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U.S. Tops Sweden At World Juniors, Finishes Fifth

January 4, 2002

The U.S. finished in fifth place at the 2002 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Championship after earning a 3-2 overtime win against Sweden.

Yale’s Chris Higgins scored the game-winning goal just over six minutes into the overtime period when he and Kris Vernarsky went on a two-on-one breakaway. Vernarsky dished the puck to Higgins on the left wing, who put the puck in for the 3-2 win.

The overtime winner came after the U.S. team gave up a two-goal lead late. Ohio State’s R.J. Umberger netted the first U.S. goal at the 15:08 mark of the first period after Ryan Whitney made a backhand, goal-mouth feed to Umberger. Ryan Hollweg made it 2-0 when he and Umberger created a two-on one situation. Umberger passed the puck to Hollweg, who went top shelf.

Sweden staged a comeback in the third period, scoring two power-play goals to send the game into overtime. The game-tying goal was a blast from the point that was tipped in past U.S. goaltender Jason Bacashihua, who finished the game with 28 saves.

“This was a good game with two very talented teams,” U.S. head coach Keith Allain said. “Normally in a game like this, there is a small margin between winning and losing. Today was the smallest of margins, I think, because our team competed hard the entire game.”

Team USA’s final record at the annual championship is 4-1-2, with the team’s only loss coming against gold-medal winner Russia, which soundly defeated the U.S. 6-1 in the quarterfinals. The Americans had finished 2-0-2 in round-robin play.

The fifth-place finish and 10 points matched last year’s results. Higgins, Hollweg and Ben Eaves were named the three top U.S. players at the championship.

Former UConn Coach Chapman Dies At 76

USCHO Staff Report

January 3, 2002

Former Connecticut hockey coach John Chapman died Wednesday at his home in Venice, Fla., at age 76.

Chapman was a 1950 graduate of Dartmouth, where he lettered in football, hockey and lacrosse. The native of Marblehead, Mass., coached tennis and hockey at Rhode Island from 1950-55.

He earned a master’s degree from Columbia in 1956, the same year he assumed head coaching duties in tennis at UConn. Four years later, he began a 21-year tenure as the Huskies’ inaugural head coach in hockey, stepping down in 1981. Chapman, a World War II veteran of the Air Force, also served as assistant coach in football and as an instructor in the School of Physical Education during his career at UConn.

He and his wife Jean resided in Venice and in Wickford, R.I. A memorial service will be held at St. Boniface Church in Siesta Key, Fla., on Saturday, January 5, at 2 p.m. EST. A summer memorial service, at a date to be announced, will also be held in Rhode Island.

This Week in the MAAC: Jan. 3, 2002

By Jim Connelly
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January 3, 2002

Novello Injury May Net Davis A Chance

The best rookie story of the first half of the season has been AIC goaltender Frank Novello. Save one rocky night in November, Novello has proved to be one of the top rookie goaltenders in the league.

What some have forgotten, though, was that AIC recruited two top goaltenders this season, matching Novello with Chad Davis. To date, Davis has only seen action in four games, compiling a 1-2-0 record. But according to coach Gary Wright, the numbers don’t speak for themselves.

About the goaltending situation — a key element to the AIC mix this season, the team having graduated standout Chance Thede last season — Wright admits that he approached the situation “with a clean slate.” He noted that neither goalie was given any preference entering training camp.

“I only saw [Novello] on tape and was impressed, but we were pretty high on Chad Davis too,” said Wright. “Obviously time will prove for certain, but we felt we did well with the challenge of bringing in two goalies in one year.”

The clean slate had to be influenced a bit after the first game of the season — a 3-2 win over Fairfield that saw Novello stop 59 shots.

"I only saw [Novello] on tape and was impressed, but we were pretty high on Chad Davis too. … Obviously time will prove for certain, but we felt we did well with the challenge of bringing in two goalies in one year."

— AIC coach Gary Wright

About Novello’s early-season miracle performance, Wright said: “I don’t know if it’s exactly what I expected, but he was highly heralded coming in.”

An understatement, to say the least.

As time passed, Novello saw more action and continued to post big numbers. Forty-eight and 57 saves in losses to Bentley and Connecticut, respectivey. Forty-nine and 42 saves in back-to-back wins against Fairfield. Suddenly, the job of goaltender seemed a little more secure.

But Wright was intent on giving Davis a shot. When Novello hiccuped in an 8-2 loss at Connecticut, Wright decided to try to work Davis back into the lineup. Davis faced Sacred Heart a week later and stopped 34 shots in a 4-1 victory before the break. At that point, Wright decided that Davis had earned another start.

“I think coming off his last performance [against Sacred Heart, Davis] would have gotten one of the starts anyway this weekend,” Wright said.

On the last day of practice, though, before Christmas break, that changed. Novello tweaked his knee. The injury is not thought to be severe, but as a precaution, Novello will miss both games this weekend against Holy Cross.

“We could probably have [Novello] in the nets right now, but we’re going to be very careful about it,” said Wright.

One thing to note, though, is that it is highly unlikely that Davis will put up numbers similar to Novello’s early-season form. That, though, has little to do with his goaltending skill and a lot to do with the improvement of the AIC defense.

“In recent games we haven’t had such a great differential in shots,” said Wright. “I know back in the three Fairfield games, and there were some other games as well, it almost looked sensational how we were getting totally dominated.

“There was a concern on our part, but not to an exaggerated extent. If it had continued like that, there would be more to it. But we understand that we’re going to play some [bad] games, and territorially [other] teams may have some kind of an advantage.

“But I don’t think it’s going to be as one-sided as it was. When it is, we hope to get the good goaltending.”

The AIC defense has, in fact, been limiting opponent shots. In the first nine games, opponents averaged 46 shots on goal per game. In the last three, that total has been dramatically reduced, to less than 33 per game.

Wright hopes that this trend continues as the Yellow Jackets travel this Friday to Holy Cross to meet one of the hottest teams in the MAAC. The two clubs complete the home-and-home in Springfield on Saturday night.

“We’re had great games in recent years with Holy Cross,” said Wright. “Almost every game in the last couple of years has been a tie or a one-goal game.” AIC, in fact, won two of the three contests last year against Holy Cross last year, both in overtime.

This year could be a bit different, though. AIC finds itself fighting to stay alive in the playoffs while Holy Cross is fighting for the league title. The difference in the two teams is no surprise to Wright.

“I definitely knew that [Holy Cross] would be improved,” said Wright. They had most of their team returning and I thought they had a pretty good recruiting class coming in.

“There’s so much parity in our league, though, so I don’t know if I’m surprised [that Holy Cross has been successful]. They were picked lower and they’re playing well, but I thought they were a decent team with a lot of potential.”

Weekly Awards

Due to the lack of games among MAAC teams last week, the league did not select weekly awards. In that absence, I will take the liberty of highlighting some of the better performances.

We can start with UConn’s D.J. Miller. Though he was held off the scoreboard in Friday’s semifinal of the Cingular/UConn Classic, Miller responded on Saturday night to score two first-period goals, including the game-winner, in a 3-1 victory over Bentley.

Quinnipiac lost two tough battles to RPI and Niagara last weekend, but the QU offense posted impressive numbers. The top line of Brian Herbert, Neil Breen and Ryan Morton combined for five goals and nine points on the weekend. Right wing Ryan Olsen also notched three goals in the two-game RPI tournament.

And though nine goals against in five-plus periods of work for QU goaltender Justin Eddy doesn’t sound that impressive, the sophomore netminder should be given credit for keeping Quinnipiac’s hopes alive in the semifinals versus Rensselaer. Eddy made 49 saves in the double-overtime loss, including 36 from the third period on.

Extremely Long Night For Quinnipiac

Rand Pecknold and his Quinnipiac squad got to play a lot more hockey then they bargained for last weekend at the Rensselaer/HSBC Holiday Hockey Tournament in Troy, N.Y. Facing RPI in the second semifinal on Friday night, Quinnipiac lasted more than 90 minutes before falling, 5-4, in double overtime.

The game was the longest in both schools’ hockey history when RPI’s Chris Migliore ended the game at 10:50 of the second overtime, and it ranks as the 12th-longest game in Division I history — fourth-longest in the regular season. Only the 1968 Minnesota Holiday Classic championship (won by North Dakota, 5-4 over Minnesota), and two games from the Syracuse Invitational Tournament (1987 games that saw Clarkson win, 7-6, over Colgate, and the 1996 championships game in which Cornell defeated Providence, 4-3) were longer.

The length of the RPI game wasn’t the only thing out of the ordinary for Quinnipiac last weekend. The results themselves of Quinnipiac’s games were truly an aberration. Normally a team that thrives in high-octane, run-and-gun contests, QU was stymied in its quest to record a win over either team.

Since moving to Division I, Quinnipiac had posted a record of 67-7-4 when scoring at least four goals in a game prior to last weekend. Nevertheless, the Maize and Gold came up empty on both nights, despite scoring four times against RPI and six times against Niagara. The six goals against the Purple Eagles were a season high for the squad.

At the same time, with the losses Quinnipiac fell below .500 at the latest point in a season since the 1994-95 campaign. In fact, since moving to Division I, Quinnipiac has only been below .500 for a total of five games. The worst span for QU occurred at the start of the 1999-2000 season, when it went 0-2-1 in its first three games before promptly winning nine of 10 contests. During the 1998-99 and 2000-01 seasons, Quinnipiac was never under .500 at any point. If Quinnipiac hopes to reach the positive side of .500, the team may have to wait a while: this weekend, the team will travel west to face No. 6 Michigan State. Quinnipiac is 1-3-0 all-time versus nationally-ranked teams, having been outscored, 29-9, in those games.

MAAC Goes 0-For At Cingular Tournament

With MAAC teams making up 75 percent of the field at last weekend’s Cingular/UConn Classic tournament in Storrs, Conn., odds would say that there was a pretty good chance a MAAC team could take the title. Add to that the fact that the fourth team in the tournament was Air Force, the last-place team in College Hockey America, and the odds looked even better.

But, alas, the MAAC proved defenseless against the Air Force attack, as Bentley and Holy Cross became AFA’s most recent MAAC victims, and the Falcons (Air Force, not Bentley, that is) walked home with the tournament title.

Regardless of Air Force’s standing within its own conference, it has owned the MAAC with a 7-1-0 record against MAAC teams — the only loss coming on October 20, when AFA blew a two-goal lead, falling 7-6 to Holy Cross.

So Sunday’s championship was a little bit of revenge for Air Force. Head coach Frank Serratore noted that his team’s depth was the key.

“We were able to roll four lines tonight that were just as good if not better than Holy Cross’ top couple of lines,” said Serratore afterward. “That’s certainly a great advantage for a team.”

That depth has been apparent since Air Force joined the CHA at its inception three years ago. Though the Falcons have never finished higher than fourth in the six-team league, they have compiled a 17-3-1 record all-time against MAAC teams (and that doesn’t even include two wins against Army in 1998-99, when Army was a member of the CHA).

It’s no wonder that before the season and even into early November, Serratore was rumored to be making calls around, inquiring about membership in the MAAC.

Special thanks to Sean Caruthers for his contributions to this week’s column.

This Week in Hockey East: Jan. 3, 2002

By David H. Hendrickson
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January 3, 2002

First Semester Awards

Last week we looked at the Hockey East teams and graded their first semesters. Now let’s look at the individual leaders at the halfway mark.

Coach of the Year: Blaise MacDonald (UMass-Lowell). As noted last week, the River Hawks are the one team in the league that isn’t a little better than expected but rather a lot better. This one is an empty-netter.

Player of the Year: Cam McCormick (goaltender, UMass-Lowell). Darren Haydar has given McCormick a run for his money, but if a goaltender posts a 0.62 GAA and a .972 save percentage then only a Paul Kariya-type season can catch that.

Top Forward: Darren Haydar (UNH) UNH coach Dick Umile moved Haydar to center at the start of this year and the 5-9 roadrunner has responded in a big way. He’s now leading the country in scoring (18-26–44). (See “Hobey Talk” below.)

Top Defenseman: Jim Fahey (Northeastern) Strong defensively, Fahey has also ranked among the league’s top 10 scorers (9-17–26, 5th overall), a rarity for defensemen.

Top Goaltender: Cam McCormick (UMass-Lowell). Well, duh!

Co-Rookies of the Year: Sean Collins (UNH) and Colin Shields (Maine). Collins (14-16–30) has more points, thanks in part to playing on a line with Haydar, but Shields (17-7–24) has been tracking the nation’s top goalscorers almost from day one.

Best Defensive Forward: Marco Rosa (Merrimack). Only a sophomore, Rosa is a very complete, two-way forward. He’s outstanding defensively and isn’t exactly shabby (4-15–19) in the offensive end either.

Hockey East’s Biggest Surprise

Without question, one of the best stories of the first half has been Ryan Cordeiro‘s contributions at Merrimack after sitting out a year due to his transfer from New Hampshire. In 16 games prior to the break, Cordeiro totaled 12 goals and nine assists for 21 points. Considering his UNH statistics of 4-10–14 as a freshman and 3-1–4 in just 12 games as a sophomore, Cordeiro has certainly blossomed as a Warrior.

“If you’d told me that I would have 21 points before Christmas,” he says, “I’d have laughed and been, like, ‘Yeah, right!'”

Cordeiro scored goals in Merrimack’s first three games, including a three-point night in the season-opener.

“I got a couple bounces, a few points, a few goals,” he says. “It’s confidence, all confidence. Once you get a few, they keep bouncing your way.

“When I was at UNH, when I got the puck, it was like a hand grenade on my stick and I just wanted to get it away from me. Now I’m like, gimme the puck. I want the puck. I [used to] get the puck on the wing and I’d usually just throw it out. Now I get the puck and see [Anthony] Aquino breaking and, boom, I’ll hit him.”

The junior, who had always been the go-to guy in schoolboy hockey and all-star teams, had struggled at UNH, in part because of the standard adjustment to joining a team comprised of other players used to being the go-to guy.

“I had a tough time at the beginning when I first got to UNH,” he says. “I was playing on the third line and not playing that much. Coming out of [Catholic Memorial High School], I’d always been the top guy. It was tough because we’d be winning and I’d be [upset]. Coach [Dick Umile] saw that and would yell at me that this wasn’t CM. It took a little while.”

Cordeiro bounced between the third and fourth lines in his freshman year, except for a brief but successful stint on the second line. Following UNH’s trip to the national championship game, Cordeiro hoped for more ice time as a sophomore, but instead went backwards, dressing for only 12 games.

“I had no confidence,” he says. “It was tough. It was a tough road.”

He determined that he had to make a move.

“Umile was awesome,” he says. “After the season I told him I was thinking of leaving. You have to ask them for a letter and they sent out my letters.

“He gave me until June to make my decision. He just let me do my thing. Most coaches would have said, ‘See you later.’ If I said that I wanted to come back, he would have honored my scholarship. He really great.”

Cordeiro laughs and adds, “Well, he was really great until I started talking to Maine. He didn’t like that. He wanted me to come here [at Merrimack], I know that. He was really good about it. I was very impressed with how he handled it.

“I don’t have any regrets. My freshman year at UNH was fun, making it to the national championship game and playing in it. That was unbelievable. As a kid you dream about that.

“So I don’t regret going there, but I think that everything happens for a reason. I think I’m here at Merrimack for a reason. I like it here a lot so it was a good move.”

After the transfer, however, came a year of nothing but practices. For a kid who had experienced a steady diet of games in high school, midget leagues and summer all-star teams, the withdrawal pains were not easy to handle.

“[In the] summertime,” he says, “I was, like, ‘A year off? It’ll be awesome. I’ll lift and work out. Nice and relaxing.’ I’ve been playing since I was three years old and going strong.

“The first month I seemed like a regular guy here. Then the [next] two months were tough. You’re practicing every day and then Thursday they’re not calling your name in the lineup. It was like, aw, man! Just watching and watching.

“By Christmastime [though], I’d accepted the fact that I wasn’t going to be out there and it was a lot easier. Then the season was over and I jumped right back into it.”

Ironically, that time off may have helped Cordeiro become a better player.

“I had played for so long,” he says. “I didn’t lose the love for the game. But I just kind of took it for granted. But after sitting out, I’m just refreshed. I love hockey and can’t wait to get out there. You just get regenerated, loving the game again, just ready to go and prove to some people that I can really play.

“Up at UNH, they maybe thought I couldn’t do the job because I didn’t play [much] up there. I’m proving to everyone and myself that I can play at this level. I think I’m doing alright now.”

Alright, indeed. Other than Aquino, Cordeiro has been Merrimack’s top offensive force, ranking second in points and goals scored.

“I’m just going to keep working hard,” he says. “Basically, all this stuff is just coming off working hard. That’s all I do. I don’t give up. I go right to the net. Not many of my goals are like toe-drags and top corner shots. I just crash the net and pucks bounce my way.

“It’s funny. I’ve kind of changed my game since I’ve been here. In my first year at UNH I was always go, go, go, real fast. Always moving. Now, I’m more patient. I conserve my energy and look for the spot to go to. I see the ice better.

“Obviously, if the puck goes into the corner, I’ll go work hard into the corner. It’s hard to explain, but I’m more patient. I know when to turn the jets on and when to turn them off. That’s the biggest thing I’ve caught on and started to do this year and it’s working. But once the puck is in the corner, I’ll go all out.”

Aquino and the World Junior Tournament

Canada could win the World Junior Tournament on Friday in the goal medal game against Russia, but still might have made a bad roster move in leaving off Merrimack’s Anthony Aquino. Canada has taken the political route in selections before, opting to reward players in major juniors over those who have headed south of the border to play in U.S. colleges.

Keep in mind that BC’s Krys Kolanos wasn’t good enough for them last year, but is now on pace to be a 20-goal scorer in his rookie season in the NHL. Hmmm. Good enough for the NHL, but not good enough….

“Hobey Baker!”

As noted by WCHA Correspondent Todd D. Milewski, Darren Haydar is garnering Hobey Baker support beyond just the Granite State. Here’s a portion of what Milewski wrote after the Wildcat Wonder earned his ninth point of the Badger Showdown:

When a scoring change was announced late in the game, giving Darren Haydar his career-high sixth point of the night, some of the hundreds of fans left in the Bradley Center started the “Hobey Baker” chant.

That’s not the surprising part; Haydar will get that treatment from New Hampshire fans for the rest of the season.

The surprising part is where the cheers came from – a group of fans in Wisconsin apparel.

Haydar scored three goals and assisted on three others as New Hampshire took the championship of the Bank One Badger Hockey Showdown on Friday with an 11-3 thrashing of Brown.

“I said to Darren, the best compliment you received this weekend was the fans from Wisconsin saying ‘Hobey Baker,'” UNH coach Dick Umile said. “There’s no question he’s a Hobey Baker candidate; I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a finalist.”

Haydar, who took home honors as the tournament MVP, claimed the nation’s scoring lead – he has 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points.

“I feel really good right now,” Haydar said. “It’s always a good feeling when you’re scoring goals and your team’s scoring and winning. It’s a little frustrating when you’re not, so I don’t want to think too much about it, don’t want to jinx myself.”

Trivia Contest

Last week’s question noted that UMass-Amherst has two Finnish players, but they have different native languages. A correct answer would name the two players and their native tongues.

