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Duel

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The way the first semifinal in Rochester transpired should come as no surprise. Kevin Jarman’s goal 7:40 into overtime broke a scoreless tie and gave Massachusetts 1-0 win over Clarkson and a berth in the East Regional championship game.

While it was just the third time in NCAA tournament history that a game had ended scoreless through regulation, the play of both netminders this season made it clear that goals were going to be hard to come by in this game.

Jon Quick didn't allow a goal in his NCAA debut. (photo: Melissa Wade)

Jon Quick didn’t allow a goal in his NCAA debut. (photo: Melissa Wade)

UMass goaltender Jon Quick made 33 saves for the shutout, his third of the season. He came into the game already holding the school record for most saves in a season (now at 1020) and sporting a .928 save percentage and a goals against of 2.20. Quick has played in all but two games for the Minutemen this season.

At the other end of the ice, Clarkson goaltender David Leggio had almost identical numbers coming into the contest: a .929 save percentage and a 2.20 GAA. Leggio also played in all but two games this season. He made 37 saves, which also set a school single season record (1037).

“We had some Grade A scoring chances,” said Clarkson coach George Roll. “Both goalies were on the top of their game.”

David Leggio is consoled after allowing the winning goal. (photo: Melissa Wade)

David Leggio is consoled after allowing the winning goal. (photo: Melissa Wade)

But in the end, after sixty-seven minutes and forty seconds of scoreless hockey, Clarkson and Leggio blinked first.

“There’s a fine line between winning and losing,” said Quick. “We learned that last week [3-2 double overtime loss to New Hampshire in the Hockey East semifinals]. It came down to a bounce of the puck.”

Leggio echoed his counterpart’s comments.

“I thought I had it covered,” he said. “But it squirted out and (Jarman) made a nice play to put it over me.”

Both goalies seemed cool and collected throughout, even with so much riding on each save.

“It was exciting,” said Quick. “I was just doing my best to keep my team in the game. It was a tie game the whole game with good action and both teams battled hard. Anyone who watched will tell you that it was an exciting game.”

UMass coach Don Cahoon had high praise for his goaltender, who recorded his nineteenth win of the season, also a school record.

“He’s a very gifted athlete,” he said. “Most people know and recognize that his athleticism is unparalleled as far as I can see. There are a lot of good goalies who are well schooled and have had great games and put together great seasons, but I don’t know if there’s a better athlete at his position.”

Quick, a sophomore, will play at least one more game this season, while Leggio, a junior, will hang up the skates until next year. Both played a game to remember.

From Father To Son: Enjoy College While You Can

By Patrick C. Miller
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North Dakota defenseman Taylor Chorney seems destined to follow in his father’s footsteps.

Marc Chorney, a former All-American defenseman who suited up for the Fighting Sioux from 1977-1981, played for a national championship in 1979 and won one in 1980. Taylor, a 6-0, 191-pound sophomore from Hastings, Minn., played in the Frozen Four last season for UND and will this weekend be playing in the NCAA West Regional in Denver for a shot at a second straight appearance.

The father has some advice for the son: “The biggest thing I try to get across is how difficult it is to get in position to compete for a national championship,” he said. “Now the Sioux have a chance to win two games and get to another national championship. He shouldn’t expect it to happen every year, so I tell him that he should take advantage of it while he can.”

UND's Taylor Chorney plays the puck between netminder Philippe Lamoureux and SCSU's Dan Kronick (photo: John Dahl, SiouxSports.com).

UND’s Taylor Chorney plays the puck between netminder Philippe Lamoureux and SCSU’s Dan Kronick (photo: John Dahl, SiouxSports.com).

No matter how the weekend turns out, it’s been a remarkable season for the younger Chorney, who was named to the All-WCHA second team and the WCHA Final Five all-tournament team last week. A return trip to the Frozen Four with a chance for UND’s eighth national title and the opportunity to duplicate his father’s accomplishment seems almost fitting.

“Taylor’s had a tremendous season very quietly,” said UND goalie Philippe Lamoureux. “Our front line gets a lot of the press clippings and attention, but really, Taylor and his partner, Brian Lee, have had very strong years and certainly lead the way for us on defense. He’s definitely a leader for us on the ice.”

Chorney had a solid freshman season with three goals and 15 assists. He followed that up with an even better second year. With eight goals and 21 assists, he not only became one of the WCHA’s top-scoring defenseman, he also developed a reputation for tough, physical play and solid, error-free defense.

“Last year, I just wanted to establish myself as a guy who could play in the league and just make myself comfortable, not try to do too much and limit my mistakes,” Chorney said. “More than anything, I just feel a little more confident with the puck this year. My coaches have given me confidence, too. They allow me to do some things out there that maybe last year they wouldn’t allow me to do.”

Another milestone in Chorney’s hockey career this season was being named captain of the U.S. team that won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship in Sweden. Just as UND struggled during the first half of the season, so, too, did the U.S. team during the initial stages of the international tournament.

“The experience of the World Junior tournament was a great one for him,” said Sioux coach Dave Hakstol. “The U.S. team had to really come together and battle back. He was obviously at the heart of that as team captain.

“Certainly he’s a better player coming back, but I don’t think that’s the only factor in his development,” Hakstol said. “He’s really been on a really good pace developmentally. He’s had a great year for us right from the drop of the puck.”

Although Chorney was somewhat surprised at being named captain of the U.S. team, the leadership role was one with which he became familiar while playing for Shattuck-St. Mary’s in Faribault, Minn.

“I think I owe a lot of that to the way I was brought up,” he said. “That’s to do the things a leader would do and play a certain way. I always try to play hard and play with a lot of passion. That kind of stuff rubs off on a lot of guys.”

When Chorney returned from Sweden, he rejoined a Sioux team that had already begun to turn its season around. UND went 7-10-1 before Christmas and is 15-3-4 since then. However, he downplays his part in the team’s improvement.

“A lot of guys have been stepping up for us in the second half,” he noted. “Everybody’s taken their game to another level.”

As second-round draft choice of the NHL’s Edmonton Oilers, Chorney’s play over the past year has some thinking that this season might be his last at UND. But his father, who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Los Angeles Kings, believes his son shouldn’t be in any hurry to jump to the NHL.

“The excitement of pro hockey wears off quickly when you know it’s a business,” Marc Chorney said. “Once you turn pro, you can’t go back to your college days. It’s hard to tell that to a young person when the opportunity is right there in front of him and it’s his dream to play in the NHL.

“Among those I know who played college and pro hockey, it’s unanimous that the longer you can stay in school, grow up and mature, the better player you’ll be when you turn pro,” Marc said. “I tell that to everybody, not just my son.”

After four years at UND, Marc graduated with a business degree. Today, he owns a company that manufactures hardwood flooring for semi trailers and operates three plants in the U.S. and one in Canada. He and his wife Lynn know what they’d like their son to do, although they haven’t discussed it with him yet.

“As parents, our preference is for him to go back to school,” Marc said. “The big reason for him to go to Shattuck and to North Dakota was to get a good education. It’s ultimately his decision, but I’m hopeful that he feels the same way I do.”

While Taylor Chorney concentrates on preparing for UND’s upcoming game with Michigan, he makes it clear that when the season is done, he’ll give serious consideration to his father’s advice.

“I pretty much owe everything in my hockey career to my dad,” he said. “He’s one of my best friends, and he’s always helped me out.

Brothers In Arms

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“Tag, you’re it,” Ed Gosek said to George Roll. “Now it’s your turn.”

The last time Clarkson coach George Roll and Oswego coach Ed Gosek made it to the NCAA playoffs was in 2003 when they led Oswego to the Division III national championship final, losing to Norwich, 2-1. At the time, Roll was the head coach for Oswego, and Gosek was the assistant coach at his alma mater. Soon after that, both coaches got new jobs, and it took them four years to get back to the promised land.

During that run, rumors swirled that Roll was about to take the job at Clarkson, where he was an assistant coach for eight years before heading to Oswego. When the Division III playoffs were over, Roll did indeed return to the North Country. Oswego then promoted Gosek to the head coaching job.

When Roll took over at Clarkson, it was a program in turmoil after longtime coach Mark Morris was let go. The Golden Knights struggled in his first three years, going 18-18-5, 13-23-3, and 18-17-3, respectively, though in his first year, Clarkson did get hot in the ECACHL playoffs, losing in the championship game. Every year the Golden Knights finished below .500 in the conference.

This year, however, Clarkson is back on top, a familiar position for this storied program. They finished second in the ECACHL, currently have a 25-8-5 record, won the conference championship, and are back in the NCAA playoffs with a number-one seed in the East Region.

“We’re excited,” Roll said. “It’s been quite some time. Certainly, when we took over the program the past four years, it has been our goal to get back to becoming one of the premier hockey programs in the nation.”

Meanwhile, Gosek was picking up where Roll left off. The Lakers compiled a record of 78-25-11, finished first the last three years, but stumbled in the SUNYAC playoffs, never winning the championship. This year, Oswego got an at-large bid and returned to the NCAA playoffs. They made the best of it, running the table and winning the school’s first national championship in any sport.

“I don’t know if it’s sunk in yet,” Gosek said. “Personally, I’m just happy to bring it back to our school, our alums, our community, all the coaches before me who have worked so hard in the past. This is a hockey town, and it means a lot to them.”

Roll’s seven years at Oswego saw him compile a record of 119-74-16, always have winning seasons, make two appearances in the NCAA playoffs, and win a SUNYAC championship. He also gained a close friend in Gosek.

“We have a pretty good relationship,” Roll said.

“We became good friends,” Gosek said. “Our wives are good friends. Our kids are the same age. It worked out real well. It was hard to see him leave.”

Gosek credits Roll for a lot of his success. “He could have cleaned house when he first came here and brought in his own people. But, he kept us assistants on, and I’m grateful for that. He’s the one that pushed me to get my master’s, so I would be in a position to get this job if he left.

“He’s been instrumental [to my success]. In the seven years we spent together, he taught me a lot. It wasn’t just the Xs and Os, but it was how to run the program and bringing in the right kids. Taking your time if you have to, making sure it’s right. I think that the biggest part he taught me is dealing with the kids.”

They talk constantly on the phone, comparing notes on each other’s teams’ success and pitfalls, and looking for advice from one another.

“I think he leans on me a little more,” Roll said of their relationship. “I think a lot of times he looks to bounce ideas off me. One thing I respect a lot about Eddie is that he would speak his mind.”

When the opportunity arises, they continue to work together.

“We go on the road recruiting together,” Gosek said. “I watch his kids for him, and he watches our kids for us. He’s been very supportive of me, and we talk all the time.”

Needless to say, they keep close tabs on how each other’s teams are doing.

“Very closely,” Roll said. “When we got back from Albany, went to a friend’s house to watch the [national championship] game. Really was excited for Eddie, especially with what he’s been through.”

“I’m sure he was as happy as I am when we finally won it,” Gosek said. “We’re going to bring the whole family down [to Rochester for the East Regional]. They have a good team, and they’re having a great run this year winning the ECAC championship. I know how hard they work.”

They both have to work hard because they both share something in common — coaching in towns whose self-esteem is partially measured by how well the local college hockey team does.

“I know he got it last year pretty good up there,” Gosek said. “And I got it this year with the [SUNYAC] playoffs. It’s a double edged sword. There’s pressure, but it’s good pressure.”

