Home Blog Page 1207

What If?

By
-

If only hockey games were four minutes long.

If they were, the Maine Black Bears would be cruising to the national championship game instead of packing their equipment for a charter flight back to Orono. Maine used early goals — two in the opening 3:24 of play in Thursday’s national semfinal game against Michigan State — to seemingly seize control. Unfortunately, that was all she wrote as Maine would threaten. but never get, another puck past Spartans’ netminder Jeff Lerg.

After a scorching start, Maine found itself upended by Michigan State Thursday (photo: Melissa Wade).

After a scorching start, Maine found itself upended by Michigan State Thursday (photo: Melissa Wade).

On an average day, that might not be a problem. With Ben Bishop in goal, two tallies might often be enough to win. The sophomore standout has allowed just 2.08 goals per game on average this season. In the East Regional he allowed just two goals total in the two games.

On Thursday, though, two goals were far from sufficient.

Michigan State exploded for the final four goals of the game, leaving the strong Maine contingent that helped make up the 18,857 in attendance at the Scottrade Center shaking their heads.

They weren’t the only ones. Head coach Tim Whitehead struggled to sum up the game. Was there a turning point? Did things suddenly change?

“It can happen that if you get a lead early, you’re on the defensive for the rest of the game,” said Whitehead, whose team didn’t exactly go into a defensive shell after grabbing the early lead but simultaneously didn’t show the same zest and pop of the opening minutes as the game went on.

“They were really patient,” said captain Michel Léveillé in regards to Michigan State. “They stuck to their game plan. It’s a 60-minute game. A couple of bounces here and there gave them the boost.”

One of those bounces cut into the Maine lead at 7:25 of the first when Chris Mueller batted the rebound of his own shot out of midair, shifting momentum. A Michigan State penalty kill midway through the first, stopping the nation’s best power play, suddenly made the uphill task of getting back into the game seem much less insurmountable for the Spartans.

“You didn’t realize it at the time, but power plays were few and far between in the game,” said Whitehead, whose club wouldn’t get another chance with the man advantge until early in the third period. “The power play has been a big part of our success. So not capitalizing on it [in the first period] really was a turning point.”

A perfectly-placed shot by Michigan State’s Chris Snavely with 3:28 remaining in the second turned the game into a 20-minute battle for survival. That battle, though, was dominated by the Spartans. Nick Sucharski gave State their first lead at 5:11 lifting a puck that Bishop, even at 6-foot-7, couldn’t reach in a wild scrum out front. And yet another puck picked out of the air and pushed past Bishop at 9:46, proved to be plenty of insurance.

“It’s tough when they knock two pucks out of the air [for goals],” said Bishop. “I thought I was playing against a baseball team out there.”

For Maine, there would be posts, crossbars and plenty of loose pucks for the rest of the game. Unfortunately for the Black Bears, though, there would be no goals.

The 4-2 loss ended the Black Bears’ hopes for a third national title in the national semifinal for the second straight season. There will be questions to be answered for Maine in the offseason that could affect whether the club will be back in this same position for a third straight year — most notably whether Bishop will return for his junior season.

The losses that are known, though, are significant. Five seniors, including three of the club’s top five scorers (Léveillé, Josh Soares and Keith Johnson) will graduate, leaving major holes to fill.

For now, though, it’s tough to think about the future when all you can think of is what could’ve been.

Third Period Livebog – Maine vs. Michigan State

By
-

0:00: And we’re underway. The joint is about 60% full.

2:34: State’s Graham goes off for tripping, and Maine has a golden opportunity right off the bat. With Lerg down and out, Leveille’s shot at an open net hits a body in front and then caroms off the crossbar.

4:34: Penalty over. Maine 0-2 on the power play.

5:11: The Spartans take the lead. A scramble in front of the Maine net allows Nick Sucharski to scoop up a loose puck and roof it over a sprawled Bishop. 3-2 State.

9:46: Could be a backbreaker. The Spartans Jim McKenzie knocks a rebound out of the air and beats Bishop glove side. 4-2 Michigan State.

9:46: After each goal, rather than immediately putting the replay on the big screen, the crowd is treated to various “celebration” clips, including dancing penguins, Family Guy hilarity and a scene from “Little Miss Sunshine”. Just show us the damn goal.

12:48: The announced attendance is 18,857, the second largest in NCAA history. Not that many fannies in the seats, however.

14:50: Time is running out on the Black Bears, who unofficially have three shots on goal so far this period.

19:35: Time out Black Bears. The Maine net is empty.

20:00: Sparty wins and will play Saturday. Tough game for the Black Bears as they get two goals in the first 3:24 and never score again. Final shots were 33-31 Michigan State

The (Not-So) Obvious Choice

By Sean Caruthers
-

For those outside of the Michigan State program, Chris Lawrence was hardly the obvious choice for captain, but for those involved with Spartan hockey there was no other option.

Lawrence may not be the leading point-getter or the go-to scorer, but he offers intangibles that are so important to leading to the team, especially after Drew Miller left MSU to sign with the Anaheim Ducks late in the summer.

“He was the unanimous selection by his teammates to serve as captain, and that is a testament to their confidence in him as a leader,” said head coach Rick Comley.

Michigan State captain Chris Lawrence at Wednesday's practice in St. Louis (photo: Melissa Wade).

Michigan State captain Chris Lawrence at Wednesday’s practice in St. Louis (photo: Melissa Wade).

“We knew all along that was the decision to make,” said sophomore netminder Jeff Lerg. “He’s the leader and the motivator and he gets the most out of the guys in the locker room. Everyone always thinks that the captain has to be the leading scorer, but that’s not the case at all with our team.”

Character and heart are what have taken him this far, and according to Comley he has come quite a long way.

“Chris has done a great job, especially since he was a little bit of a high-risk pick. It put great pressure on him,” said coach Rick Comley. “Now that we’ve gotten here (to the Frozen Four), he can take great personal satisfaction in the leadership that he put into the locker room.”

Making such a mark on Michigan State hockey is something that Lawrence could have only dreamed about as he began his college hockey career.

After a season of limited playing time for Dubuque in the USHL, Lawrence returned home to Pennsylvania to play with the now-defunct Pittsburgh Forge of the NAHL and head coach Kevin Constantine.

The move got Lawrence some attention while playing for Pittsburgh, and he committed to Mercyhurst, but the gritty 5-foot-10, 184-pound winger had his sights on something bigger. He recanted his commitment and instead chose to take an opportunity to walk on at MSU.

The opportunity proved fruitful, but it was hardly the fast track to the top of the college hockey world. In his freshman campaign, Lawrence appeared in 23 games and chipped in with 10 points, but after playing just four games in his sophomore season, he was starting to regret his decision to come to such a high-profile program and even considered transferring.

Even through his limited playing time, Comley saw something special in Lawrence.

“He may not be the most skilled player on the ice, but he is one of the smartest players on the ice. In some ways, he reminds me of myself in that respect,” Comley said. “As a player, he’s such a student of the game that it’s really like having another coach.”

Lawrence had a very challenging season as captain, leading a team that was as high as a a two-month 11-1-2 run and a crash landing to the regular season that left the Spartans 1-4-1 heading into postseason play. Yet, he somehow found a way to temper the swings.

“He motivates guys in different ways. When we were struggling headed into the playoffs, he wrote individual letters to each of the guys, reminding them how important they are to the team and how much we all need them. He continues to find ways to get guys to re-focus and give the team their all, and that’s exactly what you want out of a captain,” said Lerg.

In just getting to St. Louis, Lawrence did something that former Spartan captains and current NHLers like Jim Slater, Adam Hall, Shawn Horcoff, Anson Carter, Rem Murray, and Bryan Smolinski all failed to do — lead MSU to the Frozen Four.

“He has no thoughts of playing professional hockey, and he should be very proud to be able to leave this mark on the program, especially when one considers that guys like [1991 Hobey Baker award winner] Kip Miller came into the locker room to wish the team well this week and they never got there,” said Comley.

Considering the result, the Spartans could not have made a better choice than to select Chris Lawrence as their captain.

Second Period – Maine vs. Michigan State

By
-

We’re in between the first and second periods of Game 1. Thanks to the wireless going up and down like a yo-yo and nonstop action in the first period, I haven’t had a chance to post the line combinations. Here they are:

Maine Forwards:

Soares-Leveille-Johnson

Ryan-Hamilton-Purcell

Shepheard-deKastrozza-Bellamy

Hahn-Clark-Laise

Maine Defense:

Lundin-Duffy

Tyler-Ramsey

Hopson-Danis-Pepin

Maine Goal:

Bishop

Michigan State Forwards:

Kennedy-Abdelkader-Crowder

Lerg-Mueller-McKenzie

Schepke-Sucharski-Sprague

Lawrence-McClellan

Michigan State Defense:

Graham-Dunne

Gentile-Snavely

Howells-Vukovic

Ratchuk (The Spartans going with seven defenseman and 11 forwards)

Michigan State Goal:

Lerg

Reload for second period updates!

1:22:Underway and back to full strength.

4:33: Lerg makes a great save on Bret Tyler from a tight angle.

9:56: Midway through the contest and things have settled down since the wild start. Both goalies playing well.

12:56: Bishop gets a big pad on a wrister from Crowder to keep the Black Bears in front.

14:57: Maine creates some havoc in front of the Spartan net, but to no avail.