Chris Higgins was first to respond that Samuli Jalkanen speaks Finnish and Toni Soderholm speaks Swedish, going on to correctly add that in Finland around 94 percent speak the former, while most of those that still speak Swedish as their native tongue are concentrated in the southern part of the country. Pretty impressive, Chris! His cheer is:

UML Hockey- Blaise-ing a trail back to the Fleet Center and “Hit’em up Hawkey style.”

A cheer is also in line for the reader who suggested that trivia question, Antti Jalkanen, who is Samuli’s father. Antti offers both “Go UMass, Go!” and the following, which becomes this week’s question:

“Hakkaa päälle Suomen poika, ettei Ruotsi meitä voita!”

Take your best stab at what that translates to and email it to Dave Hendrickson.

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

Some local football writers have taken to opining that the Patriots would be better off without the first-round playoff bye considering that they had a bye last week and are in quasi-bye territory this week against a Carolina team on the verge of setting a record for consecutive losses. To go three straight weeks, say those writers, like that is to invite disaster when they actually do play a tough playoff team.

Here is why those writers are wrong. Not to be a geek about it, but it all boils down to mathematics. To avoid getting swamped in numbers, let’s assume that all the AFC playoff teams are equal and that each team has a 50-50 chance to win. Therefore, if a team gets a first-round bye, it has a 25 percent chance of making the Super Bowl. (They play two games: .5 times .5 equals .25 or a 25 percent chance.) If a team doesn’t have the bye, its chances fall in half to 12.5 percent. (They play three games: .5 times .5 times .5 equals .125 or a 12.5 percent chance.)

Even if the rust-factor drops the Patriots from a 50 percent chance of winning the first game after the bye to only 40 percent, that still gives them a 20 percent chance of reaching the Super Bowl. (.4 times .5 equals .20 or a 20 percent chance.)

The rust factor does make me nervous, but not that nervous.

All of which means that this Sunday you should plug your nose and root for the Jets.

Thanks to Todd D. Milewski.

This Week in the CHA: Jan. 3, 2002

By Geof F. Morris
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January 3, 2002

The CHA Beat

2002 holds promise for College Hockey America fans. In its first two years of existence, the CHA regular-season champion has had in excess of 30 of a possible 40 conference points; this season, it’s highly doubtful that we’ll see that.

New Year, New Leader

Last week, Wayne State traveled south and took it to the Alabama-Huntsville Chargers, sweeping UAH 4-1 and 6-4. The Warriors were following up on a win and a tie in Michigan, and all in all they took seven of eight possible points from last year’s regular-season champion.

Wayne State leads the CHA with 12 conference points, with UAH second with 11 and Niagara third with 10. Fourth-place Bemidji State has 7, and Findlay (4) and Air Force (0) round out the standings. Of course, the variable number of games played is a barrier to gauging the strength of the teams.

Let’s rearrange the standings based on conference points per game (CPPG):

Team CPPG
Wayne State 1.50
Niagara 1.25
Bemidji State 1.17
Alabama-Huntsville 0.92
Findlay 0.67
Air Force 0.00

This drops the second-place Chargers to fourth, which is probably apt. Last year’s conference champs are a bit disappointing to the CHA Beat’s eyes, especially given their lackluster performance against the Warriors last weekend. We figured them for a split, but UAH never seemed into either game. Wayne State and Niagara are clearly the class of the CHA, and Bemidji State seems right behind the top pair.

How will the season go from here? For one, last-place Air Force could play a big role. They’re not out of this by any stretch, especially with four-point home games against Bemidji and Niagara after this weekend’s conference tilt at Findlay. After all, the most points Wayne State can finish with is 36, and given the parity in the CHA this season, that’s unlikely.

Findlay is an enigma as well. Findlay’s conference points come from a splits with Niagara and Bemidji, and the Oilers have already completed their season series with Niagara, going 1-3. A strong showing against Air Force, UAH, and Wayne State could push them higher in the conference standings.

UAH’s season isn’t over, even if it feels that way for UAH fans. UAH hasn’t played Findlay at all, and also have conference tilts at Air Force and home against Bemidji. Winning all eight games would give UAH 27 points, which might be enough to win the CHA this season. A rough nonconference stretch awaits to start 2002, with a home date with MSU-Mankato followed by road trips to No. 14 Nebraska-Omaha and No. 1 St. Cloud State.

Bemidji State is an unknown at this point, having split with UAH and Findlay, as well as going into Wayne State for three points. Bemidji is probably in the best position to put together a run and knock the Warriors from the top of the standings. The big hurdles will be Niagara and the four-point game against Air Force.

Niagara is in a good place right now. Second place may be the first loser, but the Purple Eagles have already finished with UAH and Findlay. They have yet to play Wayne State, Air Force, or Bemidji. All games should be excellent ones for fans of the CHA and college hockey in general, although injuries have befallen the Purple Eagles lately. A groin injury has taken starting goalie Rob Bonk out of the lineup for the past few games, and freshman Ryan McNeil hasn’t looked that solid in net.

Wayne State averages a three-point weekend everywhere it goes. Can the Warriors keep it up? One wonders how they do it — after the first line of LW Dusty Kingston (9G, 8A), C Jason Durbin (8G, 11A), and RW Jack Redwood (4G, 1A), the Warriors seem to rely on D Tyler Kindle (6G, 7A), C Billy Collins (4G, 6A), and stellar play from G David Guerrera (2.70 GAA, .917 SV% in CHA play). With Guerrera the only goalie to have significant time for the Warriors, one wonders if he’ll handle the long haul of the season, with upcoming games against Air Force, Findlay, Niagara, and Bemidji. However, if he stays on the pace he was in Huntsville last weekend, CHA Beat figures he’s up to the task.

With Guerrera the only goalie to have significant time for the Warriors, one wonders if he’ll handle the long haul of the season, with upcoming games against Air Force, Findlay, Niagara, and Bemidji.

Who’s the CHA Beat pick for the eventual winner of the R.H. “Bob” Peters Cup? It’s hard to answer at this juncture, but we’ll go with … Wayne State, but just barely over Bemidji.

Let’s look at common opponents: Niagara split with UAH this year, but UAH is obviously not as strong as in past years. Bemidji also split with UAH, but they took three of four points at Wayne State earlier. Wayne soundly defeated UAH, which neither of the other two contenders have.

The only concern for Wayne State is depth. Their starting six are stronger than anyone else’s unit, but past that, there is a noticeable drop to the eyes of the CHA Beat. From the stats, Bemidji State seems to have better depth across the board. What separates the two seems to be goalie play. Grady Hunt and Dannie Morgan are both good for BSU, but Guerrera is simply outstanding.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra, good goalie play beats good offense, and vice versa.

The Slate

The lone conference tilt is Air Force going to Ohio to play Findlay. We figure the Falcons can swoop down and take four points from the Oilers, after being battle-tested for the past six weeks outside the conference.

The nonconference games see Lake Superior State coming downstate to play at Wayne State and MSU-Mankato to come to the snowy South to play UAH. As Wayne State is fresh off of an exhilarating road sweep against UAH, we figure they have enough momentum to rock the Lakers all the way back to Sault Ste. Marie.

MSU-Mankato will probably appreciate the Southern hospitality as these old D-II rivals hook up again in Division I play. There may be snow on the ground in Alabama — as a local said, it looked like “grits in a fan” on Wednesday — but Mankato will still warm up to the ice at the Von Braun Center and come away with a four-point weekend.

Bemidji State will play an exhibition against the USA Under-18 National team. We at CHA Beat hope the Beavers can remind these whippersnappers that they’re not in college just yet.

Good luck and good health to each CHA team this weekend.

This Week In The WCHA: Jan. 3, 2002

By Todd D. Milewski
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January 3, 2002

The Shootout Showdown

Denver coach George Gwozdecky might not remember much about his team’s lone experience with a shootout, but he remembers the crowd’s reaction.

Two years ago in the Denver Cup, the Pioneers tied with Notre Dame in a semifinal game. This was 1999-2000, the first year the NCAA allowed shootouts to be used to determine winners in regular-season tournament games.

“It was probably the most exciting part of the game,” Gwozdecky said. “The game itself wasn’t really well played. It had it’s moments, but boy, the shootout was extremely exciting. The fans in attendance were on the edge of their seats. We were fortunate to be able to score and advance to the championship game, but it was probably the most exciting point of the game.”

Here’s where we come to the problem. Some coaches will tell you they hate the shootout as a way to decide games — it stresses individualism in a team game — but even they can’t help but notice the enthusiasm from the crowd.

It was the same situation in Milwaukee last weekend, when Wisconsin played Colorado College to a tie in the third-place game of the Badger Hockey Showdown.

It was your average third-place game: The play wasn’t exactly stellar. The crowd wasn’t really into the early Friday-afternoon game.

This was one game that benefited from the option of playing a shootout. If Wisconsin and CC had played more overtimes to decide a winner, the championship game surely wouldn’t have started before 9 p.m.

The shootout wasn’t only a winner with the Badgers, it appeared to be a winner with the crowd as well. It was the only time all night that the masses at the Bradley Center appeared interested in the game (there was a brawl that got them going, but I digress).

So how can you overlook the potential for fan excitement the shootout brings? Shouldn’t it be a natural for college hockey?

Not according to some WCHA coaches.

“I don’t like shootouts,” North Dakota coach Dean Blais said. “I think you work too hard. It’s exciting for the fans and it’s OK for the Christmas tournaments and everything.”

But for the regular season? No way.

“They’ve done that in the Olympics,” Blais said. “I remember when Sweden beat Canada for the gold medal. [Peter] Forsberg scored the winning goal and they won a medal. That was an awful way to separate the gold and silver medal, I thought. Play overtime, right down to the wire.”

It would be just so easy to play overtime until there’s a winner, until you think about how long some NCAA tournament games have gone.

On the other hand, few really like ending a game in a tie, unless you’re a coach on the road just happy with some points.

“There are times where maybe you’re on the road in the second night of a series and you’re going into overtime with a tie and you’re going, ‘I’m happy. Let’s just get out of this damn thing with a tie,'” Gwozdecky said.

So where’s the happy medium when it comes to overtime? Maybe there isn’t one.

“From a coach’s perspective, I would like to be able to decide the game in overtime, 5-on-5,” Gwozdecky said. “I don’t think either coach likes the idea of finishing up in a tie.

“You work so hard for 60 minutes, I like the idea of being able to get rewarded for it. I don’t like the idea of going 4-on-4 in overtime [like the NHL does]. I think that really takes away from everybody on the ice. In the college game, when you don’t have the red line, staying 5-on-5 is fine because there’s so much ice to work with.”

In the end, that leaves college hockey all tied up.

Quite A Debut

Your first game as a collegian is in front of an announced 18,819 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, a crowd that rivals those for national championship games.

Your first game is against national power Michigan State and its backbone in goal, Ryan Miller, the defending Hobey Baker Award winner.

Your first game is for the championship of one of the most prestigious holiday tournaments in the nation.

Just to make it complete, your first game goes to overtime.

Welcome to college hockey, Josh Siembida.

Siembida made his first start for North Dakota two days after joining the team in the Minneapolis airport. He lost a 4-1 lead last Saturday, but Brandon Bochenski bailed him out with an overtime winner for the Sioux.

Wait, let’s go back over that one again. He played for the Sioux two days after meeting them. That conversation must have been interesting.

“Hi, how are you? Nice to meet you. Go get in goal.”

Siembida was so new to the team that he didn’t even have his name on his back (never a bad thing for a goalie, though — it makes it tougher for the fans to razz you).

But he did quite all right for himself. The product of the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks made 30 saves for the victory.

“The main concern was that he’s not ready for the challenge,” Blais said. “You throw him in there and he gets bombed, confidence-wise and everything else, it would be tough. But we didn’t have too many other choices. We’re at Minnesota [this weekend] and we’re certainly not going to throw him right in there.”

Siembida met up with the team in Minneapolis on Thursday for the trip to Detroit. He practiced with the Sioux later that day and again on Friday morning.

He suited up for the game against Michigan on Friday, to go through the team’s pregame routine. He watched the Sioux win that one in overtime while Jake Brandt played in goal, and then went to the coaches.

“On Friday night after the game, he came down and said he was ready to play Saturday,” Blais said. “He felt the speed of the game and the speed of the shots would be a little bit different, but he said he was ready to play.”

Apparently, he was.

27-2?

There are periods of complete, utter domination, and then there are those like Denver had in its first period against Bowling Green in the Denver Cup.

The shots were 27-2 for the Pioneers, but the score was only 1-0. Frustrated? Sure, but we’ll talk more about Colorado College later.

Pioneers coach Gwozdecky credits his team’s maturity and having gone through that experience before as the factor that helped it stay focused and chisel out a 3-1 victory.

The Pioneers have been in that boat before. It’s yet another one of the examples from last year that have carried over to make the 2001-02 Pioneers a better team.

“Experience is so invaluable,” Gwozdecky said. “We ran into situations like that last year where we had good pressure and many good goal-scoring opportunities, but we couldn’t score. We would come into the locker room and a number of the players would be frustrated by that and it would carry over into the next period.

“But it’s a good example of how experience and maturity help develop our team. We maintained our course, maintained our direction, we didn’t get overly concerned. We just kept trying to do the things we have done.”

This is a familiar situation for the WCHA teams from Colorado. CC took 100 shots last weekend at the Badger Hockey Showdown and came away with five goals, a loss and a tie and fourth place.

The frustration mounted for the Tigers, which could have clouded their vision of the work ahead. That’s where Gwozdecky said his team differed.

“A number of the experiences we went through last year, and situations very similar to what we experienced on Friday night, helped us an awful lot in getting through that and understanding that what’s past is past,” Gwozdecky said.

“There’s always that tendency that when you start to press, you start to get a little frustrated, you give up something defensively. You make a mistake, you press too hard, you’re a little too aggressive in your pursuit of the puck, your desire to keep the puck in the zone, your desire to get it back quicker. … All of a sudden, boom, the other team gets one opportunity, it seems. They come down, they’ve got you outnumbered and they put the puck in the back of the net.

“That’s where at times last year we were our own worst enemy. I think you can only learn that and understand that … through experiences that you go through that show you what you have to guard against. Eventually, if you stay the course, you’re going to wear your opponent down. You’re going to be able to get that good bounce. It might not come in the very first minute of the period; it might come in the last minute. The odds are that, if you continue to play the way that’s giving you success and goal-scoring opportunities up to that point, it’s usually going to result in good things.”

To this point for Denver, again No. 1 in the Pairwise Rankings, it has.

Settling In

St. Cloud State appears to be settling in nicely at No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll. Good thing, too, because the Huskies have the potential to be there for a while.

They don’t figure to earn many strength-of-schedule points, at least until the last two weekends of the regular season. To put it bluntly, they may have the easiest second-half schedule of any of the three MacNaughton Cup contenders.

In the next seven weeks of the season, they have home games against UMass-Amherst, Minnesota-Duluth (two), Alabama-Huntsville (two) and Alaska-Anchorage (two). On the road, they play Brown, Providence, Wisconsin (two) and Michigan Tech (two).

Nonetheless, the last two weekends may make up for it all. The Huskies play at Denver on Feb. 22 and 23, and close out the season with a home-and-home series with Minnesota on March 1 and 2.

Those last four games, though, could be the only time St. Cloud plays a team with a winning record in the second half (Huntsville is the only other team currently above .500 — 10-9-1).

It sets up the odd scenario that the Huskies could not lose a game before Feb. 2 and still find themselves No. 1 in the country and in second place in the WCHA. If Denver also wins out in that period, it will have taken over first place in the league.

Coming Along Nicely

North Dakota’s Blais knew what was coming all along. With 10 freshmen in the lineup nightly, growing pains were unavoidable.

Is this the time the Sioux brings it all together?

blais

Before the season, Blais predicted a fair share of downs for his team in the first half, and especially for his freshmen.

“We could take a beating until Christmas, and after Christmas, they’ll come along,” he said.

It’s too early to tell if this is a trend, but North Dakota is 2-0 after Christmas, with impressive, if not convincing, victories over Michigan and Michigan State last weekend at the Great Lakes Invitational.

Blais now thinks his young players are figuring out how to play as a team.

“We took our lumps early with 10 freshmen. They had to learn how to play without the puck,” Blais said. “When they came here, you could see it in the first month — they weren’t used to backchecking and playing their position as strictly as they have to here. I think they’re all there now. They’re all contributing that way too.

“They had a problem when we’d win if they didn’t get any points. I think they realize right now that there’s other things that are as important in the game.”

Filling The Shoes

The questions about Scott Kabotoff were the usual ones that accompany new Wisconsin starting goaltenders.

Will he be as good as (last goaltender here)?

Can he hold up for a whole season?

Who is this guy?

Well, maybe that last one was saved exclusively for Kabotoff. When he started the season, no one really knew what to expect from him because they had seen so little of him.

In Kabotoff’s first two seasons in Madison, Graham Melanson ran the show. This year, though, Kabotoff has started to make a name for himself.

“I remember last spring, the only guy I heard from that gave Scott Kabotoff any chance at all of being the kind of goaltender that would be able to step into Graham Melanson’s shoes was Graham Melanson,” said Gwozdecky, whose Pioneers host the Badgers this weekend. “I don’t think anybody expected Scott to be able to do the things he’s done. He’s been terrific for Wisconsin.”

Kabotoff’s crowning performance to date was probably the Badger Showdown third-place game against Colorado College last Friday. A night after missing a game because of the flu, he made a career-high 56 saves and earned the Badgers a 3-3 tie.

He then stopped six of seven shootout attempts to get Wisconsin third place.

Kabotoff’s stats have been part of the surprise this season. He has a 2.57 goals against average and a .929 save percentage.

If the season ended today, Kabotoff would have the fifth-best season GAA in Wisconsin history and the best save percentage (he is, however, one game short of the 14 needed to enter the Wisconsin record books for a season).

“He’s been … the surprise goaltender of the year, without a doubt,” Gwozdecky said. “There are probably many coaches in this league who didn’t even know who Scott Kabotoff was before the season began. They knew who Melanson was, but they had no idea who the backup was.”

Kabotoff’s performance should make for quite a goaltending battle this weekend at Denver. He’ll face the Pioneers’ Wade Dubielewicz and Adam Berkhoel, probably the best 1-2 goalie punch in the country.

Lucia Tabbed For All-Star Team

Minnesota coach Don Lucia has been selected as the head coach of the WCHA’s all-star team for its trip to Italy this summer.

His assistants are North Dakota’s Blais, Wisconsin assistant coach Mark Johnson and Denver assistant coach Steve Miller.

Out Of The Fire

After a week off, the outlook has changed for Minnesota State-Mankato.

Its last two series of 2001 were against No. 1 St. Cloud State and then-No. 3 Denver. Four losses sent the Mavericks into the new year on a down note.

This weekend, though, they stand a good chance to get back in gear. The Mavs play a pair at Alabama-Huntsville, a team that they are 6-2-2 against in their last 10 games.

Oh, the forecast for Mankato, Minn., this weekend? Highs in the upper 20s. For Huntsville, Ala.? Highs near 50 and sunny.

Into The Depths

Colorado College defenseman Mike Stuart is doubtful for this weekend’s series with Minnesota-Duluth after suffering an injury against Wisconsin last weekend.

Stuart reportedly suffered a broken leg in a fight near the end of overtime in a 3-3 tie. This was the same fight in which Wisconsin forward Kent Davyduke was assessed a fighting major (later changed to roughing) for, essentially, curling up into a ball.