Has the Oswego experience helped Roll in preparing his team this year?

“Not just that experience, but the experience of having played [at Bowling Green] and coaching here as an assistant,” he said. “The biggest thing is for our team not to be satisfied in just being here. We don’t want to become complacent. We want to win the national championship.”

So, does his good friend rub it in that he got a national championship first?

“No, he hasn’t brought that up,” Roll laughed. “I’ve been waiting for it.”

Saul Tapped At Potsdam

USCHO Staff Report
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Aaron Saul was today named head coach of of the Postdam men’s hockey team. Saul, a former Potsdam assistant coach, will replace Glenn Thomaris who announced his retirement from Potsdam last month.

SAUL

SAUL

“We’re tremendously excited that Aaron has agreed to coach our men’s hockey team. While the competition for the position was great, his passion for coaching, his ability to recruit high quality student athletes, and his work ethic clearly separated him from the rest of the field. Our department is happy to be reunited with him and we look forward to many years of top flight hockey with Aaron Saul as our coach,” said Potsdam athletic director Jim Zalacca.

Saul comes to Potsdam from Elmira College where he has been the assistant hockey coach since first leaving Potsdam in 2001. He is also the head men’s golf coach at Elmira.

“I am extremely excited to return to the Potsdam Bears Hockey program. My time as an assistant coach at SUNY Potsdam was a great learning experience working with Ed Seney and Jay Green. It has been a dream of mine to become a Head Coach at the Division III level. Working with Tim Ceglarski at Elmira College for the past six seasons has prepared me for that and I am looking forward to the challenge,” Saul said.

During Saul’s six seasons coaching at Elmira, the men made five trips to the ECAC West Playoffs and picked up two conference championships. In two visits to the NCAA Tournament, Elmira advanced to the quarterfinals in 2005 and the Frozen Four in 2006.

In addition to his work with the Soaring Eagles, Saul has also been active in hockey schools and clinics having coached in the Paul Vincent Hockey School since 1998.

Saul holds a Master’s Degree from SUNY Potsdam and a Bachelors Degree from Elmira. While a student at Elmira he played four years of varsity hockey when he was twice chosen as team captain. His teams competed in three ECAC tournaments including one ECAC Championship. At Elmira he was elected team MVP and rookie of the year by his teammates.

Notebook: Massachusetts Vs. Clarkson

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One Is All It Takes

Today’s win by Massachusetts was the ninth 1-0 final in NCAA tournament history but the seventh since 2003. Two others were overtime games: last year’s epic three-OT win by Wisconsin over Cornell in the Midwest Regional Final and Minnesota’s 2005 West Regional Semifinal win over Maine.

“There’s a thin line between winning and losing,” said UMass goalie Jon Quick. “We learned it last week [in an overtime loss to New Hampshire] and we learned it today.”

Streaks

Coming into this afternoon’s game, Clarkson had won five straight — including the ECACHL title in a come back win over Quinnipiac — and was 9-1-1 since February. The rest of the bracket came into the weekend with losses in their previous games: UMass with one, St. Cloud State with two, and Maine, four straight.

Clarkson In The Tournament

This was Clarkson’s first trip to the NCAA tournament since George Roll took the helm in 2003. The last trip for the Golden Knights was in 1999. Clarkson ended the drought after nine trips to the NCAAs in the ten years of the 1990s.

The last win for Clarkson in the tournament was during Roll’s final year as an assistant coach before taking the reigns at D-III Oswego, a 6-1 win over Western Michigan in the East Regional in Albany, N.Y. on March 22, 1996. The Knights have lost their last five NCAA playoff games.

This season marks the third time that Clarkson has been the top seed in the East Regional; the other two were in 1981 and 1997.

With today’s loss, Clarkson is 12-23-1 in NCAA play since 1957. The Golden Knights have never won a title, but were runners-up in 1962, 1966 and 1970.

Clarkson’s last overtime win in the NCAAs was over Harvard, 2-1, in 1957.

First Time For UMass

UMass made its first NCAA appearance in today’s contest. With that, Don “Toot” Cahoon became the 13th D-I coach to take two different teams to the NCAAs, having led Princeton to the tournament in 1998. Cahoon also participated in the tournament as a left wing for Boston University when the Terriers won the title in 1971 and 1972.

A Short History

Today’s game was just the fourth meeting between these two schools, with UMass now holding a 3-0-1 record. The tie came this season as the Minutemen hosted the Knights on Oct. 14, playing to a 3-3 draw.

Home Cooking

UMass defenseman David Leaderer was on the ice today in front of a hometown crowd. The junior played for two years at Greece Arcadia High School in suburban Rochester before playing for the Boston Jr. Bruins.

2,000 Minute Men

UMass goalie Jon Quick and Clarkson’s David Leggio are two of eight D-I goaltenders to log more than 2,000 minutes in net this season. Leggio and Quick sported nearly identical stats entering the contest: both had 2.20 GAA, Leggio a .929 save percentage to Quick’s .928, and both had two shutouts this season. Both also set school records for saves in a season today, Leggio with 1,037 and Quick with 1,020.

“Both goalies were on the top of their game today,” said Clarkson coach George Roll.

Stymied

Shut out today, Clarkson entered the game with the sixth best offense in the country, with five players over 30 points and an average of 3.58 goals per game.

About the shutout performance by Quick, UMass coach Don “Toot” Cahoon said, “I don’t know if there’s a better athlete in that position anyhwere.”

Minnesota State’s Wagner Off To Pro Ranks

USCHO Staff Report
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The St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League announced Thursday that they have signed Minnesota State defenseman Steve Wagner to a two-year entry-level contract, beginning next year.

Wagner will join the Peoria Rivermen, the Blues’ affiliate in the American Hockey League, for the remainder of the season as an amateur tryout.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Named All-WCHA Third Team in 2006-07, Wagner led MSU defensemen in scoring in 2006-07 with 6-23–29. He trailed only Travis Morin on the overall MSU offensive charts and totalled career highs for goals, assists and points this year.

He currently ranks 11th in the country in defenseman scoring with a 0.76 points per game mark and his 29 points this year tied for 12th on MSU’s single-season defensemen scoring list.

The Grand Rapids, Minn., native led MSU with 23 assists in 2006-07 and in 113 overall games, racked up 12-43–55 during his three-year collegiate career. An assistant captain this year, he was a two-time WCHA All-Academic honoree.

Notebook: Maine Vs. St. Cloud

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Ending The Drought

Maine came into the NCAA tournament having lost four straight, all of them to Massachusetts: two to end the season and a sweep at the hands of UMass in the Hockey East tournament, the team the Black Bears face on Saturday.

“How could you not respect a team that beat you four times in a row?” asked Maine coach Tim Whitehead. “You’d be foolish if you didn’t.”

Maine goalie Ben Bishop missed all four of those games with a groin injury and is looking forward to the rematch.

“When we saw they won tonight, it really boosted us,” Bishop said.

Maine’s Michel Léveillé is relishing the opportunity, too: “I don’t call it a second chance; I call it a second life.”

The Black Bears won at home earlier in the season against UMass, 4-1, and are 4-4-2 in their last 10 meetings.

Ending With A Drought

St. Cloud State, once projected as a top four seed, lost its last three games: a semifinal loss to North Dakota in the WCHA Final Five and a consolation loss to Wisconsin preceded tonight’s defeat.

Huskies coach Bob Motzko didn’t think that those losses influenced things tonight. “We had a really great week of practices this week. Our spirits were great.”

Black Bears In The Big Dance

The Black Bears have the second-longest current streak of NCAA appearances. This season is the ninth straight for Maine, and the sixth in a row under coach Tim Whitehead. Only Michigan, with 17, has more. Maine has been in 17 NCAA tournaments overall with a record of 28-18.

Maine was 3-0 coming into the game against teams in the NCAA tournament outside of Hockey East, but 2-11-1 against league foes — including 1-4 against UMass. The non-league wins came against teams in the West Regional from the WCHA. Main opened the season with a 3-1 home win over Minnesota and then swept a pair in Grand Forks against North Dakota, 6-2 and 3-1.

Maine was also a No. 3 seed in last year’s East Regional and advanced to the Frozen Four. The Black Bears are now 13-2 all time in regional play.

Huskies In The NCAAs

St. Cloud made its sixth trip to the NCAAs this season — and its first since four straight appearances from 2000-2003 — but tonight’s contest was the first tournament meeting between these two teams. It was also the first trip under second-year head coach Motzko, who has seen a lot of growth in his team in that span.

“We’re not the most talented group,” he said. “But we came a long way in the last two years.”

Something In Common

Maine and St. Cloud both played North Dakota, Minnesota and Vermont this season. Maine was 5-1 while the Huskies were 3-2-4.

Maine holds the series lead between the two teams 1-6-1 all time with the win tonight. The loss tonight was the first game against the Black Bears under Motzko.

Perfect Outside the WCHA Until Now

St. Cloud’s loss to Maine is its first outside the WCHA this season. The Huskies went 6-0-0 in non-conference play until the loss tonight.

Bragging Rights

Hockey East had five teams selected this season for the NCAA tournament to three for the WCHA. Since 1985, the WCHA has had 76 teams in the tournament to 72 for Hockey East.

Not Playing The Averages

Maine had averaged 2.96 goals a game and allowing 2.56, while St. Cloud State had averaged 3.23 per game and had allowed an average of 2.44.

Turnstile Count

Today’s attendance at the Blue Cross Arena was 3,887.

Change Is Just Fine

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“Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect,” Geneseo assistant captain Mitch Stephens said about first going to college.

One of the many lifelong lessons you learn in college is dealing with change. For many students, they are living away from their parents for the first time. For an athlete, you are playing for a new coach.

For most players, learning to deal with a new coach in college is a one-time experience. For some, they may experience a coaching change during their four years. Rarely, however, does an athlete play for three different coaches in his collegiate career. Even rarer, do those constant changes not have an effect on that athlete’s performance.

Mitch Stephens has rolled with the changes at Geneseo during his college career (photo: Angelo Lisuzzo).

Mitch Stephens has rolled with the changes at Geneseo during his college career (photo: Angelo Lisuzzo).

Mitch Stephens of Geneseo State is one such athlete. When he came to Geneseo, the head coach was Brian Hills. In his junior year, it was Jason Lammers. When he finished his career, it was Chris Schultz. None of those changes slowed Stephens down. In fact, none of those changes slowed the team down.

It takes a special player and a special senior class the ability to not allow the coaching revolving door to get them down.

“The maturity not only that he has, but the surrounding cast had, they never dealt with it negatively. And, if they did, I never heard about it,” Geneseo coach Chris Schultz said. “It always stayed in the locker room. All our seniors — and I’m sure Mitch was right in the middle of it — did a great job maintaining a sense of stability.”

“I think we all tried to help with the new coaches as much as possible,” Stephens said.

That sense of stability from the players allowed Geneseo to finish in second place three years in a row with three different coaches and win the SUNYAC championship twice in a row with two different coaches.

Stephens’ performance stayed just as consistent, especially during those latter three years. After his freshman year in which he tallied nine goals and 19 assists for 28 points, he scored 15, 16, and 10 goals, respectively, the next three years. He also continued putting up more assists than goals — 25, 28, and 45, respectively. This all adds up to 117 assists in 111 games. Combined with 50 goals, it gave him 167 career points.

