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News From The North Country

By Timothy Muir McDonald
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Heading into a weekend homestand against No. 14 Harvard and Dartmouth, Clarkson coach George Roll said he considered Dartmouth and Harvard to be among the best teams in the ECACHL and thought the pair of contests would be a good test for his young team.

“They are two of the top teams in our league, even though Dartmouth has gotten off to something of a slow start,” he had said. “Both teams present different challenges.”

On the opposite side of the ice, both Dartmouth and Harvard knew they faced a challenging weekend series: not only are St. Lawrence’s Appleton Arena and Clarkson’s Cheel Arena always been two of the toughest venues in the league for opponents, but the two teams have rebounded strongly from last season when they finished in seventh and ninth place, respectively, in the league.

Golden Knight Nick Dodge carries the puck alongide Crimson skater Mike Taylor (photos: Lowell K. Chow).

Golden Knight Nick Dodge carries the puck alongide Crimson skater Mike Taylor (photos: Lowell K. Chow).

Entering Friday’s play, the Saints and the Golden Knights were near the top of the league standings and represented two of the ECACHL’s five nationally-ranked teams — Clarkson was ranked No. 19 in last week’s USCHO.com/CSTV Networks poll, and St. Lawrence was No. 12.

“This is just a tough road trip in general, and [Clarkson and St. Lawrence] are real good teams this year,” said Harvard captain Peter Hafner.

“That was a tough trip; it’s a real tough trip,” agreed Dartmouth coach Bob Gaudet. “For us, it was a challenging weekend.”

All of the teams involved entered the weekend riding some form of winning streak. The Crimson entered Cheel with a five-game unbeaten streak, while the Big Green and the Golden Knights both began the weekend with three-game winning streaks against league opponents. St. Lawrence began the weekend with the shortest win streak, but had the best overall record and highest ranking among all the teams.

And so it may have come as little surprise that there were three very close games over the course of the weekend, with each team splitting its two games.

“This weekend gives us a real barometer of where we are in the league,” said Roll before Friday’s contest.

“It’s an excellent league,” Gaudet said. “Everybody’s good. When you don’t have your ‘A’ game, chances are you’re going to lose.”

Big Wins All Around

The Golden Knights have struggled against Harvard during Roll’s tenure; entering Friday night’s game, Clarkson has posted a 1-3-2 record against the Crimson. One of those losses occurred during the 2004 ECACHL championship game, but the other two came in the normally-comfy confines of Cheel, where Clarkson hasn’t beaten Harvard in either of the previous seasons.

“We have to take care of home ice,” said Roll, after Friday night’s 4-3 win over Harvard. “That’s something we’ve sort of struggled with against Harvard while I’ve been here.

That fact, coupled with Harvard’s strong play this season and its national ranking, made the win one of the season’s most important, in Roll’s mind.

“It’s a big event for our program to beat a quality team like Harvard,” he said.

Roll’s comments were echoed by his opponent the next evening after Dartmouth managed to rebound from Friday’s close loss to St. Lawrence to shut out Clarkson, 4-0.

After rallying for two third-period goals to tie the game at 4 against St. Lawrence, Dartmouth fell behind with less than five minutes left on sophomore forward Charlie Giffin’s second career goal. With the score 5-4, Dartmouth pulled goaltender Mike Devine with a minute and half left in an attempt to again tie the game, but an empty-net goal with less than a minute left by Saints defenseman Matt Generous put the contest out of reach.

Despite the close loss that dropped the team to 3-5-0 on the season, Dartmouth responded the next night by beating a Clarkson team that was confident after its 4-3 win over Harvard.

“We came back the next night against a good Clarkson squad,” said Gaudet. “We got some strong goaltending from Sean Samuels, and some timely goals.”

“After Friday night’s loss, it was nice to come back for the win,” he added.

Gaudet’s words were almost identical to those spoken by Harvard head coach Ted Donato following his team’s 4-3 win over St. Lawrence on Saturday night.

“After losing last night with a tough one,” he said, “this was a huge win.”

Like the Big Green, the Crimson responded against St. Lawrence following a close loss the previous night to Clarkson. Against the Golden Knights, Harvard struggled out of the gate, allowing a shorthander three minutes in and an even-strength goal at 13:58.

Down 2-0, Harvard was given a shot of life with a four-on-four situation after Golden Knight forward David Cayer was whistled for crosschecking 50 seconds into his team’s power play. During the 1:10 of four-on-four play, Harvard managed to tie the score on goals from Dylan Reese and Ryan Maki. That tie was short-lived, however, as Harvard gave up two power-play goals in the second period and didn’t really begin to compete well with Clarkson until the final frame.

“I didn’t think we were very sharp tonight,” said Donato. “In the first 40 minutes, we played four minutes of the kind of hockey we can play.

“The four-on-four did give us some momentum, but it’s tough to keep the momentum going,” he continued. “We took too many penalties, and we turned the puck over too much.”

Although Harvard left the next night with a win over St. Lawrence, many of the problems Donato pointed out after the loss to Clarkson were still in evidence during the win over the Saints.

The Crimson took 12 penalties on the night, including three each for interference and for holding; in the second period, Harvard was heavily penalized, resulting in a total of nearly three minutes of five-on-three advantages during the last 10 minutes of the period.

Oddly enough, though, the overabundance of penalties seemed to eventually work to Harvard’s benefit as St. Lawrence grew frustrated with its inability to find the back of the net despite the long stretches of five-on-three power plays.

“We were forcing it, forcing it, forcing it into traffic and we were blasting it into their pads instead of trying to get it down low and making some adjustments,” said St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh. “We held on to the puck a little bit too much, we stalled it a little bit too many times. And they took a lot of time off our power play by winning a lot of faceoffs, too.

“I don’t think we reacted particularly well in certain situations,” Marsh continued. “When we did make a mistake we were kinda shaking our heads and banging our sticks and things like that.

“Against a team like Harvard you can’t take time away from what’s supposed to be going on there instantaneously to give yourself a pity party.”

On the night, St. Lawrence finished 0-for-10 on the power play but outshot Harvard 46-16. The Saints did mount a comeback in the third period; defenseman Simon Watson pulled the Saints to within two at 18:34 of the third, and Marsh then chose to pull goaltender Justin Pesony in favor of an extra attacker. The strategy produced a goal at 19:44 to make the score 4-3, but the Saints were unable to come up with the equalizer in the game’s waning seconds.

“You’ve got to give them all the credit in the world; they did a great job of killing our power play,” said Marsh. “I think they played with a great deal of energy, blocked a ton of shots. Hats off to them, I thought they played really well.”

Injuries To Overcome

Jon Pelle takes a Crimson shot on goal against Justin Pesony. Defending for SLU are Jamie Parker (18) and Jared Ross (8).

Jon Pelle takes a Crimson shot on goal against Justin Pesony. Defending for SLU are Jamie Parker (18) and Jared Ross (8).

Saints sophomore goaltender Justin Pesony started his 12th game of the season Saturday night against Harvard, and has posted a 9-3-0 record with a goals against average of 3.00 and a .897 save percentage.

During the preseason, Pesony was projected to compete with fifth-year senior Kevin Ackley for the starting netminder’s spot. Ackley entered the season with a 3.11 goals against average and a .903 save percentage over three seasons. He sat out 2004-05 after taking a medical redshirt to recover from a serious knee injury.

Ackley was in net for the Saints’ season opener at Wisconsin, taking the loss in overtime of the 3-2 contest despite stopping 35 shots. He next saw action in net November 19, stopping 27 shots and allowing two goals in a win over Princeton.

Ackley has been battling what was officially noted as a high-ankle sprain for much of the season, but Marsh was hopeful that Ackley would be back in net for the Saints with some rest and some time to recover during the team’s holiday break.

Harvard’s Paul Dufault, tied for second on the team in points with four goals and seven assists, missed Saturday night’s game against St. Lawrence after taking a hard check on Friday night in the game against Clarkson. In his place on Saturday, freshman forward Steve Rolecek drew his first career start.

Also out of the lineup on Saturday night for Harvard was freshman Jack Christian, a hard-hitting 6-2, 225-lbs. defenseman who had been in the lineup for the first 10 games of the season. Christian’s spot on right defense alongside Dave MacDonald was taken by sophomore J.D. McCabe, making his third career start.

Canisius Dismisses Four Players

USCHO Staff Report
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Canisius announced Friday that sophomore forward Mike Ruberto, sophomore defensemen Matt Ruberto and Craig Nooyen and freshman goalie Ryan Hatch have been dismissed from the hockey team for violations of that college’s athletics department policies.

“The Department of Athletics has a clear set of expectations for all of our student-athletes,” said Canisius director of athletics Bill Maher. “Unfortunately, coach Dave Smith and I have determined that the seriousness of this situation necessitates the student-athletes’ dismissal from our hockey program.”

Maher added, “The college is not at liberty to release information about the specifics of the violations because student educational records, including disciplinary records such as this, are subject to the non-disclosure provisions of the federal Family Educational and Privacy Rights Act (FERPA).”

Mike Ruberto was tied for second on the team in scoring with 12 points on six goals and six assists in 12 games. He played in 47 career contests and posted 15 goals and 19 assists. Matt Ruberto tallied an assist in 10 games this season. He played in 39 career contests and posted two goals and 10 assists.

Nooyen collected two assists in nine games this season and registered one goal and seven assists in 41 career games. Hatch played in five games and compiled a 3-1 record with a team-leading 2.73 goals against average and a .904 save percentage.

The dismissals come after a tumultuous 2004-05 season during which multiple incidents of player misbehavior put the Golden Griffs in the headlines, including shenanigans at a Grand Forks, N.D., hotel room that led to property damage as well as an injury to one player. In a separate incident last season, another Canisius player was suspended after a fight at a local restaurant.

Longtime head coach Brian Cavanaugh was fired last December amidst an apparent player revolt, and athletics director Tim Dillon stepped down in January partly in the wake of the North Dakota hotel-room incident.

This Week in the SUNYAC

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The Unwanted Shootout

Three SUNYAC teams participated in two tournaments over the holidays, and it was Brockport that came away with the best result.

Though technically the Golden Eagles “lost” in the PAL Cup championship game in a shootout, their official record shows they didn’t lose a game.

“Mixed feelings,” Brockport coach James Eccles said about the good performance but not coming home with the tournament trophy. “I told the team before that this will go down as a tie, and the shootout is just for fun. To tell you the truth, we were disappointed. It’s a losing feeling after losing the shootout, 2-0. However, after an hour on the busy, things turned around.”

The players had ever right to shake off the shootout results and look at the positive. Brockport beat Southern New Hampshire, 7-5, and then tied Plymouth State, 3-3.

“We moved the puck well,” Eccles said. “The boys played well systematically, playing from zone to zone. Very offensive minded throughout the game. Very opportunistic.”

The first game was quite a shootout. After relinquishing the first goal in the first period, Gordon Pritchard tied it up for the Golden Eagles. Southern New Hampshire once again took the lead early in the second before Steve Seedhouse tied it. Southern New Hampshire then scored two unanswered goals to end the middle stanza leading 4-2.

Chris Koras scored two in a row which was followed by goals by A.J. Maio and David Dufresne to give Brockport their own two-goal lead. Nineteen seconds later, Brockport gave one back, but Pritchard’s second of the game late in the game clinched it. Pritchard also picked up two assists for four points on the night.

The Plymouth State game saw Brockport grab leads that they couldn’t hang onto. Koras and Mike Gershon made it 2-0 before Plymouth got one back in the first. Aaron Boyer gave Brockport a two-goal lead again, but Plymouth got it back before the second period ended. Plymouth tied the game on a third period power play. Then, Plymouth only needed four of the five shootout rounds to take the title.

Derek Spence played both games in net for Brockport making 25 and 24 saves, respectively.

“Derek Spence did an outstanding job,” Eccles said. “A little shaky early on as it was his first collegiate start, but once he got into the flow, he played solid.”

The Other Shootout

The other tournament was, of course, the Primelink Shootout. Both SUNYAC teams came away with a win and a loss.

The first game saw them face each other as Plattsburgh defeated Potsdam, 5-1. Plattsburgh scored four power play goals and Potsdam’s was also on the power play. The Cardinals jumped out to a 4-0 lead thanks to two goals by Ben Kemp and single tallies by Ryan Busby and Kevin Galen. Pat Lemay broke the shutout early in the third and Mike Thomson finished the scoring. Craig Neilson had 22 saves in the win.

Thus Plattsburgh headed for the championship game against Middlebury while Potsdam played the first game versus Norwich.

In the consolation game, Potsdam upset the Cadets, 4-3, in overtime. Lemay gave the Bears the lead, but Norwich tied it up with 30 seconds left in the first. Norwich scored quickly in the second on the power play to take the lead.

Late in the second, Nik Bibic scored a shorthanded goal to tie the game. That was quickly answered by Noriwch on the same power play. Ryan McCarthy knotted the game with a third period goal. That set up the overtime game winner by Corey McAllister.

Rob Barnhardt made 31 saves in net.

In the nightcap, Plattsburgh fell to Middlebury, 3-2. Each period, Middlebury scored first. And in each period, except the third, Plattsburgh tied it up. Deryk Whitehead and T.J. Cooper got the goals. Neilson made 22 saves.

Solitary League Game

The only conference game the past two weeks say Geneseo defeat Brockport, 5-2.

Geneseo grabbed a 2-0 lead thanks to a power play goal with ten seconds left in the first period by Kris Heeres and a second period goal by Mathieu Cyr. Blake Reilly got one back for Brockport in the third period.

That was followed by Geneseo’s Mike MacDonald putting the game away with a pair of goals in a 3:51 time span. Reilly got his second of the night, but Mitch Stephens scored an empty netter to clinch the game.

Derek Jokic got the win with 27 saves while Devin Ramasawamy made 30 saves in the loss.

The win moved Geneseo into fourth place two points ahead of Buffalo State and Potsdam, one point behind Fredonia for third, and two points behind Plattsburgh for second. Meanwhile, Brockport remains pointless in the SUNYAC.

SUNYAC Short Shots

Oswego outshot Wentworth, 53-22 in a 4-3 win … Oswego went 6 for 10 on the power play in their 7-4 victory over Curry … Oswego’s C.J. Thompson got a hat trick and two assists against Curry in addition to two goals against Wentworth for a seven point weekend … Oswego now has an eight game winning streak … Plattsburgh’s Craig Neilson leads the league with an overall 2.39 GAA. Within conference play, Oswego’s Ryan Scott leads at 2.00 GAA … Plattsburgh has only given up four goals in the first period.

Game of the Week

There are a couple of runner up candidates. Buffalo State at Potsdam is important for both teams as they are currently tied for fifth place heading into the weekend, and could still be tied for their match up depending on how they do on Friday.

Another key game involves the bottom of the order — Brockport at Cortland. This game down the road could have playoff implications if any of these teams hope to get in.

“This is where we start making our mark,” Eccles said. “We have to take from this past weekend and attack Cortland. Nothing different.”

The top game is Geneseo at Oswego. Last year as the playoffs started, many felt these two would square off in the final round. Instead, Oswego got upset at home by Plattsburgh in the semifinal, giving Geneseo the opportunity to host the championship.

“They’re a good team,” Oswego coach Ed Gosek said of this year’s Geneseo squad. “The only difference is their goaltending. They basically have the same team back except for Walker.”

On the other hand, Oswego has quite a different and young team for this year.

“We are such a young team that many don’t know the history of last year,” Gosek said. “We haven’t talked about last year. We’re just focusing on ourselves.”

Geneseo is also looking at the effect this game will have on this year’s standings and not what took place the previous season. The Ice Knights are four points behind the unbeaten Lakers, and need this opportunity to close the gap.

“I think it’s really important,” Geneseo coach Jason Lammers said of Friday’s match up. “Obviously, they [Oswego] are playing well. We’re looking forward to playing at that level. Our guys are really excited about the game.”

The fans should also be really excited about this game.

Life Is Good

What are the odds?

The day after Thanksgiving, I took the Long Island Railroad from my sister’s house into New York City. It’s no surprise that a lot of out of towners were in the city as many came to see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. So, when I saw a bunch of Wisconsin folks, it didn’t surprise me. What did surprise me was the Badger hockey jackets they wore.

However, that was topped later on. While waiting in line at Saks Fifth Avenue to see the annual holiday window displays (the best were the fairy tale scenes at Lord & Taylor), walking by was a guy with a Plattsburgh State wool hat.

It was a cold day, but the hot soft pretzel from a street vendor helped warm my belly as well as my hand, and of course delight my taste buds.

This Week in DIII – New England

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Castleton State 3 St. Anselm’s 3
Wesleyan 6 Trinity 3
Fitchburg State 5 UMass-Dartmouth 4
Castleton State 2 Plymouth State 1
Colby 5 Nichols 4
Plymouth State 5 St. Anselm’s 4
Salem State 1 Norwich 1
Curry 4 Fitchburg State 3

For many scoreboard watchers, the beginning of the season has provided some major WOWs to the action. The scores above are just a sampling of the excitement and unpredictability that has already started from the drop of the first puck this season.

Finally, all the teams in the three conferences are in full swing and the action has already raised a more than a few eyebrows. Not a lot of fun for coaches who already think there are no nights off and every game brings serious challenges, but definitely great for the fans and student bodies at the schools who are enjoying early success in the young season. Teams like Plymouth State, Castleton State, Nichols, UMass-Dartmouth, Norwich, Babson and Colby have all given fans reasons to wonder about the potential for the current season in both good ways and bad. There is still a long way to go but with some of the results we have seen already, this rollercoaster ride is likely to take us right into February.

Spartans Win! Spartans Win! Spartans Win!

After enduring a 0-25-0 initial season in the ECAC East, the Castleton State Spartans were undoubtedly looking for much better things to happen in 2005-2006. Enter Head Coach Alex Todd from the always competitive ECAC West and the program has taken a major directional shift from where it was a season ago. “There is something very exciting about putting your own stamp on any program as a head coach never mind a program that is just entering its second season in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. This is really a lot of fun – hard work to build something but a lot of fun, stated Coach Todd during an early season recruiting trip over the Thanksgiving weekend. The fun part is already obvious. In just their first three games this season, Castleton State is 1-1-1–that’s the first win the program’s history!

“It was a great feeling for the kids to get that first win under their belts, commented Todd. Having gone through the season they went through last year it was a bigger deal for the guys who were here last year. But we didn’t want to treat it like it was too special.” So what does a new program do to celebrate the first ever win? You practice early the next morning! “We were out on the ice early the next morning and it was more something the kids wanted to do, stated Coach Todd. We wanted them to just treat it like the work ethic we need to do to improve whether we win or lose and build on the things we need to accomplish as a team to be successful. It is great to get the first one, but this group wants more and is learning what dedication is required to keep improving on the ice.”