It would have been Davyduke’s second fighting major of the season, but Wisconsin coach Jeff Sauer appealed immediately after the game to WCHA supervisor of officials Greg Shepherd, who was the game’s replay judge.

The replay judge, under NCAA rules, can review fights to see who has participated. Shepherd changed Davyduke’s penalty to a roughing major.

The game disqualification penalty Davyduke received was his second of the season, meaning he will miss two games — both this weekend against Denver. Sauer is appealing the disqualification.

Thanks For Staying

Hats off to those in Wisconsin and Colorado College jerseys who stuck around for the third period of the Bank One Badger Hockey Showdown championship game last Friday.

You know who you are. Heck, since there were only about 200 people left in the 18,000-seat arena at the end, everyone knows who you are.

Hats off again if you can say you stuck around for all nine New Hampshire goals in the last 20 minutes.

This Week in Division III: Jan. 3, 2002

By Chris Lerch
-
January 3, 2002

Eight Isn’t Enough

It’s old news by now, but in mid-December, shortly after my final column for 2001 was in the can, the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Committee announced that its recommendation to add a ninth team to the tournament field had been approved.

USCHO broke the story within an hour of the decision, but it took only 10 minutes for the criticism to start on the message board.

“Why just one more team? Why not 10?”

“How can there be a play-in game two days after the field is announced and just three days before the quarterfinals begin?”

“How come the play-in game is restricted to Eastern teams, no matter what the overall seedings are?”

“Why is the new at-large bid only available to teams from conferences with automatic qualifiers?”

While these are all valid criticisms, let’s not lose sight of the fact that this is the first time the field has been expanded since the first Division III championship in 1984.

This is a very good thing.

The changes in the selection process for all Division III sports that took place in 1999-2000 season severely limited the number of at-large bids. Division III hockey went from two automatic qualifiers and six at-large berths to six automatic qualifiers and two at-large berths. One is now dedicated to teams from the ECAC West and MCHA, while the other is available to teams from conferences with automatics, a second chance for a team which, for example, might be the regular-season champion of its league but was upset in the conference playoffs.

The ninth slot allows for an additional Pool C, or second-chance team. Some conferences are typically going to have at least two teams worthy of a spot in the nationals, so the ninth spot certainly helps there. Western teams could have had as few as two teams in the nationals; the extra slot doubles the chances of at least three teams from the West getting bids.

Time (and cost) considerations are why the play-in game will be held in the East, since there wouldn’t be time to pair an Eastern and Western team. Those that are criticizing both these decisions need to understand that they work together to ensure that a game can be played at all.

Yes, there are issues to resolve — initially the play-in game between the two lowest Eastern seeds was going to be played on the Wednesday between Selection Sunday and the quarterfinals on Friday. That was changed to Tuesday to give the team time to travel, most likely out West.

Time (and cost) considerations are why the play-in game will be held in the East, since there wouldn’t be time to pair an Eastern and Western team. Those that are criticizing both these decisions need to understand that they work together to ensure that a game can be played at all. Otherwise, the season would have to be extended by a week, which isn’t going to happen. Many schools, especially the NESCAC, would never approve extending what is already the longest winter sport season.

The way things will most likely play out is that there will be five Eastern and three Western teams. Sure, the West could grab both the Pool C bids, and the East could as well, but expect each region to get one. That would make for a play-in game between the ECAC Northeast champion and either the Pool “B” or East Pool “C” team, depending on who is seeded lower. The winner of this game will then be sent west to face the number-one Western seed.

The other major criticism of the ninth bid is that it isn’t open to Pool B teams, which include the MCHA and ECAC West. Elmira and RIT can’t both be in the nationals, and that will continue until either an additional Pool B berth is granted, or the ECAC West expands to seven teams and is granted an automatic qualifier, neither of which is expected to happen in the near future.

Don’t blame the Division III Hockey Committee for this — it’s consistent across all NCAA Division III sports, as is the ratio of tournament size to overall number of teams. The ratio is one tournament team for every 7.5 schools playing the sport: a ninth team makes that ratio one in 7.4 for hockey, so there’s no way a tenth team was going to be added.

This new system certainly isn’t perfect, but it sure beats the alternative of just having eight teams in the NCAA Division III tournament.

Go West, Young Man

What’s going on out West? According to St. Norbert head coach Tim Coghlin, the NCHA and MIAC are up for grabs.

“The top four or five teams out here are all very balanced,” Coghlin said. ” Nobody has singled themselves out as the frontrunner.

“I still think [Wisconsin-]Superior is the team to beat. They finished on top last season and have a lot of veteran players. Until somebody knocks them off, they’re number one in the West.”

St. Norbert defeated Superior 6-2 back on November 2, but Coghlin doesn’t put much stock in that now.

“That was very early in the season in a nonconference game,” he said. “It was 2-2 early in the third period.”

Wisconsin-River Falls, another top contender, has also fallen victim to Coghlin’s Green Knight squad, a 5-2 St. Norbert win on December 1, but again the coach isn’t ready to say his team is the one to beat.

“River typically doesn’t do very well in our building; I think it’s been a while since they’ve been able to beat us here. But it’s a different story when we go to their place.

“[UWRF] has a strong defense and very good goaltending. They’ll be tough to beat again.”

According to Coghlin, you can’t take anything, or anyone, for granted.

“Everybody is beating everybody,” he said. “Look at what’s been happening. St. Thomas beats Superior and River Falls, but loses to Elmira. Elmira has beaten us and St. Thomas but lost to St. John’s and Gustavus.

“We need to step it up in every game starting with this weekend.”

The Green Knights kick off the 2002 portion of their schedule with a weekend road trip to Concordia and St. John’s, followed by a two-game homestand against Wisconsin-Superior the following weekend. That series will go a long way in determining the regular season NCHA champion.

That regular-season title becomes even more important this season, with the new playoff format awarding the highest surviving quarterfinal seed the right to host a “Final Four” final round. This is the format used by the MCHA, NESCAC, ECAC East and ECAC West, but it will be the first time it’s used in the NCHA. The MIAC is also adopting this format beginning this season.

“I’m really excited about the new format,” said Coghlin. “If we make it, this will be the first time St. Norbert has ever played in a postseason Final Four. It’s great preparation for the NCAAs, which Western teams don’t usually get, since we don’t play in tournaments very often.”

Another thing that’s made Coghlin and probably every other Western coach happy is the ninth NCAA bid.

“It used to be that we were upset only getting three Western teams in (the tournament),” he said. “Now we’re thrilled to have a good chance to get three in at all.

“Times have changed, But that doesn’t diminish the quality of the teams out here.”

The Cavalry Has Arrived

Defending ECAC champion New England College got off to a slow start this season, going 3-5 in its first eight games. But help may have arrived in the transfer of sophomore Travis Banga from New Hampshire. The forward from High River, Alb., had seven points (three goals, four assists) in the his first game with NEC, and followed up the next day with two more assists to lead the host Pilgrims to the championship of the NEC Holiday Classic Tournament.

Scott Borek’s team defeated Southern New Hampshire 11-4 in the semifinals, and Potsdam State 2-1 in the championship game. Next up are a pair of road games, at Skidmore and MCLA.

I’m Schizophrenic, And So Am I

It’s been a wacky season so far at Elmira, which has defeated (at the time) the number-one, -two and -six teams in the nation, the most recent being a convincing 6-1 win over sixth-ranked St. Thomas at the Johnson & Wales Invitational last weekend.

But the Soaring Eagles followed that up with a 6-5 loss to Gustavus Adolphus, yielding the deciding goal with just 17 seconds to play. At 8-5, all five losses have been to teams unranked at the time (although Oswego, which beat Elmira 9-6 back on November 27, is now ranked 10th in the USCHO.com Division III Poll).

That’s got to have head coach Tim Ceglarski and his players scratching their heads.

The Soaring Eagles will face at least three more ranked opponents in their final 12 games, a rematch with Plattsburgh on January 12 and a pair of crucial conference games with RIT (home on January 27, away on February 16).

Watch out for the NESCAC

Could we have two Eastern Pool C teams this season? The NESCAC is making a case so far. Middlebury, Colby and Bowdoin are a combined 18-1-3 so far, and all will probably be ranked in the top 10 next week.

Overall, seven of the ten teams in the NESCAC are over .500.

For What’s It’s Worth

I included a kind of off-topic rant in my last column concerning cell phones, and I got a huge amount of reader response — ironically, more than I’ve gotten for any hockey piece I’ve done for USCHO.com in the past four seasons.

Why argue with success? Look for semi-regular rants here throughout the rest of the season.

Today’s topic? Pop-up windows.

Did you ever play the arcade game where you have a mallet and you’re supposed to pop these little beavers (or alligators or whatever) when they randomly pop their heads out of a series of holes laid out before you? Nail ’em before they pull their head back and you score points. My kids love these games.

I get to play too, while I’m surfing the web. Pop-up windows are everywhere. The trick is to close them as soon as possible, to keep them from obscuring the web page you actually came to see.

“Orbitz!”

CLICK!

“The X10 Mini-Cam!”

CLICK!

You get the idea. Rest assured you’ll never see an uninvited advertisement at USCHO.com.

Did I mention our new selection of USCHO T-shirts?

This Week in the CCHA: Jan. 3, 2002

By Paula C. Weston
-
January 3, 2002

Let’s Make Promises We Can Keep

It’s that time of year when people attempt to shed bad habits and everyone from personal trainers to psychics benefit from our good intentions.

If you’re like the rest of the Western world, you’ve probably made a list — paper, personal planner, or in the good ol’ noggin — of what you’d like to change or improve about yourself in the coming year.

The problem with such lists, of course, is that we make them for ourselves. How much more effective would resolutions be if other people made them for us?

For example, you may tell yourself that you want to begin a new hobby, perhaps take up guitar. But what if you don’t need to learn to play the guitar? Perhaps your artistic soul manifests itself well enough, and instead of feeding your soul you should learn to pick up your socks off the living room floor, or remember to engage the parking brake when on a steep incline? Wouldn’t you benefit more by hearing that from someone else than from merely engaging in flights of self-improvement fancy?

So in the altruistic spirit of helpfulness, I’ve devised a list of resolutions, one for each team in the CCHA. If these men are wise, they will heed my call; if not, they will continue to drop their socks on the floor and play bad guitar, annoying every woman whom they know.

The Nanooks

All these gents need to do is take their vitamins. They appear to be doing nearly everything else right — scoring goals, winning games, staying out of the box. UAF is tied for third in overall scoring in the CCHA (3.44 goals per game). With 14 points, UAF is tied for fourth in the conference with UNO. The Nanooks are the second-least penalized team in the league.

Why vitamins? That travel schedule is murder. Keep up your strength, Nanooks, and keep the faith.

The Falcons

With just four conference wins, the Falcons need to get a team identity. This CCHA- enigma business has gone on long enough. What kind of team is BGSU? A scoring team? A defensive team? A patient team? An impatient team? Haven’t we seen each incarnation this season?

It’s never good to be the most-penalized team in a league (23.09 minutes per game) while having the league’s least-effective PK (.792).

The Bulldogs

Ah, the original Defenders of the Realm are doing well this season, but should look to last year’s Western Michigan team for their resolution for the second half: develop some depth. It’s a rare team that can rely on two good frontmen and hot goaltending to take it all the way to the top — and beyond. Unless the rest of the Ferris State team contributes more regularly, these Bulldogs may see home ice slip through their paws.

And stay out of the box, will you boy? Sheesh.

The Lakers

The Lakers need to resolve to do one thing for the second half of the season — survive until March. Arguably playing for the right to lose to Michigan State in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, the Lakers have just three league wins and 22 goals in 14 conference games.

Just play your best, gents. The rest of us know what you’re going through.

The RedHawks

Miami is the rare team that actually knows what it needs to do, but just can’t seem to get there. The RedHawks need to be consistent, from shift to shift, period to period, game to game. A hair under .500 in a .500 league, the ‘Hawks can be explosively dynamic, or asleep on their feet. That goes for nearly every aspect of their game.

If the RedHawks played every team as though it were Ohio State, they’d win quite a few games.

The Wolverines

Grow up already! OK, don’t take that personally. What the Wolverines need to resolve to do is to mature. With a talented bunch of freshmen supporting talented upperclassmen, all Michigan needs to do is gel a little more for consistency’s sake. Leading the conference in goals per game (3.65) and fifth in goals allowed (2.85), shoring up the defense in front of Josh Blackburn is about the best thing the Wolverines can do.

Another piece of advice: keep the enthusiasm going. An enthusiastic, emotional Wolverine squad — like the one we all saw in the NCAA Western game against Mercyhurst, like the one we see often this season — is a team that can win.

The Spartans

What do the Spartans need to resolve to do? Keep the status quo. I’m tired of hearing of how this year’s MSU squad has lost its edge, or how Ryan Miller’s play has somehow fallen off. Fer cryin’ out loud, people, Michigan State has lost just four games this season!

And this isn’t a resolution, but a request: When you get to the post-season, advance, please.

The Mavericks

For the Mavericks, I have a gift to go along with this mid-season advice. To UNO, I give a generous supply of the herb, rosemary. Why? Rosemary is the herb of remembrance, and the Mavericks need to resolve to remember how they played in October and November, especially late October through early November.

Ah, the Mavericks looked good then! Remember how they swept Michigan State? Remember the good old days when they took points from Ohio State on the road? It brings a tear to the eye and a lump to the throat.

And if the Mavericks remember how well they played then, it may also bring a few more wins.

The Wildcats

What is there to say about the hardest working team in college hockey? Resolve to work harder, Wildcats. Your tenacity is your greatest asset. Skate fast, finish your checks, play hard and with emotion. Fearless in the corners, Northern Michigan outlasted — wore down, actually — a physical Cornell team before coming from behind to beat a very good Maine team in the Everblades College Classic.

Craig Kowalski is very talented, and this team is wicked fast.

The Fighting Irish

For years now, I’ve been accused of “being in bed” with one CCHA team or another, but never has anyone thought me guilty of loving the Irish. The sad truth of that makes it very difficult for me to pronounce this resolution for Notre Dame — or may make it very difficult for the Irish to want to follow.

Gents of Notre Dame, what you need to do is put out.

This is a roster packed with NHL draft picks, at a school known for a tradition of athletic and academic achievement. Currently, the Irish are tied in conference points (13) with the Buckeyes, in the middle of a league that sees five points separating No. 3 (Ferris State, 15) with No. 11 (Bowling Green, 10). For years the Irish have been teasing CCHA fans; now’s the time to show us what you’re made of Notre Dame.

The Buckeyes

The Buckeyes need to score more goals, but that isn’t what they need to resolve to do. If they keep it simple, they’ll score those goals — and be nearly unbeatable.

This is a team that needs to remember to follow its prescribed systems. Remember, guys, what it felt like to sweep Northern Michigan? Remember, guys, what it felt like to beat Cornell in Florida after losing badly to Maine? Remember, guys, what it felt like to be swept (for the only time this season) in Big Rapids?

Who knows you better than I do?

The Broncos

Quick trivia question: which CCHA team has one win fewer than league-leading Michigan State? Why, the Western Michigan Broncos, of course.

Unfortunately for the Broncos, their conference record is just .500 while they more than double their wins in overall play (12-6-3, 5-5-2 CCHA). Granted, two wins over Canisius and two over Sacred Heart while defending the Realm don’t do much for the PWR, but they are wins.

Here’s what the Broncos must resolve to do — win conference games.

All Hail the Defenders of the Realm!

The CCHA was 10-8 against nonconference opponents during the holiday week, fitting for a conference that appears to be a bit better than .500 itself.

Hard as that overall reality is to swallow, the particulars are downright scary. Invitee North Dakota took the title in the 37th Great Lakes Invitational. Forget that Michigan Tech founded the Invitational; that’s our holiday tournament, dammit!

North Dakota’s 5-4 title win over Michigan State marks the first time in five years that the Spartans haven’t taken the GLI title. That first year that the Spartans won the GLI ended Michigan’s nine-year run as GLI champs, and NoDak’s title is the first by a non-Michigan school since 1987.

Gruesome, isn’t it?

In these trying nonconference times, it’s especially important to lavish praise on those who successfully defend the Realm, and this week all CCHA fans should get down on their knees and thank Northern Michigan, Notre Dame, and — yes, it’s true — Lake Superior State.

The Wildcats, this year’s invitee to the Everblades College Classic, thrilled the tiny crowd in TECO Arena (in Estero, Fla., between Naples and Ft. Myers) with a back-and-forth double- overtime 4-3 win over Cornell Saturday before coming from behind to beat the favored Maine Black Bears 5-4 for the title Sunday.

After his team won the title in its first trip to the tourney, NMU head coach Rick Comley quipped, “You’d think they’d want us back, wouldn’t you?”

Goaltender Craig Kowalski was outstanding in the series, posting 82 saves in the two games, 45 in the double-overtime win over Cornell.

Also well worth praise was the dynamic duo of Chad Theuer and Bryce Cockburn, who combined for the winning goals in each game. Theuer’s feeds to Cockburn were spot-on, and Cockburn knew what to do when Theuer fed him.

Comley said that given the CCHA’s nonconference play so far this season, the wins over Cornell and Michigan may have been real litmus tests for the ‘Cats. “I think all year long the league has struggled a bit out of conference. If you have a chance to play nationally ranked [nonconference] teams, they’re critical games. We don’t know whether we’re a national team yet, but if we get better and are, we’ve just beaten two teams that are going to do very well in their own leagues, and that helps us a lot.”

The Lakers also successfully defended the Realm by becoming the only other CCHA team to win a holiday tournament, taking the Sheraton/Howard Bank Holiday Classic (Burlington, Vt.) After beating host Vermont 6-3 Friday and then Dartmouth Saturday by a score of 3-1.

Also defending the Realm were the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, who even without Rob Globke and Brett Lebda — off with Team USA in the National World Junior Championship Tournament — downed Princeton twice in New Jersey. The 2-1 and 4-2 wins completed the first Irish sweep of a team on the road since Oct. 17-18, 1997, when they won two games at St. Cloud State.

D.O.T.R. honorable mentions go to Miami (4-3 over Yale), Michigan (7-4 over Tech), Michigan State (4-1 over Tech), and Ohio State (2-0 over Cornell).

Last week, the CCHA was 2-4 against the WCHA, 1-3 against Hockey East, and 7-1 against the ECAC.

Now, if all of that doesn’t say something about the relative strengths of conferences, I don’t know what does.

The First No-“L”

With a 2-0 win over Cornell in the second annual Everblades College Classic, Ohio State finally earned its first win in the holiday tournament it co-founded.

More importantly for the Buckeyes, OSU snapped a three-game losing streak which began with two road losses to Ferris State (5-2, 3-2) Dec. 14-15 — the first time the Buckeyes had failed to take at least a point in a weekend from an opponent this season — and which culminated in an embarrassing 6-2 showing against Maine in the first round of the Everblades Classic.

(Note to the Buckeyes: if at all possible, avoid playing Maine. They own you 10-1-0 all time.)

Even better news for the Bucks is that they bounced back from that loss to Maine and played a solid game against Cornell without starters Dave Steckel and R.J. Umberger (World Juniors) and Miguel Lafleche (shoulder). Learning to win without the big guns and without three of their top forwards may avert the kind of second-season nosedive that saw OSU go from third place in Dec. 2000 to traveling to Omaha in the first round of the 2000-01 CCHA playoffs.

