.

But it certainly leaves many in the college hockey game scratching their heads.

More Off-Ice Hi-Jinx

The expression is something like “Boys will be boys.” For college hockey coaches this year, though, that’s one that they’d prefer not be uttered.

After two Boston College players were dismissed from the team earlier this season and four Boston University players were suspended for four weeks in December, more off-ice mischief has surfaced after last weekend’s North Dakota/New Hampshire series in Grand Forks.

New Hampshire forward Mike Radja and North Dakota forward T.J. Oshie were both arrested on Sunday morning at 2:28 a.m. for disorderly conduct. It sounds like the opposing players were celebrating together after Saturday night’s 7-4 UNH victory when mischief found its way into the evening (well, morning). The Sioux have announced that Oshie will be suspended for one game. UNH has yet to announce discipline for Radja.

It’s not the first time that Oshie has been in trouble. Last season, Oshie was arrested for underage drinking at Judy’s Tavern in Grand Forks. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one years probation and ordered to pay a fine. This isn’t exactly Paris Hilton driving without a license for the 100th time, but it does lead you to worry if a second arrest for Oshie could land him with a stiffer sentence this time.

US Juniors Defeat Finland to Finish Atop Pool B

USCHO Staff Report
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The U.S. National Junior Team built a 5-0 lead through two periods and finished with a 5-3 victory over Finland in the final preliminary-round game for both teams at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship here tonight. Colin Wilson (Boston University) had a natural hat trick for Team USA.

The United States finished 4-0 in the preliminary round and earned a bye to Friday’s (Jan. 4) semifinals, where it will face the winner of Wednesday’s (Jan. 2) Canada-Finland quarterfinal contest.

“I liked the way we played early in the game,” said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes. “We got sloppy at times, especially in the third period, and we have to learn from that.”

Team USA scored the only two goals of the opening period. The first came at 9:29 when Wilson tapped in a puck that was loose in the crease after James vanRiemsdyk’s (New Hampshire) original shot from the left faceoff dot got between the legs of Finland netminder Riku Helenius. Jordan Schroeder (U.S. National Under-18 Team) also was credited with an assist on the play. Wilson scored his second of the game off another rebound of a vanRiemsdyk shot. U.S. netminder Jeremy Smith (Plymouth (OHL)) was solid in goal, making 10 saves in the period.

The United States went up 3-0 at 1:43 of the second period off a Finland turnover. Wilson picked up the puck at the bottom of the left circle and backhanded one past Helenius. The American lead went to 4-0 when Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver) wristed one from the left faceoff circle that found the far side of the net. Kyle Okposo (St. Paul, Minn.) and Jamie McBain (Wisconsin) each gained assists on the goal. Then, after Wilson won the faceoff, vanRiemsdyk whistled one home from the top of the left circle at 9:14 to prompt a goaltending change for Finland. Team USA led 5-0 after 40 minutes.

Finland scored the only three goals of the third period, including a pair of power-play markers. The first came at 10:52 when Nico Aaltonen re-directed a feed from the side of the net. At 16:08 Mikko Kousa wristed one from the slot through traffic that found the back of the net. Then with :46 left in the contest, Niclas Lucenius deflected a shot in front of U.S. netminder Joe Palmer (Ohio State), who relieved Smith to start the third period.

Smith (15 saves) and Palmer (8 saves) combined in goal to gain the win for Team USA, while Helenius and Sateri totaled 24 stops in the losing effort for Finland.

NOTES: Team USA won its first four games in the World Junior Championship for only the second time. The United States also won its first four contests in 2004, a year in which it captured its only gold medal in the event … Colin Wilson (3-1–4) and James vanRiemsdyk (1-3–4) each had four-point games … Team USA will play the winner of the Canada-Finland quarterfinal game on Friday (Jan. 4) in the semifinals of the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship. If the Czech Republic is in the semifinal game, it will play at 2 p.m. ET on Jan. 4, otherwise the U.S. vs. Canada-Finland winner will play at 2 p.m. … All Team USA games in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championship are audiocast live on usahockey.com with Jack Swanson and Jeff Sauer calling the action. In addition, all games of the medal round will be televised live by the NHL Network in the United States … Brian Strait (Boston University) is Team USA’s captain, while Chris Summers (Michigan), Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin) and Tyler Ruegsegger are alternate captains.

US Juniors Defeat Russia, 3-2

USCHO Staff Report
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The U.S. National Junior Team fired 49 shots on goal in helping it to a 3-2 win over Russia in its third preliminary-round game at the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship here tonight.

“Our guys played with deep belief in themselves,” said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes. “Our commitment to team play was evident and I thought as the game wore on, we showed good survival skills when we needed to. We definitely took another step forward.”

Team USA forced five straight Russia penalties to start the game and eventually capitalized on a five-on-three power play at 11:31 when Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver) put home the rebound of a shot from the center point by Jordan Schroeder (U.S. National Under-18 Team). Kyle Okposo (St. Paul, Minn.) also drew an assist on the play. The United States, which outshot Russia 18-7 in the period, had several other golden opportunities in the stanza, but was held at bay by Russian netminder Sergei Bobrovsky.

The only goal of the second period came at 8:36 when Alexei Cherepanov put the puck past a helpless Jeremy Smith (Plymouth (OHL)) off the rebound of Nikita Filatov’s initial shot from near the bottom of the left circle. Rhett Rakhshani (Denver) nearly put the United States back in the lead with under eight minutes to go in the period, but his shot from the low slot rang off the post. Two minutes later, Mike Carman (Minnesota), who was foiled at least twice in the first period, had a good chance from point blank range but was stopped by Bobrovsky.

Team USA recorded a pair of goals in the first half of the third period to open up a two-goal lead. James vanRiemsdyk (New Hampshire) recorded the first on the power play at 3:01 when he sent an innocent-looking shot toward the net that Bobrovsky got a piece of, but then had deflect off his pad and into the net. Then at 7:44 Carman grabbed a loose puck at the side of the net, came out in front, and found the back of the net. Blake Geoffrion (Wisconsin) and Chris Summers (Michigan) also gained assists on the play. Russia made it interesting when Viktor Tikhonov beat Smith at 14:36, but Team USA played strong down the stretch and gained the victory.

Team USA celebrates Chris Summers' first goal of the game. (photo: Melissa Wade)

Team USA celebrates Chris Summers’ first goal of the game. (photo: Melissa Wade)

Smith made 28 saves to pick up the win, while Bobrovskky had 46 stops in a losing effort.

Team USA will finish preliminary-round play Monday (Dec. 31) against Finland at 12 p.m. EST in Liberec. Regardless of the outcome, Team USA has earned a bye into the semifinals of the tournament and will play a yet to-be-determined opponent on Friday (Jan. 4).

UConn Hockey Classic

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum, Storrs, Conn.

Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007

Participants: Brown, Ferris State, Army, Connecticut

Game 1: Ferris State vs. Brown, 4:05 p.m. ET

Ferris State Bulldogs (7-8-1, 6-6-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Bob Daniels

Leading scorers: So. Cody Chupp (4-8 — 12), Jr. Brendan Connolly (5-6 — 11)

Leading netminders: Jr. Mitch O’Keefe (3-3-1, 2.04 GAA, .931 SV%), Fr. Pat Nagle (4-4-0, 2.24 GAA, .931 SV%)

Brown Bears (1-7-3, 1-3-3 ECAC)

Head coach: Roger Grillo

Leading scorers: Sr. Jeff Prough (3-5 — 8), Sr. Sean Hurley (1-6 — 7)

Leading netminder: So. Dan Rosen (1-5-3, 3.32 GAA, .901 SV%)

Game 2: Army at Connecticut, 7:15 p.m. ET

Army Black Knights (6-6-2, 6-3-2 Atlantic Hockey)

Head coach: Brian Riley

Leading scorers: So. Owen Meyer (11-9 — 20), Sr. Luke Flicek (6-14 — 20), Sr. Bryce Hollweg (6-10 — 16)

Leading netminder: Jr. Josh Kassel (5-5-1, 2.46 GAA, .905 SV%)

Connecticut Huskies (4-9-1, 3-7-1 Atlantic Hockey)

Head coach: Bruce Marshall

Leading scorers: Jr. Sean Erickson (3-8 — 11), Fr. Andrew Olson (6-3 — 9), So. Michael Coppola (5-4 — 9)

Leading netminder: Beau Erickson (4-9-1, 3.24 GAA, .901 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

This tournament, in its 15th season, features two teams from Atlantic Hockey and representatives from the ECAC and CCHA. The first game pits Ferris State against Brown. The Bulldogs finished the first half of the season with two losses in a home-and-home series against top-10 ranked Michigan State (Dec. 7-8) and are 3-3-0 in their last six. Ferris State is 17-16-4 all-time in regular-season tournaments and 1-1-0 in the UConn Classic. In 2002, FSU beat Connecticut in the third-place game of the classic after losing to Alabama-Huntsville in the semifinal contest. The Bulldogs are currently fifth in the CCHA standings. Junior goaltender Mitch O’Keefe and freshman Pat Nagle split time in the FSU nets. O’Keefe has the 17th-best goals-against average in the country and 12th-best save percentage, while Nagle’s GAA is 23rd and his save percentage 26th. FSU has the 32nd-best scoring offense in the nation, averaging 2.62 goals per game.