16:22: The Spartans have tied it. A nice backhand pass from Justin Abdelkader to Chris Snavely, who one-times it past Bishop stick side.

20:00: And we’ve got two periods in the books, tied at two. SOG 23-22 Maine so far.

Third period to begin in a new blog post.

LiveBlog – Spartans and Black Bears

By
-

We’re just about to drop the puck in St. Louis. The arena is less than half full right now, but at 3:00pm local time start is contributing to that, no doubt. I’ll be updating periodically throughout each period in a single blog post, so reload often.

0:00: Besides the battle on the ice, this one will be a battle of the bands, as two of the best square off. I was impressed with Maine’s band when I heard them at the Northeast Regional and saw the Spartan Band earlier today at a pep rally. Michigan State’s band get the honors of playing the National Anthem as the Spartans are the home team in this one.

0:23: And just like that, it’s 1-0 Maine. Josh Soares makes a nifty backhand pass from behind the net to Keith Johnson, who puts it past Jeff Lerg to make it 1-0 Black Bears.

3:24: Maine strike again. Lerg makes the initial save on Travis Ramsey, but the rebound goes to Soares in the slot and he wrists it stick side. That’s two shifts and two goals for the Soares-Leveille-Johnson line.

Back after a wireless outage:

7:25: Michigan State gets on the board. Ben Bishop makes the save on a wraparoud attempt by Chris Mueller, but the rebound is lands back on his stick, and he puts it by Bishop to make it 2-1 Maine.

11:04: We get our first penalty of the game as Michigan State’s Kennedy heads to the box for cross-checking. The Black Bears have the top-ranked power play in the nation, but the Spartans hold.

15:20: The Spartans get their first chance with the man advantage but Bishop makes some nice saves to keep it 2-1.

19:06: Gotta love the TV timeouts. Not.

19:22: Soares goes off for a checking from behind minor.

20:00 : And the first of nine periods (or more) this weekend is in the books. Shots on goal were 11 for eaach side. The Spartans will open the second period with 1:22 of power play. Offsetting slashing calls at the buzzer.

I’ll be continuing the liveblog in a separate post – one for each period.

Let the Games Begin

By
-

warmups game 1I’m in the pressbox at the Scottrade Center, watching warmups and waiting for the first semifinal to begin. I’ll be liveblogging the action, so reload often!

Night on the Town

By
-

Wednesday night saw coaches, players and various dignitaries converge on the Arch in St. Louis for a pre-tournament reception. There were lots of speakers, including broadcasters Gary Thorne and Barry Melrose, as well as St. Louis Blues General Manager and ex-goalie John Davidson. All four coaches also had brief comments.

2007 Kids

The players were all business. They were happy to sign autographs, especially for the many kids in attendance, but there was no joking around. There was a five minute video that featured highlights from this past season for all four teams, and I was watching the player’s reactions, especially when it was themselves on the screen, scoring an overtime game winner or making a big save. Nobody cracked a smile.

After that, the USCHO crowd attended a media reception at a downtown establishment. It was great to see familiar faces and talk in person to people I correspond with via IM and email the rest of the year. Unlike the players, we were able to unwind a bit.

Thanks to Skip Strandberg for his picture of some of the kids in attendance, resplendent in their t-shirts adorned with player autographs.

Notebook: Maine-Michigan State

By
-

Spartan Standards

In 25 NCAA tournament appearances, Michigan State now improves to 27-28-1, including a 4-2 record under head coach Rick Comley in three trips. Comley has an overall 14-11 record in NCAA tournament games at the Spartans’ helm and at Northern Michigan.

The Spartans will try for their third national championship Saturday; their previous two wins were in 1966, a win over Clarkson, 6-1, and a 6-5 win against Harvard in 1986. This is the first title appearance for Michigan State since 1987. The Spartans are now 7-8-0 in the Frozen Four, including 5-6-0 in the semifinals.

This was the fifth semifinal game for the Spartans against a current Hockey East opponent and the first win over one since 1966. After downing Boston College in 1959 and Boston University in 1966, Michigan State lost its next two: to BU in 1967 and to New Hampshire in 1999.

Michigan State has kept its opponents scoreless on the power play in 13 tries during the NCAAs, including 0-for-2 Thursday.

This is Michigan State’s first appearance in a Frozen Four since the tournament expanded to 16 teams in 2003. The Spartans made four semifinal appearances when the tournament sported a 12-team bracket: 1989, 1992, 1999 and 2001.

April 5 is the latest date Michigan State has ever played a game. The Spartans are now 2-3 in April games in school history.

Maine Milestones

Maine’s overall NCAA tournament record is now 30-19. Coach Tim Whitehead’s NCAA record drops to 10-6 with the loss.

Maine’s 11 visits to the Frozen Four ties the Black Bears for eighth all time. But all of those have come since 1988. In that span, Maine is tops, followed by Michigan with nine. Of the other four teams in the Frozen Four, Boston College has eight appearances, North Dakota six, and Michigan State five.

Among coaches, Whitehead has the eighth-longest streak with six consecutive NCAA appearances. Michigan’s Red Berenson leads with 17 straight, while Maine’s Shawn Walsh had seven. Maine has nine in a row overall.

Maine dropped to 6-7-0 on the season when it did not score a power-play goal.

Three Straight — Can They Make It Four?

This is the first time that the Spartans have won three NCAA tournament games in a postseason since 1989, when they downed Maine in the now-defunct third-place game. Michigan State also won three games in 1987, when it lost in the finals to North Dakota. The Spartans could match the feat of four NCAA tournament victories on Saturday with a win; they did so in 1986, winning the title in a 6-5 win over Harvard.

More MSU By The Numbers

Michigan State improves to 18-1 on the season when scoring four or more goals — that only loss was 5-4 on Nov. 24 to Minnesota — and 7-5-1 when allowing two. The Spartans are now 4-5-0 in the campaign when trailing after one period and 6-3-1 when tied after two, while Maine ends the season 2-3-2 when tied starting the third. Maine had not lost this season when leading by two goals. The Spartans had come back from two down once before this season: a 7-4 win over Michigan on Nov. 5, 2006 after trailing 3-1.

The Spartans are 13-0 this season when Chris Mueller scores.

An Exclusive Club

Comley’s Northern Michigan Wildcats won the 1991 championship in an epic 8-7 overtime tilt against Boston University. He can join Jerry York (Bowling Green, Boston College) and Ned Harkness (Rensselaer, Cornell) as just the third coach to lead two teams to national titles.

The game marked Comley’s fourth appearance in the Frozen Four. The previous three were all at the helm of Northern Michigan, a program he founded in 1976. His all-time record improves to 4-3 in the Frozen Four: 3-1 in the semifinals, 1-1 in the title game, and 0-1 in the consolation.

Crossing Paths

Thursday marked the 14th all-time matchup between the Spartans and the Black Bears. Maine had won the two previous contests, including Maine’s 5-4 win over the Spartans in the 2006 East Regional Final 374 days ago. Michigan State leads the series 9-4-1. Six of those nine wins have come in the NCAA tournament, including four consecutive tournament wins over Maine between 1987 and 1992; this was the first win for the Spartans over the Black Bears since a win in that 1992 regional in Providence.

Michigan State and Maine faced three common opponents this season: Boston University, Western Michigan and Minnesota. The Spartans were 2-4-0 in those games, including a win against BU in the Midwest Regional and Western Michigan in the opening game of the season Oct. 15. Maine was 2-2-1, downing Minnesota and Western Michigan and tying BU on the road after being swept by the Terriers in Orono.

A Game Of Inches

Michigan State goalie Jeff Lerg and Maine’s Ben Bishop may have set the record for the largest height disparity between two Frozen Four netminders, if the NCAA even kept such a record. At 6-foot-7, Bishop is 13 inches taller than Lerg.

Home Ice, Sort Of

Two players in Thursday’s game are from the suburbs of St. Louis. Spartan junior defenseman Jeff Dunne hails from Grover, Mo., while Maine’s Bishop is from Des Peres. Bishop was also a third-round pick of the St. Louis Blues — whose home ice is the Scottrade Center — in the 2005 draft.

NCAA Numerology

• Total paid attendance was 18,857, second only to the 19,316 who shelled out to see the 2002 semifinals in St. Paul.

• With a stoppage in play with 2:22 left in the second period, the score was 2-2. Each team had 22 shots on goal.

• Keith Johnson’s goal 23 seconds into the game was the sixth-fastest goal in Frozen Four history; the fastest was scored seven seconds into the game by Michigan Tech’s Al Karlander vs. Cornell in a 1969 semifinal. But Johnson’s marker doesn’t even rank in the top ten fastest in the tournament. Boston College’s David Emma scored after only six seconds on March 25, 1990 in a quarterfinal against Minnesota for the quickest goal to start a game.