Buckeye head coach John Markell said that as long as his team plays as a unit and each man knows his role, Ohio State will be competitive in the second half. “Anyone can play the system if you know what you’re doing and where you’re going. Sometimes in hockey you get on a roll and all of a sudden you feel like you can get there, but that takes everybody out of position. Last night [against Maine] we were allowing the weak-side winger to get open on us — and we went over it all week — and they [OSU] paid the price for it.”

Markell said that his team was “self-motivated” after the loss to Maine. “How many times have we done this? Their job is to learn from this. I know what it’s about, but this is part of building your team, to understand the commitment it takes to be good.”

One bright spot in the Maine game was the sudden offensive prowess of junior defenseman Pete Broccoli, who accounted for both OSU goals. In doing so, Broccoli doubled his career goal total as a Buckeye.

Another plus was the play of goaltender Kelly Holowaty, who came in at the start of the third period to relieve Mike Betz. Holowaty, who has never seen a complete game as a Buckeye, stopped six of seven shots, including the first shot he faced, which nearly sneaked in five-hole.

“Definitely when you haven’t played in a while…your first game back, obviously you want to get your first shot,” said Holowaty. “You’ve got to get your confidence up there. That first shot is definitely the key one to get the momentum going.”

In case you’re wondering, even though the Bucks lost that match 6-2, they won the third period 2-1.

And Mike Betz returned to form the following night with his fourth shutout of the season.

My Favorite Things

Covering hockey in Florida is a difficult gig. Really. After being pampered and spoiled by my parents, I had to drive to Estero — with the windows open and the music blaring — to write up four games in a two-day tournament where the temperature climbed above 75F each day.

Tough assignment.

This Christmas, after enduring oral surgery and an unexpected trip (down a flight of stairs), I found myself in Beverly Hills, Fla., at the home of Darrell and Dolly Weston (no kidding, all the way around), where I did little but read, sleep, and shop with my mother.

I ate soft foods (wine is a soft food, according to my oral surgeon’s nurse), laughed a lot, watched my 82-year-old aunt flirt shamelessly with a 90-year-old man (now you know where I get it), bandied about the meaning of life with my sister, Vicki, and my brother, Michael, and gradually remembered why I was home in the first place (to spend Dad’s money and do laundry — you think these things change just because you hit 37?).

Seriously, while my father was suffering through a sinus infection, sitting in his easy chair and watching movies on the Lifetime Movie Network (truth, I swear), my mother wanted to spoil her eldest daughter. Mom is 67. I let her. And I enjoyed every minute of it.

My wish for each reader in 2002 is that you can share as close a relationship with your loved ones as I have come to know with mine, that you cherish each moment as it passes as I have learned relatively late to do, and that you find time to stop and smell the proverbial roses — or the fragrant night air in Estero, Fla., as was my pleasure.

Happy New Year, everyone.

1999 NHL Entry Draft

USCHO Staff Report
-
January 2, 2002

The following college players or recruits were chosen in the National Hockey League’s free agent entry draft on June
26, 1999: (R) = Recruit expected to enroll at that school

Round One Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 14 San Jose Sharks Jeff Jillson, D Michigan (CCHA) 16 Carolina Hurricanes David Tanabe, D Wisconsin (WCHA) 20 Buffalo Sabres Barrett Heisten, LW Maine (Hockey East) Round Two Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 32 Dallas Stars Mike Ryan (R), C Northeastern (Hockey East) 38 Calgary Flames Dan Cavanaugh, C/RW Boston University (Hockey East) 42 New Jersey Devils Mike Commodore, D North Dakota (WCHA) 44 Anaheim Mighty Ducks Jordan Leopold, D Minnesota (WCHA) 51 Pittsburgh Penguins Matt Murley, LW Rensselaer (ECAC) 52 Nashville Predators Adam Hall, RW Michigan State (CCHA) 54 Nashville Predators Andrew Hutchinson, D Michigan State (CCHA) 55 Buffalo Sabres Doug Janik, D Maine (Hockey East) 59 New York Rangers David Inman, C Notre Dame (CCHA) Round Three Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 74 Los Angeles Kings Jason Crain, D Ohio State (CCHA) 81 Edmonton Oilers Adam Hauser, G Minnesota (WCHA) 82 San Jose Sharks Mark Concannon (R), LW UMass Lowell (Hockey East) 84 Carolina Hurricanes Brad Fast (R), D Michigan State (CCHA) 87 New York Islanders Brian Collins (R), C Boston University (Hockey East) 90 New York Rangers Pat Aufiero, D Boston University (Hockey East) 91 Edmonton Oilers Mike Comrie, C Michigan (CCHA) Round Four Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 97 Montreal Canadiens Chris Dyment, D Boston University (Hockey East) 111 San Jose Sharks Willie Levesque, F Northeastern (Hockey East) 113 Carolina Hurricanes Ryan Murphy (R), LW Bowling Green (CCHA) 115 Pittsburgh Penguins Ryan Malone (R), LW St. Cloud (WCHA) Round Five Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 135 Calgary Flames Matt Doman, RW Wisconsin (WCHA) 138 Buffalo Sabres Ryan Miller (R), G Michigan State (CCHA) 142 Colorado Avalanche Will Magnuson, D Lake Superior (CCHA) 143 St. Louis Blues Trevor Byrne (R), D Dartmouth (ECAC) 150 Montreal Canadiens Matt Shasby, D Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA) 153 Calgary Flames Jesse Cook, D Denver (WCHA) 155 San Jose Sharks Niko Dimitrakos, RW Maine (Hockey East) Round Six Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 170 Calgary Flames Matt Underhill, G Cornell (ECAC) 171 Edmonton Oilers Chris Legg (R), LW Brown (ECAC) 172 Vancouver Canucks Josh Reed (R), D UMass Lowell (Hockey East) 175 Washington Capitals Kyle Clark, RW Harvard (ECAC) 176 Pittsburgh Penguins Doug Meyer, LW Minnesota (WCHA) 177 New York Rangers Jay Dardis (R), C St. Cloud (WCHA) [2000] Round Seven Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 188 Atlanta Thrashers Steve Baby (R), RW Cornell (ECAC) 195 Chicago Black Hawks Yorick Treille, RW UMass Lowell (Hockey East) 201 Ottawa Senators Mikko Ruutu (R), F Clarkson (ECAC) 203 St. Louis Blues Phil Osaer, G Ferris State (CCHA) 207 Boston Bruins Greg Barber, RW Denver (WCHA) 214 New Jersey Devils Chris Hartsburg, C Colorado College (WCHA) Round Eight Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 216 Tampa Bay Lightning Erkki Rajamaki (R), LW Colgate (ECAC) 221 St. Louis Blues Colin Hemingway (R), RW New Hampshire (Hockey East) 222 Los Angeles Kings George Parros (R), RW Princeton (ECAC) 231 Carolina Hurricanes David Evans, RW Clarkson (ECAC) 236 Boston Bruins John Cronin (R), D Boston University (Hockey East) 240 Colorado Avalanche Jeff Finger (R), D Michigan Tech (WCHA) 241 San Jose Sharks Doug Murray (R), D Cornell (ECAC) 242 New Jersey Devils Justin Dziama (R), RW Boston College (Hockey East) 243 Dallas Stars Brian Sullivan (R), D Northeastern (Hockey East) Round Nine Pick NHL Team Name, Pos School (Conference) 246 Atlanta Thrashers Ray DiLauro, D St. Lawrence (ECAC) 248 Nashville Predators Darren Haydar, LW New Hampshire (Hockey East) 250 Los Angeles Kings Noah Clarke (R), C Colorado College (WCHA) 255 New York Islanders Brett Henning (R), C Notre Dame (CCHA) 258 Anaheim Mighty Ducks Brian Gornick, C Air Force (CHA) 260 St. Louis Blues Brian McMeekin, D Cornell (ECAC) 261 Pittsburgh Penguins Andrew McPherson, RW Rensselaer (ECAC) 267 Toronto Maple Leafs Peter Metcalf, D Maine (Hockey East) 268 New York Islanders Tyler Scott (R), D New Hampshire (Hockey East)

Below is a listing of most of the US collegians eligible for the 1999 NHL entry draft. The table will let you know
exactly where your favorite collegian was picked in the draft.

Forwards/Defensemen CSB Name Team Pos Picked Rd. By 11 Jeff Jillson Michigan D 14 1 San Jose Sharks 14 Barrett Heisten Maine LW 20 1 Buffalo Sabres 16 Jordan Leopold Minnesota D 44 2 Anaheim Mighty Ducks 17 Doug Janik Maine D 55 2 Buffalo Sabres 19 David Inman Notre Dame C 59 2 New York Rangers 23 Matt Murley Rensselaer LW 51 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 24 Mike Commodore North Dakota D 42 2 New Jersey Devils 27 Dave Tanabe Wisconsin D 16 1 Carolina Hurricanes 34 Mike Comrie Michigan C 91 3 Edmonton Oilers 38 Mike Ryan Northeastern C 32 2 Dallas Stars 40 Andrew Hutchinson Michigan State D 54 2 Nashville Predators 45 Adam Hall Michigan State RW 52 2 Nashville Predators 47 Pat Aufiero Boston University D 90 3 New York Rangers 49 Chris Dyment Boston University D 97 3 Montreal Canadiens 54 Dan Cavanaugh Boston University C/RW 38 2 Calgary Flames 56 Willie Levesque Northeastern F 111 4 San Jose Sharks 62 Ryan Malone St. Cloud LW 115 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 63 Trevor Byrne Dartmouth D 143 5 St. Louis Blues 65 Jason Crain Ohio State D 74 3 Los Angeles Kings 76 Will Magnuson Lake Superior D 142 5 Colorado Avalanche 77 Matt Shasby Alaska-Anchorage D 150 5 Montreal Canadiens 79 Jesse Cook Denver D 153 5 Calgary Flames 80 Matt Doman Wisconsin RW 135 5 Calgary Flames 88 Brian Collins Boston University C 87 3 New York Islanders 91 David Evans Clarkson RW 231 8 Carolina Hurricanes 93 Yorick Treille UMass Lowell RW 195 7 Chicago Black Hawks 98 John Conboy Minnesota-Duluth D 100 Kyle Clark Harvard RW 175 6 Washington Capitals 103 Doug Meyer Minnesota LW 176 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 104 Ryan Murphy Bowling Green LW 113 4 Carolina Hurricanes 112 Doug Murray Cornell D 241 8 San Jose Sharks 140 Chris Brannen UMass Amherst D 142 Darren Haydar New Hampshire LW 248 9 Nashville Predators 144 John Cronin Boston University D 236 8 Boston Bruins 149 Jeff Finger Michigan Tech D 240 8 Colorado Avalanche 151 Mark Concannon UMass Lowell LW 82 3 San Jose Sharks 153 Bryson Busniuk UMass Lowell C 156 Niko Dimitrakos Maine RW 155 5 San Jose Sharks 158 Brett Henning Notre Dame C 255 9 New York Islanders 160 Pavel Nejezchleb Miami D 169 Justin Dziama Boston College RW 242 8 New Jersey Devils 173 Mike Stuart Colorado College D 176 Joe Goodenow Michigan State C 178 Phillipe Choiniere Vermont RW 180 Jeff Yurecko North Dakota RW 182 Chris Legg Brown LW 171 6 Edmonton Oilers 185 Andrew Bogle Michigan State C/W 186 George Parros Princeton RW 222 8 Los Angeles Kings 187 Brian Gornick Air Force C 258 9 Anaheim Mighty Ducks 191 Brad Fast Michigan State D 84 3 Carolina Hurricanes 192 Kevin Kotyluk UMass Lowell D 194 Matt Dzieduszycki New Hampshire C 195 Graham Mink Vermont RW NR Josh Reed UMass Lowell D 172 6 Vancouver Canucks NR Jay Dardis St. Cloud [2000] C 177 6 New York Rangers NR Steve Baby Cornell RW 188 7 Atlanta Thrashers NR Mikko Ruutu Clarkson F 201 7 Ottawa Senators NR Greg Barber Denver RW 207 7 Boston Bruins NR Chris Hartsburg Colorado College C 214 7 New Jersey Devils NR Erkki Rajamaki Colgate LW 216 8 Tampa Bay Lightning NR Colin Hemingway New Hampshire RW 221 8 St. Louis Blues NR Brian Sullivan Northeastern D 243 8 Dallas Stars NR Ray DiLauro St. Lawrence D 246 9 Atlanta Thrashers NR Noah Clarke Colorado College C 250 9 Los Angeles Kings NR Brian McMeekin Cornell D 260 9 St. Louis Blues NR Andrew McPherson Rensselaer RW 261 9 Pittsburgh Penguins NR Peter Metcalf Maine D 267 9 Toronto Maple Leafs NR Tyler Scott New Hampshire D 268 9 New York Islanders Goaltenders CSB Name Team Picked Round By 8 Matt Underhill Cornell 170 6 Calgary Flames 10 Adam Hauser Minnesota 81 3 Edmonton Oilers 13 Phil Osaer Ferris State 203 7 St. Louis Blues 18 Ryan Miller Michigan State 138 5 Buffalo Sabres 25 Joe Blackburn Michigan State 28 Rob Anderson Minnesota-Duluth 30 Pete Samargia Minnesota

Bottoms Up For Minnesota

By Scott Weighart
-
December 31, 2001

Upon graduating, how many college hockey alumni can say that they helped their programs earn a better record in each of their four seasons? How many finish their careers with twice as many wins as they had in their freshman season?

If you know the answers to those questions and are the first to e-mail a definitive list to our editor, I’ll personally send you a copy of the latest CD by The Zambonis along with a polite suggestion that you try to get out more often to make contact with others of your species.

Suffice it to say, though, that the University of Minnesota is well on the way to pulling off its first 30-win season since 1995-1996. The Golden Gopher seniors — most notably captains Jordan Leopold and John Pohl, along with netminder Adam Hauser — struggled through a 15-19-9 campaign under outgoing coach Doug Woog during their freshman year.

Minnesota responded by turning over the reins to then-Colorado College coach Don Lucia, and the results have been similar to the stock market in the 1990s — up and up and up.

During Lucia’s first year, the team finished in the black by a modest margin, going 20-19-2. Last year it posted an impressive 27-13-2 record and lost a heartbreaker to Maine in the NCAA East Regional.

Now the Golden Gophers have a sparkling 14-2-3 record and are ranked third in the nation among a three-team WCHA logjam at the top of the charts. Altogether, major-league baseball may be an endangered species these days in the Twin Cities, but college hockey’s fortunes are looking brighter than ever.

So what’s behind the Gophers’ steady climb back toward college hockey’s elite? According to their coach and their captains, it’s a hearty stew of leadership, talent, and team cohesiveness.

Lucia is quick to point out that he inherited the team’s excellent upperclassmen from the previous coaching regime. Still, he soon recognized that changes would need to be made if that talent would prove to be a foundation for success.

“One of the things I felt was that I didn’t want kids that were wanting to be a part of Gopher tradition — I wanted kids who wanted to make their own,” Lucia said. “We didn’t want kids who were just happy to be here; we wanted kids who wanted to succeed and were willing to pay the price.”

In addition to questioning the work ethic of some of his players early in his coaching tenure, Lucia also was startled to learn about the team’s chemistry … or lack thereof.

“That was one of the things that surprised me when I took over,” Lucia said. “I didn’t feel it was a very cohesive team, a team that got along well.

“It was kind of every guy was for themselves, and you can’t be successful that way,” said Lucia. “Any team that I’ve ever been a part of, nobody really cared who got the glory.”

“Earlier on it was a little rougher, more the freshman, sophomore, junior, senior thing going on,” Leopold added. “More cliques, I guess. Normally guys are straight out of high school every time, and now we’ve got guys coming in from junior programs: Some [sophomores] are older than me.”

Lucia wasn’t about to tolerate an “us and them” situation between the upperclassmen and the new recruits.

“I don’t believe in that caste system,” Lucia said. “I don’t believe in initiation, and I wasn’t going to allow it to happen.

“I think the upperclassmen the last years have really done a good job including the freshmen and making them welcome and a part of the team,” Lucia said. “It’s enough of an adjustment going to college your freshmen year without feeling like you’re getting picked on by the older guys.”

Another big change in the Lucia Era has been an intriguing combination: an emphasis on hard work and discipline are tempered with an acceptance of a player’s individuality within a system.

“He’s a little bit more a disciplinarian; he expects a lot out of you,” Leopold said. “You just have to practice hard and give a good effort. That’s what he’s looking for. If you don’t give it, you’re probably not going to find yourself in the lineup.

“It was a little bit looser my freshman year when Woog was around. It was more of a loose environment — guys could do whatever — there wasn’t a lot of direction going on there. Now we know what we want to accomplish.”

“It’s very businesslike,” Pohl said. “He doesn’t yell and scream very often. He lets us play our own game; when we’re out there we’re not puppets of a system.”

“That’s very true,” Leopold agreed. “He’s a disciplinarian off the ice, but on the ice it’s totally different. He’s all about creativity — just make sure you do your basic job, and then you can do whatever after that.”

When it comes to Leopold, Gopher fans were nervous that the talented blueliner would indeed “do whatever” at the close of last season: Immediately after the team was ousted from the NCAA tournament, the Golden Valley, Minn., native strongly considered going pro with the Calgary Flames, which own his NHL rights.

“It was really one of those decisions I wanted to be made quick. I wanted to know what I was doing,” Leopold said. “And I made it probably within four days.”

“If a kid’s ready to play in the National Hockey League, that’s one thing,” Lucia said. “But one of things we had going for us was that Jordan was 20 years old at the time and just turning 21 in August. There’s not a lot of 21-year-old defensemen playing in the National Hockey League.

“Calgary was very up-front and kind of leaving it up to Jordan what he wanted to do,” Lucia added. “They weren’t in any kind of hurry to pull him out, and Jordan had a chance to be a Hobey Baker candidate and maybe win it; he also had a chance for us to be a very good hockey team, and I think Jordan’s going to graduate this spring on time.

“All those things were factors.”

The decision obviously came as great news to Pohl, who had high praise for his teammate.

“I think in a way he does it all,” Pohl said. “His skating is really underrated. I don’t think you notice it because he’s the not the fastest guy in the world, but he’s so smooth.

“I was actually thinking about it [Saturday] night during the game. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him fall down or get knocked down,” Pohl added. “He’s got great hands; he can shoot the puck really well. He can pass; he plays defense.”

When asked to turn the tables and evaluate Pohl — currently fourth in the nation in scoring and tied for second in assists — Leopold was blunt in his appraisal.

“He’s the garbageman, that guy!” Leopold said, chuckling. “Ever since back in high school I’ve watched him. He’s a magician around the net and that’s really his strength. He sits just to the right side of the goaltender all the time on the power play. You feed him the puck, and he puts it in. That’s his strength.”

“He’s a smart player,” Leopold added. “Not everybody has the instincts; he’s got a lot of good instincts about just where to be. He’s always there with his stick in the right spot.”

Given Leopold’s appraisal of him as a natural goal-scorer, it’s interesting to learn that the coaching staff has had to pester Pohl to shoot the puck.

“For a guy who is one of our elite players, in 18 games he’d only had like 37 or 38 shots on goal,” Lucia said. “With all that ice time, you’ve got other guys with 70 or 80 shots on goal at the time. So we told him, ‘You’ve got to be a little more selfish and look for that shot first.'”