The Forrest, Manitoba native was awarded for his senior year being his best by being named a first team All-American, SUNYAC Player of the Year, and first team All-Conference.

“I have yet to see a Division III player — maybe [Brendan] McLaughlin [of Oswego] is another one — that has as good as hands as he does,” Schultz said. “The thing that makes him probably one of the top eight players in the country is the vision he has on the ice that goes along with his hands.”

Hills concurs: “We knew we were going to get a good hockey player. He has great hands and great vision. He’s very unselfish with the puck. That’s why he’s so good on the powerplay. He shoots the puck very well. He played up high on the powerplay. He probably would have scored more if he played down low. He’s also a good penalty killer. He can knock the puck out of the air.”

That latter statement is quite an understatement. In Stephens’ junior year, he led the country with seven shorthanded goals. The seventh one couldn’t have been more important. It was the game-winner with 6:24 left in the second game of the three-game SUNYAC final against Plattsburgh that saved Geneseo from elimination. There were times that year where opponents would have been better off declining the penalty.

His playing up high on the power play created numerous opportunities for teammates. In his sophomore year, it was his pass on a power-play goal with 21 seconds left in the third period that salvaged a 3-3 tie in the first game of the semifinal round against Fredonia, allowing the Ice Knights to go on and win that series.

And in the finals that same year, in perhaps the most important goal in Geneseo history up to that point, it was his shot from the point in overtime that couldn’t be handled, allowing Michel Bond to fire the rebound home that won the SUNYAC championship.

When asked what his greatest memories were, Stephens answered, “Winning the two championships, obviously. Winning them at home was great. The atmosphere with all the support from the school and students was amazing. Just being in the building, whether we won or not, was a great experience.”

It takes more than just talent to withstand one change after another.

“It made it difficult,” Stephens admits. “The last two years I came back, I played under different coaches. Luckily, they were all similar and were good coaches. They were receptive to the things we had done in the past. They were willing to listen to us.”

That willingness and Stephens’ hockey smarts made the transitions go smoothly.

“The one thing I know that I’ll look back on is he has an unbelievable knowledge of the game,” Schultz said. “He understands the game really well. There are not too many kids that go through the program that have the kind of knowledge he has. It’s helped me tremendously. He’s come to the bench and told me things about certain situation on the ice that’s helped us during the game.”

Hills said, “He’s a student of the game. He comes to you with different ideas. I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a coach one day.”

Just like coaches, players come and go. However, some leave an indelible mark both on and off the ice.

“One of the things I think that when reporters — and fans, too — write about a player, they talk about talent and skills,” Schultz said. “They don’t always get to know about the player personally. He’s a very likeable person with tremendous character. He’s a tremendously mature person. It’s like talking to a GM; that’s the way he thinks.”

“He’s a guy who just comes to the rink and is going to play,” Hills said. “He’s a very coachable kid. He’s not confrontational at all.”

Stephens, a business major, would like to continue playing. He is trying to hook up with a UHL team. In the pros, coaches change a lot more often than in college, but they won’t have to worry about how it affects Stephens.

The only constant in life is change. That is one college lesson Stephens has aced.

Notebook: Michigan State vs. Boston University

By Paula C. Weston and Ryan Childers
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Unfamiliar Territory

The Terriers found themselves in unfamiliar territory in Grand Rapids, as it was the first time since 1997 that Boston University has had to travel further west than Albany, N.Y., for an NCAA tournament game.

In 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2006, the Terriers stayed very close to home, playing NCAA tourney games in Worcester, Mass., in each of those years. In 1998 and 2000, BU traveled to Albany.

In 1997, the Terriers went to the Frozen Four in Milwaukee, where they beat Michigan but lost to North Dakota in the title game.

One, for Once

Ryan Weston’s first-period goal prevented the Terriers from ending the season with a shutout loss since they ended their 2001-2002 campaign with a 4-3 loss to Maine in the NCAA East Regional:

  • March 25, 2006: 5-0 loss to Boston College (NCAA Northeast Regional)
  • March 25, 2005: 1-0 loss to North Dakota (NCAA East Regional)
  • March 19, 2004: 1-0 loss to Maine (Hockey East Semifinal)
  • March 29, 2003: 3-0 loss to New Hampshire (NCAA Northeast Regional)

It’s All Relative

Because of the double-overtime game between Alabama-Huntsville and Notre Dame earlier tonight, this contest began at 10:05 p.m. Friday and ended at 12:31 a.m. Saturday. After the game, MSU head coach illustrated the difference between youth and…maturity.

When asked about how fatigue may factor into Saturday’s game against Notre Dame, said Comley, “I don’t care about them being tired this time of year. Like I say, I’ll tell them when they’re tired. When I want them to go out, get ready to go out. That’s why I work them hard.”

And Comley put many things into perspective with this comment: “It’s just amazing starting a game at 10 o’clock. I go to bed at 10 o’clock.”

On a Roll

The Spartans have won four of their last five games, and netted 12 goals in their last two contests. Prior to their 7-6 win over Lake Superior State in the third-place game in last week’s CCHA tournament and the 5-1 win tonight, the Spartans had scored 16 goals in their previous five games.

When scoring four or more goals this season, MSU is 16-1. And when the Spartans allow just one goal in a game, they’re 7-0.

Finally

The all-CCHA Midwest Regional final Saturday guarantees that a team from the CCHA will head to the Frozen Four for the first time since Michigan went to Buffalo in 2003.

The veterans vs. the rookies

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Saturday’s second regional semifinal in Manchester is an interesting battle of two totally opposite clubs. Boston College features a senior class that has been to three straight NCAA tournaments and two Frozen Fours. St. Lawrence, having not been in the tournament since 2001, doesn’t have a single game of experience among its players, though head coach Joe Marsh has brought seven teams to the NCAA tournament.

So the question then lies: how much of a role does experience play?

Though St. Lawrence is extremely cognoscente of the fact that one of the most important parts of Saturday’s game will be weathering the BC storm early, Marsh feels that his club has put itself in a position all year that makes up for their lack of experience.

“We try to play in a playoff frame of mind every single game,” said Marsh. “Before the [ECACHL consolation game versus Dartmouth], we said ‘Guys, the NCAA tournament is new, it’s not next week.’

“A lot of it is the experience and the teams that can handle that and look at it as an opportunity rather than pressure. Everybody will tell you, you want to come to this and soak it in. You want to enjoy it. It’s the big time and kids play for this.”

As much as Marsh played down his team’s lack of experience, so too did BC head coach Jerry York play down the benefits associated with being a seasoned NCAA team.

“Experience is a benefit, if you use it properly,” said York. “It’s a carry over to the next season. But as far as tomorrow’s game goes, it’s not going to be Experience 4, St. Lawrence 0 to start the game. Experience doesn’t win a game. It helps keep your program going.”

Out of Town Scoreboard

Possibly the biggest point of interest at the Verizon Wireless Arena late in the afternoon Friday was the television in the media room that was tuned to CN8 and the opening game of the East Regional between UMass and Clarkson. Coaches and players alike made their way into the press center but all left disappointed. As the arena cleared out, the game headed to overtime scoreless, meaning that Boston College, the final team to practice at the arena on Friday, headed to dinner without knowing the game’s outcome.

That’s a Wrap

The first day of reporting is done from Verizon. I’ll be back on Saturday with commentary and game coverage as well as some thoughts on the first night of games from the East and Midwest regionals.

Maine Man

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It was a soft goal just 3:39 in the game. Ben Bishop was playing in his first game since missing the last four, all losses, to a groin injury. Did he come back too early? Were the Black Bears in for a long night?

St. Cloud State knew what they might be going up against. The Huskies alternate captain Justin Fletcher said, “We had a plan to put a lot of pucks on the goalie and at his feet.”

But the goal didn’t faze Bishop. “It was just one of those goals,” he said. “I wish I could have it back.” He then laughed and said, “I told Coach that I had to get it out of my system.”

Bishop was one of the key reasons Maine opened the season at 8-0-1 and a number one ranking, including two wins at North Dakota and a victory over Minnesota at St. Paul. Leading up to the NCAA playoffs, he had a .921 save pct. and 2.15 GAA.

Ben Bishop returned to the lineup against St. Cloud and never missed a beat. (photo: Melissa Wade)

Ben Bishop returned to the lineup against St. Cloud and never missed a beat. (photo: Melissa Wade)

Then, the groin started to plague him, and Maine went 13-14-1 the rest of the season including six losses in the last eight and those four losses to Massachusetts down the stretch. Despite the injuries, he still started in 30 (and played in 31) of his team’s 37 games.

He had no choice but to sit out the final two games of the regular season and then the Hockey East first round series, all against the Minutemen who happens to be their next opponent.

The sophomore recovered after the initial goal, stonewalling St. Cloud State the rest of the way making 33 saves, which included some difficult ones.

“I was really proud of Ben particularly how he reacted after the first goal,” Maine coach Tim Whitehead said. “How he kept his cool after that showed a lot of composure and a lot of presence for a guy who hasn’t been in the net much in the second half of the season.”

Whenever there was a break, Bishop would use the time to stretch in order to keep those key muscles from tightening up.

“I was just trying to stay loose,” Bishop said. “I didn’t want to let it get tightened up. I use the TV breaks to my advantage. I don’t want to stand around and get stiff. I feel fine.”

Now, Bishop is standing tall, both literally and figuratively. At 6-7, he towers over the crossbar. If he stays healthy, he may tower over the rest of the NCAA field.

Reunion time in New Hampshire…

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New Hampshire coach Dick Umile is not only happy to have his Wildcats team in this year’s NCAA tournament, but he’s also excited by the personalities that surround him.

In addition to the BC coaching staff that Umile knows well, he also has long-time friend Joe Marsh, head coach of St. Lawrence, in the Manchester regional.

“I think the exciting part for me personally is the relationship with the coaches,” said Umile. “I think the coaches along with the student-athletes make this profession exciting. You have some great people here. Joey Marsh and Jerry York are two of the finest coaches in the country and they are very, very well respected and I kind of grew up with them in the Boston area.”

Marsh actually has tie to the both the BC and UNH programs, having played at BC for one season before transferring and finishing his career as a Wildcat (he graduated in 1973, three years after Umile).

Umile also had kind words for his first-round opponent, Miami coach Enrico Blasi.

“I think [Blasi] is one of the top young coaches in the country,” said Umile. “He’s been coaching seven years and he’s still a young guy who is a special talent.”

Home away from home

Despite the fact that UNH is hosting this weekend’s Northeast Regional, the UNH players are treating this like a road game in order to stay focused. The team is staying at a Manchester-area hotel, despite the fact that campus is only about 45 minutes away.

“It is close to our campus, but at the same time we came here a day early and we are staying at the hotel,” said senior forward Josh Ciocco. “Road trips are good — sometimes they can really bring a team together, but at the same time it is nice to be close and have the comforts of home and be in similar surrounding. You kind of get the best of both worlds.”

The biggest “comfort” that the Wildcats will get all weekend is fan support. As of Friday afternoon, less than 500 tickets remained for Saturday’s game and you can expect many of them to be clad in Wildcat blue.

Live from Manchester

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As much as I’d love to be able to provide in-depth blog coverage from all of the regional tournaments this weekend, unfortunately cloning has made the advances I’d hoped at this point and thus you’ll have to settle on getting the inside scoop from the Manchester regional.

