This Week in Division III – November 4, 2005

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November 3, 2005

Another season, and more change for Division III hockey – virtually all of it for the good.

At the top of the list is the addition of a tenth team to the NCAA field. Besides the obvious advantage of having another at-large berth available, the tenth spot brings an even number of teams to the field while making it more likely that four Western teams get bids, allowing for two Western teams in the Division III Frozen Four.

Since the addition of the ninth team three seasons ago, the East-West split has been 6-3 each time, making it necessary from a cost standpoint to have the play-in game in the West, thus making the three Western teams play down to just one prior to the Frozen Four. The addition of a tenth team makes the chances of a 6-4 spit more likely, allowing for two play-in games in the East and two teams each from the East and West regions in the NCAA semifinals.

Of course, there could be a 7-3 split, making things all the more unbalanced.

The split was also important since it would determine the region that would host the Frozen Four. A 6-3 division meant that only one team would need to be flown – a Western team to the East. That’s changing as well. This season is the first of a three-year experiment using pre-determined sites. The 2006 championships will be held in Elmira, NY (at the First Arena, not the Murray Center, where the Soaring Eagles play), with the 2007 and 2008 championships to be held in Superior, WI and Lake Placid, NY respectively.

NCAA representatives visited Elmira last week and came away pleased.
Chris Schneider, NCAA Assistant Director of Championships, told the Elmira Star Gazette, “We have a great venue…And we’re really excited about the things that we think are going to happen in this community around the championship.”

Putting the championships at a neutral location and changing the time of the title game to Sunday afternoon has already reaped some benefits – CSTV plans to televise the game live to a national audience.

Worth the Wait

The season is in full swing for many Division III programs, and several others will kick off this weekend. Some squads, specifically those in the ECAC East and NESCAC, will have to wait a while longer. In order to shorten the season as much as possible, teams from these leagues don’t start play until November 18. By that time, many teams in other leagues will have already played seven or eight games, roughly a third of their schedule.

The merits and detriments of a shortened season have been and will continue to be debated, but lost in the argument is the amount of pre-season practice the NESCAC and ECAC schedules allow for. While, for example, the ECAC West begins official practices on October 15 and has schools playing games that very day, the NESCAC and ECAC East begin practices on November 1 and don’t play games for 17 days, incorporating as many as 16 practices prior to actual play.

“I like our system,” said Babson coach Jamie Rice. “It really gives us time to work on things and prepare for the season.”

Trinity coach John Dunham agrees. “You need at least a week of dedicated practices before getting started,” he said. “Two weeks might be a little too long – guys are itching to play by then. Some years we’ve set up an exhibition game to help with that.”

Dunham says that captain’s practices, used by teams before teams can officially take the ice, have limited benefits.

“You shouldn’t really be trying to accomplish much in captains practices,” he said. “Ours are no-contact practices and really just an opportunity for guys to get into shape. ”

The MIAC also requires at least a week between the time teams can begin practice and they can play games.

“I think it’s important from a team standpoint,” said St. John’s coach John Harrington. “Chemistry is so important, and the practice time (before games can begin) is a chance to bond as a team, and a time to sort some things out.”

Game of the Week

This season I’ll preview an intriguing matchup each week. The inaugural one is a no-brainer: St. Norbert at St. John’s. These two teams were No. 1 and No. 2 in the West most of last season, and both should be near the top again this year. St. Norbert is ranked second and St. John’s fifth in the USCHO Division III Preseason Poll.

Between the two squads, there are five of the twelve All-Americans named to the Western region last season: goalies Adam Hanna (St. John’s) and Kyle Jones (St. Norbert), defenseman Darryl Smoleroff (St. John’s) and forwards Jason Deitsch (St. Norbert) and Scott Bjorklund (St. John’s).

It’s a heck of the way for St. John’s to kick off its season. St. Norbert already has three games under its belt. St. John’s coach John Harrington says this wasn’t intentional on his part.

“It’s really the league that puts the schedule together,” he said. “We have an interlock with the NCHA so for this first weekend we drew St. Norbert and Lake Forest, two very good teams.”

If he had the choice, would he want to play the second ranked team in the nation right off the bat?

“It’s hard to say,” said Harrington. “Playing a strong opponent right away will show us the things we have to work on. But you’d also like to know more about your team going into a game like that.”

Harrington says that his talented group of seniors knows this is their last shot. Archrival St. Thomas has ended the Johnnies’ season the past two years, claiming the last two MIAC championships. Last year St. John’s made the NCAA tournament as an at-large team, but lost again to St. Thomas in the play-in game. Those two losses to the Tommies within four days put a sudden end to an otherwise outstanding season.

“We played well enough (last season) to win the first time, in the MIAC championship game, but we didn’t deserve to win the second time,” said Harrington. “We got outplayed.”

Making D-III Proud

RIT left the Division III ranks this season for an eventual spot in the Atlantic Hockey Association. The Tigers are playing as an independent this season, and have a tough schedule that includes Clarkson, Cornell, St. Lawrence, RPI, and Bowling Green.

Considering the Tigers were returning 17 players from a team that underachieved in Division III last season, it wasn’t surprising to see that a poll on USCHO’s message board has predicted just four Division I wins for RIT this season.

No one but the Tigers themselves probably expected them to start 3-3, but that’s what has happened. A 3-2 win over No. 18 St. Lawrence last Friday sent shockwaves throughout college hockey. Sophomore goaltender Jocelyn Guimond made 66 saves, tying the mark for the most in Division I history in regulation by a winning goaltender.

While the RIT freshman are making major contributions, the core of the team is composed of Division III players, sending the message that D-III is, as we all know, very good hockey.

This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 3, 2005

By Scott Weighart

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November 3, 2005

Dave Hendrickson is taking the week off to polish up his resume in light of the sudden vacancy of the Red Sox general manager position. It takes a good week to cut and paste all those “And Finally, Not That It Has Anything To Do With Anything, But…” excerpts into one semi-coherent cover letter.

Debut Reviews

The last time Boston University won a national championship, Terrier coach Jack Parker had the luxury of tucking future NHL stalwarts Chris Drury and Mike Grier on the fourth line. More recently, virtually every college hockey coach talks about relying on the juniors and seniors to step up and lead the way. However, for a variety of reasons, Hockey East coaches need their top recruits to step in and have an instant impact.

“I think we’re all recruiting for positions,” Parker said. “Sometimes you have to recruit for a third-line left wing who can bang, and sometimes you need a top-line player who can play the point on the power play. Sometimes guys get here and lose that position because they’re not quite as good as we thought they were or not quite as poised as we thought they were, and some guys take that position over when we didn’t plan on that. But for the most part it’s planned out.

“With the 18-scholarship rule, it gets tougher and tougher every year to have enough players so you can have competition at every position. To answer your question, most schools are getting their real good freshmen into key spots right away and their not-so-good freshmen are playing the fourth line and are going to be key contributors in a different way later on. State schools have the wherewithal to let [new, talented freshmen recruits] sit back and play fourth-line because the power-play guys will graduate in a few years and then they’ll get their chance. Not so true at BC or BU or most of the private schools where it’s so expensive that you don’t get too many $44,000 walk-ons.”

Boston College coach Jerry York concurred about the impact of scholarship reduction. “Now when our seniors graduate, to maintain good teams the freshmen really have to be able to step right in and play and have impacts as freshmen and show improvement over the course of their career,” York said. “I think it’s a necessity now when you’re recruiting freshmen: There’s no more redshirting them or hiding them; they’ve got to be able to play.”

For private university teams such as the Eagles, injuries could have an enormous impact on the outlook. “We all have smaller squads this year,” York said. “I’ve got three non-dressed players now for each game we play. That’s a pretty tight group.

“No question: It’s hard. We all talk to the walk-ons about coming and participating with a chance to play, but you’ve got to pay the tuition. The private schools are just becoming astronomical here.”

Even at state schools, such as the University of New Hampshire, freshmen are expected to excel in a hurry — thanks in part to the fact that players generally play a year of juniors after high school to help make the leap. “You expect skilled players to come in and help you,” UNH Coach Dick Umile said. “There’s no question in our league: They’re going out to play juniors for a year so they can come in and play the first year.”

So how are the freshmen faring after one month in Hockey East? There are many intriguing new arrivals. BU sophomore Peter MacArthur may be one of the team’s stars, but he’s quick to acknowledge that freshman Jason Lawrence already may have the most skill on the Terrier team. Lawrence is one of those players who never seems to strain: He is so smooth that he makes it look easy. Contrasting with Lawrence, winger Brandon Yip wears his effort on his sleeve but seems to do everything well. Look for more of him on the point on the BU power play.

“He’s a real smart player,” Parker said of Yip, a standout last year in the British Columbia Hockey League. “He’s got a lot of poise with the puck, and he can really shoot it a ton. When he winds up, he can really let it rip, and he’s got a great wrist shot as well. He’s going to be a great point producer on the power play for us as a point man, but he’s also going to be an asset to any line that he plays on because he’s big, he’s strong, he can skate, he can finish, and he makes big plays. I like that line tonight with Laliberte and Zancanaro [with Yip], and I’ll probably keep that together even though we get some other guys back.”

Playing the U.S. National Under-18 team in an exhibition game last weekend, Parker took the opportunity to rest some banged-up players as well as a few who underachieved in Friday’s meltdown at Mass.-Lowell. “We’ll get MacArthur back in the lineup. I’m undecided about what I’m going to do with [Bryan “Boomer”] Ewing: I may keep him at center; I may put him on the wing with MacArthur. We’ll see how that goes.”

Parker sees freshman Chris Higgins as potentially similar to another freshmen who entered the league without much fanfare and turned out to be a star. “First time I saw Higgins, I said, ‘This kid could be another Darren Haydar because he can get away from people and just find his way through people.’ He just slips through them and he’s gone. He’ll be on our top two lines the rest of the year; I guarantee you that.”