Quoteables

“Two weeks of preparation out the window in 15 seconds … So much for coaching, I guess.” — Comley

“I’m just very proud of this group for getting here against the odds and really not giving up on each other. Obviously we’re very disappointed; we thought we could do it all this year.” — Whitehead

“Obviously we could have used a few more power plays. But the refs did a good job. We still had a couple good chances on the power play, and we hit the post and the crossbar. … I don’t mind it when the refs let the game go — it flows more.” — Maine captain Michel Leveille

“We’re not sure what happened. We just looked at each other. Coach started laughing. We just knew we had to regroup and start over.” — Michigan State senior defenseman Chris Snavely on Johnson’s quick goal

“[H]e’s so tidy — that’s a Ron Mason word. … He’s probably always going to answer questions about being 5-foot-6, but we can’t make him — I guess we could put lifts in his skates to eliminate the questions — but he’s really special.” — Comley on Jeff Lerg

“If you were a couple inches taller, it might have gone off the top of your head and in.” — Jeff Lerg, quoting captain Chris Lawrence, after a puck caromed off Lerg’s blocker and landed on top of the net

“It was awesome. I used to watch plenty of games here and to finally get a chance to play in one felt great.” — Bishop, on playing at the hometown Scottrade (and originally Kiel) Center

“Nothing seemed to work for us. We worked so hard to get here, and then we bottomed out.” — Maine senior forward Josh Soares

“I am 100 percent disappointed.” — Maine sophomore defenseman Matt Duffy

Alaska’s MacMillan Resigns

USCHO Staff Report
-

Alaska Nanooks’ head hockey coach Tavis MacMillan announced in a press conference Thursday that he is stepping down from his post for family reasons.

“We have been presented an opportunity as a family that I am excited about; however, I am not at liberty to discuss just yet,” said MacMillan. “This decision was made with my family’s quality of life in mind. It was not an easy decision and it was not one I made on my own. It was made with nothing but my family’s best interest to guide me.”

MacMillan’s association with the University of Alaska Fairbanks has spanned 15 years, including the last three as the Nanooks’ head coach. He had signed a four-year contract extension in the fall and was just honored by UAF for 10 years of service.

“My family and I are very grateful to the University for the opportunities it has provided to us and the community,” MacMillan said. “My adult life has known nothing else but Nanook hockey and I only hope I’ve given back a small percent of what I’ve received from this university.”

Forrest Karr, UAF’s Director of Athletics, praised MacMillan and the impact he made in his time with the university.

“Tavis is a good man, a good father and a good friend,” he said. “Perhaps most importantly, every decision he made during 15 years of service to the university as a student-athlete, administrator and coach, was made with the program’s best long-term interests in mind. He recruited high-quality young men, held them accountable and helped shape them into community leaders.”

In three seasons with the Nanooks, MacMillan guided the program to three first round road playoff series upsets, the most in the CCHA ever, and a total of nine postseason victories, a feat only equaled by the league’s sole 2007 Frozen Four participant Michigan State. However, the Nanooks’ wins are unique in that all nine were upsets over higher-ranked teams that occurred on the road. He compiled a 46-54-15 overall record and 29-43-12 in the CCHA.

The 36-year-old Milk River, Alberta native and UAF graduate took over the head coaching reins at the end of the 2003-04 season, succeeding Guy Gadowsky as the sixth head coach in program history. Prior to that MacMillan served as NCAA compliance coordinator for UAF’s athletics department and as assistant coach to Gadowsky for four seasons and Dave Laurion for three seasons.

After being named head coach in the spring of 2004, MacMillan hired on two former teammates, Wade Klippenstein and Dallas Ferguson. The Nanooks’ all-alumni coaching staff was a first in program history.

“I have been fortunate enough to work with great people,” said MacMillan. “Especially my current staff, who are my best friends, and the support staff I have had the pleasure to work with. Most importantly, I’ve been afforded the opportunity to work with outstanding young men.”

During his first two seasons, his teams successfully captured the Alaska Airlines Governor’s Cup, by defeating intrastate rivals, the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in the annual four-game series. In his first season, he led Alaska to the CCHA Super Six Tournament at Joe Louis Arena where they set a program record for post-season finish after defeating Michigan State 3-2 in the third-place game. The Nanooks were 11-22-6 this season, finishing strong in the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

Prior to the press conference, MacMillan met with his players to share the news with them. MacMillan said his future hockey plans were undecided at this point but made it clear that his passion for the sport has not faded.

“I have no plans of getting out of hockey,” he said. “I love hockey and the sport and I’d like to get involved in other opportunities with hockey that are not just limited to coaching.”

MacMillan said it shouldn’t be difficult to find a solid replacement based on the program’s growth in recent years.

“The program is in great shape,” he said. “I have nothing but confidence in the program, not only as the outgoing coach but as an alumnus, that the program will be able to attract great candidates for the vacant coaching position.”

While no search for a successor has begun, Karr indicated the process will promptly take shape.

“We can’t replace Tavis, but we will find a qualified person with the passion and ability to coach at this level. There will be a search committee in place by the end of the day tomorrow and a national search will begin immediately.”

Notre Dame’s Brown Leads All-USCHO Honors

USCHO Staff Report
-

Notre Dame goaltender David Brown leads the 2006-07 Division I men’s All-USCHO awards, announced Wednesday. The senior from Stoney Creek, Ont., was named the USCHO.com national Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year to head up this season’s list of honors.

In his senior season for the Fighting Irish, Brown led the nation in wins and goals-against average, while finishing third in save percentage, second in minutes played and tied for second in shutouts. Brown was 30-6-3 this season with a 1.58 GAA and .931 SV%. He was named the CCHA Player of the Year and is a Hobey “Hat Trick” finalist.

Brown’s mentor, Jeff Jackson, is USCHO.com’s national Coach of the Year. Jackson, winner of two NCAA championships during his tenure at Lake Superior State, returned to the college ranks to lead the Fighting Irish, and in just his second season took Notre Dame to its first-ever CCHA regular-season and tournament championships. The Irish went 32-7-3 overall just two years after compiling a five-win season, and reached the NCAA tournament for the second time in school history.

The national Rookie of the Year is Andreas Nodl of St. Cloud State. The native of Vienna, Austria, led the Huskies in scoring as the team made the NCAA tournament after a four-year absence. Nodl, the WCHA Rookie of the Year, compiled 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points, the top point total among freshmen nationwide.

Air Force senior forward Andrew Ramsey is USCHO.com’s Most Improved Player for 2006-07. The Atlantic Hockey second-team pick from Noblesville, Ind., whose previous career high in points had been 25 as a sophomore, put up 25-23–48 for the AHA tournament champion Falcons.

In recognition of his work on the ice as well as off, Rensselaer senior forward Kirk MacDonald is USCHO’s Unsung Hero. MacDonald did not play last season as he fought testicular cancer, but coming back this year was the captain of the Rensselaer squad. A finalist for the Humanitarian Award, MacDonald’s leadership not only helped Rensselaer on the ice, but also the Rensselaer community as he spearheaded many events and led the charge for contributions in excess of $100,000 to the American Cancer Society.

Holy Cross senior forward James Sixsmith is this year’s honoree for the Sportsmanship Award. This season Sixsmith was called for only two minor penalties for four minutes while scoring 47 points. In his career he has only been sent to the penalty box a total of 12 times for 24 career minutes.

Also named were three All-USCHO teams, as well as the All-Rookie team. The First Team All-USCHO included all three Hobey “Hat Trick” finalists, with Brown in goal and North Dakota’s Ryan Duncan and Air Force’s Eric Ehn at forward spots. Also at forward was T.J. Hensick of Michigan, with Alex Goligoski of Minnesota and Michigan’s Jack Johnson on defense.

2006-07 All-USCHO Teams

First Team
F Ryan Duncan, North Dakota
F Eric Ehn, Air Force
F T.J. Hensick, Michigan
D Alex Goligoski, Minnesota
D Jack Johnson, Michigan
G David Brown, Notre Dame

Second Team
F Brian Boyle, Boston College
F David Jones, Dartmouth
F Jonathan Toews, North Dakota
D Drew Bagnall, St. Lawrence
D Reid Cashman, Quinnipiac
G John Curry, Boston University

Third Team
F Ted Cook, Niagara
F Nathan Davis, Miami
F Scott Parse, Nebraska-Omaha
D Noah Babin, Notre Dame
D Mike Vannelli, Minnesota
G Kevin Regan, New Hampshire

Honorable Mention
F Nate Gerbe, Boston College; F Michel Leveille, Maine; F Pierre-Luc O’Brien, Sacred Heart; F T.J. Oshie, North Dakota; F Kevin Porter, Michigan; F Mason Raymond, Minnesota-Duluth; D Chris Butler, Denver; D Taylor Chorney, North Dakota; D Matt Hunwick, Michigan; D Sean Hurley, Brown; G Brian Elliott, Wisconsin; G Bobby Goepfert, St. Cloud State; G David Leggio, Clarkson

All-Rookie
F Mark Letestu, Western Michigan
F Andreas Nodl, St. Cloud State
F Teddy Purcell, Maine
F Brandon Wong, Quinnipiac
D Erik Johnson, Minnesota
D Kyle Lawson, Notre Dame
G Alex Petizian, St. Lawrence

BC, UND Tied After 40 Minutes

By
-

Forty minutes of play in Thursday’s second national semifinal game between Boston College and North Dakota has settled nothing as the two clubs head to the final period knotted at 2.

Each team has used special teams to its advantage with the Fighting Sioux 1-for-4 on the power play and the Eagles 2-for-5 with the man advantage.

The opening 20 minutes saw five penalties whistled by referee Matt Shegos, who sent two Eagles to the penalty box in the first half of the frame before sending three North Dakota players off in the final eight minutes of the frame.