Lucia gave Pohl a little talking-to on this subject before the championship game of the Mariucci Classic, and Pohl paid quick dividends, scoring two goals and getting one of his two assists directly off of a shot.

"Jordan Leopold is probably our hardest-working defenseman, and Johnny Pohl is probably our hardest-working forward … That’s a great combination when they’re All-League players, and the younger guys can see how hard they work."

— Minnesota coach Don Lucia

“He came in; it was a bad angle,” Lucia said. “Normally he wouldn’t have even thought about shooting it, but he shot it low at the goaltender’s feet, and the rebound came out, and [linemate Barry] Tallackson scored on it.

“Normally he would have kept the puck and wanted to look for that pretty play all the time.”

That’s a typical example of the coachability and work ethic that separate Leopold and Pohl from most college players.

“Jordan Leopold is probably our hardest-working defenseman, and Johnny Pohl is probably our hardest-working forward,” Lucia said. “That’s a great combination when they’re All-League players, and the younger guys can see how hard they work.”

If Leopold and Pohl are two of the most critical pieces of the puzzle, though, it would be a mistake to overlook the career years of many Golden Gophers. Hauser’s save percentage is currently .916, his best ever if it holds up. Junior Jeff Taffe already has surpassed his goal total for last season and is tied for fourth in the country with 16 lamplighters to date.

Perhaps most importantly for the future, sophomore defenseman Paul Martin is keeping pace with Leopold in points, and six of the team’s ten top scorers are in their freshman or sophomore years. Highly-touted recruit Thomas Vanek committed to the program in November and should bring more offensive firepower to Mariucci Arena next season to help fill the void left when Pohl and Leopold move on.

In the meantime, though, the Gophers are setting their sights on a very short trip: The Frozen Four will be in St. Paul this April. Leopold concedes that anything less would be a major disappointment.

“It would be because, heck, I’ve been here four years,” Leopold said. “I didn’t come back to not get there. That’s where I’ve always wanted to be. It’s in St. Paul; I think everybody on our team realizes that. It’s really a home-field advantage if we can get here and play at home.”

Lucia doesn’t seem inclined to let complacency slip in between now and then.

“From here on out, we’ve got to continue to get better defensively,” Lucia said. “You get to the end of the year, and goals are a lot more difficult to come by.

“We have to continue to get better without the puck,” Lucia added. “Goaltending’s going to be a key, as it always is: You’re not going to go deep into the playoffs without outstanding goaltending, and Adam’s been very good so far this year, and we’re rotating the freshmen in to keep him mentally and physically fresh, so he can be ready to go when March rolls around.”

You can’t argue with a guy whose coaching record features not a single losing season in eight prior years of coaching — just the kind of a guy you want at the helm if the Gophers are to regain the year-in, year-out consistency that they enjoyed in the late 1980s, when the program had five consecutive seasons of 30-plus wins.

Given that the team is just a few years removed from that 15-win season, Gopher fans certainly have good reasons to say “Bottoms up!” for this New Year.

Team USA Ends Round-Robin Unbeaten; Faces Russia in Quarters

USCHO Staff Report
-
December 30, 2001

The United States finished round-robin play in the World Junior Championships with a 4-4 tie against Slovakia on Sunday, and now prepares for a quarterfinal match with Russia on Tuesday.

Team USA finished with a 2-0-2 record, tied for best in Group ‘A’ with Slovakia and Sweden. Slovakia won the tiebreaker with the U.S. for the top seed, based on goal differential. Russia was the third seed in Group ‘B’ with a 2-2-0 record.

The United States, led 3-2 after one period against Slovakia, getting power-play goals from Boston University’s Ryan Whitney, and Michigan State’s James Slater. Brett Lebda, who plays for Notre Dame, scored the other goal in a see-saw opening 20 minutes.

Slovakia scored the only goal of the second period, then took the lead on its third breakaway goal of the game, six minutes into the third. Lebda scored again to regain the tie with six minutes remaining.

“We’re not satisfied with the tie,” U.S. National Junior Team head coach Keith Allain said. “We play every game to win, but there were a lot of positives for the team. It was an exciting game with a lot of action on both sides. Now we’re looking forward to the playoff round to begin.”

Saturday, the U.S. rolled over winless Belarus, 5-2. Belarus actually led 1-0 after the first period, but the U.S. outshot its opponent, 24-3, in the second. Boston University’s Gregg Johnson tied the game, before Belarus regained the lead with a power-play goal. Kris Vernarsky re-tied it late in the period.

The U.S. came out firing in the third, and took the lead for good with goals from Yale’s Chris Higgins and Notre Dame’s Rob Globke. After goalie Jason Bacashihua stopped a penalty shot, Minnesota’s Keith Ballard put the game away with his first of the tournament.

It’s been impressive tournament so far for the Americans, who have never won this most prestigious international amateur event.

On Christmas Day, the Americans defeated the two-time defending champion, and host, Czech Republic, 3-1. It followed it up with a 2-2 tie against Sweden on Thursday night.

The U.S. scored 18 seconds apart in the first period of the game against the Czech Republic, played in front of a hostile crowd of 8,500. Vernarsky opened the scoring, followed by one from Higgins. That lead was extended to 3-0 just 19 seconds into the second period, on a goal from Chad LaRose.

The Czechs scored late in the second for their only goal, and were held to just five shots on Bacashihua in the third period. Bacashihua was strong early when needed most, and stopped 30 shots.

“I have a lot of respect for the Czechs and what they’ve accomplished in the last few years at the tournament, so to win this game is a big achievement for our team,” Allain said. “I’m very proud of our squad, and most of all, impressed with how the players played together as a team.”

Against Sweden, Team USA followed up a scoreless first period with a power-play goal by Higgins, a native of Smithtown, N.Y. Just over a minute later, LaRose scored his second goal of the tournament on a shorthanded breakaway.

Sweden scored twice in the third to tie it, including a power-play goal with less than two minutes remaining.

“Nobody likes to tie, especially when you’re up by two goals, but I think it was the right result for this game,” said Allain. “This was a very even contest and I’m proud of how our players played with intensity through the whole game, but we will need to be smarter to win games.”

This Week In The MAAC: Dec. 27, 2001

By Jim Connelly
-
December 27, 2001

MAAC Midseason Report Card

We’re pretty close to the halfway point in the MAAC season, and with the recent respite, there isn’t a lot of hockey to talk about.

So I once again bring you the midseason report card for all 11 teams.

There have been some surprises early in the season. Holy Cross and Canisius are sitting near the top of the league despite low expectations leading into the year; Iona having difficulties living up to billing; and teams like Army and Fairfield down at the bottom, despite playing pretty decent hockey.

There have also been a fair share of good performances already.

Start with AIC’s Frank Novello, who single-handedly beat Fairfield in three straight games despite being outshot 150-58. And Mercyhurst earned the league’s only win against a “Big Four” opponent, dismantling Colgate, 5-2, at the Syracuse Invitational.

All said, here then, is my midseason report. Let the hate mail begin.

AIC

Midseason Record

Overall: 5-7-0
MAAC: 4-6-0

Preseason USCHO pick: 10th
Current position: T-7th

Overall

Before the season started, it wasn’t difficult to write AIC off for another year without a postseason. One year ago, the Yellow Jackets’ only hope seemed to come from goaltender Chance Thede. He was known on plenty of occasions to simply steal a game or two, and combining that with the disciplined team that AIC coach Gary Wright is known for putting on the ice, one thought that the playoffs weren’t too far-fetched. But with Thede graduating, that hole between the pipes seemed a daunting one to fill. That was until Frank Novello arrived. As a rookie, Novello stands second only to Mercyhurst’s Peter Aubry in save percentage and is fifth in the league in goals against average. Novello single-handedly stole AIC’s three league wins — all against Fairfield, when AIC was outshot a combined 150-58. Come the second half, if Novello can remain hot, don’t be surprised to see this team make a run at the playoffs. Overall midterm grade: C+

Offense

As good as AIC’s goaltending has been, the offense has been equally poor. The Yellow Jackets stand ninth in the league at less than two-and-a-half goals per game. The AIC power play has scored the fewest goals in the league (seven), and AIC is one of only three teams yet to have a shorthanded marker. Rookie Ron Miller leads the team in scoring with just 12 points (six goals, six assists). Your goaltending can stop everything in the world, but if you can’t put the puck in the net, wins become much more difficult. Offense midterm grade: D+

Defense

With players like Novello backstopping the AIC defense, things can’t be too bad. That said, it’s hard to ignore that in five of the 12 AIC games, the defense has allowed five or more goals (including a 7-2 loss to Army and an 8-2 thrashing by Connecticut). Given Novello’s strong stats, it would suggest that he might have a case to sue his defense for a lack of support. AIC is in the middle of the pack overall in defense (seventh out of 11 teams, averaging 3.67 goals against per game). Improvement could spark a playoff run for the Yellow Jackets since the most important part of the equation — goaltending — is already accounted for. Defense midterm grade: B-

Army

Midseason Record

Overall: 2-11-2
MAAC: 2-6-2

Preseason USCHO pick: 7th
Current position: 9th

Overall Someday Army will stop making a liar out of me. Every year, I believe that Army could make some noise. I believe that the Black Knights can build themselves up to the form of old that was competitive against some of the most established programs in college hockey. This year, though I’m sure I could be proven wrong again, I think Army is so close to recovery. This is a good hockey team. Not a single team in the league wants to play Army. Yet here we are at Christmas and this Army squad has been one of the most generous teams when it comes to giving away victories. This team could be 8-5-2 right now, but has a pitiful record in close games. A bounce of the puck here, a call your way there, and Army could easily turn five or six ‘L’s into ‘W’s. Army is 0-9-2 in games decided by two goals or less. Doesn’t a blind squirrel find a nut every once in a while? Eventually you have to think that Army will win a close game, no? Overall midterm grade: C-

Offense The most difficult thing about writing about this struggling Army team is the fact that statistically, they’re middle of the pack. Their scoring offense ranks just behind Iona, a team fighting for home ice instead of a playoff spot. They have five players already with double-digit scoring. Their power play, just like their offense and defense, is ranked sixth in the league. So what is Army missing? Clutch goals. In Army’s two wins, the game-winners were scored before the fans had even finished arriving. But when the chips are down, Army has not responded. Only three times all season has Army made third-period comebacks — and two of those saw them fall in overtime. A playoff contender has players who can score at opportune times. That’s what Army will need to make the postseason. Offense midterm grade: C

Defense Averaging 3.53 goals against per game, Army sits three spots ahead of aforementioned Iona, despite being three spots behind in the standings. Can they turn this around? Absolutely. If the defense, particularly goaltending, can continue to give the team a chance to win games, eventually they will. Senior goaltender Scott Hamilton will need some big performances down the stretch to make up for his 0-6 start. Freshman John Yaros has showed signs of emerging as a solid goaltender for the Army. Defense midterm grade: C-

Bentley

Midseason Record

Overall: 2-13-1
MAAC: 2-9-1

Preseason USCHO pick: 11th
Current position: T-10th

Overall In one aspect, Bentley has lived up to expectations. Preseason, I picked the Falcons to finish last — they’re currently second to last. That, though, is likely where meeting expectations ends for the Falcons. For the third straight year, Bentley reaches the break struggling. They are a step ahead of last year, a season that saw them reach mid-December before pulling off a win. But still at 2-13-1, there won’t be a lot of smiles in the Bentley locker room. There have been highlights — namely a 2-1 victory over Canisius a night after the Griffs dismantled Bentley, 6-1. At times, rookie goaltender Simon St. Pierre has shined brightly. Other times, he has not. Can the Falcons make a playoff run? Anything is possible, but I wouldn’t hold my breath. Overall midterm grade: D+

Offense In past years, offense hasn’t been that much of a worry for Bentley. The Falcons always seemed to have a couple of players who could put the puck in the net. The problem always has been an inflated goals against average. This year, though, offense has not been a strong suit. Only two players — rookie Brian Goodwin and senior defenseman Steve Tobio — have managed double digits in points. But after the 12 points for each of these players, the next closest is six assists from rookie Seth Vinocur. The Falcons’ offense is last in the league, averaging less than two goals per game. The defense is yielding 4.62. Offense midterm grade: D

Defense When you’re 2-13-1 at the break, it’s not a bad idea to look for some kind of silver lining. Rookie Simon St. Pierre provided a bit of that early in the season when he stopped 44 AIC shots in a 3-2 overtime victory. Follow that with a 33-save performance in a 2-1 win over AIC and Bentley may have finally found a decent goaltender. Looking at the rest of the defensive corps, though, that silver lining has turned dark gray. With highly-touted senior Steve Tobio anchoring the blue line, Bentley did have some reason to hope the perennially weak defense would be stronger. But even Tobio can’t provide the necessary leadership to keep Bentley out of the cellar on team defense. If the Falcons are to make a run at any type of postseason, their number one mission has to be to limit the number of shots their goaltenders see. An improved defense could close the current four-goal gap between scoring offense and defense that is killing this Bentley team. Defense midterm grade: D+

Canisius

Midseason Record

Overall: 8-6-2
MAAC: 7-3-2

Preseason USCHO pick: 5th
Current position: 2nd

Overall A major surprise over the first half of the hockey season has been the Canisius Golden Griffs. A 7-3-2 record places Canisius just two points behind Mercyhurst in what could become a two-Western-team race to the finish line. If anyone was writing off Canisius’ early success to a weak schedule, the Griffs changed that thinking the week leading into the break when they swept preseason favorite, Iona, 5-2 and 3-1, to move into second place. Also of importance is the fact that Canisius only has three remaining league road trips — a two-game set with Holy Cross in January, games at AIC and Sacred Heart in February, and closing the season, at Iona and Army in early March. Canisius is undefeated at home in league games (4-0-2). The Griffs still play seven MAAC home games after the New Year, giving hope to a title run. Overall midterm grade: A

Offense Somewhere along the road to the New Year, Canisius found both its yin and yang — because right now, the Griffs offense is the most balanced in the league. No one player has risen above the rest, yet the teams leads the MAAC in scoring average netting an average of 4.12 goals per game — nearly half a goal better than second ranked Mercyhurst (3.69 goals per game). Most impressive is the fact that nine players on the Griffs have already reached double-digits in scoring, with three more just a point behind. The fact that few MAAC teams can boast four solid lines of offensive threats automatically places Canisius in a class by themselves. The youth movement is certainly powerful for the Griffs — four of their top six scorers are underclassmen, led by sophomore Rob Martin’s team-best 10 goals. Canisius has also proven the ability to play strong late in games, leading the league with 23 third-period goals. Offense midterm grade: A+

Defense Sean Weaver made a name for himself when, on February 22, 2000, he stopped 58 shots against then-national powerhouse Niagara to give Canisius a 2-1 upset victory. The game, which could be seen across the country on Empire Sports, started a five-game winning streak for the young netminder and made many a believer that this goaltender could carry the Griffs to success in the coming year. Last season, though, was nowhere near as glory-filled for Weaver. Hampered by injuries and a lack of confidence, Weaver turned over the starting job to senior Stephen Fabiilli, who carried the Griffs to the MAAC Final Four. Weaver finished the year with a 4-4-1 record, a 3.39 goals against average and an .871 save percentage — hardly the marquee numbers Canisius had hoped to see. Entering this season, Weaver stood as the sole question mark for the Griffs. To date, the answer to the question has been positive. Weaver stands fourth in the league in goals against (3.01) and boasts a 6-4-2 record at the break. He took a positive step into the Christmas break by backstopping both Griffs wins in the sweep of Iona earlier this month. If he continues to play well, look for the Griffs to make a legitimate run at the title. Defense midterm grade: A-

Fairfield

Midseason Record

Overall: 4-11-1
MAAC: 2-7-1

Preseason USCHO pick: 8th
Current position: T-10th

Overall It has been important since the inception of the MAAC league that a sense of parity be achieved in a short term. It’s still not there — I can’t lie. But when you look at Fairfield sitting in 10th at Christmas, one has to worry how far off parity really is. No one thought that Fairfield was going to crack the top four in the league, I’ll give you that. But knowing the talent that returned to coach Jim Hunt’s squad combined with his ability to teach players systems and how to achieve success at least made me a believer that Fairfield would be competitive. To this point, I believe they are. The standings, though, speak differently. Though I’ve written about it before, I can’t help but note that three of Fairfield’s seven MAAC losses were sheer robbery. Frank Novello, AIC goaltender, stole all three as Fairfield outshot the Yellow Jackets, 150-58, but came away without a win. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize a 5-4-1 record is much different from 2-7-1. (In this case it’s the difference between fourth and 10th.) Overall midterm grade: C-

Offense Offense is one area Fairfield must improve. Running into a hot goaltender now and again is one thing. Being able to finish plays and score goals in another. The Stags average 2.31 goals per game. They posted donuts three times — all in close games (1-0 twice, and 2-0). Three years ago, Fairfield had possibly the best freshman class in the league. This year, those same players continue to lead the team in scoring. But this fab five needs to make even more of an offensive contribution if Fairfield is to survive come March. Offense midterm grade: D+

Defense Fairfield’s defense is close to being a beacon of hope. Between the pipes, five goaltenders have seen play with two — Craig Schnappinger and Michael Wolfe carrying the brunt. Statistically, both are decent. The difference between what makes a team a decent team and a good team starts with goaltending. One of these men will have to step up in the second half of the season. Also needing to improve is the Stags penalty kill. Though not laden with a lot of penalties, the PK is only working to a 73.4% efficiency. Defense midterm grade: C

Holy Cross

Midseason Record

Overall: 8-5-2
MAAC: 5-2-2

Preseason USCHO pick: 9th
Current position: 3rd

Overall Nobody gave them a shot before the season started. Nobody. That includes this writer, who felt optimistic picking Holy Cross ninth, missing the playoffs for the second straight year. One year ago, the Crusaders struggled with every aspect of the game. This year, at the holiday break, Holy Cross is possibly the most improved team in the country. They boast a 5-2-2 record in league play and have split their non-conference games (3-3). A couple of games saw the Crusaders hiccup (7-4 loss to Iona, 9-1 loss to Dartmouth, 7-2 loss to Northeastern), but when the chips are down, they have found ways to win. Added motivation may come from the fact that Holy Cross once again hosts the league tournament. The first time they hosted in 1998, the Crusaders took home the title. Overall midterm grade: A-

Offense Holy Cross enters the break with six players in double-digits for points. Last season, the Crusaders finished the season with only nine players reaching double digits. Talk about night and day. The Holy Cross offense ranks third in the league behind only Mercyhurst and Canisius. The Crusaders power play is one of the best in the country, with a league-leading 28.6% efficiency. That’s more than five points better than their already strong 23% from a year ago. Can the offense carry this team? Without a doubt. The ability for the offense to stay on track and this team to remain healthy will dictate where Holy Cross finishes in the standings. But at this point, home ice seems realistic. Offense midterm grade: A-

Defense A season ago when Holy Cross finished 8-22-2, the one area where it was easy to point fingers was between the pipes. Lacking any sort of experience, the Crusaders never found goaltending consistency throughout the entire campaign. Holy Cross averaged 4.11 goals against per game while scoring an average of only 2.75 goals per game. Needless to say, the record reflected it. This year, though, with another year under their belts, Derek Cunha and Rick Massey have shown remarkable improvement, and each has had his own highlight games. Cunha made 36 saves in relief in a crazy 7-6 win at Air Force, and had 33 saves in a 5-5 tie at Mercyhurst. The next night Massey made 40 saves in a 3-3 tie at Canisius that preceded two shutouts later in the season against Bentley and Fairfield. It was a hot goaltender that coach Paul Pearl rode to the championship three years ago. This year, he could ride two. Defense midterm grade: B+

