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UMN Tops Women’s Poll

USCHO Staff Report
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After a thrilling weekend between top teams, Minnesota emerged with two wins and first-place in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Women’s Poll. With a 5-3 victory over No. 6 Brown and a 4-3 win over No. 2 Harvard, Minnesota ascended into the top spot. The Gophers earned 14 of 15 first-place votes.

Harvard delivered an impressive 2-1 win over previously undefeated Minnesota-Duluth on Saturday before falling to the Gophers the next day. The Crimson received the other first-place vote, and finished at No. 2 in the nation.

The only team to finish at No. 1 previously this season, Minnesota-Duluth, dropped two spots to No. 3 following the 2-1 loss with Harvard and a 1-1 tie with Brown. The Bulldogs out-shot both opponents for the weekend.

Despite the loss and tie this weekend, Brown moved up one spot to No. 6. The team is now 2-3-1 for the season, having played five of its six games with teams receiving votes in this week’s poll.

Minnesota will celebrate its new first-place ranking with a trip to St. Lawrence to take on the No. 5 Saints for two games. Also on tap is a Hockey East-ECAC showdown between No. 9 Providence and No. 4 Dartmouth on Saturday.

The USCHO.com Poll is compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, and consists of 15 voters, including 11 coaches of Division I programs and four women’s hockey writers.

Eagles Flying High In Poll

USCHO Staff Report
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After being voted first in the nation last week, Boston College made a statement that it deserved the ranking, remaining undefeated with a convincing 6-1 victory over No. 14 Providence last Tuesday, and a taut 3-2 win over cross-town rival Boston University on Friday. The Eagles captured 37 of 40 first-place votes and 596 points total to finish in first in this week’s USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.

Things don’t get easier for BC, however, as the nation’s No. 2 team and the only other team to get first-place votes, New Hampshire, invades Conte Forum for a Tuesday evening game. It is the first time this season that there has been a Number 1 vs. Number 2 meeting. New Hampshire is coming off a 3-0 win over Providence. After visiting the No. 1 Eagles on Tuesday, the Wildcats hit the road again, traveling to Orono to visit No. 7 Maine.

Maine had a big weekend, trouncing pesky Northeastern 8-2 on Friday before thumping No. 11 Boston University 7-3 the next night. Freshman phenom Jimmy Howard, in goal for the Black Bears, improved to 6-1-0 overall, with an impressive 1.39 goals against average and a 0.943 save percentage.

Outside of Hockey East, the big news was the weekend match-up between defending national-title winner and current No. 9 Minnesota and head coach Don Lucia’s former team, No. 6 Colorado College. The Tigers took a commanding win, 7-3, on Friday before settling for a 2-2 tie on Saturday for the three-point weekend. CC improved to 9-1-2 on the season and climbed two spots from last week.

Two teams reappear in this week’s ranking.

At No. 13 is Ohio State, now at 8-2-1 with a two-game sweep of CCHA powerhouse Michigan State. The Buckeyes were last in the poll at No. 15 on October 7th, before a 7-2 loss to Minnesota in the Hall of Fame Game knocked them into the “receiving votes” category.

Harvard also shows up in the poll again this week at No. 15. Harvard won two ECAC road games in the North Country, winning big with a 6-1 decision over St. Lawrence and squeaking past a troubled Clarkson squad 2-1. On October 28th the Crimson were also No. 15, before they had played any games on the season.

Key games coming up, besides the 1-2 BC-New Hampshire and 2-7 New Hampshire-Maine games already mentioned, include a CCHA battle between No. 13 Ohio State and No. 12 Ferris State and ECAC showdown between No. 8 Cornell and No. 15 Harvard.

The USCHO.com Poll is compiled by U.S. College Hockey Online, and consists of 40 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 12 beat writers from across the country. The poll is published weekly by the Associated Press.

A Sioux Perspective

By Patrick C. Miller
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Amid the controversy surrounding the University of North Dakota’s use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, there’s one person whose perspective on the issue is truly unique.

Marc Ranfranz, a junior goalie on UND’s roster, is one-eighth Sioux. His father, Tom Ranfranz, is president of the Flandreau-Santee Sioux tribe in South Dakota.

For the past 30 years, some Native American organizations and activist groups have demanded that UND change what they consider a racist nickname that exploits and unfairly stereotypes Native Americans. Noting that he speaks for himself only, Ranfranz says that he doesn’t share that point of view.

“I hope, for myself, that they don’t change it. I honor it. I enjoy it. I think it’s a great nickname and logo. It makes me feel proud when I come into the rink and see the Sioux logo all over.”

Ranfranz was born in Rochester, Minn., where he attended Rochester Mayo High School. He played goalie on teams that did well in the state tournament during his sophomore and senior years. After he graduated, his parents moved to Flandreau, S.D., where his father became tribal president.

North Dakota goalie Marc Ranfranz embraces his Sioux heritage, and says the team's logo honors Native Americans.

North Dakota goalie Marc Ranfranz embraces his Sioux heritage, and says the team’s logo honors Native Americans.

Following high school, Ranfranz played for the Rochester Mustangs of the United States Hockey League and then the Billings Bulls of the American West Hockey League. In the junior leagues, he developed a reputation as a solid goaltender known for good sportsmanship and playing to the crowd.

“I had quite an experience at the national tournament. I got the wave going while I was out on the ice,” he says with a smile. “I just like to have fun when I’m out there. It takes some of the pressure off.”

Before the start of the 2001-2002 season, UND coach Dean Blais offered Ranfranz the opportunity to try out as a walk-on for the Sioux hockey team. He accepted the offer.

“I knew before I came in here that there was a logo issue that’s been going on a long time,” he says. “It wasn’t a major issue at all. UND was the place that was giving me the opportunity to get my education and to play hockey, and that was the only reason that I came here.”

Ranfranz was cut just prior to the start of last season, but it only made him more determined to make the team this season.

“I knew right then that I’d be back here again next year. I had no doubt in my mind,” he says. “I spent the whole summer here. I worked out in front of the coach. I was working with the kids at the UND camp. I was on time for everything and putting my time in. If he [Blais] gives me an opportunity, I’m going to get in there, I’m going to perform and I’m going to play well.”

Assistant coach Dave Hakstol says Ranfranz’s work ethic and attitude are the primary reasons he’s the only walk-on to make the team this season.

“He works hard every day. He’s one of the players who’s out there early, stays out and takes extra shots after practice. His hard work makes the team better,” Hakstol says.

While Ranfranz patiently waits for a chance to prove himself, the Sioux name issue continues to be in the news. He follows the issue, listens to the arguments — both pro and con — and forms his own opinions.

Of Ralph Engelstad, the former Sioux goalie and UND alumnus who donated $100 million to build the new Engelstad Arena, he says, “Ralph Engelstad has done nothing but promote hockey and sports at the University of North Dakota. I think it’s a great treat for our hockey team to be able to play in an arena like this. I enjoy every aspect of it.

“The stuff said about him being a Nazi was all blown out of proportion,” Ranfranz says. “For as long as I’ve known him, I have nothing but respect for him. He’s donated so much of his time and money that I think he’s a man who should be respected.”

He doesn’t accept the idea that when fans of opposing teams abuse the Sioux name, it’s intended as an offense to Native Americans.

“I take it as an offense toward our team,” he says. “Some people just read too much into it. They’re saying it at a game. They’re saying it about the team, not about the Sioux people. It goes along with the rivalries of each school.”

Ranfranz also doesn’t believe the logo creates a negative image or outdated stereotype of Native Americans.

“There are stereotypes of just about anything,” he says. “If you’re going to stress out about stereotypes of your background, it’s a lot of wasted time. You can’t control what other people are going to say.”

Being a member of the Sioux hockey team hasn’t caused any problems with his friends or relatives.

“My family and friends are the ones who support me the most,” he says. “My dad’s been to games up here. My aunts and uncles call me constantly, e-mail me and ask me how things are going. They want to see me play. They want to come up and see the arena.”

Ranfranz continues to show up for practice every day, working hard and hoping the time comes when he can play in a game while wearing a Sioux jersey.

“I see a little of myself in the logo, I guess,” he explains. “When you get a chance to put on a jersey with the Sioux logo on front and your name on back, it’s an honor.”

Potsdam’s Thomaris Arrested on DWI Charges

USCHO Staff Report
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[nl]St. Lawrence County, N.Y., sheriff’s deputies arrested Potsdam coach Glenn Thomaris on Thursday on charges of driving while intoxicated and failure to keep right, according to the Associated Press.

Thomaris

Thomaris

Thomaris was stopped at 2:37 a.m. after other motorists complained of an erratic driver, according to deputies. His blood alcohol content was .15, well above New York’s legal limit of .10 percent.

School officials said that there will be no change in Thomaris’ coaching status while his case is pending.

Potsdam visits Oswego and Cortland in SUNYAC league contests this weekend. Thomaris is due in town court on Dec. 10 to answer the charges.

Potsdam hired Thomaris in August after former coach Ed Seney accepted the head coaching position at St. Anselm. Thomaris, a Potsdam native, coached Elmira for 14 years, amassing a record of 271-122-14 with seven NCAA Division III tournament appearances. He resigned at the end of the 2000-01 season, and was replaced by his assistant, Tim Ceglarski.

A 1977 graduate of Clarkson, Thomaris began his coaching career as an assistant at Potsdam, and was an assistant at Clarkson prior to becoming head coach at Elmira.

Providence Players Charged in Brawls, Suspended

USCHO Staff Report
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Two Providence men’s hockey players were arrested recently and charged with assault for allegedly beating up several young men during brawls near the school’s campus in early October, according to the Providence Journal.

The players are freshman forwards Nate Meyers, 20, and Jason Bloomingburg, 19.

Meyers and Bloomingburg, in addition to a third player not identified by the school, have been suspended from playing several Friars games and placed on probation for the school year, according to a school spokesman.

Meyers was arraigned Nov. 14 on a charge of felony assault and released on $25,000 personal recognizance. Bloomingburg was arraigned the week prior on two charges of simple assault and one count of malicious mischief, and was released on $1,000 personal recognizance for each charge.

The brawls involved about 20 other students from other colleges, according to the school, but only the two Friar hockey players were charged by police.

According to police, on Oct. 5, Bloomingburg punched one man in the face during an argument on the street and later got into another fight with another man, punching him in the face and kicking the side mirror off his car.

The same evening, Meyers was part of a crowd of men who jumped two other men waiting for a cab, yelling “you don’t [expletive] with Providence College hockey players,” surrounding the two men, knocking them to the ground and kicking them repeatedly, police said.

According to the PC spokesman, the school conducted its own investigation and held hearings that decided on discipline for the players. Both players went on to play several games for the Friars before the suspensions were handed down.

Bloomingburg has played two games for Providence, including one week after the incidents on Oct. 12 against Iona and as recently as Nov. 9 against Northeastern.

Meyers has played seven games for the Friars, including a 5-3 win over Union six days after the brawls and as recently as Nov. 8 against Northeastern.

Each player has a goal and an assist for two points, with each scoring his first collegiate goal in the win over Iona.

The Friars (8-3-0) got off to a school record 7-0 start, but have dropped three of their last four games.

Morris Responds to Firing

USCHO Staff Report
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Recently-fired [nl]Clarkson coach Mark Morris made a statement to the media following Friday’s Golden Knights game. The following is a verbatim transcript of that statement:

“Today I was informed by the Clarkson Administration that my position as Men’s Hockey Coach at Clarkson has been terminated. Out of respect and commitment to all the players past, present and future who’ve had the privilege of wearing the Golden Knights hockey jersey, I’ve not made any public statements about this incident. I’m holding this press conference to set the record straight for my family, friends, and all the people that have supported me over 15 years, and especially over the last two weeks.

“This was a done deal before the investigation even started, or so it appeared. Clarkson had contacted their attorney about my termination before the investigation was started. After obtaining legal advice, I chose not to participate in the investigation because it was not independent. It was conducted by Clarkson’s own law firm which had already been consulted about my termination.

“Here’s exactly what happened. As is customary, we play shinny after our pre-game skate. I had been struck once prior by one of my players into the boards. I skated over to the player, put my arm around his shoulder and made a comment to him. The second time he hit me was during our shinny game, we play four on four. I felt as though I was being threatened, and I attempted to defend myself. I told the player to take his things out of the locker. And in 15 seasons I’ve played shinny with a lot of guys and I’ve never been body checked into the boards before. We’ve had some games that have gotten pretty heated over time but never have been body checked into the boards by a player.

“It was apparent to me he was dissatisfied that he would not be playing in the [nl]St. Lawrence game, due to some decisions that were made. On Monday I was informed by my athletic director he was going to handle it between me
and the player, and that the incident would not cost me my job. Meanwhile the administration had already been in touch with their law firm about my termination.

“There’s been an overwhelming outpouring of love, support and affection shown to us during this tumultuous time in our lives. The support has come from many friends in the North Country, college hockey coaches from around
the United States and Canada at all levels, alumni, past players and the Clarkson hockey family. We take great solace in knowing that so many people care about us. The calls, e-mails, letters and cards of support and the people who have stopped by our home or given us the thumbs up when we pass them on the streets helped to pick up our spirits and has given us strength to endure during this time.

“The staff currently in place, Fred Parker, Jason Lammers and Mike McCourt are top notch hockey coaches. They know the game. They know how to teach it, they know how to coach it. They all have exceptional communications skills and are excellent mentors for the players. They are great recruiters. They are more qualified to continue in this role of guiding the program forward. I spent almost the entire summer interviewing assistant coach candidates to make certain Clarkson hockey would have quality people as recruiters and coaches and to solidify the future of the program.”

Clarkson Fires Morris

USCHO Staff Report
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Mark Morris, Clarkson’s coach of 15 years, was fired Friday by the university following a 10-day investigation into a post-practice confrontation between Morris and forward Zach Schwan.

The word came in a statement released by university president Denny [nl]Brown late Friday afternoon.

Morris

Morris

According to [nl]Brown, “Clarkson initiated a thorough investigation, utilizing the services of an independent interviewer, in order to determine an appropriate response to the incident. Morris refused to participate in the investigation, despite repeated attempts by Clarkson to secure his cooperation.”

[nl]Brown’s statement said Morris used “physical force and threatening conduct” towards the player, whom he did not name.

“The facts collected from other witnesses to the incident indicated clear evidence of conduct by Morris that was inappropriate for a Clarkson faculty or staff member,” said [nl]Brown, who is in his last year as university president. “This, coupled with Morris’ unwillingness to participate in the process, left the University with no choice but to terminate his employment.”

Following the morning skate in preparation for a game on Nov. 2, Schwan was participating in a typical 3-on-3 pickup game for scratched players and coaches. While what happened next isn’t completely clear, according to various sources, Morris took exception to what he felt were overly-aggressive hits. With Schwan’s father in the stands for the practice, some sort of confrontation then took place between Morris and Schwan.

Morris was initially put on administrative leave, and assistant coach Fred Parker handled the team on the Nov. 8-9 weekend in the Capital District. Schwan sat out Friday, but an injury forced him into the lineup, according to sources.

The university has not released details of the investigation. First-year athletic director Sean Frazier and Schwan have all declined comment on the situation.

Morris finally commented on the situation in a press conference late on Friday evening.

“Today I was informed by the Clarkson Administration that my position as Men’s Hockey Coach at Clarkson has been terminated. Out of respect and commitment to all the players past, present and future who’ve had the privilege of wearing the Golden Knights hockey jersey, I’ve not made any public statements about this incident. I’m holding this press conference to set the record straight for my family, friends, and all the people that have supported me over 15 years, and especially over the last two weeks.

“This was a done deal before the investigation even started, or so it appeared. Clarkson had contacted their attorney about my termination before the investigation was started. After obtaining legal advice, I chose not to participate in the investigation because it was not independent. It was conducted by Clarkson’s own law firm which had already been consulted about my termination.

“Here’s exactly what happened. As is customary, we play shinny after our pre game skate. I had been struck once prior by one of my players into the boards. I skated over to the player, put my arm around his shoulder and made a comment to him. The second time he hit me was during our shinny game, we play four on four. I felt as though I was being threatened, and I attempted to defend myself. I told the player to take his things out of the locker. And in 15 seasons I’ve played shinny with a lot of guys and I’ve never been body checked into the boards before. We’ve had some games that have gotten pretty heated over time but never have been body checked into the boards by a player.

“It was apparent to me he was dissatisfied that he would not be playing in the St. Lawrence game, due to some decisions that were made. On Monday I was informed by my athletic director he was going to handle it between me and the player, and that the incident would not cost me my job. Meanwhile the administration had already been in touch with their law firm about my termination.”

Morris went on to acknowledge the support that he and his family have received during this time.

Although Morris himself had lamented the team’s discipline problems in the recent past — just the prior Wednesday, Morris suspended six players for missing a team workout session — there had not been a history of similar incidents in his background, and no other incidents were cited as reasons for Morris’ dismissal. Nevertheless, according to sources, Morris’ support in the university administration had waned over the past few years, especially after the departure of ex-athletic director and former Clarkson skater Geoff [nl]Brown.