This is the first meeting between the Bulldogs and the Brown Bears. Brown is still looking for its second win of the season; the Bears finished the first half with losses to Yale and Providence in December, having been outscored 10-1 in those two contests. Brown is tied with host Connecticut for the 54th-best scoring offense nationally (2.00 goals per game) and has the 53rd-best defense in the country. One of leading scorer Jeff Prough’s goals has come shorthanded this season, and senior defenseman Sean Hurley is 25th among blueliners in scoring this year. The Bears are eighth nationally in penalty minutes, averaging 18.1 per game. The Bears continue their tough start to the season as they have played only two of their first 11 games at home, and after this tournament, only two of 13.

The second game between Army and UConn is also an Atlantic Hockey Association conference game. Army is currently tied with Sacred Heart in the AHA standings. The Black Knights went 1-1-2 in their last four games to end the first half of the season. Army has the top scoring line in Atlantic Hockey; Meyer, Flicek and Hollweg have accounted for 23 of Army’s 41 goals. Meyer leads the league in goals and is tied for first in points along with Flicek and Air Force’s Eric Ehn. Flicek and Meyer are tied for sixth nationally in points per game and Hollweg is tied for 29th. Meyer is fifth nationally in goals per game and Flicek is third in assists. Meyer has five power-play goals, Flicek four and the Black Knights have the 14th-best offense in the country — but the 28th-best power play (15.7). Army leads UConn 23-16-1 all-time, and the Black Knights beat the Huskies, 4-1, in Connecticut Oct. 27.

This Connecticut Huskies have hosted this tournament for 15 years, dating back to their days playing Division III hockey. UConn is currently in last place in the AHA and has yet to string two wins together this season. The Huskies’ biggest victories came against Colgate and Air Force. They’ve played four overtime games this season, with three of their four wins this year coming in OT. UConn is struggling to score, averaging only 2.00 goals per game, tied for 54th nationally and last in the AHA. Connecticut has just one senior, co-captain Charles Solberg who spent the first six weeks of the season on the bench with a knee injury. Sophomore Michael Coppola scored two of UConn’s four game-winning goals this season. Junior defenseman Sean Erickson is eighth nationally among defensemen in points per game. Connecticut’s defense is tied for 50th nationally and UConn’s scoring margin is tied for 55th in the country. The Huskies have the 55th-best power play in the nation and are 19th on the penalty kill, giving Connecticut the 13th-best combined special teams nationally.

Lightning Classic Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla.

Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007

Participants: Rensselaer, Colorado College, Massachusetts, Notre Dame

Game 1: Massachusetts vs. Notre Dame, 5:05 p.m. ET

Massachusetts Minutemen (7-3-5, 4-2-4 Hockey East)

Head coach: Don “Toot” Cahoon

Leading scorers: Fr. James Marcou (3-10 — 13), Jr. Chris Davis (2-8 — 10)

Leading netminder: Fr. Paul Dainton (5-3-5, 2.01 GAA, .929 SV%)

Notre Dame Fighting Irish (16-4-0, 10-2-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Jeff Jackson

Leading scorers: Jr. Erik Condra (8-14 — 22), Mark Van Guilder (8-10 — 18)

Leading netminder: Jr. Jordan Pearce (13-4-0, 2.01 GAA, .911 SV%)

Game 2: Rensselaer vs. Colorado College, 8:05 p.m. ET

Rensselaer Engineers(8-7-3, 3-3-2 ECAC)

Head coach: Seth Appert

Leading scorers: Jr. Andrei Uryadov (6-10 — 16), Fr. Tyler Helfrich (3-11 — 14)

Leading netminders: Jr. Mathias Lange (4-2-2, 1.96 GAA, .937 SV%), Sr. Jordan Alford (4-5-1, 2.72 GAA, .902 SV%)

Colorado College Tigers (11-5-0, 11-3-0 WCHA)

Head coach: Scott Owens

Leading scorers: Jr. Chad Rau (10-9 — 19), So. Bill Sweatt (4-10 — 14)

Leading netminder: Fr. Richard Bachman (10-3-0, 1.77 GAA, .939 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

This tournament was first played Oct. 28-29, 2006, and is marking its midseason debut. This Florida tournament shows off teams from each of the recent traditional “big four” conferences tourney and all four teams are ranked — three in the top 10. The first game sees No. 9 Massachusetts tangle with No. 6 Notre Dame. The Minutemen were 4-1-1 in their last six to end the first half of the season, finishing up with a 4-1 win over New Hampshire Dec. 8. UMass leading scorer, James Marcou, is one of the top rookies nationally, tied for 12th in points per game. Starting goaltender Paul Dainton is 16th nationally in goals-against average, 13th in save percentage. Defense is the strength of the stingy Minutemen, who give up just 2.07 goals per game on average (eighth), but have only the 42nd-best penalty kill in the country (88.3). UMass is a team that scores by committee: 21 Minutemen have at least one point this season, and in the first four games of the year, UMass scored 10 goals by 10 different players. Head coach Don Cahoon has never lost to Notre Dame (7-0-0), and the teams last met in 1999 when they split a pair of games in South Bend.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are another team that scores by committee in front of junior netminder Jordan Pearce. Pearce is 15th in the nation in goals-against average, 35th in save percentage. Notre Dame’s offense is third nationally, averaging 3.55 goals per game, yet none of the Irish players are among the nations top-most scorers. Leader Erik Condra is 37th nationally in points per game, Mark Van Guilder is 80th and sophomore Ryan Thang is 35th nationally in goals per game. Van Guilder is a power-play threat, with five on the season. This is the third in-season tournament for the Irish, who opened the year at the Lefty McFadden Invitational in Dayton, Ohio, and captured the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament tourney title at Thanksgiving. The Irish carry the longest winning streak in the country into the Lightning Classic (9-0-0). During that streak, the Irish were 4-0-0 at home, 4-0-0 on the road, and 1-0-0 on neutral ice.

The No. 17 Rensselaer Engineers play No. 4 Colorado College in the second match. RPI ended the first half of the season with a pair of home losses to No. 1 Miami Dec. 15-16, outscored by the RedHawks 12-4 in those contests, but held leads or were tied going into the third period of each game, and the Engineers are 2-4-0 in their last six games. Rookie Tyler Helfrich is 14th among freshmen nationally, and RPI has the 37th-best scoring offense in the country. Rensselaer’s strength is between the pipes where junior Mathias Lange and senior Jordan Alford split time. Lange is 11th nationally in goals-against average and sixth for save percentage. Alford started both games against Miami. Leading scorer Andrei Uryadov’s six-game point streak was snapped in RPI’s 7-3 loss to Miami Dec. 15, but his assist the next night was his 10th point in seven games. The Engineers are 18-42-1 all-time against teams from the WCHA, including a loss to Minnesota earlier this season in St. Paul. The Engineers are 1-6-0 against ranked teams this season, having lost to Miami twice, Minnesota, Boston College, Notre Dame and Harvard and also defeating Harvard..

The Colorado College Tigers ended their first half with a road split against conference foe St. Cloud State Dec. 14-15, but CC went 4-2-0 in its last six games. The Tigers are marking the program’s 70th anniversary this year and their first-ever appearance in Florida. CC will be without sophomore left winger Bill Sweatt, the team’s second-leading scorer, who is playing with Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament in Europe. Leading scorer junior Chad Rau, who is the WCHA point leader, carries a career-best, 10-game point streak into the classic. Rau has three mulit-goal games this season and has been in on six game-winners for the Tigers. During his 10-game streak, Rau has eight goals and six assists. CC’s 3-1 win over St. Cloud State (Dec. 15) marked the eighth time in 12 conference starts that rookie goaltender Richard Bachman allowed one or fewer goals in a game. Bachman leads all WCHA goalies in goals-against average and is tied for fourth nationally in save percentage. CC has the 12th-best scoring offense in the nation, the 10th-best defense, the 17th-best power play (18.3) and the sixth-best penalty kill (88.9).