The 2-1 win over Plymouth State came on CSC’s home ice which made the win even more special and against a team which has already caused a stir with a couple of surprise wins of their own. What are the big differences for CSC this season besides attitude? First, they are playing an aggressive style that has reduced the opponents shots on goal to an average under 30 per game. Second, the Spartans have been getting solid goaltending from freshman netminder Jeff Swanson, who has a .903 save percentage and 2.59 goals against average. Third, the six goals scored so far are by six different players so far this season – including three by freshmen.

Coach Todd is pleased with the effort his team is showing on the ice in games and practices and, like most coaches, is taking it all one day at a time. He has been surprised by his team’s adaptation to a different style penalty kill that he employs and wants to see his power play become more efficient. There is a long way to go this season and this weekend includes a daunting trip to Maine to play Bowdoin and Colby. Don’t take the Spartans lightly – having tasted win #1, there is no doubt they will continue to work hard under their new coach for more!

Panthers on the Prowl

So it probably wasn’t great to become the trivia answer to the question about which team provided Castleton State with their first program win ever. That being said Plymouth State has been making their own waves by knocking off a couple of teams in surprising fashion on their way to an early 3-2-1 mark.

Super sophomore Karl Helgesson has picked up exactly where he left off last season in supplying the Panthers with spectacular goaltending. In two big wins over UMass-Dartmouth and host St. Anselm’s in the PAL Cup tournament, Helgesson stopped 85 of 91 shots in the two games where his team was outshot by better than a 2-1 margin. Helgesson kept his team in the games enough to enable his teammates to pull off the wins in dramatic fashion in overtime. Junior forward Jay Londer made his first goal of the season a special one in knocking off conference rival UMass-Dartmouth 3-2 while sophomore forward Goose Lacroix’s game-winner upset the hosts of the PAL Cup tournament over the Thanksgiving weekend by a score of 5-4.

Coach Brett Tryder’s team is now in their third season in his system and the Panthers have improved each year. With balanced scoring from 10 different players on the roster in only the first six games and continued Helgesson magic, the Panthers may contend for more than just a home-ice berth in the playoffs. They wrap-up a six game stretch away from home on Saturday against Salve Regina and next Tuesday against New England College before ending the first half of the season with league games against Suffolk and upstart Nichols.

Ephs Prepare for Foreign Exchange

While some will not put the Williams College hockey team on the big list of surprise teams, Head Coach Bill Kangas knows this season is not a sprint, it’s a marathon and the focus is to get better each and every game. So beyond the coach speak, what’s been the upside for Williams so far this season? “Well if you look at our opening weekend against Tufts and Conn College, there are lots of positives over last season, commented Coach Kangas. Last year we took one point from those two games at home and this year we won both on the road to start the season. We have a great group of seniors who have helped the young guys adapt to college life and college hockey. They understand how to compete and what it takes to get ready to play each time they go out on the ice.”

A tough loss to second ranked Manhattanville didn’t discourage Coach Kangas. “These are great games to play in helping our team to get better. We had a lead and some chances to extend it that we just couldn’t finish. Our kids learned some things about what they can do at this level and things they can’t get away with in the college game. We will be a better team for it moving through the season.”

Over the Thanksgiving weekend at the Babson invitational tournament, the Ephs stumbled to a 6-0 opening round loss to Hobart before rebounding to beat the hosts by a score of 6-2 in the consolation game. Led by senior forwards Kevin Child and Devon O’Rourke, Williams has a potent offense that likes to play an up-tempo style. They will get to test that style on some big ice surfaces in France this month against some very competitive European teams.

“It’s a great opportunity for our kids both culturally and hockey-wise, noted Coach Kangas. We start on November 1 so there hasn’t been a lot of time for these kids to really come together as a team yet so this trip will also contribute to the team building process that is so important.” Look for Brad Shirley to improve upon his early season numbers as he focuses on getting into the form that earned him so many accolades last season. He’ll need to be sharp on the upcoming trip and carry it over to the league schedule in the second half.

Bon Voyage Ephs et Bon Chance!

Nichols’ Fab Frosh

As noted in the preview column last week, Nichols just might be this year’s Cinderella team in the Northeast. They are off to a 3-2-2 start with a couple of impressive wins and are still unbeaten in conference play (0-0-2) through the first two league contests.

“I don’t know when this school had a team that was over .500 at any point in any season, commented head Coach Lou Izzi. There is definitely some excitement on campus for the first time in a long time and we hope we can keep the momentum building.”

That momentum almost went through the roof when Nichols had traditional power Colby down by a score of 4-2 just over three minutes into the final period of the Bowdoin Invitational Tournament last weekend. Credit Colby with a great effort in coming back to win 5-4 but also appreciate a quick maturation of a very young Nichols team that has some star performer potential among a core group of freshmen that play regularly. Goalie Keith Fink has been solid for the Bison in the early going and has played every game to date. He has posted an impressive .902 save percentage and a solid 3.22 goals against average in seven starts this season. Forwards Anthony Monte and Eric Schottke lead the team with 11 points each and 12 goals between the two of them. Up to 14 freshmen are playing every night for the Bison and their efforts to date have even impressed their coach with their early adjustment to the college game.

“The kids have really worked hard so far this season. We are very young but that also is a strength in the excitement these kids bring to the rink each and every game. We aren’t getting caught up in the record thing right now but we do want to play better hockey every game and build on positive experiences, stated Coach Izzi. The Bison finish the first half of the schedule with some challenging games including a re-match with Plymouth State at home whom they beat in a non-conference game to start the season, and a mid-week clash with league leader Curry next Wednesday. Finishing anywhere near the top half of the standings going into January will have Nichols in a prime position to play for something it has never seen in the school’s history – a playoff berth.

This Week in the ECACHL: Dec. 1, 2005

By Timothy Muir McDonald
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For ECACHL fans, this weekend and early next week represent a great opportunity to assess four of the league’s teams from the warmth and comfort of your own living rooms. There’ll be no need for traveling, and no need for tickets because starting Saturday, December 3, three ECACHL games will be broadcast by local and regional cable channels over a four-day span.

On Saturday night, NESN will have the broadcast of the Quinnipiac Bobcats’ first visit to Lynah Rink as a member of the ECACHL starting at 6 p.m.. The next day, cable network CN8 will air a matinee matchup between Harvard and Yale at Ingalls Rink beginning at 2:30 p.m.. And two days later on Tuesday evening, both the Bobcats and the Crimson will again be on TV, this time for a 7 p.m. faceoff at the Bright Hockey Center.

While Harvard and Cornell may be relatively used to the spotlight that comes with games on television, league newcomer Quinnipiac is not. But it was at least partly for that reason — increased exposure and media attention — that Quinnipiac made the move from Atlantic Hockey to the ECACHL.

“We extremely excited to be in the ECACHL, but you’ve got to be careful what you wish for and our schedule is a great example of that,” said Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold. “We’re playing three nationally-ranked teams on the road in five nights, and two of the three games are on TV.

“It’ll be a great challenge for this program, and it’s something that we’re really excited about.”

Though it won’t be broadcast on NESN or CN8, the always entertaining battle for D-I bragging rights in the Ocean State starts at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The 20th Annual Mayor’s Cup will pit Providence against Brown in the Friars’ Schneider Arena.

Assistant Captain Gerry Burke '05, Head Coach Roger Grillo, Providence Mayor David Cicilline (Brown Class of '83), and Captain Les Haggett '05 accepting the Mayor's Cup after last year's 5-1 Brown win (photo: Brown sports information).

Assistant Captain Gerry Burke ’05, Head Coach Roger Grillo, Providence Mayor David Cicilline (Brown Class of ’83), and Captain Les Haggett ’05 accepting the Mayor’s Cup after last year’s 5-1 Brown win (photo: Brown sports information).

The Bears won last year’s Cup in a 5-1 beating of Providence at Meehan Auditorium, and they’ll be hoping to extend the streak. Over its 20-year history, though, the Cup has gone to Providence on 10 occasions and to Brown on only seven (there have been two ties in the Cup’s history, including the 2003-04 game at Schneider that ended locked at 1-1).

“The Mayor’s Cup game is something that takes care of itself,” said Brown coach Roger Grillo. “That game adds a little extra; there’s some kind of spark because of the proximity of the two schools.

“And because it’s two different leagues,” he continued, “you’re battling for league bragging rights, too.”

A Travel Partner Pair

New travel partners Princeton and Quinnipiac played a holiday home-and-home of sorts around the Thanksgiving break. On the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, the Bobcats took a 3-2 win over the Tigers at Hobey Baker Rink that left Princeton’s players and coaches frustrated.

The game was back-and-forth until Quinnipiac’s Chris Walsh netted the game winner at 18:54 of the third. Walsh may not have had the game-winner, though, had a late Princeton not been disallowed.

“We actually came back and scored a goal with 29 seconds to tie it up,” said Princeton Coach Guy Gadowsky. “The goal was disallowed and we absolutely felt that it should not have been.

“It was disheartening,” he added.

When the team’s next met again on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for a Quinnipiac “home” game at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, the opening moments seemed to suggest the Tuesday’s bad luck and the disallowed goal had followed the team up from New Jersey.

Quinnipiac scored twice in the early going, taking advantage of Princeton penalties to grab a 2-0 lead by 6:08 of the first. From there, though, the Tigers rallied, scoring six straight goals and chasing Bobcats netminder Bud Fisher from the net.

“We were very proud of the guys,” Gadowsky said. “To start the game on Saturday down 2-0 on two five-on-three power plays within three minutes of one another was disheartening. But they came back.”

Pecknold was impressed with the way Princeton responded to Tuesday night’s loss and the opening minutes of Saturday’s game.

“I give Princeton a lot of credit,” Pecknold said. “They came in with a lot of emotion and a lot of intensity and got some big goals.”

Princeton and Quinnipiac will be on the road for a challenging series at Colgate and Cornell, the No. 13 and No. 11 teams in the nation.

“They’re both excellent teams, and both are fun buildings to play in,” said Gadowsky. “The guys are really welcoming the challenge and looking forward to playing two tough games.”

Gadowsky’s comments were reciprocated by Colgate coach Don Vaughan, who has been impressed with the strides that both of the programs have made over the last few seasons.

“Both of them are good teams, they’ve both played great,” he said. “They’ve been in almost every game they’ve played.”

Though Quinnipiac has six more wins than Princeton, Vaughan’s words apply particularly to the Tigers, who have lost four times this season by a one-goal margin. That includes an early-season 2-1 loss at home to Harvard, and then three close losses in a row: 4-3 in overtime at Clarkson, 3-2 at St. Lawrence, and again 3-2 at home against Quinnipiac.

“They’re both good teams,” agreed Cornell coach Mike Schafer. “Both Quinnipiac and Princeton have pretty good power plays.”

As for the question of how his team will respond to the strength of its opponents, Schafer stressed the need to prepare his own club.

“With any one game, we pride ourselves on our game and what we can do rather than our opponents,” he said. “We need to play 120 minutes [in a weekend] and play with passion and enthusiasm.”

During his team’s two-game homestand against Niagara, Schafer felt that those elements were not always present.

“It was kind of an up and down weekend,” he said. “We got on track offensively; guys relaxed around the net and started burying their chances. But we also had a couple of leads that we let get away; we gave up a little more defensively than you’d like.”

Though his team came away from its holiday homestand against a non-conference foe with one fewer point than did Cornell, Vaughan was thrilled with the weekend series that Colgate had against Western Michigan.

“They were just two great college hockey games,” he said. “The scores [a 2-2 tie and 4-3 OT win for Colgate] were indicative of how closely matched the two teams were. They were two very good skating games; the game had a good flow, and the momentum shifted back-and-forth. I had people come up to me after the game and during this week and tell me how much they enjoyed watching them.”

“And it’s great to get a tie and a win against a non-conference foe,” he added.

A Restful Stretch for RPI

Few people, myself included, expected the Holy Cross Crusaders to be playing in the championship game of the Rensselaer Holiday Hockey Tournament, but that’s exactly what happened this past weekend. The Crusaders took a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the hosts into the championship against Nebraska-Omaha, but were outshot and outmatched and lost 6-1.

“Unfortunately we weren’t in the championship,” said Engineer head coach Dan Fridgen. “Holy Cross’ goaltender played really well and they got a couple of goals and we fell one short.”

Tony Quesada was in net for Holy Cross on both nights; against the Engineers he stood on his head, allowing two goals on 35 shots and outbattling RPI’s talented young netminder, Matthias Lange. The next night though, Quesada faced two fewer shots from the Mavericks and allowed four more goals.

“Against Rensselaer, Quesada played well and we did a good job of keeping the puck to the outside,” said Holy Cross coach Paul Pearl. “We had a lot of odd-man rushes and we buried some of them.”

Those odd-man rushes and the struggles his team had in crashing the net and forcing second and third shots on Quesada are some of the areas that Fridgen will be exploring over the next two weeks of play.

The Engineers have an enviable schedule over the next month; they host Sacred Heart at home this weekend for only one game, and next weekend they’ll do the same for RIT. Then Rensselaer will have almost three weeks to get ready for the next set of games, an opening-night matchup against No. 8 Miami in the Ohio Hockey Classic.

“We’ve had a pretty tough first half from the perspective of traveling and games,” said Fridgen. “We’re going to be trying out some things [over the next few weeks], but we’re just looking to play consistent hockey going into the break.

“I’m looking forward to Sacred Heart,” he continued. “They’re playing very, very well of late. We have to be prepared, there’s nobody that you can take lightly in college hockey these days.”

ECACHL Honor Roll

For the fourth time this season, a Colgate forward was named the ECACHL’s Player of the Week. This time it was senior captain Jon Smyth who earned the honors, after a three-point weekend in which he scored a game-winning overtime goal to help Colgate down Western Michigan. Joining Smyth in the Honor Roll was Harvard netminder Justin Tobe, who was named the league’s Goaltender of the Week after he stopped 43 shots in Harvard’s 4-3 win over St. Lawrence.

Player of the Week

Though his point total for the weekend wasn’t as gaudy as last week’s seven-point showing by Dartmouth captain Mike Ouellette, Smyth produced when it counted most, scoring on a breakaway 20 seconds into overtime to give his team the win over Western Michigan.

Jon Smyth is the ECACHL Player of the Week (photo: Dave Silverman).

Jon Smyth is the ECACHL Player of the Week (photo: Dave Silverman).

Smyth added a power-play goal in Friday night’s 2-2 tie, and then assisted on another power-play score on Saturday night. But it wasn’t any of the points that Smyth scored, not even the game-winner, that most impressed his coach.

“He’s a great player,” said Colgate coach Don Vaughan. “We expect so much out of him; he might go unnoticed because he’s so steady.”

One thing that Vaughan clearly noticed was the impact that Smyth had on Saturday night when an injury to winger Liam Huculak kept him out of the lineup and in turn forced Vaughan to shift his line combinations.

Smyth usually anchors the Raiders’ top line alongside Tyler Burton and Jesse Winchester. Instead Vaughan sent Smyth down to the third line to take Huculak’s place with center Ben Camper and right wing Zac Tataryn.

“We had to switch lines on Saturday to offset for an injured player,” said Vaughan. “Jon Smyth’s the kind of guy who makes all the players around him better; good players do that.

“A lot of guys look up to him,” Vaughan added. “And that’s what you want from your captain.”

Goaltender of the Week

It’s unusual for a backup netminder to be tabbed as the league’s Goaltender of the Week, but that’s exactly what happened last weekend. Harvard junior Justin Tobe had appeared in only one game this season before last weekend, and during that game he played poorly, allowing four goals on 22 shots during Harvard’s 5-2 loss to Quinnipiac.

But when Tobe was brought in to start the third period against Clarkson in relief of starter John Daigneau, he played solidly in net. Tobe stopped all nine pucks he faced and was judicious in his decisions to leave the net, an area that caused him problems during the loss to Quinnipiac.

Tobe was in net the next night for the Crimson, and it was his performance against St. Lawrence that won him the GOTW. The junior was strong in net, particularly under a barrage of 19 shots throughout the third period and three separate five-on-three penalty kills in the second period.

All told, Tobe allowed three goals and produced 43 saves and was the main reason that Harvard was able to keep pace with a strong St. Lawrence team that outshot the Crimson 46-16. His play impressed his coaches and teammates.

“I thought he was outstanding,” said Harvard coach Ted Donato. “He really gave us a chance to win that game. When you face that many penalties and three five-on-threes in the period…

“I thought he was outstanding and really gave us a lift,” Donato continued. “There’s no question when a goalie is on like that it gives your team a huge lift.”

“He was deserving of being named GOTW,” he added. “On the road, in a tough place to play, he came in and gave us a chance to come back against Clarkson in the third period and then helped us to the win at St. Lawrence.”

Record Versus Non-Conference Foes

A busy weekend for non-conference play just concluded, and ECACHL continued to play well against opponents from Atlantic Hockey and the CHA. The ECACHL improved its standing somewhat when Colgate took three of four points from CCHA foe Western Michigan, but the conference also lost ground relative to WCHA opponents Minnesota-Duluth and St. Cloud State. Together the Bulldogs and the Huskies took seven of eight points from Brown and Yale.

vs. AH 9-1-1 (Bentley, Sacred Heart, Connecticut, Army, American Int’l., Mercyhurst)
vs. CCHA 3-5-2 (Michigan, Lake Superior, Michigan State, Notre Dame)
vs. CHA 8-2-1 (Niagara, Air Force, Wayne State, Robert Morris)
vs. Hockey East 9-3-1 (UMass-Lowell, Providence, Massachusetts, BU, BC)
vs. WCHA 2-6-1 (Wisconsin, Michigan Tech, Colorado College, Alaska-Anchorage)
vs. Independent 2-1-0 (RIT)

Overall 35-19-6

Commissioner’s Cup Update

The ECACHL won the inaugural Commissioner’s Cup Series a year ago, and through December 1 the league is again atop the Cup standings. The league has only had one game count towards the Cup since the middle of October, and that was Brown’s 4-1 loss to St. Cloud State on day after Thanksgiving.

Through seven games played, the ECACHL is 5-2-0 and tied with Atlantic Hockey for first place with 10 points despite having played three fewer games. The league’s next Commissioner’s Cup games are scheduled for mid-December; Princeton will host Alabama-Huntsville on December 10, and Dartmouth will travel down to Mass.-Lowell the next night.

This Week in Hockey East: Dec. 1, 2005

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One week after proudly announcing his daughter’s engagement, Dave Hendrickson is taking the week off. After researching the cost of weddings these days, Dave is now being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. We wish him a speedy — and inexpensive — recovery.

Catamount Climbers

The big story in Hockey East right now has to be the fact that the Vermont Catamounts are now the league’s top-ranked team in the USCHO.com/CSTV Networks poll, at No. 5 in the country after a startling road win up at Maine last weekend. Boston University coach Jack Parker predicted that the Catamounts would be the surprise team in the league, but his view was a minority opinion: Vermont was picked sixth in the league. In other words, most anticipated that Boston College, New Hampshire, Massachusetts-Lowell, Maine, and BU would all be doing better than Vermont by now.