The Sioux jumped out to a 1-0 lead midway through the first. After BC had killed off a five-on-three Sioux power play, actually having the better of the opportunities shorthanded, multiple missed clearing attempts led to captain Chris Porter snapping a shot from the slot over BC netminder Cory Schneider’s shoulder at 10:28 to give the Sioux the early advantage.

It was the first time that Eagles had trailed since March 9, when they fell behind, 1-0, early in the Hockey East quarterfinal to Northeastern but scored the game’s final seven goals for a 7-1 win.

Back-to-back penalties to North Dakota put BC on the power play and after numerous chances that were either stopped by North Dakota goaltender Philippe Lamoureux or hit the post, the Eagles finally cashed in.

When a Brian O’Hanley shot from the left point was tipped and blocked in front, junior center Dan Bertram found space to wrist a quick shot that surprised Lamoureux, beating him between the legs at 15:41 to knot the game at one.

The period saw plenty of offensive chances, with BC holding a slight 14-12 lead in shots through one.

Early in the second, with BC on the power play, Lamoureux made a highlight-reel save to keep the game tied. As Nathan Gerbe had Lamoureux down and seemingly out, the junior netminder wheeled around to his back and threw his legs up in the air to deflect the Gerbe bid wide in the opening minute of play. Shortly thereafter, the Sioux took the lead.

With BC serving a minor for too many men on the ice, a Jonathan Toews centering pass from behind the net deflected off the skate of Mike Brennan and slowly trickled over the line past Schneider at 3:15. The goal was given careful review by the instant replay official, who determined a North Dakota player in the crease did not interfere with Schneider, allowing the goal to stand.

The Eagles, who carried the offensive flow in the period, outshooting the Sioux, 20-7, didn’t seem to have much in the way of luck going their way. Twice in a span of less than two minutes BC hit the post, one a blast by Joe Rooney from the point and the second a backhander by Boyle.

It wasn’t until a Sioux penalty to Erik Fabian with 6:33 remaining that gave BC its fifth power play of the game, that the Eagles finally hit the back of the net.

After Lamoureux made an incredible right pad save on a Brock Bradford bid at the left post, Bertram, who hadn’t recorded a multiple-goal game all season, banged home the rebound for his second goal of the game at 15:21 to even the game at two heading into the third.

A holding penalty to Bradford at the 20-minute mark will put North Dakota on the power play to begin the third period.

Meet Me in St. Louis

By
-

LogoWelcome to the 2007 edition of the USCHO.com Frozen Four blog. The USCHO.com crew is in the house and already hard at work cranking out the news of the day…which on Wednesday means press conferences. Stay tuned for notebooks from each of the four pressers and of course lots more news and liveblogs from the games as the week goes on.

In the meantime, here’s the Semifinal 1 Preview and the Semifinal 2 Preview.

Wednesday Notebook: Maine

By
-

As Maine’s top goaltender Ben Bishop sat injured during the stretch run, watching his Black Bears lose the final four games of the season, including the Hockey East quarterfinal series to Massachusetts, one thought sat in his mind.

“Once we found out we were in the tournament, I really just wanted to get back out on the ice,” said Bishop. “It was only two [wins] and we’d get to St. Louis.”

Ben Bishop will backstop Maine against Michigan State in Thursday's early semifinal (photo: Melissa Wade).

Ben Bishop will backstop Maine against Michigan State in Thursday’s early semifinal (photo: Melissa Wade).

The Gateway to the West not only serves as home to this week’s Frozen Four, it also is Bishop’s home.

The 6-foot-7 netminder grew up just 18 miles down the road in Des Peres, Mo. His father, Benjamin, is a member of the St. Louis Sports Commission, the host of this year’s Frozen Four.

Needless to say, April 5 has been circled on the younger Bishop’s calendar since the puck dropped in September.

“It’s great to be home,” quipped Bishop as he opened his team’s press conference on Wednesday.

As nice as it is to be home, it’s even nicer to be on the ice. Bishop pulled his groin muscle in a Feb. 3 game against New Hampshire. After missing two games, Bishop returned, possibly a bit too soon, only to re-injure the groin in a Feb. 24 game against Merrimack.

His absence over the next four games — four straight losses to UMass — looked like it might lead to the demise of the season for the Black Bears. But the fate of the numbers worked in Maine’s favor and Bishop’s dreams of returning home to St. Louis quickly resurfaced.

Now back in the land of his youth, Bishop recalled on Wednesday what it was like growing up as a hockey player in a not-so-traditional hockey market.

“Every year I played, [hockey] got bigger and bigger,” said Bishop. “The [St. Louis] Blues alumni did a great job of growing the sport out here.”

Now that the Black Bears are here, Bishop, who recommended heading to the Hill in South St. Louis for Italian food as the best place to eat, said it will be important to stay focused in a place so familiar.

“It’s convenient that [the Frozen Four] is here in St. Louis having grown up here,” said Bishop. “But that’s not what’s at the front of my mind. Winning the national championship is what’s at the front of the mind.”

Paying Homage to a Legend

The Maine program, through its former head coach, the late Shawn Walsh, long had ties to its semifinal opponent, Michigan State. Walsh, who was a backup goaltender for the Spartans, began his coaching career under then-Michigan State bench boss Ron Mason.

Current head coach Tim Whitehead was asked what type of personal influence Walsh had on Whitehead and the Maine program, leading the sixth-year head coach to sing Walsh’s praises.

“[Shawn Walsh] is still an inspiration to me every day,” said Whitehead. “He built a legacy in this program and the key thing from my perspective is to carry that legacy on.

“Shawn took this program in the mid-’80s and brought it to another level in terms of national prominence.”

Whitehead discussed his first major undertaking at Maine, the newly-built Shawn Walsh Hockey Center, which opened at the beginning of the 2005-06 season. The building serves as the training center and locker rooms for both the men’s and women’s hockey programs in Orono.

And Walsh’s influence can be seen as far down as the club’s undergarments — t-shirts that read “Road Warriors” and have inspirational Walsh mottos on the back.

Said Whitehead, “[Shawn] would have loved to be here in this situation today.”

Experience Counts

Though each club at this weekend’s Frozen Four has national tournament experience, and three — Maine, Boston College and North Dakota — were in the Frozen four a year ago, it’s still hard not to talk about the experience and the related “having been there” feeling that will be important come this weekend.

“Anytime you can get experiences at the Regionals and Frozen Fours, it helps you the next time you are there,” said Whitehead, who last year brought a club heavy in freshmen to the big dance, falling to eventual national champion Wisconsin in the semifinals. “Where it helps you is the preparation, the routine and dealing with the potential distractions.”

Among those distractions are dealing with the media. Maine’s press conference was crowded on Wednesday afternoon, with 25 to 30 active writers and reporters. That figure is expected to grow well past the century mark as the weekend goes on.

Wednesday Notebook: North Dakota

By
-

This is the first year in Frozen Four history that no No. 1 seeds have advanced to the championship tournament, and there’s a feeling in St. Louis that this is anyone’s title to capture.

Said UND head coach Dave Hakstol, “This is a Frozen Four where we have four teams that are realistically playing their best hockey of the year.”

Finishing Up Strong

North Dakota’s West Regional experience was a tale of two teams — the one that couldn’t keep the puck out of the net for the first half of the game against Michigan, and the one that shut down both the Wolverines and the Minnesota Golden Gophers for the remaining 90-plus minutes of the regional.

A Class Apart

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of UND’s sophomore class, which is responsible for 99 of 149 Sioux goals this season. Eight of UND’s top scorers went to their first Frozen Four one year ago.

WCHA Player of the Year Ryan Duncan at practice Wednesday in St. Louis (photo: Melissa Wade).

WCHA Player of the Year Ryan Duncan at practice Wednesday in St. Louis (photo: Melissa Wade).

Hobey Baker finalist Ryan Duncan (31-26–57) leads all comers in his class, and the DOTs — Duncan, T.J. Oshie (16-33–49) and Jonathan Toews (17-28–45) — call the shots.

“I think they’ve done a tremendous job this year,” said senior Chris Porter. “Obviously, Ryan’s line has done a great job. They’ve led us offensively and picked us up when we’ve needed it.”

With the early departure of five players from last year’s squad, said Porter, everyone has had to contribute to make this year a success.

“I think as a team, as a whole, we’ve welcomed everybody with open arms. The freshmen have stepped in and played a huge role. With the new NHL, guys are leaving early; young guys are asked to play a bigger role, and they’ve done a great job this year, and we’re really proud of them.”

Very Welcome Back

Two of last year’s Sioux squad had to watch the Frozen Four from the sidelines, both nursing injuries. Junior defenseman Robbie Bina missed the entire 2005-06 with a neck injury, while senior forward Erik Fabian was hurt in UND’s final regular-season contest.

This year, Bina is fourth on the team in scoring (10-22–32) and among the leading offensive defensemen in the country. Fabian has five goals and six assists.

“Erik Fabian missed last year’s Frozen Four [and] it’s almost immeasurable how much we missed him,” said Hakstol. “We were missing that little bit of an edge heading into Milwaukee last year, and part of that was having Erik Fabian out of the lineup.

Hakstol said that it’s “hard to quantify” what Bina means to North Dakota. “He has put up some good numbers, but it’s much more than that. It’s the attitude that he brings.”