Ohio Hockey Classic Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio

Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007

Participants: St. Cloud State, Harvard, Miami, Ohio State

Game 1: St. Cloud State vs. Miami, 6:05 p.m. ET

St. Cloud State Huskies(8-8-2, 4-7-1 WCHA)

Head coach: Bob Motzko

Leading scorers: So. Ryan Lasch (12-14 — 26), Fr. Garrett Roe (11-14 — 25)

Leading netminder: So. Jase Weslosky (7-7-0, 2.18 GAA, .929 SV%)

Miami RedHawks (16-2-0, 10-2-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Enrico Blasi

Leading scorers: Sr. Ryan Jones (16-9 — 25), Jr. Brian Kaufman (6-17 — 23), Jr. Justin Mercier (14-6 — 20)

Leading netminders: Jr. Jeff Zatkoff (12-2-0, 1.36 GAA, .940 SV%), Sr. Charlie Effinger (4-0-0, 1.75 GAA, .920 SV%)

Game 2: Harvard at Ohio State, 9:05 p.m. ET

Harvard Crimson (6-4-2, 5-3-1 ECAC)

Head coach: Ted Donato

Leading scorers: Fr. Michael Biega (6-3 — 9), So. Alex Biega (1-7 — 8)

Leading netminder: So. Kyle Richter (6-4-2, 1.85 GAA, .938 SV%)

Ohio State Buckeyes (5-13-2, 2-9-1 CCHA)

Head coach: John Markell

Leading scorers: Sr. Tommy Goebel (10-6 — 16), Sr. Tom Fritsche (3-8 — 11)

Leading netminders: So. Joseph Palmer (2-12-2, 3.21 GAA, .887 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

This tournament, now in its fourth year, features two of Ohio’s Division I hockey programs and is moving for the first time from Nationwide Arena, the home of the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, to Value City Arena, the home of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Three of the four teams are ranked, and in the first match No. 16 St. Cloud State plays No. 1 Miami. The Huskies are coached by Bob Motzko, a former assistant at Miami who coached RedHawk head coach Enrico Blasi in his playing days. St. Cloud ended the first half with a home win over Colorado College Dec. 15, but that win broke a six-game losing streak for the Huskies against four ranked opponents; STSU is 2-6-0 in its last eight against Clarkson, Wisconsin, Denver and CC. Freshman Garrett Roe is third in the nation in scoring and first among D-I rookies. He brings a 14-game point-scoring streak to Ohio with him for the classic and is tied for third in the country for power-play goals (seven). Sophomore Ryan Lasch is fifth among scorers nationally in points per game. The Huskies have the ninth-best scoring offense in the nation and the 19th-toughest defense.

The Miami RedHawks are at or near the top the nation in several categories: offense (4.50 goals per game, first), defense (1.50, first), power play ( 21.0, 10th), penalty kill (92.2, third) and penalty minutes (19.9 per game, third). Senior Ryan Jones is eighth nationally in points per game, fourth in goals per game and first for game-winning goals (six). Jones and junior forward Justin Mercier are second and third, respectively, in goal-scoring in the CCHA. Junior defenseman Alec Martinez leads all blueliners nationally in points (17). Miami is outscoring opponents 81-27 this season, leading the nation in points margin. Junior goaltender Jeff Zatkoff has the second-best goals-against average in the nation and the third-best save percentage. The RedHawks are technically 2-2-2 in the OHC, but one of those ties was Miami’s 2005 shootout victory over Ohio State to capture the tournament.

The No. 15 Harvard Crimson face co-tournament host Ohio State in the second game. Harvard finished the first half of the season with a Dec. 12 loss to Boston College and went 1-2-1 in the month of December officially, with another loss in exhibition to the U.S. Under-18 team Dec. 9. Harvard assistant coach Patrick Foley is serving as the assistant for Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament in Europe. Sophomore goaltender Kyle Richter is ninth nationally in goals-against average and has the fifth-best save percentage in the nation. Harvard has the 42nd-best offense nationally but the fourth-toughest defense in the country, allowing just 1.92 goals per game.

The Ohio State Buckeyes will be without starting goaltender, sophomore Joseph Palmer, for the tournament. Palmer is with Team USA in Europe through early January. Goaltenders sophomore Nick Filion and freshman Dustin Carlson are unknown quantities; Filion has played 16 minutes this season with a goals-against average of 3.83, and Carlson has one decision (0-1-0) with 91 minutes, a 3.94 GAA and .867 save percentage. The Buckeyes are struggling to score goals, with the 48th-best offense in the country (2.25 goals per game); the OSU defense is 47th-best in the nation. Senior Tommy Goebel has seven power-play tallies on the year, and his classmate, Tom Fritsche, has two shorthanded markers. The Buckeyes are the defending OHC champions.

US Juniors Top Switzerland, 4-2

USCHO Staff Report
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The U.S. National Junior Team used four power-play goals on the way to a convincing 4-2 victory over Switzerland in the preliminary round of the of the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship here tonight.

“We played with good conviction and did it for 60 minutes,” said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes. “We took another step forward and that’s a positive sign.”

The United States had control of the play for the majority of the opening period but was able to get just one puck past Swiss netminder Robert Mayer. The goal came at 5:08 on the power play when Colin Wilson (Boston University) found the back of the net after receiving a nice cross-ice feed from Jordan Schroeder (U.S. National Under-18 Team). James vanRiemsdyk (New Hampshire) also drew an assist on the play.

The teams traded second-period goals, despite Team USA outshooting Switzerland by an 18-4 count. The U.S. advanced its lead to 2-0 when Bobby Sanguinetti (Brampton (OHL)) scored from the slot after a slick feed from below the goalline off the stick of vanRiemsdyk. Rhett Rakhshani (Denver) also gained an assist on the play. Just 1:20 later, however, Switzerland got back in the game when Dino Wieser’s pass from the corner found Andrei Bykov alone in front and he backhanded the puck past Jeremy Smith (Plymouth (OHL)).

The United States scored a pair of five-on-three power-play goals in the first 10 minutes of the third period to take command of the game. vanRiemsdyk beat Mayer on the short side at 2:27 with Sanguinetti and Schroeder major contributors on a three-way passing play. Then at 9:30 Wilson converted Kyle Okposo’s (St. Paul, Minn.) pass from the side of the net out in front with Schroeder also in on the scoring. Amaud Jacquemet of Switzerland scored a power-play goal at 15:45 for the final goal of the contest.

Smith picked up the victory in goal with 16 saves, while Mayer made 47 stops in a losing effort.

Team USA will battle Russia tomorrow (Dec. 29) at 2 p.m. EST in Liberec.

Florida College Classic Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Germain Arena, Estero, Fla.

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 28-29, 2007

Participants: Mass.-Lowell, Cornell, Clarkson, Maine

Game 1: Mass.-Lowell vs. Cornell, 4:00 p.m. ET

Mass.-Lowell River Hawks (7-4-4, 4-4-4 Hockey East)

Head coach: Blaise MacDonald

Leading scorers: Jr. Mark Roebothan (8-5 — 13), Jr. Mike Potacco (5-7 — 12)

Leading netminders: So. Carter Hutton (2-1-2, 1.36 GAA, .945 SV%), So. Nevin Hamilton (4-3-2, 2.63 GAA, .913 SV%)

Cornell Big Red (4-4-1, 4-2-0 ECAC)

Head coach: Mike Schafer

Leading scorers: So. Colin Greening (3-6 — 9), Fr. Riley Nash (3-6 — 9)

Leading netminder: So. Ben Scrivens (4-3-1, 2.00 GAA, 9.36 SV%)

Clarkson vs. Maine, 7:30 p.m. ET

Clarkson Golden Knights (10-5-0, 6-2-0 ECAC)

Head coach: George Roll

Leading scorers: Jr. Chris D’Alvise (5-8 — 13), Sr. Nick Dodge (5-8 — 13)

Leading netminder: Sr. David Leggio (10-4-0, 2.00 GAA, .924 SV%)

Maine Black Bears (5-7-2, 3-5-2 Hockey East)

Head coach: Tim Whitehead

Leading scorers: Sr. Wes Clark (2-7 — 9), Sr. Bret Tyler (4-4 — 8)

Leading netminder: Jr. Ben Bishop (5-7-2, 2.67 GAA, .923 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

Two teams from Hockey East and two from the ECAC make up the field of this southern-most midseason tournament. Two of these teams are ranked nationally, and the two that are not are unaccustomed to their lack of national exposure. The first game pairs No. 20 Mass.-Lowell against Cornell. The River Hawks carry a three-game win streak into this tourney, having split a home-and-home series with New Hampshire Nov. 30-Dec. 1 before wins over Boston University (Dec. 7) and Bentley (Dec. 8) to end the first half; Mass.-Lowell is 5-1-0 in its last six. This team is paced by the play of sophomore goaltender Carter Hutton, whose 1.36 goals-against average and .945 save percentage lead the nation. The River Hawks have the 20th-best scoring offense in the nation and are tied for 11th nationally for defense with another team from this field, Clarkson. Not surprisingly, the Mass.-Lowell penalty kill is effective, 11th-best in the nation (88.3). This is the first meeting between the River Hawks and the Big Red.