Just up Comm. Ave., Boston College coach Jerry York has the biggest freshmen class in the league — and also what many may argue is the best. “The biggest thing that we had going into this year was replacing four senior defensemen that graduated,” York said. “So that was our biggest area of concern. Right now Brett Motherwell’s been hurt the last couple of games and probably will miss [Tuesday night’s] game [versus UNH]. I talk about Brett, but Anthony Aiello stepped in over the weekend and showed a lot of poise as did Timmy Kunes and Timmy Filangieri. So I think our greatest concern is turning out to hopefully be a real solid nucleus. They’re up and down a little bit because it’s their first experience in the league playing different teams and different venues, but for four young kids I’ve been very impressed with them. That’s my observation of the freshmen class.”

If the BC freshman defensemen are the highest priority to York, the forwards have garnered more ink — particularly highly touted newcomer Brock Bradford. “He’s showed improvement to me each day,” York said. However, York is quick to point out that most forwards’ point production usually follows the course of a Kris Kolanos rather than a Ben Eaves. “Unless they’re exceptional like a [Brian] Gionta, if you get to double figures your first year in goals, you’re doing a pretty good job. We have a group of freshman forwards. Brock is certainly a key to them, but we’ve got Nathan Gerbe and Benny Ferriero. I think as this year progresses, we’re hoping to see more offensive production from all of those young forwards. But I’m more concerned with the defense because that’s the more important part of your club.”

Whatever anyone thinks of the Eagles’ chances of winning the league again this season, it seems basically undebatable that this BC team will be much better in February and March than they are in October and November. “No question,” York said. “We’re going to stay patient as a staff. We understand that our best hockey is in front of us. But we have to go through some ups and downs. To get through October 2-2-1: We’ve kept our head above water despite some difficult opponents in Michigan and Maine. So I like what I’ve seen, Scott, but on a consistent basis we’re still not there yet. It will be interesting to watch this club develop.”

Another impressive freshmen development thus far is the play of Maine goalie Ben Bishop, a six-foot seven giant with surprising quickness. However, York was quick to point out that Maine may have a better tandem than many realize. “I thought he played very well,” York said of Bishop, after watching the newcomer beat his team 2-1 last Friday. “I think what’s more impressive with Jimmy Howard gone is that you think the one chink in the armor might be goal. And then [sophomore Matt} Lundin the next night steps in and shuts out UMass. Those two players, their statistics are incredible when you look at them. They’re on their way to solving that puzzle that you have every year of ‘Who’s going to replace this guy?’ Everybody’s talking about Bishop, but the other kid’s got great numbers too.”

Maine Attractions

Speaking of Maine, how about those Black Bears? Those who expected a volatile first month for the Black Bears after goaltending star Jimmy Howard signed with the Detroit Red Wings would have to admit that program hasn’t missed a beat… or missed many chances to give a beating. Maine is 7-1 and No. 2 in the country. For the time being, goaltending has gone from the aforementioned “chink in the armor” to something as hard to get through as an armored car.

“Obviously we were wondering exactly where our goalies would be at the start of the year, but it’s been a pleasant surprise,” Black Bear coach Tim Whitehead said. “Having recruited them both, we believe in them certainly, but you never know how they’re going to adjust to the games. So we’re very pleased that they’re ahead of the curve that way.

“As a team, we as coaches knew that we had a pretty strong team. I guess I’m a little surprised that we’re 7-1 but not that surprised. We knew we’d be good, but we didn’t know how good… and we still don’t know. We’re certainly cautious about getting too excited now because it’s so early, and we’ve got a lot of hockey ahead of us. We’re trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves, but we’re off to a good start.”

Whitehead agreed with York’s assertion about Lundin being a bit overlooked to date. In three starts, the sophomore has given up all of one goal. On top of two shutouts, Lundin has a microscopic 0.33 goals against average to go with a .985 save percentage. Although those numbers won’t last, they’ve certainly raised a few eyebrows.

“Lundin has certainly proven that he can go toe to toe with Ben Bishop,” Whitehead said. “He’s on a tear right now! We’re very pleased: He had a great game against UMass. [The goalies are] really competing hard against each other but in a healthy way, and that’s exactly what you want. They’re a little ahead of where we thought they’d be now, but because they’re both ’86 birthdays and don’t have a lot of college experience, we’ve got to be cautious. We’re going to have some ups and downs.”

As for the skaters, I wondered if Whitehead had seen some veterans elevate their game or if other newcomers have made their mark. “Some of both,” Whitehead said. “Matt Duffy’s had a real strong impact as a freshman. He’s a defenseman from the EJHL. Of the veterans, I think Travis Wight’s made the biggest jump from last year. He played a lot his freshman year but then was in and out of the lineup his sophomore and junior year, and he’s just really emerged this year as a great defensive defenseman for us. He’s given us a big lift. He blocks a lot of shots, and he can join the rush. He’s emerged for us, and we really needed him. That’s been a big plus.

“And we’ve got a great captain, Greg Moore. He’s been great leader for us and led by example. When your captain is out there blocking shots and scoring goals and doing it all… He just works tirelessly. That’s a big reason why our team works so hard — because our captain works so hard. So we’re very excited about our senior leadership this year.”

Still, Whitehead isn’t about to make any hotel reservations for Milwaukee just yet. “It’s a process,” he said. “That’s part of the fun: to see how good we can be. Last year we were a good team, not a great team; the year before we were a great team. You never know. I think this year it’s yet to be determined. It’s not just the goaltending; it’s the leadership. Can our seniors keep the team heading in the right direction? We’ve had good special teams; that will be important. Can we stay healthy? Those are some of the factors. It’s too early to say, but things are pointing in the right direction.”

Net Increase

Chatting with Jack Parker after Saturday’s exhibition game, I asked about the challenge of potentially facing Bishop on Friday night. Although Parker was quick to note that he hadn’t seen Bishop play, the question reminded him of his great new cause. After rummaging around his desk, he produced an old Sports Illustrated photo of legendary goaltender Jacques Plante. In the picture, Plante is crouching, maskless, as he looks up ice to follow the action. However, what’s immediately striking about the photograph is how much wide-open net is visible to Plante’s left, right… and even above his head!

“Here’s my reason for wanting a bigger goal,” Parker said. “I want to make it the way it used to be. I want the players on the teams to have a chance to see the net. Now that’s Jacques Plante, one of the all-time great goalies. There’s a six-hole there: You could shoot it over his head. But what’s happened is you can legislate the size of the equipment but you can’t legislate the size of the goalie. [Plante] played a different way than these guys play today. The problem is no team and no position in any sport has made the jump technically that goaltenders have in the last ten years.

“There may be developments such as the split-fingered fastball, but point guards and quarterbacks never figured out something better to do what their positions. Nobody has made a change in sport [comparable to the way that hockey goalies have mastered the position]. If you don’t have a goalie with a .920 save percentage, your team sucks. Used to be a race to five or four in this league — now it’s a race to two. So it’s a matter of saying ‘You want to see more goals? Let’s let somebody see something when they’re shooting at it.’ You can’t see anything. It’s amazing.

So what would this mean in practical terms if Parker were to be granted his wish? “Make the net bigger. Start with a foot and a half higher maybe and half a foot wider. “When journeyman hockey players like Don Marcotte for the Bruins could every once in a while come down the wing and take a slapshot and have it go in the net. Bobby Hull couldn’t come down the wing and take a slapshot and have it go on the net on either one of these guys tonight. It’s just the way they play.

“Ninety percent of it is technique, but it’s a little more difficult for smaller guys to use the same technique. If you take away the four [hole], when you’re bigger you take away the top of the net too. The NHL is getting more offense right now, but it’s mostly because they’re calling so many penalties. They’re still getting a lot of shots; they’re just not going in. The way Kenny Dryden and Grant Fuhr played to the way these guys are playing today: It’s just night and day.”

I ran Parker’s idea by York and Umile, but they weren’t sold on the idea. “I think we’re going to follow as the NHL has followed,” Umile said — a point with which Parker agreed. “They’re finding more holes in the goalies [in the NHL this year thus far]. Maybe the reason that these goals are being scored in NHL hockey is not only are they taking the red line out — there’s more offense and they’re calling more penalties — but the equipment has definitely been a factor in that. I wouldn’t be in favor of enlarging the goal. The equipment is the first step. I’m not one to be changing; I guess I’m a traditionalist. I’ll stick with the goal the way it is. The NHL did something with the equipment, and maybe we’ll follow that, and maybe that will help.”

“It’s interesting to look at,” York acknowledged. “I’m open to a lot of different looks as to how we would shape hockey, but I think the goaltenders are certainly much better athletes and have studied the position with the angles and the paddle down. It’s just more readily available to these young goaltenders growing up. But I think we’ve just got to respond, and the offense has to learn ways to get better as offensive players as the goalies get better.

“I’d rather keep the net where it is. We’re trying to address [low-scoring games] with interference, and I think that’s going much better. It’s much more wide open, and it will be interesting to look at the number of goals after another year of the rule enforcement.”

“Hats off to the defense: Let’s catch up offense.”

Two Is A Magic Number

I wrote most of this column on my laptop while watching Tuesday’s BC-UNH Manchester matchup on CSTV. As I began this section, the two teams — which went into the game with identical 2-2-1 records — were tied 2-2 with 2:22 left in period two. By the end of the game — a somewhat surprising 3-2 win for the Eagles — it was clear that there’s not much separating these two teams. However, when I spoke to both coaches on Monday, their appraisals of their teams differed despite some similarities in performance: right down to the USCHO poll, in which BC ranked No. 11 while Maine ranked No. 12 this week.

“We understand that our best hockey is in front of us,” York said. “But we have to go through some ups and downs. “To get through October 2-2-1: We’ve kept our head above water despite some difficult opponents in Michigan and Maine. So I like what I’ve seen, Scott, but on a consistent basis we’re still not there yet. It will be interesting to watch this club develop.”

Meanwhile, Umile appeared to expect a bit more early on given that his team didn’t lose as much talent as BC did in the offseason. “We’re not pleased with where we’re at, but I’m not overly disappointed with how we played against North Dakota,” Umile said. “We didn’t put the puck in the net, played some pretty good hockey, but didn’t finish it. We had a good road win against UMass — who played well against us, better than they did last year. So to go up there and win was big for us. But it’s still early in the season, and we’ve got a big game with BC and with Northeastern who’s doing well. We’re .500, and we’re getting better, so we’ll be okay.