“You don’t set out to have a goal of being ranked really at any point in the season; it just kind of happens,” Vermont coach Kevin Sneddon said. “I’ve been asked the question a lot of whether I’m shocked by it, and I’m really not. I really believe in our team; I believe we have the ability to do some great things this year. I certainly don’t know what that means at the end of the season, but I thought coming in here that we had the right mentality as a team. Obviously my job as a coach is to keep them focused and working toward improving all the time.”

One intriguing subplot of the road win at Maine was the fantastic play of senior netminder Travis Russell. Overshadowed last year by Joe Fallon’s stellar freshman season, not many would have expected Russell to play in such a big game last weekend. He had only played in one game this season thus far.

When I told Sneddon that Russell made him look awfully smart, he chuckled. “Well, he did all the work,” Sneddon said. “It was actually a really easy decision: He’d been working so hard in his practice. He’s had a couple of nagging injuries early on in the year; he wasn’t even a factor in making decisions for starting goaltender. And obviously Joe Fallon’s been a very, very strong goaltender for us and continues to be a strong goaltender for us, but we just felt like after the UMass loss we needed to shake things up a little bit.

“It was perfect timing: Travis had an unbelievable week in practice; he looked really good in there. We just said, ‘He’s earned it; let’s give him the opportunity.’ Going up to Maine as you said is probably one of the toughest tasks you face as a team: It’s such a strong, traditional program, and getting points up there is very difficult. We just played a very intelligent road hockey game in that we just kept things simple and played really good defense.”

Russell’s play was just the latest in a series of pleasant surprises for Vermont, starting with freshman Peter Lenes leading the team with eight goals in 13 games, with rookie linemate Dean Strong chipping in 4-6-10 totals in the same number of games. “We’re so pleased starting with the freshman class with the success that the three forwards have had, and we’ve also had really good play out of Kyle Kuk the defensemen,” Sneddon said. “Of the six, four have had an immediate impact, and one is unfortunately injured. So we feel really good about the class.

“You never know. We set out to find some speed and some skill and some scoring, but you just don’t know how long it’s going to take for freshmen to get their confidence and contribute. But [in terms of upperclassmen] we’ve had Jeff Corey — really stepped up last year when Brady Leisenring got hurt and filled in for him on the top line — really pleased to see even more progress this year. He’s playing with the two freshmen and really enjoying it, playing with that line.”

Sneddon does anticipate that the second half will require some adjustments in mentality. “I think it’s going to be completely different in the second half when we’re playing two-game series each weekend against the same team,” he said. “I think that’s going to be different for us; we’re not used to that. Every weekend’s going to be like a playoff series; we’re not used to that. In our previous leagues, we always flip-flopped with our travel partner system, so that will be a unique challenge for us.

“But hockey’s hockey, all I can say is that from what we’ve seen so far, the league is extremely talented from top to bottom. The teams that are currently resting in the bottom half of the league are certainly capable of knocking off anybody in the top half, and I think that makes everybody better.”

Who knows how long Vermont can hang in with the nation’s elite, but its newfound tenacity on defense — especially in shutting down opposing power plays — could make them a dangerous team all season. “We have a culture where we’ve really focused on team defense, and if you look at the improvement in our penalty kill, it’s second in the country [63 of 67 penalties killed for a 94.0 percent success rate] just behind Maine,” Sneddon said. “And that really boils down to our captain and our leadership in Jaime Sifers, who’s really the heart and soul of their hockey team. I think a team takes on a coach’s personality at times, and I’m a very fiery, competitive guy, and I think Jaime’s very much the same way. Our team has really taken on the personality of him.”

Once, Twice, Three Times A Travesty

In case you missed my Boston University-Colorado College recap last weekend, there was a particularly bizarre officiating incident in the game. In the third period, referee Conrad Hache called an elbowing penalty on Terrier Sean Sullivan. BU assistant coach Mike Bavis caught the official’s eye and proceeded to smile at him and clap his hands. He got called for a bench minor.

“I said ‘You gave him a bench minor for that?'” Jack Parker revealed after the game. “And he said, ‘Yes: That’s a travesty.’ Well, he’s correct: It was a travesty out there, but he didn’t get the right one.” Parker went on to say that Hache repeated the word ‘travesty’ three times in reference to the actions of Bavis.

From my perspective, it was the low point of what had not been the best of nights for Hache. Jeff Bunyon called the previous night’s game of BU versus Denver and did a terrific job. Bunyon called five penalties on BU and just two on Denver, but I would have to say that the disparity was right on: Denver played with discipline reflecting a two-time national champion and didn’t do anything foolish. There weren’t many penalties to call either way, and he didn’t try to force that to happen.

In contrast, Hache called a few penalties each way that were total head-scratchers to me. I had to conclude that it would be difficult to play in that game, not knowing if a shoulder-to-shoulder hit would be called a penalty or not. So I thought I would ask Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna to weigh in on the consistency issue after seeing such a disparity between two games in two nights. Given that our conversation happened on Monday morning, he was quick to point out that he had not had an opportunity to discuss the situation with Parker or Hache at that time.

“Not having been at that game, I can’t comment on those games — comparing one to the other,” Bertagna said. “In general, I feel pretty good about our officials. The two things you hear most about officials — and I’ve heard a lot over 20 years — is attitude and consistency. Very rarely do we talk about mechanics or conditioning or knowledge of the rulebook. It’s the consistency within a game and the consistency from ref to ref.

“I’ve talked to a few people who were at the game Saturday who thought [Hache] did a good job. So it’s in the eye of the beholder. People with a rooting interest are going to have difficulty being objective versus those who aren’t involved with either team. So I don’t know what you’re looking for from me, but in general at this time of the year we’re satisfied with the consistency of our officiating.”

What about the so-called “travesty” of an assistant coach clapping and smiling at the referee in a sarcastic response toward a bad call?

“I’ve been in this league for nine years, and I’m repeating it here, and that’s that we’re trying to establish a climate of respect for the officials.” Bertagna said. “Not only because the current officials deserve but also because we want to establish a climate conducive to growing the number of individuals who want to officiate college hockey — not only in our league but nationally. I think if somebody is standing on the bench and mock-applauds, that by definition to be is showing a lack of respect in front of the official.

“Now just as there are different standards as to what a penalty is and what isn’t, a referee has different ways they can go. One person might say ‘Hey, knock it off,’ or say to the head coach ‘Hey, get control of your bench,’ and not make a call, whereas somebody else might say, ‘Hey, he’s showing me up, and he’s doing it in front of the rest of the team, and the crowd can see it. I’m not going to take it; that’s a penalty.’ I’m not going to come down on an official who makes a call like that. For the record, I’m still looking at it. It happened Saturday night and it’s not even noontime Monday, but on the surface of the information I have, I would support the official for making that call because I don’t think it’s the role of the assistant coach or anyone on the bench to show up an official.”

If anything, Bertagna feels that many officials tolerate more than they should. The commissioner noted that he has been able to lip-read bad language on TV and that he’s heard it at arenas with his children in attendance. He has confronted officials afterwards as to why they didn’t take action, and some responded by saying “I’ve heard worse” or “I have big shoulders.” Bertagna wouldn’t mind seeing officials take a stand in those situations.

“At some point, you’re not doing your job by letting it go,” Bertagna said. “There are a lot of ways that you can show up an official. Now if we had ten referees in that situation, maybe eight have them would have just warned the bench, given that there was a minor assessed. But they all have their individual style, and I would not be critical of the official at this point. But I have not spoken to Jack or anyone yet.”

I agree with Bertagna to a point — no doubt referees tolerate some very bad behavior that they shouldn’t. But if clapping and smiling deserves a bench minor, then the logical conclusion is that bench minors may be justifiable when a player slams the penalty box door, smashes his stick on the boards, throws his arms in the air in disbelief, and so forth. To me this is one official that should be not only black and white but red all over — in embarrassment over a call that blew a minor gesture out of proportion and definitely altered the outcome of an exciting game.

Northeastern: At The Bottom But Looking Up

Northeastern currently has the worst overall record of any Hockey East team at just 1-8-2. However, there are signs that this extremely young team may be verge of improving that record very soon. In its last four games, NU has beaten UMass 2-0, lost in overtime to surprisingly strong Providence, lost 5-3 at BC in a game that was close up till the last two minutes of play, and — just on Sunday — tied UNH 3-3 at the Whitt, never an easy feat. It seems as if the youthful Huskies are starting to believe that they really can compete with anyone.

“I think so,” first-year coach Greg Cronin agreed. “I’ve actually done some soul-searching; I’ve tried to think back on some of the programs I was involved in rebuilding, namely UMaine back in the late eighties and Colorado [College] in the early nineties and with the U.S. program and with the Islanders. In all four venues, we took a beating in the early years and then were able to fight our way through the adversity and get some traction.

“I think back to when Shawn [Walsh] was trying to turn Maine into a college hockey power, and they were just getting shellacked: I mean they lost games 8-1, 9-1, 5-0. When I was at CC the first year, I don’t remember the record, but we got blasted some games. So one thing I think is that college hockey is not as deep and talented as it used to be, and the other side of it is that we’re competitive and we have good enough players that we can compete every night. The first game against North Dakota was an ugly mess: We lost 6-0, and it could’ve been 14-0. But I think every since that night we’ve played with a degree of belief that we can win games, and I think the scores reflect that.”

Cronin admittedly knew little about his troops going into the season. So what’s his assessment at this stage?

“Obviously I guess it’s a strength and a weakness depending on what your timeframe is in building a team,” Cronin said. “Some people go from one college job to another, so they’re really comfortable with the environment coaching, and I’ve come from the pro game to here so it’s been a big adjustment for me: Number one, getting readjusted to college hockey; number two, trying to get acquainted with our personnel.

“Part of that personnel is the number of young kids that we have, and that sometimes can be viewed as a weakness but in the long run it’s a strength because you’re able to touch/coach a lot of guys, a large volume of young players immediately. We’ve had anywhere from nine to 12 freshmen and sophomores in the lineup every game, and I think when you have that youth it gives you some visibility as a program going forward as you start to build a program. And that’s a strength.”

One nice story has been sophomore Jimmy Russo. I first heard of the former Thayer Academy player from Steve Greeley Sr., father of former BU player Steve Greeley Jr. The elder Greeley had seen Russo play at Thayer and predicted he would be a big-time college hockey player. Although Russo managed just eight points in 30 games played as a freshman, the prediction is starting to come true. Just last Sunday against UNH, Russo surpassed his freshmen numbers and now leads the team with nine points in 11 games.

“Jimmy’s a really talented player; he’s got great skill,” Cronin said. “I didn’t see him play as a youngster, but I know he was at Thayer and Cushing and he was a proven point producer. He’s been asked to carry a lot of responsibility this year. I don’t know if you know, but we’ve switched him to the middle of the ice; he was playing wing most of his career and a couple of games ago we switched him to the middle.

“I do know that I want to build a team that’s strong down the middle of the ice, and with [Ray] Ortiz out and [Mike] Morris out we’ve lost a few good players down the middle. So I was scrambling to find a centerman who can play as a second-line center with [freshman] Joe Vitale as our first-line guy. We asked him to move there before the BC game, and I was pleasantly surprised; he did a nice job. So I think it’s going to make him a better player.

“He can build off the natural talent and skill that he has. He’s going to have to learn to be a little more of a second-effort guy and a guy that’s willing to take a hit to make a play. He does that sporadically now, and I think that as he gets more comfortable in that center position I think you’re going to see more and more of it.”

Cronin’s next challenge is in selling the Northeastern story to recruits who will help the program replicate what Cronin assisted in building at Maine and Colorado College. I asked him what his recruiting message is for prospective players. “It’s funny that you should bring that up. We just had a staff meeting, and we were talking about that. It’s been tough: We’re 1-8-2. As I’ve always said, I’m not into moral victories — ‘Oh, you played hard’ — I hate that crap. But the good thing is that there’s a great buzz about Northeastern; you’d have to be deaf and mute not to hear it, particularly at this regional level out east. The campus has evolved into a really terrific place: the new buildings, the academic resurrection from really a safety school with a commuter mentality to a real oasis-like campus in the city. It’s incredibly attractive.

“Before I came here, I didn’t want to leave pro hockey. But when I got here, I said, ‘Holy Smokes! You can win here; there’s no question.’ It’s funny how things turn around. When I was at CC, nobody wanted to go there… We had an outdoor practice rink with no walls. The WCHA was at the peak of its dominance in college hockey, and here was this small liberal arts school, and everyone was saying ‘Who the hell is going to want to go there?’

“And we were able to change that dynamic from a small school that can’t compete to a unique small school that has a very rich academic history, a rich hockey history, a great climate, a great academic profile with a block plan that’s attractive to kids. Northeastern’s got more natural resources to offer in 2005 than CC had back in 1990. It’s all a matter of how you’re looking at that: Is that glass half-full or half-empty?”

It’s no understatement to say that Cronin has been blown away by the atmosphere in Matthews Arena during a big game. “Were you at the BC game?” he asked. “Oh my God. I’ve been in Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum for Islander-Ranger games where the fans were blowing the roof off. But this is one building where you can show a picture of a full house, and you can feel it even though you’re not there. You show a picture of Matthews Arena full, and it’s just ‘Holy Smokes!’ It’s just got an intimacy to it, a feel to it that’s really contagious. I think that game proves that if you win here, people will show up.”

No doubt: If he builds it, they will come to the Rink of Dreams.

Mysterriers

BU has had a particularly strange season thus far. The Terriers are currently 4-5-2. Many teams that hover around .500 are characterized by a few things: most notably, an inability to beat really good teams and a tendency to be great on some nights and weak on others.

Yet neither of these statements characterizes the Terriers to date. Even with the deflating OT loss to No. 3 Colorado College, BU has 4-2-1 record against ranked teams and a 2-0-2 record against teams higher in the Hockey East standings. And instead of having good nights and bad nights, almost every game BU has played this season conjures up visions of Charles Dickens’ classic opening line “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” With the exception of about three solid 60-minute games — including the 1-0 win over Denver last Friday — the Terriers have looked awful AND fantastic in just about every game.

The first period has been the biggest issue. Friday’s game against Denver marked just the second time all season the Terriers had led after one period. In one recent stretch, BU surrendered at least 18 shots in the first period of three out of four games, including one against offensively-challenged Massachusetts. The Terriers have been outscored 11-3 in the first period.

Yet just when it appears that it’s going to be a long, long night for the scarlet and white, they transform and play like world-beaters–a team that could be in the mix for the Frozen Four. After looking horrific in falling behind 3-0 against CC, they rallied and scored two extra-attacker goals to tie the Tigers 5-5 before losing in overtime. After Harvard went ahead 2-0 and thoroughly dominated BU, the Terriers rallied to tie the game 2-2.

“The first period was pathetic on our part,” Parker said after the loss to Colorado College. “We’ve looked bad in first periods before, but this was as bad as I’ve seen. It was bizarre to me that we could come out and play like we did. Granted, that’s a hell of a hockey team, and they can skate like hell. But we didn’t skate.

“Coming back the way we did was pretty good competitiveness — some guys — a lot of guys still didn’t have much tonight, but a few guys played hard. I thought our goaltender [John Curry] played great — they could’ve had six or seven in the first. We left him out to dry, and he played very, very well. That was the whole game. We were so bad that we might’ve fooled Colorado College into thinking ‘Oh, they’re this bad; we don’t have to try anymore.’ We wound up outshooting them which is amazing given what was going on in the first period.”

It will be very interesting to see how BU responds this weekend. Archrival BC may be just the what the doctor ordered in terms of getting the team to focus for a whole 60 minutes. Right now, though, one would have to say that BU could end up as a serious contender to win at least a game or two in the postseason … or the Terriers could end up on the road in the Hockey East quarterfinals and struggle to get to the TD Banknorth Garden. It will be a gut check for the team to bear down and figure out the first-period problem.

Sterling Effort

Colorado College’s Brett Sterling certainly is the real deal. Two of his three goals against BU were real jaw-droppers — what a sniper. BU fans, consider this: I took my daughter and her friend to the BU women’s hockey game on Sunday, and one BU insider told me that Sterling reportedly only went on two visits: one to CC, and one to BU. How would you like to have him in the lineup right now?

Trivia Contest

Last week’s question looked ahead to the Rensselaer Holiday Tournament and asked which team, other than the Engineers, had won the tournament the most times. The correct answer was Providence, a five-time winner.

The question was submitted by Tom Reale, who earned the right to give a cheer:

“RPI was RPI when Clarkson was a pup, and RPI will be RPI when Clarkson’s all grown up!

The first to respond correctly was Chris Sayles. His cheer is:

“M…A…I…N…E…..GOOO….BLUE!”

This week’s question is entitled “The Equipment Manager’s Nightmare.” Readers seem to like the sadistic challenges that I pose in this segment, so here’s another one: Your challenge is to come up with a full lineup of Hockey East players — one goalie, three forwards, and two defensemen — who have the longest last names in the history of Hockey East MEN’S hockey, the names that were the hardest to fit on the back of a uniform. The winner will be the one who comes up with the most combined letters in the last names of those six players.

Given that there are always those who look for loopholes, bear in mind that they must be players who played for their programs during the history of Hockey East (not the ECACHL). They must be men. You must give me their first and last names as well as their school. I will not accept any responses after noon on Monday.

So will the Zancanaro twins have a long enough last name to qualify? If so, that would give you two of the three forwards that you need for starters. I kind of doubt it, though: Off the top of my head, I can think of one forward with an 11-letter last name and another with a ten-letter last name.

Knock yourselves out, Hockey East masochists!

Because this will be tedious trivia contest to judge, we will spare Dave from this burden. E-mail me with your answer. The winner will be notified by Monday afternoon; if you haven’t heard by then you can figure that someone else topped you.

Submit suggested trivia questions to Dave’s trivia e-mail account and if your question is used, you’ll get a cheer as long as you were first to submit it. Please include “SUGGESTION” in the subject line.

And Finally, Not That It Has Anything To Do With Anything, But…

So Dave’s daughter got engaged. My daughter, Hannah, just turned nine and told me the other night that her best friend pointed out the juicy part of the most recent Harry Potter novel — some pretty serious kissing. “What did you think?” I asked her. “Dis-gusting,” she said. “You might change your mind about that some day,” I said. “Yeah, I know people like kissing when they’re older — when they get married,” she said. “Maybe even a little sooner than that,” I told her.

The Week in Division III – December 1, 2005

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Pass the Pepto

Maybe it was too much Turkey. Too much pumpkin pie. What else can account for the number of upsets in Division III last week?

Maybe…parity?

“That’s definitely part of it,” said St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin. His Green Knights experienced a rare one-point weekend, losing 2-1 at Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Friday and then blowing a 2-0 third period lead and settling for a tie with Wisconsin-Eau Claire on Saturday.

“We’ve always said that any team in this league is capable of beating anyone else. That the bottom four teams can beat any of the top four teams. It just hasn’t happened to us until now.”

Coghlin says that while the competition was strong, his squad didn’t play as well as they could have.

“We were 0-6 on the power play (against Wisconsin-Stevens Point); that certainly didn’t help. And in the Eau Claire game, when you’re up by two goals with ten minutes to play, the game should be in the bank.”