Cornell is one of this tournament’s two remaining founding teams. The Big Red haven’t played a game yet in December; their last outing was a 0-0 tie Nov. 30 against Massachusetts and they’re 1-2-1 in their last four. In that game against the Minutemen, sophomore goaltender Ben Scrivens made a career-high 45 saves in his second shutout of the season. Scrivens’ goals-against average is 12th-best in the nation, his save percentage good enough for eighth. The Big Red are 6-7-1 all-time in this tournament, having captured the title in 2003 and 2005. Last year, Cornell upset No. 2 New Hampshire, 5-2, but lost the title game to Maine, 6-3. The tournament champ is presented with the Ned Harkness Cup, named in honor of the legendary Cornell head coach (1963-1970).

No. 8 Clarkson finished the first half of the season with a 4-2 road loss to St. Lawrence Dec. 1, but the Golden Knights were 4-2-0 in their last six before the break. This is Clarkson’s second trip to the Florida College Classic and its first since 2000. In fact, Clarkson and Maine last faced each other in this very tournament (then called the Everblades College Classic) Dec. 27, 2000, a game that Maine won 4-2. Senior goaltender David Leggio has the 14th-best goals-against average in the country and the 19th-best save percentage. Senior Nick Dodge is tied for fifth among shorthanded goalscorers, and the Clarkson penalty kill is tied for 28th nationally. The Knights are 2-4-0 on the road this season.

Maine is the second of this tournament’s two founding teams, and the Black Bears won the tourney title in 2000, 2002 and 2006. Maine is 8-5-1 in this event overall, and has played in the championship game a total of four times. The Black Bears have one win in their last nine games, having gone 1-5-2 in D-I play to end the first half of the season. Maine was officially 1-1-0 in December, losing the last game of the first half to New Hampshire, 2-0, Dec. 16, but the Black Bears also lost in exhibition to New Brunswick, 2-1, Dec. 1. Junior Christopher Hahn is among several players tied for second nationally in shorthanded goals (two). His classmate, goaltender Ben Bishop, is 24th in the nation for goals-against average, 20th for save percentage. The Black Bears, who lost to eventual national champion Michigan State in last year’s Frozen Four, are 55th in the nation in scoring and 27th defensively. The Maine power play is the second-worst in the nation and one of only three in the country converting at less than 10 percent (6.1).

Dodge Holiday Classic Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Mariucci Arena, Minneapolis

Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007

Participants: Air Force, Boston College, RIT, Minnesota

Game 1: Air Force vs. Boston College, 4:05 p.m. CT

Air Force Falcons (9-4-3, 7-4-3 Atlantic Hockey)

Head coach: Frank Serratore

Leading scorers: Sr. Eric Ehn (6-15 — 21), Jr. Brent Olson (7-8 — 15)

Leading netminder: So. Andrew Volkening (9-3-3, 2.36 GAA, .896 SV%)

Boston College Eagles (6-4-5, 4-3-4 Hockey East)

Head coach: Jerry York

Leading scorers: Jr. Nathan Gerbe (13-8 — 21), Fr. Joe Whitney (3-16 — 19), So. Ben Smith (10-8 — 18)

Leading netminder: Fr. Joe Muse (6-4-5, 2.32 GAA, .931 SV%)

Game 2: RIT at Minnesota, 7:05 p.m. CT

RIT Tigers (6-6-3, 5-4-3 Atlantic Hockey)

Head coach: Wayne Wilson

Leading scorers: Sr. Simon Lambert (8-11 — 19), Sr. Matt Smith (8-7 — 15), So. Matt Crowell (8-6 — 14)

Leading netminder: So. Louis Menard (6-5-3, 2.66 GAA, .909 SV%)

Minnesota Golden Gophers (9-8-1, 5-7-0 WCHA)

Head coach: Don Lucia

Leading scorers: Jr. Blake Wheeler (8-7 — 15), Sr. Ben Gordon (5-9 — 14)

Leading netminders: Fr. Alex Kangas (3-2-1, 2.63 GAA, .907 SV%), Jr. Jeff Frazee (6-6-0, 2.84 GAA, .893 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

The defending Atlantic Hockey Association tournament champion and last year’s regular-season AHA title winner and the NCAA national tournament runner-up join the Golden Gophers in Minnesota for this year’s Dodge Holiday Classic field. In the first game, Air Force — the AHA tournament champs — take on Boston College, who lost to Michigan State in last season’s NCAA championship game. The Falcons feature Eric Ehn, a Hobey Hat Trick finalist from last season. Ehn is 12th this season nationally in points per game. Air Force is undefeated in its last six games (3-0-3) and is off to its best start in school history. The Falcons finished the first half of the season with a pair of 3-3 ties at home against Canisius. The team has nine players hailing from Minnesota.

The No. 13 Boston College Eagles bring a three-game win streak into the Dodge Classic. BC finished the first half with a home-and-home sweep of arch-rival Boston University Nov. 30-Dec. 1 and a 7-2 win over Harvard Dec. 12, but the streak that preceded that was uncharacteristic; from Nov. 2-23, the Eagles were winless, going 0-3-3 against Hockey East opponents. Nathan Gerbe leads BC in scoring and is second in the country. The Eagles’ top three scorers — Gerbe, Joe Whitney and Ben Smith — are among the top 20 players in points per game nationally. Gerbe is also third in goals per game, tied for sixth nationally in power-play goals (six) is tied for first in shorthanders (three). Whitney is first among D-I players in assists and is second in the country among rookies in points per game. BC has the seventh-best scoring offense in the country and the 17th-best defense. The Eagles’ power play is second nationally (26.8), but their penalty kill is 23rd (85.2). BC is 4-0-0 against Air Force all-time, last having beaten the Falcons in the 1993 Denver Cup.

The second game sees the RIT Tigers take on the No. 11 host Minnesota Golden Gophers. This is RIT’s third year as a Division-I program, and the Tiger senior class played its first year of hockey at the D-III level. In 2006-07, RIT captured the regular-season AHA title but was ineligible to compete in postseason play. The Tigers are fourth in the AHA at midseason, with just one loss (3-1-3) in their last seven games. RIT has defeated a ranked team ineach of its three seasons in D-I: St. Lawrence (2005-06), Quinnipiac (2006-07) and Cornell earlier this season. RIT head coach Wayne Wilson and associate head coach Brian Hills both played for Boston College head coach Jerry York at Bowling Green, and Wilson captained the 1984 national championship team. The Tigers have never faced either the Eagles or the Gophers.

No. 11 Minnesota ended the first half of the season with a split in North Dakota (Dec. 7-8) but the Gophers are 3-4-1 in their last eight. UMN will be without four key first-half players for this tournament. Kyle Okposo, the team’s third-leading scorer through the first 18 games, has left the team permanently for the professional ranks but is in Europe for the IIHF World Junior Championship, as are three of his soon-to-be-former teammates: defenseman Cade Fairchild and forwards Mike Carman and Ryan Flynn. Okposo, Fairchild and Flynn had 12 of Minnesota’s 46 overall goals this season; Carman sat out his first semester at UMN. The Gophers are the defending Dodge Classic champions and have won the last eight tournaments in a row (11 of 18 overall). Minnesota is 35 in the nation offensively and tied for 34th defensively and 14 of the Gophers’ 18 games have been decided by two or fewer goals. Minnesota is 4-1-1 in nonconference play this season.

Catamount Cup Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Gutterson Fieldhouse, Burlington, Vt.

Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 29-30, 2007

Participants: Western Michigan, Quinnipiac, Holy Cross, Vermont

Game 1: Western Michigan vs. Quinnipiac, 4:00 p.m. ET

Western Michigan Broncos (6-10-0, 2-8-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Jim Culhane Leading scorers: Jr. Patrick Galivan (5-14 — 19), Jr. Jeff LoVecchio (6-5 — 11)

Leading netminder: So. Riley Gill (4-5-0, 3.08 GAA, .901 SV%)

Quinnipiac Bobcats (8-5-2, 3-3-2 ECAC)

Head coach: Rand Pecknold

Leading scorers: Sr. Ben Nelson (8-8 — 16), Jr. Bryan Leitch (6-9 — 15)

Leading netminders: Sr. Peter Vetri (5-2-1, 2.09 GAA, .914 SV%), Jr. Bud Fisher (3-2-1, 2.32 GAA, .911 SV%)

Game 2: Holy Cross at Vermont, 7:00 p.m. ET

Holy Cross Crusaders (5-4-4, 4-3-3 Atlantic Hockey)

Head coach: Paul Pearl

Leading scorers: So. Brodie Sheahan (6-9 — 15), Sr. Dale Reinhardt (3-11 — 14)

Leading netminders: Sr. Ian Dams (2-1-2, 2.73 GAA, .911 SV%), Fr. Adam Roy (3-3-2, 2.82 GAA, .913 SV%)

Vermont Catamounts (4-6-3, 3-3-2 Hockey East)

Head coach: Kevin Sneddon Leading scorers: Jr. Dean Strong (2-11 — 13), Jr. Corey Carlson (5-7 — 12)

Leading netminder: Sr. Joe Fallon (3-5-2, 3.31 GAA, .893 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

There are four conferences represented in this year’s tournament, but only one team from someplace other than New England. Western Michigan, the lone heartland representative, tangles with Quinnipiac for the first time in the opening game. The Broncos, the 11th-place team in the CCHA at midseason, ended the first half with a 4-2 loss in exhibition to the U.S. Junior Team, the same squad that is competing in the IIHF World Championships in Europe right now. In that game, Max Campbell (3-8–11) netted both goals for the Broncos, and three goaltenders saw action. Through the first half, however, it was Riley Gill who paced the Broncos through 13 of 16 games played. The last D-I action WMU had was a two-game sweep of Wayne State Dec. 7-8.