When reached Thursday, former Clarkson head coach and athletic director Bill O’Flaherty, who was responsible for hiring Morris to replace Cap Raeder in 1987, also refused to comment on the situation. He also denied a report that the Los Angeles Kings, for which O’Flaherty is currently the director of player personnel and former Golden Knight Dave Taylor is general manager, had offered a position to Morris. O’Flaherty, who still lives near Potsdam, has a nephew, Kevin, on the current Clarkson roster.

Clarkson is the only head coaching job Morris has ever had. A native of New York’s North Country, Morris was an assistant for St. Lawrence coach Joe Marsh before taking over the Golden Knights program in 1988. He was hired by then-athletic director Bill O’Flaherty, who was also Clarkson coach at one point and is now player personnel director for the NHL’s Los Angeles Kings.

Parker has officially been named the interim head coach. Jason Lammers will assist and another assistant will be added soon. Clarkson will begin a nationwide search for a new head coach at a later date.

Among the early candidates to permanently replace Morris are one-time Clarkson assistants Ron Rolston, Jim Roque and George Roll. Rolston is an assistant at Boston College, Roque at Lake Superior State, and Roll is the head coach at Division III Oswego State. Clarkson alumnus Glenn Thomaris — now coaching at nearby Division III Potsdam College — could also be a candidate.

Clarkson went 16-13-3 in Morris’ first year, then reeled off 10 straight 20-win seasons, including 29-9-2 in 1990-91, when the Golden Knights went to the Frozen Four. In those 10 seasons, Clarkson made nine NCAA tournament appearances, but never made it back to the Frozen Four after 1991, and hasn’t been in the tournament since 1999.

Morris has a 306-153-42 career record entering the season, with five regular-season and two ECAC-tournament championships. He has been named ECAC Coach of the Year twice.

The list of NHL players Morris has coached include Craig Conroy, Todd White, Chris Clark, Todd Marchant and Erik Cole.

This Week in the WCHA Women’s League: Nov. 14, 2002

By Craig Roberts
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Much could shake out of this weekend’s action at the top of the national rankings as four of the nation’s top seven teams, including the top three, do battle.

No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth and No. 2 Minnesota host No. 3 Harvard and No. 7 Brown in what should be four of the most important nonconference games in women’s hockey this season.

"I think this is great. … This is going to be a true test of where we are right now."

— Shannon Miller, whose Bulldogs — along with Minnesota — meet Harvard and Brown this weekend.

Three of the four, UMD, Minnesota and Brown, played in last season’s NCAA Frozen Four. Harvard, which opened its season last weekend, was impressive in drubbing Vermont, 13-0, and No. 4 Dartmouth, 9-2, on the road.

The two-time defending national champion Bulldogs will host the third-ranked Crimson Saturday before facing Brown Sunday. They enter the weekend with the proverbial bullseye on them; but head coach Shannon Miller is excited about the weekend.

“I think this is great,” she said. “It’s exciting to see this weekend and our next series (Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Minnesota) affect the rankings. This is going to be a true test of where we are right now.”

Minnesota head coach Laura Halldorson, whose Gophers saw a nine-game winning streak snapped with a 2-2 tie with Bemidji State Saturday, also is aware of the ramifications these games may have.

“The way things have evolved, all games are important,” she said. “But this is the only chance we get to play these two teams and the games could have implications at tournament time.”

With only four teams receiving bids to the NCAA championship, head-to-head games against teams being considered for selection to the tournament is a factor in the process.

Minnesota is 6-8-1 against the Crimson and the Bears but just 2-4-1 at home. The Gophers have lost all three home meetings with Harvard, but have not met either team in Minneapolis in three years.

Minnesota has met Brown three times at national tournaments, owning a 2-1-0 mark in those games, including a 4-2 win in the title game of the last American Women’s College Hockey Alliance Championship in 2000.

UMD has not lost to either team, posting a 5-0-1 record. The Bulldogs beat both teams en route to their two NCAA titles, topping Harvard 6-3 in the semifinals in 2001 while beating Brown 3-2 in last year’s championship game.

Both the Gophers and Bulldogs were missing four players this past weekend. UMD shutout Ohio State twice but lost sophomore forwards Leah Kasper and Meghan Stotts to concussions in the series. Minnesota beat and tied Bemidji State at home to stay atop the WCHA standings.

Miller, whose Bulldogs have struggled to have everyone on the ice at the same time due to conflicts with scheduling practices versus classes, as well as national-team commitments, feels her team could be more prepared, but still should be ready.

“We’re not as prepared as I’d like but it’s nice to have everybody back,” she said. “We’re putting our lines back to what they were a few weeks ago so it’s a matter of getting them used to being together again. We also have to put our power-play units back together, review responsibilities and work on puck movement.”

“I’m not sure if it will affect us,” Halldorson said of her team’s work last week without four of its top players. “The team is pretty motivated this week.”

Halldorson is looking forward to this weekend’s action not only because the games promise to be exciting, but also because she gets to renew acquaintances with Brown coach Digit Murphy and Harvard coach Katey Stone, whom she has known for years. She and Murphy are close friends and Halldorson is godmother to the Bears coach’s youngest son.

“These are healthy rivalries,” Halldorson said. “They’re based on mutual respect that the teams and coaches have for each. It’s always fun to play these teams and to see friends again.”

The friendship, however, ends for 60 minutes as no quarter is asked or given. With women’s college hockey enjoying arguably its best talent base ever, and four of the nation’s top teams doing battle, a showcase of the best the game has will be on display.

At stake are early-season bragging rights and the inside track to qualifying for the 2003 NCAA Frozen Four in Duluth. Next week’s national rankings will reveal how things shake out this weekend in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.

WCHA “House”Hold Hints

The Minnesota-Harvard game will air live, at 2:05 p.m. CST Sunday, on Fox Sports North … The top 10 overall scorers in the WCHA are all either UMD or Minnesota players … Minnesota State travels to St. Cloud State in the only WCHA games this weekend … UMD is 69-for-69 killing penalties this season … Bulldog goalie Patricia Sautter is unbeaten (19-0-1) in her last 20 starts … UMD has posted four consecutive shutouts … Bemidji State goalie Jill Luebke has earned ties in her first two collegiate starts after Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Minnesota … St. Cloud State outshot an opponent for the first time this season, outshooting Wisconsin 30-29, in Saturday’s 5-3 win in Madison … The victory was the Huskies’ first in Madison … The Badgers, taking on 10th-ranked Mercyhurst this weekend, are facing their fourth ranked opponent in six series this season.

WCHA Awards

Offensive Player of the Week–La Toya Clarke, Jr., F, Minnesota
Defensive Player of the Week–Patricia Sautter, Sr., G, Minnesota-Duluth
Rookie of the Week–Ashley Stewart, Fr., F, St. Cloud State

Coming Up

Minnesota State at St. Cloud State (Friday-Saturday)

St. Cloud State leads the all-time series 10-3-1 … MSU senior goalie Katie Beauduy defeated North Dakota Saturday for her first win since Feb. 9, 2001, when she defeated Findlay 3-1 … SCSU senior goalie Laura Gieselman stopped 37 shots in Friday’s 4-2 loss at Wisconsin, her third consecutive 35-plus save effort … Freshman Brie Anderson stopped 26 shots in Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Badgers for her first collegiate victory … The Huskies are at home for the first time in nearly a month after six consecutive road games.

No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 10 Mercyhurst (Saturday-Sunday)

Wisconsin won the only two previous meetings between the teams … They are meeting in Erie, Pa., for the first time … Despite a 5-4-1 overall record and No. 6 national ranking, the Badgers are sixth in the WCHA standings at 1-4-1 … The Badgers have had 16 players record a point this season, including 13 who have scored goals … Wisconsin’s top three goal-scorers are all underclassmen … Like the Badgers, Mercyhurst has 16 players with a point and 13 with a goal … Eight players have recorded a power-play goal and seven players have score game-winning goals … The Lakers have been successful on their last 32 penalty kills … They have not allowed a power-play goal in their last six games … After this weekend, Mercyhurst will have played eight of its 14 games against WCHA opponents.

No. 3 Harvard at No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth (Saturday)
No. 7 Brown at No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth (Sunday)

UMD went 1-0-1 against Brown last season in the teams’ first meetings … The Bulldogs own a 4-0-0 record against Harvard … UMD has been successful on their last 78 penalty kills, dating back to last season … They have not allowed a power-play goal in 12 consecutive games … Senior goalie Patricia Sautter has not allowed a goal in her last 222 minutes, 17 seconds of action … Eighteen of the Bulldogs 19 skaters have recorded a point this season … Harvard’s Jen Botterill is the leading active scorer in the country with 240 career points in 83 games … Brown senior forward Courtney Johnson played in her 100th career game over the weekend, the only player on the current Bears’ roster to do so.

No. 7 Brown at No. 2 Minnesota (Saturday)
No. 3 Harvard at No. 2 Minnesota (Sunday)

Brown leads Minnesota 5-4-1 in the teams’ all-time series but the Gophers are 2-1-1 at home against the Bears … Harvard leads Minnesota 3-2-0 all-time … Neither team has won on its home ice in the series, with the Crimson owning three wins in Minneapolis … The Gophers have scored at least one special teams goal in eight of 10 games … Saturday’s 2-2 tie with Bemidji State was just the second time Minnesota has allowed two goals in a game this season … The Gophers have held opponents to one goal six times and posted two shutouts … Eleven of the Bears’ 12 goals this season have been scored by underclassmen, including all four power-play goals and both game-winning goals.

No. 8 Providence at Ohio State (Saturday)
Connecticut at Ohio State (Sunday)

The Buckeyes defeated Providence, 4-3, in the teams’ only meeting, Nov. 18, 2001 … OSU was a 3-1 winner over UConn in their only meeting, Nov. 16, 2001 … Buckeye head coach Jackie Barto came to OSU from Providence, where she was 70-53-10 in five seasons … She is also a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame … After opening the season 7-for-12 on the power play, the Buckeyes have converted just one of their last 42 chances … OSU is 0-for-26 in its last four games … The Buckeyes have allowed the game’s first goal in both wins this season … They are 0-2-1 when scoring first … Four of Connecticut’s 13 goals this season have been unassisted … Providence freshman goalie Jana Bugden stopped all 39 shots she faced in the Friars’ 5-0 and 3-0 wins over Maine … She has started seven consecutive games.

Bemidji State at North Dakota (Saturday-Sunday)

The two teams skated to a 3-3 tie at Bemidji State, Oct. 20 … The Beavers needed three unanswered goals to earn the tie … Guylaine Haché scored the tying goal with 21 seconds to play in the third period … Freshman goalie Jill Luebke has earned a tie in both of starts this season … After leading the nation with eight ties last season, the Beavers have three in their first 11 games this season … BSU is 3-2-2 against unranked teams … North Dakota is 1-3-1 versus WCHA opponents, including two losses at top-ranked Minnesota-Duluth.

This Week in Hockey East: Nov. 14, 2002

By
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An Early Record-Breaker

An 18-year-old goaltender isn’t expected to make an immediate impact in college hockey. A breed apart, netminders usually need a little more seasoning before they’re ready for the collegiate big time.

Maine’s Jimmy Howard, however, is proving all those assumptions wrong. A blue-chip recruit, he traveled to Orono after an impressive stint with the U.S. National Development Program, where he helped the Under-18 Team win a gold medal and also posted a season-long save percentage of .933, a team record. Nonetheless, an 18-year-old goalie is still an 18-year-old goalie.

Well, it’s taken Howard all of five games to enter the Black Bear record book, a ledger that already boasted many legendary names. With three straight shutouts, he owns a scoreless streak of 187:43 and counting, a figure that tops those of Scott King, Matt DelGuidice, Garth Snow, Mike Dunham, Blair Allison and all the other great Maine netminders.

The shutouts over Western Michigan, Mercyhurst and Massachusetts have lowered Howard’s statistics to numbers that border on the absurd: a 0.83 goals against average and a .959 save percentage.

As the noted hockey philosopher Adam Sandler would say, not too shabby.

However, before comparisons get started to Ryan Miller, a Hobey Baker Award winner as a sophomore, Maine coach Tim Whitehead cautions that it isn’t even Thanksgiving yet. Five games do not a career make and out of control expectations have sidetracked many a young player.

“We’re really excited for Jimmy, but it is early in the year so both Jimmy and ourselves are trying not to get too high or too low,” says Whitehead. “There’s going to be some highs and lows, clearly, but we’re very excited about how he’s playing.

“He’s such a composed player. He’s very calm, especially in scrambles in front of the net. A lot of times he seems like the calmest guy on the ice. He moves very well and keeps it simple. He doesn’t overhandle the puck or dive after pucks that are wide of the net. He plays very smart and has a real good sense of how to read a situation.

“He’s a real good goalie, but again, it’s early. He’s just working hard and getting good results.”

For those who haven’t yet seen Howard play, Whitehead describes the freshman’s style: not a classic stand-up goalie, nor a pure butterfly guy.

“He’s kind of a hybrid,” says Whitehead. “He’s not your 1970s stand-up, never-go-down guy, but he’s not always flopping on the ice either. He stays up at the right times and he knows when to go down at the right times. He just reads the situation. He’s a mixture of styles.

“He anticipates really well and reads the situation. He knows when to stay on his feet and when to cover the bottom of the net with a butterfly or whatever.”

A Bevy of Hot Freshman Goaltenders

Howard isn’t the only rookie netminder atop his game. UMass’s Gabe Winer, featured in last week’s column, battled the Maine goalie toe-to-toe in a 1-0 Black Bear win at Alfond Arena last Saturday. Providence’s Bobby Goepfert has also recorded great numbers while winning all four of his starts.

Here are the country’s top freshman goalies, ranked according to goals against average:

Player, School            W-L-T     Sv%    GAA
1 Jimmy Howard, Maine     4-1-0    .959    0.83
2 Bobby Goepfert, PC      4-0-0    .936    1.74
3 Al Montoya, Michigan    6-1-1    .920    2.02
4 Tony Quesada, HC        5-1-0    .918    2.12
5 Gabe Winer, UMass       2-3-0    .887    2.43

Powerhouse Week

In the span of eight days, Hockey East will see five league contests between its nationally ranked teams. No. 1 Boston College is in the thick of all this, competing in three of them, with Boston University, New Hampshire and Providence in two and Maine in one.

BC got the string started with last Tuesday’s convincing win over Providence, 6-1. The Eagles play their fifth straight road game at BU on Friday night before returning home to host UNH on Tuesday. BU follows the BC clash on Friday with Maine on Saturday. UNH hosts Providence on Friday night before traveling to Chestnut Hill on Tuesday.

It doesn’t get much better than that…

So Just How Good is Providence?

Obscured by the Friars’ best-ever 7-0 start was the strength — or lack thereof, to be more precise — of that opening schedule. Heading into Tuesday’s 6-1 loss to Boston College, PC’s opponents were a collective 13-33-8. Not exactly the iron of college hockey.

As a result, the jury remained out until the Friars proved themselves against tougher competition. Obviously, the lopsided loss to the Eagles was not a positive sign. Combined with a split in a home-and-home series the previous weekend against Northeastern, Providence now enters a key contest at UNH having lost two of its last three.

A key game in November? Yes. After last year’s disappointing season, the Friars may have a somewhat fragile psyche. A repeat of Tuesday’s performance — in which the top line of Peter Fregoe, Jon DiSalvatore and Devin Rask finished a collective -10 in plus-minus — would be a blow to the team’s confidence and leave it waiting until early January for another opportunity to prove itself against a ranked team.

Friday night will tell a lot of Providence’s chances to be a nationally significant team from wire-to-wire.

An Unsung Hero

When BU’s Mark Mullen was announced last Saturday as the number two star of the game, casual observers may have wondered why. After all, the forward hadn’t recorded even a single point.

The fact is that Mullen would have been a good choice not just in the win over Merrimack, but also in the previous weekend’s wins over Northeastern and UNH. Against the Huskies and Wildcats, BU totaled 3:15 of time spent killing five-on-three penalties and didn’t allow a goal.

“He had a terrific weekend for us,” said BU coach Jack Parker. “He killed most of the five-on-threes.”

Following the number two star honors, Parker elaborated, saying, “[Mullen is] as unheralded a guy as you’re going to find. He gets all kinds of penalty-killing time. He’s playing with two freshmen and giving them a lot of poise and a lot of defensive ability.

“In reality, he could be playing the power play, too, but he gets so much ice time killing penalties. He’s done an unbelievable job on five-on-three penalties this year. He’s really an unsung hero for us and a hard guy to appreciate unless you watch him every day in practice.”

Off the Schneid

It was hard to believe, but UNH opened the season 0-for-20 on the power play in Hockey East games before Colin Hemingway broke the string late in the third period on Saturday.

“We’ve got the horses,” Hemingway had said one night earlier. “It’s just a matter of time before the pucks see the back of the net.”

UNH coach Dick Umile had to be happy that Hemingway had broken the drought. Clearly frustrated not only with the power play’s production itself but also being asked about it, he said with a grin and a wink, “We scored a power-play goal, so that gets you [media] guys off our back. At least for one night.”