Iona

Midseason Record

Overall: 6-8-1
MAAC: 5-4-1

Preseason USCHO pick: 2nd
Current position: T-4th

Overall For the first time in the four-year history of the MAAC, Iona entered the season with expectations. For three years coach Frank Bretti has been building a team from the ground up. Iona has proven to be one of the best recruiting schools in the league, and until this year have been known as an offensive spark plug. But the Iona struggles did not start at day one. Iona opened the season 4-0-1 and held first place in the MAAC for the first month. Then, though, a stretch of eight road games in the next ten led to a 2-8-0 mark to close the first half culminated by a 7-2 drubbing at Northeastern. If the road is a foe for the Gaels, they’ll be happy to play a majority (though barely — only nine) of their final 17 at home, where they currently have a 4-1-0 record. The key stretch for Iona will come early in January when they face Bentley and AIC in back-to-back home-and-home series. Wins in these games are crucial to keeping the Gaels contenders. Overall midterm grade: C

Offense It’s almost shocking to see the Iona offense not at the top of the league. Offense has never been the problem for the Gaels — defense has. Yes, Ryan Carter, Rob Kellogg, and Ryan Manitowich are still at the top of the team in scoring, but the point production of these three key players is down significantly. The Iona power play that once was considered deadly is dreadful, connecting only eight times to date for a 14.3% efficiency. If the Gaels are going to make a run at the MAAC title, they will need to score more than 3.07 goals per game. Offense midterm grade: C

Defense Last season, Iona coach Frank Bretti said that he had a goal to be one of the top three defensive teams in the league. That was what he believed would be the key to his team’s success. By season’s end, Iona reached that point and ended up tied for second place with Quinnipiac. Not bad for a team that couldn’t keep the puck out of the net a year earlier. That, though, has all gone for naught this year. Iona has dropped to third from the bottom in the MAAC in scoring defense, averaging 3.87 goals against. Scott Galenza, who began the season 3-0-1 as the hottest rookie netminder in the league, has cooled off significantly — 0-4 since November 3. With high expectations, it is suddenly time for Iona to prove its mettle — starting with defense. Defense midterm grade: C-

Mercyhurst

Midseason Record

Overall: 9-5-2
MAAC: 8-0-2

Preseason USCHO pick: 1st
Current position: 1st

Overall For the second year in a row, Mercyhurst reaches the Christmas break having lived up to all its hype. The Lakers remain undefeated in the league, with a 9-5-2 overall record. Considering that all of the pressure rests on the Lakers’ shoulders, it’s not too shabby of a start. The only place the Lakers have proven weak is in non-league play, where Mercyhurst has compiled a dismal 1-5-0 mark — the only win a 5-2 victory over Colgate in the consolation game of the Syracuse Invitational. But those games never have been, and probably never will be, the defining point of Mercyhurst’s season. After next weekend, the Lakers will play only league games — 16 in all, nine at home — with hopes of taking their second straight MAAC championship. Overall midterm grade: A-

Offense The Lakers offense has been a bit of a roller coaster ride. But looking at statistics, maybe the Lakers simply needed to get the train on the right track. In the first five games (including one exhibition game), Mercyhurst scored only nine goals. Since that time, Mercyhurst has scored 52 goals in 12 games — notching five-plus goals six times and only being held to two or less once (a 4-1 loss to Niagara). Senior center Louis Goulet leads the team and the MAAC league in scoring with 22 points (six goals, 16 assists). Last year’s rookie phenom Adam Tackaberry is close behind with 7-10-17. As coach Rick Gotkin had hoped, rookie Rich Hansen has stepped right into the lineup with comfort — 12 points in 16 games. He is tied for second in the league behind Iona’s Brent Williams for rookie scoring. Offense midterm grade: A-

Defense When talking about the Mercyhurst defense, you need only say one name: Peter Aubry. The senior netminder carried a talent-laden team to within a goal of the NCAA Regional Final last season and has returned this season looking for revenge. After starting the season with a tweaked knee, Aubry has recovered nicely and now is near the top of every goaltending category. He leads the league in save percentage (.929), is second in goals against average (2.26) and winning percentage (.682) and has propelled Mercyhurst to the stingiest defense in the league (2.69 goals against per game). A healthy Aubry should translate to another trip to the MAAC Final Four and a chance to avenge last year’s NCAA loss. Defense midterm grade: A

Quinnipiac

Midseason Record

Overall: 7-6-1
MAAC: 5-4-1

Preseason USCHO pick: 3rd
Current position: T-4th

Overall When is a rebuilding year not a rebuilding year? When you’re Quinnipiac. After dominance in the first three years of the MAAC league, Quinnipiac found itself dressing enough underclassmen to qualify as a solid high school team. But anyone who knows coach Rand Pecknold should know that the product on the ice would be nothing short of excellent. Yes, Quinnipiac is young. But they are also a well-coached team that can play with any in the league night in and night out. The one thing, though, that still lacks is the experience to bring that effort, drive and determination to every single game. Sure there have been tough nights, like a 9-0 loss at Maine. But Quinnipiac has also played five games against three of the top teams (Iona three times, Mercyhurst and Canisius once) and posted a 2-2-1 record in those games. The second half of the season will begin with a key stretch that sees Quinnipiac face AIC, Army and Bentley for six games from January 11-26. It is the games against the bottom of the league that Quinnipiac must win to secure home ice in the playoffs. Overall midterm grade: B+

Offense The Quinnipiac offense is the one area that has probably suffered the most from last year’s graduation loss. A team that scored 141 goals a year ago, only put up 41 goals in the first half of the season. The loss of five of the schools all-time top 20 scorers is a start to answer the question, “Why?” It’s not a surprise that the players pacing the Quinnipiac offense come from the small group of returnees. Junior Brian Herbert (20 points) and senior Ryan Olsen (18 points) lead the Quinnipiac charge. Defenseman Matt Erhart, possibly the best two-way player in the league, is third in scoring with 13 points. Offense midterm grade: B

Defense When it comes to the Quinnipiac defense, particularly goaltending, it’s like deja vu all over again. A year ago Quinnipiac entered the season as favorites thanks much to goaltender J.C. Wells, who holds many of Quinnipiac’s goaltending records. By the halfway point in the season, though, Wells had virtually lost his starting role to rookie Justin Eddy. Eddy backboned the team the rest of the way, and had it not been for a shaky performance in the MAAC championship, could have been stolen by the NHL. One year later, Eddy returned to Quinnipiac hoping to make the difference in terms of goaltending that could propel Quinnipiac to the top. But similar to a year earlier, as Eddy struggled in the beginning of the season, rookie Jamie Holden has stepped forward. Holden was victorious in his first five starts and entered the break with a 6-3-0 record. His .924 save percentage is third in the MAAC and his 2.16 goals against average is best in the league. Eddy’s numbers haven’t been very solid early on, but if he were to get the chance to come around, Pecknold could be blessed with a solid one-two tandem between the pipes. Defense midterm grade: B+

Sacred Heart

Midseason Record

Overall: 5-8-1
MAAC: 5-3-0

Preseason USCHO pick: 4th
Current position: 6th

Overall All MAAC is all that remains for Shaun Hannah and the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Burdened with a heavy non-league schedule in the first half of the year, the Pioneers will play nothing but league games after the break, making the next three months the key part of the season. And unlike other teams with either heavy home or road schedules, Sacred Heart has a clean split — nine games apiece on the road and at home. With a 5-3-0 league record at break, it’s hard to say whether the Pioneers have lived up to expectations. Without having ever proven themselves to be upper-echelon, it was hard to put the Pioneers in that group heading into the year — despite the fact they returned a solid nucleus of players. The only major problem that Sacred Heart has faced to this point is discipline. The Pioneers have average more than 17 minutes a game in penalties, combined with a 78.7% penalty kill has hurt them a couple of times already. Overall midterm grade: B

Offense The Pioneers offense has been similar to the overall team — average. At times, they have stepped up and played well — scoring five goals against Canisius and four on the road at Maine. But in seven of the 14 games, the Pioneers have been held to two goals or less (2-5-0 in those games). It is justifiable to note that Sacred Heart has already played four games against “Big Four” schools, as well as two on the road at Alabama-Huntsville. So the easiest way to sum up the Sacred Heart offense is with a question mark. When that question is finally answered, so too will the question of whether or not Sacred Heart is a contender. With games in hand on the entire league, the Pioneers could control their own destiny. Offense midterm grade: B-

Defense Continuing the theme, it’s easy too to call Sacred Heart’s defensive efficiency average. The Pioneers average 3.50 goals against per game, smack dead center of the league. Goaltender Eddy Ferhi, who overtook four-year veteran Alexi Jutras-Binet for the starting role a year ago, has put up decent numbers. On top of that, rookie Kevin LaPointe has looked decent when given the chance to play. LaPointe held Quinnipiac off the scoreboard in relief of Ferhi on November 3, shutout Army in a 1-0 victory on November 17, and suffered a third-period loss, despite making 36 saves at Alabama-Huntsville on November 24. Translation: A little improvement from both goaltenders, added defensive commitment by the players in front, and Sacred Heart could be a force in the home stretch. Defense midterm grade: B

UConn

Midseason Record

Overall: 3-8-3
MAAC: 3-4-2

Preseason USCHO pick: 6th
Current position: T-7th

Overall At the midway point of the season, UConn coach Bruce Marshall has to be asking the same question before every game: Which UConn team will show up tonight? The Huskies have proven themselves the league’s best Jekyll-and-Hyde case — showing the ability to score goals with regularity one night, then to go weeks without scoring. UConn has also had a strange schedule to open this season. The Huskies played seven consecutive games on the road from October 20 through November 16, then played five straight at home from November 17 through December 1. The most sinful part of that was not capitalizing on those home games, posting a 1-3-1 record over that stretch. Now, heading into the second half of the year, UConn will play 12 road games and only six home games after hosting this weekend’s UConn SNET Classic. Ironically, the Huskies still have playoff dreams. With a 3-4-2 league record, they sit in seventh, tied for the final two playoff spots with AIC. The key stretch for UConn will be January 25 through February 2 when they play home-and-home series with Bentley and Fairfield. Four wins there could secure playoff hopes while four losses could spell doom. Overall midterm grade: C-

Offense The split personality of UConn is best spelled out in its offense. At one point, the UConn offense went 199:34 without a goal. Once that streak was over, though, UConn scored 18 goals in four games. The problem with that, though, was UConn’s record in those four games was only 2-2 (a 5-0 loss to Quinnipiac and a 6-5 loss to UMass-Amherst accounted for the two losses). Five times, though, this season the Huskies have been blanked. That’s one more time than they were shut out in the previous two years. If you’re looking for a reason for offensive woes, the way the Huskies come out of the chute is certainly a start. UConn has scored a dismal three goals in the first period this season, while allowing 19 in the opening frame. When you’re not very confident in your offense, falling behind early is not a good solution. Offense midterm grade: D

Defense When the number nine is in the “goals for” column, smiles are abound in a locker room. When the number nine is in the “goals against” column, it’s easy to wonder if anyone is playing defense. UConn has seen that number twice this season — both in 9-0 losses (to Bemidji State and Mercyhurst). Combine that with giving up six goals twice (to the UMass sisters in Lowell and Amherst) and you can either write off the goaltending or defense as poor. Until December 8 — the night that UConn traveled to ECAC member Vermont for what could have been another non-league blowout. Instead, goaltender Jason Carey stopped 54 shots and a late goal earned the Huskies a 2-2 tie. Anyone want to put some rhyme or reason to this? If that’s the step in the right direction that the Huskies need, watch out. Two years ago UConn rode hot goaltending to an 8-1 record down the stretch and the MAAC championship. Defense midterm grade: C-

This Week In Hockey East: Dec. 27, 2001

By David H. Hendrickson
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December 27, 2001

First Semester Report Cards

It’s the time of year when grades make their appearance, desired or not, so let’s look at results across Hockey East. Keep in mind, though, that they all are to some extent Incompletes.

There’s plenty of time for first semester disappointments to turn things around and post successful seasons. The reverse is also true. The best of first halves is no guarantee that a team won’t fall flat on its face in the second half.

Let’s proceed with the final note that these grades are a combination of performance and preseason expectations.

A+ UMass-Lowell (12-2-0, 6-2-0 HEA). This is the easiest grade to assign of them all. League coaches projected that the River Hawks would finish sixth in Hockey East, one point ahead of seventh place Northeastern. Other than BU coach Jack Parker volunteering at every opportunity that Lowell concerned him a great deal, few considered the Hawks legitimate contenders.

Instead, they are now third in the country in the Pairwise Rankings. If the season ended today, they’d not only be a NCAA tournament team, they’d be the number one East seed, sitting on a bye in Worcester, Mass.

If that isn’t worthy of an A+, nothing is.

Even so, there are dangers ahead for the River Hawks. Yorick Treille, Laurent Meunier and Baptiste Amar all join the French National Team soon for the Olympics, knocking three key contributors out of the lineup for as many as nine league games.

Fortunately, Lowell has been the antithesis of the One Man Show or a One Line Team this year, so the Hawks may be able to weather the French Olympic storm better than most prognosticators, including yours truly, anticipated before the season started.

A- New Hampshire (11-3-2, 6-1-2 HEA). UNH came within one loss in the North Country of earning an A. Prior to that road trip, the Wildcats had established themselves as a team that routinely throttled opponents in the first period, no matter whether they were languishing in the standings or a previously undefeated Denver squad.

Terrific team defense has been the key along with specialty teams that in Hockey East games rank first in power-play percentage (27.1) and penalty kill (87.8) as well.

Darren Haydar has been playing the best hockey of his career, anchoring a first line with David Busch and freshman phenom Sean Collins. Perhaps even more importantly, the second line of Josh Prudden, Colin Hemingway and Lanny Gare has been almost as prolific.

In recent weeks the only negative has been the trip to the North Country, during which the normally stingy defense allowed a total of 12 goals. An 8-5 loss to Clarkson was the stunner, followed by a 5-4 squeaker past St. Lawrence.

Aberration or a chink in the armor? It’s almost certainly the former, but that’s why the straight A Wildcats fell to an A-.

A- Boston University (11-4-1, 5-2-1 HEA). BU hasn’t been as big a surprise as Lowell given the Terriers’ projection to be among a cluster of five teams atop the league, but they have been among the country’s top 10 for most of the season.

Their sophomore class, which barely made any impact as freshmen, has made major contributions. Most importantly, Sean Fields has established himself as one of the league’s top goaltenders.

Inconsistency, however, has plagued BU. Parker has often noted his team’s penchant for hot-and-dry spells within games.

This inability to put a solid 60 minutes together may have begun to catch up to the Terriers in the latter portion of the semester. After a 6-0-1 start that caught everyone’s attention, they have since posted a lukewarm 5-4-0 mark that bears watching.

B Maine (8-5-3, 4-2-1 HEA). The Black Bears perhaps deserve an Incomplete more than any other team based on the loss of legendary head coach Shawn Walsh during the preseason. The effect remains incalculable, but recent signs appear encouraging that they will again be a team on the national stage.

Maine posted a 5-1-1 mark going into the break, with an impressive finale of taking 3-of-4 points from a streaking Boston College club.

The offense ranks first in Hockey East, led by freshman standout Colin Shields, whose 16 goals are only one shy of leading the country, along with Niko Dimitrakos and Tom Reimann. Although Reimann’s shoulder is a major question mark, the Black Bears have good depth up front.

Mike Morrison has been strong in net, helping cover for an inconsistent start by Matt Yeats. With both of them playing well going into the break, Maine could be poised for another strong second-half run.

B Boston College (8-6-2, 4-4-1 HEA). BC opened slowly with a 2-4-1 record that looked like one of a rebuilding club. Coach Jerry York’s request to judge his team by its play in the second half, however, rang true when the Eagles won five straight.

Even a Nov. 30 overtime loss to UNH had all the look and feel of a win with dominant play in the third period and OT. Only a loss and tie at Maine to close out the semester offers any cautionary drag on second-half expectations.

J.D. Forrest has been a force on defense, logging 30 minutes in many a game, while Ben Eaves and Tony Voce have led the offense. The fact that three sophomores are the primary go-to-guys on this team illustrates what a young squad this is. Not to mention that significant injuries to any of the three would be devastating.

C Northeastern (8-7-2, 2-5-1 HEA). The Huskies were projected for seventh place, which is exactly where they stand right now.

On the plus side, they’ve won five of their last six. Unfortunately, none of those wins came in league games. Despite the success outside of the conference, Northeastern has now lost five of its last six Hockey East contests.

This is a team that could go in either direction in the second half and it may only take three weeks to see which way the wind is blowing. The first three weekends of January include series with BU, Maine and Lowell. After those games, the Huskies could be back in the league picture or relegated to battling for one of the last couple playoff spots.

Reasons do exist for optimism. Mike Ryan, who missed early games because of recovering from mononucleosis, has played at an All-Hockey East level of late and Jim Fahey ranks as the league’s top defenseman. Freshman goaltender Keni Gibson (5-1-0, 1.67 GAA, .929 Sv%) has been impressive after being sidelined with a bad back.

Still, the proof will be in the pudding….

C Merrimack (6-10-0, 2-6-0 HEA). Here’s the other team fully deserving of an Incomplete. With charismatic head coach Chris Serino giving way to Mike Doneghey because of throat cancer treatments, the inevitable adjustment period ensued and it took until Nov. 30 for the Warriors to get their first league points.

Using that date as a starting point, however, they’ve won two of three Hockey East games and are .500 overall. After giving up frightful numbers of shots in the early going, resulting in a league-worst defensive ranking, Merrimack is now playing much better in its own end with a recent 2.5 goals against average the positive evidence.

Anthony Aquino remains one of the league’s most dangerous forwards and has the surprising Ryan Cordeiro helping to fill the net. Marco Rosa looks like the league’s best defensive forward.

C UMass-Amherst (6-10-0, 2-7-0 HEA). Heading into the last four games of the semester, the Minutemen looked to be in as good shape as they could expect to be considering their youth. They stood at .500 overall and just one game under that mark in league play.

Then they faced four straight games against Maine, BC and BU (twice), which sent them into the break with four losses. Since confidence can be a fragile thing on a young team, coach Don “Toot” Cahoon could face some tough challenges ahead in the second half.

In goaltender Mike Johnson and blueliners Samuli Jalkanen and Toni Soderholm, the Minutemen have a good defensive core but still rank near the bottom among Hockey East teams in goals against.

Offensively they are dead last and by a healthy (or rather unhealthy) margin. Tim Turner, Martin Miljko and freshman Greg Mauldin lead the talent up front, but 1.89 goals per Hockey East game (2.19 overall) amounts to a real problem.

D Providence (7-9-1, 4-6-0 HEA). There really has been only one disappointing team in the league this year. The others that have struggled were expected to do so.

Not so with the Friars, who have been the King Kong of disappointments. Picked to finish first in Hockey East, albeit by the slimmest of margins, they have played almost as if that prediction was a millstone around their necks.