Still, Coghlin says his squad isn’t down after one of its worst weekends in years.

“We’re not discouraged,” he said. “We’re 1-2-1 (in league play), but we’re three defensive plays from being 4-0; three saves from being 4-0; three power play goals from being 4-0.”

The Green Knights have been banged up as well, with key players Andrew Derton and Spencer Carbery missing significant action over the past weekend. Their status is unsure going into weekend matchups with Wisconsin-River Falls and Wisconsin-Stout.

“They’re going to be good games,” said Coghlin. “Stout always plays us tough, and River is one of those teams that just play good hard hockey. They have a great defense and a good power play that will may you pay for mistakes.

“But we’re glad to finally be home.”

Surprises Everywhere

Recapping last weekend, and other surprises so far:

-MSOE beating Babson 3-2 in overtime in the first round of the Babson Invitational. The Raiders are the class of the MCHA, but showed last weekend they can play with teams from the more established conferences.

-Babson losing again the next day to Williams 6-2. The Beavers were thought by many to be a top five team this season, but are off to a 1-3 start.

-Norwich starting the season 1-2-1. The Cadets are under .500 for the first time in five years. They’re ranked fifteenth in the most recent poll, and are in danger of dropping out for the first time since 1998.

-Wesleyan beating Trinity 6-3. The Cardinals relied heavily on goaltender Mike Palladino (41 saves), and beat the Bantams at their own game (special teams and goaltending).

-Concordia defeating Wisconsin-Superior 4-3 in overtime in the opening round of the Division III College Hockey Showcase. In all, the top 15 was 15-8-1 last week; not very impressive. The Number Three through Seven teams were a combined 2-5-1. Ouch.

-St. Scholastica starting the season 5-3. The Saints have already won as many games as they did all of last season, and got a vote in the Division III poll this week. CSS’s large freshman class is doing very well, and great team defense has held the opposition to under 20 shots a game three times so far this season.

-Plymouth State’s wins over St. Anselm and UMass-Dartmouth. That’s the good news. The bad news is that the Panthers have been on the wrong end of an upset as well (see below).

-Brockport getting its first win in 13 games. The Golden Eagles defeated Southern New Hampshire 7-5 to earn their first victory of the season and first since 1/29/05. Brockport tied Plymouth State the next day in the championship of the PAL Cup tournament, but lost the title in a shootout.

-Nichol’s quick start. The Bison got off to a 3-0 start but have cooled off a bit, going 0-2-2 in their last four games. Nichols had a three goal lead against Colby last weekend but couldn’t hold on, losing 5-4. The Bison are one win away from matching their total from last season.

-Franklin Pierce getting its first Northeast-10 win ever, and in spectacular fashion. In a 5-4 win over Assumption on November 16, the Ravens scored three goals in the final minute to force overtime, and then got the game winner with 5.4 seconds to play in the extra period. “We’ll be talking about this one for a long, long time,” said Franklin Pierce coach Jay McCormack. “I told my guys that they could play hockey for many more years and never have another game like that one.”

-Castleton State getting its first varsity win in school history, a 2-1 win over Plymouth State. The Spartans also picked up a conference point with a 3-3 tie with St. Anselm. Castleton was 0-44 in its first two seasons. This year the Spartans are off to a 1-1-1 start, outscored only 8-6. In their first three games last season, the Spartans were outscored 29-4.

-Neumann’s 5-3 start. The Knights are doormats no longer. Winning just four varsity games from 1998-2004 and matching that total last season (4-17-2), Neumann has already exceeded that total, including a 3-1 win over Utica and a pair of blowout WINS over Buffalo State.

Gag Order

Officiating is a tough job. When it’s done well, nobody says anything. When it’s done poorly, that’s another matter. As a radio commentator and writer, I am free to criticize the job done by an officiating crew, but I usually don’t. I may question a call or non-call, but it takes an exceptionally poor job to warrant calling a ref out. I feel the same way about a player’s or coaches’ performance.

But officiating is a big part of the game, and to prohibit coaches from talking about it is wrong. Sure coaches can go overboard, like Lake Superior State coach Jim Roque making a “highlight” tape of blown calls and then, in an interview with USCHO’s Paula Weston, alluding to the officials being biased against his team because of it. He was justifiably fined. But a blanket gag order on coaches is wrong. The way a game is called can have a major impact on the outcome. Officiating is often the 500 pound gorilla in the room that no one’s allowed to mention. The reason given is that the officials are not allowed to comment, so the coaches shouldn’t be either. Of course, while I understand the reasoning behind that, it would be great if the refs WERE allowed to comment on a game – I’ve found the off-the-record comments of the officials that I have talked with to be very informative and insightful.

Never going to happen.

Not That This Has Anything to Do With Anything…

I’m going to take a page from my buddy Dave Hendrickson’s book and talk a little about Boston sports. I’m in Rochester, NY, but I have a kid that’s obsessed with the Red Sox and I admit to being a lifelong Bruins fan. That was until yesterday.

The Bruins traded Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks yesterday. The Sharks, for Pete’s sake. For three average players. I’ve been able to stick with this team though crappy, skinflinted ownership and clueless management. I even stayed a fan when they traded Ray Bourque to Colorado for a puck bag. But Ray wanted to go. Thornton, in his own words, was “Blindsided”.

I’ve been a B’s fan since I got a rod-hockey game with the Bruins and Rangers on it in 1970. But, this was the last straw. I’m done. I’m looking to adopt a new team…any suggestions?

This Week in the CHA: Dec. 1, 2005

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Now in its seventh season, the CHA has a not-too shabby 214-297-44 record against nonconference teams, (.425 winning percentage), including this season’s 15-26-2 mark.

Not bad at all for a league that has its share of critics who continually say the CHA is a pseudo-league and the sixth-best of the six Division I leagues.

League teams have posted a 29-7-2 record against Division I independent/non-Division I opponents in the seven seasons, including a dominant 112-45-15 record against Atlantic Hockey.

And the CHA doesn’t belong?

While the CHA’s record against the remaining conferences is subpar (25-38-13 vs. the ECACHL, 10-31-2 vs. Hockey East, 25-87-7 vs. the CCHA, and 13-89-5 vs. the WCHA), the league has done well, though with only one win to show for it, in the NCAA postseason tournament.

In 2000, Niagara posted the well-documented 4-1 upset of New Hampshire and goaltender Ty Conklin in the first round of the NCAA tournament before falling to North Dakota.

Wayne State was with Colorado College in 2003 before a late Tom Preissing goal deflated the Warriors and goalie David Guerrera.

Then in 2004, Niagara had a chance to gain momentum on Boston College when then-Hobey Baker candidate Joe Tallari was awarded a penalty shot only to have the puck roll off his stick, leading to a weak shot on BC goalie Matti Kaltiainen.

Not to make excuses, but if none of the above happens, the games could have taken different turns. Could have …

And last year, Bemidji State’s Brendan Cook tied the game early in the third period against Denver before a Kevin Ulanski goal 3:26 into overtime sent the Beavers home and DU on its way to a national championship repeat.

What’s in store for next March? Stay tuned.

Beavers Formally Announce ’06 Signings

The Beavers early this week made official the signings of Tyler Lehrke (Park Rapids), Chris Peluso (Wadena) and John Vadnais (Stillwater) to national letters of intent. All are Minnesota natives as well.

“We’re excited to be adding three talented players to our program,” BSU assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Ted Belisle said. “All three have shown leadership qualities throughout their careers and could prove to be strong members of our program in the future.

“All three of these guys are proven players who have been through the junior ranks and have the potential to have a bright future in our program.”

Peluso was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the seventh round of the 2004 NHL Draft and will become the second NHL draftee to join the Bemidji State program since it moved to Division I in 1999, joining last year’s captain, Andrew Murray, who was drafted by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the eighth round in 2001.

As well as being from Minnesota, all three are in their second seasons in the United States Hockey League. Lehrke captains the Green Bay Gamblers, Peluso is with the Sioux Falls Stampede and Vadnais is in his second season with the Des Moines Buccaneers, his third year in the USHL.

Props to the Academy

For the sixth consecutive year, the Air Force hockey team will help brighten the holiday season for area children.

At the Wayne State series this weekend, fans can bring a new stuffed toy, wrapped in plastic, and when the Falcons score their first goal in each game, fans can throw the stuffed toy on the ice.

Children 18 and under with a toy donation will receive admission for just $1. (The toys need to be wrapped to protect them when they are thrown on the ice.) The “Toy Trick” will be offered both nights, and the toys will be collected and distributed to children in local hospitals and clinics during the holiday season.

In the first five years of the Toy Trick, the team collected and distributed more than 2,700 toys. Last year, the hockey team collected more than 700 toys and made visits to the Children’s Hospital at Memorial Hospital in Colorado Springs and also to Denver Children’s Hospital during the holidays.

Robert Morris Downed by Lakers

RMU lost two straight last weekend at Lake Superior State, including Saturday’s game 4-3 in overtime. In that game, Joe Tuset, a Northern Michigan transfer, made his first career start for the Colonials. Sophomore Jace Buzek put the game into overtime with his second goal of the year and just 85 ticks left on the clock.

Robert Morris was blanked, 3-0, Friday night.

“Those were two good wins,” LSSU head coach Jim Roque said. “Robert Morris really played hard and aggressive. They were both good games, hard-fought, and better than winning 8-1. These games will help us.”

The Colonials continue their six-game, 47-day road trip on Dec. 9-10, as they travel to Niagara for a pair of league games.

WSU Still Winless, Still Positive

Wayne State, even in its inaugural season, never went this long without a win. At 0-8-2, WSU is off to its worst start ever.

However, the team is still finding positives.

“A tie is better than a loss,” Wayne State coach Bill Wilkinson told USCHO after Friday’s 2-2 tie at Union. “But we’re certainly trying to win one down the line.”

Union beat WSU, 4-0, Saturday night.

Huntsville Recruit Sounds Off on NAHL Blog

Defenseman Davide Nicoletti, a UAH recruit for next fall, recently published his thoughts on playing this year for the NAHL’s Springfield Jr. Blues, Alabama-Huntsville next year and how his first night in Springfield went. Check it out here.

On spurning major junior hockey: “I had a chance to play major junior hockey back home with the (Ontario Hockey League’s) Guelph Storm. They drafted me (13th round in 2002). It’s not a bad deal. They pay for your college education at any Canadian university – you get a year of school paid for each year you are in a major junior organization. But I had a dream of playing Division I and this was the league (NAHL) that I thought could get me there.”

On his billets in Springfield” “My billet family is Susan Wallace and Matt Herron, and the morning I arrived at their home, they had a little surprise for me and the other player who they were housing at the time, Brian Horrigan. Susan and Matt were getting married that night. So my first day in Springfield, I went to a wedding. But that’s how dedicated Susan and Matt are to their billets and to the Jr. Blues – they didn’t allow their wedding to get in the way of their responsibilities to us. They just welcomed us with open arms and it was a great introduction to Springfield. I got to meet a lot of people right away. Susan and Matt have been very helpful in making me feel at home and that has enabled me to concentrate on hockey.”

On committing to the Chargers: “I’m thrilled right now about committing to play at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. I’m on Cloud Nine. I actually committed two weeks ago (late October), before we went to Cleveland to play the Barons, but I waited and told the coaches last week (first week in November). I didn’t want to interfere with our preparations for Cleveland. I visited Huntsville over the summer and it just felt right. They have a good tradition, a winning tradition, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”

Niagara Plays Cornell to Two Tough Losses

Niagara and Cornell are natural rivals even if the two schools play in different leagues. Last weekend, NU nearly pulled off consecutive upsets against the No. 11 Big Red.

Friday, Cornell took a 5-4 decision while Saturday in Rochester, N.Y., yielded a 5-3 loss for the Purple Eagles.

“I’m proud of our fight and the way we kept battling back,” said Niagara head coach Dave Burkholder after Saturday’s loss. “But I don’t like losing on the penalty kill with three minutes to go in a very, very good college hockey game.”

Cornell was cruising, 3-1, in the third period Saturday before two Big Red penalties gave the Purple Eagles a chance. Freshman Les Reaney controlled the puck on the first power play of the period for Niagara and sent it across the goalmouth where classmate Vince Rocco was waiting. Justin Cross then completed the comeback with only 5:13 left, wristing a shot from the point through the pads of Cornell goalie David McKee.

But just as Niagara converted on its opportunities with the man advantage, Ryan O’Byrne capitalized on a late interference penalty by Purple Eagles’ frosh Armando Scarlato with a slapshot from the blueline that beat NU goalie Scott Mollison at 17:10. Matt Moulson put the game away with an empty-net tally.

Mollison finished with 29 saves in his first game and start of the season.

Friday, Rocco (power play), captain Jason Williamson, Ted Cook (power play) and Tayler Simpson scored for NU and goalie Jeff Van Nynatten made 33 saves.

“Our power play was great,” said Burkholder. “On loose pucks, we did a good job of chipping it in behind their defensemen. Overall, I think we can play a little better. We were jumpy, but once we got our legs under us, we competed very hard. That’s been one of the best defensive teams in the country two of the past three years and I was hoping four goals would be enough.”

In other NU news, forward Sean Bentivoglio is out indefinitely with a bruised sternum suffered in Friday’s loss.

This Week in the ECAC West

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Hats Galore

There is something special about a hat trick in college hockey. First of all, they aren’t all that common in Division III, unless the game is a blowout where one team puts up a double digit score. Second, the diffusion of talent across all of Division III has also resulted in scoring being spread around amongst several players during any particular game.

So to say I was shocked when no less than three hat tricks were tallied in the ECAC West over the last two weeks, all in relatively low scoring games, would be an understatement.

Two of those hat tricks were scored on the same night, Friday, Nov. 18. Perhaps the most dramatic one of the bunch was freshman Jesse Cole’s effort for Neumann. Cole scored all three goals in the Knights 3-1 surprise win over Utica.

“It was a big win for our program playing a great team like Utica,” said Neumann coach Dennis Williams. “It was great for the first league game of the year. It is nice to get that one monkey off our back a little bit.”

Cole opened the night with a score just 1:04 into the contest. He tallied his second goal, the eventual game winner, late in the first period and added a 5-on-3 power play goal midway through the third to complete the onslaught.

“[Jesse Cole] is playing great for us this year,” said Williams. “He is doing a nice job on the power play. It has been great for him and we are expecting big things as we get into the second third of the season.”

Cole’s hat trick is only the seventh in team history for Neumann, the last one being scored by Neil Trimm in a 6-6 tie against this same Utica team on Feb. 25, 2005.

Hobart tallied both of the other hat tricks in the league. Colby McVey tripped the lights fantastic in a 6-1 win against Cortland on November 18th. McVey completed the cycle, scoring a power play goal in the second period, and an even strength and shorthanded goal in the third period.

Just for good measure, Conor Bradley chipped in another hat trick to lead Hobart in a 6-0 win over Williams in the opening round of the Babson Invitational tournament on Nov. 26. Bradley chipped in a power play goal in each of the three periods to earn the chapeau.

“It is great to see with Conor Bradley,” said Hobart coach Mark Taylor. “He was a goal scorer recruit, and he knew he was going to be a good player when he came into his own. He is a good size kid, but needed to get bigger and stronger, and do more defensively. For two years, he has persevered, and it is nice for it to be a steady flow for him now.”

Prior to this scoring onslaught, Hobart’s last hat trick was scored by Will Brame when he tallied three of the Statesmen’s first four goals on the way to a 5-2 win over Amherst on Jan. 25, 2005.

Defense First

After netting two hat tricks and outscoring its opponents 24-2 over the last four games, you would think that the talk at Hobart would be centered completely around the offense. Come on, with stats like that the Statesmen should “Let loose the Dogs of War” and just bury teams with their offense.

But anyone who knows coach Taylor also knows that the hallmark of his teams has always been defense.

“My philosophy is ‘commitment to defense, and a passion for offense’,” said Taylor. “I think offense takes care of itself. Guys are pretty much free to do what they want offensively, as long as they get it done defensively. Hopefully that creates an environment when guys do have the puck they have a real freedom with it.”

“We have been focusing on defense. We will keep focusing on that even with the goal differential the last four games.”

An obvious key to a defense-first strategy is goaltending. Hobart has a strong stable of goaltenders, but it has been freshman Keith Longo who has appears to have stepped to the forefront. Longo recently set a school record with 180:46 consecutive shutout minutes. The previous record was 143:15 held by Thomas Kelliher achieved during a four game stretch of the 2003-2004 season.

Longo’s streak began following a goal by Manhattanville early in the second period during a 3-1 loss on November 5th. Longo then posted back to back shutouts against Wentworth on Nov. 19 and Williams on Nov. 26. The span finally came to an end against MSOE when the Raiders snuck a power play score past Longo 3:23 into the second period during the championship game of the Babson Invitational on Nov. 27.

“He is playing excellent hockey,” said Taylor. “My number one goalie is Dimitri Papaevagelou. But right now Keith Longo is playing better than him, and that is why Longo is playing. As Longo plays more games, that number one thing gets tighter and tighter. With Keith putting together two back to back shutouts, you couldn’t ‘not’ play him in the championship game [of the Babson tournament].”

Coach Taylor has been rotating between Papaevagelou and Longo. It certainly seems like Hobart has more “feast” than “famine” in goal this season.

“We have been rotating both those guys,” said Taylor. “I’m real excited with our goaltending. We should be able throw down two very good cards to play on any given night.”

Sweepin’ Along

The latter half of November certainly has been good to the teams of the ECAC West. The last loss to a non-conference opponent came way back on Nov. 11 when Lebanon Valley lost a close 2-1 game to UMass Dartmouth.

Since then, the ECAC West has racked up nine straight wins outside of the conference, topped off with Hobart taking home the championship trophy, and several individual honors, from the Babson Invitational tournament last weekend.

“[The Babson tournament] was great, except that I didn’t get any deer hunting in,” said Taylor. “But I’ll go deer-less for two wins.”

Neumann has been doing its part to keep the ECAC West strong in non-conference play. The Knights swept Buffalo State last weekend by wide margins, outscoring the Bengals 13-3 over the pair of games.

“It is a great couple of wins for the team to get the confidence back after losing to Manhattanville the weekend before,” said Williams. “We were able to get all 25 skaters into the lineup this weekend which is going to help every guy there to get some confidence as well. Mike Collichio played great in net on Friday and Liam Johnson played great on Saturday.”

In another sign of a return to normalcy within the ECAC West, the league has re-established its winning record against the SUNYAC. So far this season, the league is 13-5 against the SUNYAC teams, proving that last year’s disappointing inter-league record almost certainly was simply a statistical aberration.

This Weekend

After some feel-good non-conference games for everyone, it is back to league play this weekend. Travel partners Neumann and Lebanon Valley head north to swap games with partners Hobart and Elmira.

“This is going to be a tough weekend,” said Williams. “We have to be prepared, play sound defensive hockey, and stay out of the box. We have to hope we can capitalize on a couple of chances.”