I’ll be up here all weekend, providing you with the insider’s look beginning today (Friday) with the pre-game thoughts of the players and coaches of the four school: Miami, New Hampshire, St. Lawrence and Boston College.

Miami head coach Enrico Blasi along with junior forward Nathan Davis and junior captain Ryan Jones faced the media first.

There wasn’t too much to be said by the RedHawks, though Blasi was very clear that he and his club has plenty of respect for first-round opponent New Hampshire.

“We’re playing a No. 1 seed and they’re been great all year,” said Blasi about the Wildcats. “We need to come out and play as a team and take care of what we can control and pay attention to detail. They’re a No. 1 seed for a reason. We’re going to have to make sure we limit their chances.”

This is the third trip in four year to the NCAA tournament for Blasi and his club. It’s the fifth appearance all time for the club, though in the previous four trips, the RedHawks are winless.

Still, the experience that his senior class has is a positive, Blasi says. There’s very few wide-eyed stares that accompany the less-seasoned players.

“When you’re been here a couple of times, you know the routine,” said Blasi. “You know you’ve got to get here and there and certain guys you need to have talk to the media. The clock starts at 60 (minutes) and you’re off a zero (during practice). There is a routine that goes along with it, and if you haven’t been here, it’s different and it could be a distraction. Most of our team has been here before, so I think they know what to expect and hopefully that helps us tomorrow.”

The fact that Miami even got to the tournament, of course, wasn’t determined until the last minute last Saturday. The RedHawks were the final team into the field of 16, having been eliminated two weeks ago by Lake Superior in the CCHA quarterfinals. Jones detailed the anxious moments last Saturday night as he and the rest of the team watched the ECACHL championship game, knowing that a Clarkson victory might have been the only hope for Miami to get in.

“We had a group of guy of a Nate [Jones’] house watching the satellite and the games around the country,” said Jones. “With the PairWise, we had a pretty good idea of who needed to win. We were a little upset for the couple of periods of the [ECACHL and WCHA] games. All of a sudden, Clarkson turned around in the third period and came back to win. The neighbors probably weren’t too happy, but we were screaming and jumping around. We’re obviously excited to get the opportunity to play for a national championship.”

An hour from now we’ll be back with some thoughts from New Hampshire coach Dick Umile and his players.

Notebook: Alabama-Huntsville vs. Notre Dame

By Ryan Childers
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Freshmen Phenoms

Six freshman have helped Notre Dame capture the CCHA regular- and postseason championships and a No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA tournament.

The Fighting Irish rookie class — consisting of Kevin Deeth, Ryan Thang, Kyle Lawson, Brett Blatchford, Dan Kissel and Christian Minella — have contributed 49 goals and 78 assists through 41 games this season. The first-year crew has lit the lamp for a combined 12 game-winning goals, led by Thang’s six markers.

Thang turned in a two-goal performance tonight, and netted ND’s first-ever, NCAA game-winning tally.

Comeback Kids

The Chargers took three of their four postseason contests to overtime, including the CHA tournament’s title game. All three OT games have resulted in UAH come-from-behind efforts.

Quipped UAH goaltender Marc Narduzzi, “Last week, when we weren’t really sure who it was we were going to play, we were joking around the locker room that it didn’t matter who it was. We should spot them a two, three-goal lead and just start from there.”

In the CHA championship game, the Chargers were able to erase a four-goal deficit against Robert Morris. Senior David Nimmo had the game-winning, shorthanded goal in overtime.

Senior Seasons

Three Charger seniors have led the team in scoring this season. David Nimmo (14-22–36), Grant Selinger (17-16–33) and Brent McConnachie (12-16–28) are among the 10 UAH seniors who played their last game tonight.

“The seniors are the guys that really led our team out there tonight,” said UAH head coach Doug Ross.

Sweet Home Alabama

The UAH band made the trip…and made the game very entertaining for fans. Every time the Irish band began the Notre Dame fight song, the Charger band responded with a rousing rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama.”

The band repeated an interesting chant throughout the game as well. One person asked the group, “What do we want to do, boys?” to which the band responded, “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

When prompted with the question, “What melts the ice?” the band responded with, “Blood! Blood! Blood!”

The band also urged the Chargers to “Stab ’em with your skate!”

And at one point, the band spelled out, letter for letter, “University of Alabama-Huntsville,” as a prequel to the question, “What does that spell?”

DiMasi Steps Down At Saint Michael’s

USCHO Staff Report
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Lou DiMasi, the only head coach that the Saint Michael’s College men’s ice hockey program has known since reinstituting its varsity status in 1982, will step down from the helm of the Purple Knights effective immediately, the athletics department announced today. The athletic department also announced that Chris Davidson, Saint Michael’s assistant men’s ice hockey coach for the past six seasons, has been named the Interim Head Coach for the 2007-08 season.

“I’m grateful for Ed Markey (Saint Michael’s Athletics Director from 1968-97), Geri Knortz (current Athletics Director) and Saint Michael’s for giving me the opportunity to do what I love, and thankful for all of the support from my wife Nan and the rest of the family,” said DiMasi.

“Lou has done an outstanding job for 25 years, taking on the head men’s ice hockey coaching responsibilities along with his full-time job in the student life office,” said Knortz. “We are all so thankful for his good work in not only coaching his team members in the sport of ice hockey, but also in developing them as outstanding citizens. We recognize and appreciate the sacrifices that he has made to build this program, and honor his desire to spend more time with his family.”

One of just two people enshrined in both the Saint Michael’s and Norwich University Athletics Halls of Fame, DiMasi compiled a 264-308-21 record in 25 years as head coach of the Purple Knights. He reached the pinnacle of his profession during the 1998-99 season, when he guided Saint Michael’s to the NCAA Division II men’s ice hockey championship, the only NCAA Championship in College history.

DiMasi steps down as the second winningest coach in the 102-year history of Saint Michael’s athletics (only Sue Duprat, who recorded 327 victories as the women’s basketball head coach from 1976-2003, has more wins at Saint Michael’s than DiMasi).

DiMasi led the Purple Knights to 10 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) playoff appearances, including eight straight years from 1995-2003, and coached Saint Michael’s to the inaugural Northeast-10 Conference men’s ice hockey tournament championship in 2004. The 2003 ECAC Division II Coach of the Year, DiMasi coached an NCAA Division II Player of the Year (Josh Ralph in 2000), five First-Team All-Americans (Ralph, Darren Beers ’99, Michel Dupont ’98, John Gurskis ’98, and Kyle Lanfear ’98), and nearly three dozen players that have earned postseason awards.

A native of Somerville, Mass., DiMasi went on to star at Norwich, where he was a four-year starter for the Cadets from 1972-76. DiMasi also served as a high school head coach in Vermont for four seasons before taking over at Saint Michael’s, as he guided the Middlebury Union High School boy’s ice hockey team for three seasons, and the Northfield High School boy’s ice hockey team to a state championship

DiMasi will remain in his full-time position as the College’s Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Resident Life. Among the five children that he and his wife, Nan, have are: Lou III, a two-time All-American at Norwich from 2000-04 who has played professionally the last three seasons; Andy, a four-year member of the Saint Michael’s men’s ice hockey program who is expected to graduate in May; Molly, who just completed her first season as a member of the Saint Michael’s women’s ice hockey and field hockey squads; Ronny, a senior and ice hockey player at Burlington (Vt.) High School; and Maggie, a sophomore at Burlington High School and one of the top girl’s ice hockey players in the state.

Skille Departs Badgers For NHL Blackhawks

USCHO Staff Report
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Wisconsin’s Jack Skille today signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, forgoing his final two years of eligibility.

On Oct. 28, Jack Skille takes part in his first practice with a stick since injuring his elbow against North Dakota on Oct. 13 (USCHO file photo: Melissa Wade.)

On Oct. 28, Jack Skille takes part in his first practice with a stick since injuring his elbow against North Dakota on Oct. 13 (USCHO file photo: Melissa Wade.)

“We feel Jack is a very dynamic player with size, speed, skill, and grit,” said Blackhawks General Manager Dale Tallon. “He has the makings of a strong power forward in the National Hockey League. He has a great attitude and is a character kid.”

Skille was the Blackhawks’ first-round pick and seventh overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft.

Skille, 19, skated in 26 games this past season, tallying eight goals and 18 points. The sophomore tallied one power-play goal, short-handed goal and game-winning goal to go along with 12 penalty minutes and a plus-3 rating for the Badgers. In two seasons and 67 career games at Wisconsin, Skille collected 21 goals and 39 points, to go along with 49 penalty minutes, a plus-12 rating, four power-play goals and three game-winning scores.

Skille played for the United States in the under-20 World Junior Championships for the past two years. In the 2005 World Juniors, Skille appeared in seven games and scored two goals with four penalty minutes. In the 2006 World Junior Tournament, Skille played in 7 games and scored one goal while adding five assists for six points with 14 penalty minutes.

In the 2005-06 midwest regional finals, Skille scored the game-winning goal in triple overtime to give Wisconsin a 1-0 win over Cornell. In his two years at the Wisconsin, Skille appeared in 67 games scoring 21 goals and adding 18 assists for 39 points with 49 penalty minutes and won a national championship in 2006.

Skille is the second Badger underclassman to leave the team this week. On Tuesday, junior defenseman Joe Piskula signed a multi-year entry-level contract with the Los Angeles Kings.

Colby’s Greg Osborne Wins Concannon Award

USCHO Staff Report
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Gridiron Club of Greater Boston president Dave O’Brien announced today that senior forward Greg Osborne of Colby College is this year’s winner of the seventh annual Joe Concannon Award, which recognizes New England’s best American-born Division II-III hockey player.

Osborne, a resident of Stoughton, Mass., finished his career at Colby with an outstanding season in which he scored 21 goals and 20 assists for 41 points in just 25 games. During his career, Osborne posted a balanced total of 48 goals and 57 assists for 105 points in 97 games for the White Mules. Osborne was named a first team NESCAC League all-star for the season and was named the league’s Player of the Year. He was team captain and led Colby to the NESCAC conference semi-finals where they lost a one-goal decision to eventual champion Middlebury.

Colby head coach Jim Tortorella said, “Ozzy is a special kid with impeccable character, which is why we recruited him to come to Colby. As our captain he had a great skill for keeping our team, including our seniors, in the present and focused on the task at hand. He isn’t flamboyant and doesn’t necessarily score the highlight reel type goals, but he is very efficient. He always seemed to be in the right place this year and didn’t miss his opportunities.”

Tortorella added, “Ozzy has persevered throughout his career and has had the personality to deal with the bumps in the road that come along. Looking back, his freshman numbers were OK but he has steadily improved to the point where he had such a big year for us this season. I am very proud of his accomplishments and glad to see him being recognized.”

A strong field of finalist candidates vied with Greg Osborne for the Concannon Award. They included senior forward Kyle McCullough from UMass-Dartmouth; senior defenseman Brett Smith from St. Anselm College; senior forward Ryan Moore from Fitchburg State; and senior forward Will Bennett from Wesleyan University.

McCullough, from Danvers, Mass., led the Corsairs to a second consecutive ECAC Northeast title and top seeding in the East for the NCAA tournament. McCullough finished the season with 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points. For his career, Kyle had 64 goals and 90 assists for 154 points during 111 games at UMass-Dartmouth.