With arguably the best offensive returning talent in the league, they rank seventh in the league in scoring. Despite the presence of Devin Rask, Peter Fregoe, Drew Omicioli and Jon DiSalvatore, PC has the worst power play in the league (11.8 percent overall, 10.0 percent HEA).

It’s hard to make sense of what has happened to the Friars, especially considering that the easiest part of their schedule (at least on paper) is behind them. They’ve played all three of their games against Merrimack and two of their three against UMass-Amherst and Northeastern.

That means that only two league games remain against teams behind them in the standings and 12 against teams ahead of them. An optimist may view that as an opportunity, but PC is 0-for-3 so far in those games against the iron.

Next week: the first semester individual awards along with an interview with one of the biggest surprises.

Apologies

If this column seems shorter than usual, it’s because shoulder surgery has rendered me a one-handed hunt-and-peck typist. Look for the usual verbosity to return when I get my right hand back and can type faster than one-word-per-minute.

Trivia Contest

Last column’s question noted that the phrase “Onnea Peliin” found its way onto a Hockey East team’s chalkboard recently and asked for the team, the language and, roughly speaking, the translation.

“Onnea Peliin” appeared in BC’s locker room thanks to goaltender Matti Kaltiainen. It is Finnish for “Good luck for the game.”

A surprising volume of correct answers were led by Ankur Patel, whose cheer is:

“UNH — New Hampshire’s Team. Haydar for Hobey!”

This week’s question stays with the same topic. It notes that UMass-Amherst has two Finnish players, but they have different native languages. Name the two players and their native tongues. Be sure to match the player with his language. Send your answers to Dave Hendrickson.

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

Congratulations to my niece, Kelsey Hendrickson. At the age of six last year, she was the youngest player on the Masco Girls Under-10 Team. This year, she’s the third-youngest, but recently scored her first goal. Way to go Kelsey, my favorite number 88!
Congratulations also go to my other hockey-playing niece, Cherie Hendrickson. A sophomore on the Brooks Girls Varsity Team, she functions as the backup goaltender, regular defenseman and even slides up front for a few shifts. Talk about versatility!
Cherie helped Brooks win the Westminster Tournament a couple weekends ago, especially with one third-period goal followed by the game-winner with five seconds remaining against two-time defending champion Greenwich Academy. Way to go Cherie, my co-favorite number 18!

This Week In The ECAC: Dec. 27, 2001

By Becky Blaeser and Jayson Moy
-
December 27, 2001

Almost Halfway

The halfway point of the season is here, but there is still a lot of hockey left to be played over the next two months.

Let’s take a look at the standings points-wise:

Team GP Record Pts
1. Harvard 9 5-2-2 12
2. Yale 10 4-4-2 10
3. Cornell 6 4-1-1 9
4. Princeton 10 4-6-0 8
Clarkson 5 3-0-2 8
6. Dartmouth 6 3-2-1 7
Brown 8 3-4-1 7
8. Rensselaer 5 2-2-1 5
Vermont 5 2-2-1 5
10. Colgate 6 2-4-0 4
11. Union 5 1-3-1 3
12. St. Lawrence 5 1-4-0 2

Now from a winning-percentage perspective:

Team WinP%
1. Clarkson .800
2. Cornell .750
3. Harvard .667
4. Dartmouth .583
5. Rensselaer .500
Vermont .500
Yale .500
8. Brown .438
9. Princeton .400
10. Colgate .333
11. Union .300
12. St. Lawrence .200

Now this is what you want to look at until after the Beanpot is done.

Let’s take a look at each team as it heads into the second half of the season.

Clarkson

The Golden Knights have been great within the conference, at 3-0-2, but outside of the conference, a 2-7-1 record is nothing to be too happy about. But, in the end, it’s all about where you sit in the ECAC, and the Knights are at the top right now, winning percentage-wise.

The Good

The conference record is a definite good. Struggling outside of the conference, the Knights have known no losses within the league. Also, the upperclassmen are stepping up in terms of scoring, with Kevin O’Flaherty (5-8–13) and Matt Poapst (4-8–12) leading up front; the emergence of sophomore Tristan Lush (3-8–11) and freshman Jay Latulippe (2-9–11) bode well.

The Bad

Special teams have not been kind to the Knights thus far. The power play is at 15 percent in and out of the league, while the penalty kill is 79 percent overall and 75 percent in the league.

To The Cleary Trophy

The Knights need some more scoring and for their special teams to step up. If Mike Walsh can continue his good goaltending within the conference, then the Knights should be right there contending as usual.

Cornell

Cornell has quietly made an impact nationally. There isn’t a lot of talk about the Big Red, but they have one of the more fundamentally sound teams in the nation. If they keep it up, this team will go far.

The Good

The offense is up, something Big Red fans have been waiting for. The Big Red have scored 41 goals in 11 games, while allowing opponents only 18. The Big Red averaged 2.21 goals per game last season, 2.00 within the league. This season, the Big Red are averaging 3.73 goals per game and 3.50 within the league.

The Bad

There really isn’t any except for the fact that the Big Red have two great goaltenders and only one can play per night. We don’t mean to ignite a goaltending controversy, but this is something that Mike Schafer has got to love and hate at the same time.

To The Cleary Trophy

The same kind of play and the Cleary Trophy is all theirs.

Harvard

Harvard was a team that began the season with high expectations tarnished by a few lingering questions. Despite a few bumps in the road, the Crimson has been able to hold its own in league play to put itself in good position heading into the final half of the season. Barring major injuries, this team should continue to improve and threaten the top three spots heading down the stretch

The Good

The Crimson has found some consistency in net with the solid-not-stellar play of Will Crothers (7 games, 2.53 GAA, .916 save percentage) and Dov Grumet-Morris (5 games, 3.14 GAA, .891 save percentage). And despite the unforeseen losses of Jesse Lane and Graham Morrell, the team defense has been able to hold its own for the most part. The offense has been a workhorse, doing what needs to get done to win. Late game-winning and game-tying goals are naturally harder to come by during the latter part of the season, but the best news for Harvard is that stars like Dom Moore, Tim Pettit, Brett Nowak and Tyler Kolarik have yet to play even close to their best hockey yet.

The Bad

The team has more depth than it has in years, but it is still very much susceptible to injuries. A few key losses and the Crimson will suffer. This could come into play more over the next few months because of its arduous road schedule — eight of its last 13 league games are on the road.

To The Cleary Trophy

This team is probably still a year or two away. However, if all elements work together and everyone stays healthy, this year’s team has the ability to beat just about anyone.

Dartmouth

Stuck in the middle is Dartmouth with a 3-2-1 league record. It’s not a terrible place to be, but it’s not exactly the team predicted to be a national powerhouse this season. Still, the Big Green has been plodding through the season and is in striking distance of the top spot.

The Good

Dartmouth has been outscoring its opponents, relying on consistent production from Mike Maturo (7-8–15) and Kent Gillings (3-9–12). It has also been able to utilize some non-league contests to work through some kinks and generate some confidence and momentum heading into the final stretch of league play. Another bright spot has been freshman Lee Stempniak (3-1–4) who has proven to be a fine third-line player for Coach Bob Gaudet. Although his numbers are modest, a promising freshman was a welcome surprise for a team heavily dominated by its upperclassmen.

The Bad

Consistency, consistency, consistency. This team continues to play below expectations. Nick Boucher, not himself this year, has yet to have that breakout season that everyone has been waiting for. The junior goaltender was pulled in the third period at Vermont and has since been replaced by backup Darren Gastrock. There is no telling when and if Boucher will earn his spot back, but solid goaltending is the linchpin for Dartmouth no matter who stands between the pipes.

To The Cleary Trophy

No matter what they have done thus far, you can’t discount the Big Green. If they get their act together, this team is a threat right up until the end — just look what happened last year in Lake Placid.

Rensselaer

It’s been up and down all year for the Engineers, who have been hampered by injuries in the latter portion of the first half. The talent is there and it’s showed itself a few times.

The Good

The big guns are firing for the Engineers. Marc Cavosie (9-10–10), Nolan Graham (5-8–13) and Matt Murley (7-3–10) have carried the team offensively.

The Bad

The Engineers have spent 33 more minutes in the penalty box than their opponents and have been outshot by 64 in the first 11 games this season. With Nathan Marsters and Kevin Kurk struggling a little bit, this adds up to a bad ending.

To The Cleary Trophy

It certainly is there for the Engineers. They need to get more scoring distribution and have Marsters and Kurk return to form, take shots on goal and stay out of the penalty box.

Vermont

The Catamounts are sitting at .500 in the ECAC, someplace that many did not expect given their non-conference record. But that just shows the parity of the ECAC.

The Good

The Cats have done well on special teams, scoring 24 percent within the league and allowing only 20 percent on the penalty kill. And the Cats have also gotten scoring in their five conference games, 17 goals in all. Compare that with 10 seven non-conference games and you can see the difference.

The Bad

The Cats are getting outshot pretty badly this season, by a whopping 105 shots overall, and by 67 in league play in only five games. Through 12 games, the Cats have had a hard time finding a consistent game-to-game scorer. The leading scorers on the team — Patrick Sharp, John Longo, Bryson Busniuk and Jeff Miles — all have nine points.

To The Cleary Trophy

Cutting down on the number of shots given up and giving Shawn Conschafter a chance is one of the keys and playing as they have been in-conference. The Cats can be dangerous, but you have to wonder which team will show up.

Yale

Decimating expectations, this Yale team has done more in its first 10 league games than many thought it would do all season long. A Yale team without Jeff Hamilton in the lineup has proven not to be so bad.

The Good

Chris Higgins. The Yale coaching staff knew this freshman would be good; they just didn’t expect him to break out so soon. He leads the team with 11 points (six goals, five assists) and has scored in all but two games this year. More to the point, he is responsible for one game-winning, two game-tying and three power-play tallies. Higgins has also plugged up the hole on the first line quite well, complementing the play of Luke Earl and Nick Deschenes.

The Bad

The Bulldogs don’t exactly have depth on offense, and are a team that thrives on momentum. In order to be successful on a long-term basis, the team needs increased offensive production from the likes of Spencer Rogers (1-3–4) up front on the second line and Jeff Dwyer (2-2–4) along the blue line. The team has also needs to find ways to take pressure off of Dan Lombard, who right now is averaging just under 28 saves per game with a .921 save percentage

To The Cleary Trophy

It’s not as much of a stretch as it was a few months ago. The keys will be Lombard, Dwyer and Higgins. If those three can step up their level of play, this team is a threat for home ice during the playoffs. And as history has proven, anything is possible at the Yale Whale.

Brown

There is no question that the Bears have been the most-improved team in the league this season. Stealing points whenever they can is no longer a necessity — the Bears can simply take those points.

The Good

The sophomore and junior classes have stepped up to the offensive plate this season. Brent Robinson (2-6–8) and Adam Saunders (4-2–6) have provided an offensive spark, while Tye Korbl (3-3–6) and Paul Esdale (2-6–8) have chipped in with a game-winning goal each. Those guys along with Keith Kirley (1-4–5) have given Roger Grillo some flexibility and a lot of confidence in his first two lines. Brian Eklund has shown that he can keep this team in a game. Although he has not been flawless, his play has saved his defense on many an occasion. The dependable play of Yann Danis has also kept a fire lit under Eklund.

The Bad

The Bears still haven’t managed a level of consistency and are very susceptible to major defensive lapses. Good teams have been able to capitalize with multiple goals in a short period of time. Brown also doesn’t have a potent scorer, or a proven third line and that makes it very difficult to pull out the tight games — something that Brown will face many times throughout the rest of the season.

To The Cleary Trophy

The reality is that this team now has the ability to challenge on a nightly basis and will most likely secure a decent playoff position come March. That was not in the cards last season or the year before. It many not be the Cinderella story Brown fans were hoping for, but it’s certainly a case of taking the necessary baby steps towards rebuilding this program.

Princeton

It’s a long season, but the Tigers have already been a thorn in the side of three ECAC contenders in Yale, RPI and Vermont. Perhaps the most unpredictable team in the league, Princeton has the potential to get blown out of a rink one night and respond with an overtime win the next. And with Yale catching some attention with its strong first-half play, the Tigers have been able to strike when guards are down.

The Good

The team has four wins this season and all four have come against league opponents. Picking its moments well is something that the Tigers have done well this year, snatching at least a point in four of its five league weekends thus far. Good news for the Tigers is the fact that Brad Parsons if finally back in the lineup to fill out the first line. The most prolific returning scorer for the Tigers, Parsons has played in only four games this season. Matt Maglione is another key component to this team who fell victim to the injury bug. The return of both players will make a huge impact on both ends of the ice.

The Bad

Princeton has trouble keeping its opponents off the board and that in turn places a great deal of pressure on an offensive corps that is still trying to find its way. The team is allowing 3.69 goals per game and is scoring at a 1.85 clip. Netminder Dave Stathos has also been pelted for over 30 shots per game. Not matter how you slice and dice the statistics, the team is not putting itself in position to win games.

To The Cleary Trophy

It may be too much to ask for this team to capture a title of any sorts. At this stage of the game, a solid final half of the season and a decent playoff berth will be a victory in and of itself.

Colgate

It’s been a learning experience for the Raiders this season as an extremely young team is taking its share of hard knocks. The Raiders have only one win out of conference, and have not found any consistency.

The Good

Young players have gotten plenty of ice time and experience that will only benefit them in the future. Dmitry Yashin (5-3–8) is tied for the team lead in points and Adam Mitchell (1-6–7) has also contributed. Kyle Doyle (2-5–7) has also begun to emerge.

The Bad

The Raiders have been outscored by 24 goals this season. Granted, a lot of that was one series in Minnesota (9-0 and 8-0 losses), but the Raiders have not mustered the offense that was once so prevalent. At the same time, the goaltending of Jason LeFevre and David Cann has not been stellar as well.

To The Cleary Trophy

It will take a lot of hard work to get to the top of the league standings for the Raiders. The youth has to step up it up further than they already have and that may be asking too much for the experience level of this squad.

Union

The Dutchmen have shown flashes of greatness this season and at other times have shown that they just don’t have it.

The Good

There is a lot of playing time involved for a young team and the team is a lot speedier than in years past. The Dutchmen have a different style and it’s beginning to gel. They’ve gotten leadership from senior Jeff Hutchins (4-3–7) and juniors Nathan Gillies (2-7–9) and Kris Goodjohn (3-4–7).

The Bad

Special teams are a cause for concern for the Dutchmen. The power play is scoring at a 15 percent clip, while the penalty kill stands at 81 percent overall, but 73 percent within the league.

To The Cleary Trophy

The youngsters have to keep learning, the upperclassmen have to continue their drive. With Brandon Snee behind the Dutchmen, there is a great chance that they can push towards the top of the standings.

St. Lawrence

The Saints know what it is like to experience hard lessons in growing as a team. The Saints sit at 3-12 thus far and are still looking for that little push to get them over the hump.

The Good

The Saints have gotten good experience for their youngsters, especially in goal. Kevin Ackley and Mike McKenna have played in 15 games and have been thrown into the fire. Each has shown flashes of improvement.

The Bad

This can also be looked on as a good, as the Saints have lost nine games by one goal. The Saints are keeping it close and while they haven’t been able to get the tying goal or take the lead, it can only lead to a better future.

To The Cleary Trophy

The Saints have to turn those one-goal losses into wins and if they do, the Saints can be a force down the stretch, especially with only five ECAC games played so far. The whole season is in front of them and to get over that hump will be a key.

Notes

The last time out we told you about Harvard head coach Mark Mazzoleni’s father, Palmiro “Paul” Mazzoleni, who was one of the top ten finalists for induction into the Green Bay Packer FAN Hall of Fame.

Well, congratulations to Mr. Mazzoleni, as he was elected.

He received 18 percent of the total votes cast amongst the ten finalists and will be feted with a salute on the Lambeau Field JumboTron board during the Packers’ final home game of the season, against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, December 30.

He also will receive a $500 Packers Pro Shop gift certificate and a road trip for two to a 2002 Packers away game (including tickets, air fare and hotel accommodations). In addition, he will be recognized at the Packer Hall of Fame Dinner in July.

For more information on this accomplishment, go to the Green Bay Packers official site.

If It’s So Easy, You Try It

The Iron Columnists are enjoying their time off.

The competition thus far:

Vic Brzozowksi t. The Iron Columnists – 7-2-1
The Iron Columnists d. Vic Brzozowksi – 8-3-1 to 7-4-1
Ben Flickinger d. The Iron Columnists – 11-4-2 to 10-5-2
The Iron Columnists d. Ben Flickinger – 5-1-4 to 4-2-4

It’s the holiday season and even the Iron Columnists need a break, so until January, the Iron Columnists have been sent to hone their skills.

And remember that if you are interested in putting your money where your mouth is, drop us an email to be eligible to be chosen.

This Week in the CHA: Dec. 27, 2001

By Geof F. Morris
-
December 27, 2001

CHA Beat

It’s a light week for College Hockey America teams. Only one conference matchup looms for the weekend, but it’s a hot one. Three weeks ago, Alabama-Huntsville traveled to Detroit to face the Wayne State Warriors. The UAH crew must have felt confident going into the weekend: the Chargers sat atop the CHA standings, and last year’s squad took all eight points in regular-season play against WSU.

That confidence was shattered by the outstanding play of a much-improved Warrior squad, as WSU picked up three points with a 4-3 win on Friday and a 3-all tie on Saturday. It didn’t start off auspiciously for the Warriors, as the Chargers came into Detroit and picked off two power-play goals in the first period on Friday. But the Warriors, led by goalie David Guerrera, pulled it together and ripped off four unanswered by Billy Collins, Travis Rycroft, Nathan Rosychuk, and Nick Shrader for the win.

In the second game, Guerrera was solid again between the pipes, but his skills were matched by sophomore Charger netminder Adam MacLean, who has struggled after a solid start to the season. The pair held their opponents to a goal apiece during the first two periods, only to surrender two goals each in the third. An extra attacker provided the final Warrior goal.

What does this bode for the rematch? For one, UAH will be eager to treat its guests as it was treated up in Michigan. UAH has a tenuous hold on the CHA lead, and after this weekend, it will be February before the Chargers play a conference opponent. Doug Ross’s men are going to need more than a simple series split to keep their lead-dog position.

Bill Wilkinson’s crew, on the other hand, has to have bolstered its confidence. In the preseason, the CHA coaches selected Wilkinson’s Warriors to be the best squad, and after a tough non-conference stretch in November, the Warriors have had mixed CHA results. Coming to Alabama and picking up two more points from the Chargers would go a long way towards gaining the top spot when all six CHA teams meet in upstate New York in the spring.

We at CHA Beat are going to take a series split, with UAH pulling out the victory on Friday night and WSU getting their revenge in an overtime game the next night. The home ice promises not to be as kind to UAH as it normally is, as cold air has come down from the north and sent all the native Alabamians scurrying for warm clothing.

Now that CHA teams have, on average, played between a third and a half of their conference schedule, who’s the top team in College Hockey America? In this writer’s eyes, it is Niagara.

Yes, UAH fans, your team leads the CHA. However, the Chargers have already played half of their conference games, and they’re barely averaging a point a game (1.1, to be exact). The Purple Eagles, on the other hand, are a point behind but have played two fewer games.

Wayne State fans, we hear your cries — you’re telling this poor engineer to do the math and divide six into eight, and see that Wayne State has more points per game than anyone else. ‘Tis true, but a sweep of Air Force pads the Warriors’ stats a bit, as it does for the Chargers.