Whistling Dixie

One writer recently noticed Umile about to whistle for line change, as is his wont, but hold off as the puck went into the offensive zone. When Hemingway scored on the resulting play, the scribe couldn’t help but ask.

“They don’t listen to me anyways,” quipped Umile. “I’m just doing that to keep myself busy…. I’m doing it for me. It’s my way of being in the game. It’s probably good that they don’t listen to me too often on that.”

No Loss of Confidence

Massachusetts-Lowell may be in the Hockey East cellar without a point, but there’s no sense of despair. Six of the River Hawks’ nine games have come against nationally ranked opponents, including all four league contests.

“[Frustration] is not an issue,” said coach Blaise MacDonald. “It’s not where you are today; it’s where you are March second.”

With a boatload of freshmen in the lineup to replace 11 departed members of last year’s team, MacDonald is paying attention to how well his team is playing, figuring that if the mistakes and inconsistencies can be corrected, the wins and losses will eventually take care of themselves. As a result, he even found much to be encouraged by in the Hawks’ lone lopsided loss, 6-2 to UNH.

“We came out of our own zone pretty cleanly, we backchecked very well and we didn’t give up a lot of odd-man opportunities,” he says. “Our defense used each other through the neutral zone. Those are all things we focused on.”

That said, there is a smaller margin for error among the teams looking to knock off perennial powerhouses like UNH than there is for the juggernauts themselves, a point captured succinctly by MacDonald.

“[A] difference in the game was their ability to capitalize and yield off their opportunities,” he said. “They got 11 shots in the second period and got four goals whereas we had three two-on-ones and two or three grade A chances and we yielded zero goals. That’s the difference between a top-level team and a team that’s trying to get on the rise.”

Press Conference Humor

MacDonald was at his comic best in the post-game press conference at UNH last Friday.

The vertically challenged coach said, “A lot of the goals I didn’t see because my kids were standing up on the bench and I can’t see over their heads.”

He didn’t stop there. When asked who his goaltender on Saturday would be, he responded, “I haven’t decided yet. I’ll see what my wife says.”

A writer asked when that would be.

“Probably 3:30,” said MacDonald. “My little guy is getting his eye teeth so he’s usually up at 3:30 in the morning.”

Continuing the banter, another writer asked if it would okay to call at 3:40.

MacDonald didn’t skip a beat. “Why don’t you guys give me your numbers and I’ll call you.”

Upon Further Review

Last week’s column discussed hitting from behind and described a sequence from the UNH-BU contest as a springboard for the topic.

I stand corrected.

As the New Hampshire Public TV archives (www.nhptv.org) show — and as seemingly half the Granite State has pointed out — the play in question was a penalty but not a hit from behind. (In my defense, it was a crazy sequence to watch live and get perfectly. A rewind button would have come in handy.)

There still was a flagrant hit from behind into the boards, so the overall point remains valid, but a different infraction should have been used to accurately depict the situation.

Five minutes in the penalty box and a game DQ for Hendrickson.

(Addition by subtraction, perhaps?)

Congrats to Roger

Roger Brown, who has covered New Hampshire hockey for the Portsmouth Herald for over a decade, was honored during an intermission of the recent BU-UNH contest as a result of his winning the Hockey East Joe Concannon Media Award. A belated congratulations to one of the good guys covering the game.

Trivia Contest

Last week’s contest revolved around Northeastern defeating Connecticut, 10-1, and asked when the Huskies last won by that exact score. Quickest with the answer of 1985-86 against Northern Michigan was John Ryan. His cheer is:

“NU over BU in Beanpot ’03, the mystique is no more because Huskies again in 2004!”

This week’s question asks you to identify the Hockey East players depicted in the photograph below. It dates back to 1995 when the boys were 14.

colorscans/20022003/hea_trivia.jpg

Email Dave Hendrickson’s trivia account with your responses. 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.

(Click here to see a larger version of the photo)

Calling All Illiterates …

Last week’s passage was from a legendary short story by Harlan Ellison, a fantasist who provided me with the inspiration to write many, many years ago. (So it’s all his fault…) “Jeffty is Five” won the 1977-78 Hugo, Nebula, Jupiter, British Fantasy and Locus Poll awards. The story is available in The Essential Ellison (a 50-year retrospective of his work), but originally appeared in Shatterday. I excerpt the opening two paragraphs here, although I only provided the second paragraph last week to avoid making the answer too easy.

When I was five years old, there was a little kid I played with: Jeffty. His real name was Jeff Kinzer, and everyone who played with him called him Jeffty. We were five years old together, and we had good times playing together.

When I was five, a Clark Bar was as fat around as the gripping end of a Louisville Slugger, and pretty nearly six inches long, and they used real chocolate to coat it, and it crunched very nicely when you bit into the center, and the paper it came wrapped in smelled fresh and good when you peeled off one end to hold the bar so it wouldn’t melt onto your fingers. Today, a Clark Bar is as thin as a credit card, they use something artificial and awful-tasting instead of pure chocolate, the thing is soft and soggy, it costs fifteen or twenty cents instead of a decent, correct nickel, and they wrap it so you think it’s the same size it was twenty years ago, only it isn’t; it’s slim and ugly and nasty tasting and not worth a penny, much less fifteen or twenty cents.

Steve Lemire, who “read” the story by listening to Ellison’s terrific audio recording (which was nominated for a Grammy award), correctly identified this gem. A personal favorite of Steve’s is: The Oath by John T. Lescroart.

This week’s passages come from a novel I stumbled upon last summer and absolutely loved:

The hit man’s eyes slowly cleared, and he looked at me with the hate that had helped him survive in prison, that had kept him scheming, kept his brain and body working, kept him fighting back against nightmarish conditions. He needed a sensitive social worker to bring out the best in him, so I jammed the machine pistol against his forehead.

and

I gave him the toe of my shoe in the frontal bone of his skull to jar his cerebral hemispheres and make him wonder if perhaps he should have gotten his high school diploma after all.

and

Usually on nights when people try to murder me, I drink extra dry martinis. Now I drank mineral water. This was spiritual progress.

I could go on and on … Here’s an additional hint: one character’s name is Henderson. Email me with the name of the novel and the author. The winner, who will be notified by Tuesday, gets recognized and can mention the title of a favorite book of his or her own. If you haven’t heard by then, you either had the wrong answer or someone else beat you to it.

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

  • Maybe the good fortune that has shone on the Patriots the last 12 or so months is payback for Ben Dreith, Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner, too many men on the ice and so on ….
  • In my son’s many tours of colleges this fall, one comment from a student at a $34,000 per year school stands out: “Living here is really cheap … except for that tuition thing.”
  • A likely item on my Christmas list will be permission to smash my cell phone to smithereens. I doubt if anything else could give me that much satisfaction.
  • Although if you really want to pamper a person, give them a massage. My own five-star recommendation goes to Aileen at Salem Massage Therapy Center. (603) 894-5586. Of course, sickos and perverts need not waste their time.
  • Yes, I fully realize that the previous sentence eliminates a large segment of my readership …

    I still have copies available of Food and Other Enemies, an anthology that includes my short story, “Yeah, But Can She Cook?” Publishers Weekly called it a “witty collection.” Order it from online booksellers or ask me about ordering information since I can send you a less expensive, personalized copy.

    • This Week in the ECAC West: Nov. 14, 2002

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    The season is 20 percent complete already, but teams in the ECAC West are struggling with consistency. Within games, teams are having a hard time putting together 60 minutes of solid hockey. And don’t even think about carrying it game to game. It just isn’t happening, and coaches are starting to try and figure out why. Whichever team does so first could take control of the ECAC West standings.

    Let’s look at the problem team-by-team:

    Elmira Flutters

    The knock against Elmira the last two seasons has been a lack of winning streaks. Two years ago, the magic number was three. The Soaring Eagles would win three in a row, only to drop the next three before the pattern repeated.

    Last year was similar during the first half. Win four, drop two, win two, lose two, and so on. Finally, as the new year dawned, Elmira put together an eight-game winning streak and it looked like things had changed for the better.

    So far, though, this season has been back to the same old pattern. Lose two against current No. 1 ranked St. Norbert to open the season. Win two contests against tough Oswego and visiting Marian. But then Elmira tanked a game against Marian, losing in overtime. Two down, two up, and one down. Anyone want to guess what the result of the next game will be?

    “It comes from having a relatively young team,” said Elmira coach Tim Ceglarski. “It’s the first time through some of these rinks for our first-year players. I hope we don’t fight with it all year long. I hope we learn from it very quickly — that is where we are looking for our upperclass leadership to draw in the reins a little bit and tighten things up, and become a little more consistent.

    “I don’t know if the players from juniors really understand that you are only playing 25 games. It’s not like juniors where you are playing 45 or 50 games and you are able take a night off.”

    The wild swings in score versus Marian last weekend show the extremes for Elmira. In the 10-2 win Friday, Elmira started to get the bounces early in the second period and it was off to the races.

    Saturday was a different story, as Marian regained form. Elmira continued to play sound hockey, but the bounces weren’t coming like they did on Friday, and the Soaring Eagles ended up losing in overtime.

    “Marian is an extremely good skating team, very fast and they move the puck very well,” said Ceglarski. “It was a very close game all the way through. The amount of time we spent in the penalty box didn’t help us. Our goaltender played well, but he admittedly let in a couple of soft goals. That may have been the difference in the game and surely was the difference in overtime.”

    Hobart Wavers

    In diplomacy, sometimes it looks like you will have your way with your opponent, and sometimes it doesn’t. The Statesmen have been experiencing that sensation a lot this season.

    After being shut out by Potsdam, Hobart put together a solid tournament to send both a surging Fredonia and Buffalo State to defeat. The Statesmen then put a thorough thumping on Neumann by a 10-1 score. This was the first time Hobart had scored double-digits on an opponent since they put an 11-2 drubbing on Cortland January 23rd, 1999.

    It looked like Hobart had found both the scoring touch and momentum. However, a visit by Manhattanville last Saturday put that to an end. The Valiants jumped out to a 5-0 lead on the way to handing the Statesmen a 5-2 defeat. Hobart outshot Manhattanville 27-18 on the night, but the scoring touch seemed to have slipped away.

    Manhattanville Unable to Finish the Kill

    Tell a lot of coaches that they are 3-1-1 on the season, and are scoring just under four goals per game, and they might be pretty pleased. However, that isn’t true of Keith Levinthal at Manhattanville. In both his team’s loss to RIT and its tie against Geneseo, Manhattanville outplayed the opponent for the majority of the game. A lack of scoring touch left the Valiants short.

    “We just can’t score,” said Levinthal. “We keep outshooting everyone but we can’t find the back of the net.”

    Manhattanville has outshot its opponents by a cumulative 152-112 in NCAA games this year. Add in the exhibition against Seneca College and it gets even more one-sided: 196-126.

    Maybe, just possibly, once the goals start coming for the Valiants, the floodgates will open?

    “I sure hope so,” said Levinthal. “We need to figure out how to more consistently score on some of those shots we are taking.”

    Neumann Sees a Distant Light

    The Neumann Knights may find matters gloomy, but the faintest glimmer of light is at the end of the tunnel. A solid recruiting class has given life to Neumann this year.

    Coach Nick Russo had a good plan going in to Saturday’s game against RIT, a simple plan of sticking to the basics: clear the puck up the boards, no passes across the middle, break out first, then rush the zone. The problem was, the players didn’t follow it in the first period, and watched RIT jump out to a 6-0 lead as a result.

    Russo had a little chat with his team during the first intermission, and the rest of the game was different. Neumann played well after that, including a strong performance by starting goaltender Mike Billingsley. Take out the first period, and it was a only 2-1 game in RIT’s favor.

    With 16 freshmen on the team, Russo is still trying to discover what he has. So some inconsistency can be understood.

    “We’re looking at this whole first half [of the season] as preseason,” said Russo. “We’ll see what we have and what we can improve on, and then see where that takes us during the second half.”

    RIT Tiggers

    RIT has the talent, for sure, and gritty players willing to trade their bodies for the puck. But the Tigers seem to lack drive. In several games, RIT has just been skating along, expecting victory to take care of itself. Instead of ferociously pursuing the other team, RIT has been bouncing along, finding the ice is a happy place to be.

    “I’m happy with our systems,” said RIT coach Wayne Wilson. “Now it is execution and focus. We have shown some inconsistencies, and we need to fix that.”

    Entering an 11-day break in the schedule, how to fix things was the question facing Wilson.

    “I could skate them [to death], or I could give them a couple of days off to get away from the rink,” said Wilson. “I thought I would give them the days off to get a little fresh air and refocus.”

    RIT was outplayed during long stretches versus Manhattanville and Neumann last weekend. It is true that the opposing coaches had good plans for both games. However, in that situation, RIT needs a player or two to step in and take control through sheer force of will. At this point in the season, that player has yet to emerge. Until that leader steps forward, RIT will continue to vacillate between good play and being outplayed. Eventually, that will cost RIT a game.

    Utica Followers

    Hard work has been the foundation of Utica’s success, both last year and the first two games this year. Earlier this season, the Pioneers stayed close to a top-notch Potsdam team and defeated Oswego soundly. But maybe the team got a little too confident. Instead of blazing new trails developing the program, the Pioneers ran off the frontier at the Buffalo State tournament.

    The third period has been the problem for the Pioneers. They play strong first and second periods, but the opponents have won almost every third period this year, and that has cost Utica. As was documented in last week’s column, coach Gary Heenan worked the players hard in a camp-like setting last week.

    Game of the Week

    The final two teams start their ECAC West league schedule this week when Utica hits the road to visit Elmira. Both teams are coming off emotional losses, and want to get the all important league play off to a good start. Whichever team can figure out how to put in a full 60 minutes of hockey will probably win this contest.

    “It’s our first ECAC West game, and it’s nice to be playing it at home,” said Ceglarski. “Utica is a much improved team. They have had an up-and-down stretch this year, as far as consistency goes. But we know how hard Gary [Heenan’s] teams work and what they are going to try to do to us. We are preparing for that. It is nice to finally get into some ECAC West contests.”

    This Week in the SUNYAC: Nov. 14, 2002

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    First Surprise

    It didn’t take long. Just one weekend into conference play, and we already have our first surprise. The Fredonia State Blue Devils refused to listen to the prognosticators who had them eliminated from the playoffs before the season even started. Instead, they upset Oswego State, 3-2, and then soundly beat Cortland State, 5-1.

    Leading the way, unsurprisingly, was goaltender Will Hamele with 17 saves against the Great Lakers and 31 against the Red Dragons. Hamele outlasted Tyson Gajda on the first night and outplayed John Larnerd the second. Hamele’s key moment came when he stopped a breakaway with a minute and a half remaining in the Oswego game to preserve the victory. He is establishing himself as a leading candidate to getting back on the All-SUNYAC First Team.

    Cortland did beat Buffalo State, 5-1, and would bounce back from the Oswego loss with a nonconference win over Hobart, 5-2. Larnerd made 35 and 34 saves, respectively, for those two wins. Nate Gagnon registered a hat trick against Buffalo State, including a shorthanded goal.

    Other minor surprises the first weekend included Buffalo State getting pounded by Oswego. Sure, Oswego was expected to win, but not by an 11-3 score. The Great Lakers apparently were a tad upset for losing the night before, and exploded for five first-period goals. They were up 6-0 before Buffalo State even saw a goal.

    With all those scores, only one player, Rob Smith, scored twice. Nine different players got the other goals while Joe Lofberg made 32 saves for the win.

    One non-surprise of the weekend was Plattsburgh State, which rolled over its opponents: 6-1 against Geneseo State and 9-0 versus Brockport State. Tony Seriac passed his first test, making 22 saves against the Ice Knights. Craig Neilson got the call and the shutout against Brockport with 16 saves.

    Jeff Hopkins and Adam Richards each got a pair of goals the first night while Dave Young, David Friel, and Brendon Hodge all did the same the second night.

    Early Bird Special

    Restaurants have early-bird specials in order to lure diners during the hours when they tend to have empty tables. There were a few teams last weekend that apparently had the same thought — score some goals early in order to lure the fans during that time when they tend to still be parking their cars.

    Unfortunately, the fans won’t learn until the next time.

    Those who showed up just 3:41 into the Geneseo at Potsdam State game missed all the scoring. And it would have served them right for doing something I never could understand.

    Then again, leaving early is even worse, especially when the game is still in doubt. But, we’ll save that rant for some other time.

    Getting back to that game in Maxcy Hall, in a repeat of last year’s first-round conference matchup, the Bears and the Ice Knights played yet another goaltending battle.

    Jason Brothers gave Potsdam the lead at 1:58, and then Jay Kuczmanski tied it up for Geneseo at the aforementioned 3:41. That was it, at least for the scorers. It wasn’t for the goaltenders, who didn’t allow the early goals to deter them.

    Potsdam’s Ryan Venturelli made 22 saves on the night. Meanwhile, Brett Walker was making 29 saves, including five in overtime as Potsdam outshot Geneseo in that extra stanza, 5-0. In the end, it was a kiss-your-sister day.