The Breaks

This is the eighth year in which the NCAA has mandated a two-week break between regional play and the Frozen Four, to avoid a conflict with the men’s basketball Final Four. The time off can either help a team focus, or ice a hot squad “depending on your situation, depending on the health of your team,” said Hakstol.

“For us this year, our regional ended Sunday night, it was an overtime game, we had a long night of travel with some weather problems with our charter. I think the layoff this time, realistically, is a day and a half shorter than it would have been had we ended on Saturday night in the regional tournament.

“I think the timing has been a real benefit for us. We had three or four tremendous practices this last week, and I think that carries through to your readiness for game week, which for us is a routine of basically three days before game day.

“We were able to carry the week off and great practices right into this week, so I don’t foresee it taking much of an edge off.”

Pride of Five

North Dakota is making a bid to become the fourth WCHA team to win a national title in six years. The league has captured the NCAA championship for five years running: Minnesota (2002, 2003), Denver (2004, 2005) and Wisconsin (2006).

“I definitely think there’s some pride,” said Ryan Duncan. “We want to go out there … not only to represent the University of North Dakota, but the WCHA. We play in one of the best leagues in the nation, and we’re fortunate enough to be the last [WCHA] team standing right now, so we definitely want to put forth our best effort and represent the WCHA well.”

Wednesday Notebook: Michigan State

By
-

Three of the four teams in St. Louis this week played in last year’s Frozen Four. The exception? Michigan State, making its first appearance in the national semifinals since 2001.

“We’re thrilled to be here, obviously,” said MSU head coach Rick Comley, who then cautioned, “I think our goal is not just to be here, but to make something happen.”

Sophomore netminder Jeff Lerg concurred, offering up a variant on the old chestnut that no one remembers who came in second place.

This shot by Tim Crowder (l.) in last year's MSU-Maine game went wide (photo: Melissa Wade).

This shot by Tim Crowder (l.) in last year’s MSU-Maine game went wide (photo: Melissa Wade).

“People don’t remember who was there, they remember the champions,” Lerg said.

That may not be entirely true in this case, since plenty of folks remember with great clarity that Boston College, North Dakota and Maine were all on this same stage a year ago, even though none won the title.

Moreover, Michigan State is the first CCHA team to reach the Frozen Four since 2003, when Michigan made the field. To what extent are the Spartans here for themselves, for their school, and for their league?

“To gain a little bit of respect for the conference would be nice,” said senior forward Chris Lawrence. “The WCHA and Hockey East have been predominant [recently]. … But we can’t let too much get into our heads.”

“You know, that’s such a hard question,” said Comley on the topic of conference strength, and what it means for the Spartans to be playing this week. “I just read a thing with [St. Lawrence coach] Joe Marsh defending the ECAC, and it’s a great league.

Added Comley, “Last year, we thought we were good enough to get here, and ended up falling a goal short.”

The MSU bench boss noted the role of good old-fashioned puck luck in deciding teams’ fates, and named CCHA teams like Michigan, Notre Dame and Miami as worthy contenders who could have filled the role in which the Spartans find themselves.

“What’s the difference between Michigan State and Notre Dame?” he asked rhetorically, referring to MSU’s one-goal win over Notre Dame in the Midwest Regional final

In the end, a couple of games this weekend can’t definitively answer questions about which league is the best. But it will answer a question of more immediate importance to the teams at the Scottrade Center.

“There’s nothing wrong with the CCHA, and are we representing them? Sure,” added Comley. “But we’re also one of four teams here to win a national championship.”

Wait ‘Till This Year

In case you hadn’t heard, Michigan State and Maine played in last year’s NCAA tournament. The Spartans, unsurprisingly, remember it quite well.

“We haven’t forgotten about that game, and I’m sure they haven’t either,” said Lerg. “The main goal for us is to make sure we play all 60 minutes against them.”

In that game, the Black Bears blitzed the Spartans early, then hung on for a 5-4 win in the East Regional final to move Maine into the Frozen Four. That, of course, puts the revenge factor in play for MSU.

“We don’t need any extra motivation as a team,” Lawrence demurred. “In big games, Maine shows up. They lost four straight against UMass, and then when there’s a berth in the Frozen Four on the line, they come through.”

Odd Couple

The starting netminders in Thursday’s early semifinal aren’t exactly two of a kind, in style or anatomy. Ben Bishop of Maine stands 6-foot-7, a rarity for any hockey player, let alone a goaltender. Lerg, meanwhile, is 5-foot-6.

Asked about the difference between shooting on Lerg in practice and firing at a goaltender 13 inches taller, Lawrence quipped, “I don’t know, because we don’t have a goaltender 13 inches taller.”

Size differences aside, both have been instrumental to their teams’ success, a fact that does not surprise Comley.

“I think hockey today, it’s all about goaltending,” he said. “No one expects to score easy.”

As for the Lerg-Bishop matchup — the two know one another from select camps in their pre-college years — Lerg sounded ready to go.

“I go into every matchup thinking that if I outplay the other goalie, we’re going to come out on top,” he said.

Wednesday Notebook: Boston College

By
-

When you think of rivalries in college hockey, Michigan-Michigan State, Minnesota-North Dakota and Boston College-Boston University all come to mind. Regional relations are paramount, in general, when it comes to building a rivalry.

And then there’s North Dakota and Boston College

For the sixth time since 1999, the Eagles and Fighting Sioux will lock horns in the NCAA tournament. Each and every one of those battles to date has been monumental in proportion.

Similar to last year, BC and North Dakota will face off in the national semifinal. Prior to that, there were regional title games in which the two met in 1999 and 2005. And, of course, there were back-to-back national championship contests in 2000 and 2001, with each team winning one.

So when the two clubs take the ice in Thursday’s nightcap, expect the familiarity to be high.

That said, both BC players and coaches were downplaying the rivalry on Wednesday.

“The games are so big in the national tournament you get so fired up just like you do when you play your rival,” said senior captain Brian Boyle. “The rivalry is there because both teams are such competitive teams with guys who really want to win. There’s a lot of firepower that makes it a lot of fun to watch.”

“If you’re going to be a good team, you’re going to get deep into that national tournament,” said BC head coach Jerry York. “So it’s no coincidence that we keep coming up against North Dakota.”

The Winner, and New Heavyweight Champion …

It’s not often that a third-string goaltender is a media darling during the Frozen Four.

The BC skaters were no match for third-string netminder Adam Reasoner in practice Wednesday, earning Reasoner the title belt (photo: Melissa Wade).

The BC skaters were no match for third-string netminder Adam Reasoner in practice Wednesday, earning Reasoner the title belt (photo: Melissa Wade).

It’s also not often that a third-string goaltender stonewalls one of the most potent offenses in college hockey.

Meet Adam Reasoner. If the name sounds familiar, he’s the younger brother of former Boston College standout Marty Reasoner. During Wednesday’s final practice before Thursday’s national semifinal, Reasoner stopped each and every forward and defenseman in the Eagles’ lineup in the ritual shootout.

All of the skaters take breakaway shots on the three BC goaltenders, and if a forward can score on all three, he’s the champion.

The rare occurrence, though, is when a single goaltender stops every shot he faces, as was the case with Reasoner on Wednesday.

The rewards for winning the shootout is a belt — resembling that worn by a WWE champion at last week’s WrestleMania — made up of a towel, cardboard and hockey tape.

On Wednesday, Reasoner was awarded the belt, but not until after he joined in a big bearhug with fellow dufflebags Cory Schneider and Joe Pearce.

“As goalies, we’re kind of shunned out there in [the shootout],” said Schneider. “The forwards don’t like to see goalies out there win the shootout. They’re trying to amend the rules so that we can’t win it at all.

“We goalies, we try to pull for each other so if one of us wins it’s like we all win.”

As Schneider basked in the glory of Reasoner’s victory during the post-practice press conference, not surprisingly Boyle sat on the podium, simply shaking his head in disdain.

Staying Relaxed

Since arriving to a police escort from the moment their plane landed on the runway at the airport in St. Louis, the Eagles say they’ve been treated like champs.

BC is staying at the Hilton St. Louis at the Ballpark, a hotel with rooms overlooking the St. Louis Cardinals’ home, Busch Stadium. Tuesday evening, a handful of Eagles players dressed in full suits and ties wandered over in the late innings of the Cards’ game against the New York Mets and were admitted into the stadium.

On Wednesday morning, the entire team took a stadium tour. That all came after the Eagles were treated to a similar showing of the St. Louis Blues hockey locker room over at the Scottrade Center on Tuesday afternoon.

“It’s a great part of being at the Frozen Four,” said York. “We really try to reward our players, whether its Milwaukee or Albany or Providence or here in the heartland of America, St. Louis.

“Our guys are baseball fans so I thought it was great for them. We got a tour of the locker room and got to stand next to [Albert] Pujols’ locker, and [David] Eckstein’s locker. I think that’s great for our guys.”

Random Thoughts

• The 51 losses by the four teams in this weekend’s Frozen Four ties the record for the most combined losses by the Frozen Four participants. It matches the field of 1981, of Northern Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan Tech.

• The asterisk associated with 1981, though, is that the quarterfinals, equivalent to today’s regional finals, were two-game, total-goals series. Thus a team could (and did) lose a game in the quarterfinals yet still advance.

• This is the first season that both men’s and women’s teams for Boston College have reached the Frozen Four. The women’s team lost to Minnesota-Duluth in double overtime of the women’s tournament.