“I think we’re probably giving up too many scoring opportunities, and we need to finish our scoring opportunities. We’re generating shots now. We’ll get to a comfort level where guys will relax and not be as tight on the stick. Some of the new faces will just relax and let it happen.”

National League Prospects

Some Hockey East fans enjoyed a sneak preview of next year’s newcomers when the U.S. National Under-18 team visited BU and Northeastern last weekend. The youngsters impressed everyone, coming within two minutes of upsetting the Terriers before surrendering a late goal to tie it in regulation before losing in overtime. The U.S. defense proved to be even more stingy on Sunday, battling Northeastern to a 1-1 draw.

Not everyone on the team has committed just yet, but Hockey East fans can look forward to seeing U.S. team members Brian Strait and Greg Squires to be wearing the home colors in Agganis Arena next year, while Chris Atkinson — a first-line right wing for the Under-18 team — will be a welcome addition at Vermont next fall. “Brian Strait is our team captain; he’s a great two-way player and exceptional leader,” U.S. coach and Terrier alum John Hynes said. “He’s a very strong, smart player.

“Greg Squires is really electrifying. He’s a small guy, about five-six, but he’s almost like Brian Gionta with his speed and exceptional quickness. He’s got some offensive talent.

“Chris Atkinson is a small guy with great speed, very competitive. He’s got good hands, good vision. I think all three of those guys will be able to step into the league next year, and I’m sure you’ll hear from them on the offensive side.”

For Strait, joining the Terriers will be the culmination of a long-term dream. “Being from the Boston area, I always wanted to go here,” Strait said. “I used to go to BU games when I was little. It’s been kind of a dream for me to even think about putting on that sweater and going there.”

“I looked at UNH, but I came to BU and Coach Parker took me around the city,” Squires said. “It’s a great city with a great atmosphere, and he showed me the rink. There’s a lot of good things about BU, and my parents agreed. I decided to commit early; it just felt like the right decision.”

Terrier Boomer Ewing basically ran over his future teammates with the welcome wagon.

“He tried to kill me,” Strait said, referring to a jarring hit from the BU forward in Saturday’s game.

“He did kill me,” Squires said, rubbing his shoulder.

As a bonus for BU fans, the Terriers also nabbed Under-18 goaltender Brett Bennett, who didn’t play last weekend due to a shoulder injury that has sidelined him for a few weeks. “I think we have the two best goalies in the country for their age group,” Strait said. “They’re both excellent.”

“[Bennett’s] also a great kid, really outgoing, and he gets it going in the locker room,” Squires added.

Trivia Contest

Last week’s question was a slam dunk, asking for the goaltender who entered the previous weekend and another who exited that weekend with two shutouts. The two netminders either played for or against a Hockey East team. North Dakota’s Jordan Parise had gone two-for-two in shutouts prior to facing New Hampshire. Tyler Sims blanked Massachusetts-Lowell on back-to-back nights.

The first to answer correctly was Chris Sayles. I did a double-take when I noticed how ridiculously early his response was: He e-mailed me on Thursday night at 6:56 p.m… Before Dave’s column even had a link on the USCHO home page! I smelled a rat, immediately suspecting that Dave Hendrickson was fixing the outcome in return for some sort of unspeakable personal favors. I interrogated Chris accordingly, and this was his alibi: “I had just bookmarked the preview page and went there so I had no idea it wasn’t even on the main page yet. Guess I just got lucky.” Even more suspiciously, Chris writes from a UNH e-mail address but offers a Maine cheer:

“Let’s Go Maine! Make it a 4th straight sweep against Merrimack and BU!!”

Stay tuned as I continue my investigation of this incident: It could be similar to the game show scandal in the 1950s.

This week’s question is substantially more difficult. Sure, Dave said we would make them harder as the year went on… so I figure why not up the ante right now! I am after a little alliteration. Earlier in the column, I referred to Terrier recruit Brett Bennett. Your challenge for this week: For as many letters of the alphabet as possible, try to come up with one current or former Hockey East player who has the same first and last initial.

For example, if you were thinking of NHL players, here would be some options:

Arron Asham, Brad Boyes, Chris Chelios, Dave Dryden, and so on right up through Zarley Zalapski.

One other note: I wouldn’t bother entering unless you can come up with names for at least six letters of the alphabet. Off the top of my head, I can think of names for six letters without even trying.

Given that this one will be labor-intensive to judge, e-mail me with your answer. The winner will be notified by Tuesday; if you haven’t heard by then you either had the wrong answer or someone else beat you to it. I will pass along the winner and the right answer to Dave for next week’s column. This time, the FASTEST answer won’t necessarily be the best! Ha! That’s one way to thwart Chris Sayles and his sneaky bookmark!

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

My son’s athletic exploits are not quite as impressive as those of Dave’s son, but they are perhaps more amusing. Timmy is in kindergarten and playing on a soccer team for the first time. Playing goalie for the first time, I watched an opposing player go in on a breakaway for the first scoring opportunity against him. Was Timmy nervous? Not exactly: He was standing in the net, looking over his shoulder at the sky while the shot went just wide of the net. I trotted over immediately to talk to him. “Hey, buddy,” I said. “When you’re playing goalie, you’ve really got to watch the game.” “I know, Dad,” he said. “But there was this airplane…”

This Week in the CCHA: Nov. 3, 2005

By Paula C. Weston

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November 3, 2005

An Object Lesson in Five Minutes

Last weekend, Michigan State traveled to Ithaca, New York, to open Cornell’s D-I season in front of the Lynah faithful. By all accounts, this was a terrific, emotionally-charged series that provided up-and-down action, great goaltending, fierce competition.

The series also gave more than what was reported, and less perhaps than what some people think.

The two nationally-ranked teams split, with Cornell winning 4-2 Friday and MSU taking Saturday’s game, 4-3. The student section — notoriously spirited at Lynah — was even more enthusiastic than usual for this series.

Maybe it was the emotion of the opening weekend. Maybe it was the prospect of playing a ranked nonconference opponent. Maybe there were some cultural differences between the Spartans and their eastern cousins. Maybe it was Halloween.

Whatever it was translated into ugliness at the end of the second game as the final buzzer sounded, when bottles and other debris rained onto the ice from the direction of the student section.

The reports of what happened began to filter into my mailbox almost immediately. I’ve contacted both the Spartan and Big Red sports information offices, and this is what I’ve been able to piece together.

• Apparently unhappy with the officiating and definitely unhappy with the final score, Cornell fans began booing and throwing things onto the ice the moment the game ended.

• In the interest of all involved, Cornell head coach Mike Schafer immediately appealed to the fans to stop throwing debris.

• To celebrate a hard-fought victory, the Spartan players went to the corner section where their fans were sitting — mostly parents of the players — and saluted.

• With the best of intentions, Schafer went over to the Spartan players to urge them to leave the ice, for their own safety. There was contact between Schafer and Spartan player Corey Potter.

• After seeing this altercation between their coach and an MSU player, Cornell players mingled with Spartans.

I’m not trying to gloss over anything that happened. I wasn’t there, and everyone who was there was biased to some extent. Some Michigan State fans have written to express outrage over an “attack” on Potter. Some Cornell fans have written to express outrage over MSU’s “unsportsmanlike” behavior.

The whole thing reminds me of the last U.S. presidential election, and all of it makes me weary. In an effort to stop the spin of disinformation, let me relay to you what I’ve learned from the athletic departments of both schools.

Schafer immediately issued an apology to Michigan State on behalf of himself and the Cornell team. I do not know the wording of the apology, but both schools have verified that there was an apology.

Cornell’s director of athletic communications, Jeremy Hartigan, said Wednesday night that both Cornell and the ECACHL were conducting an investigation into what occurred. Thursday, ECACHL commissioner Steve Hagwell announced that Schafer has been suspended for one game.

Cornell director of athletics Andy Noel said in a statement that Schafer regrets “grabbing the jersey of an opposing player to guide the team safely off the ice.”

“There wasn’t any kind of shoving match,” said Hartigan. “At the same time, there is an understanding that a coach should never be touching an opposing player, period.”

When the Cornell players approached the Spartan players — spurred by this incident between Schafer and Potter — the Michigan State coaching staff immediately intervened, preventing anything else from happening.

Let me be clear here. From what I understand, the MSU coaching staff did not have to come between Schafer and Potter or break up any kind of fight. What the Spartan coaches did was get their players off the ice, and according the Spartan camp, there is no finger-pointing or animosity directed from East Lansing toward Ithaca. Hartigan said that the Cornell assistants may also have been helping to clear the ice.

I do not know whether or not the on-ice officials had left the ice or if they were still present, so I cannot comment on their involvement or non-involvement.

There are no choirboys in college hockey. Even though I wasn’t there, based on my years of experience as a reporter and what I know of each team, I am absolutely certain that the game was physical, punishing, and hotly contested, on every level.

From what I know of the Cornell student fans, Lynah is one of the toughest barns to play in the country. The fans are clever, vocal, and relentless. The pep band brilliantly taunted the Spartans with a rousing rendition of “Hail to the Victors.”

From what I know of fan behavior in recent years, I am not surprised by the hail of soda bottles and other materials, although it does sadden me.

And I cannot believe that Mike Schafer would ever physically threaten a hockey player. Schafer is as intense a coach as you’ll meet, but unless I see actual evidence of such alleged behavior, I will not believe it.

The Spartans felt put out all weekend, to be sure. Plagued by early-season injuries and playing their hearts out in a hostile environment, they wanted to give a little back to their fans — to their moms and dads — when they won. Saluting your fans is not uncommon in the CCHA, but Hartigan said that Cornell fans are not accustomed to visiting players doing this, and such action probably further inflamed the crowd.

Add to that the Cornell players had to go through the crowd of celebrating Spartan players, and Schafer probably saw a recipe for disaster.

What wearies me about this whole situation is the spin. Now, neither school seems to be attempting to say that it was anything other than it was, a big misunderstanding, but the damage that can be done by fan word of mouth in this insta-news world is potentially enormous.

It further wearies me that the state of fandom here in the U.S. has come to this, with fans at an Ivy League school throwing things onto the ice, potentially harming anyone within firing distance. It disillusions me, too; I have always held the non-profane wit of Cornell fans in high regard.