    Potsdam beat Brockport the day before, 5-2, having to come back from a 2-1 deficit by scoring a pair of goals in both the second and third periods. Anthony Greer and Phil Aubrey got two each for the winners, while Nick Smyth got both Brockport goals. Venturelli made 18 saves for the win.

    Other early-bird specials last weekend included Oswego’s Jocelyn Dubord scoring at 2:57 against Fredonia and Rob Smith at 1:06 against Buffalo State, Cortland’s Dave Ambuhl at 2:13 against Buffalo State.

    Fredonia’s Jim Gilbride beat them all, notching a goal just 12 seconds in against Cortland.

    Folks, get to the game on time.

    Trends

    Here are some trends to start keeping an eye on, even this early in the season.

  • Potsdam’s special teams. Last year, the power play was downright anemic. This year, it has been successful at a nice 26.8%. Even more impressive is the penalty kill. Though not bad last year, this season has been downright amazing. The Bears have killed off 93.3% of their penalties, allowing just three power-play goals in 45 attempts, including shutting out RIT’s vaunted power play. However, the key goal by Geneseo was on the power play. The only other blemish for Potsdam’s special teams has been allowing one shorthanded goal.
  • Plattsburgh’s offense. It has picked up right where it left off last year where they averaged over five goals a conference game. So far, they have 15 goals in just two games.
  • Freshmen with an early impact on the scoring charts. Mike Fleming of Fredonia has two goals and seven assists, Michel Bond of Geneseo and Jim Gilbride of Fredonia each have three goals and four assists, and Nick Onody of Geneseo has 2-4–6. Two other players tied for the freshman goal-scoring lead with three are Steve Greenburg of Fredonia and Eric Peter-Kaiser of Potsdam.

    The Featured Word: Flabbergasted

    One of my favorite words in the English language is flabbergasted. I just love the way it sounds, the way it rolls off the tongue, and the meaning of the word. Plus, it is one of those words that just sounds like what it means. Just say it out loud whenever you have the emotion — I’m flabbergasted.

    It just works. And sounds cool.

    Because it is one of my favorite words, I use it sparingly. Therefore, to consider using it in this new regular feature of my column will necessitate something that blows my socks off. If it happens too frequently, I may have to use duct tape on those socks.

    Earlier this week I was perusing the USCHO.com message boards, and saw the thread making picks for this weekend’s SUNYAC contests. What really surprised me were that some of the folks were not regular SUNYAC fans. There were some ECAC West fans, but that didn’t surprise me too much, as those two leagues tend to follow each other.

    No, it was the fans of the other leagues participating that surprised me. Fans of ECAC East and NESCAC schools. Then, the shocker came — fans from the NCHA were also involved! What did they care about the SUNYAC?

    Who could ever have imagined a decade ago that not only would there be an Internet, but that it would create a community where Division III hockey fans not only could get updates from around the country as the goals were scored, but that it would breed a following where someone from a Stevens Point knew just as much about an Oswego as the students attending Oswego? And on top of that, enjoy following every team in every conference, and doing quite well in predicting outcomes from across the country.

    I’m simply flabbergasted!

    Game of the Week

    One would think that the selection would be the two games at Oswego against North Country rivals Potsdam and Plattsburgh. I’m not going to pick those games. Sure, they are going to be important, and might play a key role in the final standings.

    However, this early in the season, I want to keep my eye on a crucial game that will go a long way in deciding Geneseo’s and Fredonia’s seasons, as they face off Friday night at Geneseo.

    Geneseo, a team some expected to challenge for a bye, only got one point out of the first weekend — albeit a tough weekend, but still only one point. Geneseo needs to start getting some points now, before it is too late.

    Meanwhile, Fredonia has served notice that it needs to be taken seriously this year, but to continue that attitude, it must consistently beat teams like Geneseo.

    Indeed, it is the game that will tell us a lot.

    • This Week in Division III: Nov. 14, 2002

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    “A Breakthrough Moment”

    It’s been an interesting couple of weekends for Marian head coach Chris Brown. After opening the season with a respectable 3-1 loss to current No. 1 St. Norbert, the Sabres started league play with a weekend series against Lawrence. Marian was coming off an undefeated season in conference play, riding a 27-game league winning streak dating back to January 19, 2001.

    On Friday, Nov. 1, that all came to an end. Lawrence won 6-2, the first time in the Vikings had defeated the Sabres in 14 attempts.

    The next day, Marian rebounded with a convincing 5-1 win. Quite a turnaround from the night before.

    The same scenario played out the next weekend, when Marian traveled to Elmira for a two-game series, except this time, the Sabres were the underdogs.

    Friday, after building a 2-1 lead on the Soaring Eagles, Marian surrendered nine unanswered goals over the final two periods and lost 10-2.

    But as they had done the previous Saturday, the Sabres rebounded for a 5-4 overtime win over the 12th-ranked team in Division III.

    Deja Vu?

    “The circumstances were different,” said Marian head coach Chris Brown. “I don’t think either was a matter of not being ready (on Friday) or anything like that. (The losses) were both wake-up calls, though.

    “On Friday at Elmira, we played well for over a period. … I thought we were still in the game at 5-2. We were still getting good chances — we talked about that in between the second and third periods. Then in the first minute and thirty seconds of the third, we let in two quick goals and that was all she wrote.”

    Instead of batting down the hatches at that point, the Sabres stuck to their game plan.

    “We didn’t try to trap or shut things down to make the score more presentable,” Brown said. “We said, ‘Let’s just keep playing and see what happens.’ It was embarrassing, but I think it helped us prepare for Saturday.”

    The next night, Marian stayed with Elmira the entire game, squandering leads of two goals in the second period and a goal in the third. Finally, at 2:13 of overtime, junior Brad Hawkins got the game winner.

    “It was a great feeling,” recalled Brown.” We had just killed off a minute and half of power play, and we scored right after that.”

    The goal earned more than a weekend series split for the Sabres.

    “It was a huge load of the back of our program,” said Brown. “In order to get better, you need breakthrough moments, and this was a breakthrough moment.

    “It wouldn’t have been the same if we had tied. We played very hard. The guys earned it.”

    MCHA — Here Today…

    While Marian is clearly the class of the MCHA at this point, the rising tide is lifting all boats.

    “The league as a whole is definitely attracting better players,” said Brown. “The quality of players is better than two years ago when I started.”

    Examples are former MSOE player and league MVP Ryan Moren recently signing a pro contact, the first for an MCHA player, and Lawrence forward Danny Shroder capturing national honors as USCHO Division III offensive player of the week for his play last weekend.

    Still, there are clouds on the horizon. Marian applied last season to join the NCHA but was voted down, 5-3. The three private NCHA schools (St. Norbert, Lake Forest, St. Scholastica) voted in favor of allowing Marian into the league, but, perhaps fearing a power shift, the five Wisconsin public schools (Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Wisconsin-River Falls, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin-Superior) shot down the request.

    “I don’t know why they voted the way they did,” said Brown. “The only thing I can say is that maybe the timing wasn’t right. I think we would have been worthy opponents in the league.”

    The Sabres haven’t given up on the idea, however. They again applied for admission to the NCHA for the 2003-2004 season, and this time sources indicate that they have been joined by MSOE, Lawrence and Northland — the entire league except for Division II Minnesota-Crookston. If approved, this would essentially be a merger of the two leagues, and the end of the MCHA.

    Brown is optimistic about the future of his team, no matter where it winds up. A super-conference might improve the quality of the current MCHA teams even more, plus make them eligible for a Pool C NCAA bid.

    “We need to do what’s best for us, and also in the end what’s best for the west as a whole,” he said. “Things like this might force a discussion of how we can make sure we get more than three teams in the NCAA tournament.”

    Phoenix Rising?

    The 2001-2002 season, Neumann’s first in the ECAC West, was, head coach Nick Russo said, “an eye-opening experience.”

    The Knights went 2-23 last season, and were outscored 215-37.

    “We weren’t able to recruit very much for that first season in the league,” said Russo. “Very few people want to play for an independent, and we decided late in the game to join the ECAC West. Utica had a whole season to prepare, but we were kind of thrown into it.

    “We had to make do with what we had, and it showed.”

    The low point was a 24-0 loss to an RIT squad torn between patronizing a much weaker opponent and playing hockey. It wasn’t pretty for either team.

    “Out of that destruction came some positives,” said Russo. “It opened a lot of eyes at Neumann about the commitment that was necessary. The hockey budget is already half of our entire athletic budget. If we’re going to spend that kind of money, we’ve got to take it seriously.”

    After recruiting players from junior leagues as far away as Calgary and cutting several veterans, Russo is expecting slow but measurable improvement.

    While the outcomes haven’t been any better (Neumann is 0-7), the scores have been. Last Saturday, the Knights lost 8-1 to RIT, outshooting the Tigers in the third period.

    “We’re going slow, kind of treating the first half of the season as a kind of preseason,” said Russo.

    “We’re young. We’re taking our time and looking to the future.”

    This Week in the ECAC: Nov. 14, 2002

    By Jayson Moy and Becky Blaeser
    -

    The first full weekend of ECAC play is now over. Key discoveries:

  • Cornell has come out of the gates strong. After allowing two third-period goals to Yale, the Big Red came back and shut down Princeton for 60 full minutes.
  • Harvard rebounded well from its loss to Brown with two home wins; Dominic Moore showed that he’s going to be a force to be reckoned with this year.
  • The Brown Bears broke into the Top 15, now 3-0-0 and leading the ECAC. Yann Danis has allowed two goals in three games and the Bears are scoring — a deadly combination.
  • Clarkson found out what it was like without Mark Morris behind the bench for a weekend series for the first time in 15 years. And the Golden Knights responded with three points to bounce back from a loss to St. Lawrence.
  • Union came out with a three-point weekend in two close games against St. Lawrence and Clarkson. And the Dutchmen may have found a terrific freshman duo of goaltenders in Kris Mayotte and Tim Roth.
  • Colgate pulled out a close one — then the wheels came off in the Silver Puck game against Yale. The Raiders continue to look for consistency.
  • Rensselaer allowed only three goals all weekend, but only took two points. The Engineer defense is clicking, but the offense needs to catch up.
  • Yale found out that Chris Higgins is a huge cog in the machine as he came back on Saturday from a game disqualification and had two goals and one assist in Yale’s two points for the weekend.
  • Dartmouth is coming around, but has not gotten enough goals to pick up the win lately. The Big Green hopes to turn it around this weekend at home.
  • Princeton lost a close one and then couldn’t score against Cornell. The Tigers, fighting hard, are close to getting over that hump.
  • St. Lawrence lost two more one-goal games this weekend, but looked good against Rensselaer, a good sign for Saint fans.
  • Vermont had momentum, but Yann Danis stopped it on Friday. The Cats never got going offensively, forced to play D for most of the game against Harvard.

    It’s another full weekend of ECAC play — all the road teams last week are now at home, all those at home now on the road.

    Series of the Week

    Brown and Harvard at Clarkson and St. Lawrence

    The two teams that started play the latest are making the most noise during these first few weeks. Road partners Brown and Harvard will hit the road for the North Country with three and two wins, respectively. After breaking into the national polls this week at number 15, the Bears carry a 3-0 record into their first road series, the best start for Brown since the 1994-95 season when it won its first five games.

    Winning has become easier this year for Brown thanks in great part to Yann Danis, who has been nearly perfect in net. This past week, Danis picked up his second straight ECAC Goaltender of the Week Award after he posted back-to-back wins. On Friday night against Vermont, Danis stopped 29 shots en route to his fifth career shutout, a school record. The following evening, Danis swatted away 35 shots — 17 in the first period — to lead his team to the 4-2 win.

    “He’s in a grove right now,” said Brown coach Roger Grillo. “He makes it look simple. The guys in front of him are also doing a great job limiting second-chance opportunities.”

    Numbers just don’t lie as Danis leads the ECAC and the nation with a 0.67 goals against average and a .979 save percentage.

    “In practice I always work on that,” Danis said. “I always try to follow the puck and keep myself squared to it. I feel like all that practice is paying off now.”

    One of those three Brown victories came against Harvard two weeks ago. The Crimson has rebounded nicely since that loss at Meehan Auditorium by knocking off Dartmouth and Vermont last weekend at the Bright Center. Following that loss in Providence, coach Mark Mazzoleni mixed up his lineup and came out with an inspired group.

    “We wore them down maybe a little bit and they were probably a little frustrated by the end of the game,” said senior captain Dominic Moore following Saturday night’s game. “There are a lot of skilled guys on our team right now. That’s why we have such high expectations of ourselves. Last week [at Brown] wasn’t ideal, but we learned our lesson. We have to compete every night to get a win despite our talent level.”

    Moore is the leader of this year’s team. The senior hit a milestone on Friday night when he netted his 100th career point — a feat that was last accomplished in 2001 by his older brother Steve. The younger Moore finished the weekend with three goals and two assists.

    Perhaps most telling in the Crimson’s victory, however, was the fact that they rocketed 56 shots at the Vermont net on Saturday. The Harvard offensive crew is clearly showing its strength and depth. Take one look at the talented players who rotate in and out of the lineup on a nightly basis and it becomes very clear that these wins are no fluke.

    “I thought we did a lot of things that we needed to do [this weekend],” Mazzoleni said. “I thought we did good things mixing it up on our forecheck. We pressured at times [and] we jammed the neutral zone at times so we weren’t predictable. We pressured the puck well, got into their shot lanes and really kept things to the perimeter.”

    The two teams from New England take on the North Country. No one knew what Clarkson was going to do with the Morris issue hanging in the air. All the Golden Knights did was take three points to get back into the ECAC race.

    The Golden Knights held off a charging Rensselaer on Friday night for the 2-1 victory, then came back in the third to tie Union.

    “We talked a lot about not bringing emotion into the hockey game,” said interim coach Fred Parker after Friday’s win. “You want a certain amount, but if it gets taken away from you then you don’t do too well. They were level-headed and they worked hard for 60 minutes and that’s what we wanted.

    “They’re mature people and they’ve dealt with a difficult situation very well. We were due for a win and it just happened that it came tonight.”

    Sometimes the second game is tougher to get over mentally, but the Knights bore down and came away with a tie on Saturday at Union.

    “You have to be happy anytime you get a win and a tie on the road,” Parker said. “They’re exhausted right now. That showed tonight. We were pretty sloppy. Everything caught up to them.”

    Meanwhile, St. Lawrence didn’t bring home any points, but coach Joe Marsh was more than pleased.

    “It was the best game we played this year,” Marsh said. “We had some great chances and both goalies played extremely well. The big thing is that we were able to come out and skate and do some of the things we did against a good team.

    “That’s the way the games are in this league. It doesn’t take that much; sometimes it’s just a fine line between losing one and winning one. We saw that tonight.”

    It was another two one-goal losses for the Saints, but Marsh doesn’t think that it will affect the Saints.

    “I think it’s tough sometimes, but we have a lot of young kids, and it’s up to the older guys not to let that mentality come in,” he said. “The complexion of our team is different. We’re a faster team and I think we have the ability to be a better team than we were a year ago.

    “But we have a long, long way to go to where we want to be. The goal is to work hard and continue to have fun at it.”

    It’s Early, But…

    Yes they play 22 games within the league, but it’s important for some teams to get wins on the board so that a hole isn’t dug too soon.

    For example, if Princeton, Vermont or Dartmouth lose two this weekend, they could conceivably be 10 points behind Brown.

    Already.

    If Brown, Cornell, Harvard, Clarkson or Union put four points up this weekend, they’ll already be in good position for a top spot in the league, even with so many games left.

    We know it’s early, but these games could have huge implications the rest of the way.

    The Best and Worst

    We’re back with another edition of the best and the worst.

    The Best – Clarkson

    The Knights left behind their off-ice problems to come away with three points. A great job by the Knights and Fred Parker.

    The Worst – Clarkson

    Let’s get this investigation over with already. One way or another, let’s get a resolution and get back to hockey.

    Thanks to Sean Peden and Tim MacDonald for their contributions this week.

    • This Week in the MAAC: Nov. 14, 2002

    By
    -

    Pioneers Finally Feel “On Track”

    They began the year in a position they’d never seen before. Entering the 2002-03 campaign the Sacred Heart Pioneers were no longer in their comfortable, though sometimes frustrating, position of underdog.

    As a team that has been up-and-coming for three years now, experts believed that the Pioneers were finally ready to reach their peak this season, laden with stronger senior forwards and senior netminder Eddy Ferhi between the pipes.

    But then the problems started to arise. Faced with a tough five-game road schedule to start the season, Sacred Heart emerged without a win, mustering only two road ties at Bemidji State to start the year.

    “We had a tough schedule right off with all the travel,” said head coach Shaun Hannah. “We went out to Bemidji and did well there and thought that was a successful trip.

    “Then [we played] two games at Colgate and we played solid both nights. I was pleased with our effort but disappointed we didn’t get a win.”

    Two one-goal losses to an establish ECAC team coupled with the two ties to Bemidji still had hopes high for the Pioneers. Until, that was, a trip to Canisius in week three.