No, Air Force, we aren’t trying to slight you: it’s just that you’ve lost all four conference games so far. True, you’ve played two of the better CHA teams, but with just 20% of your schedule complete, how can we properly evaluate you?

Bemidji State, we hear you, too. Taking three points from the Warriors was a good run. But you’ve split your other two series.

And Findlay, we know you split with Bemidji. But you had issues with the Eagles, losing three of four.

Of course, this is all rather preliminary. Air Force could storm out after toughening up against non-conference competition and really surge in the CHA. Wayne State could knock off UAH this weekend with a road sweep and return home to Michigan with sole possession of the conference lead. Findlay’s goaltending situation could firm up and the Oilers could play spoiler.

But it’s fun to give you all some fodder. And for my words this week — the Eagles are soaring.

This Week In The WCHA: Dec. 27, 2001

By Todd D. Milewski
-
December 27, 2001

The Shopping Season Continues

Christmas has come and gone, but a number of WCHA teams are still shopping.

They’re in the market for a strong second half of the season. The price? Pretty high, in points and in effort.

The competition? Worse than the return line at the local department store on the day after Christmas. One slip may mean the difference between a first-round bye and a longer road to the Frozen Four; the difference between seeing your school’s name in one of the national tournament brackets and being the team that gets sympathy for being the best team not invited; the difference between playing two or three more games at home and having to hop on a bus for the league playoffs.

There’s a lot on the line from this point forward. This is the second half, where WCHA championships and spots in the NCAA tournament are won and lost.

League points won’t be awarded this weekend. That shouldn’t change the intensity as seven WCHA teams play for titles in various holiday tournaments.

In some tournaments, winning the championship is akin to having your name slotted into one of the NCAA spots three months before the bids are announced. In others, it’s about getting a jump on the competition in the second half.

The holiday season always seems to bring out the best in college hockey. Judging from some of the games on the schedule this weekend, this season should be no different.

Here’s a look at this weekend’s tournaments involving WCHA teams:

The Crystal Ball

In some tournaments, winning the championship is akin to having your name slotted into one of the NCAA spots three months before the bids are announced. In others, it’s about getting a jump on the competition in the second half.

The Bank One Badger Hockey Showdown has, in its first 12 years, been quite a predictor of success in the second half of the season.

Just once has a Showdown champion not gone on to make the 12-team NCAA tournament field. That was Bowling Green, which won the Pettit Cup in 1998 by beating Cornell and Yale in a watered-down field.

The other 11 seasons have produced champions who have been on a fast track to the national tournament.

(Well, that’s not completely true. Wisconsin won the 1991 Showdown title, beating Maine 3-2 in a classic at the Bradley Center, and then made the NCAAs, where it lost to Lake Superior State in the championship game. But because of the post-championship-game shenanigans in Albany that year, the NCAA forced the Badgers to vacate their participation in the ’92 tournament. While they were there, they weren’t. Make sense?)

So who’s it going to be this year? For sure, there are two WCHA teams in the field that could use a boost into the big dance.

Colorado College and host Wisconsin have some work to do in the second half of the season if they want to be in the final 12.

Going into the weekend, the Tigers were 11th in the Pairwise Rankings; the Badgers were 26th. The need for a second-half rally seems more desperate for the Badgers, but CC would probably be on the outside of the tournament field if it started today.

A poor start has left the Tigers playing catch-up for the last month of the season, and it had to do so while playing four games against St. Cloud State, the No. 1 team in the USCHO.com poll.

That they went 2-2, with splits in each team’s building, should go over well in Colorado Springs, considering CC’s the only team that has found the weakness in St. Cloud that has led to a Huskies loss.

The last time we saw the Tigers on ice, they were putting a 5-1 hurting on St. Cloud. That offensive surge came one night after the Tigers were blanked 3-0.

There lies the problem. As they open the second half, the Tigers, who play New Hampshire in the first round, need to find a balance that is going to help them gain ground on the rest of the WCHA.

The only CC player in the top 20 in the WCHA in scoring is Mark Cullen (eighth, 22 points). That is uncharacteristic of the team many expected to be leading the WCHA pack in goalscorers.

Speaking of a lack of scoring, the Badgers have the same problem. Their top scorer is Brad Winchester, who’s 21st in the league with 17 points.

Wisconsin has had its days in scoring — see the Dec. 7 comeback against North Dakota — but the question, again, is about consistency.

Through 16 games this season, the Badgers have yet to manage anything more than a two-game winning streak (they’re on one now).

The strong — perhaps even surprisingly strong — goaltending of Scott Kabotoff has kept the Badgers around the .500 mark overall. Until the scoring becomes steady, though, uncertain times are ahead for Wisconsin.

UW plays Brown in the first round and, as always, the Showdown offers the promise of kicking off the second half in style.

The Building Block

You may recall the Great Lakes Invitational of last season. You can sure bet Mike Sertich and his Michigan Tech team do.

Tech 7, Michigan 3? Michigan, as in 2001 Frozen Four participant Michigan? Yeah, that’s probably pretty memorable.

That eye-opening victory in the opening round of last year’s GLI at Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena may have been the highlight of the season for the Huskies, who won just eight games.

While they won just four more games the rest of the season, it helped give the second half a better tone. That’s the power of the holiday tournament.

The Huskies, who play Michigan State in the first round this year, could use some good cheer in the holiday season for a boost into the second half of the WCHA schedule. They travel to Alaska-Anchorage next weekend for a series that could prove crucial in the final standings come March.

One reason for optimism for Tech is that Paul Cabana finally found his way out of a 13-game goalless streak. He scored two goals in a 5-3 victory over rival Northern Michigan on Dec. 14.

Meanwhile, North Dakota, which drew Michigan for the first round, has some building of its own to do.

Despite a series sweep at St. Lawrence two weekends ago, the Sioux entered the holidays at just 7-9-1. Coach Dean Blais warned that this might be an off season for UND, and it turns out he may have been right.

Blais had another warning before the season, though: The Sioux may have their share of troubles before the holidays — and they did — but watch out in the second half.

Did Blais know something before his team took the ice this season? Did he see the flaws, know that playing a predominantly freshman lineup would take its toll?

Did he see this as the time it would all come together?

It’s going to be tougher than just flipping a switch for North Dakota, which is going to have to fight just to be able to use the palacial, new Ralph Engelstad Arena for the WCHA playoffs. Concerns need to be addressed in all areas, but especially in goal.

Senior Andy Kollar has been the focal point for criticism of the Sioux defense. He has a 4.19 goals against average and is stopping just 86.9 percent of the pucks that come his way.

Freshman Jake Brandt got both starts against St. Lawrence.

Don’t Look Ahead

A coach will never admit, on the record at least, that he’s looking forward to a game that may not even happen.

Thank goodness that logic doesn’t apply to journalists. The Wells Fargo Denver Cup has the potential for one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend.

Denver, No. 1 in the Pairwise Rankings, and UMass-Lowell, ranked No. 3, are on opposite sides of the tournament bracket. Lowell plays Harvard in the first round; Denver plays Bowling Green.

If the same fate falls on the Pioneers and the River Hawks in the opening round, a battle of the heavyweights is certain. The defensive power of Denver against the scoring punch of Lowell. A sure classic, right?

Considering that there always seems to be at least one shocker per holiday tournament season, maybe not.

Denver coach George Gwozdecky is confident that his team will be focused on Bowling Green, not looking ahead to the Saturday night game.

“I have great trust that our team is mature enough and experienced enough now to understand that you have to put all of your efforts and all of your attention onto your next game, whoever that may be,” Gwozdecky said. “I think we benefit from being in this league because you know that if you don’t prepare for that next immediate game in this league, chances are you’re going to get beat.

“Having had to go through that, I think that benefits us in a tournament situation like this because we’re used to understanding that you have to prepare for Friday night before you can advance and prepare for Saturday night. If you don’t do that, you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

If the Pioneers’ goaltending plays as strong as it has to this point, though, they’ll be a lock for the championship game. Adam Berkhoel and Wade Dubielewicz are 1-2 in the WCHA in goals against average (Berkhoel at 1.87 and Dubielewicz at 1.88).

If DU follows form, Dubielewicz will get the nod against Bowling Green on Friday with Berkhoel taking over Saturday.

Not Too High, Not Too Low

It seems a bit odd that Don Lucia coached in Colorado for six years considering his coaching style is probably better suited for the Great Plains than the Rocky Mountains.

Lucia knows his teams are best when they don’t get too high or too low. The Minnesota coach talks often about being on an “even keel.”

That style is showing on this year’s Gophers team. They have methodically gone about their business, putting up a 12-2-3 first-half record that has earned them a No. 4 spot in the Pairwise Rankings.

No game is more important than any other, Lucia wants his team to believe. A series between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation? No more important than, say, this weekend’s Mariucci Classic in Minneapolis. The Gophers play Ferris State in the first round.

This weekend will be important for the Gophers to get themselves ready for what could be a challenging month of January.

A home series with North Dakota next weekend precedes series at Wisconsin and Alaska-Anchorage. The month closes with a home series against Denver — one of only two teams to have beaten the Gophers thus far — and an exhibition with the French Olympic team.

Chances are good, though, that the Gophers won’t be looking too far ahead. They haven’t so far.

Rested, Ready

Maybe Minnesota-Duluth needed some time off to clear its collective head.

Despite entering their Christmas break with a pair of victories over Bemidji State, the Bulldogs probably still had the bad taste of a 10-game winless streak in their mouths at the start of the break.

With two weekends off to recover from a on-again, off-again start, the Bulldogs have the opportunity this weekend to start the second half the same way they started the first half: by shocking the college hockey world.

A win over Yale in the first round of the Silverado Shootout at the DECC wouldn’t turn too many heads, especially considering UMD is 6-2 in non-conference games this season.

But a possible second-night game against defending national champion Boston College looms large on the horizon.

Duluth opened the season with victories over host Nebraska-Omaha and Michigan at the Maverick Stampede in Omaha, Neb. Could there be room for another round of upsets?

“Everybody’s going to be better in the second half; hopefully we can too,” UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. “It would be nice to start off the second half with a good showing like we started the year and hopefully build off that.

“I’m optimistic. I think the break was good, we healed up some guys, some guys broke out of some slumps against Bemidji. We just need to be more consistent in goal and hopefully the freshman can play at a higher level now.”

The Bulldogs’ Tom Nelson had a big weekend against Bemidji State, scoring five goals in the Dec. 7-8 sweep. Sandelin said his team played well in the last few games before the break, but that was a long time ago. UMD will have to start everything up again quickly.

“It was good to finish with a couple wins with Bemidji to go into that break feeling better about ourselves,” said Sandelin, who noted that his team had been practicing since September with no breaks. “It was just good from a lot of standpoints. Some guys probably felt we wanted to keep playing, but I thought it was a good time.”

Sandelin couldn’t help but take a quick look ahead at the second-half league schedule and laugh. It was a pretty nervous laugh.

The Bulldogs get back into WCHA play next weekend by hosting Colorado College. Then, it’s a series at St. Cloud State.

Still, the coach has a goal for the second half, one that would put the Bulldogs in a better league position than the 10th-place spot in which they reside.

“I’d love to go 10-10 in the second half,” Sandelin said. “I know it’s going to be tough, but I think that would be a good second half for us. In that case, we’d win eight league games, which is twice as many as we won last year.”

Stop The Shootout

The Silverado Shootout is almost certain to be off the holiday tournament schedule for next season, and Sandelin said he hopes the Duluth, Minn., tourney can operate every other year.

“It’s just been tough to find teams,” Sandelin said. “It seems like everyone’s got tournaments. I know North Dakota’s starting their tournament [next year].”

Sandelin said he has Bowling Green and Harvard lined up for the 2003 tournament, with another team yet to be added. Next season, the Bulldogs may host Harvard at the DECC in the holiday season, with a return trip to upstate New York in a following season.

“I think it’s good, too, because it gives us an opportunity to maybe go elsewhere or get a couple games,” Sandelin said.

No. 1 Means Little

That Denver is ranked No. 1 in the country in the Pairwise Rankings did not go unnoticed in the Pioneers’ locker room.

“It’s nice to see that, but Bryan Vines, our captain, said it best: ‘That’s nice to see, but talk to me in three months,’ ” Gwozdecky said. “If we can be in that position three months from now, it’ll mean a little bit more than it does right now.”

At the moment, the rankings could help most in ticket sales. Gwozdecky said he expects a near-sellout of Magness Arena for both nights at the Denver Cup this weekend.

A championship-game matchup between PWR No. 1 Denver and No. 3 UMass-Lowell, though, would probably help boost Saturday to a full sellout.

“Depending on the pairing for Saturday’s two games, there may be additional tickets sold to those latecomers,” Gwozdecky said. “If Lowell and Denver advance to the championship game, there will obviously be interested created in those last 24 hours.”

What?

By Sam Bohney
-
December 22, 2001

Well, here we are, the second installment of “What?,” where I, Sam Bohney, answer your questions as they pertain to college hockey history.

I sure do hope that you are enjoying this column, as the game of college hockey is one to be treasured — and with so many new fans joining the existing ones, it’s a great opportunity for all to learn more about the game.

Q: I thought Minnesota-Duluth won the first women’s national championship last year? If that’s the case, then why did I hear that New Hampshire won one, and so did Ohio State and Rensselaer?

Ah, a question that deals with recent, yet confusing, history.

While it is true that Minnesota-Duluth won the first NCAA championship last year, the Bulldogs were not the first generally-acknowledged national champion in women’s hockey.

While it is true that Minnesota-Duluth won the first NCAA championship last year, the Bulldogs were not the first generally-acknowledged national champion in women’s hockey.

For the previous three seasons, the American Women’s College Hockey Alliance (AWCHA) awarded a Division I championship, which is recognized by all as a national championship.

In 1997 USA Hockey organized the AWCHA, and in doing so, set up a championship tournament that consisted of the best four teams in the nation regardless of geography. At the end of the 1997-98 season, selected to participate in the tournament were Brown, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Northeastern.

Those four played for the first-ever AWCHA championship at the FleetCenter in Boston, and New Hampshire won the first title with a 4-1 victory over Brown. UNH had defeated Minnesota, 4-1, and Brown had beaten Northeastern, 3-2, to get to the championship game.

The next year, the championship was held at Mariucci Arena in Minneapolis, where Harvard was crowned after a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over New Hampshire. The Wildcats had defeated the host Gophers, 3-2 in overtime, and Harvard topped Brown, 5-3, to get to the final.

In 2000, Northeastern’s Matthews Arena was the host site, where Minnesota captured the crown with a 5-4 win over Brown. Brown defeated Dartmouth, 4-2, and the Gophers beat Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in the semifinals.

That same year, the AWCHA organized the first-ever Division III championship, in which Middlebury and Augsburg played a best-of-three series to determine the champion. Middlebury won two straight, 5-1 and 8-1, to capture that title.

In 2001, the Bulldogs’ won the inaugural NCAA championship in Division I, but the Division III title was still governed by the AWCHA. That title went to a four-team format for its last year, with Middlebury again winning the title, 6-0, over Gustavus Adolphus. Middlebury had defeated St. Mary’s, 3-1, and Gustavus had defeated Williams, 2-1.

This season will feature the first-ever NCAA Division III championship, but as in Division I, AWCHA titlist Middlebury will be recognized as the national champion for the previous two seasons.

Now, on to the second part of your question. Ohio State winning a national championship? Yes, the Buckeyes did, claiming the American Women’s Club Hockey Association (also the AWCHA — confusing, I know) title, awarded to the top non-varsity team in the nation. Ohio State won the championship in 1995 after a six-team tournament.

In 1996, teams started to turn their programs from club to varsity. The ECAC and Midwestern Collegiate Women’s Alliances were formed, and the ECAC accepted more varsity members. The strongest club teams were now varsity programs, leaving newer club programs to rise.

Eventually most of those club programs went varsity, as evidenced by the growth of teams in Divisions I and III women’s hockey.

By the way, North Country Community College won the women’s club title in 1996 and 1997. And the men’s club league, the American Club Hockey Association, formed a women’s division in 2000. Its 2001 champion was St. Cloud State.

Q:We all know that Cornell had an undefeated season and won the NCAA championship in 1970, but has anyone else achieved that distinction?

In Division I, the answer would be no — in fact, no other team has ever entered the tournament unbeaten.

A total of seven teams did enter the tournament with only one loss, however. Four of those — Boston College (1949), Denver (1961), Cornell (1967) and Maine (1993) — won the title. Of the other three, once-losers Michigan (1949) and Cornell (1968) both finished third, while the once-beaten 1969 Cornell team finished second.

In Division II, it has happened once. In 1983-84 when Bemidji State went 31-0-0, and captured the NCAA Division II title with a series championship win over Merrimack, 6-3 and 8-1. The Beaver squad featured Joel Otto as one of the tri-captains was totally dominant, outscoring opponents 210-71 on the season.

Now in Division III, teams have entered the NCAA tournament undefeated on two occasions. The most recent was just last season, when RIT came in with a 24-0-1 record. The Tigers swept Lebanon Valley in the first round, then defeated Wisconsin-River Falls in the semifinals before falling to Plattsburgh, 6-2, to end the season at 27-1-1 as NCAA runners-up.

The other time was in 1994. The Fredonia Blue Devils were 28-0-4 heading into the NCAA semifinals against Wisconsin-River Falls, but a Jeremy Jeanette goal in the third period gave the Falcons a 4-3 win over the Blue Devils and ruined Fredonia’s undefeated season.

Now, looking only at record in your Division or lower, we have the 1982-83 UMass-Lowell Chiefs — the last year the Chiefs were a Division II team before moving up to Division I.

Bill Riley’s squad that year played six Division I opponents and defeated five of them: Maine, Yale, Army, Bowling Green and Providence. The lone loss against a Division I opponent was against Rensselaer in the 1982 RPI Invitational championship game. The Chiefs, who had beaten Bowling Green the night before, lost a shootout, 8-6, to the hosts.

But despite the lone loss to Division I Rensselaer, the Chiefs went into the NCAA Division II tournament with a 21-0-0 record against Division II and III opponents — and promptly suffered their first loss against a Division II team, eventual champion RIT, by a score of 5-1.

The Chiefs would take third place against Babson, 5-3, to end the season with a 29-2-0 record, 24-1-0 against Division II and Division III opponents.

Short Answers To Short Questions

Q: What’s the difference between a game misconduct and a game disqualification? A game misconduct warrants a player’s removal for the rest of the game with no loss of manpower for his team. A game disqualification means removal for the rest of the game plus ineligibility for the following game. This rule is in effect for all contests, even exhibitions — meaning that a player’s infraction during exhibition play can get him disqualified for a regulation game.

Q: Which team had the most losses going into the NCAA tournament? That would be Jeff Sauer’s Colorado College Tigers of 1978, which jobbed 21 times.

Q: Then which team had the most losses and won the NCAAs? Bob Johnson’s 1981 Wisconsin Badgers, who had 14 losses.

Stumping Sam

Like I told you in the first column, sometimes I’ll get a question and be stumped. Here’s a question that I got, and I have to tell you, I have no clue.

Where and how did the “Sieve” chant start?

You have got me. You hear it in almost every single college arena, but I can’t dig up anything on it. Where did it start? Who claims responsibility?

Here’s your opportunity to help me out. Drop me an email if you know the answer.

See all of you real soon.

What?

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