And what wearies me more than anything is having to write about something like this so early in the season, having to point out — yet again — that civility seems a lost cause in the arenas and rinks around the country, even at the college level, even in the Ivy League.

It’s a Rather Short Bench

Part of the reason the Spartans felt so triumphant after their road win against Cornell was the number of MSU injuries. Before the Spartans even traveled to Ithaca, they were without forwards David Booth (ribs), Tim Kennedy (broken hand), and Nick Sucharski (mono), as well as defensemen Chris Snavely (shoulder) and Brandon Gentile (pulled stomach muscle).

Forward Jim McKenzie (Charley horse) injured himself Friday and couldn’t play Saturday, and forward Chris Mueller (shoulder) was injured in the opening minutes of Saturday’s contest.

To add the proverbial insult to all of this injury, sophomore forward Peder Skinner left the team earlier in the week to play for Kingston of the Ontario Hockey League.

MSU head coach Rick Comley told the Lansing State Journal that Skinner wanted “to play and had become frustrated” by the amount of ice time he was seeing.

Skinner left the team having scored no goals in 23 games as a Spartan, earning four assists at MSU.

As for those injuries, McKenzie, Gentile, and Snavely are hopeful for this weekend’s series against Northern Michigan. Booth is out indefinitely, Mueller for up to three more weeks, Kennedy for up to four more weeks, and there’s no set time for Sucharski’s return, although he is skating.

It Couldn’t Last

With their 2-0 win over Princeton last weekend, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish finally ended a 22-game winless streak that dates back to a 2-1 win over Rensselaer on Jan. 2, 2005.

The win marked the first D-I victory at Notre Dame for head coach Jeff Jackson, and the first win and career shutout for freshman Irish goaltender Jordan Pearce, this week’s CCHA Rookie of the Week.

Schedule Confirms Tigers Breathe Sigh of Relief

This week, No. 1 Colorado College plays St. Cloud State, which is something to cheer about in Colorado Springs.

No disrespect intended to St. Cloud, but the Huskies are not the Nanooks.

Alaska-Fairbanks has a charming new hobby for 2005-06 — knocking off No. 1 teams.

We all cheered when the Nanooks went into Minneapolis and took three points from then-No. 1 Minnesota, and a fair number of CCHA fans probably did the same last week when UAF split with then-No. 1 Michigan.

The 3-2-1 Nanooks are scoring by committee, with 10 guys having registered one goal each, and two — Curtis Fraser and Lucas Burnett — each with two. In five games played, sophomore goaltender Wylie Rogers is out to a fast start, with a .925 save percentage, the third-highest in the league and second only to NMU’s Bill Zaniboni among goalies with as many as five games played.

After a 4-2 win to open the series against Michigan, Burnett told the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner that the win was “special.” “We’ve been playing some quality teams and we’ve been playing them well. It helps us keep our confidence high.”

And Dragon Slayers of a Different Sort

After a slow beginning to the season, including a loss to Robert Morris — Robert Morris! — the Western Michigan Broncos toppled then-No. 4 Ohio State, 5-1 and 5-4, in Lawson Arena last weekend.

It’s not unusual for WMU to score a lot of goals, but this scoring-and-winning thing is new this season.

In Saturday’s game, the Broncos took advantage of a spectacular OSU implosion, scoring four unanswered goals — including two power-play tallies less than a minute apart with less than two minutes to go in the second — to erase a 4-1 Buckeye lead.

The games must have been especially satisfying for sophomore goaltender Daniel Bellissimo, who was replaced by Eric Marvin during last season’s 7-0 Buckeye shutout of the Broncos in Columbus, after which Bellissimo sat on the Bronco bench with his back to the ice surface until the game was over.

The last time the Broncos beat a ranked opponent was Oct. 29, 2004, and guess what? It was the Buckeyes!

The last time WMU swept an opponent was Nov. 27-28, 2004, when the Broncos swept visiting Alabama-Huntsville.

The last time OSU was swept was Jan. 24-24, 2004, at home against MSU. The last time the Bucks lost two on the road was Jan. 9-10, 2004, against Michigan at Yost Arena.

That’s some pretty good company for the Broncos to be keeping.

The Buckeyes — just perhaps — are missing two sparkplugs from last year’s special teams: seniors JB Bittner and Lee Spector, both of whom were essential on OSU’s penalty kill last season. The Bucks allowed seven power-play goals against the Broncos last weekend, and one shorthander for good measure.

The Buckeyes scored no power-play goals last weekend. In fact, the once-mighty OSU special teams — among the best in the nation last year — are among the lowly so far this season; OSU’s power play is converting at 10.9 percent, while the penalty kill is effective 77.3 percent of the time.

“Our special teams need work,” said head coach John Markell after Saturday’s loss.

Blueliner of the Week

No nominees. Well, once again, that’s not true, strictly speaking. Matthew Gatesy, a long-time Ferris State fan, wrote to nominate Joe Van Cullin for FSU’s series against LSSU two weeks ago.

It was a sincere nomination, and one well deserved, I think. It was also too late.

Once again, I’d like to honor the stay-at-home defenders whose outstanding performances in specific games go unnoticed or ignored because such performances don’t necessarily translate into easily identifiable statistics.

Email me to nominate a great defenseman you see this weekend, and give me at least something of his performance in a specific game to merit attention.

Next Week

We’ll give a few well-deserved players more than a passing glance next week, including FSU’s Matt Verdone, UAF’s Kyle Greentree, and Miami’s Jeff Zatkoff, take a peek at Lake Superior State, and return to trivia. Like the Blueliner of the Week, no one bothered with trivia.

I’ll also return to the Games of the Week. Had there been world enough and time this week, I would have highlighted the NMU-MSU series, so I apologize to every NMU fan, everyone who knows an NMU fan, and every single living person in Marquette, Mich., for this obvious slight.

Strength From Top to Bottom

By C.J. Spang

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November 3, 2005

With three teams in the top 15 of the preseason USCHO.com poll and seven members of the Preseason All-USCHO first and second teams, the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association is arguable the strongest conference in Division III hockey.

King of the Hill

Even though St. Norbert won their fourth consecutive NCHA regular season title and third straight Peters Cup, most of the talk concerning the Knights’ season was their NCAA Quaterfinal loss to St. Thomas.

The Green Knights (3-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) are returning all but three of their players who suffered through that stunning loss, so will the bitterness from that loss carry over to this season?

“We have not talked about the St. Thomas game at all, we really haven’t,” coach Tim Coghlin said. “I guess when I reflect back on it, that’s where I ask myself, ‘Okay, if our depth is so good and the supporting cast around Jason Deitsch and Ryan Tew is so strong, where were those guys in that 3-2 loss?’…That’s where the questions come in for this year.”

While depth will be crucial for St. Norbert, the Knights will also have to find a way to replace Deitsch and Tew, who both graduated. Deitsch was a three-time All-American and the all-time leading scorer at St. Norbert, and Ryan Tew was also a three-time All-American and, “Arguably the best defensemen that’s ever played here,” according to Coghlin.

Coghlin said that those two men were relied on in nearly every situation imaginable over the past three years, from being two men up on the power play to down two men on the penalty kill, Deitsch and Tew were the go-to guys.

Senior captain Connor Hughes will be relied on even more, with Deitsch and Tew no longer to around to share the load.

“I think he’s been the most underrated player on our roster for the last two years,” Coghlin said. “He’s our world. He does everything for us… He seems to have a knack to score big goals when we need ’em. I mean, he’s clearly one of those guys I think that’s gonna step forward.”

Spencer Carbery may be one to step up as well. Carbery scored 11 points in conference play last season and has been named to the Preseason All-USCHO West First Team. Joining him on the All-USCHO teams are Hughes and sophomore goalie Kyle Jones, who were both named to the West Second Team.

Jones will play a huge roll on this year’s squad, because while St. Norbert was averaging 4.57 goals per game last season to lead the NCHA, they were also keeping opponents to a league-low 1.79 goals per game.

Jones took over the starting job part way through the season and posted mind-boggling numbers. He led the league with 9-0-1 conference record and five shutouts. He didn’t fair too badly against the rest of the competition and compiled a 17-1-1 overall record. His 1.15 GAA and .950 save percentage were all tops in the league.

Jones is 2-0-0 in two games played this season, allowing only two goals in 90 minutes of action, but he’s only faced 23 shots.

“When you’re a goaltender, and you’re only facing 15, 16, 17 shots a night, I think that’s a tough place to play,” Coghlin said. “I think Kyle has demonstrated that he can do that.”

The Knights will return much of that stingy defense that keeps their opponents from reaching the night, but that defense will be without their anchor, Ryan Tews.

Besides Tew, St. Norbert returns most of their experienced defensive core, including junior Andrew Derton, who is leading St. Norbert, and is tied for the Division III lead with eight points this season.

The Knights are ranked second in the preseason USCHO poll, but Coghlin is making no guarantees about the upcoming season.

“I think personally we’re a little bit overrated right now,” Coghlin said. “I look at us as yes, we have some upside, but we do have a long ways to go.”

St. Norbert will get an early indication of how they good they are as they travel to take on No. 5 St. John’s in Collegeville, Minn. on Friday, November 4.

Superior Staying With The Pack

If the seventh-ranked Wisconsin-Superior Yellowjackets hope to improve upon last year’s 9-2-3 conference record, and beat perennial power St. Norbert, they will have to find a way to replace three of their four leading scorers, and four other seniors, who as a class combined for 90 of Superior’s 155 points last season.

Michael Wiggins was second in the NCHA with 22 points and a league-leading 13 goals, seven of which were with the man advantage. Teammate Kyle Nosan was second on the squad with 18 points and Dale Lupul was fourth with 17 points and a team-high 16 assists.

“Obviously they helped us tremendously last year,” coach Dan Stauber said. “We’re gonna miss them but we have to move on… It’s hard to replace those guys but there’s always someone that steps up.”

Superior (1-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) had eight freshmen on last year’s roster, but those eight only managed 16 points between them.