    “Out at Canisius it was our fifth road game on a row,” Hannah said of a game that saw his club lose a third-period lead and fall, 3-2, in overtime. “We played okay but had a couple of defensive breakdowns that cost us.”

    So entering last weekend’s action, one thing was clear: the Pioneers would not only have to “play okay,” they needed to win.

    That’s exactly what they did, beating Army last Friday, 3-1, before winning a Tuesday night matchup with Bentley handily, 5-2.

    According to Hannah, those wins were exactly what the doctor ordered.

    “[Tuesday] night’s win and Friday’s win against Army helped us the most,” said Hannah. “Our team has gotten better every game. We’ve got freshmen on every line so it takes some time to get them acclimated.”

    Despite possessing a 2-3-2 record at this juncture, Hannah feels his team has taken care of at least one end of the ice: defense. Now the question is, with a five-goal outburst at Bentley, has the offense finally awakened?

    “Defensively we’ve played fantastic,” Hannah noted about a club defense that ranks tops in the MAAC, allowing just 2.29 goals per game overall and a stingier 2.00 goals against in league games. “We have had some trouble putting puck in the net. But it’s just a matter of our forwards generating some shots and going to the net. It’s an area that still needs to improve but it will come.”

    To continue to find the bright side to the slow start, Hannah just has to look to special teams. His power play has executed at a 40 percent success rate in the league while shorthanded the team’s three man-down tallies in seven games are already highlight material.

    When asked if his team felt more pressure this year with higher expectations, Hannah candidly admitted it is on his club’s mind.

    “We discussed [the pressure] as a team and we are in a position this year we’ve never been in,” Hannah said. “We’re not the underdog going into every game. Changing our focus and making that adjustment is something we have to do.

    “It’s pressure but it’s a pressure that [the players] want. You don’t want to be the underdog all the time. We’ve made some good progress here and now we need to use that pressure to perform.”

    The player with possibly the highest hype and thus the most pressure is Ferhi. In his senior year, the netminder is finally regarded as one of the tops in a league filled with good goaltending.

    Hannah feels, though, that he’s already proven he’s ready for the challenge.

    “I think [Ferhi’s] looking to have a big year,” said Hannah. “He knows going into every game that his job is to give our team a chance to win.

    “He’s always done that for us and he’s kept us in some games this year. This is an opportunity for him to rise to the top and he’s ready for that too.”

    Now the challenge for the Pioneers is to continue winning ways and climbing up the league standings early in the season rather than later. That all starts this weekend with a two-game series against Connecticut.

    “Traditionally in the past our games with UConn have been good games,” Hannah said. “UConn has a character team and they always have. Even if you’re ahead you can’t let your guard down.”

    That sounds like advice that will be important through the season for the Pioneers to enjoy their much-anticipated success.

    Weekly Awards

    ITECH MAAC Hockey League Player of the Week: Matt Craig, Quinnipiac, London, ON

    Craig tallied his first career hat trick in the Bobcats’ 9-3 win over AIC on Friday night. Trailing 3-2 late in the second period, he ignited the comeback with the tying goal, then added the game-winner later in the frame. He completed the feat with a marker in the third period. For the season, Craig ranks at the top of the MAAC in goals (10) and points (16).

    ITECH MAAC Hockey League Co-Goalies of the Week:

    Simon St. Pierre, Bentley, Montreal, QU

    In a two-win weekend, second-year netminder St. Pierre collected 61 saves, including 38 against Army in a 4-2 win. He relinquished just three goals over the weekend, bringing his GAA to 3.15, with a .903 SV%, and 196 saves. With two wins over the weekend, it marks the first two-game road sweep since 1998, and the first ever for Bentley in Division I competition.

    Matt Cifelli, Mercyhurst Toronto, ON

    Cifelli played both games in goal for Mercyhurst and stopped a combined 56 of 59 shots (.949). He stopped 36 of 38 UConn shots Saturday as the Huskies outshot the Lakers 38-32. The Lakers went a combined 5-for-9 (.556) on the power play over the weekend and killed all 12 opponent chances.

    ITECH MAAC Hockey League Rookie of the Week: Jake Plattner, Bentley, Millserville, MD

    In a two-win weekend the first-year forward collected two goals against Army and added a helper against Iona. His second goal against Army proved to be the game-winner. Bentley’s win at Army was the first ever win in West Point, a span of 12 games.

    Bentley Flies High On Road

    It was five long years that Bentley College could go on the road for a weekend with a guarantee to come home with at least one thing: a loss.

    That ended last weekend as the upstart Falcons — whose coach, Ryan Soderquist, was a player for Bentley the last time they won two on the road in a weekend — swept by knocking off Iona on Friday night, 3-1, and Army on Saturday night, 4-2.

    “I don’t remember the last time we swept [a weekend] on the road,” laughed Soderquist. “Heck, I can’t remember the last time we won back-to-back games. It’s was good for the young guys to see that we can win in the league.

    A team that is averaging eight or nine freshmen in the lineup each night, the Falcons are gaining the confidence that first-year coach Soderquist, an assistant under previous head coach Jim McAdam for two years, hoped for.

    “Even last year, we lost a lot of games, but we were in losing them late in the game,” said Soderquist. “We just never got the confidence that we could win games.

    “This year, even with a young team, we have the confidence that if we stick to our game plan and play our game, we will win the games.”

    Much of the success can be credited to the play of Simon St. Pierre. The sophomore netminder struggled through his freshman season but has shown improvement enough to be the MAAC co-goalie of the week.

    “Over the weekend St. Pierre played great hockey,” Soderquist said. “[Tuesday in a 5-2 loss to Sacred Heart] he didn’t play as well, but I spoke with him. It was important that he realized [for himself] that he should’ve had a couple of goals.”

    One thing Soderquist is trying hard to implement is a system of discipline. As a player, he was known for not only a good scoring touch but a fiery attitude that earned him plenty of penalty minutes. That, though, is not what he wants to see carry over now that he’s head coach.

    “We played Fairfield at home and we had 14 penalties,” said Soderquist. “So we had a team meeting and got things together. [Tuesday] we had only two [minutes], so that’s an improvement.

    “We’re not a team that can afford to not have five guys on the ice.”

    A team that hasn’t finished high enough for the playoffs since its inaugural year in the MAAC, Soderquist is enthused that his club is not only winning, but showing hunger in getting those wins.

    “It was good to see us win two games back-to-back,” Soderquist said. “We weren’t satisfied with just the win on Friday night. We wanted both games.”

    Connecticut Challenge, Part I

    As part of an agreement with the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn., college hockey will be on showcase this weekend in southern Connecticut.

    Four Connecticut-based teams — Fairfield, Connecticut, Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac — will showcase college hockey at the barn that houses the AHL’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers this Friday night. Action begins at 5 p.m. with Sacred Heart taking on Connecticut. Quinnipiac will face Fairfield in the nightcap at 8.

    The event is the first of two nights that will highlight college hockey at the recently-built pro hockey palace. Three of the four schools – excluding Quinnipiac and adding Iona — will again play a two-game, single-night showcase on March 6, 2003.

    The challenge of the weekend will be attendance. In a league where the average attendance is already very low, the 8,500-seat Arena at Harbor Yard would seem like a church without a large handful of fans in the seats. The regular tenant, the Tigers, has had trouble already this season generating fan support, averaging only 4,061 fans per game — 24th in a 28-team league.

    According to Sacred Heart’s Shaun Hannah, each individual team will have the responsibility for filling the arena on Friday.

    “We’ve drawn well from the local community here,” said Hannah, whose club drew 658 fans to its home opener last Friday. “[Attendance] is dependent on what each school has done in terms of selling tickets.

    “We’ve been real aggressive getting out into the community. It’s a real good chance for us to showcase our sport and the level of play in the league.”

    Of the four teams playing Friday night, Quinnipiac has the highest attendance, averaging 1,029 in three home games. UConn is second with an 924 per home date. The aforementioned Sacred Heart and Fairfield each have had one game, with Fairfield attracting only 457 to its home opener.

    Hard-luck Iona Adjusting To Road

    The start of this season hasn’t been what Iona and head coach Frank Bretti hoped for. Faced with a daunting nonleague schedule and a lineup comprised almost entirely of underclassmen, Bretti pulled no punches early in the year, noting that his team had an uphill climb.

    But he likely never believed that his club would fall winless through its first nine games before facing the toughest part of its schedule.

    “A lot of the bounces aren’t going our way right now,” said senior goaltender Mike Fraser. “You can tell in the dressing room that guys are frustrated but, at the same time, everybody knows we put in a good effort [against AIC (a 2-1 loss)]. We just have to build on that — especially now that we go on the road.”

    “On the road” may be an understatement. The Gaels play 13 of their next 16 games that way, with home contests against Fairfield, Quinnipiac and Sacred Heart sandwiched. Included in that stretch will be nonleague games against Massachusetts, Union, and nationally-ranked Maine (10) and Brown (15).

    Fraser, though, is hoping this can build chemistry in the young team.

    “We jelled a little bit [in a two-game set at Alaska-Anchorage]. We’re underdogs this year and that’s the way it is right now. We have to use that to our advantage. We have to go [on the road trips] with a clean slate and work our butts off,” Fraser said.

    Bretti feels that the team will need to see the silver lining in the task ahead.

    “We have to try to turn it onto a positive,” said Bretti. “On the other side of the coin, you are going on the road and going up against teams in their own building [and] the odds are in their favor.

    “Somehow or another, we have to turn this thing around and try to keep our distraction down to a minimum.”

    Over the course of the season, Iona will play the toughest nonleague schedule in the MAAC. That’s something that Bretti arranged by design and hoped could help his team. But nine games into the season, he may be questioning that philosophy.

    “It’s hard to say. The rationale behind the setting of our schedule was to go up against some teams that were going to limit our time and space to do things and bring that quickness to the MAAC. It almost seems like it backfired on us,” said Bretti.

    Still looking for a positive, Bretti believes that as the season goes on, the schedule will begin to work to Iona’s favor.

    “I think our guys, from a hockey standpoint, will be a little more ready for the games than in the beginning [of the season].”

    Thanks to Anthony Mastantuoni for his contributions

    Questions of Ethics

    By Joe Bertagna
    -

    A couple of weeks ago, a former college hockey player made headlines for his gesture of good sportsmanship. Greg Rota, who played at New Hampshire, seemed to have led a suburban Boston high school to the Massachusetts State Golf Championship. But on the bus ride back to school, he noticed an error on a player’s scorecard. He notified the authorities and, in the process, gave up the championship.

    Rota’s players may have been saddened by the news that the championship they had celebrated on the course now belonged to someone else. But the coach who did the right thing provided them with a more valuable lesson. Given that Rota played for the program that has rested in the hands of Charlie Holt, Bob Kullen and now Dick Umile, it is no surprise that he knew what to do.

    Sometimes the decisions we have to make are not so clear. I recall a question put to hockey coaches that posed the following dilemma:

    “You are in the third period of a tie game against a major rival. You are battling for first place late in the year and this is the first of a two-night series. Midway through that final period, you see your top player give a quick spear to an opponent behind the play. The player goes down. The referees didn’t see it.

    “You:

    a) sit your player down for the rest of the game.

    b) let him finish the game but sit him out the next game.

    c) sit him down the rest of the game and Saturday night’s game too (like a DQ’d player would.)

    d) you talk to him about what he did but don’t bench him for either game.

    e) do nothing.”

    I believe that most coaches, particularly at the college level, would take some sort of action against the player. But what about coaches at the high school or youth hockey level? Would they? Or would they rationalize that it was the referee’s job to make that call, not theirs?

    Let’s approach this from another angle: What is the difference between “cheating” and “gamesmanship”? As a member of the NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee for the past four years, I suggested that “diving” was akin to cheating. It was an attempt to create a false impression of what was happening on the ice to draw a penalty that may or may not have been warranted. Others countered that it was a tactic like anything else, one that would draw a penalty if detected. That’s gamesmanship, some say.

    “Hey, if a player trips a guy who is going in on a breakaway, we call that a good play,” says a friend. “The rule book doesn’t say you can’t do it. It just tells you what the penalty is if you do it and get caught.”

    “But there’s no deception in that trip,” I say. “You do it knowing that you will probably get caught but you willingly take the penalty to prevent the breakaway.”

    “What difference does that make? The player’s job is to try to win. The referee is there to call the book.”

    There, in a nutshell, is where many people are today on this issue. Do whatever you can get away with. You don’t think so? Remember this when you do your taxes.

    This discussion reminded me of a situation that occurred during my junior year in college. Playing goal in a game against Brown, I saw the puck go over the line and pulled it out before an avalanche of players fell on me. The referee blew the whistle and came over to help separate me from the pile of excess bodies.

    As he reached down to get the puck from me, he said, “Was that in?” I was taken aback by the question and hesitated. One of my defensemen looked at me as if to say, “Tell him ‘No’.”

    I said, “No.”

    After the game, I was bothered by the exchange. I can’t remember if I was upset that I lied or that the referee put me in the situation where I felt I had to. I asked my coach, Bill Cleary, what he would have done.

    Cleary, one of the nation’s top referees before he entered coaching, said, “You should have told him it was his call to make.”

    What made me any different than Greg Rota? He was the only person to discover that the scorecard was wrong. If he says nothing, his team wins the title. I say nothing, the goal doesn’t count. Few people, if any, would expect a goalie in this situation to own up to the goal. It’s not his burden to tell the truth there, is it? That’s a tactic that is expected of goalies. But where should we draw a line? What distinguishes a smart tactic from an unethical act?

    Long before the 15-second faceoff rule, coaches would stall to get their best player or top line more rest before sending them out to play. In an NCAA quarterfinal game at Clarkson’s old Walker Arena many years ago, when Wisconsin had Sean Hill, a great defenseman who went on to a long NHL career, Badgers coach Jeff Sauer was clearly delaying his line changes to rest Hill and then get him back on the ice. Another universally accepted tactic.

    Finally, referee Matt Shegos said to Sauer, “Coach, I’ll give you a choice. You can take your timeout or I’m giving you a delay of game penalty.”

    “You can’t force me to take my timeout,” countered Sauer.

    “No, but I can give you that penalty,” said Shegos. “So what will it be?”

    The timeout was called.

    It seems that different people allow for different tactics. What about the guy who goes down hard and draws not just a penalty but a major? The trainer hops over the boards. The crowd is hushed. Then, as soon as the “5:00” goes up on the scoreboard, the guy bounces up and takes his position on the power play. Is this ethical?

    What about the goalie who gets minimally brushed by a forechecker and does a “spin-a-rama” to draw a penalty? Or the player who holds the opponent’s stick and draws a hook? Are these tactics to be applauded when pulled off successfully, or does a coach have a responsibility to tell his players to cut it out and play by the book?

    As a coach of young goalies, I have sometimes wrestled with certain tactics that I could teach them. Parents pay me to teach their children at summer camps and sometimes at winter clinics. If I have an advanced level goalie in front of me, should I introduce such things as strategically knocking the net off its pins to get a whistle? Or how to knock a guy off balance in front of the net with a well-placed blocker behind the knee? These are not exactly examples of fair play. On the other hand, they are paying me to help their kids with whatever I know can be helpful to a kid at that level. I have decided not to include these types of things in my normal curriculum. But if the parent or kid asks?

    All of us are capable of a really good rationalization from time to time. Here’s one:

    In today’s game, there is more contact with the goalie than ever before. The goalie who trusts that the official will make the right calls and allow him the space he is supposed to be afforded is often disappointed. If unnecessary and illegal contact results in a goalie being pushed back into the crossbar in such a way that he loses sight of the puck, he is immediately vulnerable if a shot comes on goal in the ensuing seconds. In those situations, isn’t the goalie justified in falling back and knocking the net off its moorings to get a whistle? One illegal act temporarily handicaps the goalie; the goalie counters with an illegal act of his own, just to even things up.

    I have come to the conclusion that the reason it is difficult to distinguish between the solid tactic and the unethical act is that often, to be honest, they are both. By a strict definition, when you deliberately break the rule to gain an advantage that might help you win, you are being unethical. However in today’s culture, we value winning so highly that many such acts are looked on with admiration. In fact, many people think of a competitor as weak if he fails to “pull out all stops.” I believe that’s called a euphemism.

    Lest you think I am trying to pass myself off as above this, let me make another public confession. One of the proudest moments in my post-college, senior hockey career came in a tournament in Montreal several years ago. If we won our pool, we advanced to the final game, which would be played at the old Montreal Forum. I recall that we had former Boston Bruin defenseman Gary Doak on our team. He was a great player and an even better guy.

    Nursing a one-goal lead late in the game, our team was under attack as time wound down. I moved out to face a shot from the right point, made the save, and in the process, fell down with an opposing player landing on top of me. The puck drifted out toward the left point.

    I knew right away that even if the guy got off of me, I wouldn’t be able to get up and over to cover the open net. They were going to tie the game. Then I got an idea. As that player was attempting to get off of me, I held on to his leg, shouting loud enough for the referee to hear, “Get off of me! Hey! Get off of me!” The poor bastard was trying to do just that but I wouldn’t let him.