Preview: Boston College-North Dakota

By Dave Hendrickson, Patrick C. Miller and Scott Brown
-

North Dakota vs. Boston College
Thursday, 7 p.m. CT, Scottrade Center, St. Louis

On Thursday, the 7 p.m. semifinal at the Scottrade Center features two teams who are indisputably the hottest in the nation. In that contest Boston College, winner of 12 straight, faces off against North Dakota, loser of just two of its last 21 games.

BC and UND have trod similar paths to get to the Gateway to the West. Halfway through the season, neither knew that it would even get a chance to vie for the NCAA championship. North Dakota lost four straight games heading into the holiday break in December, while Boston College had been up and down in the first half before losing three in a row against Hockey East competition in mid-January to dip back toward .500.

Both, though, righted the ship in dramatic fashion. Although BC lost the Beanpot final to archrival Boston University, that proved to be just a blip in a second-half surge that saw the Eagles win nine of 12 games by at least three goals apiece — including both contests at the Northeast Regional.

UND, meanwhile, lost only an ultimately-meaningless matchup against Denver in February before falling to Minnesota in the WCHA championship game — a loss the Fighting Sioux avenged by topping those same Gophers in the West Regional final to advance to the Frozen Four for the third straight year.

Boston College Eagles
Record: 28-11-1, 18-8-1 Hockey East (second)
Seed: No. 5 overall, No. 2 Northeast
Road to Frozen Four: Beat St. Lawrence 4-1, beat Miami 4-0
2006 NCAA tournament: Lost in NCAA championship

Boston College rolls into the Frozen Four semifinal with a 12-game winning streak that actually understates how dominant the Eagles have been. In the month of March they outscored their opponents, 37-9, with all but two of those games against teams in the NCAA tournament.

It’s a stark contrast to the BC team that entered that dynamic stretch having put together no previous streak longer than three games, and that only happening twice.

Brian Boyle has excelled at both ends of the ice for Boston College this season (photo: Melissa Wade).

Brian Boyle has excelled at both ends of the ice for Boston College this season (photo: Melissa Wade).

“We were really struggling, but I thought our team was a better team than that because we returned so many players from last year,” BC coach Jerry York says, referring to the Eagle’s trip to last year’s national championship game. “There was always that hope, that, ‘I know we’re a good team.’ We just kept on working and grinding.

“There was no magical formula. We just seemed to catch fire right after our Beanpot tournament.”

While there was no magical formula, the difference in the team’s results have been striking. Most notable has been BC’s performance on special teams. Over the last 15 games, the Eagles’ power play has converted 31.3 percent of its opportunities, while the penalty killers have succeeded at a 93.6 percent rate.

“We struggled [on special teams] up until the middle of January,” York says. “But now our PK and PP seem to be so much better.”

So, too, is BC’s goaltending. Cory Schneider earned First-Team All-America honors last year, but this season fell victim to inconsistent play and failed to make either first or second team All-Hockey East. He’s recovered in impressive fashion, however, posting a .964 save percentage in March.

“During the course of the year, he wanted to be just perfect,” York says. “He was concerned about shutouts and save percentage and he wasn’t quite playing as well as he did last year. Then he just kind of settled down and just started to win games.

“That was his major focus and with that his save percentage went way up and his goals against average went right down.”

Heading into the Hockey East playoffs, York made a daring move that now looks like a stroke of genius. When two defensemen went down with injuries, he shifted the league’s top scorer, Brian Boyle, back to the blue line.

“He’s gone back to defense and he’s very amenable to the role,” York says. “[Brian] said, ‘Hey coach, I’ll help in any way that I can.’

“When he got back there, our offense improved because he could break pucks out better. He added a lot of stability to our defense. Of course, defense helps offense.”

That offense has been triggered by senior Joe Rooney and three sophomores: Brock Bradford, Nathan Gerbe and Benn Ferriero.

“Our sophomore class has been very, very instrumental in our success this year and certainly those are exciting players,” York says. “[But] you have to forget who are freshmen, who are sophomores and who are seniors. You just want good players.

“Joey Rooney, the first couple of years, was a factor on our teams, but now as a senior he’s one of our best players game in and game out. I love to see that improvement going through the four years.”

As has been the case so often in recent years, Boston College’s path to a potential national championship goes through the Fighting Sioux.

“We’ve played North Dakota so many times now,” York says. “It’s a quick, high-tempo game, physical and with a lot of skill involved. It’s just a great way to play hockey. We look forward to the challenge.”

North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Record: 24-13-5, 13-10-5 WCHA (third)
Seed: No. 10 overall, No. 3 West
Road to Frozen Four: Beat Michigan 8-5, beat Minnesota 3-2 (ot)
2006 NCAA tournament: Lost in national semifinal

The night of Dec. 16, 2006, is one that North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol would prefer to forget.

Michigan Tech had just swept UND at home for the first time since 1987. And for the first time ever, UND had been swept by MTU and Alaska-Anchorage in the same season. The Sioux were also in a 1-7-0 losing slump.

Now, Hakstol’s postgame comments from that night appear prophetic: “What we did tonight was not enough, but there’s a lot of fight left in this dog. We will not let this last five weeks define what our season’s all about. That much I know.”

After a long team meeting, the players and coaches went their separate ways for the Christmas break.

Ryan Duncan is the WCHA Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker

Ryan Duncan is the WCHA Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker “Hat Trick” finalist (photo: Kory Wallen).

“Obviously, at that point in time, we weren’t getting the job done,” Hakstol recalled. “You can talk about bounces, you can talk about injuries — whatever you want. We weren’t getting the job done. We needed a little more from everyone: coaching staff, players, everyone involved.”

The turnaround began when UND traveled to Hanover, N.H., for the Ledyard National Bank Classic on Dec. 29-30. The Sioux defeated Dartmouth 4-1 and St. Lawrence 4-2 to win the tournament. It was there that Philippe Lamoureux returned to form in goal and sophomore forward Ryan Duncan firmly established himself as UND’s go-to goal scorer.

“Seasons aren’t turned around by meetings or anything else like that,” Hakstol said. “They’re turned around by guys doing the right thing, by guys caring, by guys committing themselves to being all in when it comes to the success of the team.

While some consider the turning point of UND’s season its road sweep of Minnesota on Jan. 26-27, Hakstol doesn’t see it that way. He believes it started with the win over Dartmouth at the tournament in New Hampshire.

“That tournament gave us a chance to breathe a little bit,” he said. “From there, the guys have done exactly what they needed to do. That’s take things one day at a time and one game at a time. Our approach has not changed whatsoever throughout.”

Out of adversity came a better team.

“You go through tough times. You go through good times, and you learn from all of them,” Hakstol said. “Things like that are a testament to what kind of team you really are.”‘

And how much better the Fighting Sioux are, with a third straight trip to the Frozen Four, where they have a date with Boston College in the second national semifinal Thursday evening.

Said junior forward Kyle Radke, “Three-for-three sounds pretty good, but we haven’t won anything the past two years. Hopefully, the third time will be the charm. It’s a tremendous event and we know what to expect now. We’re not going to be caught up in the moment. We’re going to go down there and take care of business this year. We’ve got the team that can do it if we play like we can.”

This will also be the third straight year UND has encountered BC in the NCAA tournament, winning in the regionals in 2004-05 before losing to the Eagles in the Frozen Four last year.

Said junior forward Rylan Kaip on last season’s loss, “We made a lot of mistakes that game, mistakes that aren’t really in our character. That time of year, it’s going to cost you. We have to be mentally sharp and ready to play this time.”

“Mentally sharp” is an apropos description for this season’s UND squad, which took nothing for granted on the way to St. Louis.

“We’ve had to work a little harder to earn a spot in the Frozen Four,” said WCHA Player of the Year Duncan. “Last year, there was a feeling of satisfaction for getting to this point. This year, now that a lot of guys have been in this situation before, we’re not satisfied. We don’t want our season to end on Thursday.

“There’s a history between these two teams that you can call a rivalry. We seem to meet each other at crucial times of the season. It’s going to come down to a big game on Thursday. It’s definitely fun to play a great team like Boston College.”

And what value will the Sioux’s experience on this stage provide?

“Part of the benefit of experience is that you don’t have to talk about things a whole bunch. Our older guys know what they’re in for,” said Hakstol. “When it comes to winning a hockey game, it’s going to be determined at the drop of the puck on Thursday night. But every little thing counts, and hopefully in our preparation, we can fall back on our experiences from the last year or two.”

Hakstol had plenty of compliments for his charges, but his Hobey Baker “Hat Trick” finalist could play the most important role Thursday.

“He just brings that steady calm to the ice,” said Hakstol of Duncan. “His competitiveness is so even-keeled. He’s an inspired a competitor as any of them. He just brings a level of calmness to every game. It’s a unique combination of competitiveness and calmness.”

SCSU’s Gordon Signs With Capitals

USCHO Staff Report
-

The NHL’s Washington Capitals have signed forward Andrew Gordon to a three-year entry-level contract beginning next season, vice president and general manager George McPhee announced Tuesday.

Gordon was a seventh-round selection of the Capitals, 197th overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He recently completed his junior season with the Huskies and completed his career with 51 goals and 51 assists for 102 points. He is the 20th player in team history (all games played at the Division I level) to join SCSU’s elite 100-point club.