One thing that has become obvious so far this season is that it will be a real scrap for at least three of the four playoff spots. The games this weekend are the last league games before the holiday break, and will set the tone for where teams stand.

“Neumann is playing very well,” said Taylor. “It is a different hockey team. We just need to get done what we need to get done.”

This Week in the CCHA: Dec. 1, 2005

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The Reason for the Season

The weather has finally turned nippy, the Thanksgiving turkey is a carcass, the days shorten, and several local radio stations are playing Christmas music round the clock.

This can only signal one thing: it’s time to shop.

While the day after Thanksgiving, a.k.a. “Black Friday,” is touted as the single biggest retail day of the year in the U.S., the first weekend in December is usually the busiest shopping weekend before Christmas.

According to the National Retail Foundation, consumer spending last weekend was up 21.9 percent over 2004’s immediate post-Thanksgiving rush, but only 35.6 percent of us have finished our holiday shopping, a figure that NRF says is “slightly down” from this time last year.

Well, what are you waiting for? For the sake of our nation’s well-being, we should all be out there fighting the crowds, bending the plastic, driving the economy. To that end, here’s a list of what you can get me for Christmas. Most of these are, technically speaking, not commercial items, and you may have to search a little wider and dig a little deeper, but I know from personal experience that CCHA fans are among the most resourceful in college hockey.

Don’t worry. It’s a short list.

The College Hockey Showcase

Yes, that’s what I want for Christmas. Okay, so I’m asking way in advance, but I think now is the time to start thinking about the 2006 College Hockey Showcase, especially since it will take place outside of the formerly friendly confines of Munn and Yost Arenas.

For the third consecutive year, the Big Ten titans of the WCHA flexed their collective muscle and stole the collective lunch money from two of the CCHA’s three Big Ten members. This year, Minnesota and Wisconsin combined for a 3-0-1 record against Michigan and Michigan State at the annual event, having swept the Wolverines and defeated and tied the Spartans.

Yes, I hear the loud protests of the Green and White, the at-least-we-got-a-point rebuttal, and it’s true that only the Spartans have been even remotely effective against the Gophers and Badgers for the past three Showcases. In fact, the Wolverines are 0-for-6 in Showcase action for the past three seasons, their last Showcase win coming against Wisconsin Nov. 30, 2002 (they tied Minnesota the night before).

But the Spartans have fared only a little better, having earned a 2-2 tie last week against the Gophers and a 4-0 win over Wisconsin last year.

Worst still is that for two of these three past years, Michigan and Michigan State have hosted.

The Spartans were leading the Badgers 1-0 on Drew Miller’s goal last Friday going into the third period before giving up two even-strength goals and the lead after the 10-minute mark in the final stanza of the 3-1 loss.

“Once they got the first one,” said MSU head coach Rick Comley, “you can tell that we got worried.”

All four goals in Michigan State’s 2-2 tie with Minnesota Saturday came in the first period, with Tyler Howells knotting the score for the Spartans 21 seconds after Danny Irmen scored his second of the game to give the Gophers their second lead.

Given how bruised, battered, tired, and young the Spartans are, their showing in the Showcase this year was respectable, and their coach is pleased with the way in which his team performed. Comley told the Lansing State Journal that he’s “encouraged” that MSU “played two really good teams, with different styles, and played well.”

After Saturday’s 6-3 loss to Minnesota, in which the Gophers scored five power-play tallies, Wolverine head coach Red Berenson said that Michigan would have to “do better tomorrow night.”

“The only thing we can do is control how we play,” said the coach of the former No. 1 team. “And we know we can play better than we played.”

After coming from behind to tie the Badgers 2-2 in the third period Saturday only to lose on Adam Burish’s goal with less than two minutes remaining in regulation — in Yost Arena — Michigan captain Andrew Ebbett said that it’s time for the Wolverine players to “start owning up.”

“We had a good first 11 games, but now we see what it’s like in the rest of the country, and those are two top-five teams right there. It’s time to wake up and get back to the basics.”

With 11 freshmen on the Michigan roster, perhaps outings like the one against Minnesota with its five opponent power-play goals are not so shocking. Maybe we CCHA fans have been spoiled by Berenson’s and Michigan’s consistent excellence. But nothing screams youth more than that sort of loss and the captain’s appropriate postgame comments.

All reasons aside — MSU’s battered start and brutal schedule and Michigan’s youth — I just can’t shake the feeling that I’ve been set up for a big night of romance only to find that the gent in question still lives with his mother and insists on saying hija instead of “yes” even when he’s not at MARCON.

Worse yet is Ebbett’s canny remark. Now we know what it’s like “in the rest of the country,” or at least in the WCHA, which has owned the rest of the country for a significant period of time.

Oh, the season began so well, with Lake Superior State taking three points from Colgate, Michigan beating Boston College, the Spartans beating North Dakota and splitting with Cornell in Ithaca, Nebraska-Omaha beating New Hampshire, and Ohio State splitting with Colorado College in Colorado Springs. It all looked so good at the start, as though the CCHA might be more competitive in nonconference play this season, a barometer of what may come in postseason.

But I fear that this year’s College Hockey Showcase may be an even better indicator of what may happen in April. Sure, the Wolverines beat Minnesota in the Showcase in both 2001 and 2002 and lost to the Gophers each of the following Aprils in the Frozen Four, so you can make the argument that none of this matters.

I can’t, however, shake the feeling that this is a sign of things to come.

A Perennially Competitive Team Not from the Big Ten or Indiana

One of my favorite scenes from When Harry Met Sally … has Billy Crystal’s “Harry” discussing a failed date with Meg Ryan’s “Sally.” Harry tells Sally that he was making small talk with his date, who tells him that she went to Michigan State, and this in turn reminds him of his ex-wife, Helen.

“Helen went to Michigan State?” asks Sally?

“No, she went to Northwestern, but they’re both Big Ten schools,” replies Harry.

It shouldn’t be surprising that the CCHA’s three schools from the Big Ten have become the three most reliable contenders for the league’s title. We all know about Michigan’s stranglehold on the league, and the 1990s saw the Spartans rise to dominance as well, a position to which they will undoubtedly return.

Under John Markell, Ohio State has become a force to be reckoned with, and now there is hope that Jeff Jackson can do the same at Notre Dame.

It’s easier for schools with high-profile athletic communities and more resources to attract the most desirable recruits. Under Berenson, Michigan has become a dynasty, and that kind of success breeds more success; unless his parents are Spartan fans, few kids in Michigan grow up thinking that playing college hockey in Ann Arbor would be a bad gig.

While the transition from Ron Mason to Comley — and the ensuing post-Ryan Miller era — was difficult at first for the Spartans, anyone who knows Comley knows that the marriage of that coach and those resources has the potential for long-lasting results in East Lansing. The Spartans have a history of producing NHL-caliber players, another recruiting perk.

And every time I walk into the Schottenstein Center, I’m reminded of one of OSU’s biggest recruiting assets. Now that the Buckeyes have established a recent history of capability, they will probably remain a top-tier team for quite some time.

And what school has more storied and fabled athletic traditions than Notre Dame? Jackson plus a new facility will lead to the awakening of a sleeping giant.

This is all well and good for college hockey. In fact, it’s very good in many ways. While the sport has gained in more widespread recognition in the last decade — fueled by better media coverage and a better product, with many former collegians in the NHL — it’s those big-name schools like Michigan and Ohio State that get the attention of the casual hockey fan, one not necessarily familiar with the college game but one whose attention is piqued when he or she hears a recognizable college name.

So I wish the Wolverines, Spartans, and Buckeyes continued success, and I fervently hope for Notre Dame’s improved future. It’s good for the sport.

But it feels so empty. If only a few teams comprise the league’s top tier annually and those teams are the same teams with the same big names and the same big resources, by the time we all get to February, boredom threatens to deaden what should be the most exciting time of the season.

With the same top teams from big schools, every year, the CCHA becomes college basketball in microcosm; sure, occasionally an Arkansas or Maryland emerges to have a singular season, but the same cast of characters dictate each year’s plot.

So I want one non-Big Ten CCHA team other than Notre Dame to emerge as a consistent, perennial powerhouse. Every year. Without question. As in, it’s shocking when they don’t.

Perhaps the league is too young for me to demand this. Perhaps this is just unrealistic, given the nature of college athletics.

Since it’s Christmas and I grew up believing in Santa Claus, I’m asking anyway.

Sure, there have been times when certain “smaller” schools held a few years’ dominance in the league. Lake Superior State had its day, as did Bowling Green, and Northern Michigan certainly threatens. And there are some schools that are competitive every season, like NMU and more recently Miami.

When Ferris State captured the conference title and made its first trip to the NCAA tournament at the end of the 2002-03 season, the Bulldogs breathed new life into an old experience — at least for reporters. We finally had someone else to write about, and by doing so could convey new enthusiasm to college hockey fans.

Just look at the CCHA tournament when someone other than the usual suspects makes an appearance. Nearly everyone is excited when the Nanooks and Mavericks head to Detroit, but I would be thrilled to see Western Michigan or Lake Superior State make the CCHA tourney at Joe Louis Arena, and further thrilled to see either of those teams — or FSU, or BGSU, or Miami, or anyone other than the glamour boys — make it or threaten to make it every single year.

Depth. I want depth. Is it too much to ask for a date that doesn’t speak Klingon and shows up every time he’s invited? Sure, Michigan, MSU, OSU, and Notre Dame are good-looking, but that’s hardly the basis for a long-term relationship.

Blueliner Nominations

One reader wrote in this week to nominate OSU’s Sean Collins for Blueliner of the Week, and said reader admitted that he didn’t see Collins play in person.

As you know, I have nothing against defensemen who score points, and I’m glad that the CCHA finally came clean and gave goaltenders their own, separate POTW honors, since the league favored goalies heavily when there were just two POTW categories.

But there are so many guys who play their defensive positions well without getting press, guys whose stats aren’t as tangible.

As disappointing as it is that few folks write to nominate a worthy player they’ve seen play, in person, what disappoints me most is that their own teams don’t promote them.

Trivia Answers

I lobbed softballs last week, and everyone struck out. Or rather, no one showed up to play.

Maybe I need a new prize. Maybe I need to promise dinner with Todd Milewski. I’ll give this some more thought.

So, folks that’s what this CCHA writer wants for Christmas: a competitive league, one “small school” team to emerge as a reliable competitor, and email from you. Is that too much to ask?

Next Week

Yes, I’m well aware of how short this column is, comparatively speaking. I’ve just finished moving — and I mean just hours ago — and I swear the next time I’ll sell a kidney just to hire a truck if I have to. Of course, I’m never moving again. Ever.

Next week, I’ll try to get you the long-promised chat with UAF’s Kyle Greentree, along with some impressions of Alabama-Huntsville — I’ve never seen the Chargers play, and I’m pretty excited about this — challenging trivia, games of the week, and a Blueliner of the Week, if Santa hears my plea.

One final note, something I wanted to say last week. Congratulations to Nicole Hendrickson on her engagement. I wasn’t sure Pops was going to make it public in his column, so I didn’t say anything in mine.

(What was I thinking? Of course Pops made it public. He and I are cut from frighteningly similar cloth.)

I wish Nicole and her fiance a long and happy life together. I wish Dave an interesting father-of-the-bride experience and several future wee ones to call him Grandpops.

USCHO Women’s Game of the Week Previews

By Brian Schulz
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There are close series and then there’s Princeton-Colgate 2004-05. Two ties, including the rare scoreless deadlock last December at Baker Rink. Both teams have been playing solid hockey as of late. Colgate has won six of its last seven games including its first four conference tilts, and Princeton is coming off a respectable 2-1-1 run through No. 8 Clarkson, No. 1 St. Lawrence, and No. 6 Mercyhurst. In an ECACHL that has been every bit as close as advertised thus far, a sweep for either squad this weekend could come in handy in conference comparisons down the stretch.

Colgate (7-4-2 overall, 4-0-0 ECAC)

Top Scorers: Sam Hunt, Fr., F (7-9-16), Allison Paiano, Sr., F (6-8-14), Becky Irvine, Sr., F (4-9-13)
Top Goaltender: Brook Wheeler, Jr. (6-3-2, 1.86, .922)
Scoring Offense: 2.69 (17th)
Scoring Defense: 1.85 (9th)
Penalty Minutes: 12.0 (T-23rd)
Power Play: 15 of 74, 20.3% (10th)
Penalty Kill: 60 of 71, 84.5% (17th)

Brook Wheeler stopped 67 of 69 Princeton shots in last year’s series…Senior linemates Allison Paiano and Becky Irvine are linked in many ways, including their race for 100 career points (Paiano 94, Irvine 93)…Junior defenseman Tara French (13 points) is second in the ECACHL in blueline scoring…Raider freshman and leading scorer Sam Hunt is a former teammate of Tiger netminder Kristen Young on the Bowness Bruins…Colgate did not win its fourth ECACHL game until its 12th league contest last season.

No. 7 Princeton (5-3-2 overall, 2-1-1 ECAC)

Top Scorers: Kim Pearce, Jr., F (4-9-13), Dina McCumber, Jr., D (3-6-9), Laura Watt, Jr., F (2-6-8)
Top Goaltender: Roxanne Gaudiel, Sr. (5-3-2, 1.67, .934)
Scoring Offense: 2.30 (22nd)
Scoring Defense: 1.80 (8th)
Penalty Minutes: 10.9 (30th)
Power Play: 12 of 56, 21.4% (5th)
Penalty Kill: 42 of 51, 82.4% (23rd)

Roxanne Gaudiel stopped 50 of 52 Colgate shots in last year’s series…Gaudiel has started 41 consecutive games…Gaudiel was a Berkshire School teammate of Becky Irvine, who scored on Gaudiel in their collegiate meeting in November 2002…Princeton is in the middle of a 10-game homestand after opening with six straight games away from Baker Rink…Leading scorer Kim Pearce is working on a five-game point streak while freshman Annie Greenwood has a point in four straight outings…The Tigers have neither swept or been swept in any weekend series this season…Princeton games have been tied for 64 percent of the minutes so far.

Series History

All-time: 6-0-2 Princeton

Last 5 Meetings:

2/12/05: PU 0, Colgate 0 (OT)
12/3/04: PU 2, Colgate 2 (OT)
2/14/04: PU 3, Colgate 1
1/9/04: PU 2, Colgate 1
2/9/03: PU 6, Colgate 1

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The Providence Friars have worn the Hockey East crown since the league’s inception in 2002-03. Boston College is a program on the rise, coming off its first-ever conference semifinal appearance. Aside from No. 3 New Hampshire, the Eagles and the Friars are the only Hockey East schools with fewer than two conference defeats. Last March, the reigning titleholder administered a harsh 9-1 lesson to end the run of the upstart Eagles, and Sunday will be the team’s first meeting since that date. BC has already taken out UNH on the ice of Conte Forum this season and this Sunday, the Eagles look to duplicate the feat against the league’s three-time defending champion.

Providence (8-4-2 overall, 5-1-1 Hockey East)

Top Scorers: Karen Thatcher, Sr., F (7-13-20), Kristin Gigliotti, Jr., D (9-9-18), Sonny Watrous, Jr., F (8-10-18)
Top Goaltender: Jana Bugden, Sr. (7-4-2, 2.34, .904)
Scoring Offense: 3.46 (8th)
Scoring Defense: 2.15 (15th)
Penalty Minutes: 17.4 (T-1st)
Power Play: 20 of 100, 20.0% (T-11th)
Penalty Kill: 89 of 105, 84.8% (16th)

Providence’s nine goals against Boston College in last year’s Hockey East semifinals were the most in one game by the Friars since a 9-0 win over Vermont in November 2001…Providence is off to its best start since an 8-3-3 beginning to 2002-03…Senior captain Karen Thatcher leads the nation with four short-handed goals, matching her career output prior to this season…Junior defenseman Kristin Gigliotti leads the nation’s blueliners with nine goals, eclipsing the total of her first two years…Senior forward Ashley Payton centers Thatcher and Sonny Watrous on the top line, filling the role held last season by her former Shattuck St. Mary’s teammate Rush Zimmerman.

Boston College (4-3-4 overall, 3-1-1 Hockey East)

Top Scorers: Deborah Spillane, So., F (5-8-13), Sarah Feldman, So., F (7-4-11), Becky Zavisza, Fr., F (7-3-10)
Top Goaltenders: Alison Quandt, Sr. (3-1-2, 2.07, .894), Johanna Ellison, Fr. (1-2-2, 2.72, .910)
Scoring Offense: 2.36 (21st)
Scoring Defense: 2.45 (17th)
Penalty Minutes: 12.8 (19th)
Power Play: 14 of 70, 20.0% (T-11th)
Penalty Kill: 51 of 60, 85.0% (15th)

Boston College is 4-3-4 through 11 games this season, a 7-point improvement over last year’s 2-8-1 start…Nine of BC’s 11 games have ended in ties or one-goal decisions…sophomore forward Deb Spillane’s 36 points last season were the most by an Eagle since Erin Magee (the program’s all-time leading scorer) recorded 41 in 1998-99…Spillane and fellow second-year Sarah Feldman have combined for 24 points in 11 games as linemates this year after totaling 63 points in 2004-05…freshman Becky Zavisza leads the team with three game-winning goals…BC’s top seven scorers are freshmen or sophomores…Coach Tom Mutch’s wife Laurie was the 1997 ECAC Player of the Year with Providence.

Series History

All-time: 42-3-0 Providence

Last 5 Meetings:

*3/12/05: PC 9, BC 1
2/20/05: PC 4, BC 2
2/19/05: BC 4, PC 1
12/4/04: PC 7, BC 5
12/3/04: PC 2, BC 0

This Week in Atlantic Hockey: Dec. 1, 2005

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Winning the Recruiting Battle

Ask any college hockey coach. The biggest day-to-day worry generally isn’t how their team is playing on the ice.

Nope, the top concern of most teams is building for the future.

College hockey recruiting at the Division I level has become a business for most programs. Assistant coaches spend weeks, if not months, every year traveling the back roads of the U.S. and Canada scouring for potential players. For many programs, recruiting represents one of the largest annual expenditures.

To say that recruiting is a battle is an understatement. For Atlantic Hockey schools that don’t have the resources of some of the nation’s bigger programs, that battle is often an uphill one.

One school, though, that seems to be overachieving in the recruiting war is Sacred Heart. The Pioneers, year after year, have brought in some of the top offensive talent mixed with solid goaltenders and defensemen to build a program that is, at this point, as close as it ever has been to the upper echelon of the league.

According to head coach Shaun Hannah, recruiting is an aspect of the game that the Pioneers try to keep simple.

“We try to find kids who have the ingredients as a player and who can try to do what we want to do as a team,” said Hannah, whose team has captured six all-league awards, three rookie-team honors and a rookie of the year nod over the last three season. “We find out a lot about the character and who they are. From there we try to educate them [to] the experience that they’ll have at Sacred Heart and then try to leave the decision up to them.”