Smith, from Hudson, Mass., was a true impact player at both ends of the ice for the St. Anselm Hawks. His six goals and 13 assists for 19 points in just 22 games were among the team leaders in scoring, while he logged huge amounts of ice time each game. The senior defenseman finishes his career at St. A’s with 35 goals and 69 assists for 104 points in 108 games.

Moore, from Randolph, Mass., was the ECAC Northeast Player of the Year in leading his Fitchburg State Falcons to the conference semifinals. He finished as the conference’s leading scorer with 23 goals and 19 assists for 42 points in just 27 games played.

Bennett, from Boston, Mass., was co-captain at Wesleyan and helped lead the Cardinals to their best season ever. His team-leading 11 goals and 24 assists for 35 points helped propel Wesleyan to their first ever home-ice berth in the conference playoffs.

“This year has been maybe been the best season of competition at the Division II and III levels in New England college hockey,” said committee chairman Tim Costello. “All of our nominees had terrific seasons and our five finalists truly distinguished themselves from a very talented field. Greg has demonstrated great skills on the ice, leadership and sportsmanship and truly fits nicely among the group of illustrious past winners of the Concannon Award.”

The 2007 Joe Concannon Award will be presented to the winner at the New England Hockey Writers’ Dinner on Wednesday, April 11. Last year’s winner was Adam Dann from Bowdoin College and Burlington, Vt.

Joe Concannon Award Winners

2001: Keith Aucoin, Norwich
2002: Michael Carosi, Bowdoin
2003: Nick Stauder, Salem State
2004: Jim Panczykowski, Wesleyan; Mike O’Sullivan, Curry
2005: Brian Doherty, Curry; Joseph Ori, Trinity
2006: Adam Dann, Bowdoin
2007: Greg Osborne, Colby

2007 NCAA Midwest Regional Preview

By Paula C. Weston, Matt Mackinder, Scott Weighart and Scott Brown
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Grand Rapids, Mich., site of the Midwest Regional, could see history made this weekend.

The first game Friday at Van Andel Arena matches Notre Dame — 2006-07’s most striking success story — against an underdog the likes of which the NCAA tournament hasn’t seen in almost 30 years in Alabama-Huntsville.

The Chargers finished last in the CHA regular season and rallied from two-goal deficits or more three times in the CHA tournament to give head coach Doug Ross the ultimate going-away present in his final year.

But the defense-minded Fighting Irish, backboned by Hobey Baker finalist David Brown, may prove the ultimate test of UAH’s magic-making capabilities as Notre Dame seeks its first-ever Frozen Four berth under second-year head coach Jeff Jackson, who knows a thing or two about NCAA tournament success from his days at Lake Superior State.

The other semifinal pits Boston University against Michigan State, led respectively by longtime friends Jack Parker and Rick Comley. The Terriers and Spartans — no strangers to the national stage — haven’t met since BU beat MSU at the 2002 Great Lakes Invitational.

Each is coming off a loss to its archrival in the conference semifinals, but while BU’s NCAA ticket was already firmly in hand at that point, Michigan State had to earn its way in with a third-place victory last Saturday.

Both the Terriers and the Spartans reached regional finals last season, but only one will get that far this time.

Notre Dame vs. Alabama-Huntsville
Friday, 5 p.m. ET, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Record: 31-6-3, 21-4-3 CCHA (first)
Seed: No. 2 overall, No. 1 Midwest
How in: CCHA tournament champion
2006 NCAA tournament: none

It’s a good week to be Jeff Jackson.

Not only did the second-year Notre Dame head coach win the CCHA playoff championship for the first time in program history, but his Irish are playing a few hours away from home in their second-ever NCAA appearance, and saw someone that made him very happy.

“I had a guy in from an architectural planning firm,” said Jackson. “It’s the best news I’ve had all week.”

That the Irish have come so far so fast is in itself remarkable; that they’ve done so in the Joyce Center, an outdated multipurpose building on a campus where football is king, is even more surreal.

Notre Dame is this year’s Cinderella story, having gone from a 13-win, eighth-place CCHA finish in 2005-06 and just five wins total in 2004-05 to become one of the most consistent teams in the nation this year. After ND’s 2-1 win over Michigan Saturday to capture the Mason Cup, Hobey Baker finalist and senior goaltender David Brown said that Jackson is the reason for the team’s turnaround.

“As soon as Coach came, he instilled the sense of professionalism that he brought with him. He really helped us to regain that pride in the program that we’d been missing, and changed the culture that we had currently. He improved that dramatically and really had everyone take more pride in wearing the Irish uniform.

“He started the ball rolling in the second half last year, and we really had a full year under him this year which really helped. We hit the ground running at the beginning of the year, which we wanted to do, and I haven’t looked back since.”

Brown certainly hasn’t looked back. As a sophomore in 2004-05, Brown played 15 games and earned a .870 save percentage. In 31 games last year, Brown’s save percentage was .915; this year, it’s .931, with a nation-leading 1.58 goals-against average.

The Irish allow just 1.65 goals per game on average, but Jackson is quick to point out that Notre Dame is far more than the sum of that smothering defense. The Irish can score, and with six players who have registered 10 or more goals, Notre Dame’s offense is eighth in the nation. They may not be household names, but sophomores Erik Condra (14-33–47) and Garrett Regan (14-12–26) and freshmen Ryan Thang (18-21–39) and Kevin Deeth (17-22–39) certainly will be.

As balanced as is Notre Dame, Huntsville “is pretty balanced, too,” said Jackson. “They’re a little bit of a run-and-gun squad. They’re pretty deep offensively.”

That back-and-forth kind of game — “bunny-rabbit hockey,” as Jackson calls it — is not something Jackson wants Notre Dame to play. He knew the only way to beat Michigan for the league title was to stifle the Wolverines’ explosive offense. “Maybe next year we’ll play bunny-rabbit hockey, but we can’t right now.”

Forget that Alabama-Huntsville has 13 wins this year to Notre Dame’s 31. When it comes to tournament play, said Jackson, nothing matters but the two teams on the ice in any given game.

Although the Irish have been “pretty good at not looking past opponents all season,” said Jackson, “Huntsville’s not gotten the notoriety that other opponents” in this weekend’s field have.

That — combined with having won their first-ever CCHA championship tournament title — may put the Fighting Irish in danger in Grand Rapids.

“We lost to Robert Morris, didn’t we?” asked Jackson. “And Bowling Green, who happened to be last in our conference this year, played us as hard as any team.”

Alabama-Huntsville Chargers
Record: 13-19-3, 7-11-2 CHA (fifth)
Seed: No. 16 overall, No. 4 Midwest
How in: CHA tournament champion
2006 NCAA tournament: none (first-ever NCAA appearance)

So, what happens if Alabama-Huntsville scores first?

In their three wins at the College Hockey America tournament two weekends ago, the Chargers came from behind in all three games, winning two in overtime, to claim their first CHA title and NCAA tournament bid.

David Nimmo (foreground) was the CHA tournament MVP (photo: Alabama-Huntsville media relations).

David Nimmo (foreground) was the CHA tournament MVP (photo: Alabama-Huntsville media relations).

Next up: the country’s No. 1 team, Notre Dame.

“Well, we definitely have our work cut out for us,” said UAH head coach Doug Ross, who is retiring at the end of the tournament. “But I’m extremely pleased we get to go to Grand Rapids for a couple reasons. I’m from Michigan and it’s where I wanted to go for the regionals. And secondly, it’s an easy trip for our fans to make.”

Ross and Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson, like the majority of Division I coaches, are friends and colleagues. They have crossed paths in the past, but never in the NCAA tournament, where it’s win the game or load up the quiet bus.

“I know Jeff and I know what kind of a team he has over there,” Ross said. “We saw them play down in Tampa when we were there (for the Lightning College Hockey Classic), but we didn’t get to play them. As far as a game plan, if we stay out of the box and get our opportunities, which we will, and score on our opportunities, I think we will be OK.

“The (CHA) tournament win was definitely a confidence-builder, but I hope we don’t go down early to Notre Dame, but if we do, we just have to do what we did in Des Moines and that’s respond. That’s how we’ve played all year.”

UAH senior forward Brett McConnachie said even though it’s the Chargers’ first crack at the round of 16, nerves won’t play a role in the game Friday night.

“We thought maybe we’d get Minnesota,” McConnachie said. “Then when we heard it was Notre Dame, we thought maybe the Minnesota thing was just to intimidate us. I think we can maybe get a couple early goals right off the hop. Yeah, we’re the No. 16 seed, but we can’t go in with that type of mentality. This is just another game for us. If we go in thinking we’re going to lose and we’re the lowest seed, we’ll be in trouble.”

The Chargers come into Grand Rapids as the only team in the whole tournament with a losing record (13-19-3), the first team to do so since 1978. Many college hockey pundits don’t expect UAH to advance, or even get a goal on Hobey Baker candidate David Brown of Notre Dame.

Talk like that only “fires us up,” according to McConnachie.

“We’re going up there and we’re going to stick to the same routine we’ve had all season,” said Ross. “We’ll probably design some new drills and adjust to how Notre Dame plays, but other than that, it’ll be just like preparing for another weekend on the road.”

“We’ve never played in front of big crowds like Notre Dame has, so maybe that’ll be to their advantage,” noted McConnachie. “But we’re on the big stage, too, and we’re excited and we’ll be ready to go. We really have nothing to lose and Notre Dame has everything to lose.”

Scoring first would be key for the Chargers, but even if they fall behind, stay tuned — the game’s far from over.

Boston University vs. Michigan State
Friday, 8:30 p.m. ET, Van Andel Arena, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Boston University Terriers
Record: 20-9-9, 13-6-8 Hockey East (third)
Seed: No. 7 overall, No. 2 Midwest
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: lost in regional final

Last season Boston University was the hottest team coming into the national tournament with an 18-1-2 record in its last 21 games. That’s not the case this year, as the Terriers are 2-4 in their last six.

In the best-case scenario for BU, that might not matter. After blowing out Nebraska-Omaha in its 2006 regional semifinal, BU laid an egg against BC — a team that had endured a 1-5-1 stretch in its last seven regular-season games before making it to the national championship game.

“BC was in the same boat last year and went on a great tear; Maine did it two years ago,” Terrier coach Jack Parker said. “There was a lot of talk about the third seed of Hockey East being the team that went on the Frozen Four. We’d like to see that happen to us, but it doesn’t automatically happen; you have to make it happen.”

BU has been working toward that since last Friday’s debacle in the Hockey East semifinals. They eschewed the NCAA Selection Show in favor of practice, brought the team into the video room, and made sure the team took a long look in the mirror before even worrying about who they might face. Parker said, “I want to make one thing clear, boys, we’re in this room by ourselves, and all our enemies are here.”

By Tuesday afternoon, Parker’s outlook had brightened considerably. “I liked our practices this week; I certainly didn’t like our last game,” Parker said. “I loved our two games before that, so I’m always wondering which team is going to show up. It will be interesting to see how we perform. We’ve earned an opportunity to win a national championship, and now the question is whether we can take advantage of that opportunity. We’ll soon find out.”