A 5-foot-11, 200-pound native of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Gordon led the Huskies in goals each of the past two seasons and was a first-team All-WCHA selection this year. He helped lead St. Cloud State to a second-place finish in the conference and a berth in the NCAA tournament — the team’s first NCAA bid since 2003.

Said SCSU head coach Bob Motzko, “Andrew has been a true student-athlete in every meaning of the term. He’s gotten better every year he’s been here, and he’s a great example of how college hockey can truly help a player develop. We’re sad to see him leave, no question, but we wish him well.”

Added Gordon, “It’s something I’ve dreamed of my whole life, obviously, and now that it’s staring me right in the face, I’m looking forward to getting back in the weight room and back out on the ice to prepare myself for the next level.

“It was extremely tough. It was something Bob Motzko and I talked about a lot. I’d go to sleep one night sure and secure about coming back and finishing my career here, and then I wake up the next morning and feel like I’m ready to go. It was back and forth, but it finally came down to being offered a deal around what I was looking for and one that gives me a great opportunity to play in the NHL in the next couple of years.”

Gordon finished this season with 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in 40 games, including 12 power-play goals, which led St. Cloud State and ranked tied for third nationally. He led the team in goals and was second in points, one point behind linemate Andreas Nodl. Gordon led the Huskies in goals (20) and points (40) in 2005-06.

He was a three-time WCHA Player of the Week in 2006-07, and he also gained All-WCHA Academic honors in 2006 and 2007.

Gordon played through the end of the season with an ankle injury from which he is still recovering, so he will not be reporting immediately — in the interim he’ll be working to finish up his classes for the semester.

USCHO.com’s Tom Reale contributed to this article.

Preview: Maine-Michigan State

By Paula C. Weston, Dave Hendrickson and Scott Brown
-

Maine vs. Michigan State
Thursday, 3 p.m. CT, Scottrade Center, St. Louis

One year ago, Michigan State and Maine battled in the NCAA tournament, but the stakes are a touch higher for Thursday’s rematch.

Last season, the matchup came in the East Regional final, when Maine built a three-goal lead before holding off the Spartans to advance to the Frozen Four. This time around, the first national semifinal in St. Louis sees the Spartans and the Black Bears face off for the right to play in the NCAA championship game Saturday.

Several key contributors from last year’s contest are gone, but two who returned will start in net for each side. Ben Bishop — who overcame a late-season injury to help take Maine through the East Regional — and MSU’s Jeff Lerg will be the opposing goaltenders when the teams take the ice.

Each team bucked the odds to get this far, as both were No. 3 regional seeds in a season that saw no No. 1 seeds reach the Frozen Four, the first time that has happened.

Maine’s route to St. Louis required the Black Bears to topple WCHA member St. Cloud State and then fellow Hockey East-ers Massachusetts in the regional final — the latter win coming after UMass had beaten Maine four straight times to end the regular season and in the HEA playoffs.

Michigan State, meanwhile, took out Boston University from Hockey East and then CCHA regular-season and tournament champion Notre Dame to get here. The Spartans permitted just one goal in each contest to reach their first Frozen Four since 2001.

Michigan State Spartans
Record: 24-13-3, 15-10-3 CCHA (fourth)
Seed: No. 9 overall, No. 3 Midwest
Road to Frozen Four: Beat Boston University 5-1, beat Notre Dame 2-1
2006 NCAA tournament: Lost in East Regional final

As the Spartans fielded questions after their 2-1 win over the highly-favored Fighting Irish of Notre Dame to advance from the Midwest Regional to the Frozen Four, sophomore goaltender Jeff Lerg said that the key to Michigan State’s survival was how the 2005-06 season ended.

“We learned how to lose last year against Maine,” said Lerg. “Thought about it every day over the summer. I knew the feeling going into this game, and I don’t want to be feeling that every other day this summer again, so hopefully we’ll get another chance at them this year, and see what happens.”

Jeff Lerg has quietly excelled for Michigan State this season (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

Jeff Lerg has quietly excelled for Michigan State this season (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

Last year, MSU was the only CCHA team to advance beyond one game in the NCAA tournament, and that heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Maine was punctuated by the never-say-die effort of junior Drew Miller, who netted a goal with just five seconds left, 32 seconds after Greg Moore’s empty-netter looked to be the insurance marker, not the game winner.

One year later, Lerg and the Spartans will get that rematch, this time as the first team to represent the CCHA in the Frozen Four since 2003. In many ways, Michigan State is the unlikeliest team to emerge from a conference that hasn’t made any post-season noise in four years. MSU finished fourth in the league and lost players who were key to last year’s modest postseason success, including Miller, who opted to go pro after his junior season.

“We really had a good team last year, and if David Booth hadn’t gotten hurt against Fairbanks, honest to God, I think we would have been in the Frozen Four and could have won it,” said head coach Rick Comley. “He played, but he was hurt. Then we lost those good seniors. Then when Drew decided to leave, that really hurt us. So you’re going, okay, as a coach, I just want to progress, get better.

“We knew that we had good seniors, good kids, but our talent was in that middle group, sophomore and juniors. This would not have been an expectation, so it’s obviously a reward for a lot of hard work.”

No one worked harder this season for MSU than Lerg, who logged more time in net (2345:06) than any other goaltender in the country save two, Notre Dame’s Hobey Baker finalist David Brown and Boston College’s Cory Schneider. Lerg’s other numbers are solid but not stunning; his 2.46 goals-against average and .911 save percentage put him fourth among goaltenders in the Frozen Four field, but what he lacks in stats and stature, he makes up for in accountability.

“He’s very honest,” said Comley. “He’s as honest a kid as I’ve ever, ever been around over all those years. He is what he is. He doesn’t deserve to be a Hobey finalist right now; his numbers aren’t there. But in a big game — I’m telling you what — you just watch him, and you just know. He doesn’t discredit anybody; he comes. This is his team. If you watch these guys as he prepares to play, they just rally and focus right around him.”

Lerg — who stands 5-6, battles asthma daily, and turns 21 next Monday — faced two of the top ‘tenders in the nation in Grand Rapids but took it all in stride, allowing just two goals in two contests, stopping 46 shots, and earning MOP for the regional.

“I said all along that they [Brown and BU’s John Curry] deserved all the recognition,” said Lerg. “They’ve been one-two in the country all year, but I knew again that when I’m on my game, I can be as good as anyone in the country. If I play my game and keep things simple, if I make all the saves I’m supposed to plus two or three big ones, we’ll get the win.”

He’s not boasting. In four NCAA tournament games in two seasons, Lerg has compiled a 1.50 goals-against average and .949 save percentage.

“For him,” said Comley, “with his asthma and breathing and stuff, everything is a challenge for him. He just doesn’t get fazed.”

While Lerg is a key component to MSU’s strong postseason showing, he’s not the only reason the Spartans are playing in St. Louis. The Spartans have scoring power in players like Lerg’s classmate, Tim Kennedy (17-23–40), who leads all MSU players in offense, has nine power-play goals on the season, and had the game-winner against Notre Dame. And as for game winners, you can’t do better than Lerg’s cousin, junior Bryan (23-13–36), who leads the nation in game winning tallies (eight). Four other Spartans have double-digit goals, and it’s safe to say that this team scores by committee.

The Spartan defense gives up 2.48 goals per game, and Michigan State’s penalty kill (.870) was a perfect 11-for-11 in Grand Rapids.

But MSU’s real secret weapon — according to Kennedy, at least — is Comley, now in his fifth year in East Lansing and making his first bid for a national championship since he won one with Northern Michigan in 1991.

“Well, you know Coach,” said Kennedy in Grand Rapids, “I mean, he’s been around for a long time. He’s been coaching back [since] before I was born.

“He knows how to win. That’s plain and simple. We get the job done because of him. He works us hard all week. He skates us a lot. He deserves all the credit.”

Said Comley of the damning praise, “Remember that guy that used to be on the power play?”

And that’s the real reason the Spartans are in St. Louis this week. They’re well-coached. They’re poised. They’re relaxed. They like each other. And no one thought they would be playing in April.

Maine Black Bears
Record: 23-14-2, 14-12-1 Hockey East (fifth)
Seed: No. 11 overall, No. 3 East
Road to Frozen Four: Beat St. Cloud State 4-1, beat Massachusetts 3-1
2006 NCAA tournament: Lost in national semifinal

The Maine Black Bears certainly didn’t enter the NCAA tournament in ideal fashion. They lost four of their last six regular-season games, defeating only Merrimack, Hockey East’s last-place team.

They then lost both league quarterfinal games to Massachusetts, prompting many long faces after the second loss. Surely that would be the death knell for Maine’s season.

“Big Ben” Bishop will be between the pipes for Maine on Thursday (photo: Melissa Wade).

“We were a little nervous for sure,” Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. “We started realizing [later] that we were in a reasonably good situation, but we knew we could get knocked out. We had to wait to find out if we were in. So, it was a little nerve-wracking.

“But, at the same time, we had one thing in mind. [If we got] another chance we wanted to make the most of it.”

Given that second chance, Maine made the most of it indeed in the East Regional, knocking off St. Cloud State and then the same UMass team that had beaten Maine four straight.