Hannah doesn’t even feel like recruiting is much of a battle. The program’s mentality is to simply approach the players it thinks will fit best within the organization and, as Hannah says, “these kids want to wear the Red and White.”

When you look at programs that have challenges in Atlantic Hockey, Sacred Heart would appear to be one of them. The Pioneers are one of four programs in the league that don’t have a facility on campus, instead playing in nearby Milford, Conn., at the Milford Ice Pavilion. If you were to rank the facilities in the league, Sacred Heart’s would likely fall in the bottom three.

That, though, hasn’t stopped the Pioneers from bringing in some of the league’s best talent.

“The kids we deal with are kids who want to continue playing hockey at the college level,” said Hannah. “We’ve got a building here with ice and boards, a locker room and two nets. The rink didn’t make the difference for them [in choosing where to go to school]. The things that we have to offer as a hockey program are what makes a difference at this point.”

Hannah says that identifying talented players has never been a challenge and he relies on assistant coach Lou Santini to do just that. What’s tough is finding the player who is not only talented, but also fits academically, character-wise and financially.

“We don’t have 18 scholarships, so you have to find some kids who have the ability to pay some and are willing to pay a little for their experience,” said Hannah. “That’s the challenge — pulling those pieces together and finding that balance.”

Though you can make a list of players who recently have walked into the Sacred Heart program and made an immediate impact (such as Pierre-Luc O’Brien, Alexandre Parent, and this year, Bear Trapp) the ability to bring players along who aren’t ready for the Division I level from day one is something that often separates the top from the bottom in college hockey.

Sacred Heart senior Andrew Billinghurst is a good example of that.

“He came in as a young freshman and came to work hard his freshman year,” said Hannah of Billinghurst, who, as a rookie, played just five games for the Pioneers. “We gave him some opportunities to play and put to work the things he needed to develop. Now as a senior he’s a real key guy for us up front.”

When comparing Sacred Heart to the rest of the league, it’s very easy to focus on the deficiencies. The Pioneers don’t have the tradition of success or the geographic access to Canada that Mercyhurst does. They don’t have the facility or the academics that Holy Cross does. Sacred Heart doesn’t have the name recognition in sports of Connecticut.

What the Pioneers do have, though, is a 100 percent position: make-apple-sauce-from-apples attitude that right now has them on the cusp of being the league’s top team.

Weekly Awards

Player of the Week

Bernie Chmiel, Sacred Heart: It’s not that often that a team can score five power-play goals in a game. But when one does, it’s even rarer that a player factors into four of the five. Chmiel did just that, scoring a goal and adding three assists, all on the power play, in an 8-5 victory over RIT.

Goaltender of the Week

Brad Roberts, Army: If you read below, you’ll see that Army hasn’t been the world’s best road team this year. So when Brad Roberts shut down UConn on enemy ice on Saturday, it was a noteworthy accomplishment. Roberts had 22 saves total, including two highlight-reel stops.

Rookie of the Week

Bear Trapp, Sacred Heart: I hope that Bear Trapp continues to win Rookie of the Week awards just because he has a fun name. Trapp was part of the Sacred Heart power-play unit mentioned above and nearly matched the output of Chmiel, adding a goal and two assists.

Road Warriors?

Some people believe there’s no place like it. Others believe it’s the place where you find “heart.” Still others like to go there for the holidays.

We’re talking about home.

For the Army hockey team, all of the above may be true, but, in truth it seems that the Black Knights wish they never, ever had to leave the place they call home.

For Army, home has been the place for success in the recent past. Playing at home in front of large crowds every night is somewhat of a tradition for the Black Knights.

The problem is, less than half of any team’s games in Atlantic Hockey are played at home. So the fact that the road hasn’t been very kind to Army can create a problem.

“The road is tough. History shows that we’ve always been a better home team,” said head coach Brian Riley, whose team picked up its first road win in league play on Saturday since February 27, 2004, with a 2-1 victory at Connecticut. “It’s really tough to string a lot of victories together on the road.”

To this point, the road — specifically, Army’s lack of success on it — has accounted for the team’s troubles.

“It’s a schedule that I’ve said all along that hopefully will make us better coming down the stretch when we do have all those home games,” said Riley, whose team has played 10 of its first 13 games away from West Point, compiling a 1-7-2 record. “But if you’re going to be a good team, you’re going to have to get wins on the road as well.”

You’d think that the balance, of course, would be found playing back at home. But West Point, which generally draws large crowds to Tate Rink, has become a favorite not only of the Cadets, but also of their opposition.

“I know our players like playing at home, but if you ask other players in the league a lot of them would tell you they like playing at West Point,” laughs Riley. “There’s a good atmosphere because there are a lot of fans.

“But it worries me when guys come in from other teams and start taking pictures. At that point you wonder. I’ve had players say to me, ‘Hey, coach, this is a great place to play.'”

Venue aside, this year’s Army team does seem like it’s ready to turn a corner. With their first league win in hand, the Black Knights are playing well, according to coaches for the opposition. Riley says that the number-one concern right now is the ability to score goals.

For now, though, the win at UConn will serve as a motivator as Army looks to claw its way from the bottom of the league.

“Obviously, it was a boost of confidence,” said Riley. “We’re able to say we were finally able to win one of the road. God knows, we’ve been close. But there’s an understanding that we’re going to have. There are some big away games in the second half of the year but at least we don’t have that monkey on our back.”

Give Me a Chance to Vent

It’s not often that I talk professional hockey in this column, so if you’re not interested in my opinions on the Boston Bruins, just stop reading here.

That preamble is fair indication that I’m going to rant right now about what I consider one of the worst moves in Bruins history. The decision to trade Joe Thornton for a trio of underachieving San Jose Sharks (I don’t even care to mention their names — they could be Moe, Larry and Curly for all I care) is an absolute disgrace to the intelligence of Bruins fans.

There is one rule that I believe every sports general manager knows or should know: Don’t trade away a franchise player unless you’re getting, in return, another franchise player.

Joe Thornton was a franchise player. When his career ends, I believe that he’ll be mentioned alongside some of the best players who ever played this game. If Bruins general manager Mike O’Connell was following the aforementioned rule, there’s no way in God’s green creation he would have let that deal happen.

It’s sad to say, but Joe Thornton became a scapegoat for the Bruins’ slow start this year. Within the Bruins organization he simply joins a long line of scapegoats used to cover up the inadequacies of Bruins management. Up until now, though, the team never chose a player — let alone the most talented forward to play for the team in a decade — to be that scapegoat.

I’m sure the spin doctors will go to work trying to say that this was a move made for the good of the team. I can see it now, Mike O’Connell will be drawing a comparison to Nomar Garciaparra’s trade from the Red Sox in 2004. The only problem to that was the fact that Garciaparra had lost the respect of too many inside the clubhouse. In Thornton’s case, that wasn’t a problem.

Thornton was producing on par with most of the other top players in the game. His 33 points are only eight behind the league leader and were tops on the Bruins.

And what did the Bruins get in return? Three “former” first-round draft choices. That’s their spin. I would add that they got three former first-round draft choices who have never produced to expectations in the NHL.

It’s a sad day in Boston, for once again Jeremy Jacobs and the rest of the Delaware North organization (the owners of the Boston Bruins) have chosen mediocrity over integrity. It’s once again become more about the almighty dollar than it is about winning a Stanley Cup.

The NHL opened this post-lockout season with a plan to bring fans back to the games. In the Bruins’ case, Wednesday’s trade of Thornton does exactly the opposite.

This Week in the WCHA: Dec. 1, 2005

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First things first:

• It’s rivalry week in the WCHA, with Colorado College and Denver squaring off while Minnesota hosts Wisconsin. But there are also some pretty important series in terms of points for teams lower in the standings who are looking to make a jump before the holiday break.

• In saying that, there’s a distinct possibility we’ll see the league standings break up into three sections after this weekend. Alaska-Anchorage and Michigan Tech need some home points against St. Cloud State and North Dakota, respectively, to avoid comprising the bottom part, and Minnesota State could use some success at home against Minnesota-Duluth to avoid slipping there.

• Over the past three seasons, the WCHA’s Minnesota and Wisconsin are 10-1-1 against the CCHA’s Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase. You could stay that starts to make up for the first 10 seasons.

• Minnesota’s Don Lucia, who this week received a three-year contract extension, reiterated that he wants his current job to be his last one, taking him until he’s about 60. Just think of the career that would be.

Rocky Road

Denver has only one win in its last six games. Colorado College had to scrap to salvage one win out East last weekend.

When the Pioneers and the Tigers get together, to borrow a line from Tripper Harrison, it just doesn’t matter.

“You can’t look at records and how the teams are doing because it really has no bearing and usually has no bearing on how the games are going to be played,” Denver coach George Gwozdecky said in advance of his team’s home-and-home series with CC this weekend. “Sometimes it has a little bearing on what the outcome might be, but the games usually are so tight and so difficult and challenging and competitive that some little thing can turn the tide either way. It’s typical of a great rivalry. That’s the way these games are played, and I’m sure that’s the way they’ll always be played.”

The Denver-CC rivalry has always been good, but it went to a new level last season thanks to the success of both teams and the big games they played.

On the final weekend of the regular season, each team grabbed a share of the MacNaugton Cup with a home victory, giving the teams a 2-2 split in the regular-season series. Two weeks later, after the teams shared a flight to St. Paul, Minn., the Pioneers won the WCHA playoff title by beating the Tigers.

Three weeks after that, the Pioneers won the season series 4-2 by winning in the Frozen Four semifinals.

“Two years ago we took seventh and beat them in the first round of the playoffs,” CC coach Scott Owens said. “They were 4-2 against us last year, and we won 31 games. It doesn’t really matter where you’re sitting or what the situation is.”

But last year also put Colorado hockey in a pretty good light.

“Last year was one of those years where I think both teams respected each other so much,” Gwozdecky said. “I think both teams made each other better and both teams brought such great notoriety to our universities and college hockey in general in the Rocky Mountain region. There was such great respect, and both teams wind up going to the Frozen Four and Marty Sertich [wins] the Hobey Baker, all those great things.”

There soon should be another great feature of the rivalry. The Gold Pan got lost in the Pioneers’ possession a while back, so the teams are going in together to buy a new trophy for the winner of the season series.

Gwozdecky said it’ll be ready in time for the last weekend of the regular season, when this year’s winner will be decided. The Pioneers still are the holders of the original trophy, so CC will have to win the series outright to take control.

It’ll be more statuesque, Gwozdecky said, and likely will contain some kind of figure as part of the design. That’s in contrast to the old Gold Pan.

“This thing was really getting beat up,” Gwozdecky said. “In fact, Scott and I had spoken a couple years ago, maybe even longer, about doing something to improve — either completely redoing the existing Gold Pan or doing something to replace it. It was so beat up. It had dents and bumps and bruises — not from actual use of panning for gold, but the players just having it and it getting abused by being sometimes thrown in the corner. Some of the etching on it was completely missing. It had seen its better days, that’s for sure.”

Trivial Matters

Denver was 6-of-12 on the power play in its 6-2 victory over Colorado College in last season’s national semifinals. How many of the 13 goals the Pioneers scored against the Tigers in the five other games the teams played a year ago were on the power play? Answer below.

Stay a While

When a coach gets a contract extension these days, it says just as much about the health of the program as a whole as how the coach has done.

That seems to be the case with Minnesota and Lucia, who now is under contract through the 2011-12 season. While nothing is guaranteed in the world of athletics, such a move shows any potential recruits that Lucia will be around for quite a while.

“I think it certainly helps, especially with recruits getting younger and younger, when you have 10th, 11th graders committing,” Lucia said. “This is going to be my last job in hockey, and I want to be here hopefully for another 13, 14 years. I’m 47, and I’m not going to coach until I’m 70, I know that. If I can get to my late 50s, 60, that would be great. Then it would probably be time for somebody else. But I love my job, and now with seven years, anybody we’re recruiting knows that I’m going to be here for their time here.”

That’s the kind of thing a program the likes of Minnesota should have, Lucia said.

“This is a type of program where you should have a coach here for 10 or 15 years at a time,” he said. “Quality programs allow that. Wisconsin, they had Bob Johnson and they had Jeff Sauer for, what, 30-some years. Mike [Eaves] can be there as long as he wants to be there. [Michigan’s] Red [Berenson] has been there a long time. You look at the BUs and the BCs, and coaches, for the most part, have had long tenures.

“Because you get into a good spot, and where are you going to go? You’re kind of at the pinnacle. And for me, personally, I’ve got daughters that are going to be graduating from college this spring and more than likely this area will be home. And for my family, this is home. This is where I want to live, God willing, 30 more years or more. Maybe 40.”

According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, the entire value of Lucia’s contract, including base salary, media compensation and supplemental pay, will reach about $421,000 by the time the 2011-12 season comes around.

“He’s the real deal, and we’ve got to do everything we can to keep him,” Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi told the Pioneer Press. “He got a little bit of a raise and some security there, which I think is important to him.”

Security from Lucia’s end seems fairly strong. Asked whether his current stance that this was his final coaching destination had changed over the years, he said he never really thought that far ahead, even when he was coaching Alaska-Fairbanks in the late 1980s.

“We had just bought a motor home the summer before I left to go to Colorado [College] because we thought we’re going to live here, my wife has a teaching job and we’re fine with that,” said Lucia, who is two victories behind Brad Buetow for third place on the Gophers’ all-time win list. “I’ve never been one that, ‘God, I can’t wait to get to the next job.’ I’m much more of a homebody.

“Then you go to CC and I could have easily seen myself there for 20 years. But this job opened up and it was like, ‘Well, are you going to take your crack at a Big Ten school or not?’ I’m a Western guy, so I don’t think I’d have much of a comfort level anywhere but the West. And certainly I have a great comfort level with the WCHA after playing in it and coaching in it. I enjoy our league.”

Chances are, he’ll enjoy it for quite a while.

Short Shifts

Minnesota-Duluth dressed only 16 skaters for last Friday’s 9-1 victory over Yale while five players served a suspension for an undisclosed violation of team rules.

The Duluth News Tribune reported they were leading scorer Tim Stapleton, Justin [nl]Williams and goaltender Isaac Reichmuth — all seniors — and sophomores Mike [nl]Curry and Jim Jensen.

All but Jensen dressed for Saturday night’s rematch, although Reichmuth watched from the bench.

Twelve of the 16 skaters dressed for Friday’s game scored at least one point, with center Matt McKnight claiming two goals and two assists and left winger Andrew Carroll netting a goal and three assists.

Stories Aplenty

How many subplots can you fit into one series? Minnesota and Wisconsin are stretching things.

If it wasn’t enough to just be the Border Battle, there’s the fact that Wisconsin has lost its last 10 games against Minnesota at Mariucci Arena. And that the Badgers became the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time in over five years just before the series.

And that they’re the top two teams in the WCHA standings. And that it’s the league’s top offense (Minnesota) against the league’s top defense (Wisconsin, which also leads the nation).

Oh, and there’s that little matter of Phil Kessel, the Madison native who chose the Gophers over the Badgers and will be playing his first game against the team for which his parents held season tickets.

Eaves downplayed the Kessel angle, but this should be an emotional series nonetheless.

“The motivation is going to be the easy part,” Eaves said. “The emotion is going to be there — that’ll be the easy part. The challenge for our kids is keeping those emotions in check and allowing themselves to get into that ideal performance state so they can go out and play their best.”

In a twist on the normal order of things, Lucia is interested to see how his team measures up.

“I think they clearly have proven to be the best team in the country up to this point,” Lucia said of the Badgers. “No weaknesses, experienced, good at every position. This’ll be a great test to see where we’re at right now.”

Brother for Brother

It was a curious entry in the stat report from last Friday’s Minnesota-Duluth home game against Yale.

Referee: Derek/Brad Shepherd

No, the Shepherds had not suddenly morphed into one referee. Derek Shepherd was hit with a puck early in the game and left with a broken nose.

According to the Duluth News Tribune, assistant referees Joe Romano and Sean Jacques pressed on as a two-man crew briefly before Brad Shepherd, Derek’s brother, came on as the referee. It seems Brad Shepherd had worked a women’s game at the DECC earlier that day.

Jeff Albers was brought in to work the second game of the series.

More Short Shifts

St. Cloud State surged into the lead among WCHA teams and a tie for the national lead in shorthanded goals last Saturday.

Andrew Gordon and Konrad Reeder each scored a shorthanded goal in the first period of the Huskies’ 4-4 tie with Brown, giving St. Cloud State four for the season.

Huskies sophomore defenseman Matt Stephenson had a hand in both goals — by being responsible for the penalties. On Gordon’s goal, he was in the box for tripping. Midway through the period, he was sent off for checking from behind. After a Brown goal on the ensuing power play, Reeder gave St. Cloud the lead again.

In Other Words

• League players of the week were Colorado College’s Brett Sterling on offense, Wisconsin goaltender Brian Elliott on defense and Minnesota-Duluth’s Carroll and Minnesota’s Kessel sharing the rookie honors.

• Wisconsin’s Elliott has won three of the last four defensive honors and has extended his personal streak of not allowing more than two goals in a start to 18.

• CC’s Sterling moved into seventh place on the Tigers’ all-time goalscoring chart with a hat trick last Saturday at Boston University. Sterling has 93 goals, 19 behind leader Ron Hartwell.

• A hat trick last Friday at Michigan gave Minnesota’s Ryan Potulny six goals in three career games in the College Hockey Showcase. He was held scoreless the next night.

• Michigan Tech gets defenseman John Scott back from suspension in time for this weekend’s home series against North Dakota.

• Alaska-Anchorage has killed off 15 straight opponent power plays, covering the last three games.

• Denver junior goaltender Glenn Fisher may have a 19-9-4 career record, but this week for the first time he has a save percentage over .900.

• Minnesota-Duluth goaltender Josh Johnson stopped 39 of 41 shots in a series against Yale last weekend and earned his first victory since Jan. 22, 2004.

• Wisconsin was 7-0-1 in November, its most victories in a month under Eaves. It’s the third time the Badgers have gone undefeated in a month in Eaves’ three-plus seasons.

• Trivia answer: Three.

Final Word

My ears perked up when I heard Lucia say the next two weeks will show whether his Minnesota team will be in or out of the race for the MacNaughton Cup. But it seems true, even if the Gophers are only four points out of first place going into a series with Wisconsin, which will be followed with a pair of games at North Dakota. And anyway, Lucia tends to be right about things like that.

This Week in West Region DIII – Dec. 1, 2005

By C.J. Spang
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Unrest in the West

It can arguably be called the most exciting region in Division III college hockey. For the past few weeks, the teams in the West have proven the old adage true-anybody can beat anybody on any given night.

In the annual NCHA/MIAC battle, Wisconsin-Superior was upset by Bethel, St. Norbert lost to Augsburg, St. John’s fell to Wisconsin-Stout and last year’s NCAA runner-up, St. Thomas, started 1-3-0 and toppled out of the rankings from the No. 3 spot.

Things looked to be turning around before Thanksgiving.