For fans less familiar with the Terriers, expect them to play a defense-first style; they are second in the nation in goals-against. Goaltender John Curry is smallish but athletic and quite unflappable. A Hobey Baker finalist and a likely pick for the Hobey Hat Trick and possibly the big prize, Curry is the backbone of the team.

Perhaps he’s even an ironic reason for the lack of focus on offense at times. “They’ve relied an awful lot on him and don’t think that on any given night we have to be sharp because what’s the worst that can happen? 0-0?” Parker said “Everybody relies on their goaltender, but everybody’s got to be more competitive if we’re going to take advantage of this opportunity.”

The Terriers have an outstanding offensive defenseman in sophomore Matt Gilroy and the league’s best defensive defenseman in Sean Sullivan; both were first team Hockey East all-stars this season. Senior Kevin Schaeffer will return from a sprained knee this weekend, playing for the first time in the post-season. That will give BU a lift.

The offense is less predictable. Pete MacArthur is the leading scorer and has one of the quickest releases of any shooter in the country, but he is also streaky and could score four goals this weekend or none. Chris Higgins is the most electrifying player and the best candidate for a highlight-reel goal. Kenny Roche and Bryan Ewing are more physical, grinding forwards. Brandon Yip and Jason Lawrence have considerable skill as well.

Less heralded contributors include Luke Popko, a freshman who is probably already the team’s best defensive forward as well as a good faceoff man. Keep an eye on him when BU is shorthanded.

Playing Michigan State, BU appears to be matched up with extremely similar foe. “I called [MSU head coach] Rick [Comley] this morning and said, ‘I can’t believe you’re still coaching,”‘ Parker said. “He’s done a great job at Northern Michigan and at Michigan State . He’s been a terrific coach for a long period of time, and he’s had the same type of problems.

“Very similar type of teams: We’re not great offensively; we’re opportunistic offensively. We’re both very solid defensively, rely on great goaltending and solid defense. So it will be very interesting to see how we play against each other. And he said he’s had the same types of ups and downs with mental approach, too. So it will be interesting to see who actually shows up for his team as well.”

Will it be one-and-done for BU or a repeat of last year, with a stirring win followed by a bitter loss? Perhaps. But the Terriers also can beat anyone in the country when the whole team comes to play. Stay tuned.

Michigan State Spartans
Record: 22-13-3, 15-10-3 CCHA (fourth)
Seed: No. 9 overall, No. 3 Midwest
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: lost in regional final

Rick Comley wants to get one thing straight: he has nothing against the CHA and AHA.

The Michigan State head coach was quoted in our “Bracket Reax” story as having said that he would “like to see” a “play-in game [between the CHA and Atlantic Hockey].”

The Spartans' defense ends with netminder Jeff Lerg (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

The Spartans’ defense ends with netminder Jeff Lerg (photo: Ray Bartnikowski).

Comley said this week that that’s not quite what he said or meant.

“I have no feeling about Atlantic hockey. They’re a good league, they’re working hard, they have their own ideas about scholarships.

“But my personal opinion is that once a league drops below six [members], they should have a right to be in the national tournament — it’s good for college hockey and I support that — but there should be a play-in.

“I certainly apologize if I offended anyone in the CHA or the Atlantic. We all support growth in college hockey, but every group of five can’t have an automatic bid.”

Having gotten that out of the way, Comley turned his attention to the Spartans, for whom nothing was automatic this season.

“This is a team that’s had to work hard for everything,” said Comley. “We’ve lost a lot of really good players.”

The one Spartan that everyone misses this season is last year’s captain, Drew Miller. With his 18 goals and 25 assists in 2005-06, Miller was more than just the leading scorer on the MSU squad; he was their spark, their heart and soul, and when he decided to forego his senior year, the Spartans had to rethink their identity as a team.

Enter the Lergs, Bryan and Jeff, who did what they could to spur the team this year. Junior Bryan Lerg (23-12–35) not only leads the Spartans in goal-scoring, but leads the nation in game-winning goals (eight). His cousin, sophomore Jeff Lerg (2.53 GAA, .909 SV%) has backstopped the Spartans to 22 wins.

Comley sees Jeff Lerg as one big key to advancing this weekend. “I think goaltending is our strength, although his numbers aren’t national numbers. He’s a fierce competitor.

“We also have to rely on our balance. Our leading scorer is seventh on Michigan’s team. We don’t have that [T.J.] Hensick or that type of player.”

MSU lost, 5-2, to Michigan in a CCHA semifinal last weekend, before beating Lake Superior State, 6-5, in overtime in Saturday’s third-place game. Both contests were unusual, each for different reasons. The Spartans had a goal called back early in the Michigan game — a play which led to Justin Abdelkader’s blocked penalty shot and a momentum swing Michigan’s way — and the Lakers would not die in the consolation contest.

Scoring first in any contest, said Comley, is key to MSU’s game. “We felt we did score first [against Michigan], but it didn’t count. On Saturday, I think we had the curse of the consolation game. You have one team, that very often their season is over and they can play very loose, and the other playing to stay alive next week.”

Just as the CCHA championship weekend wasn’t a fair indication of Spartan hockey, neither was MSU’s record leading up to league playoffs, said Comley. The Spartans went 3-4-2 in February, including a Tuesday night road loss to Ferris State. The CCHA instituted Tuesday games during the 2005-06 season to compensate for two weeks of playoffs preceding the championship tournament. Comley is not a fan of Tuesday games.

“The two bad stretches worked around the Tuesday game, and we didn’t handle either stretch very well” said Comley, whose team went 0-2-1 in Tuesday contests. “Those stretches just killed us. If you’re following with road games — the whole sequence just never worked for us.”

This week, Comley said he sees “an enthusiasm and freshness” from his team going into Grand Rapids. “We looked really good in practice.”

Comley also said that style of play is an enormous factor in MSU’s game against Boston University. “They’ll be the most physical team we’ve played. We’re better when we play physically as well.”

2007 NCAA West Regional Preview

By Eric Schmoldt, Chris Lerch, Paula C. Weston, Todd D. Milewski and Scott Brown
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This year’s West Regional is the consensus pick as the toughest of the four according to pundits and fans alike, and for good reason.

The grouping in Denver includes the NCAA tournament’s top overall seed in Minnesota, one of its hottest teams in North Dakota, a perennial powerhouse that seems to get better in the playoffs in Michigan, and a dangerous underdog playing near to home in Air Force.

The first game Saturday pits Minnesota against Atlantic Hockey tournament champion Air Force in a game which obviously calls to mind last season’s upset of the Golden Gophers by Holy Cross, but there’s little resemblance between this year’s Gopher squad and the one that fell last March.

When several key contributors left school early after last season, it caused the 2006-07 version of the Gophers to be rebuilt around new faces, and familiar ones stepping up their roles. That combination led the Gophers to a school-record 22-game unbeaten streak and the WCHA regular-season and tournament titles after a lull late in the regular season.

Their opponent, Air Force, will not be taken lightly after coming through the AHA playoffs as the fourth seed to claim the school’s first-ever NCAA tournament bid. The Falcons scored 11 goals last weekend despite getting none from Hobey Baker finalist Eric Ehn, proving that AFA can win with other players leading the way.

The second semifinal, between North Dakota and Michigan, is a rematch of last year’s West Regional semifinal won on home ice by the Fighting Sioux. UND would again seem to be the favorite despite its lower seed, having lost just one of its last 18 games before falling to Minnesota in the WCHA championship.

Michigan — never an easy opponent in the NCAA tournament — will look to a high-powered offense, but will need continued strong play from netminder Billy Sauer if the Wolverines are to advance at the Pepsi Center.

Minnesota vs. Air Force
Saturday, 1:30 p.m. MT, Pepsi Center, Denver

Minnesota Golden Gophers
Record: 30-9-3, 18-7-3 WCHA (first)
Seed: No. 1 overall, No. 1 West
How in: WCHA tournament champion
2005 NCAA tournament: lost in regional semifinal

It’s been a rollercoaster season for Minnesota, but the Gophers seem to be climbing to the next peak at the perfect time.

After falling to Maine in the first game of the season, the Gophers went on a school-record 22-game unbeaten streak, racing out to what seemed an insurmountable lead in the WCHA.

Freshmen like Kyle Okposo helped Minnesota overcome the loss of several underclassmen after last season (photos: Melissa Wade).

Freshmen like Kyle Okposo helped Minnesota overcome the loss of several underclassmen after last season (photos: Melissa Wade).

A 2-4-0 stretch in January reopened the race, but they held on despite going 1-3-0 to end the regular season.

A national championship would give them a hat trick of titles after they won four straight postseason games to take the WCHA playoff title.

“Right now we’re probably playing some of our best hockey of the season, and so hopefully we can put (the rough stretches) behind us,” Mike Vannelli said. “We’re really just starting to play the way we did in the beginning of the year, and the way we’re going to be needing to play in the playoffs.”

It’s already been a much different postseason from a year ago, when the Gophers lost twice at the Final Five and made a quick exit from the NCAA tournament, a surprising first-round loss to Holy Cross.

“(The Final Five showed) we’ve still got it,” Vannelli said. “It’s been a little bit frustrating, I’ll admit, the past few weeks and even months, to hear everybody talk about maybe we’re slipping or this team’s the best team in the country right now, or this and that.

“I think [Saturday] we came out and proved that we can play with anybody. It’s just a good feeling.”

The Gophers bring with them a good mixture of young talent and veteran leadership.

Freshmen Jay Barriball and Kyle Okposo have been some of the league’s best, combining for 80 points, and sophomore Blake Wheeler had 38.

But Minnesota also had three upperclassmen score more than 30 points, senior Kellen Briggs stood tall between the posts and the older players provided invaluable leadership.

“I just think (the seniors are) consummate team players,” Minnesota head coach Don Lucia said. “Kellen has tied the record for most wins in the history of the WCHA as a goalie, Mike Vannelli’s improved throughout his career to become a second-team all-league player.

“But for me, more than what they’ve done individually, it’s just their leadership and bringing all these young guys into the fold and trying to teach them and show them what it takes to be a successful Gopher hockey player.”

The key all year for the Gophers has been playing as a team. Not only have the points come from just about everywhere in the lineup, but they have remained rock-solid while using a pair of goaltenders.

Briggs and Jeff Frazee played 25 and 19 games, respectively, and both put up numbers worthy of All-WCHA selections.

And the whole team has stuck together despite an ever-changing lineup.

“You look at this team, we’re down four players from what we started the year at,” Lucia said. “I think what (the team has) done this year is a tremendous accomplishment and a real credit to these players and how they’ve really stuck together this year.”

Now, with the top seed in the tournament, they’ve got just one more goal to achieve.

Air Force Falcons
Record: 19-15-5, 13-10-5 Atlantic Hockey (fifth)
Seed: No. 15 overall, No. 4 West
How in: Atlantic Hockey tournament champion
2006 NCAA tournament: none (first-ever NCAA appearance)

There’s a quip that Air Force coach Frank Serratore frequently uses when asked about all the travel his team must do to play an Atlantic Hockey schedule.

“We’re the Air Force, not the bus force.”

So it’s ironic that the Falcons will indeed bus to their first-ever NCAA game, played at Denver’s Pepsi Arena, just 70 miles from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

“We’re elated to be at home,” Serratore said. “It’s amazing for the whole thing to come together the way it has. The one year that Denver and CC slip together — the one year the regional is here, for us to have the opportunity to play this game with Minnesota in Denver, it’s like it’s been scripted.”