    As anticipated, their left defenseman scored into an open net. But the referee waved off the goal and issued an interference penalty to the guy who was on top of me. You should have seen the look he shot me.

    We got to the Forum but lost the final. And I remember as we were getting dressed after the game, somebody looked over at the good-natured Doak and said, “Gee, Gary, you still can’t win a big game in this building.”

    Correction

    In last month’s column, I made reference former Brown coach Jim Fullerton and “The Diamond.” I mistakenly referred to it as a “power play strategy.” Well, I heard from Jim’s son, also named Jim, and he set me straight.

    “I recall Dad explaining to me his Diamond Defense that I believe he used at Brown when his teams were really undermanned, probably around 1958-61. Here’s what I recall about this tactic: when down a man, a forward would chase the puck carrier in the offensive zone then pick up a free wing in the neutral zone. The two defensemen would ideally pick up the puck carrier in the neutral zone. Behind the defense, he kept his other forward, who would be closer to getting the puck and sending it back down the ice. His skaters were not as fast so he stacked the defensive zone rather than risk two slow skaters against the usual high-scoring line when the opponent had a man advantage. This ploy helped prevent a breakaway and retrieved the puck (if dumped) before the opponents could set up a man advantage play.”

    So, when Jim Fullerton was yelling for “The Diamond,” he was setting up his Brown defensive strategy. When “Snooks” Kelley countered with, “Look out for ‘The Diamond’,” well, we’re still not sure what he was expecting from his Eagles.

    Joe Bertagna is the Executive Director of the American Hockey Coaches Association and commissioner of the Hockey East Association.

    This Week in the WCHA: Nov. 14, 2002

    By
    -

    Surprise!

    The season of surprises has begun, maybe a little earlier than most thought it would.

    Their wins last Friday over two of the league’s elite probably weren’t surprises to Minnesota-Duluth and Minnesota State-Mankato, or their fans. Among the rest, there had to be some eyebrows raised.

    Last season, the WCHA didn’t have an upset of this magnitude — one where a team picked for the bottom few spots knocks off a team picked for the upper spots — until January, when a visiting UMD shocked St. Cloud State, 3-2 on Jan. 11.

    And 3-2 was the score again, in both the Bulldogs’ victory at top-ranked Denver and the Mavs’ win over defending national champion Minnesota.

    WCHA coaches often use the line that their league is so strong that on any given night … and, well, you can probably fill in the rest.

    But there have been few concrete examples of it in the last two-plus seasons, especially when looking at the league’s playoffs. Seeds six through 10 have won a total of one game in the WCHA’s first round over the last two years.

    Two upsets on one night, though? Yeah, that should start the talk again.

    “It’s great for the league, obviously,” WCHA commissioner Bruce McLeod said. “We have it much, much more competitive. From the standpoint of two teams winning here and there, I think it’s great for the league. Parity is always good.

    “We’ve always prided ourselves that the league is tough from top to bottom. I think this year we’ve even squeezed it a little closer, with the top teams coming down a notch and some of the have-nots coming up.”

    Having a highly competitive league might not be good when it comes to NCAA tournament time — one theory suggests that having dominant teams provides more higher seeds and a better road to the Frozen Four. But it’s good for interest in the league.

    “I don’t think it’s healthy for a league if the same two teams are at the top and the same two teams are at the bottom,” said Minnesota coach Don Lucia. “I think you want a league where the bottom goes up and the top, sometimes, comes down. And I think we have that in our league.”

    On That Note

    Mankato’s Troy Jutting has heard it suggested that his team is turning a corner. He didn’t know there was a corner to be turned.

    “People perceive things in different ways, but I’ve looked at it over the course of the first three years in the league, I personally don’t think we’ve done that badly,” Jutting said. “Everybody says we’re turning the corner and we’re doing this and that. We’ve already been at home [for the first round of the playoffs] once in three years and we’ve already been one weekend away from being at home all three years.

    “Do I think we need to get better? You bet I do. But in terms of turning the corner, it’s early in the season. It’s one win — it was a good win, but it’s one win. We’re trying to get better, like a lot of teams in our league right now. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come and hopefully that does indicate that. But I know that if we don’t play well this weekend, we’ll get beat up twice, just like you will every weekend in this league.”

    The going doesn’t get any easier in the near future, either. After taking next weekend off, the Mavericks head to North Dakota.

    With 16 freshmen and sophomores on the Mavericks’ 26-man roster, Jutting’s team resembles many others in the WCHA in age.

    “I think a lot of teams, it’s going to take a couple of months before they find their real identities this year, just because the league is so young,” Jutting said. “I’d like to think that one of the things we’ve been able to do over the first weeks of the season is play pretty hard from start to finish. And we’ve also come back quite a bit. We came back against St. Cloud, we came back against Minnesota, both nights really. … Maybe one of the things we’re finding out is these kids will play hard to the finish and they don’t give up.”

    First Test

    Though its early-season WCHA schedule was full of opportunities, Colorado College has managed to avoid a letdown against the teams picked for low finishes in the league.

    Things get a little more interesting this weekend.

    After five wins and a tie against Minnesota-Duluth, Michigan Tech and Alaska-Anchorage, the Tigers get a taste of an opponent that plays its brand of hockey with a trip to Minnesota.

    Last season’s meetings? 6-5 CC and 7-3 Gophers. Think these teams can score?

    This will be CC’s toughest competition to date this season, and it comes after the Gophers got something of a wake-up call last Friday night at Mankato.

    But, the opposition notwithstanding, the Tigers have been playing solid hockey. In fact, with the exception of that 0-5 league start last season, they’ve been doing that for over a year.

    Since being out of the race for the MacNaughton Cup after five games last season, CC is 21-5-3 in WCHA games and 33-9-4 overall.

    Dreams on Hold

    Ryan Malone dreams of pulling on a Penguins jersey, looking down the bench and seeing Mario Lemieux and stepping onto the ice in his hometown.

    Who doesn’t? But the St. Cloud State senior forward’s dreams are a lot closer to happening than others’.

    Five-point games like he had against North Dakota last Friday make your mind wander. Could he be just a few seats down from Mario?

    “It would be ridiculous,” Malone said of the possibility. “It would be like all your dreams coming true. Even getting drafted by them, I was shocked by that. And then getting a chance to play there next year would be unbelievable.

    “It’s like what you dream about when you’re two years old. Besides winning the Stanley Cup, I don’t think there’s a better feeling that I would ever get.”

    For now, though, Malone is shelving thoughts of playing in Pittsburgh for a final run at greatness in the college game.

    Not that this season isn’t just a little bit about prepping for the next level, though. Malone moved from the wing to center, the position he’s most likely to play in the pros. He trained for two weeks in the offseason with Penguins forwards Ian Moran and Kris Beech and knows the organization’s staff.

    Malone has experience at center from his time in high school and in juniors, so the move hasn’t been terribly difficult. He said most of the work he has to do is on faceoffs.

    “I’d like to be the go-to guy there,” Malone said. “Then [in the defensive] zone, I just have to use my body more. You have to be a little more in shape if you’re going to be playing both ends of the ice. But with Cully and Motzy [linemates Jon Cullen and Joe Motzko], all of us can play [defense as] forwards, so it’s usually the first one back in the zone plays defense. It’s not really too much of a change.”

    Added Malone: “As long as I’m playing, it doesn’t really matter where.”

    His five-point Friday night included three goals. It was a strong statement for someone coming off a three-game hiatus because of a hip-pointer injury.

    “The bounces were going my way, I guess,” Malone said. “It was nice to see, especially coming back after not playing that last weekend.”

    While We’re Talking

    Here are Malone’s takes on some more topics:

  • On St. Cloud State’s Saturday night struggles (the Huskies are 0-3-1 in the second game of series this season): “We need to score more goals Saturday. Monty [goaltender Jason Montgomery], I feel bad for our other goalie. He hasn’t even had a win yet, but he’s been playing unbelievable. If you look at the goal support, we’re not producing for him.

    “I think we need to bear down on Saturday. We’re getting ready all week for Friday, we almost forget about Saturday. We need to be mentally prepared also for that. … Hopefully we can turn it around this weekend and get two good nights out of the guys.”

  • On playing Minnesota State-Mankato this weekend: “When we played Mankato before this year, we were up 5-0 after one period. Then we took the second period off, and then the third period we were just trying to hang on instead of staying after it and staying hungry, and they ended up tying the game. Luckily, we won in overtime. But coming back from five goals is a pretty big accomplishment. I’m sure they have a lot more confidence now than they did.”

    Shuffling

    It was time for a change with North Dakota’s top production line.

    With the Zach Parise-Brandon Bochenski-Quinn Fylling line held in check and checked hard in a 7-3 loss at St. Cloud State last weekend, Sioux coach Dean Blais made minor changes.

    Bochenski moved from Parise’s left wing to the right. Kevin Spiewak took over on the left, and Fylling joined Tyler Palmiscno and Mike Prpich on the fourth line.

    “We just needed a little bit more balance,” Blais said. “Not that you want to screw up the Parise line, but we thought they were being checked too closely by three seniors from St. Cloud. So we had to distribute the scoring a little bit. It paid off.”

    It did. Bochenski and Parise each scored in a 3-2 overtime win on Saturday.

    Blais said, however, he isn’t sure whether the changes will stick for this weekend’s series with Alaska-Anchorage.

    “If the Parise line’s going to score three and four goals a game, we’re going to leave them together no matter what,” Blais said. “But then it’s easier for the other team to key on that line.”

    Solving Riddle

    Get out of Troy Riddle’s way when he sees a Colorado College jersey. He’s headed straight for the net.

    In six career games against the Tigers, the Minnesota junior forward has five goals and 14 points for the Gophers.

    Explanation?

    “Part of it is the recruiting process,” Lucia said. “[CC was] involved in recruiting him real hard, and he ended up coming here. And he played with [CC forward Peter] Sejna on the same line in Des Moines. I think all of those things, you get a little stoked up in a situation like that.”

    Lucia has seen Riddle’s worth in practice and games for more than two seasons, but it was on display for everyone to see last weekend. He scored in Friday night’s game, then left with a separated shoulder before Mankato rallied.

    After being OK’d to play after the warmup on Saturday, he scored twice and had a four-point night.

    “When you begin a year and you lose [Johnny] Pohl and [Jeff] Taffe and [Jordan] Leopold and some of these guys, you want other players to step up into some of those roles,” Lucia said. “Troy is one of those guys that, I think he was licking his chops when Johnny graduated because all of a sudden he’s going to get No. 1 power-play time, he’s going to be one of the first forwards over the bench in every situation, as opposed to maybe the second group of forwards over the bench last year.

    “And he’s delivered. To his credit, he has scored more than I had anticipated this early in the season. He’s generating chances and he has been, by far, our best forward so far this year.”

    Home Away From Home

    Wisconsin has won 10 straight times at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center, through a variety of circumstances. No matter how good or how bad the Badgers are, the DECC has been a welcome sight since the 1996-97 season.

    Consider:

  • Last season, they were 3-3 and took two wins.
  • In 2000-01, they were on a three-game losing streak and took two wins.
  • In 1998-99, they were slow to get started, 1-4, and took two wins.
  • In 1997-98, they took two wins, then went on a five-game losing streak.
  • And in 1996-97, they took two wins and three games later started a nine-game losing streak to end the season.

    All kinds of situations, yet still one result at the DECC.

    Watch the Mailbox

    The NCAA’s weeklong early-signing period started Wednesday, giving the next crop of college hockey players the chance to return signed letters of intent to the schools they’ll attend.

    Meanwhile, it gives coaches a reason to check the mailbox, though with mass communication in college hockey, everyone knows who’s going where even before it’s official.

    “We are starting to get to that point of the season where there could be some separation starting to happen. Along with the signing period and all the other responsibilities you have, it is a little bit of a hectic time, but it’s a fun time,” Jutting said. “You do the job 365 days a year to get yourself in position on the weeks that you’re playing. It seems fast more than busy. It seems like Monday turns to Friday in a hurry.”

    The next signing period runs from April 16, 2003 to Aug. 1, 2003.

    Fourteen for the Road

    With his team’s next 14 games at Ralph Engelstad Arena, Dean Blais is thinking of you, the fans.

    He empathizes with the plight of the season-ticket holder who makes trips to the rink weekend after weekend. Boy, such a chore.

    “By the fourth weekend, the crowd’s going to be going, jeez, we’ve got another weekend of hockey,” Blais said. “Kind of like a parent that’s got two or three kids, having to shuffle them all over to different events.”

    So don’t ever claim Blais isn’t sensitive to the needs of his fans. But he also realizes the price to pay for such a homestand early in the season — heck, this is so long it carries over into midseason — will be time away from home down the stretch.

    Ten of these 14 games are for WCHA points, so you don’t need to tell the Sioux this stretch is big. After all, they’ve been through their share of frustrations at the new Ralph — see the 7-9-1 home record last season for proof — and want to do well in front of their fans this time around.

    “It was just odd coming into the rink every day [last season], and I think that players are used to it now,” Blais said. “The old glitter of the arena … it’s an ice sheet right now. Yeah, things are nice, it’s got a nice weight room, but it’s not like they’re going ga-ga over it. We should have a better record at home this year than we did last year.”

    For the record, a 14-game homestand ties for the longest in UND history. The 1950-51 and 1955-56 seasons both opened with 14 straight home games. It’s also the longest home stretch for any WCHA team this season.

    Second Time Around

    Wade Dubielewicz didn’t lose his second game last season until Feb. 1, his 14th game and Denver’s only losing streak of the year. This season, the Pioneer goaltender had two losses by Nov. 8, his sixth game.

    Now, let’s not sound the alarm here, but last’s season’s top WCHA goaltender has seen his stats slip.

    After six appearances last season, Dubielewicz was 6-0 with a 2.00 goals against average and a .937 save percentage. This season, with five starts and one relief appearance in which he earned a win, he’s 4-2 with a 2.26 GAA and a .912 save percentage.

    And that’s while facing fewer shots than he did in his first six appearances last season. He saw a shot, on average, every 1 minute, 54 seconds early last season. That time has risen to 2:20 this season.

    After both Friday night Dubielwicz losses this season, Adam Berkhoel has taken over as Goaltender 1A and put up a victory. On each occasion, the Pioneers allowed five fewer shots than in the loss the night before.

    The Home Advantage

    There are buildings around the WCHA where the atmosphere is enough to carry the home team at times. There are teams around the league that would like that atmosphere in their barn.

    Such is the case with St. Cloud State and Minnesota State-Mankato, who square off in a home-and-home series this weekend.

    Both played to sold-out home crowds last weekend, but the atmosphere at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud is widely considered one of the liveliest in the league. That’s the kind of thing that can swing a game from time to time.

    “I look at St. Cloud and the environment they’ve managed to create in their rink, and I personally think it’s worth a goal or two every game to them if they can get things started,” Jutting said. “I think it’s the same for all teams. Obviously, to have a full building and a crowd that’s energetic, I don’t think the kids necessarily hear it as much as they feel it. I think it helps all teams when they’ve got a supportive crowd behind them, making some noise and causing the energy level to go up in the rink.”

    That National Hockey Center’s energy level is one of the things Malone missed in his injury absence.

    “It gives you goose bumps almost,” he said. “They play ‘Welcome to the Jungle’ and everyone just goes crazy. Even during the starting lineup, everyone’s just going nuts. The atmosphere’s great. That’s why it hurts so bad when you’re not playing, you’re watching the game. You just hear how rowdy the fans get and how into the game they are. The atmosphere is one of the best I’ve ever played in. You can’t ask for better fan support than St. Cloud.”

    On The Shelf

  • At Minnesota-Duluth, junior forward Jesse Unklesbay is out four to six weeks after suffering a broken left tibia last Saturday in Denver. Meanwhile, Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin sent tape of the injury — which occurred on a knee-to-knee collision with the Pioneers’ Max Bull — to see if there was an intent to injure, according to the Duluth News Tribune. There was no penalty called on the play, and the league has not made a decision on the appeal.
  • At Alaska-Anchorage, sophomore defenseman Lee Green is questionable for this weekend’s series at North Dakota with a groin injury. Freshman forward Justin Johnson also is questionable with an ankle injury.
  • At Minnesota, no news is good news. But the Gophers won’t get sophomore Jerrid Reinholz back from a broken jaw this week, as was expected. The new timetable for returns, Lucia said, is Reinholz next week, Jon Waibel (broken hand) in two weeks and Barry Tallackson (separated shoulder) in three weeks.

    “Must be the national championship jinx,” Lucia said. “It happened to [Boston College] last year.”