No ranked teams were upset in either the MIAC or NCHA the following weekend, although St. Norbert and Wisconsin-Superior skated to a tie. And even St. Thomas started to turn things around slightly, as they picked up a pair of one-goal wins over St. Mary’s.

But Thanksgiving brought about another wave of upsets.

Third-ranked St. Norbert was upset 2-1 at Stevens Point on Friday; then managed to skate to a 2-2 tie with Wisconsin-Eau Claire, a team that hasn’t won game this season. Luckily for the Green Knights, the coaches didn’t judge too quickly and dropped them only one spot in the USCHO.com poll.

St. Norbert wasn’t the only ranked NCHA team to stumble after the holiday. Fifth-ranked Superior had a 3-1 lead against Concordia in the Hockey Showcase in Blaine, Minn., but it wasn’t big enough. The Cobbers scored three unanswered goals to pick up the 4-3 overtime victory. But unlike the Green Knights, the Yellowjackets were able to bounce back from a tough loss and hammered Augsburg 7-0 on Saturday.

But there are teams that have had relatively smooth sailing -Wisconsin-River Falls. Some teams are righting the ship after surprisingly slow starts – St. John’s. Then there are those that the country left for being lost at sea – the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and everyone in the MCHA for that matter.

High Flying Falcons

Usually, you expect to see one team alone atop the NCHA standings – St. Norbert. But after two weeks of play, the Green Knights are tied for first with four teams, but have the fewest conference wins among those four teams with one.

The steadiest team of the bunch has been Wisconsin-River Falls. The Falcons are 2-0-0 in conference play and 5-1-2 overall, jumping to the No. 5 spot in the latest USCHO.com poll.

But River Falls has a tough weekend ahead of them after having last weekend off.

“Right now we look at it as a good thing having last weekend off,” coach Steve Freeman said. “We were able to heal up a little bit and get a couple players back and it kind of seemed to reenergize our team a little bit. So we’ll see how it carries over on the ice.”

On Friday, the Falcons travel to take on the sporadic Lake Forest, a team that has lost twice this season against the MCHA, but did pull off a 3-2 win over St. Thomas.

“We know we’re going to have a real, real tough game down there,” Freeman said. “They always play real well at home, so we’re going in realizing that we have to play probably our best game of the season to have a chance to win.”

It doesn’t get any easier on Saturday, as River Falls travels to DePere, Wis., to take on St. Norbert.

“Every time we play St. Norbert it’s such a challenge,” Freeman said. “They’re such a talented team that it’s kind of a measuring stick for us. Especially on the road over there, we really haven’t had any success against St. Norbert in their building.”

The Falcons have not won in DePere since the 1997-1998 season, a streak of 11 games.

While Freeman feels it’s the defense that has been the key to the Falcons hot start, it’s their offense, particularly that of sophomore Tyler Dahl that stands out.

After a successful freshman campaign, in which he was the second leading scorer on the team with 30 points, Dahl is picking up where he left off and leading the team with 13 points in eight games.

Last season, Dahl lit the lamp 12 times, with four of those goals coming on the power play. This season, Dahl already has seven goals – six of them on the power play.

“It was really valuable for him to play such a big role as freshman for us last year,” Freeman said. “So he came in as a real experienced veteran and we’ve counted on him kind of heavily and he’s really come through for us.

“So far in the season he’s found a way to put himself in the right spot to pick up those goals and we hope it continues,” Freeman said.

The Falcons have solid goaltending as well. Freshman A.J. Bucchino is 2-0-2 with a 2.16 GAA and a .929 save percentage. Senior Andy Scanlon is 2-1-0 with 2.34 GAA, a .913 save percentage and one shutout. The two have alternated throughout the season and will most likely do so this weekend.

“Both of them have played pretty well and it’s a luxury we’re lucky to have right now,” Freeman said. “Scanlon has a lot of experience and Bucchino is a very talented kid so we’ll just go like that until we see one really step up in front of the other.”

Righting the Ship

No other team in West has made more of a dramatic turnaround than St. John’s.

Last season ended in heartbreak for the Johnnies when they lost to St. Thomas in the MIAC playoff championship game, then fell to the Tommies again in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to end their season. This season didn’t start a whole lot better.

St. John’s began the season with a 3-0 loss to St. Norbert at home on their way to a 1-2-1 start. Their 1-2-1 start was the worst four-game start for the Johnnies since 2001-2002 – the last time they didn’t win the MIAC regular season championship – when they went 1-3-0 in their first four games.

In the first four games of this season, St. John’s offense was nowhere to be found. Quite a surprise considering the Johnnies averaged 5.13 goals per game last season, while only allowing 1.75 goals per game in conference play.

“I think we were confident that we had players that could score and for some reason we didn’t,” coach John Harrington said. “It wasn’t like we were getting shut down. We were getting some good opportunities.”

But St. John’s didn’t let their poor start affect them and when they opened conference play against Concordia, the Johnnies came out firing.

St. John’s pummeled the Cobbers last weekend, winning 12-1 and 7-0. Everyone got in on the scoring action over the weekend for the Johnnies as 10 different skaters scored a goal, eight had multiple goals, 16 had an assist and 11 had multiple assists.

“We’ve pretty much gotten it done with a lot of depth,” Harrington said. “We had a line that I guess you could call our fourth line…and they had seven goals and nine assists on the weekend.

“We have a pretty balanced team. There’s no one right now that I would say is our go-to guy,” Harrington continued. “It’s kind of the way it’s been on our team for a number of years now.”

Senior goaltender Adam Hanna has been solid, but hasn’t gotten any offensive support. Hanna allowed just one goal on 34 shots against Concordia and has a 1.69 GAA and a .930 save percentage on the season.

“He’s been terrific since the start of the season,” Harrington said of his senior net-minder. “No one can tell me that there’s a better goaltender than Adam Hanna in the country, much less in the West or in our league.

While most people expected the Johnnies to beat Concordia – who have only won seven conference games over the past two seasons –the Cobbers did enter the weekend on a four-game win streak. However, those games were against the weaker MCHA.

“Like I tell my guys, no matter how we start, we’re never as bad as we think we are and we’re certainly not as good as we think we are after a weekend like that,” Harrington said. “I imagine most coaches, including Concordia’s, could say the same thing about their team and they showed it. They’re just a very young team that happened to not get very good goaltending that night.”

The Cobbers definitely showed everyone what they can do in their 4-3 win over fifth-ranked Superior in the Hockey Showcase on Friday.

Still, the wins have to come somwhere, and if St. John’s hopes to win a fourth consecutive MIAC regular season crown, they will need all the victories they can get.

“If you have any designs on winning the championship, it’s not about how many points you win, it’s how many you drop and to teams that aren’t maybe considered contenders for the championship,” Harrington said.
The Johnnies will look to stay atop the MIAC with a sweep against Hamline this weekend in a home-and-home and series on Friday and Saturday.

On Top of the League-Again

Very little attention is given to the MCHA – arguably the weakest conference in the West. Nonetheless, both the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Lawrence did get a win against Lake Forest. While Lake Forest is hardly among the best in the NCHA, they are still receiving votes in the national polls.

MSOE is currently on top of the MCHA with six points, and is coming off the biggest win in school history, a 3-2 win over Babson in the Babson Invitiational. Babson was No. 11 in the country at the time and became the Raiders’ first ever win over a nationally ranked team in school history.

The Raiders are 3-1-0 tied for the league lead in team offense at 4.75 goals per game. MSOE is allowing an average of 2.75 goals per game in conference play, tops in the MCHA.

The Raiders’ offense is led by junior Michael Duta, who has four goals and six assists in four games, and is leading the MCHA with 10 points. Freshman R.G. Flath is tied for third in the conference with seven points on five goals and two assists. Flath is leading the goal-scorer in the conference as well, and two of those goals were of the shorthanded variety.

“Michael Duta is an outstanding hockey player,” MSOE coach Mark Ostapina said. “(Flath is) very good and was somebody that had a lot of DI interest.”

The Raiders also feature two of the top goalies in the conference. Junior Matt Burzon is leading the MCHA at 2-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and a .935 save percentage in conference play, while teammate Joe Dovalina has also faired well, posting a 1-1-0 record with a 3.36 GAA and an .885 save percentage. But neither goalie has earned the starting nod yet.

“We’re still very comfortable in using both, a two-headed monster as some coaches would say,” Ostapina said. “Each goalie had basically gotten what my athletic director called, the biggest win in the history of our program.

“Dovalina got it when we beat Lake Forest for the first time in our history,” Ostapina said. “Then Burzon got it when we beat a nationally ranked team in their own tournament in Babson.”

That win got the Raiders some national respect, as MSOE got five points in the most recent USCHO.com poll.

But newfound recognition isn’t going to phase the Raiders, who take on Northland – the MCHA’s cellar-dweller.

“We play one game at a time. We see nothing as a tune up,” Ostapina said. “We understand that it’s been proven the last couple of years that on any given Friday or Saturday, anyone can beat anyone – it’s truly a college hockey league.”

Bad News for Bethel

The Bethel Knights are off to their best start in school history. They are 7-1-0 after beginning the season on a five-game win streak and a loss to St. Olaf has been the only speed bump in their fast start.

But the Knights have reportedly had a road block.

Coach Pete Aus confirmed that an ineligible player skated for the Knights to begin this season. However, no penalties have been confirmed at this point.

“The decision will be made by all faculty representatives and they meet on Saturday,” Aus said. “But they’ll be a penalty against the player and then a penalty against the team, that’s what I think.”

Lucia Signs Extension With Minnesota

USCHO Staff Report
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Don Lucia will be staying at Minnesota for the foreseeable future — and maybe beyond.

The Golden Gopher head coach, who led Minnesota to back-to-back NCAA championships in 2002 and 2003, has signed a three-year contract extension, the school announced Tuesday. That would keep Lucia behind the Gopher bench at least until the end of the 2011-12 season.

“We wanted to make sure that Don Lucia remained at Minnesota and we are excited to have him signed through the end of the 2012 season,” Minnesota athletics director Joel Maturi said. “With the success he has brought to the men’s hockey program, we are fortunate to have Don at the helm for the next seven years. We’re looking forward to more NCAA Frozen Four appearances and national championships with Coach Lucia behind the Minnesota bench.”

“I’ve said it before: I want this to be my last coaching job,” Lucia told the Minneapolis Star Tribune, which reported that Lucia’s base salary will rise to over $250,000 from its current $210,000 over the course of the extension.

“I may not just have the best job in college hockey, I may have the best job in hockey,” Lucia added.

Lucia, 47, took over the Golden Gopher program at the start of the 1999-2000 season and has since guided Minnesota to five straight NCAA tournament appearances and three Frozen Fours, including his two national titles.

His coaching record with the Gophers is 169-80-25 (.662). Lucia will shortly pass Brad Buetow for third place on the Gophers’ all-time coaching wins list. Doug Woog (390) is first.

Lucia, a native of Grand Rapids, Minn., and a 1981 alumnus of Notre Dame, sports a 448-235-54 (.645) overall record as a head coach, including a current streak of 13 consecutive winning seasons at three schools.

He previously led Colorado College for six seasons, during which time the Tigers won three MacNaughton Cups and made two Frozen Four appearances. In his first season at CC, Lucia won the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year. Prior to that, Lucia started his head coaching career at Alaska-Fairbanks.

Tuesday Morning Quarterback: West

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Showcase Statement

Wisconsin remained the hottest team in college hockey last weekend, beating Michigan State and then-No. 1 Michigan at the College Hockey Showcase to extend its unbeaten streak to 12 games. The victories earned the Badgers, who have not lost since Oct. 8, the top spot in Monday’s USCHO.com/CSTV Networks Division I men’s poll.

The 3-1 win over the Spartans was characteristic of a veteran Badger squad, which scored three goals in the final 10 minutes of regulation to erase a 1-0 deficit. Wisconsin, which has gotten stellar goaltending from Brian Elliott (11-1-2, 1.41 GAA, .942 SV%), has not allowed more than two goals in a game all season.

Elliott has played every minute in net this season, and for his efforts last weekend was named the WCHA Player of the Week for the third time.

Saturday’s win was more of the same, as Adam Burish broke a 2-2 deadlock with the game winning goal with just 1:58 to play in the third.

“[That] is the cumulative effect of having an upperclassmen team. They have been in a lot of situations like that, so their leadership takes over naturally,” Wisconsin coach Mike Eaves said after Friday’s victory.

After a rocky first season, Eaves has led the Badgers back to national prominence. Wisconsin made the NCAA tournament for the first time in four seasons in 2004.

The Uncanny Valley

In 1970, Japanese roboticist Masahiro Mori hypothesized the concept of the “Uncanny Valley,” which postulates that human empathy towards nonhuman entities grows as the object becomes more humanlike, until a sudden drop into repulsive emotional response.

That repulsion occurs when the robot becomes sufficiently human — almost, but not quite perfect — that its remaining nonhuman peculiarities stand out, producing a sense of strangeness and dissatisfaction in human viewers.

The notion of the Uncanny Valley has been used to explain the negative, even horrified reaction of many movie critics and fans to Tom Hanks’ 2003 Christmas film “The Polar Express,” in which high-tech animation was used to create realistic characters who nevertheless looked a little off. “Creepy” was the word used repeatedly by some observers to describe the movie’s animation technique, especially the characters’ flat, lifeless eyes.

The basic point of the Uncanny Valley is that when something is almost perfect, we as observers often fail to appreciate that, and instead focus on its imperfections. So what in the world does this have to do with college hockey?

Just this: that Michigan head coach Red Berenson is trapped in college hockey’s Uncanny Valley.

Berenson, who took over the moribund Wolverines in 1984-85, rebuilt Michigan into the national powerhouse we recognize today. After a few hardscrabble years, Berenson’s Wolverines have enjoyed 18 consecutive winning seasons, 10 30-win campaigns, eight CCHA regular-season championships, seven CCHA playoff titles, an NCAA-record 15 consecutive national tournament appearances and nine Frozen Fours, including the 1996 and 1998 national titles.

Despite all of that, Berenson has never won the Spencer Penrose Award as national coach of the year. Ironically, Berenson is a former recipient of the NHL’s highest coaching honor, the Jack Adams Award, which he won with the St. Louis Blues in 1980-81.

So what gives? Recently, of course, Berenson has been the victim of his own success. The goal at Michigan is always the NCAA title, and most seasons it’s a realistic one. A coach whose team is always that good eventually falls into the trap of never being able to exceed expectations.

And it probably doesn’t help that Michigan, while among the best-loved programs in college hockey, is also among the most hated. (For college basketball’s analog, see Duke, a perpetual leader in both national merchandising and opponents’ disdain.) Michigan’s large, loud, loyal and occasionally profane fan base makes the Wolverines even easier to detest.

For that matter, who can forget 1997 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Brendan Morrison’s legendary crack that “the best team doesn’t always win,” coming after the favored Wolverines lost to Boston University in the national semifinals that season?

Not that I’m suggesting that the American Hockey Coaches Association, which hands out the national coaching hardware, is susceptible to that kind of thing. But it wouldn’t seem amiss for Berenson to get the accolades his success suggests. This season, despite losing both its games at the Showcase last weekend, Michigan is again highly-touted, with a 9-3-1 record and the No. 3 national ranking.

As an aside, if you haven’t read Dave Starman’s excellent piece on Berenson, “Preaching What He Practiced,” go do it now. I’ll be here when you get back.

Staying The Course

Berenson is now in his 22nd season with Michigan. Another high-profile coach, Don Lucia of Minnesota, hasn’t quite matched Berenson’s longevity, but he has equaled Berenson’s success. And it looks like he’ll be enjoying that success a while longer.

Lucia, the school announced Tuesday, has signed a contract extension through the end of the 2011-12 season. That gives the 47-year-old Grand Rapids, Minn., native another six-plus years — at least — behind the Gopher bench, which should be music to the ears of fans in the “State of Hockey.”

In 1999-2000, Lucia took over a Gopher program coming off its second straight losing season under Doug Woog. Though Woog led Minnesota to 13 straight NCAA tournament appearances, he was never able to capture a national title, something Lucia quickly corrected with back-to-back championships in his third and fourth seasons at the Gopher helm.

And after another Frozen Four appearance last April, the Gophers are on track once again for a run through the NCAAs. Minnesota picked up three points at the Showcase last weekend, battering Berenson’s Wolverines 6-3 before tying the Spartans 2-2 Saturday. That helped restore momentum to a team which had suffered through a disappointing 3-3-2 start.

Freshman phenom Phil Kessel led the way with 2-3–5 on the weekend, with both goals coming against Michigan. The return of injured Danny Irmen didn’t hurt either, as the junior scored his first two goals of the year to forge the draw with MSU.

Kessel, in particular, has lifted the No. 4 Gophers’ offense. After a bit of a slow start that saw him held off the scoreboard in three of his first five games, Kessel has 7-10–17 in the Gophers’ last nine contests and now leads the team in assists (13) and points (21).

He’s the kind of player who makes you sit up a little straighter in your seat when he has the puck, and the Gophers would do well if they can hold onto the budding star for very long. Kessel is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s NHL draft.

The rookie forward will face a new challenge this weekend, as the Gophers host Wisconsin for a pair of games at Mariucci Arena. Kessel, as most know, is a Madison, Wis., native who spurned his hometown Badgers to sign with the Gophers during the offseason.

Spartans Sputtering

After a 5-1-1 start, the Spartans hit a depression of the type that has been only too familiar in recent seasons.

MSU is 0-5-3 in its last eight games, including a one-point performance last weekend against Wisconsin and Minnesota. That left the Spartans’ overall record at 5-6-4, and dropped them out of the national poll for the first time all year.

Most frustrating, perhaps, has been the manner in which the Spartans have been dropping decisions. During the five losses in the current winless streak, MSU scored first in four of them, and led Ohio State 2-1 in the second period in the other one.

In net, junior Dominic Vicari has watched his save percentage — a career .920 entering 2005-06 — plummet to .883 this season while splitting time with freshman Jeff Lerg. Lerg’s numbers, while better than Vicari’s, haven’t stemmed the red tide of losses for Michigan State.

On offense, MSU has gotten contributions from Lerg’s cousin, Bryan Lerg, whose two goals and 15 assists in 15 games make him the only Spartan averaging a point per game. But the Spartans haven’t found a replacement for departed senior Jim Slater, and they don’t rank among the top 20 in the nation in any major statistical category, unless you count shorthanded goals (three).

The Spartans have been to the NCAA tournament just once in head coach Rick Comley’s first three years, and though Michigan State finished each of those seasons with a winning record, that isn’t enough to keep alumni and fans happy.

Case in point: MSU won 23 games in each of Comley’s first two seasons, their best win totals during his tenure. However, the Spartans only won fewer than 23 games once in legendary head coach Ron Mason’s 21 seasons since MSU joined the fledgling CCHA in 1981-82.

Badgers Hit No. 1 With 12-Game Unbeaten Streak

USCHO Staff Report
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A sweep of then-No. 1 Michigan and Michigan State in the College Hockey Showcase extended Wisconsin’s unbeaten streak to 12 games and propelled the Badgers to the top of Monday’s USCHO.com/CSTV Networks Division I men’s poll.