“Offensively it’s going to Myles Palliser, Jay Dardis and Colin Giuguet,” Stauber said. “Derek Miller should us out quite a bit from a defensive standpoint.”

While it may be a question of who’s going to be scoring goals for the Yellowjackets, there is no question as to who will be keeping them out.

Senior Mathieu Bonnelly and junior Baron Bradley split time in conference games last season. Bonnelly posted a 5-1-1 record with a 2.12 GAA and a .921 save percentage. Bradley put up similar numbers, finishing with a 4-1-2 record with a 2.21 GAA and a .912 save percentage. But so far this season, Bradley is the only one to see time.

“Our goaltending situation is still kind of up in the air right now,” Stauber said. “Baron’s gonna play Friday night and we’ll see what happens.”

Superior travels to take on Hamline and Bethel this weekend. Look for Bethel to make the game interesting for the Yellowjackets.

As for success in the long-run, Stauber summed it up best.

“We gotta gel together we have to be a team,” Stauber said. “I think if we can get good solid goaltending and play sound defensively and wait for our offensive opportunities, I think we’ll be able to be successful.”

Life Without Larson

Like the Green Knights and Yellowjackets, No. 13 Wisconsin-River Falls Falcons will have to do without their leading scorer from 2004-2005.

River-Falls (2-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) finished 9-5-0 in the NCHA last season, thanks in large to senior Garrett Larson. Larson led the Falcons with 19 points and a team-high 10 goals.

One man who step up and fill that void is sophomore Tyler Dahl. Dahl was second on the team with 18 points and a team-high 12 assists. But most likely it will be “scoring by committee” rather than one person taking charge for River-Falls.

“I think we’ve got a couple recruits that are gonna be pretty good players as far as putting the puck in the net,” coach Steve Freeman said. “Losing (Larson) is tough, we lost 20 goals, but I think we’ve got some guys that can fill that in with 10 or 12 goals here and there.”

Freeman mentioned that his defense, who ranked third in the NCHA, giving up 2.50 goals a game, took a few hits as well. Now it will be up to five freshmen defenders to keep the pressure off of the Falcons’ goaltenders.

“I think we brought in some pretty good players,” Freeman said. “But the question is, how fast can they adjust to the pace of college hockey and especially in the NCHA when we get into the heat of the battle?”

River-Falls also got a veteran defender back in Mike Salmela. Salmela left the program two years to pursue some medical school endeavors, but has come back for his senior year, and will hopefully be able to help the young defenders adjust to the college level.

While the Falcons may have an inexperienced defensive unit, their goaltenders are anything but.

Senior Dan Meneghin had a 4-3-0 conference record and compiled a 2.42 GAA and .924 save percentage. But it was senior Andy Scanlon who was the big game goalie. Scanlon finished 5-2-0 in the NCHA with a 2.31 GAA and a .919 save percentage. River-Falls also brought in freshman A.J. Bucchino, who played for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL. Bucchino started the Falcons’ first game against Wisconsin-Eau Claire and made 34 saves in the 5-1 win.

“We believe we have a good, solid hockey club,” Freeman said. “I think with our goaltending and team defense we can make a run.”

Pointers Looking to Score

Despite having two of the top three scorers in the NCHA last season, the Wisconsin-Stevens Point Pointers could only muster a 15 points and a 7-6-1 conference record.

The Pointers (0-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) were second in team offense behind St. Norbert, scoring an average of 4.50 goals per game.

Mike Brolsma led the NCHA with 26 points and league-high 17 assists, while Ryan Kirchhoff added another 21 points on eight goals and 13 assists. But both were lost to graduation. Stevens-Point also lost its leading goal-scorer in Adam Kostichka, who lit the lamp 11 times.

Without their three leading scorers, the nagging question for the Pointers is; who will step up and pick up the offensive slack?

“I think that’s a big question mark for us right now,” coach Joe Baldarotta said. “Everybody loses scorers every year, especially if they’re older guys and it seems like those are the guys that always are very prolific. I don’t know if anybody really ever is able to replace them.”

But it’s not just the scoring punch that Stevens Point lost.

“You lose personality, you lose different styles of play, you lose leadership and you lose that production,” Baldarotta said. “I’m not sure that we’re looking to replace the guys that we lost, we’re looking to develop new ones.”

The Pointers have 12 freshmen and seven sophomores on their roster. Tom Vernelli led last year’s freshmen class with 13 points on nine goals and four assists. But the most important underclassmen on the roster are the Stevens Point goaltenders.

Last season, Bryn Davies received the majority of the time between the pipes, finishing with a 6-5-1 record in conference play, giving up an average of 4.14 goals per game with an .866 save percentage. Baldarotta is expecting another solid season from his sophomore net-minder, but expects his freshmen, Marcus Paulson in particular, to challenge for that starting spot.

“(Paulson) is really a quality goaltender and we really needed him for a couple of reasons,” Baldarotta said. “Number one, we think he’s capable of playing and winning some big games for us, but the second thing is he really pushes Bryn.

“You know the competition factor for any goaltender is important and it’s something we didn’t have last year at the end of the year,” Baldarotta continued. “No one was pressing our goaltenders and consequently, (Davies) didn’t step up the way he needed to, but now the pressure is on everybody to play.

Youth in Net

Lake Forest finished fifth in the NCHA last season with 14 points and a 7-7-0 conference record. Unlike many teams in the conference, the Foresters will have last year’s leading scorer back for their 2005-2006 campaign.

Tyler Canal led the team in goals, assists and points last season as sophomore, with seven, 13 and 20 respectively.

But Lake Forest did lose nine players to graduations, including five forwards and their only two goaltenders.

Cody Brown and Joel Cameron split time between the pipes last season. Brown had a 5-3-0 conference record, with a 2.51 GAA and a .925 save percentage. Cameron went 2-4-0 with a 3.32 GAA and a .904 save percentage.

This season, Lake Forest will rely on three freshmen netminders-Brandon Kohuch, Scott Campbell and Bobby Alderman. Kohuch picked up the win in the Foresters’ season-opener against the Milwaukee School of Engineering, allowing only one goal on 26 shots while Campbell made 28 saves the following night in the 3-2 loss.

Lake Forest (1-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) also has a number of freshmen skaters who have played well in this young season. Four out of five freshmen skaters have notched a point in the two games played, including team leaders Peter Morrison with three points and Mike Kneeland with two.

This season’s success will largely depend on the Foresters’ freshmen, and their ability to replace proven seniors.

Stout, Scholastica and Eau Claire

Three teams finished below .500 in conference play last season; Wisconsin-Stout, St. Scholastica and Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

Wisconsin-Stout returns all but two players, and two points, from last year’s team. That experience, granted it wasn’t the best kind, will certainly help the Blue Devils in their attempts to climb out of the cellar.

Junior Andrew Stearns led Stout last season with 13 points in conference play. Teammates Justin Huth and Mike Kautz followed with 11 points apiece.

In their two wins this season, the Blue Devils (2-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) have seen 14 different players notch a point. They are led by a pair of freshmen, Jeff Wheeler and Nick Klaren, who have three points each.

Stout has three goalies on the roster this season, two of which, Matt Stone and Glenn Walker saw time last season. The Blue Devils also added freshman goaltender Matt Koenig, who played for the Billings Bulls out of the AWHL last season.

St. Scholastica only had two wins last season against the rest of the NCHA, the Saints lost three from last year’s squad, but return all of their scoring. The biggest loss may be goalie Tyler Johnson, who earned both of Scholastica’s wins.

But the Saints do have at least one goaltender that saw time last season in senior Josh Liebig.

If Scholastica hopes to win more than two games this season, they will have to improve upon an offense that was last in the NCHA at a dismal 2.36 goals per game.

The Wisconsin-Eau Claire Blugolds definitely have their work cut out for them in their attempt to improve upon last season’s 1-10-3 conference record.

The Blugolds (0-1-0 overall, 0-0-0 NCHA) will be without four of their five leading scorers, but do return junior Dave Coleman, who was tied for the team lead last season with 15 points.

First-year head coach Luke Strand will have to find a way to improve upon the NCHA’s worst defense at 4.86 goals per game and find someone to step up and replace the scoring void left by the Blugolds departing seniors.

Don’t touch that dial

Friday night’s contest in Collegeville, Minn. pits second-ranked St. Norbert against fifth ranked St. John’s in a game that features the top two goalies in the west, St. Norbert’s Kyle Jones and St. John’s Adam Hanna. If St. John’s picks up the victory, look for them to climb up in the national rankings.

In what is sure to be the biggest non-conference game in the West, and possibly the country, No. 3 St. Thomas travels to De Pere, Wis. to take on second-ranked St. Norbert, in a rematch of last year’s NCAA Quarterfinal game that saw the Tommies upset the Knights 3-2, in their march to the NCAA Championship game.

On Saturday, February 4, Superior plays host to River Falls in a conference contest that could affect both teams’ standings heading into the postseason.

Looking East

By Tim Costello

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November 3, 2005

One – New Season
Two – New Coaches
Three – Ranked Teams in the USCHO Pre-season Poll
… And Away We Go!!!!

The new season is upon us as practice began officially on November 1 for the 10 teams in the ECAC East this week. But before we look ahead to the great hockey yet to come, it may help the preview to take a quick look back.

Norwich, last year’s regular season champion, couldn’t take advantage of home ice in the conference playoffs and saw their season end in the semifinals against resurgent New England College.

Babson, under first year coach Jamie Rice, hit the 20 win plateau for the first time in many years but also fell in the conference final to Tom Carroll’s Pilgrims.

New England College found the magic of great team chemistry, a hot goalie and the belief they could win and carried it all the way to the Frozen Four where they eventually lost out to the defending champions from Middlebury.

So why the recap? A long off-season and the main players haven’t changed much in the hierarchy of the league but a couple of last year’s surprise teams will continue to look to make advances while three programs seek a new start with a couple of new coaches and a renewed view of the upcoming season.

So let’s take a look at how things could shake out in the ECAC East this season. Here are the team previews for the ’05-’06 season in order of my predicted finish-nothing like getting the year off to a flying start on the old prediction scale.