The Falcons, making their first appearance in the NCAA tournament, hope the script calls for a major upset like the one last year’s AHA champion, Holy Cross, pulled off against these same Gophers.

“It’s a one-game deal, and that can be scary,” said Serratore. “(Minnesota coach) Don Lucia and I grew up together. We’re close friends. I called Don [after learning of the pairings] and said ‘Didn’t you learn your lesson last season? Don’t mess with Atlantic Hockey.'”

The upset-minded Falcons know their task is a daunting one.

“[Minnesota] is such a power. Look at the NHL players they have,” said Serratore.

“They’re a high-skill team. We can’t afford to play not to lose,” said sophomore forward Mike Phillipich, who was the MVP of the Atlantic Hockey tournament with five points in two games last weekend. “We have to play our game.”

Phillipich’s line, which includes senior Andrew Ramsey (47 points) and Hobey Baker finalist Eric Ehn (64 points), has accounted for almost half of the Falcons’ goals this season.

They sparked an offense that scored 11 goals last weekend against the top two goalies in Atlantic Hockey. Air Force finished fifth in the regular season but earned a fourth seed and home quarterfinal game because regular-season champion RIT was not eligible for the postseason.

The Falcons won their first-ever home playoff game, and as the fourth seed, came to Rochester and upset Sacred Heart and Army to win the title.

“It was a magical weekend,” Serratore said. “I thought we may be a team of destiny, but I was afraid to say so at the time.”

Air Force has used four goaltenders this season, including walk-on Ben Worker. The senior was a practice goalie for his first three years, but started the bulk of the Falcons’ games down the stretch this season and won the semifinal over Sacred Heart.

Serratore then turned to freshman Andrew Volkening for the championship game, and the rookie responded, making 23 saves en route to a 6-1 win over archrival Army.

Senior captain Billy Devoney anchors the defense, which is holding opponents to 22.4 shots per game. Air Force has outshot its opponents in 35 of its 39 games.

“We’ve shown we can skate with anyone,” said Serratore. “We outshot Denver. We outshot Notre Dame. If we’d gotten some power-play goals, we could have beaten CC and Denver [both one-goal losses].”

If go you strictly by the seedings, Air Force should be playing Notre Dame in Grand Rapids. The Falcons lost 2-0 to the Fighting Irish earlier in the season. But Serratore said immediately after winning the AHA title on Saturday that he hoped his team would be sent to Denver, so matter who they played.

“We think it’s great for us and our fans,” he said. “CC and Denver have been to a pile of these, but this is our first. There’s a thousand or so people that have been here through four win seasons. They’ve seen the good times and the bad times and now they can drive up to the Pepsi Arena and see us play.”

Michigan vs. North Dakota
Saturday, 5:30 p.m. MT, Pepsi Center, Denver

Michigan Wolverines
Record: 26-13-1, 18-9-1 CCHA (second)
Seed: No. 8 overall, No. 2 West
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: Lost in regional semifinal

After a well-played 2-1 loss to Notre Dame last week in the CCHA championship game, Michigan head coach Red Berenson had already moved on, and had done so with a gleam in his eye.

“I feel good about our team,” said Berenson. “We should take something out of this game and this weekend. I think we’re going in the right direction.

Michigan has gotten a strong performance from netminder Billy Sauer in the second half of the season.

Michigan has gotten a strong performance from netminder Billy Sauer in the second half of the season.

“If we have the right attitude next week, no matter who play or where we play, we could be a factor in the tournament.”

From nearly any other coach in college hockey, such an assertion might be pure chutzpah. After all, the Wolverines had lost rather convincingly to North Dakota, 5-1, in the 2006 tournament, and Michigan has been suspect in net in stretches this season.

But even after he learned that the Wolverines would face the Fighting Sioux in a Western rematch of last year’s tourney, Berenson was still confident.

“I think we’re ‘in’ the tournament. We’re playing as well as we’ve played all year. If we can take something from that last weekend and build on it, we can do something.”

Berenson did hedge his bets, slightly. “We haven’t played North Dakota this year, and they’re maybe the hottest team in the country.”

That slight hesitation aside, what gives Berenson such confidence? The most productive and tenacious offense in the nation, a veteran team with tournament experience, and a sophomore goaltender whose performance improved dramatically in the second half.

The Wolverines are loaded with players who score goals. This is an offense that claims seven goal-scorers with 10 or more, including Hobey Baker finalist senior T.J. Hensick (21-45–66), junior Kevin Porter (23-33–56), sophomore Andrew Cogliano (23-25–48) — and the list goes on.

Michigan’s fearless offense creates scoring opportunities for nearly anyone on the ice. Freshman defenseman Chris Summers had three of his five goals in playoff action; sophomore blueliner Jack Johnson has 16 markers.

Of course, that wide-open offense often leaves the Wolverines vulnerable to odd-man rushes the other way, a system that can allow nearly as many goals as those scored. Sophomore goaltender Billy Sauer (2.93 GAA, .900 SV%) has learned by experience this season; in the second half of the season, Sauer’s goals-against average has been 2.44, his save percentage .914. Sauer was 13-5-1 in the second half.

“I don’t know that he was getting rattled or that he was making more mistakes” in the first half, said Berenson. “Our goals against have come down and we’re playing better team defense.”

The Wolverines easily handled Northern Michigan in their first-round CCHA playoff series, outscoring the Wildcats 12-4 in two games, and Michigan beat Michigan State, 5-2, before that close title contest against Notre Dame.

When the Wolverines score a lot of goals — even when they allow nearly as many — they win … but an 8-2 loss to Minnesota in the College Hockey Showcase in November serves as a cautionary tale, and a primer to anyone whom Michigan may meet the rest of the way.

“We have a good team and we’re in a tough bracket, but they’re all good teams in tough brackets,” said Berenson. “You don’t play an easy team this time of year.”

North Dakota Fighting Sioux
Record: 22-13-5, 13-10-5 WCHA (third)
Seed: No. 10 overall, No. 3 West
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: Lost in national semifinal

North Dakota hopes the third time is the charm.

The Fighting Sioux have advanced to the Frozen Four in each of the last two years, and now seem poised to contend for an elusive national title.

They were the hottest team in the league, and perhaps the country, since 2007 arrived. Between the desire to earn a championship and coming off just their third loss since Dec. 16, North Dakota has plenty of motivation.

“It was definitely a bitter pill to swallow when we saw (the Gophers) lifting the Broadmoor Trophy, and hopefully we can use that as motivation,” said Ryan Duncan, the WCHA Player of the Year. “We’ll remember what happened, and who knows, maybe we’ll get a chance to see them again.”

If the Sioux have been hot since Jan. 1, Duncan was the spark that lit the fire. He had 17 goals and 13 assists in the second half of the season.

But what’s scary, as he admitted, is he may not even be the best player on his line. While he had 53 points, fellow sophomore linemates T.J. Oshie and Jonathan Toews had 44 and 43, respectively, on what may be the most dangerous line in the NCAA tournament.

“I’m not sure if I’m the most deserving player on my team or line for this award,” Duncan said. “There’s no doubt that they share this award with me.”

It’s hard to believe that North Dakota wasn’t even looking at home ice in the WCHA playoffs before the holiday break, let alone an NCAA berth.

The Sioux were 7-10-1 after the second week of December, at which point they said enough was enough.

“More than anything, we came together as a group,” Taylor Chorney said. “We kind of made a decision right before Christmas. We had a tough series against Michigan Tech and we had a little meeting after that. We just decided from then on we were going to just come together and do whatever it took.

“Every day since then we’ve laid it on the line and we’ve done a lot to get better.”

Though it occurred much earlier in the season, the situation is strikingly similar to Wisconsin, which last season held a meeting late in the year after being swept at Minnesota State and then used that as motivation all the way to a championship.

North Dakota certainly has the offense to get there, with five more players — including three more sophomores — behind the top line scoring 20 points or more.

If there is a weak spot, it may be between the pipes, though Philippe Lamoureux continues to get better and put together a solid season pretty quietly.

He finished 19-11-4 with a 2.32 goals against average and a .915 save percentage. And while he’s given up three goals or more nine times since Jan. 5, the Sioux have lost just two of those contests.

“Phil is a guy that’s extremely well-prepared. He continues night after night to go out and battle,” North Dakota head coach Dave Hakstol said. “He stays within his routine. He’s a very good practice goaltender. He’s very structured in what he does.

“(And) he seems to be carrying that to each and every game right now. The guys have faith in him, and the guys battle hard for him.”

Could this be the year that North Dakota puts all the pieces together?

2007 NCAA East Regional Preview

By Dave Hendrickson, Brian Sullivan, Eric Schmoldt, Todd D. Milewski and Scott Brown
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The wildcard regional in this year’s NCAA tournament is in Rochester, N.Y., where top-seeded Clarkson has the opportunity to display its resurgence on the national stage.

The Golden Knights looked good all year and finished strong under head coach George Roll, who has led the team to its first NCAA appearance since 1999 — the last of nine national-tourney bids in 10 years. Clarkson, which drew a favorable location in the East Regional, is grouped with three teams featuring substantial upside but also question marks as the round of 16 gets going.

Second-seeded St. Cloud State has never won an NCAA tournament game and will have to shake off a disappointing two-loss weekend at the WCHA Final Five that in all probability cost the Huskies a No. 1 regional seed.

No. 3 seed Maine has a similar tale, losing four straight games to fourth-seeded Massachusetts that caused the Black Bears to sweat out the Hockey East championship from the sidelines. Maine was among the top teams in the nation early in the season, but the loss of netminder Ben Bishop was a factor in the Black Bears’ late woes.

Meanwhile, UMass, a fashionable underdog in this year’s draw after its best season at the Division I level, makes its first-ever appearance in the NCAAs. The Minutemen, looking to write a similar story to Clarkson’s, will play the Golden Knights in the first round Friday, followed by SCSU and Maine in the nightcap at Blue Cross Arena.

Clarkson vs. Massachusetts
Friday, 2:30 p.m. ET, Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, N.Y.

Clarkson Golden Knights
Record: 25-8-5, 13-8-4 ECACHL (second)
Seed: No. 3 overall, No. 1 East
How in: ECACHL tournament champion
2006 NCAA tournament: none

The Golden Knights lived up to their league-topping stats in the ECACHL tournament, knocking off Dartmouth and Quinnipiac in thrilling fashion. The league’s best offense posted nine goals on the weekend, and the ECACHL’s top defense only improved on the 5-4 Friday squeaker with a 4-2 performance on Saturday. The only aspect of Clarkson’s weekend that posed any concern was the special teams, which allowed two power-play goals in nine attempts and only scored once in 11 man-advantages.

Shawn Weller is among Clarkson's top offensive threats (photo: Christopher Lenney).

Shawn Weller is among Clarkson’s top offensive threats (photo: Christopher Lenney).

“We brought our intensity to another level,” said head coach George Roll, finally enjoying the fruits of four years of recruiting labor.

The Knights skate NCAA tournament ice for the first time since the 1998-99 season, and like their league brethren from 10 miles away, had their second consecutive winning season this year after four down years.