The Badgers received all but one of 40 first-place votes to reach No. 1, with No. 2 Colorado College getting the other nod despite losing to Massachusetts Friday. The Tigers recovered to beat Boston University Saturday.

Third place belonged to Michigan, which fell out of the top spot after losing to both its WCHA opponents at the Showcase; Minnesota rose three spots to No. 4 after beating the Wolverines and tying the Spartans.

Vermont was steady at No. 5, losing to UMass in a Tuesday tilt before toppling Maine on Sunday, and Boston College was again No. 6 after winning its lone game against Merrimack last weekend. In seventh was Maine after its loss to UVM.

Miami, which has lost just once in its past 11 games, climbed to No. 8 in the wake of a sweep of Bowling Green, while idle North Dakota came in ninth. Rounding out the top 10 was New Hampshire, which tied Northeastern Sunday.

The next 10 spots in the poll were headed up by Cornell, followed by St. Lawrence, Colgate, Harvard and then No. 15 Denver, which ended a five-game winless streak by beating UMass Saturday.

Alaska-Fairbanks was No. 16, trailed by Bemidji State, Clarkson and Ferris State, which entered the poll at No. 19 after sweeping Mercyhurst. Finishing up the top 20 was Boston University.

Dropping out since last week’s poll was Michigan State, which saw its winless streak hit eight games after the Showcase’s results.

Wayne State’s MacKay ‘Surviving, Done For Now’

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It’s not often that Wayne State is the first choice for a player to pick the Detroit university as his place to come and play hockey. But in Derek MacKay’s case, it was.

MacKay entered WSU in the fall of 2002 as a true freshman and quickly found himself playing on the top line with then-seniors Jason Durbin and Dusty Kingston. In the classroom, MacKay enrolled in the School of Pharmacy with aspirations of becoming a pharmacist. His sister and father are also pharmacists and his family owns two pharmacies in their hometown of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

Derek MacKay took a different path after a standout freshman year (photos: Mark Hicks / WestSide Photography).

Derek MacKay took a different path after a standout freshman year (photos: Mark Hicks / WestSide Photography).

“I had offers from Michigan, Ohio State, Michigan State, Yale, Northeastern and Ferris State,” said MacKay, now 21. “But I was looking for the school with the best pharmacy program and that was Wayne State. They also offered me the most and it was more than I could have ever asked for.”

MacKay was also a third-round pick of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds of the Ontario Hockey League in the 2000 OHL Priority Selection. He admitted it would have been a dream to play in front of NHL scouts and general managers every night, but after talking it over with his family and going with his gut, college was the right route.

“Craig Hartsburg was the [Sault Ste. Marie] coach and he told me straight up I had a spot on the team,” MacKay said. “But he was also the first person to shake my hand and congratulate me when I made my decision to go to pharmacy school.”

During his freshman year at WSU, MacKay finished second on the Warriors in goals (16) and third in points (28). Only Kingston and Durbin were above him. His rookie numbers stood as a school record until last season, when Stavros Paskaris hit for 33 points.

“That first year, we had that big senior class,” remembered MacKay of the 2003 dozen. “I got a big break and was able to play with Jay and Dusty and got to stick with them pretty much the whole year. Not too many freshmen come in, at any school, and right away are put on the top line. I just went in and made the most of it. And to top it all off, we won the CHA tournament and went to the NCAA tournament. It was a great season.”

But the next year was a completely different story. MacKay broke his left ankle at the Subway Holiday Classic in North Dakota on Dec. 28 during the championship game eventually won by the host Fighting Sioux, 8-2.

His season was over and it was all downhill from there. MacKay posted only eight points in 16 games.

“I was injured and I stopped going to class,” said MacKay. “But then I realized that I wanted to concentrate on school rather than hockey. I was in the pre-pharmacy program, but I was kicked out of the program. I’m now going for my Bachelor of Science degree, but am going to re-apply to pharmacy school.

“If I don’t get back in, I’m going to get my degree and go into pharmaceutical sales. But I have nothing bad to say, no regrets about Wayne State hockey. People will always assume that I had issues with coaching and stuff like that, but that’s the furthest thing from the truth. The coaching was great and it was my personal choice to stop playing. They did call me a couple times to check up on me and to try and talk me into coming back, but I just wanted a normal life as a normal student and they respected that.”

MacKAY

MacKAY

The 6-foot-1, 210-pound MacKay stayed enrolled at WSU and last season, with a year of junior eligibility left, got in touch with his former junior team, the Soo Thunderbirds of the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League.

“We were short on players and short on quality veterans,” said Thunderbirds’ vice-president and director of hockey and business operations Alan Jones. “I knew what was happening with Derek at Wayne State and I passed it by him to see if he wanted to come back here and play the home games. I told him he’d play, no questions asked. I then ran it by all our players and they were all for it. He has a lot of leadership and I don’t think the guys would have agreed to have him back if he wasn’t such a team player.

“Plus his girlfriend is here in the Soo and I don’t think he minded the drive up I-75 every Friday.”

With the Thunderbirds, MacKay played in 20 games and had nearly a point a game with seven goals and 17 points. Jones said maybe he’d lost a step and added a couple pounds, but he still made an impact. In his first game of the season (last) Oct. 1 against the Abitibi Eskimos, MacKay scored once and added four assists for a five-point night in a 9-3 win.

“Was he the same player he was before he went to Wayne State? Not really, but remember, he was still recovering from his ankle injury and he hadn’t played in months,” Jones said. “A lot of times, he’d drive six hours and get to the rink an hour or two before the game started. That’s not an easy thing to do, but it was his choice. I’d coached him in peewee and atom and he has as close to a pro shot as I’ve ever seen.”

With his hockey career at a crossroads, MacKay now just wants to get through school and earn his degree. While attending class and for stretches this past summer, MacKay has been a housemate of Durbin at his new house in Newport, Mich. He’s also working at his family’s pharmacies back home as a pharmacy technician to make ends meet and to help out Durbin with new home expenses.

“I wouldn’t say I’m officially done with hockey, but I am done for now,” said MacKay. “I coach a travel team of 10- to 12-year-olds in the Soo, but that’s about it. I still have pain in my ankle, but at least I can still walk. It still swells and bruises, but it’s a lot better than what it was.”

“As he matured, Derek continued to get better,” noted Jones. “So am I disappointed that he says he’s done? Of course I am. But his dream now is to become a pharmacist and that’s no easy feat. He just had an unfortunate accident and it cost him. I think he still has that fire, though.

“Last season, we had a playoff game on a Tuesday and his sister also had a baby and he wanted to come back here to see his sister. He went to his professors and they told him to take the whole week, go home and they’d work everything out when he got back. But in the back of his mind, he knew he also could play that Tuesday.”

Still a student and still a Warrior, MacKay plans to attend a handful of games this season. The would-be-senior has junior status academically, but is adamant about catching up and graduating.

“Oh yeah, I’ll be at some games this year,” admitted MacKay. “I want to see Stavros and see what he’s all about.”

Ironically, Paskaris and MacKay played across the [nl]St. Mary’s River from each other as Paskaris played his junior hockey for the now-defunct Soo Indians of the North American Hockey League, but the two never matched up against each other. Nor will they be WSU teammates, either.

In any event, MacKay is just relaxed and encouraged to know his life is back on the right track.

“I’m surviving,” concluded MacKay. “Student life is going well and I’m looking forward to getting my diploma. I basically lost a year and I’m intent on making that up.

“I owe it to myself to make something of myself.”

This story originally appeared on MichiganCollegeHockey.net.

ND’s Oreskovich Departs For OHL

USCHO Staff Report
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Sophomore Victor Oreskovich has left Notre Dame to play with the Ontario Hockey League’s Kitchener Rangers, head coach Jeff Jackson announced Sunday.

Selected in the second round, 55th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche, Oreskovich played in nine games with Notre Dame in 2004-05, scoring two goals and adding one assist for three points. In 37 games as a freshman in 2004-05, the right winger had 1-2–3.

In making the announcement, Jackson said, “Victor has informed me of his decision to leave school. After talking, we mutually agreed upon his choice. We wish him the best and support him in his decision.”

The Rangers obtained Oreskovich’s rights in a trade with the Windsor Spitfires on Nov. 24.

Coach’s Notebook

By Dave Starman
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Random thoughts this Thanksgiving weekend…

• I really like the Minnesota power play: Phil Kessel and Ryan Potulny on their off wings (Kessel on the left, Potulny on the right), and Blake Wheeler in the slot. Lefty Alex Goligoski plays his side, as does righty Chris Harrington. Sets up an interesting situation, as any short pass leads to a one-timer. If you’re the opposition, do you a) worry about Kessel because he’s the No. 1 option, b) worry about Potulny, who might have the best wrist shot in college hockey, or c) think about what line you’ll roll out of the power play after giving up the goal?

• Speaking of power plays, anyone else notice that Michigan had scored four power-play goals in back-to-back games in wins at Fairbanks and Notre Dame? Eight PPGs in two games away from Yost. Pretty impressive.

• Speaking of Notre Dame, Dave Poulin gave his heart and soul to rebuild Notre Dame hockey. Now he’s building Notre Dame athletics. Poulin recently gave a tour of the new training facility, a $22 million work, to CSTV hockey producer Ross Molloy and play-by-play man Matt McConnell. That same facility was toured that day by Regis Philbin (a Notre Dame alum), and many other national bigwigs have been through the doors. It is generally acknowledged that the Green Bay Packers have the best training facilities in the NFL. When Packers brass saw the new building in South Bend, their reaction was, in a word, “Wow!”

• The Minnesota drinking situation. Well, not a pretty situation considering the football and basketball teams at Minnesota have had their public image problems in recent years. However, it was bogus journalism by some local station in sweeps times. However the Gophers handled it internally, it seems the fire has gone out of the story. Congrats to the college hockey media for treating the story for what it was, garbage. Imagine, underage athletes drinking beer; who could have guessed? However, if I remember correctly, no players were suspended. On the eve of the national championship game in 2004, Denver suspended Lukas Dora, its leading scorer, for the title game because of a rules infraction.

• Our heartfelt sympathy goes out to Brock Trotter of Denver. The left wing, on the big line with Gabe Gauthier and Ryan Dingle, was injured at North Dakota on Oct. 28. A lacerated Achilles tendon ended his season. From the looks of it, Trotter was off to a good start.

• Speaking of Denver, are there two more injured teams than the Pioneers and the Spartans of Michigan State? Gauthier, Corbin, Marcuzzi, Trotter? Similar to two years ago when the Pioneers got blitzed by injuries. “We didn’t have enough guys to practice some days,” said George Gwozdecky, their head coach. “We knew the injury bug really had hit when one of our guys, I think it was Jussi Halme, separated his shoulder taking a slapshot in warmups.”

• Moving back east, anyone notice that Boston University? The Terriers are an enigma. After back-to-back wins vs Vermont and at Maine two weeks ago, BU was beaten by UNH (ok, understandable), and UMass (harder to fathom). Then they rallied for a 2-2 tie against first-place Providence. Two good things for BU: one, that the Terriers overcame a 2-0 deficit to tie on the road. Two, “We needed to get our defense back in order again, and we played well defensively, all six defensemen and our four centers played very well in our own zone.” BU got the return trip from the Colorado schools (Denver on Friday and CC on Saturday) this weekend, after making that trip out west last November, and kicked off the weekend well with a 1-0 win against the Pioneers.

• So, who says eastern kids don’t play out west? Two good ones come back east this weekend on that trip. Denver defensemen Andrew Thomas of Bow, N.H., and Colorado College forward James Brannigan of Brooklyn, N.Y., reappear in their home region for the holidays. Both kids, overlooked by eastern schools, played in the USHL (Waterloo and Cedar Rapids, respectively) and were offered scholarships by Rocky Mountain teams. “That happens sometimes,” a WCHA coach told me recently. “The eastern schools see a kid a few times, playing in the Eastern Junior Hockey League or in prep school, and don’t pull the trigger. The kid goes to the USHL, where we see him, and we get lucky.”

• Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin gets the award for the best line of the year so far. After an early-season tie against BC, Cronin told the media “I told them that they worked hard. Whoop-de-doo, you’re supposed to work hard. You still didn’t win.” A thought on this, and I like this thinking. Too many coaches say the effort was there, we just didn’t get it done, but we didn’t quit. Gee, that’s great. You didn’t quit. Since when did not quitting become heroic? When you receive a scholarship (or a paycheck) to play hockey, I feel it is okay to presume your players will show up for games and practices prepared to work, skate hard from the time the gates open until they close. Win or lose, effort should be factored into the equation as something that will happen. The great coaches are the ones who do not allow players to be fooled into simply thinking that a good effort is an accomplishment. Those who have been there know you never mistake effort for execution! Of the two, effort is usually easier.

• Drew Stafford of North Dakota currently fronts a band along with teammate Jordan Parise. “Red Seal Peach” is the name. The are auditioning teammates for spots in the band.

• Keeping it simple is what coaches stress early in the season (all season, for that matter). Says North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol, “At this point in the season, we try not to overload them. We’ll learn our opponents as the season goes on. Right now, we want to worry about ourselves.”

• Wes O’Neill, a junior defenseman at Notre Dame, had an interesting take on his stature in the lineup. “I may be a veteran, a third-year guy, but other than two guys on the defense, I’m still the youngest blueliner here.” He’s right. There are freshman and sophomore defensemen older than O’Neill, who was 17 as a freshman on a defense that included Brett Lebda (now with the Red Wings), Neil Komadoski, and Tommy Galvin. “I don’t pretend to be a big-wheel veteran. Coach just wants me to be myself,” he added.

• Denver’s Matt Carle loves to spend summers hiking and training in the mountains around his hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Notre Dame’s Tim Wallace likes to spend summer at home in that same locale fishing for silverback salmon. Colorado College goalie Drew O’Connell also lives there. Three pretty good players from the state of Alaska.

• Watch a game in the CCHA, then watch a game in the WCHA, and you will be convinced there are two different rulebooks. I hate getting on officials because their strings are being pulled by a higher authority, which leads me to this point. When did the WCHA decide it was going to allow its officials to call games the old way, while the CCHA and Hockey East work hard to follow the mandate set forth by the NCAA in its rules enforcement crackdown? Contact to the head is supposed to be automatic. Ryan Dingle was elbowed in the melon so many times last Friday in Denver’s game vs Minnesota that I’m sure someone had to remind him where he lived after the game. Picks were set, sticks impeded progress, interference was rampant. So I ask, what set of rules are we playing by? Personally I hate penalty-filled games, and I do like to see good flow. Ticky-tack penalties ruin the game. Then again, when skill players are illegally impeded from playing to their capability, it robs the fans of the true beauty of this game: skill and flow. Hockey is a game of speed, skill, flow, passion, and emotion. Because of that, its almost impossible to officiate consistently. That is why there are so few good ones, like Hockey East’s Scott Hansen.

• Want to see old-time physical hockey? Watch North Dakota and Wisconsin. They legally beat the heck out of you. Bucky really wore down CC two weekends ago by finishing every check, and NoDak just hits every chance it gets, led by burly defenseman Matt Smaby. CC’s Lee Sweatt was physically abused by Wisconsin in their series in Madison recently. However, Sweatt earns my undying respect, because the more he got hit, the more he competed — the true sign of a true player.

• How about Matty Lange? RPI’s rookie sensation is 5-2-3 so far, and just notched his third ECACHL rookie of the week award. Lange boasts a 5-2-3 record, a .920 save percentage, and a 2.37 goals against average. Last weekend, he stopped 62 of 64 shots in a pair of 1-1 ties with No. 17 Colgate and No. 5 Cornell. Colgate scored 5-on-4, and Cornell scored 5-on-3. Lange is one cool customer in goal, one who never gets rattled after a bad goal (of which he does not give up many), and never gets too excited after a big win. After playing in Billings in the NAHL, he played a year in the Eastern Junior Hockey League with the Apple Core, and was heavily recruited by former Iona coach Frank Bretti, now an assistant with RPI. Head coach Dan Fridgen had a tough summer fending off critics of his program, so happy to report Fridgen battled through some adversity in recent seasons to get the Engineers back on the road to respectability.

• Want to watch an exciting player? Here’s Ryan Ginand of Northeastern. He was a pain in the neck to play against (and some of his teammates with the junior Bruins will also say to play with), but he is a high-energy guy who worked his way to Division I.

• Would someone tell the Moncton franchise in the QMJHL to kindly shut up? First they wreak havoc in Boston last fall by planting stories in the papers that Chris Bourque is about to leave BU to join them (which he did after realizing school wasn’t his thing, and hockey was). He left the team after last season. Now, just because Maine freshman Simon Denis-Pappin was seen talking with some of his buddies at a QMJHL game in Lewiston, Maine, Moncton once again is running a story that Pappin is about to jump ship. My CSTV colleague Adam Wodon called Pappin, who was more than willing to say that Moncton is full of hot air (actually, in their rink, when the big garage door is open, its really cold air) and that he is staying with the Black Bears.

• Interesting take by one assistant coach in Hockey East. “There are just way too many junior teams in this region, and a lot of them are really bad. My feeling is that there are not enough midget AAA teams, and that junior killed midget hockey in the east. AAA teams like Victory Honda, Honeybaked, and Compuware could probably beat any junior team outside of the Eastern Junior League. They prove that every year at the Northwoods Tourney.”

• The Gophers are a big-rink team, but they looked okay at Duluth on the small ice, and in the small rink in high altitude in Denver went 1-0-1. They played at No. 1 Michigan on Friday night and won, and are at Munn Arena Saturday night against Michigan State. When you have that much skill, you could play in the old Boston Garden and still compete.

• Those games are part of the College Hockey Showcase, which makes sure that big-time programs Michigan and Michigan State get a chance to play former conference rivals Minnesota and Wisconsin. Last season, Minnesota won big against the Michigan schools in Minny. It’s the Big Ten on ice.

• Speaking of the Big Ten on ice, the spectacle of a hockey game on the field in Green Bay is pretty cool. No, actually, its pretty cold. I’m guessing that if it is that cold, Wisconsin and Ohio State hold back the studs for fear of injury (hamstrings hate sub-zero weather, and so do goalies’ hands in their catching gloves). How about the stripes? That metal whistle should feel lovely after it is frozen and pressed against one’s lips. This game is a great idea. This game in February is a little shaky.

• Happy Thanksgiving, everyone, especially to my friend Jerry York of Boston College. When one survives a cancer scare like he had in August, Thanksgiving takes on a whole new meaning.

• To the coaches, players, officials, trainers, equipment managers, student managers, and SIDs who make this game work, we all thank you!

Dave Starman is national columnist for USCHO.com, and the analyst for CSTV’s broadcasts of college hockey. Previously, he coached in both the minor leagues and in junior hockey for 15 years. He is currently special assistant coach for the EJHL’s New York Apple Core, as well as the Northeast scout for the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks.

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