The biggest difference has been in goal. Until Ben Bishop suffered a groin injury on Feb. 3, he had started in 41 straight games. His replacement, walk-on David Wilson, performed better than anticipated, but Bishop’s return in the regional was a huge boost.

The first goal he allowed was an admittedly soft one, but he allowed only one other puck past him in the two games, stopping 68 shots.

“He was pushed to the edge and I’m thrilled that he survived it,” Whitehead said. “He’s sore, but he’s a happy man.”

He may also be a busy man in St. Louis, a stone’s throw from his hometown of Des Peres.

“It puts a little more weight on his shoulders,” Whitehead said. “On the positive side, he’s going home, [but] yeah, he’s going to have his hands full.”

The turnaround in the East regional was, of course, more than just Bishop riding to the rescue. The team defense, which has had its ups and downs, rose to the occasion led by blueliner Mike Lundin, a Second Team All-Hockey East selection. Lundin earned a berth on the all-tournament team along with offensive defenseman Bret Tyler, Bishop and forward Michel Léveillé.

“The big thing for us is playing defense as a team,” Whitehead said. “That’s when we are at our best. And getting sharp goaltending always helps, of course.

“This time of year it [gets] more challenging. We better keep that puck out of the net. We tried to tighten up defensively at all three positions heading into the NCAA tournament.”

Maine has been a potent offensive force for most of the season, led by a power play that converts at a 25.7 percent rate, tops in the country. Léveillé, a First-Team All-Hockey East selection, joins with second-teamer Josh Soares and league Rookie of the Year Teddy Purcell to form a juggernaut unit.

“You always need to score goals to win, which we’ve been able to do,” Whitehead said before adding, “Not always, but for the most part.”

Maine certainly won’t have to worry about the layoff between the East Regional and Frozen Four semifinal games. Been there, done that.

“We handled the last one well, whether intentionally or by accident, so that should hopefully give our players the confidence they need to play well,” Whitehead said. “Certainly there’s a concern that you want to be game-sharp heading into that drop of the puck but at the same time it gives guys a chance to heal so there’s a positive.

“So we’re not overly worried about it. We are very aware of it so we’ll make the adjustments that we think we need to make.”

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: East Vs. West

By Jim Connelly and Scott Brown
-

Jim: So, Brownie, here it is Frozen Four time again, and for the second straight year we have two teams from the east and two teams from the west.

The one wrinkle this time, though, is the fact that the mighty WCHA has just one participant. Now I’ve listened to plenty of the league’s faithful for more than two weeks now complain about Minnesota and North Dakota being seeded in the same region. My thought is that didn’t matter too much. Without any disrespect to Air Force, if Minnesota were in any other region, I think it might have been a first-round casualty. Add to that the fact that St. Cloud was an absolute no-show, and is it finally time to admit that the WCHA wasn’t the power conference this year that it has been in recent times?

Will Cory Schneider and Boston College hoist the NCAA championship trophy? (photo: Melissa Wade)

Will Cory Schneider and Boston College hoist the NCAA championship trophy? (photo: Melissa Wade)

Scott: JimCo — the WCHA’s performance in the NCAAs has been a bit underwhelming, although in fairness it should be pointed out that out of only three teams, it still got one into the Frozen Four. That’s hardly in keeping with the standard the league has set the past few years, but if North Dakota wins the national championship — which would be the sixth straight for a WCHA team — all of that will be quickly forgotten.

Having said that, though, the most impressive performances in the tournament have obviously come out of Hockey East, which has two representatives in St. Louis and saw underdogs (by seed, at least) Maine and Massachusetts pull upsets in the first round.

That will certainly re-stoke the fires of debate about whether the WCHA or Hockey East is the nation’s top conference (though my money’s still on the WCHA), but let’s move on to more immediate matters, such as examining the national semifinals. With Boston College and North Dakota both so hot, I’ve heard grumblings that the “real” NCAA championship game is being played in the semis, much like the NFC championship game back when San Francisco and Dallas were the cream of the crop in the NFL. Your take?

Jim: I think that if anybody discounts Maine or Michigan State, they’re making an enormous mistake. While both semifinals are difficult to call, I think the Maine-Michigan State game is impossible. I honestly don’t know which team is the favorite here. If Maine’s special teams get going, knowing that goaltending has solidified with Ben Bishop’s return, I think the Black Bears can not only win on Thursday but also the national championship. Similarly, Michigan State has a great goaltender in Jeff Lerg and if the Spartans get their offense going like they did against Boston University, they’re dangerous.

Speaking of goaltenders, you have Bishop, Lerg and BC’s Cory Schneider all very much battle-tested. But at North Dakota, Philippe Lamoureux is the opposite, having just played his first two NCAA games last weekend, despite being a junior. Do you think that will have any impact on the Sioux?

Scott: As a Michigan State alum, I like your take on the Maine-MSU game. The presence of Bishop in net for the Black Bears is the X-factor, since early in the year they looked nearly unbeatable, then suffered in his absence. I think Maine has a little more offense than the Spartans, but that might not matter if MSU plays D like it did at the Midwest Regional.

As for the goaltenders, I was very impressed with Lamoureux at the West Regional. He gave up five goals against Michigan, but all of those were in the first 30 minutes of the game and he tightened the screws when the Fighting Sioux needed him. He also has the quintessential netminder’s attitude — forget the last goal and concentrate on stopping the next one. I think the Sioux are in good hands with him in net, though the same can be said of the other three goaltenders in the Frozen Four.

Moving over to the Hobey Baker — were you as surprised as I was that T.J. Hensick of Michigan wasn’t among the “Hat Trick” finalists? The guy leads the nation in scoring for a powerhouse team and gets left out in the final analysis.

Jim: Originally, I was surprised by the absence of Hensick in the Hat Trick. In a year where there isn’t a predominant Hobey favorite, I figured Hensick would take home the award based on his offensive production. But talking to a few people — both Hobey voters and non-voters — I learned that Hensick’s on-ice attitude really played against him. He’s not a favorite among officials and, in the West Regional, took a 10-minute misconduct late in the game with his team trailing. That’s not the character player that the Hobey Baker should go to, and I applaud the voters for taking that into consideration.

On that note, I also give credit to the Hobey voters for recognizing the accomplishments of Air Force’s Eric Ehn. I worried that his lack of production in the league tournament and the West Regional could hurt him. But it’s clear that the Hobey balloters took into consideration the fact that he attends a military academy. The character alone for choosing your country over yourself, in my opinion, merits Ehn receiving the award. That said, I also could see either of the other two finalists — David Brown from Notre Dame or Ryan Duncan of north Dakota — being very deserving.

Scott: Ehn is clearly the wildcard among the final three. He had a record-setting season for Air Force and Atlantic Hockey overall, but as you mentioned, he didn’t step it up in the AHA tournament or on the NCAA stage. I’m a believer in evaluating the entire season, not just a few games, but in Ehn’s case the question is the extent to which his production has to be evaluated in the context of the AHA’s strength as a league.

With that in mind, it may come down to how strongly the voters considered character and off-ice components. One thing is for sure — he’ll be a popular choice if he wins, and picking Ehn could generate some buzz in the national media as well.

Down to brass tacks — who’s your national champion?

Jim: Well, I think that we could easily see an all-Hockey East championship game. Regardless, I think that Boston College is simply unstoppable right now. Regardless of the opponent, look for the Eagles to come out on top.

Scott: I agree with your pick of BC — though only by a nose over UND, which is almost as hot right now. I’ll take the Spartans in the other semifinal, probably in a one-goal game, and then reluctantly hand the hardware to the Eagles when it’s all said and done.

Well, I think we’ve thrashed out the issues of the day as best we can. On to St. Louis!

1...1,2061,2071,208...1,535Page 1,207 of 1,535

Latest Stories from around USCHO

Former Western Michigan, Michigan goalie, NHL video coach Scarpace named new assistant at Michigan Tech

USCHO Staff -

Michigan State standout, 2025 Hobey Baker winner Howard earns USA Hockey’s Jim Johannson College Player of the Year award

USCHO Staff -

Seasoned junior, college hockey coach Bruneteau returning to Stevenson as head coach of Mustangs men’s hockey team

USCHO Staff -

Hobart men’s hockey assistant coach Kovachis heading back to Niagara as Purple Eagles’ new assistant

USCHO Staff -

UMass Boston women’s head coach Bradley hired as new assistant coach for Penn State women’s team

USCHO Staff -

Penn State names former Nittany Lions defenseman Pedrie new assistant coach for men’s hockey team

USCHO Staff -

Former Minnesota women’s hockey standout, St. Cloud State assistant Jalosuo back with Huskies as new head coach

USCHO Staff -

Former Princeton assistant coach Kessel leaves PWHL Boston job, returns to Tigers as new women’s hockey head coach

USCHO Staff -

Theros chosen new assistant coach for Alaska, stays in town with Nanooks after coaching NAHL’s Ice Dogs

USCHO Staff -

King’s names former Endicott women’s hockey player Michals new assistant coach for Monarchs women’s team

USCHO Staff -

Former Augsburg assistant, Minnesota hockey ops director Holmes named new assistant for St. Olaf women’s hockey team

USCHO Staff -

Saint Michael’s men’s coach DiGiulian announces retirement, says ‘it is time to devote more of my time to watching my own children play sports...

USCHO Staff -
©1996-2025 USCHO.com – U.S. College Hockey Online