Quinnipiac ended its first half with three wins in December, including a road sweep of Robert Morris. The Bobcats, outscoring opponents 43-34 overall, have relied on their first line of Jamie Bates (3-10–13), Bryan Leitch and Ben Nelson for nearly 40 percent of their total scoring this season (17-27–44), and after Leitch have only one other player (David Marshall, 6-3–9) with as many as six goals. The Bobcat power play is 11th in D-I (19.7), while the Quinnipiac penalty kill is fifth-best in the nation (90.5) and sophomore Jean-Marc Beaudoin is tied for first in the country with three shorthanded goals. Peter Vetri and Bud Fisher split time in net; Vetri has the 19th-best goals-against average in the country, Fisher the 28th.

Holy Cross is 1-0-3 in its last four games and currently in seventh place in Atlantic Hockey, but just three points out of second in a tightly knit race. The Crusaders are 3-1-1 in their last five games against Hockey East opponents, including a 6-4 win at Providence this season. The Crusaders are a senior-driven team, with 10 on the roster who were sophomores when the team shocked the college hockey world with a 4-3 upset of Minnesota in the 2006 NCAA tournament. Goaltenders Ian Dams and Adam Roy have been splitting time in net with nearly identical numbers.

The host Catamounts finished the first half of the season with just four wins, having gone 1-1-2 since Thanksgiving. That one win was also an overtime game, a 4-3 victory over ECAC foe St. Lawrence. Trailing 3-2 going into the third, Corey Carlson tied the contest at 6:34, and freshman Jack Downing 2-1–3) had the OT game-winner at 3:32 on the power play. Vermont, in seventh place in the Hockey East standings at midterm, lost the title game of its midseason tournament last year to St. Cloud State, and has won its holiday tourney just once in five years when the Catamounts rolled through the then-Sheraton/TD Banknorth Tournament with shutout wins over Dartmouth and Clarkson.

It’s Tournament Time

USCHO Staff Report
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If it’s the holidays, it can only mean on thing in the college hockey world — a plethora of tournaments. This year is no different as there are nine different tournaments this season.

Throughout the weekend some of the locales are college hockey hotspots and some are locales that are not used to seeing college hockey.

Nonetheless, it should be a wild weekend of hockey with some great matchups amongst the Top 20 teams in the nation.

It’s a battle for trophies and conference bragging rights, so just click on the appropriate link to take you to a capsule preview of that tournament.
Happy Holidays and let’s play some hockey!

Friday-Saturday Tournaments

Badger Showdown (Madison, Wis.)
Participants: No. 19 Bowling Green, No. 11 Northeastern, Colgate, No. 13 Wisconsin

Denver Cup (Denver)
Participants: Dartmouth, Northern Michigan, Sacred Heart, No. 3 Denver

Florida College Classic (Estero, Fla.)
Participants: No. 20 Mass.-Lowell, Cornell, No. 8 Clarkson, Maine

Great Lakes Invitational (Detroit)
Participants: Providence, No. 2 Michigan, No. 5 Michigan State, Michigan Tech

Saturday-Sunday Tournaments

Catamount Cup (Burlington, Vt.)
Participants: Quinnipiac, Western Michigan, Holy Cross, Vermont

UConn Holiday Classic (Storrs, Conn.)
Participants: Ferris State, Brown, Army, Connecticut

Dodge Holiday Classic (Minneapolis)
Participants: Air Force, No. 14 Boston College, RIT, No. 12 Minnesota

Lightning Classic (Tampa, Fla.)
Participants: No. 17 Rensselaer, No. 4 Colorado College, No. 9 Massachusetts, No. 6 Notre Dame

Ohio Hockey Classic (Columbus, Ohio)
Participants: No. 16 St. Cloud, No. 15 Harvard, Ohio State, No. 1 Miami

Denver Cup Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Magness Arena (Denver)

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 28-29, 2007

Participants: Dartmouth, Northern Michigan, Sacred Heart, Denver

Game 1: Dartmouth vs. Northern Michigan, 4:35 p.m. MT

Dartmouth Big Green (4-4-2, 2-4-1 ECAC)
Head coach: Bob Gaudet

Leading scorers: Sr. J.T. Wyman (6-6 — 12), Sr. Nick Johnson (3-5 — 8)

Leading netminder: Sr. Mike Devine (3-4-1, 2.62 GAA, .912 SV%)

Northern Michigan Wildcats (7-10-1, 5-9-0 CCHA)
Head coach: Walt Kyle

Leading scorers: Jr. Nick Sirota (12-10 — 22), So. Matt Butcher (1-10 — 11), Fr. Mark Olver (5-5 — 10)

Leading netminders: Fr. Reid Ellingson (3-3-0, 2.92 GAA, .893 SV%), So. Brian Stewart (4-6-1, 3.12 GAA, .886 SV%)

Game 2: Sacred Heart at Denver, 7:35 p.m. MT

Sacred Heart Pioneers (6-6-2, 6-2-2 Atlantic Hockey)

Head coach: Shaun Hannah

Leading scorers: So. Nick Johnson (5-9 — 14), Jr. Bear Trapp (4-10 — 14)

Leading netminder: Jr. Stefan Drew (6-5-1, 2.72 GAA, .910 SV%)

Denver Pioneers (14-4-0, 11-3-0 WCHA)

Head coach: George Gwozdecky

Leading scorers: So. Brock Trotter (10-11 — 21), So. Tyler Ruegsegger (8-10 — 18), Fr. Tyler Bozak (9-8 — 17)

Leading netminder: Sr. Peter Mannino (14-4-0, 1.80 GAA, .932 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

Four conferences are represented in this year’s Denver Cup, and a pair of Pioneers meet in the second game. Dartmouth and Northern Michigan meet for the first time in Game 1. Dartmouth is 8-6-2 all-time against the CCHA; the Big Green’s last meeting against a CCHA squad was a 1-1 home tie against Bowling Green Dec. 29, 2004. Dartmouth finished the first half of the season with a 1-0 road loss to Harvard Dec. 1, but the first half wasn’t supposed to end for the Big Green until a Dec. 15 game against Boston University. That contest, however, was rescheduled because of snowy weather. J.T. Wyman is tied for 10th among all D-I scorers in points per game at the midseason point and Dartmouth’s offense is the 22nd-best in the country.

After enduring an eight-game losing streak and a 1-8-0 record through Nov. 9, Northern Michigan has gone 6-2-1 in its last nine games. NMU ended its first half with a tie and a win against WCHA and Upper Peninsula foe Michigan Tech Dec. 14-15 in a home-and-home series, tying at home and shutting out the Huskies, 2-0, on the road. The Wildcats have played three goaltenders this season but really rotate Reid Ellingson and Brian Stewart; Ellingson, a rookie, was the netminder of note for NMU’s season-best three-game win streak in late November. Lead scorer Nick Sirota is 17th in the nation in points per game, tied for eighth in goals per game and tied for first in shorthanded goals.

The second game pits the Pioneers of Sacred Heart against the home Denver Pioneers. Picked to finish fifth in the Atlantic Hockey preseason poll, Sacred Heart has exceeded expectations, currently residing in second place behind Air Force in the AHA standings at midseason, three points out of first but with a game in hand. These Pioneers are balanced, with six players having three goals or more but nobody with more than six. Bear Trapp and Eric Boisvert have each recorded points in eight of Sacred Heart’s last nine games. The Pioneers have the second-best combined special teams ranking in Division I, are 16th in power play nationally (18.6) and 13th in penalty kill (87.5). That PK comes in handy, as SHU is fifth overall in penalty minutes, averaging 18.6 per game. Sacred Heart has yet to win a nonconference game (0-4-0) this season.