    In Other Words

    In the interest of promoting the WCHA Final Five to fans, Carol LaBelle, the assistant commissioner of operations and the tournament director, is going around to league arenas with brochures on ticket and travel packages. One of the league’s emphases is to sell fans on the tournament, even if their team isn’t playing. She was in St. Cloud and Mankato last weekend. … It’s “Bandanna Weekend” at Michigan Tech. The first 1,000 fans into the MacInnes Student Ice Arena for games against Denver will get Huskies bandannas. … Since opening the season with a victory over Alaska-Fairbanks, Alaska-Anchorage is 0-5-2. The program’s 350th victory remains one away. … The Seawolves practiced at Minnesota’s Ritter Arena, home of the Gophers’ women’s team, and used the Gophers’ weight room this week before traveling to Grand Forks. The Seawolves stayed in the lower 48 this week after a series at Colorado College. “Gotta treat your league members good,” Lucia said. …

    Colorado College freshmen played a big role in the rally to overtake Alaska-Anchorage last weekend. Marty Sertich, Weston Tardy, Trevor Frischmon and Brett Sterling scored the Tigers’ first four goals in a 5-2 win. … Sejna, who added an empty-net goal, ran his point-scoring streak to 11 games, dating back to the loss to Minnesota in last year’s NCAA tournament. … League players of the week were St. Cloud State’s Malone on offense, CC’s Tom Preissing on defense and the Tigers’ Sterling as the top rookie. …

    Bochenski’s shorthanded goal in last Saturday’s 3-2 North Dakota victory over St. Cloud State was the Sioux’s sixth of the season. They had four all of last season. … Denver’s Kevin Doell recorded his 100th career point last Saturday. He’s the 10th George Gwozdecky-coached Pioneers player to do so. … Friday’s game against CC will be Lucia’s 600th as a Division I head coach. … With about a dozen players in the training room, Minnesota took Tuesday off from practice.

    • This Week in the CCHA: Nov. 14, 2002

    By
    -

    Green And White And Frustrated

    When Ron Mason stepped down as Michigan State’s head coach and Rick Comley stepped in, it was obvious that things would be different in Munn Arena. Not only had Mason left, but Hobey Baker winner and goaltender extraordinaire Ryan Miller had decided to forego his senior season in favor of pro hockey, so not one but two anchors of the program were suddenly gone.

    As a result of changes in style — Comley favors a more wide-open brand of hockey, rather than Mason’s conservative, defensive approach — and personnel, the Spartans are still adjusting to all the changes.

    “They’re coming,” says Comley of his squad. “I think it’s a team that’s going to be a pretty good team. I think that we’ll be a second-half team rather than a first-half team.”

    Last year at this time, the Spartans were 6-2-1 and nationally ranked. So far this season, MSU is 5-3-0 and unranked; the most recent Spartan loss was Friday’s 2-1 defeat at the hands of Niagara, a team MSU squeaked by Saturday night.

    “Patience isn’t something they [the players] like,” says Comley. “Last year, they never dropped below sixth in the country.”

    There are several reasons — some obvious, some not so — for MSU’s slow start.

    “Ryan Miller was so good,” says Comley, “and this team had the best power play in the conference, the best penalty killing in the country, and the best goaltending in the country. It takes time to rebuild that.”

    Comley also says that this team misses Adam Hall and Andrew Hutchinson, who together were responsible for 29 of MSU’s 129 goals last season.

    “We aren’t scoring,” says Comley, “and you let teams stay around, and there’s really not a team in this league you can do that with.”

    The Spartans are averaging nearly 30 shots per game, but just can’t seem to bury their chances. In overall games, MSU is even in scoring with opponents (25-25), and is barely edging league rivals (17-13).

    Another contributor to the slow start is not the absence of Ryan Miller per se, but the presence of Matt Migliaccio — and it’s not even the netminder’s fault.

    “Matt has played well in goal,” says Comley, “but there was a period of time during which that had to be proven to the team.”

    Finally, the biggest factor to MSU’s period of adjustment is, well, adjustment.

    “It’s style of play,” says Comley, whose Northern Michigan teams were traditionally more offensive-minded and played the body like nobody’s business. “I’ve got a different approach with them, and I’m going to stay with that.”

    Games Of The Week

    There was a time when this would be a grudge match, pure and simple. With a new coach at MSU and 1998 so long ago, now this pairing is simply a great series between two Big Ten schools close in the standings.

    Michigan State (5-3-0, 3-1-0 CCHA) at Ohio State (6-2-1, 3-0-1 CCHA)
    Friday and Saturday, 7:05 p.m., Value City Arena, Columbus, Ohio

    Ron Mason coached both Rick Comley and John Markell. A few years ago, you would have been hard-pressed to find the evidence of such a pedigree on the ice; Comley prefers a wide-open, take-the-body style of hockey, while Markell had stuck to the more conservative play favored by Mason himself.

    Oh, how times have changed.

    Now Comley — a logical successor to Mason at Michigan State — has had to allow for an adjustment period with the Spartans.

    Markell, on the other hand, has opened it up at Ohio State. The Buckeyes are outscoring opponents in both overall (33-24) and league (16-7) play. And while every OSU goal so far this season has come from a forward, blueliners are encouraged to jump into the play when the situation calls for it.

    And these Buckeyes really want to score; OSU is averaging 34 shots on goal per game.

    Markell says, “We’re playing our systems right now. I think the young kids are doing a good job. Our defense is playing solidly, and our goaltending is solid.”

    The only thing that worries Markell at this point is unnecessary penalties. “It continues to be a problem and it’s frustrating.”

    Buckeyes fans have been surprised to see backup goaltender Dave Caruso play a game at home and on the road. Last weekend, Caruso, a sophomore from Georgia of all places, earned his first league win Saturday in Sault Ste. Marie.

    Markell says that Mike Betz, the Buckeyes’ top netminder, is using Caruso’s play the “right way — as motivation.”

    “He [Betz] likes the fact that Dave can play,” says Markell, “but naturally he wants to be in net himself.”

    Markell is happy to be able to give a backup time between the pipes, a luxury he didn’t really have in Betz’s first two years of play, and he’s been careful about when he’s played Caruso.

    “He’s been in two situations where he could have success.” The Buckeyes also beat Colgate with Caruso in net.

    Starting Caruso produced more than just a 5-2 win against Lake Superior State; all five OSU goals came from sources other than the first line of RJ Umberger, Dan Knapp, and Dan Kesler.

    “[Caruso] works way too hard in practice for the team to not respond in front of him,” says Markell.

    While it seems as though the Buckeyes are off to a more solid start than are the Spartans, Markell knows what happens when these two teams square off. MSU has a commanding 69-13-7 all-time lead over OSU, leading 25-10-6 in Columbus, 7-1-2 in the last 10 meetings.

    “They’re just adjusting to a new coach and a new system,” says Markell. “It’s part of getting to know what’s going to be acceptable and not acceptable. Watching them on tape, they’re still a good hockey club.”

    Markell says he expects the games this weekend to be physical. “I expect a very emotional series — a Big Ten school, and we have quite a few kids from Michigan who looked at MSU at one time or another.” Markell adds, “They demand our respect, and that’s something that creates emotion.”

    Here are a few stats to consider:

  • Goals per game: OSU 3.67 (fifth), MSU 3.12 (sixth)
  • Goals allowed per game: OSU 2.67 (fourth), MSU 3.12 (seventh)
  • Power play: MSU 22.2% (fourth), OSU 18.4% (sixth)
  • Penalty kill: OSU 86.0% (third), MSU 82.4% (eighth)
  • OSU’s top scorer: Dan Knapp (6-6-12)
  • MSU’s top scorer: Brad Fast (6-3-9)
  • MSU’s top ‘tender: Matt Migliaccio (.935 SV%, 1.50 GAA)
  • OSU’s top ‘tender: Mike Betz (.902 SV%, 2.69 GAA)

    Here are two more stats of the feel-good variety, one for each team:

    MSU freshman forward David Booth netted his first goal in D-I play when he scored the Spartans’ only goal in their 2-1 loss to Niagara. Congrats, David.

    OSU senior Miguel Lafleche registered the first multi-goal game of his career and his first three-point game in the Buckeyes’ 5-2 win over LSSU. Lafleche had previously recorded 24 one-goal games as a Buckeye. Congrats, Miguel.

    The Spartans enter the weekend with the league’s best power play (in conference games) while the Buckeyes have the league’s best penalty kill.

    Last year, the Spartans spanked the Buckeyes in East Lansing in two games by the collective score of 8-2, but the teams tied two consecutive nights y the same score, 3-3, in Columbus.

    This series kicks off a six-game road stretch for MSU. “It’s been kind of a sporadic start to the year,” says Comley, “in who we’ve played and the amount of games we’ve played. I don’t think we’ve gotten into a positive rhythm yet. These [road] games will be good games for us; they’re conference games and then we have the College Hockey Showcase.”

    Comley calls Ohio State the “sleeping giant.” He may be right.

    Picks: I could call a split. I could call a lot of things. What I can’t do right now is call against this Buckeye offense. OSU 4-3, 4-3

    Grudge Of The Week

    Nothing like bringing back an old favorite with two teams that share some serious history.

    Lake Superior State (3-7-0, 0-6-0 CCHA) at Michigan (6-1-1, 3-0-1 CCHA)
    Friday and Saturday, 7:35 p.m., Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, Mich.

    When the CCHA went to the Super Six playoff format, one little detail gnawed at the minds of all those concerned with the PairWise Rankings:

    What if a team low on the totem pole beat a team gunning for an NCAA berth?

    Well, the world didn’t end, but that’s exactly what happened. The first-place Wolverines needed three games to beat the last-place Lakers in best-of-three, first-round CCHA playoff action to advance to The Joe.

    If that weren’t bad enough, the Lakers are the only team in the CCHA to own a winning record against the Wolverines, leading this all-time series 44-39-6. However, in both regular-season meetings between Michigan and LSSU last year, the Wolverines outscored the Lakers by a collective score of 6-0. In fact, Michigan has blanked Lake State four the last six times the two teams met in regular-season play, dating back to the 2000-01 season.

    Lake Superior is off to its worst league start, ever, although in 1999-98 the Lakers went 0-5-1 in their first six CCHA games, a close second.

    Last weekend, LSSU lost two at home to OSU, going 0-for-11 on the power play and scoring three goals on the weekend. The Buckeyes outshot the Lakers 78-42 in the two games. Netminder Matt Violin stopped 38 pucks in his Friday night loss; Terry Denike had 31 saves Saturday.

    The Wolverines have had to contend with injuries, illness, and suspensions early this season. Currently, Milan Gajic is out, having been suspended by head coach Red Berenson because of academics (although Gajic is skating with the team). Senior Jed Ortmeyer (MCL) will miss four to six weeks. Jason Ryznar is questionable this weekend. Andy Burnes (mono) came back last weekend. John Shouneyia missed the first six games with a broken wrist.

    Last weekend, the Wolverines had their hands full on the road with an earnest Bowling Green team. Michigan beat BGSU 6-4 Friday before tying the Falcons 1-1 in the Saturday rematch.

    Have you seen Al Montoya in net yet? Have you seen him out of the net? Rumor is that the youngster (and he is young, so I’m not being patronizing here) likes to wander a bit, in an entertaining way.

    Picks: Not to buck the odds, seeing as Lake State leads the series all-time, but… Michigan 4-2, 5-2

    Is The Sky Falling?

    Chris Kunitz is not the CCHA Offensive Player of the Week. Mike Brown is not the league’s Defensive POTW.

    Ferris State lost to Wayne State. What happened?

    “I feel we played a solid game except for that five-minute span of time in the second period where we made those mistakes,” said head coach Bob Daniels.

    And what happened?

    With the score tied 1-1 on two power-play goals, the Warriors exploded for three goals in less then two minutes. Maxim Starchenko scored at 10:41; Tyler Kindle at 11:17; Billy Collins at 12:17. All even strength.

    One Down, A Few To Go

    Congratulations to Scott Paluch and the Bowling Green Falcons for their first league point of the season. The struggling Falcons did it in style, tying No. 5 Michigan 1-1 Saturday night.

    A Personal Bias

    Congratulations to the Fredonia State Blue Devils on their wins last weekend, their first home games of the season. The Blue Devils play in the SUNYAC, for those of you unfamiliar with Division III hockey.

    When it comes the Blue Devils and the SUNYAC, I’m a mere fan. Fredonia State is my alma mater.

    • This Week in the CHA: Nov. 14, 2002

    By Geof F. Morris
    -

    Upset City, Here We Come!

    First, one must ask the questions: were last weekend’s defeats of Michigan State by Niagara on Friday night and Ferris State by Wayne State on Saturday night truly upsets? Stalwart fans of the CHA would probably say no, but given the league’s nonconference record this season, one would have to say yes.

    After all, the CHA, even after the statement-making wins, is just 4-21-2 against the “Big Four” conferences. And the other two wins came against schools from the ECAC, which has fallen behind its peers of late.

    Are those two wins a harbinger of things to come? Fans of the CHA have to hope that it signifies a turnaround, because if not, the league will gain the derision of fans and commentators around the country, and frankly, that’s not good for the growth of college hockey.

    How did the upsets happen? Wayne State won because it capitalized on the mistakes Ferris State made defensively on Saturday — as you would expect from a senior-laden team like the Warriors. Niagara won with solid goaltending from Rob Bonk and scoring from Joe Tallari and linemate Barret Ehgoetz.

    Now, last week someone said, “It’s tempting to think that Joe Tallari and one of the Eagles’ goaltenders will get hot on the same night, but the Eagles have been routinely outshot by better competition. They will have to play a bit tighter to come away with a win.”

    What do you know? Niagara stayed even in shots on goal, Bonk stepped up while playing in his home state, and Tallari had a hand in both goals.

    Maybe that crystal ball isn’t broken after all …

    Stop The Presses! Extra! Extra!

    Bemidji State broke the streak! And no, I’m not referring to the overtime streak — that was broken against Minnesota State earlier. No, the Beavers’ 14-game winless streak is over, ended with a win on Friday and a tie on Saturday night at Findlay.

    So yes, the team that’s 1-2-5 leads the conference with three points. What can you say, other than “It’s early”?

    That’s about it. Gazing back into that crystal ball: “Look for the Beavers to rally around having [Grady] Hunt back on Friday and break through for a win, and then expect the Oilers to bear down and pull through on Saturday.” Sure enough: Bemidji’s offense produced more opportunities on Friday, but Findlay came back and chucked 41 pucks towards Hunt the next night.

    Of course, it had to end in a tie. But what with Bemidji hasn’t this year? One has to wonder if Vegas is laying odds on the over-under for the number of overtime games the Beavers will play this season. Regardless, the Beavers are 1-1 in games that only go the regulation time, and you have to imagine that the team can still feel good about itself.

    Sweet Home Alabama

    One suspects that the Alabama-Huntsville guys enjoyed the weekend off after three straight rough weekends on the road against WCHA opponents. I’ve been heard to say that the Chargers are the best winless team in the country, but there are only three winless teams left: the Chargers, Princeton, and Iona.

    The Chargers host Air Force, a team they haven’t lost to at home in over a decade. Is that streak to continue? I wouldn’t bet on it.

    The penalty kill has been a nightmare for the Chargers this season, as they’ve only killed 71% of opponent power play. They host the Falcons, who’ve scored on 25% of power-play opportunities, and Andy Berg, who already has nine points on the power play. This is not a recipe for a good weekend for the homestanding team, but hey, the Falcons should find that kind of nest to their liking.

    Looking into the Crystal Ball

    Sure, talking about it has probably cracked it now. But why not keep on going back to the well?

    First, let’s look to the nonconference tile of the weekend, in which Craig Barnett’s Oilers play a home-and-home with the Miami RedHawks.

    The RedHawks are a quality team, 9-3-0 on the season. The two schools have a common opponent in Bowling Green. Unfortunately for Findlay, that doesn’t bode well: the RedHawks took the Falcons 3-2 and 6-1, and the Falcons beat the Oilers 4-3.

    Then there’s the fact that Enrico Blasi’s team has a solid senior goaltender in David Burleigh. Jamie VandeSpyker should face his toughest test of the season this weekend. Look for the Oilers to keep it close on home ice and struggle on the road but lose both games.

    The premier conference matchup is current leader Bemidji hosting two-time defending champion Wayne State. All overtime jokes aside, these are two evenly-matched teams. They both have solid goaltenders, good defensemen who can play on both ends of the ice, and skilled forwards. The Beavers are 5-2-3 all time against the Warriors, so the overtime trend could continue.

    This series could be decided on special teams. The Warriors only kill 71% of their penalties, and the Beavers score on 21% of their power plays. In the other direction, the Beavers kill 82% of the time and the Warriors score 23% of the time. With the teams close, let’s go with a win on Friday and a tie on Saturday for the homestanding team. The Warriors are still without co-captain Jason Durbin, and that will hurt.

    To look to the series already discussed in Alabama, the Falcons should have some confidence after going in and taking down a tough Niagara team. Whether the Chargers have any confidence is another matter entirely, although holding Minnesota to a 4-2 score after the 12-1 beating the night before has to help a little.

    Look for Air Force to come out and play solidly on Friday night, with superior special teams the difference. The Chargers have generally played better on Saturday nights this season, and home ice and pride should kick in by then. Call it a split, with both teams spending a lot of time in the penalty box. Air Force is fifth in the nation with 21.6 PIM/G, and the Chargers are 15th at 17.3. The two schools usually play rough-and-tumble, so if you like lots of hits, jet on in to Huntsville.