1. Babson Beavers
2004-2005 Overall Record: 20-5-3
2004-2005 League Record: 13-3-3
2004-2005 League Finish: Second
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: First

Team Overview: Back for his second season at the helm for Babson, coach Jamie Rice returns a solid, if not spectacular core in all three key areas. Led by senior defenseman and captain Tom Sullivan, the Beavers have a strong offense centered around Johnny Kim and can keep things tight with last year’s conference Goaltender of the Year Craig Weiner. The rest of the supporting cast is strong and experienced and will look to take the next step and win the conference championship after falling just one game short each of the past two seasons.

2. Norwich Cadets
2004-2005 Overall Record: 18-5-3
2004-2005 League Record: 15-2-2
2004-2005 League Finish: First
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Second

Team Overview: How do you replace the leading goal scorer in school history and the College Player of the Year in Kurtis McLean who graduated last spring? You don’t do it with one guy. “We’ve got some good numbers, good depth and talent,” stated head coach Mike McShane. “This may be the best depth we’ve had here and we could have four lines that are threats to score some goals not just two.” The Cadets will also look to senior defenseman Brian Mullally to rebound from an off year and senior goaltender Mike Boudreau to backstop an improved defensive corp. Early feedback on the freshmen has been good so look for the opener of the Primelink tournament against Middlebury to be a barometer for the young Cadets.

3. New England College Pilgrims
2004-2005 Overall Record: 18-12-0
2004-2005 League Record: 11-8-0
2004-2005 League Finish: Fourth
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Third

Team Overview: Winning the league and placing third in the national championship tournament has the Pilgrims looking for more this season. “We’re very proud of what we accomplished last season,” commented head coach Tom Carroll. “We want to take the next step and the kids understand what it takes to earn a chance to play in those games at the end of the season.” Two key performers from last year’s terrific run include sophomore center Mike Carmody and goaltender Scott Gray, who finished last year with a 15-5-0 record. “Both guys are driven to be better,” noted Carroll. “They’ve focused on getting better and understand they are going to get some attention this year based on the results from last season.” The Pilgrims always open with a tough schedule and this year is no different with Colby and Bowdoin starting things off later this month. Look for a better first half that should keep NEC right in the chase.

4. Southern Maine Huskies
2004-2005 Overall Record: 15-10-2
2004-2005 League Record: 11-7-1
2004-2005 League Finish: Third
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Fourth

Team Overview: Last year’s surprise team, the Huskies finished strong including a win over cross-state rival Bowdoin to grab the third seed in the conference playoffs. Gone is defenseman Jon Lounsbury, whose leadership on and off the ice will be missed, but head coach Jeff Beaney is excited about what he has coming back. “We have four lines up front, three solid defensemen and three good returning goalies. We’ll probably have nine freshman on the roster and expect a couple to step up on the blue line,” noted Beaney. David Beckles and Ryan Sullivan should push each other for the starting job in goal and if they can duplicate last year’s consistent play, the Huskies may have a few more surprises in store for the rest of the league this season.

5. St. Anselm Hawks
2004-2005 Overall Record: 18-10-1
2004-2005 League Record: 10-8-1
2004-2005 League Finish: Fifth
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Fifth

Team Overview: The Hawks continue to face the dilemma of being a D-II team in a D-III league. While they are the reigning NE-10 champions (end of year tournament for D-II schools), their focus is to win the ECAC East. Coach Ed Seney’s team returns a veteran group up front led by leading scorer Josh Hechter and a pair of defensive standouts in Brian Dobler and Brett Smith. Expect Smith and Dobler to see lots of ice time as the Hawks look to find a replacement for departed goaltender Jim Merola, who played virtually every game for St. A’s over the past couple of seasons. This is a team with something to prove so motivation isn’t an issue. Look for St. Anselm’s to build on last year’s success if they can survive a brutal stretch in January against the NESCAC schools.

6. Salem State Vikings
2004-2005 Overall Record: 11-12-3
2004-2005 League Record: 6-10-3
2004-2005 League Finish: Sixth
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Sixth

Team Overview: Bill O’Neill’s squad may be the most experienced in the league with over 10 seniors in the lineup. Scoring shouldn’t be a problem for the Vikings, who return virtually all of their offensive weapons from last season including Andrew O’Neill, Drew Madeiros, Sean Ferguson and Jim Cashins. Defense and goaltending will be the key for the Vikings if they want to challenge for the upper half of the conference. Junior goaltender Kevin Adam, who played the majority of the team’s games last season, will be play a key role in consistently shutting down the opponent’s offense. Three games in five nights to open the season against Norwich, St. Michael’s and Southern Maine should speak volumes about this team’s potential this season.

7. St. Michael’s Purple Knights
2004-2005 Overall Record: 8-16-2
2004-2005 League Record: 3-14-2
2004-2005 League Finish: Seventh
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Sixth

Team Overview: Just how popular is hockey in Winooski, Vermont? How about 74 kids on the ice for tryouts this week for excitement? Assistant coach Chris Davidson thinks there are a lot of positives for the team this season. “We have a solid core group as we only lost 4 o5 players from last year,” said Davidson. “There is great senior leadership, strong team chemistry and maybe the best freshman class we have had here in quite awhile. Our two captains have been outstanding in getting everyone on the same page and really lead by example.” Defenseman Jonathan Perez and forward Alex Watts will need to keep this team focused as the blue line corps and goaltenders establish themselves early in the season.

8. Skidmore Thoroughbreds
2004-2005 Overall Record: 6-19-1
2004-2005 League Record: 5-13-1
2004-2005 League Finish: Sixth
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Eighth

Team Overview: How much can one program go through and survive? Apparently a lot as evidenced by the Skidmore program which has survived a threatened cancellation of the program by the school two seasons ago and a pre-season hazing incident last year that didn’t help the Thoroughbreds get out of the gate very well. This year, the school has a new AD and a new coach who is very familiar to the ECAC East and NESCAC schools. Neil Sinclair takes over the helm from Paul Dion who retired over the summer. “Coach Dion really set things up well before he left,” noted Sinclair. “We have 14 freshman out for the team this week… a really good group of dedicated guys back. I have been impressed with the commitment and work ethic exhibited so far and we will need that to compete against the teams in this league.” Leading scorer Rob Hutchinson is back, as are the goaltending tandem of Ted Levine and assistant captain Mike Mansfield. Look for the Thoroughbreds to open things up on the big ice at home as they convert to an up-tempo style.

9. UMass-Boston Beacons
2004-2005 Overall Record: 4-19-1
2004-2005 League Record: 2-16-1
2004-2005 League Finish: Ninth
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Ninth

Team Overview: Head coach Mike Bertoni has instilled a new attitude to go with a re-vamped roster for the upcoming season and is lining up a new era for the Beacons. “We will be very young this year, mostly freshman and sophomores,” stated Bertoni. “We are very optimistic but know this is a tough league. I have been impressed by the work ethic and discipline and we will do a little team building during a retreat this weekend to one of the Boston Harbor islands for Project Adventure.” Leadership will be provided by a core group of sophomores including forward Dave Baczkowski and defensemen Andrew Ward and Tim Recio. If attitude counts-and it does most nights-the Beacons will certainly be more competitive and may surprise teams looking past them.

10. Castleton State Spartans
2004-2005 Overall Record: 0-19-0
2004-2005 League Record: 0-25-0
2004-2005 League Finish: Tenth
2005-2006 USCHO Prediction: Tenth

Team Overview: For new head coach Alex Todd, his first job at the top of his own program is a captivating place to be. “This is really exciting,” stated the newcomer from the ECAC West. “We really do not have any expectations or any fear of our record as we try and build this program form the ground floor. I have seen a lot of hard work in our new weight room and now we will see how those big biceps translate to ability and impact on the ice in our new arena. The kids really have taken to our new facilities and now we want to build on that energy and enthusiasm and improve every time we step on the ice.” After a winless inaugural campaign in 2004-05, the Spartans have no place to go but up. Expect a more competitive squad, fewer goals against and another first this season-some wins.

Cornell’s Schafer Suspended One Game

USCHO Staff Report

-

November 3, 2005

Cornell head coach Mike Schafer has been suspended for one game for conduct occurring after last Saturday’s game between the Big Red and Michigan State, ECACHL commissioner Steve Hagwell announced Thursday.

The incident in question took place after the Spartans’ 4-3 win, as the Michigan State players remained on the ice to celebrate. Several objects were tossed down onto the ice from the stands at Lynah Rink, after which Schafer came onto the ice and eventually made contact with MSU player Corey Potter.

Cornell director of athletics Andy Noel issued the following statement: “The Cornell Department of Athletics and Physical Education respects the authority of the ECACHL. Coach Schafer tried to calm a situation before it escalated. He regrets grabbing the jersey of an opposing player in an attempt to guide the team safely off the ice.

“We addressed this matter internally, and with this suspension consider the matter closed. Mike is a tremendous teacher of young men and a great role model in our community. We continue to offer Mike and his program our unwavering support.”

Schafer will serve his suspension Friday, Nov. 4, when the Big Red travels to Yale.

Head West Young Men

By Russell Jaslow

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November 3, 2005

I suppose it’s fitting that the two westernmost teams in the east decided to go further west for a pair of games against two Wisconsin schools. Fredonia and Buffalo State took a long bus trip to St. Norbert and Marian. Each came away with a split, some fond memories and a chance to get to know their teammates better.

“It was a great team building experience,” said Buffalo State coach Nick Carriere. “A 12-hour bus ride is a long time together.”

Fredonia’s coach Jeff Meredith agrees. “We spent a lot of time together in the bus, motel, and meals,” he said. “I think it was good for us.”

However, his original goals were a bit different. Meredith left no doubt about what he wanted before heading to the cheese state.

“At this point where our team is, playing close to anyone is not going to satisfy us,” he said. “We want to win those games. I don’t want a moral victory.”

After the weekend was over, he acknowledged there was indeed a lot to gain from the trip.

“I think it was good for us from a standpoint of playing a team like St. Norbert, to play a team that’s well rounded,” he said. “For us, it was a positive because we know more about where we are right now. Friday night in St. Norbert gave us a lot of answers.”