The other Pioneers will be without Tyler Ruegsegger and Rhett Rakhshani, who are playing for Team USA in the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament. Ruegsegger is the second-leading scorer for Denver, and Rakhshani was the Most Valuable Player in last year’s Denver Cup. These Pioneers are riding a four-game win streak into their own tournament, having swept Alaska-Anchorage on the road Dec. 14-15. This is a youth-driven team, with 51 of Denver’s 56 overall goals scored by freshmen and sophomores; Tyler Bozak is tied for 10th nationally among freshmen in points per game. Denver has the 14th-best scoring offense in D-I and the second-toughest defense. Denver’s penalty kills is eighth in the nation (88.8) but its power play is 48th (12.3). While the young may carry the offensive play, senior goaltender Peter Mannino has the eighth-best goals-against average nationally and is 11th in the country in save percentage. No. 3 Denver, 51-15-0 against nonconference opponents since 2001-02, has never played Sacred Heart.

Great Lakes Invitational Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Joe Louis Arena, Detroit

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 28-29, 2007

Participants: Providence, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech

Game 1: Providence vs. Michigan, 4:35 p.m. ET

Providence Friars (6-6-2, 4-3-2 Hockey East)

Head coach: Tim Army

Leading scorers: Sr. Jon Rheault (8-8 — 16), Jr. Matt Taormina (5-11 — 16)

Leading netminder: Sr. Tyler Sims (5-5-1, 2.16 GAA, .917 SV%)

Michigan Wolverines (16-2-0, 11-1-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Red Berenson

Leading scorers: Sr. Kevin Porter (18-11 — 29), Sr. Chad Kolarik (12-12 — 24),

Leading netminder: Jr. Billy Sauer (14-2-0, 2.06 GAA, .915 SV%)

Game 2: Michigan State vs. Michigan Tech, 8:05 p.m. ET

Michigan State Spartans (12-3-2, 8-2-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Rick Comley

Leading scorers: Jr. Tim Kennedy (12-8 — 20), Jr. Matt Schepke (7-8 — 15), Sr. Bryan Lerg (8-6 — 14)

Leading netminder: Jr. Jeff Lerg (11-3-2, 2.48 GAA, .911 SV%)

Michigan Tech Huskies (6-8-2, 5-6-1 WCHA)

Head coach: Jamie Russell Leading scorers: Sr. Tyler Shelast (7-3 — 10), Sr. Peter Rouleau (4-5 — 9),

Leading netminder: Jr. Micheal-Lee Teslak (4-4-2, 1.72 GAA, .934 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

The 43rd annual Great Lakes Invitational welcomes its three traditional participants representing the state of Michigan as well as the Providence Friars. The Friars meet the No. 2 Wolverines in the first game, the third meeting all-time between the teams. Providence is riding a three-game win streak into the tournament, having finished the season with shutouts in two of those three contests. The Friars beat Vermont, 4-0, Dec. 1 and Brown, 8-0, Dec. 8, before wrapping up the first half with a 5-2 home win over Union. Senior Tyler Sims was the goalie of record for the back-to-back shutouts, and he’s the only goaltender to record consecutive blankings in Providence history — and he’s done so twice. The victory over Brown was his seventh career shutout. Junior Matt Taormina is tied with several players for second nationally in shorthanded goals (two) and leads the nation among defensemen in points per game. After starting the season with four straight losses, the Friars are 6-2-2 in their last 10 games.

No. 2 Michigan will be missing four players because of the IIHF World Junior Championship tournament for this year’s GLI. Freshmen forwards Max Pacioretty and Matt Rust and sophomore Chris Summers — who plays both forward and defense — are playing for Team USA, while freshman forward Carl Hagelin plays for Team Sweden. Pacioretty, UM’s fourth-leading scorer, is one-third of Michigan’s top line along with leading scorers Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik; Rust is fifth and Hagelin sixth among the Wolverine scoring leaders. Michigan has lost just two games this season, one early against Minnesota in the Ice Breaker title game (Oct. 13) and one late in league play at home against Ohio State (Nov. 30). Porter is the leading scorer in the nation, tied for first in goals per game (1.00) and leading all comers in power-play tallies (nine). The Wolverines have the second-best scoring offense in the country, averaging just over four goals per game, and the seventh-best defense nationally. UM is tied with arch-rival Michigan State for number of GLI tournament titles (11), and this is the Wolverines’ 38th appearance in the tourney.

No. 5 Michigan State is the defending GLI tournament champ as well as defending national champions. The Spartans are 41-24-1 all-time in the GLI; since 1997, Michigan State is the only traditional participant to win this midseason tourney. MSU’s 12-3-2 record in the first half is its best ever under sixth-year head coach Rick Comley and the best since 2001-02, the last of Ron Mason’s Spartan teams. MSU enters the tournament with a four-game win streak, its second-longest of the season. The Spartans wrapped up the first half with sweeps of Lake Superior State (Nov.30-Dec.1) and Ferris State (Dec. 7-8), three games of which were on the road. Those games followed a 0-2-2 stretch that included a pair of losses to No. 1 Miami and and ties against WCHA foes Wisconsin and Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase at Thanksgiving. Junior Tim Kennedy is seventh in the nation in goals per game, he’s second in game-winning goals (five) and he’s tied with two other players nationally for power-play goals (seven). With a committee approach, the Spartans have the fourth-best scoring offense in the country, the sixth-best power play (22.9)…but the 48th-best penalty kill (79.7) and the 28th-best defense.

Michigan Tech has hosted the GLI since 1965. The Huskies have won the tournament nine times, last capturing the championship in 1980, and are 38-46-0 all-time in their tournament. The Huskies are 2-6-2 in their last 10 games, having finished the season with a split against Minnesota in Minneapolis (Nov. 30-Dec. 1) and a pair of home-and-home losses against Upper Peninsula rival Northern Michigan (Dec. 14-15), scoring just two goals in those last two contests and five in their last four. Junior goaltender Michael-Lee Teslak is one of the best in the nation; his 1.72 goals-against average is fourth in the country, while his save percentage (.934) is 10th. The MTU penalty kill is 14th-best nationally (87.1), but the Huskies’ offense is struggling, ranked 52nd in the country. Michigan Tech is 77-72-2 all-time against Michigan State but is 4-20-0 overall against MSU in the GLI.

Badger Showdown Preview

USCHO Staff Report
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Site: Kohl Center, Madison, Wis.

Friday-Saturday, Dec. 28-29, 2007

Participants: Bowling Green, Northeastern, Colgate, Wisconsin

Game 1: Bowling Green vs. Northeastern, 4:05 p.m. CT

Bowling Green Falcons (8-6-0, 5-5-0 CCHA)

Head coach: Scott Paluch Leading scorers: Sr. Derek Whitmore (13-5 — 18), Jr. Kevin Schmidt (3-11 — 14)

Leading netminders: Fr. Nick Eno (5-2-0, 2.29 GAA, .904 SV%), Jr. Jimmy Spratt (3-4-0, 2.58 GAA, .900 SV%)

Northeastern Huskies (7-4-2, 6-3-1 Hockey East)

Head coach: Greg Cronin

Leading scorers: Jr. Joe Vitale (5-9 — 14), Randy Guzior (5-4 — 9)

Leading netminder: Sr. Brad Thiessen (7-4-2, 2.40 GAA, .914 SV%)

Game 2: Colgate at Wisconsin, 7:05 p.m. CT

Colgate Raiders (7-7-2, 1-3-2 ECAC)

Head coach: Don Vaughan

Leading scorers: Sr. Tyler Burton (7-10 — 17), Jesse Winchester (3-14 — 17)

Leading netminder: Sr. Mark Dekanich (7-4-2, 2.33 GAA, .921 SV%)

Wisconsin Badgers (7-7-2, 4-5-1 WCHA)

Head coach: Mike Eaves Leading scorers: Fr. Kyle Turris (7-12 — 19), Jr. Ben Street (7-9 — 16)

Leading netminder: Jr. Shane Connolly (6-7-1, 2.69 GAA, .906 SV%)

Tournament Outlook

Four leagues are represented in this season’s Badger Showdown, and three of the field are ranked…but the host is, uncharacteristically, not at the top of that list. That honor belongs to No. 11 Northeastern, which takes on No. 19 Bowling Green in the first game. After an inauspicious 1-4-0 start to the season — following a 13-18-5 campaign in 2007-07 — Northeastern turned things around in an improbable way with a 2-1 road win over New Hampshire Nov. 3. Since then, the Huskies haven’t lost a game, finishing the first half of the season on a 6-0-2 streak, the second-longest current unbeaten streak in the country. Starting goaltender Brad Thiessen was the November Hockey East goaltender of the month with a 2.30 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in NU’s 6-1-1 November run.