Shawn Weller and Nick Dodge both rank among the nation’s top scorers with 40 and 39 points, respectively, and their nine power play goals also put them among the country’s elite. David Leggio — named this season’s top goalie in the ECACHL — sits at 11th in division one with a 2.20 goals-against rate, and fifth with a .929 save percentage … one-thousandth ahead of his first-round counterpart, Massachusetts’s Jon Quick.

Massachusetts and Clarkson played earlier in the year at Amherst, a 3-3 draw in only the second week of the season. Chances are, the teams have evolved a bit since then.

“We have some familiarity with them,” said Roll of the Minutemen. “They have dynamic forwards, one of the best goalies in the East … I think we have very similar teams.”

The programs didn’t exchange game footage this week, which will doubtlessly lend the first-round matchup a certain poking, prodding, guess-and-check quality. Each team will be trying to subject the other to its will, to its desired style of play, which may favor the quicker and deeper Knights. The blind strategizing will also increase the chances of catching moments of deliciously wide-open hockey, potentially rich with scoring chances between two talent-laden offenses.

Roll felt a little bit of the sting this season, and during the NCAA selection process, in what he felt to be a nationwide lack of respect for the ECACHL and its two tournament representatives. And it is no exaggeration to state that any one of the four teams in last weekend’s league finals could have done serious damage to unwitting or unvigilant opposition.

“[Clarkson and the ECACHL] need to come out and win one of these things,” Roll said.

Fortunately for the Knights, the mathematical precision of the PairWise Rankings could not be debated. Clarkson’s number-one seed — third overall in the final rankings — earned it a spot at the Rochester regional, only four and a half hours from Potsdam.

“I think it is important [to be close to home],” said Roll. “It does make a difference,” he said, citing the majority “home crowd” support in Albany last weekend.

As far as Roll’s outlook on his team vis-a-vis the tournament, he said that control and confidence are the keys.

“The biggest concern is how we react to the situation,” he said, emphasizing poise and discipline in the face of foreign and dangerous adversaries. “The preparation and the work ethic will be there.

“I think when you get to this stage, whether you’re a one or a four, you gotta be ready to play.”

From the coach on down, this is a team with well-deserved momentum and a sense of purpose behind it. When Clarkson is dancing on the Big Stage, the nation will take notice.

Massachusetts Minutemen
Record: 20-12-5, 15-9-3 Hockey East (fourth)
Seed: No. 13 overall, No. 4 East
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: none (first-ever NCAA appearance)

It’s been a year of firsts for the Massachusetts Minutemen. They completed their first 20-win season, riding a six-game winning streak that included four straight over Maine before losing to New Hampshire in a double-overtime Hockey East semifinal contest.

This also marks their first NCAA tournament, a milestone that had many at UMass holding their breath while watching the scoreboard last Saturday.

“I’m told after the fact we were in a fairly safe harbor regardless of what happened in the Clarkson and Quinnipiac [ECACHL championship] game,” UMass coach Don “Toot” Cahoon says. “But I was relieved, obviously, when Clarkson won the tournament, because that game was the assurance that we were going to be in some [regional].

“I’m just pleased to be part of it and we’re just hoping that we can make a good account of ourselves.”

The team’s obvious go-to guy is goaltender Jon Quick, who stymied the high-powered Maine offense to get UMass into the Hockey East semifinals. Once there, he stopped 38-of-40 shots by the even more highly-powered New Hampshire offense before the Wildcats finally got the game-winner in double overtime.

This isn’t a one-man team, though. Down the stretch, UMass did an excellent job denying some very talented teams their fair share of grade-A opportunities.

“When we’ve been defensively good, it’s been because we skate,” Cahoon says. “When we skate, we pressure the puck pretty well and we consistently pressure the puck in all three zones.

“Obviously, Quick is the X-factor. He’s the guy that makes the big save and gets us [through] some of the mistakes or breakdowns that inevitably occur. You can get away with quite a bit when you have someone like that back there.”

Although no UMass scorers rank in Hockey East’s Top 12 and only Chris Capraro (10-25–35 ) and Cory Quirk (13-18–31) make the Top 25, the Minutemen have collectively been quite productive.

“One of our problems over the last couple of years going into this season was getting any type of consistent scoring,” Cahoon says. “We had to try to establish a power-play that could create opportunities for itself. That took a little bit of time, but through committee almost we’ve been respectable in that area.

“What we ended up doing was not try to create one or two lines that were known as scoring lines, but create more balance in our production by spreading our point producers throughout the whole lineup. We have Matt Anderson and Chris Davis, who have been top-line players, playing on the “fourth line,” not necessarily the fourth line but they play on a line that rotates fourth in the sequence.

“So we’ve done it more with balance than with any offensive overload type of principle.”

The Minutemen now face the same team they were rooting so hard for last Saturday.

“Clarkson had such a great year,” Cahoon says. “They had 26 wins and were up near the top of their league all year long and then obviously won the playoff championship. It was hard for us not to pay attention to what they were doing.

“They have real good depth up front. They have three lines that seem to be consistently scoring goals. And they have very good special teams. I think that is the biggest strength to their team.”

As for the possibility that his team and Maine could advance and face each other for a fifth time in four weeks, Cahoon doesn’t even want to discuss it.

“That’s unfortunately the makeup of the draw, just like with BC and UNH,” Cahoon says. “But at this point I haven’t given any thought to Maine and I’m sure Maine isn’t giving an ounce of thought to UMass. Their focus is on St. Cloud and our focus is completely on Clarkson.”

St. Cloud State vs. Maine
Friday, 6 p.m. ET, Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, N.Y.

St. Cloud State Huskies
Record: 22-10-7, 14-7-7 WCHA (second)
Seed: No. 6 overall, No. 2 East
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: none

The St. Cloud State Huskies may not have closed out their season as well as they hoped, but at this point, they aren’t dwelling on the past.

They were the only team that really had a chance to catch Minnesota for the WCHA regular season title, but went 2-2-3 in their final seven games and settled for second.

The postseason hasn’t been any easier.

It took St. Cloud three games, including two victories in overtime, to get by Minnesota-Duluth and reach the Final Five. And once there, they lost both contests-to North Dakota and Wisconsin-to finish fourth.

But the Huskies have put that behind them, and enter this week’s East Regional as a fresh start.

“It’s just a minor setback,” Huskies freshman forward Ryan Lasch said. “We have to look forward from this and regroup for the tournament.”

“It’s definitely a second chance,” John Swanson said of getting an at-large berth into the field of 16. “A lot of good teams out there aren’t going to get a chance to play. … I think it’s a second chance for us to turn things around.”

Head coach Bob Motzko knows that to dwell on what has happened in the last month would be a recipe for disaster.

“I think it’s pretty simple: if that’s going to crush us, then we’re not going to go very far,” he said. “We have to rally our troops and go back.”

Lasch and the team’s other young players have been plenty busy lately. Eight of the team’s last 12 goals have come from underclassmen, and all eight came from the sophomore Swanson or Lasch and fellow rookie Andreas Nodl, who leads the team with 28 assists and 46 points and earned the league’s Rookie of the Year award.

While the youngsters have certainly been reliable, Motzko would like to see some of his experienced veterans step up and lead the way through the NCAA tournament.

“We’ve got to have some other guys come up now offensively besides those young guys who continue to put things through for us,” he said.

One veteran who has been there for the Huskies all year is senior goaltender Bobby Goepfert.

Goepfert was named to the All-WCHA first team for the second straight year. He was 11-6-7 in league play with a 2.19 goals against average and .929 save percentage.

Furthermore, half of those losses came in the first few weeks of the season as he battled getting comfortable in a new brand of pads before switching back to his old brand.

He is the kind of netminder that can carry a team through the tournament, but St. Cloud hopes that isn’t necessary.

And it won’t be, if the Huskies can find a way to fight through the mental taxation of the long WCHA season and find a way back to the way they were playing when they won 11 straight games between mid-November and early January.

“We’ve had a mental grind, but there is energy in there,” Motzko said. “You just have to get over it. I think you can get it back quickly, right now we’ve got to just fight, and we have to try to get a win.

“And we know what to do; we’ve been doing it most of the season.”

Maine Black Bears
Record: 21-14-2, 14-12-1 Hockey East (fifth)
Seed: No. 11 overall, No. 3 East
How in: At-large
2006 NCAA tournament: lost in national semifinal

The Maine Black Bears’ season appeared to teeter on the precipice after losing four straight to Massachusetts, the first two to end the regular season and lose home ice, and the second two to get bounced from the Hockey East playoffs. The vanilla PairWise — before bonus points, that is — prompted postgame press conference questions of whether the team would hold out enough hope to continue practices.

The status of netminder Ben Bishop is question number one on Maine fans' minds (photo: Melissa Wade).

The status of netminder Ben Bishop is question number one on Maine fans’ minds (photo: Melissa Wade).

The almighty bonus points, however, left Maine in a much more secure position than initially thought and that precipice wasn’t nearly as close as had been assumed. Even so, there may be a feel of “getting a second life” in the Black Bear locker room.

“We’re thrilled to be in the tournament and to have a second opportunity to play some hockey,” Maine coach Tim Whitehead says.

For those fans from other conferences who might need an introduction to the Black Bears, Whitehead offers a nutshell description. “Our strengths this season have been offense, including power play, and our weaknesses have been team defense, including penalty kill.”

In a nutshell, indeed.

Maine’s offense trailed only New Hampshire’s within Hockey East, averaging 3.35 goals per game, with seniors Josh Soares (19-22–41) and Michel Léveillé (18-23–41) leading the way along with Hockey East Rookie of the Year Teddy Purcell (16-24–40). The power play led the nation with a 25.3 percent conversion rate.

On defense, however, Maine allowed 2.51 goals per game, middle-of-the-pack numbers within Hockey East and a far cry from those of Black Bear teams in recent years that made a significant run at the national title. There are a few stalwarts like senior defenseman Mike Lundin, but the strength doesn’t extend six-deep.

“It’s been no secret that we’ve had a couple of tough years of recruiting the last couple of years and that’s hurt our depth on our team in all three positions,” Whitehead says. “But on the positive side, the veterans that we have in our line-up at all three positions when we’re healthy can really play the game.

“That’s been the key for us. When We’ve been able to stay healthy, we’ve been a strong team. That’s what we’re hoping to be able to do this weekend, go out there full strength and really surprise some people.

“We feel that we’ve got a really good club that can do something.”

The number-one question mark in terms of health is goaltender Ben Bishop, who had started 41 straight games until injuring a groin on Feb. 3. He’s been in and out of the lineup since then with his last action coming on Feb. 24.

“He’s 50-50,” Whitehead says. “We’re still hoping that he can play. That would give us a big lift, obviously.

“But on the flip side, if he’s not ready to go, David [Wilson] has gained some very valuable experience in big games. He’ll be much more prepared if he’s thrown into the fire on Friday than he was in the last half of the season. Each game of experience under your belt helps you prepare.”

The Black Bears know that St. Cloud is hardly an ideal foe to face while still trying to right the ship.

“They’re a great team,” Whitehead says. “Their success this season speaks for itself.

“They’re strong at all three positions. [Bobby] Goepfert certainly is an elite goalie. They’ve got three elite defensemen and two elite lines. They’ve also got real good depth at all three positions. They present a very good challenge because they have not only elite players, but they have strength in numbers as well.

“We understand how tough this challenge is going to be, but at the same time we’ve been given a second opportunity to play some hockey here, and we’re excited to meet the challenge head on.”

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