Buffalo State took advantage of their time out there with a team-building activity by visiting Lambeau Field and taking a tour of the stadium. That was after the Marian game which they won, 6-4. St. Norbert, on the other hand, was a different matter.

“They’re a great hockey team,” Carriere said about St. Norbert. “They’re the number two team in the country. Coach [Tim] Coghlin does a great job there. I think we could have put together a better effort, but they are a big, strong team. They’re a good hockey team, and should do very well this season.”

For Fredonia, they had to face St. Norbert first, and lost 6-2. The Marian game was a short turnaround being a Saturday afternoon match.

“Playing 19 hours later, it was good for us to put the game away early,” Meredith said of his team’s 8-1 victory which was a good thing considering the size of the rink. “They play on the biggest sheet of ice I’ve ever seen. I never saw anything so wide except on a lake.”

Both coaches felt the long weekend was worth it in the long run.

“Without a doubt,” Carriere said. “Whenever you go on the road and play a ranked team and then deal with the adversity of a long trip as a team, it helps you get closer as a team.”

As for the effects of the trip this weekend, neither coach was worried.

“We’ve been working hard since day one,” Carriere said. “If anything, we feel rested and ready to go.”

“Not at all,” Meredith said on the possibility of being tired. “We got home at 4 a.m. It wasn’t that much later than after a prime time game at Plattsburgh.”

Buffalo State travels to Oswego for their first conference game of the season, and potentially their last in the Romney Field House.

“From Fredonia when I was an assistant, we’ve never won a single game there,” Carriere said. “I’d like to go out on a high note.”

Meanwhile, Fredonia faces Cortland first before traveling to Oswego.

“They play tough in their rink,” Meredith said about Cortland.

But talking about a tough rink, for their possible last trip to Romney, Meredith said, “I like going there. It’s loud. The people are so close to you. It’s easy for visiting teams to get up for a game as long as you don’t get intimidated.”

One Minus One Equals Two

It’s called hockey math. Here’s how it works.

The SUNYAC Challenge has always consisted of Fredonia, Buffalo State, Cortland, and Potsdam. This year, Potsdam opted out of the season-opening tournament (Brockport took its place).

Potsdam then went on to create its own tournament, calling it the Bears Faceoff Tournament, and this year invited Geneseo, Utica, and Queen’s College. Thus, from one team withdrawing from one tournament, you ended up with two, and between those, six of the eight SUNYAC teams participated.

Fredonia won the SUNYAC Challenge for the second year in a row. This time, they did not have to depend on a convoluted scoring system that’s used because the match ups are pre-determined. The Blue Devils were the only team to win both their games. They defeated Cortland, 3-2, on goals by Kyle Bozoian, Scott Bradley, and Colin Sarfeh which opened up a 3-0 lead. They hung on after the Red Dragons got a pair of goals by Matt Schillace. Simon Maignon made 22 saves for the win while Matt Meacham took the loss despite 39 saves.

The second game was a bit easier as Fredonia shutout Brockport, 3-0. Tom Briggs, Steve Albert, and Wil Barlow scored. Rick Cazares got the shutout with 29 saves.

Up in Potsdam, the two SUNYAC teams squared off in the first game, and played to a 4-4 tie. Ryan McCarthy gave the Bears the lead before Geneseo scored the next three goals (Kris Heeres, Mathieu Cyr, and Mark Merl). John Rorison got one back for Potsdam before Nick Onody gave the Ice Knights the two goal lead once again. Potsdam came back to tie it up on two late third period goals by Warren Sly and Ben King. After overtime, they needed to determine who would advance, so they went to penalty shots. Potsdam won it 2-0 after just four rounds.

The Bears didn’t fare well in the championship game, losing to Utica, 5-2. Chris Brussa-Toi cut a Utica lead to 2-1 and then Greg Lee cut the lead down to 3-2. But, that’s as close as the Bears would get all evening. Geneseo had a disappointing consolation outing, losing to Queen’s, 7-4, despite grabbing a 2-0 first period lead on two goals by Dan Schofield, one on a power play goal and one shorthanded. Cyr gave Geneseo a 3-1 lead before they gave up six unanswered goals.

Kicking Off Conference Play, Again

Potsdam and Plattsburgh kicked off league play once again this year, this time at the Stafford Arena. Plattsburgh had a relatively easy time of it in a 7-3 win. Potsdam did cut the lead down to 5-3 late in the game, but an empty netter and then a quick regular goal afterwards sealed the game. Brussa-Toi got a pair of goals for Potsdam while Dave Friel scored two for the Cardinals. Craig Neilson made 22 saves for the win.

League play is in full tilt this weekend. Fredonia and Buffalo State travel to Cortland and Oswego while the North Country teams make the jaunt to the Rochester area teams, Brockport and Geneseo.

SUNYAC Short Shots

In the Geneseo-Potsdam 4-4 tie, seven of the eight goals were on the power play … Geneseo scored two goals in nine seconds against Potsdam … Oswego did that one better by scoring two goals in eight seconds against Carleton … Oswego went four for eight on the power play in their 11-4 rout over Carleton … Oswego’s Ryan Ellis scored two goals and three assists in that Carleton game … The second day of the Bears Faceoff Tournament went very quickly — both games took just one hour and fifty minutes each to complete … Games out west can go quickly as well-the Fredonia at St. Norbert contest lasted just 1:58 … Geneseo let up just one shot on goal in the third period en route to a 9-2 victory over Lebanon Valley … Seans ruled the day for Buffalo State in their 6-4 win over Marian as Sean Burke scored a hat trick and Sean O’Connell netted two goals … Neal Sheehan got a hat trick for Fredonia also against Marian … Oswego’s winning goal in their 5-3 victory over Elmira came with one second left in the second period.

Game of the Week

Fans do it all the time. As soon as the year is finished, they look at next year’s schedule and immediately circle the date that has the rematch of the previous season’schampionship final. For SUNYAC fans, that comes up quickly — the first weekend of conference play.

Eight months to the day after Geneseo won the SUNYAC championship, Plattsburgh and Geneseo go at it again Saturday night. And once again, it’s in the Ira S. Wilson Ice Arena.

However, Geneseo’s coach Jason Lammers has a game the night before to worry about. “We’re playing for Friday,” he said. “That’s our focus.”

That may be true, but let’s face it, the game on Saturday is the one everyone is looking forward to.

Both teams have new players, and Geneseo has a new coach, but to the fans, it’s all the same. Fliers are up and announcements are being made around campus. Geneseo’s support of their team grew throughout last year into an all out frenzy.

Asked to describe the mood around the campus for Saturday’s game, Lammers needed just one word: “Excitement.”

Life Is Good

You regular readers know my love affair with the hot soft pretzel. So, what better way to start off the new year than with a hot soft pretzel story.

This past Saturday, I was forced to miss two college hockey games (Manhattanville at Brockport and St. Lawrence at RIT) because I had to attend a Bat Mitzvah. At the party, I couldn’t believe my eyes. They had hot soft pretzels!

My wife duly pointed out that the pretzels were on the children’s hors d’oeuvre table. Yeah, like that’s going to stop me. I quickly shuffled over to the kid’s appetizers, snatched a pretzel, and slinked back to my table.

And a delicious pretzel it was! Just the way they are supposed to be-soft, chewy, with just the right amount of salt. They weren’t that hot, but they were sitting out for a little while, so I’ll give them a break.

It was the best Bar/Bat Mitzvah I ever attended. If you are going to miss two college hockey games for any reason, it better be worth it. The hot soft pretzel definitely made it worth it.

That, and the free Labatt Blue.

Youthful Exuberance

By Scott Biggar

-

November 3, 2005

Several teams around the ECAC West are flooded with new players this season. As seen in my season preview last week, the coaches are cautiously optimistic about the season but realize that getting the freshmen up to speed may take a while.

If the start that Elmira and Utica have gotten off to is any indication, the freshmen appear ready to go right now.

Both teams have enjoyed early season success against SUNYAC teams.
Utica won the Bears Faceoff Tournament in Potsdam opening weekend and then split with Oswego last week.

“I think the jury is still out a bit,” said Utica coach Gary Heenan.
“We are young, and special teams come into play quite a bit right now.
Our power play has clicked a couple of nights. When our special teams have been on, it seems like we have been successful. That is what we are working on a lot in practice.”

Elmira has also earned a split with Oswego after defeating rival Plattsburgh the previous week.

“I told the guys yesterday at practice that if you looked at our lineup from last year, that we were graduating 60 percent of our offense, that we were opening up with Plattsburgh, Oswego, Oswego and then go 2-1, we would have taken that,” said Elmira coach Tim Ceglarski.

“But looking back at how things have gone, we are pretty unhappy that we are not 3-0 right now. That is not in a selfish way, but the new blood from our freshmen, and a renewed commitment from our returning guys, has made the beginning of this season exciting.”

Newcomers have been key to the success that both teams have enjoyed.
For Elmira, freshmen Nicolas Dumoulin and Tyler Cann have tallied four of the Soaring Eagles eight power play goals and both game winning goals. What is even more remarkable is that both Dumoulin and Cann are defensemen.

“We knew when we recruited them that not only would they be able to come in and play sound defense but that they would also have the ability to contribute to our team offensively,” said Ceglarski. “They are definitely not playing like freshmen.”

Also lighting up the lamp for Elmira is junior transfer Justin Joy, who was originally recruited by coach Ceglarski but decided to try Plattsburgh first.

“Justin has been a great addition to the team,” said Ceglarski. “He showed up in great shape with a great attitude. He is one of our hardest working players both in practice and in the games. We recruited him before he went to Plattsburgh, and now he is something that we thought we knew what we were getting. We are happy to get him now.”

Remarkably, several defensemen are also near the top of the scoring list for Utica. Two freshmen defenders that have stood out so far are Josh Merson (2g-1a-3p) and Tiger Marcotte (1g-1a-2p).

“It’s not surprising to us,” said Heenan. “Merson and Marcotte were brought in to be offensive, to score, and to produce for us. It is great to see, but it is an expectation of ours. Having some production from the D end is going to be new for Utica hockey.”

With youthful teams, sometimes the losses can be as important as the wins though. Coaches use losses as learning opportunities and it is better to teach those lessons early in the season rather than down the stretch in February.