Bowling Green enters the tournament after its strongest first-half since the 1995-96 season, having finished up before the break with a pair of wins against Wayne State followed by two close losses to No. 2 Michigan. Last season, the Falcons anchored the CCHA with just seven wins overall; this year, BGSU is tied for seventh in the 12-team league at midterm. Bowling Green brings a balanced team to the tournament, with a surprisingly good offense. Derek Whitmore is among the nation’s scoring leaders, ninth in points per game, tied for first in goals per game, and second in the country in power play goals (eight); the BGSU power play is the nation’s third best (25.3). Defenseman Kevin Schmidt is tied for second among scoring blueliners nationwide, and the Falcons have the 13th-best scoring offense in D-I hockey. The game marks the first match between the teams since a 4-1 NU win Oct. 16, 1999.

Game 2 pits Colgate against host Wisconsin. These are the last nonconference games of the regular season for the Raiders, whose last action was two wins over Robert Morris Dec. 1-2, the first two-game weekend sweep of the season for CU. Colgate suffered a six-game winless streak from the end of October through most of November, but finished the first half going 4-1-1 in the final six contests. The Raiders turned it around taking three points in a weekend against Dartmouth and Harvard and have gone out of conference since then. This is the Raiders second tournament of the season, having been the runners-up in the Governor’s Cup earlier in the season.

The Badgers have captured the tournament title nine times in its 18-year history, most recently in 2005. This year, the Badgers are without three of their top five scorers, including their top man Kyle Turris; forwards Turris (Canada) and Blake Geoffrion (USA) and defenseman Jamie McBain (USA) are all competing in the 2008 IIHF World Junior Championships. UW, currently tied for seventh in the WCHA standings, finished the first half of the season going 2-1-1 in the last four games after five-game winless streak to round out November. The Badgers have the 10th-best scoring offense in the country, but the trio of players that UW will be missing this weekend accounts for 16 of the team’s 52 overall goals, including seven of Wisconsin’s 15 power-play markers. Wisconsin is 4-0-0 all-time against Colgate, having last defeated the Raiders in the 2002 Showdown.

US Juniors Down Kazakhstan, 5-1

USCHO Staff Report
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The U.S. National Junior Team, with goals from five different players, earned a 5 -1 victory over Kazakhstan today in the opening game for both teams of the preliminary round of the 2008 International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championship.

“I thought we got stronger as the game wore on,” said U.S. Head Coach John Hynes. “It’s always important to get the tournament started on the right foot and we accomplished that today.”

It was a 1-1 standoff after the opening period. Kazakhstan got on the board first at 14:46 when Alexandr Kurshuk tipped Yevgeniy Bolyakin’s shot from the right circle past Jeremy Smith with Team USA down a man. The United States evened the game at 19:57 when James vanRiemsdyk (New Hampshire) tipped the puck past Mikhail Smolnikov at the side of the net. Bill Sweatt (Colorado College) drew the lone assist on the play.

Team USA dominated the second period. Rhett Rakhshani (Denver) put the U.S. ahead for good at 4:58 when he buried the rebound of a Kyle Okposo shot from the bottom of the left circle. Tyler Ruegsegger (Denver) also recorded an assist on the play. Mike Carman (Minnesota) was the recipient of a nice feed from behind the net off the stick of Sweatt at 8:29, a marker that gave Team USA a two-goal advantage after 40 minutes. While U.S. netminder Jeremy Smith (Plymouth (OHL)) had to make only three saves in the period, he made a critical one on Yevgeni Gasnikov from point blank range with just :01 left in the period.

Colin Wilson (Boston University) re-directed Cade Fairchild’s (Minnesota) power-play shot from the center point at 4:11 of the third period to make it 4-1 for Team USA, with vanRiemsdyk also getting an assist on the play. Okposo closed out the scoring at 17:43 when his shot from the side of the right circle deflected off the top of the glove of Smolnikov and into the net. Ruegsegger began the play by winning the faceoff.

Smith picked up the victory in goal with 17 saves, while Smolnikov made 44 saves in a losing effort.

Team USA will next face Switzerland on Friday (Dec. 28) at 12 noon ET.

Holiday Tournament Preview

By
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This year’s crop of Christmas/New Year’s tournaments bring several intriguing matchups, and I’m impressed by the number of Western teams that are coming east to participate. Five of the seven tournaments have a Western team in the mix.

Let’s take a look at the seven tourneys on tap:

Salem State Tournament

When: December 27 & 28

Who: Salem State (host), Worcester State, Johnson & Wales, Bowdoin

Outlook: Look for Bowdoin to come out on top over the host Vikings in the finals.

Codfish BowlWhen: December 28 & 29

Who: Mass-Boston (host), Fitchburg, So. New Hampshire, Suffolk.

Outlook: This tournament is the oldest in D-III, currently in its 43 year. I like the home team to defeat Southern New Hampshire in the finals.

St. Michael’s Invitational

When: December 29 & 30

Who: St. Michael’s (host), Concordia (MN), Neumann, Becker

Outlook: Neumann is the class of the field here, and should win their second tournament of the year (the Knights claimed the title of the Rutland Invitational over Thanksgiving). Believe it or not, Neumann will have just nine regular season games left after this weekend.

Pathfinder Bank Oswego Classic

When: December 29 & 30

Who: Oswego (host), Amherst, St. Norbert, Curry

Outlook: This is the strongest tournament of the bunch, featuring the reigning national champions and the current Number One team in the nation. If they meet in the title game, it will be a rematch of last year’s national semifinal.

Cardinal Classic

When: January 4 & 5

Who: Plattsburgh (host), Tufts, Trinity, St. Scholastica.

Outlook: The Trinity-St. Scholastica game is a tossup, but I like the host Cardinals to beat either in the finals.

Times-Argus Invitational

When: January 4 & 5

Who: Norwich (host), Mass-Dartmouth, Babson, St. Olaf.

Outlook: Look for Norwich and Babson to meet in the finals, a rematch of last season’s ECAC East semifinals. This time I think the Cadets will come out on top.

Middlebury Holiday Classic

When: January 4 & 5

Who: Middlebury (host), Brockport, Skidmore, Lake Forest

Outlook: Not a very challenging field for the Panthers (the other three teams have a combined record of 9-15-6), who should make the home fans happy with a tournament championship.

And then on to the meat of the season – check back for updates as we head towards Lake Placid.

The Kid Who Couldn’t Take A Hint

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Some guys just can’t take a hint.

He tries walking on, not just at any old place but at one of college hockey’s elite programs. He actually makes the team as a freshman. However, elite programs being what they are, the kid doesn’t dress so midway through the season he’s told he should probably stick to baseball.

Where he’s a lefty pitcher who one year will post the school’s best Earned Run Average of anyone who throws at least 40 innings.

So what’s he doing walking on yet again as a senior? A senior! Can’t the kid take a hint?

And what’s he doing dressing for almost every game?

In some cases, it’s a great thing when a kid can’t take a hint.

Case in point: Maine’s Nolan Boike.

“It’s a wonderful story,” Maine coach Tim Whitehead says. “Nolan tried to walk on here and made our team as a freshman. He practiced with us in the fall, but we were very deep that year at the forward position.

“Halfway through the year, we met. I didn’t see a lot of light at the end of the tunnel that season and, knowing that he was a heck of a baseball player, told him that baseball was his best move. We left on very good terms.”

But Whitehead knew the Boike family particularly well, having recruited Nolan’s older brother Brian while at Mass.-Lowell, and figured that you never say never with a talented athlete. So when they parted, he told Boike to keep in touch because, well, you just never know. The Black Bears might not always be as deep up front as they were that season.

For the next three years, Nolan Boike played baseball, his best season coming as a sophomore when he posted a 4.50 ERA, striking out 19, with a 4-2 record in Maine’s climate-abbreviated season. In the America East Tournament, he came out of the bullpen to pitch four innings, striking out four while allowing just two hits to secure the win.

But the kid who couldn’t take a hint kept playing in summer elite pro-am hockey leagues. And one thing led to another. This past summer, one of his teammates was Billy Ryan, a Black Bear forward himself.

Ryan called Whitehead and said, “Coach, I might be crazy, but I think Nolan can really help us.”

The Black Bears had graduated five forwards and lost another early to the pros, so there were openings that hadn’t been there in Boike’s freshman season.

Perhaps even an opening for a kid who couldn’t take a hint.

“Since we had graduated a ton of elite guys the last two years and lost Teddy Purcell to the pros, the timing was good,” Whitehead says.

Whitehead worked out an agreement with Maine baseball coach Steve Trimper, who he considers a good friend, and called Boike.

“Don’t quit baseball,” Whitehead told him, “because I can’t guarantee you a spot on the team, let alone ice time. But I’m intrigued by the possibility.”

Boike continued to practice fall baseball and attended hockey captains’ practices when he could, making a good impression with the other players. Fall baseball concluded the same weekend that the hockey team opened at Denver, after which Boike set aside the ball and glove to strap on the skates for the Black Bears.

“He joined us for practice each day and immediately made a very positive impression,” Whitehead says. “By the end of that week I said, ‘You’re here to stay, buddy.'”