    This Week in the CHA Women’s League: Nov. 14, 2002

    By Craig Roberts
    -

    R-E-S-P-E-C-T. It’s what CHA teams are looking for in the world of women’s college hockey.

    The league’s top team, Mercyhurst, leads the nation with 10 wins yet is ranked just 10th nationally.

    Niagara, coming off a third-place finish at the NCAA Frozen Four last year was unranked to start the season and, despite a 6-2-0 record and a win over No. 7 Brown, the Purple Eagles did not receive a vote in this week’s national poll.

    Scheduling is a priority for the league in the future. The CHA’s formation this summer came too late to help league members with their nonconference scheduling.

    Part of the problem the league faces is that only six of 25 nonconference games have been against ranked opponents, and the CHA is just 1-5-0 in those games. The top five teams in this week’s poll appear on the league’s schedule just 10 times, with No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth not on the schedule and Findlay’s two losses to Minnesota being the only time the Gophers face a CHA member.

    Findlay and Wayne State have both lost to Princeton, which received 11 votes this week.

    The league has an opportunity to gain a measure of respect this weekend when Mercyhurst hosts No. 6 Wisconsin Saturday and Sunday. The Lakers have played just two games against ranked opponents, dropping 4-1 and 5-2 decisions at current No. 5 St. Lawrence, Oct. 19-20.

    Mercyhurst coach Michael Sisti has been happy with his team’s play and has to like his chances against a Wisconsin team that is 1-4-1 in its last six games.

    “We ran into a hot goalie one night,” he said of the losses to St. Lawrence. “We didn’t play well in the other (game) but, overall, I’m pleased with where we’re at right now.”

    The Lakers and Niagara are the two teams in the best position to make a run at a Frozen Four berth and both have key games in the near future that will impact those chances.

    Mercyhurst hosts Princeton following this weekend’s series with the Badgers and also has a Dec. 7 date at Brown and the Lakers’ final game before Christmas is Dec. 14 at Niagara.

    Niagara faces Northeastern, which was been ranked or received votes in each poll this year, at home this weekend and has a single game at No. 4 Dartmouth on Nov. 24; a two-game series, Nov. 30-Dec. 1, at No. 9 New Hampshire; and the Dec. 14 match with Mercyhurst on its schedule before Christmas.

    “These next games before Christmas are very important,” Sisti said. “(They’re important) to put ourselves in position to do some good things the second half of the season.”

    Scheduling is a priority for the league in the future. The CHA’s formation this summer came too late to help league members with their nonconference scheduling.

    The CHA men will receive an automatic berth in the NCAA championship this season for the first time. Expansion of the women’s championship will likely mean automatic berths for women’s conferences but, with just four teams and the weakest schedule of the four leagues, the CHA women may not be on the same track as their brethren.

    CHA “House”Hold Hints

    Findlay’s Heidi Tallqvist scored her fourth power-play goal of the season in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over Wayne State. She leads the nation in that category … The loss for the Warriors marked their first back-to-back losses of the season … Mercyhurst is unbeaten in its last 36 games (35-0-1) when leading after two periods … The Lakers’ last loss when leading after 40 minutes was Nov. 25, 2000, when they allowed four third-period goals in a 4-1 home loss to Maine … After posting shutouts in her first two collegiate starts, Findlay freshman goalie Jessica Moffat allowed four goals on 38 shots in two appearances over the weekend … She stopped all 28 shots she faced through two periods in Sunday’s 3-0 loss to Mercyhurst.

    CHA Awards

    Offensive Player of the Week–Valerie Hall, Sr., F, Niagara
    Defensive Player of the Week–Jessica Moffat, Fr., G, Findlay
    Rookie of the Week–Danielle Lansing, Fr., D, Mercyhurst

    Coming Up

    No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 10 Mercyhurst (Saturday-Sunday)

    Wisconsin won the only two previous meetings between the teams … They are meeting in Erie, Pa., for the first time … Despite a 5-4-1 overall record and No. 6 national ranking, the Badgers are sixth in the WCHA standings at 1-4-1 … The Badgers have had 16 players record a point this season, including 13 who have scored goals … Wisconsin’s top three goal-scorers are all underclassmen … Like the Badgers, Mercyhurst has 16 players with a point and 13 with a goal … Eight players have recorded a power-play goal and seven players have score game-winning goals … The Lakers have been successful on their last 32 penalty kills … They have not allowed a power-play goal in their last six games … After this weekend, Mercyhurst will have played eight of its 14 games against WCHA opponents.

    Connecticut at Findlay (Saturday)
    No. 9 Providence at Findlay (Sunday)

    Findlay is 1-1-0 versus Connecticut, with each team winning on its home ice, while the Oilers are 0-4-0 against Providence … Senior Heidi Tallqvist’s hat trick Wednesday night gives her nine goals on the season to rank fourth nationally … Four of Connecticut’s 13 goals this season have been unassisted … Providence freshman goalie Jana Bugden stopped all 39 shots she faced in the Friars’ 5-0 and 3-0 wins over Maine … She has started seven consecutive games.

    Northeastern at Niagara (Saturday-Sunday)

    Northeastern leads the all-time series 5-2-2, including a 2-1-1 record at Niagara … Purple Eagle freshman goalie Breanne Doyle has won her first four collegiate starts, two via shutout … Niagara has had 17 of 19 skaters score points this season, 14 of whom have recorded at least one goal … Northeastern junior goalie Chanda Gunn has stopped 30 or more shots in five of seven appearances this season … She recorded 64 saves on 67 shots in a weekend split with Connecticut to earn her third Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week award this season.

    Cult Classic

    By
    -

    Over 36 years of coaching college hockey, R.H. “Bob” Peters coached 13 national champions and accumulated 744 wins — second most all-time behind recently-retired Michigan State coach Ron Mason. He took the Bemidji State hockey program from NAIA status all the way up the ladder through Divisions III, II, and I before leaving the coaching ranks to become the commissioner of College Hockey America after the 2000-2001 season. He played a pivotal role in creating the new conference, which in turn was a critical factor leading to the first-ever 16-team NCAA Tournament this season.

    Yet when you talk to this college-hockey legend, he would not have you believe that he has been a driving force in the sport for nearly four decades. He makes it sound like he has been merely along for a wonderful ride during an era of the sport’s staggering growth in this country. He gives you the impression that all this growth just happened to coincide with the timing of his coaching career, and that — as much as anything — he was a beneficiary of the sport’s development more than a trailblazer himself.

    Perhaps this just indicates his humility is as incredible as his achievements.

    Peters

    Peters

    “I’m grateful to be a continuing part of college hockey as a commissioner,” Peters said, referring to his “comfortable” transition after deciding to finish his coaching career. “It comes from what I have seen since 1956 when I was a college hockey player. From then ’til now — I believe that back in those days there were 17, maybe 19, Division I teams in the country, and there was no real organized Division III.

    “Today we have 60 Division I teams, and I do believe somewhere in the vicinity of 87 or so Division III teams, and of course women’s hockey has just catapulted in popularity.

    “I’ll say this: I do remember in the early sixties — when I began coaching — the veteran coaches talking about the growth of the game and how they saw the future. What they were talking about has unfolded pretty much to what I heard with regard to their thoughts and projections. At the time I cast a jaundiced eye at some of those comments, but I can say that as the years went by it has come to fruition.”

    The landscape certainly has changed dramatically since Peters kicked off his college hockey career at North Dakota in 1964-65 before moving to Bemidji State two seasons later. When he first became the Beavers’ coach, the program was still enduring the consequences of a day in 1950 when the roof caved in on the ice hockey program — literally.

    “Kind of a weird story: we went from ’47 to ’50, and then the roof fell in on the city arena, and then there was no hockey till ’59,” Peters said. “Then they started outdoors. They had a curling rink/hockey rink that shared the same wall, and the roof fell in on the hockey side, not the curling side.

    “So anyways, it resurrected in 1959, and the university got involved again and decided that we needed to have a rink on campus, and by 1967 we entered a new arena. I came in ’66 — we were actually still outside. We played games, so that’s the way it was. The university just said we have too much of a history; it’s part of our culture up here, and we’re not going to terminate hockey.”

    The Bemidji State program came in from the cold in a big way, winning four consecutive NAIA championships in its first four seasons in the John S. Glas Fieldhouse and three more subsequently. Peters would go on to win a national title in Division III and four in Division II. Finally, when he “knew it was time,” he left coaching with a cumulative record of 744-313-51 for a winning percentage of .694.

    “I was so fortunate,” Peters said. “I just really had excellent people working with me. I never had a full-time assistant coach in my entire career at North Dakota or here until 1999. We had a goodly number of young men who aspired to coach and who went on to nice careers in high schools, etc. … So I received great help from that particular group.

    “Then the availability of players in Minnesota. Perhaps we were an example, particularly in the ’60s and ’70s, of how far hockey had advanced in the state of Minnesota. My proof of that is that in 1969-70 we had three players play for us and the U.S. National Team at the same time. I don’t know of any other school who had that — it certainly was unusual.

    “[The U.S. team] had to win the ‘B’ tournament and beat Romania that year to get back in the Olympics in ’72, and they won it,” Peters recalled. “So that was a terrific era. We won four NAIA championships at that time. On those teams we had five Olympic and National players — five people that put on the red, white and blue. That’s when the light really went on with me: ‘My God, this sport is really growing.'”

    "It took patience and persistence too but I also felt comfortable in my heart that we were doing things correctly. That was the mission — I was on it. I believed strongly that it had to happen."

    — Bob Peters on the CHA

    Peters figured out that there was too much hockey talent out there for Division I teams to be able to find all the potentially great college players out there. Exhibit A would be Joel Otto, a Bemidji State star who went on to become the premiere defensive forward in the National Hockey League.

    “Oh my God, he did everything for us,” Peters said. “He was very difficult to handle, but he came out of Elk River, Minnesota with very little fanfare because their high school program at the time was not what one would say was in the category of Roseau or Warroad or International Falls — some of the programs in the state tournaments.

    “Thankfully Bob Johnson wanted him and gave him an opportunity at Calgary,” Peters recalled, reminiscing about the days of the great Calgary-Edmonton rivalry in the NHL. “One has to ponder this: When Wayne Gretzky was on the ice, so was Joel Otto — that was their counter. Here’s Joel Otto out of Elk River, Minnesota, and no Division I team at the time wanted him.”

    Must have been Peters’ mentoring.

    “No, it’s not my coaching that did it. It’s just opportunity, and he’s a fine person.”

    Otto played on the amazing Beaver team of 1983-84 — the club that went 31-0-0 and won a Division II Championship. “Joel Otto was on that team, but he wasn’t our leading scorer,” noted Peters. “A boy by the name of Mike Alexander out of Twin Cities ended up being our all-time leading point getter.”

    But if that particular version of Bemidji State was the best ever, perhaps the 1985-86 proved to have the most exciting fate.

    “In ’86, in the first round of the National Championship, we tied the game with four seconds left and won it in overtime, and then went on to win the National Championship,” Peters said.

    Peters wasn’t exactly expecting miracles just before his team tied RIT in the closing seconds on March 21, 1986.

    “I remember the puck came over the blue line, when we were pressing the attack, and I looked up at the clock and there was something like 11 seconds left, and I thought, ‘Oh my, we’re toast.’ And the puck went in.

    “And you know what’s funny about that?” The guy that scored the winning goal in overtime was a player I almost cut as a freshman. So clumsy — he had the biggest feet I’d ever seen — and when he was on the ice practicing I had to watch him because he’d run in to me. And I thought ‘Ah, gee, he’s a good kid, I’ll hang on to him.’ I had his two brothers with me.”

    The CHA Commissioner chuckled at the memory of Todd Lescarbeau floundering around on the ice.

    “So to show you how smart I am as a coach, this boy goes on to be All-American, All-Conference, MVP of the Conference and scores the winning goal of the overtime. And he got the assist on the darned tie-er. There’s my coaching!”

    In addition to enjoying many high points while coaching a whopping 1,108 games, Peters also got to see some wacky moments

    “I had a player killing a penalty when I was coaching at North Dakota,” Peters said. “He bounces the puck off the boards and he skates full speed — all the energy he had left — to our box. He no sooner gets to the box and plunks himself down and the freakin’ puck goes in their net. It had gone all the way down to the other end: The defending goalie was motioning to his defenseman — he was going to push it off into the corner — plunk, it went between his legs. ‘You scored sitting on the bench!'”

    So after figuring that he’s seen just about everything he can see from behind the bench, Peter has relished his new role in the formation and rise of College Hockey America.

    “When we formed this conference, it was a direct result of a combination of two things: the independents who were out there at the time — Air Force and Niagara — and then the teams that were classified Division II that were being told you must move up or down,” Peters said. “We couldn’t move down because the entire athletic programs would have to go down. For example at Bemidji State was that we’d have had to withdraw from a conference to go down to Division III, but there was no Division III conference that would take us. It just wasn’t feasible at all. Our other sports would have had no place to play, and we couldn’t just float out there as an independent.”

    Fortunately, Peters hails from a state of true believers in college hockey.

    “In ’98, the president said, ‘We’re going to Division I hockey for men and women,’ which was a very bold statement at the time,” Peters said. “Women’s hockey was just emerging, and we had a club team. But I supported that: It was the right thing to do here in Minnesota. On the women’s side, we have over 130 high schools playing girls’ hockey, so it’s natural for us as a state university to put forth a program.”

    Now, the 2002-03 season will mark a historic first for college hockey as well as for Peters’ conference.

    “Eventually it all worked out where we have the automatic qualifier this year,” Peters said. “It took patience and persistence too but I also felt comfortable in my heart that we were doing things correctly. That was the mission — I was on it. I believed strongly that it had to happen.

    “Probably what caused the increase from 12 to 16 was the emergence of the MAAC Conference and the CHA. The MAAC came in ahead of us, and the total number of [Division I] teams went from 43 to 54. [But] it wasn’t until the CHA came in and bumped it to 60: You go from 43 to 60 teams; it’s quite an increase. So when we hit that 60 number, the decision was made to increase to 16 teams.”

    Peters still sees incredible growth potential for college hockey — especially in comparison to other college sports.

    “In football, basketball, wrestling, perhaps baseball also, there are no new teams starting — no universities starting them up,” Peters said. “Whereas with hockey … I’ve counted 162 club teams that are operating. Some of those folks come to our meetings in Florida, and they have a trophy — that’s marvelous. And I can visualize some day that these people are going to elevate to Division I. Maybe not all of them, but certainly I can see that happening … particularly with the popularity generated by the National Hockey League.”

    Making a point about hockey’s spreading popularity, Peters reflected on the days when the U.S. national teams and Olympic teams would be culled from Boston and Minneapolis, with players almost exclusively from those two states.

    “Then you go back a few years ago when one of our players, Joel Otto, played for the U.S. Olympic team. He was the only Minnnesotan, and they added a late one, Jamie Langenbrunner — so we had two Minnesotans on the squad!” Peters exclaimed. “And I don’t decry that in any manner but rather offer that as an example of ‘Look at the growth of this sport, where they’re coming from.'”

    Peters has been heartened and amazed by seeing youth hockey exploding in his travels — even in the heat of Indianapolis and Phoenix in July.

    “It’s all over — it’s coast to coast, border to border,” Peter said. “We’ve come a long, long way, but there’s a lot more work to do. And that’s where my enthusiasm comes from, what I’ve seen, what we have today, and what can be in the future.”

    Peters appears to love having the opportunity to continue devoting his considerable energy and enthusiasm to a sport that has been a huge part of his life.

    “It’s been a great run,” he concluded. “I’m so grateful to the players that I’ve had, to the other coaches who came in as graduate assistants to help out and of course to the reception that we’ve received — meaning the CHA — by the other conferences in scheduling us. We didn’t have difficulty at all with people stepping right up to encourage us.

    “This year the conference has 80 non-conference games against every conference in the country — the other five — and two in Canada,” Peters said. “When you see that type of encouragement and help from your neighbors in hockey, it’s so heart-warming.”

    Peters marvels at the intensity of appreciation that hockey players, coaches, and fans feel for the sport.

    “I often refer to this darned game of hockey as a cult,” Peters said. “It’s a cult — we’re all members of it, and what drives us is the love of the game. We coach the game because we love it, and we love the game because we coach it. I think that pretty well sums up the spirit of the people coaching college hockey today.”

    If college hockey is a cult, then Bob Peters is undoubtedly a cult classic.

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    Wisconsin’s Simms, McNaughton, Minnesota’s Primerano take home final women’s hockey HCA monthly honors for ’24-25 season

    USCHO Staff -

    Final HCA men’s hockey monthly honors for ’24-25 season go to Western Michigan’s Washe, BU’s Hutson, Denver’s Davis, Bentley’s Hasley, Minnesota State’s Tracy

    USCHO Staff -

    Norwich grad Dawes named new men’s hockey coach for Cadets, leaves Stevenson after nine seasons behind Mustangs bench

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