“As a coach, I didn’t think we would be that successful on opening weekend,” said Heenan. “I thought we would take some lumps. To win [the Potsdam tournament] gave us some confidence.”

“But we learned a lot by getting beat by Oswego. As a team, Oswego is a good team, and this is why they beat us. You can watch film, and learn the mistakes that a good team makes you do. It is ok to lose early because it can make you better in the end.”

Through Another’s Eyes

This past Saturday, I was asked to help out on the Manhattanville internet game broadcast by Valiant SID and play-by-play man Michael LePlaca. When I cover games for USCHO and write a recap, I try to remain neutral while also trying to feel the emotion of the game from both sides.

While doing a broadcast that is sponsored by a school, you have to tailor the conversation towards that team. I try not to be a complete homer, but it is important to talk about the play going on and the people involved from that team’s perspective.

One of the things I find interesting in doing broadcasts for different schools is seeing things from their perspective. You never truly get to know a team until you are forced to look through their rose-colored glasses. I have done broadcasts as a color guy for Utica, RIT, and now Manhattanville, and each was an eye opening experience.

The thing that surprised me the most on Saturday was just how offensively minded goaltender Andrew Gallant is. He won both games against Brockport this weekend, and appears to be the default starter for the Valiants at least for now.

Gallant has an amazing skill with the puck for a goaltender, and is constantly looking to play the puck up ice with the long bomb pass. Watching his style, some would say he is almost “Ricky DiPietro-esque”, who is known throughout college hockey and the NHL for his ability in playing the puck.

“Have you ever seen a goalie handle the puck like that?” said Manhattanville coach Keith Levinthal. “He is our best defenseman on the ice. I am on the rules committee and have been fighting like hell not to go the new NHL rules for goalies.”

Levinthal should keep making that argument, because having Gallant play the puck certainly gives his team a quick outlet up ice and makes a sloppy line change by the Valiants’ opponents a dangerous proposition.

Emotion In A Game

Reports from various sources have been circulating about the Oswego versus Elmira game at the Thunderdomes this past Saturday. It seems like there is plenty of controversy regarding several incidents that occurred mainly during the second period. A pair of major penalties assessed against Elmira, a ten minute misconduct on goaltender Greg
Fargo for letting his emotions get the better of him, and a goal by Oswego at the end of the second period that might have gone in after the buzzer sounded all contributed to an emotionally charged game, and post game.

Immediately after the game, Elmira coach Tim Ceglarski is quoted in the
Elmira Star-Gazette as saying “We were facing two opponents tonight,” showing frustration at the eleven straight penalties called against his Soaring Eagles in the second period.

However, after a couple of days to reflect on the events that occurred, he put things a little more politically correct when we talked on Tuesday.

“We started off playing well in the first period. But there was a time in the second period where we weren’t focused, didn’t play well, and were undisciplined and it came back to bite us. Oswego is a good team and very well coached. Some of the calls didn’t go our way, but then again, when Plattsburgh was here [on October 21st] they had a goal called back that was clearly a goal. What goes around, comes around. ”

“We just have to put that behind us, learn from it, and get ready to play this next stretch of league contests,” continued Ceglarski. “The second period seemed to snowball against us. The final straw was the goal that was allowed after the second period that was clearly after the whistle. But I’m not going to blame anyone but ourselves. We were undisciplined at times, and it is something that we need to correct as a young team.”

Upcoming Weekend

Coach Ceglarski is right. Elmira doesn’t have time to dwell on whether it was jobbed by the referee or if their young team had a meltdown that cost them the game.

Elmira and Hobart each have tough road trips this weekend as league play kicks off. Elmira hits the ice on Friday to take on favored Manhattanville at Playland Ice Casino that is never friendly to visiting teams.

After the game, the team bus will head up to Albany for an overnight in a hotel before heading on to the Utica Aud for a Saturday game against the Pioneers.

“For us, travel-wise, it is the most difficult weekend of the year,” said Ceglarski. “Manhattanville is offensive minded now, and Utica has been off to a good start as well.”

Hobart has the opposite travel schedule of Elmira, playing at Utica on Friday and taking on the Valiants on Saturday.

With the four teams expected to finish in first through fourth playing each other, this weekend could go a long way in setting an early tone to the season.

USCHO Women’s Game of the Week:
Princeton at Harvard

By Brian Schulz

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November 3, 2005

Last season, the Harvard Crimson rode a 21-game unbeaten streak to its third consecutive NCAA Finals appearance. The Princeton Tigers were one of the reasons the streak didn’t include 21 victories, logging a 1-1 tie with the ECACHL Champions at Bright Hockey Center in late January. Many of the principals from that contest are no longer around to partake in this weekend’s sequel. However, this longtime Ivy rivalry goes well beyond graduated seniors and departed national teamers, and a win for either side could be an important springboard in the first weekend of ECACHL conference play.

Game Time: Sat. 4 p.m. ET (Broadcast Links)

No. 7 Harvard (1-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 ECACHL)

Top Scorers: Sarah Wilson, Fr. (2-0-2), Katie Johnston, Jr. , F (1-1-2), Laura Brady, So., F (1-1-2), Kristen Kester, Fr., F (1-1-2)
Top Goaltender: Ali Boe, Sr. (1-0-0, 0.00, 1.000)
Scoring Offense: 7.00 (1st)
Scoring Defense: 0.00 (1st)
Penalty Minutes: 14.0 (18th)
Power Play: 2 of 7, 28.6% (2nd)
Penalty Kill: 6 of 6, 100.0% (1st)

The collection of All-Conference, All-American, and All-World performers that Harvard has already had to replace is impressive. So for her next trick, all Coach Katey Stone has to do is compensate for the departure of record-setting sniper Nicole Corriero, all-league defenseman Ashley Banfield, and national teamers Julie Chu, Caitlin Cahow, and Sarah Vaillancourt. But in a season that has already shown flashes of unprecedented parity, maybe the operative question for the Crimson is simply “why not?” After all, the roster includes 12 players who have known nothing but ECACHL and NCAA championship games, and had the NCAA Tournament included eight teams back in 2002, a similarly-depleted Harvard squad would still have been on the bubble to be the last team in the field.

The new Harvard formula will have to start with solid goaltending from senior Ali Boe, who significantly raised her level of play during the team’s second-half surge a year ago and set the school career shutout record this past Saturday. Boe figures to be tested quite a bit this year especially early on because of a very young defense in front of her that includes three rookies and two sophomores. Up front, Harvard no longer has the single go-to player or line to rely on game after game so Stone is probably hoping for more days like the season-opener against Robert Morris when nine different forwards figured in the scoring. Special teams, always a hallmark of Harvard’s success, will be more critical than ever to a Crimson team that has not carried a power play below 21% since 1998 and actually led the nation during the last Olympic year.

Princeton (1-0-1 overall, 0-0-0 ECACHL)

Top Scorers: Kim Pearce, Jr., F (2-1-3), Kate Hession, Jr., D (1-1-2), Dina McCumber, Jr., D (0-2-2)
Top Goaltender: Roxanne Gaudiel, Sr. (1-0-1, 1.39, .943)
Scoring Offense: 2.00 (T-20th)
Scoring Defense: 1.50 (7th)
Penalty Minutes: 12.0 (23rd)
Power Play: 0 of 7, 0.0% (32nd)
Penalty Kill: 9 of 12, 75.0% (29th)

Princeton’s situation is fairly similar to that of Harvard excepting a little more seasoning on the blueline and a little less playoff experience. Coach Jeff Kampersal begins his 10th season with no questions as to who his No. 1 goaltender will be after Roxanne Gaudiel notched the second highest single-season goals-against average and save percentage in the history of the program in 2004-05. Junior Dina McCumber, the leading returning scorer among ECACHL defensemen, anchors a blueline group that also includes senior Chrissie Norwich and junior Kate Hession, who notched the first goal of her career in the season-opening tie against Boston College.

Offensive output remains the big question mark for the Tiger program. Princeton’s goal total dropped by 23 from 2004 and 2005, not far off the 30 goals that graduated along with Gretchen Anderson. On the eve of the season, Old Nassau also lost Liz Keady to the U.S. National Team; Keady had a hand in 33 percent of the team’s goals last season. Leading scorer Kim Pearce is back, though, after turning a 10-goal rookie season into a team-best 15-15-30 as a sophomore. After Pearce, Kampersal will look next to what he has called his most versatile performer in junior Laura Watt, who returns to center after skating some games on defense a year ago. The rest of the early-season top six includes seniors Heather Jackson (53 points the last two seasons) and Sarah Butsch, sophomore Brittany Salmon (voted the team’s Rookie of the Year in 2004-05), and freshman Annie Greenwood.

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Clash of the Titans, Part I

Weekly Awards

Welcome Back, Buetow

Rebounding Falcons

Veteran’s Day at West Point

Alumni in Cleveland

Upset Hounds

Expecting the Unexpected?

Oh Puh-leese

Debut Reviews

Maine Attractions

Net Increase

Two Is A Magic Number

National League Prospects

Trivia Contest

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

An Object Lesson in Five Minutes

It’s a Rather Short Bench

It Couldn’t Last

Schedule Confirms Tigers Breathe Sigh of Relief

And Dragon Slayers of a Different Sort

Blueliner of the Week

Next Week

One Minus One Equals Two

Kicking Off Conference Play, Again

SUNYAC Short Shots

Game of the Week

Life Is Good

Blame, Burden Or Opportunity

Weekly Awards

Get Out Your Brooms

Sweep Part II: The ‘Hurst

Sweep Part III: The Jason Smith Show

Through Another’s Eyes

Emotion In A Game

Upcoming Weekend

Target: Unmistaken Identity

Trivial Matters

6-for-6

Staying Put

Don’t Blame It On The Youth

No Power

Desperation Time

In Other Words

Final Word

No. 7 Harvard (1-0-0 overall, 0-0-0 ECACHL)

Princeton (1-0-1 overall, 0-0-0 ECACHL)

A Grand Event

Schafer to Sit Following Post-Loss ‘Incident’

But There is a Small Silver Lining

Commissioner’s Cup Update

ECACHL Honor Roll

From a Player’s Point of View

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