He’s played every game since then but two, even setting up his summertime teammate, Billy Ryan, for the tying goal at Boston College.

“What’s remarkable about his play is nine out of 10 times, he’ll do the little things that only come with experience,” Whitehead says. “He’s stopping on the puck when the puck is turned over. He’s on the defensive side of his man. He hits the net with his shots. He keeps his shifts short.

“He’s a tough kid physically, but he stays out of the penalty box. Those typical reaching, hooking penalties that happen when you don’t have control of your body, he’s not taking those.

“But he’s tough. He’s great on the wall, winning pucks, and on the breakout and in the neutral zone.”

His teammates have taken to him because of his attitude and team-oriented play.

“There’s potential for some jealousies when a guy joins a team after he hasn’t been there for three years and all of a sudden he’s playing [regularly],” Whitehead says. “But Nolan has handled that very well. He’s very respectful of the tradition he’s joining and what his teamates have accomplished prior to this. His approach has been really right on and guys recognize that he’s been a great addition.”

Boike will remain with the hockey team for as long as the Black Bears’ season lasts.

“I’m really proud of Nolan and very happy for him,” Whitehead says. “It’s really a great story for a lot of people to recognize that perseverance can sometimes bring great things.”

Okposo Opts Out, Signs With Isles

USCHO Staff Report
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Minnesota sophomore Kyle Okposo has chosen to forgo the remainder of the 2007-08 season and his college hockey eligibility to sign a contract with the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.

Gopher sophomore Kyle Okposo departs at mid-season after speculation that he would turn pro after his rookie year (photo: Melissa Wade.)

Gopher sophomore Kyle Okposo departs at mid-season after speculation that he would turn pro after his rookie year (photo: Melissa Wade.)

Okposo was the Islanders’ first-round draft choice and the seventh player taken overall in the 2006 entry draft. He is the eighth Minnesota player to leave college early for the professional ranks since the end of the 2005-06 season. Okposo is departing today for the Czech Republic as a member of the United States’ under-20 national team that is competing at the International Ice Hockey Federation world championships and will join the Islanders following the tournament.

“While I’m disappointed Kyle is leaving at this point of the season, his dream has been to play pro hockey,” Minnesota coach Don Lucia said. “It is unfortunate that the Islanders put him in a very difficult position. I think our team has made strides the last few weeks and I’m looking forward to the second half of the season.”

A St. Paul, Minn., native who attended Shattuck St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn., Okposo burst onto the collegiate scene last season with 19 goals and 21 assists in 40 games as a freshman. He earned second-team All-WCHA honors and was named to the league’s All-Rookie Team. Amid speculation that he would leave for the NHL after his freshman season, Okposo announced on June 6 that he would return to the Gophers.

Okposo had a slow start to the 2007-08 season with an eight-game scoreless streak after a three-point game in the season opener against Rensselaer. He scored points in six of the last nine games, totaling seven goals and four assists over the team’s first 18 games as Minnesota currently owns a 9-8-1 record.

No Small Goals

By Terese Karmel
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When a freshman has a stellar season, it’s not unnatural to expect a slight dip the next year. That was the pattern for Sam Faber, the University of New Hampshire forward who is making up for any sophomore lapses — and they were minor — with an outstanding junior year that she is beginning to think will help carry her team to the March promised land.

This confidence was bolstered by UNH’s back-to-back wins over then-No. 1 Wisconsin in Durham recently, victories that vaulted the 17-3-0 team (9-0-0 in Hockey East) to the top spot in the national polls.

“I never saw our team like that,” said Faber following the Wisconsin victory. “We were thrilled. Our goal was to win both games. I knew in the locker room we were going to win. We have such great chemistry.”

Then on Dec. 14, behind Faber’s two goals, the Wildcats beat another No. 1 team when they handed Harvard (11-1-0) its first loss of the season.

Faber said the team was thrilled with the 4-1 Harvard win, especially heading into the break. UNH doesn’t play again until Jan. 5 against Brown.

“We knew they would come out hard and I guess we were the underdogs being No. 2,” she said. “We wanted to bring all the energy we could.”

According to Faber, the difference in the game was that the Wildcats capitalized more on their opportunities than Harvard did, although she said the Crimson are definitely one of the top three teams in the country.

In that game Faber scored twice, the first time in what was to become the game-winner, on an unusual shorthanded breakaway 48 seconds into the second period to give her team a 2-0 lead. Kacey Bellany fired a shot to Faber, who found herself all alone at center ice behind the Crimson defense. Faber deked Harvard goalie Christina Kessler and then shot at close range between Kessler’s leg pads and into the net.

Her second goal came at 3:07 in the third period when she took a pass from Kelly Patton, cut down the slot and again hit between Kessler’s legs to make it 4-0.

“This was a big win for us,” Faber said, crediting her line with her own success. “I know we have a lot to work on but we’re looking forward to resting during the break and coming back strong in the second half.”

The Wildcats are a skewed team: They are loaded with seniors who start most games (four see significant ice team) and talented freshman, including Jenn Wakefield, a prized recruit who plays on Faber’s line, and goalie Kayley Herman. Wakefield (Pickering, Ont.) Ontario, has been Hockey East rookie of the week three times and recently played for Canada in the Four Nations tournament.

Also on Faber’s line is sophomore Kelly Paton, who with 22 points is seven behind Faber’s team leading 29 (14-15). Six Wildcats are in double digits in scoring.

“Last year I was the oldest on my line so I had a lot of pressure,” Faber said. “This year, things are just clicking.” She praised both Paton and Wakefield as being among the smartest players she’s ever been with.

Faber is also trying to position herself better on the ice by using her speed to get to the outside where she’s clear. She’s shooting the puck more (her 65 shots lead the team), although coach Brian McCloskey thinks she could be shooting even more.

Faber, a sports management major from Mt. Sinai, N.Y., is only 5-4, which McCloskey thinks may have resulted in her being overlooked by some of the Midwestern powerhouses when she was at Northwood School. But he saw something in the four years he watched her.

“People knew she’d be good but maybe not how good,” said McCloskey. Faber reminded him of a UNH player he had coached on the men’s side — “slippery and always around the puck.”

While she was being recruited, Faber heard from Wisconsin and Minnesota but it was mostly the Eastern schools like Mercyhurst and St. Lawrence that really pressed to recruit her. “I just fell in love with it here,” she said of the University of New Hampshire, just four hours from her home.

McCloskey called Faber’s freshman year “fabulous.” She was third on the team with 51 points (22-29), and third among rookies and seventh overall in the country in average points per game (1.38), 10th overall in assists.

Last season she had 44 points (15-29), which was enough to lead the team and put her on the Hockey East first team as well as a number of other post-season prestigious squads. So her sophomore season wasn’t a bad year — just different.

“Sometimes when players have a great freshman year, it’s almost impossible to follow that up the second year,” McCloskey said. “She might have been pressing too hard. It happens to teams also. Sometimes it’s hard to live up to your own expectations.”

When a player falls off a little, she can start questioning herself. “Sam probably went through some questioning but this year is different, with returning players and a high profile recruit,” said McCloskey. “After last year, I’m not surprised she got off to such a great start this year.

“She’s very gifted around the net and creates scoring chances. Sometimes I have to get on her to shoot the puck.”

He also said Faber has gotten physically stronger, which helps boost her confidence because she’s on the small side. “She has vision, she’s unselfish and she has trained very hard over the summer.”

McCloskey said that because the team has such strong senior leadership, Faber does not have to be too demonstrative, and that’s not really her style anyhow. “She’s one of those players who shows by examples,” he said. ”If she gets mad, she just digs down and works harder.”

Faber has picked up several Big East weekly offensive awards this season but although she said they make her feel good, it’s the team awards she is setting her sights on, including a national championship.

When womens hockey played in the AWCHA, UNH won a national championship (1998) but has only made it to the NCAA Frozen Four once (2006) since then. Last year the Wildcats won the Hockey East tournament but only lasted one round in the NCAA regional, losing to St. Lawrence, 6-3, on their own ice in Whittemore Center.

Faber thinks this year’s team is stronger both on and off the ice, which gives her the confidence to predict a big finish to the season. “It feels different this year,” she said. “After last weekend, we know we can compete with the best teams in the west.”

UNH has to be careful not to look past weaker opponents. Earlier this season, after beating Boston College and UConn in one week, the Wildcats lost 2-1 to Princeton. Their first loss was a 3-0 defeat at the hands of St. Lawrence in the second game of the season.

For her part, Faber is on the Under-22 U.S. National Team, although she did not participate in the recent Four Nations Tournament.

“She’s on the radar,” McCloskey said. “She’s multi-talented and can be a tremendous player at the national level.”

“Going to the national program has not worked out yet,” said Faber, whose focus is somewhere else.

“Right now,” she said, “the goal is to win a national championship.”

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